Part 65: Masked Rider Titan
Flashback…2 months ago…
"So, are you sure this will work?" Shadow asked as he looked over Pluto's shoulder. The Dog Knight was working on his current project. All over his table were blueprints and schematics with Smart Brain's emblem in the corner.
"I will be if you stop looking over my shoulder," Pluto grumbled, "This is a delicate procedure. I don't need someone breathing down my neck."
"That is exactly why I am here looking over your shoulder and breathing down your neck. You have a tendency to cause 'accidents' with your experiments and inventions."
Pluto snorted. "Well, not this time."
"It took a long time and a lot of work to get all this data, Pluto," Shadow said, giving him a cold stare. "Don't waste it."
Pluto gave him a thumb's up and grinned. "You know I won't. I just hope he won't mind it that we took one of his belts and decided to modify it. I mean, this is one serious piece of gear. All the gadgets and stuff are amazing, even if they aren't as advanced as the stuff we got back at Smart Brain."
"Well, it's a given seeing who his mentor was," Shadowcobra said. He asked, "How about his communicator? Did you modify it yet?"
"Did it yesterday," Pluto said, holding up a device before it was pulled a way by a shadow hand. "Hey!"
"Let me see," Shadow said as he looked over the T-Com. "Looks alright. Everything is in working order," he said as he inspected it. "I'm impressed. You were actually able to modify it without causing it to go haywire." It was roughly yanked back into Pluto's hand via telekinesis.
"Well, I'm not some incompetent mad scientist anymore," Pluto muttered as he went back to work. "I deserve some respect."
"I do respect you," Shadow admitted. "It's just your track record hasn't been as good up until now." Shadow listed, "The explosions, failed experiments, mutations…" he continued, "I still don't get it how you get your supply of plutonium."
Pluto gave him a grin, "Well, we all gotta have our secrets, right?"
"Very much so," Shadow sighed.
"Got the DNA sample?" Pluto asked. "I need it so that he'll be the only one who can use it."
"Right here," Shadowcobra said as he handed the sample over to Pluto. He checked his watch, "Well, I'm off. I have a date with Raven to get to and I must get ready."
"Have fun, boss," Pluto waved. He then got back to his work. On one of the blueprints, written in bold capital letters, were the words "TITAN GEAR".
Present Day…
"Hey, you!" someone shouted at them. "You kids shouldn't be here!" The trio of Titans turned to see who had addressed them. They had come to the old abandoned toy factory when Pluto had detected a large amount of EM Wave energy, suggesting jamming technology that blocked their sensors from the place. An EM scanner soon solved that problem and led them here. The broadcast must've come from here so Raven and Shadow both entered, leaving Mortuary, Draco and Jinx outside.
The man who'd addressed them was large and muscular, dressed in tattered jeans and a black shirt. He had numerous tattoos on his muscular arms and his face was expressing a deep scowl at the three teen heroes. His head was cleanly shaven and he had a nose ring. At the same time, Mortuary's Orphenoch tracker was alerting him of a new Orphenoch signature…right in front of them.
Draco, naïve as usual, bowed and apologized, "I'm sorry, but my friends and I are here to investigate a lead. You see, we're the Titans, and-"
The man's scowl turned into a very malicious sneer, "Oh, I know who you are. The boss told me you kids would be snooping around." His eyes flashed white.
"Wait…" Draco realized. He knew those eyes. Those were the eyes of… "You're an-"
Mortuary shouted, "He's an Orphenoch!" before whipping out his Death Buster and pointing it at the man who soon shifted into his Orphenoch form. The Orphenoch was large and muscular, covered in a thick armor-like hide. He seemed to have grown larger as well, at least by a foot. His head had large ears and his nose resembled a small elephant's trunk with small tusks on the side.
The man had turned into the Elephant Orphenoch.
The Elephant Orphenoch trumpeted and charged straight at the three teens who reacted by leaping out of the way. The stampeding Orphenoch crashed into the wall as a result, leaving a large gaping hole.
"OK, that was close," Jinx said as she let out a breath of relief before hearing the trumpeting again. "Oh, dear lord, not again…" The Elephant Orphenoch rushed straight out of the hole once again, ready to run the trio of Titans over. Jinx threw a hex blast but it was only sent stumbling a few steps back before resuming his charge.
Mortuary engulfed his hands in necroplasmic flames before throwing them at the monster. It didn't seem fazed before it smashed a fist into Mortuary, sending the necromancer flying. Mortuary flipped through the air and landed before coughed up some blood. He took out his gun and fired at the Orphenochs. The shots bounced off the Orphenoch's tough armor as it charged at Mortuary again.
Its trajectory was interrupted when a sheet of ice formed under him, causing him to slip right past Mortuary. Draco had done it and when the Orphenoch came at him, he pulled his hand back and threw it straight into the Orphenoch's face. With his superior strength already enhanced by the Ox Zodiac Power, the Orphenoch was sent crashing into the wall again.
They hadn't won yet as they could heat shuffling and a loud trumpeting sound as the Elephant Orphenoch bellowed.
It was time they finished this.
Jinx's hands clutched the Scarab Inzecter. "Let's do this!"
"Music to my ears, Jinx," Mortuary said as he took hold of his Zodiac Deck.
Draco hesitated for a second. He knew that they would have to kill this Orphenoch if he left them no other. It was for the good of the innocents they had and would hurt. Shutting his eyes, he took out his deck and called, "Henshin," before sliding the deck into his summoned belt. "Empowerment of the Zodiac Dragon!"
