"ENOUGH!" yelled Miss Martian. She quickly uses her mind powers to remove and destroy the black collars, allowing the trio to return to normal. Their clothes instantly change into a dark brown jacket and a color coded hoodie.
"Ugh. What happened?" groaned the girl.
"You were under the influence of some dark energy before I freed you," answered M'gaan.
"Who are you guys and why did you want to kill us?" asked Wonder Girl. "We're only here to help."
"I'm Raya," said the girl with a red hoodie.
"I'm Raymond," said a boy with a green hoodie.
"And I'm Zane," said the other boy with a blue hoodie.
"We're Dick Grayson's imaginary friends," they said in unison.
"Wait a sec. Nightwing still has imaginary friends?" asked Robin.
Raya squints her eyes and walks towards Robin. Her eyes widened when she suddenly realized who it was. "Timmy? Is that you? You look older the last time we've met."
Robin's eyes widen in confusion and his body temperature rose. "I've never met you before and please don't call me Timmy," he stuttered because he can see Wonder Girl raised an eyebrow at him. She then giggles which made him blush. Superboy crosses his arms and raises his eyebrows at the secret couple in confusion.
"Look. Do you guys know how to find Nightwing or not?" asked Robin who pinched his temples.
"I think that maybe he's in the circus or Wayne Manor. We'll go to Wayne Manor first since it's closer. If he's not there, then we'll go to the circus," said Zane before he and the other redheads start walking. "Come on! It's a long way to the mansion."
At the same time, Aqualad secretly whispers to Miss Martian to telepathically link the Team but not the red-haired trio just in case. The Team catches up to the trio.
"I'm not sure we can trust them since they admitted to trying to blow us up," said a skeptical Lagoon Boy who turns to Miss Martian. "Can't you probe their minds, angelfish?"
Superboy clenches his fist and glares at Lagoon Boy.
"La'gaan, you know why I can't do that anymore," said Miss Martian. "Besides I can tell that they're truly sorry although-"
Raymond stops in his track to interrupt them when he notices that the Team's silence. "Ahem. Are guys having a psychic conversation? Because that's really cool and really rude..."
The Team looks at each other nervously before Miss Martian sighs and says, "We don't know whether we should trust you guys since you admitted to trying to blow us up earlier. Besides, I was telling the others that not only can I sense that your apology was real but that there's some bitterness and anger as well."
"We want to explain along the way but we only know who half of you guys are," answered Raya. "Do the others already know about his secret identity?"
"They were going to find out eventually," said Robin. "Miss Martian, can you link the redheads with the Team?"
"Can you hear me?" asked Miss Martian.
The trio was amazed by this and answered yes in unison. After The Team introduces themselves and their real names, the expanded search party resumes walking towards Wayne Manor.
"Do you remember what happened before you were mind controlled?" asked Miss Martian.
"Someone named Talon promised to return everything back to normal if we killed you guys," answered Zane.
"But why?"
"I'll start from the beginning," says Raya. "Despite being friends with the lovely performers in Haly's Circus, Dick felt lonely from being in a circus that traveled around the world so he created me when he was 3. When he was 4, Raymond and Zane were created because he wanted more."
"You all have red hair..." commented Batgirl.
"Yeah like you, Roy, and Wally," answered Zane. "He had a thing for red hair for some reason."
Batgirl and Kid Flash briefly glanced at each other.
"His cousin, John Grayson, same name as Dick's dad by the way, said that Dick was getting too old to have imaginary friends. He joked that we should be given to either a foster home for imaginary friends or to 4 year old Timmy who-"
"It's Tim, not Timmy," groaned Robin who facepalmed.
Raya sighed. "-Got an autograph and picture from Dick and his parents. That was like an hour before everything changed. A Gotham City mobster named Zucco tried to extort money from Mr. Haly, the circus owner. When Mr. Haly refused, Zucco secretly ordered his men to sabotage the trapeze and make it look like an accident. Dick's family died in that incident except his uncle who became paralyzed for life."
