Disclaimer: Property of DC

Rating: Rated T for language and violence including descriptions of gore.

Edited: 8/29/2020

Gotham Holiday

Chapter Nineteen: Juncture

Metropolis, a landscape of skyscrapers and glass, reflected the sharp, orange glow of daybreak as Superman awoke in his cell. The thick manacles digging into his limbs and waist kept him from slumping to the floor while the room's artificial red sunlight kept him drained of energy.

Death, as it turned out, was a slow and feverish affair.

Unsure of how long he'd been Luthor's prisoner, Superman did recall bits and pieces of the night it happened. He'd come home to his high-rise apartment after work, but the air inside had instantly weakened him. He'd see the man with the eyepatch—the same one that had accompanied Robin and Luthor at the observation window.

Death. Death. Death.

Robin hanging around with such enemies made no sense.

Perhaps it'd been a hallucination.

The cell door slid open for Lex Luthor. He met Superman's exhausted glower with an upbeat sneer. Superman's glare faltered as he caught sight of the new ring on Luthor's finger.

"Oh, so you noticed?" Luthor came to stand before his prisoner and held up his right hand to brandish the Kryptonite ring.

Nausea swelled in Superman's stomach. His heart rate increased as he moaned, clenching his teeth.

Luthor chuckled. "I theorized even this miniscule amount might cause you significant harm. I see I was correct. I hope it's excruciating. ...You thought you could control my city, but look at you. Absolutely pathetic."

Superman's head snapped to the side as Luthor backhanded him with his right hand, tearing his left cheek. Blood slipped down Superman's jaw to his uniform.

Laughing, Luthor fisted his hand. "I could do this every day for the rest of my life."

He struck Superman in the face.

Crying out, Superman saw bright flashes of light. His left eye squeezed shut as agony radiated through his skull. He tried to wrench himself free from the wall and grab Luthor by the throat. He'd never wanted to pummel someone so badly in his life. To burn them to a crisp with his heat vision or destroy them with his ice breath.

But he was better than Luthor.

Even if he could strike back, he would never sink to the level of torturing his foe. Unable to open his left eye, Superman gave Luthor a defiant glare. "You've always been a bully, Luthor. This just makes you a coward, too."

Luthor scoffed. "It's always the brutes like you who result to name-calling once you've lost the only thing that ever gave you the upper hand in the first place. You might as well admit it. You've been outplayed. You have no choice but to accept that I've put an end to our little game. I only wish I could be there to see how they finally kill you."

Seeing his confusion, Luthor continued, "Oh, I must have failed to inform you. You're being traded to scientists on some other planet in exchange for exclusive access to protypes of their wonderful weapons technology. It's going to push my business far beyond the capabilities of my competitors. And each night I'll rest easy knowing the almighty Superman is trapped somewhere in the cosmos, living out his life as a lab animal. I can only imagine what humiliation you'll suffer before they dissect you."

Luthor held the ring up to Superman's face, drawing out another cringing gasp. "But if you beg me, I'll kill you myself. You can die by my hand instead of at the mercy of strangers. ...You'd prefer that anyway, wouldn't you?"

Crippled by the ring and the cell's artificial red sunlight, Superman felt himself teetering on the edge of consciousness as the room spun towards darkness. "I think… I'll take my chances as some alien's guinea pig…"

Superman's head fell.

Irritated, Luthor struck him again, but Superman gave no reaction. Huffing in disappointment, Luthor left the cell. He was unwilling to risk the ring's effects killing his prisoner with Kanto possibly only minutes away from fulfilling his half of their deal. The new influx of technology was exactly what Luthor needed to ensure the success of his long-suffering plans to rid Earth of its infestation of aliens and metahuman freaks.

In a flash of brilliance, a being appeared in Superman's cell. Luthor whirled around to face it as the light faded.

The being was seated in a high-tech hover chair with his hands folded neatly at his chin as if in observation. He wore blue and silver armor; including a helmet that did not obscure his grim expression. The glowing, indigo eyes that watched Luthor seemed capable of seeing him not only as a man, but as a massive collection of cells forming the illusion of something solid.

Astonished, Luthor asked the obvious, "And just who the hell are you? I was expecting Kanto. Did he send you?"

"He did not. I am Metron," the being said. "A traveler of infinity. I have seen the first and the last, and the crossroads of this universe, and yet, never before I have ever revealed myself to intervene."

Luthor glanced at his guards standing by the door to the hallway, and to the lab technicians in the room adjoining Superman's cell, but to his surprise, they appeared to be frozen as if time had stopped.

Luthor's brow furrowed in distrust. "Intervene?"

"Yes." Metron's glowing eyes shifted their intense stare to indicate Superman pinned on the wall behind him. "What you do here today threatens us all. Past. Present. And future. Please. Reconsider the choice you are about to make."

Bewildered, Luthor's calculating gaze swept over the being. Despite Metron's fancy chair, he found the sight unimpressive. "Are you a rival of Kanto's here to sabotage his deal? Or perhaps you're a new member of the Justice League that's managed to stay off my radar?"

"I am not," Metron replied in a deadpan tone.

"Then let's suppose you are just a nosy time-traveler who happens to be a fan of Superman. Well, that in itself is reason enough for me to disregard your request," Luthor said. "Besides, I've always been the architect of my own destiny. Today isn't the day I start listening to unsolicited fortune tellers."

Luthor pulled a gun from his suit jacket and aimed it at Metron. "You're trespassing, and worse, you're wasting my time."

He expected Metron to either sigh in disappointment or offer a counterargument.

Instead, the being vanished within an orb of light.

Seconds later, a sound like thunder was followed by a webbed portal appearing near Luthor. Kanto emerged with a beaming smile that Luthor found contagious as he moved to greet his newest business partner.

"Mr. Luthor. Our friend," Kanto said brightly; his arms spread in welcome, as if Luthor was the visitor. "We have come to collect and to give. The prototype technology you selected has already been gifted to the labs you designated during my last visit."

Two winged creatures wearing green and gold armor flew out of the portal next. Luthor had seen them before, and thus was not startled. He attempted to hide his disgust at their misshapen, insect-like faces, their whited out eyes and crooked teeth. Their rough skin reminded him of a sun-dried corpse he'd once happened upon as a boy.

The portal closed.

Kanto directed the creatures to take Superman. Luthor watched them yank his ole foe right off the wall, leaving the manacles still around his limbs and waist and wall debris scattering over the floor. The creatures carried Superman through a new portal. And like that, the Man of Steel was gone from the Earth.

