Robin felt a small degree of uneasiness sitting in the small, barren room. His skin was practically crawling from the moment he had first looked into the cold, unforgiving eyes of the woman across from him. To stare into them was to see the soul of a person without a conscience and a heart devoid of emotion or sympathy.
He clasped his gloved hands together and placed them on the smooth, metal table that sat in the middle of the quiet room. Phobia was at the other end, her hands stiffly locked in place by two rounded slots rising from the table's surface. A thin grey band ran around her head, snugly fitting over the short, forest green hair that fell just past her ears. The hair hung to one side of her head, leaving the other half of her forehead uncovered and revealing a large crescent laceration that started below the hairline and ran upward into her thick hair. Though it had healed well in a week's time, Phobia would no doubt carry the scar with her for the rest of her life.
Robin looked down at the manila file folder lying open on the table in front of him that had been assembled only the day before. It contained a small photograph of Phobia, wearing Cyborg's grey band, and what little information was known about her. Unwilling to risk the release of her impressive powers, the Titans had insisted she be permanently sedated until some sort of device could be completed to block her abilities. After a long week of meticulously designing and analyzing, Cyborg at last felt he had successfully constructed such a device.
Though Raven was not particularly thrilled to help, preferring Phobia remain unconscious indefinitely, she had grudgingly wore the device around her own head in a test. When she found herself unable to project her mental abilities, Phobia had promptly been fitted with the band and awakened. Consequently, this was one of the first interactions anyone would have with the heinous woman.
Robin raised his head, once more looking across the table. Even wearing his mask, he could feel the penetrating stare of Phobia. "You know why I'm here."
"To visit me. I'm not surprised, you haven't been able to take your eyes off me."
"Cut the bullshit, Angela. I haven't got the time."
Phobia raised one of her eyebrows and curled the upper right side of her lips, forming a half smile. "Angela?"
"You're not Phobia anymore. All you are now is Angela Hawkins."
"You might have been able to block my powers, but I'll always be Phobia. I severed any links I had with my family long ago."
Robin glanced down at the file again, scanning the scant amount of information. "I know," he replied. "Lord and Lady Hawkins, members of the British aristocracy, disappeared under mysterious circumstances more than ten years ago." He brought his gaze up to Phobia once more. "Somehow I doubt it was mysterious to you."
Phobia's eyes narrowed to slits. "Daddy didn't want any of his highbrow friends to know about my abilities, my 'deformity' as he called it. He thought it might hurt his reputation and embarrass him. So he kept me hidden away. Why should I have shown him compassion if he didn't show it to me?"
"And your mother?"
"She didn't care either." Phobia spoke in a frighteningly steady and dry tone, unaffected by any emotions and devoid of regret. It was simply matter of fact to her. "They created Phobia. I became what I had to in order to survive. They were just in the way at the start." A sadistic smile spread across her face and she shrugged her shoulders. "C'est la vie."
Robin could feel the hairs on his body rise. His entire family had been mercilessly taken away from him years before and he would do anything to bring them back, to tell his parents just once more how much he loved them. Phobia's parents may not have truly cared for her, but having parents was viewed as a gift to a person like Robin. Her callousness and ruthless behaviour disturbed him greatly. Raven was absolutely right—Phobia was the embodiment of cruel.
"I said I was under a time constraint and I also don't want to spend any more time around you than absolutely necessary. So believe me when I say I expect you to be upfront with me. Why were you after us?"
"Revenge. I want retribution."
"Revenge? I've never even seen you before. I told you I expected the truth." Robin pushed his chair back, standing up from behind the table. "I'm going to get a lot more unpleasant unless you start telling me the truth now."
Phobia smirked. "This time I'm not trying to make you upset, birdie. And I am being truthful. You may not have seen me, or at least don't remember seeing me, but I remember you full well."
Robin pressed his fists down on the table, leaning in close to her. "Start talking."
"You and the rest of the Titans crushed the Brotherhood in Paris two weeks ago. I was there. The Brain recruited me years ago, when I still only had partial control over my powers. He found me just as Mento and the Doom Patrol forced the Brotherhood underground and he saw my potential and strength when everyone else was just terrified of me. He nurtured my abilities, helped me grow more powerful.
"After we captured you I thought we'd won. I laughed when that small, pathetic group crashed in, trying to free you and the others. But the reality sunk in as the fighting intensified and I knew it was over for us. When your focus was on the Brain and Mallah I managed to slip away. I swore to myself that I would have revenge on you and every Titan for what happened. I tell you this willingly because it really doesn't matter that you know. This little band of metal around my head will hold me for a while, but there's nothing you can do to stop me from carrying out my vengeance."
