Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ Back to the Present ❯ Rescue Mission ( Chapter 10 )

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

BACK TO THE PRESENT
Chapter 10: Rescue Mission

By: Jacque Nicole

1:37 AM

Bright eyes widened, trying to get used to the dim lighting in the cavernous room. The cave was large and housed several hundred bats, their high pitched squeaks echoing off its rocky walls. The air was dank and pungent with the odor of the bat waste that littered the cave floor. Despite the incessant cries from the bats, there was the distinct sound of water dripping from the ceiling and creating shallow puddles.

“So you've finally decided wake.”

Starfire tiredly raised her head from its slumped position. Immediately, she found her arms tethered high on the cave wall, causing her legs to dangle beneath her. She experimentally tugged on the chains that chained her arms to the rock wall but to no avail. She was too weak to do anything.

“Wakey, wakey, little bitch,” came that same sinister voice.

Starfire could recognize it anywhere. She tried to say the name, but her dry, raw, throat did not allow her to make a sound.

The thin shadowed figure stepped closer to its prisoner.

“I've been waiting days to do this,” it said. In the darkness, Starfire could barely make a slender arm rising from its owner's side.

An unmistakable sting ached Starfire's cheek. She let out a wince in pain and knew that her skin was changing color where she'd been slapped.

“I hate you,” said Starfire's assailant.

The Tameranian girl tried to speak again. “Kitten,” she croaked. “Why?”

“Why?” The blond teen snorted. “You took my Robbie-poo away from me!

Starfire tugged at her bonds again. “Was… never… yours…” she gasped.

“No!” exclaimed the teen. “Ever since I first saw him on the television, I knew that I wanted him… and I always get what I want.” Starfire was shocked. “What? Did you think the only reason I was with him was because Slade commanded it?” Starfire gave her a look. Kitten's face got red in anger. “Well, you're wrong. If you weren't involved we could've been together,” she blabbered mindlessly. “And,” she added as an afterthought, “I would've been more popular!” (1)

Starfire wearily looked at the love sick teen. “You are crazy...”

Fire burned in the blond's eyes. “Who the hell asked you!” She moved closer to Starfire, arms folded indignantly. “But that's okay, you filthy alien. You'll pay for what you've taken away from me.” And with that, Kitten plunged a syringe filled with a familiar clear liquid into the Tameranian's arm. Starfire moaned in reluctance as the toxin drained into her body.

“What was that?” she breathed.

“It doesn't matter,” Kitten replied, flinging the empty syringe over her shoulder. “Let's just say it'll make you feel really good.” She gave the Tameranian prisoner a devilish smirk.

Starfire stared back into the eyes of the vengeful teen thoroughly confused. Colors began to smear and the outline of her Kitten's face became fuzzy. Starfire felt as if she were on a rainbow, colors dancing before her eyes. She felt happy.

Elated.

Euphoric.

Kitten roughly grabbed Starfire's chin, forcing her to look at her. “You will pay, wench,” she threatened before spinning on her heel and heading into the darkness.

Starfire gazed after her, even after she was out of sight.

“Bye, bye!” she giggled dazedly.

XOXOXOXOX

1:37 AM

It was lonely without her, he realized for the first time. Without her, nothing was worth it. Without her, he felt like life wasn't worth living. And that's why he and seven others trudged across the muddy bridged that joined the island Titans' Tower was built on with the mainland, flashlights in tow.

“Robin,” teen Cyborg said grimly, coming to a halt along the shore. “This is the place.”

The Boy Wonder nodded. “Search,” he commanded tersely.

The eight heroes dispersed to search the location for any clues. Robin walked off, separating himself from the group. Having been the ward of a detective, Robin was specially trained in searching for evidence, and he put all his skills to use. He carefully examined the sand, trying to spot any proof that Slade had been there. Upon seeing no clues whatsoever, Robin realized, dejectedly, that Slade was intelligent enough to leave nothing behind for Robin to find, unless, of course, it was meant to be found.

Looking to his teammates and their allies, Robin saw crestfallen, yet determined faces.`We will find Starfire,' he assured himself. `We have to.'

At that moment, Nightwing looked up and straight at Robin. Their gazes met in an intense glare, the tension from their previous fight still present. Angrily, he tore his eyes away from Nightwing's. He took deep breaths to calm himself. `His fault...'

“Hey, I found something!” Teen Cyborg's voice rang out into the pitch blackness.

Robin was at his side in seconds. “What? What is it?” He asked urgently. He flashed his flashlight at what his friend had cupped in his large robotic hands. He promptly dropped his light when he saw what it was.

“Well?” Nightwing he prompted tersely, the other Titans clamoring behind him to get a view. “What was it?” He flashed his own flashlight at the item.

Nightwing let out a barely audible gasp.

It was Starfire's communicator.

1:51 AM

Starfire was too far gone one the Euphoria to think straight. She knew she was in trouble and that if she didn't escape soon there would be dire consequences, but the drug had scrambled her brain so badly that she could not even concentrate to use her powers.

She heard footsteps walking in the shadows, but immediately knew they did not belong to Kitten. Kitten's footfalls were light and dainty, but these steps were heavy and hard, almost cocky sounding. As the figure stepped into the light Starfire wanted to gasp, but the drugs had clouded her mind so thoroughly that she giggled instead.

“My dear Starfire,” Slade teased as he got closer to the Tameranian. “I see you haven't passed out from this dosage. It looks like your body has accepted Euphoria,” he informed, gliding his fingers up and down Starfire's exposed arm. (2)

She felt sick to her stomach at the contact. She moaned in protest. “Stop...”

