Hello everyone, and welcome back to this story. I have to say, I didn't think I would be back here so soon...soon, is of course, a relative term. Nonetheless, things have taken place in my life that has seen me reach the lowest emotional point I've ever been in. By the grace of God, I'm still here and still writing. Things are slowly getting better, though I am still fighting my personal demons. I have my moments of weakness still, but I take comfort in knowing that God is a forgiving God, and I will keep trying to turn my life around.

I won't go into too much detail, as my personal life is not what you're here to read about. So, I'll go ahead and shift the focus back to the story itself. Let's start by addressing last chapter's anonymous reviews.

Guest: Glad to see you're enjoying it, here's some more to keep it going.

vi: As always your reviews are very enthusiastic, thank you for being a fan and I hope you continue to enjoy where this is going.

Guest2: Hope it gets better with this one.

Guest3: I wanted to add that in somehow, this gave me a good excuse.

Now with all that said, here is the next chapter everyone...and be forewarned, some have told me through WIPs that this is a very intense chapter. Brace yourself. I own nothing except the story

"He what?!" Cyborg shouted through the communicator, nearly bursting Beast Boy's eardrums as the metal man gave him a severe dressing-down. "Beast Boy, you had one job, man! How could you let him escape?! With the suit!"

"I dunno, okay?!" Beast Boy shouted back in desperation. "It's not like I let him go! He just caught me off guard!" The green boy slumped as his frown deepened. "I thought…maybe…he changed."

Before things could escalate further, Raven stepped in. "Let's take a step back. Something about this doesn't seem right." Turning her full attention to Beast Boy, she graced the distressed changeling with a sympathetic frown. "I know you and Red X-"

"His name is Jason."

"Right." Raven took a breath to compose herself after Beast Boy's bitter barb. "I know you and Jason were getting to be friends...and I'm not totally convinced he just wanted to escape. What'd he say before he disappeared?"

"He...ugh, I still can't believe it." Beast Boy sighed. "Okay...basically, he said that it was time for Red X to play the hero, whatever that means...oh, and he wanted me to tell Star and Robin he was sorry."

"That's it?" Raven asked. "He didn't take anything with him? None of our tech, no confidential information?"

"Well...no...he just took the suit, enough xenothium to power it, and he left."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder at Raven. "So what're you sayin'? That he's not doin' anything wrong? That he was just goin' stir crazy and he's goin' out for a night on the town?"

"I'm not saying he should've taken the suit, he'll have to deal with the consequences of his actions one way or another...but there's something weird about this. He said he was going to play the hero, that doesn't sound like something a remorseless thief would say. If he really just wanted to escape, why would he even bother to offer an explanation, let alone an apology."

"He could just be tryin' to keep us off his tail." Cyborg suggested. "Maybe he hopes we'll still give 'im the benefit of the doubt if he gives the impression he did it for a good cause."

"That would make sense too." Raven admitted with a nod. "But regardless of what conclusion we come to about his intentions, the more important question is what do we do about this?"

That question was met with silence. No one really wanted to take action on this particular situation. Jason had started to grow on them. Even Raven, who at the beginning was skeptical that Red X could reform, had come to accept that he was changing. He seemed more open, his aura was calmer, and Raven could tell there was some form of a bond of friendship developing between him and Beast Boy. Those types of things couldn't be faked. It was Cyborg who finally broke the silence with a weary sigh. "No matter what, you know someone's gotta tell Robin what happened."

Beast Boy scoffed in disgust. "I called Robin like six times. Whatever he's doing over there, he's not answering his communicator."

"You don't suppose maybe he found Slade and he's just not tellin' us again?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't be the first time Rob's kept his Slade obsession to himself."

"With Starfire there with him?" Raven shook her head. "She'd contact us herself before she let Robin keep a secret like that. If Slade has anything to do with it, it's more likely he found them."

That thought caused a chill to go down the Titans' spines as Cyborg raised his arm. "I'm gettin' a lock on their communicators," He said as he tapped the interface on his arm. "From what I can tell, they're both at Wayne Manor." Cyborg's nose crinkled in annoyance. "Boy I swear if they're just makin' out on one of the thousands of couches in that place, I'm gonna have words for 'em when they get back."

"I doubt they'd be so irresponsible." Raven rolled her eyes. "Regardless, we have to do something. You're the next man up, Cyborg, it's your call with Robin incognito."

Cyborg sighed before his face hardened with determination. "Same priorities," He finally said. "We need to find and save Jericho. I'm sure we'll get another chance to catch Red X if he starts causin' trouble. We'll deal with 'im another time."

"So that's it?" Beast Boy's eyebrows furrowed in anger. "He's just a criminal again? Everything else he's done lately doesn't matter?"

"I said we'll deal with 'im another time." Cyborg stressed. "Whether that means catching 'im or talking to 'im, the jury's still out on that."

"But-"

"Beast Boy," Raven chimed in, cutting off Beast Boy's rebuttal before it could begin. "Given the circumstances, I think that's a reasonable stance to take. I know you want to believe he changed, so do I...but we can't just dismiss his actions. Yes he's done good, but he just stole the suit again without warning. We can't act like it didn't happen, and we can't spend resources going after him right now."

Eyes narrowed in anger, the changeling huffed and crossed his arms in disgust, turning his head away from them for a moment. "Fine." He said with a slight growl in his voice. "Then if there's no one to guard, can I at least stop sitting around here and join the search?"

"Don't bother," Cyborg shook his head. "Soon as we're finished here, I'm callin' everyone back for some rest. We've searched every inch of Jump City, and there's been no sign of 'em. I think our best bet at this point is to hope that Rob and Star found 'em in Gotham."

"And if they did?" Raven asked.

The metal man looked up into the sky and said nothing, before his forehead creased and a determined sneer formed on his face. "If we don't hear anything by morning, then we show up in force...screw Robin's Titan ban."

Images flashed through Starfire's mind. Nightmares of scaled, hideous creatures. The Tamaranean writhed in agony, the bed she was sleeping in rocking from her twists and turns. She suddenly awoke with a terrified shriek that echoed throughout the manor, her breaths shallow and frantic. She whimpered as she placed her sweat-covered face into her palms, desperately trying to erase the images from her memory. "Not again." Slowly pulling the covers off to head to the bathroom, her mind was briefly distracted from her internal turmoil by the fact that she was no longer in her uniform. Instead she was clothed in a long, white nightgown. "When did I..." That's when the previous night's events came rushing back, and she looked at her hands in fear. "I-I cannot believe what I almost..." She carefully lit up a starbolt, and she gasped at how quickly it seemed to rise to full strength...or at least, what she used to perceive as full strength, seeing as she was only using a portion of the effort she normally did. "What did they do to me?" Before she could pursue that train of thought, a knock on the door caught her attention, and she quickly grabbed her blanket, using it as a way to wipe her face off so she didn't look quite as haggard. "Come in!"

It was Alfred who entered, carrying a tray with a pitcher of ice water and a glass with some already poured into it. "Forgive me, Princess Starfire, but I heard you cry out and assumed you would need assistance."

