201. Gray Days part 1
Three Days Ago
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Thursday
November 18, 2004
3:21 pm
The City
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Besides the Bay.
The Shipyards rested silent under a light-gray sky.
The chill of November drifted over the waters in a fine mist and dissipated softly.
Waves lapped gently up against the wharfs beneath the warehouses and storage houses.
Fishing boats bobbed up and down lightly along the docks.
And for a moment, nobody was around to stir.
And nothing rolled about to make a sound.
And all was….
Silent….
……..
POW!
A flaming hole opened wide in a warehouse.
An amber-hot explosion billowed high in the sky.
Pieces of wood and metal shingles littered the nearby blocks as the smoke began to rise.
Four dark figures ran from the warehouse. Trenchcoated maniacs with black goggles and jetpacks nestled snugly over the top of their black articles where their shoulderblades were hidden.
They carried with them bags of stolen electronic goods. The inner workings of expensive nautical equipment.
From behind the shattered warehouse, a dazed citizen hobbled out, pointed shakily, and uttered: "Help! S-Somebody! They're making off with out product!"
The tallest member of the dark group twirled about with a wave of his black trenchcoat and grinned a crescent moon under his goggles. "That'll be enough chatter out of you, pillock!" He aimed a pistol at a hanging sign alongside the warehouse. BANG!
P-POW!
The sign fell down and shattered over the citizen's skull. CRACK!
"Nnngh!" the man fell down hard.
"Ha ha ha!" the gunman twirled his weapon and ran back to join with his group. "Fine rubbish-hole this City has turned into! Fit for the plundering!"
SCREEEE-EEECH!
A throng of police squad cars swerved into view.
The four men gasped and nearly dropped their goods in alarm.
The leader skidded to a stop, frowning.
The car doors opened. Lieutenant Smith and twelve other officers held their guns at arm's length.
"You just picked the wrong City to try and rob, Einstein!" the Lieutenant hissed. "This is just a routine patrol you're looking at. Unless you want the rest of the quadrupled force coming in and proving you a point…I suggest you put those weapons down and hit the ground. Now!"
"Awwww….why so feisty?" the trenchcoated leader merely smirked. "Did some big bad Dagger come by and knock over your City? Well here…" In a flash, he reached into his trenchcoat and unleashed a wave of small black pellets which he tossed out en masse at the barricade. "Show me some tears! Ha!"
THWOOOOOSH-P-P-P-P-POW!
The pellets exploded all around the gasping police officers.
HISSSSSSSSSSS!
White steam of tear gas rose up like ivory arms and suffocated the law enforcement.
The cops coughed and wheezed. The Lieutenant and his fellow officers stumbled back, short of breath and their faces tearing up. A good many of them dropped their weapons. Those still armed found it helpless to do anything as they crawled out from the white cloud and gazed red-eyed at the four suspects.
PMMBCHOOO!
PMMMMMBCHOOOO!
The trenchcoated thugs' jetpacks went off all in one accord.
The leader snickered and strapped his bag of stolen stuff under his rocket pack's chest strap. "Sorry, blokes. But this is a pathetic party. Whatever becomes of this City shall fall into the hands of the Buzzard Gang! You may have foiled us once, but the Buzzard Gang is here to stay! And we're gonna teach this sniveling Town of yanks to keep a stiff upper lip and a certain amount of respect for us as well! Or else we'll be robbin' your flats as well! Ha ha ha! Buzzards away!"
And with such a melodramatic utterance in effect, the leader and his rocketing trio of companions inevitably found their flight being cut short by four strategically aimed Starbolts.
FLASH!
FL-FLASH!
FLASH!
All four men fell to the ground.
"Ugh!"
"Ooof!"
"Bloody Hell….," the leader winced. He stood up with a ruffling of his trenchcoat and frowned. "Who threw that!"
FWOOOSH! A green-glowing Tamaranian flew down.
"Ah shite…"
Starfire frowned. She charged a starbolt in each feminine wrist and spoke: "Your dastardly malevolence ends forthwith!"
The leader sneered: "Darling, do you and your prattish friends not know the meaning of redundant?"
Starfire let out a shout and hurled a starbolt at the gang.
FLASH!
The leader ducked.
POW!
The thug standing behind him shouted as he was forced back against a lamppost from the blast. "AUGH!" CLANG!
The leader stood back up, wincing. Frowning. "Right, then. BUZZARDS! ATTACK!"
The other two thugs leapt at Starfire. In mid-air, their jetpacks burst in orange heat and lifted their wretched bodies skyward. With trenchcoat tails flapping like moldy wings, the men snarled under their goggles and reached for the Tamaranian girl.
Starfire swiftly twirled past the hurtling two in mid-air and sent a starbolt flying into the back of one of them. FL-FLASH!
"Ugh!"
Starfire prepared another bolt to launch at the second attacker when the first man she impacted on the ground suddenly shot up and grappled her from behind.
"Aahk!" she grunted.
The two wrestled and fought in mid-air.
The leader watched from below, laughing his head off. That is…until he heard a charging sound and a snort to his left.
"Huh?"
He glanced over.
A green bull grinded its hooves and rammed into him.
WHACK!
The Buzzard Gang Leader went tumbling across the street of the shipyard. Kicking up dust.
The bull leapt into a green elf. A frowning Beast Boy crouched, took a hot breath, and charged after the tumbling leader's body.
Cyborg and Raven were close behind. The sorceress spread obsidian wings of energy while the android Titan raised a metal finger and shouted: "Titans! Go!"
Raven floated towards Starfire and her combatant. Looking aside with violet eyes, the dark girl flicked her wrist and summoned a manhole cover with black telekinesis. "Azarath….Metrion….ZINTHOS!" FLASH! She hoisted the big metal disc up and effortlessly tossed it at the man grabbing ahold of Starfire's back. SWIIIIISH!
Starfire saw it. She expertly lunged her skull forward in time
CLANG! The manhole cover skirted past her red head and slammed hard into the thug's face.
"Ooof!" his jetpack sputtered. He limply let go of Starfire and fell to the pavement below. THWUMP!
"X'Hal….thank you kindly, Raven," Starfire murmured.
Raven pivoted in mid-air, looked over Starfire's shoulder, and droned: "Watch your back kindly, Starfire."
The Tamaranian's emerald eyes widened. She spun and looked behind her
"RAAAUGH!" two flying thugs swarmed at her, swinging taser-staffs. ZZZZTT!
Starfire gasped and flung a starbolt at both men.
FL-FLASH!
They blocked the energy blasts with their staffs and came upon her.
Starfire threw all her weight into one thug and kicked the other with a backwards foot, sending him spiraling towards Raven.
"Who-ah-ah-ah!"
Raven gritted her teeth and crossed her arms to produce a last-second black shield. FLASH!
CL-CLANG! The man slammed into Raven, jetpack first.
PHOOOMB!
"Nnngh!" the blast shook through Raven's shield and shoved her levitating body into the front of a warehouse. THWAP! Raven floated swiftly down and collapsed on her knees, panting and wincing.
