Jump City Cantata
A Teen Titans FanFiction by Jacob McDonald
Opening Notes: Update! Not nearly as long as the last one took, and about 3,000 words longer! Holy crap is this getting to be long! Reviews for last chapter were good and mediocre, but nothing really BAD. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I wont be doing any responses at the end of this one, due to time restraints (I want to post it NOW!) so just a big thank you will have to do for now! I'll try to get some responses up at my LiveJournal, http: some time in the next few days.
Chapter Nine
Speedy's eyes opened slowly as he swam out of the inky depths of sleep. His T-Comp was going off. The loud beeping was pounding at his brain like nails being driven with a impact hammer.
"Fuckin..." he reached over to the nightstand and groped about for a bit before swearing again, "Where is that thing?"
It was then that he became aware of movement next to him. He froze and prepared to leap from his bed. Then he remembered that he wasn't in his bed. He wasn't wearing any clothes either. And the person next to him was-
"It's my communicator, Jason, don't worry about it..." Raven said as she leaned over him and telekinetically moved the T-Comp to her hand. Her bare breasts pressed against his shoulder and chest as she flopped back down on top of him and checked the readout. Flicking the small device open, she sighed an exhausted sounding sigh, "Do you know what a time zone is Robin?"
"It's at least five over there." came the Boy Wonder's response.
"You're the only normal human on the team out here, and I swear you sleep less than any of us." she lifted her head and glared at Robin with bleary eyes, "What is it?"
"I'm getting something funny on the visual. Who else is there?" he looked like he was trying to look around her.
"No one important." Speedy said.
"I'm lying in bed with my boyfriend, Robin. Is there something you wanted to talk about?"
"Wait... you and Speedy?" Robin sounded shocked, "You two don't even like each other!"
"Things change." Raven glared harder.
Robin shook his head, "Wait 'till I tell Star this one... anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I dug up some info on Slade. Seems Batman was holding out on me."
"You don't sound too happy about that." Raven frowned.
"Well, I wouldn't be so miffed if one of our friends hadn't died because he refused to share his information."
Raven's frown deepened, "Look, Robin-"
"Don't, Raven." he held up a hand, "I've heard it from Kori already. I just wanted to tell you that I've uploaded that file to the computers there. Take a look at it, okay?"
"Sure." Raven nodded, "Can we please go back to sleep now?"
"Yeah. Oh, and Speedy?"
"Yeah, Rob?" the archer lifted his head and looked into the T-Comp past Raven's head.
"Make her happy, okay?"
Raven's eyes softened, and Speedy smiled a genuine smile, "I'll do my best, Dick."
"Later you two." and the T-Comp went dead.
"Well," Raven said as she replaced the communicator on her bedside table, "that was fun."
"Hey, let's go out tonight." Speedy hugged her to him as they cuddled back down under the covers, "Just the two of us."
"I don't know Jason." she shook her head, "With the city in the state it's in-"
"We can figure something out, I'm sure."
Raven was silent for a moment, then sighed and squeezed him, "Yeah, we'll figure it out."
"Great." Speedy squeezed her once more, "Now let's get some more sleep."
Cyborg watched over Sarah as she slept. Speedy hadn't left Raven's room the night before, and since he didn't have a real bed in his own room, and the archer wasn't using Robin's, he had set his girlfriend up there. He'd left after she'd fallen asleep, and recharged his power cells, but had come back shortly after to sit with her.
Twice she'd woken up from nightmares, and twice he'd comforted her until she fell asleep again. He and the rest of the Titan's were used to the kind of carnage and destruction they had witnessed the day before, but Sarah hadn't ever seen anything like it. She had vomited for several minutes after Jinx had led her out of her apartment, after seeing the bodies of her neighbors littering the hall ways. Her friend, Tina, had lived, and was in critical condition at the hospital now, but eight of the other tenets had been announced DOA by the responding paramedics.
Cyborg frowned as he went over all of this in his head. He'd have to be extra careful with her for the next few days, until she recovered enough to talk about it. Horror like what she had lived through wasn't something you ever forgot, but he was hoping she was strong enough to move past it.
As he watched, her eyes drifted open and she stretched. Sitting up and letting the sheets fall down to reveal her topless form, she smiled at him, "Morning, Baby." she said.
"It's still pretty early." he replied with a return smile and an appreciative once over of her finely formed body, "Why don't you try to get some more sleep?"
"Sure thing." she flopped back down, "Don't feel you have to stay on my account Cy... I'm sure you have work you could be doing."
"Yeah, I do. I'll see if anyone else is up yet." he stepped over to the bed and leaned down. Kissing her gently on the temple, he smiled against her, "Have some good dreams for me, okay?"
"Okay..." came her sleepy reply. She was out again in just a few moments.
"Good girl." he said gently as he stood and walked for the door.
"Richard?" Starfire floated into the room they were now sharing at the manor from the closet, "What do you think of this?"
Robin looked up from the book he was reading to see his girlfriend's latest outfit. She'd been trying on clothes for the past half hour, and still hadn't found an ensemble she liked.
His eyes widened a little when he saw her now. Even though he saw her every day, her natural grace and beauty never ceased to take his breath away. Her hair was loose, falling down about her shoulders in gentle crimson waves, only to blend color seamlessly with the pale lavender sleeveless top she wore. A black skirt that dropped just past her knees, and short black heals topped off the outfit. A hint of makeup around her eyes and mouth gave her a sharper, more provocative look than she normally had.
"You look... wow." Robin got up from where he'd been reading the morning paper on the bed and walked over to her. Circling her once he nodded, "Yep. Most beautiful creature in the galaxy."
Starfire giggled, "You are being silly, Lover." she landed and kissed him, "All the same, thank you."
"Just stating the obvious." Robin grinned at her as he took her in his arms, "You know, you don't really have to go see Babs..."
"Oh, but I must!" she smiled a wicked smile, "I need to 'dig up the dirt' on you."
"Just don't... tell her about... um..."
"Having sex with you?" Star asked as she poked him in the ribs.
"Yeah."
"I will refrain from going into detail." she grinned wider and floated up out of his grasp, "Visiting hours at the hospital begin at 9:00, correct?"
"Yeah. Try to maintain a low profile too. The last thing Babs needs is people getting suspicious of her because a super hero randomly comes calling."
Star nodded and kissed him once more, "I am sure Alfred is waiting for me. Goodbye, Richard!"
"Be home by 4:00 tonight, okay?" he sent a look at her, "We still have work to do."
Star waved and flew out the door.
Cyborg walked into the kitchen to find Jinx sitting at the table, drinking a mug of tea. Glancing at the clock on the microwave, he saw that it was only 6:30 in the morning. "Up early today, aren't you?"
"I was up at 6:00 to work out a little. My moves are a little sluggish. Haven't been keeping my skills very sharp since I went straight." she sipped her tea and shrugged.
"We never did spar, did we?" he grinned, "Up for a few rounds?"
Jinx rolled her eyes, "No. I'm still full from dinner last night. If you hit me I'd probably spew on you."
"Nasty." Cy replied as he chuckled.
"So, did you and Sarah bust out Robin's handcuffs last night and have a good time?"
"Naw. We just-" he caught himself and shook his head, "We had fun."
"Good for you. Gar was still sore and wiped out from getting shot. We slept."
"Can't have sex every night."
Jinx sighed, "Guess not."
"You are one horny little Witch, aren't you?"
Jinx smiled again and took another sip of her tea.
Two hours later, life had come to Titan's Tower. Speedy and Raven were the last of the team to assemble in the rec-room, having slept in to figure out their plans for the day.
"Okay, here's the deal." Raven addressed the assembled Titans (and Sarah), "The city got hit hard yesterday, so we need to patrol it hard today. Speedy and Jinx are on first patrol until 3:00 P.M., followed by myself until 9:00, then Cyborg, you get the lonely shift from then until 5:00 A.M."
"Gar's just gonna lay around all day?" Cyborg asked as he poked the green changeling.
"No, he's going to do research." Raven rolled her eyes at Beast Boy's sounds of protest, "Slade is still out there, and I want to know what he's planning. Robin uploaded Batman's files on Slade to us last night, so Gar, you go over them with a fine tooth comb. We need to find where he is if we're going to stop him."'
"Uh, Raven?" Speedy had just turned on the news, "I think we might want to reconsider our plans."
"Wha-" she looked over to the T.V. and saw smoke pouring from the top of a building. Looking down at the caption, she saw the name of the city.
"Morro Bay." she whispered. The penthouse the collector who owned the Cup of Gargemesh lived in looked like it had been completely blown off of the top of the building, "Turn it up." she ordered, and Speedy complied.
The voice of the reporter on the news chopper came through loud and clear, "... a battle two nights ago, in which the Titan's were victorious, Dr. Goswald was killed as his penthouse was blown to pieces, just after his prize artifacts were stolen-"
An alarm went off then, and Speedy quickly switched screens to the city status report. There was a blip in the middle of downtown, and information scrolling across the bottom of the screen.
Explosion at the Struas Building... several people injured... caused by unknown explosive type... Slade taking responsibility...
"Speedy, Cyborg, head up to Morro bay to check for clues and find out exactly what was stolen. If Dr. Goswald had more than one worthy object, we're screwed." Raven whirled around to Jinx, "Jinx, you're with me. We're going to check out this explosion."
"I'll get changed." the rest of the team was in uniform, but Jinx was still wearing work out cloths.
"Gar," Raven looked over to Beast Boy, who looked worried, "Research."
