'nuther teen titans fanfic, help!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

I have a spectacular idea for a fanfic, but i have a feeling it might not be recieved well.

i wont offer up too many details, but it would require the insert of a new charac ter into the teen titans. i know its bad practice, but thats part of the plot. then it goes deeper into a sort of romance story between *gasp* starfire and the stranger. would this be crossing some sort of unspoken boundary in fanfics? i mean, starfire never fully expressed an interest in Robin in the series.

yay or nay?

Edit-I changed the title of the thread to black and white, cause this is mostly a story of conflicting emotions and opposites.

[EternalShadow]

By all means! Give it a shot! I find it would be interesting. I'm sure many people would find Starfire to be off-limits (the Whole Rob and Star Crush) but New characters are always welcome in my stance. I hope to hear all about it!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

thanks. see, the problem is to try to make the new character fit in without using the hackneyed "everything conveniently fits in place" situation. im hoping i have enough control over the english language to avoid it.
i warn you if i do this it will be slow in coming. but ill give it a shot.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

ugh, nevermind.
it all came out so trite and...ugh.

Ill work on it, but i really need to take this years english class first.

[PressureCooker]

If you can use the word "trite" in a sentence... you should really reconsider waiting to submit your fic. I'm sure we would like to see it now...

Just my opinion, nothing more.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

@ pressurecooker
just the guy i wanted to talk to!

here's my situation.
I am really great with the english language. I got a 740 on the SATs and I have a great vocabulary. The problem is that I am great at writing analytical papers (i.e. nonfiction), but my creative writing skills are lacking. All of my introductions always seem to come out as boring, overused etc. You know what I mean.

You happen to be the best writer I have ever talked to, all of your work seems professional. Do you have any advice for someone looking to break into the creative writing genre? I need these skills anyway for college application essays.

HELP ME!

(I havent really started the fanfic yet, I have a plot. I just need to make it all come together. And your work kicks butt.)

[Reket]

it works well, it ends well. ^-^

[Reket]

It's always welcome to see different perspectives on the whole Robin and Starfire thing, so I'm really interested to see what you have to offer! Go for it!

[Starfire5]

O.o sounds good. And that was a good choice to ask pressurecooker.:D And you should try it out i didnt think my fanfic was going to sound good and it uh actually does.

[Lord Welshi]

It sounds like you have a nice idea for a story here. True, there will be some who disagree with a romance between Starfire and an outside character, but a fanfiction is just that: A work of fiction by a fan. So by all means, the romantic element should be included (if it contributes to the plot itself, alls the better.) HOWEVER, as i have seen in many titan's fics, new characters sometimes appear all-powerful, or at least a heck of a lot stronger than the titans themselves, which can ruin the overall effect of the story. But i doubt you'd fall into this trap.

If you are unsure about your work, try posting the first chapter (or however much you have written) and ask for some feedback. The people here are friendly and won't openly slam your work, but will give helpful and constructive ideas and criticism (which is usually good.)

Hope some of that advice helps :)

[oneeyemonkeypie]

well, i got a rough first draft. im not done editing, and may change anything from character names to the whole plot. im just throwing this one out to see if its worth continuing. here it goes.

---------------------------------------------------

The corridor was silent as Robin walked down towards the common room, save for the deep thrumming of the power transformers in the basement vibrating through the floor. On a typical day you wouldn’t even notice it, but at two in the morning, you notice a lot of things you wouldn’t during the day. The tread of Robin’s metal-soled footsteps echoed off the walls as he strolled. With a muffled whoosh the door to the main room in Titan’s Tower opened, admitting him entrance, and closed behind him with an audible thump. The nighttime lighting in Titan’s Tower was enough to discern shapes, but made it hard to find anything, which was fine because Robin wasn’t looking for anything. He stepped up to the main window facing the City and sighed. He stared across the bay at the glittering city, his city. Or, he thought it was. After the disappearance of Slade, the city had been silent and the Titans had been relegated to cleanup duty-second rate bank robbers and car jackers. He was proud of ridding his city of the real criminals, but deep down, he missed the action. Life had become quiet, predictable, and…well, boring. Robin hadn’t wanted to admit it, but he had wished that something, anything would happen.

And it did.

Over the past week there had been three major incidents. First, Plasmus had been set free again. His liberator was unknown. And then there was Control Freak, who managed to gain control over a billboard and make a mess of downtown. Then there had been a break-in at a high-level research facility for the government. No one had been implicated, but the only thing stolen was some Zynothium-and Robin only knew one person who wanted that. This sudden surge of crime was not a coincidence, and Robin was sure that there was someone masterminding it. Who he couldn’t say.

Outside there was a familiar flashing of red and blue lights and a very distant siren. Robin watched with growing interest as more and more tiny lights joined the group. They must have been 3 miles away. The sirens had become inaudible and Robin lost interest, figuring it was only a fire or something. As he turned to leave, there was a flash of light, followed several seconds later by a deep bang. Robin immediately switched into battle mode.

“Lights, full!” the room became blindingly bright as the overhead lights powered on. “Titan Alert!” Robin yelled, and a siren began sounding throughout the tower, instantly waking everyone in the tower. Robin ran over to the main console and punched into the police network. The details were preliminary, and the cops didn’t seem to know much. Large unknown suspect, breaking and entering, assaulting police officer, nothing of any particular value. As he was finishing up, Raven and Cyborg entered the room.

“What’s going on?” asked Raven in her monotone voice.

“I think the real question here is what’s going on AT THREE IN THE MORNING!” yelled a very angry Cyborg.”
“Don’t know yet. The cops haven’t figured it out.” Replied Robin with a wave at the screen. Cyborg leaned down and scanned the lines of text.

“Great. So you woke us up at this hour to go chase down some insomniac crack-head who couldn’t keep his greedy little hands to himself, huh?” Cyborg said sarcastically.

“Could we please…*yawn*…turn that alarm off?” Beast Boy said tiredly as he came through the doorway.

“It is most unpleasant.” chimed Starfire. Robin flipped a red switch on the panel and the klaxon went silent.

“I don’t know what this is, but I don’t like it,” said Robin as another explosion sounded off in the distance. “I don’t think this is an ordinary robbery. We’d better check it out.”

“Right,” they all replied in unison.



They arrived at the crime scene several minutes later, finding a mess. Robin dismounted the T-cycle and put his helmet down, walking towards the building. It looked like a warehouse. There was a conspicuously large hole in the side, about 10 feet in diameter.

“Has anyone been in there yet?” Robin turned and asked a nearby police officer.

“Uh…no. We think that, whatever-it-is is still in there.” The officer answered nervously.

“All right. Titans, lets check it out.” Said Robin as they began walking into the building. Inside it was dark, the only light came through the hole. There were crates and shadows everywhere.

“This place is mondo creepy,” said Beast Boy. “This guy could be anywhere.”

“I doubt he’s here. Only an idiot would stay at the scene of the crime,” remarked raven dryly.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Robin. “He came here for something and would probably not leave without it.” As Robin said that there was a deep, guttural growl from somewhere behind him. “Good one Beast Boy, you got me.”

“Um…I’m right here, dude,” said Beast Boy. As Robin began to turn around he heard the high-pitched sing of something moving very fast. He leapt into the air with a backwards flip to land on one of the crates just as a giant steel sword crashed into the box, sending splinters of wood everywhere. The creature was completely in the shadows, but the Titans could see enough of it to realize that it definitely wasn’t human.

“Titans, go!” Robin shouted as he leaped from the crate just in time to avoid another earth-shattering blow. He let loose a fistful of bomblets from his belt, but the creature swatted them out of the air and they exploded harmlessly over on the other side of the warehouse. Starfire let loose with a volley of star bolts, but the agile creature easily dodged them and countered with a barrage of strange red energy. He missed, but the blast was powerful enough to knock Starfire to the ground with a loud “Oooff.”

“Star!” Yelled Cyborg. Looking at the creature, he said, “You’re messin’ with the wrong people!” He shot a sonic blast at the assailant and knocked him backward, into a pool of light.

“Oh, man! Is this for real?” asked Cyborg. The creature was a large, hulking, hairy juggernaut of a being. It looked as if it had stepped straight out of Raven’s nightmares. The creature bellowed a fierce cry and began charging straight at Raven, swinging his sword as he went. Raven used her telepathic powers to fling several crates at him, but they merely glanced off of him. He continued his charge, raising his sword and swinging it in a deadly arc straight for the girl’s head. Raven formed a shield, blocking blow after blow.

“Raven!” shouted Robin as he and the other Titans ran to help. Just then, they heard the terrible screech of tearing metal and the ground shook as something very heavy hit the floor, sending cracks through the concrete in all directions. Everyone turned to see what had happened. Crouched there was another strange being. It slowly stood up, rising until almost eight feet tall. It took a slow step, the ground slightly shuddering under its heavy feet.

“Whatever that thing is, its big.” Said Cyborg. The creature that had been attacking stopped and turned to look at this newcomer also. It walked under an overhead light, and the Titans were shocked to see what it was.

Standing there before them was what looked to be a walking tank. It was black, and metal. It looked very heavy, and moved slowly. There was a yellow emblem on the right side of its chest, but it was too dark to make it out. Finally it spoke.

“You,” it said, pointing to the creature, “are coming with me.” From its voice they could tell it was male, whatever it was. He had what looked to be metal armor, with a helmet. The helmet had a glass visor, but it was impossible to see through. He reminded Robin of those giant fighting robots you always see on TV, with the big, spiky shoulders and heavily armored feet and hands. Raven rose through the floor next to the rest of the Titans, having moved out of reach of the creature. Now the newcomer was walking straight at the Titans, who were between the two strangers.

“Whoa. Cyborg, is he your cousin?” asked Beast Boy.

“Titans, get ready.” Cautioned Robin. All of them assumed their fighting stances ready for an attack. But the newcomer just thundered by, slowly walking straight through them without even breaking stride. Robin’s jaw dropped, and a large sweat drop appeared on both Cyborg’s and Beast Boy’s forehead.

“Hell-oooo? We’re over here!” said Beast Boy, waving his arms at the intruder. He stopped and crouched down in a fighting stance, looking at the creature.

“So, you thought you could just take it from me and run, did you?” he asked the monster. “Well, you’re gonna pay now.” With that, large knives shot out of his fists, making large blades on his hands much like Red X had, except these were straight. They began crackling with some sort of pink energy. Both of them squared off, staring at each other.

“So, does he even know we exist?” asked a surprised Beast Boy.

“I’m not really sure,” said Cyborg.

“Perhaps we should assist him.” Starfire offered floating over closer to the fighters.

“No, not yet. Lets see what he does,” said Robin. With that the creature leapt at the newcomer, raising his blade. With a scream, he dropped it towards his opponent and there was a blast of wind and debris as the shockwave shattered several crates. Robin shielded his eyes. When the dust cleared, both of the fighters had their blades locked in front of them, each one fighting for the upper hand. The newcomer freed one of his hands and grabbed the creature’s foot, spinning him in an arc and flinging him into a support pillar. He moved surprisingly fast for something so big and heavy. The creature hit and crumpled on the floor; shattering the concrete it collided with. It slowly righted itself, rock crunching underfoot. Bellowing, he charged at the newcomer again. He swung down and the newcomer deftly dodged to the side of the blow. Again and again the creature attempted to cut the newcomer in half, but couldn’t hit him. He suddenly crouched and delivered a roundhouse kick that sent the beast flying backwards hundreds of feet. The creature spun in the air and landed with a thud on its feet. It reached one hand over its shoulder behind its back and withdrew another blade from its scabbard. Now with a weapon in each hand it raised its head and yelled. The newcomer leaned forward on his feet. There was a click of panels springing open and the increasing whine of turbines, much like a jet. Suddenly, in an explosion of light the newcomer shot forward at the beast, blasting his way across the warehouse floor. The creature was caught off guard and didn’t even have time to raise an arm to block itself. The newcomer slashed with his fist across the beast’s chest, cutting it and sending blood spattering. The creature pitched forward on its hands and knees, dropping both weapons. The stranger stopped a short ways past and before he stopped sliding from momentum, he leapt backwards through the air and spun until he was parallel to the ground. He landed with his elbow on the creatures back driving it into the floor.

“Wow. Just like Pro Wrestling.” Said Beast Boy. The creature had fallen to the ground, completely unconscious. The newcomer stood up and straightened out, withdrawing the blades back into his fists. The Titans began approaching, all wanting to know the same thing.

“Who are you?” asked Raven to him. He acted as if they weren’t there, bending over and searching the beast’s sash for something.

“This guy’s a jerk. He gave us the silent treatment earlier, remember?” Beast Boy quipped.

“That was quite a number you did on him. Mind telling us why?” Robin asked as the stranger flipped the creature over before removing something small and shiny from the creature’s pocket. He straightened up and was about to leave when Starfire stepped in front of him.

“Please, at least tell us your name.” She said. He paused for a fraction of a second, and looked down at her. Neither of them moved for a short while. Then he looked up. There was another loud click as the boosters sprung out and another whining sound. All the Titans backed away and the stranger crouched, then jumped into the air. His boosters fired and he shot straight up through the roof and out into the night.

“What kind of guy leaves through the ceiling? This place has a door!” said Beast Boy. The cops had seen everything and were entering cautiously to arrest the creature. Robin looked up at the hole in the ceiling and raised his eyebrow.





It had been three days since the stranger appeared and life had almost returned to normal. There had been no new alerts, and everyone in the Tower was feeling better. The subject of who the stranger was had become common conversation, but for Robin, it was an obsession. He had spent most of his hours in his room, reviewing surveillance video taken at the warehouse, trying to figure out who, and why. The newspapers had run an article on it, but all they had were conflicting eyewitness reports. The article made no sense, but was enough to spur public opinion on this new vigilante. Many people thought he was a welcome addition to the city’s peacekeeping force.

“Where’s Robin?” asked Raven as she walked into the main room.

“Guess,” said Cyborg as he watched the TV. “He’s been in there all day.” Raven walked over and sat down. She opened her book and was just about to start reading when Robin walked in, holding something in his hand.

“What’s up man? You figure anything out?” asked Cyborg.

“Yes, I have some new data on our mystery guest. Call the rest of the team in here.” He said. Cyborg pressed a button on his arm. Shortly after, Starfire and Beast Boy walked in.

“What’s going on?” asked Beast Boy. Starfire saw Robin and said,

“Did you find out who that was?”

“Not yet,” he replied. “But I do know something about him.” He popped the disk into the TV and began playing back the recorded events at the warehouse. “I’ve analyzed his speech patterns and modeled his movements. He is not a machine.”

“What do you mean he’s not a machine? This guy’s a giant walking salad shooter!” Beast Boy said.

“No. I checked his movement patterns and he is definitely not a machine. I can't say for sure exactly what he is, but my guess would be a human.” Robin said as several scenes of the stranger moving showed up on the screen.

“Well he doesn’t look human!” exclaimed Beast Boy.

“Neither do I.” Said Cyborg. Beast Boy opened his mouth, then shut it. Starfire turned to Robin and said,

“Robin, are you going to retire to the solitude of your room again?”

“Not right now. I’ve been over that data thoroughly. Now all I can do is wait and see if he shows up again. Actually, I’m kinda hungry.”

“All right! I’m makin’ Tacos!” exclaimed Cyborg.

“Don’t forget the tofu.” Said Beast Boy.

“Man, keep that nasty tofu to yourself. No one likes that stuff.” The argument heated up until it was an indecipherable flow of words. Robin walked over to Starfire who was standing near the window.

“Is everything OK?” he asked her. She turned from the window and looked at him.

“I am fine. I was just wondering who that person was. And why he helped us?” she said.

“I don’t know…” was all he could say.



BREEEE! BREEEE! BREEEE!

The alarm went off at around seven. All of the Titans were gathered around the monitor nearly instantly, hoping to see news of their stranger. It was a similar report to last time, but this time the police knew who was the culprit. It was Doctor Light. The Titans were on scene as fast as they could be. The T-cycle and T-car pulled up next to a transformer station. Dr. Light was destroying the electrical equipment, attempting to short out the city’s power grid. The Titans grouped right outside the complex.

“Dr. Light!” called out Robin.

“Well, the Teen Titans. Isn’t this a treat? You’re just in time to witness my plan. I’m going to black out the city and destroy all artificial light, so that only I, Dr. Light, will be the true Master…of…Light! Haaa, ha ha ha ha ha!”

Beast Boy whispered, “Man, this guy needs some new evil plots.”

“You’re going down Dr. Light. Its time to say good night!” Robin said. Raven rolled her eyes.

“Titans, go!” All of the titans split up and charged at him. Robin let loose a birdarang, but Dr. Light knocked it down with a blast of light, then knocked Robin sprawling. Raven summoned some of her black energy into a projectile and hurled it at Dr. Light, but he deflected it with a light shield straight into Beast Boy. Cyborg shot at Dr. Light, but the Dr. sprung out of the way and hit Cyborg with a blast of light. All the Titans regrouped.

“Give it up Titans. You’re no match for the awesome power of light!” said the doctor confidently. “You can never…what?” There was a deep roar that slowly began to build in intensity, quickening as it went. Suddenly, it was right on top of them. The stranger landed twenty feet from them, throwing up dirt and punching in the pavement by several inches. It was the same person they had seen before. He gleamed in the setting sun, light glinting off of all the angles in his mechanical frame.

“What’s this? Who are you?” insisted Dr. Light. The stranger said nothing, but straightened up and began walking towards the doctor. “Well, if you won't talk, then I hope you like the taste of LIGHT!” he said as he shot a beam from each hand. The stranger sprung forward onto his hands, then flipped over twice until landing on his feet next to Dr. Light. He extended his arm from front to back in a sweeping motion and caught the doctor in the back, sending him flying into a building, without moving anything but his arm. There was something very calculating about his movements.

“Are you sure he’s not a robot?” asked Beast Boy. The stranger began heading for the cloud of dust where Dr. Light had landed. A bright beam lanced through the cloud and struck the stranger in the leg, sending a shower of sparks everywhere.

“Oh no!” exclaimed Starfire.

“Ha Ha Ha Ha! You will never defeat Dr. Light!” the man exclaimed as he walked towards the stranger. A bright blue beam knocked him down.

“Why don’t you pick on someone who’s not injured,” said Cyborg.

“Very well then.” Dr. Light took aim and fired at the group, sending them scattering. Starfire immediately flew over to the stranger. He was slumped on one knee, unable to get up.

“Let me help you.” She said reaching for his arm. He looked up at her and grasped her hand, and suddenly yanked her down to the ground.

“Eeeeep!” she shrieked as she shot towards the ground. As she began descending, a bright white light cut through where she had just been. She looked at the stranger’s faceplate, trying to discern anything, but was unable. “Thank you…” she said. He didn’t answer. Slowly he struggled to his feet, his leg sending sparks and smoke cascading down every time he moved. He clenched his fist and the blades shot out. Dr. Light had knocked the other Titans down and was looking at the stranger.

“What do you think you can hope to do to me? Look at you. You can barely stand!” exclaimed Dr. Light triumphantly. The stranger took a slow step forward, then dragged his injured leg behind him, limping towards the doctor. Dr. Light began to laugh.

“Ha ha ha ha. What a fool. Very well then, I will destroy you.” The doctor pointed one of his hands at the stranger. All of a sudden, the stranger was right in front of Dr. Light. Then he was past him. In a fraction of a second, he had covered 20 feet. Both fighters stood there, without saying a word, when Dr. Light fell forward and collapsed. Robin ran over and checked him.

“He’s still breathing.” Robin said. Slowly the Titans congregated around the stranger. Robin turned to him and said, “Who are you?”

“My name…. is Knives.” The stranger said slowly.

“Why are you here?” said Raven.

“To keep the peace.” Knives replied cryptically. Then before any one could ask another question, Knives turned to go. Starfire floated in front of him.

“Where are you going? You can't leave like this, you are injured.” She said. He looked down at his leg. “Cyborg has an excellent repair station back at the Tower. Will you come back with us?” she asked questioningly. Slowly he looked around.

“Do you really want me to come with you?” he asked Robin. “How do you know you can trust me?”

“We don’t. But we’re willing to give you a chance.” Said Robin.

“I still don’t like this…” muttered Beast Boy.

”Thank you.” He said, looking at the group around him.



Back at the tower, they showed Knives to Cyborg’s room. He walked over to the workbench and started picking up tools.

“I’m still a little wierded out by all this. I mean, what if he’s some kind of robot serial killer or something?” Cyborg asked Robin.

“I’m sure he’s a great guy. Besides, he’s saved your neck before.” Robin said.

“Yeah, I guess.” Cyborg replied.

20 minutes later, he walked out of Cyborg’s room looking great.

“You fixed all that extensive damage in 20 minutes!?” Cyborg exclaimed.

“Yeah, I guess.” Replied Knives nonchalantly.

“Well, I’m supposed to take you to the main room. Follow me.” Cyborg navigated them back to the main room of the tower, where the other Titans were assembled. They all looked up when he walked in. He had to crouch down to fit through the doorway, and each step he took made a rumbling echo, making it hard to miss him.

Robin stepped up to meet him. “I’m glad to see you’re better. As you can understand we have a few questions. I guess the big question is…what are you?”

Knives chuckled, then flipped up a panel on his left arm. He hit a series of keys. Suddenly there was a loud whooshing sound. With a loud series of clicks his armor began to fold up into itself-much like the convertible top of a car. As the metal began to recede, the Titans had their first look at Knives. He was a tall (6’1”) person about robins age, but bigger (170 pounds). He had brown hair and an average build, maybe slightly stronger. He wore black pants, a black and red shirt and heavy boots. He could have passed for normal, if it weren’t for his eyes. They were a slate grey color. All of the armor seemed to slide into a place on his back, but then it disappeared. Almost like it absorbed into him, which Robin know was impossible.

“I’m just a normal human.” Knives replied, flexing his limbs to show that it was real.

“Then, how do you do all that fly-around, slice and dice roboty stuff?” asked Beast Boy.

“Oh, you mean my Armor? Yeah, that stuff’s pretty neat, huh?” he said.

“I’ll say! You really whipped some butt back there.” Cyborg said. “Maybe you should join the team.”

“That’s what you said about Blackfire, remember?” remarked Raven, distrustful as always.

“You wanna repeat that?” asked Cyborg through gritted teeth. Both of them stared the other down. Starfire attempted to keep the peace, and changed the subject.

“So where are you staying?” she asked.

“Well, I’m new in town. Right now I’m living in a small unoccupied building on the edge of town.”

“What kind of building?” she asked.

“Oh, you know…a toolshed.” He said sheepishly. Starfire gasped, putting her hands to her face.

“A repository for tools!? Unacceptable. We cannot allow our new friend to live in such a horrible place. You must stay here!” she said loudly. Knives turned the word over in his head. Friend?

“Oh, I couldn’t impose.” Knives said. Raven nodded in agreement, obviously in agreement that he shouldn’t stay.

“It’s fine, really. Why don’t you stay here tonight and we can work everything out tomorrow?” Robin offered.

“Well, if it’s not a problem…” he said, still cautious.

“Then it’s settled. Cyborg will show you to your room. Now it’s late, we should all probably turn in.” There were no arguments from anyone.

“Aw yeah,” Cyborg said as they left the room. “We love company here. Hey, you every played Ultimate Extreme Combat 6 before?” he asked as they went around a turn.

“Played? I own that game!” Knives exclaimed. Cyborg seemed happy to have a challenger other than Beast Boy for a change.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I could really use a shower,” said Knives.

“It’s just past your room.” Said Cyborg as they walked down an unfamiliar hallway. They came to a stop in front of a door. “This is the bathroom, that’s your room.” He said pointing first to one door, then to another farther down the hallway.

“Thanks for everything. See you tomorrow.” He said to the departing android. What a day! he thought to himself as he stepped into the bathroom and disrobed. The shower was a touch pad design, so he just hit the hot pad with his fist. Steaming hot water began to run from the faucet and he stepped in the shower, relishing it. It had been a while since he had a good, hot shower. But that was the price you paid for being a vigilante, he reflected as he washed. These people had it pretty good.

Starfire walked down the hall holding a fresh pile of clothes in her arms. She had gotten them for the newcomer while his old clothes were being cleaned. He was such an enigma, she thought. They knew nothing about him, and he didn’t know who they were. Yet still he had helped them, and even saved her from Dr. Light. She reflected back earlier, remembering being pulled down just in time to avoid getting fried by a light blast. Lost in thought, she wandered up to the bathroom and stood there. She raised her hand and was about to knock when the door slid open, revealing Knives wearing a towel, and not mush else.

“Eeeep!” Starfire let out a squeak and looked down at the ground, blushing. Knives was drying his hair and had a towel over his eyes, not even noticing Starfire.

“Umm…I have brought you new clothes.” She said, looking up at him a little. She noticed he was in good shape, and strong, too. She blushed even deeper.

“Why thank you. You are too kind.” He said with a smile. He took the clothes from her. “Good night.” He said.

“Good night.” She said quietly to herself as he walked down the hallway towards his room. Even when not in his “armor”, as he called it, he was still rather large. Not quite as big as Cyborg, but close. She silently floated down the hallway, heading for her own room.

Robin awoke with a yawn the next morning, looking over at the clock. It was 7:43. Too early for breakfast, but too late for him to go back to sleep. He swung his legs out of bed and put on his cape. Sleepily, he walked out into the hallway and headed for the kitchen. He heard the loud music of the Xtremestation 2 all the way out here. Who would be playing video games this early, he asked. As he walked into the common room, he saw Cyborg and Knives sitting in front of the TV.

“You wanna put me in a chokehold. But you can't. You can't put me in a…hey!” Cyborg yelled.

“Ha. You’re going down metal man!” cried Knives. He had knocked Cyborg’s player over.

“Oh yeah. Then how about a little bit of THIS!” he said, as his character pulled out a sword and decapitated the other player. “BOO-YAH!” he said. “Still the champ!”

“Cheap shot.” Said Knives sullenly.

“What are you two doing?” asked Robin.

“Well, I only need 2 hours of recharge time a night, and Knives doesn’t sleep much, so we’ve been playing video games for a while. Its great to finally have something to do while y’all sleep.” Cyborg said. Knives got up. “Where you going? Tired of getting your butt whooped?” Cyborg taunted.

“Gotta go to the bathroom.” Knives said as he left the room. As soon as he was gone Robin turned to Cyborg.

“So what do you think about him. Can we trust him?” Robin said to Cyborg.

“Hard to say. He seems like a nice guy, but so did Terra…” Cyborg said.



During breakfast, conversation mostly focused on Knives. They found a lot out as they ate. He had been moving from city to city, fighting crime wherever he could. He had no fixed address, and was indeed a good guy. He had been in this city for about 2 weeks. The ‘armor’ he had was actually a mechanized power suit that he was linked to.

“So, where’d it go?” asked Beast Boy between bites of tofu eggs.

“Well, when I don’t use it, it kinda disappears. The suit is a part of me now. That’s why I didn’t change back to normal until I had fixed my leg. If I did, I would have had a huge gash in my leg. Damage is transferred between my forms.” He said.

“Where did you get that kind of technology?” Raven asked him. He put his fork down and looked at the table, very silent. All of the Titans could see the pain on his face; it was some sort of repressed memory. They became uneasy, and Starfire changed the subject.

“What do you plan to do now?” she asked him. He looked up, waken from his state of tension, and returned to normal. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, I’ll probably go back to wandering the country. I never stay in one place too long.” He said sadly.

“Well, have you ever considered it?” Robin asked him.

“What do you mean?” he said.

“You seem like a good guy, and an excellent fighter. Things have begun heating up around here, we could use an extra hand. You wanna try to become a Teen Titan?” he said. “Now, it won’t be easy, and we have to make sure you are who you say you are, but I think you could do it.”

Knives looked at Robin. “For real? You all would let me join your group?” All of them nodded, even Raven. He looked around the table at his new friends. “Hell yeah!”

[oneeyemonkeypie]

i know the endings kinda corny, but im gonna fix that. so? you want a chapter 2.

[EternalShadow]

Hmm, you seem like quite the Anime Buff.

Swords >> Katanas >> Samurai >> Anime

Knives >> Vash's Rival >> Trigun >> Anime

Wanderer >> Kenshin >> Wandering Samurai >> Anime

Good work overall, and don't let anyone ever tell you the Sword is unconventional. Robin does use a Bo-Staff after all.

[Lord Welshi]

That was really good. Excellent sotryline so far, and Knives seems like a good, colid character. Nice to see you seem to have a background prepared for him and a few hints at a shadowed past. Alos good to see you haven't made him into a "god" character. Excellent start

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Oh My GOD!
PRAISE FROM THE MASTER!

your fanfic was amazing. i LOVED it. infact, im gonna go post on it. read my post on your fic!
thanks

Also, that was perceptive of you eternalshadow. im sorta a closet anime fan. i didn't think anyone would get the knives thing. I just drew a blank for a name, i may change it. but it seems to work. originally i had the character bristling with weapons, but i discarded the idea as too "convienient". also, the wanderer thing was directly related to kenshin, but maybe subconscioulsly.
the big problem is that I am doing this on the fly, which means time inbetween posts.
also, 75% of my classes are AP, so i might fall behind. but I'll try!

so where should i go with this. im assuming you saw the episode about tamaran yesterday. do you want the whole group to go to tamaran? or just deal with some intruige here on earth? Maybe I'll have him try to discover his past. Maybe he doesn't know what it is! oh man, im getting so many ideas just rambling on here.
alright, im workin on 2

[PressureCooker]

Sorry for my scarce appearances on the board lately, just been mondo busy with work.



So... you only write analytical papers eh? LIAR!!!:mad: No way have you have only written essays and reports. This could not be written by some verbose thinking student of the analytical arts, no sir. If what you are saying is indeed true... You are nothing more than a closet fiction writer! I'm glad to see you tossed off the chains formal writing and joined us on the dark side of the page, the fiction side:evil: .



Seriously, this is good stuff. The elements are coming into play very nicely. So far we have character interaction (at various levels), action, suspense, a slight hint of romance. Let me see... Yup. It's all here!



Congratulations on a rousing first chapter and some positive reviews. I only ask of you one thing, please add me to the list of your fans. Thank you.





The Cooker



P.S. Welcome to the best home on the net for Teen Titans fanfiction. Enjoy your stay here and keep posting!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

cool!

i hashed out a shorter second chapter last night while i was supposed to be studying math (oops. o_o). im still not happy with the end, tho. Ill post it today after school when i can edit it.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

well, here we go.

