A/N: This is based mostly off Teen Titans that ran on Cartoon Network (episode 62), roughly (very roughly) off the comics, and a bit off my own interpretation. There will be a second part coming, as to finish the episode this was based off of. Enjoy my incredibly humorless retelling of the Titans founding!
Titans, GO!
Dozens of alerts sounds went off at once, immediately waking Cyborg from his sleep. His eyes flew, and before he could even wonder what could've caused such a reaction from his sensors, an eerily green light splashed along his walls. It was diluted by his curtain, giving it a foggy aura as it traveled across his room. His mechanical side had already produced the mathematical equations from the green light—it was traveling at a speed humans had yet to attain, with an angle of twenty-six degrees, decreasing by point-four degrees every half mile. It would hit Earth in less than five minutes, in the dead center of the city. At such a speed, the object would have to be roughly the size of a small pebble to cause any permanent damage. The object was roughly the size of his chest, and contained radiation equivalent to a nuclear warhead. Enough to wipe out anything in a fifty-mile radius. By all rights, it should've disintegrated completely by the time it hit Earth, but the mass was not decreasing.
Cyborg quickly unplugged himself, threw on a sweatshirt, and sprinted after the projectile.
#
Beast Boy's eyes went white. In the form of a cat, at three AM, such blinding lights should've been the last things to worry about. Needless to say, he'd been unprepared. Still, the falling star dazzled his eyes, and caused him to fall onto his lithe side, dazed and blinded, in the middle of the alley. He took a minute to recover before quickly shifting back into his human form. Rubbing his eyes irritably, he watched the star descend, expecting it to simply fade back into space. Instead, it crashed into the earth at the last moment, throwing an explosion that knocked him flat on his back—or would have, had he not quickly shifted into a hawk. Instead, the blast hurtled him backwards, using his not-so-practical wings against him.
Soon enough, though, the force passed, and Beast Boy found himself drawn to the falling star with curiosity like that of a beagle.
#
A bright, green streak appeared over the sky ahead. It nearly blinded Robin from where he was perched on the apartment building, perspiration still dripping from his brow from the last fight. He watched the ray of alien light grow brighter and brighter, until it inevitably faded on the horizon of the city. Not a minute later a large, neon-green explosion erupted from the same horizon. The distinct feeling of danger clawed its way up his gut, and he knew he would have to pursue the freshly landed asteroid.
With an exhausted sigh, he leapt off the building.
#
Raven had felt the girl hurtling through the air since she'd entered the atmosphere. Her attunement to life had been intensified in her spiritual state of meditation, allowing her to know of the half-dead alien long before there were any scientific predictions. She'd also taken note of the intense speed the girl had been traveling and had tried, in vain, to slow the girl's descent. There wasn't nearly enough emotional attachment or worry for Raven to implore her astral projection, and should the alien girl be in definite danger, or cause any definite danger in her landing, it would be only a second for Raven to react and stop it. For this reason, Raven kept a close watch on the girl's fall, lips ready to save whomever needed her, regardless of her intended purpose.
#
The ground was smoking, a lone street lamp illumination it from behind. Several car alarms were shrieking in the background. Robin squelched the urge to cough from the rubble, grateful the asteroid had harmed no person or structure, aside leaving a pleasant crater in the middle of a Macy's parking lot, as well as bringing down a streetlight. He approached the gaping hole with caution, heart thundering in his chest, telling him the green light from before hadn't been his imagination, however absent it was now.
Just when he was about to let his guard down, a soft, almost imperceptible noise sounded from the crater. Robin quickly reset his defensive position, eyes narrowing with suspicious. Another noise, vaguely like shifting rock, came from the crater. There, in the center, he spotted a soft green glow. It moved slightly to the left, staggered downward, and faded. Suspicions solidified, Robin approached the crater steadily.
Blindingly fast, a green light streaked from the crater into the sky, quickly bolting back down to the ground, where it smashed with such an impact Robin had to leap just to stay balanced. Bo staff already in hand, Robin leapt towards where he knew the creature was sitting—then, at the last second, he turned his head to view his opponent, and saw not an alien creature, but a girl. Her hair was long, burgundy, and incredibly matted. Dust covered her bronzed face and metallic clothing was wrapped around her torso and limbs like a steel mummy. From her elbow down, she wore what appeared to be restraints that seemed to be failing quickly in containing her. They locked her forearms together and forced her fists to face the other in an awkward position. Her eyes were large and radiated the same lime green color that had previously stained the night sky. Past these glaring details, Robin noticed nothing, because on her face, she was an expression of intense, all-consuming hatred. Her features were twisted into a grotesque image of profound animosity. In the half-second it took to analyze this, he'd hesitated, and she kicked him in the face.