The villain chortled. “As you wish,” he said mockingly, removing his hand from her shoulder. “Tonight will be a momentous night, my dear,” he continued, as if nothing had just transpired. “Your friends are probably looking for you as we speak.” Slade's words slurred together in Starfire's head, not one sentence making any sense at all. Slade's image blurred as if he were made of paint and someone had smeared him all together. Starfire tried to reach out, her mind urging her to touch the colors, but she was unable to, due to the fact that she was still tied up to the wall.

“Robin will come running for you. He's willing to risk life and limb for you,” continued the cunning villain. “And that's just what he'll be doing tonight.” Suddenly, the entire room began to shake. The sleeping bats on the ceiling fell into an uproar, frantically flying around the cave in utter confusion. Slade smirked in appreciation. “It looks like your friends have found your communicator,” he said before leaving the room. “Wish them luck, dear. They'll certainly need it.”

XOXOXOXOX

1:51 AM

As the sudden realization befell the group, the ground began to shake. The land on which the Titans stood cracked and began to ooze an eerie brown substance. The goo began to bubble and stretch, forming some sort of figure. An ear shattering screech emitted from what seemed to be the creature's mouth.

Plasmus stood tall, swinging its arms at everything in sight.

Robin's eyes widened. “Titans, GO!”

The two teams immediately sprang into action.

Robin charged forward, bo-staff in his hands. “I should've known that Slade had something up his sleeve,” he said, plunging it into the monster's gut.

Plasmus gave an unearthly screech, grabbed Robin, and threw him several feet away.

“Hey, no one does that to my friend and gets away with it!” yelled teen Beast Boy. He abruptly changed into a green sparrow and flew above Plasmus. Once in position, he transformed into an elephant and fell on top of Plasmus, effectively reducing him to a puddle of goop.

“Good job, dude,” congratulated the older Beast Boy, giving his younger counterpart a high five.

Teenage Raven's eyes narrowed. “Don't celebrate yet,” she advised.

The liquid regrouped and piled up, creating a large blob, until Plasmus was, once again, in his natural state.

“For once, when we knock a villain down, can they just stay down?” Beast Boy asked rhetorically.

Plasmus let out another screech before throwing a ball of goo at his attacker. Having been taken by surprise, teen Beast Boy was hit dead on and became buried in the sticky liquid.

During this attack, Nightwing managed to take the villain by surprise by implanting dozens of mini bombs on his back. The bombs exploded, bringing the villain down to his knees.

Plasmus fell face down and did not get back up this time. His blob like body dissolved leaving only an unconscious man in its wake.

Teen Cyborg stared at the scene incredulously. “Well, that was easy.”

“Too easy,” Robin added, brushing remnants of the Plasmus' sticky liquid off his costume. `Why in the world would Slade wantus to defeat Plasmus?' the Boy Wonder thought to himself.

Robin's attention was jarred by a shout from the older Cyborg. “Yo, guys, look what I found! It looks like a tunnel!”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Nightwing questioned at he disappeared into the dark passage. Both Cyborgs followed wordlessly.

Robin was itching to join them, but he had to take care of the Plasmus problem first. “Someone needs to stay here and make sure that he,” he tilted his head toward the man on the ground, “stays unconscious.”

The pair of Ravens and Beast Boys looked at each other expectantly. It was obvious that neither wanted to be left behind.

Reluctantly, teen Beast Boy spoke up first. “Fine, we'll stay here,” he said, referring to himself and his counterpart.

Robin gave a curt nod. “Good. All you have to do is make sure that, that guy doesn't wake up. That way you'll have no problem with Plasmus. My communicator will always be on. Just call if there's a problem.”

Beast Boy noticed Robin's cold demeanor, but did not comment on it. “Alright,” he said. “But, just promise me one thing.” Robin raised a brow questionably. “Could you… Be sure to… ” The changeling struggled for words. “Just bring her back, ok?”

Robin nodded. “I will, Beast Boy. I swear it.”

XOXOXOXOX

2:14 AM

The rumbling had ceased a while ago but, despite the calm atmosphere, not a word was uttered between Starfire and Slade. If Slade knew what the outcome of the battle that was going on above ground was, he gave no indication of it. He just stared at the ceiling, a look in his eyes that was so eerie it left Starfire wondering what he was thinking.

After what seemed like ages, he finally turned to her. “Your friends will be here soon,” he said.

`How do you know?' Starfire wanted to reply, but the drug she had been forced to take caused her tongue to lay limp in her mouth, like a log.

Slade gave the alien teen one more look before leaving, dragging his eyes deliberately slow up and down her frame.

As Slade disappeared into the shadows, Kitten appeared, cracking her knuckles and staring at Starfire with a malicious gleam in her eyes.

XOXOXOXOX

2:15 AM

The tunnel was a long, winding trail, the smell of it reeking of salt water. The floor was extremely muddy, drowning each of the Titans' feet ankle deep with each step. All the group could see was a seemingly never ending blackness ahead of them that was barely illuminated by their weak flashlights.

Nightwing headed the group, traveling at a quick speed, eager to find his friend. He looked as if he didn't even notice the fact that his feet sank into the unstable ground with every step or that the air was barely breathable. He was completely focused on the task at hand.

Robin was in the far back, his mannerisms mirroring Nightwing's. His expression was vacant; his only thoughts were of a Tameranian beauty. `Is she alright?' he wondered to himself as he trudged along the long path.

“Don't worry yourself about her too much, Robin,” teen Raven said, trying to console her friend.

“Yeah,” agreed the older Raven. “Starfire's a big girl. She can take care of herself.”

“That's what I told myself after I gave up looking for her at the circus,” Nightwing added from up front. “Now look where we are.”

