FarCry
Part Four
Robin found that he hadn't steeled himself as thoroughly for the reunion of Sakura and Bruce as he had thought.
He didn't have to think or look at Bruce's face to know that the reason why he was at Titans' had nothing to do with his position in the Justice League Connection. It was likely that he didn't care at that time what became of the Teen Titans. He was concerned for one person and one person only…
And she was lying in a coma like sleep, the stillness of her body unable to give her father any sense of relief.
Bruce was perfectly still, even as his fingers reached out at touched Sakura's arm. She was warm; she was breathing, alive… but not living. Bruce Wayne had always been a proud, but smart man. It was something that Robin had come to admire in his mentor, he was solid, steady but not unattached. He could handle emotional crippling, the call of Selina Kyle and the master villainy of both the Joker and the Scarecrow; he could take the physical torment of Harvey Dent and Harley Quinn and even steel himself against the loneliness that his lives has lead him to live.
But seeing Sakura hurt again, it seemed to be the proverbial straw.
Robin watched the way Bruce's fingers clinched the medical railing, he was sure that Bruce's grip had twisted the metal. Robin swallowed hard: he had had years to swallow the burn and regret of not being there for Sakura, but this was new to his mentor. Robin didn't regret not telling Bruce about what had become of Sakura, but there was regret in him. It was exactly the same pain that was coursing through Bruce at the moment: twice in Sakura's life, they had failed to protect her from the machinations of evil men.
"Those years ago, when I met you both for the first time, I had seen it immediately." Bruce began. "Even though she was in a wheel chair, I could see that you both had Asuka's movement. I had wondered for years if she would grow up to be like your mother… or if she'd look like me. The day she was born, she had my eyes and I was glad that there was some part of me that she would carry with her forever."
Bruce's fingers ghosted over Sakura's cheek. "At the same time, when Feng Law told me what had become of Asuka, I wished that she had Asuka's eyes and face so I could remember her."
Robin didn't think about his action. It was something he was calm about doing in front of Bruce. Bruce had seen him through much of the middle ground of his life so far. There was no hiding from Bruce Wayne. Robin slipped off his mask and let Bruce see Asuka's eyes.
…
Elaina Keelin and Surge Fletcher were not meant to be together. That's what the class system said and that's what Surge believed. He had met the younger girl by accident and let her fall in love with him before he left Brock County for good. But he made a mistake… he made Celine. Surge hadn't known about Celine her entire life, her entire life until she joined the Armed Guards Union. Rumors had begun to spread about the new cadet immediately and when he heard her name was Ensign Keelin, he had tried not to think about the possibility that she was in some relation to Elaina. He didn't want to consider it, but the word began to spread throughout the AGU that Ensign Keelin would be a general some day and some day soon if she continued to be such an excellent solider. Surge couldn't avoid her and when he met her, he realized his mistake.
It hadn't taken long before Ensign Keelin was promoted and given access to a wealth of information, including the blood tests of her fellow officers. By then he had already known, he had looked into it himself and prepared for her to come. He hadn't expected kindness or curiosity; he had expected something uncivil like hostility or hatred, but Lieutenant Keelin gave him none of what he expected. She only wanted two things: she wanted his last name and she wanted something to know him by, something that he could give her to show that somehow, even in the tiniest degree that he felt regret.
Surge gave her an AGU trained pup that Agent Omicron named Loberos and allowed her to take anything else she wanted.
They remained professional on accounts that professionalism was Surge's handle and that Celine had too much potential to squander on hurt feelings. Surge read all of her accommodations, witnessed her degree acclimation and was the standing officer for her technical unit division for all but one of her missions: Operation Red Hawk Sting.
Though he had never been a fan of the talents of Bumble Bee, Surge had been sickenedly disappointed with the minimal amount of information Agent Omicron was able to collect. He had given her an objective, one of the most important assignments in the main objectives of the Armed Guards Union and she had failed. He had trusted her abilities for one moment without his watch and she set the investigations back for months.
It was by the saving grace of bountiful opportunity that the Teen Titans had a role in assimilating some of the data Bumble Bee had gathered and they need personalized Armed Guard attention. Surge had seen to it personally that Colonel Keelin was assigned to work with the Titans, gathering data on Brother Blood and letting some of the taint on the AGU's record wash clean with years of not feeling Colonel Keelin's persistent presence. It was a fool's hope to think that Colonel Keelin would make any progress without his watch.
Surge's fingers rushed over the keys of his personal console. "I should have access to the entire resources of Titans' Tower."
Celine's fingers were knotted behind her back. "Sir, I can only authorize you to a certain level in the Titans' database."
"Many of these records regard the activities of the Titan's leader."
"Robin is the only Titan with the authority to access them, yes." Celine replied.
"That is unacceptable."
"It is within regulations sir. He has disclosed all information to the Justice League connection." Celine replied.
Celine became increasingly aware that she was trying General Fletcher's patience. "He is not an agent for the Justice League. He is an Armed Guardsmen, though from our records not a very good one."
