Things around Jump City for the next couple of weeks were oddly quiet. In particular, Slade had not made any measurable moves. Scans around the city indicated that he was no longer in the area. Nightwing feared that this might be the calm before the storm.

The latent time gave Nightwing an opportunity to create his costume. With Cyborg's assistance, Nightwing was able to create multiple versions of his new look. When the costumes were finished, he took a look at himself in the mirror. He liked the new look, but something about it seemed off to him, and he couldn't put a finger on why. He then called Starfire to his room. She had seen an older version of him before, and her guidance could help him figure out what was off about the new look.

"Hey, Star," Robin said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, Rob...Nightwing," Starfire said. "Forgive me, it will take some time for me to adjust to your new name."

"That's fine. Everyone else has been struggling, too, except Raven for some reason. Hey, I could use your help with something."

"Anything."

"You saw a version of me in the future. I know you said the insignia on the chest was a different color, but that's not what I'm worried about. Can you tell me what else might be wrong?"

"Yes, I can," Starfire said. "It is your hair. The Nightwing of the future wore it down and had it longer. The spikes in your hair are quite different."

"I see," Nightwing said. "It's gonna take me some time to grow my hair out, but I'll start working on it."

"Wonderful," Starfire said, flying over and giving him a longer kiss. "I believe the new look suits you."

"Glad to hear it," Nightwing said.

Suddenly, Cyborg ran into the room. "Rob...dammit. Nightwing, we've got a serious issue."

"Slade?"

"I wish it was just Slade," Cyborg said. "Batman's on the line again. You need to get out here right now."

Nightwing cursed under his breath. He and Starfire followed Cyborg up to the ops room. Batman was already on screen and the other Titans were in the room.

"Hello, Nightwing," Batman said. "Interesting new name."

Nightwing brustled when he heard that, but he knew he had to put that aside. There were bigger issues at play. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I've been following a lead in Gotham for a few weeks now. Reports indicate that the man you know as Slade has been here recruiting a team of the worst villains from my rogues gallery."

Nightwing felt his stomach begin to churn. "Who's been recruited on this team?" he asked.

"The worst of the worst. Joker and Harley Quinn for one, but he's also recruited Poison Ivy, Bane, Scarecrow, and Clayface. My sources indicate that he doesn't intend to stop there. I fear he may be recruiting an army to storm upon Jump City in an attempt to wipe out your entire team."

"How did he manage to recruit so many villains this fast?" Cyborg asked.

"By starting at the top," Batman said. "The Joker is the worst offender, someone who commands a huge amount of respect among these criminals. When he recruited him, the rest followed suit shortly afterward."

"You mentioned that he's the man we know as Slade," Nightwing said. "What does that mean?"

"Like you, Slade has also decided to rebrand himself. He's now going by the name of Deathstroke."

"Deathstroke?" Jinx asked. "Man, I don't think that name's edgy enough."

"There's more to it than just a rebranding," Batman said. "He's now armed himself with a sword and multiple pistols. He's not just trying to toy with you anymore. He actively wants you all dead, and his recruiting efforts indicate to me that he is planning an all-out assault."

"Why haven't you been able to stop him?" Nightwing asked. "You know this is happening, so why haven't you intervened?"

"I have intervened," Batman said, "or tried to, at least. Here's what happened." The way he had appeared on screen had been misleading. He backed up from his camera far enough to show that he was in a wheelchair. The Titans gasped when they saw it.

"What has happened to you?" Starfire asked.

"Bane," Batman said. "I saw Deathstroke trying to recruit him and attempted to put a stop to it. Bane was fully enhanced with Venom and broke my back. I've been trying to recover ever since. Tim and Barbara are doing their best to keep Gotham safe, but I've had to advise them to stay clear of Deathstroke and only observe and report."

"And you can't call anyone else to help fill in?" Cyborg asked.

"The other heroes have their own priorities," Batman said, "and, although I hate to say it, there are jurisdiction issues as well. I can't ask someone like Clark or Diana to come to Gotham to intervene. I'm doing everything I can from the Batcave. I will of course keep you informed about these recruiting efforts and give you ample warning once Deathstroke departs from Gotham."

"Thank you for keeping us informed, at least," Nightwing said.

"Of course," Batman said. "Also, I have one more thing. The holidays are coming soon, so I wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas."

"The same to you," Nightwing said. Batman then hung up. As soon as he did, Nightwing pounded his fist on the couch he was standing behind.

"You okay?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nightwing said. "I'm just a little frustrated."

"Seems like more than that," Raven said. "You seem frightened, too."

Nightwing winced. "As much as I don't want to admit it, you're right. Things were bad enough when it was just Slade, or Deathstroke, threatening us. I don't think you realize how bad it is that he's recruiting out of Gotham."

