Disclaimer: Teen Titans is the property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. "The Hollow Men" was written by T.S. Elliot, and the use of passages to open each chapter is done with the utmost respect for one of the English languages best craftsmen. Thank you, and enjoy.

Titans Broken

Chapter 7: Blüdhaven

This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man's hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.

- T.S. Elliot's "The Hollow Men"

"Status?" Superman asked quietly as he stared at the displays. "How are they doing?"

J'onn scowled slightly at the interruption in his concentration. "Both are unconscious… the Javelin-7 went down in the Blüdhaven exclusion zone."

There were flinches around the room. Oracle swallowed as she brought up an image of the area on the screen generated by the computer. The dull blue-green of the shuttle's hull was blackened and she could see that one wing had been sheared off by the crash. "Is anyone aboard awake yet?"

"No." J'onn said stiffly.

"Damn… this is bad." Oracle muttered and she tapped her screen zooming in on a group of figures clambering across the junk riddled landscape. Each wore a battered environmental suit and armor, some had weapons cradled in their arms while others carried bags of gear and food. "Stalkers."

"Stalkers?" Superman asked.

"They're… a gang that patrols the Blüdhaven exclusion zone… took their name from a video game that was really popular about Chernobyl." Oracle swallowed. "They've got mutants and metas in the group and… well, most of them blame Nightwing for the state of the city."

Cyborg swore. "This was intentional, crashing them there, wasn't it Batman?"

"No, once the scenario is started it plays out based on the minds of those involved." J'onn said grimly. "I believe Nightwing expected to end up there at some level."

"That or the computer said that'd be where they crashed." Oracle muttered.

"Well it sucks for them." Cyborg said gruffly.

"Silence… I need to concentrate." J'onn said flatly. "Nightwing is waking."

Oracle bent over her display as a set of new players appeared in the scenario and swallowed. "I don't remember including the military much in the Failsafe scenario."

Bruce glanced at the display. "I would expect military involvement in fighting an alien invasion wouldn't you? So would Nightwing… since it is his mind that is in part driving the simulation their appearance is not much of a surprise."

"This is Super 64 to JL 12, come in please…" The crackle of the emergency radio forced him awake and Dick grimaced as he felt his head throb with pain. Slowly he rubbed his temple and sat upright.

The radio dangled from the shattered control panel over his head. Smoke and sparks from shattered electronics fogged the air. The crackle of a Geiger counter registered in the back of his mind as he pushed himself out of the mangled cockpit seat. "Everybody okay?"

There was no answer and Nightwing scowled. A glance over his shoulder showed the six passenger seats had come free in the impact. Starfire was slumped in one of the front seats a strange purple welt on her temple. Raven lay motionless beside Black Canary and Wally was slumped between Cyborg and Beast Boy.

Nightwing felt his legs throb with pain as he glanced through the shattered windscreen and saw the blackened and burnt world outside. A flicker of panic ran through his mind as he remembered the Geiger counter.

"JL 12, please respond." The radio crackled again and Nightwing grabbed it.

He thumbed the transmit button. "This is JL 12… who is this?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Richards, Blüdhaven exclusion zone security force… you went down in the middle of Stalker turf Leaguers, we've got orders to pull you out of there."

"Fuck." Nightwing snapped and heard a shift from the group of passengers. He glanced over and saw Starfire stirring. "We've got injured here… I'm the only one that's awake at the moment."

"Who is this anyway?"

"Nightwing." Dick growled and there was a long silence on the line for a moment.

Then the Lieutenant Colonel coughed. "Ironic that… we're on our way: ETA forty minutes."

The radio clicked off and Dick stood shakily. He grabbed at the overhead storage bins looking for the survival kits. A quiet cough came from Starfire as she opened her glowing eyes. "Star? You're awake?"

"Yes… my head is the hurting though… I see four of you." She muttered quietly.

"Star, what's your radiation tolerance?" He asked as he finally found one of the emergency survival kits and pulled it out.

"It is adequate to space radiation aside for gamma ray bursts." Starfire said quietly. "They cause much burning and scaring."

"So…" He pulled the Geiger counter from his belt. "An exposure of 100 Sieverts an hour won't bother you?"

"No." Starfire said quietly. "But it will be most damaging to you and… our friends."

