A/N: Okay, this is where it gets extremely weird to the point where even I
am a little confused. But don't worry, there is a purpose for everything
that happens in my fics.
Starfire shot her strongest starbolt at Slade's door and stepped inside, after blowing the door to pieces. As before, his lair was a dark, complex mechanism of gears and gyros-almost like a clock tower. Starfire, who would normally have giggled at the sight of such an odd place, looked around for Robin. He was nowhere to be seen, as was Slade. Taking a cautionary step forward, Starfire leapt up when the floor beneath her gave way and crumbled. Breathing heavily, Starfire looked once again around the room. This time, she saw Slade leaning casually against a wall, like you would expect some jock to do in high school. Starfire narrowed her eyes and flew down to him, stopping just short of hitting him in the stomache. "Starfire. So glad you could make it. I trust you found Raven and Beast Boy easy enough?" Starfire growled and formed a starbolt on her clenched fist. "Dispense with the pleasantries, Slade. Where is Robin?" Slade chuckled, and Starfire held her fist up to his face, trying to remain calm. "I will only ask you nicely one more time. Where is Robin?" Slade must have pressed a button on the wall behind him, because next thing Starfire knew, the whole place lit up with bright light. Blinking, Starfire looked around. She gasped. Robin was in a corner, slumped over, head on his chest. The starbolt on Starfire's fist faded away and Starfire flew at top speed to Robin, sitting next to his still form. A long gash ran along his stomache, and blood dripped from it still. Robin's face was pale, his breathing shallow. He would soon die if he did not get medical attention. "Why?" was all Starfire could say. She did not understand why people as evil as Slade existed, only knew that she was meant to fight them and help the people of Earth. Slade chuckled again. This pushed Starfire off the deep end. She whirled around to face Slade, eyes and hands blazing with starbolts. "Nothing about this is funny! You have hurt innocent people, and there seems to be no logical explanation for what you are doing! Why? Why do you torment us so? Why do you make Robin worry so much that he sends me away?" Tears formed on Starfire's eyes, glowing green, just as her eyes did. "Why do you do this to us?" Slade was no longer laughing. His masked face was more serious now, like he considered this to be a topic worth talking about. With a smile, he said simply, "Because I can." Starfire looked at Slade with such hatred that I'm surprised he didn't just melt on the spot. Instead, he held up a syringe filled with a blood red liquid. "If you wish Robin to survive, you will join me and tend to him yourself. If you don't, I'll let him die-and kill the others. And you'll watch-I promise." Starfire let the starbolts on her hands to fade away, but her eyes were still alight with the solar power she used as energy. Slade smiled. Now he was getting somewhere. "If you say yes-which I'm sure you will-you will put this liquid into your body. It suppresses morals and memories, so all you will know is life with me. And, of course, tending to your precious Robin." Starfire held her hand out for the syringe. Slade placed it in her hands and smiled when she plunged the needle into her arm and squeezed the liquid in, wincing as she did. Soon, Starfire's eyes grew blank and the starbolts died away from her eyes. There was a clatter as the syringe fell from Starfire's hands, and she stood stock still, staring at nothing. Then, her eyes sprang to life again and she looked at Slade with respect. "Master." Starfire dropped to one knee, and Slade smiled. His plan had worked out fine, so far. Next, he would inject the same chemicals into Robin's body once Starfire had finished tending to him, and he would have two apprentices. "Your name is Nightingale. You have worked for me since you were a small girl, and the boy in that corner there-" Slade pointed to Robin at this. Nightingale (Starfire) turned her head to face him and smiled. She already loved him again. "-Is your accomplice. He was wounded on a mission and you have been giving him all the medical attention he needs. His name..." Slade paused. He had never thought of a name change for Robin, but then again, it wouldn't hurt to confuse the people even more when their heroes committed unspeakable crimes. "His name is Hawk." Okay, so it wasn't a big change, but a change nonetheless. Nightingale nodded and Slade looked at her clothes and hair. That would have to change. "Today, your mission is simple, and doesn't require stealing. All I want you to do today is get your hair color changed. I have new clothes for you in your room. " Nightingale nodded and flew upwards to the door she had blown down upon entering the room. She looked at it for a few seconds, then charged her hands with jet-black starbolts and shot it.
