DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Titans. If I did, this would be on TV and not here.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This doesn't take place in the same storyline as my "Forced Base" and "Fractured Heart" stories, so forget those when you're reading this. Also, this takes place after the fourth season, so anything that happens in the show after that isn't applicable to this. Also, about Sanza/Red X: When he's wearing the mask, he's Red X. When he's not, he's Sanza. Simple as that.
O-O-O
After freeing Maria and Maddy from their bonds, the Titans took the woman and child to the front lobby of the building. Thankfully, there wasn't a single Sladebot to impede their progress on the way... the two had seen enough horror that night as it was.
Once they reached the front lobby, Robin knew there was one last task to do in the factory... but he had to make sure Sanza's mother and sister returned safely home.
"Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg... you take Sanza's family back to where they live," said Robin.
"Wait a minute!" shouted Maria, concern for her son's life first on her mind. "Where is my son? Have you seen-"
"He's up there," said Robin, pointing toward the ceiling but indicating the top of the tower. "With Slade..."
Maria issued a loud scream, her worst fears having been confirmed. Slade had not only kidnapped her and her daughter, but apparently, her son was also being held captive... with Slade himself. Even Maddy was concerned, and more tears began falling down her cheeks.
"Do not worry," said Starfire, reaching over to place a comforting hand on Maddy's cheek. "Your brother will not be harmed... Robin will make sure of that."
Maddy nodded, knowing that if the Titans could save her and her mother, they could save Sanza as well. But Maria wasn't so sure, and she couldn't bring herself to look at Robin or any of the other Titans... especially if it might be too late to save her son.
"Your son... saved my life," said Starfire. "That is why Slade brought the two of you here, and why Slade is angry with your son... Sanza could have brought me to Slade, but instead he chose to let me go... that is why Slade is out to get you and your family."
The fabricated story would keep the Titans from having to tell Maria that her son Sanza was in fact, Red X... Robin wanted Sanza to tell them that on his own.
"He's a very brave boy, Mrs. Salazar... please, just let us handle this," said Robin. Maria looked up at him, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"You help my son... and you make sure that that bastard Slade spends the rest of his life in jail!" Maria shouted, a mixture of fear and anger in her voice. "Do you hear me?"
"It's time to go, Mrs. Salazar..." said Cyborg, tapping the woman on her shoulder. "Robin needs to be allowed to do his job, but before he can, we have to make sure you and your daughter are safe."
"Don't worry, mommy..." Maddy said, a smile on her face. "I know the Teen Titans can help Sanza! Just like they helped us!"
With tears still streaming down her face, Maria began walking toward the front door of the building, without saying a word. Maddy quickly followed her, as did Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. Then, Starfire started to leave... but something made her stop.
She could hear Robin turn and walk back toward the right-side hallway that led toward the elevator room... the elevator that would take him up to Slade, and maybe the battle of his life. Starfire shook her head... she had a duty to perform, and she wasn't going to let Robin face Slade alone. As he crossed into the hallway, Starfire turned around, a sense of urgency in her voice.
"Robin, wait!" shouted Starfire, causing Robin to turn around.
"Starfire, you're supposed to be with Sanza's family, helping to get them back home..."
Again, Starfire shook her head. As long as Robin was walking into danger, Starfire wasn't going anywhere. She wanted to be right beside him, no matter what.
"I wish to go with you to rescue Sanza from Slade..." said Starfire, as confidently as she could. "Robin, I am concerned that you may come into harm... and I wish to help."
"Starfire, I can fight Slade on my own," said Robin, though his aching limbs told a different story. The battles with Red X and the cranes had taken a toll on him... as well as on Starfire. Even the two of them together might not be able to beat Slade... even with Red X's help, if he was still able to fight. That was part of the reason Robin didn't want to get Starfire involved... if he would be fighting a losing battle, Starfire could be put in harm's way...
Robin's urge to protect Starfire had returned... the same urge that constantly held him back from expressing his feelings to her now held him back from letting her go with him to fight Slade. He didn't need to protect Starfire... she was strong, stronger than he was... so why was he constantly trying?
"I will not take no for an answer, Robin," said Starfire, her hands on her hips. "We will fight Slade and protect Sanza... together."
Resigned to the fact that Starfire would be in danger, Robin gave a conciliatory nod and began running down the right hallway. Starfire followed him, their coming battle with Slade on both of their minds.
They could only hope Sanza would be all right when they got to the top of the building...
O-O-O
Slade's fist careened through the air, missing Sanza's face by just inches as he slid his body to the side and out of the way. A droplet of blood from his lips flew off into the air, propelled by his backward motion.
His entire body, from his legs, to his chest and arms, all the way up to his lacerated face felt as if it would give out at any moment. Sanza was running purely on adrenaline now, and even those reserves were being rapidly depleted with every passing second. As he slid to the side to avoid Slade's punch, he seemed to be falling backward... his palm raised in the air to fire another X as Sanza tried to buy time so he could catch his breath.
"I do this all for you, Maddy... and you too, mom..." thought Sanza, releasing the X from his hand. As it flew toward Slade, Sanza could barely remember what the X even did... would it explode, or cover Slade in goo? Or maybe freeze him... yeah, freezing would be good... but as it turned out, the X did absolutely nothing. Slade reached out and trapped the X in his palm, crushing it to dust with just the force of his grip. Sanza gasped, then suddenly, he could feel a crushing blow to his knee, where Slade's powerful foot had just made impact. His left leg fell out from under him, and in less than a second, Sanza found himself face-down on the ground yet again.
"I don't see why you're fighting like your life depends on it," said Slade, the arrogant, casual quality of his normal tone finally beginning to return. "I don't plan to kill you... you're really quite the fighter, and you'll make the perfect apprentice. You just need a whole lot of training."
