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 11: The Vault and Asylum

Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death's twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.

- T.S. Elliot's "The Hollow Men"

Dick woke and felt a soft smile slide across his face as he glanced down and saw Starfire's thick red hair. Across from him, Wally West was eating a quick MRE breakfast from where he sat.

"Wally..." Dick said and felt his throat crack. He yawned. "What time is it?"

"Around five in the morning..." He said. "How's she doing?"

"Better... she's remembering things now, and really seems intent on being around me... I guess it helps." Dick said quietly. "Is Bruce up yet?"

"No... I think Alfred slipped him something, the man's been out like a light."

Wally said. He smiled faintly. "How'd you sleep."

Dick blinked his eyes and wiped away a bit of sleep before answering. "Is it bad if I say, that's the most peaceful sleep I've had in... God only knows how long." He shifted carefully and slipped out from beneath Starfire and slowly lowered her to the cushions, careful not to disturb her.

"Don't know... I haven't exactly had the sort of wild life experiences you have." Wally said with a smirk which died after a moment. "I guess you normally have rough nights?"

"Dreams... nightmares... I thought most of us heroes had em." Dick said as he grabbed an MRE and tore it open. He picked up a bottle of water and poured it in the pouch. "Ugh... Military scrambled eggs... they've got to be awful."

"I'm sure." Wally said with a laugh. "Eat fast so you don't taste them."

Dick laughed quietly. "That explains how you eat so much junk." He glanced back at the couch and smiled faintly as he saw Beast Boy wrapped in Raven's cloak, her arms hugging him as she slept. "Well, that's... I don't think Raven would ever let me get away with it, but that's... cute."

Wally snorted quietly and finished his meal. "Yeah, in her classically creepy sort of way."

"No... not even that, just straight up cute." Dick said quietly.

Wally chewed his lip in thought for a moment then nodded. "You know... if it was Raven and anyone else, BB wouldn't let her hear the end of it."

"Yeah, well... that'd be because he was jealous." Dick said with a sly smile. "They're good for each other."

"Honestly... I don't really get it." Wally said after a bit. "They seem like such an odd pairing, I mean I understand you and Star... she's got a model's figure and..."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Honestly... that was never it, I've had to deal with models most of my life, so body shape and how hot she is never really factored in to the equation Wally..." He sighed. "Well, except maybe the hair."

"If you were gay, you'd be following me around wouldn't you... you and your love of the red hair." Wally shook his head and chuckled to himself. "So if it wasn't her model figure... why'd you and Star get together in the first place? I mean you and Babs were always around each other so it seemed something would happen eventually but... Star's an alien."

Dick sighed. "You know the sort of father figure I had growing up with Bruce... brooding, stoic, unemotional... I think I wanted someone that was as far from that as possible. You know what it's like being Batman, Wally?"

"No... but I'm sure you're going to tell me." Wally said with a slight smile.

"It's like being a machine, a robot... You do things logically, never letting emotions, attachment, or even ethics cloud your judgement. You have an objective... clean up Gotham. You have your rules... but besides that you just act... you do what needs to be done, no matter what the cost." Dick swallowed. "I hated it... you know what the kicker is?"

Wally shook his head.

"I like being a hero... righting wrongs, bringing in bad guys, helping people, and all that... It's..." Dick sighed. "It was... fun, to me."

"I get that..." Wally said with a smirk. "I wouldn't give it up ever... even if I suddenly wasn't a speedster anymore I'd do something. I mean Batman and you don't have any powers... except maybe a genius level IQ and crazy training."

"I'm barely a genius Wally... Starfire has a higher IQ then me, hell she has a higher IQ then Batman, it's just... not her, she has the mind to do relativistic calculations in her head, but... not one for analysis or detective work. Cyborg's smarter than me and Bruce too... but he uses it for technical stuff." Richard shrugged. "Plus... what's your IQ?"

Wally laughed. "What? I'm in Mensa, big deal!" He rolled his eyes. "I guess we're all smart."

"Not all... maybe all above average, but not geniuses." Dick sighed. "We just use our minds differently."

"Flash was a CSI you know... it's one of the reasons he's so good at detective work." Wally said. "And then I've been working on the science behind my powers..."

