These Black Eyes

by P0ST

The ongoing adventures and experiences of the Teen Titans, as witnessed through the eyes of a silent newcomer.

215. By Any Means

215. By Any Means

"Terra! Stop! We're your friends!"

"I don't have any friends……REMEMBER!"

"Now, apprentice!"

"RRRRRGGHAAAAAAAAH!"

"TERRA!"

RUMMMBLE!

"You attempted to annihilate us."

"Did you think we wouldn't take it personally?"

"NO! I will not tolerate failure, apprentice. I will not permit you to run away! You will stay. You will fight! You will win!"

"You can only save yourself."

"I….don't….need….SAVING!"

CRASSSSH!

"I trusted you! We trusted you! We gave you everything and you treated us like dirt!"

"Finish her!"

FLASH!

"You promised to fight at my side forever. And that's a promise I intend to make you keep."

"I have no choice."

"Terra! No!"

"It'll be the last thing you ever do!"

"Hope you're not expecting a goodbye kiss."

"Terra! You can't!"

"Watch me."

"TERRA!"

CRUNNNNNCH!

"And now I never want to see your face……"

CRKKKK!

"…….again."

FLASH!

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

"Hmmm….nnngh…," Terra stirred, shook, sweated, and shot up from under the covers clutching her blond head. "Nnnngaaaah! Aaaah!"

She gasped.

She panted.

Blue eyes wide.

Shivering.

"…………," she gulped.

Sitting up in the center of the bed in the Kents' guestroom during the middle of the night, the petite girl hugged her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. There was a frightened trickle of moisture at the corner of her sapphire optics….sapphires that slowly morphed into a glowing gold. She shook once….twice….and then her face tensed into a harsh frown as she clenched her wet, glowing eyes shut and lightly growled from deep inside her being like a tiny tremor on the rise.

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

November 27, 2004

Late at night….

Kara couldn't sleep.

Her mind was racing and her limbs tossed and turned under the covers.

So perhaps it was with a slightly torturous incentive that she decided to keep the windows to her upstairs room open. The cold night winds of November wafted in and chilled her. Freezing her body just the same as her mind had been forced into limbo.

The faint t.v. images of Metropolis news broadcasts flickered in the edges of her vision and dwindled away in the dark corners of her bedroom. Over and over again the helicopter footage of a darkhaired swordsman pouncing on Superman and the Justice League repeated and repeated and repeated and repeated…

Like the jolting repetition of a music record matching the goosebumps on her skin.

Another cold draft hissed in through the windows.

Kara shivered.

She wrapped a blanket around herself, curled up, and sighed towards the nearby wall.

"……………"

A heavy breathing sound. Running footsteps. An echo from the farmland outside.

"……………?" Kara shot up in bed. Blinking. She kicked the sheets off her and sat up in bed. "…….." She craned her neck and tilted her ear up to the cold, drafty world. Super hearing…..

Silence.

And then.

Footsteps.

Bare feet.

Running across the green cow fields.

Southwesterly.

Kara's lips parted.

Clad in a blouse and pajama bottoms, she flew over to the window and gazed out.

Her blue eyes squinted.

In the faint glow of starlight, she saw a blonde flicker waving and then gone. A shadowed figure rushed towards horizon. Slowly, but desperately hurried by human standards. Every now and then there would be brief strobe of gold. Then darkness.

"Terra…..," Kara uttered hoarsely.

Silence.

The figure faded into the Kansas countryside.

"Crud!" Kara opened the window wider to the cold November night, perched in the frame, and flew out in a super burst.

Fwooosh!

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

Terra was running. She was always running. But there was something tenfold frantic about it this time. Something impromptu. Nightgown and sleeping shorts impromptu. Hair tossed and body freezing numb from the wintry blasts impromptu. She hopped over fences, hobbled a bit, and gathered strength as she blindly ran…ran….ran….

"Terra!"

She kept running.

"Terra! Stop!"

The petite blonde bit her lip.

Kara flew around and hovered directly in front of the girl with her hand outstretched. "What do you think you're doing?"

Terra skidded to a stop, gasping. She hugged herself. Breathing heavily. She swallowed, clenched her eyes shut, and shook her head. "I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know what I'm doing alive."

Kara breathed with her lips parted. Her exhales showed in a mist. She trembled only slightly at first. And as the concerned washed over into perplexity, she touched down and walked slowly towards the thermalkinetic ex-Titan. "Terra, what happened? Was it some kind of bad dream? A panic attack? I-I just want to help!"

"I don't need your help…," Terra hugged herself, her eyes still clenched. Her words sounded bitter. As if they were squeezed at the last minute through a tube of sandpaper onto a burning floor. "I don't need saving!"

"Terra….listen….," Kara reached a hand out. "Just calm down…"

Terra's eyes flashed open. And they were glowing yellow. And she was snarling. "I don't need saving!"

Terra's hand flicked out.

The ground shook under Kara.

Supergirl looked down. "What….?"

RUMMMBLE!

POOOFT!

A clump of earth exploded beneath Kara.

The Argosian gasped and tumbled to the ground a few feet away. She shook herself out of it and looked up—shocked—at Terra.

The petite ex-Titan heaved all over. Her eyes burning yellow. Her blonde hair and nightgown blowing in the freezing wind. "Why is everyone trying to save me? Why you? Why Noir? Why?"

"………," Kara blinked.

"Don't you get it? Doesn't anyone get it?" Terra panted. She shook her fists and squealed: "I don't need saving! After all I did….after all the decisions I chose….I'm a villain! Slade's apprentice! I never wanted anything good for the Titans! For the City! For the World!"

"Terra….," Kara hobbled back up to her feet. "Just relax and think…."

"SHUT UP!" Terra shouted, breathing heavily. "You don't know anything!"

"….," Kara stared.

The blonde hobbled backwards away from Kara and desperately breathed: "Nobody seems to freakin' think right anymore! I brought a City down to its knees! I wiped out the Teen Titans! I won an entire region over for Slade! And I have no regrets! Do you hear me?"

"Terra…"

"NO. REGRETS."

"Terra, listen to me!" Kara shouted. The wind was cold. Teeth stung as their mouths opened wide. "You redeemed yourself! You stopped Slade! You saved the City! You saved the Titans at the cost of yourself. Dammit! Are you trying to say that suddenly you forget that?"

"I don't care about the Titans!"

Kara winced.

"I hurt them all before!" Terra gulped. Shook. And clenched her eyes shut again. "And I'll j-just hurt them again!"

"Terra…."

"I have to keep moving. I have to keep running!"

"Terra….!"

"Every Town….every hero….every person on this damn continent is in danger as long as I'm nearby!" And she started to run southward along the field again.

And Supergirl reached out to her. "Terra! Stop!"

Terra snarled and spun with flashing gold eyes. "Let me GO!"

RUMMMMBLE!

A huge clump of earth ripped out from the field and flew at Kara.

And it was then and there that the Girl of Steel frowned and swung her fist into the debris with a shout. "RAAAUGH!"

POW!

The resulting concussion blast sent Terra flying back six feet and tumbling to the ground. Th-Thwump! "Ooof!" Terra exhaled and instinctively covered herself as pebbles, rocks, and pieces of dirt littered all around her.

Kara hovered just above her. Fists clenched. Heaving. "Terra….you WILL stop! Do you think this is some damn game? Do you think I just asked you over for a slumber party? Right here? In Smallville? The home of Superman's loving but vulnerable parents?"

Terra looked up at Supergirl. Trembling. Shivering. Eyes wide.

Kara frowned and continued: "Jordan dropped you here in my lap for a reason. He risked his freakin' neck and reputation to make sure you made it out of that stone prison okay. He gave his arm for the Titans and he'd just as easily give his life for you. And when he came to Smallville of all places—after months of our not seeing each other—and he carried you in like a sick, lost lamb….do you think I volunteered? Do you think I wanted to have one of the world's most notorious, dangerous youngsters in the very house of my foster parents? But no…I just had to cater to Jordan's wishes! Cuz Kela forbid I ever disappoint him after he's barely done a thing all these months to pay attention to me. How doomed the world is with Red Aviary and shit running around, so I have to risk my neck and sanity by looking after a girl I've only read about in the newspapers and even then I've been shaking at my boots at the prospect of meeting without a fist to the face! And after all he's done and after all I done, the best you can do is be a little self-deprecating bitch about all you've done and all that's been done to you? The universe sucks, Terra. And sometimes we suck along with it! But grow up! You could be the nastiest woman in the world for all I care. But whether you like it or not…and whether I like it or not…you're my responsibility and I'm going to make sure you last just as long as Jordan needs for the Titans to reunite with you because there are things in the world heroes have got to do by default!"

"I'm not a hero….," Terra hissed. She stood up on her knees and shook a fist. "I'm not like you, Supergirl! You don't know anything…."

"I know enough!" Kara shouted. Seething. "Allright, you wanna know the truth, Terra? You'll never be alone! Even if you run out there into the god-awful countryside and waste your life away in caves and deserts! I'll be there with you, every step of the way! Cuz I'm a traitor and a bitch too, Terra!" Kara shook. She ran a hand through her blonde hair, shuddered, and glared towards the Kansas countryside. "I've put up with Jordan's silence and distance because I can't even imagine the unfathomable pain I've dealt to him and everything he's stood to protect. When the Titans came here, it was I who set them up for Braniac. And it was I who nearly lost Ma and Pa without telling Clark. And it was I who let Robin, Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and ultimately Jordan himself fall into imprisonment and near-doom! I thought I was doing what was right. And I had no regrets. You get that? NO REGRETS!"

Terra trembled. Her eyes were wide. She was silent.

Kara hyperventilated momentarily. She calmed a bit….shuddered….and moaned: "Only now I regret it…..I regret it so much. And I know how painful it is to do all the wrong things for all the selfish reasons. And I know what it's like to be alone. To sit in the dark and cry when nobody sees me because first all of my people died millions of light years away on some frozen hellhole of a planet and now I want to die far away from all my friends. But I haven't given up, Terra. Because at the same time I also know what it's like to be loved…." Kara swallowed. Her eyes were wet and she hugged herself. Her voice choked. "And I know what it's like…t-to be forgiven. When Jordan….When Jordan…….." A soft breath escaped her. A shaking. And then she tensed herself back to strength as her fists re-clenched and she glared Terra's way. "People get second chances, Terra. I know you aren't the cold thing you might have grazed upon in the headlines like I have. You have a purpose. The Titans love you. They have forgiven you. Kela help me, so have I. And I will NOT let you run away and stay the bitch forever! I will NOT let you punish yourself for so many months like I have! At the expense of my friends….Ma and Pa….Clark………." A sad breath. "…..Jordan…."

"…………."

"Terra….you have done horrible things…," Kara gently added. She walked over and held a hand down towards the petite blonde. "…but you have also done such wonderful, wonderful things. And somehow, that's enough. You're a Teen Titan. You're a true friend. Not some tramp Slade used and threw away."

"Used?" Terra murmured. A rising in her voice. "Thrown away?"

"…….," Kara stared.

Terra scooted away, glaring daggers at Supergirl. Teeth showing. "I chose to become evil…..I chose to betray the Titans………I….am….evil!"

Kara swallowed before bravely murmuring: "And did you choose to have Slade's baby?"

"SHUT UP!" Terra screeched. "SHUT! UP!"

Kara clenched her jaw.

Terra shook all over. "Do you have any clue what I was?" A swallow. "What I had?" Twitching eyes. "Wh-What I lost?"

"……….."

"Wh-What I lost…..Wh-What I had torn from me…..and even through all the stone it screamed and it screamed and it screamed as it was t-torn from me…..," Terra started to hyperventilate. She wobbled on her knees. Hands that were digging into the tall grass of the Kansas field suddenly dug into her hair as her nostrils flared and something torturous snapped in the center of her being, and it took several reverberations like a shockwave splashing outward from deep inside till it all collected with her lungs and her eyes clenched shut and her howling face lifted up to the sky. "NnnngrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAH!"

The sound was like the labor pains of the Earth itself. The sinewy rippling sounds of a mother inside out. Something tearing away at the membrane and the cords snapping like bridge supports. Crunching. Bleeding. Bleeding. Bleeding…..

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-HAAAAAAA-HAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAA!" Terra wailed, gasped for breath, shook…and imploded. Softly. Shuddering. Wilting into the center of herself with tight eyes leaking crystalline. She heaved and hyperventilated and sobbed. "Beast B-Boy…….Robin……I am s-so...sorry…….e-everyone……I am so….so…..sorry….." She wrenched her palms into her eyelids and bent over, leaking. "I am so sorrr-rrrr-yyyy……..nnngh…..god……..I am s-so sorry…..Starfire…..Raven….Cyborg…..so s-s-sorrrrrry…….."

