Hunters of Justice (RWBY/DC)
Chapter 13: Trials and Tribulations
It had been a few days since Mumbo was admitted to the hospital. As Raven had said, he had basically overdosed on magical energy. He was expected to make a full recovery, but that provided neither him nor the half-demon much comfort. For the supervillain, as soon as he got out he'd be thrown in jail for assault, armed robbery, kidnapping, and more. He wouldn't see the outside of a jail cell for years. Raven, meanwhile, continued to blame herself for putting him into harm's way. She wouldn't say she particularly liked the man. Indeed, she found his antics to be annoying at best, and he often put people in danger whenever he lashed out.
But the prospect of hurting someone, perhaps irreparably so, struck too close to one of Raven's greatest fears. It was why she tried so hard to keep her powers in check, lest she become an instrument for her father.
All of this and more ran through Yang's head as she pummeled a large sandbag inside the Titans' gym. Truth be told, the sight of Mumbo convulsing on the ground made Yang recall something that she had been trying to avoid ever since it happened. She sympathized with Raven to a great degree.
The sound of automatic doors hissing open brought her out of her thoughts, and she turned around to see Dick Grayson – apparently the adopted son of Bruce Wayne and thereby, if Weiss was correct, the Batman – wearing a black tank top with a towel draped around the back of his neck. He was holding two water bottles, and he tossed one to Yang who easily caught it. Yang quickly popped the lid and drank a few gulps before stopping to breathe and wipe away some the excess from her mouth.
"Thanks," she said, and Dick nodded.
"No problem Yang." The young man continued, moving towards a set of weights while Yang went back to working on her form. Behind her, she could hear Dick begin his morning routine, but she paid him no heed. Instead, she was focused on what was in front of her while trying to avoid thinking about what was plaguing her mind.
"What's wrong?" Dick suddenly asked, causing Yang to stop herself and turn her head towards him. She saw that he had a concerned expression on his face, and she kept herself firm.
"Nothing, I'm fine," she replied and prepared to continue her training, but Dick got to his feet and walked over to a mat.
"You know, in my personal experience, training with someone else is a much better way to get results." Dick motioned to himself while standing in the middle of the mat. "Care to join me?"
Yang regarded him for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly. "Sure, but don't get mad when I beat you."
"Same," Dick countered, and Yang couldn't help but let out a smile at his cheek. She strode over to him and readied herself, as did Dick opposite her. For a moment, the two studied each other. Where their bodies' weight was centered, which leg they were leaning on, where their eyes traveled. Everything that they could possibly use to gain an advantage. Finally, the two rushed at each other.
Yang started with a quick jab towards Dick's face, one that he parried and responded to with his own. Yang sharply leaned back to allow the sweeping fist to swing just past the tip of her nose. She followed up by throwing out her elbow, which Dick caught and then used her momentum to throw her over his shoulder and onto the ground.
"Oof!" Yang grunted before springing back to her feet. Dick watched her with a confident smile, then extended his arm towards her and flexed his fingers in a 'bring it' gesture. Yang frowned before moving forward, launching herself into a series of punches and jabs that Dick Grayson danced around. He occasionally countered with his own light attacks. Yang was growing more and more frustrated, and her eyes turned red as she pressed on with her assault.
When Dick overextended on one of his jabs, Yang seized the opportunity to latch onto his arm and hold him in place. She then punched him in the gut, causing him to double over. She followed up with a quick uppercut that knocked him into the air, but before he landed he angled himself so that he did so with a roll. Landing on his feet, he launched forward and punched Yang squarely in the face, knocking her back slightly. Before she could retaliate, he crouched and swept his leg under hers, knocking Yang off balance and onto her back. Dick quickly leaped towards her, flipping her around and pinning her. Yang struggled to get free before sighing and tapping her foot on the ground. Dick immediately let go and helped her to her feet.
"Thanks for the workout," Yang stated. "You and I both know that, if I wanted to, I could've easily beaten ya."
"Keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day it'll be true."
"…heh. I like you, man," Yang admitted, and the two shared a hearty laugh. After the laughter died down, Yang shook her head and made her way over to the door. "Well, I better get out of here. Today's my turn to make breakfast, and—"
"Yang, wait," Dick called out, halting Yang in her tracks. Her back was turned to him, but even then, she could feel the concerned look he was giving her. She sighed and closed her eyes.
"Dick, I'm fine. Really."
Dick hummed and shook his head. "I was raised by the world's greatest detective. One of the many things he taught me was how to read a person, and right now you're upset. Just as you've been for the past few days."
"I'm not—" Yang protested, only to sigh and shake her head. "Listen, I know you're trying to help but… It's complicated."
"Well, luckily for us both, I like complicated." Dick sat down on a bench and looked at Yang expectantly. Part of her wanted nothing more than to simply walk away, but she knew that wouldn't solve anything. How she was feeling was burning a hole in her gut, and it was better to get it out of the way before it festered. Steeling herself, she walked over and pulled another bench in front of Dick's, then sat down across from him. The two heroes stared at each other for a moment, Dick patiently waiting for Yang to start.
"You know the basics of how we got here, right?" she soon asked, and Dick solemnly nodded.
"Yeah, the others let me know when you guys settled in. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I've lost people but…nothing like what you guys have been through."
"Thank you." Yang sighed and wrung her hands together, looking at them intently. "When…Brainiac took Ruby from us, intending to turn her into another of his twisted experiments, for a good long while I saw only red. My mind was focused entirely on getting my sister back and damn the consequences."
"Yang, no one's faulting you for wanting to do that," Dick clarified, thinking Yang was suffering from some form of survivor's guilt. "Hell, you guys did rescue your sister, and none of you would be here if you hadn't."
"Yeah, but he might have lived if I had been just a little bit calmer." Seeing Dick's confused expression, Yang continued. "Right after Ruby got captured, a bullhead sent to evacuate us to Beacon finally arrived. Instead of going back, I…" Yang took a deep breath and hung her head, staring at the floor. "Instead of going back, I forced the pilot into taking us into Brainiac's mothership just on the off chance we could get her back."