Dick nodded trying not to think of the dosage he'd received already while he was unconscious. He knew that his suit did offer some protection but it was nowhere near complete. He tore a set of syringes from the survival kit and swore under his breath before injecting himself. "Give these to the others, it's anti-rad."

He dug through the kit before coming upon the dark blue environmental suits. Taking a deep breath he pulled out the first one and began to pull it on. The hot plastic of the suit stuck to his armor as he struggled to pull it on. He scowled to himself as he pulled the headpiece down and quickly sealed the suit against the element.

It was hot, almost unbearably so with that plastic around him and the stink through the air filter was almost nauseating. Still it would keep him alive.

Starfire had finished administrating the anti-rad to the other passengers and was struggling to pull one of the environmental suits over Cyborg when a dull groan filled the room. Black Canary slumped forward and cradled her head in her hands. "What happened?"

"Gordanian fighter hit us… we crashed." Dick said with a growl. "We crashed in Blüdhaven."

Black Canary's face went white and she looked up at the environmental suit. "Give me one…"

"Right," Dick said as he tossed her one of the suits, "Starfire doesn't need it, but the others do. Either we try and wake them up so they can dress themselves or dress them in their sleep. Radiation is at 100 Sieverts an hour."

"There should be some ammonia in there." Black Canary said gruffly.

"I am unable to return Cyborg to consciousness… and he is rather difficult to dress." Starfire said.

Dick pulled the small vial from the case and handed it to Black Canary who quickly passed it under Bast Boy's nose. The young man jerked awake and groaned before sitting upright. Black Canary quickly stuffed an environmental suit into his lap before handing the bottle of ammonia to Starfire. With a quick sniff the Cyborg returned to consciousness with a jolt and he groaned. Starfire turned to Wally and waved the bottle beneath his nose. The speedster nearly leapt from the chair and howled in agony. "Did someone get a number on that bus?"

"It was the Vega express Wally." Dick said as he tossed the environmental suit into his lap. "Suit up. We managed to crash in the worst spot imaginable."

"Uh… Joker's the world is ending party?" Wally asked.

"No… Blüdhaven." Dick said.

Wally arched an eyebrow. "I still say my idea is worse." He glared at the environmental suit. "Oh man… I'll get friction burns so bad!"

"There are others outside the ship." Raven said quietly as she began to pull on one of the environmental suits after shedding her cape. Black Canary swallowed. "Others?"

"We need to be careful." Dick said as he glanced around the group and headed to the emergency hatch. With a yank it blew out and clattered across a pile of assorted junk and debris. He glanced out and nodded to the others. "Looks clear, how many do you sense and how close?"

"Ten at least." Raven said. "About fifty yards or so, I'd say."

Black Canary finished zipping up her suit and pulled the hood and mask down over her face. "Can you sense their intent?"

"Hostile... but human." Raven said as Dick checked the others to make sure they were ready with their protection. "Could it be the local military detachment?"

"Maybe, there's an ongoing effort to patrol and police the place by the military." Dick scowled. "But their HQ said they're on the way, it can't be them. In fact they said we landed in Stalker turf, shit they could be Stalkers!"

"Who are they?" Wally asked.

"A gang of sorts that has taken over parts of this city." Dick said as he peaked out the hatch. "We need to get clear of here, and fast."

"Lets go!" Black Canary said and clambered out of the hatch. She glanced around. "Looks like we're pretty close to the docks..."

Dick clambered out of the wreck and glanced around. The pit the ship had crashed into was piled high with refuse and random assortments of scrap and debris. Blackened and scorched warehouses stood three hundred yards further along the highway.

Black Canary clambered up onto a wrecked car and looked out over the surrounding for a moment, staring at the shattered city before turning to face them. "Guess we're lucky you didn't smash us into that overpass." She said before gesturing to a roadway beyond the wreck.

"Yeah... Lucky." Dick said.

The cracks of rifle rounds rend the air and Dick swore as Black Canary staggered, her blue eyes going wide. She glanced down and he saw three bloody red holes in her front. Then she toppled forward off the car and dropped onto the rough gravel.

"Dinah!" He yelled as more rifle rounds cracked overhead and he felt two strong arms wrench him to the ground. He toppled and fell beside the smashed shuttle and glanced up to see Starfire holding him down.

"Stay down!" She snapped.

"Fuck!" He snapped. "She's hurt Star, we've got to help."

Starfire sighed. "Fine... where are they?"

"Wally, you'll grab her. Everyone else, covering fire."

