Titans Forever

by Blue Ten

Summary:

When the Titans defeat a mysterious assassin targeting Starfire, they are thrust into a journey to possibly save an entire system from destruction. Can the Titans' friendships and bonds survive in the harsh environment of war? RobxStar, BBxRae

Disclaimer:

I do not claim any ownership of the TV series 'Teen Titans', or any of its counterparts.

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Episode Five: Separation

- - -

Act One: A Life Lost

Gradually awakening, Cyborg proceeded to blink the blur of sleep from his human eye – long after its mechanical counterpart had already flickered on. All around him, the ship's familiar whir resonated lightly throughout every element in the shadowy cockpit, declaring itself to be alive and well. At least to Cyborg, it was all quite peaceful: a home away from home, in every sense of the phrase.

Much like Earth, the ship had a heartbeat to it, a breath, and a flowing life-force.

"You guys awake in there?" asked Cyborg, tapping on the metallic side of his head. Ever since Tamaran, the enigmatic Technis had remained silent and still in his memory banks... perhaps conserving energy until a good opportunity to leave came about. Nevertheless, he took it upon himself to attempt a conversation every once in a while... having no success so far.

When no answer came, the robotic Titan yawned and looked away from the dashboard's sea of blinking buttons. Far beyond the thick window floated Vega's varied constellations, clear and bright, their subtle blue glow finding its way into the ship. This sight had become the norm for the Titans.

For the inhabitants of a vessel floating through space, there was no clear distinction between day and night... as neither truly existed for them. Still, Cyborg remained on Earth time. Glancing down at his arm's computer, he saw the current hour to be sometime in the late morning.

Fully recharged from his rest, Cyborg stood up and made his way around the chair. As he passed through the cabin's doorway, he could see each of his friends still resting in their individual bunks. Despite the 'time of day' he couldn't blame them for sleeping in. The mission had become a grueling, tiresome journey for everyone...

Ironically, the only real progress the venture had seen since Okaara was Raven's dream projection, and Beast Boy's interpretation of those events.

Since the incident involving Charta, several more planets had been scanned and searched. However, not a solitary one provided any clues as to the missing Tamaraneans' whereabouts. Starfire had interviewed many of the locals with carefully chosen questions, but none could offer much more than confused apologies. This 'war,' it seemed, was as much a well-guarded secret as it was an active threat.

However, throughout these dead-end visits and all-but-inspiring events, the Titans had discovered a new and surprising comfort. After each long trek across alien land, every return to the ship relieved their weary minds and muscles. In the safety of its walls was a place where recently dashed hopes became easily renewed. Cyborg knew he wasn't the only one who felt this way... He could see the shared feeling on his friends' expressions, each time they passed back through that airlock.

The mission was far from over, and the Titans were nowhere near to declaring it as such. As long as they had a way to progress, the will came naturally.

Having traveled to the kitchen, Cyborg smiled optimistically at these thoughts, stopping by the refrigerator to locate his rations for the morning. He peeked inside the lightly illuminated cooling unit to see its barren innards. They would soon need to start using the alien food (generously donated by Wildfire)... No one but Starfire was looking forward to this, but the fact was quickly becoming inevitable.

Clank.

Thump.

Hearing a pair of distant noises, Cyborg pulled his eyes away from the fridge. Slowly, he turned his full attention to the hallway door, letting the appliance shut on its own. Replaying the sounds in his mind, he deduced it had originated from the lower levels... the engine room.

As he approached the hallway door, the only thought on his mind was the well-being of the engine. He could think of no other source for the sounds than a mechanical failure... a murmur in the ship's young heart.

- - - - - -

The first thing Cyborg noticed via his slowly returning vision was a continuous pulsing of red light in an otherwise pitch black void. A blurry veil coated his human eye's sight, and through it he could make out the infrequent sources of illumination, which lined the upper corners of a corridor. He appeared to be passing forward through them... devoid of his own control. Strangely, his robotic eye remained unresponsive...

Gradually, a terrible grinding noise presented itself to the Titan. Startled by this, Cyborg forced himself back to full awareness. Dire shock suddenly coursed through him like adrenaline as, through his human eye, sights unbearable revealed themselves.

The grated flooring was unstable, rumbling and tilting like a boat in violent waters. As the red lights of the metal hallway pulsed, a heavy smoke could be seen swirling about, thick in the air. And yet, somehow, he continued to progress through this disaster...

Curious, Cyborg looked down to his right. There stood the answer to his question. Starfire had one of his arms draped over her shoulder... Eyebrows low and vision focused intently on the path ahead, the girl pulled him along as fast as she could.

"Starfire?" Cyborg spoke, finding himself mostly unable to move his own body. Looking down to his left, he saw what the back of his mind had feared. His entire left arm, shoulder and all, was missing. The mechanical wound was wide open, its edges seared black and partially cutting into portions of his chest and abdomen. Blue sparks infrequently flew from the damaged machinery and electronics.

Unsettlingly, Cyborg could feel a twinge of human pain from somewhere within the charred metal... He winced as his mind took further notice of it.

"Do not move... you have been damaged," said Starfire, coughing slightly as she adjusted Cyborg's weight on her shoulder and continued forward. Though she was rarely bothered by environmental hazards, the heavy smoke seemed to be adversely affecting her strength... or, maybe it was...

Immediately, the events that led up to this point came flooding back to Cyborg. Listening carefully, he could hear loud and continuous slamming in the far distance behind him... The source of all this damage was still sealed in engine room. With a sigh, he turned his attention to the floor, where his feet weakly helped to carry his weight.

"Back on Earth, I spent so much time working on this... trying to build her strong, sturdy... Every chance I got, I'd go back down to that room and put a little more into it..." he said, looking to Starfire regretfully. "But she just wasn't ready to fly... not like this. The ship's still young." Cyborg remained silent for a moment. "I'm sorry..." he added.