"I... will NEVER... be your apprentice..." said Sanza, picking himself up from the ground. Slade smiled, stepping back to allow Sanza enough room to stand.
"I think you will," replied Slade. "I haven't commanded my Sladebots to harm your family... but don't think I won't if you don't do exactly as I say. Think of your little sister, Sanza... I can always hire more human workers, and humans have carnal urges just like everyone else..."
Sanza's eyes narrowed, and a cry of rage formed in his throat, surfacing as Sanza leapt to his feet and slammed his arms into Slade's chest, knocking him to the ground. As he raised his hand above Slade's head, Slade reached out and grabbed Sanza's wrist, his fingers crushing tightly into the bone. Sanza screamed, and Slade stood up, using his leverage to wrench Sanza's wrist behind his back.
"Maybe I'll just make you stay here... you'll never see your mother or your sister again!" shouted Slade, twisting Sanza's arm back nearly hard enough to dislocate his shoulder. Sanza screamed again, barely able to stand with all the pressure that Slade's powerful hold was placing on his chest and back.
"I'm not leaving... until you're dead!" shouted Sanza, trying to form an X in the hand that Slade was holding behind his back. All the pain shooting through Sanza's arm, however, made it impossible for him to concentrate, and he had to refocus his energy on breaking the hold that Slade had on him. "No one... hurts... my family..."
Suddenly, the grip on Sanza's arm was released, and he found himself stumbling forward until all of his inertia had been used up. He whipped himself back around, using his right hand to rub up and down his entire left arm, which still burned with pain.
"You're like a broken record, Sanza. Family this, family that... what is it about them that you love so much, Sanza? What is it that allows me to control you so easily by just threatening to cause them a little bit of harm?"
"You'd never understand, Slade... you don't have a family like I do!"
Sanza ran at Slade and began punching furiously, not caring that each and every single one of his blows were being sidestepped. With every punch, more and more of Sanza's energy was being depleted... the last of his strength was being used for punches that weren't doing him a bit of good.
Finally, Slade caught Sanza's right fist in his hand... then, in his other hand, Slade caught Sanza's left fist. As Sanza struggled to pull free, Slade held his fists tighter... Sanza was stuck, his weak arms unable to escape Slade's grasp.
"Actually," said Slade, barely having to use even a fraction of his strength to hold the exhausted Sanza's arms in place, "I do have a family... a son and a daughter who are a lot like you... with one big exception. To them, I'm not a crutch!"
Slade released Sanza's fists, only to bend down and punch the boy in the stomach. Sanza gasped and stumbled back, both hands clutched tightly to his midsection. He looked up at Slade with hate-filled eyes... but in the back of his mind, his only emotion was fear... fear for his family, and fear for himself.
It would only be a matter of time now...
"Your attachments are worthless, Sanza," said Slade, walking toward the gasping, coughing boy, "your only weakness... had it not been for your attachment to Starfire, you could've had your way with her. Without your trust for the Titans, you could've killed all of them in their sleep. And without your family clouding your judgment and blinding you with rage directed at me, you just might've stood a chance at beating me! But now look at you. You're pathetic, Sanza... but I can rid you of your attachments... I can give you strength beyond your wildest dreams... and one day, you might even surpass me. But you're a fool... you let your conscience and your pride hold you back."
Suddenly, Slade could feel a powerful kick slam into the back of his head... and he was hurtled forward, over Sanza and toward the door at the back of the hallway. Sanza looked back at Slade... and then forward, where the two people he least expected to see were now standing right in front of him.
"Sanza!" shouted Starfire, gasping as she looked at the terrible wounds on his face. "Are you-"
"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Sanza replied, amazed that Robin and Starfire had actually come back for him. "Maddy and my mom, are they-"
"They're fine," said Robin. "Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg are taking them back home right now."
"NO!" shouted Slade, his fists tightly clenched. "You were supposed to kill them, Sanza!"
"I haven't been obeying your orders for a while, Slade... you didn't think I'd actually start now, did you?" asked Sanza, turning toward Slade with Robin and Starfire standing just behind him. "I told you I'd make good on my promise... you're dead, Slade."
Slade certainly could've fought Sanza, Robin, and Starfire... and in their present states, Slade probably would've beaten them. But he had a different plan in mind... a contingency plan in case Sanza's family escaped and the Titans were still alive. So instead of fighting Sanza and the two Titans, Slade turned and ran into his office, just a few feet away from where he'd been standing.
"After him!" shouted Robin, already taking up the pursuit with Sanza and Starfire. Sanza extended his hand, firing several exploding Xs at Slade as he ran into his office door... but it was too late. The Xs exploded against the door, leaving Slade completely unharmed on the other side.
"No!" screamed Starfire, floating up and firing a Starbolt at the closed door. Whatever the door was made of, it held strong, even as Robin and Sanza began pounding it with their fists, trying to break inside.
"Even if we can't get in, he's still trapped in there," said Sanza, stopping his assault on the door and looking at Robin. "There aren't any windows in there last I checked... all we have to do is wait."
But something told Robin that the longer Slade was able to hole up in his office, the more dangerous the situation would get... Slade wasn't one to run from a fight with three weakened opponents... unless there was a more sinister reason...
O-O-O
Inside the office, Slade brought up a small control panel on his desk. Most of the buttons controlled cameras, doors, or Sladebots... but there was one button that Slade didn't actually think he'd have to press, especially once Red X had killed the Titans.
But the Titans were alive, and Slade's leverage had escaped... there was only one thing for Slade to do.
