Chapter Thirty-Four: The Tamaranian Superpower

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Tamaranian Superpower

It was an odd sensation. His head felt very light, though the rest of him felt like nothing. He just couldn't feel the rest of himself. When he opened his eyes, everything was blurred. He saw a tall figure writing something down and tried to make a sound. Slade looked at him and walked over, putting a hand on his forehead. It felt cold. Slade sighed.

"How are you feeling?"

He tried to talk, but his speech was slurred, "haaat... ow..."

"You're alright. You're just feeling the remnants of the anesthesia. You've been out of it for a day," Slade told him, "You should be feeling much better. though, when the anesthesia wears off."

Robin shut his eyes as he focused on breathing, though he did well to pay attention to Slade, "It's early now, but in an hour, if you feel up to it, I'd like you to come to breakfast."

Though Robin couldn't see himself feeling better in an hour, his mouth twitched, telling Slade that he would. The man brushed Robin's bangs out of his face and watched him for a moment before turning to go.

"Don't worry about the IVs," He told him, "You don't need them anymore."

The door shut and he was alone. To his surprise, he began to feel the anesthesia already wearing off. There were still places that didn't seem to be losing the numb sensation, but he was beginning to feel his nerves picking up signals from where he hadn't been injured. He opened his eyes and looked around. There was an IV in his left arm and diagnostic sensor on the side of his chest. Whatever had happened to him... He couldn't really think straight, so he decided not to, since he didn't have to.

At least Slade had decided to make sure his injuries healed properly. He turned his head to the side. Slade... and... bits and pieces of his mind felt shattered. Like a glass picture his by a baseball. The edges and rims of other people in images were all he could retain at the moment, as his stomach dropped and he felt sick. There was one image that refused to be recalled, as every time he tried to do so, his head felt it would tear open. As much as he wanted to recall the image, a twisted premonition of fear overcame him.

When he finally could feel most of himself again, he looked over at the clock and realized that he had fifteen minutes to join Slade at the breakfast table. Moving his hand over, he carefully pulled out the IV and the diagnostic device before scooting himself up and off of the bed. His foot was extremely stiff and tingled as he walked. He noticed both his foot and his dislocated shoulder had been bandaged up, as well as right hand. He pulled his shirt off and went to the dresser, pulling out what came...

He noticed other injuries marring himself as he changed and actually spiked his hair up for the first time in about a month. The side of his stomach had a large line of stitches in it as did a small part of his lower left arm. In other places, inches of gauze were taped over him, wounds he assumed came from the glass. As for his back... a thick, cool compress held itself over several fading bruises. They must have been much worse before now. Three minutes to go and he was ready. Except...

In the main room, Adeline attempted to focus on the paper in front of her and drink her water. She hadn't seen Dick in a day and it worried her. Actually she had been worried since she had been kicked out of the dining room two days ago. And of course Slade wouldn't tell her anything. At least the room had gone back to normal. The morning after the fight, Adeline didn't think she could stand to look at it. What had Slade done? The question begged to be asked, but at the same time, Adeline didn't feel that she would get an answer for that, either.

To her right, Slade stood by the window, the air muggy from the past week. The fact that Robin had at least woken up was a good sign. That meant that his early suspicions had been correct. Though if Robin were to get up and join them, that would be... The door opened and both of them looked over. Adeline dropped her glass and water spilled over the table and paper.

Robin stood fully dressed in an outfit that resembled Slade's. Orange on one side, black on the other, the armor extremely similar, and a silver "S" over the left side of his chest... It had been a long time since Slade had seen Robin in that. He smiled under his own mask. Adeline was stunned, but what made her feel sick was the touch at the top. Slade walked over to Robin, hands behind his back as always and stared at Robin. The Boy Wonder held himself there, posture fixed, despite the fact that underneath the protective armor, his wounds were still smarting.

Slade brought a hand under the boy's chin and tilted it up so that Robin looked up at him. The mask. That is what was different. The entire time that he had been there, Robin had either not worn a mask, or had kept the one remaining from the Bat. Not now. Instead, the mask had two spikes, one on each end at the corners of his eyes, that tilted up, resembling Slade's.

Slade smiled again and dropped his hand, "You feel well enough?"

Robin nodded and turned his head back to the ground. Adeline's mouth dropped as Slade continued, "If you could get Ms. Kane another glass..."

Robin nodded and immediately left for the kitchen, only to return seconds later with a full glass and a towel for the mess. Shocked, Adeline took the glass, and moved aside as Robin quickly cleaned up the spill. He placed the towel on the kitchen window and stood to the side, waiting. Like a soldier. Adeline felt sick.

Slade chuckled, walking over to his apprentice, "You impress me, Robin."

Robin didn't move and Slade continued, tilting Robin's chin up to see him, "Perhaps we'll up the level of your training this week."

It really wasn't a 'perhaps' or a 'we'll'. Slade would increase the training level - that was certain. Robin nodded once. The result of the other night, Robin's behavior, it was beyond anything that Slade could have asked for. Adeline couldn't even talk. Wintergreen came in the room and brought in two dishes for Slade and Robin. Slade thanked him and the old friend left. Robin stood there, not making a sound and after a moment, Slade looked back at him.

He shook his head, "You can eat."

Robin's eyes opened slightly and nodded as Slade finished, "Very impressive, Robin."

Robin nodded again before sliding into the seat. The absolute obedience... The etiquette... How... Adeline slowly got up from her seat.

"Ex.. excuse me..." She said before turning and exiting the room.

She needed to lie down. Robin watched her before turning back to his food. He took a bite and the rest of breakfast was quiet. It was neither awkward nor unwanted on either Slade's or Robin's part. It was just simply silent.

-T-

Something that Starfire had never experienced on her homeland was the massive infrastructure that made up Earth's many cities. Over time, she became used to the tall skyscrapers within Jump and Gotham and she marveled at the creative urban layouts a city could be built upon. But Metropolis. Metropolis was an entirely different story.

Unlike contemporary Jump or classic Gotham, Metropolis' rich identity arose from its variety, history, and above all else, its vibrancy. Every form of building, from every decade, was represented in every area of Metropolis. Their defining features were how they were maintained. It was clean, fresh to the eye. Every window shone in the sunlight, making the city sparkle with a golden glow.