And a weight lifted from Luthor's chest.

After touring the weapons technology exchanged for Superman, Kanto bid Luthor farewell and left through one of the bright portals. Deep satisfaction filled Luthor as he rode the elevator up to his office on the ninety-seventh floor of LexCorp. His exceptionally large office was the only room on the floor.

At last, the world was moving in the right direction.

Luthor wondered what other aliens and metahumans he might be able to offer in exchange for continued business with Kanto's people.

The elevator doors pinged open.

Aside from the floor to ceiling windows ringing the room's walls, a mini-bar, and Luthor's desk, his office was normally empty.

Luthor groaned. "…And I was having such a splendid day. I see you managed to break into my building without triggering so much as a single alarm or bioscanner. Congratulations."

Batman grabbed Luthor by the collar and hauled him off the elevator.

"Careful!" Luthor snapped. "This suit is probably worth more than that fancy car you like to terrorize Gotham with!"

Batman released Luthor roughly, causing him to stumble and land on his backside. Batman advanced a step to loom over the billionaire. "You know why we're here, Luthor. Where are they?"

Rising to his feet, Luthor glanced amongst the teenage heroes that flanked Batman. He dusted off his pants and sleeves. Luthor recognized them from his Teen Titans file. "Upgraded to actual little mutants, I see. Probably a wise choice."

Beast Boy stepped closer. "Are you deaf? The man in the scary costume just asked you a question, and I don't know if you can tell by looking at us, but we're all pretty tired, and we're definitely tired of creeps like you jerking us around."

"We know you made a deal with Slade." Raven kept her most of her face hidden in the deep shadows of her hood. If she was trying to appear intimidating, Luthor couldn't deny her success. He knew of her formidable, dark powers.

Starfire's eyes glowed an ominous green. "You will tell us everything."

Cyborg aimed his arm canon at Luthor. "And if you lie, I'll know."

Luthor eyed the cyborg with caution and curiosity. "Impressive technology you've got there."

Despite the threat palpable in the room, Luthor adopted a casual smirk. These goody two-shoed freaks would never actually hurt him. It would make them all hypocrites. He addressed Batman, "You know, I made a bet with my personal assistant this morning about whether you or Lois Lane would be the first to break in. Lane's been snooping around the premises for days, so I picked her."

Batman's eyes narrowed.

Luthor's smirk cracked into a mean grin. "I loathe being the bearer of bad news, but you're too late. Superman is gone, and so is your ex-sidekick."

Cyborg sighed with suppressed anger. He glanced at his allies. "He's telling the truth—so far anyway."

Batman advanced on Luthor, but Luthor refused to be manhandled again. He pulled his gun. Before he could aim it, the weapon became swallowed up in darkness. It shattered into a thousand particles. Yelping, Luthor shook his hand as if the icy magic might infect him.

"I can do that do your whole building," Raven threatened.

"We're running out of patience, Luthor," Batman said. "Tell me where they are, or we'll tear this multimillion dollar building apart. Who knows what other schemes of yours we'll uncover in the process."

Cyborg's arm transformed back to a hand. "Or, I can just finish hacking into your systems. I was already about to when you showed up."

Cyborg headed for the large office desk.

"What do you think you're doing?" Luthor moved to chase after him, but was captured by shadows that wrapped around his body.

Raven held him in place as Batman and the Titans gathered around the computer on Luthor's desk.

Luthor struggled. "This is exactly the kind of barbaric harassment I've come to expect from you metahumans and upstart aliens! You have no right to be here! Who knows what you've done to my guards? Now you're assaulting me and stealing my information!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Cyborg mumbled as he sat at the desk and typed in commands. He paused. "I think I found something."

On the computer screen, Batman and the Titans watched security footage of Luthor torturing Superman in a cell, and soon after, the hero's abduction through a portal. Cyborg and the others snapped their attention to the Kryptonite Luthor wore.

Furious, Batman forced the ring from Luthor's hand and placed it in his utility belt. He grabbed Luthor by the collar again as Raven released her magical grip.

"Some hero." Luthor didn't twist or flail. "You thug. You've broken my finger."

"You've got nine more." Batman lifted him higher. "After I break them, I'll break something else. I'll just keep going, Luthor, until you tell me everything you know about Robin, and those people you handed Superman over to."

"I just rid the planet of its biggest threat," Luthor said. "You should be thanking me."

Cyborg sighed in irritation. "I can't find anything about Robin or Slade. If they were here, there's no evidence."

"Dig all you want," Luthor gloated. "I made sure to cover their tracks. You might as well forget about finding Robin. He's long gone."

With an enraged snarl, Starfire snatched Luthor from Batman and blasted through one of the floor-to-ceiling windows before anyone could react.

She ignored Luthor's shrieks as she carried him higher above Metropolis.

With fiery green eyes, she held him up to her face, drinking in his terror. The malevolence in her voice promised pain. "You will tell me where Slade has taken Robin, and you will do so now!"

Luthor's limbs struggled to find purchase in the open air. The wind fiercely buffeted his clothes. Glancing down, he regretted it. His city was so far below that the skyscrapers looked like carboard flips in a popup book. His broken glasses slipped off his face. He watched them fall until they were indistinguishable.

Seizing his wits, Luthor yelled above the wind, "You wouldn't dare drop me! Batman never kills his enemies!"

Starfire squeezed her fingernails into Luthor's arms until he cried out. "I am not Batman! I am Robin's girlfriend! And you are helping Slade keep him prisoner! On my planet, your death would not be frowned upon! And my people do not hold such qualms about death as punishment! I may not drop you, but you will wish I had before the end!"

The heat from her burning eyes began to sear his face.

"Starfire!" Raven called as she reached them. "Stop!"

Starfire refused. "I am tired of being told to wait! I am tired of evil people helping Slade get away! While this Vand'lor stalls us, our friends remain in danger!"

Raven's hands conjured magic as she debated forcing Starfire to hand Luthor over. Finally, she decided on a different tactic.

"You don't have to hurt him to get the truth," Raven said. "I can enter his mind."

Starfire faced Raven with big green eyes. "But... what if your mind and his become bonded? What if—"

"It's a risk we'll have to take," Raven admitted. "It's the fastest way to find out what he knows."

Luthor glanced between the two girls with renewed alarm. "What are you talking about? You can't enter my mind without my permission! What kind of a hero would that make you?"

Raven drew much closer so that they were face to face. "I don't need your permission, and when I get in, I'll know everything I want to know. I'll even leave a little piece of me behind."