"I'll help." Sarah said as she stepped up next to the changeling.
Raven nodded and stalked off after Jinx while Cyborg kissed Sarah on the top of the head and ran off after Speedy, who had already dashed off to the garage.
Robin's eyes were getting tiered from staring at a computer screen for too long. He'd been too excited by the prospect of catching the Joker to get much sleep, and as soon as Starfire had left, he'd rushed down to the Batcave to begin devising his attack plan.
Leaning back, he went over his options again. The Joker was hiding out in an abandoned warehouse next to an old shoemaking factory that had gone out of business years before. The surrounding area was all paved, and numerous hiding places were available. Without detailed surveillance, he wouldn't be able to make any definite plans for a direct assault. The Joker would have henchmen, all of them armed, and taking all of them out without one shot going off would be almost impossible. One shot was all it would take to alert the rest of them, so the plan was useless.
"Damnit." he looked back at the schematic for the warehouse, then rubbed his eyes. He would have to draw the Joker out somehow. A tempting score? No, the Joker would pass it up in favor of pursuing whatever plan he had in the works. A direct call out? No, he wouldn't respond if it wasn't Batman doing the calling. A victim to play with? Maybe, but they'd have to be entertaining enough to draw the Joker himself out.
"I need a decoy." he muttered.
"For what?" Robin almost jumped out of his seat. Twirling around he glared at Bruce as the larger man walked past the computer terminals on his way to the changing rooms.
"Kind of early for Batman to be out isn't it?" he asked with a fair amount of contempt in his voice.
"I have work to do too, you know."
Robin rolled his eyes, "Right." he shut down his terminal and started for the elevator that would take him back to the manor.
Bruce paused at the door to the changing room, "If you need help with something-"
"You've already made it fairly clear that you're not interested in helping me unless it serves your purposes." Robin didn't turn around as he continued to stalk off.
"If this is about yesterday, Dick-"
Now he did whirl around and pin Bruce with a glare, "Of course this is about yesterday! You have no comprehension of how angry I am with you, do you?"
"Obviously not. If you had wanted the information-"
"You should have contacted me as soon as you found out Slade was trying to convert me!" Robin shouted.
"Don't raise your voice to me in my cave, Dick."
"Fuck you." Robin narrowed his eyes, "You don't get to tell me what to do anymore."
"As long as you're in this city, you're my partner before you're a Titan-"
Robin cut him off again, "Partners share information with each other," he growled, "they don't withhold it because they've had their feelings hurt."
Bruce turned to face him fully now, and the first hints on anger started to enter his voice, "You came through the situation just fine, Dick, I don't see why you're so upset about this!"
Robin's mouth fell open, "You don't get it do you?" Bruce just glared back at him. Robin quickly closed the distance between them and grabbed a handful of his mentors shirt. Yanking him down to eye level, Robin shouted in his face, "A fifteen year old girl died because we didn't have the information we needed to stop Slade when he was trying to convert me!" surprise, then shock started to register on Bruce's face, "When he failed with me, he converted her, twisted her, and used her against us! In the end, she gave her life to save ours! She's a fucking statue now, Bruce!"
"Dick... I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"Yeah?" Robin let him go and stared him right in the eye, "If it's not about you or Gotham, you don't usually think at all, do you?"
Bruce could only stand and watch as Robin stalked away from him for the second time in as many days.
Starfire stepped up to the receptionist desk on the fifth floor of Gotham General, and cleared her throat. The young nurse looked up from where she was filing her nails and smacked her gum, "Yeah?"
"Hello, my name is Kori Anders. I'm here to see Barbara Gorden." she smiled sweetly.
"Alright. She's the fifth door down on the right. Might be sleeping though."
"Thank you very much." Star nodded and walked down the hall. Stopping at the proper door, she adjusted her clothes a little before opening it and stepping in.
The bed was empty.
Confused, Star stepped back out into the hallway and checked the chart hanging next to the door. Confirming that this was the right room, she looked again, but the bed was still empty.
Just as she was about to go back and alert the nurse on duty, she heard a noise from down the hall that sounded like a muffled scream. Moving quickly, the red haired alien flew down the hall and looked through the open door of a supply room just in time to see one of the most remarkable things she'd ever laid eyes on.
A male orderly had one of the nurse's hands pinned behind her back with one hand and the other over her mouth. He was bending her over a desk and trying to hike up her skirt in the back. He was completely oblivious to the young woman in a wheel chair behind him holding a broom up over her head.
A crack and a thud later and the orderly was trying to pick himself up off the ground, "No means no, buddy." the red haired woman in the wheel chair said with a sneer.
"Bitch!" the orderly moved fast and grabbed the wheel of the chair, tipping it over. The young woman fell to the ground with a cry of pain as the nurse screamed. Raising his foot, the orderly prepared to stop the nurse's savior.
Star flew forward and slugged him off his feet. The man landed on his back, grasping at his broken nose, and gasping in pain. He started to sit up again, but again, the handle of the broom smashed into his head, putting him down this time.
"Damn." the young woman pulled herself over to her chair and attempted to right it, "Go get security." she ordered the nurse, who nodded and took off running. Star stepped forward and helped the young woman back into her chair, "Thanks, whoever you are-" she finally looked up and saw Star for the first time, "Oh, no way..."
"Miss Gorden?" Starfire asked as she held out her hand, "Or should I say Bargirl?"
Grinning and taking the offered hand, the red haired young woman shook her head, "Just Babs will do. Starfire, right?"
"My friends call me Kori."
"Kori it is then. Thanks for the help. I'm not exactly up to fighting form yet."
Star smiled, "You are still recovering from a very serious injury. You should not be out of your room, let alone beating lecherous orderlies senseless."
"Couldn't help myself." Babs shrugged, "So what brings you to Gotham?"
"In all honesty, you did." Star blushed a little.
"Afraid I was going to steal Dick from you?" Babs grinned.
"Yes. I did not know of your previous relationship when he came out here, and when I found out, I flew over right away. I am sorry if I have offended you-"
"Don't be silly," Babs started to wheel herself back to her room, and Star fell into step next to her, "I'd have done the same thing in your situation."
"Richard informed me that you kicked him out of your room a few days ago. I thought you might like some company."
Babs nodded fervently, "I've had plenty of visitors, mind you, but no one really my own age or... profession."
"I see." Star smiled as they reached Babs' room, "I am glad that I came then."
"Help me back into the bed, will you?" Babs asked as she pulled herself up along side of it, "Normally I'd be able to on my own, but the stitches-"
"Oh!" Starfire stepped up quickly, "Do not stain yourself, Babs!" and she easily lifted the other girl into the bed.
"Wow." Babs blinked, "You're a strong one, aren't you?"
"Tameranians have almost ten times the normal human strength." Star replied with a smile and a nod.
"Well, now that we're comfy," Babs motioned to a chair, which Star gladly sat down in, "why don't you tell me all about how you and Dick came to be dating."
"All of it?" Star asked, looking concerned.
"I've got all day if you do." Babs smiled and leaned in a bit, "I want all the gory details. All the stuff I can blackmail him with later."
Star giggled, "If you think you can handle it..."
"Oh, this is going to be great." Babs rubbed her hands together.
"Wow." was all Speedy could say as he and Cyborg looked up at the smoking remains of the top few floors of the building Dr. Goswald had lived in.
"That was a really nice place, too." Cyborg shook his head, "And the doctor was still in there when it was blown."
"How do we know?" Speedy arched an eyebrow and looked around at the emergency crews as they rushed about doing their jobs.
"They found what was left of him." Cyborg sighed, "Not much to see here. We need to know what he had up there though. If he had anything other than that cup..."
"We could be fighting zombies in the morning." Speedy nodded.
"Excuse me?" the two teen hero's looked over to their left to see a nervous looking man in his thirties, "Are the two of you Teen Titans?"
"Yeah." Cyborg turned fully to face the man.
"Oh good..." I'm Roger Holmen, Dr. Goswald's... um... former assistant."
"Really?" Speedy stepped up, "Can you tell us about his collection? We're interested in the Four Worthy Objects, specifically."
"Yes, the Doctor owned the Cup of Gargemesh, and he'd just recently acquired what we believe is the Ring of Mordront."
The two Titans groaned, "Great... all Slade needs now are the coin and the staff and he's got his own little matched set of evil artifacts." Cyborg shook his head.
"Actually... I have the Ring locked up in the safe at the Institute." Holmen said with a nervous smile.
Cyborg and Speedy stared for a moment, "You're not kidding?"
"No..." the nervous man looked confused.
"Um..." Cyborg rubbed the back of his head, "I think you'd better take us there right away. It's probably best if we hand on to that Coin for right now."
"Oh!" Holmen jumped a little, "Yes! Right away!" and he turned and ran off.
The two Titans looked at each other and shrugged, then dashed off after him.
"You think he wanted to make a mark or something?" Jinx asked from where she was crouched on a steel beam that was protruding from the side of the Struas Building. The blast had destroyed the top seven floors of the twenty floor building, but only in the front, leaving the offices beyond looking like a life sized doll house.
"I don't know what to think." Raven replied, "If he's going after the Worthy Objects, then why blow up this building? Struas Industries makes plastic injection moldings, not artifacts of purest evil."
"Maybe he was trying to draw us away from Morro Bay?"
"Maybe." Raven floated around, looking for survivors, "I don't think anyone lived through this."
