United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Chapter 25: Redemption: Part 2
"What's the matter, kiddies, aren't you happy to see your dear old uncle J?"
"Where are my friends, Joker?" The Joker was the most dangerous criminal in all of Gotham City, a psychopathic murderer who came closer to dealing the killing joke to Batman more times than any other enemy. No matter how many times he was defeated, he would always come back smarter and more deadly than he was before. Just like Slade. No attempts to reform or imprison him were ever successful. What was strange was that the Joker rarely ventured outside of Gotham for long. It made no sense to Robin what would possess the lunatic to come to Jump City.
"They're just hanging around." The Joker pulled a remote control from his jacket and held it above his head. Robin craned his neck upwards, and to his surprise saw his friends hung upside down from the ceiling. They were all still unconscious.
"I swear to god Joker, if you hurt them…." Robin began to advance toward Joker, but before he could get anywhere he was halted by Red X.
"What are you doing back in Jump City, Joker?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking over!"
"Over my dead body!" Robin shouted at the top of his lungs.
"If you insist. HA HA HA!" Joker hit another button on the controller. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Everyone stood in rapt silence. Robin and Red X stood in the center of the factory, with the Joker staring malevolently down at them from a scaffolding at one end of the building. Time seemed to slow down. Then it happened. At first there was just a noise, a low humming emanating from all sides. The sound was coming from several of the towering wooden crates that lined the walls of the factory.
"This can't be good…" Robin murmured to Red X. The humming grew louder with each passing second. Four of the crates exploded, showering from the floor with millions of splinters. Where each box was, now stood a gigantic robot, the Joker's sick grin painted on each individual metal face.
"Now those are what I call real Titans!' Joker cackled from his perch. Without delay, the two partners leapt into action. Robin fired his grappling hook into one robot's head, and swung himself up onto its shoulders. The clanking levitation rigidly attempted to swat him away, but the young Titan proved far too agile a target. Robin quickly circled around the robot's neck, planting a string of explosives before swinging back down to the floor. The robot lumbered after him, totally unaware of what was shortly in store for it. The explosives went off quickly after another, removing its head from the rest of its body. The remaining bulk of its body stumbled forward one last step before coming crashing down to the ground. The second robot was trying to squash Red X, who was dodging back and forth through its legs. Every time he could get a clear shot at the robot's face, he would unleash a volley of his X Glue. Its optical sensors severely impaired, the robot's swings grew increasingly wilder. Red X goaded the mechanical monstrosity to follow him directly into the path of another robot, which it proceeded to strike with all its might. The second robot, facing a new threat, returned the blow, and within a few minutes the pair had reduced each other to scrap metal. That left two remaining. The fourth robot turned its attention to Red X. Using the distraction to his advantage, Robin scaled up the robot's back, searching for some kind of opening. He found it at the base of it's metallic neck. Robin jammed his Bo-staff into the hatch and pried it open, revealing a web of circuits and gears inside. Without the least bit of subtlety, Robin tore at the machine's innards, tearing out whatever would give to his grasp. Sparks flew all around him, but he didn't notice, let alone notice. Its systems steadily failing, the robot turned sluggish. Robin tossed his last explosive into the hatch and tumbled away. The explosion rocked the robot, and it pitched to the side, slamming into the side wall of the factory. One automaton remained. It was by far the largest of the group, and it was the last thing that stood between the heroes and the Joker. For a brief second, Robin and Red X met each other's gaze, and somehow, they both understood what the other was thinking. They charged forward, one on each side of the humongous machine. Swinging in a wide arc, the robot slammed both of its fists into the floor, and at that moment the partners separately jumped up onto its arms, Robin on the right, and Red X on the left. They ran straight up the arms and launched a simultaneous flying kick, connecting solid with the Robot's head with a thunderous clang. The machine tottered backward, directly toward the scaffolding on which the Joker stood. With a stunned look replacing his usual grin, the villain tried to escape, but he couldn't move fast enough. The robot crashed into the scaffold, destroying it and sending the Joker sprawling to the floor below. He opened his eyes, he found himself lying prone at the feet of the two partners. He slumped right back down to the ground in defeat. Robin knelt down and picked up the remote control, and had the rest of the Titans slowly lowered down the floor within a matter of minutes. All it took was some liberal use of smelling salts to revive his friends from their chemically induced stupor. None of them had the slightest clue where they were, or of what had happened to them. As they recovered, Robin filled them in with all the important details.
"I can't believe we got captured so easily." Cyborg groaned, rubbing his throbbing cranium.
"Did anyone else dream about evil clowns?" Beast Boy asked, to a chorus of negatives.
"There's nothing to worry about anymore." Robin assured his friends. "Red X and I captured the crook that was behind all of this." He motioned toward the now tied up Joker, who was still lying on the floor.
"Who is this clown who is not nice? Are not clowns supposed to be bringers of joy?" Starfire asked.
"Not this particular one. I've dealt with him before." Robin said, before turning to face Red X. There was one question that he had to ask. "How did you know about the Joker?"
"Back when I was working with Slade, he had found out that the Joker was hiding in Jump City until the search for him in Gotham died down. Slade had a message to the Joker suggesting a partnership, but before anything could come of it, Joker was recaptured and sent back to Arkham. I suppose Joker found out about Slade's disappearance and decided to expand his territory" Red X explained.
"Dude, but how did you know he would be here?" Beast Boy interjected.
"I was the one who tracked him here to deliver Slade's message. Since Slade wasn't around anymore, the Joker felt it would be safe to return to his old hideout. We were lucky my hunch paid off."
"We owe you a lot, X. Without your help, I couldn't have done this." Robin admitted. "I think there's only one thing I can say to you."
"And what's that?" Red X asked. Robin smiled, and held out his hand.
"Welcome to the Teen Titans."
The End
A/N - Well, that's it. I never thought this story would be as successful as it has, and I owe that to my faithful readers. Consider this to be a hiatus more than anything, while I come up with how I want the story and the characters to develop from this point on. I have a few ideas, but not enough to justify continuing. Any suggestions are welcome. Once again thanks not only for reading, but for sticking with it the entire way.