Chapter 21: Serums Part l

The Underground

4:38 p.m.

Vlad paced back and forth, watching as the main members of the Order began to pour into the room, annoyed looks on their faces for being summoned so suddenly. Spectra growled as she took a seat. "This better be important, Plasmius."

The man scoffed, saying nothing else as the others took their seats. "We're going to need to move on to the next phase of our plan soon." The halfa stated as he stopped pacing and placed his hands down onto the table.

"Now that those Titans know about the boys, they'll undoubtedly return to see what they can do to return them back to normal." He explained to them. "And just like before, the boys will see them as enemies and attack. But, their friends won't fight at full power, not without hurting their precious boys." He said with a smirk.

Aargon narrowed his eyes. "What does this have to do with anything?" He growled at the man.

Vlad grinned. "As I'm sure you've been wondering, I didn't just take Daniel. I took that friend of his as well." He told them. They rolled their eyes as they heard the man explain information they already knew. "Yes, yes and we've already exclaimed our distaste for it. That human child is worthless, Plasmius." Vortex snarled.

Vlad raised up a finger. "But...what you didn't account for was what the two of them tie to." He told them, watching as their expressions morphed into confusion.

"Those Titans care too much for both of them to hurt them, and Daniel's friends and family won't be willing to fight him either." He stated. "And as for Robin, he's the closest link to Batman, which is one of the pillars of the Justice League. With someone so important to them in our grasp, they won't dare defy us." He explained to them.

Spectra narrowed her eyes. "And what if they do?" She asked.

Vlad smirked. "What do you think that little project I'm working on is for?" He said with a grin. "Once everything starts to piece together, we will unleash the Zyphius Detonator upon the League, the Titans, and whoever is dumb enough to challenge us." He growled at them.

Hotep-Ra narrowed his eyes. "The Zyphius Detonator? Explain."

Vlad smirked and crossed his arms behind his back. "The serums we've been administering to the boys aren't the only samples of the poison we have. We have more. Much more." He began to explain. "I've been working on a way to make the poison airborne, easily distributed. That's where the Zyphius Detonator comes in."

"The main component of the poison, Zyphius, can also serve as a power source for the bomb. So, if it must come to it, we will plant the Detonator where needed and activate it. Once on, it will distribute the Zyphius poison across a 15 mile radius, successfully altering and bending anyone in distance to our will." He explained.

"If we can create more of those machines and plant them around the world, we will become unstoppable." He shouted, his eyes glowing a dark crimson red.

The ghosts around the table glanced at each other for a moment. "And the boy? What will happen to that irksome weed when this is all done and through?" Undergrowth growled out, the others turning to Vlad.

Vlad lowered his gaze in thought at the question. Before Danny's secret had been exposed, he had wanted nothing more than to obtain the boy as his son, To have someone else like him around. Even recently, Vlad was able to get a taste of what it would be like if the boy really was loyal to him.

But still...nothing would really ever change the boy so much that could wipe away everything else that had passed between the two of them over the months. Vlad's mind replayed something that seemed to have happened ages ago, if really only being a few months back.

Danny revealing the man's secret. The anger and hatred on Maddie's face as she pointed her ecto-gun at his chest, spitting out a torrent of insults and threats that broke his heart with every word. Fury ripping through him as he gazed at the boy that had ruined everything. A searing pain in the side of his face as his skin bubbled and burned.

He clenched his fists in fury as the memories faded once more. Taking a deep breath, he narrowed his eyes before turning back up to the ghosts.

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure than watching you tear him to pieces." He growled out, the ghosts grinning at that.

The Watchtower

5:03 p.m.

Batman yawned for the fifth time in the last six minutes. He growled and stood up from his seat in the dark room, deciding to walk around the room, trying to keep himself alert. He sighed and rubbed his face, his fingers rubbing up against the cold material of his cowl.

His fingers dug under the mask and tugged up, pulling the cowl off of his face, letting it hang behind his shoulders as he took a seat once more and placed his head in his hands.

His piercing blue eyes stared down at the clear liquid in the container. He narrowed his eyes and leaned down once more, diving right back into his work, trying to keep his mind busy so it wouldn't wander...wander to Robin.

Eventually, the liquid in the container seemed to please the man enough for him to dub it worthy. He grabbed the syringes by the edge of the table and filled them with the clear liquid, tapping the sides as he pressed down on the bottom, a small stream of the liquid squirting out before falling to the floor.

