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 8: Moral Killers

Is it like this
In death's other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.

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

The scout was just the beginning of their troubles. As the group pushed onward they began to encounter scorched wreckage and signs of combat. Smoldering cars would block the roadway until smashed aside by a tank or IFV. Dozens of storefronts were smashed in or set alight. Bodies littered the ground, and the living hurried from cover to cover, hiding in the shadows.

As they passed an electronics store Dick saw that most of the global communications were down. On the televisions were reports from local channels while those tuned to the larger networks broadcasted little more than static.

Civilians huddled around radios and televisions eager for some news as they passed and Dick wondered if they should stop and try to disperse the groups and get them to safety. The problem immediately became a question of where they would be safe... was there any place they could be taken outside of the Citadelian's reach.

Then they started to encounter the Citadelian forces. The plebian scout they had fought before gave him a taste of what they were capable of. Their soldiers fought with energy blasts, spear strikes, and sheer bodily strength, but they were little match against the heavy weapons of the tanks and IFVs.

Dick and the Titans had managed to get into a rhythm as the fighting wore on... with Raven shielding the soldiers from the energy fire of the enemy while Cyborg and he rained down suppressing fire. Garfield did his best to scout for them in avian or small animal form while Wally helped by speeding out in front of them and gathering intelligence. Starfire however seemed to be holding back, shying away from the fight.

It had been hours since the fight with the scout, and finally after a solid thirty minute struggle they'd managed to beat off a Citadelian counter attack. It hadn't been without cost as one of the Abrams was a burning wreck from an energy blast and perhaps half dozen troopers had fallen in the fight. With the lull in the fighting, Dick fell back and walked alongside Starfire and Raven. Finally he spoke up.

"Star... you haven't been fighting." He said quietly and Starfire glanced at him, her green eyes narrowed. "I mean, you seem to be holding back and—"

Raven cut him off. "Dick, leave her be... since her emotions are starting to reemerge she's having to adjust to how she used to control her powers."

He froze and glanced between the two women. "Your... your emotions are coming back then?"

Starfire nodded and chewed her lip. "Yes... it is unfortunate that I am having trouble regaining control of my powers. It is most difficult, and I have been focusing on starbolts for now." She lifted a hand and Dick watched as the familiar green crackle of flames engulfed it. "It... it is different than before."

"Her emotions are unstable still, making her powers unreliable." Raven said simply. "Of course, she isn't the only one having trouble."

Dick swallowed and glanced at her. "How are you holding up Raven?"

She sighed. "I have been better. Garfield has been helping as best he can." She smiled faintly at those words and shrugged. "We'll need to rest soon. It'll be dark in a few hours."

"Star... how good is Citadelian night vision?" Dick asked as they he glanced around the street. Overhead a squadron of F-22 fighters roared past, heading west.

"It is worse than the human norm, the Vega system features much more ambient light than Earth." Starfire said. "Mine is better than theirs, but still inferior to humans."

Dick nodded. "I didn't realize you had trouble seeing in the dark."

She smiled faintly. "I am my own light source, so I can manage in most circumstances."

The foot march soon ended as everyone tried to conserve their energy for combat. Dick rode atop one of the Bradley IFVs, his head leaning against the side of the turret as it rumbled along. Starfire sat beside him, her glowing eyes shut. Every few moments she would lean against him timidly.

Beast Boy sat atop the turret, chatting idly with the IFV's commander. Behind them, one of the M1A2 Abrams tanks followed, its turret slewing left and right as it rolled along, searching for targets.

Raven sat on the back of the engine deck in the lotus position, her eyes shut and she was quietly chanting her mantra. Dick guessed she was trying to keep a hold of her emotions. It was hard enough for the rest of him, but for Raven, it had to be a true internal battle with the reality they were faced with.

Dick closed his eyes and sighed.

"So... how much further to Gotham?" Beast Boy asked as he leaned against the box, which held a pair of missiles.

"About... twenty miles to the coast, but considering how clogged the roads have been." The IFV Commander shrugged. "It could be nightfall before we get half that distance."

