Disclaimer: Teen Titans is the property of DC Comics and Warner Bros. "The Hollow Men" was written by T.S. Elliot, and the use of passages to open each chapter is done with the utmost respect for one of the English languages best craftsmen. Thank you, and enjoy.
Titans Broken
Chapter 10: The Batcave
In this last of meeting places
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river
- T.S. Elliot's "The Hollow Men"
"Identity confirmed, B02 - Richard Grayson. Identity confirmed, T05 - Koriand'r. Identity confirmed, T04 - Raven Roth. Identity confirmed, T02 - Victor Stone. Identity confirmed, T03 - Garfield Logan." The scanner called out one after another as they stepped through its arc into the dimly lit caverns beyond.
Dick grinned and turned to the others. "Welcome… to the Bat Cave."
A waterfall at the opposite side of the cave hid one of the many entrances and exits into the network of caverns.
"Master Richard, it's good to see that you are well." A voice called from the dark before a familiar gaunt figure stepped out of the gloom. A slight smile played across Dick's face as the group trudged toward the man clad in the traditional uniform of a butler.
"Alfred! You're alright?"
"As well as can be expected." The old butler said as he rubbed a forearm. "The manor has been destroyed again, I was fortunate enough to be on my way down here when it happened so I only suffered minor injuries."
"Bruce?" Dick asked before a scream of engine noise echoed in the cavern and the black shape of the Bat-Plane splashed through the waterfall and angled toward a landing pad.
"Has just arrived... I believe I will be busy rearming his black jet." Alfred observed.
"Wow... I never thought I'd get a look at the inside of the Bat-cave." Garfield said as he watched the plane land.
Starfire stood beside Dick, her eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. He scowled slightly as the imposing figure of Batman clambered from the cockpit of his plane and walked toward them. He stopped a good twenty feet away and glared at Starfire. "What is she doing here?"
Dick flinched. "You wanted me to leave her out there?"
"She's not emotionally stable enough for combat." Batman stated. "She shouldn't be in the field."
"We're losing out there! You think any of us are psychologically sound at the moment? I saw Black Canary die just a few hours ago! I'm not emotionally stable enough for this either, but there's no one else left to stand up and fight those bastards." Dick yelled back at him. "I know you hate aliens, but snapping at the one expert we have on the Citadel and Gordanians is idiotic."
"I've read the Green Lantern reports on them." Batman stated before marching past the two of them. "That's enough."
Dick felt his cheek twitch. "Just because she's willing to kill those sons of bitches that are raping our planet doesn't make her evil!"
Batman spun and cuffed Dick across the cheek. "This is my house, my city, my rules."
"Fuck your damn rules, you never held yourself to them anyway." Dick snapped back at Batman. "This is a war. Those out there are soldiers, slavers, and fucking predators... not criminals! This is a fight for survival, not justice! Lethal force is fucking authorized!"
"Dick." Star said quietly before grabbing his arm.
"I agree..." Cyborg said before folding his arms over his chest. "You think that knocking them out will stop them from getting up an hour later and going back to killing and enslaving?"
"I will not be drawn into an ethical debate with you about lethal force." Batman snapped back and looked over at the plane as missiles were loaded up and Alfred was filling the tank. "I'm not about to start killing now."
"It's because you're afraid... afraid that when this is over you won't be able to stop, isn't it?" Dick growled. "I know I can't kill and I see the face of every criminal I wasn't quick enough to save in my nightmares, but I know there's a time when it's necessary. When we need people like Star and Deadshot and whoever the hell else that's willing to kill those creatures out there to man up and do the damn job."
Bruce glared at him. "I said no!"
"I'm saying: I don't give a fuck!" Richard snapped. "As if any of us will live to see the ethical repercussions of our actions..."
"Batcomputer, override access to B02... reset to basic Titan level." Bruce yelled.
"Well fuck you too." Dick yelled before pushing past Batman and marching over to the massive computer terminal. He made a sharp turn and drew Starfire to a small waiting area complete with a couch and entertainment center.
The four friends sat down and tried to get comfortable as Cyborg plugged himself into the local power supply and shut down to recharge, toppling against the rock wall as he did. A few minutes later the roar of the engines echoed in the cavern again and the black mass of the bat-plane shot off again into the darkening night.
"I see you have found the flaw in Master Bruce's actions." Alfred said as he stepped to the back of the couch carrying a number of blankets in his arms.
Dick sighed and accepted one of the blankets before nodding. "He's not going to do any good if he's not willing to kill."
"I believe he is tricking himself, disabling the alien ships in the air is causing them to crash, and if their crews don't survive..." Alfred shrugged his shoulders. "Word from Metropolis is that Superman and Super Girl have allied with Lex Luthor in defense of the city."
