AN: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM X-MEN EVOLUTION, BATMAN, NIGHTWING, TEEN TITANS OR JUSTICE LEAGUE.
Secrets of Betrayal
Chapter 1- Of letters and minding ones manors
All was fairly quiet in Jump City. It was early in the morning in the dawn silence was only broken by the noise of distant car engines and the joyous song of birds. The morning sun was beginning to stretch her golden fingers past the curtains and drapes of the various houses and apartments to fill the dwellings with light. The grass and pavements were damp with the early morning moisture and the top of the Titans' tower was just visible over the gradually receding morning mists. Small waves lapped indolently on the island and a few sea birds were gently beginning to gather more twigs to construct their nests.
For once, all is also quiet in the Titans' Tower. Four of the five Teen Titans are sleeping quietly, or, in Beast Boy's case, not so quietly. The fifth Titan is staring at a computer screen, his dark hair illuminated by the pale glow of the screen, his pale skin indicating many hours spent at this particular occupation.
The young leader of the teenage superheroes has taken the opportunity provided by the early hour to change out of his costume and to remove his otherwise permanent mask. Instead of his usual red, green and yellow costume, Robin is dressed in black bondage pants and a black t-shirt with glowing scarlet eyes on the front. A studded metal collar around his neck and matching bands around his wrists completes the ensemble. Various silver studs and hoops protrude from Tim Drake's ears and there is also a ring above his left eyebrow as well as rings and studs in his nose, a stud shaped like a serpent through his tongue and a large metal spike protruding from beneath his bottom lip.
The teen looks completely concentrated on the blur of strange symbols on the screen in front of him, but he is on complete alert for any sounds coming from any part of the tower. That noise might indicate either the approach of one of his fellow vigilantes or of any incongruous noise in another quarter, that might be an attack or the encroachment of a stranger on Titans' territory.
The typing suddenly stops as Tim Drake hears a noise coming from the door of the tower. Instantly and smoothly his face makes the transformation from the rebellious teenage Goth he really is into the cheerful but devoted countenance of the child superhero. In an instant he has risen to his feet, programming a virus into the computer if anyone but him should attempt to access it, and is gliding silently towards the door.
By the time he reaches the door, the noise has faded completely, but he still moves stealthily. When he glances down before reaching his hand out to twist the door handle, he swears softly. A small pile of mail rests innocently on the floor in front of the door. Batman would have his head if he knew that the arrival of the early morning post had been surprising him. Letting the Robin façade fall away like strands of gossamer in the wind, he bent down and picked up the mail. He then stalks back into the lounge and collapses into an armchair in a shadowy corner of the room.
He tears up all the junk mail and then divides the rest into piles for the other Titans. Only three items remain for him. The first is a postcard from his father and Dana from Italy. After a cursory study of this he returns to the rest of his mail. Opening the thinner envelope first, he recognises the handwriting of his friend and predecessor as Robin, Dick Grayson. He curses himself as he knows he should have recognised the sender from the Bludhaven postmark, then he reads the letter briefly, smirking slightly at the continuous mentions of their joint mentor, Bruce Wayne/Batman. The fact that these two are in love is common knowledge to everyone but those two.
Placing the letter on the side for later study, he picks up the last, thick envelope. As he recognises the Bayville postmark he swears softly and tears the envelope open in one swift motion. He then extracts the thick letter and unfolds it rapidly. Although he flicks through the pages quickly, it is obvious from his increasingly worried expression that he is reading every word of the letter. When he reaches the end of the letter he reads it through again twice more before folding it up and swearing loudly and extensively. He rises from the chair and dashes through the tower, all stealth forgotten, racing towards his room.
When he reaches his room, he tears open the door and hurries inside, forgetting to shut the door in his hast. He empties his closet of only the essentials and stuffs them into a black bag. He then swings the bag over his shoulder and dashes off a note for the other Titans, which he props up on his workstation, held up by two batarangs. He then takes his cell from the drawer where he had hid it to keep some of the numbers confidential. Stowing this in the pocket of the trench coat he had pulled on, he walked out of the door, and straight into Cyborg.
"Fuck." Tim intoned solemnly. All the other Titans are standing in the corridor, none of them looking particularly happy to see him. He tries to think what he has done to achieve the malice in their stares, apart from wake Beast Boy before eleven am, that is. Then Cyborg spoke,
"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Robin?"
"Fuck." Time swears again. He suddenly realised what the problem was. In his hast to leave the tower, he had forgotten that he was still wearing his real face and not the one that his friends recognised as Robin. Sighing, he placed his bag down on the floor and holds out his hands in the universal gesture of peace. Seeing that this failed to placate his friends, he decided that he would have to reveal his real identity to them.
"Um… guys, it's me. Robin. This is just what I really look like. My real name's Tim Drake and this is just what I look like without my costume and disguises. I'm really truly sorry I had to lie to you, but I really have to make a phone call or two and then I have to leave. There's been a… family emergency and I have to go away for a bit."
Seeing that they were still not entirely convinced that he was telling the truth he shifted back into his Robin form. Certain that they believed him now, Robin shouldered his bag and was heading towards the exit when he found his way blocked by the massive form of Cyborg. Shifting reluctantly into a fighting stance he spoke again.
"Cy', I really don't want to have to fight you, but I really have to make these calls and then I have to leave."