Suddenly, their progress through the hall came to a stop... however continuing moments later.

"You are not at fault," said Starfire firmly, still gazing forward through the smoke. "That is just... the lack of oxygen speaking."

Cyborg shook his head in disagreement. "Your safety became my responsibility once we left that tower... And I let you guys down 'cause I got careless," he argued. "I just... I was too proud of this ship. Bein' there when she took off, seeing everything work for the first time... it kinda made me feel invincible, y'know," he said, thinking back on the first flight. "Man, was I wrong. If I hadn't been focusing on the stuff that went right... I might have figured out what could go wrong."

"Cyborg..."

"I coulda done something to stop it..." he said, still focusing on the thumping in the background.

"Without your help, we could not have come so far," Starfire quickly spoke up. "We would know so little... the Tamaraneans would be lost. No matter what happens, I am grateful that we were at least able to try."

Cyborg turned his attention forward, thinking on her words.

"You cannot blame yourself for the things that go wrong," said Starfire, pushing forward through the smoke as fast as she could. "The ship is damaged... you are damaged. But we are all still alive, and that is of most importance," she finished. Hearing a light chuckle from Cyborg, she turned her attention to him inquisitively.

"You sound like my dad..." said Cyborg with a small smile on his face.

- - - - - -

Young Victor Stone stared forward at his hands in a state of shock. He moved his fingers about, clenching them... listening to the disgusting sound of gears and mechanical tendons doing their work. Their surface gleaned, silver in the white light of the infirmary. There was a sense of touch... and yet there was not.

The last thing he remembered before all this was an explosion. And now, he sat atop a medical bed... a blue blanket draped over the rest of his body, less himself than he ever imagined possible. His only positive thought at the moment was that he could not see his own face... He could feel it, however, half of it gone. And it sickened him to the core.

Victor's father, Silas, stood beside the bed, having explained the situation as best he could... among other things. He was an older man, hair gray, dark skin showing signs of age, but very much resembled his son. However, the two could not be more contrasting in personality. Silas held on his face a look of regret... of deep, utter sorrow. However, the boy could not see it. All he saw... was a monster.

"Victor, I--" began Silas, reaching a hand out.

"Shut up... Just shut up, old man!" shouted Victor, slamming his hands against the bed and clutching the blanket in his titanium grip.

Silas took a step back, hardly surprised by the outburst. He turned his eyes to the ground, knowing he deserved whatever harsh words would come his way.

"All my life, you used me... forced me to be what you wanted," Victor spoke in a low tone, his voice, however, saturated with contempt. He recalled how his father always seemed to oppose him at every turn. He had dreams of being an athlete, of going to the Olympics... but the old man had a different life in mind for him. "And all that time, I fought you..." he continued, clenching his teeth and shutting his eyes. "But you won... didn't you?"

Silas softened his expression...

"I'm exactly what you want now!" said Victor, breathing heavily. He had more to be angry about than his condition... but he could only bring himself to vocalize one side of it. "I hate you, old man! I hate you!" he shouted. "Why didn't you just let me die? Why couldn't you let me die!" he questioned in a rage, feeling tears spilling over his eye. Calming his breath, the boy looked down to the blanket and saw that his grip had torn holes in its surface.

The large, white room remained silent for several, agonizing moments.

"Son... I know I let you down," said Silas, letting out a shaky breath. "But I didn't do this to hurt you... I wanted a second chance," he said pleadingly. "I had to do something..."

Victor's face remained void of expression, staring forward at nothing.

"I've been a lot of things... and a good father isn't one of them," Silas lamented. "I have to make up for that somehow. Please... understand that I... I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"But it did happen..."

Letting out a defeated breath, Silas looked to his son seriously. "A lot of things went wrong... but you're alive, no matter how. That's what's most important. You can't let something like this get in your way... You never have before."

Victor looked away slowly. "Get out..." he said, nearly whispering. "Just... leave me alone."

- - -

Act Two: Running Away

Passing through the door leading out of the kitchen, Cyborg peered to his right, down the dimly illuminated flight of stairs. As he continued on, he guided his steps with the utmost caution, as though the smallest of wrong moves could further upset the ship. When it came to mechanical problems, Cyborg always felt such things needed to be handled with great care. Merely as force of habit, he continued on in this way.

The flat ground at the base of the stairs led to two consecutive left turns, and brought Cyborg to a short stretch of corridor. On the right side of the area was a small room cut right into the wall, a holding cell of some sort Cyborg had designed for emergencies. To the left, center point in the wall was another set of stairs, which led straight down to a lower level.

Listening carefully, Cyborg could only hear an eerie quiet accompanying the engine's pulse. Strange... if it was a mechanical issue, he would have expected a few more hiccups. But still, problems along these lines were always difficult to diagnose without closer inspection.

As he set foot on the lower level's grated flooring, Cyborg found it oddly difficult to take in a breath. The air seemed... thin... not dry or used up... but merely lacking in abundance.

Scrape.

"O-o-okay..." Cyborg commented, one eyebrow ascending. His eyes stared down the long hallway in response to the noise. Strangely, the sound seemed to continue quietly in the background.

Ignoring the service panels and blinking displays lining the walls, Cyborg moved onward in a cautious fashion. At the other end of the hall was a heavy, closed door. Beyond this was his destination, the engine room, which housed the ship's beating heart.

Finally approaching the door, Cyborg eyed the small input panel on its right. As intended, a strong lock and secure password would keep the engine room safe from intruders and curious... green Titans.

