M'gann held her breath as she peaked around a stone wall, silently watching as Harry played his guitar with all the careful skill of a master. Nearby, carefully hidden in the shadows, Superboy and Robin were also watching; Superboy wore his usual mask of indifference while Robin watched with a small smirk. For almost a week since Harry first arrived, the boy seemed to do everything he could to keep his distance from the team.
He'd attend training, of course, and join the others at meals, but unless he was required to be present, Harry seemed to seclude himself in his room, much to M'gann's displeasure. She knew why he was keeping his distance; Batman had made it plainly obvious when he'd told the team what had happened in Jump City, and she knew that Harry was hurting in ways she could scarcely imagine; she just wished that there was some way she could help. Even Robin seemed at a loss as to how to help his friend, and he had known Harry for years. When asked what they could do, Robin would only respond with, "He just needs time, and for us to show we're there for him."
So, M'gann had done as Robin had suggested and given Harry space to heal, though her self-control to avoid giving the boy a hug was sorely tested when she'd seen Harry return from his first therapy session with Black Canary with a heart-broken expression on his face and tear tracks on his cheeks.
M'gann had gone to Harry's room earlier, hoping he'd agree to join her and the others on a trip to the nearby mall for some team building, only to discover him missing from his room; M'gann had immediately 'rallied the troops' to try and track Harry down, worried he might have gotten injured or lost in the extensive cave system.
Especially since there were a few places that had been all but abandoned since the cave's creation and were quite dangerous. Aqualad and Kid Flash had paired up to check one side of the cave while M'gann and the rest searched the opposite side. Hedwig had taken her favorite spot on M'gann's shoulder and tagged along for the ride as they searched. The Martian girl and Harry's owl had become fast friends since being introduced, and often Hedwig could be found perched on M'gann's shoulder as the girl cooked or watched her favorite show,' Hello Megan.'
It had taken her far longer than she had anticipated to search the cave for Harry, even with Superboy and Robin helping, due to how extensive the cave actually was. The trio had almost given up when they heard music echoing from a nearby part of the cave that had been abandoned since it was first created and now stood derelict and unused.
Following the sound deeper into the cave, M'gann found herself beginning to shiver from the lack of heat in this part of the cave as the trio delved ever deeper into the dark. Finally, rounding a corner, they spotted their elusive target, and M'gann couldn't help but gasp at what she saw. Harry had been quite busy, it appeared, using the unoccupied space as his own personal sanctuary; a dozen large, powerful lamps stood on tripod stands around the area, creating a large, well-lit octagon-like area, perhaps a hundred feet from one end to the other, that seemed incongruous with the darkness of the cave system that M'gann and the others had just hiked through. Each tripod was plugged into a small, innocuous-looking box that sat nearby.
Harry's drum set was sitting in the corner of the room, with two large speakers resting on either side. Not far from the drums, an oversized black couch sat, and a stereo system was beside it. On the other side of the sofa, an extensive CD shelf rested, practically spilling with every kind of artist imaginable, from Metallica to Frank Sinatra. On the far side of the room, opposite Harry's drums, an impressive keyboard sat with a small circular chair resting before it.
Harry was currently standing in the center of the room, eyes closed and with a look of concentration on his face while his fingers danced across the strings effortlessly. Like usual, Harry was dressed casually, wearing only a black t-shirt and a frayed pair of blue jeans with his all-star shoes; his hair, just as wild as always, was unbraided and whipped around his head as Harry's body swung and twisted to the movement of the song he was playing, and M'gann couldn't help but stare as the boy continued to play.
"He's incredible…" M'gann whispered, causing Superboy to grunt in acknowledgment while Robin laughed softly.
"Yeah…" Robin whispered back, "Harry's always been amazing on the guitar. That's why I know he'll accomplish his dream one day…"
As Harry continued to play, M'gann realized that she actually recognized the song Harry was putting so much passion into; it was one of the few that her Uncle J'onn would listen to with her when he came to Mars for a visit: Always with me, Always with you, by Joe Satriani.
The peaceful moment was ruined seconds later when Wally suddenly zoomed next to her and came to a sudden stop. This caused a burst of air to breeze past M'gann, almost making her cry out in alarm before she managed to clamp her hand over her mouth.
"Don't DO that!" M'gann whispered harshly as Hedwig barked in annoyance, flew off M'gann's shoulder, and disappeared into the darkness of the cave's ceiling. Wally smiled sheepishly at her before quickly apologizing.
"Sorry! I forgot that can freak some people out if they're not expecting it," Wally whispered back, "But why are we whispering?"
Rather than answer, M'gann pointed at Harry, causing Wally's eyes to widen as he saw the boy suddenly perform a backflip, landing gracefully; as the group watched the amazing acrobatic, they noticed Harry had a peaceful smile on his face and his fingers never stopping their playing.
"About time!" Wally whispered back, "I thought we'd never find him!"
"Where's Kaldur?" Robin asked,
"He'll be here in a second," Wally replied. "We'd almost given up when he heard the music coming from down here, so I decided to rush ahead and see what was going on. I'm guessing that's why you're here as well."
"Yeah," Robin nodded, "I guess this is where Harry has been going when he would disappear on us."
"Where did he get the power for all of this, is the better question," Wally said quickly as he zeroed in on the lights and instruments, "This part of the cave has been deserted almost since its creation, there shouldn't be any juice left to power any of this stuff!"
"Maybe it's magic…" Robin smirked, causing Wally to roll his eyes as Aqualad suddenly stepped out of the shadows; stepping up beside the others, Kaldur watched Harry play for a few moments before saying softly,
"He is quite good on that instrument, and his movements are all quite skillful as well."
Even Wally couldn't help but grudgingly agree as he watched Harry slowly rise into the air and continue playing, the boy's fingers flying across the strings faster than Wally would have thought possible.
As the song finally began to end, Harry slowly lowered to the floor. Thumbing the final note, Harry sunk to his knees, and his arms dropped to his sides. His face was doused in sweat, even as a happy smile spread from ear to ear.
Before anyone could make a conscious decision on what to do next, Wally suddenly strode out of the darkness and began clapping in applause; Harry, not expecting visitors, suddenly reacted, and two tentacles shot out of his back, transforming into spiked spears as they flew towards the speedster. Wally stumbled back with a cry of alarm as the spears shot at him, falling onto his butt and throwing his arm over his face as he scrunched his eyes shut, waiting for the sudden impact; when it didn't come, Wally slowly opened his eyes and peaked beneath his arm to see the spears hovering less than a foot from his face as Harry watched, breathing hard.
"S-sorry about that…" Harry gasped as the spears drew back into him. "I wasn't expecting anyone and you kind of surprised me. My protectors just reacted…"
"I forgot how much I hate those things…" Wally grumbled, slowly climbing to his feet and dusting himself off as Harry ducked under the guitar strap and took off the instrument, placing it on the stand next to the keyboard.
