So here is the next chapter. I revised some minor elements (from what I had at the WF board), but nothing major. Here we just set up the plot a little more... nothing exciting yet. I've had a few emails/posts (here and elseware) about parings. I wrote this fic for the main purpose of pairing Raven with a character... For some reason a Robin/Starfire one just came naturally (hey, why fight a good thing?). As for a B.B./Raven... You'll just have to wait and see ;-)

Oh yeah, I don't own them... Never will.

-Leavin' home, out on the road
-I've been down before
-Ridin' along in this big ol' jet plane
-I've been thinkin' about my home
-But my love light seems so far away
-And I feel like it's all been done
-Somebody's tryin' to make me stay
-You know I've got to be movin' on

-Oh, Oh big ol' jet airliner
-Don't carry me too far away
-Oh, Oh big ol' jet airliner
-Cause it's here that I've got to stay

-Goodbye to all my friends at home
-Goodbye to people I've trusted
-I've got to go out and make my way
-I might get rich you know I might get busted
-But my heart keeps calling me backwards
-As I get on the 707
-Ridin' high I got tears in my eyes
-You know you got to go through hell
-Before you get to heaven

-Big ol' jet airliner
-Don't carry me too far away
-Oh, Oh big ol' jet airliner
-Cause it's here that I've got to stay

-Oh, Oh big ol' jet airliner
-Carry me to my home
-Oh, Oh big ol' jet airliner
-Cause it's there that I belong

--Steve Miller Band--

Chapter 2 "Jet Airliner"

Sweat dripped from his brow as he dodged a blast from a nearby turret. The red beam seared a path into the ground as it followed Robin's quick attempts to evade it. In one fluid move Robin lept into the air over the turret and slapped a limpet mine onto the top of it. He landed on the ground behind the device as it exploded into flames.

Two other turrets popped out of the sand and returned fire onto the attacker. Robin dove behind one of the nearby rocks as the beams criss-crossed the ground where he had just been standing. His communicator chirped while he ducked his head to avoid the beam that was now burrowing into the rock he was using as cover. Robin tapped it as he ran out from behind the rack and toward a bigger pile of rocks that would afford a better shot at the turrets. "I'm kinda busy right now!" He yelled as he skidded to a stop behind his newfound safety. "Yo man, sorry to bother ya but you have a message waiting for you." Replied Cyborg. Robin leaned out from behind the rocks and tossed a birdarang into one of the turrets. It erupted into a shower of sparks and sank into the sand, refusing to function anymore.

"Can't it wait?" Said Robin as he extended his staff and waited for the right moment to finish off the last turret.

"Normally yes, but it came in under priority one. And Robin..." Cyborg paused before he continued. "... It's from the Watchtower." Cyborg's words caused Robin to narrow his eyes and tighten the grip he had on his staff. Only one person would try to contact him from there, but what did he want? Robin retrieved the comm unit from his belt and spoke into it "Fine. I'm done here anyway. I'll be right there" He clicked the unit shut and replaced it on his belt.

Some rocks at the top of the pile exploded as the beam from the remaining turret vaporized them. With staff in hand Robin left his cover and ran toward the last target. The last shot from the laser was deflected by Robin's twirling staff as he closed in on it. He screamed as he brought the staff down onto the turret, crushing it's emitter an sending shards of glass into the air. The turret spun wildly as it tried to fire it's now defunct cannon. Robin let out a yell with each blow he dealt to the machine, denting it in several places and causing a panel to fly off the front of it. The turret let out shrill beeps and sounds as it descended into the sand. Robin spun the staff in his hand and held it over his head like it was the mighty sword Excalibur. Not this time, you won't get away this time. He plunged the staff into the exposed innards of the helpless machine that was trying to retreat from him. The tip of the staff made satisfying crunching sounds as he continued to drive it into the dying device. Blue bolts of energy danced from the turret as it fell over backwards and crashed into the dry sand.