He recovered quickly, though the impact was great. Not even a second back on his feet, the girl launched herself at him again, swinging her caged arms at him with abandon. This became a pattern as she continually charged him. Robin escaped just barely each time, and each time he danced away from her blow, she would scream intelligibly and attempt to strike him again. He tried throwing small birdirangs at her, but they appeared to have no effect. Once, he was able to slam her in the side of the face with his bo staff, but it only knocked her to the side momentarily. What she lacked in aim, she made up for in perseverance.
Not wanting to make the mistake of hesitation again, he leapt into the air with the intention of knocking her out cold. But she predicted it, and quickly rolled to the side, somehow making it twenty feet away as his bo staff slammed into the cement. He looked up just in time to see her lift a mini-van with onefoot, then kicked it at him. He deftly ducked to avoid it, though there was no need. A man suddenly appeared before him and slammed himself into the gigantic lump of metal.
#
Raven had been forced to use her incantation. Had she not, half the city would've been dust in the wind, maybe less. She guided the girl's descent into a large parking lot, a barrier around her the entire time. The only problem was that Raven hadn't been able to spare the girl her fall, only direct and contain the explosion of her crash landing, yet the girl was still alive. Raven cringed as the ground shook, and a strong blast had escaped her barrier, but appeared to have only flipped a few cars. A considerably small price, looking at what the other, unguarded impact would've caused. Preferring the dark corners to the wide, lit space, Raven watched as a man approached the impact zone. In most circumstance, she would've barred him from approaching the unstable alien girl, but this individual appeared well-equipped for such an event. He was wearing fighting gear—suspiciously well made—as well as a mask, a belt full of incredibly advanced weaponry, and the muscles to further intimidate. She felt no need to intervene, watching with detached interest as the girl emerged from the smoke.
The man reacted immediately, his hand on a metal bo staff as he watching the alien power up. Suddenly—so much so, even Raven jumped a little at the speed—the girl bolted through the air, then smashed back into the concrete parking lot, causing a miniature earth quake. Raven reacted quickly, leaping into the air and staying a good two feet off the ground as she watched the boy recover and roll to his feet. The skill at which he maneuvered was fascinating, and Raven made note to study this particular martial art. Just as it seemed certain he would strike the alien fatally, a flash of surprise flitted across his face. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting an alien that looked so human—an alien that looked so incredibly feminine. It almost made her chuckle. Raven saw his bo staff divert just an inch, but this threw off his entire attack. The alien girl struck him in the face with her lead shoe, and the boy flew backwards. Somehow though, he managed to recover as he soared over the parking lot and land on his feet.
The alien saw this and charged him with a furious roar. For several minutes, Raven watched in awe as the girl continually attack the man, who dodged with expert skill. The alien's voracity shocked her. After all, she'd crash landed to Earth not four minutes ago, previously wounded with the majority of her injuries weeping underneath the lead body restraints. Raven could feel the lead restraining the girl, but what it held back, she couldn't tell. The metallic binding that covered her whole body, however, appeared to act more as an armor than a restraint. The girl twisted and dodged like she wore spandex, not rigid armor encasing her whole body. A few times, the vigilante got in an offensive attack, but otherwise, the alien was too full of rage to risk proximity. Once, the man slammed her in the side of the head with his weapon, but this only lead her into a swift recovery, in which she kicked a nearby vehicle at him. Raven reacted too slowly to stop its course, but managed to shield the man just enough to prevent death. Out of nowhere, another figure appeared and tackled the car to the ground in mid-flight.
Raven's jaw clenched.
She should intervene.
She must intervene.
#
Cyborg quickly positioned himself as his computers instructed, and used the perfect formula for catching the van before it struck the masked kid, who stood in awe as he threw the lump of metal to the ground.
"Thanks," the boy breathed.
"You shouldn't have taken an unknown threat on alone," Cyborg replied, feeling a few wires in his chest auto-repair themselves from the impact.