"Empowerment of Aries!" Mortuary called as he slid the deck into his belt.
"Henshin!" Jinx commanded before snapping her Inzecter onto her belt. "HENSHIN!" it echoed.
In flashes of light, Mortuary and Draco had turned into their Zodiac Knight forms as Jinx's armor swept over her body from her belt, completing the look as her visor flashed.
The Elephant Orphencoh charged right out of the hole and straight for the trio of armored Titans, The Z-Titans, and let out a loud bellow. His opponents charged right back at him.
At the same time, Copycat was watching the fight unfold from atop the roof. She decided to stick around to see the result. She doubt her brother and his friends would be defeated but knowing how merciful her brother was she knew this might be a tough choice he had to make, at least willingly.
Kill or be killed.
Both Shadow and Raven, though deep in the factory, could hear the commotion coming from outside. Raven grew worried.
"You think they need our help?" Raven asked. Shadow shook his head.
"They can handle it," Shadow retorted. Don't worry. I k now they can handle it. They've been through a whole lot worse." He was illuminating their way with a light ball. The power in the place had gone out so maybe the Joker used an outside source of energy to power his jammer and broadcast.
Raven just had to take his word for it. Right now, the Joker could be here, waiting for them. It was like a strange and morbid version of hide-and-seek with the prize being the fate of everyone in Jump City. Fortunately, the evacuation was almost complete, save for the chaos it caused. It would take a long time for the city to recover, no doubt about it.
Shadowcobra, meanwhile, couldn't help but think that the whole set up seemed a bit too…easy. The Joker was just waiting for them and if they did he'd just give up. No chance. If the Joker was an Orphenoch as they theorized then he wouldn't be going down without a fight. His insane plus malicious tendencies wouldn't allow him to just give himself up. It was not his style, from what Shadowcobra knew from Batman. Each time he was captured, he would just break out to cause havoc. Sometimes it was just a small jewelry store robbery, or something much grander like mass murder.
To sum it all up, the Joker just loved...crazed attention. He was a clown who wanted to leave all his audience to literally die laughing.
Shadowcobra's ears could pick up a cackling sound echoing throughout the factory. "This way," he said to Raven. The cackling sounded close. He had his hand on his hip, ready to draw one of his weapons. He could very well use his powers but he didn't want to waste them on a clown. An Orphenoch…well…
They turned a corner into a dark hall and continued walking.
Cyborg followed the coordinates given by Pluto as he led his team to the device. It wasn't too hard but the amusement park looked really creepy at night and that was before they found a second victim killed in the same manner as the previous one. This had gone way too far.
"It's up ahead," Cyborg said. They then stopped right in front of a large structure. It looked like a large cartoon bomb with Joker's face on it and sitting upon a pedestal. On the side of the bomb was the control panel and it displayed the amount of time they still had. They had about 16 hours before this bomb exploded and judging from the Joker's usual M.O. it was filled with his own patented form of laughing gas that would kill its victims in seconds, leaving their corpses with horrendously looking large grins plastered on their faces.
"OK, the Joker is really extravagant," Renia said as she looked the bomb over. She touched it with the palm of her hand but Cyborg hastily pulled her away. "Hey!"
"Don't touch it," Cyborg warned. "We don't know what can set it off." Renia pulled her hand back.
"Relax, Cy," Renia replied. "I was just going to analyze this bomb's composition, the materials made, and what's inside." Renia could analyze the substance of an object through touch and mentally break it all down into their base components. It was the alchemist inside her. She could tell what something was made of down to its molecular level. She began to analyze the bomb. At the same time, Cyborg had opened the panel to try and disarm it.
Two shadowy figures were watching them and Beast Boy caught them near the corner of his eye. He tensed up. This didn't go unnoticed by Terra.
"Something wrong, Beast Boy?" Terra asked.
"Someone else is here, watching us," he said to her.
Terra didn't doubt Beast Boy's instincts. She yelled out, "Show yourselves!"
The two figures then walked out of their hiding places
"Well, sorry, but the boss won't like it if you guys shut him down," said one of the figures as his eyes began to glow. Terra's eyes narrowed.
"Orphenochs," Terra growled as she rolled up her sleeve. "Thought so." Both thugs then roared as they morphed into their Orphenoch forms. One thug had turned into an Orphenoch resembling a walrus. His head was covered by a helmet with sharp tusks jutting down. Flaps of armor hung around his waist. His body color was grey. The second thug had morphed into an Orphenoch resembling a bull. He too had grey armored skin with LARGE fists and equally sharp and large horns on his head. Both Orphenochs bellowed as they charged at the three Titans.
"We have to hold them off while Cyborg shuts down the machine," Beast Boy said as he morphed into a large Kodiak bear and began wrestling with the Walrus Orphenoch
"Don't need to tell me twice," Terra agreed as she snapped the Cutter Inzecter on her armguard. Renia followed suit by snapping her Locust Inzecter onto her belt.
"HENSHIN!"
"CHANGE PUNCH LOCUST!"
"You're going down!" the Walrus Orphenoch roared as he charged for Terra
"Bring it!" the armored geomancer called as she charged for her opponent.
