Teen Titans and Batman and related characters and situations belong to DC Comics. I am not them. I would never do to my Starfire what DC has done to theirs.
Chapter 29: Search
by Lelila
Beast Boy was a nervous wreck. First of all, he was worried about his friends. Robin and Starfire were missing and Cyborg was gravely injured. And now, he was out with Batman. Batman! There wasn't anybody better. Would he be able to live up to the Bat's expectations? It seemed he had a hard time doing that for Robin, and Robin apparently had left Batman because the Dark Knight was too much of a hardass even for the Boy Wonder. And that made Beast Boy really nervous.
He did his best not to tremor too much as he sat in the passenger seat of the Batmobile. It was all he could do to keep his mind from blowing. He thought the stuff Cyborg came up with for the T-Car was incredible, but this was…Beast Boy didn't have a better word.
To keep himself semi-focused, Beast Boy paid attention to the dash display. It showed a GPS-style map of Gotham with the Batmobile appearing as a Bat symbol and the tracker Batgirl had put on Starfire showing as a blinking red dot.
Almost a mile from the dot, Batman pulled off into an alley.
"Why are we stopping?" Beast Boy asked.
"They'll know we're there if we just pull up. Come on; it's not far."
Batman set the alarm on the Batmobile and shot a line up four floors to a fire escape. He paused before starting his ascent. "You coming?"
"Right, right." Beast Boy turned into a squirrel and scampered up the fire escapes to the top of the building, beating Batman there. "You coming?" he teased out of habit as he reverted to his human form.
Batman glowered up at him. Beast Boy felt a chill go down his spine. He suddenly knew how most of Gotham's criminals felt.
Despite his human limitations, Batman quickly joined Beast Boy on the roof. They made their way across the forest of buildings to the warehouse district and found themselves on top of the building where the tracker had indicated Starfire was. They soon discovered the hole the girls had made.
"This looks ripped apart," Batman noted.
"Probably Starfire," Beast Boy said. "I've seen her tear open bank vaults with her bare hands."
Beast Boy wasn't sure, but he thought Batman looked impressed.
Batman pulled out what looked like a flashlight and switched it on. Beast Boy, however, saw no light. "Looks like there's a couple of lackeys down there," Batman said after a quick look.
"How can you tell?" Beast Boy asked.
"Inferred flashlight," Batman answered before simply dropping through the hole. "Hurry up," his voice crackled into Beast Boy's ear.
Too overwhelmed to do anything but obey, Beast Boy turned into a flying squirrel and dove in.
TtTtTtT
Starfire couldn't shake the confusion from her brain. She didn't know where she was and she didn't remember what had happened to her. She just knew she had to get out of…wherever here was.
She'd run down several flights of stairs before finding herself in a bare room with several doors. They all looked the same! Which way should she go?
After having indecision buzz through her head for several long moments, she burst through the door to her left. She successively ran through several almost-identical rooms, choosing doors at random. She eventually popped out into a larger room, though it didn't look much different than the others. Before she could decide which door to choose, a specter appeared in front of her. It was a woman with hollow eyes. She looked not unlike Raven when she was using her powers. Starfire's frenzy stopped short, and she gasped. "Who…who are you?" she asked, trying, and failing, to sound strong.
The specter said nothing, just faded out.
Startled into a somewhat calmer state, Starfire took a moment to look around. More doors. Where was she? Where was she going? Where had she come from? What was that…being she'd just seen?
With no answers presenting themselves, Starfire's panic began to return. She visibly began to shake.
And then she was sure she was going insane.
The entire room changed before her eyes. The walls took on the shapes of buildings. The lines of a road and sidewalk grew on the floor. People and objects appeared out of thin air. The noises of a bustling city filled her ears.
"Please," she asked someone walking by. "Where is this place?"
He didn't answer. It was like he didn't see her.
"Please!" she pleaded with someone else. "I do not know where I am! I require your assistance!"
"I can help you," a voice sounded behind her.
Starfire whipped around. "Robin!" She flew to him and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh Robin! I have much relief in seeing you! I have been so confused…" She paused, pulling away; something was amiss. He was stiff in her embrace. Despite Robin's desire to keep their relationship private, he'd warmed up to her public displays of affection, and would at least lean in to her a bit before stepping back. But now, he wasn't even touching her.
"What do you need help with?" Robin asked.
