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 12: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Here we go round the prickly pear
Prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o'clock in the morning.
- T.S. Elliot's "The Hollow Men"
Starfire flew low over Gotham, slipping between the buildings and skimming just over the rooftops. Smoke billowed from countless points in the city itself, and she could catch the bang and clatter of weapons fire as she flew.
Her gaze flicked to the black and red motorcycle that led them, and the armored figure bent low over it.
Nightwing... he was transforming as she watched. The futility of their struggle had been cast aside and now he focused on the task, rallying and leading the others as he once had.
Her emotions bubbled under the surface, a strange happiness seemed to seep through her soul at what had happened in the Bat-Cave, but the logical part of her mind fought it... it wasn't the time for such things, not when they were facing an army that had haunted her since she was a child.
Below her the black shape of the Bat-Tank roared down a side street, it's wheels spinning as it sped along, kicking up debris, mud, and grime as it roared along. To her side Raven floated, her gaze flicking through the buildings and side streets searching for hostiles.
The heavily built trusses of Trigate Bridge rose before them and Starfire dove down, winding between the metal beams as the Bat-Tank weaved around abandoned cars and trucks. Nightwing's N-Cycle made a rumbling nose as it lead them, swerving around various cars, and occasionally blowing apart vehicles that couldn't be avoided.
As they reached the half-way point Starfire's eyes widened as she spotted three immense grey walkers clambering toward the approach followed by entire columns of Citadelian soldiers. Her heart froze with fear for a split second and she snarled.
"Raven, cover me." She said before she dropped to the top of one of the trusses. Green flames roared from her fists as she tapped into the righteous fury that was buried underneath. Then she snarled and hurled them toward the walkers.
One of the vehicles' heads turned toward her as the green bolt raced to meet it and blasted it apart. A fireball erupted from the head of the vehicle and it tumbled to the ground as a second bolt blasted apart the hip of a second walker.
A black wall of energy flared before Starfire and deflected a beam of purple plasma skyward. As it faded, Starfire hurled another bolt and destroyed the third walker with a single blast of her fury.
Raven settled down beside her and her lips twitched. "Impressive..."
"I am the trying Raven." Starfire said with a slight smile. "It is good that the sky is clear... I can recharge as we fight."
Blasts of purple light soared up from the column of Citadelians as they spread out to engage them. Starfire snarled as a blast burned into the beam she was standing on and glared at them. "Raven?"
"They haven't found the range yet..." She said and then a bolt flashed between them and Raven's eyes flashed. "Now they have." Shields of dark energy flashed into existence, blocking the ragged barrage of fire.
Starfire snarled and began to hurl starbolts. "Die you wretched, detestable, and disgusting brutes!"
Dick swore as a volley of starbolts lanced down from the sky and blasted into the ground ahead. He could see the burning wrecks of two of the walkers that the Citadelians had deployed, and knew that the enemy was ahead.
He glanced down at the electronic display, swung the bike off the road, and revved the engine as it careened down toward the riverfront. A smashed black, red, and yellow motorcycle sat beside a storefront and Dick growled as he saw three Okaaran soldiers crouched beside the entrance, their weapons at the ready. He aimed for the group and fired, sending a pair of missiles lancing from the N-Cycle's wings and diving down into the group. Two blasts echoed from the impact and he saw that the Citadelians had been tossed aside.
Then he skidded to a stop as vines suddenly shot up from the cracked pavement and grabbed at the cycle.
"IVY!" Dick yelled and the vines suddenly stopped then recoiled back before slipping back into the ground. Behind him, he heard the Bat-Tank rumble down beside him and screech to a stop.
"Look Robin, it's your oldest brother." A female voice came from the top floor of the storefront and Dick glanced up to see the green clad figure of Poison Ivy, her skin just as green as her leotard and her red hair looking almost like a flower bloom from the top of her head. "I suppose you're here to help out your old friend Babsy?" She said haughtily as Damien's head popped up behind her.
"Nightwing..." Damien said. "You're alive?"
"Yeah... and we've brought help." Dick jerked a thumb toward the Bat-Tank. A moment later the hatch slid open and the hulking figure of Bane clambered out, followed by Cyborg. Beast Boy leapt out in the form of a small green squirrel and morphed back to his human form.
"Man, there's not much room in there with three giants!" Garfield said with a snap.
Dick opened a side compartment and pulled out an MP5 and a set of web gear. "Damien!"
