Chapter 44
Nightwing smiled quietly to himself as he rejoined Batgirl and Raven.
Starfire had been surprised when he'd kissed her in the heat of battle. He found it quite exhilarating to do, but he must not let her sweet taste distract him. He'd just been so proud of her when he'd watched her beat the crap out of those four guys that dared try to pin her down that he couldn't help but kiss her. His Star was well and truly back and he thought his heart would burst from happiness. He must remember to kiss her like that again, it was so amazingly wonderful and it made him breathless just thinking about it.
"What are you so happy about?" muttered Raven quietly as they snuck through the darkened factory.
"Star's back," he said quietly.
Raven made a small noise of disapproval while Batgirl shook her head in disbelief. Nightwing pulled a face at Batgirl and she poked her tongue out at him.
"Beast Boy, Starfire, heads up," Kid Flash said in his ear. "Joker's on the move, he's heading your way."
He and Raven exchanged a fearful glance. Both of their partners where there.
"He'll be fine," he heard Raven muttering reassuringly to herself and Nightwing found himself thinking the same thing of Starfire.
The three of them snuck forward once more.
The area around them took on a green glow.
A high pitched maniacal laugh reverberated around the room.
Nightwing pivoted sharply as he heard the splattering of gunfire.
The green light in the room died and Nightwing heard the distinct yelp of a wolf in pain.
There was a soft thud as something hit the ground.
Nightwing's heart leapt to his throat and Raven went impossibly pale.
TTTTT
Kid Flash zipped around the room as fast as he could go. His legs were a red haze, moving so fast that they could barely be seen. He would appear as a blur to anyone who he passed, a sudden flash of wind, too fast to do anything about.
Batman had warned him that he was only to scout, not interfere. Joker was tricky, Batman said, and it wouldn't do if he got the speedster in his grasp. The only ones allowed to approach the Joker were Batman himself, or Nightwing, under pain of death. If Batman discovered any of the other Titans had attempted to confront him, there were going to be serious words spoken and Kid Flash wanted to keep on the good side of the famous crime fighter.
Kid Flash's job was to keep track of where the Joker was heading, and where his minions were, and where the other Titans were.
And stay in contact with Batman at all times.
He sighed to himself, surely he had more to offer than just being a scout. But he'd given his word.
"Beast Boy, Starfire, heads up," Kid Flash said into the radio, before he took off back toward Batman to show him the direction Joker was heading in. "Joker's on the move, he's heading your way."
The room behind him took on a green glow.
TTTTT
The blue burst of a sonic boom erupted from Cyborg's cannon, throwing another minion into a wall. "Boo-yah!" he cried happily.
Batman glanced over at him. "Don't get cocky," he muttered as he delivered a powerful uppercut to another minion. "Which way did the Joker go?"
Cyborg pointed. "He took off in that direction about thirty seconds ago. He had a machine gun with him."
Batman gave him a sharp nod. "Stay here," he said tonelessly before disappearing into the darkness.
Cyborg shook his head and rolled his eye. That guy was even worse than Nightwing was. He aimed his cannon and fired off another blast before he smacked another minion in the head.
"Beast Boy, Starfire, heads up. Joker's on the move, he's heading your way."
There was a green glow in the distance at the other end of the factory.
TTTTT
The world seemed to be traveling in slow motion.
Starfire saw the Joker step into the green light.
She saw his body swivel in her direction, that maniacal grin leaping from his face.
She heard that laughter bubbling from his belly.
She heard the loud eruption of sound as several shots burst from the barrel of the gun he was holding.
She saw the bullets flying through the air, heading for her.
She thrust a hand out as she prepared to fire a huge star bolt between herself and Beast Boy and the bullets, desperately hoping she would be in time but knowing she would not.
And she saw Beast Boy leap and cover her body protectively with his own, his wolf paws clamped on her shoulders, forcing her toward the floor.
Her star bolt winked out in surprise.
She heard his startled yelp of pain as three dull thuds hit his back, felt the shock of those hits propelled through his body before they hit the ground and he sprawled on top of her.
