We Chosen Few.
Chapter Three:
Richard Grayson watched two young red heads as they tried on various pieces of clothing. He watched as Starfire went off and grabbed a bright pink dress and held it up against her new friend and suppressed a laugh at the girl's face, she did not looked too impressed. Then the girl Star had called Cat got a mischievous grin on her face and walked over and grabbed a black dress that looked suspiciously like leather that didn't actually cover much at all and Starfire went bright red and both girls laughed their heads off. Richard didn't know why he was following Starfire, yes he was worried about this new friend that Star knew very little about other than her name and the fact that she was good at martial arts, but Star was more than capable of looking after herself. He pulled himself back behind his hiding place as they exited the shop and winced slightly at the pain his sudden movement caused but put it to the back of his mind for the moment and proceeded to follow them down the street.
"What is wrong friend Cat?" Starfire asked after Cat he glanced behind them for the third time.
"Not sure," she replied, "but I was sure someone was following us."
"Damn it!" Richard whispered to himself. As Robin and a martial artist he considered himself to be pretty good at this espionage stuff, so this girl had to be just as good if she had noticed him. The only problem was that if Cat and Star found him out Star wouldn't recognise him as ordinary Dick Grayson, so he blended into the crowd and started to make his way back to the R-Cycle and his uniform.
"Maybe I'm imagining things." Cat shrugged. "Hey I heard about a club we could go to tonight to use these new clothes of ours, wanna come?" Cat asked smiling at Star, "You could bring Robin."
"I am not sure he is well enough to go yet, but I will gladly accompany you to the place of clubs." Starfire said.
"That's a club Starfire, it's like a rave where you pay to get in and it's on most nights."
"Oh I believe Cyborg told me of those places," Star said and began walking with Cat again, "but are they not for those who are older?"
"Most are but this one's okay," Cat replied swinging the bags in her left hand over her shoulder, "there's no alcohol so they lets us minors in." Cat smiled and thought how great it was to have a friend.
"Then I would love to come!" Star shouted happily gaining a few stares and a blush from Cat at the attention.
"Okay, what say we meet at the park again at eight and go to the club from there?" Star agreed and said goodbye then took off humming happily whilst Cat made her way to her temporary home for the moment.
"Going out?" Robin asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yes isn't it glorious I am to go to a club with my new friend Cat and we are to do the dancing and have a night of girls out!" Starfire exclaimed excitedly as she twirled around in a pair of purple hipsters, heeled boots and a light pink cotton shirt with three quarter length sleeves. In her hair she had a couple of clips holding it up into a French bun and she had a small amount of make up on. Robin simply stared until Star noticed, "Robin do my new clothes . . . I mean are they satisfactory for the dancing?"
"You look great Star," Robin told her brushing a strand of hair that had come loose from the clips out of her face, "just like those models you saw on the TV the other day."
"Thank you friend Robin!" Star looked up at her clock and let out an eep, "I will be late, I will see you when I return Robin, Bye!"
"Bye Star." Robin said as she flew off he couldn't help feeling like something bad was going to happen but he shook his head and went to find BB and Cyborg to play video games with. He found Beast boy and they played some racing game together for about an hour until the power went off.
"Hey what's the big idea?" Beast boy yelled.
"Cyborg!" Robin spoke into his communicator, "Cyborg what's going on!"
"I have no Idea Robin but whoever it is foolin' around with my tower is gonna get a whole lot o butt whoop that's for . . ." The screen went black.
"Cyborg!" Robin waited for a reply but got none, "Cyborg." Robin growled and ignored a whimpering Beast Boy looking over his shoulder, "Raven?"
"Right here," Raven appeared beside them making Beast boy scream, "Will you calm down."
"We have to find out what's going on and. . ." That's when they heard it, a laugh.
"Hello bird boy!" a formless voice said from the darkness, "thought I'd forgotten about you dear boy, fat chance! I've come to finish what I started!"
"Who is that!" Beast boy asked hiding behind the two other teens.
"The Joker." Robin said without emotion.
"That's right." Joker said laughing again, there was a flash of light and when Beast boy and Robin looked up Raven was out cold. Then another flash of light and both boys saw a large box in front of them, there was a handle going a round and pop goes the weasel playing as it did. They backed away but the music stopped and then a large plant erupted from the box and what looked like vines sped towards them.
"Run!" Robin yelled. He and Beast boy grabbed Raven and tried to get away but were soon grabbed by the vines and Robin only just had time to press the button on his communicator that would alert Starfire.
Starfire danced and danced. She was having so much fun and Cat was smiling a lot more than she usually did and for that she was happy. There was a live band and they were playing what Star had been told was rock music.
