Arrival

"Starfire, do you copy?"

With a short shriek, Starfire lurched in surprise, dropping a few feet in altitude as she flew, almost dropping the large chunk of building she was carrying, causing quite a few shouts of terror from the two score people held within the ruined structure; the Teen Titans had been on scene for many minutes now, each helping in their own way to evacuate the remaining people still trapped within the tilting skyscraper. Even with all the yelling and screaming, some people losing themselves in the chaos, the task started off rather smoothly; Beast Boy had turned himself into a tyrannosaurus to help support the collapsing building, as well as allowing nearby people to slide down his back into safety nets below. Cyborg took it upon himself to aid the firefighters, his body already resistant to heat and readily equipped with a breathing mask, rushing into the burning sections, emerging with a few soot-covered, or badly burnt, people clutched to him, only to return once he had given them to medics.

Raven had remained outside, using her magic to either smother fire, catch falling debris, or gently lift civilians out of the building, setting them into the awaiting arms of firefighters or loved ones; periodically the empath would pause, staring carefully to the east, where she had left Robin, worry and confusion clearly written on her face. As much as the empath hated it, she now recognized that Robin was correct in his assumptions and decisions; the Teen Titans were being worked hard, extremely hard, all four needed in their own ways to save lives. Without Beast Boy here, the building would have collapsed; without Starfire, dozens of people would have perished from smoke inhalation, trapped in the upper levels, ladders unable to reach them due to the fire and debris. Without Cyborg, who was able to reach the depths of the building that even the most protected firefighter couldn't, families would have been lost forever within the blaze; Raven wanted to poke a hole in Robin's logic, the boy wonder's statement that he wasn't needed, but as much as Raven hated to admit it, Robin wasn't. Yes, all of the young heroes wanted Robin with them, but Raven realized that Robin couldn't replace any of them, do the things that they had to do to save lives; she didn't want to rationalize her thoughts this way, cold and calculated, but it was true. Robin being here would have changed little, and one of the other Teen Titans being where Robin was… she didn't want to dwell on that, the doubt further troubling the initial reasons why her gaze had turned eastward.

So it turned out to be a relief for the empath when Starfire, who was making constant trips to and from the building, had noticed her fiend's lingering gaze and slight hesitance. Starfire had taken a moment to speak with Raven, asking the troubled woman what was wrong, and after a few moments of hesitation, the empath had responded that she couldn't sense Robin anymore, something that had shaken Raven's confidence. Starfire knew about the mental link between the two friends, having wheedled it out of Raven about a year or so ago, so it was no surprise that the young woman grew extremely concerned by Raven's statement, her eyes tearing up as she asked, begged, if Robin was alive; initially, when Raven had felt the link suddenly vanish, the empath had thought the same, her heart almost stopping, not even able to recall the last time the comforting presence of Robin was absent from her mind. She had forced herself not to draw conclusions, further probing the connection, investigating it, before she realized that the link was not gone, but blocked by something; Raven shared this information with Starfire, greatly relieving the alien princess, although, for both, their concerns still lingered, questioning what had caused this sudden block. Since then, Raven, able to share some of the burden that she was bearing, had moved quickly and efficiently.

"I repeat, Starfire, are you there?" came the voice again, snapping Starfire out of her sudden reverie, the sight of Raven bringing back the very recent memories.

Calling down to her chest, where she had adorned the pin, she replied, louder than what was really required, "Yes! One moment, please!" dropping quickly, she placed her heavy cargo onto the ground, idly noticing the chunk of steel and concrete being swarmed by rescue personnel, assisting the people inside out of the makeshift vessel. With a wave to the general public, she hovered in the air, catching Raven's eye, the only other friend close buy, beckoning her closer, and asking the pin, "Your leap was successful, yes?"

There was a muted snort from someone as the speaker replied, "Yes, the jump drive worked as expected and we are now docking with the Watchtower. We're heading to the Transport Bay, where we'll lock onto the pin's coordination's and port down. Just make sure you're in an open area, we don't have time for complications.

"Yes, alright!" said Starfire, quickly landing in an unoccupied area a short distance away from the building, Raven setting down next her, a curious look on her face. Starfire beamed, exclaiming, "Robin's aid has arrived! There will be docking at the tower that watches before joining us!"