"They're behind and above us... they must be on that overpass." Raven said.

Dick nodded. "On three!" He shouted."One... Two... Three!"

He pushed off the shuttle and hurled a smoke grenade toward Dinah before scanning the overpass. Starbolts and sonic cannon shots tore into the concrete and steel structure. A man clad in a green environmental suit scrambled into view and knelt beside a can of propane that was lying beside the road. He lifted an AK-47 and opened fire.

Raven swore and a black shield snapped into existence before them and he could see the rounds flattening themselves against the wall of dark energy.

Then Starfire rose up and hurled a starbolt toward him, striking the can of propane. It exploded, sending a fireball burning through the air over the street.

Dick stared at where the Stalker had stood and swallowed. "Star?"

"Focus, Black Canary?" Starfire snapped as she turned toward where Wally had returned, cradling the wounded hero in his arms.

Dick shook his head and spun toward her just as Raven knelt over her. "Dick... she has severe internal injuries and..."

Blood coated Wally's environmental suit and he began to hyperventilate. As his old friend looked up at him, he saw tears in Wally's eyes. "Rae... can you stop the bleeding?"

The pale face glanced between Dick and Wally. "I... I can try."

The ping of a bullet against metal drew Dick's attention back to their situation. "Get her inside and treat her. Cyborg and Star... defensive positions."

"What about me?" Beast Boy asked.

Rae shook her head. "We can't risk you getting exposed Garfield, do you remember what happened last time you got a dose of radiation? Plus you can't shift with the environmental suit on."

"Oh..." Beast Boy said quietly.

"Just... stick by me." Raven said quietly.

Oracle's eyes widened as she glanced at the computer displays. Dinah paced behind her, swallowing after she came to a stop. "Barbara..."

"She just blew apart that guy, no hesitation or anything." Oracle said quietly. "She... she's dangerous still, are you sure this was a good idea Batman?"

"No, I am not sure, I just saw no other option worth considering." Batman stated flatly. He turned and glanced at Black Canary, "Isn't your costume bullet proof Dinah?"

"Yes, but if they were using armor piercing ammunition..." She shook her head slowly. "How long until the army arrives?"

"Fifteen minutes or so." Barbara said quietly.

"Come on, hold on..." Raven growled as her hands glowed with dark energy. Dick scrambled back inside the shuttle and grabbed the radio.

"JL 12 to Super 64, we are under attack by armed militia and have wounded. Please hurry." He said before releasing the transmit key. A blast of purple energy shot from Starfire's fingers. Bullets striking the shuttle sounded like hail.

"JL 12, we are fourteen minutes from your local. What are you facing?" The radio answered.

Dick swore. "I don't know... They're armed with assault rifles."

"Shit... she's going to have radiation poisoning, I don't know what all I can do for her beside close the wounds as best I can!" Raven shouted above the roar of battle.

"RPG!" Cyborg shouted and a blast from Starfire ended with a boom that rattled the shuttle. "Nice job Star!"

Dick swallowed as he grabbed the radio again. "These guys have some heavy weapons... Rockets and machine gun fire now."

Kori ducked back toward the hatch as a hail of tracers rained down over their position. Cyborg swore as he glanced back at the two of them. "How's the old bird?"

"She's barely hanging on." Raven shouted as she pressed her gloved hands against her chest and summoned more of the dark energy. "Stay with us!"

"Can you keep her stable?" Dick asked.

Raven swallowed. "For awhile... not sure how long."

The rumble of a motor drew Starfire's attention back outside just as the radio crackled. "JL 12, what's your status."

"One down, critical condition... everyone else just has bumps and bruises." He glanced at Dinah and swallowed.

"How many are in your group?"

"Seven." Dick answered. "I've got Beast Boy, Raven, a Flash, Cyborg, Black Canary, and Starfire here. Black Canary is the one that's hurt."

"Understood."

An explosion just outside the hatch sent bits of gravel and debris slicing through the air. Starfire swore and glanced at Dick. "They have some sort of armored vehicle."

"Shit..." Dick growled. "Cy, Star... let's go!" He tossed the radio to Beast Boy. "Keep them informed Gar..."

"Right."

He glanced at Wally. "Do some recon will you?" Then the speedster was gone, the air whipping from his passage. "Let's take care of these damn gangsters."

