Hey everyone! I've missed you all sooooooooooooo much! It's been craaazy busy around, but I just sat on myself until I could finish writing this. I've been taking classes and stuff and work's been taking up my time. Lots of prep and stuff.

But instead of coming up with excuses as to why I have not written, I'll just tell you all I've missed you like crazy. Special thanks to my dedicated readers and reviewers.

I'll give you a recap since it's been so long...


A plasmus invaded downtown Steeling and no one knows what to do.

Richard is sent downtown in hopes to get rid of the thing.

He finds out that the plasmus shoots out acid and it burns whatever touches it.

Now he took out his gun.

Aimed.

And fired.

Which takes us up to present time, so enjoy the chapter.

And hit.

The thing shrieked terribly as it went down in acid, burning anything the dying body touched. Unfortunately, Richard happened to be escaping just as the stuff hit his shoulder. He muffled a curse and vaulted out of the way, to flee from the pink stuff.

"Note to self," Richard muttered under his breath as he tried but failed to move his shoulder due to the burning stuff. "Things turn into acid when ousted. Ouch."

Stuffing his pain, Richard found that chubby cop and directed him to clean up the mess. "It's acid, so be careful. You need to get special detoxicants to clean up this mess. Touch it and you'll burn. You need glass for removal. Keep pedestrians away until this is cleared. Got it?"

The cop nodded and took over to do his job. With that, Richard leaned against a wall and sighed in pain. He pulled out his phone and called Victor.

"Yo, Vicky boy, we've got a case five situation and it's gonna need some cleaning."

"Sounds like you were successful."

"Yep. Though I picked up some acid on the way."

"You're already acidic without it."

"Just get me a medic."

"I have to find one that can treat alien acid burns, k Grase? Hang in there and I'll get back to you pronto."

"Is Friend Richard harmed?" came Starfire's voice from the other end of the phone.

"He'll be fine. Just got a little burnt."

"Tell her not to worry," Richard told his computer genius.

"May I please have the talking device?" Starfire asked. Richard heard some shuffling on the other line until Starfire's voice came into focus.

"Friend Richard, what creature did you encounter?"

"Um, this big ugly acidic blob type thing that had many eyes."

"A plasmas?" Starfire gasped.

"I guess so. How am I supposed to know?"

"Was it pink with black eyes? Unusually tall and slow moving? Its weapon is pink acid and anything the acid hits, melts?"

"Yep, that sounds like the creature I just encountered. Why?"

"Friend Victor, a paramedic will not assist Friend Richard."

"Why?" both the boys asked in unison.

"Just hold on tight, put some alvin on it and I will be there shortly."

"Starfire, you can't leave the house. You don't even know where I am," Richard protested.

"I'll find you. Friend Victor will give me coordinates on your location. Do not do much moving. Please."

"Star, what's so bad about it?"

"A plasmas' acid eats away at a person at a steady rate. It's not something easily detectable to remove and none of you earthlings have encountered such a virus. It is deadly."

"So what can you do?"

"My people have a way in dealing with illnesses. Please Friend Richard, do not move more than you have. You will be severely harmed."

"Then how am I supposed to get aloe?"

"Ask your fellow policemen. Be well and do not move from your location." With that, she handed the phone back to Victor, who hung up, leaving Richard listening to a beep. Great. Just great. Now he was intoxicated by some acid thing and only Starfire might know how to remove from his system.

Richard stumbled forward and found a cop. "I want you to get me some aloe vera asap. It cannot wait."

The cop stared at him and then at his shoulder. "Um, sir, you're shoulder has a hole in it."

"That's why I need some aloe."

"I don't think aloe will do the trick."

"Don't argue with me and get me some goddamn aloe vera!"

"Sir." With that, the cop fled from his presence to get some aloe. Richard gritted his teeth, wondering how long it would be before Starfire arrived in Steel City.

OoOoOoOoO

Starfire paced the room as Victor tried phoning a jet.

"Please, Friend Victor, I have no need for a plane of airs. I merely need a location on where Friend Richard is."

Victor sighed and hung up the phone, only to turn to the slim alien. "I don't understand."

"Do you not have a device of track? A way of locating Friend Richard's exact position?"

"Well, I do, but I don't see how that will help you."

"Trust me, that is all I need. May I please have it so I may assist him? I have no need of transportation."

"Okeyday, lady-o." He handed a small screen to Starfire, curious of her mode of transportation, but afraid to voice anything. She'd probably just use her mysterious alien powers. "This will tell you where he is. Just follow the red dot."

"Understood. My thanks." With that, Starfire took off at a dead run and fled out the door. As soon as she was far enough, she took off into the air, her speed giving her momentum as she headed off to save her friend.

Victor could only stare out the door wonderingly.