Starfire sighed with exhaustion, a tiny, grateful smile on her face. "I thank you, friend Alfred." She took the glass and drank the whole thing, only now realizing how thirsty she was. When she placed the glass back on the tray, she gave another sigh as she placed her hands in her lap, remaining silent for a few moments before looking up at the aged man. "Alfred, what happened last night? Much of it is a blur..." She placed a hand to her head. "I remember the Poison Ivy..." That's when another image flashed in her mind, and she winced as she placed a hand to her head, moaning softly.

"Are you alright, your Highness?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, as she could feel tears brimming in her eyes. "Please..." She said with an obvious strain. "Where is Richard? I...I desire to be with him."

"I'm afraid Master Dick is still asleep, resting off the remainder of the Joker infection." Seeing the girl in such obvious distress, Alfred placed the tray on the nightstand and sat down on the bed next to her, taking her hand and looking up at her with a sympathetic frown. "If I may be so bold, Princess Starfire, I suspect that whatever happened last night is affecting you nearly as much as it affected Master Dick...there have been many times over the years where I've had to be a willing ear for Master Bruce in his darkest moments...I'm hoping he'll remember that even now...if you need a moment to express yourself, I would be honored to help in any way I can."

In the face of Alfred's unwavering kindness, Starfire actually smiled, even as a tear rolled down her cheek. Her frown returned full force however as she hastily wiped it away with her free hand and then quickly got to her feet. "I thank you for your offer, friend Alfred...but this is...not something I wish to discuss with anyone at this time. Please, take me to my d'anthe l'ani...take me to Richard. I promise I will not disturb his rest...I merely require his presence."

"Very well," Alfred nodded with a somber frown, and led the barefooted alien down the corridors until they once again reached the Batcave. It didn't take long for them to find him, as Dick was laying on his back in a bed, held down by restraints and sweating profusely as his body fought to remove the toxin from his system. "I had to restrain and sedate Master Dick last night, the Joker toxin is quite a nasty cocktail of chemicals." Alfred got closer to replace the wet rag on Dick's head, wiping his face of the sweat beading all over it. "You brought him back just in time, your Highness, you saved his life."

Starfire walked up to her unconscious lover and took a seat in the chair right next to his bedside. Without a word, she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, adjusting his bangs so they weren't obstructing his eyes. She scooted closer, bending over so she could place her head on the mattress right next to his head. Closing her eyes, she heard the wheezing breaths escaping his mouth. The mattress was damp from how much he apparently sweated overnight. She lifted her head up and placed a kiss on the inner side of his cheek, caressing his face and whispering to him in Tamaranean. Finally, she looked up at the butler, who was standing in dignified silence as he observed her actions. "I thank you for caring for him. Please...may I have some privacy? I promise I will call for you should something happen."

Alfred nodded and turned to leave, but then he briefly turned back around to address the young woman. "Whatever is troubling you, your Highness, I'm sure Master Dick would want you to tell him. Perhaps it would be easier for you knowing that he's sound asleep. I can tell that something is heavily burdening your heart, my dear. Don't bottle it up inside."

Starfire watched the elderly man head back upstairs to the manor, leaving her alone with Dick and her own intrusive thoughts. Part of her felt ashamed. Of course Alfred was correct, Richard was her d'anthe l'ani, and he even made it a point to say that he wanted to be exactly what was expected of that role. But...this was such a serious discussion...what would he think of her after she told him? The horror she suffered through, the trauma she endured...she and her sister...and her brother. Even Ryand'r, who her friends only barely knew about from brief mentions here and there, was not entirely spared. Again images flashed in her mind, and she whimpered as she desperately tried to replace them with happier ones. "Please stop...I do not wish to relive this."

"Star?" Her attention was mercifully diverted by Dick's faint whisper, his eyes fluttered as he slowly forced them open, even the dim light of the Batcave overwhelming his senses. "Where am I?"

"You do not remember?"

"It's all a blur...I remember we went after Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, we got captured..." Then his eyes widened, and he swiveled his head around to glance at Starfire, but he received a nasty present for the abrupt movement. "Ohhh man...what a headache, I haven't felt this bad since I accidentally drank Alfred's secret stash of bourbon thinking it was apple juice." He chuckled derisively at himself. "Now that was a miserable day."

"I imagine it was. I have read about the debilitating effects of alcohol, as well as the unfortunate side effects."

"Speaking of side effects..." Dick groaned as he forced himself to sit up, his eyebrows furrowed with concern as he looked up at her. "What happened back there, Star?"

"Nothing happened!"

Dick tilted his head skeptically. "Star, I may not remember everything, but I distinctly remember your hair being on fire..." He reached over to gently take a lock of her hair into his grasp. "Which is very concerning, because you know how much I love your hair."

The Tamaranean smiled briefly, her hand instinctively running through her hair before she frowned again and put her hand down. "Richard, I do not know what to say. I am not sure I can explain it, even if I wanted to."

That caused Dick to frown himself. "Why wouldn't you want to?"

"I just do not!"

"Star," He lowered his hand to grasp hers, delicately running his thumb over the top of her hand in a comforting gesture. He felt his heart tighten up when she refused to look in his direction. "If there's something bothering you, you can tell me. After all, isn't that what a d'anthe l'ani is for?"

Starfire's bottom lip began to quiver, and she finally turned her head to stare right into Dick's eyes, her own eyes brimming with unshed tears. "It is not fair for you to use your status against me like that."

"It would be unfair, if I were actually against you." He graced her with a loving smile. "But you're the one who told me what it means to be the keeper of your heart, and what kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't do everything I could to live up to that expectation? Besides, with all the times you've comforted me in my dark moments, I wanna be there for you too."

"Oh, Richard..." The alien finally began to cry, and she leaned over to wrap her arms around him. "I truly do not deserve someone as wonderful as you."

"You've got that backwards, Star. It's the other way around." He held her for a few moments, letting the wave of her emotions pass before releasing her and patting her hand encouragingly. "Now c'mon, tell me what's on your mind."

With a heavy sigh, Starfire finally nodded. "I must warn you...the story I am about to tell you is not a pleasant one. It is...most disturbing. Even I become slightly ill whenever I think about it. Are you sure you will be able to handle it in your current condition?"

"I'll be fine. Go on."

"Very well..." She took a deep breath, and gripping Dick's hand for strength, she began. "It all started when my siblings and I were very young..."

"I bet I can fly higher than you, Kom!"

"No way, Kory! You'll never be able to fly higher than me!"

"We'll see about that!"

It was just another day on the lush, tropical planet of Tamaran for the two giggling sisters, competition was something they both thrived on. To say they were mischievous would have been the understatement of the century. On their own, they each were a handful. Together, they were a k'norfka's worst nightmare...then when their baby brother Ryand'r was thrown into the mix, many citizens of Tamaran joked that together the three of them would destroy Tamaran with their antics. But it was always lighthearted teasing. The three royal children were indeed rambunctious, but their hearts were in the right place.