"It'd be hard to... it had to be some kind of particle accelerated bomb to do this much damage in such a concentrated area." Jinx jumped back into the ruins and kicked a chunk of rubble, "Like Robin's disks or Speedy's arrows. Either one of them could make a bomb of the same size they use that could pack a bang this big with that tech."
"So maybe... he used it in a fight?"
Jinx snorted, "Who do you think he was fighting, Superman? This kind of firepower..." she trailed off as something caught her eye, "Oh no. Shit... Rae, over here..."
Raven noted the fear in Jinx's voice as she flew over and looked to wear Jinx was staring.
A black gloved hand with a bright red X on it stuck out from under a pile of rubble.
"Brian!" Raven shouted as she flew forward and started moving chunks of rock with her powers. Jinx rushed up and started moving away what rubble she could, until they had cleared out enough to see his face.
The mask was cracked, and a trickle of blood ran from where it was broken by his brow line. A groan escaped Red-X as Raven continued to move rocks.
"Hey, X!" Jinx said in a strained voice, "I know we're not exactly friends, but we're here to help, okay?"
"No time..." Red-X pulled a hand free from where it had just been pinned by a steel girder and reached for Raven, "Slade... fought him..."
"He used a bomb to blow half the building up. Guess he didn't quite kill you, huh?"
"Wouldn't... give him the coin... tried to fight him off..."
"Shhh... quiet now, Brian. We're going to get you back to the Tower and fix you up-"
"He took it... broke my arm... Raven..." Red-X dropped his arm back to the ground, "He's got the coin."
With that, he passed out again.
Raven sat back on her heels and shook her head, "Fuck."
"We have to get him medical attention, Rae." Jinx reached over and shook her friend lightly, "Come on."
"Right." with a wave of her hand, Raven cleared the rest of the rubble away, and pulled her cloak over Red-X, "Deal with the cops." she said to Jinx as she whirled her cloak around and vanished with the injured thief.
"Uh huh. Sure." Jinx sighed as she walked to the edge of the blasted building and secured a grappler, "I'll just deal with the cops, then WALK home. Thanks Rae." and she jumped.
"So," Babs giggled, "pot makes you fly into a battle rage and try to kill everyone around you?"
Star's cheeks colored, "Yes."
"Never heard of that reaction before... wonder what cocaine would do to you..."
"Oh, I do not wish to find out, Friend Babs!" Star looked worried.
"Don't sweat it." Babs giggled again, "So after they stopped you from killing everyone..."
Starfire picked up her story where she had left off, "The police showed up and everything was sorted out. I felt badly that so many bad things had come from my wanting to go out on the town, so I flew off to be by myself for a while, but of course, Richard found me..." she trailed off, remembering, "He made a wonderful speech, and I got to see his eyes for the first time... and he kissed me for the first time as well..."
"Aw..." Babs smiled a genuine smile, "He's really become a sappy romantic, hasn't he?"
"I hope so..." Star sighed, "We have not had the chance for a real date yet."
"Sorry," the older girl smiled, "If I had know, I would have waited a week to get shot up."
"Oh, do not joke about such things!" Star looked miserable, "I feel very badly for you, and I would not wish to make light of such a serious situation-"
"Kori!" Babs laughed, "Calm down! I'M the one making the jokes here. I mean, yeah, it sucks, but all I can do is make the best of it, you know?"
"I know... you are a very courageous girl, Barbara Gorden."
"Thanks." Babs grinned an evil grin, "So, have you slept with him yet?"
Star was still concentrating on feeling bad for Babs, so she didn't catch herself, "Yes."
"WHAT?" Babs's mouth dropped open, "You seriously had sex with Dick Grayson?"
"Hmm?" Starfire's eyes widened, "Oh! I was not supposed to tell you like that!" she buried her face in her hands, "I am sorry, Babs!"
Babs laughed long and hard, "Oh my... oh God... Dick actually..." she calmed down after several minutes, during which time, Star's face was bright red, "Okay, Kori. I know he probably told you not to, but I want details on this one. I have got to know what he's like in bed."
"I do not know... he was very adamant about it..." Star looked hesitant.
"Kori," Babs looked at her seriously, "Starfire... I live to make Dick's life difficult. This is too good to pass up. Come on," she grinned, "sisters in arms?" she held out her hand.
Starfire looked at the offered hand and smiled, "I would be delighted to have another sister! Mine is... well... evil."
"Evil?"
"She conquered our home planet and almost forced me to marry a disgusting slime monster."
"Oh. Yeah, that's pretty evil. Now... about you and Dick..."
"You are not going to give up are you?" Star smiled and shook her head, "Alright then. First of all, you must understand that I made the first move..."
"When that thief tried to steal the cup from him a few days ago," Roger Holmen explained as he unlocked the door to his office at the Morro Bay Archeological Institute, "Dr. Goswald had me bring the Ring here for safe keeping. He figured who ever was after the Arcana wouldn't just stop when they got the Cup."
"He was right," Speedy said as they stepped into the cluttered office, "though he should have contacted us instead and had us hold on to both of them. Titan Tower is the best defended place within a thousand miles.
"And it cost him his life..." Holmen sniffed a little, "I'll have to carry on his research into the mating habits of the Stegosaur..."
Speedy and Cyborg glanced at each other, and shrugged. Cyborg stepped up, "Hey, man. Could we get this show on the road? Every second we wait, Slade could be getting closer."
Holmen started then nodded vigourously, "Yes, yes. Hold on a moment, I'll just get it out of the safe over here.." He walked over to a three foot tall safe that was being used as a table for a large stack of papers, and began to turn the knob to the proper combination. The safe clicked and the door swung open.
"Here it is," Holmen said as he stood up, "The Ring of Mordront, called the Arcana Modus."
"Great." Speedy walked over, "We'll keep it safe, Mr. Holm-" he was cut off as the wall of the office exploded, blowing all three of them off their feet.
"The hell?" Cyborg sat up in time to see a steel boot slam into his face, blasting him into oblivion.
Speedy groaned and pulled himself out of a pile of dry way and broken lumber. Looking around, he saw Cyborg down, Holmen lying a short distance away, obviously dead-
And Slade standing next to the body, the black Ring of Mordront between two fingers.
"Exquisite, don't you think?" the masked man said, "It's almost done now."
"You're not leaving here with that Ring!" Speedy shouted as he pulled an arrow and fired it point blank.
Slade caught it.
Speedy barely had time to register the shock before Slade's fist connected with his jaw, blasting him off his feet and through the next wall. As he slumped to the ground, he heard the super villains parting remarks,
"We'll see each other soon, Speedy. Very soon indeed."
Then everything went dark.
"What the heck is IVANS?" Sarah asked as she scrolled through a part of the Slade file that Robin had sent them.
"It's a military anagram for an Item Vital to National Security." Beast Boy replied with a yawn as he stretched in his chair, from where he was working at his own computer, "Why?"
"Slade's got about seven of them on his stolen items list." Sarah shook her head, "And you guys fight this monster?"
"He's a nasty one for sure." Beast Boy looked grim as he stared at the screen again, "I'll never forget what he did to Terra."
"Oh, Gar." Sarah stood up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind. She hugged him lightly, "She was a good person deep down... she saved all of us in the end."
"I know... but it didn't have to be like that. If I'd just been able to get through to her sooner-"
"You can't beat yourself up over it forever Gar." Sarah stood back and smiled at him.
"Sure I can." he shook his head, "Everyone I've ever failed to save... I remember."
Sarah knew from talks with Cyborg that Beast Boy had a serious side, one that drove him more than anything else in the world, but she'd never seen it directly. Now she was starting to understand exactly what it was that her boyfriend was talking about, "That's why you do this, isn't it?" he looked back at her with a confused expression, "I mean, you have the ability, and the drive needed to do this job... but you're really here to help people. To keep them safe from the bad guys."
"Some one has to." Beast Boy shook his head, "I'll always do what I can... I mean, it's just the right thing to do, isn't it?"
"If I had half of your ability, or courage, I'd be out there with you." Sarah sighed and went back to her seat, "As it is, this is the best I can do."
"Well, the sooner we get through all of this, the sooner we can eat lunch. What'dya think about tofu burgers?"
Sarah laughed and was about to reply when a black bird made of shadow flared to live in the room, then materialized into Raven. The front of her white leotard was stained with a light smattering of blood, and she wore a worried look on her face, "Sarah, I need you in the medical room with me."
The blond girl stood up quickly, "Oh no... Jenny...?"
"Jinx is fine, but we found Bri... Red-X. He's pretty banged up, and he needs medical attention. Gar," Raven turned to a confused looking Beast Boy, "Call Cy and Speedy. I want to know what they know."
"On it." Beast Boy yanked out his T-Comp as Sarah rushed off to the medical room with Raven.
Cyborg sat up as his systems came back on-line, "Shit..." he looked around the blown up room and spotted Holmen. Getting up and walking over, he checked for vitals. Finding none, he checked for cause of death.
"His neck was broken..." Cyborg breathed.
"Before or after the explosion?" the robotic Titan glanced over his shoulder to see Speedy waking up from where it looked like he'd been smashed through the next wall.
A quick examination told Cy all he needed to know, "After. Someone grabbed his chin and twisted."
"Slade." Speedy walked over, "Wonder why he didn't kill me too?"
Cyborg was about to reply when their communicators started going off. He picked up first, "Talk to me, B."
"Gar." both Titans present rolled their eyes, "Raven wants to know what's up."
"Well, you can tell her that the cup is gone, and after a brief encounter of the Slade kind, he got the ring away from us as well."