She held back the obvious attack rising in her throat. "Sir, Robin is a phenomenal leader."
"The evidence that his team cannot function to its full potential without his guide is not evidence to his leadership ability, it is a detriment to it."
…
"I can't let you do that Bruce." Robin said firmly. He didn't like the idea, not a single bit. As much as he wanted his sister to heal, he could not go along with Bruce's plan.
"You've seen before how the Baek Temple restores life. The fact that we've seen her walk again is a testament to its ability."
"This is different. Sakura's a part of my team Bruce: she's not just my sister; she's a sister to all the Titans… I can't let you take her away and she's in good hands… I know that the temple sounds like a good solution… but I'm not sure it will help. It's not her body this time… it's her mind… We're going to need something more scientific to rescue her and Celine's one of the best scientific minds in the world. And she cares about Sakura… so does everyone else… let her stay. We will figure something out."
At the moment Robin didn't know if Bruce was considering his plea or not. The way his eyes looked down on his daughter's smooth and still face made it hard to determine if Bruce was capable of feeling anything at all except regret.
"Do you know who did this?" He asked finally and for a moment Robin believed that that was his concede.
"The same people who want to end the world. The same people who would use the girl I love to do it."
Bruce took his eyes off of his daughter and led them back to the boy who had been like a son to him for years. Robin had changed, more than he had expected him to. Bruce had never met Robin's father; he couldn't assess what part of Robin's increasing maturity was due to his father's influence, the situation's influence or to Bruce's influence on his character. It hardly seemed to matter which distinct parts made Robin a man: the fact was Robin was a man, facing the challenges of manhood in a manner that Bruce was all too familiar with: uncertainty, loss, responsibility to move forward, obligation and regret to look back.
In Robin's eyes he knew some memory was playing: of Raven, of Sakura, of the Titans how they used to be. His back was straight, his breathing was quiet. Bruce wasn't going to interrupt the replay of a moment very dear to Robin.
ºThe sky was clearer than he had ever remembered it in Jump City. The only trace of shadows came from the trees that were scattered along the landscape and the people who ran up and through the grassy hillside in a well deserved day of play.
The Titans had decided to take a day off from super herory (though the call for help was never ignored, this day they just weren't waiting for it). They had decided that a picnic in the park was the best way to enjoy their time together.
From where Robin sat, his masked eyes could see almost all of them. Cyborg and Beast Boy were impatient as Celine unpacked the picnic basket; it seemed that if the beautiful genius didn't move faster, Cyborg was going to toss her aside and let the two of them pig out on the feast she had prepared. Star and Blackfire were learning the complexity of soccer. Speedy and Sakura were playing some hide and seek game which mostly consisted of Speedy chasing Sakura through the woods. It could have been a lovers' day if they all sat still and were quiet together, but the Titans were rambunctious and diverse and each of them could decide how they wanted to spend the wonderful afternoon. Robin sat in the sun with Raven's heat on his back. The pale mystic sat behind Robin. Her arms wrapped around his waist, the left side of her forehead pressed against his back. Her breathing had always been too steady to know if she was sleeping or just content, but at the moment he felt that he knew it was the latter.
Aqualad's cry of "look out" turned Robin's head, but he didn't have time react. A stray ball nearly interrupted Raven's embrace, but her barrier reacted without her opening her eyes. The speed of the ricochet took Aqualad's breath away and his footing. The return of the ball knocked the marine marvel to the ground. Blackfire gave a shout and rushed to his side.
Robin breathed deeply, his shoulders rising and falling before he turned around and pulled Raven into his lap, reversing their positions. From where they sat together they stared up at a huge oak tree. Raven's fingers busied themselves bending grass into a bug basket. Sakura ran by them and Speedy followed seconds later, the speed of their motions created wind that pushed Raven's hair into her face. Robin reached around her, pulling the long tendrils behind her right ear then over her left shoulder, giving him a clear spot to drop his chin.
"What are you thinking about?" Robin asked.
"I'm not thinking about anything."
"Not even the future?"
"No, not at all." Raven replied. "I don't want to waste a second of everything that feels good this moment."
Robin kissed her cheek before standing up. She watched him move, standing in front of the oak tree as if he were memorizing it. Rather suddenly he pulled a bird-a-rang from his utility belt and began carving delicately into the wood. When he pulled back to admire his work, he noticed Raven noticing his work.
"R&R…" Raven turned her purple eyes to Robin. He seemed proud of himself. "You're such a dork." Raven said with a smile.
Robin raised an eyebrow before reaching an arm out and pulling her towards him. There was no reluctance to step into the hug. Robin pressed kisses onto her cheek and temple. Raven looked at the tattoo Robin had given the tree.
"Dork?" Robin said, "You've got to have a better pet name for me than that Rae."
Raven turned her head to look at him and Robin took the opportunity to kiss her mouth. Raven smiled, her eyes gaining a mischievous look. "Boy Blunder isn't good enough?"
"Everyone calls me that… I want you to think of something that only you can call me."
