Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry I didn't update yesterday! Oh my gosh, it's the last scene of this part already! Meep! It's gone so fast, and I'm having soooo much fun writing it! I'll save my note for the end, but for now read and savour! SAVOUR LIKE A GOOSE!

Knife Edge: Part One

A Teen Titans fanfiction by J.S.Danskin (a.k.a. Invader Jed)

SCENE SEVEN – Slade's Headquarters

The same room lit with the low orange light is empty, save for the desk, chair, screen and tank that STARFIRE is lying in. The camera slowly zooms in on her until there is a clear shot of her face. Her eyelids twitch suddenly and flicker open slowly. She wearily raises her head with a groan and sits upright, looking around her surroundings. Unsurprisingly, she is shocked at finding herself in a box.

STARFIRE (anxiously):Hello? Is anyone there? ... Robin? ... Cyborg? ... Beastb-

She is cut off by the entrance of KNIFE, who says nothing to her but goes and sits in the chair at the desk. He watches her intently, and swings in the chair from side to side. STARFIRE recognises him and her pupils dilate. She gasps quietly, before attempting to blast her way out of the box. Instead her attacks bounce off the walls, and she tucks herself into a ball, placing her hands over her ears and screwing her eyes shut.

STARFIRE (calling out): Help! Robin! Raven! ...

KNIFE (calmly): They can't help you now.

STARFIRE looks up at him with her eyes glowing an angry green. She stands up, the Starbolts having since disappeared. She kicks at the box, and once more tries to barrage it with attacks, but to no avail. She finds, to her great dismay that her communication and tracking device has been taken from her. Out of breath, she stares at KNIFE, who has merely been observing her.

KNIFE: Finished?

STARFIRE (panting): Who – who are you?

KNIFE: My name is Knife.

STARFIRE: Do you work for Slade?

KNIFE: I work for no one.

STARFIRE: Then please...let me go!

KNIFE laughs with great amusement, and walks around the box. STARFIRE turns as he strolls around, keeping her eyes on him.

KNIFE (smirking): If it were up to me, you would be dead just now. So do not think I shall grant you mercy, for you would be greatly mistaken.

STARFIRE swallows nervously.

STARFIRE: Then why am I here? You must know it is only a matter of time before my friends...

KNIFE (mockingly): Ahh, yes. The Teen Titans. Oh, you poor damsel in distress...

STARFIRE scowls angrily, which makes KNIFE laugh again.

KNIFE (in the same slow, patronising tone): ...waiting for your beloved Robin and company to come and rescue you.

STARFIRE: Do not speak of my friends like you know them! You know nothing!

She is angry, and blasts about twenty Starbolts in his direction. The tank is soon full of green lights, out of which STARFIRE emerges, gasping for air and furious with rage. She is distraught to find her attack has not made the tiniest of scratches. KNIFE stands back, continuing to be amused by her.

KNIFE: Now, you see, you're wrong. I know you feel more than friendship for one of your "friends" in particular. And it's for that very friend that you are living.

STARFIRE: And once again you are incorrect also! I live to defend the world from people like you!

KNIFE (chuckling softly): No, no...I mean that if it was not for the reason Slade wants to trap Robin, you would have been destroyed back in the city. The demise of your darling bird friend is your sole purpose for surviving.

STARFIRE: You liar! You are lying!

She is angrier than she has ever been. She flies up as much as she can and attacks the box with all her might, so defiant in her assault that she doesn't notice SLADE entering and walking up to KNIFE.

SLADE (ironically): You have not antagonised her, I trust?

KNIFE (snickering): Not in the slightest. We were having a nice little chat about her prospective boyfriend.

SLADE nods and looks up at STARFIRE in distaste.

SLADE: She is exhausting me by her tiresome efforts.

He reveals a small device and presses a button on it. All of a sudden the tank in full of luminous blue energy. Even KNIFE shields his eyes and takes a step back, while SLADE watches STARFIRE collapse to her knees with great satisfaction. She has to use her hands to prop herself up, and she notices SLADE for the first time.

STARFIRE (weakly): You!

SLADE: Me. Yes. I apologise for the short notice, but you are to assist myself and my new friend in a little...project. You see, we call it "Operation Domino". This is because when Robin falters, all the others must follow.

STARFIRE (groaning): I will never allow you to touch Robin! You can not...

KNIFE smirks as SLADE presses a second switch on his controller. STARFIRE throws her head back in anguish and she cries out involuntarily, as a new force flies her backwards against the far side of the box. She slumps down the glass, her head falling to the left. Before she blacks out, she murmurs very softly:

STARFIRE: Robin...

She falls forwards, and KNIFE nods in satisfaction. SLADE walks over to the control panel by the screen, which comes up with a display of STARFIRE's brain.

SLADE: The brainwashing sequence has begun. Sit back and relax, Knife, and watch how Starfire loses her very self. Soon she will be destroying the thing she treasures the most.

He turns to face a picture he has of ROBIN pinned to a dartboard. He throws one of KNIFE's razor-sharp knives at it. It flies through the air and hits right in the middle of ROBIN's forehead with deadly accuracy.

SCENE CLOSED. END OF PART ONE.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: WAAAAARGH! I know, I know, quite short and not very eventful, but it was the closing scene! Woooooo I finished part one before I went away! Be proud of me, dudes and dudettes, I did it for yoooou! I also wrote you a one-off Star – Robin romance thing too, so check that out if you want. Anyway. I look forward to writing again in three weeks, miss ya loads, please review!!!

