Story Introduction: I know this might be a bit unorthodox in terms of categories, but given the site doesn't have a broad "DCAU" slot I can choose characters from it's a bit hard to entice readers to what this narrative will be about. In essence, this will take place in the greater DCAU after JLU's episode prior to "Epilogue" transpired. Any relation to characters from the comics will be adapted with my own spin on them while other characters that have existed previously in mediums like BTAS and STAS will be referenced and kept in character as much as possible.
If anyone has anymore questions on how this Universe works, please PM and I'll answer any questions as necessary. Until then, please enjoy reading the story!
Chapter 1 - Assemble the Team
Something is wrong.
She knew this for certain. Ever since her departure from the Joker's side, placing his mind in a cage of madness from her own design did she get this suspicious feeling that the world was starting to unravel. It was subtle, like the tug of a thread loose from a carpet; its pull so gentle that none would notice unless you were acute to the discreet sound and vibration through space. It was only one of the many...'gifts'...she inherited after an extraordinary amount of battering tests Project Cadmus put her through.
Since leaving the Clown Prince of Gotham, she had no real goal other than finding out what her own path was. The identity she had was simply Ace but that name was part of a deranged game the Joker had. She thought her own bouts of madness could be empathized with him, but in the end he too feared and wanted to control her. No one felt the paranoia and the agony of being potential for unleashing a massive way of hysteria like she did that one day.
But when she quieted her mind and opened it through the past few years, she felt that eerie voice that seemed to be trying to entangle itself into creation. When she slept, she dreamed of a carnival of lights and phantom hands holding hers whom she imagined was her family. But now, she saw nothing but silhouettes with no eyes and an empty hole where their mouths would be. The carnival was the pyres of humanity's bodies, heaped up on top of each other like dried leaves and left to burn in an endless plain of ash.
"The world is going to die."
This was the conclusion she reached as the severity of her nightmares grew more blatant in its warnings. The conscious sensation of a creeping cold and the whispers in her unconscious thoughts. She couldn't beat this, no matter how much stronger she felt since that day she became free from others' control.
She didn't trust anybody, so asking for aid from just anyone wasn't going to help her. Who would believe her? There wasn't a single human being, let alone extraterrestrial, she could depend on with something this vague but also this crucial. The end of all life of Earth was at risk if not even greater than her understanding.
But the time she spent thinking, her thoughts turned to the Dark Knight. Unlike the others who were petrified, he had somehow maintained his sanity among the distortions she projected into his mind. Throughout it all, he was assured she was not the enemy and that the Joker had hidden something; helping her reveal he had intended to shackle her the moment she was a threat.
If there was one person she could fathom, it was him. Through contact she had read his mind and saw fragments of his life, not entirely cohesive but gave her a rough idea where to start looking. While it only now dawned on her through the passive reading of the many minds of individuals she came across without them noticing her, she knew where the first individual who could help her.
One that was tied personally to the Batman himself.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! HELP ME!" A scream rang out into the night by a blonde woman wearing a Dutch Cap, covered in a brown trenchcoat and lowered to the ground in a defensive posture. A burly man with a gun aimed at her was reaching out towards her with a grin on his face. It looked like it was over, till a slender blur of red and black swung from the air via grapnel to perform a whipping double kick to the side of his head.
With the criminal sent hurling to the wall of the alleyway, he slumped unconscious while landing with his back to her, ensuring there were no more attackers.
"Don't worry, maam, you're safe now," Robin, the third generation of Batman's sidekicks also known as Tim Drake, stated professionally in as deep a voice a small teenager could manage.
A sudden chill went up his spine when a bimbo pitch came from the heft of something heavy being lifted from behind. "Not for long, bird boy!"
Turning around he saw too late an enormous mallet racing to hit him in the side. It's massive face was too large to avoid and he reacted too late to realize this was a set-up. He attempted to raise his hands in a feigned attempt to defend himself before a walloping pain followed by unconsciousness...
...that never came.
"Hey?! What's the big idea?!" The disguised Harley Quinn sneered, trying to heave her cartoonishly large weapon from the air it had suddenly frozen upon. No matter how hard she budged, it remained still in the air. The sight even mesmerized Robin with awe and shock, realizing something had intervened. "Ngh! It won't! Budge! Mista'! Jay!"
"Can't you do anything right, Harl?!" Joker revealed himself from the dim setting of the doorway he had concealed himself within. He had begun withdrawing one of his trademark 'Bang' pistols to knock the Boy Wonder out, till it had been wrenched from his grip and smashing against the side of his henchwoman's head. With her knocked out, he gaped and looked around, angrily balling his fists at his side at this interference in his master plan. "Alright, wise guy! Show yourself, or I'm going to do-"
"Do what?" A voice suddenly echoed the alleyway, making both Robin and the Joker look up at the air above them. There they saw a girl near Tim's age, hair of jet black flowing animatedly around her head with her onyx eyes glowing a haunting gold that glared menacingly. With her slender young frame adorned with the black and white sleeved body suit with pale boots, with a "Ace" marker of black on the white right side of her covered bosom and a hair pin of black on the left side of her hair, little had changed other than time for the terror that nearly drove the country mad with his schemes.
