Falling II: Chapter 27

Falling II: The Curse of the Bat: Chapter 27: Capture

by Lelila

Batgirl ran after Starfire, calling her name. She fired a magnetic line at the hatch to the surface; it clanged in front of the alien just as she reached the portal, stopping her short.

"Why do you halt me?" Starfire demanded.

Batgirl swung to reach her. "Because I needed to catch up to you. We are a team, you know."

"We may be a team, but I will not be held back by your tardiness."

"Tardiness?" Batgirl huffed. "Just try to keep up!" She yanked her line back, pulled the hatch open and shot it again, flying off into the night. Starfire zipped after her.

After an initial burst of speed in which she overtook Batgirl, Starfire slowed a bit to allow her to keep up.

A few blocks into their travel, Batgirl asked out of the blue: "You and Robin have a fight?"

"Why do you believe that?" Starfire questioned, trying to guard her emotions.

"Just the way you were acting back there. You seemed pretty insistent on going with him," Batgirl replied, alighting on a roof.

Starfire, a few feet ahead of her, stopped and hung between two buildings. "We did not exactly have the fight," she answered, a little hesitantly. "It is...complicated."

Batgirl smiled knowingly. "I sympathize. I've had my share of boy troubles. But, can I give you some advice?" Starfire nodded after a moment's hesitation. "Once the cape and cowl go on – or, in your case, the uniform – none of that can exist. You need to stay focused."

Starfire frowned. "You sound like Robin. I can assure you that that nothing will interfere with my desire to end this mission and prove myself worthy."

Batgirl looked askance, but let the statement go. "Okay then. You willing to follow me on this?"

"I am at your disposal."

Batgirl grinned. "Then let's go."

TtTtTtT

In a swanky penthouse hidden in a nondescript building in downtown Gotham, Alfredo Hemiola took a report from his majordomo, "Anemic" Oscar Costa.

"The Bird's been spotted," Anemic Oscar said. "He's with one of the brats from Jump City."

Fredo downed the glass of scotch he'd been working on and pulled a cigar from the humidor on his desk. "Which one?" he asked as he trimmed the end.

"The witch, we think."

"Hrm," Fredo pondered as he puffed on the cigar while lighting it. "Take care with that one. She can be tricky." He settled into his huge leather desk chair, inhaling deeply on his cigar. "If the Bird's out, then so is the Bat. Any sign of him?"

"Not yet."

"And the girl?"

"No. She doesn't always go out with them."

Fredo poured himself another drink. "No matter. I'm not that worried about her." He looked up for the first time, smiling ruefully. "Tonight's the night, Oscar. You know what to do."

Anemic Oscar nodded. "And the Titans?"

Fredo swallowed his drink. "Get rid of them. I don't care how."

"Details?"

"I don't want to know them."

TtTtTtT

Cyborg and Beast Boy made their way along the rooftops of Gotham's poorest neighborhood. "Man, I miss the T-Car," Cyborg groused as they came to the edge of another building. "This building hopping is really tedious."

"I think it's cool," Beast Boy remarked before turning into a pterodactyl and grabbing Cyborg's shoulders. "It's very spy movie," he finished after they landed on the next building.

"Yeah, well, you ain't James Bond," Cyborg pointed out. "Besides, Bond would find a way to pull up in his Aston Martin and still get in and out undetected."

"Why can't we just fly again?" Beast Boy asked as they landed on yet another roof.

"Because it would increase the chances we'll be spotted," Cyborg explained, sounding bored. "Do you ever pay attention in those briefings?"

"I try to," Beast Boy answered as he climbed atop a large stack vent to get a look around. "But they're usually really boring. This is much more fun."

"Maybe so, but it can be even more fun when you know what you're doing."

"If you say so, Dude. Hey!"

"What?"

Beast Boy didn't answer. Instead, he turned into an owl and flapped away.

"Hey! Where you goin'?"

