The Darkness Within a Heart - by Sorrow's Pain.
They say Robin went crazy. That his heart just couldn't accept the fact that the team was falling apart. Ever since that accident back in Slade's Lair, he never forgave himself. He'd lost Terra, he'd lost Star, and was about to lose Cyborg. All because of his hate for Slade. Slade. That's the guy I blame, everytime, thought Robin miserably. He ran his black gloved hand through his dark hair, adjusting the spikes that surrounded his crown. His eyes darted around the room nervously, more nervous than he'd ever been. Ever since Star was taken, her heart taken by darkness. "Hey, Robin!" somene called from behind. The voice was scratchy and high-pitched. It could be only one person. Beast Boy. The small, green skinned boy ran into Robin's room, perspiration rolling down the side of his face. "We gotta problem over in Titans Tower East. Aqua-lad just got through. Something about a new villan, or something," he tried to explain. Robin's heart raced, but his face remained calm and cool. Robin, always calm and cool. "Alright, I'm coming," he said, in an expressionless voice.
Ten Minutes Earlier -
Downstairs, Cyborg and Raven watched the screen with surprisingly shocked faces. Raven was paler than she'd ever been. Cyborg was plain surprised, his jaw about as low as the floor. "That can't be Star," he said, his voice small and confused. Raven shook her head, still trying to remain in control. On the screen a teenager with dark red skin, deep bright green eyes, and a grin that spelled trouble began to speak. Her voice did not come through clearly, and all that was heard was, "East . . . Don't . . . Care . . . You . . . Find . . . Me. Good . . . Forever." Her voice was dark and sinister, totally the opposite of the happy-go-lucky Star the Titans had come to know and love. She turned from the screen, the black head piece surrounding her face slipping off. Thank the Gods she was alone, alone. Such an odd word, alone. Starfire tried to remember, tried to remember why Robin, Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, and all the others still tried to find her. Not only me, but Terra as well. Ever since Slade ressurected her, she's been nothing but trouble. Her heart has become tiny and cold. And He wants the same thing to happen to me, she thought with despair. "Eclipse, hurry up. Slade wants us to go to the East Side!" called Terra. Starfire's eyes slanted with anger. She didn't want to be called 'Eclipse'. It meant 'Starsnuffer'. It meant darkness. It meant disaster. She slowly slid the face plate once more upon her head, sighed, and walked through the door. Terra waited on the other side, an evil grin on her pale face. "Time to go have some fun, eh Eclipse?" she asked, a hand on her hip in a rebellious way. "I guess so," replied Eclipse bitterly. Once I leave that room, I become Eclipse. I musn't let them know I am still Starfire. That I still care, she thought sadly.
Five Minutes After Eclipse's Call - Titan's Tower East -
Aqua-lad watched as Speedy paced before him. Bumble Bee had already left. No one knew where she was heading, but Aqua-lad had a feeling it was to Titan's Tower West. She wastryingto forewarn the others. About Star. The black haired 'merman' shook his head. Mas y Meros were on the other side of the pacing Speedy, watching his progress with mild interest. "Stop pacing, Speedy, we know what we have to do. We can't protect the others forever. We know that Starfire is lost, and Terra's back. And no doubt Slade'll take someone else next," said Aqua-lad, trying to convince his friend. Sometimes, he's as stubborn as Robin, he thought, a thin smile coming to his face. He crossed to the large-screen comunicator, and began to contact the Titans West Tower. Finally, after about what seemed three hundred tries, Aqua-lad got through. "Hey, Bumble Bee's on her way. There's trouble right outside of Titan's Tower East. We need some back up. We're already trying to get a hold of -" his was voice cut off by a voice he thought he'd never again. All he heard was "East", which could only mean Titans Tower East. His heart raced. "Cyborg! Raven! Are you still there?" he cried, banging a fist on the computer board. As he turned around, Speedy, Mas and Meros were watching him with shocked looks. Well, at least Mas and Meros were. Speedy looked down, tired, and just plain worried. No teen deserves so much pressure. That's probably why Robin won't quit on Star. Why he won't quit on any of us, thought Aqua-lad. "C'mon, let's go find them. No doubt that Robin, Raven, Cyborg, and BB are already on their way. Bumble Bee's most likely on her way back. All we can do is begin the fight," said Speedy, before sweeping out of the room. Mas, Meros, and Aqua-lad sighed a sad sigh, and followed behind.
Titan's Tower West - Bumble Bee's Arrival and Departure -
Bumble Bee ran inside, out of breath, her wings still buzzing from the long and tiresome flight. Her dark eyes darted from side to side, searching for her fellow Titans. "Robin! . . . Hey, Raven! . . . Beast Boy . . .! . . .Cyborg?" she asked desperately.Her hands fell to her side, a look of worry on her dark features. Bumble Bee walked farther into the building, one that seemed so familiar and yet so different. She folded her arms roughly in front of her, a now angry look on her face. "C'mon, we've got work to do!" she yelled, her voice still serious. She stopped dead as she heard a single footstep fall behind her. She whipped around, holding out her most prized set of weapons, her two black-and-yellow stingers. It was Cyborg, with a big 'I'm about to totally laugh at you!' smile on his face. Anger rose in her, a look of total off gaurd-ness upon her features. "I'm gonna-" she started, interrupted by laughing on Cyborg's part. He held his stomach, doubling over, thankful for the chance of doing so. Ever since Aqua-lad and Star's messages the Tower had been gloomy. Even Beast Boy had given up on laughter. "It's not funny, Cyborg! There's trouble, and here you are laughing!" she cried, her hands clenching and unclenching the two stingers. Oh, how she wanted to zap him! But, of course, fate would never let her, nor would she really ever want to harm him.
