When the blaring of the alarm came in through the loudspeakers, bathing the commons in a light reminiscent of blood, almost like a warning, Robin nearly gasped out loud in relief.
It had been an uneasy few days.
Now he leapt up from the couch on the side of the room, and swiftly ran to the garage with a swirl of his cape and mask. He could feel the presence of the Titans behind him, and revelled in the sense that they were right behind him, if only physically. He had desperately been trying to repiece the puzzle that was them for the past week, subtly trying to increase the hours he spent in the commons, and help the other Titans with the mundane, even so little as cooking and cleaning. But Starfire's words still echoed in his mind, and he felt it pulse and pull with every blare of the alarm.
Rekmas. Rekmas. Rekmas.
He knew no words could mend the break that lay between them, and instead vowed to keep the fractures from spreading further, burrowing deeper into the speculative minds of his friends.
Friends. Did he still have the right - no, the privilege - to call them that?
The thought stayed with him as he led the charge on his R-Cycle, speeding through the City. The comm in his ear was charged even as it rang still and silent, but he could sense the girls above his head, lithe forms making flying look as easy as breathing. Beast Boy and Cyborg followed behind in the T-Car, and the throaty growl bolstered his confidence, settling the simmering that lingered between his lungs, nestled deep.
The message that had accompanied the blaring sirens was short and to the point - break-in at InterCity Banking Collective, masked assailant, suspected armed.
He knew exactly who that would be - and the anger that started to simmer in his throat made him lean into the final corner all the more faster. He barely spared time to click on the auto-lock to save his bike from skidding into a nearby building, and threw himself bodily at the large circle of buildings presented before him - InterCity. Several gleaming skyscrapers surrounded a large concrete commons, where a fountain bubbled merrily, as if unaware of the sirens that surrounded it, nor the police tape that blocked off the door to the main Bank's vault building. Or where the door used to be - it was now a gaping, smoking maw, where firefighters inspected the melted debris and warped metal.
He stopped just long enough to catch the T-Car's screeching stop, and Beast Boy's wide-eyed gaze take in the scorched metal, before he ducked under the tape and took the stairs at a running start.
Starfire's breathy gasp had barely caught in his ear when he heard the boom.
! !
The building gave a mighty tremor, as small rivulets of dust trickled down the staircase walls. Robin pushed his burning legs faster. One gloved hand was pushed to his ear, desperately yelling into the comm for a response.
A heavy clunk from behind him sent him spinning to inspect the flickering staircase behind him - the explosion had rendered the building silent, as the mighty generators and lights rumbled to a stop. It was eerie, and his harsh breathing echoed cruelly in the dark.
A red dot swayed upwards from the murky dark towards him, and he lowered his fist into a defensive stance as he stared into the dark. His shoulders were tensed beneath his cape, and his legs squared against the steel stairs.
The red dot solidified into the panting form of Cyborg, emerging from the landing below. His broad shoulders were grey with dust. With a soft sigh Robin relaxed just enough to lower his fists. His angry voice rang between them.
"Cyborg! Where have you been? I've been calling you for the past three minutes - where are the others? Where is Starfire?" He demanded, and Cyborg pulled himself to the stair below, his bulk still taller with Robin, and the way he looked down on him sent his spine shivering.
"Comms are down, I think your boy is blocking us. As for the others - Beast Boy is flying to help Raven and Star. There was an explosion, don't know how bad yet, comms went down as we heard it. Best to get to the roof."
Robin nodded, and led the charge once more, listening hard for any signs of the BB or the girls.
It had been ominously silent since the boom that had fractured the building around them. The closer they got to the top of the tower, the larger the cracks that seemed to chase them up the stairwell.
It seemed the building would collapse at any minute.
With a gasp and a leap Robin burst from the stairwell onto the rooftops, and had to shield his eyes against the unexpected glare of several floodlights set up around the rim of the building. There was a large crater blown out of the side of the building, as if a giant had come in and taken a bite out of it, and the edge of the building was slanted down in a slow tumble of debris.
Swift blinks and shielded hand allowed his eyes to adjust and he scanned for the others, turning just in time to see a flash of black thrown bodily his way - Raven.
She slammed into him and he just managed to wrap his arms around her and roll midair so his back hit the ground first in a vast smear across the ground, as their momentum carried them nearly to the end of the building. His back was square against the concrete lip, and his arms were locked around Raven. She groaned against his chest, her head moving for her to stare blearily up at him before falling to his chest again. A large gash above her brow tinted her skin in shadow and smoke, and her hands were split and bloody against the grey concrete.
