Paradise Lost
Summary: "Koriand'r, you have a gift…you are able to give hope, uplift spirits, allow your optimism to shine gallantly through, even in the gravest of times…" RobStar
AN: As you can see from my profile, I'm on an indefinite hiatus from fan fiction writing. I wrote this piece last year for a R/S shrine episode-writing project for a special Starfire centered season. We had a whole grand arc planned, and well, the project fell apart; it was never completed. Paradise Lost is the second part of the grand arc. In the first part of the arc, Red X basically attacks the city or steals something and the titans go after him only to find out that Red X drew their attention so that he could deliver Starfire the message that Tamaran was in danger. Part two, the following story, takes place after that.
I found this piece digging through old computer files and remembered that it took a really long time to write. I didn't release it at first because I think we wanted to release the episodes in order or something, and later on, I thought that I would save this for another longer story that I was planning to write (which didn't happen). So here it is, and I hope you enjoy it. It has a few bumpy bits, plot details, a few of which I am not entirely happy with, but generally, I think it comes together nicely. The other 2 or 3 parts (this is completely finished; I just have to decided how I'm going to divide it up.) of this will be posted eventually; the speed of its posting will I think be dependent on the reviews. As always, reviews of any sort are very welcome.
Starfire couldn't quite remember what she precisely dreamt of but when she awoke, an odd sensation grasped her…something she hadn't felt since she was called upon to return home to Tameran by the Grand Ruler to wed. She recalled feeling both joy (which she prominently displayed to her friends to not concern them) and dread as if something was not right. It was quite customary for Tamaraneans of the royal family to wed at her age or even years earlier, and it was somewhat of a taboo (among the superstitious) for a bride to know the identity of her betrothal until it was near her wedding day, yet her instincts, her dread, and her seemingly earlier unsubstantiated worry proved to be correct when it was discovered that Blackfire was Grand Ruler and had manipulated everyone with her insidious plan. If it weren't for the Titans, for her dear friends, for Robin calling to her before she uttered her vow, she wondered where she would be, how she would fare…would she be currently on the swamp moons tending to Glerderskletchh and trying to optimistically feel some sort of joy about her pitiable situation or would she dare to defy the laws of her land, her people, and the exalted X'hal by attempting to escape? She shivered at the thought and thanked X'hal that she hadn't ever needed to make such a decision.
This time, however, it was different. She felt dread poignantly mixed in with sadness and an intense longing for her younger brother Ryand'r and her Knorf'ka. Dreams, as Raven had told her, among terrans, usually merely displayed reflections, however distorted they were at times, of a person's reality and their emotions. When Starfire had asked Raven about her earlier premonitions and dreams of the Grand Ruler's summons, Raven admitted that at times, even with her gift of empathetic foresight, that she could be wrong as a sort of assurance to her uneasiness. Yet what Raven didn't quite understand was the special, intense connection between Tamaraneans, especially those who she shared a bond with.
Another point of worry was that there was possibly hard evidence this time that something was amiss…she remembered Red X's warnings. The Titans had agreed that it was a hoax for he showed no evidence, no transmission from Tameran regarding the sort of atrocity he had implied, but she was still left uneasy and a bit eager, in fact, to encounter him again in battle so that this time, she could ask him questions and hopefully confirm that her worries were based on nothing except a bit of the sickness for home and family.
She opened her pink curtains slightly and peered outside. The sun was already quite bright, the others must be in the midst of Sunday breakfast, and she would join them merrily as she tucked her worries deeply away within. Her fingers hesitated letting go of the curtains for a moment, as she remembered the d'fiah silken tapestries of the royal palace…the tapestries that she had hidden behind numerous times whilst she and Galfore were engaged in a playful game of Teku'ax…the mirthful laughter that escaped from her lips as his weathered but loving fingertips brushed against her in a mad array of tickles when he found her…the firm grip of his hands as he hugged her before she left to "wed." And for the first time all morning, a genuine smile crossed her lips. My knorf'ka…
(Opening Credits)
The quick rapt upon her door woke her from her reverie. "Please, proceed inside." She approached the door to greet her guest as her door swished open to reveal, to her surprise, Robin with a tray of assorted bits of breakfast dishes. "I salvaged all I could after Beast Boy and Cyborg had gone through the breakfast table...I was surprised that you…I-we missed you at breakfast today."
"I am most sorry Robin. I believe that I have overslept." Overslept because she had stayed awake until an unearthly time carefully constructing and relaying an emergency message to Tameran asking for an immediate update on the welfare of her planet, but she hadn't wished to trouble the Titans more with her own worries. She deemed it perfectly reasonable that at least one week should pass before she received any bit of communication back from Tameran (as a sort of reassurance after the Red X incident), however, as one week lengthened into four…to five…to several…she became concerned, although comforted herself by hoping that there was somehow a mistake in her transmission and that it had never been received. Thus, with the help of Cyborg, she sent several more transmissions, and as of yet, none had been returned. What if something terrible had occurred on Tameran and all forms of communication were severed?
But no matter how difficultly she tried to shield her concerns from her friends, she could never quite hide her worries from Robin. "Star, you're worried about what Red X said aren't you?"
