Next chapter up! This is where I'm introducing most of the other Titans so please enjoy! I've tried to make it as historically accurate as possible especially with the language but I did use some artistic license here to try and keep as much of their characters as I could, not that anyone will want to check…leave a review please!

Wally West stepped out of the wooden cab and into the breezy morning air. He felt it ruffle through his long red overcoat and he pulled it closer to him, cursing the bitter wind that still plagued the air, despite winter being almost over. He turned and placed a few coins into the open hand of the cab driver who was trying to steady his agitated bay mare. They clinked together into his palm and the man closed his fingers around them quickly and leered at the building across the road.

"There's a bad air around this place." He grumbled to the young man who quickly hopped out of the rickety carriage and faced his destination. "I've never liked it around here and neither does old Bertha here." He patted the horse gently and shot a filthy look across the road. "You'd best get out of here fast as you can, young man."

"I don't think I have much of a choice." He answered lightly as it trotted away. He crossed the road briskly and stood in front of the flaking building, staring up at it as a shiver went through him that he was sure had nothing to do with the cold. Like the old man, he had a bad feeling about this place but unlike almost anybody else, that filled him with excitement not fear. Wally West lived on danger and in his line of work, there was plenty of it to go around.

He scrutinised the place and nothing about it made him want to enter. The Academy Hotel was positioned right on the corner of one of London's busiest streets but it looked like it was ready to crumble to the ground. It was a substantial size, towering above most of the other buildings that cowered in its wake but that only made it feel more perilous. The white exterior was peeling away revealing a dirty smoky white underneath and at least three windows he could see were cracked. The wooden doors looked bruised from years of being punched and kicked open and a ragged mat begged people to walk all over it like it wanted to be put out of its misery. He could hear some yelling coming from one of the upper floors that punctuated the constant banging of doors. It was obvious the place was on its last legs but it was still stubbornly continuing. It reminded him of an old man about to make his last breath and frankly he didn't think anybody at the detective's department of the Metropolitan police would be sorry to see the plug pulled on the wreck. He knew this place had been at the centre of trouble for years, a stinking hole where many criminals came to fester. He pulled a telegram from his coat pocket and read the simple message that meant only one thing. Murder.

He tucked the crinkly paper back into his pocket and adjusted the fedora that was squashing his bright red hair. Wally was known among all the London detective's for being a bit of a show-off and what he wore only reinforced it. His fedora was red with a yellow band and it was decorated with a gold pin in the shape of a lightning bolt, the symbol of his mentor Barry Allen. His long overcoat, which he wore as he enjoyed how flamboyantly it swished around when he moved, was red and his suit trousers were brown, worn with a red waistcoat and a necktie the colour of mustard. He didn't look anything like a typical police officer and he was proud of that because he wasn't just any police officer. He had been trained as a detective by one of the greatest in the world and was one of the best in the department already despite having been there only a few months. He was determined that one day, all criminals would tremble at the name of Wallace West and nobody doubted that he could accomplish that.

His round blue eyes surveyed the scene with the eagerness of a puppy straining at its leash and he smiled broadly. He heard a shout from behind him which made him turn around and grin at his approaching friend who gave him a wave as he crossed the road to meet him.

"Dick!" He called out as he reached him and they warmly shook hands. "It's been a while, what have you been up to?"

"Business." Dick Grayson shrugged off the question like Wally knew he would. Dick was too much of a professional and a stickler for the rules to reveal anything about the various cases he had been working on. The two of them had known each other from a young age as their mentors, Barry Allen and Bruce Wayne also knew each other. Whilst they were great friends, it was clear to see they were very different. Whilst Wally had a giant grin on his face, Dick's smile was more reserved and business-like as he examined the front of the building. Though they were the same age and build they also looked very different; Dick's hair was ebony black compared with the bright red colour of his friend's, his eyes were a muted blue-green and were usually staring narrowly at something and his sack suit was all black, except for his tie which was blood red. He also carried a grey cane which looked innocent enough but Wally knew it could do a lot of damage in his hands. His jaw was set in a grim line and Wally heard him suck in a breath. "So this is where it happened? It looks like a pit. It's going to be difficult to get information here what with the place being full of criminals only looking to cover their own backs."