The Robin repelled out of the building and scrambled over to Dick, his eyes widening. "What..."
"Catch." Dick said as he threw the weapon and gear to the kid and saw his gaze harden.
"Dad's rule?" He asked as he slung the MP5 over a shoulder and started pulling on the bandoleers.
"Temporarily rescinded." Dick said.
Damien yanked the charging lever of the machine pistol and smiled. "Cool."
"Where's Steph?" Dick asked after a moment.
Ivy jerked her head toward the apartment as a girl with bright blond hair stepped out clad in the familiar purple costume of Spoiler. "I'm here…" Her voice cracked and Dick noticed that her mask was gone, a cut ran the length of her cheek and he could see other spots on her armor where it'd been cracked or torn by shrapnel.
Dick nodded and tapped his comlink. "Nightwing to Birds… we've got them, they all seem to be in good condition."
"Thank God, Dick… we're halfway through the bridges now, but resistance is stiffening." Barbara's voice caught after a moment. "We're fighting more and more Okaarans and Gordanians… I think they might be using them to screen their main elements."
Dick nodded. "Understood… Come on! Let's go! We need to blow that bridge!"
A low rumble filled the air and everyone tensed.
"OH SHIT!" Dick yelled as a massive mech shaped vaguely like a spider smashed through the wall, a huge cannon swinging toward the Bat-Tank. Okaaran troops scrambled through the hole, their rifles up and firing, sending brilliant blasts of energy ripping through the air as Damien lifted his MP5 to his shoulder and opened fired.
The heavy nine-millimeter pistol rounds slammed into the lead soldier, knocking him to the ground as Spoiler, growling with frustration hurled an explosive disk into the midst of the group.
Shrapnel tore through the air as dozens of Okaarans dropped from the explosion. The massive mech's cannon began to glow, a single red targeting laser lighting up the Bat-Tank.
"Get clear!" Dick yelled. Freeze and Bane scrambled away from the tank and Cyborg lifted his arm and let loose with a ragged volley of sonic blasts that sputtered against the mech's armor.
Then the cannon fired, spitting a brilliant blue-white bolt from it's muzzle. It struck the Tumbler, tearing it to pieces with a single strike and sending bits of the vehicle spinning in all directions.
Spoiler hissed as one metal splinter tore through the kevlar at her hip and left a cut just above the joint while Damien swore profusely and opened fire again, gunning down two more of the Okaarans.
Dick's ears rang as Poison Ivy snarled and a set of vines sprang from the cracks in the sidewalk and lashed out toward the Okaaran troops. Then the mech swung it's cannon toward the N-cycle.
"Oh no you don't!" Dick swore and grabbed an explosive-X from his belt. He hurled it toward the cannon and it buried itself at the tip of its muzzle. As the energy built around the weapon Dick's eyes suddenly widened. "EVERYBODY BACK! GET BACK!"
Damien and Spoiler scrambled away from the mech as Ivy backed away, summoning more plants to form a shield between her and the massive vehicle.
Then the cannon fired, setting off the explosive-X and redirecting the energy back into the weapon. The vehicle exploded with a boom, sending fragments careening in all directions and knocking Ivy from her feet as Damien and Spoiler curled up in a ball and pulled their capes around them for protection.
Dick dove out of the way of a falling limb and rolled behind a pile of rubble. His ears rang still, deafening him. He saw Damien yell at him for a moment before standing and firing with the MP5 again. Spoiler grimaced as she pulled a syringe from her utility belt and slammed it into her knee. Her eyes fluttered for a moment before she pulled it out and grabbed a concussion disk from her hip.
"Spoiler's hurt." Dick said to himself as he grabbed another set of Red-X shuriken from the belt and hurled them into the group of Okaarans. A solid beam of white icy shot past his shoulder and swept over the Okaarans, freezing them in place just before Spoiler's disk exploded.
The Okaarans shattered like glass, or a rose dipped in liquid nitrogen. Dick stared in shock at the results as Spoiler gaped. He scrambled over to her. "How bad?" He asked, but still couldn't hear his own voice.
Spoiler looked at him in confusion.
Dick swore then bellowed as loud as he could. "HOW BADLY ARE YOU HURT STEPH?"
She flinched and pulled back her cape revealing the wound to her hip he'd witnessed and three points on her left leg where a glancing blast from the energy weapons had burned through the nomex.
