Hello Readers, this was probably the hardest chapter I've written. It's rather dark at the end so fair warning if you are triggered by overdose, not a main character, but still. I think the next chapter will wrap up the story and I will have three epilogues that will answer be on a happier note. I will likely not post next Wednesday since I want time to finish strong and there is so much left to write. WE are so close. Just hang in with me. I am going to write a much shorter story I'm outlining after this which will be a Starfire Amnesia fic. I also have plans for one shots off this universe. Plenty of content and ideas in my head, though I always love hearing what people want to hear. Please Review!
I knew my hands were going raw, but I just had to complete this routine perfect to prove I could do something right. Why hadn't I followed my gut and followed her? I had stayed behind to try and catch everyone up and plot out the next move with them, but my focus had been bad. Though my scatteredness became justified when Raven noticed the spell she had placed on the choker signaled Starfire was on the move to the club shortly after we received the brick note. One word that held so many questions and answers, but it struck a fair amount of doubt into me and the team. Luthor was no joke with both power, intelligence, and money. It made perfect sense he would be the head behind everything. Utilizing lower level foes with a big bait and unifying them for specialized tasks. The Superman clone part did not make sense entirely, but Luthor thought of schemes in the long term.
Luthor could have the technology to actually hurt her or keep her trapped. He had chosen an ideal location if he wanted to keep two solar powered individuals at his mercy. Raven had tracked the collar to Antarctica, but it was hard to get a general view of where since there was not landmarks. Since it was Winter in the Southern hemisphere there was no sunlight to be spared. It was a month of straight night, which did not help us find any clues of a base. Raven was unsure if she was even there and they had just ditched the collar to throw us off. The satellites needed time to be tilted and view the spot, I just didn't know how much we had.
I had to assume the worst at this point. Well not the worst since I couldn't give up on Starfire that easily. Though I had to assume Luthor was a few moves ahead of me. I wasn't so conceited not to acknowledge he was not a stooge or rogue, he was powerful not because of any powers just through sheer ruthlessness and genius. Superman was still off world handling other matters which meant we didn't have access to the best source of how to deal with him either.
I had waited for her to come back, hoping it would be like the last time when she was returned after a few hours. Maybe they had done the first session to get her guard down that she would be returned. Maybe she was just taking a while to get back. Maybe she was so tired she just flew back to her room and didn't say anything. Though I knew the last one to be false as I had checked everyone of her spots in the tower just hopefully by some twist of fate she'd be there.
She didn't have a way to communicate which was a big downside of these personas. She couldn't ask for help or give us any updates. It was just a waiting game at this point and I wanted none of it.
I had called Batman to have him use his influence to push a meeting for tomorrow. If she came back that would be wonderful, but I couldn't expect that now.
I needed to rest so I could actually have a good meeting myself, but it wasn't happening until I did this. I flew through the air and was just short of the bar.
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I woke up on the mats and wondered if it was exhaustion that had taken me down or a head injury. I checked the clock and saw I had actually achieved 5 hours of sleep. My mouth was dry and I felt the crust of sweat left on my skin. I needed a shower, bad. I hadn't meant to sleep down here, but intentions were out the window right now. The lack of vertigo and light sensitivity made it likely I didn't have a head injury. Though looking down at the blistered bubbles on my skin I knew I couldn't say I was uninjured. They stung, but at least I knew the remedy to that kind of pain.
I couldn't stop myself from peeking into Starfire's room before my own, looking for any sign she had returned. Her bed remained made and her energy remained absent. I almost went up to the roof since the sun had already rose, but knew I'd just find the same blank space there as well. She would have found me if she had come back. Though I did grab the notebook she had been keeping about her experience in the club. If she could not be there herself maybe her words would be enough. I was grateful she had left some sort of record herself. It had been a while since I had personally looked through it, but I only had a little time to do so with everything else. I had that stupid power point made at least.
If I knew she wouldn't be with me today, I wouldn't have sent her away to the ocean and zoned out while working yesterday. I would have…hindsight was always 20/20.
"Yo! Oh.." Beast Boy said as he poked his head through Starfire's door. I knew I wasn't who he was hoping to see.
"She's still not back." I said since I knew he was likely worried too. When we had discovered her Antarctic location, I had been a bit short on anything that wasn't ways to make sure she was okay. There was also the big lingering awkwardness that I had excluded everyone else from this big mission.
"She's going to be okay, dude. This is Starfire we are talking about, she'll either have them eating out of her hand or she will bust out and come back." He put a hand on my shoulder which I knew was meant to be a way of comfort, but I also knew reasons to believe he could be wrong this time.
"She'll be back soon, do you mind staying here while I'm gone and letting me know if she does while I'm in the Watchtower?" I knew he was worried and felt powerless. Giving him a responsibility was the best I could do to ease that. He didn't deserve my snaps or tired rants on why this was way worse than it normally was. He knew, maybe not exactly, but this was bad.
"Sure thing, Rob. Are you going to the fights this Friday?" I had no clue what was happening beyond the next steps of today.
"I'm not sure what the League will want to do. Maybe, why?" I didn't want to come off cold, but I had no better clue than he did.
"If you do, I think I'd like to be a fly on the wall. Just in case. I get why you didn't take me at first, green's not everybody's color. I get it. I just want to help, now." His hand went a little tighter on my shoulder and I felt like an ass for not considering what other ways he could help sooner. How everyone likely could of helped if I had not needed to prove myself once again. I hadn't wanted anyone to get hurt, but that wasn't really working out now was it.