O-O-O
Back out in the hallway, Robin, Sanza, and Starfire stood a few feet away from the door, crouched into fighting positions. They were waiting for the perfect chance to strike... Slade had to come out of his office sometime. There was no way out.
And just a few seconds later, the door slid open. The man all three teenagers had been waiting for finally made his reappearance... a lot sooner than any of them had thought.
"Goodbye, Titans," said Slade, taking one last look at Sanza. "And as for you... we'll be seeing each other very soon."
An enormous explosion suddenly rocked the hallway, throwing Sanza, Robin, and Starfire to their knees. The noise was followed by a quiet rumbling from beneath... something had happened, and Robin knew it wasn't something good.
"This building's only got a short time left," said Slade, leaping over Sanza's head and dashing toward the elevator leading back down to the central room. "You three had better hurry..."
"I do not think so!" shouted Starfire, turning around and showering Slade with Starbolts. The Starbolts flew into Slade and created an enormous explosion, filling the entire width of the hallway. Starfire flew into the resulting dust cloud as a stunned Robin and Sanza watched in disbelief.
"Starfire, be careful!" shouted Robin, running toward the dust cloud just as he saw Starfire disappear into it. Sanza stood up a second later, picking up his Red X mask and placing it back on as he ran into the cloud.
"Gotta protect my wounds from that dust... mom's already going to have a heart attack seeing me with these cuts, she doesn't want to have to see me with gangrene too..."
The Starbolts had stopped Slade, who was knocked to one knee by the force of the blast. Before he could stand, Starfire was right on top of him, her leg slamming into his back and knocking him forward.
"You will not be hurting Sanza or his family anymore!" shouted Starfire, preparing to fire another series of Starbolts as Slade stood up to face her. Both she and Slade were obscured from Robin and Red X's view by the dust cloud, a fact that Slade realized he could use to his advantage.
"You're wasting my time!" shouted Slade. "Maybe I should start wasting some of theirs..."
Slade ran at Starfire, but as soon as she'd fired a Starbolt at him, he seemed to disappear into nothingness. She whipped herself around, thinking Slade had gone behind her... when really, he'd just leapt into the air faster than Starfire could see. Before she could turn back around, Slade had struck her in the back of the head with a perfectly-aimed kick, knocking her unconscious.
Robin and Red X ran into the thick cloud of dust and debris, Robin coughing as some of the specks of dust began entering his lungs.
"You ever consider getting a mask that covered your mouth?" asked Red X, looking over at Robin as the two ran through the fog. "You wouldn't believe how many times this thing has helped me out."
Ignoring Red X's comment, Robin ran through the dust, getting more and more worried as it began to dissipate with no sign of either Starfire or Slade.
"Starfire!" shouted Robin, coughing as more dust flew into his mouth. "Starfire? Star..."
Robin could no longer stand the thick dust, and he fell onto one knee, coughing and sputtering to remove the excess debris from his lungs. As he coughed, he continued to look up, his eyes widening in horror as the cloud finally disappeared. The hall was wide open... but there was no sign of Starfire, and the rumbling from below was getting louder and louder.
"Where is she?" shouted Red X, looking in both directions down the hallway. "Did she follow him down the elevator?"
"I don't think so," said Robin, frantically taking one last look down the hall to make sure Starfire hadn't been knocked unconscious and was hurt on the floor. Wherever she was, she definitely wasn't in the hallway anymore... "Dammit... what if Slade..."
"C'mon, Robin," replied Red X, running toward the elevator. What he'd told Robin a few days ago about showing his affection was starting to ring eerily true... if Slade realized how Robin felt about Starfire, then... "...he wouldn't. He couldn't..."
"He did," thought Robin, blazing past Red X and running into the elevator at the end of the hallway. "Starfire's in serious trouble!"
X got into the elevator with Robin just as the door closed... and the hallway behind them began filling up with debris. The Tekita Refinery was slowly beginning to collapse... and Starfire was nowhere to be found.
O-O-O
The main boiler room of the refinery was a small, dark, almost cylindrical chamber near the center of the complex. A long, steel platform extended from the entrance to the center of the room, where an enormous furnace machine heated an enormous amount of water to supply electricity to a large part of the factory. Just above the platform was a large, steel pipe from which several chains dangled downward, normally used to hang tools from the boiler for easy access whenever work needed to be done.
In the refinery's critical state, steam shot out from several parts of the boiler, and the ground underneath was a swirling torrent of flames, as explosions rocked the building under the room.
The door opened, and Slade ran across the steel platform, holding the still-unconscious Tamaranian girl in his arms. He hoisted her up to the pipe and began wrapping chains around her wrists to hold her in place. After wrapping a length of chain tightly around Starfire's ankles, he used two of the heavy industrial chains apiece to tie around Starfire's arms, hanging her up from the pipe. As he finished tying the last of the chains, Starfire's eyes slowly began to open.
"By the time Robin finds you, it will be too late for you both," said Slade, his hand brushing through Starfire's hair. "You're just a distraction to him... a fatal distraction, in this case."
A loud explosion from underneath shook the entire platform, nearly knocking Slade off his feet. By now, Starfire had regained her senses, and she began furiously struggling at the chains holding her arms.
"This was a dirty trick, Slade!" shouted Starfire, staring angrily into Slade's eyes. Her own eyes were beginning to glow, and it was quite clear that Starfire wasn't happy with her predicament. "Robin will-"
"Of course he will come for you," Slade replied. "I saw how close the two of you were before Robin and I left for the underworld. Don't think I don't know exactly how to exploit the weaknesses of my opponents. Two birds with one stone... enjoy being the reason Robin burns to ashes."