Terra all but collapsed into the earthen soil. Her sobs were gentle flows until ever so random a vision ricocheted through her burning sapphires.

Starfire being tossed over a cliff.

Cyborg falling into the abyss.

Robin being buried in rock.

Raven drowning in mud.

Beast Boy pinned under a boulder.

Everything collecting in darkness.

Everything ripping through the heart of the City.

"I am so sorry…….I am s-so…..s-sorry……"

And Kara stood. Silent. Deadpan.

Six feet from the sobbing girl on her knees.

And never connecting.

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

Metropolis.

That very same evening.

Clark Kent's loft apartment.

"I hear you Lois. Yes…that's….th-that's very exciting but…." The 'disguised' Man of Steel paced with a cordless phone held to his ear. The cold blue night of November Metropolis lingered outside. There was a loneliness to the rigid, simple place. Like half a fortress of what it could have been.

Clark's spectacled eyes narrowed.

After a bit of electronic squabbling from the other side, he replied: "Yes, well, Jimmy has good hunches every now and then. Sometimes I'm envious that you get to work with him….as much as I count my blessings that he's choosing to annoy you instead of me from time to time…."

Squabbling.

Clark sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and leaned against a wall. "Lois. I gotta ask….Why are you doing this?"

A pause.

A squabble.

"Th-This! Why are you telling me about your headline? I'm Clark Kent, remember? You never share your glorious articles with…me….."

A moment of squabbling.

Clark's dark eyes trailed the ceiling as he listened….listened….listened…

His lips parted. "You want to justify Noir's innocence? Just like that?"

…….

"Heh. Who are you and what have you done with Lois?"

…….

"I mean, this isn't like you! Why are….?"

……..

"Uh….m-me? Now Lois, you aren't just trying to squeeze some gossip out of me, are you?"

……..

"Y-Yeah. I know that's below you But still….."

……..

"Oh…..you really….you really think that way…..huh?"

…….

"N-No, I agree!" He gazed into a picture frame. In the low lighting, he saw more of his own face than the still life beyond the plane of glass. "Sometimes……Sometimes doing the boy scout thing is all that really matters, Lois….."

…….

"As a matter of fact….," his lips curved in the corner ever so slightly. "I think I…..just might have some sources to help out in this article. Mmmmhmmmm. Noir will just have to count his lucky stars. And as for Metallo…..eh…..you know him better than I do. I'll let you do your worst."

A chuckling squabble.

"Tomorrow at lunch? One o'clock? Sounds good. Something tells me with the amount of information we both have to process, we'll sure as heck need it! OH! And Jimmy too…..heheheheheh."

………

"Heheheh. All right."

………

"You too, Lois. Take care."

Click.

Clark Kent leaned over the hung receiver. Gazing stonelike across the room.

"Imagine that…..the sky must be falling…."

Silence.

"…………," Clark slowly gazed towards the open windows to his apartment's balcony.

The curtains swayed.

The cold air mingled with the glass furniture nearest to the open window.

"…………..," the Man of Steel's eyes narrowed. He stood up. He turned. He walked slowly…slowly towards the window. He stood halfway out on the balcony. Staring out at the spires of Metropolis. The rich blue night. The sparkling lights growing ever…ever….ever in the distance.

Gentle winds.

Cold currents.

"…………," Clark's head jerked to the side. He craned his near. Blinking. He frowned and turned to face the shadows of his apartment with his back to the balcony. "Okay, Noir….," he folded his arms. "I know that you're in here."

…………………….

He spoke to the empty apartment corners. "Relax. I'm not going to beat you up or turn you in or anything. The League had a long…long talk about you. And….well…..I only have questions. As I'm sure you do too…."

……………………

He raised an eyebrow. "Well? You came here for a reason, didn't you?"

………………….movement.

Clark glanced left.

I limped out from behind a love seat, uncloaking. I leaned weakly to one side, balanced on a hurting knee. I was bruised all over. Parts of my outfit were visibly tattered. My lip and nose leaked dry blood.

Clark's eyes widened. His lips parted some as he lowered his arms and murmured: "My lord…..what happened to you?"

"………..," I merely glared at him. Black eyes thin under my shades.

"A gang?" Clark remarked. "The Mafia? Triangular?" He blinked. His eyes hardened. "Metallo…..," he exhaled.

I slowly nodded. And I slowly treaded towards him. It would have been a menacing gait on my part had the Kryptonian been anyone else.

"Noir. Everything that's happened….well….it's obviously a result of two things," Clark raised a finger like a teacher as he spoke. "One: Fissures in the Justice League which even I have been blind to…until now…" In saying that, the Man of Steel's voice was momentarily sad. Human. He brought it back up to the tough Kryptonian surface as he glared back and said: "And two: A lack of communication. From the get-go, if you had simply told us what you were up to without trying to be so aloof….without being secretive….and certainly without working silently with the confidence of Diana and J'onn alone, then maybe nobody could have exploited our mistrust of each other."

I glared even more. I marched towards him. Breathing hard. Almost seething…..

"What have you got to say, Noir?" Clark asked.

I gritted my teeth.

I'm not in the mood for being patronized……

Clark explained: "Noir, I can read lips."

I paused in my pacing momentarily. Blinking…..

"It's a side-effect of a talent of mine," the Man of Steel said.

"………"

Then, in the voice of Wonder Woman, Superman said: "Precise muscle control and lip movement can produce anyone's voice," and he returned to Clark Kent's throat. "I used it one night when I had to impersonate Batman to save the Dark Knight from Braniac."

Whatever……

"What brings you here, Noir?"

I stared at him. And, as I have done with so few people on this earth, I moved my lips as succinctly and slowly as I could to articulately 'utter': 'I'm not the one being secretive here, Superman. You are.'

Clark Kent raised an eyebrow. "What secrets do I have to keep from you, Jordan? Months ago, you learned all that there is to know of me. Why don't we talk about what's important now? About Metropolis? About Metallo and what's gotten you into this mess?"

I shook my head.

My lips moved: 'None of this is important.'

"It isn't?"

I glared. I marched towards him. If I had a voice, I would have hissed: 'Where is Robin?'

Superman blinked. In a gentle exhale, he slowly shook his head and said: "Noir……Robin is dead…."

FWOOOSH-THWUMP! I shoved the Man of Steel up against the wall with my hands to his collar.

He winced…out of surprise only. When he gathered his wits, he glared at me with eyes that could burn holes in my skull and grumbled: "Watch. It."

I didn't care. I stared him in the face close enough so that he wouldn't go cross-eyed trying to read my lips: 'You have an oath of confidence with Batman……'

"With Batman?" Clark gently pried me off him with steel arms and straightened his shirt. "Of course. But what does that have to do with….?"

'What has Batman told you that he has not told the rest of the League?'

Clark's quick response didn't surprise me: "Absolutely nothing that I'm inclined to share."

My fists clenched….

"Noir, I'm not alone. None of the League has heard exclusively from the Dark Knight in weeks. Even before Dagger's attack on November Fourth. And you know what? That's typical, Noir. Batman does his own thing and rarely does he ever talk to me….much less share anything about what he's up to…."

I leaned my head to the side. Eyes thin.

Share Anything About What He's Up To…………

You just said more than you can chew, Superman.

Thanks……

"Noir, what happened? What brings you here? Why are you trying to interrogate me of all people?"

Chiiing!
0
Superman blinked.

I held a razor-sharp birdarang before him. Slightly beaten up. Expertly thrown. Picked up at the site where I barely survived Red Aviary and even more-barely survived Metallo.

Superman's lips pursed. "Where did you find this….?"

I stared at him: 'Does it matter?'

"Was it here? Was it in this City?"

I glared: 'Someone saved me from Metallo. I think I know who it is. I think you know who it is too.'

"Noir, I…have….no….clue….," Clark pointed. He gazed at the birdarang helplessly as he gestured: "You think this means something? Don't you realize that Batman's entire troupe uses basically the same prototype? Batarangs. Birdarangs. Nightarangs. They're bound to be interchanged at some point or another. If someone helped you, Noir, it could have been Nightwing, Batgirl, Batman even. Quite simply, I think you'd know more about where Batman is than I would at this point!"

I caught his eyesight: 'At least if I did, I would have the gall to share what I knew……'

Clark frowned. "Noir, Robin is dead! Why won't you face up to that?"

I wanted to hiss….

Don't tell me not to face up to Robin's death……

I spun around in an angry huff and paced across Kent's apartment.

The Man of Steel spoke firmly behind my back: "Do you know why the Justice League showed up at the funeral at the last second? Because none of us could believe that Robin was dead either, Jordan!"

I winced. My face softened into a sad melting. I didn't dare show him. I hugged myself and made it look from behind like I was folding my arms angrily….

As he said: "All of us flew to the radioactive depository where the carbonite explosive went off. I listened with super-hearing for any signs of movement from within. Green Lantern scanned the sarcophagus with his energy ring! J'onn even went incorporeal and flew through the radioactive interior, Noir! There was no body! There were no remains! Nothing! We never told you that we went that far to examine the disaster…because there was no point in telling you. The Titans already knew it, and finally the League knew it. Robin is dead. He died fighting for justice. He died a hero. Why don't you rest easy and simply accept that!"

I shook. My teeth clenched.

No……

I'm not one to sit and mourn endlessly.

I'm not……

I'm not……like……like……

I'm not like Cyborg………

I spun, and when I faced Superman I was frowning again. 'Robin had a contract to finish. And when all the Titans stayed in one place because they felt overcome and defeated, I made an effort to risk all I had and loved……to honor the death of Robin by fulfilling his last living goals. I have spent the last two weeks burying Robin, Superman. I am not denying anything. But this…' I lifted the birdarang. I gestured madly at it. Black eyes wide. Panting. 'I do not believe that this is some cruel joke from Triangular. I want answers. I want answers now.'

"And I have none to give you, Noir," Clark said. "You may have run around across half the country for a noble cause. But there's nowhere to go now."

"…..," I merely frowned.

He went on, nodding: "That's right. It's time to put your frantic headless chicken run to an end, Jordan. I'm sure you've done all you could for the late Robin's sake. But now you're only hurting yourself." He gestured out the cold, open window. "Have you so much as taken a look at my fellow citizens? They don't know whether to trust or fear you anymore! Everything you do, these lofty enemies of yours are only one step ahead. But instead of taking your time and strategizing, you're slicing straight into the heart of darkness and it is feeding off your burning passions, Noir. It's feeding off your passions and transforming you into something you're not. Or at least…transforming you into something you're not supposed to be! You're in trouble, Noir. You're in deep…deep trouble. Metallo and Lexcorp pinned it on you good. But it is not too late to remedy all that." He pointed at his phone on a distant table. "Do you know what I was doing right before you came? I was talking to Lois Lane of the Daily Planet. As a matter of fact, she called me. She's asking for my help in making the greatest, most controversial newspaper article of the year. She has NEVER asked for my exclusive assistance in a headline…much less a headline that she herself first proposed! She believes that much in the message being given. She believes in you, Noir. Because she's working on a comprehensive review of testimonies and new evidence that proves you were battling Metallo right before the widely telecasted 'confrontation' of the Justice League at the shipyard. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Noir. If I can work with her on this…the League will then be working through me. 'Clark Kent' will be the inside agent making things right in this propaganda monster trying to chew you alive. You can be saved, Noir. You can walk back home to the Titans a free and safe person…but only….but ONLY if you give it up. Only if you stop pushing deeper…shoving sharper. Only if you take a calm breath….do the thing that Robin himself would do…..and let this fall into the hands of bigger, stronger, more collected people. And I promise you…Noir….I promise that the League will get to the bottom of what Triangular and Luthor is doing with the 'deadly shipments' you've intercepted."

"……," I gazed at the birdarang in my grasp. It seemed so tiny all of the sudden. So precious. And yet…so sharp.

Just like him….

I bit my lip, gazing earth-ward.

Superman……what do you know……

What do you know of what 'Robin himself' would do?

I clenched my flesh fist around the projectile. Shuddering. And when I reopened my angry eyes, I glared up at Clark Kent and said:

'Superman, that promise of yours means nothing to me……'

He looked hurt. Genuinely. "That makes me sad, Noir. I only want to help you."

'You would help me by telling me all you know about Batman's distracting 'investigations' as of late…'

"And I can't. Besides, there's no point…," he pointed. "Batman would have to say the same exact things I would….since he knows more than anyone else how gone Robin is."

