To Miss Geek: 1) Glad you liked it, definitely keep reading. 2) I know right?! Her body type was SO perverted. I threw the book away after. I hate what they did to her and if I ever meet the creators I will slap them in the face with pancakes.
A/N: Sorry about the long awaited update, I had Nutcracker rehearsals for dance and I'm as tired as flying cats! Thank you for the reviews! I love all of you, this story is only five chapters in and I'm already getting goose bumps from what I have planned for the next five chapters. Prepare your bodies and souls; this is going to get intense! BEWARE! This chapter is dedicated to RobStar243 (you're awesome). Enjoy the chapter…
"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot." Eleanor Roosevelt
January 5
Batcave-Nighttime before Patrol
Robin POV
This is all so new for me; I don't like it at all. Batman has already sent out word of a new hero in Gotham, but I never imagined that I would be feeling this much anticipation. The new suit is tight but made out of very flexible material. The chest area is bullet proof but the rest of it is not, which worries me but it's not something I'm not used to. I feel a hand touch my shoulder and I look to my right, its Babs.
She's in a new Batgirl outfit that fits her perfectly, her smile is bigger than the moon and her eyes sparkle. "Ready for your first night out Nightwing?" She asks cheerily.
I sigh and check my weapon belt one last time. "I guess so; I just wish change wasn't happening so soon." I was insinuating more but Babs never catches onto subtle hints. I clear my throat and straighten my chest; I'm prepared for what the night has to bring me. "Where's Jason?" I look around.
"I'm here!" He says and runs into the Batcave to greet us. He has a huge smile on his face and the Robin uniform is gracing his presence. "The party can start now." He says with a smirk.
Babs rolls her eyes. "Can you stay serious for one night?" She asks with a joking tone in her voice.
He saunters over to her and tugs on her red hair. "Never can and never will." Jason laughs as she swats his hand away.
Babs looks at him in his uniform. "Something's different about you." She says apathetically. "I can't put my finger on it."
She looks at me and I shrug. "His hair?" I ask, obviously not up for simple conversation at this moment.
Babs snaps her fingers and ruffles his once perfectly smooth hair. "You dyed it black!" She laughs and he pushes her hands away.
"If I'm going to be Robin I have to play the part." He smiles and I sigh.
"If you're going to play the part of Robin, no smiling. Be a leader and not a follower, also when we're out there if you disobey any of my commands your short hero life will be over before you even knew it began." I say dramatically, I can't stand the idea of lugging Jason behind. He does idiotic things at home, who knows what he'll do on patrol.
Jason's eyes harden and he stares blankly at me. "Scared I'll outshine you brother?" His tone is dark, and it deters me slightly. Something about the way he said it makes my mental alarm go off. I ignore it and cast a quick glance at Babs.
I rub a hand over my face; his immaturity is intoxicating to be around. "Put in your earpieces and get to Main Street South. Police said that there might be a gang war there tonight. I'll be at the intersection of Main and Broad 5 blocks away. Stay hidden and use rooftops only." I shove my earpiece in and run out the exits of the Batcave leaving them behind in my dust. I needed a good head start anyways; this was always my favorite time of the night, the escape into the darkness.
I jump on my black motorcycle; the 'R' cycle is in Jason and Bab's possession now. It rumbles beneath me and I zoom into the night. The air is thick but the sky is beautifully clear, I can see so many stars but by the time I reach the inner City they're blocked out by the cruel streetlamps. I place my bike in an alley and turn on the camouflage; to an outsider it looks like a chained up rusted bicycle, only I know its true identity. I find the easiest set of stairs I can find and climb to the roof of an apartment building; I rest on the ledge and look out at the dark and violent City.
Gotham is very dangerous; the criminals are almost always one step ahead of the heroes. Thankfully this City is not depended on one hero, if so then it would be doomed. So many gangs and drug dealers moved into this City because of its difficult and controversial leadership roles. The mayor and his council are complete asshats and they don't keep track of their police task force at all. Batman and I sometimes argue whether or not they're also involved in the drug business. He always tells me no, but I beg to differ. Before I can think about this any longer my earpiece buzzes with a voice. I turn the volume up. "Repeat that." I say.
