Disclaimer: I'm going to travel back in time and secure the rights for Teen Titans. Someday.

A/N: You Rob/Star fans will be happy with this chapter. But yeah…a lot of stuff happens in this chapter.

"'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling

and every time we kiss I swear I could fly.

Can't you feel my heart beat fast?

I want this to last,

Need you by my side."

-Cascada "Every Time We Touch"

Chapter 17: Flying

-Rae-

11:48pm

Jump City, California

Shopping District

It took only a few minutes to rouse the others before the Titans headed out to the shopping district, where a robbery was taking place.

The Titans surrounded the store, each assuming their customary battle stance. Truth be told, Raven was a little irritated that they were out fighting this late at night. The past few nights haven't allowed any of them much sleep. The case with the dust and the occasional villains to deal with messed with her meditation schedule.

That left her with the vulnerability of her powers spiraling out-of-control. Ever since that incident with Dr. Light Raven became even more paranoid about keeping control of her powers. Everyone's confused and frustrated emotions whirled around her with the force of a category five hurricane, which only made it more difficult for her to concentrate.

With a motion to go from Robin, the Titans moved into the electronics store. Raven phased through as the others moved as quietly as they could, planning to ambush whoever the thief was with a surprise attack. Raven heard someone moving quietly about the store as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Red X?" Beast Boy asked, quite loudly.

Raven put a hand to her forehead. Of course, Beast Boy just had to ruin their ambush. The thief turned, and even though he had a mask over his face Raven was sure that the guy was smirking. He straightened at the sight of them, clasping a stolen prototype to his belt.

"Hey kiddies," Red X said, "isn't it past your bedtime?"

"You're one to talk," Robin said. "Give up now, Red X."

"But I've only just arrived." Red X waved to Starfire. "Good to see you again, babe."

Raven's eyes narrowed. As always, she tried to guess who was under the mask. She didn't have the faintest clue who stole the suit. She sometimes tried to dig around in his mind a little—to catch a glimpse of a few memories that might reveal his identity—but Red X blocked his mind well.

"You shouldn't have given him back the belt," Raven said.

Robin shot her an annoyed glance. He knew that he made a mistake when he made the Red X suit—she had probably given him the most crap about it—but she knew him well enough not to bother him any more about it. Although she didn't know who the kid under the mask was, she knew Robin well enough to understand that he deeply regretted his mistake.

"Where did you get the Xinothium?" Robin demanded.

"Oh come on, bird boy, you knew that was going to happen." Red X patted his belt. "And I just couldn't wait to use it again."

"We don't have time for this, X," Robin said stiffly. "We have more important things to deal with than you."

"But you came. I'm flattered."

With a roar of frustration Robin threw himself at Red X. The two began to fight with fluid motions, their movements almost graceful as they danced across the room. Raven held back, not wanting to accidentally hurt Robin.

Now that she actually stepped back and watched, she could see the eerie similarities between Robin and Red X. Even though Red X sounded and acted older he must be almost the same age as Robin. Both were of the same height and physique and even sounded the same—well, with the mask disguising the thief's voice, of course they sounded the same.

"Come on, I helped you. Don't I get a little slack?"

"When you're actively stealing behind our backs? Of course not!" Robin snapped. "We don't have time for you."

Something clicked inside Raven's mind. Red X had been helping them the past few days. First there was the location of William Wintergreen and then with the apprehension of Mark Wolfman. For all that the Titans knew Red X could be playing along and be pretending to help them.

Perhaps he was waiting for the most opportune moment.

Raven floated towards the thief with her arms outstretched. Black energy pinned the thief's arms to his torso. She set her mouth in a faint snarl.

"Are you the one behind these attacks," Raven asked.

"Me? Why would I be?"

Red X sounded genuinely surprised at the accusation. The empath felt a fresh wave of confusion emanate from the thief as he backed away to avoid the objects she threw at him.

She wasn't a detective, but Robin's persistent question floated to her mind:

Who benefits?

Did Red X benefit? If the thief could sneak into Titans Tower without tripping the security system then what else did he know?

Red X broke free of Raven's grasp and began to systematically attack the Titans. He yanked Raven's hood down and slapped a red "x" over her mouth to prevent her from uttering any spells. Red X managed to knock an elbow into Robin's face as he moved to take down the others. He moved to the other side of the room—near the exit—and turned towards them.