Robin stood hunched over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He stood there for several minutes catching his breath before he stood up straight again. He looked around at his handiwork that now decorated the beach. The ground was blackened in several spots and some rocks were still smoking from the battle. He retrieved his staff from the turret and looked down at the destroyed machine. The staff retracted and he replaced it onto his belt. The turret smoked and a few sparks jumped out of the cavity on its front. He scowled at the machine and let out a yell as he kicked the top of it, sending the copula rolling into the surf.

He ran his fingers through his hair and looked up at the tower. The sun had not yet risen and the sky was only lit by the cold grey light of the pre-dawn hour. Robin mulled over his thoughts as he began the walk up from the beach to the tower entrance. What did he want? It had been years since the last time they had spoke, and that conversation wasn't a pleasant one either. He had left Gotham City for a reason, why now? Why wait so long, or for that matter why didn't he wait longer? Robin gritted his teeth as he punched in the access code to the tower and stepped inside.

Cyborg whistled a tune as he washed the stack of dishes in the sink. He twirled a saucer on his finger as he changed his tune to the Harlem Globetrotter's theme. The saucer flew into the air and landed on his other finger as he continued to wash the dishes with his other hand. The door to the room opened and Robin came in. He looked over at Cyborg who was busy with two plates spinning on two hands. "Hey Cy. You're up early this morning... Are you going to try the three-point stack again?" Asked Robin as he remembered the mess they had to clean up last time.

"You know it! But this time it's going to be different. I've got a secret weapon." Replied Cyborg as he grinned. Robin sat down on the same stool from last night and watched as his friend tried another attempt at long distance dish stacking.

Cyborg tossed one of the plates toward the stack on the counter. It sailed through the air and landed with little fanfare on top of the stack of clean dishes. "Aw yeah! Only one more to go!" Boasted Cyborg as danced around the kitchen. Robin leaned forward to get a better view as Cyborg set up the final shot.

"It all comes down to this... There is only 2 seconds left on the clock... The crowd has fallen deathly ill, er silent I mean..." Cyborg leveled the plate with his eyes and let the last digit on his finger spin the plate to top speed. It hummed in the air as the design on the plate became but a blur as it spun faster and faster. "Common' baby, make daddy Cyborg proud". He consoled the plate as he released it into the air and toward the stack at the other end of the room. Robin and Cyborg watched as the plate made a arc in slow-motion from his hands to the top of the stack. "Yeah baby! And thats the game!" Shouted Cyborg as he beat his chest.

"Seriously Cy, I didn't think it would make-" Robin's congratulations were cut short as a clattering noise came from the far side of the kitchen. They both watched wide eyed as the plate that was still spinning wobbled on top of the stack. "Uh oh..." said Cyborg as the spinning plate jumped up and then down, causing the next plate down to shoot across the room like a discus.

"Runaway plates!" Cried Cyborg as he ducked the next plate that crashed into the wall. Robin howled with laughter as the plates were fired one at a time in random directions. Robin dodged a plate that aimed for his head. He dropped down behind the counter and continued to laugh as Cyborg crawled over to his position. "I think I used a little to much spin on the last one." Said Cyborg in a sheepish voice.

"Gee, do you think?" Replied Robin as he laughed.

"I guess we just wait till it runs out of ammo." Said Cyborg as he started to laugh. The door to the room opened again as a sleepy Beast-Boy entered and yawned "Hey you guys what's all the noise about? Do you know what time it is?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"B.B. look out!" Shouted Cyborg and Robin in unison. A plate sailed over the counter toward the door and Beast-Boy who stood in front of it. Beast-Boy's eyes widened as he saw the approaching saucer. "Aaaaa! The U.F.O. is back, it's come back for me!" He squealed as he dropped to the floor in the shape of a mouse. The green mouse dashed across the floor till it reached the safety of the far side counter promptly turning into a more familiar shape. "Great. Let me guess, Cyborg went for another record?" asked Beast-Boy as he watched another plate zip across the room and into his stack of CDs. "Aww man! Thats just not cool!" sobbed Beast-Boy as his CD cases scattered over the floor.

