Okay, first I'd like to apologize for this chapter's VERY late arrival. Sorry, guys. As I am working on two fics at once, updating was kind of hard. For over a month and a half I barely worked on any stories at all, nor did I really have much time to until mid-April. I decided also to crank out two chapters of my other fic instead of one, so that delayed this chapter a little more. Thanks to all for your patience, and I hope this chapter is worth the wait. BTW, look for another scene in here inspired by the movie.

Just to avoid confusion, Rae/BB segment starts out where the last chapter left off, so the scene takes place before (chronologically) the end of the Rob/Star/Cy segment at the beginning of this chapter. Confusing, I know. I know it's out of order, but I wanted to put the Rae/BB scene last. Don't know why, just gotta. And now, on with the show.

Disclaimer: I own nothing


Chapter 10: Emergence

Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire, all felt uncomfortable with Slade as their new ally. Robin above all felt suspicious of Slade and his motives even though Slade had sworn he would not betray or harm them. When they had finally found a place to stop and rest, he found it incredibly hard to sleep. He couldn't help but suspect Slade would take the opportunity to end their lives when they were vulnerable. He found himself frequently glancing at Slade to make sure he wasn't up to anything.

The day after they had encountered Slade in the woods, they had decided to move on again. Along the way, they noticed more and more of the red weed had begun to spring up in thick patches all over the place. Just the sight of it made all of them sick to their stomach, and Robin could sense an anger burning within Starfire every time they passed a clump of the alien plant. Even worse, wherever the red vines grew, they seemed to choke the life out of all surrounding plants, almost as if they too were on a mission to exterminate life.

"They are actually a lot like our own plants," Slade said one time as he was explaining to them. "They thrive on many of the same things our plants do. Except on mars they were able to survive on a lot less. Here, the abundance of sunlight and nutrients allows them to thrive."

Aside from the sinister red weed, they hadn't noticed any other Martian life on the planet. Robin figured that was a good sign, for now. The next day was very quiet. They were once again in countryside, and no tripods had appeared. They figured it had to do with them sticking to the more populated areas. They were at least safe for now. They hoped they could find safe refuge before the Martians started scouring the countryside. As for Raven and Beast Boy, they could only hope that they were safe as well.

Starfire, despite everything, had a feeling that Raven and Beast Boy were alive. She wanted to believe that was the case. But another, darker feeling told her that they if they were alive, they weren't safe. She hoped that wasn't true.

"Do we have any idea where we're going?" Robin asked aloud to the group as they walked. It occurred to him they had been walking with no real plan as to where they were headed.

"There is a mountain to our northeast," replied. "There we might be able to find better cover. Until then, we should stick to the forest."

"And if the mountains don't work?" Robin asked dryly.

"Then let us hope the Martians skip over it," Slade replied.

The group kept going. Around them, tired-looking refugees trudged along. Robin could see the loss of hope in their eyes. It hurt him deeply inside.

After some time, Cyborg spoke up. "Hey Slade, I have a question about those Martians."

"Could we not talk about the Martians?" Robin said sourly.

"Oh okay, I won't, Robin. Let's just talk about last episode of 'Lost.' Is that better?"

"Calm down you two," Slade snapped with authority in his voice.

The two complied. Cyborg continued, "How do they communicate with each other, anyway? I mean, all I heard out of them were squeaks and hisses. I mean, you'd think they'd speak in some kind of language."

"Language?" Slade asked with amusement. "A language doesn't have to be what we make it out to be. What works for us might not work for other species. But I see your point. Hisses and squeaks don't really seem characteristic of a race as advanced as theirs." He paused. "I remember before most of the TV networks had gone off the air, they were talking about the creatures' anatomy. Scientists, with the little evidence they have, guess that they may be complimenting their oral communication with telepathy."

"You mean, they communicate with their minds?" Robin asked.

"Yes. The aliens might have psychic potential that we humans don't."

"That may explain how Raven was able to understand what they were thinking when they first landed!" Starfire exclaimed.

"Yes. I think it might."

A loud screech overhead broke the silence. Everyone on the ground snapped their heads to the sky to see what was happening. High overhead was a formation of fighter jets flying toward the horizon.

"Good luck," Cyborg said as if the pilots overhead could hear him.

"I think we'd better get a move on, guys," Robin urged them. No one argued.

A little while later, they decided to stop and take a rest. It was about noon according to Cyborg. Slade wanted to keep going, but the other three were still tired. They had all been through a lot in the past few days. As Starfire slumped against a tree, her ears picked up the sound of rushing water. It sounded like a river was nearby. She then noticed how hot it was and how thirsty she had become.

"Sounds like there's a stream nearby," Robin observed, noticing the sound himself.

Starfire rose to her knees. "I'll be right back."

"Okay. Don't go too far off, Star," Robin cautioned as she walked off.

Starfire followed the sound of running water and soon enough came to a wide stream. The water looked so appealing right now. She walked up to the shore and stooped down. Cupping her hands, she dipped them under the rushing water and splashed some of it on her face. The effect felt so refreshing, she smiled. She took some more water in her hands and took a sip, and her dry mouth greedily soaked it up. She drank a little more and stood up. For a moment, she simply stared at the stream and admired its beauty, forgetting for a moment about the invasion and the Martians.

