Chapter Forty-Seven: Titans Together
Consciousness usually came with the sun, but in Antartica it was always obscured by thick blizzards and grey clouds. Silvia woke up in her own time whenever she stayed at the Fortress of Solitude, which was a relief because she was only ever there when she planned on having a particularly... exhausting night. Clark had even brought a bed for the 'Krypton' room, where the red sun drained away his powers. He had been pretty embarrassed about that when Silvia pointed it out.
Silvia stretched out on the bed, turning into familiar warmth with a contented sigh. Clark smiled and tightened his grip around her bare waist. Despite how small she was, and how fragile he saw her (and everyone else, for that matter), without his super strength he could feel the tight muscles winding over her body. His thumb skimmed over her stomach, now able to properly touch her toned abdomen.
Clark's fingertip grazed across one of the many scars that littered her body. He frowned. How many times had she been close to death? How many close calls had there been before he met her? The thought made him shiver. Though he had gone a long time without knowing her, he couldn't imagine life without Silvia anymore. He tugged her closer to his chest and she willingly snuggled into him. He couldn't think like that. The scars were just proof that she was stronger than anyone gave her credit for.
"Are you alright, Dorothy?" Silvia's voice grabbed his attention and he instantly glanced down at her. She was staring at him, silvery eyes full of concern.
Clark exhaled heavily, allowing a smile to slip onto his face. "Of course. I'm with you, aren't I?"
The girl managed to successfully suppress a giggle and shook her head. "You're so cheesy. That Superman charm isn't going to work on me."
Clark raised an eyebrow and directed towards their naked bodies. "Oh really? Seems to be working so far."
Silvia's lip curled, a common occurrence when she was trying to think of a comeback. She didn't get the chance though. Soon after Clark's communicator started flickering and vibrating on the side table. He got up immediately, grabbing his costume from the ground in the process.
"Hey, what did you need?" Clark said, holding the communicator to his ear and speaking through it.
The answer wasn't something Silvia could hear. It used technology that blocked outside sources from listening in, even people with enhanced hearing. She did see Clark's posture tighten though, and almost instantly, he was in what she liked to call 'Superman mode'. His body was tense and his stance was straighter.
"Alright, I'll be right there." He said, pressing the small button and placing it back on the table. Clark was slow in that room, and so putting his costume back on was incredibly irritating, he somehow managed it though without taking too much time.
"Trouble?" Silvia asked, sitting up on the mattress and rubbing her eyes sleepily.
Clark pulled his last boot on and nodded. "Sorry, Sil..."
"Are you seriously apologising for saving people?" Silvia laughed, tossing the blankets off her body and rushing to put her clothes on before the cold reached her.
Clark couldn't help but smile. He was so use to people immediately becoming annoyed at his random disappearances that he still hadn't gotten use to her understanding of the situation. "Yeah... I guess I am."
"Well, don't." Silvia pulled a jacket over her shoulders and sighed, her expression was always full of worry before he left... much like his was whenever she had work to do. "Go be a hero, Dorothy."
The air around them lightened slightly, and she saw the Superman exterior fade for a moment. "I'll take you home first."
Silvia's eyes widened at the suggestion. "What?! Are you crazy? You've got more important things to do. I can wait here until you're done."
Clark pulled her close to his chest, gripping her waist and gently kissing her forehead. "They've got it handled for now. I'm sure I can spare ten seconds. We'd better leave this room soon though, my powers need time to recharge."
Silvia rolled her eyes at the man but nodded all the same, cheeks gaining a pinkish tinge at the feeling of his lips against her skin.
There was a noticeable difference as soon as they exited the room holding the red sun. His grip on her softened and his eyes brightened. It was only a minute or so before he was able to fly again, and as soon as he could, he had lifted them into the air. As comfortable as she was around Clark, Silvia still tried to avoid being reminded that they were up so high. Her face was hidden against his costume for most of the journey, eyes closed and bottom lip caught between her teeth.
When he dropped her off at the apartment she barely had time to say goodbye before he disappeared again. Then she was just left with an empty apartment, one that constantly reminded her that Clark was out of her reach. She always felt like that though, there was no way for her to follow him and make sure he was safe so it was just a matter of waiting for his return.
Silvia slumped against the red couch. It was much more comfortable than her old one, but that wasn't exactly a difficult accomplishment. Her fingers tapped against the armrest, every second feeling like a lifetime.
Something creaked within the apartment and Silvia immediately jumped from her seat. She turned, taking the blade from the holder on her thigh and holding it out defensively. The sharp knife glimmered, pointing directly at a woman standing in front of the open window.
"Reaper!" Starfire said with a bright smile. "It is so good to see you again!"
She gave a heavy sigh, letting her arm fall limply to her side. "Kori... Do I have to explain this again?" Silvia stepped over to a draw and opened it, pulling out the mask to her costume. She pointed to it. "This is Reaper. When my face is showing I'm Silvia."