For Earth's resident Tamaranian, it was both beautiful and overwhelming at the same time as she walked down the sidewalks, taking a break from her long flights in favor of walking. For the past three days, she had flown from city to city, originally planning on returning to Gotham and giving herself a few days to travel to organize her thoughts.

She couldn't understand how she could possibly get anything done with the attitude and present customs that Earth presented. But if she could sort out what she knew instead of ignoring it or simply letting Robin deal with it, then maybe a solution would come to her. During her travels, though, she came to a point where the road that she had been following forked. She could either go to Gotham or Metropolis.

Throughout the past two days of travel, she had come to only two conclusions: One was that there was no way that anyone could understand Earth's laws. The second was that Robin probably would not be pleased to see her, as he had avoided talking to the Titans for the past month. And more than anything, she hated confronting her friends...

The Tamaranian had heard of Metropolis, though. Who hadn't? It was the very definition of an American city. With all of the hopes and dreams of New York, Metropolis prided itself in its significance within the United States as a symbol of inspiration. And of course, there was their resident superhero.

The last son of Krypton, Superman.

Fighting for truth, justice, and the American way.

The last son of Krypton.

If anyone knew why Earth operated the way it did, anyone outside of the immediate culture, it would have to be Superman. Though Starfire had only met him in passing, she felt that taking a detour to speak with him was worth a shot. So here she was, walking through the bewildering city, entirely lost. Maybe it would be better if she flew...

As she crossed the street, Starfire came across a large building. Tall and separated from the rest, above it read the sign "LexCorp". It sounded familiar... She shivered, despite the weather being warmer than most places, and readjusted her backpack. She kept walking, passing a delivery man walking towards the large corporate office. He opened the door and walked to the front desk to hand a package off. It was exchanged and put on the automatic delivery service to the top floor.

From there, the package entered the hands of a very slim secretary, chewing her gum like always. She knocked on her boss' door. As she entered, she could hear the clear displeasure in the occupant's voice.

"If you're bothering me, you had better be here to tell me that Westfield's..."

"Relax, baby," Marcie said, "I've got your package. Dr. Westfield, Cadmus Labs and all in the return address."

Luthor spun to the side of his desk and got up. He was over in front of her in a second and took the package, ripping open the thick manila envelope to find a small disk inside. He tossed the envelope to the side and sat down at his desk. He scanned the disk in a small virus detector by the side of his computer before inserting it and waiting for its contents to load. The connection was almost instant. Almost. And the instant seemed to drag on.

Westfield appeared on the screen, "Mr. Luthor. Your contract with us is now complete."

"I can see that," Luthor said, "Now tell me, the Xeno-cannon is entirely up and operational, right?"

"Of, of course," Westfield stuttered, "It could be moved right out of here right now if you wanted it to."

Lex smirked at the sad excuse for a scientist, "Really? Well..."

He looked out to the side of the window, "I'm glad that I have direct control of it now."

Westfield nodded slowly, a bit confused, when Lex pulled up another screen and hit enter. On the other side of the screen, Westfield turned around to see the Xeno-cannon activating. The connection terminated. The miracle of telecommunication and remote control became a curse as Cadmus failed to override Luthor's control. Of course it was no use.

Outside Cadmus Labs, Lane marched out of the front doors. The nerve, turning her away. Then again, she should probably be used to it by now. Her reason for being here? Her search into Luthor's finances had led her into some of the current president's father's records and dealings when LexCorp had been LuthorCorp. One was one of them was a government lab that had broken off in recent years to become Cadmus. The reporter then began to realize that many of Luthor's bills, made out without reason, had appeared to be going to government agencies, matched old codes that identified Cadmus. In fact, all of them did.

She had smirked at the revelation. She had been right. Luthor was up to something. So it would figure that she would get kicked out of Cadmus almost as soon as she had walked in. Lois scowled at the ground as she pulled out her phone to call Clark. Maybe bragging would make her feel better if only for a moment. She turned around to look back at the Labs' front glass doors, to see the two security men leaving their posts.

"Huh?" She forgot her phone was ringing.

"Hello? Lois?" Silence, "Lois? Are you there?"

"Huh?" Lois was pulled out of her trance, "Um, sorry, Clark, never mind..."

"Lois? Lois? Where are you?" The star reporter began to tune him out.

"I'm at Cadmus Labs... following a lead..." She peered inside and walked back towards the front to get a better view without the glare...

"A lead, what lead?" Clark asked over the phone.

"Luthor's..." Lois looked to the side after she noticed that she couldn't get in without it being unlocked from the inside, "Finances... look, Clark, I'll call you back. I think I might have something."

She ran around to the back to see if she could sneak in another way (trespassing never came to her mind anymore), "Well, okay, well, listen, Lois..."

Lane pressed her head to a window, hearing something... like screaming as Clark continued, "If you need anything..."

BANG!

Lois fell to the side as she screamed, dropping her phone. Her mouth dropped as she looked up to see a massive, six story tall, armor covered machine making its way out of the building into the streets of Metropolis. Lois stood up and ran to the side to look into the building to see several people lying on the ground unconscious. Turning back to the six-story machine, she strapped her bag to her side and ran off, grateful to be wearing sneakers today instead of just her office heels. Her phone however, was completely forgotten.

At least, by its owner.

On the other end, Clark had canceled his order in the Deli near the Daily Planet in favor of running outside to get a better view. Upon hearing Lois' scream, his worry had shot up dramatically. He scanned Metropolis with his X-Ray vision to the area of town containing Cadmus. While he couldn't find Lois, he did find a six-story machine coming towards the center of the city. If that wasn't what Lois was screaming about, he didn't know what was. First though... the wreckage...

He scanned the fallen debris for anyone trapped. No one, no sign of Lois, just her cell phone. That meant that she was alright. He knew her well enough to know that. So he flew off towards the machine when he came into the vision field of its cameras. Luthor smiled.

"Come on, Superman, I dare you," He smirked.

Looking for the weakest point, Superman flew like a bullet towards a section of two armored pieces. But upon impact, he found himself rocketing off into a building. The shock echoed throughout the city and people everywhere turned around to see what was going on, including their visiting Tamaranian and two men working in the Daily Planet. As Perry ordered the young freelancer, Olsen, off to get pictures of whatever was going on, Superman groaned.

"What was that?" He asked to himself.

