Chap. 32

Anniversary

Unfortunately such things are easier said then done, and this was no exception. Over the next few hours, Brett and the others ran through hundreds of theories and explanations as to how Slade could have come back. But none of them could hold water, and most of the New Titans were under enough stress with the loss of their parents. Some of them couldn't stand to listen to the talks after a while and left to their rooms to deal with their anguish. One of those few was Martin, but he didn't stay alone for long, as another figure entered the door and moved towards him….

"What do you want?" Martin asked, as Bart came up next to him. The boy just shrugged and sat down. Since Brett had brought him to the Tower, Bart had barely spoken. Seeing what had happened at his home had silenced his happy-go-lucky personality, and none of the others knew how to help him or had the time. Martin however, didn't really care right now. He and Bart had never really gotten along any better then they had their first day, and Martin was too worried about his own parents to try to comfort anybody.

Why did I get involved in this? Martin thought to himself. I didn't want to do it when they asked me, and I just wanted to control my powers. Now my parents are gone, and I can't do anything about it. What good are these stupid powers if I can't help the people I care about? What good are they if I can't save…

Martin stopped them, as he felt something brush up against his shoulder. Looking to his side, he saw that Bart had fallen up against his side, and was leaning there like a cat or something. For a second, Martin's lip curled and he started to push him away. But as he did so, he got a look at the boy's face. He saw the fear in Bart's eyes, and the frustration etched into his face. As he kept looking, Martin knew that the same things were evident in his face. It was then that he heard a voice in his head, a voice that sounded exactly like his father.

His parents are gone too. How can you push him aside when he's suffering the same things you are? I raised you better then that Martin. And they trained you better then that. You didn't just get trained in how to use your powers, you got to see real heroes in action. You got to be one. Being a hero doesn't mean that you tell everyone else to screw off when you have problems. He needs your help, so give it to him.

As the voice faded away, Martin sighed, because he knew it was right. Slowly, he brought up his arm, and draped it over Bart's shoulder. Pulling the boy in close, Martin began to whisper, "It's gonna be ok kid." At that, Bart, actually looked up into Martin's face, as if he was in disbelief. Martin kept going though.

"I know how you feel. I'm scared too. I don't know if we can get them out, and I don't know if they're ok wherever they are. I keep wondering, what if they never get out? What if it's our fault? But we can't do that. We can't stop believing because then Slade's already won. We have to believe, no, to know our parents are ok, and that we will get them out."

"But how can we know?" Bart whispered back, the first words he'd uttered since coming to the Tower.

"Because we have faith. And besides, do you really think anything in this limbo place can take down your mom when she's pissed off? Or my dad when he's miffed? Or any of them, for that matter?"

Bart had to shake his head at that, and as he did, a smile crept into his face. "I remember one time, I accidentally rode my bike through Mom's garden. She dragged me into the house and really started yelling at me. She got so mad the oven actually exploded! She got real quiet after that, and made Dad punish me when he got home."

"Oh that's nothing." Martin shot back. This one time, I was working on a science project that was all about magnets. Dad was helping me and we were arguing about something. He got so angry he grabbed one of the really big magnets and threw it. It went through the wall and kept going into the kitchen! It hit Mom in the back of the head and knocked her into the soup she was making for dinner. When we got in there, her hair was dripping with split pea soup. She must've yelled at Dad for two hours when she found out what happened. Best part was that they couldn't punish me for anything and they blamed it on weak walls."

"Yeah, it always sucks when Dad punishes me." Bart said. "He always bans me from the video games for two weeks."

"Hey my dad too." Martin answered. "Tell me, do you think he just does that so he has more time to play?"

"Oh God yes!" Bart answered. "Whenever he does it, I can always hear noises at night from the living room."
"Does he start screaming when he can't beat Zelda too?"

"Yeah.., hey you play Zelda?"

"Best game ever. It was the only reason I made Dad buy me a Gamecube. I bought Wind Waker and the redo they did for Ocarina of Time. I'm hoping they make another one for Majora's Mask. Of course, I also hope they release Twilight Princess before I die."

"I know just what you mean. I've gone to the store for about three release dates, and every time I heard, "Oh they pushed it back." I mean, I'm dying to see that wolf Link thing."

"Oh, I know! Plus, Wind Waker was great and everything, but this one just looks so much better. The graphics…"

Bart would've answered and the two of them would've talked until the end of this story, but Katie came into the room.
"Hey guys, Brett says he's got someone who might be able to help us, but he needs everybody in the main room."

"Sure sis. Let's go." Bart said, as he eagerly leapt of the chair and into the hallway. Katie watched her brother in amazement, and then turned back to Martin.

"What did you say to him?" she asked. Martin just shrugged. "I just said we'd get through this, then we started comparing stories about our parents, then we talked about The Legend of Zelda."

"Well, you must've done a really good job." Katie said, as she leaned over and gave Martin a quick kiss on the cheek. Martin turned right away, so that she couldn't see him blush. "Oh come on then.' Katie said with a laugh, as she pulled Martin to his feet.

A few minutes later, the two of them reached the main room. The others were gathered around the main screen, as the expert Brett had mentioned discussed theories with them. But as the others had done at first view of the screen, Katie and Martin stopped in their tracks and started in amazement. The figure on the screen noticed them however, and asked Brett, "Cyborg's son, and your granddaughter?"

The bat turned then, and noticed the two of them. "Hey guys, just in time. Lemme just speed through the introductions; Katie and Martin, Batman. Batman, Martin and Katie."

The Dark Knight nodded his greetings, while Katie and Martin just meekly raised their hands. Slowly they walked over to the main screen, but once they were close enough to Eddie, they grabbed and whispered, "We have the Batman's number!"

"He was Robin's teacher you know?" the dog replied. "Besides, this isn't the first time we asked him for help. Who do you think helped Kestrel?" As the two of them stared in shock at that, Eddie turned back to the screen and asked, "So what do you think of the message?"

Batman responded almost instantly; "If I've learned anything from the Riddler, it's that the answer is always right in front of you. Does the palm of my hand phrase mean anything to you?"

"Nothing I can think of." Brett replied. "But it must be related to how Slade got out so early."

The Batman was quiet then, as his mind worked everything over. Then he asked, "What was so important about the original date?"

"It was the weakest point for the gates separating the earth and the other worlds." Sara replied. "It was the most important date we could think off."

"But you immediately went for that date without looking at the surrounding time frame. Does anything else happen before that date?"

"Other then a few holidays nothing." Brett answered.

"Not totally." Katie said. As all eyes turned to her, Katie looked away and began to speak in a quiet, shy voice. "Well, I just thought, this is kinda connected to my mom right?"

"Right." Brett said.

"Well, every year she gets kinda weird around May 16th and that's today. Usually, it makes her really depressed and moody. But it never lasts the whole day; in fact, it stops after about six."

"Six o' clock on May 16th. That's three hours from now. Does that mean anything else in relation to Raven?" Batman asked, pressing Brett to think. "May 16th, May 16th…."

Suddenly, the bat's eyes went wide. His jaw dropped, and he finally said, "That was… the day and time Raven brought Trigon to Earth."

"But what difference does that make?" Eddie asked. "Even if Trigon could come back on that day, the prophecy's over. He can't use it, and besides, he needs one of his spawn to bring him back."

"It's possible that whatever power he gave Slade made him a spawn over time, and that could've given him full resurrection by now." Batman answered. "And if I remember the reports correctly, the spot where Trigon emerged was full of dark energy. It may still be there."

"And the palm of my hand…." Brett mused a moment longer, then said grimly, "I know where he is. Come on."