Tales of the Titans: Crucible Chapter 14: Loss, a teen titans fanfic

Tales of the Titans: Crucible, Chapter 14: Loss

The people of Tameran are known throughout the galaxy as one of the strongest, hardiest humanoids in existence. With the exception of the Kryptonians, Daxamites, and Osirans, their physical prowess is unequalled throughout the stars. Genetic and environmental factors, natural selection, and the strong sunlight of the Vega star system have combined to produce a race of people just this side of indestructible. Their physical strength is legendary, and, in combat, there are few who can hope to equal them. Starfire herself could probably have taken a bursting shell squarely in the face and been barely more than singed.

But Robin's words reduced her to a puddle on the floor. "No…no…please…no…"

Raven recovered first. "Athena, you and Kitten take Starfire back to her room. See…see what you can do for her." After they'd left, she turned her attention to Robin, still sitting on the side of the table where Cyborg had helped him to, upon his emergence from the Orb, looking confused. "Robin, I'm not sure what to hope for, in this case. If this is a joke, it's an unnecessarily cruel one, and I can't really believe that of you. Do you truly not know who that…girl…is?"

Robin's puzzled expression couldn't have been faked, and Raven, as an empath, felt a sick sensation in the pit of her stomach as she realized it wasn't. "No, Raven. Am I supposed to?"

{{I do not know, Friend Raven. I have restored him to full health. There was some brain damage, but I have repaired that; there should be nothing wrong with his memory. Yet evidently there is.}}

Raven thought fast, there with Omega, Cyborg, and Hank standing there, themselves somewhat stunned by the recent turn of events. {{Orb? Can you access his memories, see if there's been any damage there?}}

"Hank? You're our only human telepath. Can you see what you can sense? It may be something that you might pick up on."

"I'll give it a shot, Rae, if that's okay with him."

"Damage? To my memories?" Robin was looking back and forth from one to the other.

"Yes. You…should remember who that was, that just left."

"Well…certainly. Orb? Hank? Scan me all you like." The Orb didn't have to envelop him to do so, and while both it and Hank were scanning him, Raven queried him about the other team members, as well as other things he should know.

It quickly developed that the only area of his memories that seemed to be missing were those involving Starfire. He could remember all the other members of the team, his own adoption and training under Batman, their various battles and foes…but curiously, he simply could not recall anything regarding an alien girl from the planet Tameran. "Do you not remember the time Blackfire framed Starfire for the theft of that pointlessly garish gem?"

"The name Blackfire's familiar to me. Now, she's from Tameran, right?"

"What about her sister?"

"She's got a sister?"

"Don't you remember, when she set herself up as Grand Ruler of Tameran, and hoaxed everybody into thinking Starfire had to submit to an arranged marriage in order to seal that treaty?"

Robin shook his head. "I'm sorry, Raven, but I'm drawing a blank. I remember Blackfire's scheme to get the power jewel, and how we thwarted her plans when we found out about the whole thing being basically a set-up—but, but I don't remember anything about a 'Starfire.'" He nodded towards the door. "That was her?" He looked as puzzled as Raven felt.

{{I have scanned his memories while he has been talking to you, friend Raven. I can clearly see those memories in his mind, including those of Starfire. But I can also tell he is telling the absolute truth as he sees it. For some reason, it seems he cannot access those memories. I do not understand why.}}

"Same here, Rae. I can see…sort of…his memories, but, but…something's wrong. It's like, almost like a kind of a short circuit or something, except purely mental. No physical damage that I can tell."

Kitten re-entered the room. "I gave her a sedative. Took a lot to knock her out, but she's been through so many shocks lately, I figured it was called for. Athena's staying with her, for now."

Robin had been quiet all throughout the exchange. Then, "Look, everybody. While I'm not completely sure what's going on here, it seems clear that something's… still wrong with me. I don't remember anything about this 'Starfire' person…and you're telling me we're engaged. So I'm going under the assumption that all is most definitely not well with me, even yet.

"Until this matter is resolved, one way or another, I'm unfit for command." He got up off the table and approached Raven, removing his commbadge in the process. "Raven, you're in charge." And he placed the badge in Raven's hand, curling her fingers over it.