The half-computerised Titan nodded,
"We know, but we're a team, and that means doing things as a team and trusting each other."
Robin winced; they still hadn't forgiven him completely for the whole fiasco with Slade and his pretending to be the villain, Red X. Glancing around at the others, it was obvious that not even Starfire was going to let him get out of this one easily. Nodding, he led the way into the lounge and, pocketing his letters, sat back down in the armchair he had been occupying earlier. He then lifted his cell and dialled the number of Dick's station. The other Titans watched as Robin sat there and waited for the phone to be picked up. They listened very closely to the following conversation, determined to find out as much as they could about this new mystery surrounding their leader.
"Hey, Amy. It's Tim here, Grayson's annoying little brother. Can you pass me over to Dick."
"Thanks."
"Hi, Dick. We have a little problem."
"NO. Bruce is not in gaol again. Fuck, you're paranoid, and in denial."
"C'mon, it's obvious."
"Nevermind."
"Yes, it's important."
"Listen to me for once."
"I had a letter from my cousin."
"Yes, from Bobby, how many cousins do you think I have?"
"I know about Ronny, geez, haven't you heard of rhetorical questions in 'Haven? Don't answer that either."
"Okay, no more jokes."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Shut up and let me explain."
"The 'hood have got a really powerful new member."
"It gets worse, the new member is a former X-man."
"Told you it was bad."
"You call Bruce, I know how much you like doing it. I'll meet you at the manor by lunch."
"I said she was really powerful."
"Get some of that leave you never take. Bye."
The Titans stared at their leader as he placed the cell down on the table. He then pressed a button on his utility belt, shouldered his bag once again and made to leave the room. This attempted abortive action shook the others out of their shock-induced stupor and the four rose to block Robin's exit. Robin sighed and shook his head.
"There is no way you're coming with me."
Cyborg smirked and replied evenly.
"We are coming with you, whether you want us to or not. Don't try to argue and you can explain more later."
Robin groaned and cradled his head in his hands before sighing and nodding reluctantly.
"Okay, you can come, but you have to trust me and do exactly as I say."
The other four exchanged glances, still unsure about whether to trust Robin after the events with Slade, but they nodded and followed their still groaning leader out of the lounge and then the tower.
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When they left the tower, the five Titans saw a sleek black jet waiting patiently by the door. While the other four stopped and stared, Robin calmly approached the jet and produced an entrance in the shining black surface. He walked up the entrance ramp and, when he had reached the top of the ramp, turned back to his fellow Titans.
"Are you going to come with me or are you just going to stand there impressing me with your flawless goldfish impressions?"
The sarcastic comment woke the other four from their stupor and they quickly followed Robin up the ramp and into the jet. When they were all inside the sleek black body of the jet, the four followed Robin into the cockpit. Here they once again stood agape at the technology to be found there. Robin was the only one to be unaffected by the array of state-of-the-art equipment. He approached the captain's seat and slouched down into it. He spoke then.
"Computer, identify."
There was a brief moments and then a computerised voice responded.
"Enter access code for voice identification."
Robin grimaced slightly.
"Code Robin 23579812."
Another few moments and flashing lights.
"Code accepted. Robin identified. Please state your required destination."
Robin spoke again.
"Autopilot. Destination, Bat Cave."
The computer assimilated this and replied.
"Course programmed. ETA 1057 hours."
Robin stood from the chair then and walked over to what the Titans recognised as a state of the art vidphone. He dialled a number into the panel beneath the screen and waited. After a few moments the face of a dignified old man filled the screen.
"Wayne manor, Alfred Pennyworthy speaking. How may I be of assistance?"
Robin smiled at the face as he replied.
"Hey, Al'. I'm on the way home and I'm bringing guests. Has Dick called?"
Alfred smiled as he recognised the caller.
"Hello, Master Timothy. It is very good to hear from you at last. Master Dick called about ten minutes ago. I believe he and Master Bruce are still talking. It sounded as if he was calling from his cell phone and that he was on his bike." There seemed to be a definite air of disapproval in Alfred's voice as he spoke. Robin smiled as he replied.
"Dick wouldn't change if you paid him. He and Bruce are completely hopeless and oblivious though."
Alfred nodded as he replied.
"Completely oblivious. Sometimes I find myself to lock them in a cupboard together and not let them out until they have finally realised what just about everyone else knows. Should I inform Master Bruce of the identity of our guests before you arrive?"
Tim shook his head,
"That won't be necessary Al'. Just, make sure he doesn't hang me by my cape from the highest stalactite in the cave again."
"That will depend on who your guests are Master Timothy."
Tim laughed and agreed then pressed the switch to end the conversation. He then turned back to his friends.
"I'll show you where you guys can relax, it might be a little cramped, this baby wasn't built for five."
Still slightly stupefied by all that they had seen that morning, the four followed Robin back out of the cockpit and into a small room. Despite its size, the room was fairly cosy. There were some fairly comfortable looking benches, a table with a couple of chairs, a kitchenette, a large television and a workstation.
Robin gestured for the Titans to sit on the benches as he rooted around in the cupboards for things to eat. He finally resurfaced with some potato chips, soda and some herbal tea for Raven. He placed these on the table and then sunk into the padded chair in front of the computer. He was about to start the work he had been doing earlier that morning when Raven's voice stopped him.