Renia eyed the Ox Orphenoch carefully as they circled each other. Renia knew that Orphenochs were tricky and were pretty strong as well. They also had their ability to pump a victim with their energy to try and change them into an Orphenoch. It was almost always fatal.
A loud slam echoed through the air as Terra and the Walrus Orphenoch used their impressive strength to try and out-muscle each other. The split second distraction was all the time the Ox Orphenoch needed before it charged with one of its giant fists raised, ready to crush her underneath them.
"Don't think so!" Reina giggled impishly as she reached to her belt. "Clock Up!"
"CLOCK UP!" her Inzecter cried before she vanished in a sudden blur.
The Ox Orphenoch was stunned for a moment before it felt like it was punched in the face several times before a large blow knocked it backwards to the ground.
"CLOCK OVER!" the Inzecter called before Renia appeared again.
"How do you like that?" the armored Crystal Alchemist asked as she giggled.
Another crash echoed as Terra punched the Walrus Orphenoch in the gut, causing it to stumble back. Acting quickly, the armored teen aimed and fired her shoulder cannons at the Orphenoch, causing it to stumble backwards even further after each shot.
The Ox Orphenoch was not going down as easily as Renia though. He maybe slow, but he had a tough hide. It then bellowed and tried to punch her before a blue beam of sonic energy knocked him aside.
"Booyah!" Cyborg cheered.
Beast Boy tried to help Terra and turned into a mountain goat. He charged straight at the Walrus Orphenoch only for him to grab Beast Boy by the horns and straight at the machine. Beast Boy hit the bomb, but luckily didn't detonate it. His hand, however, fell upon a random button.
"BB!" Terra shouted and then she summoned up a boulder before using her power to throw it at the Walrus Orphenoch, knocking him into his partner. The two Orphenoch fell in a heap.
Both Orphenochs struggled to their feet before sending glares at the Titans. Their glares turned to smirks before they suddenly turned and ran.
"What?" Renia blinked. "Just what the heck was that about?" She screamed, "Come back, you cowards!"
The sudden sounds of an alarm ringing echoed through the area, causing the Titans to turn around to look at the bomb. Next to it was a sheepishly grinning Beast Boy and a fuming Cyborg.
"What did you do?!" Cyborg cried out.
"I accidentally pressed a button!" Beast Boy defended. "It wasn't even a red one!"
The bomb began shooting light out of the metal before it seemed to swell under the pressure if the gas inside of it. The Titans believed that this was the end as the bomb went off.
POP!! "HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"
The bomb did explode. However, it did not release gas, but colorful confetti and a recording of the Joker's laughter.
"Dude?" Beast Boy blinked. "That isn't funny."
"It was all a joke?!" Terra cried. She would've pulled her hair if it wasn't for the helmet.
"I can't believe this!" Renia frowned deeply behind her helmet.
"I don't believe it either," Cyborg frowned. His optic blinked as his eye widened in absolute shock. "Wait, this was a plan to separate us! He's after something else!"
"What is it?" asked Beast Boy.
Meanwhile, back at the factory, Jinx (Now in her Scarab Armor's Speed Mode), Draco and Mortuary were dealing with the Elephant Orphenoch and now found out WHY he was called that. He had just turned the lower half of his body into an entire elephant's body like some sort of deranged looking centaur. His upper body was at the place where an elephant's head would be. He let out a loud bellow as he charged at the Titans, ready to use his large feet to flatten them. It stomped down on Draco but lucky for the Dragon Knight he was able to roll out of the way.
Mortuary tried shooting him from behind but this only served to anger the large Orphenoch. He then used one of his hind legs to kick Mortuary into the gate. The monster hunter struggled to get back up. That hit hurt a lot.
"Take this!" Draco roared as he tried to freeze the Orphenoch. At first, he had turned into a large block of ice before shattering and charging for Draco. Jinx was able to push her boyfriend out of the way in time.
"We need a new strategy!" Jinx shouted as she activated the Clock Up system "CLOCK UP!" she then vanished into a blur and then Draco could see as the Elephant Orphenoch was sent staggering by several potent yet invisible hits. He then fell onto his side from a particular hard hit that echoed like a thunderclap.
"CLOCK OVER!"
Jinx reappeared but the Orphenoch still hadn't gone down for good as he rose back up to his full height again. She groaned. "Won't anything bring this guy down?"
"Final Vent!" Mortuary called, "CALL OF THE HERD!" His Gazelle herd started to relentlessly attack the Orphenoch. Hitting it hard and fast before Mortuary leapt up to deal a fatal looking knee strike to his face. The Elephant Orphenoch seemed affected but not by much as it survived the Final Vent. "Damn!" Mortuary cursed as he began shooting and then rolled out of the way.
"Jinx, look out!" Draco shouted as he pushed Jinx out of the way and was sent smashing into the factory when the Elephant Orphenoch rammed into him.
"DRACO!" Jinx shouted but then her eyes glowed pink as she fired a powerful hex blast into the Elephant Orphenoch before she threw a barrage of hexes at the monster. This time he was feeling each blow from Jinx as she wanted to kill him.
Mortuary joined in too, blasting at the Orphenoch with green encro-blasts. He then stopped, before asking "Hey, do you hear something?"
Jinx stopped her barrage. "What are you talking about?"
