Chapter 12: A Romantic Rescuer
Once he had the strength to, Danny was able to get out of Starfire's grip. He stands up and hugs her back.
"You came for me…" Starfire says.
"Someone I know has been keeping an eye on you, he told me you need help." Danny says. "Where are your friends?"
"They do not know I am here." She says sadly. Suddenly she hugs him tighter and smiles. "But you are here!"
"No… problem…" Danny says while struggling to breathe.
"What's that sound?" Val-Yor shouts from the other side. "Is someone else in there?"
Starfire lets Danny go and glares at the wall. "It is a Tamaranian named Phantom! You will not disrespect him, you zarbnarf!"
Danny steps back, cautious at how angry Starfire is.
"Um, Starfire? Who is that and why are you so angry?" He asked nervously.
"That is Val-Yor, a self-proclaimed hero of the stars who refers to those who are Tamaranian like us as the "troq"." She says whiles till glaring at the wall.
"I'm guessing that's not a nice word?"
"It is not!" She shouts.
"Ugh… another Tamaranian?" He says in an annoyed tone.
When Starfire starts to growl at the wall, Danny gets in her way.
"Maybe, we should focus on getting out?" He suggests.
Starfire calms down, Danny lets out a breath in relief.
Clearly, being around me is making her emotions stronger again.
"We must do the breaking out!" Starfire suggests.
"But how?" Danny asks before pointing at the device strapped around her arm. "As long as we wear those things, our powers are weakened."
"Indeed…" Stafire recognizes.
"Let's just figure out what to do." Danny says before looking away and holds his own chin in thought. "There's gotta be something we can do to get out. Maybe we can trick them?"
"But until the plan is formed…" Starfire then hugs Danny and lifting him off the floor. "We have the time together!"
Starfire begins nuzzling his cheek again before she smothers him in kisses, much to Danny's discomfort.
"Ugh!" Val-Yor shouts. "I do not want to hear troqs kissing!"
Starfire lets Danny go and shouts at the wall again.
"Then do not listen in on us!" She angrily shouts.
"Then don't be so loud!" He shouts back. "You'll make me lose my lunch!"
Starfire storms to the wall, continuing to glare at it.
Danny thinks to what he just said. "Lunch?" An idea forms. "Wait!" Starfire snaps out of it. "Obviously, we're still alive for a reason, so that means they need us. Have either of you guys gotten food?"
"I have not." Starfire answers. Val-Yor doesn't speak up. Starfire knocks on the wall. "Speak!"
"I haven't eaten since yesterday!"
"Then maybe that's our ticket out of here."
One hour later, two Gordanians come to Danny and Starfire's cell. They bring a tray of some kind, covered in a bizarre alien food resembling blue tentacles in a bowl.
"We've brought you cretins food, so be grateful. You'll have to share." One takes out a remote of some kind that turns off the laser bars.
Inside, Starfire has her back turned as she lies in a fetal position, Danny has his hand on her shoulder, trying to wake her up.
"My friend, she's unconscious. I think she needs medical help!" The Gordanians don't move. "Obviously, if you wanted her dead then you wouldn't have put her in a cell. So, until then you clearly need her alive!"
The two Gordanians look to each other. The one holding the tray puts it down and goes to observe Starfire. Danny walks away, coming into contact with the other Gordanian before looking to its belt. He sees some kind of blaster there and grabs it while its back is turned. He then aims the weapon at the Gordanian.
"Now let us go!" Danny demands.
The Gordanian checking on Starfire looks back before she gets up and, once he looks back to her, punches him in the face. This knocks him down.
The Gordanian whose weapon he took chuckles. "Do you even know how to use that?"
"Yeah. It goes like this!" Danny throws the blaster in its face. This distracts it long enough for Danny to run in punch it in the gut. Despite his diminished power, he still has enough super strength to knock his enemy out. "Wow, can't believe that work."
"Indeed! And behold!" Starfire takes the remotes from the Gordanian she knocked out. She puts one of them near her arm and, after she pushes a button, the device lets go of her arm, falling to the ground. "I am free to use my powers to my full extent!" She smiled.
"Can you free me?" Danny asks.
"It is not the problem!" She shouts.
Suddenly, a scaly arm knocks the device out of her hand. The other Gordanian got up and pushes her out of the way before grabbing Danny by the neck.
"Starfire!" Danny calls out.
Starfire tries to grab the remote again, but the Gordanian stomps on it, smashing it.
"Let's see you get your powers back now!"
"Mine are still free for usage!" Stafire shouts as she charges a starbolt. "Release him!"