"Stop. Explain."
Robin winced and turned in his chair so that he was facing his friends. He then began to speak.
"The situation is very serious and therefore I called Nightwing and Batman. We will arrive at the batcave at 1057 hours. The man I spoke to just now was Alfred, he's our Butler and he practically raised Bruce."
Seeing this explanation did very little to help his friends, Tim made a decision then. He would trust these four with his life and for them to work properly on this mission they would have to work together. He would have to give away Bruce's secret and hope that the Dark Knight would not kill him.
"You guys all know that I'm Batman's apprentice right? Well Nightwing is Dick Grayson, you heard me call him earlier. He used to be Robin but he moved out and went to Bludhaven to become a cop and is now a vigilante there. Bruce Wayne is Batman, he raised Dick and has been training me. He has a rather bad temper at times, especially when it concerns our secret identities."
The other four Titans stared at him. Although Raven and Starfire had not been on Earth as long as the others, even they had heard of the billionaire Bruce Wayne and Batman. The news that the two were one and the same came as a great surprise to all of them and they stood gaping at Tim for a long moment. It was then that Starfire noticed the look of worry on Tim's face.
"Are you alright, Robin?" She asked. Robin shook his head as if trying to remove cobwebs from his mind before he replied.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit worried about what Bruce'll do to me when he finds out that I've told you about our whole secret identity thing. Nightwing'll probably be pretty pissed as well and you don't wanna see what happens when those two get pissed at the same time, particularly when it's not at each other."
The other four considered this for a moment before Starfire answered.
"You can trust us Robin, we will not betray the trust you have placed in us."
Tim smiled gratefully and then let his Robin façade drop as he returned to the computer and began to start his constant search for Slade's real identity. The other four were slightly perturbed by the speed with which that Robin changed identities and faces. It was not that they were disturbed by the action itself, more that it was Robin who was doing it. The leader of the Titans had never previously shown any superhuman abilities and seeing him displaying them this casually was rather disturbing for them.
Cyborg opened his mouth to ask if they could explore the jet, but Robin seemed to predict this question and waved his hand in acquiescence, never taking his eyes off of the screen as he worked. Cyborg and Beast Boy immediately headed over to the huge television, which, on further inspection, proved to also consist of several different games consoles and home theatre equipment. Starfire followed to watch them as they proceeded to play some inane racing game, making ridiculous and unhelpful comments all the time.
Raven sat in silence for a long while. She had been least surprised out of all the Titans to see their leader's true face. There had always seemed to be many different layers to Robin and he gave off the impression that he only let you see the layers he wanted you to see. There had also been allusion to hidden talents and a very secret history and complicated family life. She had however been surprised by the revelation of his secret life, of all the Titan's Robin had seemed the only one who could ever have any similar habits or hobbies to her, but seeing the truth revealed had still been somewhat of a shock.
She found herself pleased with the new developments, as she had always felt closer to Robin than the other Titans, who always seemed to find it very easy to behave like four-year-olds. Robin's advanced maturity had appealed to her while she was living with two childish and immature boys and an alien girl who was naïve and inexperienced with the corruption and depravity of the real world.
After the events with Terra, she had felt that she had had Robin's complete trust and therefore had been hurt greatly by his betrayal about Slade. Although she had understood the need for secrecy she had still been hurt that Robin had not even confided in her. She had seen the hurt in Robin's eyes after this event and she knew that he had regretted what the results of his actions had been but still knew that they had been necessary.
After a time, Raven noticed a set of bookshelves in one corner of the small room. This intrigued her for she had never seen Robin reading whilst they were in Titan Tower. She wandered over to the shelves, interested in what kind of books Robin owned and read.
She was very impressed by what she saw. Many of the books had obviously been well read time and time again but they were all in pristine condition, as if Robin made certain not to damage the books.
The range of titles she found there was also impressive. There was a large quantity of novels by Steven King and Anne Rice, as well as an excellent collection of books on alien cultures, some of which Raven recognised as her favourite books. There was also a large range of science fiction and fantasy novels, including the entire works of David Gemmel and Anne McCaffrey. There were novels and non-fiction books in many different languages, not all of them human, and a small selection of Japanese graphic novels. Turning to the computer station where Robin was sitting, typing earnestly, she asked,
"May I read some of these books?"
Robin nodded absently as he continued to type and Raven took this as permission. She turned back to the shelves and collected a range of novels before returning to the padded bench and curling her feet up under her as she began to read, hoping that this would make what would otherwise be a very long and tedious journey.
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The four other Titans had become very quickly relaxed in the small room, in fact, there seemed to be very little difference between the activities they were engaged in and what might be taking place in the tower were they still there. Raven was still sitting on the bench reading and the other three were slouched indolently in front of the large TV screen. They had rooted through Robin's collection of horror movies and Japanese marshal arts films until they had found a suitably brainless comedy at the very bottom of the pile. Beast Boy had then raided the kitchenette for every unhealthy snack known to mankind and a few that probably were better left unknown.
The four were therefore quite surprised when the craft began to lose altitude. They had almost forgotten in their state of relaxation that they were currently in an airborne craft. A quick glance around the room proved that Robin had at some point exited the room without any of them noticing his exit. They were somewhat panicked by this as they had received slightly more surprises that day than they were comfortable with. They were still trying to guess where Robin might be when he re-entered the room. He had changed into an unfamiliar, sleek, black and red costume and was wearing an intimidating black mask over his eyes. His manner seemed even more professional and perfunctory than usual. When he spoke he may as well have been giving orders.