"The enemy of your enemy is your friend." Dick said quietly as Starfire shuffled in the couch.
Alfred glanced at her for a moment. "Miss Gordon returned with Master Wayne. It did not take them long to come to a disagreement on how to combat the situation. I believe she has been organizing the Birds of Prey as best she can to combat the threat."
"Hard to do with satellite communications down." Richard said as Starfire leaned against him. "What do we do Alfred?"
"We fight as long and as hard as we can... I have lived my life in the service of the Wayne family and it's leathery winged offshoots for many years. But I would never see myself as a slave." Alfred said.
"You would have difficulty surviving for more than a week in the hands of the Citadelians." Starfire said from where she sat. "Most slaves from hardier species only last six weeks before succumbing."
"That is distressing. At least I know my torment would be short then." Alfred said. "I do have a question as to the nature of... your relationship."
"Alfred?" Dick asked.
"Miss Anders is leaning against you… the last I had heard was that you had proposed to Miss Gordon. Keeping two women like that is most unbecoming of you Master Dick."
A sleepy snicker came from Beast Boy. "Master Dick."
"Shh... go to sleep Gar." Raven murmured and pulled him into a loose embrace before closing her eyes.
Dick sighed. "It's complicated Alfred."
"I see..." Alfred glowered at him.
"I am suffering from a mental disorder of my people, before we broke up I had bonded with Dick... it is a physiological change within a Tamaranian... If I am not regularly exposed to him I become rather... sociopathic and emotionless." She sighed. "It is also in part causing memory repression that I'm fighting against."
"Oh, Miss Anders, I must apologize... if we had known you had become bonded to Master Dick earlier we may have been able to find some form of treatment for you." Alfred said.
"I know of no treatment besides remaining besides my bond mate until the bond has healed... even short periods of increased distance may cause me to relapse." Starfire sighed. "I was not even aware I had bonded with him for several months after we had done the breaking up. It was not until the symptoms were ones I could identify that I realized what had happened." Starfire's head bowed and she shuddered. "I know it is most inconvenient for Dick and he no longer feels for me, but I do not know what else to do."
Dick rubbed her shoulder and gave her a halfhearted hug. "You're still my friend Star."
"I am thankful." She said quietly.
"I apologize for my questions Master Dick... could I get you a pillow and some food or drink. I do believe the mini-fridge Master Bruce keeps beneath the monitoring station remains fully stocked." Alfred said. "If it truly is the end of the world then I do feel we should consume as much of it as possible."
Dick laughed lightly and shook his head. "Was the wine cellar damaged?"
"No Master Dick." Alfred said. "I did not think you were much of a wine drinker."
"I'm not, but I think each of us could use a bottle of red wine, best and most expensive in the cellar if you could Alfred." Richard said. "I'm afraid each of us got a mild dose of radiation in Blüdhaven."
"I see Master Dick. I'll see about procuring it immediately." Alfred gave a short bow and slipped away.
"Wine?" Starfire murmured. "I do not understand."
"Red wine can absorb small amounts of radiation. It'll help make sure we're clear of the effects from Blüdhaven." Dick said quietly. "Not that you need it Miss Anders."
"Do not start with the formal language." Starfire said before slapping his hand.
Dick chuckled quietly and hugged her for a moment. "How are you feeling?"
"I... I do not know… my emotions are coming forth but, I feel happy and it does not seem right considering our situation." Starfire said quietly. "Do you think I am still broken?"
"I don't know Star... I think at some level things haven't settled in yet." He said. "I mean... Black Canary died, she helped teach me when I was in the Young Justice program and... I don't feel anything just yet... just numb."
The speakers crackled to life and a gold blur zoomed into the cave. "Identity Confirmed, B04 - Wally West."
The gold clad Flash came to a stop beside the couch and gasped for breath. "Damn Dick, did you know I looked everywhere for you?"
"Well, was he in the last place you looked?" Raven asked sleepily from the opposite side of the couch.
"Ha-Ha." Flash said and Dick noticed that his bright gold uniform was stained with ash and soot. A scratch ran along his forehead just over the mask and he gasped for breath. "You forgot to tell me where you'd be when I got back from that 'fact-finding' mission you got me on."
"I didn't know where I'd be Wally. What'd you find out?" Dick asked as the speedster caught his breath.
"Well... it's true. Supes and Super Girl are fighting alongside old Lex in Metropolis... I guess if you're fighting an alien invasion he wouldn't be a bad guy to choose. Jump City is toast... like they dropped a million soldiers on it and told them, rape, pillage, burn... be back by five. Every building there is just a shell now. New York is not in much better shape. Red Robin's team is hanging on at the naval base when I left but there's no way he'll last long." Flash swallowed a breath. "It's bad Dick, they're everywhere... there must be millions of them."