"Yeah... we all have our niches." Dick stood and smirked. "Speaking off... we need to get our Hacker to break into the Vault before Bruce wakes up... he rescinded my authorization."

"Oh... that sucks." Wally said as he followed Dick across the cave to the other living area. Inside he found the Birds of Prey, scattered around the room. Huntress and Catwoman were sleeping on the couch leaning against each other while Barbara was curled up in a chair, her blue eyes flicked toward them and she smiled faintly before wiping her face, clearly trying to hide a set of tear tracks.

"Dick?" She asked as she slipped out of the couch and walked over to them. "Wally... you need something?"

"Bruce rescinded my vault access, I was hoping you could either crack it or let us inside." He said.

Barbara nodded. "I can get you in, easy enough." She said as she walked out to the computer terminal and typed in a password. A moment later she smirked. "Okay, I got you cleared for everything." She turned back to them and shrugged. "So... what are you planning on getting?"

"A couple of things come to mind." Dick said. He stopped for a moment. "Babs... do you want to talk?"

"Is Starfire still sleeping?" She asked quietly. When he nodded she sighed. "Dick... yes, I'd like to talk." Her gaze flicked over to Wally and he saw him turn to leave after a moment, leaving the two of them in the middle of the Bat Cave.

It wasn't the sort of place he ever expected to have a heart to heart conversation with anybody, let alone Babs. He took a deep breath and swallowed. "I... about Star."

She sighed and the silence slowly built. Finally she said, "You screwed up... and I helped you do it..."

Dick swallowed. "I... what?"

"You screwed up, and I helped..." Barbara said and she stood, her face turning hard and mask like for a moment before she turned away. "We... I don't know, damn this is hard." She took a deep breath again and focused on the computer terminal. "I helped you screw up with Starfire... I helped you screw up your whole damn life with Bruce... and then, I stole you from her when... when..." She choked and shut her eyes. After a shuddering breath she continued. "When I didn't even want you like she did." Her gaze dropped to the floor and Dick stared at her in shock.

"B... Babs?" He croaked out. "You... I don't understand."

"I didn't want you to leave!" She suddenly bit out. "Leave me alone in this city with my father and... him." She spat the last word and kicked a chair in anger. Then she slumped. "I... I screwed up and drove you away..."

"Wait... it was Bruce that fired me and kicked me out." Dick growled. "You had nothing..."

"I caused it, remember?" She snapped. "We got involved, and then you threw yourself between Joker and me... took a bullet, for me, and then Batman fired you! You ran off to New York and Jump and... I... I just wanted you back home." She swallowed. "And Bruce, fucking used me to bring you back..." She growled in frustration. "I didn't even see it until you and Star called it quits... all the little nudges and..." She wiped away a set of tears. "He wanted me to steal you from Star, because he never trusted her. You know him Dick, he doesn't trust anybody... nobody is good enough, and sure as hell nobody is good enough for his surrogate son!"

"Babs..." Dick said suddenly. "He doesn't want any of-"

She cut him off with a hiss of frustration. "I played right into his damn hands, I wanted you back... I love being with Dick... you're fun, you made the world seem... a bit easier to deal with." She swallowed. "I loved that, but... since the whole thing with Z'hom and you two being sent to be evaluated... I've been thinking and..." She took a shuddering breath and then sighed. "I've been thinking that I... I don't love you like she did... like she does."

Dick stared at her, his mind trying desperately to make sense of her words. Finally he choked. "What... what are you saying Babs?"

"I love you... but not romantically Dick... I love you like a brother." She said quietly. "I... I've been lying to myself about it so long and... This whole situation brought it to the fore and... I..."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Dick hissed.

She shut her blue eyes and pushed away a set of tears. "I... I didn't realize myself... and... well, I... I wanted you here and wasn't thinking straight and..."

"We are all so messed up." Dick finally said. "I... is that why you never said yes?"

"To marrying you?"

Dick nodded.

She sighed and looked at the floor. "Maybe... I knew at some level, something always felt wrong about it... I mean, we were always together, a team... I thought for a long time that Bruce wanted us together or something, and then he blew that idea out of the water when you got shot... I was so confused for so long and... Then I saw you being reeled in by a redheaded super powered alien woman that had a model's body and... I lost it." She shrugged. "It was stupid, but I felt like she and the Titans were stealing you..."