The statement was heavy on everyone's hearts.

“Look man, it doesn't hurt to be a little optimistic in a situation like this,” Teen Cyborg snapped. “Besides, if you would have been paying more attention to your surroundings when you were with her, maybe we wouldn't be here in the first place!”

“How would he have stopped Slade?” the older Raven argued back. “I do not think this was unavoidable.”

“Of course it was. If he just - ”

“Hey do you guys hear that?” the older Cyborg said, interrupting his counterpart.

Nightwing gritted his teeth, frustrated. “What are you - ”

“Shh!” Robin said, holding up a hand to signal for silence. He strained his ears, trying to catch what Cyborg had heard.

The noises steadily became louder “Wait,” teen Cyborg said. “Are those... wings?”

“Yes,” confirmed Nightwing. “I'd know that sound anywhere, Those are - ”

“Bats!” yelled Robin. “Duck!”

The heroes hit the deck, just missing being pummeled by a massive group of about one thousand alarmed bats.

“Damn,” breathed Cyborg in astonishment as he watched the swarm fly over head.

“Tell me about it,” teen Raven said.

XOXOXOXOX

2:15 AM

“Starfire, how do you feel?”

“Very pleasant.”

Kitten chuckled. “So, you enjoy Euphoria?”

“Yes... Euphoria is nice.”

Kitten gave her signature smirk. “Good, then you won't feel this,” she replied, delivering a swift punch to Starfire's stomach.

Starfire did feel it and her body recoiled in response. Her mind, however, did not seem to notice the attack.

Blankly, she stared at the blond standing before her.

Euphoria is very nice.

XOXOXOXOX

2:17 AM

“What the hell was that about?”

The mass of bats had finally vanished, leaving only bewildered Titans in its wake.

Covered in mud, Nightwing stood and began to walk deeper into the darkness of the tunnel. “Something must've disturbed them, Cyborg,” he replied over his shoulder. “There's no telling what Slade's doing down here.”

Suddenly, Robin's communicator came to life. Robin pulled it out and turned it on.

“Hey Robin!” Teen Beast Boy's face filled the screen. “You guys alright? A whole shitload of bats just flew out of that tunnel you guys went in.”

“Yeah, we know Beast Boy. We're fine,” he replied. By now the group had already began to travel again. “How are you guys holding up back there?” he asked as he stumbled to catch up with his comrades.

Teen Beast Boy shrugged. “That guy's definitely out like a light. He hasn't moved since you left. Old man's sitting on him just in case, though.” Robin heard older Beast Boy protest to his younger counterpart's nickname, but teen Beast Boy did not acknowledge it. “So,” he continued, “have you found anything yet?”

Robin frowned. “Unfortunately, no.” Gradually, Robin noticed off-handedly, the pathway had become much less narrow, the air more humid, and the mud even deeper.

“Damn,” continued Beast Boy on the communicator. “I was hoping that by now - ”

“So was I,” Robin cut in. Suddenly, the Boy Wonder halted in mid-step. Something was very different.

Older Raven, who was much farther up ahead turned around and looked at him, puzzled. “What's the matter?” She called back.

Robin looked around him, trying to spot something out of place. “I don't know,” he replied. “It just felt like - ” he broke off, immediately turning to the wall at his far right, a birdarang in one hand and his communicator (which still had Beast Boy on the screen) in the other.

Suddenly, the wall burst apart, large rocks crumbling to the ground, narrowly missing Robin's body. A bright blue light emitting from the creature that stepped through the opening illuminated the area. It let out a battle cry.

“Dude!” yelled Beast Boy frantically. “What was that?!”

With his eyes locked on the massive electronic monster before him, Robin brought his communicator close to his mouth. “Uhh, Beast Boy,” he muttered into the small yellow device. “I gotta go.”

XOXOXOXOX

2:29 AM

For the first time, neither Kitten nor Slade were in the room. `That is foolish of them,' Starfire thought. `How do they know that I will not escape?'

Starfire weakly bent her legs, which had never been tied, and placed them against the wall for leverage. Once they were securely on the rocky surface behind her, she tried pushing away from the wall in hopes that the tension created in her hand bonds would break them.

Nothing happened. It was no use; she was too weak.

Unexpectedly, applause from someone broke out into the emptiness of the cave.

“That was very amusing, little one. Did you think you could escape?”

Starfire smiled ironically. She should've known Slade wouldn't have left her by herself.

“No, dear. We can't have you getting away. It's Robin's job to come and save you.” Slade smirked devilishly. He approached her with a syringe in his hand. Noticing the various cuts and bruises marring her perfect skin, the villain frowned. “I see Kitten has been having a bit of fun with you,” he said conversationally as the needle sank into her arm.

Starfire began to breathe erratically as she felt the drug begin to coarse through her veins. “She has,” drawled the red head.

“There,” said Slade as the last of the liquid disappeared. “Now you won't have any thoughts of escaping, right?”

“Right,” replied Starfire dazedly.

“Good girl.”

XOXOXOXOX

2:30 AM

“Cyborg, watch out!” Nightwing warned his teammate. Older Cyborg ducked just in time to narrowly miss being hit by a boulder that Overload threw directly at him. The angry robot returned the favor, picking up the gargantuan boulder and chucking it at the powerhouse. At the last second, Overload managed to avoid it.

The younger Cyborg raised an eyebrow. “You missed,” he pointed out. He shot a sonic blast at the powerful enemy. It was off.

“I don't see you landing too many either, kid,” yelled the older Cyborg from across the battleground.