As the two sisters continued circling each other, Koriand'r earnestly trying to get up above her older sister, who seemed to be teasing the younger girl by always remaining just out of reach, the middle child was distracted by a sight she was just as eagerly waiting to see. "Oh! It looks like Ryand'r is going to try and take his first flight!" Koriand'r zipped down to the joy-filled infant, waiting with baited breath to see if this would be the that he finally lifted off for the first time on his own. "Come on, Ryand'r, you can do it!" The child laughed, and even started to float a little bit, reaching up for his older sister. But ultimately he flopped back onto his butt, unperturbed by his failure. "Oh, so close! Well, don't worry! I'll make you fly! Come on!" Picking up the newborn, Koriand'r flew off into the sky with a joyful squeal, the baby on her shoulders laughing and clapping in all the excitement as they zoomed right past Komand'r, higher and higher into the sweet-smelling sky.

"Kory! You're going too high up!"

"No I'm not!" Koriand'r stuck her tongue out at her older sister. "You just don't want to admit you can't fly this high and I'm better at it than you!"

"No, you're not! And if you don't come down I'm gonna tell!"

"I bet you won't!"

"Oh yeah? Watch me!" The eldest sister turned her back on her two younger siblings, flying back down to the ground to go and find their k'norfka. It didn't take long for her to do just that, as she pointed up into the sky to draw the elderly woman's attention. "K'norfka! Koriand'r is taking the baby way higher than she's supposed to! Look! Do you...see..." Her voice trailed off, as she saw a giant ship shimmer into view, right above where her siblings were frozen with fear. "Koriand'r!" She blasted off at her top speed, wrapping her sister up in a midair tackle just before a beam of light could envelop both her and the baby. "And this is why you need to listen to me!"

"I'm sorry!"

But they couldn't relax, as the ship was sending down another pillar of light, and the two girls dodged it again, even as the ship persisted its attempts. "That's probably what aliens use to abduct people! Head for the palace, and whatever you do, don't get hit by the beam!" Komand'r led the way back down to the ground, with Koriand'r doing everything she could to keep up with her more experienced sister. Komand'r looked back, seeing Koriand'r struggling to maneuver while still holding on to their baby brother, who seemed blissfully unaware of the apparent danger they were in. "Give him to me, sister!"

"N-No! I can do it! I promise!"

"Now isn't the time to try and prove you're better than me! Give Ryand'r to me and let's get to safety! Now!"

Koriand'r hesitated, but eventually she began handing her brother over to Komand'r...but that was when the beam finally caught her, and she screamed in terror, dropping Ryand'r by accident. "Help me!"

"I'm coming!" Komand'r grit her teeth, pushing her flight to the limit as she swooped down and caught the now wailing Ryand'r, rushed to hand him over to their caretaker who had just arrived with her parents. "I'm going after Koriand'r!"

"Komand'r, no! Come back!"

But the eldest sister would not be denied, as she flew back up with the intention of pushing Koriand'r out of the beam with a full strength charge. "She's so going to owe me after this." She grinned and increased her speed, mere yards away from her target. That's when another beam came down and snagged her, much to her horror as she and Koriand'r were both sucked into the ship, with nothing but darkness surrounding them on all sides. "Hey! Let us out of here! What did we ever do to you, whoever you are?!" Komand'r's outburst was met with silence, only the sobbing of her little sister echoing in the darkness could be heard as Komand'r growled and slowly followed the sound until she tripped over Koriand'r, who was curled up in a tight little ball. "Stop crying! We can't let them know we're scared!"

"But I am scared! What are we going to do?!"

"We're going to prove that we're tougher than we look!" Komand'r grunted in determination. "Now come on! Let's find a way out of here!"

"The dark-haired one is quite persistent, is she not?"

"Yes. I theorize she will last much longer than the little one."

"That is an easy conclusion to make. The dark-haired one is older, larger, and more intelligent than her younger counterpart. However, I hypothesize that the little one will be more willing to accept what is happening to her. We must be prepared for resistance from the dark-haired one."

"Would you care to make a wager? I believe they will both expire long before you all expect them to."

"I shall take that bet. All the same, we should take precautionary measures.

The hissing voices in the darkness, somehow speaking Tamaranean, made even Komand'r's blood run cold, and moments later, she found herself growing drowsy, and her head hit the floor as she and Koriand'r both fell unconscious. When Komand'r woke up, she found herself being held up by her legs and wrists, with a freezing metal collar on her neck. With an effort-filled grunt, Komand'r tried to break free of her restraints, even trying to put some flight into it to augment the force against them. But all of that struggle was for nothing as she couldn't even make them budge. "Koriand'r, are you there?" Komand'r heard nothing in response, so she turned her head as best as she could to see if she could get a glimpse of her sister. On her right she saw nothing but more darkness, but on her left she saw a flash of red hair. Barely visible, but clearly unmoving. "Koriand'r, wake up!"

The call caused Koriand'r to react, and the young girl slowly blinked her eyes open...only for them to immediately widen in horror as her adrenaline spiked with fear. "I can't move! Komand'r?!"

"I'm here, now calm down before you get us caught!"

"But...aren't we already caught?"

"You'll get us more caught then! So shh!" Komand'r sighed in annoyance, and would have shaken her head if she had the full freedom of movement to do so. "We have to think of a way to escape."

"Can't we just ask them nicely? Maybe they'll let us go!"

"Sure, that'll work!" Komand'r spat sarcastically. "And maybe after that, we can share a glorg with them!"

Koriand'r pouted and turned her head to look straight up, where she could see another device seemingly hovering above her. "What if...we said please?"

"Ugh." Komand'r didn't even bother to answer, instead she put her mind to work trying to come up with a plan. But before anything could come to mind, the room got slightly brighter, and Komand'r quickly raised her head to try and see what else was in the room with them...what she saw, caused all nine of her stomachs to turn. It was only through sheer force of will that she didn't vomit all over the floor. "Kory, keep your eyes closed! Whatever you do, don't look!"

"W-Why?!" The young girl squeaked out as she squeezed her eyes shut. "What do you see?!"

"Don't...just...don't ask, trust me for once." Taking a deep breath, Komand'r forced herself to look around the room once again. All around her, bloody limbs laid strewn about the floor, mutilated creatures hanging from machines, still somehow alive with whatever light was left in their eyes begging for help. Other creatures were in glass tubes, floating in a viscous liquid, torn to pieces and yet still attached by metal parts and circuitry, bloody and scarred. Some creatures appeared to be haphazardly combined together, forced to function as one incompatible entity, with body parts of other creatures protruding unnaturally from their heads and arms. There were creatures that appeared to be nothing but heads, all shoddily sewn into one massive pile connected by nothing but scrap metal and spare skin tissue from other beings, wriggling across the floor like an insect. Hands with eyeballs, aliens with limbs stretched and contracted, and blood...so much blood. Komand'r could only imagine what other abominations were suffering within the walls of this prison...and she finally couldn't hold back her vomit anymore, as the gruesome image of herself and Koriand'r being transformed into one of those...things entered her mind. "We have to get out of here." She rasped.

"Are we ready to begin the experiment?"

"Yes, the restraints are holding."

"Excellent, then let us begin."