ZZZTT!
Sparks danced in front of her.
"…..," she glared up.
The thug who had slammed into her now stood before the girl. He dangled his taser-staff threateningly in front of her face and sneered. "Hmmm…I think I'm famished for some roasted poultry…"
She droned: "Touch me with that thing and you'll be the one roasting…" Her eyes flickered red once.
He looked past it. He raised the staff over his head. "That's happening no matter what, lass. Open wide—"
CLUTCH!
The man gasped as a huge, titanium palm enclosed over the top of his skull. He looked through the edge of his goggles at Cyborg, standing behind him.
"……," the bionic teenager frowned and growled: "Hands off the girl." FWOOOOSH! He shot his arm back, flinging the man across the street and into the side of a semi truck trailer.
"WAAAAAA" WHACK!
The thug fell to his knees beneath the dented truck, wincing.
Meanwhile, Cyborg helped Raven up.
She dusted herself off. "Great…am I supposed to be your damsel, now?"
"No," he returned with a human wink. "You're supposed to watch me kick ass." He turned and ran straight towards the man with a raised fist. "RAAAAAAAAGH!"—POW!
Raven watched with sleepy eyes. "…………," the corner of her lips curved ever so slightly. She flew up and joined Starfire's battle.
In the meantime, the Buzzard Gang leader was squaring off with a green lion.
They paced across from each other on the sidewalk in front of an abandoned fisherman's market.
The huge, emerald cat growled and eyed the leader threateningly.
The villain merely smirked under his goggles and produced two pistols. Cl-Clak! "Silly little sprogs…did you really think prison was going to keep us in forever?"
The green lion's pale eyes narrowed.
The leader went on: "This City—its prison, its streets, its law enforcement—it's all nothing but a bloody pile of rubbish full of holes! Bad guys waltz in and out left and right and claim what they want! And even if you Titans actually do anything about them, we'll all just be bustin' out of the sweatbox in a matter of months to repeat things all over again! Do you kids actually think you're making any progress here! HA! This is nothing but a huge spring break fiesta for you lot! Pizza Parlor's downtown, shorty! There's nothing to see here! Nothing to see here but LEAD!"
The lion bore its fangs. It leapt with a snarl.
"Have it your way!" the leader leaned back and fired with both pistols. BANG! B-B-BANG! BANG-BANG!
The lion morphed into a green snake and 'coiled' around the bulletfire in midair. The serpent landed on the Buzzard Leader's shoulder.
"Augh!" he snarled and grabbed the reptile's tail.
The scales turned to fur as a mongoose appeared in the villain's grasp and swiftly bit him in the wrist. THUNK!
"DAAAH! GOLLY GAZOOKS!" the man shrieked and swung his arm with a grunt towards the building nearby.
Beast Boy flailed towards a flagpole.
The main aimed at his mid-air body with both guns. BANG! BANG!
The mongoose morphed into a monkey in mid-air. The emerald primate grabbed the flagpole and swung up on it, twirling over the bulletfire. He then perched on the flagpole, morphed into a kangaroo, and leapt mightily down at the leader with huge feet kicking.
TH-THWAP!
Struck in the chest, the man stumbled back.
Beast Boy vaulted up in the air and came back down as a ram with horns sailing towards the man's skull.
With a twirl of his trenchcoat, the Buzzard Boss grabbed the changeling by his horns and slammed him hard into the sidewalk.
WHACK!
The animal winched in pain.
Thwump!
The Boss…..sat on him.
"HA! Goin' anywhere now, yank?" the leader sneered and reloaded his pistols. "Don't you worry a bit! I'll have you going to the afterlife in a jiff—YAAAK!"
With a trumpeting sound, the ram turned into an elephant and lifted the leader up twelve feet.
The man nearly rolled of the pachyderm's butt. Instead, he caught a hold of himself, took a deep breath, and smirked: "As much as I'd love a zoo ride, I've got the arses of my mates to save." He rolled over and pivoted his jetpack in a key position against the elephant's hide. "Ta-Ta!"
PHOOOOOOOOOOMB!
The elephant's gray eyes bugged. It swiftly morphed into a shrieking, frantic Beast Boy. The green elf ran with smoke billowing from ashes on his rear end before desperately diving off the nearby docks into the Bay.
SPLASH! Ssssssssssssss!
In the meantime, Cyborg was swinging his fist madly at a Buzzard member with a taser-staff.
"Hrrrrgh! Yaaaah!"
The trenchcoat wearing thug ducked, dodged, and sidestepped the android Titan's blows.
"Arrghhh!" Cyborg snarled, his human eye flaring. "Be a good Briton and break for tea!"
"….," the thug momentarily stood still, blinking. "…that's about the bloodiest, most stereotypical insult I have ever hear—"
WHAM!
Cyborg slammed him in the face.
The thug's body went flying until he smashed through the windshield of a police squad car.
SHATTER!
"Nnnngh….," he groaned, unconscious.
Cyborg looked over—panting—at a group of cops.
The Lieutenant and his comrades were still wheezing from the tear gas.
Cyborg simpered: "Uhh…s-sorry about the car, man."
"It's—"COUGHCOUGH"—allright."COUGH!COUGH!
Cyborg spun around.
"…….."
He looked up.
Starfire and Raven were alternately dueling with the one airborne Buzzard. Raven provided shields while the other girl shouted and flung starbolts.
The thug twirled his staff, deflecting the blows. He let out an insane laugh and zapped electrical sparks at the two girls.
The she-Titans drew back in mid-air, prolonging the fight.
Cyborg took a deep breath. KL-KL-KLAK! He switched his arm into a sonic cannon and aimed at the airborne thug. Careful not to hit the girls with his blast.
His arm started to glow a bright blue.
"Damaged eardrum, coming right up…."
But something inside his cannon snapped. The glow left his arm and the charge drained.
Cyborg's human eye widened. "Huh!" He looked at his arm incredulously…and gradually frowned. "Dammit! Don't do this to me! How come you still ain't working! For the love of—"
"Pssst!"
"…….," the Titan leader looked over.
ZZZZT!
A staff-taser was shoved into his neck by thug.
"Aaaaugh!" Cyborg gripped his throat and fell—sparking—to his knees.
Standing above the wincing Titan, the goggled crook smirked. "What's wrong? Your wanking hand made in Malaysia, septic?"
WHAM!
Cyborg's fist found the thug's groin.
CL-CLANK! The man dropped his taser and stumbled back, hissing in pain. His legs crossed.
Cyborg stumbled up, cracking his necks. "Some things are still made in the good 'ol U S of A!" He flew at the man with a fist. "RAAAUGH!"
WHAM!
In the meantime, Starfire and Raven were flying backwards together as their opponent shot pulse after pulse of huge, electrical splashes.
ZZZZT! ZZZZZT!
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" the thug on his rocketpack billowed after the girls and pressed them towards a buildingside. "And just who are you two! The Supermaids!"
Starfire tried in vain to outpower his incoming electrical onslaught with starbolts. "Raven! His advancement is most formidable! Shall we split up?"