"I like this music of rock!" Star yelled to be heard over the music as they went to get something to drink.
"They're not bad are they?" Cat yelled back. Star yelped as she felt something vibrate in her pocket then remembered her communicator, she took out and saw it was an alert and indicated that she was going outside.
"My friends! They require my assistance!" Star virtually yelled.
"What's happened?" Cat asked.
"I am not sure," Star said tying to get her communicator to tell her more but not really knowing how to, "there is no message but a signal was sent from my home from Robin's communicator and now no one will answer! I must go and find them!"
"Wait a minute you can't go alone!" Cat yelled.
"I must help my friends!" Star protested.
"Then I guess I'll have to go with you." Cat said then yelped as Starfire grabbed her by the wrists and flew her high into the air. Once at the tower they found no one there all that was left was a large box with a wilting flower sticking out of it and severed vines hanging off the plant.
"Robin?" Starfire flew off in the direction of the bedrooms leaving Cat to look around. Star flew through the whole tower calling out her friends' names but no one answered her and when she returned to the control room she was close to tears and found Cat studying the vines coming from the plant. "They are gone I cannot find them, and Robin is still so weak I. . ."
"Calm down," Cat said gently, "we just have to figure out where they've been taken and rescue them." Cat got up and went over to the computer which still seemed to be on despite the rest of the tower being black so she sat down and began typing in a few commands.
"What are you doing?" Starfire asked.
"Trying to see if your surveillance systems were still working when your friends were taken," Cat replied, "with any luck they may have mentioned where they were going with them, and if not I may be able to get a fix on your friend. . . Cyborg was it?" Star nodded sniffing, "If I can then we can find them easy."
"Then you will help friend Cat?" Star asked hopefully. Cat looked up and paused.
"Sure," she replied looking back at the screen, "what are friends for?" Star squealed and hugged Cat then let her go so she could work on the computer. The surveillance brought up nothing but when she tried to find Cyborg there was a signal but it was being masked by something so she could only pinpoint him by a couple of miles, "well it's better then nothing," she said getting up, "but it looks like we'll be paying the warehouse district another visit. Maybe you should go change." Star nodded and took off, but stopped just as she reached the door.
"Do you wish to wear something more appropriate?" Star asked looking at Cat's black mini dress and knee high boots.
"I came prepared," she indicated the leather back pack she'd worn and pulled out her sias and her red fighting gear, "I never leave home unarmed."
Star simply nodded and flew to her room and changed into her usual outfit and when she returned she found Cat ready and waiting. Starfire took Cat's wrists and they flew off to the same area Cat had taken her when they first met and landed on one of the buildings.
"If we split up this will be a lot faster." Cat said looking around at the many buildings.
"Here," Star handed her a communicator, "I am sure Robin will not mind, I took it before we left it will allow you to contact me if you find them and I will do the same if I do."
"Thanks," Cat replied looking at the device in her hands not really sure what to say then looked up, "let's get going the longer it takes the more danger your friends'll be in."
Star flew off to the right and Cat the left. Each girl checked every warehouse they came across and neither found anything and after an hour they contacted each other and regrouped. They decided to try using the communicator to see if it had any more luck, being closer to Cyborg, at finding the Titans when a black jet in the shape of a bat almost silently flew over head just a little to their right.
"Batman?" Cat asked no one in particular.
"You know him as well?"
"Only by name and reputation." Cat said still watching the jet fly away form them.
"Oh well this is glorious," Star exclaimed grabbing cat's left wrist and pulling her into the air, ignoring the noise of surprise uttered form her lips, "he is like a father to Robin he must be looking for him also," she flew after the jet, "he will know how to find my friends."
"Looks like he already has." Cat told her and sure enough the jet landed on a warehouse that had been converted into a club of some sort. Batman got out and made his way down to the ground and went inside, despite the bouncer's objections. "Let's follow at a distance, he may need help." Starfire nodded, they landed and got into the club easily after Cat sweet talked the bouncer, or rather slammed him against the wall and held a sai to his throat. Inside was packed there were people everywhere and this was not like the club they had been to earlier. There were girls in cages that were dancing topless, others were lap dancing for anyone who would put money in their skimpy garments, "Stay close Star, these hoods aren't exactly your clean fun types." Star simply nodded and stuck as close as she could to her friend who didn't seem bothered by the fact that there were many girls that were selling their bodies to these men.
"Why do they expose themselves for money?" Star asked over the music.