Accidentally fumbling his step, Cyborg's foot touched down on the grated flooring with a relatively loud clack. Immediately, the scraping noise in the distance came to a halt. Of course, this peculiar happening brought a look of confusion to the robotic Titan's face. Almost suspicious, he squinted at the door's metal surface for a moment.

'Hmm...' Cyborg turned his attention to the panel's keypad and carefully input his password. Immediately, the door hissed open, allowing the full, unhindered whir of the engine to pour through the opening.

Down a short metal staircase, the engine room was mostly dark. However, blue light from the central mechanism itself managed to illuminate the immense, rounded area well enough. To the lower right of the stairs, taking up most of the room and a portion of the forward wall, the engine's cylindrical form could be seen rotating in place beneath a protective shell of steel framework. Several openings lined the metal casing, allowing a view of the engine beneath and a way to perform maintenance tasks if necessary.

Lengthy shadow cast by the hallway lights, Cyborg descended into the room below the stairs. Moving closer to the engine, he stopped to examine the rest of the room.

The floor shook from the machine's steady rotation. Blue lights shot through the maintenance windows and flickered against the rounded walls. All the while, the engine let out a healthy, uninterrupted whir. All was normal... and this, ironically, was what had Cyborg most worried.

What had he been hearing?

Turning to his right, Cyborg looked toward the back of the engine. The other side of the room was completely obscured by the engine's massive form... Perhaps the problem rested there.

Barely given time to advance, Cyborg was startled by a heavy thud which rattled the flooring just behind him. About to turn around, he felt himself shoved forward strongly... falling face-down on the floor. Though his arms lay dead at his sides, mostly out of view, Cyborg could see strings of electricity flowing through his mechanical parts. Strangely, he found his arms and legs unresponsive as he tried to move once again.

Eyes widening, Cyborg halted all movement attempts as a pair of heavy footsteps began to shake the floor behind him.

"Don't bother moving," came a low-toned, gravelly male voice. "Your motor functions have been disabled by that device," the voice continued. "Such is the plight of robotic beings."

Cyborg could hear the footsteps approaching, rattling the grated floor as they continued in a surprisingly calm manner. A pair of large, dark boots passed by his vision, followed closely by... a swooping tail. Coming to a stop just in front of Cyborg, the figure knelt down, blue light from the engine giving detail to his once dark form.

Garbed in a simple black uniform, the massive, hulking creature stared down at Cyborg through a somewhat familiar mask. Narrowed white slits provided the illusion of eyes on the facade... and the image of an imposing, toothy scowl made up the rest.

Seeing this, Cyborg's shocked expression became a hostile glare. It was another assassin... much like the one they had faced on Earth.

"This vessel is quite the impressive construct," said the creature, taking a moment to glance around the engine room. "However, its design is rife with flaws. So many little compartments... pockets of air... Any creature latched on to it long enough could find a quiet way in," he said, looking back to Cyborg.

Cyborg began to clench his teeth.

"I am not below granting my targets certain respects. There are, after all, things they deserve to know. My name is Koza," stated the creature, blank eyes fixated on Cyborg. "Silence. Darkness. These things are all I require to complete my tasks. Fortunately, your ship provides ample supplies of both," he spoke in amusement.

"We're not gonna let you--" began Cyborg.

"We?" questioned Koza, chuckling under his breath. "Take in a deep breath, my friend," he said, waiting for the confused Cyborg to react. As the boy's eyes began to wander frantically, the creature spoke up once again. "Can you sense it? That emptiness? With every passing moment, another patch of air leaves this ship... and by now, your friends have been all but... silenced. But fear not, I understand it to be a painless form of death for your people."

"No..." said Cyborg, finally taking notice of the increasingly thin air.

"Tamaraneans, however, require more... precise action," said Koza, bringing his right arm into view. Attached to the creature's silver wristband was a large, cannon-like device, which took up most of his arm. Ridged veins of orange light pulsed across the body and barrel of the weapon. Koza held the armament threateningly close to Cyborg's face before standing up, gaze still focused downward.

"You... stay away from her," growled Cyborg, straining to take control of his arms. To his own surprise, he managed a few slight movements... Enough of that, and perhaps he could overload the inhibitor on his back... he assumed. However, all this did not go unnoticed by the monstrous lizard.

"Amazing... you endure the air loss as a machine, yet resist the device as a biological organism. An enigma, you are."

"Man, you'll be even more impressed when this enigma kicks your ugly--"

"It seems a waste to dispatch such a unique being, however, your eyes have gleaned far too much at this point," Koza interrupted, losing any amusement in his tone. Slowly, he removed a flat, rectangular object from a compartment on his belt. Kneeling down once again, he pressed the metallic device up against the lower portion of the engine's casing beside Cyborg. "You tread an ever darkening path... one paved with incomprehensible horrors, truths... a path to Oblivion. Most would sooner die than come to terms with the reality ahead. So consider my actions today as a favor, to all of you."

Cyborg looked to his left at the object, which remained attached to the engine covering... Its plain metallic shell offered no clues regarding its purpose. However, after a moment, an orange light flashed beneath its surface, accompanied by a single, low beeping sound. This sequence repeated seconds later, and again... its frequency increasing each time.

"It has adequate destructive power to rupture the engine, and more than enough to render you formless," said Koza, rising to his feet. Turning around, he simply began to walk toward the staircase, paying no attention to Cyborg's feeble attempts at standing. "There is no gain in fighting it. We are merely aiding the universe in its progress..."

The explosive mechanism could be heard beeping more and more as the seconds passed.

"Get... back here," said Cyborg, teeth clenched tightly as he pushed his hands against the ground, both quaking incessantly. Seconds later, he fell back to the ground, arms locking up once more.

