Author's Note: Ok, I've realized now (http://) that fanfiction.net doesn't (www.) like links in it's (invader-sam.) documents so (deviantart.) I'm hiding it in my clever (com/) secret code here. I'm genius!

Anyway, sorry for the delay, but this chapter is a bit longer than all the others have been. Enjoy!


Chapter 12

"Final Performance"

A sudden breeze blowing in from their window roused Raven from a very light sleep. She lifted herself up on her elbows, and glanced over Starfire's sleeping form at the clock. 2:30 AM. 'I know I didn't leave that open.' She waved a hand at it, and black energy shut the window for her with a soft clatter. Content with her work, she let her head sink back on her pillow. Her eyes had almost closed again, when she noticed to pale white slits staring down at her. Biting her tongue to keep from screaming, she sat up, rubbing her eyes to make sure they weren't playing trick on her. "Batman?" she whispered, "What are you -?"

There was never any sense in beating around the bush, especially in delicate matters, "Beast Boy won't be coming back, not on his own free will at least."

"What?" she asked, "I don't understand - it was a simple reconnaissance mission. What could've happened?"

"What is going on.?" Starfire asked sleepily

"Batman??" came Cyborg's voice from the darkness, "What the-?"

"Shush!" Raven said quickly. The last thing they needed was for Bruce to get angry again and leave before explaining.

The Dark Knight folded his arms, "He found Robin's location, but instead of reporting back like he was supposed to, he went to try to save Robin on his own. Thing's didn't work out."

Emotion flickered across Raven's face for an instant before her expression became stony once again, "Idiot."

"I must say, that was my first reaction," Bruce stated, then began to pace around the room slowly, "Though I wasn't able to follow Beast Boy in time to stop him from walking into a pretty obvious ambush, I did find out where he went," Batman stopped walking and looked down at Raven, "So we'll be able to get them back, if we plan correctly," he could tell from the one brief flicker that crossed her face that she cared more for Beast Boy than she let on.

"I'm open to suggestions," she said, strictly business, not liking at all the way he was looking at her.

"We'll talk later," he said, "Meet me in the Batcave." With a swirl of his cape and he exited through the window. Raven pulled her knees up to her chest, and shut it after him.

There was several seconds of awkward silence, prompting Cyborg to speak up, "C'mon, Raven, you know you miss Beast Boy. You're worried about him," He got up and stood as tall as he could, folded his arms, and glared down at her, "The Dark Knight knows all!" he said, making his voice unnaturally deep.

"Shut up!" she shouted, grabbing her pillow and tossing it at his head.

He caught it in one hand, throwing it lightly back at her, "Raven and BB, sittin' in a tree! F-U-C-K-I-" The pillow was thrown more forcefully the second time, hitting his square in the face.

"Raven - is it really that serious already between you?" Starfire asked, looking excited.

"No!" Raven cried, now bright red, "Absolutely not!"

Outside the window, down on one knee, Batman sighed, "Kids."

* * *

The Titans arrived at Wayne Manor at 9:00 the next morning, looking somber. Despite the light-hearted antics of the night before, the seriousness of the situation and Batman's offer of help had transformed them. They followed Alfred to the grandfather clock in the study in silence, and hardly noticed the grand scheme of the cave they descended into.

"They're here, sir," Alfred said, as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Batman was seated at his supercomputer, rapidly punching in keys. He merely nodded, not taking his eyes off the large screen.

"I'll leave you to it, then, shall I?" Alfred said, retreating back up the staircase to the upper levels of the manor.

Raven walked up beside Bruce's high-backed chair, gazing up at the enormous screen. "That's where they are?" she guessed, gesturing towards the illuminated blue-prints.

"Right. These are the plans for that supposedly 'abandoned' subway station. I'll give Penguin credit for using the place; it isn't a very suspicious looking area, but its run-down appearance is enough to ward off normal passersby," Batman told her, nodding slightly.

