SLASSSSSH!

Myrkblade slashes nakedly through the air.

I gasp, spiral, and fall on my fanny.

Th-Thwump!

I wince all over.

Owie.. ….

I leap up to my feet in a blur and twirl about, panting. Gulping.

"… .. …."

Where did the little magician shrimp go?

And that shadowy girl?

I bite my lip.

Yikes, just how many wyrdos are mixed in with this fight anyways?

"Nnnnngh!" a man's voice shouts.

I turn to look.

A scientist in a metal-mech bodysuit is being tossed around by a rather iconographic image of villainy. The unmistakable Mr. Freeze snarls electronically from within the domed confines of his suit and tosses the hapless H.I.V.E. member through a metal wall.

"RAAAAUGH!"

CRASSSSSSSH!.!.!

The metal door caves in and shatters. Mister Freeze stretches his cybernetic limbs, and marches through. Clang! Clang! Clang!

I blink. Before I can move—

Swooooosh! A munchkin on a jet pack is tossed mercilessly into the wall before me. CLANK! "Unnnngh… …," the bald-headed meta-fiend falls unconscious. A trail of cold mist leads towards the opposite side of the room where a conspicuous maiden of ice stands with both wrists extended. Covered in frozen icicles of armor.

I do a double-take, gasping.

It's her!

The girl from the frigate… …the penitentiary!

She pants.. …pants.. ….pants…. … … ….then looks from the fallen technogeek towards me. Her glare fades away, and I see something almost…

Remorseful?

Sorry?

Painful?

My lips purse as I lean my head to the side.

THIS is the 'abductor' of Static and Starfire?

She fidgets. She swivels around and runs into the hallway after Mr. Freeze. "V-Victor! Wait for me!"

I snap out of it. I twirl Myrkblade and blur into action to give chase—

But at a single sight of what lies beyond the glass windows of the laboratory, I freeze.

Gasping.

Black eyes wide, I swivel about and run straight towards the pane. I press against the fogged surface and peer through. Breathless.

"… … …."

Red X…… ….

The suited rogue in question dangles in a bundle of electrified wires. Heaving painfully. Struggling for breath and fading with a dim red glow.

I feel a lump in my throat.

I glance down the hallway where the two frozen fiends have ventured. "… .. …." I clench my fists, turn towards the glass, and ready a murk-laden blade to swing against it like a club.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Fraust sprints down the hallway.

Panting… …

Trailing cold mist.

The image of the marching Mr. Freeze lingers far ahead, approaching the final security doors to the student holding cells.

"V-Victor!" She pants, waving. She starts to pick up speed—

Swisssssh!

An automatic door slides open. Three figures step out and immediately block the path in front of her.

Fraust gasps and slides to a stop. Her blue eyes are wide. "Y-You!"

Pulsade gently holds her hands up. "Amy.. …Love.. ….You don't need to run anymore."

"We're here, babe," Simon says with a nervous smile. "No more running, kay?"

"I.. …I-I must help V-Victor," Fraust murmurs, craning her neck to look over them—

"I know the kids have got to be saved," Pulsade says. She shakes her blonde head gently. "But not like this. You can't trust a freak from Gotham for too long."

"B-But.. …But Victor saved me!"

"Yo! So did we, girl!"

"I-I trust him!" Fraust charges up a bright beam of cold energy and marches through them. "I-I've got to stick by his side—"

Pulsade glances over at Hull.

Hull whistles innocently, flicks his wrist, produces a miniature tear-gas grenade, and tosses it into Fraust's arms. "Here. Catch."

"H-Huh?" Fraust glances down at the smoking object in her grasp.. … …and then her eyes roll back in her pale head. She falls back, only to be caught by Simon's strong arms.

Simon glares at Hull.

Hull shrugs with a smirk. "What? Works on every chick in Beverly Hills!"

"You're a bloody wanker," Pulsade murmurs. "But I still need you."

Hull produces a shotgun. "Delinquent-Saving-Time?"

Pulsade nods. "Righto." She looks at Simon. "Get her out of here safely."

"What about Robin and the others?" Simon asks.

Pulsade gives him a blank stare, then cackles: "What about the sods? So they helped us get into H.I.V.E.! We can help ourselves get out without them!"

Simon nods with a smirk and a wink. "Gotcha. And good luck, y'all," he runs out with an unconscious Amy draped in his arms.

Pulsade clenches her fists in a flash of bright light and charges down the hall after Freeze. "Well… ..all's well that bloody ends well. Stick by my side, mate."

He runs alongside her. "Heh.. ..knew I'd drag you out on a date someday, Leslie."

"Oh bug off."