"Yes... millions, hundreds of millions. The invading and enslaving a planetary population such as this is a task of a monumental scale." Starfire said quietly. "There were thousands of ships in that fleet, and a single troop ship could easily hold a hundred thousand Citadelians in the cramped quarters of its hold. We will not survive this. Perhaps I should leave."
"Star... I won't just leave. This is my planet... my home." Dick said quietly.
Starfire sighed. "Then I shall not as well... If you fall here, I shall leave for then nothing will offset the Z'hom, but until then... I am at your service."
"Until death?" Dick swallowed. "You would really stick with me until that point?"
"I would." She said quietly.
"Is there any food in this place?" Flash suddenly said as his stomach growled. "I'm starved."
"Ahh... Master West, I see you are still among the living. Master Bruce will be most disappointed." Alfred said with a slight smile as he stepped into the room with five bottles of wine. "Master West, were you among those that had the misfortune of traveling through Blüdhaven as well?"
"Uh yeah... what's with the wine?" Flash asked.
"Cheap antirad, and I think we could all use a drink at this point." Dick said as Alfred handed him one of the bottles. "Red wine absorbs radiation."
"Where do you learn things like that?" Flash asked.
"Batman." Dick said and gave a short laugh.
Richard opened one of the bottles of wine and took a long pull directly from it before handing it to Starfire who followed suit. Flash stared at him looking a bit dumbfounded. "Really? We're gonna get drunk."
"Got a better idea?" Dick muttered as Starfire passed the bottle to Raven. The caped woman looked at it for a moment before taking a slight pull on the bottle. Beast Boy had snuggled up in her lap and was already snoozing quietly. Dick sighed. "You might want to wake him up and see about getting some of that in him. You remember what happened last time he got a dose of radiation."
Raven nodded and squeezed Beast Boy's shoulder. He blinked open his eyes and squinted up at her. "Rae?"
"Dick says you should drink this... Red wine helps counteract the effects of being exposed to radiation." She held the bottle to his lips. "I don't think we want you to get another bestial form, do we?"
"Oh... well, bottom's up." He took a swig from the bottle and coughed. "Ugh... it's got a bit of a bite Rae."
"Not a fan of alcohol?" Dick asked quietly.
"Not particularly." Beast Boy admitted as Raven took the bottle from his hands and set it on the coffee table. Wally had already snatched a bottle of his own and emptied it. "What now?" Beast Boy asked sleepily as he curled up on Raven's lap.
"We take a rest." Dick said as he leaned into the couch and closed his eyes.
Starfire leaned against him and shut her eyes. He could hear a quiet sigh come from her as she buried her head in his side. It was a bit funny, her greater size made her snuggles feel almost like being wrapped in a large blanket especially when coupled with her body's slightly higher temperature. It felt almost like a heavy electric blanket had been laid on him.
Dick leaned against the side of the couch. "Alfred will wake us up in a couple hours."
"I'll need to get some meditating done before we head out again. My emotions are a mess right now." Raven said quietly.
"I believe all of ours are Miss Roth, I'll have some foodstuffs out on the table for you shortly." Alfred said.
Dick felt himself slowly beginning to drift off with Starfire's sleeping form against him and he allowed the darkness to take him.
Barbara Gordon closed her eyes and sighed as she pulled the earpiece off and stood up. "I suppose since they're sleeping it'd be a good time to switch whose running the scenario?"
M'gann stepped to the second mind machine interface and nodded. "I am ready... J'onn will do the 'hand off' it may take a few minutes for my mind to absorb all the information he is using in the scenario."
"Alright, well, I need to sleep myself. Cyborg, can you start a charge cycle while monitoring them?" Babs asked as she wiped away sleep from her eyes.
Cyborg nodded. "Sure... Raven, you and Garfield want to take a break?"
"I've been meditating while monitoring, I won't require rest for some time yet." Raven said quietly. A moment later a green cat jumped into her lap and curled up there. "Garfield…"
A mew from the cat was enough for Raven to let out a slight smile before stroking the feline affectionately.
"You can cat nap I suppose." She said and the feline purred.
The room had emptied already except for them, the fighting had ended for a while and when the group had entered the Bat-Cave, the external displays had been cut off to ensure Bruce Wayne's continued security.
Barbara walked to the door and smiled faintly at Raven, despite that a part of her that was seething with jealousy. The cloaked half-demon had Beast Boy, a lover who seemed as fiercely loyal to his friends and family as any animal could be. She could see some echo of her relationship with Dick in their banter, but in many ways, it seemed almost like a routine between the two with Raven playing the role of the straight man.
