Chapter 4
"What happened next?" Star whispered, watching her older self wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Then? We continued, trying futilely to push Slade back, and continuing to fail. Eventually, we realized our efforts were coming to nothing. We were meeting in alleys, old buildings, wherever we could find. We were crumbling beneath Slade."
"What about the Tower?" Cyborg asked.
"Fallen." Starfire said, shaking her head, "Around the time Altantis was destroyed. We reclaimed it for a time after we escaped, but Slade knew all our weaknesses by then. We tried to bolster our defenses, but Slade slammed through them within hours and destroyed it."
"We realized nothing could be done to repair what Slade had done. But then, Cyborg suggested the 'T' Machine. His last great invention. He suggested sending one of us back through time to prevent the incident that started the chain reaction in the first place. And as you can see, I was the one sent back."
"So what is it that we have to do differently?" Robin asked, the other Titans wide-eyed after the story.
Star gave them a wane smile. "Today, Slade is going to attack, he will attempt to capture one of you, under no circumstances are you to allow this to happen. In my past, Slade captured that person. We did not realize until later that Slade had used a machine to extract thoughts and memories from this person's subconscious, giving him a direct link into our strengths and weakness, the defense of our Tower, even little things became his greatest weapons. He staged a battle, in which we managed to retrieve the person, but by then it was too late. No one was aware of what had happened, and unknowingly we stood by and allowed Slade to plan for two years for his greatest attack ever."
"Who was captured?" Beast Boy asked, looking around at his friends.
"It does not matter. Any one of your memories would give Slade sufficient knowledge to destroy you."
"Who was captured?" Robin repeated.
The older Star stared at him for a moment, "You were, Robin."
The other Titans looked amazed for a few minutes.
"That, that cannot be correct..." Star stammered, "Slade wishes Robin to be his apprentice, why would he release Robin to us if that was true?"
"Because it didn't matter to him any longer. Having Robin as his apprentice was a desire more than a part of his plans. It also provided the time Slade needed to plan his attack. He lay low for awhile, not until later did we realize he was planning something. By the time we attacked, his plans were almost fully formed."
Satr shook her head, her braid whisking back and forth across her back. "But again, any one of you could provide Slade with ample knowledge. Who was captured in my time is irrelevant. It matters who is captured now, in this time. And that we prevent it."
"But how?" Raven asked, "If what you're saying is true, how can we hope to prevent anything?"
"Last time, we were battling alone, without the knowledge of when or how Slade was going to attack, now that you have that knowledge we just have to figure out how to use it to our advantage."
"Wait a minute, we? Aren't you going back to wherever you came from?"
"I... can't."
OOOOO
"What does Nightwing think about this?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg.
"He doesn't know. Hopefully, he will never will. If Star succeeds, this time and place will be obliterated, to create space for a new future. None of us will exist, and it won't matter."
Beast Boy took a deep breath, glancing over at Raven's still form.
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then we will continue to fight a futile battle. Only this time, there will be no Starfire to help us." Angrily, Beast Boy slammed his hand against the wall next to him.
"Why didn't you tell us this before?!"
"Because we have no choice. Star knew that. That's why she took the risk to save us all."
"What happened next?" Star whispered, watching her older self wipe the tears from her eyes.
"Then? We continued, trying futilely to push Slade back, and continuing to fail. Eventually, we realized our efforts were coming to nothing. We were meeting in alleys, old buildings, wherever we could find. We were crumbling beneath Slade."
"What about the Tower?" Cyborg asked.
"Fallen." Starfire said, shaking her head, "Around the time Altantis was destroyed. We reclaimed it for a time after we escaped, but Slade knew all our weaknesses by then. We tried to bolster our defenses, but Slade slammed through them within hours and destroyed it."
"We realized nothing could be done to repair what Slade had done. But then, Cyborg suggested the 'T' Machine. His last great invention. He suggested sending one of us back through time to prevent the incident that started the chain reaction in the first place. And as you can see, I was the one sent back."
"So what is it that we have to do differently?" Robin asked, the other Titans wide-eyed after the story.
Star gave them a wane smile. "Today, Slade is going to attack, he will attempt to capture one of you, under no circumstances are you to allow this to happen. In my past, Slade captured that person. We did not realize until later that Slade had used a machine to extract thoughts and memories from this person's subconscious, giving him a direct link into our strengths and weakness, the defense of our Tower, even little things became his greatest weapons. He staged a battle, in which we managed to retrieve the person, but by then it was too late. No one was aware of what had happened, and unknowingly we stood by and allowed Slade to plan for two years for his greatest attack ever."
"Who was captured?" Beast Boy asked, looking around at his friends.
"It does not matter. Any one of your memories would give Slade sufficient knowledge to destroy you."
"Who was captured?" Robin repeated.
The older Star stared at him for a moment, "You were, Robin."
The other Titans looked amazed for a few minutes.
"That, that cannot be correct..." Star stammered, "Slade wishes Robin to be his apprentice, why would he release Robin to us if that was true?"
"Because it didn't matter to him any longer. Having Robin as his apprentice was a desire more than a part of his plans. It also provided the time Slade needed to plan his attack. He lay low for awhile, not until later did we realize he was planning something. By the time we attacked, his plans were almost fully formed."
Satr shook her head, her braid whisking back and forth across her back. "But again, any one of you could provide Slade with ample knowledge. Who was captured in my time is irrelevant. It matters who is captured now, in this time. And that we prevent it."
"But how?" Raven asked, "If what you're saying is true, how can we hope to prevent anything?"
"Last time, we were battling alone, without the knowledge of when or how Slade was going to attack, now that you have that knowledge we just have to figure out how to use it to our advantage."
"Wait a minute, we? Aren't you going back to wherever you came from?"
"I... can't."
OOOOO
"What does Nightwing think about this?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg.
"He doesn't know. Hopefully, he will never will. If Star succeeds, this time and place will be obliterated, to create space for a new future. None of us will exist, and it won't matter."
Beast Boy took a deep breath, glancing over at Raven's still form.
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then we will continue to fight a futile battle. Only this time, there will be no Starfire to help us." Angrily, Beast Boy slammed his hand against the wall next to him.
"Why didn't you tell us this before?!"
"Because we have no choice. Star knew that. That's why she took the risk to save us all."