Raven goggled at him, mouth agape. "Are you out of your—I mean, are you serious? I can't be leader!"

"You've got as much experience as anyone here, and you're the best suited to it, temperamentally, of any of us."Cyborg and Hank were both nodding in approval; they'd come to the same conclusion. "Besides, from what all of you have been telling me, you've been doing the job while I was out anyway. This just makes it official. So…you're it. Now. Omega? Do you suppose the Kindred might have any answers?"

"I shall ask." But privately, the Osiran doubted that even the Kindred's science could prove any more effective than the Orb. Still, it was something to try.

And there was another benefit. Given Robin's natural proclivity for leadership, his being examined by the Kindred—and away from the Tower-would cut down on the friction that would undoubtedly arise, should he remain here at the Tower, with anybody but himself in charge.

Plus, it would give Starfire something to hope for. Omega did not doubt for one minute that, right now, the Tameranean princess needed all the hope she could get. "I'll take you to them right away."

…

Afterwards, Raven called an emergency meeting. The only Titans not present were Terra and Beast Boy, of course, and Robin and Starfire, who was still sleeping in her quarters. They couldn't keep her like that, thought Raven. But…worse case scenario: what if Robin's memories of her remained permanently gone? How would she cope with that?

Raven had little doubt but that she'd leave, and return to Tameran. She just didn't see the emotional alien princess as remaining here on Earth, where she would be faced with a constant reminder of what she'd lost. There was no way she'd be able to stand being around Robin, not with him looking at her as though she were a complete stranger. And she would probably blame herself.

The team could very well be in the process of breaking up. Raven didn't want that to happen, but she wasn't sure if there was any help for it or not.

There were some large gaps in the table. Haywire, Cyborg, Athena, Kitten (Devil Cat, Raven corrected herself), Omega, and Athena comprised the only members of the team able to attend. The table sure seemed a lot emptier without Robin and Starfire, Raven thought. She hoped she didn't look as nervous as she felt. "Well, I suppose you all know about…recent events. Omega? Did Alpha say anything about, well, about anything?"

"He said they would do what they could. But the Kindred are, of course, somewhat unacquainted with human biology, though they are learning. If there is an organic cause for Robin's memory loss, I am sure they will find it."

"Good. Athena?"

"Starfire is sleeping, Raven. Kitten—and my own experience—tells me she will be out for a while. What her state of mind will be when she wakes up, of course, that no one can say."

"Any word on the honeymooners?"

"Blackfire reports all clear. They're actually getting out of the hotel room, going on tours. She's been following them, discreetly, of course, but so far, everything seems to be okay."

Raven sighed, leaning her elbow on the table and rubbing her eyes. She knew it was just the stress, but she felt like she'd gone a week without sleep. "I…hope all of you know me well enough to know that this is something I never wanted. But…we…must continue, to the best of our abilities. And, right now, especially with Gar and Terra also gone, we're only at partial strength. We may want to give some thought to bringing in, at least temporarily, some of our reservists. This is just the sort of thing we need them for. I'll have to draw up new, revised duty rosters for all of us. Ones that I fervently hope will be temporary. We may have to double up on some sectors. As if we weren't already overworked. Does anyone have any more information to be shared with the group? Kitten? Any luck with the virus? Or the transponder?"

Kitten shook her head. "Nope, and nope. Daddy says that the virus the retrovirus was mutated from—Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever—isn't quite the same as Ebola Zaire. It appears to be just a little off. But off in the wrong way; it's perfectly adapted to humans. He's thinking it was deliberately redesigned that way. Standard Ebola Zaire isn't really tailored for humans; this is.

"And the transponder—if that's what it is—has remained completely inert. We've checked and rechecked it for anything and everything we can think of. The obvious possibility—that it was what activated or in some way directed whatever bug, presumably a mosquito, that bit me and planted the retrovirus—doesn't seem to be its function. And, like Blackfire said, it's too odd-looking to have been there very long. Certainly not since my transformation."

"Alright. Omega? Any news about these gates that Lucifer—and maybe whoever else we're dealing with-seems able to open at will?"