"We are just about to enter the bat cave. I have sent a message warning of our impending arrival. You should at least attempt to look a bit more professional than you do at present or nothing I say will stop Batman from removing you from the cave forcibly. While we are in uniform we are only to address each other by our code names and there is to be no messing around under any conditions. If you must speak to Batman make only sensible suggestions or ideas and ask no pointless questions. If Batman asks you to do something, you don't ask questions, you don't complain and you don't waste time, you just do what he tells you. When out of uniform use only our real names, call me Tim and always address Batman as 'sir' out of uniform or Batman when he is in uniform. Is all of that understood?"
The others were too shocked by Robin's strange attitude to do anything but nod their heads dumbly. They could only follow Robin back into the cockpit and watch as he orchestrated their arrival into the batcave.
When the sleek jet had set down in the awesome surroundings of the batcave, Robin wiped his sweaty palms on a damp piece of cloth he pulled out of a compartment in the cockpit. He then used the cloth to mop the sweat from his forehead and splashed water on his face. Once he had composed himself, he turned back to the Titans and said,
"Wait here, I'll go and talk to the boss and try and persuade him not to 'remove' you on sight. Wait until I say you can come out before you leave here and don't try and eavesdrop or do anything stupid. Hopefully, things won't get too messy and I'll probably only have to spend five or so hours in the sims to make up for this. Hopefully."
With that, Robin stalked out of the cockpit and out of the jet. The four remaining Titans stood and watched as their leader approached the tall, cowled figure standing in the shadows. The dark and intimidating person that could only be the infamous Batman dwarfed the young superhero. The two spoke quietly so the four in the jet could not hear what was being said, but it was obvious exactly who was on the receiving end of a major chewing out. This chewing out went on for some time until another figure came out of the shadows and joined in the conversation. This new presence seemed to calm down the conversation somewhat and Batman looked slightly less angry when he arrived. Robin seemed to be much reassured by this new arrival, whom the Titans could only assume was the mysterious Nightwing. After some time the Titans were hailed by a voice that they recognised as their leader's.
"Guys, you can come out now. We are going to have to stay here tonight before leaving early tomorrow morning for the institute. I'll show you where you can stay tonight."
The four exchanged glances at the mention of an 'institute' but left the jet and followed their friend and leader as he led them up a stone flight of stairs and out of the batcave. When they had left the cave, Robin visibly relaxed and transformed back into his usual form, though noticeably lacking in the multiple piercings that he had been sporting before. The tense muscles in his back and shoulders sagged slightly and he ran sweaty hands down his black pants.
Robin turned back to them then and spoke.
"Sorry about that, I was just a bit tense about talking to Bruce about everything. I am so glad that Dick was here otherwise I wouldn't have got away with only five hours of sim practice tonight."
The other four gaped at him for a moment before Beast Boy spoke.
"Dude, five hours. How did you survive when you were living here?"
Tim smiled and shook his head as he answered.
"Five hours isn't that bad. You should've seen the amount of time I had to spend in there at the beginning and if you believe half of what Dick says Bruce's got a whole lot nicer. And I didn't really live here. I do have rooms and stuff but I'm supposed to be living with my father and step-mother and attending some dried-up boarding school somewhere."
The other four stared at him again and Tim suddenly felt annoyed.
"It's not that big a deal. Now, I'll show you where you can sleep and then we can go to my room and I'll tell you what's going on."
Seeing their leader's annoyance, the other four decided it would be wiser to do as he suggested and not piss him off any more than he already was. Following this mental directive, the four tried not to stare much as they followed Tim through the many corridors and stairways in Wayne manor. At some times they had to give in and gape, but a glance at Tim's face proved he found this more amusing than annoying and they therefore continued to do it instead of trying to muffle it.
When they seemed to have been walking for hours, Tim stopped abruptly at the beginning of a long corridor. He turned back to them and spoke.
"Raven yours is first on the right. Star', you're next to her and the guys are opposite, you can choose either room, You should probably get changed quickly so help yourself to the showers and closets. My room's the last in the corridor, come down once you're changed. I'll see if Al' can bring us up some lunch later."
And with this, Tim turned on his heel and stalked down the corridor, his trench coat flaring out behind him like the cape he usually wore. The others were broken out of their manor-induced stupor by the slamming of the door to Tim's room and immediately opened the doors of their own rooms to explore.
Raven was the last one to enter her room, waiting 'til all the others had entered their rooms before she opened the door. She gasped. She wondered how Tim had known. The room seemed to be nearly perfect. The room was large with high ceilings and dark walls. There was very little furniture in the room. Merely a large bed and some large closets, as well as low tables covered with a range of interesting odds and ends. One wall was partially covered in books, which proved on closer inspection to be of the same variety as the ones aboard the jet. The wall opposite the door by which Raven had entered was filled by three huge floor-to-roof windows, which gave an attractive view over a dark clump of trees in the grounds.
