AN: Once again, I am amazed at how popular this story is! I'm happy that you all enjoy my work so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it in the future!
For now, we get to see a new arrival to Planet Earth who'll cause quite a bit of drama for the Titans, Starfire especially!
Disclaimer: This author does not own the properties of Naruto, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics (unfortunately). This work is made for nonprofit entertainment purposes only.
"Hello there!": Speech.
'What a drag': Thoughts.
[I am Iron Man!]: Mechanical Speech
The Earth is Mine!: Monster/Demon Speech
Let'sgetiton!
Chapter 5
Sisters
Location: Space Sector 2814, Solaris System, near Planet Terra (Earth)
In the vast blackness of space, near a small blue and green planet, four streaks of light shoot through the void. At first, they appear to be comets, albeit travelling faster than most. The resemblance ends when all four suddenly change course, each one heading for a planet in the Solaris System.
One of them chooses Planet Terra.
As the object enters the atmosphere, it's revealed to be a purple squid-like machine. It dives headlong towards the planet, its programing urging it onwards to complete its objective.
Location: Seafarer's Wharf, Jump City
Time: Night
The people of Jump City are oblivious to this incoming entity as they watch the fireworks show over Seafarer's Wharf. Jump's professional baseball team, the Orcas, had just won the World Series two days ago for the first time in ten years, and Mayor Lee decided to mark the occasion with a special festival. All around the wharf, residents and tourists alike enjoy the wonderful assortments of food, game stalls, and amusement rides, while the sky above lights up with color.
On the ferris wheel, Robin and Starfire sit in a car enjoying the show and each other's company.
Starfire is especially amazed by the display.
"Beautiful," Starfire says as she turns to her friend. "Tell me again what they are called?"
"Fireworks," Robin answers with a smile.
"On my home planet, such explosions would mean that the Gordanians are attacking," Starfire explains. "You are certain Earth is not under attack?"
"Positive." Robin offers Starfire something. "Cotton candy?"
Starfire eyes the pink fluff with trepidation. "The last time I ate a ball of cotton, it was white, and it did not taste very…"
"This is different," Robin says, before taking a piece of cotton candy and putting it in his mouth.
Starfire reluctantly follows his lead.
"Mmm," Starfire enjoys the sweetness on her tongue before another sensation takes her by surprise. "It vanished!"
Robin chuckles. "Yeah. It'll do that."
Starfire sighs with content at the peaceful atmosphere. "When I first came to this planet, I did not think I would ever fit in. Earth was full of strange things. But now I see that–"
"Here comes the finale! Yes!" Robin interjects as the fireworks show reaches its spectacular climax with a flurry of light and sound. "Woohoohoo! Amazing!"
"…Earth is full of amazing things too," Starfire finishes with a smile.
"Best planet I've ever been to," Robin quips.
Suddenly, the peaceful mood is shattered when the purple squid swoops in and snatches Starfire in its tentacles.
Robin watches in shock as his crush is flown away screaming.
"Starfire!"
(Insert Theme Song: Teen Titans Theme)
Location: Jump City Bay
The squid flies away from the city with its prize wrapped firmly in its tentacles. Starfire struggles with all of her might to free herself from the drone's grip.
"Wherever you are taking me, I do not wish to go!" Starfire declares as she shoots a starbolt at the squid.
The energy from the bolt short-circuits the machine for a moment, causing it to let go of Starfire.
Starfire quickly takes the opportunity to fly back to the city, with the squid following close behind.
Location: Seafarer's Wharf, Jump City
Timeskip: A few moments earlier
Back on the pier, the rest of the Titans are hitting the game booths. Cyborg and Beast Boy are trying their luck at the Ring Bottle Toss booth, while Raven stands next to them with indifference.
Both of the guys laugh with triumph as they successfully land the rings around the bottlenecks.
"Booyah!"
"Sweet!"
Cyborg and Beast Boy high five each other for their success. Beast Boy grabs one of the prizes and presents it to Raven.
"Told you we'd win you a prize!" Beast Boy gloats as he hands the prize to Raven, while Cyborg smiles victoriously.
"…A giant chicken. I must be the luckiest girl in the world," Raven says with heavy amounts of sarcasm in her monotone.
Nearby, several children crowd around a Pellet Rifle booth and watch as one of them tries to knock a prize down with the rifle.
The little girl shoots the pellet right at the head of a teddy bear, which wobbles heavily before settling back down.
The girl beams and turns to the booth owner. "I made it move! Does that mean I get it?!"
The booth owner shakes his head. "Sorry, kid. You've gotta knock it down in order to win it."
The girl sulks in defeat, along with the rest of the kids around her.
The booth owner chuckles. "Better luck next time, kids."
"Mind if I take a shot?"
Everyone turns and sees Tony Stark munching on a giant churro right next to them.
The kids cheer at the sight of the legendary Iron Man, while the booth owner begins to sweat a bit.
"Mr. Stark! H-Honestly, you can buy my whole booth if you want!" the booth owner stammers.
Tony approaches the booth and pulls out a dollar bill. "True, but I'd rather earn my prize, personally."
The booth owner blinks and accepts the bill. "This is good for only one shot."
"That's all I'll need," Tony states as he picks up the rifle.
The booth owner shrugs. "Suit yourself."
Tony holds the rifle in one hand while he continues to eat his churro with the other hand. The kids surrounding him watch their hero with eager anticipation.
Tony appears to aim for the teddy bear at first, before adjusting the rifle to point between the shelf of prizes and the booth owner.
The booth owner leans away from the rifle nervously. "H-Hey, careful where you're pointing that–"
Pew!
Tony shoots the pellet right at the side of the shelf, knocking one of the support screws loose. The lack of support causes the entire shelf to collapse, making all of the prizes fall to the floor, to the horror of the booth owner.
Tony smirks while the children around him gawk with astonishment.
"I win anything that gets knocked down, right? I'll take it all," Tony declares as he drops the rifle and hops into the booth.
The booth owner glares at the billionaire. "That doesn't count! You cheated!"
Tony continues to smirk as he crouches down to the teddy bear, which is amazingly still attached to one of the fallen shelves.
"It's funny that you accuse me of cheating, considering you're the one who used an adhesive to stick these prizes to the shelves. Not sticky enough to attach them firmly, but just enough that they won't fall off if you hit them with a rubber pellet, no matter how much they wobble," Tony explains as he reveals the booth owner's ruse.
Said booth owner gulps as he feels the glares from all of the children who had their hard-earned money swindled from them.
"H-Hold on, you can't prove anything with that!" the booth owner defends.
"I think we can leave that for the festival authorities to decide," Tony states. He then stands and adopts a thinking pose. "Actually, fraud and thievery are considered felonies, so maybe the police should get involved too."
"WAIT!" the booth owner shouts in a panic. He sweats bullets for a moment before slumping in defeat. "Take 'em. Go ahead. Take 'em all, for all I care. I'll close up shop for good."
"In that case, you should go ahead and take care of these children's refunds while you're at it," Tony adds to the surprise of the children.
"What?! But–" the booth owner starts to argue, but a glare from Tony stops him cold. "I-It's all in the register. Help yourselves."
