"The Crow: Black Robin"

Chapter 3: "Darkened Reunion"

Disclaimer: TT and The Crow are owned by their respective creators, neither of whom is me.

Author's note: This is going to be the chapter where Robin meets up with the Teen Titans again. Starre, sorry about Jinx, but she had to go --- and Starfire is far better for Robin.

"Throw away my dreams

This fight for my life isn't getting behind me

And I've been told to scream

Where no one can hear me, it doesn't mean nothing.

"So make me believe

Just take me away from this hell I've created

And I'm afraid

I'm breaking my own vows knowing I'll go down in flames.

"I know this can't be right

There's got to be something more that I can live for

And I can only hide

Inside of this sickness for so long again.

"So make me believe

Just take me away from this hell I've created

And I'm afraid

I'm breaking my own vows knowing I'll go down.

"Make me believe

Just take me away from temptation that's calling me

And I'm afraid

I'm breaking my own vows knowing I'll go down in flames.

"Running in circles

Confusion is calling my name

Hiding inside of this poisoning madness again

I'm tired, I'm broken

I'm walking along with the dead

Will I ever feel like I once did?

"So make me . . .

"Make me believe

Just take me away from this hell I've created

And I'm afraid

I'm breaking my own vows knowing I'll go down.

"Make me believe

Make me believe

Make me believe

I'm breaking my own vows knowing I'll go down in flames."

Godsmack - "Make Me Believe"

The Outsiders congregated at their base in New York City, stunned by the recent developments they had seen.

"There's no way that could be Robin," Impulse said to Nightwing. "From what you've told me and what I've heard from his friends, he isn't the kind of person who'd do those things."

"Only Robin could've known where the Red X outfit was kept," Nightwing replied. "And where Slade's concerned, there's not a whole lot he wouldn't do from what the Titans told me. Still, knowing him for as long as I have --- it is hard to think of him doing stuff like that."

"It was him," Secret stated, cold certainty in her voice.

"How can that be?" Empress asked. "People don't just crawl out of their graves and start walking around like nothing happened!"

"Hate to tell you this, princess, but in our line of work that's always a possibility," Arsenal joked.

"The crow that accompanied Robin is a spirit warder," Secret explained, "like me. However, while I guide unquiet souls to the Abyss, the crow returns them to this world to avenge the injustice that preceded their deaths."

"And that crow brought Robin back?" Argent asked.

"Yes," Secret replied. "As he is now, he cannot feel pain or be killed by mortal weapons and he will regenerate from any wound. Also, his strength and speed have increased far beyond human levels."

"I wouldn't be tempted to dispute that after what happened to Cinderblock," Impulse said.

"We're going to have to tell the Titans," Nightwing said. "The ones who don't know."

Slade had tapped into the security feed in the space center to watch as Jinx pulled off the heist. However, it was soon obvious that things hadn't quite gone the way he'd planned.

Sure, Cinderblock was thrashing the guards like nobody's business, but that ended when a lithe, black-clad figure leaped from the shadows to attack him. The figure stopped moving long enough for Slade to get a good look at him.

He was dressed in the Red X costume, with a few stylistic alterations. Strangely enough, he didn't wear the skull mask but a cosmetic mask of white foundation and black makeup around the eyes and lips.

Slade watched as "Red X" and Cinderblock fought. He smiled underneath his mask when "Red X" crushed Cinderblock's remains to dust.

"Robin, Robin, how you've changed," he purred.

The view shifted to inside the space center. Red X-Robin confronted Jinx and they began to fight. However, Robin was simply playing with Jinx, knowing full well that he could defeat her. Slade smirked when he saw Robin pin the pink-haired sorceress and said sorceress's attempt to seduce him. The smirk grew wider when he saw Robin use the X-bolts to trap Jinx and then leave her to die.

"Ah, this is what I've always wanted to see from you," Slade said. "If hatred of me is what it takes to corrupt you, then I shall simply have to make you hate me even more."

It was a shame that his plans had been foiled, but it mattered not. For his original goal --- making Robin his heir --- was suddenly within reach again. And this new, darker version would be a perfect successor.