The bang of gunfire suddenly drew Dick's attention and everyone tensed. He turned to a side street and swore as a small group of civilians armed with an eclectic array of weapons scrambled into view. One of them, a woman, lifted a gleaming assault rifle and fired into an alley.

A purple beam flashed from the alley and caught her, burning through her side and leaving a black scar on the concrete behind her. She screamed, flames smoldering from her blackened side and she writhed on the ground. The others scattered, sending a ragged volley of gunfire back toward the source.

Then the hulking form of a Citadelian stepped into the street, a weapon shaped vaguely like a halberd in his hands. With a snarl, he lifted it over his head and swung it down on the writhing figure. Her scream ended with a sickening crunch as the blade split bone and flesh.

"Go!" Dick yelled as he scrambled off the Bradley and Starfire dove down beside him as the Commander grabbed the manual override and swung the 25mm Autocannon on the figure. The booming report of the cannon echoed in the street as three explosive rounds hammered into the figure's chest, ripping it apart. Then with a roar, it fell to the ground, spraying blood across the street surface.

Then three more of the monsters staggered into view. One of them lifted the halberd and pointed it toward the Bradley. With a wave of her hand, Raven summoned a shield of dark energy just as the purple beam of energy lanced from the weapon's tip. It ricocheted from the shield and blew apart an abandoned car.

Dick swore and grabbed a pair of bird-a-rangs from his belt and hurled them toward the hulking foes. One slashed across the deformed cheek of the closest enemy, while the second lodged itself in the tip of the beam emitter of the energy halberd. After a second, the weapon exploded and the Citadelian that held it stared dumbfounded at the ruined weapon.

"Titans, go!" Dick yelled and a blue sonic blast slammed into one of the Citadelians, bowling it over. With a snarl, he hurled a white phosphorous bomb he'd grabbed from the Bradley's stores and dropped behind the cover of the track.

The canister exploded sending a plume of white burning embers raining down over the Citadelian who screamed in agony and fought to extinguish the flames. The boarding ramp of the Bradley came down and the soldiers that had ridden inside scrambled out.

Starfire dropped down beside him and glared at her hands, "Damn... come on!" She growled as she clenched her fists and Dick watched as the familiar green flames suddenly enveloped her fists. Her eyes widened after a moment then she rolled out of cover and lashed out, hurling the starbolts toward the wounded Citadelian.

Each burned a crater the size of Dick's head in its chest, and it tumbled to the ground with a groan.

"Rocket ready!" One of the soldiers yelled as he lifted an AT4 to his shoulder and took aim at the remaining enemy. Dick swore and dove away from the man, as one of his comrades yelled.

"You're clear!"

With a boom, the rocket shot from the tube and caught the monster in the chest, blowing it apart in a shower of gore. The back blast wiped over Dick as he glanced up at the fallen figure and let out a sigh of relief.

Starfire slowly stood. "Perhaps a rocket is excessive." She stated.

A low rumble echoed from down the street and Dick froze as a massive vehicle stepped into view. It looked to be thirty meters tall, and shaped vaguely like one of the walkers from Beast Boy's favorite movie series. A pair of chin lasers hung from the cylindrical head that topped the two-legged frame.

"Oh shit!" One of the soldiers yelled when a sound vaguely like a trumpet came from the massive vehicle. Then a beam of brilliant energy lanced from the walker and swept across the soldiers that had fired the rocket. They disappeared in a burst of flames and carbon dust.

The Bradley's turret swiveled to the walker and a TOW missile rocketed from the tube. In less than two seconds, it crossed the space between the vehicles and exploded against the walker's head. Smoke rose from the walker as it stumbled, fell forward, and then smashed through the tile roof of an older home.

Dick swallowed. "Everyone okay?"

Starfire stood beside him, her frame now coated in grease stains, carbon dust, dirt, and grime. She swallowed and glanced down at her hands again and slowly the green flames died again. "I am... unharmed."

"Same." Beast Boy yelled as he knelt beside Raven. "So's Rae."

"Good..." Dick said with a gasp for breath. "I thought we were screwed when that walker showed."