"You know they won't hurt you unless you do something they deem to be dangerous to me…" Harry replied sulkily, turning back to Wally and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, well… They still freak me out!" Wally countered scornfully, causing Harry to shake his head in annoyance.
As the others stepped out of the darkness, Harry suddenly seemed to grow nervous, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he shuffled self-consciously.
"What are those things?" M'gann asked, trying to break the tension,
"I, too, am curious," Kaldur asked, "I've never seen anything quite like them before…"
"I don't know what they are," Harry replied, "I just call them my protectors… So… how long were you all skulking out there for…?"
"Not long," Robin replied cheerfully, trying to quickly change the subject, much to his friend's relief, "We caught the last half of your song. Still amazing as ever, I see."
"I'm not that good…" Harry mumbled as he ducked his head, "I still have a long way to go before I'm ready…"
"What are you talking about!" M'gann cried out at once, "Harry, that was amazing!"
"Indeed," Kaldur nodded, "You showed great skill during your performance. You should be proud of such mastery."
"Um… thanks, I guess…" Harry mumbled back, turning away so that the others couldn't see his reddening cheeks.
While Harry tried to regain control of himself, Wally suddenly began to zoom around the space, taking in everything he could in a flashing streak of red and yellow before finally plopping down on Harry's couch.
"So, here's my question," Wally asked as he leaned back and placed his hands behind his head. "How did you get power to this part of the cave? Batman said that no one's been down here in years."
"It wasn't hard," Harry shrugged before pointing towards the small glowing boxes next to the tripod lamps. "I just used some of Jinx's portable power units."
In an instant, Wally had zoomed from the couch to the box, picking it up and turning it in his hands as he examined every inch of it.
"What the hell is this thing…?" Wally mumbled, "It's like no generator I've ever seen before; there's no conduit for the power to originate from! And it's producing almost three times as much power as it should! This thing shouldn't exist!"
"It's magic, duh." Harry retorted, making Wally narrow his eyes as he continued to examine the box, as though trying to disprove Harry's assertation on what the box was, "I know you don't believe in that sort of thing, but you know what they say: seeing is believing."
Wally toyed with the box for a few more moments before growling in annoyance at not being able to figure it out and placing it back on the ground beside the lamp; a second later, he was back to his spot on the couch, his hands behind his head as his brow ticked in annoyance, while Harry grinned.
"Such an amazing achievement would be of great benefit to places unable to produce such power on their own," Kaldur said thoughtfully, "I know Atlantis would greatly appreciate it if such technology were made available."
"Well, you can tell your king that when Potter Enterprises is created, he can buy as many as Atlantis needs," Harry grinned, "I'll even give him a discount if he agrees to buy in bulk."
"Potter Enterprises?" Robin asked, turning from where he'd been examining Harry's CD collection alongside Superboy.
"Yeah, that's what Raven is going to create," Harry replied. "It might take a few years, but the possibilities are endless if she can figure out a way to combine science and magic."
"A noble enterprise, then," Kaldur nodded. "I look forward to the day such a dream becomes a reality."
"So… What are you guys doing here…?" Harry asked, nervously shuffling from one foot to the other.
"We were looking for you, silly!" M'gann replied, "We were going to go to the mall and wanted to see if you'd like to join us. I've always wanted to go to a mall! We don't have any on Mars, and they always looked like so much fun!"
"Oh… That's okay…" Harry replied quickly, "You all can go without me…"
"Seriously!" Wally grumbled, "We spent all that time looking for you, and you'd rather stay locked in this depressing cave than out having fun? Enjoying your summer? Make it make sense!"
"Wally!" Robin growled back, shutting the speedster up instantly; Robin glared at his friend for a moment to ensure the censure stuck before turning back to Harry.
"Listen, Harry… I know what happened to you was awful, and I can't even begin to pretend to understand what you're going through right now. But locking yourself away and never allowing yourself to enjoy your life is no way to honor Cassie's memory."
Harry turned away at that, sticking his hands back in his pockets as he began kicking the ground.
"Robin is right, Harry," Kaldur continued. "Your friend would want you to live, not hide away, and never again experience the things she cannot."
"You're not alone, Harry…" M'gann said softly, stepping up and placing her hand on Harry's shoulder. "We're here for you and want to help... if you'll let us…"
M'gann anxiously bit her lip as she felt Harry's shoulder shake. She knew that the boy was crying or dangerously close to it, but she couldn't tell, unfortunately, because Harry's face was hidden from her and the others.
"I know you're trying to help…" Harry replied after a moment, his voice raw and emotional, "And I do appreciate it, I really do! I just… I just don't think I'm ready to go out there…"
"Then let us help you…" M'gann replied softly, "That's what friends are for, after all!"
Harry took a deep breath at that, and M'gann braced herself for another dismissal; when he finally turned back toward her, tear tracks ran down his cheeks, which he quickly wiped away with the back of his hand.
"Okay… I guess I could try…"
M'gann's smile was almost as bright as the lamps, at that. She quickly picked Harry up in a hug and spun him around as she giggled gleefully; a moment later, she realized what she was doing and quickly set Harry down before backing away with a look of embarrassment.
"Um… S-sorry about that…"
"That's okay," Harry smiled, "Starfire's a hugger, too, so I'm used to it."
"Can we go already?" Wally complained loudly. "We've already wasted enough time looking for you. I don't want to waste the rest of the day, too!"
"Wally!" M'gann, Kaldur, and Robin all cried out in annoyance before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.
"Yes, Your Majesty, we can go now…" Harry replied with an exaggerated bow, one arm across his stomach while the other was bent behind his back, causing Wally to blow a raspberry back at him.
Before they could take a single step, however, the PA system in the cave went off, and they heard Batman's voice echo within the cave,
"All team members report to the Mission Room immediately!"
Wally was instantly on his feet with a large grin on his face as he threw his closed fists into the air,
"Yes, finally! Bats got a mission for us!"
In a burst of red and gold, Wally zoomed out of the chamber and back down the dark hallway they'd come from, leaving the others smirking—except for Superboy, who simply put down the CD he'd been looking at and glared down where Wally had vanished.
"So much for my first visit to the mall…" M'gann replied glumly, causing Harry to take her hand in his own,
"We can always go another day, and I'll come with you. Promise."
That seemed to be the right thing to say, as M'gann's eyes lit up with the promise of Harry joining the team to the mall; her blinding smile a moment later definitely made Harry think he'd said what she needed to hear, and he couldn't help but blush in embarrassment.
"Shouldn't we turn the lights off before we leave?" Kaldur asked,
"They'll turn off on their own once we're gone," Harry explained, "These ones are special and will shut off if there's no movement detected in the vicinity."
