Thank you, one and all to those who replied. I am working hard to updat as soon as possible.

dIsky: You hit right on the mark of where I was trying to go with Slade. I'm impressed. Most other places I post this, people don't get that. You must be a very deep thinker. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Again, thank you all and here's the next chapter I'm sure you're all anticipating! ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, or any related material, although the story idea is mine.

Chapter 10

This was a new experience for her, feeling the joy of flight. It had been so long since she could feel such a happy feeling, the joy of flight. In fact, she hadn't been able to truly enjoy it for the past ten months. She hoped that she would find time to do it again, for she had long since forgotten what a beautiful view it was. The city twinkled like the stars she enjoyed in her time out in space. Views like this made her homesick at times for her home planet where the air was crisp and clean and she had no trouble viewing the stars at night.

What was most amazing was the speed at which she was now able to travel. Before, when she was merely walking, she could not travel at the speed of light. Granted, she could not do so now in her current condition, but she was able to get close. Everything was so beautiful up here, but she wasn't just here for the sights. She was here to find that cave and infiltrate a lair and save her best friend.

For a moment, she thought she heard a soft grunt below her as she touched down to scan the area, but it must have been the wind, for she could not see anything otherwise that would suggest another presence here. Lighting the way with a single starbolt, she wandered through the area until she reached the one cave she was looking for and went inside.

The entrance to the cave was scorch marked and she flinched at what she knew had occurred here, but she kept walking. At several points, she stopped and gasped at the damage that Raven had done. In one area, the rocks were completely burnt to a crisp. In another area, she could see many cracks in the wall from impact. She tried not to think about who or what had hit the wall as she passed it.

As she walked down into the deeper recesses of the cave, it became harder and harder for her to see, even with the light her starbolt provided her. The darkness was complete, almost swallowing her up in its depths. She shivered slightly at how dismal this place was. It seemed to her to be reflecting the dark things that had happened within its walls.

Suddenly, she walked underneath some small creatures she had not seen before. They emitted strange sounds, almost like high-pitched chirps; perhaps they were some new type of birds? No such luck. The creatures were disturbed by her starbolt and they began flying out of the cave, surrounding her as they flew on the rampage. Their wings were leathery and the sounds she had heard before were louder than before, hurting her ears. She recognized the shapes of the creatures from a picture she had once seen on a newspaper, back when she had first met Robin. They were called...bats or some such strange name.

Stumbling around, she tripped over a rock and fell to the ground, her starbolt going out as she hit the ground. What was that rock doing in the middle of nowhere? She went to move it out of her way so that she didn't trip over it on her way back, but it wouldn't budge. She created another starbolt, this one bigger, to see what was wrong with this stone. It had a metallic glow to it; it definitely wasn't normal. On a hunch, she decided to push down harder on it, and it moved into the ground, revealing a large metal door a few feet away.

Her eyes lit up in anticipation; this was the break she had been waiting for! With intense feelings of anticipation, she opened the door, a feat any normal person would not have been able to do by force as she was able to do. As it were, she already had to use every drop of strength she had to get the door to open enough for her to slip inside. Slade sure had this place well protected and hidden. She felt a little bit better about not being able to have found it before.

She let her feet leave the ground, knowing that if she were to walk in this place, she ran the risk of being heard, for the entire lair was metallic and any and all footsteps would surely echo. Now her greatest challenge was finding her friend. She hugged the ceiling, not wanting to take any chances now that she had gotten this far. Luckily, she would not have to look far to find him.

After a few minutes, she noticed a figure laying on the ground, spiky hair matted to his head with sweat and breathing irregular. Startled to see him in this condition, she glanced quickly around to make sure that nobody could see her, then softly touched down beside him. Tears formed in her eyes as she scanned the boy. He was absolutely covered in bruises and scratches. It hurt her heart to see him this way. At least when she was fighting him he had the familiar air of confidence and composure, but this Robin was dejected and hurt and sorrowful.

"Robin?" She took the risk of speaking out loud. She needed to make sure that he was conscious, wanted to know for herself that he would survive. "Who did this to you? Was Raven's attack truly this bad? What happened? Please speak with me!" She attempted to keep her voice down to a whisper, but she was finding that this was near impossible to do, for she was choking on her tears.

She put her hand on his shoulder, trying to feel if he was breathing. He shuddered unconsciously at her touch, and she retracted her hand for a moment, not sure what to do next. Finally, she picked his head up and put it in her lap, letting her tears fall onto his cheeks as she struggled inwardly. It was so painful to see him this way, especially after so many hours of anticipation, dreams of this moment when she would help him escape.

"Star?" She looked down to see him smiling up at her. He was awake! With newfound joy, she gathered his head up in her arms and hugged him, glad to see that he was at least conscious. What she couldn't see was the urgency in those eyes behind his mask. She didn't know it, but he was afraid for her, scared that Slade would catch her here.

"It is wonderful to see that you are awake!" she whispered back to him, and his smile broadened at this.

"You have to get out of here!" He said, gasping for breath afterwards. She cocked her head to one side. Leave? Why would she leave his side now that she had finally been reunited with him?

"I will not leave you again, Robin. I am going to get you out of here!" she said, pulling him up into a sitting position and holding him up with her arms.

"It's too dangerous!" he said, trying to move away, but he did not have the strength.

"I do not care. I know the risks. I found the probes within my body," she said, trying to comfort him, to let him know that everything was going to be okay.

"So, you got rid of them?"

She paused. In her hurry to find him, she had forgotten to rid herself of the probes. "Um..."

"It's not safe for you here as long as those probes are there," he said, trying to get up himself, but he still had not completely regained the use of his limbs yet.

The two heard footsteps approaching, and he pushed her arms off of his shoulders, motioning her away, saying, "Go. If he finds you here it won't be good for either of us!"

She crossed her arms. "I am staying."

He shook his head slightly as he swayed in his place, falling back over. "Ouch. Listen to me! Leave now!"

Sadly, she heeded his advice and flew into the nearby hallway, not a moment to soon. As she rounded the corner, she heard the sound of a door being opened in the other room. Secretly, she vowed to return with all the other Titans. They would rescue him. They had to.