You're lying…

I growled mutely and marched towards the window, brushing past Clark Kent with a limp.

I won't believe that until I see Batman himself face-to-mask……

Clark spun around. "Noir, where are you going?"

I stepped out onto the balcony and pointed 'northwest'.

He blinked. "Gotham City?"

That's where the essences of Terra are. That's where Batman is. That may be where……

I stood up on the balcony. I pocketed the birdarang away. I prepared to blur my way down the buildingside….

"Noir….it's a wild goose chase! You wouldn't know where to go!"

I turned over my shoulder to gaze at him. Black eyes thin. My lips moved: 'Care to give me pointer? A Dark Knight chess move?'

"………"

I exhaled.

Typical……

I turned back towards the balcony edge….

"Noir, I know about the job you gave Kara."

I jolted to a stop. Heart beating. Cold. November winds, cold.

I gulped.

He stepped towards my back. "You left that girl with her. That 'Terra' girl…."

I slowly turned and gazed at him. Less frowning. More like a deer in the headlights.

His face was somewhere between stone and human. "I know that Kara is strong and resourceful. And I know that she can look out for more than just herself and Ma and Pa. But that Terra….as much as you're honoring the Titans in saving her….she is also quite strong….and formidable."

"…….."

His eyes thinned threateningly. "It is one thing to let you cavort around the country on these vengeful pursuits of Triangular. But when it comes to dropping a potential threat in the home I was raised in….in the laps of the only family I have and love on this Earth……..that comes awfully close to crossing a line that you've been dancing on ever since you limped out of Vegas."

"………"

"I want you to stop, Noir. We've all let you go on this parade long enough. We can't let it go anywhere further."

My eyes thinned.

We?

"Call it off, Noir," Clark Kent instructed. Instructed. "Go home." Commanded. "Bless the Titans the only way you can right now…..by not being separated from them."

I frowned. A teenage glare.

You're not my damn parent……

"Do you understand me?" the man behind the glasses said. A thin visage hiding a poster. A lunchbox. Some faded newspaper front page photo with motion blur. The red and blue streak of Metropolis zooming by and disappearing in a blink. Unreal. Alien. And suddenly soulless. "This is not a request. I am telling you. Head on home….now…."

"………"

"The League will take it from here. Don't put yourself into further trouble."

"……..," I turned. I gazed towards the Metropolis cityscape.

I'm rather used to 'being in trouble'.

"Noir?"

FWOOOSH!

I streaked into smoke form and shot down the buildingside.

"…..," Clark walked over to the edge of the balcony as the last of the murk trailed and faded. He leaned with his hands against the balcony railing….and sighed.

……………

"They keep getting darker and darker….."

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

Plant!

I landed on the rooftop of a lone warehouse somewhere across the Eastern Downtown of Metropolis.

Where exactly?

I didn't know.

I didn't care.

I came to a smoking stop, the birdarang in my flesh hand.

My metal fist clenching.

My eyes moved.

And my eyes darted.

Back and forth.

And soon, my legs were moving.

Back and forth.

To follow the eyes.

And my body moved.

Back and forth.

After the legs.

But then wobbling.

And rocking.

And shaking.

And as the sweat poured and the gravel beneath me shifted I began to grit my teeth together like a fault line and before I realized that I was forgetting I had no vocal cords, I was doing my best to scream with a well-angled kick slamming straight into an A/C unit.

WHANG!

I spun and slammed my titanium fist into a ventilation tube.

CLANG!

A haggard breath.

Twitching black eyes.

I shook once more.

Spiraled.

And slammed a smoke-laden leg through a t.v. antenna.

CRACK!

Gravel and shrapnel flew.

Then….

Terminal silence. Biting. Bitter. Cold. Cold winds. The November blueness of Metropolis. All encompassing. All surrounding.

I panted and I shivered….not because of my arm…not because of Red Aviary….

But because the heated, bleeding Earth had just stopped spinning and was pinned to a top beneath me by Superman's two-edged tongue.

And I couldn't believe it.

I couldn't believe him.

I shuddered.

I hobbled back.

I sat down—plop!—on a ledge surrounding the three-story warehouse rooftop.

And I hyperventilated.

Sweating.

Face numb.

I ran a shaky, left hand over my brow.

I gulped.

I dared….I fought…I looked.

I looked at my right hand.

At the birdarang.

The red contours.

The sharp points.

The jagged metal familiarity.

And somehow I heard his voice.

And I saw the other Titans gazing at him.

Nodding.

Obeying.

Believing..

Believing……

I bit my lip.

I don't believe it, Ana.

I clenched my black eyes shut tight.

I hugged the arm with the birdarang into my gut.

My whole body tensed.

Tears fought…struggled…..pounded at the inner lids….

But I want to.

Maybe wanting to believe something is just as good as believing it.

Or……better?

My right hand clenched around the birdarang.

It clenched….and clenched.

Superman……

I rocked back and forth.

Concentrating.

Distracting.

Concentrating.

Distracting.

White and Red.

Fighting for the center.

The Center…..

Superman……

I take a shaking breath.

Angry.

Sad.

Confused.

Hopeful….

Superman is lying to me……

My right hand clenched and clenched and clenched.

He knows something.

Where Batman is.

Where the heat is in Gotham.

Clenched and clenched and clenched.

The sharp edges of the birdarang chiseled into the skin of my palm.

The Cold November air laughed its way onto my bruised skin.

Almost colder than Red Aviary.

The numbing sense of distrust….

And where Batman is……

I just may find hope, Ana.

I just may find hope.

And Terra's essences……

And Dagger's circles.

A sharp shudder.

Tears finally squeezed and screamed out of my eyes.

I shivered.

I'm so tired, Ana.

Superman wants me to rest.

He wants me to go home.

But I can't.

Dear God, I can't.

And you know it, Ana, I can't rest.

I have to stop Triangular.

I have to eclipse Red Aviary.

I have to break the Circle………

And Robin……he is……he is……

I opened my eyes.

I sought solace in the dark blue horizon.

I only saw a kaleidoscopic mess of tear-skewered lights.

My fist shook.

Tiny streams of blood trickled down between the knuckles.

Superman has the answer to Batman.

And I must find out.

I must find Batman and find the answer.

I must find the end, the break, the finality.

No matter what tries to stop me.

I must, Ana.

I must……

Something in the sky.

Something that made me twitch.

Something that almost gave the mute sob a sound.

A contract in the stars. A death warrant. A child falling to sleep never to wake up again.

And for half a second, I almost wished the Messenger was there.

Because it all felt so god damn familiar.

I must find out……

I must go……

I must find out……

I must go……

I must find out……

Find out………………

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

November 28, 2004.

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

Metropolis.

A bright blue sky.

November coolness settling in.

Citizens in and outside of automobiles….

Bundling up.

Preparing for the cold.

And yet…..

Hopeful.

Smiling.

Passing by, passing by.

Working, moving, breathing.

Waiting for December to roll in.

Waiting for Tomorrow to softly take Tonight's hand.

And gently fall…..

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

Daily Planet Building.

Main Office.

3:24 pm

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

"Jimmy's pictures clearly show Noir battling a shadowy opponent in these parts of Metropolis at this time. Now…compare these to the helicopter film footage from the shipyard battle with Superman and the rest of the League. You'll notice…when the helicopter frames are frozen, that Noir isn't trailing half as much smoke as he did in the others. What's further—in this shot here where he's wrestling with the Man of Steel—he is missing a scar. Not just any scar, but a scar that he gained just recently on his cheek during the invasion of Dagger in his City. Which means that the person fighting the Justice League—if indeed an imposter—is using an old image or composite taken of Noir to create the façade. What kind of composite? Oh…I'm figuring that it may be a computer file of some sort. A masking hologram. And who could possibly utilize a full-body holographic projection with portable energy supply?"

Jimmy blinked. His lips parted. "Metallo…."

Clark turned and looked over his shoulder at the redheaded youngster. He smirked. "Precisely. The same fiend that eyewitnesses from all over Metropolis are testifying to have seen."

Murmurs. Hushed voices of excitement and consideration. A good half of the Daily Planet personnel had gathered around the desk where Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen were most centrally located among the skeletal pieces of their developing article. Evidence and eyewitness reports were scattered betwixt them.

"Whoah…"

"That's amazing!"

"Noir might not have done that stuff after all!"

"Nice work, guys!"

"Oh, we're not finished yet…," Lois leaned a hand to her hip and smiled wryly. "We have over a hundred testimonies to somehow compress into an overview of what happened on the Metropolitan Highway and Monorail Train just shortly before the Shipyard fight. But we may indeed be onto something."

"Yeah….heheh….," Jimmy Olsen held a thumbs' up. "Won't Perry White be surprised?"

"Not surprised….," uttered the old voice of the editor as he strolled obesely into the Main Office. His hands were on his hip and he had half a smirk. "Lois Lane….so you're writing a paper that goes against all other news stories, challenges the authenticity of law enforcement, and strives to re-shape the way an entire City is thinking about a rogue hero?"

"Yessir!" Lois saluted.

"Nope…not surprising in the least," Perry White smirked. "But something to be proud of all the while."

"Hey, chief…who am I to let you down?"

"But working with Clark Kent!" Perry scratched his balding head. "Now there's a surprise."

"Heh….," Clark Kent sat at the desk besides Lois. He rubbed the back of his neck. "You're not alone."

Perry then turned and glanced at everyone else. "The spectacle won't last forever. You've got tomorrow morning's headlines to read this once-in-a-lifetime massacre. So get back to work, people! Nothing to see here!"

The columnists and editors murmured and chattered and shrugged as they gradually dispersed and returned to their stations.

Perry White looked at the freckled photographer. "That means you too, kid."

"Awwww….," Jimmy Olsen pouted. "But I'm working with Lois and Clark too!"

"Heh…sure you are….," Perry White half-frowned / half-smiled in a way that only he could.

"It's okay, Perry….," Clark smiled. "He's telling the truth. I don't know where this article would be without his photos and go-between with the eyewitnesses."

"See?" Jimmy Olsen proudly beamed.

"Oye…what is the world coming to….?" Perry White rubbed his temple, turned around, and waddled back towards his office. "I'll be at my desk……contemplating early retirement."

"Heheheheh…."

"Keep up the good work, you three!"

"Will do, chief!"

As the three were alone at the desk, Jimmy practically hopped with a pumping arm. "Man! This is so cool!" He smiled at the two adults. "It's like we're on a mission from God or something!"

"Saving a mean-looking Titan is hardly a godly thing, Jimmy," Lois said. "But it might make us more famous than gods."

"Come on, Lois," Clark smirked and pointed. "Face it. You've got to have some sort of inner relief that we're doing the right thing."

"Oh jeez….," Lois rolled her eyes. "There you go, Smallville. The one thing I was afraid of about deigning to ask for your help in this."

"What?" Clark leaned back in the chair with his arms behind his back. "That I'd….open your eyes?"

"No, that you'd go all boy-scout on me about this thing."

"Oh…that….heheh….," Clark mild mannerly adjusted his glasses. "I guess some things come naturally to me."

Jimmy chuckled.

Lois sat on the edge of the desk and gestured: "Seriously, thanks Clark."

"Wow…the world really IS coming to an end. You're thanking me."

"Heheheh! I'd say!" Jimmy added.

Lois' eyes went thin. "Don't you have a camera to clean somewhere?"

"Nope."

"Perfect….," Lois gazed back over at Clark. "What I mean to say is…I may be good about digging into all the dirt, but you do an awesome job of making mud castles out of the evidence."

"How so?"

"Just the way you were eloquently explaining to our co-workers here just how everything points to Noir's innocence! I swear, if you write the article like that you might get a pullitzer. And damn, wouldn't I want to hang myself then!"

"This is your headline more than mine," Clark shrugged. "I'm just glad to be…..part of the 'team'."

"'Team'," Jimmy winked. "I like that."

"I take it you believe that Noir's innocent?" Lois said.

Clark made a slight face. "Sure! D-Don't you, Lois?"

"I only wish to prove that he didn't attack the Justice League….," she digressed. "But you gotta admit, Clark. That kid is one creepy guy. The way he dashes around and beats peoples' brains in with that sword of his. Often solo. Nomadic. He's not your average hero…"

Clark took a deep breath. "You gotta look deeper than that, Lois."

"Uh huh….," she droned boredly. A smiling boredom. "Yeah, right…."