Robin pushed himself up from the table, never taking his eyes off Phobia. "We've already stopped you." He stared at her for a moment longer and then turned away sharply, his footsteps echoing loudly in the small room as he walked toward the door.
The quietness in the room was such that Phobia could easily hear the soft click of the turning doorknob when Robin spun it to open the door. He exited without making another sound, leaving Phobia alone. Then she smiled.
The adjacent room was slightly dim when Robin entered. Two men stood in silence, still staring through the one-way glass at Phobia. The closer of the two wore a light brown suit jacket and black tie that curved outward at the bottom, hanging over the man's bulging stomach. His left hand rested in one of the pockets on his trousers, and he sipped coffee out of a Styrofoam cup with the other.
"You get all that, Captain?" Robin asked, still holding the door open with his outstretched hand.
Captain Marshall turned away from the large pane of glass. "We did."
"Phobia's more dangerous than we originally thought."
"I know," he replied, nodding and taking another sip of his drink. "Association with the Brotherhood of Evil is not entirely unexpected considering everyone that was rounded up in Paris. We're raising her potential threat level and she'll be relocated to a more secure wing of the prison."
"Good."
"And how long will that band of yours hold back her powers?"
"It should last indefinitely. If there are any problems, let us know."
"We'll be sure to."
Robin stepped back into the hallway, closing the door behind him, but stopped part way. "Don't underestimate her."
He closed the door firmly and briskly proceeded down the hallway to the prison's main entrance, passing through several security checkpoints along the way. One of the security guards raised a hand to his forehead in a half salute out of respect when Robin passed and a young guard in front of the main door snapped to attention and whisked it open for him, trembling slightly as the Boy Wonder strode past, no doubt nervous to be in his presence. Bright sunlight streamed down when Robin stepped out into the courtyard in front of the prison, forcing him to half close his eyes.
The R-Cycle sat close by, magnificently reflecting the sun's rays. Robin slowly walked toward it, hearing a loud clang as the thick metal door was shut behind him. After only a step the communicator on his belt came to life. A very stern faced Cyborg appeared on the small screen when Robin flipped it open.
"You better get your butt in gear, because we've got a situation."
"What's the problem?"
"Cinderblock's been spotted downtown in the financial district at Wilks and Clement."
"I'm on my way. Get there as fast as you can."
"We're already en route."
Robin snapped the communicator shut and charged to the R-Cycle, leaping onto it and thrusting his helmet snugly over his head. Within moments the motorcycle let out a fierce roar, powerfully rumbling beneath him, and the back tire spun rapidly, squealing and kicking up dirt. Robin twisted the vehicle around ninety degrees, spraying gravel in all directions, and felt the pressure on his chest grow instantaneously when it whipped forward, the front tire severing its contact with the ground at the outset.
The motorcycle shuddered as the front tire slammed back against the ground, its speed rising at a reckless rate. The massive steel gate into and out of the prison complex was directly in front of Robin and happened to already be open, admitting a dark grey prison truck. Leaning to his right, Robin shifted the R-Cycle's position slightly, while the guard driving the prison truck ahead of him slammed on the brakes, screeching to a stop and leaving two long black tire marks along the road. Robin did not release the accelerator even a fraction as the distance closed, barely passing between the large vehicle and the steel wall of the open gate, his cape grazing the rear view mirror on the driver's side.
A rush of warm air met Robin when he emerged onto open road, his speed so intense he appeared as nothing more than a red streak over the concrete. The cityscape rose majestically on the horizon several kilometres away, glinting in the morning sun and rapidly growing in size.
Within minutes Robin entered the outskirts of Jump City, a shadow being cast over him from a strip of four story buildings. He snapped the front wheel of the R-Cycle to the right, bringing it sharply around a corner and narrowly avoiding a blue van. Robin steadily kept the motorcycle over the dashed white lines, tearing past long rows of cars that blurred together into a melange of colours.
Robin soared out into the middle of an intersection in a leftwards arch, his left knee barely avoiding contact with the concrete the turn was so sharp, and straightened out once he was on Clement Boulevard. A slow moving eighteen-wheeler forced Robin to awkwardly jerk the R-Cycle to the right immediately, and a red sports car that was obscured by the truck thrust him still further to the right and nearly up onto the sidewalk. Regaining full control, and with a clear path ahead of him, Robin pushed his motorcycle to its limit.
