211. Metropolitan part 6

November 27, 2004.

Saturday.

Smallville.

Kents' farm.

11:23 am.

T-T-T-T-T-T-

"W-Was there something you were wanting to show m-me?" Terra murmured.

Kara looked over at her and smiled. Her blonde hair blew in the Kansas wind.

The two girls strolled along the outer fencing of the Kents' farmland. The walk took them over risings, falling fields of tall grass and cow pasture. The sky overhead was crystal blue. The November air was thin, but fairly merciful that time of day. Still, the two donned a sweater and a jacket for their trek. Terra was the one in a jacket. Kara's jacket. It seemed two and a half sizes too big on her petite frame.

"I just wanted to get you out."

"Out?"

"Yeah, girl. You've been frozen in stone for how long?"

"I…..," Terra gazed out towards the wind-swept fields. "….I-I'm not exactly sure…."

"I guess I can't blame you," Kara ran a hand through her golden bangs before pausing to hide her arms behind her back and glance sideways at Terra. She had to glance downwards. She was at least three quarters of a foot taller than the Earthen maiden. "Being stuck that long must make time fly. Though….i-it doesn't make it pleasant one bit, I imagine."

Terra hugged her jacketed self and looked towards the ground. "I….remember….s-some things."

"…….."

"Images. Movement. Lights and sounds. I don't think I had…..the same senses we are all used to. It was almost like I was part of the rock and soil around me. I was the cave that I was stuck in for so long. And then later, I was the soil encasing the basement at Phaser Labs and then the bedrock around Area 51's subterranean mazes. But everything was moving but me. Including the rock. The world and all life was in motion except for me and…and….." She lingered.

Kara bit her lip. She cleared her throat and resumed the walk by leading the two-girl caravan up the green hill.

"What do you feel now?"

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"Well, you're no longer frozen, right?"

"Yeah…."

"You still feel the Earth? You feel the rocks 'moving' and stuff?"

"I always feel the Earth," Terra said. The arms hugging herself seemed to soften a bit. Her lips moved gently: "The Earth is always alive, no matter where I am. Sometimes, the Earth is my friend as much as my home. It's the one friend I've never….s-seemed to have done wrong. It kinda feels like it's calling to me. Like it did the days I ran through the desert alone. Sleeping in the cave wasn't cold to me. It was like nestling in an ancient mother's womb. I've always felt like I had one last thing to fall back on. One last soul to cling to. It's the soul we all spring out of and must return to at some point or another. Dust to dust…."

Terra realized that Kara was no longer moving.

"…..," she glanced up. Blinking.

Kara smiled.

"What?" Terra raised an eyebrow.

"I could have sworn for a second there that you were about to smile while talking…," the Girl of Steel commented.

Terra bit her lip. She turned away with her cheeks slightly rosy. "I was not…."

Kara giggled. "What are you trying to prove, girl? That you can stay morose and somber longer than a Puritan grandpappy? Didn't you just come out of hibernation? Hehehehehe."

"……"

"T-Terra?" Kara uttered with concern, blinking.

The girl shuddered, her back to Kara. She eventually said: "I don't deserve to smile. I really….sh-shouldn't be happy about anything…."

Kara sighed. She rubbed her forehead achingly for a moment before uttering: "Terra, I didn't take you out here on a walk so that you can be hard on yourself. If I wanted that, I would have let you just continue to sit on your butt in the shadows of Ma and Pa's house moping to death! I wasn't given charge of watching over you so that you could beat your brains in with guilt over…over…st-stuff in the past!"

Terra suddenly, explosively spun and faced Kara with a snarl: "You don't know my past! You don't know what I've done! So don't tell me what to or not to feel guilty about!"

Kara leaned back, her lips parted. She blinked, regarding the petite blonde like she was a whole different person.

"…….," Terra's frown melted away and she took a few deep breaths. Looking wounded. She gazed up at Kara with sad blue eyes, narrowed her optics momentarily, and droned: "You……you……"

"What, Terra?"

"……..y-you're Supergirl….."

The Argosian couldn't help but smirk….then giggle.

Terra bit her lip.

"Hehehehe….," Kara ran a hand through her wind-blown hair again. "You just now realized that?"

"……," Terra nodded.

"Yeah. Thank goodness I am Supergirl," Kara mused. "Another mood swing of yours, and I might be begging for Kryptonite instead!"

"So that's why Jordan brought me here…," Terra mumbled. She gazed guiltily towards the Earth. "He needed someone powerful enough to watch over me. In case I might….in case I m-might start hurting people again…"

"Hey….," Kara spoke firmly and placed a hand on the blonde petite's shoulder. "Jordan didn't drop you off in my charge so that I might imprison you. He wanted me to protect you."

"What for?" Terra mumbled. She shut her eyes. "I certainly don't deserve protecting…."

"Don't you say that!" Kara snapped, frowning. "You hear me? Jordan may be a moron from time to time, but he doesn't sacrifice himself for nothing! Now he risked his handsome little neck to make sure you got here. And I know that he did that for a reason. The Titans need you, Terra. Not so that you can face some Kela-awful judgment. But so that they could so much as wrap their arms around you again! They love you, Terra! You need to give yourself some damn credit already!"

Terra shuddered. "What could I do to help them? I nearly killed them…..I wouldn't be anything but a curse…."

"Terra…."

"I hurt Beast Boy. I hurt Starfire. I hurt Robin…"

"Terra, Robin's dead."

Terra gasped. With wide blue eyes she looked up at the Girl of Steel. There was a neutral pause for but a second, but then the corners of her sapphire optics moistened as true shock and sorrow took over.

"N-No…..how?"

"It was just weeks ago…."

Terra's fists clenched under her jacket-sleeves. "Was it Slade?"

"Slade is also dead."

"………."

Kara leaned forward. "Terra….a lot has happened while you were frozen," she quietly said. "A lot of victories. And even more tragedies. The Titans are disbanding. Whatever family they once were….it's dwindling into oblivion. Now I'm just Supergirl, so maybe I don't know crap about the Titans and maybe I don't know crap about you. But I know true need when I see it. And I saw it in Jordan's eyes. The pain. The longing to make whole something that was….that was once so dear and sacred to him…" Kara hugged herself and shuddered as the midday winds of November suddenly became a tad bit colder. She exhaled and added: "…who here doesn't know what it's like to lose so much in so little time?"

Terra closed her eyes.

Kara shuffled about before eventually saying: "Please, Terra. Stay strong. If not for your sake and if not for mine…for the Titans. Because they want you back in their flock. They want to….start over again. They want to start everything over again. And maybe….live life with a little less loss this time."

"……..," Terra swallowed and stammered: "Then why am I such a secret?"

Kara gazed Eastward unconsciously and replied: "I really don't know, Terra. I saw in Jordan something frightening….something very frightening reflected in his black eyes." She turned and looked sincerely at the blonde girl. "I don't care what you were or what you've done. But stay close to me, Terra. Stay close to me. Let me protect you. Please."

Terra bit her lip. "Would you protect me….f-from myself?"

Kara stared. She smiled gently. "Yeah….I'm Supergirl. I think I can force you to sit in the corner if I need to."

Terra's mouth curved ever so slightly.

"Come on….," Kara motioned and wrapped an arm around Terra's shoulder as she guided the two of them back to the farmhouse. "….Ma's baking Apple Pie. You've never lived until you've eaten Ma Kent's Apple Pie."