"Most don't have a choice, they need the money and this is the only way they can earn it quickly," Cat said pushing away one guy who was trying to get her to strip for him, "the rest just enjoy making an exhibition of themselves." Cat finally caught a glimpse of Batman going through a door at the far end of the vast room, she grabbed Star's wrist and pushed and shoved her way through the crowds until they reached the door where she made sure every hood was watching their various pieces of meat and then opened the door and pulled star through making sure it was shut behind them. Past the door they were confronted with stone steps leading down to what they could only assume was a basement.
"Should we go down?" Star asked nervously thinking of the basement at the tower.
"Come on, your friends might be down here." This seemed to spur Star on as she took off and flew down the steps leaving Cat to follow. As they got lower they heard faint laughter that got louder the further they went, Cat placed a hand on Star's shoulder and indicated to be quiet as they came to a door at the bottom of the stairs, whoever was laughing was in the room beyond it. Cat looked around and spotted an air vent, she used a sai to get it open with then crawled in motioning Star to follow. Starfire floated through the vent but was impressed that Cat made barely any noise at all the only thing she could just about hear was her breathing and that was barely audible. They finally came to another grate and they peered through it to see Batman was being held down by four guys, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven were in some sort of bubble and were desperately trying to use their powers to get out to no avail, and Robin was suspended from the ceiling by a rope tied around his wrists, his head hung against his chest that had been striped of his Robin uniform. Cat took in the situation and didn't particularly like the odds there was another guy there she recognised from the news as the joker and a girl she guessed was Harley Quinn, but in the corner was one more heavy, Kane. He was still pretty bruised and some of the cuts from their fight were still there but he looked well enough to give her a run for her money which meant if they were going to save the Titans and Batman they were going to have to come up with a very good plan. "There's only two ways in," she whispered into Star's ear, "this grate and the door we saw before."
"Is that not the man you fought before," Star whispered back pointing then pointed at the Joker, "and that is the man who tried to kill Robin before, he is the reason he is so weak!"
"Shh, Calm down they'll hear you!" Cat said putting her hand over her friend's mouth, "I can take the hoods holding Batman, and then I'll go for Kane, if you go for Joker and Harley and grab Robin, I'll bet Batman will know how to get the other three out of that holding device." Star nodded, "First though we need a diversion so we can get in there," Cat pulled something out from her belt and pressed it to the wall and motioned to get moving back along the passage once there, "on the count of three, one, two," there was a small audible crack, "Three!" The two girls burst through the door and the room was filled with white smoke. Cat wasted no time and took out the thugs holding Batman with a sleeper hold on both then drew her sias and went for Kane. Star shook her head and flew at the Joker and Harley, she threw a Star bolt at them both throwing them back then another at the ropes holding Robin then caught him when he fell.
"Robin!" Batman yelled as he approached star and his partner.
"No you must free my friends!" Star yelled, "They can aid us against them!" Batman nodded and went over to free Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy.
"You shouldn't of done that toots." Star looked up just in time to see a giant boxer glove heading her way which knocked her away from robin who was promptly grabbed by Harley and the Joker walked up beside her grinning.
"You thought you could best me little girl?" He asked menacingly, "Hold it!" Joker yelled at the top of his lungs, "now then," he carried on when everyone had stopped and were looking his way, "I already told you I wanted to finish what I started last month, as you know I am a man of actions. But then I got ta thinking maybe there's a better way cause you know you masked crusader types gotta have a life without it right? But of course I already know Robin secret." He grinned and nodded to Harley who took of Robin's mask who was still unconscious.
"No way," Beast Boy said behind the bubble, "That's. . ."
"Richard Grayson, the poor little orphan boy who came up trumps and found himself a new daddy with oodles of cash to burn," Joker walked over to a table and picked up Robin's utility belt, "but one wonders how he got all these toys, and more importantly how he came to meet Batman." Joker walked towards the aforementioned hero but stopped after a few steps, "Take off the mask batsy or the kid dies." Joker said without a hint of a joke in his voice.
"No Robin!" Star yelled eyes glowing green.
"Think you'll get here in time toots?" Harley asked.
"You think you can do it Harley?" Batman asked her calmly, "Richard's only fifteen he's still just a child, you've never even killed an adult let alone someone that young, you really think you could kill anyone?"
"I . . . I. . ." Harley hesitated and looked at the boy in her arms, "you don't know what I could do!" She yelled but there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
"Time's up bats, kill him Harls." Joker ordered without looking at her.
"What! But I . . . you said it wouldn't get ta that!"
"Don't argue Harley just do it!"
"You were doing so well Harley," Batman told her, "you were nearly ready to be released again, to have another go at life, a real one with no masks, if you do this for him then there's no turning back, I will bring you in and you will pay for it."