He moved to bring his hands back into fists when he felt them sting. They were bleeding. Great, he guessed the thing was covered with some form of Kryptonite. He flew up again, deciding to switch to using long range tactics. He blew against the machine before hitting it with a blast of laser vision. It looked weaker, but it kept moving as Luthor directed it towards the center of the city. He tried again. Still nothing. Maybe the coating was gone. He aimed at the front, blew his icy breath against it and quickly hit it with the intensity of his laser vision before flying in to ram it backwards off balance.

Again, he felt himself propelled backwards into the concrete streets. He shook his head again, noting that his knuckles had been ripped open further. The Kryptonite coating was resisting all force and weathering deterrents. As he looked up at the machine, he saw that the machine was tilting off balance, ready to topple... But as Luthor had designed it, its massive center of gravity pulled it upright. Superman's jaw dropped. It should have... But before he could finish his thought, Luthor decided that they were far enough into town to unleash the massive super weapon. Even so, the two simultaneous bangs were enough to move Starfire into action.

"That can not be good..." She said to herself, flying up into the air.

Superman heard the machine squirm inside and suddenly shoot up several poles which spread open a screen almost in a dome shape, colored with a tinge of green. Finally catching up, Lois watched as the dome rose much higher than the rest of the city, a massive amount of concentration of energy appearing to hold up its center. The lime-green tinge didn't make her feel any more comfortable about it, either.

"Ms. Lane! Ms. Lane!"

"Jimmy!" She called, turning to see him running over to her.

"What is that thing?" He asked.

"Don't know," She answered looking up at it, "It came from Cadmus Labs and I'm certain that Luthor's behind it."

"How do you know..." Jimmy started when he shook his head to begin taking photos, "Never mind, but how's Superman fairing up...?"

Lois glanced over at the hero slowly getting up from the ground, "I... I don't know..."

"Do you think we should stay here or..." Jimmy began as the sound of his camera's shutter clicked away.

"We're staying here," Lois said, "That's gotta be Kryptonite and if it is..."

Jimmy shook his head, "Can't Luthor be at least a little more original..."

"When is anyone?" Lois countered sarcastically.

Across the way, Starfire flew up, discarding her bag to a nearby rooftop when she caught sight of Superman, who still hadn't seen her. But the machine in front of her worried her more than her impeding social dilemma. Superman flew up, determined to find a weak point. Even if the screen was coated in Kryptonite, he could most likely still rip through it...

Luthor laughed as he initiated the weapon's power. Starfire heard an all too familiar sound as the dome, already casting a shadow, began to be infused with the tower's energy. Superman halted momentarily, at which point, the sound blasted. Starfire covered her ears as the machine echoed Cyborg's sonic blast over Metropolis. Most only covered their heads, as the two reporters did below. But some... Starfire watched as Superman cried out, the sound burning his ears and skin, causing him to sink to the ground faster than he had before.

"Superman!" She called, but he couldn't move, save to open his eyes to see who was calling him, and he saw rockets now emerging from their stations inside the machine aiming directly at him.

They fired.

"No!" Starfire yelled.

She flew forward and blasted several of them, as starbolts came to her hands and from her eyes. Luthor stood up. What was... Starfire headed straight for the rocket launchers, punching them off into heaps of wreckage. Lois watched as she began to tolerate the constant whine coming from the above. Jimmy began to take photos again.

"Who is that?" He yelled over the sound.

"Well, it's not Supergirl," Lois yelled back, "She looks familiar, though. Can you get a close shot?"

"Already did," Jimmy said, showing her a quick photo from the digital preview.

"She's with the Teen Titans," Lois recalled and suddenly it occurred to her, "Stay here, I'm going to LexCorp!"

"What?" Jimmy called, not noticing the writer heading off into the opposite direction as he continued to take pictures.

If their visiting superhero continued to take out the machine, and from what she had already seen Lois was sure she could, a bit of evidence linking this to Luthor would be extremely useful for tomorrow's front page. Meanwhile, Starfire finished dismantling the rocket launchers and went to rescue her fallen comrade. She lifted Superman's arm over her shoulders and flew him to safety, and unhooked her Titans Communicator.

"Cyborg!" She called into it and instantly, Beast Boy was on the other line.

"Starfire! Where have you been? I mean, thanks for up and leav--"

"Where is friend Cyborg?" She interrupted.

"Of course, you'd want to talk to him because... Hey!"

Cyborg pushed the green kid out of the way, "What's up? Star?"

"How do you shut off your sonic cannon?" She asked or rather almost demanded.

"Huh?" Cyborg asked, surprised, "Why?"

"I found who stole your designs of technology," Starfire explained.

"What? Who?" Cyborg asked.

"Well it is mainly a where..." Starfire started, "But how do you shut the sonic cannon down?"

Cyborg shook his head, "You have to disconnect the wires on the inside. If you can, look for clues as to who is controlling the remake."

"I will do," Starfire said, terminating the connection and setting Superman aside.

In a streak of light, she readied a starbolt and increased its power before letting it loose on the sonic-cannon remake. It hit its target and exploded a piece of the exterior, allowing for Starfire to fly inside. The mass of connecting technology inside it was smoking, making it difficult to see, but with her eyes lit, she was able to see the many wires she had to pull.

Outside LexCorp, Lois easily found her way inside as more people were worried about their possible impending doom to care about trespassers. Riding up to the top floor, Lois readied her voice recorder. Luthor had to be behind this! At a certain point however, the elevator stopped and Lois was forced out to a floor about ten floors below the top. No matter, the stairs would do from here. She continued her way up.

On the top floor, Luthor stood outraged. There was no way he was going to let some teenage girl stop him now, considering all of the time and money he had put into this. The worse luck he could have was that this was a Titan. It couldn't be Supergirl today, oh no, it had to be someone unaffected by Kryptonite.

"Marcie, leave!" He ordered, knowing that he needed another offensive and all of his focus.

Marcie rolled her eyes and stormed out at the sudden order. As she left the room, Luthor pulled up another computer program. As soon as she shut the door, Lois found her pressure point and she slid unconscious to the floor. Carefully, she passed the small mike underneath the door just before it would be visible on the other side. Then she stood up and listened in.

"Come on, come on..." Luthor said, "Where are those heat seekers..."

