"We don't need help from you people." Were the words of a way-too-slow police officer. She was annoyed, of course, these new vigilantes were stealing all her work, the little prestige they had left. But what could the cops do? People idolized these masked heroes, they couldn't even conspire to capture them.
Dianna couldn't help the smirk that expanded on her face. The woman's comment only fed her ego; she was jealous, they all were. She ambled closer, into the blinding blue and red glares. The beams radiated in her insignia, caroming onto the cop's eye ( she'd have to thank Jason for selecting such reflective material ).
"It's not you I'm helping. It's the citizens." Dianna grunted as she hauled the burglar between their feet. The criminal struggled under the wire, booted into subordination by an angry teen. She unwrapped the metal and thrust them further away, handing them over to justice. "You're welcome, by the way."
She spun over, sidestepping any other attempt at a discussion. An insult was thrown in the wind but she paid it no mind. They wouldn't dare to repeat it out loud, not with all the supporters around ( it was kinda funny how they somehow reciprocated her heroic protection ).
Swinging one leg over her motorbike, she saluted the few locals that had gathered to witness the capture. She received a few yelps back, soon drowned out by the revving of her engine. The blue and red twinkles began to wither as she furthered into the city.
Her face was illumined with yellow as her built-in phone lit up. She only twitched her thumb against the clutch to respond to the incoming call. "Hey, Bruce. What is it?"
"Are you at the manor?" His voice sounded muffled. Something was intervening in his direct tone. Dianna inferred he was tense by the sharpness of his question. She visualized him scratching his stubble, stimulating his mind into serenity. "Is Jason with you?"
Dianna knitted her brows together. She distinctly remembered sending a notice. Her feet depressed into the accelerator. "I'm in San Francisco. Left Gotham two nights ago. Didn't you get my message?"
Silence. Then a sigh. "I did. I'm sorry. I'm worried about Jason. Could you call him, convince him to remain in the house tonight?"
"Sure," she responded, though her voice wasn't heard as her bike roared louder. Her feet decompressed from the gas so they could listen to one another ( if only she'd known how to drive a car, stuff like these wouldn't happen ). There was another pause; Bruce wanted to keep talking. She had the time to spare. "Is everything okay?"
Bruce rasped his lips. He was acting unlike himself. Not controlling his mood? Openly on edge? Dianna wished not to feel so intrigued about his mind; Jason was more important. "Jason called me. He pinpointed the Joker a few minutes ago. I think he wants to confront him. No one's around to stop him. . ."
"So?"
"He can't go out as Robin. That life is over for him." Not by choice, she wanted to say. Instead, she remained quiet and allowed Bruce to reevaluate his excuse. "Also. . . it's the Joker we're talking about, not some random Gotham freak. He's the most unstable."
"Exactly. If Jason's got any advantage─"
"Just call him," Bruce cut her off. Dianna scoffed at his rudeness. "He shouldn't put himself in danger. If anyone's to take him down, it should be me."
He was right about that. Joker was his major adversary ( that got to both of their heads ) and it was his duty to shut him down, for he was responsible for his origin. Dianna wouldn't recognize any of that, she, too, had pride. Instead, she guaranteed Bruce she'd do her best and hung up.
"Computer, call the Batcave." The line ringed one─ two─ three times before someone answered. Dianna was happy he'd been quick. She accelerated once more. "Hey, Jaybird, Bruce tells me you're about to hit it off with the Joker?"
Jason cursed on the other end of the line. He sounded frenzied. "You can't stop me," he spat out, loud footsteps matching his jagged breaths. "You're both too far. And correct me if I'm wrong, but you're headed towards one of Luthor's labs to help the Titans." Dianna groaned. Stupid Batcave technology, always keeping an eye on everyone. "Right, so you focus on your turf and I'll focus on Gotham."
"Why not tip off the GCPD?" She exclaimed instantly, sensing he wanted to cut off their call. He went silent. "Risk them, not yourself."
"The cops? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Better them than you─"
Jason ended their argument by raising his voice ( to which she flinched, nearly losing her grip on the bike ). "You don't understand, do you, Dee? This isn't about capturing him. The old ways don't work anymore."
"What'd─" He hung up. Her question was sponged by the breeze, no one to hear it, but someone to answer it: herself. She knew what Jason implied. What could she do to stop him? Gotham was days away; he wouldn't pick up another call. . .
And she sort of wanted Joker dead, too.