In her mind, she replayed some of the conversations she'd had with Dick and bit her lip. Even as Robin there'd been seriousness about him, something that he shared with Bruce. She'd teased him mercilessly especially when it became clear he'd developed some feelings for her. They'd grown closer for a while, and slept together once before the fateful fight with Joker where he'd stepped in front of a magnum revolver and took a hit for her.
Bruce had fired him and Dick had left. The two had fought for ages before that as Dick had grown older he had his own ideas, own cases even, but he'd always been overruled and overshadowed by his mentor.
The Titans had formed soon afterwards, a group of sidekicks and youth heroes that had banded together. They'd had more than one iteration, but the one that lasted, the one that seemed to work the best was the one formed around Starfire.
She wasn't stupid... some stories said it happened in Jump City, others said it happened in New York, and it really didn't matter as the Titans had bases in both places. Robin had been on his own fighting crime when the Tamaranian had smashed down in the middle of town, demolished a storefront and a dozen odd cars in a desperate struggle to remove her shackles.
Dick, Victor, and Garfield had attacked her thinking she was a threat to the city until Raven had interceded. Looking back at the struggle, they realized the fierce bronze-skinned girl had been trying desperately to remove the restraints she'd worn. There'd been a lot of joking about what had happened after Dick had unlocked the cuffs... Some said Starfire didn't mean it that way, didn't understand what a kiss meant, and others said she claimed it was 'more fun' to assimilate language through a kiss then simple touch.
Babs figured they were all wrong. She imagined being restrained on a foreign world, terrified and nervous. She'd kiss anyone that removed those restraints, especially with slavers for the Citadel on her tail. The whole language assimilation was just a bonus.
Starfire had been fifteen earth years old at the time, Dick was sixteen, Cyborg was eighteen, Raven was fifteen, and Beast Boy had been the youngest at fourteen. All things considered, that a relationship had blossomed between Starfire and Dick had been almost certain.
They had balanced each other out... something that Babs never could seem to do. Dick was focused, obsessive, and infuriatingly serious. Those times she'd seen him with her at the Tower hurt because despite all that the bubbly alien had somehow worked past Dick's defenses. He'd smiled and smirked around her, even joked on occasion. Still she'd thought the culture barrier was too high, that Starfire and he were destined to break up.
She hated what had happened to them... hated the role she'd played. Somewhere along the line Bruce had sunk his hooks into Dick again and reeled him back to Gotham on occasion.
Dick was caught again by Gotham and when he took up a new alias, named Nightwing, the situation only worsened. He'd said Nightwing was supposed to be a way to step out of Batman's shadow, a way to set himself apart as something more than the Boy Wonder. Ultimately, it failed if that had been Dick's goal. He'd moved to Blüdhaven and begun working as the Gotham suburb's primary crime fighter. It was too much, the stress of being Bruce Wayne's ward stacked atop the stress of leading the Titans and fighting crime in Blüdhaven and Gotham. Babs saw Dick trying desperately to cling to some success, some part of his life that was his. He proposed to Starfire...
She'd been stupid and petty in retrospect thinking she had a claim on Dick, and Dick had been moronic in his own choices as well. She'd managed to get him into bed, a sort of last hurrah on her part before the wedding... and then Raven went insane, killed the priest, destroyed the ceremony, and set the two's relationship spiraling downward.
Babs found Dick clinging to her as he had once to Starfire and had been stunned by his proposal. She couldn't accept and couldn't reject it. A nagging guilt gnawed in her stomach as Starfire dropped off the radar and the Titans collapsed in her wake. Everything in Dick's life began spiraling toward disaster.
She pulled the small engagement ring from her pocket and scowled. "I hate this..."
Barbara felt Raven's eyes on her and took a deep breath. "I'm going to bed." To cry myself to sleep... She took a deep breath and headed out the door.
When it shut, Barbara felt tears in her eyes. "He doesn't belong in Gotham... its killing him, making him like Batman. I can't leave... I just can't, it's my home... Dick could, Dick did, why did Dick come back?"
Dick woke as he felt a slight shake of his shoulder and blinked away the sleep that covered his eyes. Alfred stared down at him, looking quite formal and dignified despite the dirt on his uniform and oil smear on his white undershirt.
"Yes?" Dick groaned and felt Starfire snuggle tighter against him. Her strength held him in place and he sighed.
"Do you require another blanket? Miss Roth requested one." Alfred asked quietly.
Dick shook his head and blew away a few strands of Starfire's hair. "No... Starfire's body is warmer than human norms. She's like a big electric blanket when she's snuggling someone."
"I see..." Alfred sighed. "Are you certain about this? Miss Gordon would not react well to the situation."
Dick sighed, was that his angle now? He spoke in a quiet and low voice to the old butler. "I know... but she doesn't have a choice, Starfire was my best friend when I led the Titans... I'm not about to walk away from her when she needs me."