"You…forced him?"
"I threatened that if he didn't fly us in, I would have tied him up, thrown him in back, and flown us in myself. In the end, he agreed to do it, which forced Ironwood's hand into canceling his Plan G in favor of blowing open a hole for us, and…" Yang trailed off, and Dick immediately understood what had happened. From what Yang was describing, nine people went into Brainiac's ship, but only eight made it out.
Seeing Dick's unasked question, Yang nodded. "He died in the crash. We didn't have time to mourn him, and we just left his body there. The worst part is that I don't even know his name and yet he died because of me."
"And seeing Mumbo convulsing reminded you of him?" Dick guessed. His tone wasn't accusatory nor angry, simply concerned for the wellbeing of his friend. After a moment, Yang nodded.
"…yeah," she whispered. "I know that it's irrational. I didn't kill him, Brainiac did, but I put him in that situation because I shanghaied him into our rescue attempt. I could have offered to drop him off somewhere safe and flown us in or, hell, just thrown him out the bullhead and outright steal it out from under him. He might have been able to get to safety in Beacon. But no, I had to have him as a pilot, and he died because of it."
Dick listened intently to Yang's troubles, nodding along with her voice. "Yang, I have a question."
"Sure," Yang replied.
"Did you know how to fly?" he asked, and Yang sighed and shook her head.
"…no. If I'd I tried to fly us in we probably would have died almost immediately."
"Hmm," Dick hummed. "And if he said no, what would you have done? Would you have actually tied him up like your threat?"
Yang shook her head, look up at him with blue eyes. "No, not really. At most, I would have just thrown him out the bullhead and tried to fly us in or die trying."
"Right. And how did the pilot act after he agreed to fly you guys in?"
Yang looked at him. "Professional, dedicated to seeing the mission through despite the incredibly likely chance of death. A perfect Atlesian soldier, really. Didn't complain, argued on our behalf, the whole nine yards."
Dick nodded again, then smiled at Yang. "Yang, I can assure you it wasn't your fault that he died. I might not have met this man, but from what you describe, I'm not seeing a man forced into doing something he didn't want to do. I'm seeing a man who believed in yours and your friends' convictions so much that he was willing to sacrifice himself to help you see it through for the chance it might save the day."
"Yeah and look where that sacrifice got us. Out of a planet of nearly a billion people, only eight managed to escape and everyone else is either dead or captured in freaking bottles."
"True, that's one way to look at it. But that's not how I see it," Dick declared with absolute conviction, but Yang seemed unconvinced. Deep down, she knew it was irrational, but she couldn't help but feel the guilt all the same. Dick stared at her for a moment before rising to his feet. Yang saw this and looked up at him in confusion, and when Dick extended his arm to help her up she gratefully took it.
"Here, I want to show you something," he said. He walked away through the doors, Yang following him. They walked down the stairs and into the vehicle bay, where Dick immediately made his way towards a large jet. Rubbing his hand on it, Dick began to explain.
"This here is the T-Plane. Unimaginative, I know, but—"
"Fits the theme, right? T-Car, T-Cycle, T-Plane, T-Sub," Yang listed, and Dick flashed a thumbs up and a smile.
"Exactly. Gotta keep the naming conventions down. Anyway, Vic made this puppy a few years ago. Always works on upgrading it whenever he can. It's one of the most advanced atmospheric fliers on the planet."
"Huh." Yang quietly inspected the aircraft, running her hand along its sleek white and blue finish. Smiling at this, Dick pressed a button on his watch and opened the front canopy to the aircraft. Yang looked at him for a moment and, seeing how he was gesturing her towards the pilot seat, Yang hopped inside and made herself comfortable. Her hands went to the controls and her eyes scanned the many systems that made up the display.
"How fast can this girl go?" she asked, and Dick jumped up to rest near her.
"Mach 3, easily. Right now, Victor's working on getting her exo-capable."
"He wants her to fly into space?"
"Yeah. Never know when the need will arise. Plus, he likes the challenge."
"Heh, I bet." Yang chuckled, Dick joining with her. Her hands went back to checking the instruments, and seeing this Dick smiled once again.
"You know," he began, "I'm pretty sure that we have a flight simulator laying around somewhere." Yang, curious, turned her attention towards him entirely. "If you want, I think we can bring it down here and let you have a go at it."
Yang regarded him for a moment then looked at the cockpit she was currently sitting in. Her thoughts traveled back to what started this entire conversation, and at once she understood where Dick was coming from. Slowly, she felt a smile form on her face, and she turned to face Dick once again.
"Before I do anything, I'm going to need a pair of aviators."
"That can be arranged, Golden Dragon. That can be arranged."
When Yang and Dick finally came back upstairs to join the others in the living room and kitchen, they were greeted by a sight both of them were honestly expecting to have come by now.
"Look, I know how it looks," Weiss began, but the image of Batman stared her down from the Titans' monitor with an unamused expression.
"What part of 'keep a low profile' did an impromptu concert fit into?" he asked. Yang could practically hear the eyebrow being raised behind his cowl, and Weiss blushed slightly before straightening herself.
"My primary concern was getting my friends and the audience to safety," she explained. "I couldn't risk a fight without others possibly getting caught in the crossfire, and our previous engagement with Mumbo convinced me that a frontal assault wouldn't have worked anyway. So, given what I knew about him, I figured that a distraction was in order to get everyone to safety."
"By singing, knowing that he'd challenge you right back?"
"Yes." Weiss' blunt answer caused Yang to quickly suppress a chuckle alongside the others.
"What's the big deal, anyway?" Garfield asked from his spot on the sofa. "I mean, you must have known that with them coming here that they'd join us on missions. People were bound to find out."
"I know, I just would have preferred teams RWBY and JNPR's formal introduction to the world to be a more controlled environment and not a viral YouTube video."