"Since when has difficulty ever stopped us?" Wally asked him and Dick chuckled as they made to go inside. They opened the doors and stepped into the tired empty hallway which was bare apart from the wooden desk that stood in front of a wall studded with keys. The wallpaper was a beige colour that reminded Wally of sick and the carpet was almost ragged. It certainly wasn't a welcoming place

"It hasn't yet, my old friend," Dick said as both their keen eyes racked the room. "And it won't do here. When was the last time we worked together?"

"It was back when Bruce was in town." Wally said and his friend's face went into a slight frown. Whilst the relationship between Wally and Barry had been close so they became almost like father and son, Bruce and Dick's had been far more tempestuous. Wally almost regretted bringing him up. He knew Bruce had been very strict with Dick and many, even Barry, had thought he had been too hard on him. He had produced a great detective but he often wondered at what cost. He quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, do you have anything on this guy who was killed? I got next to nothing from the station."

"He goes by the name Mumbo, though he likes to style himself Mumbo the Magnificent." Dick replied seamlessly and Wally wasn't surprised that he knew; he always seemed to know everything. "He was a con-man, nothing very big but he was known for being a master illusionist. It's why so many people fell for his tricks, he made anything seem possible. The word on the street is he tried to con the wrong people and got involved with something very sticky but I won't know what until I see him."

"Right." Wally affirmed just before he knocked into someone dashing past and nearly sent them bowling over. He quickly scrambled to his feet and Dick whipped around quickly and held up his cane ready for a fight only for them both to be confronted by a pair of startled bright green eyes.

"Oh I am very sorry!" A bright but worried voice burst out. "I did not mean to run into you like that, I was very much in a rush…"

The voice belonged to a tall young woman with long auburn hair that spilled from underneath a reporter's cap, very tanned skin that looked almost orange and a heavy silver choker around her long elegant neck. She was dressed boyishly in a white shirt with a light purple jacket and trousers and she had matching silver bracelets around her wrists. She was clutching a notebook in her hands like she was waiting for them to try and snatch it from her and her wide eyes, like those of a doe, looked at them with concern.

"Don't worry, we're fine, there's no harm done." Wally assured her with a winning smile that made her give one in return. Meanwhile Dick was staring at her in surprise, his eyes locked onto her face. "I'm Wallace West and this is my colleague and friend Richard Grayson. We are detectives. Who are you and what's a lovely young lady like you doing here anyway?"

The blatant flirting earned him a stern look from Dick but made the girl laugh. "That is good. My name is Kori Anderson and I am a reporter for the Star newspaper. I am here because there was news of a murder. You must be the ones investigating it, may I have a-"

"I'm sorry Miss Anderson," Dick said suddenly, cutting her off. "But we have to go and investigate this scene now. This is serious police business and I would recommend you leave. This is no place for a lady. We wouldn't want you to get hurt." He looked at her firmly, a look that would have made most people obey instantly, but to both of their surprise she stared straight back at him defiantly.

"You do not have to worry about me Mr Grayson," She insisted as she walked past them down one of the winding corridors that split off from the hallway. "I am perfectly capable of protecting myself even if I am a lady." Wally saw his friend's face go red when she stressed the last word and he had to bite his cheek to stop himself from laughing. "Perhaps I will talk with you both later. See you then my friends." She shot them one last pretty smile and a wave before she disappeared around a corner. Dick stared wordlessly after her for a few moments before he caught sight of Wally raising his eyebrows at him and he made an exasperated huffing noise.

"Let's go find the room." He quickly asserted before Wally could comment. "The team should already be up there. The room number is 13."

"How unlucky for him." Wally replied but Dick only grunted in response. Already thinking of how he could tease him about the lovely Miss Anderson later, Wally followed him down the winding maze of corridors for a few minutes in silence before they reached a door that had been tied off with rope. A brass plaque that was in serious need of polishing hung from the scuffed door, bearing the number 13 and they could hear movement from inside.