"Seriously!" Clark smiled. He gazed at the document on the computer monitor shimmering before him. "When you're willing to wait just any hero out—even the strange ones—they'll only turn out to have the same interest as ourselves. Prosperity…."

SHATTTTERRRR!

The wide stretching glass windows exploded inward from outside. In a thunderous span of seconds, over a dozen workers shrieked and ran from the onrush of cold air, cold shards, and cold noise.

Jimmy looked, widened his eyes, and flinched just in time to bat off the brunt of glass shrapnel with the back of his jacket.

Lois gasped and all but fell on her back.

Equally surprised, Clark Kent jumped up, pushed Lois off the desk, and protectively placed his body first towards the gaping hole.

The glass cloud spread, settled, and quieted. A gentle ripple of air. Silence. Then…..from the gashing hole…

FWOOOOSH!

A streak of black billowed in and landed 'kneeling' atop a nearby desk. Smoke solidified into tight muscles and a bowed head with unrestrained, flowing black hair. A black tanktop and tattered tan fatigues. A metal hand clenching onto a long, wooden sword. Murk and murk and murk settling….

Workers huddled further and further away from the shatter-site. Murmuring. Fearful….and yet staring…

Lois Lane's eyes widened. A hand to her lips: "Oh my god…."

Jimmy Olsen took a brave step forward, eyes squinted.

"…………….," I slowly tilted my head up. Two black goggles glistened.

Jimmy murmured: "N-Noir….?" he shook his head. "No way….Wyldecarde!"

"…….," I grinned. FWOOOOSH!

I pounced.

Everyone in the Daily Planet office flinched, but Clark Kent most of all.

Because it was him that I was leaping at.

GRIP!

I grabbed him by the collar with my right hand and yanked him to the side.

Overcome with awkwardness and shock, Clark Kent lumbered right where I jerked him.

I snarled and slapped the broadside of Myrkblade across his spine.

THWACK!

"Nnngh!" Clark let out a grunt and allowed himself to teeter across the floor until he tumbled down and into a desk.

A woman shrieked. Two men cursed in shock.

"Hey!" Jimmy Olsen cried out. He ran towards me before Lois could grab him.

"…..," I glanced aside. Fwoosh! I jerked my right arm up—wounded palm oustretched—and gripped Jimmy's forehead.

He jerked to a stop in my grasp, panting.

"……," I smiled wickedly. Thwump! I shoved him off with a pulse of murk.

He flew back fifteen feet, landed in the seat of a desk chair, and rolled about another feet till he collided comically with a water cooler. Cl-Clamp! "Ooof!" He winced. He blinked. He brought a hand to his forehead, rubbed off a trickle of liquid, and brought it to his eyes.

Blood. My blood.

"No way….," he looked at me…lips gaping.

I lowered my hand, the bloody palm still scarred from the previous night's birdarang clutching. I slowly, icily turned around and marched towards the grounded Clark.

Jimmy Olsen hobbled up to his shaky feet. "He's real! H-He's really Noir!"

People watched nervously as I stood before the stirring reporter. SLIIINK! I threateningly slid the strength of Myrkblade between the Man of Steel's skin and his shirt, forcing him to sit up and face my Wyldecarde goggles dead-on.

He growled angrily and whispered: "Noir! What in Krypton's name do you think you're doing?"

I stared at him dazedly. My icy lips moved so he could 'read': 'Tell me what I want to know, Superman…'

His spectacled eyes narrowed. The faint trace of burning red heat lingered in his alien pupils. "I'm more than a match for you and you know it."

And to that, I smiled. A villainous smile. 'Clark Kent is not.'

The Kryptonian's mild-mannered jaw dropped. He gazed over at his many co-workers and friends in a fit of horror. Clark's friends and co-workers. Lois. Jimmy.

"Noir….," he gazed up at me. Gently shaking his head. Murmuring. "…you wouldn't."

I winked under my goggles. 'Noir is not here right now.'

And with a mute snarl, I lifted Myrkblade, hoisted his heavy body up with a pulse of murk, and flung him across the office.

FWOOOOOSH—SMASH! Clark's body shattered like an anvil through a huge wooden desk. People gasped and cringed all around.

"Clark!" Jimmy shouted before anxiously running towards the scene. Two strong co-workers gripped the boy's shoulders and held him—struggling—at bay.

"Stay back!"

"You'll get hurt too!"

"Clark!"

Superman 'groaned' and 'convulsed in pain' in the center of the splinters. He had no choice. He knew it. I knew it. He gritted his teeth and glared at me. I marched towards him.

"What do you want from him?" Lois shouted.

I didn't look at her. Instead, I kept my goggled eyes trained on the mild-mannered reporter. 'You know what I want, Superman. What is Batman up to? Tell me where to go in Gotham City to find him.'

Clark clenched his teeth and firmly uttered out loud: "I can't give you what you want, Noir."

WHACK!

He spit as my boot went flying across his cheek.

Thwiiiiish-CLAMP! I gripped him by the neck. I hoisted him up with a metal hand. Or maybe he was assisting secretly with his flight to protect the illusion of helplessness?

I didn't care.

In the peripheral of my goggled vision, I saw the frightened sets of eyes. The gaping mouths. The worried co-workers.

"Oh my god…."

"That Noir freak! What's he doing?"

"Someone call police!"

"Hang in there, Clark!"

I inhaled.

I must keep him in sight of everyone else.

Or else, he could turn the tables.

And I can kiss my ass goodbye.

As if I'm not already………

I glared up at him. I moved my lips so that only he could see:

'Give me what I want to know, Superman. I do not care what oath you have with Batman.'

He hissed and wheezed: "I can't do that. You wouldn't imagine what would be at stake."

'How about I try stabbing you and let all of upper Metropolis see the Man of Steel beneath the reporter?'

"You think you can simply ask anything of me, Noir?" Clark breathed. Shook. "I've been through all sorts of torture before."

I frowned. 'So have I.'

"……..," he stared blankly.

I moved my mouth succinctly with a bitter, half-concealed smirk: 'This is not a request.'

His lips parted.

'I……am……telling……you……'

THUD! I slammed him to the floor. People gasped as I dragged 'Clark' over to the edge of the building. The shattered window. Towards the gaping air of Metropolis. A forty-story drop. I gripped him tightly with my metal hand, snarled mutely, and flung him out.

Lois gasped.

Jimmy shouted.

CHIIIIIING!

Clark's dangling, human body jerked. He found himself hanging precariously five hundred feet from the ground. Myrkblade was pinning him barely by the white office shirt to the building face. The man who could fly was in the awful predicament of being the man who shouldn't fly.

I whipped out a fan of razor-edged playing cards. Preserving my villainous smirk, I drew one out and tossed it at him.

Thwiiiiiish-CLINK!

Clark winced.

The projectile landed in the building face dangerously close to severing the thin scrap of shirt material still hanging Clark from the wobbling Myrkblade.

I leaned over and moved my lips: 'Tell me how I can find Batman, or Clark Kent dies right here……right now……'

"Noir! This isn't you! Not the real you! Think rationally for once!" Clark struggled and grunted. "Don't throw your life away like this!"

Thwiiiiiish-CLANK!

Another card…this one ripping a few tiny strings loose from the shirt. A slight tear. Clerk lurched down from where he hung with a jerk, shuddering.

I frowned. 'It is the life of your identity that is being thrown away, Superman.'

Even those inside the interior of the Daily Planet could hear the man shout back at me: "We were going to save you, Noir! We were defending you! We had the proof that you were 'good'! This is how you repay us?"

Thwissssh-CLACK!

The shirt almost shevered.

Clark sweat.

The streets and speckled crowds of Metropolis sidewalks loomed wide and stretching beneath him.

I took a deep breath and held up a final card: 'Goodbye, Clark. You had your warning……'

Superman shuddered. He gazed up. His supersight went into gear and his eyes narrowed.

"……..," I looked up.

Something was flying in from the distance. Something glinting, as if with reflective arm bands.

Something inside of me wept dearly.

Diana……

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

Wonder Woman soared through the cold air of Metropolis.

Trained on the chaos happening on the top floors of the Daily Planet.

A huge gaping hole in the glass….

"And just what is happening here?"

She smirked at first.

Challenged.

Intrigued.

But the closer she got, the Amazonian warrioress gasped. Her flight wilted into a limp hover.

"Great Hera…..no….."

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

Sweating, Clark Kent couldn't help but smile.

"Finally….someone came to my aide for once…."

CHIIING!

Myrkblade yanked out.

Clark gasped as gravity took control of his alternate identity….

GRIP!

I hoisted him up to me with a metal hand. I stood on the edge of the shattered window space, hugging Clark's back into my chest.

"Noir!" Wonder Woman shouted.

Daily Planet workers, pedestrians on elevated highways, and citizens on neighboring rooftops….

They all looked up and gawked.

As Wonder Woman flew parallel to Clark and I.

She raised her hands, fists clenched.

She frowned.

Her voice boomed at me in a way that shook my soul: "Let that man go! NOW!"

CHIIIIIING!

Clark clenched his jaw as I held the sharp, smoke-laden length of Myrkblade into his neck from behind.

Jimmy, Lois, Perry, and the other workers inside shuddered. Watching with wide-eyes of fear.

I panted. Stuck. Clutching to 'Clark Kent' from behind. Holding the blade to the Man of Steel's invulnerable throat like some petty, cornered thug.

Wonder Woman stared from where she hovered. She glared at me.

I gulped.

I couldn't help it.

Everything inside of me was crumbling.

Her stare.

This day.

The black goggles glinting back at my sensitive, naked optics with biting glass.

I hid my face from Diana's gaze and all but cried into Clark's shoulders. But I had no tears. My black eyes were as wide and as empty as possible. There wasn't a single cell in my body that wasn't shivering. Quivering. Flashing cold, cold, and colder. Beaten, torn, and tortured from endless days of running from a red cloud of Death that had eaten my friends, my City, and my life apart from the inside out.

Was I going insane?

Robin, you are dead.

Or are you?

For once, I refuse to believe the obvious.

And that makes me worse than Cyborg.

It makes me worse than any of the Titans who mourned by moping in the dark solitude of melancholy back at the Tower.

I let it all get to my head.

Robin is dead.

Why am I here?

Why have I broken the invisible virginity of my name and shattered my face into a dozen villainous smirks?

Noir is dead. Finally.

Wyldecarde reborn.

Wyldecarde freakin' reborn.

I let Robin's death drive me insane.

Only……he isn't dead.

Or is he?

I clenched my eyes shut.

Shaking.

I no longer knew if I was holding Clark as hostage or if I was desperately hugging him. He could crush me like a toothpick, and yet he couldn't crush me like a toothpick. He was Superman, but he wasn't. I was Wyldecarde, but I wasn't. Everyone and everything in this damn world was frolicking around and masquerading as someone else or something else because of this silly thing called 'Death' and 'Morality' making a game out of the grand struggle for existence, peace, and happiness.

My ultimate happiness….

Robin reborn.

And if it took Wyldecarde to do that….then so be it.

It took Noir to bring Terra back from the dead.

Two out of nine lives.

Red Aviary will be the judge of when this bastardly swordsman bites it.

Red Aviary……

Not Superman.

Not Wonder Woman.

And sure as Hell not gravity……

All this time, Wonder Woman's warriorlike countenance was fading with each waking second she realized how damn serious I was. Her eyebrows raised and she gazed helplessly at Superman.

Superman gazed helplessly back.

Floating like a cloud of dust, Wonder Woman herself lip synced: 'Superman, do something.'

Clark Kent swallowed and mouthed back: 'I can't.'

"…….."

Then….

Sirens.

Helicopters.

An amplifier in the distance…growing louder. From the air. Beneath beating rotary blades. Loud and angry. Forceful. Maggie Sawyer: "Noir! This is the Metropolitan City Police! Let go of that man and surrender!"

I started to hyperventilate. The November world turned colder and I felt like some stupid little child caught walking out the door with stolen bags of candy in his pocket. That icy frozen kiss of a knife. A knife called 'guilt'. Vindication. Conviction.

And oh how my whole damn life is full of guilt.

"I repeat. Noir, you are under arrest! Give that man up now, and we shall take you into custody!"

I tightened my limbs.

I reopened my eyes. Dry but pulsing. Panting. Struggling for breath like I was drowning in myself. My metal arm felt like a cold and useless thing I picked up as a souvenir. Because the day I hacked my real arm off and saved the Titans was also a cold and useless thing to do. And every life I saved and every villain I punished was just a game delaying this inevitable fall. Something I had built for myself. For I became a murderer that day. I was going to murder Clark Kent. A man just as fake and just as invisible as Dagger or Red Aviary or Oracle or Gaia or the Messenger or any other transient thing that had been running our lives like true ghosts of smoke and mirrors.