Nightingale entered her master's lair in half an hour, hair dyed black, with red streaks. Slade smiled. It was a nice change. A robot of his showed her to her room, and when Nightingale came out, you would hardly recognize her as Starfire. Apart from her hair being a different color, she now had on an all black suit. Alright, so it wasn't exactly a suit. Scratch that, it was nowhere NEAR a suit. The top was a black bra-top with ripped sleeves to Nightingale's fingertips, a black chocker necklace accompanying the piece. Her pants were black leather, ripped at the knee. Her boots were black, with metal soles that made them click when they hit the ground. Contacts came with the ensemble, now making Nightingale's eyes change from jade green-on-green to midnight blue-on-black. All in all, she definitely looked evil-and that wasn't all Slade had done. "See that syringe with the blood red liquid?" Slade asked Nightingale. She nodded and picked it up. Looking at her arm, she noticed for the first time a dot of dried blood on her upper arm. "Did...Did I use this on myself?" Slade nodded. "It gave you more powers than the ones you had originally. Unfortunately, it also took some of your memories. The powers it gave you are simple-black starbolts from your eyes and hands, death energy from your fingertips and palm, and black lightning. The death energy you must use sparingly because it draws on your own life force to kill others." Nightingale nodded. Looking back at Hawk (Robin), she sighed and sat down, forming starbolts on her fingers. Turning back to Slade, Nightingale looked pleading. "Master, I will need gauze to wrap around his stomache. May I have some?" Slade nodded and one of his Slade-bots came in with a roll of gauze. Nightingale smiled at the bot as if she had seen it for all of her life, then unrolled the gauze and began wrapping it around Hawk's midsection, where the gash was.
Starfire shot her strongest starbolt at Slade's door and stepped inside, after blowing the door to pieces. As before, his lair was a dark, complex mechanism of gears and gyros-almost like a clock tower. Starfire, who would normally have giggled at the sight of such an odd place, looked around for Robin. He was nowhere to be seen, as was Slade. Taking a cautionary step forward, Starfire leapt up when the floor beneath her gave way and crumbled. Breathing heavily, Starfire looked once again around the room. This time, she saw Slade leaning casually against a wall, like you would expect some jock to do in high school. Starfire narrowed her eyes and flew down to him, stopping just short of hitting him in the stomache. "Starfire. So glad you could make it. I trust you found Raven and Beast Boy easy enough?" Starfire growled and formed a starbolt on her clenched fist. "Dispense with the pleasantries, Slade. Where is Robin?" Slade chuckled, and Starfire held her fist up to his face, trying to remain calm. "I will only ask you nicely one more time. Where is Robin?" Slade must have pressed a button on the wall behind him, because next thing Starfire knew, the whole place lit up with bright light. Blinking, Starfire looked around. She gasped. Robin was in a corner, slumped over, head on his chest. The starbolt on Starfire's fist faded away and Starfire flew at top speed to Robin, sitting next to his still form. A long gash ran along his stomache, and blood dripped from it still. Robin's face was pale, his breathing shallow. He would soon die if he did not get medical attention. "Why?" was all Starfire could say. She did not understand why people as evil as Slade existed, only knew that she was meant to fight them and help the people of Earth. Slade chuckled again. This pushed Starfire off the deep end. She whirled around to face Slade, eyes and hands blazing with starbolts. "Nothing about this is funny! You have hurt innocent people, and there seems to be no logical explanation for what you are doing! Why? Why do you torment us so? Why do you make Robin worry so much that he sends me away?" Tears formed on Starfire's eyes, glowing green, just as her eyes did. "Why do you do this to us?" Slade was no longer laughing. His masked face was more serious now, like he considered this to be a topic worth talking about. With a smile, he said simply, "Because I can." Starfire