Yang felt that Batman did have a point there. Apparently, a member of the audience was able to not only keep his or her phone on them, but they also managed to take a video of Weiss' entire performance. In just three days, it already had five million views and it was climbing rapidly. Part of Weiss felt proud of that, but she didn't say anything of the sort.
"Regardless, what's done is done. The League's already issued a joint statement with the Titans." Dick nodded his head at that, confirming they had indeed done so. None of them needed to be reminded of that. After all, they helped Dick to craft it. Weiss imagined that Batman was simply getting it on the record.
"And Ivory?" Batman's voice cut into the former heiress' musings, and her attention snapped back to the Dark Knight. Whereas his expression before was stoic, now it appeared to be slightly proud. "You did good work. Thanks to your quick thinking, you, Nightwing, and Raven were able to salvage a situation that could have resulted in a lot more casualties as well as rescue the others."
Weiss smiled at that, then nodded. "Thank you."
Batman nodded back, then turned his attention back towards Dick. In a much softer voice, he asked, "How is she?"
"She's getting better," Dick answered, knowing exactly who his father was referring to. "M'gann's in her room, trying to help her out, but… You know how sensitive she is about that stuff."
"Raven's stronger than she thinks she is. She'll pull through."
"We know," Kori replied. "Mr. Batman, if I may? Is there any word from Themyscira?" From the tone of her voice, the Tamaranean princess was clearly worried about Donna, hoping that her friend was alright.
"Diana sent us a message the other day," he answered. "They've managed to confirm that the perpetrator was not from either Bana-Mighdall or Themyscira. However, whoever she was, she's long gone now."
"Do we have any ideas where she might have come from?" Victor asked, leaning across the counter and resting on his arm.
"Nothing conclusive. We've been looking, but they've managed to hide their tracks well. They planted false leads into countries all around the world, from North Korea, China, Iran, and many more."
"Damn. So much for a quick solution," Dick grunted, and Batman nodded.
"In any case," Batman continued, "Queen Hippolyta is expected to let Diana and Donna leave the island within the next few days. Is there anything else to report?"
"Jump City's been in a crime wave ever since Mumbo, on a scale we haven't seen in years," Dick pointed out, and everyone let out a tired sigh. Indeed, the alarm had been blaring near non-stop ever since Mumbo's latest episode. Arsons, murders, hostage situations, and more were constantly popping up. It was not only causing the heroes to feel exhausted, but it was also starting to raise the stress level of the city. Out of everyone, Raven was feeling it the worst. As an empath, she could feel everyone's emotions, and stressful emotions like fear and anger got to her the worst.
"There's more." Everyone turned to see Raven walking into the room, M'gann walking in behind her. The girl, as they sadly expected, showed signs of stress but at the same time was brushing it to the side. "There's something here. Something dark and twisted. It felt wrong in so many ways."
"What do you mean?" Batman asked, his attention now fully centered on the half-demon. The others were focused as well. This was the first time they were hearing of this, and with their attentions rapt, Raven continued.
"I only just started noticing it a couple of hours ago. It's faint, almost non-existent. I only noticed it because it seemed to get more…agitated at the increased stress of the city. Almost as soon as it appeared, though, something masked and hid it from me. I can't find it again, but I know it's here."
Everyone paused, letting Raven's words sink in. A sense of foreboding descended over everyone, and the silence was only broken by an awkward cough from Ruby.
"Well…" Nora paused. "That's not disturbing or anything."
"What do you think it is?" Pyrrha asked calmly. "Could it be a demon?"
"Possibly, but I don't know. I've never sensed something like it, and frankly, that worries me," Raven answered. Her voice remained stoic, but everyone couldn't help but feel unnerved at her report. Ruby wondered exactly what her friend could have sensed. They had known that magic existed on Earth for quite some time – Jaune's and Pyrrha's little experiment with Diana's Lasso was a testament to that – but her experience in that area remained limited.
"Hmm," Batman hummed, clearly disturbed. "Keep looking, and tell us what you find. In the meantime, I'm working on narrowing down the list of suspects behind Crane's attack on Gotham. It's turning out to be more complex than I anticipated, and I'll—"
Batman was interrupted by the alarm blaring once again, causing the young heroes to groan. Without saying another word, Batman nodded at them then disconnected, granting them the time to quickly run into their rooms and change into their uniforms.
"I'm getting reports from all over the city," Cyborg reported while everyone piled into the elevator. A deep scowl was on his face as he pored over a holographic projection from his arm. True to his word, several red splotches were splashed around all corners of the city. Jaune, Nightwing, and Ruby all looked at the map intently. After a moment, the three leaders faced each other for a moment then turned back to the others. It looked as though the three of them had some unspoken conversation that only team leaders could do, and a moment later they proved that assumption to be correct.
"We're going to split into three teams," Nightwing said. "I'll take the Titans up north. Team RWBY will go eastside while team JNPR will go west. Maintain constant radio contact."
"Got it," the others replied. Soon after, the elevator doors opened and everyone piled into the T-Car. As they sped into the city, the three teams began preparing for what they all knew was going to be a very long day.
"By the way, dudes? How'd ya do that?" Beast Boy asked. Nightwing, Jaune, and Ruby all looked at each other for a moment then smiled knowingly.
"It's a leader thing."
"I KNEW IT!"
The apartment building was engulfed in a raging inferno. Flames and smoke spewed out of broken windows and burnt-out doors, and firefighters ushered people out of the building and into safety while they themselves continued to bombard the building with high-powered water jets.
"Did we get everyone?!" Captain Kelly yelled to his fellow firefighters. His question was punctuated by a large explosion ripping through the building, forcing everyone to cover their faces instinctually while onlookers screamed in fright. The jets of water focused on the flames, desperately trying to douse them as a trio of firefighters stumbled out of the entryway. Black soot covered their bodies, and when they stumbled to the ground they were immediately assisted to their feet by their fellows.
"Jones, Edwards, Smith, talk to me," the chief asked as they carried them to the firetruck. Jones ripped off his mask, revealing his sweat-streaked face was covered in grime, while Edwards and Smith did the same.
