Chapter 19

Robin awoke slowly, he didn't want to open his eyes. He could see the small rays of light peaking through the curtains and he turned away from them, burying his head deeper into the duvet. As he pulled the duvet to cover his face, he took in the strong smell of strawberries. Oh that's right, he'd ended up going and sleeping in Starfire's bed last night. Well, this morning, when he finally dragged himself from the sofa. He grabbed a pillow, pulling it closer to himself and sinking his face into it. He didn't know what time it was, nor did he have any desire to find out. He was going to stay in that bed as long as he wanted to.

Luckily his sleep had been peaceful after his nightmare. He felt better actually. Not okay, given the current situation he and his team found themselves in, but definitely better. His chest didn't feel so debilitatingly tight. He realised his breakdown after hours was probably the reason he felt a little less emotional. Tightening his grip around the pillow, he realised how much he missed waking up next to Starfire. It had only been this morning that she wasn't there and her absence was definitely noticeable. She had a warmth about her that would make the bed so cosy.

But she wasn't there, and he didn't know how long it would be before she would be there. How many night would he have to spend going to bed alone, just laying and wondering whether she was okay. Wondering what was happening to her. Whether she was even alive... No. Slade would have let them know if she hadn't have made it. She was still alive. Robin pulled a hand out from under the duvet and rubbed it down his face. This wasn't doing him any good. With a groan of defeat, he pulled the covers off of himself and sat up on the edge of the bed. He should get up. Before his thoughts dragged him into a dark place.

Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was 11:30. Not super late, but definitely later than he had slept in for quite a while. Standing, he picked up the uniform that he had been wearing the night before. It would have to be disposed of. There were slashes in it, and blood stains on his shirt. The cape would be fine, it being reinforced and all. But his shirt and pants were done for. Luckily, he had kept a few uniforms in Starfire's room, just in case he ever needed one. He lazily wandered over to her wardrobe, pulling the door open and plucking one of his fresh uniforms from its hanger. The bathroom was only across the hall, so picking up his belt and boots, and leaving his dirty uniform on the floor, he wandered across the hall to go and take a well needed shower. He made a mental note to change Starfire's bedding.

Ten minutes later he was out of the shower, barefoot, carrying his boots and crossing the hall to his own room. He realised he was still tired as he felt the discomfort of having forgotten to take any boxers into the bathroom with him. Sighing as he reached his room, he quickly rectified the situation. Fully dressed, he emerged from his room and made his way to Ops. Realistically he should be hungry, but he didn't feel it. It would probably come at some point when he was feeling a bit sharper.

Walking through the door he found, unsurprisingly, that his team were already there. Raven was sat meditating in the corner, facing out over the bay. She quietly chanted her mantra. Beast Boy was sat at the table with Cyborg, both picking at the food that was sat in front of them. Cyborg was the first one to notice Robin as he descended the steps into the room. "Hey, man. You hungry?" Cyborg went to stand but Robin waved his hand in dismissal.

"Nah, thanks. I'm okay." Robin wandered into the kitchen to set the coffee machine going. With a fresh, hot mug in hand, he took a seat next to Beast Boy, and stared into the steam. He didn't really even want it, but he needed the caffeine. It was strange, the silence they fell into. It wasn't exactly awkward as such. It's just that no one really knew what to say, and they were aware that everyone else felt the same. They sat there in companionable silence for a while. They all knew that if Starfire was there, she would know exactly what to say.

Beast Boy cast a glance over at Raven who was still quietly meditating. He noticed that her eyes had started glowing white from the last time he looked at her. He tilted his head in confusion before deciding not to bother her yet with his questions. Shifting his gaze over to Robin, and noticed how tired he looked. It wasn't often Robin showed his fatigue, no matter how much he felt it. "Um, Rob..."

Robin lifted his head to look at Beast Boy. "Yeah?"

Beast Boy shifted uncomfortably, his hands coming together in his lap. "What... what are we gonna do?"

Cyborg placed his fork back down on his plate, he tilted his head as he stared at his little green friend. Well, he'd been thinking about it, but hadn't wanted to be the one to ask the question. He was just going to wait for Robin to speak up. In no uncertain terms was he expecting Beast Boy to raise the question. Robin took a gulp of his coffee and set the mug down on the table with a sigh. He had been expecting the question, just not so soon.

"Well, I do have a sort of plan. Bats and I did a lot of talking yesterday and we swapped all the information we have about Slade and what not. I briefly told you last night what the Justice League was going to do, and we mentioned what we could do, but I'm going to need your guys help with forming a plan. We need to pay a well overdue visit to Control Freak, sooner rather than later. Like Batman said, Control Freak will let Slade know that we went to see him, but if he's still dealing with Starfire then he won't be in a position to retaliate as quick."

Beast Boy nodded as he took in what Robin was saying. "So when are we going to do this?"

Robin raised an eyebrow at him. Beast Boy was never this eager to go. Ever. "I hadn't really thought about it yet. I think a few days is..."