"No shit." Cyborg said as he ran up to them, his cannon still ready. "You all okay?"

"We're fine Vic." Dick said. "Wally!"

Wally West skidded to a stop beside them and gasped for breath. "Sorry... you called?"

"Yeah... what's it look like ahead of us?" Dick asked.

"More tough going... Some guys were looting an electronics store, until a Citadelian showed up. He, he grabbed a woman and tossed her into a cage before I could do anything." Wally gasped for breath. "I got the others out... but Dick, I can't fight them... I'm just fast. I can't bring one of them down on my own."

"I can't either..." Dick admitted. "They're like fighting Killer Croc, nothing I carry is strong enough to bring them down."

"I can try and be more aggressive." Raven said after a moment. "Garfield and I will try and do more damage against them."

"Alright, if you can do it without leaving the soldiers exposed..." Dick said. "Wally... keep scouting ahead, you're my eyes, okay."

"Right boss." Wally said with a quick salute before leaving in a blur.

"It's a good thing MREs have so many calories, or he'd be running empty hours ago." Raven muttered.

Dick laughed and glanced at Starfire. "Kori... how are you coming with controlling your powers?"

"I... I believe I am improving, but I must concentrate still to summon the energy. I have not yet attempted to fly since our crash." She swallowed nervously. "I do not wish to hinder you... perhaps I should."

"No... You're staying. You're the one bringing them down, even with your powers finicky at the moment." Dick said before wiping his brow. "We have to keep moving."

The command track clattered to a stop beside them and Dick swallowed as the Lt. Colonel Richards glanced down at them. "Dick, what happened?"

"Colonel Richards, some Citadelian troopers, they had some sort of walker." Dick said pointing to the smashed vehicle. "I think we lost two guys to them..."

"Right, load up and push on... we need to find a defensible position before taking a rest." The Colonel said. "If we don't keep moving they'll envelop us..."

"Right." Dick said as he clambered back aboard the Bradley. Beast Boy glanced at him and wiped away some grime from his brow.

"So... what's envelop mean?" Beast Boy asked.

Dick sighed. "Surround and destroy." Dick said as Starfire clambered up and dropped beside him with a sigh. She closed her eyes and Dick watched her chest rise and fall as she caught her breath.

"Dick, we're ready to go." Cyborg said as he clambered up on top of the Bradley beside the driver's hatch.

"Right..." Dick said with a tired sigh. The IFV Commander tapped his headset and the track lumbered into motion, rolling forward.

Raven started to repeat her mantra once more as the track rumbled along the road. All around them signs of the struggle marred the suburbs. Occasionally they would catch sight of fighting in the air overhead.

After fifteen minutes, the Commander tapped a set of controls and a local radio news channel filled the air around the track.

"...again, we ask our listeners to report any news they witness, but stay safe. For anyone just joining us this is WJAB Radio, from Queensland Park, Metropolis. We'll keep broadcasting as long as we have power in the transmitter and breathe in our lungs. Initial reports from New York, Gotham, and Metropolis indicate that things aren't going well out there. We've had callers reporting seeing the Bat-Jet over Gotham still, so we know that the Dark Knight still lives for the moment. We've also got word that Superman and Supergirl have teamed up with Metropolis's own Lex Luthor to combat the alien menace..."

Dick snorted. "Luthor and Supes helping each other, it must be the end of the world." There was a burst of nervous laughter from the group, aside for Raven who just arched an eyebrow.

"Whatever works," Cyborg said.

"I guess that's what Supes is thinking, if you want to fight an alien invasion he does sound like the guy to go to." Dick said.

Starfire shrugged. "I would not know." She let out a sigh, leaned against him again, and shut her eyes. "It is most difficult fighting the Citadelians."

"One thing I noticed, where are their females? All I've seen so far are some ugly as fuck males." Cyborg said.

"There are no female Citadelians. Each is a clone of an original template kept within the Citadel itself. The more deformed clones are programmed for use as soldiers, the less deformed are used for higher functions." Starfire sighed. "They are all clones... each just as mad and evil as their template, programmed for a purpose selected upon their birthing from the cloning chambers."