Both quickly refocused their attention to the girl. All his sensors told him she was foreign to their planet, therefore her actions were forfeit. Set no expectation, because she could be ten or fifteen times more powerful than she appeared, clearly, because the two-ton van was no feat. Cyborg analyzed the metal locking her arms into place and found it to be mostly lead—used to divert radioactive waves, with a few hint traces of chromium. She could kick a vehicle with thousands of pounds of force, but she was hunched over from the weight of her restraints? They were lead, couldn't she simply smash them? Cyborg growled, finding no solace in his computer readings.
The girl was prepared to attack them when a green streak slammed her from the side. He quickly identified it—to his bewilderment—as a dinosaur, but then it suddenly reformed as a bear, striking the alien with great force. The boy and him were about to run in and help the green animal, when from the shadow, Cyborg sensed a life. It emerged slowly, cautiously, and nearly blended in with the night. Darkness seemed to attach itself to the figure, and only once distinct lamp light splashed across the dark blue cloak did he begin to wonder. The kid hadn't noticed, and was already charging the alien.
The alien girl noticed the figure at the same time, and reacted instantaneously. She leapt upwards, then turned sharply and bolted at the boy, only to be met with a translucent wall of black. His sensors told him the cloaked figure behind him was human, yet she supported the barrier, and several EEG readings weren't possible in humans. He didn't take time to dwell on this. The alien slammed into the wall with enough force to make Cyborg grimace, but the alien seemed undaunted. She struck the wall with her restraints, once, twice, three times before the black wall slowly surrounded her and shrunk. Panicked, the alien slammed her body against the wall. She let out a primal roar, her glowing eyes appearing to steam. The boy skimmed the wall with his fingers, then turned sharply and bolted back towards Cyborg, apparently aware he wouldn't break through. A green dog followed behind him.
Cyborg turned to the cloaked figure and watched the enraged, imprisoned alien with awe as she relentlessly attacked her prison.
"What the hell is she?" he barked to the cloaked girl.
"That doesn't matter," the girl replied, her voice strained. "I can't hold her for much—" The barrier evaporated.
#
Beast Boy charged the wild girl, his massive figure intended to have an intimidating effect on her. He unhinged his maw, hoping perhaps a good t-rex roar would ward her off the unconscious guy, the large, half-metal man, and the creepy cloak thing. The pissed girl's head turned toward him, and a distinct grimace crossed her face an instant before she charged him back with a savage yell.
Oh. Shit.
Best Boy quickly shifted into an armadillo, curling into a ball and hitting the concrete with an incredibly less-violent impact than the pissed off girl. He heard her bellow in anger, and then quickly alter her direction towards him. He shifted into a bear, and hoped to maul her away from him, but had much less time than he'd thought to react. She swung her restrained arms into him, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to land on an overturned car. She was about to strike him again when she was suddenly encased in a gigantic, spherical black wall. Beast Boy wasn't about to lose the moment, and quickly shifted into a dog, trailing after the guy who'd attacked her—not quite as successfully as himself, Beast Boy preferred to think—earlier.
They both approached a man in a sweatshirt, and Beast Boy shifted back into his human form. He ended up face to face with the two others whom he'd distracted the alien chick from. There was the black-haired guy with a mask with the sticks, as well as a severe look of focus and concern.
"Who the hell is she?" the super-strong sweatshirt guy breathed, ripping off his hoodie to reveal a face of half-metal. He watched the alien attempt to beat the living shit out of the barrier with an awe kindred to admiration.
"That doesn't matter," hissed the shadow, immediately snatching Beast Boy's attention. So it was alive. Huh. "I can't hold her for much—"
The barrier vanished and the maybe-she shadow collapsed. The girl, having apparently forgotten about them completely, began slamming the ground, causing huge tremors. Why wasn't she attacking them anymore? It looked like she only wanted to wreck the street, which didn't make sense. She was the one who hit it first. The four of them took advantage of her apparent vendetta with the concrete and quickly ducked into an alley, all eyes on the blood-lusting aggressive chick.
"Robin," the masked man introduced distantly, eyes flickering back to the girl, who was currently pounding the shit out of a bus.
Beast Boy's eyes went wide. "The Robin?" he breathed, star struck. "As in Batman's Robin?" he gushed, voice turning gooey. "Holy shit!"
Robin's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Yeah. That Robin."
"Cyborg, in case you couldn't guess," the half-metal man piped in, not breaking eye contact with the upset girl. "Should we be doing something about her?"