"I-I guess I've never lived then…."

T-T-T-T-T-T-

"And so, I told Beast Boy: 'the next time you turn into a puppy on me I'm going to swat you with a paper'!"

"Hahahaha….egads. Then what happened?"

The two girls strolled into the kitchen of the Kents' through the back screen door.

Terra smirked somewhat and said: "He turned into a Siamese cat and I couldn't help it. I had to cuddle him."

"I get the feeling that you and Beast Boy cuddled a lot."

"Well….half of the times he was a mammal, sure."

"Hehehehehe!"

"Hehehehehe!"

"Ma? Pa?" Kara looked around the kitchen. "Where are you?"

The Girl of Steel craned her ear. She heard concerned whispers coming from the living room. The sound of earnest voices filtered out from underneath the crackling T.V. speakers.

"What's going on? Is the game on?" Kara drifted into the living room.

Terra followed…only to nearly bump into Kara's backside when the Supergirl froze at the sight of the T.V. screen and gasped loudly.

The Kents were similarly glued to a television. Breathless.

Terra looked, and upon seeing the national news bulletin, she too widened her blue eyes.

T-T-T-T-T-T-

Metropolis.

11:32 a.m.

T-T-T-T-T-T-

"I'm Angela Chen for Metropolis News. We bring you now live to the Smithtown Shipyards on the Eastern shorelines of Metropolis for this surprise bulletin. About an hour and a half ago, three members of the Justice League were found lying unconscious by the Smithtown warehouses after what appears to have been a dramatic fight with a powerful assailant. Wonder Woman and the Flash suffered concussions while Green Lantern appears to have a broken arm. Also found at the scene—in what is baffling investigators—is the unconscious body of Tempest, formerly known as Aqualad of the Teen Titans. All four heroes are reported now to be in stable condition, and as you can see in the camera shot behind me, they are presently being attended to by various emergency crews including three volunteer physicians from S.T.A.R. Labs. Superman—who was found awake but quite dazed at the scene—had this to say earlier:…"

T-T-T-T-T-T-

On a large screen covering the northeast wall of the Daily Planet's editorial workroom, the news bulletin flickered. The tall image of a bruised, tattered, but otherwise still-in-one-piece Superman clutched his far shoulder and uttered to the row of mics around him:

"It was Noir……It was N-Noir of the Teen Titans. I don't know what's gotten into him or how he got so powerful. But he somehow managed to overwhelm the rest of the League, and it took all of my strength to so much as shake him off me. He eventually blurred off before we could do any considerable danger to each other. I don't know where he is now…but I promise…I WILL get to the bottom of this. It just doesn't make any sense……"

"Superman!"

"Are you sure it was Noir of the Teen Titans?"

"Was it Wyldecarde?"

"Was Tempest also trying to attack the League?"

"Did Noir give any reason as to why he attacked you?"

The Superman on the screen waved a hand and scooted off forcefully towards the rest of the League. "I'm sorry. But nobody can make any more assumptions until the League and I try to get to the bottom of this……"

"Are you trying to say that you don't believe Noir has gone villainous again?"

"Are you attempting to protect his innocence?"

"I don't know. It just doesn't make sense. My team and I have to work together. Now please, I must go…."

"Superman!"

"Superman!"

As the image returned to the live broadcast of Angela Chen, Perry White ran a hand over his balding head, sighed, and turned around to stroll down the aisle of writing stations.

"Sheesh. It seems so much easier these days for a good egg to go rotten." A beat. He smirked somewhat: "Good for the Daily Planet." He gazed right and paused at one particular desk. "Good job, Miss Lane. You were there right on time with the rest of our 'squad', weren't you?"

"And how…," Lois Lane hummed. She sat with her legs crossed and her body half-reclined at her desk while scribbling notes down in between assaults on the computer keyboard. "I've seen more sensibility at a witch-hanging ceremony. The soonest people hear word of betrayal and superheroic treachery, it's like their adrenaline turns into steroids right inside their jugular veins."

"Heh. Tell me about it."

"I was lucky to slip in there and out with my head in tact, much less enough information for the byline I'm writing for you."

"You're the best, Lane," Perry White pointed. "Make me count on you."

She smirked as she returned to her keyboard. "And what about Clark Kent?"

"He's the best too. So just keep working."

"Say, where is Smallville anyway?" Lois Lane glanced around. "You'd think he'd choose one of his little disappearing acts for a day when the League wasn't getting double-crossed in our very own City…."

"Knowing that diligent bumpkin," Perry White gestured as he walked away. "He's probably flown all the way to Titans' Tower already for an exclusive commentary!"

"Heh, that's rich," Lois smirked. She called out after Perry: "You know how much Clark hates to fly!"

Across the hustle-and-bustle of typing and phone conversations, a certain redhead teenager with a camera ran up to Lois Lane's desk, panting. "Lois!" Jimmy Olsen breathed. "You won't believe what I just saw!"

"Save your breath, kid," Lois Lane boredly mumbled while typing furiously. "There's a lot going on today that I can't believe."

"It's about N-Noir!"

"Pfft. What isn't?"

"Lois! I….like…I saw him! And so did a bunch of other people!"

"That's impossible, Jimmy. The only people around the Smithtown Warehouses were the helicopter cameramen when they caught Superman battling Noir from above."

"Noir wasn't battling Superman when I saw him…," Jimmy Olsen said. He leaned forward. "He was battling Metallo."

Lois Lane paused. She looked at the teen. "Say what?"

"There're a bunch of people on the Eastbound highways who saw them too! And then under the monorail just outside the shipyards! I've even got some pictures!" Jimmy Olsen waved his camera. He blushed slightly and added: "I gotta develop them of course, but…."

"Jimmy…," Lois leaned forward. "This isn't one of your pathetic, pimply attempts to save the last shred of decent respect the media has for that sword-swinging former Titan young idol of yours, is it?"

"Of course it is!"

"Well then…," Lois Lane gathered her purse, stood up, and walked around the edge of her desk. "Show me some of these witnesses, Jimmy. If nothing else, it might give my article a slight spin over the others. You have any idea just how many newspapers are going to be castrating the image of that smokester tonight?"

"Absolutely. So let's go!" the young Olsen spun around and ran down the busy workplace. "I'll drive!"

"Jimmy, you can't drive." Lois followed.

"D'oh! I keep forgetting…"

T-T-T-T-T-T-

The City.

Titan's Tower.

1:25 pm.

T-T-T-T-T-T-

"The synopsis of the fight now is that Tempest and Wonder Woman did battle with Noir at least ten minutes prior to the rest of the League's arrival. Superman, the Flash, and Green Lantern responded to reports of destructive combat taking place all throughout the eastern districts of the City stretching from Lexcorp HQ to the Shipyards. Upon approaching the scene, Noir leapt out of the shadows and attacked Green Lantern and the Flash. The Flash was knock unconscious and so was the Green Lantern, only after his arm was severely fractured. The fight then moved on to a duel between Noir and Superman that took place in the waters of the Bay. Superman and Green Lantern report that Noir exhibited strength far more evolved than what is typically known of the Titan swordsman. The reason for the sudden and spontaneous assault is anyone's guess. But—for the time being—a bounty has been placed on Noir's head. The law enforcement of Metropolis is seeing to the capture and imprisonment of Noir for questioning. Authorities as far as Gotham City and Keystone City are working cohesively on the search for the former vigilante. More on this development as it unfolds, we shall bring to you. I'm Angela Chen reporting for the Metropolis News……"

Beast Boy and Starfire sat side-by-side. Glued to the Main Screen. They had already gone through the typical waves of shock, horror, sorrow, and disbelief. Now their faces were numb sheets of confusion and somberness. Things froze over twice as much from Cyborg's raised voice in the Main Room background as he spoke loudly into the communicator wired to a computer console.

