Every moment that we delayed was another moment that Robin was in the clutches of that depraved lunatic, but it could not be helped. Cyborg could not find the source of the video the Joker had transmitted, and he suspected that he was already out of the city. I would have flown after him, but I had no way of knowing what vehicle to track or which route they had taken. Raven claimed that she could not establish a telepathic connection with Robin, which meant that he was probably unconscious. This did little to ease my fears.
"At least we know where he's headed," said Beast Boy, trying to remain positive. None of us had ever traveled to Gotham City before. It was a place Robin rarely spoke of and never in any light that encouraged further discussion. We also lacked transportation, as the T-car had been rendered useless during the attack with Joker's men. While it was still in one piece its tires were blown, there were dents in the side that had been on the ground that would not allow the doors to open, and the engine was leaking fluid. The repairs would take days, time we did not have.
"You guys got any ideas?" asked Cyborg.
"Well, we've got three flyers. We could take turns carrying you," said Beast Boy with a shrug. Cyborg made a face.
"He's right. I'm slowing you down. You guys could get there much faster without me."
"We go together," said Raven in a sharp voice. Beast Boy's eyebrows shot up.
"So what are we waiting for?" he asked after an awkward pause. He morphed into a bald eagle. Cyborg cringed.
"I'll need a portable generator. Who knows how long we'll be gone and my battery is already starting to run low thanks to this little speed bump." He surveyed the damaged T-car sadly. I knew he hated to leave it lying in the road where anyone could take it in its current condition.
"Okay, quick stop at the hideout," Beast Boy agreed. "We could all use a change of clothes and some fresh supplies."
"Robin has need of a change of clothes and fresh supplies but he is unable to procure them," I said hotly. Raven touched my shoulder and instantly a soothing coolness entered my mind.
"Robin knows how to survive," she said in a low voice. I swallowed the fear threatening to overwhelm me. She was right, as usual. Whatever Joker planned, he intended to prolong his game.
In the end I took pity on Cyborg and flew the T-car back to our hiding place with Raven's help in concealing it from public view. While I paced restlessly, the others packed what provisions they thought they would need. Cyborg had his generator and Raven gathered a small stack of old books. Beast Boy came back with a small box of snacks.
"You do realize the moment you transform those snacks are going to disappear," said Raven, sliding her gaze over him with faint irritation. His ears drooped as he considered the best way to bring his treats. Beside him, Raven had a small, purple pouch that had some enchantment placed on it to conceal large quantities without accumulating more bulk. Beast Boy scratched the back of his head vigorously until he glanced at the purple bag in her hand. Hope filled his eyes as they rose to meet hers. Raven groaned but held out her hand.
"Fine."
"Are we ready to go?" I asked. Under different circumstances I might have been amused by the gentle flirtation between the two. After all it was my secret suspicion that more existed between them than they cared to let on. Raven allowed Beast Boy more freedom than she ever gave to Robin or Cyborg even though he routinely crossed the boundaries that she clearly set with his curiosity and pranks.
"Ready," said Cyborg. "Star, if you don't mind I'll ride with you. I've already got my gps set to Gotham City. Has anyone given any thought to what we'll do once we get there. I mean, Batman's not exactly known for throwing out the welcome wagon for other heroes entering his city."
"He is Robin's father, yes? Why should he refuse our help in locating him?"
"Just the way Robin talks about him," Cyborg muttered more to himself than in answer to my question. "You'd think the guy cares more about sticking to his code than in saving people's lives."
"This is not just any life," I reminded him. "This is Robin."
"I'm just trying to warn you. Batman's an unknown right now. If he invites us into the Batcave then great, but we should be prepared to have a little opposition. It's a long flight there. We should spend it figuring out the fastest way to track down Joker without his help."
Cyborg's weight was no burden to me, but the flight was indeed a great distance. Beast Boy tried various animal forms, but eventually his arms grew tired and Raven had to fashion a black disc for him to ride. It slowed them down further, and I could not bring myself to slow, so eventually we lost sight of each other.
"Where do you suggest we concentrate our search?" I asked Cyborg after he informed me that we were within moments of reaching the outskirts of the city.
"It's tough to say. I've been trying to go through the crime files Robin uploaded to the Titans' network, but most of the ones about Gotham are encrypted. I could hack into them eventually, but for now they're pretty secure. Spikey-haired control freak. Does he have to be good at everything?" This last was said under his breath. Though Cyborg was frustrated, I could not help but smile.
