Chapter 8 is here! Look for some more explanations, as well as another familiar face.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. NONE!
Chapter 8: The Enemy of My Enemy…
Morning had come at last, and silence fell upon the landscape once again. It would have been rather picturesque had it not been for the grey clouds which blocked out the sky. Starfire couldn't help but notice, however, that it was unusually silent. No birds chirping, no animals moving about. All seemed still, except for the people moving through the area.
She could tell it would be another hot day, but she was almost too tired to care. She, Cyborg, and Robin hadn't slept in nearly twenty-four hours. They had been constantly moving since they woke up the previous day. Last night, they narrowly escaped a Martian attack. Where the invaders were now, they didn't know.
Actually, two of them hadn't escaped last night's attack. Raven and Beast Boy were nowhere to be found. Starfire hoped to Tamaran that they had escaped. She couldn't even bear to think about the alternative... Robin hadn't been taking it very well, either. He hadn't said a word to either of them since last night. Cyborg and Starfire had been walking together the entire time, but Robin walked ahead of them, alone.
Cyborg must have noticed her brooding, because he looked down at her and spoke up. "Are you okay?" he asked her.
She sighed and looked up at him with her big, green eyes. "I am fine, friend Cyborg. I'm just very worried." Half of it was a lie. She wasn't fine, but she certainly was worried.
"I know, Starfire. I'm thinking about them, too." By 'them', he referred to Raven and Beast Boy.
"Do you think they are okay, Cyborg?" she asked him, as if looking for some comfort.
Cyborg frowned. "I don't know, Star. But I really hope so."
Starfire frowned and lowered her head.
"Hey," Cyborg spoke up again. "If there's one thing I know about those two, they're survivors. Raven's about as smart as they come. And he may not show it all the time, but Beast Boy's got the courage of a lion. If anyone can make it through, it's them."
Starfire cracked a smile, but it quickly vanished. "I am worried about Robin. He seems to be taking this hard, as well." She looked up ahead. Robin was still keeping pace a good distance ahead of them, not even looking back.
"Just let him go, Star. He'll be fine. But If I know Robin, he's probably blaming himself for what happened."
"But it wasn't his fault! We had no choice but to leave them behind!"
"I know, but you tell him that. Robin's a hero at heart, but it can get the better of him. He gets really frustrated when he's forced to run away. I can't help feel a little guilty myself. sigh We're so used to having to be the ones to chase down the bad guys. Man, the irony in this is just cruel."
"Oh, Cyborg, how I wish this did not happen! I wish I could summon a whole army of Tamarans to help this planet and drive off these invaders!"
Cyborg looked down at her. "That would be nice. Not to offend you or anything, but I'm not sure even they would be much help, at least in getting past those force-fields. Man, I gotta learn that technology, cause I've never seen shields as powerful as the ones on those tripods. They really came prepared."
Starfire groaned. "I suppose you are right. Even if they could help, we have no means of contacting them. We have just…us. It's all up to humans now." She stared blankly and found herself licking her lips unexpectedly. Her mouth felt dry. Suddenly, she realized she hadn't drank or ate anything since yesterday. It wouldn't be long before the thirst would start to get to her.
Up ahead, Robin stopped. Slowly, he walked up to a tree and propped himself against it. For the first time that day, he spoke to them. "Let's rest a moment, guys." He slid down to the ground and leaned his head back against the trunk.
The Tamaran and the bionic teenager approached him and sat down beside him. Starfire looked at Robin meekly, appearing as if she wanted to say something, but was afraid to. A moment of awkward silence passed.
"If I remember the map correctly, there should be a mountain range east of here. Maybe we could have the people hide there," Cyborg suggested.
"Yeah, more running. Always running," Robin growled. Cyborg remained silent.
"Robin," Starfire asked meekly, "Are you okay?"
Robin shot her an angry look. "Gee, Starfire. I don't know. Why don't you take a guess?"