"Great. I guess Raven and Jinx found Red-X in what was left of the Struas Building. He's here now, and Sarah's helping to patch him up."
"We're on our way back." Cyborg said, "We'll see you there, man."
"Right. Gar out."
After the line went dead, Cyborg turned to Speedy, "You gonna be okay?"
"I'll live." Speedy rubbed his jaw, "Let's just get back. I don't need an old lover putting the moves on my girlfriend."
"Jelous of X?" Cyborg teased as they climbed through the rubble and waved to emergency crews as they pulled up.
"No! Just..." Speedy glared at him, "Yes."
Cyborg chuckled.
"Tim!" Jake Drake called through the door of his son's room, "Get up, sleepy head! The phone is for you!"
Tim rolled over in bed and slowly got up. He was still sore from the night before, and moving hurt like hell, "I'm coming..." he called back as he stumbled to the door. Opening it enough to get the phone from his dad, he smiled weakly, "Sorry for sleeping in like this Dad."
"Don't worry about it, Son. No school today."
"Yeah..." shutting the door and lifting the cordless phone to his ear, he cleared his throat, "Hello?"
"Tim? It's Dick." Tim's eyes popped open and he was suddenly much more awake, "Take a look out your window."
Walking to the window, Tim pushed the drapes aside and looked down at the street from the second floor apartment he lived in with his father. Down below, parked on the opposite side of the road from the building, Robin sat on the hood of an expensive looking sports car, waving up at him.
"What the hell?" Tim breathed, "What are you doing here?"
"You feel up for another job?" Robin asked.
"Um... I'm still a little sore..."
"I didn't ask if you were sore."
Tim grinned, "Yeah, I'm up for anything. What do you have in mind?"
"I'll tell you all about it in fifteen minutes when you get down here."
"See you then." and Tim hit the off button. Doing a little dance of glee, he celebrated having gotten the last word in for once.
"So what's this all about?" Tim asked as he climbed into the passenger side of what he now saw was a brand new modal Viper.
"We're going after the Joker." Robin replied, as he pulled away from the curb and shifted into second just moments later.
"Right now? Dick, you're not even wearing your mask."
Robin frowned over at him, "No, not right now. Right now I'm going to show you what I need you to do." he shook his head and corrected himself, "What I would like for you to do. You know you never have to do anything you don't want to."
"I know. Can I ask... why you're going after the Joker so hard right now? I mean, you left Gotham for Jump, right?" Robin nodded, "So why'd you come back for this?"
The Joker... shot Batgirl." Robin stared straight ahead, "She's a good friend... I came back to see her, and as long as I'm in town, I figured I might as well take the Joker down too."
"So why do you need my help? Batman-"
"Bruce and I aren't working together on this case." Robin shook his head and sighed, "I'm not sure I can ever work with him again after this."
"What'd he do, Dick?" Tim stared down at the floor of the car and spoke softly, "What'd he do that was so bad that you're splitting from him?"
Robin's hands tightened on the wheel, "He withheld information from me on a vital case...a friend of mine, another Titan... died as a result."
Tim didn't respond. Glancing over, Robin saw him staring out the window. He just looked ahead again and the silence stretched between them.
After almost ten minutes of silence, Tim spoke again, "It... kind of rattles you to the bone, you know? Hearing that Batman made a mistake."
"Bruce isn't perfect." Robin replied, "Even he screws up sometimes."
"But not like this." Tim shook his head, "All you ever hear of the Batman is that he saves people, and captures criminals. That he never kills, and never lets anyone die."
"Yeah. You don't hear about the countless people that do lose their lives. The ones that we can't get to in time. The ones that die when the bullets start flying. The ones that die when buildings collapse, or bombs explode." Robin hauled back a fist and slammed it into the dash, crushing the vent on the right side of the steering column, "You don't hear the stories about those people. The ones we can't save."
Tim was silent again for a moment, then spoke slowly and softly, "Not even Batman and Robin can save everyone, Dick. It's just not possible."
"That wont stop us from trying." Robin replied, "Or from beating ourselves up when we fail."
As silence descended on them once again, Tim looked back out the window. With a head full of new thoughts to consider, he found that he had nothing to say that would even compare to the nobility, and bravery of the young man sitting next to him.
Babs just stared at Starfire when the Tameranian was done talking. She blinked once, then shook her head, "Damn girl. I don't think you have to worry about Dick leaving you for me, 'cause I couldn't ever do half that stuff."
"Have you ever tried?" Star cocked her head to the side with a quizzical look.
"Oh, I've had boyfriends, and I've slept with a few guys, but..." she smiled, "I don't swallow, and I definitely never had the energy you were describing. Though I can see now that all that tension Dick has stored up comes directly from sexual repression." Star giggled, "He wont be able to fight if you keep boffing him like that."
Star's smile faded down and she looked at her new friend seriously, "What do you think you'll do now?"
Babs looked away, out the window as her own smile faded, "I don't know. I guess I'll go back to being a librarian. Bruce got me a job at one of the libraries he put up a few years back, and if I work hard enough, I might be able to make Head Librarian in a few years."
"You know what I meant, Barbara." Star reached over and took Babs's chin in her hand, turning her head gently back around, "What are you going to do with your other job?"
Babs spoke in a much softer voice, "I can't exactly go back out and start swinging around on rooftops again, now can I?" she said in a harsh tone, "I'm done, Star. I'm retired."
"You do not think you will find a way to help out?"
"Maybe, but..." she shook her head, "I've been having nightmares... about... guns."
"That is understandable. You have reason." Star smiled gently, "It is nothing to be ashamed of."
"But how can I help Batman if I'm scared half to death at even the sight of a firearm? I don't know if I could... do it any more." a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Babs, Batman chose you for the job because he knew you would never quit. That you would always find a way to get back up after being knocked down and continue to fight." Starfire patted her leg, "You will find a way."
Babs sniffed a bit and smiled back, "Yeah. No sense in crying about the present, because you never know what the future is going to hold."
Star looked at her oddly for a moment, and Babs squirmed under her scrutiny, "What?"
"Nothing... you just... sounded like Raven just then."
Babs grinned at that, "Ah, the mysterious Raven. You know, back when he first met her, I got Dick to admit that she had a nice rack."
Star threw her hands up, "Do my breasts not impress anyone?" she shook her head, "I have heard more people talk about Raven's breasts in the past week than any other time since I have known her! And do mine get mentioned at all?" Babs burst out laughing as Starfire continued to rant, "No! They do not! Just because Raven's are slightly bigger, does not mean that her 'rack' is better than mine!"
"How much bigger? I could sell that info to a tabloid for a pretty penny." Babs waggled her eyebrows.
"If it will make everyone stop talking about her breasts and not mine, then fine! She wears a 36D cup bra, and mine is a 34C!"
Babs laughed again, "I'm right there with you Kori! The 34C girls!" she held out her hand and the two of them exchanged a high five before they burst into fits of giggles.
Beast Boy glanced over his shoulder from where he stood in the door way of the medical room, and saw Speedy and Cyborg stepping out of the elevator as it opened. As they walked up, Speedy asked, "How is he?"
"Stable. Raven worked her magic on him, and she and Sarah have been patching up his minor wounds for a while now." Beast Boy shook his head, "He was in a pretty bad way when Rae brought him in, though."
"How'd he get blown up?" Cyborg asked as all three of them grouped around the doorway and looked in on Raven and Sarah as the two girls applied bandages to the various cuts and burns all over Red-X's body. His suit was trashed, torn and burnt in numerous places, and his mask lay off to the side, revealing his blond hair, stained red with blood all along one side.
"Slade." came Raven's rely, "The bastard beat the crap out of him, took the coin, and blew him up."
"And now he's got the cup and the ring." Cyborg shook his head, "Just one more to go."
"Do we know where the staff is?" Speedy asked.
"No." Raven shook her head, "The one thing that we do have going for us is that no one really knows where the Arcana Primus is."
Sarah stepped back from Red-X and stared at Raven, "Wait... Arcana Primus?"
"Yes. Do you know anything?" Raven looked at her in disbelief.
"Yeah, it was on the IVANS list of objects Slade has stolen. The Bone Staff of Evelon right?"
"Right." Raven groaned and stepped away from X as well, "He's got all of them."
"But he still can't do anything with them." all heads turned to see Jinx standing behind the three boys in the doorway.
"How'd you sneak in like that?" Speedy asked.
"You weren't paying attention." she shrugged and looked past him to Raven, "He would still need the Libris Mortis to get the proper spell to raise the dead."
"We know you have one of those, Rae." Cyborg said to the psion, and she nodded, "So where are the other four you were talking about?"
Raven thought for a moment, "I know two of them are held in highly fortified S.T.A.R. Labs facilities in different parts of the world, and a third is on display in the Dark Magic Museum in London, which is also highly fortified." she shrugged, "No idea about the other one."
"The HIVE had it." Jinx tapped her chin, "I don't know what the heck Brother Blood did with it though. I'd already taken that course by the time he became Headmaster."
Cyborg growled, "Probably sold it to the highest bidder!"
"It's possible. He didn't like magic that much. He always pushed tech over the arcane." Jinx shrugged.
"We need to find that book." Raven stared at Jinx, "Is there any way you can get back to the current HIVE and find out if they still have it?"
"Not after we trashed Armory and Flyte the other night." Jinx shook her head, "I'm sure it's all over the HIVE by now that I've turned Titan." Suddenly she snapped her fingers and got a gleam in her eye, "But I know someone who might know about it! He used to hack the school's systems all the time to find out grades and stuff... he always kept track of what they were making money on and spending it on too..."