She smiled; she had been right all along. Inside the Xeno-Cannon though, Luthor's luck was fading. He could no longer move the machine because if he did he would have to switch off the cannon, which he could now no longer power back up if he did so. Outside the Xeno-Cannon, Jimmy continued to click away when in a burst of green light, Starfire, emerged from the Xeno-Cannon.

"That was... distasteful..." Starfire muttered to herself, still coughing, when she looked up.

She had followed Cyborg's instructions, but the sound was still permeating the area. She pulled the communicator out and began to text Cyborg back, 'cannon still functioning'. As she continued to pelt the machine and dome with starbolts, she heard the communicator ring again. Pulling it to eye level she read, 'Destroy the power source then - idk where that would be, though'.

Starfire bit her lip when the center five poles emerging from the cannon caught her eye as they swarmed with the green glow. The power source... She began to fly straight at it when she heard a voice coming from the giant machine, sounding much like a classic over-the-phone male instructor.

"I'm giving you fair warning, girl," the voice said as Luthor spoke into the microphone in his office, still unaware of Lois' voice recorder at the bottom of his door, "Surrender now. You have no chance of beating me."

Starfire stopped and her glowing eyes looked at the machine directly before announcing, "I never surrender and if you believe that I have no chance of defeating you, then you have certainly underestimated me."

Luthor repressed the urge to growl. Behind her, several rockets seemed to come out of nowhere and she flew back into action. Moving out of their line of fire, they changed course and began to follow her. She narrowed her eyes and let loose a few starblazers. They exploded in a fiery fury and she set course again for the five poles.

"No!" Luthor yelled and thankfully for him, the microphone was switched off at this point. He continued, muttering to himself, "Wayne's Xeno-mineral converter..."

Inside, Lois scrunched up her forehead in thought... Xeno-mineral... Kryptonite... So that's how it was radiating its energy in the form of sound! In the open, Starfire finally got close enough to the five poles and aimed. Her starbolts were deflected. She flew in and instantly felt the electric energy pulsing threw her body as she positioned herself between all five poles. The Tamaranian groaned...

'Do not give up now,' She told herself.

Starfire thought of the nerve that a person would have to steal her friend's technology. She thought of their terrible desire to harm others, especially someone who has done nothing but help others. She thought of her friends helping her on the other side of the country. She thought of Robin and her intense desire to bring him home... Her body began to glow, not from the electricity, but from her own raw power as she gained the Star energy... Jimmy watched as the teen began to rise to the middle of the five poles and the outward glow of green covered her entirely.

BOOM!

The starblast rocketed outward, crippling the five poles and destroying the Xeno-Mineral converter. Above her, the pieces of the dome began to crumple like aluminum as they deteriorated and fell while the powerful surge of the Kryptonite coating of the cannon dissolved. People cheered, even Jimmy, who had stopped taking photos for just a minute to do so. But inside his office, Lex banged his fists on his desk, infuriated.

"NO!" He yelled, "NO!"

Lois smiled and pulled the mike away and ran to the stairs. Her work here was done and Perry would love the next day's lead article. At the scene of the fight, Starfire looked around, dazed, the entire scene a blur as her energy had left her. The cannon was dismantled. Metropolis was safe... But that's when the backfire hit and she screamed. The electric blast hit her like an atomic blast and she fell into the heap of twisted wires and metal that was once a great menace. Starfire moaned and squinted. Above her, she saw a figure outlined in radiating light of the sun before she succumbed to the pain and finally passed out.

Chapter Fifteen: The Princess and The Squire

Interlude: October 31st

Chapter Fifteen: The Princess and The Squire

Robin came in on his R-Cycle seconds after Batman got out of the Batmobile. He had taken to not riding with the Dark Knight after his team's arrival. Neither spoke to one another or even remotely acknowledged the others' presence. Needless to say, Batman was not happy nor pleased with the Titan's surprise visit. Nor was he pleased with their activities since.

And Robin was getting the brunt of all it.

The glares. The grunts. The sneers. And somehow Batman knew how to make all of that seem like it wasn't childish. It was so not fair and at this time of day, Robin had no intention of dealing with it. Changing quickly, the first thing on his mind was to go straight to his room. But to his surprise, Batman actually spoke to him. Shocker!

"Robin," He singled out of the otherwise empty audience.

"What?" Dick asked, not at all trying to sound noncompliant.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" Batman asked.

Dick raised a brow, "Um, don't know. A little work I guess and mostly just patrol. Why?"

"I'll be at a late meeting. If you could go out early, you could cover the area till I get out," Batman told him.

"Why bother?" Dick asked.

"Have you forgotten what day that is?"

Dick thought for a moment and then it hit him, but Batman continued not giving him the chance, "Halloween. A perfect night for theatricality in the minds of the insane. Correct me if I'm wrong."

The sarcasm in his voice was rich and Dick hated it, "Fine, I get it. I'll go out as soon as I can tomorrow."

Without another word, Dick walked up the long staircase. They really needed a elevator. When he could remember how many more steps there were by the way the groves cut into the cave, then he knew that he had climbed these steps one too many times. He had stayed out all night and was ready for a good sleep.

Coming up, he was met by the black and orange decorations for Halloween that Alfred had put up. He forced a smile. There wasn't really a reason for having Halloween decorations up. No one but he and Bruce would see them. Not even children in the neighborhood came trick or treating. Wayne Manor on Halloween could look like one of those Victorian haunted houses with all of Alfred's work. And Dick had noticed that for some reason, the bats liked to fly around outside more on All Hallow's Eve. He shrugged and continued towards the main hall.

Dick walked up the elegant staircase, his hands brushing the cold pearly marble banister. Would anyone believe that the stairs themselves where actually all one piece? Probably not. They had to be cut out of a mountain and shipped half way across the country. He sighed, letting himself remember what it felt like to have enough energy to climb up the stairs and slide down the banister. He wished he was ten again. Being ten was so easy. It was all relatively much more simple back than. And Bruce didn't hate his guts back then, either. Then again come to think of it that wouldn't be much as he pretty much was sick of being around Bruce anyway, what with his attitudes towards him and his team.

There was no way around it. The man saw the Titans as amateurs that weren't getting any better. Dick shut his eyes as he remembered Batman coming back from the scene of Ehtan's murder. None of them had talked; they had all sensed that they shouldn't as a solemn mood had enveloped them. When Batman had come back, he had spoken quickly to a police officer nearby to have them deliver a message to Gordon, and had managed to demand a proper introduction out of his sense of courtesy and nothing else.