On further inspection Raven found that the door next to the large bed led into a peaceful bathroom. Remembering Tim's request, Raven indulged in a hot shower before wrapping herself in a soft, and black, towel, before returning to the bedroom to have a look and see what could be found in the closets. When she re-entered the room, Raven gave a gasp of surprise and delight as her feet sunk into the soft carpet.
Trying not the luxurious feel of the soft carpet make her lose control over her emotions, Raven crossed the room to the large closets and opened the doors, hoping that there was no pink in them as she would be forced to destroy the entire lot for fear of contamination. Fortunately, the closets were free of any items that were pink, fluffy or offensive in any other way.
After some time of consideration, not that Raven had any interest in clothes whatsoever, she chose an outfit that was completely satisfactory to her. She pulled on a pair of pants similar to the ones that Robin had been wearing earlier and topped them off with a long sleeved top. The top was black and had two layers. The first layer had a pattern of a brick wall in the background and bore the slogan, 'When aiming for perfection, one finds it is a moving target'. The second layer was a thin and mesh-like webbing that hugged the first layer like skin.
When Raven was dressed, she exited the room and padded softly down the corridor towards Robin's room. She noticed that her bare feet made no noise on the polished wood floorboards as she walked. She stood waiting in front of the last door on the corridor before she knocked imperiously. Despite the manner of her knocks, she knew that they were preferable to an unheralded entrance. Robin valued his privacy as much as she did. Not two seconds had passed before Robin called out,
"You can come in, Raven."
Raven opened the door and stood in the entrance,
"How did you know it was me?"
Robin was facing another computer screen so Raven more felt than saw his smirk as he answered,
"Who else would wait and knock? Do take a seat."
Raven sat and it proved that Robin was not interested in making conversation at that point. Raven was thankful for this as it gave her an opportunity to look around Robin's room. Robin's room was not much different from hers, it was done in the same style and there were similar ornaments, if more of them. There was also a large fireplace opposite the bed and there were a few photo frames placed on the mantle. The large workstation where Robin sat was mirrored by an equally large entertainment system in the other corner. As well as a door that Raven assumed led to a bathroom, there were two other doors leading off the main room. Half of the main room was taken up by sleeping quarters and the other half were obviously living quarters. There was a mini-fridge and a selection of extremely comfortable armchairs and sofas, on of which Raven was currently curled up upon.
Thankfully, Robin did not attempt to make conversation; he merely continued typing away at his computer without a word. After some time, the door opened and the other three Titans walked into the room. Without waiting for invitation, the others arranged themselves lazily on the sofas and armchairs and turned to face their leader. Robin grimaced and swung his chair around to face them.
"I suppose you want a more detailed explanation?"
Even Raven nodded agreement to this question. Robin groaned softly and rose from his chair and went over to a low table in the corner of the room. He bent to pick something up, which he then placed in his pocket, and walked over to them. He then sunk into an armchair opposite them and drew the item out of his pocket. It was a box of cigarettes. He pulled one out of the box, lit it and turned back to them. Seeing the surprise on their faces he placed the cigarette in an ashtray and spoke.
"So, I smoke. Everyone has his or her vices and this is one of mine. Bruce knows and doesn't care as long as I don't smoke on the job. Alfred doesn't exactly approve but he won't say anything about it. Dick smokes so he can't say anything about it. Nobody is perfect."
He then rose from his chair and stalked over to the mini-fridge. He swung the door open and pulled out a bottle. He pulled the cap off without bothering to use a bottle opener and took a long swig of the beer before he returned to his seat. He took another swig from the bottle and placed it on the table, picking up his cigarette as he went. After a few moments of silence, he began to speak.
"I'm a mutant. I am a human with an advanced 'X' gene. This gene gives me certain superhuman abilities. My ability is shape shifting. I can turn into anything, anyone that I like. My cousin, Bobby, is also a mutant. He is code-named 'Iceman' because of his ability to freeze water molecules. My mutation developed after I started being Batman's protégé otherwise I would not be here. My cousin is a member of an institute for gifted children, or mutants. The headmaster is the most powerful telepath on the planet and he trains the students to control their powers. The best of his students are called X-men and use their powers to help people. This is to build towards Charles' goal of human and mutant harmony. Of course, the world doesn't know about mutants yet, but that is Charles' goal. Of course, not all mutants believe in his dream. One in particular, a devastatingly powerful mutant named Eric Magnus Lensherr, code-named 'Magneto' for his power over all metals, wants mutant superiority over humans and will stop at nothing to get it. For his own reasons he doesn't believe that humans and mutants can be at peace with each other. He has also trained young mutants in his beliefs and they are called the Brotherhood and the Acolytes. Bobby sent me a letter saying the potentially most powerful X-man has deserted to join the 'Hood and he wants my help."
With that explanation, Robin rose from the chair and morphed his outfit so that he was wearing a pair of black training pants and nothing else. He placed his empty bottle in the trash and scrunched out his cigarette.
"I have to go and do my training. Alfred will bring you up something to eat later on. I've got some cases I need to work on with Bruce so I'll probably be busy for the rest of the day. Get some sleep. We are going to leave very, very early tomorrow."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked towards the door, exposing a large tattoo of a pentagon on his back. Raven spoke.
"Robin, you have a tattoo on your back."
Robin swore softly and the tattoo was replaced by skin, muscled and slightly marred by old scars. He then stalked out of the room, leaving the others to digest the huge gout of information they had been given.
