Chapter 21
"Please be ready, oh please, oh please," Starfire chanted as she flew down the corridor cradling the unconscious body of her love in her arms. She could feel the wetness of his lifeblood seeping into her leotard and dripping onto her arms. Seeing the waiting room door she increased her speed. "Raven!" she shrieked, her voice piercing shrilly in terror.
The waiting room doors were encased in black energy, flinging open and startling the pair of guards as Starfire approached. She sped through and the doors slammed shut behind her.
"We're ready," Raven told her, directing Starfire to the cleared refreshment table now sitting in the middle of the room. Cyborg stood off to the side, preparing several injections and various pieces of equipment. She zipped up to the table and carefully placed Robin face down.
"Leg first," Raven snapped without meaning to and Starfire shifted him onto his side, allowing Raven to quickly start the healing process on the cut on his leg. "Can't have him bleeding out through that one while we do the one on his back. Best to close it now." She finished her makeshift healing; taking the cloth that Beast Boy offered and plastered it over the cut to catch any leaking blood. She nodded to Starfire who rolled Robin back on to his stomach.
Starfire's eyes filled with tears as she saw the gaping hole in his back. "Oh X'hal, this is all my fault. I should never have allowed him to compete. I should never have provoked Torkor like that. Oh X'hal, I am never going to forgive myself."
"Control yourself, Starfire. I don't need two patients," Raven snapped as she examined the wound.
A pale faced Cyborg placed several electrodes on Robin's back attaching him to a heart monitor. A small beeping noised filled the room while Cyborg injected Robin with several needles and connected him up to a drip. Starfire desperately hoped there was something in the concoction of drugs for pain.
Raven accepted a cloth from Beast Boy and wiped away some of the blood surrounding the wound so she could get a better look, before placing a healing hand against Robin's skin. His body spasmed immediately and Cyborg clamped his hands down on Robin's shoulders and Beast Boy held his legs, holding him down. Starfire dug her fingers into her face once more.
Raven cursed and removed her hand, pausing to wipe the blood off. "I'm going to have to do this slowly. The stab's caused some major damaged in there. Looks like the bastard actually twisted the weapon. Everything's all mangled. It's missed most of the vital organs, but it's made a mess of a kidney. I have to repair that first, before I start on the muscle, skin and intestines."
"There so much blood," Beast Boy whimpered, wiping around the wound, his hands shaking.
Starfire felt a surge of dread ripple through her. Her knees buckled and she grabbed the edge of the table to keep herself upright. Her world constricted, everything depending on the steady beeping of the heart monitor. She whimpered, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Starfire."
Starfire blinked, trying to focus and looked up at Raven through her tears.
Raven's face was compassionate and fierce all at once. "Starfire, I'm going to have to slow his heart. This is going to take a lot of energy and a lot of time and he might lose too much blood if his heart keeps beating so fast. We did bring some extra blood with us, just in case, but I'm not a doctor. Repairing an organ is new to me. Beast Boy and Cyborg can help me with his body and we're going to do everything we can. I need you to help me with his mind."
"His mind?" she asked confused, her own mind struggling to comprehend.
Raven gave her a sharp nod. "Get in there, keep him calm."
Starfire felt a wave of fear wash over her, welling up from the pit of her stomachs. "Is he going to die, Raven?"
"Star, I'm going to do everything in my power to keep him here. But I really need your help. Dig your claws into his mind. Don't let him go. And for Azar's sake, if he starts to slip, don't go with him."
Galfore lumbered into the room, closing the door behind him. "Torkor has been taken into confinement for carrying a weapon other than a soral into battle. What can we do to assist you?"
Raven spared him a glance. "Nothing," she said, panic making her voice sharp. "Unless someone on this planet knows a great deal about human anatomy, or you have some sort of miracle healing device."
"I am afraid that we do not," the giant man replied sadly. "Koriand'r are you well? Do you need to sit down? Are you taking on much of his pain?"
She glanced at him and blinked in confusion. "Taking his pain?" she asked dumbly.