I'm not terribly proud of it, but I wrote it and by god your gonna read it. I have a feeling that quality has slipped somewhat as some of the story just didn;t fit together on paper as it did in my head. oh well, here it is.
----------------------------------------------

Sweat rolled off of Knives’ brow, running down his chin to drip onto the mat. He kept hitting the punching bag over and over, as Robin recorded his results. The bag had some sort of pressure sensor, and every time Knives struck it, it showed on a monitor in the wall. Robin and Cyborg stood there, watching the screen.

“You’re doing fine.” Robin said unemotionally. He wasn’t kidding, joining the Titans was tough. He had been doing this for the past 15 minutes, just laying into the bag over and over. His fists and arms were armored, but his shoulders and chest were not; it was as if he was holding 20-pound weights in his hands. His muscles had long since knotted up and the only thing keeping him going was pure adrenaline. Cyborg glanced at him worriedly, noticing his slack jaw, glazed eyes and profuse sweating.

“I’ve never seen anyone keep this up for this long.” Cyborg whispered to Robin. “He should have passed out by now.”

“It seems like he’s gone into a trance, look at his heart rate and brainwaves.” An array of sensors on Knives was feeding the continuously beeping machine data. “His heart rate is holding steady at 75. And there’s virtually no brain activity. It’s almost like he’s stopped thinking.” Robin mused. That was truer than he though. Knives was intent on impressing them and wasn’t about to screw an opportunity like this up. He had simply started with the intent to pound the bag until it broke. Now his breath came in short, ragged gasps and a flash of pain from his shoulders brought him back to reality. He couldn’t do it. He realized that he couldn’t do it and slowed down. He had failed. Knives slumped against the bag and leaned on it, gasping.

“That was…impressive.” Robin said. “I’ve never seen anyone go for that long.”

“Huhh.” Was all Knives could say. He had heard Robin, but the words didn’t register. He’d failed. He kept playing it over and over in his mind. It started to make him angry. His rage built, his whole body beginning to shake as the word failure began to repeat over and over through his head. His heart rate spiked and the machine started blipping various warnings. Robin and Cyborg looked at him.

“What the…” was all Cyborg could get out. Knives stood up and balled his fists. He yelled fiercely, and drew back his arm. He stepped into the punch and flung his whole body into a single blow. The machine that read the high score for impact had been reading 97. The numbers spiked, and the machine hit 300 before letting out a horrible piercing shriek and going blank. The S-hook holding the bag had taken enough abuse, and snapped, sending the bag arcing towards the floor. It hit with a dull thud, and rolled once before coming to a stop several feet away.

“Well, I feel better.” Knives said between pants. Cyborg just looked at him.

“Great. I suppose I have to fix that.” He walked over and picked pieces of electronics from inside the bag. “Oh, good. The whole sensor is shot.” He said dejectedly.

Robin just looked at him, with an eyebrow raised. He seemed to be calm and collected, but Robin could see the telltale signs of rage. Something had pushed him over the edge. “How did you…never mind.” He let it go, knowing firsthand that no one is consciously aware of how they break their own limitations. “Come on, it’s lunch time. Lets get you some food and rest, then we’ll run the obstacle course.”

“Good, I’m a bit hungry.” Said Knives.



7 sandwiches later, 4 sodas and 2 bags of chips later



All of the titans stared at Knives and Beast Boy. An argument had started between them over which one was hungrier, and they had been matching food items for the past half hour. Neither one showed signs of stopping.

“Dude, give it up. Beast Boy, remember. I have the stomachs of a cow!” he said, mooing for emphasis.

“Ha. Well I’m an eating machine!” he said, holding up a robotic fist.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah”

“OH YEAH!?” Beast Boy yelled leaning over the table and spewing tofu crumbs all over Knives and Raven.

“Enough! You can finish this contest later, Knives has agility training next. The last thing he needs right now is an eating contest.” Robin stated. Beast Boy and Knives laughed self-consciously.

“Uh, sorry.” Beast Boy said.

“No, my fault.” Said Knives.

Finally able to speak, Raven said, “That…was…gross.” She picked Tofu off of her cloak.

“I agree. Well done.” Exclaimed Cyborg. Starfire laughed.

“Alright, enough nonsense. We’re heading down to the obstacle course. Whoever wants to watch can come. The rest of you can stay and clean up.” Robin said. The group looked about at the mess the pair of contestants had made. The table was empty instantly, a few chairs still spinning.



Down on the beach, Knives was preparing to go through the course. The others were up at the control station watching him. To their surprise, he closed his eyes and dropped his head to his chest.

“What’s he doing, sleeping!?” asked Beast Boy in surprise.

“No, concentrating. He is focusing.” Said Raven, the master of meditation. “Probably attempting to drown out the distractions (she shot a glance at Beast Boy) so he can draw on his power.” Indeed he was. As the group watched, a small wind kicked up, curiously centered around Knives. It began to blow his clothes, forming a sort of slow cyclone around him. Like a hay devil (small, non-dangerous tornado). He picked up his head and opened his eyes. A large metal plate seemed to appear on his back. Other sections began to slide from it, covering his body. In 5 seconds, he was covered. Then more metal began appearing from under the plates already there, forming the distinctive features of his armor. This time, the armor looked different. There was much less of it. Now he looked like a regular person wearing some sort of metal suit, not a giant walking truck. A helmet sprung from the armor around his neck, encasing his head. His voice crackled over the speaker in the console.

“Testing 1, 2, 1, 2 check check red blue. Robin, you read me?” he said.

“Loud and clear. Ok, your goal is to get through the course as fast as you can and go through all the gates. Go when I say.” The course was about a mile long, in a large circuit. Knives laughed once to himself. This time, he wouldn’t fail. His boots clicked open and the thrusters warmed up to operating temperature. He couldn’t fly through the whole course; some wall would paste him at that speed. But he could dash short distances. Two long, thin panels sprung free of his back, looking like upside-down ‘L’s attached to his shoulders. They were also thrusters. All of the Titan’s were cheering words of encouragement except Robin, who was counting down.

3…

Knives tensed up, all of his muscles taut as he crouched and engaged his combat systems. Displays on his HUD showed temperature, boost power and speed, along with other various instruments.

2…

All of the Titans held their breath, looking at the figure on the starting line. They all waited silently as he prepared to go.

1…

Robin hit the button. A bead of sweat ran down Knives’ face. Everything slowed down, and he could hear his heartbeat.

GO! Knives jumped. He had traveled about 4 inches into the air when the boosters on his back and legs fired, propelling him forward. He shot forward, inches above the ground scanning for any movement. A large turret popped up to his right. Knives shut down the boosters in front of the target and dropped to the ground. As soon as he hit he made a tremendous leap into the air and flipped over the turret, crushing it with his gloved hand as he flew overhead. It exploded in a shower of sparks. He immediately began running for the gate, only feet away. Robin pressed a button on the control panel. A large wall slid up just in front of the gate.

“AHHHHH!” Knives yelled. He was moving too fast to stop, so he crossed his arms in front of his face and fired his thrusters. They propelled him through the wall. The gate binged as he cleared number 1. Shaken, he continued on.

“Dude, he cleared gate one in 7 seconds. That’s gotta be a new record.” Said Beast Boy.

“It is, but lets not celebrate yet. He has a lot of the course left.” Robin mused. Knives hade taken to running again, and his HUD warned of large heat sources in the ground up ahead. Knives extended the blades in his fists in preparation for the enemies ahead. Raven saw the sun glinting off the steel blades just as two large metal tentacles shot out of the ground and at the fighter.

“How did he know that would happen?” she asked as he jumped over one and sliced the second one, rendering it inoperable.

“Beats me. Maybe he saw the power signal” observed Cyborg. “Don’t know how though, the time lapse is less than a tenth of a second.”

“Hmm…” said Raven. While the others were impressed by this stranger’s strength, she was not. She could easily re-create any feat of strength with meditation that he could create with brute force. What amazed her was his mind. On the outside, it seemed very simple. He had done nothing extraordinary since they had seen him and exhibited no special powers whatsoever. But she believed he was hiding something. She had attempted to make contact with him and get a reading on his emotions yesterday. It was as if she had run into a solid wall. His mind was a cold, impenetrable barrier. Even Robin, the most mysteroius of the group, didn’t have that kind of mental ability. That sort of thing required intense concentration. And when she had asked where he got his suit, something had happened. It was as if the entire room went cold and black, becoming a desolate wasteland. And now it seemed he was able to think almost immediately even during combat? There was something different about him. She wondered quietly to herself.

Knives was running for all his worth down the field. The next gate was only a hundred feet away. Suddenly large stone pillars began shooting up in front of him. He dodged left and right to avoid slamming into them. Then, each pillar began shooting out metal rods connecting to another nearby pillar, creating an impenetrable web. Knives jumped onto one of the rods and jumped again, until he was hopping from pillar to pillar, above the mess. Disk launchers conveniently placed at the same level as him began shooting deadly projectiles at him. He flipped and twisted avoiding all of the disks. The last launcher shot a disk straight at him. He caught the disk with one hand, spun, and let it go, redirected at the launcher which erupted in a gout of flame and sparks.

“Woo-Oooo! Did you see that!?” shouted Cyborg.

“That was nicely done…” agreed Robin.

Clear of the pillars, he had traversed the rest of the field, dispatching of various threats and nuisances. Almost done, he sprinted for the finish line when a large pit opened right in front of him.

“Woah!” he yelled, falling into it. As he gained momentum he tried to fire his boosters, but overheated from the race, they sputtered and refused to fire. Again and again he tried as the Titans became concerned; he had bee falling for a while. Suddenly they caught and he shot wildly out of the chasm and straight at the gate. He shut down in front and dove headfirst through the gate, hitting the ground and rolling so that he came to a stop on his feet. The other Titans came down to meet him.

“Aw yeah! That was some quick steppin’. You’re pretty good.” Said Cyborg.

“Cy’s right. You kicked butt.” Added Beast Boy.

“Agreed. Wonderful.” Starfire said.

“You did good. A little practice and you might break the record.” Robin said. Knives’ helmet receded.

“You mean I didn’t?” he asked.

“No, but you came close. Plus this was your first try. You should be proud.” Robin said to him.

“Yeah, I suppose.” Said Knives, visibly disappointed.



Knives was sitting on the roof of the Tower looking out at the city, thinking about the events that had transpired. He often found that the cool, steady breeze of sea air made it easier to think. He was lost in thought and didn’t hear the roof door open.

“I am not intruding, am I?” asked a soft voice from behind him. He knew it was Starfire.

“Not at all.” He said without turning around. She walked over and sat beside him.

“It is late, you ought to be sleeping.” She said with some concern in her eyes.

“I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been thinking…about today.” He admitted.

“You mustn’t be upset,” she said, seeing his emotions. “You did a wonderful job today. I was impressed.” She trailed off, seeing that he couldn’t hear her. He was lost in thought. She noticed how lonely he seemed. What a fate, she reflected. To have to travel from place to place, never knowing anyone. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

“You know, we are very much alike.” He looked over at her quizzically. “I came to this planet not long ago, from a very different place. I am a stranger here, too.” She said. He smiled at her weakly.

“Thank you. You know what it’s like to be totally new to a place.” He lied back and put his head in his hands. “As far back as I can remember, I’ve been traveling from place to place, never having a home, or a family. I never knew where I’d get my next meal. It is nice to have a bed. And friends.” He looked over at her. She returned his gaze for a short while, until they both became uncomfortable and giggled. He sat up next to her. “You have been so nice to me. Everyone else also, but you most of all. Thank you.” He said sincerely. She beamed back at him.

“I welcome you.” She said happily. They silently looked out at the stars for a short time, until she spoke.

“Have you ever been to Tamaran?” she said. He shook his head. She leaned towards him and pointed off to a spot in the sky. “It is that way, very far away. That is my home. Where are you from?”

He was silent for a moment and looked down at the roof. “I don’t know. I can't remember more than 6 years ago. I don’t know anything- where I was born, what my parent’s were like, or how I got this,” he held up his hand and a metal glove assembled itself. “That’s why I travel from place to place, looking for answers.”

He slowly rose to his feet. She looked up at him and he offered her his hand to help her up. She reached for it. His hand was warm and strong. He pulled her up to standing and looked out across the bay. It was a beautiful night; it seemed a shame to waste it staying inside.

“Have you ever played a game of tag?” he asked her. She shook her head.

“No, I have never played the tag. Is it some sort of labeling game?” she asked, confused.

“No no. It’s a chase game.” He said, chuckling. “I touch you, and you are it. You have to catch me and touch me back so that I’m it, or I win.” He said.

“Oh, I think I get it.” She said, still a little confused. Knives formed his steel booster boots and his back booster ‘wings’. Reaching over to her, he poked her in the arm.

“Tag.” He said, and with that he let himself fall backwards arms outstretched off the edge of Titan’s Tower. Starfire screamed and ran over to the edge, seeing him hovering about 10 feet down laughing hysterically.

“Ooooo. I will get you for that.” With that she shot into the air directly at him. He immediately flew off with her in hot pursuit. They skimmed the tops of the waves, looping back and forth. Suddenly he lost sight of her.

“Star?” he called out. Getting no response, he called louder. “Star!?” He was getting worried. Suddenly she slammed into him from behind, knocking him spinning off into space.

“TAG!” she shouted. He regained flight control and she flew off giggling with him right behind her. Back and forth they played for almost an hour.

“OK, you win.” He said, puffing. All this flying had worn him out. She laughed.

“I am victorious?” he nodded his head, and she laughed and flew in a celebratory loop. After finishing up, they flew over to Starfire’s window.

“In the name of Zall! I haven’t had that much fun since the ceremony of Chargobs!” she exclaimed, still giggling.

“I had a great time too, Star.” She flew into the frame of her window, and turned to face him.

“Goodnight Knives’ she said. He just smiled.

“Sleep well, Star.” With that, he drifted away and back towards the roof of Titan’s Tower, the sound of his thrusters slowly fading until once again it was silent outside of the window, save the occasional cricket. She floated over to her bed and sat on the edge of it, removing her boots. She had truly enjoyed herself, flying with Knives. He was so nice to her. For some reason his company seemed, sort of…comforting, in a way. She slid into bed, thinking about him. That was the first time she had actually just played since she left Tamaran. This ‘the tag’ was quite fun indeed. She slowly closed her eyes.



The next morning, Knives awoke rather late, because of his midnight workout last night. He got up, and the Tower was conspicuously silent. He walked towards the kitchen, and there was no noise. Odd, usually someone was up at this hour. He walked into the common room and the lights were off. Oh man, how did you work these things again?

“Uhhh, lights…on?” Nothing happened. “Oh yeah, lights full.” The room illuminated.

No-one was here. He walked over to the fridge and opened it, rooting around for some food. All he could find was some old beef jerky, and he chewed on the tough meat as he walked over to the couch. As he was about to sit down, the rest of the Titans came filing in. Beast Boy was chatting with Cyborg, and they walked over to the counter. Robin and Starfire were engaged in a conversation, and walked over to the console. Raven came over and sat down on the couch beside Knives.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Oh, me? I’m fine, why?” he said. Raven was the least likely of all the Titans to ask him how he was.

“Well, training is always tough. And you seem, preoccupied she said. He could feel her presence, obviously trying to get a bead on what he was thinking. He smiled at her and blocked off his mind completely, focusing on not thinking about anything. She obviously wasn’t expecting it, and sat up, startled. Looking at him, she shrugged.

“Fine. If that’s how you want it…” She levitated one of her books over to her and began reading, completely shutting him out. He leaned over.

“Is that a first edition Dorian Von Shaaber?” he asked, interested. She slammed the book shut so he couldn’t see.

“Yes, how did you know?” she replied, mildly amused.

“Oh, I know…things. May I see?” he said. The book floated father away from him.

“You share with me, I share with you.” She said. The book opened and she continued reading at such an angle that he could no longer see the pages. Shrugging, he looked away and stared out the window.

Robin and Starfire had been talking, and she was giggling a whole lot. Suddenly Robin turned around and looked at him.

“Think fast!” he said, flinging something directly at Knives’ face. He raised his arm and caught the object without flinching. He looked down, and saw a yellow two way radio with a big ‘T’.

“But this is a…I mean…” Knives was speechless.

“Welcome to the Titans.” Robin said. Beast boy and Cyborg leaned over the back of the couch.

“Your one of us now.” Said Cyborg, smiling.

“Yeah, way to go.” Added Beast Boy. He looked over, and ever Raven smiled at him.

“Well done.” She said simply,

“This is awesome. I don’t know what to say.” Said Knives, turning the radio in his hand over. “Thank you.” He finally said.

“You earned it.” Said Robin.

“Don’t thank us yet,” said Cyborg, holding up a pink dress and a tricycle. “You still gotta go through initiation.”


I just gotta get back into the flow. I will be getting my own computer in the next week or so, and my quality and quantity should increase when i do.

more later.

[EternalShadow]

Good work, very action-y. I enjoyed picturing every drop of sweat produced in this chapter :sweat: (Yeah, I know, sounds weird). btw...

The book floated father away from him.

I almost busted a gut reading that typo!

[rrarbecy]

Dont get me wrong, this story is very good, but I cant believe that you are breaking up the Robin/Starfire relationship. I am one of those old-fashioned people who believes in true love, and I believe that, if true love was in the dictionary, you would see a picture of Robin and Starfire next to it. Other than that, the story is flawless.

[Lord Welshi]

That was a very good chapter. Nice mix of humour, action and character interaction. The little tag scene was kind of sweet, but in a subtle way that hints at the possible relationship but doesn't compeltely state it. Kinda like the series does the whole robin/starfire thing really. Excellent work, keep it up!

[starburn1116]

i haven't read the whole thing but it seems you have all the right people on your side. I'm still getting use to the starfire-stranger pairing but i'm trying to keep an open mind;) . keep writing for all the people who aren't as lazy as me and actually read the whole thing

[oneeyemonkeypie]

thanks. the next chap will feature some knives-raven interaction, just to keep my options open. and maybe some other stuff too!

but i am still leaning towards some starfire interaction, maybe.

[rrarbecy]

I stick by what I said before. Please dont make a Star some stranger pair. She must be with Robin. MUST!!!!! But I dont own you, so ignore me if you want.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

EVERYONE does a robin/star fic. EVERYONE.
plus, never in the show did he even say he liked her a little bit. (yet) so i think this will be alright. plus, im trying to put some chapters in to give the characters a base upon which to grow. hes not just gonna show up and she will be like "Oh wow I love you."

it will be a just a smidgen better than that.

[rrarbecy]

I understand what you are saying, but I disagree wiht you about them never saying she liked each other. In Betrothed, Robin was obsessed with stopping the wedding, even before he found out about Blackfire's plot. And note the state of shock he is in for the first 10 minutes of the ep. They've always been the closest of all of the Titans. This is just my feeling and Ive noticed I cant sway you, so go ahead. Be my guest. sorry

[oneeyemonkeypie]

yeah, i saw that episode. I loved it personally. however, i noticed a WHOLE LOT of situations that i thought they could have used to show that Robin really cares for her, and they didn't. like at the end when they walked away, i really thought they would show them holding hands, or at least walking close together.

and they didnt!
oh well. no need to appologize.

To anyone who cares-i've hit writers block. nothing I write seems to come out right. I'll work on it, though. more updates whenever I'm happy with what I write.

[rrarbecy]

Dont worry about it. I currently have writers block in my fanfic.:)

[Crowgirl]

This is a great story so far, like others, I can't believe you are breaking up the Star and RObin relationship.:( It would be really cool if he asked her out or something and she said no....


just a suggestion...

[oneeyemonkeypie]

you'll change your mind once you see what he goes through for her, trust me. more than robin would ever do.

next chap almost done. it'll be sad, scary and maybe even a little confusing. BUT IT WONT BE THE END!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

meh, its close enough. i'll just post what i got rather than wait till tomorrow. This isn't my best work, but I think its better than last chapter. still, you decide. last chapter was all action-y, so this one is more contemplative and plot oriented. expect major things to happen soon. I have plot twists coming that you'll like, i promise.

Ch 3. midnight blues/a face in the rain

Terrible pain. Suffering, death, decay, and plague. Horrible images and emotions flooded Knives’ mind. He was in agony. Where was this place? He felt anguish and despair. He had no future, no past, and only a tortuous present.

Raven awoke with a gasp, in a cold sweat. What a vivid dream. She had been in hell. That was the only way to describe it. What pain. She looked around at her room in the dark. Silently, she sat there. The shadows danced around the various objects in her room, creating an even darker impression of her decorating choices.

“What a nightmare…” she said to herself. This was odd, as she had not had a nightmare in years. What’s more, those images were nothing like anything she had ever seen before. She had never experienced anything like that. Suddenly, she felt another flash of desolation, like it was coming from somewhere in the tower.. She only knew of one other source of telepathic energy that close.

“Knives.” She got out of bed and threw her cloak around her shoulders and walked out into the hall. The fluorescent lighting at night was very dim, and the fixtures buzzed as she walked underneath of them. As she rounded a corner, the feeling of dread and despair got stronger, until it was a choking presence in the air. The door she was seeking was just down this hallway. It almost seemed darker than the rest of the corridors she had been down. She walked down the hallway, and was not 5 feet from his door, when she heard a shout.

“NOOOOOO!” a deep, sorrowful howl, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Suddenly, the sense of misery was gone, completely evaporating from around her. She walked over to his door and pounded the open button. The door slid aside, and her eyes adjusted to the light. This was a stark room, with little in the way of furnishings. Knives was sitting up in his bed, clutching the sheets with his hands. He didn’t even look up when she walked in. There was scattered glass all around and the overhead light was shooting sparks. He simply stared down, his eyes full of terror; he looked like he had seen something horrible.

“HEY!” she shouted at him. He slowly looked up at her in the doorway. His gaze was vacant, as if he was looking through her.

“If you have powers and want to hide them from me, that’s one thing. But when you start putting weird images in my head, that makes it my problem. Keep your thoughts to yourself!” she angrily yelled at him. She walked out and slammed the door shut behind her. Angrily she tramped back to her room, loudly for so late at night. As she walked to her room, she fumed at him.

“Who does he think he is, throwing around his nightmares like that! The nerve of him! He thinks he can just go around, carelessly manipulating other people’s minds…” she continued to grumble as she walked. But the farther she went, the harder it was to stay mad at him. After all, he had looked so afraid after waking up. And she realized he indeed was. Those feelings, they were so horrible. And when she got back to her room, she began to wonder if she had done the right thing. Sure he was careless, but what if he didn’t have powers? What if he was just afraid and confused? She walked over to her window and threw the glass open.

“Damn him. Like I’m going to get any sleep now…” she said as she leaned on the ledge.



The next morning Knives got out of bed later than usual. He had tried to sleep, but was unable to. He swung his feet over the side of his bed and stood up, the muffled sound of glass crunching into the carpet under his soles clearly audible. He realized he would have to fix that. He threw on a shirt and walked over to his sink, splashing water on his face. Calm down; regain control- he thought to himself. He needed to bring his mind into check. Gathering his thoughts, he walked to the door and left, locking it behind him. The last thing he needed now was an investigation into how he broke the lamp.

He walked into the common room looking haggard. He apparently hadn’t gotten any sleep since the incident and it showed. He was tired, nervous and edgy. Raven felt sorry for him. He walked over to the counter and shakily poured himself a glass of milk. Cyborg and Robin were nowhere to be found, but Starfire was leafing through a magazine, and Beast Boy was looking through his CDs. Beast Boy turned and looked at Knives.

“Dude, you look awful. What happened?” asked Beast Boy, staring at him.

“Its, just…nothing.” He replied quietly.

“No, seriously. What happened?” Beast Boy inquired further.

“Let it go,” said Raven. Beast boy looked at her funny.

“What are you doing, standing up for him?” Beast Boy said incredulously. Raven shot him a positively evil look and he immediately shut up. She glanced over at Knives, who was totally unaware of the events transpiring around him. She needed to get to the bottom of this.



Later-



The Titans were making lunch, and Knives was nowhere to be found.

“Figures.” Said raven cynically.

“Raven, would you go get Knives? We are making the burgers of ham and wish him to join us.” Starfire said.

“Fine.” She said resignedly. She walked down the familiar hallway to his room, assuming he would be there. Left, right, down, straight, there was a lot of walking needed to get anywhere in this Tower.

“There are so many hallways in this Tower, you’d think we would have gotten a people mover by now.” She thought to herself. When she got there, the door was shut. She was about to knock, her hand poised over the door. But something held her back. Instead she quietly entered the room, moving through the door instead of opening it. This might be her chance to see what was going on. She looked about, noticing that nothing had changed since last night. She saw a figure sitting on the bed facing away from her.

“Oh, sorry. Starfire says its lunchtime.” There was no response from the figure. “Knives?” she asked. He remained motionless. She carefully picked her way over to him amidst the broken glass and saw him sitting crossed legged, with his arms resting on his knees. He was, meditating? She reached her hand over to him and touched his arm.

“Knives?”

Suddenly, a pit opened below her. She fell into despair and hopelessness, sorrow engulfed her. If the nightmare last night had been a dream, then this was that reality. Knives gasped, jolted awake. He looked down and saw Raven lying unconscious on his bed.

“No…” he said.

Raven felt like she was crazy. She was floating in a dark void with horrible pictures displayed before her. Lights, metal all around. People with masks leaning down. And the pain! Oh, it was so intense. She shut her eyes, but the pictures intensified. There was no escaping it. Time stretched into an eternity. Suddenly, she felt cold. A chill spread throughout her body.



Back in the kitchen, Cyborg was wearing an apron as he flipped the burgers on the stove.

“Aw yeah. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten a Cyborg-special, double grease-hold the veggies burger. Hah!” he said, flipping the burgers in the pan.

“Those wads of meat smell very delicious. Where do they come from?” Starfire asked him.

“Uh, burgers come from cows Star.” He said.

“I thought cows produced milk.” She said confusedly.

“Well, yeah, they do. But when you cut them up, you use the meat to make burgers.” He said, scratching his head. Starfire put her hands to her mouth and gasped.

“That is barbaric! On my planet, we do not eat creatures as cute and fuzzy as cows!” she said, horrified. Beast boy snickered. Cyborg leaned down and looked at the burgers.

“Hmm. These burgers look kinda pale and wimpy.” He sniffed them. “Hey! These are tofu!” he said, holding the pan as far away from him as he could. He turned to Beast Boy. “I’m gonna get you, you little leprechaun. No-one messes with the burgers!” he said, as he began to chase Beast Boy away from the counter.

“Yah! Get outta the way! Crazy Robot!” Beast Boy yelled.

“Get back here!”





Knives had Raven’s head cradled in the crook of his arm and was slowly pouring water down her throat. She groaned and stirred.

“Wha…” she said, opening her eyes.

“You’re awake! Thank God! Are you OK?” he said to her.

“No, I feel like I died.” She sat up on the bed, rubbing the back of her head. “What happened?”

“Actually, I was hoping you could tell me.” He said to her. She leaned forward, looking down at all of the colors of the light refracting through the shards of glass on the floor.

“Well, I walked in here. And you were sitting there, so I touched you arm to wake you…” then her eyes went wide. “I saw, images. Feelings. Pain. Those…weren’t dreams, were they?” He slowly shook his head.

“It all makes sense now.” Raven said, piecing the puzzle together. “Those weren’t images or nightmares. Those were memories. Of your past. That’s why you shielded me from your mind. You didn’t want me to know.” They sat in silence for a short while. She turned to him. “What happened?” She asked him.

“I don’t know. I only have…fragments. What I remember is, rather unpleasant, and I try not to think about it. I shield my thoughts from others, but it is hard to maintain control when you’re asleep.” He said, referring to last night.

“And you don’t have powers either. You memories, they were so strong. You emotions and your will were fighting so hard, that I could feel them. That’s why I thought you were like me.” She said.

“I told you I don’t have any special powers.” He said shamefacedly.

“That’s not true. Emotions and memories can be a very powerful tool. And if left undirected, very destructive.” She got up from the bed and looked out the window, appreciating for the first time in a while the simple beauty of nature. Her brief brush with Knives’ memories made the day seem bright and cheerful, even by her standards. She followed a seagull’s path through the sky with her eyes, thinking.

“I know because my emotions are destructive too. I had a…bad childhood. I have been dealing with memories like those my whole life.” She reached a hand towards him. He tentatively took it, and she levitated him to his feet.

“I have some special meditation techniques that help to regain control of emotions. You should probably learn them.” She said to him with the faintest trace of a smile. “For safety’s sake, of course.” He smiled back.

“Thank you.” He said, quietly.

“Come on. Starfire said it’s lunchtime.” Raven walked out of his room. As she left, she felt an aura of happiness slowly spread behind her. She could feel the barrier around his thoughts dissipate. As she rounded a corner, she clearly picked up a strong thought coming from his room.

“I’m not alone…” she smiled.



3 days later-----------------------------------



The Titans were sitting in the common room. Cyborg and Beast Boy were arguing for the remote. It was a contest between (oddly enough) Animal Planet and Tech TV. Raven looked up from the book she was reading, and a few seconds later, Robin and Knives walked through the door, laughing. The Titans had gotten used to Raven’s ability to tell exactly when Knives was entering the room, or about to say something. They didn’t know how, but then again there was a lot they didn’t know about Raven.

Knives had a towel around his neck, and Robin was wearing mesh shorts and a T-shirt. They had obviously come from training. Cyborg had triumphantly grabbed the remote and was channel surfing as green tentacles wrapped him up and began to pry the remote out of his fingers. Starfire flew over.

“Oh good! You are back. So, how did it go?” she asked cheerfully.

“Great.” Robin said confidently. “We’ve really made some progress.” He turned to Cyborg and Beast Boy, engaged in mortal combat. “You two are up tomorrow. Don’t forget.”

“Kinda busy right now. Hey, get yo hands off those!” they continued their struggle, green appendages and blue limbs flying. Robin shook his head and turned to face the others.

“Knives, you should get cleaned up. You, Raven and Cyborg go out on patrol in an hour.” He said authoritatively.

Whenever the city had been quiet for too long, the Titans would start patrols, just to look for something unusual. Plus, it was great PR. The more the city thought they were doing their job, the more free pizza they got. Knives left everyone else and walked towards his room. The hallways were silent, almost oppressive. The air felt…close. He walked to his door and hit the open button. His few meager possessions were still in boxes, nothing having been unpacked. He walked over to his closet and got a clean uniform, putting it on in silence. It was strange. He had a home for the first time in years, and was surrounded by friends, yet he still felt alone. Something was nagging in the back of him mind. A feeling of dread, like something ominous was going to happen. He walked over to him mirror and fixed his hair. He stood there, looking at himself.

