Chapter 3: Fire Fury
Zelda's team, Fire Fury, should be here any minute, if I didn't have to sit down because of my leg I'd be pacing the floor right now.
Raven's missing and we need to find her. But we need Fire Fury's help, and they're not here yet.
Cyborg went down and is waiting by the door for them. I'm getting impatient. But who knows how far away the were when they received her message, they could be anywhere.
The elevator door slides open and Cyborg walks in followed by a group of teens.
As soon as they all get into the living room I take a head count. There are six of them not including Zelda.
"These are my teammates," Zelda speaks up. "This is Kodiac," She stands next to a tall guy with longish black hair, he has a brown shirt and darker brown pants. Around his neck he wears a bear claw, he's also bare foot. "He can change to a grizzly bear,"
"This is Shiloh," She stands next to a girl holding a bow in her hand, she has a long blue shirt with tan leggings, around her waist is an arsenal of arrows and tucked into the side there is a knife. She has brown hair. She doesn't smile, and I notice she has three scars across her right cheek. On her left eye, covered by her bangs, is a scar that crosses her eye facing down. "She never misses with those arrows,"
"This is Max," She now stands next to a small boy with shaggy blonde hair. He has blue pants and a green shirt. He looks a little young to be in a team of heroes. He just stands shyly as she talks about him. "He may look harmless and innocent, but he's extremely smart, and can use his mind to move objects,"
"This is Merella," She stands next to a girl with red hair. It's darker red than Starfire's, she has a deep red leather jacket and a plain black shirt. Her pants are black as are her boots. "She is armed with an arsenal of knives, and can shoot them to a distance of about a hundred and twenty feet and still hit her target,"
"This is Fleo," She stands by a boy about my age, he has a black mask and spiky orange hair. He has a red t-shirt and black pants. He wears a utility belt much similar to mine and has blue tennis shoes. "He is a black belt in karate, so better not to get on his bad side," She says with a laugh.
"And finally, this is Zenica," She stands next to a happy faced little girl who looks to be five years old. She wears a little yellow and green dress and a pink flower in her hair.
"She's actually with us only because we were assigned to protect her," Zelda explains. Then I notice Zenica holding a little stuffed kitten.
"Well, it's nice to meet you all, I'm Robin, and that's Starfire, Cyborg, and Beastboy, Raven is also a part of our team but I'm afraid she's gone missing," I say. The other team looks at us and then nods.
"So we're gonna think up a plan to get into Droid's HQ?" Fleo asks. "Yes, that is the plan," I answer.
Both our teams sit down on the floor and we begin planning.
...
"I think Robin should stay here," Starfire says just before we leave. "What? No, I'm leader of the Teen Titans I will go with," I argue.
"But Robin," She has that pleading look again. But I have to ignore it. I need to go.
"I think she's right," I jerk my head in the direction of the voice. It's Zelda.
"We're going to be traveling through thick forest, no offense but I don't think you'll be able to make it with those crutches," She says. Between her and Star I feel like maybe I should stay.
"You're right, I'll just slow everyone down, you guys go and find Raven, I'll just wait," I tell them. As much as I want to go I can't slow them down, they need to get in and out as fast as they can.
"That way Zenica can stay with you and won't be hurt,"
I nod. I watch as they all leave. I sit on the couch and watch Zenica play with her stuffed kitten.
She looks up at me and smiles. "Wanna know his name?" The five year old asks. "Sure," I say with a warm smile.
"His name is Rhen," She says. I nod. She's a cute little girl.
This is torture, I'm gonna wait a really long time while everyone else is out there doing their thing.
~o0o~
I walk behind Zelda and the rest of the team as we slowly progress through these thick woods.
Then the one called Fleo comes over and walks beside me. Something about him seems odd.
"So, your name is Starfire is it?" He asks me in a low whisper. "Yes it is," I answer although I do not feel like talking to him or anyone. Robin is at home and he has a hurt leg. I don't know when he will heal, and it worries me, what if he needs something he cannot reach? He will try to get it himself but what if he falls? What if he is hurt worse? They have enough people here I should've stayed. Maybe I could ask if I can go home to take care of Robin.