"Who, Jinx?" Raven stepped forward.
"Gizmo! How fast can we get me to Arkham?"
"With the JLA's transporter technology? Pretty damn fast." Cyborg shook his head, "Do you really think he'll talk?"
"I don't know. Maybe." Jinx looked over at Raven imploringly, "I have to try this though."
Raven took a moment to consider, "Fine. Cy, set up the transport. Speedy, I hate to say it, but it looks like you're on patrol by yourself until Red-X wakes up. I'll be able to join you after I've talked to him further, but for now..."
"I understand, Rae. I'll be on the streets if anyone needs me!" he waved over his shoulder as he left.
"What should I do?" Beast Boy asked, "I feel kind of useless just sitting at a computer all day."
"I'll heal the rest of your wound later." Raven pointed at him, "Go finish with the Slade file."
"Fine, fine." he rolled his eyes and walked off as well.
Cyborg turned and clapped Jinx on the shoulder, "You ready to get your molecules scrambled girl?"
"Ready as I'll ever be..." she looked grim.
"Then let's go contact the Watch Tower."
As they left as well, Raven turned back to Sarah, "Watch over Brian for me, will you? I should contact Robin."
"Sure." Sarah sat down next to the unmasked thief. Raven nodded, then transported herself to her room.
With a sigh, she pulled out her T-Comp. Robin wasn't going to be happy with her. More than that, she was angry with herself for letting Slade get so far in his plot. She couldn't afford to fail this mission. Too much was riding on it.
Flipping open the communicator, she punched in an access code, "Raven to Robin."
Robin parked the Viper in next to a building in the old industrial district of Gotham. When newer technologies were invented to replace the old manufacturing methods, the factories in the part of town they were in now were abandoned and the land put up for sale or lease.
The area was too dirty though, and the soil too polluted. Robin knew that Wayne Industries had plans to clean up the area, and turn this part of town into a better place, but those plans were still at least a year from completion. Implementation would then take a further four years, and even then it would still be far from perfect.
For right now though, the area was perfect for Gotham's scum to go to ground, or to hide out like Joker was. As he and Tim stepped out of the car, Robin took a quick look around for anyone who might want to steal the rims off the car. Not seeing anyone in the vicinity, he enabled the security system and walked to the side of the building.
"You ready for a little recon?" he asked Tim.
"Sure. What are we looking for?"
"The Joker's hide-out is a block over from here. From the top of this factory, we should be able to get a good view of his set up. How many guards he has on rotation, where any traps might be set, the usual stuff. I just need to know the area better before I decide if I want to use you as a decoy or not."
"Wait... back up. A decoy?" Tim shook his head, "For the JOKER? Breaking me in a little quick aren't you?"
"You can turn down the mission if you want to Tim-" Robin was cut off by a beeping sound, "Hold on." he pulled out his T-Comp and read the display. Flipping it open he said, "What's up Raven?"
"We screwed up." she sounded angry, "Slade has all four worthy objects, and he might have the book he needs for the spells to raise the dead."
"Don't sweet it Rae." Robin shook his head, "Slade is power hungry, but he's not crazy. He's smart enough not to raise an army of the dead to destroy Jump City. He wants to rule the world, not wipe out all life."
"Still, we failed."
"And I'm not happy about it, but you'll have to deal with it for a little while longer. I'll have the Joker in a day or two, but for now, just hold down the fort." Robin frowned, "Why did you change to white?"
"It reflects a purer soul, uninhibited by my demonic heritage. With the ability to feel a wider range of emotions, I can get angry without blowing things up, but I can also feel deeper measures of care and compassion." she smiled a warm smile, something he'd never seen before, "I kind of like it."
"Sounds good. Has Jinx stopped playing Girl Wonder?"
"She has her own outfit now. She'll be in Gotham in about an hour by the way. At Arkham, trying to get info out of Gizmo."
"I'll stop by and see her. Thanks for the heads up Raven. Robin out."
"Be careful out there." Raven nodded and signed off.
Robin put away the T-Comp and turned back to Tim, "Now, all we have to do is get on top of the factory." he pulled out one of his grappler lines, and fired it without really looking. It attached securely, and he tested the tension, "Going up?" he arched an eyebrow at Tim and held out a hand.
"Why do I do this kind of stuff?" Tim mumbled as he grabbed the offered hand. Robin hit a button and the cord began to retract, pulling them up from the ground.
Tim shouted once, then just held on for the rest of the ride.
As Starfire and Babs attempted to find something entertaining to watch on the rooms TV, the sound of a man clearing his throat came from the doorway. Turning they saw the proper and refined form of Alfred standing there.
"Alfie!" Babs squealed as the old butler smiled and stepped into the room. He walked over to her and she immediately threw her arms around his shoulders, "I haven't seen you since that night!"
"I apologize for my late visit, Barbara, but Master Bruce and I have been quite busy, not to mention the added presence of two young people in the manor." he glanced over at Star, who grinned and waved.
"Is it almost four already?" she asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"I fear it is so, Madam. I'm sure you'll have time to come visit Barbara again before your return to Jump City, but for now, Master Richard awaits us back at the manor." he bowed slightly.
"Oh, you're no fun!" Babs poked him, "Come on, you stiff old butler! Stay and chat for a few minutes!"
"I would be delighted to return tomorrow and spend some time with you, Babs, but tonight I fear there is work to be done. Kori and Richard will be busy late into the night, and she must have some rest and a proper supper before tracking down the Clown that did this to you."
Babs's eyes softened and she nodded as Starfire stood up. She reached out and grabbed her friends hand as she passed, "Hey, Kori."
"Yes, Barbara?" Star looked back at her with a light smile.
"Be careful." Starfire smiled wider and nodded her head, "And when you find the Joker? Kick his ass for me."
Star nodded happily, "I would be honored to deliver the kicking of the ass for you."
"Good. Look after Dick too... he tends to get a little ahead of himself."
"We will both be back to see you soon. Do not worry." she leaned forward and kissed Babs on the forehead, "Goodbye for now, friend Babs."
"Later, Kori. Bye Alfie."
The butler bowed again with a smile, and followed Starfire out of the room.
"Anything?" Robin asked as he took a sip of the soup he'd brought in a thermos.
Tim shook his head from where he was crouched by the slightly raised wall of the top of the factory, looking across the way at the Joker's hideout with a pair of binoculars, "Nada. The guards don't seem to be on a rotation at all. It's just the same guys all the time."
"The gang must not be too big then. That'll work to our advantage." Robin nodded and checked his T-Comp, "I have to take off for a little while. I'll be back in a few hours, if you think you'll be okay by yourself."
"Um... sure. Where are you going?"
"Arkham. I'm meeting a team member there."
"Do you have any way I can contact you if I need to?" Tim looked reluctant.
"Here." Robin handed him a small Titan communicator, "It's a smaller version of mine, and doesn't do as much." he paused and looked Tim in the eye, "But I can give you the full size one if you feel like joining the Titans."
Tim stared at him blankly, "What?"
"I'm serious. With some intense training and a little field work, I think you'd be able to do this job, and Titan's East might be down a member."
"Really?" Tim shook his head, "Um, who?"
"Speedy." Robin shrugged, "I have a feeling he'll be putting in for a transfer to Jump City soon."
"Wow." Tim stared down at the communicator, "I don't know what to say... I mean, I'm honored and all, but... my Dad, and I'm only thirteen-"
"You don't have to answer me right away." Robin smiled at him, "Just think about it while I'm gone and we'll talk more when I get back."
"Okay." Tim nodded, and turned back to his binoculars, "I'll just... do that."
Robin smiled and back away. He'd just let Tim think it over. Jumping off the side of the factory, Robin bounced between the wall and the side of a storage unit next to it until he reached the ground. Walking over to the Jag, he pulled out the keys and disarmed the security system.
As he climbed in, he looked in the rear-view and frowned. He'd need to park a ways away from Arkham and change before he met Jinx there.
Raven walked back into the medical room a half hour after she called Robin. Checking Red-X's vitals on a monitor, she asked Sarah, "Any thing at all?"
"He's breathing more evenly now, so the damage to his lungs was definitely repaired. He moved a bit earlier... I think he's dreaming." the blond sighed, "He's kind of cute when he's not wearing the mask."
"Yeah." Raven smiled, "He's not actually a bad guy."
"How well do you know him?" Sarah leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs as she watched Raven check over his wounds for additional bleeding.
"I, uh... kind of slept with him last week."
Sarah arched an eyebrow, "Kind of?"
"We had sex on a roof top... it's a long story. Short version is that we had sex, we'll never do it again, and I'm dating Speedy now anyway."
"We figured that when he never left your room last night."
"Way to go Speedy." Red-X mumbled as he tried to sit up, "Quit poking that burn, Rae, it hurts."
"Lay back down, Brian, you're hurt and you need rest." Raven pushed him back down as Sarah stood up and walked over.
"I'm fine, just a little singed. Did you... heal me?" he eyed Raven, "Like you healed Jinx?"
"Yes, now lay down before I use my powers to restrain you." Raven looked at him sternly, "Now, Brian."
"Fine, fine." he lay back down and glared up at her, "You know, I wish you had a name I could call you to make it all personal."
Sarah giggled, "You could just call her Rae Rae." Raven groaned and shot Sarah a death glare.
"I like that. Rae Rae." X laughed, then winced, "Ow."