Answers to Reviews:

Moon-N-Stars: Lol you can be my official bodyguard then, protecting the fic from nasty reviews! HURRAH! Nah, I don't mind if people don't like it, I just think it's a bit silly to put one word instead of explaining. Ach, biased sods. Tee hee! Thanks for reviewing again, and I hope this part has lived up to your expectations! I think Robin's sweet too, he's cool! His taste in music, from what I've heard of it, is quite pants, but that's okay, cos he's rather funky. I bet he smells cool. You can just tell. You know that if you look at someone, you can tell if they smell of biscuits before you actually meet them? ... I so didn't make that up! O.o. Okay maybe I did, but that's not the point. Ah, well I'm yabbering on again, but I'm so happy that I'm going on holiday! I just got back from work a wee while ago, and man am I tired! I shouldn't be a waitress, I don't like rude people! I'm too posh for that! Lol. Anyway, please review again, and give me a good long one to read for when I get back. That goes for all of you!!! Oh, and please check out the new one-off fic I've put up too. Bye!!! xxxx

laurashrub : Ah, dude, don't worry about it. We all need to rant now and again. I am the queen of ranting. Well, actually my mum is so I'm more of the duchess of ranting. WOW ranting should be a place, right? Jules, the Duchess of Ranting. TEE HEE! Anyway, yeah, the story... ... I'm so happy you like it it makes me smile and stuff. I think Slade would be scared of Raven as an apprentice...I know I would be! (hides from evil Raven) aaargh, don't eat me! Hope you liked part one, I'll be back before you know it with MORE screenplay action from Raven, Robin and the gang. Yay they're a gang! Anyway, I'm gonna go now. Thanks for reviewing, please do so again!!!

writer of love 17: Hey, thanks for reviewing, glad you like it! Yes, I was quite proud of that line, it was one I could hear Beastboy saying in my head so I just had to add it in. I couldn't resist!!!!!!! Hope you liked part one, and you could review it as a whole if you want! YAAAY! I don't mind some constructive criticism, but you better not be too nasty cos Moon- N-Stars is after blood. LOOK AFTER YOUR BLOOD!!!! Seriously.

DIWaRrIa: Twenty-second series, eh? I think I was exaggerating slightly there, but who knows? It's pretty successful so far, anyway, there well could be! Nah, I don't think so. They'll probably all be old and smelling of digestive biscuits. Do you get them in the States? Are you in the States? I dunno...meep! Well Robin is a sweet dude, you know, he's rather funky. He wouldn't be the same without his one-liners. Have you seen a pic of the guy who does his voice? He has a very odd chin...Hmmm...Odd chin guys smell of biscuits too. Thanks for reviewing!

Starbolt1218 (for both reviews): Wow, thanks! I was really flattered by your review, it made me smile a lot! You can compliment me all you like, you know, I really don't mind! Lol, j/k! I hope this chapter lived up to the others, even if it was just the final scene. I don't like Slade much, he smells, but I don't know if he smells of biscuits. I like biscuits. In fact, I think I'm gonna go and get a biscuit, cos all this review-answering is making me hungry. It's taking me fooking ages! Or maybe I'll just have a piece of fruit...oh yeah we've got NECTARINES!!!! YAAAAAY!!! (totters off to get a nectarine and returns) YUMMMM that's a good nectarine...I mean yay! Thanks for reviewing! Please do so again, and come back in three weeks or so (cos I'm going on holiday on Monday) for PART TWO, which is gonna be even MORE exciting. I know. I'm so cool, aren't I? Tee hee.

starrobin4eva: hey. Thanks so much for reviewing again! I'm glad you find it so interesting, I really do love you guys for being so nice to me! Oh yeah, I felt I totally had to put that thing in about Robin's cape, just to tone down the suspense a bit, like I've noticed they quite often to in the cartoon. For example, when Robin is arguing with Beastboy in "Apprentice: Part one" about him being nothing like Slade, Starfire randomly sneezes, when it should normally be a big dramatic tense moment thing. That's partly the reason why I love Teen Titans so much, it's cos it's so unpredictable and random. It almost happens itself. I hope you can envision it in your head as a real episode, because that's really the feel I want to give to readers. Thanks so much for reviewing, please do so again!!!

Rochelle: Okay, again not much to say to your review, as you don't give much space for idle chit-chat...but that's okay, maybe you're just really busy or something! Glad you like it, and I will most definitely enjoy my holiday, I can't wait!!! WOOOOOOOO!

Starxfire: Fight scenes are the hardest, I think, because you need to get it all flowing smoothly and into different moves. Especially in Teen Titans, cos it's all so well choreographed and stuff. Although emotional scenes are quite hard too, because you need to make sure you keep the characters like themselves at all times. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and you MUST DO SO AGAIN OR I WILL ANNIHILATE YOU. Seriously, I'm a crazy, evil, psychotic demon out for blood. BEWARE! Anyway. I look forward to hearing from you again, hopefully! Love much, Jules xxx

QueenCheer: Hey! Thank you for saying my story rocks. You rock for reviewing it, and you also rock for reading Because of You. It's sooooo sad I just wanted to cry. I hope you did read it and enjoyed it as much as I did...but hopefully not as much as you enjoyed mine....(snivels) nah I'm just kidding hers is much better. GO YOU Raventhedarkgoddess. Anyway, please review my (if inferior) story again! Thank you!

OH MY GOD I'M GONNA MISS YOU GUYS SO MUCH! SEE YOU WHEN I GET BACK!

LOVE YA!

Jules XXXXXXXXXXX