I held my arms tightly and bounced on my toes. "C-Can we turn up the heat? It's freezing in here!" I whimpered as my teeth chattered.
"No! We already turned it up ten minutes ago!" Cyborg said.
"Well, now I'm cold again!" I hurried over and cranked the thermometer up a few more degrees.
"Then you're getting the heating bill!"
"This is the most pointless argument I've ever heard." Raven mumbled. "You should have brought a blanket or something."
I laid my gloved hands over my cheeks to warm them up. The tip of my nose turned light pink.
"Let me help!" Beast Boy transformed into a ferret, climbed up the side of my body, and curled around my neck.
I chuckled and patted his head. "Thanks." I headed to the front and glanced over Robin's shoulder as he watched the beeping radar. "How's the search going?"
"I can't seem to pinpoint where the distress signal came from..." Robin said, cupping a hand over his chin.
"Let me see." I leaned over his shoulder and closer to the screen. Beast Boy crawled onto Robin's head and squinted at the scanner. I glanced up and out the window, concentrating to see through the snow. I pointed to an empty spot on the screen. "The city is just a little up north. It's pretty desolate from the recent attack, but there are still people there who we can talk to."
"All right. Hang on, everyone. I'm increasing speed." Robin said. He glanced up with an annoyed scowl. "Beast Boy, you can get off now."
With a squeaky sigh, Beast Boy hopped back onto my shoulder and reclaimed his original spot around my neck. Robin urged the T-Ship to go faster through the snowy wind. Below, the landscape was pure white from the thick layers of snows, courtesy of Russia's infamously freezing winters. A city came into view, but it was desolated. We parked the T-Ship on top of a slab of rock that overlooked the city. The ramp opened, letting a harsh wind into the ship. A shiver rippled through my body as I climbed down the ramp. My boots crunched against the snow. Beast Boy trembled violently around my neck; I zipped up my jacket as much as it could go and pulled my hood over my head.
"I never realized human flesh was so susceptible to the cold." Starfire said, who was the only one dressed in her usual uniform and without any winter layers.
"Are you sure there are people here?" Raven said.
I nodded. "This way." I carefully jumped off the rock slab, trudged down a steep hill of snow, and into the city. Every time I exhaled, my breath was visible; every time I inhaled, my nose hairs froze. I came to a large pile of ice shaped like a teepee. I peeked inside and saw some villagers huddled in the back. "Here."
Robin peeked inside. "It's okay, you can come out now. You're safe." he said, but the people didn't dare budge.
"We have never been safe." a thick accented voice said. We turned to see an elderly man with an eyepatch over his left eye. "Please forgive them. They are very wary of strangers. My name is Raskov. I welcome you to our village... or, perhaps, what is left of it."
"Who did this?"
"I dare not speak his name. He used to be one of us, but now is an abomination."
I held my hands together. "That... seems a little harsh to call one of your own kind that."
"Do not be fooled. He brings nothing but destruction and suffering whenever he sets foot in our village. Don't let your ignorance fuel your compassion."
I looked away at the landscape of snow. A bright flash of red light filled my peripheral, and we turned and saw a large dome of red energy radiating far off in the snowy tundra.
"He has returned." Raskov said.
"Not if we have anything to say about it." Robin said. "Titans, let's move."
As we cruised deeper into the tundra, the snowfall grew thicker and heavier. I gripped the steering wheel as the T-Ship flew sporadically.
"I got zero invisibility! I'm switching to instruments only!" Cyborg called through his headset.
"Take it easy and keep low to the ground! We've got to find the outcast!" Robin said.
I glanced behind me and into the woods that we had just flown over. A thick ray of red energy zoomed towards us.
"Look out!" I jerked the wheel to the right, causing us to swerve. The energy flew past us, nearly grazing one of the wings.
"Whoa! What was that?!" Beast Boy cried.
"Land the ship, quickly!" Robin said.
We brought the T-Ship to a bumpy and uneasy stop and climbed out. I shielded my eyes and squinted through the pouring snow as it pelted my face and clothes. Something red glowed at the edge of the forest, and I could barely make out a human-shaped silhouette. Another beam of energy shot towards us, and we leaped out of the way. Robin threw a couple of explosive disks, but the silhouette moved to a different spot.