"They do not call him the Boy Wonder for nothing."
"Does anyone really call him that? I mean seriously? When was the last time you heard someone say, 'there goes the Boy Wonder!' That sounds like something a twelve-year-old would say."
"That is the age he was when he began his career," I said, smiling in earnest now. Cyborg sobered.
"And to think, he was facing down guys like the Joker back in the day. Jump City must be a walk in the park compared to that. I'm not gonna lie, the guy gives me the creeps."
"I too receive the creeps when I see him. He is like the Kerflunkle of my planet. They are mindless beasts bent on nothing more than destruction. They kill for the thrill of the hunt, though they are herbivores. When engaged they would rather sustain a mortal injury than allow their opponent to get away from them. Tamaraneans tell stories of them to our children to frighten them."
"But I mean he was only a kid when he faced him for the first time. Can you imagine facing down that kind of evil when you were only twelve?" My grip on his arms slipped a little as memories rushed back at me. Yes, I could imagine the horrors of facing such evil at a tender age. I had experienced it as well, though Robin appeared to have escaped from his past with fewer scars than I had.
"I see the skyline in the distance. Where shall we land?" I prompted, changing the subject.
"It might be best if we try to get Batman's permission first. He might be...friendlier that way. Head for that building. That's where they keep the bat signal."
"How do you know this?" I asked, altering my course slightly in the direction he indicated.
"Everyone knows that. They turn on the signal when there's trouble that the police can't handle. I hear that it's on almost every night. It's how he knows that he's needed. Robin said that Commissioner Gordon used to keep it turned on just to scare the criminals into thinking that Batman was patrolling even on nights when he wasn't."
We touched down not he rooftop and I saw a large spotlight with a simple black metal silhouette fastened across the bulb in the shape of a bat.
"Raven, when you get here we're attempting to contact the Batman. I'm sending you coordinates now." Cyborg stood behind me speaking into his communicator while I approached the light. It took a bit of searching but finally I found the switch that turned it on. Remembering what he said about the police keeping the light on even when there was no real need, I sent a large starbolt into the air. The green light would draw attention, but I could not sustain it for long without using up my reserves of green energy.
"You don't want to draw too much attention to us, Star," Cyborg warned, sweeping the area with his robotic eye. "Joker's not the only crazy in this town."
"You know, it's not nice to show up uninvited," said a female voice from behind us. I spun, aiming a starbolt into the darkness. Lit by the green glow I saw a figure with a black mask and pointed ears. A yellow bat symbol was emblazoned across her chest as she perched on the railing.
"Batgirl?" guessed Cyborg, reaching out a hand to lower my arm. "We're here because Robin's been—"
"You think we don't know? We've got it covered." She spoke curtly, still crouched in a position of obvious defensiveness.
"We wish to help," I said, attempting to smile at the girl, though she remained shrouded in the darkness. I had the feeling that she did not appreciate our presence there, though I could not for the life of me think what we had done to earn her displeasure.
"This is Batman's city. We don't need your help."
"Robin would want us to help," I said defensively. I took a step toward the girl and lit another starbolt so that I could see her more clearly. Thick, red hair swung in a pony tale over her shoulder. Like Robin, her eyes were concealed, but the lower portion of her face was stern and unforgiving. When I approached she raised her right hand and I saw a birdarang, except it was not a birdarang because it was in the shape of a bat instead. I frowned.
The longer we stand here arguing the longer Robin is left in peril."
"If you care so much about him you should have let him handle this on his own and not interfered."
"How would you know whether or not I interfered?" I asked, suspicious now. Robin had not known that I would follow him. How could this girl have known."
"It was easy enough to hack into the security cameras. You were hiding on the roof. When you engaged Quinn it forced Robin to reveal his hand." For a moment the logic of it stung me, until I pierced deeper and shook my head.
"Quinn would have been on that rooftop whether I had gone with him or not. Had I not caused her to reveal herself she might have shot him while he was distracted with the Joker."
"You don't know him very well if you think he wouldn't have expected an attack like that from those two."
"Ladies, can we dial it down," Cyborg interjected, coming to stand between us. "We're all on the same side here. I don't know how things work here, but in Jump City teammates look out for each other. Starfire did what any of us would have done in the same situation and Robin knew that. He could tell himself all he wanted that he was on his own, but she was with him just before he left to meet with Joker and he had to have known that she would follow him."
"You're right, you don't know how things work in Gotham. Here, whatever Batman says, goes. And he says go."