Firestorm
Batman/Teen Titans
By Amos Whirly
Chapter Six: Where the Lions Roar
A shrieking bat fluttered wildly through the darkness. Starfire stood alone on a ledge at the back of the cave, watching the eerie shadows move as if of their own volition. She turned her head when she heard someone approaching, and she gave a start as a small redheaded woman stopped beside her.
"The girl-bat, I presume?" Starfire offered a smile.
"Barb, when I'm like this, remember?"
"Forgive me," Starfire bowed her head. "Barbara."
"What are you doing over here all by yourself?"
"I am contemplating why this Batman seems to inhabit dark places."
Barbara smiled, closing her eyes. "It's a guy thing."
"I always knew," Starfire sighed, "that Robin—I mean—Nightwing—had a dark place deep within his heart. In spite of his bright costume and the happy exterior he had, it was always there – lurking in the depths of his soul. I had always hoped, though, that our time together extinguished that darkness. Now I see that in my absence it only grew stronger."
"What makes you think it ever went away?"
Starfire's emerald eyes brightened. "You did not see him smile then. When we were together, it seemed to me that he could smile more brilliantly than any child. His laugh was light, as if his heart were at ease." She looked down. "I do not know this Nightwing."
Barbara set her hand on Starfire's shoulder and squeezed it tightly. "Maybe you'll make him remember." Barbara sighed. "You have to know, though, Starfire, that Dick—Nightwing has been through some situations that you probably don't know about."
"He rarely spoke of the past while we were with the Titans."
"Then you don't know how that darkness inside him came to be."
Starfire shook her head.
"If you want to reach him the way you want," Barbara shook her head, "you're going to have to look deep into his heart, and you're going to have to take that darkness away. And when you do that – frankly, he's not going to be the same person you know."
"I do not understand."
Barbara pulled away from Starfire and crossed her arms. "Starfire, what made you want to do this?"
"Do what?"
"Be a hero?"
Starfire tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I am a princess on my world. I desired to learn more about the universe around me, and I came to earth. I found that I could use my abilities to do good and to help other people. Robin found me, and we formed the Titans."
"That's it?"
"Yes. Is there something I am missing?"
"Maybe it's different on your world, Starfire, but here people don't just sacrifice their lives and their happiness to be heroes. Here there has to be a reason. You have to have a reason for doing this."
"I have a reason," Starfire argued. "I wish to help people."
"Because you have supernatural abilities," Barb smiled. "You sound like Superman."
"Who?"
"It's not important. What you have to realize about me – about Dick – about Batman – and yeah, even Tim – none of us have super powers. None of us can fly or shoot energy beams from our eyes. We're just normal people."
"I know that."
"And for a normal person to do this kind of work," Barbara's voice was serious, "takes a defining moment in his or her past. Something bad. Something dark. And after a while, that darkness begins to define you. It controls what you say, what you do, who you chase, and who you let go. It manipulates your actions."
"How awful."
"Not necessarily," Barbara shrugged. "Eventually it becomes your security blanket."
"How so?"
"It gives you strength," Barbara looked off into the shadows, "keeps you going when you feel like giving up. Remembering what happened to you – to the ones you love." She stopped for a moment. "In that moment, where the darkness in your heart uses you as a tool of justice, the darkness doesn't seem so dark anymore."
Both women stiffened suddenly and turned around.
Batman stood behind them, half cloaked in the shadows.
"I found him." His voice was stern.
The strange group of people gathered around the large computer screen in the dank, dark cave. Alfred bustled around dusting pieces of machinery and filling Starfire's tea cup when requested. The screen flashed all sorts of information, and the confused expression on Starfire's face was not hard to decipher.
"Bruce," Nightwing wrinkled his nose, "are you telling me that Beast Boy is in Benin?"
"Yes."
"How did he end up there?"
"From what I can tell," Batman answered shortly, "he's working on a national wildlife preserve on the savannahs. There isn't much information – just a short piece on a unique gamekeeper who has a special bond with the animals of Africa."
"Anyone could have a special bond with the animals, Bruce," Tim pointed out. "What makes you think this is the guy that Dick is looking for?"
"According to the article," Batman responded with a strange smile at the corner of his mouth, "this particular gamekeeper is green."
"Figuratively or literally?" Barbara furrowed her brow.
Batman glanced up at Nightwing.
"I'm on my way," Nightwing turned and started for the stairs.
"Wait," Starfire ran after him, "I shall accompany you."