"Gladly. Now scram!" Tony orders.
The former booth owner quickly follows the order and runs out of the booth in tears. "DAMN YOU, STARK!"
Tony waves at the fleeing man with a smile on his face. "Thanks for the fun!" Tony then throws away his churro and claps his hands before turning to the crowd of children. "Okay! Who wants some toys?"
"ME! ME! I DO! I DO!" the children all yell at once, eager to bring some new toys home.
Tony chuckles and starts handing toys off one by one to the children around him.
Nearby, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven watch the scene unfold.
"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Cyborg says with a smile.
"Totally! That creep got what was coming to him!" Beast Boy declares.
Raven regards the chicken in her arms. "…Wonder if any of those kids would want to trade?"
Beast Boy gives Raven an offended look. "Seriously?!"
Meanwhile, Tony is in the middle of distributing toys when he gets an alert on his watch.
"Hold on a moment, kids," Tony says as he answers the alert. "Jarvis, I'm a little busy right now."
[My apologies, Mr. Stark, but an unidentified flying object was detected within the city moments ago,] Jarvis states.
Tony's eyes widen with surprise. "Seriously? Where exactly did–" Tony stops when he sees Robin quickly approaching the group. "Never mind."
Robin lands in a crouch and addresses the team. "Titans! Trouble!"
"Where's Starfire?" Cyborg asks.
"That's the trouble," Robin responds before heading for the end of the pier.
Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven quickly follow suit, with Raven throwing away the chicken.
Tony, meanwhile, fiddles with his watch as he looks to the kids around him. "Children, I leave the rest of these toys for you to deal with. Be kind, be fair, and have fun. Understood?"
"Yes, Mr. Stark!" the children respond.
Tony nods with a smile, before running to catch up with the team.
The children hear the sound of rockets before a large object zooms above them.
Tony doesn't even look behind as the object, revealed to be his armor, flies right at him. He jumps high into the air and throws his arms out, allowing his armor to close up all around him. In just a few seconds, Iron Man is fully suited up. The Armored Avenger flies over to his team, while the children cheer behind him.
The Titans all stop at the end of the pier and see Starfire approaching them at breakneck speed, with the squid following closely behind.
Starfire looks behind and gasps as the quid tries to grab her with its tentacles. She dodges the tentacles and fires a couple of starbolts at the drone, but the attacks seem to bounce off the drone's shell harmlessly.
"No more chasing now, please!" Starfire pleads to no avail. She increases her flight speed, which the drone easily matches.
The rest of the Titans watch as Starfire flies past them, followed swiftly by the squid.
"Who's her new best friend," Beast Boy asks.
"Don't know, but I can't wait to meet him," Robin replies, smacking his fist into his hand.
[You and me both,] Iron Man agrees as he powers up his right elbow rocket. He turns to Cyborg. [Cyborg! Get ready!]
"Right!" Cyborg says as some heavy-duty armor forms around his left arm.
Starfire flies around the ferris wheel and heads back for the group, the squid close behind. She passes by Iron Man and Cyborg, who both have their fists cocked back, ready to strike.
The squid appears to be oblivious to this as it quickly approaches the Titans.
Iron Man starts counting down. [One! Two! Three! PUNCH!]
Both mechanical heroes throw their haymakers right at the squid's head.
POW!
Both fists hit the drone with powerful punches, creating a shockwave strong enough to crack the wooden pier beneath them. The attack also creates a large dent and multiple cracks on the squid, which flies backwards and falls onto the pier in a heap.
While Iron Man and Cyborg shake their hands from the recoil, Beast Boy carefully approaches the downed squid.
"So…did we just win?" the shapeshifter asks.
The answer comes in the form of a tentacle smacking Beast Boy away. While Beast Boy recovers, the rest of the Titans watch the drone thrash its tentacles around wildly and rise into the air again, albeit slower and wobblier.
[That is one tough squid,] Iron Man comments.
"Tony! Fastball!" Robin shouts as he runs right for the armored hero.
Iron Man quickly gets the cue. He grabs Robin, spins around, and throws him right at the squid.
Robin lands on the squid's head and grabs on to its damaged dome.
Robin inspects the machine. "Don't see an off switch," he says before spotting an opening formed by the impact. "Guess I'll have to make one."
Robin punches his hand into the opening, grabs a fist full of wires, and rips them out.
This causes the drone to wobble even more, and actually stretch itself out from the lack of proper circuitry. Robin quickly jumps off as the malfunctioning machine rises higher and higher into the air, until the malfunction reaches critical levels. The squid finally reaches its breaking point, destroying itself in an explosion that dwarfs the surrounding fireworks.
Robin lands among the Titans as they view the explosion.
[Now that is a finale,] Iron Man quips.
Robin turns to Starfire. "Whatever that thing was, it can't hurt you now."
"But why did it wish to hurt me at all?" Starfire asks with concern.
[And was it the only one?] Iron Man asks with suspicion.
Both questions go unanswered as the Titans watch the squid's explosion die down.
Location: Living Room/Kitchen, Titans Tower
Now safe at their home, the Titans enter the living room to unwind and speculate about the events that happened at the pier.
But first…
"Come, friends! I shall thank you for my rescue by reciting the Poem of Gratitude!" Starfire declares with joy in her voice. "All six-thousand verses!"
SKRRRRRT!
The rest of the Titans freeze in shock at her declaration.
[…Uh, can you give us the cliff notes version?] Iron Man asks.
[I hate to interrupt your celebrations, but perhaps now we can deal with the extraterrestrial entity I mentioned earlier?] Jarvis asks from above.
Iron Man's helmet retracts, revealing the confused face of Tony Stark.
"Jarvis, we already took care of the squid," says Tony.
[I was not referring to the squid.]
All of the Titans blink with confusion.
"…Come again?" Tony asks.
[The extraterrestrial entity I was referring to is currently outside of the ray shields requesting access into the Tower. She bears a strong resemblance to Starfire,] Jarvis explains.
Starfire's face beams with delight at this information. "Can it be?!"
The other Titans see Starfire's smile and quickly deduce that whoever is outside must be friendly to her.
"Let her in, Jarvis," Tony says.
[Yes, sir.]
After a few moments of waiting, a young woman enters the room with a coy smile on her face. She does indeed look similar to Starfire, except her hair and eyes are a deep purple color, almost black. Her outfit is also similar to Starfire's, except the fabric is black and there's more armor covering her body.
"Even with my strength, I could not destroy your shields. Impressive, for Earth technology," the newcomer remarks with amusement in her voice.
Starfire squeals with delight and quickly embraces her fellow Tamaranean, who chuckles and returns the hug.
"Sister!" Starfire cries out, surprising her fellow Titans.
As the sisters separate, the newcomer shows Starfire a necklace with a large green jewel attached. "I brought you a present."
Starfire gasps as she recognizes the jewel. "A Centauri Moon Diamond?! Where did you get–"
"From the Centauri Moons, of course," the purple-haired alien answers as she puts the necklace on Starfire. "Oh look! It matches your eyes."
Starfire beams even brighter at the compliment, her eyes resembling the diamond for a moment.
"You must meet my friends!" Starfire declares. She pulls her sister over to the other Titans. "I wish to introduce my big sister, Komand'r!"