"I don't have to think about that at all." She put her arms around his shoulders and kissed his mouth gently. "I'm the only one who can call you 'mine'."
"Robin and Raven sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Cyborg and Beast Boy mocked from a distance.
Raven turned in Robin's embrace. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Like away?"
They didn't have time to react, in shock or otherwise when their bodies were wrapped in dark energy and hurled halfway across the park. Starfire laughed when she discovered Cyborg stuck in a tree and Beast Boy caught in a bush. The team came together over lunch and Robin spent the rest of the afternoon lying under the sun with Raven in his arms.º
That day had been perfect, nearly four years ago. It was when none of them knew enough to be afraid of tomorrow, it was when the team was happy, functioning, whole. It was when Raven was in his arms: safe from Slade, Trigon, Washu and Terra. It had been secure… it had been beautiful.
It had been years since he had seen anything beautiful at all.
Bruce found that he couldn't hold silent much longer. Though only a few seconds had passed, Bruce could tell his former charge had traveled back years in his mind. There was no doubt that Robin was thinking about Raven. The billionaire Justice Leaguer looked down at his daughter again before looking up to Robin. There was someone, someone besides Raven, missing from that moment. There was someone who was missing Sakura the way Robin missed Raven.
"Sakura told me a lot about what had been happening… about you and Raven… and Speedy… where is he?"
Robin put his mask on, slipping the fabric gently over his eyes again. "The only reason he ever leaves here is when the Green Lantern pays him a call."
…
He was missing the mark: slightly to the left or slightly to the right, but always precise. The bolts piled and exploded into brilliant fragments of gold that were lost on him. He hadn't lost his talent: just his focus.
The bolts sung through the air in a tragic song. The Green Lantern watched his protégé go through his training on automatic pilot, the way he had for the last three years. John Stewart, the current incarnation of the Green Lantern on this side of the universe, had known Roy Harper longer than any other person in the world: if the boy hadn't such a strong memory of his father, that was a role that John¹ was willing to play to him.
The Green Lantern's dark eyes watched Speedy string a bolt and let it go, not taking aim, not concentrating, not feeling the change of the air around him, not recognizing his approach and letting himself be tackled from the side and thrown to the ground. Speedy slammed fiercely into the concrete floor of the Steel City building rooftop. The momentum made his body roll and when friction pulled its weight, Speedy stopped rolling and pulled himself to his knees.
The Green Lantern stared down at his pupil and watched the sneer take over Speedy's face. The younger hero stood and attacked, using his bow like a club. The Lantern blocked the first blow before catching the second attempt, his superior strength keeping Speedy from succeeding in his strike. Speedy was so concentrated on over coming his mentor's strength that the Green Lantern's extending boot met no hesitation in reaching its destination: Speedy's chest.
The red haired fighter skid along one knee, a knight's kneel trained as he trained an arrow pitched with dead accuracy at the Green Lantern's eye. The Ring stopped the attack short and when Speedy let his arrows fly like the bullets from a machine gun, the Ring pulverized every single one of them. Speedy grew tired and frustrated and had only one arrow left. He dropped his weapon to his side and let the Lantern claim the victory.
"Spedaris." The Green Lantern said, stepping closer to the defeated archer.
"Don't call me that." Speedy said, not looking to his mentor.
The Lantern laughed. "You wanted me to when you were younger."
"That was when I was a stupid child." Speedy replied.
"And you aren't now?"
Speedy was almost surprised by his actions, though from the result it was apparent that Green Lantern wasn't. He gripped his last arrow across bow, trained with dead accuracy to the older man's chest. As his eyes and hands steadied, Speedy saw that the Lantern had pointed his Ring, ready to incinerate the attack.
"Don't talk to me like you have any idea of what I'm going through." Speedy muttered, raising himself from his knees, bolt still locked and ready to charge.
"I don't have to experience a lot of things to realize personal trauma and tragedy when I see it… but that doesn't mean my lack of experience with those things means that I can't interfere with your self-defeating spiral."
The Green Lantern had warned him, when Speedy had become engaged with a relationship with Sakura, to exercise some sense of caution. But Speedy had done nearly the exact opposite. Once he knew she was his, he dove right in.
"All your warnings for my safety doesn't change the fact that she's my thin white line."²
"Go home Speedy."
"And do what?"
"I don't know. Who am I to tell you to do anything?"
Speedy frowned. "You're the guy whose been telling me what to do for years."
"I'm also the one who told you to never question what I tell you to do. Why spoil a perfect record?"
"I didn't train at all… why did you bring me here?"
"I heard it from a friend that someone needed alone time with someone at the tower… I'm sure he's had enough by now and I'm sure he'd like to meet you."
"Who's he?" Speedy asked.
"Someone else who is experiencing the tragedy that you are."
"Someone related to Sakura?"
"Intimately related... Go home Speedy."
And he did.