"No!" Luthor shook his head in horror. "You can't!"

"Bring him back inside," Raven said to Starfire. Both girls ignored his pleas and threats as Starfire followed Raven back into LexCorp. Batman and the other Titans looked relieved to see them.

"I'm going to search his mind," Raven announced.

"No!" Luthor struggled in Starfire's grip. He couldn't budge. "Stop! Don't come near! Batman, are you going to let her do this?"

Batman crossed his arms. "Sorry, Luthor. You've left us with no other option."

"Wait!" Luthor looked at Cyborg, the one who claimed to know if he was lying. "They went to space. I gave them a ship. Wilson took the boy and a hostage and blasted off to god knows where! That's all I know. Now stop this madness and release me!"

Batman and the Titans to Cyborg, who nodded.

"Are you kidding me?" Beast Boy threw his arms up. "Why the heck would Slade drag them to outer space? What next? A parallel dimension?"

"Don't give Fate any ideas," Raven grumbled.

Batman kept his focus on Luthor, "When did they go?"

"Early this morning," Luthor said. He gave a vindictive smile and chuckled. "You only missed them by a few hours."

Starfire shoved him face-first against a window. In his ear, she promised, "If we do not find them, I will return."

She released him and moved to hover amongst her allies. Her icy green eyes watched as he stood, straightening his clothes and turning to face them.

"I'll be ready," Luthor swore darkly. "You'll regret the way you've treated me. All of you."

"We need to get to the Watchtower," Batman told the Titans. "From there, we can determine the flightpath Slade took and alert the entire League concerning Superman."

"What about him?" Beast Boy motioned at Luthor. "Shouldn't he go to jail or something?"

"It would be a waste of your time," Luthor told them. A knowing smirk crept on to his face. "You're not going to the Watchtower, either, at least not yet. I suppose it's safe to assume at this point that none of you have had a chance to check the news this morning?"

Luthor tapped a command into a nearby wall control panel. A flat screen TV lowered from the ceiling near his desk. Luthor turned it on to display news coverage.

"The attacks began around 3 AM with the destruction of City Hall and all five of the city's fire stations," a harried news reporter told his audience. He clutched his microphone and was hunkered down with his cameraman inside a bathroom. "The Scarecrow, of Gotham infamy, has claimed responsibility and sworn to level the city to the ground. Hospitals and schools were listed as targets during his initial broadcast, but their evacuations quickly became the site of additional pandemonium. Chemical gas attacks have turned the city upside down—apparently driving those infected insane and causing them to commit extreme acts of violence against others, but mostly to themselves. The Blüdhaven police department has focused attention on protecting unaffected sectors of the city, specifically, the neighborhoods of Avalon Hill, claiming the rest to be a no man's land beyond their capabilities to bring to order. We ourselves are currently sheltering in place at a restaurant in the Sp—"

The report abruptly ended as the live feed flashed green and then to the startled face of another journalist seated at their desk in a news studio. The words scrawling across the bottom of the screen read: HAPPENING NOW: CITY UNDER SIEGE. FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS ROCK BLÜDHAVEN. DEATH TOLL UNKNOWN.

Luthor switched off the TV. He faced Batman. "Paranoia is a remarkable toxin, but it's still in the testing phase. Scarecrow's been setting up this experiment for months. We were set to kick things off next week, but I figured it'd might help my friend Deathstroke further his head start if we went ahead this morning."

Pleased by the shock on the Titan's faces, and the silence of his foe, Luthor strode up to Batman as if to show him he wouldn't be cowed by a thug in a big cape; especially in his own office in the middle of his own city.

Standing almost eye to eye, Luthor said, "It's why I was surprised to see you here, confronting me. I couldn't believe you chose harassing me over the welfare of an entire city—even if that city is a dump like Blüdhaven. Our poor neighbors to the south just aren't worth it to anyone, I suppose. A pity for its citizens."

Raven had never heard of Blüdhaven, but she recognized the casual disregard for life in Luthor's tone. It conjured thoughts of her father. Raven shook them from her head.

To Luthor, she said, "You're a monster."

"I'm a businessman," Luthor corrected—giving her and the rest of the Titans a malicious smile.

Batman punched him.

Sprawled and unconscious, they left him on the floor of his office.

In Gotham, Lucius Fox worked within a satellite Batcave hidden beneath Wayne Tower. It was a small, carved out space meant for emergencies. Lucius had spent most of the past week there attempting to unseal the Batcave while also running point on Wayne Industries. One of the console's many computer screens displayed Batman.

Lucius clicked away at a keyboard as he spoke. "I can track the trajectory of the ship that launched from Luthor's research site, but only as far as NASA's got eyes in the heavens."

"It's a start," Batman said. "Lucius, were you able to finish equipping the Batwing with the agent you designed to counteract Scarecrow's Paranoia?"

Lucius nodded without looking away from a different screen. "It's not enough for Gotham yet, but definitely should cover a city the size of Blüdhaven."

Lucius brought up a map of Blüdhaven that showed different districts within the city. Only two of the central districts glowed red, leaving much of the city blank. "Based on reporting, it looks like our old friend only released his scare toxin here. Everything else is just explosions. Maybe he's trying to drive people into the streets. That said, the counteragent might not do much for the people in infected areas who don't happen to be outside, and this will definitely leave Gotham without adequate protection from Paranoia for months—probably two."

"I'm the one who let Scarecrow escape with some of his supply to Metropolis," Batman said. "He must have kept developing it there. I think I've figured out who his financial benefactor has been all along."

"Good luck ever proving it in court."

"I'll fly the Batwing over Blüdhaven and release the counteragent. The Titans have volunteered to help stop the chaos in the streets and find Scarecrow before he blows up something else."

"We can't do this alone," Raven's voice picked up on Batman's communicator. "After I drop everyone off, I'm going to get us help."

Blüdhaven was a smaller coastal city south of Metropolis and Gotham. Unable to compare in terms of industry, Blüdhaven had become delipidated and impoverish over the years. Even the Narrows, the poorest, most dangerous part of Gotham, possessed more safety and resources.

Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy watched Raven vanish into her dark portal. She'd left them right in the middle of the city on top of a twelve-story apartment building. Screams and gunfire carried up from the streets. Huge fires raged throughout the city.

Beast Boy stuck out his tongue as he gagged. "Other than size, the only difference between this place and Gotham is the weird air."

Several of the big advertisement screens attached to the surrounding skyscrapers suddenly flickered and switched to a live feed of the Scarecrow. His voice echoed amongst the buildings as he began to speak to the citizens of Blüdhaven.