The Elephant Orphenoch finally got his second wind and let out a loud bellow before stampeding towards the two armored Titans. They prepared themselves for the stomping but then felt nothing. They did hear something as 16 missiles flew out of the hole into the factory's hole and then exploded when they impacted the Elephant Orphenoch. A large vehicle then sped out of the factory. It was the Jet Slinger and in it was a familiar black clad Knight…Zodiac Knight Ifrit. He must've taken control of Draco after he lost consciousness.
"I really don't appreciate getting thrown into a wall," Ifrit commented before he pressed a few more buttons. They missile trays popped out of the sides of the Jet Slinger as he aimed at the Orphenoch, locking onto his target. "And…fire," he said before pressing down on a button, letting the missiles loose again. The Elephant Orphenoch was being overwhelmed with fire power. It could not get away from the flames exploding on his body. The Black Dragon Knight decided to take advantage of this and leapt up from his vehicle. He reached down to his belt and drew a card before sliding it into his gauntlet.
"Final Vent!" he called out before Dragblacker flew up behind him. "DRAGON FREEZING KICK!" He plummeted down towards the Elephant Orphenoch who was just beginning to recover from the blasts. A blast of freezing energy engulfed him and froze him solid before Ifrit smashed into him, shattering him to pieces and thus killing him. The Black Dragon Knight grinned at his handiwork and dusted off his palms. "Should've done that ages ago," he chuckled.
"Don't you think that was a little overkill?" Jinx frowned from behind her helmet. She knew Ifrit was a part of her boyfriend but she really didn't like the darker personality of Ryuki. She knew what he represented.
"No, don't know the meaning of the word," Ifrit shrugged. "It got the job done, though."
"A little too well in my opinion," spoke Shadow as he and Raven exited from the factory. Shadow's eyes scanned the area where the battle had taken place and saw the frozen chunks of Orphenoch lying around. "Robin would not approve of us killing."
"Hey, it's kill or be killed, Snakey," Ifrit grinned under his helmet. Shadow rubbed his temples. Whenever Ryuki ever fell unconscious, Ifrit would come out and 'play'.
"So, found anything?" Mortuary asked.
Flashback…
Shadow and Raven wandered around the dark factory, their only source of light being the orb within the Snake Knight's hand. They passed by a few conveyer belts and leftover toys, but found nothing to lead them to the Joker.
They then found a backroom with a large amount of TV and broadcasting equipment. Shadow scanned the area. No Joker and no Orphenochs.
…End Flashback
"The Joker's not here," said Raven, getting to the point. "He must've left as soon as he made that announcement." She grumbled. "It kinda makes sense, though. No villain, no matter how insane, would just stick around to get himself captured. Her communicator began beeping as did the others. They then activated them. "Yes?" Raven asked. Cyborg's face was on the screens and he looked distressed.
"The bomb's a dud!" Cyborg shouted. "The Joker wanted us out of the Tower! He's after something else!"
"But what would a psychotic clown want which would require us leaving?" Ifrit questioned. There was silence before the answer came to them.
"Tim."
T.I.T.A.N. alerted them as the alarms blared, the lights flashing red, "WARNING! WARNING! PERIMETER BREACH! PERIMETER BREACH!"
Pluto got up from his station and then looked towards Blackfire. He said, "Looks like we have an unwanted guest." He had received Cyborg's message.
"Come on, let's welcome him," Blackfire said, cracking her knuckles.
"INTRUDER IN TOWER! INITIATE DEFENCE PROTOCOL!"
They knew that the security system could handle one Orphenoch, but they had to make sure. Taking the elevator, they went down to the ground floor to give their 'guest' a proper 'welcome'.
Down at the ground floor, the door had a big hole ripped in it. The guns had also been destroyed and there were claw markings on the walls. The lights had also been taken out. Pluto tensed up. He didn't call on his armor. Blackfire was with him, blackbolts ready to blast their intruder.
"Get ready for anything, Blackie," Pluto said to his girlfriend, hands crackling with energy as his visor scanned the area. "It could be anywhere."
"There's two of us and one of him," Blackfire spoke cockily. "How tough could one clown be?"
They were suddenly frozen by a loud and insane cackling noise that chilled them to the bone.
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA…!!!"
It echoed throughout the dark hallway.
"He's here," Pluto said, a trail of sweat running down his forehead. He didn't know why he was even scared. The Joker was just a clown. Nothing more. Blackfire's eyes glowed their signature violet color.
Then, 'it' struck.
There was a dark blur that immediately pounced on Pluto and smashed him into the wall. In the limited lighting, Pluto could see a pair of yellow eyes staring right at him and the owner of said eyes laughing like an insane hyena. The 'thing' was then thrown back when blackbolts impacted its body, sending it tumbling over the floor. Blackfire then asked, "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Pluto said. "Invulnerable, remember?" Blackfire cast him a smile before they refocused their attention on their intruder.
Blackfire used her blackbolts to illuminate the area so they could see better, but they couldn't see any signs of their foe. Suddenly, Blackfire screamed as she was slashed in the back.
"Blackfire!" Pluto exclaimed before he was slashed in the chest too. It was a good thing that his soul fiber suit was durable. He then threw a bolt of lightning but the 'thing' was fast. It also kept laughing in a taunting manner. "Shut up!" Pluto shouted, sending lightning flying to strike their 'guest'.
Then, 'it' spoke.
"I thought you Titans would be tougher than this!" the thing cackled. "I must've thought wrong."
"Who are you?" Pluto asked, but inwardly he already knew the answer. He helped Blackfire up to her feet.