"Ingenious…" Kaldur replied, "I will, most assuredly, be informing my king about Potter Enterprises and the amazing things that will one day come from it."
"Um… thanks," Harry replied, blushing with embarrassment from the praise and happy that the others couldn't see it as the group walked out of the chamber.
XXXX
Nightwing tried to breathe through what he suspected was a broken rib; as he tried to shift to a more comfortable position, Nightwing couldn't help but groan as a wave of pain rolled through him from where he lay on his side, still tied to the chair. How long had it been? Hours? Days? Nightwing could no longer tell; he'd long since lost track of time thanks to the constant agony that the Joker had subjected him to. For hours on end, Joker would use everything he could find to pummel Nightwing until the hero passed out from the pain, only to start back up again once he regained consciousness, and more than once, Nightwing found himself wondering,
"Is this what Jason went through…?"
Nightwing's once pristine black-and-blue uniform was now littered with tears and blood stains from his treatment at the Joker's hands. The rest of Nightwing's body was in no better condition than his uniform, unfortunately; his right eye was completely swollen shut, and his nose was bleeding profusely as a large purple bruise began to spread across his left jawline. The latest beating had knocked both Nightwing and the chair he was tied to the floor, resulting in Nightwing closing consciousness as his head impacted with the hard concrete.
He'd only just awoken when he felt somebody grab his chair and roughly pull it back into its upright position, making Nightwing hiss in pain. Slowly raising his head, Nightwing visibly swallowed down his growing fear as he stared at the monster before him who had already killed one Robin and seemed to be trying to replicate his earlier success.
The Joker was quite tall, though his hunched posture made him appear slightly shorter than he actually was. He was dressed in a custom-tailored purple suit that consisted of an elegant purple coat and matching pin-stipe pants kept by suspenders rather than a belt; underneath this, he wore a light grey jacket, a green vest, and a light grey patterned shirt.
His face was painted chalk white, save for the spaces around his leering brown eyes, which were painted black; his unkempt, greasy hair was spray-painted green, and a red slash of lipstick was smeared all over a thin mouth with two gruesome scars lined at the corners, which resembled a Glasgow smile.
"Thank you, Rocko," The Joker quipped at the henchman who had pulled Nightwing's chair up before turning back to the hero, twirling a battered metal baseball bat in his hands, "Still with us, bird boy?"
Rather than give the Joker the pleasure of a response, Nightwing chose instead to spit a glob of blood at the madman's feet, missing his shoes by inches as his head dropped back to his chest.
"Aww, now see, when you do stuff like that, it makes me think you're not enjoying the pleasure of my company," the Joker chuckled, putting the end of the bat under Nightwing's chin and forcing his head up, "Seems to be a theme with Batman's little birdies… The last one didn't seem to enjoy his time with me, either."
Nightwing glared hatefully at the Joker as he remembered the state Jason's body had been in when he and Bruce had found the boy; it had been the only time that Nightwing had actually considered crossing the line and putting the Joker down for good.
"Ooh, struck a nerve, did I?" Joker laughed, "Let's strike another!"
Without warning, Joker brought the bat back and swung it with all his might, slamming the metal into Nightwing's left arm with a sickening 'crack.'
As he felt his arm break, Nightwing thought his teeth would shatter from the force he was using to keep from screaming in absolute agony as Joker alternated between breathing heavily and cackling.
"You know, when I killed the last Robin, Batsy put me in a full-body cast for half a year," the Joker chuckled merrily, as though reminiscing about a fond memory. "I wonder what will happen when he loses another one? And not just any, but the first one!"
Kneeling down in front of Nightwing with the end of the bat on the ground between his legs and his hands resting comfortably on the end of the handle, Joker grinned sickeningly at the gasping teenager.
"What do you think?" Joker continued, "Will it be enough to finally break him? Or will your death mean as little to him as the first Robin whose wings I clipped?"
In an explosion of movement, Nightwing pulled his head back and slammed forward, bashing his head against the Joker's nose. The villain fell backward onto the concrete with a painful cry as the metal bat spiraled out of his grip and into the darkness of the hideout.
As the Joker slowly climbed to his feet, he began to cackle madly, quickly rubbing the blood from underneath his nose as an insane smile spread across his face.
"Atta boy! Make me work for it! It's no fun if you give up too easily!"
"F-fuck you!" Nightwing snarled, causing Joker to laugh again,
"Such a potty mouth on you, kid! I see we'll have to teach you some manners before we're through. Rocko, be a dear and go get my science kit, would you?"
As Nightwing heard the henchman step away, he couldn't suppress the tremor of fear that ran through him at the thought of what Joker had in store for him next.
"Star… Jinx…" Nightwing thought as the Joker went looking for his bat, "Anyone… Help me…"
XXXX
As the team entered the Mission Room, they could immediately tell that something was wrong; Batman was standing straight as an arrow with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Beside him, Black Canary was also waiting with an expression on her face that Harry was all too familiar with: trepidation, as though she didn't know how to say what she needed to.
As her eyes turned to Harry, her expression shifted into grief, and Harry felt his heart begin to race; what was going on? Why would she be looking at him like that? Was someone hurt? Was it Raven! Harry didn't think he could survive losing another person close to him, not so soon after Cassie!
"What's going on?" Harry asked in a small voice, "Why are you looking at me like that, Ms. Dinah?"
Batman and Black Canary shared a look at that, and the team saw Batman nod before pulling his cape around him.
"We thought you should hear it from us," Black Canary said softly, "Nightwing has gone missing…"
"What!" Harry cried out in alarm, "When!?"
"He disappeared four days ago while on patrol, according to Starfire and Jinx," Batman replied, "Jinx managed to use her magic to track down where he was attacked, but all they managed to find was a few spots of blood… as well as a…"
Whatever else they found seemed too difficult for Batman to get out of, and the team watched in alarm as the hero took a deep breath and seemed to require physical effort to release his growing anger.
"They also found a playing card," Black Canary finished, causing Harry's knees to buckle under him as he realized who had taken his surrogate older brother; beside him, Robin and Wally were quickly growing pale as they realized it as well. Kaldur and M'gann gasped in shock while Superboy's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"No…" Harry whispered as he stared at the ground from where he was kneeling, "Please no…"
Black Canary immediately jumped into action and kneeled in front of the boy, taking him into her arms as Harry repeatedly whispered pleas.
"You're going to find him, right?" Robin asked as Black Canary helped Harry to his feet. " Before it's too late?"
"The League has made this a top priority," Batman growled, "We're tearing Bludhaven apart one block at a time to find Nightwing."
"That's not good enough!" Harry snarled, his anger brushing away his grief as he shoved past Black Canary.
"And what exactly do you think we should do instead?" Batman demanded as he towered over Harry.
"We both know that the Joker wouldn't have kept Nightwing in Bludhaven!" Harry retorted, "The risk of getting caught is too great, and he would want to 'play with his food' for a little while."