"A few days?" Cyborg cut him off, an edge to his voice.

"I know." Robin dropped his gaze. "I'm not best pleased about it, but I did some thinking and I'm so sick of Slade being ready for us. He's always a few steps ahead and it's starting to wear us down." Robin looked back up at his two friends, their faces grim. "I am not losing to him again. Enough is enough. We need to approach this differently than how we normally do. We can't just go in half cocked, we need to plan everything, and plan for everything. We need to be ahead of Slade. Starting with how we approach Control Freak. Slade might be expecting it, so we need to plan this carefully just in case. It's going to take us longer than usual, but we need to be careful now."

Beast Boy and Cyborg glanced at each other, before nodding at each other and looking back at Robin. "Alright, Robin. We're with you."

Robin smiled at them. "Cy, I'm gonna send you the address of where Control Freak is currently residing. I need you to try and get a detailed plan of the building and the surrounding area. Also, any connections we might have in that area, anyone we know we could ask for information. Someone that might have seen him coming and going, or whatever. Just any and all information we can get. Once we have all of that, we can start to formulate some kind of plan of how we're going to go in. Knowing Control Freak, I don't think he will have much in terms of security that will stop us getting in, but I think it will be once we get in that the real problems start."

"Alright, I can do that." Cyborg set to his arm console, typing in a few thing to remind him what he would need to look at. "I can also check any sewers and such in the area, just in case he has an escape route."

Robin nodded at him, he stood to move over to the computer, ready to send the information to Cyborg. "I'm sending you the information now. Just let me know when you're done and we'll have a meeting to go over what you've found." He turned away from the console to lean on it, his arms folding across his chest. "I'm going to contact the League, see if J'onn has figured out how the nano bots Slade used actually worked. They controlled her but we don't actually know how. I know Slade is probably going to use a different method, but this might help us somehow, even if we don't know how just yet."

Beast Boy shuffled in his seat. "What can I do to help?"

"Actually I do have a job for you Beast Boy. I need you to contact people in the Titan Network."

"What for?"

"We need to warn them. Slade has taken one of our own, and when they come out of hiding she's not going to be on our side. We need to warn them of that, and tell them that if they come across him or her, they're not to engage. They have to contact us, or the League. I also need you to start recruiting some people. Anyone that could be available at the drop of a hat. We can't do this just the four of us. Starfire is too powerful. We need as many bodied behind us as possible. Start with Titans East. But Beast Boy, I need you to really drill into them the seriousness of this situation. I'm not saying this to scare anyone, but after Slade changes her, she's more powerful than any adversary we've ever come up against. Plus she's our friend, so it's going to be more difficult for people to really go against her. We need to know they can do what needs to be done."

"Can you?" The new voice caused the three boys to turn. Raven was stood not far off from Robin. She pulled her hood down to really look at him. Robin sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Honestly, I don't know. I'd like to think I could. I'd do anything to get her back. But in case I can't, I need to know that you lot will. That someone will do what needs to be done. I don't know if I could hurt her if it came to it."

Raven nodded at him, her face a little more solemn than usual. "Robin, I've spent all morning trying to reach her."

Robin turned to face her, his arms dropping limply to his sides. "And did you?"

"Just. I couldn't speak to her but... here give me your hand and close your eyes." Raven held her hand out to him, and he took it, his eyes fluttering shut. She chanted her mantra and he could feel the chill of her powers washing over him, and he opened his eyes to find he was in darkness. Raven was still there, holding his hand. "Don't let go, or you'll lose the connection." Her voice echoed through the darkness.

Robin started to hear something in the distance, it was faint and it was slow, but he could definitely hear a steady best. "Is that her heartbeat?"

Raven wordlessly nodded.

"How do you know?" He looked around again and saw nothing.

"I can feel her aura. Everyone has a different one, and I know it's hers. I can also feel the pain and the fear in her. But there's something else..."

Robin turned to her, his eyebrow raising at her. "What do you mean, something else."

"She's slipping. I don't mean that she's dying, but her aura is growing weaker, and it's being replaced."

"Replaced?"

"It's difficult to explain. It's still her, but it's changing. What I sense as being inherently Starfire, feels different. It feels like someone else is mixing in with her."

Robin's expression took a grim turn. "Slade, he's started whatever it is he's doing to her. He's changing her."

"Robin, this didn't happen last time. It was still Starfire's aura that I felt. This is different. And something I didn't know was possible."

A ripple of sound roared through the darkness, causing Robin and Raven to turn towards where they thought it had come from. They could see the sound wave as it come toward them, and in a blast of air it pushed the two of them back, causing their hands to disconnect. Robin's eyes shot open and he turned to Raven who shuddered. He let go of her hand. "You okay?"

"Yeah, do you want me to try and make contact again?"

"No, I think that's a sure sign that we're not welcome. But at least we know she's definitely alive." Robin turned to Cyborg and Beast Boy. "Whatever Slade is doing, he's already started. I don't know how long it's going to be until he's ready, but he's clearly not wasting any time."

