43. Bedside Maniac
"Any minute now…," Robin said. The wind on the top of the Tower kicked at his hair as he stared up towards the sky. "The last transmission was five minutes ago. He should be landing soon."
"A watched pot never boils, Robin," Speedy smiled as he stood with the rest of us behind the Boy Wonder on the landing pad. "The spaceship freakin' crossed a thousand light years in three days. I don't think it'll have any problem descending through the Earth's atmosphere at a fast rate."
"Yeah, lighten up!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "This 'Morgan'm' dude's gonna take care of Starfire! What more do you need?"
"Finality…," Robin said.
Cyborg shrugged and smiled. "Always the mysterious type."
I smirked.
"Mysterious my foot," Speedy huffed. "I wear a mask no different than his. You don't see me being labled for it."
"Nah…you're not mysterious, Speedy!" Beast Boy nudged him with an elbow. "You're just Paradox-Lite!"
"Pffft!" the archer replied.
Robin managed a smirk.
"Look at that!" Speedy cackled.
"Could have predicted it," Cyborg said, titanium arms crossed.
"Certainly making the wait bearable…," Robin mused. A pause. "Say, Speedy," he turned around. "What're you doing here?"
Speedy placed his hands on his hips. "Oh…am I that detestable?!"
"I mean….we found the weapons arsenal of Anderson's," Robin stated. "Viper's murderous rampage was ended. We pretty much succeeded with our mission. We're glad that you helped and all….but….w-we don't need to be holding you back any longer if you've got places to go—"
"Hey, I wanna see Starfire come out of this peacefully just like the rest of you," Speedy smiled. "Then I'll be out of your hair. I promise."
"As a matter of fact," Robin smirked. "You've more than proven yourself worthy of our ranks. If ever there was a time to invite you as a permanent member…."
"Yeah!" Beast Boy jumped. "You and I could shoot hoops on days off!"
"Like what we all need is a second 'Robin'……..," Raven mumbled from behind an open book.
I snickered breathlessly.
Speedy glared at Raven momentarily before looking back at Robin: "As much as I'd love to…there's still a certain Green Arrow that needs my attention."
"Heh," Robin nodded. "Understood."
"Besides…," Speedy folded his arms and produced a contemptuous glare. "That invitation sounds familiar. If I'm not mistaken, shortly after the Master of Games was defeated…..—"
"Okay, Speedy…."
"…you handed me a communicator…--"
"I get your point…."
"…and said that you just as well then and there considered me an honorary—"
"WE ALL UNDERSTAND YOU!!" Robin exclaimed. "Sheesh! So I was a little too…..egotistical to let you fight by our side before."
"A little?" Speedy smirked.
"Shhh!" Robin insisted and pointed up in the air. "I think I see it coming!"
Cyborg shaded his red eye. "I see nothing!"
"Naturally….," Speedy droned.
"Face it," Raven mumbled without looking up, "…it would take more than a week and a murderous villain to blend you into our camaraderie You'd have to face a nightmare most divine. Robin's ego."
Beast Boy smirked and pointed: "And Raven's sarcasm."
"Don't push it."
"Ya know…," Speedy smirked and leaned in towards Raven, "…you almost remind me of a girlfriend I once broke up with."
"………………gee, I'm flattered."
"Heh….something tells me, she would be too."
"Don't bother trying to find Raven's good side, Speedy," Beast Boy said. "It's almost been two years of trying for me, and I still can't locate it!"
Cyborg sighed. "Ahhh….the mysteries of the female—"
"There!!" Robin pointed.
I looked up. The sun glinted off my shades. A gust of air kicked at my long, black hair.
In slow, graceful fashion…a black, cuttlefish shaped spacecraft lowered down on cushioning thrusters and descended towards the landing pad.
The six of us swiftly walked backwards and gave the vehicle room to land.
Raven put her book away. Robin stared silently.
The loud engines hissed to a calm. After a pause, a wave of steam shot out and an automatic door slid open. A tall, dark figure emerged. A man with short, red hair. His eyes, bright green. Eyebrows small, lonely, and orbiting high on his brow.
A Tamaranian doctor.
"Morgan'm, I presume," Robin said, taking a bold step forward.
The towering Tamaranian man stared down at us. Blinking.
Beast Boy leaned up towards me and whispered with his hand aside his mouth: "I never met a guy-alien before."
I nodded.
"Think he knows any other girl-aliens?"
I nodde---I did a double take at him.
"I'm Robin," the Boy Wonder said. "And these are the Teen Titans. This is the Titan Tower. Home to Starfi-er…the one whom you call---"
"Koriand'r…," the fellow smiled. White teeth. "I've heard of her valiant efforts here on Earth. Most impressive indeed." He adjusted his sleeves. A green bracelet hung off his right arm.
Ceremonial……, I thought.
"She said she….always sends transmissions back home," Robin said. "Though she's lived the life of a heroine here, she insists on maintaing her role as a messenger."
"An 'explorer' is more like it," said Morgan'm. He stepped down the landing pad and stood amongst us six. "Carrying the energy of our people. I am most happy to be of service to her and to her friends."
"Well, allright!" Cyborg smiled.
"Way cool!" Beast Boy added.
"Yippee…," Raven droned.
Robin cleared his throat. "I'm surprised a member of Tamaran got the message so quickly. Not long after we contacted C.S.A.I.T. about Starfire's unconsciousness, we were given a reply. I have to say, it made our lives a lot easier."
"And happier," Speedy smirked.
"Don't try speaking for us," Raven glared.
"What?! I was only trying to—"
"The Collective Satellite Artificial Intelligence of Tamaran is a most advanced system," Morgan'm explained. "There should be no surprise when it comes to its punctuality. But being that you're earthling, I'll excuse it," the doctor chuckled.
Cyborg raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"This….urban dwelling….," Morgan'm spun around and gestured. "This Tower. The established technologies in use. Quite basic. Rudimentary. And yet—in their perceivable flaws—they are extremely admirable."
"We do the best we can," Robin said. "Starfire---I mean, Koriand'r has told us on numerous occasions how advanced your people are."
"And the galaxy in general," Morgan'm nodded. "Lord knows why this planet's grinding in the dust."
"……," Robin blinked from under his mask.
Speedy cleared his throat. "Say…there's a….ya know…..comatose alien girl to tend to."
"But of course," Morgan'm smiled. "Care to show me the way?"
"Um….n-no problem," Robin managed. He gestured and headed for the stairwell. Robin, Speedy, and Beast Boy soon followed.
"Sheesh….guess snobs aren't limited to just Earth," Cyborg muttered.
I gestured something at him.
"Okay…Earth and Universities," the android smirked. He slowly followed behind the small caravan.
I sighed and glanced over.
Raven was staring at the roof beneath.
I shuffled over and looked into her blue eyes.
She glanced up. "What else is new?" she almost chuckled. "I have a funny feeling."
I cocked my head to the side.
"What does it matter…," she mumbled and walked towards the stairwell. "It's nothing. It's always nothing."
I stood there in the cool wind and wondered to myself if it was something.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
The monitors beeped.
The lights blinked.
Starfire's chest slowly rose and fell.
Morgan'm leaned down and looked deep into her closed eyelids. He stood back up and scratched his chin.
Robin cleared his throat from behind him in the lab. "It's….normal-looking, right?"
"Very," Morgan'm said simply. "How long has she been under?"
