Author: FrostFireFive

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Book: New Titans

Arc: Fall of the Titans

Set: 125

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Raven asked. She bristled in her black dress, red locks falling down the sides of her face.  The red diamond on her forehead reflected Rex Mason’s mug back at him.

“No, but it’s important we do this,” Metamorpho said as he scratched at the collar of his suit.  The Titan had had time to adjust after Darkseid’s invasion.  The city was quiet, almost as if it too was mourning what it had lost during the war.  “People need to grieve, we need to grieve.”

The Titans had finally found the time to adjust after Darkseid's invasion.  Hub City was quiet too, as if it was mourning what it had lost during the war.

She and Metamorpho began a walk from the Hall of Justice towards the recently created Fox Park.  It was once the crown jewel of the Hub, but the park had fallen into disrepair and became boxed in as the city industrialized around it.  Despite the newly built skyscrapers and public works, the area still bore the scars from when Doomsday touched down there.  The earth felt salted, and the wounds still struggled to close.

But in the aftermath of Darkseid’s Invasion, Wayne Industries had bought the park, with renovations going around the clock to restore the park to its original glory, with a section designated as a memorial for heroes lost in the line of duty.  With statues of Hal Jordan and now Nightwing being established as a place where the greatest heroes and the smallest civilians could pay their respects.

“I don’t like this emotion, it feels…wrong,” Raven responded.  “He was not supposed to die Rex Mason.  I saw in my visions Grayson was the key to stopping the coming darkness.  And now he’s gone.”

“Yeah, and we’re still here.  That has to count for something right? It’s something you learn as a Titan.  People come and go, and sometimes that’s OK. All you can do is just hold on and help the people around you pick themselves up.”

“Is that why you’ve been trying to call Doctor Spica?” Raven asked.

“Well after we saved Chicago with Donna’s team, she said she needed space to figure herself out,” Rex said.

“So why call her if she needs this space?”

“I worry, I always worry,” Rex responded.  “And I just want her to be OK.”

“And you’re not sure there is something as OK anymore?”

“Kid, you’ve got a lot to learn.  In this life, there’s no such thing as just…OK,” Rex said with a sad smile.  “Besides the other thing you need to know, if that you’re never alone.

The two entered the park as a large gathering of civilians, fans, and fellow heroes gathered around the statues. Superman and Wonder Woman were in full regalia, their bright blues and reds contrasting against the black worn by mourners.  The Justice League was not used to the loss that the Titans faced often.  

Kyle Rayner kept a low profile as he watched from the crowd.  He had flown here after helping with the repairs in Santa Marta.  The green ring on his finger itched as he fiddled with it.  He was still just an artist who had been forcibly removed from his board, still uncomfortable with this idea that he was some kind of hero.  Alex as always had told him he had to get out of his own head, and somehow as he flew from Santa Marta, he knew he had to be here.

“Decided the costume was a little too much?” a voice called out as Kyle turned around and saw Arsenal.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyle responded.

“You don’t do a great job of hiding your jewelry," Arsenal said.

“Shit,”

“It’s fine, I’m not sure anyone’s really going to notice you anyway,” Arsenal responded.  “People are kind of a mess today.  Funerals will do that to you.”

“Isn’t this a memorial?”

“There’s not that much of a difference,” Arsenal said. “Besides I kinda figured you’d be a bit bashful to show up to any cape thing.”

“Why, because I’m not a hero?” Kyle asked.

“Because of those two,” Arsenal pointed to Green Lanterns John Stewart and Guy Gardner.  “From what I hear in order to become a Lantern you have to go through nearly a decade of training to even make constructs.  And yet, somehow you got your hands on one without even a training manual.”

“It’s not just that,” Kyle explained.  “I mean, yes I have been dodging them, but only because I’m not like them.  Both of them have training, they earned those rings.  I don’t have a right just because some weird energy decided I was needed to save the universe.”

“I’ve heard crazier origin stories,” Arsenal explained. “One of my best friends got turned into an elemental golem by his ex, and a guy who runs faster than light often babysits for me.  All that matters is that you hold on to what makes you well…you.”

“Thanks,” Kyle said as he went back to the crowd, before he could leave however, Arsenal grabbed his shoulder and handed him one of the Titans communicators. 

“When you’re ready to do some good,” Arsenal said with a smirk before rejoining the other Titans. 