Raven struggled to keep the shield held around them as they floated back…back…back towards the building front.
"Starfire….," Raven hissed.
"?"
"Hug me," the dark girl grunted.
Starfire blinked. "R-Raven?"
"Just do it!"
Starfire blushed and hugged Raven from behind just as the two slammed back into the building front.
The thug lifted his taser-staff and produced a hot pulse of electrical friction in the air. He summoned it into one giant ball of plasma and wielded it over his head. "Hot girl on girl action coming right up! RrrrrrrrrRRRAAAUGH!"
FLAAAAASH!
Raven and Starfire held each other as the big bulb of energy enveloped them—
POW!
A fiery crater was left in the wall of the buildingside.
The thug flew up to it and hovered in the air. "Make that 'melted'….," he snickered. He tilted his goggled face back and laughed; "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
In the meantime, a dark portal opened up in the rooftop of the building. Raven poured up through the teleportation with Starfire holding onto her. Swiftly, the two girls ran over to the buildingtop's edge and peered down at the levitating, laughing crook.
"Can I have a lift?" Raven droned.
"Most surely…," Starfire smiled. She held her hands together. "Alley of the oopness!"
Raven took a breath, vauled off Starfire's palms, flipped, and soared down with gliding telepathy towards the crook.
"Ha ha ha ha haHa?"
WHAM!
Raven sailed her foot down into the man's chest and shoved him down, down, down….into the middle of the street below.
POW!
A bubble of black energy exploded. When the obsidian traces cleared, Raven hovered above a huge, bowl-shaped crater with an unconscious thug lying bruised and twitching inside.
Raven dusted her hands off and hoisted the hood back over her blue head with finality. "Loser…."
A footstep.
"….," Raven looked over.
Thwissssh-CLAMP! The Buzzard Boss tossed a remote mine before her feet.
She gasped
He winked and pressed a remote trigger.
BOOOM!
"Ugh!" Raven flew across the street from the concussion.
"Raven!" Starfire swooped down.
The Boss saw the Tamaranian on descent. He swiftly brought out his taser-staff and fired at her body in mid-air.
ZTTTT!
Just as Starfire reached Raven
ZAAAP!
The bolt of electricity hit.
"Nnngh!" Starfire cried out in pain. She managed to keep ahold of Raven's body with aching arms just long enough for her to fall—CLANK!—ricochet off an awning piece, and roll to a stop on the cold pavement.
Raven tumbled limply to the side.
Starfire winced all over, still twitching from electrical bolts. She tried to get up
THWACK!
The sharp end of the taser-staff pinned her skirted thigh to the ground.
ZZZZZZZZT!
"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Starfire screamed in pain.
The electrical flashing of the Leader's weapon reflected against his smiling teeth and goggle-lenses. After a few seconds, he relinquished the shock.
Starfire flinched and rested limply against the ground, panting. Shaking in pain.
"My…what a pretty little butterfly…," the Buzzard cooed. Chuckling.
Zzzt—Zzzt!
Starfire winced: "P-Please….it h-hurts…."
"Shhhhh….you didn't say Simon says…"
Starfire's green eyes squinted in pain and bewilderment. Her face was sweating and she panted in agony.
On the side of the battle-field…
"RAAAUGH!" Cyborg slammed his fist into the thug's chest.
WHAP!
"Nnngh!" the man stumbled backwards.
GRIP!
Cyborg grabbed him by the jetpack and dug his titanium fingers in.
CRKKKK!
POW!
The rocket pack burst and flew straight up.
"YAAAAAAIIIIIIEEEEE!" the Buzzard on the pack struggled and desperately unhooked himself seconds before the rocket spiraled northward and exploded in mid-air. BAM! The thug fell straight down, his limbs flailing. "AAAH!"
CLUTCH! Cyborg caught him.
The thug gasped.
Cyborg waited for only half a second before body-slamming the thug down over his metal knee.
WHUMP!
"UGH!" the man's eyes rattled inside his goggles and he was limp. Sighing into unconscious.
Th-Thrump! Cyborg dropped the man to the floor.
He dusted his metal palms off and placed his knuckles against his hips. "Boo-ya, guv'nor…."
"Cy-Cyborg…," a voice weakly entreated him.
He looked over. His human eye widened. "Raven!" He rushed over and knelt by the blue-robed girl. "Raven, are you—"
She helped herself up with his hold, but wincingly pointed over: "N-Not me….look!"
Cyborg glanced over. "Star!" He raised a fist and ran to the scene
"One more step and I paralyze her the waist-down!" the Buzzard Leader snarled.
Cyborg skidded to a stop, gritting his teeth.
Raven floated over, frowning: "Let her go! NOW!"
"Why should I?" the Boss smirked. He twisted the end of the staff against Starfire's thigh and chuckled. "Would anything I say make you take back the blows you've given to my mates? I dare say NOT!"
"Starfire! Hang in there!" the Titan leader called out.
"Nnngh…X'Hal….the electricity…," Starfire winced. Her eyes teared green. "I cannot…m-move…."
"If you so much as hurt her…," Raven hissed, "I'll make you wish you'd never been born."
"And just what makes you think you're strong with or without her, lass?" the Buzzard snarled. Smiling. "What makes you think that your laughable team is anything strong anymore?"
Cyborg and Raven frowned side by side as the man spoke on. They had their fists clenched and their limbs ready to spring into action at any moment. The police barricade—recovering from the tear gas—watched nervously from beyond the edges of the shipyard.
"You are half in numbers than that of what you once were…," the Buzzard Boss hissed. "And furthermore…you are half the courage. But then again, you were never much of anything even when the Boy Wonder was alive…"
The Titans tensed. Their jaws were tight as they tried to compose themselves.
Across from the scene, a dripping Beast Boy pulled himself up onto the docks from the Bay. He shook a few drops off him and gazed over at exchange from behind the Buzzard Boss' back. He gasped: "St-Star…..no…."
"Heheheheh….face it! The only reason you numskulls ever throttled us was because of that one sword-swinger who nearly killed me in my sleep! All happenstance, I'd say! But Robin…he wouldn't have done shite against the Buzzards! Some defender he was! And you call yourselves heroes just because you carry on some pathetic, childish dream of his. Look around you, Titans! Look at the crumbling rubbish you call a City and tell yourselves that things are working for 'justice' or 'freedom' and other cockamamie pies in the sky! Robin died because he was a fool. Just like you underaged pugilists are fools! I can't believe the cops here are such namby pambies that they don't have the guts to say it to your faces themselves!"
"Nnngh…d-do not….," Starfire stirred.
Zzzt! The Boss sparked the taser staff some more.
Starfire winced.
"What's that?" he asked, amused.
The Titans shifted nervously…angrily.
"D-Do not ….talk about Robin….that way…," Starfire whispered. Shaking in pain from where she was pinned down.
"Mmmmf…heheheheheheh….," the Boss snickered.
From the sidelines, a dripping Beast Boy frowned. His teeth showed as he climbed totally out of the Bay on wet feet and padded stealthily towards the scene.