"I don't need help, Star," he walked up the stairs.
She scowled and lifted off the ground chasing him up the stairs and halting in front of him, still flying.
"This was my request," she pursed her lips. "I shall not stand idly by, and you cannot force me."
Nightwing stood still for a moment before nodding and brushing past her, muttering, "Just don't get in my way."
She watched him go, her eyes slightly moist, but she squared her shoulders and flew after him.
A few hours later, she was sitting in the back seat of Nightwing's personal jet. He was warming up the engines, their whining hum filling the air and causing the cushioned seats to vibrate uncomfortably.
"I've transmitted the coordinates to the jet's computer system," Batman's cold voice came over the intercom system. "While you're in Africa, I'll keep searching for the other two Titans."
"Did you check my flight plan?" Nightwing asked as he flipped numerous switches.
"You shouldn't run into any trouble. Contact me as soon as you have him. We'll watch for activity here in Gotham."
"If Blackfire appears again, Mr. Batman," Starfire leaned over Nightwing's chair and gazed into the screen, "I do urge you to flee. She is very powerful, and I fear for your well being, as well as for the girl-bat and the new Robin."
She would have sworn the corner of Batman's mouth twitched as he nodded. His image disappeared from the screen, and Starfire sat back.
Nightwing carefully guided the jet into the clouded sky, and she smiled as the plane broke through the heavy blanket that surrounded Gotham City and into the dazzling night of the sky.
"Nightwing," she started as he engaged the autopilot, "tell me of this—Benin."
"It's a country in Africa," he answered. "One of the poorest nations in the world. Capital city is Porto Novo, though the city right next to it – Contonou – is the main spot for tourism and governmental activities."
"And this – Contonou – is where we are going?"
"Yeah."
"How do you intend to find Beast Boy once we arrive?"
"Ask around," Nightwing shrugged. "It's a known quantity that not many people have seen a green, furry gamekeeper before – even in Africa."
Contonou, Benin was a bustling city full of people. Starfire gaped at its bustling marketplaces and its beautiful scenery as the jet flew over the city. Nightwing set the plane down on the outskirts of the city, and he covered it with a camouflaging cloth. Donning a poncho to cover his costume, he tossed a cloak to Starfire.
"Put it on," he ordered. "We'll stand out without trying."
Starfire slipped into the cloak and looked up to smile at him, but he was already moving toward the city. She picked up her pace and soon caught up with him. The scorching wind caught in her hair.
Within an hour they had reached Contonou. After speaking to a few people, Nightwing quickly ascertained the location of the wildlife preserve office.
They found it with little difficulty – a rundown shack of a building. They stepped into the ramshackle shed, and Nightwing knocked on the door.
An old black man inside looked up and smiled brightly at them, his face nearly disappearing in the folds of skin that crinkled.
He greeted them in a tongue that Starfire did not know. Nightwing seemed to understand and requested something of the man.
"Of course, of course!" the man clapped his hands and stood, grabbing his cane and hobbling toward them. "I speak English well. French, better. But English too! Welcome to Contonou!"
"We're looking for a certain gamekeeper we were told works here," Nightwing said. "He might go by the name, Beast Boy."
"Beast Boy?" the man looked confused. "No, we have no one by that name."
"BB, perhaps?" Starfire asked.
"No, no one by that name either."
"If he works here, you can't have missed him," Nightwing shook his head. "He has green—"
"Oh!" the old man's eyes lit up. "Agé! You must mean Agé."
"Agé?" Starfire asked, casting a confused glanced at Nightwing.
"Agé," the old man hobbled to the window and gazed out over the African plains. "The god of brush and wild beasts."
"No," Starfire shook her head. "Beast Boy is not a god. He is a person capable of—"
"Did he tell you his name was Agé?" Nightwing interrupted her.
"No," the old man sat down in his rocking chair, his ancient joints creaking. "No, he didn't tell anyone his name. He just appeared on the reserve one day – talking to the animals like they were old friends. We started calling him Agé. The children call him 'Gazali.'"
"The mystic," Nightwing frowned.
"So, naturally, we call him Agé Gazali," the old man smiled weakly. "He speaks to the animals as if he is one of them. He is magical."
"Where can we find him?" Nightwing asked.
"If you want to find him," the old man leaned his head back and sighed, "just go out to the savannah and wait where the lions roar. Agé prefers the lions."
"Thank you for your time," Nightwing bowed his head and took Starfire's hand, dragging her out of the ramshackle old house.