"Yeah, sorry bout the CDs... but you should have seen the look on your face!" Cyborg slapped Beast-Boy's back and laughed with Robin.

"By the way Cy, how many plates did you stack?" Asked Robin as he noted that the plates were still flying about the room.

"Umm... all of them I think." Said Cyborg as he scratched his head. Just than the door opened and in walked Starfire. She stopped and watched the scene playing out in front of her. Objects were flying about and smashing into anything in their way. "Eeep!" Starfire let out a startled yell as she blasted a plate that came in her direction. She saw the three guys pinned down by the stoneware machine gun and came to their aid. Her eyes glowed green as she released a bolt of energy from her hand. The plates left in the stack were obliterated by the blast and the room rocked from the explosion.

The dust settled and Starfire went to see if her teammates were all right. "Friends, why did the place settings attack you? Are they displeased with Beast-Boy's terrible cooking?" She asked.

"Hey! I'm a great cook!" replied Beast-Boy as he got up and dusted himself off.

"Thanks Star. No telling how long we would be trapped there." Said Cyborg as he helped Robin to his feet. Robin looked around at the destruction in the room, noting it looked very similar to the training ground from this morning. "Guess we should start cleaning this place up" said Robin to nobody in particular. Cyborg went to a closet and retrieved a broom and dustpan while Robin started picking up the larger of the pieces. Beast-Boy went to his music collection and sighed at the sight of it.

Raven walked in through the open door and froze in her tracks. The entire room was in shambles. There were parts of plates all over, some on the floor, a few more on the counter and couch, even a small number were embedded into the wall in several places. "Forget it. I don't even want to know." She said as she walked past Beast-Boy who was still mourning the loss of his discs. Raven continued till she reached a bookcase and removed one of the large leather bound pieces of literature. Book in hand she retreated to the couch and brushed away some plate fragments so she could sit down. Starfire went to the couch as well and hunted around for the remote to the T.V. She dug into the cushions looking for the elusive device, but came up empty-handed. Not one to be put out by a setback, she went over to it and pushed the blinking red button. The screen flashed and displayed a few lines of text informing her that a message was waiting. "Robin, the T.V. says you have a message" said Starfire as she turned to look at him.

"Go ahead and play it, I'll be right there." He replied as he dropped some large plate pieces into the trash. Starfire pushed another button and the screen flickered as the playback started. Robin watched as the video started expecting to see Batman, grim as ever. But the person on the video wasn't the detective, it was Wonder Woman. This piqued his interest and he walked over to the screen.

"Robin, I know you left instructions not to be contacted by the League anymore... but this is important." Wonder Woman paused for a second before continuing. "We received a urgent message for help this morning. The message came from Tamaran." Starfire let out a startled gasp. "My family? What has happened to my family?" The playback continued as Robin put his hand on her shoulder. "As of yet we don't know what is happening on the planet. We have tried several times to respond to the message, but there has been no response from the royal family. Normally Superman would go check out what is going on, but Batman said that you should handle it... due to your connection to the Tamaranian girl." Starfire's eyes clouded with tears as she watched the video play.

"We have several ideas on why the message may have been sent. The data we have on the planet suggests that it has a very political power system. One possible reason my be for civil war. Other information points to the fragile ecological system. There may have been a shift in the climate which could have wiped out almost the entire population of the planet." Starfire cried out when she heard this news. Robin wrapped his arm around her as she started sobbing.

"This information is only preliminary, we have no real news yet. Contact me as soon as you get this message and I'll forward all the information we have. And Robin? Please don't tell Starfire anything yet. We don't want to upset her until we know what really is going on." The screen flickered and then went black.