"So what can you do?" Fleo stills wants to have a conversation.
"I have alien strength, can shoot star bolts both from my hands as well as my eyes, and I can also fly," I answer.
"Whoa, that's cool," He walks closer to me. I do not like him. He is-strange and rude.
"Watch out!" He grabs my arm and pulls me toward him.
He pulled my left arm, the one that needed bandaging back at the ambulance this morning. It hurts a lot when he grabs it. I try to pull away but he is also strong.
"Ow you are hurting me!" I whisper. He lets go and I rub my hurting arm. Why did he do that? Didn't he know the bandage meant I was hurt? Then I notice Cyborg had pulled him away from me. That is why he let go.
"Yo man, leave her alone!" He whispers. Fleo wiggles out of Cyborg's grasp and walks away from us.
"You ok Star?" Cyborg asks once Fleo is gone. "I will manage to survive," I say with a frown. "I'm sorry he hurt you," Cyborg does not have to apologize, it was not his fault Fleo was rude. I am about to tell Cyborg that but he holds his hand up for us to all be silent.
I try to look at what he sees but I cannot see around this bush, and I do not feel the joy needed to fly above it and look.
"What is it?" I ask. "We're here," Is all he says.
Zelda signals for us to move forward so we do. I see the massive size of Droid's hideout.
It looks to be made of steel, or something very strong and hard to get into.
"Remember the plan?" Zelda asks. We all nod silently and she starts walking.
"Let's do it!" She says and we all march forward to execute our plan.
My job is simple. I must shoot my star bolts at any guards that try to stop Zelda as she is finding the entrance.
There is only one guard though. I follow Zelda and this is when I finally get to see her powers.
She creates a blue wall of fire and the door melts. I like Zelda, she is a very nice person.
We enter the hideout. But no one stands guard at the door. This seems too easy, something is off.
We walk the halls. All is silent. If Robin were here he'd know what to do. I wish Robin was here, and he wasn't hurt.
~o0o~
Zenica and I just finish up a puzzle. I've gotten extremely bored waiting for the others to contact me. It would be too dangerous for me to call them, if the were sneaking up on Droid or something I'd mess it up for them.
So I wait. Patiently. Still waiting.
"Robin?" I hear a staticky voice call on my communicator.
I pull it out.
"Robin here," I say into the device.
"Robin, we have entered Droid's hideout but-" It's Starfire. "But, something seems odd about this place,"
"Odd how?" I ask my curiosity rising.
"Odd like, there were no guards, no one came to stop us, it was almost too easy-" Her voice has a hint of worry in it and I wonder if I should worry too.
"Robin!" I hear her voice quickening, like she's running or something. "Robin it's a trap!" She squeals. "Starfire!" I call in alarm.
"Starfire answer me!" It's quiet. I slam my communicator down. "No!" I hate myself for not going.
Why didn't they see that it was a trap? More importantly how did Droid know they'd be coming?
Suddenly the alarm goes off. "Trouble," I mumble.
The glass walls suddenly burst, and a group of guys jump inside.
I don't have much time to do anything. I try to get off the couch but my leg is too weak to stand on.
I collapse to the ground, then I realize, they're not after me.
One of them picks up Zenica, she screams for me to help her but I can't get up. They run out.
I. Hate. My. Self. How could I let them take that little girl? I am such an idiot.
I yell in my rage. This is all going downhill. First Raven gets kidnapped then my team, now Zenica.
This, cannot be happening. I struggle to stand and reach for my crutches.
~o0o~
What-I-as my eyes open I remember what happened. We were trapped, at Droid's hideout.
"Starfire are you alright?" I hear Zelda ask me.
"I-I am alright," I answer. We're hanging upside down, my arms are tied behind me, I struggle but can't get loose.
Stay calm. I keep telling myself. Robin will find us. I hope.
He still has to use those crutches and I'm not sure he could make it here in time.
I look around, the only ones tied up here are Max, Merella, Zelda and I. I wonder where the others are.