"I am known as many things! The Clown Prince of Crime, the Harlequin of Hate, Batman's Nemesis…" the 'thing' listed. "But you can call me…"
"Joker!"
The cackling continued as Joker then leapt down in front of the Dog Knight before throwing his fist directly into his face. Pluto staggered but survived. He reached for his deck but then he saw a foot smash into his visor, shattering it. Blackfire retaliated for him by blasting at the Joker but he was too agile and in the dark he had the advantage.
No more.
Pluto shouted, "Activate backup lights!" As soon as he said that, the lights came on in the hallway.
That's where they saw him, the Joker, as they'd seen him on TV. Purple suit, ghost white skin, blood red lips, styled green hair and a large grin plastered on his deviously fiendish face.
Pluto involuntarily shivered at seeing this madman in person.
"Wow, nice trick!" the Joker laughed. "A new type of clapper?"
"Get out of our home!" Blackfire roared.
"Well, can't really do that," the Joker said. "I need to pick up my little JJ."
"JJ?" Pluto questioned.
"Oh, it's short for Joker Junior, but I guess you know him as…Tim Drake." The Joker's grinned widened, if that was possible.
"You're not getting him!" Pluto said as his hands crackled with electricity.
"Well, I might as well take out the garbage!" the Joker cackled. "Here's the Joker's new standup show! One time only!" His eyes then let out an unearthly yellow glow as he changed. His clothes changed color, turning into a dull grey. His shoes also morphed, turning into hyena feet. His hands gained sharp claws with patches of fur on the back. The biggest change was his head, which had turned beastly, reminiscent of a hyena including the wild hair. The same grin was still plastered on the Joker's face except now it was formed by rows of sharp teeth.
They had been right all along…Joker was an Orphenoch…the Hyena Orphenoch.
The Hyena Orphenoch let out a combination of a howl and laugh before he lunged at the two Titans. Blackfire summoned the Fire Inzecter and snapped it onto her bracelet.
"HENSHIN!"
The armor, much to the Joker's shock, formed over her and deflected his slash. She then threw a fist at him, causing him to smash into the wall. Pluto stood next to her and slid the deck into his belt and in a flash of light changed into Zodiac Knight Pluto.
"Oh," the Hyena Orphenoch said, "Looks like I should've looked up more on you Titans." He sounded a little upset before he laughed manically again, "Oh, well!"
"You're going down, clown!" Pluto said, drawing his sword.
"So says the boy looks like a Batman rip-off!" Joker mocked. Pluto fumed.
"Hey, I ain't a Batman rip-off!" Pluto snapped. Blackfire palmed her face.
"Pluto, can we just take him out and be done with it?" Blackfire asked.
"Oh, right," Pluto shrugged.
"Well, I got a question for you kiddies," the Hyena Orphenoch grinned. "Ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?"
"Huh?" the couple responded, confused by the question. Suddenly, the Hyena Orphenoch opened his mouth wide and let out a cloud of dark blue gas. The cloud was thick and obscured both armored Titans' vision. The couldn't see anything in front of them as they heard the Joker cackle. Luckily, they were in their armor so they wouldn't be killed by this gas or end up laughing like loons.
But, they didn't know what hit them as their entire world turned dark.
Starfire was with Robin when she received an urgent message on her communicator. She gasped. "The Joker is after Timothy?"
"Yes!" Shadow said. "Don't lose him! We're on our way!"
Starfire shut her communicator before turning her attention on Robin who appeared shaken. "Oh, Timothy…" Suddenly, she was shocked by the loud blaring off the alarm.
"WARNING! WARNING! PERIMETER BREACH! PERIMETER BREACH!"
"He's here…" Robin breathed out, sweat rolling down rapidly, soaking his face and clothes.
"He will not get you, Timothy," Starfire said, strongly.
"INTRUDER IN TOWER! INITIATE DEFENCE PROTOCOL!"
Starfire gripped her fists. She would protect her beloved from this Joker. Robin was cringing. She then remembered the Pactio card she had and then knew what to do with it. She knew Shadow's magic was coursing through the card so she closed her eyes and summoned the power, "Adeat!"
The other Titans had arrived at the Tower. However, it had been completely sealed off. There was a powerful energy barrier around it made to repel anything from the outside and keep whatever was inside safe.
Nobody enters, nobody leaves.
Shadowcobra hissed and took out his SNK-Phone. He tried calling, "Respond! Do you copy?" All he got was static. "Damn it!" Pluto was the only one with the deactivation codes. It was a security measure plus Pluto was the one who designed the new security system.
"Can't you just walk in?" Beast Boy asked.
"If I wanted to be torn apart molecule by molecule," Shadow retorted cynically. "Can't teleport inside either and we're completely cut off."
"So, what do we do?" Cyborg asked.
Shadowcobra's face was grim. "Now…we wait…and hope." He was going to add 'pray' but he wasn't such a religious person.
But then, he felt his connection to Starfire. He knew she would protect Robin and use the weapons she had been provided with.
Within Starfire's hand was a large glowing green energy claymore. She admired the weapon with awe, as did Robin. She could feel her own starbolt energy coursing through it. This was her magical artifact, the Starblade. She tightened her grip on the handle.
She stood guarding the door. If the Joker came in, she would run him through. She didn't care about the heroes' code of ethics as of now. She was a warrior first and a warrior fights to the finish to defend what was precious to them. To her, Robin was precious and worth protecting.