Dick swore and scrambled to Damien's side. He clasped him on the shoulder. "DAMIEN, I NEED YOU TO GET STEPH BACK TO THE MANOR. TAKE MY CYCLE."
The young teen stared at him for a moment before nodding his understanding. Then he turned and ran to the bike, grabbing Steph and half dragging her along the way. A moment later he'd started the cycle and roared off with the older teen holding tight to him.
Ivy glanced around the battlefield and smiled slightly on seeing Bane, before turning to Dick and arching an eyebrow.
He sighed and gestured toward the bridge where Starfire was still hurling bolts into the oncoming horde of Citadelian soldiers. "We're falling back."
They nodded their understanding and started running for the bridge while Starfire's steady volley of suppressing fire filled the air overhead. As the ran a roar drew Dick's attention and he swore as a Citadelian fighter shot just meters over the bridge and climbed upward into a loop.
"Star!" He said as he saw the fighter reverse at the top of the loop and dive back toward the bridge, it's cannon tip glowing with purple energy. Dick's gaze flicked to Starfire just as Raven grabbed her and the two of them disappeared in a cloud of darkness. Then the beam shot from the fighter and burned through the space they had stood.
His heart stopped as the fighter roared overhead and climbed again. Star... was? Where... His mind stopped as he stumbled, his gaze flicking across the bridge searching. "Star?"
"I am here, Richard."
Dick spun to see Starfire, standing wide-eyed with Raven beside her, the portal they'd used fading to nothingness. "STAR!"
He pulled her into a hug and she squeaked in surprise. "Richard?"
"I thought... I thought..." He gasped for breath. "I thought they got you." He said quietly.
Starfire shook her head. "They did not... Raven makes a most skilled protector."
Dick glanced at the pale girl and nodded to her. "Thanks."
"She's my friend too, idiot." Raven said with a roll of her eyes.
"Sorry to break this moment up, but they are coming." Bane growled before gesturing to the Citadelian soldiers scrambling up the bridge ramp toward them.
Dick swore as Freeze glanced around the bridge for a moment then smiled coldly. "Cover me, I have an idea."
"I will ensure the Citadelian starfighters do not strike upon us." Starfire said and lifted from the ground.
"Star..." Dick swallowed and the familiar bronze-skinned girl spun toward him, looking uncertain. His eyes met hers. "Be careful."
"I will, Richard." She said then shot up into the sky.
Dick took a deep breath. "You heard Freeze, he's got an idea... let's give the mad scientist a chance to work!" He yelled and the group began to engage the approaching Citadelians.
A Citadelian starfighter careened out of the sky and splashed into the river and Dick glanced up in time to see the Bat-Plane flashed between the clouds and roll into attack position on another set of Citadelians. Green bolts flashed through the air at fighter craft and Dick swallowed.
She'll be alright.
"Nightwing, I must access the tank of that truck, if you and your pale friend would keep me from falling." Freeze said as he pointed toward a semi-truck that was parked in the middle of the bridge.
Dick nodded. "Raven, let's keep Freeze alive."
The two of them backed toward the semi-truck, their time in the Titans slowly returning to the forefront of Dick's mind as Raven and he wordlessly tried to coordinate their actions. After just a few moments he fell back in sync with her, remembering how she fought and functioned as a teammate.
As they reached the semi-truck, Dick glanced at the truck and swallowed as he noticed the contents label on the side: liquid nitrogen. He suddenly yelled. "Everybody, behind us!"
Freeze hammered a fist to the side of the tanker truck as Raven and Nightwing did their best to protect him. The old villain smirked to himself and pulled a device from his belt. He slammed it into the side of the tank and pulled a hose from his cryo cannon. A moment later, he plugged the hose into the device and slammed a button. Instantly water began to crystallize along the hose as liquid nitrogen ran from the tank into the cryo cannon. "Stand clear!" Freeze yelled, "Behind me, all of you!"
Raven stepped back behind Freeze, her hands still enveloped in black magic casting shield after shield to block the purple plasma bolts that leapt toward them from the army of Citadelians pushing their way across the bridge.
Freeze pulled the trigger of the cannon sending a stream of liquid nitrogen cooled to the brink of absolute zero across the bridge. Nightwing's eyes widened as he saw the bridge surface crack and shatter from the sudden cooling effect. A dozen of the Citadelian's were caught in the beam and frozen solid as he watched.
Mr. Freeze began to hum as he covered every bit of the bridge in reach with his beam. The Citadelians fired on him, desperately trying to bring down the sudden threat that this strange human in an environmental suit posed.