"There must be other entrances, though," Cyborg added, scanning the blueprints, "The place is huge - must hold over ten thousand people, at least. There's no way they could all go in one entrance unnoticed."

"10,579, actually. And as for the entrances: I'm looking."

"I am still confused," Star said, "What is it that Robin is forced to do in this place?"

"Gladiator battles, judging by the stadium set-up," Raven said.

"Not to mention all the juvenile delinquents that are fillin' up the hospital," Cy added.

Batman smiled slightly, "I believe Robin is the main attraction. I'd imagine Ivy and Penguin charge admission for the entertainment and betting opportunities, making them a truckload each night."

"How horrible," Star said.

"It's disgusting," Raven spat.

"Let's keep the emotional outbursts to a minimum," The Dark Knight chided, "The more we stay focused, the quicker we can save them."

Both girls nodded, "Right."

Cyborg tapped his chin with a forefinger for a moment before asking, "Batman - should we be involving the cops in this? I mean, if we bust this place when it's full, it's gonna be chaos. Do you think they might be able to help, you know, with crowd control?"

"I'll talk to Commissioner Gordon, but I doubt it will do any good. Police information tends to leak a lot more often than you'd think, especially in this town."

The android nodded, unable to think of anything else to say at the present time. It was Raven who spoke again a brief moment later. "So.what type of rescue did you have in mind.sir?" she added politely, "Is there a way we can get in and get the boys out before all the 'customers' start arriving?"

"There's likely only going to be guards left for the entrance, so getting in after a fight has started will most likely be the easiest," Batman turned around, staring at the three of them, "Bruce Wayne could get in with the customers if he wanted to, but there's no way in hell Penguin or Ivy would allow you three to get into the arena."

"There's gotta be a back entrance somewhere," Cyborg said, searching the blueprints again, "'Cuz there's no way we're not comin' along."

"I know that," he agreed, obviously deep in thought, "Now look -" he highlighted a few areas around the arena's perimeter, "These are all subway entrances like the first one I found. It looks like they've taken over almost half of the abandoned system, maybe more."

"This isn't gonna be easy." Raven sighed.

* * *

Robin slowly paced around his square, angular cage, hands behind his back. His eyes were no longer able to focus on just the fat, ugly male with the box. Several feet away from his cage, another predator like himself was lashing about rabidly. [Stupid, fat, ugly male. Try to take Robin again. Robin kill male.]

Beast Boy was ramming into the cage bars like a savage, saliva dripping out of his open mouth (large, pointy canine teeth visible) quickly. His new outfit was quite a mess already: in his blind fury he'd torn his jacket to pieces, and there were bits of his shirt bitten off and scratches where his teeth had dug further than necessary into the cloth.

He was beyond thought now - the chemicals had had an even worse effect on him than they had on the other boys, seeing as his mind was part-animal to begin with. Frustrated at being contained he slid to the floor, panting and whimpering like an abused puppy.

By the door, the guard with the broken nose looked down at his belt suddenly, his beeper making its irritating noises, "Shit. It's the boss," he said, looking at his partner wearily.

"Wonder what they want," the second shrugged.

"I'll go find out," the first said, heading for the elevator.

"Hey - don't leave me alone with these things!" the second cried, racing after him, "They'll be fine for two minutes, won't they?"

"Most likely."

The hiss of the elevator door opening and closing again sounded and the guards were gone, leaving the former Titans alone. Both boys noticed a subtle change in the air seconds later and turned. A black figure was gliding towards them and they both tensed. Beast Boy let out a wolf-like bark and the figure lowered its hood, revealing a shock of purple hair and wide eyes.

"My God." she whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. Quickly she kneeled in front of Beast Boy's cage. "Gar - Gar, can you hear me? It's Raven - we're going to get you out of here - both of you."

The young man snapped at her, his animal instincts registering this new development as a possible threat. Robin ignored her. She was not the pretty lady.