"Heheheheh!" the man raised the staff up.
Starfire sputtered.
Cyborg's and Raven's jaws lowered.
"Maybe it's not that I shouldn't talk about the stupid bird boy that way…," the Buzzard sneered. "But instead…maybe you shouldn't have the ears to listen! So off with your pretty 'lil head! Ha ha ha ha!"
Starfire stirred and tried in vain to fly away. Numb.
The Villain brought his staff over her head and—sparkling—slammed it harshly down
THWAP!
A scaly tail knocked the rod away.
The Buzzard Boss gasped: "What!"
SNAP!
The jaws of a green crocodile sailed its teeth into the man's upper arm. THUNK!
"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!" the crook shouted in torture.
Starfire gasped.
Raven's eyes widened.
The reptilian changeling twirled behind the man.
With his arm stuck in the green beast's jaws, the man crumpled over hard onto the pavement floor. THWUMP! He lay on the ground, blood pouring out of his arm. He panted, swallowed, and screamed: "AAAAAAAAAA—"
WHAP!
A gorilla's foot slammed across his face, knocking a pair of teeth out.
"Nnngh!" morphing into elf form, Beast Boy straddled the trenchcoated man's chest and repeatedly pummeled the man's face in with his gloved fists. WHAP! WHAM! POW! "Don't you touch her, you JERK! Do you stupid" —WHACK!— "killers" –WHUD!— "ever" –THWACK!— "…..LEARN!"
Raven bit her lip.
Her hair and robe fluttered as the Titan Leader rushed past her: "Beast Boy!"
The thug coughed and spit blood. His goggles cracked and his one-good arm flailed as he desperately gurgled a plea of mercy.
"RGHHHH!" Beast Boy's eyes flared as he gripped the man's collar and lifted his bruised face to his. "Has this City bled enough as it is without stupid creeps like you coming in and trying to ruin more lives! So help me, I'll—"
Cyborg's heavy arms grabbed around Beast Boy's waist from behind. "That's enough, Beast Boy!" The android Titan hoisted him back.
"Nnghh! Let me go!" Beast Boy flailed in the Titan Leader's arms. "I need to show him—"
"No you do not!"
"He—"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Cyborg tossed Beast Boy aside.
Th-Thwump! Beast Boy rolled off into a lamppost. Barely wincing, he jumped up and charged back towards the leader.
Cyborg's hand blocked the changeling's chest: "One more step and you'll be hurting Starfire—and the rest of the Titans—more than that asshole ever will…," he said, firmly.
Beast Boy frowned at Cyborg. He was seething. With a furrowed brow, he glared over at the Buzzard Boss.
Raven had just floated over and was swiftly cupping her hands around the man's bleeding crocodile-wound. "It's a clean cut…," she said. "Not like normal, wild reptiles. He shouldn't have half as many infections—so I should be able to heal most of his wound in time for paramedics to arrive…"
The man twitched and groaned all over. "Nnngh…it hurts….it hurts!"
Raven couldn't help but frown. She droned beneath her breath: "…though it is awfully tempting to just let him bleed to death."
Cyborg ran a hand over the flesh part of his head and shuddered: "Just do what you can, Rae, please? Thanks." He looked over to his other side: "Beast Boy."
Beast Boy was gone.
"…..," Cyborg looked across the street.
The green elf huddled on the sidewalk several feet away. His back was to the rest of the Titans. He hugged himself in silence and gently rocked…rocked…rocked…
"…..," Cyborg sighed. "Lovely job you're doing with your team, Vic…." He paced past the screaming man as Raven tended to him. Police officers and recovering cops limped over from the fading tear gas and handcuffed the unconscious three thugs. Eventually, Cyborg reached the side of Starfire. He knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey…..you allright, Star?"
Starfire winced….but managed to sit up. "I believe I am….undamaged…." Tenderly, she rubbed two Tamaranian hands across her thigh. A sigh, and she said: "Though I sincerely hope you do not mind if I insist on hovering about the Tower for the next earth-day or two."
"Heheheheh…," Cyborg warmly chuckled. "Permission granted. What's a leader to do?"
Starfire smiled back. Her usual, warm smile. But there was something diluted about it. Like too much water mixed into a bitter broth. She lowered her green eyes and looked away.
Cyborg's smile had long faded before hers. With a deep breath he softly said: "Sorry you had to go through that, Star. Who knows? Maybe Beast Boy was the smartest of ours. I only wished I had pummeled the guy's face in before he went all crocodile on his ass and—"
"Do not despair, Cyborg…," Starfire hugged herself. "I am fine. I am…."
Cyborg placed a hand on her shoulder.
She shook and gave in. She leaned against his titanium chest while still sitting on the pavement and let forth a shuddering breath. A green tear streaked down her cheek. She sniffed. "Why do so many m-miscreants insist on p-plaguing this innocent, beautiful City?"
"I have no answer to that, Star…," Cyborg said. "All I can say is….that's what we're here for."
"I know….truly….I kn-know…," she breathed.
A beat.
"Come on…," Cyborg stood and helped Starfire up into a hover. "Let Raven and I take you home."
"C-Can we wait for Beast Boy?" she stammered, leaning on him.
"……," Cyborg looked over at his huddled figure. A beat. "Yeah…," he smiled again. Gently. "We'll do that…."
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"This is Marilyn Chen reporting for JCN Broadcast News. Just hours ago, four international rogues known as the Buzzard Gang were apprehended when they attempted an explosive robbery of a nautical supplies warehouse in the East Shipyard by the Bay. It's the first intense criminal act of its sort since the weapons cache looting incident on November tenth. Although Acting-Commissioner Smith's forces were quick to respond, it wasn't until the combined strength of the Titans' intervention that the Buzzard Gang was finally forced into submission. There were no deaths, but casualties include minor concussions for a few of the warehouse workers and what appears to be a deep laceration on the upper body of the Buzzard Gang leader. The head criminal is in stable condition at the Prison infirmary as of fifteen minutes ago. When questioned regarding the Titans' possible connection between the leader's grim injury and the Titans' intercession, Smith had very little to say, only that he 'hoped that the citizens of this City would stand behind the Titans more now than ever'. With volunteers pouring into the City and repairs of damages from November Fourth at an all-time peak, many city officials and downtown job-workers alike have expressed their concern over urban safety. But as recent polls suggest over the last two weeks, the City has been experiencing a lull in criminal activity the likes of which we have not seen since following the last defeat and death of Slade. People's hopes have risen and more and more citizens are returning to their jobs. In about a week from now, public schools are scheduled to resume as the City tries to go back to a sense of normality. We can only hope that recent calamities such as that incurred by the Buzzard gang are but a fluke in the pattern of things, and not a taste of things to come. For JCN Broadcast News, this is Marilyn Chen. Good night."