“You have no right to be sad. What’s wrong with you? You’ve got everything you could want!” he said accusingly to his reflection. Still, he didn’t feel right. Sighing, he put on a fake smile and slowly walked out of his room.



The T-car was stuck in traffic. Not your average, everyday stoplight traffic. More like rush hour-gridlock traffic.

“Come on! By the time we get downtown, it’ll be time to go back!” Cyborg said, frustrated. Raven, sitting in the back seat, spoke up.

“I don’t think yelling at the traffic will help matters any. Why don’t you just relax and try not to be so uptight.”

“Listen Mrs. Dark and Mysterious: that meditation stuff may work on you, but I vent my frustration in two ways-hitting things, and yelling at things. And I don’t see nothin’ to hit, do you?” she rolled her eyes. Knives sighed and looked out the window. The sky mirrored the way he felt: the entire sky was restless, covered by various shades of dark clouds moving very fast, and it had begun to rain. There were a large number of people walking down the street in the rain. Quickly running this way and that, always in a rush. They started moving again. Cyborg quickly turned down a side street.

“Finally! Now we can get some patrolling done!” he said happy to be out of the traffic. As they suspected, there were no major criminals out parading down the streets. While out, they got some fried noodles at Chinatown. They finished, and were on the journey home. Thunder rumbled ominously in the background.

“Man. Those were some gooood noodles.” he said, letting out a contented sigh. They had traversed much of the journey home, when someone caught Knives’ eye. There was a scrawny looking man wearing a dark overcoat with unkempt, wild black hair walking head bent into the rain. Something about him seemed-not right. The whole day had been like that for Knives, but this man seemed to be the personification of his ominous feelings. The car was caught in traffic, and they passed him, but he soon caught up to the car and was walking abreast of it. The sidewalks were crowded, but it seemed like everyone was moving in slow motion except for that. Slowly the drone of the city filtered itself out, until there was only the stranger, walking alone and silently. He turned his head to look behind him, and for a split second, Knives saw his face.

“No…” he said quietly. Everything had come rushing back at one, the people, the sounds, the traffic, and it had startled Knives. He fought to undo his seatbelt as the man recognized him and began to run away into the dusk. Raven sat straight up, aware something was happening.

“What’d you say partner?” Cyborg looked over and saw an open door with Knives sprinting off into the rain hot in pursuit of some strange looking man.

“Oh damn.” He said, quickly pulling the car onto the sidewalk and parking it. He and Raven ran to try to keep up with the pair.

Knives transformed as he ran, chasing the man down. His feet splashed through small puddles that inevitably collect when it rains. His footsteps echoed off of buildings and alleyways. Slowly he gained on him, the man’s overcoat flapping wildly as he fled from the pursuing Titan. The man led him on a chase for over a block, until finally turning down a dead end alley. He ran down to the end and saw no exit. He grinned evilly, slowly turning to face Knives. Knives was standing in the entrance of the alley. Lightning struck, and he was briefly illuminated. Cyborg and Raven finally reached them, standing behind Knives. Cyborg wheezed from the run.

“Well well. I never thought I would see you again, 214. It seems the cleanup crew was not as…effective as previously assumed.” He said sinisterly.

“Solamus…” Knives said, almost growling the words. His blades sprung out of his fists, making the sound of a sword being quickly unsheathed.

“Temper, temper. There’s no need for such extreme-” the man was interrupted.

“Shut up.” Knives said softly. “Did you think you could escape judgment forever?” he asked the man.

“Man, what the hell’s going on here?” Cyborg demanded.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” he said with a bow. “I am Dr. Thaddeus Solamus. I am…a pioneer of biotechnology.” He said with flair and elegance. Raindrops spattered off of Knives, steam rising from his heat sinks.

“How dare you call yourself a pioneer? You are a malevolent, demonic, immoral criminal. As such, you must be destroyed.” Knives said, taking a step towards the stranger.

“Uh uh uh.” The stranger said, waving his finger. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device, grinning. He held it up for Knives to see.

“You can't control me anymore!” he yelled furiously. The stranger coolly smiled back.

“Then why haven’t you attacked me?” he said evenly. Knives stood his ground, not moving an inch. “I thought as much. You were trained better.” Then he looked past Knives. “You shouldn’t have brought them into this.” He said, waving at Raven and Cyborg. “Now all of you must be eradicated.

“Man, no-one’s gonna eradicate me. Who do you think you are?” said Cyborg, obviously lost in the dialogue. The stranger continued, ignoring him. Cyborg growled and prepared to advance when Raven put a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait. We should hear what he says first.” She said. The stranger continued his monologue.

“Yes, all of you will be destroyed. Perhaps even that nice young Tamaranian girl?” he said smiling.

“You leave her out of this!” Knives yelled. With that he lunged at the stranger, covering large distances with gigantic bounds. The stranger laughed once, then pointed the device at Knives and pressed a button. Knives world went white with pain, every nerve ending in his body being stimulated at the same time.

“Rrrghhh…” he grunted. He stumbled, took one more step, then fell to his knees grabbing his head.

“You see? You are nothing more than a defect 214. A defect I intend to correct.” He smiled. Suddenly Cyborg and Raven were standing by Knives. Cyborg pointed his sonic cannon at the stranger.

“Listen Doctor Salami, I don’t know what you’re doing to my friend, but you’d better stop it. Now.” He emphasized that last point with the click of his cannon. Raven had bent down to see if Knives was alright.

“Are you OK?” she asked him.

“G-go. Get…out of here.” he said through grunts.

“Too late!” Said Solamus. The doctor whipped off his overcoat, revealing a suit of armor that looked like Knives’, but more complex. It had spikes and chains, and looked sinister. “Now you all have to die.” He said. Raven put up a shield in front of them just as two missiles crashed into it. There was a tremendous explosion, and Raven grunted as her shield absorbed the brunt of it. As the smoke cleared, they saw a distant figure jumping across the rooftops away from them. Knives slowly got to his feet. A panel in his arm lit up, the man’s face appearing on it.

“I will be back for you, 214.” He said. The screen went black.

“Man, who was that guy?” asked Cyborg. Knives just looked at his hands, the rain splashing off of them and running down in small rivers to the ground below.

“What have I done?” he said to himself. “No! Not again, not now...” he said, his head slumping to his chest. Cyborg took a few steps back. He looked at Raven.

“Uh, I think we need to get him back to the Tower.” He said. She nodded her head in agreement.

[EternalShadow]

You know what I just realized? This story is a pun waiting to happen! Something like this:

"You shouldn't play with Knives... Someone could get hurt!"

:D Hehe, I wonder if you intended something like that? If not, feel free to use it:D

[oneeyemonkeypie]

no, the story wasn't supposed to be silly.

*sigh* oh well...

[starburn1116]

i finished it and all i can say is WOW!!!

the starfire-knives thing worked better than i thought though i resent the comment of robin not giving any hints. robin and starfire forever. muhahahahahahahahahaha:evil: !

Now what was i talking about. oh yeah. the story. it's great! update soon


and could you please thinkabout adding that robin thinks of star as a sister and warns knives not to hurt her? but as another great R S Shipper said before me,"i don't own you so feel free to ignore me")

p.s R S Shipper=robin starfire worshipper
for all the people who aren't as fanatical as i

[oneeyemonkeypie]

thanks for the positive feed back. i 'got in the zone' tonight and sat for a while and punded out a like 7000 word finish to this adventure. I could do more, and i might, but im not sure of anything yet. its not 'done' done, and i still gotta do an edit. i might send it to pressure cooker for a final read through, too. expect an update soon, but not mega soon. Id rather have it a little late and perfect.

will post status tomorrow.

Ps-that robin idea is excellent, i've gotta add that. i originally intended to make robin and knives compete for her and have a showdown, but dropped that idea earlier.

[starburn1116]

Ps-that robin idea is excellent, i've gotta add that. i originally intended to make robin and knives compete for her and have a showdown, but dropped that idea earlier.
you are very welcome. a showdown between knives and robin would break my heart:( . anything for a good teen titans fic and your's is GOOD. keep it up and update soon.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

ya. I might have something like that in the next chap, but those two are friends, and they wouldn't be mad for long.

The chapter is done. Pressurecooker's looking over it right now, expect it in a few days.

(It is LONG! Like 6000 words! i got carried away.)

[oneeyemonkeypie]

alrighty, here it is. Props to Pressure cooker for editing and polishing.
-----------------------------------------------
Chapter 4- friendship and sacrifice





“I’m tellin’ ya it’s the truth! There was this crazy mad scientist, and he said that he’s gonna be coming to get us!” Cyborg yelled, annoyed that Robin was still skeptical.

“He’s telling the truth.” Raven said. Robin rested one hand on the counter and leaned back, rubbing his temple with the other hand. Trying to take all of this in, he sighed.

“OK. So there was a crazy guy in a trench coat. That doesn’t mean that he’s any more dangerous than that homeless guy that lives in the old abandoned movie theater.” Robin said. Honestly, not every crazy wacko out there was a threat.

“This guy was different. He was serious, and he had some real firepower. I think this is gonna be a real problem.” Said Cyborg. He didn’t get why it was so hard for Robin to believe him. Beast Boy had been listening with mild interest, but unless there was immediate danger or food involved, his attention would invariably wander.

“We should at least take some steps to prevent any sort of attack.” Raven suggested. Robin sighed again.

“Fine. Cyborg, double check the security systems, and put in a few new motion detectors around the perimeter.” Robin said. Raven scowled at him. “Look, I can't spend hours worrying about something that won't even turn out to be a problem!” he yelled. She just flipped up her hood and turned away. She could be so difficult. Starfire had heard the whole exchange. She was worried about Knives. On top of being threatened for his life, no one had even asked for his side to the story. She began searching the Tower, trying to find him. First she went to his room. It was dark, and all of the boxes made it feel, cold and impersonal. Something about it seemed, different. Not finding him, she unsuccessfully searched the gym. She was walking down the hallway thinking of using his communicator when she looked out the window. There was a lone figure on the beach, staring out into the ocean. Why was he outside, she thought to herself? She went looking for the nearest open window.



The rain had stopped, and the sky was like a fierce tapestry of light and dark streaks quickly moving across the horizon. The air felt unsettled and more rain was bound to come. Knives stood on the sand, listening to the pounding of the surf against the hard sand beach. He heard the soft crunching of someone walking down the beach to him. He looked out across the sea, watching the foamy tops of the waves blow off into the wind. It was always a humbling experience, to gaze upon the sea. It had been there for billions of years before him, and would exist long after he had turned to dust. Someone walked up next to him.

“Why do you stand out here alone?” Starfire asked him, looking out across the water also, trying to spot what he was looking at.

“I needed some time to think.” He responded after a slight pause. He looked down at the sand. The water rushing across his feet had buried him several inches in the sand; he had been out here for a while.

Starfire stood there in silence, not wanting to disturb him. She could tell that he was thinking of something important. She was sure he would tell her what she needed to know.

“I have to go,” he said after several minutes. “It’s no longer safe here.” Starfire gasped and looked at him.

“No! You cannot go! You belong here!” she yelled, obviously upset by his decision. He continued to look out across the water.

“I have no choice. These people are very serious, and very dangerous. What would happen if they hurt you? I could never forgive myself. This is something I have to do.” He said. She turned to face him.

“Knives…” she said. He turned his head and looked at her. “I do not wish you to go.”

“Starfire, please don’t make this difficult. If I were to stay, all of you would be in danger…” she held up her hand, cutting him off.

“Every day we are in danger. There are many that would do us harm. But it would cause me more pain if you were to leave.” She looked down and rubbed her arm. “On Tamaran, there is a story told to children of a person who leaves his friends, thinking they would be better off without them. However, when he leaves, they become very sad. In the end, they suffer worse after he has left.” She looked into his grey eyes, trying to see what he was feeling. The Tamaranians believed that the eyes were the windows of the heart. In his eyes, she saw sadness. As he looked at her, something in him changed. She saw the beginnings of hope begin to creep into his face. Thinking about what she said, his expression softened. She began to smile at him, already reading on his face what he was about to say.

“Starfire, do you really want me to stay?” he asked her. The wind rushed about them, blowing traces of sand this way and that.

“Of course! Ever since you have arrived, you have been kind to me. In every fight, you always try to protect me. You are my friend.” She looked down, and had the faintest trace of a blush. “Life would not be the same without you.” He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She raised her gaze to meet his eyes.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. She beamed back at him. “Come on. If I’m going to stay, I must go tell Robin what these people are up to.” Together they walked back up from the beach.



Robin was in his room, looking at some of the more recent newspaper articles on the walls. He still didn’t accept the fact that Slade was gone and spent his free time attempting to construct patterns of criminal movement that pointed to a mastermind. There was a heavy knock on his door.

“Come.” He stated businesslike. The door slid open, and Knives walked in. “Good timing. I wanted to speak to you about what happened earlier.” Robin said. Knives stepped over to the table and stood there, toying with some of the more recent confiscations the Titans made from the local villains.

“That’s why I came in here. These people are dangerous. You need to know what we’re dealing with.” Said Knives. Robin raised an eyebrow.

“Dangerous? You mean like Slade dangerous?” He said disbelievingly. The story Cyborg told made them sound like petty thieves.

“No,” said Knives. “This is much worse. These people do things that even Slade couldn’t.” He said seriously. Robin looked at him for a second then burst out laughing. Knives frowned at him.

“Ha ha ha ha! Hoo-boy. You’re telling me that these people are more dangerous then the worst criminals we’ve ever faced? That’s rich!” he said jokingly.

“Yes.” Knives replied evenly. Robin slowly stopped smiling and looked at him. “Come on, we have to go try and find out what they’re plotting.” Knives said, then walked out of Robin’s room. Robin looked down and thought about what Knives had said for a minute.

“More dangerous than Slade?” he said to himself. Turning the words over in his head, he tried to imagine what Knives had meant by that. Rather worried, he walked out into the hallway and into the common room. He descended the steps and walked over to the main screen where the others had already gathered.

“OK, alright, lets get some details. Number one-Who was the guy that you were chasing?” Robin said, quickly getting down to business. Knives leaned over and punched some buttons, bringing up a full screen image of the man he had faced off with.

“He is Dr. Solamus, the head research scientist at a Bioengineering firm, Trough Robotics Inc.” Robin looked at the details under the picture.

“But that firm went bankrupt over 10 years ago.” He said.

“Not bankrupt, underground. They shut down formal operations and moved to an undisclosed location.” Knives said. Robin looked at him disbelievingly.

“OK, lets say that that’s true. So why did that guy want to kill you?” he asked, still unconvinced.

“I…know too much. They had tried to silence me a long time ago, but I got away. Now that they know I’m still alive, they will throw pretty much anything at us to make sure that we all stay quiet. Our only hope is to try and find them first.” He said.

“Well, seeing as how we know absolutely nothing about them, it’ll be a little hard to stop them.” He noticed the worried looks of the rest of his team. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out. Until tomorrow, I suggest we all get some sleep. We’re going to need it tomorrow.” The team split up.

“Man, I’m beat. All this psycho-doctor stuff really wears me out.” Cyborg said with a yawn.

“I know what you mean.” Agreed Beast Boy. Knives walked down the hall to his room. He reached it, and was punching in the unlock code when Starfire walked up.

“Come on…man!” he kept hitting the wrong buttons. They were all so damn close together.

“Allow me,” Starfire said. She deftly hit a series of buttons and the door swung open.

“Thanks.” Knives said, embarrassed.

“I just wanted to say goodnight, and that I am glad you decided to stay here.” She said softly.

“Thank you for showing me that I have friends who care about what happens to me.” He said. She laughed quietly. “Good night.” He said to her. She turned to go. As she walked down the hall, Knives turned to her again.

“Star?” he said. She turned to look at him. “Just, be careful, OK?” he said. She smiled at him and continued walking. He walked over to his bed and fell into it, asleep shortly after hitting the pillow. He was beat after what had happened today. Happily, he reflected that things would soon be over. He could finally stop looking over his shoulder every day.







Knives’ communicator buzzed insistently, waking him from his deep slumber. He looked over at the clock. He had only been asleep for three hours. He reached over and hit the button.







“Mmmmm…mmhuh?” he mumbled into it. Cyborg’s voice came over the speaker and it sounded urgent.

“Knives get in here! We have a situation.” He said in an urgent whisper. Knives leapt out of bed instantly awake and sprinted down to the control center, one level below his room. When he got there, the rest of the team was already assembled. Cyborg looked up.

“Looks like we’ve got an unexpected guest.” He said, waving at the monitors. There was a figure prowling around the edge of the security grid, probing for weak points. “He doesn’t know we’ve spotted him yet.” Said Cyborg.

Knives looked at Robin. “Do we have a positive ID yet?” he asked.

“No, but the chance of it being some reporter is pretty slim.” Robin replied.

Knives looked at the screen. “This might be our big chance. We have to get that guy.” He said. Robin looked at the rest of the team.

“Well, what do you guys think?” It was rare that he asked for opinions, but he was truly stumped.

“I agree, catching him could help end this thing for good.” Raven said.

“I don’t want to be worrying that some crazy scientist wants to get me, I say we go for it.” Beast Boy said. The others nodded.

“Then it’s settled. We go and get him. Titans, lets move out!” Robin said. The whole team quickly and quietly made their way down to the entrance of the Tower. Assembling outside the doorway, they looked for their visitor.

“Everyone be quiet. We don’t want to spook him.” Cyborg whispered. The group fanned out, stalking the grounds and looking for the stranger. Out of the corner of his eye, Robin saw a shadow move.

“Cyborg, now!” he yelled. Floodlights illuminated the whole surrounding area and the stranger froze, unsure of how to react. He looked like some sort of robot, and was very thin and fast looking, like a reconnaissance model.

“Titans, go!” Robin yelled. Immediately the fighters closed on the dark visitor. A series of blue, green, and black beams sliced through the air around him, but he easily and nimbly dodged them.

“He’s fast.” Said Cyborg.

“Not fast enough!” said Beast Boy, turning into a cheetah. He sprinted off after the stranger, leaping at him and swinging his paws, but the robot leapt and evaded all of the attacks. He began to run, seeing he was outnumbered and Beast Boy chased him toward the city.

“Don’t let them get away!” yelled Knives. Taking to the skies, he blasted off after them. Raven grabbed Cyborg and Starfire grabbed Robin, trying to keep up.

Their chase led them to the slums district, where someone as dark and unsavory as their mysterious guest would blend right in. The Titans found Beast Boy walking down one of the main roads, looking lost. The all landed near him.

“Dude! He just sorta disappeared.” Beast Boy said.

“Search the area, he can't be far.” The Titans separated. Knives walked down a deserted street, the streetlights flickering in front of him. Newspaper blew around in eddies in-between buildings and bottles littered the sidewalks. He was walking down the street noticing just how dirty this area was. People peered out of windows at him, afraid. It was a shame, no matter how many villains they stopped, or monsters they destroyed, people still had to live on the streets in fear. He walked down the street and met up with Raven at an intersection.

“Nothing?” he asked her. She shook her head. Together they walked down another street, searching the shadows for the intruder. As they walked, they heard a familiar scream from behind them.

“No…” he said, beginning to run in the direction it had come from. He converged with the other Titans in front of an old train station. The bricks had begun to erode from the wind and rain and the building was all boarded up. It had been built in the 20’s, when the city was young and prosperous, and this district was full of life and money.

“I’m guessing you all heard that.” Robin said to the others. They nodded.

“Hey, where’s Star? And B.B.?” Cyborg said.

“I have a bad feeling about this…” said Robin.

Suddenly they heard blasts coming from the other side of the station. They ran around the side of the building, and Knives’ blood ran cold.

Two very large mechanical beings held Starfire and Beast Boy captive. The two Titans struggled fiercely, but were held fast. Dr. Solamus laughed at the intruders.

“You are too late 214, you failed them. Just like you failed the others!” Knives sprinted towards the maniacal doctor, but he was too far away. The doctor stepped into the door of what looked like a military jet. Leaning out the door, he called to them as he took off vertically, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back for you 214!” he laughed as they sped off.

“NO! COME BACK HERE!” he screamed at the departing airship.
“No…” Raven said disbelievingly.

“We have to do something!” said Knives.

“Right. Lets get the T-car and follow them.” Robin said.

“No, there’s no time!” yelled Knives. “We have to go now! If we loose them, we may never find them again!” He balled his fists, and lowered his head. A series of clicks could be heard as two pods extended from his back. There was a deep rumbling as the massive engines began to spin up.

“Knives…” said Raven. He spoke to her without turning.

“Bring Robin and Cyborg.” With that he started running forwards. After a few steps, he jumped in the air and fired the massive engines attached to his back. There was a blinding blue white flash, and he screamed off into the night. Raven’s eyes went white as she summoned up enormous reserves of power. Robin turned to her.

“Uh, Raven?” He was surrounded by black energy. Suddenly, he and Cyborg were levitated into the air along with Raven.

“Whoa!” screamed Cyborg. He hated flying. They flew up above the buildings. Cyborg punched in some buttons on his arm.

“Go there,” he said, pointing towards the mountains. Raven chanted her mantra.

“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!” Suddenly they sped off into the night just as fast as Knives had earlier. Cyborg called Knives on his arm.

“What?” answered Knives.

“Wouldn’t it have been a better idea to go back to the Tower and get a ride?” Cyborg asked him.

“No time. If that ship gets out of visual range, they’re gone for good. We can't let them take Starfire, or Beast Boy.” He said seriously. “We have to get to them immediately.”

“I know that,” said Cyborg.

“No, you don’t.” answered Knives.

Robin was being whisked along the night sky at tremendous speeds. They had been flying for close to 20 minutes, and he never realized just how boring the country was. Trees, rocks, and rivers. That was it. At first it had been exhilarating, but the repetition soon became monotonous. They had gained enough distance to see Knives’ trail, but that was it. They flew along in silence, Robin thinking about Beast Boy and Starfire. They kept going, until Raven began to slow down. Looking around, Robin saw that Knives was hovering in the air in front of them. Raven slowly brought herself alongside.

“I’ve lost visual. Besides, my system is overheated. We need to land.” They all dropped down into a clearing and Robin and Cyborg were let free of the energy field. Raven’ feet hit the ground and she swayed a bit, looking like she was going to fall over. Cyborg steadied her.

“Whoa. You all right?” he asked concerned.

“I’m fine, just a little tired.” She answered in her monotone voice. The Titans stood in the clearing, unsure of what to do next. Robin whipped out his communicator, trying to reach their friends. Raven stood there, regaining strength and Cyborg looked around for some sort of visual clue as to where they were. Knives’ visor receded and he looked up into the night sky. This place seemed familiar. The stars were visible through the tops of the trees. He drew in a deep breath of air and let the sounds of the night wash over him, drowning out everything else. All of a sudden a series of images flashed quickly through his mind. He put his hand up to his head.

“You alright?” asked Raven and the other Titans looked at him. He turned and walked towards a dead tree. He paused just past it.

“Come on, it’s this way!” he shouted as he began to run down a very faint path beaten into the bush. The others ran to keep up.

“How-puff-do you know-puff-where we’re going?” asked Cyborg as they ran.

“Trust me!” he shouted back. They ran for several hundred feet, the path disappearing completely. They were just running through solid brush, Knives’ metal boots trampling a path the others followed. After making several abrupt turns they stopped in another clearing.

“Great. Now where are we?” asked Cyborg cynically.

“Right where we wanted to be.” Said Knives as he walked up to the rock face. They were in between the forest’s edge and a large rock cliff. He walked along the cliff and around a bend. The other Titans followed, and just around the bend they came to a large opening, big enough to drive several dump trucks through. It sloped down sharply as soon as it entered the rock.

“Well, that’s not suspicious.” Said Raven. Knives began to walk into it.

“Wait!” said Robin, putting his hand on Knives’ shoulder. “It could be a trap.”

“Of course it’s a trap. I don’t have any choice. This is my fault, and I’m going to fix this before anyone gets hurt.” He said.

“No, this concerns all of us. It isn’t just your problem.” Robin looked at him and smiled. “We’re all friends, and this is all our problem. We’ll go save them together.” Robin said. Knives looked at Robin.

“You really are good friends.” He said, moved that they cared so much. “Thank you.” He said to them. Then they all descended into the darkness together.

The air was chilly and damp; the rock wall provided no hiding places for the intruders. There was little lighting, and so many turns that it was hard to see if someone was coming. In short, it was the worst place to possibly sneak into. The Titans had traveled for a quarter of a mile or so without encountering anything.

“You sure this is the right place?” asked Cyborg. No sooner had he said that then a series of lights illuminated the group. A sinister voice crackled over a PA system.

“Welcome, 214. I knew you would not disappoint. Ah, yes, and the Teen Titans. My, my. This is quite the surprise.” The Titans formed a circle facing outward, to ward off any intruders. “No need to be so tense, my guests.” The voice said. Large figures in what looked like combat armor holding automatic weapons appeared in front of and behind the Titans.

“What do you want?” shouted Robin at the voice.

“Why, you of course.” With that the floor surface tilted abruptly down at a crazy angle, the Titans sliding down the incline. The hard rock that had been so stable before now proved to be so smooth to grip. Raven used her powers to hold herself and Cyborg stationary. Robin used a grappling hook attached to an overhead pipe, and Knives plunged his blades into the floor, stopping his descent. The figures overhead pointed their rifles at the struggling heroes and fired. They only shot nearby, meant to scare the Titans into letting go. It was enough to dislodge them, send them sliding down the floor and landing in a large metal cell, a 20 foot cube. Overhead a sickly green light glowed providing the only source of illumination. The walls were made of riveted steel panels, some covered in scratches of varying length. Obviously something had tried to get out before. The ceiling of the cell returned to normal, and the Titans were trapped.

“Where are we?” asked Robin, searching for a way out.

“Probably a holding cell.” Said Cyborg, looking at a section of the wall that was recessed. It was the size of a garage door and was obviously the entrance/exit to this prison. Knives sat in a corner, head hanging below his knees.

“Don’t bother,” he said to Cyborg who was trying to lift the door. “These cells were made to hold things stronger than us. We aren’t getting out.”

“Man, how do you know that? As a matter of fact, how did you know everything about this place? And why does everyone call you 214?” Cyborg asked angrily.

“He’s right. It’s time for the truth…” Robin said to him.

“Very well.” Sighed Knives. “It is a long story, and we aren’t going anywhere, so you’d better sit down.” The other Titans all took seats facing him. He began his story…

“My first memory is when I was about 10 years old. I remember being in a large group of other boys my age. We all wore white clothes, and had out hair shaved. None of us knew how we had gotten there. Suddenly a man appeared. He seemed very important, and spoke to us. He talked about how we were special; we had been chosen for a special project because we were the best. He said we were important to the survival of Humanity. None of us understood him, but we knew he was saying that we were important.
He took us through a door, and we walked through many strange corridors. We came to a large hallway, and were all given a room to share with one other person. We lived there for a few weeks, being fed and allowed to talk amongst ourselves. Sometimes the men would come and take a person away, they never returned. We all only guessed at what happened to those who were taken away. Some of us thought that they were sent home, others thought they were punished.
My turn came in the second week. The men came and got me in the middle of the night. They led me to a room and strapped me to a table. An old man came out with some scary looking tools. I was frightened, and he told me not to worry. It would all be over soon. They gassed me, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was in another room. This time, I was dressed in grey clothes, and there was no one else in the room. My head hurt. I later found out that the doctors had begun laying the circuitry in my brain for the neural system interface-the thing that lets me control how and when I change.”

Knives paused for a moment, looking at his friends. They had a mixture of compassion and horror on their faces. Raven looked at him sorrowfully.

“This is the place in your dreams, isn’t it?” she asked him. He nodded his head.

Knives continued. “The doctors continued their regiment of operations, adding parts and circuits every day. Sometimes men came and put me on a machine designed to test endurance. If you didn’t improve, they would punish you. Well, the months went by and I became stronger. I also became smarter. I found out what was going on. I was designed to be a weapon. They started calling me 214, my serial number. They had given me my armor,” he held up his arm, changing it from normal to robotic back to normal. “And my weapons. They had designed me to be the perfect weapon. I was going to be one of their elite units-strong, efficient, and deadly. But I didn’t want to hurt anyone. All I wanted was to go home.”

“I soon learned how they planned on making me do what they said. I was told that mind control was not possible, because it reduced my fighting ability. They told me that if I didn’t do what they said, they would punish me. They had put something in me, and whenever I disobeyed, they would send signals to my brain. It was the most intense pain imaginable,”
Cyborg remembered the device the doctor had used. That must have been what he was talking about. “They wanted to break me, so that I would do what they said without question. But their plan was doomed from the start. The problem was so simple; they couldn’t even see it, like looking at an elephant through a microscope. They could never break me, because I had something they didn’t. Hope. The single identifying trait that separates humans from animals, robots and every other life form. The ability to go beyond reason, beyond logic, to believe in something even when it was completely impossible. I still had hope. They could never take that away.”

The other Titans had been listening with rapt attention. Obviously they were interested in what had happened to him. He looked about at the walls before continuing.

“There were four of us. The doctors had discovered their flaws, and were going to destroy us. They wanted to salvage as much of the machinery as they could and start over again. We knew we had to get out. One night we broke free of our cells and fled the compound. One of us died in the escape. He was just a few feet from the exit, and they shot him in the back.”

Knives’ eyes began getting glassy, his emotions leaving him. He was so exhausted from reliving it that he ceased to feel pain. “Another of us… went, outside in the freezing cold the night after we escaped. It was just two of us left. We had run for weeks, trying to escape the soldiers. We had been hiding in a small summer cottage in the North. They finally caught her, but she wouldn’t tell them where I was. They took her back to the base, and I never saw her again. Ever since then I have been running away, always trying to find some way to destroy the monsters that caused so many so much pain and suffering.” Knives stood up and looked at the door, wishing he could think of a way to escape these cells. But he knew they were locked in tight. The Titans looked at each other.

“I’m…sorry. I had no idea that your past was so, so…” Robin said at a loss for words. Knives raised his hand. He began to speak but as he opened his mouth he was interrupted by the PA.

“That was a heart-wrenching tale. Oh, I do love a good tragedy,” said the voice over the speaker.

“MONSTER!” screamed Knives at the ceiling, whipping his head around the room for something to address his anger towards. “What do you want!” he yelled.

“Oh, nothing. You’ve already given me more than enough.” He said. Knives heard the muffled screams of Starfire in the background. “I hope you said goodbye to your friend this morning, it’s the last time you’ll see her.” He said.

“STARFIRE!” screamed Knives. The voice cut out, the PA dying again. Knives pounded the wall with his fists, making a reverberating bang each time. He gave up, slumping against the wall and sobbing.