"You have my gratitude for opening this doorway. It spared me the trouble," said Koza, standing at the bottom of the stairs, black and silver suit caught in the hallway's yellow light. The monster's heavy feet struck the steps as he continued. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have long-delayed business with the princess," he said, brandishing his wrist cannon once more, making sure to glare down at Cyborg from the top of the stairs.

"Then I must not keep you waiting," came a voice from the hallway.

Eyes contorting in confusion, no sooner did Koza twist his point of view than he was met with a powerful blast of green energy. The resulting explosion sent the creature hurtling from the staircase, over the open floor, and crashing into the far wall. Leaving behind a sizable dent in the metal, Koza fell to the ground, a single grunt being his only audible reaction. He remained unmoving... perhaps unconscious.

Pulling her eyes away from the downed Gordanian, Starfire immediately caught sight of Cyborg, obviously hindered on the ground. "Cyborg!" she called, immediately flying in his direction.

Finally snapping out of his surprised state, Cyborg stood up as far as he could, the device's continuous beeping ringing in his ears. "Starfire, wait!" he shouted, holding out a quaking hand to halt her if possible.

In one blinding, deafening instant, the room lit up with intense orange light.

- - - - - -

"Thanks, Star..." said Cyborg with a smile. Ironically, the assassin's device had been removed from his back, but the explosion had left his motor functions in disarray. It would take a while for his brain to reroute certain connections. Currently, he still relied on Starfire to carry him out of the damaged lower levels. As usual, the girl remained her cheery self despite the circumstances.

The robotic Titan looked ahead through the thick smoke to see the staircase at the corridor's end. The way out wasn't far... but, strangely, something worried him. Koza's attempts at breaking through the sealed door had ceased... leaving an eerie quiet to fester in the far off, smoky distance.

Cyborg quickly forgot about the new enemy as something more pressing finally hit him. "How's everyone else? They alright?" he asked, looking down to see Starfire's expression. Thankfully, it seemed to imply there was nothing to worry about.

"They are well... perhaps weakened by the air loss... but well," Starfire replied, smile remaining. "With so little oxygen in the ship, they could not accompany me, so I advised they stay behind and proceed with the evacuation procedures..." Starfire paused for a moment. "Was that right of me?" she asked, a bit unsure.

"Yeah, of course," Cyborg responded quickly. "It's probably the best thing right now..." he said, focusing his gaze on the floor. Catching only half of his normal vision, Cyborg was reminded of his predicament. The sensors in his mechanical eye were fractured... and a good deal of his left side had literally been blasted away... leaving a black and charred space where his arm and shoulder once were. In a way, he was thankful. Had any of the others gone in his place, it would have been a disaster. At least he could be repaired.

Still, though Cyborg strained to ignore it, the twinge of human pain at his core continued to pulse, like an open wound. He knew exactly what it was... and deep in the back of his mind, the mere thought of it resurrected one long forgotten fear... human mortality.

"Cyborg?" Starfire spoke up, interrupting Cyborg's distressed thoughts. "Are you... in pain?" she questioned worriedly, having seen his wincing expression from the corner of her eye. As she turned to look his way, she took notice of a sudden orange glow beginning to cast itself on their forms... moving closer from behind.

"Nah... I'm just--"

"Cyborg!" shouted Starfire, immediately pushing him to one side.

Unable to stop himself, Cyborg fell to the ground by the nearest wall. Quickly pushing against the ground and looking up, he became witness to a horrific scene. Violently parting the thick clouds of smoke, a strong beam of orange energy cut straight through the hallway. Starfire had pushed him out of the way... and now stood in its path. Before any further action could be taken, Cyborg saw the beam pass right through his friend.

At that moment, time seemed to halt altogether. Cyborg could hear nothing... see nothing else but that look of shock on Starfire's face as the energy passed directly through her shoulder. As the world slipped back into motion, the beam of energy dissipated and Starfire began falling toward the ground, reacting to the shot with little more than a quick exhalation of pain. Her body remained limp, lifeless, as she collided with the floor.

Still in shock, Cyborg could hear loud thumps echoing through the hallway. As he looked down the corridor, he could see the source of the noise as Koza, dashing over the floor as the parted smoke slowly returned to guise his form. An orange glow from the monster's wrist cannon could still be seen in swirling haze... growing in intensity.

Cyborg looked back... The staircase was no more than a few feet away.

Without much thought, Cyborg hastily brought himself to a standing posting. Rushing over to where Starfire had collapsed, he picked her up in his only arm, and wasted no time in climbing the stairs as fast as his barely functioning feet could manage. Once beyond the last step and safely in the brig area, he carefully set Starfire down on the floor and turned back to the hall. The footsteps were only getting louder, closer. Cyborg swore he could hear the hum of that monster's weapon closing in as well.

On the right side of the hall's threshold was a simple panel with a map of buttons on its surface. Trying to ignore the approaching footsteps, Cyborg stared at the buttons, several of which were lit up blue, green, and red. He knew what he wanted to do, but his mind was in such a state of panic that, for once, memory failed him.

Frustrated, Cyborg growled angrily, slamming his fist into the panel, shattering its surface and causing the plastic buttons to fall away.

Instantly, a heavy door slid down from the ceiling, shutting off the corridor. Before Cyborg could breath a sigh of relief, a loud slam issued forth from behind the new shield, causing the Titan to step back.

"There is nowhere to run! You have merely delayed her fate!" shouted Koza, voice partly muffled by the thick door and his continuous attempts at breaking through it.

Glaring forward, Cyborg ignored the slamming and stood before the steel barricade. "I'm not running..." he said in a quiet, sober tone. Turning around, he looked to Starfire in regret. Once again picking up the girl with his arm, he moved as best he could toward the upper deck.