T-T-T-T-T-T-
"It's been two weeks…..well…..almost two weeks. Heh, I never thought that after what happened to me years ago…that I'd be capable of aging. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a few wrinkles from the last thirteen days alone. It's hard to believe that he's gone, and the reins have now been transferred to me. But I make do, ya know? And…to be honest, sir. I'm learning. I'm learning this whole 'leadership' biz. And it can be quite stressful at times. Not that my teammates aren't working up to par or some crap. They're A-okay in that department. But….I was never much of a motivational tool. I'm a tool in other respects. But even there, I'm lacking. I can't seem to quite figure it out. But I guess what Dagger's missile did to me really fried my circuits beyond normal repair. And then when Slug and Reload brought the house down at Phaser Labs—literally—well, it didn't help one bit. I hate feeling useless. Especially at a time like this. But none of that is any excuse. And certainly it doesn't excuse what my teammate did when he flipped loose and took all that had happened in these last two weeks and slice it all over that Buzzard creep's arm. But…that sort of stuff happens. I'll be willing to answer for whatever might befall the Titans because of this. I….I-I guess that's what I came here to say. Robin was the eloquent one. Not me…."
Cyborg's voice lingered, as did his gaze. He stood across Lieutenant Smith at sunset outside the tents and portables erected around the gradually rebuilding Police Department. Volunteers and officers filed about in the background doing one task or another. Everything was looking cleaner, straighter, grayer.
And it was depressing…the balance that chaos wrought. The City seemed to be turning from rubble into one huge gravestone.
The overcast sky didn't help much. Cold November winds dipped down between the building sides and brushed between the two men as they stood apart.
A beat.
"Why do you do that?" the Lieutenant asked.
Cyborg re-fixed his gaze at the Lieutenant again. "Pardon?"
"Why do you call me 'sir'?" the young officer asked. The wind kicked at his hairs. He smiled ever so slightly. "That's kinda….creepy."
Cyborg shrugged. "I just thought it was respectable. I mean, you're….you're….."
"…….."
Cyborg winced. "You're….D-Decker's replacement, right?"
"Hardly," the Lieutenant said. Not so much curtly as it with under-emphasis. "They're working on getting a replacement. I'm what you would call a Bureaucratic marsupial."
Cyborg raised a human eyebrow. "Marsupial?"
"I'm not a rodent. And I'm not a weasel. But I'm something else that they can drop between the gaps of red tape till they can get someone psychotic enough to fill this quagmire…," he sighed and gazed off towards the slowly fixed faces of the City. "…I can only hope the head honchos choose someone willing to love this quagmire half as much as I do."
"Sorry…I didn't know…," Cyborg said.
"Nothing to be sorry about. I don't care if I get promoted or not," Smith said. A soft smile. "I only want to see my men and women make it through this in one sane piece."
Cyborg rubbed the human half of his head. "Now that I think of it, you couldn't replace Decker."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I don't think I've seen you smoke a single damn cancer stick once, dawg."
"Heheheh….well…thanks for kicking the 'sir' down the toilet," the Lieutenant said.
"Heheheheheheheh."
A beat.
"Or…O-Or as the Commish would say…," Smith enthusiastically added: "'Down the shit-can'."
"Hahahahaha…got that right!"
"Yeah…heheheheh…"
Silence.
November winds.
A chill.
A sigh.
"How is he doing?"
"Hmmm?"
"Mr. Beast Boy."
"To be honest…we hadn't gotten a chance to talk to him much after we returned to the Tower," Cyborg said. "He's been….hiding out in rooms lately."
"A young boy or girl's best friend is his own bed, I gather."
"Usually, it's not his room."
"Oh? Whose is it?"
Cyborg took a deep breath. "It's…..complicated….."
"Oh…..okay…."
Another pause.
"W-Will he be allright?" Smith asked.
Cyborg gave him a sideways glance. "Shouldn't you be more concerned with reprimanding me for what he did today?"
"Ohhh….Mr. Cyborg…," the Lieutenant exhaustingly rubbed his neck and gazed off towards the grayness again. "You're right. I haven't been smoking. But I have been doing a lot of not-sleeping. And I think it's because nothing is as it ever was. And—sure—nothing will ever be the same after November Fourth. But right now….right now it is still a war zone. No battlefield is ever clean of its blood this quickly. When the heat of violence still lingers, you've still got the ever present need to use a force a little bit wider than your fist to deal with the residual diseases. The National Guard is here for a reason, ya know. They may not be pitching in as much as they should be……nnngh……but, nobody can deny that they're here and that the reason for that is the ever-present need to go beyond regular enforcement with the random wackos rising up and wanting to feed off the loss of life. Those Buzzard creeps aren't robbers. They're vampires. They should have known better to do what they did. The cocky bastards didn't stop to think that this City is stacked to the teeth with five times the police and ten times the armed defenses. There's a powder keg with this City's name on it yet, and the only thing I could ever blame you Titans for in the event that you explode a little is not doing so soon enough to stop these morons. I will admit one thing. The main heat of battle is long gone. Dagger is out of the war zone. And the lethal force that Robin called forth for you and the Titans out of necessity has lost its usefulness. I can tolerate extreme force at this point in time. But it's good that you stopped Beast Boy when you did. Not that he would necessarily have crossed the red line entirely. But….still, I am overall glad for the way things turned out. Now, there may come a time when November Fourth will become a fading photonegative in everybody's head. And—who knows—the tragedy we all faced may already be just an afterthought for those living far outside the city limits surrounding us. And at such a time, there will be accusations. And there will be fat preachers blaspheming all the heroes that risked their life and neck in this urban jungle when the death-swarms flew in. And at such a time, there will be many a finger pointed at you, the police, and myself included. And I won't mind. Because I'll look back and remember….r-remember this. Remember the sadness. The gray cold and November mist that just….seemed to linger in the air. And I'll know that the blood that was shed from our enemies was done so for a reason. Because no sane person having gone through what we've gone through would afterwards—with a sane mind—sit back and tolerate this coldness forever. I don't want you to feel guilty, Cyborg. I just want you and the Titans to remain ever on the guard. After all, shame may be the one thing that could—indeed—push any one of you over the edge. Same with the rest of us too…"
"Still…," Cyborg said with a breath. "I'll see what I can do to talk with him. Robin would never have tolerated an act of lethal force that extreme as what Beast Boy did to the gang leader."
Smith leaned his head to the side. "And what of you? Cyborg, leader of the Titans?"
"I would have smacked his god-damn face in if I were only close enough."
"Heh heh heh…"
"But seriously….," Cyborg flexed his fingers and gazed off into some angry corner of the gray globe. "What he was doing to Starfire…….phew…..it burned all of us on the inside."
"……..," the Lieutenant nodded. A beat. "I lost a lot of men and women on November Fourth."
Cyborg bit his lip.
The man continued: "Officers. Co-workers. Friends." A beat. "Even a family member."
Cyborg's lips parted somewhat…
But Smith went on, uninterrupted: "Still….I can't imagine what it must be like for the Titans right now. With Robin dead and two other members leaving….basically with half of the 'family' gone….it must be….be hard…."
Cyborg took a deep breath. "We manage. We…..m-manage…."
