JLATitans: Invasion!

by Syl

An alien menace threatens the earth.

3. JLA/Titans: Invasion! (Part 3)

Summary: The Titans go on a "road trip" of self-discovery. They rescue Green Lantern and then discover that separating him from his power ring is not good idea. Batman and Green Arrow slowly begin to "bond" while on their mission to the alien mother ship.

Acknowledgement: As always, much thanks to Terri and Dannell for their patience and assistance; their critical input was priceless in the final development of my story.

Disclaimer: All the characters are owned by DC Comics and Time/Warner; this is an original story that does not intend to infringe on their copyright. Feedback is welcome!

Copyright 1999

****

JLA/Titans: Invasion! by Syl Francis

"Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice." (Robert Frost, "Fire and Ice")

****

Chapter Eleven

As the vast armada continued on its relentless trajectory towards the minor star system, the mother ship detected two small blips on its forward sensors that appeared to be on an intercept course with its scouts. The gigantic ship's AI immediately sent out a warning to the primary scouts, fifty ships that were deployed approximately twenty light years forward of the main body. These immediately veered off towards the new coordinates...

****

"Flasheroo!" Robin called. "You've gotta keep a close watch on our sensors. Superman and GL are the least of our problems. If they find us, the worst we can expect is to get spanked and sent to our rooms. If we run into the armada, we may not live to see our rooms again!"

"Yeah! And I bet Uncle Barry would sure feel sorry that he got mad at me for going on this mission," Kid Flash replied.

Robin sighed at the other boy's utter denseness. "Well, keep your eyes and ears open, Twinkletoes, so's your Uncle doesn't have reason to feel bad, okay?"

"Okay," Kid Flash answered happily.

"Five hours to Sol System's edge," reported Aqualad quietly.

"Thanks, Garth," Robin acknowledged. "Speedy!"

"Yeah?" Speedy was busy practicing with his sights.

"I'm sending a firing program to your target acquisition computer. I want you become familiar with it. ASAP!"

"Hey!" Speedy protested. "Who's the weapons expert here? I don't need any pre- programmed firing sequence to acquire a target. No way, Boy Wonder!"

"Harper," Robin's voice took on a dangerous edge. "You have two choices: Either follow my orders or get out of my way. I don't have time for arguments. Now what will it be?"

Speedy clenched his fist in disgust and looked like he was about to tell Robin where to go, when he noticed the other Titans waiting quietly, tensely assessing his response. He took a deep breath, slowly unclenched his fist, and nodded slowly.

"Okay, Bird-boy...you're the boss," Speedy said. He caught Wonder Girl's eyes. She was smiling proudly. Speedy slowly returned the smile.

"Good...when I call for fire, I want you to immediately go the programmed sequence," Robin ordered in a brisk, business-like tone. Then relenting, he added with a slight smile, "And, Archer, don't worry...you'll get your chance to go to free fire."

Speedy's grin broadened. "Hey, Robbo! You're all right!" Speedy turned and gave Kid Flash a high five. For the next few hours, the Titans became just a bunch of kids out for a joyride...

****

"Robbie!" Kid Flash called out. "I'm receiving a Priority One transmission from the JLA!"

"Put it on audio," Robin replied.

"...Please, Donna," Wonder Woman was pleading quietly. "This is not the way. You'll be killed. Dearest sister...please...I beseech you to return. Before it's too late." She suddenly broke off and was replaced by the Flash.

Robin turned to Wonder Girl. She was sobbing quietly in the copilot's seat. He reached across and gently gave her arm a squeeze. Wonder Girl quickly placed her hand on his and gave Robin a grateful smile.

"Wally! Hey, champ! You'n me...we're partners, remember? You didn't even say good-bye." The Flash's voice broke. "Wally, what will I tell your Aunt Iris if anything should happen to you? I promised her I'd take care of you. Wally, I couldn't love you more if you were my own son, you know that. Please...please come home."

The others turned to look at Kid Flash. The young speedster's face appeared stricken, and he looked ready to burst into tears.

"Garth," Aquaman's deep voice came on. "You are my right hand. I cannot rule without my most trusted advisor. Minnow, please return the craft to the satellite." Aquaman paused, then demanded in anger, "Garth! This is your King speaking! I command you to return this instant--!"

Aquaman was suddenly cut off. Aqualad dropped his head in shame. To disobey his king and the man who'd been like a father to him was more than the shy Atlantean could take.

"Red," Black Canary's tentative voice came on over the audio pickup. "Red, I know you're angry with me, but I swear I never meant to hurt you. I know that Ollie's a knucklehead sometimes, but he loves you...you know he does. Just like you love him. And Red, I-I never had little brother before...I'd never forgive myself if you got yourself killed because of me. I promise, Red..." Black Canary hesitated for a split second. "...I promise that I'm history. Just come back to us! Oh, Red, I love you, too."

"Robin," Atom's voice cut in. Robin's head shot up at his name. "Robin, I know you're listening, son. You're the leader. The others will follow you. I know that you're hurt and upset that Batman wouldn't risk you by taking you with him. But this isn't the way, Robin." Atom's voice took on a slightly desperate edge.

"You're responsible for the lives of the others now. If you children are hurt or killed, then Batman's sacrifice will have been for nothing. Robin, you know I'm telling you the truth. You're too much of a leader not to realize this. Please...Robin, you Titans aren't just nameless faces in a crowd. You're our children. Robin, for your sake and the sake of the others...please, turn the craft around!"

"Shut that damned thing off!" yelled Speedy. He jumped from his seat and made his way to the commsyst station, where he reached over and punched the off- switch. "What are they trying to do? Mess with our minds?" Speedy's voice broke and he immediately returned to his weapons station. "Dinah had no right to say anything...no right," he whispered, his voice choking.

Kid Flash sat hunched over his station, his hands covering his eyes. His slightly shaking shoulders showed that the junior speedster was quietly crying. Aqualad looked impossibly young and terribly lost. His violet eyes shining with unshed tears. Wonder Girl looked over at Robin trying to be brave, but her chin quivered nonetheless.

Robin looked at each of his teammates, in turn, and gritted his teeth at the only decision he could make. "We're turning back," he said succinctly.

"What?!" Wonder Girl protested. "Robbie, we can't!"

"Yeah, Bird-boy," Speedy broke in. "They're just tryin' to mess with our minds, man! They don't care about us...just their lousy reputations!"

"Hey! You watch your mouth, jerk!" Kid Flash jumped up and shoved Speedy unceremoniously. "I don't know what your problem is...but I love Uncle Barry, and he loves me! He'd never do anything to hurt me!" Kid Flash turned anguished green eyes on Robin.

"Robbie, I-I know how important this is to you, and I'll go along with whatever you decide. I'll be okay...honest." Tears that the junior speedster couldn't control fell of their own accord. "It's just that I didn't say good-bye, and if something happens...Uncle Barry will never forgive himself. Robbie, he's been like a Dad to me...I can't do that him!"

Robin set the _Avenger_ on autopilot and stood up. There was just enough room for all of the Titans to stand inside the cruiser's small cockpit. They each stared at one another wondering what was coming next.

"I had no right to ask you to come with me. I should've anticipated this. Your families are back there onboard the satellite. Mine is somewhere out there." Robin pointed forward in the direction they were heading. "We still have about thirty minutes before we reach the edge of the solar system. If I turn back now, I'll have you home in time for supper." Robin gave them a smile that was more of a grimace.

"Robin, wait!" Aqualad said. "You are the leader, of course, and we will respect your decision. But we are also a team. You cannot arrive at such a momentous conclusion without consulting us. Aquaman seeks counsel whenever he is called upon to make a ruling that could be met with harsh opposition. He is our king, but as in all things, Arthur tries his utmost to rule both fairly and justly."

"Yeah, Robbie, before you take us back, why don't you *ask* us if we want to go back?" Kid Flash said, sniffling and wiping his eyes and nose inelegantly on his sleeve.

"Garth and Wally are correct, Dick," Wonder Girl agreed. "You should ask us how we feel before we abandon the mission."

Speedy nodded. "You already know how *I* feel! I say we go on! We're not a bunch of babies that need protection from the big, bad invaders. What's the point in being superheroes if every time the going gets tough, we get sent to the rear where it's 'safe.'"

Robin stood, arms crossed, feet shoulder-width apart, the picture of a junior superhero. He nodded slowly at their individual pleas and finally spoke. "All right, Titans. You each get one vote." He paused. "But the ultimate decision is mine. Do you agree?"

They each nodded their agreement.

"All right. All those in favor of going back to the Hall of Justice, say 'Aye!'" No one spoke. "All those in favor of continuing with this mission--" Robin was interrupted by the four resounding "AYEs!" from his teammates. Wonder Girl hugged Robin in happy celebration, then noticing Speedy's jealous scowl, she turned and hugged him, too.

Robin looked at each of his teammates in turn. "Are you absolutely sure you know what you're volunteering for?" At their solemn nods, he reluctantly agreed. "All right, we continue the mission; however, before we clear the solar system, I want each of you to record a message to your families. Tell 'em...tell 'em what you need to tell 'em to set things right. When we're ready to cross into deep space, we'll uncloak for a few seconds and send a short data burst. Okay...what are standing around for? Go record your personal messages! We're at ten minutes to leaving the solar system!"

The Titans all rushed back to their duty stations and began recording their messages. Robin returned to his pilot's station and quickly recorded a farewell message to Alfred...

Alfred, I guess you'll get this message if something happens to me. I couldn't let Bruce go off by himself and maybe get killed. I already lost one Dad, because I didn't do anything to prevent his murder, even though I knew that rat Zucco didn't belong there. I should've said something, but I didn't...and now Mom 'n Dad are dead.

I won't let Bruce die without trying to do to something about it. I'm going against direct orders, so don't be mad at Bruce. I-I love you, Alfred...I never knew my grandfather, but I know I would've wanted him to be like you...kind, thoughtful...a true friend. Please, don't be mad at me for leaving without saying goodbye. Love, Dick...

Robin decided to send it via Wonder Woman, since she already knew Batman's secret identity. He checked the ship's chronometer. Thirty seconds to solar system's edge!

"All right, people! Close out your messages and ship 'em to Flasheroo's comm board! Kid Flash, package them into a ten-second data burst and be ready to transmit on my signal! Ready?" Robin held his closed fist up. "NOW!" He brought his hand down in a sharp movement, and simultaneously turned off the _Avenger's_ cloak.

Kid Flash sent the data burst as soon as Robin's hand came down. "Message transmitted!" he called out. Robin immediately recloaked the _Avenger_, and punched her into hyperspace.

****

The scouts' sensors instantly detected the unusual spatial readings on an intercept course with the main body of the armada. Ship AIs communicated instantly with each other, passing data between ships at faster than light speed. The forward scout ships veered suddenly towards an intercept point with the incoming unidentified craft...

**** Batman piloted the cruiser with minimal effort and almost no conversation. Green Arrow sighed to himself.

"I might as well be on a solo voyage," GA muttered. They'd been travelling for almost fifteen hours, and Batman had spoken about as many words in that entire period. Green Arrow smiled sourly and spoke aloud in a high falsetto. "Oh, I don't know what you're talking about, Ollie. I thought that so far we've had a very pleasant voyage."

GA paused and turned his head as if addressing another speaker. "Oh, yes, I totally agree. Quite pleasant. Jupiter looks lovely this time of year, don't you think?"

He turned his head again and brought his hands delicately up to the sides of his mouth. "Oh, and Saturn's rings...to die for!"

"Quite so! But that Pluto! Did absolutely nothing for me! Too cold and dark. Reminded me of someone I know..." Green Arrow continued in this vein for a few more minutes, but eventually tired of the game since he was obviously not going to get a rise from his taciturn teammate.

Instead, GA went back to monitoring his station. He dutifully adjusted a knob here and there. Nothing. Just empty space! GA sighed. He was back where he'd started. Before they'd left the JLA satellite, Atom and the Flash had modified the different stations onboard and somehow jumped several of the critical systems to only two consoles.

Therefore, while GA was sitting on the right-hand copilot's seat, he could monitor sensors, communications, engineering, shields and weapons, while Batman could pilot, navigate, and have auxiliary fire control, if necessary.

Of course, no one said anything to GA about traveling thousands of light years with Laughing Boy next to him. GA sighed again. He missed Roy's arrogant wit and Dinah's sharp rebuttals. "I wonder if I'll see them again," he thought.

"You will." Batman's quiet reply caught Green Arrow off guard.

"Sorry, Bats. I must've spoken out loud. I didn't mean to interrupt your interminable silence."

Batman turned and faced Green Arrow. "I asked you not to come," he reminded him.

"Yeah, I know. But why should I let you Bat-guys get all the glory?" Green Arrow returned facetiously. Then, more seriously, he asked, "What makes you so sure I'll see Roy and Dinah again?"

"I promised Robin I'd be back."

Green Arrow's eyes widened behind his mask. "Oh," he said. "And I suppose that you're a man of your word." Before Batman could answer, Green Arrow continued. "I promised Roy I wouldn't walk out on him again, and what did I do? I left and I didn't even say goodbye." GA dropped his eyes. "I just couldn't face him again. Not after...well, you know."

Batman made no reply. GA grinned sardonically. "You know, you could drive a guy nuts...or should I say bats? I spill my guts to you and get about as much response as an operator who's just placed you on hold. What are you made of anyway? Ice?"