- - - - - -

Despite that a part of him knew there was no one to blame, Victor found himself unable to forgive his father. Even though his life had been saved by the cybernetics technology... it could hardly be called a life anymore. Growing up, all he had was his aspirations; knowing that one day he could achieve them gave him hope... that he could pave his own path through life and become who he wanted to be. But those dreams had been forever obstructed by the cold steel which now composed his form...

There was only one other person who seemed to believe in him back then... and now she was gone as well.

Frustrated not only with his father, but also with his newfound fate, Victor left home and made residence in the worst part of the city, a place known at the time as 'Hell's Kitchen.' In effect, he had expelled himself from society, to a place that seemed to have been forgotten, run down, and broken. He considered himself a freak, something less than human, and so believed his new environment to be a fitting one if nothing else.

Hardly able to accept his state of being, and knowing others would be even less willing, Victor preferred to keep his condition hidden. All he wanted now was to be left alone, to forget and be forgotten. It was a confusing time in his life. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he was trying to run away from himself... but had nowhere to hide.

One night, while walking the streets of the city, face hidden behind the hood of a heavy jacket, Victor came across a peculiar scene... a fight in the distance. The city had become his new home, and so he felt compelled to intervene. Little did he know, that which he had tried so hard to run from would catch up with him. On this night, fate would prove to be his greatest ally.

- - -

Act Three: No Greater Gift

A blinding orange light fading from her recent memories, Starfire slowly opened her eyes. Carefully, she pushed herself away from the floor. As the rest of the room came into her view, she saw she had been lying on the ground beneath a flight of stairs... Her eyes winced as she suddenly realized a sharp pain on the back of her head as well.

The engine room was dark, no longer illuminated by the main device's blue glow. A heavy smoke coated the air, made apparent by the hallway's lights beaming in through the open door... They now constantly pulsed bright red. The emergency lights.

At this moment, the entire incident came rushing back to the girl's immediate thoughts.

Eyes adjusting to the dark, Starfire reluctantly examined the area around the engine... until she saw what she hoped was just her imagination. "No," she said in shock, covering her mouth and standing up straight. Her friend had fallen face down on the floor... his entire left arm and shoulder gone, burned away by the explosion; it had become a black and charred void which cut unsettlingly deep into the Titan's form. Starfire could barely bring herself to look.

A low groan came from Cyborg's direction.

"Cyborg?" Immediately, Starfire knelt down beside him. He was unconscious... but still alive. "Do not worry, friend," said Starfire, reaching down and pulling Cyborg's arm over her shoulder with ease. "I... will not... leave you," she said, straining a little, realizing the explosion had taken a lot out of her as well.

Making her way up to the hallway, Cyborg in tow, Starfire turned back as slight sounds of movement came from the smoky engine room. Thinking quickly, she carefully set Cyborg down by the nearest wall and turned around, waiting for the door to slide shut. As soon as the mechanism hissed to a close, Starfire charged energy in her index finger and aimed it at the door. In several quick motions, she sealed off the engine room, fusing the door to its metal frame.

Once again picking up Cyborg, Starfire looked ahead through the swirling fumes.

"I promise, you will live."

- - - - - -

Currently, the sleeping quarters appeared to be a total mess. Visible beneath pulsing red lights, four white mattresses had been haphazardly piled in the central area, accompanied by a lump of blankets and pillows. The four bunks where the Titans slept had been cleared out entirely, leaving simple, rectangular alcoves in the opposing curved walls. Each bunk now had a peculiar padded 'flooring' to it... and several other mechanisms which had once been disguised by the mattresses.

Three Titans took up the remaining space in the room. Robin, breathing carefully, sat on the ground beside the starboard bunks, resting an arm over the lower one... his vision remained bound to the hallway door. Kneeling on the floor near the opposing bunks, Raven seemed somewhat worried, keeping a close eye on the third Titan. His eyes wandering lazily beneath their lids, Beast Boy appeared rather out of it; at the moment, he relied on Raven to keep him sitting upright against the bunk wall.

"Breathe slowly. Do you understand what 'low oxygen' means now?" questioned Raven, squinting at the changeling. "I warned you not to go running in there," she said sternly, shaking her head.

"Huh?" Head gradually wobbling from side to side, Beast Boy ignored the many small stars of light gliding across his vision and looked to Raven with an almost drunk smile. "Sorry... I was just trying... to impress you," he said, head tilting back and finally resting against the wall.

Face heating up considerably, Raven quickly swallowed her heart back down, which had reactively leaped into her throat. "Great... he's hallucinating," she said, expression back to normal.

Robin narrowed his eyes at the door, feeling too helpless. "Raven, if it's as bad as you think it is... then I can't just sit here," he said, standing up slowly. Surprised, he looked down to see a pair of wobbly legs barely able to support his weight. Shakily, he fell back to his position against he bunk.

Raven let out a sigh. "Either you stay here, or you end up like him," she said, gesturing her free hand at Beast Boy. "Trust her, Starfire will--"

Interrupting Raven, the hallway door slid open, revealing a severely damaged Cyborg. He breathed heavily, resting his injured side against the door frame while trying his best to carry an unconscious Starfire over one arm. The boy's human eye stared forward, newly formed dark rings beneath it.

"Cyborg, Starfire!" shouted Robin, immediately up on his feet. Only partway to the door, he felt a strong burning sensation spread throughout his lungs. Falling to his knees, he began gasping for breath... with little relief.

"Easy, man. We're... alright," said Cyborg, standing up straight again. He kept an eye on the recovering Robin... knowing the boy was most worried about his girl... and rightly so.

"What happened to you?" asked Raven, examining the two. Both looked like they had been through a war.

"...Raven. You got enough strength to heal her?" questioned Cyborg. Robin not far behind, Cyborg walked over to the empath, carefully releasing Starfire into her care. The Titans now formed a close group... two of them out of commission. Cyborg quickly took notice of Beast Boy's condition. "He okay?" asked the Titan.