He nodded in satisfaction before storing the syringes in a compartment in his belt, placing his cowl back on his head before walking out of the room.

Walking into the main room, he saw the Titans and other Leaguers milling around the room, different papers scattered on the tables and floor. Cyborg typed at the main computer, Superman, Jazz and Lantern hovering behind him as they watched the different screens popping up.

Diana, Flash and Hawkgirl held stacks of papers in their hands, each filled with information on different chemicals and their effects as they faced Sam, Tucker, Beastboy and Starfire. They were currently asking about the strange characteristics the boys had shown, checking them with the effects that certain chemicals displayed, trying to figure out which might be included in the serum.

And J'onn hovered in the air with Raven, the sorceress relaying information on the boys into the martian's mind, the man trying to see if any of the characteristics matched effects from any alien plants he knew. So far, it didn't seem as if the serum had any alien plants included in it, and Flash, Diana and Shayera were striking out as well.

They all stopped what they were doing when Batman walked into the room. He nodded his head. "We're done here. Let's go." He growled out, the people in the room quickly moving from their spots as they headed towards the Javelin Bay.

"Titans, you're going to have to get to them first." Batman explained as they ran down the hallway. "If they see us bearing down on them as well, they'll probably go to the safety of the mansion. But if we can keep them in the foyer, in the forest, we might have a chance at keeping them down." He told them.

"Once you have them distracted, we'll round back and block off their way towards the mansion and keep them cornered. Then I'll be able to administer the sedative to one of them."

The others nodded in understanding as they entered the Javelin Bay, finally on the right track.

The bright flash of the camera blinded him for a moment before his vision slowly returned. He sighed and lowered the suit. "Okay. I showed you the portal. Can we get out of here now? My parents could be back here any minute." He said as he turned to glance at the gaping hole in the wall. "Besides, they say it doesn't work anyways."

"Come on, Danny. A ghost zone? Aren't you curious? You've got to check it out." The girl said, the features on her face blurry and faded.

He hesitated for a moment before a smile formed on his face. "You know what? You're right. I mean, who knows what sort of awesome, super-cool things exist on the other side of this portal?" He said as he stepped into the suit.

The girl frowned as she walked forward. "Hang on, you can't go walking around with that on your chest." She said, removing a sticker, the face it once used to be faded and blurred.

He rolled his eyes before turning back to the portal. Stepping inside, he placed a hand to the wall, feeling his way in deeper and deeper until his hand brushed up against something hard on the wall. The button pushed in and a blinding white light surrounded him, a fiery sensation climbing up his spine as it wrapped around him.

He let out a scream of pain as everything went black.

...

The sun shone brightly as it began to rise up from the horizon, casting a warm orange glow on the purple waves crashing against the side of the dock. "You think everyone will really believe it was all a dream?" He asked, turning to the others, their faces, once again, shrouded in shadow.

"I got to say, Nocturne was an evil creep, but I wouldn't mind having my dream again. I could get used to that." The boy said with a content smile, gazing out over the waters, the birds crying out overhead.

"Me too." The redhead next to him said. "Yale professor? What's not to love?" She turned her head to look over at him. "What about you two?" She asked.

He suddenly felt his heart start to pound as he gazed over to the dark-haired girl sitting next to him.

"I...uh...I" He heard himself stuttering, the girl apparently having the same problem.

"I don't even remember what my dream was about." He finally blurted, the girl beside him agreeing.

The redhead cocked her head. "Really? That's too bad."

He shrugged. "Oh, well. Dreams...gateway to the subconscious...uh...I don't think so." He said with a grin. "Yeah, dream on." The girl stated. As the two glanced over at each other, his cheeks grew warm as a light red blush appeared, a small smile forming on his face as he turned his head away, the girl doing the same.

...

A fiery burning sensation coursed throughout his entire body as a pained scream escaped his throat as the blasters shot at him. He could here a large crowd of people gasping below him as they watched the scene. Crashing down, he felt the ground cave around him, a large crater appearing in the road.

Suddenly, a warm ring appeared around his waist and traveled up and down his body until his white hair and green eyes were replaced with a boy with dark black hair and piercing baby blue eyes.