"Four and a half days."
"Hmm?"
"Earth days. Um….a little over ninety-six hours."
"Hours?"
"………um….."
"A long time, and yet a short time," Raven spat.
"Ah," the alien physician nodded.
Beast Boy smirked. "Leave it to her."
"Shhh!" Cyborg insisted.
"And these apparatuses….?" Morgan'm gestured to the monitors and computers around Starfire's medical bed.
"They're to monitor her life signs," Cyborg stepped up and explained. "Heartbeat. Electrical brain signals…."
Morgan'm smirked. "Silly Terrans….the girl is merely going through a natural phase. I'll never understand the earthling obsession over putting health detection devices on a perfectly healthy body."
Cyborg stared. His voice tried to hide a natural bitterness: "People a lot more fragile on our home planet. We couldn't take any chances—"
"And that's why I'm here," Morgan'm pulled out a shiny, metal container of Tamaranian instruments. "If you would be so good to assist me, young android---since you are the most technically minded one here---we can proceed with the awakening and your friend Koriand'r will be aroused by the fall of your golden sun."
"What can we do to help?" Robin asked.
"The two of us will do just fine," Morgan'm absent mindedly stated. "If we need any unnecessary assistance from the rest, I shall unnecessarily summon for someone."
"Er…..okay," Speedy scratched his red hair and looked at the rest of us. "We done here?"
"Can I at least stay and watch?" Robin asked, arms folded.
Raven looked away. She knew more than anyone that the Boy Wonder was close to losing his cool.
Thankfully the oldest of us spoke up:
"It'll be okay, Robin," Cyborg said. "I'll let you know how Starfire fairs."
Robin took a deep breath, spun around, and marched out the door.
Speedy followed, and so did Raven—floating.
Beast Boy and I walked out together last. When the door closed behind us, Beast Boy groaned. "Man…so much for the beside manner."
I nodded.
"Think he and Cyborg can last a minute in there?"
I smirked. I gestured a 'sinking ship' below my other forearm.
Beast Boy laughed. "Yeah! Heheh!"
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"You know……," Cyborg said while pivoting Starfire's chair around so that the doctor could have comfortable access, "….contact between interstellar cultures is a very….v-very precarious thing. It would help if you were a bit more tolerant of our technologies and stuff."
"This planet sure has a huge ego to bruise…," Morgan'm mumbled while looking through instruments. He picked up a neural scanner and flicked his wrist. The green bracelet clattered around his hand where it rested. "It's no wonder you've had so many wars."
"Yeah, well, ego is relative, pal," Cyborg said with a glare. "And what's with the fashion statement?"
"Never you mind….," Morgan'm yawned.
"Okay, pal. You've been short, cross, and downright rude since getting here!" the android said, pointing a mean finger. "It's a good thing you're here to help our friend. But what is your deal?! Are all men on Tamaran this stuck up?!"
"Jabbering away at the top of your lungs….," Morgan'm hummed. "Just like a good little primitive thing."
"Oh, so you WANT to hear me yell, eh man?" Cyborg growled.
The red-haired gentleman looked up, smirking. "I just love how distraught you people get over little things. How quick you all are to anger. The incessant barking of your voices. It's cute."
"Trust me," Cyborg glared. "You've ruined your chance for cuteness."
"I have ruined nothing," Morgan'm retorted. "And if you want to see your friend rise and shine earlier than normal, you will respect that."
"Show me something worth respecting." Cyborg kept getting angrier and angrier.
"What is there to be found in respect….," Morgan'm looked straight at Cyborg's face, "…in the cousin of a man who allegedly worked for the devils of your urban wastelands?"
Cyborg's jaw dropped. Every artery in his body went into overdrive of shock and flabbergasted horror. Slowly, like a melting volcano, his brow furrowed and his shaking hands clenched fists.
And Morgan'm simply smirked……
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"You're going to die now!!" Speedy shrieked.
"Not if I take you down first!!" Robin returned.
"Go screw yourself! I have a rocket launcher with your ass' name on it!!"
"Good lord no! Eat minigun!
"Aaaaaaaaugh!!!"
"RAAAAAUGH!!!"
The television screen flashed. The video game froze as a blood-red curtain of light fell over the deceased, polygonal characters. Crimson letters flashed between the split, 2-player screen. "Double Suicide!"
"D'oh!" Speedy winced.
"Guess we went a little overboard…," Robin sweatdropped.
"Me! Me! Me!" Beast Boy hopped over the back of the sofa in the main room. "My turn! I'm fighting Speedy next!"
"Hey! We got a double kill! Nobody won that round!" Robin frowned. "Why're you replacing me and not him?!"
"Duh! Cuz he's the guest!"
Speedy smirked. "I like this kid."
"Pfft….like him all you want," Robin mumbled.
"Okay…lemme pick my character!" Beast Boy bounced. "What?! You have to use a weapon?! I thought there was a shape-shifter in this game!!"
"Nope…just guns and melee weapons."
"Well, no fair. That's not true to life!"
"Games aren't true to life, man."
"Well they should be," Beast Boy beamed. "I'll have you know I'm the greatest shape-shifter there ever was. If they had a game of shape-shifters, I'd kick ass!"
"Hmmmmm," Robin thought aloud. "I almost picked up Bloody Roar 3 the other day….
"Huh?" Beast Boy glanced at him.
"Round One!" Speedy shouted, hands on his controller. "Go!"
"Yipes!!"
"Ha ha ha!!"
I shook my head and smiled from where I sat on the side.
A computer console next to me chimed.
I glanced at it. I leaned forward and typed a few keys. I read what was on the monitor.
I blinked from under my shades. Confused.
I stumbled over a few feet and tapped hardly on Raven's shoulder.
She was in the middle of a book. Bad idea.
She glared over at me. "What?" she bitterly spat.
I pointed at the monitor.
She moaned, got up, and ruffled over.
She stared at the screen. "That's funny…."
"What?" Robin asked from the couch. "Something wrong?"
"Don't know….," Raven said. "The Titan's computer is saying that Cyborg's left the building."
"Huh???" Robin left the gaming duo and walked up to Raven and I. He glanced at the screen, squinting from under his eyemask. "Wasn't he in the middle of helping Morgan'm with Starfire?"
"The only one with the guts to…," Raven droned.
"Why'd he leave?" Robin asked. "Did he leave a message of departure under his profile?"
I checked it. I looked at the Boy Wonder. I shook my head.
"He just up and left," Raven said.
"I think we should have seen this coming," Robin frowned. "Come….let's have a talk with the good doctor."
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Morgan'm wandered around Starfire's bed, placing sensors on various parts of the sleeping girl's limbs and hospital gown.
"We got into talking about earthling technology, culture, politics—all the while assisting Koriand'r of course—and at some point I inquired about family relations. Somehow I struck a bad cord. He got angry, and left the laboratory in a rage. I had to keep to my duties, of course. I think I've faired well with your technologies without his assistance, though."
"Cyborg left because he was angry?" Robin asked.
"Mmmhmmm," Morgan'm nodded his head. "It's indeed a pity. He seemed most interesting a fellow."
I looked over at Raven.
She was glaring at the alien man.
"Cyborg's been sorta….sensitive, lately," Robin explained. "He's just about lost his uncle. Plus, we've all been wrecked ever since the recent dealings with Viper. I'm sure it wouldn't take much to set him off…."