"We—" Jones coughed violently for a few seconds before forcing himself to continue. "We had to get out. The fire got too hot for us to take."
"Was there anyone inside?"
"We don't… We don't think so," Edwards recounted, and Kelly sighed in relief. That relief ebbed away when he began to do a headcount of his men, and to his worry he noticed he was a man short. "Where's Billy?"
"He…" Smith spoke, his eyes beginning to widen as he and everyone else began to look towards the burning building, "he was right behind me…"
Before anyone could speak, they heard a shrill, feminine scream come out of the building. Moments later, another explosion, one larger than the previous, rocked the building and sent burning chunks of debris flying towards the street. Men and women dived out of the way as flaming stone slammed into parked cars and nearby buildings, demolishing many.
"DAMN!" Kelly cursed as he began to back away from the burning building, directing his firetrucks to do so as well while keeping up their dousing attempts. He then ran to grab a mask and strapped it tightly to his face before turning to run inside the building.
"Cap', what are you doing?!" a firefighter asked in alarm. "You can't go in there! The fire's too big, you'll burn to death!"
"We've got Billy and civilians trapped inside!" Kelly pointed out as he tried to run in, only for a pair of firefighters to hold him back. "Let me go!"
"Sir, please!" they begged as Kelly struggled. "We can't-!"
Any further begging was halted by the sight of four individuals leaping across the street from the building behind them. The firefighters and onlookers only saw them for a moment, but they saw that they were led by two heavily armored individuals holding shields that they used to protect themselves and the two behind them from the flames. The people below watched them as they disappeared, and Kelly immediately began barking orders to assist the Titans in their rescue attempt. Any part of him that pridefully chafed at others doing his job was quickly quashed, and right now he could only pray that they were successful.
"You see anything?" Jaune asked as he and the rest of JNPR reorganized themselves inside the room they had breached into. They had only just stopped a mugging when they saw the smoke rising from a nearby apartment complex, and they'd gotten here as fast as they could. From the inside of his helmet, his optical systems filtered out the heavy smoke as best as it could, although it was still difficult to make out anything of note.
"Electrical systems are completely gone, and the structural integrity is only at twenty-five percent," Ren noted, his voice muffled by the green rebreather he was currently wearing. The intense heat of the flames was making him sweat profusely, but luckily his Aura was preventing anything worse from happening. "We don't have much time."
"Dammit. What about gas lines?"
Pyrrha looked down as she followed the remaining gas lines to the basement. Her scowl deepened the more she looked, and when she reached the main she looked back up at her leader. "Not good. The flames have almost reached the gas main. They reach that, this entire building's going to explode."
Jaune took a second to think things over before coming to a decision. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. Lightning, use your freeze grenades to put out the fire at structural hardpoints as you and Guardian make your way to the gas main. We have to keep this building up as long as we can. Lotus and I will find any survivors and get them out."
"Got it."
"Aye-aye!"
"Understood."
His three teammates all nodded, Nora loading freeze grenades into Magnhild and shooting a few into the fire. They exploded into clouds of cryogenic gas, snuffing the fire out and leaving a thick layer of ice in its wake. Nodding in approval, Jaune kicked open the door to the hallway, and without needing prompting his teammates ushered out to find any remaining survivors.
A few freeze grenades of their own in hand, Jaune and Ren went room to room, lobbing grenades wherever needed. They quickly entered into a rhythm of forcing open doors, announcing their presence while scanning the room with their optics before moving on to the next. They made sure to stay next to one another at all times, as the last thing they needed was to get lost in the flames.
"Hello?!" Jaune shouted into one of the last unchecked rooms on their floor. As with the others, they found no one. He grunted angrily before turning back to the hallway. He saw Ren do the same and he shook his head regretfully. Ren then pointed upwards, the fire making it hard to hear his voice. The two then ran as fast as they could up the stairs, and as they did, Jaune's internal comms crackled to life.
"White Knight, Verdant Lotus, Pink Lightning and I made it to the gas main," Pyrrha's voice came in. Behind her voice, the two young men could hear the icy explosions of grenades, telling them that Nora was hard at work.
"What did you find?" Ren asked as he kicked open a door.
"We're working on keeping the gas and fire contained, but we won't be able to do so for long," she reported. "Also, I'm seeing signs of tampering with the release valve."
"Arson?" Jaune suggested.
"It's certainly looking like it. You find anyone yet?"
"Not yet. Lotus and I are working through the fourth floor now. Listen, keep the building from blowing as long as you can, but I want you and everyone else out well before then."
"You got it, Boss Man!" Nora quipped, and Jaune couldn't help but crack a smile. Jaune then refocused as he kicked open the charred door. Once again, he could see no one inside. He would have cursed had he not been forced to jump back to avoid falling debris.
"Damn!" he cursed afterwards for good measure and instinctively shielded his face. Moments later, he heard Ren run back towards him, the man patting a small fire out from his suit.
"This place is falling apart!" Ren shouted, and Jaune scowled while looking at him.
"Yeah, I noticed! Did you find anyone?"
"Nothing!"
Jaune jumped back as another piece of debris rained down, cinders dancing across his metal armor. Internally, he was immensely grateful that his new armor was heat resistant, but even then he was starting to feel the heat wash over his skin, and he was beginning to sweat profusely. Part of him wanted to turn tail and run, avoiding the possibility of them getting consumed by the blaze altogether. But another part, one much louder and more convincing, was screaming at him to press forward. They knew for a fact that at least one firefighter was trapped inside, and the possibility of others was too great to ignore.
"Guardian, Lightning," Jaune shouted into his team's comms as he and Ren ran up the stairs to the fourth and final floor, "this place is about to crumble. As soon as things turn south, get out!"
"You got it," Pyrrha responded. Behind her voice was the sound of bursting pipes and the sizzle of melting ice, and both Jaune and Ren guessed that they didn't have much time left. With a silent nod towards each other, the two began to search each and every room. The fire was blazing hot, and black smoke filled the hallways and made it almost impossible to see. The roar of the inferno made it nearly impossible to hear as well, and with each kicked-open door and searched room, the fire spread further and further.