Raven's eyebrow rose at her friend's statement, surprise in her voice, "Robin summoned the Justice League?" There was a slight frown on her face, "Perhaps I should leave, then…"

Starfire, confused, grasped onto Raven's hands, telling her, "No, you must stay with me to meet the League; I have not met anyone from the League before, but you have, yes? Please stay, most of the people are out of the building, and Cyborg and Beast Boy can handle the rest, for a few moments at least."

Raven shifted, but did not leave, muttering, "Yes… I've met some of them… I didn't depart on such good terms, however. Hopefully she will not show up…"

While in the past two years the five friends had gotten closer, some finally admitting to their birth names and backgrounds, including Robin showing the four the true face behind his mask, much of Raven's past was still secluded in mystery, so she had told none about her first, disastrous meeting with the Justice League before she had helped summon and form the Teen Titans. Raven did not want to face the magician again, the woman who was so against assisting the empath, but wasn't willing to leave Starfire's side either, and Starfire wasn't pressing the issue, so she remained, clutching Starfire's hand as the seconds ticked by, both waiting. Stressed and concerned, Raven ignored the faint headache that was starting to grow within her skull, absentmindedly rubbing her face as she tried to relieve the minor pain, thinking it nothing more then fatigue. However, the longer she stood there, the stronger the ache became, slowly spreading through her mind, her head becoming heavy and eyes strained. Feeling a sudden rush of weakness, she leaned into Starfire, who was looking concerned at her friend's sudden weight, the empath's breathing becoming quick, sweat starting to collect on her face.

Starfire asked what was wrong, but Raven ignored her, the empath's vision becoming blurry as her mind felt like it was being overcrowded with a fizzy static. As Starfire voiced her concern again the pin spoke, the speaker's voice a mixture of calmness and haste, "Starfire, we're at the Transport Bay; as soon as Mister Terrific calibrates-"

A long, drawn out scream cut off any other words from the speaker, Starfire immediately turning to Raven, who had suddenly collapsed onto the ground, clutching her head, the pressure within her mind becoming too much, causing her to scream in pain; there was not time to think, no time to process, there was just too much presence within her head. Starfire fell to her knees, gathering her writhing friend in her arms, trying to comfort the struggling woman, hearing someone speak from the pin, his voice tense, "Starfire! What's going on, who's screaming?"

Horrified by the sight of her friend trembling in pain, tears starting to form in the alien's eyes from the feeling of helplessness, Starfire stammered a reply, "I… R-raven's hurt! I don't know why! Raven!" she tried to call to her friend, whose eyes were clamped tight, Starfire able to see her corneas moving wildly.

"Remain calm, Starfire, we're on our way." The speaker said, his voice growing fainter as she heard him continue, "Terrific, get us down there!"

For Raven, with her mind overwhelmed, the pressure lessened somewhat, the empath realizing what was going on; it was emotions, a torrent of emotions were rushing into her, feelings of pain, sorrow, defiance. The link, the connection to Robin, had been restored, whatever had blocked it gone, and Raven could almost feel what her friend felt; while it was impossible for Raven to actually get the same sensations that Robin was, she could identify and faintly process the raw emotions he felt, and there were no pleasant emotions tearing into her. Still, as she now knew what was going on, she could control herself once again. Her spasms stopped, and she no longer cried out; long moments passed as she gathered herself, opening her eyes to stare into Starfire's green orbs, her friend clearly concerned. They didn't speak at first, the words on Starfire's face clear enough, prompting a reply from the exhausted empath, "I'm… I'm alright, Star. Just… need a few moments…"

Raven calmed herself, chanting her mantra softly, analyzing the sudden presence of Robin within her mind; the boy wonder felt distant, still, like he was intentionally blurring the connection, but he was there. He was alive. Raven sobbed in relief, not until this moment sure if her friend still lived; sitting up, and holding onto Starfire, she whispered, "It's back… he's alive…"

