Disclaimer: Teen Titans is the property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. "The Hollow Men" was written by T.S. Elliot, and the use of passages to open each chapter is done with the utmost respect for one of the English languages best craftsmen. Thank you, and enjoy.
Titans Broken
Chapter 14: Endgame
Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
…Life is very long
- T.S. Elliot's "The Hollow Men"
The Citadelians seemed to have decided that they weren't playing around anymore. The skies which had been buzzing with activity from ships and fighters were darkening from the countless vessels now converging over the city.
Okaaran assault transports wove between the buildings, their ion exhaust blowing papers and debris in all directions. At the same time Gordanian soldiers warmed over the rivers, flying over the bay and securing a toehold on the Gotham islands.
A large Citadellian troop transport descended over Gotham Stadium and began to deploy hundreds of Citadelian soldiers.
To meet this threat, the heroes dispersed into two teams, moving to meet each forward prong. Still there weren't enough of them really. One was under the command of Barbara Gordon, who was leading her Birds of Prey. The other was a group composed of the former Titans and Batclan.
Damien Wayne, Tim Drake, and Dick Grayson made a strange and surprisingly seamless team. Each had been trained much the same, but each was different, each had a different specialty, and each had a different motive for combat. Koriand'r fought alongside the three of them, but focused, almost instinctively, on protecting Dick.
Alongside them, Victor Stone, Wally West, Rachel Roth, and Garfield Logan formed a second element that fought together with surprising skill despite the years the group had spent apart.
The three villains that they'd recruited formed a heavy hitting element, with Freeze's cryo-cannon coupled with Ivy's plants and Bane's venom they formed a lethal and adaptable combination.
They had managed to fight their way through a mile of sporadic resistance before the enemy marching out from the Citadelian transport ran straight into them.
Dick swore as the solid wall of Citadelian soldiers swarmed forward.
Tim Drake was a lot like Dick, but he wasn't quite as idealistic under normal circumstances. At this moment he was far from idealistic in any fashion. What he was, was pissed.
Stephanie had meant a lot to him, and while he wasn't ever certain that he reciprocated the feelings she showed for him, he liked her. Having her die like she had tore him up and fueled a rage with the world that took the normally cool and collected detectice and hacker extraordinaire and turned him into a vicious engine of destruction.
He hurled explosive charges that he'd normally use for limited demolitions directly at his foes, chucked sharpened bat-a-rangs into the eyes of the advancing horde, and mercilessly used everything at hand to fight the Citadelians.
While Tim had turned into a berserker, Damien Wayne was a machine... there really wasn't any other way for Dick to describe the kid. After being trained and raised by Tahlia Al'Ghul, it shouldn't have been a surprise, but then when Damien lifted the AK-47 he'd managed to appropriate from one of Joker's thugs and let loose he was a force to be reckoned with.
The Citadelian soldier that charged them went down, his body riddled with bullets as Starfire surged into the fray, hurling starbolts at those that had once been her oppressors and captors. The heat of her anger had reached a point that she was dealing blasts as powerful as she had under the influence of Z'hom.
One of the charging Citadelians exploded from a bolt, his torso disappearing in a blast of smoke and flame while his limbs scattered in all directions. Dick dove as a purple bolts flashed toward Starfire and watched her as she batted it aside like it was little more then an annoyance. Her green gaze flared and a solid stream of energy poured forth cutting down an entire line of their foes.
Dick dove behind a smashed car and swore. Eye-beams, he'd almost forgotten she could do that. He smiled faintly as Starfire dropped back to the ground beside him and stared at her own handiwork. "I forgot..."
"What?" Dick asked as he pulled a set of explosive shuriken from his belt and got ready to hurl them.
"I forgot I could do that!" Starfire admitted as she ducked another energy blast. The Citadelian soldiers kept pushing toward them. She gasped for breath as she hunkered down beside him and smiled faintly. "I shall have to remember that."
Dick laughed. "How are you doing for energy?"
"Okay... the sun is out again, that is doing the helping." Starfire said.
A roar rumbled overhead and all the heroes dove for the ground as a missile streaked by, just a hundred feet up. It dove down into the mass of soldiers and exploded.