"Your a'tiyk valm, it is empathic is it not? You should be able to take his pain."
Starfire turned her head away in shame and Galfore fell into a confused silence, sitting down heavily on a nearby seat.
"Ready, Cyborg?" Raven asked as she placed a hand on Robin's back near his heart.
"All hooked up and monitoring. Good to go."
"Starfire, if you're going to help, now would be the time," Raven deadpanned, looking at her friend.
Starfire nodded and she forced herself to swallow her fear. She must be strong for Robin; he could take that strength and use it for his own. She lay on the floor, taking the hand that dangled over the edge of the table in her own, closing her eyes and concentrated.
It was hard, his mind was so clouded by pain and very weak, but she forced herself through the barrier his pain had tried to erect, calling to his soul.
The room swirled and vanished into blackness. Starfire felt like she was falling, tumbling faster into the unknown, before her boots touched down on uneven ground. A faint squeaking sound reached her ears and she swung her head wildly searching purchase in the gloom. Another sound drifted in the darkness, a strange pounding noise.
"Robin?" she called, unnerved. She put her hands out in front of her and edged a boot forward, making sure there was solid ground in front of her. She shuffled along, feeling with her feet and hands until her hands felt cold, uneven stone beneath them. She wished she could conjure a star bolt to see with, but her powers never seemed to work in their minds, and if she fell off some unseen cliff, she would never be able to fly. She felt along the stone, inching her way toward the squeaking sound. She had to find Robin; she had to, why wasn't he here? They normally went straight to each other. Why couldn't she find him?
A third sound filtered into her awareness, a strange muffled sobbing. She turned toward the sound and saw a steady light in the distance.
"Robin?" she called again and inched toward the light. The sobbing was abruptly cut off and something scampered away. She reached the small lantern that sat on the uneven rocky floor, its tiny circle of light barely penetrating the darkness. She knelt down beside it. "Robin?"
"My mother used to call me that," a small voice said and something shifted in the gloom. She swung her head around as boy emerged from the blackness. He had short black hair and piercing blue eyes. Starfire drew a startled gasp, recognizing the boy from the pictures Robin had shown her of his family.
She kept her voice gentle, tried to keep the edge of panic from breaking through. "You are Richard before he became Robin. Why are you hiding in the darkness?"
"Bruce says men aren't supposed to cry," he said timidly, looking up at her with those gorgeous eyes she loved so much. "You won't tell him, will you?"
"Why would I tell your k'norfka? There is no shame in tears." She studied him before looking out into the gloom once more. "You are not the Robin I seek, you are a memory. Tell me, are there other Robin's here?"
He giggled through the tears and scrubbed his cheeks with the back of his hand, before wiping his nose on his shirt. "You talk funny."
She glanced at him once more and touched his head lightly, before standing. "You have told me that before. I must go. I must locate my Robin. He needs me."
As she stepped from the small circle of light and returned to the gloom, the lantern winked out of existence. The thudding sound remained, so once more she inched her way through the darkness toward it.
"Who are you?" a voice snapped.
Starfire spun around. Another version of Robin stood behind her, a lantern clasped in his hand. His hair was longer and he wore the Robin suit but he was still much younger than hers was.
The Robin placed his lantern on the ground and dropped into a fighting position. "I'll have you know that I've been trained by Batman. How did you get in here?"
"Where is here?" Starfire asked, glancing around at the darkness.
"This is the Batcave. No one is allowed down here."
Starfire drummed her fingers on her lips. It was strange that Robin would come here, but then much of the pain in Robin's life had revolved around Batman. "I think your mind is playing the tricks on me. I must find my Robin, you will not delay me." She turned from the Robin and stepped out of his circle of light.
Robin! She projected the thought into the darkness with all her might, praying that her Robin would show himself. The thudding sound continued its constant beating.
Starfire? His voice weaved in and out of the black, but she could not tell which direction it originated from. As she twisted and turned her head tracking the sound, thankful that he had the energy to answer, another lantern winked into existence. She gasped in surprise and hope and picked her way through the gloom toward it.