Smith had soft eyes. "How do you do it? How do you live in that godawful, lonely Tower everyday and wait for the world to explode around you just so you can throw yourselves into chaos and somehow come out victorious?"
"I suppose it's the stupidity of it all that makes us all so close," Cyborg said. "And…I-I don't like to see that as painful, sir."
"…….."
"I like to see it as wholesome."
The Lieutenant smiled somewhat. "Well then….godspeed."
"Same with you, sir—er….I mean…."
"Heheheheh."
Cyborg shrugged. "Seriously. Good luck on the search. Are you sure you don't need our assistance?"
"I'm not really sure. But I'll call the Titans the very first moment a hideous lead pops up," the Lieutenant said with a sigh. "But to be honest….I don't think there's any hopes of making heads or tails out of it. I mean…who would kill Blake Glover?"
"The man was a nasty-ass reporter for most of his life. How could he not make enemies?"
"Yes…but an enemy that would remove his head with a high round sniper rifle and then burn the man's apartment complex to a crisp afterwards? Believe me, I was just happy at the time to find the rest of the building saved from the flames. So far, the news only thinks it was a kitchen fire. Glover may still be alive for all JCN knows so far. But you know and I know that that won't last forever."
"Still….it's an assassination," Cyborg said. He pointed: "Eyewitness accounts of the gunshot and the shell that remained of Glover's body confirmed that."
"Indeed…"
"Y'all haven't found more evidence, have you?"
"Seriously, Cyborg, we'd tell you if we did," Smith said. "Right now…I'm a lot more concerned with getting this City back to ship-shine shape."
"I suppose future holocausts can wait till later…"
"……yeah."
A beat.
"Well then…I'd better be off. A teammate's waiting."
"Fair well and safe trip," Smith waved.
"Yeah. You too, dawg."
"Good bye."
"Peace out…."
Cyborg walked away from the site. As he distanced himself from the tents, he turned his head and looked over his shoulder.
The Lieutenant was gone. Inside his tent 'office. What remained of where they conversed was just gray, November air.
Cyborg frowned a bit: "When it all comes down to it…the Titans are down a detective. Bet that sucks for you guys."
And he walked two blocks down…to where Raven waited for him.
T-T-T-T-T-T-
"Okay…it's been nearly a week. Gawds….what do you think has happened?"
"What?"
"You know what I'm talking about! Noir and Tempest! They haven't been seen with the Titans in—like—seven days! I'm starting to get scared…"
"Take it easy, Hope. I'm sure they're fine. Heh….probably eloped together or something."
"Pffft! Not funny! Janice, don't you get it! Something is up! Why else would they be gone?"
"They're breaking up…."
"L-Lisa?"
"It's simple. The Titans are breaking up. What more do you need to know?"
"Heh. Lovely and morose there, Lisa."
"Eh."
"You really think so? I just figured that the two hunks needed time to recover and—"
"You forget, Janice. I've seen Noir. Up close. He's hardcore about everything. He's just as badass in real life is they make him look like on t.v. and in the magazines."
"Your point?"
"My point is, he wouldn't leave the Titans unless he had a damn good reason to. He's not the sort to….take vacations. Remember, this is the same guy who broke the law and pretended to be Wyldecarde just so he could distract the Titans from Slade. Now that takes guts."
"Heh. Guess that's true."
"Then wh-what about Tempest?"
"Tempest is a pansy."
"No he is not, Lisa! Take that back!"
"Hush up, Hope."
"He's a pansy. Whatever, just let him crawl back to his Ocean. He's here for a month and Robin's death was more than he could take."
"Well, I don't rightfully blame him."
"Robin…..gods…..it's hard to believe that was only two weeks ago."
"Yeah….."
"H-Have any of you bothered calling Tiffany, lately?"
"Erm…."
"I have."
"What'd she say, Janice?"
"I didn't get through to her. Tiffany's mom answered. Supposedly, Tiffany's off in Keystone."
"Keystone City? Why's she way out there?"
"She's hanging out with a relative of hers. A cousin, I guess. So that got my hopes down…"
"Ew."
"Ahem…go on, Janice."
"Anyways. I left a message with Tiffany's mom."
"Any word on why she went out of town?"
"Yeah, and without telling us?"
"Her mom says that November Fourth really freaked her out. I didn't say it over the phone, but I was like 'yeah, no shit'. We're all freaked by November Fourth. But with Tiffany…."
"She really liked Robin."
"……"
"……."
"…….yeah, no shit."
"Hehehehehehehe……..heh……"
"But still, I suppose it does kinda sorta suck."
"What exactly are you talking about this time?"
"The Titans splitting up. Especially starting with the members of the group that were so……"
"Potentially hot?"
"What's with the 'potentially', Hope?"
"Sorry, Lisa. I was just saying—"
"I suppose the sexiness factor goes down when they turn their backs on our City."
"Hey! Don't discredit them! They went through a lot when Dagger sunk his teeth in! Just like the rest of the Titans!"
"Then why are they gone?"
"Maybe…M-Maybe they had important things to do?"
"Or maybe they just realized that things are pretty much pointless."
"Gotta love you and your gloominess, Lisa."
"Lisa….why are you so down all of the sudden?"
"……"
"Ya know…I finally got to meet him. I finally got to meet Beast Boy."
"Really now?"
"Mmmhmm, I did. And…."
"You didn't tackle him on the spot and get pregnant?"
"Pfft! No, Janice. I…."
"……"
"It was not an easy time. For any of us. I…I-I didn't see him as the hero I based my message board and fanfics on. He was……j-just like me. He wasn't having fun, that's for darn sure."
"That's interesting, Hope."
"Yeah. I…I-I figure that all the Titans are really like him. In that th-they're like us. And if Beast Boy was so hurt by the stuff that happened with the City and Robin…and yet he still stayed…what could possibly have made our favorite swordsman and merman leave?"
"Sexy chicks in Metropolis….?"
"Hardy har har….you know, you've been nothing but a real bitter basketcase during all this, Lisa. At least when you were at the funeral you had the nerve to—"
"My god damn neighbor committed suicide last night."
"……"
"……"
"So excuse me if I'm just a big friggin' careless about what Noir and Tempest did with themselves."
"God….y-you don't mean—"
"Yes, Janice, Mr. Knight. Turns out he had a spare revolver hidden in his dead wife's sock drawer. Guess he didn't want to face his kids after screwing up his family royally under the influence of Dragonflare."
"………….."
"What….wh-what about his son and daughter?"
"What about them? They're frickin' screwed. Just like us and the Titans, god dammit. I don't really care anymore. I just want school to get its ass into royal gear so I can live in the numbing routine and maybe gain back some of my sanity."
"…………."
"Nnngh……why did I even come here tonight? This damn club is pointless."
"W-Wait…Lisa. Come back. Don't go…"
"Sniff you morons later…."
T-T-T-T-T-T-
"What did he have to say?" Raven asked, blue-robed arms folded.
Cyborg shuffled past her. "I didn't need to come here. I'm the Titan leader for god's sakes. Beast Boy is mine to deal with…"
The two walked slowly down the sidewalk southward.