"You took some shrapnel to your lungs." Raven checked the readings on a monitor as she explained, "I removed it and healed you, but you're going to be sore for a few days."
"Why are you doing all of this for me?" he asked, "I thought I told Robin back when we first met; I don't like to play the hero."
"But that doesn't mean you can't." Raven finished for him with a half smile, "I'm willing to bet you want some revenge against Slade, and we're going to need all the help we can get."
Red-X smiled, "Alright, I'm in. What's the move?"
"Rest." Raven ordered, "When I'm sure you're fighting fit, you can put the suit back on."
"I'm already wearing it." he pointed out.
"Well then get up and take it off. I'll get some clothes for you."
"No way an I letting you take this suit from me." he narrowed his eyes.
"Cyborg can get the plans for it from Robin's computers and repair it, but it'll be hard it you're still wearing it." Raven arched an eyebrow, "So if you want it fixed up good as new, strip."
Red-X seemed to consider it for a moment, then grumbled as he sat up and started un-doing clasps, "I had better get it back."
"Oh for crying out loud," Sarah sounded exasperated, "If they take it away from you, it's not like you can't just steal it again!"
X paused and thought about that, "Point." he conceded, and continued to take off the suit.
Speedy yawned as he walked down the streets of Jump City. People looked at him funny as he moved about, scratching heads and avoiding him as they came towards him.
Not unexpected in Jump. He wasn't a usual member of the Titans out here. In New York people would recognize him better, but out on the California coast, he was pretty much unknown.
"Boring." he said out loud as he finished his sweep of City Section Fifteen. Pulling his T-Comp out, he flipped it open and called Raven.
There was a moment of ring time, then his girlfriend picked up, "What's up, Speedy?"
"Rae, there's nothing going on out here unless you count the first real sunny day Jump has had in a week. It's nice, people are happy, and the trouble from yesterday doesn't seem to be coming back." he sighed, "I even stopped by Rancid's pad again to see if he was up to anything, but he was long gone."
"Sorry it's so boring." Raven sounded sarcastic, "You have anything X can wear? We're going to repair his suit, and he needs clothes in the mean time?"
"Sure. Just dig through my bag. Tell him he owes me more of those eggs though."
"Will do. Hey..."
"Yeah?"
"I love you." she blushed when she said it.
"Love you too, babe. I'll be back to the Tower after I finish my sweep of City Section Sixteen. All's quiet though, so we might be able to go out on that date tonight after all."
Raven smiled, "I'd like that. See you soon then?"
"You got it. Speedy out."
"Raven out." and the T-Comp went dead.
Sighing, Speedy tucked the communicator away. On his way back, he'd have to see what movies were playing.
Jinx staggered past the gates of Arkham Asylum with a stiff gait. She looked a little green about the gills, and her eyes were dazed.
"Rough transport?" she whirled around to see Robin crouched in the shadows near by.
"Damn Robin... you freaked me out..." she breathed a little easier, "Why the hell is this place so creepy?"
"It's an insane asylum, Jinx, what did you expect?"
"I've BEEN here before, remember? As a client, not a guest. I just wonder why they don't make it nicer."
"No funding." Robin shrugged, "How's the team holding up?"
"We're fine. Just a little matter of whether Slade has the book or not to clear up."
"I see. By the way, your personal file is worked up and in the system now," he held up his T-Comp and showed her the file he'd been reading, "You're a full Titan."
"Sweet." she grinned, "Oh, hey. We have this new thing on the team... we're using each other's first names when we're in privet. Just sounds friendlier, you know?"
"Sure." Robin shrugged, "Jenny or Jen?"
"Jen's good. Richard or Dick?"
"Raven tell you?"
"Naw, Beast Boy did." she smiled.
"Everyone except Kori and Alfred call me Richard, so Dick will do just fine." he shook his head with a half smile, "Let's get this over with."
"Right." she nodded as they walked up to the front doors.
"Have you ever conducted an interrogation like this before?" he asked as they were passed through the security check point.
"No, but I'll be talking to an old friend, not really grilling him."
"Gizmo isn't exactly stable any more." Robin pointed out, "Are you going to be able to get through to him?" Robin nodded to their guide as the man led them through the halls to the visiting chambers.
Jinx shook her head, "The crazy thing is an act. Giz just likes the food here, and it's easier to get out of than a high security prison."
"You're kidding." Robin shook his head, "That kid really is a genius."
"Which is why I'm hoping he'll help us. This will go a long way towards his good behavior record."
"Agreed. I'll be right outside the doors if you need me. Just call, and I'll be there."
"Okay." Jinx nodded as they came to the room. Shaking the last of the transport willies out of her arms, she pushed through the doors and closed them behind her. Stepping up to the plexiglass window that split the room in two, she took a seat in the lone chair that sat on her side of the divider. She took in the sight of her former partner in crime, feeling again the lightness on her shoulders that came with freedom.
Gizmo, sitting in a chair of his own, was wearing an all white outfit, complete with slippers, and he had a closely trimmed head of hair. He frowned out at her as she sat down across from him.
"Hello, Matt." she said in as warm a voice as she could muster.
"So it's true what they were saying about you," he shook his head, observing her tight top and leather pants with the Titan 'T' on them, "You went Titan on us. You're throwing away your freedom doing this you know."
"I'm not the one on the wrong side of this window." Jinx tapped on the glass and smiled weakly, "You holding up okay in here?"
"The Riddler is good for a game of chess or twenty every day." Gizmo shrugged.
"I have some questions about our HIVE days. You think you can help?"
He frowned, "I guess that'll depend on the question." leveling his most analytical gaze at her, he nodded, "Ask away."
Tim sipped the soup Robin had left behind for him, and leaned against the raised wall that ran around the edge of the factory roof. After the Boy Wonder had left, he'd sunk into deep contemplation, examining his options and desires.
Could he be a Titan? Would he be any good at the super hero gig? Robin seemed to think so, and he had been doing some pretty heroic stuff lately, but there was always the negatives to consider as well.
He didn't think he could jump in front of gun fire like Robin did, or have half of his acrobatic ability. He could learn to fight, but would he be good enough? How would he explain it to his father? Or would he even tell Jacob Drake about becoming a vigilante?
To further complicate matters, he was already neck deep in the crime fighting world. Would Robin just cut him off completely if he turned down the invitation?
But wasn't that what he wanted? To get out? He'd never wanted to be part of Robin's world, and he'd never asked to join up. So why was he so hesitant to back out now when he had the option?
Confused and slightly cold, Time drank some more soup broth and went back to his recon on the Joker's hideout.
Speedy stepped into the rec room of the Tower and stretched. Two or three good movies to take his girlfriend to, and maybe diner before. He had some extra cash this month, so he could even pay for it all.
Hearing voices, he walked quietly into the room a bit further and stopped to listen. Beast Boy and Cyborg were talking as they went over files on the computers.
"... just don't see what you see in her, man." Cyborg was saying.
"She's a good person, Cy." Beast Boy shook his head, "I know she used to be like, our worst enemy and stuff, but people change when they grow up, and we're all getting older now. I think she really wants to help."
"I still find it hard to believe that Jinx is all of a sudden one of the good guys. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know? For her to screw up and like, kill someone or something."
Beast Boy turned away from his screen and narrowed his eyes at Cyborg, "You're waiting for her to screw up, or you're hoping she'll screw up?"
Cyborg turned to face his friend as well, "I didn't say that. I'm just not sure we should trust her."
"Raven trusts her, and she can read her thoughts and feelings." Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest, "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"The way Raven's been flipping out lately?" Cyborg shook his head, "Even with her new and improved emotional state, I'm not sure we can fully trust Raven either."
"Dude!" Beast Boy stood up and waved a hand at Cy, "Listen to yourself! You're saying that you can't even trust your own team mates! Who do you trust?"
"Myself. Sarah. Robin to an extent, and since Star's in love with him, I can only trust her as far as I trust him." Beast Boy just gaped at him, "If you're going to let your mind be clouded by your feelings for Jinx, than I don't think I can trust you that much either."
"Cy," Beast Boy took a step forward and grabbed his friend's shoulder, "You can't mean-"
Cyborg gently pushed Beast Boy's hand away, "I do, Gar. Until I see some real proof, I don't think I can trust her, you, or anyone else who just jumped right on the Jinx bandwagon."
Speedy had finally heard enough. Stepping forward loudly, he made sure he had their attention. Both of them looked over at him, and he looked sternly back at them.
"That's enough." he said in a grim tone, "Gar, get back to work. Cyborg, can I talk to you?" he motioned for Cy to follow him and they walked over to the elevator. Stepping in, Speedy hit the button for the residence level.
"What is it, Jason?" Cyborg sighed.
"You know I consider you to be a good friend, and I respect you, Victor," Speedy turned to face the robotic Titan, "hell, I was ready to follow you when you formed Titan's East. But this lack of trust in your own team..." he shook his head, "We can't have that kind of weak link, Cy."
"Like I said," Cy crossed his arms, "I need real, hard proof that Jinx has changed, and that Raven is okay now before I can trust them fully."
"And like I said," Speedy looked away from him, "We can't have that kind of weak link." he shook his head as the doors opened, "You can ask Raven to over rule my order, Cy, but for now, you're not coming out on missions with us." Cyborg's mouth fell open and he stammered a little before Speedy stepped out of the elevator and sighed. Looking back over his shoulder at his friend through the closing doors, he said, "I'm sorry."