"Police." Dick called out as he knocked on the door and they heard a call from inside to enter. Wally tried the doorknob and it stiffly yielded, allowing them to enter. They filed in and the door closed willingly behind them as they took in the crime scene.

The room was simply done with plain furniture that consisted of a wooden bed, a pair of spindly chairs and a table and white walls that showed up every mark made by previous guests. These were walls that could tell a thousand tales, Wally thought as they walked in, and it would be next to impossible to tell if any of them had been made during the actual murder. The first thing that was obvious about the scene was that there had been a fight. The bed was on its side and the white bedding lay gnashed and torn around it like spilling entrails. There was an oval mirror on the wall that had been obliterated and little sparkles of silver clung to the worn carpet. The table had been broken in two and was crumpled against a wall with the chairs bent next to it like squashed insects. Wally looked over at them and frowned.

"Why does one of them only have three legs?" He asked Dick, pointing at the splintered stump.

Dick's only response was to nod downwards towards the middle of the room where a white shroud had been laid over a strangely-shaped lump. There was a great spike at one end of the lump and Wally stared at it with a gulp.

"Is that really…"

"It is." A deep voice came from the other side of the room where a small washbasin had been temporarily set up. They heard splashing as huge muscular hands dived into the water to wash away the blood and as he dried them, the tall figure turned around to face them. The man was about a foot taller than the two of them with broad shoulders and powerful limbs that looked like they could bend steel. His skin and eyes were a warm brown colour and his head was completely bald. His trousers and the suit jacket he had draped on a stand by the washbasin were metallic grey but the waistcoat and long apron he wore over his white shirt were electric blue. He had his sleeves rolled up to the elbows and Wally saw he had some small burn marks that marred his skin.

He gave them a welcoming smile as he stepped over to them. "You're the detectives they sent, right?" When they nodded, he extended his just dried hand for them both to shake. "I'm Victor Stone, I've only just finished the autopsy on the victim so you've made perfect time."

"Glad to hear it." Dick smiled back as they shook hands. "Dick Grayson and this is my good friend Wallace West."

"Call me Wally." He said as Victor turned to him and gave a laugh.

"Sure thing, call me Vic. We hardly need to be formal around a body, do we?"

"What can you tell us about this body?" Dick asked, getting straight to the point.

Victor crouched down next to the white lump and pulled back the white sheet, folding it at the waist. The body was that of an old man with wispy white hair above his ears and mouth and his skin was an almost pale green colour that had gone light grey in death. His papery eyelids were closed and his mouth was frozen open in an expression of shock. He was wearing a shiny black suit with tails and a giant red collar with a yellow flower in the buttonhole that gave all the appearance of a cheap carnival magician. Wally's eyes took this all in but, even though he was expecting it, they still widened a little when he saw what the cause of death was. Impaled in the neck of Mumbo the Magnificent was the missing chair leg which had been forced deep into his throat. There was blood dried all over his neck and dribbles of it on his white shirt. Maybe it was a good thing the collar was red, Wally thought as Dick shook his head slowly next to him.

"What a way to go." He voiced aloud.

"I know." Victor agreed with a solemn nod. "It's twisted. He's also got quite a bit of bruising-there was a proper fight here." They all looked around the room as if they were waiting for the walls to speak.

"Has anybody come forwards about this? If there was such a big brawl in here, surely people would have heard." Dick said but Victor was already shaking his head.

"In places like this, nobody hears anything." He stated whilst he put the cloth back over the body of Mumbo and stood back up. "I sent somebody round all the rooms to collect statements but they've had no luck so far."

"Somebody?" Dick's brow creased up as he looked up at him. "Who?"

"Oh, the local bobby around these parts." Victor looked at their confused faces. "Nobody mentioned it? He's a new kid, very eager. Look, here he comes now."