"In your language, it would be Blackfire," Blackfire says as she approaches the Titans, starting with Cyborg. "And since Starfire told me all about the Titans in her transmissions, let me guess; Cyborg!"
"Pleased to meet you, little lady," Cyborg says as he offers his hand to Blackfire. Blackfire accepts the handshake, her grip crushing his bionic hand. Cyborg takes it with a smile. "Little lady, big handshake. Well, alright!"
Blackfire moves next to greet Raven. "Raven. I like that gemstone on your Ajna chakra."
The compliment surprises the sorceress. "You know about chakras?"
"I got way into meditation on Altara Prime," Blackfire explains.
The newcomer then approaches the shapeshifter of the team.
"Beast Boy! What's up?!" Blackfire greets with enthusiasm.
"Nothing but the ceiling, baby!" Beast Boy jokes.
Blackfire chuckles at the joke. "Good one!"
Beast Boy smiles and leans into Raven. "See? She thinks I'm funny!"
"Statistically, I suppose someone has to," Raven quips, causing Beast Boy to give her an annoyed look.
Blackfire moves on to the Boy Wonder, who she gives an appraising look. "And you must be Robin." Before he can answer, Blackfire quickly moves behind him and admires his cape. "I am loving this cape! It is absolutely luscious!"
Robin smiles at the compliment. "Thanks. It's a high-density polymerized titanium. Ten times harder than steel."
"Fascinating," Blackfire says as she leans in closer to the hero, causing Starfire to gain an uncomfortable feeling in her body. "And this mask makes you look so mysterious."
Before Starfire can intrude, Blackfire turns to the last member of the Team.
"And of course, last but not least, there's the Invincible Iron Man. Starfire's told me much about you, and I like what I've heard," Blackfire remarks as she wraps her arms behind Tony's neck. "But I like what I see even more."
Tony smirks. "Glad I could make a good first impression."
"Oh, you've made an impression, alright," Blackfire coyly says as she traces her finger around Tony's armor, completely ignoring the stunned audience around her. "It makes we want to know the Man behind the Iron, if you get my meaning."
Before Tony can answer Blackfire, Starfire quickly gets in between the flirting pair.
"So, beloved sister, what brings you to Earth?" Starfire asks with a forced smile.
"I was in the quadrant. Thought I'd see if Terrans like to party," Blackfire replies as she hops onto the couch. "Besides, I thought I'd rest. Nearly got sucked into a black hole on the way here."
Hearing the last part results in Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy crowding around Blackfire, wanting to know more.
"A black hole?!"
"No way!"
"Cool!"
Blackfire indulges the crowd. "Okay, so I'm cruising through the Draconis Nebula, and–"
"Sister! That nebula is full of black holes! You know travel there is forbidden," Starfire reprimands.
The sound of crickets reverberates through the room as Blackfire gives her sister a look.
"Most fun things in life are," Blackfire replies with a smirk, before waving her hand at her sister. "Now, be a sweetie and bring me one of those 'sodas' I've heard so much about."
Starfire reluctantly does as she told while Blackfire recounts her tale.
"I see you have not changed at all, sister," Starfire grumbles as she grabs a soda from the fridge.
"So, she's always been like this?" Raven asks as she and Tony stand back in the kitchen area.
"For many years, yes, especially during our adolescence, when we were sent to train with the Warlords of Okaara," Starfire answers.
"You were trained by warlords? That's pretty impressive," Tony remarks.
"Yes, I rather enjoyed my tutelage with the Warlords, though it was quite grueling at times. My sister and I were rather evenly matched during our spars. However, Blackfire left the Warlords before she could complete her training. I supposed she wished to travel her own path," Starfire explains. She gives her sister an annoyed look. "Apparently, she has gotten her wish."
Both Raven and Tony look over to the newcomer, who appears to be making herself at home in Titans Tower.
Tony narrows his eyes suspiciously. "Apparently so."
Location: Space Sector 2814, Solaris System, near Planet Terra (Earth)
Meanwhile, in the blackness of space, the three remaining squid drones streak through the void and fly into a large spaceship. Each one of them enters a clear tube, triggering a green light to shine on each of the tubes. The fourth tube remains empty, causing its light to blink red.
This is observed by two crustacean-like aliens with red shells and four yellow eyes each.
"Our target was not located, Cron. The drones have failed," one of the aliens declares.
"Have they, Kai?" the other alien asks, noting the missing drone. "The one that probed Terra did not return. That is where we will find the girl."
Location: Garage, Titans Tower
Timeskip: The next day
Tony is currently armor-free, hard at work building a vehicle inside the garage. The vehicle looks like a sports car, but sleeker and more advanced looking than any sports car in existence, even if it's only half finished.
At the moment, Tony is tinkering underneath the engine. He rolls out from underneath and looks nearby through his work goggles.
"Wrench. Three-quarters," Tony calls out.
A robotic arm beeps and passes him a wrench. Tony looks at the wrench for a moment, sighs, then stands up and gives the robotic arm a look.
"Dum-E, this is eleven-sixteenths. You know this," Tony says, annoyed. "Didn't I just upgrade your identification software three days ago?"
Dum-E gives several beeps in response.
Tony groans and heads for the tools himself. "I swear, this is why I made the dunce cap for you."
Dum-E gives some sad beeps in response.
[Hello, Mr. Stark. I've been monitoring our guest as you instructed,] says Jarvis from above.
"And?" Tony asks.
[So far, today, she has competed against Cyborg and Beast Boy on the Gamestar, shared some depressing poetry with Raven, and instructed Robin in some extraterrestrial combat techniques,] Jarvis lists to his creator.
"Seems like she's integrated herself with the whole team," Tony muses.
[Not the whole team, sir,] Jarvis corrects. [From my observations, she appears to be avoiding and/or ignoring Starfire.]
Tony rubs his chin in thought. "So, she wants to be around everyone but her own sister? Definitely suspicious."
[There's more,] Jarvis continues. [I happened to record a particular interaction between Starfire, Blackfire, and Robin that might be of interest to you.]
The monitor next to Tony lights up and shows a video recording. Tony lifts up his goggles to get a better look.
On the screen, Blackfire and Robin appear to be embracing each other in the gym.
"Woah," Tony mutters as he watches the scene unfold.
[That's perfect, Robin,] Blackfire says on screen. [Hold me just like that and…HIIIIYAAAH!]
[WOAH!] Robin yells as he's sent flying and spinning through the air from Blackfire's throw. He lands right on a rack full of dumbbells.
Tony sighs in relief. 'Drama avoided.'
[Learned that little move from the Warlords of Okaara,] Blackfire says with pride as Robin recovers from the throw.
At this point, Starfire enters the room.
[Hello Robin, and…my sister. Am I interrupting?] Starfire asks with a smile.
[Not at all,] Robin responds. [Blackfire was just teaching me some alien martial arts. How come you never taught me these cool moves?]
Starfire opens her mouth to answer, but Blackfire beats her to it.
[Probably because she doesn't know them. I always was the better fighter,] Blackfire brags in front of her sister.
Suddenly, Starfire does something that takes Blackfire, Robin, and Tony by surprise.
