"What are we gonna do then?" Beast Boy asked the other Titans. The group had been sitting in the Rec Room, discussing what Starfire had told them about Fury, but even after ten minutes they hadn't reached a decision.
"I don't know," Robin replied. "I mean, even if Fury is telling the truth, he is still a criminal."
"But on the other hand," Cyborg continued, "he did save us from those robots and helped get Starfire back. Even if he was their creator, he wanted to stop them AND Slade."
"Exactly," Robin replied.
"Is there no way for him to go without us having to punish him?" Starfire asked.
"We have to enforce the law, Star," Robin replied. "Even if it doesn't seem right, it's our job." He paused. "And at the moment, it really doesn't seem right."
"Nevertheless, we have to make a decision," Raven commented. "We cannot let our feelings hinder our judgement in this matter."
"She's right," Cyborg replied sombrely. "We have to do something."
There was a slight pause. The Titans knew that Fury had committed serious crimes – but at the same time, he had destroyed the robots and prevented Slade from launching a large attack on the city. It was difficult.
"All right," Robin announced. "Let's take a vote."
Fury paced around his designated room for the ninth time, prevented from leaving by a hefty lock on the other side of the door. He had been placed in the room just after his arrival at Titan Tower, and told in no uncertain terms that if he tried to escape, he would be considered an adversary. He had not even attempted to force the door open after that.
He leaned against the wall, trying to make sense of all the events which had occurred in the last few months. A feeling of guilt swept over him, and he felt a chill run through his bones. Why had he done this? Why had he agreed to help Slade? All his life, he had told himself that his life was not that valuable, that he could afford to lose it if it meant doing something right. Now, here he was, having just gone against that principle.
Why? It wasn't as if he was afraid to die; in the last seventeen years of his life, he'd faced death on too many occasions to care about it anymore. I am just one person, he thought. One life, one flame in the sunlight. Who's really going to give a damn if I don't live any longer? His family had died a long time ago, the orphanage he had been in long since demolished. For the last five years, he had just gone through his life alone, never staying anywhere for long if he could avoid it. Then he'd arrived at Jump City, and that plan went out of the window. He had found somewhere to live, and had managed to get a job as a mechanic. He was actually starting to build a life for himself – and then for some bravely stupid reason he tried to take some equipment from Slade in the hope of damaging the criminal's arsenal. Were it not for that one incident, he may have actually had a decent chance at gaining something he had never had before.
He felt his anger boiling up inside his veins, and smashed his fist against the nearest wall. For someone who was touted as being highly intelligent, he had a really flawed way of showing it. He had jeopardised the city's safety, put the Titans in mortal peril...and now he was wasting their time by having them debate his fate. As far as he was concerned, there was only one place he was really safe to be anymore.
He heard the lock being disengaged, and watched as the door slid open. Cyborg and Raven stepped in.
"We'd like to talk to you in the Rec Room," Raven informed him.
"Fair enough," Fury replied soullessly. He walked out of the doorway, and followed the two heroes to the Rec Room.
As soon as the door of the Rec Room slid open, Robin realised how tough it was going to be to tell Fury of their decision. None of them had been really sure about the best course of action, but as Raven said, they had to make some kind of decision. But was this the right one?
Fury stood before them silently, as if waiting for a final judgement in as courtroom. Robin took a deep breath, and began to speak.
"Well, Fury, we've come to a decision. However, if you want to say anything before I inform you of it, now's the time."
"Well, there is one thing I need to tell you about," Fury replied.
"Go ahead."
"I know that this hasn't exactly been an easy decision for you to make," Fury began. "From the amount of time it took, and the fact that you all seem to be on the verge of depression, I understand what this must have been like for you. However, I feel that your time may have been wasted."
He ignored their surprised expressions, and continued.
"Having considered what I have done – how I put your lives and the lives of everyone in this city in danger – I feel that there is only one course of action that can be taken. Therefore, I must inform you that as soon as I leave this tower I will be placed under arrest by the Jump City Police Department."
Whatever the Titans had expected him to say, this obviously wasn't it. They looked almost dumbstruck as he said this, but he continued nonetheless.
"Once I am in custody, I will face trial in the city and be punished to the fullest extent of the law for my crimes. I am sorry that it has come to this, but my actions are inexcusable no matter how much I may have done to redeem myself. In my eyes, if no one else's, it will never be enough."
"Fury..." Beast Boy began, being the only one able to speak.
"Don't argue with me, please," Fury interrupted. "Think about what I've done – or rather what my creations did. I cannot evade the law any longer. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."
He then turned around, and walked straight out of the Rec Room. For a moment, no one was able to say anything. Then, finally, Cyborg spoke up.
"He never even asked what we felt about it," he commented.
"I don't think it mattered to him," Raven replied.
"But it matters to us," Starfire added.
"I know," Robin replied. "Besides, he's hiding something from us. I KNOW it."