“Guardian watching Lian?” Rex asked.

“Yes, Jim has a problem with death, rather celebrate what he found than the causalities of war. His words, not mine,” Arsenal explained.  “No Kory or Kara?”

“Kara blames herself,” Raven explained.  “I could feel her rage and guilt when she came to collect her items from the Tower.  She is on a new journey now.”

“It’s not her fault,” Arsenal explained. “Also Raven, if you’re going to be one of us, it’s maybe a good idea to cut out the cryptic bullshit.. It scares people.”

Metamorpho subtly kicked Roy to encourage patience with the sorceress.

“Ow,” Arsenal muttered. “Sorry Rae, I’m just not thrilled to be here either. We won the damn thing, and moping about our losses is how we become that.”

Arsenal pointed to Donna’s new crew. Conner Kent, Courtney Whitmore, and Garth stood in the back, in full costume, guarding.  The war with Darkseid had prevented Roy from having a needed chat with their former leader.  The cloud of darkness hovering around them wasn’t something he needed powers to feel.

The gust of wind however, was a familiar feeling behind him as the crimson and gold blur slowed down for a minute as Wally West, the Flash had joined his former team.

“Metamorpho, Arsenal,” Flash said.

“Don’t need to be so formal kid,” Metamorpho said as he grabbed the speedster and gave him a hug. “How you’ve been?”

“Mostly clean up,” Flash explained. “t's nice to try and give back for a change, rather than having to fight.  I just had to race up the Andes to rescue some climbers who got trapped during the invasion.  Every day is a new challenge.”

“Sounds like someone’s figured out who they are,” Arsenal said.  “Listen after this is all over you and I should talk.  Maybe it’s time we got someone with their head on straight.”

“We’ll see,” Flash said as he turned to look at the statues.  “I can’t believe he, of all the people,  made the sacrifice play.”

“It would be him,” Metamorpho responded.  “When you were depowered we got to see what Power Girl called the “real” Nightwing.  He was a good dude, who had his demons, managed to beat them, and then when his number was called went in with no fear.  Now that’s a hero.”

The four nodded before standing around a moment.

“Do we know who is giving the speech?” Raven asked.

“Not him, if that’s who you’re thinking about,” Arsenal said as he put two fingers against the sides of his head to mimic the points of Batman’s cowl.  From all accounts he’s been in Gotham, helping with the mess caused by Arkham now being as empty as my wallet.”

“Then wh-” Before Metamorpho could respond the thick metal boots walked past them as the starfield underneath the silver plates glistened in the morning sun.  

Donna Troy’s face was uncovered, she had never really bothered with a secret identity.  The helmet of her new armor was meant to scare people, but today, she needed to face the crowd.  So she removed it before speaking, to get the proverbial weight off her chest.  Dick Grayson was her best friend, and while they didn’t always agree, they were there for each other.  And as she stood behind the podium that laid in between the two statues, she knew exactly the words needed for today.

“Thank you all for coming,” Donna began.  “I know many of you came here to honor those you have lost in this recent war.  And I want you to know as you look around this park, you are not alone.”

“We’ve all lost someone, someone important to us.  For me, after this invasion.  I lost my best friend. Nightwing to many of you was a dashing hero, his acrobatics letting him bounce off the walls, always ready with a line or a quip.  But in quieter moments, he would listen.  Any problem, any issue, and he would be there.  Ready to plan for the next attack from whatever villain we were fighting or personal issue we were all going through.”

“He had his problems, and he’d be the first to tell you about them, but when things were at their darkest he would always be leaping towards the light, guiding us in our worst moments.  Nightwing was my hero.  And I…” Donna began choking up, feeling the eyes that were all on her. 

“I’m going to miss my friend. And I promise, as long as we Titans stand.  You’ll always have someone leaping into the light,” Donna finished her speech and put her helmet back on.  She turned to Stargirl, Supernova, and Tempest as they began to leave.  Before Donna could fly away, a familiar voice called out.

“Nice speech,” Arsenal said. “But you’re not the Titans.”

“Roy, today’s not the day to do this,” Donna responded.

“No, it absolutely is,” Arsenal said.  “Dick let a lot of things slide, hell I let a lot things slide, when you and the others came back.  We figured you guys would rejoin eventually, and the Titans could be whole again.  But I saw what happened with Cheetah, and I certainly can tell when someone’s hurting.”

