"Duty calls Gar." She sighed as she slipped her cape back on.
Gar watched as Raven stepped into her boots. He stood up and began to scan the room, searching for his own costume. The room had 3 sets of bunk beds and there was a small bathroom attached to the room. Raven walked over to a chest of drawers, from where she produced a fresh Doom Patrol costume, which she handed to him.
"The one you were wearing was ruined. I hope this one fits. Mine was also ruined and I had to let out a seam on the ones I left here 8 years ago."
"It should be fine; I've barely gained any weight since then, maybe 2 or three pounds." He replied as he slipped his trousers on.
"I wish I could say the same thing."
"You're not fat Rae, if anything whatever weight you gained went to the right places."
Raven snorted her disagreement.
"Is there a guy anywhere who doesn't like big boobs?"
He pulled his shirt over his head before replying.
"I suppose not, but for the record you don't have 'big boobs'."
"Nice try Gar, but I've grown into a D cup in case you haven't noticed."
"I've never bought a bra Raven, so that doesn't mean anything to me." He answered as he slipped on his shoes.
There was a third knock. Raven opened the door and was greeted by Jinx.
The mistress of bad luck had also changed over the years. Her figure was a little more mature now, but she still retained some of her old stick figure. She now wore her pink hair in a ponytail and pretty much wore the same costume from her Hive-5 days. She and Wally tied the knot just before the Titans disbanded but they still had yet to start a family. Central City was their home base and the couple became a crime fighting squad on their own.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" She asked with a snarky grin.
"Nothing that can't wait until later."
Jinx gave both Raven and Gar a good scan.
"You guys are looking good, I can't remember the last time I saw either of you."
"Thanks Jinx, where's Nightstar?"
"She's still asleep. Come on, we're all waiting for you guys."
They followed Jinx down the utilitarian concrete lined hallway inside the bunker, for that is what it was, a bunker. The secret base was originally planned as a hideout to use during an emergency. After the first incident with the Brotherhood of Evil Cyborg decided that it not only needed to be hidden, but impervious as well. He returned and with Changeling's help they reinforced the original structure and expanded it as well. After the team breakup Gar never imagined they would ever use it again, and yet here they were, once again.
They entered the bunker's much smaller common room. There they found Aqualad, Red Star, Kid Flash, The Herald and Kole. Gnarrk was nowhere to be seen.
"This is it?" Raven asked. "Is there no one else?"
"I'm afraid so Raven." Kole replied. From the look on her face she looked as if she had been crying.
"Did they capture Gnarrk?"
Kole nodded and after trying to control herself she began to weep.
"Where's Batman?" Gar asked.
"He had to return to Gotham. He said that there was some trouble with the Joker." Aqualad replied. "He said that we should just stay out of sight until the core Justice League members return to Earth, and that they would help us deal with the Brotherhood."
"And when will that be?"
"He said that he didn't know. He suggested that we stay hidden here until then."
"That's unacceptable; we can't abandon our friends to the Brotherhood of Evil." Raven retorted angrily. "For all we know they're all in great peril as we speak."
"Raven is correct. To do so would be dishonorable." Red Star added in his thick Russian accent.
"So what do we do?" Kole whimpered. "I need to save Gnarrk, but how? Raven, Changeling, what can we do?"
Raven frowned.
"Normally Nightwing would know what to do."
"Maybe." The Herald interjected. "But he's not here."
"First we need to find out where the Brotherhood is hiding. We should also try to contact the Doom Patrol." Gar commanded the team.
"I'm step ahead of you chief. I came across their jet before I found you guys. I put a tracking device on it and I found out where it went: San Benito." Kid Flash proudly announced.
"San Benito? You mean the resort island? "
"The one and the same."
"And while you guys were recovering we did some research. We contacted every hotel on the island. Guess who had a room there?" The Herald announced.
"No way, you mean all three of them were there?" Gar remarked.
"But not together. Nightwing and Starfire were staying at the Biarritz resort while Victor was at the Las Brisas resort with some Brazilian girl. They vanished within days of each other."
"Oh yeah, Vic's dad mentioned that he had a girlfriend, that they were gonna get married or something."