Starfire blushed and lowered her head. Cyborg glared at Robin. "Hey, calm down, alright? She's just worried about you."
"Look, that's fine, but I don't really need sympathy right now, okay?" he snapped back.
"Robin, what's wrong?"
"Do you even have to ask that?" Robin asked, his voice now raised. He stood up and spread his arms. "Everything! All of this is wrong! The last three days were wrong! Us running away and hiding like scared animals is wrong!"
"Hey, we all feel that way, okay?" Cyborg stood up to face him. "But it's not like we can really help that right now!" He folded his arms and glared at Robin, who stared straight back. "Just what do you say we do about it, huh?"
Robin sneered and pointed off in the distance. "I say we stop running. I say we go back there, find them, and get back at them for what they did!" he shouted.
"What?" Cyborg gave an abrupt, bewildered laugh. "Do you even know what you're saying? I don't know if you've noticed or not, but so far those aliens have proved to be pretty invulnerable so far!"
"Well, we're never going to find a way to defeat them if we keep running!" Robin shouted back."
"Yeah, and how do you propose to find their weakness? Throw yourself at them, hoping your courage will magically make their force-fields malfunction?"
"Friends, please-" Starfire tried to interject.
"Maybe you'd prefer for us to just keep hiding with out tails between our legs while they take over, right?"
"Of course not! But what are we supposed to do? These people still need our help, and I'm not going to abandon them just because I want to play 'hero'!"
Robin scowled. "You mean like we abandoned Raven and Beast Boy?"
"Oh no," Starfire thought.
"Hey, you think I wanted to leave them?" Cyborg shouted. "I wanted to find them just as much as you did! But it's not like we had much of a choice back there!"
"We could have gone back! We could have looked for them when we had the chance!"
"Robin, we-" Starfire started.
"I didn't ask you, did I?" Robin shouted at her.
"Hey, don't yell at her!" Cyborg yelled back. "Now you're just being a jerk!"
"Well, if I'm being a jerk, it's because I'm a little tired of your stupidity!"
"Stupid? Hey, you better watch your mouth, or I'm gonna punch your lights out!"
"Go on, battery boy!" Robin raised his fists, and Cyborg did the same.
"Please, STOP!" Starfire screamed. In a flash, she was hovering between the two fighting Titans with arms outstretched, holding them apart. The two of them stared at her dumbfounded.
The alien princess glanced first at Robin, then at Cyborg. "Please, do not fight," she pleaded. "Robin, Cyborg, we are all angry, but we are friends. We cannot be acting this way." She lowered her hands. "They are out to destroy us. They have already taken everything away from us. All we have left is each other. And as long as we have each other, there is hope. But if we cannot work together, if fight ourselves …" She paused. "Then they have already won."
Cyborg and Robin both lowered their fists, and looked at each other sadly.
"Robin, Cyborg, we are all sad over Raven and Beast Boy. But fighting amongst ourselves will not solve anything. We have to work together."
Cyborg sighed. "You're right Star. Robin, I'm s-,"
Robin raised his hand to cut him off. "Don't apologize. You're both right. I was the one being a jerk. I should be the one apologizing to you." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." He extended his hand. "Forgive me?"
Cyborg looked at him warmly, and shook his hand. "Of course, man. Let's just forget about it."
"How touching. I see the heroes are still unified," a hauntingly familiar voice came out of nowhere.
The Titans' hearts all sank. "Oh no," Cyborg moaned. The three of them turned in the direction of the voice. A tall figure emerged from the shadow of the trees. His uniform was gray and black; his mask was split into two colors.
"Slade," Robin snarled.
"Ah, I see you still remember my name," the villain said mockingly as he approached. He held some bizarre fighting staff with a blade on one end.
Robin pulled out his own fighting staff. "What do you want?"
"What's the matter, Robin? Not happy to see me?" he asked.
"Actually, thanks to you, I've been reminded that there are some things about Earth I won't miss."