"Ugh... No wonder they're gross... Their template has to be degraded from all the centuries of use." Cyborg said.

"They are the most disgusting form of life in the Vegan system, of that you can have no doubt." Starfire said. She leaned heavily against him and Dick considered moving for a moment until he saw the relaxed look on her face.

He let out a sigh. "Star..."

"Yes?" She murmured.

"Never mind."

Dick closed his eyes and sighed. After a moment he jumped as a bag of funyuns landed on his chest and he saw Flash clambering up onto the track carrying bags of chips, boxes of snack cakes, several large bottles of various brands of pops, and a number of different energy drinks.

"Awesome." Beast Boy said as he snatched the funyuns from his lap and tore open the bag. "Thanks."

Raven rolled her eyes and picked up a box of snack cakes as the track commander dropped some food into the vehicle.

Dick took a bottle of pop from Wally and tore off the cap. He quickly gulped down the bottle and tossed it aside as Starfire blinked open her eyes.

"Where'd you get all this?" Dick asked as Wally sat down beside him and pulled out some five-hour energy from his belt.

"Gas station just up the road..." Wally said before setting down and tearing at a large bag of Doritos, which exploded raining the nachos all around them. He looked sheepish as Raven brushed a pair of chips off her hood and glared at him before everyone burst into nervous laughter again.

Starfire leaned forward, grabbed a bag of hot cheetos, and started to nibble on them as they rolled along.

Dick sighed. "So... how's it look up ahead?"

"It's a mess Dick." Wally said as he finished another bag of chips. When he tossed aside the bag, he sighed. "I saw some civilians being led away... I'm guessing there's some sort of holding center the Citadelians setup ahead, if Star's right and they're here to take slaves."

He swore. "Damn... Wally, as soon as you're fueled up. Could you see if you can find it?" Dick said.

Wally gulped down a bottle of pop and nodded before tossing aside the remains. "I'll be back in a flash." He said before clambering off the track. Then he disappeared in a blaze of speed.

Dick sighed. "Guess we should get ready... there'll be a fight pretty soon." He glanced at the Commander. "Are there any more 'Willie Pete'? I'll take flash-bangs or smoke if you got them?"

The sergeant nodded and disappeared into the track for a moment before returning with a box of munitions. "Help yourself."

Dick smiled. "Thanks..." He grabbed a pair of flash-bangs and another white phosphorous bomb before passing it back to the man.

Then Wally was back. He stumbled to their side and gasped. "Dick... there's a load of them in a park up ahead... they're herding civilians into some sort of transport ship."

"Show me." Dick said and the Titans scrambled after him, following Flash.

A few minutes later, Dick swallowed as he crouched low beside the smashed wreck of a car and looked out over the small park. A bulbous grey ship, coated in rust and weld marks sat in the middle of the park. Around it, dozens of Citadelian soldiers stood guard while others pushed a crowd of hapless and terrified civilians toward the ship.

One Citadelian stood before the vessel's ramp, his disgusting exterior swathed in a red cloak. He glared down at the people as they were herded past. Suddenly he swept one out of line. It was an older man, his face lined with age. The Citadelian growled before pinning him to the ground with one hand. Then the grotesque monster picked up one of the massive halberds that they preferred and pressed the edge against his neck, then heaved back and swung.

The humans recoiled and a gasp of surprise ran through the crowd as the massive figure lifted the axe head of the halberd up and kicked away the man's head. He then picked the body up and tossed it to one of the other Citadelians with a shout.

Dick glanced at Starfire who swallowed. "He was weak. They'd rather eat him fresh then wait for him to die in transit."

Garfield shuddered and Raven nodded once, her stoic expression seeming to harden. "These beasts must be stopped."

"Right." Dick snapped. He turned back toward the convoy of troops. "I think we've got enough to take em. Wally, go tell Colonel Richards about this... Ask him to have his tanks disable that transport, then we'll focus on the Citadelian troops."

