Reunion
"Batgirl?" Robin said to the blank screen of his communicator.
When he received no reply, he got up. Robin turned around and rushed back into the tower. He nearly crashed into Starfire.
"Robin?" Starfire called out to him. But Robin ignored her and ran on.
He took the elevator down to the garage. His R-Cycle was parked beside the T-Car, which was being serviced by Cyborg. Robin jumped onto his bike and revved the engine. Cyborg came out from underneath the car, startled by the sound of the bike's engine.
"Robin?" Cyborg said, surprised. "Where're you going?"
Robin put on his helmet. "To Gotham," he answered Cyborg.
He sped out of the tower's garage, leaving Cyborg coughing at the exhaust.
"Okay, that was rude!" Cyborg shouted at Robin as he rode away, waving his wrench at him.
Starfire floated over to his side, having followed Robin down to the garage.
"Robin is acting strangely," Starfire said.
"Yeah, I can tell," Cyborg grumbled.
"Do you have any idea where he is going?" Starfire asked.
Cyborg scratched the flesh part of his head with the wrench, thinking. "He said that he was going to Gotham."
"But, why does he want to go to Gotham?" Starfire wondered aloud.
A light bulb popped up above Cyborg's head, flashing brightly. He smiled slyly. "Oh, I know. He wants to see Batgirl."
"Robin wants to see the Batgirl?" Starfire said, her expression darkening.
"Yup," Cyborg said. He turned around. Suddenly, speakers pop out of his body. Cyborg took out a microphone from his chest drawer.
"YO, BB! RAE! WE'RE GOING ON A ROAD TRIP TO GOTHAM! WANNA COME?" he called out. His voice greatly amplified by the speakers. He was so loud the whole island and the ocean surrounding it shook.
In a matter of seconds, Beast Boy came running down into the garage, dragging Raven by her cape with him.
"You bet!" Beast Boy said enthusiastically.
But Raven was not. "I think I'll just stay here and watch the—WHOA!"
Before she could finish that sentence, Beast Boy pulled her into the T-Car and shut the door. Cyborg started up the car and stomped the gas pedal. The T-Car sped out of the garage. Cyborg activated the security system before the garage shutters closed.
"OH, YEAH!" Cyborg whooped.
"Gotham City, here we come!" Beast Boy shouted as he stuck his head out of the window.
Batgirl kicked one of Red X's X blades out of his hand. She reached for his other blade, but Red X pulled it away and threw a punch at her. Batgirl dodges, and dodges again as Cheshire nearly slashes her neck, only succeeding in slicing away a lock of her red hair. In return, Batgirl sliced some of Cheshire's off with a batarang.
Cheshire glanced at one of her ponytails; their ties were not severed, but the tip of her hair was uneven now. Angry, she hissed and threw two shurikens at Batgirl, which she countered with two more batarangs.
Red X wrapped an arm around Batgirl's neck, holding an X blade to it. Batgirl kicks her leg backwards; hitting Red X's leg and making him lose his balance slightly. Batgirl ducks down and rolls away as Cheshire tried to drop a heel kick on her. She is now backed up against a wall. Red X and Cheshire blocked her escape routes.
It was clear that Batgirl could not fight these two on her own. They were both just as skilled as her. She needs—
"Robin!" Batgirl gasped as the Boy Wonder knocks Red X with his bo-staff, sending him flying onto Cheshire and knocking both of them aside.
"Bet you didn't expect me to come over, did you?" Robin said, smirking at Batgirl.
"I didn't even expect you call me earlier," Batgirl replied, smirking too.
"Well, look who's here," Red X said mockingly as he stood up with Cheshire. "The Boy Blunder came home. Came to visit Batgirl, huh?"
Robin scowled. "Looks like you've already said hi to her for me."
He retracted his bo-staff and took out two birdarangs. Batgirl takes out another two batarangs. Red X produced two more of his X blades. Cheshire sharpened her blades against each other.
They charged.
Cyborg parked the T-Car and everyone got out. He pressed a button and a holograph of a decrepit mini-bus cloaked the T-Car, hiding it from view.
"C'mon," Cyborg said, "let's go look for Robin."
"But I want to visit ACE Chemicals!" Beast Boy said. "Where the Joker became what he is now!"
