JLU 2001 Fanfiction -The Titans #7

It was an early summer morning marked by a pleasant breeze that swept through the city of New York. Walking down the street from the local pizzeria was Garfield Logan known to his fellow Titans as Beast Boy. In his left hand was a deluxe extra large anchovy pizza. In the other hand was a large Diet Dr. Pepper. His mouth watered as he thought of devouring the tasty pizza in his left hand, but alas as he had so many times before he would never get the chance to as duty called for…

beastboy Protecting Our Future

'Beast Boy Did It!'

The Titans #7 - March, Year 2 by Mick Edwards

The Titans

NIGHTWING
Dick Grayson

CYBORG
Victor Stone

STARFIRE

BEAST BOY
Garfield Logan

ARGENT
Toni Montelli


ARSENAL Roy Harper	RAVEN

An explosion rocked the entire block. Its effect caused the pizza in Beast Boy’s hand to go sailing into the air and onto the busy streets. Garfield let out a sigh as he looked in the direction of Atlantic Bank’s Manhattan office. He left the soda next to a trash can as he transformed into a bird to check out what was going on. Upon descending near the bank he saw the massive form of Mammoth through the shattered windows. It was apparent what the former Fearsome Five member was doing. He was ripping the vault door off of its hinges. Though for what would cause him to do something like that in broad daylight was anyone’s guess.

“Time to do the super hero thing,” Beast Boy muttered as he changed into a gorilla and leapt upon Mammoth’s back.

“Whatcha doin’ big man,” Beast Boy asked, “Did you forget your keys?”

Mammoth said nothing as he merely shrugged and tossed Beast Boy off of him.

Beast Boy skidded on the ground. When he finally stopped he transformed again into a rhinoceros. Gathering up some steam he started to charge at the lumbering brute. Only for him to pass right through the villain and crash into the bank vault. People let out shrill screams as Beast Boy got to his feet. He looked puzzled as he noticed the destruction that had been caused was gone. The only thing damaged was the vault that his horn had cleanly pierced.

“What in the hell is going on here?” Beast Boy asked himself.

That afternoon,
The Titans Auxiliary Headquarters….

What was once the Upper West Side headquarters of the Justice League International now served as a temporary base for the Titans. Next to Beast Boy, the hero known as Nightwing sat at the couch in his civilian attire listening intently to his friend’s story. Once finished with his tale. Dick steepled his hands and processed everything that Beast Boy had said.

“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary Gar?” Dick asked inventively.

“Not a thing,” Beast Boy replied,” One minute I’m fighting Mammoth the next I’m surrounded by scared people who said I went crazy.”

“Hm. It could be mind control,” Dick said, “I’ll check the DMA files as well as the JLA’s to see if I can come up some possibilities on who would want to muck with your mind.”

“Could it be Psimon?” Beast Boy asked. “I mean, if I saw Mammoth then what are the chances that the left over Fearsome Five have decided to get back at us through me?”

“It’s a possibility, but we haven’t seen them in a while. Especially since Psimon killed Shimmer and scared the rest away. Anyways I’ll see what I can dig up. It’s best you stay here for now until we can figure out what is going on,” Dick replied as he leapt from the couch to go check the computer files.

“Okay,” Beast Boy replied as he lay back on the couch.

Shortly later,
Star Labs: Manhattan…

Dr. Samuel Register stared deeply at the purple scaly skin that had replaced his once pink flesh. A wave of euphoria passed over him as he shifted his form to that of a crocodile and back again. He grabbed the tape recorder that lay upon his desk and began a new journal entry.

“Journal entry twenty one twelve. So far my latest attempts at recreating the formula that turned the young Garfield Logan into Beast Boy have proved very fruitful. Yet the cost is great as I feel my humanity slipping away.” Dr. Register paused as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. “I feel myself becoming more aggressive and full of emotions that I didn’t think a human- nor beast for that matter- could facilitate. Is it possible I have breached the barrier between humans and animals?”

A furious rapping came from the door, interrupting him. Doctor Register put his tape recorder away in his brown jacket pocket. He then took a brief moment to compose himself before answering the door.

“Yes. Who is it?” he asked keeping his features hidden behind the door.

“Doctor Register? Are you all right in there? I heard what sounded like animal sounds,” a feminine voice said from the other side of the door.

Suzy? What is she doing here this late? Doctor Register thought to himself. “I’m fine Suzy. I’m just performing a last minute test on my experiment.”

“Alright Dr. Register. See you tomorrow,” she said

The sound of soft footfalls marked her exit and Dr. Register shut the door. He pulled out his tape recorder and began to finish his entry.