"Right," Wally said before heading back in a blur. A few moments later, he was back, as the tanks rumbled into position ready to storm out into the park.

Dick glanced around for a long moment, checking the situation before ordering them forward.

The M1A2 Abrams rolled out into view, turned their turrets toward the massive transport and fired. Flames, sparks, and smoke burst from the bulbous vessel as three tank rounds hit in quick succession. Then its reactor blew, sending fiery embers high into the sky as the ship tore itself apart. The cloaked Citadelian snarled and gestured toward the tanks just as the tank commanders opened fire with their massive .50 caliber machine guns. The bullets were meant to bring down lightly armored trucks, airplanes tore through Citadelian flesh, and within moments a half dozen Citadelian soldiers lay in expanding pools of their own blood.

Raven soared into the air, summoning a shield of dark energy to deflect an energy blast from a halberd. Then Beast Boy leapt into the midst of the fight, transforming into a hulking Tyrannosaur. With a roar, he slammed down atop one of the Citadelians, knocking him to the ground and his jaws snapped around the arms of another one. With a snap of his neck, Garfield tore a limb from the massive creature along with the halberd he wielded.

Dick stared, dumbfounded. He'd never seen Garfield do such damage in a fight before... but as he watched, he realized Beast Boy was letting the animal instincts he'd long controlled guide his actions instead. He tore into the Citadelians with a snarl as Raven sent tendrils of dark energy slashing toward the enemy. He gaped as he saw one of the Citadelians cleaved in two by a blade of dark energy.

Hesitantly he looked up at Raven and saw the red flash of her anger in her eyes... The stoic girl was letting the demonic tendencies she'd long held back loose.

Starfire hung back, her face twisted in frustration as she stared at her hands, summoning. Finally, green flames crackled from her fists and she let out a feral yell before charging the group, shooting starbolts.

Smoke clouded his vision as Dick scrambled after them, intent on joining the fray. Cyborg fired sonic pulses into the midst of the enemy, intent on driving them into cover, or forcing them to retreat.

Dick skidded to a stop before the crowd of civilians that had gone to ground. "RUN!" He yelled as he clambered up onto a park bench. "RUN, this is your chance! GO!"

It started as a trickle, one or two scrambling to their feet and bolted, but then it turned into a stampede as the crowd ran, fleeing in all directions. The Citadelians snarled and fired blasts into the crowd before cannon and machine gun fire from the soldiers tore them apart.

A grunt came from the center of the fight and Dick spun just in time to see Starfire lift the cloaked Citadelian from the ground, with one hand wrapped around his throat. The creature gagged as she snarled, her fury igniting her hands and enveloping its throat in flames. With an inhuman scream, it struggled against her grasp, thrashed against her and then with a sickening crack, snapped its own neck.

Starfire dropped the carcass onto the ground, flames licking her hair as she gasped for breath. Then she let out an exhausted sigh and slumped. "Hard... It is most difficult... and more tiring then I remember." She gasped for breath and stumbled as the firing died down.

The Citadelians were routed and Dick glanced at Beast Boy and Raven, his eyes wide as they slumped and seemed to deflate. Beast Boy retched and spat, before clawing at his tongue in disgust. Raven shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Are you two alright?" Dick asked as he staggered over to them.

Beast Boy kept retching into one of the trash bins as Raven shook her head. "I... I've never let it out like that... Never intentionally."

"Can you control it?" Dick asked as he watched Beast Boy.

"I... I don't know." Raven gasped for breath. "I was on the verge of losing control, and..." She spun suddenly and stumbled over to Beast Boy. "Garfield! Are you okay?"

"Ugh..." Garfield said. "I hope I didn't actually swallow any of them Rae... nasty." He coughed. "Disgusting."

Cyborg shook his head. "Are you alright Green Bean?"

"No!" He snapped. "I've sworn to swear off meat you know, ugh... and I was tearing sapient things to bits..." He gasped for breath. "It's wrong... so wrong."

Raven suddenly wrapped Beast Boy in a hug and he froze before burying his head in her shoulder. "It's okay..."