...
It's been hours. Still no one has come. My head hurts and my vision is blurring. I've been upside down so long. Suddenly I hear voices in the distance.
It's probably my imagination, I'm hearing things. The blood is rushing to my head so I'm having hallucinations.
Then I see Speedy come running in. He stops under us and stares up.
"Brace yourselves," He says and aims his bow ready to shoot the ropes that have held us up here so long.
He shoots and the ropes break. We fall to the floor. I sit up and the blood flows back from my head. That was a terrible experience and I would like it if that never happened again.
"How did you find us?" I ask Speedy.
"Robin called us and told us where to find you," He says with a half smile.
"We need to get the rest of my team," Zelda says. "My team is searching the building I'm sure they'll find them," Speedy answers quickly.
I hear a strange buzzing noise. "What's that?" Merella asks. She sounds frightened. Speedy just smiles. Although I don't know why.
Then Bumblebee flies in.
"Did Speedy tell you about Robin?" My heart races and I immediately ask, "What happened?"
"Right after he got the message from you that this was a trap some guys broke into the tower and took, I think he said her name was Zenica? Anyway they took her," She explains.
Zelda's face goes white as a sheet. "They-did what!" Her voice begins to rise. "How could he let them take her?!" She yells angrily.
"It was not Robin's fault!" I don't usually yell, but when someone could blame Robin for such an awful thing that wasn't his fault, "he has to use crutches he cannot protect himself much less a five year old girl!" I tell her harshly.
She softens a little. "I'd forgotten about his leg, I'm sorry I yelled," She speaks softly and gently now. "But if anything happens to her-"
"Nothing will happen to her," I interrupt.
"We will find her and rescue her," I say.
Then Mos Y Menos and Aqualad come in with all the others.
"We must get back to Robin!" I say. "I agree," Cyborg speaks up. "We also need to find out how they knew we were coming," He says. I can tell he is angry.
As we walk away I notice someone is missing.
"Where's Fleo?" I ask.
"Um, he wasn't put in the same room as us, we assumed he was with you," Kodiac says with a slight frown.
"We should probably look for him," Bumblebee says. We begin searching the giant hideout but find nothing. Fleo is gone, he is not in any closet or any corner, no where.
"Well, we can only assume he's been taken somewhere else, for some other purpose," Zelda says sadly.
"Now we are returning to the tower and to Robin?" I ask impatiently.
"Yes Starfire, we are going to the tower," Bumblebee says with a funny smile.
So we head out. Along the way I remember Robin told me to always think back on what happened, he said sometimes it's easier to figure things out by looking back.
I remember Fleo's behavior this whole time. I don't like him, there is something about him that seems-it just doesn't seem right. I like all the other members of Fire Fury, recently Zelda told me Max and Merella are siblings, I like Merella, she gets easily scared sometimes but I like her a lot. Kodiac seems like a nice person too, he is sort of funny, like Beastboy, but he reminds me a lot of my friend Aqualad.
I like Shiloh too, she is strong and brave. I sometimes wonder where she got her scars, but I should not ask. She does not smile very much, in fact I do not think I have ever seen her smile. I think that it probably has something to do with those scars. She probably had some big trauma happen in her life that caused her to be unhappy. It's really quite sad.
I sigh I hope Robin is alright.
...
We finally arrive at the tower. I run upstairs. The living room is a mess! Glass broken from the walls lay shattered all around. The sofa looks like it was attacked by swords, and the dining table and chairs are knocked over and broken.
Robin is not in the room.
"Robin?" I call out his name. But no one answers. The others quickly come upstairs and look around.
"Wow, what happened to this place?" Zelda says when she sees the mess.
"The sofa!" Cyborg runs over and hugs the piece of furniture. I do not know why he has such a strange attachment to this thing.
"Take it easy Sparky," Bumblebee laughs at him. "It's fine, it can be replaced," I walk down the hall to Robin's door.
I knock first, just to be sure.
"Robin? Are you in there?" I hear a moan from inside his room.
I open the door. I scream and step back as the sight before me is so repulsive.