"Of course, Beast Boy. If not we will definitely need you for raiding when all this goes down." I knew we would likely need all hands on deck. "Please make sure everyone is ready in case we go with that plan."
"Cool, I can do that boss." He said and took off in another direction out her door. I took another look at her stuff looking for anything else that could be of use. I even checked under her bed which only granted me a shoe box of money and a journal that looked more like a coloring page than language on most of the pages. While reviewing her Terran card contract I found that she got her commission in a lump instead of invested which explained the cash. I asked if she wanted to start a saving account or invest on her own, but she had not wanted to talk about it. I hadn't understood why she had been different than any of us until I realized her citizenship was not guaranteed. Why plan too far in the future of you might not be here? Why give an alien a savings account if you didn't want her here? Well I certainly wanted her here.
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I was surprised when I had a red-headed guest enter my room just before I left. Though Wally was a good sight for sore eyes, which mine definitely were benefiting from being behind a mask. He wasn't the red head I desperately needed to see, but I needed a friend.
"Hey Wally, what are you doing here?" I wasn't sure I could really socialize with my time crunch, but if anyone could have a quick conversation it was Wally.
"I got a call saying you were in need of a spare redheaded hottie." It would not be the first time Starfire called Kid Flash to check up on me, but how had she gotten a message out to him and not us.
"Starfire called you?" I accidentally knocked my knee into my desk and pain flared down. I was too jumpy.
"No, Cyborg did. He just said you likely needed a friend right now and Starfire wasn't around at the moment. What's up?" He said and helped right everything on my desk that got knocked around by my knee. I knew Cyborg was still pissed, but he still wanted me to be okay. I was touched, but now ashamed to say what had happened. Guess I needed to get used to breaking the news to everyone.
"Too much, it's too long of a story for me to get into right now. I have to meet with the League." I wanted to tell him now, but I needed to hold my appointment. I had closed my eyes and lost another hour after my shower.
"Hey if anyone can get caught up to speed it's me." He said and looked over at my open laptop. "I'm going up to the meeting anyway. Flash invited me as well, I think he wanted you to have more support with whatever is up." It wouldn't be surprising for Batman as well to put in a heads up without sharing information.
"Yeah I also think Flash might have been a little traumatized over his last meeting with Starfire." I was being honest the support might not be for me. I just wanted to get some stability before taking off. Maybe catching him up was the right choice.
"You know a couple weeks back when you picked up a drunk Jinx by the docks?" This seemed to be the best lead in since he actually did have some contact in my other persona.
"How did you know that?" I guess it was true he had been keeping the less savory parts of Jinx a secret since he'd been asking for an honorary Titan invite. He only sung her praises to me and her wasted that she could barely function at a villain bar didn't hep his case.
"I was there." I said simply since I knew he had seen me in my Fallen getup.
"You were undercover again." He was the one person I told about Red X at the start since I needed someone to bail me out if it went bad. "I thought someone else was wearing the Red X suit now." Ah so he had spotted us and decided not to participate. I am now annoyed he didn't mention an obvious villain meet up spot to me, but drunk Jinx was a lot..
"Someone is, Starfire and I have been posing as different covers and he just got mixed in. She went to meet him last night and hasn't come back." I paused so he could let his brain collect other signs around. If he was with Jinx he was at least aware of the fight club to some extent. He should of told me, but I guess I would lose that fight with anyone.
"This is an asshole thing to say and I don't actually mean it, but does Starfire get that undercover doesn't mean you know?" I wanted to bang my head against something since that was not on my current list of worries…well now it was. Though I had much bigger things that it could be. I knew he didn't mean harm since he had seen some very confused Starfire moments.
"Yeah she does. She's also officially my girlfriend so I am not worried on that end right now. She launched a brick at her flowerpots to get a message to us and has been silent and missing since then. She went to the club and the tracker we had on her puts her in Antarctica, but no signs of her on the satellites."
"Congrats on the girlfriend part, bummer on the MIA status. How long has it been?" He was trying to be supportive without being overwhelming.
"12 hours which might not seem like a lot, but normally Starfire would of found her way home by now. It's not like either of you gets stuck in traffic." I said and sighed wanting to just get this over with, this mission. I had red bulls and stress in my stomach which was not helping my hands from shaking.
"No, but what else are you worried about? This is bad, but there has to be something else." Well he was on the money.
"She's likely with a Superman clone under Lex Luthor's thumb." That was the best way to say it. Starfire was strong and smart, but we had not formed a long term strategy of the circumstances. That was what this meeting was supposed to be about, but circumstances change.
"Oh shit! Sorry." He knew I preferred a lack of language in the mask, but it was a knee jerk reaction. "So this is bad and why you look like someone wrecked you. That's why you called the League in." I nodded. "Dude is there anything I can do to help you? I can speed read." He said and proceeded to dig through all the documents and Starfire's journal which I hadn't had time to read again from my impromptu nap. "Is this what I think it is?" He said and pointed to a page that had a piece of paper taped in that had a phone number and leaves circling it.
"At this point anything is possible, she seems to get along with women villains better than anyone else." I had just accepted that she could walk both sides and seemed to get along with the few females on the other side. Maybe it was just easier. Though looking at the paper I saw a note saying invite to Sirens brunch. It made me feel better that Ivy wasn't that much of a cradle robber.
"She's getting along well with Jinxy. Her name, Ember, has been mentioned a couple times. She wanted to ask her to go shopping, but chickened out or well forgot after so many shots. Though how does that work? Starfire seems pretty obvious in a crowd." We were running out of time. I also didn't want to have the discussion of how well they seemed to get on.
