Fan Fiction ❯ The Sparrow's Burden ❯ A Friend ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The Sparrow’s Burden

5.
Raven could not see a thing with the dishtowel over her eyes. Starfire lead her by
the hand, and all Raven knew is that the two were flying well away from Titan’s Tower.
Starfire was moving reasonably fast and not making any sudden turns or stops, so Raven
knew they probably were not flying through the city.

She had given up guessing. Raven could not get her mind off how cold it was
getting. She wished now she had stalled the trip to pick up her cloak.

The only part of her that remained comfortable was the hand that held Starfire’s.
Hers was warm, but not sweaty. It was like wrapping her hand in a blanket that had been
in the microwave. The heat exchanged between the two girls ran all the way up Raven’s
arm and gave her goosebumps, though she attributed them to the cold.

They had not even been flying for three minutes when Starfire began to slow
down. Raven listened intently for any sounds but heard none whatsoever. All she was
sure of, is that they were still outside. Now Stafire came to a complete stop, hovering still
hand in hand. “Raven, may I let go? Are you alift on your own accord?”

“It’s not like you were dragging me here, Starfire.” Starfire let go.

With both hands free, Raven immediately reached for the blindfold. “No!”
Starfire stopped her. “I must do that.” Raven lowered her hands and allowed a tiny
groan. This was getting a little ridiculous.

She felt Starfire move behind her and place both hands on her shoulders. She
performed the sequence slowly, almost lovingly. Raven became a little uncomfortable
when shivers ran down her back, but remained as she did. Starfire’s tenderness was a gift
as much as her powers were. If Raven had pulled away, she could not be sure how
Starfire would react. She may be hurt, and Starfire’s touch was not one that should ever
be withdrawn.

Starfire was rotating their bodies, keeping her line of sight parallel to Raven’s.
Whatever she was about to show her, Starfire obviously wanted to look at it too.

The towel began to loosen and fell from Raven’s face. The tips of her fingers
covered her open mouth as her awstruck words whimpered out. “Oh, Starfire!”

The moon was unlike any she had seen before. It seemed to cover half the sky.
The craters and hills could be seen so clearly, they could be reached out and caressed.
There was no cloudy aura around it’s edge, making the blanket of stars unobstructed and
just as magnificent. Miles of rolling hills were the clouds beneath them, and were made
blue by the light of the swelling jewel.

Raven thought she may cry as she looked all around. She had never seen such raw
elegance, never expected to be treated to such an experience. She felt as though she was
seeing the world for everything Starfire believed it was. Starfire was teaching Raven a
new feeling by showing something that had once been just for her.

“It is where I come when I wish to be alone,” she told Raven. “You are not the
only one who needs solitude at times, my friend.”

Raven could not take her eyes off the shimmering orb. Although it was
completely silent otherwise, she barely heard Starfire. “Then why bring me?”

Starfire floated to her front and turned to face Raven. “There are very few who
could see such a sight, Raven,” she referred to their powers. “Some things were meant to
be shared.”

“Starfire . . .” Raven found herself looking unabashedly at the Tamarainian now.
“Thanks.”

Starfire answered with a wistful smile. “I do not believe Beast Boy takes interest
in such things, and I also do not think the other boys could appreciate this while I
struggled to keep them levitated.”

The mental image of Starfire in an effort to keep Cyborg from falling entered
Raven’s head. She would have to hold him underneath his shoulders, and he would
probably be fighting her every inch of the way. The thought caused Raven to laugh out
loud, though she tried to keep it as muffled as possible.

Starfire took notice anyway. She moved closer Raven. “It is not often I hear the
laughter of another female,” she noted. Starfire was now laughing with her. “Yours is
lovely.”

The compliment caused Raven to blush profusely. She could not even keep
Starfire within eye contact. She certainly did not know what to say, either. Raven was
rarely complimented. People only appreciate the things they notice, and Raven was not
one of those. The fact that Starfire cherished common qualities as much as this stunning
landscape spoke worlds to her. She again felt as she did when Starfire had hugged her,
also when Starfire held her hand and when she spoke so lovingly to her. Raven felt it
now just being with her.

For the first time, Raven saw her powers as gifts. Before tonight, she was a freak
and a time bomb. But what “normal” person could see what she now saw? Right now,
the world was clean. All the trouble, people, monsters and noise were sealed from her.
Only one person remained and Raven could not be happier with who it was.

Raven did not jump when Starfire laid her hand on her shoulder. She put her own
hand to rest on top of it. “Raven,” Starfire was careful not to disturb the silence. “Shall
we go back?”

The question caused Raven’s heart to sink a little. A correct answer would have
been that there was nowhere she would rather be. But it was getting late, and Starfire
may be sleepy. “Are you tired?” Raven asked, hopeful to what the answer may be.

“I am not.” Starfire beamed and turned back towards the moon. She smiled as
though Raven had asked precisely the right question to answer hers, and it was clear she
did not want to leave either.