The world sped up.
Starfire's hands instantly went to Beast Boy's muzzle. Her eyes widened in fright as she saw a river of blood cascade down his shaggy shoulder, dripping onto her. "Beast Boy? Beast Boy?" she asked, her voice squeaking in fear.
He was so still.
Starfire thought she might die from panic.
"Beast Boy!" she shrieked, shaking his body in an effort to wake him. "No! Beast Boy! You cannot die!"
He must not die! Not when she had worked so hard to protected him in the Citadel! Why had he jumped in the way? Why had he done such a thing? He should never give his life for her, he was far more important. Why wouldn't he move? He had to move, he couldn't be dead.
"Please, Beast Boy," Starfire whispered, her hands stroking his muzzle. "You must move. You cannot die. Not now. You have so much to live for. I need you, Raven needs you. You must be strong and fight this. Please, Beast Boy, do not let go."
TTTTT
"Beast Boy! No! Beast Boy! You cannot die!" came the panicked, high-pitched shriek of Starfire's voice.
Blood drained from Nightwing's face and he looked over at Raven. "Oh god," he muttered, his hand reaching for her.
Raven was still, her eyes closed. She let out a shuddering breath and a tear trickled down her cheek from beneath her eyelid.
"Raven?" Nightwing asked, his voice tight with fear. "Raven?"
She snapped open four red eyes, her face twisting into a snarl. "He will pay," she muttered in a voice that was too deep to be hers.
TTTTT
The world went mad.
The ground began to rock and tremble. Great sheets of metal were pulled from the walls and tossed around the room like paper. The conveyor belt beside Starfire writhed and bucked and there was a clunking sound as the belt was torn from the stand and lifted into the air before it was shredded.
Sound echoed through the factory, a great grinding sound as metal was ripped to shreds. The bolts holding the conveyor stand next to Starfire began to rattle and there was a tinging sound as they were propelled from their holes and the stand ripped from the ground and tossed into the air.
Starfire peered out from beneath Beast Boy in fright as a giant black claw of power ripped itself through the floor of the factory, snatching the Joker into the air, its fingers clenching around him. The maniacal laughter died on his lips, the gun torn from his fingers and shredded.
Wind began to rush past them, tearing through the room and creating a tornado around the Joker, picking up bits of jagged metal and shrapnel in its embrace.
The ground shuddered as deep fissures suddenly gouged their way into existence, fire spewing from their gaping mouths. The smell of sulfur clogged the air and the room took on a fiery red glow.
The roof shuddered and was blown from its rafters and tossed away as though it was no more than an insignificant piece of tissue paper. Black clouds covered the rapidly diminishing stars of the night sky, clogging the air and tumbling through it in a whirlpool motion, the eye of the storm casting its malevolent gaze down upon the Joker.
Beast Boy whined mournfully, blinking open his eyes. Starfire's sagged in relief, her hands instantly stroking his face tenderly, tears spilling from her eyes. "Shh, shh. I am here. Do not move."
She moved slowly, desperately trying not to jar or jolt him any more than necessary. Easing out from under him, she sat up and knelt beside him, her hands carefully going to his back. His eyes rolled in his head before they finally focused on her. His mouth dropped open and he panted harshly, his chest making a strange bubbling sound, his tongue lolling, before he sagged on the floor beside her. He coughed and gagged, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Oh, Beast Boy, why did you do that?" she whispered quietly, as she brushed her tears away with the back of her hand. She lifted a hand, conjuring a star bolt to see with, her heart clenching painfully when she saw three rapidly spreading damp spots on his fur. She peeled off her gloves, placing them over two of the holes before she placed a hand over the largest damp spot in an attempt to quell the bleeding. Beast Boy whined beneath her hand, his feet twitching in pain.
Something dropped down by her side, a warm hand on her shoulder and she looked up into Nightwing's frantic face. "Are you hit?" he asked, his voice etched with panic.