OoOoOoOoO

Richard was feeling slightly lightheaded and strangely fatigued. His shoulder hurt worse than getting hit by a gun, and he could smell his own flesh burn. The acid was starting to spread. He sat down gingerly, waiting for that forsaken cop to show up with aloe.

Finally the cop showed up with a bottle and handed it cautiously to the agent. Richard sent him a death glare, one that could be seen even through his shades, and started to apply the aloe with care.

And it burned almost as bad as his wound. Richard bit his lip to keep himself from uttering a string of curses. He was supposed to be a fearless agent and if he started screaming—or worse, crying—he would lose his reputation. So he bit his lip and appreciated his sunglasses more, for they masked the naked pain in his eyes.

And then shouts from around him woke him from his reverie. What were they screaming about? He followed there frightened fingers pointing up at a shape in the sky.

And cocked an eyebrow as the shape sped toward them.

He could feel the wind blow them all back as the alien pulled up from her headlong flight. Literally. Despite the fact Starfire slowed her momentum, she still hit the pavement with a sickening crack, though strategically far enough from the pink acid and the people. She dented the ground, creating a smaller crater and emerged but a moment later.

People backed away fearfully from her. Richard wanted to laugh at the hilarity of it all. Starfire, from what he gathered over the past couple of days, was a compassionate alien who cared for her friends. And now she was charging over to her friend and Richard felt, for the first time in too long, relief. And that surprised him.

OoOoOoOoO

Starfire paid no heed to the humans who were looking at her like she was an alien. Right now she was focused on Friend Richard. Immediately she was by his side, examining the wound. It looked worse than she thought.

"That was an impressive subtle entrance," Richard remarked.

"My Friend is mortally wounded. Being subtle is not needed in a time of vitality." She touched his wound and Richard hissed with pain.

She looked at him sadly. "I am going to do something that hurts. A lot. Please do not think badly afterwards."

"Why would I?" Richard was about to ask but was cut off as Starfire's hand began to glow. It was a paler green than her usual starbolts, but that still didn't make him feel to good. He had seen what her starbolts could do.

Starfire carefully aimed her healingbolt at Richard's shoulder, and let it loose.

Richard gripped his seat, screaming bloody murder in his head. He was over the verge of losing control, but he bit his lip—drawing blood—to keep others from knowing about it. Her shot hurt worse than the acid and made his whole body feel aflame.

Starfire quickly grabbed his shoulder and covered his wound with the broken skin.

And then the pain ended.

People were shouting at the alien, drawing close, with guns cocked, about to fire.

Starfire paid no heed as she watched the color come back to Richard's face. She smiled.

Richard moved his shoulder and found perfect movement. For some strange reason, he felt as good as new. It was like Starfire's bolt healed any injury he had taken in the past as well as in this past battle. And he smiled at her, only to find her smiling back.

That's when he noticed everyone else and how they were all about to shoot Starfire. A fierce protectiveness he didn't know he had overcame Richard as he pulled Starfire close and pulled out a gun.

"Shoot her and I shoot you," Richard declared to all the cops with loaded guns.
That overly fat cop stared at Richard like he was crazy. "Sir, are you crazed? This thing just shot you!"

"And look at my shoulder now!" Richard decried. "See?! No hole anywhere! I'm as good as new. She will cause no harm. She is under my jurisdiction. And as such, you have no right to touch her."

"But she came from the sky," spluttered another cop.

"Think of her as a gift from heaven."

Starfire hid a smile of her own and extricated herself from Richard's possessive hold. "I am here to help you." She pulled something out of her boot. It was a vial used to strengthen any material. "You are to be using glass to clean up the acid, correct? If so, add one drop to the glass you are using and the acid will dissipate as you scoop it up, so you have no need to find a place to store it. This will help, yes?"

The cop eyed her warily, and put on a glove before reaching for the vial. Starfire shrugged off his suspicion and handed him the vial with no care in the world.

She turned to Richard. "Shall we go back now?"

Richard gave her a lopsided smile. "Sure."

She took his hand and cocked her head. He grinned at her and they took off into the air, leaving the policemen to stare at them, mouths agape.

And the heading of the following day's newspaper stated "Gift from Heaven Gives Vial to Clear up Unruly Mess in Steeling".

An unspecified agent helped clear out an unusual circumstance just yesterday. A foreign specie from another world invaded downtown Steeling, causing wreckage we have not seen since September 11. With admirable tact, the unspecified agent took down the creature, acquiring a lethal wound in the process. However, the mess remained. Then, as all hope seemed loss, a gift from heaven flew out in the form of a beautiful maiden with flaming red hair and hands glowing green. She healed the injured agent and handed authorities the tool to cleaning up this unruly mess. Now downtown Steeling is cleared of toxic, and is on its way to being rebuilt into a cleaner, sturdier city. The identity to the angel seems to be unknown, but we all know she helped save the day.