"When we heard the explosion, he tried to run downstairs... but passed out along the way," she explained, glancing at Beast Boy from the corner of her eye as she located Starfire's wound. "He should be fine," she added, hands glowing white over Starfire's shoulder.

"What about you?" Robin cut in, unable to pull his attention from Cyborg's left side... or lack thereof. He knew Starfire would make it, especially now that Raven was helping... but Cyborg... he had never seen the guy in such a state of disrepair. It was clearly worse than the usual missing parts or damaged metal... much worse.

"I've been torn apart, chopped up, and once had my limbs spread across an alien valley. I'll manage," Cyborg answered, floating his hand in the empty space at his left. He tried to manage a false smile for the others. "But that's not important. We ran into another one of those masked guys down there--"

"What?" Robin quickly stood up, looking ready for a fight.

Not wanting another unconscious Titan on everyone's hands, Cyborg reached up and settled Robin back into his kneeling position. "No need to go all 'Robin' on us. The ship's in lock-down mode. By the time lizard man gets up here, we'll... be long gone," he said, trying to disguise a slight stumble over his words. "He'd been stowing away on the ship since our last stop and eventually found his way in. He let out a lot of air and ruptured the engine, so we're flying on momentum right now..." he explained, shaking his head. "Just glad the emergency systems are still working," Cyborg finished, looking up at the red lights, which had recently stopped pulsing and now just provided an eerie, crimson glow.

"...She'll be okay," said Raven, relieved as she moved her hands away from Starfire's shoulder and let the girl rest against the lower bunk wall.

"Great," Cyborg responded with a nod. "Come on. Let's get you guys in the lifeboats," he said, standing up straight.

"I know we don't have much of a choice, but it just feels wrong to leave the ship behind like this..." said Robin, feeling as though the vessel had sort of become the Titans' second home. Immediately after speaking, he noticed Cyborg's face don a peculiar expression.

"Yes, but retreating now will give us a chance to fight later... when we're all intact," said Raven, understanding the decision completely. Despite her good handle on breathing, she could already feel the oxygen deprivation setting in. Now was not a good time to fight, especially not with two and a half Titans down for the count.

The leader nodded in agreement.

Moving closer, Robin carefully lifted Starfire in his arms. For a moment, his eyes lingered on her face... Steady breaths escaped Starfire's lips, her expression almost peaceful. Seeing this, Robin exhaled a sigh of relief. Despite his faith in her abilities, a part of his mind always focused on the fear of losing her... It was a weakness he could never overcome. It was why he savored moments such as this, when he could simply hold her in his arms and pretend things weren't quite so bad.

Clearing his throat, Robin realized the others were probably staring by now. A little red in the face, he stood up and walked over to the opposing bunks, gingerly placing Starfire into the lower one. Pausing, he looked down to her resting face... feeling as though there were things he needed to tell her – something as simple as 'I'm glad you're okay.' However, he knew anything he had to say would be lost to her at the moment...

Reluctantly, the Boy Wonder pulled away, reaching up to climb into the higher bunk. As he settled himself into the cushioned center area, he looked across the way. Raven had apparently helped the slightly conscious Beast Boy into the top bunk, and now rested calmly in the last remaining one. As soon as everyone was in place, Cyborg stood by the hallway door, opening a square panel on the wall beside it.

"Pretty neat, huh?" asked Cyborg rhetorically, messing with the many controls in the panel. "They double as escape pods. Bet you never saw that on Warp... Trek," he paused, looking back to see that Robin was the only one still awake.

"Are they safe?" asked Robin, tapping on his bunk's 'ceiling' with an index finger.

"Heh," chuckled Cyborg, resuming his work on the control panel. "Don't worry, she'll be fine," he reassured the boy. "These things have the same basic features as the ship: artificial gravity, oxygen scrubbers, and a self-guidance system. Plus, they're all programmed to land on the next planet down the orbit," he said with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. "Hopefully, you guys can find some help there..."

Hearing all this, Robin narrowed his eyes in slight confusion. "Cyborg... What about you?" he asked, sitting up a little to see over the bunk's edge.

Pausing for a while, Cyborg simply stared down at the control panel with a blank expression... "It'll give you a good warning, but just remember to strap yourself in before you hit atmo – or the system will do it for you," he said nonchalantly.

Robin sat up as far as he could and looked down to Cyborg. "What about you? Where's your lifeboat?" he persisted.

Keeping his view fixed on the wall, Cyborg let out a short sigh. "Honestly... I was hoping you guys would all be unconscious for this," he said strangely, looking up to the team leader with a serious face. "Later, Robin," he said, reaching down and striking one final button on the control panel.

As soon as Cyborg's apparent choice hit him, Robin prepared himself to leap from the bunk and protest with all his ability. However, just as quickly, a thick metal latch slid down within the bunk, locking itself in place and cutting off the rest of the room. Beyond it, he could hear another heavy barricade of metal sliding to a close. As several interior lights flickered on, Robin sat in the small space, shocked beyond belief.

"Cyborg!" he shouted, slamming his hands against the wall. "Cyborg!" he continued, stopping as soon as he felt the escape pod shake, his body pulled to one side from the force. He then realized there was nothing he could do. Cyborg had sent them all off...

"Later..." repeated Cyborg, eyeing the plain steel walls where the bunks once rested. The others were on their way now... they were safe. 'Never had time to install one for myself,' he answered Robin in thought.

Taking his arm from the wall, Cyborg looked up to the ceiling and listened to the vessel for a moment. All around him, where the ship's once lively whir resided... was a dead silence. Her breath had been caught in her throat, heart no longer beating, blood frozen to a stop. In essence, she had become a ghost.