Jaune kicked open another door, only to shield himself with his arms as an eruption of flame spewed forth, consuming his body. He stumbled out, patting himself out as best he could before looking back into the room. A deep frown stretched across his face, and when he turned around to look at the other rooms Jaune couldn't help but notice the telltale signs of them being in a similar state. Black smoke drifted out from underneath the doors, and the wood was charred black and cracked. Several of them already had holes in the frames, from which fire came out. When another explosion rippled through the building, knocking him off his feet, Jaune quickly got himself up and sighed.
"Guys, we have to-!" he began, trying to ignore the regret filling his being, only for him to be interrupted by a frantic Ren.
"I got someone!" Ren shouted over the comm. Jaune's orders were immediately forgotten as he used his helmet's software to find Ren's exact location, then sprinted towards him. Jaune bounded around a corner, where he saw Ren lifting a burning piece of timber off of a pinned firefighter. The man's mask was cracked, and his breathing was ragged, but he was alive.
"Quick, pull him out!" Jaune said as he hefted up another charred piece of wood. His hands stung from the heat, but he threw it to the side just as Ren freed the man. Jaune took one look at his leg and winced before pulling out a syringe of painkillers and administering it to the injured man.
"Sir, is there anyone else in the building?" Ren gently asked while lifting the man up bridal style. Weakly, the firefighter – Billy, if Jaune overheard correctly – pointed towards a room where the entrance was sealed under a mound of debris. Jaune took a look at it then gestured Ren towards the nearest window. Ren nodded back, then kicked a table through the glass before gently grappling to the street below.
"Guardian, fourth floor! Lightning, join Lotus outside!" Jaune shouted as he began to dig through the debris. Both of his teammates acknowledged his order while he continued his task. He didn't know how long he kept at it, but a few moments later he felt Pyrrha's presence next to him. Without needing to ask for permission, she began to assist her partner and leader in excavating the door, and when enough was cleared she positioned herself to force the door open. She was beginning to hear the faint sounds of muffled screaming inside, causing her to force herself to push harder, and soon enough Jaune joined her in prying the door open. Burning debris was flung back against the wall as they did so, and both of them threw out their last remaining freeze grenades to try and stem the fire as much as they could.
"Hello?!" Pyrrha screamed as she and Jaune searched room to room. They heard a shout coming from a closed-off room, and Jaune immediately kicked it open violently to force themselves inside. There they saw a small family, a mother holding an infant while a young daughter begged her father to get up. The man had a severe head wound and was lying face down on the floor, but Pyrrha's helmet detected a faint pulse. When the family saw the two heroes, they instinctively recoiled, but both Jaune and Pyrrha held up their hands in a placating gesture.
"Hey, it's okay," Jaune said as he knelt down to check on the family. All of them had burns on their bodies, but they were relatively minor compared to what they could have been. He wanted to ask them some questions, but getting them out took precedence. He walked over to the nearest window and forced it open. Looking down, he scowled at the sight of a destroyed fire escape, and then turned back towards the family.
"We're going to get you out of here, okay?" he told them, holding out his arms in a beckoning gesture. The mother looked at him for a moment then turned back to look at the fire. She then nodded before shakily getting to her feet and walking over to him. Jaune attached a line to her and shot links to the ceiling and street below. He saw Ren run over to meet her at the opposite end, and then sent her and her tightly clutched infant below. Pyrrha, carrying the unconscious father over her shoulders, looked at Jaune for a moment. Even behind her helmet, he knew the look on her face, and it was not good.
"Papa!" the young girl cried as she reached out for him. Jaune held her back as Pyrrha prepared to zip down to the street, only to stop as an ominous groan came from above. Everyone looked up towards a suddenly cracked ceiling, a noticeable bulge forming in the center.
"Oh, shi—" Jaune began just as the roof began to collapse. The girl screamed in fear as she instinctually ducked and covered her head, only for Jaune to jump in front of her and Pyrrha and catch the roof with his hands. He groaned and struggled under the weight, his legs shaking under the stress, but he pushed back as hard as he could.
Not turning back to his partner, he shouted, "Go!" to her at the top of his lungs. Pyrrha responded by grabbing the girl and zipping down to the street, expertly managing to hold onto both an unconscious full-grown man as well as a terrified five-year old girl. Jaune held out for a little while longer, and once he saw them make it to the ground he released his hold while leaping out of the window. The roof collapsed behind him, starting a chain reaction that caused more and more of the building to collapse as he himself fell through the air. Unfortunately, he had put too much power into his jump, causing him to strike against the opposite building's fire escape, denting it and causing him to flail slightly as he tumbled down, hitting several more objects before landing in a heap in the alley below. The collapsing building covered him in dust, and he groaned in pain as he finally checked his Aura. It was in the yellow, and he let out a dark chuckle before wincing.
"Ooh, I'm gonna feel that in the morning," he grumbled before rising to his feet. As he did, Pyrrha ran into the alleyway and helped him to her shoulder before walking him to the street. Medics were loading the injured father into the ambulance alongside an unconscious Billy, the rest of his family watching Jaune and Pyrrha with grateful eyes before the closing ambulance doors sealed them off. They saw the other firefighters working to contain the last remnants of the flames, and with a silent nod the two of them zipped away before anyone could get to them. They joined Ren and Nora several rooftops over, and once together they let out a sigh they didn't know they were holding.
"Okay, that was…intense," Pyrrha stated, and the others nodded. They sat down to take a breather while watching the smoke rise into the air.
"Pyrrha," Jaune began, "how certain are you and Nora that it was arson?"
"One-hundred percent," she replied, looking down as she did. "Someone sabotaged the gas lines in such a way as to not only burn the whole building down but also ensured it wouldn't just immediately explode."
"Any idea who could have done it?" Ren asked, but Nora shook her head.