Batman's answer sounded reluctant, as if it almost pained him to talk. "I see little point in commenting on the obvious. You have serious problems with your junior partner. Coming with me could have made the problem worse. Do you want me to tell you that Roy will understand? I can't do that...I don't you or Roy well enough to make that judgement. Only you can answer that question."

"You're right. I guess I just wanted you to blow some sunshine in my general direction." Green Arrow guffawed. "But I forgot who I was travelling with. Little Mary Sunshine you're not! God! Where's a funeral when you need a good laugh?"

Batman looked askance at Green Arrow, and to the archer's astonishment, allowed a half-grin. "You remind me of Robin."

"Oh? How's that? My youthful innocence and colorful costume?"

"Your nonstop irreverent humor."

"Oh, really? Well, I've got thousands more where those came from, Caped Crusader."

"Please, don't," Batman uttered.

"Are you kiddin', Bats? We're finally bonding, man! By the time we reach the end of the universe, we'll be buds...the new Dynamite Duo!" GA grinned broadly. "Of course, you'll have to do something about that Dark Knight look of yours...it clashes with my brighter colors." He paused for effect. "You know, Green Lantern could be a real possibility to pal around with. At least he has an eye for color."

"Spare me, GA. Spare me."

Green Arrow blithely ignored Batman's plea and proceeded to regale him with outrageously tall tales about his and Speedy's adventures in Star City...

****

The forward scouts targeted the unidentified craft. Two scouts peeled off, and splitting up, converged on it from two different directions. The lead scout transmitted a string of numerical sequences, warning the craft to heave-to. Its warning went on unheeded. Finally, the lead scout gave the order to fire!

****

The last thing Green Lantern remembered for some time was receiving a strange transmission over his headset...

"Atom! Can you translate?" GL asked. He was "stopped" in space outside the solar system, surrounded by a protective green halo from his power ring.

"Affirmative, GL, but it'll take time. Batman left us the translator program, but we're still pretty slow with it. The Flash is learning it faster than the rest of us, but even he can't do a real-time translation, yet."

"Okay, Ray...do your best! GL out!" GL turned to continue his search for the missing JLA cruiser, when two strange alien craft uncloaked less than 200 meters from him and quickly approached him, firing deadly plasma rays.

Green Lantern immediately ducked and rolled. He aimed his power ring and the full force of his immense will on the closest craft. His ring instantaneously scooped up the alien craft in a giant green bulldozer. However, in his single moment of being occupied with the first craft, the second zeroed in on its target and fired!

Green Lantern felt the universe suddenly go black...

****

"Speedy! How're you coming with that firing program I sent you?" Robin asked.

"Ready whenever you give the word, Bird-boy!"

"Aqualad," Robin addressed the Atlantean, "do you have the new course I asked for plotted, yet?"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Aqualad reported happily. "I am ready to engage the new course any time."

"Uh, thanks, Garth," Robin replied shaking his head. "Kid Flash, your speed's gonna be critical. Your job's gonna be to maximize shields wherever we need them the most: forward, starboard, port, or aft. The computer is fast, but I think you're faster. I'm depending on you, Flasheroo. You think you're up to it?"

"Aw, shucks, Robbie! Kid's play...I promise! I won't let you down."

"I know that, Wally. I just wanted to hear you say it. Stand by the sensors so's you'll know instantly where we need shields the most."

Kid Flash nodded and gave Robin a thumbs up.

"Wonder Girl, you're my copilot. I'm gonna need you to help when I ask you to, and to be hands off at all other times. Also, because everyone else is tied up with critical jobs, I'm gonna need you to be my jack-of-all-trades. I'm jumping engineering to your console. Think you can handle that?"

"I think so, Robbie. Let's see...that's engines, auxiliary power, transporter, and cloaking device. Okay, I think I've got it...I'll just familiarize myself with the layout here."

"Robin! Forward sensors show two unidentified crafts uncloaking approximately five thousand kilometers forward!"

"ETA?" Robin asked patiently. Would Kid Flash ever learn to give a full report he wondered.

"They...they're not headed this way, Robbie. No wait! They're maneuvering...circling! Robbie, their weapons are armed! They're firing at something! It's so small I can't make it out!" Kid Flash listened into his headset and watched his monitor closely.

"Flasheroo, send me what's on your monitor!" Robin ordered. Kid Flash immediately complied, transmitting the image on his monitor to Robin's Command Console. Robin's eyes narrowed as he studied what was on the screen. He quickly typed in a few commands to magnify the unknown object that the unidentified craft were firing at. His eyes widened!

"HANG ON!!!" Robin cried. He punched his thrusters going into max FTL drive and held on for life. The dizzying warped effect of space being bent around them made the interior of the _Avenger_ suddenly seem like the Titans had stepped into a funhouse of mirrors. The effect lasted only a split second...here and gone so quickly that the _Avenger's_ crew wondered if they'd imagined it.

"Stand by weapons!" Robin ordered. "Fire!"

Speedy immediately initiated the firing sequence that Robin had programmed into his fire computer. The _Avenger's_ main batteries immediately targeted the alien vessel on its starboard bow. To Speedy's undying admiration, the _Avenger's_ target acquisition computer quickly targeted the enemy spacecraft's plasma engines and fired! A hit!

Robin rolled the _Avenger_ through the quickly dissipating explosion. By taking out the engines, they'd also disabled the alien spacecraft's weapons. It was now "dead in the water."

The second vessel ascended on its z-axis on what looked like a loop. It went "up", then came "down" on the _Avenger's_ aft side and opened fire. Robin concentrated on his flying and on holding his ship steady while the space around them was being bombarded with high-energy plasma particle beams.

"Wonder Girl, lock onto that target and stand by the transporter! Kid Flash, stand by to lower the shields on my order." They both nodded their acknowledgement. "Speedy when we lower the shields, go to free fire! Aqualad, I need you on auxiliary weapons in case Speedy needs help!"

"Hey, no need to be insulting!" Speedy protested, but he was grinning as he said it. "Gillhead, the red button is the trigger. You push that to fire and make a big bang, understand?"

Aqualad gave him a quizzical look. "But sound does not travel in the vacuum of space, Speedy."

Speedy closed his eyes shook his head. "Never mind, Gillhead. Never mind."

Aqualad turned back to his station with a secret twinkle. He caught Kid Flash's eye and winked at him. Kid Flash smiled. Whadaya know? Aqualad just did a funny! Kid Flash turned back to his station and waited for Robin's order.

"Okay, Titans!" Robin called over the intercom. "Ready...! Lower shields!" Robin's single order was followed by a succession of unspoken ones that were quickly carried out.

As soon as Kid Flash lowered the shields, Speedy changed to free fire, and began to engage the attacking spacecraft through a combination of computer assisted firing and sheer gut instinct. At the same time, Wonder Girl, who'd locked onto the alien crafts' target, activated the transporter and managed to grasp whatever it was from the jaws of death.

"Transporter complete!" she called. "What ever it is, we have it in our transporter buffer."

At this moment, Speedy successfully targeted the remaining alien spacecraft's plasma engines and fired.

"Woo-hoo!" Speedy cried triumphantly. "That's two down, Boy Wonder!"

"Shields! Cloak! Let's get outta here, people!" Robin said excitedly. He punched the _Avenger_ to max FTL drive, and instantly, the two alien spacecraft disappeared from their sensors. Within seconds, Robin returned the _Avenger_ to standard hyperdrive. By then, according to their instruments, they'd jumped over 300 light years.

"Whoowee!" Kid Flash yelled. "Man! That's *really* traveling, Robin. You've gotta teach me to fly one've these!"

"Great going, people," Robin said over the intercom. He took a moment to compose himself, then put the _Avenger_ on autopilot and stood up. "Speedy, nice shooting, pal. Donna, Wally...great on the responses. Garth...your navigation is second to none."

Robin stood there quietly, unhappy about what he was to tell them. Sighing he plunged in, "Houston...we've got a problem."

Kid Flash looked at Robin perplexed. "Huh? Who's Houston?" he asked blankly. The others didn't bother to answer.

"The 'whatever it is' in our transporter buffer?" Robin said by way of introduction. "Well, he's about six foot two, has brown hair, brown eyes, weighs approximately one ninety, likes the color green, and has this awesome ring!"

"Green Lantern?" Speedy choked. "We have Green Lantern in the transporter buffer?"

"Uh-huh," Robin nodded.

"But, Robbie we can't leave him in there," protested Wonder Girl. "We don't know if a person's identity may be affected if left in stasis for too long!"

"I know that, Wonder Girl," Robin answered slightly annoyed. "You don't think I'd leave him there, do you?" Robin noticed that she didn't answer. "Look, guys, the problem is his ring. As soon as we rematerialize him, GL is gonna just take us home, like a bunch of truant kids." Jutting his chin out stubbornly, in a manner that they were all becoming familiar with, Robin added, "I didn't come this far, just to be taken back!"

"Robbie, couldn't we rematerialize GL, but somehow keep his ring in the buffer?" Kid Flash asked. "I don't know much about these things, but isn't there some way to determine such a thing?"

Robin stared at Kid Flash like he'd never seen him before. He stared at the junior speedster for so long, that Kid Flash began to flush with embarrassment. "Uh, look, Robbie, I guess it was a dumb idea...just shuck it to my lack of higher math skills," he added sheepishly.

Robin began to grin slowly. He walked up to Kid Flash and to the junior speedster's astonishment grabbed him in a bear hug. "I can't believe it! Flasheroo, you're beautiful, you know that? I could kiss you!"

A red blur was Robin's answer. Kid Flash zipped out of the way of the threatened kiss and hid behind Aqualad. "Oh, no you don't, Robbie!" Kid Flash protested. "I draw the line on kissing guys!"

Robin laughed. "Don't worry, Flasheroo! You're too ugly to kiss anyway. Wonder Girl, come on...let's see if we can determine a signature unique to GL's power ring." He paused, then said solicitously. "And WG, I promise that whatever we discover, I'll have GL out of stasis in under an hour, okay?"

Wonder Girl nodded.

****

Chapter Twelve

The scouts sent an alarming message back to the mother ship. The "unidentified craft" had actually been a sentient lifeform, protected by a powerful radiation shield that the being could manipulate. Just as they were about to overcome the threat, a small primitive spacecraft materialized and fired on the two forward scouts. The unidentified craft disabled the scouts' engines, and as a result the plasma weapons as well, since they were powered by the engines.

Before the forward scouts could take countermeasures, the intrusive craft transported the sentient lifeform onboard and jumped into some type of FTL drive. The FTL-powered craft might be quite primitive, but it was nonetheless highly effective.

****

"GL! GL! Come in! GL, come in!" Atom listened helplessly to the answering silence. "No use. We've lost contact." He exchanged worried looks with the Flash and Wonder Woman. Atom turned back to the commsyst microphone. "JLA to Superman, come in."

"Superman, here. Still no sign of the kids. What's your recommendation?"

Atom understood that Superman was giving the Titans' senior partners the option of ordering the Man of Steel to continue the search or return to base. Superman would willingly follow their wishes.

"Superman, stand by on that...We have another problem. We've lost contact with Green Lantern. His last known position was in search sector four point zero zero two Alpha November. He'd just reported receipt of an alien transmission. We translated it as fast as possible, but it looks like we might be too late."

"I'm on my way to GL's last known position," Superman replied. "What's the message say?"

"GL was being ordered to, for want of a better word, heave-to, and prepare to be boarded. He was apparently misidentified as a spacecraft." Atom sounded a bit uncertain. "It just seems odd that an alien technology as advanced as this could make such a huge error!"

"I'm almost at the coordinates you gave me," Superman replied. "I've been searching with my telescopic vision for any signs of GL, but I haven't found any yet...Wait! I see something!"

Atom and the other JLAers waited tensely for Superman to report anything further. When it seemed that Superman wasn't ever going to say anything again, his quiet confident voice came across the speakers.

"It looks like some kind of space battle was fought here," he reported. "You should *see* these things, Atom! They're as big as the Daily Planet building...maybe bigger. And these are the 'small' ships, people." Superman didn't say anything for a while. "I'm circling the ships and searching for any lifesigns," he said. "Whoever hit 'em seems to have aimed only to disable. The engines are so much slag now, but that's all the damage I can discern. The ships are just lying here...dead in space. I'm going in, Atom."

"We copy, Superman," Atom answered. "And big guy...ixnay on being the strong, silent type. Keep me informed on everything you see, no matter how insignificant!"

"You're the boss, Atom," Superman said indulgently. "I only aim to please."

Atom and the Flash exchanged smiles...

****

He was floating in blackness...no sound...no sense of touch or taste or smell. Where am I, he wondered? Is this death? Eternal nothingness? No, I can't be dead, he denied. I think...therefore, I am. Can the bull, Jordan! You've gotta get your bearings...Call out! See if there's anyone else here.

"Hey! Somebody...anybody! Is anyone else here? Where am I? Anybody! Please answer!" The eternal silence echoed back...

He looked down at his hands. His ring...where was his ring? He could sense it...somewhere nearby, yet inaccessible. He reached inside himself...visualized the ring...began to utter the words that could bring peace.

"In brightest day, in blackest night..."

****

"Now! Rematerialize!"

Wonder Girl immediately punched in the commands that Robin showed her, and instantaneously a bright shimmering glow lit up the single transporter chamber. Robin and Speedy stood close by on either side of whoever would materialize.

A familiar form quickly took shape, a tall, heroic figure in emerald and white. Green Lantern fully materialized and stood still in the chamber, his eyes closed. Suddenly, he began to weave and slowly toppled over.

