A/N: Alrighty, so I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in forever. I started this chapter around a year and a half ago then lost interest and when I finally regained interest, I didn't have time to crank it out all at once. I've been working on it little bits at a time so it might seem a little choppy. I may have to revise it in the future. At long last, here is the second chapter.
No time was wasted in leaving. Within minutes of the transmission ending, the Titans were already strapped into the T-ship and zooming away from Jump City. Four of the five teens were quietly awaiting their leader's instructions as he frantically tapped away at a keyboard in his pod. A moment later, he turned on his microphone and addressed the rest of the group.
"I traced the coordinates the video was broadcasted from. The transmission seems to have come from an old warehouse about 20 miles from Gotham," Robin said, as he pulled the coordinates up on his screen and entered them into the T-ship's GPS system.
"Cyborg, can you make this thing go any faster?" he asked the cybernetic teen.
"I don't know, man. We're already pushing it as is but I'll try my best," Cyborg said as he began fiddling with switches in his pod. A sudden beeping noise caught the Titans' attention and they looked at the small video screens in each of their pods. A little timer appeared alerting the group that there were five minutes left.
"No… We'll never make it in time," Robin breathed, his voice trembling slightly. On the verge of tears for his brother, the young leader attempted to compose himself before reaching for a button on his control panel. There was no other option. After he clicked it, a beeping sound was heard throughout the ship.
"Robin to Batman," Robin began, his voice wavering. The other Titans looked at him in concern but said nothing as the T-ship streaked through the sky.
"What is it?" a gruff voice responded.
Robin cleared his throat and let out a slow breath before addressing the voice. "There's an emergency. Joker kidnapped Jason and has him locked in a warehouse set to blow in less than five minutes."
"I know," Batman said, a twinge of pain in his voice. "I'm already en route to the location."
"Wait, how did you…?"
"I intercept video transmissions sent to your tower. I was alerted to this new transmission and traced the coordinates of its origin."
"Of course you do," Robin said, slightly annoyed, although he was relieved that Batman was already on his way to the scene. Now there was a greater chance of someone making it to the warehouse before Jason's time was up.
"You know it's my job to monitor my sons' goings on," Batman said quietly, although apparently not quiet enough as the Titans looked at Robin in surprise.
"Well if you're so concerned with what we're doing, how the hell did you not notice that Jason was missing!" Robin hissed, not bothering to hide the anger in his voice.
Batman was silent on the other end though Robin was sure that if he could see the man, he would be penetrated by a fierce batglare.
"Nevermind that. How far are you from the warehouse?" Robin asked.
"Around two minutes."
"That's really pushing it," Robin said as panic started to well up inside him once again.
"I know," Batman said under his breath before cutting off the transmission. Robin punched the control panel in frustration before addressing Cyborg.
"Cyborg, how long until we get there at our current speed?"
"..."
"Cyborg?"
"Uh… about five minutes."
"What if we push the T-ship to top speed?"
"Three minutes."
"Can we do it?"
"It's risky but… let's do it."
Robin nodded. "Titans, prepare for high speed launch."
The Titans braced themselves as Cyborg prepared the T-ship for the speed change. "Y'all ready?"
"Ready," the other four Titans said in unison. Cyborg nodded and shifted the T-ship into gear. With that, the ship lurched forward into top speed and sailed through the sky towards its destination.
"Please let us make it in time," Robin whispered to himself as the ship sped along.
Batman pushed the Batplane to top speed. He had to make it in time. He couldn't lose anyone else in his life. The Batplane cut through the air towards the abandoned warehouse. Batman could see it in the distance. He could do this. He knew he could this. He had to do this. He checked the time. Less than three minutes remained. The warehouse was nearly beneath him now. He readied himself and as soon as the Batplane was above the warehouse, Batman ejected himself from it.
He fell towards the building and braced for impact, rolling as he landed on the roof. As he leapt to his feet, he pulled out a heat signature scanner and scanned the building. Batman located what could only be Jason's heat signature, about one hundred feet away, and quickly searched for an opening in the roof. He located one, a large skylight, and smashed the glass on it. Wasting no time, the man jumped through it and as soon as his boots hit the floor, he was off running towards his injured son's location.
A beeping noise alerted the bat that one minute remained, causing the man to grit his teeth and use the adrenaline to push himself forward.
After breaking through numerous doors, Batman found himself in a large room filled with old machinery and a ticking time bomb. The heat signature detector told him that Jason was in the far corner of the room and Batman raced towards it. As he approached the corner, he nearly stopped short at the sight of the boy, bloody, beaten, and bruised, lying motionless on the floor. However, steeling himself, the older man reached down and carefully picked up his son, trying not to jostle his battered body too much.
A shrill beep suddenly sounded and Batman looked to see ten seconds remained on the clock. More adrenaline fueled him as he spotted an exit on the other side of the room and sprinted towards it. If he could just make it there in time…
Robin sighed in relief when he saw the Batplane hovering above the warehouse as the Titans approached. With Batman being there, Jason was probably already safe. However, taking a closer look at the aircraft, he realized that it was empty and simply hovering on auto. A wave of fear gripped him.
No, they have to be out. Maybe they're just on the other side of the building.
As a shrill beep sounded to alert them that ten seconds remained, Robin's eyes got wide.
"We'll never make it," he said more to himself than the others.
"Rob, I….I need to pull the ship up and away from the uh….so we don't get hit by…." Cyborg started carefully, trying not to say anything that could trigger any unwanted emotions in the leader.
"I know. G-go ahead," Robin said quietly.
As the T-Ship rose upwards, Robin closed his eyes, not wanting to see the explosion that would rip more of his family away from him. He counted down in his head, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and as the explosion sounded from below, he simply bowed his head and fought the urge to cry.
The Titans were silent, trying to give Robin time to compose himself, when Cyborg suddenly piped up.
"Guys, look!"
He piloted the T-Ship down towards the now demolished building. A pile of rubble was moving and something appeared to be underneath it. Robin peered out the window of his pod and noticed a black glove pushing its way out of the pile. Wasting no time, he ejected himself from his pod and used his glider cape to glide safely down to the twisted metal and concrete.
"Bruce! Jason!" he shouted as he desperately started pulling at the pile. The other Titans joined him and together, started ripping away at the rubble. They continued for what felt like forever until Starfire lifted a particularly large chunk of concrete. There, crouched and covered in dust and cuts, was Batman, a barely breathing Jason in his arms.
A/N: Well, there it is. I hope you enjoyed it! I'm still debating whether or not I should keep Jason alive or not. Maybe I'll put up a poll… We'll see.
Reviews are appreciated!
-TheDcComicsNerd