Cyborg knelt and tapped commands into a panel on his left arm. "He must have hijacked the radio towers, too. I'm going to try to figure out where he is."

"Why do some of you still fight the inevitable?" Scarecrow asked in a solemn voice. "Metropolis and Gotham have their saviors, but Blüdhaven, decayed and abandoned, has no dark angels to rescue it from the unbending will of destiny... You are all doomed. Acceptance of your fate is the only answer. Parents who have failed to find your children—look no more. They are lost."

Several explosions went off all around the city.

The Titans panicked.

"What was that!?" Beast Boy held both sides of his head. "Oh man, he wasn't kidding! He really is gonna destroy the whole town!"

"Perhaps we should move," Starfire said, eyeing the rooftop beneath Cyborg. She frowned, unsure if she would have been able to grab her friend in time had the building they stood upon exploded, too.

"It was the schools," Cyborg said. "The police are talking about it. They think most of them were empty."

"Most?" Beast Boy's fear became anger. "Then what are we doing? Why are we standing here?"

"Hold on… I think… Found him!" Cyborg stood with a grim victory and faced his friends. "Scarecrow's not in the city. Based on the distance, I think he's actually back in Metropolis. We can probably reach him a whole lot faster if we wait on Raven to get back."

Starfire agreed. "Meanwhile, we must assist those in danger."

Along with his friends, Beast Boy moved to the edge of the roof. Below, people ran like crazed ants. Cars and buildings burned. Some people chased with weapons. Some caused themselves grisly harm. Some broke into businesses to hide or to loot. Others filmed from safety, or, in the case of a journalist and her camerawoman, right out in the open—in the middle of a wide street despite the constant gunfire. There were mobs of people everywhere, and it was hard to tell who was infected by Paranoia and who was just trying to escape the insanity that had descended upon their city.

"Where do we even start?" Beast Boy tried not feel overwhelmed by the busy night or the chaos now before him. "…and ….when do we get a break?"

Cyborg put a hand on his shoulder. "We get a break when we get our friends back, and we start right here. Come on, Titans, let's go!"

Overhead, the Batwing flew in long circles around the center of the city. As it soared, the counteragent deployed into the air. It fell like soft curtains of rain. Once people breathed in it, the effects of Paranoia would begin to dissipate.

Below, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire did their best to save people.

Soon separated from the other Titans, Beast Boy found himself struggling to save a mother and her teenage daughter from a large throng of people convinced they were actually Scarecrow, alien slugs, or whatever other horrific vision the Paranoia gave their individual minds.

"Kill the zombies!" a man screamed. He held a big kitchen knife.

"We're not zombies, Franklin!" the mother yelled back him. Along with her teenage daughter, she'd managed to get up a fire escape and pull the ladder before the dozen or so people could catch them.

"I'm your wife, Dolores! And this is your daughter, Victoria! You've been drugged! Wake up, stupid!"

Beast Boy swooped in as a hawk—transforming back to a human as he landed beside them on the fire escape landing. "Don't worry, ladies! Your hero is here!"

"Oh god, a goblin!" Dolores shrieked. She started bashing Beast Boy with her purse. "It's over! I've been drugged, too!"

"No, Mom." Victoria grabbed her mother's arm to make her stop hitting him. "It's Beast Boy!"

"You recognize me?" Somewhat dizzy, Beast Boy gave her starry eyes a moment before refocusing on the threat at hand. He rubbed a sore spot on his head from where the purse had struck him pretty hard.

"Yeah, that's right—it's me!" He grinned. "And I'm here to bring order back to these here streets!"

Beast Boy smacked a closed fist into his other open palm as he stared down at the restless mob. "So! Which one of you down there needs their brains knocked back into them first?"

The crowd froze, considered Beast Boy, and ran away with terrified screams—many of them tossing aside their weapons as they escaped.

He watched them flee in shock. "Uh... What just happened?"

"They must have thought you were something pretty scary," Victoria offered.

A nearby reporter's strident voice caught Beast Boy's attention next. The reporter had big, curly red hair.

Her terrified camerawoman looked ready to bolt.

The reporter cleared her throat. "Am I still live? Fantastic! Mandy Simoné reporting live from the Spine! As you can see, total anarchy continues to unfold as not only the Scarecrow, but now other metahumans have descended upon the city! These attacks resonate with the dire warnings and predictions many lawmakers have begun to bring forward about the increased presence of metahumans and aliens world-wide. Scarecrow, a known metahuman—"

"What are you talking about?" Beast Boy hopped down to stand by the reporter. Beast Boy glanced from the camera to her. "We're here to help! And Scarecrow's not even a metahuman. He's a psycho science nerd!"

The wind picked up as the Batwing zoomed overhead, followed by a brief curtain of rain.

"My hair!" Mandy screeched. "Batman's attacking with acid rain!"

Beast Boy smacked a palm to his wet forehead. "It's not acid rain!"

A black portal opened beside him. Raven stepped out along with Bumblebee, Aqualad, Jinx, Kid Flash, Thunder, Lightning, and Herald.

"Oh god, it really is an invasion! Run!" Mandy yelled at her camerawoman. Both took off as Beast Boy rolled his eyes.

"This is all I could round up," Raven said. "Everyone else is busy."

Starfire flew down to regroup.

Cyborg ran to join them. "Thanks for coming," he said, breathless.

Bumblebee returned his smile. "Sorry Titan's East can't show up in full force. There's a flame-throwing mermaid lurking around Jump who swears up and down Aqualad's supposed to marry her, so most of the team is out trying to find her before sundown and she goes all pyromaniac on your city again."

Aqualad rolled his eyes. "She's a Fire Maid, and she's psychotic. But fortunately, her fire powers only work at night."

"She's small potatoes compared to this." Bumblebee, along with the other newcomers, glanced around the streets with disturbed wonder. A peel of gunfire made her flinch. "What can we do to help?"

"Anything," Raven replied. "We need to put out all of the fires in the city and round up the troublemakers."

"The Batwing just landed on top of the police department," Cyborg said, checking a screen on his arm. "I guess that means Batman's done dolling out the cure."

"We would be best to handle the fires," Thunder said, receiving a nod from his brother, Lightning. Together, they headed up to the clouds.

Aqualad turned to make a run for the nearby docks. Before sprinting away, he said, "I guess I should help with that, too."

To Raven, Cyborg said, "I got a lock on Scarecrow. Let's take him down before he pulls anymore bomb triggers."

