An ear splitting alarm tore through the tower, shocking the titans from an otherwise undisturbed rest. They were assembled in the common room in less than three minutes.
This was a very fast response considering there had been no alarms like this since Robin had disappeared.
"What is it?" Starfire asked as she appeared sleepy eyed.
"Break in at the museum." Cyborg drew up the plans of the city, a blinking red light showed the position of the alarm. "Silent alarm was tripped almost four minutes ago, in two more the main alarm will go and our sloppy perp will run.
"Right."
"Titans Go." They all said, without Robin it was a halfhearted battle cry.
Robin and Terra burst onto the roof in a dead run. As the two sprinted across the rooftop not caring how many cameras had seen them, alarms were starting to go off through the building. Of course the police had been alerted five minutes ago. Why of all nights must some idiot pick for a smash and grab. Bellow windows and doors slammed hut as the building started to lock down, he must have set of one of the case displays. Good he'll get caught and take the blame for his and our crimes.
Then without warning a fireball cleaved its way through the ground in front of them.
"Fuck!" Robin and Terra skidded to a halt. "Only ten feet from the edge too."
But as the two looked around, there was no one there; no one had shot at them. This blast was internal. Terra grabbed Robin and forced him to follow her around the gapping hole the blast had created. A lone figure jumped out of the hole, carrying a large sack. He was wearing an all black bodysuit, save a death's head mask with a red X inscribed in it.
"You." Robin had stopped short again.
"Move, now is not a good time." Terra hissed and pulled on his arm, but Robin had entered a fighting stance and had no planes on leaving yet.
"I've never seen either of you before but you seem to know me." Red X replied, both seemed to have forgotten about the very real danger that was speeding towards them in the form of three flying teenagers, one of them carrying another non-flying teen. I hadn't planed on running in to anyone else to-night, but as you got her first and took nothing of value thank you." Red X bowed slightly. Then they both were interrupted by a flurry of starbolts and sonic blasts that landed around them. Not striking them, and with no real power but a show of force never the less.
"I would have never expected to see Slade working with Red X but your both coming with us." Cyborg called out to the three as he dropped from Starfire's grip.
"Run!" Was the command that only Robin and Terra heard. Terra obeyed instantly, and even though Red X wasn't party to that order he ran as well. Robin tossed something at Red X before joining Terra in the mad dash for the edge. Cyborg was taken off guard when their unlikely enemies not only didn't fight but also split up, but not for long.
"Star, BB, handle the Sladeys, Raven your with me." The titans broke formation, a hawk Beastboy taking to the skies preparing for a dive, and an enraged Tameranin princess racing forward to meet the unwilling opposition.
Cyborg tried to keep pace with Red X, he really did. Unfortunately the wiry thief still had way to many tricks built into that stolen suit. Every time he started to draw a bead on his target, the suit did something, phase shift or whatever, that made it temporally disappear from his cybernetic eye. X was dodging far too much for Cyborg to him otherwise and on this particular building battle damage had to be avoided at all costs. As such Raven had refrained from pulling any parts of the building apart to use as weapons. Red X must have know this because was running in a circle, leading the two through the twisted maze that was the roof when the police were closing off any exits around the block. Yet still he ran.
I'm sure I passed this point before, no because that this wasn't here the last time, wait a second what is that thing? Cyborg's train of thought only made it that far before the bomb Red X had planted went off. Cyborg was way to close and raise his arm to shield himself from the blast. First all he could feel was a chilling pain through his arm but then he shut off those sensors and tried to regain his bearings. The robotic part of his brain informed him that he was on his back and mainly undamaged, save for a missing right arm. But when he tried to stand he kept losing his balance and falling, and the damn ringing in his human ear wouldn't go away. Raven had been further back and had thrown up a shield to protect herself form flying debris.
"Are you all right Cyborg?" She now rushed forward to help Cyborg stand.
"I'll be fine." Cyborg scanned the area and cursed. "I lost track of him, you."
"No he's gone."
"We better get back to the Sladeys, we can't let them get away."
"Yeah, Sladey?"
"Not Slade, not a Slade bot, a Slade toady, Sladey.
"Right."
Meanwhile Robin and Terra ran across the roof of the neighboring building. They wove back and forth dodging dive bomb attacks by Beastboy and an unhealthy dose of starbots from Starfire.
"Remember, you will not get caught, you will not make any contact and if you have to fight you will and you will win." Slade told the both of them. "Otherwise the pain that you have experience before will be nothing." "Oh and if you don't fight back Robin you will get to watch Terra die first."
"Bastard." Robin mouthed to himself as he ran.
"You will tell me were Robin is." Starfire was talking while she blasted; now adding eye beams to the mix.
"You will also stop and fight me." Se screamed as an unusually large starbolt struck the ground Robin had just occupied. Robin wanted to say something, but remembering Slade's warning he ignored her and jumped the gap to the next set of buildings. Unfortunately they had run three city blocks now and were running out of lower buildings ahead of them to glide to.
"Go to the ground on the next one."
"Understood." Terra rolled to dodge yet another dive from Beastboy, while a hawk the size he was now would cause little or no damage, if Beastboy go his talons on her they would quickly become claws, or worse. Leaping form the three story building they were on now the two would be thieves used their gliders just enough to prevent serious injury upon landing, and then they were off tearing down the silent streets of a slumbering city.
Well not slumbering, Robin and Terra rounded the corner to find a good half of Jump city's police department arrayed before them. Police cruisers blocked the streets before them and officers were all standing weapons drawn and aimed.
"Don't move or you will be fired upon." An unknown voice called out over a loudspeaker. "This is your only warning."
