Disclaimer/AN: I own nothing of Teen Titans or Batman Beyond all characters, locations, etc. belong to the proper copyright holders. Characters and locations that are my own will be included in this fanfic and I hold the rights to these said characters as well authority in the use of them. Also, this is going to be set in two different times (well three if you count the prologue) the first being the time of the Teen Titans animated series and the second, Batman Beyond but they all feature my own characters who lives through both timelines. However, this won't focus on one or the other. The story in its two separate arcs will deal with both respectively and time will tell what people think of it.

Prologue

Thirty Years Ago

The car headed towards the heart of New York City's wreaking industrial district. It was the dark and into the frozen heart of winter now with Christmas only a few weeks away, there were lights strewn about city's streets however, this was in the warm and inhabited part of the city only. In the industrial district, mankind's only company was the stink of iron and steel wafting from the smokestacks of the steel mills which served as the beating heart and symbol of industry in the city.

The black four-door Lincoln Town Car went silently past the mills and came to a brick-faced building. The lights glowed brightly from behind white curtains on the inside. The car stopped and parked alongside the street behind a series of six different cars. Four men got out of the car with one of them being a middle aged man of about forty was wearing a fabulous black silk suit with white pinstripes. Underneath this suit was a baby blue button up shirt with dark purple tie. He walked up along with the rest of the men towards the building's entrance and entered.

The establishment had just finished closing. Choice cuts of meat, fish, and various other forms of seafood lay behind the large glass cases. As the stench of stale blood and sweat filled the air, a fat man of about thirty came out from the back and said, "Ah, Tommy, so glad you could make it." and went towards the older man and proceeded to embrace him lightly and kiss him twice, once on each cheek.

The man in the pinstripe suit, who was called Tommy looked at the fatter man with a look of disdain and not wishing to deal any more with the man who stunk of booze and as far as Tommy's discriminating nostrils could tell moldy cheese, he said, "Rico, where's your grandfather and the rest of the people I've come to see?"

"Oh, they're all up in the house. Come with me, they've got all the pasta and fine wine that you like, everything." Rico replied and turned leading the men back to the upper apartments above the meat shop.

As they headed up the old wooden steps, the odor changed for the better. The sweet and savory scents and aromatic tastes of various spices and herbs came to Tommy who relished the scents and as Rico brought him and his men to a door, the sounds of laughter, music, and the clink of wine glasses made themselves known. Rico opened the door and allowed Tommy inside. Inside were five other men the oldest of them sitting at the head of the rectangular cherry wood table. Pasta steamed in a pot as well as a homemade tomato and meat sauce which sat in a copper sauce pan. Tommy took off his suit jacket and sat down at the place made for him at the table and Rico stood guard at the door.

"Tommy," the old man said, "It's so damn good to see you, you slick son of a bitch. My boys and I haven't seen you since your meeting with the head of the Outfit a couple of years ago. What's been going on?"

"Well, Artie," Tommy said after Rico poured him a glass of Montrachet, "I went all around the world, learning the tricks of the trade in terms of hotel and casino etiquette. And to that point, I'd like to talk about the Sapphire Swan before we lose ourselves in the entertainment tonight and the food makes us lazy, clouding our judgment."

"Whoa, whoa, Tommy," Artie replied, "Who's home are you at? Mine. I call the shot here and I say, we have a good meal, talk about business over dinner and then, if we're not too groggy, play poker till sunrise."

The four other men nodded in agreement and Tommy reluctantly withdrew what he said. The food was passed around and as if the scents of everything on the table weren't tantalizing enough, the taste was unforgettable. As they ate, the subject of the Sapphire Swan was brought to Tommy's attention, much to his delight.

"Well, gentlemen," Artie said, "Construction of our brainchild is nearly complete and if everything is accurate, leastways everything we've heard, this project of ours should bring enough cash to keep all the members of The Commission happy for a very long time."

"Yeah but here's the thing, Artie," Lucas Morelli said, "This Sapphire Swan…it's just been you and Tommy working on the damn thing. How are Finn, Sammy, Christopher, and I going to see any form of recognition or pay from this?"

"Firstly," Tommy said, "The Sapphire Swan wasn't meant for your pocketbooks. It's to keep The Commission off of our backs and let us do as we see fit. This is done by the suitcases we send to them. And don't worry about your recognition, as we've designed it, we'll all get our share of the limelight. Just please, be patient."

"Just think boys," Artie said, "The largest casino and resort that Gotham will ever see in its lifetime and while we cheat the players out of their money, the poor suckers they are, they're just gonna' keep coming back for more."

The men all laughed at this and as they drank and ate, Tommy's mind began thinking and thinking. The wine it looked to his friends seemed to cloud his judgment but the smooth velvet like liquid made his brain sharper in its processing since it made him more relaxed but never so that he dropped his guard. In the end, only he and Artie were the only ones still awake for the rest had passed out from drink and over consumption of food.

"Well, Artie," Tommy said, "What are we going to do with the rest of these idiots once the casino gets successfully underway?"

"Patience, dear boy." Artie replied, "You've scarcely wiped the blood from your teeth and yet you hunger for more. Wait until the time is right. Let them enjoy their limelight after the grand opening of the casino to the public. After they've had their fun, I know of someone who can dispatch them for us. He's the best so they say and he will aid us for the right fee which will be easy to pay, seeing as the casino will make more money than any other operation out in say Nevada."

"Yeah…But remember, the boys out in Vegas have a whole desert to fill with the dead." Tommy said after stretching slightly, "We gotta' be careful."

"Tommy, Tommy," Artie replied "They have deserts, we have steel mills, meat packing plants, trash bins. We can slice them and dice them in a thousand ways but remember, we aren't leaving a message. We're just getting rid of those who think they're entitled to the wealth that you and I have made."

Tommy nodded and headed out, "Well, Artie, I'll see you tomorrow." Artie smiled as old men often do and after embracing Tommy, let the man out. As Tommy headed to his car with his detail of four men, he inhaled and then exhaled the frigid air of the new morning. He got in the car and as they started the engine, he was proud. It was the first time that any of his suggestions had been taken seriously and he knew that with Artie spearheading the whole deal, he would have a secure place at the top.

As they pulled out of their parking spot, on a roof top roughly a block away, a man in black aimed with laser like precision at Tommy's chest. The car approached slowly closer to his position for the roads were excruciatingly slick with ice. Then the moment came, the shot rang out and as it echoed over the silence of the streets, Artie sipped his wine thinking to himself, "The Architect has fallen and now, my rise can truly begin." The squealing of the tires could be heard darting off into the distance growing fainter with each second and then the night was still again, stiller than death.