The voices returned, and Komand'r snarled as her head swiveled around for the source. "Where are you?! Show yourselves! Or are you afraid to face a helpless little girl?!"

"We are not afraid." Out of the shadows walked a large, green-scaled creature with extremely sharp teeth, many of its own body parts replaced with metal, including some of the long fingers it used to reach up and pinch Komand'r's cheeks. "We have simply learned that the best way to conduct experiments is to observe from a distance when possible. However, this particular experiment will require a more hands-on approach."

"Experiment?"

The creature slowly turned its head to glance at Koriand'r, who still had her eyes squeezed shut. "Why do you have your eyes closed?" The creature asked.

"Because my sister says there's bad things I don't want to see!"

"Bad things?" The creature tilted its head curiously. "Why, there is nothing but the glorious results of our experiments. Open your eyes and see for yourself!"

"Koriand'r, don't listen to him!" Komand'r shouted, leftover vomit spraying from her mouth.

"Why do you deny your sister the glory of seeing the beauty we have created?"

"The only thing beautiful here is going to be your face after I get free and let those monsters of yours eat you!" Komand'r whipped her head around to look at her sister, the effort penetrating her skin and drawing blood as the tight mental restraint scraped her neck. "Koriand'r, I'm warning you, do not look, I promise you will be glad you listened!" Then the older girl glared fiercely at the lizard creature, which looked a lot less threatening than she meant it to be, given her small stature. "If you think we're going to let you turn us into one of those things, you're crazy!"

"These things, as you so crudely put it, are some of our greatest successes. I only wish that our creators were here to see our achievements." The creature turned, his arms spread wide as he seemed to bask in the massacre. "Beautiful, aren't they?" The creature said with a whimsical lilt in its voice, wholly unfazed by the agony their victims were in. "These beings were so plain before we completed our experiments. Now we have made them...better. Just as we strive to make ourselves better, to be worthy of the grand vision our creators had for us. We walk a path of perfection with them, you see. In fact, if my knowledge of Tamaranean mythology is correct, you have come to worship one of our creations. X'hal, I believe her name was."

"You expect me to believe that you created X'hal?!" Komand'r's eyes flared with outrage. "All I see are freaks! Monsters that would be glad to die if given the chance!"

"They are simply ungrateful for the service we have done them." The creature began moving towards the two girls. "Unfortunately for you, this latest experiment will not see you raised to such a glorious status. However, take comfort in knowing your sacrifices will not be in vain."

"What are you going to do?" Koriand'r whimpered.

"Not to worry, the results of this experiment will tell us much about the resiliency of your race, and from that data we will be able to create even better beings, improved from your current form. One step closer to creating perfection, as our creators would have us do." The creature lowered the device hovering over Komand'r first, attaching two cold metal wires to her head, and with a click, Komand'r shouted out as two large needles pierced her skin and embedded themselves in her brain.

"Komand'r?!"

"This process will be painful, but informative." The creature then pulled down a lever, and immediately Komand'r's body lurched forward as her body was enveloped by a yellow aura. "You see, we've ascertained that your race has the ability to convert solar energy into power. Without it, you weaken. But as long as you have it, you are vibrant and strong. We wish to find out what the limits of your ability to convert solar energy are." The creature then turned to Koriand'r, who even now refused to look, even as she fought to break free once more. "Some of us theorize that it will only be mere minutes before your bodies explode from the amount of energy you absorb. I, personally, believe you are capable of absorbing much more." The creature pinned Koriand'r down and placed the wires to her head, again unbothered by her screech of agony as the needles plunged themselves into her body. "We shall find out which of us is correct."

With the flip of a switch, Koriand'r's own body lurched forward as raw solar radiation was forcefully poured into her young body. It was like being shocked, but over an extended period of time. The unpleasant tingle flowed throughout her entire body, increasing in intensity with every moment. "Please, please stop!"

"Fascinating. It would seem that you've already surpassed the smallest limit theorized by our scientists. We shall increase the dosage every fifteen seconds until you expire."

"I swear, when I get free..." Komand'r choked out, her body sweating profusely as seemingly endless amounts of energy filled her to overflowing.

"When you are free, you will be dead." The creature responded uncaringly. "Then we shall...improve upon your design."

This went on for several moments, with Komand'r roaring out Tamaranean curses and Koriand'r begging to be released from her agony. It wasn't until after minute three of this experiment that one of the voices in the darkness spoke up. "They have lasted far longer than we imagined they would. Perhaps it has something to do with their young metabolic rate, it may be allowing them to convert the energy and adapt it at a much faster rate. Double the dosage."

"No!" Koriand'r shouted. "No more! No more!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears, and with a shrill cry from both her and her sister, their bodies were flooded with more energy than they had ever felt combined, an agonizing sensation of wanting to explode from the inside out on the verge of overwhelming them. "Tront, something appears to be changing within their physiology." One of the voices in the darkness said with an intrigued tone.

"Oh?" The creature turned to the readings. "So you are right, it seems as if their bodies are somehow attempting to...expel the excess energy. This may be interesting." The creature went back to observe the girls, and noticed that at their fingertips, sparks of what appeared to be energy were beginning to form. "We may need to abort the experiment and terminate the subjects if this presents a problem. Prepare to-" Without warning, an explosion suddenly rocked the entire ship, alarms blaring as more explosions echoed all around them. "What is happening?!"

"We are under attack! It appears to be a small fleet of Tamaranean ships!" With another explosion, a different alarm went off. "We are being boarded!"

The next thing any of the creatures knew, a swarm of enraged Tamaraneans invaded their ship with swords and spears raised, slashing through anything they could find. Through the commotion, cries for help could be heard, and desperate apologies paired with dying gasps of Tamaranean warriors, followed soon after by agonized wails as the next warrior in line exacted vengeance on their assailant.

"And I was quite fond of that wing of experiments. It is quite a shame that the Tamaraneans seem to have no regard for the superior life we have created. No matter, we cannot allow anyone to obtain our research. Activate the self-destruct, and all Psions report to the escape pods. Prepare to abandon ship."

Almost instantly, more explosions went off as the ship began a five minute countdown to destroy itself...and everyone unfortunate enough to be trapped inside. In spite of the new round of blasts in extremely close proximity to their restraints, the two girls were still unable to break free, their torture ongoing even as the ship crumbled around them. Through her vision blurred by tears, Komand'r saw their torturer slipping out, and just as she felt she couldn't hold anymore energy and was about to burst, rage consumed her heart, and from her hands came a blast that tore the restraints right off her wrists. The pieces of scrap metal fell to the ground with a clang, smoking from the heat of the blast, and scorch marks all along its edges. Her anger still fueling her, the Tamaranean girl screamed as she raised her hands to the remaining restraints holding her in place, and willed more blasts to come from her hands to destroy them. Not allowing herself to think twice, she reached up to her head and ripped the solar absorbers out, causing blood to slowly ooze out from the holes left behind. Panting from the exertion, she turned to see Koriand'r still trapped. Komand'r looked down at her hands, still pulsating with violet energy. Whatever the creatures did to her, it gave her this power...and she intended to use it. Taking aim at her little sister's restraints, she shouted as she willed further blasts to come from her hands, destroying Koriand'r's restraints.