"Scarecrow?" Jinx smirked. She stepped closer to them. "You know, there was a time I would've asked for his autograph. Can I come, too? I swear I won't double-cross."

"She won't," Kid Flash vouched. "Hey, I'm gonna go work on your troublemaker problem, okay? Bye! Haven fun, Jinx!"

"We'll split up and tackle the city," Bumblebee told Cyborg, indicating herself, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Herald.

In Metropolis, Cyborg, Raven, and Jinx found Scarecrow in a rundown apartment building.

Before the villain could react to their arrival, Raven wrapped him to his desk chair in dark ropes of her power.

"Miss me?" Raven asked him.

"You!" Scarecrow tried to wriggle free of her magic. "He wouldn't let me kill you before, but this time I'll—"

"This is pretty sad for a lair," Jinx commented, cutting him off. She tugged at some of the peeling wallpaper and sighed. "What a dump. You know, I expected something a bit more grandiose from a legendary villain like the Scarecrow. I guess the bad guys around here have fallen on pathetic times."

"I don't know," Cyborg said, scanning the gadgetry and lab equipment in the shabby apartment. "There's some pretty cool stuff here."

Cyborg gestured at the wall filled with monitors displaying different parts of Blüdhaven.

"Oh, and hey," Cyborg said, "it looks like you built these bad boys from scrap. You got some pretty sweet tech skills, Crow! Though… I'm kinda surprised Luthor wouldn't just supply you with his own stuff. Dude must be a cheap boss."

Scarecrow shifted against the dark tendrils ensnaring him. "I refuse to be mocked by an abomination like you. Release me at once, cretins!"

"Oh, we will," Cyborg promised.

In Gotham, a dark portal opened directly above a pair of New Arkham Asylum's guards who were sneaking cigarettes outside.

They jumped back as the portal deposited Scarecrow. He landed on the ground bound with ropes almost head to toe.

A note attached to the ropes near his neck read:

PLEASE USE BETTER LOCKS.

—THX,

THE TEEN TITANS.

A few hours later, the heroes met on top of the Blüdhaven Police Department. The city smoldered quietly below. Only a few people wandered the streets now, but media helicopters swarmed the skies.

"Good work," Batman told the young heroes. "All of you saved the city."

Kid Flash smirked with pride. "No sweat, Bats. Hey, just curious, have you heard from Flash lately? It's been forever since he's called or picked up. I tried the Watchtower, but the Monitor up there wouldn't tell me anything. Something dumb about me not having clearance since I'm not part of the Justice League. But I mean, hello, he's my uncle. Don't I have a right to know where he's been and if he's okay?"

Batman held up a hand to slow Kid Flash down. "I'm actually about to go to the Watchtower myself. An assassin named Deathstroke kidnapped Robin and another hostage, and Superman's in danger, too. All of them have been taken off-world, so I'm hoping the Monitor can help us find them with the League's resources."

"We're going to the Watchtower?" Herald asked. He shivered against the cold winter air despite the blue cloak he wore.

"Not all of us. Some need to stay and help first responders secure Blüdhaven," Batman told the group. "Now that the immediate danger is over, surely they'll come out."

Lightning stepped forward. "My brother and I will accept this task. We will make sure the city is safe." Beside him, Thunder nodded.

"I'll help, too," Jinx volunteered. To Kid Flash, she said, "I guess you're hitching a ride with the Creepy Crusader and his pals to space, huh?"

Kid Flash smiled. "Yeah. But don't worry. I'll be back in a flash."

Jinx groaned at the pun and rolled her eyes.

"Herald," Raven turned to him, "can you use your powers to find Robin or Superman?"

Herald shook his head. He glanced down at his silver horn. "I could take you to them, but I have to know where to go first. I'll come with you to the Watchtower though just in case something turns up."

"If Raven doesn't mind, we need to head back to Jump," Bumblebee said. "Aqualad's fiancé will be waking up soon."

"She's not my fiancé," Aqualad grumbled; crossing his arms, but with seriousness, he said to the Titans, "Good luck finding Robin. Keep us in the know."

Bumblebee gave Cyborg a small frown. "…I wish you had called us sooner. Don't hesitate anymore, okay?"

"You got it," Cyborg promised.

The Watchtower was the Justice League's orbital command center. Having contacted the current Monitor, Mr. Terrific, Batman, the Titans, Kid Flash, and Herald were transported to the Watchtower's promenade.

"Whoa…" Beast Boy glanced around the transporter pad and the thick observation windows that showed outer space beyond the Watchtower's walls. "You guys are totally ripping off Star Trek."

"How do you know Star Trek wasn't ripping off them?" Cyborg asked.

Beast Boy held up a finger, prepared to argue, but then rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Follow me," Batman ordered.

The promenade itself existed as part of a larger control room that extended to a higher level reachable by flight, metal stairs, or elevator. A giant column near the room's center supported the control deck, where the League's current Monitor oversaw the Earth.

The control room's sleek paneled walls reminded Cyborg of Titan's Tower; however, the space wasn't as brightly lit. Dim yellow bars of light circled the room above its space observation windows. Many of the panels granted access to different systems in the Watchtower. The buttons and controls on these panels had a soft blue backlight that made them seem to glow.

Cyborg caught up to Batman as they climbed the stairs. "This place must have cost a fortune."

Batman glanced at him. "You could say that."

The control deck was crescent shaped with a wide console and several rectangular screens situated side by side along its back wall. Each long, curved screen displayed different areas of Earth. One displayed Blüdhaven.

"Hey, look!" Beast Boy pointed at another screen showing Jump City. The Titans couldn't help but smile. The screen showed a mermaid with a tail made of fire swimming laps around their Tower. The tiny figures of Titan's East watched her from the roof. The figure of Aqualad appeared to be screaming down at the mermaid.

"So…" Raven arched an eyebrow at the screens. "The League's got eyes on us?"

"We have eyes on everyone," said a man seated in one of the tall, black swivel chairs anchored to the floor at the giant console. He turned in his chair to face Batman and the other heroes. The grey T-shaped electronic mask covering the features of his face made his eyes glow solid red. He wore a black and white jacket with red trim and the words FAIR PLAY in block letters on the sleeves. His hero suit was black and white with a high collar. He also wore black knee-high boots.

"Titans," Batman said, "this is Mr. Terrific. He's the League's current Monitor. He helps direct the League's response to different threats across the planet. I've already filled him in on the situation with Superman and Robin."

