Chapter Fourteen
The spring sun was bright that day as it bled into the commons room of Titans Tower. Robin had just finished his morning work-out and ran a towel through his damp hair, whistling as he traveled down the long hallway towards the door. The seagulls squawked brightly outside and the ocean glimmered as it crashed against the rocks. Robin was already craving the first sip of his post work-out smoothie, complete with blueberries and raspberries. When the door hissed open, however, he was surprised to hear fumbling in the kitchen. It wasn't even six in the morning yet. The room was bathed in gold and pink rays. Surely Cyborg wasn't awake yet. Unless there was something Robin was forgetting. He spied the counter cluttered with bags of flour, bowls, whisks, and spatulas. Robin furrowed his brow and draped his towel around his neck, slowly coming down the stairs. As he rounded the corner, he found Starfire balancing a gallon of milk and several eggs in her hands as she went to the counter. Her emerald eyes were bright that morning and lit up when she saw the leader of the team.
"Robin, good morning!" She greeted. With quick reflexes, she caught an egg just as it tumbled off the edge of the counter.
"Mornin', Star," Robin replied, brushing by to pull the blender out of the cabinet. "You're up earlier than normal. And cooking. What's the occasion?"
"Well," Starfire began, glancing only fleetingly at the flour before dumping nearly half the bag into the shiny bowl. "Last night, I had difficulty sleeping. So I came here to watch the television and found this interesting channel of a human who did things like Cyborg, except it was much more elaborate." She cracked an egg, uncaring of any shells falling into the bowl. Robin pulled the container of berries from the fridge, listening to her tale. "He made all sorts of fun foods I had never seen before! They had so many pretty colors. But what stood out to me were these floppy cake disks he made. The name eludes me now, but I decided I wanted to make them." Starfire's grin was ear to ear as she poured the milk into the bowl. "I have been living on earth so long. Earthlings cook. I should, too, since there is no reason for me to hunt."
"Oh, you're making pancakes," Robin had a small grin on his face with his back to her as he chopped his berries and poured cream into the blender. "Pancakes are always a winner for breakfast. Did you get the recipe?"
"There was no time, he spoke so fast as if I just knew what everything was," Starfire told him, beating the whisk around the bowl. "But I believe I have committed everything to memory!"
"So, you're going to be Chef Starfire now, huh?" He looked over his shoulder at the buzzing Tamaranean as she stirred the mixture into a thick paste.
"Oh, imagine!" Her eyes lit up and she brought her knees to her chest, hovering, all the while stirring her mixture. "What if Cyborg loves it!"
"I'm sure he will," Robin said, scraping the berries into the blender. He turned towards her but paused, watching as she dumped sugar into the bowl. "Uh, did the guy on the TV do that?"
"There are so many white substances on earth," Starfire shrugged, continuing to stir. "I do not know exactly what he used, but this looked to have the right consistency with the television."
"Hm, must be really special pancakes," Robin replied, leaving Starfire to it. As he blended his smoothie, Starfire slapped a griddle on the stove and put a large slab of butter onto it. Robin poured his smoothie into a glass and then turned and leaned against the counter, watching Starfire in her newfound element. The early morning light made her crimson hair glow and she seemed so content and happy. It was infectious and made Robin feel at ease, too, as he sipped his smoothie and welcomed the new day, and new adventure, with Starfire. She moved so lightly on her feet as she grabbed the bowl and made her first attempt at pouring. The glistening mixture filled the entire griddle, even pooling out the sides and down into the burner. The kitchen grew hazy quickly, but still Robin just watched her. Knowing Starfire, she wanted to do it all on her own. She was devoted to conforming to earthling tendencies as greatly as possible.
It was a struggle for Starfire to flip the pancake and portions of the mixture splattered against the back splash and counters. "Perhaps this one is too large," Starfire said, examining the somewhat burnt and crispy skin. "It is not as round as the man's on the television."
"First pour is never perfect," Robin told her. "The next pancake will be perfect. Remember, less is more."
Starfire slapped the square pancake onto a plate. By the way it drooped, Robin wasn't convinced it was cooked through. She focused now as she lifted the bowl and she carefully poured just a bit. "Oh, look! It made a circle! Just as it did on the television."