She shook her head as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "Beast Boy has taken three of the bullets. He is having the trouble breathing. I believe one is in his lung." She choked on a sob. "He leapt in front of me," she said, her voice getting more shrill as she spoke. "He took them for me. Why would he do that? I cannot let him die now; we have been through so much together. He needs Raven. Where is she?"
He glanced over his shoulder. "She's… well… she's a bit upset right now."
Starfire followed his gaze, her mouth dropping open in shock.
Raven was floating, her white cloak spread out in the air behind her. Four slit like red eyes peered from beneath the hood and fixed themselves on the Joker and her white cloak was rapidly shifting to crimson.
Starfire turned back to Beast Boy. He blinked blearily at her, his eyes swimming in pain and his breath ragged and bubbling as blood frothed from his mouth. "Stay with us, Beast Boy." She turned to Nightwing. "Do whatever you can, I will not leave Beast Boy.
Nightwing gave her a sharp nod and touched Beast Boy on the head. "Don't go anywhere. We need you. I'll bring Raven, I promise, you just have to hold on."
Beast Boy blinked his eyes slowly, his mouth opening and closing erratically and he gave a small whine that sounded very much like 'Rae'.
TTTTT
Nightwing got to his feet, dashing back over the factory floor toward Raven, fighting against the howling wind. He caught sight of Batgirl's terror filled face cowering behind a torn conveyor belt behind Raven.
"Raven!" he bellowed, his voice carrying through the howling winds caused by Raven losing control of her powers. "Raven! Stop it!"
"He deserves to die!" Raven cried in a deep and dark voice that was not her own. "He revels in torment, laughs at pain. He should not be allowed to exist. I will end the plague that he is upon this world. I will make him relive every stab, every hurt, every terror that he has inflicted. If he wants to see insane, then I will show him insane. I will drag him down to my father and leave him there in torment for eternity."
Nightwing reached Raven and took hold of her foot, pulling her down so that he could grab her by the shoulders. He shook her slightly and interposed himself between Raven and her view of the Joker. "This isn't you, Raven. Stop it!"
Raven's red eyes narrowed as she angled her head around him to keep her eyes on the Joker. "You of all people should understand. You would want the same thing if he killed Starfire."
"Beast Boy's not dead! He needs you!"
She blinked, her eyes finally focusing on him and he was suddenly sucked into her mind.
Her mind was a rolling, churning darkness. He was standing on a writhing rock in the middle of a vast nothingness. The rock dipped and swayed as though it was cascading over the swells in an ocean of shadows.
Raven materialized before him, her sorrowful violet eyes fixed on his face. "He's not dead?" she asked.
Nightwing took several unsteady steps toward her, taking her by the shoulders. "No, but he will be soon if you don't hurry."
"No!" a voice snarled as a massive red form suddenly loomed out of the darkness and Nightwing gulped in a startled breath. Trigon. "My daughter is mine again. She has allowed Rage to rule. You will not take her from me. When she takes the life of this individual she will truly be under my control and I will be reborn through her will and her power."
Nightwing shook Raven slightly as his hands bruised her shoulders. "Raven, listen to me. Beast Boy needs you. You need to get control of your emotions. You are stronger than your father is. You defeated him once before, you can do it again. Do not let him win."
"Too strong," Raven murmured, looking up at her father. "He's so strong. I don't know if I can."
"You cannot, daughter," crowed Trigon triumphantly. "You are weakened now that you have allowed yourself to suffer emotions."
Nightwing kept his eyes on Raven, refusing to look up at Trigon. If he showed Raven that her father held no power over him, perhaps she would feel the same way and begin to fight against the hold he had over her. "Beast Boy is depending on you."
Raven went pasty and pale, her eyes wide with fright. "Garfield-"
Trigon laughed. "Is as good as dead, daughter. You are mine." His voice became seductive. "If you join with me and open a portal so that I may return to this meager plane of existence that you call home, I will restore him to you."
"Don't listen to him!" Nightwing yelled, shaking her again. "He's not dead, Raven. You still have a chance to save him! Beast Boy would not want to be the price for your soul!"
