Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Young Justice are the intellectual property of DC Comics, Cartoon Network, and Warner Bros.
Author's Note: I'm back! As I was unable to regularly update this while searching for a job. 'Earth-16: Go!' will now be on an irregular update cycle, meaning updates will be posted as their finished. Thank you.
Also, someone asked about the ages of the characters among a number of other questions, so I decided to go back and flesh out some things. First off, character ages as of the date January 28th 2011.
Artemis Crock "Artemis/Tigeress" – 15 years old (DOB: April 7th, 1995)
Barbara Gordon "Batgirl/Oracle" – 14 years old (DOB: September 23rd, 1996)
Dick Grayson "Robin/Nightwing" – 14 years old (DOB: December 1st, 1996)
Kaldur'ahm "Aqualad" – 16 years old (DOB: March 13th, 1995)
Koriand'r "Starfire" – 15 years old (DOB: February 28th 1996)
Garfield Logan "Beast Boy" – 9 years old (DOB: January 7th, 2002)
Rachel Roth "Raven" – 12 years old (DOB: December 22nd, 1999)
Flick Sen-Shreya "Jinx" – 16 years old (DOB: June 12th, 1994)
Victor Stone "Cyborg" – 16 years old (DOB: October 15th, 1994)
Wally West "Kid Flash" – 16 years old (DOB: November 11th, 1994)
I plan on making the story pretty close to canon compliant without being willing to bend over backward for it. There are going to be suggestions that there are a lot more secrets and subtext for Season 2, and there will be the suggestion that the bat family and team has many more secrets going around then we're shown.
Many of the biggest events of the DC Universe will also play out, and this requires certain things. Jason Todd's arc requires Joker to be on the loose for example, and the death of Aquagirl (Tula) will also feature prominently in much later chapters.
Ultimately my plan is now to span not only the time between Season #1 and #2, but beyond that by including stuff that happened 'off the screen' as it were instead of showing you any of Season #2. After Season #2's ending, things are wide open and I'll keep doing stuff so long as my interest holds.
Jinx's role is being retooled, as I didn't think going and having KF cheat on Artemis would work that well. Instead, I decided to play with a couple concepts I've had in regards to Jinx's powers and have her defection be based on friendship more than romance.
The entire Barbara/Starfire/Dick situation is going to be handled in a more convoluted manner. I have always felt that Barbara works much better in a sort of familial relationship with Dick then a romance, but with canon as my guide, I can't exactly just toss it, especially, when canon turns it into a Barbara/Zatanna/Starfire/Dick situation.
Of course, this is remedied by how only Wally West, Batman, and to a lesser extent Batgirl ever seem to really know what Dick is doing and thinking, thanks to being the sneaky twerp that he is. Of course, the bat-family is the family of secrets, and oh yes… there will be secrets.
For example, Bruce Wayne may be a player, but Batman's only consistent relationship is with Selina Kyle. Dick will eventually end up in a position by season 2 where Barbara's supposed romantic feelings for Dick are actually simply something to keep everyone away while Starfire and the Titans are on separate missions from the Team.
As for Barbara… I decided taking Batman and Catwoman then inverting it would be fun (Batgirl and… Red-X anyone?)
Earth-16: Go!
Chapter 5: Irradiated
Arkham Asylum, Gotham City
January 28th 2011, 10:05 EST
Raven stared as the green clad woman slammed shut the doors behind her, leaving the man in the cylinder. Gas hissed from the vessel as she glanced at Cyborg. "What's that mean?"
Cyborg shrugged, "No idea Rae..."
Then the man in the cylinder woke up and screamed. Raven gasped as the man twisted and morphed before her eyes turning into a mass of putrid smelling chemicals and sludge. It screamed a challenge and she summoned a shield of black energy just as the massive blob reached her. Like a wave, the creature crashed against the shield, rebounding in all directions and there was a crash as its mass broke windows and spilled out into the courtyard. Then, it was gone from the room.
"You okay?" Cyborg gasped as she slowly lowered her hands and the shield flickered and went out.
Raven nodded. "I am fine, what was that thing?"
"No idea."