"Get to Main Street South…FAST!" Bab's voice is rushed and she sounds out of breath, we've barely been out for fifteen minutes!
"I'll be there soon." I answer back but all I hear is static. I grunt in frustration and propel myself off of the rooftop. I jump from building to building; I do a couple somersaults and flips so I don't over exert myself by just running. I end up on South Main in five minutes; slightly panting. I look down the building shaft and into a wide parking lot. It is eerily lit by one streetlamp and underneath it swarms darkly dressed people surrounding Batgirl and Robin. "Shit." I whisper.
I swoop into action taking out my Eskrima Sticks from their hatches. They make a definitive click sound and I quickly scale the building, I jump off a window ledge and front flip into the center of the crowd where Robin and Batgirl are. The crowd immediately begins their assault. My team moves into action and I smash a villain's face in with my Eskrima stick. They attempt to pummel me with punches and kicks I block them using my sticks to disable their joints. Cracking sounds fill my ears as I smash someone's back into the ground. I backflip and land between Babs and Jason, Jason is randomly throwing Bird grenades into the crowd and I feel my mental tolerance explode in rage.
"Batgirl, Robin fall back!" I yell.
They look at me quizzically and disable a few more behemoths before disappearing into the night. As I run towards an alley the behemoths follow me. I throw a gas grenade and they stop, I hear their coughs and sputters as I scale a building and land lithely on the rooftop. I jump to another building and another until I'm far enough away. I sigh in aggravation, my head is aching me and I'm pissed. Before I have time to contact Batgirl she appears on the building, panting heavily.
"You run really fast." She says as she coughs slightly.
Jason is behind her coughing into his elbow. "What a fight!" He exclaims happily and claps his hands together.
I turn to him my eyes burning with anger. "What the hell happened back there?" I shout at them.
Batgirl puts up her hands in defense. "We saw a large group of thugs congregating in an alley, a truck pulled up and they all crowded around it. They looked very suspicious, I was about to call you when boy blunder over here jumps in and tries to stop them HIMSELF." She gestures Robin.
I walk over to him. "You could've endangered everyone! What the hell did I say about contacting me before jumping into action? What the hell is wrong with you? And why the hell were you using birdarangs? You're only supposed to use those in individual attacks or for quick getaways!" I shout.
He exhales nonchalantly. "I knew what I was doing!" He chuckles. "I think I'm pretty good at handling the bad guys, don't get your panties in a bunch."
His attitude is ticking me off and I feel like propelling him off a rooftop. I take a deep breath. "You are ROBIN, you do NOT start fights. You're supposed to RESOLVE them. You could've gotten yourself killed, you were surrounded! Did Bats teach you anything?" I ask him.
His smirk still seizes to fade which only infuriates me further. "He taught me how to fight; I'm only here to protect Jump City. Not take orders from a Batman wannabe."
I stare at him and a noise buzzes in my ear. I press my earpiece. "What's going on?" I ask.
"Nightwing, where are you?" It's Bruce and I rub a hand over my face.
"We're on South Main Street, where are you?" I ask, hoping we could have an easy night.
His voice is fuzzy so I know we're going somewhere farther into the City. "I'm near the old warehouse on Makeshift Avenue, get here fast there's someone we need to interrogate. Batman out." His line goes dead and I feel the impending exhaustion creeping up on me.
I look at Batgirl and Robin. "This time follow fucking orders." I point at Robin sternly and he nods. "Batman is on Makeshift Avenue near the old paper warehouse, get there fast." I say and run towards where I left my motorcycle, I hate confrontational beat downs but the guy Bruce has might give us some gang related information.
They go the opposite way and I breathe a sigh of relief, the Titans were so much better at listening and following orders. I just hope I can mold them into what the Titans were. Before I can climb down the stairs of a building to reach my bike in the alley I hear the click of a gun. I whip my head around, birdarangs sliding from their pockets on my wrist. I ready my aim and I hear a chuckle, a loud carious sound that reflects and echoes in the night air. The hairs on the back of my neck stand and I squint my eyes in the darkness trying to find a figure. He steps out into the moonlight, a bowler hat addressing his head. He's flipping a coin and smoke is drifting up from underneath his hat. His face is hidden by the popped collars on his black jacket. He's wearing regular dress pants that look pressed and clean, his black suede shoes are clean and sparkling. The man doesn't look like the average villain. "Who are you?" I breathe threateningly, careful to watch his every step like I was trained to do.