Raven's eyes rolled and her head lolled. "Garfield-"
"What do you see in this shapeshifter, daughter?" Trigon smirked. "He is weak; his mortal body is fragile. He is imperfect. If he comes to me I can ensure that he would never die. I can make him strong. I can transform him into a vessel worthy of your affection. He would worship the very ground you walk upon."
"Do you love him Raven?"
"What?" She blinked at him, her eyes boring into his.
"Do you love him? You told me your father couldn't stand love. Tell me how much you love Beast Boy. Tell me how much me means to you."
"Fool boy!" Trigon snarled, his hand flashing down and he plucked Nightwing from the rock. He gripped Nightwing by the chest between his index finger and thumb, squeezing. Nightwing gritted his teeth in an effort to control the pain. "Insignificant mortal. You know nothing. Love does not matter."
Nightwing smirked through the pain in his chest. "It that were true, then why do you look so worried? Love is all that matters. Love is the driving force in this universe. Raven! Tell him how much you love Garfield!"
Trigon snarled and his fingers tightened once more. Nightwing arched his head back, crying out in pain as he felt several ribs crack.
"Let. Him. Go," Raven snarled, her eyes shining with power, her hands clenched into fists.
Trigon smirked down at her. "What makes you think that I will do as you say? Give me your soul and I will release this fool that you call friend."
"I love him." Her voice was defiant and triumphant in one.
Nightwing swiveled his head down to her, his mouth dropping open in surprise. He hadn't expected that.
"Just as I love Cyborg and Starfire. They are my family. My brothers and my sister. And I am in love with Garfield, and that is something you can never touch."
Trigon laughed. "Fool daughter, you have already give me a way back into your soul. Your affection weakens you. It is only a matter of time."
"My affection makes me stronger! You do not belong here, father. This is my mind, my body. Rage has no place here. Get out! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
White energy leapt from Raven's hands and slammed into Trigon's chest. The world spun as Trigon released Nightwing and everything disappeared into brightness.
A white raven screeched into the sky, arching above the landscape as it cast its mournful cry to the heavens.
Abruptly the rage within Raven died.
The wind stopped.
The clouds in the sky stopped swirling and dissipated.
The fiery red fissures clawed into the ground snapped closed.
There was a startled yelp as the Joker dropped to the ground, followed by the clatter of many objects hitting the ground at once.
Raven closed her four red eyes and opened her normal purple ones and her cloak returned to white.
Nightwing crumpled to the ground before her. He gasped in a shallow breath, his hands going to his ribs as he struggled to breathe without injuring himself more.
Raven blinked down at him, her eyes wide with fright. "Nightwing?"
He cast out a hand in the direction of Beast Boy and Starfire. "Go," he gasped between clenched teeth.
Raven didn't need to be told twice and she vanished with the sharp cry of her raven form.
Nightwing groaned in pain, his head flopping back and he thumped the ground with his fist. What the hell was he thinking, antagonizing a demon like that? Injuries that occur in the mind, especially Raven's mind, occur in the real world too.
"Nightwing? Are you okay?" Batgirl asked as she inched out from behind the conveyer belt she'd been hiding behind.
"He broke my ribs," he snarled as he took shallow breaths, before rolling over and placing his hands on the ground. His head hung limply from his shoulders as his breath whistled through his teeth and he waited for the pain in his chest to dull.
"Who broke your ribs? Joker?" Batgirl's voice was concerned and confused at the same time.
Nightwing shook his head. "Don't worry about it."
"Boss," Kid Flash said as he zipped up to Nightwing. "What the hell was that?"
Nightwing raised his head. "Kid Flash? Where's the Joker?"
Kid Flash pointed. "Batman's got him."
Nightwing pushed himself off the ground, rocking back to sit on his ankles, a hand across his chest as he looked out over the carnage Raven had caused.
The factory had been demolished in the maelstrom caused by Raven's emotions. There were metal shards and broken pieces of wood scattered everywhere. Whole strands of conveyor belts had been torn from its foundations and lay in twisted heaps around the room. Huge chucks of concrete protruding from the floor where Raven's dark energy hand had broken through the floor.