"Nightwing," she scowled uncharacteristically as she tried to match his fast-paced strides, "we are not looking for anyone named Agé Gazali. We are looking for Beast Boy."
"I know that, Star," Nightwing rolled his eyes behind his mask. "But I think Beast Boy is using that name."
"A masquerade?"
"Possibly. Either way, we'll know in a little bit."
"What did that man mean? Where do lions roar?"
"I think I have some idea."
Nightwing and Starfire glided out over the plains of Benin. Starfire flew slightly behind him, following his lead as he glanced around at the ground beneath them, searching for something.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Where the lions roar."
"Yes, I understand this. Yet, I am still confused."
"Just trust me, Star."
"Of course, Nightwing."
"There it is," he suddenly said and pulled up short – so quickly that Starfire nearly collided with him.
He folded his blue wings in and dropped to the plains. He landed solidly and smirked at the large rock formation before him. Starfire landed softly beside him and stared.
The rock formation had been covered in ancient drawings of roaring lions.
"I saw this the last time I was in Benin," he said. "The kids around here call it, "roaring rock.' I figured that's what the old man meant."
"Splendid!" Starfire applauded. "But, where is Beast Boy?"
A growl suddenly split the air. Nightwing and Starfire whirled to face a snarling lioness crouching in a dry thicket a few feet off.
"Robin," Starfire squeaked.
"Don't move," Nightwing snapped, ignoring her slip. "Stay still, Star."
She nodded and obeyed. They watched the lioness pace, her golden eyes dark.
"Why does she do that?" Starfire watched it fearfully as the creature circled them. "We have done nothing to her."
"We probably stepped into her territory," Nightwing answered calmly. "Just don't move."
"Nightwing—" she started, turning to look at him.
The lioness let out a scream and charged!
Starfire had just moved to fly into the air when something furry and white landed roughly in front of her and Nightwing.
A—a polar bear?
Starfire and Nightwing stared as the huge bear leaned back on its hind feet and roared viciously. The lioness halted in her tracks and sat down on her haunches. Nightwing smirked in victory as the polar bear suddenly changed into a large lion, its golden mane shining in the hot African sun.
The two lions stared at each other for a moment before the lioness slowly moved away. The lion turned to Nightwing and Starfire and let out an ear-piercing wail, tackling them both to the grass and sobbing, choking out unintelligible phrases somewhere between a human voice and an animal snarl.
"Beast Boy?" Starfire threw her arms around the lion's neck. "Is it truly you?"
The lion stopped blubbering and sat up, its golden body slowly transmuting into a human form – covered in green fur.
"Star!" he roared, lunging at her again and hugging her until she could not breathe. "And Robin!" he did the same to Nightwing, who tried to escape but utterly failed.
"You look way different, dude, but you smell just the same!"
"Thanks," Nightwing pried the man's arms off of him.
Beast Boy looked exactly the same – down to the green eyes, green hair, and green fur that covered his body. He wore khaki fatigues and clunky hunting boots. He was still short and skinny.
"I do not understand, Beast Boy," Starfire smiled at him. "When you became animals before, they were all green. These animals now seem normal in color."
"I guess it's because I got older," he shrugged.
"So the people around here call you, Agé?"
"Yeah. Some god's name or something," he shrugged. "Man, it's so good to see you guys again!" He hugged them both.
Nightwing shrugged out of the embrace quickly, though, and straightened his collar.
"Robin! What's up with you, huh? You got grumpy, dude. I mean, you were always grumpy, but you're like old-fart grumpy now."
"It's not Robin," Nightwing snapped. "I go by Nightwing now. Get used to it. And get packed. We need your help."
"Help? Help for what?"
"My sister, Blackfire, has returned and is in a most unpleasant humor," Starfire took Beast Boy's arm. "Will you please help us?"
"Does this mean what I think it does?" Beast Boy's eyes were shining.
"The Teen Titans shall be reunited!" Starfire rejoiced.
"All right!" Beast Boy jumped up and down, changing into a kangaroo. "This is the happiest day of my life!" He flipped backward and landed next to the lioness who had returned to watch the three people speak. "Did you hear that, Nala? It's a reunion!"
"Nala?" Nightwing scoffed.
"Dude, didn't you watch the Lion King?"
Nightwing slumped his forehead into his palm and groaned as Starfire smiled beautifully.
"Isn't this marvelous, Nightwing?" she laughed. "We shall all be together once more!"
"Oh," he sighed, "goody."