"Nightwing, a concussion bomb if you would." Freeze stated as he turned off the cryo cannon and disengaged the valve from its back. "I've emptied the tanker."
Nightwing nodded and tossed a concussion grenade from his Red X belt into the middle of the bridge. With a bang, it exploded and a shockwave swept across the span before where they stood. Every object the beam had touched shattered from the blast. Bridge, cars, trucks, and Citadelians all collapsed in a resounding crackle of shattered ice. The sound of groaning metal filled the air and the span before where they stood toppled into the bay with a splash.
"Nicely done." Nightwing said before lifting his comlink to his mouth. "Bridge is down, head for Wayne Tower, we'll meet you there."
Starfire dropped her flight for a split second as the Citadelian fighter charged toward her, and dropped out of its line of fire. She snarled and hurled a starbolt toward the ship, and growled in frustration as the bolt sputtered against an energy shield.
A howl filled her ears and she saw the familiar black shape of Batman's jet swoop past her, a missile shooting from its underside. With a brilliant flash, the missile struck and suddenly the fighter's engines fluttered and died. It fell toward earth soundlessly as she watched.
The Bat-Plane screamed past and rolled onto another fighter, another missile shot from its wings and disabled the ship, dropping it toward the ground.
Starfire swallowed. Perhaps distracting the fighters was not a good idea. She thought as she glanced down at the broken remains of Trigate Bridge. She pursed her lips in thought.
Richard is worried. She thought quietly. He is worried about me...
Her heart brightened a bit at that thought before she shoved it asside, there were much more important and immediate issues that needed to be dealt with, like the threat of the Citadelians.
"Starfire..." The gruff voice of Bruce Wayne came through the comlink and she swallowed. "What are you doing up here?"
"I was doing the distracting of the fighters, they attempted to strafe us." She answered back calmly.
"I can handle the sky, get down there and protect Dick." Bruce ordered and Starfire blinked.
Suddenly the needs of her bond snapped back into her mind and she swore in Tamaranian for a moment before she saw the black jet swooping in on another fighter. "Bruce, are you certain."
"GO!" He snapped at her and Starfire dove down toward the bridge.
As she dove, an explosion suddenly lit up the ramp on the Gotham side of the bridge and she squinted toward the source. Her eyes widened as she saw the shattered remains of the N-cycle and two figures sprawled out on the ground.
Spoiler... that was what Richard called her. And Damien... Damien... who was Damien?
She dove down toward them and stopped when a cold laugh echoed from the rooftops. Something about it froze her blood and she glanced nervously around, looking for the source.
The laugh turned to a chuckle, and then a cackle that made her nervous. Then another voice giggled in the darkness.
"Nice Mr. J!"
"Oh that's nothing... we just have to wait for the rest of the merry band... maybe then Bat's will come down to play!" The voice cackled again. "Why don't you lot show those two some hospitality."
Starfire scowled and suddenly a crowd of people slipped out of the building surrounding the broken cycle, each one wore either white face-paint or a face mask shaped like that of a clown. Each held a weapon, ranging from guns to clubs, crowbars, or baseball bats.
"X'hal..." Starfire whispered to herself and dove, streaking down toward the N-cycle as the pack of thugs circled them. She saw the red, yellow, and black clad boy stir as one of the thugs leapt forward with a crowbar in hand and prepared to strike.
A flash of rage at the blatantly dishonorable attack flashed through her veins and she hurled a brilliant green bolt.
The thug vaporized from the blast, his remains scattering in all directions as the crowbar fell to the street with a clatter. Starfire smashed into the ground as the thugs stepped back in shock.
"What's this...?" A voice asked and Starfire glanced up to see a figure leaning out of a top window. His face was scarred and white, red lipstick swept from his scarred cheeks down around his lips giving him a look like some mad clown. His hair was thin, matted, and green. His stare was wild and crazed.
Then he cackled. "Why, if it isn't the older bird's old squeeze! I've always wanted to meet her!" The clown cackled and a woman clad in a court jester's outfit stepped into view, her own face just as scarred and painted as his own.
"Mr. J, what do you want to do with her?" The woman asked as the boy behind Starfire stumbled to his feet and swept the MP5 off his shoulder.
"I don't know Harley... maybe we should skin her? I know! Lets see if she's got a sense of humor!" The clown started laughing and pulled a small grenade from a pocket. He pulled pin and tossed it toward her, grinning like a lunatic.
