We didn't take my portal this time. Red X - now outed as a resurrected Jason Todd - still had his Xenothium powered belt, and thus instantly teleported us to the place he wanted us to go. Alone.

Ok. So maybe I was feeling a little spiteful, after that little spat with Garfield. Running around with a known antihero and previously dead sidekick was undeniably dangerous. He'd defeated us before, and that had been when the five of us were together - though I was considerably better at fighting than before. Todd looked like he hadn't been resting on his laurels, or, I guess, underground; his body type was definitely less athletic than Dick's, more like Batman's. He was muscled, but not overly so. The former Robin was at least a head taller than me, and only a couple inches shorter than Cyborg.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. Intel.

"Where are we?" -I asked him, narrowing my eyes under the hood.

He didn't turn to look at me, instead fiddling with his belt. "Where does it look like we are?"

I glanced around. The city didn't look very distinctive, though it did look huge. We were on a non-descript rooftop, complete with a water tower, surrounded by high-rises and apartment buildings.

"Look up."

I did, and saw a massive building with the words 'Queen Consolidated' proudly displayed on its side. "Queen...I remember that name from somewhere."

"Probably from reading Grayson's mind. With your empathy." -he said sarcastically, shooting me a side glance.

For some reason, I blushed maroon under my hood. "I don't have telepathy in my moveset. I used a spell."

"I figured. Good to have confirmation, though. Makes you a lot more interesting if you can do more than make things black and throw them at people. And I like interesting."

"I don't."

He snorted, fixing me with a stare, then turned back to the building. "Oliver Queen spends his nights much like ol' Bruce does. Less up close and personal, but it's all in the same spirit. Him and his dysfunctional little family like themselves the obscenely antiquated art of archery."

I frowned after a moment. "We're in Star City. The Green Arrow's turf."

"I see the gray matter is still up and running."

"You do know he wants to kill me, right?"

The thief shrugged. "Live a little."

I sighed. "Fine. Speak your piece, Todd."

He laughed. "I like that. Not the name, mind you, but the way you say things."

"Get on with it."

"Well," -he began, "as I'm sure you're aware, I died. Killed by the Joker, who remains as alive as I am unavenged. I guess Bruce has a soft spot for brightly dressed psychopaths. I couldn't tell you what happens...after. I don't remember it. But I remember waking up. Years ago, before our little tussle, when the Titans were still teenaged. Before I stole the suit."

He pressed the button at the side of his head, and his mask lifted. "As you can see, Jason Todd didn't quite make it back in one piece. There's a reason for that."

He continued. "I suggested Ra's had brought me back. Your bionic friend believed it, and I don't blame him. He is rather infamous for being impossible to permanently put down. Truth is, the League only provided some...counseling. Whatever brought me back was done by the Light."

I gasped. He shrugged. "I'd thank 'em, but they didn't exactly go full messiah on me out of the goodness of their hearts."

I shook my head. "Why bring Batman's sidekick back to life?"

He bristled a little, but kept his voice even, lowering the mask again. "I'm not entirely sure. I wasn't thrown into the Pit, that much I know. I'm not bloodthirsty enough. I remember machines around me. Some sort of portal, too. Runes. And a cat, for some reason."

That sounded familiar. "Portals again. This isn't good. If the Light gets ahold of or invents some device that can allow them to traverse the multiverse, they'd be unstoppable."

"Definitely sounds like the opposite of good. Anyway, I had to punch, kick, and scream my way out of there. Every now and then I'll pick up a tail. I'm pretty sure it's them, checking out if their little pseudo-science project is still up and running."

I hummed. "You said you knew where Dick was."

He nodded. "I do. Gotta warn you, though. It ain't gonna be easy getting him out. And I sure as hell won't be getting anywhere near the place."

"I have help. We'll be fine."

Todd snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep better, Roth."

"The place, Todd."

He crossed his arms, miffed. "Fine. I picked up a job for a...let's say mutual acquaintance. He had me infiltrate a highly secure building, with theft in mind. I'll admit I underestimated the security in that place. What they've got locked up in there...it gave me nightmares. And a couple of broken ribs. Grayson is deep undercover at a top secret Cadmus facility near Gotham. I only know this because I caught a glimpse of him on my way out of it. And by 'caught a glimpse' I mean I accidentally knocked his scrawny ass out."

I almost snorted. "What about the other missing heroes? Aquagirl, Kid Flash...Terra?"

He got really quiet for a few seconds, then turned to me. "Rachel, sometimes heroes just die. As perhaps the world's leading authority on the matter, take it from me: don't get your hopes up. There's no guarantee that those missing sidekicks are still kickin'. Treat that as fact, and you won't be disappointed when you don't find what you're looking for. And believe me: you won't."

I stared at the white eyes on his mask, pondering his rather jaded suggestion. "I'll...keep that in mind."

"I bet you won't. Deep down, you're still Raven. Still a heroine. You won't give up 'till you know for sure. Good luck with that, by the way."

I frowned. "Is that it?"

"What else did you want?"

"You could tell me where to find the facility. Or what's inside."

He chuckled. "You're right. I could. See you around, Raven."

With a tap to his belt, the thief vanished. I considered his revelations, assuming he'd told the truth. He didn't seem to be lying to me, and his emotions had all been genuine. I already knew they Light was looking into inter-dimensional portals, and Jason's experience pointed towards that, as well. The more important development was that they had been at it for years. Things were starting to make sense: they would probably be a little desperate by now, especially if they thought that Roy Harper and a couple of of ninjas were enough to coerce her into helping them with their no doubt nefarious plans.

I was about to reach out to Cyborg when I heard them. I turned around and saw two figures, one short and female, the other taller and male, both bearing bows. The man was dressed all in black, while the female wore a red hood and costume.

"You're in the wrong city, She-Demon." -said the man, nocking an arrow, and aiming at my face.

The woman wasn't as hostile, but she still had her bow at the ready. "I take it you're the Green Arrow's...sidekicks?"

"Bitter rival, actually." -said the male, sarcastically.

The girl shrugged. "I guess you could say I'm a sidekick, yeah."

I frowned. "Are you Speedy too?"

"At your service. Whenever we're not asked to capture you, that is." -she replied, darkly amused.

My eyes lit up and my hands became wreathed by darkness. "Arsenal tried to take me out. He wasn't very successful."

The male snorted. "I think we'll take our chances." -he said.

The dark archer shot his arrow, and I conjured up a shield in front of me. Just as I did, however, something hit the back of my head with enough force to make my vision blurry. I tried to blast behind me, but there was nothing there. The sound of a bow being drawn drew my attention back to the archers, who fired again. I protected myself, blasting them. The energy hit the dark vigilante, but the female managed to evade it, and shoot back. I used my shield again, but the arrow split in two and wrapped itself around me. Before I could try to get out of it, however, I was hit again, this time in the temple, which had me on my knees before too long.

I blinked, looking up. The dark archer and Speedy had me in their sights, and beside them I could see someone I'd seen earlier in my adventure. The Black Canary had a bo staff levelled at my face, an expression of displeasure apparent in her otherwise beautiful visage.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but you've actually killed all of us before."

I shook my head, trying to keep Rage from murdering all of these so-called superheroes. "I don't suppose this makes us even."

"Not even close. We need to chat."

Black Canary thrust her pole into my chest, and lit it up with enough voltage to make my world go black.