PsychoRyko Thank you for the kind review. As a Starfire fan I'm sure you'll improve of this next chapter.
A Scenery of Loss
'… Who are you, then?'
'I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good.'
Goethe, Faust
II. Reaper's Star
Death, solemn death of the reaper's star, devour his legacy from afar
Dolefully the girl glided above the rushing city lost in the obscurity of night. Pale rain ran against her golden body, drenching herself to the bones. Koriand'r could feel nothing. Her kind were warriors, meant to endure the harsh conditions of the elements. The storm was of no concern to the Tamaran. She paid it no attention. Her mind was else where. The events of earlier were troubling. A part of her still felt like she was in the dimly lit den gazing upwards at the blazing computer screen and while her friends were in the midst of a heated debate, she lingered towards the back with her conflicting emotions.
She recalled the buzzing feeling as she descended into the meeting room with glee. The others were already present. Jericho and Raven side by side on the couch. Logan perched on the edge. Kao with his arms neatly crossed against his chest was slumped against the wall. Victor stood before them, the flashing screen glimmed behind his silver shell, codes and figures the pretty alien had no head for, turning to Victor, he looked tired yet oddly somber. Koriand'r felt her blood turning cold. She was sure she wasn't about to like what was to be said.
"So… we're all here." Logan jeered, seeming not to have taken notice of the serious mood. "What's going down dude?"
There was another long pause in which Victor carefully glanced in Kao's direction. The other remained still. Another pause followed. Logan fluttered about and with a long exaggerated sigh.
"Dude, c'mon what's the big deal!" he groaned.
Victor seemed even more unwilling to speak, almost as if not wanting to ruin the good natured atmosphere as he knew it would. Another falter, Victor could feel his confidence shake as he addressed his friends. As predicted the room slipped into a striking stillness. With slight despair Victor watched the faces as his friends fell, twitching with expressions of shock and confusion. His well rehearsed speech transformed in quiet muffles.
"Is this what you have been doing all this time!" Raven snapped, a enigmatic flame shimmered in her violet eyes. "And you never thought to inform us?"
"Perhaps there was concern that you might not approve." Kao hummed.
"Am I to assume that you were also aware of this lunacy!" Raven made a low hiss.
Kao made an incoherent shrug. "I figured it out."
Logan looked in particularly downhearted. "I thought we were a team. I thought we weren't suppose to have secrets." His bottom lip quivered. This hurt Victor the most. He shuffled onwards.
"This isn't the point for now. We have… erm a decision to make." His mouth was going dry.
"A decision?" repeated Raven grimly.
"Yes." Victor mused. "I haven't spend all this time tracking Slade down merely so that we can finally capture and imprisoning him. I'm talking about putting an end to Slade once and for all."
What do you mean?
Victor felt a lump in his throat as he spoke, avoiding Jericho's piecing gaze. "I'm talking about killing him."
All eyes fell on Jericho as he became the central point. The mute was shaking, far to much to make the appropriate gestures, emphasising his outrage. This was his family after all. Slade might be a vile and cruel monster and Joesph of course knew better then any of them the pain and suffering that he could cause, but regardless this was his father they were talking about. He gave some strength.
I don't know how you can even ask this!
"You sound like you actually care what happens to him." Logan looked at Joey in astonishment.
Why, is that so wrong? Fingers moved agilely.
"Let me think about that for a moment, yes!" Logan snapped. Jericho glared in return.
Slade is my father for that I shall always hold some hope that he is possible of change. He sighed lowly. You never knew how much it hurts me when the Titans had to fight him. I was almost too glad when he disappeared quite frankly I never want to see him again! Raven rested her hand upon Jericho's shoulder he seemed to sink back into the seat sullenly.
"Can none of you see why I've done this?" Victor appeared distraught. He glanced around the room, almost pleading for their support. Koriand'r trembled and bit her lip. He seemed so desperate for the team's approval, so dependent upon them. Not at all like Robin.
"I'm sorry Jericho." Victor shook his head and continued. "I didn't think there was another way. He has to be stopped once and for all! I didn't think there was another way." His voice slowly drifted off along with his confidence.
The room ushered in a painful silence. Koriand'r watched as Victor slumped into his chair and clutched his head. She could almost feel his confusion as he began to question his every action. In the cramped room amongst his closest friends, the Titan leader was visibility shaking and as Koriand'r observed, no one came to him. Not even she moved.
It's strange, Kory's sharp mind spoke so coldly. I often thought Victor to be such a strong, able friend, but now I don't see him as quite the same. Seeking conformation for his choices, not decisive, almost not willing to take charge… Not at all like Robin. A dark flicker.