Robin was standing still in the center of the light. "She kissed me," he murmured to himself, a look of wonder on his face. "I can't believe she kissed me. Barbara likes me. I wonder if she'll kiss me again."
Starfire froze and stared at this Robin in shock. At last, she had a name behind this mysterious girl that Robin sometimes dreamt about. Starfire had never seen this Barbara in any detail, Robin only a vague sense of fondness when he dreamt of her, but she knew this girl was wrapped up with Batman somehow. She took a step toward the light intending to question this Robin. She knew her own would never answer.
Starfire, I can't see you.
Starfire frowned, her need to find Robin overcoming her curiosity and that sharp spike of jealousy so she moved on.
Another Robin existed in the circle of light, pacing restlessly. She narrowed her eyes as she neared, watching him. "Who does he think he is?" this Robin muttered. "He doesn't trust me. Placing those goddamn trackers on me. It's not fair. We're supposed to be partners." Starfire hurried passed this Robin by without entering the light.
I am coming Robin.
She came upon another pacing Robin, older this time, one that she actually remembered. "Who is Slade? What does he want?" Starfire moved on. The thudding sound was growing louder, but was becoming irregular. A sense of urgency filled the air.
Another lantern winked into light, illuminating Robin wearing a tuxedo. Starfire cocked her head in surprise. "Go on Dick," Robin muttered to himself. "Tell her she looks beautiful. Tell her you're glad she came. Tell her you'd give anything to be able to dance with her." Starfire's heart stopped, now who was he talking about? Just how many girls did Robin have? The tuxedo wearing Robin took a deep breath and clenched his hand into a fist. "Just do it. Walk over to Starfire and tell her how you feel!"
Starfire melted in delight. He was talking about her! This must have been the Robin that went on that horrible date with Kitten. The thudding sound skipped a beat and the light dimmed by itself. Starfire frowned and hurried on.
Starfire, you shouldn't be here.
A desk appeared, with Robin hunched over it, studying what looked to be plans. "We can do this," he muttered to himself, his finger tracing a line on the paper. "There has to be a way. We have to be able to protect Raven." Starfire ran past this Robin, following the inconsistent beating sound.
I will not leave you, Robin.
The darkness wasn't so confining any more. There was a faint aura of hope and love and she knew the Robin she was heading toward. Hands swept around her waist, picking her up and spinning her around. Tears dripped from her face as she remembered this too, from their first flight together as a couple. "Star! That was absolutely amazing! How did you do that? That was the most incredible experience of my life!" Robin placed her on the ground and she stepped away, hopeful now. The erratic thudding sound continued to pound in her ears.
Hold on. Please hold on.
Robin loomed out of the darkness, a lantern casting a strange shadow on his face. "What are you doing here? You have no right to be here! This place is mine! Who sent you?"
Starfire frowned and wiped her stained cheeks, knowing which Robin this was. She steeled herself and passed straight through him.
Another small circle of light appeared before her, different than the others. The light couldn't hold its form; it pulsed, flickering in and out of existence at odd intervals, in tune to the strange pounding noise she'd been hearing and she suddenly realised it was a heartbeat. A broken Robin lay in the circle; his closed eyes were unmasked, as they always were in their minds.
"Robin!" she cried and dashed to him. She dropped to her knees beside him, pulling his head into her lap.
He groaned weakly and opened his blue eyes. "Hey, Star," he murmured as he looked up at her, his eyes blinking slowly as they struggled to focus. "Felt you coming. Glad you're here. I think my life has been flashing before my eyes."
She smiled for him, tears running down her cheeks, one hand brushing through his hair comfortingly, the other splayed on his chest, feeling the erratic heartbeat beneath her hand. "It does seem that way. I did meet many Robin's on my journey here."
"I'm in a bad way, aren't it?"