Raven had her arms crossed and looked lost in thought. Suddenly her eyes popped open wide.
"We need to get out of here, now!"
"But Batman said to stay here." Kid Flash replied.
"We aren't safe here. The Brain has nearly the entire Titans extended family in his clutches. He will use his powers to extract the bunker's location from someone's mind. All it will take is for a single Titan to slip and our hideout will be exposed. For all we know it's already happened."
"So what do we do?" Jinx asked in a worried voice. "Where can we go?"
"We could go to Atlantis." Aqualad volunteered.
"No! That's what they'll expect us to do. We need to go to the last place they would expect us to be."
"But Raven, where would that be?"
"I know the perfect place." Gar interrupted. "San Benito Island. So far we've done nothing but run and hide. The last thing they're expecting is for us to take the fight to them."
"But Changeling, we're outnumbered!" Kole wailed. "And we already tried to contact the Doom Patrol and couldn't find them. We need help."
"I know, the odds aren't good, but if we're gonna save them we have to make our move and do it soon. If anyone wants to sit this one out, I understand, but I'm going. Who's with me?"
Raven took his hand. "I am."
"I am at your service." Red Star announced.
"Count me in!" The Herald chimed.
"Me too." Kole announced.
"Raven, what about Nightstar?" Jinx asked. "Are we taking her there with us?"
"I don't suppose we have any other choice. Herald, can you open a portal to Tamaran?"
The masked trumpeter shook his head.
"Sorry Raven, it's too far away."
"Then she's staying with us."
Gar began to tap on a keyboard. A map of San Benito Island appeared on the screen. A flashing red dot indicated the rogue jet's location on the north side of the island. A few more keystrokes switched to a topographic map. The north side of the island was mountainous and there were tall cliffs along the coastline. That part of the island was uninhabited and the jungle area was a nature reserve.
"If I was going to build a hideout, that's where I would put it. It's illegal for people to enter the preserve so they don't have to worry about visitors other than poachers, and if they go missing … well … let's just say that no one will miss them."
Raven nodded. "I agree, Gar. Now let's go, time isn't on our side. "
Jinx went to get Nightstar and as she emerged from the room with the now semi-awake child holding her hand the Herald raised his trumpet to his lips and blew. A dark port opened in front of them, at first it was the size of a dinner plate but it quickly grew until it was 8 feet in diameter. The Titans rushed through the portal, with the Herald going through last. The portal closed behind him and a few minutes later a loud explosion was heard and the bunker's roof caved in.
-( scene break )-
Menos, whose real name was Jano Beltran, lay on the concrete floor, weeping over his personal defeat. He was dressed in a pair of designer jeans and a silk shirt. He and his brother Tevo, AKA Mas, decided to quit the hero business altogether when the Titans disbanded and became a circus act, Los Hermanos Relampago, with the Mexican Atayde Circus and toured all of Latin America as the Circus's centerpiece act. They were now both 24 years old and Menos was married, his wife's name was Maricela and they had no children. Being that Menos was married the two brothers did not live together, which is why the Brotherhood had no trouble catching them.
"Perdoname Cyborg, fracase! El Cerebro me saco el secreto!"
Victor kneeled over to console the young man. The Brotherhood had Maricela in their custody and by threatening to harm her they broke down Menos' mental barriers and the Brain was able to find the location of the secret bunker.
"You couldn't help it man, the Brain fought dirty."
"Only. The. Weak. Abide. By. Rules. When. They. Fight. Cyborg. The. Strong. Will. Do. Whatever. It. Takes. To. Win. And. That. Is. Why. In. The. End. Evil. Prevails."
The sliding doors to the Brotherhood's command center slid open and General Immortus entered with an evil grin painted on his face.
"Your. Report. General."
"The Titans secret base was indeed located where we were told it was. After bombardment it was completely destroyed. We did not detect any survivors. The changeling and the sorceress are no more."