While Robin had breathed a sigh of relief when Batman had at least heard of Beast Boy from the Doom Patrol, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire were another story. Cyborg got off relatively easy compared to the girls. No bad ties, but no outstanding good ones either, outside of Star Labs. For Raven, the daughter of an inter-dimensional demon that had attempted to take over the world, probably the only reason why she had gotten any respect at all was because she had stopped her father's attack on the world. Starfire, though... To Robin, the mystery as to why Batman hardly even acknowledged her was beyond his comprehension.

Probably wasn't for any good reason, though.

Now in his room, Dick blearily got under his covers and kicked off his shoes. Why did it have to be so early in the morning? That just makes it difficult. The light from the curtains. The bright colors in his room. Now he understood why Bruce had darker colors in his room. But despite all of this, his eyes were almost entirely relaxed when he succumbed to sleep, sweet sleep. He was getting used to doing this. If he slept all day, so what?

It felt so good. So lulling. Like he was being flown away from his bed on something, something much softer than a magic carpet and a lot more comfortable. But what was there to dream about? Going home? Home. Even as he glimpsed Jump City before him, his first thought was of Gotham. But no one even wanted him there. And sadly, Jump at this point seemed like a resort to run away from because of Bruce, though it had never been originally. It killed him.

Somehow, the two cities sat next to each other, separated by a mountain range before him. He had to make a choice. He had to... The ground beneath him crumbled and he fell. Dick landed on cold, icy-hard ground. There were no more dreams. It was cold and he shivered. Something landed on his head, like water. But when he looked up, he didn't see any cool refreshing water. Instead, something red landed on his cheek. He felt it with his hand and swallowed hard as the iron smelling substance gleamed like the liquid in his own veins. He got up but a rumble stopped him. As it continued to rain blood from black skies, the sound of something, thundering through the canyon, had grown into a roar.

A red sloshing river aimed straight for him and Robin felt it hit him as though he had hit his chest directly into a pool of water. The difference? Now he was tumbling around and getting hit against rocky walls as he tried desperately to reach for air. But he couldn't and as he opened his masked eyes, he saw larger objects tumbling with him. They seemed metallic, round, precisely shaped ellipses. Silvery, with an engraved 'S' on each side of them.

Then he lost sight of them and his head reached air. He heard the sound of something draining the blood from the river. He suddenly landed on a grate as the blood flowed past him, over him, and onward. He choked and sputtered, the blood soaking his clothes and chilling him as it ran down his sides, scaring him half to death. It surprised him that he was still alive.

Then a clap. And another clap. And another. And another.

"Well done, Robin, well done," said the almost bemused, sly, voice.

Robin gasped and choked as he looked up to see the masked man standing over him, whose voice was far too familiar for comfort. Not him! Robin looked down at the floor. Anything, not him, please, please, just not...

"Come now, look me in the eye, Robin," Slade said picking him up by his blood soaked tunic.

"This isn't your blood, is it Robin?" Slade asked and Robin felt himself squirm. Stop! Leave! He had to get away, had to... "No, you have no wounds."

Robin felt himself hold his breath in fear of what Slade would next say, "We can change that though, can't we?"

The words chilled the blood running down his skin. Robin shook his head frantically, but it didn't stop the sting of Slade's fist against his jaw sending him flying across the floor. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, fighting against hope that in some way, he could run, get away from the monster. But man, that nightmare, it hurt. His vision finally focused again from the shock. He gasped as he looked up at his opponent, his enemy, his nightmare.

"You shouldn't have left me, Apprentice," Slade said, coming closer, his fist raised, ready for another blow.

But Dick didn't feel it as he gasped and woke up, finding himself still in his bed, safe. The only noticeable difference was that he could still feel the cold sweat that had engulfed him and he was still trembling from the nightmare. His breath was stunted as he breathed hard and quick. Getting up, he headed straight for the shower. Had to calm his nerves. Had to.

The hot water ran letting steam fill the room. He hated these nightmares. Hated them. But at least they didn't come as often as they used to. Slade hadn't been heard of since his disappearance after the defeat of Trigon and Robin had no reason to think that he'd be back. Besides, perhaps once you see the city you set out to destroy, well, destroyed, it loses the appeal. And the nightmares had left. So considering that Slade hadn't even remotely been or tampered with Jump City, that was a good thing.

The nightmares used to be miserable. It scared him what his mind could come up with sometimes. And to think, he had been dreaming about the probes. He shuddered. That apprenticeship was the most miserable time of his life. And no, he hadn't told Alfred, or Bruce about it. He wasn't about to do something that stupid. Not that Bruce would care. If he did, Bruce would probably scold him for being so weak, so incapable, which he wasn't. He wasn't.

But still, knowing that Slade had been a threat had caused Robin at one point to go paranoid. Slade wasn't a threat anymore. The man had moved on. If he hadn't, he would have struck by now, Robin was sure of it. As much as Slade enjoyed the shadows, he still would have had his own goals and they would have been presented by now. At least now he could enjoy himself more and he could be confident that his team could hold up against the worst of the worst. Dick rubbed a towel over his wet hair, and with his pants on and his shirt over his shoulder, he stepped out of the bathroom, finally noticing it was near sunset. He was turning into a night owl again. He shrugged and was about to throw on his shirt when his communicator rang.

Picking it up, Dick saw it was Starfire on the other line and his heart skipped a beat. He ran to get his mask on and opened the communicator, "Hey!"

"Greetings, friend Robin, you slept at the ease?" She asked, happily.

Robin laughed at her cute diction and answered, "More or less, you?"

"Oh, I slept well too... We attempted to call you earlier but you did not respond," She mentioned with an implied question.

"Um, yeah, sorry 'bout that. I sort of sleep during the day now. Happens when I work here and am relieved from school," Robin explained, "But yeah, um, how is the hotel?"

A loud crashing sound of something breaking was heard in the background and Starfire tensed, "Um, it is going as you would say, as well as it could."

Robin felt a wave of guilt, "Yeah, I would have brought you guys here, but well, I don't think Batman is exactly prone to letting me invite guests over at the moment... And Alfred would murder me for the mess that Cyborg and Beast Boy would make."