looked at Slade with such hatred that I'm surprised he didn't just melt on the spot. Instead, he held up a syringe filled with a blood red liquid. "If you wish Robin to survive, you will join me and tend to him yourself. If you don't, I'll let him die-and kill the others. And you'll watch-I promise." Starfire let the starbolts on her hands to fade away, but her eyes were still alight with the solar power she used as energy. Slade smiled. Now he was getting somewhere. "If you say yes-which I'm sure you will-you will put this liquid into your body. It suppresses morals and memories, so all you will know is life with me. And, of course, tending to your precious Robin." Starfire held her hand out for the syringe. Slade placed it in her hands and smiled when she plunged the needle into her arm and squeezed the liquid in, wincing as she did. Soon, Starfire's eyes grew blank and the starbolts died away from her eyes. There was a clatter as the syringe fell from Starfire's hands, and she stood stock still, staring at nothing. Then, her eyes sprang to life again and she looked at Slade with respect. "Master." Starfire dropped to one knee, and Slade smiled. His plan had worked out fine, so far. Next, he would inject the same chemicals into Robin's body once Starfire had finished tending to him, and he would have two apprentices. "Your name is Nightingale. You have worked for me since you were a small girl, and the boy in that corner there-" Slade pointed to Robin at this. Nightingale (Starfire) turned her head to face him and smiled. She already loved him again. "-Is your accomplice. He was wounded on a mission and you have been giving him all the medical attention he needs. His name..." Slade paused. He had never thought of a name change for Robin, but then again, it wouldn't hurt to confuse the people even more when their heroes committed unspeakable crimes. "His name is Hawk." Okay, so it wasn't a big change, but a change nonetheless. Nightingale nodded and Slade looked at her clothes and hair. That would have to change. "Today, your mission is simple, and doesn't require stealing. All I want you to do today is get your hair color changed. I have new clothes for you in your room. " Nightingale nodded and flew upwards to the door she had blown down upon entering the room. She looked at it for a few seconds, then charged her hands with jet-black starbolts and shot it.
Nightingale entered her master's lair in half an hour, hair dyed black, with red streaks. Slade smiled. It was a nice change. A robot of his showed her to her room, and when Nightingale came out, you would hardly recognize her as Starfire. Apart from her hair being a different color, she now had on an all black suit. Alright, so it wasn't exactly a suit. Scratch that, it was nowhere NEAR a suit. The top was a black bra-top with ripped sleeves to Nightingale's fingertips, a black chocker necklace accompanying the piece. Her pants were black leather, ripped at the knee. Her boots were black, with metal soles that made them click when they hit the ground. Contacts came with the ensemble, now making Nightingale's eyes change from jade green-on-green to midnight blue-on-black. All in all, she definitely looked evil-and that wasn't all Slade had done. "See that syringe with the blood red liquid?" Slade asked Nightingale. She nodded and picked it up. Looking at her arm, she noticed for the first time a dot of dried blood on her upper arm. "Did...Did I use this on myself?" Slade nodded. "It gave you more powers than the ones you had originally. Unfortunately, it also took some of your memories. The powers it gave you are simple-black starbolts from your eyes and hands, death energy from your fingertips and palm, and black lightning. The death energy you must use sparingly because it draws on your own life force to kill others." Nightingale nodded. Looking back at Hawk (Robin), she sighed and sat down, forming starbolts on her fingers. Turning back to Slade, Nightingale looked pleading. "Master, I will need gauze to wrap around his stomache. May I have some?" Slade nodded and one of his Slade-bots came in with a roll of gauze. Nightingale smiled at the bot as if she had seen it for all of her life, then unrolled the gauze and began wrapping it around Hawk's midsection, where the gash was.