The rest of the team all paled at the implication of what Harry was saying, and Batman's eyes narrowed angrily at the truth in the words.
"You should be tearing apart all of the Joker's old hideouts!" Harry continued, "Or make that bitch Quinn tell you where he is!"
"Harry! Language!" Black Canary said quickly, placing a calming hand on the boy's shoulder, "I know you're upset, but we're doing all we can to find him before it's too late."
"Which is nothing!" Harry snarled, spinning on his heel and throwing off Black Canary's hand as he turned to face her.
"I've already spoken to Quinn," Batman growled, "She's had no contact with the Joker in nearly six months since she was last captured."
"And you believe her!" Harry cried incredulously, turning back to Batman, "Everyone knows her whole life revolves around that crazy bastard!"
"She knew nothing," Batman said in a way that ensured Harry knew how 'vigorously' Batman had questioned Harley Quinn.
"So, how do we help?" Robin asked, stepping forward and making Batman turn to him in surprise, "Am I right to assume that the first mission you have for us is to help find Nightwing?"
"No!" Batman snapped at once, causing Robin and Harry to take a step back, "None of you are ready to face the Joker! And none of you are to go near this case! Is that clear?!"
"If you didn't want us to be a part of it, then why tell us at all?" Wally demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I felt it was better you knew before finding out some other way… Especially if we can't find Nightwing in time."
"Don't say that!" Harry shouted, springing toward Batman with a raised fist as though to strike the hero; Robin managed to grab the arm and twisted it behind Harry's back as he held his friend back, while Batman watched with narrowed eyes.
"You are all to remain in the cave until further notice," Batman growled, "If anyone leaves, they can officially consider themselves off the team. Is that clear?"
The team stared at Batman in shock, save for Superboy, who looked furious with the order. Harry looked like he wanted to break Batman's nose and struggled even harder to break free from Robin's grip while Black Canary watched with a sad expression.
Casting one final glance at the team, especially Harry, Batman stepped past the group and walked out of the Mission Room; once he was gone, Robin released his hold on Harry, and the boy angrily rubbed his wrist as he stared at Robin with a betrayed expression.
"I know you all want to help," Black Canary said softly, making the team turn to her, "But the Joker is far beyond any of you at the moment, he would undoubtedly kill you."
"So, we're just supposed to sit here and do nothing while he kills another Robin!" Harry demanded, making both Black Canary and Robin pale.
"The League is doing everything it can to stop that from happening," Black Canary said, her voice growing stern, "I'm going to go help search, but I can't do that if I have to worry about you disobeying an order, Harry. So, I'm asking you to promise me that you will stay here and not go looking for the Joker."
Harry stared silently at the hero for a moment before finally nodding his head in acceptance, causing Robing to stare at his friend with surprise. Sighing in relief, Black Canary placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed momentarily before stepping away and following Batman.
Once she was gone, Robin turned back to Harry with a sly expression on his face,
"So, how long are we waiting for them to be gone before we head to Gotham?"
Harry grinned back at his friend and raised his left hand from behind his back, showing his crossed fingers as M'gann gasped,
"You're actually going?"
"Of course!" Harry retorted, "Nightwing and the Titans are my family! They all but raised me, and I won't abandon him just because Batman doesn't like Metas in his city!"
"But… But you heard Batman! If we go to Gotham, he'll kick us off the team! And if I get kicked off the team, I'll have to go back to Mars!"
"We won't let that happen, babe!" Wally grinned. "Team or no, we'll look after you!"
"Wally's right," Harry replied, "If you want to stay on Earth, then we'll make sure you do. Friends look after one another, remember?"
M'gann smiled happily at that as the others nodded in agreement; even Superboy seemed to agree, though it was hard to tell through his perpetual scowl. He and M'gann had started off on the wrong foot when she had accidentally communicated telepathically with the team, inadvertently sending Superboy into a rage due to his own issues with telepaths.
"Besides," Harry continued, "If being on this team means that we abandon everything that makes us heroes, then I'd rather be kicked off. We don't need this team to be heroes, and we don't need Batman's approval, either! And if he kicks us off the team, then we'll just form our own!"
"I cannot believe I'm saying this…" Wally groaned, resting his hands on his hips and looking up at the sky, "But I agree with Harry here. Heroes don't abandon their fellow heroes, and Nightwing needs our help right now. So, let's stop talking and go find him!"
"How do we complete such a task, though?" Kaldur asked, his arms crossed over his chest, "We have no way of knowing where the Joker might have taken Nightwing, and Batman has already stated that he's spoken to Harley Quinn and that she knows nothing."
"So, we go talk to her again!" Robin spat. "She could at least put us on the correct path!"
"I've got a better idea…" Harry replied after a moment of silence, a grin beginning to spread across his face, "Maybe we can ask someone who's almost as crazy for help…"
"Who?" Robin asked before his eyes lit up in understanding, "Oh no! Not that nutcase! The last time you asked him for help, I ended up wearing pink Barbie makeup for two days!"
"It wasn't that bad!" Harry defended while Wally guffawed at the mental image,
"Two. Days." Robin growled, "It wouldn't come off! No matter how hard I scrubbed!"
"This mysterious individual sounds almost as bad as the Joker," Kaldur smirked, "Who is he?"
"His name is Lunatic," Robin growled, causing Wally to freeze in place, "And he's just that! A frigging madman!"
"Oh no, not him…" Wally groaned, "That freak chased me down five blocks on a go-kart once, tossing turtle shells at me the whole way!"
"Yup, that sounds like Looney," Harry laughed, causing Wally and Robin to glare at him, neither noticing that M'gann had turned away to hide her laughter nor that Kaldur seemed to be struggling not to do the same.
"Look," Harry retorted, "The truth is that the only person crazy enough to equal the Joker is Looney! He's also the only one in Gotham City, besides Batman, who is not afraid of making an enemy of Joker. So, if we want to find Nightwing before it's too late, he's our only choice! Unless you all have a better idea?"
Robin and Wally looked pleadingly at each other for a moment before both released a sigh of annoyance while the rest of the team watched expectantly.
"Let's just get this over with…" Wally groaned,
"Yeah, agreed." Robin added, "So, how do we do this? Do we go to his house or…?"
"Actually, his house got blown up," Harry stated, "I thought I'd just call his cell phone…"
"He has a cell phone?" Wally asked in surprise,
"His house got blown up?" Robin cried out in shock.
"Shush!" Harry snapped as he pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and turned on the speaker so they could all hear. The number rang twice before someone finally answered, and Harry couldn't help but smile as he heard his friend's voice.
"Harry! Que pasta, my friend!"
"Hey, Looney," Harry replied, "Are you busy?"