"K-Kom...?" Koriand'r said without opening her eyes.

"Shut up! Keep your eyes closed, this is gonna hurt!" With a harsh yank, Komand'r pulled the sharp needles out of Koriand'r's head, and the red-headed little girl screamed as the solar energy abruptly stopped forcing itself into her, replaced with a stabbing pain on both sides of her head as she sobbed. "Quit crying! You don't get to cry after all I've been through! We need to get out of here! Now!" Still steadily bleeding, Komand'r grabbed her sister's hand and flew past all the hideous mutations, bobbing and weaving through their involuntarily attempts to capture them. She fought to shut out the pleas for help, the earnest apologies for what they were doing. The creatures...the Psions, they were making them do this even as the entire ship around them began to collapse. But just as they passed the last of the abominations and were about to escape, a wave of nausea passed over the eldest sister, and the anger fueling her strength instantly evaporated as she and Koriand'r took a tumble, leaving the dark-haired girl in a fit of dry heaves as she'd already emptied the contents of all nine of her stomachs earlier. "K-Koriand'r..."

The red-haired girl wasn't in much better shape. She felt so full, so heavy even. Wild thoughts raced through her imagination, like if she tried to move, she would pop from how much energy was inside her. Or if she opened her mouth, it would pour out like a waterfall. "Help me, please..." Eyes still closed, she started feeling around. "Kom, where are you?" Her hand soon landed on something...something scaly. Unable to resist the urge to look any longer, she opened her eyes, and what she saw was a viciously snarling green creature with blood oozing out of its mouth, parts of its body falling off and hanging by tendons and wires alike. Koriand'r screamed in terror. "Don't hurt me!" The creature didn't reply, instead it raised its arm, claws extended to slash at the little girl. But before it could even swing, a violet blast of energy appeared from nowhere, hitting the creature in the chest and causing it to fall limp on the floor, wheezing out its dying breath. Koriand'r turned around, her eyes wide with shock. She saw her big sister's hand smoking, as if the blast had come from her somehow. "Komand'r...how did...did you just-"

"Never mind that, I can't move anymore." Komand'r groaned even as she fought to try and get back to her feet to no avail. "You have to get me out of here."

"I...I'm not sure I can!" Koriand'r hugged herself tightly. "I feel so sick, I don't want to explode! I-"

"You're so useless."

Koriand'r reeled back as if she'd been punched. "W-What?"

"We wouldn't even be in this mess if it weren't for you." Komand'r spit out more leftover bile. "D-Do you know what you've done?"

"No...no! I didn't do anything!" The younger girl shook her head. "It was an accident!"

"It's always an accident, and I always have to save you from your accidents."

"T-That isn't true! Why are you being so mean?!"

"I'm not being mean, it's the truth! You're always trying to compete, somehow prove you can keep up with me. But you never will! I'll always be bigger, smarter, and faster than you!"

"No!"

"Face it, Koriand'r! You're nothing compared to me! You're...you're a Troq!"

Koriand'r's eyes flared with anger, suddenly glowing bright green with energy. "No! I'm not!" Gathering all her strength, she flew at Komand'r with her fists outstretched...and that's when they also lit up with green energy, and she immediately lost her focus and crashed just inches away from her smirking sister's face. "W-What...what's happening to me?!"

"The same thing that happened to me." Komand'r snickered before coughing violently. She cleared her throat and her knowing smirk returned before she addressed her little sister again. "I had a feeling if I got you angry enough, you would be able to do this too. Now how do you feel?"

"Uh...a-a little better, actually."

"Good, that means you can use up the extra energy they gave us like I did. Now you've got to get us out of here."

"O-Okay!" Nervously looking at her still glowing hand, she reached for Komand'r's hand, and she squeaked and jolted back when she heard Komand'r hiss in pain when she made contact. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Don't waste time saying sorry, I don't care how much it hurts anymore." Komand'r mumbled weakly. "Just get us out of here."

Koriand'r hesitated, but eventually she screwed on a determined expression and nodded, grabbing Komand'r's and dragging her through the air looking for an opening to escape through. But before she could get very far, another explosion cut her off, and the two crashed down again. Koriand'r placed her hands on her head, the pain still very much present as she tried her hardest to regain her bearings. "We...we're trapped! Kom, what are we-" Koriand'r's cry died in her throat, as she saw her sister laying next to her unmoving, eyes closed and still bleeding from her head. "K-Kom? Kom!" She shook her sister's body, but there was no reaction. "Please, sister, you can't leave me here alone!" Another explosion from above, and she covered her already badly hurting head to prevent further damage.

She would have started crying again if she had anymore tears to shed, but her eyes were so tired that all she really wanted to do was fall asleep. "H-Help!" She cried out over the noise of the destruction around her. "Help, please!" But no help came, and she began to hyperventilate. "I must do something!" Through the now constant bangs of the self-destruct, she could hear the timer counting down from one minute before the ship entirely destroyed itself. But faintly, she heard another voice...a gruff, masculine voice, calling their names. "We're here! We're over here!" The voice didn't react, and Koriand'r felt her heart lurch as her last hope was starting to fade away. That's when she looked at her glowing hands, and she got an idea. Taking aim in the general direction she thought she heard the voice, she tried to will her energy to launch like her sister's...and while it didn't go far, it did manage to hit something, getting the attention of the voice.

"Who goes there?!"

"We are here! Help us!" She fired another bolt of energy, and another, and another, each one draining her strength and making it more difficult to keep up the pace. "Please, please...please..." The energy surrounding her hands flickered out after one last blast, and she collapsed next to her sister, her eyes fluttering as she desperately tried to stay conscious. "I'm sorry, dear sister." With that final whisper, she passed out...but not before she saw a large, burly man burst into the room and run towards them, calling her and her sister's names.

"It was Galfore who rescued us...he was the only one who survived, but that is also the battle in which he was blinded in his right eye. For his part in rescuing us, he was decorated and given the role of our new k'norfka, replacing the elderly woman who previously held the title. It was not long after that our parents sent Blackfire and I to train with the Warlords of Okaara." Starfire looked down at her hands, briefly clenching them into fists before relaxing them again. "I was the youngest Tamaranean to ever train with them. Our parents felt it was worth the risk, fearing that the Psions would someday return to complete their experiment, so they wanted to be sure we knew how to properly defend ourselves...I learned much from their combat instruction, but Blackfire was always much better at it than I." She squeezed her eyes shut, the images once more making her cringe. "I still remember what it felt like, trying to gain control of the powers the Psions accidentally gave us, I-" Starfire was suddenly cut off when Dick began laughing hysterically, and her anger spiked at his wholly inappropriate reaction. "You find my story of torture and pain amusing?!"

"N-No!" Dick snorted, shaking his head vigorously and trying desperately to remove the smile from his face. "S-Starfire..." He choked out between laughs. "It's...the leftover Joker toxin...its effects...i-intensify under stress! Need last dose!"