As she spoke, three bright glows formed around the duo, hovering about a foot off the ground; from these orbs of light, figures materialized, landing softly to the ground, causing many pauses from people around, all staring in awe at the trio who had appeared in their midst. Even for a city like Jump, who could proudly state they had their own team of super heroes, all were struck still as two of the most recognizable heroes of the world stood next to the two Teen Titans. Drawing everyone's eyes first was a tall man, with broad shoulders and a broad chin, dressed in the universally recognized blue and red suit, a proud "S" splayed across his massive chest. To the hero's right there was a beautiful woman with raven black hair, held back by a golden tiara, an alluring, form-fitting gold and red bodice hugging her body, a pair of silver bracers gleaming in the sun. Lastly, standing a few feet apart from the two, was a tall, green skinned man, clad only in blue shorts, two red straps crossing his chest, a large, billowing blue cloak on his back.

It was then, at this moment, with things finally looking up, the arrival of three League members bolstering everyone's morale, that catastrophe struck the empath; Raven, thinking herself in control of her emotions, was wrong, another surge of pressure flooding her skull, only much more intense then before. Robin's mental shield, the block he had formed to protect his friend from being influenced by his battle, had shattered, the boy wonder's mind abandoning all nonessential functions, trying to keep the young hero alive; for the first time, Raven felt physical pain through the bond, the empath drowning in the torrent of raw emotion, her head close to bursting. It was indescribable, and she would never be able to fully depict what she saw and felt, but one aspect was clear in the chaos, one emotion overwhelmed all others.

Death.

Raven could only cry out her anguish, wailing a drawn out, "Noooooo!" as she felt Robin's life dwindle, and the connection that linked her to him becoming weak. Thrashing, fighting the many hands that were trying to calm and subdue her, she screamed, her nails digging into a forearm, "He's killing him! No, God, no, he's killing him!"

The owner of the forearm that Raven gripped so tightly stared at the young woman with horror, knowing instinctively what her words meant, although he had no knowledge of the bond the two friends shared; tearing his eyes away from the mentally tormented woman, he found the gaze of the Martian hero, nodding once to the stoic alien, before removing Raven's grasp, bending slightly on his knees and shooting into the air. Superman, quickly surveying the area, was quickly able to hear, even sense, the location of Doomsday, and, with a minor sonic boom, he was gone.

J'onn, commonly called the Martian Manhunter, flicked his gaze to his remaining companion, telling the stunned woman, "Go, Diana, Superman will need your aid! This young empath's mind has been broken, and will be lost if I do not attend to it."

Wonder Woman nodded, replying softly, "Be careful, J'onn" before taking to the air herself, following in the wake of Earth's most powerful hero.

J'onn had only nodded with response, reaching his hands out slowly to cup Raven's face, needing contact if he was to delve into her mind; he was stalled for a moment by Starfire, who grasped one of his hands, her face wet with tears, visibly overcome by what had happened, asking the green alien, "What do you mean broken?"

He turned his gaze to her, pausing a moment before replying, "She has been overcome by her abilities, Koriand'r of Tamaran; she is still young and inexperienced, unable to handle the backlash she has suffered. I am going to enter her mind and repair the damage done; no more."

Starfire hesitated for a second, her hand tightening on his, pleading, "You… you won't hurt her, yes?"

A faint smile shadowed J'onn's face, "I will not hurt her, Koriand'r, but I can not promise she will not harm herself; I will wake her from her nightmare, though."

Starfire nodded, releasing his hands, and leaned back on her legs, her knees digging into the ground, watching the Martian's eyes glow as he cupped Raven's face, both becoming silent. As J'onn reached out to Raven, Starfire felt a hand grasp her shoulder; looking behind her, she saw Cyborg's face staring down at Raven, Beast Boy just a few feet off, both looking shell shocked, confused, and worried. Both had seen the League's appearance, drawn to the area like everyone else, and both had witnessed Raven's mental breakdown in horror, but only Cyborg had a faint idea of what was going on; Beast Boy, completely clueless, spoke quietly, his always warm and friendly voice now morose and weary, "Cy, Star… what's going on? What happened to Raven, and what did she mean?"

Starfire, her eyes filling with tears, could not reply, turning away from Beast Boy, holding onto Raven's hands as she wept; Cyborg sighed heavily, facing the distraught changeling, before revealing the truth.