"Look, Commissioner Sawyer, I assure you….I have no freakin' clue what Noir's doing in your city. But I assure you…he would not and does not go on attacking superheroes out of the blue! It's just not like him!"

"…….."

"Yeah, I know what the cameras saw! I know there's 'footage' of Noir attacking Superman and the Justice League. And you know what I think, Sawyer? I think anything's possible in this day and age. Especially when there're so many bad folks running around all over our country in invisible little droves just dying to make good people look bad!"

"…….."

"Well of course I think it's a conspiracy! What the friggin' hell else could it be? Noir is not a villain! He's not! I swear on my own digital heart!"

"…….."

"No…..no no no no…I don't know what Tempest is doing there either. The Titans have been stuck here in this shredded City of ours trying to hold the fort. Forgive us if we have a little bit of tunnel vision, ma'am. It's hard enough keeping our eyes on the latest looting job, much less….."

"…….."

"What's that?"

"………"

"No, we have no clue where Noir intended to go in the first place! That's just what I'm trying to tell you, Commissioner Sawyer. He never told us!"

From the sidelines, Raven stood with her back to the kitchen unit's counter. At the sound of Cyborg's last utterance, she glanced over. Eyes soft….reflecting. Silent.

Cyborg continued: "Do us a favor. Have Superman talk to us. Or Green Lantern. Or Wonder Woman. Somebody! We'll clear this out. I promise you! Noir's not going to do anything that will threaten your City."

"…….."

"Yeah……uh huh……"

"…….."

"Will do, Ms. Sawyer. Thank you."

"…….."

"Bye…."

Click.

Cyborg sighed, rubbing a hand over the human part of his head. He gazed at the floor, silent.

Starfire murmured: "I find this prospect as equally unbelievable as it is horrific. Why would our friend do this? Even if it was for some benevolent gain akin to the fiendish, former acts of Wyldecarde, why would he assault the unfortunate Justice League?"

"Yeah….and what's everyone's favorite mer-man doing there too?" Beast Boy shrugged.

"Someone's impersonating Noir," Cyborg murmured. "That's gotta be it. Someone's trying to make him look bad!"

"Dude….," Beast Boy moaned. "The footage clearly shows Noir laying it heavy on Superman. Unless three camera crews are all working together to make up some digitally-enhanced crap, that was Noir doing the beat-down!"

Cyborg spun and frowned at the changeling. "It's an impersonation, dawg! Don't be so quick to jump at Noir's throat like you were last time he looked to be evil!"

Starfire bit her lip.

"Hey!" Beast Boy jumped up, frowning. "I believe in Noir just as much as everyone else here! Don't try making me feel guilty for guessing, Cyborg! Heck, you're the leader here! If it's anyone's fault for letting Noir trip over the sadness of Robin's death and abandon us, it's you for not keeping a firm grip on him!"

Cyborg pointed: "Don't you…."

FLASH!

The lightbulbs overhead flickered from black energy streams.

The two boy Titans froze. "….." They gazed over at Raven.

She stood with her black-encased finger pointing. She sighed. "Everyone….calm down. Let's think about this gently without leaping on each other's throats."

"Yes….friends…," Starfire nodded. "Let us keep our larynxes to ourselves…."

Cyborg groaned quietly. After a moment he looked up at Beast Boy and said: "B.B., Noir likes to do his own thing. No matter what. And sometimes he goes to way too dramatic lengths to get the tasks that he wants done…."

"No….Noir has the guts to do what's right!" Beast Boy frowned. "Unlike some people, he doesn't just wait around for things to fix themselves or people to find help on their own."

"…..," Cyborg glared. "Just what are you saying….?"

Beast Boy pointed: "He went out to find Terra, didn't he?"

"…….."

"He went out to track down Dagger and get Terra back!" Beast Boy gritted his teeth. The elf shook all over as he angrily uttered: "And we all let him go! Just like that! I bet Dagger did something to him! Reprogrammed his brain or some crap! Noir could be all evil and brainwashed now into attacking the Justice League and it's all our fault! But it's most of all your fault for not having Robin's gall to smack Noir out of it or at least offer the rest of us a chance to help him out!"

"Beast Boy, you don't know anything," Cyborg said, his voice rising. "We…don't know anything. I kept a promise to Robin to maintain the Teen Titans after his death. I wasn't about to sacrifice any of us on some wild goose chase that could have ended the whole of us like Noir's predicament!"

"Yeah…good job keeping us together, Cyborg…," Beast Boy's green eyes thinned. "You kept us so much together, Tempest has been knocked unconscious over a hundred miles away and Noir's on the lamb from the Justice League. Good job, Vic…" The changeling started to walk.

"Hey!" Cyborg frowned. With one marching foot forward he shook a fist: "Don't peg this all on…"

A gentle hand on his shoulder.

He looked to the side.

Raven slowly shook her head.

Cyborg exhaled…even as Beast Boy uttered from the far side of the room:

"I'm sick and tired of sitting in this god-awful, gray, depressing town while the rest of the world crumbles down on itself. We aren't the only sob stories in the world, Cyborg. Vegas….Metropolis…that's where the craziness is now. Though….heheh…guess it all isn't half as 'crazy' as being cooped up in this Tower feels…"

The changeling entered the elevator through its doors, spun around, pressed a button for a floor, and faced in through the Main Room.

A frown: "We're just gonna sit out on finding out what's wrong with Noir, aren't we? So help me…I might almost stampede on over to Metropolis by myself if I have to! Without the Titans!"

Starfire wrung her hands. She looked at Cyborg and Raven.

They were silent.

The Tamaranian girl looked over at Beast Boy. "Garfield. Wait!" She flew over and zoomed into the elevator car just before the doors closed.

Ding!

The two Titans were gone.

Raven and Cyborg stood alone.

Cyborg sighed, rubbed his head, and gradually said: "He's not going to last long. Not with us, at least. I've tried everything to keep him focused on here and now. But no matter what I do, B.B. just won't let it drop. He won't stop thinking about…about Terra."

Silence.

Cyborg eventually gave into the quietness and gazed over at the dark girl. "Rae?"

Raven looked bored. Numb. "Margaret Sawyer…..why did you lie to her?"

"……," Cyborg's human eye blinked. "How do you mean?"

Raven hummed a second or two before folding her arms and uttering: "She obviously asked you about why Noir left. And you know why he left, Cyborg. We both know now that it was most likely Noir in Las Vegas when the shootout happened and the Harrier jet spontaneously fell from the sky. All this time that the Titans have been working hard to rebuild this City, Noir has been on a journey. An exodus of some sort. Maybe something wonderful has happened. Maybe he found Terra. Or maybe something terrible has happened. Maybe Dagger and the rest of Triangular got to him. He's too far away for me to truly sense. But one thing is for certain. He is in trouble now. The degree to which he is in danger remains to be seen. But it won't be easy for him on his own anymore. Whatever he's doing, he'll need support. He'll need us…."