"I can't see anything!" Cyborg said, trying to aim his cannon.
Raven brought her hands together and created a large dome that covered us and the T-Ship.
"Thanks, but it would've been more helpful if you did that after we landed." Beast Boy said.
"Or I can just kick you out into the snow if you keep complaining." Raven said.
"The monster's not around here." Robin said, scanning the area while Starfire used her starbolts to give us light.
"I wouldn't be too sure."
Red light seeped through the dome as the monster pressed its body against it. The dome shattered, knocking us back and into the snow. Robin and Cyborg scurried back onto their feet.
"Be careful!" I cried over the snow. "That thing is made of pure radiation!"
The monster launched another beam of red energy at us. Starfire jumped in front of us and thrust her arms out, blocking the radiation.
"The radiation cannot harm me." Starfire said. I hurried to her side.
The monster turned and retreated into the forest. Starfire picked up her feet and flew toward the forest.
"Starfire, wait!" I cried. I yanked my feet out of the snow and ran after her.
"Stop, Ciela! It's too dangerous!" Robin called over my shoulder. However, I kept running.
I entered the forest. Even with the trees, the wind and snow didn't let up. A harsh wind beat against me, and I held on to a dead tree to avoid getting knocked off my feet.
"Starfire!" I cried. I held my arms as my body shivered violently. My jaw ached from my teeth chattering so hard. I sucked in a deep, cold breath. "Starfire!"
I trudged through the forest. I tried to run and warm up my body, but the cold quickly sapped it up. My hood flew off my head, and I grabbed at it and forced it back on. My braid felt stiff as it laid against my chest, thanks to the snow making it wet and the cold freezing it instantly. Eventually, I made it to the other end of the forest and to another barren tundra. In the distance, I saw a flash of red and purple.
"Starfire!" I ran as fast as I could, which turned into an awkward waddling, over to Starfire. I brushed the snow that began to pile on her body and lifted her into my arms. "Wake up!"
Through my gloved hands, I could feel how cold she was. I held her close to me to try and warm her up. I heard the crunch of footsteps, and something protected the snow from hitting me. I looked up and saw a man cloaked in black trousers and a green parka. His hood was pulled over his head, so I couldn't see his face. He scooped Starfire out of my arms and draped her over his shoulder.
"Come. It is not safe here." he said.
I climbed to my feet and nodded, hugging my arms tightly.
We entered an abandoned factory. As soon as we stepped inside, I could feel the warmth pumping back into my blood. I rubbed my hands together and pressed them against my freezing cheeks. I removed my hood and brushed the snowflakes off my jacket.
"Thank you." I said to the man. He set Starfire down at my feet and retreated into a glass-lined chamber.
"There is no need. I found you outside when my proximity alarm sounded. The tundra is no place for anyone to stay without turning into a block of ice, so bringing you here was the least I could do." the man said, locking himself in the chamber. "As soon as your friend regains consciousness, you may leave any time you please."
I knelt next to Starfire, unzipped my parka, and laid it over her shoulders. I untied my braid and let my hair down so it could thaw and dry properly, although having cold hair on my neck wasn't very pleasant. I held my arms and stood back up.
"Might I at least be introduced to the person who saved us?" I said.
The man unzipped his parka and threw it on the ground. He had red hair and pure green eyes. He wore a gray tank top underneath, showcasing his muscles.
"My name is Red Star." he said.
"I'm Ciela. That's my friend Starfire." I said. "You keep yourself in here? Don't you get lonely?"
"It is a price to pay for the burden I carry. Everyone I meet runs away screaming or turns their weapons on me. I am... an abomination. I would rather suffer loneliness than have blood on my hands."
"Don't put yourself down like that. You're not what your people say you are."
"So, you have met my people."
"Yes. They wanted us to find and capture... you."
Red Star nodded. "I understand their fear. You do not know of the energy inside me. At any moment, I could hurt you and your friend in an instant."
"If you're trying to make me afraid of you, you're going to have to do better than that."
Starfire stirred behind me. I hurried to her side and helped her sit up.
"Are you okay?" I said.
"You... are here, too?" Starfire said. She took in our surroundings. "Where are we?"
"Welcome, Starfire. Your friend has already introduced you both. I am Red Star." Red Star said.