The shockwave smashed windows and Dick saw two apartment fronts collapse into the massive crater that'd been torn into the street. He smirked. "Who knew Penguin was this useful?"
"No kidding!" Damien said as he dropped behind a car and tossed an empty magazine onto the ground. "Dad should be glad he got him on our side."
A Citadelian leapt overhead, swinging the massive halberd like weapon they seemed to prefer downward toward Starfire. With a snarl she punched upward and unleashed a starbolt that made the massive beast explode, drenching them in gore.
Dick sputtered as the reek of the creature coated him and glanced at Starfire. At the same time, Starfire snatched the weapon from the air and twirled it once, leveling the point toward the advancing Citadelians. Purple blasts of plasma shot from its tip and great gouts of flame and smoke burst from each impact point.
The warrior princess was coming out big time. Dick thought to himself as he hurled a salvo of explosive shuriken into the conflagration.
"Dick, your girlfriend is fucking awesome." Damien shouted as he opened up with a fresh magazine.
Girlfriend... well, maybe once, but what was she now? That moment of confusion and consideration found him glancing back at Starfire who had drained the power from the weapon and tossed it aside. Green energy flared from her hands as she glared menacingly at the approaching foes.
In that moment he realized she'd changed a great deal since he'd seen her in the Caribbean. She looked different. Her once brilliant orange skin had turned a more bronze tone beneath the layers of dirt and debris, a look he remembered well. The tiny purple uniform she wore didn't seem to fit her image anymore, but it was definitely her.
Does that mean she's getting better? Dick asked himself.
The warrior princess of Tamaran snarled a challenge at the Citadelians and pumped her arms, sending brilliant green bolts of energy hurtling downrange like some human cannon. The screams from the Citadelians echoed on the street and glancing back into the fray, Dick saw that the charge of the enemy seemed to have been blunted.
Then a mass of rusty grey metal rose up, a roughly spider-like machine large enough to hold a half dozen of the hulking foes. A plasma cannon sputtered to life from its front and a massive turret swung an even larger gun to bear on them.
"Oh SHIT!" Damien yelled and a particle beam lanced overhead, totally flattening the building behind them and toppling eight stories onto the street. A huge cloud of dust billowed around the fighters as Dick swore.
"Mechs..." Dick growled before glaring at the massive machine. He tapped the Red-X utility belt and felt the world suddenly shift as he teleported. Instantly he was standing atop the mech in the midst of the Citadelian force. With a smirk he scrambled up the turret and stuck a Red-X in the barrel. Then he looked back toward the other Robins and Starfire, tapped the Red-X belt and teleported back amongst them.
A whine built as the weapon charged, then exploded when it tried to fire. A second later the whole machine was aflame and crashed into the side of a building before collapsing into the street.
Starfire smiled faintly. "You are getting the good at that, Richard."
"Everything turns into experience."
Barbara Gordon sat behind the monitor's her eyes wide as she stared at the displays. Around the room Raven hovered nervously watching over the two of them, clearly worried about them. At the same time Cyborg had finished with the IV and held out a gauntlet scanning their vitals.
"Jesus Christ." Wally said as he watched the video feed from the simulation. "Are you guys seeing this?"
Black Canary nodded and glanced over at the two of them. "They're fighting hard, harder then I've ever seen Dick fight before anyway." She glanced back at Barbara. "How long do you think they can keep going?"
"I don't know." Barbara said. "Dick's got to be running on adrenaline and that utility belt he's got uses Xenothium, it'll run out eventually."
"Yes." Black Canary glanced back at the display. "The rest of the League is getting a feed as well. God, I'm not sure what they'll take from this display?"
"Superman and Batman don't kill... it's their rule. Wonder Woman however, well she's an Amazon." Wally said. "There'll be a lot of debate about this, that's for sure."
"Look, the Citadelians are pulling back." Barbara suddenly said and the others turned to watch. "I don't believe it.
"The simulation is more intelligent then just hurling soldiers at them." Black Canary said carefully.
"Yeah..." Wally said. "It'll try something else besides a frontal assault."