Starfire smiled (though she was still confused at who Alfred was) and replied, "I suppose, but Robin, why do you not believe that the Batman would not want guests?"

Robin sighed, "Just trust me, Star. He's not exactly the most social person and I don't even think he... particularly... even wants me here at the moment."

At her surprised look, Robin added, "He's stressed, that's all."

He didn't exactly want to tell her about that. No need to worry her. Definitely no need to do that. Starfire nodded in understanding, though she sensed his reluctance.

"It was really, really amazing, last night: your knowledge of Gotham," She told him, changing the subject to a lighter one.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, well, that's what happens when you grow up someplace. You know it by heart I guess," Robin told her.

Starfire nodded, "Yes, Tamaran is the same for me. And for a first time in Gotham, it was very much so a fun one."

Robin laughed and Starfire did the same, but soon silence followed between the two. Robin looked down at his feet. Now what? He hated these awkward silences; it always felt so unbearably long to handle, to take. Starfire was the one to break it.

"Robin?"

"Yeah, Star?"

"Does, does your mentor, does the Batman not like the 'teams'?" She asked.

Well that was a surprise question. At first. When he thought about it, he realized why she had asked it. Batman had neither been friendly nor accommodating to any of his teammates the night before as the Titans had patrolled the city with the Dynamic Duo. It had nearly been a disaster, but then again, when no one talks, no disasters can begin. He and Batman hadn't said more than ten words to each other. But he could still tell that Bruce wasn't at all happy with the team up and was glad when the teams dispersed.

"Um, not, no, it's not that. I mean, he's part of the Justice League and all, you know, but he, he just doesn't like all the, uh, variables it creates for him. He likes it simple, you know?" Robin tried.

He hoped that helped and thankfully Starfire seemed to drop the subject after that. Then he saw her eyes looking off behind him and he turned to see nothing but his bedroom. Confused he raised a brow and she replied.

"Um, you are in your room?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?" He replied.

"It is, the grandeur," She told him.

"Oh, yeah, Batman and I, we, we kind of... yeah," He answered, blushing slightly.

Identities. Secret identities. None of the Titans knew he was Dick Grayson, but he knew who they were. Starfire had always been so patient with him. She never asked, never prodded. She respected him and was content with what he told her. Maybe he should tell her. Why not? She'd never given him a reason not to trust her and he... He should. She was special to him. While evidently, if he told her, the rest of the Titans would discover who he was, but that still didn't seem like a big deal either. It was time he was honest with her. He might not be a knight in shining armor. He might be just the lowly squire in this comparison to a fantasy, but, somehow, he didn't think she'd care. He... An idea hit him and somehow, it came with confidence.

Robin questioned, "Um, Starfire?"

"Yes, Robin?" She asked.

He felt his hand get sweaty. Great, he had just showered too, "Do you... do you want a real tour of Gotham?"

"Huh?" She was caught off guard by the question, but... did he? "You would give us a tour?"

"Well, I, um, I meant, do you want a tour?" Robin emphasized and bit his lip.

"Like a date?" Starfire asked and she felt her own heart flutter momentarily. Was he? Was he asking her...

"Yeah, do you want to, go on a date with me?" He asked.

"I..."

"The real me?" He asked, interrupting her, "Without the mask?"

Starfire's eyes widened and she looked around the dismantled empty hotel room (the others had all gone down to breakfast), almost guarding the question from anyone else and answered enthusiastically, "I... Yes, I would like that. I would like that very much, Robin."

Robin beamed, "Great, I'll, I'll pick you up at your hotel. Eight sound good? Tomorrow?"

"I, yes, it, that is good with me," Starfire replied, feeling herself begin to fly involuntarily.

"Great, great, do you, I don't know, I could treat you to a five star for dinner," Robin told her.

"That sounds, that sounds oh so glorious, Robin. I, I thank you," She replied, blushing.

"Alright, well, okay. I guess I'll see you later, kay?" He asked.

"Yes, of course. I shall you the soon then, Robin," She answered.

"Okay then, well, I'll see ya," He told her.

"I shall see you," She answered back.

The connection disabled. Seconds later Raven entered the room in her gothic clothing, looking very disgruntled at what had probably become of breakfast. But as soon as Raven walked into the room, she caught sight of Starfire's glowing eyes and the inescapable feeling of joy that the empath could sense in her.

"What..." She started hesitantly, but never finished as she found herself in one of Starfire's signature bone-crushing hugs and being lifted into the air.

"I have a date with friend Robin!" Starfire exclaimed, "You must help me prepare!"

Raven looked up at her in shock, but that did nothing to dull the pain in her back. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, Robin did a back-flip onto his bed.

"Yes!" He yelled.

Finally! Something good was going to happen! He was going on a date with the girl of his dreams. Maybe this would turn out to be a good Halloween for once. But while he took off the mask and continued to smile while he threw his shirt on, someone watched him.

How deluded that sense of joy was.

Slade chuckled. What a perfect night to finish this, come to think of it. So theatrical, to kill the demon lurking in the shadows of Gotham on the last night of the chilly month of October. This city was wearing off on him. Everything was going according to plan. The Dynamic Duo could be considered clueless at this point, but then again, Slade would never leave anything up to assumptions like that. Still, with everything that was going on, it was a pretty safe bet. If Dick looking like he could go out skipping at this point wasn't reason enough to assume such a thing, well, he didn't know what was.

And the Joker had played his role. He had promised the Clown Prince of Crime his role in the game and he had gotten it, along with state of the art robots designed to his ludicrous and insane tastes. Not that it mattered, but still, that was too close. Joker had come too close to shooting the Boy Wonder, something he would have to rectify later.

At the moment, with Joker in Arkham once again, it was not a problem that needed an instant solution. Meanwhile, he could care less about Two-Face's displeasure; the hypocritical mental case would just have to deal with these restrictions till November came. After that, he had no interest in the former Gotham D.A. Ultimately though the important thing about Joker's theatrics was that nothing had happened and he didn't expect to be able to get rid of Ethan so easily. In that regard, Joker had sped things up. Wouldn't Luthor be happy?

Then again, who cared about that maniac business man, anyway?