"Oh fine I'll do it!" Joker spun around and pulled out a gun. Star screamed.
"Puddin' no!"
"Out of the way Harley." From the other side of the room Kane and Cat watched on. Cat threw one sai up and caught the point them took aim and threw it at the gun which was knocked out of the way, and then the fighting broke out again, but only between cat and Kane and Joker and Batman.
"I'm sorry Kid." Harley said as Starfire flew over and took Robin from her and cradled him in her arms, "I'm so sorry." Starfire looked up and saw Harley hug herself and start rocking back and forth and felt a tinge of pity for her. Batman beat the Joker relatively easily and set about setting the rest of the Teen Titans free.
"Please Miss Harley will you not set my other friends free." Starfire asked her gently, Harley nodded and got up and set them free and allowed Batman to put cuffs on her all that was left now was to stop Kane and take Robin to safety.
Cat dodged those claws that came at her fast and furiously and when she found an opening she attacked, knocking him wherever she could. She noticed another one and kicked out with her left leg but he caught it and held it there grinning. Cat grinned back and used his hold to pull her up, kneeing him with the leg he held, then with the other forcing him back which gave her enough room to extend her right leg and knock him out cold.
"Not bad." Batman said addressing her as he walked over to Robin.
"Thanks, he okay?" Cat asked approaching but keeping an eye on the bad guys whilst she did.
"We'd better get him back to the tower." Cyborg said tying up the two hoods that had been holding Batman.
"I agree," Batman replied, "my jet's on the roof, I'll get him there. Cyborg if you and Star come with me the rest of you wait with these guys for the police to arrive." And with that he picked up Robin and walked off, Cyborg followed and Star did the same but not before picking up Robin's mask and flying over to him and placing it back on his face.
"So what do we do now?" Beast Boy asked after they had gone.
"What do you mean what do we do now?" Raven said floating into a lotus position, "we wait."
"But these guys know who Robin is!" He said, "Isn't there a way you can wipe their memory or something." Raven looked at him with one eye closed.
"It would be too dangerous for both them and me."
"But. . ."
"I can't Beast Boy." Raven went back to meditating.
"So uh, you're Starfire's new friend then?" He turned to Cat.
"Yeah, Beast Boy right?" He nodded.
"Those were some cool moves you pulled off," he watched as she pulled out some rope from her wrist guards and secured Kane with it, "so how come you don't wear a mask?"
"Don't need one."
"What, you can handle anything the world throws at you huh?" Beast Boy asked with grin.
"Pretty much but no one really knows who I am anyway, including me so. . ."
"Whoa hey, wait a minute, you don't know who you are!" Beast Boy held his head in his hands and gaped at the girl in front of him, "How does that happen." Cat shrugged.
"I was told I had amnesia," she told him, "the only thing I seemed to remember was how to fight, the people who found me called me Cat."
"Oh."
It wasn't long before the police arrived and by that time they noticed the patrons up stairs were long gone. They waited until all of the crooks had been taken away then beast boy morphed into a pterodactyl and Raven used her powers to carry Cat and they made their way back to the tower where they found Robin to be awake and comforting Starfire.
"So you're Cat huh?" Robin asked when he noticed the new arrival, "Thanks for the help."
"Don't mention it." Cat said hugging herself and looking extremely nervous.
"I'd best get back to Gotham." Batman told them and receiving a nod from Robin he left.
"Wow, he's less talkative than you Raven!" Beast Boy said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked looking angry.
"Friend Cat will you stay a while longer I am sure my friends would like to get to know you," Starfire asked looking up, "do you agree my friends?" They all chorused their agreements and Cat blushed.
"That's settled then!" Cyborg said loudly patting her so hard on the back she nearly fell over.
"I'm not so sure. . ."
"Trust me it's better to agree," Raven warned her, "they'll only hound you until you do."
"Uh okay?" She said and Cyborg grabbed her around the shoulders.
"Well then I'll get the T-Car and we'll go get your stuff from your crib and we'll get you settled!"
"Road trip!" Beast Boy yelled.
"You are not driving!"
"Awe, why not?"
"Because I said so!"
Starfire watched them go, dragging Cat along with them. She looked back at Robin just in time to catch him yawning.
"You must rest Robin," she told him firmly tucking the sheets in around him, "the more you rest the more quickly you will recover."
"What ever you say Star." he said yawning, and before he knew it he eyes had close once more and he was asleep.
Wow this one was long! Anywho, thanks for all the great reviews, I hope to get the next chappy up soon. Toodles Angel xxx.