“I…I said that, I’d protect her. And I…failed her. I failed her and now, she’s never coming back. It’s my fault. All my fault…” he said quietly. Robin and Cyborg looked at each other.

“We need to get out of here!” yelled Robin. He looked at Cyborg. “Do you see any way we could escape?”

“Naw, man. This place is sealed tight. There’s nothing we can do.” Cyborg said resignedly. Knives put out his arm and began hitting buttons.

“Yes, there is…” he said quietly.

“What is it? What are you doing…” asked Cyborg, looking over.

“Shutting down the limiters on my actuators.” Knives said softly.

“WHAT!? ARE YOU CRAZY?” yelled Cyborg at Knives. “Don’t you have any idea what that’ll do!?”

“Yes, but it’s the only way. I must protect her, I promised her I would.” Robin looked at the pair startled by the outburst.

“What’s he doing?” asked Robin, wanting to know how this would get him out.

“He’s hacking his system and shutting down the limiter protocols…” Cyborg said as Robin raised his hand.

“In English.” He said.

“Machines and human bodies are different. When a human’s muscles are overused and in danger of damaging themselves, they get tired. They can't do anything until they heal. A machine’s different. They will work until they destroy themselves.” He pointed to a large grey panel on his leg. “We have limiters, which tell us when we’re in danger and keep us safe.”

“Why would he undo that?” Robin asked looking at Knives. He had shut out the events surrounding him, concentrating only on the numbers on his arm.

“He will have unlimited strength. He will fight until he literally tears himself apart.” Cyborg replied sadly.

“Well, stop him!” Raven yelled.

“No,” replied Cyborg. “He’s right. It’s the only way out of here. Besides, do you think you could stop him?” Knives looked up. A few panels flicked open and a quick series of beeps sounded. He walked up to the door. The other Titans looked on. Robin felt horrible about it, but he was happy that they could get out and rescue the others.

“Starfire…” he said to himself. Growling, he punched his right hand into the door. It went straight through, and he grabbed it on the other side. He followed suit with his other arm. Grunting, he lifted the door off its tracks, swinging it clear of the opening. His joints groaned under the heavy load. Electricity arced across his arms and shoulders and a terrible high-pitched warning alarm sounded from his arm. He swung it outwards and it fell, hitting the ground. It shook the entire compound, and knocked some dirt loose from the ceiling.

Knives stood there, heaving. His right arm was still shooting occasional sparks and the acrid smoke of burning circuits filled the air. Cyborg held out his arm and did a system sweep of Knives.

“Watch out man, you’re already in danger of coming apart. Look at your system parameters.” Knives looked down and saw that his primary circuitry had been fried and the actuators in his arms were functioning at 65% capacity. His systems were already in need of repair.

“I’m fine.” He said stubbornly. “Besides, we have to go.” The Titans ran through the complex for a short while, coming to another door. On the other side of it were several armed soldiers.

“The lab is right through there.” Said Knives. Raven stepped up to the door. Using her telekinesis, she flipped the switch on the other side and the door slid open. Cyborg stepped through, sweeping the room with his sonic cannon. Several guards dropped. Robin and Knives crashed through the opening and Robin stepped up, about to deliver a crushing kick to the head of a nearby soldier. Knives swept by, swinging his blades. The guard dropped to the ground clutching his face. Knives attacked with a fury, knocking down guards left and right, puncturing combat armor and flesh with comparative ease. Within a matter of seconds, all the soldiers had been dispatched. Cyborg walked over to Knives. A glance at his readout said that he was functioning at 35% capacity. He was in serious danger. The teen wanted to say something, anything that would keep his friend from destroying himself. After all, Cyborg and Knives were the two most similar Titans of the group, and had shared a special kinship because of it. But he looked into Knives’ eyes and saw that there was nothing he could do or say to change his mind. He placed a hand upon his shoulder.

“You did good.” He simply stated. Knives looked up at him.

“Thanks.” He answered.

“We have to go.” Robin said impatiently. Knives ran through the doorway and down the hallway, the other Titans close behind. He came to a large white room and saw Beast Boy and Starfire strapped to tables. The doctor was gone and his aides were scrambling to leave the room. He immediately ran over to Starfire, while the others tended to Beast Boy.

“Star…” he said to her, leaning down over her. She was unharmed and terrified. He grabbed the metal cuffs holding her and crushed them in his hand, folding them up like paper. Free of the table, she sat up and grabbed him, sobbing into his shoulder.

“Knives! I was so scared…” she said, frightened. He lifted her off the table.

“Shhhh…it’s alright, you’re safe now.” He said as he put her down

“Not yet!” screamed Solamus. He had a large, strange looking gun, and had a wide-eyed, crazed look on his face.

“If I can’t kill you 214, then I’ll at least kill your little friend!” He leveled his gun and took aim.

“NOOO!” screamed Robin, as time seemed to grind to a halt. She whirled around and saw the doctor level the gun at her. Robin began to run across the room, reaching out his hand as if to stop the bullet. There was a dark flash. Starfire was slammed into from behind, flying across the room and colliding with some tables. Knives had pushed her out of the way. A shot was fired, and the Titans saw knives with his fist in the doctor’s chest. His blades were sticking up out of the doctor’s back. Grunting, Knives pushed his hand farther and there was a grisly crunch. The doctor let out a cry, and fell backwards. Knives stood there, heaving deep breaths. Starfire began to run to him. Halfway across the room, she knew something was wrong. He turned and looked at her. The other Titans gasped at what they saw. There was a large hole in Knives’ armor where his stomach would be. Blood was slowly dripping down, creating a puddle below him. He took one faltering step forward, and then paused. He smiled weakly at Starfire, then pitched forward and hit the ground.

“NOOO!” she screamed, flying over to him. She landed next to him and took his head in her hands. He stared at her, and spoke very quietly.

“I’m sorry, I tried…” was all he said. Tears streaming down her face, she attempted to smile and laugh, as if it would make things better.

“Shh…you will be all right. Everything will be all right…” she said, not sure who she was trying to convince. He raised his hand and placed it on her face, running his thumb down her cheek. It left a slight bloody smear behind it. She placed a hand upon his, holding it to her face. Knives continued to look at her while the other Titans crowded above, trying their best to offer help. Knives wiped a tear away from her eye.

“Please don’t be sad.” He coughed slightly, and some blood came out onto his lips, making them deep red. “I did what I had to do. Now you’re safe. Safe…” Knives closed his eyes. Starfire buried her head in his neck, sobbing while he lay there, bleeding.





The next thing Knives knew, it was blindingly bright. A brilliant white. So this was what death was like, he mused. Not bad, but he had hoped for more. He lay back, listening to the distant song of a bird chirping. It was a sad song, with many notes up and down, sounding lonely.

“Wait a second,” he thought. “You don’t hear birds when you’re dead!” He was alive! But how? He looked about. Slowly it came into focus. It was a grey room and it looked suspiciously like Cyborg’s quarters. He was lying flat on a large metal table, tilted up slightly. The blinding light was from an overhead lamp. Looking over, he saw Starfire asleep in a chair, sitting there. She had waited for him to wake up. He reached his hand out and placed it on her cheek. She smiled and sighed, rubbing against his hand. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw him looking at her.

“You are awake!” she shouted joyously. “Thank Zall!” she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

“What happened?” he asked her. “Where am I?” He flexed his arm, looking at it. “And how did I get repaired?” he asked.

“After the fight, Robin called the hospital. They sent a large flying machine to pick you up. The earth doctors were able to heal your wounds. After that we brought you back to the Tower. Cyborg repaired you.” She replied, overjoyed at seeing him alive. He would have to find a way to than him, thought Knives.

“Starfire, I was so afraid I had lost you…,” he said.

“You were afraid?!? I almost did loose you! You must be more careful!” she said to him, smiling. Knives saw the affection in her eyes.

“I had no idea that you felt that way. I always thought that you and Robin….” He hesitantly said.

“Robin is nice to me, but he is too focused on work. He is distant.” She looked down and smiled shyly. “Besides,” she said, “you are the one who was willing to give your life for me.” He smiled when she said that. “On my planet, we call that Durthmein. It means devotion. It is the most important thing to have for those you care about.” She looked back up, into his eyes. “You are…a good friend.” She smiled and took his hand. He slowly sat up, shushing her attempts at making him lie back down.

“Really, I feel great. I want to get some fresh air.” He said to her. They walked out of the Tower and out the back door, onto the beach. The sun was setting and the air was clear. The storm had blown out while he had been asleep. Checking his internal clock, he noted that he had been out for almost 4 days. It was a miracle that he survived. Well, half of it was a miracle, and the other half was his friends. He took a deep breath of the sea air and sighed happily. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Starfire placed a hand upon his arm. She looked up at him, lost in thought.

“Please, what are you thinking?” she asked. He looked from the ocean to her smiling face and laughed once softly. Putting his arm around her waist, he drew her close and together they looked out at the sea.

“Everything is gonna be all right.” He said happily.



Phew! well, I ain't done yet! got a few more chapters coming. Can't say when they'll be finished-I missed some school cause of a cold and need to play catch up for my AP classes. This is a tunring point-the story will be much happier from here on out.

[rrarbecy]

I know we settled this already, but I strongly disagree. Robin so would do that for Starfire. At the end of Bethrothed, I agree that they should have held hands or something, but come on. Robin would not just let her die. Eventually, in the series, there will be a Star/Robin development.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

probably. See, i never said that robin didn't do anything, he couldn't do anything. all he did was begin to run futilely. It was knives that was able to do something. Also, no, i don't believe that robin would take a solid slug to the gut for her. He would have done something like throw a birdarang at the doctor, or try and yank the gun outta his hand with a grappling hook. Robin would have thought it through, he is a very calculating person. Knives acts on instinct.

Also, I'm not sure that there will be a serious relationship in the series at all. He might like her, and even take her on a date. But it will never be deep, meaningful love. I mean, the show is geared to (and watched mostly by) the 5-11 year old age group. they don't want to see kissy stuff. writers follow ratings, you know.

[rrarbecy]

I see where you're coming from. I agree with what you said about Robin. Teen Titans is watched by many people older than 11 and I want there to be a good, strong relationship. But I agree that there probably wont be one of those.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

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quick note-new chapter is on page 2. GO LOOK AT IT!!!!
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[oneeyemonkeypie]

Jesus, I think i've got more chapters on here than feedback. You people must really resist the idea of a starfire/anyone other than Robin relationship. come on! even if its negative, at least give some feedback. i got like 400+ views, so I know you're looking at it. anyways, heres the next chapter. I'm stubbornly plodding along, and am determined to make at least one more chapter. then it will probably stop. I don't have a sequal planned, and wont make one unless people want it.

lke i said earlier, go read the last chapter on page 2 before this one. here ya go.

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Chapter 5



Feelings and Loss



The Titans were sitting on the couch, enjoying their day off. Raven was reading a large, leather-bound, old looking book. Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing a round of Ridge-Racer V and Robin was tinkering with the circuitry on one of his explosive disks. Suddenly, the disk began to sizzle and an acrid smell permeated the room. Robin’s eyes grew wide and he held the disk away from his face, shielding his eyes. Everyone around him ducked for cover.

“Look out!” yelled Cyborg. The disk stopped sizzling, and didn’t explode. Beast Boy poked his head around the corner.

“Is it safe?” he asked. The rest of the Titans stood up.

“Would you please stop fiddling with those things in here?” asked Raven.

“Dude!” yelled Beast Boy as the smell hit him. He grabbed his nose. “It smells like the time when Star tried to use the microwave.” He shuddered at the thought. Just then Starfire walked into the room.

“Is someone cooking Florb?” she asked, excited.

“Nope, sorry.” Robin said, flipping the defunct disk over his head. It landed in the trashcan with a metallic thump. Starfire looked about the room concernedly. “What’s up?” asked Robin, noting her distress.

“I have been unable to locate Knives. Have any of you seen him?” she asked the Titans. They all shook their heads.

“He said something about goin’ out. Didn’t say where, though.” Cyborg said, returning to his game.

“Oh.” She replied, sadly. Everyone else was busy, and she wanted to ask him to do the ‘hanging out’ with her. Dejected and bored, she turned to go. The game screen flickered and went black.

“Hey!” yelled an angry voice. “Who’s been messing with the Gamestation?” Cyborg inquired. Knives’ face flickered onto the screen.

“Man, would ya get outta my game?” Cyborg yelled at the TV.

“Guys! You have to come down to the garage right now! I got a surprise!” Knives addressed the whole room. Then the screen went blank again. Starfire jumped in the air and clapped her hands.

“Wonderful! Perhaps it is a Zorbian Bursmir?” Starfire asked Raven.

“Not likely.” Raven said, disinterested. Robin stood up.

“Well, I’m gonna go check it out.” He said.

“Yeah,” said Beast Boy.

“When I get my hands on him…No one messes with the Gamestation!” yelled Cyborg. Starfire eagerly flew out of the room. Raven sighed, closed her book and followed the others.

Down in the garage, Knives was leaning against a large covered object. Beast Boy arrived first.

“So, what’s the surprise?” The others filed in shortly after. Cyborg walked over to him angrily and put a hand around his collar.

“What’s the big idea?” he said, attempting to pull Knives up and look in his eyes. He strained, pulling as hard as he could, But Knives didn’t move an inch. Cyborg let go.

“What? No way. How’d you do that?” he asked accusingly. Knives just laughed at him as he did a quick systems scan. What did Cyborg think happened to all the metal when Knives turned back to human? It didn’t disappear.

“OK, no more games. I brought you all here to show you this.” He gestured at the covered object. The others crowded around.

“Dude, what is it?” asked Beast Boy in awe. Knives grasped the cover with one hand.

“Presenting…MY NEW CAR!” he yelled as he pulled the cover off. The Titans’ eyes went wide, and their jaws dropped.

“It’s, nice.” Robin said finally. In front of them was a rusted car, with one door missing. It was up on blocks and only had three wheels. The paint was shot and the windows cracked (or missing.) The titans were speechless.

“Why is it in such a state of disrepair?” Starfire asked innocently.

“Star’s right, this things a rolling junkyard.” Cyborg said. Knives flew over to his car and hugged it.

“Hey hey! Watch it! She’s a classic, you might hurt her feelings.” He put his head on the roof. “There, there.” He said soothingly. Cyborg walked out of the room laughing. Knives yelled after him angrily, “All she needs is a paint job and some work, and she’ll be more car then yours could ever be. You’ll see.” Robin and Raven looked around the car. Beast boy scratched his head.

“It is, a very nice vehicle.” Starfire said, trying to make him happy. He looked at her.

“Thanks, Star. I know she doesn’t look like much now, but give her a few weeks. She’ll be an amazing car when I’m done.” Robin and Raven excused themselves, and Beast Boy just sorta wandered off. Starfire continued to float nearby and Knives began fiddling with things, removing mats and looking around in the engine compartment. Starfire picked up a round shiny blue and white emblem from the car.

“What does, B…M…W….stand for?” she asked.

“They’re the people who made the car.” Ha said, slamming the hood shut. “Come on, it’s lunch time.”

Later---



Starfire wandered down to the garage. It was late, and most of the other Titans were asleep, but she had not said goodnight to Knives. In the garage, it was quiet.

“Knives? I am wishing to tell you good night.” She searched around for him and came across him; asleep, leaning down under the hood of his new car. He had a wrench in one hand and was snoring quietly, his face resting on the engine. Sighing, she grabbed a large rag and draped it over him, like a blanket. She walked out of the garage.

“Good night.” She said quietly to herself.



The next morning Knives was scarce also. Cyborg and Robin had gone down to supervise the transport of Plasmus to a new prison, Raven was in her room and Beast Boy was out looking for a moped. He didn’t have any money, but that had never stopped him before. Starfire went down to the garage and saw Knives working on his car again. He had a cylinder in his hand and was whistling happily. She walked over and stood near him.

“Oh, hi Star. What’s up?” he asked absently.

“May I be of assistance?” she said to him.

“No, this is pretty delicate work. I don’t want to get anything into the block and score the cylinder walls. I’d better do this one myself.” She sadly replied ‘Oh’ and turned to leave. Knives stood up and looked at her. “What’s wrong Star?” he said, cleaning his hands with a rag.

“Well, everyone else is busy. I wanted to spend time with you, but you are also too busy.” She began to get upset. This piece of metal was stealing her best friend. “Why do you care so much about an old machine?” She asked him with a slight edge in her voice.

He looked at her, almost as if he didn’t understand her. “Star…this is not just a machine. It’s much more than that. It’s my machine.” He walked over to her. “This is now my property, sort of a part of me.”

“But why do you spend so much time fixing it?” she asked, clearly still confused. He smiled at her.

“This car, she’s a lot like me.” He reached out and put a hand on the car’s hood. “We were both once the epitome of technology, the best money could by.” He lowered his head, and his voice took on a sadder tone. “We were both abused, and both left for dead.” He looked at her pleadingly, as if begging her to understand. “Star, this car was once a proud machine, something everyone wanted. She was beautiful and fast, top of the line. I can restore that beauty, I can restore that glory. I can make her, desired, once again.” He stopped, hoping that Star would understand what he was trying to say.

“This vehicle, represents a part of you?” she asked. This did not make any sense. This car had nothing in common with him. One of them was a means of transportation, the other was a person. However, there were many things in this world she did not understand. She looked down, saddened that Knives wanted to spend more time with his car than his friends. Knives walked up to her.

“Hey, Star? I’m sorry that I haven’t been spending time with you.” He put his hand under her chin and lifted her head to face him, leaving a grease mark on her face. He laughed quietly.

“What is so funny?” she asked him. He put his clean hand on her face and slowly wiped the smear away with his thumb. Starfire closed her eyes, feeling him lightly drag his finger down her cheek towards her mouth. A quick shiver went down her spine. She opened her eyes and saw him leaning down, scant inches from her face. She could feel his breath on her neck.

“You got a little spot, right…here.” He said, slowly. He gently put his hand up to her face, guiding her to him. She raised her arms and draped them over his shoulders, pulling him to her. They got closer, and closer.

Suddenly, the Titans communicator on Knives belt began to loudly play it’s signature tune. Starfire squeaked in shock, jumping several inches. Knives almost fell down in surprise. He looked at her embarrassedly.

“Uh, I…uhh” he awkwardly said as he realized what had nearly happened.

“Yes, we, umm. This…” Starfire replied, equally flustered. The communicator persistantly beeped, demanding attention. He snatched it off his belt and whipped it up to his mouth.

“What?” he answered, slightly annoyed. Robin’s voice crackled over the speaker.

“Plasmus has been transported without any trouble. We’ll be back shortly.” The voice cut out.

“Why’d he have to tell me that?” Knives muttered under his breath. Starfire continued to stand there, quietly watching. Knives turned to her. He attempted to break the awkward silence permeating the air. “Hey Star, it’s been a while since the two of us hung out. Why don’t we go get some ice cream?” he asked her. She looked back at him happily.

“That sounds like a marvelous idea.” She said blissfully. Knives hit the button on the wall that raised the doors, and the two walked out into the sunlight happily chatting.





Starfire held a strange, cold substance in her hand. It was brown, and did not seem to like the heat.

“What is this called again?” She asked.

“Cookies and cream. Trust me, its delicious.” He said, taking a bite out of his own. She peered at the round, cold sphere, not sure what to do. Knives looked over at her and suppressed a smile. “You eat it, Star. Just like candy.” He said. She hesitantly put the cold substance up to her mouth and took a small bite. An intense flavor washed over her.

“Oh wow! It is delightful.” She said amazed. Knives laughed.

“Yeah, it’s pretty good. But make sure you don’t, Star wait! Don’t!” He yelled, but it was too late. She finished the rest of it in two bites. Smiling at him, she giggled. “You have to eat it slowly.” He said to her.

“Why?” she asked. It had been fantastic. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her head and her throat hurt. “Oww…” she moaned, rubbing her forehead.

“You can’t eat it that fast. You’ll get a brain freeze.” He told her, too late. She continued to rub her head. “Don’t worry, it’ll go away in a few minutes. I told you: you have to eat it slow.” He said to her. He finished his ice cream while she recovered and got her a soda to help with her aching throat. Together they walked out of the shop and stood on the sidewalk.

“Well, we don’t have to be back for a while yet. You wanna go down town?” he asked her.

“That would be wonderful.” She replied happily. They walked around the city for several hours, window-shopping and seeing the sights.

The sun had begun to drop low in the sky. Starfire and Knives were sitting up on Feld’s point, overlooking the city. Up here much of the sound was diminished and it was quite peaceful. Knives glanced down at his clock.

“Whoa. It’s late Star, we have to head back.” She was lost in thought, looking down at the people in the distance.

“Very well…” she said sadly. It was so beautiful, she hated leaving so soon. Knives extended his boosters, and the by now very familiar whine of them powering up could be heard. He slowly lifted into the air along with Starfire, and they leisurely flew over top of the city.

“Look.” He said, pointing to the central business district. It was where all of the large skyscrapers were located. The sun glinting off of the windows was incredibly beautiful. She gazed at it for a short while, then looked over to Knives. He had lost interest and was flying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head, looking at the clouds. She looked up, and there was a beautiful sunset. The sky was streaked with hues of pink and red and orange, like a fiery explosion of light.

“It’s…amazing.” Starfire said, humbled by such an awesome sight. Knives looked at her staring up at the sky.

“Yeah, it’s perfect.” He said, never taking his eyes off her.



It was dark when they both landed softly on the grass outside of Titans Tower, Knives sinking slightly into the loose soil. Sometimes he almost forgot about his, ability, but it seemed like the little things always reminded him. Then again, he couldn’t be too upset. If it weren’t for his current condition he never would have met his friends. The ground was damp and cool, and crickets persistently chattered away. Starfire turned to Knives. She wanted to talk to him before they went inside, where they would undoubtedly be interrupted.

“Knives, I wanted to thank you. Today was wonderful.” She said a little bashfully.

“No problem, Star. I love spending time with you, you know that. That’s what friends do.” He said cheerfully. Together they walked through the door, and into the elevator. Once they reached the kitchen level, the faint aroma of burgers wafted through the doors.

“Oh man.” Said Knives, clutching his stomach. “Burgers again?” he said, disappointed.

“I thought you liked the burgers of ham.” Starfire said, not understanding his objection.

“Well, yeah. But this makes 4 days in a row. I mean, everyone needs a little variety in their diet.” He said. Then again this was Starfire he was talking to, and she eat tons of weird things. They walked into the kitchen together as Cyborg was finishing up the burgers, wearing a white apron. It was hard to look tough with a big bow tied behind your back.

“Hey y’all, you almost missed dinner.” He said loudly. He had a spatula in one hand flipping the burgers and was getting out buns and other burger toppings with the other.

“Oh boy, I haven’t eaten burgers in…what, 12 hours?” he said sarcastically. “I think you better download some new recipes.” He said to the large Titan.

“Hey, don’t blame me!” Cyborg frowned. “It was Beast Boy’s turn to go food shopping, and he forgot. All we got is ground beef and that wiggly stuff Star made last week. Knives sighed and walked over to the couch, flopping heavily on it. Raven looked over, angry that his commotion had disturbed her.

“What?” he said. She just scowled in reply. Knives gave up and turned to the TV. As soon as he turned it on, the Titan’s alarm went off. Knives dropped the remote in surprise, thinking that he had done it for a second.

“Titans, lets move!” Robin said.

“Oh man! What about the burgers?” Cyborg complained.

“Forget them.” Robin said. Knives turned around and yelled at Beast Boy:

“Grab some money, we need to get more food while we’re out.” Cyborg sadly threw the burgers in the trash. They made a loud thunk every time a patty hit the metal bottom. Knives shuddered as he walked out the door. Those burgers got old FAST.



They walked back in from the “mission”. It had been another cleanup assignment from the police-bank robbers that had eluded them a bunch of times. Knives didn’t even get to fight. Ugh, things were so, so…boring! It was late, and the Titans were headed for bed, even though they had not eaten dinner. Knives walked Starfire to her room.

“Good night Star.” He said. She stood there staring at him. “What?” he asked, perplexed.

“Something is wrong.” She said, concerned.

“No, everything’s fine.” He said unconvincingly. She smiled.

“Do not try to fool me, I know you better than that.” She said. He sighed and leaned against the wall, the red designs on his shirt looking almost orange under the fluorescent light.

“Well, it’s just that, things have been so peaceful and quiet around here lately. The biggest problem we’ve faced is what to get for lunch.” He said.

“This bothers you?” she asked. This is why they had been fighting, for peace, she thought to herself.

“Not really, no. The thing is, I’ve always been a fighter. My whole life I have been active, fighting for justice. Things are, too quiet for my tastes.” He said. She looked at him, realizing the truth. He was having a harder time adjusting to life here than she was.

“Well, if we have more free time, then we can spend more of it together.” She said, trying to reassure him that everything would be ok. He smiled at her.

“Thanks Star, I’d like that.” He said. She was so sweet. He grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze. Slowly he walked down the hallway, hands in his pockets.



Robin was in his room. He was thinking: he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He had found himself reading the same article over and over. This was ridiculous. He was never going to get any work done when he was this preoccupied. He sighed and dropped the paper. Walking over to his door, he hit the open button and walked out into the hallway. He walked straight past Knives’ room without stopping and into the elevator. He had a feeling he knew where he was.

On the lower level, Robin rounded a corner and headed for the Gym. Sure enough the light was on and there was the typical sound of grunting and thudding that accompanied a workout on the punching bag. He walked in and saw Knives pounding away on the bag. He didn’t get it. Knives always used the bag in his armored form. But mechanical muscles didn’t get stronger over time, like humans. Yet Knives was definitely improving. Regardless, that was for another day. He had come here for a reason.

“Hey, Knives.” Robin said. Knives stopped punching and turned slowly, looking very tired. He spent a lot of nights down here lately, just training. Raven had said he just needed to adjust to the amity (peace).

“Yes?” he said, stretching out his arms. They would tighten up if he stopped for too long. Robin shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Knives guard instantly went up. Something was off, Robin looked a little too uncomfortable.

“I just wanted to tell you something,” he finally began. Oh, damn. Here we go, thought Knives. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I know we’re friends, and I feel like I can talk to you about this openly. You and Starfire seem to be…close lately. You have been spending a lot of time with her and I can see the way you look at each other. Well, she’s my friend too. I care about her, a lot. And I wanted to let you know that if anything should happen to her, we may have, an issue.” He said suggestively, slightly shifting his weight so that his cape revealed a gleaming, sharp-edged birdarang.

Knives straightened up, squaring his shoulders back. He seemed to grow several inches in height, dwarfing Robin. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and Robin could barely hear a deep, sinister sound emanating from somewhere in the back of his throat. Knives did not like to be threatened. He sized up his opponent and they stood there for several seconds, neither moving.

“What am I doing?” Knives thought to himself. “Get a grip, you aren’t going to fight you friend.” Robin was getting worried; Knives had been staring at him for too long. All of a sudden, Knives flashed a friendly, disarming smile at Robin.

“Come on man, you saw how I feel about that. I’d die before I let someone hurt her. Hell, I’d die before I let someone hurt any of you. You all are my family—I take that seriously.” He said. Turning back to the punching back, he said over his shoulder: “I’m going to bed in a few. Good night.” He resumed his workout right where he had left off.

Robin walked out into the hallway and rounded the corner. As soon as he was out of earshot, he let out a loud sigh and slumped against the wall. For a second there, he thought he was going to be skewered. Threatening him had been a bad idea. Robin thought about it and realized he couldn’t be too upset. After all, had Knives threatened him, he’d have done the same thing. It was never a good idea picking a fight with someone who outweighed you by tons. As he walked to his room he realized that he didn’t know exactly how much Knives did weigh. He’d have to find out, it might be important some day.



The next morning Raven walked into the common room early. She was carrying a cup of tea and slowly sipping it. None of the other Titans could figure out how she managed to get all her nutrients from a beverage. She saw Knives and Starfire sitting on the couch, laughing at some TV show. They had not noticed her, and she took a seat farther away and looked at them idly. It was obvious that they had some feelings for each other but it was hard to tell the extent. Most of the time they were together in public they acted like best friends, with almost no visible attraction whatsoever. The other Titans suspected something but Raven was sure of it. She could feel the change in Knives’ emotions when she walked into the room. Raven watched the two of them laughing deeply.

She really is lucky, Raven thought to herself. She wasn’t strongly attracted to Knives, she couldn’t risk it. But still she longed for companionship. Deciding to put that issue out of her mind, she turned to her reading. When she looked up Starfire sat on the couch alone. Knives had wandered off somewhere. Cyborg sauntered in, blinking in the light. It was about eight AM and the sun was shining into the Tower making the room rather bright. He sat down and picked up the remote, changing the channel. Raven sat there until about ten watching people come and go. She sighed and got up, walking to her room.





Four or so hours later





Beast Boy slowly wandered the tower, looking for something to do. He had already eaten lunch; and Knives and Cyborg were busy fiddling with his computer. He wasn’t allowed in because he had a bad history with Cyborg’s computer. Robin had taken Starfire to go to the auto parts store and help him pick up some things for the R-cycle. As he wandered the tower, he came across Raven’s door.

“Hmm…” he hummed to himself, knocking on her door. She answered opening it slightly.

“What?” she said.

“I dunno, I’m bored. Wanna hang out?” he said hopefully.

“No.” she stated simply. His spirits fell.

“Oh.” He said sadly and turned to go. She sighed, kicking herself mentally for doing it, but she called out to him,

“Beast Boy?” she asked. He turned around eagerly awaiting an answer. “Maybe we could hang out.” She said.

“Sweet!” he said pumping his fist. She walked out and closed her door. At least it was something to do, she mused.



Starfire arrived at the Tower with Robin late in the day, carrying a large crate. He hated to make her take it, but he couldn’t carry it all the way back, and Cyborg wouldn’t let Robin drive his car. She put the large crate down on the floor in the garage.

“Thanks a whole lot Star, I couldn’t have done that alone.” He said to her.

“It was no trouble, Robin.” She said, happy to have been able to help. They walked up to the main room and Robin went over to his boom box, turning it on. Time to relax, he thought.

“Hey, Star. There’s a message for you.” Beast Boy said, leaning his head over the back of the couch so she looked upside down. Happily, she walked over to the main screen and pressed a large red button. Who could have sent her a message?

A strange string of characters appeared on the screen in red. She squealed with joy.

It is from my friend on Tamaran, Nylida!” she said happily. She read the rest of the message, her happy expression slowly fading. As she got lower, a rather frightened expression came over her face.

“No, it cannot be…” she said quietly. Knives stood next to her.