Dick sighed and stared at the floor. "And you wanted your brother back home..."

Barbara nodded. "I... I guess I should give you the ring back..."

"Probably..." Dick said.

"You humans are so strange when it comes to matters of the heart." A familiar voice called from the darkness and Dick spun to see Starfire stepping toward them, a starbolt filling the room with its green glow.

Slowly Barbara stepped away from them, her eyes wide in shock. "I thought you said she was asleep."

"She was." Dick said quietly as Starfire stepped into the center of the room and glanced between them.

"I guess I shall have to get used to this..." Starfire said quietly. "As she is apparently family..."

Barbara's eyes bugged out of her sockets and she choked. "You... how much did you hear?"

"A great deal... so much makes more sense now." Starfire said quietly. "Richard... I am sorry I came between you and your family."

Dick closed his eyes. "You didn't... they chose to see it that way."

"True... but family is important, I wish my family had been willing to go to such extremes to keep me with them..." Starfire said quietly. "Barbara... I... I am unsure what to do. Part of me is very much angry with what you did to me, to Dick... but another part is... sad for you."

"Sad?" Barbara choked out. "I do not understand."

"No... I am sad you have not found one to love as... as I did." She stumbled on her words for a moment. "In my culture such love is so rare, but to mistake familial love for... romantic love is very sad to my mind."

Barbara bowed her head and nodded. "It is... I am... a bit horrified by my actions." She swallowed.

"I am too... I knew we had something I just never realized it was that... I thought at first we were friends, then lovers, but it never occurred to me what... what it really was." Dick swallowed. "I... I never really had a sister before. As close as the circus folks were... we, we're so much closer..."

"Because we have to deal with Batman." Barbara said quietly. "I guess there is a new rule in the Batclan. You may not date within the Batclan."

Dick laughed. "Better not tell Spoiler that, I think she has an interest in Tim."

"Guess that rule wouldn't work..." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "But that interest goes back before she was part of the Batclan. I'll give her a pass. Once we find her..." She added the last bit as a whisper. "Do you know how Tim is doing?"

"Bad, last I heard anyway..." Dick said and suddenly the activation of the Zeta-Tube system brought him back to the reality. His reflexes went to full alert as a girl clad in a black T-shirt, riddled with bruises and burns stumbled through the Zeta-Tube.

A familiar black haired figure stumbled out of Zeta-Tube and spun just as a final figure began to emerge. Suddenly the machine exploded and a flash of brilliant purple light enveloped the figure as he stumbled out.

"Conner!" The girl shouted as a badly burned Conner Kent fell to the floor... He gasped for breath as Dick, Starfire, and Barbara scrambled to them.

"Oh Gods... no, no, no... Not good!" Tim Drake said as he scrambled over to him, a holographic interface flashing around his glove. "Conner?"

Dick leaned down beside the younger Robin and swallowed. "What is it Tim?"

"He... the Kryptonian bio-field, you know the source of his Kryptonian powers... it's gone..." Tim stammered. "I... Cassie!"

The girl blinked away tears and hugged Conner. "Stay with me..." She murmured.

"Cassie, he's going into arrest!" Tim choked.

"At least..." Conner murmured. "At least you got away... give them hell, for me." He said quietly before collapsing.

"No!" Cassie shouted and pushed him to the floor and started chest compressions. "Live you damn fool! Come on Conner!" She shouted as Barbara Gordon dropped beside her with a defibrillator. "Come on..."

"I don't know if this will work, he's Kryptonian." Tim murmured as they tore his burned black T-shirt off and put the paddles in place.

Cassie glared at him. "He's half human! It'll work! Come on, please... I can't do this without you!"

"Clear!" Barbara snapped and the two teens dove away. There was a zap from the defibrillator then another. After two minutes of trying the device deactivated, its charge spent.

Cassie buried her head in Tim's shoulder and wept as Barbara stood and kicked the device away. She spun on Dick. "How? He's a Kryptonian... without Kryptonite almost nothing can hurt them!"

"The Zeta-Tube." Tim murmured and Dick glanced toward him. "When in transit he wouldn't have the bio-field up..." He swallowed. "I should have known..."

Cassie shuddered. "The one time he was vulnerable..." She murmured.

Dick swallowed. "I guess you had to get out of the city?"