There were gasps from those who didn't know. "Tim was in the audience and so was billionaire Bruce Wayne."
"Robin, I'm so sorry," said a wide eyed Wonder Girl as she puts her hand on his shoulder.
"Mr. Wayne took Dick in and eventually, Dick became Robin after he found out that Bruce Wayne was Batman."
For those who didn't know about the Batfamily's identities, that revelation was more shocking than the fact that their leader saw his parents get killed.
"One of Dick's first missions was successfully taking down Zucco. Unfortunately, the hero life distracted him from me, Raymond, and Zane. One night, he appeared to us in his dream and give us superhero outfits so that we could have all these adventures together and not feel lonely. We can change between our superhero outfits and civvies by saying these magic words."
The trio stops to face the Team. "Get your cape on!" they say in unison. Their entire bodies and clothes instantly turn iridescent for a few milliseconds. Their superhero costumes were exactly the same as their evil costumes, except for a few differences: their helmet-like masks now has a white skull, but without a lower jaw; the gloves don't have sharp golden claws; and each redhead has a small shoulder bag that looks like a toy elephant.
"He even gave us and himself circus themed superpowers that are weaker when we're in civvies. We all have the powers of enhanced acrobatics, flight, and physically and telekinetically lift stuff 10 times our weight as well as 2 extra powers. I can manipulate food and make inorganic objects as elastic as taffy. Raymond can manipulate bubbles and water. Zane can manipulate fire and sounds. Dick can manipulate darkness and light. He created a whole new world called 'Jump City,' an ever expanding microcosm of the places he's been to and his experiences. Whenever we have time together, the four of us sometimes would have secret adventures until HE showed up."
Raya bitterly points her finger at Wally.
"Dick became friends with HIM and eventually other superheroes. As time passed, we spent even less together. Jump City became darker and we wondered around unnoticed. Then the lightning strikes happened...Dick was m- our whole world...You never forget kids like Dick, but they forget you..."
Wally tells the trio, "Guys. We didn't know. We're really are sorry for everything, especially me. I promise that we'll make sure Dick remembers you guys. It's the least I can do."
"We'll believe it when Dick accepts your apology," said a scowling Raya as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Robin felt awful because he now knew that his stepbrother was once a happy kid. The search party comes across a bunch of memory orbs that were colored red, green, blue, purple, and yellow. Raya comes across a faded yellow memory orb and picks it up. The orb shows Dick flexing and looking at himself at a floor mirror on his 19th birthday before putting on a tank top.
"Cousin John would be so jealous right now of Dick's height and good looks," said Raya who gave a sad smile.
"Don't forget his muscles and butt, Raya," said Raymond in a mischievous tone while elbowing her because he wanted to cheer her up.
"Shut up, Raymond," said Raya who gives a weak smile. Batgirl and Zatanna slightly blush at the thought of Nightwing's sexy physique. Robin cringes because he's embarrassed by how his big brother being treated like a piece of smoking hot eye candy, especially when he notices that Wonder Girl was slightly drooling. Raymond magically makes an elephant shaped bag appear out of thin air and uses the trunk to suck up another orb like a vacuum cleaner.
"What? It's imaginary," he says to the confused Team members. He, Zane, and Raya do the same thing with a few other yellow orbs which symbolize joy. "We've been collecting happy memories we like into a bottomless bag for a long time now. I think that if we give these to Dick, he'll be back to normal."
The search party walks for a few more minutes before finally reaching the gates. "We're here," said Robin. He opens the gates as the search party approaches Wayne Manor. Those who didn't know Batman's identity were dumbstruck by the sight. They continued to be in awe once inside where the lights were already turned on. Once everyone was inside, the doors suddenly shut themselves tight. Every entrance and window to the outside became metal. Everyone tries to blast and smash their way out with everything they got, but nothing's working.
"I don't get it. I know that none of this is real but it's not working!" complained Superboy.
"Same thing with my magic!" complained Zatanna after her magic energy blasts did no damage.
Suddenly a banner appears out of thin air above the staircase. The banner reads "Artemis this, Artemis that" in red paint.