Robin swore as a huge mass of what looked like raw sewage and chemical waste spilled into the center of the Asylum's courtyard. Beside him, Starfire stared at the blob looking rather confused when a rumble came from the mass and the two of them watched it morph into a monster with hideous green eyes and four large legs. A hideous mouth gaped from what should have been its torso and it let out a roar.
"Well, umm... I guess we'll have to stop it." Robin muttered before glancing at Starfire. "Let's go!"
The two of them leapt from the top of the Asylum, and while Robin used a grapple gun, Starfire simply floated down, her hands encased in glowing green energy. She set herself and stared at the creature for a long moment. "Do not resist, we do not intend to damage you, but will if necessary."
Robin smiled faintly at that even as he readied a trio of explosive discs. Then the creature opened its maw and unleashed an ear splitting screech that Robin felt reverberate through his bones. With a snarl he hurled his discs toward the creature as Starfire unleashed a barrage of green bolts of energy. Smoke curled from the impact of the shots and a smell much like that of burning compost filled the air.
Then the creature lashed out and Robin was slammed against the wall, his body covered in a gunk that his imagination guessed was roughly like what the stuff at the bottom of a septic tank must smell like. He choked and gagged against the smell and prayed the stuff wasn't toxic or radioactive.
"Oh gross..." Robin muttered and froze as he heard the crackle of the Geiger counter on his belt. A look of complete horror flashed across his face and he fumbled for the device on his belt. "No... No..."
At that moment a blast of green energy slammed into the center of the creature, causing it to explode, sending radioactive sludge splattering in all directions. Robin swore as he saw Starfire get slammed against the wall covered in the stuff.
He glanced at his radiation counter and swallowed as he read the display: 12 sieverts/hour. The point at which the dose began to be lethal was at 2 gray units, meaning that if he wasn't cleaned of the mess inside ten minutes...
Robin swore as the blob that was the creature reformed in the center of the square and slammed his communicator. "RADIATION HAZARD, CENTRAL COURTYARD STAY CLEAR!"
Starfire charged forward with a snarl before he could stop her.
Cheshire skidded to a stop as she round the corner and caught sight of the Lex Corp van at the end of the courtyard, loading up prisoners and equipment from the confiscation chambers. The hulking and monstrous figure of Clayface stood beside the van, arguing with Sportsmaster. A moment later another figure stepped from the back of the van, pulling on a full-face helmet which only showed a single glowing red and yellow rangefinder.
"I'd shut up about that, Matt." The man said as Sportsmaster handed him an Apokoliptan energy rifle.
Clayface snarled. "I told you not to tell them my name!"
"Just shut up and get inside..." The man said.
A black shadow dropped before the van and all the villains spun toward the figure. Cheshire swore under her breath as she drew her sai.
"Am I interrupting anything?" Batman asked. Then his wrist gauntlet let out a yell.
"RADIATION HAZARD, CENTRAL COURTYARD STAY CLEAR!"
Cheshire smirked as the Batman scowled.
Artemis swore as the young woman picked up the katana she'd dropped and set herself. "So, are you a one-trick pony?"
"Not exactly," Artemis muttered as she tore the quiver off her shoulder and hurled it at the girl. She caught the quiver for a moment before Artemis saw the girl's one visible eye widened. Then Artemis tapped her gauntlet.
The quiver exploded as every trick arrow contained within activated. Flames, foam, smoke, and every other thing she'd created for her work enveloped the girl and she let out a scream of surprise and pain. As the foam hardened the girl squirmed against the restraining foam and smoldering embers. She glared at Artemis with her one uncovered eye.
There was a clang as Wally scrambling out of dumpster and smirked at the girl. "Nice... seems we're full of tricks."
"So, I underestimated you... I won't do that again." The girl hissed from behind the mask and twisted, trying to escape the foam.
There was a loud thump behind Artemis and she suddenly felt a chill run down her back. A blade was pressed between her shoulder blades as a large arm suddenly wrapped around her throat holding her in place.
"The foam's counteragent," A low voice growled in Artemis's ear. "Now."
In her ear, Artemis heard Robin shout, "RADIATION HAZARD, CENTRAL COURTYARD STAY CLEAR!"