"Well, I had fun." Red X put a hand to his forehead and saluted them. "But I'll be going now. Catch ya later."

The thief dissipated into the air.

-BW-

12:23am

Gotham City

Gotham City Police Department

"You called, Commissioner?" Batman asked.

Commissioner Gordon moved to turn off the Bat-Signal. Batman sometimes took it for granted how Gordon was one of the few Gotham cops who tolerated (and needed) his vigilante activities. People like Officer Bullock disliked him, but Batman seemed to have become a legend of his own.

"Evening, Batman," Gordon replied, turning his head to look at him. "My men spotted Clayface near the Gotham Globe office about a half-hour ago."

What would Clayface be doing there?

"What else have you found out about Black Mask's drug trade?"

Not since that Dagget incident had Clayface caused so much trouble. At first Batman didn't even suspect Clayface to be involved in this case.

For the past week Batman had been investigating a case involving a rather huge drug trade in Gotham City. It began with a series of murders—or rather, suspicious deaths resulting from drug overdoses in Crime Ally. Not much to think of, since many people in Gotham City died from drug overdose, but there was an odd pattern to the deaths. Each body contained liberal amount of what was called Black Heroin on the streets, a sludgy form of heroin that is applied in the inside of the mouth or at the corners of the eyes. The problem was that autopsies demonstrated that the bodies were shot with far more heroin than necessary to get high.

So he decided to investigate.

Black Mask was one of the many crime lords of Gotham City. After some investigation Batman realized that Black Mask wasn't really controlling the drug trade. Like most of his operations, he had several lackeys actually running the trade. Batman narrowed down the suspects to a man named Ed Quinn, who appeared to be Black Mask's lead man for this particular operation.

Not until he began following the druglord and saw the man changing his form did Batman realize that Clayface was involved. Then it hit him: from what he could tell, someone had hired Clayface to pose as the druglord. He had been following the wrong man for nearly two weeks! For two nights now he had been tracking down Clayface, which was difficult since Hagen was a talented actor. He could become anybody.

"Not much," Gordon replied. "Your man Ed Quinn seems to be out-of-town for the time being. Disappeared completely since you started trailing Clayface."

Hmm.

So Quinn ran out of Gotham with his tail between his legs once he found out that Batman was trailing him. Or, rather, trailing his body guard. There was also still the question of why Clayface accepted the job.

"Not good."

Batman's eyes narrowed. There was no telling what would happen now that Black Mask knew that Batman on was his trail.

"How's your kid doing these days?" Gordon asked, sticking his hands deep in his pockets. "He's in California, right?"

Batman froze.

By now he usually disappeared without a sound (to the commissioner's annoyance), but those words arrested him. Gordon looked up, his eyeglasses glinting in the light of the yellow street lamps.

"He's fine," Batman replied. "Just doing his job."

"It's not really his job," Gordon said. "He's a kid. He shouldn't be putting his life on the line."

Do you think, Batman thought silently, that I haven't thought of that Jim?

There wasn't a day that went by that Bruce didn't think about this. Did he really owe Dick a childhood? A chance to live like a normal kid without wondering when the next psychopath would attack?

Why then did Dick wear the mask?

People like Commissioner Gordon respected Batman because Batman stayed on the right side of the law. Not only was Dick not supposed to be out past curfew, but he shouldn't be out fighting crime. No sensible parent would allow his or her child to do that. But Bruce did. Did that make him a bad father for allowing Dick to fight alongside him?

"He wants to."

"And you let him."

Little did Commissioner Gordon know that his own daughter—Barbara—worked as Batgirl alongside Batman some nights. Batman almost called to ask for assistance in tracking down Clayface, but he didn't want to bring her into danger. As he briefly reflected upon this decision he knew that Dick's brush with the dust caused Bruce to reconsider the thought of sidekicks.

Batman didn't reply to Gordon's comment as he leapt off of the rooftop. Right now he didn't have time to philosophize about his decision to take on Robin as his sidekick. He was going to do what he did best: kick bad guy butt.

He found himself back in Crime Ally. The Gotham Globe was nowhere near Crime Ally, but Batman felt himself drawn to the place. This was where Leslie lived. This is where his parents died. If Gordon's men spotted Clayface at the Gotham Globe a half-hour ago then it was certain that Clayface wasn't there anymore.