…
General Fletcher had dismissed Celine while he conducted his interview with Aqualad. Celine exited the room, waited for the door close behind her before dropping to the floor. From her seated position she could slowly drum the back of her head against the wall and for a few seconds she did. She stopped when Starfire and Beast Boy approached. The tall Tameranian and the even taller shape shifter couldn't avoid noticing that Celine's normally cheery disposition was gone. They had all seen Celine fretting over her failures before, over the last three years they had found numerous notes and condemned ideas scribbled on sheets of paper littering any room the redheaded genius occupied for more than a few seconds.
"Celine," Starfire said, "Something is troubling you?"
"Don't worry about me Star. I'm fine."
"Why do you keep saying that, when it's obviously not true?" Beast Boy asked.
Celine didn't bother to look up at him to deny his claim. She didn't bother to do anything at all.
"Please, BB, do not use such a harsh tone." Starfire said gently.
"Don't worry about it, either of you. This is something you shouldn't have to try and understand."
"I understand enough Celine! You're not sticking up for yourself! Just because he's your father doesn't mean you can let him walk all over you like that!"
Celine again choose not to answer.
Beast Boy was angry, Starfire was worried and there was a good chance that Celine felt something completely out of their range of understanding. She felt bad: for being a bad officer, for being a bad guard to the Titans and for being just a bad friend for worrying the others the way she had. She was becoming everything General Fletcher had predicted those years ago when she had first delivered the details of Operation Red Hawk Sting to her commanding officer and despite his opposition, had still went along with it.
Celine couldn't say that she had ached for a father figure in her childhood: she was much too busy growing up years before her time to notice things that she didn't have. When she realized that she had a father, that her last name wasn't Keelin and there was a living, breathing person in the universe who had some connection to her, all she wanted was for him to notice that she was a living, breathing person too. General Fletcher wasn't a man to be satisfied with having a pretty daughter or a talented one: anyone he was genetically responsible for had to the best: the smartest, the prettiest, the most talented and Celine knew that, before he even said a word to her. He had set the bar, but despite her best efforts as the best female scientific mind in the world, whenever she came to that bar she either ran into it or limbo-ed under it.
"He's not a good judge of character, if he can't see all you're worth Celine." Beast Boy had been talking for some time Celine realized, but she only caught the tail end.
"He's still my father… and he's the only family I have."
"That is not true!" Starfire said.
"Celine, you know that isn't true. The Titans are a family, you know that."
"Family doesn't let each other down the way I have… I wasn't supposed to allow this to happen… any of this."
"Celine, this is not your fault." Starfire said.
"Celine… remember all those things you told me… when all this began…"Celine nodded but looked away. BB knelt in front of her, reaching out and turning her face back to him. "Well I'm saying them back to you… and just because it's my voice, doesn't mean all those things didn't come from you. You're a good officer, a wonderful daughter and a great friend. Don't worry so much anymore about protecting us… protect yourself and we'll all get stronger. We need you Celine…"
"I know. That's why I need to get better!"
"You don't need to do anything Celine! Just listen to me okay?"
Celine looked ready to ignore him, but Starfire touched her arm and made her listen. Celine's sad brown eyes were held by Beast Boy's huge green ones.
"You're one of the best people I have ever met. I don't care what your father thinks, how bad things get or what the rest of the world says, you're perfect just the way you are. You don't need to go out of your way and save everyone all the time: you may be a super hero… but super heroes have second lives, when they can let go… just for a little while Celine, let go."
"I can't."
"Celine, you've said it yourself… there's nothing you can't do. You're always looking out for us… let us look out for you!"
Celine didn't know what she was going to say, but her mouth had opened to reply, but it died on her lips when Aqualad exited the interviewing station and Celine was called in. The red haired genius pulled herself away from Beast Boy's embrace, away from Starfire's worried gaze and past Aqualad, who had a sneaking suspicion that he had just missed something important.
As good as it had felt to hear those things; Celine knew that Beast Boy shouldn't have said the things he had. But then again he couldn't have possibly known the consequences.
…
Celine had been worried that General Fletcher was going to have her stay for his interview with Cyborg, but luckily she was granted a reprieve and Cyborg faced off with Surge on his own.
Cyborg had been more nervous in his life time, he knew it, but as Surge's eyes ran past him, he couldn't think of a single instance when that was true.
But to his ultimate surprise, Colonel Fletcher didn't ask him a single question about his past with Celine. He was absolutely professional, despite the fact that he constantly referred to him by his birth name and not the name he had asked for.
When Cyborg exited the room, he didn't remember what he had told the AGU head and what he had withheld, if he withheld anything at all. BB had thought it strange that while all the others had exited the interviewing room angry and on the verge of destroying something (of which both Blackfire and Aqualad were successful) that Cyborg didn't seem to be feeling anything at all. BB had heard somewhere that the only people who could tolerate the intolerable was someone else just as intolerable. He knew Cyborg better than that, he knew Cyborg was a good guy, but something wasn't playing right in the green changeling's head and when his time came to sit down in front of General Fletcher, things did not get any better for him.
"Logan, Garfield: adopted son of Logan, Sinora. Birthplace Kenya, raised in South Africa. Age seventeen."