The collective gasp of the citizens made his raise his head and watch as all of their blurred faces seemed to convey shock as they stood rigid in bewilderment at the sight they had just seen. The whir of helicopter blades could be heard in the air.

Suddenly, he turned his head to stare at the faded face of the woman behind him, blaster falling to the ground as she stared at him, a single word falling from her mouth.

"Danny?"

...

"SURPRISE!"

He leapt back in surprise as he stared at the blurred faces in shock before turning his attention to the room behind them. The bottom half of the walls were painted black white the top half were a startling white, a thick green line going around the room, separating the two colors.

Green patterns and etches ran along the painted walls except for the one wall that seemed to be an entire glass window, staring out at the glistening water below them. A round bed sat against one of the walls. A small white pillow and matching blanket contrasted the dark black bed, a ghost emblem sewn onto the pillow.

The ceiling was painted to depict a starry night sky, the stars seeming to twinkle in their place. And above the bed, a picture frame hung, depicting a scene with a large group of teens, each of their faces shaded and blurred, masking the sight.

He turned to the blurred teens once more, their faces beginning to clear slightly as he squinted his eyes. The nearest teen walked forward. "Like I said, you guys have proven yourself battle after battle that you're excellent teammates, risking your own lives just to help us."

He turned back to the other blurred teens. "We discussed this, and there was no question. We all agreed." He pulled something out of his belt and held it out.

It was four round communicators, the insignia blurred and shrouded in shadow.

"We want you guys to be Titans, all of you."

...

He stood on the edge of a cliff, a large T shaped tower in the background as blurred shapes mingled around him. He turned and faced the girl in front of him, her face becoming clearer and clearer as the moments passed.

"You know, if this experience brought me closer to anyone, it would be you. You know that, right?" She asked, lifting her head to gaze back at the boy.

He felt himself nod as she continued. "And just because I'm leaving doesn't mean we'll stop being friends." She told him.

He felt his heart clench as he gazed back at her. "Just friends?" He asked.

She lifted her gaze once more. He could now make out her amethyst eyes as she stared at him. "Danny...I...I-" She stated, only for him to cut her off. "I know, Sam. I...I do too." He said with a small smile.

The girl sighed and planted a small kiss on his cheek. As she turned away, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her close, kissing her on the lips. As the two pulled away, he gasped as her face began to clear up, showing her face completely.

"S...Sam?" Danny asked, confusion evident in her voice.

The girl smiled. "Try and keep me away." She said, a smirk growing on her face. "Watch those weekends, Danny. We'll be here every chance we get. Besides, you still have to help us with Astronomy homework."

He blinked in surprise as another teen walked over, his face clearing to reveal Tucker. "Always knew you two love-birds would get together." He beamed.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well let's have the kids back at school try and call us lovebirds again and see what happens." She smirked. "I have a ghost boy and I'm not afraid to use him." She smiled as she walked back over to the blurred group of teens, Tucker walking with him.

Danny cocked his head in confusion as he felt himself move with them. Lifting his head once more, he saw the faces of the teens clear to reveal Starfire, Beastboy, Raven, Cyborg and Robin.

He gaped and stumbled backwards, hearing the teens converse with each others in words that seemed familiar, like he had heard them before. He groaned and held his head, trying to understand what was happening.

Were these memories?

They couldn't be memories. Here, he was friends with the Titans, and that wasn't true...

or was it?

He let out a shout as he felt a searing pain in the back of his mind, the scene fading around him, leaving him in inky blackness as he collapsed to his knees. Suddenly, he felt the temperature rise as the area became enveloped in smoke and ash. He gasped, trying to get air into his lungs as fire consumed him and everything around him.

Masters' Mansion

6:12 p.m.

Danny gasped, bolting upright as his eyes flew open. He placed a hand to his chest, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart as he took in where he was. The wind whipped around him as he felt his back digging into jagged stone. Around him, a sea of dark green trees rolled in the breeze.

"You okay?"

Turning his head, he watched Robin walking over, the brick tiles shifting under his feet. Placing a hand to the surface he sat on, Danny felt hard stone and sharp edges to the tiles of the roof. He furrowed his brow and turned back to the boy. "Where are we?" He asked.

Robin took a seat next to him. "The roof. Vlad warned us that the Titans might come back soon so he sent us up here to scout and stay on surveillance. You were only asleep for about half an hour, but you hadn't been getting much sleep anyways so I let you." He explained, turning back to gaze out at the rolling waves of the forest.