"Oh, yes, many apologies. I often get the two confused."
"How do you get something like that confused?" Silvia asked with genuine curiosity. It was so strange that Starfire still hadn't deciphered the difference.
Kori shrugged, grin only widening by the second. "I suppose the concept of 'secret identities' does not really resonate with me."
"You don't say..." Silvia replied sarcastically. She was hoping there would be a deeper explanation but that was unlikely to happen when it came to Kori. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but was there a reason you visited?"
"I missed you, of course!"
Silvia bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling. Soon after she had returned from the alternate universe Silvia had travelled all the way to Gotham to see Kori and Dick. She was so relieved at the reminder that they were still alive that it had taken every ounce of self control she had not to tackle them both into a hug. Kori seemed to sense that Silvia was troubled though because she had been visiting her fairly often since then... not that she was complaining.
"You're just as corny as Clark is." Silvia teased.
"Corny?" Starfire tilted her head to the side, flaming red hair jolting in the process. "I am not sure that I understand. I do not require corn, nor do I have any on me? Does Clark often bring corn home?"
"No that's not what I-... never mind." She shook her head. Silvia tried not to explain things to Kori anymore, much like most people. It often ended up being a waste of time.
Starfire rolled her shoulders with utter indifference. She was use to misunderstanding people now. In fact, it wasn't a normal day without her becoming confused about a saying or word used on Earth. "Well, anyway, I was wondering if you would like to visit Titan Tower with me. Dick is there temporarily and he said he would like to see you. It is uncommon that the two of you get the opportunity to meet up."
Silvia froze, eyes wide and blinking much less than they should have. "You mean... I'll be allowed to see inside the tower?"
Starfire nodded eagerly. "I am sure none of the Titans mind."
"I'd... beg to differ." Silvia hummed mainly to herself. She wasn't sure if Kori had heard her, but she wasn't willing to repeat herself in fear that it would change the alien woman's mind.
"Come on then." Kori said happily, holding out a hand for Silvia to take. "It'll be quicker in the sky."
Now, Silvia wasn't nearly as comfortable flying with Starfire as she was with Clark... but she was desperate to see inside of that tower so she gulped back any fear that arose and pulled the mask over her face. Kori grabbed onto her hand before she had a chance to properly asses the situation, and without a word of warning, they were above the clouds.
The only thing keeping her safe was Kori's grip on her palm, not around her waist. She was hanging below the girl, dangling over the landscape with terror striking straight into her chest. She felt like she was going to fall to her doom. Despite how much she trusted Kori, it wasn't the best position to be in for someone still struggling with a fear of heights.
There were multiple times when Silvia wanted to scream at Kori to put her down, that she no longer wanted to see the tower, but her voice was practically non-existent in the midst of her panic. Thankfully, the hyperventilating mess she had turned into vanished the moment her feet hit the ground again. Instead she was probably taking in too much air, leaning against the side of the tower gasping and inhaling so much oxygen that her lungs felt like they may explode.
"Are you coming in?" Kori asked, completely oblivious to the Silvia's terrified state.
The blonde waved a hand at the alien, signalling that she'd be over soon. Silvia took one more large gulp of air, letting it travel through her airway and into her body. Her heart rate had calmed down a little, at the very least she'd be able to follow Kori inside now.
Silvia straightened her posture, becoming more aware of the sudden shift in weather. Above the tall building, that was conveniently shaped like a'T', the sun was peering down with all the intensity of a few streams of lava. It wasn't as hot as it was in South Africa... but it was close enough to have Silvia instantly wiping sweat from her brow.
She trod slowly behind Kori, watching her put in her passcode. A women's voice spoke 'iris identification required' and a weird piece of tech poked out from the wall. Kori rested her eye against it and a red laser scanned over her. 'Access granted. Welcome Starfire.' the voice spoke again just as the door to the building swung open.
"Did Cyborg make that?" Silvia asked as they stepped in.
"Yes, he is a little paranoid." Starfire replied, still full of unwarranted joy.
"Well, this is Titans tower.. It's probably a good thing that one of you is taking precautions."
Kori didn't answer, probably because she had no opinion on the matter. This gave Silvia the opportunity to take a proper look at the building she was entering. It was a lot larger than she originally thought, full of odd technology and many training areas. There wasn't any specific colour scheme but blue and yellow appeared a little more than any other shade.
There was an elevator, a large one, and it had a great many floors to travel. Still, it was faster than most others she had used. Silvia suspected that Cyborg was to thank for that. They reached one of the top floors in almost no time at all, and the amount of people on that level made up for the lack of them near the entrance.
Raven was spotted out of the corner of Silvia's eye and she jumped back in fear. The first time she'd met her was in the alternate reality. She narrowed her eyes and looked again. Raven was talking to Beast Boy. No one seemed too troubled that she was there so she obviously wasn't an enemy.
