Chapter 3
Cyborg let out a slow, tentative laugh. "Yeah, right."
"Is it so hard to believe?" She asked softly, "One of your own has already traveled back in time. Why is it so hard to believe I could have done the same?"
"How did you know that I have traveled back into time?" Star inquired.
"Because..." Raven whispered, her eyes widening as everything clicked into place, "She's... you."
"Please explain yourself friend Raven. Because if this is a joke, it is not a very amusing one."
"No joke Star." Robin said, his eyes widening, "Can't you see the resemblance?"
The woman- Starfire, smiled. "Very good Raven. I didn't think you'd recognize me. Although things will be simpler now that you have."
"How did you... I mean... Well, what I mean is..." Beast Boy stuttered, still trying to make sense of everything.
"I was sent back in time to give you a warning. Cyborg, the older Cyborg that is, built a... time-machine I suppose you'd call it, though it's more complicated than that. We were supposed to test it before we launched someone back in time, but our enemy launched a major attack, forcing us to send one of us back in time before it was tested. I volunteered, because, as you know, the time warp doesn't affect my age as it might have, if one of the others tried it."
"That's all great, but what does it have to do with us? That's not going to happen for years to come." Robin said tentatively.
"If I succeed, it shouldn't happen at all."
The older Star began pacing again, "I was sent back to try and prevent the event that led to the creation of that future. My presence here should affect what happens in my future. Although we need to work fast."
"Wait a minute! What exactly are we fighting against?"
"You're right. I forget you guys have no knowledge of the battle." She rubbed her temples. "I wish Raven was here... She was always better at this than me..."
The Titans all glanced at each other. Each thinking the same thing: Another, older, Raven?
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "At least twenty years ago, that would be my time, at least two years in the future for you, Slade launched a major attack against the city. He destroyed everything in his path, wrecking havoc everywhere. We, the Titans, tried to stop him, but he had advanced weapons, information on our weaknesses, on our battle strategies. No one knew where he had gotten the information, but by then it didn't matter. Slade had taken over the city and the Titans were captured. Those days were... horrible. We were tortured, separately of course, Slade wouldn't even allow us the small pleasure of being together. He mocked us constantly, using psychological torture as much as physical. He told us, our friends were dead, our families were as well, we would never escape, we..."
She stopped at the looks on the Titans faces. "I'm sorry. I just... none of us have really gotten over it. Anyway, eventually, with the help of the Atlantians we all escaped. We were battered, bruised and hurt, physically and emotionally, but we were alive. The Atlantian home world was slowly being invaded. Earth had already been taken over, the few remote Titans, Speedy, Hot Streak, Wildabeest, and the others- all dead. Slade had tracked them down one by one and killed them. Aqualad was the last. He had rallied the Atlantians into attacking to try and prevent the overthrow of the Atlantian's home world, but they failed. Aqualad died in the final battle."
She took a deep breath, seeming to push away the painful memories. "By that time the Titans had recovered and were fighting again. We would stop Slade here or there, mess up a few of his plans, but he had made so much progress during the time we were imprisoned that our efforts made little difference in his overall plans."
"By then, each of the Titans had changed dramatically. The combination of our fight to survive and our constant battles pushed us to our limits. Robin eventually abandoned his childhood and became Nightwing. Cyborg outfitted himself with a much more deadly arsenal of weapons. Beast Boy grew up, he doesn't even joke anymore... Raven managed to gain full control of her powers. And I... Well, I grew to understand that the world is full of horrible things, not good."
A single tear trailed down her face. "I'm sorry." She told the Titans. "It just... is so good to see you all. The way we used to be. Before Slade."
OOOOO
"She can't get back?" Beast Boy asked in disbelief. Cyborg mutely shook his head.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Raven whispered, her eyes wide.
"She wanted it that way. She said you would have tried to stop her." Cyborg muttered numbly.
"Of course we would have stopped her! What was she thinking?!" Raven hissed, each lightbulb in the street lamps exploding one by one.
"Calm down." Beast Boy whispered, putting an arm around her.
"My best friend is stuck in the past forever and you want me to calm down?!" She tugged free of his grip and turned away from them, her shoulders hunched, her face concealed beneath her hood.
"And you let her do this?" Beast Boy said, angrily rounding on Cyborg.
A spark of his old spirit came back, "I didn't let her do anything! It was her choice!" Cyborg slumped again, "That's what she said just before she left, it was her choice."