The two jog their way down the winding hallway.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

FLASH! FL-FLASSSH! FLASH!

A pure wave of starbolts sail across the ruined hallway in emerald oblivion. Static and Starfire are running for their lives. Static hops behind a mound of debris and shields himself for dear life. Starfire pants for breath, veers around, avoids midair projectiles of green flame, and hovers upright to face her opponent across the way.

"X'Hal… …," she murmurs to herself.

Flaar hovers across from her. Seething. Literally dripping with emerald flames of fury off his petite figure as he hovers, sneers, and charges another wave of energy.

"Please!" Starfire clasps her hands together and begs in earnest. "Do not attack us! Do you not see that we are on a mission of peace and deliverance?"

"NNNNGH!" Flaar snarls and flings a hot sphere at her. FWOOOOOSH!

Starfire gasps and crosses her arms in time to absorb most of the blast. She 'slides back' in midair as ashes splash all around the floor and walls of the smoldering hallway.

Static's jacket catches fire from the sparks. He gasps, slaps it out, and blurts: "I don't think he's all that keen on listenin' to ya, Star!"

"Please… …," Starfire pleads. Almost too quietly for her opponent to hear her. "You m-must hear me out.. …."

"You invade my home-away-from-home.. ….you attack my closest teamates… …you assault my mentor.. ….," Flaar tosses his braids back and flares his eyes a hot green as he snarls through clenched teeth: "And you DARE rely on the cowardice of diplomacy?.?.?"

"At least tell me your name--!" Starfire begins, but gasps as she finds herself having to duck a hot stream of starbolt energy flailing over her head.

FLASSSSSSSSSSH!

"Nnnngh!" Starfire soars down, plants her feet against the floor of the facility, and springs forward like a Titan Missile. FWOOOOOSH!

WHAM! She plows into the belly of Flaar.

"OOOF!" He grunts just milliseconds before they shatter their way through a wall.

CRUNNNCH! A hole forms.

Static pants, peers his head up around the debris, and looks helplessly from afar.

In the meantime, Starfire and Flaar are wrestling in a utility room. Rolling across the floor. Knuckle to knuckle. Elbow to elbow. Glaring eyes to glaring eyes.

"Nnnnngh!" Flaar struggles, hissing.

Starfire pants and looks at him in earnest: "Please! Do you now feel the heat? The fire that is melting within you? You are battling your own kind! This was not meant to be!"

"Get…. …Away.. ….FROM ME!" Flaar kicks his legs up.

WH-WHAMMM! Starfire is flung against the ceiling. She spreads against the surface, wincing. A green glow. She opens her eyes. "H-Huh?"

Flaar is summoning a brilliant starbolt in two hands. He snarls, yells, and unleashes the hot 'cannonball' skyward. FLAAAAASH!

"Eeek!" Starfire flits out of the way.

POWWW! The ceiling partially caves in.

Flaar covers himself, flinching. He opens his furious eyes, and glances around for the missing Titan—

"Haaaugh!"

He spins.

Starfire is sailing straight at him with a huge metal wrack of tools in her grasp. The span of the room.

SWOOOOOSH-WHANGGGG! She pins Flaar up against the wall with the metal cobweb.

"Nnngh! Mmmnngh!" He struggles and fights against the metal skeleton.

Starfire presses it against him harder. Forcing her masterful strength down on him. "I do not wish to battle you any further! I have come to save you! There is a better life to live than in this torment!"

"Nnngh—Shut up!" Flaar growls.

"You can know more than agony and despair!" Starfire says, her eyes nearly tearing in compassion. "Please. You have been bruised by the evil hands of villainy. Allow my companions and I to give you a second chance! You have at your disposal the glory of true friendship!"

"My only friends… …," Flaar hisses as a deep, boiling green energy erupts from within him. ".. ….are fear and HATRED!" Vrommmmmmmm! He charges an emerald aura from within and lets it out in a wave of pure flame. "AAAAAAUGH!" FLAAAAAAAAASSSSH!

Starfire gasps---

SHATTTTTTER!.!.!.! The metal wrack flies apart.

Starfire is blown back and slammed into a pile of junk and discarded equipment. She limps for half a second before falling to her knees, panting.

"Nnngh---HAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" Flaar howls with an animalistic bloodlust and sails at her. ZOOOOOOOM!

Starfire looks up.

Her irises shrink in horror.

Flaar's burning fists are sailing into her face.

WHAM! SMACK! POW! THWACCKK! CRACKKK!

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Outside the utility room…

Static limps across the hallway.

Gripping his shoulder.