It was breakfast time in Titans Tower.

The Teen Titans came downstairs to the dining table. Beast Boy had his tofu eggs and bacon, while Cyborg stuck with the actual product. Raven drank herbal tea, and Starfire drowned her pancakes in maple syrup. Superboy ate Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and Wonder Girl had toast.

"Raven, is something troubling you?" Starfire asked.

"No," Raven lied. "I am never troubled, remember?"

"With all due respect, I do not believe you," Starfire replied. "Something does trouble you."

"Nothing, Starfire," Raven contradicted. "I am at ease."

"Then why's the cup glowing black and shaking?" Superboy asked.

"Because you ask too many questions," Raven replied.

"Perhaps we are being rude," Starfire conceded. "If our questions upset you, then we shall cease asking them."

"Thank you," Raven replied, a little calmer now.

"All right," Superboy replied, with a sidelong look that said, "This isn't over yet."

After Raven had finished her herbal tea, she went upstairs to the rooftop of Titans Tower to meditate.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she chanted. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos . . ."

It was so hard to lie to Starfire, especially given what she was keeping from her.

Don't you think she'd be happy to know that Robin's alive again? a voice chided her, the voice being that of her happier self.

Don't be foolish, Raven's intellect replied. He's not alive; he's just a living ghost. They cannot be together. Once he has completed his task, he will have to return to the other side.

He scared me, Raven's timidity whispered. After I put that makeup on his face, it's like he became a completely different person, like an angry, vengeful spirit possessed him.

Raven sighed, and continued chanting. Her intellectual side was right; there was no way for Robin and Starfire to be together as he was now.

Is that all that troubles you? the dark voice of Raven's repressed evil whispered. Or is it that for once, Robin's all yours? He's here, and you're the only one who knows.

Shut up, Raven replied.

Is it true, then? the dark voice asked.

Shut up, Raven repeated.

Fine, be that way, Raven's evil side conceded. The fact remains, though, that when Starfire sees Robin as he is now, she'll probably wet herself in fear of him. He'll need someone to comfort him, you know.

I've had enough of you! Raven screamed in her mind. Leave me alone!

I will, Raven's evil said. Just think about what I said, about what you know. Then it faded into the background of her mind.

Raven continued chanting, working even harder to ease herself. Her evil side had a point. Starfire probably would have a difficult time understanding what Robin had become. She would probably fear him, and turn away from him in her fear.

Inside the Tower, the other Titans were wondering what was up with Raven.

"What's wrong with Raven?" Beast Boy asked. "She was acting like there was a bug up her ---"

"Don't finish that, please," Wonder Girl requested. Especially since Kon here will tease you about what you'd rather have up there.

"Ok, ok," Beast Boy conceded. "Point is she was worried about something."

"I think we all noticed," Cyborg said.

Before any further debate could commence, the Titans' computer began to beep.

"Incoming transmission," the computer said.

The screen flickered to life, bearing Nightwing's image.

"Nightwing," Superboy said. "What's up?"

"Trouble," Nightwing replied. "The space center got blown up."

"Blown up?" Wonder Girl echoed.

"Yeah, blown up," Nightwing confirmed. "That's not the real problem. I'm sending you the security feed from that night."

The screen image shifted to Cinderblock thrashing the guards that were shooting at him in a futile effort to stop him. Then, they saw a figure in black tackle the rock ogre and flip him over. The move occurred so quickly that the Titans, including Raven, could barely see it happen.

"Damn, that little guy's strong," Cyborg commented.

The camera angle shifted so that the Teen Titans now saw the black-clad figure from the front. He was wearing a costume that the four original Titans recognized.

"Red X!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

Indeed, it was the costume, but not the name that the boy referred to himself as. Yes, it was a boy, his dark hair hanging down with some strands in his eyes. His face was painted a ghastly white with black makeup around his eyes and lips.

"Who is that guy?" Cyborg asked.