He chuckles again, and I notice the revolver in his hand. It's black and big, definitely something that was bought on the illegal black market in Gotham. "You must be Nightwing!" He exclaims happily. "I've been so worried that the rumors weren't true!" He chuckles again, and it makes me feel sick. If this man thinks he has any chance against me he's mistaken, I'm nearly twenty times stronger than him and he is outnumbered if you count my stamina. Plus he's making me angry by holding me up.
"Who are you?" I ask again, still unmoving from my stance. His gun is still pointed at me, which bothers me immensely.
He grunts then spits out the stub of what I assume to be his cigarette. "My name is Vincent Bellerose, but you can call me Vinnie. I own the mob now in Gotham." He says casually, not caring about giving his name away like he did.
I knew about mob activity in Gotham but it was common knowledge about who owned it, Tommy Dario. He was usually on our to do list, but never caused us any trouble. His main origin of interest was the monetary feuds in the lower district of the City. "What happened to Dario?" I grumble.
Bellerose snorts. "Dario sleeps with the fishes, for good now. He was doing a sucky job anyways." His gun still remains pointed at me in his hand. Bellerose's accent is thick, he must be a foreigner.
"What do you want Bellerose?" I hiss, ready to cuff this guy.
He chuckles again. "I told you to call me Vinnie; I would heed my commands if I were you." He sneers.
I resist smirking. "Maybe you didn't hear all the rumors." I say sarcastically. "I don't heed anyone's orders, especially from scum like you." I say to piss him off to move this standoff a little faster.
Bellerose throws his head back. "Oh, we have a comedian!" He chuckles extremely loud; his bellows throatily sound intoxicating in the chilly Gotham air. "Scum, eh? Trust me you haven't seen real scum, have you ever been to the Strip Club down on Fifth Ave? Now that's real-" He starts.
I cut him off as I throw a birdarang at his hand to disable his shooting hand. He dodges it extremely fast and I hear another click from behind me. My heart quickens and I realize that he said 'we' earlier meaning that he wasn't truly alone tonight. I am being played. I turn around slowly reaching into my utility belt to ready my Eskrima Sticks. Directly behind me another person in identical clothing as Bellerose is holding the same weapon, his arm is perfectly aimed at my head. As I feel the stick flick out of its holster Bellerose chuckles once again.
"I don't think so Nightwing! Move one muscle and its lights out. Right boys?" He asks into the nighttime air.
I suddenly hear more clicks, dozens, and I reach to my earpiece to call for backup.
"Nope that won't work either; we intercepted all static waves here using a device I like to call a fucker upper." Bellerose looks around and I hear loads of chuckles. I may not be able to see them but I can hear them, if I can aim a birdarang in a diagonal direction maybe I can take them all out.
I clench my fists. "What do you want Bellerose?" I ask with a calm tone, ready to negotiate then fight.
He shrugs his shoulder. "I want to send Batman a message, an important one."
"What is it?" I ask again.
Bellerose takes a step towards me angling his body so he's ready to shoot. "I'm going to be taking over this City; I don't want his team getting in my way." His accent is thick and angry, his joking tone is gone.
I immediately whip out my Eskrima Sticks, they snap into place giving me reassurance and the confidence to keep going. "No one is taking over Gotham on my watch." I say intimidatingly.
I may not be able to see his face but I have a feeling he's smiling. His confident and cocky attitude is wearing on my restraint. "I knew you were going to say that so I prepared something for you, go ahead boys!" He shouts.
I whip around and I hear the gunshots. I'm instantly pelted; my back, legs, neck, and arms suddenly feel like they're on fire. I fall to the ground, the world spinning out of proportion as my head slams on the ground. It feels like my veins are on fire, it's prickly and my vision blurs. I'm numb and I try to get to my feet, I cough and spit up blood for no apparent reason. I don't think I was hit with bullets but with poison, I don't understand. Before I can yell for help or even try to fight back I feel a hand flip me over onto my back. It's Bellerose and this time I can see his face. It's disfigured and bruised badly, his mouth is plastered on his cheek and one of his eyes has an eye patch, the other one is blood red.
