Nightwing's good mood faded then and there, and none-too-gently he grasped the front of the Ravager's costume and hauled her up so they were face to face. "Now, how do we turn them back?" he asked savagely. No sense in asking who he was referring to. He meant the denizens, the former citizens of Jump City that Tartarus had condemned to the lives of monsters for their army.
The Ravager, still sobbing uncontrollably and caught between despair and fury, couldn't quite make an intelligent response.
"How do we turn them back? And how do we shut down the darkshield generator!" he added, their previous problem almost forgotten in light of the new one. Again, Ravager made no reply.
"That... that's easily done," croaked Brother Blood, managing to push himself into a sitting position on his one good arm. The other was practically scrap, the hand having been blasted away by Cyborg's final attack. He turned to face Nightwing. "The darkshield is hard-wired to my internal system. I can shut it down."
"Do it," commanded Nightwing.
But Brother Blood, curiously, turned then not to face Nightwing, or even Cyborg, but to Raven. She, surprised by the look he gave her, quirked an eyebrow curiously. He looked at her almost... fondly? Events of the past week flashed through her mind, not the least of which her life being spared back in Titan's Tower, her life being saved from Malchior's attack. How Blood had been searching for her and Beastboy when they'd fled Tartarus. Malchior's hatred of her she could understand, but what did Blood want with her?
"Would that things had been different, I would have made you mine," said Blood, ignoring the glares of the Titans around, as well as Raven's disgusted look. "Our legacy would have been one of blood and glory."
"Blood and death, you mean," retorted Raven. Without turning her head, she sensed instinctively Beastboy step beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she drew strength from it. "Keep your legacy."
Blood chuckled darkly, grimacing as fresh pain wracked his metallic and organic parts alike. "I may have failed the Blood Legacy," he stated, but then his gaze did indeed flicker from Raven to Cyborg, who quirked an eyebrow at his foe. "But... I will still have accomplished the one thing my father could not."
"The end of his... my... enemy. Cyborg."
Cyborg's organic eye opened wide.
Initiating Backup Sequence Blood-001
"Stop him!" shouted Cyborg, realizing Blood's intention, swiftly moving forward. But it was far too late. Even the Flash could not outrun an electronic impulse. An impulse transmitted directly from Brother Blood's brain to the darkshield generator high atop of the Wilson Enterprises building. A single, final command. A plan for when all else failed.
Blood smirked, then jerked in shock as Cyborg grabbed him by his damaged chestplate and hauled him up, eye-to-eye. "What did you do!" shouted Cyborg.
Despite his predicament, despite his peril, Brother Blood had an oddly peaceful aura around him. Nightwing recognized it instantly. The look of a man who knew he was going to die... and had made peace with it.
"Look!" shouted Starfire, pointing.
The darkshield. Before, an omnipresent dome of black energy that had formed into being little more than a week ago and remained fixated, a constant barrier that could not broken and could not be moved, which had dug so deep into the earth in the form of a sphere one wondered how it would ever be removed. But now... it was moving. And their eyes grew wide as they realized it was contracted. Shrinking. Like a balloon running out of air, the darkshield was closing in on Jump City. And none-too-gently either. They could already see in the distance, the great earth being crushed and gathered up by the shield, they could feel at this distance the earth tremble beneath their feet.
Jump City, and everything inside of it, was going to be completely destroyed.
Cyborg's fist shot out and slugged Blood hard across the jaw, rendering the dark-haired youth unconscious, and very nearly disconnecting his prosthetic jaw from his face in the process. Destroyed? Not while the Titans had anything to say about it.
"Cyborg, how do we stop it!" asked Nightwing quickly, tossing aside the Ravager. Cyborg was well ahead of him, already snapping open the slot on his wrist and allowing a wire to slid out. With little hesitation he hooked it to the side of Blood's cybernetic face, and allowed his cybernetic brain to take over.
Hacking Enemy Firewalls
Firewalls Down
Accessing Final Command
"He's set up the darkshield to collapse in on itself," said Cyborg, his expression distant, his mind very much elsewhere... literally. "And he's shut off his link to the generator, we need to destroy its. I'll go, I know it's weak points," he said, yanking the cord out and snapping it back into place, shoving the unconscious Blood aside.
"Starfire, give him a lift!" ordered Nightwing. With little hesitation the Tamaranian Princess swooped down and grabbed up Cyborg underneath his arms, hauling him up into the air.