"Hey Batman."

Batman froze at the sound of the voice.

Robin stood in the ally before him, a mischievous smirk plastered across his face. That smirk didn't belong on Dick's face at all. Slowly, Batman pulled a bat-a-rang from his utility belt. He knew that Dick wouldn't be in Gotham now, not with all that was happening in Jump City. Either Scarecrow had zapped him with his gas or Clayface was finally showing his ugly face. Batman guessed that it was the latter.

"CLAYFACE!" Batman roared, forcing himself to punch the Robin copy in the face.

Clayface's gelatinous form moved easily out of the way as he changed back to his horrid clay state. Batman made sure to keep a reasonable distance away, since Clayface could effectively turn his hand into a sharp machete or hatchet.
"How about this then, Batsy?" Clayface asked, smirking as he transformed into the Joker.

Even though he knew that it was only an illusion, Batman still tensed at the sight of the Joker. He had fought so long against the man that he couldn't help but tense at the sight of him.

Why was Clayface goading him like this?

The Joker smirked as he turned to run away. Just like chasing the jewel thief, Batman hurtled after the disfigured former actor as Clayface hurried away. Despite himself, Batman began to feel tired as he raced along the rooftops. Without a partner he had been wearing himself thin. Perhaps he should call in Barbara—no. No, he shouldn't. He could do this.

Batman and Clayface neared the busy part of town. Without warning Clayface morphed into another person before flinging himself onto the street below.

"Damn it!" Batman growled, stopping himself before he fell off of the rooftop.

By now Clayface had disappeared into the crowd. It was the opening night of some play or movie in the Gotham theatre, so a plethora of well-dressed men and women were milling outside of the theatre. He scanned the milling crowd for suspicious persons—a running child, perhaps, or a nervous street sweeper. It reminded him eerily of the night his parents died.

Why was he so inefficient?

True, the first time Clayface appeared on the scene it had taken Bruce a while to track him down. It didn't help that Clayface masqueraded as Bruce Wayne, which resulted in Bruce having no choice but to come quietly to avoid suspicion.

And the Joker.

Batman gritted his teeth at the thought of that madman. Even though the man was locked up in Arkham there was always that distinct possibility that he would escape again—or someone would be desperate enough to let him out.

Actually, the last time Batman faced the Joker was when Dick fell into the apprenticeship. Bruce took out his inner rage on the Joker, effectively putting him behind bars. By the time the Joker was dragged back into Arkham Dick managed to escape from Deathstroke, which caused Bruce to stay in Gotham since Dick didn't need his help.

The Joker…

Batman sat next to a stone gargoyle, his dark form blending into the night. What if the Joker was behind all of this? Pulling the strings to make it look like something else? Perhaps this business with Clayface was only meant to take his mind off of the Joker. A distraction.

He felt a sudden urge to go to Arkham Asylum to check up on the Joker himself. Alfred would tell him not to worry about the Joker. But as long as the Joker was alive Bruce would never stop worrying. There was always the possibility that he could escape from Arkham. No one else besides Batman understood the madman. In a way, it was also his fault that the Joker came into being. His fault that people died or were driven insane by the Joker's laughing gas.

As he braced himself for another few hours of tracking Clayface the sound of the Joker's laughter echoed quietly in his mind.

-R-

1:52am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

He stood on the roof of Titans Tower.

Aside from the city lights the only light shining down on Titans Tower was the light from a thin sliver of moon and the cloudy brightness of the Milky Way. Tomorrow night it would be a new moon.

Utter darkness.

"What do you want?" Robin shouted to the night, his hands forming into fists. "WHO ARE YOU?"

Of course, he didn't expect an answer. Why should he? The perpetrator wouldn't just give himself up. All of the detective skills Bruce had taught him dissipated as he shouted to the night like a child in a tantrum. This recent loss against Red X only increased his anger.

Everything was going wrong. His reputation was crumbling as his team fell apart at the seams. Just like the night of the dust, he felt as though no one else could do the job correctly save for himself. He lifted his head to the starry sky and laughed a little.

