Based on art by Gretlusky

"Titans! Go!"

The shout rang out through the air, drowning out the sounds of the pouring rain all around them.

Robin leapt forward in the air, brandishing his weapons, followed behind by the rest of his team.

A bright flash of lightning followed by thunder roared through the air. So close to them. So close.

Close enough that they could feel the slight heat and the static sizzle near them. But didn't care.

The only thing they cared about was Slade.

Just as the lightning had flashed, illuminating his face, they could see the cracks in his mask, and the slight blood on his body, seeping through the dark fabrics and metals.

Slade was quick, far out of the way before Robin could even land on the rain-soaked cement.

Robin grit his teeth, pulled his lips back. "Slade!" he shouted up to him. Anger was in his voice; a pure, threatening anger.

"That's cute, Robin," Slade mocked. "But you're going to need to be a little bit angrier."

He jumped back down, kicked Robin almost on the face. His body fell to the ground, smacking up against the wet cement and the thick expanse of mud. Slade's boot came down, pinning him on the throat and pushing him back onto the ground.

Robin grasped at his boot, trying to force it away from him.

A yell sounded behind them. Turning around, Slade saw Starfire rushing forward, her eyes and hands burning hot green. With another yell, she shot at Slade.

The hot star bolts slammed into his body, knocking him far away from Robin's body. Sending him flying far from the concrete of the city and into the mud of the nearby wooded area.

Starfire snarled at him, her teeth bared. Her eyes were glowing viciously. With another shout, she shot at him with her eyes. The searing green energy shot at him once more, striking him hard in the chest.

Slade fell even further back.

Starfire flew over, Robin and the others trying to remain hot on her heels.

Still, she kept firing her green star bolts at Slade. They hit him every time, but each in a different place. It was an entire assault on his body, the searing pain that broke through his defensive clothing.

Masking his pain, Slade jumped out of the way, not able to take anymore.

He disappeared somewhere into the trees, but Starfire, her keen eyes looking around, saw him soon enough. He had bolted up to the higher ground, and was now jumping back down, brining his muddy shoes down onto her the same way he had done with Robin.

Starfire's body almost hit the ground.

Almost.

But she was far stronger than him. Grabbing ahold of his leg, she slung him around and around in the air before finally letting go. Slade flew from her, slung far into the distance before hitting himself up against a thick tree.

He grunted in pain, and clutched at his bloody side. Blood and sweat and mud, all covering him. His mask was cracked and his armor was starting to break, worn down by tonight.

Even with all his careful planning, careful strategizing, he had not anticipated that the fight would take this long. Nor that they would be fighting as hard as they would tonight.

Not that it mattered.

He still had the upper hand, whether the Titans knew it or not.

So he played with them, letting them hurt him mercilessly, toying with them. Tricking them, making them think that they were winning. That instead they had the upper hand.

Their minds would be tricked into victory.

And that's when he would strike.

More green star bolts shot his way, which he dodged easily enough. Starfire was flying towards him, shooting star bolt after painful star bolt his way.

Behind her, Raven and Beast Boy (in the form of a hawk) rushed on. Cyborg and Robin keeping pace easily enough.

Cyborg's canons came out of his arms, warming up as he ran. And then charging fully, he shot his beams out at Slade.

But he was such a terrible aim.

He only succeeded in breaking the limbs of the trees and sending a shower of wet branches and broken bark down at them. Slade jumped away, putting more distance between him and the Titans.

They came to a sudden stop, barred by the broke trees limbs.

Starfire and Raven and Beast Boy flew over it, while Cyborg and Robin had to track back. Getting enough momentum, they ran towards it and jumped the entire distance, falling down onto their knees.

They hit the mud hard, but thankfully there was so much that no pain rippled through them.

If it had been a dry night, it would have been painful.

Far more painful.

But, of course, it might have been easier, too.

Robin looked up, ignoring the thick trails of rain water that was seeping under his mask. The water threatened to get into his eyes and blind him, but he didn't care.

He watched as Slade continued to evade the others.

Gritting his teeth, he took off for the rest of them. Cyborg followed.

Raven was shooting her dark powers at him, but could not caught Slade in her path. Agitated, letting her rage fuel her emotional powers, she widened them. Making her powers bigger, stronger, more likely to take him down.

Which it didn't.

On the other side of Slade, Starfire kept on shooting at him. Star bolt after star bolt. Becoming angry. Large star bolts shooting from her hands, now accompanied by the beams from her eyes shooting out at random.

Raven occupied him on one side; Starfire the other.

It should have been a fine tactic to take him down.

But it did not.

And that did not sit well with Robin.

Beast Boy quickly shifted from hawk to human.

"Get on!" he shouted at Robin, and transformed into a pterodactyl. Robin did not miss a beat.

As Beast Boy changed, Robin jumped onto his back within a split second, pulling more weapons from his belt.

"Slade!" Robin screamed, and sent out the multitude of knives he held. Slade turned, letting the knives slide past inches from his face. They sank into the thick tree trunk behind them, wasted.

"No!" Robin shouted, pulling more knives from him.

Cyborg's canons were once again at the ready.

Slade, despite his ever-increasing pain, was incredibly amused. He looked down at them, trying so hard to catch him, and him always one step ahead of him. Even as broken down and pained as he was, he still had the upper hand.

And he hadn't even broken out his secret weapon yet.

Cyborg's canons shot up at him once more, combined with Raven's dark magics, and he jumped from the limb he sat on. A large flash of light, a deafening cracking sound, and the thick limb was crashing down from the trees once more.