Raven leaned back instinctively, searching his face, desperately hoping to find some trace of the man she knew he was. But there was nothing; his eyes were clouded over and he continued to growl at her. "Beast Boy." she murmured sadly, then turned to the other cage, "Robin.I know you don't remember me.but I wish there was a way to know you're both still yourselves.somewhere in there." She got to her feet, looking from one to the other sadly.

The Boy Wonder merely turned away from her, no longer even mildly interested in the newcomer's appearance.

For a moment, Raven considered breaking the locks of the cages then and there, but she wasn't sure if she could handle them both if they attacked her - especially in their current conditions. Besides, Bruce had told her that she was only to get herself in position for their strike. She pulled her hood up quickly and fled the room.

* * *

"So.this is it," Ivy said, spreading her arms majestically as she leaned back on the couch in Penguin's office, "Our last night in this city.and not a hitch yet."

Penguin was tapping rapidly on his keyboard, "I can't say I don't expect the Batman to try something tonight. Is security in place?" he asked, not looking up from his work.

"Yes, I just spoke with the guards and they're all ready," she said, rolling over onto her stomach, "The crowd's beginning to fill in as well. Looks like we'll have a full house tonight."

"Good. And our departure plans?"

"All finalized," she said, "As soon as we collect tonight's profits we'll begin our nation-wide tour."

"And hopefully leave the Bat in the dust," Oswald stood up slowly, picking up his umbrella, "Shall we get set for tonight's events? I imagine it will be a night to remember!"

"Let's shall," she rolled up off of the couch and onto her feet, swinging her red hair back loftily, "And I couldn't agree with you more."

* * *

"It's time," came Ivy's voice over the guard's cell phone, "Get the boys into their places."

"Right."

The phone was closed as a dozen more guards moved into the cage-room, each carrying one of a variety of weapons for submission-purposes. The cage doors were opened and before the boys could make their attack, their collars were activated, and chains snapped around their neck, and their hands bound. The guards' larger number worked to their advantage and it wasn't long before they had the drugged-Titans moving slowly, reluctantly off in opposite directions.

At the end of a long dark hallway, the guards un-hooked the chains from around Beast Boy, shoved him into what looked like a dead-end and then slid a thick wall shut behind him. Glad to be free and angry at being closed in again, he slammed his body against the new wall, but to no avail. Soft noise reached his ears and he pressed up against the dead-end wall. The dull roar of a herd.a large herd.he licked his lips in anticipation, his stomach rumbling loudly.

Through the wall, out in the stands, Starfire was seated among the businessmen and gangsters, dressed in a black skirt-suit, with tights, gloves, and well-applied cover-up hiding the unnatural color of her skin. Her hair was drawn up in a sophisticated knot and her hands were folded in her lap. Beside her sat Bruce Wayne. Getting in had been a simple matter of creating a fake ID for her and disguising her skin. She stared out at the dusty arena and felt a small shiver run down her spine as she noticed the scattered blood stains on the ground and walls. Her grief over Robin seemed even more real now. But she had to stay calm, and confident. She couldn't give herself away before it was time.

She felt a hand on hers and looked up to see Bruce giving her the faintest smile. There was such strength behind his eyes; she now knew where Robin got it from. 'He wants to be sure I will control myself.' she thought, 'I cannot let him down - I realize now why Tim admires him.' She nodded and turned back to the arena, swallowing the large lump that was catching in her throat. She wanted so much to prove her worth to him that night. His approval had become very important to her in a short amount of time.

Locked in another dead-end chamber, Robin stood stock still, listening to the voices outside. [Robin knows what comes. New predator was non-threat. Now is threat.] The pretty woman's face floated through his mind and he felt a strange, sad twisting in his stomach. [Robin not found female. Robin find female or die.] He heard the familiar voice of the hated green-woman and he tensed. [Doors open now. Robin find female now or die.]