And sooner or later, his... employee would log on. Slade smiled at the thought. When it had come down to it, he needed someone smart, but fairly stupid. Someone who could take complicated orders without question. Strength over brawn. Insane, but focused. He knew of only one and it embarrassed him to actually be related to them. The line on his computer screen crackled to life. Shame, that name could mean a lot more if someone else was using it. Ravager couldn't see him, but he could see Ravager's smug face on the screen. The moron.

"Wade Defarge," Slade said, "You're ready for the information?"

"No problem, s'longs the pay's good. And you say this will hurt Deathstroke?" He asked, greedily.

Yes, Wade didn't know that he was being hired out by his brother, that's how much of an idiot he was, "I'm sure. Deathstroke's been hired by Luthor to take out your target. You need to take him out first."

"No need to worry about that. Much better than that worthless..."

"Mr. Defarge, please, this isn't the time for small talk," Slade told him, "I'm sending the location of where to pick up your map of Wayne Tower, instructions, and equipment. Don't lose it. Do exactly what you were ordered to do, not a half way job."

Ravager laughed, "Don't worry, it's as good as done."

"I'm sure," Slade told him and just as quickly the line was disconnected.

He had to let out a low laugh. 'Even after all these years, Wade.' Well, there was no time to reminisce. Not like he even wanted to, anyway. He sat back in his chair. Everything was in place. Everything. He looked back at his hidden camera. It had taken him ages to perfect the microscopic spy camera and ages more to be able to get it up to speed and capable of getting past Wayne's security witfhout being noticed. His eye followed the face of the young teen. His eyes were marked with happiness.

"Enjoy yourself while you may, Dick," Slade said, "It won't last long."

-T-

Starfire pushed the green dangling diamond earrings through her ears. She remembered being so nervous when she got them pierced with Raven, but that had been nothing compared to the butterfly feelings in her gut right now. She smoothed her purple silk dress and propped up her large curls, just to make sure they stayed, despite the can of hairspray. Raven looked over at her passively, her hood down and her eyes turned downward.

Being Starfire's friend was sometimes hard for her. She was not one to express herself as Starfire did, making their conversations somewhat awkward and abrupt for them both. Still though, she felt some... gratitude towards Starfire, for that emotion that she could never feel, she thought. That was probably why they didn't hate each other. Starfire told her what it was like, to feel (as Raven saw it) and Raven was content with listening and being able to feel empathically what Starfire felt.

"Don't be nervous," Raven told her, plainly.

"Oh, but Raven, he, he is going to tell me who he is. And this is our, it is my first date!" Starfire explained and Raven nodded.

"About time too," Raven told her, "That boy is so slow sometimes."

"Hm?" Starfire asked.

"I'm an empath Starfire; I feel every one's emotions," Raven said, getting out the gloves that Starfire had packed in her suitcase, "It's amazing that you two haven't gone out on a date already in the first place."

"You really believe so, friend Raven?" Starfire inquired as she took the gloves.

Raven looked at her as though that was the dumbest question in the world, "Would you like me to lie to you?"

Starfire laughed, "I suppose not. Thank you. Thank you for helping me prepare, and for being such a good friend."

Raven pulled up her hood, "You're welcome."

"Raven?"

"Yes?" Raven turned her shadowed face to see Starfire smiling.

Starfire looked down at her silver heels, "I hope that, I hope that you feel as happy as I do."

Raven let out a dry laugh, "Thanks, Star, but don't get your hopes up. Besides, I can feel how happy you are right now."

"Well, I am glad then," Starfire told her.

Raven shrugged, "It's a perk of being an empath... Hey, so when's..."

"RAEE!!!"

"---VEN!" Two yells came from the other room, following some rampaging ruckus.

Bursting through the door between the rooms, the two Titan boys barged right in and were about to receive Raven's wrath for invading the girls' room when she saw who was with them.

"No..." She said shaking her head in disbelief and annoyance.

Starfire gasped, "Red X?"

"Hi!" Red X said, waving and indicated Cyborg holding onto his cape, "Can you tell them to put me down now?"

"What is it that you are doing here?" Starfire asked.

"This creep stowed away in our luggage!" Cyborg exclaimed, almost sounding indignant about it.

"How did he fit and survive in your suitcase?" Raven asked, half angry, half bewildered.

"Well, I got out when you guys made pit stops and I was able to fit in their gaming bag, which was good because the next biggest bag was Beast Boy's and I don't think he did his laundry before..."

"Raven, I thought you told him to stay put!" Beast Boy accused.

"I told Red X that he was to stay at the Tower," She said, forcefully.

"Hey, I don't have to listen to you. And besides, no one knows me in Gotham. I could almost pass for a Titan here, not that I'd want to," Red X countered and then he caught sight of Starfire in her formal dress, "And man, if I get to dance with you in that, I'd say that it was all worth..."

The phone rang and startled them all. Starfire flew over, thankfully for Red X, who would have been the victim of her impulse to incinerate him, and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Yes, Ms. Anders?" A patron asked, using Starfire's code name that she was using while staying at the hotel. They had all taken up these names so that could keep a low profile in order to not draw the attention of an attacker's eye.

"Yes, this is I," She answered.

"I believe there's a young gentleman waiting in the entrance hall for you. He said he was looking for a young lady with red hair and 'golden' skin. Is this you and shall I inform him that you will be down soon?"

Starfire gasped and replied back promptly, "Yes, yes, tell him I shall be down the stairs immediately."

"I shall," the patron responded.

With that, the patron hung up and Starfire squealed, "I must be off, friends."

"You're not going to help us with this dude?" Beast Boy asked.

"No, I must go, you shall be able to handle him. Farewell friends! I shall be back late," Starfire exclaimed, before rushing out the door and into a maid, who handed her a newspaper and continued on.

She looked at the front page in which a man stood with the mayor, and a teenage boy by his side with jet black hair. The caption read "Bruce Wayne and ward, Dick Grayson, meet with Mayor about Project Firewall."

She shrugged and put the paper by the door. She had to get downstairs where Robin must be waiting. And in fact he was. Dick paced back and forth, rubbing his hand against his neck and checking his cologne. He hoped it wasn't too much. He remembered everything up until that point. He remembered getting ready and having Alfred run through half the house trying to find his good jacket. Poor Alfred, he had never seemed so rushed. Bruce hadn't noticed. He had just walked out the door on the way to his meeting. Shame he had to work on Halloween, but then again, Dick's concern for Bruce's meeting was about as much as Bruce's concern for his night out with Starfire. He hadn't even told Bruce about it. He really hadn't thought to and Bruce hadn't thought to ask.