"Welcome to the Watchtower," Mr. Terrific greeted. He turned back to the console. "I have a lead on Robin but finding him will be problematic. The League is spread far and wide with unpredictable contact. Several planets in our sector of space have recently come under attack—transformed into literal hellscapes where all vegetation is destroyed and the lands are ravaged by volcanic-like eruptions. Green Lantern called upon the League to help him locate the culprit, but we always arrive too late. Still, based on the evidence, the League believes a massive army is responsible for devasting these worlds. This invasive force kills or kidnaps entire populaces."

"Whoa..." Beast Boy said, trying along with the other young heroes to absorb the idea of an army that big and formidable.

Mr. Terrific brought up a star map. "We've noticed a pattern. We think one of these planets in the Vega System, or perhaps all of them at once, will be struck next by this destructive force. We have members of the League already secretly stationed at three of them."

The Titans noticed one of the planets' labeled name and gasped.

Cyborg looked at Starfire. "That's—"

"Tamaran." Starfire frowned and flew up to the screen showing the star map. She gently touched the dot representing Tamaran. "But my K'norfka has made no mention of any such threat during our communications."

Cyborg mirrored her frown. "When's the last time you called home?"

"With everything happening, it has been well over a week." Starfire took out a communicator. "But that should not have prevented him from contacting me. I will attempt to contact him now."

The concern on her face grew as she pressed commands into the communicator only to receive a sharp signal in return. She tried a few more times, receiving the same result, before looking up at her friends.

Panic crept into Starfire's voice. "I cannot reach Tamaran."

"I can." Herald stepped forward. "I can take you there, and we can see what's up firsthand. Sound good?"

Beast Boy glanced between them with concern. "Wait! What if it isn't safe? What if you both get attacked or captured by whatever's out there destroying whole civilizations? Maybe we should all go. And how do you even know how to get there?" he asked Herald.

Herald shrugged. "I like to check out the universe in my spare time. Tamaran's a pretty groovy place. Seriously though, don't sweat it, Beast Boy. We'll just pop in and out to make sure the sky isn't falling."

"Or made of lava," Raven muttered, but her brow creased with worry, too. "…Maybe Beast Boy is right. We're already missing one member of the team."

Starfire shook her head. "No, I do not wish to risk your lives should the worst prove true." She hovered close to Herald. "I accept your offer of travel."

To the others she said, "Regardless of what we find, I promise to return immediately with news."

Beast Boy looked up at her in exasperation. "Oh yeah? And what if you don't return?"

"Then that will be news as well," Starfire admitted, meeting his worried eyes. "Herald, please create the portal. The sooner we go, the sooner we may return."

Beast Boy opened his mouth to keep protesting, but Batman placed a hand on his shoulder, meeting his anxious gaze with a look that silently ended the debate. They turned their attention back to Starfire and Herald.

"Be careful,' Batman told them.

"Always." Herald brought up his magic silver horn. Blowing into it, he created a wormhole to Tamaran. Starfire took his hand and pulled him through. The portal closed.

"You mentioned having news about Robin," Batman reminded Mr. Terrific.

"Yes." Mr. Terrific keyed in commands to the console. The screen displaying a star map shifted several times until a new star map was displayed. "I've tracked the spaceship that left Lex Luthor's facility to an Amparan Exit Gate. The ship traveled through to Sector 1031 a few hours ago. Where they've gone from there is impossible for me know. Batman, I feel I should warn you—Sector 1031 has long been dangerous. Green Lantern said his counterparts over there are facing the same kind of attacks that we've been seeing of late: Whole planets emptied of sentient life."

Cyborg studied the star map with concern. "But why would Slade take Robin and Alf—"

Realizing his mistake, Cyborg tried to hide it with a hard cough. "—take Robin to a whole other part of the dang universe?"

"Wait. Wait. Wait." Kid Flash's eyes lit up with curiosity and flicked from Cyborg's alarmed expression to Batman. "As in Alf-fred? Seriously? You guys got him to leave the house?"

Mouth agape, Beast Boy gestured at Batman. "Uh… so... You know who he really is?"

Kid Flash waved it off. "Yeah. I'm surprised you guys know, though. I guess Robin let the bat out of the bag. He must really trust you."

Raven arched an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't he?"

"Several trusted members of the League know who I am," Batman said to the Titans. "As well as a few of the League's family members."

"Speaking of my uncle," Kid Flash turned his bright, blue eyes to Mr. Terrific, "have you heard from him?"

Mr. Terrific nodded. "He's with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. They're on one of the planets I mentioned earlier—on Yerosh. It's in the same solar system as Tamaran."

Batman stepped up to the console. "We need to find J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter. He might be able to find Superman and Robin with his psionic powers."

Mr. Terrific scoffed. "Good luck. He hasn't answered a single call since I took his place as Monitor over two years ago. I don't even know if he's still on Earth. That should tell you something."

Using the console, Batman used his unique code assigned to him by the League to send out a call to J'onn. Though the connection went through, it was not met with a greeting.

Mr. Terrific's glowing red eyes widened in surprise. A connection was something. "He's in China. Assuming it's him, anyway."

Batman leaned closer to the console. "J'onn, it's me. We need your help to find Superman. He may have been transported off-world. We're hoping you can at least point us in some direction. If you're out there, please respond."

The same static silence answered.

Batman took a deep breath before adding, "Robin and Alfred are gone, too. They're somewhere in outer space with Deathstroke the Terminator. I can't find them without you."

There was another beat of silence.

I'm here, a calm voice spoke in their minds.

Raven's hands flew to her ears. Startled, she glanced around the control room as she turned in a circle to find the voice. "Who are you?"

Mr. Terrific looked over his shoulder at her with some amusement. "Relax. It's just J'onn being J'onn."

Raven rubbed her right shoulder with an anxious frown. "But… how could he…? My mind has shields…"

"He's the strongest telepath on the planet," Batman explained. "If he chooses to, J'onn can read every mind in the galaxy."

"He's coming up," Mr. Terrific announced; pressing a key on the console. Batman and the Titans heard the transporter on the promenade below the control deck activate. The Titans and Kid Flash hurried to the deck's railing to peer down at the newcomer.

The Martian Manhunter met their curious faces with narrow eyes that glowed red like Mr. Terrific's.

"Hey, J'onn," Kid Flash greeted with a smile and a wave. "Long time no see!"

The Martian Manhunter's skin was green, but much lighter than Beast Boy's. He was tall, with a sculpted, long face and a bald head. His blue and red uniform was minimalist with a long, high-collared blue cape. It billowed behind as he flew up to join them on the control deck.

"I am here to help," he said to Batman. "I did, however, promise my wife I would return in time for dinner."