"I have clips in the PowerPoint, it's more believable when you see it all together with the drinking, no starbolt, and costume. I was impressed when she did it all under my nose." I needed to get one more shot of caffeine before leaving.
"Weird question, but since I have heard about Ember and who she hangs out with; are you Hairpuller or Loverboy?" I was lucky to only choke on my beverage instead of spraying it. I put my palm over my face and pushed down hoping that the blush that flooded my face would follow.
"We have to get going." I said and decided even though it wasn't under the best circumstances seeing him had made me feel better.
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I realized it had been easier when my focus had been on supporting Starfire when she was actually right next to me. Now it was like she was a phantom; I couldn't help glancing over at hopping she would appear next to me.
Though overall I knew that my meeting was going well in terms of catching their attention. I had made tweaks to clarify things based upon the Titans suggestions. It was clear, concise, and had enough visuals that it was hard to look away. It was bad for everyone since it crossed into practically everyone's territory and this level of organization was going to be troublesome if it persisted.
I caught Wally looking worried at certain points, he was the easiest for me to read and while he had an idea of what was going on. I knew seeing was believing.
I was both relieved and unsettling by the silence that followed my presentation. I knew it was a lot to take in, especially since it meant that this had been brewing in their territory without their knowledge. It was a ding against almost everyone with a clear home ground. I knew Flash looked concerned about his rouges hanging out with the Gotham crowd. I knew Green Arrow was concerned about his Guardianship of Titans East having a nest of villains. Though I knew everyone was perturbed by the fact Luthor was setting up to go against everyone and seemed to be weeding out the weak.
I remembered how our experience from the Gamemaster had taken out the losers powers with that amulet of his. We did not have Luthor's big picture of what would happen to the winner. The money was enticing, but the surprise was catching everyone's interest since it had yet to be spoiled by our intelligence.
"What even is our protocol for cloned Kryptonians?" This came from Green Arrow who had not been pleased to hear a Superman was in Luthor's hands. He had a kryptonite arrow, but I knew he never planned on needing it.
"Well with the Bizarro incident most members have access to some form of kryptonite in their cities. Though we don't have any research on how it would affect a half Kryptonian or if any resilience has been manufactured. Clones can be more modified for their purpose. It's possible he is age modified based upon her observations of dissonance between size and behavior." I was pleased we were seeing the problem with a clone, but I wanted to steer the conversation towards getting a plan of action to end this. I knew there was a safety deposit box with kryptonite gauntlets if I ever needed.
"Is she teaching him how to fight? Because I would be concerned if he was a fast learner kryptonite might not be enough." This was Black Canary who had sparred with her and knew that it would be a problem to have someone with that level strength with the ability to use it. Clark used brute strength and basic moves in his fighting style which made Batman superior when Kryptonite was in the equation. If Starfire was able to impart any of her more complicated moves…it would be trickier to subdue him.
"According to her notes, they wanted her to teach self defense and control." Kid Flash came in with an answer since he had her notebook which he had sped read.
"Which could mean anything." Green Arrow said and hit down on the table. We were all unhappy about this, though the bang brought some sense back into me that I needed to speak.
"She's been gone 15 hours now, there is only so much she could have accomplished by now. Though we have to assume that every hour she's gone could be used against us. She's playing a part to get information, but she won't give things out if she gets nothing in return." I had to trust she was holding her own until I could figure out a plan. She was tough and stubborn. Her persona of Ember only lived up to those standards.
"If she has a choice in the matter. You both suspected her cover was blown, yet you did not cease interactions." I had not mentioned that suspicion in the presentation, but Jo'nn was in my head. My fears clear to him is that I did not full believe she could have chosen to say this long without something holding her back. Though I had to be optimistic or else I would go crazy.
"She made the call to go even after knowing Luthor was involved. She's broken out of as many prisons as Harley Quinn. I have to trust she can bust out of this one when the time is right. Though the lack of communication is an issue at the moment since it means we cannot trade plans of action." I said what I needed to believe. She had most likely gotten herself out of worse scenarios.
"You have a telepathic sorceress on your team correct?" This came from Jo'nn again. He knew, but he was phrasing it as a question for the room.
"We are limited since we don't know her true location and the attempts at traditional contact failed. There could potentially be wards in place of their base of operations. We are seeing if they can make contact through Astral projection, but that might take a while." Raven had tried to track and connect most of last night once we felt such a sudden geographic shift. The distance did not help and she seemed to hit a wall which made her suspect wards were in place.
"Why would that take a while?" This came from Hawkwoman who I had not realized was here since she had not spoken.
"Starfire can go weeks without sleeping and I doubt she would let herself be vulnerable in such an environment." It was a downside to her abilities for this case. Though it could be sooner if she was running through her energy and unable to recharge.
"So we either make a move with what current knowledge we have now or wait for Starfire to make contact if she is able to?" Black Canary did not seem pleased with either option.
"It is not an ideal situation, but one better to be aware of it. Starfire wanted to end this Friday before she departed, I wanted to keep digging for more information. We still do not have any definite answers and we do not know what else Luthor could have planned. Though we might just be letting Luthor make moves while we are castling." I threw in the chess metaphor since I didn't know what pieces were on the board.
"Are you positive that she is with the clone? Because it wouldn't make sense to throw everyone at a decoy." Green Arrow was absolutely right that I just couldn't know.
"I can't be positive. Though there seemed to be some desire to have her cooperation to work with him without coercion or force. She's been given gifts and attention that exceeds other patrons. I have to assume they want the most they can get out of her before…" Before she breaks free or breaks in general.