Red Robin nodded. "Yeah... talked to Wally yesterday... We... We lost Skitter just after he visited us, and then... Bunker." He gasped for breath and stood. "It's... just me and Cassie now."

"Things aren't any better here, but you can rest for a while at least." Dick said quietly. "We were about to go down to the Vault and get the heaviest guns we can."

"Yeah... where's Damien?" Tim asked.

"Missing, along with Spoiler and Ivy... We'll be looking for them shortly." Dick said. "Tim... Go, get some sleep..."

"But Cassie..." He said.

Dick glanced back at the blond girl and shook his head. "Let her say goodbye."

He turned away from them and took a deep breath, things were getting worse, but at least now he had more people with him... Perhaps with just a few more from Arkham assisting they'd be on their way to standing a chance. Barbara watched him as he pulled open a door followed by Wally and Starfire.

Inside Dick took a deep breath. "Alright, we're going down to the Vault..."

"What is it Richard, this Vault?" Starfire asked.

"It's where Batman stores the equipment he confiscates, prototype devices, weapons, and so forth..." Dick said quietly. "There's a cargo elevator up to the main cave down there I can activate."

"So we just grab anything that will be remotely useful then?" Wally asked.

"Yeah, focus on bigger bangs... I think he has the Tumbler down here." Dick said as he tapped a keypad and the lift started down.

"Tumbler?"

Dick felt a slight smile slide across his face. "You'll see Wally... That's what Lucius called it... I think Bats was considering another name."

"Bat something." Wally muttered and Dick snorted.

The lifted came to a stop and the doors hissed open. There sitting in the middle of the room was an enormous black vehicle. Slowly the lights came on, showing an assortment of various items from old cases, prototype weapons, old suits, and various other things... including an enormous coin from a case with Harvey Dent.

Wally stared at the massive black armored vehicle that sat before them and blinked. "Uhh... what is that?"

"That... is the Tumbler." Dick said with a faint smile. "It was a bit overkill for Gotham's streets." Dick led them past the vehicle and tapped a control panel. An enormous bulk lift began to lower down from above and Dick's attention shifted to the inventory manifest on the other console. "Let's see... Ah, yep. I figure he still had it."

He tapped the controls and a suit of black nomex with a white hood decorated with a brilliant red X rose up from a floor compartment. Starfire stared at the suit, her eyes widening slightly. "Is that..."

"Yeah, Jason dumped it on the front doorstep one night... a week later the 'Red Hood' person made his first appearance." Dick said with a snarl. He stepped up to the suit and pulled a tube filled with a glowing red liquid from a compartment. "And... Bruce was kind enough to keep some Xenothium on hand to power it."

He grabbed the utility belt and wrapped it around his middle. Then he grabbed the gloves from the suit pulling them on and checked the hook ups. Then he grabbed two boxes filled with explosive X shuriken and other weapons.

"So... I guess we just grab anything that'd help us then." Wally observed as he glanced around the room.

"Yeah, and load it into the Tumbler... or as Bruce was planning on calling it, the Bat-Tank." He said with a smirk.

"That's just… typical." Wally observed with a laugh.

Dick walked over to a wall which slid open to reveal a vast collection of weapons, most were conventional arms... rifles, pistols, machine pistols, machine guns, but a few were a bit more exotic.

"Last I heard Freeze was in Arkham." Dick said to himself as he pulled a cryo cannon from the rack and checked it cautiously. He'd seen the weapon in the icy villain's hands enough time to recognize it immediately. "Wally, see if you can find any of the Freeze's other toys... I figure we can point him at the baddies."

"Right... who else is in Arkham anyway?" Wally asked as he began searching the room.

"What is this Arkham?" Starfire asked quietly as she slowly floated off the ground and stared at the collection of weapons.

"Arkham is a... insane asylum, where the most violent inmates and criminals of Gotham are housed." Dick said as he pulled an MP5 machine pistol from the wall and checked it. "Well... I think that Harley Quin and Bane are the big names in Arkham at the moment."

"Harley broke out a week ago." Bruce Wayne's voice came from the elevator and Dick froze. "I guess you really are going for the whole penaly battalion concept then?"

Dick nodded without turning to face him. "How is Damien geared?"

"Same way you used to be... bat-a-rangs, stun bombs, grapple gun... unless he's been sneaking something out that's more lethal." Bruce said quietly. "His transponder's still active, so I'm betting he's alive still."