The Titans did not miss the shock that crossed Batman's and Mr. Terrific's faces at the mention of a wife. Their surprise was quickly replaced with genuine smiles.

"I'm happy for you, J'onn," Batman said. "Thank you for coming."

"How could I not? I will search for them now. Allow me a moment." J'onn closed his eyes.

Raven watched him as if he were a shark fin spotted on the ocean.

Beast Boy pulled her aside. "Uh... Are you okay?"

Raven swallowed. She spoke lowly, as if embarrassed. "I'm fine. I've just… I've never had a stranger strip through my barriers like that before."

Beast Boy scratched the back of his head. "Breaking into my head must have been a cakewalk for him."

"Breaking into mine was, too..." Raven saw the worry beginning to furrow Beast Boy's brow and added, "It's okay though. I just didn't expect it, and… Let's just say I'm glad he's on our side."

"Hey, I bet someday you'll be a total mental samurai, too," Beast Boy told her with a confident smile. "You'll probably be able to read the whole universe's mind."

J'onn opened his eyes. His red gaze somehow made each person feel as if they were the center of his attention as he addressed the gathered heroes. "I have scanned the Earth and this entire sector of space. It's true—all of our friends have passed from this sector entirely and are beyond my sight. However, I was able to pull a name from Lex Luthor's formidable mind. Though he was not aware of my presence, he did resist…"

Distracted a moment, J'onn dismissed a thought and refocused. "The name was Kanto. This being is not in our sector either, but his name is widely known. The creatures who think of him have small, ugly and disjointed thoughts and exist in our sector in vast numbers. They have an animalistic sentience like Earth's hyenas but behave like locusts. Two of them accompanied this Kanto when he retrieved Superman from Luthor's custody. …I'm afraid that's all the help I can provide."

J'onn zeroed in on Raven. "But you… Within you is the power to find your friends, and perhaps Superman, too."

Shocked, Raven shook her head. "Even before Slade blocked my bond with Robin's mind, it wasn't as if I could sense him anywhere. We had to be physically close to each other."

Cyborg scratched his chin. "Yeah, but as someone observing from outside your head, it kinda seemed like ya'll's bond was getting stronger."

"It was." Raven looked down. "But it's gone now. ...I've tried to fix it."

"You have not," J'onn stated. Everyone, including Raven, looked at him in surprise.

"Of course, she has," Beast Boy defended. He stepped partway in front of his friend. "Why are you picking on her? Can't you see she already feels bad about it?"

J'onn ignored Beast Boy, phasing through him in his approach to Raven.

Beast Boy whirled around. "Hey—wait—what!?"

Looming tall over Raven, J'onn looked down at her upturned face. She met his gaze with obvious alarm.

"The bond between you and your friend has not been severed." J'onn took her hands. "You have the power within to break the chains binding your will, but to do so, you must set free the part of your being that you still fear—the raw, pure energy more powerful than the demon."

Raven's eyes grew larger. "How?"

"A mind journey. You have within you startling power, but you fear it because you recognize its release will change who you are forever and your place in this world."

J'onn paused to give Beast Boy and Cyborg a meaningful sidelong glance. Raven turned her face to see them, too. They watched her with open concern.

J'onn continued, recapturing her attention.

"It will usher forth the next chapter of your life, but if I have learned anything over my past two years of absence from the League, it is the importance of embracing change," he told her with warmth. "The mind journey is one you must choose to embark upon. Until then, the door will remain closed. When you're ready, I can help you begin the journey, if you require assistance."

A portal opened in the center of the control deck. Starfire, dragging Herald, flew out with uncontrolled speed. J'onn caught them with his power, pausing them in the air before they could careen into the control deck's bank of computers and view screens. He set them down gently.

The Titans and Kid Flash rushed to their friends.

"Are you okay?" Kid Flash asked Herald. "What happened?"

Starfire answered with both anger and fear making her voice thick, "Invaders have overtaken Tamaran! The palace is no more. Every building as far as we could see has been leveled. There was much destruction and death. And there was no sign of my K'norfka…"

Her face fell.

Herald said, "We saw plenty of people all chained up and being forced through these tunnels of light. She wanted to stay and free them, but I talked her out of it. There were just too many of these bug-monsters around. I'm talking like thousands. And we promised we'd be right back, right? For backup."

"You were right to convince me," Starfire assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We could not have been victorious alone."

"The creatures are the same as the ones that serve Kanto," J'onn told the group.

"This is J'onn," Cyborg introduced for Starfire and Herald.

Raven wondered if J'onn had peeked into their minds, too.

"We saw also my sister and another Tamaranean by her side. They were not prisoners," Starfire growled. "Clearly, Blackfire has returned and betrayed us again. She and the other traitor must be working with the invaders. Yet, though they have caused great harm, they have not yet succeeded in destroying all of Tamaran and my people."

Mr. Terrific said, "If I can contact anyone near Tamaran, I'll send them to help."

J'onn turned his red gaze on Herald. "Together, we can round up the nearby League members much faster."

Herald nodded. "You got it."

Starfire's hopeful gaze passed amongst her friends and new allies. "Then, you will help me save Tamaran?"

Beast Boy gave her a firm nod. "Duh, tu casa, mi casa, right?"

Cyborg smiled at her. "Of course. We didn't go through all that trouble saving Tamaran the last time just for some bugs to show up and overthrow the place."

"When we get there," Batman said, "we need to lay low until there is a plan in place. We might not have the numbers to liberate your world, but maybe we can at least help the survivors. The people you saw being taken away—we won't be able to help them until we have more information."

Though it pained her, Starfire nodded in understanding.

"Cyborg," Mr. Terrific called, "I have a supplementary mission for you. While you're on Tamaran, I want you to gather all the data you can on the invaders. Record everything. We'd be fools to assume Earth isn't somewhere on their list of places to visit."

"You got it," Cyborg said.

Mr. Terrific turned in his chair to Batman. "Good luck. I've already sent word to the League and our other allies within reach about Superman. As soon as we've done what we can for Tamaran, I'm sure Green Lantern and the others will join the search for him."

Batman nodded. "After Tamaran, I'm going after Robin and Alfred. I'll join up with the search for Superman once they're home."

"Please, we must hurry," Starfire urged.

"I need to make some calls first. I'll be fast," Batman told her, leaving the control deck by stepping into one of the long, curved hallways that connected it to the rest of the Watchtower. He filled in Lucius Fox first.

"Take care, Lucius. I'll contact you when I'm back," Batman promised at the end of their quick communication.