"So they will keep her as long as she serves a purpose. We still don't know if there is more than one clone. They could be planted in each of our cities just waiting for the right moment to strike." I knew Batman would get nervous about the numbers. Clones could be hard to know numbers since it was not linear like normal human births.
"So you want us to prepare our cities defenses and wait for them to strike first?" This was Flash, he liked the preemptive strike when possible which made sense with his powers.
"I didn't say that. Though there isn't enough information here to launch an attack on the location comfortably without Superman. Antarctica weather make it unsafe to fly, and the darkness would make any vehicles or light used to find it obvious. There isn't a way to surprise attack safely. If they have a teleporter an all out assault would only result in us losing the target. Fights are Fridays for Jump city? If she's allowed to return and fight like normal get as much intel as possible from her and let her know she will need to subdue the teleporter before we can make any real retrieval." This was why I needed to talk to the league and Batman. They were able to look at this from knowing all our resources and without the worry about Starfire clouding the strike. Though waiting might be an issue still.
"Why did Starfire want to strike this Friday?" Hawkwoman asked, she was often not immediately giving in to Batman's plans without questions. "Was there a significance to the timing."
"She's tired of the mission, she's been bearing most of the weight. It has not been easy on her to put her body and mind into this persona. Though she told me she understood why waiting for more information was the better idea." I answered and I caught Kid Flash grimace as he knew more of the exact details. I hadn't read everything that had happened from Gotham night, so it could even be more.
"Considering her state last week, it makes sense. So we just are back with the waiting plan?" This was Flash and I knew he was not happy about not solving this now.
"If they know who she actually is, they are likely expecting some emotional strike right away. We have to assume they know more than we do at the moment. We have to catch up first. Though everyone should be looking for any signs in their own cities and be ready to handle this when the time comes. It could still be Friday." Batman said and while I was happy he agreed with my thought process, I wasn't sure if my feelings agreed with myself anymore.
"That still leaves plenty of time for Starfire to teach the clone fighting styles. Is that a risk we want to take?" Black Canary was still focusing on the risks of leaving Starfire there. I felt like anything I would say would just have me accused of being compromised by my feelings like last meeting.
"The kid is ten right? He shouldn't be able to catch up to our experience level that quickly." This was Hawkwoman again and I knew that some of her bias against side kicks was showing. She did not have any.
"I think what Robin here has shown us is that threats do not care about age and it certainly does not determine ability. What were you nine when you started, Robin?" This was Black Canary who I nodded. I had lost my parents at nine and shortly after became Robin performing distraction duties.
"Starfire fought half a battalion single handed at age 12, without her starbolts." This was Jo'nn who must have gleamed that knowledge since I was not aware of that. I tilted my head trying to remember how many soldiers that was. 500 to 1 seemed intense, but I knew her early days of battle were nonstop and she was needed. I hoped the story was exaggerated. They needed a 12 year old crown princess on the field since they needed her skill. Though even with her skills they still lost.
"She has skills that certainly are dangerous in the wrong hands, but there isn't much that can be done. The teleporter can mean that we'd lose her as quickly as we found them. I hate this." Flash said finally seeming to give in to the plan.
"Can she handle waiting until Friday?" Black Canary asked me and I really wished she hadn't. I knew she cared, but I didn't want to answer in case doubt crept into my mind even more.
"She won't be happy, but she understands what it takes to be a hero and what I need from her. If not, she will let all of us know." If she exploded, then we would certainly be able to find her.
"We should still prepare to extract her Friday if she does or does not return to the club. That is more than enough time for her to teach the target and her to gather intel if she is using her time wisely. It is likely the teleporter will be there and we can subdue him if she is not present." Batman said and I felt more relieved at the concrete deadline we could give her. "You will need to be accompanied by two more partners. Your current foe to ally ratio was unreliable, but there will be no discussion of you going alone."
"I understand. Beast Boy of my team has already volunteered to observe as another set of eyes." I did not have a problem bringing more people in now that I knew what was happening.
"I shall be the second. It makes the most sense in terms of being able to garner information and avoid detection." This was Jo'nn who I originally would not of picked with Ember having her fire on hot most of the time. Though she would not be in constant contact so the risk was lesser.
"Settled, prepare yourselves and your cities. This will effect all of us so be ready and willing when I make the call." Batman said and with a hand made it clear that the meeting was over. The air in the room had gotten tense so the opening of the doors was welcome. Hawkwoman and Green Arrow were quick to leave along with Flash who beat us all. Canary gave me a look and mouthed 'it will be okay'. I knew she was perceptive enough to know I was actually worried about Starfire's wellbeing.
"I think I am going to hang out in Jump to cover for a bit, so I'll see you at home." Kid Flash said as Batman had not left his seat. He wanted to catch up alone. Both of us chose our words more carefully around other people.
"You did well." Compliment right off the back, wow Bruce what side of the Batcave had you woken up. "I know you want to rush in and save your little girlfriend, but you are using your right head. This is bigger than any of us expected and much bigger than your feelings." Is this how I sounded to Starfire? I knew his intent was to support my choices, but somehow he managed to invalidate my feelings in the same statements.
"I know. She's strong enough to know her own limits. I don't know how much they will push on her, but she certainly can push back." I just needed to know she was able to push. She had to be getting great progress if she hadn't come home.
"Catwoman approves." He said and I wondered if she was what had been making him so tolerable to work with and be around in small doses. He wasn't the same as when I left Gotham. "She even wanted me to apologize for putting her in handcuffs, but she isn't here to hear it. Keep your composure like this and I'll have less doubts."