"Uh, it may be a bit too late to find out what it is, though," Beast Boy added, looking out of the window. Fury had just been handcuffed by two police officers, and was being placed inside the cell on the police boat. The boat powered up its engines, and sped off towards the city harbour.
"So what now?" Cyborg asked. Robin looked deep in thought for a few seconds, and then opened his eyes with a look of determination.
"Stay here," he announced to the others, before walking towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Starfire asked.
"To find out what he's hiding," Robin replied, before heading for the garage.
"I must admit, it's rare for one of you guys to come down here," the officer remarked as he led Robin through the cellblock of the police station.
"Well, this is something I need to do," Robin explained. "I get a feeling there's something he hasn't said which could be important. Could decide whether he's guilty or not."
"You his solicitor now or something?" the officer asked dryly.
"No, just someone who wants to know the truth."
"Can't argue with that." He checked his list. "Yeah, Mr. Richardson is in cell 5. You want a guard with you?"
"No," Robin replied. "If he tries anything, I'll handle it."
"Of course," the officer replied. "You are a superhero after all."
Robin smiled slightly. "Thank you, officer."
The officer nodded, and opened the cell for him. Robin stepped inside, and waited for the door to close behind him. Fury was sitting on his bunk, staring up at the small window of the cell, oblivious to Robin's presence. Robin walked towards him, and leaned against the opposite wall.
"You're hiding something from us, Fury," he began. "I know you are. That's why you were in such a rush to hand yourself over to the authorities."
"Why does it matter to you?" Fury replied bitterly. "I committed a crime, I'm paying the penalty. That's all you really need to worry about."
"What makes you think we were going to hand you in?" Robin remarked.
Fury made no reply. He simply looked back at the window, as if trying to will Robin away by ignoring him. Robin sighed slightly.
"Look, I don't care how severe you think your crimes were. We dealt with something similar a while back – a girl called Terra. Like you, she helped Slade...but like you, she redeemed herself."
"What have I done to deserve redemption?"
"You were willing to put your life in danger to help Star escape," Robin answered. "You also helped us escape from Slade, and crippled his armies in the process. Need I go on?"
Again, Fury made no answer.
"What is it, Fury? Why are you so eager to be locked away? Why do you keep persecuting yourself?"
Fury sighed, and turned away from the window.
"Well, I guess you guys have a right to know," he began. "When I was about two years old, my parents died in a car accident. My grandmother raised me until she died when I was four. I ended up abandoned on the street, and lived there for three years. Eventually, I was spotted by someone and taken to an orphanage. I stayed at the orphanage for five years, finally getting some form of education. It was at that point they realised how much intelligence I had. By the age of 12 I was learning 10th grade material. Then, the orphanage had to close, and I ended up on the street again. I moved from place to place, learning as much as I could, and then wound up here."
"Why did you keep moving?" Robin asked.
"Because I realised I had a devastating weakness," Fury answered. "After a number of fights, I realised that my anger, when it got loose, made me completely lose control. I'm not talking normal rage levels here – this was deadly, and it nearly killed a number of people. I couldn't control it, no matter what I tried. So I left my hometown, and looked for some way to solve it. No matter what I tried, though, it didn't improve.
"Whenever I fight, I try to keep my emotions contained. It's the only way I can keep focused, and I guess it makes me the fighter I am. The only problem is, once the adrenalin starts flowing that becomes very difficult, and if I lose my focus for even a second, it can become unleashed. That's why I wanted to be here – because I can't hurt anyone if I'm locked up."
"Why are you so angry, though?"
"I don't know. It may be genetic, or it may be the events of my life. Whatever it is, it's made it impossible for me to have any kind of life for myself."
"No, it hasn't," Robin replied. "You're just saying that because you've given up on yourself. You think it's impossible; we've done the impossible before. If you want, we can help you do it as well." He then walked to the door, and summoned the guard.
"This man doesn't belong in here anymore," Robin told him.
"What?"
"As a witness to his actions, I can say he is innocent," Robin responded, ignoring Fury's look of surprise in the background. He paused. "You're not going to question my judgement, are you?"
The guard hesitated, and then unlocked the door. "All right, Richardson, you're free to go."
Fury stood up, and walked out of the cell door. Robin followed him, and accompanied him out of the police station.
"Why did you just do that?" Fury asked.
"Because everyone deserves a second chance," Robin answered. "You never even gave yourself the first one."
"That's a hell of a turnaround, considering what you thought of me back at Slade's hideout."
"I was quick to judge. I didn't look past the Slade connection – because I was too angry at the name."
Fury smiled. "Understandable, really. You should have seen what I did to the guy."
"I heard," Robin replied, smiling as well. "Just don't try using that in practices."
"What do you mean?"
"The others and I had something to say to you," Robin continued. "I'll let them explain back at the Tower."
"All right," Fury replied. "Just as long as you're no trying to sell me anything."