Danny sighed and wrapped his arms around his knees, shutting his eyes as he tried to erase the last traces of his dream. The scent of rain hung heavy in the air as the darkening night sky began to mingle together with the approaching storm clouds. Rain seemed to be the only type of weather the sky could generate over the forest and its inhabitants.

Robin narrowed his eyes and got up from his spot at the edge of the roof, walking over to the boy, lowering himself into a seated position next to him. He glanced at Danny, said boy sighing as he heard the unspoken question that passed between them.

"I don't understand. The Titans, they're our enemies. I hate them. I hate them!" He shouted, clenching his fists. He shut his eyes, his shoulders slumping in a tired fashion as he sighed. "But...I know that's not all there is. I feel...I feel like there's something else between us." He explained.

Robin listened in silence as the boy continued. "That dream...it...it wasn't just a dream. Those weren't just figments of my imagination. They...they were too detailed to be anything other than...than...memories." His forehead creased in confusion. "But...but that's impossible. In my dream, we were friends. Vlad wasn't there at all. Neither were the other ghosts. The Titans weren't our enemies. They were...family."

Robin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, Danny. I'm so confused." He confessed. "And I feel like the truth is right there, just out of reach." He lowered his gaze, his eyes flashing red for a moment before raising his head once more, a hard look on his face. "But I do know one thing. This is our home, whether we remember it or not. And I know that the Titans are threatening everything we've built here. And I'm not about to let them take all of this from us." He growled.

Danny furrowed his brow as he lowered his head to gaze at the tiles under their feet, tracing over the cracks and bumps in the design when suddenly, the same flash of color melted into his irises before returning to normal. He narrowed his eyes and lifted his head. "You're right." He growled out, the two turning their heads to gaze back out at the forest, scanning the woods for any sign of the enemy.

6:34 p.m.

Batman narrowed his eyes as he stared out at the dark mansion that loomed in front of him. A small roll of thunder sounded overhead, but it did little to phase him as he turned back to the group of teens, the rest of the League standing behind him. "Remember the plan." He growled to them.

Cyborg nodded as the Titans turned to gaze at the mansion, a similar feeling of dread setting in the pit of their stomachs at the thought of fighting their friends once more. "Right." The robot sighed as he shut his eyes for a brief moment.

Wonder Woman placed a hand on his shoulder. "It will be alright." She said, now addressing the other teens as well. "We will get through this." She turned her head to gaze at the looming structure. "And so will they." She finished.

Superman hovered in the air as he cleared his throat. "We should get moving." He instructed the others, who nodded in agreement. The Leaguers passed one last glance towards the teens before making their way deeper into the forest, beginning to travel towards the back of the mansion, where they would lie on wait until the time came.

Raven took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she turned to face the others. "Come on." She said quietly, running her hands gently over the bark of the nearby trees as she walked forward. The Titans hesitated for a moment before following.

A drop of rain splattered onto Beastboy's nose as they walked. He sniffed and quickly shook it off, trying to keep himself focused on the task at hand, which was proving to be difficult for him. Shaking his head, he hardened his gaze as he sped up his pace, keeping in line with the others as they made their way to the edge of the tree line.

Out in the open, the mansion looked even bigger and creepier, especially with the little amounts of light coming in from the sky. Dark shadows stretched towards the teens, engulfing them in darkness. A crack of lightning split the sky, illuminating the structure before leaving them momentarily blind.

Tucker rubbed the back of his neck, turning to face the others. "So...are we going to have to go in there again, or are they going to come out?" He asked, wondering what would happen if the boys didn't show up at all.

Luckily, or maybe not so lucky, a bright green blast whizzed passed their heads, a large explosion sounding behind them as the ecto-blast made contact with the ground. The fiery heat from the explosion tingled across their backs as they quickly readied themselves.

Leaping down from the roof, they watched as Danny and Robin stalked closer.

Sam and Starfire felt similar pangs in their heart as they gazed back at the two boys they cared most about, dread creeping into their chests at the thought of fighting them.

Cyborg and Tucker took reflexive steps backwards, reluctant to cause their best friends harm. Beastboy flattened his ears as he watched his teammates' gazes harden with rage and hatred as they stared back at the group of teens.

