Who saves heroes ?

By Scarredbyshallowness

Disclaimer : All of the rights of the things I use aren't mine . Period . End of story .

3500 hits … nice . This is my most famous project by far . Thank you all for the constant compliments and views ! Be sure to check my profile . Mucho updato .

But enough about me, I know what you are here for . So I shall not keep you waiting any longer .

Chapter 8

Revenge

" No ! I want to be the one to get Beast Boy out of there ! He's part of MY team ! " Robin yelled in defiance to his mentor as he sat up in his bed while his bandaged chest beggingly screamed to lay back down .

" It's my fault he's even there in the first place . If I had just dodged that bullet, been faster, better … "

"Admirable, but THINK . You are still too injured to attempt a rescue, Robin . I know your limitations . " the Bat squinted whilst he drove as the Boy Wonder swore to the known truth .

" Robin might not be able to, but I'll help . " Raven dryly volunteered as she felt the gaze of concern that the Titan leader had placed upon her .

" Please … allow me to be of assistance as well . I wish to help friend Beast Boy . " Starfire sheepishly answered while thoughts of BB still lingered in her mind as she slowly, hesitantly, entered the recovery room . Constantly shielding her eyes from Robin, the truth was apparent . Words from the night before were no where near forgotten .

" Don't forget about me ! " Bumble Bee added from behind Star as Robin began to wonder who didn't know where he was .

" Hmmm . From what I hear about tameranians from Superman, you may actually prove to be useful . I have also recently read about your work, Bumble Bee . So you could prove to be beneficial . However, Raven, you won't be any help at all . " The Batman thought aloud as he bluntly admitted the truth . His disapproval made the hooded Titan feel somewhat hurt to be shut down so easily, but as usual, nothing outwardly was revealed .

" And how do you come to that conclusion ? " Raven squinted as she folded her arms in wait .

" Your powers would be useless . Cadmus has machines that block telekinetic and magical powers of any kind . You'd be an easy target . " the Bat gruffly explained as his unwavering eyes kept on the roadway .

" But … "

" Don't even bother, Rae . Arguing with Batman is like talking to a brick wall; you get no where . " Robin rolled his unseen eyes as Raven quietly complied, inwardly loving the fact that he called her ' Rae' again .

" Ok . I suppose you two can come along . But don't expect me to always be there to back you up . I have my own agenda to uphold . Understand ? " The Bat stated the fact that Robin had heard so many times before as the Dark Knight quickly snapped his view to the two girls, seeing them nod in consent .

" It's ok, Bats ! We're Titans ! We can look out for ourselves . " Bumble Bee joyously smiled, with a forced fakeness being sensed by all, as she flew behind Star with a look of foreseen victory .

" Fine . Meet me at these coordinates in 20 minutes . Give this to the docking station and they'll get you a driver . Batman out . " the Dark Knight switched the device off as a slip of paper slid out from a small printer below the screen . Grabbing the paper instantly, Starfire and Bee immediately flew out of the room, leaving Robin and Raven alone .

" So much for that . " Raven sighed as she lowered her hood while thoughts of what happened the night before still lingered in the back of her mind .

" Actually, I'm kinda glad you got to stay behind . I've, um, been wanting to talk to you about something . " Robin blushed slightly, making Raven smile in eagerness . She NEVER smiles .

Docking Station, Watch Tower

" Please give us a ride, sir . The Batman instructed us to give this to you . " Star timidly smiled as she handed the paper to a man behind a counter . Seeing his eyes open in alarm, Bumble Bee and Starfire began to grow concerned of the time .

" We'll, if Batman said to … I guess . C'mon . "

The two Titans boarded a nearby javelin hurriedly as the back door hissed shut .

" Be honest now … " Bee smirked as she leaned against the recently shut door . " … You volunteered pretty fast for this mission . You sure you don't like BB ? "

" I … " Star started to answer as she quietly thought to herself .