Just then, a black birdarang whizzed by, accurately hitting its target. “Shit!” swore Nightwing when his attack had no effect. He ran toward the villain to attempt hand-to-hand combat.

Robin had long ago managed to climb onto Overload's back, searching for any type of weakness while also planting mini bombs underneath random circuits. Having been distracted by his five other opponents, Overload did not notice the Boy Wonder's presence.

Down below, the Ravens had run out of ideas. They had already tried using their powers to pummel the monster with the biggest boulders they found but nothing seemed to work. Suddenly, Overload's power had a very small and subtle fluctuation. Puzzled, the two half demons carefully scanned the area, looking for anything that may have caused the change. Simultaneously, they erected a shield to protect themselves from a huge ball of mud that Overload decided to pelt at them.

At the monster's feet, Nightwing attacked with a barrage of punches and kicks, to the annoyance of Overload. The vigilante realized that none of his attacks were working, but he kept going anyway, despite the fact.

Suddenly, there was a series of explosions on the powerhouse's back. Robin, now perched on Overload's shoulders to avoid his own bombs, watched with rapt anticipation as his mini bombs exploded, one after the other.

Overload screeched at the pain and, in a blind rage, delivered a swift, strong kick to Nightwing, causing him to fly several feet away and collide with the cave's rocky walls. He reached over his shoulder, grabbed Robin, and slammed him to the ground like a human football. Neither Nightwing or Robin got back up again.

Abruptly, Overload found himself suspended in mid-air. The older Raven lifted him off the ground to incapacitate him while her younger counterpart hit him with what they thought was his weakness - water.

After the strange power surge, it did not take the Ravens long to realize that its cause had been a drop of water that fell from the ceiling. Immediately, they formulated a plan. The older Raven was supposed to lift the monster out of the reach of their teammates while the young Raven used her powers to put a hole in the ceiling.

“Azareth, Metrion, Zinthos!” exclaimed teen Raven as she plowed a hole through the top of the cave. Instantly, water from the bay that lay above the cave spilled through. The teenage half demon used her powers to redirect the water at the electronic villain. Having been doused by an unexpected attack, Overload short circuited and the disc that gave him power fell into the mud with a squish. Afterward, the two Ravens managed to plug up the hole before it expanded.

There was a silence between the team as they looked around the destructive scene.

Teen Cyborg spoke first. “Well, what do we do now?” he questioned, staring at his fallen teammates.

Suddenly, Nightwing's body began to stir. Using the rocky wall as leverage, he managed to stand up, keeping one hand on the wall for balance. “The only thing we can do,” he replied through gritted teeth. The pain in his leg was so searing he thought he might pass out from the intensity of it. He knew he must have shattered some bones. The vigilante took one step, but as soon as his hand left the wall he collapsed to the ground with a cry of pain. The Cyborgs and the older Raven ran to the aid of their friend. No one noticed as the younger Raven found an unconscious Robin hidden in one of the many shadows the cave created. His head was bleeding profusely from where he had landed on a particularly jagged stone.

Teen Raven's eyes widened as she saw him lying in a small pool of his own blood. “Robin? Robin? Can you hear me? Are you alright?” she asked hopefully, even though she knew that there was no chance that he'd answer. With a string of curses, Raven went into action. Although she had never tried repairing a cracked skull, she was confident that she could pull it off. The only problem was that she'd have to use nearly all of her energy to do so.

Across the cave, older Raven was troubled by the same predicament. She had healed bones before, but at the time it had been a broken tibia. Even then she hadn't repaired it completely because she knew that it would take a lot out of her, and, at the time, the biggest threat against them was a not-so-threatening Johnny Rancid. This was completely different. By the abnormal shape of Nightwing's leg, Raven assumed that when he hit the wall nearly every bone in his leg was shattered. She gently placed her hands on Nightwing's injury and used all her remaining strength the heal him. `If there's anyone here that should go on to fight Slade, it's Nightwing,' she rationalized in her head.

Even as she began feeling weaker and weaker, teen Raven pressed on. She could sense the cut in the back of Robin's head closing up and his consciousness being restored as she felt her own escaping her. With one final surge of magic, Raven completed the job.

Robin groggily opened his eyes. Immediately, his gloved hand flew to his head. “Oh man. I feel like I was just hit with a Mack truck,” he muttered. He slowly sat up with one hand still clutching his aching head. His eyes landed on his friend. “Raven?” he questioned, puzzled.

Raven was exhausted and tiredly gasped for breaths. She felt like she had just run a marathon. “Good,” she said to Robin. “You don't have amnesia. How are you feeling?”

Robin shrugged his shoulders. “Like a rag doll that just came out of a washing machine. What happened?”

“You got your ass kicked by the creature. You cracked your skull, but I patched you up. You may still have a concussion, though.”

Robin sighed. “I guess what goes around comes around, right?”

“Yeah,” replied Raven. “Karma's a bitch.” Raven stood up on shaky legs and helped her teammate do the same. “Come on. Your little friend got banged up pretty badly, too.”

Perspiration lined older Raven's brow as she concentrated on putting each bone back together. She drowned out all sounds from the outside world so she could focus only on Nightwing. Suddenly, she felt someone else's magic entwine with her own and help her finish up the job. `Raven...'

As both Ravens worked on his leg, Nightwing felt the pain ebb and finally fade into a faint tingling sensation. Once they were finished, he experimentally bent it. He felt no pain at all.

He smiled gratefully at his friends. “Thank you.”

“No prob,” replied older Raven, panting heavily.

Nightwing did not look too convinced. “You can't continue, can you?”

“Nope,” she replied.

“Neither can I,” added the younger Raven.