Suddenly he understood Bruce's initial reluctance to work with the Justice League. When you worked by yourself everything you did mattered. When you worked with a team it was difficult to place the blame on a single person. Robin thought that working with a team would be better than working alone.

Perhaps if he had been working alone none of this would have happened to his friends.

But even that idea didn't make sense. Working alone and acting like a jerkwad only pushed his friends away and left his mind to insanity. Robin needed friends to act as a surrogate family for the one he lost to Tony Zucco.

Not since Slade had been alive had Robin been forced to stay up through the night. But the perpetrator seemed more elusive than Slade, if that was possible. This frustrated him. And for the past week he could think of almost nothing but Slade.

Sometimes he simply wanted to forget. Sometimes he wanted to ask Zatanna to wipe away all the bad memories and sometimes he wanted to move back to Gotham and give up being Robin. These were secret desires he never told anyone. But his desire to do good in this messed-up world overcame his desire for personal comfort.

Who was the perpetrator?

That question had been gnawing at him for the past week. Slade was dead, so he couldn't be the perpetrator. There was always the possibility that he didn't have the skills to figure this out. He was human, after all.

He just didn't want to admit it.

He hated whoever triggered the dust. He hated Slade for being a paranoid sadistic freak by placing the dust inside his mask. But above all he hated himself for failing to stop these attacks from happening to Starfire and Beast Boy. He felt powerless, at the hands of some greater god or some predestined fate that was set in stone. Robin clapped a hand to his forehead as another flashback came upon him.

"Forget about me!" Robin exclaimed, blocking Slade's heavy punch with his arm. "Shut down the drill!"

"Stop…" he said through gritted teeth, shutting his eyes tightly as he shook his head. "Please…stop…"

Robin wanted the flashbacks to stop. He didn't want to continually live with the nightmares and the angst, especially since Slade was dead. However, as he was powerless to stop the attacks, so he was powerless to stop the memory from overwhelming him.

"Good, Robin. Now I have you all to myself."

Slade slammed the up button before Robin could reply. Terra and Raven watched on helplessly as the elevator door slid shut and the elevator shot upwards. The sudden movement caused Robin to stumble as Slade lunged towards him.

For a brief moment he was afraid that he wasn't ready to fight. He felt a little claustrophobic fighting in such a closed area. The elevator zoomed towards the ceiling with increasing speed. It reminded him too much of his sealed room back in Slade's old haunt.

No where to run.

No where to hide.

They began to fight.

Robin wanted this fight to end as swiftly as possible. There was nothing to hold him back now. All the bottled up fury he held inside of him finally found a way to let it all out. He wasn't about the angst over that terrible time as Slade's apprentice. Instead he was going to make sure this madman stayed behind bars.

He was going to do something about it.

"I see you haven't improved much, Dick," Slade said, countering Robin's fist.

"I see you haven't stopped being a jackass," Robin snarled, "and don't call me that."

"Watch your language. I'm sure Bruce taught you better."

Robin's cheeks burned at the mention of Bruce. He didn't tell the others that Slade knew his secret identity. Over the past few weeks no one knew how much he had been agonizing inside. What kind of retribution would Slade come up with? Would he decide to target Bruce and Alfred? And if Slade discovered Batman's identity, who else did he know?

"What the hell? I'm not your stupid apprentice anymore, so don't EVER lecture me!"

Both of them now had their bo-staffs out. Robin tried not to think of those brutal training sessions with him. Every time he had lost and lost badly. He growled as they fought, determined not the make the same mistake twice. If he needed help he would call for Terra or Raven or—

"Now just because you left me doesn't mean I still don't think of you as a teacher." Robin grunted as Slade managed to hit him in the gut. "For example, you always place too much weight on your left foot."

Bruce always said—Robin shook Bruce away from his thoughts.

Robin gasped as Slade slammed his bo-staff hard against his own. The force of the blow caused him to drop his staff and back into the wall of the elevator. He heard Terra and Raven arguing faintly below. Something about the computer…dear Lord, he hoped that Raven knew how to hack into the main computer. Despite himself, he gasped in pain as Slade rushed forward and pinned him to the elevator wall with his bo-staff against Robin's neck. Robin's hands grasped at air before forming weak fists around Slade's bo-staff.

"I believe the question is: why are you here?" Slade pressed the bo-staff harder against Robin's neck. "You can't defeat me."

