Evil: The Other Side
by Blair Lebeau, SocialButterfli
Summary:
Starfire has always been sweet and innocent. But when Slade realizes her power, he brainwashes her to become his next apprentice and the Titans can only watch as she embraces the other side. Is it possible that Starfire has become truly evil? RobStar
Disclaimer:
You'd think that if I owned Teen Titans, I would have told you by now. But I don't. Still. Damn.
Quote:
"Starfire. She wanted us to find him. She wanted us to know what she is now capable of doing." –Robin
Part Four: Invincible
Chapter Fourteen
Robin watched as Slade's unconscious body was lifted onto a gurney and rolled away towards a waiting armored truck that would take him to prison. For the first time since Starfire's conversion, his mind was free of random, frantic thoughts. Devoid of emotion, he felt detached from his body, as if what was happening was a dream and not real.
Starfire's locator had led them to Slade's well-camouflaged underground hideout. They hadn't been sure what to expect, whether it was another trap or not, so they had entered with caution, only to find it completely unnecessary. Slade was sprawled out unconscious next to his desk, where the Jewel of Charta information was still displayed on his laptop screen. After checking for and finding a pulse, the special security police were alerted to the situation and location. The Titans were told to stay with the body in case it regained consciousness. So until the police's arrival, the Titans had been stuck there with a body and no answers.
And now even though they were there, answers still had yet to be found.
If they police were surprised or impressed by the takedown of Slade, they showed no sign of it; then again, with those Darth Vader-esque masks, you wouldn't have been able to tell anyway. As they wheeled Slade out, one remained behind, looking around at the lab, studying the various liquids and machines that surrounded him.
"We'll need this place empty in order to case it," he said, his voice muffled through the mask. "Good job, kids, but we'll take it from here." It took a moment for the Titans to realize that he was addressing them and that they had been dismissed. Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at the policeman's back as they reluctantly made their way out of Slade's hideout.
"Kids," he sniffed, crossing his arms. "Just who do they think they are, kicking us out like that? After all, did they take down Slade? Noooo."
"Neither did we," Raven pointed out. Beast Boy deflated, then crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out again, this time at the cynical empath. She snorted.
"Very mature."
"You two wanna shut up any time soon?" Cyborg snapped. "We need to focus on what the hell happened back there!"
"Starfire happened," Raven remarked, darkly.
"Wait, you think Star did that?" Beast Boy asked, surprised. Raven nodded.
"How else do you explain her absence?"
"Maybe she got scared that someone could overtake Slade and ran," Cyborg suggested.
"Don't forget the Jewel of Charta," Beast Boy added. "It was missing too. So how does that fit in?" Cyborg shrugged.
"Considering her history with it, she might have realized just how dangerous it would be in Slade's possession. She could have overthrown whatever control he has over her and fought him off."
"Or maybe she just wanted it for herself." Cyborg and Beast Boy both stared at Raven, shocked.
"You're joking," Beast Boy said, incredulously. "Starfire would never do that."
"Our Starfire wouldn't," Raven corrected. "But we're not dealing with our Starfire."
"What are you saying?" Cyborg asked, suspiciously.
"She probably did overthrow Slade, but not because she realized what she's doing is wrong. She did it because she discovered that with the Jewel of Charta, she would be able to do what we haven't: defeat him. Now she's the one invincible, without Slade's agenda to hold her back. So the question is, what is she going to do next?"
"That's impossible," Cyborg insisted.
"Starfire wouldn't! She couldn't!" Beast Boy agreed.
"She did," Raven said, simply.
Robin had remained silent while he team argued over what had happened. If it had been any other mission, he would have contributed. But not today. Not in this situation. His mind wasn't ready to consider the possibilities. Starfire's impending good nature was already in question, now the Jewel of Charta and Slade's capture were thrown into the mix.