Batman had the Joker bound and gagged in the middle of the room and Nightwing was pleased to see the Joker bleeding from his nose.
"Nightwing, what the hell was going on? I was at the other end of the factory when suddenly everything went mad," Cyborg said and Nightwing saw his feet approaching from in front of him.
A hand placed itself on his back and he flinched in pain, pulling away rapidly, his breath hitching in his chest. "Get off!" he snarled before he doubled over in pain again and let out a hacking cough.
"What's wrong with you?" Cyborg asked as he stopped before him and there was a beeping sound as Cyborg activated his arm console. "Shit," he hissed abruptly. "How the hell did that happen? You've got four broken ribs there."
"How?" Batgirl asked from where she was crouched next to him and Nightwing knew it had been her hand on his back. "He was fine a minute ago. He was talking to Raven and then he was on the ground."
"Look, shut up about me. I'm fine. Get to Beast Boy, he's dying."
"What?" Cyborg blurted, his voice sounding instantly panicked.
Nightwing took a shuddering breath and pointed. "That gunfire before, that was Beast Boy being hit. It's bad, Cy."
"Well, that explains what happened here," Cyborg muttered , his footsteps rapidly moving away.
Nightwing staggered to his feet, intending to follow.
"Easy there," Batgirl said, her hands on his shoulders. "If you've broken your ribs, you need to take it easy."
"I need to get over there," he said and staggered away from her, heading back over to where Starfire and Beast Boy were.
Starfire was kneeling on the ground, tears slipping from her eyes, her hands covered in blood, staring at the red puddle on the ground. Cyborg was sitting beside her, his arms around her shoulders looking very lost and forlorn. Cyborg looked up at him as Nightwing staggered over to them.
"What happened? Where are they?"
"Star said Raven took him," Cyborg said sadly. "Wrapped him in her raven and disappeared."
"Where would she take him?" Kid Flash asked quietly.
Cyborg shrugged and glanced at his console, his face mournful. "Out of my sensor range."
"Did she say anything?" Nightwing asked.
Cyborg shook his head.
"He looked so relieved when she came," Starfire whispered, her eyes still fixed on the puddle before her. "He tried to stand, tried to go to her." She looked up at Nightwing, her eyes filled with misery, her face twisted in pain. "He took them for me. He jumped in the way. Why would he do that?"
Nightwing knew why. It would have been the same reason for all of them. They didn't want her to get hurt again. She'd only just recovered. Beast Boy would feel it the most. He'd had to sit there and watch what she went through in the Citadel and had been unable to help. He'd seen the look in Beast Boy's eyes from Starfire's dreams, it was hot frustration. An inability to be able to help when he'd desperately wanted to. Beast Boy would never want to do that again, even at the cost of his own life.
Nightwing bent to touch her, only to have pain slice across his chest as his broken ribs creaked in protest and he winced.
The misery in Starfire's eyes shifted into panic. "You are damaged," she cried, leaping to her feet. She wiped her hands on her skirt to clear them of blood before she reached for him.
"Broken ribs," he muttered as her hands came around his shoulders. "I'm okay."
"What the hell happened here?" Batman snapped, dragging the Joker's bound and gagged, and thankfully unconscious body behind him. "I gave you all orders. No one is to approach the Joker. You were to stay out of his way. I trusted you all enough to follow those orders and you disobeyed me. What were you thinking, Starfire?"
She blinked at him, her eyes wide with surprise at being singled out. "I did not do anything."
Batman's expression was hard, unyielding and even though he spoke softly, Nightwing could hear the anger in his voice. "You gave away your position with that light you produced. You interfered when I told you all not to."
Starfire looked shocked. "But-"
"I ordered you to deal with weapons, not attempt to take on the Joker. And because you disobeyed me someone was hurt."
Blood drained from Starfire's face and she looked at Batman in horror, her hands drawing away from Nightwing and against her chest as she tried to make herself as small as possible.