"I don't need your approval, I will care about her either way. Though I would appreciate it along with any support you can offer here. Luthor has not touched Jump prior to this, and the tournament system makes it clear he is looking for resources and talent within the villain pool. Also lock the Joker back up, I don't want him roving anywhere he shouldn't be." He shouldn't be in my city or touching my girlfriend. Batman made a grunt which I knew was probably the best yes I could hope for with bringing up the Joker.
"Be careful in this, don't go to the club alone. You are likely their next target since Starfire will only cooperate so long without you. She's more dangerous if they hold something over her. Devotion like that is dangerous in the wrong hands keep it in ours." He said and I knew that was the best we could do today in our interactions. Catwoman must of really changed his mind.
"I don't intend to do anything stupid." I said back and finished packing up my things.
"Nobody ever does, stay in touch Dick." He said and was gone when I went to tell him to get lost. Though he left a flash drive hopefully containing all the things Starfire asked for.
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The week did not fly by. It felt like I had entered a microwave time universe with how reluctant the clocks were to move forward.
I had gone to the club to look for clues and only found a note, money, and a shot of fireball. Thanks for letting me play with her. She's in better hands. I had not even got upset, just defeated that I hadn't read into our previous discussion and hoped Starfire was okay with whatever was happening.
Kid Flash made the Tower feel less empty with his stay, but he wasn't Starfire level energy or buffer with little squirmishes. Me and Cyborg were not speaking anything besides yelled insults. He had not been happy with the resolution to wait. Raven was researching and meditating enough she was barely in the common areas, though I had caught her a couple times in Starfire's room. One of the spells she did manage was a spiral candle in the living room that proved Starfire was still alive. It couldn't be put out by normal means, it either went out with her or the wax run out. I had starred at the candle in the middle of the night, just grateful for any sign she was still savable. There had been some points that the wick flickered and flashed in a wild pattern that I woke up Raven to decipher what it meant. Starfire had been injured and still had not made it to sleep. The flame would change color if she did which was frustrating for Raven who was ready to dream walk at any moment with pots of chamomile tea being brewed at all hours.
Beast Boy and Kid Flash seemed to get into petty squirmishes which was a little weird since they hadn't had a problem before. I expected Cyborg and him to clash since they had both been into Jinx at one point or another.
I felt like I wasn't the same without her. Food which I had not always eaten for flavor seemed more unappealing. I didn't get paperwork done at a good rate. It was starting to pile, but I couldn't find the motivation or reason to do them. Sparring wasn't even helping since while Beast Boy had improved with our morning sessions, he relied too much on practiced finishers. Wally wasn't the best at hand to hand and lost focus quickly. He had been spending plenty of his time gathering intel from Jinx so I understood his head was up in the clouds. Unfortunately mine was in the opposite place as I still hadn't managed to give a perfect bar routine still.
Even the calls were less exciting to answer since they were just harder without an extra set of eyes in the air and a powerhouse on the ground. Kid Flash was great and stopped any runners with ease, but it certainly sucked having to deal with flyers. Raven was taking the brunt of those and she was annoyed. Though while it sucked for all of us to have her missing the most disappointed had to be Control Freak.
"I showered for nothing!" He had declared as he appeared at the mall causing havoc. He did not have a pungent odor surrounding him and I remembered in Starfire's notes she had given him that suggestion. I mean it probably broadened his horizons with all women. It just would take more…
"You know you shower regularly right?" Raven said and went for his remote with her energy.
He continued to rant and rave about all his newfound hygiene and how it was going to charm Starfire. His lightsaber proved troublesome and he had some noise makers that broke Raven's concentration which made her release the remote. He could do way more somersaults than expected just by looking at him which is likely why Flash wasn't quick enough to catch him before he vanished. Well that sucked.
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I had tried to get Red X to make contact again through text. He hadn't taken any of the bait. I even let Kid Flash send a few messages since he definitely had the text flirting down better than I did. He had called, but I hadn't answered since I knew there was no way to replicate her voice on the spot. I had thought about splicing some audio from the recordings, but it was a work in progress. I didn't know how much he knew, but the lack of response to text messages and meet ups was suspicious. I decided Thursday night just to give it a shot and call asking what he does know. He answers.
"Hey Gorgeous." He answers and I just am so sleep deprived that I don't have it in me to be jealous or throw a fit.
"Do you know where she is? She hasn't come home since meeting you." I was straight to the point hoping my voice wasn't to crackly with the Fallen voice modulation. The line went quiet, but he didn't hang up.
"Fuck." He said and I heard something break. "She was summoned by that damn choke collar and left. I don't have a clue."
"Did she say anything or do anything weird?" I wanted to see if something had changed in her plans when she met with X.
"She drank Zynothium like it was a shot, and professed her undying love for me, so not for her." I had no idea why she would do that. Consuming radioactive materials by drinking them had more of an effect than just absorbing through her skin like she normally did. It threw her off equilibrium with the rush of absorption. That would explain the crude note and throw. Bless her aim. The undying love part could be anything with Starfire.
"Nothing else? She usually comes home." I just needed something to go off of.
"No she left too early for us to get into anything. If she's gone she isn't with me. Fuck, she was scared though. Take that for whatever you can." That was something I didn't want to hear. I needed to picture my brave warrior princess who had the confidence and skill to take on the world. Not the ball of sadness she had been in my room wishing for things neither of us could have.