“Now, where was I? Ah yes. Years ago my fellow colleages Mark and Maria Logan saved their young son, Garfield, with an experimental ray. The ray caused the Sakutia virus that he had been infected with to rewrite Garfield’s D.N.A. giving him the ability to shift back and forth between man and animal. My attempts at recreating the process were at first unsuccessful until I bumped into the young Logan a few weeks ago.” Dr. Register licked his dry lips before continuing. “He apparently didn’t recognize me, but I recognized him. I followed him for almost months with curiosity. Watching and waiting for a moment to witness his awesome power for myself. Finally he transformed during an event that was red taped from the public. I don’t know all the details as I was unable to gain access to Titan’s Island*. I was however able to get a cell sample of Garfield’s left at the site of the battle. When our clean up team was sent in to make sure that none of the Technis was left to be a threat.”

(*Happened in Jae Lizhini’s opening run on Titans)

Doctor Register pulled a file out containing his notes and briefly examined them while conversing with his tape recorder.

“Through many tests I couldn’t find out how Garfield gained his powers. So with little patience left I inoculated myself with the Sakutia virus and the cell sample. Now I’m becoming something more then man or animal, but what it is I have no idea,” Dr. Register said passively.

He suddenly came to a loss of words when he started jerking violently. His body stretched and expanded to accompany its new form. His eyes became reptilian in sight and a tail lashed back and forth behind him. He let out a monstrous roar that caused the windows to shatter. Following that he leapt outside of the building landing gracefully from a thirty-story drop.

Before he ran into the dark covered city...

Back at the Auxiliary Base…

Beast Boy tossed and turned on the couch. He felt some kind of primal urge burning from deep within him. It was an all encompassing feeling that he couldn’t resist. After a few moments he subconsciously transformed into a primal beast and ran straight through the wall into the night. These new bestial instincts drove him southward until he came upon a creature that towered over him. The creature had purple scales and large reptilian eyes which bore down on Beast Boy's smaller form. The two sized each other up before they attacked each other. Biting and clawing. Each one trying to get the advantage over the other, but neither one would yield. Register finally went in for an attack aimed at Beast Boy’s throat, but tentacles shot out of Beast Boy’s back and snapped Register’s neck. His large behemoth form fell to ground lifeless.

Hours later…

Beast Boy came awake with fresh blood stained on his lips and cuts all over him that had just begun to heal. He looked over next to him to find a purple man lying dead beside him. A look of pure horror covered his features as he scooted away from the body. He suddenly heard the cries of his friends from above.

“Garfield? What on earth happened here?” Nightwing asked as the T-Jet landed nearby.

“I-I dunno. I just woke up and-and…” he stuttered.

Nightwing looked at Cyborg who was looking over the purple man that was sprawled on the ground across from Beast Boy. He shook his head giving the sign that the man was indeed dead.

“This is so not good,” Argent said as she felt herself about to throw up.

“We better take him to Star Labs to get examined,” Nightwing said grimly. “We all know Beast Boy would never kill anyone.”

After Beast Boy had gotten inside the T-Jet and sat down, Cyborg gave Nightwing a confused look.

“What do we do with this guy?” Cyborg asked, motioning to Register .

“Leave him for the morgue,” Nightwing replied. “I’ll contact the NYPD on the way to Star Labs and brief them on the situation.”

Star Labs: Manhattan…

The head biologist Doctor Reed closely examined the cell samples of Beast Boy only to shake his head in disbelief. The Titans had told him of what they surmised had happened. But never did he believe what his aged eyes would see that was causing Beast Boy’s behavior.

“What’s the news Doc?” Beast Boy asked.

“It’s unbelievable, but your cells are going through an enhanced mutation that seems to be bringing out the primitive emotions buried in your subconscious,” Doctor Reed explained.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Beast Boy asked with sudden worry in his voice.

“In the easiest way I can explain it, your cells seem to be devolving. You’re becoming something that is neither human nor animal,” Doctor Reed replied. “My best guess is your hallucination of fighting Mammoth may have been some kind of mental defensive trigger to try and ward off the changes. As for you killing that man, I have no clue. Perhaps you felt threatened by his existence.”

“Threatened? By him?” Beast Boy asked himself.

A glimmer of memory shot through his mind and then disappeared before he could fully grasp its meaning. Beast Boy turned to the doctor.

“How long do I have?” Beast Boy asked as he struggled for words. “And will these hallucinations continue?”

“There is no telling, but I would probably give it no more then three to six months or less before your transformation completes itself,” Doctor Reed said with disheartened look on his face.

“…Don’t tell the others,” Beast Boy said after a moment of silence. “I’d rather they not know. At least for now.”

“I will do as you ask, but only if you promise to see a scientist I know who maybe able to help you,” Doctor Reed replied as he wrote down the name and address on a card.