Robin and Speedy quickly ran to GL and caught him. They struggled under what was essentially dead weight.

"Man, I never knew the guy was so heavy! He sure don't look it!" Speedy grunted.

"It's just that he's not helping us, 'cause he's unconscious," Robin explained, then added, "Batman's way heavier on account of his utility belt...and the Kevlar weave on his cape...and costume. GL's a piece of cake."

By then the two teenaged superheroes had managed to maneuver GL to a small corridor leading to the crew sleeping quarters and the ship's infirmary.

"Do you boys need a hand?" Robin and Speedy turned around and saw Wonder Girl standing with her hands behind her back. Robin's eyes narrowed. Was she smirking at them? Wonder Girl's eyes began to twinkle in amusement. Yep, definitely a smirk.

Robin and Speedy looked at each other then simultaneously shook their heads.

"Nah!" they said together. At this point, Speedy took a misstep and suddenly all three of them, Speedy, Robin, and Green Lantern began to fall over.

"Hey, watch where you step, Arrow-boy!" Robin called annoyed. He was struggling uselessly to maintain his feet.

"Sorry, Bird-boy, but this is one narrow corridor. It's barely wide enough for two people, much less three!"

Robin sighed. "Well, there's no helping it, Speedy. We've gotta get GL to the ship's infirmary. Make sure those plasma particle beams didn't cause any damage. Look, I've carried Batman before when he's been injured. I think I can handle GL if you help me get him across my shoulders."

"No way, Bat-boy! You're too scrawny! Heck, I outweigh you by a good fifteen pounds, and I'm also taller! I'll carry him!"

"Speedy, we don't have time for arguments! Now just gimme a hand!" Robin was growing annoyed at the junior Bowman's contrariness.

Wonder Girl observed the by-play between the two rival teen heroes with a mixture of amusement and growing exasperation. At this rate, Green Lantern could die of radiation poisoning. She walked towards them determinedly, and unceremoniously shoved first Speedy, then Robin out of the way. Over their shocked protests, the teen Amazon picked up the Emerald Knight as easily as if he were a child.

"Why don't you boys go ahead to the infirmary and make sure the medbed is ready for the patient?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am!" both Robin and Speedy gave her a mock salute, executed a perfect military about face, then double-timed to the infirmary.

****

"All systems are shut down, Atom," Superman reported in hushed tones. "No life support, no normal ship's functions, nothing! I've found no lifesigns anywhere! No food left half-uneaten, no indications that the crew quarters were ever occupied. And Atom...the ship's life pods are still in their dockets." Superman paused.

"I don't get it, Supes...there has to be *some* sign of occupation! They just fought some kind of space battle! You said that the damage to the engines is recent, correct?"

"Yes, the damage was caused well within the past couple of hours."

"The crews of those two immense vessels might have all transported to another ship," Atom speculated aloud. "But why would they abandon two ships that are so easily reparable?"

"Atom, my best guess is that these ships were never occupied by a living crew," Superman offered.

"You mean they were fully automated?" Atom speculated. "It would certainly explain the lack of lifesigns, but it only opens up more questions. Not the least of which is, 'Why?'" Atom paused, gathering his thoughts. "Superman, why would an alien visitor, who has clearly attempted to communicate with us and has even sent us what appear to be warnings about a dangerous space marauding race, send automated vessels as ambassadors to earth?"

"Because they're *not* ambassadors?" Superman wagered.

"Indeed. And if they're not here as ambassadors, then they could be precursors to--"

"--to an invasion!" Superman finished grimly.

**** "The initial diagnostics show that GL's injuries are superficial...I think," Robin said. "I'm not really sure...I mean I'm not a doctor or anything like that."

"What? You mean you Bat-guys don't have medical degrees, too?" asked Speedy sardonically. "Be still my beating heart. I may never recover from the shock!"

"Aw, cut it out, Speedy!" Robin said annoyed. "What's your problem anyway? I never said I was perfect!"

"No," Speedy admitted quietly. "No, Robin, you never have...I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it...just my big, fat foot sticking in my mouth as always."

Robin turned to Speedy and smiled, pleasantly surprised by the junior archer's admission. "That's okay, boy bowman. You should see me when I try to get into a verbal contest with Alfred. Heck, even Bruce doesn't dare try it too often." Studying the medbed's readings, Robin finally just shook his head and shrugged.

"According to the indicators, GL's in some kind of state of suspension. His heart rate is lower than normal...breathing is slowed...all vital signs are good if somewhat slower than normal. He doesn't appear to be in any danger, just in some kind of deep sleep. Maybe it's a result of his ring automatically protecting him when the plasma particle beam struck him."

"Robbo, don't take my next question wrong...I mean I'm not questioning your judgment. But what if GL needs his ring to come out of it?" Speedy's countenance clearly expressed his concern.

Robin sighed. "I don't know, Speedy. Let's keep a close eye on the medbed's readings. If there's no change in the next few hours, or, if there's a change for the worse, then we'll have no choice. We'll *have* to return GL's power ring no matter the consequences."

Robin and Speedy exchanged unhappy glances at this possibility. To have come this far to reach their mentors only to be sent back to the rear was not a prospect either looked forward to.

"You know something, Robbo?" Speedy asked.

"No, what?"

"Sometimes it sucks being a kid."

****

"So how do you do it, Bats?" Green Arrow asked. GA had been talking almost nonstop for the past five hours. It took Batman a second to realize that GA had asked a question that he didn't turn around and answer himself within the next breath.

"Do it?" Batman asked.

"Yeah, you know," GA explained. "The superhero bit...don the costume, face the villains, leap tall buildings in a single bound!"

"You have me confused with someone else."

"Okay, maybe not the 'leaping tall buildings bit', but what about the rest of it? I mean what got you started? You don't have an superpowers that I can see...No magic...No nothing." GA looked askance at Batman.

"Hell, except for the scary costume and attitude," GA continued, "you're just an ordinary guy. Like me. Well, maybe not like me exactly. I mean, the bad guys may not like running into me, but they don't exactly wet their pants when they see me...but *you* on the other hand...well, let's just say that I'm glad we're on the same team. Well, maybe 'glad' is a bit strong." GA added the last shrugging sheepishly.

When Batman didn't answer immediately, Green Arrow sighed exasperatedly. "Jeez, Bats! I thought we went through all this before! In order to have a productive conversation, after *I* say something, then *you* have to say something. Usually in direct response to what *I* just said. It's called 'dialogue'!"

Before Batman could reply, GA continued. By now, he was gaining momentum and waving his arms dramatically. "Lots of people do it...hell, I've even heard that there're some things called *plays* where people get in front of an audience and *pretend* that they're having a conversation! Now come on, Bats! If total strangers can pretend to be talking to each other, then a couple of teammates like you'n me on a long space voyage can at least have a *real* conversation!"

"In order to have dialogue," Batman uttered in his gravelly tones, "the first party in question needs to stop talking long enough to allow the second party time to reply. Of course, you've done exceptionally well for the past few hours in carrying on both sides of the conversation by yourself. I wasn't aware that I needed to add to it."

Green Arrow was so taken aback by what was probably the longest single speech that the Dark Knight had stated during the entire trip that he almost didn't respond. Finally, finding his vocal cords, GA cleared his throat then managed to stutter, "Um, uh, yeah, well...uh, you're right. The first party, uh, does kinda have to shut up now and then, I guess. Um, what were we talking about?"

"Depends..." Batman replied. "Are you asking about 'why I do it?' or about 'the art of conversation'?"

Green Arrow's confidence started coming back at Batman's question. Hey, this is all right. Looks like the Bats 'n me are really gonna have a talk! GA grinned rakishly at his new 'friend'. "The first part, Bats...why do you do it? With all the neat toys you have in your arsenal, it appears to me that you're a man of some personal means. Why do you go out every night and risk everything? What drives you to do it?"

"Why do you?"

"Who me?" GA asked, pleased at Batman's personal question. "Well, after my parents died and I found myself the CEO of Queen, Inc., I heard about a certain vigilante down Gotham way..."

Batman's mouth quirked slightly upwards as Green Arrow launched once more into an almost nonstop soliloquy about himself.

****

Everything was different. GL was suddenly surrounded by light so bright it hurt the eyes to look at it directly. Everything was white...an old song's refrain kept echoing in his head, "A whiter shade of pale..." What happened, he wondered? When was he moved from the darkness to the light? Not that he was complaining, but apparently he'd lost his tenuous link with his ring.

"Okay, Jordan, back to square one," he thought aloud. Or, at least, GL *believed* that he spoke out loud. "Let's get your bearings first. Let's see how large this cage is."

Green Lantern walked to the far wall, reaching his hand out to touch it. As his fingers reached for it, it seemed that the wall suddenly receded further out. "Hmmmm. Moving walls, eh?" he asked sardonically. "Shades of 'The Pit and the Pendulum!' Okay, two can play at this game. If Mohammed can't go to the mountain, then the mountain will come to him!"

GL looked down at his empty ring finger again. "All right, whoever you are! You've no idea who you're messing with! I'm a Green Lantern, and the Corps doesn't just pick a few good men! You may have stripped my ring from me, but I've still got free will. And as long as a Green Lantern has that, he's unstoppable!"

GL stood defiantly in the middle of the endless bright whiteness, and again began uttering the words of power, the words that only a few chosen could whisper and become embued with the power of the most awesome weapon in the universe!

****

"Dick!" Wonder Girl cried, forgetting momentarily to address her leader by his code name. "There's something wrong! Our readings are suddenly going off the scale! Engineering! Life support! Weapons! Everything is suddenly being activated and deactivated like crazy!"

"Show me!" Robin cried. Wonder Girl moved over so that Robin could check over her console. The readings were unbelievable. It was almost as if some outside power were suddenly controlling their vessel's instrumentation! Robin quickly checked over his own readings on the Command Console. Before he had time to react, everything went off the scale!

"HOLY--! EVERYBODY! HOLD ONnnnnnn!!" Robin barely had time to shout out his warning, when the _Avenger_ suddenly went into max FTL drive. The ship's small cockpit seemed to go into some kind of weird Twilight Zone tailspin. Robin struggled to turn his head towards Wonder Girl. It seemed to take him an hour to complete the turn. WG looked like an out of focus videotape, her slow movements leaving a definite trail behind her.

Robin turned back to his Command Console and concentrated with all of his might to get the ship back out of FTL. Hard as Robin might try, he just didn't seem to have control of his hands. They refused to budge towards the Command Console.

As Robin struggled, refusing to surrender to the quirky laws of quantum physics, there was an abrupt scarlet and gold blur next to him, and the ship jumped back to normal space. The unexpected leap back to normal space left the Titans feeling woozy and disoriented.

"What happened?" Speedy asked blearily. "I thought someone had poured cement around me. Now I know how a cornerstone feels."

"I'm not sure, Archer," Robin replied. Looking up the junior Scarlet Speedster, Robin smiled his thanks. "Great going, Kid Flash. How'd you manage to do that? I felt like was swimming in molasses!"

"I don't know what happened, Robbie," Kid Flash answered. "I heard you call out to everyone to 'hold on', but I never noticed any change. I looked around and saw that all of you looked like you were frozen in your seats. Gotta admit, it scared me half to death! I hurried to you to see if there was anything I could do. I tried every switch on your Command Console, until I was able to hit the right combination." Kid Flash sighed in relief. "I guess I got lucky."

"No way, Flasheroo!" Robin said. "You did what you're best at! You used your speed and maybe saved us all! Quick thinking!" Robin paused looking up at the junior Speedster thoughtfully. "What I don't understand is how come you weren't affected by the FTL warping effect. The last two times we went through FTL did you notice the same thing?"

Kid Flash shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure, Robbie. The last coupla times we went through FTL, we were in and out of the space-time fold so fast that I hardly noticed anything. But this time...I definitely noticed. WOW! What a rush! I felt like King of the Speed Universe." He suddenly paused in his excitement.

"There was something strange about it, Robbie...I'm not sure what it was, but I'm gonna have to talk to Uncle Barry about it. It almost seemed as if I was being pulled somewhere...Like I was being called by someone I couldn't see. Oh well...weird I guess!" Kid Flash shrugged his shoulders, and his worried look was quickly replaced with his usual open, sunny smile.

****

GL felt himself being thrown back. He landed--hard--on his back. The wind was temporarily knocked out of him. As he lay there, he felt a grin start spreading across his face.

So...he'd struck a nerve. Somehow, he'd made his presence known to his jailers. It was only a matter of time before they had to come and check on him.

"You can take the ring away from the boy, but..." His grin broadened further. He might not have his ring physically on him, but he could sense it. "It's somewhere nearby," he said. "It may take a little more effort and will power to access the ring's power, but it's doable."

****

"Robin!" Aqualad called. "You won't believe this! We're over two thousand light years beyond our last known position! According to my calculations, we might have even overshot the first cruiser's flight path."

"Let me see," Robin said. Aqualad immediately sent Robin the necessary data to his Command Console. "Hm. I think you're right, A-lad. Batman isn't scheduled to make these coordinates for another four standard hours. Well, I say let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. We'll hold position and remain cloaked. Meanwhile, we need to run a diagnostic of all ship's systems to see what the heck happened back there."

The other Titans groaned. Robin turned and gave each of them a look that essentially stopped all complaints...

****

"I don't get it!" Robin cried out exasperated. He pinched the bridge of his nose in an unconscious imitation of Alfred. Robin felt a headache coming. "Everything checks out normal. Nothing's wrong! At least nothing obvious enough to show me what could've caused such a-a wacko systems breakdown!"