They both spun around as the door opened and another younger man walked in. He looked barely older than a boy as he only came up to their chins and was as skinny as a rake with long limbs that swung like pendulums when he walked over. He had blonde hair that stuck out messily like a bird's nest from underneath his hat and his eyes were wide and green as moss. He was wearing the traditional police uniform but with heavy grey boots. He looked at the pair of them with surprise at first before he gave them a salute and a smile that showed off all of his white teeth. One of the ones at the front had been badly chipped so it was pointed like a fang and it stuck out from the rest, slightly protruding above his bottom lip though it was barely noticeable.

"Hello Sirs! Garfield Logan at your service!" He cried out, clicking the heels of his boots together so enthusiastically he nearly fell over. He blinked at them a couple of times in awe before he said "Are you Dick Grayson and Wallace West?"

"Err…yes." Dick replied, uncertain how to respond to the pure joy that appeared in the boy's shining eyes. "You were out collecting statements weren't you?"

"Yes I was!" he answered excitedly as he handed over a small stack of papers. "Wow, I can't believe I'm going to be working with you guys, you are both so amazing! I read all about that time when you captured the thief of Bow Street and when you took down that gang who were terrorising the Thames merchants…"

"Yes, thank you for these." Dick took them and went to the other side of the room to examine them. For a second, the boy looked crushed and Wally sighed at the conduct of his friend who was often so narrow-minded when it came to his cases that he couldn't see past the end of his nose. Wally took the outstretched hand of the boy and shook it.

"It's good to meet you Garfield, I'm sure the statements will be a help, you've taken a real weight from our shoulders. And as you're going to be helping, call me Wally."

"OK!" Garfield beamed at him. "Call me Gar."

"Wally, I need a minute." He heard Dick call over to him without turning around and with an apologetic look at the other two, Wally went over to him.

"You didn't have to be so rude, you know." He told him, keeping his voice low. "The kid's only trying to help. And he did save us a tedious job."

"Maybe but these statements are next to useless." Dick grumbled as he crossly shifted through the papers. "Vic was right; they all claim to have heard and seen nothing out of the ordinary. All covering their backsides as I suspected…though I have a good idea why."

"Go on." Wally said as they both took a glance at the covered body. Garfield appeared to have only just noticed it and his light skin was looking a little green.

"I heard a rumour from a very good source of mine that Miss Jinx was back in town." Dick whispered leaning closer to Wally's ear so there was no chance of them being over heard. "And this looks like one of her jobs. Quick, brutal, it all fits with her."

"Miss Jinx?" Wally frowned at his friend and tilted his head slightly. "Who's she?"

Dick let out a loud laugh when he saw the look on his face. "Oh right, you haven't encountered the HIVE Five before, have you? I have done so many rounds with them, I've lost count."

He then looked more serious and took his shoulders, forcing him to look him dead in the eyes. "Miss Jinx is one of the most wanted criminals in this city and one of the most dangerous. She the leader of this group of thugs called the HIVE Five and they are brutal thieves but they are nothing compared to her. She's so deadly, she makes other criminals around these parts quake in their boots. The thing is we know barely anything about her; nobody knows where she comes from or what she looks like except that she always wears black and she keeps her face covered. I've seen her only a few times and she's cold and ruthless through and through. All we know is the extent of her crimes and they make a list longer than my arm. If this is her like I think it could be, this just got a lot more serious."

"Like it wasn't already?" Wally pointed out but Dick just scowled.

"We'll have to be on the look-out for anything." He continued before warning him. "If it is her Wally, you need to be wary. I know how you are with women and I wouldn't put it past you to do something reckless."

"Me? How could you say such a thing?" Wally mocked being offended even though he knew there was more than a grain of truth in it. He had a bit of a reputation for being a flirt that he really couldn't help and also one for not following the rules with the same unmoving attitude that Dick had. They had argued about it before but it was something they couldn't help due to their different trainings. Where Barry Allen had been a little more lax, Bruce Wayne had always enforced the rules, even if it meant being pushed to the limit.

"Just promise me Wally," Dick said firmly. "Promise me that you won't do anything stupid."

"OK, I promise not to do anything stupid." Wally held his hands up like he was surrendering and rolled his eyes. "Happy now?"