Robin knew that Slade's defeat had shaken him. It still hadn't quite set in that Slade was no longer a problem. He wasn't a factor in this equation anymore. It didn't seem to make sense. Slade was always the notorious villain who was a constant threat to Jump City. He was Robin's archenemy, his obsession. Slade was there from the beginning, and while other villains had come into play, it still all came down to him. Slade. The only name that could instill such hate in Robin like no other. It was hard to imagine a crime without Slade behind it. It was hard to imagine a day without Slade's defeat as the ultimate goal. For so long the Boy Wonder was tormented by him and searched for a way to bring him down. And now that was accomplished. But not by Robin. He wasn't even there for it. It was the most anticlimactic capture of the most threatening, omniscient villain ever to haunt Robin's mind.
Perhaps that was why it didn't seem real to him.
"Well if you know it all, why don't you tell us where we should start looking?" Cyborg snapped. Raven glared, a black outline of power flaming around her.
"At least I'm helping," she retorted. "Your lead was a dead end."
"Hey, at least the reactivated locator led us to Slade," Cyborg objected.
Robin looked up abruptly, jarred from his thoughts as Cyborg's words set in. Realization closed in on his heart and held tight.
"Someone had to activate the tracking device," he said, quietly. "Starfire. She wanted us to find him. She wanted us to know what she is now capable of doing." Their leader's sudden realization of Starfire's plan left the Titans speechless. That was fine. Robin didn't need any feedback. He was back in control.
"We have to get back to Titans Tower," he commanded. "We can figure out our next move there." With that, he strode off towards the T-Car, which was parked near the armored truck. The Titans stared after him, startled, but had no choice but to follow. Robin didn't even glance over as the police loaded Slade into the truck. It was the end of an era, but the beginning of a new one. Slade wasn't his number one priority now.
Starfire was.
Starfire frowned. Slade's brainwashing equipment and the still lifeless Deathstroke were proving to be a cumbersome burden. Although the Jewel of Charta was supplying her with endless energy and strength, she still couldn't continue to carry the load without a set destination in mind. It had never crossed her mind that after doing away with Slade she would need somewhere else to hide. But she was a criminal now. The Titans would be looking for her.
She needed to repair Deathstroke so that if the pesky Titans discovered her plan, the robot would be able to hold them off while she put the finishing touches on her masterpiece. Then while all of Jump City was turning evil, she could find the time to do away with them herself. It was a moment she was very much looking forward to; but for now, she still needed somewhere to perform Deathstroke's necessary repairs. Luckily, the damage was minimal: the robot only needed its battery recharged. But Slade had been surprisingly unprepared for such a dilemma. Starfire had searched for recharging equipment but hadn't found any. The only place she knew of that would have it available was Cyborg's room in Titans Tower.
Starfire paused. She had been feeling slightly homesick, though she never would have admitted it to herself. But there was just something about Titans Tower that made it home, no matter where you are or what you've been through. Maybe a visit wasn't such a bad idea. After all, what other choice did she have? And the tower wasn't so far off. With Deathstroke restored, she thankfully wouldn't have to carry it anymore. Starfire figured the Titans would be too preoccupied, not to mention shocked, with Slade, so she could probably get in and get out before they came home.
Her mind made up, Starfire switched direction and headed towards the gigantic T that she knew and loved. Besides, while she was there and waiting for Deathstroke to charge up, she could always mess around with Cyborg's security system and lock the Titans out of their own home. A wicked smile crossed Starfire's face. Yeah. It couldn't hurt to have a little fun with the Titans one last time before she brought them down.
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Okay, so it's been a while since I've updated, which I feel really bad about especially because I have these chapters written in advance so there's not much holding me back from updating. But I've been crazy busy, and even now I don't have much time, but I didn't want to hold out on you any longer. However, I don't have time to respond to any of the reviewers, but I figured you'd rather have the next chapter now rather than wait for when I have more time, which probably wouldn't be soon.
So do the review thing because I love them and they inspire me to keep writing, and hopefully by the next update things will have calmed down more and I'll be able to respond! Sorry the update took so long. Hope it was worth the wait!
Blair