Dick gasped for breath as Damien and Tim watched the Citadelians fall back, leaving behind blackened corpses and broken mechs. He pulled out his comlink and flicked it on. "Report."
Cyborg's voice answered almost immediately. "We've held them off for now, but they'll be back. Catwoman and Batgirl managed to stop them in their sector as well, but things are pretty rough."
He nodded and glanced at the group. "Alright, take the time to catch your breaths. I'm sure they'll try something."
"We should do the getting off the streets." Starfire said before gesturing to a nearby building of brick and concrete. Dick nodded and the four of them clambered inside. At the same time Dick began to setup booby traps and trip mines from his belt around the area. It didn't take more then five minutes for Dick to exhaust his supply of trap Xs from the Red-X suit.
As the group breathed a sigh of relief Damien ran a hand through his wild hair and sat down. Tim's expression was hard and grave as he stared out the window as if waiting for the next strike.
Starfire sat beside the southern window and closed her eyes. The light that flooded in bathed her back and he could almost see the green energy from the sun flowing through her as she caught her breath.
"There has to be something to eat around here." Damien suddenly growled before wandering over to the refrigerator in the apartment they'd taken cover within. Wrenching it open he scrunched up his nose and gagged. "Oh fuck... it's all rotting!"
"Of course, there's no power..." Tim said as he walked over to a cupboard and wrenched it open. "There's canned soup... and ramen in here."
"We don't have a stove." Dick said as he glanced at the electric appliance. "At least one that works."
"If boiling water is required, I may be of assistance." Starfire said.
"Check the faucets, we might still have water." Tim said as he found a soup pan.
Dick nodded and opened the faucet, he wasn't surprised when nothing came out. "Damn..."
"I found some bottled water." Damien said before tossing a bottle to Tim. A moment later he had passed out water to each of them. After a few minutes they had a steaming bowl of ramen which Tim divied up between them.
Dick glanced out the window and scowled. "Report, any activity?"
"Not yet Dick... looks like they're reinforcing in front of us though." Cyborg answered almost immediately.
Starfire finished her food and tossed the bowl in the sink before floating back to the window, as she looked out Dick saw her suddenly stiffen. "Richard! There!"
She pointed and Dick squinted before he saw a trio of silvery ships that looked almost like rotorless helicopters. Suddenly brilliant blue white plasma bolts shot from the lead one and blasted into the wall. The smell of burnt brick and scalded cinderblock filled the air as he ducked behind cover. A moment later the three of them flared and hovered over a rooftop just across the street. "Star, what are they?"
"Okaaran assault transports, they are like your Blackhawk helicopters in terms of usage." Starfire said before leaning out and hurling a starbolt that blasted apart the engine of the closest craft. When flames shot from it's side the whole craft spun for a moment before crashing down onto the roof.
"Nice shot." Dick ducked back as blue plasma rounds flashed past and he scowled. Damien lifted up the gun he'd been using and returned fire, sending heavy 7.62x39 rounds into a group of Okaaran soldiers that had scrambled from one of the transports.
Tim swore before tossing explosive disks into the melee intent on forcing the enemy back or into cover.
Then Damien screamed.
Dick spun and saw Bruce's kid sprawled out on his back, his arm blackened at the shoulder from a plasma shot. Blood ran from the wound as he tried to crawl behind cover.
"Damien!" Tim shouted as he ducked back behind the kitchen's counter. Plasma bolts burned into the granite top as he swore. "Stay down!"
"Oh fuck this..." Damien growled as he grabbed his AK and lifted it one handed toward the Okaarans. With a snarl he held down the trigger, sending a ragged volley of fire into the enemy group. Dick saw one of them drop from a pair of hits before the gun fell silent, it's magazine empty.
Then a plasma round caught the kid in the throat and he went down with a gurgle. Dick stared, his mouth gaping in shock and felt tears fill his eyes. "Oh God... Damien, fuck... fuck... fuck!" He felt a hand clasp his shoulder as plasma shots hissed past.
"Richard..." Starfire's voice was taunt. "Focus."