"Thanks." He hung up before I could ask him if he was coming Thursday. I had to assume with her out of the picture he was no ally money or not. If he wasn't we could have Jo'nn assume his identity.
Now just came the difficult task of trying to sleep. I had tried to go to bed somewhat earlier than normal since I knew actually sleeping would be a struggle. I had gone through the Wizard of Oz all the way through. I had stolen her pillows from her bed just to have something of hers nearby. Every time I got close to falling I'd remember another mistake or detail I should of caught.
I missed her and I didn't even get to see her in my dreams in the short bouts of sleep I got.
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Friday came eventually with numerous phone calls working to make sure we were ready for either option. I had fully charged and added some extra smoke bombs and stunners ready for anything to go down. Beast Boy could go two hours in fly mode without anything going wrong, if we exceeded time, he would have to take a break in the women's bathroom when Jinx wasn't there since it wasn't used as much.
Jo'nn had come and surprisingly scarfed down our entire Oreo supply quicker than Kid Flash had. He apparently had a huge fondness for them. I wondered how old Jo'nn actually was or just all alien actions made them seem young in a way. He had mastered Red X quickly and a few other villains we had captured earlier in the week. Though it was best he entered invisible so we didn't have any strange doubles.
I still felt unprepared as I was slipping on my suit. It felt like there was something we were missing. Well besides a 6 foot plus alien. Was something in her notes she wanted us to see? I had looked through her book a few times myself, but it didn't give me more clarity. I had taken a brain break to find a perfect camping spot once I saved her. I would keep that promise. Raven had healed my battered hands as I needed to be at full condition tonight. I had been avoiding the bar room since it didn't provide me any relief.
I wanted to go early, but it would be something we needed the sun to go down first which seemed like forever now. I had gone over the plans once again. Plan A we find her there and extract her. Plan B she's there and we get an update before she returns. Plan C she isn't there at all and we enter an uphill fight. Jo'nn was to keep his eyes open for Wykkyd since if he was here and she wasn't that could still make plan C actually work. There were some things in our favor. Luthor was still playing with the expectations we were more in the dark than we actually were.
Finally it was time to go, Jo'nn would be communicating telepathically which would make it easier for everyone to stay in touch. Other back up Titans were arriving. It made me feel better just to have that way to be able to stay on the same page, but it made me paranoid to have someone consistently in my head. Raven stayed out of private places and didn't use her gifts often. She claimed that my thoughts were like a swarm of bees and just were better in my own head. Though I was worried my thoughts would stray to something weird just because there was someone there. I'm sure he had heard worse or would since he was going to be scanning the room for information. I was not envious of his power in that circumstance. I could imagine what many were thinking and that was enough for me.
Jo'nn and Beast Boy were flying to a safe distance and I was taking my ride alone. I was grateful to not have a passenger since it was easier to go fast and whip around corners and I just didn't want to mess around. I wanted to get there and get this over with.
We are here I heard in my head as I pulled up and did not see anything else which was the point. I made my way to the door and let it stay open a little longer than normal to make sure Beast Boy made it in. I heard a faint buzz so I had to assume everything was going to plan. Though now it was a different kind of waiting game. I didn't see her at first scan. The booth her and Red X normally shared was empty. I noticed only a few members of the HIVE Five were there tonight as well only Jinx, Seemore, and Mammoth. I was trying to tell if there was something different in the air tonight since I suspected something was afoot. Though as soon as everyone peeked to see who had arrived they turned back with disinterest. I had been ignored practically the whole time unless I was with Ember so that was not out of the ordinary.
I decided to go to one of the faceless waiters and request to see Miss Friday. It wasn't a weird thing since I knew Starfire had done the same and it worked. I needed to see someone involved at least and breaking in didn't seem like a great way to stay in cover since I had to believe that wasn't broken by the lack of looks and gossip. I got my beer I knew I wasn't going to drink and took in all the sights of the club double checking faces and clues.
"Where's Ember?" I heard a voice come from my side that was Seemore. He had been not the worst foe to deal with even if kinda annoying in battle. I gave him my best Batman impression of a grunt to show I had no clue. Though it revealed he didn't know where she was either since his question had been real not a taunt. "Come to think of it I don't see Red X either hmm." He gave me a bit to respond, but I really didn't feel like engaging. "I see, no worries than." I'm sure even if she was here games would not be a priority. I tried to project orders for Beast Boy to stay close to the HIVE Table. Hopefully Jo'nn got them delivered. Maybe I should have interacted, but I didn't want to be distracted when she arrived or miss any time with Miss Friday. The board went up and I saw that both her and Wykkyd were scheduled for fights. That brought some confirmation she should be here. Though her going against Mammoth was not ideal since the candle had indicated she's been injured earlier in the week. She could handle him fine most of the time, but it was easy to be worried after not seeing her. I was up against Jinx which was near the end of the line up. Hmm.
The fights started up shortly with little new intelligence. Jo'nn gave me little updates to questions I thought, but he didn't hear any of the minds of who we were looking for including Miss Friday. He was reporting that our cover was still intact though half the room had participated in one big project they didn't know the end goal. He was picking up puzzle pieces, but we only had the edges done. The fights were picking up and the matches seemed to have only gotten bloodier with more weapons being used by those that typically went without. The wounds greater in number and viciousness. It would make our job easier if they already handicapped their allies. I was starting to think Jo'nn was getting frustrated with my asks for updates since I did it so often, but his tone remained the same monotone. Until..
She's here
I did not immediately see Starfire so she must have been in the balcony. At least she was within range. I asked if she was okay?