She giggles.
Blackfire puts her hands on her hips. [Is something funny, dear sister?] She asks in an offended tone.
[Two things, actually,] Starfire says as she approaches Robin.
Robin's taken by surprise as Starfire wraps her arms around Robin and has him do the same to her. He blushes at how close their bodies are together, as well as Starfire's smiling face inches from her own.
And then…
[HIIIIYAAAH!]
[WOAH!]
CRASH!
He finds himself right back on the rack of dumbbells.
As Robin recovers yet again, Starfire turns to her sister, the smile still on her face.
[Firstly, the Vegaras Throw you demonstrated earlier is the most basic technique taught by the Warlords of Okaara. We both learned it at the very beginning of our training, or did you forget?] Starfire calmly explains to the now scowling Blackfire. [Secondly, the last time that you and I sparred together, I was the one who put you on your back and claimed victory, or did you forget about that as well?]
Blackfire grinds her teeth in anger at these words.
Starfire seems to ignore this as she offers Robin her hand. [By the way, Robin, the reason why I did not teach you my techniques is because you did not ask me to do so.]
Robin is taken aback by Starfire's words for a moment. He then smirks and accepts the hand, allowing Starfire to pull him up.
[I guess that one's on me,] Robin admits as he sheepishly rubs his head.
[Not to worry, my friend. I am more than happy to teach you my 'cool moves' if you desire,] Starfire offers.
Blackfire interjects, [Perhaps Robin would benefit more if a real fighter taught him.]
Starfire continues to smile as she addresses her sister. [That is precisely why I am offering to teach him myself, dear sister.]
Blackfire scoffs. [What, you think because you beat me one time–]
[Thirty times.]
Blackfire's eyebrow twitches. […Thirty times that you're a better fighter than me?]
Starfire doesn't miss a beat. [That, and the fact that between the two of us, I'm the one who actually finished their tutelage under the Warlords of Okaara. I did not 'ditch out' as they say here on Earth.]
Both Robin and Tony flinch from the metaphorical sparks flying between the sister's eyes.
Blackfire then sneers. [You think that I ditched out? How humorous.]
Starfire gives her sister a questioning look.
Blackfire refuses to answer. Instead, she composes herself and smiles at Starfire and Robin.
[I feel like enjoying some Terran snacks right about now. Enjoy your little training session,] she says.
With that, Blackfire exits the room, leaving Starfire and Robin alone in the training room. Both of them realize their positions and shyly turn away from each other.
Jarvis cuts the feed here, leaving Tony alone to ponder his thoughts.
'Okay, two thumbs up to Star for her huevos, first of all,' Tony muses. 'Second of all, there is definitely some animosity that should not exist between those two sisters, especially from Blackfire's side. That, combined with what happened at the pier with Star last night, has definitely raised some flags.'
[What do we do now, sir?] Jarvis asks.
Tony sighs. "For now, we continue to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. If she actually does cross a line, we'll take care of it," Tony says, not noticing someone enter the garage. "In the meantime, I'd best prepare myself for when she eventually tries to integrate with me."
[It's funny you say that, sir, considering that she's right behind you.]
"Saywhat?"
Tony freezes as a slim body squeezes him from behind.
"So, you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, I see," Blackfire purrs as she feels up Tony's body.
Tony sighs internally. 'Let the games begin.'
Tony gives Blackfire a winning smile. "You didn't think I was just a pretty face, did you?"
"As a matter of fact, I was hoping you weren't," Blackfire responds.
She releases her hold on him and walks over to his project.
"What an impressive vehicle you are building! Did you design this?" Blackfire asks with 'intrigue'.
Tony decides to play along. "Yep. It's a one-of-a-kind design. Faster than any sports car on the market, outfitted with all the comforts you can ask for, and powered by my patented Arc Reactor technology. Not a single ounce of fossil fuels involved." Tony taps the top of the car lovingly. "I've designed plenty of 'clean cars' for the common man, but this piece of art is a personal treat."
"Most impressive," says Blackfire as she appears to admire his work.
She then gives Tony a smoldering look and saunters over to him.
"Perhaps you would be open to showing me more of your wonderful inventions," Blackfire offers as she leans in close to the blond inventor.
Tony gives a bright smile. "That's a wonderful idea!"
Blackfire smirks at her success.
"I've been meaning to show Starfire and the others around Stark Tower anyway. This'll be the perfect opportunity!"
Blackfire's smirk starts to twitch.
"As enjoyable as that would be, I was hoping for a more 'private' tour with just the two of us," Blackfire insists.
Tony turns around with a thoughtful expression. "I don't know. It'd be pretty unfair for me not to invite the other Titans, especially your sister."
Blackfire's mask drops. She spins Tony around and glares at him.
"I'd have thought that a Terran of your reputation would have learned to take a hint," Blackfire says in annoyance.
Tony gives Blackfire a knowing smirk.
"Oh, I've taken many of your hints, especially the one where you seem to be avoiding hanging out with your little sister as much as physically possible. But that doesn't make any sense at all. I mean, isn't that why you came here to Earth in the first place? To see your sweet, cheerful little sister Starfire after all these years? Catch up, hang out, explore the planet and have a good time with each other like loving siblings do?" Tony asks with some faux innocence at the end.
Blackfire looks away, refusing to answer.
Tony continues to smirk as he leans closer to the alien girl. "Unless, of course, there's some other reason for your impromptu visit."
Blackfire gives the blonde a challenging glare. "What exactly are you implying, Tony Stark?"
"Oh, nothing much. I just find it odd that a squid robot attacks Starfire out-of-the-blue, and then you drop in out-of-the-blue at pretty much the same time saying you want to visit your sister and her friends. You even give her a nice, large, shiny Centauri Moon Diamond as a gift, which I'm sure you bought for her with your hard-earned space cash," Tony states, noticing Blackfire flinch at the mention of the jewel. "And now, instead of enjoying your time with your sister, you're cozying up with everyone else, going out of your way to share in everyone's hobbies and trying to prove to everyone how superior you are to Starfire. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to replace–HRRK!"
Blackfire cuts Tony off by grabbing his shirt and slamming him onto the car.
"If you care for your wellbeing, you will keep your dangerous thoughts to yourself!" Blackfire threatens with a glare, her eyes glowing purple with power.
Tony matches her glare with his own. "What I care for is the wellbeing of my team, which you are jeopardizing with your sketchy behavior, especially Starfire, who still wants to have a happy relationship with her sister despite everything. For her sake, I've given you more than the benefit of the doubt, but if you do anything to hurt her, or the rest of the Titans, then I won't hesitate to make you suffer."
Blackfire's fist lights up with purple energy. "Nobody threatens me and gets away unscathed, especially not a Terran!"
Tony scoffs. "You think I'm afraid of a girl like you?"
Blackfire gives a deadly smirk. "There are no girls like me."
Tony gives a smirk of his own. "There are always girls like you."
Blackfire glares and throws a punch.
WHUMP!
Her fist creates a sizable dent on the hood of the car right next to Tony's head.
Tony doesn't even flinch.
Blackfire's power dies down, and her scowl turns into a smirk.