The wall in front of him slid slowly open, and he was blinded briefly by the spotlights above the arena. The noise of the masses rose as he stepped out onto the field. He glanced around at them dully, and then he caught a whiff of the other predator. He had been loosed and was bounding towards the center of the ring.

Up in the stands, Star squeezed Bruce's hand to keep from crying out. Why did they have to sit and watch this? She wanted to shut her eyes, to turn away, anything, but she couldn't. Her eyes were glued to the form of her lover, a thousand thoughts spinning around in her head.

The former leader of the Teen Titans braced himself for impact, but the other male changed, becoming a burlier, snarling creature. [Bear-!] With a swipe from his paw, the enormous green mammal sent Robin crashing towards the other side of the arena, several large claws slashes causing particularly painful chest wounds.

Beast Boy returned to his human form, not even realizing that he had changed and licked some blood off of his fingertips. This hunt was getting off to a very good start.

Star bit her lip anxiously.

Robin leapt up, trying to ignore his bleeding torso. The prey was distracted. He took two quick steps and thrust his fist forward, connecting with the creature's chin.

Beast Boy was sent sprawling backwards, landing face-first in the dirt, his abnormally sharp canines puncturing his lower lip in the process. He rose again, licked the blood off his lips and the made for another assault, this time becoming a tiger. The crowd roared with excitement as the beast felled the Boy Wonder.

Starfire turned to look at Bruce for some sort of sign, but he had gone. It would be soon.but how much longer could she wait? The green tiger had one paw on Robin's throat, choking him. Her hands flew over her mouth unintentionally as she watched.

Robin gasped for breath, trying to avoid the surrounding darkness. All would be over soon. Non-threat was too strong; no longer nice non-threat. He kicked and flailed with his legs, trying to dislodge the larger, more dangerous predator, but to no avail. [Robin no find pretty lady now.]

At that moment, there was a rushing wind and a black blur came crashing into the tiger, knocking him across the floor.

"Raven!" Star cried, leaping to her feet and then taking off into the air as the men around her watched in numb astonishment. She landed in the ring just as the tiger picked itself up. She glanced between Raven and Robin briefly.

"I can handle it!" Raven shouted at her, "Take care of Robin!"

"Right!" Star was at his side in an instant, lifting him into a sitting position, cradling his head against her chest, "Robin.thank the gods." she choked, "I thought I would never see you again."

His breath was raspy, but the pain was gone at last. His bleary eyes focused in and out on the vision of female loveliness he had long searched for. He reached out a bruised and battered hand, touching her lightly on the cheek. Silent tears fell softly down his face, and though he tried to communicate to her, there was no way. Robin's feelings remained masked behind his poisonous veil, but the creature moved the muscles in his mouth a very unfamiliar way: a smile. Behind them, Raven grappled with Beast Boy, who was now a wolf, trying not to hurt him, but also not wanting to get killed. She bound him in black magic and with a surge of mental energy, forced him back into his human form. He would be much easier to fight if he stayed that way.

The crowd was roaring with a mix of anger and excitement at the new complication (despite the problems it caused to their bidding situation). From their spots hidden in the crowd, two bodyguards (the leader of the gang of crooks and a single crony) stood and took aim down at the arena with their machine guns, signaling at least four dozen others to scramble towards the fighting ring. Before the leader could finish pulling the trigger (aimed at the Boy Wonder's rescuer), the light above him shattered, dimming the entire area. The man looked up, his eyes filled with dread. Dropping from the ceiling like a horrible bird of prey, the outline of a large, black bat was visible for only a second. The Dark Knight landed upon him feet first, breaking his nose and sending the man into unconsciousness, his gun slipping from his limp fingers onto the ground.

With a flick of his wrist, a Batarang had sliced the second hired thug's gun into two. Frightened, the man dashed off. Batman turned and fired a Bat-grapple towards the large spectators' box above the normal seating, where a surprised Ivy and Penguin sat. The metal hook shattered the glass between the two super villains, attempting to latch onto anything strong enough.