Slade turned around and began walking back down the platform, toward the door leading to the boiler room exit. Immediately, Starfire's struggles intensified, even as she heard another loud explosion directly beneath her body. She looked down to see a jet of flame shooting up from the ground below, engulfing the bottom of the boiler she'd been attached to.
"If Robin gets here... the room will explode... with both of us inside!" thought Starfire, her arms tugging desperately at the heavy chains. "This is why Robin does not wish to reveal his feelings... he knew... he knew that Slade would..."
As Slade opened the boiler room door, he took one last look behind him, expecting to see Starfire still struggling to escape as the flames overtaking the boiler shot higher and higher.
Instead, he saw a Starbolt headed straight for his face. The force of the Starbolt threw him against the wall just outside, and when he looked up again, he saw Starfire, broken chains hanging off her arms, and her eyes aglow with bright green.
"Yaaaaaaaah!" screamed Starfire, her fist slamming into Slade's face. The attack shot his head back into the wall, where it made a large, circular hole on impact. "It is people like YOU that are the reason Robin and I cannot express our true feelings for one another!"
Before Slade could raise his head, Starfire's fist slammed into him again, pounding his head back even further into the wall.
"Well, let me tell you this... the next time you use the friendship that Robin and I share in order to hurt one of us... you will be TRULY SORRY!"
Seizing his chance, Slade stood up and slammed both of his hands into Starfire's chest, knocking her back into the boiler room. Before she could stand, Slade quickly closed the door and locked it behind him, triggering the emergency lock placed outside to seal the door shut.
"There won't be a next time..." said Slade, looking at Starfire through the small, circular window in the boiler room door, "because there won't be a you and Robin!"
Slade dashed off down the hallway, leaving Starfire frantically bombarding the door with Starbolts in an attempt to force it open. The boiler she'd just been chained to was now glowing bright red, and steam was shooting out from numerous places on its surface, as the entire room prepared to reach critical mass.
"I must get out and let Robin see that I am undamaged!" thought Starfire, slamming her fists repeatedly into the door. "And before I am destroyed along with this room..."
O-O-O
The elevator took Robin and Red X back down to the circular room, which had also begun to feel some of the effects from the explosion... several of the elevator tubes were cracked or shattered, and one of the lifts was completely destroyed. The two stepped out into the center of the room, only to come to a horrible realization... neither of them had any clue where Slade might've taken Starfire.
"The building's about to collapse!" Red X shouted. "If we're going to find her..."
"We ARE going to find her!" Robin replied, starting to run into one of the elevators, unsure about where it went but knowing that if he was going to find Starfire, he'd have to take chances... even if the building he was in could fall apart at any moment. "You coming, or-"
Another of the elevators could be seen coming up its shaft... Robin and Red X turned to the elevator, both of them gasping when they realized who was inside. It was Slade, but Starfire wasn't with him. He stepped out of the elevator and into the center of the room, and both Robin and X stepped up to face him.
"Where is she?" shouted Robin, his voice filled with anger. He extended his bo staff and pointed it at Slade's head.
"You'd better hurry," Slade replied, dashing toward the elevator that led back to the main lobby of the building. "She's in the boiler room, a few rooms down from the elevator I just came from. But if you want to save her... you'll have to let me go."
"That's not happening!" shouted Red X, pointing his palms at Slade as he entered the elevator. Another loud explosion sounded, and the entire room shook violently. "Dammit... I've gotta kill this guy for what he did to my family... but if I don't let him go, Starfire could-"
Meanwhile, Robin had already gotten into the elevator leading to the boiler room. As much as he hated letting Slade go, he hated Starfire being in danger even more... if he didn't get to her quickly, it might be too late...
"X, come on!" shouted Robin, gesturing at Red X to follow him into the boiler room elevator. "Starfire's in trouble, she-"
X turned his attention back to Slade, whose elevator was already making its way back down to the main lobby. He clenched his fists, leaping out of the way of a piece of debris that had just fallen down from the ceiling. The rumbling beneath him was loud enough to nearly drown out Robin's voice... the building would be gone in minutes, and with it would be Starfire, probably helpless and afraid in the boiler room, trapped and knowing that no one was coming to help her...
"There are two of you..." thought Red X, suddenly looking toward an entirely different elevator... the one he'd entered from when he was working for Sorel. It would take him down to the main garage... where he could run outside and back into the building, hopefully cutting Slade off at the pass. "Robin, go help Starfire, she needs you!"
"What are you doing?" Robin shouted, not wanting to head down to the boiler room without Red X. "Starfire is-"
"I can get to Slade!" shouted Red X, running into the elevator and pressing the button to go back down to the garage. "You help Starfire, you're the one she cares about!"
As much as it hurt to let Robin get all the glory for rescuing Starfire, Red X knew that Slade couldn't just be allowed to escape... he had no chance with Starfire, and he knew it. Robin would just have to be the one to save her this time... Slade had to be made to pay for his sins.
"I'll see you down below," said Red X, as the elevator slowly disappeared from the crumbling central room. "Don't you DARE let Starfire die."
"Don't worry..." thought Robin, as the elevator carried him down to the boiler room hallway. "I won't..."
O-O-O
Though the window in the boiler room was transparent, the material it was made of was just as durable as the metallic door, and Starfire's punches and kicks did nothing to weaken its structural integrity. Even her Starbolts couldn't blast open the door, and the platform she was standing on began creaking and moaning as the heat slowly bent its metallic frame.
"This is hopeless..." thought Starfire, staring through the window. "Robin will come, and both of us will die here..."
She looked back to see the flames now lapping at the tip of the platform. She knew that once the boiler exploded, the entire room would fill with flames... it would become so hot that even she wouldn't be able to stand it.