"Talia trained him to survive, you just added to it Bruce." Dick said with a scowl. "Wally, get a full load of nine millimeter parabellum, will you

?"

"Sure." Wally said as he started pulling open storage boxes. "I found a bunch of cryo bombs and so forth already... put em in the tank."

"Damien might be geared as a Robin, but he was trained as a Shadow Assassin." Dick said as he picked up a second MP5. "I know you don't like killing Bruce... but this is no time for gloves."

An edge of anger suddenly slid into his voice. "He is my son!"

"And so was I!" Dick snapped back. "We can worry about his rehabilitation later."

"I am uncertain the pistol ammunition will be sufficient against Citadelians." Starfire said quietly as she glanced at the MP5 he had in his hands.

"Maybe not, but it'll work against Okaarans." Dick said coolly. "Star, there's a big tank at the top of that wall, can you grab it for me?"

Starfire blinked then looked up. Her face scrunched up in concentration for a moment and she floated off the floor and rose to the tank. "What is it?"

"It's Bane's venom tank... be careful not to damage the injectors." Dick called from the ground.

"Venom?" She asked as she pulled the tank out and slowly descended down beside him. "He injects himself with a toxin?"

"Sort of... it's a bit more of a super-powered steroid then a toxin." Dick said with a snort. "Bane's almost more dangerous without it... but he'd need the extra strength agains the Citadelians."

Bruce scowled at Dick as Starfire set the tank down beside the tumbler and glanced around the room. "I really don't like this Dick." He growled.

"I know... but unless you've got a better idea, doing this may save the city." Dick snapped back at him. "Were you going to tell me that Harley escaped?"

"No."

"She was on the Suicide Squad for a time... guess that didn't work out." Dick said with a sigh. "Is Joker active?"

"Maybe... He'd been quite for a while..." Bruce said.

Dick sighed. "That means he was planning something." Dick said before grabbing some other bits of gear and loading them into the back of the tumbler. "Knowing him, he's planning a party for the Citadelian's arrival..."

Bruce snorted. "He might be upset with you guys trying to stop them... Being made into a buffet might actually be appetizing to that man."

Dick shuddered at the thought. "That's... just nasty. Wally, grab some of the bigger explosives for Cyborg... We'll be heading to Arkham shortly."

"Okay..." Wally said. "You want me going with or..."

"You're playing Courier, I trust you can find your way around the city if you need to?" Dick said with a smirk.

"Courier... sure I can do that." Wally said.

"Star... you're flying air cover, for us with Raven... it'll be a chance for you to recharge a bit." Dick said as Bruce stepped over to a console and hit a button. "I'll take the-"

"No, have someone else take the Bat-Tank... I got something else for you Dick." Bruce said as a floor compartment opened and a dark black motorcycle rose up into view. Wings with hardpoints for small concussion missiles swept up on either side of the seat and Dick stared at it for a long moment.

"You still have it?" He asked as he walked up to the cycle. "I thought I'd trashed it."

"Dude! That's the old N-cycle isn't it?" Wally said suddenly.

"No, it's not... you did trash it Dick. Lucius was working on replacing it when... well, I disappeared. When I got back, he put it in the vault..." Bruce shrugged. "It's yours."

"Damn..." Dick said as he walked up to the motorcycle and noted that the emblems were in red instead of the old blue. He smirked faintly. "Great... I'll take it. Cyborg will get a kick out of driving the Tumbler."

"Just don't let him wreck it." Bruce said with a snort.

"Oh he won't..." But the Citadelians might. Dick thought to himself as he loaded them onto the elevator.

It took another fifteen minutes to gather up the team and formulate an operational plan. Dick was astonished by how the heroes mindsets, especially Tim and Barbara's had shifted from being heroes to soldiers fighting a war. The language itself changed, places became rally points, objectives, and so forth.

Bruce grudgingly accepted his new role as providing air cover for the others. The sleep he'd got seemed to have done him a world of good, and he was slowly beginning to accept the necessity of what Dick had proposed. Barbara and her Birds of Prey would ride-out to the various tunnels and bridges as a team, plant explosives big enough to drop the bridges and then move on to the next one. The last to be dropped would be Trigate Bridge, directly between Arkham Asylum and the Power Plant. Damien, Spoiler, and Ivy's transponders indicated they'd holed up near the opposite ramp approach.