As gently as he could he rolled her off him and tucked her small frame against the lip of concrete, knowing that she needed time to kickstart her self-healing process. A swift glance up showed Cyborg standing in front of them bodily, protectively, plasma gun ready, while Beast Boy and Starfire were dive bombing in and out of the smoke, leaving jet streams like fingers reaching for the stars with every swoop.
Beast Boy, skin stretched taught in the body of a large pterodactyl, gave an angry cry at Raven's small form, and dived for her, his human feet hitting the ground at a run until he skidded to a stop next to her. Her eyes were opening now, the gash above her brow shutting in a gleam of dark light, and she gave a bleary don't-you-dare-coddle-me glare to Beast Boy, who simply set his jaw determinedly and helped her to her feet, gripping her tight around the waist when she slipped, pushing them body to body.
He stared down at her, gently releasing her waist from his warm grip, before pulling her hands into his own, giving a disapproving frown when he saw the ripped skin over her palms. He ran a gentle finger over her palms, soft and sweet, feeling her eyes on his face. A cheeky grin spread across his face like sin, and before she could protest he swiftly formed into a large dog, complete with thick fur and thumping tail, and licked her palms with a tongue dripping saliva.
Raven gave an utterance of horror and disgust and jumped back, as Beast Boy changed back, his hands wrapped around his ribs as he laughed.
"Gross, Beast Boy!" Raven yelled, kicking a piece of debris towards him, which he dodged easily, face still twisted in a shit-eating grin.
"Ay, I read somewhere that dog saliva has healing properties - but, look at you, bouncing back! Must have worked." With a wink and a grin he jumped into the air, transforming into an eagle and soaring above the smoke, while Raven shook her head and focussed on her hands, where a black light illuminated the closing cuts. Anyone looking close enough would have seen the small smile that flitted over her lips, before she swept her cloak back from her legs and readied to join the fray once more.
"That's all nice and all", Robin yelled from the other side of the roof. "But, battle, remember?" he yelled pointedly, and Cyborg had to give a small sigh. Robin. Ever the love killer.
He hadn't even seen the enemy yet, but he had a feeling deep in his gut that it was the red-rat-bastard. With a determined set across his forehead, he pushed into the smoke, and was instantly lost in what felt like smoke and mirrors. Sound was distorted and he saw all around him flashes and visions - the bright glare of Starfire's hair as she landed next to him, the startling colour of her eyes, completely overtaken with a green that seemed to drip acid, the flashing light of one of Robin's smoke-dispellers rolling to his feet.
Smoke-dispellers. Huh. His brain clicked at the same time as the small diffusion device, and he turned in a moment, shielding Star against his chest as the small ting sounded, and the smoke all around them was cleared in one whush and expulsion of dust into the air.
And, above him, the stars were so, so bright.
Across from him, he saw Robin gain sight of Starfire, saw the realization of her safety lift his cramped shoulders and release his tense fists.
He turned towards them, was about to run, run to her, when a booted foot connected to his shoulder from behind and Cyborg saw Robin fall to his knees in the rubble.
Red X stood behind him, and Cyborg could tell that even through his mask he was smiling.
Bastard.
Starfire seemed to have the same thought because with a cry of rage she launched herself over Robin's bent head and onto Red X's chest, where she kicked off from into a flawless backflip that left him slightly staggered. She landed inches above the ground, her hair swaying around her head like a maelstrom of violence, her hands fisted around green lightning and her eyes throwing off sparks. Red X settled onto his haunches, and threw up crossed forearms when her eyes spat out lasers of molten destruction, the green glancing off his gauntlets like water on oil.
She paused briefly, confusion flitting across her face as the glow in her eyes simmered, and Red X took the advantage, launching himself across the gap between him, only to be knocked aside by Robin, who clasped his arms around Red X as they both fell to the ground in a mess of writhing limbs and tangled expletives.
Robin gave a muffled curse and let go of Red X when he felt the pinch of electricity seeping up his ribs - the bastard had tried to taser him. He rolled off to the left, and felt the singe of air across the nape of his neck as Cyborg took advantage and fired off a volley of rounds at Red X, only one of which caught a glancing blow against his forearm as he sprung into a back handspring and retreated to a few metres away, staring them down with his faceless mask.
Robin looked at Red X's forearm - his suit was ripped, and blood seeped through, bright against black. He gave a smirk.
"So you do bleed." Red X gave a small, conceited shrug, then settled into a fighting stance, ready. He ran towards Red X, feeling rather than seeing his team at his back. His family.
He felt his spirits lift. This time. This time. This time they would get him.