"Yes, yes Master Dick." Alfred held up a calming hand. "I have observed you and her and remain concerned... not that I put the chances of our survival very high mind you. Are you certain this is a true illness and not some attempt to draw you from Miss Gordon?"
Dick nodded. "It is Alfred... I've seen the reports myself, Raven did a physical and confirmed it." He felt Star shift against him and sigh. Dick tried to lower his voice further, barely whispering. "You didn't see her... she was so broken Alfred. She didn't know who I was, couldn't even smile..." He sighed. "She's shown so much improvement already."
"Do you have feelings for her Master Richard?" He asked sternly.
"I..." He swallowed and took a deep breath catching her exotic scent. "I guess I do..."
"And Miss Gordon?" Alfred asked.
"I don't know Alfred... Starfire, you didn't really know her when she was with me. She was so bubbly and full of life. I've never met anyone so forgiving, so loving except my mother." He felt tears in his eyes. "Babs is different... she taunts me, she mocks me, and I still like her. She's witty and funny and has brilliant red hair."
"I see, Master Dick. Is part of your feelings for her guilt due to breaking up with her, breaking her heart?" Alfred asked.
"Maybe, at first probably, but now... I'm starting to see the girl I knew, the girl I asked to marry in her." Dick closed his eyes. "I was such an idiot Alfred."
"What? That you asked to marry Miss Starfire?" Alfred asked. "Or an idiot because you didn't?"
"Because I didn't, because when you told me about keeping two women you were right, at least back then..." Richard swore under his breath. "I... I don't even understand why I did it, Babs has been important to me, but... this city, it's like a beast. It chews me up and spits me out. Every time I come back, it twists me... I don't even like myself when I'm here. I... I turn into him."
"You don't like emulating your mentor then?" Alfred observed.
"No... He's not a kind man, not a nice man. He's a vindictive and manipulative bastard." Dick said quietly. "A womanizer too... I used to at least respect what he can do... but you know what it felt like wearing the cowl?"
"No sir."
"Dead, Alfred, to be the Batman is to be uncaring, unrelenting, impersonal, and undeniable. You're not a person when you put on the cowl, you're a robot... a predator that's prey is criminals. You're dead to love, to life, to everything that makes you human." He shuddered. "I hated it Alfred, I hated being him... hated his single minded focus, his cold blooded manipulations and calculations… his paranoia and obsession. I hate how so much of it rubbed off on me."
"I see Master Richard, you're right... I've watched Master Bruce since he was a young boy. He is all those things because the city made him that." Alfred observed.
"If I live through this..." Dick started before scoffing at himself. "Nevermind."
"Please Master Dick, have a little faith in yourself." Alfred said. "Finish your thought."
"If I live through this, I'm leaving Gotham." Richard said and felt Star shift on him again, nuzzling him sleepily.
"I see... You know Miss Gordon will not follow you." Alfred said.
Dick sighed and ran a hand through Star's hair, she whimpered in her sleep. "I know... If it was a choice between Babs and leaving Gotham, I don't know... it doesn't matter anyway." He sighed.
"You would leave Gotham I believe. I've tried to uproot Master Bruce more than once, but his roots run deep in this city." Alfred sighed and laid a hand on the side of the couch. "Your parents were not tied down. They were circus folk, travelers and entertainers. You may have some roots here, some anchor in the form of Miss Gordon, but this is not your city Master Richard, it's Bruce's city... I suggest you find a place for yourself, a home... even if, like your parents, it is merely the back of a caravan."
"You think I should leave Gotham?" Dick said with a sigh. "You really think I should?"
"Master Bruce has his own son to train into his role now... Damian will make a most excellent Batman in time, assuming they both survive until then." Alfred smiled faintly. "Don't take my words to mean you're not part of this family, you are, but that if you're truly to live a life of your own, you need to leave. Perhaps that is why Master Bruce chased you from Gotham at sixteen... he brought you back to help himself and placed his needs above your own. It's time you do something for yourself."
"Alfred, you're a wise man." Dick said as he twirled a strand of Starfire's hair. "What do you think I should do?"
"Miss Gordon has not accepted your marriage proposal, has she Master Dick? I'd think that if she hasn't after all this time the answer is all too obvious." Alfred said sagely. "At some level she must know you are not right for her, but cannot bear to inflict upon you the pain of being rejected by her."
"Give Babs and Gotham up... what would I have left Alfred?" Dick asked.
"More than you lost Master Dick. You're here with four friends, three more than you had in Gotham, and one of whom loves you. Isn't that enough to live for?" Alfred softly pushed a few strands of hair out of Starfire's face. "I never saw you as happy as those years you spent as a Titan, Master Richard. I believe this creature is why, isn't she?"