“What, what’s wrong?” he asked nervously. She looked at the message again.

“He is coming. And I cannot stop him.” She put her hand on the screen, as if to see if it was real.

“Come on Star, what’s wrong?” he asked. By now the other Titans had gathered around her. When she touched the screen, the message scrolled down, revealing several more lines of text. Starfire quickly read the rest of the message, her eyes widening.

“Of course…” she said.

“WHAT IS GOING ON?” the rest of the Titans asked in unison. She quickly reached up and removed a band of metal from the back of her large metal collar. It shaped itself into a band, just like the one on her upper arm.

“Whoa.” Said Beast Boy.

“I am sorry, there is no time to explain.” Said Starfire. As she finished her sentence, the proximity alarm went off. The screen flickered blank, and a new screen showed up. Cyborg stepped up.

“Something big’s coming. And fast!” he said. Starfire reached out and grabbed the closest person, who was Knives, dragging him closer. She pulled his arm up and pushed his sleeve back showing his upper arm.

“Umm, what are you doing.?” He asked perplexed. The other Titans watched, confused. She put the band next to his arm and pushed. It sort of morphed around him, molding into one piece. She let him go.

“Dude, what just happened?” asked Beast Boy. Knives tugged at the piece of metal, it was stuck on good. The alarm doubled in frequency and volume. Cyborg was shouting above the din but it was inaudible. All of the Titans were looking about, worried. The ground began to tremble, and the air felt charged with electricity. The smell of ozone could be detected. Suddenly, the entire room went white. Knives’ body felt like it was tearing apart and being pulled in a thousand different directions.



He blacked out.

[starburn1116]

has any one ever noticed that starfire is constantly beingkidnapped or put in some other mortal danger? i just wanted to point that out. about the story.

mysteries! threats! i love it. who is ths mysterious new threat?
please continue soon.

[rrarbecy]

[QUOTE=oneeyemonkeypie] He put his clean hand on her face and slowly wiped the smear away with his thumb. Starfire closed her eyes, feeling him lightly drag his finger down her cheek towards her mouth. A quick shiver went down her spine. She opened her eyes and saw him leaning down, scant inches from her face. She could feel his breath on her neck.[/font]

“You got a little spot, right…here.” He said, slowly. He gently put his hand up to her face, guiding her to him. She raised her arms and draped them over his shoulders, pulling him to her. They got closer, and closer.

despite my objections against a Star/Knives relationship, that would have been a GREAT kiss. GREAT!!!!!

[rrarbecy]

"Good night Star.” He said. She stood there staring at him. “What?” he asked, perplexed.[/font]

“Something is wrong.” She said, concerned.

“No, everything’s fine.” He said unconvincingly. She smiled.

"Do not try to fool me, I know you better than that.” She said. He sighed and leaned against the wall, the red designs on his shirt looking almost orange under the fluorescent light.

That sounds awfully familliar, like something from my story. Hmmm...


the Robin/Knives confontation was genius.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

thanks. I will revisit the kiss later.

About ripping off your story-I KNEW I had seen that somewhere before. Sorry, i just used it to show he was wearing a shirt, I.E.-in human form, without coming out and saying it.

the Robin/Knives thing was a promise I made to starburn 1116, and was made to show that Knives is confrontational, emotional and a fighter at heart, but he does love his friends.

[starburn1116]

the Robin/Knives thing was a promise I made to starburn 1116, and was made to show that Knives is confrontational, emotional and a fighter at heart, but he does love his friends.
and i think it was written expertly

[Lord Welshi]

You should post comments and reviews to express how you feel about whathas been written, not simply to get one in return. And half the comments you left on my thread are pure chat and boredom! And it's LORD Welshi to you, i am welshi only to a select few people (grr, i say grr)

On a lgihter note, your story has turned out well. I am a believer in the robin/star relationship, however i will not slag someone off simply for changing it. You handled the knives/star relationship well, and managed to pull it off. The overall quality was very high, and the story is entertaining with a good plot and plenty of room for further devolpment in later chapters or stories.

Good work.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Thank you LORD Welshi. I apologize for fishing for feedback, but I have been recieveing virtually 0 (my own damn fault for such a stupid thread title:sweat: )

And I will try to refrain from my useless posts.

Gomen...

[oneeyemonkeypie]

geez, no feedback? a little discouraging...

new chapter sometime in the near future.

[Crowgirl]

very nice

who says you can't have conversations on a post board?:shrug:

[Rae]

Come on please update, i am trying not to resort to begging

oh well...please please please please!

[Sproxie]

Great story please keep writing!

[starburn1116]

i am getting impaitient and you won't like me when i'm impaitient:evil:

on a lighter note
i would like to welcome rae to the forum
WELCOME

[Rae]

Thanks starburn1116

And i'll have to agree with you

I'm getting impatient

I hope what evas next is worth the wait!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

yeah, it's been a while. sorry, I'm a bit behind in things, there have been a few crisises around here lately. I promise to have the chapter almost done (if not totally done) by the weekend.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!

been a while, huh? sorry, the next chap is a bit too big so im breaking it up into two or three parts. heres the next installment.
------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6-Friends and Foes



Knives awoke with a groan. He slowly opened one eye to reveal a metal grate centimeters away from his nose. Every part of his body hurt. He flexed his fingers, finding that he could still move.

“Well, there’s a plus.” He said sarcastically. Slowly he put his arms out and pushed himself up to a sitting position. He had been laying face down on a large, metal floor and the criss-cross of the grating had been digging into his face. He looked about the room and saw that he was in a large metal cube, with dim lights and no discernable features. The other titans were scattered about him in various positions and Starfire was conspicuously absent.

“Ohhh, my head!” complained Beast Boy as he sat up. He rubbed at his temples. The other titans began regaining consciousness also.

“Where’s Starfire?” asked Robin as he looked about the room.

“Did I get here before you?” asked Knives frustratedly as he walked over to the wall. He ran his fingers up and down but saw no seams for a doorway. They had been in a situation like this such a short time ago, he thought to himself. Raven sat up, her hood falling away from her face. She groaned in discomfort and looked up. Knives was standing over her. He held his hand down and she took it, getting whisked to her feet. By now the other titans were up and had gathered in a small group in the center of the room.

“Does anyone know where we are?” asked Robin. The rest of the group shook their heads. None of them had any idea where they were-or how they got there for that matter. Knives balled his fists and shut his eyes. Dammit! He thought to himself. It was happening again! Every time he got close to someone they got hurt, or disappeared. Visions flashed in front of his eyes, all of them involving Starfire. He had known her for a short time, but they were still good friends. Hell, she was his best friend. And now someone had taken that away from him. Knives began to get very angry, his hands hurting because he was clenching them so hard.

The titans stood there pondering their situation when the room began to tremble. It started gently, and intensified until they began to loose their balance. The others began to look about nervously for the source of the look about nervously for the cause of the disturbance.

“Titans, get ready!” said Robin. Knives stood there, not even moving. He was focused solely on his rage. It was a trait he had picked up during his years of wandering-shutting out all external stimuli and focusing on anger. It had helped him deal with stressful situations before, and he was too angry to do anything else besides. One of the walls began to slowly slide up; the shaking due to the massive machinery needed to life such a huge mass of metal. The other titans took up positions facing the wall and readied for combat. Knives stood there with his hands at his sides. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he held his arms out to the sides. The armor they contained began to cover him. This time it was different, however. There was much more of it. It had engulfed him completely, but was still appearing. He crouched slightly as the metal surrounded him. Finally it stopped, and he stood up. He looked massive, much like he had when the Titans had first seen him at the warehouse. He stood almost eight feet tall. He held up one of his fists and turned it over, inspecting it. It could have easily held Beast Boy from his neck to his feet. B.B. looked up at him.

“Wow dude, have you been eating you wheaties?” he asked. It was a corny joke, but he was genuinely surprised by the size of his friend. Knives stood there silently while the wall continued to rise. It was high enough for them to see several pairs of feet on the other side. It finally rattled its way to the top and settled with a tired hiss. Several large helmeted guards with poleaxes (long staffs with an axe at the end) stood to either side of a robed figure. He stepped through the doorway with an air of elegance flanked by the sentinels.

“Ah, I see my unexpected guests have awakened.” He said rather condescendingly. Robin hated him immediately.

“Who are you, and what have you done with Starfire?” asked Robin angrily, snapping his staff at the stranger and pointing the tip at him. The stranger waved a hand at the group and the guards advanced. The other Titans advanced to meet them a short distance away. Knives stood stock-still and stared at the stranger. The robed figure stared back trying to see his eyes but the faceplate reflected the light coldly, making it impossible to distinguish them. All the titans readied an attack on their respective guards and launched a volley of blasts, concussions and birdarangs. The guards raised their arms in unison and projected some sort of orange energy shield. The attacks were relflected and the titans were pushed back several feet. They consolidated right behind Knives who hadn’t moved. The guard slowly advanced until right in front of Knives, and yet he didn’t move. The stranger cocked an eyebrow. Why didn’t he defend himself? The lead guard walked until just in front of Knives, looking up slightly into his face. They squared off. Yelling, the lead guard swung up his weapon and brought it crashing down on Knives’ shoulder. A loud clang rang out. The weapon sat there, not having scratched the titan. The guard stood in shock, dumbfounded how it had not clove his arm off. Knives brought his arm up and grabbed the guard’s elbow almost faster than the eye could see. With a gruesome snap, he twisted the arm. The guard cried out and dropped his weapon, retreating behind his comrades. The other guards growled angrily and advanced on him in unison.

“Enough!” shouted the stranger. The guards froze, still eyeing Knives hungrily.

“What have you done with Starfire?” asked Knives, his voice booming deeply from the helmet’s speaker.

“Oh, you mean the princess? I assure you she’s safe.” He said with a smile. ‘Princess?’ thought Knives. What did he mean? The stranger motioned to the guards and Starfire was escorted into the room, one sentry on each arm. She had her head down, as if ashamed.

“Starfire!” yelled Knives as he lunged forward. One of the guards leveled his spear at him and bright white electricity shot out. It struck Knives in the chest and wrapped around him, dragging him into a kneeling position. Robin took a step forward and the rest of the guards pointed similar weapons at him. He froze.

“Who…are…you?” asked Knives while struggling with the bindings. The stranger whirled his cape about him in a flamboyant gesture.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gisrel, the crowned prince of the Drakonis System, and soon to be ruler of Tamaran!” he said.

“But that’s impossible!” shouted Robin. “When we left Tamaran, Galifore was in charge.” The stranger smiled smugly.

“Yes, but that will change. When we get to Tamaran, I will claim my position as ruler,” he gestured towards Starfire, “with her help, or course.” Starfire was struggling valiantly against her captors, but to no avail. “Unfortunately, you will not live to see it. Throw them out the nearest airlock.” He turned to go.

“Wait!” shouted Starfire. He stopped and turned to look at her. “Please let them live. I…will do whatever you say.” She said. He smiled.

“No…” grunted Knives. The others voiced similar disapprovals. He looked at her and saw the tears in her eyes. This was not happening. IT COULDN’T! He struggled to his feet and began to stretch his arms apart. The electricity was arcing off his arms, causing showers of sparks. Several more blasts hit him, and the combined effect was enough to subdue him. The stranger walked over to him and looked down at the helpless titan.

“What a curious creature you are. You continue to fight, even though you have no hope of winning.” He leaned down towards Knives face. “Why?” he asked softly. Knives leaned up towards him, straining against the bindings.

“Because I can.” He said simply. His arm swung towards the man, breaking free of its bindings and sending three razor-tipped blades sweeping towards him. He jumped back with a yell of surprise, and the blades caught the edge of his cape tearing it to shreds. Knives slowly and deliberately stood up, the other Titans taking up defensive positions around him. With a loud roar, he brought his arms up and broke the electricity, sending it dissipating into the atmosphere. Robin stood back to back with Knives, his arms folded across his chest. The guards tightened their grip on Starfire.

“Well well, it appears we have reached an impasse.” Said the stranger. “Seeing as how I hold your friend, I believe that the odds are in my favor.” He said to the group.

“If you do anything to her, we’ll kill you.” Said Knives. The stranger laughed.

“Yes, but you won’t try anything on me because she is in my care now.” He turned around and paced for a short while, then turned to Starfire.’

“I will grant your request-your friends will be given safe passage to Tamaran. However, I will not release you back to them. He motioned, and the guards led her out of the room. “Restrain them.” He said. Guards flooded the room, and the last thing Knives remembered was a large club heading for his faceplate before he blacked out.



The lighting was very dim, and Knives struggled to free his hands. The titans had been sent to separate rooms. Knives had his hands secured behind his back and a large metal collar placed around his neck, neither of which he could break. He had given up; his head slumped to his chest when the door slid open. He didn’t even bother to look up: guards had been coming in and bothering him the whole time.

“Knives?” said a soft, familiar voice. He looked up.

“Star…” he said quietly. He sprang to his feet and rushed over to her, only to get choked by his collar. She stood in the doorway, not moving to him. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“He is watching, I am not supposed to be here.” She pointed at a large, blinking box on the wall. It was a camera and she was standing just outside of its range. Knives sat down on the floor cross-legged facing her.

“Well? You wanna explain just WHAT THE HELL is going on here?” he asked, very agitated. She closed her eyes, looking like she was about to cry.

“Gisrel is taking me back to Tamaran. He means to use me to…claim the throne. He will then use the armies of Tamaran to attack his neighbors that surround the Drakonis System for their land. And there’s nothing anyone can do to stop him.” A tear rolled down her cheek. Knives tensed his arms against the bindings. All he wanted to do was go over and comfort her. But those 4 feet may as well have been forever. He could do nothing.

“What do you mean there’s nothing anyone can do? And what did he mean by Princess?” he asked. Just then there was the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Starfire looked over her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I must go. I will see you again.” She said, then ran out of the room. The door slid shut and Knives was again enveloped in the twilight. Sighing, he flopped back heavily on the metal floor, his mass making the whole room shudder slightly.

“Life sucks.” He thought to himself, then closed his eyes and went to sleep.

#@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Feedack this time!!

[rrarbecy]

YOU ARE SO AWESOME REID!!!!!!!!!!!!! (its ok if I call you that right?) This was a great chapter. More, More, More!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sproxie]

great chapter keep it up!

[raven54]

Dude this is wicked! You had best post more of this soon, or I WILL FIND YOU... AND IT WON'T BE PRETTY:evil:

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Teah, im workin on the next one now.


HEY, LOOK HERE**************************
The new chapter is at the end of page three, go see it.

(thats for people who always go to the last page, they might have missed it:sweat: )

[Rae]

I was right!

It was worth the wait!

Not meaning to sound rude but can you please write more???

Thanks

[starburn1116]

i agree

it was worth the wait

but was the wait absolutly nesicarry?

[oneeyemonkeypie]

yup, and there will be another one. I'm in the process of typing my University of MD application, and will be otherwise occupied for a few days. I've been put under house arrest by the 'rents till I get it done-and that means no parties! (which sucks.) So i gotta do that first. then I'll type more.:D

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Ok, chap 7 now. I have 8 done and am polishing it, but i got SAT's tommorrow and will take a small hiatus. there will be two more chaps (maybe three if it gets longish.)
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Chapter 7-Peril and Sanctuary



“Wake up, human!” a brusque voice said. Knives was dimly aware of someone kicking him. He opened his eyes and saw one of the guards standing above him. “We’re here.” The guard reached down and pressed a button on his belt causing the collar to spring open and the bindings to fall away. Knives rolled over and got on one knee. The guard backed away several steps with his weapon pointed at him. Knives slowly stood up and assumed an aggressive posture, towering over the guard. He looked down and stared at the guard who seemed shaken by his large quarry. He brushed past him, knocking him effortlessly out of the way. He walked out and paused for a second in the hallway, looking left and right. A quick thermal scan revealed that most of the crew was to his left, so Knives set out in that direction. His large frame barely cleared the tight hallway and his heavy boot treads rattled the light fixtures as he walked past. This ship was bare metal and dimly lit-starkly utilitarian. Knives walked through a doorway and saw the rest of the titans gathered there. He walked over to them and reached his hands up, pressing a panel on the back of his helmet. It receded and he took a deep breath noticing the taste of recycled air that lingered about him.

“Sleep well?” Beast Boy jokingly asked him. He shook his head and looked around. It was just them and several guards around the entryway. Knives turned to them.

“Hey, where’s that queer guy in the cape?” he asked them. They stiffened.

“You will leave through the service entrance after the lord, you will not see him.” One of the guards coldly answered.

“Man, I’m starting to reeealy hate those guys.” Beast Boy said. Knives nodded his head in agreement. A hydraulic hiss filled the air and a large rusty hatch swung down and out from the ship, letting the group leave. They stepped out into the night sky of the Tamranian desert. The tarmac was deserted except for them and led straight into the castle. Together the titans walked up to the main entrance where two more of the guards stood, blocking their path.

“Hey, we need to get inside.” Robin said to them.

“You are not permitted access.” The guard on the left said.

“But you said…” he began and the guard cut him off.

“You were given passage to Tamaran. No more.” He said. Robin sighed and gestured over his shoulder.

“Well this guy wants to get inside,” Knives straightened up a few inches and leaned forward slightly until almost over Robin. “And he doesn’t take no so well.”

“You are not permitted access.” The guard repeated, not even looking at Robin. Robin smiled and stepped to the side.

“Alright, go ahead.” He said to his friend. Knives took two steps forward, then bent his knees and re-postured himself until just above eye-height for the guards. His right hand shot out and grabbed one of them by the throat. He lifted the guard up a few inches and brought him close to his face. Squinting, he growled low and menacingly.

“Wha…Hey! You…guh…ahh…” the guard began to protest but soon stopped as his windpipe was crushed by Knives large fist. He began to wheeze and gurgle. Knives tilted his head slightly as the Guards eyes rolled back in his head. He began flailing at the arm the grabbed him, his fists bouncing off the heavy metal plating. Knives pulled his arm to the left, then swung it out to the right and let the guard go at the apex of his swing. The sentry flew though the air and hit on the tarmac, rolling and scraping along its surface. He stopped just short of the edge. Knives looked over to the other guard, seeing him unconscious with Cyborg standing above him.

“Boo-yah.” Cyborg said in a subdued tone. Suddenly the door flew open and a huge, menacing figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light behind him.

“What is all this noise!?” he asked loudly. He stepped out and looked down at the travelers.

“Galifore, it’s good to see you again.” Said Robin. He let out a mighty laugh.

“Ah, the princess’ friends. It is good to see you too.” He said with a smile. He looked over at Knives. “Although I don’t seem to remember seeing you…” he said. Robin stepped over next to him.

“This is Knives. He is with us, and also a friend of Starfire’s.” Galifore nodded.

“Well then, he is welcome here. Come, let us go inside.” He turned and walked inside with the others in tow. Knives looked around trying to take everything in. This place was strange and foreign. Many people watched as they went by, pointing and whispering. They had walked a short distance before coming to a meeting hall with a large, U shaped table where the others were waiting and a large audience stood around the edges of the room. The titans were seated on one side, Galifore was in the middle and Gisrel and his lackeys were on the other. They sat there eyeing each other while large cups of some sort of drink were set out.

“Let us drink first, before we talk.” Galifore said, raising his cup. The others raised theirs, with the exception of Starfire and the titans. Starfire just looked down at the table, not even moving, and the titans didn’t even bother to try and lift theirs. Knives wrapped his large hand around the cup and picked it up. Even for him, this was heavy. He tilted it to his lips and took a deep draught. Swallowing it he set the cup down heavily and winced. The liquid burned, much like a shot of vodka. He could feel it going straight down to his stomach. Galifore let out a mighty laugh.

“Strong, yes?” he asked Knives. Chuckling, he finished the rest of his own liquid and set the empty cup down.

“Now Galifore, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind explaining this to us.” Robin said diplomatically.

“What exactly?” asked the large man.

“Just tell us what the hell is going on!” Knives yelled loudly. Galifore’s face looked suddenly sad.

“Ahh, yes. That…” he said slowly. “Well, when you left I was charged with the care of the kingdom. Since then, the esteemed lord Gisrel here has discovered ancient noble blood running though his veins. He is using this ancestory lineage to claim his place at the throne.” He said sadly. Gisrel folded his hands and smirked.

“You can't do that!” Knives yelled across the table.

“I’m afraid he can.” Said Galifore. “It is an old and seldom used tradition. Although his actions may be unpopular, they are still permitted by Tamaranian law, which even I cannot change. As long as he claims Starfire as his queen, he may ascend the throne.” Knives pounded the table fiercely, nearly tipping several goblets. Why did things like this always happen to him? Starfire raised her head.

“What if he was unable to claim me as his queen?” she asked the king.

“Well, then he would be powerless to take the throne. He is only a prince, and must have a queen to become king.” Galifore said looking confused. He knew she had some surprise but couldn’t figure out what it could be.

“Well then, I must announce something. I cannot be the queen, for I have a Gend’an,” she pointed at Knives. “Him.” A loud murmur swept through the crowd. Knives looked around, as if to see if she was pointing at someone else. He saw everyone staring at his shoulder so he looked down and saw that damned piece of metal stuck on his arm. It had stretched over his armor and stood out starkly against its black surface. He reached up and picked at it, but it was stuck on as tight as ever. An elderly man in a white robe stepped out of the crowd and made his way to Knives. He grabbed Knives’ arm and dragged it up to the light.

“Hey!” Knives said in surprise.

“Hmm,” the old man said turning it this way and that, watching the light glint off its surface. “It is real.” He said conclusively. An even louder murmur went through the crowd this time. Knives rubbed his arm as Cyborg leaned over.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” he asked under his breath.

“I don’t even know what this thing is, much less what it means.” He said looking down at his arm.

Gisrel frowned and furrowed his brow. This was an unpleasant, and potentially dangerous surprise. This backwards outworlder must not threaten his plans. He leaned over and a very old, scholarly looking man whispered something in his ear. A slow, sinister smile crept over his face. He stood up and began shouting.

“That is irrelevant. This man is an alien, an outsider. He has no status in Tamaranian law, and therefore cannot interfere with the ceremony in any way.” He said triumphantly. She smile faded from Galifore’s face. Knives turned to him.

“Tell me he can't do that.” He said to the king.

“Ay, I am afraid he can. You are not Tamranian, and cannot interfere. Only other Nobles, or a Gend’an may interfere with the ceremony. You…were our last hope.” He said.

“There’s nothing I can do?” he asked. Galifore shook his head sadly.

“No, you are not Tamaranian.” He said. Knives paused for a second. He put his hand on his chin and thought for a short while.

“Then make me one.” He said. The crowd began whispering amongst themselves, and Gisrel laughed.

“What do you mean?” asked Galifore.

“I’m sure that there’s some way to become a citizen of Tamaran. There’s a way to become a resident of Earth. Tell me how to become a Tamaranian.” He said. Galifore sat there pondering for a second.

“Yes, I suppose.” He said, turning the thought over in his head. “Very well, you may undertake the Trials of Clanship. And the ceremony will be suspended until you have either completed the trials or died.” He said.

“Yeah! Wait, what?” Said Beast Boy.

“Did he say died?” Raven asked. Galifore turned to Knives.

“You are brave to agree to the trials. They are very dangerous, and there is a good chance you may die. Do you still wish to continue?” he asked him. Knives stared at him without saying a word. “Good,” he said laughing. “Good. My friends,” he said standing up and addressing the crowd. “We have a challenger!” The crowd applauded and yelled in jubilation, obviously happy that Gisrel was being opposed. The robed prince slumped in his seat and rolled his eyes. No matter, he thought, this primitive wouldn’t survive the Trials anyway.

“Tomorrow we will begin the ordeal. But tonight, WE FEAST!” he yelled.



The titans had gathered in a room after the “meal”, which was more of a battle. They sat down, exhausted.

“Well done, way to go!” Cyborg said, patting Knives on the back.

“That was quick thinking.” Robin said.

“Yes, but was it the right thing to do?” asked Raven.

“What do you mean? This guy wants to take Star away. Of course it’s right.” Shouted Beast Boy. Raven leaned against one of the walls.

“But this isn’t like last time. This guy isn’t faking anything; he is well within his rights. How do we know it wasn’t for the best?” she asked. The rest of the group fell silent. Then Knives stood up.

“He will not take her away, whether it’s right or wrong. I won’t let him. We won't let him.” Knives said. The other titans silently reflected on this thought. Just then the door to the room swung open and two beautiful Tamaranian girls entered. Beast Boy openly stared at them, for they were indeed striking. Even Robin’s jaw dropped. They walked lithely over to Knives.

“You are the outworlder Champion, yes?” one of them asked in a singsong voice. Knives nodded his head. “Come with us, a special room has been prepared for you.” She said. They each grabbed one of Knives’ arms and led him out of the room. The titans felt his footsteps through the floor for a while after he left the room, then everything was silent.

“This place gets stranger every time we come here.” Beast Boy said, sitting down on the couch.


Alright, gimme feedback...

[Sproxie]

flat out AWESOME!

nothing more to be said....

[rrarbecy]

Guess what. This has now become my FAVORITE CURRENT STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! This is awesome!
MORE, MORE, MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Crowgirl]

When I stop tearing out my hair from suspense (which mean you post another chapter...) I'll let you know...

WRITE MORE OR DIE!!!:evil: (Your choice...)

[oneeyemonkeypie]

ENOUGH! Cease this prattling! do not sully my thread with your arguements.
see, now I'll post a chapter at the bottom of this page, then the next comment will start a new page so everyone goes to see the new page and no-one reads the chater that you two made me post at the bottom of this page. ARGHHHH!

OK here's the next chapter

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Chapter 8-Self Discovery



Knives awoke to a gentle shaking. Yawning, he stretched his arms and sat up, his back popping. These Tamaranians had what felt like slabs of rock for beds. He opened his eyes and saw one of the girls from last night standing over him.

“Good morning. I am Nyla. I will be your servant throughout the trials. If you need anything, please ask.” Knives got out of bed and walked over to what passed for a mirror. This room was really elegant, even by Earth’s standards. He turned to Nyla.

“Umm…I have to change. Do you want to; you know…” he asked, waiting for her to leave. She stood there and smiled.

“Do not worry about me, I am only a servant. I do not mind.” She said simply. It seemed that she truly believed that she was beneath him status-wise. Slightly perturbed, Knives turned back to the mirror. He removed his shirt and tossed it behind him, picking up the clothes that had been supplied for him. The closest thing they had to a T-shirt was a tunic, which was longer but would have to do. He put this on and closed his eyes, concentrating. Within a matter of seconds his massive body armor had manifested itself around him, encasing him once again. He resolved never to be seen outside of it in public. It would help intimidate whomever he would have to compete with and intimidation was good. He needed every advantage he could get. Done, he turned to the door and walked heavily over, upsetting a glass vase on a table near the door. It rattled slowly towards the edge before toppling over. Nyla’s hand shot out and caught it in midair. She placed it back on the table.

“Oh, thanks.” Knives said reflexively. She looked at him curiously.

“You needn’t thank me. I am bound to serve you.” She said to him. This outworlder was strange-did they not have servants on his planet? He walked over to the doorway and opened it, holding it while she passed through. She pushed his hand out of the way and took the handle.

“What are you trying to do?” she whispered angrily to him. Several passers-by stared at the two.

“What? I just wanted to hold the door for you, that’s all.” He said confused.

“You cannot do that here. A master holding the door for a servant is disgraceful. Do you want to get me in trouble?” She calmed down and began speaking in a normal tone of voice. “I must do things like this for you-you are not allowed to work, and especially not for me.” She replied.

“What, so you HAVE to be my slave?” he asked her.

“Yes.” She replied, slightly exasperated.

He sighed. “What a backwards planet.” He muttered before walking away. She rushed to catch up with him. She was upset, but to show anger against her master would surely get her in much trouble so she hid it.

“So, what’s next?” he asked her as they walked.

“You must go to the Grand Banquet Hall and meet with the king. You will eat, and begin the first in a series of three trials.” She said methodically.

“What, right down to business? No celebration?” he asked.

“No, the festivities come after, if you survive.” She said.

“You sure are a cheery people.” He said. They passed many crowds that talked amongst themselves as they walked by. “Why all the commotion?” he asked as a large group of people fell silent and watched the pair walk by.

“This is quite an event. We haven’t had anyone attempt this ritual for decades, and never under such important circumstances. You are a sort of local hero.” She said. They walked up to a large set of wooden doors. Nyla reached out and pushed a panel and the doors swung open. Knives stepped into the room while she stayed in the background. Well, now he was on his own. He walked over to the table where Galifore sat with many other important looking people. Galifore smiled broadly at the Earther’s approach.

“Welcome, challenger. The council extends its greetings to you.” He said loudly. “I trust your servant told you what would happen?” he said.

“Yes.” He said, not knowing what else to say. When in doubt, keep it simple.

“Good, then eat. Your challenge awaits.” The large man said happily. Although he wasn’t born a Tamaranian, this young fighter definitely had the spirit to compete. Galifore looked over at Gisrel with contempt. The prince was fooling around, not even paying attention to his rival. He hoped this challenger would teach that young upstart a lesson or two.

Knives ate and drank his fill of the Tamaranian food at a leisurely pace. He was the only one eating so there was no contest. It was a little uncomfortable having hundreds of people watch him eat, but he tried to shrug it off. It seemed the black squishy things were alright, they tasted like salty fish meat. Also, the crispy yellow things were good, they tasted like sweet corn. The soft brown things were terrible, though. When he was done he stood up. People had slowly streamed out of the room while he was finishing up, and he wondered where they had all gone.

“Ah, are you ready?” as Galifore eagerly.

“I am.” Knives stated. Galifore got up and walked to a set of door Knives hadn’t noticed before. Knives and the other followed him. He slammed the doors open to reveal a balcony. Knives walked out onto it and froze in awe.

The balcony was high up on the wall of a HUGE indoor coliseum. It sat thousands, and most of it was packed with people. They had come to see him, he realized. It was lit from above with some mysterious lighting. The walls were made of the same stone the rest of the castle was made of. It was, in short, an ancient version of the modern football stadium.

There were some entertainers on the field and they began to clear off. Galifore turned to him.

“It is time. The challenge will be explained to you when you get down there.” He put his hand on Knives’ shoulder. “Good luck.” He said. Knives walked to the edge and saw stairs descending the hundred or so feet to the bottom.

