Hello everyone! I had this plot in my mind for awhile, but debated on whether to write it and put it on FF or not. I have always been a fan of Robin and Starfire. Constructive criticism and positive reviews are both accepted! I don't like flames, but not every flower can smell like a rose. Anyways, here is Pulling Through! Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, DC Comics does.
1. A Familiar Aura
Gotham City, New York
Jumping from roof top to roof to, the twenty-two year old Nightwing looked down every alley and corner of his patrol route. There was nothing in the streets, no criminal trying to commit theft or any other crime. It was a dark, quiet night in Gotham City. Crime remained a high factor in the Dark Knights domain and you know that if there is always crime, then Batman and Robin would definitely be there to stop it. However, this Robin is patrolling the other quadrant of Gotham, Tim Drake. On a seemingly rare occasion, Dick and Bruce could actually agree that Tim held the torch of the boy wonder quite well. Nightwing stopped on top of an old Gotham bricks building, looking over the night traffic.
"Don't stand so close over the edge. You dont have a cape that'll soften the blow if you fall into traffic."
Without turning around, Dick responded to the voice. "You know you'll catch me if I fall Barbara."
Barbara, or in her current attire Batgirl, just sighed and walked to his side.
"Yes, because I just cant live without you." She replied sarcastically.
"Now was that so hard to admit?" He asked with a cheeky grin.
He was met with a sarcastic laugh. She sighed once again and looked on the traffic.
"How long are you going to be here, Dick?"
"I don't know. I just got here."
"I love how you are so specific."
He gave a small laugh. "I really don't know."
"It'll be good to see you around more." She said.
"So Ive been told." He said.
"You never did say why you're here, you know." Barbara pushed.
Dick sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Barbara and Tim have both been pushing to know why the prodigal son has returned to his heroic roots. He was on a break from the Titans for a little bit. Cyborg and Raven were still at Titans Tower, in case anything went off, but Beast Boy was now in Miami. Garfield found a lead pointing to a potential family member. He left about two weeks before Dick decided to head to Gotham. Raven opted to go with him, but he declined saying that it was something he needed to do by himself. He and Raven have been on rocky terms as of late. Of course, Batgirl and Robin suspected more from the story.
"Does it have to do with Star- "Batgirl started.
"Just on a break like I told you, Tim, Bruce, Alfred. Anyone I left off the list?" Nightwing interrupted.
Sensing that he didn't want to talk about the subject she was about to bring up, she let it go. For now.
"Nope, that seems like everyone." She responded. "At least you're here for more than a twenty-four hour time period."
A calm silence fell over the two as they watched the cars go by. Traffic was going smoothly until a dark blue Camry crashed into a newsstand.
"Just when I thought it was going to be a quiet night," Nightwing said as he and Batgirl flew down the building off of their grappling hooks.
When the two got to the calamitous scene, the car's hood was giving out a strange smelling odor smoke.
"Batgirl, get the crowd out of here now! The car is going to explode!" Nightwing said, advancing for the very same car.
"What are you doing?" Batgirl screamed.
"I got to get that driver out! Clear the area! NOW!"
She gave him a curt nod and went about moving the crowd and redirecting the oncoming traffic.
"Everyone needs to get out of here, its going to go off!" She yelled while motioning with wild gestures for the car riders. Not a minute later, she was met with screams and car horns going in the opposite direction. She turned her head around and focused her attention on Nightwing.
"Nightwing! You need to hurry!" Batgirl yelled.
"Working on it!" Nightwing yelled back.
Indeed he was, using all his strength to open the door on the drivers side. However, the door was crushed in pretty heavy and the driver was knocked out unconscious.
"Damn!" Nightwing reached for his laser. Finally finding it, he pointed the ray to make an outline of the door and ripped it off.
The driver, a Caucasian man in his forties with dirty blonde hair and an unshaven face, had a long gash on the right side of his face starting from his temple to his chin.
"Take...it... away." He mumbled.
The engine started to rattle and you could hear the car starting to shake.
"What?" Nightwing asked as he hoisted the man over his shoulder.
"Take it."
"Hold that thought."
Nightwing shot his grappling hook and carried the man to safety just as the car exploded. They landed safely on a roof top just as the debris was flying in the air. He laid the man down on his back and checked his pulse. It was weak and he knew the man didn't have long before he needed to get to a hospital. Before he could remove his fingers from the man's neck, the latter grabbed Nightwing's wrist.
"You have to take it away." The man said in a raspy voice.
"Take what away?" Nightwing asked.
"Th-this poison." The man pleaded.
"What poison?"
The man used his bloodied hand to point to his breast pocket in a jerky motion.
Nightwing fished through the pocket carefully. He found a small vile.
"How dangerous is this poison?" Nightwing demanded.
"Very. You have to...take it away...from him." The man said after giving a dry cough.
"Who?"
"Braden."
"Is this what caused you to crash into the newsstand?"Nightwing asked.
The hero was only met with a series of dry coughs.
"C'mon." Nightwing lifted the man over his shoulder once more and brought him down to the accident area so he could get medical attention.
