Chapter 27

Raven sat watching the clock. She had been trying to meditate for the last few hours but there was an overwhelming sense of anxiety flowing throughout the Tower and it was starting to make her feel off. She sat on air, flicking her eyes in the direction of the clock every few seconds. The second hand inched round ever so slowly, and she could feel her own heart rate excel slightly with every tick. "Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos." Closing her eyes she repeated her mantra over, trying to calm herself. It wasn't working.

They had spent the last day and a half trying to prepare themselves the best they could. The Tower was mostly repaired, and Cyborg had fixed himself properly. All of Robin's injuries had been healed. He complained that his ribs ached a little, but Raven had assured him that it would cease. Batman and Superman had been to the Watch Tower to confirm that the containment unit was secure and that the League needed to prepare for their arrival with Starfire in the next day or so. Hopefully. They had also collected the collar that Galfore had sent. As it was Batman had looked it over, but it remained in its box on the table in the middle of the room.

In the time between Robin waking and now, they had watched the cameras in relative silence. Watching the fights they'd individually had with Starfire had not boosted their confidence, but it could have helped. Batman said it was necessary to know where they had gone wrong and to see if they could pick out any clues that might help them. Robin didn't say anything, but Raven had kept a close reading on him as he watched. He didn't project anything other than a small sadness until he watched Starfire bow to Slade again. A deep anger rippled off of him in waves and it surprised Raven that the bow was his emotional trigger, and not the fact that she had almost killed him a few times.

They had spent a fair few hours discussing a plan of action. Kid Flash, as he had promised, would be the one to snap the collar on Starfire's neck when the moment arose. Batman didn't want the collar anywhere near the fight, just in case, so Flash was to stay out of sight and ready for when Starfire fell. If she fell. Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Superman were the defence. Not to engage unless absolutely necessary. Keep Starfire occupied. Robin and Batman would have the dart guns.

There had been a brief discussion about whether or not Starfire would react badly to a double dose of paracetamol. To a human it probably wouldn't make that much of a difference other than a bit of drowsiness, but Starfire didn't hold up all to well to a regular dose and Batman was unwilling to risk an overdose. He and Robin would have the dart guns. They could judge each other best to avoid any accidents.

Raven flicked her gaze back to the clock. The room was unbearably quiet and it felt like the ticking of the clock was getting louder. She dropped her feet to the floor and pulled down her hood. "Five minutes." She watched as Batman pulled himself from the computer, turning to look at the clock himself. Superman and Cyborg turned to look at her from the sofa where they had been sat, before both standing. Flash and Beast Boy moved over from the kitchen, their faces solemn.

Raven turned to look at Robin who had been sat quietly at the table, staring at the box that stood there. He stood as the rest of them gathered around, and he pulled the box towards him before flipping it open. His hand was clammy inside his glove as he reached in and grabbed the collar, pulling it out and pushing the box away. It was a thick, grey band, obviously made from some kind of metal that was unknown to earth. It had a strange purple hue to it. Robin looked it over in his hands. His finger absently ran over the lettering on the back of it. 403 And'r.

Robin swallowed hard and handed it to Flash. The entire room knew that Robin did not want to do this. He knew it was the only option, their best chance, but still it felt wrong. Robin only thought for a second about how Starfire would feel when she woke up in that collar, before reaching back in the box and pulling out the strange key and handing it to Flash. Flash gripped the key tightly. "I won't let you down."

Robin turned to look at the clock. It was fast coming up to Slade's deadline. It was nearly 3 in the morning and he felt so tired and yet so alert, waiting for something to happen. The clock ticked over, and there was a deafening silence as they all waited for something to happen. Anything. They weren't sure what Slade might have planned if they didn't adhere to his demands, but they knew it probably involved Starfire. They knew he probably wouldn't waste any time. However, a minute or two passed of them looking at the clock before Robin let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding and he moved his eyes from the clock.