Barbara had been busy while they'd ransacked the Vault, compiling a vast array of information on what was going on inside Gotham itself. While the main force of Citadelians was still enroute and would be forced to cross the bridges to arrive, already there were Citadelian, Okaaran, and Gordanian troops spreading throughout the city. The police department had created a shelter for civilians while several of the criminal kingpins fought against the horde of aliens spreading through the city.

Oswald Cobblepot's Iceberg Lounge had turned into a strongpoint around which the criminals were fleeing toward as Penguin opened his storehouse of smuggled goods and weaponry to anyone that would defend his home. Black Mask and several other criminal groups were defending their territory as best they could but with limited success.

"So... the Penguin might be someone to enlist for support." Dick said as he glanced at the holographic map of Gotham. "Bruce?"

"Penguin is only looking out for his own interests, but then they compliment our own... His defenses are mostly just thugs with guns and explosives, but he's smart and crafty enough to use them for good effect." Bruce said. "I'm not sure how much support he could offer."

"Some support would be better than nothing at all." Dick said. "At least we can use the Iceberg Lounge as a fallback position... though our primary will be Wayne Tower."

"Alright." Bruce said sounded rather dejected.

Dick glanced at his old mentor and surrogate father, and shook his head. "I know you don't like this, but we're losing..."

"I know... that doesn't make it easier for me."

Selina sighed and shook her head. "You really need to learn when to accept help."

"What about us?" Tim asked from the side of the room. "Me and Cassie want to help."

"I know... but you've not had time to rest, or grieve yet." Dick said. "You're our reserve... get Alfred to get you something to eat and rest for awhile. You're not going to miss it."

"Okay, does everyone know their missions?"

"Courier between Birds of Prey and Titans, if we lose radio... otherwise I'm to be a scout." Wally said.

"Drop the bridges, Trigate last then rally at Wayne Tower." Barbara said.

"Get reinforcements from Arkham, cross Trigate and retrieve Damien, Spoiler, and Ivy. Return and hold the Trigate Bridge until it's blown, then rendezvous at Wayne Tower." Dick said as he glanced at his team, the Titans and saw their nods of understanding. "Raven, Star you're flying top cover, but stay low... I don't want their fighters taking pot shots at you... that's Bruce's job. Cyborg, you're driving the Bat-Tank, Beast Boy is riding shotgun."

"Sweet!" Garfield said and nervous laughs echoed in the room.

"I'm taking the N-cycle, Cyborg can follow me..."

"Drive slow, you maniac." Cyborg said with a smirk.

Dick rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I'll try... so, let's go."

A few minutes later, the Titans roared out of a hidden exit to the caves near Arkham and Dick found himself on an all too familiar road. It was a short ride, as Batman knew that a riot or breakout there was an all too common occurance.

Dick swallowed as the familiar wrought iron gates of the Arkham Asylum opened before him. He hammered the accelerator and behind him he heard the growl of the 'Bat-Tank' as it rumbled in pursuit of his N-cycle. Overhead Starfire and Raven hovered watching for any Citadelian interference.

The small convoy screeched to a halt before the Asylum and Dick clambered off his motocycle. The guards that were posted at the entrance glanced nervously between them as he stepped up to the doors.

"So... umm... what you doing here Nightwing?" One of them asked quietly.

"You probably don't want to know." Dick said as he glanced at the guard's name tag. "Stevens."

"What? You got a bunch of those aliens you want us to take care of?" The other guard asked before he laughed.

"No... I'm taking people out, not putting them in today." Nightwing said as Raven and Starfire floated down behind him. Star's glowing gaze flicked between the guards as if to consider them before looking at the doors.

"Taking em out?" The first guard asked.

Nightwing adjusted his Red-X utility belt and furrowed his brow at the two men. "Yeah... I don't think all your patients would want to die at the hands of these aliens, figured we could use them."

The guards looked at each other before the senior of the two shrugged and tapped a code into a keypad. The two heavy double doors slowly ground open and another set of guards looked up at him and his comrades. All of them were wearing full riot gear, as if in anticipation of an escape attempt in time with the invasion.