After seeing the man put on a stretcher, Nightwing looked closer at the vial. It contained a silver substance that looked like small rocks.
"No casualties, though some other cars got pretty banged up and that newsstand's owner has one hell of an insurance claim to fill out." Batgirl reported.
"The driver?" Nightwing questioned.
"He's headed to the emergency room, then ICU, but they think he'll be okay. Paraplegic at best, but hell be alive." Batgirl informed him.
"Good. He can tell me more about this poison." Nightwing said, showing her the vial.
"Whats that?" Batgirl asked.
"After I got him out of the car, he told me that it was a 'poison'." Nightwing explained.
"He give any other details about it?"
"Yeah. It had to be taken away from some guy named Braden."
"Weird. Any clue what it is?" Batgirl asked.
"Only one way to figure out." Nightwing said. "To the Batcave."
Miami
A black Corvette with the top down was speeding down an empty street on a hot night. A twenty-year old Beast Boy, who when wearing his halo ring like he is now, is now known as Garfield Logan. In disguise with his olive skin and dirty blonde hair, he looked like any other American citizen. He wasn't too worried about police since he was near the beach and a couple of miles outside of town. He heard his cell phone ringing and put it on speaker.
"Whats up?"
"Hey Gar." The voice spoke on the other.
He gave a mental sigh. Raven. His emotionally estranged girlfriend.
"Hey Rae. What are you doing?" He asked.
"Just in my room reading. I wanted to talk to you before I went to sleep." She said.
"You're going in early." He said a little shocked.
"There's nothing around to keep me up in the vicinity." She said.
Gar knew the subliminal message but decided to ignore it with good old fashion silence.
"Did you find anything?" She asked in a careful tone.
"No. It was a dead end." He responded.
"I'm sorry."
"It happens."
Awkward silence ensues. Perfect. Because Gar just loves awkward silences.
"When are you coming home, Gar?" She asked him.
There it was: the million-dollar question that he knew she was dying to ask him.
"I am going to come home, if that'swhat you're asking." He said.
"That's not what I meant." She said in a small voice.
"After the bust, I need to clear my head right now, Raven." He said as he made a left turn at some palm trees.
"I understand, it's just that-" She stopped her sentence short. He heard her sigh over the phone.
"I know I've been gone a while but I didn't say that it was going to be a quick trip." He said getting defensive.
"I know, Garfield." She responded in a tired voice.
"It hasn't even been that long. Just a month, tops." He said as a halfway attempt on trying to calm her down.
"And one week." She countered.
"Don't be like that, Raven." Garfield said after a sigh. He began to enter the town.
"You're giving me reasons to be like that." Raven argued.
"I'll talk to you later." He said.
"Garfield, it's been three months. Are we ever going to-?"
"I'm not going to argue with you. Not now, Raven. Goodnight."
"Goodnight then."
He pressed the 'END' button on his phone.
"You are listening to the best of Miami radio coming at you-"
Garfield turned off the radio. He just wanted to blow some steam.
He randomly stopped at a bright white building and parked on the street. He saw the sign outside the building: Aura.
When he entered the building he could automatically tell it was a club. It was lit up in neon lighting and had a giant dance floor illuminated with white light under the transparent floor in the center. A sleek, black bar covered a complete side of the wall and a DJ booth sat on the opposite wall. There were square speakers lining every top and bottom part of the black walls. Near the back wall was a silver spiral staircase that led to a loft section near the top of the club with silver rails to keep anyone from falling off. That section had its own mini bar as well. Next to the staircase was a door leading to a patio area behind the club.
The club was packed and the music was good so you know that meant people were definitely dancing. Gar maneuvered his way through the crowd and made his way over to the bar. One of the baristas was a petite Latina woman with long, curly black hair and big brown eyes wearing a dark blue halter top and a black skirt.
"What would you like to drink?" She asked him.
He felt like having something that had a multi-syllable, Russian name and alcohol.
"Plain soda with ice." He said.
Not everyone can be a drinker, he thought.
"Coming right up."
Gar gave a heavy sigh and turned to look at the crowd. Women were swinging their hips and guys were dancing to the song under the neon lights. Once he received his drink, he went to find a seat by himself on the patio area outside. Not an easy feat when you have to avoid dancers, waiters, and trying not to spill his drink.
"Almost there..."
He was cut off when he was knocked into by a girl who was dancing. Luckily his drink was saved.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" the young woman asked him.
He checked himself, happy to see his drink hadn't spilt over him. He turned around to look at the girl.
"It's all good, dont wor-" He was stopped short of his sentence. His face was full of shock and confusion. In fact, it was the exact replica of said girl's face except instead of shock and confusion, it was shock and worry.
"Beast Boy. What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I could ask you the same thing, Starfire."
That is the official first chapter of Pulling Through! I hope that you all enjoyed it! The next chapter will be...a complete 'mysteree' because I want you readers to wait it out. I will tell you this though, it will start in Starfire's story. Until the next chapter, Mysteree101.