"Um... what do we do now?" Beast Boy turned to look at Robin. They'd all been absolutely prepared for something to kick off, that actually they were surprised nothing had. Robin rolled his shoulder, trying to get at the itch that had started at the top of his spine. He furrowed his brow before turning to look at Batman. They stayed silent, no one answering Beast Boy's question.

Superman lifted his head fast before turning to listen to something no one else could hear. "There's a rapid heartbeat coming up fast." He pointed out over the bay.

Robin turned his head slightly before pushing through the group to move to the windows. It was dark and the clouds were blocking the moon so all he could see was the lights of the city in the distance. Cupping his hands around his face, he moved his face to the glass to block the light of the room behind him, trying to see outside better. He stumbled back in fright as a frantic face appeared on the other side of the glass before hands desperately batted at the window.

"Let me in!" Bumblebee looked terrified. She pounded on the glass as Robin moved back towards it. Raven appeared beside her, grabbing her before appearing back in the room. Bumblebee touched the floor, her legs giving out as Raven tightened her grip to keep her from falling. They swayed a bit before Raven gently lowered Bumblebee to the floor, keeping a hold of her. She looked awful. She had cuts littering her body, and there was a tear in one of her wings. Her hair was falling out of its bunches and her uniform was dirty.

Cyborg dropped to his knees beside her and gently rubbed her back. She was breathing heavily. "Bee, are you okay? What happened?" Bumblebee took a moment to catch her breath and Cyborg flicked his eyes up to Flash. "Can you go get a first aid kit please?" Flash zipped off without a word.

Bumblebee moved her legs so she wasn't sat on them and revealed a large gash in one of her calves. "We were attacked. There was no warning. I tried to keep the team together, but she moves so fast." Bumblebee's eyes were wide with disbelief. "One minute were all watching a movie, and then the windows shattered and the room lit up. We weren't prepared. Speedy and Aqualad tried so hard, but she was unlike anything I've ever seen before. It was like she knew what they were going to do before they did it."

"Starfire?" Robin's voice was hard.

"Yes." Her hands trembled a bit as the fight flashed across her vision.

"It's alright, Bee. Take your time." Cyborg's voice was gentle. Flash zipped back onto the room and handed him the first aid kit. He took out some antiseptic wipes and handed them to Raven. "Raven is going to have to clean these cuts before she can heal them." Gently, Raven moved to pull one of Bumblebees boots off and lifting her pant leg up so she could inspect the gash.

Bumblebee sucked in a breath as she felt the wipe glide across the cut. "We didn't stand a chance."

"Why didn't you contact anyone?" Cyborg furrowed his brow at her.

"I tried! By the time we realised what was happening and who it was, it was too late. None of our communicators were working and Starfire was stood between us and the console. I tried to get the twins to run to a different room to use a different computer, but she managed to intercept them." She squirmed a bit as she felt Raven's healing powers closing the cut.

"Where's the rest of your team now?"

"They're with me." All the heads in the room turned towards the new voice. Robin fought to stop himself from growling at the face that haunted him. He moved so he could see the main screen properly. None of them said anything. Slade continued. "The rest of Titans East are safe, and remain mostly unharmed." Slade moved to the side to show a row of cells behind him. Speedy, Aqualad, and Mas Y Menos were all laid on the floor of one of the cells. Robin noticed, with horror, that some of the other cells weren't empty. And apparently, so did Flash.

"Jinx!" He ran over to the screen, looking intently at the cell that held the pink haired girl. She was sat on the floor with her back against the wall. Her eyes closed. "What did you do?!" Flash shouted at the screen.

"As you can see, Starfire has been busy over the last day."

"You said we had forty eight hours." Batman's voice was dangerously low.

"Indeed. And you did. If you'd have contacted me, I would have released them. But I knew you weren't going to, so I decided to utilise the time to the best of my ability. Besides, the threat still stands. You had forty eight hours to prepare, but I imagine you've been focusing your energies on preparing yourselves for Starfire. Instead of looking out for others.

"What?" Beast Boy looked over at Bumblebee who was staring at the screen from the floor. "I thought you were sending us a message through Bumblebee coming here?"

