Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, For You
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Reunions, Revelations and Really Bad Timing"
A/N: There's some stuff about Terra's past in this chapter. Including her real name, how she got her powers, and her royal heritage. All of this is based on the Original Teen Titans comics, although since I've never read the comics, only the online summaries, it won't be perfect. (Same as when I did this for Trigon, Grant Wilson, Slade and all the rest.) Also, another note about the original comics – Tim Drake is introduced in this chapter. Now technically, Tim Drake did not become Robin III until AFTER Dick Grayson became Nightwing. But I needed someone else in Gotham aside from Alfred, frankly I like Tim Drake better than Jason Todd; so I'm doing some timeline changes.
Now, since there are two Robin's in the story, I've decided to just call Tim, Tim. Anytime I say "Robin", I mean Dick Grayson, the Teen Titan's leader, Starfire's boyfriend – the guy you all know and love. Tim will just be referred to as Tim; that way there's no confusion. Anyway, I was going to dedicate this chapter to the person who guessed who Cobalt's boss was – but nobody guessed! XD So instead I'll dedicated it to DarkSin, who has been reading and reviewing for ages. On with the story!
"I'm taking the shot, Cy."
Robin hit the trigger, praying he was making the right choice, and he watched as two low-impact grenades shot from the sides of the R-cycle and went straight for the underside of the flying rock. If Robin was wrong about this; it could cost Beast Boy his life. However, Beast Boy was capable of protecting himself; he should be fine. And more importantly, if Robin was right, this could be the green titan's only chance.
The grenades struck the rock; and they exploded right on the underside. The impact was in the dead center – just as Robin had hoped for. The actual explosion was relatively small; but the force wave knocked the rock into several large pieces that went flying in all directions. Off to the right of the road was a line of trees and a grassy field; and several large rocks – and two teenagers – went flying towards the trees.
The T-Car parked at the side of the road, and Cyborg made a b-line into the grass to look for his buddy. Robin was off the R-Cycle, also searching the wreckage.
As Robin looked at the wreckage, he realized it was exactly what it looked it; dirt. The flying-thing had been a mixture of dirt and solid rock. Robin knew who the woman on-board with Beast Boy was, now; but he could hardly believe it.
"DUDE!" Beast Boy's voice echoed through the night. He didn't sound happy; though who would be? Both Robin and Cyborg quickly ran in the direction until they found the green-skinned boy sitting in the grass under the trees. He looked shaken, and he was far from happy, but he unharmed.
"Beast Boy, you okay?" Cyborg asked, concern for his friend dripping out of his mouth. He hadn't approved of shooting Beast Boy down. It was dangerous; it could have killed his best friend. Then again, Beast Boy could have been in even more danger if Robin hadn't acted. Either way; Cyborg was done thinking about it. Beast Boy was fine, and the 'what ifs' no longer mattered.
"I was . . . UNTIL YOU TWO FIRED GRENADES AT ME!" Beast Boy shouted at the top of his lungs. To Cyborg, the 'what ifs' may not matter – but to the kid who had nearly been blown into ribbons, that was another story.
"We just saw your beacon on my computer. Figured you were in some kind of trouble." Cyborg explained quickly. Beast Boy glared at him.
"I'm a Titan too; I know how to take care of myself – or did you miss that memo?" Beast Boy snapped sarcastically. "You could have blown me up, you know." He added.
"Naw, you know Robin's a good shot." Cyborg responded with a grin. Now that he knew, Beast Boy was safe and sound; he had no problem laughing about this whole thing. Besides, if he knew his friend half as well as he thought he did; Beast Boy himself would someday look back and laugh at it.
"Beast Boy." Robin interrupted. "Who was that with you?" Robin wasn't laughing. He wasn't even close to laughing. He had been forced to make a dangerous decision very rapidly – it had worked out; and they were lucky it had. By all rights, Beast Boy could have been hit by one of those missiles and killed – or the impact from the fall could have smashed his skull. As relieved as Robin was to see none of those things happened; he hadn't forgotten his reason for risking it.