Beast Boy looked at the card before sticking it in his pocket. He then walked out where the others were waiting for him.

“So how did it go, BB?” Argent asked.

“Fine. Everything is fine. He said that I was acting on some kind of defensive instinct, which is why I was acting funny,” Beast Boy replied.

“Defensive instinct? What would cause that?” Cyborg asked.

Beast Boy thought for moment trying to come up with a reasonable way of responding when the NYPD barged in.

“Garfield Logan I presume? Please come with us,” the leading detective said.

“Go with them Garfield and explain what the Doctor explained to you. We’ll follow along in the T-Jet,” Nightwing said as he was hopeful this situation could be easily resolved. But still the question of the man’s death lingered on his mind.

NYPD Precinct 12…

Three detectives stood in the room with Beast Boy each asking him a barrage of questions on what he was doing that night, who was he last seen with, and what caused him to kill Doctor Register. After a lengthy deliberation the detectives left the room allowing Nightwing and Cyborg inside.

“What did they say Gar?” Cyborg asked.

“They don’t know what to make of the situation. They say the man I killed was Doctor Register and they’re having a hard time figuring out what provoked me into attacking him,” Beast Boy replied.

“Do you remember anything at all? Any possible clue that could help?” Nightwing asked as he looked at the almost blank expression on his friend’s face.

“No,” Beast Boy said. His voice almost lacking any form of conceived emotion.

After a few silent moments the detectives walked back into the room.

“This ‘defensive instinct’ theory sounds like total bullshit to me, but after our guys ran toxicology reports, which we compared with Doctor Reed’s findings, it appears you were acting out of protective instinct and not on some drug binge. For now you’re free to go, but don’t be planning on any trips out of the country,” the detective said with disdain.

Beast Boy sighed with some relief. The doctor really wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, but was willing to go to bat for him because of how the Titans had done so much for New York in the past. At least with the police and his friends in the dark he could possibly rid himself of this problem before it got out of hand.

Cyborg walked up to Garfield and patted him on the back while Nightwing looked suspiciously at Beast Boy. He was worried for his green friend and the situation that they were in the dark about.

Midnight
The Titans Auxiliary Base...

Garfield Logan spoke with Doctor Reed again hoping for some new developments. While the other Titans were fast asleep or otherwise engaged in private matters.

“So, you’re saying that Register had a predatory mindset, which is why I lashed out like I did?” Beast Boy asked.

“Yes. It appears he tampered with his D.N.A. to replicate the same transformation process that has occurred in your body. Unfortunately his mutation was heightened by what appears to be something foreign in the cell samples,” Doctor Reed replied.

“Is it possible that his transformation had some effect on me?” Beast Boy asked.

“I’m still in the process of examining his cells so there is no way of knowing now. It may take some time. Time that I’m afraid you do not have,” Doctor Reed replied.

“Thanks Doc. if you come up with anything more let me know,” Beast Boy said before he hung up the phone.

He sat down in the recliner and covered himself up with a blanket as the full scope of fear ravaged throughout him.

Lurking in the shadows Nightwing watched intently…

Next Issue: “Linkin’ Park”

Titan Talkback:

Before I took on the Titans I was going with a title called Forerunners which was to be Heroes for Hire meets the Avengers. With the team being a bunch of second and third string heroes who no one cared for entering the high life of celebrity with lots of bling bling and chicks at their beck and call. However at the time I was nervous that I didn’t know DC continuity well enough to use the really good characters that B. G. suggested (Bertram Gibbs to his fans). Well it just so happened that Jae was coming off of Titans due to a number of reasons and since I loved this book dearly, I decided to wait a while before I asked Curt if it was available. Luckily for me it was and I ditched Forerunners because I felt I could do so much better with Titans. I’m not exactly a comic historian like Geoff Johns, but I think I feel close enough to them that I can at least tell some good stories.

Last thing I want to address is something that probably someone I could consider a good friend asked. “Why call it the Titans when you have Young Justice fitting that role?” Why not? I mean Young Justice has lots of potential. I can assure fans that there will be no graduation day disasters under Alex and I’s watch as we both see a bright future for both of our books. However the Titans and Young Justice are totally different animals. The Titans have long ago walked from out of the JLA’s shadow while Young Justice is still under both groups’ shadows trying to find a place where they fit in. That is where the differences lie and that is the beauty of having both these books. For those who want the Titans the ones they grew up with. With the adult stories that surround the cast as well as with their new members then Titans is where they will find it. If you are the type who want to read about young teenage heroes who are trying to find there place while balancing school and real life then Young Justice is for you.

Anyways I think I have taken enough your time. Ta Ta!

-Mick