"WHAT?" Cyborg shouted as he spun toward the window and spied the mass of waste that had smashed its way out into the courtyard. Immediately he lifted his sonic cannon and let loose with a blast.
Raven grimaced. "Radiation, seriously?"
"STARFIRE NO!" Robin shouted as the girl slammed into the blob of toxins and radioactive waste, splashing the lethal muck in all directions. He fumbled with his belt, pulling a gas-mask out and slapping it over his face while grabbing a trio of ice grenades from his belt.
It was too late, the monster exploded from the impact of sonic blasts, her green energy. Suddenly a giant raven, seemingly made entirely of shadows screamed to life and dove on the group.
"Robin?" Starfire stammered, her voice rising with a clear note of confusion. "Why should we not engage?"
"He's made of radioactive sludge. We're just splashing him around and irradiating the whole area!" Robin snapped. "Everyone who gets touched will need to be treated for radiation exposure!"
"Oh..." Starfire swallowed. "I am wondering if the level of radiation is high enough to be a danger to me."
"ROBIN, DO YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE?" Batman snapped through the commlink.
"Negative, got this mostly under control. Right, Star?"
"I do not agree Robin, this creature is almost impervious to—"
Her reply was silenced as a solid wall of toxic sludge rocketed toward her and she dove away with a shriek of fright.
Robin let loose the first of his ice grenades, smirking to himself as the massive arm froze solid before volleying the rest, containing the creature in a solid wall of ice. Then he turned up the commlink. "Cease fire on the creature, Raven I've seen you use your shields to remotely move objects. Can you scoop up all the stuff he left and move it to the center of the courtyard?"
"On it," Raven answered immediately.
"Everyone else, status report?" Robin asked.
"The counteragent," The voice hissed and Artemis grimaced as she felt the blade push further between her shoulder blades, barely coming short of breaking the skin.
Wally tensed, his gaze flicking between Artemis and the man who had her at his mercy. Their comlinks chirped a moment later and Robin's voice came through.
"Everyone else, status report?"
"A little busy boss," Kid Flash answered immediately.
Artemis swallowed as she slowly slipped a canister from her belt and then felt it being wrestled from her grasp. Before she could react, the figure threw it at the girl, still encased in foam and it exploded. The foam began to dissolve as the smoke cleared and Artemis was shoved forward, slamming into Wally and knocking the two of them to the ground. As they rolled upright and turned to their foe, the girl slowly stood and glared at the two of them before stepping beside the man.
Both had white hair, though in the girls case it was clearly dyed. They both wore face masks that only revealed a single eye, one the reverse of the other making them look like some strange mirror of the other.
"I thought I trained you better." The man grumbled toward the girl before lifting his sword into an on guard position. "We're leaving..."
"Of course, I underestimated them. It will not happen again." She said before the two of them disappeared, climbing up the walls like some sort of circus acrobats. Then they were gone.
"Damn it, now I have to replace my bow and quiver... again!" Artemis groaned.
Batman grit his teeth as the villains before him spread out, part of him wanted to rush to the courtyard to help Robin, but before him was a more serious threat. Clayface, Deadshot, Cheshire, and Sportsmaster readied themselves. Sportsmaster seemed to be smirking behind his helmet. "Going to let that boy of yours face that all by himself."
"He can handle it, while I deal with you." Batman snapped before going for his belt. Batarangs twirled through the air and he ducked as Deadshot snapped off a shot with the Apokoliptan energy rifle in his hand. Two of the batarangs struck Clayface, sinking into the muck. Another blast from Deadshot drove him back, forcing Batman to take cover behind a dumpster.
There was a crunch as a heavy figure dropped to the top of the dumpster and Batman spun out of the way just as a broadsword slashed through the air where he'd been standing. He glanced up at the masked figure of Deathstroke and growled. "I thought you retired."
"Oh, I always make time for you, Batman... You and your boy are a challenge." Deathstroke answered before he slashed again, keeping the Batman at bay.
With a squeal of tire noise, the van suddenly lurched forward and Batman looked up to see it pass, filled with the villains he'd tried to stop just moments earlier. He tumbled beneath another strike and was about to grapple to the van when a young woman dropped to the ground before him, twirling a katana, and blocking his route. Her armor was a mirror of Deathstroke's down to the single eye which peered at him.
