A/N: Throughout the story I try to keep Starfire's timeline and the Titans timeline fairly in synch…but it's not perfect. Remember, Star has no idea how long she has been missing so specific time is not a factor, but in my Titans chapters I try to put in clues to help place things. Chap 6 had her missing for 5 days, but this chapter would be only about 2 days. Read on…review lots - nothingdies
Chapter 7: Round One
Starfire was getting hungry. And bored. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic and wondered when Slade would come back. She had started humming songs to herself to keep her mind occupied and fill the silence in the room. After humming a few Tamaranian songs, she moved on to music she had learned since her arrival on earth. A song by Dido popped into her mind first and she began softly singing the words. 'I know you think that I shouldn't still love you, or tell you that…' The irony was not lost on her. After finishing the song, she decided to stop for awhile. She was getting thirsty and had no idea if or when Slade might give her something to eat or drink.
She decided to sit down, as far away from the door as possible, and try to meditate. Slade had said that the device on her neck would prevent Raven from using her psi powers to find Starfire, but it was something new to try.
She sat down in the lotus position, straightened her spine, closed her eyes, and focused on her breathing. Borrowing Raven's mantra, she began to chant, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" Her goal was to free her mind from this cell, to let her consciousness roam even though her body was stuck.
The sound of the locks turning and the door swinging open seemed distant. Slade's voice however, became quite close when he grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet, shattering her meditation with a, "Get up!"
She struggled for balance and tried to prepare herself for another escape attempt, or at least a defense. The first blow was a slap to her face that made her neck snap to the left. Slade still held her arm in an iron grip. "If I can just get him to let go of my arm…" She moved to kick him. He did let go of her arm, but only to grab her leg and then punch her square in the nose. With only one foot to stand on she fell backwards. She tried to catch herself with her hands, to protect her head from the floor and managed to do so with only a sprained wrist. Blood dribbled from her nose. Slade let go of her leg, which flopped to the floor to join the rest of her body, and bent down. "You are making this too easy. At least Robin could provide me with some sort of challenge. It is almost not worth the time." He pulled a knife from behind him and held it to her neck. "Maybe I should just slit your throat now and get it over with." He eyed her through his mask, watching for a sign of fear. Starfire was definitely afraid, but she tried her best to hide it. "Think, move, fight, do SOMETHING!" her brain screamed at her. She tried, once again, to kick at him. This shove did cause him to back off, but he only grabbed her ankle and began twisting her leg. She could feel the tendons and joints straining. She knew enough to roll with it and try to pull her ankle about of his grasp.
Suddenly, she was free! She had yanked her ankle away and Slade was caught off balance. As he stumbled backwards, she leapt to her feet and began to run. "Lock him in!" she thought, "Just get to the door and slam it!" She had taken all of two steps when an arm wrapped around her waist. Starfire let out a squeak of disappointment as Slade's tackle sent them both tumbling towards the floor. Immediately, Slade was up and ready. She felt a hand grasp the back of her neck and lift her up. "Now things are starting to get interesting." he murmured. He turned her so that she faced the back wall and launched her at it. She had been scrabbling at his hand around her neck and didn't have time to put her arms out to absorb the impact of the wall. She hit the wall with an 'oomph' and bounced off like a ball, landing face-up on the floor.
Slade stood over her and she knew he was wearing a cruel smile behind his mask. The next few blows came rapidly. He stomped a foot down on her abdomen, causing her to curl and roll to one side in pain. A kick to her back caused her to spasm from the now double-sided pain. She rolled again trying to protect her back, but only ended up exposing her face, to which Slade delivered a final kick, knocking her nearly senseless.
He stopped to admire his work, to watch his prisoner cringe with fear and pain. "Yes, I believe you will be able to hold my interest after all." his smooth voice lulled in her ear, "Lucky you."