"And it didn't," Morgan'm smiled.
"Did you do something to him?"
Everyone looked at Raven.
She kept staring at Morgan'm. Glaring.
"Why….," the alien doctor chuckled. "Whatever does that mean?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhh," Robin sweatdropped, grabbed Raven's hooded shoulders, and simpered at the doctor. "She's um….had t-too much tea. Don't mind her. We're going now to leave you to your administrations. Bye!"
The Boy Wonder hurried them out.
I looked at them, at the doctor, at the door through which they left, and at him again.
Confused.
Morgan'm stared at me.
I smiled awkwardly, bowed, and left in a hurry.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Robin spun out into the hallway and dangled Raven off to the side. He turned and faced her, flabbergasted.
"What on earth are you doing?!"
"What did it look like?!" Raven retorted.
"You can't just go ahead and attack people!" the Boy Wonder exclaimed. "Especially when they're from a foreign planet and are doing us a favor!"
"Detail to me the favor that he is doing for us, Robin," Raven grumbled as I walked up. "Ever since he came here, he's been doing nothing but stirring everybody's emotions the wrong way. Even yours. Don't deny it."
"So maybe he's a bit of a rabble rouser," Robin spoke. "All that matters to me is he's here to take care of Starfire."
"I know that's all that matters to you, Robin," Raven glared. "In fact, it matters to you so much that it's blinded you to the basic elements of how the Titans deal with strangers. In your obsession over Starfire's recovery, you've overlooked warning signs a mile wide. It'll be on your head if something bad happens to Cyborg and it turns out to be Morgan'm's doing."
With that said, she swiveled around and walked off down the dark hallway.
"Hey! Don't think you can just take off without hearing me through!"
She did.
Robin shook. "Fine! Be that way! Sheesh!" he folded his arms. "And besides….I'm not obsessed over Starfire's recovery." A beat. He looked at me. "Am I?"
I scratched my neck and simpered.
"Bah….," Robin grunted and walked off towards the other end of the hallway in a huff.
I stood alone, looking in each direction.
What had happened to this afternoon?
I shrugged and chose a direction to walk down.
Raven's direction.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"Stupid….gothic….stuck up….girl….," Robin gritted his teeth and stomped through the hallway. He came to a stop under a dim lamp and spun around, facing no one in general. "Who does she think she is?! I'm not obsessed over Starfire. I'm just…….just………Bah. Stupid, stuck up—"
He spun around and ran right into a titanium chest.
CONK!
"AUGH!" Robin jumped back in a kung fu pose. His jaw dropped. "Cyborg??"
"Hey man…," the android sighed.
"You're back!" Robin stepped forward. "What's up with you?! Why'd you leave the Tower so suddenly?"
Cyborg paused for a little bit. He looked aside and breathed in a low voice: "Just had to get it out of my system. What that Morgan'm guy said…..it just got to me, ya know?"
Robin smiled. "I understand. But hey….let by gones be by gones, ya know?"
"It isn't so easy as that," Cyborg muttered. "But, I'll deal."
"Well, next time you leave," Robin patted his arm, "…leave us a note, eh? Even if you're all upset and stuff, it'd be nice to know where you are so we don't worry."
"I understand….I understand….," Cyborg nodded. "I did something productive while I was gone."
"Oh?" Robin asked, head cocked to the side.
"Yeah. A report from Commissioner Decker on the Jermaine Hangars. Come on, I'll show you."
"Well, way to go, Cyborg!" Robin smiled as he followed his android companion down the dark hallway. "Leave it to you to do something besides smashing a wall in when you're pissed off."
"Yeah….," Cyborg scratched the human part of his neck. "I do my best. After you."
Robin walked ahead of him. "You should have seen Raven. Hehehehe…she was royally mad at Morgan'm."
"Do tell."
They reached a dead end in the hallway. "She was sooooo sure that Morgan'm had somehow done something bad to…..y-you……..," Robin came to a stop. "Um…..Cyborg? Where're we going anyways?"
Silence.
"Cyborg?"
Silence.
Robin turned around and faced his companion. He looked up. His eyemask widened and he gasped.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Raven stood by a window, staring out onto the sun-lit Bay of the City. She was in a graceful repose, leaning against the frame with her right leg at an angle and her arms hugging her waist.
I shuffled up to her and stared out as well.
Silence.
"I wonder if I react too strongly to my premonitions…," Raven gradually mumbled aloud. "Why is it that I am so certain of my convictions that I must pester the leader of this team that I'm a part of?"
I was silent. Of course I was silent.
"But I can't shake the feeling about Morgan'm…," she said. "The utterly dreadful feeling. I wish I could make others understand what it means…..I wish I understood what it means."
For a person who repressed her emotions, Raven sure had a lot of them to share.
I guess she was a girl underneath.
And I was the listener in and out.
Raven shook her head. "This is pointless. I should explain everything to Robin. Maybe he'll be in a good mood enough to actually hear me out."
I smiled and shrugged.
It was her decision.
She stepped down from the frame and proceeded with me towards the elevator when suddenly its doors opened and Beast Boy walked towards us.
"Say…have you guys seen Robin?" he asked.
The two of us did a double-take, exchanged glances, and looked back at the changeling.
"He's not with you?" Raven asked.
"No. I tried calling him on his communicator," Beast Boy said. "It was his turn at the game. But there was no response! What happened with the meeting with Morgan'm?"
I looked over at Raven.
"……..," she thought to herself. "Come with me. I just thought of something."
"Okay," Beast Boy shrugged.
"Where's Speedy?"
"He went off looking down the other side of the Tower for Robin…"
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"There you are!"
Speedy smiled and walked down the aisle of glass displays inside the evidence room. The brooding shoulders of the Boy Wonder faced him from across the way in the shadows.
"Decided to pull a Cyborg on us, eh?" Speedy remarked as he walked across the tile. "You know, I think it's the sort of example you set for your partners. Cyborg leaves in a huff without announcement because it's just what you do!"
Robin's voice slurred out slow and angry: "I know what you're up to, Speedy…."
"Huh?" Speedy made a face.
Robin turned around. He was glaring. Menacing. "I just found this…" He tossed a crumpled piece of paper at the redheaded archer.
"Hey!" Speedy stumbled back, making a face. "What's this all about, man?!"
"Read it!"
"Pfft….fine," Speedy huffed. He bent over, picked up the paper, unfolded it, and scanned over it through his eyemask.
Dear Robin,
Speedy's words have dug deep into my heart. He's right. You are an incompetent leader. Over a dozen people were murdered during our wild goose chase to find Viper, and it's all thanks to you. I cannot fight for a team that allows so many mistakes to happen. And quite frankly, I don't think you're mature enough to understand that. I'm heading back with Speedy to the Green Arrow's lair. From there, we'll start a new team. A team that doesn't depend on rotten excuses for 'charisma' alone to succeed. Fairwell."
-Cyborg
"The hell???" Speedy remarked, disgusted.
"Don't play games with me!" Robin spat. "You've been twisting Cyborg's mind all along! While we were fighting side by side—like trusting friends—you were only trying to stab the Titans in the back!"
"Robin, seriously," Speedy emphasized, "I have no idea what this is about! Cyborg's out of his mind if he thinks that—"
"We've already had to deal with Terra," Robin fumed. "We don't need assholes like you coming in and giving us nightmares all over again!"
"What are you trying to say??" Speedy glared.
