Chapter 5
"What do you mean you can't?" Cyborg asked, "Didn't I... Well, the older me, set up a way for you to get back to your time?"
Starfire was obviously distressed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes with hurried motions. "Look, in the long run it won't matter. My influence in the past should change your future. I will never exist and neither will the other older Titans. We will only exist through you all, as you grow, the influences you encounter will affect who you become. Because they won't be the same ones we went through, you will grow up to be different people."
She sighed. "In plain English, when I warned you, I changed the course of the future. My time and the people that existed around me will be changed because of my influence. We won't exist. A different future will occur. Just like we planned."
"So you're basically making sure you don't survive. As soon as we change the what happens at this battle, you will... die?"
"I suppose you could think of it that way. I will cease to exist, fade from this plane of reality completely. But to really die, I would need to exist, and I do. In Starfire. Your Starfire. But after today, I won't be a reality anymore. Just a memory."
The Titans looked at each other, each exchanging looks with the others.
"So," Starfire forced a small grin, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had descended on the group, "You've heard my story. Will you help me Titans?"
"Of course we will help!" Starfire exclaimed. "If our older selves believe we have the skills to carry out this mission, we must certainly try!"
One by one the other Titans nodded.
The older Starfire took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Oh good... Well, BB would say, hard part done- time to relax, but we still have a lot to do. Although I have to say convincing you took longer than I expected."
"Well, you have to admit your story is a little hard to swallow." Robin pointed out.
"True enough." She admitted, "If a complete stranger walked up to me and began blabbing all this nonsense, I'd think they were nuts."
Cyborg let out a laugh and the rest of the group dissolved in giggles, breaking the tension that had been stifling the group since the older Starfire's arrival.
"I haven't done that in a while. Not much to laugh at where I'm from." Star said, once the group had settled down.
"So what's Slade's plan? How's he going to attack?" Robin asked, pulling the group back to the matter at hand.
Star shook her head. "The information I have already given you was all from the memories I have. Slade's attack was not something I witnessed, merely heard about. If my memories are as they were, I... Well, your Starfire, was planning on getting pizzas to celebrate the victory of a football game... As it is, I interrupted that. So she did not leave. However, I did. I was gone when the battle began and ended. I was only part of Robin's rescue mission. Slade's attack strategy is as much a mystery to me as it is to you."
"So you don't know what's going to happen?" Beast Boy asked incredulously.
She shook her head silently. "That does not mean that we will be unprepared. We will challenge Slade on our territory, giving us the advantage. And I... Starfire will be here to help you, unlike last time."
Robin nodded. "We need to prepare."
"Good. I will remain out here, making sure nothing is amiss. You may retire inside and discuss these revelations with your friends. I will notify you should anything happen."
Robin reached for his belt, "Well then you'll need..."
"A communicator?" She said, smiling slightly as she pulled one out of her belt, "Cyborg made some modifications to mine, but it should still work on the same frequency."
"Then we're all set." Robin said, glancing around at his teammates. They filed off the roof, leaving Star behind.
She sighed, glancing up at the sky. The noise of a door opening made her turn. The younger Starfire shut the door once again, and walked over to join her older self.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I do not mean to intrude on your thoughts... But if you do not mind, I have a few questions."
"Please, sit down, I don't mind."
Star took a seat next to her, hugging her knees to her chin. "You seem sad. May I ask why this is so?"
"You wouldn't really understand. For you... for me, when I was you... This is confusing, but please bear with me. I didn't understand the terrors the world could hold. Small fears, such as losing my friends, worries about enemies attacking, being afraid I wouldn't fit in... Those were normal. Easy to deal with. But not so much back then. I can think back on what you're facing now and laugh, just wishing I had those problems. But I've seen so many horrible things in my life... I won't burden you with them, just know that I have had nightmares every night of my life since Aqualad rescued us from Slade. My heart... hurts. All the time. I know there must be good somewhere out there, but the world is so dark for me, it's hard to see it anymore."