Cyborg muttered: "How do we know that he wants our help, Rae?"

"……."

The android Titan gestured: "Beast Boy can say what he likes about me 'not having a firm grip on Noir' and whatnot. But when it comes down to it, Noir is a grown young man. He did what he chose to do independent of us. He's the sort of swordsman who can and will work alone. And although I know he'll do anything he can do and will do to get his goals, I think attacking the Justice League is way below him. Even for Wyldecarde."

"So it was a hoax?" Raven blinked. "That wasn't really Noir attacking the Justice League?"

"You tell me, Raven," Cyborg said. "You know Noir better than I do." He paused. He clarified: "You know the dark Noir better than any of us do…"

Raven sighed. She accepted that with a cold breath before replying to Cyborg: "I….I can only hope…."

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Hope….Raven?"

She hugged her left shoulder with a gentle right hand and gazed off towards the far end of the Main Room. "Beast Boy is……right to be mad at you. To some extent."

Cyborg winced a little at that.

Raven went on: "But…..But I think Beast Boy….c-could be mad at Noir too. Or at least, he should…."

Cyborg leaned his head to the side.

The dark girl exhaled: "It was our distrust in Noir that made him become Wyldecarde. Perhaps it is his…distrust in us that has made him go rogue like he has. After all this time…Noir can't seem to think we're salvageable allies to him? I may be new to emotions….but that is cold. So very cold. I hope Noir learns from all of this that…some things can't be done solo."

"Then….Noir is wrong?"

Raven frowned. "You both are!" she barked.

Cyborg winced, smiling nervously.

Raven sighed. "I am…..exhausted…," she paced around the corners of the darklit Main Room. "Exhausted by all this distrust. All this pain. All this anger. The Titans are falling apart. And at the time I feel the ripping separation the most, I am powerless to stop it…"

Cyborg placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "I know. There could have been a better time to start opening up to emotions than in the aftermath of a holocaust. But that's part of what will make you grow into who you are now. New and refreshed…."

"Noir and Tempest….," Raven muttered. "If we went to Metropolis now and tried to assist them…..," she gazed back at Cyborg weakly over her left shoulder. "…that would only put us in the center of this violent spotlight. And Noir….he would distance himself from us…and only avoid authorities further…."

Cyborg nodded slowly. "If Noir needs his help so much, he would contact us. And the way he'd do that…"

"Is to come to us….," Raven droned. "To come here…."

Silence.

Cyborg said: "This is not the Titans' issue. Not yet. Not until…he decides to come here. To become a Titan once more. And until then…" He smiled gently. "The invitation is open."

She nodded. Her eyes closed. "Of course it is…."

T-T-T-T-T-T-

Beast Boy stood on the edge of the Titans' Island rock bluffs.

His green eyes followed the rise and fall of the surf.

He was silent, still.

Statuesque.

Starfire sat a few rock ledges above him, hugging her knees to her chest. Also gazing out onto the Bay.

She said: "Cyborg is doing the best he can for us, Beast Boy. Truly, he is. There will always be people who shall do what it is that their heart and passion tell them in spite of the ruling opinion of authority. Tempest chose to leave for his own reasons, as did Noir. And whether or not they were searching for Terra or getting involved with Triangular may indeed be our concern. But it is not our situation. We gave an oath to protect this City. There are millions of people here, each of whom I would love to consider as dear friends. Friends as dear as Garth and Jordan. My heart reaches out for Tempest and Noir. Most exceedingly, it does. But I cannot let the worry of my being interfere with the task set before me….set before us. The task Robin would gladly have entrusted us…"

Silence.

A breath of cold November wind blew at Starfire's red locks and the edges of Beast Boy's bangs.

"Please, Garfield….," Starfire gazed at the changeling. "Do not think that I desire to admonish you. I agree whole-heartedly with the words you gave to Cyborg. I too must be honest in announcing a certain amount of dissatisfaction with our new leader's decision making. But I care too much about what is left of our stressed team to want to risk breaking us apart anymore than we already are in an attempt to win back those members of our flock who have left as of their own choosing."

"…….."

"I do not want to lose my three friends…," Starfire added in something more akin to a whisper than all else she uttered against the wind. "I do not want to lose those still left who are the closest entities I have ever gotten to know in my intergalactic life…" Her last whispering words were laced with moisture on the edges of her eyes. She rubbed one eye dry and exhaled.

"…………..," Beast Boy was facing away from her. He gently shuddered and gazed even deeper into the Bay Waters. "……..I so….so want to pack up and leave…….."

She bit her lip. "Do you…t-truly, Garfield?"

The elf slowly nodded. "It's no longer……..fun. No longer….no longer fruitful. It's like….it's like everytime we save people, it's only to just put off something far greater and more terrible than whatever we've faced before….." Beast Boy hugged himself. He turned and gazed at Starfire. His face was solid and still, but two tears were streaming down his emerald cheeks. "I don't want to make jokes anymore. And that scares me. It scares me more than Noir being 'bad' and Cyborg sitting around doing nothing." He finally shuddered. He ran a hand over his face and clenched his eyes shut. "I just….don't want to be a Titan anymore…."

Starfire sniffed. She put on a brave smile, stood up, floated over, and gently hugged the elfin boy.

"I will not argue in any fashion whatsoever with you refusing to be a Titan," she said. "I only insist that you agree to remain my friend…."

Beast Boy hiccupped. He hugged her tightly and mumbled into her shoulder: "Th-That's just it, Star. No matter how much I want to leave….I can't imagine myself not having you around……I-I don't know what to do….."

"Shhhh…….you do not need to know, Beast Boy. Sometimes the answer can best be found by waiting…"

He shook and quietly sobbed against her: "What's to wait for, Starfire? What do the Titans ever have in store for them that's worth looking forward to anymore?"

"Garfield, I have held dear to something all my life. During the Gordanian attacks on my homeworld….when I traveled through space alone….when my sister turned treacherous…when Robin was being tortured by Slade…when Wyldecarde attacked us….and when Robin died……during all such occasions, I have believed and still do believe that there is something incredibly, wonderfully good awaiting each and every one of us. The universe is something of a balance. And with so much tragedy and pain levitating around us every day, it is no doubt in my mind that there will soon be unveiling a great joy to counter-react to all of that. I wait with each day for something glorious. Even if that gloriousness is not for me in this life. I have faith. And I have friends. I hold onto both the best that I can. I hold onto you, Garfield. You and Cyborg and Raven. Even if we do not agree with each other. Even when the days we experience are gray and cold. I feel a warmth because I know it awaits all of us."

Beast Boy merely sniffed and clung to her: "I w-wish I had that sort of tenacity, Star…."

She stroked a hand through his green hair and gazed off. "You have far more than you know to be thankful for, Garfield…."

And the cold, November sky lingered overhead.

T-T-T-T-T-T-

Metropolis.

S.T.A.R. Labs.

2:10 pm

T-T-T-T-T-T-

Tempest was lying on a medical bed.

"………."

Slowly, his dark eyes opened.

He squinted at the light of the laboratory and groaned ever so slightly.