Beast Boy hooted and landed two roofs over. He then changed into an eagle and swooped down between buildings. He returned to the vent and changed back to a human. "Dude, Dude, bring up the pic of the guy we're after!" he pestered.

Cyborg made an annoyed face but poked at his arm. "Here," he said, holding out the limb so Beast Boy could see the display.

"That's him!" Beast Boy crowed. "I just saw that guy go into the building next door."

"Yeah?" Cyborg peered over the edge of the roof. "He's early." He adjusted the view of his artificial eye. "There are a couple of extra grunts in there but it doesn't look like anything we can't handle." He held out a hand. "C'mon, let's go."

Pterodactyl Beast Boy grabbed the offered limb and lowered them to the ground, landing behind some garbage cans. "So, what's the plan?" he whispered as he changed back.

"Gimme a minute," Cyborg grumbled as he surveyed the scene. "What are they doing in there?" he muttered as he re-adjusted his vision. The building appeared to be an abandoned diner, the kitchen gutted and most of the booths in disrepair. With the help of some infra-red vision, Cyborg could see that there were several tables pushed together in the center of the room. "It looks almost like a speakeasy, only we're a hundred years too late."

"Speakeasy?"

"Illegal bar. Learn your history."

"You've been hangin' out with Batman too long," Beast Boy muttered.

Cyborg eyed him. "So suddenly Batman's not cool?"

"Of course Batman's cool," Beast Boy argued. " But he doesn't…" he paused, thinking. "I mean…"

"Uh huh," Cyborg challenged. "It's not just about the toys."

Beast Boy crossed his arms and groused. He sat in irritated silence as Cyborg changed settings on his eye again.

"Well then," Cyborg said after several minutes. "Not a speakeasy. A gambling den."

"Den?" Beast Boy peeked over the cans. "Do you want me to turn into a bear?"

Cyborg groaned. "Did you take stupid pills tonight? No, I don't want you to turn into a bear!" He shook his head in exasperation. "Okay. There's no way we're going to be able to sneak in there. So, we're goin' to have to storm the place. Remember, we just want to detain them. You ready?"

Beast Boy turned into a grizzly and gave a thumbs-up.

"Smartass," Cyborg mumbled. "Let's go."

Beast Boy took a running start at the door, easily knocking it down. Cyborg charged in after him. "Put down the cards and put your hands up!" he ordered. "It'd be a shame to go wreckin' this lovely building."

"Who the hell are you?" one of the thugs sneered as about five others pointed their guns at them.

"We're the Teen Titans," Cyborg answered as he changed his arm over to his sonic cannon. "And I'd put those away if I were you."

There was a long moment of silence as everyone looked at each other. And then the shooting started. Bullets seemed to come from everywhere.

Beast Boy shrank down to a honeybee and flitted through the shots. Cyborg returned fire, doing his best to shoot around people and disable them by shooting furniture or other surroundings.

Beast Boy changed into several small animals, bouncing off of shoulders and tripping feet. Several of the thugs fell and were quickly covered in falling debris. The bullets kept flying, however; Beast Boy could hear their tink off of Cyborg's armor. He continued to dodge and weave, barely escaping a few shots. He managed to get one of the goons to shoot himself in the foot. Beast Boy wasn't even familiar with some of the obscenities the injured man spewed at him.

"C'mon, Fellas," Cyborg encouraged. "Yer makin' this a lot harder than it needs to be!"

"I don't think so," a voice came from behind them. Before Cyborg could turn, another shot rang out. Something sparked off of Cyborg's back. For a brief moment, Beast Boy didn't think anything of it; it was just another ricochet. But then the lights of Cyborg's circuits began to flicker.

"Cy?" Beast Boy questioned, and then started to panic. "Cy!"

Before anyone could do anything else, Beast Boy turned into a wooly mammoth, picked Cyborg up with his trunk and trampled out of the building. Terrified, he thundered over to a nearby alleyway and gently placed his friend on the ground. He shrank back to his human form and fell to his knees next to him. "Cyborg! Talk to me!"