He looks at me and his skin stretches into what I think is a smile. "Tell Bats that there's a new villain in town, his name is Vinnie Bellerose. He can call me Vinnie." He stands and aims his gun at my chest, by this time all I can do is close my eyes, I'm paralyzed and stiff there's no way I can fight him off. He shoots but this time it isn't a poison dart, it's a bullet and I feel it in my skin. I scream into the night air as he chuckles and disappears with his group. I blackout and the last thing I remember seeing is a smiling face with green eyes and red hair, she's radiant and her warmth and presence takes away the pain instantaneously. A cold wetness engulfs me and I feel like I'm floating.
January 5
Titan Tower-Morning
Normal POV
Cyborg hummed quietly to himself and tossed a handful of bacon into the pan. The toaster popped and he gladly threw piping hot pieces of toasty bread on a plate with another couple pieces. This was his favorite time at the Titan tower, breakfast. He could make as much food as he wanted without thinking about his duties or the troubles of being leader. It still didn't sink into him fully though, his brain continuously wandered in the secondary position. He shrugged, eventually he would get used to it, hopefully not before it was too late.
The common room doors slid open and Beast Boy along with Kid Flash ambled in. Beast Boy's eyes immediately lit up at the imminent smell of meat wafting in the air. "Metal man, what gives?" He huffed as he watched Cyborg take a bite out of a piece of hot bacon.
"Mmm, grass stain, you should try this!" Cyborg said to aggravate Beast Boy even more.
Beast Boy crossed his arms. "I would never eat a poor harmless animal like that!" He shouted.
Flash cleared his throat and raised his hand. "Um, do you two do this every morning? How old are you now?" He asked with a chuckle.
Cyborg narrowed his eyes. "Oh, look who's talking." He ripped open another pack of bacon and tossed it on the stove top. It sizzled and Flash's eyes grew.
"That looks really good, I'm not gonna complain. BB you're alone on this fight." He said as he rubbed his hands together.
Beast boy groaned and pulled out a box of cereal. "You're lucky I'm not calling PETA!" He remarked. Flash and Cyborg laughed collectively.
Flash looked around. "Where are the girls?" He asked. His eyes suddenly lit up. "Can I go get them?" He smiled widely.
Beast Boy and Cyborg exchanged glances. "No." They both said together.
He instantly frowned. "Why not?" Flash wined.
Beast Boy laughed. "Dude, you're twenty two, are you wining?"
Flash shrugged. "Yes I am." He crossed his arms. "Why can't I go get them, I'm pretty sure I could scare Raven into the next dimension." He snickered as Beast Boy chuckled.
Cyborg huffed. "I'm pretty sure she would throw you out of the tower windows."
"I'm pretty sure she would kill you." The green changeling added.
"Am I that predictable?" A monotone voice echoed from the doorway. Raven and Jinx entered the common room and the boys became very silent.
Jinx put her hands on her hips. "What's wrong?" She asked innocently.
Flash pointed at them. "You both have new costumes?" He squeaked.
Raven nodded and looked at Beast Boy. Instead of her usual leotard and purple cloak she wore black. Her bottom half consisted of her usual red and gold pendent belt but attached to it was two long pieces of fabric; one covering her backside and one covering her front side. Her hips were left completely exposed. Her bare and toned stomach led up to her string bikini top, the design fanned out like feathers. Her cloak was attached with two of her pendants. Her feet were covered with her black boots and her hands were gloved and more pendants decorated them. The only thing left purple was her hair; it was now slightly longer than her shoulder. She rolled her eyes. "It was time to put the purple away and try something a little different." She said as she pulled up her hood and walked further into the kitchen.
The boys remained silent. Jinx sighed. "Are you guys okay?" Flash continued to stare at her. She was wearing purple striped spandex shorts; her top had purple stripes also and only ended beneath her ribcage. Her long legs were covered with black fishnet tights and ballet flats; her hair was in dry curls hanging around her face.
Beast Boy dropped the cereal box as Raven brushed past him to make tea.