"Not at all! Just playing some Tetris!" Looney's voice replied jovially; a moment later, the team heard a different voice scream out,
"Stop! That's not supposed to bend that way! Aaagh!"
The team all seemed to pale as one at that, except for Harry, who just closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation before asking in a weary voice,
"Looney… Are you playing Tetris with Luthor's goons…?"
Silence came across the line for several moments before Lunatic's voice replied,
"Maaaaaaybe…."
Another scream of agony echoed through the line, followed by Lunatic's harsh whisper,
"Hush! You're gonna get me in trouble!"
"We can still hear you, Looney…" Harry retorted, running a weary hand over his face and causing M'gann to snort as she tried not to laugh at the absurdity of Harry's friend, even if she was horrified at what he was doing at the moment.
"ANYWAY!" Lunatic cried, trying to change the subject and not get into more trouble with Harry. "What can I do for you? Do you need someone to make merry with?"
"Make merry?" Kaldur mouthed at Robin, only for the boy to shake his head back and mutter, "Don't ask."
"No, I need your help, Looney," Harry replied quickly, "The Joker has kidnapped Nightwing, and I need to know where he would take him! Batman and the League have already combed through his old hideouts and are now searching Bludhaven, but my gut says he's in Gotham, somewhere!"
"Always trust your gut, Harry, me lad!" Lunatic's voice chirped back, "I made the mistake of ignoring mine once after partaking in an all-you-can-eat buffet at Casa Bonita, and it cost me my favorite pair of pants!"
"Ew gross!" M'gann cried out, causing the line to go dead in an instant,
"Harry…. Why did I hear a girl's voice just now…?"
"Um… Because there's one here with me…" Harry replied sheepishly, "She's part of my new team, the team you refused to join."
"And you didn't think to warn me!" Lunatic raged. Now, if we ever meet, all she'll remember is that I joked about my cataclysmic case of diarrhea, not how unbearably attractive I am!"
M'gann snorted again, and Wally swatted her shoulder,
"Don't encourage him!"
"Wally! Is that you?" Lunatic's voice cried out, "You don't call, you don't write, one would almost think you were avoiding me!"
"You tried to give me a concussion with a blue spray-painted turtle shell!" Wally retorted back, causing Lunatic to cackle on the other end,
"Well, you were in first place, and I wanted to win!"
"We weren't racing, you idiot!" Wally raged back, "I was trying to get away from you!"
"Semantics!" Lunatic's voice cackled,
"Enough, both of you!" Harry snapped, "Nightwing's life is more important than your meaningless squabbles!"
"He's right!" Lunatic replied, "Stop trying to argue about who won which race, Kentucky Fried!"
Harry sighed in annoyance as Wally growled at the joke at his name,
"Looney, please. No more jokes, just tell me if you know where Joker would go. Please."
"The Joker has many different hideouts," Lunatic replied, his tone shifting to a more serious one, "Batdouche and his birdies know about most of them, but there are still a few that they don't know about."
Robin growled at the insult but wisely chose to keep quiet, lest Lunatic decide to mock him next as he had done Wally.
"I've just sent the addresses to your phone," Lunatic continued as Harry's phone buzzed with an incoming message, "Do you want me to meet you?"
Robin and Wally both threw their hands into the air and violently shook their heads in the negative, almost making Harry burst with laughter before he managed to get control of himself.
"No, that's okay, Looney. My team and I will find Nightwing."
"Okay, if you're sure…" Lunatic replied softly,
"Enjoy your game of Tetris," Harry replied quickly, trying to cheer up his friend.
"Oh, I'm already bored of that!" Lunatic replied happily, "I'm gonna play battleship now! If you'll excuse me, I gotta find an unused pool, some more of Luthor's goons, and some cherry bombs!"
The line clicked off at that, and Harry couldn't help but snort with amusement as he quickly looked through the addresses Lunatic had sent.
"He's not actually going to try and blow anyone up, is he?" M'gann asked,
"Probably," Harry, Robin, and Wally all answered at the same time, causing M'gann's mouth to drop open in shock.
"You keep strange company, Harry," Kaldur said with amusement, "Is it wise to ally with such a dangerous individual."
"Looney is the most loyal person I know," Harry replied, "And if he considers you a friend, you're a friend for life."
"Yeah, unfortunately…" Robin grimaced, "And if you're an enemy, God help you…"
"There's six different addresses on this list," Harry said after a moment "And they're spread all across Gotham… It'll take us forever to search each one!"
"So, we split up!" Wally replied, taking Harry's phone from him and looking through the list,
"I can take these two," Wally said after a moment, "They're only ten miles away from each other. The rest of you can each pick one of the remaining ones."
"We're not splitting up!" Robin stated at once before anyone else could speak, "Not when the Joker's involved!"
"The Joker has had Nightwing for nearly a week!" Harry retorted, "We can't afford to wait any longer! We need to find him now!"
"We know that, Harry," Kaldur replied. "But M'gann is right. The Joker is a foe far beyond us. None of us, save Robin, have any experience fighting such a madman. Caution would be better in this scenario."
As much as he hated to admit it, Harry could hear the wisdom in Kaldur's words and quickly swallowed the retort that he'd been about to unload on his teammate before grudgingly nodding in agreement.
"Okay, I'll do a quick sweep of my two targets, then," Wally countered, "They'll never even know I'm there, and I can meet you all at whichever one you choose next."
As Harry stared at the addresses on the list, he anxiously worried his lip; which one should he pick? There was an abandoned amusement park near the east end of Gotham that would fit Joker's style, but there was also an empty warehouse that was once an exclusive club but was quickly abandoned after Mr. Freeze made an appearance and murdered half the staff, as well as a dozen guests. There was also an abandoned aquarium and an unused arcade; too many choices and too little time! Which one should they search! Suddenly, it felt like someone else had made the choice for him, and his eyes seemed glued to the fourth address on the list.
"The nightclub," Harry said at once, "We'll go to the nightclub."
"Why that one?" M'gann asked,
"I don't know," Harry answered truthfully, "Just a feeling…"
"Very well, then," Kaldur sighed, "We can check the others afterward."
"Hang on, I've got another idea!" Harry replied,
"Do NOT invite that madman to join us!" Wally all but cried out in alarm as Harry pulled his phone out again, causing Harry to laugh back.
"I'm not! I'm calling someone else to help!"
After quickly selecting the contact number, Harry put the phone to his ear and stepped a few feet away from the rest of his team. The number buzzed three times before someone finally answered.
"Harry!" Jinx's voice said quickly, "Listen, it's good to hear from you, but I can't talk right now! Something's happened…"
"I know," Harry replied, cutting her off,
"You… You do…? How?"
"Batman told me," Harry replied softly. "Listen, I might know where the Joker took Nightwing, but there are too many addresses for my team and I to search alone. We need your help."