"Don't shoot." Starfire landed between Robin, Terra, and the cruisers. "We want these two alive." Starfire's eyes glowed with an anger Robin had only seen once before, when he had been blackmailed into dancing with Kitten. The remaining titans also caught up and surrounded the two, in a lose semicircle. The police officer in charged waved his hand and the other officers lowered their guns, not holstered just lowered. The man threw Starfire a salute and settled back to watch the city's guardians earn their keep. Starfire nodded and moved to join the other titans, leaving the two between the titans on one side and the Jump city police force on the other. Not having the ability to face so many enemies at once Robin and Terra turned towards the titans.
"Attack them."
"Quiet." Robin hissed at Slade, no one else heard him. Starfire stepped forward.
"I've seen that fighting style before, I thinks that's you Robin." The other titans started, as they hadn't seen this yet. The police couldn't hear them talk.
"I assume you have your reasons, probably good ones, but whatever they are we will be capturing you." She took another step forward.
"Please you and your friend should come quietly with us, or you will be beaten and arrested by the police. We have kept your disappearance to are selves but if we fight I will not promise you anything."
"Attack her now!" Was all that Robin could hear.
"No!" Robin said loud enough for both Slade and Starfire to hear.
At that two screams could be heard. Terra's as she hit the ground withering in pain as electricity surged across her body, and Starfire's. But unlike Terra's, which was a scream of pain, Starfire's was the cry of a lover scorned. She jetted back half a foot and raising her hand began to fire starbolts at Robin. Robin used his staff to block the shots but they were too many. He took a step back and then another, now he was standing in front of Terra. Starfire kept advancing; when she got close enough to punch she did so, Robin kept blocking but was unwilling to move from his position. As she stepped closer Robin took more and more hits. Starfire was pulling her punches; she could have put him through the police cruiser twenty feet away had she wanted. Robin's only weapon against Starfire had been his superior mobility, but now all the skill in the world wouldn't help him, if he didn't force Starfire back she would win and soon.
I can't hit her she's…
Your friend? That never stopped you before.
No she's more, she's…
Is she really? You are now protecting to girls you care for, If you keep this up you will fall. You have to chose which girl is worth everything.
I can't…
You must. Now choose!
Robin chose.
Starfire hadn't seen it coming, the staff stuck her in the stomach, she pulled back holding her side, but that wasn't the end of her attackers assault. A horizontal swipe caught her across her left temple. She backed up stunned, Robin swung again, using the same move, Starfire flew back enough to avoid the attack and raised her arm to elbow him after he finished his swing. Then she gasped as a blade darted out of the staffs end, throwing of her calculations. Starfire pulled back, but not fast enough, the blade racked across her arm drawing a thin line of blood. The wound wasn't deep but the very fact she was bleeding, that Robin had cut her stunned her. Her second of indecision proved costly as Robin spun the staff behind his back and lashed out with his foot catching her in the chest.
Starfire fell back gasping for air and Robin plunged his staff downwards towards her throat. A collective gasp could be heard as Robin landed a lethal blow. Starfire froze, unknowing to the rest of the world Robin had retracted the blade at the last possible second. The cold steel staff resting lightly on her throat remained Starfire of how close she had come to death and that she stood rested on the brink. Robin pulled the staff back just a little, Starfire was to afraid to move.
Then the standoff ended as Robin was stuck with a telekinetic brick from the left and a sonic pulse from the right. The blasts stuck Robin hurling him backwards, he tripped over Terra who was still behind him, unable to move from the after effects of Slade's "motivation." Cyborg advanced firing, his face a grim mask. If he knew that Starfire still lived he didn't show it. Raven yanked a telephone pole form the ground and hurled it at the two fallen thieves, there was no mistaking her intent to cause mortal harm. Robin no longer was defending himself, but Cyborg showed no signs of stopping. The police officers raised their weapons but did nothing. After all Starfire was still frozen in fear and shock, from their vantage they had just witnessed the death of Titan, death for the masked attacker was to good.
Almost in slow motion Terra watched as Robin took hit after hit, her legs seamed to be working but she couldn't moved, Robin had her pinned. A black bordered telephone pole rose above them and plummeted, obviously attempting to impale them both.
As death raced towards them Terra realized she had never felt so alone and frightened, and helpless. If only she could use her powers.
I think the time for mopping is over.
What?
Its time to stop following in his shadow, now that he needs your help where are you? Still hiding behind him.
What can I do?
Do what only you can do best.
But I can't.
But you must or he will die and you will follow half a second latter.
How?
The question is now but why? Answer the first one and the second will become apparent.
Why?
You know why.
Because I love him.
"NO!" Terra cried out against the background sounds of sonic blasts. Her cry was unheard but the reaction of the ground was not unnoticed. The pavement shattered and rock flowed up around the two, like a flower closing. The rock absorbed the sonic blasts and started Raven's makeshift spear. Before she could only move whole pieces of rock, she had never caused the stone to flow like that before. No time to think about that, geokinesis was really draining her. She'd had to learn to use her powers all over again, but know she just had to get away, to protect Robin.
The viewers on the outside just stood dumbstruck as the shield of rock rose around the two. Though some longer than others, Cyborg began firing as the sphere of stone shot up into the air, Raven followed suit. A second latter gunfire from the police followed, but the sphere was rising to fast for any of them to track. Then it stopped as quickly as it had ascended. All the firepower from the ground converged on it and the rocky shield shattered into hundreds of first sized rocks, and began to fall. Raven created a black shield shaped like a funnel that caught all the debris and channeled it into the hole in the ground were the two had been. By the time Raven dropped the shield there was no sign of Robin or Terra.
"Robin." Starfire said mainly to herself as she set up, prompting Cyborg and Raven to rush to her side. Beastboy was still staring at the sky, after about half a minute he finally managed a word.
"Terra?"