Cyborg and Raven both jumped out of the way, the heavy limb falling upon the place they had been standing only seconds before.

Try as they might, they could not catch Slade.

He laughed at them suddenly, at Robin's angry expression.

Turning slightly, he saw Starfire. Nothing more than a bright green blur in his eyes, and a searing hot pain spread through him.

He did not know what had happened.

It had taken him so unaware, they he almost did not know how to react.

His body fell from the limb it stood on, crashing through the density of the forest, before he caught himself on another limb. Looking down, he saw that he had almost fallen all the way to the ground. He pulled himself up, noticing that this limb was far to thin to support him fully.

"Well done," he said as Starfire closed in on him once again.

He fell from the limb again as Starfire struck him. Once more, the hot searing pain spread through his body. He didn't hold back his cry of pain this time; he let his anguished voice ring out through the night air. Adding to the sound of the pouring rain.

He knew that this would be the final act.

What would seal the deal.

This would be the cry that would give them the false sense of victory. And then he would make his move.

Starfire flew down onto him.

As Slade's body struck the wet, soppy Earth, Starfire put her feet out and pounded her body onto him. Slade grunted once more as the force of her strike struck up against his chest, sending dark waves of pain through him. His body sunk even further into the ground.

With a single boot, Starfire kicked it up against his neck, forcing pressure onto it. Slade did not resist, only looked up at her with his dark, evil eye.

"Well done indeed," he said with his husky voice.

Starfire's boot drove further down onto his throat.

She put her hand out, aiming it towards him. A sphere of bright green light formed, aimed at him. Even from the distance, the heat was reaching him. Painful still.

"Do. Not. Speak."

Slade could only chuckle.

Her boot drove deeper and deeper down onto his throat.

He had to admit, he admired the strange alien. Fierce. Strong. Determined. Angry. Threatening. Had he known her long, long ago, it would have been her he was determined to manipulate and destroy.

In a dark, low, threatening voice, he said, "You are in no position to give orders."

He brought up his left hand. Revealing the small little button in the center of it. Starfire stared at it, confused for a moment. When the realization finally hit her, she was too late.

Too late to react.

A bright flash of red light shot out from Slade's palm. Striking her full force, capturing her entire body in it's painful embrace. Sharp, shooting, burning pains went all through her body, seemed to fill her very veins with screaming pain.

She screamed out, falling back from Slade.

Seeing his chance, he fled from the scene.

Just in time too. The other Titans were rushing towards her, desperation on their faces. Desperation and anger and worry.

"Starfire!" Robin screamed, reaching out to catch her as she fell.

He caught her before she could hit the ground. Still the red waves of Slade's weapon encircled her body, making her flail and scream and claw at the ground.

Slade watched from his hiding place. Enjoying the view.

Behind his mask, he smiled an evil smile.

The others were looking around the trees for him. Angrily searching. Slade's amusement increased tenfold, watching with evil delight as they all searched around the trees but never able to find him.

"Until next time," he said quietly, and jumped from the trees.

Escaping without a trace.

Eventually, the red lights subsided, as Starfire's pain did too.

Her body relaxed as the searing, burning pain subsided. Limply, her arms fell against the ground, unmoving. Her head lulled back.

She had endured too much.

Slowly, she slipped into blackness, letting her body remain dead weight and motionless. She could do or say no more, simply cease to know the world.

Vaguely, right before she lost consciousness entirely, she could make out Robin's screams.

"Starfire!" he was screaming at her.

His hands gripped at her arms, squeezing them far too tightly. He watched at her face intently, trying to see any flicker of consciousness.

Nothing.

"Starfire!" he screamed again, slightly shaking her.

Still.

Nothing.

Hot, burning tears began to form in his eyes. He blinked them away. He could not start crying now, not when he needed to be strong for her.

"Starfire," he said, forcing his raw, worn voice into a normal tone. "Starfire. Wake up!"

Time went by, and Starfire only lay there helplessly.

His eyes were burning with the tears he needed to shed. Robin squeezed his eyes shut and let the hot water stream down his face, pooling out from under his mask.

"Starfire. You have to wake up."

His voice was raw, and all that came out was weak and creaking.

"Starfire," he said again.

He pulled her body closer to him, trying to comfort her, should she still be able to feel what was going on around her. Should she be able to sense anything.

Robin spread his black cloak farther out, trying to shield her from the rain as best as he could. Still, it clung to his shoulders, sticking onto the cloth and skin.

"Starfire. You're going to be okay."

It wasn't a question. He was telling her. Telling himself, as well. She was going to be okay, he reminded himself. This was not the first weapon Slade had used on them, and Robin knew it was far from the last.

The rain continued to pour around them. Drowning them in the wet, numbing sensation. The only sound that they could hear was the endless pounding of the rain, all they could feel was the cold curtain of water as it came down upon them, hitting against their skin and soaking their clothes.

Robin clutched at her harder. Feeling the warmth of her skin. Pulling her closer, he could see her pulse, a slight throb directly on her throat. He pulled of one of his gloves and felt it; strong and steady, though a bit slow.

"Starfire," he said again, still holding onto her.

No longer able to hold it in, he let all the other tears slide. The hot streaks mixing with the cold wet ones. His teeth grit, fighting the urge to control his sobs.

"You'll be okay," he said, only one more time.

Another clap of thunder sounded, and Robin pulled Starfire into a fierce, tight hug.

Knowing that she was still unresponsive.