Judgment
Part 2
[All standard disclaimers apply.]
Starfire and Nightwing left for Tamaran, leaving Jaime temporarily in charge of the team. Jaime had been surprised by the honor but willing to take on the challenge. Gar stated that as the longest serving member of the Titans that he should have been in charge but was quickly talked down. No one could take the idea of Beast Boy in charge of the Titans seriously. Damian and Raven threw their support behind Jaime. Donna and Bart soon fell in line.
Things were slow in Jump City.
Hive was still regrouping after the death of Brother Blood. They had a run-in with a crazy criminal named Mad Mod that was more bizarre than dangerous. Their encounter with Dr. Light was so routine that Jaime joked that he was going to log it as a training exercise.
One afternoon the Titans were responding to a robbery downtown. Robin was glad for the opportunity to tangle with even ordinary human criminals. He quickly took note of the situation from a nearby rooftop.
A group of four armed robbers were emerging from a jewelry store. They were randomly firing into the nearby crowd, sending the frightened Saturday afternoon shoppers scurrying for cover. It was a wonder that someone hadn't been seriously injured or killed by their recklessness.
"Take them down," Blue Beetle ordered as the armor on his right arm morphed into a large gun. "Now."
"Whatever you say, boss," Impulse said as he adjusted his goggles. He was grinning as he disappeared a swirl of wind. Wonder Girl wasn't far behind him.
Beast Boy as a green eagle charged forward. Raven, with her hood up and hands glowing with magic, followed after him. Robin pulled out a grappling gun and swung down toward the street.
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Robin had subdued his robber and handcuffed him to a streetlight. He noted that Beetle and the others all had their criminals in hand as well. It was a quick mission but it was going to be a successful one.
Out of the corner of his eye, Robin saw a figure come to the doorway of the jewelry store and stop. Robin turned and realized that they had a fifth robber. The guy shakily pulled a gun and pointed it at Beast Boy.
Robin grabbed a batarang. "Stop! You don't need to hurt anyone!"
"Just-just let me go! Just let me go, man!"
Beetle's cannon charged. "Put the gun down!"
The man whirled, pointing the gun at Beetle as he faced him. "Just let me go!" he begged. "You got the others. Just let me go!"
"Put down the gun," Raven urged. "You just need to put down the gun."
The man whirled again. He blanched when he saw Raven. "What the hell are you!"
Robin saw that his hand was tensing. He threw the batarang, intent on knocking the gun out of the man's hand. But the gunshot rang out before the batarang found its mark and the gun fell to the ground.
The robber whimpered as he held his wrist to his chest. Then he shouted as Beast Boy as a tiger knocked him to the ground. Beetle stood beside the green tiger, pointing a glowing cannon at the would-be robber.
"Stay down," Blue Beetle ordered.
Robin heard sirens in the distance. Soon they could turn these robbers over to the authorities and get back to the Tower. He went to retrieve his batarang when he heard a woman wail.
He turned and saw an older woman across the street holding a young boy. She was shouting in a mix of English and another language. Then Robin saw the growing pool of blood under the boy.
"Raven!" Robin called as he raced across the street.
The boy looked up at Robin with wide eyes as the hero knelt beside him. The woman glared. "You did this."
"Let me help," Robin said as he pulled first aid supplies from his utility belt.
"You did this," the woman said again in halting English as she continued to glare at Robin.
"Nana," the boy said, placing a blood-streaked hand on her arm, "let him help."
The woman pressed her lips together in disapproval but leaned back to give Robin some space. Robin nodded and turned his attention to the wound. The bullet had caught the boy high in the thigh. There was a lot of blood on the sidewalk. But the steady jet of blood coming out of the boy's leg suggested an arterial bleed. If the boy didn't get help soon, he was going to bleed out here on the sidewalk.
"I've called 911," Raven said as she appeared at his shoulder. "An ambulance is on its way."
"Good," Robin said. "Do you think you can help?"
Raven nudged him out of the way. She studied the wound for a moment before placing gauze in Robin's hands and pressing it over the wound. "Keep holding pressure."
She placed her hands above Robin's. "This may sting," she told the boy.
Her hands began to glow with her magic.
"Diabolos," the woman muttered.
"Nana," the boy chided before he hissed in pain.
Raven, with her eyes closed, frowned as she concentrated. Her hands continue to glow with her magic. Robin could feel the bleeding slow to a trickle and then stop under his hands.
Suddenly her magic vanished and Raven collapsed with a groan. Robin caught her before she crashed to the blood-covered sidewalk. He breathed a sigh of relief when her eyelids fluttered and she stirred back into consciousness.
"Are you okay?" Robin asked.
She nodded. "I couldn't fix everything but I was able to do enough until the ambulance gets here."
Raven flinched when the boy suddenly grabbed her hand. "Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome," she replied with a rare smile.
"Children of the devil!" the old woman exclaimed, making the sign against evil at Raven and Robin. "You did this!"
The boy tried to pull the woman's arm down but she kept pointed the pair. "You hurt my boy. You pay!"
"Nana, no!"
The woman began to chant in a foreign language. Robin felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Raven tried to throw up a shield but it was weak and failed to cover both of them.
As she finished, the woman lowered her arm with a triumphant smile. "I curse you, diabolos. I curse you."
"You know nothing of devils," Raven muttered. "Consider yourself lucky."
The paramedics arrived, diverting the woman's attention back to the boy. Robin pulled a still weak Raven to her feet and away from the scene. He helped her across the street back to the others.
They all gave their reports to the authorities. Raven had to give an additional report, detailing her healing of the boy and the seriousness of his wound. By the time the scene was cleared and the team was given the okay to leave, they were told that boy was in surgery but expected to recover.
"Okay, team, good job," Beetle said. "Let's go home."