Beast Boy's eyes suddenly widened. Terra! He'd forgotten all about her. He looked around his left and right; but she was nowhere to be seen. He then looked back up at Robin, this time to explain, but he was beaten to the punch.
"Hiya guys." Terra's voice called. Beast Boy, Robin and Cyborg all looked at the line of trees behind Beast Boy. Terra was stuck in a tree; bleeding from a fresh cut on her head and being held up only by the back of her hospital gown, which was stuck to a low branch. It was only now that she became truly thankful she even had a back to the gown. If it wasn't for Dr. Cobalt's insistence that she be 'dressed properly for the boss', she would have been in a traditional, backless gown – and if she'd been wearing one of those, she'd be dead right now.
"Think you can get me down?"
"Okay, what's gotten into you?" Barbara asked bluntly.
Starfire and Batgirl continued along the road to Gotham; unaware of the complicated predicament unfolding on the other road with Robin and the rest of the Titans; and equally unaware of Raven, who was still lagging behind the redheads.
"Whatever do you mean?" Starfire replied; her voice was scratchy and she still had to force a fake smile.
"Cut the crap. You're acting strange; really strange. Is this because of what I said about Dick and me dating?" Barbara asked bluntly. She wasn't a fool.
"No." Starfire replied much too quickly to be believable.
"Look, Starfire, that was a long time ago. I don't know why Dick chose to hide it from you, but like I said, nothing ever happened. We didn't even kiss." Barbara tried to reassure her fellow redhead, but she had a feeling it wasn't working. "I wouldn't try to take him from you, if that's what your worried about."
Starfire sighed. She couldn't avoid this any longer. Really, it could have been predicted that Barbara would see through Starfire's lies. Her father was the finest police commissioner Gotham had ever seen and he had taught her all of his secrets. She could pass herself off as a human polygraph. That, plus her training with Batman, made her a hard person to trick. Starfire never had a chance to begin with.
"I am not worried about Robin's feelings towards me." Starfire explained. "I know that he loves me; and I love him too."
Barbara wished she could be looking Starfire in the eyes for this conversation – but of course, she was driving, and could not. Still, the other girl's voice sounded convincing; and that filled Batgirl with questions. "If you two are so deeply in love, what's the problem?"
"Robin lied to me." Starfire replied, a quiet coldness in her voice.
"Yeah, but he only lied to try to make things easier on you. He knew you and I would have to work together on this one, and he didn't want things awkward because of his history with me." Barbara responded; taking the blame for everything. In truth she didn't believe what she was saying. This was all Dick's fault. He should have told Starfire the truth – and it wouldn't have killed him to tell Barbara he'd found someone else, either. At least if she had known, Barbara would have watched her mouth a little more.
"It does not change the fact that he lied." Starfire's voice became even quieter, and it now carried a faint sadness mixed in with the chill. "Robin lied to us before. He had good intentions, but that did not matter. In the end, he failed in what he was doing and his mistake came back to haunt him – and the rest of us – in the form of Red X."
Barbara sighed. "I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about, but it doesn't sound good." Batgirl stared forward on her bike, watching the empty road pass by. For a long time a silence fell on the two teenagers as they continued their journey to Gotham. Starfire was not comforted; if anything her anger towards Robin had only intensified. She needed to be able to trust him. It was more important than anything else was.
Starfire just didn't understand. They had admitted their feelings for one another, they had been through hell on Tamaran when they went for the Trials, and they had passed the ancient ritual together. Along the way they had become closer than ever before; and Starfire had assumed that would be that. She and Robin were open about their love, and their love had become so strong. Now . . . she learned he had lied; at least twice. Were there more lies she did not know of? The possibility scared her.
Tears started to form in the corners of Starfire's big green eyes. She was going to cry. Barbara couldn't see them, since her eyes were still on the road, but she heard the familiar sound of a sob being choked back.