Brimstone growled as he sniffed the air, baring his teeth. The runes on his skin began to glow as he snarled, ready to rip the intruder apart.
Robin just sat on the bed, clenching his knees to stop himself shaking. He was scared, but he didn't want to give the Joker the satisfaction of knowing.
"Junior, I'm home!" Joker/Hyena Orphenoch cackled as he drew closer to the door.
Starfire and Brimstone both tensed as the Clown Prince of Crime trudged closer to the door. The steps suddenly stopped and all was silent again. Suddenly, the door was suddenly slammed off its hinges as the Hyena Orphenoch came through.
"Knock knock!" the grinning Orphenoch cackled loudly.
"Eyyyaaahhhhhh!" Starfire cried as she charged with her sword at the ready.
"Oooh! Junior's little girlfriend!" the Hyena Orphenoch laughed. "Boy does he have taste in women!"
The blade slashed towards the Orphenoch's head, aiming to end the terror which plagued Robin once and for all. Of course, that plan failed when the blade was caught in the claws of the Orphenoch.
"Nice butter knife, toots," the Orphenoch laughed. He could feel the heat coming off the blade, but he was used to pain. "It will take more than that to put down this clown!"
"RAWR!" Brimstone roared as he slammed into the Orphenoch's gut and knocked them both into the hallway.
Brimstone clawed and chewed, trying to tear the Orphenoch's throat out. As he as fighting though, the Hyena Orphenoch brought back his hand and actually morphed it into a gray boxing glove.
"Bad doggy!" the Hyena Orphenoch growled before he placed a single punch into Brimstone's jaw.
The hellhound gave off a pained whine as it was sent flying from the punch straight into the wall. It was such a powerful impact that the dog was actually stick in the imprint he made.
"Brimstone!" Starfire cried. Her eyes turned to their glowing green form as her blade began to glow angrily in reaction to her emotions. "I will end this now!"
"Bring it on, toots!" the Hyena Orphenoch laughed mockingly.
Starfire gave off a battle cry before she lunged at the Orphenoch in her fury. First he terrified her love and then hurt one of her friends. She would end this now and remove the suffering that the Joker had put on the ones she loved.
The Hyena Orphenoch swung with another punch of his boxing glove/hand. Starfire easily dodged it as she flew above the Orphenoch and attempted to cleave him in two.
"Gotcha!" the Orphenoch laughed before his middle suddenly extended like a jack-in-the-box and he lay a head butt into Starfire's stomach, forcing the breath out of the Tamaranian. She heaved a gasp but fell to the floor all the same.
"Thanks for the memories, toots," the Orpheonch laughed. "But me and Junior have to get going." He stalked over to the bed where Robin was and the Boy Wonder sat frozen as his tormentor came closer and closer. "You and me, Junior, are gonna have so much fun!"
Starfire struggled as she got up to her feet, propping herself up with the Starblade. "Timothy!" she called out to him. The Hyena Orphenoch was already close, to his face, and was just playing with him. "Your belt! Use your belt!"
Robin wondered what she meant. His belt? Why? What was so special about it? He doubt he could use any of it now, shaking like he was.
"Your belt, Pluto has made modifications. Use it with your communicator!" She was suddenly knocked back when the Hyena Orphenoch pounced on her.
"Now that's enough from you," the Joker said, his sharp teeth bared. "So long, little star!" He prepared to breathe his corrosive gas when Robin got up, grasping his communicator.
"Leave her alone," Robin growled. "Now." The Joker laughed.
"Oh, so the little bird boy DOES have a backbone!" the Joker/Hyena Orphenoch cackled. "Why don't you make me?"
"I will," Robin said as he placed the communicator close to his face and spoke into it, "Henshin." He had heard the Knights and Inzecter users use that command so he guessed it might've been the activation code and he was right.
"Standby!" the communicator responded before he snapped it onto his belt buckle. "Activation!"
There was a flash of yellow light.
The armor was basically red and worn over a black bodysuit with yellow excel streams on the black soul fiber bodysuit. The gauntlets and boots were also red with yellow trims. The "T" on his chest was also yellow. His helmet had a yellow 'T' shaped visor and the look was finished off by a pair of sharp antennae.
This…was the Titan Gear.
The Joker stepped back a bit as he was genuinely shocked but then he grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. "Well, well…" the Hyena Orphenoch mused. "Looks like little Junior has a new toy."
Robin, in his armor, stepped forward to face the Joker. His friends worked hard to help him and he'd been a coward not to lend a hand. He was supposed to be the leader. The nightmares he had…all the fears…tonight they would end.
With a loud cry, Robin charged at the Hyena Orphenoch who let out a cackle as he charged right back.
Starfire watched as Robin landed a fist into the Orphenoch's muzzle, sending his staggering before he leapt up and smashed his knee into the Joker's chin. The Hyena Orphenoch glared and let loose a cloud of his toxic gas. Starfire stepped away so she wouldn't accidentally inhale it and watched as the gas melted anything it touched. Robin, thanks to his armor, was unharmed.
Robin ran through the cloud and executed a snap kick that smashed the Hyena Orphenoch into the wall. The Joker rolled out of the way as a fist came flying at him, creating a hole in the wall. This time, the Hyena Orphenoch/Joker began to panic. Robin was supposed to be a nervous wreck, scared and afraid like a little boy. He'd planned to get the boy alone while his friends went on a wild goose chase!
