"Mmmmmmmmmmm… … …," Beast Boy sulks. All but draped over the kitchen counter in the Titan's Main room. His green ears are half as deflated as his sighing breaths as he ticks away the seconds with depressed eyelids.
Behind him, Cyborg is making himself a sandwich. At the sight of his depressed companion, he pauses to smirk and slap him across the back. "Chin up, little man. You can't be down in the dumps about this all week!"
"Mmmmm… …. …Terra isn't here… ….," Beast Boy mutters. "… .. …so the gay elf has left the building."
"You mean that figuratively, right, dawg?"
"… … …"
"Heh heh heh… …I should have known you'd be this mopey while she was in the Sequester House. Just think about it! She's both doing her job AND being safe from any random attacks of Mad Mod. And while she's at it, I bet she'll do one damn fine job at the pageant! Now, don'tcha think it'd make her happy to see you being cheerful for her?"
"Mmmmm.. … …but she isn't heeeeere…."
Across the Main Room, Raven glances up from her fair nose digging in a book. She takes one look at the two Titan boys, rolls her eyes, and resumes page-flipping with the slightest of smirks.
"Man, you just gotta get a grip on thing! Here," Cyborg slides him a plate. "Have some tofu nuggets!"
"Don't waaaaaaaaannnt ittttttttt," Beast Boy whines.
"Egads…," Cyborg rolls his eyes. "You can keep this up as long as you like. But the soonest you turn into a little puddle of green effigy, I'm scooping you up and tossing you away into the 'pity bucket'."
"Feh. Your mom made that phrase up."
"I know! That's why it's so damn good!"
"Ugh…I wanna die."
"I can oblige, grass stain!"
"MMmmmmm… … …only if Terra's HERE for my funeral."
"Heh heh heh… … …Everything will be alright. The pageant's just in another day."
Raven flip another page, exhales, and cuddles back into the windowseat. Sunlight settles gently across her robed shoulders.
"… … .. …."
A flinching. Raven's head rises up. She blinks. She lowers her hood and cranes her neck around. Blinking.
Cyborg squints towards her. "Rae… ..?"
Thwap!
Raven stands up with the book shut. "They're here," she drones.
Cyborg and Beast Boy start. "R-Robin and the others?"
Raven takes a deep breath. ".. … …and something's not right… …"
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Sch-Schwisssh!
The elevator doors open to the bottom floor of the Titan's Tower.
Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy scamper out.
Mixed gasps and stares… …
We've already entered our abode. Robin is leading the way, gloved fists clenched as he makes a bee-line for the opposite side of the lobby. Starfire and Static hobble afterwards, both of whom are roughly bandaged for their manageable injuries. Then I'm strolling in, staring at my feet in a spacey manner. Finally, Bard takes up the rear in a lazy.. .. ..breathless mosey.
Cyborg—as always—is the first to open his mouth: "Man, what took y'all? I thought you were just trying to rendezvous in the wilderness hot on the trail of--… …er… …or that you were cracking down on---… …wait, what the Hell were y'all up to anyway?"
"Long story," Robin blurts and storms past him. "I'll brief you later."
"But—"
"Later." The Boy Wonder ices his way up a stairwell.
Cyborg bites his lip. "Whew.. …," he turns around, rubbing the human side of his head. ".. …what's got a bite on his cape—Whoah damn! Guys, you okay?" He rushes nervously up to Starfire and Static. "You look like Hell!"
"But since wh-when did I resemble a Judeo-Christian model of the deleterious afterlife?" Starfire murmurs.
Static smiles slightly. "Cyborg just means they're freaked out at how banged up we are."
"Ah, but is not a rigorous battle complete with its scars?"
"Battling?" Cyborg does a double-take as Raven gently strolls up. "You were battling someone?"
"Dudes, who?" Beast Boy squeaks. "Whoever it was did something nasty to you!"
Starfire opens her mouth.. .. ..but pauses long and breathily. Her eyelids shut as she lowers her empty face towards the floor.
Beast Boy bites his lip.
Static clears his throat and mouths: 'It is a long story'.
"Mmm…I'm sure," Raven gently graces Starfire's bandaged arms. "These wounds are still fresh. Follow me to the infirmary and I'll give them my healing touch."
"V-Virgil.. …," Starfire looks up as Raven guides her away. "Will you be coming?"
"Y-Yeah. In a sec, Star."
"Very well. Happy tidings."
Raven walks off with Starfire.
Beast Boy scratches his green head. He and Cyborg look Static's way. "So…. ..what happened?"
"Everything good and everything bad."