"I…I understand that we relegated it as a hoax, but the fact that I have heard no reply yet from Tameran worries me greatly. I am still their Grand Ruler, although I have given Galfore the task in my stead, I am still responsible for my people, as you are for our team."
Robin nodded and remained silent for a few moments before he spoke up again, appearing to be musing in deep thought. He leaned nearer to her and stared into her eyes through his masked ones, but through his hand, he expressed what his eyes could not…he placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder and in softer tones expressed what he thought of the situation. "From what you've told me about Tamaraneans…your people…they're tough and resilient, and if they're even half as courageous and strong as you are, even if something were to happen…a crisis on Tameran, they'd be able to fight, resolve whatever the situation was."
"I thank you Robin for your confidence, but I still cannot help but to believe that something is terribly amiss and –"
"I'll make you a promise Star. If we don't hear from Tameran by the end of the week, we'll go to Tameran together as a team to see what going on…and I promise you Star, that as long as we're here, the Titans, we-I will not let anything terrible-" Just then, the titan alarm blurred through the tower, and the two Titans quickly rose, slipping away from one another just as Cyborg entered the room, alerting them to the situation. "Robin, Star-it's Red X, he's back…"
Red X stood atop the museum, his black cape billowing against the wind. "Missed me, Titans?"
Robin, who was completely not in the mood for the typical superhero pre-battle banter, merely shouted a "Titans, go!" as he whipped out his staff and tossed three quick birdarangs towards Red X, who in turn, appeared rather frustrated muttering that the Titans were "being all too serious and didn't appreciate a good ruckus," but he quickly dodged the birdarangs as he back flipped across the museum's rooftop. Beast Boy and Starfire arrived upon the roof first, but they found that he had seemingly vanished. Both gave the others a questioning look as the rest of the Titans arrived upon the roof.
"Careful…Titans." Robin uttered as he swung his staff rapidly around him, preparing to attack at any given moment.
Raven and Starfire both nodded as they both lifted their palms, prepared to battle as Beast Boy circled from above as a hawk looking through the area for any sign of moment, but not before he accidentally bumped into Cyborg causing him to accidentally shoot off a partially charged beam of sonic laser into the air. "Hey! Watch it!"
The half robot quickly "reset" himself and his cannon as he dusted himself off from his brief "accident." "My sensors should be able to pick him up…he's good, but not that good." Cyborg realigned his sonic cannon as he scanned the area, confident of his technological facilities.
And as if on cue, Red X's leg kicked Cyborg across the chest. "What if I am?" On reaction, Cyborg fired his canon, but missed, nearly grazing Beast Boy's half formed wings as he neared the ground in mid transformation. "Dude, watch it!"
Cyborg, however, was especially stubborn when it came to his technology malfunctioning. "That's impossible though…you didn't register at all on my sensors."
"Maybe I had help from a friend." Without another word exchanged between them, Cyborg fired his cannon repeatedly at Red X, as he nimbly averted each one along with the various swipes from Robin's staff.
Meanwhile, Starfire released a barrage of starbolts on Red X as Raven focused her attention on him and attempted to lift him into the air. However, her concentration was interrupted as he fired numerous Xs towards her promptly encased her in a cocoon of red. "Azareth Metrion Zinthos" Raven could be heard muttering, but as she struggled more, the bonds seemed to cling to her body ever the more.
"Need some help?" To Starfire's horror, with a swift kick, Red X aimed his foot at Raven, and she continued to fumble with her bonds as she fell to the ground.
"Raven!" Star attempted to go after her friend, but X had grabbed her wrist. "Now for the final prize." He leaped into the air and threw an X at Star, which barely missed her as Cyborg, Robin, and Beast Boy charged towards him. However, he no longer seemed interested in engaging in a battle with them and instead tossed a small metallic ball towards them. With a crisp crack, it exploded, but instead of forming a gigantic hole upon the roof, it blew small, seemingly personalized holes, barely large enough for each of the Titans to fall through. Oddly enough, before Beast Boy could fly back up as a bird or insect or before Robin's grappling hook clung to the rooftop through the hole, they hermetically resealed themselves. Red X grinned as he saw Star's expression as he tossed another gadget, blasting away the rooftop latch…she was isolated, separated from friends, and absolutely vulnerable.
"Now that we're all alone, how about that date, cutie?" A barrage of starbolts awaited Red X. "I am not available."
"So you wanna play hard to get?" He smirked as he leaped towards her, arm extended and ready to punch and attack as he pushed her towards the cold cement of the roof beneath him. She wanted to use her eyebolts to escape from his confining limbs, which pinned her to the ground, but he moved so quickly that she hadn't a chance to get a decent shot.
"I'd hate to ruin a pretty face, but I have to say that I am obliged to-" As a steely white fist neared her face, she winced but did not shut her eyes in fear as she caught his wrist within her hand. Using her Tamaranean strength, she pushed the fist from her and disengaged herself from him. She attempted to fly up once again into the air, but before she could, he kicked her in the stomach and attempted to jump upon her as she lay grounded-she turned out of his path rapidly, moments before his feet slammed upon the cement with a loud crash. Rapidly, she stood up and released an array of starbolts as he swiftly averted them.
