Steam whistled and gears turned in the hideaway of the two villains. Slade was very displeased, as the Joker had taken it upon himself to adorn the lair with his prized possessions. His giant Jack-in-the-box stood in one corner and his truck sized ABC blocks filled another.
Slade's usual "home" now looked like an old out-of-business Toy's R Us warehouse. He groaned as he looked at the Joker's decorating. This was NOT his style.
"Come on Sladey, don't be like that!" the clown laughed. "Harley picked out the curtains herself!"
She bounded out from behind the blocks on a black and red pogo stick. "Yea Mista Slade! Dontcha think they'll look great?"
Slade cocked an eye (The one you can see). "Oh yes. They'll be ever so lovely on the NON-EXSISTANT WINDOWS!" He retorted, throwing his hands into the air.
"Awww, Don't be so negative Slade." the Joker said. "I have something that might cheer you up!" He ran over to a chest painted like playing cards and started to dig through it. "Let's check the toy chest!" He tossed a water gun "No.", then a squirting flower, "Nope." from the box. "AHA!" He yelled triumphantly, pulling out a small portable monitoring device. It blinked on, and an animated version of his face laughed on the screen. "Cute huh?"
Slade forgot the garish decorations. "What is that?" he asked, suddenly interested.
The joker smiled and held it for Slade to see.
"Harvey and I came up with it!" he explained. "All of the chemicals in that bullet have a tracker built in! I can-
The Joker dramatically shook his head. "That's strange! The bird hasn't flown the coop yet? The kid should have died hours ago!" He tossed the device to the side. "No matter!" he yelled leaping to the top of the blocks. He struck a heroic pose (fists on hips and head held high). "We'll just have to help him with that next time we meet, won't we?" He said patting his gun.
Lightning cracked, thunder sounded, and manic laughter filled the air.
The five rain-soaked guests stood in the entrance hall, puddles gathering at their feet on the dark hardwood floors. Alfred looked down, a scowl on his face. "Let us adjourn to the living room where there is warm, kindling fire." The Titans followed the butler under the raised stair and went to the fire. Beast boy immediately changed into a cat and leaped up on the hearth. The rest set down their luggage and started to dry themselves off with the towels Alfred had brought them.
Ace Jr. Lost interest in the matter (They were staying silent) and bounded up the stairs and leapt into Batgirl's arms. She giggled silently and sat him back on the floor, then joined the others. She watched the flames twist themselves into strange and exotic shapes and the tendrils of smoke curling as they made their ascent up the chimney and into the stormy sky. The sound of footsteps coming toward her snapped her from her trance. She looked at the person next to her in confusion.
There's Beast boy, Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire…As the 5th person turned, the glow from the fire revealed the face under the hood. "Barbara!" Batgirl exclaimed. "I thought you were in Europe looking into that Valconè case!"
Barbara Gordon smiled and pushed back the hood obscuring her features. Her auburn-red hair fell to her shoulders as she smiled and shook her head. "We found them. The League is taking care off it." She put a hand on Batgirl's shoulder. "Bruce gave me a call. I'll help you with that chemical problem in a bit." She picked up her luggage and started to her room.
Batgirl nodded and turned to the Titans. Their eyes were darting around the room, trying to take all the detail in. Starfire flew up to the ceiling and was looking at her reflection in the glass dome part of the roof. She laughed at the distortions the mirror had until lightning flashed. Cyborg was sitting in one of the chairs shaking his foot like he was worried about something. Cat-Beast Boy was stretching on the hearth, now dry from the heat of the fire. He jumped down and started pawing around, examining the carpet, then the chair, then the stairs.
Raven, noticing Batgirl grinning at her astonished look, grinned and walked over to her. "So, I see you guys made it." Batgirl said. "How do you like the house?"
"WHOA! This is where you live?" Beast boy asked, changing back to human.
Batgirl raised an eyebrow. "No this is just the summer home." She said teasingly.
Beast Boy's jaw dropped to the floor. Raven used her powers to close it. "She's kidding." She informed him. "I knew that!" He lied, blushing.
Cyborg stood up. "So Batgirl-." Cyborg started.
"Call me Dove here." she interrupted. They looked confused. "It's a nickname." She explained. "We have to be careful in this town. If people find out who any of us really are all of this would be over."
She motioned to the whole of the mansion. "All of this is a mask. We use it to conceal who we really are." She sighed. "That's why I'm called Dove here. To hide Batgirl." She looked up.
Beast Boy had his head cocked to one side. Cyborg looked like the gears in his head had frozen over. Raven and Starfire were thinking it through. Oops…maybe they'll get it eventually...ha ha.
"So, wait a sec." Cyborg said. "You have three different names?" Batgirl nodded in amusement. He continued. "So, Batgirl's what we call you in uniform, Dove's the name here and your real name is ?"
She looked down at the floor. "I haven't used that name in a long time…Dick is the only one alive who knows it…"
Raven's voice popped into her head. "You'll have to explain that too." She smiled at the silent communication.