Raven’s next words were that of her current thoughts. She needed to hear herself
say them out loud, and they needed to be said the presence of Starfire. “I want to be here
with you, Starfire.” She held her breath, hoping that Starfire did not yet realise what she
really meant.

Clearly not. To Raven’s relief and mild disappointment, Starfire continued to
stare into the sky, not even turning to notice the tear noiselessly pushing it’s way past
Raven’s eyelash.

Raven quickly wept it away. It came as the realisation had hit: Raven now knew
who the girl in silver was. It was the emotion that would be hardest to control, and the
one that would consume Raven’s life.

*

Robin was gone by the next morning. He wanted to be back for afternoon and
start the team on combat practice, so he left early.

His arm was still in a sling, the broken wrist and dislocated shoulder far from
okay. It made travel more difficult than he would ever admit. It also kept him from
responding to Titan alerts. Although they had not received any major ones since
Sparrow, Cyborg took no chances against Robin’s resolve and confiscated is portable
alarm. This frustrated Robin to his wits end but found arguing with Cyborg to be
fruitless. Cyborg may have been the only member of the team more bull-headed than the
leader, and Robin admitted to himself that he needed to be. Running obstacle courses,
Robin could get away with being less than a hundred percent, but live combat was
something else. He took a quiet pride knowing that if no one held him back, Robin
would fight to the bitter end against any odds.

His arm was still in the early healing stages, and Robin knew Cyborg and Starfire
would probably strap him to the medical bed when he got back. But there was something
that needed to be done, and he wouldn’t feel right sending anybody else.

He dropped into the public entrance to the penitentiary, immediately greeted by
several curious guards. Robin informed them why he was there and was promptly led
inside. He was told that to proceed any further he would have to leave all his weapons
and equipment at a security checkpoint.

Robin could not help but notice how friendly the cyber-equipped guards were. He
knew they could not have possibly been this lenient with all visitors, but since many of
the inmates were there because of him, he was probably given the benefit of the doubt.

Two guards led Robin through the concrete halls into a small office. A man sat at
a desk, too immersed in paperwork to immediately notice the three of them. He was
black and broad-shouldered , probably close to what Cyborg would look like when he
was older, save for some military hardware, of course.

The man looked up and quickly rose to extend his greetings. “Robin,” he said
coming around the desk. “I’m Warden Jack Bauer. It’s truly a pleasure.” The two
exchanged a firm handshake, which Bauer followed with a joke. “ . . . Even though you
have made my job considerably busier.”

Robin smirked. “I guess I never think about the real victims, do I?”

The warden laughed. “I can’t imagine getting here from Titans Tower was easy
with that thing on,” he motioned to Robin’s sling. “What can I do for you?”

With Robin’s answer, the mood of the room went fell from light-hearted to
sombre, and all it took was one word. “Sparrow.”

Jack nodded and leaned back on the front of his desk. “Ah, you have questions,
right?” Robin nodded. “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Physically, he seems in
good health, but he hasn’t said a word since we brought him in.”

Robin’s eyebrows stretched to their fullest. He knew Sparrow to be one of those
fighters that would talk you to death if he couldn’t hit you. “Nothing? He hasn’t said
anything at all?”

“Hasn’t even asked for a lawyer. He won’t touch his food, and that which he
does, he can’t keep down.” Robin’s confusion only grew as the warden continued to
speak. “Guards haven’t seen him sleeping, either. He just kind of sits on the edge of the
bed. Believe me Robin, I wish I had some answers for you, but I wish even more you
were coming here with some answers for me.”

Robin began to pace. He had heard of cellblock anxiety, but Sparrow was never
one to give in to petty emotions. He was too arrogant to ever be depressed, it was a sign
of weakness. Gathering his thoughts, Robin spoke up. “Whatever’s happening to him,
it’s not normal. I think you should--”

He was cut off by a booming voice coming from all directions, an intercom he
couldn’t spot. “Attention all personnel. Security and medical teams dispatch to
conference room seven.”

As the message began to repeat itself, Warden Bauer wore a face of a man twice
his age. “The district attorney was meeting with Sparrow in conference room seven.”
Robin’s heart skipped. “Looks like our boy had other plans.” Jack bolted from the room,
sidearm in hand. The two guards raced after him followed closely by Robin.

*

“Star, get down!” A great outcry from Beast Boy met Starfire’s ears. Her dear
friend was dropped to the pavement as he attempted to clear her from danger.

“Beast Boy!” He had been struck by a motorised bicycle thrown with the intent of
incapacitating her, however Beast Boy had tossed her aside at great physical pain to
himself.

She rushed to him. His hand was rubbing his head and his eyes seemed not to
focus. As she helped him to his feet, he spoke. “I’m all right. Just get back in there. I
don’t think Cy and Raven can handle that thing alone.”

That thing of which he referred was what the four Titans presently did battle with.
It was a lizard-like humanoid, close to nine feet in height. It alternated walking both erect
and as a quadruped. The creature was extremely quick, and seemed to exercise as much
effort into scaling vertical surfaces as moving along the ground. This was made possible
by the dozen or more tentacles that grew to a length of twenty feet from it’s back.