Slade gave a short, sinister laugh. "I see you haven't lost your sense of humor, either. How admirable."
"Just stay away, Slade. We have enough to worry about without you."
Slade stopped and narrowed his eyes. "Well, you can relax and lower your weapons. I am not here to fight you, nor am I in any position to, as your friend Starfire so wisely pointed out." He glanced briefly at the Tamaran, who only glared back at him. "This may come as a shock to you, but I want to help you."
"Yeah, what for? What's the catch?" Cyborg asked him.
Slade turned toward him. "Is it so hard to believe that I just wish to help? Last time I checked, I lived on this planet to. These Martians have done things that even I wouldn't wish upon this world."
"Sounds rather familiar," Starfire pointed out.
"It does. I believe we've been over the same thing when Trigon took over. But I'll say it again because it's true. Or is the thought of having to work with me again too much for you?"
"I'll admit, it's not easy," Robin said sarcastically.
Slade's eyes squinted, as if he was smiling beneath his mask. "Well, then there's not much I can say, other than that I give you my word that I truly do want to help you."
"Why do you want to help us?" Cyborg asked suspiciously.
"Well, I said it already, didn't I? The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Cyborg. The invaders have done things to this planet even I wouldn't want. And just like Trigon, they don't care about who the 'good guy' is and who the 'bad guy' is on this planet. To them, we are all equally disgusting. And I am as concerned for my life as I'm sure you are concerned for yours. I want to see them defeated as much as you do. The way our present circumstances are right now, though, we really don't have much of a choice except to cooperate. So I offer you my assistance in whatever way I can."
"There's nothing you can say that we can trust," Starfire objected.
Slade's eyes narrowed. "I kept my promise the last time we worked together, didn't I?"
"He does have a point, Robin," Cyborg whispered.
Robin folded his arms. "First, tell me how you found us."
Slade laughed. "Very well, then. When the Martians first came, I was as curious as you were. I had sent out robot scouts to survey what it was. I had no way of knowing at the time whether they were hostile or not, so I thought it would be best and safest to not go myself. I must say, it's probably one of my better decisions."
Robin merely rolled his eyes.
"When they started attacking, I responded as you did. I tried to fight them. I was going to try the typical thing: robot armies, lasers, the usual. Of course, I hadn't known about their force fields yet. But my army never had a chance after the first tripod activated the EMP. I knew the situation was hopeless, so I was forced to flee on foot. But I decided to switch to another tactic. I started shadowing the tripods where they went, trying to learn what I could. Then, of course, I decided to try to find you five to see where you went. I heard reports of you being present in the city near here, so I decided to come here. And just by sheer chance, I found you here."
"Robin, are you sure we can trust him?" Starfire asked.
Slade merely sighed. "I told you everything. Now, will you accept my offer, or not?"
Robin paused as he thought it over. Finally, he looked back up at Slade. "Alright. We'll trust you for now. But if you try anything, anything at all…"
"I give you my word, Robin."
Cyborg and Starfire seemed uncomfortable, but neither seemed to object to Robin's decision.
"Now," Slade asked, "May I ask you something?"
"What?" Robin answered.
"I see only three here. Where are the other two?" he asked curiously.
Robin lowered his head and narrowed his eyes. "We lost them last night, a while back. We don't know where they are."
"Really? How unfortunate. And may I ask how?"
"Martian attack," Cyborg answered. "We got caught up in a fight, and ended up losing track of each other. The Martians decided to gas the place, so we had to flee."
"Hmm. That is unfortunate." Slade's voice remained emotionless.
"Yeah, I'm sure it's breaking your heart," Robin said dryly.
"Well, we can't sit here glaring at each other all day. We have to get a move on," Cyborg reminded them.
"Yeah. Maybe once we find a place, we can think about how we might fight them," Robin added.
"Yes, we must discuss that," Slade interjected.