"That's right."
"You were the fourth member to join this geesh, arriving three members previous to Colonel Keelin's assignment."
Beast Boy nodded.
"Tell me your impression of Colonel Keelin's performance beginning with her preliminary introduction."
"She has a name. It's Celine."
"I am quite aware of Colonel Keelin's identity."
"I don't think you are. Just because you've got some facts on a piece of paper doesn't mean you know anything about who she is."
"I'm here to do exactly that, to make an assessment of Colonel Keelin."
"Have you tried talking to her? She'd know herself better than we do… at least she would if you weren't around."
"Mr. Logan, I wonder if you recognize the consequences of Colonel Keelin's presence at the Titans' Tower. There is much more to the Armed Guards Union's interest here than just giving your team an eighth. Colonel Keelin was given an objective."
"I do understand. Celine has been working really hard since the day she got here: improving the Titans, searching for Brother Blood and for the last three years she's been doing everything in her power to track down the bad guys, to find one of our team members and save the life of another."
"And how has that gone?"
Beast Boy narrowed his eyes. Inside his blood was boiling. Celine was a good friend to him: one of, if not the best one he had. She worked harder than anyone else, doing everything she could for anyone who needed it and what did she get for it? Her father looked down on her, her experiments weren't working: and the reason why they were in this mess was because one of them did. She was being punished for her kindness and it wasn't fair. Everyday she had to live with the memory of what her helping Beast Boy save Terra had done. That deep scar on her forehead, that marred her incomparable beauty, was something she had to wake up to. Every time she looked in the mirror, every time someone looked at her, she'd have to remember what had happened.
And here was her father, her own flesh and blood, incapable of letting her forget for one moment. Celine had let Beast Boy think that she was an orphan and with a father like Surge Fletcher, Beast Boy didn't blame her one bit.
"Do you care about her? At all?" BB asked.
"Colonel Keelin is one of the AGU's top officers."
"That's not what I asked you. Does Celine matter to you as a person? As your daughter?"
General Fletcher didn't respond.
"I thought so… but for some reason you matter to her. What are you getting out of this? Doesn't it even matter to you how Celine feels? Have you said one sentence to her using her name?"
"Mr. Logan, I'm here on professional business. Colonel Keelin knows this."
"It's Colonel Fletcher! Colonel Celine Marie Fletcher! That's your daughter! When are you going to get it? That's not just some girl who works for your agency. That's Celine Fletcher, one of the best people you'll ever meet and if for a minute you could stop being such a jerk you'd know that!"
"Mr. Logan, I'd exercise a bit of caution on your part if I were you." General Fletcher's voice was so emotionless that it sickened BB to his stomach.
"If you were me, you wouldn't need to interview everyone single Titan to know that Celine's a good person and that we're not going anywhere."
"That is not your decision to make."
"Its more mine than yours. Who are you to decide anyway? You think your files and reports can tell you anything about us? You don't know anything about us."
"On the contrary, Mr. Logan, I know quite a bit."
"Oh yeah? What's Starfire's favorite color?"
"Irrelevant."
"Sky blue. What's Robin's favorite food?"
"Inconsequential."
"Club sandwiches. Where did Celine get the scar on her forehead?"
Surge narrowed his eyes. It was the first time Beast Boy saw any trace of anything in his features. He was going to press the issue, he was going to stand up and yell down at General Fletcher that he didn't know enough about the Titans to condemn them: that he didn't know the Titans at all, but his declaration was denied when Celine entered the interviewing room and told him to stop.
BB turned and looked at her. "Celine, what are you…"
"Please Beast Boy, just go. I need a word with General Fletcher. If he has any further questions, I will call for you later."
He wasn't sure what he saw in Celine's dark brown eyes at that moment, but it had been enough to tell him that he should do what she said. He walked by her and for the first time in a long time, her eyes didn't follow him to watch him leave. The door slid closed behind him and Celine only waited a moment before General Fletcher began assembling his papers.
…
Robin leaned against the wall of the medic room, his arms crossed over his chest, his legs crossed at the ankle. From where he stood, half of his body was locked in the shadow of one of the diagnostic machines that had been running non-stop for the last three years. Bruce had taken a seat, his elbows pressed against his thighs as he leaned forward, his chin resting on his overlaying fists. He had been that way for sometime: every since he told Robin that Batman was retiring.
It had made sense to Robin, no matter how much he didn't like it. Bruce Wayne could only pull the double life for so long before he became tired or until he found something that he valued more than his unending pursuit of a nonexistent vengeance.
Robin remembered asking Bruce once why Batman was in the Justice League and not an officer of the AGU, because by classical definition, Batman was not a superhero. In Bruce's cool way he had responded simply that when you're the incarnation of vengeance, you get to decide where you go and under what call you serve. For years Batman had served the call of countless, faceless people whom needed rescuing… but now, he had only one face that needed rescuing, one that needed his devotion. He had spent enough time saving those without a name: he needed to save the one with a name that mattered to him deeply. He needed to save Sakura Chloe Wayne.