Ultimately, this made the Joker squeak with impotent fear at her appearance. Nearly wetting himself, he stumbled back into the darkness and scampered away on his hands and feet away. Not caring whether Harley survived the encounter, his priorities enabled him to escape a second dose of madness he wishes not to repeat; not even he was that crazy.
"Whoa," Robin shook his head, finally shaken out of the trance of what had transpired before his very eyes. She landed on the ground, making him look at her warily as she blankly looked at him. A subtle tickling could be felt in his head, as if something was off by the way she stared at him. After this continued without her saying anything, he sheepishly chuckled and waved at her. "Hey, uh, thanks for the assist but...do I know you?"
"No, you don't," She answered thus.
"Oh," He replied, blinking behind his domino mask. Tilting his head, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned bodily forward. "Ah, mind telling me who you are?"
"I don't know who I am, exactly," Again, she answered in a blunt manner. Seeing him squint and look more confused made her sigh. Closing her eyes she faced him more directly and looked at him morosely. "I'm a test subject from a government black site called Project Cadmus. They gave me a serial that I rather not be called by, and the man who just ran away called me, Ace, after the playing card. I'm more fond of it even though I don't like the man who called me that."
"Cadmus? Isn't that the group Batman dealt with the Justice League?" Robin pondered inwardly as he mulled over the information.
"Yes, the one you call Batman is a member of the Justice League that fought alongside my fellow test subjects," She replied, startling Tim to reflexively step back with his mouth slack jawed. "They aren't my friends, though."
"Hold on, time out!" The young progeny of the Dark Knight signaled with his hands, waving his hands with a bit of exasperation towards her. "Did you just read my mind?"
"Yes," She answered candidly.
"Mind not doing that? It's kind of invasive and a bit creepy," He visibly grimaced as he urged her.
"Okay," She replied stonily.
Robin flinched, leaning back with an upraised brow. Raising a finger, he asked with consideration, "How do I know you won't just enter my mind whenever you feel like it? No offense to my savior and all, but I just met you."
She stared blankly back at him as she continued speaking, "Robin, I know this may be difficult to believe, but I need your help fighting an unknown threat to the Earth. Very soon, the world will be left a graveyard with the humans and aliens alike left to burn in mass pyres with the soil turned into a desolate ashen wasteland."
Robin felt himself pale seconds after realizing she wasn't joking. Her very appearance was so out of the blue along with her rescue from an ambush from the Joker and Harley couldn't be coincidence. The eerie way she spoke and her bluntness meant she wasn't out to trick him, so this menace had to be real.
Still, the more rational part of him made him aware how out of his depth. An inkling was raised, one that made him start to speak which made Ace shake her head to discourage it.
"We can't alert the Justice League, nor your mentor, Batman," She intoned seriously, ignoring his look of annoyance at his thoughts being glanced at so casually. "I've spent my whole life controlled or feared by adults. I'm done with them. Even if they are career heroes, I won't chance us losing the opportunity of averting this terrible future by being scrutinized by people who aren't aware of this danger like I am."
"Yeah, well, what can just the two of us do? I'm good, but I'm no Dark Knight," He admitted with a scratch of his chin. The brief sight of her wry grin brought him to focus, making him sigh and rub the bridge of his nose. "Let me guess, I'm just the first person you thought of?"
"Your competence as Batman's partner, along with your wit and quick thinking, will be invaluable for inspiring our team," Ace explained with a wave of her hand. "While I'll be your guide and adviser, you shall be its leader."
"What makes you think I'm qualified? Not that I'm complaining at the choice, I'm just wondering how a stranger like me is-wait!" He stretched his hands out, his head bowed and his shoulders sagged. "I know, you read my mind like a book, didn't you?"
"Most of it, yes," She answered with a shrug. "It's better I know who you are and what you're capable of in person, rather than by someone's own accounts of you. It's more honest that way."
"Still rather you don't do that," Tim growled out with annoyance.
She didn't bother replying, beginning her walk out of the alley and away from the unconscious Harley. "Come on. It's time we go meet the rest of the team. I picked out an extensive group all from Batman's experiences so they should be a little recognizable to you."
"Greaaaaat," Robin exaggerated out with a roll of his eyes. "Note to self, gonna make sure to keep my thoughts very discreet."
"I can hear you, you know?"
"Give me a break, will ya?!"
"I'll think about it," She answered quietly, as the pair journeyed into the night of Gotham City.
