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Starfire had always been one for direct actions to problems at hand, the alien princess never fully grasping subtlety, her Tamaranean blood urging her to rush headlong into all situations, dangerous or otherwise; thus it was no surprise that the young woman did not enter the Tower by the front doors, patiently waiting for the elevator to rise to the residential section, or even taking the emergency stairwell and flying up. No, without second thought Starfire, having finally reached her home, crashed headfirst through the window to Robin's room, using her arms to protect her face, honestly not caring for the mess she had made; ignoring the shards of glass and small cuts dotting her arms, she rushed to Robin's nightstand, almost tearing into the draw, looking for the case he described. It was easy to spot, being the sole object within Robin's now damaged bedstand; grasping the box tightly, and forcing herself to calm down, she opened the silver chest, idly noticing the delicate and extensive detailed etchings, depicting a half dozen small birds in flight, covering the small container, gazing within. The inside belittled the elegant coverings, a simple row of pins without any embellishments lined in a row; like Robin had said, there were six pins, all of different colors, but most looked like the one next to it, all aside from the last pin, shaped like a bat.

Starfire's eyes lingered for a few moments on the other pins, curiously wondering what they were for, as the one she sought was the least interesting; there was a silver pin with a golden eagle stamped in the center, looking very expensive and polished, a red pin with a yellow lightning bolt in the center, a pin that was blue but had a red circle in the middle, a green pin with a black line down the center, the solid blue pin that she removed from the box, and the black, bat-shaped pin. Closing the case and tossing it onto Robin's bead, she stared at the pin for a moment before pressing its center, counting slowly to three. There was a moment of static before a confused voice sounded from the small device, asking, "Robin?"

Starfire shook her head, even though the speaker was not there to see her gesture, replying, "My name is Starfire; friend Robin remains still in the ruins of Jump, and-"

A second voice from the small device interrupted the young woman, static distorting the words, although Starfire could tell it was a woman's voice, "What do you mean 'the ruins of Jump'? We haven't-"

"Diana, not now," the first speaker cut in, his voice sounding distant, obviously talking to the second person, before becoming louder, speaking to the confused alien, his tone slightly scolding, "What is going on, young lady? Where is Robin, and how did you get this communicator?"

Starfire, feeling a mixture of confusion and anger, spoke harshly, "Robin has sent me away from him to get this pin! And I am trying to tell you what is going on! Jump city has been attacked by an Omega level threat-"

"What?" the second voice exclaimed, sounding suspicious, "That's impossible! The-"

"-an Omega level threat," Starfire yelled, drowning out the two voices, the first arguing with the second, "one, eight, one, one, seven, two, two!"

As soon as the code left her mouth, the two voices became silent, the light static the only source of sound; after a moment, the first person spoke, his voice serious, "Tell me what the situation is, Starfire."

The young woman swallowed before blurting, "A large area of Jump City is in ruins, burning, and the destruction is spreading." She hesitated for a moment before she said the words both voices had never expected to hear, "Doomsday is attacking Jump."

"Hera, no…" the second voice whispered, Starfire able to hear her only due to the oppressive silence hanging in the air; the first voice, his voice turning grim, only asked, "How long since he landed?"

Starfire thought for a moment, answering, "I… I'm not positive, but it has been less then ten minutes since the asteroid crashed; and perhaps only a few, less then five minutes certainly, since Robin sent me away."

"Alright," the voice replied, "Clear the area around Doomsday, don't let anyone near him; the sedatives he was given should keep him in a docile state for an hour, but we don't want to risk-"

"Doomsday is awake!" Starfire interrupted, her voice urgent, "Awake and overcoming these sedatives you have given him!"

The voice cursed to himself before muttering, "Not good, not good at all… Alright, just steer clear of the area, and get as many people as you can away from him, and do not engage him!" His voice became distant again, speaking to the woman near him, "We're aborting the mission; we have to get back to Earth, now!"

A third voice sounded from the small pin, his voice deeper then the first, causing Starfire to wonder how many pairs of ears were listening to this conversation, "Understood, but it will take us over thirty minutes to navigate the Javelin back to the Watchtower."

"No!" Starfire exclaimed, realizing that this would not do, "That is too long, Robin needs your aid now!"