Immediately Kory felt the shame of her thoughts. How could she have compared the two like that? So callously? And to have felt a spark of anger towards her dear friend for something that was not his doing. Rightfully Robin should have been the direction of her anger, but regrettably her love bind Koriand'r to his side. A terrible thought then occurred to the poor alien, was it possible that she would come to despite her friends and hold them accountable for Robins deeds?
"Raven!" Logan's shirk cry disrupted Koriand'r thoughts. Entering back into the dreary room she found the empathy having collapsed unexpectedly, being carefully lead to the couch by an apprehensive Kao and Jericho.
Logan hopped from one foot to the other. "Raven… Raven you okay?"
Raven simply nodded and explained how overwhelming she felt the situation to be.
"Yes it is a bit." Victor mumbled feebly, approaching Raven, touching her hand lightly. And it's my fault of course. Just look at the mess I've caused! Some leader I've turned out to be.
Koriand'r thought Raven looked suddenly much worse once Victor had taken her hand. Her whole face seemed to contort and sink dourly. Despite claims that she might be tired and Jericho offering to escort her to her room, Raven remained rooted to the spot, tightly clasping Victor's hand.
Koriand'r shivered. She felt sure the room was getting darker.
Eventually Raven relinquished her grip and slipped back into Jericho's gapping arms. She curled within his clutches, breathing heavily, leaving Jericho looking dazed and confused.
"She's fine Joey." Kao gave a brief inspection. "Just tired, as she said probably overwhelmed."
Jericho nodded, accepting that that must be the reason.
Victor rose sternly. "I'm sorry the rest of you don't agree with me, or what I've done. The only reason I didn't inform the rest of you what I was doing before now is because I didn't want anyone to worry." His tone dropped oddly low. "But now we have found Slade and we can stop this monster once and for all. You all know what I'm talking about, and we don't have time to debate whether its right or wrong, we have to make a decision and make one now."
In awe, Logan struck the air with his fist. "You're completely right dude." He flashed a wide grin. "Lets take this psycho down, way down!"
Pleased by this response, Victor seemed to glow he then turned to address the remaining Titans. "We're not going to do anything unless we all agree."
Kao shook his head. "It's not going to be that simple."
"I know." Logan protested. "But we're not little kids anymore, are we? We've grown, we've changed, this time we can stop him this time, I know it!" The optimist as ever.
Once again Kao was quick to react. "Doesn't it occur to you that Slade might have changed as well? I doubt all this time his been sitting idle."
"That's why we need the element of surprise!"
"When has that ever worked before!" Kao glared.
Logan was taken aback. He turned to the windows seemingly caught in the storms majestic rage. "I just don't want the Teen Titans to ever face him. After all the suffering the bastards put us through, I couldn't bare it if he went after those kids."
At this point Kao appeared to soften. "Neither do I Logan. They're not ready for a criminal of this level."
"And what if we failed?" Raven's croaked, stringing gently. "He'd come after the kids, you know he would."
"And what would we have achieved?" Kao sighed. "It could be better to let sleeping dogs lie so to speak."
"But we'll never get another opportunity like this again!" Logan gasped.
"But if we endanger the children, how do we justify our involvement then!" Kao hissed back.
In the hush that followed Jericho found his voice.
We don't have a choice… It has to be done.
Throughout the conversation, Kory hadn't spoken a word, only a simple nod signifying that she would go along with the group's decision. That seemed to be adequate for the Titans. Koriand'r felt her heart sink low. And as the conversation grew even calmer and faintly causal, the quiet Tamaran felt her heart sinking even lower. Still she did not speak out. If was almost as if she could not rather then would not. As if something else were holding her tongue. She could not decide whether it was natural or mystic.
Either way it did not matter. The decision had been made.
And there she was. The warrior Koriand'r soaring above the city, piecing through a seething storm. Powerfully yet elegant she cut her path through the near black sky, without so much as a hesitation.
Perhaps in some way I agree? The thought had crossed her mind. Kory wondered curiously if she did. But frightfully she shook her head.
"No I don't. I don't!" Her cries seemed so shrill. How could she? Everything that had been said in that cramped little den had been the truth, yes, of course. Slade had done so much damage to her friends. Koriand'r herself might not have never personally felt the extent of his malevolence, but she had seen the pain he had caused to others. And yes she agreed with Logan. Deathstoke was the one villain, she had never wanted the younger children to face.
Then maybe it is for the best? Silently the unrecognized voice purred.
Maybe. She thought unhappily. Maybe it is