Barbara Gordon watched the conversation between Raven and Robin in between sips of coffee, her eyes glinting upward. The glint of the Batcomputer at her fingertips reflected across her glasses. She was beginning to become concerned. Dick's friends hadn't been as accepting of their methods as she had hoped. She pressed a button on the computer keyboard.
"This is Oracle." Barbara said. "Batman?"
There was a pause.
"Yes, what is it?"
She bit her lip, wondering how best to explain just what had happened. "I think we may have a problem with the Titans."
Batman took a moment to answer.
"What is the problem?"
She leaned back in the chair, thinking deeply. "Raven doubts our intentions." She said. "She just spoke to Dick regarding her concerns. She thinks we're overstepping our bounds."
"Just like Eren Jaeger." Bruce sounded annoyed. Barbara had to stop herself from laughing. Lately it had almost seemed to her that Batman had been obsessed with the King of the Eldians.
"Dick stood up for you, though." Barbara said. "Or tried too, at least. He's still loyal to us."
"Of course he is." Bruce said. "He never truly left us."
"What should I do about Raven?" Barbara asked.
"Let her think what she wants." Batman said, his voice cold. "As long as Dick believes in us, the others will fall in line."
…
The glow of the bat signal hit the blackened sky. Commissioner Gordon stood staring up at the night sky. Anticipating the moment when he would arrive.
And then, he came. Like always, he dropped out of the sky like a silent shadow. One moment he was not there, and the next he was.
"Commissioner."
"You're here." Gordon said, sounding a little bit relieved, as Batman strode forward onto the rooftop."
"Any luck finding Jaeger?"
Gordon sniffed. "I was hoping to ask you the same question."
"Hm." Batman said, as he peered over the edge of the building, surveying the city. "Even with the city wide surveillance system?"
"The Eldians came out of nowhere." Gordon said, unhappily. "We have cameras covering every inch of the streets of Gotham, but can't find him. His profile information was never registered into the system, and since their Island is completely off the grid we have nothing to feed into the system to try and locate him."
"But you have witnesses."
"Of the Survey Corps swinging through the City." He said. "But they're so quick and disappear so suddenly it's hard to figure out what they're doing, or where they're going." He paused. "Their gear almost seems like its better than yours."
"It's not better." Batman said, a little sharply. "They seem to have trained to move through the air more quickly. That's all."
Gordon paused, as if trying to decide where he wanted the conversation to go next.
"There's a lot of pressure on me." He said, gruffly. "To drop the pursuit of Eren Jaeger. Officers are getting harassed in the street by the public over this. It's getting way out of hand. I'm expecting a riot."
"Contact the National Guard: Have them suppress the public if necessary. We cannot allow a killer like Eren Jaeger to walk our streets. Especially when we do not understand the full extent of his powers."
"The people aren't going to like that."
"The people need to sacrifice more for the good of the city." Batman said. "The way we have."
Gordon swelled with pride.
"Once you capture Jaeger, there will be a cell in Arkham waiting for him." He said. He hesitated. "Although… The Queen Historia has stated that she will not accept him being checked in for an examination."
"She is nothing but an ignorant ruler from an irrelevant island nation." Batman said, his voice cold. "She is a stupid woman with no real power."
"I thought the same." Gordon said.
"Has she made contact with Eren Jaeger?"
"No, we're keeping a close eye on her." Gordon said. "I will say though… that arresting her might prove a bit of a problem. The public loves her."
Batman turned away.
"The public doesn't make the decisions here, Jim." He said. "I do."
…
Historia sat in her little chair, tea in hand, as she stared out over the city. She was keenly aware of the large number of Gordon's officers just outside her door. "For your protection." She was told. "It is only temporary."
She raised the cup to her lips and stared out over the city, wondering what the future would bring. She could see the crowd of people cheering her name from below. It had warmed her heart when she took note of how these people were coming out in support of them, despite the wishes of their own government. These people were not Marleyans.
Her heart ached. She wished to give a token of appreciation to these people, to show them that she valued their trust and support. If only there was something she could do…
She glanced towards the door, wondering whether the Gotham Police would be willing to deliver a message, and then back again towards the window.
A tall, dark figure was standing there over her.
She screamed, leaping backward into her chair, spilling tea all over her things as a large hand reached out and ripped her out of the chair. Historia had never been particularly large, or a good fighter. She was dragged up with a single hand and ripped from the room as the figure turned and held her over the side of the balcony.
Historia let out a silent scream as the crowd below let out a startled gasp.
"Talk." Batman said, shaking her roughly, so that her feet swung over the side of the building. "Where is Eren Jaeger?"
Historia choked: His hand was wrapped completely over her throat.
"I don't know!" She managed to get out. "Honest!"
He glared at her. His size and strength was positively alarming. Without another word he threw her back into the room. She hit the chair, gasping, as Batman strode up next to her.
"Tell me everything you know." He snarled.
Historia rubbed her neck, staring up at him fearfully. She had never been in this situation before: Ever since the Uprising, she had generally been rather well protected behind the walls. For the first time in years, she had no one.
But she had been a soldier. She got over her initial shock rather quickly, and answered relatively calmly.