Those had been his thoughts when he decided to retire Batman and also retire the corporate beast that was the public Bruce Wayne. He wasn't going to dodge the rumor mill and the tabloid frenzy. He didn't care if the whole world knew he had a daughter. He was going to be a father to her and the first obligation of all fathers was to protect.
That had been his plan… until he met Speedy.
…
She didn't know what possessed her to react the way she did. That very moment was what she had wanted for years. General Fletcher stood in front of her and looked at her, looked her straight into the eye. For the brief few seconds, he wasn't General and she wasn't Colonel. It was Celine and her father Surge, but Celine had to ruin it. Surge had reached his hand up and ever so slightly had run his fingers on the three inch long scar on the left corner of her forehead. Celine pulled away.
"Now is not the time to start acting like a father. The role doesn't suit you."
Surge seemed to remember himself and his eyes became hard. He didn't miss a beat. "My next interview will be with the Titans' leader shortly, if you have any details to disclose, they can wait."
"No." Celine said firmly.
"Colonel Keelin, do your orders present a problem?"
"Yes they do. I'm not going to let you run over my friends because you don't trust me. I tried to be professional, I tried to be a good daughter, but none of that matters to you."
"You do not know what matters to me." General Fletcher replied.
"And I never will because you don't want me to know. I don't know why I ever wanted you in my life when it's so obvious you don't want me in yours."
"I expected a certain level of professionalism from you."
"I expected something close to human from you… so maybe it's just genetic that neither of us can tell anything about each other. If I weren't a genius, you wouldn't have ever let me keep your last name would you? You would have preferred it if I never found out who you were."
"Where is Loberos?" General Fletcher asked. He turned the question so quickly on her that Celine had to think a moment to register it.
Her voice dropped in her throat for a moment. A sting came to her eye but she forced it away. "He's with a friend."
Celine watched Surge move from the table to her networking console in the corner of the room. His back was turned to her when he began speaking.
"I'm disappointed with you Colonel."
Celine clenched her fingers. "Why aren't I good enough for you?" It was a simple enough question, one that she had asked herself for years and had come up with a million different reasons. But she needed to know which one was the real reason.
Surge didn't look back. "Because you can do better."
"You never believed that!"
Surge did turn then; his cold eyes seemed to be on fire as they stared down at Celine. The tall genius met his gaze and wouldn't let go until she knew all of his truths. "Haven't I? I've always assigned you tasks more difficult than any other agent, not to weed you out or embarrass you but to demonstrate that there is a capacity for your genius."
"And what does that prove? That I'm finite? That I'm mortal?"
"Yes. All of our capabilities are hindered by the influence of the rest of the world. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can focus on the capacity of your genius on problems and situations that require a solution in the immediate." Surge replied.
"The majority of my plans work because I exercise creativity and novel thinking."
"And what about the failures? What about the successes that lead to more failures that compound upon each other? Operation Red Hawk Sting---"
"Was a mistake and it was the only one." Celine interrupted immediately.
"It was your technology that returned animation to Terra Nostra. If I am understanding your report correctly, Terra Nostra was the mole for the operations that have left the Teen Titans in shambles. You exercised creative engineering, failed to recognize an implanted agent, allowed years of tactile training to be erased and crippled a team, endangering countless lives which you swore to the Armed Guards Union to serve and protect… Is that still one mistake?"
Celine balled her fists. She looked an inch away from tears, but Celine did not cry. She watched Surge investigate her console, his fingers accessing her network and observing her system. It seemed almost an obvious statement, from the tone of his voice, that he had expected her system to be flawed.
Celine stepped forward. "Do not modify my system."
"It's the same failure you installed in Operation Red Hawk Sting."
Celine stepped between him and her console, standing toe to toe with the older, higher ranking officer. "It's been modified… here I have to compensate for the human element: something you know nothing about."
"Colonel, is that how you address a ranking officer?"
And that was it for Celine. Her joints snapped fiercely when her fingers unclenched and restrained again. Her voice was angry, her face was furious and her eyes were on fire. She didn't know if she had ever yelled so loudly before. "It's how I address my father! You are a man first, father! Where is your compassion?"
"I am here."
Celine shook her head in disbelief at his gall. "You're obligated! I'm sure the Justice League had to twist your arm ruthlessly to get you here. And even when you're here, you don't care anything about me or anything that's happening to the Titans. You're here to validate your charges against me. Does it make you feel satisfied that the Titans are hurting? If it does, you're a sad man… if you're a man at all."
That could have been enough to remove Celine's services from the Armed Guards Union, if Surge saw it fit. At the very least he could have court marshaled her for insubordinate attitude and insufficient skills for managing her assigned project. But despite her flaws, she was one of the best agents in the arsenal of the AGU. Getting rid of her wasn't an option, getting her back was Surge's objective.
"I have gathered all the required information necessary to establish my report. I will inform you of my decision. Dismissed."