"I agree," the first voice said, not catching all of Starfire's words, "We need to get there sooner; Doomsday could destroy the entire city in that amount of time." He paused, then ordered, "Use the gate drive."

"It has not been fully tested, and we don't know-" the third voice started, sounding doubtful.

"I don't care, make the jump." There was a moment of silence before the third speaker agreed; the first speaking again into the communicator, "We'll probably lose you during the jump, Starfire; as soon as I get a signal back, I'll let you know. As long as everything works smoothly, we'll be there in less then ten minutes; I need you to give the pin to Robin, I have some questions for him."

Starfire shook her head, saying, "I am sorry, but I can not; Robin has given me a task to report to Cyborg or Raven at the emergency HQ, so I may aid in the evacuation of Jump."

The voice, becoming distorted by a surge of static, asked, "So? If I know that boy, he'll be there already, controlling the evacuation like a drill sergeant; you can give him the pin when you see him."

"No, Robin will not be at the HQ," Starfire replied, her voice heavy, "I think… I think he stayed behind."

"What!" the voice exclaimed, sounding worried.

"I think Robin stayed behind!" Starfire repeated, raising her voice slightly to overcome the surge of static emitted from the small pin, "I think Robin remained with Doomsday!"

There was a long moment of silence before the man spoke again, for the first time his voice laced with fear, "Rao, curse that boy's stubborn streak! J'onn, make the jump! Make it now!"

There was a loud crackle, then the noise stopped, the line dead; Starfire, her eyes wide, her heart aching, clutched the pin tightly, hesitating, before taking into the air again. Now, more then ever, she wanted to return to Robin, realizing she got none of the answers she wanted, the conversation with Robin's helpers over too quickly, and she was still in a very worried and concerned state. Flying slowly, she almost disobeyed Robin's order, returning to him, if she had not noticed a black streak gliding through the air in the far distance, heading to the ground where lots of flashing red and blue lights were flickering in the air; knowing that the person flying could only be Raven, Starfire decided to meet up with the empath first, before anything else.

As Starfire left the Tower, Raven, having easily located the headquarters of the JPD and JFD emergency response crew, hovered above the large, hastily made compound, looking for a familiar green boy, or animal, the shiny, metal head of Cyborg, or some sort of command hut or tent; it was eventually Cyborg the empath spotted, the metal man standing near the center of the camp, leaning over a table, a few men and woman standing near or next to him, all pointing at, what Raven assumed, a map of Jump. Landing quickly, a few officers and firefighters greeting the young hero, Raven made her way to Cyborg, who was busy talking to the fire chief and police commissioner, along with a few of the two men's aids; just as Raven got close to Cyborg, the conversation ended, everyone moving about, urgent to complete their jobs.

Still looking at the map, his lips thin while he thought, he called out, "'Bout time you got here; all this planning stuff makes my head hurt. Commissioner Freeman wants to speak with you, Robin; BB and I have located most of the trouble spots, and the Commissioner wants a clear line of communication between us and his force. Also, I need your input in this plan that I proposed-"

Cyborg's rambling was cut off by Raven, who cleared her throat loudly, catching his attention, turning his gaze away from the map and to the empath, the large man blinking at the sight of a single teammate, blurting, "Yo, where's Robin?"

Raven, forcing her face to remain blank, hesitated, her slight shifting noticed by Cyborg; the older hero, having a sudden feeling of foreboding, frowned, asking again, quieter, "Raven, what happened?"

Raven, opening her mouth to answer, could only get out "Cyborg-" before a flash of red hair barreled into her, Starfire making her entrance, grasping onto Raven tightly, pulling the startled woman into a hug.

"Friend Raven, you are unharmed!" Starfire cried, squeezing the flustered empath close, ignoring the confused look of Cyborg, "Please, please, Raven, tell me Robin is with you!"

Raven, freeing herself from Starfire's grasp, could only shake her head, her mind scrounging for words; she felt obligated to tell them Robin's plan, his choice to face Doomsday, stalling the monster at the cost of his life, but found herself unable too.

Starfire gasped at Raven's denial, crying, "No! I have done as he asked, spoken to the pin, and told the man what has happened!" she held out the blue pin in her hands as proof of her deed, "And the man said they are on the way! Ten minutes, that's all! I will go get Robin if I have to!"