Raven glanced briefly at the pair in the lobby. Bumble Bee and Cyborg. How they went together, she'd never know. Maybe it was there love of technology. Maybe it was the fact they'd worked so close, with so much trust. The dark Titan sighed a tired sigh, and began to walk slowly towards them. She didn't want to go see Star once more. She didn't want to fight. She just wanted peace and quiet. A metallic swoosh sounded behind the three Titans, and Cyborg glanced up.
Robin and Beast Boy walked through, one with a look of pure innocence, the other with of pure defeat. You can probably guess which is which. Robin took a deep breath before saying, "Bumble Bee, we know. We're going to going as well. Your welcome to wait, or you can go ahead and catch up with the others." His voice was still collected, though there was a hint of nervousness in it. Bumble Bee gave a weak smile, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You sure you're gonna be able to handle this, Robin?" she asked, a concerned friendly look upon her face. Robin gave a short nod. The techno wiz smiled once more before running out of the Tower. Cyborg quickly caught up, and once the pair was outside, he stopped his good friend. "Be careful, alright? I don't know what's going on with Star, but we don't want to lose anyone else. Be careful, okay?" he said, a tender tone in his voice. Bumble Bee smiled, glad someone cared about her, and nodded. Before running off, she gave her friend a brief hug. Cyborg blushed, and so did Bumble Bee. She winked, waved once, and buzzed off. That was the last Cyborg would see her as a friend, instead of an enemy.
Chapter Two - Outside Titan's Tower East - The Battle Begins -
This can't be happening! thought Speedy. Standing before him, an evil grin on her pale face, was Terra. She wore a silver body suit, a black breastplate, bikini-bottom plate, knee plates, heavy boots, and metallic gloves. Her long blonde hair was braided, a long swishing tail with a dangerous metal ring tied into the end. It looked deadly to touch, and it didn't seem to weigh the girl down at all. "So, Speedy, still hanging around with this crowd?" she asked causally, as if they weren't even enemies - or fighting for lives. Speedy shrugged, slipping off the bow his was famous for, and pulled out a paralysis arrow. He hoped to stun her hands, that way it be tougher for her to lift and move those rocks. He knew her moves well enough, even though he'd never truly fought against her. "I'm used to being part of ateam, something you obviously gave up," he replied, nochalantly, frowning. Terra laughed, her face lighting up with the thought of being a team member! She shook her head, that dangerous braid swirling in the breeze that had grown. "I am part of a team, Speedster! Just not on your's!" she cried, lifting a nice chunk of cement, rocks, and piping above her head. Speedy shot his parlysis arrow, watching its path while loading another - this time a poisinous arrow. The arrow swiped against Terra's right forearm, and she yelped with pain. You can do better than him, Terra. Just concentrate, like I taught you, remember? said Slade. His voice rang like a crystal bell inside the teen's head, clearing her mind of all pain. She was still paralyzed in her right arm, but that didn't mean she was done. The girl laughed, yes laughed, and a soft glow surrounded the block of cement and stone. She lifted it off of the palm of her left hand, and tossed over to Speedy. "Catch!" she yelled, smiling at her work. "Hey, rock-head, catch this!" yelled a voice from behind. An eruption of water spouted from the nearby fire hydrant, and Aqua-lad quickly swirled a bit of that water around, before hurlingthe gusher at his opponent. Speedy quickly rolled out of the path of the gigantic boulder, and watched as Terra literally cut through Aqua-lad's water attack. She spun around and around like a top, the metallic ring literally slicing through the water, and collided with Aqua-lad. The pair was tossed into the air, landing with a thud into the ground. Terra was on top, her hands on Aqua-lad's throat. A thin smile was on her face, shadowed by the setting sun, and the wisps of blonde hair. "Nice kno- Oof!" she yelped, being blasted in the front by an unknown adversary. She fell to the ground, arms wrapped around her middle, face cringing from the pain. Aqua-lad got to his feet, rubbing his throat, to see the Titans Tower West and Bumble Bee standing on the edge of the crater created by Terra. "Need some help?" asked Bumble Bee, electrical charges still flowing through the two stingers. "Boo-yah!" cried Cyborg, a huge smile plastered to his face. Speedy, Mas, and Meros ran over to the crater, and the nine of them surrounded the smoking dent in the ground. Robin and Raven helped Aqua-lad out of the pit. The wounded villian grinned as a deep shadow fell across her face. "Eclipse, what took you so long?" she asked, standing up, her left arm around her mid-section still.
Eclipse's Arrival - Robin's Failure - Cyborg's Capture -
You'll have to read and review for more! Remember this is my first fanfiction, and I'm unsure as to whether you guys want more or not.
So, if you love 'The Darkness Within a Heart' give me some feedback for finishing Ch. 2!