"She was my best friend." Richard said quietly. "She was the heart of our team, I may have been the leader but... she kept us together, made us a family. We rallied around her."
"Master Dick, you need to learn that sometimes... it is better to let the invader into your heart than keep her out." Alfred leaned down beside the couch. "Master Bruce has armored his heart, and only a handful has snuck past... you too have armored it since becoming Nightwing. Master Bruce has become an expert at ignoring me when I speak of this, but you, I think, are wise enough to hear me. What separates us from them: the criminals and heartless monsters we face are not simply laws... nor a defined set of what is right and what is wrong. You see, a hero knows in his heart what is right and what is wrong."
"Alfred..." Dick whispered. "What are you saying?"
"If you have a good heart Master Richard, you'll know what you should do for the young woman using you as a cushion." Alfred said quietly. "You'll know what would be the right choice."
"I... I don't know. I don't want to leave Babs here with just him and Damian."
"Ah yes... torn heart, better that then being heartless." Alfred said philosophically. "When you were young and Batman had just taken you two under his wing, I used to joke about 'the children' teasing one another. No matter what you choose Miss Barbara will be able to look back fondly at those times..."
"What do you mean Alfred?" Dick finally asked.
Alfred smiled. "I have heard the jokes about 'Daddy Bat' haven't you? Does it not feel a bit strange for two of his 'children' to be involved with one another?"
Dick coughed and felt Starfire shift atop him. "You... you're making it sound like..."
"I believe that is another reason why Miss Gordon has not agreed to marry you Master Dick, it feels at least like marrying one whom is family." Alfred chuckled quietly to himself. "No one could mistake Miss Koriand'r for family."
"You're making Babs sound like... a sister or a cousin." Dick said. "Like I'm..." He shivered and felt Starfire begin to stir. "Alfred..."
"She is the closest thing you have to one." Alfred said quietly.
Dick coughed. "Okay... you've managed to completely creep me out, Alfred."
"Then my job is done here." Alfred stood and headed for the computer terminal.
"You enjoyed that didn't you, Alfred?" Dick twisted to watch over his shoulder and sighed. "Star... I'm sorry, I'm even more screwed up then I thought."
A quiet murmur came from her as he ran a hand through her hair that sounded faintly like "Richard".
Bruce turned away from the terminal. Behind him, Alfred smiled faintly as he looked at the display, which had just flickered off.
"I'm surprised." Bruce said flatly. "I never expected Dick to be the sort to advocated lethal force."
"Being incapable of killing and realizing it is necessary in certain circumstances is not necessarily mutually exclusive, Master Bruce." Alfred observed. "In war or a struggle for survival one must do everything one can to win. You cannot expect alien beings to subscribe to the Geneva Convention, let alone a Justice League style code of conduct."
"It doesn't make it right." Bruce said flatly. "I don't hear you complaining about the advice he's being fed by your... simulacrum."
"I'm not complaining about it, because I agree with the assessment, Master Bruce. Miss Gordon has not married Dick after all this time and they always seemed to be too close in upbringing to be lovers in my mind." Alfred stated. "Miss Koriand'r by contrast is a woman that has been love-stricken with Dick for as long as we have known her. She is standing by him while the whole world burns. What more could you ask of a hero's love?"
Bruce huffed and turned back to the screen. "Any sign of Harley?"
"No sir, but then she has only been out for a few days... it takes more than a few days for a villain to come up with a decent plot." Alfred said. "I believe Miss Quinn would be cautious as she does detest Arkham a great deal."
"Unless she met up with Joker already, I'd like some coffee Alfred. I expect this to be a late night as well." Bruce said quietly.
"Right away, sir," Alfred said before bowing slightly and heading up the stairs to the kitchens. With decades of practice, the old man set to brewing one of the stronger blends he had in storage. As the coffeemaker whirred quietly, he drummed his fingers atop the lid and stared out at the night sky through the window.
As loathe, as he was to admit it, Alfred sometimes wondered about allowing Bruce down the path he'd chosen. If he'd been closer with the boy maybe he wouldn't have become the obsessed Dark Knight and lived a normal life. Of course, so many things could have been different if he'd chosen not to don the cowl and mantle of the Batman.
Now he saw that Dick was at a similar crossroads in his life, Alfred was not stupid, he saw the way Gotham corrupted and twisted everything it touched. The city was a trap for the unwary that cast a dark shadow over all who called it home. He was surprised how accurate the comments the simulacrum had been to his own thoughts, perhaps he had a greater impression on young Dick's mind then he'd ever suspected.
"Master Dick will do well to leave, there are enough here willing to help Master Bruce without Nightwing." Alfred said as he saw the pot finish brewing and placed the coffee in a carafe before adding it to a tray of cookies and scones. He lifted the tray and headed down through the doors to the Bat Cave. A few minutes later, he set the tray down beside the computer terminal and stepped back as Bruce thanked him.