"See, perfect!" Robin encouraged from behind his glass. Starfire now stood there, almost impatiently, watching the little dollop bubble and sear. "Here, I'll show you a fun trick," Robin said, setting his smoothie down. He came beside her and gripped the handle of the griddle. With a flick of his wrist, the pancake flipped onto the uncooked side, exposing a relatively well-cooked skin. Starfire gasped with intrigue.
"How did you do that?!" She asked, her eyes as wide as saucers, as if she had just witnessed true magic.
"It's all in the wrist," Robin told her with a smile.
"Will you show me how?"
"Sure," Robin scraped the pancake off and set it on the stack. Starfire poured a new dollop onto the pan and together they watched it cook. As the time neared to flip it, he positioned himself behind her and brought his hand up to grip her wrist. His fingers gently ran over her knuckles. Starfire already felt her cheeks burning but she focused intently on the pancake. Her body temperature spiked as his hand came to rest on her hips. "You're going to thrust the pan forward," Robin said. "And at the same time, you'll jerk your wrist in a pop upwards." Starfire soaked in his instructions, all the while relishing in the feeling of his hand on the curve of her waist. Beyond the windows, a flock of birds flew by, and the day continued to awaken. "Alright, let's do it." The griddle scraped against the burner but, unfortunately, Starfire exuded too much force and the pancake whizzed over their heads, landing with a splat on top of the fridge. They both turned to see where it was and looked to each other before bursting into fits of laughter.
Mornings like these reminded Robin that there was good in the world, even when all he did was chase after the bad. The way her hearty laughter echoed off the walls and up towards the ceiling gave Robin a sense of home, of family; something he hadn't had in quite some time. The camaraderie he shared with Starfire was unmatched with anything he had ever felt. For Starfire, Robin's friendship had made an immense impact on her. She never saw herself in that moment in her lifetime, but she took every moment she was given with a grand embrace. Their laughter slowly died away, their cheeks rosy. Sheepishly, Robin rubbed the back of his neck.
"It just takes practice," He said, gazing to the top of the fridge.
"Robin, I must thank you," Starfire clasped her hands to her chest. "Maybe one day, I will do it right."
Robin turned to her and grinned warmly, gazing into those familiar emerald eyes. "I know you will, Star."
They stared at each other in that moment, with the squawking birds beyond them, and the poetic sun rays shining through the room, bathing them in pinks and golds. Her eyes shimmered, her orange skin glowing. Robin found his heart pounding in that moment. A portion of his mind told him he wanted to kiss her, yet he did not move. He only marveled at who she was and how he'd come to know her. Robin considered himself lucky to know her. Nobody would ever be as lucky to know the bubbly alien girl who grinned with her entire heart. Robin soaked in her entire face, noting her dimples, the way her cheeks flushed into pink, coupled with those large and ever searching emerald eyes. He memorized it, he focused on it.
...
Robin pressed himself against the marble pillar, looking to that familiar face. There was no smile, her eyes reflected nothing. It was not the face he had once enjoyed loving laughs with, the one he spoke personally to. It was devoid of anything relating to their past. Behind her was a scene of mania. Tamaraneans were fighting each other. Smoke was rising as starbolts were sent through the holy site. Robin watched as Raven lifted herself above the chaos, dodging a pew thrown her direction. Her onyx eyes widened, though, as someone sailed through the air and took her down. Robin clenched his teeth together as Starfire approached him with a manic look to her.
"Star..." Robin's skin grew clammy against the marble behind him. Weakly, he held his metal rod out. Memories of serving Slade flashed by his eyes. All the times he so easily duped them and dodged around their fluid moment. As Starfire approached him, he was recognizing it was much different. Starfire was not in control. His body waxed between regret, waning with a numbness. Her fist came towards him and Robin dodged, watching as her hand dented the marble, sending crumbles down. "Starfire, please," He said gently, holding his hands up. It was almost like they were meeting for the first time. Her being hostile, Robin trying to disengage. But her eyes offered no semblance of the situation. Robin shook the marble dust from his hair, backing off a bit more. "Starfire, please, can you hear me? It's Robin, your friend."
