He flies a spiraling mid-air 'limp'.
Sooner than later, he plummets once again towards the forest canopy.
He grits his teeth, winces in a wave of pain, and yet manages to recover his bearings at the last second to properly nestle himself upon an overstretched branch twenty feet from the ground.
He practically hangs over the leaves, panting. Shivering.
He rubs his shoulders and bare arms.. …trying to fight back the cold still rocketing through him from Mr. Freeze's gun.
"Nnngh.. …" He shudders. He tries to light a starbolt and 'warm himself' with it.
But he pauses during the administration.
"… … … …?"
He raises his starbolting hand up. He waves it around and around until it is aimed in the direction from which he flew.
Towards the last place he saw her.
And the starbolt intensifies. Warms.
He takes a deep breath.
"Her again.. …"
Silence.
The Sun melts down into the horizon.
The sky is a dying red.
".. …why do I keep running into her?"
He gulps. He hugs himself for a brief moment of fragility.
"… …damn it to Hell.. ….I can't keep doing this.. ….I can't.. …."
"Snkkkt--!" His headpiece crackles. "Flaar! This is Booker! You are ordered to reengage the enemy!"
"… ….," Flaar frowns. His fist tightens.
"SNkkkt—Follow through, STUDENT!"
Flaar's fists relax.
"This is Flaar," he murmurs, louder and louder into a growl. "I do concur. Coming around again."
He holds his breath, summons up a pulse of hot green energy, and soars straight up into the air.
PHWOOOOMB!
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
My black eyes notice a conspicuous streak of hot green in the air.
I tilt up and look towards the sky.
I spot an emerald comet of person rocketing towards the evening horizon.
I gasp, whistle, and point.
Bard is the only one receptive enough to notice. "The Hell—Whoah!" He turns and waves at our leader. "Boss man! Take a gander! You reckon that's Starfire--?"
"It's not Starfire."
I blink. So does Bard.
"How do you know?"
"I know," Robin mutters. He runs up, perches on a high tree branch, and scouts out the landscape ahead.
"Hey Boy Wonder! What do your elf eyes see?" Hull smirks.
"We are sooooo throwing you in the brig after this," Bard grumbles.
"Yeah?.?.?" Simon tosses bits and pieces of metal debris out of his way. "I'd love to see you try, buttmunch!"
"SHHH! Shut your yaps!" Pulsade hisses, then turns to Robin. "Got a fix on just where that flying chap is meandering off to?
"Due East of here," Robin says. "But that's all I can make out. And it doesn't say much."
"Well, use the communicator to bear down on Starfire's blip!" Bard gestures.
"Can't."
"Why not?" Hull asks.
"There're over a dozen different communication signals interrupting my connection to Starfire," Robin speaks. "Which means at least one good thing. We're practically on top of the H.I.V.E. Facility, undoubtedly."
"But where is it exactly?"
"That's the hard part…," Robin mutters. "Without an exact bearing, we're not going to catch up to Mister Freeze and NOBODY will be freeing anyone tonight."
"Well, let's see what the tin cans had to say!" Simon smirks and smashes his hand deep into the chest of a shattered Robot. CRUNNNCH! "Someone with an awfully big antenna sent them here. Most likely there's got to be a return protocol!"
"Oh come on!" Bard cackles. "Do you REALLY think something that absurd would be thrown right in front of our eyes—"
"Here it is!" Simon whips out a tiny black box full of circuitry from the robot guts.
"… …. …well dayum," Bard drones.
Simon raises an eyebrow.
"We're still nowhere," Pulsade walks up. "At least, nowhere without actually getting a chance to hack into that gizmo-rubbish and get the exact location of the facility. And I've gotta confess, I'm not all that good at such a practice."
"But I am," Robin grabs the box from Simon. "Give me a good ten minutes, and I'll have the necessary data loose."
"You think that's fast enough, man?" Bard looks towards the setting sun. "It feels wyrd like things are coming down all wrong-like. For once, I'm not all that keen on the sunset…"
"What if we sent a scout out?" Hull gestures. "To sniff out the jerks and distract them in time for the rest of us to follow suit?"
"Like bloody Hell!" Pulsade growls. "We can't split up! As much as I'd love to be free of some of these Titan stiff-necks."