"Leave," Robin pointed firmly towards the door to the evidence room. "Get out of this Tower and never come back again, traitor!"
Speedy clenched his fists. "You won't even listen to me…."
"I have nothing to listen to," Robin glared. "Get out of my sight."
"Rrrrrrrrgh," Speedy shook. He gritted his teeth. "Fine." He spun around and marched towards the exit. "You never change, Robin. You'll always be just as we first met. Egotistical, untrusting, competitive….."
Speedy came to a stop. He froze in place. A grin plastered across his face.
"Competitive……," he breathed. "The Robin I know is competitive……" He slowly turned around. "If you're so angry at me right now….why aren't you beating my ass for every inch of my life?"
Robin shouted: "I have no time for this!!"
"Oh, so NOW you're turning aggressive!" Speedy folded his arms and smirked. "Creative! What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"
Speedy hated himself for his words—for the next instant there was a bright flash of purple light enveloping his figure and knocking him out cold against the wall.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"Well, that explains it…," Raven said, typing quickly at the computer in the Main Room. "You haven't seen Robin because Robin's not in the Tower."
"What?!" Beast Boy did a double-take. "How could Robin have left?!" A pause. "Why would he have left?!"
Raven pointed at the computer screen which declared Robin's exit approximately twenty minutes prior. "Whatever the explanation, we just know that he did. And unlike Cyborg, he left a message."
"He did?"
"A very brief message," Raven typed away and a small text message appeared on screen. "Which is very unlike him.
"Going out to scan the streets for drug trafficking."
-Robin
"Yeah…he's usually technical and boring," Beast Boy said. "Besides….he usually asks for someone to come with him when looking to take out drug dealers."
"Exactly….," Raven nodded.
Beast Boy smiled: "Unless the Boy Wonder's got a few, dark habits that he's keeping secret from us! Hehehehehe!"
Raven and I glared at him.
"What?! Sheesh…get a sense of humor."
The elevator doors opened and Speedy walked out.
"No luck. I couldn't find Robin anywhere—whoah, what's going on here?"
"We're figuring out why Robin's missing," Beast Boy said. "A-At least, I think so…."
"Mind if I join you?" Speedy smiled.
I motioned to the monitor. Speedy leaned over us.
"Hmmmmmm," Raven brought up security camera footage of the Tower's garage from twenty minutes ago. Footage showed Robin strapping on a helmet, mounting his R-Cycle, and speeding off through the automatic doors towards the City.
"Looks like he left to me," Speedy said.
"To take out druglords, apparently."
"At this time of day? Pfft…good luck!"
"Hold on for one second….," Raven cycled through files and looked at security footage of the lab.
"Morgan'm and Cyborg. Why're you bringing them up for?"
"Shhhh!" Raven emphasized and leaned in. "I'm curious…."
Footage showed Morgan'm and Cyborg working on Starfire from earlier. They got into a heated conversation. Morgan'm said something and smirked. Cyborg's shoulders rose as he gasped at what he heard. His limbs then went into a flurry of emphatic, angry gestures. Soon after, he spun around—face frowning—and stomped out of the lab through the automatic doors. Morgan'm sighed, shrugged, and went back to work scanning the Tamaranian girl.
"And then he left the Tower," Beast Boy finished the story. "What's your point, Raven?"
"The point….," Raven muttered, "Is that there is no point."
I scratched my head.
"So what now?" Speedy uttered.
Lights flashed.
Red and yellow.
The floor vibrated.
Sirens blared: REEE! REEE! REEE!
Everyone jumped.
Beast Boy gasped: "The Titan alarm!"
"What's it mean???" Speedy remarked.
"Intruders…," Raven gritted her teeth and pointed at the computer screen. "First Floor. Main Atrium."
The rest of us leaned in and looked at a live security camera feed.
I gasped at the sight of two familiar rogues smashing their way through the chairs and computer stations of the entrance. Mammoth himself was stomping his way through the material, glaring a the cameras overhead and taunting 'us' on. Gizmo flew over him on his little jet pack, blasting away with his mounted laser rifles.
"H.I.V.E.?!?!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "How did they get out?!"
"We've got to take them out!" Speedy remarked. "Protect the Tower!"
I looked at him. I nodded.
"Let's go!!!" Beast Boy shouted.
The three of us boys ran towards the elevator and zoomed down to the first floor.
Raven….however….slacked off. She stood up, slowly, looked over towards the stairwell slowly, and walked over to it…..slowly….
…..alone.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
The doors to the lab opened.
Morgan'm, bathed in flashing lights of red and yellow, looked up from where he remotely operated the neurological scanners all over Starfire's body.
Raven floated in.
"Is there an alarm going off?" Morgan'm asked dumbly.
"You don't seem so anxious about it," Raven bluntly said.
"I am sorry….earth matters are none of my concern---"
"Oh, but I believe they are," Raven glared and stepped towards him and the medical bed. "I want answers now, Tamaranian. And I want them now."
Morgan'm chuckled delightfully. "You're still so determined that I'm here for malevolent reasons?"
"Aren't you?"
"…….," Morgan'm tilted his head up. "I would like to see you give an explanation."
"You first, fake," Raven spat.
And thus, a minute-long staring match began. Unhindered by the flashing lights or blaring sirens.
Unhindered—that is—until Morgan'm started to smirk.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"Where's Speedy?!" Beast Boy asked.
I gestured confusedly as we ran down a series of steps.
Amidst the rush, our archer friend got lost in the shuffle.
"Never mind, we'll have to do this the hard way," Beast Boy growled. "Two on Two. It has to be so."
We ran to a stop in front of an emergency door on the first floor which had closed in the nick of time to cut off Mammoth and Gizmo.
"I get the big one," Beast Boy motioned and crept towards a wall panel. "I can match him in the flick of a tail!"
I nodded, whipped out Myrkblade, and struck a battle pose.
"You ready?" Beast Boy whispered under the sirens. "On the count of three….I'll open the door. Then we strike them down in our own house!"
I concurred.
1….
I channeled murk through my blade.
2….
Beast Boy's skin started developing scales….
3!!!!
Beast Boy slammed his fist over the panel.
The door swung open.
I spun Myrkblade and dashed forward.
A green T-Rex roared and charged.
….and the atrium was empty.
The two of us screeched to a stop. I raised my eyebrows, confused. A question mark popped over the T-Rex's head.
The green elf returned to normal. "What in the world?! Th-They're not here!"
I scratched my head.
"Do a computer search! See where the intruders are!"
I nodded. I walked briskly over to a computer console—shut the alarm off for first—and did a scan.
"This is too wyrd….," Beast Boy muttered.
Schematics answered my inquiry. My heart dropped. I motioned for Beast Boy to come over.
He did so. His jaw dropped as he saw the screen. "What in the world?!?!"
'No intruders present.'
"This is nuts! Are we having a bad dream or something?!"
"……," a curious thought entered my mind. I typed madly away at the computer. I brought up another schematic.
When Beast Boy saw it, he nearly fainted. "Oh, what the hell is that?!?!"
'Speedy is not located inside the Titan Tower.'
"I swear to god….it's like we're dropping like flies!" Beast Boy exclaimed. He pulled at his face and looked at me, panicked. "How come we keep disappearing?"
I looked off into space. Suddenly I made a face.
So did Beast Boy. "Raven!! Oh jeez…where was she last?!"
I gestured.