"Right." Dick said as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"YOU BASTARDS!" Tim roared as he hurled himself out of cover and tossed another set of explosive disks. As the explosions from their impact echoed from across the street he leapt out the smashed window and extended the Robin's wings of his cape out.
"Oh fuck..." Dick snapped as he glanced out the window just in time to see a volley of blue plasma bracket the teen and burn through one of his wings. With a explosion of sparks the wing crumpled and he suddenly spun downard with a yell.
"Richard?"
"Cover him." Dick ordered as he glanced out the window and focused on the rear deck of one of the transports. He slapped the Red-X belt and felt himself teleport.
He materialized in the back of one of the Okaaran transports, his Eskrima sticks in hand. There was a crack as he swung into one of the soldiers firing into the street and the alien dropped. With a shriek one of its comrades spun toward him and fired, sending a hail of plasma bolts his way.
Dick sidestepped the volley and saw several shots catch one of the Okaaran's in the side, dropping him to the deck plating. With a snarl he lashed out in a kick that knocked the closest foe out of the transport. The alien dropped to the ground three stories below and Dick heard his legs break with a snap.
Then he pulled an explosive charge from his belt and slapped it against the roof. As the counter began he dove from the transport and rolled across a rooftop. Then he looked down toward Tim and hit the teleporter again.
The Okaaran Assault transport exploded and crashed onto the rooftop as he rematerialized beside Tim's broken figure.
The last remaining Okaaran transport exploded from a blast of green energy at that moment sending it's wreckage in all directions and Dick swore as a flaming piece of debris shot overhead. Dick took a deep breath and swore as smoke filled the air.
Tim didn't move and Dick felt his heart tighten as he glanced back down at the teen. He knelt and felt for a pulse but stopped as the teen's head lolled at an unnatural angle. His neck had been broken in the fall.
"Fuck!" Dick shouted and Starfire dropped to the ground beside him, her gaze sweeping the area for additional threats. "Not you too!"
"Richard?" Starfire asked then froze as he gaze flicked down to Tim. "Tim Tim?"
"He's dead... fuck!" Dick stood and pulled his comlink. "Report!"
"We're being pushed back! Combined air and ground assault on our position. The Birds are trying to flank them but... it's bad!" Cyborg shouted through the link.
Dick swore as he glanced at Starfire. "Babs?"
"What is it? I'm in the middle of fighting for my life here!" Barbara Gordon answered with a snarl.
Dick felt chilled to the core, numb even. Losing both so quickly struck him like a bolt from the blue. "I lost Damien and Tim."
"Oh God..."
"Cyborg fall back toward Wayne Tower, I'm on my way to you." Dick said before flicking off the comlink and looking at her. "We have to hurry."
"Richard..." Starfire's voice seemed to break. "Are you okay?"
"No... I don't think I will be ever again." Dick said as he broke into a run. "Let's go!"
"Right." Starfire said as she blasted into the air Dick headed down the street. The Wayne Tower rose in the distance.
"How is he?" Barbara asked as she stepped up beside Raven and glanced at the two of them on the table. "I mean, he just lost Tim and Damien... and Dinah was worried about having to do counseling after this..."
Raven rolled her eyes and sighed, Garfield still held tight to her chest in his cat form. "I know... they'll need counseling, you need counseling..."
"But... How is he? You can feel his emotions, can't you?" Barbara snapped back.
"I'm trying not to." Raven said quietly before glancing between her two oldest and closest friends. "Right now, he's just on autopilot Barbara, if anything happens to Star, you, or the rest of the Titans... I just don't know. He's well past what would be the breaking point for most people."
In her arms, Garfield snuggled against her, lending as much support as he could to her. Raven felt tears tug at her eyes. "I hate this... this waiting, I can feel everything they're going through. Starfire is so focused on Dick, if anything happened to him she'd go straight over the cliff."
"What will happen when they wake up?" Barbara asked quietly and Raven shut her eyes and shuddered. "That bad?"
"If Batman is in the room, his old sidekick will beat him to a pulp, and Starfire... well if she wakes up and Dick's not there..." Raven sighed. "This sucks, this sucks so bad."