Visions of Robin flashed consistently, almost reigning, but something caught her off guard . In the back of her mind, the far, FAR back, she remembered how hurt she felt when Beast Boy was first thought to be dead . She reminisced of the pain, revealing something that she had previously blocked thoughtlessly . But the night before had shattered many things in the little alien …

" I … I guess I do a little . "

14 Minutes later

Sitting in his Batmobile, the Dark Knight recognized the sound of the javelin's landing gears, instantly exiting his vehicle . Standing a few feet from the airship's landing place, he stood in wait as his cloak flapped freely in the relentless air generated by the craft .

" I'll stay here, girls . Make Cadmus regret for messing with us ! " The pilot smiled as he gave a thumbs up to the leaving teens .

" About time . Follow me, we have a lot of work to do . " The Batman ruggedly instructed as Star followed mindlessly, unlike Bee .

" Well aren't you just a drop of sunshine … " Bumble Bee muttered to herself, making the Bat stop and leer her right in the eyes .

" Um, not that people always like the sun or anything … " she sweated and smiled nervously as the Dark Knight continued their walk, secretly smiling in his deserved authority .

After about a minute or so of total silence, they reached the Batman's pride and joy, the Batmobile .

" Hop in . " he simply commanded as the cockpit slide open, letting all three enter with ease before it closed again .

" Why do we have to drive now ? Why didn't we just fly there ? " Bumble Bee defiantly questioned as the vehicle roared in awakening .

" Because if you did you would be nothing but a flaming carcass right now . There is a reason I gave those coordinates . Now look in front of you . " Batman coldly stated as a holographic map of Cadmus Headquarters appeared in the middle of the two teens .

" There are six floors at Cadmus . I'm going to be on the third floor to …ask someone about a couple of things . The level you want is the fifth level from the bottom . That is where the holding cells and experimentations are held . No doubt your teammate is being held there . "

" Beast Boy … " Star whimpered slightly as the thought of what they could be doing to the jade changeling disturbed more than any horror movie .

Feeling the car come to a screeching halt, the cockpit slowly opened as the two girls looked at the massive structure that demanded their extermination . Cadmus .

Recover Room, Watch Tower

" So what did you want to talk about ? " Raven softly spoke to Robin as she sat down on the end of his bed, making the Boy Wonder turn his head away her .

" I'm … I'm sorry . "

" For what Robin ? " Rae cooed as she scooted closer to him to place her hand on his, but he immediately slapped it away .

" For not being strong enough . For not being able to stop your father... or Slade . Or prevent any of this from happening . Instead I've done nothing but a burden . A handicap … " the Titan leader scorned himself as he felt the concern from Raven envelope him .

" But how could you have stopped all of this from happening even if you were stronger ? That's a feat that not even Superman or Batman has been able to accomplish . Well, not yet . "

" True . But there is always a solution, a way . You just have to be quick enough to pick up on it . " Robin added as he turned and looked Raven right into her shimmering violet eyes .

" And then again, sometimes things aren't always the way you've always believe them to be . " He smiled earnestly as he placed his hands caringly on hers .

Third floor, Cadmus Headquarters

" This is where we must part . Good luck . " Batman yelled as he busted through the ventilation shaft above them with a grappling hook, disappearing in the darkness .

" Great . So how do we get to the fifth floor now ? " Bumble Bee buzzed (ha, I made a funny !) sarcastically as multiple armed men appeared from the duel doorways, firing relentlessly upon seeing the two teens .

" Like this ! " Starfire roared as she suddenly powered up and busted through the ceiling of the floor like tissue paper with her inhuman strength .

" That works . " Bee grinned as she flew behind the ticked tameranian, dodging bullets the whole way up .

Upon reaching the fifth floor, the humming of multiple machines and screeches of lab animals nearly made the girls go deaf in the gigantic laboratory . The room contained three different doorways that lead to multiple test subjects . But before anything could be assessed, an army of forty Cadmus soldiers entered the room without warning, blanketing them in targeting lasers .