"Get me to Wilson Enterprises, quick!" shouted Cyborg, over the din of chaos below, the howls of the denizens, the crunch of stone and later metal as the darkshield continued to collapse inwards on it's self. With precious little time, they streaked through the sky. Starfire was the fastest flyer among the Titans, she could reach supersonic speeds if she had great need. And now, her need was indeed great.
The darkshield generator came into view, perched atop of the great business building, a hulking automaton formed in the shape of three great cylinders united at the top, pointing upwards in a tall pyramid. The generator was cobbled together, Blood had obviously had assistance making it, and not just from Cyborg's power cell and WayneTech technology. But that was important now. What was important was breaking it... before it broke the city.
Unfortunately easier said than done. After Blood had triggered the generator, Wilson Enterprises employees, guards and assassins alike, had fled, and were not trying to stop anyone, let alone two of the Teen Titans, from getting to it. The same could not be said, however, for the automated security systems. The building below was quaking and shaking from side to side dangerously, but they were infused with the blind loyalty only true machines possessed, and opened fire on Cyborg and Starfire, forcing the latter to zip to the side to avoid them both being blasted out of the sky. Crimson laser fire split the air, as Starfire ducked and dodged and weaved in a complicated pattern to try and edge herself and Cyborg closer to the rooftop.
"Starfire! Just toss me I'll be fine!" he shouted. She nodded and, first spinning him up and over in a circle, hurled the metallic man with all her strength towards the rooftop, praying he would land safely, not strike the side or go tumbling clear over the edge.
To her relief, she saw him land safely beside the generator, slapping a hand into the side hard to slow and steady his landing. Several lasers turned to target Cyborg but due to his proximity to the darkshield generator were programmed not to fire. The rest returned to trying to blast Starfire, though not one came close. Not only the fastest Titan flyer, she was also the most maneuverable.
The building was shaking hard now. All of Jump City was, inside the generator. The water in the bay was rising, the ground was shaking. They were running out of time and they hadn't had much to begin with in the first place. Cyborg angrily lashed out and tore a steel plating off of the generator, revealing the source of the machine's power: one of his spare power cells. One of the marvels of technology that allowed for the half-dead teen he'd once been to walk among others again. Now twisted for evil.
"No time to be subtle!" he shouted, pounding at the power cell with his fist, cracking the reinforced titanium covering to try and break free to the plasma and ohmium core inside. "Gotta be direct!" Growling, he yanked his fist back and let it switch into the sonic cannon, thrusting it back into the hole and firing at point blank range. Cyborg was hurled backwards by the attack, but it had been a success... the generator's core had been destroyed.
And as he grimaced, rubbing his head from his rough fall (thankful again he hadn't been knocked clear off the roof) Cyborg saw that high up above, the darkshield had stopped. And, better, it was dissipating, fading like morning mist in the face of the searing sun, melting away as if it hadn't even been there. A particularly apt metaphor, considering that sun was indeed starting to rise, the horizon to the east was a much lighter, bluish-gray, as opposed to the dark of night to the west.
Unfortunately, Tartarus was not yet done. There was still one last trap to deal with. One last desperate act to counter.
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Far below, back down in the streets, Nightwing, Raven and Beastboy gave a sigh of relief, seeing that their companions had been able to destroy the generator and that their city was again safe. Unfortunately, Brother Blood was not the only member of Tartarus who was prepared to screw everyone else over in order to achieve their selfish ends.
An amethyst glow split the eyelids of the newly conscious Blackfire, who saw for herself that Tartarus had lost. Her compatriots were unconscious or broken, beaten and battered. She herself was in no condition to battle her sister, nor any other Titan. The darkshield was gone, all their plans were gone. Even Tamaran. Ravager and Blood had lied to her, she thought with a dark snarl, clenching her hand into a fist. And Starfire...!
Before she even realized what she was doing, Blackfire powered up a starbolt in her fist, barely able to fill it with a bolt the size of a peanut. No matter, it would do.
She had her target in sight. And that little bitch friend of Starfire's didn't even have a clue...!
Grinning sadistically, Blackfire let her bolt fly, hurling it...
... directly at the talisman held in Raven's hand. None of them were prepared for it, none of them were able to counter it. The attack barely even scratched Raven, but she brought up her hand quickly, a impulsive gesture, the talisman fell to the ground, cracked and broken. Blackfire's attack had ruined it.
And that meant...
Howls and cries split the sky as the denizens realized the magic binding them to the device had been destroyed along with it. Beating their great bat-like wings, they took to the skies. No longer did the Ravager guide them as an army, no longer did Raven keep them tightly under control, they spread about in chaos.