"Yes I—"

"No, you can't. At least," Slade pressed the bo-staff so hard that Robin began to see black spots, "not all alone."

Fear flooded through him as he struggled to escape. It annoyed him that that statement was true. But Robin wanted to defeat Slade by himself. Slade held the bo-staff against Robin's neck lazily.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

It did.

Robin's grip on the bo-staff loosened as he began to tremble, shaking his head slightly to deny the memories. He wanted so much to beat Slade—to show him that he could improve without his damn help. But he just couldn't beat the man without help of his own.

For a moment Robin was afraid. What if Slade was planning to ensnare him again? Again, the man had effectively gotten him alone. It was only natural that Slade wanted to take out the most direct threat to his evil plan first: Robin.

"I see you have a new addition to your team."

This only fueled Robin's growing rage. Although Terra seemed to have a brush with Slade the last time they met, Robin wasn't about to let Slade screw with her mind like Slade screwed his.

"You leave her alone," Robin snarled. "You leave all of them alone."

"Still the brave little hero, I see. But whatever—" Slade struck his face "—happened to the basics?"

Stars popped in front of his eyes as Slade's heavy fist made contact with his face. The basics. Slade had tried to literally pound his so-called "basics" into him. It was survival of the fittest, a methodology that suited Red X's personality more than Robin's. Cut away the excess—in particular, the Titans and Batman—to allow more room to grow.

And win.

"Screw you, Slade."

Robin threw a punch to Slade's face, wanting nothing more than to rip that stupid mask off of the mercenary's face. In the weeks following his escape he did all he could to discover Slade's true identity—but to no avail. Slade caught his fist and punched him again in the gut.

"Do you know how lenient I was with you?" Slade asked, his voice nearly as whisper. "I have the power to make your life a living hell."

Don't talk to him, Robin thought, his mouth twisting into a snarl. He'll turn your words against you. Just like always.

It wasn't like his time as Slade's apprentice. He couldn't make Robin answer through violence or coercion. And if Slade thought that his techniques were lenient…well then, the man was more twisted than Robin thought.

"What is this all about, Slade?"

As they continued to fight something began to nag at Robin. Something was off about Slade. No, he wasn't fighting another robot made to look like Slade. The man could beat him—he had beaten him. So why was Slade holding back? Robin stopped fighting as he realized what Slade was doing.

"You're stalling."

He paid for his mistake. Slade rammed a fist into his stomach, causing Robin to back into the other side of the elevator. Robin swung back into reality as he regained his composure and engaged in combat again.

Robin's knees began to buckle as the elevator jerked. Slade stepped back as Robin fell to the floor. Rocks and debris crumbled to the cavern below.

"The Tower!" Robin gasped.

"Going down."

Slade leapt off of the elevator. Angrily, Robin rushed to the door after him. His heart sank at the scene before him. A split second later Robin realized that he would have to do the same if he didn't want to die. Slade watched him fling himself out of the elevator. The Boy Wonder took out his grapple hook and shot it towards one of the steel support beams. With the skills born of his training as an acrobat he managed to land on one of the narrow support beams.

What was Slade trying to do? He could be self-centered like Bruce and think that everything about him. Back during the apprenticeship Slade admitted that it had been all about Robin…was this plan to destroy the Tower some sort of sadistic retribution for Robin running away? Or could it be about something else entirely?

"Robin."

Starfire again.

He stiffened as he heard her approach, his shoulders hunching. Right now he didn't really want to see anybody.

"You must rest," she said, "you are doing harm to yourself."

"You heard me, didn't you?"

"Everyone did."

He felt embarrassed that the others heard him lose it. Well, it wasn't as if he had been keeping his cool ever since the incident with the dust. It was just that he had been acting like a small child: arguing with Batman, arguing with his teammates, basically throwing a temper tantrum on the rooftop. Bruce wouldn't be proud. His parents wouldn't be proud. He didn't feel proud of his actions.

Before he could protest she hugged him. At first he stood stiffly in her arms, unresponsive, until he finally hugged back. There was no one else on the Tower rooftop, and the darkness hid the faint pink that colored his cheeks.

There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them, a mutual understanding that both needed the comfort of friendship to deal with their nightmares. His arms tightened around her slim warm body, as though afraid that he would lose her just like he lost his parents.