"Heheh," Hull pointed. "She said 'stiff'."
Bard merely glares.
Robin attaches the black box to a tiny data pad in his utility belt and starts to hack away. "Besides, how would we keep open communication?"
It hits me.
I don't know how, but it hits me.
It's not something I fancy myself having a gift for.
But…
Becoming a good Titan is all about impromptu genius, verdad?
I wave wildly and gesture to Bard.
He looks at me.
I hand-sign and hand-sign and hand-sign.
He smirks. He looks at Robin: "He's got—"
"—an idea?" Robin moans. "Why do I get the feeling that whenever Noir opens his nonexistent mouth, it's only to do something drastic to the plot?"
I do a double-take at that.
"Yeah! And what's with his pantomime business anyways?" Hull walks up and smirks. "You don't suppose the good cowboy here gives his lungs a good workout overnight or something, huh? Hahahaha—" WHUMP! "NNNGG!" THWUMP! Hull collapses on the ground, his legs crossed.
Bard lowers his foot. "Noir reckons he can blur on ahead east and hop from tree-top to tree-top. That way, he can make good distance by the time you hack into that doohickey. Then once we know where to go…" He points at the British Blonde. "—Pulsar or whoever there can send him a light signal in morse code to let 'em know we're coming, or where to meet, or whatever."
"The little guy's fast," Simon nods. "He could level a few heads and get a good bearing on just what Mr. Freeze is up to."
"Noir, this may be dangerous. Are you up to it?"
I nod urgently.
But I hide the nervous knot in my throat….
Bard pats my shoulder. "It's gettin' dark. I know that's your element and jazz, but don't get your head woodchipp'd or nothing, you hear?"
I smile, give him the peace sign, and—
FWOOOOOSH!
I'm gone, blurring over the hillside.
Bard watches.. …silently.
"… … …"
"C-Can someone h-help me find my balls?"
"You're on your own, Michael…," Pulsade swiftly climbs a nearby tree and waits for Robin's signal. "Then again, what else is new?"
"Land sake's alive, I need a cigarette," Bard groans into the palm of his hand.
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
"We were s-so close.. …," Starfire murmurs as Static helps her down the slope and towards the great, metal door to the facility. "… ..and all he could do was attack me…"
"We'll get another chance, Starfire," Static breathes. "Just keep your head clear. Pay attention. Stay close to me…."
At the last few words, Starfire looks curiously at Static. "V-Virgil?"
"I'll protect you," he firmly throats.
"… …. …," she slowly nods. "Understood."
"We are h-here….," Fraust shivers, looking up at the wide, metal doors.
Mr. Freeze comes to an iron stop. "… …This has been simple. Far too simple." His red goggles narrow. "This is not an entrance. Not yet."
Fraust builds up a blue aura of frozen readiness…
"Then what is it?" Static remarks.
Mr. Freeze frowns. Cl-Clak! He readies his ice pistol. "A trap."
WHURRRRR!
WHURRRRRRRR!
WHURRRRR!
CL-CLANK!
Over a dozen rotary laser cannons rise up out of the sloping Earth and swivel about to aim at the four metahumans.
They glow a hot red.
Starfire gasps.
Static grits his teeth and summons a bolt of electricity at the last second—
And the cannons fire at the four from all sides.
ZAAAAP!
ZAAAAAAAAP!
Z-Z-ZAAAAAP!
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Inside the facility…
Booker, Fang….
Gizmo, Mammoth, Kyd Wikkyd… ….
Zillah and the guards all watch the monitors.
As the static images fill up with fire, shrapnel, then pure snow and chaos.
SSSSSSTTTTTTTTTT!
"Yeah! YEAH!" Gizmo hovers about in jet-thrusting euphoria. "Roasted those gut-munching wyrdos!"
"Hahaha!" Mammoth pumps a fist. "Barbecued freaks! On da house! Hahaha!"
"Hehehehehe!"
"… … …"
Zillah takes a deep breath, her arms folded.
Silent….
-T-T-T-T-T-T-
Blurring over the tree tops…
I can't help but freeze…
Perched on a tree branch and breathless.
For a virtual plume of fire is rising up out of the Earth.. …
Centered within the array of red-hot laser cannons.
PHWOOOOOOMB!
I gulp hard.
Static.. ….Star….
N-No….
