When Slade opened the hatch, the Titans were instantly aware of a presence within the cell, though none of them had yet dared to look in. It was the smell that gave away what was inside, that reeking scent of death which was so terribly common in this world. It wafted out of the small cell and made the Titans choke.
"W-why," coughed Beast Boy, "Do you have a freakin' zombie in here? This is crazy, even for you two."
Selina looked at the floor. "Bruce has a hard time letting go."
"What is that supposed to mea-" Raven's jaw snapped shut as she realized what it meant. She turned to look at Robin. The boy was shaking, his masked eyes locked on the rectangular patch of darkness that the weak hallway light had failed to illuminate. "Don't tell me," said Raven. "Please don't tell me that…"
Even Slade had looked away from the Titans. Mask or no mask, his expression was still impossible to read. Wordlessly, he pointed to the door.
Starfire was the first to approach. She curled her fingers into a loose fist and brought a shimmering green starbolt into existence. Its light flooded into the cell, and what was within was revealed. A zombie, yes, but one with short black hair and the tattered remains of a red, green, and yellow uniform. Starfire recognized that costume even in the emerald light cast by her bolt. Her lips moved soundlessly, but the Titans knew what it was that she said: Robin.
The thing inside the cell shambled closer to the source of the light, and Starfire saw that it did not have it's-Robin's-mask on. Two lifeless eyes met her watering ones, and Starfire shook her head viciously. This was not at all how she had wanted to see Robin's face for the first time.
The monster opened its mouth. "Ar. Ire."
Starfire screamed and extinguished her starbolt. She spun around and ran past the stunned Titans, back towards the beginning of the hallway. She said something in Tamaranian, tears now falling freely from her eyes.
"Starfire," Cyborg said. "I...I know. Just stay over there. You'll be-it'll be okay. I promise."
Starfire shook her head and swiped her forearm across her face, but she stayed where she was while the others took their turns peering into the cell. No one said anything: there was nothing to say.
Finally, Robin tore his eyes away from the door. He had seen enough-had enough. He strode over to Slade and grabbed him by the collar, pulling the man down to his level. Slade didn't resist. Robin felt something odd brush against his knuckles, but he couldn't let himself get distracted.
"Explain. Now." Robin snarled into Slade's face. "What the fuck is this?"
"Robin!" Selina exclaimed. "This wasn't-this isn't his fault!"
Robin twisted around, face ugly with fury. "It's always his fault!" He brought a hand back. "Everything that's ever happened to us is his fault!" Robin slammed his fist into Slade's face. There was a sickly crack as the villain's nose broke. Robin looked at his bloodied knuckles and let go of Slade, who straightened up with a strange half-smile on his face. He brought a hand to his nose and it came away red.
"Why are you smiling?" Robin said. "What is wrong with you, you fucking psychopath?"
Slade laughed, blood running down his face. "I'm glad you're angry, dear boy. Perhaps it will keep you alive this time."
"Fuck you," Robin spat.
"Robin, try to calm down," Selina said. "Slade didn't do anything, I swear! Bruce is the one who locked the zombie up down here!" Selina turned to the Titans beseechingly. "Is Robin always like this?"
"When Slade's involved, yeah," Beast Boy said. "And before you ask, I don't think any of us are upset that Robin just punched Slade. Maybe Slade didn't do anything this time, but he's done plenty of shit in the past."
Raven nodded and Cyborg crossed his arms.
"Heroes," Selina said. "Hey, Bird Boy, if you want an explanation, you can get it from Bruce Wayne. Lay off Slade, 'k? Or else kitty gets her claws out."
"What happened to you and Slade never hurting us?" Cyborg asked Selina mockingly.
"Shut the hell up, Tin Man," Selina snapped. "That promise only works if you all keep your side of it by not hurting us. Comprende?"
Cyborg opened his mouth to respond, but Starfire stopped him.
"Can we be going back upstairs now, please?" Starfire sniffled.
Selina deflated, her anger disappearing as quickly as it came. "Of course we can, kid. That sounds like a good idea." Selina pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly. "Robin, we're going back up now. I'll get Bruce to talk to you if you just calm down and get in the elevator, alright?"
"Fine," said Robin. "Let's get out of here."
IIIIII
When everyone was once again seated in the furniture circle, Selina spoke.
"So I'm gonna go get Bruce. Hopefully that will clear some things up. Try not to kill Slade while I'm gone, Titans."
"Should be more worried about him killing us," Beast Boy muttered.
"I heard that," said Selina. "Oh, and Slade, do something about your nose. I think it's still bleeding." With that, Selina vanished into the shadows of the Batcave.
