Chapter Seven
The Titans and the Doctor made their way through the tunnels.
"About what you said," Raven gasped as she ran, "We did meet the Daleks once before."
"Really?" the Doctor replied. "Tell me about it."
They did so.
"Quite an adventure." he replied when they finished. "I hope that you can fare better this time with my help."
They scoffed at him.
It was early evening by the time the Doctor and the Titans arrived at the cliffs. After their mad dash, they had to carefully make their way through the suburbs before reaching a desirable hideout.
The group took shelter in a natural cave, which offered a splendid view of the city. Its appearance was marred by the presence of the Dalek ship.
"A command ship." the Doctor said. "About four thousand Daleks are onboard."
"How many are on regular ships?" Starfire asked.
"About two thousand."
"Lucky us, huh?" Changeling muttered.
"How do you suppose it came from your universe to ours?" asked Raven.
"There were many distortions caused by the battles around my planet." the Doctor explained. "Some might have torn holes in time and space. Seems like this one tore across dimensions as well." He sighed. "What I don't get it why here? Why this city?"
"They told us a signal led them here." said Nightwing.
"A signal? By whom or what?"
"They didn't say."
"Well, it doesn't matter now. What does matter is that I've got to come up with a plan to stop them."
"You don't have a plan yet?" Cyborg asked.
"One must formulate a plan before facing one's enemy. Even if it is a familiar one." replied the Doctor.
"I have a question." asked Changeling.
"What?" the Doctor asked impatiently.
"If you're an alien, why do you sound like you have a British accent?"
"Lots of planets have a British accent. Some have a North, for example."
"A North?"
"Never mind." the Doctor sighed.
"What kind of planet is yours that a battle there would cause the Dalek ship to arrive in a different universe?" asked Starfire.
"A very special one." the Doctor answered.
"You must miss it."
"You have no idea."
The conversation was interrupted as the Dalek leader delivered a speech over a loudspeaker.
"Attention, inhabitants of Jump City! We have not yet found your heroes, the group formerly known as the Teen Titans. And none of your kind has been useful in locating them! Therefore, we shall take new measures. If the Titans are not brought before the Daleks by noon tomorrow, then we shall exterminate groups of twenty people at a time for every hour past the deadline, until the Titans are brought before us! To demonstrate our sincerity, we shall now execute two hundred people as a sign to you and the Titans, where ever they may be, that we will not hesitate to use deadly force against civilians!"
At that moment, many cries came from the city as Dalek patrols began killing people. There was no discrimination; they picked at random. Families were broken up, groups of friends were killed, and homes were destroyed. Young, middle aged, old, middle class, businessmen, homeless; it didn't matter. They all fell prey to the Dalek's thirst for destruction.
The sound of the cries eventually reached the Titan's cave.
"We've got to end this!" said Starfire, rushing to get up. But the Doctor held her back.
"Are you crazy? They'll kill you! And that will get you nowhere!"
"It will stop these deaths! I will sacrifice my life so that others may live!"
The Doctor sighed. "You know what will happen in the days and weeks to come after you are killed? The Daleks will go right ahead, killing more people until the city's human population is all dead. They'll make this a base of operations, and perhaps activate a breeding facility, to make more Daleks. Then, they will invade and conquer each subsequent city they come across, until they own the Earth! Then they will make their own fleet of ships. Earth will be the platform to launch the Dalek conquest of this universe! And you know what, Starfire? Your world will also fall to the Daleks! Your race will die, just as surely as mine did!"
He paused to let that sink in. Starfire stared at him with tears in her eyes.
He continued. "So, what we do here will effect the fate of the universe. You got that? We're not just saving this world. We're saving all worlds! Do you understand that?"
The Titans all nodded.
"Good. Now, let's get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead."
Sleep seemed almost out of the question. The Titans were all restless, having been disturbed by the massacre the Daleks carried out. They knew that their city, and the whole world in fact, was counting on them. The strain was almost too much for them to bear.
Taking advantage of the lull in events, Nightwing laid down next to Starfire.
"May I speak with you alone?" he asked.
She acknowledged him. They crept away, until they were just outside the cave.
"What is it?" Starfire asked.
"When you arrived and spoke about continuing your bloodline, a thought came to me." said Nightwing. "I got the impression that you might be thinking of having kids."
"That is the manner in which a bloodline is passed on." she replied. "And the idea has been on my mind."
"Do you already have kids?"
"No." she replied, confused.
"Are you expecting any?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you pregnant?"
"Of course not!"
Nightwing sighed. "Sorry, Star. I'm just...I still feel guilt for not taking our relationship to an intimate level."
"You mean a level where we would live together and possibly have children?"
He nodded. "I never understood why we didn't go through with it. Why we felt we should separate."
Starfire sighed. "Our paths were too different. Mine took me to my home and a throne. Yours led you to being the hero of this city. We just weren't meant to be, and we both knew it."
"I know." he said. "But I wish I could just get over these feelings I still have for you."
Starfire felt sympathy for him. She reached toward him, drew his head near, and kissed him.
"We will always be friends, Nightwing." she said softly.
He returned her kiss before going back into the cave.
Starfire then stared at the sky, thinking about what the Doctor said.
'The Daleks will never come to my world.' she thought. 'I'll never let it happen! They will be stopped here. I swear it!'
She also returned inside for a restless night.
Even the Doctor had trouble sleeping. A thought kept crossing his mind. It was one that he dared not reveal to the Titans; aside from destroying the city itself, along with all its inhabitants, he had no idea how the Daleks might be stopped.