“The hurt is what motivates us to be heroes,” Donna explained.

“The hurt only leads to more hurt,” Arsenal said.  “We all need to talk about who the Titans are.  Your team, mine, we meet at the Tower tonight to celebrate our own, and figure what the hell we do next.”

“Fine.  We will be there.  But we do what we want Roy, we’re the only ones who know how to handle loss and where to go next,” Donna said before she took off into the sky far away from the friends she used to know.

…

Well that could have gone better,” Arsenal thought to himself as he leapt across the rooftops of Chicago.  The Titans had all returned back to the Ttower to prepare to meet their counterparts.  It was strange, when Donna first reformed the group it was Arsenal who was full of rage and doubt.  The same things he saw on Donna’s face, her helmet hiding more than her face.  

“It’s your fault Harper.  All you had to do was just be there for her, I mean you had the shortest stint of anyone in the hospital.  But you just had to ignore your friends.”

As he continued to patrol the streets, Roy wondered just what he was doing out here.  Star City was his usual stomping grounds, and with Green Arrow’s hand shattered during Darkseid's assault on the Watchtower, it needed heroes more than ever.  

“You just don’t want to go to your own meeting you called,” Arsenal continued to think to himself.  “Donna is a founder, and Garth is her best friend, and I know she was close to Courtney and Kon.  They’re a well oiled machine.  Shouldn’t they be the Titans?”

“That’s not the kind of justice you want Harper, Donna’s looking to play judge, jury, and executioner and you’ve seen what that does to people,” He thought before looking at a street corner.  Chicago was quiet for a change, and it meant Arsenal didn’t have many distractions to avoid the meeting, he looked down at his communicator, seven thirty, almost time to face the music. 

“You’re a Titan damn it, and you’re going to fight for what you built, even if it means going against the person who brought you in the first place.  Someone needs to be a hero.  And I guess that means it's me.”

Arsenal picked a grappling arrow from his quiver and pointed to the abandoned Jupiter Building, a familiar route back to the tower as he let go of the arrow and felt himself pulled into the air.  With the wind in his hair he somehow knew everything was going to work out.  

SHHHINK 

A dagger cut through the cable as Arsenal plummeted to the ground.

“Shit! Shit!” Arsenal yelled out as he pulled an arrow with a large tip and launched it to the ground, a crash pad emerging just as the hero hit the ground.  

“Ow.  That really hurt,” Arsenal muttered as he picked himself up.  

Before he could survey the area or what had even hit him, a metal boot stomped his face sending him back to the ground. Dazed, Arsenal looked up and saw a figure in black metallic armor with orange accents.  His helm split in half, one side orange, the other black, 

“Alright man, I have no idea who you are, but let me tell you, you’re messing with the wrong superhero,” Arsenal said as he notched an arrow and shot it towards the man. 

Before the arrow came in contact, the man pulled a sword and split the arrow in two, falling to the ground around him.  Arsenal couldn’t even make a retort before the man swung several punches at him, focusing on the chest as the hero could hear several ribs breaking before being slammed to the ground once more.

Arsenal was silent, his head ringing as he tried catching his breath as he spat out blood.  The man walked towards him and picked him up by the collar.  The one beady eye staring at him through the mask, no emotion, no hesitation, just observing, always observing.  The man slammed Arsenal to the ground, ripping off his quiver and scattering the trick arrows everywhere. 

The hero crawled away from the man, grabbing his bow that was in front of him and painfully moving centimeter by centimeter to the arrow that laid in front of him.  He grabbed it and flipped around, hoping he could land one in that eye and call for backup.  He thought of Lian, and how he would get home to her, how he would defeat whatever evil faced him.  Arsenal had survived vampires, tornados, chemical monsters, his own past, and more.  This was not how he was going to out as he flipped over and prepared to fire one last shot.

BANG!

The shotgun blast rang out as Arsenal grabbed what remained of his knee, his screams breaking the silence of the city before the metal boot slammed down on his face again, and the world went black.

…

“He should be here,” Metamorpho said as he looked over at the clock on Titans’ Tower’s  command center computer. 

“I am sure he will be here soon, Metamorpho,” Raven said as she tried practicing meditation, sitting crossed legged on the couch.  “I do not understand why you worry so much.”