"Wacko systems breakdown?" asked Speedy, his eyebrows raised. "Is that a bat- technical term?"

Robin grinned embarrassed and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm stumped folks! According to the diagnostics, there is nothing detectably wrong with the _Avenger's_ instrumentation. Of course, that means that something un-detectable may be the problem. Which puts us right back where we started!"

"Um, maybe not, Robbie," Kid Flash said tentatively. "'Member I said I felt something weird when we went FTL? Like something or someone was calling me? Pulling at me?"

Robin nodded.

"Well, that's not all I felt. I wasn't sure at first, 'cause everything was kinda new...I mean I hadn't had a chance to sorta assimilate the feelings. The first thing I felt was the most powerful. Something, a force of some type, was calling to me to reach unimaginably faster speeds. I've *never* felt anything like it before...it was like getting drunk or high, I think. I could feel myself being pulled towards it. But you guys needed me, so I was able to resist the urge. But, I can almost still *feel* it calling to me. It's not as strong now, but it's nevertheless there." The junior Speedster looked a little worried about his admission.

"Go on," Robin urged quietly. "This sounds important, Kid Flash."

Kid Flash nodded, then continued a little awkwardly. He was embarrassed to suddenly be the center of attention. "Well, along with this urge to go to who knows where, I could also feel something else. It felt really bright...I don't know...I kept seeing colors. White, especially...bright, bright white...almost blinding white. But somewhere in there was a tiny speck of another color. Not very bright or a lot of it, but it was there." Kid Flash paused as if afraid to continue.

"What color was it?" Robin asked, almost afraid to hear the reply.

"Green."

All the Titans stood staring at each other in mute shock.

"Green Lantern," Robin whispered awed.

"Great Hera," Wonder Girl said softly. "Is it possible?"

Robin looked at her soberly. "This is Green Lantern we're talking about Wonder Girl. Anything is possible. His ring is still in the transporter buffer, but who's to say what GL is capable of? Batman says that Green Lantern is one of the most powerful of all the Green Lanterns in the galaxy. Come on, we've gotta get his ring back to him before something else happens!"

At that moment, something else did indeed happen...

****

Chapter Thirteen

The mother ship sent a shut down message to her forward scouts. She couldn't afford a functional vessel to fall into presumably enemy hands, especially an enemy who was so clearly advanced that he could survive the dangers of space without the protection of a ship.

Whatever possible descendants of the Krghlm her scouts had stumbled upon in this insignificant star system located in the minor galaxy's spiral arm, her mission was now clear-cut: Destroy all traces of the Krghlm!

****

"Are Batman and Green Arrow apprised of the Titans' disappearance?" Superman asked.

"We sent them a transmission, of course, but so far no reply. I think they'd probably jumped into hyperdrive shortly before we sent them word. The message probably hasn't even reached them yet; however, they're due to jump back to normal space in about another forty-two minutes to make radio contact."

"Thanks, Atom. I just hate for Batman not to know about Robin. If something happens to that boy..." Superman didn't finish the thought.

Atom's reply sounded slightly chastising. "Supes, I think we all know how Batman feels about Robin. But believe me, Batman is not the only senior partner here who loves his kid."

"..." Superman felt a bit embarrassed by the reminder. "Sorry, Atom, and to everyone else back there. I didn't mean...never mind. Superman out."

Atom, the Flash, and Wonder Woman stared at each other wordlessly.

"What will we do if something happens to the children?" Wonder Woman asked no one in particular.

The Flash didn't even want to think about it. He'd promised Iris that he'd take care of Wally. The Scarlet Speedster took a few steps away from the other two.

"Barry, are you okay?" Atom asked his friend.

The Flash shook his head, no, and then spoke quietly. "Kid Flash is still a relative novice when compared to the other junior superheroes, having come into his powers just a few months ago. But in that time, the boy's control has grown remarkably. Did you know that?" He asked proudly turning around to face his teammates.

"In fact, I'm certain that one day Wally is going to outdo me in every way possible. Kid Flash may still not be as experienced as I am, but because he received his superspeed powers at such a young age, by the time he's an adult, he'll already be a veteran speedster of many years."

The Flash smiled proudly. He didn't know why Fate had selected his favorite nephew for the mantle of the speedster. However, the Flash felt deep down that there was a greater power at work here, and that it was his job to prepare his junior partner to take over as the Flash when the need arose.

At this sudden thought, the Flash's smile turned somber. If that were the case, then Kid Flash was chosen by the "Speed Force," or whatever the power was called that made these selections, because of the high probability that he, Barry Allen, would meet an untimely end. Therefore, he was being given the opportunity to train his nephew to take up the mantle.

Sensing his friend's sudden change in attitude, Atom inquired concernedly, "Barry, you okay, bud?"

The Flash smiled gratefully and nodded his head, "Yeah, Ray. Just thinking about Wally's future potential. He's such a regular kid, you know? Before he got hit with this speed power his interests were baseball, Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, and food. Not necessarily in that order, either." The Flash smiled indulgently as he thought of his nephew.

"He hasn't lost his interest in any of the other things, but this power carries with it such a responsibility. It hardly seems fair that a small boy should be...cursed...with it!" The Flash's smile faded somewhat at the last comment.

"Barry, please don't be offended at this," Atom said tentatively, "but I've gotta say something that's been bothering me since the Titans came onboard the satellite. Is it right to endanger a child's life by making him or her a superhero's sidekick? Where did this propensity to draft children come from anyway? I confess that I'm simply stumped by the whole concept."

"I cannot answer for the others, of course," Wonder Woman began, "but Donna is *not* my 'sidekick'. She is my adopted sister. I bring her to Man's World on extended visits because she is only an adopted Amazon. Her true heritage is out here. Donna is a trained Amazon warrior, and therefore, I feel that she is up to the challenge of assisting me whenever she comes with me. I allowed her to join the Titans because she and Robin were good friends, and I felt that the experience of being with children her own age would also help her social development." Wonder Woman paused and smiled slightly.

"As my people have been granted immortality by our gods, one can see that there weren't very many children on Paradise Island for Donna to have as playmates. This is why it is so important for her learn to socialize with young people here in Man's World."

"I think that Speedy has taken your sister's need to socialize a bit to heart," Atom teased. "Of course, it may be my imagination, but it seems to me that most of the male Titans might have had opinions on the matter!"

Wonder Woman smiled sadly. "Yes, my younger sister's heart has chosen...perhaps not wisely nor well, but certainly openly and trustingly. I only pray that her heart is not broken in the end."

"Diana," the Flash began, "they're only kids. At this age, kids fall in and out of love every week. Heck, I remember I had a different girlfriend each week when I was Wally's age. Besides, at their age, going steady means holding hands and sitting together during lunchtime. Wally's still a little shy around girls, but I think he'll blossom soon enough. I just wouldn't worry about it or take it too seriously."

Recalling her younger sister's openness at describing her kiss with Robin, Wonder Woman smiled secretly. Young...yes. Innocent? Definitely. Yet, the children were each tentatively exploring that which the world had to offer, and discovering to their mutual wonder that there was so much more to life than fighting crime.

"Perhaps you are correct, Barry," Wonder Woman acquiesced. "However, Donna is no ordinary thirteen year old girl. Even now we are discovering abilities that lie dormant within her that our people have not seen in a millennium. Mother and I have not yet fully explained this to her. We wish her childhood to be as 'normal' as possible."

"'Normal childhood'!" the Flash said ruefully. "Now there's an oxymoron!"

The three heroes shared a smile, a momentary respite from the coming storm...

**** "Robbie! Robbie! Wake up! PLEASE! I need you! Wake up! I can't fight them anymore...I can't fight them anymore..."

Robin's awareness of the reality around him came about sluggishly. "Wha--? Wally?" Robin whispered. His eyes opened excruciatingly slow. "What happened? What's going on?"

"Robbie! Help me! HELP ME!" Kid Flash's anguished cry brought Robin to full wakefulness.

"Kid Flash! Wally!" Robin sat up where he'd collapsed on the ship's deck. Kid Flash was crumpled next to him, curled up in a tight ball. The other Titans were lying in varying positions on the deck, all unconscious. Kid Flash was shaking violently. In fact, to Robin's shocked senses, the junior Speedster seemed to be vibrating faster and faster, almost to the point of becoming an invisible blur.

"Wally! What are you doing?" Robin cried out loud. He scrambled towards his friend and tried to grab his shoulders. Robin's hands went right through Kid Flash! "Flasheroo! Listen to me! Whatever it is, you've gotta stop vibrating! Come on, Wally. Normal speed, Wally! Normal speed!"

"I *can't*! The voices...they're back!" Kid Flash cried out. "They're tearing at me! They're ALL OVER ME! Robbie, I can't stop...HELP ME! OH, GOD! HELP ME!"

Robin thought quickly. "Wally, listen to me," he said in quiet desperation. "Whatever or whoever is causing you to do this...you can beat them, buddy! I *know* you can! I want you think, Wally. Think about the most important people in your life...your aunt and uncle. Think about what they mean to you, and what you mean to them. You can't give up, Wally! You *can't*!! You're a Titan and Titans aren't quitters! Right?"

Kid Flash didn't respond. If anything he seemed to be disappearing even faster. "Wally! These voices...are they in your head? Or can you actually *hear* them? Wally, are these voices real?"

The junior Speedster did not respond. He was fading faster with each passing moment. In desperation, Robin assumed his Titan's leader persona.

"Kid Flash, I'm asking you to give me a report! When are you going to learn that I can't do my job properly until you learn to give a full report?"

Kid Flash stuttered a timid response. "I-I think they're real...but I can't tell. They just seem to be everywhere! I can feel them, Robbie. Please make them stop! MAKE THEM STOP!"

"Kid Flash if the voices are real, you can fight them! Use your superspeed, Flasheroo. If the voices are real then you should be able to see them! All you have to do is vibrate up to the same speed as their voice vibrations. It could be dangerous, but once you can spot them, you'll be able to counter vibrate and cancel them out. You know...the principle of white noise! Are you with me? Can you do it?"

In answer, Kid Flash began to vibrate faster. Robin watched, frightened yet mesmerized by the teen speedster as he almost disappeared from sight.

"I SEE THEM!" Kid Flash cried out triumphantly. "Okay, you Speed Force Demons, or whatever you are...TAKE THAT!!!" Robin took an involuntary step back when he saw Kid Flash begin to counter vibrate...

...A seeming eternity later, Kid Flash stood solidly in front of Robin. The young speedster looked down at his hands as if amazed that he was actually still there.

"I did it," Kid Flash whispered. He looked up at Robin and smiled proudly. "I *did* it!"

Robin grinned back. "You sure did, Flasheroo. You showed 'em who's the speed- meister!"

Kid Flash's smile wavered a bit. "I'll never forget this, Robbie...I'll never forget how you helped me."

Robin smiled and shrugged. "Hey! We're teammates, right?"

Kid Flash shook his head. "No, Robbie, not teammates...better than teammates! Friends..." he looked at Robin uncertainly. "...that is, if it's cool with you?"

"Way cool, Flasheroo," Robin replied. "Now, mind explaining just what the heck's going on?" Robin waved his arms, taking in the unconscious forms of the other Titans. "What happened? What's going on?"

Kid Flash shook his head. "I'm not sure, Robbie, but it looks like GL's sent us somewhere beyond the cruiser's max FTL limit. This time I felt something odd from the start. First off, all of you just fell on the deck. One second you were giving orders. The next, you were down. The others with you. I tried doing the same thing I'd done before...shut down the FTL drive, but I couldn't. In a few minutes I realized that we weren't going through FTL, we were...somewhere else." Kid Flash paused.

"That's when I noticed that the voices were back, only this time with more intensity. They kept referring to something called the 'Speed Force'. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but they made it sound like some kind of living entity that existed in a special speed dimension. Anyway...it must be some kind of narcotic for speedsters because they really had me going this time." Kid Flash hugged himself at the remembered pain and fear. "I almost couldn't fight them...I almost gave in."

Kid Flash dropped his head in shame.

"But you didn't, Kid Flash," Robin reminded him. "You did fight them...and you won! You should be proud of yourself."

Kid Flash rewarded Robin with a wide grin. "Thanks, Robbie. You're a real good friend."

****

Green Lantern felt exceedingly smug. His jailers were now getting a little taste of their own medicine. He wasn't exactly sure where his power ring was located, but he could feel it all around him. Wherever it was, it was close. That was his jailers' second mistake. Their first was imprisoning him without some kind of mental block.

"Look! I can continue like this for a very long time! Now, why don't you just give up? I'm sure the Guardians will be lenient...in their own way...for holding a member of the Green Lantern Corps!" GL waited. He was growing frustrated. "At least, show yourselves! I promise I'll return ship's control back to you if you at least agree to talk to me. My people don't mean you any harm...We do not wish a war with your people! Please! Talk to me!"

GL's increasing anger and frustration finally reached critical mass. "Okay, have it your way!" GL felt the power of the ring as surely as if he held in his hand. He began to exert his will to depths even he had never dared reach before...

****

"Okay, Twinkletoes," Robin interrupted his friend's heartfelt gratitude, "don't take this wrong, but we've gotta figure out a way to stop this. How do you know that it's GL doing this, anyway?"

Kid Flash grinned and rolled his eyes. "Look around you, Einstein! Notice the sickly green glow?"

Robin looked around and felt himself blushing. He gave Kid Flash a mock salute. "You win that round, Flasheroo," Robin admitted sheepishly. "Next question...how come *I'm* not out cold like the rest of the team?"