"No idea. The security camera was shattered when we got inside, almost as if someone beat it with a hammer."
"We'll see if Cyborg can't manage to salvage anything that might tell us who did it," Jaune stated before rising to his feet. The rest of his team did the same, and Jaune took a step before wincing once again. His team moved to help him, but he raised his hand and stopped them. As he did, more sirens sounded off in the distance, and the teenagers sighed.
"More work to do. Yay…" Nora complained, and the others couldn't help but agree. As they ran off towards the sounds, they each hoped that, at the very least, the others weren't having as hard of a time as they were.
Ruby remained silent as she laid prone across some scaffolding across from a run-down tenement building, Crescent Rose in her sniper-rifle configuration. Idly, she checked the ammo counter on the top right of her mask's HUD, showing that she had five rubber bullets currently loaded into her magazine. It would be more than sufficient for what she and her team were dealing with right now. The radio chatter had made it sound like a standard domestic disturbance, but the sight of an enraged man holding his girlfriend and the man she was allegedly cheating on him with at gunpoint turned it into something much more serious. The police were roughly five minutes out, based off what her HUD was telling her, and thus far it hadn't shown to be inaccurate.
She doubted that the hostages would last that long without someone intervening, which is where her team came in. She and Weiss had come up with the plan almost immediately. Blake would sneak in from an opening on the roof while Weiss, being the most diplomatic of the group, would try to talk him down. Yang was with her to act as immediate support, should the need arise, while Ruby kept her scope trained on the man at all times.
"Sir, you have every right to be upset," Weiss attempted to sooth the man, her voice carried over the comms, but he snarled towards the door.
"You're damn right I do! He was my best friend!" he shouted, stomping towards the hostages angrily. As he did, his large, muscular and tattooed body fell behind a wall, but Ruby's scope enabled her to track his thermal signature with ease. Above him, creeping through an air duct, was Blake as she silently made her way above the hostages. Behind the wall was Yang, ready to burst through the moment things turned south. The man pointed his pistol at the image of a woman who recoiled in the corner she and another man were cowering in.
"Baby, I'm sorry! Please-!" she begged.
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" he interrupted her. "How could you?! With him?!"
"Yang, get ready," Ruby quietly ordered as she chambered a round and flicked off the safety. Yang flashed a thumbs up in response, knowing that Ruby would see it through the wall.
Weiss, meanwhile, continued to try and calm the man down. "Sir, hurting them will not solve anything. It will only make things worse for everyone, including you."
The enraged man spun around towards the door, walking forward and stopping right outside of it. "Oh, really? Do you even know what they did?"
"No, I do not, but I can assure you that whatever it is that they did, hurting them will not make you feel better."
"I fuckin' doubt that!" The man continued to rant, his back facing his hostages. Ruby watched as Blake silently removed a grate from the ceiling, allowing her to poke her head through. The hostages saw her, but Blake silenced them with a raised finger before she let herself down.
The Faunus hardly made a sound as she landed on her toes. She briefly looked to the still ranting man as he talked about how he dated the woman for years, only to not just have her cheat on him with his best friend but subsequently post pictures they had taken of themselves doing the act onto social media. Blake didn't care to assume whether or not it happened, or why it may have happened. Right now, she and the rest of her team were focused on getting them out safely, and that was all that mattered.
As Weiss tried to keep the man calm, gently urging him to put the gun down and come out to her, Blake took stock of the situation. From what she could see, neither of them were physically hurt. An immense relief, considering the circumstances, but she was more than aware that the situation could drastically turn south at any moment. It was why she was purposefully putting herself in front of them as she worked, figuring that her Aura could take a shot. Blake quickly glanced back at the man, noticing that his figure appeared to be slightly calmer than before. At the very least, he was shouting less. She then glanced back at the terrified hostages and then the window, where she saw the railing of a fire escape before shaking her head. Trying to sneak them out while hoping he didn't turn around was too risky, so she gently lowered her palm at the two to keep them low and quiet. They complied, and Blake subsequently pulled out Gambol Shroud and began to creep towards the hostage-taker, intending to disarm and subdue him.
"Sir, please," Weiss softly spoke once again. "Put the weapon down and come on out. I promise I won't hurt you, and we can get past this."
"I…" the man spoke, his fist clenched around his pistol. Blake used this moment to carefully step forward, only for her step to make a large creaking noise as it stepped on a loose board. Everything turned into slow motion as Blake jumped back and aimed Gambol Shroud at the man, who himself was turning around in a start. His finger was on the trigger as he regarded Blake and his former hostages with surprise, his expression beginning to turn into unfiltered rage. Blake prepared to fire rubber bullets into him, but she never got the chance as a loud bang echoed through the room along with the sound of shattering glass. The man screamed in pain and clutched his wrist as his weapon flew across the room. At the same time, the wall next to them exploded as Yang burst through and sucker punched him, sending him crashing against the wall and causing him to collapse in a heap.
Everyone stared at each other. The entire thing had only taken a few scant seconds, and the silence was only broken by Weiss forcing the door open and moving inside.
"Is everyone okay?" she asked, and the two former hostages nodded.
"Ye… Yes, we're okay," the man said with a quiver as the woman slumped to her knees in relief. Blake was checking the man's body, determining that he was thoroughly knocked out as she tied him up. The sound of distant sirens began to get closer, and she figured the police were only a minute out.
"What happened? I couldn't quite figure out what was going on between his swearing and ranting," Yang asked as Weiss administered first aid. The man and woman looked at each other with regret then sighed.
"Scott and I…," the woman started, tears beginning to run down her face, "a week ago we got drunk and….made a terrible mistake. Some drunken photos were taken, but the next day we were horrified and deleted them. Tried to bury the whole thing and pretend it never happened."
"Then how'd they get posted online?"