He pulled a set of smoke pellets from his belt and hurled them out the hatch, then the trio leapt out to engage. Dick's mask switched to infrared as he rolled through the smoke and saw the source of the newest barrage of hostile fire.

It was little more than an old pickup truck with metal armor plates welded over it's sides and engine compartment. An old recoilless rifle was bolted to the back of it's truck bed and Dick hurled a bird-a-rang as he cleared the smoke. The weapon jammed inside the traverse and elevation gears, locking the gun in place.

A purple bolt blasted through the engine compartment and the front of the truck exploded sending a hood spinning through the air. A second later, a figure scrambled away from the wreck clad in a strange mix of armor and environmental protection. He pulled a pistol and opened fire, sending a stream of lead ripping through the air as Dick dove to the ground.

The blue-white flash of sonic energy knocked the gangster to the ground as more gunfire began to rain down from the overpass. Swearing to himself Dick scrambled behind a rusty hulk and swore. "Damn it... how many are there?"

"I'm getting six distinct sources of fire!" Cyborg yelled. "What do you want to-"

The boom of a large caliber gun echoed overhead and Dick felt the pressure wave hammer his chest. He saw brilliant red tracers arc over his head and explode against the overpass with pops of black smoke and flame.

Then he glanced back toward the source and blinked as an M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle roared down the road followed by a half dozen humvees and three M1A2 Abrams Tanks.

The track stopped with a jerk beside the wreck and a gruff looking lieutenant colonel stepped out of the rear-loading hatch, he glanced at Dick and chewed his lip. "Nightwing, you wanted a ride?"

"Yeah... thank God, you're here." He said before rising out of cover. "Kory, Vic, guard positions."

"DICK! VICTOR!" Raven's voice yelled from the shuttle and he broke into a run just as a Humvee decorated with the Red Cross screeched to a stop beside it.

He swore and ran to the shuttle and found Raven in a panic, starting chest compressions. "She's in arrest!"

"Cyborg!" Dick yelled just as he scrambled into the hatch and knelt beside Black Canary. His hands morphed into shock panels as he bent over her. "Fuck, we'll need to expose her!"

With a flick of her wrist, Raven slashed the environmental suit and costume beneath then Cyborg pushed the paddles into place. "Charging, stand back!" He yelled and Raven staggered back into Beast Boy's arms. "Clear?"

"We're clear!" Dick said.

With a jolt, Black Canary leapt on the table, Dick felt tears begin to fill his eyes as Cyborg swore and he heard the charge sequence starting over again. "Come on! Charged!"

"You're clear!"

Another pulse shot through her, and Dick felt tears begin to break loose and stream down his cheeks. He turned away and shuddered.

"Come on Black Bird, you're stronger then this!" Cyborg yelled as he sent another jolt crackling through her. "Come on!"

A medic knelt down beside Cyborg and swore. "She's gone, look how pale she is!"

"No she ain't!" Cyborg swore again. "Come on girl, you're not dying, not to thugs with guns!" He pressed his hands against her chest again and another jolt hammered through her body.

Nothing.

Dick shuddered and slumped against the side of the hatch as the medic shook his head. "She's gone, bled out..."

Raven turned and buried her head in Beast Boy's shoulder, and the little green hero hugged her back. Cyborg bent his head and shut his eyes. "Oh hell..."

"Dinah." Dick muttered to himself. "She's gone..."

Slowly Cyborg closed her eyes and stood. "I'm sorry, Dick..."

Dick Grayson slammed a fist into the wall of the hatch and marched away, past the gathered American troops. Starfire watched him as he kicked the side of a burnt out wreck of a car and swore.

"Nightwing." The hard voice of the Lieutenant Colonel cut through the fog of grief and guilt that clouded his mind. "You alright?"

"No..." Dick growled. "She's dead."

"Canary?" Dick nodded and glanced up into the clear blue eyes of the Colonel as he knelt down before him. "It hurts, doesn't it son... loosing somebody."

"Yeah... and she won't be the last."

Wally skidded to a stop and swore. "Fucking friction burns!" He glanced between them. "Dick?"

He stood and closed his eyes. "She died."

Wally's eyes went wide and he began to tear up as well. "She... she died?"

"Yeah..." Dick glanced at the others. "We're loading up."

"Dick?" Wally murmured.

"Just go get everyone loaded up!" He snapped and felt a set of curious green eyes watching him. Dick sighed, tried to regain control and felt it slip out of his grasp. Anger flared in him. "Fuck it! Just fucking, do it! Wally, get everyone onto the tanks and humvees and let's get the fuck out of here!"