"You act as if the Lieutenant said something bad to you."
"Hardly. I just……," the android Titan sighed. He stared down at the sidewalk panels passing beneath them. "……everything that ended up happening today wouldn't have been so nasty had I just been a good little robot and done the job Robin asked of me."
"As much as I would love to hear you ramble on about your authoritative incompetence the entire walk home…," Raven droned, "…I'm going to cut things short by telling you to deal with it, or else."
"Or else what?" Cyborg glanced at her suspiciously.
"Think of something along the lines of a lamppost shoved up your disk drive."
Cyborg chuckled. His lips curved gently. "You'd make a nice camp counselor some day, Raven."
"Feh."
"Sometimes I wonder if it's really you and your maturity that this team manages to lean on these days," he said. A beat. A sideways wink: "And to be honest, I think that's downright excellent."
"When I started the Titans…," the dark girl murmured as they walked along, "…I did it with full assurance from Robin that I wouldn't have to be responsible for leading us when—"
"Yes, Yes…I know, Rae. I know," Cyborg sighed. "The Titans rely on me now. But…."
"But what?"
"Would you feel bad if I said that sometimes I think I rely on you?"
"…….."
"It might sound a little egotistical, but I think that's how the rest of the Titans rely on you. It's through me. Heh. Indirect love. How you like that?"
"You're wyrd."
"I indirectly love you too."
Raven suddenly hugged herself. She came to a complete stop along the gray slabs of sidewalk.
Cyborg lingered slowly and eventually halted a few feet ahead of her. He turned and looked at her. Curiously. "Rae?"
The dark girl took a liquid sigh. She slowly gazed up at the Android Titan. It was a wounded, dangerously emotional look.
Cyborg gently treaded towards her. He spoke: "Rae….what's wrong? What are you feeling?"
She bit her lip. She gazed off. "You….haven't told us the truth, Cyborg…."
"………."
"You haven't told us the truth about Noir."
"What do you mean?"
She looked up at him. Firmly. "Why did he really leave us? It wasn't to 'move on'. It was to do something else, wasn't it?"
"………," Cyborg's gaze averted itself from her eyes.
She droned: "Terra…..he went to find Terra…."
Cyborg took a deep breath and muttered towards the cityscape: "He disobeyed me. Directly. He went away solo without permission—"
"The fact of the matter is he went a way for a reason, Cyborg!" Raven exclaimed. She clenched her fingers into fists and seethed: "You lied to us!"
"Rae…"
"You lied to me."
"And why have you waited till now to say something about it?" Cyborg exclaimed with a heavy shrug of his metal arms. "I know as well as you do that I can't pull the wool over your eyes! Hell, I don't even like doing it! Much less trying to!"
"Then why did you? Why did you lie to us?"
Cyborg sighed. He rubbed the human part of his head. "Ever since Dagger up and left this City…I've felt like life has been doing nothing but putting our hopes up. The first time it was with a possible lead to find Terra. Then Robin died. After that, it was a feeling that we were all drawing together. Then Tempest mouthed off and left. And with Noir….."
"……," Raven stared. Frowning.
Cyborg looked at her directly and slowly shook his head: "Terra won't be found, Raven. You know this as well as I do. And Noir….he…..god bless him, he sacrifices himself so much! So much so that….th-that it's a selfishness in and of itself!"
"Heh, that's rich—"
"It's a selfishness, Raven. He goes and tries all that he can to do the impossible, even if it means sacrificing himself. And he doesn't seem to care about how much we all worry about him the same way we do about the rest of our teammates, but instead he thinks that the trophy at the end of his suicidal endeavors will somehow win our favor over our anger at him that even we don't want to admit. And now that he's going after a pie in the sky….dammit…what could I tell you guys? We've all suffered enough as it is."
"You're so worried about being a good leader, Cyborg," Raven said. "You should know that a good leader doesn't tell lies to his teammates. No matter how noble."
Cyborg gave her an incredulous look. "Excuse me!" He leaned forward and pointed with a gaping mouth: "Look…just who was it who created that blasted Confidentiality Agreement with Robin way back in the day?"
"……," Raven bit her lip. She hugged herself and looked away.
A beat.
Cyborg sighed: "Rae, I'm sorry. You're right. You're right in that…wh-what I did was cruel. And you and the Titans have every right to be angry at me. But…" He shifted over and placed a gentle, gentle hand on Raven's shoulder. "It's all right to be angry…at Noir too…."
"I…..I don't know what you're talking about…," Raven muttered.
"Rae…."
She shuddered.
He leaned into her, but without getting too intimate. "Noir has always and will always be a great friend. And who knows….maybe we will see him again. S-Sometime…"
"Wh-Where did he say he was going anyways?" Raven asked breathily.
"Westward," Cyborg shrugged one arm. "Westward to come back with Terra. God….I'd hate to see him at the tail end of a wild goose chase. But I know I can't stop him. Even you, Raven. As empathic and wise as you are…you wouldn't be able to stop him either. He's got a stubbornness the likes of which could have challenged even Robin. And—in fact—I think he was the one to inherit it from the Boy Wonder after Robin left us so tragically. It's okay to be angry at Noir. It's okay to feel…a little bit abandoned…."
Raven took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She gazed down towards the center of the earth and whispered: "Why do I still worry about him, Cyborg? What is it about Noir that keeps me thinking that I should s-somehow be responsible for all the stupid things people do to him and that he gets himself into?"
"You're both alike in a lot of ways. But different enough for me to tell who the mature one is."
"……"
"If you want, Rae. I'll announce it to the other Titans. I'll tell them that Noir's gone on some little mission of his. But—to be honest—I just don't know how they'll take it. Beast Boy, especially. They might all jump on some crazy, phantom bandwagon and try and join him or something and as a Titan leader who needs to keep all of us focused on this City, I—"
"No, Cyborg….I just….," Raven sighed. "…..I feel like everything is a dream sometimes…."
Cyborg leaned his head to the side. "Rae?"
"All of my life, I've known real absolutes. Absolutes that dictated the demon danger inside of myself. Absolutes that told me that emotions were dangerous and any day at any time I could let my father out onto this vulnerable dimension. But it feels as if—as of late—those absolutes have faded away. And now I find myself slowly embracing emotions that at one time would tear me apart. And….and it's so ironic that I'm allowed to share in these feelings upon the very moment when the immediate world around me becomes unbelievably more hellish than ever a Azarathian nightmare I've envisioned before. My entire life, I've pushed away the prospect of happiness for fear of the supernatural consequences such may have. And now—when happiness is suddenly a lot more open and tangible to me—I find myself in a bitterly ironic world where happiness is the one thing I can't be afforded. I wish Robin did not die. And I wish Tempest and Noir were still with us. I know that things must be the way they are like I have always accepted them throughout my life, but now…..—"
"You don't want to do it alone…," Cyborg finished for her.
She hugged herself tighter. A sniff escaped her nostrils. "N-No…."
Cyborg gently hugged her.
Raven leaned back into him and breathed shudderingly.