"I don't know. I swear to God, I don't know," Scott declared as he looked upon his former friend with a mixture of anger and regret. "We only found out about it yesterday when he called us, shouting at the top of his lungs about us betraying him. Maggie got scared and stayed with me for the night, and…"
Scott couldn't continue, and Weiss silently nodded empathetically. She then helped them to their feet and escorted them down to the front door as Yang and Blake continued to check everything. Blake was taking a blood sample while Yang was carefully putting the man's weapon into an evidence bag.
"What'cha doing that for?" Yang asked her partner as they entered the fire escape.
"To check his blood-alcohol levels. I could smell it on his breath. Might help to explain why he lashed out."
"So a belligerent drunk?" Blake nodded, and Yang sighed while shaking her head in disappointment. Yang then thought of her Uncle Qrow. She loved the man with all her heart, but he did tend to get drunk more often than not, more than either she or Ruby liked to admit, though he was usually just obnoxious when sloshed rather than angry. Her thoughts then drifted towards both her father and uncle, wondering what they were doing at this moment. Both of them had been inside Vale when it was bottled, but after that she had no idea what became of them.
'Let's save those thoughts for therapy,' Yang thought as she shook the dark thoughts away. She then looked up to her sister, who herself was waving at them from her perch.
"Hey, sis," she said over the radio. "Nice shot, by the way."
"Thanks, your wall breach was pretty sweet, too! I'm surprised you didn't yell 'Oh yeah!' while you were at it, though."
"By Jove, you American brats just don't know when to quit!" Mad Mod shouted back as he raced through the labyrinth of shipping containers on his yellow moped, the Titans racing after him.
"Give it up, Mod!" Nightwing responded and threw a wing-ding at the smuggler, who ducked and pointed his cane at them. He pressed a button on its shaft, and a moment later a pair of high-powered guns popped out of the back of his ride along with a thick cloud of black smoke. The guns fired through the smokescreen at his pursuers, forcing Raven to hastily erected a shield wall to absorb the bullets, only stopping once the fire stopped. When she dissipated the shield, they cursed after noticing a distinct lack of Mod or his moped.
"You know," Cyborg began while grinding his teeth, "I'm getting really tired of his cat-and-mouse game we've been playing."
"You're telling me," Beast Boy said, pointedly turning into a cat and then a mouse to better illustrate. They had earlier spotted Mad Mod taking advantage of the current crime wave to steal some British artifacts on loan to the Jump City Archaeological Museum, intending to sell them abroad to wealthy collectors. His attempt was thankfully thwarted, and they had been chasing him across town for the past thirty minutes, and by this point, his British slang and dry quips were beginning to get on their last nerves.
Nightwing quickly scanned their location before coming to a decision. "Star, M'gann, fly above and see if you can spot him. Cyborg, tap into the local surveillance. He couldn't have gotten far. Beast Boy, Raven, we'll keep on going ahead."
The other Titans nodded and split off into their teams, Miss Martian and Starfire flying off high into the air in opposite directions while Cyborg rocketed off to a nearby electronics tower. Beast Boy, meanwhile, turned himself into a bloodhound and began to sniff the ground as the three of them searched for any signs of where Mad Mod might have gone.
"I see tire tracks," Raven pointed out as they spotted a few skid marks. Nightwing knelt down and ran his fingers across the black marks, then tapped his domino mask to scan the unique treads. A moment later, he saw a crisscrossing path of tracks, and he sighed.
"Somehow, I knew it wouldn't be that easy. BB, see if you can't get a scent." Beast Boy nodded then went back to sniffing. Raven, meanwhile, reached out emphatically to try and find the British smuggler. She began to feel the increased stress of the city, the rising fear and anger at what was going on, and pretty soon her body began to tremble from the stress of trying to keeping those feelings out. Nightwing noticed this, and placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder.
"Rae, stop," he said, and Raven looked at him for a moment before complying. At once, the negative feelings of the city ebbed away. She could still feel them in the back of her mind, but they were no longer as pronounced. She breathed heavily for a few moments before looking back at her two concerned friends, then smiled.
"I'm okay," she declared, and Beast Boy whined for a moment before going back to what he was doing before. Nightwing, meanwhile, continued to look at Raven, causing the half-demon to slightly frown. "I said I'm fine."
"Raven, please," Nightwing countered in a gentle, soft tone. "You're my friend, and I couldn't consider myself your leader if I couldn't see that something's bothering you. What's wrong?"
Raven sighed and looked down. "Just for the record, you psychoanalyzing everything and refusing to take things at face value really gets annoying at times."
"It's a gift," Nightwing joked, and Raven couldn't help but smirk for a moment. Nightwing smiled at her expression before allowing her the chance to speak. A long pause ensued, where the only sounds were that of a dog's rampant sniffling and the beating of machinery, before finally being broken by Raven.
"… It's the city," she explained. "This crime wave… It's causing people to feel a lot more negativity than normal, making it hard to concentrate. It feels like a constant headache that occasionally turns into a migraine. For as useful as it is, sometimes I really hate being an empath."
"Do you need to take a few days?"
Raven shook her head, "No, I'll be fine after a few hours of meditation."
"You sure? If you want, you can join M'gann with the others tomorrow. I'm certain they'd be happy to have you."
"No, that's for them. I'm not going to intrude on that." Raven paused as she looked over Beast Boy, watching as his tail wagged back and forth excitedly. It appeared he had begun to pick up the beginnings of a trail, and Raven smiled warmly at the sight.
"… If that's what you want," Nightwing finally responded before placing his hand on her shoulder once again. "Just know that we're here if you want to talk."
Raven looked back at her leader and nodded. "I know."
Anything else that either of them were going to say was cut off when Beast Boy began to howl, announcing he had found a trail. Immediately, the other two heroes raced towards him, but Raven paused for a moment when she felt something staring at her from behind. She looked across the row of shipping containers to see three objects that were most peculiar. She couldn't make out any details, but they almost looked like cloaked figures.
"What the…?" she wondered before Nightwing shouted for her to catch up. Raven looked back towards her leader to respond, then looked back to where the supposed figures were standing. They were gone, and Raven's alarm grew slightly. She forced herself to shake those thoughts away then flew back towards her friends.