Cyborg coughed awkwardly; "Well I guess they were justified to change their costume a little. This is a new time in our lives; we should touch up our outfits a little." He smiled and continued to make breakfast.
Beast Boy wandered over to Raven he looked at her for a moment without her noticing. She seemed like the normal Raven, he poked her cheek to make sure. She glared at him and poured hot water in a mug.
"What do you want?" She asked with an equal amount of interest in her voice.
Beast Boy sighed. "This may sound crazy, but you're not Raven. You're a copy of her." He said in a serious tone.
Raven brushed past him again. "Go away Beast Boy." She said.
He frowned and then smiled. "Maybe I miss calculated."
Jinx giggled and looked at Cyborg. "Are they always like this?"
Cyborg nodded. "It will drive you crazy in a few days."
Flash went up to Jinx and poked her cheek. She glared at him as he smiled sweetly. "Won't work on me Wally." She said.
The Tower monitor suddenly beeped. A phone symbol popped up and Cyborg dropped what he was doing. He rushed over to the monitor and accepted the call. "Titan Tower, how may we assist you?" He answered in an authoritative tone.
A stoic face that millions new about around the world appeared, Batman. His cowl was on and his mouth was set into a deep frown. His disproving look dropped the tone of the Tower within seconds. "I have some alarming news." He said gruffly.
Cyborg frowned. "My team is here to assist as needed, what happened?"
Batman frowned even deeper. "Nightwing was injured badly. We cannot take him to a regular doctor without the media being nosy, we need a healer. We need Raven."
Raven stepped forward a little. Cyborg looked at her and back to Batman. "How was he injured and how did it happen?" He asked with a measurable amount of worry in his tone.
"Bullet wound and hallucinogen in his system, we found him on the roof of a building. He hasn't woken up since and we fear the toxin they put in him will kill him." Batman voice carried around the room at a projectable pace but underneath it you could hear his tender sadness. "We don't know who's responsible."
Flash stepped forward. "What about the City? Who's protecting it?" He stepped into the camera view and Batman nodded his head.
"Robin and Batgirl." He stated.
Flash chuckled and slapped his knee; everyone looked at him with disapproving eyes. "Bats are you serious? I understand that Batgirl can hold her own, but ROBIN?" He laughed some more, only he could bring humor into grim situations. "Yeah you need our help."
Batman rubbed a hand over his cowl. "Who's there to protect Jump City?"
Cyborg pressed a couple buttons and typed out a message. "Aqualad will be here in a couple hours, he'll watch the City for us. We'll be there in 6 hours. Titans out." He pressed the button and Batman's face disappeared off the screen. He looked at his team and sighed.
Beast Boy coughed. "So I'm assuming that Robin is now Nightwing?"
Cyborg nodded and looked at Flash. "Did you have to laugh during that? A family member of ours is in critical condition and you LAUGH?" He sighed.
Jinx giggled. "He can never be serious, right Wally?"
Wally frowned. "I can be serious, at times." He shrugged then smiled. He looked at Cyborg. "Okay boss, what's the plan?"
Cyborg frowned. "I've never been to Wayne manor, what's it like?"
Wally shrugged. "It's pretty chill; we don't need to wear disguises. We'll all get our own room." He smiled. "I'll pack my bags!" He zipped out of the room.
Cyborg pressed a button on his arm. "The Titan tower security system is on, we're free to go. Everyone pack your bags we're going to Gotham." Cyborg left the room with Jinx at his side.
Beast Boy looked over at Raven, his eyebrows shot up in surprise as he noticed her hood was down and she was looking at him. He scratched his head nervously. "Are you going to be able to heal Nightwing?"
She nodded softly and began to leave the room. Beast Boy looked at her and grabbed her wrist. "What about our trip?" He said with urgency in his eyes, his hands were becoming rough and his green eyes were increasingly getting darker.
Raven looked at him with sad eyes. "I don't know Beast Boy, there's a lot going on right now and-"
Beast Boy threw down her arm. "Bullshit, I should've never asked you." He stormed out of the common room, brushing past her fiercely.
Raven shivered at his random outburst, something was changing within him. She didn't mean to upset him, but was she really ready to take a life changing trip that could cost them their lives? She didn't know, but she did know one thing, Nightwing needed her help and that was the most important task at hand.