When he tried to sit up straight, a gentle pair of hands steadied his shoulders.

He gazed over. Blinking. "Poseidon Alive…..wh-what happened?"

"Shhh…," Diana whispered. Her face was deadpan. "It's starting."

"What is?"

"The meeting," she hoarsely said.

"What meeting?" Tempest looked over her shoulder and shut up.

On the other end of the laboratory, Green Lantern paced left and right. His arm in a cast. Superman stood tall and resolute as ever in the corner. His cape and costume was still tattered from an unpleasant battle at the Shipyards. The Flash seemed in one piece. He sat on the corner of a laboratory bench with his hands propped boredly on his knees.

"I want to know….I just want to know….what advantage did the little punk see in beating the three of us senseless?"

"I'm more concerned with just how he was able to beat us three senseless," Superman added.

Flash shrugged. "Maybe he trains with Sammy Sosa?"

"NOT the TIME!" Green Lantern growled.

"Okay! Look…so we're all a little baffled by the former Titan's drunken Irish brawling!" Flash shrugged. "No reason to get testy!"

"Testy?" Green Lantern remarked. He frowned and waved his cast with a wince. "Look what he did to my hand! Maybe if you had one of your running legs broken and your powers reduced to nil, you'd be a little less forgiving, pal."

"Hey! I'm not so happy that he threw me around like a ragdoll myself!" Flash then looked at Superman and smirked. "But, gawds, you? You haven't been smoking some Kryptonite over night, have ya Supes? How'd he ever land a punch on you?"

Superman frowned. "I don't know. And all I can do is guess. Maybe he was surgically enhanced. Maybe he's a lot stronger than we have ever given credit, and all his time with the Titans he's been holding back on revealing all his powers."

"Or maybe he's gotten a little assistance…," Green Lantern gestured with his one good hand: "…from someone outside of the circle of 'good'."

"Meaning…..?"

"Maybe he wasn't so much as trying to track down Luthor…," Green Lantern's eyes narrowed. "As he was trying to do a job for him…"

Wonder Woman stood up, frowning. "Or maybe it wasn't Noir at all."

"Say-a-what?" Flash blinked.

Green Lantern turned and looked: "Diana, what are you trying to say?"

"Have you considered that it wasn't really Noir? That it could have been a decoy? Something to confound all of us so that a secret enemy could sneak past our sight undetected?"

"That is a possibility…," Superman nodded. "It wouldn't be the first time someone has tried to exploit Noir."

"Yeah….," Green Lantern interjected. "And it wouldn't be the first time the dark-haired lancer has gone over to the 'dark side' either, hypothetically speaking." He turned and more-or-less faced the rest of the meeting as a whole as he gestured: "Face it. This kid has done a lot of stuff. But he's also bad news. Unpredictable. A wildcard. One minute he'll be on the good side. The next, he'll be delivering underhanded moves disguised as the enemy. When he turned against the Titans, I was the one who almost suggested we intervene. And after Slade died, even then I wasn't too sure about this guy."

"And I thought I pulled through in that area…," Wonder Woman walked forward, frowning. "I performed the correspondence. I wrote to Noir and he wrote to me. I assured the rest of you that he was benevolent all along. And still is so to this day."

"Anybody can write anything, Diana—"

"So I went to the Tower to see him for myself!" she insisted. "And I found everything that I had seen in words. More so. Noir is someone who would literally give an arm or a leg to maintain justice. He wouldn't dash it all away in a single moment for no apparent reason!"

"But nobody truly knows Noir," Superman said. "Even the Titans are ignorant of his past from what I hear. He takes risks on his own on multiple occasions. And since Robin's death, Noir has taken it upon himself to leave the Titans. And to what ends? Just yesterday evening after searching in futility for Volcana and the Parasite, Green Lantern and I I finished reexamining the footage from the Harrier jet incident in Las Vegas."

"We're convinced…," the galactic guardian added. "The 'swordsman' who tangled with the jet. It had to have been Noir. Now…for what nefarious reason was he battling such a war machine in the heart of the criminal underworld?"

Flash smirked. "Maybe he had a little disagreement with the poker hands at Caesar's?"

"Noir is up to something," Superman said. "Whether it's good or it's bad….it certainly does not help that he keeps the nature of his actions from us."

"Besides…," Green Lantern nodded. "If his blatant attack on all of us at the shipyards wasn't a sign of some sort of ill-intent, I don't know what was—"

Tempest growled and struggled to his feet. "Nnnngh! You're all a bunch of morons!"

"Whoah….did my voice just echo?" Flash blinked. He looked over. "Oh right. Say…what's fish-boy doing here anyways?"

Wonder Woman turned and gasped: "Tempest! Don't try to walk…"

"Nnnngh!" the Atlantean tripped and fell dizzily to his knees. He winced as Wonder Woman walked over to help him back up. He shouted at the rest of the League: "Noir wasn't going out of his way to attack you! As a matter of fact, he did his best to save Princess Diana and I! He was battling Metallo!"

Superman's eyes widened.

Green Lantern made a face: "Metallo?"

"You're dreaming, kid…," Flash smirked. "That rusted dude's scrap metal. Blueboy here made sure of that the minute he laid his hands on 'em…."

"Well nuts to you, you dry-finned fruitcakes!" Tempest wheezed, leaning against the Amazon. "Metallo was there! Luthor got ahold of him. He made him stronger, far more powerful than ever, and he practically beat the ever living plankton out of Wonder Woman and I before Noir could so much as go into round two with him! I wouldn't doubt Metallo could clobber all three of you! It's amazing that Superman never once fell unconscious."

"But that's impossible!" Green Lantern shook his head. "It was Noir that attacked us! We all saw him—"

"Green Lantern, it's true…."

The three League members looked over.

"Diana?"

Wonder Woman sighed. "It was Metallo that attacked you. I don't know how. But it had to have been. He fought with Noir…and then Tempest and I tried to stop him."

"But that still doesn't explain anything," Superman shook his head. He pointed: "If Metallo was there, I would have sensed his kryptonite core."

'Simple. He wasn't using a Kryptonite core……'

Everyone jolted, silent.

"I know that voice….," Flash dramatically exhaled. He smiled at Green Lantern. "I think it's that chick at the Burger King drive through come to profess her love."

Flash!

A green, translucent form swarmed up from the metal floor of the laboratory and solidified into Martian Manhunter.

"Nope. My bad." Flash shrugged. "Just E.T."

"Metallo no longer needs Kryptonite…," the alien hero monotonously droned. "He has instead been supplied by a special power-enchancing computer cylinder. An object that was obtained forcefully from the dying hands of Intergang in Las Vegas." He turned and gazed at Superman. "This is all in thanks to a European physician named Dr. Helga Jace. She is presently employed….by Lex Luthor."

"J'onn…where have you been?" Green Lantern remarked. "In case you haven't noticed….the League and Metropolis is having a little crisis ever since Noir showed up."

"I was there during your unfortunate entanglement by the Shipyards," Martian Manhunter said.

"No way!" Flash stood up, shrugging. "And you didn't think to give us a hand? Man, that's cold. Even for a Martian!"

"I knew that you three would survive the assault," the alien said. "At the present, I was most concerned with rescuing Noir from the site. He was most vulnerable at the moment. Physically and strategically. If Metallo failed to force all three of you into unconsciousness, he would most likely have fallen back on an alternative plan that would have involved Noir's death. With things that have been at stake as of late, I could not let that happen."