After a while, they parted.

"I…I know you do not wish to reveal your real name," Starfire said, her voice low. "But I would wish you to know that on my planet my people call me Princess Koriand'r."

"I think I heard Galfore mention that…"

He trailed off. Somehow, he knew that this wasn't why she came up to talk him. He looked up at her, the faint moonlight casting a silver sheen to her golden skin.

"Robin, are you afraid?"

"Yes…" he said. He already admitted this to Beast Boy. Might as well admit it to everyone. "Yes…yes…I'm scared…" This fear wasn't like that time he watched "Wicked Scary" with the team…or rather Raven's fear. How ironic that he told her not to let in her fear while he wallowed in his own. "And what about you?"

"I always fear that something will happen to my friends," she said. "I always fear that something will happen to my people. That is the difference between me and Blackfire…she does not care what happens to Tamaran. I do."

"I care about people too. That's why I work so hard. I'm afraid to lose my friends. That's why…why sometimes I have to push you away."

Starfire placed her hands together and gazed at him sadly.

"Robin, you are never alone. Do not put your health in danger for our benefit…if I were to lose you then I do not know what I would do here on Earth."

Starfire took her hand in his and made him face the open ocean. With the city lights behind their backs the night sky sparkled before them; a wide open space just theirs for the taking.

"Look, a shooting star," she said, pointing to the night sky.

As he lifted his head he saw the tail-end of the shooting star. He remembered the night of the meteor shower a few weeks ago when he walked out on his friends. Sometimes he used to think that the vastness of space dwarfed him and made him small and vulnerable.

He felt himself being lifted into the air. Robin wrapped his gloved hand around her wrist as his feet left the rooftop. He turned his head towards Starfire, a confused expression crossing his face.

"Star…what are you doing?"

She did not answer. There was nothing to do now but trust her. They ascended into the night sky as she flew faster and faster. Titans Tower shrunk into a tiny black dot as they raced towards space. Robin felt no fear. Why should he?

He was born for flying.

He laughed as they spun through the air, the stars spinning so fast that they became streaks of light. Robin remembered having a conversation with Starfire about how to travel faster than the speed of light. He felt as though she was pulling him through the fabric of space and time, faster than the speed of light. The sharp scent of ocean salt filled his nostrils as Starfire flew towards the dark, glassy ocean. He reached out his hand to catch the spray of ocean waves like a gleeful child, smiling as drops of salty water wetted his face.

Robin felt more alive than he had felt in months.

Since he was human he could not naturally fly, not in the way a Tamaranean or a Kryptonian could. As an acrobat he could launch himself into the air and perform death-defying tricks to please the crowd. He couldn't be afraid of flying; he should love it. When he closed his eyes he felt as though his mother was training him again, holding his hand and praising him as he learned one trick after the other.

Slade had locked him inside of that godawful room like a trapped little bird. While Slade knew that he had been trained as an acrobat he didn't quite understand that Robin was born to fly. Slade was a trained military man. He knew nothing of show business or of trapeze artists. Like himself and (yes, he had to admit) Bruce, Slade was only human. Although he had been a well-trained mercenary he didn't have the knowledge or the ability to fly like Richard Grayson could.

If he had wanted to make Robin join him willingly, Slade would have never tried to coerce him the way he did. Now there was nothing but the limitless sky, the refreshingly cool air, and the comforting warmth of the Tamaranean's body next to his. How could he have ever thought that space made him feel small and vulnerable?

He felt…free.

Once Starfire mentioned how to fly…her abilities were based upon her emotions. He felt like a Tamaranean newborn on its maiden flight, joyfully soaring through the air. If she could fly like this then she must be feeling overjoyed. That fact alone only made him happy.

They touched down gently on the rooftop.

Robin brushed his wind-swept hair from his forehead, not even caring or noticing that it would need some more hair gel to keep it in its customary spikes. He took a deep breath. His head felt so clear. Locking himself in that stuffy office with nothing but newspapers for company would certainly not have done him any good. A wide grin spread across his face as he threw his head back and laughed, fighting back tears of joy and sadness. The laughter shook his belly, loosening the unpleasant knots of worry deep inside him.

Perhaps Starfire knew him better than he thought.

She beamed.

"What?" he asked.

