Chapter 10

They used the communicators to track their stolen comrades. Starfire was worried because this seemed a little too easy, but she didn't say anything to Nightfire. Their plan was to get as far as they could, unnoticed. They wouldn't kill unless they had to, but they would if the need arose, which they both knew it would. Starfire would walk in front and do most of the fighting, and if anything happened to her, Nightfire was to run as far and as fast as she could. They still didn't know who had attacked the Tower, but whoever it was, was keeping the Titans in an abandoned office building in the bad end of town. They took Beastboy's car, because it was less conspicuous. Starfire was full of a mysterious calm as she drove through the dark streets of Jump City, she had resigned herself to her fate, knowing that she couldn't not do this. Nightfire however, couldn't keep still. She was fiddling with everything, her leg jumping as she sat in the passenger seat. If she didn't, her mind would start creating worst case scenarios, scaring her even more. The hum of the cars engine was the only noise, the streets outside looking dark and unreal. They had decided to drive once around the block, to get a idea of their surroundings. As the car sidled past the old building, the two cars looked up at it. To them, it looked like the tower of Babel, casting a shadow on everything, even in the dark, and yet glowing with it's own eerie light. They circled the block, sub-consiuously taking everything in, and when they returned to the office building, the parked a little further up the street and on the other side. Starfire turned to her daughter, the seat creaking in the silence,

"Nightfire, I want you to seriously consider what we are about to do. There is a very good chance that we will be hurt, and we will have to hurt people ourselves. I know you think you can handle it, but be honest with yourself. You are still so young, I will totally understand if you want to back out. I would continue on, so you wouldn't even have to worry about Nightwing, and he would not think any less of you. Once we go in there, I need to know that you won't freak out in the middle of a battle, there would be no turning back." she said. Nightfire looked inside herself, she saw the fear and the apprehension, but she also saw the strength, and she knew that she had to do everything she could to rescue her father, and her friends. She nodded, and Starfire understood.

"I love you" said Starfire,

"I love you too mom" Nightfire replied. They both swung the doors of the car open and stepped out into the night. The cold air washed over them and Nightfire shivered, she felt like she did when she needed to be sick, but couldn't. Dark tendrils of cloud passed on front of a bright full moon, which lit their way just as well as the flickering street lights. They had drawn up a blueprint of the building back at the tower, and they walked as casually as they could manage to the end of the street, then crossed over and walked to the other side of the block, behind the building. Then they aligned themselves with the back of their target, and crept straight through to the back door. They stopped and hid in the bushes, watching for guards. It looked like there were three circling the outside, with more watching from windows going all the way up. Starfire couldn't see how they were to get in. If they approached the door while pressing themselves against the wall, then the guards watching from the windows wouldn't be able to see them, but that would take too long to avoid being seen by the outer guards, and what if the door was locked? So they lay there, waiting for an opportunity, which arrived in the form of another guard. The door clicked open, and the guard stepped out, and he left a wedge in the door to keep it open. He leant against the wall and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a shiny, gold lighter. As he was lighting it, a plan came to Starfire, and she took of into the bushes. Nightfire followed her, and watched as her mother snuck up on one of the guards circling the building. She drew out her gun and Nightfire held her breath as she waited for the shot, but instead, Starfire merely knocked him out using the butt of the gun. Nightfire exhaled in relief, she hadn't wanted to see her mother kill a person. As quickly as she could, Starfire dragged the unconsious man into the bushes, just as the second came round the corner. Knowing that he wouldn't stay out for long, she bound and gagged the guard as best she could, then searched him. She found a card key on him and she pocketed it. Then she watched as the second man rounded the corner, but she waited for the next one. Sure enough, when a third guard came around she snuck up on him, and repeated the whole process. Then they waited until the only remaining guard passed by. They let him go. But they followed as soon as he was out of sight, giving them the maximum amount of time for the next stage. Thankfully, the smoker was still there. He took deep drag on the cigarette, but before he could blow the smoke out, Starfire clapped her hand over his nose and mouth. His eyes went wild and he fought her, but Nightfire came around and held his arms. It usually takes a long time to choke someone into unconsiousness, but when they're already short of oxygen, and have lungs full of tar, the man went down in minutes. Starfire's heart was beating frantically, telling her that the guard would be back around any second now, so they quickly edged toward the door and opened it. They stepped inside and listened for the guard to pass, then once again they bound and gagged the guard. They left him in the bushes outside. Once back in the corridor, they had a good look round for any additional security, there didn't appear to be any but they followed the plan. Directly above their heads was an air vent, wide but shallow it was just big enough for them to fit into. It led away into the wall, so once they removed the grid they could get in by stepping on the wall. The followed the blueprints (which they had brought a copy of) to a staircase which led to the room where they guessed their friends were being kept. It had only one entrance, and could be easily guarded. They pushed themselves along the claustrophobic space as quickly and as silently as they could, but it still took them a while. They reached the point where they could go unnoticed no longer. They dropped down from the vent, and entered the cold stairwell. The took out the cameras immediately, but it would be noticed for sure, so speed was what mattered. They took out the upper camera first, then worked their way down for as far as they could reach, hoping that this would make it look like they were heading down. Then they raced up the stairs, and Starfire pulled her shotgun. The door opened just as they were reaching it, a shocked guard stood in the doorway, and before he could react, Starfire shot him. He fell back into the other guards, Starfire kept firing and cocking the shotgun until she was out of ammo, then she pulled the sword out from it's spine-sheath. She spun and slashed through the crowd of men, and Nightfire followed in her wake, doing her assigned job of collecting their weapons. The stream of attackers seemed endless but they eventually reached the end. Then they spun around and piled the bodies against the door, which jerked as more guards tried to open it from the other side. Starfire couldn't help herself,

"I promise to call an ambulance" she said, then they both ran to the end of the hall where the room was. Standing outside, not knowing what they would find, the two women looked at each other. This was it, they could die now. Then Nightfire did something so simple and yet so clever, she pressed her ear against the door. Amazed, Starfire did the same. Inside they could hear grunts of pain, and a horrible voice, which they couldn't understand through the door, but it sounded angry. It sounded as if it's owner had his or her back to the door. Starfire had two options. Kick the door down and go in guns blazing, or try to sneak in unnoticed.

"Nightfire, what do you think we should do?" she whispered.

"I don't know, but we have to do it soon" she replied, eyeing the door down the hall that led to the stairwell. It was starting to give under the pressure of the guards repeated rams. Starfire inhaled shakily and let it out. She pulled the gun out of her waistband,

"Get one knife in your hand, and keep the other one hidden" she instructed, and Nightfire hastily complied. Then she turned the knob and threw the door wide.