A/N: So… I've been gone for a super long time. SORRY! I nearly declared the last chapter to be the end of the story about four times, but I have finally found a train of thought and some time, and I will TRY to finish this by the end of the week (maybe two more chapters?).
"What's going on here Robin?" Cyborg asked as soon as Dick shook his encounter with Barbara and returned to the main room of the Batcave.
"Huh?" Beastboy put down the cookies (never a good sign) to shoot him a worried look along with Cyborg and Starfire (Raven looked engaged).
"Friend Robin, you are acting strange around here, and you are not answering our questions-"
"What questions haven't I answered?" Raven glared.
"Who Batman and Batgirl are, why she punched you, where we are…"
"Batman and Batgirl are Batman and Batgirl, she had every right to, we're in Gotham…"
"Those are not real answers," Cyborg contributed. Dick sighed.
"This is what Gotham is guys. Lies, half truths, bad memories… I'm sorry I dragged you back here, okay?" The four Titans stared at him, then Starfire emerged from her blankets and engulfed him in a hug.
"Hello." Four teens jumped, Starfire released Dick. Dick turned, unsure of what exactly to expect from his mentor at this point after his fluctuation from indifferent to furious to… joking?... to indifferent to… "I'm The Batman." While the rest of the Titans seemed surprised to have The Dark Knight introducing himself, Dick was likely the most shocked. He couldn't think of the last time Bruce had actually seemed remotely friendly- to say nothing of when he was behind the cowl.
"Hello sir," Cyborg offered after a seconds hesitation. Beastboy took this to mean he could speak.
"YOU'RE BATMAN!" he yelled, leaping forward so he was right next to Bruce. "You're AWESOME! I mean, you cofounded the Justice League, you know Superman, you…"
"I'm sure he knows all this stuff," Raven contributed as she enclosed Beastboy in a black bubble so they couldn't hear him anymore. Bruce was still regarding them all with a blank expression, but Dick could tell he was uncomfortable with just how much Beastboy talked.
"Man of the Bats, I am most delighted to meet you!" Starfire proclaimed once it became evident no one else was going to speak. Then she engulfed the Dark Knight in a hug.
"It's…nice…to meet you too," Bruce replied stiffly. Starfire released him, still grinning from ear to ear. Dick was trying very hard not to laugh.
"Is the world ending?" Dick dead panned, raising one eyebrow to tell Bruce he found this attempt at civility shocking. Bruce continued to be a blank slate. Starfire looked quite alarmed, and Beastboy (who was now released from his bubble) flicked his head rapidly between the former Dynamic Duo.
"No," Bruce replied simply. The Titans continued to look confused.
"He's ready for transport." Seven heads swirled to face the voice. Dick wondered how she'd gotten back to Slade's holding cell after walking in here ahead of him. Bruce nodded. Barbara offered a wave before exiting the cave once more. Dick considered going after her, because she was acting strangely again.
"Slade will be going back to Jump City for trial." Bruce removed Dick from his thoughts. "If you want to accompany him, he'll be downtown shortly."
"Let's move out Titans," Dick concluded. The four started out. "Thanks Bruce." Bruce gave him a rare smile.
"We're here if you need us," Bruce replied. "And Alfred always makes extra for Monday night dinners." Dick blinked, then grinned and nodded before following his teammates out.
"So, if Batman's your dad, why did we have to wear blindfolds going in and out of your house?"
"Because that's not my house, it's the Batcave," Dick explained as the five teens followed the prisoner transport caravan from the air in the t-ship. "No one gets to know where it is."
"Except for Batgirl?" Cyborg injected. Dick was considering protesting, but didn't get a chance when the front car of the caravan exploded. Suddenly, red lazar blasts were being emitted at the t-ship from the sides of the road around the caravan.
"Seperating now!" Dick announced before the ship fell apart. "Everyone, try to get down to the caravan!" Dick looped around the latest bit of lazar fire before diving towards the ground to get below the fire.
"I'm having trouble up here!" Beastboy's voice announced over the com. "I don't like flying!"
"BB, you constantly turn into a bird," Cyborg snapped. "You had better not crash this ship you little grass stain!"
"Yelling at me is not going to suddenly make this ship easier to fly!" Dick landed his ship a little ways off before hurrying towards where dark figures were swarming over the caravan.
"Hang in there Beastboy!" he told the younger boy as he entered the scuffle by seizing one of the figures and throwing it over backwards. As it began emitting sparks, Dick realized the now disabled figure was one of Slade's robots.
"Friend Beastboy, your craft is on fire!" Starfire piped up.
"Mayday!" Beastboy yelled over the com.
"Beastboy, pull up, that's not a good-"
"Robin, look out!" Dick spun away from his attempts to destroy the robots before they could get to Slade at the rare shout from Raven, then ducked to the ground just quickly enough to avoid having his head taken off by Beastboy's pod as it plummeted to the ground. It crashed into several of the robots, and skidded along the ground until it collided with one of the police vans.
"Beastboy!" Cyborg's yelled over the com. "BB, can you hear me?" Dick had already started over towards the wreck before Raven's addition.
"He didn't eject." Dick doubled his pace. Fortunately, the robots didn't seem to care much about him now that he wasn't trying to stop them, so they didn't get in his way.
"Can anyone get to Beast Boy? I'm pinned in the air by the lazar fire," Cyborg injected.
"I'm already here," Dick said, surveying the wreckage for the best approach. "Star, Raven, can you stop the robots?"
"I removed the police from the burning van," Starfire replied. "I will prevent the robots from getting to Slade." Dick scrambled over the metal, managing to get down a crack so he was next to the cockpit but found that the release was jammed. Beastboy was suspended upside down by his seat belt, a small trickle of blood running down his head. Dick was contemplating the best way to jimmy it open when a familiar smell made his stomach give out. He turned to see the faint trickle of gasoline, probably from the van's tank. He yanked out his bow staff, smashing open the cockpit with a few blows. He bunbuckled the unconscious shape shifter, wincing slightly as he fell to the ground with a thud, but grabbed the younger boy and pulled him out of the wreckage as quickly as he could. Once he was able to return to his feat, he managed to sling one of Beastboy's arms around him to drag his dead weight as he tried to put as much distance between them and the wreckage.
"The wreck's about to blow," he informed his teammates over the com. "I can get Beast boy and myself clear, but make sure everyone else-" BOOM. Dick was still thrown over by the force of the explosion.
"Robin, are you okay?" Cyborg demanded. Dick managed a groan from the asfault. "Robin, het up!"
"Cyborg, sorry about your ship," Raven inserted. With that, the purple haired girl disappeared into a black bird shape, emerging from the ship and swooping to the ground. Dick pushed himself up to his feet, working on regaining his bearings as his hearing was still a little off (and thus his balance). Raven appeared behind him, encasing all three Titans in a black bubble as the lazars hit, illuminating them all in red light.
"Thanks Raven," Dick managed. She nodded as she dropped her shield.
"Guys, the lazars stopped, I'm coming down," Cyborg narrated. Dick and Raven looked around as Starfire zoomed up.
"Friends, Slade escaped," she admitted. Dick groaned and sat back down to try to reduce the ringing in his head and Cyborg's pod landed.
"What now?" the half-metal teen asked as he approached his teammates. The three still standing exchanged a look.