Starfire felt a chill when she saw his image. The cold rage in his eyes was horrifying to behold. However, the boy looked very familiar.

"What's he supposed to be, some kind of demonic mime?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Try for dead prostitute," Superboy corrected.

Raven just stared stonily ahead as the boy fought Cinderblock.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt," Beast Boy remarked when he saw Cinderblock punch the boy in the face.

"Hey, wait!" Cyborg exclaimed in surprise. "He's just smiling like Cinderblock just pecked him on the cheek!"

With one final attack, Cinderblock fell apart, his head the only thing still intact. The boy walked over his remains, grinding them to dust. As he walked away, the Teen Titans could see that the dust had settled into a crow's image.

The screen image shifted back to Nightwing. "You think that's scary? Wait until you see this."

The screen shifted again, this time to inside the space center. They saw Jinx downloading schematics from the computers when the boy walked in on her.

The Titans gasped in surprise at Jinx's words just before she fired her hex waves at the boy. "I don't know how you got back here, but say goodnight, Robin."

"Robin?!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Robin?!" Cyborg echoed.

"Robin?" Starfire wondered.

"Robin?!" Superboy exclaimed.

"Robin?!" Wonder Girl echoed.

Again, Raven just stared stonily ahead.

The Titans watched as "Robin" and Jinx fought. Throughout it all, "Robin" seemed to be toying with Jinx. Finally, he pinned Jinx to a wall. Jinx didn't seem fazed at all by this; she just taunted him.

Then they saw a truly chilling sight. "Robin" blasted Jinx with three red X-bolts, binding her securely to the wall and preventing her from using her hands.

"You can die by yourself," he'd said before leaving, a crow perched on his shoulder.

The screen shifted back to Nightwing. "Now you know."

"That cannot be Robin!" Starfire exclaimed. "He is dead, and he would never do such horrible things!"

"I'm with Star," Cyborg said. "That guy may look like him, but that's not Robin."

"Robin was kinda scary when it came to Slade, but he wouldn't go that far," Beast Boy agreed.

"It is Robin," Raven stated.

"How do you know, Raven?" Starfire asked.

Raven stared in cold silence.

"How do you know, Raven?" Starfire repeated, more insistently and angrily though her voice was even.

"I sensed him," Raven replied. "Earlier this morning, before any of you woke up. He'd just gotten out of his grave and he was in his room crying."

"How could he get out of his grave?" Starfire asked. "Dead people do not move around."

On the other end, Nightwing ended the transmission. They needed time to themselves to sort this out.

"The crow brought him back," Raven replied.

"The crow?" Cyborg asked.

"Yes, the crow," Raven confirmed. "It is a spirit warder that guides souls to the afterlife. However, in some cases, a terrible injustice is involved in the person's death and the soul cannot rest. In those cases, the crow can return that person's soul to set things right."

"I get it," Wonder Girl said. "Slade killed Robin before Robin could stop him. So he's back now to stop him for good."

"That was what you were troubled about," Starfire said. "I cannot believe you did not tell us, Raven."

"He won't be here for long, anyway, Starfire," Raven replied. "Once his business is done here, he will have no choice but to return to the other side."

Starfire just looked at Raven, betrayal and anger mixed in her expression.

"We'll worry about it later," Superboy said. "Training's in five."

For the entire day, a suffocating miasma hovered over the Teen Titans. Starfire was unusually withdrawn, and during training, she had taken to her sparring with Raven with more aggression than necessary or normal. Raven was guilt-ridden over her secrecy. Cyborg and Beast Boy were torn; on one hand they were glad he was back, but on the other they were hurt that he was avoiding them and shocked at his murderous new attitude. Superboy and Wonder Girl were basically neutral, having no real personal feeling on the subject since they'd never met Robin.

"So where do you think he is now?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg.

"Knowing him, he's probably in some secret place," Cyborg replied. "If I were trying to avoid my friends after coming back from the dead, I'd be there too."

"Why?" Starfire asked. "Why did he kill Cinderblock and Jinx?"