Starfire, so determined, started to float, reading herself to take off, but was prevented by Raven, who grasped the alien, crying, "No, Starfire, you can't go there, no one can, he gave us an order, the people of Jump need us, not him!"

The young woman looked shocked, replying, her voice heavy with worry and fear, "But… but I don't want to stay; I have a bad feeling, Raven, and my heart hurts. They sounded frightened, worried, these allies Robin had me contact; let me get Robin, first, then-"

"Hey, clueless teammate over here! Could you please tell me what the hell's going on!" Cyborg shouted, silencing the two women, both turning to the confused and frustrated man.

Raven, staring into the grim face of Cyborg, replied, her voice emotionless, "The meteorite that crashed was no asteroid; it was a vessel that contained the monster Doomsday. Doomsday is attacking Jump City."

It took all but a half second for Cyborg to recognize the name; being part machine did have some benefits, one being a very organized and expansive memory. As fast as he could think, Cyborg had pulled up all information about the creature known as Doomsday and accessed the stored data he had on him; eyes widening with shock, Cyborg swore, causing Starfire to instinctively frown at the foul language, the young princess being the only one in the team who avoided naughty words. Cyborg ignored Starfire, staring at Raven, muttering, "Don't be playing me, Raven, this is not the time."

Raven snorted, asking, "Like I'm the one who jokes about this?"

"For once I wish you did. Fuck." Cyborg swore again, rubbing his head as he tried to think; whatever thought process he started was halted as he did a simple calculation, "Wait, where's Robin again?"

Raven hesitated for only a moment before answering the question, "…Robin is still at the crater's center, where Doomsday landed. He's placed us in charge of rescuing and evacuating the civilians of Jump while he stalls-"

"Stalls?" Cyborg exclaimed, reaching out and grasping Raven's arm, "What the hell were you thinking! Do you even know what the hell Doomsday is capable of? You should have ported him back with you!"

"Don't you think I wanted to?" Raven spat, shrugging out of Cyborg's grasp, "I know very well what Doomsday's capable of, and so does Robin! By Azer, I've been inside that twisted creatures head!"

"But," Starfire interjected, "Aid is only ten minutes away, less now; there is no need for Robin to stall the monster!" she pleaded with Raven, seeing Cyborg nod in support, "Let me leave, and-"

Raven shook her head, "You're wrong, both of you! You," she pointed to Cyborg, "weren't there, you haven't seen Him, and you," nodding to Starfire, "left before He awoke. You have no idea what it can really do to this city if left unchecked! I do, I've seen what it can do, how much destruction it can bring in only a few minutes!" her head started to ache, and she rested her it in her hands, her cool fingers soothing her heated temples, "What I saw inside of it when it mentally attacked me… someone has to keep it away from the innocent, from the people of Jump. And damn Robin for his stubbornness, he knows we'll do what's right and aid the civilians!"

Cyborg was speechless, amazed by Raven's words, and realizing that, even though he disagreed with the choices that were made, Raven spoke the truth; he had no doubt that Robin would order them to abandon him to save others. Cyborg also knew that, in the end, they would all follow that order; feeling trapped, outmaneuvered, the metal-clad man clenched his fist, punching the wooden table next to him hard enough to crack the wooden plank, "Damn it, fine, I get that Doomsday needs to be stalled, but Robin had no right to volunteer himself!" He shook his head, "Starfire or I should be the one out there," he gestured, "not Robin! He's only human; a normal guy like him can't-"

"He is not normal!" Raven hissed, surprising them both with the passion in her words, "Don't you ever say he's 'only human'! How many times has he saved us? Risked his life for us? Fought alongside us, we who have amazing powers and abilities to rely on, unlike him? How can you call him normal when his is everything but!"

Cyborg could only gape at her, his mouth hung wide, staring at the empath; he tried to say something, anything, but was spared the trouble by the arrival of a green hawk that swooped in front of him, morphing into Beast Boy, who started speaking the moment he landed, "Cyborg, we have a problem! There's a building that's being evacuated, but the firefighters don't think they have enough time to get everyone out before it either collapses or burns to the ground! It's, like, thirty stories high, and has lots of people still in it. I mean, she, Brenda, the firefighter, cute, by the way, said we have some time, but, like in a few minutes it's gonna totally be-"

"Alright BB, I get it!" Cyborg yelled, cutting of the agitated changeling; he turned to Raven and Starfire, telling them, "We'll figure that out later, lets take care of this first!"