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THE NEXT DAY
Hundreds of miles away from where the five Titans were, Tim Drake's cousin, the infamous Iceman, stood nervously outside Professor Xavier's door, trying to pluck up the courage to knock. He was just lifting his fist to the dark wood when a voice sounded in his head,
Come in, Bobby.
He swore softly, he would never get used to the Professor talking in his head, no matter how often it happened. He placed his hand on the doorknob and swung the door inwards. The Professor sat behind his desk, looking slightly more harried than usual and that pleased Bobby for some reason. He sat in a chair opposite the Professor and there was silence for a moment as he decided how to break the news to the telepath. He had always found it irritating that the Professor would make them tell him what he could easily pick out of their brains if he wanted to.
"Professor, I've written to my cousin. The shape-shifter. Hopefully he should come and help us. I think there's something that he's not telling me but he promised to always help if we needed him. And I kinda' figured we could use the help. I hope I haven't done anything wrong."
Relief passed over the Professor's face as he spoke and Bobby felt a great weight lift from his chest. He had been somewhat apprehensive about writing to Tim but knew that they would need the help he could give. When the Professor spoke, the gratitude in his voice was obvious.
"Thank-you, Bobby. That will be of great assistance if your cousin comes here."
Bobby had the feeling that the Professor was going to say something else when the door swung open wildly and Scott dashed into the room, looking very harried. When he spoke it was obvious that he had run all the way to the room to deliver his message.
"Professor. A jet has just landed next to the Blackbird; it bypassed all our security systems like they weren't there. Nobody's left the jet yet but Jean sensed seven different presences, all of them strange. One of them has telepathy but nothing like anything we've ever seen in other telpaths."
Scott seemed disturbed when this information failed to disturb the Professor in the slightest. The 'perfect couple', as everyone in the Institute referred to Scott and Jean when they weren't looking, had obviously been very disturbed by the arrivals and wanted the Professor to be just as worried. Instead, the Professor wheeled his chair out of the room, saying to Bobby as he passed,
"I think your cousin has arrived, with friends."
Shrugging at Scott, Bobby followed the Professor down to the landing bay where a strange jet rested by the Blackbird. After a few seconds, he heard Scott following them. It was obvious that Mr X-man had been overcome by his curiosity and hadn't waited for permission like he usually would.
When the three arrived in the landing bay, Bobby stopped and stared. The strange jet was beautiful. Even if he had little knowledge in these matters, it was obvious that everything about the jet was state-of-the-art. A landing ramp descended out of nowhere in the seamless black surface of the jet. Bobby waited with baited breath as the sound of footsteps was heard at the top of the ramp.
A dark figure appeared out of the shadows of the jet. The figure was dressed in a strange red and black costume and wore a mask over his eyes. There was something terrifying and sinister about this person and Bobby shivered. However, when the masked face came to rest on him, an honest smile spread across the shadowed features.
When the figure stepped into the bright electronic lights of the landing-bay, Bobby recognised him despite the strange and deadly uniform he was wearing. He smiled back at the figure. To his delight, the figure dashed down the landing platform and hugged him. Hard. The arms wrapped around his chest might as well have been made of iron for all of the grip they had. He felt his face starting to turn blue. He managed to choke,
"Hi, Tim. It's nice to see you too. But Mom and Dad wouldn't be too pleased if you managed to kill me before you introduced me to your guests."
The iron grip around his midriff loosened slightly and he took a few quick gasps of air before looking up into the face of his cousin. One of Tim's arms left his chest and his hand came up to ruffle at his hair, a gesture Tim knew he hated. It was a tradition for the two of them. He stood on his tiptoes to try and ruffle Tim's jet-black hair, but was only able to poke a finger in his mask. A smirk appeared on Tim's face and soon Bobby found himself brushing his fingertips against the smooth material of his cousin's costume. He moaned,
"That is so not fair, you shifted so that you were taller than me. That is obviously against the rules."
Tim smirked as he replied,
"If you check the rules, there is no specific rule about not shape shifting so that I am taller than you in the circumstances of hair ruffling."
Bobby scowled as he tried to think up an answer to this, but he couldn't think up one. Instead, he settled for the far more mature option of sticking out his tongue at his older cousin. Tim smirked at the smaller and younger boy. Scott, who was still slightly disturbed by the mysterious appearance of someone who seemed to be very close to one of the new recruits, laughed slightly at the joint camaraderie. The moment ended suddenly as a voice sounded from inside the jet.
"If you are quite finished, Robin, then we will commence the introductions."
Tim flinched and straightened, 'Robin?' Bobby mouthed at him, but he ignored it and merely called out in a professional voice,
"Sorry, sir, I will not cause any more delays. If you and the others exit the jet I will begin the introductions and then we can commence with the important business."
Even as Tim spoke, the terrifying figure of Batman appeared in the open hatch of the jet. Behind him were the smaller figures of the other Teen Titans. Scott, Bobby and the Professor stared as the infamous Dark Knight of Gotham City prowled into their landing bay towards the young masked man they knew only as Bobby's cousin, a shape-shifter almost as powerful as Mystique. The four Titans followed Batman down the ramp but waited at the foot of the ramp whilst the Dark Knight approached the gathering. Robin tensed as his mentor approached and by the time Batman reached them he was in full professional mode. He inclined his head respectfully to is mentor and then turned to the expectant X-men and began his introductions.