Approaching Wilks Avenue, Robin saw the T-Car blaze around one of the corners onto Clement with its tires squealing at an ear splitting intensity, coming to a full stop uncannily quickly just beyond the crossroad. Robin twisted the R-Cycle sideways and applied his own brakes through the intersection, leaving thick streaks on the pavement and stopping behind the T-Car, a puff of smoke swirling out from both tires. Screeching cars and long drawn horns filled the area upon the arrival of the Titans with the sudden blockage on one of the city's main thoroughfares. Vehicles were immediately jammed together in the confined space found throughout the congested streets of the financial district.
"Where is he?" Robin shouted, already off his bike and looking around.
The driver's door on the T-Car swung open and Cyborg stepped out. "This is where he was spotted, but I don't see any signs that he's been here."
"I can sense him," Raven said, appearing from the passenger side of Cyborg's prized ride. "Cinderblock is here."
An explosion of green erupted atop one of the skyscrapers before them, reverberating through the air and tossing out bits of metal and brick.
"Starfire's up there!" Robin screamed.
Frightened pedestrians fled the scene, shouting and pushing every step of the way in a maddened panic. Despite the frequent occurrence of alarms and attacks in the region, the populace had proved unable to adjust to that reality and remain calm and controlled during those situations. Order could sometimes become the most foreign concept to Jump City's inhabitants.
Reacting with tremendous speed, Raven whipped her right arm forward, producing a concave shield of dark energy above an elderly man a mere fraction of a second before a tumbling gnarled fragment of brick would have crushed him. Instead, it harmlessly bounced off the arched protection and rattled against the pavement.
Small chunks of twisted metal sprayed the sidewalk in front of the tall office building as the remaining individuals left the immediate vicinity. Dents appeared in the aluminium roofs of parked cars from the steel and glass that rained down, followed by a spiralling jagged shard of metal that cleanly sliced through the windshield of a silver Mercedes CLS and impaled itself into the black leather seat. Cyborg stared at the damaged vehicle with a forlorn look covering his face. "That's just horrible in so many ways," he said quietly.
Robin cocked his head toward the T-Car. "Raven, get us up there."
Raven rose off the street and extended her arms out, flipping her palms up. Two flat ovals appeared beneath Robin and Cyborg, expanding in size and taking them steadily upward behind Raven. Another green burst appeared above them during their ascent, enveloping the top several floors in that colour, followed by a deafening bellow.
Drawing nearer to the rooftop, a massive green tail extending out from the edge became visible, and it was violently snaking back and forth. Raven rose above the roof with Cyborg and Robin hovering at her sides, stopping her ascent and staring at the backside of the mighty tyrannosaurus rex before them which was blocking the bulk of Cinderblock. The building itself rumbled with each step of the two heavyweights, cracks and fractures forming in the stone roof underfoot.
Beast Boy's serrated teeth glinted in the morning sun and saliva was hurled outward from his gaping jaw, which pressed forward and snapped shut mere inches from the stone goliath's thick arm. Cinderblock savagely clamped one of his cold hands onto the flesh of Beast Boy's mouth, restricting it from opening and painfully forcing his head sideward, straining his neck to its agonizing limit.
Cyborg fiercely cried out and leapt from the black oval he stood on, upraising his right arm and peeling his fingers back, leaving a dark hole in their place. Bright blue light spewed out from the sonic cannon while he remained airborne, deluging forward on a straight trajectory and striking against the concrete monstrosity's right shoulder, jerking his upper body backward slightly.
"Beast Boy! Coming from behind!" Robin screamed, propelling himself across the gap to the rooftop and closing his hand on his utility belt. He touched down softly and whipped his right arm outward in a wide arc, loosing an explosive disk. The tyrannosaurus rex shrank in on itself in the span of a heartbeat, its jaw condensing into a tiny beak, its heavy tail disappearing, its muscular legs shrinking to mere talons and feathered wings jutting out in place of arms. Beast Boy whipped his wings once, pushing himself upward on the wind and away from Cinderblock as the flat disk slammed into his chest. A flash of light overtook the leviathan for a moment, followed by a rush of smoke and bright flames.