Taking in a breath of thin air, Cyborg turned to see the forward door. With nothing left to say, he simply made his way through to the cockpit... stopping in the threshold.

A captain going down with his ship. Cyborg had never intended for it to go this way. That said, he had never intended for the ship to launch in its current state. But he couldn't just stand by when one of his friends needed help... he could never do that. He thought, perhaps, that selfless state of thought had become his undoing... building an escape plan for the others, but overlooking his own before it was too late.

At least he could give them a chance to survive, he thought...

Stepping through the doorway, Cyborg moved to the middle of the room and rested his weight against the map console with his hand. The cabin, though dark, was surprisingly unaffected by the damage below deck. As well, the peculiar blue glow of the surrounding stars prevailed, passing softly through the windows, as though nothing was wrong. Cyborg looked out through the glass with his human eye... Casting a brilliant white ray, Vega itself appeared to be rising over the ship's horizon.

It was a strange bit of solace in an otherwise despairing time... like a beacon proclaiming possible hope.

- - - - - -

Jump City's bay seemed afire in the late afternoon light. Spreading its blaze across the rippled waters, a bright yellow sun continued to sink slowly below the horizon. Basking in this ethereal glow, where once a bare island resided, a tall, gray tower now stood atop the rocky land. Under a clear, orange sky, the structure's perplexing 'T' shape cast a long and equally peculiar shadow over the water, toward the city streets.

Though few had come to know it yet, this tower would quickly become the signature of heroes.

At the moment, two admirers stood on the stretch of sidewalk overlooking the bay... a father and son.

It had been a while since either had spoken, but a strange turn of events had managed to bring Silas and Victor back to good terms. Victor, now freely going by the alias 'Cyborg,' had come to know four extraordinary people and with them formed a team of sorts. The young heroes had made headlines recently by banding together to defend the city from a group of hostile invaders... and the media quickly dubbed them, 'The Teen Titans.'

Perhaps the two had gone on long enough in regret. Perhaps they had come to accept what they knew all along: that there was no blame to be had, nor any to place. Whatever the reason, Silas and Victor were no longer at odds concerning the past, and finally agreed on a future.

As soon as he heard of his son's exploits, Silas was quick to offer his help. He wanted to show that he had changed, that he would support Victor no matter what path he chose... especially now. And so he envisioned and helped to create the structure in the bay. An organization known as S.T.A.R. Labs, for whom he worked, gladly funded the construction of 'Titans Tower.'

"Plenty of room for everyone, all the utilities... and free cable," said Silas, glancing at his son with a smile. "The rest is up to you and the Titans. You've got full creative freedom with whatever you want to add."

Pulling his awestruck eyes from the tower, Cyborg turned to his father with a playfully stern look. "Full-size gym and obstacle course?" he asked, smirking.

"I knew you'd say that," replied Silas with a chuckle. "Consider it done." He nodded.

Cyborg took in a satisfied breath as he looked back to the tower. "Man, the others are gonna love this," he said, thoughts drifting in another direction. "Heh... not so sure what Raven's gonna think, though... sharing a house with the green kid," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Thanks, dad..." he added finally.

"It's nothing..." Silas responded quickly. "I owe you a lot more," he said, pausing for a long moment. "So... the hero business, huh?" he asked, smile growing as he thought of his next question, already knowing the answer. "Any chance I can change your mind on that one?"

Still watching the sun set behind the tower, Cyborg grinned widely. "Not a chance in the world," he replied.

A light laugh could be heard from Silas. "I'm glad... that you can finally pave your own path again," he said, suddenly feeling lightheaded... a cold sweat forming on his brow. Pulling a handkerchief from his jacket pocket, he dabbed his forehead with it, regaining balance.

Taking notice, Cyborg looked to his father, eyebrows lowered in worry. "You okay?" he asked, watching Silas quickly stuff the handkerchief away.

"Fine... just caught a little cold," he lied, feigning a smile as he returned his gaze to the tower.

Silas didn't want to risk worrying his son at the moment... not when things finally seemed to be going well. For him, these days were about making up for past mistakes, nothing else. And he could think of no greater gift for Victor than a chance at his own life again.

- - -

Epilogue: A Hundred and Ten Percent

Cyborg made no moves, his expression remaining stoic as the door behind him slid open. He simply listened, with little interest, to the heavy footsteps finding their way into the cabin. As soon as the tromping came to a halt, continuous, low, almost angry breaths began to fill the room.

Hearing the frustration in Koza's breathing, the cybernetic Titan nearly felt compelled to smile.

"What's the matter? Lose something?" Cyborg asked mockingly. Tired and straining for breath, he now rested on his knees before the map console, hand against the ground to support his weight. He could see the diagnostics on his arm; as exhausted as his human side was... his power cell had a full charge.

The Gordanian's low growl of a response seemed anything but amused. "Was it worthwhile to throw your life away for her?" asked Koza. "How pointless. We are all destined for the same end, so why prolong another's existence at the expense of your own?"

The air around him thin and wasted, Cyborg could nearly feel himself drifting out of consciousness, but answered nonetheless. "Some things are more important..." he said.

"You speak of weighted importance. Do you not value your own life?"

"I value... life," Cyborg replied, clenching his fist against the ground.

"Then surely you do not wish for yours to end so easily," said Koza, leaning forward, lowering his voice to a slight whisper. "Give me the trajectory of the escape vessels, and perhaps I'll let you live... to see her die," he said, pausing to await an answer. "If not, then I can simply extract the data from this ship's memory... or your own."

Cyborg made no response, continuing to lean forward against the console.