"Professor, Cyclops, Iceman, this is my mentor, Batman, Gotham City's protector. My name is Robin. The four over by the jet are my team members; Raven, Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy. Nightwing should be… somewhere."
Batman quirked an eyebrow and Tim shrugged and then turned back to the jet.
"Oy, Nightwing, get your skinny butt out here now before Batman implodes out of frustration. If you could stop him from killing me in the process, I would appreciate it greatly."
There was a pause and then a voice called out.
"My butt is not skinny. I have it on several excellent authorities that my arse is perfect."
Robin rolled his eyebrows.
"That's because you have too many different personalities and they all have your ego."
If Robin didn't know better he would think that a slight smile quirked at the corners of Batman's mouth at this comment.
"If you're going to do nothing but insult me, me and my butt are staying right here."
Robin groaned.
"I thought you'd grown out of the terrible puns, Nightwing. Anyway, it's 'my butt and I' not 'me and my butt'."
A similar groan emerged from both the jet and the four Titans standing by it. In stereo five voices said.
"Grow up, Robin."
Robin pouted with mock hurt as he answered.
"I resent that. I do not make annoying puns like you, Nightwing, and my step-mother told me that I'm extremely mature for my age."
Robin smirked in satisfaction with this answer.
"I'm still not coming out of the jet until you apologise."
Nightwing's voice emerged from inside the jet. Robin groaned and raised his eyes heavenward before he replied.
"Okay, Nightwing, I am very sorry I insulted your butt. I am sure that you have a lovely butt. However, I'll just have to take your word for it as you're really not my type."
Bobby found it difficult not to burst out laughing at this point. His cousin had seemed very different when he had been around Batman, but it was obvious that Tim had not changed in the slightest. Robin was finding the exchange amusing as well. He had been very tense about meeting his cousin again, particularly as he had just told the Titans Batman's secret, but Nightwing's actions had broken the tension. He wondered if Dick had done that on purpose to break the ice. Nightwing was about to reply to his latest comment when Batman spoke, using THE VOICE,
"Nightwing, as amusing as you seem to be finding this, you and your wonderful arse are going to be spending two days solid training at least. And if you don't want to make it longer you will be out here within the next ten seconds."
Dick was out of the jet before Bruce could even finish his threat. Tim smirked; it was so easy for Batman to make them do things when he used THE VOICE. His smirk faded when Batman turned his stare onto him,
"Robin, that will include you too. And it will be three days if you do not finish the introductions, NOW."
Tim paled and decided it would definitely be time to finish the introductions before Bruce decided to sentence him to spending the rest of eternity training. He had no doubt that Batman would do it without a second thought, a pissed off Batman was a very dangerous thing. He quickly opened his mouth and continued the introductions,
"This is Nightwing, he's the protector of Bludhaven and was the first Robin."
The Professor stopped Robin before he could give the six superheroes a brief summary of the X-men and their powers. He spoke then,
"Perhaps it would be better if we introduced ourselves, I will tell the X-men to gather in my office and we will continue this discussion there."
Xavier locked eyes with Batman and the two stood (well, Batman stood, the professor sat) there for a long moment before the telepath flicked his gaze to his students and gestured for them to show the newcomers the way to his office. He then rolled his chair out of the landing bay. Batman didn't wait to be shown the way, he merely stalked after the professor and Scott had to jog slightly to keep up with him. Nightwing followed quickly after his mentor. Robin followed in his suit, the Titans behind him.
Bobby Drake ran to where his cousin was walking. He managed to fall into step with the taller teen. Everything had seemed to be normal between the two of them until Batman appeared. It seemed that Tim had been hiding even more secrets than he had. For the first time he felt slightly uncomfortable in his cousin's presence. Everything about Tim was sharper and more deadly.
Bobby felt decidedly uncomfortable now, he had always been very close to his cousin because of the fact that they were both mutants, but it seemed that his cousin was a complete stranger to him. He wondered how much of this was to do with his connection to Batman. Then, something clicked, his cousin had introduced himself as Robin. He had said that Batman was his mentor. That meant that his cousin, the kinda' nerdy cousin who practised martial arts in his spare time and happened to have the same powers as the X-men's enemy, Mystique, was The Robin. As in Batman and Robin. As in the Boy Wonder who was now the leader of the Teen Titans. The same Teen Titans as were now walking behind him, talking quietly under their breath to each other. He definitely needed to talk to Tim about this. He began to speak,
"Uh… Tim-"
Before he could begin to ask his question, his cousin interrupted him, his voice implacable,
"When I am in uniform, I am Robin. Is that understood?"
The way the last part was voiced made it more of a command than a question, but Bobby nodded dumbly. His cousin had changed, too much, too soon. He wondered if there was anything left of the boy that he thought he knew. He cast a disconsolate glance back at the four teens walking behind him and saw that they were just as surprised by Tim's new attitude as he was. Perhaps Tim hadn't only been keeping secrets from him. For some reason that thought sustained him with ideas of what his cousin might have been hiding from the other Titans until they reached the Professors study.