The already-confused Starfire became even more so, and her barely-controlled panic began to take over again. "Who are you?" she demanded, backing away. "You are not my Robin."
"I am Robin," not-Robin replied. "How can I help?"
Starfire screamed and dashed off down the street.
TtTtTtT
Batgirl tinkered with the Batcomputer. "Well, his tracker's still functional," she told the room. "But he's not moved from this one room for nearly two hours. Not good."
"Robin's not there," Raven's voice sounded from behind her. "Just his tracker is."
Batgirl turned to see Raven floating cross-legged over her medical bed, eyes closed. "How do you know that?"
"I can sense him." Raven opened her eyes, the black glow illuminating her face before fading out. "He is in that building, though."
"Well, let's go then!" Batgirl leapt from her chair.
"Hold on," Raven said, closing her eyes again. "Batman and Beast Boy are there. We go barging in there we might mess up whatever Batman has planned."
Batgirl dropped back into her chair. "Dammit, you're right. If we screw this up, Bruce will have our heads. Mine, at least, anyway." She paused, frowning as she thought. "What else can you sense?" she asked after a moment.
Raven cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well…can you tell if they're in trouble?"
Raven closed her eyes again. "Batman and Beast Boy are fine. Robin…" she trailed off, staying silent for what felt like a very long time.
"What about Robin?" Batgirl finally pressed.
"Robin is…frightened. But not for himself."
"Then who?" Batgirl demanded after Raven fell silent again.
Raven shivered. "Starfire. She's really terrified. But Robin's not with her. He's looking for her."
"They're in the same place?" Batgirl asked.
"They're near each other, yes. But they're not together."
"But they're in the same building?" Batgirl clarified.
"Yes," Raven confirmed.
Batgirl turned around and punched a button on the Batcomputer. A visual from Batman's cowl came up on the display; his night vision was on. Nothing was in sight outside of some bare walls and some construction debris. "Batman," Batgirl spoke into the computer's microphone. "Do you read?"
A grunt sounded through the speakers. Batgirl knew that grunt meant 'Can't talk now.'
"Listen, Robin's there too," Batgirl went on. "He's not wearing his tracker."
Another grunt. This one Batgirl knew meant 'Acknowledged.'
"Do you want us to do anything?" Batgirl asked.
A decidedly negative grunt answered.
Batgirl scrambled. There was no way she would sit here while Robin and Starfire were in trouble. "What about the rest of the city?" She asked. "You guys are all in one spot. We hit pretty hard tonight. I can guarantee the rest of the city isn't quiet."
There was a long silence.
"Batman?" Batgirl pressed.
Still more silence.
"Bruce!" Batgirl was trying her best to keep from yelling and was barely succeeding.
"No," Batman's growly voice finally came back. "You've both been drugged. I don't want you getting yourselves in trouble while I'm otherwise occupied."
"But Bruce…"
"I said no. You're safe there. And you seem to be accomplishing something; you were able to tell us where Robin is. Keep that up. Keep us posted."
Batgirl opened her mouth to protest again, but Raven cut her off. "He's right."
Batgirl crossed her arms in defiance and swung her chair around to face Raven. "How can you say that when Robin and Starfire are in trouble?"
"Because he is," Raven said simply. "Neither of us are in top shape – don't deny it – and we are doing some good here by keeping track of Robin and Starfire. We can coordinate. You use the Batcomputer and I'll use my powers."
Batgirl pulled her cowl back. She sat very still for a few moments, ideas swirling through her head. She swung around with a lurch and started logging into various systems on the Batcomputer. "Yes…we could totally be their eyes and ears. If I could just get into their security systems…"
Her hands flying over the keyboard, multiple windows appeared on the huge screen. Text appeared in them and then, one by one, different camera feeds. They were from different corners of the city.
"What are you doing?" Raven asked.
"Being Batman's eyes and ears," Batgirl replied. "I can't seem to find the warehouse district cams, though." She typed furiously.
For several minutes, the only sounds in the Batcave were Batgirl's typing and the occasional buzz of electricity as Lucius Fox worked on Cyborg. Raven tried to touch her wounded friend's consciousness, and he was there, but it was like he was hibernating. Alive, but not much else. Raven pushed her worries aside and tried to concentrate on Robin and Starfire, who, potentially, she could help.
"Ah ha!" Batgirl crowed. "I'm in!"
