Raven
She opens her eyes to see the morning sky above her. For a second, she doesn't know where she is, then the night comes back in a blur.
"Robin!" she says.
She jolts forward to find that she's in a seated position, strapped to a chair in a car- no- a jet!
"He is still in Arkham," Batman says from the forward part of the cockpit. "The league is monitoring. If anything happens, they'll let us know. Rest. Focus."
She blinks groggily, trying to grab a single thread.
"How did we get here?" she says.
"I had the jet tailing us since Harley first took us," he says.
She shakes her head.
Always a step ahead.
"How long was I out?" she says.
"Fifteen minutes or so. I've already appraised Green Lantern on our situation."
She nods, breathing deep.
"I don't get it," she says. "Why did Harley leave so soon? It looked Joker had more plans for us."
Batman almost growls from the forward section. "I don't like it."
A thought occurs to Raven, quickening her pulse.
"Do you think something could have happened to Robin? Could that be why Harley left so soon?"
"Unlikely," Batman's reply comes quick. "If something had happened, Joker would have no doubt found a way to gloat."
Raven blinks. Of course, he's right.
"Then what?" she says. "Why would Harley have needed to leave in such a hurry when they clearly had plans for us?"
"The whole thing was a set up from the start. Maybe even a diversion."
His voice is even, but she can hear his agitation all the same.
"What does that mean for Robin?" she says.
"It means he could be walking into a trap."
Raven's breath catches in her throat.
No.
She swallows the fear, using her skills to suppress it, and bring about an unnatural level of calm.
"Where are we heading?" she monotones.
"To the cave," he says. "We need to find out where Harley went, and who she was speaking to."
(******)
Robin
The door flies open. He sees the warden's desk just in front of the large, barred window on the far wall, the early morning sunlight shines in the window. His heart jumps into his throat. The room is empty.
No! Where-
A beeping sound draws Robin's attention to a package on the desk: a ticking bomb!
The screen on the wall to the right pops on to show Joker's grinning face.
"Uh-oh," Joker's voice croaks through the speakers. "What's this? Joker not here? A bomb? Well now, that wasn't supposed to happen! Who's writing this script anyway?... Oh, well, life goes on- Oh, sorry!"
He laughs, and Robin wants to curse him, but instead, he goes to work, rushing over to the bomb.
"Oh, I'm afraid you have no time for that," Joker says. "I'll pass on your regards to Ol' Batsy. And I'll be sure to pass on your regards to that little chicky-chicky-squeeze of yours."
He grins wider, raising his eyebrows, suggestively licking his lips, then the screen goes black.
Sonofa-
Robin grabs the bomb off the desk, and runs to the window behind it. He grabs a torch from his belt, and starts cutting a hole through the bars while the bomb ticks and ticks.
Come on, come on!...
Sweat drips down his brow and he doesn't bother to wipe it. He grits his teeth as sparks fly everywhere, then the grate over the window drops with a loud clang. He smashes through the glass with his fist while quick drawing his grapple gun. He aims at the ground at the far reaches of he grapples range, then shoves the end of his grapple deep into the clay-like C4 blocks. He holds it steady, then activates the grapple.
The bomb is ripped from his hands, flying out the window. He turns around, pushing off the wall and sprinting out of the office. He dives behind a support beam, then a deafening bang blocks out all sound but a ringing in his ears. He smells smoke and burning wood, and knows the side of the building is on fire. The smoke alarms start going off with high pitched wails and sprinklers in the ceiling start raining down water.
He lays on the ground, breathing deeply. "That was close."
A few seconds is all he allows himself before forcing his tired body to his feet to inspect the damage. The warden's office is completely destroyed; just a burning hole where once there was a room. Robin stands looking out at the burning destruction, shoulders squared. He puts a finger to his ear, activating his comm.
"Robin to Watchtower," he says. "Can you here you me, Watchtower."
"Robin!" a familiar man's voice says. "This is Watchtower, we hear you."
As Robin suspected, whatever device the Joker was using to cut Arkham off from communications had been in the office, and then destroyed in the blast.
"Green Lantern," Robin says. "Good to hear your voice."
Hal Jordan. The cool big brother that everyone wishes they had, and wishes they could be like.
"Yeah, buddy, you too," Lantern says. "How are you? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Joker's escaped."
"What? I thought-"
Robin cuts him off. "The takeover was just a diversion to mask his escape. Joker's in the wind."
"Crap," Lantern says. "So, everything's under control there?"
"More or less," Robin says. "The inmates are still free in the Asylum, and I don't know how many guards are left standing."
"What's your current situation?" Green Lantern says.
Robin tells him everything that had happened, then looks around for a second, shaking his head at his utter failure.
"Hey," Green Lantern says. "You did good kid. You survived a night in Arkham Asylum, and saved a lot of lives."
Robin shakes his head, opening his mouth to argue.
"Robin?" a female voice says through the comm. "This is Wonder Woman. Most the league is here, and we are all proud of you, and very happy to hear that you are safe."
After what has happened to Donna because of him- that means an awful lot coming from her.