Silvia exhaled sharply and took another step forward, a small boy wearing the Robin costume ran right passed her. Silvia frowned. "How many Robins does Batman need?! This is like, what, the third? Fourth?"
Starfire clapped her hands together, directing her grinning face back towards Silvia. "Oh yes, there have been very many! He is still rather new, the last one died!"
Something choked in Silvia's throat, whether it was air or saliva remained unknown. All she could process was that the news had come suddenly, shockingly, and that Kori had said it with far too much enthusiasm.
"O-Oh... umm..." Silvia stuttered out, not entirely sure how she was suppose to react. "That... sucks?"
"Yes, Bruce was not very happy about it." Starfire agreed, still smiling.
"I can imagine..." Silvia sighed. At least she didn't have to try and master up some sympathy around Kori. Starfire was aware that it was a sad event, but she still hadn't exactly mastered how to speak about such things after they'd happened. "Maybe if he stopped dressing those kids in bright obvious colours, while he wears the discreet armoured black suit, they'd stop getting killed."
"That is a good point! I will let him know that you think so!"
"... please don't."
In the distance Nightwing came into view, his legs resting carelessly on top of an important looking console. His arms were crossed over his chest and his head was tilted back against the spine of his chair. From here it appeared like he was napping, but with his mask on it was hard to tell.
Silvia's curiosity was soon quenched when Nightwing let his head fall to the side, eyes gleaming at her from beneath the fabric. His lips quirked upward, exposing every pearly white tooth before he pushed to his feet.
"Good of you to finally visit me." Dick teased, stepping towards her with his arms still crossed.
Silvia smirked and mimicked his stance. "You could've just as easily visited me."
"With the big guy lurking around? No thanks."
"I'm sure Clark would be happy to see you too."
Dick chuckled. "Exactly my point. Think I'll pass on that."
"Well, either way, I'm here now." Silvia replied, trying to suppress just how happy she was to see him.
"Business calls don't count."
Silvia's brow crinkled in confusion. "This isn't a business call though..."
"Yes, it is." Another voice sounded. One so familiar that Siliva's initial reaction was to roll her eyes. Cyborg came into view, footsteps clanky and hollow.
Silvia glanced over at Kori to ask why she had manipulated her into coming, but Starfire looked just as baffled as she was. "... You lied to Kori to get me here." she sighed to Nightwing.
Dick shrugged. "It wasn't a lie. I did want to see you, this just seemed like the best excuse to do that."
"And there was no other way to get you here. If I had asked for you personally without any urgency, would you have accepted?" Cyborg cut in.
"Absolutely fucking not." Silvia's foot begun to tap against the ground impatiently, her right index finger doing the same against her arm. She turned to Cyborg, the remnants of a pout barely visible on her lips. "What did you want then?"
"We still don't have your DNA on record. When you were taken to the alternate universe we had no way of tracking you. You're here to remedy that."
"Okay... but I thought that only Justice League members could have their DNA filed here."
Cyborg glanced at Nightwing, who in turn, looked over at Kori. He soon realised this was a ridiculous move because she was clearly just as clueless as Silvia. Nightwing finally spoke. "You're here to remedy that too."
Silvia's head cocked to the side oddly, confusion still lingering on her face. It took longer than it should have for realisation to hit her. She stared at Nightwing with wide eyes, lips parting just enough to let in a shaky gasp. "No... but... you're fucking with me, right?"
"Unfortunately not." Cyborg sighed. "A few of the founding members discussed it and decided that it's best that you become an official member. It'll be easier to keep tabs on you that way."
She didn't know what to say. She was speechless. Never did she even consider that she'd be part of a team, let alone the Justice League. It just didn't feel like she was the right fit for it.
"Congrats, Sil." Dick said, and it was the first genuine thing she'd ever heard leave his mouth... That didn't mean that there wasn't a twinge of sarcasm somewhere in there though.
"B-But I-..." Silvia stammered.
"No buts." Cyborg cut in, holding his hand out and jerking his cybernetic fingers back. "Hold your arm out."
Silvia, still a little hazy on the sudden announcement, did as she was asked without properly thinking it through. A needle was quickly pierced into her skin but pulled out before she had time to jump backwards.
"Welcome to the team." Cyborg said half-heartedly, throwing a transmitter in her direction. She caught it, but only barely. "The next time I see you it better be in the Hall of Justice, because if you enter Titans Tower again, you'll be sorry."
"You invited me." Silvia hissed.
"Yeah, and now I'm uninviting you. Kori, take her home."
"Asshole..." Silvia muttered under her breath, knowing perfectly well that he could still hear her. Maybe she should enter the tower again just in spite of him... but Silvia wasn't sure if she was willing to deal with the long lecture Clark would give her if she did that.