"Noir….let him go….please….," Diana said. Suddenly, that soft voice from the correspondence letters. Also an illusion.

It hurt most of all. And that pain stung into my right palm like the serrated kiss of a birdarang. And Robin's scream was suddenly sucked out of existence, pulled out of the Radioactive Depository, and flung into the darkness somewhere. Somewhere cold. Somewhere alone. Without friends.

But alive.

And I thanked the ever-living world for that pain, even if it meant embracing oxygen as a villain forever.

CHIIING!

I added a layer of smoke to Myrkblade and pressed it deeper into Superman's throat.

Wonder Woman gasped.

In the looming helicopter overhead, Maggie Sawyer gave a signal. A window slid open. An expert sniper appeared with a long-barreled rifle.

And the noise and the writhing newspaper editors and the shivering and the November cold…cold…cold….

"'Gothe Nightclub'."

I froze.

"'Gothe Nightclub', Noir…," Clark Kent breathed against my sword. "It's situated in Southern Gotham City, by the riverside docks. A major hive for criminal powermongers and crime scum. Ironically, also the favorite weekend spot for William B. Fox…son to Lucius Fox, co-CEO of Wayne Corp."

"……..," I trembled. I summoned whatever strength I had in 'Wyldecarde' to glare at him.

He continued—quite calmly—to say: "Batman related to me that he believes there is a stockpile of hidden weapons and tools for Triangular being hidden beneath the Gothe Nightclub building itself….under the watchful guard of a Gothamite sect of Triangular being headed by none other than Harvey Dent, Two-Face himself. Batman told me that he is watching the nightclub closely….because in the event that the enemy discovers him and the stockpile goes off….well….it may become a job for Superman….."

"……..," I gently exhale.

He tilts his head back: "Noir….it never….ever….needed to come to this. No way on Earth did I desire for us to come to odds. But now that we have…." He gazed at the open air beneath him and the people viewing the chaos from nearby building tops. "…..I'm not about to let it get any worse. It's not my place or position to act like God. Whereas you….." But his speech faltered there.

Silence…save for the beating of the helicopters.

Wonder Woman watched….and listened….and she was shocked.

"In Clark Kent's apartment….," Superman whispered. His head was tilted aside so that Wonder Woman couldn't see his lips. This message was to me and me alone. "In the bookcase. Inside 'The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood'…..there is a small computer chip with a button on it. It is a tracking device. Once activated, Batman will—without delay—come hurriedly to the site of the beacon. I have one in possession always, and so does Batman. It is part of our code to each other. I promise you, it is there. And if it isn't…..and if I'm lying to you….well….I think we both know where you can find me again….Wyldecarde……"

"…….," I took a deep breath. Biting my lip.

Thank you……

He exhaled…keeping his calm. "Now….Noir….will you please let Clark go?"

"…….," I nodded.

'Yeah……'

FWOOOOSH!

I tossed Superman down.

Clark gasped, plummeting.

Wonder Woman started…

Swooosh!

I dove past Clark's flailing body.

THRIIIFT!

A sniper bullet whizzed towards me.

I swiftly blurred into thin air, cloaking in my descent.

And in the meantime, Wonder Woman dashed down through the air and effortlessly swooped Clark up in her arms.

CLUTCH!

A breath of frustration and a breath of relief mutually shared on the rooftops.

Random citizens inside the Daily Planet and on highway buildings below started cheering for the 'citizen's' life. And slowly, icily….the betrayal of an ex-Titan would settle on everyone's shoulders.

Wonder Woman was similarly numb as she cradled Clark, floating gently down the length of the Daily Planet building.

"Hera Almighty….," she murmured. Her head shaking. "I can't believe it…." She looked directly at Superman. "Can you?"

"……."

"Kal-El?"

"Noir means business…."

"Noir has gone insane!" Wonder Woman exclaimed. "Never in my life would I imagine him capable of being so….so….."

"Evil?" Clark gazed over at the Amazon. "I do believe it was you writing back and forth to him when he 'betrayed' the Titans."

"……….," Wonder Woman shuddered. "This is not good."

"I know," Clark murmured, gazing off. "Batman won't be too cheerful."

"I could worry less about Batman right now," Diana said. "Let me get you to a hospital facility. Better yet, S.T.A.R. Labs. It looks like Noir gave 'Clark' a beating. If it doesn't look like you're injured, it might raise suspicion…"

"No, Diana…," Clark said. "Later."

"Later?"

"We're not finished with Noir yet….," the Man of Steel icily said. "Not by a long shot…."

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

SWOOOSH!

I teleported through the crack in the windows of Clark's Apartment and stumbled into his living area.

I panted.

I slipped my goggles off.

The sounds of sirens and City helicopters searching echoed outside.

For the first time in months, I was again 'on the run' from the Law.

Full Circle.

Full Circle……

I rummaged around the room with my naked black eyes.

Looking for the bookcase….

Tall?

Thin?

There!

I looked through it.

Robin Hood……

I picked out a book.

I flipped through the pages.

A tiny black object fell out and littered the ground at my feet.

Th-Thap!

"…..," I closed the book. I knelt down. I picked up the tiny chip.

There was a button on it. Shiny. Resonating.

I took a relieved breath. The only relief I was sure to have in the days to come. I slipped the chip into a belt pocket and bolted towards the door. I set my internal 'bearings' for Northwest. Gotham bound.

Full Circle……

Break……

Break the Circle……

Terra……Robin……

All the chains shall be reconnected.

Or else……consider my life forefeit.

Then again……my life is forfeit either way by now.

Rrrrred Aviarrrrry.

A chill.

A shiver.

I teleported outside.

THWOOOSH!

And made like the god damn wind.

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

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

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

She is crying.

But trying not to.

The stinging welts on her skin……

The punishment for failing the latest test.

The schematics of the Titans……

Lying haphazard across the rusted metal chamber.

And windows of jagged contours illuminate through the amber underglow of heated rock all around.

She is on her knees.

Wilted.

Struggling to stand up after the blows dealt to her ankles from his bo-staff.

She tries with all her might to stand up.

As she has been trained to……

He paces and paces and paces and paces…

Before her……

"Twenty seconds, Apprentice…," Slade's emblazoned eye apepars before her in profile. "………I am counting twenty seconds since I ordered you to stand up……"

"Y-Yes……I know……I-I'm trying……"

Slade faces her directly. He hisses. "To whom are you speaking?"

She bites her lip. She struggles and manages to stand on one knee. "M-Master."

His emblazoned eye narrows. "You are weak, apprentice. I thought you could withstand pain. I thought you were a woman……not a mere, uncontrollable child!"

"Yeah, I can withstand pain……," she grits her teeth and glares at him. "Cuz you're constantly whacking me with that damn stick of yours every other second…"

SMACK!

Her face jerks aside from the blow of his backhand.

"If you sense a flaw in your learning process then be bold enough to state it, apprentice!" Slade shouts. "Do not go branding it on me……"

She trembles. She forces herself to look at him. She sniffs……perhaps because of tears……perhaps because of the oozing blood leaking out of her left nostril.

"Must you forget what I've done for you, girl?" his eye glared. "I showed you how to control your powers……I taught you how to master your gifts……I gave you the chance to witness and take advantage of the weakness of the Titans. You don't……care for the Titans still, do you?"

"N-No……"

"You still love them?"

"No, Master!" she clenches her fists and finally—wincing—stands up. "I hate them!"

"They were your friends……"

"I DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!" she shrieks. She suddenly heaves in an explosive half-sob that she swiftly and sharply suppresses just in time to reiterate: "I only have you, Master! I only have my future and this City to win over for you, Master! My future is with you!"

Slade marches over and raises his fist again: "Then why are you CRYING?"

She flinches.

"………," his fist stays. He lowers his arms and holds them behind his back……gazing off towards the amber lights lining the lair. "Perhaps……I've made a mistake."

The girl shakes. She tries to train her eyes on him. She tries to be strong. She tries to learn. But she can't keep still. And she can't keep from bleeding. Her nose. Her body. Bleeding……

Bleeding………

"Perhaps I should have never let you enter the Titans' Tower to begin with……," he gestures without looking at her. "Perhaps I should never have given you the chance to see how weak the Titans are compared to what I have improved in you. I thought you were promising. I thought you had………my touch……"

She shudders, fights her nerves, swallows, and says: "I want to have your touch, Master."

"……………"

"I-I want to prove to you……that I can and will be your apprentice. I will fight by your side……and I will eliminate the Titans. I will do that which you ask of me. With your wisdom. With your strength. With your touch, Master……"

"My touch……," he hisses. A suddenly low and hoarse voice. He snakes around. He paces past her, a hand gesturing: "But you do not show me……the apprentice that I desire……"

She closes her eyes. She sighs……

THWAP! He suddenly trips her.

"Nnngh!" she lands on her rear.

TH-THAP! He is suddenly on her. Kneeling. Lying. Pressing.

Her eyes widen. With a gasp she falls on her back. Hair tossing.

And a hot voice puffs out of his mask's breathing slits. Turning cold like the touch of death on her skin. Red? Black? White? Invisible? "I will give you my touch…," a demon's voice. "I will make you my apprentice!" A gloved hand flying down.

Her trunks. Rrrrrrip!

"N-No……"

"If I must brand your worthless weakness in the only way I truly can!"

His shadow consumes.

Her eyes flee from it.

"P-Please……!"

Somewhere in the glow of the amber earthlight she sees it. The thin shadow of a flailing puppet being ripped in two.

Bleeding.

"Don't……No!……N-NO!"

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

"NOOOOO!" Terra shot up, sweating.

A pair of warm hands on her shoulder.

"NNNGHH!" she shrieked and tried shaking them off….till she realized how soft and gentle they were. And she tensed. Panting. "……….." She gazed up.

"………….," Kara smiled. "It's just a dream. You're okay now….."

Terra shivered. She gazed around.

The Kents' house.

The Kents' living room.

The Kents' couch.

Afternoon light turning amber in the curtained windows.

Amber…..

Terra bit her lip. She closed moist eyes, curled up, hid in the recesses of the couch. "It is not just a dream….."

Kara knelt by the couch. A soft look on her face. She gently strokes Terra's shoulder. "Haven't you cried enough for a week?"

She sniffed. "H-How did I get here….?" Terra murmured.

"You had quite the….sob last night…," Kara smiled nervously. She massaged Terra's upper arm. "It was like a knock-out punch. When you finally stopped weeping, you all but collapsed in the middle of the field. I brought you back."

"Y-You carried me?"

Kara chuckled lightly. "I can carry a cement truck for one hundred miles. I seriously doubt your yogurt-diet body is of any consequence to me…."

Terra closed her eyes. She sighed. "……" A sniffle. She murmured in that mopey little girl's voice. Low. Guttural. "Do you know what I've done?"

"………..tell me."

"I hurt the only true friends I ever had….," Terra said. "….and for what? For whom? The one person who trashed my life far worse than it ever was before everything went to shit."

Kara bit her lip. "Yeah. What a pretty galaxy we live in."

Terra turned her head around and gazed sleepily at the Girl of Steel with thin blue eyes. "And…..I almost hurt you. Last night….when I was a total bitch. I'm…..I-I'm sorry….."

"Pfft….," Kara rolled her eyes. "You SO did not 'almost hurt me'."

Terra bit her lip. "You sure?"

"Postitive," Kara smiled. "And besides….," she sighed and sat back with a gentle gaze towards the corners of the room. She mutteringly admitted: "You aren't really a bitch, Terra. I'm sorry for what I said…."

Terra sniffed. "Why should you be….?"

"Because I should be setting an example…," the Girl of Steel spoke. Her eyes drifted gently out the amber, curtained windows. The lingering, nonexistent drone of a soft…soft farmhouse. "I've tried to stop hating me. So why should I be down on you? After all, you have every reason to fling huge clumps of dirt at me. Heh. After what I…I n-nearly done to the Titans. I can't blame you." A pause. She looked at Terra straight. "You love the Titans, don't you?"

"………."

"Come on….," Kara smiled. Her teeth showing. "I know you do……"

"……….," Terra smiled. Halfway into the couch cushions. "Yeah….," she half-murmured. "I….I do. I do love them."

"……."