"How about the good stuff first?" Beast Boy simpers. "A spoonful of that makes the nervous convulsions go down."
"Well, we totally busted a hideout belonging to a new bunch of H.I.V.E. crooks," Static counted his fingers. "We freed forty-two young victims to the terrorist organization. Noir—so it seems—got Red X out of captivity… mmmmmm… .. …and none of us Titans died, so I guess that's kinda good."
Beast Boy shrinks his head into the neck of his shirt. "Mmmmf-mmmf-mmmf…" ('Now the bad…')
"Well," Static winces slightly and gently touches a burn mark on his shoulder. "Red X kinda-sorta got away. So did a bunch of other people. And after Mister Freeze made his trek down to the bottom of the underground facility—"
"Whoah whoah whoah WHOAH WHOAH!" Cyborg waves his arms wildly. He dangles in place with his jaw wide open before eventually stammering: "THE Mister Freeze was in on this thang?"
Static sweatdrops. "P-Perhaps Robin is right. This kind of thing should wait for later."
"Nuh uh! I don't think so!" Cyborg cackles. "Each and everyone of you is lookin' slack-jawed by whatever it is y'all just went through, and I think it's our place to find out why!" Cyborg points. "Hell, if Noir could speak, I'd even say the cat's got his tongue!"
All three look at me.
"… … … …." From a lone corner, I silently glance up at them. I shudder.
They look away and murmur amidst themselves:
"Dude.. …just what's with him? Bard too?"
"I dunno! Robin didn't say a word about what he and the others saw when they went down into the dungeons to rescue the kids."
"Robin and who? Mister Freeze?.?.?"
"And Hull and Pulsade and—"
"Who?"
Static sighs. "… …look. I'm just as confused as you guys. Just.. … …," Static runs a hand through his hair. ".. …. …confused. So if you excuse me, I'm gonna go pay Starfire a visit."
"Already?"
"YES already, Beast Boy. Now let me through…" Static shoves his way and marches to the elevator.
Cyborg and Beast Boy blink, confusedly.
Cyborg whistles.
"Man.. …this is weak," Beast Boy murmurs. "Heh. And I thought I was down."
"Robin had better have some good answers.. .. …," Cyborg murmurs and glances my way again. ".. … …any answers… …"
I hug myself slightly and look away from them.
I close my black eyes.
I drift….
And I think.. … …
Red X… .. …
There was nobody inside the suit.
And yet.. … ..
It still moved.
It still 'lived'.
Did it feel pain too?
I need to tell Robin about it. But I feel like he's holding back something too.
Everybody is…
I glance up.
To my left.
Bard's shadow is there—as only I can sense it. But the cowboy has long walked out of the room. Taken the stairwell. Most likely the rooftop.
Alone.
Everyone…. …
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
SWIIIISH-CLANG!
Robin's door slams louder than expected.
He doesn't pay it much attention.
He stumbles into his room.
He stands before his cot.
He breathes… …breathes…
Slowly, he removes his cape.
He drapes it across the cot.
He reaches for his utility belt.
He fiddles with the latch.
Fiddles.. …fumbles…
Jerks….
"Nnnngh---"
Robin grits his teeth, yanks the belt off, and flings it hard against a book case. Spilling books. Th-Thrump!I
"DAMMIT!"
He shouts.
He bounds over to a bench and frustratingly kicks a few lab tools over. CRASH!
"DAMMIT, FRIES!"
He seethes… ….seethes… ..seethes…
Digs his gloved hands into his hair.
Pauses….
"… … … …"
And exhales.
"… .. ….bastard to the end.. …"
He slumps to his knees and hangs his head.
A lengthy silence permeates the air.. …
He then shuffles/crawls over towards a window.
He slumps against it and rests his hands on his haunches and sighs.
"… …. …. …"
He leans his face tyredly against the glass and drifts.. …drifts… …drifts…
But comes circling back to the same old sigh.
"There's got to be a better way… .. …a better way around all of it… …. ….true salvation… .. …true vindication… .. …. … … …Dammit, Fries, was that what you were trying to prove? Or what I'm… .. …I-I'm just blowing up for no reason?"
Silence.
Robin's gaze settles across the room.
He then stops as his masked eyes center on the clump of random objects kicked off his table.
Between the bits and pieces of lab equipment is a framed photo of him and Star on the deck of a cruise ship one purple night with Prom Night décor scattered all about. They are both smiling. Standing side by side. Close, perhaps, but not touching.
Never touching.
It strikes Robin then and there that the glass of the picture frame is broken straight down the middle of the two photo'd teens.
He only sighs and glares out the window.
"…. … …I'm… ….. ….so exhausted… …."