For a few minutes, no one spoke. Then…
"Well, this is cozy, isn't it," said Cyborg. Raven snorted, and Cyborg felt some of the tension ebb out of the air. Even so, looking at his teammates' faces, Cyborg knew they were still shaken by what they had just seen.
"Are you okay, Star?" Robin asked. The girl was fiddling with her hoodie, and Robin saw that her fingers were trembling.
"Yes. No. Oh, I do not know." Starfire buried her face in her hands, though she did not cry. "To see you as a Zakur'ugra, friend Robin, was most-most upsetting. It was so wrong."
"I know what you mean," said Robin. "I can't even put what I felt into words. Sick, mostly. Like I was going to throw up, or faint, or both. But you handled it really well, Starfire."
Starfire gave him a small, crooked smile. "No, I did not. I came very near to attacking the monster when it...when it spoke. I only stopped myself by doing the running away."
"I would've attacked it if I were you," Beast Boy said. "I don't think I could have stopped myself. The talking thing was freaky." He shot a glare at Slade. "Besides, I doubt it's safe to have a zombie down here with us."
Slade met Beast Boy's eyes dispassionately. "Are you so sure you would have been able to attack if it resulted in the creature's destruction?"
"Well, yeah, I mean, it's just a zomb-" Beast Boy stopped and slowly turned to look at Robin, who looked back at him. He swallowed with sudden difficulty. "A zombie that looks like Robin. Was Robin. Is Robin? On second thought, I, uh, might have some trouble with that."
"You and the rest of the world," said Selina, reappearing by the Batcomputer. "How do you think the rest of the superheroes were defeated? They couldn't bring themselves to fight and destroy things that seemed so human until it was too late." She coughed. "Of course, most of the zombies don't look so human now; the years have not been kind to them."
"You told us about the superheroes, but what about the villains?" Robin asked. "What happened to them?"
"Well, a decent amount of them survived the first two or three weeks since they didn't care about saving anything but their own skins. But as far as I know, they didn't survive much longer than that. They were probably overwhelmed by sheer numbers." She paused, then went on. "Some are still alive, though, but, uh, most aren't." Selina looked like she wanted to say something more, but she only shook her head. "Anyway, as you can see, Bruce isn't here. He said he doesn't want to talk to you. Rude, huh?"
"He doesn't want to talk to us?" Robin said incredulously.
"Yep. Said you could get your answers from me."
"You're making this up," said Robin. "There's no way-"
"Could you stop accusing me of lying?"
"Only if you stop lying."
"Enough." It was Slade who spoke. His nose had stopped bleeding, but his lower face was maroon with dried blood. He seemed to be the only one unperturbed by this fact. "Selina, did Bruce say anything else to you?"
"Nope. He's in a mood again." Selina rolled her eyes. "So, Robin, if you want to cut the crap and let me explain why we have a zombie in the house, feel free to let me know."
"Tell me," Robin said.
"Ah, ah, ah, what's the magic word?"
"...Please," ground out Robin.
"Okay," said Selina. She took a deep breath and began. "During the third week of the apocalypse, our Robin literally stumbled into Wayne Manor. Bruce tried to ask him what happened, but Robin had already been bitten. His mind was going, so before he got violent Bruce locked him down in the holding area. He's been there ever since. He doesn't really do much these days, but during the first year...well, let's just say I'm glad that soundproofing exists."
"But why is the zombie still here?" Raven said.
"Like I said, Bruce really does have a hard time letting go. Besides that, Bruce still tries to run experiments on him sometimes. Test out possible cures, that sort of thing. Mr. Wayne is kinda hellbent on somehow finding or making one, even three years in." Selina shrugged. "But Slade and I accepted a long time ago that there is no cure, no reversing what happened."
"My people did the same," said Starfire. "At first, our greatest minds attempted to create a cure for those who were bitten while still alive. They soon realized this was impossible. There is no curing a Zakur'ugra."
"Wait, I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Selina asked. "A what?"
"A Zakur'ugra. It is what we on my birth planet call the zombies. In English, I believe it means...ferocious corpse."
Slade leaned forward, a slight frown creasing his brow. "Would you tell us more about them? How did they arrive on your world?"
Starfire blinked. "They came from space, from far beyond my planetary system. It happened when I was barely old enough to wield the adult-sized mace. Without a doubt, the Zakur'ugra are one of the most fearsome adversaries my people have ever faced. Many warriors gave their lives in the effort to repel the monstrosities away from Tamaran."
