Chapter 8: Doomed
The Titans ran/flew as fast as they could towards the edge of town. They were expecting Mirage to be at the warehouse with Starfire in tow, demanding control of Jump City, the Titans to surrender, etc.
But what they found was MUCH different.
The door burst open with a kick from Robin and the rest of the team following close behind. " All right, Mirage. Let Starfire go and no one gets hurt," Robin said.
" Oh, Titans. I would, but she just doesn't want to leave. She's found what her true potential is. The life of crime. You Titans never realized it, but Starfire really wanted to be a villain," Mirage said with a sneer on her face.
"Starfire would never want to be a villain. She's-" Beast Boy started but was cut off with a green starbolt singing his hair. "DUDE! Watch the hair!" Beast Boy yelled throwing his hands up to his head.
But Beast Boy and the other Titans stood speechless as they're best friend floated up next to Mirage, her hands glowing bright green.
"As I was saying, Starfire has finally found out what she is capable of, with a little nudge from me. You'll find that she is much more powerful, faster, and deadlier," Mirage said.
"What did you do to her, Mirage?" Robin yelled angrily. Starfire would never join Mirage willingly. She always had so much fun with the Titans, and she didn't have a bad bone in her body, Mirage must have brainwashed her.
"Why, nothing, really. Just ensnared Starfire in her own mind and created the ultimate weapon of destruction. She'll be my ticket to world domination, and she'll destroy anything that gets in her way, and that happens to be you, Titans. Starfire, ATTACK!" Mirage ordered as Starfire lunged into action.
She rained down on the Titans tons of bolts that burned more fiercely then normally. Robin ran up to her, dodging the bolts, to try and talk some sense into her.
"Starfire, it's me! Robin! You gotta snap out of it, Starfire!" Robin pleaded while trying not to get killed.
"Starfire doesn't remember having any friends. She only knows her mission: to destroy the Teen Titans!" Mirage laughed as they attempted to dodge the bolts and get to Starfire.
Beast Boy charged at Mirage as a bull, but she flung a few well-placed white energy bolts and knocked him into the wall. Rubble fell on him, knocking him out.
Robin was on the floor, about to be trampled, but a sonic blast knocked Starfire back.
"Robin, are you ok?" Cyborg asked while Starfire was down.
"I'll be fine. We have to stop Mirage. She's controlling Starfire, I just know it!" said Robin as he shakingly stood up.
"No, Robin. I sense no mind control over her mind," Raven said as she flew over to Robin and began healing his wounds.
"But she can't-" Robin was cut off by the sudden shower of bolts from Starfire and the appearance of Mirage behind Cyborg.
Mirage opened Cyborg's back and began pushing buttons as fast as was humanly possible.
"Hey! Get out of-" Cyborg suddenly went quiet, closed his eyes, and fell on the ground with a loud THUD.
Raven leapt up and grabbed sections of the wall and flung them at Mirage with all her might. Mirage blasted most of them with her bolts, but the rest she dodged. She returned fire, and a few hit Raven with full force.
Raven was about to shoot psychic energy blast when she heard a quiet voice. "Raven… Help me…"
It was so faint, yet so fearful, that Raven paused briefly. " Help…. Me…." The voice cried out.
Raven looked in the direction of the voice, and gasped at what she saw. Mirage had her knees on the ground, and was… crying?
Mirage looked up at Raven, and cried "Please, Raven. I… need your help."
"Why should I help you?" Raven asked, curious as to why the villianess would require help from her.
"Because… I am not who I appear… to be," gasped Mirage, as if each word pained her to speak. "I… have another side… to me. An…evil side. I need… your help to…undo what my…evil side has…done," Mirage finished.
"What do I have to do?" Raven asked as she rushed to Mirage's side. "You must…enter the mind… of the alien. She is… being controlled by my…evil side. If you…enter her mind, you can…release her," Mirage gasped as she finished, then collapsed.
Raven stood up, glanced at the fallen body, and decided that she was telling the truth. She got into the lotus position, rose about a foot into the air, and chanted her famous incantation " Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!"
Her soul self shot out of her and headed towards Starfire, who was engaged in battle with Robin. Starfire was about to throw a giant bolt at him, but she stopped as the raven entered her body. Starfire collapsed, and Robin breathed a sigh of relief.
Mirage had woken up, back to her normal self, and was ready for battle. Robin drew his bow staff, and ran towards her.