"No," Starfire said, her tone firm and serious. "We are searching for Robin."
She walked ahead of the Titans down the street.
As it is night, the streets were mostly empty. Gotham is most dangerous at night, after all. The place seemed desolated, the only life being the light from convenience stores and nearby apartments.
Beast Boy was not paying attention to the road when he tripped over a rock and landed on his chin. He got up rubbing his chin, whimpering before yelping again when he realized he had fallen into a huge, person-shaped impression on the road.
"Cinderblock was here," Raven said.
"What's that rockhead doing here?" Cyborg wondered aloud.
Starfire flew up and scanned the buildings. She spotted ice on one of the buildings.
"Up here!" she called.
As she waited for the others to come, she went closed to the melting chunk of ice on the roof of the building. Starfire noticed that there was confetti scattered around and on it.
"Ice?" Raven said, inspecting it.
Cyborg examined it. "There's a huge hole in the centre. Someone was encased in it. Judging by the confetti, I think it was Mumbo."
"Why would Mumbo be here?" Beast Boy asked.
"Cinderblock… Mumbo…" Raven said. "These are our enemies. What are our enemies doing in Gotham?"
"Maybe that's why Robin came back," Beast Boy said. "What if the Brotherhood of Evil recruited these guys and asked them to go after Batgirl? I mean, Batgirl is Robin's best friend."
The three other Titans looked at their green-skinned member with surprise.
"That… could actually be true," Raven said.
"That would mean Robin found out that Batgirl was in trouble and came back to Gotham to help her," Cyborg said.
"Then, we should hurry," Starfire said, "so that we may be able to assist them."
"And maybe get to meet the Dark Knight too!" Beast Boy added enthusiastically.
Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven glared at Beast Boy. He wilted.
"Or… maybe not…" he squeaked.
They continued walking, but they walked on the buildings instead. They spotted Robin's R-Cycle, but not Robin himself.
"Knowing that guy, he parked the bike a few blocks away from where he is," Cyborg said.
"The police department is just down this lane," Raven said. "That may be where he is."
Well, Robin certainly was there, along with Batgirl and Red X. There were shattered pieces of Robin's birdarangs, a batarang and a red, X-shape blade with a broken tip. On the walls of the department were long gashes that were probably scratched there by something sharp.
Worried now, the Titans picked up the pace. As they ran down the lane, they found more gashes, and shattered blades. Finally, they found them.
On the other side of the street.
Hidden in the shadows, the Titans watched as Robin and Batgirl duelled with Red X and Cheshire, both groups evenly match.
Batgirl and Robin stood back-to-back with each other. Robin was fighting Red X while Batgirl was fighting Cheshire. Red X and Cheshire both had their blades dangerously close to Robin and Batgirl's faces. The Titans were about to jump out of the shadows to help them when the two former partners kicked their opponents' faces, hard, but not before having their faces slashed slightly.
The Titans gasped, but did not make a move to help them.
Red X and Cheshire were holding their masks, not looking up. But when they do, they had shown that their masks were cracked. One of the eye-holes were broken and showed the hidden eye clearly.
Blue for Red X and green for Cheshire.
But they were not the only ones with ruined masks. Robin and Batgirl had their masks ripped slightly too, and their faces slashed lightly.
There was a small cut beside Batgirl's right eye, narrowly missing it. Blood seeped out of the tear in her cowl. Robin's mask was slashed in the centre, from the bottom to the top, and slightly crooked, yet the mask faithfully hides his identity. Blood slid down the bridge of his nose.
Now, the battle becomes more intense. Red X and Cheshire are angry now. They both launch simultaneous kicks at Robin and Batgirl, knocking the two a good few metres back. Robin was able to stop himself, but Batgirl landed wrongly and twisted her ankle. Robin dashed to her side, but is unable to protect Batgirl and himself as Cheshire and Red X charged at them, blades aimed dangerously.
The Titans prepared to come out, but soon found no reason to.
A black figure suddenly drops in front of Robin and Batgirl, separating them from Cheshire and Red X. As he straightened up, it was very obvious who it was.
Red X and Cheshire gasped and stopped abruptly. Batgirl and Robin gasped as they shakily got up. The Titans were frozen in their places again.
There was every reason to fear, for Batman is here.
Chapter 3 *END*