No
I guess that was the wrong thing to ask since of course the past few days were probably hell. I started moving towards the door that led to the balcony ready to blast in at this point when I saw Mammoth get up and make his way to the ring. She had to appear now if they were going to let her fight. They had to have a reason to want to keep their image the same. If Seemore was out of the loop and everyone had half pieces of what was happening, Luthor must of wanted everyone partially in the dark. Well that became full darkness as soon as he entered the ring. I immediately went for my weapons ready to strike if someone tried to make a move. The darkness was short lived since little flames appeared in the ring acting as a match. They flipped back on and revealed Ember in the ring opposite Mammoth and with her back to me. I moved from my camping spot not retracting my weapons, just desperate to see her clearly.
"Ember!" I was lucky I remember which name to call, I made it up to the nearest I could and called her name again, but she did not turn. The match had not began, but she beckoned Mammoth close and lifted her self up to whisper something in his ear.
She has been updated on the plan, she is working on it
I stopped trying to get her attention since obviously she had something in mind if she was talking to Mammoth so privately. I tried to shift so I could get a good look at her to check if she was okay. Her hair was in a different style of braid that changed the shape, but still dyed dark. Her uniform was the same, though I caught matching blue bandages peek from the revealing section of her pants. She had been wounded at least on her left leg. I couldn't see her face since it was too close to Mammoth though he let out a boisterous laugh and nodded. She lowered herself down from her pull up since even with her shoes he had some height on her. She backed up and I was able to see her face was done slightly different than her normal make up. Maybe someone else had done it? It seemed distorted, but I could not find exactly what was wrong. Her face just seemed too thin and her make up too thick. Though if she was covering a bruise it would make sense. She backed herself to touch the chain link and let the jacket fall from her shoulders and made a show of taking off her shoes. What was she doing?
She made a deal
Sudden memories of listening to her older recordings reminded me of a gross fact about Mammoth. It became obvious she was indulging him in exchange for something else. My stomach rolled as once again she was using her body for the mission. What was she trading?
She is fighting barefoot in exchange for him knocking out Kyd Wykkyd later. She is still injured so a distraction is also advantageous for her.
I looked over at her as she bent down cautiously to free her feet. Her jacket had concealed blue bandages around her ribs and her right ankle was also wrapped. I wanted to tell her to run and it would be okay. That she didn't have to do this. She didn't have to do this for me or the league or every again. Though she already was almost free of her second boot by the time she looked at me. I saw her flinch and her breathe catch. I tried to mouth her words of support, but she turned her head so quick I doubted she caught them.
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As soon as she claimed her victory and did her traditional flame exhale, Starfire ran out of the cage for the bathrooms. She didn't even look my way, but I had to follow. She had taken some hits, as it was easy to see she was not top of her game. Through a bit of flames, blocks, and a beautiful throat kick she had claimed the victory. It was worth noting she didn't injury him as much as she could have and his head wasn't badly rocked. She was keeping him useful.
I had stopped caring about social conventions when they stood between me and her. Her avoiding me was not a good sign. What had happened to her? Why did she not want to look at me? Was it the mask?
The bathroom door had a coating of strange blue glitter on it, until I realized it wasn't glitter it was the iridescent blood of a certain Tamaranian Princess. That wasn't good. I burst through the door to see her running the sink into her mouth flushing out blue. He had managed to tackle her to the floor at one point and that must have acerbated her preexisting injuries.
"Hey." I said lamely; I was afraid to embrace her like my body wanted in fear I'd hurt her. She coughed harder when I moved her braid from being in her way and I realized it was because sobs racked her body. They were like cruel laughs more than tear filled quakes "You're okay."
She turned the taps off and stood up. She had left her shoes behind so she was more of the normal height. She wrapped her fingers around my thumb and brought that hand to her chest where I could feel the flutter of her heart pounding like a club remix. She was uncomfortable with the situation and shook up. Our joined hands went back to my heart and stayed as she composed herself. "I really missed you, Be'tak."
"I missed you too." Was what probably an underwhelming response, but I was too distracted by her injuries and obvious emotional distress. I didn't have a perfect endearment to return to her, I couldn't call her Star here which was as close I had. I had a moment of panic one of the nights when I realized I hadn't even said goodbye when she left and obsessed if I never would. That had been a bad night.
"We are going along with plan A. I refuse any other option." She said this to a corner of the room which must of held Jo'nn. Her voice taking the authority I knew she'd need to rule. I didn't know how she sensed him, but I knew he was our connection to the Justice League and he was relaying the choice. The Titans and reinforcements were waiting for a signal to strike the club and the Watch Tower would send a team.
"Let's get you home." She was inured and I would be just more distracted if she was here when everything went down. She shook her head and leaned some of her weight against me causing me to shift so she was leaning me against the sinks.
"No. I am still needed, the base is 40 meters underground. Wherever it is, you will need me to uncover it. Did the necklace work?" We had a suspicion when the base didn't show up on ground view it was under. That was over 120 feet of ice to get through which would take time to uncover.
"It worked, but you've done your part. We need whatever information you gathered more than you sacrificing your body." Again.
"I need to finish this. I will not feel better until it is done. There is no part of me that wants to leave your side, but we are heroes." She said this with a finality that I couldn't hope to counter. We were heroes. We are heroes, but at this moment I felt like we needed to be more than that. We could be heroes and two people that loved each other.
"I love you." It came out a plea more than a confession. As I had been obsessing over the things I hadn't said to her, I realized this was one of them. She had said it to me hundreds of times and I knew she meant it, but I had never spoken out loud the words or initiated.