"Let's back upstairs! Quick!!"
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
It was gradually turning into night outside the windows of the Main Room as we dashed in and let out a huge sigh of relief.
"You're all right!" Raven exclaimed. "That's good!"
"The feeling's mutual!" Beast Boy panted. "False alarm! Mammoth and Gizmo weren't anywhere to be seen!"
"I think somebody's playing tricks on us!" Raven said, wide-eyed. "There has to be an actual intruder somewhere in the Tower!"
"He must have slipped in while we were all too busy welcoming Morgan'm!" Beast Boy said. He ran over towards Raven and the computer console. "Now Speedy's missing! This is scary!"
"I know…let's get to the bottom of this! I think Morgan'm's somehow involved!"
"What?! Raven, give it a rest! He's innocent!"
"But I have a feeling….I don't trust the man…."
I was only half listening. Most of my effort was going through my eyes. I was staring at Raven. Studying her.
She seemed………frantic. Paranoid. Almost………fearful.
What had gotten into her?
"Noir?!"
I snapped out of it.
Raven was looking at me: "I have a plan. It requires your assistance!"
I awkwardly stumbled over towards the computer console.
She pointed at the schematics on the screen. "There's a strange reading coming from the garage. I have a feeling someone there may be accessing the core of the main computer and screwing up the scanning sensors!"
"And making Mammoth and Gizmo appear where there's nobody!" Beast Boy frowned.
"And finding ways to sneak up on us and take us out one by one….," Raven nodded.
"Aw man….this is bad," Beast Boy sweated.
Raven swiveled around. "This room is the safest and most secure in the Tower. I suggest one of us stay here and keep in contact via communicator. The other two can stick together and investigate the garage together."
"Good idea," Beast Boy nodded. "But we gotta move fast."
"I agree," Raven nodded. "I'm more than willing to volunteer to go with one of you to the gara---"
I suddenly hooked an arm around Beast Boy's shoulder, saluted, and dragged him with me towards the elevator.
Raven blinked. She stood up. "B-B-But….I can be most helpful!!"
"I think he's made up his mind, Rae!" Beast Boy simpered. "Stay here and keep safe! We'll report to you as soon as we can!"
"……," Raven stared. She sat down. "Okay. Be careful."
My mind swam as I pressed the buttons to the elevator.
She didn't even argue………
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
The doors to the garage opened with a disturbing creeeeak. It was dark inside. A dim red light from the ceiling reflected off the T-Car's smooth, glass-like surface.
"I-I don't see anyone," Beast gulped and trembled behind me.
I leaned forward and took my shades off. With solid black eyes, I scanned the scene. I was graced with a 'lit up' world, and I couldn't spot any intruder amidst the shadows.
I stepped forward slowly. Beast Boy tip-toed behind.
"Maybe Raven was wrong?!" the green changeling whispered. "Maybe whoever's been sending the transmissions is in another part of the Tower and has been trying to fool us?!"
I walked across the garage. I looked to my right. What I saw made me freeze.
"It's only a matter of time before what happened to Robin, Cyborg, and Speedy happens to us—OOF!" Beast Boy bumped into me. "Noir??!" He rubbed his head. "Dude, why'd you stop—" He froze.
We both stared in front of us.
The R-Cycle was sitting there. Undisturbed.
And no Robin in sight.
"Aw dude….this is crazy," Beast Boy walked over and all but collapsed on the motorcycle. "Am I the only one who remembers Robin owning only one R-Cycle?! How come we saw him leaving with another one in the security footage?"
I spun around. I looked at the camera.
It was dead still.
Not even a red power light.
Beast Boy kept rambling fearfully behind me. But I was no longer resonating his words.
Memory was wafting back to me like the gentle, night waters of the Bay against the bluffs of the Tower.
My black eyes twitched. My mouth parted slightly.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
The elevator doors to the Main Room opened.
Beast Boy ran out.
Raven spun.
She looked towards us.
Her eyes were wide.
Her eyes were wide……
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
My brow furrowed.
My lips parted more.
My eyes darted left and right in the memory.
In the blackness of nothing.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
The elevator doors opened.
Raven spun to look at us.
Her slender wrists dangled.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
I exhaled.
My face scrunched.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Raven spun…….
Her wrists dangled………
Off the right wrist……a green bracelet……
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
I gasped.
I cocked my head to the side.
My eyes trailed.
My memories swam….
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Speedy walked out of the elevators.
He joined us by the computer console.
He leaned forward.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
I squinted.
My fingers twitched.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Speedy leaned forward……
His right hand on the back of Raven's chair…
A green bracelet……
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
I panted.
My eyes rose towards the ceiling.
My mind shot all the way back to the rooftop.
The landing pad…
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Morgan'm walked out of his craft.
He stood, staring down at us with his green eyes and isolated eyebrows.
On his right wrist……
A green bracelet hung……
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
A sudden pain shot through my heart, up my spine, and chilled my brain.
A thought.
A realization.
I shuddered.
I spun around, gasped for breath, and tried to compose myself.
"……."
I glanced back at Beast Boy.
"……."
"Okay….okay…here's what I think we'll do," Beast Boy paced and thought aloud. "W-W-We'll….um…g-go back upstairs and reunite with Raven. Then we'll regroup with Morgan'm and wait till he's woken up Starfire. Then with her help, we'll…um…get out of the Tower and try to get some help to find our friends."
He spun around. "How's that for a plan, Noir?"
A beat.
He sank. "N-Noir???"
I was gone.
"Oh man….," Beast Boy sweated and pulled at his green skin. "Oh man oh man oh man oh man!!" He spun around, panting frantically. "This isn't happening! This isn't happening!"
In a panic, he dashed out of the garage and up the nearest stairwell.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
The doors to the Main Room flew open.
Beast Boy dashed in. "Raven! Raven! Noir's gone now!!" Beast Boy shouted. He froze. "Raven?!?!"
The Main Room was empty. Dark. Pale moonlight giggled outside the windows.
The changeling was alone.
"…….eep….," he gurgled. He stepped backwards and bumped into a wall. "ACK!!" he spun around and gasped for breath. A pause. "The doctor!!"
He ran into the elevator.
The doors closed loudly behind him.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"Dr. Morgan'm!" Beast Boy ran into the lab. "There's a really bad situation! We gotta wake Starfire and get out of here----Oh no." He gulped.
The room was barren. Darkly lit. Amber emergency light flooded the interior. Starfire remained alone on the bed. Breathing gently in her continued, Tamaranian slumber.
"Not him too….," Beast Boy fidgeted.
After a while, he dashed over to Starfire's bed. "Star….I gotta get you out of here! Everyone's disappeared! I don't know what to do! This may be a bit rough, but I'll try my best!" He proceeded to detach the wires and electrodes in her and attempt pulling her off the bed. It was a gruntingly strenuous effort for the petite changeling.
"Ngggggggh…..," Beast Boy strained. He gently lowered Starfire back down. "What's the use. I can't do it! No offense, Star. It's not that you're too heavy. I'm just too noodley. Now, if I was a buffalo…"
The automatic doors suddenly swung open.
Beast Boy jumped and looked over. He sighed. "Noir! There you are! God, I was so worried!"
A tall, teenage Titan walked halfway into the room. His hair was long. His shades, solid black. He looked at Beast Boy with an expression of concern and a cock of the head.