"I don't see what," Robin replied in a dark voice. "I can't fight that strength, you can't find her weakness, and the shadow can't hold her."
"Fighting is your only solution?" and all eyes went to the cloaked figure who hadn't been there a millisecond ago. Her voice suggested female, but Beast Boy was given no hints otherwise. Her face was completely covered by shadow. Large, purple eyes were illuminated from the darkness of the hood. What the hell? Did she have a flashlight in there somewhere?
"She just crash landed onto a new planet, her arms are restrained, her body is bleeding underneath that metal, and we have no idea what happened to her before this." The girl paused, meeting the other three pairs of eyes with calculated emotion. "She's lashing out because she's terrified."
Four sets of eyes traveled to the alien girl, suddenly noticing the labor in her breaths, the exhaustion in her shouts, and the desperation in her attacks. She wasn't simply destroying buildings; she was hitting them all with her restraints. She was trying to break them off.
"Um, I don't know about you guys," Beast Boy said in a perplexed voice, "but I sure as hell don't speak alien."
Robin frowned, then quickly looked to Cyborg. "Could your computers translate it?"
Cyborg shot him a look. "Almost as well as it can translate jackass."
Robin shot him an emphatic look. "Then what do you suggest?" he snapped, baring his teeth.
"I've tried calming her with my empathy," Raven said softly, "but she's in a catharsis."
Beast Boy cleared his throat. "We could try removing that huge metal cage on her arms, for a start. I'd be mad too if I had to lug those around, though I would have fabulous biceps."
"Those restraints are lead," Cyborg quickly cut in. "My guess is, they're holding back tons of radiation. Maybe enough to kill everyone in the city."
A large crash sounded from the alien's direction, and the four sharply looked around the corner. Four feet from the girl, the lead casing that had been restraining her was lying on the ground, empty and cracked, like the husk of a cicada. She was on her knees, gasping, looking down at cuffs that had been locked around her forearms underneath the lead. She began to laugh, and it was pretty much making Beast Boy want to shit his pants.
"Cool, so, we're all still alive," Beast Boy chirped nervously. "I don't have a third arm. Yet."
The alien leapt up and spun towards them, eyes wild.
"Move!" Robin roared, and ripped everyone back into the alleyway a second before a green explosion tore the wall apart. Explosions continued as they lay on a heap on the concrete. "That's not like any gun I've ever seen," he murmured, eyes narrowing and the smoking bits of brick.
"Well, she is an alien," Beast Boy pointed out, rolling his eyes.
"And that's not a gun," Cyborg snapped, staring analytically at the wall. "It's a surge of…." his eyes flickered, reading something. "Simplified? Star fire." He shook his head and locked eyes with Robin. "My sensors tell me she created it. That's what the restraints were doing; holding back those bolts."
"Hey, you guys?" Beast Boy questioned, turning back from where he was watching the alien. "She's kind of destroying the Pizzeria. And there are cops everywhere."
"You're telling me she's doing that out of fear?" Robin snapped at Raven.
"I'm telling you she's terrified," she hissed back. "She's terrified, angry, and hurt. Fighting will only inflame her."
"Dammit!" Then, before another word was exchanged, he leapt out into the now explosive fray.
#
The alien was shooting a continual stream of the green bolts at Robin, which he was just barely able to avoid. Cyborg had been right; they were generated straight from her fists. At first, he'd make slow progress towards her, having to duck behind every available cover, only to have it explode. Thanks to the cloaked girl and the barrier she put around him, he wasn't a pile of ash when he miss-stepped and it allowed him to move much faster. He was still a hundred or so feet from here, breathing heavy and trying to get a steady footing on the destroyed concrete. Cyborg was attempting to keep the girl busy by shooting a kind of blue beam in her general direction, as well as Beast Boy constantly charging her in different forms, only to be smashed back into the cement.
Finally, hidden behind an overturned car, Robin was less than ten feet away from her. Now he just needed the perfect moment. He peeked from the corner, watching all her actions closely. She was sweating heavily, screaming things in her native language, firing her bolts with the efficiency of a fully automatic machine gun. There were still restraints on her arms crossing her forearms, but the main, lead barrier was sitting at her feet in a pile of ash. It had been her first target. Her eyes were still steaming fluorescent green, though Robin couldn't be sure if that was common among her kind. There was a metal circlet attached to her temple. It seemed out of place to him. Before Robin could analyze her anymore, the bolts stopped flying. For a moment, he was sure she'd spotted him, but not a second later, the girl collapsed onto her knees. This was his moment.