His old friend blanched before running toward the others. He felt Starfire's gaze on him still and heard the soft crunch of gravel as she approached. He sighed. "Star..."

"Dinah died then?" She said quietly. "She was most kind to me..."

Dick nodded. "She... she was to me too." He wiped away the tears that threatened to stream down his cheeks. "She was a good person."

A series of sonic booms echoed overhead and Starfire glanced skyward. "The Citadellians are moving to make their landings now."

He swore under his breath and glanced at the Lieutenant Colonel. "It was Richards, right?"

"That's right." He said. "We'll take you back to our base."

"Do you have deployment orders yet?" Dick asked and the Lieutenant Colonel shook his head.

"Star... where would they be headed? What should we defend?" Dick asked as he turned to look at the contrails high overhead marking the enemy fleet's descent into the atmosphere.

"Their object is the enslavement of the population, we should defend population centers." She said flatly.

Dick swallowed. "Gotham..."

"Yes, it is the largest near our position." Starfire said.

Dick turned to the Colonel. "I suggest, if you don't get orders in the next hour or so, you gear up and follow us to Gotham."

"What is going on?" Richards asked with a growl. "I've got no information at the moment you know!"

"An alien invasion, Colonel." Dick said flatly, as he headed toward one of the vehicles. In a whisper he added to himself, "I don't know... Armageddon maybe?"

In the monitoring room Barbara Gordon stared at her friend Black Canary, a look of dawning horror slid across her face. Slowly she sat down and glanced at the two figures lying in the middle of the room.

Raven was in the lotus position, her brow furrowed in concentration as Garfield slowly wrapped arms around her. "It's okay Rae..."

"He's screaming..." She said back. "And I can't help him right now."

"You're helping, just by being here." Garfield answered as he glanced around the group as if looking for confirmation.

"Barbara?" Black Canary suddenly whispered. "Did you expect that... I mean I remember that I died in the original Failsafe but... That was different."

Barbara glanced back to her and saw the older woman wipe tears from her eyes. "Dinah?"

"I... I don't know what to feel." She scowled. "Perhaps we didn't consider the psychological implications of watching our own deaths."

"Dinah... I'm sorry..." She said quietly. "I... I don't know what to make of any of this."

The older hero took a deep breath and slowly seemed to pull herself together. "I'm going to have a nice long cry in Oliver's arms when this is over." She said before sitting down beside Barbara. "Barbara... we need to talk anyway."

Barbara glanced down at the computer readout before her and scowled. "I know... I know..." She snapped and slammed a fist down on the table. "You're my friend Dinah... but you're trying to get Dick and Kori fucking Ander back together."

"The needs of the many..."

"Don't you start quoting Galaxy Trek!" Barbara snapped. "I know that in terms of planetary security my needs are pretty fucking low on the totem pool!"

Batman scowled from where he stood watching the proceedings and Raven's grimace hardened. "If you're going to shout, leave so I don't fuck up this whole situation! Managing his emotions is hard enough!" Raven snapped.

Barbara growled. "Fine..." She pushed away from the readout and headed for the door. "I hope someone at least considered me in this damn equation!"

"Barbara!" Dinah snapped as she followed her through the sliding doors. "What are you going?"

"Having a bad life." Barbara Gordon snapped back. "It's bad enough that Batman is always interfering with Dick and I but... I thought you wouldn't Dinah!"

The blonde staggered at the statement. "I'm still your friend Barbara!"

"Some friend." Barbara growled. "Setting up my boyfriend with an old flame? Does that sound like a friend to you?"

"Barbara!" Dinah snapped and Barbara froze. "You think this is about you? This is about a hell of a lot more than you, and I've been wondering what it would take for you to let go of Dick!"

Barbara staggered back and thumped against the metal wall. "You think I should break up with him?"

"Yes!" Dinah said with a sigh. "Yes... he's not good for you. Gotham isn't good for him, and it's all you've ever known."

Barbara shuddered and took a deep breath. "I know... I... I realized it last night and..." She sniffed. "I still have that ring he gave me."

"Then why haven't you said yes?" Dinah asked.

Barbara felt tears sting her eyes as she turned to look out a viewport and watched the Earth slowly turn beneath them. "Because... I..."