"B…..B….," Cyborg struggled. He sounded as though he was struggling for breath, but his breathing seemed steady.

"What is it, Buddy?" Beast Boy urged.

"Power…supply…"

"Ohmanohmanohman!" Beast Boy wailed. "WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?"

"A…Al….Alfrrreed…"

"Oh! Rightrightright!" Beast Boy fumbled for his communicator. "Alfred!" he called into it. "Pick up! Cy's hurt!"

"I shall be right there, Young Master," Alfred's calm voice returned.

"Ya hear that, Cy?" Beast Boy attempted to comfort his fallen friend. "Al's on his way."

Cyborg's circuitry just buzzed.

TtTtTtT

Robin crouched on the head of a large gargoyle jutting from a spire of Gotham's largest church, the Cathedral of Saint Jerome. Raven floated in an alcove behind him, hiding inside her hood.

"You doin' okay back there?" Robin asked as he scanned the streets.

"Peachy," answered Raven's monotone. "You know I hate churches."

"You mean your demon half hates churches."

"No, my demon half is afraid of churches, which causes me to lose control and my powers go all wonky. That makes all of me hate churches."

"Well, hold on, we won't be here long," Robin assured. "We just need to wait for Anemic Oscar to come out of confession."

"One wonders what he actually confesses," Raven derided.

Robin snorted. "Probably not the really important stuff." He paused, scanning. "There he is," he said after a moment. "Come on."

They followed their target from the roofs as he walked through downtown. They let him get a block down a relatively quiet residential street before Raven intercepted him by appearing out of the ground. He stopped, visibly startled. "What in the hell…"

Raven's eyes turned red. "Perhaps your worst nightmare," she rasped.

Robin dropped to the sidewalk in front of her. "Relax, Raven," he barked, playing his role as good cop. Her eyes winked out.

Oscar's stunned look changed to an oily smile. "Well, if it isn't Robin and his birdie friend."

Raven's eyes burned red again.

"You got a leash for her?" Oscar taunted.

"Wouldn't matter," Robin replied evenly. "She'd phase right through it."

"Really now," Oscar seemed cooler than he should have been, but then his eyes and voice turned menacing. "And what about you?"

Robin smiled ferally; Oscar was playing with him now; the game was afoot. Robin extended his bo staff between them with a snick. "I won't need to escape."

Oscar's smile was equally gamey. "What makes you so sure about that?"

Before Robin could come up with another quip, six large men appeared from the shadows of the nearby buildings. "Raven! Down!" Robin barked as he swung his staff in a wide arc. That drove the goons back a step, but didn't stop their advance beyond that.

Raven, instead of ducking, rose into the air, her arms outstretched, her cloak billowing. "Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos!" she shouted, focusing her energy through her hands. She blasted two of the men back. Robin was keeping another two busy, but that left two more. Raven saw one of them lift what looked like a pistol and aim it at Robin. "Gun!" she yelled, turning her attention to the would-be shooter. As she was inhaling to chant her mantra again, she felt a sharp sting in her shoulder. She stayed conscious long enough to see the gunman she was watching fire and Robin take a large step back. She felt herself fall as the world went black.

TtTtTtT

Starfire and Batgirl quickly found themselves back in the warehouse district, atop the same building they'd been on earlier that week. Batgirl pulled out her binoculars and peered at the next building; the one that had all the construction going on inside of it. "They work fast," she commented. "There's plaster up on most of the walls."

Starfire landed beside her. "Will that hinder our mission?"

"Hrm…I'm not sure. Maybe. Hopefully they haven't got any security put in yet."

"I am certain we can disable it," Starfire said confidently.

"Yeah, but that's hard to do if you don't know it's there," Batgirl countered. She pulled her belt buckle off and poked at the screen on the back. "Let's see if the eye in the sky knows anything."

"The eye in the sky?"