Raven felt her fingers twitch as her powers screamed at her to attack the threat in front of her, while her mind and her heart held her back from hurting her friends. Jazz tightened her grip on her staff, trying her best not to show the pain on her face as her gaze fell on the look in her brother's eyes.

"I warned you about coming back here." Danny snarled at the group as he curled his hands into fists so tight he was surprised his skin didn't begin to rip of tear. Robin grit his teeth as raised his hand towards his belt, slowly wrapping his fingers around the cold metal of his bo-staff. "I guess you guys didn't get the lesson." He growled.

Sam stepped forward. "Boys, please." She begged, hoping once more that they might be able to get through to them. "Fight this. Whatever Vlad did to you, you have to fight. You're stronger than it. You're stronger than him. And I know you're strong enough to pull through." She begged, her eyes glossing over as her voice dripped in desperation.

Crimson eyes flashed in the rain, causing Danny to snarl like that of a feral beast. "I'm done listening to your lies! I'm tired of putting up with you all! And I'm sick of staring at you pathetic, wretched, insignificant low-life freaks!" He screamed, stalking closer with every word he spat, the Titans shrinking back with every insult that spewed from the teen's mouth.

" I don't care what you say, what ANY of you say. Because I know one thing for certain." He barked at them. "You monsters are the enemy here. And I can't wait to tear you Titans apart!" He roared as he surged forward, firing an ecto-blast at the group's feet. The force of the attack took the teens by surprise, knocking them off of their feet.

Robin narrowed his eyes, which were now glowing a continuous red, and grabbed a pair of explosive pellets. He twisted his arm around, hurling the explosives towards the group, a black shield appearing around them as a mixture of reds, oranges and grays shot into the air from the impact.

From inside the shield, the Titans nodded to each other, confirming their pan once more. As the shield dropped, Beastboy, Starfire, Tucker and Jazz broke away from the others and headed towards Robin, who gripped his staff tightly. The remaining Titans faced off against Danny, who grit his teeth and curled his glowing green fists.

"Come on!" He challenged the group, flying high into the air. Raven narrowed her eyes and took off after him. HE watched the sorceress following and grinned inwardly. Twisting around in the air, he fired a barrage of blasts at the girl.

She grit her teeth and created black shields to intercept the attacks. Blow after blow, she watched the green energy dissipate around her magic, when suddenly, a glowing green fist shattered one of her shields, sending her crashing to the ground at the strength behind the blow.

Cyborg narrowed his eyes as he raised his arm and fires a stream of searing energy towards the halfa, who curled around the beam, diving back towards the ground as he did so. Reaching into his ice core, he felt a layer of ice building in his palms as he readied a blast, sending a wave of frost towards the ground.

Cyborg gasped as the terrain under his feet became slick and bare, crashing onto his shoulder as he tried steadying himself. Landing on the ground, Danny raised a fist towards the teen, only to receive a hard punch to the chest, driving him backwards.

Glaring up, crimson eyes met amethyst as Sam stared back at him. Her reluctance vanished as the boy charged, realizing she would have to focus on the task at hand, rather than her feeling for the boy.

Rearing her glowing fists once more, she fires a blast from her palm, intangibility rearing itself as Danny flew through the beam and hit eh girl in the jaw, sending her flying backwards. Raven reached out with her magic and caught the girl before she could hit the ground, placing her back onto her feet.

Before Danny could charge them, he was bowled over by a heavy force. Rolling around on the slick grass, he felt the cold water begin to seep into his suit as his back pressed down into the soggy ground, Cyborg pushing with all his might to keep the Ghost Boy down.

The rain pelted them as it began to pour down harder and harder, white bangs falling into his eyes as Danny glared up at the teen. "Come on, man. Don't make me hurt you!" Cyborg shouted, only to let out a shout of shock as Danny grabbed his shoulders and threw him over his head, the teen landing hard on the ground. "Don't make me laugh!" Danny countered, flying forwards.

Suddenly, a stream of black magic hit him in the side, sending him skidding across the field. Raven kept her hand raised as Danny snarled, digging his hands into the soaked ground as he curled his fingers into the dirt, releasing a wave of green energy from his fingertips into the ground, the energy snaking its way through the grass and up towards Raven, who shouted in pain as the blast knocked her off of her feet.