"Hey, it's going to be okay." Barbara attempted to calm her down. "So he lied; he's a man, it happens."
"It should not!" Starfire snapped. "He did not tell me about you, he did not tell me about being shot; he kept all of those things from me – and there may be more. I cannot love someone who lies to me."
Barbara felt a cold shiver run down her back. "What are you saying?"
Starfire bit her lip. "I am saying I must have a talk with Robin when we reach Gotham. I must demand the truth – the whole truth – about everything." She paused. The next words that came out of her mouth were painful for Starfire to speak. "I am saying that unless he tells me the truth; I cannot give him my full love."
Barbara bit her lip. If Starfire was saying what it sounded like she was saying, then Barbara may have just ruined her best friend's relationship with the alien.
Dick's gonna kill me. She sighed.
"Oh God, what happened?"
James Gordon was waking up to unfamiliar surroundings. He had a splitting headache, he couldn't see, his arms felt as if they were bound by rope, and he was soaking wet. His first thought was that he was having one of the worst hangovers of his life – but quickly he dismissed that. Memories were sweeping back into his mind. He could remember sitting in the armchair by his fireplace, reading up on some case files before bedtime. He could remember the sound of someone breaking in his front door; and the feeling of a blunt object being brought down against the back of his skull. The last thing he remembered was the sensation of blood flowing down his neck, and laughter.
"Jim?"
Gordon opened his eyes wide. That was Batman's voice. He still could not see and realized it was because of a blindfold. There was a foul taste in his mouth and he did his best to sit up and spit.
"Where are we?" Gordon asked.
"A sewer. Listen, we don't have much time. Harley went to make a cellphone call; can you reach my belt?" Batman's voice explained.
"I can try."
Gordon could not see, and his hands were tied behind his back. It took a while for him to prop himself up, but finally he was able to manage. He and Batman sat back to back in the dirty sewer water, and slowly, Jim's hand was able to reach the yellow belt.
"What am I feeling for?" Gordon asked him when his fingers came in contact with the Dark Knight's belt.
"My Bat-a-rangs, they're too your left. Get one and cut through these ropes." Batman replied. "And hurry Jim, we don't have much time."
Gordon felt around as best her could. His fingers brushed up against a compartment on the belt and he opened it; but there were no bat-a-rangs inside, only small smoke bombs. Gordon moved on to the next one and as he felt inside his finger was cut on the sharp edge. He swore under his breath, but he ignored the pain and removed the bat-a-rang using his index and middle finger. Slowly he brought it up and began slicing through the bindings on Batman's wrists. It wasn't easy, since he was holding the bat-a-rang with a mere two fingers, couldn't see, and even the slightest mistake could mean cutting a vein. However, luck was on his side; he was able to sever the ropes successfully.
Batman, his hands now free, quickly tore off the blindfold. The sewers were empty of any sign of Harley Quinn or her deranged boss. Batman turned around, took the bat-a-rang from the commissioner's fingers, and used it to cut the ropes around his feet and the ones around Gordon's hands. Once Jim's hands were free, Batman turned away from him and began looking for an escape route.
Gordon untied his blindfold and then did the same to the ropes on his feet. They'd managed to free themselves of their bonds; but they were far from home free. He stood up and silently joined Batman in the search for an exit.
"Thanks." Gordon called as he peered down one of the darkened sewer tunnels. He wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for; only that he'd know it when he found it. He walked down the tunnel a little ways and then he noticed a ladder, which lead to a closed manhole cover. "Hey! Batman, I think I found a way up."
Before the Commissioner had a chance to go looking for Batman, however, the manhole cover above him began to make sounds. Gordon watched as someone pried it open with a crowbar. Jim quickly backed up into the shadows of the darkened tunnel and took to watching silently. Before his very eyes the Joker appeared at the top of the ladder and climbed down. When the clown prince of crime dropped down the last few feet and his shoes splashed in the sewage – that's when Jim made his move.