He emerged from behind the car, and the girl reacted instantaneously. Her fists were lifted, but she did not stand. A bolt was gathering in her hand, ready to fly should he make a move. While her pose was hostile, it was also exhausted. He couldn't tell before, but so close, he could see a clear, green liquid seeping from the metallic wrap, and the undertone of long-felt defeat, perhaps given to her by those who'd imprisoned her greatest weapon in a cage she could hardly lift. After a long moment of watching each other, the girl seemed to be able to sustain her pose no more. The green energy faded, and her head lolled on her shoulders. Robin took a step closer, aware the shadow girl, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were watching him anxiously from behind.
Another step. The girl's head shot up, on guard again.
"Rahineh," she hissed, pointing her caged fists at him. A few errand sparks flew from it, but no more. Her eyes dimmed.
"I want to help," Robin replied softly and swallowed, holding up his hand calmly; worried even a swallow could set her off again.
Her eyes narrowed, but she lowered her arms, and the action seemed to relieve her. "Rahineh kato niet zakoto," she spat, head drooping. He addressed her as he would an injured, wild animal. Ever-so-slowly, he reached into his belt and pulled out the electrical fuselet. He held it up clearly for her to see and pointed to her remaining restraints.
The girl's jaw clenched as he got close enough to her to bend down. Robin worked as quickly as he could, and he felt the girl watching him intensely. The fuselet worked perfectly, shorting the lock and causing the gauntlets to fizzle and fall to the ground with a heavy thud. She immediately tore the circlet off of her head, simultaneously crushing the metal as her starfire liquefied it. It dripped to the ground, where she spared it no glance. Then, she stood, shoulders tall and chin high. He rose with her, but much slower, and looked at the girl, whose eyes had since stopped glowing. Now, they were mostly human, aside the unnaturally green iris and tinted sclera.
Her face was stoic, and without the hatred marring it, Robin realized how absolutely stunning she was. Even covered in dust, sweat, and exhaustion, beauty radiated from her. Large, bright green eyes with thick lashes watched him in a guarded curiosity. She had deeply tanned skin that matched her severely tangled bright, burgundy hair, and full lips that were chapped and cut. Her face was rounded and swooping, filled with exotic angles and enigmatic emotion. Her entire body was wrapped in what appeared to be metallic bandages for clothing, though he couldn't be sure that was their purpose.
Caught by her sudden humanity, Robin was unprepared when she gripped him by the collar of his armor and smashed their lips together. He didn't even register what it was until he tasted her sweat, metal, and mud on his lips. Before he had time to escape whatever she was doing, she slammed him into the wall and held him by the fabric of his uniform.
Her eyes were beginning to glow again. Even with the tensed jaw and narrowed eyes, she was a striking image. And then, as if to shock him into a stupor, she spoke in perfect, unaccented English.
"Stay away from me," she growled in a voice full of aggression, "or your entire planet will be obliterated." She threw him onto the ground, then leapt into the air, this time levitating for a short moment before turning into a blazing green streak that vanished into the night sky.
"She can fly?" Beast Boy croaked.
Robin looked towards the others, who appeared as bewildered as him. Cyborg's eyebrow was quirked. Quickly taking control of himself, Robin stood from the ground and brushed off the debris covering him. "I'm following her," he stated in an assured voice. He met with the three other pairs of eyes. "Thank you for your help."
"Help?" a female voice questioned, causing them all to look at the cloaked girl. She threw down her hood, revealing black, severely chopped hair that barely made it passed her jaw. Her skin was like pale; so pale, her skin was glowing in the moonlight. Her eyes were feline, deep purple, and narrowed viciously. "We did more than help you," she snarled, black lips twisted in annoyance. "You won't be able to hold her without us. And I hate working with people, so don't give me that 'I work alone now' bullshit," she quickly tagged on, knowing Robin's refute before he did.
"Agreed," came Cyborg's deep voice. "We need to figure out her problem together."
"Ditto," Beast Boy chirped. "Plus she might kiss me too."
Robin's eyes narrowed for a moment before he realized they were right. He sighed in surrender. "Alright. Together, then. What's your name?" he asked the purple-eyed girl.
