A/N: so we get to the longest chapter I think I have written for this story to date. Not much to say here or I would give away too many spoilers. At any rate, read on!
The next morning, Ian woke to an alarm going off and jumped up, Scott's reflexes getting him into a fighting stance. "Wuzzat!" he shouted. Robin's voice came over the loudspeaker – wait, when did that get installed in his room? – calling all the Titans into the training facility.
Relaxing his stance and muttering about psycho traffic light birds, Ian teleported using one of Scott's abilities he had read about last night by allowing Scott to tap into his abilities again to said room and noted that Raven beat him there, and Robin was in the room(because he was the one who called the session… of course he'd be there). Everyone else got there afterward. Robin nodded once everyone was there including Kirsty, who was acting like she couldn't wait to say something.
Robin didn't beat around the bush. "Team, with all the new members, we need to run through some conditioning so we can better help each other cover each other's backs. I know before Malgand'r had said that his team was not our backup plan, and I feel that if they are staying here then he is absolutely right. We won't operate like a well oiled machine if we constantly fight over who should be doing the legwork and who should be the rear guard. In fact I'd say we shouldn't even NEED a rear guard." he started, but was stopped by Beast Girl.
"Booooooo! Skip the lecture, Birdboy!" she shouted.
Beast Boy snickered, but Terra pulled BG by the ear to a corner, "That's your uncle. Show some respect!" she chided as BG whimpered like a puppy being scolded.
Robin didn't show any sign of it bothering him, having dealt with Beast Boy in the past. However, Ian couldn't help but smile as Scott mentally told Ian he approved of Terra's actions. Terra apparently viewed her as a daughter and wanted to raise her properly despite them being close to the same age.
Robin sighed, "I figured we could use a bit of sparring, especially since Kirsty approached me yesterday and practically begged to test her capabilities."
All eyes turned to Kirsty. "YOU wanted this? Are you NUTS?" Beast boy shouted. "This is superhero training, and you've never even won a fight against a group of bull-OWW!"
Dubs had slapped the back of his head. As BB rubbed his cranium, Dubs said, "Everyone starts somewhere! What, just because Terra was your girlfriend she got special treatment?"
Cyborg crossed his arms, "He has a point. If she's willing to put in the effort, I bet she'll be just as good as us sooner or later!"
Robin nodded, "BB, you know I am just a normal guy with loads of gadgets, right? And she's basically a superhuman cyborg at this point, so what exactly are you comparing her to?"
"Uhhh…" BB frowned, "Okay, okay! I get it, I was being insensitive. Sorry Kirsty." he apologized.
Since her mouth wasn't visible, rather than smile, she nodded and said, "It's alright. I know I just walked for the first time in 10 years just a few days ago. But it IS like riding a bike. So Robin, how would you like to divide us up?"
Dubs raised his hand, "Can I say something?"
"Yes, what's on your mind?" Robin acknowledged.
"What if I program a simulation of wire-frame… that is to say hard light construct enemies for us to spar against? We had that in our own base to kill time, and that was with a pieced together hard drive with things we stole from other planets. With your supercomputer, I am sure I could refine it to even simulate enemies we might face in real situations!" Dubs offered.
"Glorious!" Starfire beamed, "Robin, Please to be letting friend Dubs help make this construct of light?"
Cyborg turned to Dubs, "That is definitely possible with Motherbox tech added to the computer." he reasoned, "Need any help?"
"Sure!" Dubs nodded. Turning to Robin, he added, "Give me about 6 hours and I should have the coding done. While I do that I need someone to go get these building materials." and a fax machine noise sounded out as his mouth printed a list of different materials.
Robin nodded and began delegating the lists items to the team, "Malgand'r, Star, you can do heavy lifting, so you'll go get the metal we'll need. The docks should have ample supply. Beast boy, Terra and Beast Girl, can you go get some circuits from the local electronics shop? Ian and Raven can stay here and help with construction since Ian's metal suit can be useful for welding and Raven's powers are able to move and manipulate large structures with ease. Catherine, you and I will go to the hardware store to pick up the screws, nuts, and bolts and other things needed to make this happen."