"It's just….," Terra's smile left as she gazed off. "At one time, I hated myself so much. For how uncontrollable and frightening I was. And I didn't want to believe all that about me. And someone made me think—if just for once—that I could feel better about myself by pinning all my troubles on others. On the ones I loved. And for a while I actually thought…..that the only one I could ever love….." She shuddered. She breathed: "….would have to be the person to show me such hate. And p-pain." A gulp. "And anger….."

Silence.

Dry November coolness.

Two pairs of blue eyes shifting. Wandering.

Terra clutched herself. Her hands tightened suggestively close to her womb as she squeaked: "I-I-I'm just so scared to go back to them, Kara. I love them…..but I'm scared th-that they won't love me. That th-they'll hate me. And wh-who would I be to blame them? I'm the worst Titan there ever was….the worst adversary their ever was…."

Kara gently pushed aside a strand of blonde bangs hanging over Terra's forehead. "And you know what? Some of the worst people turn out to be the most loveable….or 'most loved'. Either way, same difference." Her eyes gazed up into the wall. "The power of forgiveness….it's a stupidly sweet thing. For the longest time, I felt hurt by it. I felt hurt by him. But….t-to be honest….."

Terra gazed at her. Momentarily curious. The sniffles gone.

Kara hummed shotly. Smiled. And looked at Terra. "There are two places where pain lies. One is the sort that never heals or—at best—takes a long time. The other is equally painful….only….where that pain is, so is purpose."

"You're thinking about Noir, aren't you?" Terra whispered.

"Hrmm….maybe I am," Kara said. "Maybe getting to know you has taught me that guilt is nothing but a silly barrier for most…..angels."

"I-I thought it was over between you two…."

"Would you be the last person on Earth, Terra, to doubt the power of rebirth?"

"…….," Terra's cheeks went red. "I….I-I suppose I would be the last person…."

"Hehehe. And what about you and that green fuzzhead?"

"Beast Boy?" Terra stirred. "I wish he was in my dreams more."

"Yeah. But something tells me that pretty soon, you won't have to rely on dreams anymore."

Terra bit her lip. "I….I-I would rather like that, actually…."

"……."

Terra shook. She swallowed and curled into the couch again. "K-Kara?"

"Yes?"

"W-Would you do me a f-favor?"

"Anything."

Terra sniffed. She clenched her eyes tight and murmured: "W-Will you…..hold m-me? Pl-Please?"

Kara shifted and sat up. "Of course, Terra…"

The Girl of Steel crawled onto the couch and laid beside the earthen maiden. She gently hugged Terra from behind. Terra shrunk back against Kara's chest and gently gasped and sobbed. For the next silent hour or so, Supergirl merely held her. Whispering gently into the blonde's ear. Giving Earth a place to melt and temporarily die….

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

November 28, 2004.

Outside of Northern Metropolis.

5:38 pm

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

I stood on a mountainside.

Panting.

Pausing in my blurred sprint to gather my bearings.

I was Northwest of Metropolis.

I stood on the higher elevations of the region through which the Metropolitan Highway cut.

This stretch would end up at Gotham City if I gradually followed it.

In a sense, it would lead me to the first of many destinations.

Destinations acquired as of late….

Back in my traditional garb of camouflage, black, and tan fatigues—shades and all—I stood beneath a fan of autumnal canopy. Fiery red and amber leaves stretched overhead. The fall of Fall. The cold red death of vegetation. Winter was coming. Everything was dying.

Dying….

Red Aviary………

I gently clutched my metal arm.

"……."

Nothing.

No shivers.

Just…..stillness.

I let out a breath.

How could I be so calm? So collected? So at ease?

After what I've done………?

I reached into a belt pocket.

I pulled out the black chip.

The signal beacon.

Will it really work?

Will it help me find Batman?

And then……after Batman……

What?

What am I doing this for?

Why am I going to Gotham City?

It's not all about Triangular or Two-Face or William Fox.

It's about insanity.

Pure and simple insanity.

The crazy notion of life……

A vain belief.

Vain……

I clenched my palm around the chip without breaking it.

I frowned…..

No……

For once in my life, I can be afforded to have faith in something.

So God help me……if there is a God……

I'm not going crazy.

I'm doing this all for a reason.

Noble or not.

Wicked or not.

I can't slow down.

I must break the Circle.

I must go to Gotham.

I exhaled.

I slid the chip back away.

I flexed my limbs, summoned smoke, and prepared to blur down the fiery, autumn countryside. I would follow the roaring sounds of distant automobiles speeding north long the Metropolitan Highway. I wouldn't need to rest or stop. Unless I starved or—of course—died.

There's yet a ghost still trailing this 'ghost'……

I must be swift.

And yet, as I took my first step forward….I realized I wasn't quite swift enough….

Swiiiiiiiiish……

"….," I paused. Blinking. I glanced southward.

I saw two specks of light. Glinting. Like ivory skin reflecting the west-setting sun from a far way's off. And the first of the two specks flashed red. Quantum redshift. It was sailing at me. He was sailing at me. Red cape.

I gasped. I flinched to blur away….

SWOOOOOOOSH-WHAM!

Superman slammed into me, shoulder first.

The soonest I blinked, I saw the world upside down. I gasped and flailed about as I realized I was being knocked two hundred feet away in a span of three seconds. I plummeted down the inclined slope of the mountain, summoned murk at the last second, and somehow managed to shield myself as I plummeted and collapsed madly through rows and rows of branches.

FW-FW-FW-FW-FWIP!

I struck a tree trunk.

WHAM!

And collapsed down to the soft soil…

THWUMP!

"………………."

I winced.

I struggled shakily up to my knees.

My whole body stung as if impacted dead-on by a sledgehammer.

I barely had a chance to look up when…

SWOOOSH!

The trees parted. Leaves fell in a column. Superman soared down, arced fowards, and flew at me. My world was suddenly enveloped by two fists and a pair of glaring eyes.

WHAM!

I was knocked back. I toppled. Tumbled. I uprighted myself with murk and slid reversely on two smoking feet.

Superman stood before me. Glaring. Silent. Marching.

I panted, wincing. I reached a metal hand back to my sword's hilt….

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZP!

A pair of heat-rays soared over and enveloped my metal prosthetic. My left limb glowed amber and burned. I howled mutely and shook my metal wrist before clutching it to myself.

STOMP!

Superman's marching foot.

My black eyes flickered.

A steel fist to my chest.

WHUMP!

The wind left me from Superman's blow.

I leaned forward, wheezing.

Hacking.

Superman effortlessly then grabbed my shoulder, spun, and flung me out of the forest.

FWOOOSH!

I twirled in the air and landed in a hard, tumbling roll to a stop at the top of a grassy hill. The Metropolitan Highway's roar seemed distant now. The only sense I had was the throbbing reality of pain. Nothing inside of me was broken. The Kryptonian knew somehow the ways to deal massive blows without causing significant damage. But how it stung…how it stung so bad….

He flew down and stood before me.

"Get up….," he grunted.

"……..," I struggled. Panting. In pain.

"Get up….," he took a few steps towards me. Frowning. With not so much menace as it was fervor, he authoritatively pointed: "This is what you wanted, isn't it Noir? Blow for blow? Punch for punch? I told you that I couldn't sacrifice Batman's confidence. I told you to go home. But you chose to do your own thing. As a matter of fact, you outright attacked me. In front of others. And that is downright cold of anyone….much less a hero. Or should I say a former-hero?"

I clutched my ribcage. I squinted at him. Heaving…wheezing….

His dark eyes thinned. "I promised you I would tell you the truth and let you have the beacon. And I've held true to that promise. But I didn't say that you could get away with it, Noir. This has all gone far enough. You've only hurt yourself in this. If I let you go, you might hurt Batman, the Titans, and even Kara with this crazy crusade of yours."

Crazy crusade……

I glared at him. I stood up straight…resolute. I boldly moved my lips so he could see: 'Kara only hurts herself. She is an adult hero of her own choosing, Superman. You should respect her as such.'

Superman practically snarled at me: "You talk about respect? I would like to see you respect her, Noir! I would like to have seen you paid her so much as an afterthought all these months she tore herself to death with depression and loneliness! You don't respect her….you're just using her!"

My eyes widened a bit. But then, I couldn't help but smirk. Chuckle even. 'So she told you about how I made her moody all these months?'

"……..," he stared at me.

I clenched my fists. 'Did she ever tell you how she nearly caused the destruction of my friends and I? And your very own mother and father when she teamed up with Braniac to get the Kryptonite from Metallo months ago?'

"……….," Superman was still. As if something was washing over him. Something cold but not entirely unexpected. Some of the anger had left, and a resolute numbness filled the cup in its place.

'She did tell you? I hope you have that much trust to share such truth. Betrayal is a very painful thing, Superman. But what comes around goes around.'

"Is that why you ruined your image and nearly destroyed mine today?" Superman balked, gesturing. "Because of what Kara did?"

I wanted to hiss again: 'You know exactly why I did what I had to.'

"Noir, Robin is dead!"

'And so is everyone else, then!'

"………," Superman seemed halfway between perturbed and confused.

I seethed. I lip-synced: 'So everyone else is also dead……if Robin is indeed gone. The tides of Red Aviary carry on over from him to Terra and then to me. But neither Terra or I have died yet. Although Red Aviary has tried to consume me on countless close shaves, he has failed. He is holding back. Otherwise, I would be gone by now. Red Aviary is holding back……and I believe it is because something is wonderfully wrong. The sky overhead is soft and cold. Not red and searing. The Hell that should be washing over is but a purgatory and I must find out why and in order to find out why I must go to Gotham City but for me to go to Gotham City I need to have you and every other damn member of the Justice League get off my friggin' BACK!'

"If you so much as take one more step northwest, Noir…," Superman pointed with a frown. "Your legacy is over."

I almost wanted to smile. A bitter thing. 'My legacy died five years ago……'

I turned around….

Th-THWIP! SNAG!

A sharp, strong cord wrapped around me. Tightening. Tugging my arms to my sides.

I gasped and struggled.

I looked up.

Holding the other end of her lasso, Wonder Woman floated down. She glared at me. "You're going no further, Jordan….."

"Wonder Woman….," Superman gently waved and said: "I had him…."

"You did NOT!" the Amazonian snarled. "He is almost half as fast as the FLASH. And perhaps twice as cunning! I know him, Kal-El. He can out-maneuver you. He can out-maneuver us. We must restrain him now…."

"Diana…."

"And just what were you waiting for?" she snapped at the Man of Steel. Then she frowned at me. "Noir shows no hesitancy to do the unthinkable, why should we wait before turning him in?"

"……….," I stared weakly at her.

Her sharp gaze softened ever so slightly in perplexity as she uttered: "What was it, Jordan? How did we fail? J'onn and I worked so hard to assist you. Prince Garth and Mr. Irons nearly gave their lives to assist you in tracking down Metallo's and Lexcorp's arsenal. Why did you have to turn on us, Jordan? What could possibly have made you go over the edge?"

I strained and struggled in her lasso. Eyes thin. Teeth clenched. Seething….seething….

Like a madman….

"Jordan…," Wonder Woman tightened the lasso even more to restrain me. "Robin is dead. You are obsessing over this. It is driving you mad…."

Like a madman……

"We can help you, Noir…," Superman said.

Stop……coddling……me……

"It's never too late…."

I……am not……your child………

"Just let us take you in. We'll do what we can….to clear your name….."

I attacked you. It was my choice. MINE!

"To give you a lasting chance….."

Wyldecarde……incarnate……

"Stop struggling, Noir. Let us save you."

I have……no regrets. No regrets……

My black eyes pulsed. Something familiar. Something on the white end of the spectrum and housed deep inside of me. Like the heart of the earth vomiting out in flickering flame. Pure passion. Pure will. What I once wanted to train for but had to switch for the sake of the three Adepts. And it all made sense to me, and I wondered if any of the other Titans besides Terra ever…..ever got into the position to taste of such an epiphany themselves.

I tilted my head up and snarled.

'I……don't……need……SAVING!'

FLASH!

I teleported into smoke form. My murking body traced and circled up Wonder Woman's lasso before solidifying with a flying, snarling right hook across the Amazonian's face….metal fist.

RAAAAUGH!

SMACK!

"Nnngh!" Wonder Woman recoiled from the impact.

"Diana!"

I teleported behind her, gripped her shoulders with a metal arm, spun, screamed mentally, and sent her flinging straight into Superman like a missile.

SWOOOOSH-WHUMP!

The two League members fell back over the grassy floor of the hill and rolled to a stop.

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

And I was blurring.

Streaking.

Dashing.

Roaring over the countryside.

Over hilltops.

Mountain ledges.

Forest canopies.

Blurring through branches.