" Get moving, Star ! I'll take care of these guys . Go ! " Bumble Bee ordered the alien as Starfire gave her a hurting nod as she fly past the guards and into the first room to the far left .

Third Floor, Cadmus Headquarters ( The girls are on the fifth now )

" We have to strike the League NOW ! " General Eiling roared as he slammed his uniformed fist into the circle table that held a fellow member of Cadmus, Amanda Waller .

" Don't be foolish, general . We have to wait until they slip . And once they do, we'll take them all down . " Mrs. Waller snapped as she knew that if Cadmus truly did attack the Justice League now, the public, along with government, would seriously question their motives .

" How long do you want to let those psychos in Halloween costumes fly around up there ? For all we know, one could be right here, right now ! " the militant man yelled with an unbridled temper that made his face beet red .

" Good call . " Batman blankly commented as he dropped down on the General's back from the ceiling, knocking him unconscious .

" Waller . "

" Batman . "

" What are you thinking ? I realize that the motives behind Cadmus are honorable in the fact of independency . But what honor rises from slaying children ? " Batman gritted as he knew that there was never a correct time to murder kids . The Joker's actions helped make that fact very clear .

" Calm down, rich boy . As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with you this time . But there is nothing I can do about that . When the President signed come contract that Luthor came up with, it made him the one in charge . Not me . Since then he has recruited some lunatic named Slade and gone after any super he seems fit . "

" You let Luthor be in charge of Cadmus ? I pity you . He may be the one with the souls of those he has killed behind him, but you will be charged with the crime of apathy in the end . Where is he ? "

" He's down in the basement working on some project of his . What are you going to do ? "

" Stop him . Like you should have . " the Bat leered as Mrs. Waller glanced at the ground in shame . But in the moment she lowered her head, which was about 3 seconds or so, the Dark Knight had vanished without a trace .

Fifth Floor, Cadmus Headquarters

" Any TIME, Star ! " Bumble Bee grumbled as she shrunk and resized behind a group of five soldiers, spin kicking them all in the back of the head, rendering them unconscious .

" Sorry, friend . " Star smiled as she plowed threw the first doorway . Looking left and right she saw no Beast Boy, but five rather odd looking people dressed in different outfits in cryogenic containers . Above their lifeless bodies was the label ' Ultimen ' . Interesting, but not what the tameranian was looking for .

Moving to the next room, just as Bumble Bee zapped six or so men into submission, she entered the middle room . More or less the same as the last room . Only this time only one container was being occupied .

Inside was a beautiful, fit, blonde girl with an interesting title below her . It said ' Supergirl'( the Supergirl CLONE that Cadmus made ). Taking a second, harder, look , the girl did resemble Superman in a certain way . But this was no time to observe such trivial things . There's a friend at stake .

" Sorry friend Bumble Bee, but I have found him! Hold them off for just a moment longer . " Starfire thankfully smiled as she flew toward the final door .

" Don't worry, girl . I could keep this up all day ! " Bee smiled as she leaped off one of the remaining six guard's helmet, shooting bolt after bolt of stinging electricity from her twin weapons .

Starfire ripped the door off it's hinges the moment that Bumble Bee slammed both of her heels into the final soldier's face . Bee took a moment to admire her work as the moans of her victims could be heard far and wide .

Just as the Titan sheathed her twin electric guns, a power-rendering collar suddenly clamped onto her neck .

" What the … "

" Take my advice, you look much better with it on . " a heavily breathing, raspy voice came from the hallway . As Bee struggled futilely to get the device off, her mysterious attack became all too real . Slade .

" Why don't you just die ! " Bumble Bee screamed as she sudden halted . The scent of blood enveloped the assassin as his broken posture gave way to his pain .

" -huff- You first … " he coldly stated as he whipped the barrel of his magnum to her forehead .

BLAM !