OoOoOoOoO

Richard closed the paper and looked up at Starfire, who was oblivious to the impact she had made. But he knew. And Victor knew. And Raven and Garfield knew.

As did the Director. And he made that abundantly clear as he spoke down and cursed Richard ten times over. "…and this mission, that was supposed to be a secret, is now blown out of proportion as the whole world now wants to meet your alien! A gift from heaven?! This agency is a mockery I tell you! And you are no better off!" And the Director kept on going. Richard shrugged it off as he kept an eye on the alien who was playing with a remote control car with all the enthusiasm as a kitten with yarn just outside the door. "Grayson!"

"Yeah?" Richard asked, forcing himself to face the Director's face on the computer.

"Are you listening to a word I'm telling you?" The Director glared at his agent.

"Yep. I'm a mockery to the agency and I am a terrible person. I got it. Anything else?"

The Director glared at Richard. Sometimes the boy was too slick for his own good. "Put the alien on the line. I want to speak with her, face to face."

"But sir, that's my job," Richard spluttered, utterly shocked at the Director's forwardness.

"Really?" The Director asked sadistically. "That's why you know if she's a threat or not?"

"She's not. I can vouch for that. And so can the papers."

"Regardless, put the alien on. Or you could give me Harper." The Director raised an ironic eyebrow at Richard and Richard snarled.

"Fine. I'll get Starfire."

Richard coaxed Starfire into the room, though he really needn't, since she was fascinated by the computer.

"There's a talking man!" Starfire exclaimed to her friend, pointing at the screen. "I thought they only spoke to each other and could not address us."

The Director smiled against his will. Her innocence, despite being dangerous, was quite refreshing and amusing. "On the television, child. I hear you are the angel who saved Steeling."

"The city the plasmus invaded?"

"Yes, that one."

"That's refreshing to hear. It's much better than being called an 'alien'. Mr. Director, you humans have a huge case of xenophobia."

The Director chuckled, causing Richard to raise an eyebrow. "That's part of our job, err—Starfire—right?"

"Correct. So all of you humans dislike foreigners?"

"Well, we're pretty fearful of the unknown, and frankly, Miss Starfire, you're unknown territory."

"I mean no harm."

"I can see that. I can also see you as an asset to the agency."

"I beg your pardon."

"You heard me. You could be really helpful to Grayson. But I need you to answer a few questions."

"Depends on the question. I have certain things I am not allowed to speak about."

"Why is that?"

"I'm not allowed to speak about it so I can hardly tell you, now can I?"

The Director swallowed down a retort. She was not an American citizen. She was not even human. He had no authority over her. Yet. He looked down on the report he had from Grayson and Stone so far. She was a fugitive. Of what, they were uncertain. She had certain enemies after her. Escaped prisoner. Of war? Harper hinted to one brewing.

"You are a fugitive, correct?"

Starfire nodded hesitantly.

"Did you break a law?"

Starfire quickly shook her head.

"Then why were you a prisoner?"

Starfire gave the Director a look. "Firstly, you are prying. Perhaps our customs in the outer realm are different to your barbaric ways on your planet."

"Barbaric?" The Director raised a questioning eyebrow at her tone.

"Correct. Unsophisticated and barbarically attached to useless mechanisms."

"Miss, I believe you are incorrect."

"Then who wages war against their home planet? That seems pretty futile to me. You are supposed to have internal peace and external diplomacy."

"Is that how it is on Tambourine?"

"Tameran," Starfire corrected, starting to get annoyed. Her eyes were taking on a green hue. "And yes, that is how it is mostly on Tameran. Do not pretend to understand things that are outside your realm of comprehension, sir. It is both beyond your mental capacity and none of your business."

The Director glowered at the forthcoming alien. "Miss, if war is brewing in space, it could very well affect Earth. We must be prepared for any occurrences. If you continue to discount what I have to tell you, I will personally throw you into prison myself."

Starfire kept her thoughts to herself. "Sir, please do not intervene in places you do not comprehend. It requires diplomacy and tact which this planet does not have."

"Woman, you may have brought a war to the planet Earth."

"Not yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Director snapped.

Starfire shrugged. "If you will excuse me, I have to use the room of rest. Good day." With that, Starfire fled the room, leaving the Director to stare dumbly at his agent.

"What'd she say?"

"She had to pee."


I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review else I may "forget" about the story ;-)

Anyways, next chapter, secrets will be revealed. Who manages to get Starfire to tell? Why is Starfire fleeing? Will the planet Earth be drawn into this potential war? Is it actually potential or very real? Whose next? And why is Harper acting strange?

Find out next update. But only if you review of course.

I can't wait to hear from you all!

Your's truly,

moonlitsfantasy