Gordon tackled the Joker like an angry lineman. The clown didn't know what had hit him, and he went down into the sewage on his back. Jim, now on top of him, shot his hands into the Joker's purple jacket and began feeling around for his gun. He knew the Joker had one, and he had to make sure he couldn't use it. Unfortunately as Jim was digging, the Joker growled in frustration and punched the policeman in his stomach. Gordon was sent reeling and fell off the Joker, landing doubled-over on his side.
Before Gordon could even think about getting up again; he heard the sound of a gun cocking.
"You know Jimbo, you're going to get hurt doing things like that." Joker's voice was amused. He followed his statement with one of his trademark laughs, then he pressed the nozzle of the gun into Gordon's temple.
"Let him go."
Gordon had opened his eyes, and he could see the gun pressed against his forehead. Now, however, his eyes flicked away from the Joker when Batman's voice spoke. The Joker too looked away from Jim.
Batman was standing at the end of the tunnel, and he had Harley Quinn held in his arms. The Joker grinned.
"Looks like we both have a hostage, Batsy. Of course, you don't kill hostages. Me on the other hand, I live for it." The clown laughed again.
"Let him go." Batman repeated.
"Or what?" Joker laughed. "I know you won't kill Harley. And Harley knows you won't kill her, don't you Harley?"
Batman had a hand over Harley Quinn's mouth, but her eyes said all they needed to say. She was afraid.
"How about this Batsy? You surrender, we go on with my plans, and that way you and Jimmy here get another few hours alive. Or I can shoot him, you can snap Harley's neck, and then you and I can kill each other. Which one sounds best to you?"
"Take this guy out Batman." Gordon snapped. Joker pushed the barrel of his revolver into Gordon's head as hard as he could.
Batman said nothing. Slowly, he released his grip on Harley and dropped his hands down to his side. The Joker laughed.
"I knew you couldn't do it Batsy. Harley! Relieve our friend of his belt, and tie him back up."
Batman remained silent, but he had to fight hard to keep the smile of his face. While their escape attempt had been foiled, he had accomplished one thing. During the commotion, he had retrieved a homing beacon from his belt, activated it, and planted it on himself. Now Alfred, Tim, Barbara; or anyone else who happened to be in the Batman, could easily find him.
He just had to wait.
Tim Drake sat alone in the Batcave.
Tim was the youngest member of the crime-fighting team that used this place as it's headquarters. His origins, ironically enough, began the same night Dick Grayson's did. He and his parents had been at Haly's Circus the night the Flying Grayson's died; and Tim had seen Bruce Wayne adopt Dick Grayson. At the time, he'd thought nothing of it. Then he'd watched the news after Robin made his first appearance at Batman's side – and he recognized one of Robin's moves as one of Dick Grayson's circus tricks. Tim had figured it out. Robin was Dick Grayson; and that meant Batman had to be Bruce Wayne.
Tim, who was the ultimate anti-social, athletic nerd, followed Batman and Robin's crime fighting career with interest. Then, one day, there was no Robin anymore. Dick Grayson left Gotham; and Batman lost his sidekick. Tim didn't know what to do at the time – but soon afterwards he heard about Bruce Wayne adopting someone named Jason Todd – and after that, Batman had a new Robin. Tim was convinced that he knew the truth.
Then, the Joker murdered Jason Todd; and Batman needed a new sidekick again. This time Tim had gone right up to Bruce Wayne, confronted him about everything, and asked for the job. Wayne gave him a chance; and Tim had passed with flying colors. He was every bit as anti-social as Bruce, which gave them a great chemistry. Plus, for someone so young, Tim was a genius. He buried himself in books and computers and learned how they worked. He also studied martial arts. The bookworm got a chance to be the third Robin, and so far he'd done a good job.