"It's a war. That brings out the best and worst in everybody." Cyborg said.

Dick nodded before stumbling over to Starfire who had sunk to her knees and was gasping for breath. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears. He stared in surprise. "Star?"

"It is terrible, is it not... what I did to him?" She whispered.

Dick glanced over at the burned remains of the Citadelian leader and sighed. "He deserved it..."

She blinked in surprise and stared at him, her eyes wide. "But... I killed him, burned him, I am no better than a..."

"You ended a threat, you said yourself that they're not really sapient if they're soldiers and you've dropped them be—"

"That one was not a plebian... he was sapient." She said quietly. "He was a master."

"Did you recognize him or..."

"It would not matter. All Citadelians are clones of an original ancient template... He may have been there when I was, but even so... they shall have him replaced within the hour." She shuddered with disgust. "Killing them, does nothing but delay them... there is no limit to their numbers."

Dick knelt beside her. "Star... you did what you had to." He said.

"I was angry... I did not wish to see him end another life." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Your human ethics are most confusing."

"I know..." Dick said quietly. "What would the Tamaranians have said about what you did?"

"They would celebrate in the vanquishing of a hated foe." She said quietly.

"Despite what I may have told you... there is a time and place for killing." Dick said quietly. "It should be a weapon of last resort, but... this is a war. I don't think it would help us if you merely knocked one of them unconscious to stand up an hour later and plunder, rape, or murder again."

"So... I have not done wrong?" She said in confusion.

"No... I don't think so." Dick said quietly. "If it was a pick pocket, it'd be wrong... but it wasn't, was it?" He put a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "This is war... it's not about justice or law... it's about survival."

She nodded and wiped away her tears. "I believe I understand..."

"Good... I don't want you to feel guilty about doing what's necessary." Dick said quietly. "Especially when... I can't."

She glanced at him, her gaze looking confused. "You cannot?"

"Most... humans have a mental inhibition to killing... They can't easily take a life, even in a life or death situation. I'm just not wired to do it... I don't think Cyborg is either." Dick sighed. "You're doing more for my planet than I am..."

"You are rutha..." Starfire muttered and glanced down at her hands. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I do not enjoy it either."

"I never said you did." Dick said quickly. "That doesn't mean something's wrong with you Star." He stared at her.

"I am a killer... you Earth heroes see things in such black and white terms, it does not matter that I do it to save others... you will see me as a criminal and..." Dick clasped her shoulder and squeezed it.

"You are not a criminal, not now... you're being a hero."

"I... I still do not understand your human notions of morality." Starfire said with a shake of her head. "It does not make sense."

"Star..." He stared into her glowing green eyes. "It is not your fault. You are doing the right thing."

"It does not feel like it." She said quietly. "But... if you are not angry with me..."

"I'm not."

"Then I can accept it." Starfire said quietly.

A Bradley IFV slowed to a stop beside them and Dick looked up to see the Lieutenant Colonel Richards looking down from the top of the turret. "Nightwing, it'll be dark soon, we need to find some place to whole up for the night..."

Dick nodded. "Alright... I don't think we'll get much further today. Having to fight our way to Gotham is really slowing us down."

"There's a fair sized tower, half a mile further... We can fortify it and spend the night there." The Colonel said.

"Any word on air support?" Dick asked quietly.

"The Air Force says they're trying... but apparently the bastards destroyed the GPS network... bombs are going astray when they drop em, so they're not dropping them." The Colonel said. "At least the fighters are trying to give their space craft a bloody nose."

"That's something at least." Dick said. "Let's load up."

It seemed that Citadelian resistance lessened as they pushed to the tower. This gave Dick a chance to study his surroundings... Countless storefronts were smashed, and he could see black smoke rising into the sky over a mile from a burning gas station. Power lines lay strewn in the street and countless cars were reduced to smoldering wrecks.

The more he saw, the more an invisible weight seemed to beat down on his back. Depression began to fill him as he thought of what the sights reminded him of, his greatest failure, Blüdhaven.