"I know nothing." She said. "Batman."
She called him by his name in an attempt to make herself come off as his social superior, in the admittedly rather weak hope he would back down.
He crouched in front of her, glaring intently through the slits on his mask.
"Where is Eren Jaeger?" He repeated.
"I know nothing." She repeated herself. "Shall we continue going in circles all night, Batman?"
He punched at her. She tried to avoid it, but he was too fast. She was knocked out of the chair and toward the ground. She slammed into it like a trained soldier, which was good. Otherwise she very well may have broken her neck.
"Tell me everything." Batman growled, as he leaned forward towards her. Historia rolled over, placed her hands on her belly, and said the first thing she could think of:
"I'm pregnant."
Batman punched her again.. He truly was ruthless. She thought with a shudder. Eren had been right to dislike him.
"You will tell me everything you know." He said again. He pressed his foot against her face and she gagged as he pressed it against it, crushing her. "Where is Eren Jaeger?"
Historia couldn't breathe: The pressure was just too much. She tried to gurgle out a response, but Batman's foot was just too much for her to handle.
And then a small, gentle voice in her mind, one that she did not recognize, spoke to her. "Do not move."
A furious knocking at came at the door. Batman looked up, clearly taken aback as the door burst open. For a brief moment he released the pressure on her and stood up, hands reaching for his weapons. But there was no one there. He stared for a moment, not comprehending what he had just seen, when he glanced down. Historia had vanished.
…
Historia found herself surrounded by deep, dark shadows. They wrapped around her body completely and she sunk through the floor. She let out a surprised yell as she resurfaced, through the ceiling of the room below, and settled onto the floor.
"Silence." The voice told her again. "He may hear you."
She turned to find a rather moody faced girl, perhaps her own age, staring at her. She gestured her head upward at the ceiling. Historia, understanding, fell silent.
"I will help you escape the city." The girl told her, her blue cloak wrapped completely around her thin frame. "And do everything in my power to return you to your Island."
"Who are you?" Historia asked, warily, taking in the girl's bizarre appearance.
"I am called Raven." The girl said. "I've… been reading a lot about you." She sounded almost embarrassed. "But enough about that. You must leave this place. It is dangerous for you."
Historia shook her head. "No, I can't do that." She said. "Eren, and the others…"
"They have not been captured." Raven interrupted. "They are free. And are able to take care of themselves. You, however…" She glanced at her stomach. "I will not allow you to risk your child to try and be brave."
Historia frowned at her. "It is none of your business what I decide-"
"I'm sure." Raven said, her voice cold. "That your husband would not appreciate the baby being lost."
"We discussed the matter." Historia said. "We cannot flee the city under these conditions. The outside world will never accept us again. We must hold our heads high, and-"
Raven stepped forward. Historia found herself taking a step back. She, like Batman, was very intimidating.
"The outside world has no respect for this city." Raven said. "Do you think those people protesting out on the street are the only ones who believe you have been wronged? Come with me. I will escort you home."
She held out her hand to her. Historia found her meeting her eyes.
"You know." Historia said. "You're very cute."
And she took her hand.
…
"She's gone, Oracle."
Oracle raised her hand to her head and sighed.
"Jaeger managed to recover her?"
"It looks like that may be the case." Batman said. "There's no trace of her. He must have used his powers to make off with her."
Oracle grimaced. "So the interrogation was a failure, then?"
"It was not a failure." Batman said, a little heatedly. Oracle had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
"You just haven't succeeded yet, huh?" She asked, as she began searching through the city's surveillance cameras. "She's the most recognizable person from the Island. If she can be found, I will find her."
She was hard at work when Cyborg and Beast Boy came up from behind her.
"Any word on the Eldians?" Cyborg asked.
"None." Barbara answered promptly, her eyes never leaving the keyboard. "But Historia has gone missing."
"The queen?" Beast Boy asked, taken aback. "How?"
"We're not sure." Barbara said. "But it looks bad… we're counting on you to help anyway you can."
"I'll hit the streets." Beast Boy promised. He became a large basset hound and took off back up the stairs.
"Would my systems be able to help with that?" Cyborg asked, as he eyed the Batcomputer warily.
"Perhaps." Barbara said. "I need to comb through this footage… I'm looking for Historia, or any of the other Eldians."
"You got it."
"Happy to have you on board." Barbara said cordially, as Cyborg set himself up.
Starfire came into the cave some time later with a rather dejected looking Dick Grayson. She had been trying to convince him to walk around the Manor in uniform like he did back in Titan's Tower, only to find herself taken aback by the frenzied, sweating Cyborg and Oracle.
"How could she just disappear like this?" Barbara was saying, frustrated. "She just disappeared into thin air?"
"You know." Cyborg said, looking down at her. "The Island appeared out of nowhere too…"
Oracle looked up at him. "You think there's a connection?"
He shrugged. "Could be."
She looked down, groaning. "Well, that's better than anything I've come up with." She caught side of Dick and Starfire and gave them an exasperated look.
"Historia is missing." She said. "Can you help us search?"
Dick Grayson's melted away in an instant.
"We're on it." He said. He whipped out his Titan communicator. "Titans… Go!"
…