She felt a pair of hands squeeze her shoulders and looked down at the deck, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. "Barbara... you love him, I know, but it wouldn't work."

"But I don't..." She murmured. "I... I love spending time with him, being with him, but..." She wiped away her tears. "I... I... didn't want him. I loved him as... as a brother, and he always wanted it to be more."

"Barbara." Dinah said slowly and Barbara felt herself being drawn into a loose hug. She laid her head on Dinah's shoulder and cried. "It's okay..."

"I stole him from her..." She murmured. "Because I thought she wasn't good enough for him." Barbara's body shook with another sob. "I'm so messed up."

"Well, you are part of the Bat Family." Dinah said with a quiet snort. "It's okay... we'll fix it. You'll get your brother back."

"But..." Barbara said as she glanced up at Dinah.

"He'll be your brother, that's what he's meant to be." Dinah said quietly.

Barbara nodded and shut her eyes. "Thank you."

"I hate this place." Dick growled to himself as he sat down on the bench like seats of the back of the M2 Bradley. As the loading ramp closed Starfire glanced at him and sat down beside him. Timidly she reached over and took his hand, giving it a slight squeeze.

"Will you be alright?" She asked him while Raven and Garfield huddled together in another set of benches looking rather nervous.

Dick swallowed before ripping off the hood of the environmental suit and throwing it down. Seconds later he'd torn his mask free and hurled it into the white metal wall of the APC's interior. Raven flinched from his outburst while Garfield watched wide-eyed in surprise.

"She's dead, so no... I won't be alright Star! None of us are going to be alright!" He snarled and suddenly felt Starfire's arms encircle him timidly before squeezing him in a bear like hug. "Star..."

"We shall be alright, we shall..." She said and he felt her head burrow it's way into his shoulder. "It is alright to cry Dick."

He blinked away tears for a moment before sagging forward. "Dinah..." Tears began to fall from his eyes as he thought about her. "She was my first real adult friend... Bruce wasn't ever really my friend, but Dinah... she helped us in Young Justice so much. She taught us so much."

"She was a good mentor for you then." Starfire said quietly, and he felt Starfire shift. He blinked his eyes open in surprise as the girl clambered into his lap, still hugging him. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I am sorry."

Dick swallowed before slowly relaxing into her embrace and letting go a stream of tears. He sobbed in her arms.

Across from them Raven slowly relaxed and leaned against Garfield, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Dick, I wish I could have done more for her..."

"I know." He said quietly. "She was a good person."

"She cared a lot for you Dick." Raven said quietly.

He took a deep breath to regain control of his emotions just as the track lurched into motion around them. Dick sighed. "I know she did... such a waste."

In his arms Starfire took a sharp breath and murmured. She snuggled against him and Dick sighed as he began to relax from her effort to comfort him.

Then it hit him, Starfire was comforting him. Something of her old self must have been awakened by their experience. He swallowed before closing his eyes. "Star..."

She didn't answer. Instead he felt her head slump against his chest and her eyes fluttered shut.

"Hell." Dick muttered as he glanced over at Raven.

"Dick... Are you alright?" Raven asked as Beast Boy leaned against the wall.

"I don't know." He said quietly and glanced down at Starfire lying against him. "Umm."

Raven shook her head. "If hugging you helps her, I'm all for it."

Dick shut his eyes and leaned back in the bench. "I guess it doesn't matter." Since none of us are going to live through this.

Raven glared at him. "I wouldn't give up just yet."

"Only the rutha give up." Starfire murmured against his chest. "You are not really rutha, are you Dick?"

"No I guess not." He said quietly as her green gaze rose up to meet his. "Not with strong friends helping me out."

If he had said that when they were together a bright smile would have appeared on her face, but now, after so much, her lips twitched with the barest hint of emotion. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Star..."

"I do not understand, do you mean that you are weak without me?" She asked quietly. "If so, why did you ever leave?"

"I think he meant friends in general Star." Beast Boy said quietly.

"Yeah..." Dick said and flinched as her face fell. "Star... without you, I wasn't the same. I'm not the same person I was... neither are you."

"No, I am not a person. I am Z'hom... broken, I cannot be a person again without... without..." She bit her lip and leaned against him. "Without you… without you I am rutha."

"Star..."

"Was there one that Dinah left behind?" Starfire asked quietly and Dick felt tears begin to fill his eyes again. He slowly nodded. "Dick?"