Basement, Cadmus Headquarters

" Ah . How could I have been so ignorant ! " Luthor scolded himself as he worked steadily away at his concealed project as sparks from his torch lit his malignant face .

" And to think I have Victor Stone to thank for the completion of my perfect project . " Lex smirked to himself as he twirled an aqua blue disk in his free hand . Hearing something familiar slice through the air, Luthor immediately jumped and caught the object with his working hand ." I knew it wouldn't be much longer before you came around, Batman . "

Dropping from the ceiling with a flap of his domineering cape, he stood tall as his body remained bathed in the darkness of the basement . Silently leering with blaring white eyes that screamed for reconciliation .

" Spare me . But I'm guessing that you are looking for this . " Lex smirked as he rose the blue disc up to eye level .

" You must have some humanity left in you, Luthor . Give me that and an innocent life will be spared . Or are you truly that lost ? "

" My . A speech of sanity coming from a man who dresses like a bat ? But regardless, I suppose Victor didn't do anything wrong . Here you go . " Luthor coldly smiled as the stoic knight walked uneasily toward him .

CRACK !

" Oops . How clumsy of me . Oh, well . No big loss, right ? " Lex heartlessly shrugged as he dropped the fractions of the disc on the floor, crushing it under his foot . Leaving Cyborg with his fate...deletion .

" Monster ! " the Dark Knight clenched as he leaped toward the suave CEO in a flying side kick . But Luthor simply caught the Bat's boot with his left hand, stopping the attack instantly .

" Please . " Lex rolled his eyes as he tossed Batman to the floor, instantly rolling back to his feet . " You have much greater problems . " he added as he lifted a small device in front of the Dark Knight's face .

" Luthor... ! " the Bat growled, infuriated by the man's joy in all of the destruction.

" You know that delightful laser cannon your league has pointing directly down ? Let's just say that in about three minutes, Cadmus Headquarters will be no more . Do give all my workers my regards . " Luthor pressed the button on his mini computer as a countdown began to run .

" I WON'T LET YOU SUCCEED! " Batman roared with every fiber of his being as he released multiple bat-a-rang bombs toward Lex's concealed project .

"Maybe next time, Bats . " Lex smirked smugly as he and his project teleported to an unknown location, just before the bombs made contact. Destroying the wall, that was once behind the corrupt CEO, in a flash of flying metal .

The only thing that remained was the countdown device .

2 minutes, 30 seconds

" Batman to all points ! Deactivate the binary laser cannon ! I repeat, Deactivate the cannon ! " he screamed into his com link as only static responded ." Perfect …"

Recovery Room, Watch Tower

" Raven, I nearly died twice in these past two days . But in that time, I've realized something . Life is a very fragile thing . Especially for our line of work . " Robin squinted slightly as he clutched the stoic demoness' hand, causing her to blush even harderin wonder of what was coming .

" We have always had a bond . And I mean more than simply the link between our minds . You've become a necessity in my life . And when I lost you that one time, it awoke something in me . No, that's a lie . Even before Trigon's arrival, I have wanted to tell you something . I … "

" Hush … " Raven spoke with beautiful delicacy as she playfully put a finger to his lips as she leaned toward him .

She proceeded at her own pace, moving in so close that the two shared the same breathe, increasing with every passing second . Heart beats rapidly accelerated as their longing lips would finally connec…

" ROBIN ! "

The birds nearly had a stroke as the two leaped at the sudden yell . Grabbing for his put away communicator, Robin reached for it as adrenaline dripped down his redden face .

" B-Batman ? "

" No time ! Raven, turn the monitor on to communication channel 5 ! " The Dark Knight hollered as Raven immediately complied .

" Thank you . Batman out . "

" What was that all about ? " Raven questioned as Robin shrugged in similar confusion as the entire station began to shake uncontrollably .

Main Room, Watch Tower

" J'ONN ! You have to turn - " Batman ordered as the jade alien stopped him .