Starfire's eyes softened, and she stood up to reach for the automatic syringe on the nightstand, filled with one last small dose of antitoxin. She pressed it against her love's arm and pulled the trigger, and almost instantly, his laughter petered out, and he laid on the bed, breathing deeply to recover from the flare up. "Forgive me for assuming the worst of you, Richard." Starfire adjusted his bangs so they weren't sticking to his forehead. "That story...it fills me with great pain whenever retold."

"I can see why." Dick rasped out before reaching for her hand, gently caressing her palm with his thumb. "I'm so sorry you went through all that, Star. I had no idea you suffered so much...kinda makes Bruce's story feel tame in comparison."

"I do not wish to compare traumas." Starfire shook her head. "Blackfire's command to close my eyes spared me from much of the horrors she had to endure. We have always had the...sibling rivalry...but it was never the same again after our ordeal. She had been changed, and not just because of our starbolts. She had become...brutal, unwilling to...filter herself, I believe the phrase would be. She was not shy about how she felt about me, nor anyone else for that matter. I merely assumed that it was a result of how she suffered during our capture."

"That's why you keep giving her the benefit of the doubt."

Starfire nodded. "She was not lying when she said she always rescued me when we were little. In fact, much of what she said about our history is true. But that does not excuse her behavior."

"No, it doesn't." Dick exhaled through his nose, processing the information in his head before speaking back up. "I guess...in a way I feel sorry for Blackfire now, after hearing everything you two went through. Are you sure everything in the story is true? You did say you had your eyes closed for most of the worst parts."

"I have no reason to believe she lied, Richard. The descriptions she gave of the monsters created by the Psions, just attempting to picture them still makes me physically ill. My sister saw them with her own eyes, I do not wish to think about what might have been had I also been exposed to such horrors."

Dick didn't answer, instead choosing to simply nod his head and let the silence for a few moments. Then something else clicked in his mind, and he turned to look at her again. "Wait a second...so...that means...Tamaraneans don't normally have starbolts!"

"That is correct."

"But...what about all that stuff you said about your powers being inclined by emotions? Righteous fury and-"

"It still works the same way," Starfire cut him off. "We fly when we feel joy, confidence unlocks our strength...but only Blackfire and I can harness righteous fury or anger into power." She snorted derisively, a cynical smirk appearing on her face. "I suppose the Psions succeeded after all, they improved on the original design. That is why no one dared challenge Blackfire when she took over Tamaran before I arrived. Blackfire and I are not true Tamaraneans...we are-"

"Don't you dare say it." Dick took his turn to cut her off, leaning back up and giving her a fierce expression. "Get those thoughts out of your head right now, you hear me? You're just as Tamaranean as any other Tamaranean, just like Cyborg and Beast Boy are still humans, regardless of what may have happened to them that makes them different." He grasped onto both her hands, squeezing them tightly to hold her attention. "Whatever Ivy's serum did to you, it hasn't changed who you are on the inside, where it counts. What you almost did back in the greenhouse..." He sighed. "I won't lie, it didn't look good. But you didn't do it, and that's what matters."

"But I was tempted to." Starfire closed her eyes in shame. "I nearly ended their lives because I felt...violated in some way. That is not what heroes do."

"No, heroes don't kill...but that doesn't mean we aren't tempted." Dick wasn't surprised to see Starfire's eyebrows shoot up in shock. "Star, I've lost count of how many times I've imagined seeing Slade suffer for what he's done, how many times I've wanted revenge on villains for hurting you and our friends. I almost did kill someone once, and I would have if Bruce hadn't been there to stop me before I could go through with it."

"The Tony Zucco."

"Right," Dick frowned. "He killed my parents, Star, just to make a lousy buck. I wanted him dead for that. But in the end, that wouldn't have changed anything. My parents would still be gone, and I would've had someone's blood on my hands. I nearly had a meltdown when I thought I killed Saico-Tek, and he turned out to be made of ink. If I had killed Zucco...I don't know if I would've been able to live with myself after that. But, the temptation to take matters into my own hands is always there, always just within reach. We're not heroes because we don't get tempted, Star, we're heroes because we don't let the temptation beat us. And if we ever get too close to crossing that line, we have each other to help us get behind it again."

After several moments of silence, Starfire finally smiled, leaning down to wrap Dick into a grateful embrace. "Thank you, d'anthe l'ani, for your words of kindness. You are quite good at this."

"Aww, Star, if I am, it's only because of you. Before you came into my life, I was angry, closed off, and I was really, really bad at...y'know, sharing feelings and stuff."

Starfire giggled. "You are still bad at it, sometimes."

"Sometimes." Dick rolled his eyes with a smirk. "But you've helped change all that, and I'll always be grateful to you for that. And I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life trying to return the favor."

"As am I." Starfire leaned in to capture his lips with her own, but then the Titans chime went off on their communicators, and the couple exchanged exasperated smiles. "I believe the saying is, no rest for the weary."

"And you'd be right." Reaching for his mask and placing it back onto his face, the Titans' leader answered the call. "Robin here, go ahead."

"'Bout time you answered, we've been tryin' to contact you all night."

"Sorry, Cyborg. There were...complications last night."

"Those complications wouldn't be of the love-makin' variety, would they?"

Robin's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Even if they were, that's none of your business."

"When it stops us from makin' progress on a case, then it becomes my business." Cyborg glared back at his leader. "Somethin' big went down last night, and you and Star were both incognito."

Robin glanced at Starfire with his eyes wide for a moment before he turned back to the screen of his communicator. "What happened? Did you find Slade or Jericho?"

"We wish." Cyborg grumbled. "Turns out, we might've been premature in trustin' Red X."

Starfire shifted into the frame upon hearing that. "What makes you say that, Cyborg?"

Cyborg hesitated before finally speaking up, his expression grim. "The kid caught BB off guard last night and escaped...and he took the Red X suit with him."

"What?!" Robin shot up in bed, his grip on his communicator now so tight that the plastic began to creak under the stress. "Beast Boy let him get away?! And with the suit?!"

"Robin, please! Your condition!"

Robin jerked away from her touch, glaring at her before turning back to the screen with a furious sneer. "Do you have any leads as to where he might've gone?!"

"Well, it's a long shot, but we have one theory."

"I'll take it!"

Cyborg sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "We don't have proof, but Beast Boy...and also Raven, kinda, think he might've stolen the suit to try and do somethin' heroic."

Starfire came back into the picture, shooting Robin her own glare when he resisted her approach. "What do you mean by that, Cyborg? You believe friend Jason did not steal the suit for a nefarious purpose?"

"I dunno what I believe, Star." Cyborg sighed again. "According to Beast Boy, the kid was listenin' to us argue about a theory Beast Boy has about what Slade is after, when he got fed up, took off, stole the suit, and said somethin' about havin' to play the hero...and also to say sorry to you and Robin for what he was doin'."

"But why would he steal the suit and then apologize for doing so?" Starfire asked almost to herself. "There must be more to this story than we are seeing."