"Tell me what you know of Tameran."
"Nothing I am willing to disclose to you, m' lady." He feigned a slight bow as she sent a burning stream of green rays from her eyes and another swift barrage of starbolts, yet when the smoke formed by the bolts had dispersed, Red X hadn't appeared to have been harmed at all.
"I have observed you aid us once in battle, why can you not assist me now by simply answering my question." She finished her statement with great difficulty as she intercepted several X's in mid air by her bolts and unforgiving kicks and punches with her hands. She knew that she was not the sort to overpower her opponents and then garner answers through violence, and Red X certainly wasn't the sort of villain to succumb to brute force, so she would have to defeat him in another manner…through words.
"Getting better." He snickered as she released a bolt and followed through with a rapid punch towards him.
Although she had more than enough energy to continue fighting at her current pace, she knew that she couldn't keep up at such a rapid pace forever…and there were also her friends who still needed her assistance; she needed to come up with a plan to get Red X to reveal what he knew about Tameran, if he knew anything at all. Through the villains that the Titans had fought, all of them had their own weaknesses, both physically and mentally. She recalled Dr. Moth, who had a perfectly well conceived plan of infesting their city with Moths, but his failure was within his love for his daughter and the overly submissive manner he acted towards her. Brother Blood and Slade's weaknesses were both within their own ambitions and their own obsessions…Blood could not let go of his fascination with Cyborg and his desire to fully understand him so that he may completely annihilate him, while Slade, initially, could not let go of Robin and his desire to make him his.
But Red X, in the times that they had encountered him in battle was different. He was not a super villain, one feared for how malicious and cruel hearted he could be, but rather he was a rogue, dangerous in his unpredictability. She traced back within her memories of Red X…he was a thief, he stole Xenothium to power his own suit, he assisted the team in a rather grave situation with Dr. Chang after Robin, in essence, challenged him to be a hero. There seemed to always be a sort of great pride…she even dared called it a sort of selfish arrogance surrounding Red X…she would attempt to thoroughly pry him in the area. Feigning a rather smug attitude, she uttered between starbolts, "You do not know then."
When he would not answer and instead continued to charge towards her vehemently spewing more punches towards her and tossing bright red X's towards her, she continued, narrowly dodging his attacks. Although it wasn't a direct confirmation about what he knew about Tameran, she implied from his increase in the offensive as confirmation that he did indeed know something and his increased frustration seemed to indicate that he was somehow held back by someone or a plan that met his end goal but conflicted his ego.
"You cannot tell me, because you are working for another."
Another steely silence followed as the two continued to exchange blows. She knew that Red X was never the sort to continue fighting without some sort of sardonic commentary on his part unless she was correct in her assertions, so she continued on, in far gentler tones…in tones that indicated that she understood and was sympathetic. "I understand that it is a most difficult situation…to wish to achieve something you have long greatly desired, but to only be able to obtain it through another's plan-one that you do not wholly agree with…yet you have no other choice than to follow the orders of a far viler and more disagreeable being." As she spoke, she lessened the number of star bolts she shot at him until only a faint, dimly glowing star bolt surrounded her fist aimed at his chest, which she slowly lowered as she uttered, "So will you help me…any little iota of information shall be greatly appreciated?"
He looked upon her face for a moment and lowered his weapon slightly. "Princess Koriandr', as your people call you- you are a fool." Laughing at how trusting he was, he jumped into the air and prepared to kick her with all of his force. Sighing and realizing her plan hadn't worked, she swiftly moved aside and unleashed an enormous star bolt upon Red X, which promptly knocked him to the ground…lying sprawled. "Red X, I am no fool; I merely wished to provide you with a more peaceful means for conversation."
His gestures indicated that he was surprised that she defeated him and wryly muttered, "You may want to check your communication devices."
Although his words resonated within her mind, she hadn't much time to celebrate her victory and contemplate her newfound information as she rushed to seek out her friends when suddenly an arm clasped her from behind. It was Warp…
With a malicious smirk upon his face, he forced her mouth open as he sprayed an odd substance within her mouth…it began with an itching sensation that spread from her mouth to the rest of her body. It smelled odd…it felt like newly forming rust rubbing away incessantly upon the surface of smooth metal…slowly, in terror, she realized what it was that he was spraying within her mouth…metallic chromium, a nuisance because of the allergies it caused in solid form, but deadly to a Tamaranean when it was found, weaponized, in aerosol form. She attempted to fight back, but instead, she collapsed as she felt her lungs and throat burn. Slowly, it was as if every part of her body, her strength, her senses was writhing away from the inside…her vision blurred and she was too weak to grasp onto anything as Wrap easily pushed her from the roof.
Everything seemed to fade away as she plummeted, terribly pained from the chromium, and she faintly wondered how she would survive this time as two warm arms anxiously clasped about her…it was Robin.
In an awed silence, the Titans rushed towards her fallen form as Robin, shakily but ever determined took her wrist in his and felt for a pulse.