He looks on—and freezes as—

FLASSSSSSSSSSH! A huge bulb of green energy erupts from within the hidden compartment, followed by the muted, anguished moan of the Tamaranian Titan.

The Dakota hero's lips shudder.

"N-No.. ….Star….."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Robin and Bard charge down the hallway.

Side by side.

"Looks like the ice cubes made some good time!" Bard pants.

"I figure that if we just make it to the students' quarters, we might be able to cut them off!" Robin utters.

"What if the young people here aren't quite so receptive of us?"

"Of the stuff I've seen from this facility thus far…," Robin mutters. "I…d-don't think they'll hesitate to cooperate with us."

Bard's jaw clenches. "Yeah.. …Reckon you're right—"

WHURRRRRR!

A series of doors ahead of them are sliding shut from the floor-to-the-ceiling.

"Zoinks!" Bard emits.

"Damn it!" Robin snarls and goes into a blinding sprint. "They're trying to seal us in! MOVE!"

"STATE THE OBVIOUS!" Bard runs, leaps, and hurdles the first door.

WHURRRR-CLANG!

The cowboy and the caped crusader leap the next rising door.

CLANG!

And the next.

CLANG!

And the next and the next and the next—

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

"Almost th-there--!" Robin shouts.

WHURRRRR!The last door flies up extra-fast.

"You were sayin'?" Bard moans.

"Go go go go go!" Robin practically blurs.

Bard huffs and puffs.

The door squeezes shut towards the ceiling.

Robin leaps, whips out a grappling hook in mid-air, and fires it—POW!—CLANK! He embeds the hook into a wall beyond the door and sails up and over it.

At the last second.

"Hey—HEY!" Bard skids helplessly to a stop. "Got at least another one of them things to spare?"

Robin lands on the other side, spins around, and shouts: "BARD!"

CLANGGGG!

Robin is alone.

"Dammit!" He pounds his gloved fist into the metal floor. Seethes. Looks around. Takes a fuming breath, then helplessly runs down the last stretch to the students' quarters by himself.

Echoing down the corridor…

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Nnngh!"

WHANG!

"Nnnngh!"

WH-WHANG!

Bard finishes pounding on the door with his elbow and steps back, panting. He's surrounded by two thick, metal doors in a claustrophobic segment of the hallway.

"Well…Shucks! SHUCKS TO SHUCK-HELL!" he tosses his arms, spins around, fumes, and then growls with a violent slamming of his cowboy hat against the floor.

Thap!

A beat.

Bard fidgets, drops to his knee, swoops the hat up in his hand, and lovingly dusts it off. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean it. Honest and hope to croak."

Whurrrrrr!

Whurrrrrrr!

Whurrrr!

"… … …," Bard glances around nervously. He slowly stands up and fits his hat on his head in slow motion. "… …okaaaay.. … …'what message speak the padded walls'?"

WHURRRRR-Cl-Clink! Four torches in both walls extend out from tiny slots. They aim into the heart of the tiny compartment and start to flicker and spout gas flames. Fw-Fw-Fw-Fwoosh!

Bard sweats. …for many reasons. "Hooo boy. Uh Uh. I love 'American Pie', but I sure as blazes ain't gonna become one!"

Fwoooooooosh!

The flames build up.

Bard pants. He turns—Gasps(!)

A ventilation grate. At floor level.

CLANG! He kicks it. CLANG! CLANG!

CRACKKK!

He kicks the grate free. He drops down, grips the edges of the chute, and slides in. "So long, flamers!"

FWOOOO-OOOO-OOOOOMB! The roasting torches turn the room into plasma bare seconds after his heroic exit.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Daaaaaaa-aaaaaa-aaaaaaah!" Bard slides, careens, and flails his way down the ventilation shaft until—

SMACK!

He flies through a grate several floors below and bails out into the belly of an underground garage/hangar bay of Neo H.I.V.E.

"Ooof—Ooof—Ooof!" He rolls to a smoking, dusty stop along a pair of hovercraft. Coughing, sweating, he stands up and brushes himself off. ".. … …all great. Out of the frying pan and into the Aamco." He glances around at the jet aircraft and nasty-looking, combat helicopters. "This looks like a nerd's heaven, but I gotta split." He steps into a jog and briskly makes for a door across the way. "Damned if I don't smack Robin for leaving me in that pressure cooker—"

Bard freezes.

Bard turns.

Bard looks.

Three glistening, crystal-clean Harleys rest side by side. Keys and helmets dangling off the priceless, guilded handlebars.

"….. …. ….. …..," he slowly, drunkenly smiles. "Mmmmmm…… …"

But fatefully….

From behind him:

ZHHHHT!

"… ….?"

Bard slowly.. …slowly turns around….