"I must escape!" shouted Starfire, her fist repeatedly slamming into the window. "If Robin comes here, both of us will be-"
The loud shattering noise seemed like music to Starfire's ears. She'd finally managed to punch through the window, and though the sharp glass-like material slashed her arm as she punched through, she now knew that she had an opening she could use... she reached both hands through the shattered window and lifted her body into the air, pressing her feet against the door as she pulled at the frame through the window.
"If I can apply just enough pressure, I can wrench the door free..."
It was then that the platform she had been standing on fell away, its metal frame instantly melting into the flames underneath. The boiler was bright red, its hot white steam filling the entire room. Starfire had just seconds to escape... she tugged at the door with all her might, her eyes closing as she felt the steam sear her back...
"Just a bit more..."
Robin dashed through the hall, ignoring the rumbling of the building and the debris from the ceiling that fell on him from below. The boiler room was just a few yards away... he ran as quickly as his legs could carry him, ignoring the pain that his fatigue made all too clear.
"Starfire, I'm coming!"
It was all his fault... he never should've gotten so close to Starfire, never should have allowed Slade to witness his affection for her... he had to protect her, and when he let his guard up for just a moment...
When he reached a corner, he knew that he only needed to make one more turn. The boiler room would be the next door on his right... but he never made it that far. A loud, violent explosion shook the entire hallway, sending a huge wall of steam out in all directions. The force of the blast knocked Robin to the ground on his back, and he was helpless as he looked up at the ceiling and saw a jet of fire shoot outward, above his head. He quickly closed his eyes to protect them from the flames... but felt nothing. Through the sound of the flames, however, he could hear a scream... then, a few strained words, the sound just above his head.
"Robin... are you... all right?"
He immediately recognized the voice... and when he opened his eyes, he could see Starfire's face staring down at him, her worried frown changing into a joyful smile as he slowly picked himself up from the ground. Before he could speak, Starfire's arms were around him, crushing his own arms to his sides. Behind Starfire, an enormous, burned-out hole in the structure of the factory, where the exploding boiler had taken out its own containment room, as well as several rooms around it and below. The hall in front of Robin and the hall behind him were scorched, but still intact.
He said nothing to Starfire, only smiling as her arms gently wrapped around his back. She had learned to control her powers so she could hug people without breaking their bones, but Starfire's embrace was still tighter than most, though he didn't feel an ounce of pain as her gentle hands caressed his cape.
"Starfire... I thought..."
"Slade took me, yes, but... I escaped so that I could find you... I was so worried, I did not know if..."
Starfire could no longer bring herself to speak, and she could feel a tear start to trickle down the side of her face. After wiping the tear away, she continued.
"Robin, if you had made it to the boiler room, we both would have been..."
Another violent explosion interrupted Starfire, breaking her and Robin out of their hug and nearly sending both of them falling into the large hole behind them. They quickly stepped away from the huge rupture in the building, turning back around and running toward the elevator at the end of the hall.
"We can get out this way, the elevator should still be-"
But Robin's voice quickly trailed off when he saw the shaft where the elevator used to be. In the force of the explosions, it had fallen down the shaft... broken and useless, in a crumpled heap at the bottom.
"That is all right," said Starfire, grabbing Robin by the waist. "I can float down, remem-"
Another loud rumbling noise accompanied an enormous pile of debris that plummeted down the elevator shaft, filling it nearly to capacity and blocking off the entire shaft.
Not wasting a moment, Starfire floated with Robin down toward the other end of the hallway, toward the smoldering hole that the boiler had made when it exploded.
"Certainly one of these rooms must lead to the way out," she said, floating into the hole and scanning the various hallways. She floated downward as low as she could, into a long, wide hallway filled with debris. "This must lead to an exit!"
She set Robin down, and together the two ran down the hallway as the building began collapsing around them. Just a few seconds after Robin and Starfire had begun running, the hole created by the boiler rapidly filled up with debris... the central tower had begun collapsing into the rest of the building, which was unable to support its incredible weight.
"We'd better get out of here soon..." thought Robin, shooting a worried glance at Starfire. "If we don't... we're both going to get buried alive!"
O-O-O
Slade casually walked into the front lobby of the refinery. He'd heard the boiler explode, and knew by now that Robin and Starfire had to be dead. Red X most likely used another escape route... there was no way that the coward would stick his neck out for someone, even for Starfire.
"The Titans are in shambles, and my apprentice has been taught a valuable lesson," said Slade to himself as he walked out into the lobby. He looked over to the main door... and received the shock of his life.
His apprentice, the 'coward' Red X, was standing in the doorway, blocking his exit. His arms were across his chest.
"And that lesson is?" said Red X, confidence once again entering his voice. "If Robin and Starfire die, you're dying right along with them. Actually, you're going to die anyway... I'll make sure of that."
Slade was surprised, but mostly unfazed... after all, Red X was still a weakened opponent... and Slade was confident that X wasn't nearly as brave as he was pretending to be. But when another explosion sounded, and Red X didn't budge... Slade knew that the young man would need some convincing.
"I'm giving you the chance to live," said Slade, standing a few feet in front of Red X and waiting for him to move. "This building collapses, and anyone within fifty feet of it will be crushed by the debris."
"Then you'd better find another way out," said Red X, unintimidated. "Because I'm not moving."
Red X had no intention of sacrificing himself to kill Slade... he just hoped that Slade would be caught in the collapse, and that he could somehow escape. If he ran at just the right moment...
"Neither am I," said Slade, seeing Red X's legs tremble slightly. "You're quite noble, but I think that when push comes to shove, you'll see things my way."