"Are you nuts!" Jinx cried out, "Harry, I don't want you anywhere near the Joker! He will kill you faster than you can blink! You're not ready to face off against someone like him! Just gimme the addresses, and Starfire and I will search each one, okay?"
"It will take too long that way!" Harry argued, "Nightwing needs our help!"
"Harry! I swear to Mother Eris, if you go to any of those addresses, I'll… I'll… I'll tell Raven on you!"
That threat stopped Harry in his tracks, and he worried his lip for a moment before steeling his nerves and replying,
"Raven will understand, and even if she doesn't, I would rather ask for forgiveness and find Nightwing alive than ask for permission and risk him being killed. I'll send the addresses now. Good luck."
"Harry! Don't you dare hang up on me, you little shit! HARRY!"
Quickly pressing the 'end call' button, Harry forwarded Lunatic's list to Jinx's number, taking off the two that Wally was going to search and the one that the team was going to before hitting send and turning off his phone to avoid Jinx tracking him down.
"Now we can go," Harry said as he stepped back over to the team, who were waiting with different expressions, ranging from amused (Robin and Wally) to anxious (M'gann) to indifferent (Superboy).
"How are we going to get to Gotham?" Robin asked, "Zeta Tube?"
"Hello, Megan!" M'gann said loudly, slapping her forehead and causing the others to turn to her, "We can take my ship, of course!"
"We get to fly in a spaceship?" Harry asked, his eyes twinkling madly, "Oh, so much yes!"
M'gann giggled at that and flashed Harry a brilliant smile before she floated into the air and quickly led the group to the hangar.
XXXX
Nightwing leaned over the chair he was tied to, staring at the floor as drops of blood slowly dripped off his nose and to the floor below; Joker had continued to beat him with that damn bat for nearly fifteen minutes before deciding to take a 'juice break.'
As he slowly tried to breathe through the pain filling his chest, Nightwing desperately attempted to formulate a plan to escape before Joker returned; Rocko had yet to return with whatever he'd been sent to get, and Nightwing knew that he would likely never get another chance like this. Joker had obviously thought he'd beaten the poor boy unconscious or else was too badly battered to attempt escape; either way, Nightwing would happily make use of the reprieve he'd been given. His broken arm had already begun to swell, and Nightwing groaned with misery as he felt the rope starting to dig into his wrist; his other hand, however, was clasped into a tight fist.
Inside said fist lay a jagged piece of metal that Nightwing had grabbed when he'd been knocked over during the Joker's last round using Nightwing as a pinata; flipping the metal into a better grip, Nightwing began to saw at the rope holding his good arm, hoping beyond hope that he'd be able to cut through before anyone returned.
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"Okay, we're here…" M'gann said as she set the ship into hover mode; beneath them, the abandoned club sat, looking innocuous.
"I've managed to pull up the schematics for the place," Robin said as a holographic 3D image appeared above his gauntlet, showing the complete layout of the club. "It looks like there are only three floors, plus a basement."
"How should we search?" Kaldur asked, turning his chair toward Robin,
"I'll take the top floor," Robin replied, "You and M'gann take the second floor; Superboy can take the first floor. Harry? You got the basement. If anyone finds the Joker or Nightwing, don't try to take them on alone! Call for help, and we'll all come running, understood?"
"Tsk," Superboy sneered, "I don't need help, I'm a living weapon. If I find the clown first, he'll be lucky if I just break a few of his bones…"
"Superboy!" Kaldur said harshly, "You are not just a weapon! You are more than that, much more indeed."
Superboy's eyes widened at that, and he turned away with a grunt, his mask of indifference sliding back into place. A moment later, the team's seats disappeared, and holes appeared beneath them, dropping them into the open air as Bio-ship activated its cloak and seemed to vanish.
As Harry hit the rooftop, he tucked into a roll and pulled his hood over his head as he came to his feet, transforming into his Arcane persona as his green eyes flashed dangerously,
"Let's get to work," Arcane growled as six tentacles snapped out of his back and stabbed into the rooftop door before ripping it completely off its hinges.
"That was seriously cool, Arcane," Robin laughed, "Really feeling the aster!"
"Enough talk!" Superboy growled as he slammed his closed fist into his palm, "Let's go hit somebody!" With an angry growl, Superboy led the charge down the dark stairwell, with the rest of the team following close behind; as he reached the end of the stairs, Superboy issued a roar of challenge before leaping over the railing and falling quickly towards the ground floor. As he slammed onto the ground floor, the ground beneath Superboy shook with his impact, and his body made an enormous spiderweb crack in the floor.
"Well, if they didn't know we were here before, they sure do now!" Robin quipped before jumping away to begin his search.
"We must move quickly," Kaldur said. "If anyone is here, they will have heard Superboy's…. boisterous arrival."
"Then, we gotta move quickly!" Arcane added before following Superboy over the railing as M'gann and Kaldur ran towards the stairs to the second floor; landing with far less impact than Superboy, Arcane cast a quick eye around the darkened room, seeing no sign of Superboy.
The former club had been wholly trashed since it was abandoned, with large, overturned circular tables scattered across the floor; a short way away from him, Arcane could spot a raised stage that had obviously been where the band played while the now empty bar sat to his right. Large puddles lay on the floor, growing larger as water dripped into them from above.
Light shone in from the cracked and broken windows all about the place, but the worst part was the chalk outlines that still showed on the floor from where Mr. Freeze had killed the club's guests so long before. Arcane couldn't help but stare at one as he passed, wondering why it had not faded by now and who had been the unfortunate victim, who'd only wanted to have some fun and instead found their end.
Shaking away the depressing thought with a grunt of annoyance at Superboy essentially ruining any chance of their mission continuing with secrecy, Arcane slowly floated towards the nearby entrance to the basement, the door hanging with a slant, held only by its top hinge. Swallowing down his nervousness, Arcane ducked under the door and cautiously made his way down the stairs to the basement.
XXXX
Nightwing had nearly cut through his bindings when the roof suddenly shook, sending dust and debris raining down on him, and making him stare up at the ceiling for a moment for a moment before he began sawing again.
"Bad news, birdie," the Joker quipped as he ran into the room. "It looks like the cavalry has finally arrived, so we'll have to cut our fun short."
As Joker threw the metal bat away and pulled a large knife from inside his overcoat, Nightwing began trying to saw faster,
"But don't worry," Joker continued as he menacingly approached, "I always make sure to leave my guests with a smile."
As Joker approached Nightwing's face with the knife, he felt the bindings finally snap away. He jumped to his feet, slamming his head into Joker's chin and knocking him back. Realizing that he had mere moments before the pain of his injuries caught up to him, Nightwing rushed toward the Joker, intending to deal as much damage as he could. With all the fury of one who has been tortured for nearly a week, Nightwing kicked hard into the Joker's stomach twice, relishing the way the clown cried out in pain. As he drew back to kick again, Nightwing suddenly cried out in pain as the Joker lunged forward and buried his knife into the hero's side.