Starfire snarled and lashed out with a starbolt, vaporizing the can. "I am not in the mood for jokes!"
"What! No sense of humor? That's so sad firecracker." Joker shook his head. "Don't you see, this is the end of the world! Don't you see the irony? I'm going to laugh as the world burns and all the heroes and villains scramble about like so many serious fools to save themselves and their neighbors. Why don't they just accept it? We're all going to die sometime, so why fight it?"
"You are the insane." Starfire growled.
"No, no, no... My dear, I'm the only sane man on Earth... well, save for my dear Harley." He grinned wickedly. "Boys! Lets make Bat's day the worst of his life! After all, it only takes one bad day to make the sanest man mad... and this, this is a very bad day!" He cackled. "Perhaps we should start with killing his boy, and the old bird's love, eh?"
"But boss, she killed old Fives." One of the thugs said. "She'll fight to kill us."
"Well, maybe she's a bit saner then the Bat-man." Mr. J stated then. "Still, she can't defeat all of you!"
"Let me Mr. J!" The jester said with a giggle and Starfire's eyes went wide as she lifted an AT4 rocket over her shoulder and pointed it at her.
"Of course my dear... have fun with it!"
Starfire summoned a shield of green energy as the missile rocketed from the tube and grunted as it exploded against the shield. She growled in fury as the jester stared at her looking a bit confused by the results. "Mr. J?"
"Oooh... she's a little super-powered thing, isn't she?"
"Joker..." A voice snarled from behind her and Starfire turned to see Damien stumble to his feet.
Joker... suddenly Starfire knew who this deranged clown was, she had heard of him before. Robin had told stories, terrible stories of this crazy man.
"Harley..." He drew out the MP5 and pointed it toward Joker.
"Oh my... the little bird plays with guns! What would his daddy say?" Joker cackled with laughter and pulled a Glock 17 from his purple coat. "Well boys, let's have some fun."
The volley of machine pistol fire from both Damien and the Joker filled the air, and Starfire dove behind the remains of the N-Cycle. Then she leaned out and launched a pair of starbolts that brought down another of the thugs, who screamed in pain as flames licked from where they struck.
The thugs charged forward and Starfire stared at them in surprise. They had to be mad, as crazy as the Joker himself. She leapt up and lashed out as a thug swung a baseball bat toward her. With a crack, her kick connected with the man's head, snapping his neck and dropping him to the ground. She ducked a follow up strike from another thug with a knife and lashed out with a starbolt that blasted him apart, sending smoldering bits of debris in all directions.
Damien fired into the thugs, dropping them with lethal precision. Then the machine pistol clicked. Its magazine was empty. With a snarl, Damien batted aside a blow with the MP5 and then smashed its barrel into a thug's gut, dropping him to the ground with a wheeze.
A screech of spinning wheels echoed down the street and Starfire stared as the one called Tim Drake roared into view atop a heavily armed motorcycle. Cassie was on the back, clinging to him. The twin guns mounted to the bike's wheels opened fire, sending the thugs scattering.
"Oh... another one of Bat's boys..." Joker said with a smile. Starfire spun toward him and gaped as he lifted an RPG over his shoulder and grinned. "You know what I love about these? They're a cheap laugh!"
With a boom, the RPG-7 fired and a rocket decorated with a smiley face shot down toward them and exploded just over the ground. Green gas filled the air and Starfire held her breath. Damien pulled his cloak over his head and grabbed a gas mask from his utility belt.
Cassie fell from the back of the bike as Tim scrambled for his own gas mask. She rolled across the pavement and slid to a stop as the gas filled the air. As she set upright a snort slipped from her lips, then a laugh.
"Cassie!" Tim shouted as the blond bent over, chuckling, then laughing. Then between laughs she began to scream in pain.
The girl convulsed on the pavement and Tim froze, looking between the two with his gas mask on, torn. Then he dove toward the girl. "Steph!"
Damien choked as he fumbled with the mask, then pulled it on. He removed a syringe from his utility belt and slammed it into his thigh as Cassie's screams filled the air.
Starfire saw red. "You!" She leapt into the air and charged the Joker, green flames bursting from her fists.
Harley smirked and stepped forward. "Batter up!" She shouted then swung a huge hammer toward Star. She gasped as the hammer connected and hurled her back across street and into the wall.
She tumbled to the ground and groaned as Tim fumbled with a syringe and slammed it into Steph's thigh. Damien scrambled toward Cassie who was howling in pain.