"Nickname for the satellite Batman uses to gather all kinds of info. It's only borderline legal, but we're not cops, so…" She pressed some controls on the small screen. After a few moments, she frowned. "Nothing. Well, maybe that's good news." She snapped her buckle back on. "You ready?"

Starfire nodded. "What do you think will be the best point of entry?"

Batgirl grinned. "That depends; do you want to be sneaky, or do you want to do the smash-and-grab?"

Starfire didn't hesitate. "I am in the smashing and grabbing mood."

Batgirl laughed. "All righty then!" She pulled her line from her belt. "Let's go."

They landed on the roof in question at nearly the same time. Batgirl wound her line and produced a small grenade. "Explosives or alien strength?" she asked with a grin.

"I believe I will draw less attention," Starfire answered.

"Hm, good point." Batgirl put the grenade back in her belt.

Starfire paced around the roof, kicking some of the gravel aside, examining the structure. "Where do you think it would be best to enter?"

"Closest to the totem, though we don't know exactly where that is." Batgirl tapped her foot in thought. "Maybe halfway between the edge and the center," she said after a moment. "We have no way of knowing where the totem is, but there are sure to be people near the windows and the doors."

Starfire nodded and paced to the edge of the roof before taking a few long steps toward the center. She brushed the gravel away with her feet and plunged her fingers into the asphalt. Grunting, she pulled a large section of the roof open, exposing the interior below. They both peered inside.

"That's a long drop," Batgirl remarked on the three-storey distance between them and the excavated floor.

"I could carry you," Starfire offered. "It may be easier than trying to anchor your line."

Batgirl eyed the hole, and then Starfire. "Okay," she said after a moment. "What do I do?"

"Hold on to my wrist," Starfire replied, extending a hand. "Robin calls it the 'trapeze grip.'"

Batgirl smiled, grasping Starfire's arm. "I'm not the only one who sounds like Robin."

Starfire smiled back and rose into the air.

Batgirl's balance shifted as her feet left the roof, but she didn't flail. They landed without problem on a bare concrete floor thirty feet below.

"Where to now?" Starfire asked.

Batgirl frowned. "Now we're going to have to be sneaky."

Starfire rose a few inches from the floor and pressed a finger to her lips. Batgirl mimicked the motion and made a show of tiptoeing to the door. She peeked around the frame and gestured for Starfire to follow.

They crept through an odd maze of rooms. There were no halls. Some rooms only had one doorway, while others had several. A couple had small pet-door-type openings in them. Batgirl mapped their way on the computer in her belt buckle. They crept through the labyrinth for about ten minutes, making as many observations as they could.

They soon came to a room that actually had a closed door (most to the point had only been empty doorways). Starfire lit a starbolt to blow it open, but Batgirl stopped her with a raised finger. Carefully, she turned the knob. It opened easily. She flashed a grin and poked her head into the room, quickly waving for Starfire to follow.

They slipped into what was the largest room they had been in so far. Unlike the rest of the rooms, this one seemed finished. There was tile on the floor and paint on the walls. And in the center, displayed on a well-lit pedestal, was the totem. It looked exactly like the fake Robin had been given: a tower of local animals topped with a menacing bat. Despite its familiarity, both Starfire and Batgirl were stunned. There was an aura around the thing that demanded awe. "That's gotta be the real thing," Batgirl murmured.

"Agreed," Starfire breathed.

"Okay," Batgirl said after shaking her head to clear it. "I'll grab it, you fly me and it out of here."

"Through the ceiling?"

"Smash and grab," Batgirl grinned.

Starfire nodded her acknowledgment and Batgirl took a step towards the totem. As she raised her hands to reach for it, she heard a yelp. "Starfire?" she called, looking back.

Starfire was slumped in some goon's arms and being dragged from the room. Batgirl took a step towards her, her hand reaching for a Batarang.

But then she felt the sting in her shoulder and the pain in her knees as she fell to the tiled floor. She was unconscious before she finished falling.

Batman and the Teen Titans belong to DC Comics. I'm not them. If I were, there wouldn't be 26 new No. 1s in September.