"Oh ha, ha," the Joker cackled, "That was fun! You hit almost as hard as Batsy!"
Nightwing slowly sank to his knees as Joker rose to his feet, pulled a gun from his coat, and rested the barrel against the hero's forehead. A large smile spread across his face as his finger began to squeeze the trigger.
"Ordinarily, I don't really like using guns, but needs must, I suppose. It's just too bad you won't be around to see your dear Bat daddy's expression when I leave your mutilated corpse for him to find; it's gonna be my best joke yet!"
Nightwing glared at the Joker as the clown's finger continued to squeeze the trigger, refusing to look away or give the clown the pleasure of seeing how afraid Nightwing was.
A moment before the gun went off, however, a voice screamed out,
"No!"
Before either man could see who had screamed, what appeared to be a black rope wrapped itself around the Joker's body and hurled him across the room, sending him crashing into a large pile of stacked wooden crates.
A moment later, Nightwing stared in shock as Arcane kneeled in front of him,
"Harry…" Nightwing hissed, "What the hell are you doing here!"
"Saving you, dumbass! What else!" Arcane growled back as he examined the knife still embedded in Nightwing's side for air bubbles that would indicate a pierced lung.
"No! You can't be here!" Nightwing cried out. "You need to leave before the Joker gets back up!"
"I'm not leaving without you!" Arcane snapped back, "So, if you want me to leave, then get on your damn feet!"
Throwing Nightwing's arm over his shoulder, Arcane heaved with effort as he lifted his surrogate brother up from his knees.
Before they had taken a single step, however, a large, muscular man wearing a clown mask entered the room from the opposite door, wheeling a table covered by a sheet; for a few seconds, the trio simply stared at one another before the man growled and shoved the table at Arcane, forcing him to shove Nightwing away as he jumped aside. Nightwing fell onto his broken arm and cried out in pain, trying desperately not to pass out from the pain; slowly cracking open his one good eye, he saw Arcane dipping and dodging beneath the wild swings of Joker's goon, who seemed to be getting more frustrated with every missed hit.
Finally, the goon lunged too far, and Arcane managed to get under him, coming up with an overpowered uppercut to the goon's chin that lifted him off of his feet and sent him crashing backward into a nearby steel support beam that bent slightly from the force of the impact; the goon fell to the floor with a groan and tried to rise up for a moment, before slumping back onto his stomach, unconscious.
"You've… you've gotten better…" Nightwing gasped as Arcane returned to his side and once again tried to help him up.
"You taught me well…" Arcane mumbled back, not noticing how Nightwing looked at him with pride, "What do you say we get out of here, now?"
"Sounds good to me," Nightwing groaned, "Who else is here?"
"Just the team," Arcane replied, causing Nightwing to stare at him in shock for a moment,
"You all came here alone? Are you nuts!"
"Batman and the League thought you were in Bludhaven and wouldn't let us help!" Arcane defended, "So, I called Looney to try and find you!"
"You shouldn't have come here alone, Harry," Nightwing hissed back, "Raven's gonna be pissed when she finds out!"
"I don't care!" Arcane snarled back, "I couldn't let you die!"
Nightwing stared silently at Arcane for a moment before finally mumbling,
"Thanks for coming to get me, kid."
As Arcane opened his mouth to respond, he suddenly felt as though someone had set his bones on fire and screamed out in pain; Nightwing beside him was doing the same, and the pair dropped to the floor a second later.
Spinning over onto his back, Arcane saw that the goon from earlier had managed to get to his feet and had jabbed the pair with a cattle prod, the end sparking and humming dangerously as he limped toward them to deliver another painful attack.
As Arcane snarled in rage, two of his tentacles shot out of the bottom of his feet and wrapped around the goon's ankles, lifting him in the air and hanging him upside down for a moment.
"Wha…?" The goon cried out before the tentacles slammed him onto his back, making him cry out in pain; again and again, they raised him and slammed him to the ground until the goon's screams became whimpers. Finally, after the third time, the tentacles released their hold on the unfortunate man, and he dropped unconscious to the floor in a pile of broken bones.
Seeing no other threats, the tentacles retracted into Arcane's feet, and the boy painfully climbed to his feet as his body spasmed from the after-effects of the cattle prod; using what little energy he had left and praying that his teammate would hear him, Arcane shouted out,
"Superboy! I found him! But I need help here!"
Upstairs, Arcane could hear what sounded like a fight, followed by the sound of something crashing against something metal; a moment later, Superboy came running down the stairs, his black shirt ripped in several places.
"What happened to you?" Arcane asked as he gazed at his teammate,
"Hyenas," Superboy stated simply.
As Arcane threw Nightwing's arm over Superboy's shoulder, the trio heard the sound of cackling coming from behind them and turned around just in time to see a disheveled and heavily bruised Joker climbing out of the pile of broken wooden crates that Arcane had just thrown him through.
"Neat trick, kid!" Joker laughed as he repeatedly flipped the knife in his hand, "But didn't your parents ever tell you that it's bad form to attack someone when their back is turned?"
"My parents are dead," Arcane retorted, making the clown's grin widen,
"No wonder you've such poor manners! Don't worry though, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's correcting naughty children's behavior!"
"Get him out of here," Arcane hissed at Superboy as he handed Nightwing over to his teammate, "I'll handle Joker."
"I'm on it," Superboy nodded, turning to leave as Nightwing groaned in pain,
"Arcane… No…"
"You should listen to him, boy," the Joker laughed. "Unless you want to end up like the first Robin, that is…"
"Superboy, go!" Arcane snarled as six tentacles extended out of his back and transformed into spears, making the Joker grin madly,
"Ooh, pointy! A man after my own black shriveled heart! Guns are too quick, you see."
Remembering what he'd been taught about the Joker and how the clown liked to 'play with his food,' Arcane tried to block out the words, instead choosing to focus on taking down the madman as quickly as possible.
"You can't savor all the little emotions," Joker continued, grinning sickly, as he twisted away from a spear and lunged forward to stab Arcane in the shoulder, missing the boy by inches, "You see, in their last emotions, people show you who they really are. Like the first bird boy I killed! So fearless and arrogant in the beginning, but at the end… Would you like to know if he was a coward?"
"SHUT UP!" Arcane roared, combining his six spears into one large spiraled one and hurling it forward to skewer the Joker, who cackled and jumped away at the last minute so that the spear harmlessly impaled the wall behind the clown, leaving a drill-like indention in it.
Flicking his wrist, the Joker made a hand of playing cards appear and sent them sailing towards Arcane, who had the wisdom to jump away; a moment later, the five cards embedded in the wood crate behind the boy, and Arcane took a breath to steady his nerves as Joker rushed forward, a pair of knives in each hand that he swung erratically, trying to slash Arcane to ribbons.