A thick dark cloud filled the air and Robin remained crouched with his muscles tensed, bracing himself for movement. It came with a parting of the smoke as Cinderblock burst through, driving a mammoth fist downward. Robin lunged to the side, landing on an outstretched left hand that he used to further his momentum, twisting his body up and over and landing on his feet once more. The colossus' fist smashed through the concrete roof, leaving a contorted hole and sending a terrible shockwave outward that rattled the bones in Robin's legs.
Starfire swooped down with emerald orbs surrounding her slender hands, while Raven bent her elbow and brought her arm back, opening her fist and revealing a small black circle in her palm that grew exponentially. Floating beside each other, the two girls shot their arms forward, releasing a deadly torrent of energy that buffeted Cinderblock, surging over his torso and shoving him back several metres.
Beast Boy arched downward and morphed back to his normal form, landing to Robin's right, while Raven and Starfire fell from the air onto the rooftop between Robin and Cyborg. Cinderblock firmly pressed his titanic feet down to prevent reeling backward any farther after receiving the last volley.
"What's Cinderblock doing here?" Robin demanded.
"Perhaps he was sent by Slade," Starfire replied.
The prodigious creature tightly clenched his fists and leaned forward, opening his mouth in a deafening roar of anger. Staring at his foe, Robin calculatingly surveyed the battlefield high above the streets that they now stood on. The building was undergoing a vertical expansion, and reddish-brown coloured metal pillars and beams rose half a dozen stories behind Cinderblock on the farther half of the roof, towering above the Titans. A large, bright yellow crane was perched at the edge of this construction zone, stretching upward more than one hundred feet.
"Bring him down," Robin ordered. "Titans, go!"
The Boy Wonder dashed forward, reaching behind his back and retrieving his staff, which snapped outward on both ends. Cinderblock wildly threw his fist at the approaching attacker, but Robin gracefully sidestepped it and flipped into the air, landing on the back of the concrete hand. Robin immediately leapt upward off Cinderblock's fist before the giant could react, smacking the side of his head with a horizontal swing of his staff.
With a loud whoosh of air, Cyborg's left hand shot outward and looped around Cinderblock's left wrist, the thick cable becoming taut as Cyborg fought to hold him in place. Dark energy wrapped over Cinderblock's other wrist, firmly encapsulating the majority of his forearm. Together Raven and Cyborg fiercely struggled to keep Cinderblock contained. The blue sections of Cyborg's exterior grew brighter from the tremendous exertion and he gritted his teeth, while the muscles in Raven's arms tightened and her forehead became sticky with small beads of sweat.
Starbolts exploded against Cinderblock's exposed torso from Starfire, who hurled them forward while still on her feet. Closing her fists, she rose up from the rooftop and streaked forward, pulling her right arm backward in anticipation of a strong strike.
Cinderblock bellowed in anger and whipped his left arm above his head, viciously tugging Cyborg forward and off the roof. Cyborg felt weightless for a moment, his stomach twisting and lurching as he soared upward, and then Cinderblock smashed his arm forward again, loosening the cable around his large wrist and propelling Cyborg downward out of the air. He crashed onto the rooftop harshly, bouncing once and leaving a radial indentation.
Unable to slow her approach, Starfire's eyes widened in horror until the very moment Cinderblock's open palm violently smashed into her. Starfire's vision blurred and she was immediately disoriented, unaware of the tremendous speed she was travelling at until she struck the glass of a neighbouring building. It crumbled against her immense force, breaking inward into tiny shards and splinters that were tossed about the large room. The glass, thick as it was, failed to slow her velocity, and Starfire tumbled and bounced off the tiled floor in turbulent rolls, crashing through rows of cubicles, wooden desks and computers. Acting like individual barriers, the furnishings brought a cessation to her erratic rotations, and she slid to a stop across the smooth tile on her side, covered in small bits of wood and other debris. She coughed up a puff of dust and then slowly climbed back to her feet, using the remaining half of a cubicle to steady herself.
The sound of shattering glass rang in Raven's ears. With energy still flowing from her hands to Cinderblock, she yanked her arms down to her waist, pulling the colossus' arm forward and bringing his upper body with him. Letting the energy connecting the two dissipate, Raven shot a thin blast out from the palm of her other hand. The black streak travelled low across the rooftop, arcing upward directly underneath Cinderblock and thrusting him off his feet.
A wide green triceratops, with black stripes running along its back, charged past Raven, causing the rooftop to shake as each massive five-toed foot came down. The two thick horns jutting out from the top of its head crashed into Cinderblock, who was only beginning to return to his feet, flipping him backward forcefully.