"Why don't you come at me?" Red X shouted, trying to get Slade to make the first move. "If he attacks, maybe I can pin him to the floor... what am I thinking? If I let Slade go, my family will never be safe... but if Slade and I die here... no, I don't want to die! But... my family..."
Another explosion, even louder than the previous one. An incredible crash as the central tower began caving in on itself, sending a wave of debris bursting forward into the bottom part of the building. A violent quake that nearly brought the trembling Red X to the ground... and then, Slade made his move.
He lunged forward, his fist slamming hard into Red X's stomach. Red X collapsed, and Slade grabbed him by the collar and threw him back into the lobby before dashing off into the night.
"As I said, I'll be seeing you shortly!" Slade yelled as he ran. "You'd better hurry..."
Red X stood up, groaning in pain as he clutched his stomach. He could taste blood pooling in his mouth, but he didn't care... the building was about to collapse, and if he got caught up in it, he'd be killed for sure...
Robin and Starfire hadn't made it out... Red X wasn't sure if they were even still alive. He looked back, seeing both the right and left hallways still intact, but both starting to crumble as debris piled up on top of them.
"No..." thought Red X, turning back toward the front door. "If they want out, they can escape by themselves, just like I did..."
O-O-O
Neither Robin nor Starfire were really sure where they were going... but both of them knew where they weren't going, and that was back... back toward the loud, horrible sound of the building they were in collapsing behind them... and the wall of debris filling the enormous hall.
"In here!" shouted Robin, pointing toward a small, white door in front of them. Starfire nodded, and the two ran into the door at the back of the hallway, opening and closing it behind them.
The room appeared to be a small storage room, its walls made of solid metal, and several empty shelves in front of Robin and Starfire as they stepped inside... but it was also a dead end. The door behind them, their entrance and now their only exit, became blocked as soon as it was closed, as debris filled in the entire hallway behind it. Robin tried opening the door, but Starfire quickly stopped him, pulling him back into the room and pointing at the glass window taking up most of the top half of the door.
"Robin..." said Starfire, her trembling finger pointing at the window. "We are trapped..."
Another explosion shook the room, but it remained intact... only a few pieces of dust that had been hanging on the metallic ceiling fell down to the floor. The lights in the room flicked on and off... Robin and Starfire were trapped.
"There's gotta be another way out..." said Robin, looking up at the ceiling. "A ventilation shaft... anything!"
No ventilation shaft... no escape. The storage room, it seemed... was about to become Robin and Starfire's tomb.
"Robin, maybe I can... maybe I can use my Starbolts to-"
Robin shook his head.
"You'd be doing the same thing that I would've done if I'd have opened the door... just letting the debris from outside in here... we'd both be crushed..."
"But there has to be some way out of here, Robin!" Starfire shouted, her voice filled with hope... and fear as well. "Please, just-"
"Let me think..." Robin snapped, his mind racing for a way to escape. He'd been trapped in situations like this before... there was always a way out... "If only Starfire hadn't been taken... then both of us would be out of here... it's my fault, it's all my fault..."
He never should've let himself be so open with Starfire... that was why he'd been so uncomfortable to call her his girlfriend... and now, because of him, both he and Starfire were trapped.
Another explosion... more dust falling into the room... and an ominous creaking noise from above. The entire building was about to come down right where Robin and Starfire were standing.
"Robin..." said Starfire, turning to Robin and taking his hands in hers. She knew that he was still trying to think of a way for the two of them to escape the room... but she also knew that what she was about to say to Robin, she might never get another chance to say. "Please... it is my fault that both of us are here... if I had not been-"
"Starfire, no..." said Robin, the creaking in the ceiling of the room getting louder and louder. "It's not..."
"Yes it is," she replied, turning away from Robin, too ashamed to look him in the face. "If I had not been so... so... eager to be your girlfriend, then... Slade would not have seen us together and-"
She was right... it was Starfire who had forced a lot of Robin's feelings to the surface... and he only revealed them because he knew it would hurt her if he didn't. But look what had happened... both of them trapped, about to be crushed... exactly what Robin was afraid would happen.
"Starfire, the reason I couldn't say how I felt about you is..."
"Because I was not strong enough to protect myself?" said Starfire, turning to face Robin.
"No, Starfire... because I didn't think I was strong enough to protect you... anyone who hurt you is more than strong enough to hurt me, and if something happened to you, I... I wasn't sure that I could-"
"Robin, no matter what happens to me... it will not change the way I feel about you... do not be afraid for me, I know that you will protect me... and I promise to always protect you... you do not have to hide how you feel to protect me, Robin!"
"I thought she'd say something like that..." Robin knew that Starfire was strong... but if something ever happened to her... like it just had...
Starfire continued staring at Robin, waiting for him to reply. He stared back at her, searching for something to say... the room was just seconds from collapsing now, and instead of speaking, Robin found himself moving toward Starfire, his face leaning toward hers... his arms wrapped around Starfire's back, and her arms tightened around him as well.
"Robin, if you do not wish to see me hurt... if you truly do not wish for me to be your girlfriend, then just say so... I will understand..."
"But Starfire... I..."
An X-shaped hole appeared in the back wall of the room. Robin and Starfire immediately released one another, looking at the hole to see Red X gesturing to both of them.
"This place is going to be a pile of rubble in just a few seconds! Let's get the hell out of here!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Robin and Starfire ran out of the room, following Red X as he dashed down a rapidly collapsing hallway. The entire building was shaking violently, and as soon as Robin and Starfire left the storage room, the room above collapsed into it, followed by the top floors of the tower falling off the top of the structure and plummeting into the factory area of the building.
"HURRY!" shouted Red X, running out into the front lobby. Starfire was the next to emerge, but Robin was lagging behind by several steps, having been hit in the leg by a piece of the ceiling as he ran down the hall.