"What can you tell us about these villains that Batman mentioned?" Terra asked. "We need to know what we're dealing with."

"I can help with that," Jason said. He'd been in the corner of the room observing all this time, mostly keeping to himself, but now he stepped forward and standed next to Nightwing. "Dick and I are the only ones in this room who know how deep in shit we are."

"First, let's talk about the Joker for a second," Nightwing said. "Psychopath is too kind a term for him. He kills people without giving it a second thought, and it's more than just a lack of empathy. He thinks doing that is funny. There's no way to reason with a criminal like him, because he doesn't operate out of reason."

"Then you've got his girlfriend," Jason said. "Harley Quinn is just as insane as he is. Some people claim it was the acid that made her that way, but she fell in love with the Joker way before that. She comes across as a dumb bimbo, but she's a former psychiatrist, so she knows exactly how to mess with your head. In some ways, she's worse than the Joker. He tends to kill people swiftly, but she plays with her food. Those two tortured me for their own entertainment. Oh, and I forgot to mention that she keeps hyenas for pets."

"What?" Cyborg asked. "Man, that's messed up."

"Then we've got Poison Ivy," Nightwing said. "She's obsessed with plants. She can launch vines out of her hands, mutate and manipulate nearby foliage to use in attacks, but her most dangerous power is entrancing people with pheromones. She can put you in a hypnotic state and force you to attack your allies instead of her. She also thinks plants have more rights than people, so she will kill anyone who stands in her way without any remorse."

"Then there's Bane," Jason said. "You saw what he did to Batman. Anyone that can do something like that to Batman has to be taken as a serious threat. He uses this chemical called Venom to enhance his muscles. He's basically Schwarzenegger times ten when he uses that shit. He's also insanely intelligent, speaks like a dozen languages, so that makes him an even more serious threat."

"Scarecrow is another huge problem," Nightwing continued. "He's found a way to concoct a fear toxin that subjects you to hallucinate your greatest fears. You lose sight of all reality, and you suffer mental torment when you think your worst fears are being realized. With enough toxins, there are reports of people clawing their own flesh off because they are so deluded. Batman is the best person I know who can fight it off, but even he's had a few close calls. He's not as much of a physical threat, but this toxin makes him one of the most dangerous villains to fight regardless."

"Finally, Clayface," Jason said. "He can morph into anyone. I could be Clayface right now, and you wouldn't know the difference. He used to be an actor, so with enough study of the character he's playing, he could infiltrate some of the most secure places in the world and no one would bat an eye. Even if you did discover him, he can use the clay on his body to attack you. We're going to need to be careful to vet our allies carefully and make sure they're not him in disguise."

"Wow, sounds like we're totally screwed," Beast Boy said.

"It's already going to be one of the most challenging threats we've ever faced," Nightwing said, "and Deathstroke's not even done recruiting."

"Who else might show up?" Jinx asked.

"Just off the top of my head," Nightwing said, "there's Deadshot, Penguin, Solomon Grundy, Pyg, Two Face. And it's not just these supercriminals. A lot of them have groups of thugs at their disposal as well. They could literally march on Jump City with an army of thousands. If that does happen, we're going to need to recruit everyone from our international network to even have a chance at winning."

"Dude, this is really bad," Beast Boy said. "Should I be calling the Doom Patrol? We're going to need all the heroes we can get."

"That's a good idea," Nightwing said. "And if this becomes a big enough problem, we may be able to sway some other heroes to join us. I know Bruce said that there were jurisdiction issues, but I can't imagine heroes like Superman or Wonder Woman standing on the sidelines if the threat became big enough."

"The most serious threat we ever faced was my father," Raven said, "and I don't remember any of the other superheroes coming to back us up."

"They were dealing with bigger threats at the time," Nightwing said. "I tried calling them, but they were out of range. I don't even think they were in this galaxy at the time."

"We better hope they're not AWOL when Deathstroke comes marching in with his army of freaks," Cyborg said.

"I hope you're right," Nightwing said, "but it's likely that Deathstroke will wait for the other heroes to be occupied before attacking us. Our network of Titans are likely going to be the only recruits we'll have to stop this war."

"So we are calling it a war then," Raven said.

"It certainly looks that way," Nightwing replied. "Things look grim right now, but we have one thing on our side. We have time to prepare. We'll need to double up on training and start calling the other Titans around the world to warn them of the threat. When Deathstroke dares come back to Jump City, we'll be ready for him."

"I hope you are correct," Starfire said.

"We have to win," Nightwing replied. "We win, or we die. There are no other options."

Deathstroke almost couldn't believe how well things were going. After coming to Gotham with Harley Quinn, he had conferred with the Joker and explained his plan to build an army to attack Robin and his team. The Joker, remembering Robin and Jason Todd, had been all too eager to sign up. After that, the floodgates had opened, and he'd recruited Poison Ivy, Bane, Scarecrow, and Clayface. It was as if Christmas had come early.

