It took Starfire almost 20 minutes to find Robin who was walking around aimlessly around the shop as if looking for nothing in particular. His face in utter dismay.
"Friend Robin?" Starfire said in concern at her boyfriend
"Oh…hey Star" Robin said freezing at a shelf that was overflowing with axes "I've just been looking around this shop…looking for things we need…"
"Friend Robin…" Starfire said calmly approaching Robin to the point that they were centimetres from each other "I can tell that there is something bothering you…you have been strange this morning and I want to know if there is something that I can do."
Robin sighed. He knew it wouldn't help to lie to Starfire, and he knew that she was telling the truth. His mind was going in so many directions that he was surprised that his brain hadn't fried itself, and he also knew that the rest of his friends, Cyborg and Beast Boy in particular must be going through the same thing, he just wasn't sure if he wanted to admit that to them yet. Starfire on the other hand, he was slightly more comfortable opening up to and one of his main concerns has to do with her.
"Starfire…" Robin said as if he wasn't sure if he was using the right words "I…I don't know how to respond to the fact that…that I…I have a daughter…"
"What do you mean Friend Robin?" Starfire said
"I mean…that…that…I thought that…that for a moment…that the mother would be you…" Robin said mournfully looking up at Starfire "…but now that your dead here…I…just…I don't know how this will affect our relationship…"
Starfire's eyes filled with tears as she threw Robin a rib crushing, flying hug "Don't think like that Friend Robin!" She said "We will always be together…and…you shouldn't be upset at the fact that I'm dead here…If I were to be…I would want you to be happy, and whether or not if you were happy with…with whoever you were with in this future…I would hope that you were happy with her" Starfire said, now placing her nose in front of Robin's "…anyway, we are here to stop this future from happening! So that way…maybe…just maybe we might be together when we fix this future…"
Robin nodded, his mind still calming down from all its chaotic thoughts. He smiled as he and Starfire kissed. Their minds totally blank. They didn't worry about where they were, all their problems now and in the future. All they knew was that they had each other, and that was all that mattered.
The costume display area was one of the largest parts of the shop selling costumes of every known superhero as if they expected them all to arrive naked in the store for no particular reason. These weren't the cheap costumes that were homemade on a tight budget. These were well tailored ones that looked almost as if they had stolen the costume from the corpse of the superhero in question.
Old Man Beast Boy didn't know why he chose this place out of all places, but some invisible force inside of him told him that this is the place he had to go to. He walked around the costume area passing multiple suits of Superman, Batman, The Flash, etc. with several of these costumes put on display on an army of mannequins. Old Man Beast Boy had just passed a costume of what looked to be Robin when he stopped as if the invisible force had told him that he had arrived at his destination.
The incident happened so fast, so suddenly that it was over as soon as it began. Robin noticed a middle-aged in rags man walk up to a large wooden shelf as if walking on a minefield. He looked to his left. Then he looked to his right. Then he raised up an arm to snatch something on the shelf so fast that his hand was blur.
Robin only had the time to think 'Shoplifter' when there was a loud CRACK!
The man froze as if he had been turned into stone. Then the man collapsed down onto the floor. Dead. A giant hole in his head was regurgitating blood and mashed up brain bits all over the floor. Robin stared in horror at this unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Starfire screamed.
Then a voice rang out. A robotic, sinister voice boomed out in the air as if God himself was delivering a message to everyone in the store. "Let this be a warning to you!" the voice boomed "The punishment will come before the crime! We can't afford any more crime! No matter how big or small, crime will not be tolerated here by the Realm of the Robin! Soon the Realm of the Robin shall be a peaceful place! The Punishment comes before the crime!"
Robin froze unable to process what he had just heard. 'The Punishment coming before the crime?' now that was crazy. Putting aside how someone can possibly predict what someone is about to do, you can't punish someone who is about to do something bad. They might change their minds and not do that thing, but this system…his daughter's system is just plain evil. True if that person was about to rape or murder, then maybe that can be excused under most circumstances. But killing a common shop lifter? Now that is just too far.
"Well. Looks like the rumours are true." A gruff voice behind Robin said.
Robin whipped around to see Old Man Beast boy standing over him. His face utterly grim. "Looks like she is just as bad as people say. Killing criminals like that, I find it unbelievable."
Robin stared at the dead body, then back at Old Man Beast Boy, then back at the dead body, then back at Old Man Beast Boy.
His mind was in utter chaos. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He thought of what Old Man Beast Boy did. Killing criminals without mercy. Then he looked down at the dead body and he knew that Ashly. His daughter isn't much better. Killing criminals without mercy. The only difference is that one kills the guilty, the other kills the yet – to – be – guilty. None of those sides are pleasant. Both yield same results, no more criminals. However, Robin didn't like it.
Yet what did he expect from a world like this. There is no good and evil anymore. No more black and white arguments. That thing died the day the superheroes died. Now there was just grey. Robin didn't like either side, and yet he knew that he only had one option.
"Salt Lake City." Robin said under his breath.
"Yes." Old Man Beast Boy said "And I managed to get us a ride there. Tonight, we shall be in Salt Lake City and I will show that girl that she needs to correct her timing."
Robin nodded more interested in looking at the shelves of axes than looking at Old Man Beast Boy. His mind going in multiple directions. Old Man Beast Boy wants to kill his daughter and he wasn't going to let that happen. He wasn't going to let that happen at all.