Titans with a Plan
Had to hand it to the Jump City police, they knew how to block off an area. When you think about it, a mall is so much harder. Here, they had streets cut off, barricade stands, and some eyes on rooftops, some with sniper scopes. You would think they had this covered.
Apparently, someone among them thought that the Titans were best suited for this job, though. Why reach out? Why give them a call?
Those were questions for Red. The only question Wonder Girl wanted to answer was where was Ravager and how soon would her fist meet his face?
With maybe the exception of Kid Flash, they had flown in. As her armor-booted feet touched down on pavement, a green bird shifted back into the form of Beast Boy while their local speedster seemingly appeared out of nowhere to her left.
She could feel the eyes on her. The armored blonde did not need to be a mind reader to know many of those eyes didn't want her or the others to be there. Well, tough shit. They got the call so here they were. Deal with it. Now, let's get down to business.
Up ahead, she spotted a…vaguely familiar face. Once she was the right distance, she recalled that that particular officer was the one that Red had been speaking to after the mall incident. That guy was here too, huh. What was his name again? She'd figure it out later.
Since he wasn't in the same uniform as most of the others here were, wasn't in any SWAT gear, but did have a bulletproof vest on, he might have been a different kind of cop. A detective maybe? That was a dress shirt he was wearing under the vest. Again, most of her exposure to cops was from TV, so who knew how accurate that was. Anyway, that guy, cop or detective, who cared, spotted them now and when they were within range, offered the only greeting so far.
"You came."
"We got the call, didn't we?" Wonder Girl quipped in reply. Not interested in butting heads too much, she put her eyes on the construction site itself. "What's the skivvy?"
She could almost hear the grimace. "Would rather none of you be here. It's just one man, but he resembles the description of the terrorist that attacked that rally early today."
Ravager. Already figured, but at least the cops could give that confirmation. "Right. We'll go in."
"Wait. Wait. Just the three of you?"
Now, and only now, did Wonder Girl favor this cop with a look. "We got a plan. Rest of us are heading around the back, so to speak. We're going in the front and getting his attention."
"You don't know what the situation is in there," the cop asserted.
"Sounds like you don't either. This guy is gonna gun for us first. We'll keep his attention on us, you make sure he doesn't get out," the armored blonde replied. "You got a bunch of snipers around this place, right? You can keep him pinned in there with us until it's all finished."
Not waiting to hear a reply—there was one, but she ignored it—Wonder Girl marched forth, her two fellow Titans following her.
"You handled him," Kid Flash praised.
"Get your head in the game. We're about to take on the guy who took you out twice," Wonder Girl said.
"Yeah." And suddenly the speedster sounded serious, punching a fist into his palm. "He's not getting a third."
"Third time's the charm," Beast Boy agreed.
Past the barricades they walked, ducking under, jumping over, or walking around the last barricade, the three of them set foot onto the site itself. It was going to be a tall building, that was for sure; scaffolding framed everything from the base up and it looked like they were putting on the exterior walls. The higher you went, the more of the inside you could see until it was a skeleton of steel beams.
Up there, right up there on what looked like the tenth floor, someone was peeking out from among that steel skeleton. It was hard to make any details from down here; it would have been much easier if whoever it was was on the third floor instead. Still, she figured it was Ravager; who else would it be?
"I'll go up," the armored blonde said, her head craned back. "Beast Boy, watch my six, Kid Flash, head in and hit him hard once the fighting starts."
"Wouldn't he know Kid Flash is here?" Beast Boy asked.
"Of course he does. He probably can see the three of us down here with binoculars or something. That's why I'm drawing his attention, you are going to help, and once he's distracted, Speedy here is going to go for the takedown. The faster we get this over with, the sooner we end this bullshit." That was the best plan she had and she was going to follow through with it. Without waiting, Wonder Girl began her assent, flying up to meet with their would-be killer.
There was one thing she was right about. It was the tenth floor that her target was waiting on, and once she was close enough, the blonde could make the confirmation. Silver, black, and why the red? Sure, the boots were good, but the crotch area? Made him look a little gaudy.
But that shit-eating smirk was there. Oh, he knew they would show up. "I thought you'd make it here faster," Ravager called out, his hands on his hips and his posture lazy. "After last time, it took, what, a couple minutes. Slowing down already?"