"Their connection to Slade," Raven replied. "It was through Jinx that Robin was first made aware of Slade's existence. Cinderblock led Robin and us into the traps that ultimately led to his death. Blood for blood."

"Why did you not tell us Robin had returned, Raven?" Starfire asked, all traces of anger gone, only confusion and hurt left.

"He asked me not to tell you," Raven replied. "He knew he wouldn't be able to stay for very long and he didn't want to cause you any more pain."

"It would have been worth it to see him again," Starfire said. She would have said more, but that was when the alarm interrupted.

The Teen Titans rushed to the computer monitor. "Gizmo's pulling a robbery in the tech district," Superboy said.

"That little creep again," Wonder Girl sighed, annoyed. "Doesn't he ever learn?"

"He never does," Cyborg replied.

The Teen Titans were at the tech district in no time. Gizmo was wearing a high-tech backpack with eight spider-like legs/tentacles extending from it.

"If it isn't the snot-munchers," the diminutive genius sneered. "Munch on this!" Gizmo pressed a control on his belt and miniature missiles fired at the Titans, who dodged.

Superboy and Wonder Girl flew at Gizmo, but one of his tentacles knocked them aside. Starfire shot starbolts at him, but they impacted harmlessly on an energy shield. Gizmo struck back with one of his tentacles, which was aiming at Starfire's vulnerable midriff. However, this attack was blocked by Raven's telekinetic powers.

Beast Boy turned into a mammoth and charged at Gizmo, who used the metal tentacles to spring away unharmed. He landed on his feet and held up the tentacles so that their tips split open, revealing laser barrels. All eight tentacles fired their lasers at the Titans.

Cyborg leaped out of the way and fired his plasma cannon at Gizmo. Again, the shield protected him.

Superboy flew at Gizmo and gave him a hard punch to his face in the instant between his deactivation of the shield and the resumption of his barrage. Gizmo fired back at Superboy, who just flew out of the way. Wonder Girl used her bracelets to block the laser bursts coming at her in the same manner taught to her by Wonder Woman. As she blocked, she flew at Gizmo, getting close enough so that he couldn't fire without risking getting hit by a ricochet. Then she delivered a swift kick to his stomach, sending him flying.

Gizmo used his tentacles to catch himself.

"Not bad for a snot-face," he mocked.

"Who are you calling 'snot-face,' you little worthless piece of excretion?" Wonder Girl asked.

"You," Gizmo replied, firing the tentacle-lasers again. Again, the Titans dodged, also taking measures to protect themselves or to attack. Then Gizmo's tentacles did something surprising. They melded together to form into wings!

Gizmo activated the mini-rocket in his backpack and flew up into the air.

"How do you like me now, snot-faces?" Gizmo asked.

"Just give up, Gizmo," Superboy advised, sounding bored. "It'll make things easier on all of us."

"How about you give up, Supersnot?" Gizmo retorted, strafing the Teen Titans with laser bursts from the tentacle-wings. This time, they couldn't dodge them all. Like any animal that just smelled blood, Gizmo went in for the kill, firing viciously.

Finally, the Titans were down. Gizmo flew down to Starfire and landed, the tentacles separating themselves.

"I always thought you were hot," he said, extending a tentacle to slide up her leg. Just as it was moving under her skirt, its progress was halted by a red shuriken that sliced it off at the joint.

"Don't you dare touch her," a cold yet familiar voice said.

Gizmo turned --- and saw his worst nightmare.

It was Robin, but no longer the cheerful young leader of the Teen Titans. This was a darker Robin, a Robin born from the ashes of his former self.

And he would not stand for anyone trying to molest his Starfire, least of all a miserable pimple on the face of the earth like Gizmo.

The Titans looked in the same direction as Gizmo, seeing Robin in the flesh.

"Where the hell did you come from, you snot-eating freak?" Gizmo asked.

Robin smiled, but not in a pleasant manner. It wasn't even a confident smirk. No, that smile was one that said, "You will die and I will make you suffer before you do."

"Where the hell did I come from?" Robin replied. "Big Bang, primordial ooze, divine hand of a benevolent creator, take your pick. Although recent events have caused me to doubt the existence of a benevolent creator."