All of them were gathered in the Roman Sionis Steel Mill, which Joker had recently appropriated as his base of operations. The other recruits were here as well.

"It's like a who's-who of the biggest criminals in Gotham," Harley said. "I feel so important."

"Harley, dear, don't kid yourself," the Joker said. "They're here because I invited them."

"Of course they are, puddin'," Harley replied. "So what's the deal, Deathstroke? We ready to head out West and take out these wannabe heroes?"

"You underestimate them, Harley," Deathstroke replied. "Don't forget that these were the heroes who defeated Trigon, and he was much stronger than any of you. They are not to be taken lightly."

"How many more people do you need?" Bane asked. "Do you intend to recruit every criminal in Gotham?"

"Every criminal who is willing to work with me," Deathstroke replied. "I am offering Zynothium weapons as payment for your services. I brought a few samples with me to show how effective they are."

Deathstroke pulled one weapon from his utility belt. He tossed the weapon at a vat of acid, and the material melted the steel. The acid spilled out all over the floor.
"Hey, I was planning to take a bath later," the Joker said.

"You're missing the point," Deathstroke said. "Robin created these weapons specifically to take out his teammates. These are some of the most powerful weapons, for their size, that have ever been developed. I have a plant near Jump City where I can produce these by the thousands. When you all come back to Gotham, you can actually stand a fighting chance against Batman. All I ask is that we eliminate the Titans, and you can have as many of these weapons as you want."

"You've already sold me," Poison Ivy said. "Just make sure not to throw one of those at any of my plants."

"I wonder how the Zynothium would interact with my fear toxin," Scarecrow said. "The possibilities are intriguing."

"To be honest," Deathstroke said, "I have no idea how the chemicals in your toxin would interact with Zynothium. I suppose we'll have to experiment."

"Speaking of chemicals," Bane said, "I wonder how these would interact with Venom."

"All excellent points," Deathstroke said. "Now, this is an impressive group of villains, but we need everyone in Gotham to stand a chance. How quickly could you reach out to all the other villains, and how many do you think you could recruit?"

"I think my involvement would be convincing enough," the Joker replied. "In case you didn't notice, I'm the audience favorite around here."

"Your involvement has certainly been helpful," Deathstroke said, "but I think there are a few villains who would be on the fence. Mr. Freeze and Two Face would probably need serious convincing. People like Penguin and Killer Croc will be easier to recruit."

"Let's just tell Victor that Zynothium can cure his wifesicle," Joker said. "That should be enough to convince that sad sap. As for Two Face...just make sure his Harvey side doesn't have a chance to interfere. Damn, I wish he'd make decisions without using that damn coin of his. I mean, does he need to make everything a fifty-fifty chance?"

"Even if we cannot convince those who are on the fence," Deathstroke said, "we will still have plenty of criminals and thugs to overwhelm the Titans."

"Pardon me," Clayface said, "but from what I have heard about you in the past, you always seem to underestimate these Titans. How will you avoid doing so again?"

"I am happy you asked," Deathstroke said. "I could use your help. Can you find a way to infiltrate the team as a spy? You could then give me details about the team and learn to exploit their weaknesses."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Clayface said. "Just give me a character to study, and I shall play the part to perfection."

"I am happy to hear it," Slade said. "Based on your intel, the rest of us can plan accordingly. We will attack the Titans at their weakest moment, and we will win."

"This calls for a toast," Joker said. "Harley, be a dear and scoop up this acid for us to drink."

"Very funny," Harley replied. She gave the Joker a big smooch on the cheek, which he almost recoiled from. She then stepped away and grabbed a bottle of champagne with enough glasses for all of them.

"That isn't a fruity champagne, right?" Poison Ivy asked.

"No, Pammy, I made sure," Harley replied.

"My apologies," Clayface said, "but given my...condition, I cannot ever eat or drink again."

"Then just toast with an empty glass," Harley said.

"Harley, you idiot, that's bad luck," the Joker quipped. "I'll just drink your champagne for you."

"Given my size," Bane said, "I believe I am the one entitled to the extra glass."

"Enough bickering," Deathstroke said. "This quarreling will not do if we are going to take on the Titans. If you do not work together, we are not going to be able to win this war. If you are not prepared to take this seriously, then I will bring my Zynothium weapons elsewhere. Is that understood?"

None of the other villains made a sound, which Deathstroke took to imply acquiescence. They then took a drink and vowed that the Titans would be defeated, no matter the cost. Deathstroke looked upon his band of villains and, for the first time in a long time, allowed himself a small smile. This team may already have the resources he would need to defeat the Titans, but he planned on recruiting more. When it came to the Titans, he had learned that you could never be too careful. After all, there was no kill like overkill.