"I don't think so bat brat." Joker snapped and Damien dove as pistol rounds cracked over his head.
Cassie convulsed, alternating between screaming and laughing. Then she seemed to snap, and her screams ceased. She collapsed, foam running from her mouth and a blank stare filling her eyes.
Starfire stumbled to her feet, then charged up toward the Joker. "You evil clown!"
"Why thank you!" Joker said before laughing again and turning the Glock on her. Starfire dove and juked, dodging the volley of pistol rounds and then slammed a fist into the clown, who let out a gasp of surprise before dropping to the ground with a wheeze.
"Mr. J!" Harley shouted and rushed forward, swinging her hammer.
Starfire snarled lashed out with a starbolt that burned into the handle making the wood explode like a tiny grenade. Harley let out a shriek of surprise and slammed against the wall before tumbling to the floor.
The Joker's laughter rang in the air and he tossed aside the Glock before pulling out a gleaming Magnum revolver. "You know... I shot your squeeze with this once." He said with a snicker. "Only fitting you know?"
Anger, furious anger filled her at that comment as Joker pointed the revolver toward her. "You will not defeat us!" She snapped and the Joker laughed.
"Who said anything about defeating you? I want to break you... but you're already broken, aren't you little Star?" He cackled again. "You're a broken birdie... no wonder the first bird loves you so, he's such a sucker."
"Shut up!" Starfire roared and lifted her hands.
Then she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and she stumbled. Tears filled her eyes and the Joker grinned at her. "Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are..."
Her vision swam and she blinked before she saw the Joker raise one polished black shoe and lash out in a kick, and then there was nothing but darkness.
Dick ran between a pair of burnt out cars as Bane and Ivy glanced nervously around the area. Beast Boy slipped between the cars in the form of a leopard, sniffing nervously as he made his way through the dense collection of debris.
He swallowed nervously as he ran, heading for the rally point that they'd arranged with Barbara. Already he could feel himself tiring, fighting was exhausting, and despite all his training he felt like he was running on fumes. Overhead he saw the Bat-Plane flash past and smiled, at least it meant Bruce was still alive.
"Barbara, what's your status? Trigate is down." Dick asked as he scrambled over an abandoned taxicab.
"All bridges are down. We're heading for Wayne Tower. Dick, did you get Ivy and the others? Are they safe?" Barbara asked as he kept running.
"I got them, Spoiler was hurt and I sent her and Damien to the Bat Cave for treatment." Dick said.
Alfred's voice cut across the comlink frequency, "Master Richard, Master Tim and Miss Cassandra headed out to meet up with you, but it seems they've encountered some sort of problem. Cassandra's life-sign monitor went dark five minutes ago."
Dick stumbled. "What?" He choked out. "What was their last position?"
"The intersection of Warren and York." Alfred said and Dick nodded to himself.
"Come on, that's only two blocks east!" He called out and the group hurried on. He ran, briefly considering grappling to a rooftop before deciding against it. The others weren't mobile in the same way as he was in Gotham, and it was better if they stuck together in Gotham.
Then he saw the mangled remains of a Bat-Pod, fire crackling from it's body, and a single blond haired woman lying on the street, her eyes staring unblinkingly skyward with foam running from her mouth.
Raven swallowed behind him as Dick stumbled to a stop. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Alfred?"
"Master Richard?"
"I... I can confirm that Cassandra is dead. It looks like Smilex." He growled the last part and glanced around the area, catching sight of the N-cycle lying broken in a hole in the street. Bullet cartridges were scattered around the ground and his detective mind went to work.
He froze as he saw one thug wearing a clown mask, his chest charred from some energy weapon. Slowly he took a deep breath and glanced around the area. "Alfred, do Tim, Steph, and Damien's bat trackers say they're here?"
"Yes."
"They're not here..." Dick closed his eyes. "Joker must have removed the devices."
"Joker..." Bane hissed from behind them. He cracked his knuckles. "The mad clown."
Garfield morphed into his human form suddenly looking rather distraught. "Joker did this? We're fighting aliens! Why would Joker..."
"Because he's crazy." Raven stated flatly. "Mom used to tell me stories about Gotham, and in them there was one criminal you never struck a deal with, never saw as a friend... He's the one singular lunatic that wants nothing more than to make the rest of us just as insane as he is."