"Green Arrow." He said quietly. "If he's still alive."

"Dick..." She sighed. "I am sorry."

A roar echoed overhead and he felt the track jerk to a stop. One of the army soldiers that had been ignoring them turned to him. "Nightwing? The Colonel wants to talk to you." He handed him a headset and Dick slipped it on.

"Hell." Dick murmured. "Nightwing here."

"We're clear of the radiation zone, and I got orders to head toward Gotham and rendezvous with the National Guard detachment forming up." The hard voice of the Colonel answered. "I can see fighting in the air toward Gotham. Can you and the Leaguers that are with you help scout out and protect us?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah, we can."

The boarding ramp dropped and he handed the headset back to the soldier. "Alright... Titans, let's go."

Something about those words jolted Koriand'r's brain and she felt a strange sensation... a familiar flutter in her stomachs and a surge of pride. Titans, that word meant something, a group, a team... a fellowship.

My friends! Her mind sang as she followed Dick out into the sunlight.

Wally had shed his environmental suit and glanced around nervously. "Dick?"

"Wally, I want you to scout ahead, see if there's any enemies on the route to Gotham." Dick said and Wally nodded before disappearing with a blur of speed.

The distant roar of a jet reached her ears and she turned to see an Earth fighter roar past, just above the treetops. Seconds later a battered looking fighter of Citadelian manufacture flashed past, its prow glowing with purple light.

A beam shot forth and sliced the fighter in two, making it explode. Behind her she heard the Bradley's turret whine and the boom of its automatic cannon send tracers streaking up after the speeding starfighter.

"Spread out! It'll come back around to strafe us now." Starfire shouted to the soldiers which had spilled off the tanks and out of their transports. She saw two them scramble to the side of the road and lift missile launchers over their shoulders as the Citadelian fighter turned toward them.

She flung a hand toward the craft and froze as nothing happened, no energy spilled from her hands, no bolt of purple energy, not even a sputter of flames. She swallowed, what was this... as far as she could remember unleashing the bolts had been easy... a mere flicker of movement and concentration and the purple energy was racing toward its target.

A roar of flames shot from the two soldiers with missiles and she watched the warheads race up through the sky and explode against the Citadelian fighter. It canted forward and smoke billowed from its engine mounts and exploded when it hit a building a two blocks further along the road.

Starfire swallowed and stared down at her hands. "Why now?" She growled in frustration.

Dick glanced at her in confusion as the soldiers spread out along the road glancing nervously at the buildings, lifting their weapons cautiously as they walked alongside the tracks.

"Star, what is it?" Raven asked as she stood beside her.

"I... I cannot seem to create my starbolts." She scowled and focused, trying again and again nothing happened. Raven studied her for a moment.

"I'm amazed you still were able to before." She said quietly. "You had so little emotion before... and I know your powers are based on your emotions."

"I have not needed it before." Starfire said as she focused again on her hands. "What emotions are required?"

"For starbolts? You have to be angry Star... you used to call it your 'righteous fury'." Raven said.

Starfire nodded. "Angry..." She lifted a hand and tried to think of her anger... Suddenly she remembered the Citadelians, their disgusting appearance and terrible appetites. She shuddered as moments of her life in the Citadel flashed before her eyes. Her anger and hatred flared as she remembered one trying to force himself upon her. Then a crackling sound brought her back to the here and now.

Green flames of energy burned from her hands and Starfire stared. Green... she could not recall the green energy from before, but... it felt different. When she used her starbolts before, she could feel pain running through her arms, a burning sensation coming from her palms. This felt different...

She stared at her hand wide eyed as the energy enveloped it, but instead of a painful throbbing or burning she felt a strangely soothing sensation wash through her hands. It felt familiar, almost like an old friend.

Almost as familiar as embracing Dick had been. A blush filled her cheeks and the green flames stopped in an instant. She swallowed, her emotions running in all directions. She glanced toward Dick as he walked between abandoned cars at the head of the improvised column and started toward him.

The gold and red blur that was Wally West skidded to a stop beside Nightwing. Dick rolled his eyes at the speedster. "See anything?"

Wally shook his head. "So far, I haven't seen anything but air combat and—"

"Do you smell something?" Dick asked.

Then something huge tossed a car against a building wall and Wally sped out of the way. Nightwing froze at the front of the column and stared at where the car had been hurled from.