A strange look crossed Robin's face before he spoke. “That's fine. The both of you can stay behind. When you regain your strength, bring the robot's disc up to the surface with you.”

Older Raven nodded. Nightwing stood up again, this time with no problems.

“Be careful, Nightwing. I did my best my best to heal you, but sometimes my best isn't enough,” the future Raven warned.

“Yeah,” agreed the younger half demon. “The same goes to you too, Robin.”

The Boy Wonder nodded in understanding. “Alright.” He gave one last lingering glance at the area and his friends. “I guess we'll see you all really soon.”

“Just be careful, okay?”

Robin nodded to the two Ravens before joining the group to leave.

“Hey, don't worry about us, Rave,” shouted young Cyborg.

“We've got it all under control,” added his counterpart.

The two Ravens looked at each other dubiously. “That's what we're afraid of.”

XOXOXOXOX

2:36 AM

When Slade unexpectedly threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh, Starfire flinched in surprise.

“What is so amusing?” she asked in a meek voice.

Slade abruptly stopped his fit and looked at Starfire, eyes glittering with mischief. “You would never understand.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Try me.”

Slade chuckled lightly in response. “One as innocent as yourself will never comprehend the inner mechanics of someone like me,” he replied, taunting her.

Just then, Starfire did something neither of them expected that she'd do.

She tilted her head back, brought up a thick wad of spit, and spat it right in Slade's face.

In a flash, Starfire found her head pressed heavily against the cave's rocky walls, her captor's hand clutched tightly around her slim neck.

“If you value your life at all, you will refrain from doing that,” he growled angrily, saliva sliding down his masked cheek.

Even though her windpipe was crushed, Starfire managed to gasp out, “You have no intention of killing me. You need to use me as bait. Am I not correct?”

Slade narrowed his eyes. “Make no mistake, child. Robin is on his way here. I have no further need for you. You are lucky that I chose not to dispose of you now because I know that these mood swings you are having are side effects of the drug.” With one last angry gaze, he left Starfire alone to her thoughts.

XOXOXOXOX

2:47 AM

They had been walking for about ten minutes after they'd left the Ravens behind. Somehow, the group had slightly separated - the two Cyborgs in the far front with Nightwing and Robin lagging behind. Not a soul spoke. The deafening silence was only filled by the distinct sound of the shrieking bats and droplets of water hitting puddles.

“You're hurt.” It was a single phrase uttered by Robin to his enemy, but it held so much hidden meaning behind it. Did Robin actually care about Nightwing's welfare after all?

The older vigilante gave his younger self a puzzling look in response.

“Your pace has changed,” the Boy Wonder continued. “And you're walking with a slight limp.”

It was true. Nightwing's newly repaired leg bones were still tender and after a long amount of walking it became painful. Nightwing gave Robin a sideways glance. “Wow. I didn't know you cared.”

“I don't,” he responded shortly, ending the conversation.

Another five minutes went by.

“You're hurt too, kid.” This time it was Nightwing who addressed Robin. “You haven't been walking in a straight line for the past couple of minutes, and you look a bit unsteady on your feet.” Nightwing frowned when Robin did not even bother to acknowledge him. “Quick, Robin,” he said, shoving two fingers in Robin's face. “How many fingers am I holding up?” Once again, Robin did not say anything. Nightwing tried again, thinking that maybe Robin had not heard him. “Robin, how many fingers am I holding up?” This time, Robin's brow furrowed, as if he were struggling with something. “Robin - ”

“I would tell you how many fingers you're holding up if you stop moving your fucking hand around!” shouted the Boy Wonder, frustrated that his eyes couldn't focus on the digits clearly.

Nightwing frowned again. “I wasn't moving my hand around at all.” Nightwing shook his head sadly. “Maybe we should take a rest,” he suggested.

“No,” Robin replied flatly. “We can't afford any breaks.”

Nightwing grabbed Robin's shoulder, bringing him to a halt. “I want to get to Starfire just as much as you do, but we won't be any help to her like this.”

Robin shrugged off Nightwing's shoulder in response. “I said no.”

Suddenly, up ahead, there was a loud commotion, the sound of rocks breaking and crashing vibrating against the off the walls.

Wordlessly, the two vigilantes sprinted toward the action, ignoring their ailments. They arrived just in time to catch the older Cyborg delivering an earth shattering punch to Cinderblock's abdomen.

The pair looked at each other dubiously.

“Here we go again.”

XOXOXOXOX

3:18 AM

“So, how do you think they're doing down there?”

It did not take the Ravens long to regain their strength and bring Overload to the surface. When they met up with the Beast Boys they gave them a quick briefing about what had happened in the cave, and ever since then, the two changelings were riddled with questions.

“I'm not sure,” said future Raven, responding to elder Beast Boy's inquiry. “I just hope they're all right.”

“Are you kidding? That's Nightwing and Robin down there. They'll be fine. Pretty soon, everything will be back to normal,” said teen Beast Boy. “Star will be back, Slade will be out of sight and out of mind, and, best of all, we'll all have a goodbye lunch at Pizza Shack before you all leave.”

Older Raven smiled at Beast Boy's optimistic - almost foolish - hopes. “Well, I can't wait for that,” she replied, humoring him.

Disdainfully, the Ravens looked at each other with the same thing on their mind.

`Somehow, I don't think that this will turn out to be such a happy ending.'

XOXOXOXOX

3:18 AM

“SONIC BOOM!”

Robin and teenage Cyborg's powerful double attack did the trick and sent Cinderblock tumbling to the ground, defeated, after over thirty minutes of relentless battle. The was a silent understanding between the Cyborgs, Nightwing, and Robin that the two robots would have to be left responsible for taking the rock monster back to the surface. With wishes of good luck, the two groups separated, leaving Nightwing and Robin to travel alone.