Jinx cleared her throat and looked as non-threatening as she could, "Do you know anything about the artifacts that the school kept around? I need to know what happened to one of them when Brother Blood took over."
Gizmo leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. She knew it was just a gesture, since he never had been able to grow any kind of beard, but she found it to be one of his more endearing habits. It just looked cute to see a guy with such a baby face try to look more manly.
"I hacked the system to find lots of things." he finally said, "Can you give me a name to jog my memory a bit?"
Jinx had been hoping to just ask about the arcane texts, not the book by name, but it looked like Gizmo wasn't going to let her play that way, "The Libris Mortis."
"Ah, the zombie book. Who's trying to raise an army of dead guys?" he leaned forward and rubbed his hands together.
"You look like a teenage girl waiting for the latest gossip, Matt." she snorted and laughed a little. He scowled at her.
"Shut up. At least I don't look like Little Miss Righteous Crusader."
"I'm not doing this to be a crusader, Giz, I'm doing it to... make up for all the wrong I did... for all the pain we caused."
Gizmo looked away, "Yeah, I figured." shaking his head, he continued, "You never killed anyone though."
"No," she shook her head and closed her eyes as well, "I didn't."
"I did, Jenny." he looked back up at her, and she opened her eyes to meet his, "Blood doesn't just wash off your hands. It stays, and stains them forever."
"Then you'll just have to learn to live like I did," she smiled weakly, "with dirty hands."
"I don't know if I can..." closing his eyes, he sat back and sighed. Jinx frowned, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"You can't give up so easily, Matt, you can't just-"
"Brother Blood sold the Libris Mortis to a Metahuman collector." he interrupted her, "I don't know the guys name, but if he knew Blood, then he was really, really bad."
Jinx stared at him for a moment longer, then he shoulders sagged, "Thanks, Matt. I'll put in a good word for you with the Doctor. Maybe we'll have you out of here before you can drink."
"Yeah. Maybe." Gizmo looked away, down at the floor.
Jinx stood up, "Bye." she mumbled and started for the door. Just as she was about to pull it open, he spoke again,
"Hey, Jinx."
"Yeah?" she looked over her shoulder at him. He was staring at her, his eyes rimmed in red.
"Be careful out there."
"I will." she nodded once, then turned and walked through the door.
On the other side, Robin was leaning against the wall. When he saw her coming, her head down, he stood up straight and walked over, "How'd it go?"
Jinx looked up at him and he saw the tear tracks on her face, "Hm? Oh, Brother Blood sold the book to some Metahuman guy... Giz said he was really bad, and... um... that... that..."
Robin took a few more steps forward and wrapped his arms around her. She finally broke down and buried her face in his chest, sobbing.
"He looked... so broken..." she said, "He's... giving up hope of ever being getting out... of ever living a normal life..."
"He's done some pretty bad things, Jen." Robin left one arm around her shoulder, half covering her with his cape as he led her back through the halls of Arkham, "Not everyone has your strength of character or conviction."
"I still feel like shit." she shook her head and leaned into his shoulder.
"Maybe you can help him." he suggested, "Come see him more. The Titans can foot the bill for your transport if you think you can redeem him."
"I'll think about it later... after we stop Slade."
"Yeah," Robin looked up at the sky as they left the asylum, "and after I put the Joker back in here."
"Good luck with that." she sniffed as she pulled away from him, "Now go find Starfire and finish up. We need you back in Jump, Dick."
"I'll see you there." he smiled at her as he stepped back into the same shadows she's first seen him in when she had arrived, "I promise."
Raven sighed and rubbed her eyes, "You suspended him from the Titans?" she asked her boyfriend as they sat in her room.
"Yeah." Speedy pulled off his mask and tossed it on top of the rest of his uniform where it was piled on the floor of her room. Walking over to his bag, he pulled out a button down shirt and a pair of dark jeans, "He was being unreasonable, and if he's not going to trust any of us, then we can't have him fighting with us. He'd just be a danger to himself and us if he was constantly looking around to see if we were going to stab him in the back or not."
"I understand your reasoning, Jason, but not your method." Raven had already changed into black jeans, combat boots and a mid-drift exposing black tank top.
"What's not to understand?" he asked.
"Cy is a good combatant." Raven said, as she watched him dress, "He'll pay attention to what he's fighting before he pays attention to the rest of us. What he needs is to fight with the team until he understands that we're not going to stab him in the back."
"I don't know... maybe we should have Sarah talk to him?"
"I'm sure she already is." Raven shook her head, "Let's just... get out of the Tower. I'm ready to be a normal girl for a few hours."
"Sounds good." Speedy held out a hand as he stood up from where he was finishing tying his shoes, "Ready for Fist of Fury Part Three?" he asked with a grin.
"Do we have to go see a kung-fu flick?" she rolled her eyes, "I'd think you'd have had your fill of martial arts, what with getting your butt kicked by Slade earlier and everything..."
"Hey, he took me by surprise-"
"Which is no excuse." Raven giggled as he sighed in exasperation.
As they walked through her door, he said, "You're impossible, Rae."
"Cy, calm down!" Sarah demanded as she pulled on her boyfriends arm, trying to keep him from throwing more of his things into boxes, "Jason just suspended you until you get your head on straight, he didn't kick you off the team!"
"Oh, so now you're on his side?" Cyborg jerked his arm away from her and turned to face her, "You think I'm being unreasonable now too?"
"Cy, Raven can SENSE when people are lying, and what they're feeling, and she's made her peace with her evil heritage! She's better, and she says Jinx is okay! Why can't you trust that?"
"Maybe everyone else can just believe her when she says she's better, but I'm not going to until I see her calm down! I check the police reports, Sarah! She ripped some dudes arm off the other day, then yesterday she hacked off two of Fangs legs! The girl is turning into a monster!"
Sarah suddenly looked furious and she took three steps up to him, reached out and slapped him across the face. He looked shocked and hurt as she yelled at him, "You listen to me! I love you Victor, but you have to seriously think about what you're saying! You're saying you can't trust any of your team mates, because they want to give someone the benefit of the doubt and believe that maybe, just maybe, Jinx actually wants to make up for her past life? That is so, typical of you!"
"What?" he shouted back, "You think I do this all the time?"
"YES!" she screamed back at him, "When you're right, you have to be right! When you think someone isn't trustworthy, regardless of all of your friends and loved ones thinking they are, that person definitely isn't trustworthy!" she threw her hands up in the air and stalked away from him, "You have to learn to be wrong sometimes, Victor. You're not perfect."
"I never said I was! I never even said I thought we should kick Raven or Jinx out! All I said is that I need stronger proof of them being better now!"
Sarah whirled back around to face him, "That's because you have no faith, Cy! I know your childhood wasn't easy, and I know you still hurt from what your father did to you, and I know that's why you don't trust easily, but you have got to let this go!"
"I can't. Not after the way Speedy acted. I can't trust them until they start trusting me." he shook his head.
"Well, you're not really giving them too many reasons to trust you. Keep it up, Cy, and you'll be off the team when Robin gets back."
"I don't need this." he shook his head, "You're not involved Sarah."
"I am now." she leveled a glare at him, "I got involved when I started dating you, and those robots trashed my apartment. They came after me, to get to you, Cy. Don't assume I wasn't able to figure that one out."
He looked pained, "I didn't think you wouldn't, Sarah-"
"I'm going to go see Tina in the hospital." Sarah said as she stepped over to the door, "Then I'm going to stop by my apartment and get some stuff before I come back here." she turned to look at him with a gentle smile, "I'm going to help you through this, Cy, but I need to get away from you for a while. I'll see you soon."
All he could do was stare after her as she left.
"Anything?" Tim almost jumped off the rooftop as Robin's voice came from behind him.
"Christ, Dick, don't do that!" he gasped out as he settled down again, "The thugs all went back in to rest about an hour ago, and now they're back out here again. Whatever the Joker is doing in there, he doesn't want to be interrupted."
"They have to sleep some time." Robin shook his head as he took the binoculars from Tim and scanned the area, "I think I have the disguise you'll be using."
"What is it?" Tim asked as he stood up and stretched.
"A lost little boy. The Joker loves to play with kids."
"Gee, thanks." they fell into silence for a moment, then Tim spoke up, "Could you uh... give me a few days to think about your offer?"
"Sure. It's not something we have to worry about right away. We should see how you do at this mission first anyway. If you do really well, then I'll push harder. If you bomb... well, we'll probably both be dead then any way."
"Great." Tim mumbled, "Glad to hear you're so confident."
"We just wont fail then." Robin shrugged, "I'll have Star with me, and I promise, so long as you're with one of us, nothing will hurt you."
"Alright." Tim nodded, "What now?"
"I think we can make our move tonight. I'll take you home, and I want you to get some sleep. I'll pick you up at about midnight."
Tim nodded and Robin tucked the binoculars away, "Let's go then." he said and pulled out his grappler again.
Drake eyed it, swallowed hard, but followed Robin to the edge of the roof any way.
Starfire sat in the dining room of Wayne manor eating Alfred's best meatloaf.
Alone.
"You are sure Richard is on his way home?" she called to Alfred, who was through the open door in the kitchen.
"Quite sure, Madam Kori. He called not twenty minutes ago to let us know that he has concluded his surveillance and will be back as quickly as possible to prepare for tonight's capture of the Joker." Alfred stepped to the doorway, "Do not worry about him so. He is rather like Master Bruce in that he tends to get ahead of everyone else when left to his own devices."
Bruce chose that moment to walk into the room, and sent a look at his butler, "Let's not discuss that tonight, Alfred."