The stone monstrosity reacted with surprising speed, twisting to face Beast Boy and slamming a fist into the side of his head. The triceratops lurched in the opposite direction, losing its balance and toppling over onto its side. Having become disoriented, Beast Boy could no longer concentrate enough to hold his form, and the triceratops vanished inward, leaving the changeling lying groggily on the rooftop.
Cinderblock balled his hands into fists and raised them high over his head, preparing to pound down on the small human before him. Out of his peripheral vision he could see Robin casting his arm forward, and only very faintly something reflected the sunlight before an explosive disk struck Cinderblock's face. The giant stumbled backward clutching at his face with his hands, thin wisps of smoke rising up from between his fingers.
The shockwave of the explosion rippled against Beast Boy, snapping him out of his daze. His muscles rapidly expanded, dense dark green hair covered his skin, and two fangs hung from the top of his mouth alongside a row of blunt teeth. Pounding his chest with two large hands and bellowing, the gorilla leapt forward and slammed one of its fists into Cinderblock's square chest, knocking him back farther.
The gorilla immediately shrank in size and landed on four very thin legs, with most of its hair receding and spots appearing throughout its body. A discharge of azure energy from the wide barrel of Cyborg's sonic cannon clouted Cinderblock's stomach, allowing the small cheetah to dart away. Three more blasts burst against the exterior of the goliath, who angrily howled and charged forward.
Robin twirled his staff in front of him and meant the giant's charge, tightly clenching his weapon. Leaping from the rooftop, Robin twisted his arms back to gain maximum momentum for his strike, releasing the built up power at the very moment Cinderblock fiercely swung the back of his left hand outward. The staff flew from Robin's hands and he felt a strong wind against his back, only too aware that he was soaring backward. Steel beams whipped by in all directions as Robin passed through the building's extension, narrowly missing a lethal collision.
Emerging on the other side, Robin was now plummeting downward headfirst, watching his legs shake uncontrollably in front of his face. Floor after floor rushed past him, blurrily casting his reflection in the exterior glass of the office building. He frantically ripped the grappling hook from his belt and pointed it between his legs at the rapidly shrinking beams above, tightening his grip before firing.
The arc shot upward with a loud pop, pulling the long cord with it, and snagged around one of the higher steel girders, jerking Robin to a fierce stop and thrusting his arms and torso back above his legs. With the cord instantly taut Robin swung forward at the building, lifting his feet in front of him to brace against the impact. He flicked one of his thumbs and immediately the small device retracted the cord, which swiftly pulled Robin higher.
Sounds of starbolts and dark energy came from the rooftop, and when Robin rose above the top of the building he could see Starfire and Raven overhead, diving toward Cinderblock and unleashing salvos. Robin let go upon reaching the top of the extension, falling several feet and landing softly on one of the horizontal beams five stories above the fray. Perching himself on the narrow beam for a moment, he leapt forward and gracefully cart wheeled off another one, dropping several levels in the process. Holding his open hands out, Robin used them to propel himself past one more, coming to a stop atop one of the girders along the edge of the extension.
Below him Cyborg dived to the side to avoid a wild swing from Cinderblock, coming up out of his roll firing a long blue streak. The monster shrugged off the blasts and lunged forward with the fingers on one of his titanic hands outstretched, enclosing Cyborg's right leg. Cinderblock whipped his arm around in a wide circle and released his grip, sending Cyborg tumbling through the air. He crashed into the large crane midways up, twisting and contorting the metal, and then fell to the rooftop spinning end over end.
Robin filled his hands with small silver spheres and leapt off the girder, tossing them downward. Small puffs of fire and smoke littered Cinderblock's face and chest, momentarily blinding the juggernaut. Coming down with his leg firmly straightened, the sole of Robin's boot struck Cinderblock under his left eye. Robin landed softly on the rooftop in a crouched position, watching the rock behemoth in front of him regain his footing.
Horrible screeching resounded in Robin's head at an ear piercing intensity and he turned around in time to see the crane begin to buckle. It slowly wobbled from side to side, lurching more violently at its very top, and then collapsed. The crane toppled forward, smashing through the steel girders with a shower of sparks. Metal shards and entire beams were tossed outward like an explosion, and Robin's eyes widened in horror and he scrambled to his feet, desperately diving away from the dangerous projectiles crashing into the roof all around him.