“You do realize that we're playing right into Slade's hands, right?” asked Robin as he watched his companions walk away in the opposite direction. “This is exactly what he wants. Divide and conquer.”

Nightwing gave his younger self a sideways glance. “Do I realize it? Yes. Do I care?” He shrugged. “Not really.” He began to continue further down the path.

“Well, maybe you should,” said Robin as he began to follow him. “What if Slade sends someone else to us?”

“We'll beat them,” Nightwing replied nonchalantly.

“What if one of us gets hurt even worse than we are now?”

Nightwing shrugged. “We'll get better.”

“Well, what if Star isn't down here at all?!”

Nightwing never even faltered. “We will find her,” he answered confidently.

Robin gritted his teeth. “What makes you so sure?”

The older vigilante sighed. “Come on,” he said, exasperated. “We're Nightwing and Robin. Everything will be fine.”

Robin did not look one bit convinced. “Then for Star's sake, I hope you're right,” he replied.

XOXOXOXOX

3:43 AM

“Cy!”

After what seemed like ages, the Beast Boys and Ravens finally saw the teammates they had left behind.

The two Cyborgs emerged from the tunnel looking utterly disheveled. Both of their once shiny metal bodies were covered in a thick layer of mud. The older robot seemed to be leaking some sort of liquid while the other had some wires exposed. As soon as they were fully emerged from the tunnel, they dropped what they were holding onto the ground and plopped down tiredly, themselves.

“Dudes,” teen Beast Boy said, “Who's that?”

“Cinderblock,” huffed elder Cyborg.

“Oh,” the changeling replied, not even bothering to ask one of the many questions running through his head.

“Well, don't leave him there,” said the future Raven. “Put him with all the other fallen criminals,” she said, gesturing to where an unconscious Plasmus and Overload where placed. Carelessly, teen Cyborg tossed the heavy villain in that general direction. He landed on the sand with a thud.

“Wait,” said teen Raven, looking slightly confused. “Aren't Robin, Nightwing and Starfire supposed to be with you?”

“No,” said the older Cyborg. “We separated.”

The older Beast Boy frowned. “Well, that wasn't very smart of them. Now they're completely vulnerable!”

“Yeah, we have to go back and help them!” shouted teen Beast Boy, standing up.

Elder Raven grabbed his wrist to stop him. “No,” she said. “This is something that Nightwing and Robin have to do on their own.”

“She's right,” added the younger Cyborg. “Don't worry about them too much. Everything will turn out just fine.”

“Yeah,” teen Beast Boy sighed. “Just fine.”

XOXOXOXOX

3:45 AM

“No.”

“It's the only way.”

“No way.”

“Look, do you want to save Starfire or not?”

Robin scowled. “You know I do.”

“Well then, follow me.” And with that, Nightwing got onto all fours and crawled through a small, narrow passage.

After leaving the two Cyborgs, it was not too long before Nightwing and Robin encountered yet another problem - a dead end. The only way through was a tiny passageway that led to God knows where. It was small, but large enough to fit both Robin and Nightwing through if they crawled on their hands and knees. The idea of crawling through a cramped tunnel with Nightwing's butt in his face did not appeal to Robin.

“Hey, you coming or not?” the older vigilante's voice echoed from the teeny tunnel.

With a final grimace, Robin followed.

For a while, the travel in the tunnel was pleasant. Neither Robin nor Nightwing elicited a conversation, but both were completely content with the silence that left them alone to their thoughts.

`I hope she's alright,' thought Robin as jagged rocks tore through his spandex costume. `If she's hurt in any way, I swear on my mask and cape that I will make Slade pay,' he solemnly promised himself. He followed Nightwing closely with renewed determination.

`This is ridiculous,' Nightwing thought as he crawled through the tunnel. `Slade has got to have an ulterior motive. If I remember correctly, kidnappingwas never his style. He was more of a mind fuck than just an average criminal. Nothing going on makes sense at all...'

Suddenly, Nightwing stopped short, causing Robin to collide head on with his backside.

“Ugh!” groaned Robin at the contact. “What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Don't you see it?”

“See what, you crazy - ”

“Slade would never have been able to fit Starfire and himself through this little tunnel,” Nightwing said.

Robin's face fell. “So are you telling me that for the past two hours I have been on a wild goose chase?”

“Maybe not,” replied Nightwing after a thoughtful silence. “Maybe this is just a roundabout route to the same place.”

Robin raised an eyebrow. “So are you saying that there are two entrances to where he's keeping Star?”

“Well, there's only one way to find out,” Nightwing responded. He continued crawling down the path.

XOXOXOXOX

3:52 AM

The tunnel had finally ended, but neither Nightwing nor Robin had expected to see what they saw when they stumbled out of the small pathway.

It was a large room with floors littered with bat droppings. Several puddles had collected from the water dripping from the ceiling. The bat's squeaks echoed eerily off of the walls.

And in the center of it all was Starfire, chained up to the wall and illuminated by a spotlight. Her body had blatantly been abused; bruises covered her so completely that the sickly purplish color of them could have been mistaken to be her skin tone rather that the glowing orange that it really was. Her hair was tangled horrendously and seemed to be caked with blood. Her skirt was ripped, showing more of Starfire than it ever had. To the two vigilantes, she looked like a fallen angel.

Nightwing was the first to recover from the shock of the scene. He broke out into a dead run toward her chained body. He was nearly there but was unexpectedly blocked by one of the last people he expected to see.

“Oh, no, big boy,” Kitten teased.