The Gordanian recognizes he is in danger and drops Danny.
In response, Danny kicks the Gordanian in the shin. This causes it to react by holding on and snarls in pain. Starfire then fires a starbolt in the face, lnocking it out.
"Nice!" Danny congratulates Starfire, who blushes in response.
The joy is short lived as she notices the damaged device.
"Phantom, the remote to remove the power dampener. It is no longer functional."
"We'll worry later. Let's just focus on getting off this thing."
Starfire nods, taking the other remote to open the bars to let them out.
"What about me?!" Val-Yor shouts.
Starfire only glares in his direction before Danny speaks up.
"He's a total jerk, but we can't really leave him here."
Starfire nods.
The two walk outside to his cell, pressing the button on the remote to let him go.
Out comes a silver looking man that Danny assumes is Val-Yor.
"It's about time!" He snapped. He and Starfire glare at each other. "I see you haven't changed a bit."
"You have not changed at all either." She snapped.
Val-Yor finally notices Danny. He looks to the boy suspiciously.
"I take it this is your little boyfriend?"
"You will not refer to Phantom by the awful word!" Starfire declares.
Val-Yor shrugs.
"Fine by me." He walks up to Danny. "So, Snowflake, think you can handle it with that dampener on your arm? Your troq girlfriend can't protect you forever."
Danny only glares at Val-Yor.
"For your sake, I hope it doesn't come off." He snapped. He already doesn't like this guy.
"We must find out where we are how to return to Earth." Starfire says.
"I think the main bridge is that way." Val-Yor points down the hall.
"I guess it's as good as any place to start." Danny says.
The two of them walk down the hall as Starfire glares at Val-Yor, who is front of them. Worried for her, Danny puts a hand on her shoulder. She looks to him and smiles.
"Are you going to be okay?" He asks.
"I believe I will." She says.
"Why did these guys kidnap you, anyway?"
"I was originally a prize for them, meant to be a slave before I came to Earth and formed the Teen Titans with my new friends. Someone alerted them to my aloneness somehow."
"I get the feeling it's your sister." Danny suggests.
Starfire huffs. "It would not surprise me that Blackfire would do such a thing."
"Heh, Tamaranians not getting along?" Val-Yor remarks. "Not surprising."
"You shut up!" Danny barks.
As they kept walking, Danny hears a grumbling sound from Starfire.
"Forgive me, I am the hungry and the food of prison did not look the appetizing." Starfire says as she holds her arms to her stomach.
"I guess we should find something for you to eat." Danny says. Starfire sniffs in the air. "Smell something?"
"Yes!" Starfire says happily. "Something edible!"
Starfire runs down a hall to their left that Danny follows. Val-Yor groans.
"Come back! You're my back up!" He shouts before following.
Starfire finds her way into a door that leads to jars of odd- looking objects. Danny winces at the sight of them. Starfire, instead, drools at them.
"Food!" Starfire runs to the jars, pulling them open and devouring the insides ferociously. She stops to look at Danny. "Do you also require the sustenance?" She asks happily.
"N-not hungry." Danny responds.
Starfire returns to her feasting as Val-Yor notices how grossed out Danny is. Something he finds interesting.
"So, Snowflake, care to give me hand finding some blasters?" He asks.
Danny only glares from the corner of his eye before nodding.
"Starfire, I'll be back. I gotta make sure this chrome creep over here has some protection." Danny snarks.
Starfire quickly stops eating and giggles. "Chrome creep. That is the hilarious!"
Danny smiles. He likes that she laughed at his joke that the scowling creep in question didn't like.
Danny and Val-Yor walk down the aisle and he finds a doorway that Val-Yor knocks down. It's a weapons' vault. He walks over to some nearby blasters.
"You seem to know where these are pretty easily." Danny says.
"That's because unlike you and your troqie girlfriend, I wasn't knocked out. I saw them take these things."
"Then why'd you ask me to come?"
"Because I'm curious about something." Val-Yor says as he faces Danny with a smug smile.
"Curious as to why someone hasn't spit in your face?" Danny snarks with a smile.
Val-Yor glares at him.
"I get the feeling you're just going to make snarky comments at my expense this whole trip. I'm right, aren't I?" Val-Yor guesses.
"Yup." Danny answers with his arms crossed.
Val-Yor walks to Danny.
"No, I want to know something else."
"What's that?"
Val-Yor bends down and looks Danny in the eye.
"Why are you tricking that girl into thinking you're a Tamaranian?"
Val-Yor just realized something Starfire couldn't. But what's going to happen now?
Will Danny avoid breaking her heart and deal with Val-Yor?