By habit Celine saluted him, it appeared. Whether or not he noticed that her fingers latched out during the retraction to catch something was totally irrelevant. Celine turned on her heel sharply and left General Fletcher behind her. When the door slid shut, Celine threw the contents of her hand against the wall. The small green fly morphed into the long-legged Beast Boy who landed with a thud on the ground.
"What did you think you were doing, Beast Boy?"
"Don't be mad Celine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay… I'm glad you stood up for yourself."
"That wasn't standing up for myself… that was the worst thing I could have possibly done." The long haired engineer massaged her forehead; her eyes squeezed shut when her fingers ghosted her scar. Her chest was shaking; Beast Boy could see she was fighting tears.
"Celine are you…"
"I'm not upset with you Beast Boy. I'm just… upset."
Celine reached behind her and removed her hair tie, letting her long red locks fall across her back. She should have been mad at Beast Boy for being there, for seeing her make all those mistakes, but that would get her nowhere and she already had a million different routes to get to where she already was.
"Celine, it's really late. How about you get some sleep?"
"No, I need to check my network and then check in with Robin, then start my next series of---"
"Celine, none of those things you just said can't wait until tomorrow."
"But there's still plenty of time today to get them done."
"There's still plenty of time tomorrow too."
She almost said out loud that he didn't know that for sure. When the thought hit her she was ashamed. She almost said sorry, and then realized that she hadn't actually said anything out loud. Beast Boy was right… she needed to sleep.
Celine gave Beast Boy a goodnight wave, went to her room and laid down on her bed. Her feet hurt, her neck was stiff and she had a headache from dealing with her father. It might have been all those things combined that made her fall asleep the second her head hit the pillow.
It was the years of sleep depravity that made her sleep three days straight.
…
Speedy came back to the tower; dropping his pack in his bedroom before going to the medic ward to check on Sakura. She was sleeping, just a gently as he had left her, but things were different.
It wasn't so unlikely for him to find two people in the medic room watching over Sakura when he wasn't around. What was strange was that while one of the people in the room was Robin, the other was distinctly not Celine.
The way the older man was looking down at the sleeping girl told Speedy that this was the man that the Lantern had told him about. From the way that Robin was relaxed in his place against the southern wall told Speedy that the man gazing down intently at Sakura was absolutely no threat.
But nothing told Speedy who the man was, until Speedy asked.
His dark head turned to Speedy; the same time that Robin removed himself from the shadows of the south wall to look at the red haired archer. Speedy knew who the man was, he wasn't raised in a cave, the face of Bruce Wayne was legendary. What he didn't know was why he was there…
Until he saw Bruce Wayne's eyes. Brown wasn't so unusual a color, the spectrum of its shades was rather limited, a lot of people had the same brown eyes without any relation to each other. But Bruce Wayne's eyes were different, they were deep, they were sad… they were Sakura's.
"Why did you wait so long to see her?" Speedy asked.
Robin stepped forward. "Speedy--"
Bruce called Robin off. The dark haired older man stood up. "No, it's alright Robin. It's a perfectly reasonable question." Speedy stepped closer putting himself at the foot of Sakura's bed. Robin was to the left, Bruce to the right. They stood over her: Robin's sister, Bruce Wayne's daughter and Speedy's girl, the three of them locked in silence until Bruce Wayne explained himself and Speedy gave him the rebuke he deserved and Robin made the compromise.
…
Three days passed. When Celine woke up Cyborg and Starfire were standing over her. She sat up in her bed and pushed her sheets away.
"Why are you staring at me?" Celine asked.
"We were concerned." Starfire replied.
"Why?"
"Celine, you were asleep for three days… We didn't know what to think." Cyborg replied.
"Three days? How did I ever sleep so long?"
"From all of the stress, we thought you could use the rest. However, a situation has arisen where your presence is needed." Starfire replied.
"He's still here then?"
Cyborg nodded. Celine climbed out of bed, realizing she was in her AGU uniform still. She almost made to take it off right there when she realized she still had an audience. She ushered them out, took off the purple dress and jacket and replaced them with her blue and white shirt and her dark grey skirt. She was calm as she put her boots on; she knew she should have felt anything but calm at that moment. Her lapsing into a three day sleep could not have bided well with the investigations into her personal competency.
When she left the room, Cyborg was waiting for her. The taller mechanical Titan dropped a hand onto her shoulder.
"You okay?" He asked.
Celine gave a non-committal answer. Cyborg grabbed the younger girl by the shoulders and hugged her. Celine didn't know why the gesture surprised her, she couldn't count the number of times they shared hugs. But this one felt different. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, pressing her forehead into the crook of Cyborg's shoulder.
"Why are you hugging me Vic?" Celine asked. Her fingers tapped the back of his shoulder blades and he let go.
"Don't know, just seemed like the right thing to do. Usually when we hug its' because I needed you… I guess I'm just returning the favor…" Cyborg seemed to think of something as Celine smiled at him, in a half-cocked way that Cyborg hadn't seen in years. "We're not going to let him take you away Celine… you mean too much to the team."