'Definitely going to meditate after this,' she reasoned. Pretty soon, her comms began getting flooded by reports courtesy of Cyborg. He had managed to isolate a unique transponder used by Mad Mod, tracking him to the far end of the shipyard. Starfire and M'gann were already racing towards him, as was herself and Nightwing as they followed Beast Boy. Pretty soon they came across Mad Mod as he jumped aboard his craft, and a hastily transformed Beast Boy couldn't help but let out a groan at what the smuggler had chosen.
"Seriously, a yellow submarine? Dude, can you not get any more stereotypical?" he chastised, and the incensed looking Mad Mod haughtily spat at Beast Boy.
"Don't you dare besmirch the Beatles!" he yelled as he pointed his cane at the heroes. At once, a large missile pod turned and pointed at them before firing a barrage. The heroes scattered, Raven constructing another wall as Starfire fired starbolts into the missiles, destroying many alongside M'gann, who herself had flown down and grabbed one of them and hurled it with a spin into the ocean, where it exploded harmlessly. Cyborg ran around a wall of shipping containers and fired his sonic cannon at the missile pod, aiming to disable it. Mad Mod snarled and pressed another button on his cane, causing a minigun to deploy out of the top of the submersible and begin firing at Cyborg. A few rounds ricocheted off his metal frame harmlessly, but still he dove behind cover, Beast Boy right beside him.
"Guys, we could use some help over here!" Cyborg shouted as he took a pot shot at the minigun, only for the barrage to force him back into cover. M'gann, heeding his call, flew towards the weapon, turning herself intangible and allowing the bullets to phase through her harmlessly as she approached then grabbed it. With the weapon still firing, she turned it towards the center of the yellow submarine, forcing Mad Mod to dive away as the bullets pinged against the metal hull before finally firing at the missile pod. The high-caliber rounds tore through the mod's electronics, causing it to short-circuit and die, halting its automated reloading sequence dead in its tracks. She then ripped the minigun off its hinges and threw it into the bay before staring Mad Mod down with a hard expression.
Mad Mod, rather than appear sheepish, merely dusted himself off and sneered at her. He moved to press the button on his cane once again, only for a green hawk to swoop down and snatch the object from his hands. Surprised, he could only watch as the hawk flew over and landed on Miss Martian's shoulder, dropping the cane into her waiting hands. She smirked triumphantly at his suddenly nervous expression, especially once Raven destroyed the engines with a swath of purple magic and Starfire hefted the submarine out of the water and deposited it on the concrete with a loud clang. The rest of the Titans soon surrounded him, and the criminal chuckled awkwardly.
"Heh heh, well… How's about we just pretend this little episode never happened, eh? For old time's sake?" he offered, but the Titans regarded him coldly and shook their heads.
When the police finally arrived, they only saw an oddly dressed and balding middle-aged man handcuffed to a lopsided yellow submarine, and many were left scratching their heads at the sight.
"Mod, why do you insist in playing up that image?" one of the officers asked.
"Sod off."
"You're not helping your case."
By the time the heroes finished for the night and made it safely back to Titans Tower, they were all thoroughly exhausted. Hardly any of them had the strength to make it up the stairs, yet they persisted nonetheless. In the end, Raven teleported them to the main floor, allowing them to walk into their rooms and collapse onto their beds. Sleep came almost immediately, all except for Raven. The half-demon was tossing and turning for some time before finally managing to doze off.
Dead to the outside world, she never noticed two pairs of red eyes glaring at her for a brief moment through her vanity's mirror that disappeared almost as soon as they arrived.
[~][~]
Hello, everyone! Here is the latest chapter of Hunters of Justice! Things are coming to a head soon, and what exactly that entails? Well, you'll have to wait and see. Regardless, thing's aren't looking good for our favorite half-demon.
Now, to the Q&A:
I Am The Prophet: As of right now, no for the Doom Patrol. That may change in the future. As for the Suicide Squad, I do have ideas for them, but they won't happen for some time.
Guest (1): Thank you! I'm glad that you're liking the story so much, and that you feel it's unique. Unique is the feeling that we're going for in this story. As for your questions, I do have plans for Shazam, but you will have to wait and see exactly what they are.
meeyaaargh3412: Yeah, Mumbo was basically dragged into it by Brother Blood. Exactly what his plan is, you'll have to wait and see. Same with what he had Deathstroke deliver to him.
TM Calypso: Thank you! I'm glad you liked the inclusion of the RWBY songs. We figured it was a good time and place to showcase them. Her plan also helped to show how observant she is. She was able to catch onto how egotistical Mumbo is, and her plan to use that when the last fight showed simply punching him wouldn't work was smart.
ShadowofAxios: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it.
Guest (2): You'll have to wait and see on Adam and the White Fang.
darkvampirekisses: I'm glad you like the super suits. We tried to mix both standard superhero aesthetics while also keeping in line with their canon RWBY outfits. Happy to see that it worked. If you want to draw them, feel free. And I'm glad that you liked the plan.
1968: Everyone will be improving their abilities. Most of their training, and other things, simply occur offscreen in their downtime as we instead focus on the more interesting aspects.
Dracus6: As I said before, I am not interested in starting any new stories at this time, nor am I interested in ideas solicited by others. Any stories I write would be ones I come up with that I find interesting. Furthermore, I don't know anything about Akama ga kill, so I wouldn't even consider it. Please make your review about the actual story, not asking me to write something else.
Jackalope89: Yep, that was a main point of the chapter. RWBYJNPR got their first, true taste of magic in the DC Universe, setting the stage for future, more serious encounters.
tyfighter1997: Thank you. DC is filled with young heroes, just right now I'm focusing on the premier team of young DC heroes.
Steelrain66: RWBYJNPR will all have civilian lives, it's just that right now they're still acclimating. pretty soon, though, they will have jobs outside of being superheroes that will best suit who they are as people.
Well, that's it for this chapter. Please let me know what you guys think. We appreciate any and all reviews. See you guys next time!