"Yours?" Batman asked in a hoarse voice.
"Yes, she decided to take up the family business." Deathstroke answered in a conversational tone. "I can't have you run off."
"All this for a rematch?" Batman muttered as he turned to Deathstroke. "You must be bored in retirement."
"Chess in the park just isn't my style." Deathstroke answered before stepping forward and slashing with his sword. Batman grunted as he intercepted the blow on an armored gauntlet, catching it between the armored spikes. With a twist of his wrist he tore the sword from Deathstroke's hands and tossed it away. A low chuckle came from the mask, "That's more like it."
Deathstroke's eye seemed to crinkle, and Batman guessed the old assassin was smiling. "What about your kid?"
"She's just here to watch now... if Robin were here, well... then she'd have something to do," Deathstroke chuckled. "Now, she just gets to watch me work..."
There was a clatter and a black figure dropped down behind Batman. He felt his lip twitch in irritation as he recognized the bat symbol emblazoned on the new arrivals chest and grumbled. It was the copycat.
"Need a little help?" The girl asked.
"You shouldn't be here," Batman grunted.
Raven's mystical black energy enveloped the sludge and frozen mass of the creature, pulling it toward the center of the courtyard. Beside her, Cyborg warily approached with his scanner out registering the radiation in the air and slime which she was moving. Robin had a gas mask clasped over his face, but a glance at him revealed that he was probably thoroughly exposed already. His suit was covered with slime.
Starfire was even worse, her hair was soaked through by the radioactive sludge and her body was splattered with various bits of waste. Raven hoped that the girl would be alright. She could survive the depths of space, surely a little radiation wouldn't be a big problem, would it? The air stank, and Raven felt herself desperately trying to hold onto her concentration and her lunch from the odor.
Was the air contaminated as well? She shuddered at that thought before the solid ice mass that Robin had contained the bulk of the creature within cracked.
Raven froze. "Umm... this doesn't look good."
"What now?" Robin groaned as he stared at the cracking ice. His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh..."
With a boom the monster broke free of the ice, its slimy body reforming as they watched. Raven grimaced as she summoned a shield and wrapped it round the monster to contain him. "Okay... Got anymore bright ideas?"
Joker cackled as he watched his minions place the explosive charges, gift wrapped with bright white paper and red tinsel, on the wall of the Asylum, while Harley Quinn fired a few short bursts from her M16 to keep the police and guards from coming his way. There was the sound of fighting at the opposite end of the Asylum, where the League of Shadows had been fighting no doubt, removing those that had been in their ranks from the prison.
"Puddin' the presents are ready." Harley said before presenting him with a detonator.
Joker giggled, "Oh thank you, nothing like starting this year off with a blast!" He slammed the detonator and the entire side of the building exploded outward. Hundreds of inmates swarmed out from the cells as the police and guards tried desperately to stop them. Then he linked arms with Harley. "I believe it is time we end this routine, eh?"
"Right Mr. Jay!" Harley said with a giggle. "Let's bust out of this joint!"
"Eh... Harley dear, that would have worked a lot better ten minutes ago."
Batman swore as Deathstroke struck at him once again, knocking him back from an uppercut. At the same time the girl in the bat costume snapped out with a kick that surprised Deathstroke's daughter. There was a clatter as she lost her katana, then the young woman surged forward releasing a series of katas that quickly overwhelmed the younger girl.
Still, Batman was surprised as the teen managed to match and parry most of the initial volley of strikes. She was trained, at least to some level of proficiency.
"Stop worrying about her, Batman! Rose is just toying with her." Deathstroke snapped. A kick caught Batman in the side and he grimaced in pain as Deathstroke's glare hardened. "You're getting soft."
"No, just old." Batman muttered before countering another kick with a judo move that toppled Deathstroke onto the ground. There was the scrap of another blade being unsheathed and a moment later Bruce ducked below a swipe with a naginata. "You start slowing down a bit when you hit thirty."
"I didn't." Deathstroke muttered.