Starfire flew to rejoin the battle against the creature she called “Mandibore”, after
the mythological Tamarainian spirit of destruction. She looked up to see it lock arms
with Cyborg in an attempt to overpower him. Cyborg would not be subdued so easily.
He braced against the monster, crying out with adrenaline and intensity. But Mandibore
could not be broken in such a melee. His tentacles wrapped themselves around the young
warrior’s feet and pulled his weight from under him. Cyborg yelped in surprise just
before being flung through the brick wall of a nearby apartment.

Her eyes glowing with anger, Starfire shot upwards to meet her opponent.
Mandibore used his extra appendages to elevate himself and tactlessly dodge her barrage
of Starbolts. She attempted to move closer, within the range of his attack so he would be
focused on her and perhaps someone could get him from behind. But the creature was
more cleaver than it appeared, throwing a piece of debris which forced Starfire to dodge,
following by driving three stiff tentacles into her abdomen, sending her flying upwards.

Raven arose from the alley, which she had been knocked into some time before.
“Azrah, Met--”. Mandibore was already upon her. Using his tentacles to propel himself
to her position and striking her with both feet, sending her swiftly into a recovering
Cyborg.

Raven’s cry of pain burned Starfire. As greatly as she wished to regain her
fleeting breath, she moved to return to the fray. Beast Boy would beat her to the enemy,
however. He struck with the body of a Rhinosaurus, sending the evil plummeting
backwards onto it’s side.

Starfire witnessed Raven still regaining her diction as Cyborg and Beast Boy
moved in for the decisive blow. Starfire remained where she was, hovering fifteen meters
above the rival who now seemed unconscious. Still, Cyborg and Beast Boy proceeded
with extreme caution, Cyborg with his Sonic Cannon drawn, Beast Boy in his normal
form but on guard nonetheless. Starfire readied a starbolt. This opponent had fallen too
swiftly considering the power he clearly possessed.

The two boys stopped in a defensive perimeter around the creature. Starfire felt it
safe and began to move towards Raven and confirm she was uninjured. But as though
she had impelled it, Mandibore’s extensions sprang forth as porcupine’s quills. Starfire’s
eyes blazed to life. The two nearby Titans were violently tossed several blocks away, no
doubt unconscious upon landing.

The monster turned to Raven. Seeing it’s entire arsenal of appendages focused as
if to impale her caused Starfire to feel ill. For during the battle, Raven did not fight well.
She had not used her telekinetic powers to the extent Starfire had seen in the past. Raven
conjured bricks and stones rather than large, heavy objects that could pulverise
Mandibore.

Starfire knew it was her fault. She had stayed too lengthy with Raven at her spot
last night, now she was weary and lacked sleep. Mandibore’s attack had come early in
the day, which was somewhat fortunate that it happened before Robin could return.

Ashamed of her folly, Starfire hastened to Raven’s position on top of the building.
Raven was attempting to drive back the monster, appealing to many objects to hurl
themselves at him, but none destructive enough than to do more but hinder his advance.
Mandibore was between the two girls, and Starfire pointed her dive into the middle of his
back. She hit with impressive force, but only sent him stumbling a few steps.

Mandibore turned to face her, clearly annoyed at the resilience of his constantly
changing opponents. Starfire brought a starbolt to bear, but could not discharge it. In an
instant she was entwined with horrid, faceless snakes. Wrapping themselves so tightly
around her arms and legs they completely cut off her circulation. They did not bind her
limbs to her torso, rather stretched them out as they lifted her high into the air.

Starfire struggled as she could, but the tentacles moved her as an unwilling
marionette. She began to scream just as another demonic vine wrapped around her
mouth. Starfire felt the pulling begin. Her arms, legs and even her head were now all
being pulled in separate directions, and terror overtook Starfire as she knew Mandibore
held the ability to force her apart.

Starfire strained to see the area where Raven had been, but she was not there. She
was not on any of the rooftops that Starfire caught glimpses of as she was thrashed about.
Hope drained from the girl as she realised that she was now facing the monster alone.


Cyborg: The powerhouse of the Titans, Cyborg is the brawn and techno brain of the
group. His cybernetic body makes him nearly impossible to surpass in strength, and hosts
a enormous collection of weapons, sensors, and gizmos. He is also highly skilled in
computers, as his hygiene depends on his maintenance programming.

Most of Cyborg’s body is artificial. His original flesh is that of a very fit
african-american male. He towers over the other Titans as his size reflects his strength.
Cyborg has little “clothing” of which to speak, instead his body is covered in shining
tech-armour. A red sensor in his left iris compensates for his lack of an eye.

In battle, Cyborg runs on adrenaline as much as any other fuel. He has a large amount of
pride and becomes as emotional as Starfire at times. Cyborg sometimes acts as a big
brother to the others, serving as both a protector and a moral compass. He is often
sceptical and even a bit cynical, but this doesn’t stop him from putting complete trust in
his team-mates. He loves to relax with the gang, but takes his job as a fighter very
seriously.