Cyborg let out a slow, tentative laugh. "Yeah, right."
"Is it so hard to believe?" She asked softly, "One of your own has already traveled back in time. Why is it so hard to believe I could have done the same?"
"How did you know that I have traveled back into time?" Star inquired.
"Because..." Raven whispered, her eyes widening as everything clicked into place, "She's... you."
"Please explain yourself friend Raven. Because if this is a joke, it is not a very amusing one."
"No joke Star." Robin said, his eyes widening, "Can't you see the resemblance?"
The woman- Starfire, smiled. "Very good Raven. I didn't think you'd recognize me. Although things will be simpler now that you have."
"How did you... I mean... Well, what I mean is..." Beast Boy stuttered, still trying to make sense of everything.
"I was sent back in time to give you a warning. Cyborg, the older Cyborg that is, built a... time-machine I suppose you'd call it, though it's more complicated than that. We were supposed to test it before we launched someone back in time, but our enemy launched a major attack, forcing us to send one of us back in time before it was tested. I volunteered, because, as you know, the time warp doesn't affect my age as it might have, if one of the others tried it."
"That's all great, but what does it have to do with us? That's not going to happen for years to come." Robin said tentatively.
"If I succeed, it shouldn't happen at all."
The older Star began pacing again, "I was sent back to try and prevent the event that led to the creation of that future. My presence here should affect what happens in my future. Although we need to work fast."
"Wait a minute! What exactly are we fighting against?"
"You're right. I forget you guys have no knowledge of the battle." She rubbed her temples. "I wish Raven was here... She was always better at this than me..."
The Titans all glanced at each other. Each thinking the same thing: Another, older, Raven?
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "At least twenty years ago, that would be my time, at least two years in the future for you, Slade launched a major attack against the city. He destroyed everything in his path, wrecking havoc everywhere. We, the Titans, tried to stop him, but he had advanced weapons, information on our weaknesses, on our battle strategies. No one knew where he had gotten the information, but by then it didn't matter. Slade had taken over the city and the Titans were captured. Those days were... horrible. We were tortured, separately of course, Slade wouldn't even allow us the small pleasure of being together. He mocked us constantly, using psychological torture as much as physical. He told us, our friends were dead, our families were as well, we would never escape, we..."
She stopped at the looks on the Titans faces. "I'm sorry. I just... none of us have really gotten over it. Anyway, eventually, with the help of the Atlantians we all escaped. We were battered, bruised and hurt, physically and emotionally, but we were alive. The Atlantian home world was slowly being invaded. Earth had already been taken over, the few remote Titans, Speedy, Hot Streak, Wildabeest, and the others- all dead. Slade had tracked them down one by one and killed them. Aqualad was the last. He had rallied the Atlantians into attacking to try and prevent the overthrow of the Atlantian's home world, but they failed. Aqualad died in the final battle."
She took a deep breath, seeming to push away the painful memories. "By that time the Titans had recovered and were fighting again. We would stop Slade here or there, mess up a few of his plans, but he had made so much progress during the time we were imprisoned that our efforts made little difference in his overall plans."
"By then, each of the Titans had changed dramatically. The combination of our fight to survive and our constant battles pushed us to our limits. Robin eventually abandoned his childhood and became Nightwing. Cyborg outfitted himself with a much more deadly arsenal of weapons. Beast Boy grew up, he doesn't even joke anymore... Raven managed to gain full control of her powers. And I... Well, I grew to understand that the world is full of horrible things, not good."
A single tear trailed down her face. "I'm sorry." She told the Titans. "It just... is so good to see you all. The way we used to be. Before Slade."
OOOOO
"She can't get back?" Beast Boy asked in disbelief. Cyborg mutely shook his head.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Raven whispered, her eyes wide.
"She wanted it that way. She said you would have tried to stop her." Cyborg muttered numbly.
"Of course we would have stopped her! What was she thinking?!" Raven hissed, each lightbulb in the street lamps exploding one by one.
"Calm down." Beast Boy whispered, putting an arm around her.
"My best friend is stuck in the past forever and you want me to calm down?!" She tugged free of his grip and turned away from them, her shoulders hunched, her face concealed beneath her hood.
"And you let her do this?" Beast Boy said, angrily rounding on Cyborg.
A spark of his old spirit came back, "I didn't let her do anything! It was her choice!" Cyborg slumped again, "That's what she said just before she left, it was her choice."