"I sort of brought you into my aura," Kid Flash explained. "When I saw that I wasn't gonna be able to beat the speed force demons by myself, I knew that I needed help. You're the smartest guy I know, so I picked you. I figured if anyone could help me out of the jam I was in, it'd be you."

Robin grinned proudly. "Thanks, Kid Flash. I think that's probably the nicest compliment I've ever been paid." Kid Flash flushed in embarrassment. "So, you took me into your 'protective aura'? What's that?"

"Uncle Barry explained it to me once. The aura is a kind of protective 'bubble' that surrounds us and protects us speedsters from the dangerous speeds we can achieve. It also makes it possible for us to speed up someone else's metabolism for a limited period."

Kid Flash grinned boyishly, enjoying the moment of being able to explain something to Robin for a change. "Anyway we can extend our aura a short distance, but we've never tried to protect anyone farther than a couple of inches or so. So don't try to get too far away from me, or I'll have to carry you!"

"Hey! Nothing doin'!" Robin replied. "I'll stick close. Don't worry about that! Come on! We've gotta get to the transporter chamber and get GL's ring back. This is so weird...it's like he's converted the whole ship into his power ring."

By this time, the two junior heroes had arrived at the transporter chamber, and Robin quickly reached the control console. As he was about to type in the necessary command codes to rematerialize GL's ring, Robin was suddenly lifted bodily by a giant green hand and thrown backwards. Kid Flash caught Robin in a scarlet and gold blur before the Titans' leader could crash against the bulkhead.

"Whoa," Robin whispered. "I think this is gonna be a little harder than it looked. Come on, Flasheroo. Let's study the problem."

****

GL felt them. His jailers were trying to circumvent his defenses. "Shield!" he cried out loud...

****

"What *is* that thing?" Kid Flash asked awed. A protective shield of pulsating emerald energy unexpectedly formed around the transporter control console. Kid Flash tentatively reached his hand out and touched it. He felt a definite shock, not deadly, but not pleasant.

"He's fighting us," Robin surmised. "GL is somehow fighting us...his subconscious is trying to protect him and his power ring." He paused then said sardonically, "I'm the smartest guy you know, huh? Well, separating GL from his ring is turning out to be just about the stupidest thing I've ever done!"

"You know, Robbie," Kid Flash speculated. "I think I can do it."

"Do it? Do what?"

"Cancel out the green shield." Kid Flash and Robin shared a thoughtful look.

"How?" Robin asked simply.

"Well...I know that just 'cause it's green doesn't mean that it operates under the same principles as the color spectrum, but it's still a form of radiation, right?"

"I think so," Robin said uncertainly. "I guess it is, although I've never been sure if operates under some kind of scientific principle or if it's some form of magic."

"Nah. I overheard GL and Uncle Barry talking one day. Doctor Palmer joined them, too. It was really highbrow stuff...quantum physics and bunch of other stuff I didn't understand. But one thing that GL made clear is that the Guardians of Oa may be more advanced scientifically than earth science currently is, but everything they do has a scientific basis. We just haven't reached that level of knowledge yet. And the way GL made it sound, our sun will burn out before we *ever* get that advanced!"

"Okay, Flasheroo," Robin said excitedly. "We've got something to go on then. So, let's take this by the numbers. First step is finding the right frequency of the shield and trying to counter it. Want to give it a try, Doctor Flash?"

"My pleasure, Professor Robin!"

****

"Can't see a way through it, Robbie," Kid Flash apologized. "It's like nothing I've ever run across. The faster I vibrate, the more solid it seems to become."

Robin sighed. "Probably some kind of electromagnetic field. The faster it vibrates the more the attraction between the charged particles at the subatomic level. Well, it was worth a try, anyway, Flasheroo."

"But I *did* see something else," Kid Flash added.

"Something else? Like what?"

"Not sure, really...it was like a very faint green trail. I almost couldn't see it, but at one point you stood right next to it, and I was able to make it out against the red of your costume."

"A green trail?" Robin mused. "Where was it coming from? Could you tell?" Kid Flash nodded.

"It seemed to be coming from outside the transporter chamber," he said.

"Think you can speed up and find it again?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, shouldn't be a problem," Kid Flash shrugged.

"Why don't you do that and follow it to its origin?" Robin said. "I think we're gonna find out that you probably stumbled onto GL's mental projections...his 'brainwaves' so to speak."

"Brainwaves?" Kid Flash asked weakly.

Robin nodded distractedly. This problem sure had him stumped!

"Brainwaves?" Kid Flash repeated.

Robin blinked at his teammate as if seeing him for the first time. He'd been absorbed with the problem at hand and analyzing possible courses of action. None of which will work, Robin concluded, feeling frustrated. I bet Batman would've solved the problem by now. He became aware that Kid Flash was still staring at him nervously.

"Yeah, like I said, Twinkletoes, the green energy trail you spotted is probably a mental projection of GL's brainwaves...got a problem with that?" Robin glared at the young speedster, his arms crossed.

Kid Flash gave a quick shake of his head.

"Uh, no. It's cool!" He denied. "But if I do as you ask, I won't be able to keep you my aura," Kid Flash warned. "I wouldn't dare vibrate up to the superspeed needed to find that mental trail with a passenger. It could kill you."

Robin shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to take another nap. Besides, if you run into any problems, I know you'll think of something!"

Kid Flash beamed at the compliment.

"You're the boss!" Kid Flash agreed. He immediately withdrew his aura from around the Boy Wonder, and Robin instantly lost consciousness. Kid Flash caught his friend easily and lay him down gently.

Kid Flash took a long, slow breath to calm his frazzled nerves and then began to spin...

****

"Gillhead! I need your help! Wake up!" Kid Flash impatiently tapped Aqualad none too gently on the cheeks.

The young Atlantean's long, dark lashes fluttered open, revealing confused, slightly out of focus violet eyes. "What is it? Where am I? What is going on?" he asked dazedly.

"I need you, Gillhead...You told me once that you Atlanteans were telepaths, and that you're able to withstand some pretty extreme changes in pressure, right?"

Aqualad sat up unsteadily, allowing Kid Flash to assist him. He held his hand up to his head. Everything was spinning around him. He felt completely disoriented. "Wally, I do not feel very well...I need water...hurry..." The teen from Atlantis was barely able to whisper his plea before he sank back into unconsciousness.

Frightened, Kid Flash zoomed in a red and yellow blur to the ship's galley and filled several containers with water. He zipped back to Aqualad, trailing a line of water-filled containers behind him. As he came to a stop, he again extended his aura to Aqualad, while simultaneously waving his arm in the direction of the water jugs. This action displaced the air around the containers sufficiently to keep them in the air. Finally, he slowed the air molecules around the jugs, and eased the filled containers to the floor.

Quickly, Kid Flash took the water and splashed most of it on Aqualad, reserving a few gallons for drinking. Kid Flash knew that the young Atlantean did not like regular tap water, but there was no helping it for now. Besides, the cruiser's water reserves were actually recycled and purified for reuse. Even Kid Flash thought the water tasted funny.

A few minutes later, Aqualad began coming to. Finally, he reached full consciousness. "Thank you, Kid Flash," Aqualad said gratefully. "I am all right now, although, it will take me several days to take the chlorine taste out of my mouth." He looked up at Kid Flash and quirked his mouth shyly. Kid Flash smiled back.

"I need your help, Gillhead," Kid Flash said seriously. "I need you to communicate telepathically with someone before it's too late!"

"But, as I informed you earlier, Kid Flash," Aqualad patiently tried to explain, "I can only communicate telepathically with another telepath...and I've only communicated thus with another Atlantean. I would not know how to communicate with an outsider!"

"Well, we don't have a choice, and we don't have time, so--" Kid Flash picked up his teammate and zipped to the ship's infirmary.

"Why are we here?" Aqualad asked confused.

"Here's the person I need you to communicate telepathically with," Kid Flash explained.

"Green Lantern?" Aqualad looked perplexed. "I do not understand!"

"It's hard to explain! Robin thinks that GL's turned the _Avenger_ into his power ring. I followed GL's green mental trail from the transporter chamber to the infirmary. I was able to tap into his subconscious world, but I can't communicate with him. I just barely managed to escape, when I remembered that *you're* a telepath!"

"But I've tried to tell you--"

"Yeah, yeah! I know...you can only communicate with other telepaths from Atlantis. Well, Gillhead, you're the only telepath we've got, so you're elected! Besides, I think with your body's ability to withstand extreme changes in pressure, it'll be safe for you to accompany me up to the necessary speed."

"What? What are you talking about? Accompany you? Accompany you where?" Aqualad did not like the sound of that!

"Well, the best way to explain, I guess, is to show you!"

****

"Where *are* we?" Aqualad asked awestruck. They were inside an endless room lost in an eternal bright whiteness.

"Not really sure, A-lad," Kid Flash admitted. "I think we're inside GL's subconscious. Uh-oh! I have a feeling that we're about to find out!" He pointed dramatically at a figure enshrouded in an Emerald shield.

Before the teens could say anything, the Emerald Knight gestured dramatically, and both youngsters were suddenly held fast within the strong and painful grasp of two gigantic green hands that seemed to appear almost magically from the walls themselves. The junior superheroes were lifted as easily as a child's action figure.

"GL! Please! What are you doing?" Kid Flash managed to croak from between clenched teeth. The giant hand was crushing him in its vice-like grip. "Garth! You've gotta get through to him. I can't vibrate out of here!"

Aqualad was struggling helplessly within the gigantic hand's deadly purchase. He heard Kid Flash over the roaring in his ears, but felt himself blacking out. No! The others were depending on him! How often had he been relegated to the rear because of his need for water? How often had he felt left out of the others' easy camaraderie because he was so different?

No! If this were to be the end, then he'd go as a Teen Titan! Aqualad began to reach within himself. If he were going to communicate with Green Lantern, he'd need something extremely powerful to break through the Emerald Warrior's awesome will.

As he fell closer and closer into the black abyss of unconsciousness, Aqualad felt something new and intangible within the hidden depths of his psyche. Something swimming in dizzying shades of violet, purple, and lavender...something lying dormant, waiting...growing in power.

Aqualad felt the very air around him increase in temperature to a blistering red-hot, and then in the next instant plummet to subfreezing cold. Somehow, Aqualad realized, he was unaffected by the strange temperature variants. Feeling his remaining tenuous grip on reality slipping, Aqualad reached for a last act of sheer desperation: he tapped into the deep reservoir of violet energy he discovered and filled his being to overflowing. As darkness consumed him, Aqualad fired a lavender enhanced bolt of mental energy at Green Lantern...

****

Chapter Fourteen

The armada of scouts quickly began rearranging their formation patterns. Whereas before they'd been deployed as scouts and therefore grouped in small units of fifty, now that they'd received new mission orders, to eradicate all biological life found on the third planet. They began clustering into company- sized elements of 500 ships. These, in turn, were formed into larger battalion- sized units comprised of fifty companies.

Fifty battalions made up a brigade, and fifty brigades, a division. The armada was comprised of over a thousand divisions...

****

"How long ago did they hijack the cruiser?" Batman's cold, gravelly voice was enough to send a chill down anyone's back.

"Approximately thirty hours ago," Atom replied

"That could place them anywhere from five hours to five minutes behind us," Batman said. "Depending on the speed they're holding. If they jump into FTL drive, there's no way gauge their present location." Batman sat stiffly at his Command Console.

"That's not our only problem, Batman. We've lost contact with Green Lantern...Superman spotted two damaged vessels at GL's last known coordinates. The ships appeared to be fully automated...no signs of a living crew! And, no signs of GL either. We've no way of knowing what happened, exactly, but the damage to the engines was caused by the same type of weapons on our cruisers."

"You're saying that the alien vessels were destroyed by weapons similar to what's on our cruisers. In other words, you believe that the Titans fought against those two vessels?"

"At this juncture, Batman, anything's possible, of course," Atom replied cautiously, "but who else could it have been? Remember that it was Robin who first noted the distinct firing pattern that the aliens were utilizing. He probably just programmed the _Avenger's_ fire control center to take advantage of it." Atom shrugged helplessly.

"If it makes you feel any better, Superman didn't find *any* signs of the Titans' cruiser other than the space battle, and the kids seem to have *won* that round!" Atom smiled broadly at this last comment.

Before Batman could respond, Atom threw in the final bombshell. "But just when you think that things can't get any worse, our long range sensors indicate that the incoming vessels are rearranging their formations. Looks like a definite attack pattern...in several waves."

There was a long silence over the open channel.

To the casual observer Batman appeared poised, if grim. Certainly there were no overt signs of anything even resembling concern; however, GA had been closely studying his menacing traveling companion, and while Batman's worry might be difficult to detect, it was discernable if one knew where to look.

A tension between the shoulder blades, a tightening of the jaw, a facial muscle that suddenly jumped, and an even grimmer demeanor, all overtook Batman's already dark and terrifying character.

"Batman," Wonder Woman's beautiful visage suddenly filled Batman's command monitor. "I...I have a message that Robin left. He gave instructions that I send it to...a mutual acquaintance in the event that he failed to return. I thought you might want to hear it." She looked across the intervening light years that separated them, and smiled tremulously.

"They're going to be all right, Batman...I *know* they are. The Titans may be young, but they've each received the best training possible. And Robin's a fine, level-headed leader." Wonder Woman smiled bravely, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "They're going to be all right," she repeated. "We have to believe that..." The Amazon Princess' voice broke at last, and she looked away momentarily.