From the far side of the building Raven stared at the crane, under tremendous strain and pressure, slowly slip off the edge of the rooftop and plunge toward the streets. She quickly created a whirling black circle beneath her and disappeared into it. Another circle appeared on the exterior of the building and she shot out, immediately looking upward at the falling crane that was now above her.
With her eyes glowing white magnificently, Raven thrust her arms up and dark energy rushed from her palms and encased the entire crane, bringing it to a stop in the air. She groaned under the weight of the construct and flew upward, steadily pushing the crane higher. Raven cautiously placed it atop one of the surrounding buildings and ensured it was secure before whipping herself around and streaking back to the others.
Buried beneath a pile of steel, Cyborg heaved his shoulders and pushed his arms out, cracking through the girders and throwing them aside. He shifted his attention to Cinderblock in the middle of the rooftop, who was trying to hit a very nimble and agile Robin, while a woolly, green ram with thick curling horns smashed into his back and then slipped away before the hulking creature could turn around. Cyborg looked down at the beams lying at his feet and picked one up, firmly grasping it in his right hand. Holding it over his shoulder, he pulled back and thrust the beam like a javelin, which soared forward across the rooftop perfectly and crashed against the intended target.
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the air, overwhelming all other sounds. Robin stared across the rooftop at Raven, paralysed with fear and terror stricken as he watched her. She was clutching at her head and her entire body trembled violently; flashes of black cascaded around her body intensively and then vanished altogether seconds after forming. The screams trailed off and Raven hung still for a moment, and then fell from the sky. Her body was completely limp when she collapsed against the rooftop roughly, crumpling into a small heap.
"Raven!" Robin screamed, feeling his heart beating dangerously quickly.
Cinderblock growled and began moving at Raven. She shook slightly from the vibration sent out by each of his prodigious footsteps.
"Starfire, protect Raven!" cried Robin, himself too far away to intercept the creature.
Starfire plunged out of the air screaming and slammed one of her fists into Cinderblock's chest, causing a shockwave of energy to burst outward. She continued forward, punching him ferociously in his chest and face repeatedly and driving him away from Raven. Cinderblock swung his own fist at the small girl but she was much faster, viciously punching the stone fist in the very middle as it came at her and propelling his arm back. Starfire wound her arm up and sucked a huge quantity of air into her lungs, and then unleashed her full strength with a tremendous exhale, leaving a large crack in Cinderblock's chest. Hovering at a height of several metres, her eyes began to glow emerald.
Robin slid to a stop beside Raven and lifted her head up. "Come on, Raven, wake up." With his other hand he gently stroked her soft cheek. Her closed eyelids were rapidly twitching and her chest rose and fell faintly, but she did not respond. "Please, Raven. Please."
Shrieking with anger, Starfire shot bright green from her eyes at Cinderblock's face, burning his eyes and blinding the creature even as he howled in pain.
Cyborg was now bent over Raven alongside Robin, running his fingers over her heart and pulse.
"What's wrong with her?" Robin asked, having great difficulty getting the words past the panicky lump in his throat.
"I have no idea," Cyborg replied, baffled by her. "It's like she just went unconscious in the air."
The green changeling landed softly between Starfire and Cinderblock and instantly seemed to burst apart. Spikes lined both his sides and thick, flat plating quickly covered his entire back, while a massive tail with a blunt, rounded end extended out behind him. The bulky ankylosaurus steadied itself low to the ground and transferred all of its weight into one savage stroke of its tail, pounding Cinderblock onto his back. He did not move again.
"Is she okay?" Starfire asked quietly.
"I don't know," Cyborg replied, shaking his head. "But we've got to get her back to the Tower if I'll have any chance of figuring it out."
"And what about him?" Beast Boy asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the rock giant.
"Leave him," Robin quickly ordered, regaining his composure. "Our first priority is Raven. Starfire, get her down to the T-Car. Beast Boy, bring Cyborg down too and then fly back up for me. I'll notify the police. Move."
Starfire carefully picked Raven up in her arms and flew off the roof down to the streets, with a winged pterodactyl clutching Cyborg in its talons immediately behind. Robin fumbled to pull his communicator off the belt around his waist, trying to control the nervous shaking in his fingers—at least enough to flip it open and contact the prison.
He was not going to wait around atop the building with Cinderblock, which was a dramatic shift in his priorities. Never before had Robin not ensured himself that a criminal was apprehended by the authorities, whether remaining at the scene or making escape impossible for his adversary. That was not to happen today though, because he needed to be at Raven's side doing whatever was necessary. He loved her too much to act in any other way.