He rolled as a green starbolt flashed by his vision, decimating the pews behind him. Robin took in a deep breath, smelling all the wood and smoke filling the room. Starfire held her hand up, a starbolt glowing in her palm. "Starfire..." Robin said gently, still poised on the ground. "Come on, Starfire." He jerked himself to the side as another green bolt rushed by him. "I'm not going to fight you, Starfire!"
"Then what will you do?" Robin lifted his eyes to find Yalfore above him, his ceremonial garbs floating around his thin and lanky body. Before Robin could respond, however, Starfire catapulted against him. Robin held his metal rod out to defend himself, but she was so powerful. He slowly felt her overtaking him as he ground his teeth together. Yalfore appeared behind Starfire, his smile never waning. "You earthlings get so wrapped up in your feelings, you fail to see the point in most things if it makes you unhappy." Starfire rushed Robin's body against a splintered pew and he let out an agonizing yelp as the split wood ran against his spine. "You have been mistaken this entire time, Robin," Yalfore continued, only watching the scene unfold. Robin reached his hand up, pressing against Starfire's shoulder and looking into those eyes that became more foreign by the moment. "You thought you could stop whatever came your way. You pretended to know what made us inherently Tamaranean. We are warlords. We are warriors. And whatever definition you have on earth for the matter is gravely wrong."
Starfire slammed Robin through the pew and his entire body met the ground, sending the air from his lungs. Starfire straddled him now, using one hand to grip his neck and the other to lift a menacing starbolt inches from his face. Robin cringed away from the light. "Starfire..." He was breathless. "Please, I know you're in there. You don't want to do this." The grip on his neck only became tighter and he wheezed for a moment, pressing his head against the ground. Around him, the chaos was staggering. So easily the Tamaraneans attacked each other, believing one cause over the other. Nearby, Cyborg shoved someone away from him. None of the Titans were using oppressive force to defend themselves. It was all going wrong so quickly. Robin tilted his head again to look at Starfire. There had to be a way through to her. His head was beginning to throb, though, as less and less air made its way through his throat.
Robin pursed his lips together as he brought his legs up and wrapped them around Starfire's torso. He hurled her backwards, straight into the pillar they had desecrated moments before. Robin looked across the room, watching as Cyborg dodged another incoming starbolt. They locked eyes for a moment, uncertain of what they each were thinking. Behind him, Beast Boy as a chipmunk darted across the backs of pews. Raven continually brought shields up to block the chaotic hands flying towards her. Robin rolled forward, leaping over the shattered wood and coming back to back with Cyborg as they evaluated the chaos around them.
"What's the plan?" Cyborg asked after using his arm to deflect a hurling splintered beam. Robin glanced about, his knuckles turning white as they gripped his metal rod. "They're out for blood. All of them. And I'm not sure I'm following anything anymore."
"We have to figure out what Yalfore did to Starfire," Robin told him, barely looking over his shoulder. "Look at her vitals. There has to be a way we can bring her back."
Cyborg glanced to the screen on his arm, dialing in. He gasped sharply, however, when he saw a large Tamaranean man with braided crimson hair barreling straight towards him. Robin leapt, deftly pressing his palm off Cyborg's shoulder and throwing himself forward. With a bubbling rage, Robin let out a yell as his rod collided with the man's head. His eyes began to spin and he staggered backwards. Robin swept low, taking him off his feet. Cyborg glanced across the room towards Starfire, who had pulled herself free from the marble wall. In her fury, she tossed the Grand Ruler crown from the brow of her face, ripping her hair free from its pleated braid. Cyborg pursed his lips. Something that made Starfire that manic was surely complex. He held his arm up as his systems began to communicate.
"Robin, you're gonna have to hold her still," Cyborg said, tilting his arm back and forth and following Starfire's frenzied movements. "I can't scan her if she's moving around!"
Robin jerked his elbow back, squarely meeting the jaw of a slender woman trying to jump on his back. He then took a few steps forward, watching as Starfire directed her starbolts towards anyone her confused mind considered a traitor. Yalfore looked on with earnest interest. As Robin came closer, however, Starfire's eyes snapped directly towards him, as if she sensed his aura. Cyborg lifted his arm, tapping Starfire's symbol on his screen. Immediately, it began computation. Not fast enough, though. Starfire catapulted herself forward at rapid speeds, grabbing Robin by his cape. He let out a yelp as he was suddenly taken into the air, flailing his legs back and forth, the room whirling around him. With all her force, she threw Robin upwards where he collided with the marble ceiling. His body writhed in pain as slowly, gravity peeled him away from the indention he made. As he descended back into the chaos, an orb of black came around his body, stopping him rapidly and pulling him in another direction. Starfire wasn't finished with him, though. She collided with Robin mid-air and Raven's magic ripped apart like fabric. Together, they collided with another wall, high above the madness below. Robin wiggled back and forth, evading her frenzied hands as they tried to grab his throat again. Her emerald eyes glowed intensely.