Dick looked around. He knew people were looking at him. He wasn't totally unrecognizable in Gotham. And why not? The fact that he happened to be a multi-millionaire's ward wouldn't add to that at all, oh no. He pulled at his collar while others watched him. From a hidden camera, Slade watched as he sat back in his chair in his office and flexed his fingers. Just a little while longer. Another watcher though, felt excited with anticipation, and as anxious as Dick did. Starfire felt her heart beat in her chest and hoped that the coconut-cherry spice perfume wasn't too much. She stepped down the steps towards a teenager with gel-slicked, jet-black hair.

Hearing someone coming down, the teen spun around and Starfire caught sight of the Boy Wonder's eyes for the very first time. Blue. Clear. Brilliant blue. They sparkled as a large grin came to his face and she suddenly recognized him. Starfire made her way down the steps slowly as they faced each other.

"Hi," He said.

"Hi," She answered.

"Um, Star, I... I don't know what to call you other than, well..." Robin whispered.

Starfire smiled, "My formal name is Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, but, here, I have decided to go by 'Kory Anders'."

"Kory," Dick said, the name felt so right for her too, "Um, well, Kory, my real name is Dick, Dick Grayson."

Starfire beamed, never looking anywhere but his eyes, his wonderful eyes, "Dick... It is, it is glorious to meet you."

It felt good to use his real name for the first time.

Dick smiled, "Well, shall we?"

He held out his arm for her and she took it with a smile. They made their way out of the hotel and into the limo where Alfred was waiting with a warm smile. Starfire looked at Dick who returned her smile. This was going to be the best night of her life.

Starfire

Overview

The Alien Powerhouse of the Teen Titans, Starfire is an extraterrestrial from the planet Tamaran, a far off planet in the Vegan Star system. Starfire arrived on Earth after escaping from the Gordanians who held her captive. Upon arriving, she joined her new found friends in forming the Teen Titans. Though seemingly innocent and a bit unsure of the new culture she finds herself living in, Starfire packs a punch when it comes to protecting her friends, often sacrificing her own feelings, desires, and safety for them. Despite her fierce strength and ability to fight, Starfire has a heart of gold and is extremely kind and considerate of those around her. 

Since her first encounter with Robin, she has had a crush on him, however their friendship has grown to be on a much deeper level since they became members of the Titans together and they are quiet literally one another's best friend. When it comes to being there for him and others, Starfire always follows her heart and does whatever she can to be there for them, no matter what.

Adaptation

Starfire remains fairly similar to her cartoon counter part in "Custody". Her past is in keeping with the cartoon's history, both in her first appearance on Earth and the formation of the Titans as well as subsequent events after. 

The primary element added to or perhaps enhanced from the original comic book counter part to her portrayal in "Custody" is her own determination and independence. While in the cartoon, this is touched upon and shown in various episodes, it never seemed to get enough of a 'push' so to speak, perhaps since her overarching conflict was over the course of several seasons rather than one. So in "Custody",  while she is a sweet and caring person, she is also clearly highly capable of kicking some serious butt. Furthermore, even though she often listens to Robin and respects him, when she sees that a situation feels wrong or doesn't add up, she acts on her best judgement in conjunction with that of his and others'. 

Personality and Relationships

Starfire is the youngest daughter of her parents and second in line for the Tamaranian throne. Despite her status as a 'princess', Starfire thinks of the title as more of a means of loyalty and duty, rather than a way to get any special privilege (it is only by chance that her friends even learn of her royal status). She is light hearted and genuinely loves discovering new things and experiencing all that life has to offer.  Starfire is not without siblings, the oldest of which is her sister Blackfire, who has a criminal record through out the universe, more similar to her cartoon counterpart. While in the comics, it is confirmed that Starfire has a younger brother, no mention of him is made in "Custody". 

Within the Titans, Starfire is closest with Raven and Robin. Originally created as a foil to Raven by their creators Marv Wolfman and George Perez, the two are quiet different, but are able to learn a lot from one another, especially as both of their powers are fueled by their emotions. Raven teaches Starfire to control her emotions whereas Starfire allows Raven to more fully understand the importance of them, an ability that they both find to be extremely useful both in combat as well as in daily life.

Though upon first meeting, Robin and Starfire initially confused and befuddled one another, Starfire quickly began to see admirable qualities in Robin, such as his intelligence, combat capabilities, and leadership skills. However, it was his compassion and ability to care for those around him, his patience, and his sincerity which won over her heart. She remains unsure as to how Robin really feels for her, particularly considering how he tends to cut others off, similar to his mentor. However, she stands by him and the rest of her friends, always willing to be there for them when they are in need.

Personal Thoughts

I can't express how much I love Starfire's character. I think she's vastly underrated and often times reduced to nothing more than eye-candy, which infuriates me on occasion. Starfire's ability to love despite being hurt as well as her ability to distinguish and stick to the line between right and wrong are incredibly empowering, as that is something I think we all struggle with. Furthermore, I greatly enjoy the fact that she's fine with being emotional and true to herself. She cries when she's upset. She yells when she's angry. She dances (or flies) when she's happy. I could go on, but I think the point is made. She's very in tune with herself, which also presents its own challenges, particularly when she is emotionally not in the best place. In the comics and now the DC Animated Movie Universe, I admire her for her leadership skills as well, which unlike most leaders out there, is graced with kindness and respect. In a sense, it's very regal, but the best part is that when it comes from her, it's genuine. 

Needless to say, I'm also a serious RobXStar shipper on the worst level. XD Pretty much shipped them before I knew what shipping was. My reasons for that go on and on, but I think it goes back to a few things in particular. I think they respect one another. I think she encourages him to be true to himself in spite of his fears and I think his patience and willingness to show her new things allows her to see things in ways she wouldn't have before. And I think that in the end, they both care about each other as soul mates do. They rely on one another. They trust one another. They're there for one another. And they're willing to do whatever it takes for the other to be happy and safe. So hopefully in regards to their relationship, I was able to write that and convey that in "Custody" as well as incorporate Starfire's strength, perseverance, humility, and kindness into her character as a whole so that readers may enjoy her as much as I enjoy do. :)