"I know, but what else can we do but wait?" Barbara said as she sat down beside Raven. She gave a mirthless laugh. "I guess I really should ask Dinah for some counseling sessions after this."
"We all should, at least you have Dinah to back you up..." Raven sighed.
"You, Cyborg, and Garfield will all be there for them... Wally will try, but he's not that good with this stuff." Barbara said. "It will work out."
"I hope you're right."
Dick leapt up a fire escape and scrambled up to the roof of a building. As he ran the roar of combat filled the air. Overhead Starfire dove and wove, dodging occasional shots from the ground. Then there was a scream as a missile dove down from the sky and exploded. Buildings crumbled and Dick felt the shockwave wash over him like a hammer blow.
This was Gotham, the city he'd spent most of his youth in, turned into a warzone. Overhead starships rumbled and Dick swore as plasma cannon fire lanced down from the sky immolating buildings and blasting craters into the ground.
The familiar black plane of Bruce Wayne's shot up through the sky and a missile shot into the turret of one of the ships, disabling it. Behind him a gaggle of Citadelian fighters swarmed, firing beams of purple light that the old warhorse dodged with practiced ease.
Ahead, Dick could catch glimpses of sonic blasts and Freeze's cryo cannon. Swearing Dick ran forward, pulling out a few more bat-a-rangs from his belt and preparing for the fight.
Then he saw them.
Freeze had his cryo-cannon sweeping across the street, forming a wall of ice and frozen opponents. When a Citadelian leapt over the improvised wall and slashed down with his halberd, Bane leapt to meet the foe, grabbing the massive metal weapon in his hands and twisting it out of the Citadelian's grip. He then slashed the disgusting brute with the massive halberd's blade and roared a challenge.
The Citadelians charged while Ivy summoned a lush onslaught of plants that wrapped around them, holding them in place as Bane cut into them.
Then a plasma bolt flashed from the enemy force and she screamed.
Ivy's stomach was blackened by the shot and flames licked from her torso. Her eyes were wide and shock filled as she toppled forward onto the concrete and laid still.
A roar of rage came from Bane and he leapt into the melee, his weapon twirling. The Citadelians fought desperately as the pair of villains that remained advanced, a one-two combination of ice and sheer physical strength.
Dick scrambled toward them, hurling bat-a-rangs at targets as they appeared. His muscles ached, and sweat coated the inside of his armor. He could feel his muscles quaking with fatigue.
He didn't see the Okaarans, but Starfire's scream of "RICHARD DOWN!" threw him to the pavement as a volley of blue plasma bolts tore through the air. Dick gasped as he saw four of the bolts strike Bane one after another, gouging huge holes in the man's massive body. He dropped with a roar of rage.
Freeze's dome just exploded as it was hit by a plasma bolt. He screamed and writhed in pain as his body's temperature surged, and then a second bolt struck the man killing him instantly.
"Fuck!" Dick said as he felt the heat of a bolt slash through the air just above his head. He looked up. He saw a line of Okaaran soldiers, their rifles up, and ready filling the street with their blue-white plasma. Then there was a solid stream of brilliant green light that flooded the roof and he ducked as a volley of starbolts was added to the barrage from Starfire's eyebeams. Bits of masonry, mortar, and pelted him for a moment and he lay still, then he slowly peeked up.
The roof was burning and Dick could see Starfire shoot out of the gloom, her green gaze flicking across the remains of the building before locking with his. "You are the alright?"
"Yes." Dick said as he staggered to his feet. "Come on, it's not much further to our friends."
"We will do the hurrying." Starfire said as they scrambled forward. A single starbolt shot into the mass of frozen Citadelians that Freeze had left behind and they shattered into thousands of tiny icy shards.
"Dick, where are you?" Cyborg's voice crackled from Dick's commlink. "We've lost contact with Freeze, Red, and Bane..."
"They're dead..." Dick answered. "We're on our way to your position..."
"Fuck, our flank's gone... Batgirl's down to just her and the cat... this is bad." Cyborg said.