He stood waiting for an hour or more, waiting for Bruce to finish with the midnight snack before another display flickered to life. Bruce paused his relentless typing to glance at it. "Starfire is waking up..."
Starfire sighed as she blinked away a few bits of sleep from her eyes and felt Dick shift beneath her. Taking a deep breath, she sat up, careful to avoid waking him, and tucked a heavy blanket over him. She wrapped the light sheet that had been lying atop them around her and glanced at the table.
A pile of various junk foods and microwave diners sat waiting. Beside them was a cardboard box of MREs. Biting her lip she pulled open the box and found a package of spaghetti amongst the various packages. She walked around the cave as she read the instructions on the back and tore into the package. She filled the packet with water dripping from the ceiling and scooped the spaghetti out by hand. Her stomachs seemed to relax as they were filled with the cold food.
"Koriand'r, is Dick still asleep?" A voice came from beside the computer terminal and she froze. The Batman struck something primal inside her whenever she met him. He was intimidating even to her.
"Yes..." She said softly and began to pad carefully toward him, illuminating her way with a glowing starbolt held overhead like a torch. "He needs his rest."
"I'm sure." The black figure said from the seat and Starfire stopped before the chair spun toward her. "You seem to be in a more stable condition then the last time we spoke."
"Yes." Starfire said quietly. "Have you returned to rest and refit as well?"
"No time to rest... the Citadelians keep attacking in the air, so much damage..." He pulled the cowl from his head and Starfire found herself staring into Bruce Wayne's eyes. "Not that it matters to you, this isn't your world."
"It is... I have lived here for many years. I do consider it my home. Otherwise I would have left already. Why do you think Clark is still here?" Starfire questioned. "Or J'onn?"
"J'onn and M'gann are dead. They tried to use their bioships to fend off the enemy fleet and paid the price." Batman said quietly.
"I am sorry... I did not know them well." Starfire said quietly. "How long have you been awake? Bruce?"
"It doesn't matter..." Bruce said quietly. "Why are you calling me by that name?"
"I... I hope that my relationship with your Richard would give me the right." Starfire stuttered.
"You think so? What exactly is your relationship to him now Starfire? Do you even remember?" Bruce asked.
"My memory is beginning to return..." Starfire said quietly, "In bits and pieces."
"Good, maybe you'll realize what a fool you have been for allying yourself with Red Hood." Bruce said gruffly.
"I already know... your Richard's shock upon seeing me with him now makes much greater sense." Starfire said. She squinted at Bruce. "Have you slept since the attack began?"
"No."
Starfire scowled slightly. "You must rest, if you do not you are certain to fall in your next battle. Dick has already lost too many friends in this struggle. Do not make him loose a father as well."
Bruce's drawn face fell and he sighed. "Alfred's been telling me the same thing."
"Perhaps you should listen then." Starfire grumbled. "Even I do not function well without sleep, and my people can recycle the sun's energy... though I do not think I shall get much of that in such a dark place as this."
Bruce sighed and pulled a set of pills from the drawer. "I do not have time."
"What are you doing? You dare to call me a sociopath when you are an addict?" Starfire snapped at him before grabbing the pills from his hand. "What are these?"
"Amphetamines, they keep one awake." Bruce said with a grunt. "I need to get back in the air..."
"You do not! You will find a place to lie down and sleep." Starfire harrumphed and tossed the pill bottle into an incinerator. "Now!"
"What do you care? I'm the one that took him from you." Bruce growled. "I needed him in Gotham and Blüdhaven and he came... He left the Titans to help me and you paid the price."
"I care because you are the father of the one I love." Starfire almost choked on the last word and clenched her fists. "It was not just you, I know that, but it does not mean your confession does not hurt."
A squeal of burning rubber echoed in the cavern and a black motorcycle bounced into the cavern with a woman clad in black and gold straddling it. Starfire felt her muscles tense on seeing her. "It is Barbara..."
A second motorcycle roared into the cave with a woman clad in a cat-suit atop it followed by a pair of women atop a dark violet motorcycle.
"The Birds of Prey." Bruce said coldly. "Where's their other members?"
Barbara clambered off the motorcycle and marched over to the terminal. "Where's Black Canary?"
Starfire flinched and glanced down as Bruce shook his head. "Dead, Barbara, died on the road here."
"Dead?" Barbara growled. "She's dead?"
Starfire nodded gravely. "She was shot by the Stalkers of Blüdhaven, we tried to save her but... she bled out before we could get her to help."
"Damn it." Barbara snapped before she ripped off her cowl. "Starling bought it. Spoiler, Damian, and Ivy are missing... The bat-trackers are spotty at best with all the interference out there."