"What, now?" Starfire asked him.
"Why not? There are no tripods around for miles. And they aren't the fastest moving things in the world. But don't worry, I just want to ask you three a few questions. Maybe we could learn from each other. Come, let's talk."
The Titans found themselves inadvertently following Slade through the sparse, open forest.
"Tell me," Slade began. "What all do you know about these invaders? Aside from the fact they came from Mars and have quite destructive weapons?"
The three of them paused for a moment. "They're very ugly," Cyborg said. Robin managed to smirk at it.
Slade didn't seem very amused. "Cute. Now, do you care to answer my question?"
"We really don't know much about the invaders, Slade. It's not as if we've had much time to study them, you know," Robin replied.
"True. But you should still think about these things. Aren't you curious about anything they do? Why they do it?"
"Well obviously, they want to destroy us. They want our planet," Robin answered.
"Then I see your brain isn't entirely wasted on you," Slade responded.
Ignoring the comment, Cyborg spoke up. "I'm a little confused about one thing – they come here, and they're supposed to be so advanced, but they move around in tripods. I mean, sure they're powerful, but you'd think they'd have an air force. And even still, they might choose something a little faster than a tripod to move in."
"Interesting observation. I have often wondered that myself. You would think they would have developed an air force similar to ours. Their job would certainly be easier. Wouldn't it?" Slade observed.
"That makes sense. So why wouldn't they?" Cyborg asked him.
"Can't you guess?"
"When Raven talked about them, she or Beast Boy might have said something about them living underground, I think," Robin suddenly remembered.
"So, what? Do you think maybe that's the reason why?" Cyborg asked.
"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? Obviously, if they've lived underground for so long, then they wouldn't really even be able to develop any air power. They'd be stuck using the ground for travel," Robin explained.
"Hmm. I guess it does make sense."
"Good job, Robin. You are thinking," Slade mused. "Yes, these invaders may seem invincible, but even they have weaknesses. Weaknesses we may yet be able to discover. But that is why we cannot just fight, we must learn. We can learn even from our enemies."
"How are they even able to breathe in this atmosphere?" Starfire questioned.
"That is what I was curious about myself," Slade answered. "Mars really has no oxygen, so how could they breathe? Scientists have observed them so far and believe they actually breathe nitrogen. And our atmosphere is over seventy percent of it. For them, our air is quite comfortable. Of course, there's still a little left on Mars, but most of it is gone. I imagine that is one reason why they moved underground in the first place. They may have had to create their own stores of nitrogen underground."
"I can see why they want this planet. This is perfect for them," Robin muttered.
"Indeed it is. Warmth, water, air, vegetation, it is perfect for them. No doubt they are here for our planet, and don't intend to share it with us." Slade's statement was followed by an awkward, nervous silence.
"You've already seen the red weed, haven't you?" Slade continued. "You think they're planting it for our own enjoyment? They want to convert this planet. And the conversion's already begun." He pointed. Coincidentally, they all saw another patch of red vines nearby. "It grows rather quickly as well. No doubt they have other things to plant. I wonder how long it will be before we see their own native fauna running about."
The entire conversation was uncomfortable, and Robin knew he didn't want to be talking about it. He was tired, thirsty, hungry, and hot, even though it was only morning.
"Do you think they might start using nukes?" Cyborg said out of the blue.
Slade looked at him, his expression hidden behind his mask. "I've wondered that myself. I honestly could not tell you. I fail to see how it would help our situation in any way."
"But let's just say they work. Would they use them?" Robin asked.
"I do not know. But I imagine they would not, for the same reason the Martians would not use such weapons if they possessed them."
"Why?"
"What do you think? They are here for our planet. In order to wipe us out, they'd have to use them everywhere. And such an operation would ruin the planet and render it useless. A similar thing applies to us. Let's just say a nuclear device does work. Then what? Would we proceed to wipe out every single Martian on this planet with them? And then, what would we have left? A ruined, radioactive planet, hardly livable for either species. And just taken into account the amount of humans, plants, and animals that would also die as a result. Not to mention the pollution and ruined ecosystems that would result from it. No, such an option would be almost as bad as the Martians themselves. But we shall see."