"Well, you're not exactly normal." Batman said as he almost tripped over the girl in the bat suit. A second later a batarang slashed through the air and caught Deathstroke's daughter in the shoulder.
With a snarl Batman rolled over the girl using her as a pivot point and lashed out with a fist that caught Deathstroke's daughter in the stomach. There was a whoosh as the girl had the wind knock out of her and she toppled.
"Rose!" Deathstroke growled.
Rose coughed as she quivered on the concrete and Batman heard a shriek of surprise as Deathstroke charged forward. The girl who had dropped in to help leapt between them, but then there was a thump as he slammed a fist into the girl's stomach. A groan came from the girl's lips as she crumpled to the ground.
"You shouldn't have done that," Batman growled.
A sonic boom echoed overhead and Deathstroke glared at Batman. "A draw, I can live with that. Until next time," He hurled a set of smoke bombs, filling the alley with thick smoke. As it began to clear, Batman glanced back and scowled. All three of them were gone: Rose, Deathstroke, and the copycat.
He glanced up and saw Superman slowly descending, a frown plastered on his face. "Sorry to drop in on you, but we got called in..."
Batman sighed. "I know, I was just about to call you in as well."
"So you're not mad?" Superman asked as he slowly dropped to the ground, his blue cape billowing in the wind.
Batman shook his head and shrugged. "Robin needs immediate assistance... It sounds like Plasmus is loose in the main courtyard."
"Right." Superman nodded before shooting off into the sky.
As he left Batman knelt down and picked up the batarang from the street and frowned. It was one of his that the girl had hurled at Rose. He scowled and bent down, scanning the ground with his eyes before he spotted a single strand of fiery red hair. Batman plucked it up and stuck it in an evidence bag which promptly disappeared beneath his cloak. He'd deal with her later.
Rachel swore as he shield was hammered by the beast, slamming against it again and again like a monstrous ram. She felt sweat roll down from her hairline and swore. "I can't contain it much longer!"
"I'm getting a weird reading. There's someone in that thing!" Cyborg suddenly snapped.
Raven's mind jump-started at that moment, remembering how the creature had first appeared, a man was in there, a man had woken up and screamed and then the creature had appeared. Her eyes widened, the monster was a man that was normal when asleep! She would have smacked her forehead if her hands weren't busy holding the shield in place. With her mind she reached out with her empathic senses catching a terrified mind contained within the mass of toxins and radiation.
"Calm down." Raven muttered in a monotone before reaching out with her soul-self and diving into the monster's mind. Soothing thoughts filled the creature and Raven felt the mind slowly fade before falling asleep. At that moment the monster toppled and splashed onto the ground, revealing a pale man sound asleep in the center of the mass of sludge. Raven grabbed hold of the man with her powers and held him aloft. "Cyborg, get that container he was in!"
The Cyborg scrambled through a set of windows and a second later hurtled the canister out into the courtyard. Immediately Raven tossed the man inside and slammed shut the system with her telekinetic powers. With that done, she glared at the mess of radioactive debris in the courtyard, and muttered under her breath.
"Azar... what a mess."
A second later Superman dropped into the middle of the courtyard, his gaze flicking around the group. Then it stopped on the canister. "Oh, you contained him?"
"Put him to sleep, after that it was easy..." Raven said as Superman nodded and walked over to the cargo canister.
The sound of a grapple line drew Raven's eyes up as the black form of Batman dropped into the courtyard, a gas mask over his face. Slowly he approached Robin, a radiation scanner in his hand. "2.3 Gray units currently, we need to get you decontaminated... all of you." He glanced at Starfire and frowned before measuring her. "3.1 Gray units... Koriand'r, I don't know how resistant you are to radiation, so we will be taking no chances."
"Flash is assembling a decontamination shower, just outside." Superman said. "He's probably done already."
Batman nodded before hurrying the group out the courtyard doors and onto the street where what looked like a blue tent had been setup by a still buzzing Flash. He pushed open the flap and glared at them. "Strip and shower... you will leave your costumes inside where they can be disposed."
"Oh hell no... Four teenagers, naked, in a shower. Does this sound like a good idea to you?" Cyborg asked.
