dum spiro spero
AU. In a world where the Titans never met, Starfire finds herself on Earth after escaping the Gordonians and saves the life of a man who calls himself Red X. But as he helps her adjust on this strange new world, Red X hides secrets of his own and it isn't just Starfire's past that threatens to haunt them.
Disclaimer: Sorry, folks. Teen Titans isn't mine.
The title is a Latin phrase which means "while I breathe, I hope."
"Give up! Escape is impossible! You'll die in this ship, Red X!"
"You underestimate me. . . . Here's a little clue for you – me killing all your men."
He dreams of that night.
He dreams of the crowbar clawing viciously through his skin, again and again, tugging relentlessly at his flesh. He wants nothing more than to just let his body slip away, to escape the teeth of the metal digging into his body, the copper scent of his own blood invading his nostrils, the unbearable, agonizing, excruciating pain.
He tries to crawl away, but the tattered remains of his black and yellow cape that hung pathetically from his shoulders is soon yanked, dragging him back to the maniac's feet.
He writhes and cries against the torrent of agony. Twists and struggles as the vile show repeats, over and over.
He dreams of laughter. It is what angers and terrifies him, digs into him more than the bitterly cold metal.
The incessant laughter buries itself into his mind, the unnatural sound peeling away at his sanity even more than the raw pain that has paired itself to him. It's a horrible sound, high and wheezing, yet dark and demanding. But the worst part of it is that it's real.
He dreams of pain.
His shoulders ache in their sockets, straining against the tight tugging of his bonds, throbbing with objection at their position; pinned snuggly underneath him. Blood seeps from the gaping gouges left behind from the scrape of the crowbar, blending into the deep red of his uniform, melding so well it's almost as if it's not there at all. His stomach knots and he can still feel the ghost of the crowbar against his body even after it breaks contact with his skin. His ribcage constricts tightly around his rapidly filling lungs, every breath bringing the snapped and splintered bones closer to the delicate organs.
He dreams of betrayal – of blonde curls and the face of a woman who was never his mother.
He dreams of disappointment – he will never grow old, will never go to college, will never go to his own graduation, will never fall in love, will never walk down the aisle, will never have children of his own, will never again fly over the rooftops, will never reach his dreams, will never find out his dreams.
He dreams of regret – he never even had the chance to say goodbye.
He dreams of the beeping, of a clock counting down.
He's dying. He's alone. He's scared.
He's so scared.
A flash of bright light, darkness swimming into view. . . .
And then everything was gone.
The first thing Red X felt that was unimpeded by a mental fog was a burning sensation in his lungs. His mind was awake, almost hyper-aware. Every nerve felt like it was on fire. There was the sound of someone screaming, but it couldn't have been him. Not him. You need air to scream, and he had none.
He felt as though he was deep underwater, floating in the midst of a sea of liquid darkness in-between the deep depths and the unseen surface.
Where was he?
A trickle of warm sweat trailed from his temple down the side of his face. His heart was pounding as he gasped for air, reveling in the sweet oxygen that entered his lungs.
There was a voice coming towards him, a voice like golden wind chimes speaking in a language he couldn't quite make out, along with the sound of constant beeping of some sort of monitoring equipment.
He felt someone kneel beside him and a cool, wet cloth on his forehead.
Slowly, he managed to open his eyes, enough to see the blurry image of a woman's face bent over him.
"Where . . .?"
His hand went flying to his throat at the rough sound it made, but delicate fingers stopped him, slipping into the gaps between his.
The bleary figure spoke again, but he didn't understand a word she said. No matter how soothing her accented voice was, he couldn't help but feel afraid. He was often afraid, he realized with a pang of disgust, but he didn't want to dwell on that.
His eyelids were getting heavier by the second and the soft hand stroking his cheek wasn't exactly helping matters. Unable to help himself, he leaned into her touch and slowly let his hazy vision fade away.
The last thing he saw before the world fell into blackness was the brightest pair of green eyes he had ever seen.
Just so no one gets the wrong idea, Robin is not Red X in this story, but you will be seeing him soon, along with Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy and the rest of the TT cast we all know and love.
So what did you think of the first chapter? Feel free to drop a review and tell me what you think.