"Wait a minute….," Green Lantern's eyes narrowed. "So you're saying it was Metallo that did that to us?"

"Exterior holographic illusion," Martian Manhunter said. "It is one of the many upgrades Lexcorp has afforded the android assailant now that he is back in their wicked ranks. Metallo attacked all of you in the form of 'Noir', hoping to turn you against him or at least create as much confusion as possible. Whatever it would take to hamper Noir's efforts in tracking down the movements of Luthor and Triangular right here in Metropolis and possibly abroad."

"You've got the 'confusion' part all right…," Flash rubbed his head.

"How do you know all this?" Green Lantern asked.

Martian Manhunter's clear eyes narrowed. "I have just finished deliberating with Noir myself."

"You know where he is?" Superman remarked.

"Better yet….you helped him escape?" Green Lantern exclaimed.

"He helped him escape…," Wonder Woman stepped forward with Tempest hanging behind. "Escape from Metallo. Triangular in general. And yes—to some extent—from the League."

"Diana, what's going on here?" Superman walked forward. "You and J'onn have been hiding something from us."

Flash blinked. "They have?"

Superman continued, staring at the Amazon. "You know more about Noir and his purpose here in this City. You've known about it all along. What is it?"

Wonder Woman took a deep breath. "The reason Noir is here…the reason Tempest is here…is that something terribly wrong is happening in this City. And it's all rooted in Lexcorp."

Green Lantern groaned. "Not this again…"

"It is more than Supposition! Something dark and Destructive is goading Triangular into launching a horrific attack one of our major Cities. Supplies being carted through Lexcorp itself are making up the bulk of this threat. And running parallel to this pressure cooker of a situation is the spirit of Death itself. Something that wishes to tear us all apart more than we are already torn!"

Superman spoke: "Diana, please—"

She pointed: "And you know it too, Kal-El! You know why Batman has been gone all this time! You know why he's sealed away in Gotham City. He knows something is up and he is preparing for the worst while the League here runs around chasing two-bit thieves!"

"At least some of us are doing our jobs," Green Lantern glared. "All this time we should be tracking down Volcana and the Parasite…you and J'onn and Tempest here have been having some sort of treehouse club conspiracy?"

"Oh ho ho ho!" Flash smirked. "I don't like the sound of that!"

"Knock it off, man! This is serious!"

"Sheesh, G.L. Loosen up that ring, will ya?"

"It has been proven time and time again that the League's interests have dwindled," Martian Manhunter said. His voice came out numb, without any outward intention of bold bitterness. "Our sights settle now on transient threats. We are no longer willing to dig deeper like Batman has on his own to discover what has been at work in this hemisphere since the horrific death of Robin and the rape of the Titans' City. The few of us who could have taken it upon ourselves to search far into the heart of this present darkness."

Superman finally frowned and pointed: "So you couldn't trust us to help out? Not for once?"

"Couldn't trust you?" Wonder Woman frowned. "Superman, we could hardly even reach you! You've been so wrapped up in Metropolis and Metropolis alone since you delivered Robin's eulogy! And you, Green Lantern, after what Shayera did to us, it's no wonder you've closed up and…"

"Don't bring her into this! She's got nothing to do with this issue! Why did you two keep secrets from us?"

"Secrets? We tried to tell you…."

"No, you worked independently from the League. You obviously dragged the Titan Tempest into this. And to what end? Just what could you have done to Lexcorp that we don't even know about?"

"Green Lantern. You must bear witness to what we have to relate to you. Metallo is not the only threat Lexcorp has resurrected. Their fellow agents in Gotham City are on the rise with such a deadly force that it is no wonder Batman has not resurfaced."

"Stop changing the subject!"

"Dude, G.L.! He's not changing the subject! Just let him…"

"And just who's side are you on, Flash?"

"What? Side? For the love of Ted Turner! We're all League members! What's gotten into everyone?"

"Everyone try to calm down…."

"You should speak, Superman. Great Hera, what I'd do for just one man in this world who would listen to what I have to say for once…."

"I'm trying to be open and reasonable, Diana. But you must understand. You went behind the rest of the League's back! How should I react to that?"

"We are not the only ones holding things back."

"J'onn, are you accusing me of lying?"

"Gotta hand it to him, Supes. The green guy knows a lot."

"And he obviously hides a lot too! So what if Superman has his secrets? He and Batman have a confidence the likes of which none of us should argue with!"

"Even if it threatens the very integrity of multiple Cities? There is a lot at stake here! We must be assisting Noir! Not debating over him and what he stands for!"

"And just what brings Noir back into all of this? He's just a kid! A reject from the Titans! How could this possibly be so wrapped around him?"

What was once a back-and-forth argument turned into a ring of squawking and voices with higher, higher, and higher volume.

Tempest watched it all. The frowning face of Green Lantern. The looks of shock and betrayal on the Man of Steel. The impatience of Wonder Woman and the cold, unaffected gaze of Martian Manhunter. The Flash seemed helplessly lost…and secretly wounded.

And all Tempest had to do was blink. And he was in the Tower again. And he was yelling at Cyborg. And Cyborg was yelling at him. And Raven was fading into the shadows. And Starfire and Beast Boy were holding…holding each other. Shivering from a deep, distant cold. A cold that rose on supernatural flames of ice. Something heavy and Red. Destruction on frozen teeth-feet. Screaming and shouting and lunging for all heroes everywhere.

The black hole. All-encompassing. Ravenous.

Tempest felt a shiver of his own and he hugged himself for a moment in pure terror. Terror.

'Now, Prince Garth. Now, go……'

Tempest gasped. His white-on-black eyes trailed across the room. His sight fell on Martian Manhunter, and soon he realized that the alien was half-gazing at him.

'This bickering shall go on indefinitely. It is your one and only chance to go.'

Tempest narrowed his dark eyes.

'Go where?'

'The northern edge of the Bay. By the Metropolis River. That is where you will find him.'

Tempest smiled ever so slightly as the argument increased louder and louder in the background.

'Noir……'

'Yes. Noir.'

'But……what am I to do once I find him?'

'He discovered a few things while in Lexcorp HQ. A few……vital things.'

Tempest slowly walked backwards away from the group. He approached a window that was cracked open to the Southern Bay Waters of Metropolis. Through the corner of his eyes, he could have sworn he saw Wonder Woman looking at him….and stealing a smirk.

'You guys……you're just distracting the rest of the League!'

'Because Diana and I now know for a fact that the League is unfit at the present time to work together on this situation. You and Noir must take care of tracking down Triangular's thermal arsenal. The future of this hemisphere may very well rest in your hands.'

Tempest slithered halfway out the cracked window and braced himself on the wind-blown buildingside. He gazed down at the sun-glittering waters and exhaled. Emptying his lungs completely.

'Funny how I have to save dry land before I get used to it.'

'Hurry.'

'I am. Though……an explanation would do……'

Tempest angled his body, dove, and splashed cleanly into the Bay waters.

SPLOOSH!