"Your bravery is to be commended, Tony Stark," she says as she releases Tony from her grip. "You would have made a decent Tamaranean."
Blackfire walks away from Tony as he smooths out his shirt.
"I'm guessing that's a 'no' on the tour, then?" Tony cheekily asks.
Blackfire turns around. "I believe this Terran gesture expresses my feelings adequately," she says as she holds up her middle finger to the blonde, before exiting the garage.
"…Lovely." Tony says. He then turns back to his car and sighs as he sees the dent in the hood. "Very lovely."
"Greetings, Tony."
Tony turns around and sees Starfire approaching him.
Tony smiles. "Hey, Star! What brings you here?"
"I was going to ask if you wanted to do the 'hanging out' together, but if you are busy…" Starfire offers hesitantly.
"Not at all," Tony replies. "As a matter of fact, I could use some help with putting my car together."
Starfire smiles brightly at this. "You mean it?!"
"Yeah, Dum-E's a lost cause at this point," Tony says, resulting in some sad beeps nearby.
"I would be honored to assist you with your construction, my friend!" Starfire exclaims.
"Great! For starters, can you do anything about this dent?" Tony asks, gesturing to the hood.
"Gladly!" Starfire replies.
She quickly flies over to the car and raises the hood. She then places her hand underneath the hood, and with a single push, the dent is removed.
Tony gives a low whistle. "That's impressive."
"My strength is considerably greater than other Tamaraneans, even my sister," Starfire says. She then looks away uncertainly. "I suppose she was the one who created the dent?"
"Yeah, we had a bit of a disagreement," Tony replies with a wave.
"At least you have not been taken by her charms," Starfire murmurs.
Starfire suddenly realizes what she said and covers her mouth. She looks to Tony, who gives her an amused look.
"F-Forgive me! I did not–"
Tony holds his hand up, stopping Starfire's stammering. Tony pretends to look left and right, before leaning in close to Starfire.
"You didn't hear this from me, but Blackfire's charms are highly exaggerated," Tony says lowly, earning some giggles from Starfire. "Anyways, enough about her." He grabs another pair of goggles and tosses them to the redhead. "Let's get to work, shall we?"
"Let's!" Starfire agrees as she puts the goggles onto her head.
With that, Tony begins instructing Starfire on how to use the tools needed to build their pet project.
Location: Living Room/Kitchen, Titans Tower
Timeskip: Several hours later
The team, minus Starfire, is currently kicking back on the living room couch enjoying their off time. Raven has her nose deep in one of her books.
"Friends!"
The team's attention is turned to Starfire, who has an assortment of snacks and DVDs in her hands.
"I invite you to join me in the togetherness of a Stay Home Movie Night!" Starfire offers excitedly. "I bring you an assortment of popcorn and non-cotton candies! Tell me; what sort of movie shall we view?"
"Action!" says Robin.
"Comedy!" says Beast Boy.
"Sci-fi!" says Cyborg.
"Horror," says Raven.
"Tarantino!" says Tony.
The rest of the team gives Tony a questioning look.
Tony shrugs. "Best of all worlds."
"Forget the flicks, kids! We're going out!"
Everyone turns to see Blackfire wearing a familiar purple-and-silver outfit.
"We are?" Starfire asks before pointing at Blackfire's current look. "Where did you…? Are those my…?"
Blackfire ignores these questions as she approaches the couch.
"Heard about a party downtown. Cool crowd, hot music," Blackfire offers.
"Yeah!" cries Beast Boy.
"I'm in!" says Cyborg.
"Why not?" says Robin.
"And it's in a creepy, run-down warehouse," Blackfire adds, getting Raven's attention.
With that, the Titans move to head for the party.
Everyone except Tony, who notices Starfire's crestfallen face.
"…You know what? I'm good right here."
Everyone stops and looks at Tony with surprised faces.
"You, Tony Stark, are declining an invite to a fun dance party?" Blackfire asks incredulously.
Tony waves her off. "Meh, you've seen one warehouse rave, you've seen them all. I'd much rather enjoy a Stay Home Movie Night. That is, if you're still up for it, Star."
Starfire's face brightens up at Tony's offer. "I would be delighted!"
Blackfire frowns slightly at Tony's sudden interference, but shrugs. "Suit yourselves."
With that, the rest of the Titans head out, eager to get to the party, though Robin does glance back for a moment.
"Hey, sweetie, I raided your closet. Hope you don't mind that I borrowed your look," Blackfire says nonchalantly as she leaves the room.
"…Why not? You have already borrowed my friends," Starfire mutters sadly.
Starfire feels a hand on her shoulder. She sees Tony standing next to her with a comforting smile.
"Not all of them," Tony says with reassurance in his voice.
Starfire gives a smile of her own. She shows off the snacks and movies in her hands.
"So, what is this 'Tarantino' genre you mentioned?"
Location: Space Sector 2814, Solaris System, near Planet Terra (Earth)
The alien ship approaches the blue and green planet, its pilots set on capturing their target.
"The girl may have defeated one probe, but she will not fare so well against three," Cron declares.
"Our scanners show two Tamaranean signatures in the area our drone probed. What do we do about that?" Kai asks.
"The drones will be sent at the signature in the city. We'll personally handle the one isolated on the island," replies Cron. "Can't take any chances with this criminal."
Location: Living Room/Kitchen, Titans Tower
Tony and Starfire are currently unaware of the incoming danger as they watch the first part of Kill Bill, a pile of snacks and a bowl of popcorn between them. Starfire, especially, is watching with rapt attention as she witnesses The Bride slice through the Crazy 88.
"…Friend Tony, how much blood does the human body have?" Starfire asks.
Tony thinks for a moment. "Just a bit over a gallon. Maybe a gallon and a half. Why?"
"I believe it was much more than a gallon that came out of that man's neck," Starfire observes.
Tony chuckles at this. "Yeah, this director really loves shedding blood. And dialogue."
"It is rather interesting how much your species enjoys violence, despite all of the calls for peace and love."
"Yeah, we're full of those contradictions. We're working on it."
The small philosophical discussion over, the two teenagers resume watching the movie.
After a moment, Starfire turns to her friend.
"I do apologize if I interfered with your wish to 'party hard' tonight," she says to the blonde.
Tony scoffs. "Are you kidding? All I need is a few phone calls and a Facebook post and I can make a bigger and better party than a seedy warehouse rave in an hour tops. Trust me, I'm not missing anything. Besides, movie nights are fun in their own way, especially with good company."
Starfire smiles at Tony's words, before returning to the film.
Tony gives his friend a look, then decides to ask something that's been bugging him since last night.
"Please don't get offended, but I've just gotta ask; what happened between you and Blackfire? I mean, it's plain to see that you two don't exactly get along well with each other, and something tells me that this has been going on for a while now."
Starfire sighs at Tony's question, somewhat expecting it. She pauses the film and gives Tony her full attention.
"I am not offended by your questioning, Friend Tony," Starfire assures her friend. She takes a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. "We did not always have this poor of a relationship. When we were both young children, Blackfire and I were the best of friends. She was my hero, someone I always looked up to and aspired to be. We played together, laughed together, explored Tamaran together. We were practically inseparable."