"I know." She said and lifted up my mask so she could kiss me. She tasted like diet coke and was quick to deepen the kiss with no lack of desperation. I had that same need to consume as much of her as possibly before she left me again. Her hands stayed fixed on my neck and heart as if needing the beat. My head started to swim with lack of air and intensity. It was relief and pain rolled into one as it was a kiss goodbye. I heard a subtle clearing of a throat and remembered we were likely not alone. She broke away with a cough and more blue glitter coated the mirror. I looked at my face partially exposed and realized I must of tasted blood in the kiss. Diet Coke how disturbing. I also saw another person from the mirror. Jinx was staring at us with an expression of embarrassment from her red face, in her hands she held Ember's jacket that had been left in the ring.
"Well I'm glad I came sooner rather than later. If you don't want this I'm going to take it." She eyed it like she was playing coy. "Good luck getting the shoes back though."
"I do not particularly care in this moment. Though thank you, Jinxy." She moved off me and went to take her jacket. She leaned in close to whisper something in her ear I couldn't hear. "We should go shopping sometime since now I obviously need new shoes." I did hear when she went back. I didn't know what game she was playing, but likely threatening since she was my opponent tonight was my guess.
"I think you might prefer the way I get things. Though I lost my bet, bummer. Good for you Hairpuller." She said and flipped me off. "Please bleach the sinks after you're done. Later."
"See you." Ember said and turned her attention back to me and likely wherever our comrades were. Beast Boy suddenly shifted into his normal form. Starfire quickly gave him a side hug since it was obvious she had so chest trauma. How was she going to fight?
"Dude I love you guys but please don't have me as a captive audience. I was so worried about you, Star." I noticed she leaned on him as well. Dammit she was not doing great.
"It will be alright. What I need to do should make everything right. Make sure you protect yourself, Seemore is one of your bigger threats." She told him and ruffled his hair affectionately. "How is everyone's night vision?"
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We came up with a plan of attack quickly between the four of us. My objective was subduing Miss Friday once she took out the lights. She would signal the other Titans to attack and Beast Boy would lead the charge of the general masses. Jo'nn would provide assistance and communication. We had given in to giving her the location of the secondary team. She was going to melt the ice and provide information to help direct them. We were just waiting on the signal which was Mammoth knocking Kyd Wykkyd out. Jo'nn claimed he was following through since he found it funny, but was looking for the right moment.
"Where is Red X?" She asked finally though I knew it had been on her mind as we did the arrest strategy.
"No clue, and at the moment don't care." I said annoyed she cared, but knowing she needed what I knew. She sighed in relief and I guess it was nice to have one less thing to worry about. He was just lower on the list of priorities.
"Is pizza on the table once this is done?" Beast Boy asked trying to break up the tension. I didn't want her to go and try to fly this injured, but she was adamant she needed to finish this. We did call in Red Star and Argent to go to the other team as reinforcements for her. I knew her comfort level with the Justice League was sporadic at the moment.
"I think ice cream might be needed as well. Some sort of dessert will be deserved." Starfire encouraged. She looked at me. "I look forward to going home."
"I…." Whatever sappy thing my mouth was going to put out was interrupted by Jo'nn.
He's down, Friday is still here
Well that was the cue. Ember immediately tore off her copper bangles balling them up in her hands as she walked towards the door. I did a quick count of our enemies and I knew Jo'nn relayed the strike readiness order. The metal became goo in her hands with heat and she looked back at me once before shouting with enough volume to be heard from outside. "Titans go!" She lobbed the molten metal at the ceiling. The goo became a volley of bullets that cracked most of the bulbs and rained glass down upon beneath. She rained her second handful killing all the straggling sources of light. Her hair lit up drawing attention to her as I looked away to preserve my night vision and made my way to the balcony as I heard assorted grunts and sounds of battle. I heard her burst through the roof so I knew she at least made it out.
I managed to kick the door down and make it up the stairs at a speed that impressed even me. I pulled out my weapons with one hand and used my magnetic glove with the other expecting to disarm her if she had a gun or knife. That feeling was well warranted as a rose gold glock came into my palm when I activated the setting. I switched to normal vision as there were lights in here. I came all the way through the doorway and saw her sitting in her chair with wine still in her hand.
"Would you be polite enough to let me finish my glass before arresting me, Mr. Robin." It wasn't a surprise she knew.
"I think we are past polite." I was tentative moving forward since she had all the advantage of knowing the space and if it had defenses. She seemed much to calm if there was nothing up her sleeve. "Though it's easier to just surrender."
"I assure you that I will be very easy to handle in a moment. I guess I didn't escape my disposable fate. I just want to enjoy this last bit." She said and continued to sip as the screen came on and showed video clips of Starfire fighting, both a mix of her in and out of her Ember persona. "She is so beautiful, I will miss her." I had no clue what had happened between them since Starfire had instantly cut me off, but I saw red at her implications.
"You'll never get to see her again." I said dodging the trap door that triggered beneath me. "I won't let you."
"Alas we were star-crossed, at least she will remember me. When she realizes her potential she will know I saw it first and accepted her. Will you do the same?" She scoffed and tipped her glass and chugged the last bit, her lips stained reddish purple. Her eyes fixed on the screen before they rolled back. Fuck something was in the wine. I rushed towards her and caught her when she slumped convulsing. I dragged her body back towards the door with haste hoping I could get her medical attention before what ever she had taken drug her under.
My friends were fighting below and winning from the sounds of it. I just could only focus on the ringing in my ears as I pushed my body to save someone from dying in my arms.