Wordlessly, they both stood and left together, off to go and do their given jobs. Robin turned back to Raven, "I need you to try something for me."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Like what?"

"Is there any chance, you could create a telepathic link between the four of us?"

"You mean like a speak to each other kind of link?"

"Just something. I mean we have a link, and you can read my thoughts occasionally. But I was thinking more a long the lines of, knowing that each other is okay."

"Oh, you mean an empathic link." She screwed her face up a little as she thought it over. "I mean, I don't know for sure. I could try. I suppose it would be helpful. I'll do some reading and see what I can find. The link I created with you was an accident, I'm not entirely sure of how or why it happened. I don't know if it was created due to the trauma of what you were going through. Its also sporadic. I can feel when you're feeling something really strongly. Like last night, I could feel your fright rippling throughout the Tower. But I can't feel what you're feeling now, unless I tried."

He blushed a little, his embarrassment creeping up his neck and into his face. "Yeah... I had a nightmare, it was..." He shuddered at the memory of it. "It was awful."

"Anyway, I'll go and check my books and see what I can find. Maybe I could contact Arella, she might have something I can use." She turned to go before stopping and turning back to Robin. "Are you okay?"

A small, sad smile found it was to his face. "No. No I'm not."

Raven didn't probe him any further, she just shot him a small, sad smile of her own before moving away. Robin watched her go before he turned to the console and set to do the task he had set himself. After all, what kind of leader would he be if he didn't.

XXXXXX

Later that evening, Robin had finally found a spare moment to finally put away the swords that had been discarded in their fight against Slade. He pressed open the door to the evidence room, and stepped inside as he flicked the light on. Unfortunately, there was a whole wall dedicated to Slade. He wandered over, placing the swords gently in an empty case, sighing at them as he shut the case on the blades.

"Helloooooo?"

Robin's head shot up at the new voice, and he crinkled his nose in confusion. Making his way to the door, he was about to step out as a yellow blur moved past him, knocking him back a little. As Robin steadied himself, he found the blur had turned and was coming back towards him. In an instant, Kid Flash was stood in front of him, giving him a salute. "Kid Flash reporting for duty."

"What? What are you doing here?" Robin flicked the light off and closed the door behind him of the room he had previously occupied. He gestured for Kid Flash to follow him as he set off walking.

"Beast Boy contacted me, said you might need some help at some point. I'm not really doing anything at the moment, so I thought I'd come and help now." He flashed Robin a smile.

"Does Jinx know you're here?"

Kid Flash rubbed the back of his neck, nervousness creeping into his expression. "She does, but she told me not to interfere until you called for us... we had a bit of an argument about it cause I wanted to come and help. So I just took off."

Robin shook his head at him, a small chuckle escaping him. "I mean we could probably use the help, to be fair. We are one member down. You can stay in one of the spare rooms if you're planning on staying a while. I'm sure the rest of the team won't mind."

"Oh I've already seen them, they said it was fine."

Robin just rolled his eyes, of course Kid Flash had already spoken to them. "Did Beast Boy fill you in on what had happened?" They reached the door for Ops and Robin moved to go through it, but Kid Flash stuck his arm out to stop him. Stepping in front of him, Kid Flash put a finger up to his face as he spoke.

"Yes, mostly, but you my friend have some explaining to do."

Robin furrowed his eyebrows before he moved Kid Flash's hand away from his face. "What are you talking about?"

Kid Flash raised his arms in disbelief. "Hello! Girlfriend?! The last time I spoke to you, you said there was nothing going on!"

"That's because when I last spoke to you, regarding something other than Titan business, was over a year ago. At that time, there was nothing going on." Robin pushed past him and moved into the room.

"Yeah, you said about the whole Batman bat rules thing, which was a load of bologna, by the way. You said you broke it off not long after you got back. How did you get from that to hiding from your best friend that Starfire is your girlfriend?"

Robin sighed as he turned towards Kid Flash. "It complicated. But the only reason I didn't tell you was because by the time we actually got anywhere, Slade was already after her. It's not like I had the free time to pick up the phone. 'Oh hey Wally, guess what. Starfire and I are dating now'." Robin shot him an incredulous look.

Kid Flash Raised his hand in defeat. "Alright, point taken."

"Wally?" There was a slight chuckle in the new voice that entered the room. The two boys turned to see Raven coming down the stairs. Wally crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.

"It's no worse than Robin's real name. In fact if you knew what his name was you'd think mine was boring."

Robin chuckled. "My team already know my name."

Wally puffed a breath of disbelief. "Really?!"

Robin nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes. So by all means, go ahead. Just keep it in the Tower. When it's mission stuff, it's Robin."

Wally saluted him again. "Roger that..." A sly smirk reached Wally's face, and he moved over to wrap an arm around Robin's shoulder. "Dickie."

Robin's face dropped as Raven chuckled behind her hand.