"I'm guessing something changed later on?" Tony asks.
Starfire nods. "It was when we were entering our adolescence when the change occurred. She didn't laugh and smile as much as she used to, and she would often reject my offers to play together, no matter how much I asked. There was a distance growing between us, and I desperately wished to close it. I noticed that she spent most of her time training to become a fierce warrior. I saw it as an opportunity to reconnect with my sister, so I started my training as well."
"It didn't mend anything, did it," Tony asks, knowing where the story is going.
"Just the opposite," Starfire confirms. "The stronger and more skilled I became, the more upset Blackfire was with me. This was especially true once we were sent to the Warlords of Okaara. I was already close to her level when we started, and eventually, we were evenly matched. And then, one day, I defeated her in a practice spar in front of the Warlords. She became enraged at her defeat and attacked me. The Warlords intervened before I was seriously injured. They then took Blackfire away, likely to admonish her for her dishonorable actions. The next day, I learned that she had discontinued her training and left Okaara. That was the last time I saw her until yesterday. I've sent her many transmissions since that day, telling her about my adventures and mishaps. I had hoped that they would help mend our broken bond as sisters, but I guess it is not as mended as I had hoped."
Tony attentively listens to Starfire's story, taking in every detail of his friend's rough past with her sister. One detail in particular catches his ear.
"Did Blackfire make the choice to leave Okaara, or did the Warlords make the choice for her?" Tony asks.
"I have had my suspicions that it was the latter," Starfire admits. "Ever since that day, a part of me wondered if she truly wished to hurt me, or worse. Even now, her actions with myself and my friends are questionable at best. It's almost as if she is attempting to…"
"Replace you?" Tony asks the unspoken words.
Starfire nods tentatively.
"Well, if there's one thing I learned about being a businessman, and negotiating with fellow businessmen, it's that if you're suspicious about another person's morals or intent, more often than not, those suspicions are true," Tony advises.
"But how can I think that of my own sister?!" Starfire asks desperately with tears in her eyes. "We have the same blood! We played and laughed together! Does that truly mean nothing to her?!"
Tony sighs and takes Starfire's hands into his own.
"There's an old saying here on Earth; 'Not all family is blood, and not all blood is family'," Tony says. "Maybe, deep down, Blackfire still cares about you as a sister, but it might be time to accept that she doesn't care as much as you hoped she would."
Starfire looks down, crestfallen at the notion that Blackfire isn't the sister she once knew.
Tony smiles and nudges Starfire's head up. "Hey," he says to his friend. "You've got plenty of family here on Earth, if you'll have us."
Starfire smiles back and rubs the tears out of her eyes. "I would love that very much."
Whump.
Both Titans pause when they hear the sound of something impacting a wall outside. They turn and see part of the ray shielding around the Tower light up blue for a moment.
Tony squints. "…Did something just hit the ray shields?"
[I was just about to inform you, sir. It appears that we have more uninvited guests from beyond the planet. These ones appear to have attempted a more direct approach,] Jarvis tells his creator.
Tony sighs and stands up. "So much for a pee break." He turns to Starfire. "Let's go and say hi to the newcomers."
Location: Shore, Titans Island
The two crustacean aliens crawl onto shore, somewhat exhausted from their impromptu swim. They look back and see the smoking remnants of their speeder sink into the water.
Cron turns to Kai. "Next time, I'm driving the speeder."
"How was I to know that the island would have such advanced shielding?" Kai defends as the two of them stand up and head for the Tower. "Terra is supposed to be a primitive world with primitive technologies."
Suddenly, multiple turrets pop up out of the ground and point themselves right at the two aliens. The turrets' blasters light up blue with energy, and the familiar sound of repulsors is emitted from all of them.
The two aliens quickly raise their hands up.
"Primitive, you say?" Cron asks in annoyance.
They then hear a mechanical voice from the turrets.
[Greetings, extraterrestrials. Welcome to Titans Island. Please identify yourselves, or you will be met with extreme force,] Jarvis politely informs the crustaceans.
Cron slowly reaches for his belt and pulls out what appears to be a badge.
"We are police officers from the Centauri Empire. We are here to apprehend a dangerous criminal who has taken refuge on this planet," Cron explains.
[None of the residents of Titans Tower have any criminal records, according to my databases,] Jarvis states.
"Don't lie to us!" Kai yells at the program. "She is here! We know it!"
[Lighten up, crabcake!]
Both Centaurians look up and see Iron Man and Starfire fly towards.
[I programmed Jarvis to be a hard-ass, not a liar,] Iron Man says as he and Starfire land in front of the Centaurians.
Cron points his right claw at Starfire. "You! Surrender yourself into our custody at once!"
[You're not in any position to make demands, officer,] Iron Man states as he points at the turrets behind him.
"You would aid this criminal scum?" Cron asks incredulously.
"Criminal scum?! I am offended!" Starfire yells indignantly.
[I think there's some confusion going on here,] Iron Man says.
"There is no confusion!" Kai says fervently, pointing his own claw at Starfire. "That girl is a liar and a thief! She has committed high crimes across the entire Centauri System!"
Starfire gives Iron Man a confused look. "But I've never even been to the Centauri Moons."
[You haven't, but…] Iron Man says, pointing to the Moon Diamond still hanging off Starfire's neck.
Starfire gasps at the implication.
Iron Man turns to the Centauri police. [I take it you guys are looking for Blackfire, aka Komand'r? Well, this is her little sister, Starfire, aka Koriand'r.]
"You honestly expect us to believe that farce?" Kai asks incredulously.
[You honestly expect me to believe that you guys can't tell the difference between a girl with dark purple hair and purple eyes, and a girl with red hair and green eyes?] Iron Man fires back.
The two Centaurians look closely at Starfire, who gives them a big innocent smile.
"…Sorry. All Tamaraneans look alike to us," Cron admits as Kai nods in agreement.
[You sure that's a statement you should be making?] Iron Man asks.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai asks back.
[Sorry, but I was under the impression that you two were identical twin brothers,] Iron Man quips.
The two similar-looking Centaurians balk at the Terran's words.
"What?! How could you possibly say that?!" Kai demands. "Cron and I look nothing alike!"
"Honestly, I'm very offended right now!" Cron exclaims, crossing his arms.
Iron Man throws his hands up in defense. [Hey, I'm just saying, 'the pot calling the kettle black'.]
"What does that even mean?" Cron asks in confusion.
[You know, if a pot's black–]
Starfire interrupts Iron Man's explanation by moving in between him and the Centaurians and raising her hands up to both sides.
"As riveting as this discussion is, perhaps we should get back to the matter of my criminal sister?" Starfire asks both sides. "For starters…"
Starfire removes the necklace from around her neck and hands it to the policemen.
"A token of our cooperation," Starfire explains.
Kai takes the jewel from Starfire. "We appreciate the gesture, Koriand'r of Tamaran, but your sister must still answer for her crimes."
[I think she's still at that warehouse party in the city, if she hasn't tried to run yet,] Iron Man says.
"We've already sent the other three drones to apprehend her, but I fear that even they might not be enough," Cron states.
