Chapter 7
A/n: So who is going to be voted off the island, so to speak? You will find out in this chapter. Will Robin kick the big one and this fic becomes a StarX pairing, or does X finally meet his match leaving the fic for a fluff filled Robstar… or am I truly evil and poor Starfire is taken from both leaving this turn into a very strange, very … Yaoi fic?
It's not my fault if something bad happens.
Again the team found themselves in a dark place. The place was perfect for Slade… there was a great mass of computers set up, and sparks flew from a mass of large machines that were making something high tech.
Splitting into two groups, and after sternly reminding Beast Boy to not touch anything, the Titans stealth-fully crept further into the heart of the building.
Robin and Starfire made their way to the massive machines. Looking at it with deep fascination and fright knowing that what ever it was, it was evil, Robin assessed his options. Slade was capable of creating some really evil things; the two looked around for a way to shut it off without making a lot of noise. They did not want to announce their presence just yet, especially with the others checking out the surrounding areas.
Getting up close to the creepy looking machines, Robin planted a few bombs around a critical area and was about to back away when a familiar uniform caught his eye.
Looking closer, he noticed several white masks sitting in a pile. Picking up one of the masks, confusion spread on his face. Looking around at the machinery, and the products being worked on, it all made sense. Slade was making Red Xs. His eyes went wide knew that the machines must be making robot replicas of him.
Starfire, he noticed saw the same thing. Both teens knew what that could mean if Slade was successful in producing foes as skillful as whoever was in the original Red X suit, the Titans would be in for a lot of trouble. They had to stop this.
With a nod, the two finished setting the explosives around the main control center and near the other critical parts. They were about to retreat to a safe location and detonate the bombs when a menacing laugh rang in the empty and darkened areas behind them.
"So the original has returned. Sorry my ex-apprentice, I do not need you any more."
"Slade! You made clones of me to do your evil work!" Robin was mad.
"Don't give yourself so much credit. I merely used some of your measurements, and maybe a few of your genes here and there to make the robots more… personal."
"You are truly an evil man." Starfire said floating up into the air. She knew that if she kept the man talking, they could figure out where he was hiding. Robin nodded seeing her idea and allowed her to interact with the voice, so he could better focus on its location.
"You know, I think I should have used you as a prototype. The more I think about it, your abilities would have been so much more ideal." Slade chuckled knowing how Robin would feel about the thought of him using Starfire for evil.
"It would never happen." Star snarled, her eyes going green. Tossing a few star bolts in the direction of the voice, Robin saw Slade as his shadow ducked the attack. Robin saw his chance and launched his own attack at his worst enemy. This would end today. Slade was going to go down, or he would die trying.
"Temper, temper children." Slade laughed as he evaded even Robin's attacks. "Replicating the star energy would have been most difficult. I think the new series of Red X's will be quite well equipped. Even with out the original suit and belt."
"You will lose today Slade." Robin cried as he began hand to hand with the man, who still had a damaged mask. "And I will see to it I bring you in personally."
Starfire took this time to send several more bolts and eye beams into the machine, triggering Robin's bombs and causing a great explosion. All three were sent flying, Starfire, expecting the explosion braced herself and flew with the force towards Slade. She slammed him against the far wall, causing him to groan in pain.
Robin was there to help her in no time. The others heard the explosion and were ready to fight with the rest of their team in seconds.
"Dude, the party started with out us!" Beast Boy cried out as he and the others climbed into the torn apart room.
"Boyah! Let's kick some butt!"
The titans cornered the masked villain, who was beaten up pretty badly from the barrage of the explosion, Starfire's merciless assault and then Robin's as well. Not to mention the masked villain did not look to be in his normal peak condition due to the last encounter where everyone thought he had died.
"Your machines are destroyed." Robin smirked enjoying the feeling of the upper hand with this villain. "Your army of Red X's will never happen now."
"Yeah! Take that!" Cyborg smirked enjoying seeing the villain squirm there for a time.
"But do you think those were the first ones? Silly boy, there are more! ATTACK!" Slade roared and out of no where several figures swooped down and pounced on the Titans.
"Dude! It's like a Red X invasion!" Beast Boy sounded a little concerned as they each fought their own Red X attackers. "I did not sign up for this!"