"Please scramble Robin's message and send it to my personal channel," Batman requested quietly. Wonder Woman nodded sadly and did as asked. "And Diana," Batman said hesitantly. "Thank you."

"May the Gods be with you," Wonder Woman said in farewell. "JLA out."

Green Arrow studiously avoided meeting Batman's eye. It seemed that there were now two partnerships in jeopardy. He decided to try to lighten the mood.

"Kids these days! Can't live without them...can't shoot them! You do everything possible for them, and how do they repay you? By running off to the far reaches of the galaxy to get themselves killed. What's a parent to do?"

Batman whirled on GA and grabbed him by the collar, and in a move of barely controlled violence, Batman threw Green Arrow against the bulkhead. "Don't *ever* say that to me again! Not EVER!" Spinning on his heel, Batman was about to stalk away, when he slowed to a halt.

GA saw the Dark Knight's shoulders slump slightly, then straighten again almost immediately. Batman turned and faced Green Arrow, his expression inscrutable. "I...I'm sorry...I...There's no excuse--!"

"That's okay, Bats," GA said, weakly waving Batman's apology aside with a lopsided grin. "What's a knockdown, drag-out amongst friends? Hell, Pretty Bird's thrown me around more often than I can count. And for far less than that!"

Green Arrow grimaced and tried painfully to regain his feet, but slipped and fell again. Laughing feebly, GA added gamely, if haltingly, "I think I'll just sit here for a sec...I'm kinda gettin' used to being slammed against walls. You should try it...great for the lumbago..."

Batman reached his hand out and offered it to Green Arrow. Hesitating, GA looked up, surprised at the gesture. Grateful, he took the proffered hand and allowed Batman to help him to his feet. The two heroes held each other's gaze for several seconds.

Eventually, when it was obvious that the Emerald Archer could stand on his own, Batman turned and walked back to his pilot's seat. He sat down and methodically began to power the vessel back up, again. In order to communicate real-time with the satellite, they'd had to drop out of hyperspace to sublight speed.

Green Arrow silently watched Batman work for a few moments. "I'm worried about them, too," he said quietly. Batman's hand hesitated for an instant, then moved on to complete his adjustments.

"Strap in," Batman ordered. "Hyperspace in thirty seconds and counting!"

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" Green Arrow said easily.

As they waited tensely for the hyperdrive to activate, the two surrogate fathers' thoughts turned respectively to the boys who'd somehow won their hearts...

****

Awareness came slowly and painfully to the Titans. As each opened his or her eyes, they experienced a sense of vertigo and an inability to tell up from down. The reason was soon obvious. They were floating freely about the cruiser, bumping and scraping against the bulkheads.

"Yeowch!" cried out Speedy. "What's goin' on? What happened?" Speedy moved awkwardly and instantly found himself out of control. He slammed against the deck, bounced off and saw that he was about smash headfirst into the ceiling.

Not panicking, Speedy managed to bring up a mini-crossbow, aimed and fired off a mini-arrow that trailed a thin length of nylon. The arrow flew true and wrapped itself around a piece of metal piping in the corridor. Speedy pulled the nylon rope taut, and his trajectory was immediately stopped. He took a moment to breathe a sigh of relief.

Speedy saw Wonder Girl "sitting" cross-legged in mid-air, holding her hand to her forehead. She'd obviously just slammed against something hard, too. "Hey, Wonder Babe," Speedy called. "You okay?"

Wonder Girl nodded, albeit slowly. Any unexpected moves could send her careening against the _Avenger's_ metal sides.

At this moment, a green, red, and yellow streak torpedoed its way down the corridor. Every few feet, he'd ricochet off the bulkheads like a billiard ball. "Gang way!" Robin shouted as a warning and almost collided with Speedy.

"Hey, watch it, Bird-boy!" Speedy complained. "What's goin' on? Wonder Doll and I just woke up in the middle of the corridor, and we're *floating* in case you hadn't noticed."

"I noticed," Robin replied. "'Scuse me. Gotta get to the infirmary!"

"Why?" Speedy asked Robin's quickly retreating back. Robin easily latched onto something projecting from the ceiling. Speedy saw that it was piece of piping so small that he'd've missed it even he'd known it was there. How did Robin do it, Speedy asked himself?

"Look, we don't have time to talk!" Robin's voice showed an uncharacteristic agitation. "I need you two to go forward and try to get our power back. We're operating on emergency generators right now. About all that's working is life support." Robin was about to turn and continue down the corridor, when he remembered something else. "Oh, Speedy, WG, before you restore power, give us a warning...once the power comes on, the ship's artificial gravity will resume. We've gotta be prepared, otherwise, we could end up as bright red splotches on the deck below."

Robin smiled apologetically at Wonder Girl's grimace.

"Sorry, WG. Hey, you get extra credit if you can determine where we are." Before Speedy could say anything in protest, Robin gave an almost imperceptible flick of his wrist and just seemed to fly off.

Speedy didn't move for a moment. He just watched the Boy Wonder with a mixture of something akin to awe and a little jealousy. Sighing, Speedy turned his body around carefully in the direction of the control cockpit. Remembering the bumps and bruises he'd just acquired, Speedy pushed off a bit more cautiously than Robin. "Boy Wonder. Ha! More like, Boy Show-off! If I could do the things he does--!" Speedy wasn't given the opportunity to finish the sentence.

"If you could do the things Robin does, then you wouldn't be Speedy, would you?" Wonder Girl asked, her wide blue eyes looking at him guilelessly. Speedy smiled at her gratefully. He noticed that she wasn't struggling with weightlessness anymore. Instead, Wonder Girl seemed to take to it as easily as she did her gliding on air currents.

Speedy sighed. Why did he always feel like he was running a race and somehow managing to keep a steady last place?

****

Robin held the precious green power ring in his gloved left hand. He swallowed nervously. The ring was quite ordinary looking. Almost cheesy...like those fake plastic rings you got inside a box of cereal. But closer inspection showed that it was...something else. Robin could actually see the ring pulsating with a strong and steady emerald glow.

As Robin hurried from the transporter chamber to the infirmary, he could feel the ring's power increase the closer he got to his destination. Now, standing right outside the infirmary's sealed hatch, the ring was literally pulling at him, demanding to be let inside. So far, Robin had been able to keep the ring from flying out of his hand, but he knew that as soon as he opened the hatch, any control he had over the ring would come to an end.

Working quickly, Robin undid the outside latch. He was proud of Kid Flash...whatever the junior Speedster had done, he'd had the presence of mind to try to protect the others from GL by sealing off the infirmary. When Robin finally unsealed the hatch, he almost fell over the threshold...no, he was almost *pulled* over the threshold by Green Lantern's power ring.

Robin decided that the better part of valor was in order. He opened his hand, and the ring went flying, towards the unconscious form of GL, trailing a miniscule green comet tail.

Robin, meanwhile, managed to float over to Kid Flash and--.

"--Aqualad?" Robin was surprised to find the teen from Atlantis in the infirmary with Kid Flash. "I can hardly wait to hear *this* story!" Robin carefully brought his two teammates down from the ceiling where they were each floating unconscious and quickly strapped them both onto a medbed.

"You'll both be safe once the gravity comes back on," Robin explained unnecessarily. He activated each medbed to see if either of the boys had a serious injury. Aqualad's medbed immediately began to indicate that the water dweller was in distress!

However, Robin wasn't entirely certain because the medbed was giving off some rather strange and erratic readings. Robin studied carefully, then quirked an eyebrow. According to the readings, Aqualad was pregnant!? Robin quickly adjusted the controls and took note of the new readings. He hurried to the intercom.

"Speedy! Wonder Girl! I need one of you to get me water...lots of it! Aqualad's in trouble! Hurry!"

"On my way!" Wonder Girl's quiet, self-assured voice came over the intercom. Robin smiled in silent approval. It looked like the teen Amazon had found her confidence while on their extended field trip.

Robin turned towards the teen Atlantean once more. Again the indicators over the medbed were giving off some rather bizarre readings. He made a mental note to himself to research the JLA medbed's programming. It seemed to be having problems with the Atlantean physiology.

Robin grinned. Aqualad pregnant! If Speedy ever got wind of this, he'd *never* let the shy water breather live it down. The poor kid would probably not come up to the surface again until he turned thirty!

"Uhhhnnnn..."

Robin turned towards Green Lantern. The Emerald Warrior looked like he was coming to. In fact, GL's ring somehow managed to slip itself onto his right center finger and was even now bathing GL in some kind of a healing aura.

Robin kicked off over to Green Lantern's side. GL wasn't awake yet, but according to the medbed's readings, he wasn't far from it. Robin checked the indicators closely to ensure that they were probably accurate.

Wonder Girl's entrance with several large containers filled with water caught Robin's attention. They hurriedly drenched Aqualad, or rather, they tried to. Because the gravity was still not on, the water came out of the containers in big, clear globules. Robin and Wonder Girl found themselves having to gently redirect the water bubbles to Aqualad's sleeping form.

"WG! You get *that* one! I'll get *this* one!"

Wonder Girl nodded wordlessly, concentrating on the task at hand. Both Titans went after their fugitive water globs with an earnest frame of mind.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the slightest touch only resulted in a big glob, becoming several smaller "globlets". If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, Robin would probably be giggling like a small boy.

"Robbie, it's no use! We've gotta get the gravity back! Why don't I go forward and see if I can help Speedy?"

Robin nodded in agreement. "Go!" Wonder Girl left immediately.

Chasing the water globs reminded Robin so much of one particular Saturday afternoon that he and Bruce spent together at Gotham City Central Park. Just the two of them...

As fate would have it, that afternoon started out less than ideal. Dick overheard Alfred insisting that Master Bruce spend some quality time with young Master Dick. Dick's first reaction was that he didn't want to go on an outing with Bruce if his guardian was forced into it.

The day was saved, however, when to Dick's delight they discovered that Alfred had included a bottle of "Magic Bubbles" with their lunch. Bruce claimed he'd no clue what to do with the bottle of mysterious liquid, but Dick certainly did! As a toddler, he'd spent many hours chasing the bubbles his Mom blew for him.

Dick quickly introduced Bruce to the magical art of bubble making. That afternoon would always hold a special place in Dick's heart...

But now! They needed to get that water to Aqualad. If the medbed's readings could be trusted they showed that Aqualad's vital signs were getting critical! And Kid Flash! Why was he still unconscious? His readings were normal. Would it be safe to try and wake him? To what purpose? What could Kid Flash do?

"..." Robin pushed off and hurried to Kid Flash's side. Gently, so as not to cause him any distress, Robin began to gently tap his teammate on the cheek.

"Kid Flash! Flasheroo! Wake up, Twinkletoes! I need you, Flasheroo! Wake up!"

Kid Flash's eyelids began to flutter. His medbed readings indicated that Kid Flash was close to regaining full consciousness. Robin's "gentle" ministrations became a little more desperate.

"Kid Flash! Come on, Flasheroo! I *need* you! I need your speed! Wake up!"

At last, Kid Flash's eyes opened fully. He lay there slightly dazed, his confusion obvious. He groaned, bringing his hand up to his head.

"Ohhhhh...did you get the license plate of that truck?"

Robin grinned, his relief that Kid Flash was all right washing over him. "Yeah, but I don't think they'll sue."

"Robbie...what happened?" Kid Flash croaked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Robin's grin faltered somewhat. "I was hoping that *you'd* be able to tell *me*! But look, we don't have time. Wally, you think you can do a little superspeed for me? You feel up to it?"

"I think so," Kid Flash replied. He sounded so tired and weak that Robin doubted the junior Speedster would be able to do as he asked.

"Here, let me help you sit up...and watch the quick movements. We still don't have any gravity, so you could end up on the other side of the room."

Kid Flash nodded his understanding. He sat up slowly, spotted the floating water globules, and blinked his eyes without comprehension. Feeling his equilibrium returning, Kid Flash slowly got to his feet, still watching the floating water bubbles as if mesmerized.

"I hate to ask, but what--?" Kid Flash didn't finish his sentence. He just pointed at the water globs with his chin.

Robin grinned embarrassed. "That's the superspeed thingie I need you do. Can you somehow make those water globs stop...well, *globbing*...and make them splash down on Aqualad? He's really in trouble."

They both looked at Aqualad's vital signs. It was bad.

Kid Flash didn't need a second request and vibrated his arms to the necessary speed. He concentrated on manipulating the air molecules around the floating globs, carefully gathering the water over Aqualad. With a final flourish, Kid Flash did something with his fingers and "fooled" the water into believing that the supersonic vibrations he was subjecting it to was actually gravity.

The water molecules began to fall in a gentle rain over Aqualad, bathing him in a soothing spring shower.

Aqualad's redline medbed readings slowly fell to normal green. Kid Flash brought his arms back to normal and stood quietly over his soaking wet, but healthy teammate. Best of all, Robin noted privately, Aqualad wasn't 'pregnant' anymore.

"Good job, Kid Flash. Whatever happens, Flasheroo, it's been a real honor to have served with you. You're a great teammate and a loyal friend."

Robin held his hand out to Kid Flash. Kid Flash stared at his friend and leader, momentarily stunned by the accolade. Then bursting into a luminous smile, he took Robin's hand and shook it proudly.

At that moment, Speedy's voice came over the ship's loud speakers.

"Attention on board! Attention on board! Thirty seconds to artificial gravity! Hang on to something, guys, 'cause it's gonna get bumpy in a few secs!"