Starfire ran forward, her flight failing to ignite and she stumbled in surprise, almost knocking over a soldier. As she closed with Nightwing the smell hit her and she nearly wretched.

She knew that smell.

That smell was a Citadelian.

Nightwing swallowed as the massive creature stood, its grotesque green skin shimmering in the dawn light. It had a flat nose with two slits, like a snake, and a massive jaw filled with sharp teeth.

He was reminded of Killer Croc, the mutant monster that lived in Gotham's sewers. Except, this creature was more disgusting. It was asymmetrical and lumped, its skin looked sick, and half-rotted in places. The weapon it clutched in its hands looked equally decrepit. It was shaped vaguely like a spear.

He'd never seen one before, but he'd heard of them... everyone that had worked with Starfire had heard of the creatures at least once. This was the monstrous creature that had held his Star captive as a slave for years, the creature that had haunted her nightmares.

It was a Citadelian, the mutated and misshaped clone of the first denizen of the Citadel. Bile rose up in his stomach at the smell of rotting flesh that hung from the beastly creature as Dick drew his tonfa and charged.

The tip of the spear glowed with a brilliant purple light and a bolt shot from the end, slamming into the smashed car. The fuel tank exploded and Dick felt metal shrapnel rip through the air all around him just before the shock wave hurled him into a windshield that shattered from his bulk impact.

"What the hell is that thing?" A soldier asked as he stumbled back from the hulking monstrosity.

"Open fire!" One of the dismounted soldiers shouted before lifting his rifle and firing on the massive beast. Further back the tank commander swung his massive .50 caliber gun toward the monster and opened fire. Burning red tracers ripped through the air and struck the monster. Dark green blood splattered from the impact of bullet after bullet and it stumbled forward before collapsing with a gurgle.

"Dick!" Starfire's voice shouted above the others as the electric whine of one of the tank turrets revolving echoed in the street.

Dick blinked upward for a moment before Kori's face leaned into view, her green eyes seeming to cloud with concern for a moment as she stared at him. "Dick? Are you hurt?"

He groaned as his mind began to take stock of his position and he slowly sat up. Bits of glass dropped from his back as he did. "I'm okay... just a bit stunned."

"Let me check him." Raven's gravelly voice said as she stepped up to the side of the car and peered at him. "Are you hurt?"

Dick rolled off the windshield and wheezed, before standing upright, he tried to ignore the way his back throbbed. He knew that there would be bruising he was sure. "Just my pride I think."

Raven glared at him. "Honest?"

"Bruised back." Dick admitted before picking up his tonfas and twirling them once. "Wally?"

With a flash, the gold clad man appeared with a smirk but froze on seeing his expression. "Whoa, you got beat already Dick?"

"Shut it you... could you scout a bit?" Dick grumbled. "There was one, there's bound to be more." He felt a cold hand on his back and shivered as Raven quickly stopped the bruising with her powers.

"It was most likely the scout as well or we would be under great attack at present." Starfire said as she glanced around the buildings.

"That was a Citadelian, right?" Dick asked as he nodded toward the sickening corpse.

"Yes... it was most likely the plebian... those of the greater rank are not so rotted or disfigured in their appearance." Starfire said quietly. "There will be others."

"How much intelligence do they have?" Raven asked. "I couldn't sense it... much like how animals can be tough to sense."

"The plebians are birthed into their role with only the intellect required for the task for which they were created." Starfire said. "Only those of higher rank are what one would truly call sapient."

"I don't like killing Rae... even if they're no smarter than a wild dog." Beast Boy said from where he'd scrambled out of cover.

"I don't think we've got much choice BB." Cyborg said.

Dick nodded once and sighed. "We protect the soldiers, protect the tanks... we'll worry about the ethics of killing in warfare latter. Let's keep them alive to do their job."

Starfire's eyes flared with green light. "I am a warrior, is not my task to destroy the enemy?"

He glanced at her and swallowed. "I don't like killing."

"I do not like it, but I understand its necessity. Sometimes only the lethal force can protect your friends from those that wish to do them the harm." Starfire said. "You are my friends are you not?"

Dick nodded.

"Then I shall protect you in whatever way I can." Starfire said.

"Alright." Dick said quietly before glancing back at the troop commander. "We really need to get moving." He stopped as he saw a green sign lying by the side of the road and a bemused expression slid across his face as he read it.

Now Leaving… Blüdhaven