The titans seemed to be struggling to fend off the horde of X replicas. The mechanical clones were definitely well built.
"If you would shut up and fight, things would be better." Raven snarled as she enveloped several of the enemies in her powers and slammed them to the wall. Her eyes went wide seeing that over half of them simply got up and attacked once again.
"We need a plan here!" Cyborg said blasting a few that came at him. One managed to get a pretty good hit on the mechanical teen, and sent him flying only to be caught by Starfire. Her eyes zapped at several approaching robots until Cyborg was back on his feet.
"Thanks little lady; no time to talk." And he was back into the fray.
Robin snarled as he fought against several of the replicas trying to get closer to the laughing mad man. Using his bow staff, he swung around and landed kick after power kick to the heads of his attackers.
"I made several especially for each of you." Slade smiled as Titans had their hands full at the moment. It seemed that the energy levels were well matched between the Titans and the X army.
Starfire swung at the Rex X that approached her from behind. She was fighting with her all, but the clone did not seem to have the same energy and determination. Instead it was merely dodging her attacks. Feeling something familiar about him, Starfire realized who it after he had pinned her to the ground.
"You looked nice in that dress. Would you have worn it for me as well?"
"X… it is… you." Her eyes went wide with surprise. Starfire was a little confused as to why the masked teen did not let her up; she looked up at his masked face.
"Thought I could sneak in and help break up this little party." He said. "Pretend to throw me and then we can attack that loser together. We can stop him today."
Starfire nodded and pulled her arms and legs in towards her body before straightening them, making it look like that force threw off her attacker. She was off the floor and in the sky with a roar, Red X flying through the air with a little help from her momentum. Both bodies flew towards a single target.
Before Slade could react, Starfire charged him. Close behind her was Red X. The two relentlessly attacked the evil man, causing him to fall back a few times from several well timed hits.
"You will not succeed!" Star said again fighting with her all. Soon Robin joined them, having taken care of his clones with great determination seeing Starfire and X attacking Slade.
"Never thought we would be fighting on the same side again kid." X chuckled as they both threw several bird-arangs at their common enemy.
"We can discuss things later. Let's finish this guy off first, and then we can have small talk." Robin grunted as he extended his bow staff again and propelled himself into a nice kick to Slade's chest.
"Ah, my two former apprentices are teaming up. I would have never thought to see this day." Slade smiled even though he was getting beaten rather well. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
"You know you both were defective." His voice was cold.
To this both masked warriors scoffed and did not let up on the attacks. Starfire also stayed with them and the three seemed to work together perfectly. It truly felt as if she was fighting with two Robins.
While he was in between hits, Slade tapped a button on his arm band and a high pitched buzzing sound began to intensify and fill the room.
"Look out!" X yelled. The electricity rushed out of Slade's hands and towards the bewildered Starfire. Looking at Slade, Robin recognized the devices from the other day. The electricity monsters were his creations; Robin snarled and rushed in again.
While Robin flew backwards, his hits all blocked and his body nearly shocked, Starfire moved in to continue the attack not afraid of the shocks.
The buzzing continued to increase in volume and sparks shot out of the gloves even without command. Slade was not one for having powers like this, himself, but many of them assumed that nearly being beaten for good could and would change a person. If Slade was still a person.
Robin shook off the throw, his head hurting from getting too close to the electrical gloves. He was about to get back up when terror froze him in place.
Several of the clones that had been fighting with the others jumped on the alien girl and held her as Slade approached with his gloves.
"Now to take you out, one by one if need be!" Slade snarled sick of losing to these freak teenagers. "Say good bye pretty, you are the first to go because you just had to destroy my machine."
"Star!" The others cried as they tried to get there in time, Robin knelt, still in shock.
Starfire clenched her eyes shut and thrashed wildly. She could feel the energy surging in front of her, but for some reason, it did not hurt as she expected it to… opening her eyes to see what was happening, she gasped.
Her green eyes and mouth went open in shock as the black form of X convulsed in front of her. The electricity was so great that the protective suit Robin had created melted, exposing the metal circuits below.
Starfire was not even concerned with the non-human part of X, but the fact that he had taken a hit that was meant for her caused tears to spring from her eyes. Robin snapped out his moment of stupor when Starfire cried out in sadness and pain.