Now Tim was in the Batcave alone. He was worried. Batman was missing, Batgirl had gone off to find the first Robin and the Teen Titans and seek their help in finding them. When Tim heard, he was excited. He had always wanted to meet Dick Grayson. Tim always worried about whether or not he could live up to the name "Robin." The citizens of Gotham knew that the Robin who fought alongside Batman these days was a different person than the Robin they saw whenever the news reported on the Teen Titans. Tim had huge shoes to fill – and now the person who owned those shoes was coming here. It made him nervous.
But right now, none of that mattered. Nothing in the world mattered except for what Tim saw. He had been sitting in the Batcave alone, staring at the computer screen waiting for some message from someone. Barbara hadn't contacted him, and there was no sign of Bruce. However; that changed. A homing beacon suddenly flashed into life on the screen.
And Tim knew it was Bruce trying to signal them.
"Where are you Babs?" Tim whispered. They had a signal. They could go save Bruce now – but there was no 'they'. Barbara was still gone, and that left only Tim Drake, the third Robin, all alone. He knew he didn't have the skills to save Bruce alone. He could try – he could rush off in the night and try to save Batman all by himself.
But that was the mistake that had beaten the first two Robins. When Dick Grayson had rushed into things, he got shot by the Joker and fired by Batman. When Jason Todd had rushed into things, The Joker had beaten him with a crowbar and left him to die in a explosion – and explosion that wound up killing him. For these reasons, Tim Drake didn't want to rush into things.
"The Titans better get here soon." Tim sighed, feeling completely helpless.
"And then Beast Boy said I should come with him to Gotham, to see you, 'cause you'd be the best person to think of a plan." Terra explained.
The four youths were back at the T-Car now, and once again, the stories had to be told. Terra sat in the rear passenger seat of the vehicle, having just retold the entire tale from her awakening in the lab up until now. Beast Boy was leaning against the side of the T-Car, nervously playing with his feet. He had already heard Terra's tale, of course, and did not need to hear it again. Instead, he would preoccupy his mind trying to guess Robin and Cyborg's reactions to all of this. Cyborg was standing next to the open door of the T-Car, watching Terra as she told the story. His face was alive and animated. Whenever she'd say something that sounded fake – he'd make a "Mmmhmm" noise and show his disbelief. He didn't trust her – and she didn't blame him. Robin, however, was completely blank. He was pacing back and forth in front of Terra, listening to every word she said without ever making a sound himself.
Robin was upset. He was not upset with Beast Boy and Terra – not too much anyway – but rather at the entire situation. The burden on his shoulders seemed to be getting heavier by the minute, and eventually he would break. His mentor was still missing and in danger, his girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend were together and that could mean trouble, and now Terra was back in their lives – and from the sounds of things, she was in serious danger.
"Look, I didn't know how busy you guys were when I went to Beast Boy for help." Terra said suddenly, breaking Robin's train of thought. "Maybe it's best if I don't go to Gotham. I mean, I don't understand how or why I was brought back, but I should make the most of it, right?"
Robin looked up at Terra. She had a smile on her face; but he could see through it. She was only making her offer because she was trying to be nice. Robin could see the truth in her eyes. She did not want to be alone. She wanted to be with the Titans, whether they were busy or not; and after hearing her story Robin thought she needed to be with them – at least for now.
"Terra, the scientists who were working on you; what do you know about them?" Robin asked.
"Not much. They never spoke to me. The only things they ever said to me were 'eat', and that's only when they'd bring me food." Terra replied.
"Did you catch any of their names?" Robin inquired, hopeful.
"There was a guy they called Cobalt." Terra responded. "I remember him because he kept drawing my blood every day."
"Dude, why would they draw your blood?" Beast Boy asked as he recoiled. Beast Boy hated needles.
"It could have something to do with my powers." Terra replied. "I mean, when I was little Dr. Jace told me it was because of my blood that I could use my powers."
Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy all exchanged worried glances. Robin was the first to ask. "You'd better explain."