"Ah yes." Alfred rolled his eyes, "Your little tiff with Master Richard. I assume he is still angry with you then?"
"With good reason." Bruce sighed as he sat down at the table. He rubbed his eyes as Alfred set a place for him, and then seemed to slump down into the chair, "He says a girl died because I didn't give him the information he needed. That I shouldn't have left him on his own."
Starfire looked over at Bruce with a hint of trepidation. She didn't want to anger her host, but she also didn't want to remain silent, "Terra was a good person inside... Slade simply drew out her worst traits and magnified them. She thought he was giving her what she had always wanted... control of her powers, and control of her life."
"Both things she could have learned by staying with the Titans." Bruce shook his head as he ignored the meatloaf, "I should have sent the file. I should have acted like his mentor... like his friend."
"But you did not." Starfire knew she was walking on thin ice here, "I am sure he would forgive you if you were to just apologize-"
"Some things don't deserve forgiveness, Kori." Bruce stood up again, "I'm not hungry, Alfred. I'm going out early tonight."
"I will pack some food for you to take with you then." the butler walked back into the kitchen and called over his shoulder, "You will be hungry later."
"Thank you, old friend." Bruce sighed again as he left the room the same way he'd come in.
Starfire took another bite of her meatloaf, only because she didn't want to disappoint Alfred by pushing it away.
She wasn't very hungry anymore either.
Raven was laughing when she and Speedy walked out of the movie theater, "That was... the funniest thing I've ever seen!"
Speedy smiled at her, "It wasn't supposed to be funny, Rae. It was an action flick." he shook his head and put an arm around her shoulders, "It was supposed to be a serious depiction of the kung-fu legends of Japan."
"But the magic..." she gasped for breath in the middle of her laughing, "it was all so... unrealistically depicted. Shung-tsu mysticism uses candles and wax coated paper scrolls, not brass figurines! And the Korigatio shadow techniques were all magical in the movies, when really..." she laughed again, "really, they're all just smoke and mirrors!"
"Raven, you have to learn to separate fact and fiction." Speedy squeezed her and laughed, "Just because you know that the magic wasn't done right, doesn't mean you can't appreciate the special effects someone spent months making."
"I guess movies like that just crack me up." Raven finally calmed down, "How about we go get some real Chinese food now, and call it even." she kissed his jaw, "Kay?"
"I just happen to know the perfect place. And we don't even have to walk all the way to China Town." Speedy turned at Seper Street and they started down the sidewalk, moving with the rest of the perdestrian flow.
"You must mean the Amagasiaki Family Eatery." Raven smiled and rubbed her stomach, "Mmm... good idea. But they're Japanese cooking."
"They have the worlds best Oden though." Speedy licked his lips, "I can taste the squid already!"
"I think we might be the only two people in the city that actually enjoy eating seaweed and squid." Raven shook her head.
"But we're so damn sexy together that who's gonna' complain?" Speedy arched an eyebrow at her.
Raven arched one right back, "Come on, my sexy archer, and we'll get some good food." Grinning he let her pull him through the door, into the eatery.
Beast Boy turned away from the computer screen and rubbed his eyes. He'd been at it all day, but he was finally done. Sarah had left just an hour ago, and Raven and Speedy had gone out just an hour before that, leaving him alone in the tower with a grumpy Cyborg who refused to talk to him, and Red-X, where ever he'd gone off to.
Getting up and walking into the kitchen, Beast Boy opened the fridge and searched around until he came up with some V-8. Opening the bottle, he poured himself a glass of it, then walked back to the rec-room to compile his notes into one file so Raven could review it when she got back.
Stopping at the couch, he was surprised to see Jinx sprawled across it, looking slightly green. She had her arm thrown over her eyes to block out the light from the sunset.
"When'd you get here?" he asked.
"Just got zapped in..." she shook her head, her eyes still covered, "I am never traveling that way again."
"Molecular transport isn't always fun." he shook his head with a laugh and shrugged, "I'm use to being reshaped all the time, so it's never a problem for me, but I know Cyborg hates it, and Robin has never really gotten used to it."
"How have things been around here?" she asked as she sat up and patted the spot on the couch next to her.
"Not so good." he sat down and she leaned her head on his shoulder, "Cy seems to think that we shouldn't trust you right away, and since most of us have, that he can't trust us either." Jinx sat back up and stared. Beast Boy looked over at her, "Yeah, I know. Speedy... suspended him from combat until he shapes up."
"Well, he has a point though. I mean, I'm still not sure about how well I'm doing at this job, and what if I screw up and kill someone or something? I mean... it could happen."
"It could happen to any of us." Beast Boy shook his head, "If I were to misjudge the distance of a claw swipe, I could rip out someone's throat. Cy could crush someone's skull if he didn't watch what he was doing. Speedy does miss sometimes, and that could easily kill someone. Raven's been known to go berserk every now and then, and even Robin gets out of control sometimes..." he looked up at her with a serious look, "None of us are perfect."
"But... I have such a bad history... I can understand what he's talking about... maybe I should go find him and-"
"Don't bother. He's being mister anti-social. Wont even let me in to his room."
Jinx sighed again and leaned back into him, "He'll get over it. We're the Titans," she smiled, "nothing can keep us down for long."
Cyborg sat on the roof of the Tower, staring off at the ocean. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear to footsteps of a visitor.
"Hey, big guy." the blond haired Red-X sat down next to him on the rooftop, "What'cha thinking about?"
"Nothin." Cy looked away, "You have a name?"
"Brian." Red-X replied, "You?"
"Victor."
"Strong name." X nodded, "I heard you fighting with your girl."
"Just a minor thing."
"A minor thing that's keeping you from repairing my suit." Red-X pointed out, "If you guys want me to help you fight Slade, I'm going to need it functioning at full capacity."
"I'll get to it later."
"What if Slade attacks tonight?"
"Then you're S.O.L., aren't you?"
"Guess so." Red-X stood up and started back towards the roof hatch, "You know, Victor, I guess what I came up here to say was that if you're not going to trust Jinx, maybe you should think twice about trusting yourself."
"What?" Cyborg turned around and grabbed Red-X's sleeve before he could get too far away, "What'd you just say?" he was starting to sound angry.
"I'm just saying," he didn't even look back down at Cy, "that anyone can screw up and take a life. I did a few days ago. You could if you don't watch your temper." he shook his head, "Jinx never killed anyone the whole time she was with the HIVE. Not because she couldn't. Not because she was ordered not to." now he did look back at Cy, "Because she didn't want to."
Cyborg let go of him, and he walked the rest of the way to the roof hatch. Before he walked down the steps, he spoke one last time, "Just something to fill your head, since thinking about nothing is kind of unproductive."
Cyborg sat for another long time before he got up to go back down to his room. He had a suit to repair for a friend.
"We have got to sneak a bottle of sake into the Tower." Raven said as she and Speedy walked away from the eatery, "I'm glad that place doesn't ID."
"I'm glad you didn't get loaded!" Speedy hugged her, "Good thing I'm driving..."
"I only had two drinks, Jason." Raven rolled her eyes, "It's good stuff!"
"I'll take your word for it." Speedy shook his head and checked his watch, "It's almost nine. We should head back to the Tower and see if Gar is done with that file yet."
"Yeah..." Raven sighed and circled around in front of him, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I had fun tonight."
"Good. You needed the break."
"And you're getting laid again later." he smiled at that as she leaned up into him and they kissed. They held each other like that for almost a minute, deepening the kiss and starting to explore each other's bodies with their hands when the street was rocked by an explosion.
They were both thrown off their feet and into a wall by the force and by the time they were able to get back up and look around, people were running past and screaming. The explosion had been caused by a bus that had just burst into flames.
Over the din, they still heard the laugh. As one, their heads whipped around and saw Slade standing on top of a building a little ways up the street. He held in one hand a staff, made of bone, with a headpiece made of a cup, a ring, and a coin. In the other, he held an open, black bound book.
"No..." Raven breathed.
"Yes." Slade replied, "He who holds the power of these four worthy objects, and who knows the dark words of power, will hold dominion over life and death, and rule the world of mortals with absolute authority."
"Shit!" Speedy shouted, "Raven, look!" he pointed into the street below Slade, and there she saw what she had hoped to never have to see.
The corpses in the street were starting to stand up. As they did, a horrible howling filled the air.
"The Cursed Dead." she said grimly, "We have to get back to the Tower." Slade pointed his staff at another group of bodies, and those too started to rise, "Now."
Speedy grabbed hold of her, and together they vanished in a swirl of raven-shaped darkness.
Closing notes: What a ride! Look for tons more action in the next chapters! We're in the home stretch here folks, so hold on! It's about to get bumpy!
Bonus Question #1: Comic question! Why did Dick and Bruce really start fighting in the comics? What drove them apart for so long?
Bonus Question #2: The Hard One. If you scroll up a little ways, you'll see that Starfire tells Babs that she sounds like Raven. What's the hidden meaning in that comment?
Next Chapter: How do you kill what's already dead? How do you fight that which doesn't want to win? It's Hell on Earth as the Titans try to defeat Slade once and for all, and Robin tries to bring down the world's most insane villain ever!
As madness descends on Gotham, Jump City burns. Death, destruction, and fire sweep the streets of the Titan's beloved home. As the battle wares on, their bonds ware thin. Can Raven hold her team together? Can Robin keep Starfire and Tim alive, not to mention himself? Next time: Judgment Day.