“Screw that.” He said under his breath. He placed one hand on the rail and hopped over, pivoting on his hand. He dropped quickly and hit the ground in a crouch, shaking the entire arena slightly. The dull roar typical to a crowd of that size died off for a split second in surprise. Suddenly thunderous applause and cheering broke loose from the crowd. This was what they had come to see. Knives straightened up and walked to the center of the arena where Nyla and some others were gathered. There were several people he didn’t recognize and one man in nothing but some sort of kilt, who was huge. He had a small lock of hair on the top of his head and his face was tattooed. That would be the opponent. There were two massive stone pillars twenty feet high and five feet across. One of the men began speaking in a strange language and Nyla translated it.

“Welcome champions, and esteemed guests, to the first trial.” The crowd began cheering again wildly. “This is a competition of strength, endurance and will. The two contestants will carry the sacred pillars of Iam across that line.” Nyla said, pointing to a line several hundred feet away.

“What?” asked Knives, concerned. He couldn’t lift that weight and he knew it. The other competitor eyed him, seeing his distress. He said something unintelligible, and the stadium erupted in small bouts of laughter.

“You got a problem?” asked Knives, walking over and sticking his chest out. He was indeed larger than the other guy. The other man began speaking rapidly and eyeing Knives maliciously.

“I don’t think…” Nyla began, but was drowned out by the crowd cheering. They wanted a fight. Knives extended his blades and drew back one arm, staring the stranger down. Neither one moved until Nyla stepped in between them.

“Save your strength.” She said into Knives ear. “You’ll need it.” The other guy threw his arms up in the air and the crowd got even louder. The two were led into positions marked by white crosses facing away from the pillars. He looked over and saw his opponent crouched down with his knees bent and followed suit. The man in charge said something and the other people that were in the arena with them pulled on two large ropes, several men to a rope. They seemed to slip loose from whatever they were holding and a great grinding sound filled the arena. He looked over his shoulder to see the pillar tipping directly at him. He was supposed to catch it! It began to swing down in an arc and Knives raised his hands over his shoulders in anticipation. Its arc matched his position perfectly and the pillar struck.

Knives was obscured in a blur; when the pillar hit it threw up a thick cloud of dust that was impermeable.

“Did he make it?” asked Beast Boy.

“How should I know?” replied Cyborg. The titans had all been given front row seats, in honor of their previous services, and their friendship with Knives. They looked on in anticipation. The dust began to settle, and the crowd, which had been relatively quiet, erupted in cheering. Knives stood there, holding the pillar in between his shoulders. The force of the impact had knocked his feet down into the stone floor several inches. He strained and broke free of the ground, taking one small step. His opponent also managed to survive the fall and was making small but sure steps across the arena, his face contorted from the massive effort.

Knives heard the warning sirens going off in his head. The impact had damaged his left arm, and his leg stabilizers were working overtime to keep him on his feet. His system safety parameters had reached almost 70%, and he hadn’t even begun walking. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a second while his opponent gained a very small lead. Using his neural interface, he shut down all non-critical functions and shunted the extra and reserve power to his lower movement system. He slowly raised one giant metal boot and swung it forward, sending it crashing to the floor of the arena. Small cracks radiated out from his foot. Then he leaned forward on that leg, dragging the pillar along with him. Lifting the other foot he repeated the process. His opponent was taking very small steps, almost shuffling, but was doing so much faster. Knives managed to catch up to him more than half way there. At this point he had started to fade, his mechanical frame slowly approaching its limits. The crowd had been cheering indecipherable chants since the beginning and hadn’t stopped yet. Nearly at the finish line, Knives had put several feet between him and his opponent. He reached the finish line, and saw that it was a platform raised a foot in the air. The crowd got louder, realizing that the foreigner had almost won. Knives raised his foot, but with the combined weight of his boot and the pillar, plus all the stress on his system, his foot couldn’t clear the edge. He put his foot back down and planted both his feet.

“Come on…what’s he waiting for?” asked Robin impatiently. Raven looked over at him.

“Trust him, he knows.” She said cryptically.

Knives stood there, readying himself for what he was about to do. Panels on his legs and back sprung out and a mixture of steam and white-hot gasses flooded out as he flushed his cooling system. His temperature returned to almost normal. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped his arms around the pillar in a tremendous bear hug and strained. The rear end of the Pillar moved slightly. The crowd’s cheers began to rise in intensity. He threw his head back and yelled. The pillar lifted clear of the ground. It began to swing upwards and behind him gaining speed as it went. He swung it up and over his head and back down the other side on top of the platform. It impacted and threw up a large cloud of dust again. The crowd went crazy, realizing that he had won. A rhythmic, repeating chant went up.

The dust cleared and the pillar lay on the platform, broken into several pieces. Knives stood there, heaving. His competitor dropped his pillar, seeing that he lost. It ht the ground and rumbled, then stayed still. The man in charge ran over and grabbed Knives arm. He raised it in the air, and the crowd went mad. They burst into cheering and applause. The King stepped up to the railing of his balcony and said several words. Nyla translated.

“The challenger has passed the first challenge. The next one will commence two moonrises from today.” With that, he turned and walked back though the doors. The fans began to file out of the coliseum, all talking loudly. Knives had been favored to lose today, and his win cam as a surprise to most. Knives was led off the field through one of the entrances to the prep area-a sort of ancient locker room. The other titans were already there. Beast Boy came running up to him.

“Yeah, nice going.” He said, giving Knives their secret handshake. It was a complicated and long series of movements they had invented one rainy day a while ago.

“Nicely done!” Robin agreed enthusiastically. Knives seemed happy, and very tired. Not very surprising really, considering what he had just done. Nyla walked over to the group.

“You will have to attend an honorary feast this evening, and will have the next day off to regain your strength before the second challenge.” She said with something like a clipboard in her hand. She was marking down some strange characters on a piece of parchment.

“Oh good. Cyborg,” he said, grabbing the titans’ attention, “I need your help tomorrow. Lifting that thing threw most of my parameters out of whack and I need an equilibrium recalibration, or else I won't even be able to walk straight. Can you spare a few hours?” he asked him while toweling off his brow.

“Sure thing man. What else am I gonna do?” he said. Robin walked over to him.

“You know, these challenges are going to get harder. And if you need repairs after the first day, this might be very dangerous. Are you sure you want to continue?” he asked. He really didn’t want Knives to stop, but as a team leader Knives’ safety was his responsibility.

Knives stopped what he was doing and turned around, giving Robin his full attention.

“Robin, I knew these challenges would be hard when I began. Yes, the first challenge took quite a tool on my body. The next one will be in all probability much harder. I realize that. There is a chance that I will not survive this ordeal, and I have accepted that.” The other titans became somber and quiet as they realized what he was saying. “But nothing is going to stop me now. I am fighting for the life, and the freedom, of one of my closest friends. And if I have to die, I can't think of a better way to do so.” The room was quiet.

“Aw, come on guys. Don’t be so depressed. We gotta go celebrate! It’s time for the feast.” He said to the sulking titans. They looked up. “Come on, Galifore invited all of us. Lets go!” he said, turning and walking out of the room. The other titans began to head for the exit. Raven turned to Robin.

“He was serious, you know, back there. He really is ready to give up his life if that’s what it takes. I could feel it, such determination.” She said.

“I know. He has always said he considered this team like his family. I guess now is his time to prove it.” Robin said as they walked out into the surprisingly brightly lit stone corridor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bad news time. I have mild writers block, several approaching deadlines and I have to finish the next chapter in my other fic, so I wont post a new chap for a little while. In the mean time, leave feedback.

[raven54]

this is SO AWESOME!!!!!!
wowwowwowwowwowwowwow!!!! this is now one of my biggest favorites- tied w/ a few others. you'd better get over your writer's block... but this'll hold me for a while:D

[Sproxie]

this is so great!
and, whats with everyone having writers block?
well anyway, hope it passes soon

[raven54]

*sigh* writer's block... it's another epidemic, nipping at the heels of the Suicide Threats epidemic

[Crowgirl]

This is really good. If you do not continue to write I seriously will hang you like a witch in Salem.

As for the scratched kitties... you know who you are... I think you should both create a seperate thread where you all can argue as much as you want and you can pretend it is a story. Then we get to comment on what we enjoy most!

Sounds like fun, no?:D

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Why oh why do I never get any feedback (except for those of us who have been here a while). I'd love for some n00b perspectives, but they dont come here. It's probably this ****** title. ARGH!

anyways, I'm nearly done the next chap. i have that one and one more in addition to this one coming up. (maybe 2). So, here's the deal...

Do you want one humongus chapter, or should I split it up? when I say big I mean destiny_smasher big.
so-all at once, or two smaller ones? (note-even if its the humoungous one, there will be one more after that.)

[raven54]

probably smaller. as much as i love your story, it hurts your eyes to read posts as long as the smashers;)

[oneeyemonkeypie]

well, hate to say it but you might get screwed. This chapter is gonna be about 7,000 (!!) words long. I't should be done late tonight barring any major catastrophies, and I'll edit it and put it up here. I don't think I can split it up without messing up the flow of things. Maybe I can split it into two seperate posts right after each other, to provide a stretch break. But the bottom line is that it's huge, and will probably be a one parter.

still, its really good, and the most important chapter since like 4 or 5. It basically sets up the end of the story.

oh, that reminds me. This fic is over in one long (or 2 short) more chapters after this. I don't have a sequal planned, should I even bother thinking of one? Or would this best be let die?

edit-final word count before last minute editing-6742
I'll post it soon, but lemme get at least one more post about my last chapter. preferably from someone who doesn't normally post here.

[rrarbecy]

Do I count?
Please split it up. Please...
I really dislike reading long chapters (like Smasher long)

[Adrastea]

HA! I count as a n00b.
Even though I've been reading these stories for much longer than I've been a member. I'm just not that good at being a part of internet forums, i'm more of a 'i'd rather talk in person' person.

I think this fic IS SO COOL!!!!!! And I don't mind Robin and Starfire being broken up. Here's how i see it. If Robin really likes starfire, he'll come out and say something or show. If he doesn't he won't. If someone beats him to it...too bad for him. Maybe I'm misinterperating boy's mind's, but that how I see it.

PLEASE DEPRIVE US NOT OF THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!!!
(OH, and nor do I mind long chapters. My eyes are so messed up anyway, it really doesn't matter to me. :D)

[oneeyemonkeypie]

sorry, I win. It will be a huge chapter. but I will put a break in it for you.
here
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 9-Fortitude



Knives stifled a yawn as he worked through the circuitry in his lower leg stabilizers, looking for burned connections. Cyborg was helping him, but even with 2 experts this was tedious work at best. Cyborg looked up from the mass of wires at Knives.

“Man, you look beat. Something wrong?” he asked absently as he turned his attention back to the colorful tangle in front of him.

“Oh, you mean besides the fact that I’m competing in the toughest contest in history, and my best friend will be gone forever if I fail? No, nothing else.” He said sarcastically. “*Sigh*…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go off like that. I’m just…hey, check B-14, would ya?” he said pressing some buttons on his arm.

“Nope, fine.” Cyborg said, continuing his work. Knives resumed speaking where he left off.

“I’m just under a little bit of stress. I’m beginning to think this whole contest might be a bit much. I don’t know how any normal person could survive it.” He said, looking about at the room. The walls were covered with different styles of armor and various hand-to-hand weapons. This was the preparation room for soldiers and competitors. Cyborg stood up and closed the panel on Knives’ leg.

“You’re done. That’s as good as I’m gonna get it here. This places isn’t exactly set up for delicate work.” He said, waving his arm about. “Hey,” he said pensively, not sure how to begin. “The rest of us haven’t seen you around lately. Is everything alright?” he said. Obviously everything wasn’t all right, or they’d be home right now, but he meant personally and emotionally.

“Yeah…I’m fine.” Knives began after a long silence. “I’ve just…been thinking a lot. Everything’s kind of confusing and weird right now, and I gotta figure out which end is up.” He smiled disarmingly at the confused android. “It’s nothing serious, I’m fine. Really. Just trying to figure out, you know, where am I going? What’s next after we go back to Earth? I guess it sounds kind of weird, huh? This isn’t exactly the place for a self-realization journey,” he said chuckling.

“Naw, man.” Cyborg said completely seriously. “I get what you’re saying.” There was a slight pause. “Well, you probably want to be left alone right now, so I’ll just let myself out.” With that he turned to go. Knives didn’t stop him. He really could use some time to just think. Everything was changing, it was all so confusing. He didn’t even know if what he was doing was right.

“I wish I could just see Starfire.” He said quietly to himself. He had been banned from seeing her, except at meals. Even then they didn’t talk. He wanted to talk to her, to laugh with her, to watch TV with her. All of the things that friends are supposed to do together. He just wanted everything to be the way it was before.

“No sense whining about it.” He said. Knives swung his legs over and slid down from the table he had been sitting on. The floor shook as his massive feet hit the ground. Still, Cyborg was right. Some of his melancholy stemmed from the fact that he hadn’t seen his friends in a while. He couldn’t shut the rest of them out because one of them was gone. Lost in thought, he walked over to the doorway and made his way into one of the massive halls that ran the length of the citadel. The strange red flooring sank slightly under his weight. It was like very stiff carpet. As he was walking, Nyla stepped up next to him from another hallway. It was scary how easily she found him.

“You are repaired?” she asked him cursorily. It was more formality than actual concern. Although she was an OK person she seemed to keep her relationships completely businesslike. No friends, no attachments. She must be so lonely, Knives thought.

“Yeah, I’ll manage.” He said to her. They kept walking down the hallway passing many doors, some ornate, some plain.

“Well, you have no other obligations today. I would advise you to get some rest, you will need it tomorrow.” He remembered the upcoming challenge and breathed heavily. That would not be fun. He got progressively angrier as they walked, seeing people laughing and talking together, being friends. He felt something inside of him, something strange, and he immediately turned left and walked through a set of large doors.

“Where are you heading?” she asked as he passed the main eating room. He had already passed all the other areas that he had any interest in and had no business being this far.

“I’m going to see Starfire. She’s this way, I know it.” He said. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but she was definitely up ahead. He looked down to see that stupid metal band around his upper arm. That was probably it, some sort of alien locator in the bracelet. Nyla wore an expression of shock.

“You can't! It’s forbidden,” she shouted in astonishment. He couldn’t just go and see the princess!

“Stop me.” He said simply. “I’ve had it with you stupid planet and it’s ass-backwards traditions. I’m seeing her, and I won’t be stopped.” He continued, totally oblivious to the shrieking servant next to him. They walked for a time, and ended up in a large, crowded hallway. There was an archway at the end with two armed guards standing to either side of it. That had to be where she was. He walked straight towards it, his helmet forming around his head as he went. The HUD flickered to life, and he saw that he was functioning at 93% capacity. Not bad, for field repairs. He’d have to thank Cyborg later. The guards tilted their poleaxes so the crossed the entrance.

[Note-I use poleax, staff, spear and a few other words interchangeably. I’m talking about the same weapon they all use.]

“Halt.” The one on the right said. Knives continued walking without breaking stride. He hit the staves and continued uninterrupted, not even slowing down. The sentries were caught off guard and spun around comically as Knives pushed through the weapons. He didn’t even put his hands out-he simply walked through them. The guards got up and gave chase, shouting warnings ahead. Other guards stood up and ran at Knives, intent on stopping him. One ran at him with the weapon held out like a lance. Knives drew back his arm and swung it outward, backhanding the man and sending him flying across the room at great speed. He hit the wall and the rocks cracked behind him. He slid to the floor and was still. The other guards had pointed their spears at Knives and twisted the middle. Bright white energy whips flew out and lassoed Knives’ arms and chest, pulling on him. He slowed down and leaned forward, straining against the ropes. There were about 7 on him as he continued to struggle. The door was just a few feet further. Nyla had run up and was pleading on his behalf, but they ignored her. Knives finally reached the door and pounded on it.

“Starfire!” he shouted. The door was shut tight and he wasn’t getting in. The wood splintered under his heavy fists. “Starfire…” he sobbed, leaning against the door. He gave up, realizing he would never make it through the door. The energy ropes overwhelmed him, and he was subdued. The guards dragged him back outside and he no longer resisted. They deposited him at the doorway and Nyla stepped over to him.

“I told you, you cannot.” He slowly got to his feet. Overwhelmed, he slowly trudged back the way he came.

“Where are my friends?” he asked her. She said they were still in their quarters and he set off in search of their rooms. Cyborg was right; he needed some companionship right now.



“So you didn’t see her?” asked Beast Boy as Knives sat at the table picking at the designs absently.

“No.” he replied. He had told the others of his story. They listened to him with sympathy, but there was really nothing anyone could do. Raven walked over and put a hand on Knives shoulder.

“It’s not you fault, and there’s nothing you can do, so stop beating yourself up. The only way to end this is to win these contests and you won’t do that by being depressed. Remember, your fighting for her.” She said to him. She was right, that was all true. He had to focus on winning, not on what he had already lost. Knives stood up with a purposeful look on his face. He looked down at Raven.

“You’re right. Thanks.” He said to her. She smiled back at him.

He looked around at the others. “It’s true. The only way to end this is to win, and to do that I need your help. Are you ready?” he asked them. They all looked at him like it should be obvious.

Robin stepped up. “Of course we’ll help you. What do you need?”

Knives spent the much of the rest of the day training with Robin on defensive techniques against Tamaranian weapons (which were conveniently enough balanced and used much like his staff) or working with B.B. and Cy on his attack methods. They laughed and joked, truly enjoying themselves. It lifted Knives’ spirits to be surrounded by such good friends. He spent the end of his day in meditation with Raven. He relaxed and focused his energies, eliminating all distracting thoughts. It truly helped to clear his mind and Raven seemed to enjoy the company. He returned to his room late at night, heading straight for the bed. As he lay back he was rather unconcerned about tomorrow. He had relaxed and regained much of his confidence simply by spending some time with his friends.

“Am I really that dependent on others?” he asked himself. Months ago, he had been totally self-sufficient. He had no one, and needed no one. He took care of himself. And now it seemed that if he didn’t spend time with his companions he couldn’t function. He needed them. It was strange to say that. Then again, it wasn’t that surprising. He was here putting his life on the line only because his friend needed him. He had changed greatly since that day he first saw the titans.

He crossed his arms behind his head. So what if he had changed? He liked needing people. For the first period in his life he had something resembling a family. Yeah, a family, and that punk was trying to break up his…family. Knives stared at the ceiling with determination. He wouldn’t get away with it. Knives would win the trials, and he would defeat the challengers. He would do it all if for no other reason then to get the chance to kick the crap out of that smug *******.

There was a knock at his door and Nyla stepped in.

“Good evening, master. I just wished to check and see if you required anything.” Knives sat up and rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.

“Hmm…no, I don’t think…well, yeah, there is one thing.” He said to her. She looked back at him expectantly. “Do you have any sort of wax, or oil for polishing metal? And some cloths?” he asked her. She nodded at him and walked out to go get it. He figured he might as well look good for the competition tomorrow. He lay back again while Nyla gathered the things. Knives slowly closed his eyes, thinking of devilish ways to torment Gisrel, smirking evilly.







OK, BREAK TIME!
get up, stretch out, get some water or go to the bathroom. It's OK, I'll be here when you get back. Trust me, it's a while to the end from here. So go take a break!







Continued...

The next morning the other titans awoke in a jumble, rushing to get ready and out the door. They wanted to get to the Arena on time to see Knives compete in the next Trial. Beast Boy sighed as he and the others waited outside Raven’s room for her to get ready.

“Man, I wish I had my video camera. I’d love to get some footage of him smacking the Tamaranians around.” Beast Boy said, fake-boxing and throwing some punches at Robin. Cyborg held up his left hand and his middle fingertip spun around to reveal a glass lens.

“Hey man, I am a video camera.” Cyborg said proudly.

“Sweet!” Beast Boy replied. Even Robin, who had been rather somber throughout this whole thing, cracked a smile. He thought about what Knives had said, turning the words over in his head.

He will not take her away, whether it’s right or wrong. I won’t let him. We won't let him. He was right. They had to fight, no matter what. Some of Robin’s confidence began to return. This was Knives we were talking about here. The guy he had trained with, and fought with, many times. It would all turn out fine. The door slid open and Raven stepped out.

“Finally. Lets go!” shouted Beast Boy. They would loose their seats if they were too late. The titans walked through the immense castle for a while, along with many other people. It seemed as if word of the strange metal man who challenged the Tamaranian law had spread, and people from surrounding areas had come to watch the trials. The titans arrived at the Arena and had to worm their way to their front row seats. The coliseum was packed with people and many were simply standing in the aisles.

“This is a lot of people.” Raven stated the obvious.

“Yeah, are they all here to see Knives?” asked Cyborg, a little shocked.

“Probably,” Robin said. “Galifore said that there hasn’t been anyone to try this in over a hundred years, this is a big deal.” He jumped back in his seat as an item of food that someone had dropped began to slither towards him. Raven levitated it and flung it across the stadium. Robin shuddered. “Man, I hate it here.” He said. He never would have told Starfire, but this was a strange planet at best. A large door slid open in the floor of the arena and people began to cheer and whistle. A platform slowly slid up flush with the floor and on it were the announcers, clerics and the other ceremonial figures.

“Whoa dude, is that Knives?” Asked Beast Boy while pointing at a figure standing next to the religious leaders.

“Wow…” Cyborg said in amazement. Even Raven was impressed, uttering ‘Whoa’ under her breath.

Knives was a gleaming black, blinding light glinting off his every surface and angle. There was a symbol on the left side of his chest of two yellow swords crossed within a yellow circle. It had always been there, but now it almost glowed luminescently. The spikes that swept back from his shoulders and elbows were polished to a gleaming chrome, and the plasma heat sink vents in his legs were open, causing a thick fog to billow down and surround his feet. He looked very imposing. The crowed cheered while he stood there, flexing his arms and looking around.



Starfire sat there sullenly next to her captor, Gisrel. The last few days had been very miserable for her. It seemed Gisrel had no interest in her, and kept her locked away in a room unless needed for a public appearance. He didn’t even talk to her. She just wanted to see her friends. Unfortunately there were too many people to find them. She barely looked up as the crowd began to cheer, but then she noticed that the floor was opening. That meant that Knives would be in view soon. She had heard the guards talking about how some crazy alien had tried to break into her room last night, and she was sure that it was Knives. It had to be. She had nearly cried herself to sleep that night, for she was so lonely. Never before had she felt so isolated on her home planet. She looked over at Gisrel who was conversing with one of his subordinates. He didn’t even notice her. She sighed sadly. Then she saw a large figure rise into view. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized him. He looked so impressive and commanding, as if he was the leader of the trials. Never before had she seen metal shine that brightly. Gisrel glanced over and saw her staring at him. He leaned over to her and muttered under his breath.

“Don’t get your hopes up, he will never survive this challenge. He will die, just like all the others.” He growled quietly.



Knives looked around him in amazement. There must have been fifty thousand people already! Where did they all come from? He looked around the arena and noticed that the large wooden doors that were sealed off earlier had been cleared and were closed off by portcullises. He had a feeling that nothing good would be coming out of them. The head cleric raised his hand and the arena slowly quieted to a dull roar. He began to speak and his voice was amplified by some unseen technology. Knives’ helmet translated the words into text for him. He had been trying to learn Tamaranian but had not picked up enough of it yet to be proficient. It scrolled across the bottom of his view plate.

“Welcome all, to the second event in the Trials of Onysis!” The speaker paused while the crowed cheered and applauded. “Today, we will witness the fabled combat of Gnashish.” His translator struggled to keep up, missing the translation of several words. “The challenger is ready to begin?” he turned to Knives questioningly.

“Yes.” Knives said, the translator changing it into Tamaranian before it left the speaker, making it seem like he could speak Tamaranian. It was a neat little trick he worked yesterday, figuring it would probably come in handy. The crowd began to cheer as they heard his response, in Tamaranian no less. Although last time there were more people rooting against him than for him, this time the arena was decidedly in his favor. Perhaps they were beginning to accept him. He had noticed a certain…prejudice against anyone not born of Tamaran. Maybe he was beginning to prove himself after all. One of the portcullises slowly raised and a large, muscular man in heavy leather-like armor approached. The crowd began to chant an indecipherable name and Knives realized that man had been here before. He was fighting professionals. The large fighter walked over and stood to the other side of the cleric, who turned to Knives and began to speak.

“The rules are simple: fight until one of you is dead or wounded.” He stated. Knives looked over the other fighter. Although battle scarred and rough looking, he was alive, and under these rules that meant that he had never lost before. The cleric continued talking.

“You will now choose weapons.” A large table with many hand combat weapons rose into view. The other fighter picked up a large, curved sword, growling with pleasure. “And you?” the cleric turned to him.

“I will fight with my own hands.” Knives said to him. The crowd began whistling and clapping, marveling at the bravery of the newcomer. Knives crossed his arms in front of him, then flung them down and out to the sides while simultaneously extending his blades from his fists. Since he was much larger than usual, his weapons were proportionately bigger, each blade now being the size of a short katana. The moonlight shining through the mysteriously clear ceiling glinted off the gleaming blades. Knives raised his fists and bent his knees, getting in a combat ready stance. The other fighter smirked and spun the sword, raising it up to in front of his face. The clerics boarded a small platform that was quickly and quietly levitated to the side of the arena, leaving the two alone facing one another.

Galifore stood up in his balcony and gestured for the crowd to quiet down. They did so quickly, and Galifore began to speak to the rest of the visitors.

“My champions, I salute you both. May the gods smile on each of you. Begin the challenge!” He bellowed from his seat. The other fighter began to charge at Knives while yelling. He brought his sword up above his head. Knives sprung forward and raised his fists, aiming to catch the other fighter in the arm and make him drop his sword. The Tamaranian lowered his sword and blocked the blow, but just barely. They continued hacking and slashing with neither gaining any appreciable advantage. Suddenly, the Tamaranian swung his sword and Knives jumped back a little too late. It struck him on the chest, cutting very slightly into his armor. It was enough to sever several wires, and Knives dropped to one knee clutching at his sparking wound. The crowd stood up almost at once to better see what would happen. The other fighter smiled and raised his sword up, bringing it singing down towards Knives.

“No…” said Raven emphatically as the rest of the Titans stood stunned. It couldn’t be happening. He was supposed to win.

The sword came flying towards Knives, but it seemed to take an eternity. Everything had slowed down and Knives looked up at the metal. He realized that this blow would finish him off. He had failed. Starfire…she had been counting on him. He had failed her again, just like the others. Knives began to seethe with rage, images flooding his mind as the sword drew ever closer. All of his friends, and the love of his life who were taken away by Solamus because he had failed them. He had nearly lost Starfire and Beast Boy the same way, and now it seemed that he had finally failed them too.

“I…won’t…fail.” He thought to himself. The sword was less than a foot from his face. His left arm shot out and his hand closed on the blade with blinding speed. He grabbed it and twisted, breaking it in half in one fluid motion. Everyone froze. The fighter stared at the bare hilt in disbelief and the crowd was silent. Knives sprung into the air from his crouched position and flipped once while over his opponent. He had timed it so he was upside down directly over him. Knives’ right fist shot out and entered the Tamaranian’s shoulder from behind. The fighter dropped his sword in shock and Knives landed right side up facing away from his opponent. The ground trembled from the impact. Suddenly the crowd broke into applause at the shocking twist. The other titans gave a sigh of relief.

“He’s going to get himself killed one day…” Raven grumbled angrily.

His opponent fell to the ground clutching at his shoulder. Knives stood up and looked around. Two men ran out and bent over Knives’ opponent. Leaning down, they gathered him up and carried him off the field. Knives looked around anxiously. Something wasn’t right. Suddenly, Three of the barriers blocking the entrances pulled up and three more fighters came charging at him.

“It’s never easy…” he complained. Turning to the closest opponent, he ran to meet him while slashing wildly. The other fighter parried and attempted to counterattack, but Knives was too close for his long sword to be used. Knives retracted the blades on his left hand and slammed the Tamaranian in the gut causing him to double over. He grabbed the fighter by the collar and lifted him, turning and throwing him in the opposite direction. The fighter narrowly missed slamming into another fighter coming at him. As he defended himself from the two remaining fighters he saw another gate open and a new fighter join the fray. This was only going to get harder. Knives spun about, knocking both opponents near him back a few steps. He Held his hands out in front of him and extended his blades again, this time longer. They were like three full sized swords on each hand. Although clumsy, he needed all the range he could get to keep away from those razor-sharp Tamaranian weapons. His HUD was flashing several urgent warnings. The blow to the chest had cut the main cooling line to his upper body, forcing his heat sinks to work overtime. It was already getting unbearably hot, and he was sweating profusely. It had also severed several important sensor leads in his left arm, making it much harder to control. Knives grunted as he strained to get out of the way of another lightning fast attack from his opponent. Originally built as a military machine, his machinery was, like Cyborg’s, incredibly robust, and he could function even with incredible amounts of damage. But as with any large machine of his size, he was by necessity very complex, and as he sustained minor damage it often knocked out some of his subsystems. You know, things that did stuff automatically, like managing coolant levels and pressurizing his hydraulic shock absorbers (for those long falls.) It was much the same situation with a car. When everything worked fine, you didn’t notice it. But as soon as one thing went wrong, you realized how much you needed it. Knives lashed out with his blades, catching another opponent across the chest, but this time he didn’t fall to the ground, and counterattacked. Knives jumped out of the way of a crushing blow and let back with a fury of his own.



Time dragged on…



The battle had been raging for over an hour and a half. Knives was more than exhausted and had trouble simply staying on his feet. There was only one challenger in the ring and the endless flow of fighters had stopped. However, this challenger was fresh and full of energy. Knives stumbled about, swinging at him weakly while the small quick fighter nimbly dodged his attacks. The crowd had been keeping at a steady level for a while but began to build in intensity now. They hadn’t sat here for hours just to see him fail now. They began to shout what sounded like encouragement.

“I don’t like this.” Said Robin angrily. He should be down there helping him, not sitting up here watching! The other titans looked over at him.

“Man, none of us likes this. But we can't do anything about it.” Cyborg said observantly.

Knives lunged forwards and overstepped his balance, falling down on his knees. His opponent circled warily, suspecting a trick. Knives strained to get up, but could only get one foot flat on the ground. This fight had really taken it out of him. An urgent, rapidly repeating beep alerted him that his leg actuators were toast. His mechanical frame had reached its limits. A few more hits and it might shut down completely. Knives gritted his teeth and strained, trying to stand despite the numbing pain from his leg.

“No!” shouted Robin as Knives pitched forward. Raven sat up straight and Beast Boy dropped the drink he had in his hands, leaning forward to get a better look.

“This is bad…” Cyborg said nervously. All of the titans held their breath while their friend struggled to get up.