Kirsty raised her hand, "I can help my little bro with the programming… If I had to explain it, I'd say it's like I have Motherbox language moving through my head, so if I can help him I will!" she offered.
Dubs smiled, "Did you just call me little bro?"
"Yeah… do you not like it? I can stop if–" she started.
"No no no! It's… nice. Big sis!" Dubs beamed. "Come on, I'll help you learn that language in your circuits."
The two of them ran off and Cyborg followed, mumbling something about how 'he never got that kind of help.'
=With Beast Boy, Beast Girl, and Terra=
As everyone went to work, Beast Boy and Beast Girl morphed into peregrine falcons and Terra started surfing through the air on a slab of earth towards the electronics store.
When they landed and were human again, Beast Boy asked, "So ummm… what do we need?"
Terra handed him half the list. "Can you two get the stuff on this half? I'll get the rest."
Beast girl nodded and ran ahead of Beast boy. When he caught up with her, he was breathing heavily. "What… was that… about…"
Beast Girl simply said, "How out of shape are you?" laughing as he got angry.
"I'm not out of–" BB started.
"We were running for like five minutes." Beast girl smirked, "And you're breathing like it was a mile."
"Is it that bad?" Beast Boy asked frowning. Beast Girl sighed, "You were much more fit where I came from. I mean… you WERE older, but still…"
Beast Boy stood up, no longer winded, and asked, "So you were expecting some sort of macho man primate?"
"Well… I just thought you'd be more muscular." she shrugged.
Terra rounded the corner, "I saw you running! Where's the villain?" she shouted.
Both changelings began laughing hysterically.
=With Robin and Catherine=
"So why'd you want to have me go with you?" Catherine asked, "I know the you from my old universe would only ask me to hang out when one of two conditions were met. One was he wanted to figure out what I wanted to receive from him discreetly for a special occasion, the other was to interrogate me. So which is it?" Catherine asked as they walked.
"It's about Scott. I want to know what you know, and if we should be worried." Robin said without even pretending she didn't see through him.
"Oh, like it's smart to just give you information on him without questioning your motives!" She frowned.
Robin countered with, "So would you rather I interrogate Ian and have him tell me?"
Catherine frowned, "Look, Robin, in the words of your own girlfriend, He's our friend, there is much about him we are not meant to understand."
"How did you know abou–" Robin started to ask.
"Ever heard of security camera footage?" Catherine smirked, "I can dig up dirt on you just as much as you can on me. I was trained by Slade, remember?"
"What?!" little red flags went up as Robin was told this.
"No one told you?" Catherine asked. "He was one of the good guys in my world. Honest!"
"Slade? A good guy? Forgive me for saying this, but I find that very hard to believe." Robin said.
"Yeah, but you accept that Superman could be evil so much more readily! Grow up boy wonder!" Catherine shot back.
Robin sighed, "Look, I am just worried about the team. And… wait… who told you Star was my girlfriend? We haven't even officially dated at all!" he switched topics as he realized what she said.
Catherine sighed, "You do know she'll never make the first move, right? Your job isn't what you should be married to." she said.
Robin sighed. At this point they had most of what they needed, and were on the way back home. He looked vexed, as if he hadn't realized his hero work had been taking precedence over his relationships until now.
=With Starfire and Malgand'r=
"Mother?" Malgand'r asked as they flew, noticing Starfire was looking troubled.
"Please not to be calling me that…" Starfire stopped him.
He frowned. "I do not understand… are you not okay with my being here?" Malgand'r asked.
Starfire sighed, "It is not that. It is just… Robin does not pay attention to me, so how did he suddenly copulate and have a child with-"
"Maybe it is you who needs to ask him? Father does tend to overwork himself, even in my universe. Perhaps he will take note if you are the one to ask him how he really feels?"
Starfire's eyes widened. Was it her own naive and childish personality that was keeping Robin from noticing her feelings for him? Perhaps she should take the initiative. She nodded, her face becoming determined as they landed and asked the men at the docks for some steel beams.
Needless to say, the men were more than happy to help the heroes of Jump City.