He hadn't expected for the boy to have a suit of armor on him!
As soon as Robin hit the Hyena Orphenoch the first time, his fears began to vanish. Even in his monstrous form, he could see only the Joker as a pathetic clown who fed on fear. Robin had been feeding the Hyena Orphenoch with his own fear. He gritted his teeth and then leapt up. He performed a tornado kick but this time the Hyena Orphenoch grabbed Robin's foot in his jaw and smashed him into the wall. He grabbed the armor Titan leaded by the collar and smashed him against the wall.
"You should've come with me, Junior!" the Joker howled. "Now it's time for your spanking!" The Hyena Orphenoch pulled back his hand and his claws extended. He then slashed it down on Robin. Robin screamed as the sparks flew off his chestplate. The Joker continued slashing at him.
Starfire, seeing this, decided to attack once more as she swung down her blade. She caught the Hyena Orphenoch by surprise as she slashed him in the back. The maniac could feel a hot burning pain in his back as he let go of Robin and focused on the sword-wielding Tamaranean princess.
"YOU'RE MINE!" the Hyena Orphenoch howled angrily before he charged at Starfire. Starfire gave the charging Orphenoch an uncharacteristic evil grin before pointing the tip of her blade at him. Her eyes glowed green as she let out a cry.
"HAH!" Starfire yelled before firing a beam from her sword. The Hyena Orphenoch was unable to dodge in time as the blast hit him. The beam sliced off his arm and it went sailing into the air before it burned with blue flames and disintegrated.
Robin took advantage of the Hyena Orphenoch's stunned state and grabbed him by the head before smashing it into the wall, burying it inside. The Hyena Orphenoch pulled himself out but then was met with two fists in the face, one armored and red and one orange and glowing with green energy. He was sent flying through the hallway and smashed into the far wall.
Robin shifted his attention towards Starfire and bowed his head in shame, "Starfire…I…" He didn't know what to say. Well, he did know but it was too simple. "I'm sorry."
Starfire gave her armored lover a smile. "There is nothing to apologize for, Timothy."
"But, I was so scared. I wasn't much help to the others or to you when you were fighting the Joker." He gripped his fists. "I mean, I'm supposed to be the fearless leader! I should be taking care of all of you, not the other way around."
"Robin," Starfire began, "You are only human. You have human emotions. It is normal for one such as yourself to be overwhelmed by emotion. My race thrives on emotion and aids us as battle, giving us our strength."
Robin sighed, "Batman always taught me to never show emotion."
"Well, he is not here," Starfire said tenderly.
Robin stared at Starfire through his visor. Despite the scrapes and bruises she'd received from the fight with the Joker, she looked incredibly powerful now, especially with that sword in hand. That was some weapon.
The Joker/Hyena Orphenoch laughed, "Oh, how pathetically sweet!" He bared his teeth and claws, "I wanted to hear you two laugh before you die but I think it's better that I just gut you to pieces!" His severed arm had already grown back and he began clicking his claws as he grinded his teeth.
"Starfire, your sword," Robin said before Starfire passed it to him. 'Now or never…' Wearing the armor, he knew how most of the features worked since the visor was feeding him the information. He reached down to his belt, opened up his communicator and pressed a button.
"Excel Charge!" the communicator responded before he snapped it close. His Excel Streams and visor began to glow brightly.
"You might have gotten me once, but you don't have the guts to do it again," the Hyena Orphenoch laughed.
Robin ignored the sounds of the laughter as he felt the energy running though the system of his suit. The sword was beginning to glow yellow from the energy collecting in it. He was so sick of hearing that laugh. At first it was annoying, but after THAT night, it haunted his dreams for years to come. Tonight it was going to end one way or another.
"Let's see if you've got the guts to use that thing," the Hyena Orphenoch chuckled before he began running at the two teens.
"HRAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" Robin bellowed as he stabbed the tip of the blade into the ground. A line of yellow energy coursed through the ground towards the Hyena Orphenoch. When it hit him, it erupted into a cylinder of energy which suddenly pinned the Hyena Orphenoch in place.
"What?!" he cried. "How?! What is this?"
Robin raised the sword and glared at the Orphenoch in front of him. He took a stance and charged. As he ran closer, memories of his time there flashed through his mind. Each flashback took him closer and closer until he struck while reliving the moment that the Joker's reign of terror ended the first time.
"WAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" the Orphenoch cried as the blade cut through him. The cylinder of energy collapsed as a formation of the letter 'T' appeared in front of the Orphenoch before it erupted into blue flames and began turning to ash.
It was finally over. The Joker was gone…for good.
Robin dropped his sword before moving his hand down to his belt. He unsnapped the belt and in a flash of light his armor vanished. He collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting as he was once again Robin the Boy Wonder.
"Robin!" Starfire cried as she flew towards him. "Robin, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Star," Robin said before glancing at the remains of the Joker. "I…killed him."
"You had every right to after all he's done," Starfire said. "Now, let us go and see if my sister and Pluto are alright."
"Oh, yeah," Robin agreed as Starfire led him away. Brimstone followed them soon after.
Pluto began to come to as he felt someone slapping his cheek. He focused his eyesight to see Blackfire, out of her armor, and looking concerned. He too was no longer wearing his armor. He groaned. Despite his apparent invulnerability, he still could feel pain. That was one thing his powers didn't protect him from. "Ow…" he groaned. "What hit me?'