He doesn't say anything. What can he say?
"The League is coming to clean up the mess," she says.
Robin starts verbalizing strategies, calling out plays, locations, and best formations for the League members.
He hears Green Lantern chuckling on the other end, but ignores it.
"And I'll head to Intensive Care; the inmates there have probably made a huge mess," he says.
"No," Lantern and Wonder Woman both say at the same time.
"You've done enough," Lantern says.
"The League will take care of everything," Wonder Woman says. "You need to rest. You deserve it."
Robin grumbles under his breath.
"I suppose I don't have a choice in the matter?" he says.
"Your detective skills improve by the day, Boy Wonder," Lantern says.
Robin rolls his eyes, resisting a laugh. Then Raven and Batman jump to the forefront of his mind.
"What about Batman and Raven?" he says. "Joker has them."
His fists clench, his chest going tight.
"Relax," Lantern says. "They've already escaped."
A huge sigh of relief escapes him despite his self-imposed control.
"Where are they now?" Robin says.
"Batcave," Lantern says. "They are trying to figure out where Harley went."
So Harley is also in the wind. Swell.
"Can you send me to the cave?" Robin says.
"Sure thing," Lantern says. "Standby."
A few seconds later, Lantern's voice buzzes again. "Get some rest, kid. You earned it."
Robin feels a tingle, then everything goes white.
(******)
Starfire
She looks out the window at the passing stars, though they are barely more than a blur in her vision. Her mind is far away, reliving old memories. She sighs, hugging her arms. It's so cold in space.
A month ago, she had stood on her balcony on Tamaran, wearing a white robe, watching the sun rise, her husband sleeping soundly in their bedchamber.
Or so she thought.
"What are you thinking about, my precious Kory?" he cooed, coming onto the balcony.
He likes to call her by her Tamarian name.
She smiled a little as he put his arms around her from behind, planting a gently kiss on the back of her neck.
"Just thinking," she said.
"About?"
She sighed. "I was thinking about my friends."
"You think about them a lot, don't you?"
"Yes," she said.
In truth, she thought about them more than a lot- nearly all the time, except when thoughts of their people deserved her attention. Guilt started to ache in her chest; she should be thinking about her husband more. As much as she hated to do it, she couldn't help but compare him to Robin.
Both of them strong, both of them damaged souls, both of them kind and tender; but also fierce and formidable.
She hated to marry him. Oh, how she wished that she could have stayed on Earth. The moment when she received the report of Tamaran's state, and the message about her arranged marriage- it was the worst moment of her life.
She was crushed, and then, she had to crush Robin. And that had been a thousand times worse. His stoic face, acting unmoved by her news, his muscles all clenched tight, and the sight of him walking away from her; they torment her memory constantly.
Then she arrived on Tamaran to find out that her husband-to-be, a blond man named Gavyn; was even less enthusiastic about marrying her as she was about marrying him.
She was pretty cold to him at first, but she soon learned of his troubled past, and if nothing else, grew to respect him.
Gavyn had been what Cyborg would call a 'playboy'. He was heir to The Crown Imperial, an intergalactic empire spanning over twenty planets. He had been partying on a beach planet with the most beautiful women his entourage could find when he received a message from his sister. Their parents had been killed in an accident, and he was to return to Throneworld immediately. While returning on his ship, by his sister's order, assassins threw him out of the airlock, killing him.
Or so they thought.
Somehow, he survived long enough to be found by a mystic. The mystic told him that he had the power of the stars within him, and that allowed him to survive in space. He gave Gavyn a staff and jeweled bracelets that allowed him to channel his cosmic power, giving him the abilities to fly and shoot bolts of energy.
And that is only the beginning of his tale. He has fought as a masked hero for justice through the cosmos, claimed his rightful place on the throne of the Crown Imperial, was killed and came back to life, captured and tortured by a former friend named Rikane, escaped to lead a revolt against Rikane and reclaimed his place on the throne.
But his people wondered about him. How could he die and come back? For two years, there were doubts of the validity of his rule, which is what led his advisers to secure his position through marriage.
He had been married once before. His great love: lady Merria was her name. But after his death and return, he found that the traitor Rikane had taken not only his throne, but lady Merria as well. Everyone else doubted Gavyn. But she never did. She knew he was her true husband come back to life, and that led Rikane to take him and torture him. Lady Merria died protecting Gavyn from an assassin shortly before he was able to secure the throne from Rikane.
He has lead a very hard life for only a nineteen-year-old.
He wished never to marry again, but the needs of his people came before his wishes. He and Starfire were alike in that way.
Leading up to the wedding, there was nothing between them but respect. That is until Blackfire's assassins assaulted one of the many celebrations that was to occur before the wedding. They fought as a team, finding that they made a very good one.
Upon finding out more of his troubled past, her sympathies for him grew; her heart going out to him more and more.
The idea that she was in danger, made Gavyn want to keep her close by when before, he spent as little time with her as possible. The more time he spent with her, the more her cheerful and bubbly personality melted his heart. Or so he tells her constantly.