=Back at the Titan's Tower=
Ian was in his suit welding some of the materials Star had brought back, And Raven was helping by supporting them and keeping them in place with her powers. Dubs was over by the electric panels configuring them and talking with Kirsty, explaining some sort of complicated algorithm stuff. She seemed to be understanding it for the most part, and would only ask the occasional question. Cyborg was helping the two with their calculations and wiring things for them.
Raven had just finished putting the last metal beam in place, and Ian was welding it to it's position as he maneuvered himself around the steel beam. Once done, he landed and let the suit retract into his wrist. As he did so, the rest of the team gathered in the training facility, all of them back from their various tasks. Robin walked to the machine.
"So what can we expect from this thing?" he asked Dubs.
"Honestly? We'll have to test it to know." Dubs shrugged. Turning to the team, he smirked and asked, "Any volunteers?"
Surprisingly, it was Starfire who spoke first. "I will do the volunteering."
"Star? Are you-"
"Honestly Robin, if I wasn't sure I would have said nothing." Star seemed a bit miffed that he was even asking.
"Alright, Dubs, fire it up." he instructed. The machine whirred to life and Starfire flew up to the center of the training area, standing across from the small blueish white area made to house the the generator for the hard light constructs. As everyone looked on, A white liught shot upwards and blueish transparent blocks configured into…
Slade of Injustice.
Robin swore. "Star get out of-"
"Robin, I will not back down from this. Just because you are obssessed with the real one does not mean I cannot overpower him myself!" Starfire called out determined.
Robin gulped. The only reason he did not press the issue further was there was an off button at Dubs fingertips if this got ugly.
The Slade in front of Starfire looked around, and took a moment to remove his mask. His eyepatch was covering his eye and he looked older than this universe's Slade, on top of that, he seemed more than aware of what was going on. "Oh my… this is quite the opportunity. Catherine? Well I'll be damned! I thought you were dead! So I take it this is Starfire before I was on your side then?" He spoke and for some reason no one could feel any hostility.
Dubs looked at the settings in confusion. "Did we just build sentience?" he muttered.
Ian laughed, "Holy crap Dubs… this might be the best thing you've ever programmed."
"Uhhhh..." Dubs couldn't comprehend the current situation and seemed a bit on edge, his brain began running diagnostics on possible outcomes trying to find the best course of action.
"Oh shit! Dubs! it's happening again!" Kate ran over and shook him, but his brain was going too fast to react physically. A few minutes later he blinked and sighed, "Dammit… it happened again."
"What did?" Cyborg asked worried.
Dubs sighed, "My morality ran another algorithm shift due to not having enough information to react."
"Are you going to be alright?" Kirsty asked.
Dubs nodded, "I ran all possible scenarios. The best one is to let the construct do what it is currently doing. Interrupting it ends badly."
Slade's consciousness chuckled and reached behind him to draw a sword, "Well little lady, hope you won't hold it against me to rough you up a bit if you are dead set on winning this one!"
Beast Boy blinked and asked, "Anyone else feel this is strange?"
Catherine was looking between the two with mixed emotions. Even if this was a faux fight, she WAS Slade's former apprentice and knew how this would end had Star not been a Tamaranian strong enough to break bones and take more than a normal beating… still… she sighed, "Ian… is… is it bad to want to see Slade win?"
Ian ruffled her hair, "Try not to think about the winner. it's the experience that matters here."
Star rocketed towards Slade and repelled a sword strike with her bracers, a metallic clang sounding throughout the room. As he jumped towards her, he smirked and said, "Good. That would have sliced any normal person's arm off. COME AT ME!"
Everyone's mouths hung open as the fight continued. Star kept her distance and suddenly used her eye beams to push Slade back as he blocked the beams with his blade. Advancing on her, pushing back, he swung and very nearly hit her in the face, however she was not going to lose, especially with Robin watching.
In moments, she started throwing punches, and Slade swung his sword to meet her fists.
She caght his sword with her bare hands, and wrenched it from his grasp, her hands slightly cut into from the action.
"STARFIRE!" Robin shouted.
She ignored his outcry and slugged Slade in the face with all her might causing him to fly into the opposing wall. As he coughed, he smiled, "I give, you've bested me." he spoke with a groan and stood up. Star's eyes stopped glowing as she smiled and did a fist pump. Slade looked over at the others and spoke, "Before I am dispelled… It was good to see you all alive again. Take care of yourself Catherine." and he was deconstructed by the machine in a blue flash of light.