"Raven," she said slowly, as if her name were made of all the worst letters in the alphabet. "And the girl's going towards Taki's."
#
Until she struck solid ground, Koriand'r had not been sure she was even alive. Distantly, she wondered at how she was still breathing after such a landing. Perhaps "landing" was not even the correct word, nor "breathing." In truth, it had been more of a boring through the earth until her speed was thoroughly stopped, and adjusting to the atmosphere of this planet was not nearly as easy as breathing. Regardless, every one of her muscles still ached. She was injured severely, exhausted in more ways than one, and her stomach was roaring hollowly.
But she was free.
Free. That was the English word for it. She only knew a small, ill-fitting translation; surra, which truly only meant rebellion. To be free was to be rebelling, or perhaps that is how Komand'r wished it to mean. She had forgotten so much since Komand'r. More had been lost than memories and words and people.
How wonderful it was to learn a word for free again. Koriand'r had always reveled in the knowledge exchange, and after she'd lost so much, it was even lovelier.
Lovely. She must use this word more.
Koriand'r followed her nose, switching between flying and falling until she came upon the source of the food-like smell. Shamelessly, she smashed her fist through the translucent wall, surprised at how easily it shattered. The English word immediately appeared in her mind.
Glass.
How useless it would be to her people. The glass tinkled softly and it hit the cement, some pieces trying and failing to slice through either her skin or chathk; metallic light armor the psions had put her in to prevent UV absorption. Koriand'r stepped through the window, and would have laughed at the glass had she not been so exhausted. It would take more than a sharp edge to cut the skin of a Tamaranian. What fools, those psions, thinking sunlight was her only means of escape. Then again, they embedded the binding with chromium, preventing her from removing it. Smart fools, then. There were a few humans inside who screamed at her, but upon one look at her feral, glowing form, they quickly scrambled out of her way, leaving the food unguarded. Food was life, and here they were, grabbing money—and fleeing, like cht'rsa beetles flee from light. They both must be creatures in the dark.
Koriand'r entered the building, and immediately dug her hands into the steaming food. It warmed her skin, and she rammed it into her mouth with vigor. It was slimy and covered in sauce, much like the galei worms in Tamaran, but much longer. The English word appeared in her head, but Koriand'r preferred taste over name. She chewed only twice before swallowing the mouthful and replacing it with more. It was sweet, almost too sweet after having been given only terin for years, but Koriand'r needed the food desperately. She was grateful for the chance at a meal, and also for the comprehension of this world's language.
This caused her mind to drift towards those who had been there when she struck Earth. The girl who had directed the Koriand'r's crash to an open space, her pointless attempt to slow Koriand'r's speed, and her calming shadows. Though it prevented little pain, it had done as the girl has intended and contained destruction. She was an understanding being, one that she had not seen in many years.
The green one who shifted into many forms. He proved quite intimidating at first, but Koriand'r believed he was a gentle soul, one meant only to catch attention and distract so that she may be apprehended, not harmed. She briefly wondered if there was more of his kind, because there certainly were not in the Vega system.
The man made of metal. He was keen. He knew where to strike to pull away from Koriand'r's focus. Somehow, he knew where her solar shots would strike and avoided them with great skill. His armor seemed to resist the bolts too, so even a direct strike would not short his mechanics.
And the poor boy who had tried to engage her in battle. He was foolish to intervene so readily, but Koriand'r felt respect towards his bravery. He had released her from her shackles, which she had worn for so many years. Too many years. She did not want to strike at him again, feeling the attachment of sentimentality from the knowledge he had given her. No, that was wrong; she had stolen it. He did not know what she had taken, but through his flesh she could speak liberating words.
Kiss was the word. Koriand'r frowned. On Tamaran, kisses represented the gift of language. The meaning of Earth kisses was different, however, though she could not place how. She knew the word, and what it meant, but understanding its context was harder. This lead her to pity the humans. How difficult it must be for them to live in a universe so full of life, without so much as a whisper to guide them. If Earth could survive such circumstances, while Tamaran could not, perhaps there was hope to be had.
A noise from behind her caused Koriand'r to stop. She had already eaten most of the food before her, and her full stomachs were going to slow her. She did not know when their sun would rise, nor how powerful it would be, and she would be weak until then.
"We don't want to hurt you," came the voice of the boy.
