Chapter... Um... I don't actually know... It's probably, like, nine or something... uh... on with the story!

"Hurry up!"

"Well sor-ry, we don't have cool illegal suits!" Beast Boy complained.

"But you have superpowers," Red-X replied.

"So?"

Red-X sighed. "Just shut up and follow me. I'll slow down a bit."

"There's no need for that," Raven put in. "Cyborg and I are keeping up just fine. Beast Boy could, too, if he'd try."

Beast Boy gasped. "Are you saying that you believe in me?"

The demoness blushed, but quickly recovered. "No. I'm indirectly asking you to stop being an idiot."

The green one looked down at his feet sadly. For a moment there, he'd thought Raven had actually cared about him. He desperately wanted to tell her how he felt, but he couldn't quite find the courage. Instead, he just said, "Oh."

Red-X glanced at the two titans. It was so obvious that they were in love. I might have to do a bit of match-making before I leave, he thought.

"Alright then, down this hallway," Red-X ordered, leading them in the correct direction.

"How do you know your way around this place so well?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't know, I just do. Instincts, maybe?" Red-X mumbled, turning left down a dimly lit corridor. "She should be to the right, through a door on the left, and down the stairs."

"Right, instincts," Raven said under her breath.

"Let's go, then!" Beast Boy yelled. The other three simultaneously shushed him. "Sorry!" he whispered loudly.

X rolled his eyes and led them down some carpeted steps. "She should be somewhere down here..."

"Hey, um... Why are you helping us?" Cyborg asked.

"I have my reasons."

"Mind telling us what those reasons are?" Raven asked, staring him down.

"Um... Why do you need to know, anyway? I'm helping you, what else matters?"

Raven sighed. Cyborg crossed his arms. "Hmph. Well, why aren't we rescuing Robin?"

"Because rescuing Starfire is rescuing Robin. As soon as Star is safe, he's got no reason to stay."

"Oh. Heh. Robstar."

Red-X sighed at the mention of his least favorite ship. "Yes, Robstar," he said to avoid suspicion.

Suddenly, loud banging filled the group's ears. Muffled screams followed. "Let me out, you snargling chlorbag! Let me out!"

"Sounds like Star," Cyborg commented.

"No dip," X sneered, rolling his eyes again and heading toward the source of the banging.

They opened a door to see Starfire trapped in a glass cylinder with a metal base. The cylinder slowly moved toward the ceiling. It looked like Starfire would be crushed between the ceiling and the metal base if the cylinder rose a few more feet. The titans' eyes widened and they all began firing things at the cylinder in an attempt to break Starfire out before she was flattened. The Tamaranean was mouthing words to her friends, but they couldn't understand her. The cylinder rose higher and higher. Starfire crouched low to the base of the cylinder. Right before she would have been killed, the cylinder stopped moving upward and began to move downward again. It stopped and remained stationary when its base touched the ground. Relaxing slightly, the team glanced at each other, and then Raven and Cyborg took the cylinder apart piece by piece. When it was fully disabled, Starfire stepped out.

"I was trying to advise you to take the pill of chilling," she said. "It does that every half of an hour. At first, I thought it would crush me, but it never does. It is like a-"

"Scare tactic," Raven finished. "If you're freaking out about death, you won't be able to think straight. You'll be in constant fear."

"Yes!" Starfire confirmed. Then she launched herself at Raven. "I give you all my immense thanks for rescuing me!" She moved over and hugged Cyborg, then Beast Boy (who, sadly, didn't notice the way Raven's fists clenched when he and Starfire made contact). Then she saw Red-X.

She pinned him to the wall and held a starbolt to his throat.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, sweetheart. Calm yourself. I'm on your side, for now," he said calmly, pushing her arm down.

She stepped back. "Oh. My apologies." Then confusion filled her expression. "Where is Robin?"

"We don't know," Cyborg said, sighing.

"We can't rescue him now, anyways. We have to get you home so Slade can't recapture you and use you against Robin again," Red-X added. "But why don't we leave Slade a message, saying we'll be back to help Robin if he needs it?"

Starfire nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, that is a wondrous idea!"

"Here, I've got a camera on me. We can record you and the team threatening Slade and saying you'll be back for Robin, and we'll leave the camera here for Slade to find. Make sure you tell Slade just how much you hate him," Red-X suggested, pulling a small red camera out of one of the many hidden pockets in his suit. He held it up, pressed record, and mouthed, "Go."

Beast Boy transformed into a bird and perched on Raven's shoulder for the video. Raven rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the camera, along with Cyborg and Starfire. "Hello, Slade," she spat out.

"We would like to inform you that I have escaped," Star said as Beast Boy began to fly in circles around everyone, "and we will return later for Robin, you vile, sadistic, man."

"We just want to remind you that the good guys always win. We will stop you," Cyborg said.

"Permanently," Raven growled.

"And we would appreciate it if you would please not come back to life this time," Star added. They waved goodbye to the camera and started toward the exit. Before setting down the camera, though, Red-X whispered,

"If you have any brains at all, Slade, you'll know how to use this."

"I don't... I can't... What?" Robin stuttered, staring at the blank screen.

"Do you need me to replay it?" asked Slade, finger hovering over the correct button on the remote.

"Erm... I- um... Yes."

Slade rewound the video and pressed play. Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy in bird form popped onto the screen. "Hello," Raven said rudely.

"We would like to inform you that I have escaped, Robin, you vile, sadistic man," video-Star said.

"Sadistic?" Robin asked no one in particular. "Vile?" He turned his attention back to the video.

"And we would appreciate it if you would please not come back this time," she continued. The Titans waved (all except Beast Boy, who simply tweeted at the camera) and left the room. Robin half-consciously wondered who was holding the camera as Slade turned off the TV.

"They... They don't want me to come back," Robin whispered to himself. "She doesn't want me to come back."

Slade sighed. "I truly am sorry. That was a very cruel way of telling you their feelings. I didn't want you to find out like that, but it's their choice how they tell you." He paused. "I suppose you can go back to your so-called 'friends' if you want. But you're also welcome to stay here."

Robin was silent for the longest time as he considered his options. He hated Slade with a deep, burning passion. He loved his friends, especially Starfire.

But if they didn't love him back, if they wanted him to stay with Slade, then who was he to go against their wishes? If they didn't want him there, what was the point in going back?

"I'll... I... I think I'll stay."

That was probably the awesomest chapter I've ever written for this book. I'm satisfied with it. And the word count is like, 1,323 or something, so it's a pretty-well sized chapter, too!

I have a question, though.

HOW ON EARTH DO YOU MAKE AN INTERROBANG? Let's see, alt + 8256 is... 9. WHAT? HALP ME PLZ. Okay, Hannah, you can figure this out... Just... Just press alt and then all the buttons... mmm... ••◘○◘U435; KUU-A+"►_=L^1C

*sigh*

Not a single interrobang. (is that even how you spell it?)