"That's rich, but then again, you seem like the kind of guy who would have the problem of coming too soon," Wonder Girl shot back.
If nothing else, that wiped the shit-eating grin off. Hey, she didn't even have to use her fists this time. "I nearly forgot what kind of mouth you have. Thanks for the reminder. Perhaps I can find a better use for it."
"No thank you. I have standards." Her hands were balled into fists as she was now level with the masked asshole. He stood, she hovered, but that wasn't going to last long. Vaguely, she heard the sound of wings flapping, so Beast Boy had caught up. Kid Flash had more than enough time to get into position. "I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of seeing your stupid face. Let's make this the last time."
Damn it, that grin was back. "Now you're reading my mind. Let's."
As if that was all she needed, Wonder Girl launched herself at Ravager, armed cocked back and fist flying forth.
Starfire was aware that her orange skin and hair would make her stand out among the drab-colored structures that composed the city. She kept out of sight, waiting and watching, knowing what to listen for that would indicate her group's signal to take action.
There it was. The sound of violence. Ravager's attention would be diverted so now they needed to do their portion.
"Raven. Terra. Our foe is occupied. Our infiltration begins now."
"I am detecting a gathering of minds on one of the upper floors, above where I sense Wonder Girl," Raven reported.
Starfire gave a nod then took the lead, flying towards the upper portion of the incomplete building. It was a web of metal alloy in the form of poles that was being staged to support a much softer earth-based material to cover up its innards. As the Tamaranean flew in from above, she was able to see a grouping of individuals centered on a mostly complete floor. Her descent began, her tense body maneuvering past the metal shafts and to the assortment of males who wore an assortment of clothing though every single one wore a small white-colored helmet on their heads.
Green eyes darted from side to side, seeking any additional threat here. It was not above Ravager to potentially use these humans as a weapon against them, perhaps a trap of sorts that would be initiated and kill everyone gathered. Ravager had no consideration for life; he was trying to end theirs was he not?
One of the captive humans spotted her, and there were murmurings. Starfire paid no attention, at first, but when she detected negativity, she found her attention drawn to the males.
"Ain't that one of those aliens? The orange ones?"
"Yeah, what the hell is that thing doing here?"
"Is it going to kill us?
"First that maniac, now this? Better off jumping!"
There were times when Starfire did appreciate ignorance. Not knowing the language might have afforded some psychological protection. However, the crimes her people committed were ones that she herself would have to rise above.
As of now, her direct assistance might prove to be more problematic. She would need to delegate the task. "I shall stand guard in the chance that we are discovered. My friends, please assist with the rescue."
She placed some distance between herself and the traumatized humans. Her friends would see to their safety and she would see to any potential interference. From the vision of the rear, this was an intelligent decision. As if sensing the incoming danger, Starfire whipped her head up then flung herself back before the familiar form of the masked female she knew as Pantha slammed down onto the floor that was still under construction.
Beneath booted feet, cracks spread out in a circular pattern and raised up fears that the damage caused could compromise the rest of the horizontal surface. At least, that was what the Tamaranean assumed from the cries and yells of the corralled humans.
Rising from the crouch she had assumed, Pantha faced off with Starfire, a small, eager smile forming on the masked female's lips. "I knew you would come. I look forward to our rematch."
Holding her arms up, Starfire protested, "Must we fight? What quarrel do you have with my friends and myself?"
The eyes, or the Tamaraean presumed they were eyes, narrowed. "Your friends are of no concern of mine. What I desire is a test of strength, and that is one only you have offered me. Fight me with everything you have and I will do the same. Know this, I will emerge victorious this time."
It took effort not to emote. The Tamaranean regarded this foe with a trace of stoicism, green eyes looking into the masked ones. So much was unknown, hidden away, and now she had to address it.
Her eyes flickered to her friends, noting where the two females were, and reached a resolution. She had said that she would stand guard, and so she would obey her own words.
"If you will not back down, then forgive me for the grievous bodily harm I will inflict upon you," Starfire warned as she settled into a defensive stance.
Armored fists swung through the air, each one being dodged though that didn't discourage Wonder Girl in the slightest. The promise of hitting that smug face was all the motivation she needed to continue pressing on and forward.