Catherine had a tear in her eye and Robin looked positively baffled, "So he really is a good guy in your universe..." Robin muttered. Star flew over and Raven used her magic to mend her bleeding palms.
Robin walked over, "Are you alright? you're not hurt are you?" he asked.
Star smiled, and said "Robin, this was going to happen from the moment I saw that sword. Do not worry about me. I am sturdier than you give me credit for! Did you expect me to die?" she seemed genuinely concerned.
Robin shook his head, "I just didn't want you to get hurt." he said.
Ian smirked and said, "Do you two need a room?"
The team was GOING to laugh, but Star surprised everyone by saying, "I believe that would be for the best."
Robin blinked. "Star I don't-"
"Want to do the hearing me out? Is that the problem?" She interrupted.
Robin resigned himself to doing as she said, "We'll be right back..." he told the others. As soon as he was out of the room, Beast Girl started making kissing faces and smooching noises. Beast Boy cracked up.
Dubs sighed and turned to the computer console, removing a small microchip from his wrist and inserting it into the console.
"What was that?" Cyborg asked.
"An inhibitor chip to disable sentience. With this if we summon something that would normally be hellbent on murder, it will make said construct not have the power or intelligence to do so." Dubs answered as he began to code the necessary differences into the system.
=In Another Room=
"Robin, do you not find me attractive? Am I inadequate in some way?" Star asked sadly.
Robin gulped and remembered what Catherine had discussed with him earlier. "Star… you're the most beautiful, strongest girl I know. I have always found you attractive. From that first kiss when you learned English from me, actually."
She was happy when she heard that, true, but she found she was overcome with the urge to just cry, and she asked him, "Then why do you ignore my feelings for you?"
"I… I don't ignore… wait, are you saying my work is getting in the way of our relationship?" He pieced together rather wisely. She nodded, "I don't enjoy being put second to someone like Slade. It is why I wanted to prove I was better than him, and all you did was ask if he hurt me!" she started letting the tears fall.
Robin sat down next to her, and hugged her, "Star I… didn't mean to insult your achievement. I was worried you were injured." he explained.
But that wasn't what she wanted to hear.
"Why is it always concern for my state of being, rather than praise or affection! Even on the earth holiday for the valentines, you have never once thought to buy flowers or any sort of thing to show you love me. So is Slade worth so much fixation that you can't realize people are miserable trying to impress you?"
"Star… I… I didn't know..." He said. She smiled and wiped a tear away, "No, you didn't, and it was why I wished to tell you now."
Robin thought for a moment and said, "I actually do have something that I'd like to share with you. Just please don't tell the others."
"What?" Star looked up confused.
Robin removed his mask.
Star gasped. "You… you're Richard Grayson?"
Robin smiled "Dick Grayson to friends. But call me what you want."
Starfire let out what could only be described as a squee.
"I've been in love with DICK GRAYSON?!" she shouted.
=The Training Room=
Ian smirked as he heard that scream loud enough to be heard throughout the tower. Welp, there goes that secret…
BB and Cy looked at each other and blinked, "Wait… he told her his identity?" Beast Boy asked confused. Ian sighed and called out, "Everyone pretend we never heard that. it'd break Robin's spirit if he knew he confided in her and we all knew."
"Good point." Cy said.
=Back with Robin and Star=
Star was hovering an inch off the bed hugging Robin with a bone crushing hug. He just took it, knowing if anything broke Raven could heal him, though he did grunt in pain, which made her realize she was hurting him. "I apologize." She said pulling back.
"It's fine." He replaced his mask, and answered her, "I didn't know you knew who Dick Grayson was..."
"I only saw you under the cover a few times, but I never realized you were the same boy. It is the embarrassing, but I had a small crush on you as Dick before I began to love you as Robin." Star admitted.
Robin blushed and cleared his throat, "At any rate we should get back to the others."
"Alright. Can… we do the holding hands?" she asked timidly. He smiled, and they walked back hand in hand.