"It is just that…that I am glad you are smiling again."

He squeezed her hand tightly as stood together on top of Titans Tower. Perhaps one day he would tell her of his childhood and how he was trained to fly. For a moment he even considered telling her his name right then and there, just so he could hear her say his name.

He was glad that she came up to talk to him. It made him realize that he didn't have to do anything by himself.

But how to get rid of the nightmares?

He would just have to accept the fact that Slade had beaten him. Accept the fact that none of this was really his fault. Slade came to Jump City knowing his and Batman's identities. Robin did nothing wrong to betray his mentor. Adeline was right: he had to keep his chin up and keep going. He had survived his time with Slade.

He could get through this.

A terrified shout cut through the night air, causing Robin's heart to jump into his throat as his beaming smile vanished in an instant. A gasp escaped from Starfire's lips as she whipped her head around to face the source of the noise. The eyeholes of his mask widened in pure terror as he recognized the voice.

"No," he whispered.

-C-

So tired.

Because of the interrogation the night before and early this morning at the Jump City Maximum Security Prison Cyborg didn't get much sleep. It wasn't as if he needed natural rest—he could do just fine just charging up—but natural sleep was the best kind of sleep.

The sudden increase in HIVE activity increased his anxiety. What on earth could Brother Blood be planning? That "class project" that Cyborg found on the HIVE mainframe computer must be some sort of red herring.

Cyborg's hand reached for the power cord. Sure, they should be pooling all of their energy into finding the perpetrator of the dust, but there was the HIVE to think about as well. Since Robin was too busy angsting Cyborg felt as though he should be figuring out what the HIVE was up to. Brother Blood could very well be the perpetrator.

To Cyborg it made perfect sense that Brother Blood would think this little scheme up. The only unanswered question was how Brother Blood would have gotten a hold of such sensitive information about the Titans' histories. He probably should get to bed, but Cyborg wanted to go through Brother Blood's files before hitting the sack.

He snapped the power cord into place. Almost at once he knew that something was wrong. He threw his head back and screamed as something crept through his circuits. A Trojan, perhaps? No—there was no way in hell that a Trojan got through his security.

One of his memory files went ballistic.

Victor Stone awoke from deep unconsciousness. Something felt horribly different, although he couldn't quite figure out what in his dazed state. His father sat next to the bed, his eyes gazing down sadly upon his son. Victor lifted his head and saw his hand encased with metal. All at once the memories of the accident flooded through his mind as his good eye widened in horror.

"NOOOOOOOOO-!"

"CYBORG!"

Everyone crowded around him as he twitched and groaned, still conscious as every electronic thing in his system went haywire. This time, it was serious. This wasn't just a personal attack on an emotional level.

Random memories played as all of his memory files went psychotic. Memories of his childhood, memories of his parents, memories of his time at the HIVE Academy, all of them seemed to jumble together before his eyes. His infrared eye flashed three times before his vision failed in that eye.

"Cyborg! What happened?" Robin demanded.

Even in his barely conscious state Cyborg came up with a vague idea of what had happened. He should have seen this coming, especially after it was discovered that their mysterious houseguest messed around with Star's technology. It was stupid of him not to check his own hardware, but what did he expect?

Cyborg expected an attack on the handicapped school…an attack on his dad…something that would cause him to go on a rampage like Beast Boy.

He didn't expect this.

"It's…a…virus…" Cyborg muttered, struggling to keep himself conscious. "Hacked…"

He collapsed and finally succumbed to the sweet darkness of unconsciousness.

End of Part 3

A/N: Okay, for the time remember that Gotham is supposed to be on the east coast, so there's a three hour time difference. Time will be very important from here on out.

And I'm sorry, that silent elevator fight from "Titan Rising" has been BOTHERING me. I needed to write a conversation between them.

As I was writing this chapter I felt it necessary to include a deeper look at the Rob/Star relationship, especially since this part is focusing on Starfire.

As for updating: again, I will attempt to keep once a week schedule. I actually care about schoolwork so I will be busy as I get back in the groove and get a routine going. And to address some comments: I will NOT leave this fic unfinished, so don't you worry about that. I hate reading unfinished fics myself, which is why I attempt to keep myself on a schedule.

Just remember: every chapter that I post is another step towards figuring out who triggered the dust…

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