Ravager was backing further and further into the incomplete building, easily moving around all sorts of construction junk that was placed all around. Tools, cylindrical tanks, nuts, bolts, rivets, and various building supplies were dodged by the asshole, the armored blonde not really caring as she floated in the air, not even the toes of her boots scraping the floor.
Their would-be killer easily jumped over a workbench, flipping over the workstation and landed on his feet with ease. Wonder Girl didn't care as she ran through the equipment, throwing yet another punch that was swiftly dodged.
Alright, so maybe punching wasn't working here. Let's try mixing it up. The armored blonde spun her body and swung out a leg, attempting to kick the asshole, but again he ducked! Wonder Girl continued with the spin, however; she drew out her lasso, a mix of gold and red now. As she completed the first spin, she whipped the glowing lasso out and snagged one of Ravager's wrists.
Yanking back on the lasso, she pulled Ravager towards her while going back to a swift punch. Amazingly, the prick twisted around her arm and tackled her torso, carrying both of them backwards. Wonder Girl landed on her back, but pushed her legs up and threw the masked killer off of her. He went into a roll, getting onto his feet while turning on his heel. Out slid his sword and now things were becoming interesting.
Rolling onto her knees and pushing herself back onto her feet, the armor-wearing blonde held up her arms, gauntlets ready to do some blocking. That bloodthirsty grin was practically splitting Ravager's face in half as he finally went on the attack, his sword slashing through the air in the hopes of slicing and dicing her.
Her left arm jerked and blocked the incoming strike. Metal clanged against metal, and the sword pulled back into to the reverse and slashed forward once more. Down her left arm went and the gauntlet shielded her once more. The sharp edge of the sword bounced off the mystical metal, but Ravager drew the blade back and came from her right next. It was a downward slash, and up her right arm went to block.
Another reversal followed by another attacking slice. Her arm was perpendicular with that block, and then she lashed out with her left leg. The flat side of the sword was used to catch the booted foot, then a spin of the older male's body had the sharpened edge slicing from her right once again.
Wonder Girl crouched, rolling under the blade while snatching the forgotten lasso. Another pull threw Ravager off his balance, compounded with his recently missed slice making him stumble to remain standing. Pushing with her legs, the armored blonde propelled herself forward and finally got some satisfaction as she landed an uppercut into his stomach, practically lifting the man off his feet.
There was an "oomph!" and she chose to make it worse by allowing her arm to extend further and carrying Ravager higher. Once her arm could stretch out no further, momentum carried the prick over her. Ravager landed with a roll and another spin on his heel, this time the pose he took was bent and hunched, as if trying to make himself a smaller target.
He only had eyes for her, and the way his shoulders were rising and falling meant he was starting to exert himself now. She was doing better than she thought, but now was not the time for that kind of reflection.
Ravager held his sword out from his body, his grip tight on the handle and his arm tense. He was going to go in for another assault but was trying to figure out the best approach. Let him, her guard was up and so far she was holding her own. The other two were waiting in the wings, watching for their chance. Good. If they wanted to act, anytime would be good.
The slight bending of muscled legs gave away that Ravager was about to lash out. His attention was solely on her. This was a prime chance, and Kid Flash took advantage, swiping the sword out of Ravager's grasp while quipping, "No running with sharp objects!"
Red gloved fingers were still curled, as if the hand itself was still registering that it was holding something that was no longer there. The masked killer was already throwing his arm out in anticipation of another slash, but his eyes were starting to widen as he caught up with what just happened.
Far be it for Wonder Girl to answer with a lash of her own. Oh, it was so sweet as she finally connected a second punch, and joy, it was on the side of his face. Spittle flung out from his mouth, his head snapped to a side, and then the rest of his body was flung back. The welcoming embrace of a green octopus wrapped around the stunned Ravager, tentacles snaking around arms, legs, and torso, restricting movement as much as Beast Boy was able to.
"It must be real embarrassing getting your butt handed to you by a girl!" the shapeshifter taunted the second Ravager began to try and free himself. "I don't blame you, Wonder Girl really does pack a punch. Tried the knuckle sandwich yet? She's real good with those."