"No!" shouted Nightwing, as the full implications came upon him. "Without the darkshield, they could spread over the earth!"
"What did you do!" shouted Beastboy, turning to face Blackfire, who despite the chaos raging around her looked as regal and smug as ever.
"If I cannot have Tamaran," she said. "Sister dearest loses her precious Earth...!"
Tamaranians were a remarkably tough people, strong and resilient to injury. Normally a human's punch would've have hurt one very much.
Still, three fists flying at Blackfire's head simultaneously, and some of them boasting the strength of heroes, not average humans, was enough to knocked Blackfire backwards and send her reeling to the ground. As one, the three Titans rubbed their knuckles.
"We have to stop them!" said Nightwing, taking command of the situation yet again. "Raven, Beastboy, try and slow them down, I'll get the cure!"
The two Titans nodding, Raven launching herself into the sky while Beastboy became a great green gorilla and knuckled his way after her on foot, taking care of those few demons who hadn't taken flight yet. They were, of course, careful to cause no lasting harm to those they fought, knowing in truth the denizens were humans still, people they'd sworn to protect. Unfortunately, their magic-gripped minds were unable to give them the same sort of mercy, and they battered at the exhausted Beastboy and Raven. Even the return of Starfire and Cyborg could do little to stem the tide.
But then, the river found itself encountering a dam.
The darkshield was indeed down, and things could now leave the shattered city of Jump and enter the world at large, as the denizens were now trying to do. But now those outside could enter, and as the Titans watched, a bright bolt of lightning shot down to blast one of the denizens about to rip Beastboy's head off, knocking it aside. As they turned, they saw a new team of heroes waiting from a nearby rooftop. A dark-skinned girl dressed in gold and black with a pair of insect's wings sprouting gracefully from her back. A red-haired man in a crimson uniform no older than Nightwing wielding a blood-red crossbow and bearing a quiver of bolts on his back. A dark-haired, dark-eyed man in a blue-scaled swimsuit. And a pair of white-clad, teenaged twins with yellow crash goggles.
Titan's East.
Nor were they the only heroes who had arisen for the occasion.
As the sun finally peeked up over the horizon, it illuminated a number of dark shapes flying up into the sky. Shapes that eventually grew sharp and distinct as they engaged the denizens, who had averted their eyes from the harsh sunlight. The Justice League. Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and many more heroes of all shapes and sizes hurled themselves into the fray to stop the advance of the demonic denizens. Bolts of light and the sounds of bone-shattering punches filled the air. It was a battle of epic proportions.
Bumblebee launched herself up into the air, her wings beating fast as she shot down more golden lightning from her weapons at the denizens, forcing them back. She landed nimbly behind Cyborg as the metal man's arms slid outwards, his shoulder-plates opening up as he launched a flurry of missiles at his opponents. They fought back-to-back, bolts of lightning and sonic blasts keeping enemies far away. Speedy, secure in his position on the rooftop, did the same with a series of energy bolts that blasted the beasts thick hides and knocked 'em back, froze 'em, electrocuted 'em, and with one trick arrow, managing to neatly net two of them together and send them crashing back down to earth. Aqualad was a bit out of his element, here in the streets, but even on land he had a strength far greater than that of the average human, and agility to match, and calmly strode in and out of the fight like a trained acrobat, landing blow and bone-shattering blow to his opponents. One of the beasts tried to ambush the dark-haired Atlantean from behind, but was knocked aside by a charging green rhino, who reverted back into Beastboy. He flashed Aqualad a thumb's up.
"Better watch your back, Aqua-dude. Can't always be there to bail you out."
Aqualad smirked at that, giving a slight tilt to his head to indicate something behind Beastboy, who whirled around as another of the denizen's reared up behind him, claws extended, preparing to rip him in half. It didn't get the chance, because a blast of fire caught it fully in the back, sending it flying over both of the startled teens heads. Hotspot, the fire-engulfed honorary Titan, gave them both a thumb's up as he leapt up and into the air, sending blasts of fire out to slow down the approach of the denizens. His partner-in-justice, the hulking Wildebeast, was far less subtle, knocking aside the creatures like... well... like a rampaging bull, frankly.
Heartened by the arrival of their allies, the Titans were still outmatched. And they were not battling true monsters, but people stripped of their will to fight. Nightwing had to end this quickly, and turned back to the still stricken Ravager, who lay on the ground, her face awash in tears and blood. Again he asked her for the cure, and again she could do nothing to reply to him. So he tried a different tactic.