Nightwing bristled. "She was doing what I'd trained her to do, what I would have expected her to do since we couldn't see the Joker coming. She was working as part of a team, that's what the Titans do. We play on each other's strengths, protect each other's weaknesses. It's called teamwork. Something you wouldn't know about."
"Gotham's my town," Batman snapped, and Nightwing found it amazing that he could sound so angry without raising his voice. "Not yours. You washed your hands of it a long time ago. You are all here under invitation only, and I expected you to behave yourselves and follow my instructions. Now, you will quit being a smart-ass. Or so help me-"
"You'll what?" Nightwing yelled, ignoring the flash of pain across his chest as he yelled. "Ground me? Spank me? Cut of my fucking allowance? We both know I don't need your money. Doesn't matter that this is your town and that we're traipsing all over your turf. You were the one that asked my assistance tonight."
"She disobeyed a direct order. She needs to be held accountable."
"And you are not the one to decide these things. I will be the one to discipline her, not you. Starfire is on my team, not yours. A team that was created when you decided that I was the one that couldn't be trusted, remember? That I was the one that couldn't follow orders. Damn it, you see faults in everyone around you but yourself. You are not a one-man army, Batman. You've got to learn to rely on other people, to trust other people. To trust members of your own goddamn team. And believe me, I know from experience what happens when you don't. Now, if you don't mind, two of my members are missing, one of them could be dying and I have to find them." He turned from his father. "Cyborg-"
"I knew it was a mistake to leave you with them for so long," Batman said stoically. "I should have pulled you out a lot earlier. I thought having friends would have a calming effect on you, but I see now that she has too much influence over you."
Nightwing froze, his face twisting into a snarl before his spun back toward his father, his face red. "I'm not a stupid little kid you can order around anymore."
"You will both stop it right now," Batgirl snapped, interposing herself between the two, before she stabbed a finger at Batman's chest. "Nightwing's right and you know it. You're just too stubborn to admit it." She swung around to Nightwing. "And don't you smirk at him, Nightwing, cause Batman's right too. You are both two peas in the same pod. Get over it, both of you."
"Stay out of this, Batgirl," Batman droned while Nightwing bristled again.
"What's going on? Why are you all yelling at each other?" Raven asked.
Everyone spun to face her.
She looked drained, even more so than she had when Nightwing had seen her after she'd healed him. Her reddened eyes were sunken hollows, her lips were pale and there was a mark on her bottom one where she'd bitten it. She had one hand cupped before her, the other covering it as though she held the most precious item in the world within it.
She swayed dangerously and Cyborg placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Sorry I disappeared like that. He was running out of time and I needed to slow it down. I took him out of phase for a while, where time ran slower for him but not for me."
"I didn't know you could do that," Nightwing said softly, his eyes locked on her cupped hands. He wanted to know, he had to know. He didn't want to lose another Titan. But Raven looked so calm that he held onto the hope that she'd been able to save him.
She shrugged as though it didn't matter. "Neither did I. Don't think I can do it again."
"Is he still damaged?" Starfire asked, her voice filled with pain.
Raven slowly unfurled her hand, revealing a small, green newt curled up in the palm of her hand. They all held their breath until they watched his small chest rise and fall. "He's asleep. I need to get him back to the Batcave and put him in water."
Kid Flash vanished, returning in an instant with a small dish and a bottle of water, which he poured into the dish for her. Raven smiled at him tiredly and gently placed Beast Boy into the water before clutching at the bowl.
Nightwing nodded. Newts had incredible healing properties and regenerative abilities. He would heal faster this way. "Thank God."
Starfire began to cry. She dropped to her knees and covered her face in her hands. "It was my fault," she choked out between sobs.
Raven knelt down before her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Gar left a message for you, Starfire." Raven waited until Starfire looked up at her through her fingers. She gave Starfire a wobbly smile. "He said it was his turn to protect you and he'd do it again in a heartbeat."
Batman cleared his throat. "Let's head back to the Batcave. I think we have some things that we need to discuss."