Back in New York, Toni paced the hallway outside the entrance to the underground river access port. Her short, deliberately tussled black hair was curled over headphones with the melodic sounds of T.A.T.U. playing on her iPhone. She was thinking so many things at once she could hardly keep them straight. Why was she on this team when Nightwing was constantly holding her back? Why was this song so amazing? Why didn't she go shopping with Lilith to Barney's when she'd offered earlier on? When was Garth finally gonna show up? Who picked that hideous color green for these walls? She was wearing an oversized heather-gray Titans' sweatshirt over her sleek black uniform, which was good foresight since it was kind of draughty down in these sub-level hallways. Caught up in her countless inner ramblings, Toni didn't notice the resonance of splashing water within the river access port, but movement in her periphery alerted her to Garth's arrival.
"There you are, Garth," exclaimed Toni loudly, senses altered by the loud music in her ears. She removed her headphones. "Gawd, what took you so long?"
"Long, complicated story, Toni," said Garth, real name of the Ocean-born sorcerer Titan called Tempest. He was tall, nearly 6 feet, with piercing violet eyes and ringlet black hair. Two curved, tattoo-like scars shot from his hairline to his right eye, one slightly continuing just under. He was dripping with salt water, his curly hair shining reflections of the overhead lighting. He reached for a towel on a row of hooks by the doorway and dried his face and head, then draped it over his toned shoulder. His red and black uniform was like a wetsuit, and within seconds it was dry. Toni Monetti was daunted by Tempest, from the first moment she had laid eyes on him. He'd exuded a proud, regal manner, yet a gentle, tender demeanor. At the moment, even seeing him rising from his watery element, Toni still found herself in awe. Tempest, a naturally intuitive man, could read Toni like an open book, and though he found her admiration flattering, he also knew it was completely innocent.
Tempest put his arm over Toni's shoulder and said, "So what big emergency made Roy call in the troops?" His voice was completely fitting to the whole package: soft, comforting, secure.
"I'll let him tell you," replied Toni, "I don't think I could explain it if I tried."
They reached the monitor room and found Roy and Jesse standing beside the computer console. Neither of them were in uniform; Roy, thankfully, was no longer only sporting boxers, but rather an orange muscle tank and a pair of denim jeans. A tribal tattoo wrapped around his left bicep. Jesse wore a white skirt and a sleeveless pink sweater; her blonde hair was in a French twist with a pink cotton hair-tie holding it in place. They were running through the Titans' database, updating status and gathering necessary information from Oracle. The digital icon which represented Oracle's connection, shaped like a blank mask, was on the view screen. On the far side of the room Lian sat with her legs folded on the floor beside her nanny, Rose, who, ironically, was the daughter of the very villain who was accompanying the Titans out west.
"Hey, guys," said Garth as he and Toni entered the room.
The next few minutes were spent recapping the day's events as thoroughly yet succinctly as possible for Jesse and Garth. While Roy told the tale of Kole's return and the explanation for Frances Kane's psychoses, Toni and Rose took turns grappling with Lian over a fierce game of Space Invaders on the girl's Gameboy. Oracle had concurred with the given information from the Terminator which Dick had radioed in; for the time being, although he had destroyed the Titans' T-Jet, Wilson's plans were on the up and up. The new Harrier II T-Bird had been registered for sole use by the Titans, with all pass codes secret and protected. The Disruptor had been released on parole, again, but hadn't broken any laws as yet. And the enigmatic girl claiming to be a member of the Titans proved to be a work-in-progress enigma. Aside from causing general mayhem by crashing Gar and Matt Logan's membership drive bash a few months back, little was known about her before she turned up as an inmate at Arkham Asylum in Gotham City. She warranted being kept an eye on.
Jesse crossed her arms and leaned back against the console. "Let me get this straight," she mused. "The others are on a jet, provided by one of the group's greatest threats, with a maniac, a convict, and that alien loose cannon Starfire?"
From the other side of the room, Rose lifted a curious brow at Jesse's comment about her father, but it was Toni who replied, "You'd better watch what you say about Bubble-Bod when Nightwing's around, Jess. And ixnay on bad-mouthing the Terminator in present company."
Jesse shook her head and rolled her eyes, dismissing Toni's observations, and said, "I don't know, guys, it sounds like a set-up to me."
Tempest said, "I trust Dick's judgment, as does Oracle, evidently. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt."
Roy stood and agreed. "It's only speculative at this point, but it sounds to me like Dick's plans for the Disruptor include Bette and the Titans L.A. branch. Looks like she's got herself a new role as his parole officer!"