She looked up at the flickering light. "No," she lied quietly, looking back at him. "Raven can heal you." She had to believe that, especially now that she had him in her arms, she had to hold onto that hope with everything that she had; all her strength, all her determination, and all her love. She had him in her arms and she was not letting him go.
"You know you can't lie to me, Star. You tell the truth in your eyes." He smiled for her, but she could see the weak tremor at the corner of his lips, the agony in his eyes.
Her fingers clenched on his chest and her hand began to tremble as it brushed through his hair. "I could not leave you to fight this alone. I will hold on to you with everything that I am. I love you."
"I love you too, Star. So much." Robin held that weak smile on his lips and traced her cheek with a finger, before his hand dropped back to his chest and his eyes fluttered closed.
TTTTT
Galfore turned at the large wooden double doors, looking back at Starfire. "Are you sure you wish to do this, my little bungorf? Surely it is too soon. You should be with your friends during this time."
Starfire nodded. "I must know. He must be made to pay for what he did." She threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin. She would do this, she would make him pay for the pain he had caused and then she would fall apart and wallow in grief. She would rant and rave and scream and weep until she could weep no longer. But right now, she was numb; she was in a place where there was no pain, no sensation of any kind. And she would remain here until he had been made to pay.
"Very well," he replied placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a gentle squeeze. She knew he did not wish her to do this, but he had never been unable to deny her anything, especially since she rarely asked for anything for herself.
She patted the hand on her shoulder. "He cannot hurt me more than he already has."
He nodded to the two guards standing before the door and they unlocked it and moved aside, allowing Starfire and Galfore to stride through.
Torkor stood chained to a wall, one wrist in a cast and his shoulder wrapped in a bandage, with chains binding his wrists and feet. There was dried blood on his face, his nose was crooked and one eye was black and swollen closed. There was blood on his pants and Starfire's heart almost stopped as she realised it was Robin's blood. A look of glee crossed his face as they entered. "Princess Koriand'r!" he exclaimed moving forward as much as his bonds would allow him too.
She knew how she looked to him, eyes red raw with grief, tear streaked cheeks, and Robin's red blood splattered all over her arms and legs and staining her xhandal uniform.
"He is dead, is he not?" he said, his eyes lighting up. "Offworlders have such weak bodies. You are free from him."
Starfire's lip curled into a snarl as pain sliced through her heart and she rubbed her thumb against the ring that adorned her finger. "Why? Why would you do that to him? What made you think I wanted to be free of him?"
"You should not have been allowed to sacrifice yourself to an offworlder, no matter how you believe you may felt for him. He brainwashed you, Koriand'r and I could see no other way to release you than to kill him. You are mine and now that you are free of him you can come to me like your father promised! Order my release and we can be together."
Starfire clenched her hands into fists. He was actually proud of what he had done. He actually believed he was doing her a favor. "I am not yours. I will never be yours. You have no claim upon me no matter what you think my father may have said. I will not be ordering your release. You are a demented, twisted man who has deluded himself into believing a lie that will never occur. I will never feel affection for you. I will never give myself to you."
"Torkor," Galfore boomed, demanding attention. "You are charged with taking a hidden weapon into an honourable xhandal battle. You have broken one of our sacred traditions and custom demands that you pay the penalty for your actions. Koriand'r, it falls upon you to decide his fate, banishment or death?"
Starfire considered Torkor, watching the blood drain from his face and a look of terror shift into his eyes. He dropped to his knees, his hand held out toward her beseechingly. "Princess, please. You can learn to adore me. We are meant to be."
Starfire took a step toward him and Torkor's eye's lit up. Starfire's face twisted into a feral fury and she smacked Torkor across the face, a spray of blood bursting from his lip. She turned to Galfore and gave her answer before striding from the room, ignoring the screaming man that called after her.
Somehow she made it back to their rooms without falling apart. She walked heavily across the room, barely noticing her friends and entered her bedroom. She stared at the body lying on the bed, tears filling her eyes. She staggered across the room; flopped down on the floor beside the bed, grabbed his hand and pressed it to her face, allowing the tears to flow freely.