"Then why are you holding a weapon?" Koriand'r replied and turned sharply around, her entire body tense. The boy with the mask stood on the broken glass, and in his hand he gripped a bo staff. He saw his weapon as an extension of his body, and Koriand'r knew to fear ones such as him. Her training on Okaara would not be enough, and her fury had faded. Behind him, the metal one was watching her with analytical eyes that left her unsettled. He could predict all of her attacks. His flesh was his weapon. The green one stood on his side, prepared to leap in at a moment's notice and grow large enough to crush Koriand'r. The girl stood to the left of the masked one, the shadows covering her hands, prepared to defend. All that she'd just consumed was being used to heal her broken body, and Koriand'r knew she would not be strong enough to break another of the girl's shadow barrier
"Fair enough," the boy replied, his weapon suddenly retracting into itself as he attached it to his belt. "I'm Robin, and I mean you no harm."
"Raven," the girl stated, her purple eyes glowing.
"Beast Boy," the green one announced, grinning widely at her.
"Cyborg," the metal one said in a suspicious voice.
They all looked at Koriand'r expectantly. Was she supposed to give her name in return? She frowned. Her name was nothing to be proud of. Her name killed. "I told you all to leave me alone," she growled, the strange sauce still covering her face. "If you assist me, your planet will be destroyed."
"Why?" Robin questioned, his dark blue eyes narrowing behind his mask. "You don't appear to be making a threat."
Koriand'r frowned. "It is not a threat. It is a statement, one that will not be followed out by me, but by those seeking me."
Robin's narrower her eyes. "You're a criminal."
"The only crime I have committed is my birth," she spat.
The green one's face wrinkled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Her eyes latched onto him. "I am pursued for my heritage. A prize."
Robin locked gazes with her, and she saw the very corner of his eye flicker with anger. "Prize to whom?"
Koriand'r swallowed, analyzing all of them. They appeared honest. Perhaps knowing the truth would make them realize their error in trying to assist her. "A prize to the Citadel, a toy to the psions," she finally relinquished, lowering her arms and relaxing. "The psions took us from the Citadel to mock them."
Cyborg frowned, as did the other three. "Who is 'us'?"
"Do not concern yourself with her," Koriand'r hissed, eyes glowing. "She is gone."
Beast Boy blinked. "You're sort of really intense, anyone ever tell you that?"
"Why does the Citadel want you?" Robin asked, following through with Koriand'r's advice.
"I am from the planet Tamaran," Koriand'r said steadily, hearing the distinct absence of pride in her own voice. "The Citadel are our greatest enemy. I was captured, and was to be employed as a personal servant to the leader of the Citadel," she spat, focusing on her despise on a spot just left of Robin's ear. "I was sentenced to death when the psions stole me, but they were not prepared to hold a Tamaranian. I escaped, and now they seek me."
"You were sentenced to death?" Cyborg questioned.
Koriand'r smiled. It was not a kind smile. "I was not a good servant."
"So the psions and the Citadel are after you?" Raven asked, stepping forward. "Will either pursue you to Earth?"
Koriand'r set her eyes on the girl. "The psions will find me eventually, yes," she replied. "But I plan to have moved on long before then. The Citadel… they are more focused on other pursuits."
Komand'r would take long to heal fully. She had always been weak. Perhaps that is why she required so much power now.
"Why not stay?" Raven suddenly asked, meeting her eyes. "We can help you."
She narrowed her eyes. "Those are the words of hundred thousand dead Tamaranian warriors," she hissed, jaw clenched.
Robin met her eyes steadily. "I am not a Tamaranian warrior."
"So death applies only to my people?" Koriand'r questioned, feeling her body shake from fatigue. "How unfortunate for Tamaran, to be the only mortal species in the galaxy." Silence ensued, calming Koriand'r and causing her to regret her words. She closed her eyes, leaned against a… booth, and took a deep breath. "I apologize," she muttered. "Too many have died in my namesake. I wish there to be no more."
"How convenient; I have no intention of dying," Robin replied.
"I agree," Beast Boy suddenly said, surprising Koriand'r. "We could help you fight them off. Surviving, free of charge."
Suddenly, a loud blast knocked them all of their feet. A great shadow crawled along the street, and the five of them quickly looked upwards. Above them, a large ship sailed over head. Small crafts were being launched from it, all descending towards Earth. She clenched her jaw, not expecting them to locate her so quickly. A deep, computerized voice boomed down from the sky. "We do no harms. We takes Tamaranian. She is we prisoner. We leaves with Tamaranian. Do not bother or we harms."