"He helped us get out of the tundra." Starfire and I stood. I tied my parka around my waist.
Starfire turned to Red Star. "You have my utmost gratitude. Tell me, have you heard of a monster that has been causing destruction to a city nearby? My friends and I were sent to find and defeat him."
"Starfire..." I rested a hand on her shoulder. "You're looking at him."
Starfire's eyes widened as she turned to Red Star.
"You must understand. What happened was an accident. I would never try to harm my people. It seems even though it happened so long ago, they are still angry with me." Red Star said.
"We have seen the destruction, and we had faced you in battle just recently!" Starfire said.
"What? No, no, it cannot be so. I have been up here all this time, so far away from the city, to protect my people. Please, you must believe me."
"He's right." I said. "The monster we faced yesterday was not him. The monster that's been terrorizing the city isn't Red Star... but it is connected to you."
Red Star turned away. "I am not surprised. So much destruction has been done, either by me or because of me. No wonder my people are so desperate to hunt me down."
Alarms sounded. Red Star perked up. He pressed a button and opened the door to his chamber.
"That is the proximity alarm. Something is coming." he said.
We followed him to the control center, where a large screen showed a red arrow slowly making its way to the building.
"It must be the creature." Starfire said. "We must confront and defeat it."
"Nothing can get inside here. We will wait, and soon it will leave." Red Star said.
"That is unacceptable! If we do not do something, the creature will return to the city and cause even more destruction- destruction you will be blamed for!"
Red Star pressed a button on the control panel, sealing off the doors to the outside.
"I am sorry, but it is the only way we will be safe." Red Star said.
Starfire scowled. "You do not understand the concept of safe! You may believe you are safe by hiding here like a coward, but that does not ensure the safety of those outside these boundaries."
"Starfire, stop..." I whispered, grabbing her wrist. She ignored me.
"I know what safety is! I have sworn my duty to protect those I love and those they love from harm! As long as I am breathing, I ensure the safety of planet Earth's people, so staying cooped up inside like a one-winged Fopnar while my friends are out there is not what I call, 'sorry'!"
Red Star's eyes glowed red. He squeezed them shut and turned away. "Excuse me, please."
Red Star hurried out of the control center and to a room with a large containment room. Starfire followed after him. I saw the bright flashes of light pour out and into my room. I stepped into the containment room, resting a hand on the doorway. Red Star stepped out, holding a container full of red radioactive energy in each hand.
"Don't you see? This is why I am here. This is why I cannot leave." Red Star said.
"But I must." Starfire said, her angry tone gone from her voice. "I am sorry."
"Do not apologize. It would be better if people did not bottle up the angry they feel towards me."
I dropped my hand to my side and sighed. I heard a knock coming from outside. I hurried to the door. I pressed the big, red button and opened the door. The snow forced its way into the room, along with a gust of wind. It bit at my bare arms, and I winced- my fault for not putting my jacket back on. Standing at the doorstep, shivering like puppies, stood my friends. They perked up and smiled when they saw me.
"Hi, guys." I said. Beast Boy threw his arms around me, making me stumble back a few steps.
"Y-Y-You're s-s-so warm-m-m." he stammered.
"Friends!" Starfire gasped. She rushed over and wrapped her arms around me and Beast Boy. Cyborg lifted all three of us into the air.
"Welcome." Red Star said from the doorway. "Come and sit. I have prepared warm food for you all."
"Yes, please!" Beast Boy cried.
We sat around a plain wooden table. I sat next to Starfire on one side and braided my hair. Red Star carried a tray with six bowls filled with broth and large, purple objects that I assumed to be prunes.
"Please, enjoy." Red Star said.
Cyborg eyed the soup. "Uh... May I get a glass of water?"
"Why does your village believe you're the one attacking it?" Robin said.
"You must first understand where it is I come from." Red Star said. "I lived a difficult life as a recruit in the Russian armed forces, but I grew accustomed to its ways. I was chosen to be part of a government project- an experiment made to create super-soldiers. At first, the project seemed successful... but there is a terrible side effect- this power inside me."
"The radiation." I said.
"That was the first and only time I ever unleashed my power on my people, but there was never anything intentional about it. I have not forgotten, and neither have they." Red Star said. "Come. There is something I wish for you to see."
