Titans Age:
Dick Grayson/ Robin/ Renegade- 22
Koriand'r/ Starfire- 21
Garfield Logan/ Beast Boy- 20
Raven Roth- 21
Wally West/ Flash- 22
Jinx- 21
Victor Stone/ Cyborg- 24
Starfire was finally free. She prayed to X'hal this wasn't some cruel trick before taking off. At first she was shocked. This had been the first time she could fly in years. Unfortunately, those years of torment took their toll on her and she could barely stay airborne. With her injuries too serious, she was forced to land.
Starfire took the time to survey her surroundings. Based on what she saw, Starfire knew she was in Bludhaven. She could see the skyscrapers of Jump City far off in the distance. Covering her scars the best she could, Starfire walked towards the city. Having basically been starved, Starfire was skeletally thin. She walked for hours and hours until it was nightime. Slowly it became clearer and clearer that this was not the Jump City she knew.
The Jump City she knew was vibrant and full of life. This Jump City was grim and bleak. It was mucher darker in overall tone and could even be compared to Gotham. This raised the question: What on Earth had happened to Jump City?
Fearing that it would not take long for Slade to figure out she had escaped,Starfire took many different twisting and confusing routes hoping that she could evade anyone who could potentially be following her. Unfortuantely she took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in a dark alley. Starfire heard a gun click and a rough, gruff voice tell her "Hand over your money".
"I apologize, but I am not in possession of any currency at this moment" Starfire told the mugger.
"How many times have I heard that excuse" The mugger said, preparing to shoot.
Starfire closed her eyes and prepared for the end. Suddenly she heard the mugger struggle with someone followed by two quick gunshots. Starfire opened her eyes to see the mugger dead with a tall figure standing over his body. Starfire screamed at the sight.
"D-Did you just kill him?" Starfire asked.
"What are you doing out here this late at night?" The figure asked her, ignoring her question.
The voice sounded so familiar and even though the man was wearing a mask Starfire could recognize his face.
"Robin?" She said.
The man staggered backwards hearing her voice. The sweet voice, the long fiery red hair, and the green eyes. It couldn't be.
"No, you're not real" Renegade stated, stepping back. "You're just another one of my hallucinations!"
"I am not a hallucination" Starfire said, trying to convince her boyfriend that it really was her.
"Go away! Go away and stop tormenting me! Renegade shouted.
"Robin, it is I, Starfire" Starfire insisted stepping towards him
"It can't be you; five years ago he took you away" Renegade said, unable to believe it.
Starfire shot a star bolt into the ground finally convincing Renegade she was real.
"St-Starfire, it really is you" a ecstatic Renegade cheered, grabbing Starfire and embracing her in a tight hug.
"Uh, Robin; you're hurting me" Starfire gasped.
"Sorry" Renegade apologized on the verge of breaking into tears. "Oh Starfire, where've you been?"
"I was being held captive by Slade in an underground bunker in Bludhaven" Starfire revealed.
Renegade was mentally kicking himself. How could he not think to look in the nearby city of Bludhaven.
"Starfire, I missed you" Robin said, kissing her on the cheek.
"I've missed you to Robin" Starfire said.
"Actually it's Renegade now" Renegade told her.
"Renegade?" Starfire said, confused.
"After you left, things kind of got out of control" Renegade told her before he noticed her scars. "What did Slade do to you?"
"Slade did many unkind things I do not wish to relive at the moment" Starfire said. "Come, we must join our friends"
"Actually, Star… I don't think that would be such a good idea" Renegade said trying to convince her to drop the subject.
"Why is that?" Starfire asked, oblivious to Renegade's clear reluctance to be around the Titans.
"Because, uh… I'm not a part of the Titans anymore" Renegade answered.
Starfire's jaw nearly fell to the ground.
"What?" Starfire said, thinking her ears had decieved her.
"The Titans and I kinda had a falling out and I left the team" Renegade said.
"That makes it even more important for us to see our friends again!" Starfire said happily grabbing a reluctant Renegade by his wrist and literally dragging to Titans Tower.
The Titans had long since dropped Teen from their name since they obviously weren't teens anymore. Luckily the team's name was the only thing that changed as the Tower access code was the same as before. Starfire gleefully opened the door screaming "Greetings friends!" Upon hearing her cheerful gleeful voice, the Titans immediately stopped what they were doing. They immediately ran into the main ops room and looked in disbelief to see Starfire standing there in the flesh.
"What kinda of cruel sick joke is this?" Beast Boy asked.
"It is no sick joke, Beast Boy, it is me" Starfire said.
Cyborg ran over and hugged her. Then he scanned her.
"It's not a hologram. And the DNA analysis matches. This really is Starfire" Cyborg declared happily.
Beast Boy and Flash ran over and both gave her a tight hug. Jinx and Raven, ran over and did the same. Everyone was in tears. Then they noticed Renegade. The Titans took up a fighting stance and prepared to attack.
"You brought him?" Flash said. "Do you have any idea how dangerous he is?"
"Do you not recognize our former leader? It is Robin" Starfire said, stepping in front of Renegade.
"He's been tricking you Star, this guy's way too crazy to be Robin" Cyborg said, charging his sonic cannon. "He's committed multiple murders and has been running one of the most powerful gangs in Jump City in a bloody gang war with Slade not to mention the vicious type of vigilantism he practices. One of his victims was found strangled with his eyes gouged out."