"Come on!" Beast Boy motioned over. "Help me carry Starfire! Raven and Morgan'm are gone too! We gotta get out of here and find help outside the Tower!"
Noir nodded with a helpful smile.
Beast Boy turned his back to him and attempted once again to pick up Starfire. "Be careful with her! She's been lying in one position for a long time! Don't wanna strain any muscles!"
Noir slowly walked forward. Like molasses. He glanced aside. He picked up a metal fire extinguisher. He held it high over his head and aimed for Beast Boy's skull.
"Noir….come on! I mean it!" the changeling spoke without looking.
The dark Titan approached Beast Boy slowly, bludgeon raised.
"I need help!"
Noir bit his lip, smiled evilly, and swung the heavy extinguisher downward.
….and that's exactly when I materialized out of hiding.
WOOOOOOSH---SLASH!!!!!!!
Carbon dioxide fogged outward from the center of the room.
Beast Boy gasped and jumped aside, hugging Starfire's torso.
Noir stumbled backwards, gasping and sputtering.
I emerged from the 'snow' with Myrkblade raised.
Noir shook his head and looked at me, jaw dropped.
I stabbed my blade forward. It snaked itself along the length of the doppelganger's arm, upon which I yanked back furiously.
SWOOOOSH!!!
I managed to unhook a reflective, green bracelet off of the person's limb without cutting it.
"Aaaaaaaughhhh!!" 'Noir' screamed, his voice becoming increasingly higher by the second. A flurry of sparks and tiny lightning shot out from his figure.
I glared, frowning.
Beast Boy trembled as he watched.
The figure twitched, cringed, and shook. It stumbled backwards in a flurry of electrical sparks before backing up into a wall, sliding down, and morphing into the perfect image of a tall, slender teenage girl with long, black-as night hair and wearing a dark jumpsuit. The girl shook her face, clutched a hand to her aching head, and gritted her teeth as she shot daggers at my body.
Beast Boy snaked around and stood next to me. He stared unbelieving at the figure.
"Blackfire?!?!"
"Imbeciles!!" Blackfire spat and tried to get up. "There's always got to be a stick in the mud! My life sucks!!"
"Noir?! What gives?!" Beast Boy asked for an explanation.
I looked over at the wall. I marched over and slammed my free fist over a button in a console.
With a mechanical whur, four panels slid open and there—within the walls—rested four tubes of bubbling liquid. Cyborg, Robin, Speedy, and Raven (in that order) were seen sleeping peacefully inside.
Beast Boy gasped. "Suspended animation!" He blinked. "But where's Dr. Morgan'm?!"
"You stupid fool," Blackfire stood up, rubbing her aching limb. "There is no Dr. Morgan'm! Can't you see you were had?!"
I glared and held her at bay with my blade.
"You……how……..but….," Beast Boy stammered.
"The first thing I thought of when I broke out of the Centauri Prison Mines was the first thing I thought of when I entered them!" Blackfire exclaimed. "How much I had to get even with my treacherous sister!!! But when I picked up the Titans' transmissions with the C.S.A.I.T., I knew I had a chance of the life time! I made a pit stop at the Rings of Thelmore Prime and acquired that little toy there!" she motioned her head at the green bracelet on the floor.
Beast Boy looked.
I barely glanced.
"A shape-shifting device….," Beast Boy mumbled.
"And it would have worked too!" Blackfire shrieked, red with anger. "The Thelmore Bracelet got me this far!! I would have crushed your skull in!" She pointed at me. "I thought he had left! I thought he was a coward!"
"Not my Nooby!!" Beast Boy frowned and gestured at me. "You may have intercepted our transmissions and got as far as the Tower…but nobody's gonna hurt Starfire on our shift!!"
"I wasn't gonna hurt her…..not yet," she smirked. "I was gonna first seal all six of you away, wake her up, and force her to watch as I melt your skeletons inside of your bodies while you're still alive."
Beast Boy gulped. "R-Really glad we were on our shift…..," he whimpered.
Blackfire took a step forward.
I jabbed Myrkblade towards her, glaring.
"Noir's right!" Beast Boy summoned strength. "The game's over, Blackfire!" She pointed. "Give it up!"
"What makes you think I'm so easily defeated?" she smiled as her eyes glowed a bright purple and her hands did too. "I came to this Tower to make my revenge one way or another! Now, thanks to you, I'm just gonna have to do it the hard way!!!'
She raised two glowing, purple hands and shrieked at the top of her lungs.
"Run….trust me, Noir. RUN!!!" Beast Boy cackled.
"YAAAAAUGH!!!" A purple starbolt soared at us, thundering.
Beast Boy and I dove sideways.
FLASH!!!
The leaking fire extinguisher slid across the floor.
Starfire's bed spun around and to a stop. The sleeping girl's hair dangled.
Beast Boy slid to a stop besides a tray of equipment.
Blackfire shouted: "HA!!!" and launched a starbolt.
Beast Boy morphed into a frog and jumped out of the way as the energy blast struck the tray and exploded debris all over half the room.
I dashed to a wall and attempted to attack Blackfire's flank.
She spun and aimed two hands at me. "HAAAAA!!"
A pair of starbolts struck the ground beneath me.
BLAM!!!
I fell back from a fresh crater, shook my head, and looked at her, panting.
"You…..I shall kill you first," she marched over towards me with two glowing hands. "Any new friend of my sister's is a new enemy of mine!"
She raised her purple hands over her head.
I winced.
A green spider monkey dove down and encircled her black head of hair.
"EEEEK!!!" she misfired.
I ducked.
BLAST!!!
A crater formed in the wall behind me.
I rolled over towards the struggling girl, jumped up, and blurred straight into her center of gravity.
WOOOOOSH-WHUMP!!!
The monkey fell off and onto the floor with a THUD!!
My speeding slid me and the evil Tamaranian out of the laboratory, smashing through the automatic doors, and hard into the metal wall of the hallway.
SMASH!!!!
She growled and kicked me off her.
I fell back on the smooth tile and slid for a dozen feet.
She hovered up and—yelling—flung purple starbolt after starbolt at me. I let out a silent scream and deflected each attack while sliding backwards with Myrkblade. CL-CL-CL-CL-CL-CL-CLANK!!!
She got the idea and raised two hands over her head, summoning a huge purple blast.
My black eyes bulged under the shades.
I ended my slide by stabbing my blade deep into the tile beside me.
She let loose of the blast. "RAAAAAUGH!!!!"
I tensed my whole body and vaulted upwards vertically on my grip of the blade.
SWOOOOOOOSH!!! The heated sphere of purple flew at me.
I flexed, yanked up at my hilt, and spun a dodge in mid-air.
ZOOOOM!!!
The blast zoomed past my arching back and slammed into the metal wall beyond with fireworks.
I landed in a stretched crouch, slid to a stand, and swiftly dashed down the hallway towards a fork in the path.
Blackfire flew after me, growling and launching homicidal waves of purple death.
I blurred my feet, ran up the walls, and barely avoided the spheres impacting at my heels. I think she was purposefully tormenting me.
She let out a fiendish laugh and pursued me down the pathways, around winding metal corridors, and up a gradual ascent of stairs…
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
CLANG!!!
I kicked the door open to the cold and ran out onto the rooftop.
Panting, I glanced up over the space vessel parked on the landing pad. Blackfire's getaway vehicle from the Centauri Prison Mines. Above, the stars shone down white and red and purple.