Slade's words had a piercing effect. As much as Robin despised him, he did make sense sometimes. Cold, ruthless sense.
"Maybe we should rest. We've been going since yesterday morning," Cyborg said to the rest.
"The forest gets thicker along the way. The Martians most likely wouldn't come through here, and we would be hard to detect anyway. I believe we would be safe resting there for the time being," Slade advised them.
"Okay. We'll do that," Robin agreed.
The three Titans followed Slade through the forest. Robin noticed Starfire seemed a little distant. Feeling guilty about what had happened earlier, he walked behind Cyborg to be beside her.
"Hey, Starfire?" he asked her nervously.
She looked up at him. "Yes, Robin?" she asked innocently. Her big, green eyes looked into his.
"I'm sorry about what happened earlier. Really, I am. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
"You were stressed. It's okay."
"No, it's not okay!" Robin said, a little louder than he would liked. The other two didn't seem to notice. Regaining his composure, he continued. "It was wrong of me. You were right. We're all stressed and worried. But that's no excuse for me to take it out on you. I, I shouldn't have done that." He paused as he took a deep breath. He hoped he wasn't blushing. He lowered his head involuntarily. "So, um, I'm sorry. I hope you accept my apology." He raised his head to see the alien princess smiling sweetly at him.
"Of course I do, Robin. You are forgiven."
"Thanks. I won't do it again."
"Just forget about it. Now, would you like for me to recite the Tamaran poem of forgiveness to you?"
"Um, no thanks, Star. Maybe later."
She only smiled, and the two continued to walk beside each other. A short while later, Starfire looked over at Robin again.
"Robin, do you think they are okay?" she asked him anxiously.
He didn't have to guess whom she was talking about. He found himself struggling for an answer. He turned to meet her gaze. "I don't know, Star."
"They aren't here. If they're alive, why haven't they found us? Why are they not here?" Her face started tearing up. Without warning, she embraced Robin so tightly he thought his ribs might crack.
"Oh, Robin! We have lost so much. I cannot bear the thought of losing them! And what will happen next? I do not want to lose you, either!" She sniffed and cried into his shoulder. Her grip relaxed a little bit, allowing Robin to breathe. Once he overcame the shock, he returned her hug. Taking his hand, he cupped her chin, and raised it so her tear-covered eyes met his.
"Hey, I can't promise you that they're alive. But I can promise you one thing: that I'll always be here for you. Me and Cyborg both. You said it yourself – we're all friends here. And I'll tell you now that I'll stick by your side through everything. And if we do find a way to beat them, we'll do it together. So, don't worry about it, alright?"
Starfire managed to smile through her tears. "Thank you, Robin. I am grateful to have a wonderful friend like you." The two of them stared into each other's eyes.
"Hey guys, what are you doing back there?" Cyborg's voice snapped them back into reality. The two of them grinned at each other.
"Nothing, Cy. We're coming!" Robin shouted back. He turned to Starfire. "Let's go."
The two of them turned and ran beside each other to catch up to Cyborg and Slade. Along the way, Starfire turned her head up to the sky. Off in the distance, a ray of sunlight had pierced the clouds and was shining through.
A couple words about this chapter. I'm sure a lot of you are anxious to know what's going on with Raven and Beast Boy. Have no fear! Originally, this was supposed to be all one chapter, but when I saw how long the first scene took, I decided to split it into two chapters: one focusing on Rob, Star, and Cy, and the other focusing on BB and Rae. Also, the scene with Beast Boy and Raven takes place later in the day, so it works out better chronologically as well. Don't worry - I'll have the next chapter posted soon! And this time, I mean it. ;)