"The Joker did," Blackfire said. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he nodded. He looked out at the door to see the energy barrier surrounding the Tower. He could also see the other Titans standing outside the perimeter of the barrier. Pulling out his DOG-Phone, Pluto entered the deactivation code. The barrier then vanished, allowing full access into the Tower.
"How are you doing?" Shadow asked.
"Aside from the Joker breaking in and kicking our butts, everything is OK," Blackfire reported.
"And Robin and Starfire?"
"Right here," they heard. It was Robin. Starfire was with him. She had some scrapes and bruises on her but nothing that wouldn't heal. Brimstone was with them too and when the hellhound caught sight of his master, ran over and pounced on the Dragon Knight.
Shadow gave Robin an even stare and said, "I'm surprised you gathered the nerve to come out of your room." He asked, "So, what happened to the Joker."
Robin sighed, "I…killed him."
There was silence and Shadow's eyes fell on the belt grasped in Robin's hand, the communicator still attached to the buckle. "I see you've discovered your belt's latest feature."
"Yeah," Robin nodded. "Thanks." He then looked all his friends, his teammates, in the eye, "Look, I'm sorry for chickening out on you. I mean, I'm supposed to be leader but when I saw the Joker again…I just…couldn't."
"Fear can be paralyzing," Shadow reasoned.
"But what do we do now?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, Robin killed the Joker."
"If he's an Orphenoch, we just collect his remains," Shadowcobra said coldly, arms crossed. "Plain and simple."
"I don't think Batman would like that," Jinx said.
"The Joker is finally dead?" Slade asked as Copycat approached him. She removed her helmet and held it hanging in her hand.
"Yeah," Copycat confirmed, "Apparently your old apprentice Robin was the one who finished him off."
"Interesting…" Slade said with a smirk in his voice. "How did he do it?"
"He got this new Gear," Copycat explained, "Kinda like your OMEGA Gear and Cathy's ALPHA Gear."
"So, he has finally the means to fight me as an equal," Slade said, his hand stroking the case which held his own OMEGA Gear.
"Should I do anything?" Copycat asked.
"No," Slade shook his head. "For now, let's watch out for Occultus."
"Not to mention the Orphenoch King," Kat added with a nod. Her shadow formed a pair of red eyes and a demonic grin that matched her own.
The night was dark in Gotham as the people went along their own ways. Crime was silent since Batman had taken down the drug ring which was trying to get a foothold on the city. The Dark Knight in question was currently standing atop a rooftop across from his former partner and the Zodiac Knight of the Snake.
"So the Joker is gone for good now," Batman spoke.
"Save for the ashes," Shadowcobra commented as he threw a canister over to the caped crusader. Batman easily inspected it and found ashes inside.
Robin had been silent since meeting up with Batman. They had not separated on the best of terms and they hadn't spoken to each other much since. He was wondering what his former mentor was going to do once he learned that Robin had ended the Joker's life.
"So who ended it?" Batman asked.
"Me," Robin answered simply.
Batman looked at the teen, his expression not changing at all. He watched Robin for a while before he turned his attention back to the ashes which were filled the canister.
"The Joker became an Orphenoch and came to Jump for Robin. Unfortunately for him, it ended up turning into his downfall," Shadowcobra said.
"I see," Batman nodded.
Shadow looked between the two former partners, father and son, and took his leave. "I'll leave you two alone." He then vanished into the shadows under his feet.
"This should have ended that night," Batman frowned.
"Bruce, why did you lie to me?" Robin asked, wanting to know the truth.
"I was trying to protect you, Tim," Batman answered, "The Joker tortured your mind and your body. If you knew that he was still alive…" Batman trailed off.
"You could've told me anyway, Bruce," Robin said. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"I can see that," Batman sighed. "So, did you really…?"
"Yes," Robin nodded. "I did." He asked, daringly, "What are you going to do about it?"
"Tim, I lost the right to take care of you that night," Batman spoke. He was toneless as always, but to someone he personally trained, there was more than enough emotion in his voice. "All you did was lay a ghost down to rest."
"Bruce?" Robin blinked with some surprise. He was half-expecting to face some kind of punishment for ending a life.
"The Joker's life ended that night," Batman insisted. "What you faced was his shadow, a remnant. I don't go after those who put down ghosts."
Robin nodded firmly.
"Remember though," Batman continued. "Orphenochs are human too and deserve their lives. Occultus is the true threat in the end." Batman must've found out about Occultus through one of his investigations when Orphenochs started becoming an issue.
Robin nodded. In other words, he was getting off since it was self-defense. If he killed another Orphenoch then he had better have one heck of a good reason next time. He might not be as lucky as he was now.
"I see you've changed your uniform again," Batman admired. Robin was now clad in a full black bodysuit with matching gloves and steel toed boots. A red bird emblem rested on his chest. His black cape now sported deep red lining as well.
"I thought it was good time for a change," Robin said. He was no longer a little boy.
Batman nodded to the Boy Wonder before he turned and leaped off the side of the building. The sounds of a grappling hook were heard before the Dark Knight could be seen swinging off into the distance.
"Thanks, Bruce," Robin whispered to himself.
To Be Continued…
I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Kamen Rider 555/Faiz which inspired me on the creation of Robin's Titan Gear. Also, thanks to Paladin, an awesome writer, helping me with this fic all the way.