Although, both Robin and Kid Flash were already on the floor, the sudden return to Earth-one gravity could possibly cause them to end up taking a nasty fall and perhaps injuring themselves.

Robin immediately took out a grappling hook from his utility belt, quickly threw a batline around a metal pipe running along the ceiling, and hooked himself to it. Robin then pulled himself a few feet above the floor. Turning, he smiled and once again held his hand out to Kid Flash.

"May I have this dance, Flasheroo?"

"Oh, Robbie...You say the *sweetest* things," Kid Flash joked in a high falsetto. Robin grabbed him by the wrist in one of the grips his father had taught him for the trapeze. Almost as soon as his hand closed around Kid Flash's wrist, the gravity came back on.

Robin's safety line kept them from hitting the floor unexpectedly. Robin's arm suddenly felt like it was being pulled out of its socket. He quickly lowered them both to the deck below.

"That was fun," Kid Flash observed ironically. "But next time, *I* get to lead."

****

Chapter Fifteen

As the armada entered the star system's gravity well, the mother ship transmitted a power down order. As one, the thousands of ships dropped down to normal space and sub-light speed.

The Earth's first line of defense, her greatest heroes, prepared to meet the greatest threat their home world had ever faced...

****

"Speedy! Wonder Girl! Great going!" Robin's voice rang with boyish admiration over the intercom. Speedy and Wonder Girl's eyes met and smiled at their leader's exuberance. "So...do we know where we are, yet?"

"Uh, not yet, Boy Wonder," Speedy said. "But not to worry. I can find a bullseye with my eyes closed. I'll have our location to the nearest, uh, nebula...or whatever, in two shakes."

Wonder Girl rolled her eyes at this. Astro-navigation did not sound like Speedy's strong point.

"Robin," Wonder Girl interrupted, her voice crisply businesslike, "we have no known point of reference at the moment. Our sensors indicate that we may be several million light-years from home." Wonder Girl paused. There was shocked silence over the intercom. "Robbie, somehow we seem to have been transported outside of the Milky Way Galaxy."

"Are you certain, WG?" Robin asked in a small voice.

"Not really," Wonder Girl admitted. "But I'm pretty sure."

"Okay, Wonder Girl, Speedy. Just do your best. See if you can get us a location. If we at least know where we are relative to home, we should be able to lay a return course. Robin out."

"Lay a course home, he says," Speedy said sarcastically. "By the time we get home, our great-great grandchildren will be dead!"

****

"Uhnnn-nnn..." Robin turned at the groans coming from Green Lantern's medbed. Simultaneously, Aqualad began stirring.

"Flasheroo, check Aqualad. I'll see to GL!" Robin stated. Kid Flash nodded and zipped in a scarlet and gold blur to their teammate's bedside.

Robin approached Green Lantern's medbed with caution. Hopefully, the Emerald Warrior would wake up as his old self again; however, Robin took precautions. He quickly unclasped his yellow cape and surreptitiously readied a Batarang for throwing. GL's ring was vulnerable to the color yellow. Robin stopped approximately three feet from GL's side and waited.

GL groaned again and brought his hand up to his forehead. He opened his eyes slowly and lay there in a daze.

"Uhnnn-nn...Where am I?" Green Lantern croaked in a dry whisper. Kid Flash was instantly at GL's side with a glass of water.

"Kid Flash! Don't!" Robin cried out in warning. But it was unnecessary. Green Lantern drank gratefully, then turned his head and waved the glass away.

"Thanks..." GL managed. He sat up slowly, his eyes blinking in the garishly bright interior lights of the ship. GL brought his hand up to his head again. "Anybody get the license plate of that truck?"

Robin and Kid Flash grinned broadly. Kid Flash giggled. "That's what *I* said! Must've been some traffic pile up!"

"Are you all right, sir?" Robin asked. "It depends, kid," GL grinned lopsidedly, pain creasing his soft brown eyes. "If by 'all right', d'you mean, will I live?...Then, yeah, I guess I'm all right." He groaned suddenly and lay back down. "But I don't think I'm gonna enjoy myself for a couple of days."

Robin and Kid Flash rushed to his side. "I don't understand, sir," Robin said worriedly. "The medbed shows normal readings!"

"Physically, Robin," Green Lantern explained tiredly, his eyes closed, "I'm all right. But that alien particle beam packed a wallop and a half. It's thrown my equilibrium off...I feel like I'm on a sea voyage, and I'm a rookie sailor."

"But, GL, the medbed would indicate that kind of reaction...that's physical and has tangible causes. Unless your vertigo is psychological...then, well, maybe you can just *tell* it to go away?" Robin finished this last in the form of a question.

"*Tell* my body to stop feeling like a seasick sailor?" Green Lantern asked doubtfully.

"Well, sir. If it's psychological, then the effects are strictly mental. Batman told me once that you have one of the strongest wills in the galaxy. Seems to me that a will that powerful should be able to tell its inner ear that the vertigo you're experiencing is all in your head? Can't your power ring do that?"

"You know something, kid?" Green Lantern whispered tiredly, his eyes still closed. "You're a lot like your mentor...that's kind of scary for a boy your age." However, GL went still and an almost invisible green haze seemed to suddenly envelop him. Within seconds, GL blinked his eyes open again and a slow smile spread across his features.

GL sat up on the edge of the medbed, then taking a slow, deep breath, stood gingerly. He flexed his arms, stretched, tested his balance. All normal. He turned and grinned at the Titans.

"Robin, you just keep on being like your mentor," GL said gratefully. "Thanks, kid." He looked around at the infirmary. "So, can someone fill me on the situation?"

Robin and Kid Flash exchanged slightly guilty glances. They'd separated a Green Lantern from his power ring. Obviously, that had been a serious tactical error.

"Perhaps, I may be of help," a voice behind them volunteered. Aqualad was sitting up on his medbed. Kid Flash zipped over to his friend.

"You okay, Gillhead?" he asked worriedly.

"I believe so. Thanks to you...Twinkletoes," Aqualad said, shyly addressing Kid Flash by a nickname for the first time. Kid Flash grinned good-naturedly and punched the Atlantean on the shoulder.

"What happened after I passed out?" Kid Flash asked seriously.

"I'm not certain about everything...the details are somewhat jumbled, and there are some aspects that I just cannot seem to grasp. However, GL was..." Aqualad paused and glanced guiltily at the Emerald Warrior.

Green Lantern stepped forward confidently. "Go on, son," he encouraged. "I was what--?"

"You were trying to kill us, sir." Aqualad dropped his eyes in shame, as if he himself had been responsible for such a thing.

"I was WHAT--?" GL's astonishment registered across his handsome features. Robin stepped up to him. He straightened to his full height and faced the senior hero. The junior detective's dark head didn't quite come up to chest level with the Emerald Knight.

"Sir, it's all my fault--" Robin began.

"No, Robbie, it was *my* idea, remember?" Kid Flash interrupted. Robin glowered at the junior speedster, giving him a look that stopped him in his tracks. Kid Flash backed off, his eyes widening.

"After we destroyed the alien vessels' star drives, we transported you onboard," Robin explained to GL. "*I* gave the order to separate you from your ring. So, I'm responsible--"

"You separated me from the ring? But, that's impossible! As long as a Green Lantern is living, he or she cannot be involuntarily separated from the power ring!"

Robin shrugged. "I don't understand it then, sir. But when I rematerialized you onboard, I kept the ring in stasis in the transporter buffer. I had to do some quick reprogramming, but because the ring has such a unique signature, it was actually relatively simple to keep it dematerialized."

Green Lantern stared nonplussed at the junior Caped Crusader. "Well, I can't explain it...yet! But go on. Aqualad says I was trying to kill you. What happened?"

Robin continued. He explained all that had transpired. How GL's subconscious had taken over the _Avenger_, disrupting the ship's controls. Robin filled GL in on everything that happened up to the point that Kid Flash left him behind unconscious in the transporter chamber.

"That's all I know. When I came to, the emerald shield around the transporter console was gone. We were dead in space...operating on emergency power only. I quickly rematerialized the power ring and brought it back to you." Robin turned to Kid Flash. "Your turn, Flasheroo."

Kid Flash quickly provided the details as he knew them. "When the giant hands grabbed us, I couldn't vibrate out of them. I don't know why though. I mean, my costume's yellow. I *should've* been able to, but the faster I vibrated, the tighter the hold on me."

"Maybe, 'cause it was all in GL's mind," Robin offered. "More of a dream than reality. So the physical laws that the power ring usually obeys weren't in effect."

GL's eyebrows went up in admiration. "That's as good a theory as anything else, son."

Kid Flash caught Aqualad's eyes. "Your turn, Gillhead."

Aqualad's violet eyes widened in wonder at the memory. "I am not entirely certain of what truly happened. I remember being determined not to give up. The Titans were depending on me. I am the only one who has even the slightest esper abilities." Aqualad paused in reflection. His head dropped in momentary shame.

"I remember feeling like I was a failure. Always being held back in reserve because of my need for water. Not being able to join the Titans in many of your dry-land activities. Feeling like a stranger in strange land, at times."

Robin and Kid Flash exchanged shocked expressions at this revelation. "But Garth, that's not true!" Robin protested. "You're an equal member of our team!" He wanted to add, "Heck, I'm the liability...with no superpowers." Instead, he added, "We'll discuss this later. Right now, we need to figure out what happened."

Aqualad nodded mutely, then continued his tale. "I'm not sure what is a dream and what is real...so I'll just relate what I remember." The others nodded...

****

Speedy sat back and watched Wonder Girl work. He had no clue what she was doing, but admired her intense concentration. Wonder Girl noticed Speedy's gaze and smiled at him.

"Are you just going to sit there, or are you going to *try* to help me figure out where we are?" she asked.

"I figured I'd just sit here and cheer you on," Speedy said. "I'm afraid that I played hooky the day they taught astro-navigation in science class."

Wonder Girl grinned at Speedy's nonsense.

"It's quite simple, really," WG explained. "Well, maybe 'simple' is a bit of an exaggeration. For several years now, astronomers have been able to identify and measure spatial phenomena that have unique signatures: quasars, black holes, entire galaxies. If I can find two known astronomical bodies through their signatures, then I should be able to at least approximate our location."

"Hmmmmm. I'm afraid that I must've been absent during *that* class, too," Speedy replied. "Maybe I should actually attend school more often. See if my bozo teachers can learn me something."

"*Learn* me something?" Wonder Girl repeated, glancing askance at Speedy.

"Just a joke, Wonder Chick," Speedy said slightly annoyed. Then under his breath, muttered, "I swear...you sound more and more like Batboy with each passing moment."

"I would consider that a compliment," Wonder Girl said quietly, "except that I know it was not meant as such." She shook her head at Speedy, then returned to the task at hand. "I thought that by now you'd learn that we each have our strengths and weaknesses. Robin depends on each of us to do our part because we're a team. He knows that Amazonian science is far superior to that of Man's World, which is why he gave us this task."

"Us?" Speedy asked derisively. "Don't you mean, *you*?"

"Roy, Robin also believes in you. You may behave like there's nothing between your two ears at times--"

"Ouch...gee, thanks--!"

"--but he realizes, as do I, that it's all a big act! Roy, Robbie and I both have faith in you. I only wish that you could have faith in us...and in yourself." Wonder Girl held Speedy's gaze steadily. Finally, Speedy dropped his eyes and nodded reluctantly.

"How can I help?" he asked simply. Wonder Girl smiled happily.

"Well, I need you to man this monitor. If you see any shift in the quantum energy sensors from say...here to...here--" Wonder Girl indicated the change in levels, "--give a yell. Got it?"

"Got it!"

The two Titans promptly went back to work.

****

"...The last thing I remember was calling on this mysterious purple essence growing within me," Aqualad explained haltingly. "I am sorry. I am unable to say it in clearer words." He looked at the others helplessly and shrugged.

Green Lantern held his chin between his thumb and forefinger. He spoke quietly to the shy teenager. "You say this 'purple essence' felt like some kind of powerful force growing within you?"

Aqualad nodded, wide-eyed.

"You've *never* had any indication of such power before?"

"No, sir. Never," Aqualad replied, shaking his head for added emphasis.

Green Lantern shook his head. "I wish your mentor was here at the moment. Maybe he'd be able to put some kind of light into it. I mean, Aquaman might be aware of others like you. I'm sorry, Aqualad. My purview is outer space. I'm ashamed to admit that I know very little about the denizens of the deep."

Aqualad dropped his eyes, almost in shame. "Even amongst our people, I am different," he said quietly. "My eyes seem to frighten others, and therefore, many Atlanteans believe me to be cursed. Before Aquaman found me and fostered me into his Royal household, I was completely alone. I had never even seen others of my kind. My sole companions were my pet walrus and other sea creatures." Aqualad shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps, I *am* cursed."

"That's silly!" Robin protested. "Of course, you're not cursed. Different maybe...but so what? We're all different in one way or another. Look at Kid Flash...not many like him running around loose." He grinned, then added, "Thank goodness for that! Anyway, you can't get more different than *him*!"

Kid Flash grinned, then zoomed around his team leader and friend in a mini- whirlwind, all within the space of an eye-blink. When Robin's vision cleared, his uniform had been turned around backwards.

"Hey!" Robin laughed, startled. Next thing he knew, Kid Flashed zipped again. Robin stood still, blinking. His uniform had been re-straightened. "Okay, Flasheroo," Robin smiled evilly. "You know, of course, that this means war. You'd better not go to sleep tonight."