"Who cares where you came from?" Gizmo sneered. "You're going to die, anyway." He started firing at Robin, but Robin dodged the bursts with a speed and agility beyond anything the other original Titans had ever seen him exhibit. After a while of dodging, Robin finally decided to go on the attack.

"One crow, sorrow," Robin recited, tearing off one of Gizmo's remaining tentacles. He moved out of the way of the other six as they fired. "Two crows, mirth!" He tore off a second and again dodged the remaining tentacles. "Three crows, a wedding."

As he said this, he envisioned himself and Starfire at the altar, getting married. Knowing that this would never be, he viciously tore the third tentacle off.

"Four crows, a birth." Again, he had a vision of himself and Starfire but with a beautiful baby, the baby having Starfire's skin and eyes and Robin's hair. Again, knowing that this would never be, he tore the fourth tentacle off.

"Five crows, silver. Six crows, gold. Seven crows, a secret never to be told." As he recited this, he tore off Gizmo's remaining tentacles.

Gizmo activated his jet pack in a futile attempt at escape, as Robin grabbed his leg and pulled him down hard for a vicious knee jab. Robin then punted him into the wall like he was a football. The Titans watched in horror as Robin stalked toward Gizmo and grabbed him by his collar.

"Say goodnight," he snarled and punched Gizmo hard, making him cough up blood. Robin dropped him and stalked to where he had left Gizmo's tentacles. He crushed them together into a ball and then reshaped it into a wicked blade. He grabbed Gizmo and dragged him outside the government computer warehouse he had just tried to rob.

"Please! Don't!" Gizmo wailed pathetically.

"And you were so confident before," Robin said coldly. "Guess that proves that for all your smarts, you're nothing without your fancy gear." He held the blade to Gizmo's throat. "Goodbye."

He slashed Gizmo's throat and the boy genius fell, blood pooling around him. He smiled and waited until all the crimson fluid had spilled out of his throat and then proceeded to remove Gizmo. He used that blood to paint the image of a crow.

Satisfied, he decided to go in and see how his teammates were doing. There were a couple of new ones, but not entirely unknown to him.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" Robin asked, his voice cheerful but containing a dark edge.

Starfire looked at Robin, mixed joy, confusion, and terror on her face. "Robin? Is that you?"

At seeing Starfire again, the shadows in his eyes lightened, even if only for an instant. "Yeah, it's me, Star." He smiled, but not the cold, malevolent smiles he'd worn as of late. It was definitely Robin's normal, cheerful smile.

"Robin!" Starfire exclaimed joyfully and flew right into his arms.

"Moon hangs around

A blade over my head

Reminds me what to do before I'm dead

Night consumes light

And all I dread

Reminds me what to do before I'm dead.

"Sun reclines, heats my mind

Reminds me what to leave behind

Light eats night and all I never said

Reminds me what to do before I'm . . .

"To see you

To touch you.

"Epochs fly, reminds me

What I hide, reminds me

The desert skies

Cracks the spies

Reminds me what I never tried

The ocean wide salted red

Reminds me what to do before I'm . . .

"To see you

To touch you

To feel you

To tell you.

"The sun reclines . . . reminds me

The desert skies . . . reminds me

The ocean wide salted red

Reminds me what to do before I'm . . .

"See you . . .

Touch you . . .

Feel you . . .

Tell you . . ."

Kidneythieves - "Before I'm Dead"

End Notes: The Crow: Salvation inspired Robin's answer to Gizmo's question "Where the hell did you come from?" Ashe's poem in The Crow: City of Angels was the basis for Robin's poem; I just replaced "joy," "letter," and "boy" with "mirth," "wedding," and "birth."

"Kon," as Wonder Girl referred to Superboy, is short for "Kon-El," the Kryptonian name Superman gave him.

Robin's back with the Titans --- for now. How will he reconnect with his old friends, let alone his lost love Starfire? And what does Slade intend to do to make Robin his apprentice again?