As Danny stood, Sam slid under his legs and twisted her feet around his. Rolling her body to the side, she knocked him to the ground, where she leapt on top of him and grabbed his wrists, pushing them into the ground. The hum of her gauntlets could be heard as they shook by Danny's ears. The sound made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the electricity sparked through the air.

He snarled at her and kicked out with his back legs, knocking her off balance enough for him to shove her off and deliver a hard kick to her chest, driving her backwards. Sam growled and quickly stood back up again. As she charged, Danny slid under her outstretched hands and curled his fists together, a thick layer of ice building up around his curled fists.

He narrowed his eyes as he whipped his hands up, the ice covered fists making contact with the girl's chin, driving her head upwards as she flew backwards, the ice shattering on impact. The girl groaned as she struggled to move her body off of the ground. The rain dripped into her eyes as she tried to stand, her surroundings blurry.

She gasped as a glowing green light made its way into her sight. Danny loomed over her, his hands glowing green, a perfect contrast to his pure red eyes.

Robin felt his boots make a skid in the dirt as he was driven backwards. Placing a hand to the ground to steady himself, he glared back up at the teens in front of him.

Beastboy's tail whipped back and forth as the lion's head stayed low to the ground, its teeth bared. Starfire's eyes glowed an electric green, seeming to spark with power. Tucker's whip crackled with power as it lay ready, his hands gripping the handle tightly. Jazz twirled her bow staff, placing the end firmly on the ground as she turned a hard gaze at the boy.

Robin snarled and whipped out his own staff, charging the group once more.

Starfire flew forward, intent on grabbing the boy, only to gasp in surprise as he slid underneath her and leapt onto the lion. The feline snarled in rage and confusion as Robin twirled his staff over his head, three metal prongs now protruding from the top. The tips crackled with electricity as he drove them into the creature's shoulder.

The lion let out a howl of pain as currents of electricity coursed through its body, singeing the fur around its shoulder. Suddenly, a glowing green whip wrapped around the boy's waist yanking him off of the cat. He hit the ground with a thud, rolling in the dirt, mud splattering on the side of his face as he steadied himself once more.

His eyes widened, rolling out of the way as Jazz slammed her staff where his head had been moments ago. He narrowed his eyes and pulled out a bird-a-rang, twisting around the girl, slicing her arm as he went by. She let out a shout of pain, gripping the side of her arm tightly as Robin rounded back again, slamming his staff into her chest, sending her skidding across the grass.

A crash of thunder echoed throughout the air, but nobody seemed to take any notice as the battle raged on.

He suddenly found himself be tackled to the ground before getting lifted up into the air. Starfire held him under the arms as she flew into the air. Robin narrowed his eyes and reached into his pocket, pulling out an exploding disk. Hurling it at the girl, she didn't expect it to unleash a blinding white light. She shut her eyes in pain as the world disappeared, only to be replaced with a burning white void.

Robin took this distraction to grab onto the girl's shoulders and drag her back down to the ground with him, ramming his shoulder in between her shoulder blades as they handed hard onto the ground.

Rolling away from her, Robin watched Danny get blasted his way. Stopping the boy from flying backwards any farther, he hauled the teen to his feet, the two staring off against the Titans as they slowly moved closer and closer. Cyborg helped Starfire to her feet as he passed her, turning to gaze back at the boys.

Both sides looked like hell, soaked to the bone, long scars and slashes running across their bodies, their hair sticking up at wrong angles, only to be drenched in water as it hung down over their eyes. As the boys watched the Titans move closer, they realized that their chances of winning were diminishing with every hit they took.

With their small number of two compared to the Titans seven, there was no break for them as they fought. Every time they took one Titans down, another leapt into their place, giving their teammates enough time to recover and join the fight once more.

Gazing behind them at the mansion, the two nodded to each other, passing a silent message. Reaching into his pocket, Robin pulled out a handful of pellets, hurling them at the ground, a large plume of smoke covering the area.

As they began to quickly make their way towards the mansion, they skidded to a stop as a new group landed in front of them, blocking them from the safety of their base. Danny clenched his fists tightly, Robin curling his fingers around his staff as they both faced off against the League of heroes in front of them.

As the smoke disappeared, the Titans ran over as well, completing the circle that surrounded the two boys. Quickly moving back to back, facing against each team, the boys realized something quickly.

Safety in numbers was a one way street, and there was about to be a head-on collision.