One of the guards walked toward the trio, his brow furrowed behind a riot helmet. "Nightwing... what brings you here?"

Dick glanced at the shotgun clasped in the man's hands and noticed one of them was a prosthetic. He smiled faintly. "Cash?"

"That's me... guess the riot gear confused you?" The Corrections Officer said before leaning back. "I'm in charge at the moment... all the doctors are trying to hide or going as crazy as their patients. How's it going out there?"

"Bad... I need help, and there aren't any more heroes available. You ever hear about Penal Companies?" Nightwing asked carefully.

"Penal Companies... oh, oh damn... a Suicide Squad then? It's that bad out there?" Cash asked.

Dick nodded. "Yeah, it is... who among the inmates is stable enough to be of help?"

"Well... there's Freeze and Bane..." Cash said. "They've sort of set themselves up as ring leaders in here."

Nightwing nodded. "I need to talk to them."

"Sure... who are the two chicks anyway?" Cash asked.

Dick smirked slightly and pointed to the two of them. "Starfire, Raven... this is Corrections Officer Cash, one of the few guys here that isn't taking bribes."

Cash nodded to the two of them. "Pleasure to meet you."

Starfire inclined her head slightly as Raven just stared. Nightwing glanced at the second set of doors. "So... let's go make a deal with the devil."

Cash snorted as he waved a card key through the slot and opened the first security gate. "That'd be the Joker... or Black Mask." Cash said.

"True..." Nightwing muttered as Cash led them into a cellblock. Guards wandered along the walkways fully clothed in riot gear, watching the orange clad prisoners. After a moment Cash walked up to a cell door and pulled it open.

"Victor, you've got some visitors." Cash said before stepping back.

A moment later a tall man stepped out into view, clad in a head to toe environmental suit capped with a glass dome, he squinted at the group that met him. "Nightwing... and two I am not familiar with."

"Victor Fries." Dick said with a slight nod. "I'm sure news of... the situation has gone round the prison?"

The man nodded once, his icy white skin shimmering beneath the dome. "You are referring to the invasion of course. What do you want with me?"

"I'm looking for volunteers to help in the defense of Gotham. Help me and I can put in a good word, get you out." Nightwing said as he folded his arms over his chest.

Freeze stared down at him for a long moment. "Or I could just wait for the aliens to smash down Arkham's walls... What does it matter to me if you lose your precious city?"

"The Citadelians will not limit themselves to the conquest of your planet... they will enslave you all, work you until you cannot live another day, and then serve you up on their dinner table." Starfire said flatly. "Is that enough of a reason to fight them?"

"Nightwing... you know what my conditions are." Freeze said coolly.

"Nora." Dick said with a sigh.

"I want her released into my custody when this is over." Freeze stated.

"Fine..." Dick nodded once. "I have your combat equipment out front... are there any here you would like the assistance of?"

"I am not a... team player, as you well know." Freeze stated.

Dick nodded. "Fine... can you work with Bane?"

"Yes." Freeze stated. "I suggest you listen to him, he is a most keen strategist."

The massive figure stepped toward the doors and the guards nervously watched Freeze as Dick followed Cash to another cell. Inside a man sat with his hands folded across his lap. He wore the orange jumpsuit of a normal prisoner, but his hulking muscles seemed to bulge out from the fabric. His Hispanic features were distinct, but it was the rasp of his voice that got Dick's attention.

Bane without his tank and typical clothing looked like little more than a professional wrestler. Still, the man had a book titled 'The Philosophy of Nietzche' balancing on his knee.

"Ahh... the first of the birds, Nightwing... it has been too long." Bane said and smiled faintly at him. "I guess you are having the trouble fighting the alien foe? Yes?"

"Yes." Dick admitted after a moment. "You have heard of the Suicide Squad?"

"Ahh... those 'villains' that exchange doing government service instead of spending time in such a lovely hacienda? Yes, I am familiar." Bane said.

Dick nodded. "Same type of deal, help me beat back these invaders and we'll see about your freedom."

"Oh yes... the typical offering for a suicidal mission. Perhaps I would prefer to just sit here and await my demise than rush head long into it?" Bane smiled coolly. "Of course, what use am I to you without the venom?"

Dick scowled as Starfire stepped forward. "The Citadel will make whatever you have suffered here seem like a royal treatment."