Robin flushed bright red and the others shifted their feet nervously. Batman snarled at them. "A lethal dose is considered 4.5 Gray units for an adult, Robin and Starfire both have a lethal dose in their systems and that number is increasing each second they are not decontaminated. You two, have over a Gray unit each, and Cyborg, I know doesn't have that high a tolerance as he doesn't have that much biological parts left. INSIDE!"
Kid Flash and Artemis walked along the street to the front of the Asylum and both of them froze as they caught sight of Flash, Batman, and Superman standing beside a great big blue tent looking rather nervous. The both of them glanced at each other before approaching. Just as they reached the group one of the flaps opened and a clear trash bag marked with radiation warnings toppled out. Through the plastic they caught sight of the red, black, and yellow of Robin's suit, the dark navy and black of Raven's uniform, a set of purple tamaranian battle armor, and some stuff that had to be Cyborg's.
"What the hell is going on?" Wally asked. He froze as he saw Batman turn to him wearing a respirator and wave a device over him.
"You're clean... thankfully." Batman said before glancing at the trash bag. "I'd suggest staying back from that..."
"Someone released Plasmus in the courtyard," Flash said. "Poor guy wakes up and turns into a radioactive slime monster. The rest of your team got slimed."
"By a radioactive monster," Artemis said. "Okay... glad I wasn't with them. They will be okay? Right?"
"We'll find out soon enough." Batman said. "Flash, I need four bottles of red wine, if you can get it non-alcoholic, good, if not... We'll have to ignore a little bit of the law. I have some Protectan, but it works better with red wine and will help flush out their systems."
"Red wine helps with radiation, who knew?" Flash said before disappearing down the street.
"I knew," Batman muttered.
"Okay, so they get to drink... What the hell?" Artemis said before crossing her arms over her chest. "Wait... if that's their stuff and that's a decontamination shower... EWW!"
"OH GOD!" Wally said and shook his head. "That's just disgusting!"
"WE KNOW!" Robin shouted from inside the tent. "And they won't let us out until ever last bit of us is totally prunified."
"Robin, what is this prunification you speak of?" Starfire asked.
Wally and Artemis glanced at each other before bursting into laughter.
Mount Justice, Happy Harbor
January 28th 2011, 11:00 EST
Kaldur rubbed his forehead as the Zeta tube activated. Overhead imagery and news feeds from Gotham floated, the holographic projectors filled with data and information. A complete list of the escaped convicts appeared alongside a picture of the now smoldering hole that had been one entire side of the Asylum.
The Zeta Tube hummed to life and he glanced up just in time to catch Green Lantern step through. As the light from the device died Green Lantern walked over to the controls and tapped in an input code.
"How are they?" Kaldur asked quietly.
"Alright, Batman got some anti-radiation drugs in them and had them in the decontamination shower pretty fast, but it'll be a couple hours before we know the full extent of the symptoms from the exposure." He brought up a file and pursed his lips as information on Tamaranian physiology flashed up. Lantern skimmed it for a moment before scrolling down, searching for something. "Though I think, aside for Koriand'r, they're more embarrassed then actually hurt."
"Starfire is hurt then?"
Green Lantern shrugged his shoulders, "That's what I'm trying to find out... What I meant though, was that she's probably not as embarrassed. Alien Culture, powers based on skin exposure, and well... being a slave would probably make her less likely to be embarrassed."
Kaldur nodded. "I can understand that, she is certainly a different sort of person. In some ways she's like M'gann, in others... she's very different."
Green Lantern stopped for a moment and sighed as he read the information. "Well, that's about what I thought... Starfire is almost immune to radiation, as her body converts it into green energy."
"Fascinating," Kaldur said. "Are you going to tell Batman she doesn't need it?"
"No, just because she's not in danger doesn't mean she can't expose others until she has been decontaminated," Green Lantern said. He stopped as a subspace message lit up the display board. "Huh, Centauri Police just put out an alert for a Tamaranian thief. I guess I should help, as we are neighbors."
"It's not Starfire, is it?" Kaldur asked.
Green Lantern shook his head, "No... It couldn't be, could it?"
"True," Kaldur said. "Good luck out there."