"Starfire...!" Robin's voice rasped as she slammed him against the wall again. For a moment, his vision threatened to black out. With shaking hands, he reached forward, gripping either side of her jaw. "Please, look at me... Starfire, come on!" She violently shook his touch away, using a hand to firmly press him to the wall. She then powered up a starbolt. Robin felt warm blood trickling from his hairline as he shook beneath her grasp. As the intense light fell across his face, he felt the flood of the last week cross his mind. Robin always wanted to be in control. He never thought he'd fall for someone else's trick. Yalfore was playing dirty now. And Robin was realizing that being an earthling truly made him weak in the eyes of Tamaran. He couldn't fight her, despite the throbbing feeling of a broken rib or an undiagnosed concussion.
From below, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg had come together. Beast Boy's hands curled into fists. "Come on, Cyborg, can't your computer work any faster?!"
"Almost there," Cyborg said, holding his arm up in front of him. "Whatever they did to her, it made Robin public enemy number one." Just a few beats passed before his screen made a noise and the Titans all bonked heads to see the report. The computer had indicated a portion of Starfire's shoulder, lines of code filing up the side beside the human figure.
"What's the diagnosis?" Beast Boy asked, unable to read that fast. Cyborg tapped the screen and the image enlarged.
"Please tell me it's not in the blood..." Raven shook her head. Instinctively, she brought a shield up behind them, catching an attacking Tamaranean off-guard.
"No," Cyborg glanced up to where Starfire and Robin struggled against each other. "It's a chip implanted on her left shoulder blade. Seems like it's taken over her nervous system."
"Interesting," Raven's dark brows furrowed together as she also watched the scene. "Yalfore and Blackfire are using systematic technology to achieve what they want... it seems that they had one last plan for Starfire and her strength before they ended her life."
Cyborg cycled through a few screens. "It doesn't seem like the poison has the upper hand on her immune system yet. If she goes on untreated for a few more hours, her immune system may grow hostile. It wouldn't be a winning battle."
"How do we treat her?" Beast Boy asked.
"I don't know," Cyborg admitted. "Starfire might, though. We gotta get that chip off of her."
Raven lifted her arms, her eyes growing dark. An orb wrapped around Starfire's chest, ripping her away from Robin. The leader of the Titans fell the rest of the way to the floor. His entire body radiated in a pain he was unknown to. His eyes spun as he looked through the small clearings in the decimated wood, watching as the rest of his team approached Starfire carefully, as if she was a rabid animal. Robin bolted to his feet, though, leaping over the destruction to reach his friends. Beast Boy attempted to contain her arms. Raven kept her pinned with all the force her mind could exert. Starfire was strong, though, and it was a struggle.
"What's the plan?" Robin asked, deftly catching Starfire's swinging leg beneath his arm.
"There's a chip on her shoulder," Cyborg said, dodging the princess' swatting. "It's taken over control of her body." Together, the Titans began trying to qualm the thrashing girl. From behind, however, Raven was struck and taken into a neck hold by a thick Tamaranean. Immediately, Starfire broke loose, sending Cyborg flying through another set of pews. Beast Boy burst into a ram, breaking Raven free from the mans grasp, where she collapsed with ragged breaths. Again, Starfire turned on Robin. He held his metal rod up, but he was at a total loss. His shoulders rose and fell, each step causing him immense pain. He gripped his mid-riff as he backed away from her, knocking shards of wood askew.