Leaping over summits.

Teleporting around boulders and paintingly…exhaustingly…tracing the Metropolitan Highway Northwest. Northwest. Northwest.

The cold November bit at me.

Cold fingers of something red and hidden.

Where?

In my hollow eyes?

In my head?

What does it matter anymore?

Robin……

Ana……

What does it matter anymore?

Will you please tell me?

Sh-Show yourelves unto me?

Teach me…before there is nothing rational, nothing moral, and nothing heroic left to listen?

My lungs heaved.

I ran and ran and ran.

My meditation was thrown off kilter.

My smoke was running thin.

The powers of the Spectrum stared to fade.

Dwindle.

Like the strength of Samson with his hair chopped off by a razor sharp wildcard.

Soon I was limping.

Hobbling.

Fighting every ounce of spirit in me to keep from sobbing.

FLASH!

"Don't you see, Robin?" she asks. Eyes sad. Black bangs drooping. "I'm not real."

FLASH!

"Hold onto me, Jordan…," Ana whispers to me in the dark as we hear his screams echoing from beyond the shadowed chamber. Tears flowing. Hearts pounding with each echoing howl. "I'll p-protect us……"

FLASH!

"Snkkkkkk…..y-you are a ffffffool, Noir. Hckkkk!…O-Only fools tear themselvessssss up for friends. Only f-fools……….," and Slade's breath fades away……

FLASH!

Clark Kent dangling from Myrkblade at the Daily Planet. Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane stand back, horrified. Wonder Woman shouts at me. The helicopters. The helicopters……

FLASH!

I stumbled.

I gasped.

I skidded to a stop at the peak of a mountaintop. No, a cliffside. A sharp vertical drop leading down to a wide river basin bordering the highway. Clumps of dirt from my braking boots toppled over and littered flutteringly down to the river's watery surface a suicidal distance below.

I stopped there, gathered my balance, and panted. Gazing towards the wide open, world. Westward.

Westward and amber. A setting sun.

A red sky.

I clenched my metal and scarred hands.

What are you waiting for, Red Aviary?

You want me to go to Gotham City.

You want that, don't you?

What is it there that I would find?

What am I giving everything up for?

What is it, Red Aviary?

Who are you?

I spun around, shivering.

And just when are you going to end me already……?

GRIP!

"!"

I struggled for breath.

FWOOSH!

I was hoisted up at muscular-arm's length.

"………," Superman glared. He had caught up to me and was now gripping me by the throat above the mortally-neckbreaking fall. "End of the line, Noir. No……more……games……"

I wheezed. I dangled. I struggled….

"As soon as you pass out….I'm taking you back to your Tower….whether you like it or not…."

I rolled my black eyes back. I hissed a tiny inhalation.

His steel grip tightened.

I quivered all over….shook….and desperately moved my lips: 'What are you going to do, Superman? Lobotomize me? I will always have the knowledge of Clark Kent in my head. Take me in now, and you will never hear the end of it……'

"Even someone as rebellious as you isn't that desperate," Superman returned. "Somewhere inside that confused body there still is a hero, Noir. The rest of you…the angsty detritus….it needs to be exorcised…."

My breath…my consciousness….my blood was fading.

'I am dying Superman……,' I convulsed and struggled. I urged my lips onward: 'But I am not alone. I am merely the first.'

"…………."

'Red Aviary……will use me as the springing board he needs. Whether or not Robin is dead……for some reason……I must die too. Only I matter to him……and thus……only I can figure him out. We share the Spectrum. Black……and Red. I don't know of any other souls besides Terra……and the ones I have lost sight of……who can relate to him……other than me. I'm here. I'm alive. And it is my responsibility. And if I don't go to Gotham City……and trace the fate of Robin……and the Triangular arsenal……it will only be more inaction. Just like Cyborg's inaction. The Titan's. And now the League's. You don't know what to do, Superman. And neither do I……but I feel that this is right. I can……sense it. The Red Spectrum……Red Aviary……it all starts and ends in Gotham City. I must go……I must end this……and something tells me that deep down inside……you………y-you want that too………'

"……………," Superman gazed fixedly at me.

Through me?

My lips parted…..and stayed that way. A final exhale. The world turned back. I started…….to sleep……

"…………"

And then the light returned. And the oxygen returned. I didn't realize it until I inhaled that Superman had given my scarred neck room to breathe again.

I wheezed, shook, swallowed, and gazed at him. Shocked. Curious. Listening….

"Noir….you will no longer be in my hands. If Batman or the GPCD catches you…there is nothing I or the League can do…."

I swallowed. I weakly moved my lips: 'The only hands that I am in are my own……'

"…………," Superman took a deep breath. A sad face. Soft….perplexed….sympathy washing over anger and retribution. "When you find out the truth……if you find out the truth…….we would be happy to learn of it too."

"…………"

"Batman has far too many secrets…..," Superman murmured. "The rift….if there's a rift…..it begins there. In Gotham."

'I……know……'

Silence.

Superman whispered: "Good luck….."

And he dropped me.

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

FWOOOOOOOOOSH!

I fell.

I plummeted.

Soaring down the vertical cliff face.

I spun around.

I took a deep breath of the cold air biting its way forcefully into my face.

I billowed murk through my limbs expertly and 'glided' towards the waters.

And just as I reached the surface, I spun about. Teleported. Solidified. And cushioned my feet in smoke energy.

Balanced on the waters.

Ripples ringed out all around where my heels made 'contact'.

A pause.

"…….."

I flexed my limbs.

FWOOSH!

Another ring of ripples.

I took a deep breath. I blurred over the waters, splashing up leg trails. I glanced behind my shoulder momentarily…glancing up at the distant cape-flowing speck that was Superman.

And the last remaining shred of hero in me thanked him before I rocketed towards the horizon.

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

"……………," Superman stood tall and strong on the cliff. Gazing down. Watching the streaking swordsman run upriver. Fading under the guide of amber sunsetlight. He took a deep breath, his muscular chest rising and falling. "…….."

Thwoosh!

Wonder Woman landed, breathing heavily.

"I just caught up! Where's Noir? You had him, did you not?"

"……..," Superman nodded over the cliffside.

The Amazonian gazed over. She looked straight down….eyed the plunge into the waters….and gasped. Her eyes went wide….and then she snarled and raised her fists to the Kryptonian: "You dropped him!"

"Yes, I did…," Superman turned and slowly walked southward.

The Princess shook after him. "Was it really that terrible for you, Superman? Did you have to protect your precious secret identity so much that you ended Noir's life?"

"Noir is safe, Wonder Woman….," Superman quietly said. Deadpan. "I let him go…."

Wonder Woman's face fell. She blinked, her arms dangling by her side. "But….," she gazed towards the distant river and caught the faint trace of water ripples going in a straight line northwesterly. "I don't understand……what he did…."

"He did….and has constantly been doing….everything any one of us would do if we were him," Superman slowly said. "If we truly had faith in invisible things still, Diana. If we were still a legitimate team that looked out after each other without distrust or conspiracies." He glanced over his shoulder. "Without having to suspect one another of dropping young heroes to their deaths."

Wonder Woman bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Superman. I thought…..Hera, I don't know what I thought….," she ran a hand through her thick black hair and sighed. "I swear….I never thought Noir could treat you the way he did at the Daily Planet. It was so cold….so…so….."

"Familiar?"

"………," Wonder Woman frowned. "It isn't that simple. Shayera is different. She…."

"Terra was different from Noir….," Superman said calmly. "At least, at first they were both extremely different." He turned and faced Wonder Woman directly. "And yet…when Noir joined the Titans and bad things started to look worse…."

"They suspected him of working for Slade…," Wonder Woman nodded. A deep breath. "And they ostracized him without a second guess."

"There was no trust with the Titans then," Superman said. He gazed at the Sunset. "They were split. Indecisive. Afraid….and hurt……"

Silence.

"The League has never truly recovered from the battle with the Thanagarians….," the Man of Steel said. "You and J'onn were right. Green Lantern and I could never….open our minds. It takes….harsh things like this to rip us back to the vulnerable spectrum of things. One thing is for sure now….we are no longer asleep."

Wonder Woman walked over and placed a hand on Superman's shoulder. "Let us assemble the team, Superman. John. Wally. J'onn….even Bruce if we can. We have things to talk about. The sooner the better. Before even more young ones start turning against us…."

"Batman will have to fend for himself," Superman said. "He's out of our hands."

"Fend for himself?" Wonder Woman blinked.

"He's got Noir to handle."

"Surely you don't think that…."

"Batman and his team can more than handle Noir," Superman gazed northward. A deep breath. "For the love of Krypton….the only reason I let that boy go where he's going is that I can't think of a better way to reach Bruce."

"……….."

Superman gazed at Wonder Woman. "This crazy, convoluted world of ours could do with a few messengers." A pause. He smiled.

Wonder Woman managed a slight smile. A sigh, she gazed earth-ward. "I still can't believe what Jordan has done. Does he realize how much trouble he is in?"

"Trouble….yes….and he's been there before…," Superman turned around. "He's bold, brash, and hardcore." He took to the skies. "Perversely…I think Robin would have been proud of him."

Wonder Woman glanced northward one last time. "Yeah…..," she uttered. "Robin….would have……"

Silence.

She tossed her hair in the cold wind and flew after Superman towards Metropolis.

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

Metropolis.

7:03 pm

Diana's apartment.

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

"You let him go?" John Henry Irons practically went bug-eyed. He stood up from the sofa and practically gripped his nonexistent hair. "After he nearly killed Superman?"

"He didn't nearly kill Superman….," Diana spoke from her computer chair to the side. She wore casual clothes and had her hands in her lap. Calmly posed. "He threatened Clark Kent."

"And that's supposed to be any less bad?" Irons cackled. "I swear to god! You guys are way too soft on that kid!"

"Noir isn't your petty turncoat villain," Diana replied. She leaned her head to the side. "There's something driving him. Something far stronger than any of us have felt or seen. We thought we could contain him…but it's actually something else. Something that I don't think even Noir understands completely. The only way to stop him is to silence him completely. That isn't our style."

"Well it can be my style if you want!" Iron pointed at himself. "I mean, I fought with the guy! I was all down for beating Metallo's metal skull in and giving Lexcorp an underground hangover! But punching and fighting members of the Justice League? That's just low! I suggest we start a search. If we comb the area between here and Gotham City, we just might…"

"I didn't ask you all to come here to suggest an interception party to track down Noir," Diana said.

"…….," Irons gazed at J'onn in the corner.

Martian Manhunter silently stared back.

"…….," Irons looked down at Garth. "What do you think, kid? He's your teammate."

"……..," Garth sat hunched over on the far end of the sofa. His hands clasped together and hung between his parted legs. He looked like a collapsed scarecrow. With dark eyes round he sighed and leaned back. "So many times….," he droned, "…the Titans told me of how much it hurt when Noir battled them. When he punched them. When he became the Wyldecarde and made a few days in early July a living Hell. But now that I've heard of what happened to you and Superman…." Garth glanced over. "….I frankly think it's scary. I-I….I don't know what to think. I never thought Noir had it in him."

"I sensed desperation in him…," the Martian said. "It is quite a zealous desperation. For a short time, I was not able to differentiate between his anger and his sense of duty. What he did to Kal-El is truly nefarious. We must not overlook that."

"I know….," Diana rubbed her forehead. "I know……"

"I'll….I'll tell the Titans…," Tempest murmured. He stood up on numb legs. "That's what I'll do….they have a right to know."

Diana looked up. "But….Garth, you're in hiding!"

"I…..," he cringed slightly, shook…and sighed. "I-I have an obligation….."

Diana stood up and walked over to him. "So do I. I am the correspondent of the League. And Noir attacked a member of the League."

"Make that two," Irons said…his arms folded.

Diana exasperatingly nodded, looked down at Garth, and placed a gentle hand on the Atlantean's shoulder. "You're as much in the center of this recent turmoil as the rest of us. We equally deal with Noir in this. Allow me to formulate a message to the Titans. They need to understand what we do."

"Understand what?" Garth shrugged. "We don't understand a single damn thing!"

"Perhaps….."

Everyone gazed over at Martian Manhunter.

He continued: "Perhaps…..that is precisely all we need to acknowledge."

"…….."

"…….."

"…….."

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

A doorbell.

Footsteps.

The door to the apartment opened.

Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen stood in the hallway.

Their faces brightened.

"Clark!" Lois exclaimed.

"Wow!" Jimmy smiled. "You're actually standing!"