Celine nodded in the affirmative.
…
Speedy slipped his mask back on and Bruce Wayne nodded. Bruce Wayne had seen something that no one had seen in years. He had seen Roy Harper the man, the man who was both vulnerable and resilient, the man who knew tragedy and survival, the man who gave love and took trust: the man he was going to leave the care of his daughter to.
For exactly twenty three minutes, the medical room was completely unattended by human beings as the Titans gathered to see Bruce Wayne and General Fletcher off. The Titans were in something of broken line with Robin and Celine standing outwards from the rest of the group. Bruce and Surge stood directly in front of the pair. Aqualad had seen it best to keep his body in between Blackfire and General Fletcher and so had Starfire, the two were readied should General Fletcher give Blackfire any more justification for incinerating him on the spot.
"After evaluation and the observation of performance, I believe it is in the best interest of the Armed Guards Union that Colonel Keelin returns to the base of operations."
Collectively the group balked. Celine and Robin frowned; Cyborg and BB shook their heads. Cyborg had been the first to figure out that General Fletcher's intentions at the tower had nothing to do with the termination of the Titans. He was there for Celine and Celine only. He had spoken all of one word to Cyborg about the networking system or the progress they had made with their objectives; General Fletcher didn't seem to give any indication of interest in Cyborg's own encounters with Brother Blood. Surge had wanted to know about Red Hawk and Omicron and if the girl behind both of them was still worth his time.
And all the praise and affection for Celine that each of the Titans had given General Fletcher all the motivation he needed to desire Colonel Keelin as a weapon under the direct orders of the AGU.
Cyborg stepped forward, breaking the structured power-four arrangement. "General Fletcher, you should reconsider. If your efforts are focused on Brother Blood, you should realize that Celine is more valuable in that pursuit here than at the Armed Guards Union."
Robin nodded. "We have sufficient evidence to link the goals of Blood with Slade, whom the Titans are actively pursuing. The Titans and the AGU can work together for common goals: Celine can serve as the link between the both of them."
Celine nodded. "It would be reckless to leave my team at this point."
Surge shook his head in the negative. "It's not your team. How long can you remain a Teen Titan? You're going to 20 years old."
The Titans frowned collectively. Celine was twenty; she was going to be twenty one soon. They had all known, from the moment they had met General Fletcher, from the harsh words he spoke about Blackfire, about Celine, Aqualad and Robin, that the man didn't know as much he thought he did. He didn't understand the Titans because he couldn't see them. They represented the emotion of battle; the full spectrum of it: the passion, the fear, the unity, the brilliance, but General Fletcher could only see the failures that had come from that passion. He could only see what was on paper: that there was a Titan missing, a Titan injured and menace to the world that the Titans' hadn't been able to stop.
General Fletcher thought he saw everything. Robin was the first to voice his disagreement. "This is just as much Celine's team as it is mine, Starfire's, Cyborg's, any of us."
"And we aren't the Teen Titans anymore. We're just Titans and we're a fractured force." Cyborg added.
"Celine is important to us: as a friend and as a Titan. You taking her away would be detrimental to our best interests."
"We're a tight nit unit here; we aren't just about to let you take her away from us."
Beast Boy found the best words to sum up the Titans' collective view. "You haven't the authority to take Celine away from her family."
Surge looked across the spectrum of Titans: three aliens, the Junior Justice Leaguer, an animorph, a Sea King, Cyborg and two men with a luxury of toys. He was thoroughly unimpressed. "Is this the part of your speech where I'm supposed to be intimidated by your show of unity? You are mistaken. The goal of the Armed Guards Union will be enacted. Colonel Keelin, you have exactly one year from this date to validate your excursion with this unit. If you fail to produce sufficient evidence for your continued presence, you will return to your base of operations."
Celine nodded. "Understood."
Bumble Bee lead them out and left with a promise to come back as soon as she could. The second the doors closed behind her slender back the Titans (save Speedy) collapsed collectively on the couches.
Blackfire crossed her arms over her chest. "I've faced Crotian Glorkblargs more pleasant than him."
"You said it." BB replied, rubbing his temples.
"Let us not think about the unpleasantness we have all endured." Starfire suggested.
The archer raised his eyebrow high into his hair line.
"I'm guessing I missed a lot when I was gone." Speedy said, leaning over the couch.
"You heard the important parts." Robin said. "We're racing the clock now more than ever Titans. We've got a year to get something done."
They had the equivalent of all the time left in the world…
End of Part Four
A/N
¹That's the wrong Green Lantern, but I like John Stewart better than Hal Jordan. (not that there are any real distinguishable differences between their personalities)
²Those of you who've read the comic book should read this as a reference to his drug addiction.
So you're all probably wondering what that chapter was all about. Well Celine has one year to make progress. One year is how much time is left before Raven is woken up for her Transient Ceremony. I needed to give the Titans some since of urgency and this is the only logical way to do it.
This chapter was a little high on the cheese factor: you probably saw most of it coming… but the next part: you won't know what hit you.