"Robin!" shouted Starfire, turning back toward Robin, who disappeared into a dust cloud as the hallway leading into the lobby completely collapsed. "NO!"
Starfire leapt into the dust cloud, firing Starbolts at whatever she could, trying to clear a path for Robin out of the growing pile of debris.
"Starfire, what are you doing?" shouted Red X, unable to turn away until he was sure Starfire was safe. "Dammit, Star... I'm not leaving without you..."
Suddenly, both Starfire and Robin flew out of the collapsed hallway, landing on their faces, both of them covered with brown dust.
"Starfire..." Robin coughed, limping to his feet. "Are you..."
"We have to go!" shouted Starfire, standing up and grabbing Robin by the hand. Before Red X could move, Starfire grabbed his hand with her other hand, flying out of the building and up into the air, giving all three of them the perfect view as the Tekita Refinery collapsed into a pile of rubble.
The enormous central tower caved in on itself completely, creating a huge, disc-shaped wave as the rest of the factory fell apart, creating a huge cloud of dust, smoke, and flames that shot high up into the late-afternoon sky.
Starfire set Robin and Red X down at the back of the parking lot before floating down next to them, a relieved sigh escaping her lips.
"Are both of you-"
"We're fine," said Red X, rubbing the back of his head. Robin looked back at the huge cloud of debris and dust that was once the Tekita Refinery.
"Guess I'll have to get a new T-Cycle..." Robin sighed, though clearly the important thing was that everyone was safe... especially Starfire. "I can make a new T-Cycle in a few days... but there'll never be anyone else like Starfire..."
"Actually," said Red X, pointing to a spot just a few parking spaces away, where Robin's T-Cycle was sitting, without a scratch, "I took the liberty of moving it back a bit..."
"...how did you-"
"I'm a thief, remember?" said Red X proudly. "If I hadn't had to come back and stop Slade from leaving, I'd have taken it back to my house."
Slade... he was still out there, free to terrorize Red X and his family... as well as everyone else in Jump City. Slade's headquarters had been destroyed, but Slade could easily find a new place to hide... and now, even Red X didn't know where it was. Back to square one, it seemed.
Robin and Starfire stared at each other for several seconds, neither of them really sure of what to say to one another. Starfire's words still echoed in Robin's mind... you do not have to hide how you feel... still, Robin felt like he couldn't quite show his full affection for Starfire, no matter how much she wanted him to.
But he found himself embracing her again... after everything he and Starfire had been through, he had to do something... and it felt so good just to have Starfire's arms around him.
"Look, you two are probably busy here," said Red X, his hand lifting to his face. Robin and Starfire stopped hugging and turned to him, Robin's hand still around Starfire's waist as the two of them faced Red X. "But... I need to say something."
The thief removed his mask... whatever he had to say, it was Sanza who had to say it. Sanza was the one whose family had just been saved, after all.
"Thank you..." said Sanza, as humbly as he could. He never thought he could feel this kind of gratitude for the Teen Titans, especially after they'd been the ones to save his family and not him... but his time would come. Defeating Slade and putting him away once and for all would be the ultimate way to protect his family. But now, he had to give credit where it was due. "Thank you for saving Maddy and my mother. If it hadn't been for you-"
"You made it possible, Sanza," Robin replied. "You were the one who kept Slade distracted... you put your life on the line and gave us more than enough time to save your family."
The cuts on Sanza's face were a clear testament to the incredible battle he'd had to endure. And even though he'd taken the brunt of the beating, he knew that Slade had had to endure as well. He'd given Slade a fight... a hell of a fight.
"Robin is correct... you-"
"No. You... all of you... you found them, and you freed them. All I did was nearly kill the five of you, and nearly get myself killed," said Sanza, turning away from Robin and Starfire and heading out of the parking lot. "And now I'm going home to be with my family."
"...don't you want to come back to the tower?" asked Robin. Sanza shook his head.
"I need to be with Maddy and my mother... but tomorrow... tomorrow we're going to find Slade, and we're going to end this once and for all. No more training, no more bullshit teamwork exercises... you're the smart one, you figure out a plan for us. Tomorrow... Slade goes down for good."
O-O-O
After putting his costume back under the bed in his room, Sanza ran down the fire escape to the second floor of the apartment... he wanted to come in the front door this time, so his family could actually see him as soon as he came in.
When he opened the door, Maddy and Maria, who had been at the kitchen table with a box of Kleenex, immediately looked up. When they saw Sanza, both of them stood up and ran over to him, hugging him at the same time.
"Sanza," said Maria, her next few words a loving sequence of hasty Spanish until she could no longer compose herself enough to speak. She wiped at her eyes, her arms still wrapped tightly around both her son and daughter, thankful that both of them were safe. The wounds on Sanza's face were inconsequential... he was safe, he was alive, and he was home...
"Sanza, what happened to you..." sobbed Maddy, her face rubbing into his chest. "Slade... did he... did he..."
"Robin and Starfire saved me..." said Sanza, who found that even he could barely keep the tears from coming to his eyes.
"Just like they said they would..." thought Maria, sniffling as she released Sanza and walked back over to the kitchen table to grab a Kleenex. Maddy continued to hug Sanza, her arms tight around his back. "I'm so... so glad you're safe..."
"I'm sorry..." said Sanza, looking up at Maria as Maddy continued to hug him. "It's my fault you've both been attacked... because I... because I..."
This was it... Sanza had to tell them both... the secret that had endangered their lives... he didn't know how they'd take the news, but...
"It's all right... Robin told us everything... he and Starfire said... said you saved her life... that's why Slade was mad at you... that's why he came after us..."