"Wait. There's something else," Lucius said from the small screen on Batman's gauntlet.

Batman closed his eyes.

Of course there was.

Trying not to sound tired, Batman asked, "What is it, Lucius?"

"Hijack's body is gone. I'm sending you the mansion's security footage now."

Once received, Batman watched the recording play on his gauntlet. The video had been zoomed to focus on the area of his snow-covered yard where Hijack's mutilated remains rested—a black, grisly splotch in the pristine snow.

"I've sped up the video because the change happened over the course of twenty-four hours. Can you see it yet?"

The shadow of the nearby mansion crept fast over the snow, but nothing about the body changed.

No one stole the corpse.

No animal claimed it.

But then, the entrails piled upon Hijack's face began to slither—an illusion created by how fast the recording had been sped up.

The offal slipped back into Hijack's chest cavity. His wounds closed. His chest began to heave. The man awoke with wide, panicked eyes. Batman forced the video to slow as Hijack staggered upright and hobbled out of view.

"There's no sign of him in the city."

"How was this possible, Lucius?" Batman said, almost in a whisper. "He was already decomposing yesterday."

"I don't know. It has to be something to do with the Colossus serum he stole from Luthor. Maybe he took something else we don't know about. Or maybe he's become a metahuman like his brother after all. Whatever caused this, it's not showing up in the blood samples we took."

"Keep an eye out for him. I'll warn Gordon. And Lucius, I'm not sure when Bruce Wayne will be back in town—much less in this solar system."

"Don't worry. I'll come up with an excuse for the Board and leak a story to the media. I've already moved the charity benefit to Wayne Tower this year. You've got over a week until Christmas, but if Bruce Wayne doesn't make it to any of his appearances, the world won't end. Bring back our friends and keep safe, Sir."

Elsewhere in Gotham, Barbara Gordon knocked on the door to her father's office on the highest floor of the GCPD. Aside from his wooden desk piled high with folders and paper stacks, the room held several filing cabinets, crowded bookshelves, and a couple of beat up leather chairs for guests.

"Come in!" barked her father from the other side of the door.

Smiling, she slipped inside. As expected, her father was behind his desk and on the phone. His face lit up at the sight of her.

"Barbara! Come in! Take a seat."

Barbara did so quietly, unwilling to further interrupt his conversation on the phone. She took one of the leather chairs facing her father's desk, sitting with her legs crossed and her purse in her lap.

"Don't worry, we'll keep a look out for this Hijack fellow. He's not the first tough son-of-a-bitch to reanimate around here," Gordon said into the phone. "I'll have the team assigned to apprehending thugs like Bane handle him if it comes to it."

Gordon then listened, and Barbara watched as her father's face became rigid. Concerned, she leaned forward in her seat.

"The Tribute Theatre, huh? …I'm sorry the kid wasn't there."

Gordon glanced up at Barbara.

What is going on? she mouthed at him.

Joker's dead, Gordon mouthed back.

Barbara's eyes widened. What!?

"Don't worry, Batman. We'll hold down the fort while you're gone." Gordon placed the phone back on its receiver and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"The Joker's dead?" Barbara repeated. Her blue eyes searched her father for more information. "Did Batman, you know, kill him?"

Gordon looked at his daughter as if she'd grown a second head. "No! It was that assassin I told you about over the phone—the one that's kidnapped Robin. Deathsmoke or Deathstroke. Whatever. These loonies and their cheesy names..."

Gordon lit a cigarette.

Barbara's face crumpled. "Daddy, those are going to kill you."

"I'll die happier, trust me," Gordon replied.

"So, Batman's still trying to save Robin?"

Gordon nodded, blowing smoke. "Yeah. But Robin's a tough kid. Enough about that. …How was your trip? Are you staying through New Year's this time?"

Barbara smiled as she hooked some of her long, red hair behind an ear. "The trip was okay. …Actually, I planned on crashing at home until classes start back in the spring. Is that okay with you, Daddy?"

The stress on Gordon's face melted away at the news. He put out his cigarette and stood up from his chair, grabbing his coat. "That's wonderful! I was off an hour ago. Let's get something to eat. I can't believe your first semester of college is already over. But what about tournaments? Got any of those between now and the spring?"

Barbara shook her head, walking with him into the hall. "I decided to take a break from martial arts, and everything else, at least while I'm home. It won't affect my athletic scholarships, so it's okay."

"That's good, Honey."

Barbara followed her father to the GCPD's elevators. Inside, he pressed the button for the ground floor.

Barbara adjusted her purse to make the strap hang more comfortably across her shoulder. "You mentioned Batman having a cure for those people you described as glowing from some kind of chemical attack. Did it work?"

Gordon checked his watch out of habit. "Looks that way. They haven't started glowing and screaming since. It's a shame only four survived."

Barbara bit her lip. "…How many died?"

"Thirty-six—all from heart attacks." Gordon sighed. "Plus one that jumped off Gotham Mercy's roof. They'd been given the cure, but the doctor I spoke to think the poor man was too afraid of the pain coming back again. It was horrible, Barbara. I've never seen people glow like that. I can't begin to imagine what it felt like."

Barbara comforted him with a hand on his arm. "I shouldn't have asked. …Sorry to bring it up."

Gordon shook his head. "Not your fault this city's such a magnet for bad luck."

"Good thing we have Batman, huh? Though… from what I just overheard, it sounds like he's heading out of town for a while."

The elevator doors opened. Gordon and his daughter headed for the police department's front doors, cutting through the bull pen.

"Keep that between us," Gordon told her as they stepped out into the snowy streets. "It's not that big a deal. The GCPD's been around a lot longer than Batman, you know. We'll be okay."

Barbara looked up at the sky to where the Bat-Signal shined. She frowned. Since flying home that morning, she'd heard countless people debating whether the Joker had killed Robin, with some going as far to as to speculate that the Joker and Batman had killed each other in some glorious, climatic battle, too.

Barbara was relieved to know Batman was alive. Still… Batman's absence, if it went on too long, would embolden the city's criminals. If so, Barbara wondered if another hero would step up to take his place.

AN: Metron and the Justice League members are borrowed from the DCAU, but the adult Flash mentioned in this story is Barry Allen since I think the Teen Titans Kid Flash is also a Wally West. Thank you Mister Corey for beta reading. The next chapter picks up with Robin, Slade, and Alfred and is being read over by a beta reader.

AnonGon: Unsolicited advice from Alfred in the previous chapter made Slade rethink his long-term strategy.