"Maybe, but since Rob was M.I.A. last night, I made the call that we needed to focus on findin' Jericho. I figure if Red X starts causin' trouble again, we'll just hunt 'im down and bring 'im in like we did last time."

"We didn't bring him in last time." Robin deadpanned. "Batman's the one who caught him, remember?" Robin groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose as he could feel a headache coming on. "Alright, one thing at a time. You said Beast Boy has a theory about Slade, what is it?"

"Rob, it's about Terra again, I don't think-"

"We've turned Jump City inside out looking for Slade with no luck, I'm willing to hear any other ideas at this point, even Beast Boy's."

"Good!"

"Hey!"

Suddenly Cyborg disappeared from the screen as the camera abruptly shifted, now focusing on Beast Boy's serious face. "Alright, I'm gonna break it all down for you, but you gotta promise that you won't dismiss this as me just going crazy about Terra or whatever! And you can't interrupt me! You gotta let me finish!"

Robin glanced at Starfire, who just shrugged before her attention back to the changeling. "Alright, Beast Boy." Robin finally said. "Go ahead."

"Okay." Beast Boy took a deep breath, folding his hands as if to get into a meditative pose for focus. "So, while Jason was helping me find the info you asked for about that scientist guy, he found the files that have all the info on the Titans-"

"He what?!"

"Hey! What did I just say?!"

Robin growled and smacked his face with his palm. "Fine, sorry."

"Thank you." Beast Boy smirked. "So, as I was saying, Jason found the Titans roster, and he landed on Terra's profile. Turns out, Terra's the girl that Jason's been checkin' out at the high school, but he didn't know that until now." Beast Boy paused for a moment, smiling when Robin didn't cut him off again. "That's when I made the connection." He grinned wider. "Almost all the places that Slade's been to, they have something to do with Terra." He suddenly zipped away, bringing a large whiteboard with him as he started illustrating his points. "This spot here? Outside the city? It's the canyon where we first met Terra." He drew a red dot on the board. "That high school is Terra's high school." Another dot. "The abandoned amusement park, that's where Terra and I had our first...and only...date." He coughed into his fist for a moment. "Anyway, that diner Slade was spotted at, that's the same one Terra took me to that has that crazy awesome apple pie...but, and get this, this is what really convinced me. I had Jason run a scan for Slade 200 miles outside of Gotham City-"

"200 miles? Beast Boy-"

"I said don't interrupt!" Beast Boy shouted with a stomp of his foot. "I had Jason scan, yes, 200 miles outside of Gotham! And guess what we found? Another sighting! And the place he went to? It's the same family diner that has an award-winning cherry pie, which Terra was telling me about that same night! So, in conclusion, I believe there's enough evidence to suspect," The changeling connected all the dots and revealed the white board with a grand flourish. "That Slade is after Terra to get revenge on her for killing him!" The connected dots made a very abstract drawing of Terra's face, and Beast Boy took a bow before speaking up again. "Now...I'm finished, the floor is yours."

For several moments, Robin said nothing. Then the Titans' leader smiled. "Beast Boy, that's the most concrete lead we've had since this whole investigation started."

"Beast Boy's eyes widened in shock. "For real?"

Robin nodded. "Give Cyborg the communicator." Moments later, Cyborg reappeared, looking particularly annoyed at the changeling for swiping his communicator. "Cyborg, have the computer run a continuous, real-time scan for any seismic activity within a 200 mile radius of all the Slade sightings, maximum sensitivity. I don't care how small of a quake it is, I want someone monitoring it."

"You can't be serious!" Cyborg exclaimed in disbelief. "A scan like that'll take up all the power the computer's got! We won't be able to use it for anything else! And we don't even have any proof Terra still has her powers, if she's in trouble at all! We gonna take time to try and fix the Earth's crust chasin' down all these quakes?!"

"We're gonna take that chance for now, we'll have the other teams dedicate some of their computer power to make up for it." Robin tossed the blankets off of himself as he shifted to stand back up. "In the meantime, I'm gonna run a search for a missing person report, see if Terra's name pops up. Also, send Hotspot into the school undercover to see if he can find her, I want to cover this from all sides."

"You really think there's a chance this'll work, Rob?"

"This whole search has done nothing but lead us to dead ends. The Terra connection may be coincidence...but if there's one thing Batman taught me over the years, it's not to believe in coincidence. Get on it." Robin didn't give the metal man a chance to rebut, as he hung up and slowly got to his feet, groaning as he did so. "I've got work to do."

"And what of friend Jason?" Starfire asked evenly.

Robin didn't answer right away, nor did he look in her direction. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." He finally turned around to face her, his mouth set in a firm line. "But I hope you realize that he did exactly what we warned him not to do, and we can't pretend that he didn't."

"I am fully aware of the situation."

"No, you're not, and neither am I. That's what makes this so complicated. He may have stolen it to go back to being a villain, he may have decided to steal it to try and save someone like Beast Boy suspects. We can argue semantics until our faces turn blue, all we know for sure is that he stole the suit and escaped with it. The next time we run into him, we have to take him in, just like we've been trying to do for years."

"And if it turns out that Jason intended to use the suit for a noble cause? What then?!"

"Like I said," Robin turned his back on Starfire and slowly headed to the computer to begin his search. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." He sat down at the computer and began typing away. "Now, are you going to help me follow up on this lead? Or do you want to go and do something else?"

The Tamaranean sighed and walked over to the computer. "I shall assist, what do you require?"

There was something surreal about donning the Red X suit again after the time spent with the Titans. It was as if, it didn't really fit him anymore. It felt too tight in some places, too loose in others, and hearing his voice through the modulator sometimes made him feel like he was listening to someone else. "I must be losing my mind. It's the same suit, same settings, same everything." But no matter how much time he spent trying to convince himself of that, Jason couldn't come to terms with it. The only other option he could think of was that somehow he himself had changed since the last time he wore it. "Nope, don't go there, baaaad idea."

He focused on the plan instead, shaking off any personal doubts. He wasn't going to do this, he hated the idea to be honest...but the Titans weren't going to budge, and someone needed to do something, for Terra's sake. With the suit, hitching a ride on a plane back to Gotham City was easy. No one even knew he was there. Once they landed, he warped out of the cargo hold and made his way into the city, sneaking through alleyways and keeping to the shadows. At night, the Red X suit was one of the stealthiest pieces of equipment imaginable. In broad daylight, it stuck out like a sore thumb. But by now, Dick was onto him, and if he tried to walk around the city as Jason Todd, he had no doubt Dick would be using Batman's technology to run some facial recognition software to track him down. To top it off, if he waited until nighttime, then Dick - as Robin - would be zipping around Gotham looking for Slade. The last thing he needed was to get into another brawl with him.

He didn't have any clues as to where Slade would be, but he had a gut feeling...that honestly made his guts turn inside out. From what he read about Slade, the ruthless assassin tended to prefer underground strongholds. And it just so happened that he knew exactly where he could find the foundation for a perfect place for Slade to hide. He made his way to the Gotham Theater District, and when he felt there was no one around to see, he leaped into the open and quickly removed the manhole cover in the street, diving in and replacing the cover before anyone could notice.