TtTtTtT
Robin wasted no time dashing through the door that had opened. He came out into what appeared to be a basement: concrete floor, cinderblock walls and no windows. There were three doors, one on each wall. "She's nearby ,that's what he said," he thought to himself. But he had no tracker, and no way to communicate. Well then, he was just going to have to be methodical. He opened the door to his left.
The room was exactly the same. Robin frowned and stepped back through the door he'd come through. Poking his head through the other two doors, he discovered that they led to identical rooms as well. So then. A maze. Back to being methodical.
The best way to get out of a maze was by picking a wall and following it. It was far from the fastest way, and you'd hit a lot of dead ends, but it would eventually get you out. Robin hoped this method would eventually get him to Starfire, and hopefully not too late.
He rushed through several indistinguishable rooms before coming to a locked door. He rattled the knob, hoping he could force it open. In his hurry, he thought fleetingly about skipping it and going on to the next door, but thought better of it. He backed up several steps and took a running leap at it, smashing it down with a flying kick. "Who needs a utility belt?" he said to the room defiantly as he re-adjusted his cape.
It didn't take Robin long to discover that this new room was different. At first glance it looked the same, but there was something about its geometry that made him pause. It wasn't quite the same shape the other rooms had been. He slowly turned, mentally measuring it out.
Then he heard it. A soft buzz.
Robin sprung into a defensive pose. He automatically reached for a birdarang, but when he found none, he curled his hand into a fist. He stood very still, trying to suppress his breathing so he could hear over the sound of it in his ears.
There it was again, off to his right. A soft buzz; almost a hum. He turned his head in that direction; took a couple of careful steps. It sounded like…a TV. The sound was very similar to the buzz an old tube-style television gave off, even if there was no sound. He surveyed the room a bit more closely, looking for the source of the sound. His eyes were eventually drawn to what looked like a security camera. But there was something odd about it; it seemed to have three lenses. A holo recorder maybe?
Robin looked around at the other corners of the room and found no similar devices. A holo recorder would require a panoramic view, best achieved by using more than one camera. That means that this was most likely some kind of projector. He knit his brows, pondering that. Why would Fredo need a holoprojector?
His question was answered when he heard a giggle behind him. He spun to look and saw "Starfire?"
"Greetings Robin," the possible-Starfire chirped. "I trust you are well today?"
Robin was immediately skeptical. Even ever-happy Starfire wouldn't be exchanging pleasantries in a situation like this. "I'm fine," he answered slowly. "Where did you come from?"
"Nearby," she answered vaguely. "I am so happy to see you!"
"Yeah, me too," Robin said flatly. He had to figure out if this was the real Starfire or not. "Tell me, Starfire, what's your favorite fruit?"
Possible-Starfire canted her head and looked blank for a moment. "Why, Friend Robin, you must know that, being that we are such close friends," she finally replied. She flashed a smile at him.
"Uh huh." Robin frowned, then tried again with a different tack. "I have a strawberry birthmark," he said in Cantonese. "Where is it?"
Possible-Starfire stood stock-still, her eyes glazing over. Robin watched her very carefully, waiting for something, anything, to give her away, one way or the other.
She flickered.
Robin dove at her. He really expected to go right through her, but instead, wound up tackling the would-be alien princess. "What are you?" he demanded, pushing the girl's shoulders to the floor. "What have you done to Starfire?"
The imposter kicked Robin off with little effort. Before he could climb to his feet, he found her standing over him. "This is just the beginning," she said, her voice hard and electronic-sounding. "Neither you nor your precious alien will make it out of here alive."
Then she vanished into thin air.
Another action chapter. I keep trying to get through those quickly so I can get to the good character stuff, but they take the pace they want. Hopefully next chapter. I do like the little Oracle bit I put in there for Babs. I don't know that I'll explore that or not; maybe in Falling III.
Standard apologies about the wait between updates. I've been given more responsibilities at work, which has given me less time to write at home. Add to that the stress of the holidays and some struggles with my health and well...I'm sure you've heard it all before.
Many, many thanks to everyone who've been hangin' with me. Honestly, if it weren't for you, I'm not sure I'd bother to finish this. But I will finish it, and I will work on Falling III, just because I know you want it!
The muse works harder when she knows she's loved!
Happy Holidays to everyone, no matter which ones you may celebrate!