Victor grimaced upon hearing those words and fought back the tears as he didn't want to give the Brotherhood the pleasure of witnessing his pain, which was overwhelming. He hadn't seen either of them in years but learning that they had been killed somehow evaporated the distance of time. He recalled video footage from his memory banks and saw the day they all first met, the day they moved into the Tower, when Raven hugged BB after the Malchior incident, the appearance of the Beast, their struggle against Trigon and how Raven vanquished him. He saw it all in a flash and was no longer able to contain himself and he began to sob, much to The Brain's and Immortus' delight.
"You're gonna pay for this." He growled at them.
"You. Are. In. No. Position. To. Make. Threats. Cyborg. But. Do. Not. Mourn. Your. Friends. As. You. Will. Soon. Be. Joining. Them."
Two robots flanked Victor and began to lead him away. As they reached the sliding doors he grabbed one of the robots and began to struggle with it as he attempted to take its rifle away from it. The other robot flipped its rifle around and hit Victor on the head with the weapon's butt. He collapsed immediately and was unconscious. The two robots aimed their rifles at his supine form and prepared to fire.
"Wait. Do. Not. Fire."
The robots stopped with their rifles still aimed at the former Titan. Immortus gave the Brain a look that was rife with curiosity.
"I. Want. Him. To. Suffer. More." He explained. "General. Please. Locate. The. Bodies. And. Bring. Them. Here. Once. He. And. The. Others. See. That. Raven. And. Changeling. Have. Met. Their. End. We. Can. Then. Terminate. The. Others."
"You do not wish to freeze them like last time?"
"No. We. Will. Not. Make. That. Mistake. Again."
-( scene break )-
The steaming tropical jungle surrounded the Titans as they emerged from the dark portal. The foliage was thick and it was teeming with life as the buzzing sound of insects echoed around them. Exotic aromas of decaying fruit and other indescribable scents assaulted their nostrils as the humidity weighed over them like a heavy wet blanket. Jinx looked up and saw a capuchin monkey swinging above, screeching as it warned the other jungle inhabitants of the intruders' arrival.
"Are we in the right place?" Raven asked.
Kid Flash pulled out his homing device and checked the display.
"We are. The tracking device isn't far, a few hundred yards at most." He then pointed. "It's this way."
The rest of the team gathered behind the yellow clad speedster and followed him down a nearly nonexistent path. They had to proceed slowly, as they tried to remain hidden while they covered the very uneven terrain. They encountered all sorts of creatures both great and small, from a hairy tarantula to a tapir that at first challenged them before it had a change of heart when Gar morphed into a Jaguar and scared it away. After almost an hour they finally saw it: a large cave.
"It's in there, there's no doubt about it." Kid Flash announced as he double checked his tracking device.
"What do we do now? Do we just go on in?"
"That would not be a good idea Miss Kole. I am certain that the entrance to the cave is monitored." Red Star informed her.
"I'll go have a look." Gar announced as he morphed into a dragonfly and flew to the cave's entrance.
He darted around, trying to get a better look at the interior when another dragonfly flew past him into the cave. The rogue insect had barely penetrated the cave's perimeter when a flash of red light shot out and hit it, incinerating it instantly. Changeling watched the real bug meet its fiery demise and flew away, not wishing to tempt fate any more than needed. He landed next to Raven and resumed his human form.
"I guess we aren't going in that way."
"Are you OK Gar?"
He sighed.
"That was too close for comfort Rae. I was about to go into the cave. Maybe Batman's right, I am out of training and not up to this." He shook his head in self doubt.
Raven placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it.
"It's not like we're strangers to close calls Gar, we've handled them in the past. Don't doubt yourself … I don't doubt you … neither should you."
Wally pulled another gadget out of his belt and began to scan the area with it. After a few minutes he gestured for everyone to gather around. As they did he placed the device on top of a large rock and tapped a button on it. A holographic representation of the Brotherhood's lair appeared, floating in the air.
"Batman gave me this last year, I'm glad I hung onto it. Anyway, the scan isn't perfect, but it turned out better than I hoped."
He pointed at the different levels in the 3D image.
"There's the cave. As you can see there are 15 levels. The one on the bottom is by far the largest and judging by its layout it looks like a cell block … there are … looks like about 80 cells. They could all easily be there."
"Is it guarded?" Red Star asked.