Now underground in the sewers, Red X felt more comfortable...and yet very uncomfortable at the same time. He turned the dial on his belt and pressed the button, activating a night vision mode that allowed him to see without having to give away his position without flashing a light. He took a deep breath, and rushed headlong into the sewer system, only pausing briefly when in his peripheral vision, he saw writing on the wall that made his skin crawl.

Beware the Sewer King.

"I hate this place." Red X snarled and continued his mad dash through the sewers. Part of him was surprised that he knew the passageways as well as he did...but, then again, he did spend a long time running through these pipes. Everything seemed smaller somehow, and yet no less intimidating. This was where he learned to become a thief. This was where he was enslaved by a psychopath who even now was rotting in jail...this was where Jason Todd died, and Frog was born. Clearly, the memories had not faded, as he knew exactly which tunnel to take at every given fork in the path to get where he wanted to go. If Slade would set up his Gotham headquarters anywhere in these old pipes, it would be there.

He needed to find the old king's classroom.

Red X soon found an old duct and squatted down to crawl inside. That's when he realized what he was doing and shook his head with a derisive chuckle. "Nothing's changed except for you, idiot. You're too big to fit in there now." Now muscle memory wouldn't be much help to him, he would have to rely on instinct to reach his destination. He stood back up and was about to break into another sprint...that's when he heard the rattling of tin cans, and his eyes widened in horror as he looked up and saw the cans reacting to a trip wire...a wire that his foot had just tripped.

Instinct took over. That sound meant run.

He turned the other way, heart racing a mile a minute as he started to make his escape. But then he froze as he heard a small whisper, his brain practically stripping gears trying to choose which stimuli to react to. Then he heard the voice faintly echo into the darkness again, and he clenched his fists as he determined to find the source of the voice. It was too quiet to make out whether it was male or female, or even human for that matter. But he couldn't deny he'd heard something, and he needed to find out what it was. He started running again, this time with no idea where he was actually going. All he could tell himself was to keep moving, afraid that if he stopped to think, he'd somehow never get out of here again.

The memories flashed in his mind. His everlasting attempt to never make a sound, his fear of the man who would have him eaten by alligators if he so much as thought about disobeying. If there was anyone left down here, he had to save them. He had to find the Sewer King and put a stop to this madness once and for-

"The Sewer King?" Red X slid to a stop, and his foot hit yet another object, this time with a rusty clang, as he looked down and saw the old school bell that Batman had ripped down from the ceiling years ago, rusted brown with very little of its gold finish left untarnished. Then he looked around the room, and realized he'd somehow made it to where he was trying to go. The room was dark, dank, and just as awful as he remembered it. But the old yellow lights still dimly lit the area, and most of the stairways remained intact. This was the central hub of the underdwellers. This was the heart of the sick and twisted kingdom that monster created for himself underneath Gotham City. He blinked as he realized exactly what was running through his mind, and he regained clarity as he clenched his fists in frustration. "The Sewer King's been in jail for years...this was a bad idea, I gotta get outta here before I lose my mind." He turned to exit the way he came, when he heard the unmistakable sound of steel-toed boots walking along the rusted metal rafters above him. "Then again, guess I'll stay put."

"Well well well, what do we have here?"

Red X's throat tightened, never more grateful that his mask hid his entire face, He turned around to face the source of the voice, and there he found a tall, imposing figure staring down at him from the shadows with only one eye. "I dunno," Red X replied as evenly as he could. "What's it look like to you?"

"It looks like I have company...uninvited company." The figure stepped out of the shadows, and revealed himself to be none other than Slade. "However, I can't say I'm surprised."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"I've seen you in action. While Robin used the Red X persona as an ambitious attempt to deceive me, you've taken up the identity and made it your own. You're quite good at what you do, and I've always imagined we would one day cross paths."

Red X relaxed his stance slightly. "Well, here we are," He said with his arms wide. "Now I can't help but wonder what happens next."

"That depends entirely on you."

"Meaning?"

Slade didn't answer right away, instead choosing to walk down the steps and take a seat in the old throne formerly used by the Sewer King. The sight forced Red X to suppress a shudder. "I have big plans, Mr. X. May I call you that?"

"Makes no difference to me."

"Good." Slade pressed his fingertips together. "Now then, without revealing too much, I am in the middle of a very...delicate operation. Interference from outside parties, such as yourself, could be the difference between success and failure."

Red X slowly moved his hand closer to his belt, just in case he needed to make a quick teleport. "Well you don't have to worry about yours truly. I'm not interested in causes. If you really know how I work, then you know I only look out for three people. Me, myself, and I."

"I'm quite aware of your usual modus operandi, Mr. X." Slade stood up and began to approach the boy. "But I believe you're thinking much too small."

"I'm listening."

"Then listen carefully." Slade put his hands behind his back, towering over Red X with an intense stare. "I believe you have endless potential. I am about to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime. An opportunity that only two have ever been given before, and both have squandered it. But I suspect your...shall we say...self-serving nature will make you more open-minded." He walked past Red X, leaving his back turned to him. "I believe I can make you better than you already are. Under my tutelage, you will be able to reap more profit than you could ever imagine."

The masked thief turned around to make sure he was facing Slade. "It's a tempting offer, but I've heard how you treated your other two apprentices. Plus, somehow the idea of nanomachines cooking my intestines or turning to stone if I don't get with the program doesn't seem all that appealing."

Slade looked over his shoulder at the rebuttal. "I can understand your concern. But rest assured, your affairs will remain your own. I'm merely offering you the opportunity to improve your skills."

"I doubt this offer is made out of the goodness of your heart. What's in it for you?"

"I get an apprentice I can work with, plain and simple." Slade turned around fully. "You have something my previous two apprentices lacked, Mr. X. The willingness to do whatever it takes to accomplish your goals. No rules, no restrictions, just results."

"Aaaand now you want me to follow your rules and your restrictions?"

"You're free to turn down my offer. However, understand this, my young friend..." Slade's eye narrowed. "If you say no, there won't be another chance. This is a once in a lifetime offer to become the greatest possible version of yourself. All you have to do is follow my instructions, and soon you'll be the greatest thief to ever walk the face of the Earth. If not, feel free to continue running from the police and the Titans for the rest of your life. I'm giving you a chance at true freedom and eventual independence. Now then...what is your choice, Red X?"

Several moments of tense silence passed, as Red X and Slade stared each other down. Then the boy lowered his head, closing his eyes behind his mask. The way he saw it, given all the circumstances, there was only one real choice. With a confident smirk, he walked up to Slade...and gripped his hand to give it a firm shake. "I'm in."

A/N: The first thing I'll address is this, because I feel it needs mentioning...for those of you wondering why Starfire was using contractions in the flashback, it's because they're speaking Tamaranean, not English. Most of you probably realized that right away, but just in case.

So...what do you think about these recent developments? Be prepared, the next chapter is already in progress. So hopefully, it won't be long before this comes to a close. I realize there are a lot of plot threads being introduced, but trust me, there is a method to the madness. Just stay tuned. I hope you all enjoyed, see you next time.