" We know, Batman . We're doing all that we can up here . I've tried pulling the plug, but not even that worked . Superman and Supergirl are out right now trying to stop it manually . "

" Fine . I've already evacuated the lower levels . But I have to get these kids out of here . Do what you must to delay that countdown ! Batman Out . "

Fifth Floor, Cadmus Headquarters

" BEAST BOY ! " Starfire gleefully yelled as she immediately recognized the figure in the room .

" S..Starfire ? " BB groggily replied as exhaustion leaked from his eyes . Multiple wires and gadgets were hooked into his body as evident as his fiber glass prison that held him .

Star smashed the container as she happily hugged her beloved, yet limp, friend .

" Dear Beast Boy, what have they done to you ? "

" You're better off not knowing . Let's just say I never wanna see another test tube in my life . " he smiled as Star cradled his weakened body .

But before another word could be said, the door burst open to reveal a hurried Batman .

45 seconds

" Let's MOVE ! I already have the entire building evacuating ." the Bat screamed, slightly scaring the tameranian as she caught a glimpse of what was Bumble Bee . Her lifeless eyes pierced into the young alien's mind as blood escaped from her bullet wound … in her head .

" EEEKKK ! "

" W..what happened to her ? " Beast Boy questioned with half closed eyes, trying to keep up with what was going on .

" I don't know, but we have no time ! Starfire ! Break through that wall ! " the Batman demanded as he pointed toward the brick wall that blocked them in .

" I… I can't . I'm scared … " the alien squeaked as she knew her powers were useless if she wasn't joyous .

" You've got to be kidding me … "

12 seconds

Space, outside the Watch Tower

" Kara ! We have to locate the ignition plug ! If we remove that, the cannon won't be able to fire ! " Superman yelled as he and Supergirl scanned the cannon's insides with their x-ray vision .

" What does it look like, Clark ? "

" It's -- uh-oh . " the man of steel gulped as he flew toward the end of the massive laser .

3 seconds

" What are you doing ? " Supergirl worriedly questioned as she feared what he was about to do .

1 second

" It's too late ! I'll block the blast with my body ! MOVE ! "

Fire

" No ! " the girl of steel shrieked as she pushed Superman out of the way, letting the blast engulf her instead . Only the immense power of the beam proved to be too much for the teen heroine as it instantly deteriorated her body agonizingly, leaving behind a futile scream for help . And nothing more ...

" KARA ! "

Fifth floor, Cadmus Headquarters

" Batman ! That cannon has fire --- static--- " J'onn warned as the Bat immediately went to the two Titans .

" Change of plan . Get under my cape ! I can change it into a material that is -- " Click !

" Batman ! Look ! " Beast Boy suddenly, forcefully, awoke as he pointed to a pulsing, blinking device on the Dark Knight's cape . A bomb !

" Wha- no ! " the Bat screamed as he wrapped himself in his cape, instantly changing it into areflective, hard material . The device activated as an explosion of force sent the Batman rocketing through the wall .

Unwrapping himself while falling at an increasing rate, he saw Starfire and Beast Boy ready to leap out of the hole that he had just unintentionally made . But before they could jump, the Dark Knigh tcould see a figure violently throw both of them back inside . It was no other than …

" SLADE ! " the Batman roared as his flight sent him hurdling further and further away .

" I win … " the assassin whispered to himself from the crack in the wall as an omnipotent light suddenly draped the building . The beam annihilated the headquarters in a sonic boom of destructive power . Mercilessly killing everyone unfortunate enough to be left inside as the building leveled thoughtlessly . When the dust and tremors cleared, nothing but death remained in it's wake .


That took a long time to type . And yes, I know . I killed more. I'm so horrible . We'll guess what ? No one is safe in the story . NO ONE . But the only way to find out who lives is to review. And I won't update until I get 85 reviews . Simple as that .

Later.

- Scarredbyshallowness