"That's Robin's name here." She explained taking her cue.
Starfire giggled. "Friend 'Dove', what do you wish us to do with our 'bags of the travel'?" She asked, picking hers up.
"Come on, I'll show you guys where you're staying." Dove said, walking to Cyborg. She took his luggage from him. "I'll take yours up to your room. You might want to park the T-car in the garage…this storm's getting worse."
"Thank you!" he said, letting lose a huge breath. " Do you want your bike in there too or?"
"Yea, sure. Just put it next to the red one." She said. The red one that'll be Robin's new one if he heals…WHEN he heals…oh, I hope he heals…
Cyborg disappeared out into the storm while the rest of the group followed Dove up the stairs. "First stop, Cyborg's room.", she announced. She strode into a royal blue room and sat his things on the bed.
"Umm, not rush you or anything, but can we find somewhere for me to put these?! Beast Boy said, straining under the weight of his suitcases. "These are kinda heavy."
"They wouldn't be that heavy if you hadn't packed your entire room in them. I don't think you needed all 300 of your comics." Raven said as black energy surrounded the top bag. She lifted it effortlessly and went to the door.
Dove walked back out into the hall. "Come on. It's right down here." She went into a room a little farther down the hall. A high raised bunk bed with a hammock underneath it greeted them. The cerulean walls were solid and plain. Beast boy threw his stuff in the hammock and looked around wordlessly. It was truley underwhelming.
Dove lifted an eyebrow. "I think we're missing something…. Now what was it…." She walked to the closet. "Oh, yea. It was this." She pressed a button in the closet and a panel on the solid wall slid back to reveal a huge flat screen TV. Beast boy froze.
"Oh, and these too." She pressed another button. A section in the wall below the TV peeled back, and an entertainment center was exposed, full of the best and newest video gaming systems in Gotham.
Beast boy stood there, dumbfounded. "I…. this…those…they…. and me… room…I can…whoa."
Dove grinned slyly. "Ok, and-go."
Beast boy scrambled as fast as he could to the games and grabbed a controller. He was instantly addicted.
Dove started to the door. "Come on, let's leave him here." At least he's got something to keep his mind off…that. She walked slowly down the hall and started toward Starfire's room.
"What do those stairs lead to?" Raven asked cautiously. Dove looked back to the staircase she was looking at. She sighed.
"A few storerooms, a lounge…" she paused. "The infirmary." Where Robin is…attached to a million machines that are keeping him alive…
Raven took one look at Dove's face and decided now was not the time. "Come on." She said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We can talk later."
Dove nodded and smiled grimly. She continued down a different hall and stepped into another room. She flipped on the lights and turned to Starfire whose eyes where two times their normal size. "You think it'll do?"
Starfire squealed and started darting about the room, eyes jumping from the mint green walls to the deep purple colored sheets that covered the queen sized bed, then to the fun chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
"Friend, Dove it is magnificent! Exhal the one who is responsible for the adornment of this room!" She said gleefully.
Dove laughed. "I'll be sure to pass the message along.", she said proudly. I told you those colors where great Alfred! "You can go ahead and unpack. We'll be in Raven's room right next door."
She led Raven over to the next room. Lightning flashed in the window that covered the entire back wall. Dove clapped her hands and the sconces adorning the wall flickered on, filing the room with a dim light. Raven was taken aback. The other rooms had been so bright and this one was…dark and to her style.
Dove walked over to the shelf and picked up a book. "This has to be my favorite room in the house…well, next to mine. You like it?" she asked the Goth.
Raven looked up at her and smiled. "It's…perfect." She said breathlessly. "It reminds me of a book but I –."
"Forbidden?" Dove said, showing her the book. Raven stood with a gaping mouth. "It's one of my favorites."
"Really?" Raven asked, impressed. "I didn't think I'd ever meet anyone who has actually read anything like this."
Dove smiled and shook her head. "There's more over there. Kind of my own little collection. You might like some of them." She sighed.
"She might like what?" said a deep voice coming from the door. Raven jumped but Dove just turned. She was used to Bruce popping up out of nowhere.
"The books." She replied. There was no use getting into a full discussion now. They would have plenty to talk about at dinner with the Titans.
"Hmm…hey, Dove. Why don't you let me have a talk with Raven?" Bruce said. Dove understood. "Alright. Just don't hold her up too long. They have to eat eventually." Dove laughed. Interrogation time…He obviously can't ask Robin at the moment…why can't he wait and let Robin tell him what he's been up to?
Oh right…there may not be a Robin after this…A silent tear slid down her cheek. Out in the night, a clown laughed...
Ok, sorry for the crappy chapter. This spot is kind of blurry in the story I came up with originally so…this is here for now. I'll prob. re-do this eventually. but for now-here's chapter 9. Please read and reply! The encourage people (like me) to write faster and more often if they know people are reading…
Thanks again!