She took a deep breath and gazed at the sky once again. "Even little things, like the sun... The smog from all Slade's machines obliterated any sky we could see a long time ago. My friends are the only hope the few remaining resistance has, but even we are falling. Slowly but surely. Our resolve is weakening, we won't be able to hold out much longer. This is our last chance. In more ways than one. If this mission fails, we... they, may not have the will to keep fighting against Slade."
"And I can't help thinking, that if I had been there that day, this day... this may never have happened. I didn't say anything to the other Titans, but Robin became quieter after his capture. More so than he is now. He recoiled from us, almost as if he was afraid of hurting us. We did everything we could think of to break down the shell he had developed around himself. But it only grew stronger when he realized he had betrayed us to Slade. When he was taken... He gave up, nothing seemed to matter to him anymore. That hurt more than knowing we were all going to die, without ever telling each other what our friendships meant to us."
"When we escaped, Robin was changed. He wasn't the Robin you know anymore. He was different, hardened. The brutality Slade had forced on us had changed us all, but Robin most of all. That's when he became Nightwing. It... frightened us at first, how much he had changed. He locked his emotions away from us, keeping us all in the dark about what had happened to him."
Starfire broke off and faced her younger self, her eyes spilling over with tears. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be burdening you like this. These memories are mine, and I should be the one to carry them, not tell you my nightmares."
"No." Star wiped the tears off her older self's face, "You were right to tell me. So I can truly know what we are fighting for."
A loud crash interrupted them.
"Slade! Get the others! Quickly!"
The older Starfire took off, flying toward the source of the noise.
Star zipped down the stairs and into the common room, where the other Titans had already leapt to their feet.
"What is it?" Robin asked hurriedly.
"Slade! We must go quickly!"
The Titans instantly ran out of the room.
Exiting the Tower, they ran straight into a barrage of robots.
Starfire flew over their heads, her eyes glowing green, "Titans! You have to stick together! Fight them off together!"
Slade approached, laughing from the driver's seat of a massive robot. "Well, well Titans, it seems you have gained a new member... I will just have to destroy her as well."
The Titans put their backs to each other, encircled by the hordes of robots. "Remember Titans, stick together..." Robin muttered, "Attack!"
"What do you mean you can't?" Cyborg asked, "Didn't I... Well, the older me, set up a way for you to get back to your time?"
Starfire was obviously distressed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes with hurried motions. "Look, in the long run it won't matter. My influence in the past should change your future. I will never exist and neither will the other older Titans. We will only exist through you all, as you grow, the influences you encounter will affect who you become. Because they won't be the same ones we went through, you will grow up to be different people."
She sighed. "In plain English, when I warned you, I changed the course of the future. My time and the people that existed around me will be changed because of my influence. We won't exist. A different future will occur. Just like we planned."
"So you're basically making sure you don't survive. As soon as we change the what happens at this battle, you will... die?"
"I suppose you could think of it that way. I will cease to exist, fade from this plane of reality completely. But to really die, I would need to exist, and I do. In Starfire. Your Starfire. But after today, I won't be a reality anymore. Just a memory."
The Titans looked at each other, each exchanging looks with the others.
"So," Starfire forced a small grin, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had descended on the group, "You've heard my story. Will you help me Titans?"
"Of course we will help!" Starfire exclaimed. "If our older selves believe we have the skills to carry out this mission, we must certainly try!"
One by one the other Titans nodded.
The older Starfire took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Oh good... Well, BB would say, hard part done- time to relax, but we still have a lot to do. Although I have to say convincing you took longer than I expected."
"Well, you have to admit your story is a little hard to swallow." Robin pointed out.
"True enough." She admitted, "If a complete stranger walked up to me and began blabbing all this nonsense, I'd think they were nuts."
Cyborg let out a laugh and the rest of the group dissolved in giggles, breaking the tension that had been stifling the group since the older Starfire's arrival.
"I haven't done that in a while. Not much to laugh at where I'm from." Star said, once the group had settled down.
"So what's Slade's plan? How's he going to attack?" Robin asked, pulling the group back to the matter at hand.