Starfire gasped in horror as Knives fell. She saw the Tamaranian circling him, looking for a chance to strike. He was going to die, and it was her fault. Starfire balled her fists angrily. Her eyes began to glow bright green. Gisrel noticed this and looked over to her.

“There’s nothing you can do. He must do this on his own. So sit there and try to enjoy the show.” He said while leaning over. He was gloating, reveling in the fact that the last obstacle to his success was about to be annihilated. Starfire’s glowing eyes faded to normal. No matter how callous he was being, he was still right. She could not interfere. So she did just that, sat and watched, anxiously waiting for him to get up.



The Tamaranian stopped circling Knives and stood in front of him, still giving him a respectable distance. He was satisfied that this was no act, the fighter was indeed struggling. But even immobilized, he was a dangerous foe. He had taken out some of the best fighters the Guild of the Silver Hand had to offer. This would best be ended quickly. The Tamaranian lunged forward and drew back his sword, yelling.



“No…” thought Raven in desparation.

“No…” thought Starfire in horror.

“No…” thought Robin in disbelief.



Everything froze, time stopped.



“No.” thought Knives in absolute fury. By sheer force of will, he raised his left arm up to intersect the sword arcing for his head. His arm came up and the sword struck it, burying itself deep in his armor. Knives cried out a deep booming yell of pain, amplified by his voice speaker. It rang out through the Arena, silencing the crowd. Sparks shot from his wound and smoke began to wisp up from the burning wires. The Tamaranian stood for a second and then worked to free his sword, embedded in Knives’ arm. Grunting, Knives swung up his good arm and struck his opponent directly in the elbow, forcing it sideways and snapping it like a twig. His arm hung limply and he dropped his hold on the sword. Howling, he backed up clutching it. Knives stood slowly, like a giant arising out of its slumber. The moonlight had faded and the Arena was now lit by thousands of torches. The torchlight shined off of Knives’ reflective surfaces, no longer gleaming like they had hours ago, making it seem like he was covered with dancing lights. He advanced on his opponent slowly in the darkness; the only light coming from the reflected firelight and the occasional sparks that fell from various places and joints. He looked terrifying. The crowd was still deathly silent. Knives reached up and with a grunt dislodged the swords from his arm. His vision swam with spots as the pain nearly overwhelmed him, but he stayed on his feet. The Tamaranian withdrew a dagger with his good arm and charged at Knives screaming. Knives simply drew back his arm and punched him, the giant blunt surface of his fist connecting with the Tamaranian’s face. He flew backwards ten feet and rolled, coming to a stop in a crumpled position while oozing blood. Knives limped over to the sword he had dropped, without a single sound coming from the audience. Slowly reaching down he grabbed it and straightened back up. He stood there, holding it in his left, damaged arm and slowly looked about the arena at the fans.

He held up the sword in a triumphant victory gesture, and it was as if the floodgates of heaven and hell had broken loose. Every person in the arena got to their feet and shouted at the top of their lungs. Sparks cascaded down from his gash like thousands of tiny points of bright white light. They bounced off his body and fell to the floor, creating an awesome aura about him. It was almost magical in appearance. Knives looked to his left to see a large group of people headed his way. It was hard to tell in the dark arena who it was, but a good guess would have been the clerics who started this ceremony. Up close he realized that it wasn’t the clerics after all.

“Galifore.” Knives said quietly. The emperor of Tamaran himself had come to see him. Knives bowed his head in deference, because he couldn’t kneel in his present state. Galifore walked over and placed his hand on Knives’ shoulder.

“Arise, challenger. You fought bravely.” He said with a smile. Knives picked up his head. Galifore looked at him for a second. The crowd was deafening and he leaned down so only Knives could hear him. “Something troubles me-this was a battle to the death, yet you killed not one of your opponents. All of those you defeated survived.” He eyed Knives curiously. “Why?” he asked simply. Knives looked at him and replied without pausing.

“All life has value.” he replied even simpler. Galifore let out a deep laugh.

“Ho ho ho! Very noble of you, challenger!” he said with a smile. “You passed the second trial excellently. Rest, champion. You need not worry about competing tomorrow.” A band somewhere struck up and began playing the Tamaranian equivalent of a marching song, much like the ones used on earth at football games. Knives was led off the field with much fanfare. He was taken to the same preparations room he had used the other time he had been here. He sat down and removed his helmet, leaning his head against the wall.

“Congratulations, that was impressive.” Said a familiar voice. He opened one eye and saw Nyla standing there with her clipboard-like apparatus. Knives sighed and closed his eye. ]

“This seems like a big deal just for citizenship. Why is it so hard to become Tamaranian?” he asked her out of curiosity. She sighed, not sure where to begin. It was hard to explain to someone who had grown up elsewhere.

“On Tamaran, the most valued things are life, culture and tradition. These are what make us, us. For an outsider to become Tamaranian is a very big deal. He must truly be worthy of such a great commitment.” She said, not sure if it was the right answer. It was as close as she could explain, though, and would have to do. He sighed and struggled to his feet. Galifore was right, he needed sleep.



At Knives quarters…



After exchanging congratulatory talk with all the other titans, he turned to go into his room. Cyborg slapped him on the back.

“Take it easy, man.” He said to Knives and then turned to go. Knives froze, his eyes wide open. The door slid shut behind him.

“Oww…” he quietly said to himself while gritting his teeth. The throbbing pain subsided and he hobbled to his bed. There was no light, save what moonlight and starlight came in through the window, making it seem dark yet comfortable. It wasn’t Cyborg’s fault, Knives had (through acting tough) convinced the rest of them that he wasn’t really hurt at all, it was just superficial. There was a knock and the door slid open. Knives turned completely around to face the door. His neck was too stiff to turn just his head.

Three maidens in white robes and hoods silently entered the room carrying some salve that smelled like herbs in large wooden bowls and some towels. They stood there facing Knives.

“Thank you, but I’m fine. Just leave the bowls on the table, then you can go.” He told them. The two ones on the left bowed their heads, placed the bowls on the table and turned to go. The third one however did not.

“I said I’m fine. You can go.” He repeated. The servant didn’t move. He took a step towards her. This was weird. Slowly she put the bowl down and reached up to her hood.

“Knives…” said a soft voice. Knives froze. She removed the hood and before him stood Starfire, staring at him with tears in her eyes.

“Star…” Knives said in disbelief. How did she get here?

“Knives!” She yelled, running over to him and hugging him fiercely. He tensed up at her contact and tried to return the hug, but the pain was tremendous. She pulled her arms back and looked up into his face.

“You are hurt!” she exclaimed in shock. He smiled weakly at her.

“No, I’m fine. Really.” He said. She looked at him with annoyance on her face. He dropped his head in defeat. She always could tell when he was lying.

“Please, let me treat your wounds. I have the herbs right here.” She said, waving an arm at the table. He shook his head. Starfire stamped her foot in emphasis. “Please!” she shouted at him. Then she spoke in a softer tone of voice. “You fought for me today. At least let me do this for you.” He gave in.

“Alright.” He said, walking over to the bed and sitting down while she gathered the bowls and bandages. His armor slowly slid back, its mangled panels catching on one another repeatedly. He would have to fix that. She walked over.

“Remove your shirt, please.” She said in a soft, yet commanding tone of voice. He reached behind him and grasped his shirt at the shoulder blades, and slowly lifted it up. Starfire gasped quietly at what she saw.

His back was covered with bruises and scrapes. There were deep cuts littered here and there, and even some burns where his cooling system had leaked. It looked unbearable.

“Oh, Knives…” she said in pity. She gently traced her fingertips across his back. It was burning hot. Knives shivered from the cool touch of her hands.

“It’s nothing, really.” He said, losing some of his conviction. Starfire picked up the bowl and soaked a towel in the herbal-smelling liquid. She placed it on his back, gently massaging it in. It stung for a second, then began to feel relieved. They sat there quietly for a short while, neither talking while she bandaged him up.

“Why did you come here?” he finally asked. She continued to work as she talked to him.

“I had to see you,” she said over his shoulder. “Being alone for so long has been…terrible. I missed my friends. The others are under watch, but your room is not. So I managed to sneak in here. I miss you all…” she said to him.

“We miss you too, Star. That’s why we’re still here, fighting to get you back. We all want you to come home.” He said, speaking for the rest of the titans. They sat in silence for another short time, until he said something again out of curiosity.

“Star?” he asked.

“Hmm?” she replied absently, working on bandaging one of his burns.

“Why does everyone here call you princess?” he asked her. She didn’t say anything for a second while searching for the right words.

“I am…of royal blood. I am next in line for the throne.” She said tentatively, afraid that it might change his opinion of her.

“Ah…I see.” He finally replied. That was a little shocking.

“I’m sorry, I meant to tell you.” She apologized.

“No, it’s fine. That’s pretty cool.” He said to her. She sat there in silent appreciation of what he just said. It didn’t matter! He sure took surprises well, she thought.

“Actually, I got another question.” He said to her. She waited for him to ask it.

“What’s…a Gend’an?” he finally asked. It seemed like a big deal and he wanted to know, but didn’t want to cause a problem. Starfire froze. She knew this would come eventually.

“Oh, that. A Gend’an is,” she paused, choosing her words carefully. “a person who…you care deeply for. Someone who you want to spend your life with.” She said haltingly.

“Like, an engagement?” he asked in shock. She started in surprise.

“No no no. Not like that. It is…oh, how do you say it?” she said, trying to find the right words. “It is not that serious. It is more emotional than that. It does not mean you will marry that person eventually, but that you care about them and want to be with them.”

She broke down and started talking extremely fast, the words pouring forth from her lips.

“Oh Knives, I am so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I had no choice; I thought it was the only way to stop Gisrel from taking me back to Tamaran. I thought that you could pretend, and then remove the Aach-cha (she pointed to the band on his arm) after he left, and…” She ran on and on, until he raised his hand and turned his head, stiffly, and looked at her.

“Starfire…it’s OK. I don’t mind. You did what you thought was right. That’s all that matters.” He said to her, smiling. She looked up from the bed and met his gaze.

“Really?” she asked hopefully. He smiled at her. She giggled back at him, relieved that he wasn’t upset. She continued to work in silence, enjoying his company. She finished bandaging his back, chest and arms, and placed a hand on his shoulder, running it down his back. He turned to her.

“Well, you probably have to go.” He said to her quietly.

“Yeah…” she said, not leaving the bed.

She placed her hand on top of Knives’ hand and he looked up at her. She smiled sweetly at him.

“Thank you for doing this for me.” She said to him. He didn’t reply, there was no need. She got up and walked to the door.

“Goodnight, Star.” He said to her. She smiled.

“Sleep well, Knives.” She said back. He watched her go and the door shut. Knives leaned back in the bed and was asleep before he even shut his eyes.

Hope you liked it.
more later

[rrarbecy]

Liked it? LIKED IT!? LIKED IT!!!!!!!!!!?????????? I LOVED THAT!!!!!!!!!
That was easily your best chapter. EASILY! WOO HOO!
Man that was awesome.
I hope you post again soon.

[Adrastea]

DUDE.
Why are you stuck wrting on a forum? Why haven't you quit doing whatever you are doing, and writing proffesionally? Still, you shouldn't leave us, you would be a great loss to us, your stories are absolutly wonderful. Thank you for sharing, cause writing can be hard to share with other people sometimes, so thanks again for letting us read what you have obviously invested a lot of time and effort into.

[raven54]

no... way...

Dude I didn't think it was possible for you to get any better but I was wrong. THIS IS THE BEST THING YOU HAVE WRITTEN. I have NO complaints, no suggestions. It's perfect. Well, besides the chapter size. but we already covered that;)... and I don't mind that much. Anyways, POST MORE AS SOON AS YOU CAN!!

[Rae]

despite the fact that this was so long and took me forever to read it was

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You wanted me to give you feed back on your fic so i will, especially since your one among three who are against the mob that wants my life or my story.

I hope you finish this one soon and move onto the other one as i think both are amazing and can't wait to find out what happens, even though i hate the idea of them ending

[Sproxie]

Liked it? LIKED IT!? LIKED IT!!!!!!!!!!?????????? I LOVED THAT!!!!!!!!!
That was easily your best chapter. EASILY! WOO HOO!
Man that was awesome.
I hope you post again soon.
AGAIN rrbecy took the words out of my mouth!!!
i should start counting....

WRITE MORE!

[Kregor8]

You wanted a new reader? You got one. I am now a devotee of this fic. Glad I can be of assistance. I'll post my whole thoughts once I read chapter nine.

[Matt A]

Seriously loving the story so far! Knives is such a cool character, and the way everything's been written you just can't help but cheer for him. One tinycriticism, though: is all the stuff about Knives' background and their destruction of the military facility actually related to the current stuff set on Tammaran? I'm sure that there's a point to it whether they are or not - it just feels a tad disjointed at the moment, that's all.

Other than that, this is a fantastic story. Get on and post!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

^^^^
Surprisingly, no. The chap is written and was sent to a colleague for editing. It will be back soon (I hope).

And as for the disjointed thing-these two parts could be considered two sides of the same coin. They are related somewhat, but not directly. The whole thing about the military installation was insight into Knives' past and who he is. It was concluded and done away with (But it may surface again if I see fit...;) ) . This current part follows those events and draws on them somewhat, but these two events are months apart. So ya, its kinda disjointed. Think of this fic as a chronicle of the events that transpired for the first few months after Knives joined the Titans. It's larger than one event.

There is more I have planned (if anyone wants me to post it), but that will probably be in a new fic. It still follows the events in this one chronologically, tho. I'm not sure if all that rambling conveyed the message, so I'll try again.

The two events are related in the fact that they happened one after the other, but they are not happening at the same time. They will affect each other in character development and plot elements only.

Come on people, I need like 10 more messages and then my next chap will be on a fresh page.:)

[raven54]

oooh i get it! i'd been wondering about that but forgot about it every time i was on... story of my life. ya go into a room (or a forum) and forget what you were doing... eh. ooooh, more Knives! YES!

[Kregor8]

I just realizied I've never really reviewed this story, which is dumb, considering I'm always recommending it to people. So here we go.

This story is one of the best. That's my personal opinion. I'm extremely proud that you (Reid) consider me to be at your level. Let me list some things I like.
1) The Starfire/Knives relationship. This is absolutely stunning. Everyone (myself included) automatically assumes that Robin/Starfire is a must for a fic to be good. Then you go and spoil it all for us. I've never really seen somebody do such a good job at building a relationship from the ground up. Even at this point, their relationship is still in the budding stages - the real life timing you manage to use adds such a depth.
2) Knives's power. This is pretty awesome. The guy is like a human tank, yet you still don't ever run into the "All-mighty syndrome." Excellent, excellent, excellent. The descriptions you give make the picture crisp like bacon and clear as glass.
3) The length of your chapters. Though some see this as a down, I like it because it shows you have a lot to say and aren't afraid of doing it in however many words it may take to make it good. This is the "real world timing" I was talking about before. Not only does it take a while for something to happen, it takes us a while to read it. That way, our minds don't get behind our eyes, causing the picture to dull. This is not loquacious writing. You want long windedness? Read a Henty novel.
4) The two part set-up to the story. You do a skillful job of shifting from one main conflict to the second in one story without losing your reader. This is very tough - often, the writer ends up with two seperate stories. I don't feel that you've done this. From the beginning to the end (or at least as far as I've read), it all flows in one line. It may take a turn or two, but it's the same stream.

Ok. That's about all the time I have to talk about how good this is. I can't wait to read chapter ten. No - change that. I've already read chapter ten. That's why I'm the luckiest guy on this forum. In fact, I helped Reid out with the sticky parts (again, I'm honored). And let me assure you all - you won't be wasting your time with this chapter. It delivers just as much punch as all the other good stuff we've been reading here. So wait patiently - you won't be disappointed.
Ps. If you don't happen to like this story as much as I do, that's ok. Don't get swept away by my enthusiasm. I do hope it's contagious though....

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Wow, it's been a while, huh? Sorry about the constant delays, but life has been, well, a ***** lately. I'm just so overloaded. In fact, I should be doing my Stanford app. now, so you oughta consider yourselves lucky.

Ok, this is chapter 10. I've kinda fallen out of the writing groove, but with so much vacation over the next month, I hope to get back into it and finish this. Kregor8 was absolutley pivotal in the writing of this chapter. He basically picked out all of the bad stuff and replaced it with real writing. He's the man. (And thanks for the nice review.)

There oughta be one more chapter but one always manages to turn into three. Anyways; here's the chap.

======================================================
Chapter 10-The Dawn of a New Day



Knives sat at a large metal table in the now-familiar preparations room, filled with various weapons and armor. There was a bright white light overhead, and he was holding a sharp dagger in one hand. He had been working throughout the night, performing the tedious task of fixing up his armor. His suit still had (thankfully) an undamaged TIG welder, so he was able to fix cuts and rips in the metal that surrounded him, but there were no advanced cutting tools on Tamaran. It seemed these people had forgone all but the simplest machines and had no need for complicated tools. Knives had to improvise and it wasn’t speeding things up any.

Knives was in the middle of trying to cut out a particularly offending bent-up section of armor that made it hard for him to move. He could replace the metal that he lost, but if it were damaged, he’d have to remove it in the first place. He held the dagger like a scalpel and gingerly tried to cut around the damaged metal.

“TWANG!” came a sharp ping as the dagger snapped in two. Knives swore and tossed it behind him to a growing pile of broken cutting tools, now numbering over 20. Whatever metal these Tamaranian weapons were made of, it was definitely softer than he was. Growling, he grabbed the forearm panel with his good hand and gritted his teeth, ripping and pulling outwards. The panel separated with much protest, and a clean fresh one slid out from underneath the surrounding area. Knives bowed his head, a single tear hitting the table. Every time he did that, it was like removing his thumbnail with a pair of pliers. In other words, it hurt A LOT. Knives composed himself and ran a quick systems check.



Mark VII Combat Solution online
……..
Systems scan execute
Motor functions… green
Weapons Sys… green
Passive Sys…
Data sensors… green
Cooling sys… green
Combat Neural Interface… engaged
Reactive Armor… error
Warning! Reactive Armor condition has reached critical
levels! Armor is within ability to repair itself. Proceed?



Knives took all the data that scrolled on his HUD in with practiced ease. He chose to let the armor fix itself. He had been too damaged for that option earlier and had been working most of the night to get to this point. His suit would run self-diagnostics and fix any of the major electrical problems that had arisen as of late on its own. Knives sighed and dropped the bent up panel he still held, letting it clatter to rest amongst the layer of weapons scattered across the table and left the room. His suit would take a while to fix itself and would run in the background, so he might as well just go and relax for a bit. Like last time, he had been given a day off before the next trial and this was it. Tomorrow it was do-or-die time, the last trial. Knives walked through the hallways looking about at the Tamaranian people. Although he couldn’t understand much of what they were saying, they seemed like ordinary people. They ate, slept, went to work and even took some time off for leisure (although what they did for fun was downright weird.) And yet they made such distinctions over who was and wasn’t a part of their society. It was always sad to see intelligent beings divide themselves amongst each other over petty differences. His point was punctuated by several odd stares from people he passed, looking suspiciously at the ‘outsider’.



Knives had been wandering the hallways for a while and finally came to the gym/sparring room that had been set up for him and the other Titans to pass the time. He walked in and sat down near one of the strange alien machines. It was obvious that the Tamaranians exercised differently than Earthers, he reflected while looking upon a horrifying-looking contraption. There was a large punching bag-type apparatus and Knives walked over, squaring off and throwing a few jabs at it. His systems were damaged, but he managed to get in a few good punches.

“Still working out, huh?” called out a familiar voice behind him. Knives threw one final punch and turned to face the speaker, standing up straight. Robin stood there leaning against the doorway watching Knives with a look of amusement. Knives walked over and sat down heavily on a bench. Robin entered the room and followed suit, the both of them just sitting there across from each other.

“How do you feel?” Robin asked him finally. Knives leaned his head back against the wall.

“Well, I fixed all my major system problems, and I have a diag…” Robin held up his hand to cut Knives off.

“No. How do you feel?” he asked again with a certain intonation that implied he wasn’t talking about efficiency levels or combat readiness. Knives let out a chuckle and leaned forwards with his elbows on his massive knees.

Look,” he said, holding out his large hand. Even in the metal gauntlet it trembled visibly when Knives tried to hold it out. He clenched his fist and brought his arm back in. “Truthfully,” he continued, “I’m terrified. I don’t think I’ll live to see Earth again…” he smiled distractedly, like it was almost funny.

Knives’s comments caught Robin completely off guard. It wasn’t just that Knives was trying to be lighthearted in the face of terrible odds. It was that he wasn’t just putting on a brave face for his friends. Knives was playing the highest stakes game of his life, and all the advantage he might still have came from the fact that he was cool and composed – no matter how much damage he might take; how close he might come to defeat. This trait was even more intimidating than the fact he did weigh three tons; that he did stand seven feet tall. Robin could only imagine the pressures that could break Knives down, yet Knives wasn’t afraid to say that they did.

“Don’t say that, it’s bad luck. Besides, you’ll be fine,” Robin said, trying to be convincing.

“You saw what happened yesterday. And that was only the second one. I…well, it doesn’t matter. I gotta try,” he said while looking at the ground. A hand grabbed his shoulder and he looked up to see Robin standing right in front of him.

“We’re with you. No matter what happens, we’re a team. And we’ll be there. I promise,” he said in a commanding tone of voice. It actually calmed Knives down somewhat, hearing that spoken out loud. He reached his hand out and grabbed Robin’s shoulder also, the two of them sharing an unspoken bond of friendship. Knives smiled.

“Thanks, that means a lot.” They dropped their arms and there was a rather awkward silence. Beast Boy broke in, mercifully breaking the pressing stillness.

“Hey dudes! Cyborg just set up his radio-receiver thingy, and he’s getting the Jump city news station. Come on!” yelled Beast Boy. Both the Titans eagerly ran out of the room following their small green friend, wanting to see what had been happening during their absence. They sprinted down the somewhat crowded hallways, Robin and Beast Boy having a much easier time. Knives was bolting left and right, narrowly missing people all over the place, his huge frame making it tough to maneuver in such tight quarters. 5 minutes later they arrived at Cyborg’s door and Knives was panting, out of breath. That was more training in the last 10 minutes than he had done in the past two weeks. Knives walked in the room exhausted and saw the others crouched around a tiny black and white screen with a fuzzy image and bad sound. There was a reporter on the screen reading from notes.

“Come on…” urged Cyborg as he fiddled with a small satellite dish sitting atop the miniscule screen.”

“Is this it?” asked Robin disappointed.

“Hey man, I’m trying to pick up signals traveling billions of miles, gimme a break,” he grumbled as the picture went further out of focus. Suddenly some garbled sound began playing over the speaker and Cyborg sat back, having done the best he could do. The Titans crowded around, trying to hear.

“…And in recent news: crime has more than doubled after the mysterious disappearance of the Teen Titans almost a week ago.” The screen cut to various shots of looting and violence as the reporter continued talking in the background. “Local gangs have begun to roam the streets, and the police force has been inadequate to keep the violence in check. The local mayor has declared a state of…ZZZZzzzZZzzz…zZZzzzZZ.” The small screen faded to static having reached the limit of its capabilities. Cyborg growled in frustration as he fiddled with the dish.

“Bring it back!” shouted Beast Boy. Raven looked at him.

“Don’t bother, we heard what we needed,” she said in a cool and collected manner. Cyborg sat back, giving up with the device.

“We have to go back. They need us!” he said with conviction.

“We can’t. What about Star?” Robin pointed out.

“Innocent people may get hurt.” Raven said with an edge to her voice. Beast Boy stood up.

“We can't just leave her!” He shouted.

The two factions gathered together and stared across the room at each other.

“Look man, I don’t like it any more than you, but the city needs us.” Cyborg said sadly. Robin glared back at him. The others all looked at Knives who had been standing passively to one side, not saying anything. There was a series of soft, muffled whirrs as his electrical leg actuators carried him closer to the group. Then he stood still and the room was quiet.

“I am not leaving without her,” he stated simply. The Titans on his side smiled victoriously while the other two scowled. “It will only be a few more days. Besides, we did give other people communicators, right?” He said while holding up his bright yellow communicator. “Why not call in some favors?” he posed the question.

“Hmm…I guess I could boost the signal…” Cyborg thought aloud. Knives smiled.

“Good! It won’t destroy the city to have someone else watch it, just for a little while,” he said in a surprisingly composed tone. . “It’s not like you would actually leave Star, anyway,” he said, his gaze resting on Raven. With that final comment, he turned on his heel and walked out.

“How can he stay so calm?” Raven wondered aloud. “You’d expect with all the pressures, he’d have to break sometime. But he doesn’t”

“I know,” Beast Boy agreed. “I figured he’d start yelling at us about how we have to stay, we can’t abandon her, and all that.” Robin and Cyborg, bent over the yellow radio, paid no heed to the exchange.

In the end, Speedy, Aqualad and Wildebeest were chosen, and they all agreed to help out. Within hours of the new superheroes’ arrival, most of the gangs had gone back into hiding, fearing that the Titans had returned. The 5 other Titans had all separated and Raven had elected to go for a walk. She needed time to clear her thoughts. Knives had introduced such a plethora of ideas she hadn’t considered before. Was Knives right? Would she have stayed for Starfire, even at the cost of the city? For nothing more than an emotional attachment, would she, Raven – the least emotional of the Titans – sacrifice the safety of an entire city? A year ago, there would have been no question. She’d have been back in Jump City without skipping a beat. Now, she wondered. She ambled slowly through the large hallways and came to a large second floor balcony overlooking the main dining room. Was she growing soft? Had having friends really changed her that much? Raven’s eyes scanned the area, she spotted Knives right off. He stood alone, leaning on the railing. He stared down at the scene below.

It was a little after the Tamaranian version of lunch and there was only a smattering of people left. They sat and ate, quietly chatting amongst themselves. While dinner was a battleground, lunch was a more sedate affair and the small groups ate with relatively little fighting. Raven stepped up and stood next to him.

“Hungry?” she asked in a slightly humorous tone. Knives turned his head and smiled slightly.

“No, I’m just watching them. Soon I’m gonna have to learn to act this way…” he said in a somewhat philosophical manner. She could tell that he was thinking hard. “I…don’t really want to become a Tamaranian,” he confided to her. She looked at him with interest.

“Then why go through with it?” she asked him, confused.

“Well, it’s the only way…” he trailed off, the answer obvious. He looked at her and saw her incredulous look. He waved his arms defensively. “No, no. It’s not like that. It’s not like I hate the Tamaranian way of life, I just…I just like to be an Earthling, you know? I’m American, and I was always proud of that fact. No matter what happened to me or what I did, I always could take pride in where I came from. It’s who I am, and how I view things. It’s my reference point on how to think, and act. I don’t want to loose that, you know? I don’t want to have to ‘start over’.” He looked over and smiled sheepishly. “I guess it sounds kinda dumb,” he said embarrassedly.

“Not at all.” Raven said in a soft and strangely compassionate tone. She reached out and touched Knives arm lightly and drew back, then put her hand on his forearm. Some black energy flowed from her hand into him and he straightened up, feeling like a load had been lifted from his shoulders. He looked at Raven in surprise. “Just because you become a Tamaranian, doesn’t mean you have to change. You will still be the same Knives, with the same attitude, the same personality and the same past. You will always be from Earth, and no one can take that from you,” she said reassuringly. Knives felt better about it. He wasn’t sure if it was what she had said, or what she had done, but he felt very refreshed.

“Thanks Raven. I never get to say this but…I…appreciate you, ya know, being such a good friend and all.” He stumbled through the sentence awkwardly. Raven started in surprise; then smiled at him. She didn’t reply for there was no need. Soundlessly she turned and walked away leaving Knives to his own thoughts.

With nothing else to do she returned to her room and sat down in midair. She held up her hand, creating a small black vortex. Reaching inside she withdrew an ancient book and closed the vortex again. It stored small items in an alternate dimension, and it was the only way she could have brought a book along because space was always at a premium for interstellar travel. Not like she had really been given a choice in the matter-considering their…abrupt departure. It was lucky she had forgotten about this book, or she would have been quite bored. She opened the book and attempted to force the emotions evoked by her most recent conversation from her mind.



It was late and the other Titans were gathered in Cyborg and Robin’s room, talking. Raven was actually reading, but she was semi-listening to the others. The door whooshed open and Knives walked slowly in, a slight slump to his shoulders. The others became quiet and looked at him as he walked around the couch and in front of them.

“Hey guys, I was just about to go to sleep, and I thought I’d say, you know, good night,” he said shakily. Good night indeed, Robin thought. This was a goodbye, and everyone could feel it. The Titans all stood, forming a sort of semi-circle around Knives. He turned to Beast Boy first.

“B.B., you take care of Raven for me…” Knives said sadly.

“Gotcha,” he said, the word sticking in his throat. Knives then turned to Cyborg.

“Thanks for being there, man,” he said to Cyborg in reference to all the late nights they had spent pouring over electronics and schematics. They shook hands and they both smiled sadly at each other, trying to pretend that this was just an ordinary parting. Knives then looked down at Robin and smiled slightly.

“You’re great leader. It’s been an honor,” Knives said to him.

“You’re all I could have hoped for in a team mate.” Robin said truthfully. He made a fist and Robin pounded him-top, bottom and middle. At last Knives turned to Raven.

“Raven...I can't say how much your friendship has meant to me. You always knew just what to say, and how to say it. Thank you,” he said succinctly, unable to express in words how he felt. Raven sensed his sense of utter despair and couldn’t take it. He offered his hand out to her and she lunged forward, grabbing him about the middle and hugging him fiercely. She wasn’t crying but her eyes were shut tightly and her mouth drawn into a thin line as she fought the sobs that built inside of her. She couldn’t, however, afford to cry and slowly managed to regain control. She let go and Knives stepped back a few paces.

“Well, good night guys. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said and with that turned and walked out of the room. All of the Titans sat there silently and there was an oppressive atmosphere of gloom over the room, broken by a quiet sniffle coming from Raven. Robin stood up angrily.

“Hey! What’s going on here!?” he said loudly. The other Titans looked at him in bewilderment. They had no idea what he was talking about. “We’re acting like he’s gonna die! This is Knives we’re talking about here. He’ll be fine.” Robin said to them.

“Yeah…there’s no way he’d give up that easily.” Cyborg said in dawning realization.

“He is rather stubborn.” Raven said, laughing and drying her eyes. Her spirits began to lift a little and the Titans laughed amongst themselves, realizing the ridiculousness of what had just transpired. Knives wouldn’t lose, not after coming this far. He was too persistent. He didn’t need any teary good-byes, he needed them to cheer him on and root for him. They laughed, attempting to put their gloomy mood behind them.