"I don't get it. Why would Dick hate me when me, M'gaan, and Kaldur stood by him?" asked a slightly confused and scared Artemis. Dick's old childish laughter suddenly echoes throughout the manor, sending shivers down everyone's spines and making their blood run cold.
"Wh-what are you up to, Dick?! This isn't funny!" yelled Artemis.
"Not up to, Artemis. DOWN TO!" said the anonymous voice as the lights turn off. A giant spinning black portal suddenly appears in the floor, sucking the search party in. They scream as they free fall before landing on a hard surface.
"Ow. Is this the Batcave?" asked Beast Boy.
'No. Looks like the Santa Prisca cavern," answered Batgirl.
"Dick. We're here to help! Please stop this!" pleaded Kid Flash as he looks up. He immediately becomes suspicious and turns his attention to the red-haired trio. "Wait a sec. You three set this up, didn't you?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Zane.
Kid Flash walks towards the trio and stares down at them. "You couldn't kill us earlier so your new plan was to trick us with your sad story and lure us here to be destroyed so that you can have Dick all to yourself. Zane must've used his powers to make that laughing."
Artemis couldn't believe Wally's accusation. "Wally, how could you say that? M'gaan already sensed that they're not blood thirsty monsters."
An enraged Raya takes out her sword and points it at Kid Flash. "Take that back right now, Kid Mouth! Besides, you're the one who wanted him gone anyway!"
Artemis and Aqualad try to restrain Wally while Raymond and Zane try to restrain Raya. "At least I don't act like I'm the only one who misses him!" retorted Wally.
"YOU can't understand how I feel because I was there for him first!"
Wally sighs and pinches his temples. "Ok, look. I'm sorry for what I just said earlier. I don't want to fight you, alright?"
But Raya doesn't believe Wally's words. "Oh, I wouldn't want to fight me neither," growled Raya who levitates Artemis, Aqualad, Raymond, and Zane out of the way so she can exact her revenge on Wally.
Raya throws an escrima stick at Wally's head but Wally dodges it with his superspeed. Raya then throws her knives at Wally, but he dodges them with his superspeed again. Wally charges at Raya, sending her against the rocks. Wally grabs a few rocks just in case she charges at him again.
"Raya, stop it!" yelled Wally. "You're acting crazy."
"I... don't... care!" yelled Raya before transforming the blade portion of her sword into retractable chains to wrap tightly around Wally's body. "I won't let you take Dick away from me, Raymond, and Zane again!"
Raya lashes energy waves through the chain towards Wally, causing a huge explosion and sending Wally flying and slamming against the rocks.
"I never asked for any of this," said Raya as she starts weeping. "I never asked to be imagined!"
"Raya," whispered an injured Wally.
M'gaan steps in between Wally and Raya, and spreads her arms out. She pleads, "Raya, please, no more! I know you're upset, but nobody's going to take Dick away from you again once we find him. Trust me."
"WHY SHOULD I?!" she shouted at the top of her lungs as she clenched his fists. Her voice echoed through the cavern. "Flash Boy ruined our lives: me, Raymond, Zane, and then Dick."
Raya pauses briefly. "I hate him! I hate him!" Raya pants briefly. She then throws her arms up and down and pulls at her hair ranting, "I feel like I'll never be happy again! And every day, it just gets worse and worse. I can't miss Dick anymore! I can't! I don't want to! Dick didn't even said goodbye and now Talon won't let me see him again."
"Did someone call my name?" asks a figure who steps out of shadows from a high place.
"Who are you and where's my brother?!" demanded Robin.
"Nice to meet you, Timothy," replied Talon who removes his owl mask. Wally, Artemis, Aqualad, Miss Martian, Superboy, Batgirl, Robin, Rocket, Zatanna, and the red-haired trio were too shocked to move when they recognize him.
"No. It can't be," said Robin. "You're Talon?"
Blue Beetle asks Robin, "Who is he, hermano?"
"Zucco," answers Robin coldly while glaring at the figure.