[Not to worry, officers. We're heroes. We're more than happy to help you catch this criminal,] Iron Man offers, before turning to his fellow superhero. [Right, Starfire?]
Starfire nods, a hard look on her face. "Right!"
Location: Warehouse, Downtown Jump City
It's been a couple of hours since the rest of the Titans and Blackfire arrived at the warehouse rave, and so far, all of them have been enjoying themselves. Raven left the group long ago and has spent all this time talking about the pointlessness of everything with a fellow goth. Beast Boy and Cyborg, meanwhile, have either been picking up chicks, unsuccessfully, or competing with each other over who has the best dance moves.
As for Robin, he was practically glued to Blackfire's side for most of the night, but not by his choice. In fact, it seemed like Blackfire's been trying to seduce Robin for the past two hours. It got especially weird when she left an hour ago and came back with a bright pink wig. Luckily, Robin has dodged her advances so far, but eventually, he got sick and tired of her "affections" and was about to tell her to quit it.
Thankfully, some things beat him to it.
Those things were three squid drones that looked identical to the one that attacked Starfire the night before. This time, their target was Blackfire, who they snatched up while she and Robin were outside. After seeing Blackfire get flown away, Robin quickly rallied his fellow Titans and had them follow the squids outside.
Only for them to watch as Blackfire, who was able to free herself from the squids' grips, destroy all three of them with starbolts shot from her eyes, each shot hitting one of the squid's weak spots.
This is where the Titans are now, each of them praising Blackfire for their victory.
All except for Robin, who's quick to point out something.
"How did you know where to hit them?" the Boy Wonder asks.
Blackfire shrugs. "Lucky guess."
VRI-SHOOOOM!
Blackfire is suddenly blasted past the Titans by a blue repulsor beam.
[More like 'personal experience', right Komand'r?]
The shocked Titans turn away from the groaning Blackfire and see their fellow comrades, Iron Man and Starfire, hovering nearby, with Cron and Kai right behind them on a new speeder.
Robin is the first to snap out of his shock. "Star? Tony? What's going on here?" he asks.
"And who are those guys?" Beast Boy adds, pointing at the Centaurians.
Iron Man gestures to the crustaceans behind him. [These fine gentlemen are from the Centauri Police Force, and those scraps of squid over there were their drones. They've come here to Earth to arrest a Tamaranean who's been committing a bunch of heinous crimes in the Centauri System, including the theft of a large Moon Diamond owned by their Empress,] he explains, before looking at the dark-haired girl rising up from the ground. [Anything you'd like to say about that, Komand'r of Tamaran?]
Blackfire gives Iron Man a heated glare. "I say it's obvious what's going on here. My dear sister can't stand the idea of someone being better than her in every way. That's why she struck a deal with the Centaurians to lock me away in prison for false crimes!"
[…You know, you'd think that for being a lying, manipulative girl such as yourself, you would have come up with something a bit better than that bullshit,] Iron Man comments.
"It's not bullshit if it's the truth!" Blackfire responds. She looks to the other Titans. "My friends! Surely you wouldn't believe this nonsense those two are concocting." She then gives Robin a flirtatious smile. "What say you, my dear Boy Wonder?"
Blackfire quickly flinches back when a staff is pointed right at her face.
"I say that's the stupidest thing you've said all night," Robin replies, his staff in hand ready to fight.
Next to him, Cyborg powers up his sonic cannon, Raven's hands glow with dark energy, and Beast Boy transforms into a tiger.
All of the Titans have quickly taken Starfire's side.
Blackfire glares at this, before closing her eyes and smirking.
"I suppose it was quite a stretch," the criminal admits.
Blackfire opens her eyes and quickly fires a starbolt at her feet, kicking up a large dust cloud that obscures her form.
The Titans and the Centaurians flinch away from the sudden blast and dust. When they look back, they see a purple streak fly up into the air.
"The criminal is escaping!" Kai exclaims.
"No, she is not!" Starfire declares, before turning to Robin. "Robin! I need something from you!"
Location: Sky above Jump City
Blackfire scowls as she flees as fast as she can into space.
'X'hal damn it!' she exclaims in her mind. 'It should have been so simple! I prove my superiority over Starfire, let her take the fall, and enjoy the good life while she rots away in The Kyln! But now, I have to keep running again! Damn those Terrans! They ruined everything! Especially Tony Stark! If I ever see him again, I'll–'
Her inner ramblings are interrupted when a green blur flies past her. She stops and sees her sister right in front of her giving her an angry glare.
"Going somewhere, dear sister?" Starfire asks.
Blackfire smirks. "As a matter fact, I was going to continue my travels. Earth has been fun, but I think I should be moving on."
"You mean leaving me behind to take your place in prison for your crimes?" Starfire accuses.
Blackfire holds her hands up. "Kori, sweetie, I assure you there's a proper explanation for this."
"You're free to give your explanation when you hand yourself over to the police!" Starfire demands.
"And what will you do if I don't?" Blackfire challenges.
"I will make you," Starfire declares.
Blackfire scoffs. "You think you can stop me?"
Blackfire shoots a starbolt, which Starfire blocks, but not without moving her some space away.
"I always was the better fighter," Blackfire gloats.
Starfire rights herself and glares at her sister, her eyes and hands glowing with green energy.
"You were not the better fighter years ago, and that has not changed since!" Starfire yells as she charges at Blackfire.
Blackfire wildly shoots a massive amount of purple starbolts at her sister, intent on blasting her out of the sky. Starfire easily maneuvers past all of them and launches three bolts of her own at her opponent, while subtly reaching for something.
Blackfire sees the green bolts coming and uses her glowing hands to bat them away, destroying the last one with a purple hammer strike.
POW! "URK!"
Unfortunately, this leaves her wide open for a metal pole to hit her square in the face and fling her backwards.
Blackfire holds her bleeding forehead and sees Starfire in front of her, holding Robin's bo staff.
"A weapon? Really? You would stoop so low?" Blackfire taunts.
"If you truly were the superior fighter, this would make no difference," Starfire fires back.
Blackfire growls at this and flies in for a punch, but Starfire ducks underneath it and hits Blackfire in the gut. This causes Blackfire to hunch over, which Starfire uses to hit Blackfire in the back and knock her away.
"Besides, The Warlords of Okaara taught us to use every tool at our disposal to achieve victory, or did you forget that lesson as well?" Starfire reminds her sister.
Blackfire growls with fury at these words. "ENOUGH WITH OKAARA!" she yells as she flies up and throws a starbolt at her sister.
Starfire dodges the purple bolt, but Blackfire uses the opportunity to grab the staff. This results in both Tamaraneans grappling in mid-air over the weapon.
"It must be painful to be reminded of your shortcomings! Your inferiority!" Starfire taunts.
"I'll show you who's inferior!" Blackfire declares, her purple eyes glowing brighter, ready to fire her eyebolts.
"No! Allow me!" Starfire fires back.
She catches her sister off guard by quickly pulling the staff into herself. This causes Blackfire to suddenly lean forward, which Starfire utilizes by headbutting her sister right at her nose.
CRUNCH!
"GAAH!" Blackfire yells as she clutches her bleeding nose, her eyebolts cancelled.