Purple…
BLAST!!!!
A sphere landed at my feet.
I was vaulted upwards from the blast. I took a breath, summoned murk power, and transformed the vault into a well-coordinated jump that sent me flipping over the sleek body of the spaceship and sliding down the other side.
CLANK!!!
I dug my blade into the hull of the craft and cut my way down into a slow ascent.
SNKKKKKKKK!!!!
My teeth grit.
Blackfire suddenly zoomed over me and thrust a hand down.
FLASH!!!
I kicked my feet against the hull, slunk the blade out, and flipped ten feet away and to safety.
BAM!!!
Sparks flew from the hull of the spaceship as Blackfire's starbolt struck the craft. She was soon aiming closer at me, causing bits and pieces of the concrete/metal rooftop to scatter at my feet.
I blurred a frantic pattern around the perimeter of the Tower's summit.
Blackfire let out a villainous laugh and played with me, launching a few bolts ahead of me and forcing me to blur backwards.
Once, I dashed blindly over a few feet and slammed the breaks just millimeters before teetering over the very edge of the Tower. I swung my arms and Myrkblade awkwardly, teetering back and forth and searching for balance.
Blackfire let out a dirty giggle and flung a finishing starbolt at me.
FLASH!!
My body jerked.
I flexed my legs.
I vaulted myself upwards.
BLAST!!!
The starbolt landed brightly and explosively beneath me. I formed an obsidian silhouette as I flipped backwards, arms out like a crucifix, and spun as I reached Blackfire's levitating position with a slash of Myrkblade.
SWOOOOOSH!!!
She spun to the side, smiled, and mused: "Nice try." She tossed down a miniature starbolt.
WHAM!!
I was struck in the back in midfall and forced hard to the ground.
SLAM!!!
I winced. My body ached.
"HAAAA!!" Nightfire shrieked.
I felt the heat of another starbolt.
I rolled to the left.
FLASH!!!!
She missed.
"HAAAAAA!!" she flung again.
I rolled to my right.
FLASH!!
The blast was close enough to send me tumbling hard and slamming into the side of her ship.
My back arched.
I wanted to groan.
I felt blood coming out of a few places in my shoulder.
I panted and wheezed as Blackfire touched down to the ground and marched towards me, hands glowing a violent purple.
"Ever imagined what it'd be like to burn alive ten times over?" she spat. Her hands raised to scorch me. "Well, live and learn, dear Terran. Have a taste of Tamaran before you sink into Hell!"
I panted, staring up at her weakly.
"Leave him alone!!"
"Huh?!" Blackfire gritted her teeth and looked up. Her whole face suddenly flexed and her eyes widened in surprise. "Sister!!"
I made a face. I looked up, wincing.
There was Starfire.
Fully garbed in her pink, Titan glory.
Her red hair danced in the wind and her green eyes glared as she perched atop the hull of Blackfire's spaceship and placed her hands on her hips.
"You shall release my friend at once!!" she commanded. "Your murderous plans shall not come into fruition!!"
Blackfire clenched her purple hands. "It's been a long time, Sister," she hissed. "But I have not forgotten what you did to me!! Prepare to have everyone you love melted screamingly before you!!"
She again prepared to blast me.
Starfire halted her with a strong finger pointing down. "NO!! Whatever pain you cause him to bear, I shall do unto you a hundredfold!! You are no sister of mine. You are a sad excuse of Tamaran! I am here to bring you back to Centauri where you belong!!"
"How dare you?!?!" Blackfire shrieked. "You'd threaten your very own flesh and blood?! Yuukablark!!!"
"I am not the same little sister you so easily deceived months ago," Starfire's green eyes narrowed. "I have gone through my transformation. I have honed on my skills. I have even survived a hormonal hibernation! I am just strong—if not stronger than you are, Sister. If you wish to harm my friends, you will have to face me first. And I assure you…your pain will be legendary."
Blackfire growled, her teeth gritting.
But Starfire stared her down. She held her hands to the side. Slightly bent. The Tamaranian symbol of combat readiness.
Slowly….chillingly….Blackfire's eyes rounded and her growl turned to a whimper. This was her sister. Her very own sister. And she intended to blow her away. For once in her filthy life, Blackfire felt afraid. Afraid of the very same person who never fought back. Who always backed down.
But now…..now…..Starfire was not backing down…
Blackfire took a deep breath. She lowered her hands…and stopped glowing purple altogether.
I took a sigh of relief.
"Wise decisions, sister," Starfire firmly said. "Your fate may not be a happy one…but it need not end tragically for us all."
"I do this only because you've reminded me….," Blackfire sneered without looking. "We are still family…."
"Noir…restrain her."
I stood up—wincing--, walked over to Blackfire's rear, and produced a set of handcuffs. The surrendering Tamaranian didn't fight as I bound her wrists harmlessly together and held her still by her shoulders.
"I am still angry with you…..," Blackfire grumbled.
"Yeah, well, that's tough," Starfire suddenly winked. She hopped down and playfully skipped over towards us. "Dude! That was so awesome! Noir, we so kicked ass!!"
Blackfire's eyes bulged. She regarded her sister with astonishment. "'Kicked ass'?!?!?! Sister, that's….it……that's not like you!!"
"Oh shut up!" Starfire stuck her tongue out. "We totally whipped you good!"
"'We what'?!?!" Blackfire gasped. She frowned. "You're….not….Starfire….."
'Starfire' smiled. She lifted a graceful hand, showing off a green bracelet. She winked, slid it off, and sparked/shrunk into the form of a green elf.
"Well, that was easy!" Beast Boy winked.
I smiled from behind Blackfire's shoulder.
"You….cheating…..little….bluffer!!!" Blackfire struggled in my grasp, her teeth grinding.
"What'd I say?!" Beast Boy beamed and juggled the green bracelet in his grasp. "Greatest shape-shifter there ever was!!"
"I….am….so….going…to…obliterate…..everyone….," Blackfire threateningly growled. Her eyes glowed a bright purple. Then suddenly---out of nowhere---the eyes returned to normal, widened, and thinned as she sighed and her whole body went limp.
WHUMP!!!
She fell onto the rooftop between us.
"……," I stared.
"……," Beast Boy stared.
We exchanged glances.
We quickly knelt down and examined her.
Beast Boy had his elfin ear to her chest. He gasped and shot up. "Dude! She's in that 'Tamaran puberty sleep' thing!"
I shook my head, my jaw opened wide in a disbelieving smile.
"Heh….," Beast Boy started into a giggling fit. "I think there's more to revenge when it comes to Blackfire envying her 'little' sister!"
My body shook in a silent chuckle.
Beast Boy doubled over, clutching his chest and laughing.
I wanted to howl. If I could laugh out loud, the two of us would have been making quite a ruckus up there on the nightlit rooftop.
Blackfire drooled in her sleep.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-
The next morning, the six of us Titans stood in the sunlight on top of the rooftop and watched as a familiar, Centauri Cruiser lifted off towards space with both a hibernating Blackfire and her stolen spacecraft in tow.
The wind kicked at my hair as I smiled and looked over at the similarly blown companions.
"Well…..," Beast Boy stammered. "Back where we started."
"Yeah…….," Cyborg lisped.
A pause.
Robin turned and faced us. "I knew it all along."
"Pffft!!" Speedy rolled his eyes under his eyemask.
"Sure you did….," Raven droned, frowning.