Beast-Boy was the first to speak "A little late for that..." he said as he watched Starfire burry her face into Robin's shoulder. The entire team had stopped cleaning and gathered around them. She continued to cry, her sobbing made Beast-Boy's eyes water. He had never seen her cry before, never. Cyborg placed one of his massive hands on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Even Raven stood nearby, not knowing how to console her friend. Robin stood silent as well. Her cries dug into his heart with every breath she took. He didn't know what to say, he couldn't think of a single thing that would make her feel better. All he could do is hold her. He pulled her close with his other arm and lowered his head till it rested on her auburn hair.

Several minutes had passed and Starfire's sobbing had been replaced with raspy breathing and the occasional sniffle. No one had moved, no one wanted to. Starfire sniffled once more then quickly broke free of Robin's embrace. She wiped her eyes and spoke in a shaky voice "I'm sorry friends. I must go... I must go now!" She flew over the couch and out through the door. Robin looked down and placed his hand over shoulder. His uniform was damp with Starfire's tears, cold and wet. He pressed the cool uniform to his skin and looked up at the rest of the team. "I'm going to go talk with her, you know what to do." He said as he walked to the door. Beast-Boy and Cyborg nodded and picked up the broom and dustpan.

The room darkened slightly and the shadows loomed in from the corners. Beast-Boy heard an unfamiliar noise behind him and turned to face it with an eyebrow raised. "Raven... Are you crying?" he asked. Raven quickly flipped her hood over her head and turned away. "No." She said as she walked toward the side exit of the room and disappeared into the shadows. Beast-Boy was left scratching his head as Cyborg walked to the closet with the broom. "Huh, I could have sworn I heard her cry" he said as he shook his head and walked after Cyborg.

Robin emerged from the roof door and was greeted with the harsh morning sunlight. He looked over the roof and saw Starfire standing at the far edge. She had her little knapsack slung over her shoulder and she was looking down at the ocean below. Her shoulders still heaved as she tried to regain her composure. Robin walked up behind and stopped just short of her, waiting for the right moment to speak. "Star, please wait" he said as he walked up next to her. "I can not. It is a long journey and I must leave right away" she wiped her eyes with her arm as she spoke. "We want to go with you, we want to help" replied Robin as he looked up into the blue sky. "It is too dangerous, you could be eaten by a Vegmar or worse. I could never ask you to come with me. My world is a dangerous place and I would never forgive myself if something happened to my friends... or to you." Fresh tears started to stream down her face as she talked.

Robin stood silently for a second, then scratched his head while speaking "Well, you're not asking me... I'm asking you. Dangerous or not, I'm coming with you" He smiled at her and offered his hand. She looked at his outstretched hand for a minute then took it in both of hers. "Oh thank you Robin. I only wish the others felt this way." said Starfire. Robin gave her a grin and pulled her to the other edge of the roof. They stopped at the edge and he pointed down into the sand. "Don't be so sure..." he said as he laughed.

The ground shook slightly as a warning klaxon sounded. The sand fell away as two large doors open to reveal the subterranean launch bay. Starfire's eyes widened as the pad rose from the earth and revealed the Titan's rocket complete with the T-Sub strapped to the side. The massive rocket gleamed in the morning sun causing her to shield her eyes. The launch pad reached it's final position and came to a stop with a whoosh of vapor. A megaphone clicked on from the pad "Train one leaving track one, departing for the Watchtower, Tamaran, and all points west. All aboard!" Yelled Cyborg as he waved from the base of the pad. "Lets go Star, she seats five you know!" He yelled again, this time without the help of the megaphone.

Starfire jumped into Robin's arms and laughed "My friends... You really are my true friends." She spun Robin around as she circled several feet above the roof. Robin landed on the roof slightly dazed and bewildered. He plucked the tiny knapsack off her back and said "By the way... you're going to need more supplies than this little thing can hold" He said as he twirled the miniature backpack in his hands. They laughed as they ran toward the roof door and down the stairs.