"Happier." Dick said finally smiling as they turned back to the other two. "Garfield was there anybody at the front desk when you last saw it?"

"Err…yes, there was! There was a man there!" Garfield blurted out, almost jumping up and down as he spoke until Victor rested a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"Excellent, I need to talk with him." Dick replied with a nod. "We'll leave you to finish with Mumbo Vic. He shouldn't be much of a problem anymore."

"Not at all. I will see you down there." He answered before he went back over to the body and Garfield followed Dick out of the door and down the corridor. Wally was the last to exit and as he did he turned to close the door behind him. He was just about to run and catch up with the other two when he heard a gentle clink behind him. He turned around to see a few doors down there was the figure of a young woman bending over to pick up the key she had just dropped whilst struggling with two bulging carpet bags. She straightened up and noticed him instantly and within seconds he was by her side and had taken both bags from her hands.

"Oh! Thank you." She said, sounding very surprised that anyone had helped her and she looked up and down the corridor almost in alarm. "You really didn't need to do that."

"Well, I couldn't just stand by and watch you struggle. What kind of a gentleman would that make me?" He said with a smile and he heard her laughing. He looked at her face and it took all of his willpower not to stare with his mouth open at its beauty. Her skin was pale and smooth, as close to perfect whiteness as he had seen skin get and her cheeks were flushed a pale pink. Her eyes were nut brown and had an almost feline look to them as she gazed up at him and her angular face with its softly pointed chin was framed by delicate brown curls that fell from underneath her wide-brimmed silk hat which was trimmed with black flowers. Her plain day dress was black velvet and she was also wearing black lace gloves over her hands. For a moment, he managed to look away but as she opened the door he couldn't stop his eyes trailing to that lovely face. He had met tons of girls before and flirted with ones of every size, shape and standing but he had never seen one like her. "It was my pleasure."

She gave him a smile and said "I hope you're not expecting anything."

"Not at all." He said with a little bow and then flashing her a winning grin. "But if I could know the name of the pretty damsel I saved?"

"Saved?" She laughed out loud and the sound sent a pleasant chill through him. "I hardly think the door key was a threat to my life. But my name is Jane, Jane Hexelton. And you are…"

"Wallace West but do call me Wally." He handed her bags to her and she stepped into her room, turning a little so she could still listen to him. "I'm a detective, I'm investigating a murder that happened here last night."

"A murder? My goodness!" She turned away to put the bags down and when she faced him again there was shock on her face. "How awful!"

"Yes but there is no need to worry, myself and my friends will soon have this case wrapped up." He told her before a thought crossed his mind and wiped the smile from his face. "Say, are you alone? This place isn't really fit for a woman travelling by herself…"

"Thank you for your concern Mr West but I do this all the time." She said sweetly with a little flutter of her eyelids. "I can handle myself very well. Besides, if you and your friends wrap up the case like you say you will, there will be no need for me to worry, will there?"

"Well…I suppose when you put it that way…" Wally still felt a little uneasy about it but when he looked back at her face, he was sure he wasn't really thinking straight. It was the second time that day he had been told by a woman that she could handle herself and he really didn't want to put that to the test. "And please call me Wally. You know, if you have any worries about staying here, I'm only going to be down the hall. You could easily drop by. You never know when keys will attack."

She laughed again and he felt his face go as red as his hair. "I suppose. Don't worry, I'll call if I have any more key trouble…Wally." The sound of his name rolling from her tongue made him feel a little dizzy and he put his hand on the doorframe to stop him making any more of a fool of himself.

"Great." He was finally able to say. "I'm sure I will see you around Miss Jane Hexelton."

"Maybe." She said before she gave him a little wave and closed the door. He then turned and ran down the corridor as quickly as he could. He knew Dick would be angry with him for holding him up but his heart was singing. She's amazing, he thought as he made a huge leap into the air, this is like nothing I've ever known. However, there was still a sense of unease he felt deep in the pit of his stomach, like there was something about her that didn't quite fit but he pushed the thought away as it repeatedly niggled at him. It was nothing, he told himself as he caught sight of the others in the hallway. What could be that bad about her?