Clark Kent stood, holding the door open with one hand. His other arm was in a sling. He had bandages over his forehead and on a patch of his neck. White and secure. 'Healing'.

"Wow….how could I not expect you two?"

"Are you in one piece, Smallville?" Lois invited herself into the apartment. Jimmy followed. "I'm surprised they let you out of the hospital so early."

"Oh….you know me…," he pleasantly smiled and shrugged. "I've had at least three tumbles with a tractor back at home. Broke two legs once in a day."

"Ow…..," Jimmy winced.

"Please…," Clark closed the door after them and gestured towards the living room. "…sit down."

"Jeez, Clark…," Lois glanced around at books on the floor. "Did your bookshelf have a car accident?"

He shrugged. "I was in the mood for Crime and Punishment."

"Heh. Fitting."

"I couldn't find the darn thing for the life of me. Guess I got sloppy."

"You? Heh….sloppy?"

Jimmy was already kneeling on the floor and picking up books. "After today, I don't think anyone can blame you…."

Clark sighed and put on a gentle smile. "Perhaps….."

"Well…of course we wanted to check up on you," Lois sat on the edge of a couch and gestured. "The office is an absolute wreck. Perry's sent most of the editors home and a cleaning crew is already up and at it. It's gonna be the biggest repair job since Jax-Ur and Mala invited themselves over way back when."

"Heh….yeah. I remember that."

"……," Jimmy was biting his lip. He was slow about picking up the last of the books.

Clark gazed over. "Jimmy? Something up?"

He looked softly up at the mild-mannered reporter. "Clark….you sure you're all right?"

Clark smiled. "I know I'm gonna have a hard time tossing and turning tonight. But I'm sure I'll manage."

"N-No…I mean….really all right?"

"……."

Jimmy shuddered. He closed his eyes and placed a few books on a nearby coffee table. "When I saw him……n-nearly kill you…..I just….I j-just…."

Clark reached a hand over: "Jimmy…."

"I can't believe I almost frickin' tried to defend the creep!" Jimmy barked, freckled face frowning.

Clark bit his lip.

"I mean…he was so cold! So ruthless! How could the Titans ever have inducted an ass like him? Pfft…they're better luck without him."

"Now Jimmy…," Clark murmured. "Don't say that…."

"Clark……"

He looked over.

Lois had an eyebrow raised. Half amused. Half confuzzled. "It's off."

"What is?"

"The article, dimwit!" Lois said. "You think anyone in Metropolis is gonna have the gall to defend that murderous, punk twit? Especially us of all people?"

"………"

"Heh. I mean…talk about the perfect waste of twenty-four hours!" Lois absent-mindedly whipped out a makeup compact from her purse and examined herself as she spoke. "I feel so incredibly stupid for giving into the notion that Noir was worth looking into beyond that of a common thug. I dragged you into it too. Hrmphh. Some good that did. Noir's a villain. Plain and simple. Even all the stuff that quackjob Glover once said about him has pretty much come true tenfold, god rest his slimy soul." She clapped her compact closed.

Snap!

"………," Clark was gazing through the floor.

"….Smallville?"

"……"

"Clark?"

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

"So….what do you make of it, Luthor?"

The balding man stood against the curved windows overlooking the night-laden Metropolis. He turned his head and frowned at Metallo. "I think it makes up awful queerly for how much you bungled everything up today?"

The robot man was absent of all his 'skin'. So he stood in a trenchcoat that hooded and hid his metallic skull. He performed a mock 'bow' from the other side of Luthor's office desk and uttered: "Sorry my 'liege'….," he stood up and said with a bitter voice: "But it's not just Noir that we're dealing with anymore."

"How do you mean, Corbin?"

"When I tried to track the little runt down an deal with him permanently…," Metallo murmured, "…I was dealt with a sudden distraction. And in the worst way."

Luthor's eyes narrowed. "How bad?"

"Let's just say….," the trenchcoated automaton leaned forward with his metal palms against the desk. "….that the Parasite of Triangular may have a bit more fuel to burn than we all estimated at this point…."

"…………….."

The metal skull's teeth clenched together in an invisible 'smile'. "It will all make sense…..in Gotham…..one way or another…."

Luthor turned and stared out at the nightly Metropolis again.

"Heh…..good luck, Dent."

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

"………….," Diana sat silently at her computer. Rubbing her chin. Legs crossed in her chair.

Alone.

"…………."

She gazed at the e-mail prompt.

The address was set to Titan's Tower.

A secret, priority channel of communication.

"………….."

The Amazonian finally sighed, rolled her chair directly over to the computer, and started typing.

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

Dear Titans,

As much as I regret disturbing you in the shadow of your loss and mourning, I bring news that may be distressing to you. By the time you get this message, however, I predict that you will already have caught wind of developments here in Metropolis. They will be frightful and numbing to you. But it is important that you hear mine and Superman's side of this recent unfolding with Noir……

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

Detroit, Michigan.

8:34 pm

John Stewart's apartment.

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

The unmasked Green Lantern sat half-reclined on his couch.

Eyes thin.

His ring-arm in a splint.

He stared at a widescreen t.v. that was playing back…over and over again…helicopter footage of the Justice League shipyard battle with 'Noir'.

His eyes traced every element of the fight.

Anything that could constitute as holographic trickery.

Noir's movement. Noir's blurring. Noir's teleporting.

"…………."

At some point, his eyes twitched.

And then his eyes widened.

"Wait a second….," he mumbled to himself. He fumbled for his remote with one good hand. "Hold the phone…." He clicked it desperately.

Freeze frame.

"………."

John sat up completely. Squinting. He stood up. He walked over. He knelt in front of the t.v. screen. Staring at the corner of the freeze frame.

"………."

He sighed in frustration.

Silence.

He slowly glanced over towards his computer station across the apartment's width.

"…….."

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

Noir did attack Clark Kent. He did fight Superman and I. He was ruthless. He was cold. He was Wyldecarde. It horrifies me to think that the one trusted ally I've had over long distance in writing would so swiftly do such terrible things to my team members without a second thought. And yet, I realize that in first being exposed to this sensation from him……I may be seeing a part of him that I have always conceptualized in text but never truly grasped until now.

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

"What Noir did was bad…," Clark Kent said, sitting in a chair across from Lois and Jimmy. "….and….well….I'd be lying if I said I won't be having nightmares after today. But….But it can't be as simple as him just wanting to end my life. Was he working for someone? Was he being…I dunno…mind controlled? It's not uncommon for some despot somewhere to want to use a Titan. It's happened to Robin, it's happened to Terra, and it's even happened to Noir. But who's to say it's not happening again? That's just it. I don't know. Uncertainty rules overall, right?"

"Clark….he was interrogating you…," Lois pointed.

"……," Clark blinked under his spectacles. "I beg your pardon?"

"We could see his lips move….," Lois said. "The former-Titan might not be able to talk. But he was certainly speaking to you!"

"What did he have to say?" Jimmy asked. "What was he asking you?"

"……….," Clark leaned back…resting his arm in his sling. He took a deep breath. "I'm not exactly sure…."

"………."

"But I think all he wanted was……," he smiled slightly. Bitterly humored. "…..was something akin to freedom."

Jimmy made a face. "Freedom?"

Clark nodded. "Till Death do him part….," he muttered.

"…….."

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

What Noir is doing, it is all a mission. A mission that he has only hinted to me about. Something that started in the fires and bloodshed of your City. When Robin died, a contract needed to be finished. And Noir completed that contract, Titans. He rescued Terra. Terra has been freed from the stone. Now the fate of her child and her essences rest in the hands of ominous forces that J'onn and I had sensed and worked along with your fellow comrade Tempest to resolve. We could never have gotten as far as we did without Noir's assistance—predating the attack on Clark as it did. But now, we are clueless as to what's going on. Triangular is regrouping. A deadly arsenal of thermalkinetic energy has been rerouted to Gotham City. Terra's child remains to be found.

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

John Stewart copied the video footage onto his computer.

He tweaked with special imaging programs and brought up frame-by-frame snapshots of the Shipyard fight.

Typing and moving the mouse laboriously with one hand, the galactic guardian anxiously leaned forward towards the monitor.

Squinting.

Magnifying the upper corner.

Magnifying.

Magnifying.

Magnifying.

Freeze!

Click.

"…………."

John stared at a fuzzy image. The fuzzy image of a tall, shadowy figure. Slender, deadly, dark. Two tails dangling behind his head.

"…………," John pursed his lips. "Now who in the devil is that?"

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

New York City.

9:34 pm

Central Park.

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

She whistled as she walked down a lamppost-lit lane in the center of the grassy knolls.

Darkness wafted through Manhattan and clouded around her.

But fearlessly she treaded alone, smiling to herself.

Clad in a trenchcoat and trucking a heavy satchel over her shoulder.

Her breath trailed in the air in vapors.

Dwindling ice in the air.

November freeze.

Born of Swedish blood, she didn't so much as shiver.

She walked to a still standing position underneath a single lamppost.

And….

Waited.

"…………….."

She pivoted her neck. Cracking it. Tossing beautiful red hair….

PMMBISSSSH!

"……," she turned around.

A huge gaping light hovered in the middle of the air. Pulsating. Fluctuating. Like a column of plasma.

A whirring, electronic sound emanated from the center of the light. Like a giant, robotic beetle trying to claw its way bloodily into the dimension.

"……..," Dr. Helga Jace smiled. "Monsieur LaSalle…." She slowly, entrancingly unzipped the satchel and exposed its sacred contents to the light. "……speedy delivery….."

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

Noir may be a villain now. I honestly do not know anymore. As much as I know him, I could know him even better. But that is where you come in. Titans, I entreat you……come to Noir's aid. Superman believes that he can fare by himself in Gotham City. And that may be true to an extent. But no matter how successful Noir is in achieving whatever goals his 'mission' acquires of him, there is still something dreadful……something deathly clinging to his heels. And it will consume him all the more alone if it gets the chance. He is the next pray to something called Red Aviary. I fear for his life more than I do for Terra or anyone else caught in this full circle of mayhem……

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

I rounded a hill.

Panting.

Having run for miles.

But I couldn't stop.

I passed New Jersey.

I passed Bludhaven.

And now….beyond the hills…

"………..," I gulped. Virgin black eyes turned round.

A red sky.

Blood red.

And depressing smoke and hazy gloom climbing ever so infinitely towards it. The collected sighs of millions of shadowed souls. The life…the death…the aura of Gotham City.

I took a deep breath. I cracked my joints and willed my smoking limbs into one last stretch of sprinting.

Okay Batman……Dent……God……

You've got some explaining to do………

And I took the time—however momentarily—to marched on towards my last exodus. Where I had fought all Good and become all Bad and destroyed myself to achieve.

And I would finish this mission…and I would find some answers….with all the effort my soul could muster.

By any means necessary.

The November night chilled me and Red Aviary killed me……

One crimson step at a time.

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

Smallville Kansas.

Kara and Terra sat on the front porch of the Kents' house.

Two rocking chairs.

Two afghans to fight off the cold.

Mugs of hot chocolate.

Terra looked at the Girl of Steel.

Kara said something. Something long and melodramatic. Ending with a laugh.

And Terra smiled. She smiled….and she took a sip.

Warming ever so gradually….

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

We can hate Noir all we want. Distrust him even. But when fate catches up along the circle and consumes him, which one of us will be next? The League is barely assembling back together, and I dare say the Titans are needing reinforcement as well. When Red Aviary comes for us……will we have wished for Noir to have survived for our sake? Or given himself over into the jaws of Hades as sacrifice? How far will we let him go? How far will he let himself go?

I entreat you to consider an alliance. The Titans with the Justice League. So that we might confront this threat together—unhindered by the Boy Wonder's death and strengthened in numbers.

For, Hera forbid, I fear there may not be any time left.

Sincerely,

Princess Diana.

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

The City.

Titan's Tower.

10:23 pm.

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

Cyborg sat at the computer.

Slowly, his human and robot eye scanned down the Priority One letter from Wonder Woman.

"……."

Behind him, the wide screen of the Main Room flashed news images covering the assault inside the Daily Planet building. Starfire and Beast Boy watched in numb shock. Raven had retired to her room suspiciously early. The room was twice as dark as the starlit night outside. Some of the November cold had crept in and clung to the walls.

Silence, save for the half-mute squabblings of Angela Chen on the Metropolis News.

"……," Cyborg gazed from the computer and looked over his shoulder.

At the other Titans.

And their backs were to him.

"……," Cyborg turned back to face the e-mail.

Coldly…

Methodically…

He moved the mouse over to the document window…

And swiftly deleted it.