Koriand'r cursed in her language. Chances of escape were small now, but nor could she risk this planet with a fight on her own. Selfishly, she hoped these strangers would still assist her, even after her disrespect.
"Looks like we've got tourists," Beast Boy sighed, looking towards the approaching ship. "And their translation book is a little outdated."
"What will they do to you?" Cyborg asked.
"Nothing," Koriand'r growled, "because they will not take me."
"You can't run from them now," Raven said softly. "It's too late."
"It's either I run or your planet is scourged," the Tamaranian hissed.
"There are other options," Cyborg insisted. "You know, like fighting?"
Koriand'r looked at the man for a long moment, wondering in what way he'd been taught to care so deeply for someone so irrelevant to him. "What you do is your choice. I will not take part in another downfall."
"We do if the psions are as you make them to be," Robin said resolutely. "Letting them probe Earth like this will make them think we are vulnerable. We have to make a stand, regardless."
"She hasn't lied to us," Raven said softly. They all turned to stare at her, waiting for elaboration. "I… can sense people, and their… minds. What she says is true, and what she says is not nearly as bad as what she doesn't say. Robin's right, they won't forget Earth after this. They are slavers, and we're livestock. It's too late for her to run now. They will torture her. They have been torturing—"
"You stay out of my mind!" Koriand'r shouted at Raven, enraged that she took knowledge without so much as a touch. It was unnatural. Again, she regretted her words. "I… apologize," she garbled out. "I mean no disrespect, I just…"
Raven nodded in understanding. "I know."
Cyborg ignored Koriand'r's outburst, "They've done things to you? Hurt you?"
Rage boiled in Koriand'r's stomach. "They know nothing but how to hurt."
The announcement reverberated through the city again. "We mean no harms. We seek Tamaranian. She is we prisoner. We leave with Tamaranian. Do not bother or we harm."
"You would rather die than let them take you," Robin murmured, watching her with deep eyes.
"Some things are worse than death," Koriand'r said in a low voice.
"I think that decides it," Beast Boy replied, smiling at her.
"This is your last chance," Koriand'r said in a low voice, eyeing the four in front of her. "I do not deny I ask your aid, but this is not my home. If you do not want a battle here, I will leave." She looked directly at Robin now. "You released me of my bonds, so it is for you to choose whether you will interfere further."
The four all gave each other glances, then looked to Robin, eyes resolute.
"We're with you," Robin said.
#
"Cyborg," Robin instructed, "look for weaknesses in the mothership's mechanics. Beast Boy, distract them and lead them as far away from civilians as possible. Raven, defend and shield any people inside the city. I'll figure out what the small ships weaknesses are and—" he paused, looking up at the alien girl, who was currently trying to figure out the logistics of hair ties. "I—still don't know your name."
The girl suddenly realized he was speaking to her.
Her jaw clenched and she suddenly appeared reluctant. She blinked with her large, green eyes several times, then swallowed. Her name cursed the lips of those who spoke it. Could she allow others to speak the same death that wrought her people?
"The smaller ships have engines in center. It is a glowing red sphere," Koriand'r blurted, avoiding the prompt. "They will fall, should enough force strike it. The large ship has an internal power source in the back right, and a direct damage would destroy it, as well as disconnect all their smaller ships. The psions ships are remotely controlled, and without the internal power running the computers in the main ship, the smaller pilots will lose flight control and crash. If any of the psions leave their ship, your water will damage them severely."
Everyone blinked at her.
She twitched uncomfortably. "The explanation of where I acquired my knowledge is far more complicated than simply listening to it," she snapped, giving them each an irritated look. Robin detected worry underneath the malice.
Cyborg spoke up, "I could dismantle the engine core in a few minutes if they're using what I think they're using."
"Alright," Robin said, clearing his through and turning to Koriand'r. "Change of plans. We all enter the mothership, clear a way for Cyborg to get to the engine, and give him the time he needs. Do you think you could fly Cyborg to the power core?"
She frowned for a long minute, and just before Robin could ask Raven the same, Koriand'r replied, "I can."
"You got me, Raven?" he asked.
Raven nodded, though she blended so perfectly into the dark it was hard to tell.
Another blast caused everyone to link eyes.
"GO!" Robin shouted