He was not Robin. He will never be Robin. But she thanked every star in the sky that of all the people she could have been forced to marry- she was able to marry a man like Gavyn.
"You know," he said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Things have settled very quickly. I don't see why we couldn't go for a visit."
Her eyes popped open and she spun around in his arms, so she could face him.
"Really?" she said.
He smiled down at her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Anything for my queen."
Now, she stands in their quarters, watching the stars pass by as their ship makes its journey to Earth. Oh, how she can't wait to see her friends!
(******)
Raven
The cave is massive! she thinks.
How could he have built all this- He's Batman, duh!
She stands looking at a display with different uniforms in them, her cowl down to reveal her face. She steps up to one with Robin's uniform from when he was a small child. Yellow cape, green pixie boots.
He must have been so cute in that outfit.
She looks around at the things in the cave; numerous cars and other vehicles, a giant dinosaur, a giant penny, various other trophies from Batman and Robin's early adventures.
She wonders what Robin had been like back then. She says a silent prayer for his safety.
How she worries for him now.
A voice starts speaking to her, breaking her out of her thoughts.
She turns around to see an older man, looking like the perfect example of a gentleman. She recognizes him as Alfred, the man Robin was talking to when his friend got shot.
"And you must be the lovely miss Raven," he says, dipping his head.
She nods, cheeks flushing a bit. "And you must be Alfred."
He smiles kindly at her, eyes studying her.
"Indeed, I am," he says. "I've looked after the young master since his childhood."
She nods, returning the smile.
"What was he like?" she says.
"Kind. Lighthearted. Mischievous, but always obedient. His smile was absolutely infectious." He looks over to Batman. "I've never seen him smile like he did when Robin was small."
She wishes she'd known him.
Batman's voice enters her awareness.
She flies quickly over to where he sits at the most advanced computer she's ever seen.
"Talk," he says.
Batman pauses as he must be using comm device in his cowl, keeping his conversation private.
She itches to ask if it's about Robin, but holds herself. Alfred walks up behind her.
"Understood," Batman says. "Out."
"League requesting entry via transport," a mechanical voice breaks over loud speakers.
"Let them in," Batman says without looking away from his screen.
A bright light appears in an open area of the cave, making Raven shield her eyes. She wonders who the League would be sending to the Batcave and why.
The light disappears, leaving the figure of a caped young man standing in the open area. Raven's eyes fix on him, and her legs start running for him before making any conscious decision to move.
Robin!
He walks quickly towards her, smiling.
Upon reaching him, she throws her arms around him and buries her face in his chest without meaning to do either of those things. She snuggles up to him, closing her eyes breathing silent 'thank yous'. His arms wrap around her, squeezing her gently. Never has she felt such peace.
Exactly two seconds later, her eyes pop open wide and the realization of what she's doing dawns on her. Timidly, she peers up at him, a shy smile on her very red face.
He smirks.
"Hi," he says.
She takes one step away, trying to get her emotions back under control.
What was that about, Raven? she thinks.
"I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again," she hears herself say.
"Yeah, it got pretty scary, didn't it?"
She notices the bruises on his face and his tattered and torn uniform.
"What happened?" she says, knowing that it's a stupid question as soon as it leaves her mouth.
She puts a hand on his face, examining a bruise.
He opens his mouth to speak, but Batman speaks over him.
"If you two are now finished with your public displays of affection, a report is perhaps in order," he says.
Raven coughs, taking two steps back, itching the side of her neck.
Robin nods at her, then gives Alfred a bear hug, and walks over to Batman, leaving her standing alone, speechless.
Author's note
Hey, all! Part Eleven! Can you believe it? Thanks again to all of you wonderful readers who continue to encourage and help me. I'd like to ask for your reviews, because I truly love them, and every single one makes writing the next chapter far easier.
So, Starfire... Love it? Hate it? Don't care?.. It's always been my plan to have her married. In the comics, Starfire had married twice, both times to Tamaranian men. Both of them died in battle. I wanted to go a similar direction to the comics (having her marriage arranged), but I also wanted to go a slightly different direction. So, I searched through the bowels of DC's obscure and forgotten heroes. I found Gavyn, a former playboy, a prince, a hero, an alien, and he has the power of flight, and star bolts! He was pretty much perfect for what I was looking for. I did modify his story slightly, adding some details, losing others... Anyway, let me know what you think.
Thank you Red X for the review! YES!.. I wasn't sure anyone was going to catch that reference. Well done, my friend!
Thank you Koryandrs for the review! No, no. Thank you. I appreciate your review so much.
Thank you ShieraH for the review! Thanks so much. Hopefully, I'll find a way to get the Hawks involved soon.
Thank you LimitlessDarkness for the review! Glad you enjoyed it. Let's hope I get the next chapter out quick.
And thank you everyone who has opened the fic and read even a piece. You are all awesome!
If you have any comments, don't hesitate to leave a review or send me a PM. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Well, that's it for Part Eleven. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks again.
Hope life finds you all well. Until next next time.
mojo