We stood up from the table and followed Red Star to the back of the containment room. We entered a large storage area. The shelves, reaching up to the ceiling, were filled with containers of red radioactive energy.
"Every day, I must shed my power. Here is where it is saved." Red Star said.
"You must use your ability to help people. There is no need to hide any longer." Starfire said.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but it is not as easy as you say it is. As long as I am in this place, the world is a little bit safer."
"But what about the creature? If something's not done about it, it'll put everyone in more danger as time goes by." I said.
The proximity alarms sounded again, followed a second later by the wall exploding. The radioactive monster stepped into the room. Containers of energy smashed against the floor, leaking into the stone and snow outside.
"Titans, go!" Robin cried.
"Just don't touch it!" Cyborg said.
My friends charged toward the monster. I turned to Red Star.
"The world labeled you as an abomination, but that's not who you really are. The only person stopping you from shaking off the past and moving forward is you. Please, Red Star, you have to help us." I said. Red Star looked away. "The monster came from the radiation you've been shedding. Some of it leaked out, and it formed this monster. That monster is you- your fear, your loneliness, and your anger. You're the only one who can stop it!"
Heat hit the side of my face, and I turned and gasped as the monster charged toward me. The monster swung its fist. Red Star stepped in front of me and grabbed the monster's hand.
"You will not harm my friends!" Red Star cried. He launched his fist into the monster's torso, knocking it to the ground. He jumped up and smashed his feet into the monster's face.
Red Star's eyes glowed red, and he cried out as he gripped his head.
"It is... too much..." Red Star groaned. His entire body became consumed with red energy. "I cannot... keep going."
Red Star hurried to the door.
"Red Star!" I cried.
The monster reached out and laid its hand over a stack of radioactive containers. The containers absorbed into its skin. The monster stood up, growing in size. The containers stuck out of its back. It ran out of the room, creating another hole in the wall, and disappeared into the snow.
"Do you understand now? I cannot control the power inside me." Red Star said, holding his side.
"Then do not." Starfire said. Red Star looked up at her. "The greater the struggle against your power, the more it resists. Embrace who you are and the strength inside you, and you will find the person you are meant to be. Become the hero- the super-soldier- you were made to be."
Slowly, Red Star nodded. "Yes. I will help you."
"So, how are we going to find that thing in all this snow?" Beast Boy said.
Red Star smiled. "Come."
We followed him to the garage. The doors opened, and eight snowmobiles lined the walls.
"With these, we should get to the city quickly and, hopefully, before the monster can deal any substantial damage." Red Star said.
I placed my hands on the steering wheel of a snowmobile. "Um... I have no idea how to drive one of these." I said.
"It's just like riding a motorcycle." Robin said.
"Yeah, that helps. Thanks." I grumbled and straddled one of the snowmobiles. I turned the key, and the engine revved to life. I pressed on the gas pedal, but I lurched backwards, slamming into Beast Boy's snowmobile.
"Hey!" Beast Boy cried.
"Sorry." I put the snowmobile in drive and gently tapped the gas pedal until I eventually crept up next to the others at the door. Red Star opened the door, letting the cold wind inside. I zipped up my parka and pulled my hood over my ears.
Red Star revved his snowmobile and took off first into the snow. I pounded on the gas pedal and zoomed forward.
"Whoa!" I cried, gripping the steering wheel.
"Easy on the gas!" Cyborg called.
"Maybe I would already know this if someone let me use the T-Car for driving!"
"I would rather be dismantled!"
"Then shut your face!"
I revved the engine and zoomed forward, kicking up snow that splashed the guys as I passed. I looked over my shoulder and laughed. In the distance, I noticed Red Star had stopped. My smile faded and my eyebrows knit as I slowed down. The others, save Starfire, zoomed by. Starfire followed my gaze. We looked at each other and nodded. I turned the snowmobile around, and we cruised back over to Red Star.
"What is wrong?" Starfire said.
"I made a promise that I would never set foot in that city again. I do not want to imagine the anger my people must feel towards me. They will never welcome a monster like me." Red Star said.
"You're not a monster; the thing that's terrorizing the city is a monster. It doesn't have any conscience or good will, but you do. They will see the good person you truly are. I know we have." I said.