“Move,” growled Nightwing with uncharacteristic malice.

“No can do,” she shot back.

Nightwing cracked his fingers and neck balefully, much like Kitten had done to Starfire hours earlier. The hero fell into an offensive position. “If you don't move, than I will have to make you move.”

Kitten went into a stance that was much akin to Nightwing's. “I'd like to see you try.”

Meanwhile, Robin had finally come out of his dumbstruck stupor. He had never in his life expected to see Starfire so helpless looking, but there she was, right before his eyes, barely conscious and looking utterly defeated. Robin sprinted to her chained body but as he came closer his pace began to slow. The nearer he got, the more clearly he could make out her serious injuries. The rash on her arm was a blaring fiery red and her breathing was noticeably labored. Although he was not certain, Robin could tell that the cause was a broken rib or something worse.

Robin was now close enough to Starfire to reach out and touch her but he could not bring himself to do so, in fear of breaking whatever was left of her. Deftly he relinquished a laser from his utility belt and began to free her of her bonds. He caught her in his arms as he cut the last chain from her wrist. Red paths trailed around her wrists from where the chains had been tied too tightly. Robin's body shook with rage that was one hundred times more intense than what he had felt toward Nightwing in the garage, but he managed to contain it.

The Boy Wonder removed his cape and gently laid Starfire's head on it. Tears burned his eyes, but Robin refused to shed any of them. Now was not a time for weakness.

“Star,” he called to her desperately. “Star, please be okay...”

From somewhere Robin couldn't see came the familiar sound of sinister laughter. The Boy Wonder recognized it instantly.

“Don't worry too much, Robin. She'll probably recover.” Robin's eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth at the voice. “Yes,” continued the sadistic villain, “she'll be perfectly fine, which is more than I can say for you.”

Robin slowly stood from his crouched position next to Starfire's unconscious body with his back turned to Slade. His fists where clutched tightly and his temple throbbed angrily. Even though his body was quivering with barely contained anger, Robin's voice was shockingly calm when he spoke. “Slade, you better hope that you kill me tonight because if you don't, I swear I'll make you pay for what you've done.”

Slade laughed mockingly. “What would you do?” he asked. “Kill me?” He laughed again.

Robin turned around so that he was now facing Slade. He walked slowly toward the villain. “No,” he said. “Make no mistake, Slade. When I'm finished with you, you'd be wishing that I had killed you.”

Slade smugly crossed his arms. “Well then come on, little boy,” he jeered. He reached his arm out, his pointer finger extended. He curled it up and dowen, mocking the Boy Wonder. “Bring it.”

With an animalistic growl, Robin tackled his arch enemy.

Somewhere else in the room, Nightwing and Kitten we already locked in a heated battle. Punches and kicks were thrown at each other, but Nightwing quickly discovered that he had the upper hand due to his extensive martial arts experience. Realizing this, he decided to fight her with more vigor to incapacitate her quicker. The faster he got rid of Kitten, the quicker he'd be able to get Starfire to safety.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nightwing watched as Robin freed Starfire. Although the vigilante tried to suppress it, Nightwing felt jealous that the Boy Wonder was rescuing her, but he tried not to dwell on these feelings. He knew that his crazy emotions wouldn't do the situation any good.

In a moment of weakness, Kitten managed to land a cheap shot to Nightwing's gut, causing the wind to be knocked out of him. She swiped her sharp nails across his face, shedding blood. “Give up yet?” she asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he retorted, delivering a sweeping kick to Kitten's feet, causing her to fall awkwardly onto the rocky cave floor.

The blond quickly stood, not happy at all. “Ew! I have bat shit stuck in my hair!” She furiously began to comb her fingers through her tangled golden tresses, trying to dislodge the bat pellets. “Yuck yuck yuck yuck!”

Deftly, Nightwing extracted a small cloth coated in an aesthetic from his utility belt. “Here, take a load off,” he told Kitten before covering her nose with the rag. She struggled helplessly, but could not overcome Nightwing's strength. She was asleep on the floor within seconds. “Ok,” said Nightwing to himself as he finished off the teenage villain, “now to get Star.”

Across the room, Robin and Slade were evenly matched.

A punch for a punch.

A kick for a kick.

The battle was going no where fast.

In desperation, Robin extracted a handful of gas bombs from his belt and through them toward the villain. They exploded upon contact, releasing a cloud of smoke that concealed anything the darkness hadn't. It was now impossible to see. Robin was taking a chance by making it difficult for either of them too see considering that he had little experience fighting blind, but it was a chance he had to take. If this didn't work, he didn't know what would.

He shut out all his senses and focused on what he was hearing. There were incessant bats still squeaking above him. He could hear breathing patterns: his own, Nightwing's ragged gasps, and Kitten's slow even breathing. Suddenly he heard gravel crunching from behind him. He swiftly turned around and delivered a roundhouse kick to the head of his opponent.

Slade's mask fell to the floor with a distinct crunch on the rocky surface.

Robin braced himself for a return attack from the villain but grew suspicious when no punches were thrown. He took his flashlight out of his utility belt and pointed it into the direction where he thought Slade was.

First he found his feet on the ground. He very slowly brought the flashlight up to Slade's face, already knowing - and dreading - what he'd see. (3)

The face of a robot stared back at him.

Anger, defeat, shame, and despair rolled like waves in his mind. How could he not have known? He was always aware that Slade was a coward; obviously he wouldn't have stayed for his own confrontation.

Robin furiously punched the human-like robot, sending it tumbling to the ground. When it hit the hard surface, the screen on the robot's face flashed and turned on.