"Starfire..." His voice was weak as he watched her shoot forward. She sent them through a window, where the dark town below was only illuminated by the flickering lanterns. Above, the looming new moon watched over them. Robin's back came full force against a roof and it caved in beneath him. He clenched his teeth together as Starfire's fist came across his jaw. He mouth was filled with the taste of copper and he gasped rapidly to collect his breath. By a miracle, he caught her next fist, though he shook as he struggled against her. With his bruised face, he looked towards Starfire. She was so full of rage. Robin felt his blood pressure rising. Yalfore couldn't get away with this. Pitting the citizens against each other, using Starfire as a force of revolution - Robin found himself horribly angry. He threw her wrist to the wayside and reached up, grabbing her shoulders. With all his might, Robin rolled and sat atop her now, pinning her raging arms down. "Starfire!" He watched as his blood dribbled onto her sacred dress. "Please! Starfire!" He pushed harder on her arms as she let out cries.
The way she seemed so unhinged, completely unleashed, it broke Robin's heart. He struggled against containing her. Starfire knew of her power, but Robin knew she'd never let it overtake the greater good. Though Starfire was a full-blooded Tamaranean, the Titans saw how Starfire modeled a different form of them. She was graceful, forgiving, kind, apologetic; everything she was the exact opposite in the moment with her rage bubbling out. Robin looked at all her tense muscles, the way her jaw squeezed together. His brow knitted together as he tightly held her wrists, pressing his weight against her. Starfire wouldn't want this, he knew, as blood trickled over his mask, coating against his chin and neck.
Robin took a deep breath before he launched forward, wrapping his arms around Starfire's neck. She leapt from the roof in that moment and Robin barely held on, surmising he only had seconds. He came to feel the back of her neck, finding his way down until he brushed a lump on her shoulder. With all his force, Robin ripped the chip out of her shoulder blade and Starfire let out a screech. They fell quickly into the roof of the temple. Robin cringed as he felt all the sharp shingles against his back. Dust rose around them as they came to a stop and Robin felt the weight of Starfire on top fall against him. Robin lifted the small chip up, narrowing his eyes at it, before he shoved it into his belt and focused on the limp Starfire.
"Star...?" He gave her shoulder a nudge. Beneath the roof, he could hear the continued frenzy for a disillusioned future. Robin reached for her cheek, his body agonizing in pain as crimson blood continued from his hairline, his lip busted and bloodied. He ran his hand along the side of her face. "Starfire?" Within a few beats, Starfire squeezed her eyes together and lifted her head. She blinked her emerald eyes rapidly as she pushed her arms upward. Immediately, she looked to Robin's bloody face beneath her and paused, her arms on either side of the injured leader.
"Robin...?" Her voice was raspy as she came to register everything.
"Starfire!" Despite all his aches, Robin reached forward, wrapping him arms around her neck and pulling her against him.
She shook in his grasp. Robin ran his hand through her crimson hair, pressing his other hand firmly to her back. He held her closely, not willing to let go. Starfire felt tears bubbling in her eyes. "Robin, what has happened?" She asked shakily against his shoulder. The way he held her, Starfire was almost too scared to hear the response. "What has happened to you?" She drew back now to stare fully at his bloodied face. Her eyes were glimmering with tears as she reached forward, caressing the cracked blood on his cheek. "I... I do not remember anything..."
"First, they poisoned you," Robin said, watching her hurt ooze from every seam of her body. "Then, they used this to control you." He held the chip up for Starfire to see. She let out a shallow gasp as she carefully took it between her fingers.
"This is... Gordanian technology," Starfire looked to him. "My sister must have obtained it." In the next moment, Starfire shuddered and she pressed her hand to her temple. Robin reached for her slender body.
"What is it?"
"I just feel... awful..." Starfire shook her head. "It feels as if I have not been in my own mind. Time has passed but I certainly felt none of it. My stomach is upset, my eyes are dry... I do not feel like myself, Robin."
"It's the poison," Robin told her, his face hardening into stone. "How do you reverse Humbuck berries?"
She gazed out at the night sky, her eyes searching the dozens of clusters of stars. Starfire was beginning to shake her head, when she paused, a forgotten memory suddenly producing itself. "I remember when my brother accidentally ate some as a very young child," Starfire looked to Robin, hugging herself. "My parents used Blugborg leaves to stop the affects."
"Where do I get some?" Robin asked, coming closer to her.
"I do not know," Starfire shook her head. "For all I know, Blugborg leaves may no longer even exist on Tamaran any longer."