Red Star looked up at me and Starfire. We smiled. The contagion traveled to his face. An explosion sounded in the distance, and we looked and saw a thick cloud of smoke and fire billowing from the city.
"We must go." Starfire said.
Red Star nodded. I revved my snowmobile back to life and guided it back onto the path towards the city. At the edge of the city, Raskov and a small group of men met us. Their eyes immediately found Red Star.
"How dare you return here." Raskov hissed. "Have you no shame?"
Red Star stepped off his snowmobile and approached the villagers, who stepped away from him.
"I have come to help." Red Star said.
"We do not need help from you. Every day, I looked out and see what it is you have done. You will leave now- either willingly or by force!" Raskov said. The angry villagers inched towards Red Star.
"No!" I cried. I jumped off my snowmobile and stepped in between Red Star and the villagers. Starfire joined me, and we stretched our arms out to the side. "Can't you see he's willing to fix the past? He wants to make things up to you, but you're not allowing him that chance! He is our only hope in stopping that monster. If he doesn't fight, then neither will the Teen Titans!" My friends shuffled uncomfortably behind me. I exhaled deeply, watching my breath rise into the air. "Your choice, general."
"Red Star is not the only one at fault." Starfire said. "Had it not been for your approval, he would not have this power in the first place."
Raskov's face fell, and he looked to the ground.
"Please, do not do this for my sake. It is your duty to protect them." Red Star said. He lifted his eyes to Raskov. "I am sorry to have caused trouble. I will be on my way."
Red Star turned and headed back to his snowmobile. He climbed onto it and turned it on.
"Captain Kovar." Raskov said. Red Star looked up. "Do your best."
Red Star nodded. Starfire and I looked at each other and smiled. I hurried back to my snowmobile, and we rode up the hill nearby to the power plant- the radioactive monster's target. Raven used her magic to lift rocks into the air and stack them in front of the monster, blocking his path. The monster looked back at us, allowing Red Star to climb up the rocks undetected.
As the monster turned back around, Red Star leaped off the rocks and drove his fist into the monster's face. He punched the monster a few times, his eyes glowing bright red. The monster hit Red Star with a laser, knocking him back, and stood up. As the monster approached Red Star, we attacked it from behind to distract him. The monster swiped his hand, sending a wave of red energy towards us. I transformed my pistols into my energy sword. I swiped up when the energy was directly in front of me. The blade cut the energy in half, sending the waves in two different directions.
Starfire flew over to the monster, but it swiped its hand and knocked her into the snow. It thrust its hand at her, launching a beam of red energy at her. Red Star jumped in front of her and blocked the energy with his hand. I sprinted over to them.
"Stay back! It is too dangerous!" Red Star said.
"You need our assistance!" Starfire said.
"No! Get away!"
"Come on!" I grabbed Starfire's arm and pulled her up to her feet. I led her away as the monster brought up its other hand and fired another beam of energy at Red Star. As he caught the energy, the force hit us and knocked us off our feet. The monster began to bubble.
"That thing's going critical! It can't handle the power!" Cyborg said.
Red Star jumped into the air and landed on the monster's head. He crawled down to the middle of its back and thrust his fist into it. The monster roared as lasers escaped its body. The creature exploded.
Red Star emerged from the smoke, his entire body consumed with red radioactive energy. He collapsed to the ground.
"Red Star!" Starfire cried. We hurried to his side. "You defeated the monster. You are victorious!"
"The power inside me... it is changing. Something is happening to me." Red Star said. He looked up at Starfire. "You must take me far away from here. Do you know what this means?"
I gripped the handle of my sword. "This won't be the end. We'll see each other again someday."
Starfire helped Red Star stand. "Thank you, my friends, for giving me the strength I needed. Because of you, I no longer have any need to be alone."
Starfire took Red Star's hand and guided him up into the sky. I watched their silhouettes disappear in the blue night. I stuck the tip of my blade into the snow and rested my hand on the end of the handle. A large explosion formed, like a big, red star shining in the sky. Starfire flew down and joined us.
"Did you really mean what you said?" Starfire said.
I looked at her with a smile before looking back up to the sky. Despite the quiet winter breeze, I didn't feel so cold. I watched the light fade.
"Yes. Every word."