She radiated green energy now and made quick work of the X's holding her down. Blasting Slade with the most power she could, she dropped to the ground exhausted with the massive drain of power.
Robin and the others were dumbfounded by the massive assault that came from the alien girl. Every time she did that- when someone was truly in trouble or injured- she could pull on even more power from inside. It scared Robin at times how powerful she was… he was nothing compared to her.
Taking a look from a crying Starfire, he saw Slade slowly try to get to his feet. This was not going to be the day Slade got away again. After all this, he was going down! He would spend the rest of his life behind bars!
With the help of Raven, Robin secured the bad guy and silently walked over to Starfire's side.
Cradling the head of X, as his body sizzled and sparked from the blast, tears fell from her eyes. Looking up to Cyborg, the best mechanical doctor they had, she silently asked for his help in repairing the fallen boy.
"He's too far fried. There's nothing left of his internal processors to salvage." Cyborg said putting his hand on her shaking shoulder. The mechanical boy had quickly assessed X's body, still shocked that their once enemy was really a cyborg hybrid.
"He saved me…" She sniffed letting the tears drop, not caring if they caused more sparks to come off the boy when they fell onto singed metal.
"Don't cry…. Beautiful…" The voice of X shocked them all. He had sustained so much damage that his circuits should not have been functioning. "I never did like to see you with a frown on that cute face."
"X? You are the ok?" She asked allowing his hand to reach up and touch her face, but he stopped seeing that his hands were torn and battered. They would most likely scratch her soft skin. "You should not have done that… you could have been killed."
"Can't kill what is not alive… besides, I had no choice…"
"I do not understand your words…"
"I am his clone after all… a cyborg hybrid created in a lab. I was the first, the test prototype. Slade got too much of the real thing in me… that is why I took off and didn't follow him… too many emotions swirling inside… I may be a clone and a robot, but I had a real heart, of sorts."
"Yes, and you still do." Star said as her tears were brushed away with his thumb, the only finger that was not missing or badly damaged. She didn't care if his mangled metal fingers scratched her skin; she pulled his hand to her cheek.
"Sorry cutie. Not anymore."
"But… I do not understand. You are still functioning now… perhaps…"
"Let it go. I've had a good run. My circuits are failing, and I my electronic nerves are too badly fried…Besides you have the real thing now… right kid?" X moved his still masked face towards Robin. He got a nod from the other masked man. Robin moved closer, kneeling behind Starfire, silently giving her strength. "And he's not going to run away from you anymore."
Robin nodded touching the shoulder of his once enemy, and ex-persona.
"I'll take care of her." Robin said to the now silent clone. "You don't have to worry about her anymore."
Starfire did not hear Robin, nor did she hear the sirens of the police as they arrived on the scene. The police took the most wanted villain, who was still badly injured from Starfire's final blast, into a secured vehicle. None of the Titans paid much mind to that, as their concern and attention was on their friend and the loss she was suffering.
"Starfire?" Robin's voice finally registered in her mind. She did not know how long she sat there with X in her arms.
Looking up with eyes that were red, she looked up to the voice with a sad expression on her face.
"It's time to go home Star…"
"Robin… he saved me again…" Looking into her eyes, he could tell she was about to begin crying again. And he didn't know how much more crying he could handle from her. It broke his heart to see her cry.
"I know… he was a good person after all…" Her face light up a bit at those words.
"I am sorry, I did not believe you." He said kneeling once again by her side and hugging her from behind. "Either of you." He added looking at the fallen warrior.
"You going to be ok Star?" Beast Boy timidly asked morphing into the form of a cute little kitten. He rubbed against her leg trying to gauge how she felt at the moment.
"He was a real good guy deep down, wasn't he?" Cyborg said standing next to Raven, who was also there by Starfire's side.
"He will remain a good guy in my heart, no matter what." She smiled. "Thank you friends… but I really wish to return to our home."
"Anything you want Star, anything you want." Robin said helping her to her feet. Wrapping his arm around her still slumped shoulders, Robin led her away from the body of X.
A/n:
-sniffle- poor X... I really do like his character. He is awesome! I love how he always gets under Robin's skin...
Anyway, so the story is about to end.
Let's keep the reviews going so I can bring back some fluff.
Also, if the reviews are good, I will be posting another (longer, more drama filled) Robstar fic soon!