"There's a garden behind the temple, surely your people were able to save at least one plant," Robin said, glancing towards the edge of the roof. A shrill scream erupted below and Starfire startled in place, her eyes as wide as saucers as she looked towards Robin. His face was grim. "Yalfore and Blackfire have pitted your people against each other, Starfire. They're all down there fighting one another for what they each think Tamaran should be." The noise of battle rose again and Starfire pressed her hands to the side of her head, shaking it vehemently.
"I am sorry..." Starfire whispered, hot tears streaking her cheeks.
"You have no reason to be," Robin pressed his hand to her shoulder, gripping it firmly. "You were playing by the rules. You were trying to save Tamaran. This is all on Yalfore and Blackfire."
"I should have listened to my friends," Starfire croaked. "You all warned me and I pretended you were ignorant. It is all my fault. I do not know what to do, Robin... If I cannot fix this, I certainly cannot be Tamaran's Grand Ruler."
"Do you even want to be the Grand Ruler, Star?"
She was quiet for a few moments, listening to the sounds of wood and glass shatter, and her people decimate each other for their own perceived greater good. "I... do not know. If not me, then who? Could I live the rest of my life knowing I disrespected my family? Can I so easily disregard my destiny?" Her green eyes shimmered in the night time, compounded by a headache.
"You can't help who you were born as," Robin told her. "But at the end of the day, it's your life, Starfire. No one can tell who you're supposed to be or what to do. No one can live your life for you."
"But what is to become of Tamaran?" Starfire asked, looking up at the sky for answers.
"We'll figure something out," Robin replied, trying to sound confident. The night seemed to have no end in sight. "But first, we have to find a way to stop the poison."
Slowly, her head turned towards him, her eyes wet and her lips trembling. In the next beat, she surged forward, wrapping her arms around him.
...
Down below, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven were surrounded by angered Tamaraneans. With defeated hope, Beast Boy glanced towards the window Starfire had just thrown Robin through. Things were looking bleak. The trio's elbows brushed against each other as they had no more ground to give up. Raven clenched her teeth together before she closed her eyes. In the next moment, the Tamaraneans were astonished as they watched a black orb appear, dragging the team through the ground. Cyborg and Beast Boy only saw black for the next few beats before they staggered forward, somewhat disoriented, as they materializes in the silent and vacant royal hold. Immediately, Raven brought her communicator up.
"Robin, can you hear me? Are you alright?"
Beast Boy rubbed his arms anxiously as he wandered about, looking to the down trodden prisoners kept in their realms of light. They were passive and dispirited, not even glancing to Beast Boy as his boots echoed against the floor. He gasped sharply, however, coming to a dead stop. "No way..." He shook his head. "Guys, I think this is Starfire's brother!" Imprisoned was a crumpled young man with flaming red hair rustled atop his head. He was collapsed against the ground, wheezing horribly. "Hey, are you Wildfire?" Beast Boy knelt down beside him. His head tilted towards Beast Boy in recognition, his green eyes dim.
"How... did you know my earth name?" He whispered, his body trembling in pain.
"We're friends with your sister," Beast Boy told him. For a moment, his face flickered into contorted fear. "Starfire," Beast Boy quickly said, holding his hands up. "Not Blackfire."
Cyborg approached now, dialing along the screen in his arms. "He's poisoned, too, like Starfire." His face was rather grim, though, as he turned towards Raven, who was clutching her communicator tightly. "It's winning, though."
"We have to get him out," Beast Boy stood up. "Wildfire is the last shot at saving the Grand Ruler's title. The cells are taken offline with electricity." Beast Boy was rather frenzied now as he again came to a kneel beside Wildfire, who was struggling to prop himself up on his elbow. "How do you stop the poisoning?"
Wildfire's arm trembled beneath him as he let out a cough, his crimson hair falling across his brow. "A plant... that may or may not exist since the Gordanian invasion..."
"Oh, come on, man," Beast Boy gripped his short cropped hair tightly. "Nothings going our way!"
"Raven!" Came Robin's voice through transmission. The Titans heads snapped towards it. "I'm with Starfire in the temple garden. I got the chip off. We're trying to find the plant to cure her poisoning."
Raven's onyx eyes looked to her frustrated teammates before she calmly lifted the communicator again. "Get enough for two. We found Wildfire."