A quizzical look appeared on Sanza's face. They hadn't told his mother and daughter that he was Red X... only that Sanza had saved Starfire's life. But could he really keep lying to his family?
He had to... just for a little longer.
"The night... the night of the prom," Sanza began, pulling away from Maddy and sitting down at the kitchen table, "Slade had kidnapped Starfire, and as I was leaving the prom, he forced me into an alley. There, he placed Starfire in the trunk of the car and told me to drive to a specific location..."
Sanza continued telling the fabricated story, about how he knew he had to return Starfire to Titans Tower, but on the way home, Slade had beaten him to within an inch of his life. The lie was painful to both Maria and Maddy, but it was a lot less painful to them than telling them the truth... that Sanza was nothing more than a common thief.
After the story, the three continued to talk in the kitchen for nearly an hour... they were alive, they were free... but were they safe?
Sanza knew that as long as Slade was alive, his family could never be safe.
That night, up in his room, Sanza continued to think... where could Slade possibly be? And how would he and the Titans find him, let alone stop him?
"Tomorrow..." thought Sanza, staring straight up at the ceiling of his room. His eyes began to close, and he knew his weary body would finally be able to rest. "Tomorrow, Slade... you're history..."
Just as Sanza started to fall asleep, the door of his room creaked open. He wearily sat up, and in the darkness, could see his younger sister Maddy slowly walking into the room.
"Maddy?" groaned Sanza, tiredly looking over at the clock on his desk. "It's-"
"It's eight-thirty," replied Maddy. "Why are you already going to sleep?"
Sanza knew exactly why. He'd fought Slade, he'd fought the Teen Titans, he'd barely escaped from a giant, collapsing building... it'd be like if somebody fought Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Triple H, and Batista all in a row, and then went to work for one of New York's fire companies on 9/11. A day like that would tire anybody out.
"Sanza... when I was in that dark room... I kept thinking that instead of the Teen Titans, I'd see you coming through that door to save me..."
Sanza wished it had been him... he'd been the reason Maddy had been kidnapped... he should've been the one to save her. He'd been able to see her, sobbing and trembling along with his mother... it looked so close on those monitors, but the two of them couldn't have been any farther away, in the bowels of the building... while they were being saved by the Teen Titans, Sanza was getting his ass kicked by Slade. It should've been me saving her...
"I'm sorry, Maddy..." said Sanza, getting up from the bed and walking over to her. "If there's anything I can do to-"
Maddy shook her head, a wide smile on her face.
"You don't have to do anything, Sanza... except maybe take me out for ice cream tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow... tomorrow I'm supposed to... after that," thought Sanza. "After I beat Slade... sure, Maddy... we'll go tomorrow night, okay?"
"Thank you, Sanza!" shouted Maddy, wrapping her arms around Sanza's back.
"Damn, now I know why they taped your mouth shut..." Sanza thought. Maddy's voice was loud enough to easily fill the entire room. "I'd better get to sleep..."
Sanza turned around and climbed back into bed, looking up and watching Maddy as she left the room.
"Night night, Sanza..." Maddy whispered, gently shutting the door behind her as she left. The sound of the door clicking was the last thing Sanza heard before he finally fell asleep.
"Good night, Maddy..."
O-O-O
Red X walked into Titans Tower the next afternoon, his wounds patched and his body feeling invigorated. Today was the day... today, Slade would be history.
"We know exactly where he is," said Robin, pointing at a map of the Jump City area that was projected onto the large television screen in the front room of Titans Tower. "Mt. Cappalani, just outside of town... where he's built a small base to carry out operations in case he couldn't work within the city."
"...did you put a tracer on him or something?" asked Red X.
"This is where his base was when he tried to set a giant forest fire to burn the towns around Jump City," said Raven, "and we went out and investigated that area last night. He's there."
"We also have a way to stop him," said Robin. A picture of a metallic canister appeared on the screen. The top and bottom of the canister were glowing red. "Cyborg?"
"This is a concentrated Xynothium bomb," said Cyborg, "which, if detonated in close proximity to Slade, will provide more than enough energy to penetrate his armor and-"
"Kill him," Red X finished, clenching his fists. "I thought the Teen Titans didn't kill."
Starfire turned away from Red X, a slightly sad look on her face. It was Robin who was the first to speak.
"Slade... would break out of any prison we put him in," said Robin. "The only way to stop him for good is-"
"I understand," replied Red X. "Besides, I'd have killed him anyway... wait a minute... Xynothium bomb?"
Red X looked down at the glowing reactor built into his suit. Would it have to be used in the construction of the bomb? If it did, then...
"That will not work," said Starfire, shaking her head. "We need something with even more Xynothium energy than that..."
"But this is... this is a limitless supply!" replied Red X, pointing at the reactor.
"But the energy output doesn't match that of a large amount of raw Xynothium," said Robin, "which is why you can't use the reactor to teleport."
"Raw Xynothium would be nice, but I can't keep going on Xynothium runs all the time..." thought Red X. "If I wanted raw Xynothium, I could just..."
"...so we're going to need a bunch of raw Xynothium to fuel this thing?" asked Beast Boy, realizing the dilemma with Robin's plan. "Dr. Chang left town, where are we going to-"
"I know exactly where we're going to get it," replied Red X, turning away from the Titans and walking toward the entrance to the Tower. "I'll be back."
O-O-O
The final preparations are being made... but Robin's planned Xynothium bomb needs a source. But what is this mysterious source Red X is speaking of? If anyone knows how to get Xynothium, it's Red X... but can he get it before Slade makes another attempt to regain Red X as an apprentice? It's a race against time as the story draws nearer to its epic conclusion...