In retrospect, Robin admitted that he was being a bit naive in trusting this random girl. This was from a case of Batman's earlier Justice League missions, where he alternated in dealing with Gotham and the other big name heroes. With such a grander goal of helping the world rather than just one city, it was understandable if he missed out being informed from time to time unless it was brought up by the news or was evident by the wear and tear the Dark Knight wore on his sleeve.
But, given the way she helped him without batting an eye and seemed to know a great deal about him -for better or worse- it didn't seem like she was the untrustworthy type. Just, weird; something he was more or less used to from his line of work.
While the journey across Gotham was a bit silent, despite the sounds of the night filled with activity or silence, depending on the district they were in. Drawing close to a chemical plant, they stopped for a few seconds and she deviated her path on the sidewalk towards it.
"This way," She urged quietly, giving Robin goosebumps from the creepiness in how she spoke.
On their way past a broken security fence, the Boy Wonder noted distinctively large and inhuman tracks leading towards a hole made in the old concrete laden infrastructure. Upon entering, with the psychic girl still taking point, they both heard sounds of meddling and grating metal. Passing through a larger open space filled with conveyor belts lined up next to large vats of processing chemicals of various forms, they'd see a large brown shape wrapping its arms around a barrel and observing some stirring stew. Tossing it aside, it looked at another, repeating the action as he searched desperately for something.
"Careful, that's-"
"Clayface, one of your archenemies from previous experience," Ace readily answered, showing her knowledge was adept of the current situation.
"So, what? You want to team up with big, ugly and nasty?" Robin inquired with a hint of disbelief, masked by a bit of a jocular tone.
She didn't answer, simply lifting herself up in the air under her own power and levitating towards him. Despite the sidekick's aghast view of her approaching one of the Detective's rogues' gallery so casually, he took cover and attempted to flank him while drawing a batarang for handy use. With his back against a forklift, he slid up and looked over his shoulder through the seat to see what the mystery girl was going to do.
"Matthew Hagen," Ace declared in a more authoritative tone, keeping a blank expression as the mud clad shapeshifter turned to look at her curiously. "You have someone I need. I'd rather you give up willingly so I don't need to hurt you. Will you comply?"
"Who the Hell are you to ask anything of me? You stupid?" The shapeshifter turned, his imposing height towering above her. Grinning, he formed a sword connected to the brown mass of his elbow that was longer than she was tall. "Get lost, or I might consider dicing you up. I'm not in the mood to-"
"I'll take that as a no," Ace intoned, her eyes becoming a pupiless gold as her psychic grip reached into his consciousness. Immediately he began to jerk and scream with pain, his body contorting and jerking in odd directions as she scoured the abyss that was his head.
"Hey! What's the matter with you?!" Robin shouted with perplexity from behind the fork lift, feeling alarmed at the sounds of pain she was putting him through. With his hands cupped around his mouth, he insisted with a near angry glare sent her way. "Let him go!"
"I'm not done yet," She spoke back, her right hand raised as she lifted up the indistinguishable pile of Clayface. "It's buried, deep within. You may not remember it but it's just like everybody else. Just because it's forgotten doesn't mean it never existed. And for that, I'll take what you don't need," Clenching her hand into a fist, a sudden eruption from the pile swirled up into the air and created a perfect sphere. "And use it for a greater purpose!"
Hagen's cries petered off as a host of his grotesque body was siphoned up into the air above him. Once fully manifested, his body returned to a humanoid shape minus a large hole in his chest. Reconstituting to be a foot smaller and filling the void that was left behind, it appeared that from his lack of expression and the gaping mouth it looked like he was brain dead.
"Ace!" Tim cried out, stomping over to her. He had no love for this particular criminal of Gotham, having dealt with a sensitive matter to him long ago. But what he saw was cold, calculated torture in his eyes. He reached for her shoulder, just as her blank stare looked over to glance at him nonchalantly. "You mind telling me why you just-"
"Catch."
"Catch wha-?" He began to say, until he saw the orb of mud suddenly plummeted towards him. During the fall he saw a rapid transformation, something human and familiar. A pit in his stomach gnawed in his heart as adrenaline pumped through his veins and his eyes widened behind the mask. He knew it couldn't be, but as his body leaped up to catch the figure, it was all too true. Dropping back down to the ground in a crouch, he trembled and his eyes watered up as his throat clenched. Robin could barely speak as the familiar young face winced and grimaced before his eyes, the warmth of her proximity felt in his arms.
"A-Annie?" He finally choked out, his words bringing her to consciousness.
"Robin?" She questioned out, her eyes fluttering wide and breath hitched. "How-?"
"Annie, it is you!" He exclaimed, letting out a laugh as he spun around and hugged her tightly, the tears stinging his eyes but he didn't dare wipe them for fear of this miracle disappearing. "You're alive!"