"No kidding." Dick said as he skidded to a stop and saw the familiar figures of his Titans falling back down one of the streets. The ground shuddered with each footfall of the massive form that Garfield had assumed as Raven stood between him and the enemy, shielding him with her dark energy powers.
Garfield was a Diplodicus at that moment, using the dinosaur's tail like a giant whip, knocking the Citadelians back with each swing. Cyborg stood on the ground beside a car and looked up as they ran up. "You're here... good."
"Yeah..." Dick glanced at the situation and saw that Catwoman and Barbara were holding their flank. "You're with me and Star, we'll hold this side of the street."
"Richard, mechs!" Starfire shouted and pointed toward the street corner where Barbara and Catwoman were fighting. Beyond the Citadelian force was a massive metal spider clambering toward them followed by another.
"I don't have the firepower to drop them." Cyborg said with a growl.
"Fuck! Starfire, support them..." Dick said as he turned back to face the way he'd come. Black clad reptiles scrambled out of a side street and he swore. "Gordanians... come on Cyborg, lets slow them down!"
"Right with you Boss."
Starfire shot down the street and snarled as she summoned the energy into her hands. With a flash she hurled her first bolt into the lead mech, utterly destroying it's main gun and causing it to topple to the ground like a wounded animal. Her second bolt caught the following mech in the drive mechanism and it ground to a halt.
"Nicely done Red." A rather feline voice said from her side as she dropped to the ground. "You've got talent."
Bat-a-rangs flew through the air cutting into the lead Citadelian and Starfire glanced over her shoulder. Barbara stood there, her gaze hard and a cold dark look in her eyes.
"She's gone a little over the edge." Catwoman stated with a smirk. "Let's keep her from dying some dumb way, right?"
Starfire glanced at Catwoman and nodded. "It would hurt Richard, and I do not wish to see him hurt anymore."
"Well, that too... I just thought our odds of surviving were higher with someone else to attract their fire." Catwoman said with a predatory smile.
"I believe our odds of survival remain zero." Starfire muttered under her breath.
A golden blur slid to a stop behind the two of them. "Zero odds? Really... Nothing's that impossible." Wally West gave them a brave smile. "No... I'd say our chances of survival are about 3,720 to 1."
"GOD DAMN IT WALLY, A STAR WARS QUOTE, NOW?" Batgirl snapped.
"My job is done here..." Wally said with a wry grin.
"No it isn't help us, you hyperactive speed freak!" Batgirl shouted as the Citadelians charged.
"Fine…" Wally grumbled as he pulled down his goggles and burst into motion. Starfire snarled and her eyes glowed a brilliant green and flames of energy enveloped her hands. Catwoman readied her whip and Batgirl hurled a volley of explosive disks against their foes.
In the Watchtower's cafeteria a dozen heroes sat transfixed by the view-screen. Green Arrow glanced over at Black Canary and Superman. "How long have they been at it?"
"Two days and twelve hours now." Superman said quietly as he watched the screen.
Green Arrow swallowed and stared at the monitor. "Good God, how much longer can they last?"
"I don't know." Black Canary said quietly. "Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy have started taking shifts monitoring them… as have M'gann and J'onn running the scenario. So far… it's been unbelievable. They just keep pushing themselves, not only Nightwing and Starfire but the rest of the Titans in their mind. If this is anyway accurate to how good they were as a team…"
"It is." A cool voice came from the entryway and the others turned to see Batman step inside with a cup of coffee in his hand. "Those five have fought against demonic hordes, aliens, the Brotherhood of Evil, and so many others. I should have anticipated Nightwing would pull together allies for this struggle."
"Allies… maybe allies of convenience, Freeze… Bane… Penguin?" Green Arrow observed.
"Is there another type?" Batman asked. "Freeze and Bane have already paid the ultimate price in the simulation, we should respect that."
"They can't keep this up though, they're worn out… especially Dick. Starfire might be able to conserve some energy by flying but Dick can't and they've been running full steam all day." Black Canary said quietly. "Raven's saying both of them are close to breaking… Dick's already seen so many of his friends fall… if Batgirl or any of the Titans fall, he could go over the edge. They mean so much to him…"
"It's inevitable at this point." Batman stated. "It always was…"