“Robin...” The Boy Wonder gaped at Slade's image as it appeared on the screen. The villain continued, “By now, you have realized that you've been fooled. I left you're precious little Tameranian alone with my apprentice before you arrived in this chamber and replaced myself with this robot.” He smirked. “I bet you feel like an idiot, don't you?” he cackled.

“Shut up!” growled Robin, punctuating the statement with a swift kick to the robot's head.

The image on the screen fuzzed out for a second, but quickly restored itself. “Well, what I've got to say is going to make you feel even worse. You and your little friend - or shall I say friends? - have three minutes before this chamber explodes. Good luck, considering you won't be able too see anything.” With that statement, the only lighting in the room, Starfire's spotlight, went out. “Looks like I win the game, Boy Wonder.” The image on the screen went black and was replaced with blaring red numbers. A countdown.

“Oh, shit!” exclaimed the Boy Wonder. He took deep breaths to calm himself and free his mind. This was no time to panic.

“What the hell? Who turned off the lights?” called Nightwing from somewhere to Robin's distant right. He was with Starfire.

Robin could see the dot of light that came from his partner's flashlight. “We have to get out of here. Now!” yelled the Boy Wonder.

“Well, don't you think that it'll be a little difficult considering there's no light in here?” Nightwing asked sarcastically.

“Well, no shit! That's the point! Slade wants us to die here!”

“What are you talking about? What's going on?”

The conversation that was developing was wracking Robin's nerves. There was no time for chit chat. “This place is gonna blow in - ” he glanced at the foreboding timer, “ - two minutes and thirty seven seconds. We need a way out.” Robin's tone told Nightwing not to question him, just follow directions.

The Boy Wonder could see that there was a shift in the way Nightwing held his flashlight. Robin assumed that he picked up Starfire. “Try to find an exit along the wall,” advised the older vigilante, but Robin was already two steps ahead of him.

Both heros rested a hand upon a wall and walked in one direction, trying to find an opening. Robin became impatient quickly. “Well don't have time for this! This room is too big; we'll never find a way out in time!” Nightwing remained silent. Robin got even more fed up. “Do you have any better ideas?!”

“Actually,” came Nightwing's voice from somewhere across the room. “I think I might.” The older vigilante turned his flashlight toward his younger self. “Come toward my light.”

Robin stumbled over. On his way he took a glance at the countdown clock. Only two minutes left.

“Grab my arm so we don't get separated. I have an idea that might work.” Nightwing extracted some sort of device from his utility belt. Nightwing pushed the button on it and put the item back.(4)

Robin looked at Nightwing, at his utility belt, and back at the vigilante. “What the fuck was that supposed to do?!”

“Wait for it…”

“Wait for it? Wait for wha - ” Before the words were out of the Boy Wonder's mouth, every bat left on the ceiling erupted in a hectic frenzy. “Woah…”

“Follow them!” The two heroes pointed their flashlights at the ceiling to track the bats' movements. One group, they noticed, left through the same tunnel that they had come through, but a much larger group were flying and a different direction. The way out…

The both of them and Starfire, who was nestled in Nightwing's arms, followed the group to a strange formation in the cave wall that led down a larger tunnel. At the end of it Robin could swear he could see moonlight shining down from the night sky. Gleefully, Nightwing almost followed Robin down the tunnel until he realized he had forgotten something, or rather, someone.

“Oh no!” he exclaimed. “I forgot about Kitten!”

Robin let go of the older vigilante's elbow. “Where is she?”

“She's still inside somewhere.”

The Boy Wonder nodded. “Go on without me. I'll be there soon.”

Nightwing gave him a questioning look. “But - ”

“Just go,” instructed the Boy Wonder before making an about-face back into the dark cave. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, it did not take Robin long to find Kitten's sleeping body. He deftly scooped her up and carefully retraced his steps back to the exit, managing to only stumble once.

The Boy Wonder sped down the passageway. `Safety!' his mind screamed as he neared the moonlight, but, of course, nothing was ever as it seemed. It came to a dead end. “Oh you have got to be shitting me.”

“Up here!” called a voice from above him. He looked up. It was Nightwing. “Use your grappling gun!”

Of course, Robin already knew he had to do that. Hastily, he shot his rope to the top of the hole where it snagged on something. Before going up, the Boy Wonder wrapped himself and Kitten with his cape. Robin pushed a button, sending himself and Kitten speeding toward the exit. Almost halfway out of the hole, Robin could hear several bombs detonating. He could feel the heat of the explosion against his cape. The shockwaves pushed Kitten and Robin out of the hole and tumbling over the sandy terrain.

Nightwing watched raptly as the bay bubbled violently. The water was filling up the underground trail that they'd just gone through. If it wasn't the explosions that killed them, than the water definitely would have.

Robin's head was still throbbing from his injury earlier. Being flung out of a hole twenty feet in the air and landing rather roughly hadn't helped at all. The Boy Wonder watched the scene, even as he felt his consciousness eluding him.

`At least we're safe,' was his last though before he passed out.

Nightwing glanced down at the girl still nested in his arms.

At least they were all safe...

... End Chapter 10 ...

(1) Let's not forget that Kitten's self centered. In the episode she appears in she only cares about going out with Robin to make her more popular.

(2) No, Slade doesn't desire Starfire or anything weird like that. He only likes making her uncomfortable.

(3) I can't remember if the time frame of my story comes before or after the episode where Robin fights Slade-the-robot. Let's pretend it's after.

(4) This idea is from the device Batman uses in the Justice League episode “Starcrossed,” so don't think it was a stupid idea for a weapon, cuz Batman used it first.

Number of Words: 8,542

Completed and posted: September 17, 2005

Last Edit: September 7, 2006