"Rose," he said softly, speaking to her as if she was a child. He knelt down beside her, a hand on her shoulder. "If you don't help us, right now, a lot of people are going to die. On both sides. And what'll you have gained? Revenge doesn't bring justice... only more revenge. It's up to you to break the cycle."
She looked up at him, and her single blue eye was piercingly bright.
"Now I'll ask again... how do we change them back? What's the cure?"
Hesitantly, her hand trembling with conflicting emotions, the Ravager reached down to her own utility belt and drew out a small vial filled with a thick coppery-red dust. She held it up, handing it to Nightwing. "There is your cure, Boy Wonder," she said weakly, dropping her hand back down to her side and lying on the cracked asphalt. "A sprinkling of the dust on the denizens reverts them to normal," she said, closing her single good eye.
"But there's no way to get it to them all!" he shouted over the din of chaos. "Rose, wake up! How can we get it to them all!"
"Dude! I've got an idea!" said Beastboy, bounding over to his side. "Gimme the vial."
Nightwing unthinkingly passed it along to his green-skinned teammate, who waved down their resident lavender-haired sorceress, Raven. Beastboy uncorked the vial and tossed it to her, and she instinctively knew what to do. She seized it up with her magic, and let her power fill the tiny specks of dust, letting herself become one with them, as she always did with her magic.
And now, she thought, let's end this one and for all.
Raven spun in a slow circle, rising up high, and the dust followed her like a miniature dust devil in the desert, spreading the dust throughout the air in a near-invisible cloud of coppery-red, tinged with black energy. The cloud filled the entire city within moments as Raven rose higher, floating above the city like some avenging angel. And, as the cloud of dust settled over each and every person within, many began to change. Unlike the denizen's first transformation, however, involving a great deal of pain and suffering as their minds were stripped down to the basest of instincts and their bodies became that of bat-winged, horned demons with leathery hides, this time was a simple, quieter process. Raven's magic and Rose's cure slowly allowed dark, blacked skin to become soft and smooth once more, allowed for horns and claws and tails and wings to vanish, allowed for crimson glares of hatred to become white-eyed looks of astonishment, confusion, and ultimately joy.
And high above, Raven continued to float, her magic casting a white glow upon the city, radiating outwards from her body, illuminating them all. Beyond curing their bodies, her powers blasted away their fears and gave them hope. Their heroes had returned. The Titans were alive and would never let any hurt them again. A cheer rose up from the saved citizens of Jump city, as they cheered for their heroes who had saved them from a fate worse than death.
Raven gently drifted back down, floating into Beastboy's arms, who gently caught her. Such magic had completely exhausted her, but she did not care. None of them did anymore.
The day had been won.
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Victory had not been without it's price, however. The marks of battle still lay heavy upon Jump City. Titan's tower was destroyed, deep furrows marked the perimeter of the darkshield, the streets and buildings were cracked and burnt and broken by the battle of the denizens and the superheroes. Fires were spreading everywhere, primarily from the beasts, some due to a number of misfired fireballs (mostly Hotspot's fault).
But now that the battle was over, they could rebuild.
Mas Y Menos quickly made themselves useful, repairing what they could at a speed bordering on blurring, gathering up debris and clearing away rubble. That which they could not lift they found that Cyborg and Starfire could. A gentle downpour of rain drifted down upon Jump City, met with thunder and lightning, and then they were among them as well. Elements of nature they may have been, but the brothers Thunder and Lightning were as much residents of Jump City as anyone, and wanted to do their part.
The rain poured down heavily upon them all, thoroughly soaking the streets and all those within them. But it was a welcome downpour. It was washing away the stains of Tartarus' cruel, if brief, rule over Jump City. And for perhaps the first time in many days, it's people, hero and normal citizen alike, were filled with a sense of hope.
In the midst of the clean-up, as the League and the Titans and unaffiliated heroes began to repair the city and heal it's people, two heroes had found one another. Nightwing, having finished bandaging the Ravager's wounds, had stood up, and sensed the other's presence even before he spoke. Even without turning his head, he'd sensed him coming.
"Good job Robin," came the voice. One he hadn't heard in quite a few years, actually.
He allowed himself the tiniest of smirks as he turned to face his mentor, his guardian, and in many ways, his father. "It's Nightwing, actually," he replied.
Batman smiled at that. And for once, it wasn't his usual sarcastic smirk, his cocky grin. It was a genuine expression, seeing his adopted son grown up. "Nightwing. You did good here. Far better than I thought you would."
Nightwing smirked, recognizing the real compliment within the quasi-insult, so typical of Batman's manner of speech. "Thanks," he replied.