Kid Flash's eyes widened at Robin's threat. He swallowed, then looked like he was trying to find the nearest escape hatch.

Robin grinned. "Never mind, Flasheroo. I won't hurt you...much." Kid Flash blanched. Robin turned to Aqualad, all business. "Sorry, Garth. Look, we don't know if this strange power is real or not. So much of what happened to us these past few hours has the quality of dreams." At the others looks of confusion, Robin tried to explain further.

"Well, look at GL's ring. When you two entered GL's dream world, the ring stopped behaving according to the physical laws that control it. It wasn't stopped by Kid Flash's yellow uniform." Robin shrugged. "I don't know, Aqualad. Maybe, since you were already in a kind of magical dream world, you were able to conjure up a power that could work under the dream's metaphysical laws."

Aqualad nodded reluctantly. "Perhaps you are correct, Robin. Everything that happened *does* have a strange quality of non-reality. And yet--" Aqualad paused, his eyes taking on a faraway look. "And yet, there is also an underlying quality of truth." At the others' look, Aqualad shrugged. "I don't know...what I felt...it just somehow *seemed* right. As if it were an ability I've always known about, but didn't know how to call upon." Aqualad shrugged helplessly. "I know...it does not make sense."

"No, son," Green Lantern disagreed. "It makes a lot of sense. Sort of like the first time I made mental contact with the power ring. It felt right...like something I'd always known was within me, but--" GL shook his head. "You're right, Aqualad, it *is* difficult to put into words."

Kid Flash suddenly spoke up.

"Kind of like the Speed Force that wanted me to join with it. I knew deep down inside that I shouldn't...that it would be the worst thing I could possibly ever do. But still, somehow I knew that joining it was something I'd wanted to do all of my life." He turned to Robin. "You saved my life, Robbie. Like I said, I'll never forget that."

"It seems that this little space jaunt has turned into a real trip of self- discovery," Robin said ironically. "D'you think that maybe we could discover a way back home?"

Green Lantern grinned. "Like I said, Robin...you sure do remind me of your mentor. You cut straight to the chase. Okay, question: What was our heading before we went dead in space? And what's our current position?"

"We were headed towards the space anomaly," Robin said. "Tailing behind Batman and GA. At the speed we were going, we should've been about a standard hour behind them. That's when you...or your ring...took over the ship." Robin shrugged. "As for where we are right now..." He was interrupted by an urgent call from Wonder Girl.

****

"Show me!" Robin ordered curtly. Wonder Girl nodded and moved over quickly. Speedy watched their interaction with growing jealousy. Robin and Wonder Girl just seemed so right together. They worked like they could read each other's minds...as if they didn't need words...as if they belonged together.

The others crowded around, falling into their positions naturally, waiting for whatever information Wonder Girl discovered.

"Speedy, please!" Wonder Girl called. "I could use your help."

Speedy immediately hurried over to the monitor he'd been manning for the past half-hour.

"As I was saying," Wonder Girl continued, "this signature is definitely from an identified quasar at the edge of the known universe...and *this* one..." she paused excitedly, "...*this* one has the unique signature from our own galaxy's center!"

"If we triangulate," Robin concluded, "it places us at..." he paused, then finished awed, "...one hundred million light-years from our last known position!"

"Whoa," whispered Kid Flash.

"Suffering swordfish," added Aqualad.

"Guess we won't be home in time for dinner," quipped Speedy.

Robin swallowed. He stood very still for a long moment. He was the leader. It was his fault that they had all been brought to this. Therefore, it was *his* responsibility to get them all back.

As he stilled his mind and quickly began going through and eliminating their options, Robin deliberately tried not to think about Batman and the parting words he'd had with him. More than anything, Dick wanted to take back those stinging words and tell Bruce how much he loved him.

Now's not the time, Grayson, he chastised. Let's get these kids home to their families first!

"Okay," Robin said, sitting down at the Command Console and beginning to type furiously. "We're here..." he typed, "...and our last known position was here." Robin typed some more.

As the others watched and listened silently, Robin worked furiously at the Command Console computer. "WG, I need you to input the following figures..." Robin called out a string of numbers, letters, variables, and other figures that the rest of the Titans didn't recognize. "Let me know when you're done," he added.

"Gotcha," Wonder Girl replied. Both teens worked quickly and efficiently for the next few minutes, Wonder Girl calling out the results of Robin's queries, and Robin reevaluating the results. Eventually, after a long tense moment, Robin and Wonder Girl smiled at each other.

"Robbie, that's it! You did it!" Wonder Girl showed her exuberance by hugging Robin in her excitement. Robin allowed himself a small smile.

"No, WG, *we* did it!" He looked around, taking in the rest of the Titans. "We *all* did it!" Unable to help himself, Robin's smile broadened into a wide grin. "We're going home, people!"

The other Titans cheered at his words. All, that is, except Speedy. Wonder Girl's hugging Robin did not escape Speedy's notice. As far as he was concerned, the better man had won. Wonder Girl and Robin were obviously meant for each other. Speedy would do the honorable thing and step out of the way.

"Great going, Batboy," Speedy said. "So, when do we get started?"

"How about now?" asked Robin. "Ladies and gentlemen, please return your seats and tray tables to their upright position!" The others grinned at him. "Strap in Titans, 'cause the ride's gonna get bumpy!"

The Titans quickly took up their customary positions inside the command section, dutifully bringing their systems back online, and ensuring that their seatbelts were secure.

"GL, I know that you don't really need to secure yourself, but feel free to take any of the unoccupied seats." Green Lantern nodded. "Okay, team, in order to return to our last position, we have to go into max FTL--"

Robin's announcement was met with groans from the other Titans.

"Sorry, guys, but we need the speed, and max FTL is the only way to achieve the necessary faster than hyper-light travel. The good news...we'll get back to the Milky Way Galaxy. The bad news...we gotta spend a longer than recommended amount of time in FTL--"

He was interrupted again by protests from the others.

"But, Robbie," Kid Flash cried, "if we go into FTL for an extended period, the Speed Force will try to pull me in again."

"Yeah, and I thought that long exposure to FTL was *bad* for you, Short Pants. Like smoking or hard drugs," added Speedy.

"Yeah, but we have a secret weapon," Robin said. The others looked blankly at him. "We have the most powerful weapon in the universe right here on board...plus, we have the one person in the universe who really knows how to wield it properly." Robin looked over to where the Emerald Knight was sitting. "Right, GL?"

Green Lantern grinned. "What do you need me to do, Robin?"

"I need you to surround the _Avenger_ in a protective bubble. A sort of 'cocoon' that will protect us from the FTL effect. In other words, the _Avenger_ *will* undergo FTL, and we *will* travel through a 'tunnel' in space, cutting through the real space/time continuum. In effect, 'stopping' time on the outside. However, by *you* providing us with this protective envelope, *we* won't feel the same 'out of time' warping effect that we experienced on the way out here." Robin looked at Kid Flash. "And Flasheroo won't be drawn into the Speed Force either."

The junior speedster flashed Robin a grateful smile.

"I think that you have an exceptionally sound plan, Robin," Green Lantern declared. "When do we get started?"

"Ready, team?" Robin called. At their nods, he cried out, "Let's do it, then!"

"Titans TOGETHER!"

**** "I don't *get* it," Green Arrow complained. "Those kids should've been here *hours* ago! Are you sure you calculated their ETA accurately?" GA closed his eyes in self-chastisement. "Forget I asked," he muttered. "I can't believe I said that."

"They're in trouble," Batman muttered grimly. "Robin wouldn't miss his ETA otherwise."

"Uh, not necessarily, my dark and dreary friend," GA said brightly. "The kid could've just decided to go around us! You know...take a detour."

"We would've spotted the star-drive's ion trail," Batman countered. "Robin might be able to navigate using the Orion Arm's star systems to camouflage his trajectory, but there are certain areas of open space where he'd have to travel without benefit of cover. Besides, as much confidence as I have in the boy, he's not an experienced starship pilot. The simulator is not the same as the real thing."

"No," GA conceded, "it's not." But then, he added to himself, you trained that boy. I have a feeling that counts for a lot. Unlike my so-called training of *my* junior partner.

"We need to continue," Batman finally said. "I'll send their last known position to the JLA satellite. They'll have to send someone to investigate."

GA looked at Batman as if he'd grown an additional set of pointed ears.

"Bats, you didn't just say what I just heard you say! No way, are we abandoning the Titans! If the kids are in trouble then it's up to us to help them!"

Batman didn't bother to reply. He continued resetting his coordinates, readying to get underway.

"Listen, you cold bastard!" GA yelled hotly. "Those are *our* kids out there! Mine and yours and Barry's and Arthur's and Diana's! We can't let them *all* down! They're all depending on us. What's the matter with you? Do you have ice in your veins? Don't you even care about Robin? How can you *be* so cold? That kid worships the ground you walk on."

Batman didn't reply. GA stared at him nonplussed.

"Strap in," Batman ordered. As Green Arrow reluctantly did as told, he noticed something strange. The right side armrest on Batman's command chair was inexplicably bent out of shape. GA's left eyebrow shot up to his hairline. The Bat cold-blooded? He shook his head. More like Batman felt *too* much.

As they prepared to jump into hyper-light, GA reflected that this decision would eat at Batman's conscious for the rest of his life.

****

The sleek, JLA cruiser seemed to appear out of no where, which technically speaking is exactly what it did. As the _Avenger_ jumped out of max FTL, the Titans took a moment to catch their breath.

Before them, hanging in the darkness of the outer reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy, was the 'space anomaly'.

Maintaining full shields, Robin maneuvered the _Avenger_ in a 360-degree loop around the gigantic ship. The Titans watched wide-eyed as the ship spread out mile after mile below them.

"That's the ugliest lookin' hot rod *I've* ever laid eyes on," claimed Speedy.

"What do you make of her, GL?" asked Robin.

"Enough gun emplacements to take out most Earth cities," he assessed critically. "Several veins of yellow running along its outer hull. I think that I should be able to work around them, however. As humongous as this thing is, I don't think I'll have any problems finding a way in." He paused. "Wish Supes was here, though."

"Don't worry, GL," Robin said quietly. "Batman should be arriving soon."

Green Lantern gave the Boy Wonder a warm smile. Impulsively, he reached over and tousled the boy's head.

"Yes, he sure will, won't he?" GL asked fondly. Becoming businesslike, he intoned, "Okay, Titans, here's where we part ways for a while. I'm going outside to reconnoiter. When Batman arrives, point him in my direction...and at that time, *you* kids go home! Do you understand me? There are a lot of people who are deathly worried about you. Whatever happens, you Titans are to stay out of it. Is that clear?"

The Titans exchanged rueful glances, then each in turn nodded reluctantly in understanding.

"Good," GL said, giving them each a warm smile. "Robin, Titans, it's been a pleasure teaming up with you. You kids have made your mentors *and* the rest of the JLA proud today."

As he spoke, Green Lantern enveloped himself in an emerald field. As the field grew in strength, he waved jauntily at the Titans, then walked *through* the _Avenger's_ portside bulkheads. The Titans watched, open-mouthed with awe, as the Emerald Knight simply 'stepped' outside into the cold vacuum of space.

"So what do we do in the meanwhile?" asked Speedy as soon as GL was gone. "Sit around and twiddle our thumbs?"

"No way, Boy Bowman," replied Robin. "We go in and scout out the place...try and make first contact with whatever intelligence is controlling that thing. When Batman and GA arrive, we give them a full briefing on our findings."

"But Green Lantern ordered us to--" Aqualad began.

"And I've no intention of obeying that order, Gillhead," Robin said harshly. "But this doesn't mean that *you* have to tag along. This whole enterprise is strictly voluntary!"

"I was not implying that we should quit," Aqualad protested. "I was only pointing out that if Green Lantern doesn't want us to pursue this goal, then he has the capability to stop us."

"I know, A-lad," Robin acknowledged tiredly. "I know. But there's nothing and nobody who's going to keep me out of this."

"I'm with you, Robbie," broke in Kid Flash. "Heck, it's just one ship. I say we go in, demand that they take us to their leader, and order them to surrender. Simple. Mission accomplished."

Kid Flash looked at the others for approval of his plan. They just stared at him as if he were a bug that needed squashing.

"Hey, it's a great plan!" he protested. "Tell 'em, Gillhead." Aqualad simply shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Look, even though Twinkletoes here has proven yet again that he's an idiot, he *does* have a point," Speedy offered.

"I do?" Kid Flash asked surprised. "Hey, who's an idiot?"

"What do you mean, Archer?" asked Robin.

"I mean that stopping this thing from obliterating the Earth should be our primary mission. Deadly force should be in effect. I mean, we *are* at war, aren't we?"

"Not necessarily, Speedy," Robin said. "So far, we have a deadly misunderstanding and a failure to effectively communicate. Our primary concern should be to establish contact, learn everything we can about them, and somehow stop them from attacking Earth. Hopefully, steps one and two will lead naturally to step three."

"Yeah, and hopefully step three won't lead to us being waxed once and for all!" added Speedy sarcastically.

"Robin," Wonder Girl said quietly, "you know that whatever you decide we're all behind you."

Robin smiled warmly at Wonder Girl. He reached his hand out to hers, giving it a grateful squeeze.

"Thanks, Donna," he said softly, breaking his 'no first names' rule. "I really appreciate that." Turning to the others, Robin once more assumed the mantle of the Titans' leader and began crisply giving orders.

"Take your places, everybody. Whatever's waiting for us on the other side...we're going in!"

****

End Part 3

1