"You're going through a lot of changes. Changes so big…I can't truly understand," Cyborg said. He squeezed her gently. "But you're still Raven to me. And I love you for that. You don't have to be alone anymore, Rae. I don't understand the crazy nature of things either. I don't know why Robin had to die or if Tempest will ever come back or if Noir will be okay or not. But I don't want to lose what we still have. Not the Titans. Not this City. And most of all, not you. That's why I did what I did, Raven. That's why I lied…to protect what's left. And you can hate me for it if you want. And you can even tell the Titans the truth or I can. I just want us to stay together as long as possible. The Lieutenant was right about one thing. It's like our family's been cut in two. I don't want it to fall into pieces anymore than you do. Forgive me if I'm desperate in the things I do to preserve things. I'm just as bad as Noir when it comes to extreme measures. I suppose that's just guys' way. Sorry we have to be such numbskulls."
Raven sniffed again. "Yeah…I'm truly sorry…"
Cyborg chuckled somewhat.
Raven sighed and gazed out along the City. "Let's….Let's go home…"
"Don't want to be seen as the 'Mighty Raven' tearfully hugging the crap out of a robot in public? Heh…can't blame you."
"No…I need herbal tea…," Raven droned.
"Ah…but of course…"
She and Cyborg parted and began walking homeward again.
After a moment of silence, Cyborg simpered: "So…you still mad at me?"
"Of course, stupid."
He winced.
"But….," Raven nonchalantly wiped the corner of her eye with a sleeve and curved her lips ever so slightly. "I'm always mad at you. Always have been always will be."
"Heheh…guess it wouldn't be the same otherwise."
"Exactly."
"Yeah…."
A beat.
Raven said: "He said he wouldn't come back without Terra?"
Cyborg nodded.
Raven exhaled: "That…..is a shame."
"Exactly what I thought."
T-T-T-T-T-T-
Later that Thursday evening.
At Titan's Tower….
A cold, November night blanketed the rooftop darkly.
He sat in the center, hugging himself. His elfin ears drooping. His jumpsuited body huddled alone.
He gazed out at the blackening night over the cold waves of the Bay below. The City glowed faintly beyond…still not half the glittering splendor that it was in days prior to November Fourth.
The Changeling sighed.
His eyes thin.
Sitting……
"……….."
A blanket was gently laid over his shoulders.
He gasped with a start
"Shhh….," a gentle, amber-skinned hand pressed against his shoulder. "You need not feel the need to move, Beast Boy. You merely seemed cold to me, and I desired to alleviate such."
Beast Boy's lip quivered. He murmured without turning to look over his shoulder: "S-Star?"
The Tamaranian hovered behind him, gently folding her arms behind her back. She shivered a bit in the cold winds of the tower rooftop but chose not to show it. "Yes, Beast Boy. It is I. But I shall not travail upon interrupting you further. Feel free to enjoy your own reclusion. I must admit….it his quite peaceful up here this evening."
"………"
She took a deep breath, turned, and hovered towards the stairwell: "Have a good night, Beast Boy—"
"Starfire…," he bit his lip and uttered: "W-Wait…"
She froze. She gazed over towards him gently. "Hmm?"
"………………h-how's your leg?"
"I….am uncertain…," she simpered. Cheeks red somewhat. "I have not tried walking since we arrived at the Tower."
"………….."
"But your concern is m-most appreciated."
"Heh….yeah….," Beast Boy muttered and leaned his chin over the knees that he hugged to his ches. "I'm sure it is…."
"……..?" Starfire leaned her head to the side.
Beast Boy shut his eyes tight. He took a breath and managed: "Don't feel bad, Star."
"Feel bad? Why, whatever for, Beast Boy?"
"I…I-I don't want you to think that you're the reason that guy got his arm tore up the way it was."
"But Beast Boy, I do not think that at all!" A beat. She seemed to think hard for a second. Then she added: "And neither do I fell ill-will towards you and your choice of battle-tactics today!"
"Star…I went ballistic on the dude. It wasn't right. It wasn't the sort of crap that a Titan's supposed to do. And yet I went in there all violent and nasty and stuff and nearly ripped his arm off. I don't care how nasty a crook is. You don't just…..y-you don't just…….."
"…………..," Starfire floated over and hovered directly behind him. "Beast Boy. There is a time and a place for righteous anger. I do not believe that you would have hurt that fiend beyond the extent of a true hero. I sensed your anger and felt that it was a protective one. Please understand me and my Tamaranian ways. I am honored. For what you did for me—as heinous as it may feel and certainly indeed be—it was a showing of sacrifice. And no sacrifice goes without praise. At least in my alien eyes."
Beast Boy sniffed. He hid his face in his knees and waveringly muttered: "I just can't believe he did that to you, Star. He would have killed you. After all the times you and I and everyone else in this City nearly died, he would have just taken your beautiful life away. I'm sick and tired of these stupid psychos! I'm sick and tired of all the evil in this City! And most of all, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired! I mean…h-how could the dude have just done that? He hurt you, Star. He hurt my friend…and he laughed about it. He freakin' laughed about it…."
"Garfield….," Starfire knelt down behind him and embraced the elf warmly. "I have dealt with a great deal of pain and cruelty in my life. More than I have been willing to admit to my dearest friends. Even Robin when he was still alive. Please understand that although the pain that the fiendish gang leader dealt to me was awful today, an even greater pain for me would be to see my living friends undergoing such endless anguish for no reason."
Beast Boy hiccupped. He rubbed the tear-streaks on his cheeks and finally looked at her.
"I promise you, Garfield…," she smiled painfully. "I shall not perish anytime soon. I will preserve the Titans in blood as much in name for as long as my green spirit can muster…"
"Oh Star…," he shuddered and clung to her. He gently sobbed over her shoulder: "I'm just so scared. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose Raven and Cy. Not like Robin. Not like Tempest and Noir."
"I know, Garfield. I know…."
"Everything keeps falling apart. It's….It's almost worse than when Terra died…"
Starfire bit her lip.
"I'm almost glad she's not here…she doesn't have to see things like we do…."
"That is where I think and feel differently, Garfield…," she said. She pushed their hug gently apart so that they could look in each other's faces. "I feel bad that Terra is not here. She will not travail upon seeing and feeling the Titans' greatest triumph yet."
Beast Boy shuddered: "What triumph is that, Star?"
"I do not know yet…," she smiled gently. Her green eyes were moist, but in a warm way. "But I thank X'Hal that I have a chance to find out."
Beast Boy closed his eyes. He swallowed and breathed: "It never fails….never…ever fails…."
Starfire leaned her head to the side. "What do you refer to, Garfield?"
"Why do you have to be so….so endlessly happy and uplifting, Star?"
She bit her lip. "Erhm…."
"You know what? Scratch that…," he hugged her again. "…just exist."
The Tamaranian gazed northward. Across the Bay. Somewhere out of sight where a gray, caped monument rested. "I shall do my best…."
And the cold November winds carried the night away…
Into the sunrise.
Another gray sky.