"Who do you have left?" Bruce asked.
"Catwoman, Katana, Huntress, and myself." Barbara said. "Every time we start making some progress they counterattack. They're pushing for the bridge approaches and even with the military's help we're not doing much good."
"The Citadelian ground troops are incapable of flight, hence their focus on the bridges." Starfire said. "Perhaps we should plan on dropping them?"
"Drop them?" The woman in a cat burglar's uniform asked quietly. "I like the way she thinks."
"Selina." Bruce nodded to the woman. "Without a land route for the city starvation will rapidly set in."
"It already has Bruce, there's no truck traffic and most stores only have a three day's supply of food at most. Mass looting is going on city wide, or can't you see that from your plane?" Selina answered coldly.
Babs tapped a couple buttons on the display and nodded. "Who all is here anyway?"
"Myself, Nightwing, Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, and Flash... the gold one." Starfire said.
"Okay... Which Flash?"
"Wally." Bruce said.
"Great." Barbara said. "We need a plan."
Starfire nodded before a voice called from the couch behind her. "You guys have a plan yet?"
Her heart skipped a beat and Starfire spun to see Dick stumble down the stairs in his Nightwing uniform. He wasn't bothering with the mask and glanced around the group. "Babs?"
"Star suggested dropping the Gotham city bridges." Barbara said before leaning past Bruce and hitting a set of keys. "We've been fighting holding actions on the approaches all night."
"All night?" Dick scowled slightly and glanced at the display. "You're talking three bridges and six tunnels." He scowled. "We want to keep the secret tunnels for our operations open though."
"Right." Starfire said glancing at the display. "I am certain Cyborg could locate structural weak points in each if we provide him the blueprints."
"Good idea Star." Dick said with a grin. "Where were Spoiler, Damian, and Ivy when you lost contact Babs?"
"A mile west of Trigate Bridge in the suburbs." Babs said quietly. "The Gordanians bombed Gotham Light and Power into rubble."
"Okay." Dick tapped the screen and Starfire felt a burst of pride, as he seemed to assess the situation. "Have you had any rest?"
"No." Selina said.
"Get some, four hours minimum before you go out again." Dick said swiftly. "You know if they cross at Trigate, Arkham is going to be taken very quickly afterwards."
Bruce scowled. "Do you have an idea?"
"We're fighting a war... how about a penal battalion?" Dick said with a chuckle. "Point those murderers and freaks at the alien invaders and let them off the leash."
"What?" Bruce stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "Those are the criminally insane!"
"Not all of them." Selina said with a pout. "You sent me there."
"Kleptomania." Bruce muttered under his breath. "You think they'd fight?"
"The Citadelians would be far worse masters than any prison warden." Starfire said with a grunt. "Faced with a life of enslavement or a chance at fighting, which would they choose?"
Dick nodded. "Among those that are in right now... Freeze and Bane are the most rational. Better them then the Joker."
"Bane will answer to Ivy, if she's still alive." Barbara muttered under her breath before tapping the screen. "With or without their help, we'll need more than just your typical array of explosives to drop bridges."
"The vault, we'll head down there once you've all slept to gear up." Dick said before standing. He glared down at Bruce. "Including you, we'll need you to provide air cover when we make our move."
"Fine..." Bruce huffed and stood. "You and Kory are as bad as Alfred."
"You need it." Dick said before pulling Starfire into a slight hug and glancing at Barbara. "Umm... we need to talk?"
"I know already Dick... Z'hom right?" Barbara looked at Starfire and she nodded.
"Sorry." Dick said.
"We'll talk later, okay?" Barbara said and squeezed his shoulder. "Take care of each other… there's another couch and table somewhere around here…"
"Opposite side of the cave, Alfred may be asleep in there." Bruce said quietly.
Babs nodded before she led the group of women to the other side of the cavern. As they left she saw that a few of them had tears in their eyes, probably from Black Canary's death.
Dick nodded and Starfire pulled him back toward the couch. "I am sorry, did we wake you?"
He smiled faintly and leaned his head against hers. "Your absence woke me... I was cold."
Star giggled quietly. "You are lying. I gave you a warm blanket."
"Fine, it was the motorcycles." He grumbled and she pulled the two of them back onto the couch. "Now..."
"Now you shall go to sleep again instead of worrying about the plan. Your mind needs to be refreshed." Starfire said before draping the loose blanket over the two of them and pushing herself against him. Her eyes fluttered shut and an impish smile slid across her lips. "You are cuddly, even with the armor."
"Thanks." He said quietly and Starfire took a deep breath, pulling in his scent. It was musky and earthly, and all so very comforting to her. She smiled.
"Go to sleep... We are safe, I am with you, and we are safe." Starfire said. "X'hal will protect and watch over us."