"Damn him!" Ivy shouted. She grabbed her cell phone as Penguin used his flame-thrower/umbrella to burn the rope that the Caped Crusader was hanging from. "Get rid of the intruders!! They're ruining everything!!"

In response to her command, more guards emerged from their posts, pouring down the stairwells that opened up into the arena, and gunfire erupted across the field. As Raven grappled with Beast Boy, she shouted over her shoulder, "Star!! You've gotta get Robin out of here!!"

Starfire rose, holding her beloved in her arms, "But what about you??"

"I'll be fine! I can handle it! Just go!" the Azarath cried. Just as Star took to the air, a new rain of bullets came down on them. One sailed right through Beast Boy's right arm and grazed Raven's left. The changeling let out a pained howl and reeled back, clutching his bleeding arm. Raven moved towards him, but he lashed out at her, clearing frightened now.

Batman managed to land gracefully on his feet, glaring angrily up at the viewing booth. One hand began to search through his utility belt, looking for something useful in the current situation. The Dark Knight heard a tiny 'crunch!' behind him, whipped around on one foot, and threw his fist out, smashing an approaching guard in the face. The man crumpled to the ground, cudgel still clasped tightly in his right hand. Resuming his previous work, Batman fished out several smoke bombs from his belt and heaved them up towards the broken glass.

Ivy fell back against her chair as she tried to avoid the projectiles. They hit the floor and walls around her and soon the entire room was filled with smoke. With one hand over her mouth and coughing, she continued to shout into her cell phone at the guards.

Oswald Cobblepot stood up, attempting fruitlessly to wave away the billowing gray smog from around him. Over the commotion (and Ivy's orders), he managed to hear the ring of his own cell. Curious as to who would be calling at such a time, he picked it up, "What?" he snapped impatiently.

"Boss!" came the husky voice of one of the few guards posted outside the perimeter, "Da copses are surroundin' da place! They ain't found the backdoor yet, tho. Your car's still waitin' der."

Penguin's eyes widened. He glanced over at Ivy, to make sure she was still occupied, then spoke quickly into the mouthpiece, "Meet me there in five minutes." He snapped the miniature machine closed, then began to back away slowly, using the smoke to his advantage.

Raven had Beast Boy backed up against a wall, while Starfire had to concentrate her energy blasts to emit them from her eyes as both hands were preoccupied with holding Robin. Raven raised both hands, one out to her side, ready to ward off guards the instant they came near, and the other towards the changeling. 'I have to find a way into his mind,' she thought desperately, 'I have to make him understand that I'm not the one who wants to hurt him.' A pulse-wave of telepathic energy shot from her palm and enveloped him. 'Please, let him hear me.'

Most of the crowd had already dispersed, scared by the bullets and the appearance of the Batman. The world's greatest detective looked down at the arena, where the large amount of guards were pouring fire at the Titans. He turned his head back, looking up at where he knew Ivy and Penguin were. There was no time to debate which course to take. With a mighty leap, he cleared the railing that separated the arena and the first row of seats, dropping down five feet and landing on several of the armed thugs.

Both young women felt his presence, but neither became distracted by it. Star lowered herself closer to him, so that they could form a stronger offense against the guards, whose number was slowly starting to dwindle.

* * *

"Looks like the party's letting out early," Amy said, climbing out of her squad car as a mass of Gotham's social-elite began pouring out of the subway entrance. She lifted a walkie-talkie to her mouth and said, "Round up as many as you can. Don't worry if some get away - it's inevitable." She glanced over at the taller figure leaning against his own high-tech car and smiled wryly. "You ready to get the bed guys?"

Cyborg grinned and stood upright, cracking his neck, "I been ready! Man, how can you cops stand all this waitin'? I think I'd go nuts!"

She smiled, pulling her gun out of her shoulder holster. "We're trained for it - it's the final exam at the Academy. Now come on, we've got work to do."

The android nodded and followed after her, almost skipping with happiness at his chance for action.