"I can't tell. The lair was carved out of solid granite; it's too dense to allow life form or robot detection."
"We should assume that it's monitored, just like the cave entrance. We'll have to move fast, and there might be lasers there too." Raven interjected.
"So what's the plan chief?" Wally asked Gar.
The changeling closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he thought about what to do. Once he was ready he opened his eyes and addressed his impromptu team.
"Raven, you take Nightstar with you. The two of you can open the cells and free the prisoners. Keep your dark shield up at all times, I don't want a laser to take you down, also I want you to take us into the cell block. Nightstar, your mom and dad are inside that cave and you're going to help us rescue them. You do whatever your Aunt Raven tells you to do. And don't be shy with your star bolts, if you see a robot, take it down, but if it's a person ask Aunt Raven first, we don't want to shoot any Titans by accident."
He turned to Red Star and Kole.
"You two work together to take down any guards you see. There will be a lot of Titans to rescue and we don't know what shape they're in, so we have to keep their escape route clear. Both of you should be immune to the lasers."
"Wally and Jinx, more of the same. Take out as many Robots as you can. Stay away from the lasers."
"Aqualad, Herald, you're with me. Herald, you'll help the Titans out of their cells and will get them out of the cell block with your trumpet. Aqualad, you and I will cover his back."
"Any questions?"
There were none. Gar could see the steely resolve in his teammate's eyes. They knew that great peril was waiting for them in the Brotherhood's lair but the expressions on their faces proclaimed that they were ready for whatever was in the underground base. Gar suddenly felt humbled, that such a fine team of superheroes had placed their collective trust in him to lead them in what promised to be a challenging if not impossible showdown. Unlike last time there would be no last second cavalry to back him up, so there was no room for error. Even a single mistake could be their undoing.
He turned to Raven to give her the go ahead to begin teleporting, but before he could she raised a hand to stop him and instead pulled him aside, so they could speak in private.
"Gar, there's something I want to tell you."
"Sure Rae, what is it?"
"Don't get me wrong, I have full faith in you and I believe we will get out of this alive … but in case we don't … there is something I want to tell you."
She paused.
"Gar, I … I can see us being together the rest of our lives … you're that special to me … I just … I just wanted you to know that before we go in there."
Gar's expression softened and then he smiled.
"Rave, did you just ask me to marry you?"
The gray sorceress was mortified.
"I'm sorry Gar … that was a stupid thing to say … I only became your girlfriend a few hours ago and now I'm babbling about being together forever like some sort of romantic fool … I can only imagine how pathetic you must think I am …"
"Rave"
"… how desperate I must come across as …"
"Raven"
" … I mean who in his right mind would want to spend his life with me?"
"I would. And I accept your proposal."
Raven stared at him in shock.
"You … you will?"
He nodded happily at her.
"Gar, you don't think it's premature to do that? We just became a couple…"
"Rae, we've known each other for 14 years. I think that's more than enough time to get to know each other."
Raven threw her arms around him and the two shared a deep kiss while their teammates watched from a distance with perplexed eyes, not knowing nor understanding what had just happened. After they released each other Gar draped an arm around her shoulder and they turned to face their team.
"Listen up! Raven and I are gonna get married. That means that this mission is going to be a success, because everyone is invited to the wedding, and you're all coming. Understood?"
The assembled team raised their fists and cheered upon hearing the news.
"OK everyone; gather around Raven, we're going in!"
The team assembled around Raven and her brand new fiancé.
"Take us in Raven, let's go kick some butt!"
"Gar, aren't you forgetting to say something?"
"I am?" He paused to ponder what he was supposed to say.
"Of course! It really never was my line, but you're right, it has to be said."
He cleared his throat before proceeding.
"Titans, GO!"
Raven's dark hemisphere appeared and they all disappeared into the ground.
-( scene break )-
I have to say, interest in this story has dropped like a brick. If the interest isn't there, I might shelve it again for a while. I figure that many of you are dealing with finals and such, so maybe I should wait until summer before continuing. Let me know what you think.
I will be taking a week off anyway, as I'm having some minor surgery tomorrow. So this is the last update for a while.