Knives walked to his room rather impassively. He had gone into a state of semi-emotional shock and had not really felt anything for a while. He had just wandered around senselessly for a while and finally decided it was late – he should go to sleep. He walked over to his door and saw a note for him. It said Nyla on the front, obviously coming from his attendant. He opened it and scanned down the page, his internal computers translating on the fly. The basic thrust of the message was that he was called to the Great Banquet hall, the time given in the odd Tamaranian moon-cycle clock. It was early, was all his computer told him. His challenge would be explained to him there. He put the note down and flopped on his bed, returning to his normal form, crossing his arms behind his head he looked at the ceiling. This would be tough, no doubt about it. As he thought about it, his thoughts drifted to why he was here.

It was to save Starfire. He was the only one who could. Although all of them eagerly offered to take his place, only he had the right to try, as he was the (fake) Gend’an of the “princess”. As much as he thought he might fail tomorrow, he really couldn’t afford to. There was more than his own safety riding on his success. Besides; he had gotten out of tough situations before. This was no different. He really had to win. Closing his eyes, he slowed his breathing and was beginning to drift off to sleep.

“I won’t loose tomorrow. I can't,” he thought just as he lost consciousness.



Knives had a fitful night’s sleep, not actually getting much rest. He was awake for most of it, tossing and turning. Not long after he had finally drifted off, the strange glowing cube on his table began to beep at him. That meant time to get up, and Knives got out of bed and stepped to his mirror. As he reached for his comb, he noticed something extremely odd. His fingers were rock steady-without a single tremor or tremble; the exact opposite of what he felt. That was…strange. Chuckling to himself, he went about getting ready for the trials. After washing he dried his face with a towel and tossed it over his shoulder, breathing in deeply. Knives closed his eyes and let it out methodically, concentrating on nothing else. His breathing fell into a rhythmic pattern and he cleared his mind of all images.

Knives put his arms out and metal panels began to cover them. He continued to concentrate, and the panels began to shift into a new pattern. One of the good things about Knives’ ability was that it was reactive. Because of the extreme damage he took stopping that sword with his arm, heavier, thicker and more powerful gauntlets began to form on his forearms in addition to his regular armor. He had a certain level of control over this, and was working to control their configuration as they appeared. Satisfied, he went to the task of engaging the rest of his armor.

The last panel slid into place and Knives opened his eyes. Done, he looked down at the display panel embedded in his arm. It had a read-out of his current status. Apparently his armor was fully functional with no major problems. It had finished repairing itself overnight. It was hovering around 87%, which was all he could hope for after the last week.

“Thank God for small miracles,” he said sarcastically to no one in particular. He walked to the door and it opened revealing an empty hallway. No big surprise - it was very early in the morning.

Knives walked down the empty hallways, his dull thudding footsteps echoing off the hard stone walls. Knives felt odd walking down this hallway. It felt, and sounded, like he was walking through a medieval castle back on earth, but it looked very different. The hallway was brightly lit and there was artwork hung on the walls. Most of it was focused on things celebrated in the Tamaranian culture, which he knew little about. Knives paused and looked at a particularly colorful painting. It was amazing how much detail you missed in an ordinary day. Then again, he was noticing even the most mundane aspects of his surroundings, much like a man headed for prison. Knives turned away and continued on through the abandoned corridor. He had to stop this negative thinking-everyone was counting on him. As he walked, he began to vision himself winning in a desperate effort to stave off despair.

Busy trying to think of what he would do if he won, Knives didn’t even notice he had traversed the length of the hallway. He looked up and saw the large, wide red stripe that ran down the center of the violet floor veer right around a corner, leaving only dark purple flooring ahead of it. Following it around the corner he saw two guards standing watch over a large, ornate wooden door. Knives walked slowly up to them and halted, waiting for them to let him in.

“Proceed,” one of them said simply. Knives unhurriedly walked up to the door and placed his hand upon it. It was intricately carved with many ornate designs across its surface. He sighed and pushed. The door swung open surprisingly easily for its size. He went inside and the door closed heavily behind him, sealing him inside.

There was a large, elaborate table in the middle of the room and everyone else was already here waiting for him. There was Galifore at the head wearing some odd ceremonial headband surrounded by the council of elders. They had the final say on whether or not he had completed the Tamaranian trials, much like officials in football. On his left the other Titans sat arranged in a row and on the right sat Gisrel and his followers along with Starfire. Knives looked about and saw his seat. It was directly across from Galifore and the other Titans were near him. Walking over he sat down in the large wooden chair.

“Welcome, all, to the banquet of the last trial,” Galifore said diplomatically. “The challenger,” he said while looking at Knives, “has proved to be more than capable of assuming the responsibilities of citizenship. He is strong and wise, able to overcoming great challenges by wit and might that would defeat any normal man. The last trial will be a test of courage and bravery, to see if he truly has the Warrior’s Spirit that is our people’s greatest strength. But first, we feast.” At that several servants came out with large platters of food and set them down. Tamaranian cuisine was odd, but far from disgusting. They added many spices, giving it a sensation of Indian or Middle Eastern food. The others all began to eat with intensity except for Knives and the other Titans. It was impolite to become too disorderly with the Emperor present, so the meal stayed a civil affair. Still the others wolfed down their food with great enthusiasm. Knives ate little, as his stomach was slightly upset from tension.



Galifore wiped his face with a large cloth and motioned for the servants to remove the dishes and food from the table. They did so and he looked across at Knives who stared straight back.

“Are you ready challenger?” he asked him.

“As ready as I’ll ever be…” Knives replied. Galifore smiled at him.

“Good. Begin the third challenge!” His voice boomed across the room. Knives extended his blades and slid his chair back from the table, looking left and right nervously. What was going on? He didn’t know what to do! As he sat there anxiously, a servant walked up next to him and placed a small metal chalice in front of him filled with a strange, pungent liquid. Knives eyed it warily.

“That, my friend, is the water of life. It is the final test of true spirit. Only those that are truly worthy will pass this last challenge,” he said while Knives placed one hand about the cup. He raised it to his lips.

“I must warn you: few survive the final trial. It is truly the hardest. If you wish to withdraw your challenge, no shame shall be brought upon you,” he said as the metal goblet hung in the air. Knives looked at him, hearing what he said. Defiantly he threw his head back and downed the liquid in one draught, then slammed the cup back down to the table, bowing his head. It burned! The other elders murmured amongst themselves but Galifore smiled slightly, as if expecting that to happen. It seemed that he had more knowledge then he let on.

“Oh yeah! There’s no way some sissy water was gonna stop him. We knew he could do it! Right Knives?” Beast Boy’s eyes had roamed around the table of elders, but they snapped back to his friend in an instant. “Knives?” Beast Boy’s voice had lost most of it’s defiant confidence. Knives had his eyes shut tightly and there was sweat on his forehead. His hand was grasping the chalice extremely tightly.

“What’s happening?” asked Beast Boy confusedly.

“So it begins…” said Galifore cryptically. Two attendants rushed over to Knives side and quickly shackled his legs to the chair and clamped his arms to the table. Knives did not make any movement, unaware anyone was around him. The other Titans started in protest unanimously.

“It is for his safety…and ours,” Galifore said, holding up a hand.

“Knives, are you all right?” Robin asked apprehensively. Still Knives remained silent. The cup in his hand groaned in protest. Suddenly it reached its limit and collapsed, Knives’s large fingers crushing the thick metal with ease. His breathing became ragged and raspy as he began loose control. A tremor wracked his frame.

“Stop this. Now!” Raven said, her glowing hand aimed rather directly at Galifore.

“It is too late, he must endure it himself. There is nothing we can do,” Galifore said sadly.

Gisrel regarded the suffering Titan with curiosity. This was the last challenge. If he did not perish here, Gisrel’s whole plan would be in jeopardy. However, he did not look like he was going to live. Gisrel smiled in satisfaction, sitting back and enjoying the demise of his only remaining obstacle.



Knives sat there, breathing heavily. He had not moved since he placed the cup down. His breathing grew in intensity and he gritted his teeth. Suddenly Knives threw back his head.

“AHHHHHH!!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, silencing everyone in the room. It sounded tortured, obviously stemming from deep intense pain. He lifted his arms and the shackles that bound them to the table sheared off, never standing any chance. He stood up and the back of his knees pushed the chair out from under him, breaking his leg irons with equal ease. Everyone in the room gasped at this, as he was now unbound and dangerous. Knives reached behind him and grabbed the chair, flinging it across the room. It slammed into the wall and smashed into thousands of splinters, practically vaporizing on impact. The others quickly got up and rushed over to the opposite side of the room, taking up positions behind several armed guards. Knives stumbled about in a blind rage, weaving to and fro.

“You must help him!” Starfire shouted in dismay. Galifore only shook his head.

“There is nothing we can do now. He must fight alone,” he said. Knives had stumbled his way to one of the giant stone pillars that held the high stone roof in place. Shouting, he drew back and slammed his fist through it, sending a shower of pebbles and dust through the air. A wrecking crane would barely have taken such a large chunk out of the pillar, and would never have crushed the rock to so fine a powder.

Knives fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. He stayed that way for a short while, breathing heavily. All of the others began to edge closer in curiosity. He struggled to one knee, seemingly exhausted. Starfire’s eyes shone with hope. Perhaps he might make it. His breathing had become less raspy, and he seemed to have more control over his movements. He staggered around the room, still not fully able to control himself. But something was happening. The room seemed charged with electricity. The hair on everyone’s neck began to stand on end as the charge built. Small red points of light began to wink into existence around Knives.

“What’s going on?” asked Robin, worried. This wasn’t right; it couldn’t be.

“Watch,” was Galifore’s laconic reply. The air around Knives was now a cloudy red, the diffuse glow slowly resolving into single points of light, then back again. Every cycle, the glow grew in intensity; the modulation became more rapid. It now seemed that there was a tangible shroud around Knives, the red glow had intensified from a slight tint in the more than usually thick air to a blaze that was rivaled in intensity only by the stars themselves. All this time, Knives had not moved from his stiff pose. His eyes were shut; his arms slightly raised from his sides, the elbows straight. If it weren’t for the intense scene surrounding him, you could almost assume he had fallen asleep standing up.

Intense was the only way to describe the action that now surrounded Knives. Tens thousands of lights, electrical in their fury now – crackling with each undulation. This mass began to swirl as though moved by a powerful current, making Knives the eye of an electrical hurricane. The red churning mass; the smell of ionized air; the sound of a thousand live currents. Suddenly, the thousands seemed to become one. The crimson torrent struck Knives in the chest, absorbing into him with a whoosh only otherwise heard when a vacuum was filled. Knives tottered for a moment, before the light burst from his body in full force. Sheer energy seemed to radiate from his armor, lightning crackling across his broad frame, blackening it with carbon. Knives stood tall, powerful, and imposing – the visible manifestation of an ancient epic Hero. The other Titans stared in awe, the Tamaranian elders bowed their heads. For an instant, Knives appeared all-powerful, and the next it was all over. Knives returned to his normal colors, no tangible traces other than the burning smell on the air and the chalky scars on Knives’s armor remaining of all that had just transpired.

Knives dropped to his knees, the impact shaking the floor; his frame seemed to crumple, as though utterly spent by whatever had just transpired. Two of the larger guards walked quickly over and grabbed Knives under the arms, struggling to lift his large body to its feet. They dragged him over to the crowd of onlookers. Knives head lolled limply. He rolled it back and opened his eyes slightly to see Galifore standing above him.

“Congratulations, Warrior,” he said. Knives smiled weakly: that was the first time he had called him that. “You are truly a Tamaranian,” Galifore said with a comforting smile. Knives slipped into unconsciousness and the world turned black.





Later…





“What?!” Knives said, sitting up in surprise. He looked around and didn’t believe what he saw.



There was white.



It was everywhere. There was nothing but unbroken white as far as he could see. Knives stood up and looked around. There was a deafening silence, no sounds. Something felt weird, like he could move easier. He looked down at himself and gasped in surprise. All of his armor was spotless; there wasn’t a single damaged panel anywhere on him.

“That’s impossible…” he thought to himself. He hadn’t gotten a chance to do any major repairs. There was no way he should look like this. He ran a full systems scan and came up with what he feared was true.



Systems at 100% operating efficiency.



“This can't be real,” he said to himself. He spun in a complete circle but saw nothing at all. All of his readouts showed inconclusive locations. He was truly lost. Shrugging his shoulders he set off in one direction, hoping to find something.

Knives had been walking for some time but still hadn’t found anything of interest. He had become bored of counting his steps after 11,264 and his thoughts began to wander. He thought of his friends, and wondered if they knew where he was. Hell, maybe they were all stuck in a place like this. His eyes caught movement off to the left. It was a person, and she looked familiar.

“Starfire!” Knives shouted. He began to run towards her, sprinting with all his might. But no matter how fast he ran, he never got any closer. “Star!” he shouted. She looked at the ground sadly, getting farther and farther away from him. Slowly she faded from his vision completely. Knives continued running and shouting for a short while before giving up. He fell forward and slammed his fist on the ground. Why couldn’t he reach her? He stood up and did a sensor sweep of the surrounding area to prove he was really alone. Confirming it, he set out again sadly. How did that happen? What was this place?

Knives had been walking for what felt like hours with nothing to show for it. He again began to worry that his friends couldn’t find him. And what of Starfire? Was she stuck here with him also? Hell, for that matter, where was here? Knives looked out into the distance, sweeping from left to right. He saw nothing, and looked back left to see a distant person. They hadn’t been there mere seconds ago! Knives again began to run towards them shouting. No matter what he did, he never gained any distance and soon the figure disappeared from sight.



“Where am I?” Knives wondered, truly lost for the first time in his life. He always had some idea of where he was, at least to a plain of existence. But now he really didn’t know.





Knives was sitting on the ground with his elbows on his legs. No matter how hard he tried he didn’t get anywhere, and he was tired. He sat there brooding over his situation. At this rate he would be dead within a week, as he had no water.

“I hope the others are doing better than I am,” he said softly to himself. Looking up, he saw the same figure as before on the horizon. The blinding white around them made it impossible to identify them. Sitting there, Knives realized that if he got up, they would disappear.

“Oh Starfire, I wish that were you,” he said to himself despairingly. “I wish you could tell me where I am,” he thought. He looked up, expecting to see the person gone, just like last time. But the figure was closer and definitely walking towards him. “What?…But why?” Knives said, realizing what had happened. The one time he makes no effort to advance upon the figure, he gains distance. Maybe it was Starfire, like the first time. As he thought this, he saw the figure seem to shift into a girl with purple clothing, just like he had hoped. Could whoever that was read his mind?

Suddenly it hit him. The reason he never got anywhere by walking, the reason the figure showed up each time he thought about his friends. This wasn’t a physical place! He couldn’t do anything by material means. So running wouldn’t do anything. This was a place of thought. Knives closed his eyes and imagined Starfire laughing gaily as she so often did. He opened his eyes and saw that the figure was indeed Starfire, and she was much closer to him.

Knives shut his eyes again, and thought. His mind was filled with images of his friend; her smiles, her laughs and all the times they had shared together. It was a jumble of images, sounds and scents. He saw the time he had taught her to play poker when it was raining out, or the time she stayed up all night with him to work on his car, and the time they had gone swimming right before the giant thunderstorm. She was so frightened. The images continued to flow, and Knives felt a hand upon his shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly, afraid to find nothing. Starfire stood before him smiling sadly, her eyes full of pity. He looked up at her.

“Where am I?” he asked her in desperation. She shook her head.

“Only you know that,” she said puzzlingly. “Oh Knives, I am so sorry. I never meant for this to happen to you,” she said to him. “Will you please do one thing for me? Just one,” she said to him.

“What is it?” he asked her. She looked down at him for he was still sitting.

“Just wake up…” she said, more sadly than he could remember ever hearing her. With that she faded into white and he was alone again.

“Wake up? How?” he said, not really understanding what she meant. He wasn’t tired, and he was fully conscious anyway. Knives stood up and looked around while trying to imagine Starfire showing up again. He tried for several minutes but nothing happened.

“For some reason that doesn’t surprise me,” he muttered to himself. Getting to his feet he closed his eyes. It was time to get out of here. Knives began to think of the last place he could remember: the Tamaranian dining hall. Maybe whatever it was that drew him here could send him back. Knives heard a rushing in his ears and felt like he was being propelled at great speed. When the sensation died he opened his eyes and looked around in mild shock.

He was in a large hallway with no floor or ceiling. Each wall was covered with different images that moved, and looked like small television sets. Knives looked about in confusion. There were countless pictures that stretched into the distance as far as he could see, and most seemed to contain him or his friends. Knives could control where he went by simply leaning one way or another and he slowly glided down the hallway. It was totally soundless and he floated through the eerie stillness. Many of the screens showed events that had already happened. Knives paused in front of one screen and watched with amusement, remembering it from last week. Beast Boy had burst into the room raving about some new video game he had just bought, and it scared Raven so bad she spilled tea all over her lap. Beast Boy cracked up and Raven frowned, pointing her finger at him. A thin black beam shot out and grazed his belt. While he stood there still laughing his belt fell in two pieces and there was nothing to keep his pants up. They didn’t stay long.

Knives laughed out loud remembering just how angry she had been. He froze, however, when he realized that the room was still silent, even when he laughed. It wasn’t that there was nothing to make sound in here; sound couldn’t exist here. Knives continued, disturbed by this new fact and moved on to more screens. One in particular caught his eye. It showed the Titans all grown up, sitting in the living room of Titans tower, about 5 years older. They were saying something but he couldn’t hear. It just repeated over and over, interesting but not terribly revealing. Another showed an adult Knives leaning over 3 tombstones, weeping. It was grey and wintertime and the trees were bare. Knives leaned forwards trying to see more, and suddenly fell through the picture.



When he stood up, he was in the scene he had just been observing. He could feel the chilly wind and hear the dead leaves rustle. It felt like he was really in a graveyard in the wintertime. He walked slowly up to his adult self, not sure what to do. The other Knives was facing away and didn’t notice him anyway. Knives walked up and leaned around the side of the crying man, attempting to see what the commotion was about. What he saw chilled his blood.

Robin, Raven and Starfire’s names were engraved on the stones. An adult Cyborg walked over, not even seeing Knives, and placed a hand on this Knives’s shoulder. They walked away in silence.

“No…” Knives said while stepping away. He closed his eyes and spun, wanting to get out. When he opened them again he was back in the hall. That didn’t make sense. How could they be dead? That screen just over there disproved it! Robin and Knives both sat on wooden chairs on a front porch, each looking like they were 80. They sat and talked, occasionally laughing. But how could Robin live to be 80 if he had just died?! Knives pondered this as he studied the new screen.

After viewing a few more conflicting scenes, Knives realized that this wasn’t the future, or the past or present for that matter. It was impossible for all these conflicting eventualities to occur in the same universe. And many of these scenes seemed to show events that had already happened, but some were a little different. There was one small change in a few images. These must have been what could have been. These were all possible outcomes, the remains of unmade choices. A temporal junkyard of “what ifs”. He watched a few more and saw one that immediately drew him in. It had just happened a short time ago, when he was sitting on the ground and Starfire had appeared. Her words echoed in his head, sounding distant.

“Just wake up…” A chorus of other voices began to run through his head. Cyborg spoke up.

“Come on man.” It said, urging him on to do…something. But what? Other voices began to talk to him, yell at him, plead with him, all wanting him to do something. What was he supposed to do!? He heard people from his past talking to him, people he hadn’t seen for 10 years, and some that he had seen die already. It was a confusing jumble of indecipherable words that shouted in his brain. He put his hands over his ears to block the sound but it didn’t help.

“Please stop!” he thought desperately.

All the voices silenced, except for one.

“Just wake up…” Knives grabbed his head in anger and blackness spread about him, blocking the white light from above and below. Slowly, everything faded into darkness and he began to feel more detached and tired. He felt a weird sensation, like he had just passed through some great distance to get to this place.

Knives could no longer move and was dimly aware of pain. He still heard voices though.

“Yeah, he did take quite a hit though. I don’t know how he survived,” said a low, monotonous voice.

“He’s too tough to go out like that. He’d stay alive just out of spite,” said a large, tough sounding person.

“It was stupid and reckless. But I would have done the same thing. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked. He did well,” said an angry-sounding youth. Knives’s head moved ever so slightly and the speaker paused. “Look, he’s waking up!”

Knives stirred slightly and opened his eyes. There was a bright light above him and he saw the others standing above him looking down. “Am I dead?” he asked dazed.

“Far from it. But you had us going for a while there,” Robin said while leaning over him. Knives was in a bed and the other Titans were gathered around him.

“Why can't I move?” he asked tiredly.

“You’re lucky you can breathe. That stuff was pretty powerful, it’s amazing you lived.” Cyborg said to him. “Don’t worry, you did it. You won,” he said to calm Knives down. Knives smiled, obviously proud of his achievement.

“You really kicked butt today,” said Beast Boy.

“Get some rest, you still need to defeat Gisrel.” Raven told him. He muttered an incoherent answer and fell asleep again.



The other Titans left the room just as two attractive Tamaranian girls went in with herbs and drinks to restore Knives’s energy and health.

“Aw man! Why does he always get the hot girls?” Beast Boy complained as they walked away.

“Maybe because he actually fights in battles?” Raven said condescendingly. Robin shook his head and laughed as the left the corridor.

========================================================

I might have missed some things as I didn't have a whole buncha time tonight but this is good enough to post. Please tell me what you think about this chapter compared to the others. I thought there was a quality drop but I may be wrong. Anyway, give me your opinions etc...



Now if you'll excuse me, I have parties to crash and babes to hit on (first day of thanksgiving break, yeah!)

[Matt A]

Quality drop? I think not, matey-boy!

That chapter was every bit as well written as the last ones, if not more. The last challenge was brilliantly unexpected, and Knives reacted to it in precisely the way that you would expect him to. In fact, throughout the whole story he has remained a logically consistent character - having a clearly fictional person feel so much like they could be real one is always a difficult trick to pull off, but here it has been managed with ease. The stuff taking place in Knives' head (that was where he was, wasn't it?) was also impeccable, as you were only told about something at the point where Knives figured it out - such a degree of involvement in the plot is something that a surprisingly large number of writers seem to miss.

There is one small query though: exactly what did that weird liquid stuff do to Knives? I'm sure that it was actually explained, and I just can't spot it, but I would be most grateful if you could enlighten me!

Sad to see that the story's ending, though. Will Knives be featuring in any other stories?

[starburn1116]

the goodness!

it blinds!
that was sooo wonderful
after seeing that chapter i am sorry i have not been reviewing and i am also sorry about the "cat fight" if you must call it that

i have apologized
can i have another chapter please

[rrarbecy]

That chapter was complete. It had me going from jumping out of my chair to laughing to crying, and back to laughing again. I just loved it. You are a genius.

Quick question. In that vision with Robin, Raven, and Starfire dead (that's one of the things that made me cry), where is Beast Boy? He wasn't dead, or with Knives and Cyborg.

[oneeyemonkeypie]

OK:
The liquid stuff was somewhat mysterious, and you'll see it's actual effects next chap.
Yeah, he was in his head.

and for the vision thing-that was a complete different universe. Beast Boy was involved elsewhere. imagine it yourself

[Sproxie]

That. Was. Great. there is like no ther way to describe it. i was prctically drooling in my seat! (which is pretty disgusting). No critisizing (sp?) needed. (ever) AWESOME CHAPTER!

[Adrastea]

Very, very cool. So, the whole part in his head, was it drawn from things within his head or was it water of life induced? anyway, this is so cool, and it will be a great loss when you have finished it.

[Kregor8]

I must say, this all turned out excellently. See, wasn't I right?

And let me assure you all - you won't be wasting your time with this chapter. It delivers just as much punch as all the other good stuff we've been reading here. So wait patiently - you won't be disappointed.

All that waiting, and we get rewarded with the gold. It can't get much better. Ok, let me say a few things I like. Having worked on this, there are a few things I can't say.
1) I like the whole part where everybody is depressed and thinks Knives is going to die. The emotions are believable, especially when Robin suddenly snaps out of it and tries to cheer up the team.
2) I love the whole sub-conscious scene. Excellent, excellent job on that.
3) Ok, ok. I really love the whole 3rd trial. Especially the ending of it, with the whole swirly redness. The picture you placed in my mind is simply amazing. I just remembered what it makes me think of. The part in Dune, where whateverhernameis has to drink the water, and change it from poison. That's what it makes me think of, even though it's kind of different.

Again, I'm really honored to have been a part of this chapter. Reid did all the writing and plotting - I just fixed some of the words. In the end, it all turned out great.

[Crowgirl]

WOWZERS!!! That was AWESOME!!! You so totally rock!!! So does your story!!!

Please finish this soon!!!

[rrarbecy]

OK:
The liquid stuff was somewhat mysterious, and you'll see it's actual effects next chap.
Yeah, he was in his head.

and for the vision thing-that was a complete different universe. Beast Boy was involved elsewhere. imagine it yourself
That was a cheep-o way to get out of answering that. I forgive you though.;)

[oneeyemonkeypie]

I can't spoon-feed you people all the answers :sweat:

@Kregor-dune was actually the inspiration for that. Dune rocks! It was paul atraides (sp), aka Muawdeeb.

[Kregor8]

dune was actually the inspiration for that. Dune rocks!Ha. You and I are the only ones (that I have noticed) who have Dune references or direct influences in our stories. Anyway, not to spam.
Can you give us an idea on how far you've gotten on the next chapter?

[oneeyemonkeypie]

honestly-nothing. Not yet. I have the whole thing layed out in my head, I just gotta try to put it out on paper. Seeing as its the last chapter, I'll probably obsess over it and make it perfect so that will take a while. But the good thing is that all my college applications are due in the next week. So regardless of what happens, I won't have to worry about them anymore soon.

Speaking of, I'm gonna go do that.

[ShadowOfAGhost]

Holy crap this is good.:eek: I can't realy describe it any way better than that except revered silence which is kind of hard to put into writing.

[ShadowOfAGhost]

I do not recomend reading a story as good as this all at once, especialy your (My) first time through. You (I) get so immersed in it that by the time you (I) get to the end you (I) are devistated to realize that there is still another chapter to go. Other than that, the story is excelent. The only negative thing was how fast and how easily you killed of the first main bady at the start of the fic. he was made out to be much worse than Slade, but a bullet and a lunge later, he was dead. though it almost cost Knives his life, it was still good overall.:) :) :)

[oneeyemonkeypie]

...who said he's dead?

[ShadowOfAGhost]

Sorry, typo, I meant to say that he was near dead.

BTW, how is the next chapter going?

[oneeyemonkeypie]

No, i'm pretty sure you thought he was dead. It's ok, he was supposed to be; with the knives sticking out of his back and all. It was quick because there was no reason for me to keep him alive. But you never saw his body, and he was never buried, so you can't automatically assume he won't be prominent in later works (if there are any)

No progress to date. I now have to write a letter to the school dean explaining how I accidently cheated by copying a results table out of a friends lab-book. I didn't really cheat, there were very extenuating circumstances, and I have to ask him not to put an ethics violation on my permanent record, pretty please.

That, and math/science. Oh, and an Irish project. And that government test. And community service on Sun. And three college apps this weekend.
So yeah, my life sucks right now. No writing for a while. It's ok, there are tons of other fics that get posted on every day. Just check back every few days, I'll post when I'm nearing completion.

[ShadowOfAGhost]

Just remember, say your sorry, act sincere:crying: , tell him whatever you want as long as you DO NOT LIE, and do not be afraid to try and strike a deal if you can. if you can convince him to give you a few detentions in leiu of a mark on your permanant record. regarding your work, good luck with it.:)

[Matt A]

That all sounds pretty bummer-ish. But still, as long as you look sorry enough then you should be okay. Good luck with that and everything else.

Wait...did you say community service?!

[oneeyemonkeypie]

for school, not juvinile hall. It's a catholic school.

[ShadowOfAGhost]

hmm... what school do you go to? I might have heard of it. I attend Mount Saint Joseph.

[Kregor8]

I have heard from Reid! He says that right now, he is trying to "improve my life in general (you know, be more sociable, clean myself up, get out more often etc) and it has left virtually no time for me to get online."
But, he promises he will be back after a while. So do not give up hope.

7<regor

[rrarbecy]

I have heard from Reid! He says that right now, he is trying to "improve my life in general (you know, be more sociable, clean myself up, get out more often etc) and it has left virtually no time for me to get online."
But, he promises he will be back after a while. So do not give up hope.

7<regor
That's nice to know. HEY, wait a minute. Why did he contact YOU?:mad:

[Crowgirl]

I'm guessing they had been contacting each other beofre with PMs or something of the sort. Other than that, good to hear from you you've heard from him.

[ShadowOfAGhost]

Good to know he's still around! pass on our best regards!

[Matt A]

Likewise!

[Adrastea]

Oh good, i was starting to get worried about him. Glad to know that he's ok. yeah, please tell him we all miss him and best of luck

[raven54]

I was starting to get a bit worried, too. Send him our regards!

[Kregor8]

That's nice to know. HEY, wait a minute. Why did he contact YOU?images/smilies/mad.gif We worked together on the last chapter, so I knew how to reach him. I was actually in the process of illegally hunting him down (sort of) when he replied...funny how things work.

7<regor

[Crowgirl]

Ah, I see.

But you wouldn't want to hunt him down if he had all the ideas in his head, now would you? :p

[oneeyemonkeypie]

Jeez, I have been absent for a long time. I wonder how things have changed while i've been gone. Anyone remember me?

[Matt A]

I do, and I imagine Rae does. Though apart from that, it's kinda been all-change round these parts.:sad:

On the other hand, you've now got plenty (-ish) of newbies to wow with your genius. So it's not all bad.;)

But on a more serious note...it must be said, I hadn't been expecting you to crop up here again. Not after eighteen months, or however long it's been. Which is why it's good to see you back.:anime:

-Matt A-

[The Guitar Slayer]

Welcome back. Glad to hear you'll be working on your fic again. I cleaned out all the spam that was on here, including the catfight on page two, just so you know. Do you want to change the title of this fic? You mentioned that once or twice throughout the course of the thread, and I'd like a rating on it too; there has been a bit of a rules shake-up here, but hopefully it won't grate too much. Feel free to PM me. :)

[TeenTitansGO!]

I NEVER thought I'd see you here again. Good night...it's been a while. You probably don't even know who I am, because I remember when you were here and I had just recently joined. Wow. Yeah, if we could get all those people like you back this forum would be set!

TTG~Matt H.