Slade chuckled. "The timing certainly does make it seem that way. Why else would I have told Starfire to allow her to go free?"

Robin's heart started to beat heavily in his chest. If Bumblebee and Titans East weren't what Slade had planned for the deadline, then what was? His eyes scanned the cells behind Slade in the screen, so far he had accounted for Argent and Pantha, who were sat with Jinx, as well as Hotspot and Red Star. He could see the edges of other cells at the side of the frame, but he wasn't sure if there was anyone else there.

"I think you should pay attention to this." Slade's image became smaller as another video filled the screen. Superman and Batman both stepped forward as they recognised the image of the main computer of the Watchtower. It was a video from one of the Watchtowers security cameras, the time shown was exactly 2.59. Nothing happened for a moment, and there was no one in the room. But as the time ticked over, and the numbers changed to 3.00, a green explosion happened before the camera cut out. "All of the Justice League members are fine, only a few minor injuries, but they're a little frantic up their as they've lost all communications. I suggest you go and help them."

"You're out of your mind if you think that's going to stop us from helping the Titans." Batman spat the words out.

"I don't think it's going to stop you from helping. But it would give you more of an incentive to leave well enough alone. I would like to get rid of the future generation of heroes before I send Starfire to wipe the Justice League off the face of the Earth. But I thought I'd at least give the League a small gift in the process. I'm giving you the chance to walk away willingly before I threaten you further."

"The rest of the League are more than capable of dealing with that explosion without us." Superman hovered off the floor, his cape swished in s non existent wind.

"I'm also aware of that. So here's the deal." Slade beckoned off screen, and moved to the side as Starfire came into view on the camera. Robin took a second to note that if the time on the video was right, Starfire had attacked the Watchtower and gotten back to where ever Slade was hiding in less than ten minutes. They all let out a gasp as she came into view, dragging with her a struggling Jason Todd. Batman's fists clenched as Robin swore. "You either back off and leave me to deal with the Titans only, or this little bird is going to take his last flight."

"You can't expect me to walk away when you have one of my sons." Batman's voice was coming out through his teeth.

"Oh I can. And I do." Slade merely lifted his hand a little, and the entire room went silent as Jason screamed out. Starfire had lifted his arm up and promptly snapped his forearm. The sound of the break made at least three people in the room feel sick. "The next one will be his neck. The next time I get even a glimpse of any member of the Justice League, he will die."

"Don't listen to him!" Jason wrenched himself out of Starfire's grip and moved away, cradling his now broken arm. Starfire moved towards him but Slade stopped her. "I'll be fine! Just find a way to stop her." He pointed at Starfire.

Batman and Robin both looked over Jason, he looked unharmed, other than his arm. No scrapes or bruises, and his clothes weren't dirty or torn. As they looked him over, the same horrifying thought came to them at the same time. "Alfred!"

Robin looked at Jason. "Is Alfred Okay?"

"I don't know." Jason sounded panicked about it.

"The Butler is fine." Slade addressed them. "Starfire was given her target, she did not engage anyone else. However, I could make him a target for her if you continue to be difficult." There was an annoying amusement in Slade's voice.

"Dick! The photo! New year! The kid with the..." Jason didn't get chance to finish what he was saying as Starfire grabbed him. She had one arm around his neck, and the other gripping his broken limb. He grunted in pain.

Slade let out a sound of annoyance. "I want your word that you'll no longer interfere. Or I can have her snap his neck. Your choice."

Batman and Superman both stepped back a pace.

"Good choice."

"I'll have you for this Deathstroke." Batman narrowed his eyes at the screen.

"Not before I get what I want. When the Titans have all surrendered to me, I'll release this one back to you. Either way, you're coming out of this with one less son. If the Titans deem it necessary to try and fight me, that's fine, but Robin...

Robin swallowed hard. His mind was running a million miles a minute.

"The Titans are dwindling fast and Starfire already knows her next target. Keep your friends close Robin, because you won't be able to keep them safe for long."