T-T-T-T-T-T-

'Noir found something. Something far more real than the mask you uncovered off the shores of your City. Noir found Red Aviary. Or perhaps it would better be said, that Red Aviary found him. In the dark belly of Lexcorp HQ, an unholy graveyard of slain scientists resides. In the very deathly air where Triangular's answers hovered, Red Aviary prepared a trap for the former Titan. Noir barely escaped with his life. And also…he barely escaped with partially revealed truths about Triangular. Names, images, figures.'

'Yeah? Like what?'

'Business corporations. Seemingly innocent economic entities have been providing the bulk of strength for Triangular. The evil organization exists thanks to members of Gotham City, Lexcorp, and Dagger. But at the same time, there is something through which those organizations function. A sea of red tape. Covert, hidden agendas all wrapped up into one long string of yarn interconnecting the hidden branches of Wayne Corp, Powers Incorporated, and Queen Company just to name a few.'

'Companies with secret projects yielding secret side effects?'

'Precisely. These industries may not even know it, but Triangular is leeching off of them just as much as the Parasite—Red Aviary—is leaching off of the tripartite axis of evil.'

'Yeah, but how? What could these companies be doing to help them out? Funding? To what extent? It all has to fall within the hands of Triangular, right? Especially all this thermal arsenal crap……'

'The hands of Triangular may indeed circulate the dangerous elements of their strategy. But the circulation must be housed in a series of vessels nonetheless.'

'So these companies……are housing the weapons? The essences of Terra? They're acting as shipping points? Unofficial warehouses and distribution centers?'

'More than likely. The question remains of whether or not Lexcorp has already begun such circulation. Hopefully—and by all means we put our hope in this—that next step has not happened yet. But when it does, it will be here. It will be in Metropolis. It will be under our very feet and unless we do something to stop it, we will regret it forever. The time to act is now.'

'You can bet Neptune's dreadlocks on that. So where does Noir come in? Do you guys have a plan?'

'He has a plan. For he found something. An image during his dark searches in Lexcorp HQ before Red Aviary stalked him.'

'Just what did he find, exactly?'

T-T-T-T-T-T-

"And no sooner did the two drop down that Metallo took the air with his ankle rockets! ZOOOOM! He plowed into Noir. POW! The two went flying and wrestling through the air!" a little black kid excitedly spoke and gestured. "I'm telling you, it was him! Metallo's back! And he's gonna try and hurt every hero in this Town starting with Noir!"

"I see….," Lois Lane scribbled on her notepad. She gestured towards an intersection where a crater in the asphalt resided behind yellow tape. "And you're saying that impact site was caused by Noir and Metallo?"

"Uh huh! Uh huh! And ask my big sister! She was on the monorail train when the two of them fell on top of it and started duking it out some more!"

Another citizen walked forth from a ring of curious pedestrians surrounding the press woman and testimonial. "No need to ask anyone else. I saw 'em."

Lois Lane narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Saw who, sir?"

"Noir and that metal punk. The kid's right. They took the fight to the monorail. I saw from where I was workin' on a power line earlier today. Living in a City where Blueboy flies around, you start to get an eye for freakish things. I heard energy blasts and sword impacts, so I turned and looked…and there the monorail train whizzes by with the two of them grappling and stuff. It looked like a fight to the death! I tell you!"

Another person waved an arm from the back of the group. "I saw them two! I saw them on the highway! Metallo picked up a Volkswagen Bug and flung it at the Titan!"

"Yeah! I saw them too!"

"It was Metallo! He's back in town!"

"Why would Noir beat up on the Justice League after fighting him?"

"Noir kicks ass! He wouldn't do anything wrong!"

"It's gotta be Intergang or something! Metallo's probably bringing a whole bunch of filth back into this City!"

Mutterings.

Concerned voices.

Arguments.

An ambiance of earnest voices vibrating across the intersection.

Lois kept scribbling and scribbling on her pad but she couldn't catch up. She lost room on her paper and gave up. Sighing. Rubbing her temple stressfully.

Jimmy Olsen walked over to her, the camera dangling around his neck. "See?" he shrugged. "We've got tons of Eyewitnesses! And they're just waiting for honest-to-goodness folks like us from the Daily Planet to unearth and expose for testimony! With the news shows…Noir's only gonna get a bad rep!"

"Maybe he deserves a bad rep…," Lois Lane mumbled. "That helicopter footage is hard to disprove."

"Lois!" Jimmy barked.

"I know….it's just a lot to absorb, that's all…," Lois Lane said. A sigh. "So complicated." She smirked and pocketed her notepad away in her purse. "Perry's gonna love it."

"Yes!" Jimmy cheered.

"Hey! Miss Lane! Interview me! Interview me!"

"I saw Noir too!"

"I even got a photo of that Metallo creep! Put that in your paper!"

"Yeah!"

"Over here!"

"Interview us!"

"Please!"

"Miss Lane!"

Jimmy Olsen second-naturely took a photo of the crowd.

Lois folded her arms and muttered: "Clark, eat your heart out…."

T-T-T-T-T-T-

'A passageway.'

'A passageway?'

'Something underwater. A huge tunnel of sorts. It ran along the Eastern face of the landscape as it fell into the Bay.'

'So I guess this is where I come in handy……'

'So Noir assumes.'

'While hanging around in this City and keeping under the League's radar, I went for laps along the Metropolis River. I found lots of 'tunnels' and 'pipes' embedded into the groundwork. But only half of them were open. The rest were sealed off. Old, retired drainage pipes from illegal sewers is my guess. God, you land-dwellers are so disgusting.'

'You forget. I am not Terran.'

'Oops. Yeah, that. Sorry Mr. Alien.'

'Noir believes that one of those passageways may be a key.'

'One of tunnels? Even if they are sealed?'

'You will have to inquire him of that.'

'Oh joy. And just what if we find something? What then?'

'That, Prince Garth, is a matter of the unknown.'

'………'

T-T-T-T-T-T-

In Titan's Tower.

In the cellar room.

A door cracked open.

A dark, petite silhouette stood in the frame.

After a moment, the figure flicked a wrist.

Fl-Flash!

Black streams of energy rose up and telekinetically switched the gas lanterns on.

Raven walked into the room of the Titans swordsman.

She stared coldly at the barren walls.

The empty bed.

The abandoned shrine where Myrkblade was once held along with its hilt.

The walls were plain. Absent of posters. Absent of anything……distracting…..

Raven wandered over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Her eyes fell to the floor….between her feet.

Something cold ran a chill over her robed self.

Something akin to the foggy puffs of smoke rising over a radioactive depository.

Cold…….where the red flames should have been hot.

The bitterly frigid touch of Destruction….lingering in the air.

Raven shuddered.

She hugged herself, slowly descended till she laid on the bed, and gently….drifted away.

T-T-T-T-T-T-

'You shall receive help.'

'From who? Noir and I aren't enough?'

'Diana and I wish we could help you. Whatever you find on this venture, it will most likely be stronger than even the Justice League as a whole to face.'

'I suppose two former Titans can do for the moment. You guys have done what you could, I guess.'

'A time will come when our generation shall pass and it will be up to a younger array of superheroes to take charge of the future and all its Red fate. This present day is most harrowing. And yet—at the same time—it is but a preview.'

'A preview to what?'

'It may not be the life of me to say or find out.'

'Lovely pep talk you're giving me. So how can I find Noir?'

'Follow the flying thoughts of the gulls, Prince Garth. They shall guide you.'

'Yeah……th-that sounds doable.'