"And how would you know? Have you experienced their hospitality?" Bane asked.

"I was their slave since I was a child..." Starfire growled. "You will be tortured to the brink of death, worked until your hands run raw, your women shall be raped before your eyes... and then... when you finally succumb to the embrace of death, your body shall be served upon their table as an evening meal and consumed."

Bane's eyes widened slightly. "Indeed... perhaps I have spoken too soon... do you have the venom?"

"Yes..." Dick grumbled. "Do you want any of your fellow prisoners to help?"

"No... No I think not." Bane stood and only Starfire could look straight into his eyes without tilting her head. He shut the book of philosophy and laid it on the table before wiping his hands on his trousers. "What has happened to the Detective anyway?"

"I don't know, he's supposed to be flying air cover." Dick said. "Last time w talked he wasn't very pleased with my idea but is playing along."

Bane chuckled. "So the bird has learned to operate on his own... good."

Dick sighed and headed toward the doors. Cash shut the cell doors behind them and led them back out to the street. The two villains stood before the street and stared at the massive wheeled black vehicle sitting beside the N-Cycle.

"I have not seen this vehicle before." Freeze stated as a rear cargo hatch hissed open and Cyborg stepped from around the back of the vehicle. He lifted a cryo-cannon of Freeze's design from the hatch along with a set of web gear laden down with ice based weaponry.

"It appears to be almost a tank." Bane observed as Beast Boy dragged the massive tank and delivery system of Bane's from the aft compartment. "Now, Nightwing... speak the truth, why is it you need us?"

Dick flinched as Raven glanced at him and arched an eyebrow. He took a deep breath. "This... this is an invasion by an alien army. I need people capable of killing... especially since I'm not."

"Nightwing is rutha." Starfire muttered under her breath.

Raven scowled. "Refusing to take a life is not a weakness."

"Star, some humans are just not psychologically capable of taking life, I'm not... I know I'm not." Dick said, quietly. "In fact, those that can take life are the exception on this world..."

"You are correct on that assessment." Bane sated as he lifted the massive storage tank and swung it up onto his back. "Basic Criminology and Military Psychology would tell you that after all, though it is so rarely acknowledged."

Freeze nodded once. "I do not use lethal force by habit, but can do so if required."

"Out of all of us... just Starfire is capable of taking life. Beast Boy and Raven can do it, but they're barely in control in that state." Nightwing said quietly.

"I see..." Freeze stated as he lifted the cryo-cannon and did a check of its systems. "Your mentor suffers from the same weakness..."

"I know that sometimes lethal force is required, something Batman doesn't even acknowledge... and I also know I'm not capable of pulling that trigger." Dick said flatly.

Raven nodded once as Starfire glanced away. "Since this is a life or death struggle... we need those that are capable of dealing death."

"Yes." Dick said. "I want the rest of us to focus on protecting those that can do the... bloody work."

Raven nodded once.

"I believe you may require additional assistance..." Bane stated. "I will see about contacting Poison Ivy."

"Ivy has been working with the Birds of Prey… we'll be pulling her out of the front line." Dick said.

Freeze nodded. "Penguin would also be of assistance... there is no profit in the destruction of this city or the planet's enslavement."

Dick scowled. "How can Penguin be much of a help, he's little more than an informant and smuggler these days. He's not a front line fighter."

"You do not know?" Bane asked.

"Know what?" Dick snapped.

Freeze seemed to smirk. "He is in possession of an old soviet submarine, he uses it to smuggle weapons into Gotham but I do believe it has a full complement of armaments."

Dick swore. "A submarine… you mean an actual attack submarine?"

"One can obtain anything so long as they have sufficient funds." Freeze stated.

"So... what's the plan?" Bane asked.

Dick took a deep breath and bit his lip. "The Citadelians can't fly and there isn't any real good place to land inside Gotham itself."

"So we blow the bridges." Bane stated. "You have chosen a central rally point?"

"Yes... Wayne Tower." Dick said.

"You have more resources than just us as well?" Bane asked.

Dick nodded. "Yeah, the Birds of Prey… We've got a Flash running messages between us just so we can coordinate this mess… Batgirl is leading them."

"The Joker will not appreciate you fighting for the city, he may attempt to interfere." Freeze stated.

"Of course he will." Dick grumbled.