"That Morgan'm guy was never trustworthy from the beginning and---"
Speedy clamped a hand over the Boy Wonder's mouth.
"Let's go downstairs and just….ya know….shut up."
Cyborg chuckled.
Beast Boy giggled.
"Sure…why not?" Robin shrugged.
We all walked down the steps and into the Tower.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Robin, Raven, and Beast Boy walked down a hallway towards the lab.
"So this is the jest of it, I figure…," Beast Boy said, "…Blackfire, in the form of Morgan'm, systematically got each and every one of us alone and took us out with a strategically thrown starbolt! The first was when she was alone with Cyborg."
"Then she took me on in the form of Cyborg," Robin nodded.
"And took out Speedy in the form of you, Robin," Beast Boy pointed.
"She overpowered me when I approached her in the lab….," Raven said.
"When Noir disappeared, I could have sworn she'd gotten him too," Beast Boy shivered. "Turns out, he was just cloaked the whole time and using me as bait for the next strike. Heh….it was so genius, even Blackfire fell for it."
"And when she tried to take you out---"
"Noir intervened. He distracted her all the way to the roof of the Tower, just in time for me to grab the bracelet, assume Starfire's form, and approach her with a paralyzing bluff."
"Remarkable….," Robin smiled. "I'll enjoy reading the report of this event."
"Have fun writing it, Beast Boy," Raven managed to muse.
"Awww man. That's right!" he sighed. Then he smirked, "I"ll make Noir do it."
"Naturally."
They reached the lab. The automatic doors swung open and they stepped inside.
"For now…," Robin said. "We have to figure out what we're going to do with---" he froze to a stop and his eyemask opened wide. "….Starfire?!?!?"
"She's gone…," Raven mumbled.
Indeed, the bed was empty. The covers tossed aside. No Tamaranian Titan.
"Aw dude….," Beast Boy mumbled. "What now?!"
Suddenly, the intercom overhead cracked to life and Cyborg's voice emanated throughout the room.
"Robin. Rae. B.B. This is Cyborg. I think you'd like to come to the Main Room."
They all exchanged glances, then rushed out the door and down the hall.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
The elevator doors swung open.
The three stumbled out and stared at the kitchen unit.
Cyborg stood by the door, his arms folded. He smiled at them and motioned across the room. "She won't stop eating. I think all the sleep put a hole in her stomach."
Beast Boy beamed. "Star!!"
He dashed over to the bar, where the redheaded girl sat atop a stool in her hospital gown. She was in the middle of her third dish of chocolate ice cream, her second helping of a turkey sandwich, and her fourth jar of mustard.
"I….cannot….cease….the demands….of….my stomach!!" she managed to gasp between scoops, bites, and slurps.
Speedy sat across from her at the bar, his chin leaning on his hand. He looked over her and smiled as Robin and Raven stepped up. "She woke up twenty minutes ago," he smiled. "Completely natural, apparently."
"Was I….truly in….hibernation?" Starfire asked, her face dribbling with chocolate and mustard.
"Ahem….," Robin kept his composure. "That you were, Star. We didn't know what to make of it. We're glad you're…….all right."
Raven eyed the mess Starfire was making. "Yes…very glad…."
"I must apologize," she managed to pause and pout. "I do so very much wish to embrace you all and chant the Ritual Poems of Adolescent Reawakening…..but….," she went at it with the ice cream/turkey again. "…the first…..biological…..course of….action…..for a….awakened Tamaran….is to resume…..normal…..metabolism!"
"Hey….when one needs to snack," Beast Boy shrugged and smiled. "One needs to snack!"
Mustard flew.
"Whoah!" Beast Boy jumped. Watch it!
I snickered. I was sitting in front of the window across the Main Room. I was smiling.
"Let's give her some space to……erm……consume," Cyborg winked. "We'll all hug you later and stuff, Star. Just….sh-shower first, k?"
"Ooooh…immersing myself with a cloud of steamy droplets sounds most inviting after so long and stiff a slumber!" Starfire beamed. She glanced over with hungry, green eyes. "Do you not think so too, Robin?"
The Boy Wonder sat next to her while the others walked away and held their distance. "Er…..s-sure….why not?"
Starfire looked over her shoulder. She glanced curiously at herself, then at Robin. "May I ask the meaning of being adorned with a sleeping shirt that has no rear to it?"
"It's a hospital gown, Star," Robin said. "It's made for people who are bedridden and possibly in need of emergency atten—" he glanced behind her. His face blushed. He immediately snapped his gaze straight in front of him and folded his gloved hands, flushed. "Ahem…..I-I can get you a towel or something if you w-want—"
"Pass the nectar, please?"
"Huh….oh," Robin understood and handed her another jar of mustard.
She slurped happily.
He tried not to watch.
"Ahhhh," Starfire sighed. "I am happy right now to be awake again. But something gives me the feeling I should be deeply saddened." She glanced at the Boy Wonder. "Something awful has happened during my slumber, has it not?"
Robin sighed. He leaned forward on his arms propped upon the bar. "It'll take a long story, Star. Just know that I'm glad you're back to your normal self."
She smiled at him. "Does it feel like Gotham City anymore?"
Robin blinked under his mask. "Um….."
"Did you not say that it felt like fighting in Gotham City again?" she stated. "The confrontations with Viper?"
Robin's jaw dropped. "You heard that?! Er, I mean…o-of course you 'heard' that….but…y-y-you were sleeping the whole time and—"
The girl smiled bashfully, her green eyes curving.
Robin squinted his eyemask. "You……heard………everything?!"
She lifted the jar of mustard as if to say 'cheers!'. "Tamaranian hibernation does not stifle all of one's cognitive abilities. I was most….attentive throughout your graceful administrations and worrying over my unconscious figure."
Robin blushed again. "I….I…..eheheheheheheh," he ran a hand over his face and sighed. "You're full of surprises, Star."
She looked warmly at him. "As are you, Robin."
He was silent.
So was she. She suddenly beamed: "I know!! Nectar on ice cream!!" She then proceeded to pour liberal amounts of mustard all over her chocolate dessert.
Robin groaned and closed his eyes shut.
I watched them from across the room. I took a deep breath and looked out the window.
I found myself looking at Raven instead.
"So I wasn't crazy after all."
I jumped—startled—and then composed myself. I cleared my throat and cocked my head at her, indicating 'curiosity'.
"My premonitions," she explained with an ever so slight smirk. "I shouldn't have made a big deal out of them to begin with."
I shrugged and smiled.
She looked out the approaching light of noon. "I'm not proud of falling for Blackfire's deception. At least, I'm thankful that you and Beast Boy won the day in the nick of time." She glanced at me through the edge of her hood and asked: "Tell me…when did you first realize……..that it was all a trick?"
I thought for a bit. I pointed at my eyes through the shades, then at her.
She pointed at herself. "………y-you mean you knew when you saw Blackfire shape-shifting as me?"
I nodded.
"How so? If I may ask?"
I opened my lips. I paused. I exhaled.
I thought about the way the doppelganger Raven looked scared.
I thought about how she looked incapably weak.
Unrealistically pensive.
Hardly a flattering reflection of the strong depth and mystery that is the dark girl…
I pointed at my wrist.
"Oh…the bracelet," Raven nodded. "You saw that and that's how you knew?"
I nodded and mouthed: 'Yep'.
"Sharp eyes," she complimented.
You have no idea……