"No guys, it really is me" Renegade said, taking off his mask so his former team could see his face, stunning them.
"Robin, is this true?" Starfire asked.
Renegade remained silent. Flash in the blink of an eye had handcuffed him.
"Sorry Star, but he's a wanted criminal" Flash said.
"No, you will not take Robin away!" Starfire yelled. "Not tonight. I believe we all have some catching up to do"
After a few moments of silence, the Titans agreed. The tension faded away as they all sat around the table.
"So tell me friends, what has happened during my absense?" Starfire asked.
"After you disappeared, the team almost fell apart" Raven said. "We were all affected by your kidnapping but Robin took it the hardest."
Flashback
Robin sat in the study room. He pulled out a file on Slade that was filled with everything he knew about the criminal mastermind. Needless to say, that wasn't much. Robin hadn't seen daylight in days. He just sat at his computer, looking for a lead. Anything to indicate a slip up from Slade. He had no such luck.
Robin knew Slade had multiple criminal accomplices as well as contractors who hired the assassin but they just seemed to drop off the planet. Robin prayed to God for a lucky break but got nothing.
It had been two years since Starfire had disappeared. His teammates had seemingly moved on and simply believed she was gone forever. Robin refused to believe that Starfire was dead. Slade surely would've bragged about it, mocking him about his failure to find him.
In desperation, he contacted Bruce who he hadn't spoken to in three years. Surely, the World's Greatest Detective could find Starfire. But it appeared that Slade had even outsmarted Batman. Robin didn't know how much more he could take this before he went insane.
There was a knock at the door.
"Go away" Robin said, barely audible enough to be heard.
"Robin, you've been in there for three days" Raven said. "You're not going to find anything. It's been two years. Face it Robin, she's gone"
"No!" Robin snapped. "She's out there somewhere! She can't be gone"
"I know you miss her but killing yourself isn't going to bring her back!" Raveb said.
"You don't know what it's like! If it was Gar who was missing, you'd be doing everything in your power trying to find him!" Robin barked. "No one misses her more than I do"
"You're a dick Dick Grayson!" Raven shot back. "You act like you're the only one who misses her. Beast Boy's absolutely devastated. Have you noticed how he doesn't even crack jokes anymore? And Cyborg's not doing much better. Starfire was like a sister to me. Starfire wouldn't want you to be like this."
"Don't talk about her like she's dead; she's still alive. I just know it" Robin said.
Raven gave up trying and left the Boy Wonder to his obsessive search. Immediately after she left, Robin broke down in tears.
End Flashback
"How long has it been since I was kidnapped?" Starfire asked.
"Believe it or not, today marks the five year anniversary of your abduction" Jinx informed her.
"And what've you all been up to since then?" Starfire asked.
"Well since you've been gone, BB and Raven have started going out" Cyborg told her.
"That is glorious!" Starfire proclaimed.
"And Jinx and I decided to take our relationship one step further" Flash announced.
"You don't mean?" Asked Renegade, who had been silent the entire duration of the conversation.
"That's right, Jinx and I are getting married" Flash confirmed.
"Congratulations, When is the wedding?" Starfire asked.
"In just four weeks" Jinx said.
"Cyborg, have you found yourself someone you wish to be in a relationship with?" Starfire asked.
"Kinda sorta; her name is Sarah Simms but we're more close friends than boyfriend and girlfriend" Cyborg said.
"It's great to have you back, Star" Beast Boy said. "You to Robin"
"Since everybody's here, Cyborg and I have an announcement" Flash said.
"In two months, Wally and I will be leaving the Titans and joining the Justice League" Cyborg announced.
The entire room gasped in shock.
"You're kidding, but why?" Beast Boy asked.
"Well Uncle Barry's retiring from being Flash so he can watch his kids grow up" Flash said.
"And the Justice League are in need of someone with technological expertise to help maintain the Watchtower" Cyborg said.
"Dude, I just reunited with two friends only to find out three others are leaving" Beast Boy cried.
"Don't take it personal man, it's just that things change" Cyborg stated.
"But if you, Jinx, and Flash are leaving then that means the Titans are over" Beast Boy argued.
"Maybe Starfire and Robin can rejoin the team" Flash suggested.
"Robin? Are you kidding?!" Beast Boy responded. "This isn't the same Robin we knew when we were teenagers, this Robin's criminally insane!"
"Besides, I've got my own war to fight as Renegade" Renegade said.
"Actually, when we were asked to join the Justice League, Batman commented how this would affect the team. To take our place, a new group of teenage superheroes are joining the Titans" Flash informed him. "Red Robin, Superboy, and Impulse are officially members of the Teen Titans with you and Raven as leader."
"It just won't be the same" Beast Boy said, before sulking off to his room.
Raven followed after him to comfort him. Flash and Cyborg decided that Beast Boy needed some time to himself and not wanting to upset the young hero further left. Renegade also departed via glider, carrying Starfire in his arms since she was too weak to fly.
Starfire had escaped captivity but she didn't know if it was worth it. Her best friend/ boyfriend had clearly lost his mind and was now a murdering psychopath according to her friends. And to make things even worse the Titans were unofficially breaking up. Starfire wasn't going to give up on her friends. She was going to try to make things right and she would start by helping Robin regain his sanity.
So Starfire's escaped, has seen this hideous new world, and is now trying to nurse Robin/ Renegade back to sanity. Will she succeed? Only time will tell. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed. Your feedback really means a lot to me.