"Joker." Dick hissed as he stood up. "He'll want to play a game with them... toy with them a bit, but I don't get the burn wounds on that one..." He nodded to the corpse. "Damien wasn't carrying anything that could do that, nor Spoiler."
"Maybe an Okaaran saw them..." Raven suggested.
"Maybe..." Dick allowed but something in his gut told him that wasn't what had happened. He tapped his comlink. "Wally?"
"Yeah?"
"I need you to run recon... Spoiler, Red Robin, and little Robin are missing, from the look of things, it was the Joker." Dick said.
"Oh fuck... I'm on it boss!" Wally answered and then the comlink clicked off as the channel closed.
Suddenly an explosion drew Dick's attention and he swore as a half dozen massive creatures in black armor with wings and carrying what looked vaguely like halberds descended from the sky.
"Gordanians!" Dick snapped and the Titans glanced at each other then smiled faintly. "Well... we know how to fight them, don't we?" He asked.
Beast Boy ran away from them, a smirk playing across his face as he did. He morphed as he reached the end of the block.
The only thing Dick could remember Beast Boy choosing to become that approached the size of the creature that suddenly stood in the middle of the street was a whale. Raven smirked faintly as she saw the creature and shook her head. "He just put on a hundred tons, I'm so jealous."
With a crack like a whip the massive tail of the Diplodocus swung overhead and caught two of the Gordanians hurling them into the stone face of the closest building and they crumpled to the ground.
Raven summoned a field of dark energy and deftly batted away a pair of energy blasts from the Gordanians then grabbed hold of two cars from the street and hurled them telekinetically into the Gordanians, knocking one of them out of the air and trapping it under a ton of crumpled metal.
Cyborg's cannon spat sonic blasts that caught the remaining ones with enough force to knock them from the sky and send them spiraling to the ground.
Freeze checked his cannon and swept a beam over the Gordanians as they tried to get up from where they fell and smiled faintly. "I must say, the team you assembled functions marvelously. I hope never to face you with the backing of your friends."
Dick frowned. It didn't feel right having the others without her backing him. Suddenly his comlink chirped.
"Oh... little birdie?" An all too familiar voice came from his hip and Dick felt his blood run cold. "Since old Bats doesn't want to come down and play, I thought you and me could have a rematch, for old times' sake..."
Dick snarled, anger flooding his veins. "Joker?"
"I have something of yours birdie. I know you'll miss her... maybe this will send you over the edge, hmm?" The insane laughter that echoed from the comlink made Richard's blood boil.
Something of mine... No. He felt his heart constrict in his chest. Not now, not when she's getting better. An anguished howl came from him as he thought of what could possibly be in the hands of the insane clown.
"Dick?" Cyborg asked and he saw even the villains glance at him worriedly.
"He... he must have..." Dick swallowed.
Through the comlink the Joker began to sing, and Dick felt his blood run cold.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star...
How I wonder what you are...
Up above the world so high...
Like an emerald in the sky..."
Tears filled his eyes as that murderous voice continued merrily singing and he saw Raven sink to the ground, her cape pooling around her. Garfield morphed back to himself and scrambled to her side.
"When the blazing sun is gone...
When nothing shines upon...
Then you show your little light...
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night..."
Giggles from his lieutenant filled the comlink and Richard swore that he'd tear the Joker's heart out. Garfield hugged Raven who had burst into tears and had her head buried in the boy's shoulder. Cyborg looked hard, a quiet rage of the sort few saw when the man had been pushed beyond all limits.
"When the traveler in the dark...
Thanks you for your tiny spark...
He could not see which way to go...
If you did not twinkle so..."
Dick shuddered, he could stand the Joker having Damien, or Spoiler, or Tim... It was an occupational hazard in the Bat Clan, but this was different. He had the woman that had been his best friend, a woman he had asked to marry him, a woman he had seen finally returning to her true self.
It made his heart break. His Star was now in that madman's hands.
"In the deep blue sky you keep...
And often through my curtains peep...
For you never shut your eye...
Till the sun is in the sky..."
Joker snickered as if marveling in his own cruel joke before he continued.
"And as your bright and tiny spark...
Light the traveler in the dark...
Though I know what you are...
Twinkle, twinkle, little star..."
Dick snarled and pulled up the comlink. "Now listen you sadistic bastard, I'm going to hunt you down and let Star decide what to do with you... I'm thinking she'll turn you to charcoal, or rip your arms from your sockets, or perhaps simple remove that crooked smile from your face!"