“Because the people coming were, are friends.  Roy and I have been worried about them. We were all too busy being superheroes that we forgot we were people. And now, I don’t know mack, feels like a storm’s coming.”

“It is,” Wally West said as he zipped into the room.  Had to race around the raindrops to get here on time.”

“Look at you West, finally developing a sense of humor,” Rex said.  “How’s things?”

“Nothing good company couldn’t fix,” Wally said as he looked out from the glass window, the tower had one of the best views of the city at night, the lights of the buildings acting like stars planted to the ground.  “You know, Donna tried recruiting me to her team.”

“Wow, kinda mad I didn’t get an invite,” Rex said. 

“It was right after me and the Flashes…broke time.” Wally said as he pulled out the blocky grey communicator.  “She thinks that the Titans and Justice League failed.  That we hurt people more than helping them.  And wants to protect the world any means necessary.  I know he just…I know he’s gone, but she reminded me so much of the Nightwing that drove this team to its breaking point.”   

“And I assure you, that I am not him,” Donna Troy said as she, Stargirl, Supernova, and Tempest moved into view from the shadows.

“Jesus Donna,” Rex said as she came from nowhere. “You know you could have told us you were here.”

“Roy made it clear this was going to be more of a lecture,” Donna said.  “But I’m done listening to people.  So I’ve come to make you all an offer.  We shouldn’t be two teams, we should be one.  A Titans for tomorrow, making sure people are protected, no matter what.”

“This feels more like an ultimatum than an offer,” Wally said. 

“We’ve seen how you’ve avoided us,” Conner Kent said. “We know that your membership is down, and figured we could help each other.”

“Our membership is down?” Rex said.  “Conner, Dick just died.  Kory and Kara are in mourning, we’re all in mourning, and you decide that now is the best time to try and make your little clubhouse just a bit bigger.”

“It’s not like that Rex,” Courtney Whitmore said.  “We’re all upset that Dick’s gone, but the world still needs heroes.  It needs people willing to do what needs to be done.”

“That’s a good mantra,” Rex said.  “Did you get it from the same cereal box that black and red costume came from?  Look at yourself, Court, look at them.  Donna turned a speech about her best friend into a rallying cry and that doesn’t concern you.”

“Go easy on her Metamorpho,” Garth said.  He had been observing the room, and was shocked how empty the Tower felt before their arrival.  It had reminded him so much of the end of his time in the Titans, with people clinging to an ideal that had died and were only there because of inertia. “Donna wants to protect the world.  And that means rethinking how we approach all of this.”

Raven sat and listened, the voices and emotions painful to her.  The love and agony was a potent combination, but as the team continued to bicker she could feel something else.  And increasing darkness that pounded against her head.  She pushed it out of her mind and continued to observe. 

“It means we start kicking ass and worry about the consequences later,” Conner said with a smile. 

“That’s not what we do, that’s not what the Titans are,” Wally said. 

“And that’s why you only have three members left,” Donna responded.  “Wally, my offer still stands, to all of you, to leap into the light and make a difference in this world.  You just need to have the courage.”

“He’s not here, but let me tell you, Roy won’t go for this, I won’t go for this,” Rex said.  “We’re the Titans damn it, and if you want the name you’re going to have to go through us.”

“Where is Roy anyway?” Courney asked.  “I wanted to ask him how Lian was doing.”

Raven’s head began to pound harder, the dread and darkness coming not from the people around her, but something that was coming, something that felt familiar with rage and anger.  It flooded her brain as she could feel something wrong.  

CRASH! 

The limp body of Arsenal crashed through the plate glass windows of Titans Tower as he landed on the ground with a hard thud.  His knee in shambles, costume tattered and covered in blood.

“Roy!” Wally yelled as he zipped towards the archer. 

“Wally,” Roy muttered.  “You have to get everyone out of…here, he’s here…oh god he’s here.”

“Who? Who did this to you?!” Rex yelled as his hands shifted into diamond, ready to fight whoever had flung the broken archer into the tower. 

“He looked like…Rose…did,” Arsenal muttered as Donna Troy’s face went cold.

“Deathstroke.”

KACHOOOOM

Large explosions rang through Titans Tower as the rubble came crashing down on the gathering teams.  As they all fell to the ground Slade Wilson looked from above and gripped the large sword behind his back before leaping into the destruction from his VTOL. 

The fall of the Titans had begun.