Not a bad idea to feed that jackass a couple more. Several more. A lot more. Just enough that he wasn't going to die from internal injuries or anything, but a broken leg or two was less than he deserved.
"I hope you save a little for me," Kid Flash spoke from her right. Hmm, she didn't jump that time; must be getting used to his random appearances. "Got to give a piece of my mind myself."
Ravager gave a snarl as he failed to free himself from the green grip of a stubborn calamari. "You are all dead," the idiot spat out. "When I—'"
"Empty threat, bragging, needing to protect your bruised ego, we've heard it all before," Wonder Girl interrupted. "We got you this time, and this time you're going to stay down. You've got a lot to answer for."
Not waiting to hear what other bullshit that Ravager might spout off, Wonder Girl charged forward, ready to put some more pain on this creep. Her arm punched out, her fist rocketing its way right for the helpless bastard, and then it abruptly came to a stop. Her own momentum almost had her flying into her fist, but she managed to keep that from happening.
Bewildered, she stared at where her fist remained, not even moving. What the hell? What now?
"I agree with maybe half of what you said, but you're dead wrong if you think you're getting any answers today."
What the? Someone else? Where?! Where the hell were they and how were they keeping her from dishing more pain on Ravager's sorry ass?
Just as quickly as her fist was stopped, a force pulled on her outstretched arm and Wonder Girl found herself being spun bodily until she was released, flying across the incomplete floor. Her heels came into contact with concrete and then dug into the horizontal surface, digging some shallow trenches as a result. Wonder Girl never took her eyes off the spot from where her charge had been stopped, and it was only because of that did she witness a black girl in a bee costume growing out of thin air.
Looking over her shoulder, the bee girl gave a taunting wink at the armored blonde. There was a rush of anger, but many painful lessons practicing with Starfire had managed to teach the blonde some restraint. A taunt was a way to make her lose control and make more mistakes. This girl, whoever she was, wanted her to charge and that would be the mistake.
Kid Flash was grabbing and pulling her out of the way just as something else clapped where she once stood. Once the disorientation was over, only then did she take in the sight of a second girl, one who was doing her best to look like an angel. Two little wings seemed to be shrinking, but maybe that was just her mind playing tricks on her.
"Aw man, there's more of you?!" Beast Boy complained, though he hadn't relinquished his hold on Ravager. "What rock do you people keep crawling out of?"
Dropping from above and landing behind both Ravager and Beast Boy, a new prick in a green coat and wielding a sickle-shaped knife answered, "The one you never looked under."
A feeling of horror washed over Wonder Girl as this new bastard went on the attack, slicing at the shapeshifter's bulbous head with lethal intent.
There was a lot to think about. With boots crunching dried grass, Red Robin led the way back to the plane, Cyborg and Miguel following in his wake.
Thanks to Cyborg, they had a recording of Abejas' place which meant there were photos that could be made from it. Simultaneously, multiple searches of anything that seemed out of place, like all the circuit boards, were being conducted and once Cyborg's software had something, they'd be able to go off from there.
This wasn't the end, though. It was just another piece of the puzzle. Even though it was tied to the events in Jump City by the thinnest of threads, a connection was still a connection and somehow they were going to have to explore it until there was nothing left. This was starting to feel like the old, old days where he had tried his hand at detective. Hopefully this time around ended better.
"So we're leaving?" Miguel asked from the back, much of him hidden by Cyborg's much larger body.
"Unless there's something else we need to look at, we need to be getting back to Jump. No sense in staying any longer than we have to," the masked teen answered, keeping his eyes peeled for where that jet had been parked. Sure, it was in incognito mode, but he was hoping that his memory of the surroundings they had left it in wasn't too degraded.
"So then what's next?" the Hispanic male asked eagerly. "Are you going to find the bad guys and beat them up?"
"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," Cyborg remarked. "I don't know about anybody here, but I'm tired of some super secret organization or cult trying to kill us."
"We need to figure out what their end game is. Don't think this is going to stop just because they get lucky and we end up dead," Red Robin cautioned, pushing aside some drooping branches from a nearby tree.
"Some kind of signal they want to make. At least it's not radiation this time. But who or what do they want to signal?" the cybernetic teen asked, stopping as a thin branch whipped into his face and he had to spit out some leaves.