Star shook her head. "The information I have already given you was all from the memories I have. Slade's attack was not something I witnessed, merely heard about. If my memories are as they were, I... Well, your Starfire, was planning on getting pizzas to celebrate the victory of a football game... As it is, I interrupted that. So she did not leave. However, I did. I was gone when the battle began and ended. I was only part of Robin's rescue mission. Slade's attack strategy is as much a mystery to me as it is to you."
"So you don't know what's going to happen?" Beast Boy asked incredulously.
She shook her head silently. "That does not mean that we will be unprepared. We will challenge Slade on our territory, giving us the advantage. And I... Starfire will be here to help you, unlike last time."
Robin nodded. "We need to prepare."
"Good. I will remain out here, making sure nothing is amiss. You may retire inside and discuss these revelations with your friends. I will notify you should anything happen."
Robin reached for his belt, "Well then you'll need..."
"A communicator?" She said, smiling slightly as she pulled one out of her belt, "Cyborg made some modifications to mine, but it should still work on the same frequency."
"Then we're all set." Robin said, glancing around at his teammates. They filed off the roof, leaving Star behind.
She sighed, glancing up at the sky. The noise of a door opening made her turn. The younger Starfire shut the door once again, and walked over to join her older self.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I do not mean to intrude on your thoughts... But if you do not mind, I have a few questions."
"Please, sit down, I don't mind."
Star took a seat next to her, hugging her knees to her chin. "You seem sad. May I ask why this is so?"
"You wouldn't really understand. For you... for me, when I was you... This is confusing, but please bear with me. I didn't understand the terrors the world could hold. Small fears, such as losing my friends, worries about enemies attacking, being afraid I wouldn't fit in... Those were normal. Easy to deal with. But not so much back then. I can think back on what you're facing now and laugh, just wishing I had those problems. But I've seen so many horrible things in my life... I won't burden you with them, just know that I have had nightmares every night of my life since Aqualad rescued us from Slade. My heart... hurts. All the time. I know there must be good somewhere out there, but the world is so dark for me, it's hard to see it anymore."
She took a deep breath and gazed at the sky once again. "Even little things, like the sun... The smog from all Slade's machines obliterated any sky we could see a long time ago. My friends are the only hope the few remaining resistance has, but even we are falling. Slowly but surely. Our resolve is weakening, we won't be able to hold out much longer. This is our last chance. In more ways than one. If this mission fails, we... they, may not have the will to keep fighting against Slade."
"And I can't help thinking, that if I had been there that day, this day... this may never have happened. I didn't say anything to the other Titans, but Robin became quieter after his capture. More so than he is now. He recoiled from us, almost as if he was afraid of hurting us. We did everything we could think of to break down the shell he had developed around himself. But it only grew stronger when he realized he had betrayed us to Slade. When he was taken... He gave up, nothing seemed to matter to him anymore. That hurt more than knowing we were all going to die, without ever telling each other what our friendships meant to us."
"When we escaped, Robin was changed. He wasn't the Robin you know anymore. He was different, hardened. The brutality Slade had forced on us had changed us all, but Robin most of all. That's when he became Nightwing. It... frightened us at first, how much he had changed. He locked his emotions away from us, keeping us all in the dark about what had happened to him."
Starfire broke off and faced her younger self, her eyes spilling over with tears. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be burdening you like this. These memories are mine, and I should be the one to carry them, not tell you my nightmares."
"No." Star wiped the tears off her older self's face, "You were right to tell me. So I can truly know what we are fighting for."
A loud crash interrupted them.
"Slade! Get the others! Quickly!"
The older Starfire took off, flying toward the source of the noise.
Star zipped down the stairs and into the common room, where the other Titans had already leapt to their feet.
"What is it?" Robin asked hurriedly.
"Slade! We must go quickly!"
The Titans instantly ran out of the room.
Exiting the Tower, they ran straight into a barrage of robots.
Starfire flew over their heads, her eyes glowing green, "Titans! You have to stick together! Fight them off together!"
Slade approached, laughing from the driver's seat of a massive robot. "Well, well Titans, it seems you have gained a new member... I will just have to destroy her as well."
The Titans put their backs to each other, encircled by the hordes of robots. "Remember Titans, stick together..." Robin muttered, "Attack!"