"But you succeeded? Your planet wasn't overrun?" Selina asked.
"Yes, Tamaran was saved thanks to the sacrifice of many of her people. As dangerous as the Zakur'ugra were, their numbers were relatively few in comparison to ours. Before their invasion of Earth, they must have multiplied tenfold."
"But the zombies didn't come from space," said Selina. "They couldn't have. There must have been a Patient Zero zombie or...or something. Starfire, are you sure that the zombies and the Zakur'ugra are the same thing?"
"I am certain. I would recognize the abominations anywhere."
"I gotta tell Bruce," said Selina, jumping out of her seat next to Slade. "I mean, if I take your word on this, then holy shit! Alien zombies! Or zombie aliens. Who'da thought?" She ran off before anyone could say anything more.
Slade sighed and wiped at the dried blood on his face. "As important as it is to keep Bruce informed, this will likely only intensify his obsession with his little experiment. Besides, the fact that the creatures' origin is extraterrestrial does not change anything at this juncture. Earth is already dead." He looked at Starfire. "Nonetheless, thank you for informing us. Your knowledge is greatly appreciated," Slade said mildly.
"Oh. You are welcome," Starfire said, surprised.
Robin, meanwhile, frowned darkly at Slade. Don't fall for it, Star. We still can't trust anything he or Selina says. They're villains, for fuck's sake.
Before Robin's thoughts could go further, someone called his name. "Huh?" He said, shaking his head.
"Richard," said Alfred again. He arched an eyebrow at Robin.
"Oh, hi, Alfred. When did you get here?"
"Only a few moments ago. I wanted to alert you and your friends that dinner is ready."
"Yes!" exclaimed Beast Boy and Cyborg, both leaping to their feet.
"It's dinnertime already?" Robin said, bemused. "What are we having?"
"Black bean burgers," enunciated Alfred, his accent lending an ostentatious air to the words. "I hope they are to your liking, though necessity dictated that the components of our meal have been in the freezer for quite some time."
"I'm sure everything will be delicious...especially because all we've had to eat today were granola bars," said Robin. He expected both of Alfred's eyebrows to rise at this statement, and he was not disappointed.
"Well, then," said Alfred. "Let us go to the kitchen. Mr. Wilson, will you be joining us?" He turned to look at Slade with a questioning tilt of his head.
"Perhaps later, Alfred." Slade stood. "I believe I ought to wash my face before doing anything else." He made a slight bow in Alfred's direction and Alfred nodded in return.
"Until later then, Mr. Wilson," said Alfred. "Titans, if you would follow me, I will direct you to the kitchen and dining area."
IIIIII
Once the Titans had made their meals and were settled at the table, Alfred began assembling a tray of food at the counter. As he placed a water bottle on the tray, he said,
"I doubt Ms. Vargas will want to leave her room today. Thus, I will be taking dinner to her. Is there anything else you need before I depart, Titans?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Thank you Alfred, but I think we're all good here," said Robin, swallowing a bite of his burger.
"Very good then," said Alfred as he departed for Angela's quarters, tray in tow.
It was quiet in the kitchen as the Titans ate, each one of them privately relieved to be alone with their team.
"These are really good," said Beast Boy, his voice muffled by the burger in his mouth.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," said Raven and Cyborg. They looked at each other, then at Beast Boy, and all three laughed.
Starfire, sitting to Robin's left, leaned towards him while the others talked.
"Friend Robin?"
"Yeah, Star? What's up?"
"Do...do you still wish for me to call you Robin? Or would you prefer me to call you "Richard?" I apologize for not asking earlier, but many things happened and-"
Robin cut her off. "Starfire, it's okay. You don't need to apologize." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And, just keep calling me "Robin," please." I'm not Richard, anyway...not this world's Richard.
Starfire brightened and nodded. "Then I shall continue to call you "Robin," Robin!" She giggled.
Robin smiled at her and stabbed at a piece of canned pear on his plate. It really was a good meal. Made even better by the fact that there are no villains enjoying it with us. Or bats.
As the evening went on, the Titans stayed seated at the table and talked. It had been a full day, one that required an unofficial debriefing. Only when Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy drifted away back to their quarters did each of them realize that neither Bruce, Selina, or Slade had ever come to dinner.
Robin stayed in the kitchen long after the others had left. He thought Alfred would have returned, but the wall clock now read 10:37 p.m. and there was still no sign of him.
"Must have gone to bed already," muttered Robin. He yawned. "I guess it's about time for me to do the same."
As he slipped beneath the covers, he prayed that neither he or his teammates would have any nightmares.