Starfire then grabs her sister around the neck and knees the dark-haired girl in the gut. Starfire does this several times, causing Blackfire to wretch.
"Urk! What are you doing?!" Blackfire demands as she struggles to overcome the pain.
"It's a cool technique I learned here on Earth," Starfire responds as she elbows her sister in the back of her head, stunning the elder girl for a moment. "It's called 'Fighting Dirty'."
With that, Starfire send a star-powered hammer strike into Blackfire's back, making the latter plummet down towards the Earth.
Nearby, the rest of the Titans and the Centaurians watch the beatdown occur as they hover in the air, with Robin riding on Beast Boy's pterodactyl form and Cyborg using his rocket feet.
"By the Empress! That girl truly was trained by the Great Warlords!" Kai declares.
"Indeed! Her fighting is spectacular!" Cron exclaims.
"Yeah…she really is…," Robin says in a daze, causing the other Titans to give him knowing looks.
[Well, that's the difference between a graduate and a dropout,] Iron Man states.
Back with the fight, Blackfire flies back up to her sister, her face bloody and her body bruised. She gives the redhead a death glare as she struggles to catch her breath.
Starfire gives her sister a hard look in response.
"…You truly were banished by the Warlords, weren't you? You truly did try to destroy me that day?" Starfire asks.
Blackfire chuckles mirthlessly. "It's about time you got it!"
"What I do not get is why," Starfire continues. "Why did you wish for my death? Are we not sisters? Were we not friends?"
"You really think that I would consider you my friend after what you did to me?! YOU RUINED MY LIFE!" Blackfire screams as she fires a massive purple beam of energy at the redhead.
Starfire responds by shooting her own green beam of energy to intercept the attack. Emerald clashes with amethyst in a violent struggle, as both girls grit their teeth trying to overpower each other. Starfire then yells as she increases her power, causing the green beam to overtake the purple beam.
The increase in strength along with previous wounds is too much for Blackfire. She screams as her power fails, causing the green beam to wash over her form.
A massive explosion occurs, causing smoke to overtake Blackfire's form. As the smoke dissipates, Blackfire's body drops out of the sky, with smoke emanating from her body and sparks shooting out from her gauntlets.
Before she can fully drop to the sea below, a green tentacle grabs her. This tentacle comes from inside Cron's claw.
"Blackfire of Tamaran, you are under arrest," Cron declares as he reels Blackfire in, her struggling useless in his grip.
"Farewell, Sister!" Starfire calls out. "Although you did betray and attack me, it was…still very nice to see you!"
"Next time it won't be so nice! I will get out of prison, dear sister, and I will get even!" Blackfire declares, before turning her attention to the other Titans. "Don't you Terrans think you'll be spared my wrath! I'll make all of you Titans suffer for this! Especially you, Tony Stark!"
[Especially me? Oh, sweetie, I'm flattered!] Iron Man quips.
"RAAAGH!" Blackfire yells in rage as she is flown away with the Centaurians to their ship, which will take her back to their Empire to answer for her crimes.
Starfire watches her sister leave with sadness in her heart.
Location: Rooftop, Titans Tower
Timeskip: The next morning
Starfire sits hunched over as she watches the sun rise over the city, her mind and soul still reeling from what happened between her and Blackfire last night.
"Hey, Star!"
Starfire looks back and sees Tony, without his armor, and Robin approach her.
Tony holds up a familiar yellow bottle. "Care for a drink?" He asks as he tosses the mustard to her.
Starfire catches the bottle and takes a sip of the condiment. She is pleasantly surprised at the taste.
"Mmm! This has quite a spice to it!" Starfire happily declares.
"It's Dijon mustard," Tony explains. "Figured you could use a little something extra after…you know…"
Tony and Robin both sit on opposite sides of Starfire, ready to help comfort their friend.
"So, how are you doing?" Robin asks.
"I am…sad for my sister," Starfire admits.
"And, for yourself?" Robin asks.
"I am just glad that the truth was discovered before I was replaced," Starfire responds, causing Robin's eyes to widen with surprise.
"What are you talking about?" Robin questions his crush.
"Well, you…," Starfire struggles to explain. "Everyone was having such fun with her, and for a moment, I thought…"
"Look, your sister was…interesting, but she could never take your place," Robin assures the girl. "No one could ever take your place."
"Amen to that! I'd pick you over a hundred Blackfires anytime," Tony declares.
The words from both of her friends give Starfire comfort, and she smiles as the three teenagers watch the sunrise.
Tony breaks the silence with an offer. "How about we Titans spend the day hanging out together? All of us. Assuming no one's attacking the city, of course. We can end it by finishing Movie Night."
Both Starfire and Robin are excited at this offer.
"Totally!" Robin replies.
Starfire thinks for a moment. "As tempting as Movie Night is, perhaps we instead finish the day with a fun party summoned by Tony Stark?" Starfire counteroffers.
Tony smirks. "I can make a few calls."
Starfire squeals with delight. "Glorious! I shall inform the others!"
With that, Starfire zips back inside the Tower, leaving the two teenage boys sitting on the rooftop.
"She's one amazing girl, isn't she?" Tony asks.
"Definitely," Robin quickly replies.
"Yep. The best little sister I could ask for," Tony says.
Robin gives Tony a questioning look. "Sister?"
"Yeah, of course," Tony replies, before giving Robin a cheeky smile. "Why? What did you think was going on?"
Robin blushes and looks away. "Uh, I, uh…"
Tony continues to smile as he leans in close to Robin.
"Piece of advice; make a move quickly, or someone else will."
His piece said, Tony gets up and walks back into the Tower, leaving the Boy Wonder alone with his thoughts.
[Insert End Theme: Teen Titans End Credits Theme]
AN: And cut! Man, this was the quickest chapter I've ever written. Guess I was on a roll from my previous updates.
So, I went ahead and cut out most of Blackfire's interactions with the Titans, as well as the rave scene in favor of Tony's encounter with Blackfire and his bonding moments with Starfire. I hope you noticed a theme going on, with Tony building up his relationship with each of the other Titans. Tony is extremely dedicated to the team, and it shows in these interactions.
Also, no, Tony didn't hook up with Blackfire, nor do I intend for him to do so. I'm not going to have Tony sleep with every gorgeous woman he encounters. He may be quite liberal with his romances, but he has standards. Besides, Blackfire is a mess he does not want to get involved with.
Speaking of her, you all may be wondering how Starfire managed to soundly beat Blackfire. The answer is actually quite interesting. In Titans lore, Blackfire was a superior warrior compared to Starfire. In DC canon, however, it's the other way around. Not only does Blackfire have a major power deficiency compared to Starfire due to the circumstances of the former's birth, but she also failed to complete her warrior training on Okaara due to her being kicked out, while Starfire was able to graduate. I implemented these factors into my fic, resulting in a different dynamic between the two sisters. This will definitely cause more drama between the two. Mwahaha!
Next time, a prank gone wrong puts Beast Boy on Starfire's bad side. Can he earn her forgiveness in time to stop a pair of thunderous brothers from tearing the whole city up? Find out in the next exciting installment of Iron Man: Titanic Adventures!
Until next time!
Dropareviewifyoucanflamerswillbeignored.