"Even the strongest of creatures, when cornered – faced with their own mortality – will decide on self-preservation if the choice arises. You have sent your comrades off alone, your ship is all but destroyed, and you... are in no better condition," Koza continued. "I am giving you an opportunity to live. One's own existence is all that matters – so I ask you, what loss is there in choosing life over death?" he questioned. Taking in a quick breath, Koza stepped back as a blue light began to radiate from the room's center.

"My friends, my ship, my... self," said Cyborg, feeling the emptiness on his left side. Eyes closed and teeth clenched, he took no notice of the blue light pulsating beneath his mechanical parts. "You're right... I did lose a lot of things today..." Cyborg paused, his entire body quaking, "but I've still got you," he said, standing up straight. In one motion, Cyborg turned around, his Sonic Cannon aimed forward and nearly blazing with energy from a full charge. "Now get lost!" he shouted with a glare in his eye, unleashing the massive wave of energy on the shocked creature.

Caught entirely off guard, Koza found himself subject to the full effect of the blast. Thrown back with incredible force, the monster was propelled through the open doorway, across the bare bunk room, and finally crashed against the far doors, severely denting the metal. Groaning, Koza opened his eyes to see a sizable crack in his mask... He could hear the gases within his suit hissing out through the new aperture. And soon, every strained breath became like a fire in his lungs.

Falling away from the door, the creature began to grasp at his throat, gasping like a fish pulled from the water. Eyes widening, he looked up to see his opponent approaching, the boy's mechanical portions glowing with strange blue light.

"You underestimated me. I'm not just some creature you backed into a corner," said Cyborg, retracting his cannon. Moving forward, he used his only hand to pick up the choking Koza and slam him back against the door. "My friends are all I got. And I'll give everything to protect them, no matter what the cost!" Without another word, he released the Gordanian and delivered a fast, powerful strike to his mask.

The force of Cyborg's punch managed to bend the metal doors apart, causing the Gordanian to drop back through them. Stumbling backward through the hallway, Koza, still struggling to breath, fell through to the dining area as the doors suddenly opened for him. Backing away on the floor, he simply watched as Cyborg pursued him.

Koza continued to push himself backward, crawling under and to the other side of a table that took up the center of the room. "What--" he began, voice raspy and cracking.

"Am I?" Cyborg finished the creature's sentence. Growling, he tore the table from its bolts on the floor and tossed it aside... to where it became a crumpled mess of metal by the sink. Focused on Koza, Cyborg seemed mostly oblivious to his own actions and the glow still radiating from his form. "I can tell you what I'm not," he said, speeding up and lunging at his opponent. Once again with the heavy monster in his grip, he pushed forward across the room, through the final pair of doors, and to the viewing area. Koza found himself slammed up against a pane of glass, which made an unsettling cracking noise upon his impact. Behind him, he could feel the cold emptiness of space through the barrier.

"I'm not messing around!" shouted Cyborg, slamming Koza up against the glass once more. Several small, white cracks began to spread across the window behind the creature. "I'm not afraid of you!" he continued, pushing forward and using Koza to damage the glass again. The fractures grew more numerous. "And if you're so determined that you'd raid my memory banks to find Starfire... then I am not gonna let that happen," he finished, pausing to glare at Koza.

Looking through the crack in the creature's mask, Cyborg almost cringed at what he saw. A single, crimson eye stared out through the opening, surrounded by ghostly... lifeless gray skin.

"Some things are more important than 'one's own existence,'" quoted Cyborg, releasing the creature and grasping the front of the mask in his palm. "And I'm gonna prove it to you," he said, pulling back, Koza's face still in his grip.

In a single, swift movement, Cyborg threw his arm forward.

The pane of glass on the final deck of the T-Ship separated into hundreds of smaller shards. Instantly, all sound became muted, and the two combatants were pulled violently from the ship... into the void.

- - - - - -

Unmoving, unblinking, Cyborg could only stare down at a sea of stars beneath him in the black. An intense cold surrounded him, penetrated his very being to the core, and yet... he remained... conscious and aware. Several rotating shards of glass began to pass by his vision, some catching the sunlight rather brilliantly.

In the dead silence of the abyss... his thoughts were his only companion.

'I guess, in the end, I'm just like you... You gave and gave until you had nothing more. And even then, you were left with regrets.'

'I didn't want to leave them behind... but for those moments, I forgot about myself. They became all that mattered.'

'And maybe I was just looking to make up for my mistakes... feeling like I let them down somehow. It was my fault they got hurt. So I did all I could to make it right again, even at my own expense.'

'Back then... it was the day Victor Stone died. But you saved me, and I woke up a better person than I ever could have hoped to be... I just didn't know it yet.'

'Dad... I understand now. I want you to know that I forgave you a long time before you thought I did.'

'I only hope... you... can forgive me now.'

- - - End Episode Five - - -

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Author's Note: Now, I know what you're thinking: "OMG, you killed Cyborg!!" But, rest assured, you must read the next episode to find out whether or not that's accurate :P.

Sorry this took so long, but I've really been straining to write lately, despite having a good amount of free time. It's not as easy as it used to be XD, and that's probably because I'm trying to put a lot more into this story than usual, as it is my last Titans fic. Just want it to be worthwhile. Looks like I update this story, on average, once a month (or two) – which isn't too bad, considering some of the fics on my alert list haven't seen updates in a lot longer (no offense to the writers, of course; I'm sure they have their reasons).

I do intend to finish this story, so don't worry :). Thanks so much for reading; I really appreciate everyone's continued support over these many, many months.

The next episode is split up into several vignettes, detailing each of the Titans' experiences after Separation (more or less). Plus, there's a big surprise in it :).

Next Episode Preview: Cast off from the ship, the Titans, though expecting to end up in the same place, find themselves stranded on very separate vistas. As new problems arise, can they find their way back to each other, or will the pressure of operating solo prove too much for them? "Episode Six: Alone"