"You got a good team there, Nightwing... and they have a good leader."
"I learned from the best."
"Reconsider joining the Justice League?"
"Not a chance. You got your team, Batman... whether you think it is or not," he added, seeing Batman about to protest he was only "financial backing" or maybe just "a part-time member in case of emergencies." They both knew damn well he was as vital to the Justice League as Nightwing was to the Titans. "And I have mine."
"Your parents would be proud."
Sometimes it wasn't what was said, but what wasn't said that was truly important. Among Batman and his protégés... no... Batman and his family... this was even more so. So the Dark Knight simply nodded his head, then tilted it slightly to indicate something behind Nightwing, who glanced over his shoulder, tensing, half-expecting an enemy... but instead saw only emerald-green eyes and crimson hair, now soaking wet and clinging to her head and shoulders. Nightwing turned back... but Batman was already gone.
He smirked. One day... one day soon... he'd be figure out how he did that.
"Robin?"
He turned then, his own hair slick with rainwater as well, and faced Starfire fully. The heat of battle had worn off, their teamwork was no longer needed here, and truthfully he wondered what she was feeling now. He knew fully well how he felt... he felt horrible. He'd turned her away, he'd broken up the team. For the noblest of intentions, of course, to spare her pain. But by causing her more pain. He'd been a stubborn, self-righteous, selfish bastard, and she had every right to hate him for what he'd done.
He said as much.
And he saw her eyes were shimmering with tears, threatening at any moment so spill down her lovely cheeks. Her hands were clasped before her, and she was literally trembling with emotion. Finally, she managed to stutter out "I... I don't even know what to call you any more," she said, her voice so soft he almost couldn't hear her. "Nightwing?... Robin?... Dick?" she whispered, the last one a bit more softly than the others.
Hesitantly, he stepped closer to her, until less than a foot of space separated the two of them.
"Starfire... if you're still willing... you can call me... Iihsoik," he said tenderly.
She did cry then, but hers were tears of joy, as she flung herself into his arms and kissed him fully on the lips. He returned the gesture with equal passion, coiling his arms tenderly around her slender waist in a protective, loving embrace.
"Always," she murmured between kisses.
Nightwing and Starfire shared a bond, forged the very night they'd met, one scared Tamaranian Princess and once confused boy vigilante. A bond that had not only survived the trials and terrors they had endured over the many years, but flourished. A bond not easily put into words. Only a single one in the English language came close.
Love.
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Author's Notes:
Awwww, isn't it sweet? Just you wait. Angst time is over, sap time is now. Next time: The final fates of Tartarus are revealed, as well as glimpse into the futures of the Titans.
Ray1: As I said, best to fill in the non-comic fans reading the story.
LoCaD: Tartarus, yes, has fallen. They're done for now. Next chapter shows what happened to them.
Yomiori-Wolfdemon: Ironic you would say that. Watch Mother Mae-Eye to realize you just inserted a joke into your review. Oh and thank you for a cake and two yummy Tamaranian princesses.
Todd fan: Aren't we all?
Scathac's Warrior: She still might. I hold out hope for Raven to overcome her parentage, even given Slade and Trigon's new interference.
Piccolo999: Time I treat like a lady, with great delicacy and precision. So it's rarely part of my stories. I am a fan of DBZ and a number of other shows that deal with time travel and parallel, and have my own theories concerning it.
Elrohirthewriter: You doubt his skill? Nightwing, go waste this unbeliever! As for Malchior, first thing next chapter.
TDG3RD: Is answer question? Ah well, at least now their danger is all over. Or is it! Muwahahaha.
Blackbird: I rather liked it. This new Ravager is a worthy apprentice to Deathstroke. Ah, never been much of an old transformers fan myself, at most I had a passing interest in the Beast Wars. But I'll look into it.
Finn Mac Cool: I admit it didn't surprise me either when I read about it, but comic Rose never knew. Bring it? Oh I'll do more than that. I'll bring it, put it on the table, open it up and take a picture!
Snea: I've seen all the episodes that have aired in Canada, though your attempt to put a website in your review was welcome.
Anwen: I'm British but I don't live in Britain. Plus I have a good downloading system and a number of informative websites. And no, I rather like Mad Mod, episodes involving him often have a lot of insides jokes only us Brits can appreciate.
Comet-hime: She will live. Her fate is not a pleasant one, but she is getting off far easier than the likes of Malchior and Deathfang.
ViciousAssassin: Like Father, like Daughter. Rose is eerily like Slade, especially my version. I purposefully twisted events to make her so. I do so love irony.