"No. Neither I nor the Kindred have been able to come up with anything solid that would warn or shield us against the opening of another gate. It is…disheartening," he began, "to be unable to come up with any really good defense…although we have been able to determine that certain properly applied forces may assist in 'locking' these subatomic vortices closed. Mind you, it's not fool-proof, but it does provide some level of security."

"Good. Implement those both here, and in Slade's old lair….and that's another thing: we don't need to let that go to waste. Devil Cat, can you and Cyborg see to refitting it so that it's up and functional, for us? Right now, our numbers are too few to really make proper use of it, but hopefully that will change. And it's always helpful to have a reserve or spare headquarters. After all, something could happen to this one. Something nearly did, once or twice already."

"Sure. And maybe Haywire can help, too, what with his control over subatomic particles…"

"I need Hank here. Okay. I'll draw up the duty roster….I guess that's all for now. So unless anybody has anything else…no?...then, we're adjourned."

Hank followed her out into the corridor. "What do you need me here for, Raven?" he asked, curious. "I could be of use in getting that lair fully functional…"

They'd reached Raven's room. "Come on in, Hank." Once inside, she turned to him. "Hank…I, I don't quite know how to say this, but, but the truth is…not so much that the team needs you here as it is….as it is I need you here."

He took her in his arms. "Okay, I see. So…let's talk about what's going on, with you." They moved to the couch, but a make-out session was the furthest thing from either of their minds.

"It's just….Hank, I'm no leader! I don't know what to do! I, I never saw this coming! I, I don't…." She trailed off.

He held her close. "You're doing it again, Rae." She looked up at him. "Selling yourself short. Don't. You're perfectly qualified to lead the team."

"Why not Cyborg? He's got just as much experience as I do…and he knows what to do, whereas I'm fumbling around in the dark!"

"Cyborg's gonna be on tech support, with Omega and Athena. He won't have time. And, Rae, I mean it when I say you are the best qualified of us all to be the leader. Cyborg doesn't know any better what to do than you do. It's just, you've convinced yourself that you don't know what to do, and so therefore, by comparison , he's gotta know more. But he doesn't."

They sat there for a moment. Then, Raven spoke up. "I, I just don't know if I can do it or not. I don't see myself as leadership material…"

"Well, FYI, you've already got the one thing that every leader needs, that every leader, everywhere, absolutely has to have. That makes or breaks a leader." Again, she looked up at him. "Followers. Every one of us is prepared to follow you, Rae. So you are our leader, like it or not. It may be only temporary, but, if not, then so be it…I know I'm behind you, one hundred ten percent. And so are the others." And here he curled a finger under her chin, raising her face to his. "And it's the function of followers to support their leaders. So you aren't alone in this. Don't think you always have to make the right decisions, 'cause all leaders stumble, at times. But that doesn't mean they ceased to be leaders, now did it? You know how many mistakes George Washington made? Or Abraham Lincoln? Well, neither do I. But my point is, nobody remembers them for that. They remember them for keeping on keeping on, sometimes in the face of terrible adversity." He took a kleenex to her face, drying her tears. Raven had never used makeup, not wanting to bother with such "pointless frivolity," as she'd called it, and, had she been totally honest with herself, not feeling like it would really do her face any good. It's amazing how she can look so good without makeup—thought Hank. But it was true.

Now if he could just convince Raven of that….

"So here. Dry your eyes, blow your nose, and let's get to work on those duty rosters, 'kay?"

She put a hand on his chest, a secret thrill running up her arm as she felt the solid muscle beneath his shirt. "Thank you. Uhm, Hank? I know I haven't been a very good, uhm, friend to you…"

He cut her off, an anguished expression on his face. "Now, Raven. Please don't start with that 'I'm not good enough for you' speech again. I've told you, time and again, you're more than worth it. And you know I'm telling the truth. I believe it, the others believe it…the only one who doesn't believe it is you. So the majority rules: you are, okay? Take it from all of us."

She smiled, a rare thing for her. "I suppose I can accommodate you on that, sir." Impulsively, she kissed him. He looked surprised, but kissed her right back…

To be continued…