She stared for a few moments before something in the water caught her eye. Upon first glance it looked like a log floating downstream. As Starfire focused, she noticed the log had arms and legs. She gasped as she finally realized what it was – a corpse. She couldn't turn away, as much as she tried. Her eyes remained fixed on the dead body as it floated down the stream like a raft.

Just when it had passed, Starfire saw another one floating down the river. Then another. Then another. Then another. Her fear mounted as the floating horrors drifted across the river. She tried to scream, but it got caught in her throat. She could only stand there, paralyzed. Her breath quickened frantically. Just when she was about to scream, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders from behind. She was spun around and beheld Robin, wearing an expression of grave concern. Tears in her eyes, Starfire collapsed in his arms and sobbed. Robin in response wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay," Robin whispered. He embraced her tightly, wanting to console her as much as he could. He had just walked down to talk to her and found her staring at the floating bodies.

After a few minutes of her crying into his shoulders, Robin gently led her away from the stream. He led her back to where Cyborg and Slade were. He sat her down next to a tree and sat down beside her.

"Is she alright? What happened?" Cyborg asked with worry.

"She saw some bodies. It's okay. Just give her a minute."

A few minutes later, her sobbing finally stopped. "Are you okay?" Robin asked her. She nodded weakly. Starfire drew a deep breath and sighed. It wouldn't have been the first time she had seen a body, but just the sight of them now pushed her stress over the limit.

Slade stooped down beside her. Robin was tempted to tell him to get lost, but stopped when he saw Slade taking something out of his suit.

"Here. Take this." He held a small, white pill up to her face. "You'll feel better."

"What is that?" Robin asked angrily.

Slade eyed him. "I gave you my word, Robin. Are you going to trust me, or not?"

Robin paused. Actually, he still didn't trust Slade. He had had far too much experience with this man's duplicity. Nevertheless, after a moment he nodded. Slade then took the pill and dropped it in Starfire's mouth, and she swallowed it. Starfire's eyes closed and she leaned against the tree trunk. As Slade walked away, Robin followed him.

"What was that?" he asked him.

"That? Just a little stress reliever. I figured having an emotionally-scarred companion wouldn't help us much. I developed that formula awhile back. It really is ingenious, I think. It has the characteristics of a mild antidepressant, but without any druggy side effects! I should really put it on the market. It's too bad I'm a psychotic criminal, otherwise they might let me get a patent on it."

Robin actually cracked a smile. Slade's eyes remained grave, however. "We should keep moving soon. If we can, we should try traveling by night. We'll be harder to spot that way.

"Right. Let's just give the others a chance to rest, though. These past few days have been pretty exhausting."

"Tell me, Robin," Slade said turning to him. "Did you or Starfire happen to notice anything peculiar about the bodies?"

"Um, not really. I didn't really stop to examine them, Slade," he added sarcastically.

"Funny. I only asked because I happened to come across some bodies a tripod had dropped awhile back. I found something very peculiar about them. But tell me Robin, did you ever happen to see these aliens collecting humans?"

"Yeah, I did. It happened the last time we ran into them, as a matter of fact. Why?"

"And did you ever stop to think what the aliens might want with humans?"

"I have some ideas." His gaze fell downward. "But no."

"Ah, well I did. Tell me, Robin, do you know how mosquitoes eat?"


The heavy sounds from the tripod's movements filled the air. It was really dark, but a strange green light poured in through the small windows in the basement.

"Are you okay?" Raven asked the small shape-shifter. Beast Boy nodded weakly. Both of them got up and went to the window. They couldn't see much, but they could see the massive legs of the tripod standing outside the house. Right on top of them, a weird thumping sound emanated from the cylinder that had crashed into the house just moments earlier. The loud 'foghorn' sound blasted from the tripod without warning. Raven and Beast Boy winced and covered their ears.

"What are they doing?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't know! It looks like it's guarding the cylinder." Raven continued to stare wide-eyed at the spectacle taking place. The tripod's legs shifted. In a flash the bright spotlight came on and shone on the ground outside. The light moved up and toward the house and headed toward the window from which the two heroes were looking out of.

"Down!" Raven whispered sharply. They both ducked just before the light passed over the window. For a moment the light streamed in through the window and illuminated the basement. A second later, they were in darkness again.

Beast Boy took a deep breath and looked above. That strange "thumping" sound was still coming from the cylinder above them. Outside, he could hear metal grinding as the tripod outside moved around the house.

"We'd better get away from this window," Raven advised. Beast Boy agreed, and the two scuttled over to a dark corner out of sight. At the other end of the basement, part of the ceiling had collapsed from when the cylinder crashed into the house.

"Rae, what are we gonna do?" Beast Boy asked frantically. "Should we try to escape?"