Terra sighed. "My father was the King of Markovia. I don't know who my mother was – except that she wasn't the Queen. He didn't want a scandal so he sent me to the United States. Dr. Jace was a friend of the family; she raised me and helped me awaken my powers. I was little, so I didn't really understand too much – but she was always saying it was all because of my royal blood."
Robin didn't like hearing that. Mysterious underground laboratories? A strange doctor obsessed with Terra's blood? And now this connection to her powers? Robin had his theories; but he was also lacking evidence, and several pieces of the puzzle. They needed more information.
"You said you were in Metropolis, right?" Robin asked, and Terra nodded. "Cyborg, run a check of the systems; see if there are any Cobalt's registered in Metropolis. Doctors, Scientists, people along those lines."
Cyborg nodded his head and made his way into the T-Car. He took his usual seat behind the steering wheel and then pulled a small wire from his right arm. He connected the wire to the dashboard and then he waited. Robin watched Cyborg with anxious eyes. Beast Boy watched Terra; she appeared to be growing nervous with every passing second. Beast Boy didn't know why – perhaps because she was lying to them, and she was afraid they'd discover that. Or maybe it was because she was telling the truth; and she was terrified of what they might learn about Cobalt.
"Found two." Cyborg announced. "Dr. Jessica Cobalt, she's a neurosurgeon at St. John's Trauma Center."
"This Cobalt was a guy." Terra said instantly.
Cyborg nodded. "There's another. Dr. Philip Cobalt. According to what I could find on him, he was a research scientist working for Wayne Enterprises. Conducting genetic experiments. There are no details in the public records, but if it has to do with genetics and DNA, they would draw a lot of blood."
"He worked for Wayne Enterprises?" Robin asked, astounded. Bruce had opened a Wayne Enterprises building in Metropolis a few years ago. Metropolis has been one of the few major cities in North America without a Wayne Corp building, and the board of directors had wanted to change that.
"Relax; he used to work for Wayne Corp. From what I found, the executives – and I'm guessing that means your buddy Bruce – didn't like his research methods and fired him a while ago." Cyborg explained. "But that's only the tip of the ice burg bud. Looks like Cobalt found another job. According to this he's listed as a research scientist for a private corporation."
"What private corporation?" Beast Boy asked, getting fed up with Cyborg stringing them along. Cyborg, however, shook his head.
"I don't know BB. That's all I could find in the public records. The T-Car isn't advanced enough to hack into classified records; at least not these." Cyborg explained. "I mean, I could try, but if their security is as good as it looks, both the T-Car and my systems could be fried if I don't get things right."
Cyborg was a genius when it came to computers; the mere fact he wasn't even willing to try was enough for Robin.
"No, there's no point in risking your safety Cy. We can dig deeper when we get to Gotham – the Batcave should have the equipment we need."
Terra looked up at Robin with a worried smile on her face. "So, I can come with you guys?"
Robin closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again and nodded his head. "Terra, we already have a mountain of problems, and I'm not totally convinced that we can trust you; but I'm willing to give you a chance. You're only getting one, but so far I think you've been honest."
Terra smiled at him. "One chance, huh? That's more than I deserve Robin. Thank you."
Robin shook his head. "Don't thank me Terra. Just don't disappoint me."
Without another word, Robin turned around and boarded the R-Cycle. They were way behind schedule and needed to move. His mind was as burdened as ever. So far, Terra's story had checked out – at least the parts of it they could check. With his mentor missing, Starfire and Barbara still an concern on his mind, and the possibility of Terra's permanent return; Dick Grayson had a lot to think about.
Right now, though, he had to concentrate on getting to Gotham City. "Titans, Go!" He called out as he revved the engine and sped off.
Cyborg, Terra and Beast Boy hurried into the T-Car without a word to each other and followed the boy wonder.
A/N: Jeez, there were twelve reviews this time; and they were long ones. You readers are awesome; you blow me away every time with the feedback. I love you guys. I'm gonna work EXTRA hard on the rest of this story. Yes, that I promise.