She was so confused. It was like she was asleep for a long time and just woke up. The last she remembered was desperately pleading for Robin to run away, hoping her sacrifice would save him. Seeing him here, excited and alive, made tears run down her face as she buried her face into his neck and began sobbing with a trembling quiver of her lips.
Amidst Robin's elation, he remembered that in her mind -and his not long before- she had died years ago. If what she remembered was her last moments spent in terror, it was understandable she was overwhelmed. Holding her close, he just smiled and waited for her to recover.
"Y-You came back for me. I don't know how, but you saved me," She exclaimed, sniffling as she pulled back from his neck and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you so much!"
"Don't thank me," He shook his head, nodding over at the emotionless visage of Ace looking back at the two patiently. "Thank her. She's the one who pulled you out of Clayface."
Turning to see the virtually silenced man she once confused for 'father', she cast her gaze in Ace's direction. With her smile softening to a look of concern, she opened her mouth and asked, "Is he-?"
"He's not dead, nor is he permanently comatose," Ace explained, turning to look over her shoulder at the pile of sludge that resembled a person. "I put him in a, looping nightmare, as it were. I conjured something from my own mind and made it into a box he can't escape from; about the next three days."
"He'll come after me-"
"I assure you, he won't," The psychic intoned, a slight smile worked its way up her usually stoic face. "If Gotham's Police hadn't been notified by the break-in to this factory, I'll make an anonymous tip about his intrusion and reckless vandalizing of private property. Trust me, he's going back to prison where he belongs."
"I-I see," She shook slightly, breathing out a sigh of relief. Let down from Robin's tender embrace, she ran unexpectedly over to her and gave the floating girl a big hug. Caught off guard, she just looked at Robin with confusion and then back at her. She only heard an audible whisper that was echoed in her mind, taking her breath away. "Thank you."
Dropping to the ground, Annie backed up and Robin joined hands with her as the two looked on with mutual newfound trust in the mystery girl. When Ace explained the situation to her in a smaller summary did she realize that she was needed for help. Had it been anyone else, they would possibly feel indignant for only being saved for a selfish reason. But due to the plight of this alleged threat and the amazing miracle performed, both looked at each other with smiles and turned back to the psychic with commitment to the psychic.
"We've got your back," Robin stated with a smile, Annie nodding with affirmation. "Just tell us who else you were planning on recruiting."
With a look of relief in Ace's eyes, she professionally turned to walk towards the exit of the factory with the pair in tow. When they left the confines of the work space, she began to float upward as she spoke to them, "We're going on a little trip. I hope you don't mind heights because it'll be easier if I carry you both."
"Aren't we a bit too heavy for yo-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU?!" Robin asked too late as he and Annie clung to each other as they were both lifted up by Ace's telekinesis. Like feeling an intangible force pulling them up, they dangled and kicked but felt almost no weight as they were propelled into the sky behind Ace.
After they had climbed a significant altitude, Robin and Annie were given a spectacle of breathless splendor. The dazzling lights of Gotham City in the night, with twisting Gothic towers and arches with a plethora of statues or gargoyles mingled among the taller structures of old and new design. With hands held tight, they both exchanged open smiles as they soared like Peter Pan across heavens away north up the coast.
Where were they going? Who else was going to help them stop this ominous threat Ace senses? Knowing Ace's endless penchant of suspense, he knew they'd find soon as they soared across the eastern seaboard towards their next destination.
A/N: And that is the pilot for my new story, the Mighty Teen Titans. I have big plans for this team and will, in part, be part of a greater narrative that will evolve over time that I work on it. However, knowing that this will not be based on the comics but on the past DCAU, will make things a bit interesting.
Being set in the Bruce Timm co-created Universe of the Justice Leage Unlimited, Batman and Superman animated series', I'll be taking a few creative liberties to alter and deviate character origins and likeness so that they can fit this narrative. Given it was vague events like particular episodes like "Growing Pains" when Annie was absorbed into Clayface, the episode Ace debuted in the Second Season "Wild Cards," and Ace's untimely demise in the flashback of the Epilogue for JLU, I'll no doubt be precariously meshing character and story histories so they seem more seamless.
Given how much I like the idea of the untapped potential of Ace being her own self-trained psychic being the herald of a prophetic nightmare coming for Earth was akin to how Raven gathered the Teen Titans in the original comic to thwart Trigon. The only difference is that, as powerful as Ace is, she's very blunt and ignores most obstacles in preference to steamrolling through them. Hence why she had no problem choosing the artificial daughter of Clayface by ripping it out of him instead of using a more available member.
I hope the interactions between Robin, Ace and Annie were solid as I tried to make some genuine humor and heartfelt moments to offset the grim introduction of this series. Please let me know in the Review section below what you think, what you hope for this story and other things of that nature. If you have particular questions, feel free to add them in or send me a PM. Until then, I'll see you all in the next eventual (or soon to be released) update for this story!