"Oh really... do you want your Star then?" Joker cackled with laughter for a few moments before his voice turned hard and cold. "Meet me at Cherry and Piper, and we'll see..."
Dick snarled as Wally West skidded to a stop, breathing hard just in front of him. "Dick!"
"Where is she?" He said, just as coldly as the Joker had spoken.
Starfire woke and blinked her eyes in the dim light. She could feel cold rain splattering against her back. The two black shoes before her made her scowl. The Joker... that was the man Dick despised the most, she remember how Robin had spoken of the crazed Clown.
"They're all awake Mr. J, but I think the girl isn't going to last much longer." Harley's squeaky voice grated at her nerves and her eyes blazed with anger as she pulled against her bindings.
Then she screamed as a jolt of electricity blazed through the wires that were wrapped around her and the chuckle that followed made her anger flare again. She was breathing hard and felt the wires tighten and slowly she was lifted from the street, hanging by her feet. Her glaring green eyes suddenly found themselves facing a flower in the purple lapel of a rather ratty looking sports jacket.
"The little Star is trying to escape I see... well, your birdie is coming, he's quite angry with me for taking you." The Joker chuckled and Starfire growled.
"Ooh... I'm so scared!" Joker laughed. "Honestly, once you deal with the Bat-man a few times, a simple little super-powered girl is such a bore." He tapped his shoulder with a crowbar and smiled. "Since your birdie is on the way, I guess I shouldn't rough you up, so... Harley?"
After a moment the court jester stepped before her and smiled. Then she lifted what looked vaguely like a rather large frozen fish in her hands and hefted it like a baseball bat.
Then she swung it into her side and Starfire narrowed her eyes at the slight jab of pain it inflicted.
"I don't think the fish will work Mr. J... she doesn't get it." Harley said.
Joker sighed. "To think I hoped even the aliens understood the classics... I guess I just have to go for villainy one-oh-one. String them up!"
She felt herself rising over the street, one story, then two, then three. Confused she glanced down at her feet and saw that she'd been tied to a cable that was now strung between two buildings. Glancing to her left she saw the others dangling there, decorated with different wounds of various types.
The girl, the one that they called Steph groaned quietly as blood dripped down from the gash on her cheek and ran down her suit from the wound over her hip. Damien struggled against his bounds while Tim stared at the girl, tears running down his cheeks.
"Steph?" He murmured and Starfire swallowed.
Perhaps humans were not so different in their bonding, just not as extreme she thought for a moment and looked down at the street below where the Joker and his gang stood idly waiting for the others.
"Richard is coming..." Starfire said as Damien swore that he'd tear Joker's throat out once he got loose. "He will defeat you and free his friends!" She shouted down at the Joker.
"Oh please... the old birdie isn't coming to save you, no... no, no, no!" Joker cackled with laughter. "He's coming to kill me, and all of you will get to watch when he breaks!" His manic laughter echoed from the buildings. "I only wish it were Bats... but he's so busy trying to save everybody!" Joker laughed again.
"Mr. J, do you want him to kill you?" Harley asked.
"Hmm... I'll have to get back to you on that dear, maybe I'll just shoot them and watch him break down!" Joker giggled.
"Really?" Harley sounded hopeful.
"Of course not, what's the fun in that... the girls, you see? One of them is bleeding out... she won't last much longer, and if Dick can't save her well... I bet that'll break one of the birds we got strung up, and then... well, we'll see what happens."
"So, that's the plan boss?"
"No... Do I look like someone with a plan?" Joker asked before howling with laughter again. "No... We'll just see what happens, it's all a great joke, you see? If we win, they die... if we lose, well, Bats won't be happy with his old birdie turning sane like me!" He laughed again. "Though I suppose the dying part wouldn't be fun..."
Starfire just stared. She'd seen plenty of crazy people in her time, but none seemed to approach his level of madness.
"Perhaps I will kill you, and save Dick the wound on his soul." Starfire snapped down at him.
Joker stopped and looked up at him, his smile growing wider. "Really? You think he can love a killer little Star?"
"Yes." She answered.
"Really?" Joker asked and grinned all the wider. "Well, perhaps he's not as crazy as I imagined."
"You are the mad." Starfire stammered out.
"Oh no... I'm not mad, I'm the only sane one left... it's... it's hilarious. It's all a cosmic joke, you see?" Joker said with another cackle.
"Boss?" Harley suddenly said. "I think they're here."