That was the question, wasn't it? Another mystery, technology involved, and attempted assassination added to the mix. There were still pieces that were missing. Too many, in fact. It felt like trying to play catch up, but what were they trying to catch up to?
Who were they dealing with?
Their trek through growth and vegetation eventually brought them to an area that was vaguely familiar, and a quick command from Cyborg had the jet flickering back into sight. That was a sight for sore eyes there. The sooner they could get back to Jump, the better.
The plane's cockpit opened up, the two seats ready to be filled. Cyborg was climbing up into the front seat. Red Robin, however, knew there was one last thing that needed to be taken care of, which meant remaining on the ground and facing Miguel. The Hispanic teen was all smiles and ready to come back with them.
"Thanks for your help, Miguel," the teen vigilante said, holding out a hand to shake.
You couldn't say that Miguel wasn't sharp. It seemed he was putting two and two together, and doing it very quickly. "You're leaving me here?"
"This is your home and none of us can ask for you to come back. Whoever and whatever we're dealing with, they may be more dangerous than we know right now. We have absolutely no idea who they are and what they want, but the fact they are trying to kill us means they aren't playing around and I can't have you risk your life for us," Red Robin explained.
"I'm not some random guy, wrong place, wrong time. I can fight," Miguel argued back, keeping calm, but then again that could also mean there was simmering anger beneath the surface. Just because he did not express it did not mean it was not there.
"I know. I also saw part of round 2 with Ravager. He was holding you off. Your powers are interesting and useful, but do you really know how to use them in real combat? When fighting for your life and death a real possibility? It doesn't take much. You look in the wrong place, you don't see what's behind you, and you're down, bleeding, dying. I appreciate all you've done, I won't put you in that position."
"And if I choose to put myself in that position?" Miguel cocked an eyebrow and put one hand on his hip. "You can try to look out for me all you want, but this is my fight just as much as yours. These people came to my home, they hurt people I know and care about, and I'm not letting them get away with it. It would be better if I was with you guys when it comes to taking these people down because it won't just be you watching my back, it'll be all of the Titans, yes?"
It wasn't just that, but Red Robin didn't know how to put it into words. The relations between the Teen Titans and Jump City authorities was not only still young but tenuous. There were people like Elizabeth Alderman who were trying to sever that relationship. Miguel, as good a person as he was, had one piece of baggage that if it came out could cause more damage than what his powers could bring to the table.
There had been background checks. The second Red Robin had learned that Miguel came from El Chilar, Mexico, he had run a check for border crossings. There was nothing, no passport identification, no documentation, no anything that suggested there was a legal crossing. With how things were in the U.S. regarding immigration, too many people would focus on that part and ignore any contribution that Miguel could offer.
At the end of the day, Miguel had illegally entered the country and that was the kind of thing that Alderman would certainly put on blast. It was a shame too. With some training a la Starfire, who knows what kind of fighter, or better yet hero, Miguel could become. Those purple bricks of his had a lot of uses, both offensive and defensive.
But how could he explain all of that to Miguel without leaving hard feelings? He wasn't Batman who was going to tell him to knock it off and stay home. He was now Red Robin of the T.I.T.A.N. Initiative, and the part about training the next generation of superheroes was something he had come to see as necessary. Too many times had he ended up fighting other teens around his age who had already been recruited by less than stellar, evil organizations with some malevolent agenda.
Why let the bad guys get their hands on every young metahuman and twist them into weapons to hurt others? Why hand the victory to those people on a silver platter?
Before he could go further and put those thoughts into words, Cyborg spoke up from the cockpit. "Hey Red, I just got an alert from the Tower. Something's going down and the rest of the Team is going in. Got confirmation that Ravager's involved. We gotta go, and go now."
Shit. Now—wait, where was—oh no, Miguel was taking advantage of his distraction to climb into the second seat behind Cyborg. "You heard the man," the Hispanic teen said cheerfully. "No time to mess around. Hop on in and let's go!"
Ah, and that was perhaps the true reason for leaving Miguel behind. He didn't want to sit in the guy's lap on the return trip. It just wasn't comfortable, okay?
Now he was really regretting not going the Batman route right now.