Finally, one of Arcane's spears struck home and impaled itself in Joker's shoulder, lifting him up into the air and away from the hero as Joker laughed insanely. As he was lifted into the air, the Joker flicked the knife in his left hand and hurled it at Arcane, finally managing to get a hit himself, as the knife slammed home into Arcane's right leg, just above the knee.
"Aagh! Dammit!" Arcane swore, his tentacle ripping from the Joker and causing the clown to crash hard to the floor as Arcane grabbed the knife embedded in his leg and slowly tried pulling it free.
As the knife came free, at last, Arcane saw that blood was flowing freely, yet it was not spurting in a way that would indicate a cut artery or some other serious wound; breathing a sigh of relief, Arcane willed one of his tentacles to wrap around the wound and stay there.
Looking up from where he was kneeling, Arcane saw the Joker was already on his feet and twirling a metal baseball bat in his right hand as he approached with a cruel smile, his purple coat now covered in blood. Fighting against the rising panic, Arcane groaned as he rose back to his feet and assumed a defensive position. Where the hell was the rest of his team! Someone should have come to help him by now!
"I must say, me lad," Joker quipped, "This is the most fun I've had in quite a while! With Batsy, it's all growl this and bone break that! It's like our date nights have just become a chore to him, can you even imagine!"
"Or maybe he has better things to do than deal with some insane knock-off version of Ronald McDonald," Arcane snarked back, making Joker's smile fall away as an ugly look took its place.
"That was rude," Joker retorted, "Here I am, trying to bring some levity to this fun outing of ours, and you have to go and spoil it. Guess I'll have to beat some respect into you, after all…"
Faster than he would have thought the clown capable, the Joker covered the distance between himself and Arcane and swung the bat at the boy's head; it was only due to the speed of Arcane's tentacles that the boy was saved from a possible concussion as the metal bat bounced off of the Roman-like shield that two of his tentacles had combined and transformed into around his right arm.
Realizing that he was rapidly running out of steam, Arcane wracked his brain for a new tactic as Joker bashed the metal bat against Arcane's shield; willing two of his tentacles to wrap around his left fist and transform into an enormous boxing glove, Arcane cocked his arm back and delivered a powerful blow to the clown's chest, sending the cackling madman sailing across the room and crashing into the wheeled table from earlier, sending it crashing onto its side and flinging its cargo everywhere as Joker rolled over it.
The pain in Arcane's leg, as well as the pain from the cattle prod, was nearly consuming him now. His lungs felt like they were on fire as he gasped for air; he knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer and once again wondered where the hell his team was.
As Joker climbed slowly and painfully to his feet, Arcane couldn't help but swallow nervously at the manic smile on the clown's face.
"What do I do?" Arcane thought, "I've got nothing left…"
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and Arcane swallowed again as he followed the thought, coming to the conclusion that it was his best and only option.
"Oh man, I'm gonna be in so much trouble for this!"
With a flick of his wrist, Arcane's wand snapped into his palm, and the Joker cackled as he saw it,
"Ooh, and Whatcha gonna do with that, boy? Give me a splinter?"
"Something like that," Arcane smirked before leveling his wand at the Joker and crying out,
"Bombarda!"
The spell slammed into the Joker's body before he could even blink and sent him shooting across the room like a cannonball. He crashed through several wooden crates, one after another before finally slamming hard into the far wall with so much force that the wall actually cracked, leaving a spiderweb pattern as Joker slid down to the floor.
"Good… one…kid…" Joker laughed weakly before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he slid sideways unconscious.
As he slowly sank to his knees, Arcane could hear the sudden noise of someone coming down the stairs and quickly turned to face whoever it was, only to suddenly become engulfed in pink as Jinx tackled him and hugged him for all he was worth.
"Harry! Oh, sweet Mother Eris, are you okay!"
"Jinx…?" Arcane asked weakly, "What are you doing here? Where's Nightwing and the rest of my team?"
"Nightwing was medevacked; he's gonna be okay," Starfire assured as she suddenly appeared beside the pair and checked Arcane over with a fine eye. "And your team is currently being given the lecture of a lifetime by the League upstairs!"
"What the hell were you thinking, you little shit? Running off like that!" Jinx demanded, taking over from Starfire, "Almost getting yourself killed!"
"I'm… I'm sorry…" Arcane mumbled,
"Sorry isn't good enough, Harry!" Jinx snapped at once, "Do you have any idea how worried we were! You could have died! Look at yourself!"
"Jinx is right, Harry," Starfire continued. "You are too young to be fighting such opponents on your own. We thought we would be too late."
"I'm sorry," Arcane said again. "I just… couldn't lose another person... not again…"
The heroine's faces fell at that, and they shared a look as Arcane clung to Jinx's shirt, trying not to cry and appear weak.
"Look, Harry… We get it, we were worried about Nightwing too, but you should have trusted us to find him, not rushed off with a group of inexperienced teens to face a monster like Joker!"
"Jinx is right, Harry…" Starfire said softly, joining Jinx in hugging the boy, "The key part of being on a team is trusting them to do what you cannot."
"But we're not a team anymore!" Arcane cried out miserably, "Luthor took our team from us!"
"Even if we're no longer in the Tower, we'll always be Titans," Jinx reassured the boy softly, "And we'll always be a team…"
"And we'll always be family," Starfire added, tightening her hug on the boy.
Sandwiched between the two women, Arcane felt his injuries and his exhaustion sweep over him, too great to ignore, and willingly gave himself over to the darkness that was steadily claiming him.
XXXX
The next few days were perhaps the longest of Harry's life; the entire team received the mother of all lectures from not only the League but also from Raven when she found out what had happened and stormed the cave, demanding to speak with everyone involved. Harry was essentially grounded for the next month and had to suffer the indignity of having all his instruments taken away as punishment; on top of that, he had received a written warning from the Magical Congress of the United States of America about his underage use of magic, and told in no unambiguous language that further use would result in his wand being snapped.
Batman had even put the fear of God into the team by reminding them that he had warned them about what would happen if they disobeyed him; to the surprise of all, however, the team stood as one and called his bluff, telling him to go ahead and kick them off the team, and that they'd just start their own without his oversight.
To the surprise of all, Batman had actually backed down and simply congratulated them on rescuing Nightwing before storming away. The team didn't know if they should be relieved that they weren't being kicked out or worried about what Batman would do to punish their insubordination later; either way, the team felt good about its first mission and eagerly looked forward to their next one. The only one not happy was Wally, who bitterly complained about not getting a souvenir.
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Author's Note:
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I chose Heath Ledger's joker as the one for my story because he is my personal favorite, and I hope I got his character down right in this chapter. If you liked it, I'd love to hear from you, and if not, I'd still love to hear from you. Until next time, my lovelies!