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Jean was brushing her hair when she heard the professor summon to his office mentally. Her hair did not need brushing, and she was not the kind of girl who automatically did that sort of thing whenever there was a problem, no matter what certain people might way. She was still terribly confused about the seven strangers, particularly the three with the strong mental walls and the one with the powerful and unusual telepathy. However, she knew that the professor would tell her anything important in due time.
Despite all her mental reassurances about the value of patience, Jean still sprung to her feet quickly when the professor called the X-men to his office for an 'important discussion related to a new development in the Brotherhood situation'. She literally flew from the room, down the corridors of the institute. She was exceedingly glad that she had decided to put of trousers and a polo-neck jumper that morning, as she flew over the heads of two of the new recruits.
When she approached the professor's study, she landed back on the ground and broke into a run down the corridor. As she approached the door, she almost ran straight into Kitty. Instead, she ran straight through Kitty. It was amazing that no matter how long she spent at the institute, she still found it weird to walk straight through her friend. Of course, as she had just floated half way across a mansion because a voice in her head told her to, she wasn't going to be winning any prizes in normal. The two girls laughed apprehensively, as all the occupants of the mansion had been on edge since IT had happened and simultaneously entered the professor's study.
What they saw there made them gasp, they were the last of the X-men to arrive in the study, and the others were obviously all waiting for them. This, however, was not what had shocked them. There were seven other people ranged about the study, they had to be the seven strange new arrivals Jean had sensed earlier.
The first one that Jean saw was an older man, probably in his late thirties or early forties at Jean's estimate. A quick mental scan proved that this was one of the three with the mental shields. This was not the most shocking thing about the stranger though. Even in Bayville they had heard of the Dark Knight, Batman, who watched over the city of Gotham. The tales of Batman had been told to such an extent that they were now similar to an urban legend. If she had been anywhere else, she would not have believed that this actually was the real Batman, however her years at the institute had taught her to be prepared for the impossible.
The two standing either side of him also went far to further Jean's belief that this was the real Batman. The taller figure, dressed in a blue and black uniform, with a black mask over his eyes and black hair, seemed to be a few years older than her, probably in his mid-twenties. Jean could only assume that he was the infamous guardian of Bludhaven, Nightwing.
The other figure standing behind Batman wore a similar costume to Nightwing, but with a red ensignia instead of a blue one and a white mask. This other figure was shorter than Nightwing and seemed to be in his late teens. This could only be Batman's young protégé, Robin.
For a moment Jean was unable to identify the four other strangers in the room. There were two strange girls and two strange guys. The first guy was very large, with a half-computerised body. The other was smaller and green. The girls, however, were even stranger than their companions. The first one wore a purple miniskirt and a matching midriff baring halter neck. She wore long purple boots on her feet. She had orange skin, green eyes and bright red hair. It was her companion that really caught Jean's attention. She wore a long blue cloak that covered her from head to foot. Underneath this she wore a blue leotard and all that Jean could see of her skin was very pale. There was no emotion on her face and a quick mental scan proved her to be the strange telepath.
Jean blushed when she realised that she had been staring at the guests and quickly slid into a seat between Scott and Kurt. When she was seated the professor turned to them and said,
"These are our guests, they are acquainted with a cousin of Bobby's and were willing to assist us with our battle against the Brotherhood."
Jean felt Kitty's mental anguish as this was said, it was obvious that she still had feelings for Lance and was finding the conflict between them hard to deal with. She sent reassuring thoughts to the younger girl and was glad to see her face light up slightly. She then turned her attention back to whatever the professor was saying,
"I have decided that it would be better for you all to introduce yourselves now as you will be working together in the upcoming weeks. Kurt, if you would switch your image inducer off now, we can begin with you and work around to Jean."
Jean mentally sighed with relief, she did not want to introduce herself first. She tuned out as the others introduced themselves, she already knew who they were and did not need to hear that information again. She vaguely wondered why Bobby was the only one of the new recruits who was present, then she remembered that it was to do with Bobby's cousin. She had heard Bobby talk about him once. Apparently his name was Tim Drake and he was a shape-shifter. This news had disturbed her, as she was not comfortable with someone with Mystique's powers. She tried to guess which one of the guests was Tim, for she had seen a picture of him in Bobby's mind, completely by accident of course. The only possible guess that she could make was that Tim was Robin. This would explain why a mutant with such a noticeable power was not at the institute, she doubted anyone would just walk out on Batman.
She vaguely noticed Scott finish introducing himself and knew that it was her turn now. Having listened to the style in which the others had introduced themselves, she decided to use the same method.
"My name is Jean Grey, I do not actually have any other codename. My powers are telepathy and telekinesis."
She did not say anything else. Even without using her power she was good at reading body language and knew that any more information was neither needed nor wanted. She also knew that as she had spoken, Batman and his two proteges had heard everything she said and would remember it. The professor thanked them all for introducing him or herself and would have probably said more if Batman's voice had not cut through his implacably.
"That information will be most useful, however, what I need to know is who has caused all the trouble by deserting to this Brotherhood?"
There was no tremor or concern in his voice, merely inquiry, purely scientific. Something in his tone would brook no delays in the discovery of this information and the professor must have heard it as well for he answered immediately, his voice tired,
"Rogue."
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tbc.
AN: There you go, first chapter finished. That took forever. If I don't get much more homework, the next chapter will be up some time next week. I am also hoping to update my other stories soon. Oh, and reviews make me happy and cause faster updates.