A Friend in Need

Alas, My Brother

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven traveled through the dense forest inside the crater. The mist never left their sight, and they couldn't really see more than a few yards ahead. "This doesn't make anything sense," Cy said, "We should be seeing some kind of man-made structure or something."

"Maybe they're underground?" Beast Boy proposed. Raven and Cyborg looked at each other. Why didn't they think of that earlier?

The metal man sighed, "Still, there has to be some type of opening or a secret wall or-"

"Massive hole with a ramp going into the earth?" Raven asked. Right in front of them was said hole. The opening plunged deep into the darkness, and the ramp winding down was wide enough for a truck to go through.

"Well, that'll do it," Garfield said. "Maybe if we... follow..." Suddenly, Beast Boy's eyes shot open as the mist slightly cleared where he could see the eastern side of the crater's wall. He balled his fists up, gritting his dentures. "Darn it! I completely forgot!"

"What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"Do you hear it?" Nothing but the birds fluttering in the air. "I just remembered something. Isn't Starfire allergic to uranium?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven rolled her eyes. "She's allergic to chromium."

"Which is a casing used on some nuclear reactors," Cyborg said thoughtfully. He suddenly widened his eyes. "So if the Alpha terrorists are using the uranium and the chromium, Starfire should be sneezing her head off now." They looked past the trees and towards the edge. Silence. Not even the birds and crickets made noise now. The mist rolled back over the trees and blocked their view as the orange hue of the setting sun grew darker.

"We can't do anything about it right now," Raven sighed, "The best thing we can do is find the terrorists' hideout and search from there. Maybe we can find out where they are."

Beast Boy and Cyborg nodded, and they crept down the dark spiraling hole. The sun slowly slipped out of their sight, and Cyborg's small shoulder light guided the way, Beast Boy in front with Raven behind him. The green teen glared down the silent hole that echoed with each dreaded footstep they took. "You're afraid. Why?" Raven asked.

"I don't... if Robin and Starfire are in trouble because I decided to trust-"

"We all would have done the same, BB," Cyborg interrupted. "Don't punish yourself too bad, okay?" Raven nodded in agreement. Beast Boy sighed as they kept traveling down the hole, feeling the air cool with each complete circle round.

"You know, you're not a freak."

"Hm?"

"I said you're not a freak," Raven repeated. "Just because you look different doesn't mean that you're an abomination to society." Beast Boy blinked in confusion. "So you having an extra head from radiation won't make you more of a freak."

"Oh? OOOOHHH! HAhaha, Raven, you're not feeling sorry for me, are you?" Garfield laughed, "I'm fine with it."

"I'm not," Raven said firmly. "You're not a freak, no matter what anyone says." She continued walking down as Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other and shrugged. Suddenly, as the light of the sun completely vanished from above, Beast Boy spotted something reflective high above them. He dismissed it, but it happened again and again, every few moments they went spiraling down.

"Cyborg, flash your light up for a moment." When he did, the team saw large floodlights dotting the hole. "That's what I was seeing."

"They use the floodlights when the sun is down," Raven said.

"And the trees and the mist give them the best cover," Cyborg added.

"Oh... well there's that. I was just wondering what kind of lightning bug would be down here. Turns out I was wrong," Beast Boy chuckled. Raven rolled her eyes.