Finally, the convoy came to a stop in the shadow of an old apartment building that rose into the sky. The Bradley stopped before the lobby and the troops, clambered off their tracks. The wounded were led inside and found beds and cots while the other soldiers slumped in any available bit of comfort they could find.

Within moments, they were curled up in the couches and chairs while the Colonel setup an improvised headquarters in the Apartment building's office.

Nightwing sat down, his limbs trembling with fatigue as the rest of the Titans and troops hunkered down in the lobby of the apartment building. Outside, smoke and burning debris littered the streets and a smashed Citadelian warship had dug a long furrow into the concrete where it fell.

"I never thought I'd see this world like this." Starfire murmured before falling onto the bench beside him. Her whole body seemed covered with ash and grime… the skimpy costume she wore had been no protection, but then it never had meant to be protection.

"Starfire?" He asked as she closed her eyes.

"No more… I'm so tired." She murmured. "So tired…"

"Do you need to recharge? Go for a fly?" Richard asked quietly.

She shook her head. "They would see… hunt us down, and I have not attempted to fly yet."

"Shh… lie down and rest. I'll take first watch." Dick said. He took her shoulders and directed her down to lie across the bench. "I'll wake you in a few hours."

"Thank you… Richard." She whispered and slowly shut her eyes.

Dick sighed as he watched her slowly drift off to sleep, her breathing turning even and steady. So much had changed since they'd been together… so much that she didn't remember. He bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it."

It hurt, no matter how much he'd refused to admit it… the woman he'd nearly married, the woman that'd fought alongside him, was broken and it was apparently his own damn fault. He'd heard that Starfire had gone through counseling after their breakup, and that she'd gone off on some amazon ritual, neither had really helped her. Now he was confronted with this… pale shell of the woman he'd loved.

She wasn't the only one broken by what happened. He thought to himself and tears began to roll down from his eyes. His entire life had been shattered over the last few years. The city he'd sworn to protect was now a ruin filled with chemical waste, mutants, and radiation. He'd failed the people of Blüdhaven.

Then Tarantula had taken advantage.

He felt dirty, used, and disgusted with himself. He was Dick fucking Grayson, a superhero… The last thing he ever expected to suffer was being raped. He ground his teeth together and kicked a bit of concrete against the wall.

There'd been other women… he'd tried to move on, but each new relationship had ended badly. The psychologist in his head talked about trying to retake control of his sexuality and trust issues. The criminologist watched for signs he'd turn to crime as a means of control. The Batman told him to man up and move on. The little boy that lost his parents cried in the corner. The teen that had rebelled smashed things in frustration.

None of them were really Dick… but then Dick hadn't shown his face since the days the Titans had broken up and gone their separate ways. There'd only been Nightwing and Batman, even the part of him that was Robin had been buried by events.

"You're screaming, and not because of this…" A familiar voice said from the dark of the corner of the lobby. "Want to talk about it?"

Dick glanced up at the familiar cloaked figure and swallowed. "Rachel?"

"I suppose there's no point in secrets at this point, is there Dick?" Rachel said as she sat down beside Starfire and glanced around at the soldiers. Her hand hovered over her body for a moment before she shook her head and leaned away. "She's healing… lots of scrapes and scratches under that dirt and grime."

"She won't wake for a while then." Dick said quietly.

"So… beside the end of the world invasion… what's wrong?" Rachel asked.

Dick sighed. "It'd be easier to say what's going right?"

"Okay?"

"Absolutely nothing!" Dick snapped and pulled at his hair. "Everything I touch turns to shit or ash."

Rachel nodded once. "Everything?"

"Yes everything! Blüdhaven is fucking Chernobyl, Starfire is broken, and… now the god damn universe decided to end the world." Dick swore and kicked another bit of rubble across the hallway. "All I wanted was to get out of Bruce's shadow… be my own man."

"Then why Blüdhaven, why be with Oracle, why take up his mantle when he disappeared?" Rachel asked. "You say you wanted to get out from his shadow? Why do things that only serve to support him? Blüdhaven was Gotham's overflow, Oracle is the daughter of the Gotham Police Commissioner, and you became the damn man for a while?"