"I," Raven tried to think. With all the noise it was hard to concentrate. She went over their options. They could try to escape now, while it was still dark out. If the Martians couldn't spot them, they might be able to get away. The only problem would be what would happen afterward. Where would they go? They had no idea where they were now, and in the dark they wouldn't have much of an idea where they were going. And they wouldn't be able to take much with them. They wouldn't be able to last for very long. Worse, if the Martians did see them, they were as good as dead.

Or they could stay and wait for the Martians to leave. Raven didn't think they'd stay around for very long in this location. Once they left, it would be much safer to head out. It would also give them at least more time to plan where they would go. But what if the Martians didn't leave? What if they did find them here? If they did, they were also as good as dead. Raven sighed on the inside. Neither option was very appealing. She hated having to be the one to think.

"Raven?"

"I don't know!" Raven snapped at him unexpectedly. Beast Boy was slightly taken aback and withdrew. Realizing what she had done, Raven focused and tried to keep her temper under control. "Sorry," she said. "There's one out there right now. We have maybe just a couple hours until the one in the cylinder comes out."

"Do you think we should make a run for it?" Beast Boy asked again.

Raven thought it over again. "No," she said after a moment. It was too risky. At least by waiting, they had a better chance of survival. Waiting there was risky too, but she figured it was a better alternative. "We should stay here. If they see us, we're dead. We should wait until they leave."

Beast Boy looked at her and then at the window on the other wall. "Okay. I'm right behind you, Rae."

"Thanks. That's very comforting."

Beast Boy laughed, despite the situation. He looked around again. The tripod's searchlight was still flitting around outside. His eyes started closing unexpectedly. Beat Boy forced them open. Lying against the wall had let his exhaustion creep up on him. He had gotten some sleep, but he was still tired.

And Raven could sense it, too. She felt sorry for him, despite herself. He had been through so much and risked his own life to get her to safety. She nudged him to get his attention.

"Beast Boy, why don't you get some rest? I'll keep watch."

"I'm fine," he protested.

"You're not fooling anyone. Just get some sleep."

"But Rae, what about you?"

"I'll be fine. I had enough already." She winced again as pain shot through the wound in her forehead. "I'll keep watch." Beast Boy's eyes had already started to droop by the time she finished her sentence. He slumped against the wall and within mere moments was asleep. He looked so cute like that. Raven sighed and looked away.

"You can't keep me down forever, Raven," a small voice whispered from inside her. She had heard that unmistakable voice before. It was love.


When Beast Boy woke up, it was still dark. Raven was standing up now, looking above at the ceiling. The shape shifter yawned and stretched. Outside he could still here the tripod and the sounds coming from the cylinder above him.

"What's up, Rae?" he whispered.

She looked down at him, her hood almost concealing her gaze. "It's been awhile. It could happen at any second."

"What could happen?"

Right after he finished his sentence, everything stopped. The noise from outside and above ceased. An eerie silence hung over the place. Beast Boy didn't like it at all.

"Raven?"

Without warning a loud blast echoed from above them. The ground started trembling and a grinding sound came from the cylinder above them. A loud crash sounded. It didn't take long for Beast Boy to figure out what was going on – the second tripod was breaking out of its cylinder. Another crash sounded as another leg broke free of the cylinder.

Beast Boy backed against the wall. He only hoped the ceiling wouldn't collapse. Raven came to his side. The heavy whirring from the massive machine echoed through the ceiling. Sounds of objects falling down pierced the walls; probably pieces of the cylinder falling down. Raven braced herself, hoping it wouldn't bring its massive foot through the ceiling. Its massive footsteps echoed. Luckily for them, it didn't bring the ceiling down. Raven and Beast Boy waited for what seemed like ages for the tripods to leave. Instead, the two massive tripods lingered around the house, their heavy footsteps reverberating through the walls. A loud humming sound also added to the noise.

"What are they doing? Why won't they go away?" Beast Boy asked desperately.

Raven didn't answer, but got up to go to the window. She stood up to it and took a peak outside. The two tripods were standing next to each other and facing toward the same spot. The loud humming sound came from their lasers which they were firing at the ground. Raven couldn't tell what they were doing or what they were firing at. Not wanting to risk being seen, she backed away from it. Before she left, she grabbed a wooden plank and placed it in front of the window.

"What did you see?" Beast Boy asked as she came back.

Raven shrugged. "I have no idea what they're doing. It looks like they're shooting at nothing out there." She sat down.

Beast Boy's thoughts drifted to his friends again. He hoped they were safe. He hoped they were alive. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Beast Boy glanced up to see Raven standing over him, and to his surprise, she was smiling.

"I think they're okay, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy was going to ask how she knew what he was thinking about, but then remembered she was telepathic. "Do you think we'll make it through this, Raven?" he asked. He stared at her with those innocent puppy-dog eyes.

She paused. A moment of doubt came over her, but it vanished. She looked at Beast Boy with confidence. "I know we will, Beast Boy. I know we will."


The ending sucks, I know. But I didn't want to go on to the next scene with them or else the chapter would be too long. As a side note, I had debated whether or not to put the river scene into the Rob/Star/Cy part, as I was worried the scene might be a little too dark. Then again, the whole story is dark, so I think it fits nicely. Anyway, be sure to drop a review in. Thanks for reading! Adios.