'I shall leave you be. Diana needs my help at S.T.A.R. Labs.'

'Hey J'onn.'

'Yes, Garth?'

'Thanks. For everything.'

'Sooner than the League thinks, we will be owing our gratitude to the Titans.'

'………'

T-T-T-T-T-T-

Seagulls were flocking over the northern edge of the shipyards.

The afternoon was passing and the gray November sky was fading over the cold landscape.

Fresh newspaper covers fluttered over the cold concrete stretches of the shipyards.

The headlines flashed and flashed.

Teen Titan Noir, Teen Traitor?

Noir Assaults the Justice League: Scheme or Mixup?

The Return of Wyldecarde: Metropolis Mayhem at the Hands of Noir.

Superman and the League at Odds over Noir's Action

SPLOOSH!

Tempest leapt effortlessly out of the water and landed on the edge of the shipyards.

"………."

He gazed across the landscape.

The warehouses were abandoned.

The streets of Metropolis beyond in the northern district were run-down, ghetto, poverty-stricken.

"Phew….," Tempest marched forward. "Dark and depressing. Just Noir's style….or Raven's….or both of theirs…." He blinked. "…..or their future kids'…."

He walked, walked, walked, and lingered to a stop beside a dark warehouse alleyway.

Cold November winds.

The gulls cried, cried, and fluttered away.

Tempest exhaled and rubbed his chilly arms.

"This is whaleshit…," he muttered. "Noir isn't here. Martian the Honest Manhunter my scaley—"

Flash!

A hand appeared uncloaked from a smoky silhouette in the shadows and grabbed Tempest's shoulder.

"RENZUKKAN RASPBERRIES!" Tempest jumped. He spun around—shivering—and sighed in relief. "Dear Neptune….so it is you….."

"………," I stared at him from the shadows. Cold. Deadpan. again.

Tempest ran a hand through his wet hair. "Uhm….hiya, Noir….."

I numbly waved.

He winced. "Uh….so……uhm…..y-you're framed again. That's some bummer, huh?"

"……………."

"You….y-you okay and stuff?" he asked, his head tilted to the side in an attempt at 'concern'. Honest, Antlantean concern.

"…………….," I smiled. Weakly, but I smiled. I gently, slowly nodded. Exhaling through my nostrils.

He bit his lip.

I walked out into the light, my hands in my combat fatigues' pockets. Myrkblade hung over my shoulder as the cold November winds blew at my hair. I shuddered only once, but tried to hide it. I couldn't seem to look Tempest straight in the dark eyes, though.

"J'onn sent me here," he said. "So it appears we've got some place to infiltrate or something, right?"

I nodded.

"Something….that might explain Triangular's connections abroad?"

I nodded again.

"Something that……m-might finally show us just where in the Hell those thermal essences of Terra are?"

I sighed….and nodded with an even weaker smile.

"Well….," Tempest shrugged. "Now's a good a time as any to get cracking. But…like…where should you and I crack to anyways?"

I fished around in a back-pocket. I pulled out a scrap of paper I had used to sketch on. A modest recreation of the photo I had seen on the Alpha Laboratory levels of the infernal Lexcorp interior. I held it up for Tempest's visual examination.

He squinted his white-on-black eyes. Studying the rendering from top to bottom. "Yeah…J'onn said something about a tunnel you had envisioned and stuff. And this looks like a large pipe I have seen during one of my swims through the River." He gazed up at me. "But….Noir….the thing's clogged up. How're we supposed to do anything with it?"

I shrugged. I pointed at him.

"Nice….," Tempest groaned with a rolling of his dark optics. "Lovvvvve it when things are dumped on my fins."

I smiled helplessly. Weakly….

"So….I heard we've got some help during this raid….," Tempest handed the slip back to me and mutteringly added: "And boy are we gonna need it."

"And boy are you gonna get it…"

Tempest blinked. He looked over my shoulder. "Who the….?"

A tall man walked out into the light. African-American. Bald. Clad in a Prototype suit plated across the torso with heavy slabs of metal armor. "Looks like Wonder Woman and her alien pal need a favor. And I've owed the Amazon woman a few things since last time Luthor reared his ugly head in the South District of this Town."

Tempest blinked. "Uhm….forgive my oceanic traits…..but….just who in the Seven Seas are you?"

I chuckled mutely and patted Tempest's shoulder.

The 'stranger' smiled. "A friend of Superman…a friend of any hero. Now if we're gonna crash in on Luthor's dark, secret party….I suggest we get too it before sun down."

"Uh….okay. Sure….why the Hell not?"

"You're Aqualad, I gather…."

"Close. Tempest. And to whom am I confusedly speaking?"

"I'm Irons. John Henry Irons….," the man slipped on a form-fitting, slate metal mask over his forehead. He hoisted up a heavy iron club from his side and uttered: "But you can call me Steel."

T-T-T-T-T-T-

Gotham City.

Lower District.

4:34 pm.

T-T-T-T-T-T-

Sitting in a dark chair…

At a dark desk…

Inside a dark room…hideously split in two…

Collapsing into shambles one side and standing straight and tall on the other….

Two-Face sat.

Flipping a coin in his ugly left hand.

Glaring at a crackling video image of Lex Luthor's face on the two-way communicator.

"It's a 'go', Dent. Jace's project worked without a hitch. Metallo was brought back online, stronger than ever. He framed Noir for me, and thus gave more open breathing space for you."

"It's not enough to frame a punk-ass kid like that, Lex….," Two-Face gutturally uttered. "You should have torn his head off. And the heads of the whole god-forsaken League too if you had the chance!"

"That is not how I work, Dent," Luthor's image leaned back with hands folded. "Not all of us enjoy the anonymity of the shrouding underworld like you. I have a reputation to maintain. If I slaughter……too many famous souls, I will become conspicuous. I don't want my legacy to end. Especially with this……this 'Parasite' breathing down our necks."

"Speaking of whicccccch…..," Two-Face hoarsely uttered. He caught the coin in mid-flip and clenched his mutated fist around it. "Red Aviary…..Dagger says he was there."

"…………"

The villain leaned his two glaring halves forward towards the screen. "In your crummy building, ya eggheaded loon!"

"So what if he was? I only wish Noir died from it and my job would have been done without having to hire Metallo."

"Our business is not to out right kill the kid…no matter how much we want to…," Two-Face hissed. "We don't want to give Red Aviary what he hungers for…."

"No. Not in the least……"

Two-Face resumed flipping the coin. "Dagger also says that Red Aviary is heading here. Right as we speak."

"To Gotham?"

"Red Aviary is catching on. He knows too much. He's relying on hunger alone. And you know what?"

"Humor me, Dent."

"Noir…..the little punk's gonna come after him."

"To Gotham? Noir chasing Red Aviary?"

"Yes……isn't that the way it's always been?"

"………I………I never thought of it that way before."

"You'll get plenty of time to think of it now. Cuz I have no doubt that I'll be having to deal with the damn stooge with my own men sooner or later. But just as well. This is where Red Aviary began. And this is where Red Aviary will end. Or so…that's what Dagger says."

"You and me, Dent. We rely on that knife-fetishist far too much."

"Far too little, if you ask me….," Two-Face flipped his coin. "We gotta deliver soon. How long until those vials make their transit?"

Lex Luthor's image smiled. "Two……Hours……"