The two women nodded, Raven composing herself, but before she could levitate, a sudden figure appeared in front of her; starting, she realized it was Beast Boy, who was staring at her intently. A little too intently, actually, his face scrunched up and his head tilted, similar to a dog that's trying to figure something out; becoming a little embarrassed, Raven took a step back, asking, "W-what?"

Beast Boy, a finger lightly tapping his chin as he investigated whatever had grabbed his attention, didn't reply immediately, turning his head from side to side before answering, "Um… So, does this mean you're the leader now?"

Raven blinked, sputtering a very eloquent, "What?"

Beast Boy, his question having grabbed everyone else's attention, reached out a hand, grasping at the cloak covering Raven's cape, "This; if you're wearing this, that must mean you're in charge now, right?"

Cyborg and Starfire, their minds distracted, didn't actually notice Robin's cape that Raven was wearing; the empath, confused, could only stare at the green man for a few moments before she remembered. A strange feeling churned her stomach, and she was unsure if she wanted to laugh or cry; who else but Beast Boy would remember the ridiculous argument that the boys had gotten into years ago, when the Teen Titans had just been formed. The three adolescent males had different opinions on who should lead the new team, each, obviously, stating that they should be the ringleader; in the end, Robin, through words, logic, and a little friendly competition, was declared the commander, but it was a very early comment, Raven recalled, that prompted Beat Boys current question. When the green boy had asked why Robin should be the leader, the boy wonder replied, a grin on his face and his words light, "Because I wear the cape, of course!"

That simple phrase became an ongoing joke within the group, Beast Boy or Cyborg, sometimes both, trying to capture Robin's cape to declare themselves leader for the day; not once had they been successful, and as time passed it became less common to see one of the trying to sneak up on Robin, the issue of 'who was in charge' no longer relevant among the group. Raven, not an original participant in the foolish game, had forgotten this childish statement; leave it to Beast Boy to remember. Raven, noticing all of them eying her now, their faces accepting, felt a rush of concern, replying, "No! I am not 'in charge'! Cyborg is, obviously. Robin, he just gave me the cape because he said it would get in the way, that's all!"

Beast Boy, giving a small frown, shook his head, "No, if Robin gave you his cape, it must be because he wants you leading us." Nodding at his own statement, he gave a small bow, to the horror of Raven, asking, "Your commands, my queen?"

"Knock it off, Beast Boy, not funny!" Raven almost shrieked, turning to Cyborg, who, she noticed, had not argued the point, "Cyborg, tell this dimwit that the smoke has burnt what's left of his brain!"

Cyborg scratched his chin, replying, "While that's probably true, what he said makes sense; Robin never does something for the heck of it. Alright, you take charge Raven; we'll be counting on you!"

Raven, seeing Starfire also nod in agreement, remained silent, too surprised by everyone's immediate acceptance of Beast Boy's silly words, their acceptance that just because she wore a stupid yellow cape she was now-

Raven stopped mid thought, an epiphany overwhelming her mind as she suddenly realized what Robin had done; the gift of the cape was no simple act, it was a planned and deliberate move on the young man's part. He knew that Raven would have a hard time convincing their friends to stay away, just as he knew that Beast Boy had never forgotten their old game; Robin had, yet again, trapped Raven, giving her this responsibility, knowing that his friends would turn their support to her immediately if he gave his blessing, and knowing that Raven would keep their attention to the problems at hand. He had engineered the perfect scheme, a guarantee that his friends would leave him to his fate and, in the case that he did perish, an heir to the Teen Titan legacy.

The empath swallowed, her mouth dry, before speaking, her voice hard, "I am only holding onto this damn cape until Robin gets back, understand? Do not get comfortable with the idea that I'm now the team leader; I'm not." Her eyes were resolute, mouth thin, doing well to hide the pain she felt, "This is only temporary." When they nodded in agreement, Raven sighed, "Alright; Beast Boy, lead us to this building."