January 5
Tamaran
Starfire POV
I feel empty, ethereal and emblematic. Right now I am in Karras' chamber sitting on his bed. I am now in royal Tamaran wedding garbs but I do not feel joyous for this matrimonial ceremony. It is rather oblique and forced upon me. My 'wedding' is in eight hours and I am also feeling rather sanctimonious. I thought that my wedding day would be happy and full of joy, it is not and I cannot help but think of a name I have said multiple times in my life, Robin.
Karras said he would leave me alone until our wedding ceremony, it was an easy decision on his part, but I do not have a choice. I am more worried about the tradition of 'jurktha' that we must perform together. Meaning that I must try to become impregnated by him immediately after our ceremony. The only problem with that is my anger and brute strength. I will not stand for Karras coming near me tonight; he will stay a steady nine feet away from me for my own sanity. Through steady thinking and my own predictions however, I believe he will kill me when I do not comply; meaning that this may be my final day living.
Tears suddenly spring from my cheeks and I run to my vanity to gather myself, I do not want to show any of my inner weakness when Karras is around. I want to stand strong and show him that I am not afraid to die. Yes, I will marry him, and then attempt to destroy him in the tradition of 'jurktha'. I am not weak, and I plan on showing my people that tonight.
A knock sounds and my body stiffens. "Who is there?" I say in my thick accent.
"It is I, Karras; I came to wish you happiness before the ceremony." He steps into the room carrying my bag from my Pod.
I try not to show my surprise at the fact that my bag was salvaged. I cross my arms and frown. "Leave me alone."
Karras chuckles and approaches me slowly. "As you wish." He comes closer and grabs my chin forcing my eyes to pierce into his. "But as of eight hours you are in my command." His face moves closer to me and he lick's my cheek. His tongue lingers there for moments more and I try to contain the shudder rippling through me. He looks me dead in the eyes. "You will make a terrible leader, but a wonderful mate." He growls and leaves the room in a rush.
I exhale loudly, holding my stomach as I feel the food I ate earlier crawl its way back up my throat. "Oh, X'hal." I whisper and shudder in disgust.
I look around the room and spot my bag, without thinking I run to it ripping it open and spilling its contents everywhere. The UTC device falls onto my lap and I shake with adrenaline and fear. "Please be there!" I say in a rush.
I press the button and I look at the menu, no one is there. I press the 'Tower' button and the directions read 'leave a message'. I swear in Tamaranian and breathe deeply for a moment before proceeding. I change my dialect to English and speak softly.
"Friends, I want you to know that my short visit to Tamaran will be short lived. I fear that I may never talk to you again, so please listen carefully. By the time you reach this message it may already be too late, but I need you to know that I love you all from the bottom deepest crevice of my heart. I also want you to know that if you ever want to seek revenge, find Karras. He is the reason for everything done to me, he is the reason. Again, I love you all and tell Robin that I will love him for my last eight hours in existence, meaning forever."
I press the send button and release all of my anger and frustration. I power up my eye beams and the walls turn black with soot, they are somehow fireproof and I scream in agony. I throw starbolts at the bed, and it reduces to rubble. Acidic tears slip down my cheeks and I feel so conflicted and broken. Why must I end like this? WHY? I stop my fighting and think deeply for a moment, I have one chance tonight to kill Karras for good. I pray to X'hal that I will succeed.
A/N: There it is, CHAPTER 5! Woot! If you want to see Raven's sexy new look, go to my profile page and copy and paste the link into your URL bar. This chapter gave me indecisive feelings, I wasn't sure if the Richard POV part was adequate enough, nonetheless I still posted it with minor adjustments. Also, I know this is strictly a POV story, but I needed to write in third person just this once! It felt like a relief to get the Titan's voices out of my head for one scene. I really hoped you all liked it, this chapter is the longest one so far.
Please Follow, favorite, and REVIEW! I love hearing from you!
Next Chapter: 'Jurktha' traditions go into detail *wince*, we find out Nightwing's condition, we find Beast Boy in the craziest predicament, Jinx and Flash have a "serious" discussion, AND the new enemy threatens a certain persons' sanity. Bet you can't wait! See you there.