Dick flinched as Raven struck home. "You didn't used to talk to me like this."

"I didn't because Starfire could fix you, now she can't, can she?" Rachel snapped at him. "The only part of your life that was yours was us… the Titans, Starfire. How much did Bruce hate that you were marrying an alien?"

"He despised it, all of it." Dick said. "I was always being recalled… back to Gotham, back to Blüdhaven." He snarled. "I played into his fucking hands didn't I?"

"Maybe… if we survive this you can fix it?" Rachel said.

"You think we're going to survive this?" Dick scoffed. "We're dead already… and don't know it yet." His jaw snapped shut with a click and he growled. "Maybe you should give yourself to your dad… open a portal and make it so no one fucking wins."

Rachel stood. "If someone like me can have hope, surely the Boy Wonder can."

"At least I know I'll take as many of them down with me as I can." Dick growled.

"A self-destructive attitude like that isn't healthy."

"You'd be self-destructive if you never succeeded in anything too!" Dick snapped and stood. "Since I broke up with Kori, everything fell apart. You see her? She didn't even remember my name was Dick until you told her. How broken does someone have to be to forget their old fiancé's name?"

"Dick!" Rachel growled. "You'll wake her."

Starfire murmured in her sleep and Dick froze. His voice dropped to a gravely whisper. "It's too late to fix Raven… we're both broken and waiting for our ticket to be punched. Don't talk to me about surviving again." He snapped before stalking off.

Starfire had woken when he'd started to yell, but she'd stayed on the bench, her eyes squeezed shut. As the sound of his footsteps receded into the distance a tiny whimper slipped from her lips.

She'd heard it all and felt tears run down her cheeks at the words that Dick had spat. Her body shuddered with suppressed sobs and she shut her eyes. What is wrong with me? My old fiancée? Why don't I remember him… oh Dick, what happened between us?

"Starfire?" Raven's voice whispered from beside her and she glanced up at the pale girl. Raven's violet gaze locked on hers, but it softened at the sight of her tears. "How much did you hear?"

"All of it… I… I do not know why I…" She closed her eyes and laid her head in her arms. "Why do I not remember him better? I thought I was healing… and we almost married and I cannot remember?"

"Yes, in fact… I sort of crashed your marriage ceremony." Raven murmured. "I'm so sorry Star."

She suddenly felt a flash of remembrance wash over her, Raven floating overhead with four glowing red eyes. Screams and shouts echoing in the church. "You?"

"Trigon, my father, possessed me." Raven said quietly. "You… I… I've felt so guilty about that." She closed her eyes and rubbed Star's shoulder. "I missed you so much."

"We were good friends?" Starfire asked.

"Yes, we were… we were close, though you and Robin were closer." She answered. "You were best friends for so long and then lovers… I was jealous of you for a long time."

"Robin?" Star asked as her memory produced an image of a young teen wearing a green, red, black, and yellow uniform with a cape. He wore a mask much like Nightwing's and a goofy grin. She blinked, was that a real memory? "I… I remember him, what happened to Robin?"

"Robin is Nightwing, Star." Raven answered quietly. "You remember him?"

She nodded. "He had a funny grin and goofy hair when he was younger." She sounded almost wistful and her gaze flicked to the hallway that Nightwing had disappeared down. "What happened to him, what happened to us?"

"We grew up…" Raven sighed. "The Titans broke up, he went to Blüdhaven as Nightwing… and then, you two broke up after a while. I never really understood. You said you loved him and that you couldn't take your heart back and he… just… sort of walked away."

Starfire burst into tears and buried her face in her hands. "It's all gone wrong!"

"I know…" Raven whispered and rubbed her back again. "I know."

"I want to remember!" Star cried and shut her eyes. Suddenly her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open in horror. "Friend Raven… Dick has left for a walk in a warzone! We need to find him."

"He just needs to clear his head." Raven said.

Starfire shook her head. "You do not understand. Someone must go with him!" She started to hyperventilate. "Please… help me find him."

Raven stared at her for a long moment before nodding. "Alright."