Was she to blame? Half of Gotham wanted that psychopath murdered. They had all been terrorized by him in one way or another. He'd slaughtered so many people, but Dianna was the only one to revive and seek vengeance.
She would have proceeded with her immoral objectives had it not been for Bruce. And Jason. Marge. Artemisia. Kory. Dick. Even Conner, to shield his vanishing innocence. They were the ones keeping her behind the line. Keeping her from becoming a monster like him.
Dianna could only hope Jason shared her spirit, that he remembered everything taught to him. She hoped he would remember their names, their faces, their voices. Don't kill the Joker, Jason. All that could be done was hope.
"Computer." The screen animated in luminous gold, waiting for instructions. "Connect all devices to Titans' interface. Code: bee-oh-nine, Fénix." With a dissatisfied sigh, she added: "password: very original."
A display of her surroundings lightened before her eyes, an orange streak tracing her route. The laboratory wasn't far. A blue line suggested the Titans hadn't arrived yet; she could still have some fun. Her foot pushed onto the pedal, hands constricting on the clutches.
The trek didn't take more than ten minutes. The team was already inside when she arrived, but the combat had just begun. Dianna held back her excitement to bounce in ( Bruce was taught her better ), she scoured the establishment instead, keeping an eye on her friends.
She silently passed over Kory, rays of sun radiation bursting from her hands. A scorching blaze pounded the ceiling beside Dianna, forcing her to move towards her next protege as their surroundings came crashing down. Below her feet, two frightened gunmen hustled towards the exit.
Dianna grinned at Kory's control and continued creeping along the support beams. The next person she spotted was Conner, accompanied by no other than Krypto. She remained especially muted during this watch; one little loud breath and he'd pinpoint her in seconds.
Rather than scaring away, Conner allowed the security to approach him, try their hardest to bring him down. Then, he'd pace over and shatter their firearms with a smile, knowing pretty well how fucking vulnerable they would feel. She waited for the next men to step ahead and begin shooting, using the bangs to escape Conner's super-hearing.
In the next enclosure was Garfield, whose technique had improved over the last few months. Yet, his capacities and powers weren't enough against seven men. He hadn't transformed into a tiger, sticking with altering just his arms to acquire power.
Trusting Dick could hold his ground, Dianna jumped off the ceiling. The rush of the decline charged her stamina for the fight. Her skin tingled with anticipation. Approaching the floor, she angled her knee. The bone whacked someone's face, their body plunging down.
She landed on one knee, balancing with her hand and foot, just like any cliche superhero. The struggle halted for a second, both Gar and the gunmen taking a moment to glance at her. Dianna sneered up at the boy, sending a reassuring wink. The combat was resumed.
Garfield growled as his skin acquired a green tone, summoning part of a tiger's essence. With his beastly nature, he scrambled in direction of three gunmen, hopping towards them. He knocked them down like they weighed nothing.
Dianna observed him as her rivals attempted to shoot her down, voluntarily ignorant to her magic shield. This dance was getting tiresome. As per usual, she waited until they ran out of ammunition and tried to recharge at unattainable speed.
Threads of fire erupted from her hands, burning up the weapons. All four plunged to the ground as the men hissed in pain. "Sorry guys, but you brought guns to a superpower fight. Should've seen this coming."
Garfield sneaked behind two of them, grabbed their heads, and bashed them together. They tucked at his feet with ease. The remaining two skimmed at one another with dread. Now that she never got bored of; it was hilarious.
Sharing a firm glare, the teens parted ways. Dianna went to her right, where a smaller gun awaited. Her hand raised, rebounding the only five bullets left. The man swore and flung his weapon at her face─ her powers did not defend her from the attack. It struck her cheek. The rancid taste of blood pricked her tongue.
Fuck it.
She left behind her powers out of pure pettiness. Her leg swung at chest level, cornering her opponent. A punch in the abdomen, a hook in the jaw ( that damaged more than his weapon ). The man stumbled on his feet, raising his hands to safeguard himself from further injure.
Dianna broke his stance with a shove of her arm, her fisted fingers colliding into his nose. He declined like a bag of potatoes, clutching his bloodstained face. Walking over him, she did not hesitate to collect the blood in her mouth and spit it over his trembling body.
A green tiger, Garfield, swayed to her side, rubbing his head against her thigh. She couldn't help but pet his fur and slowly move to scratch behind his ear, something the boy hated. Before he could even growl in disapproval, though, a bullet skimmed his paw. He moaned in pain.
Dianna vaulted between the hurt animal and their assaulter, outstretching her hand to conjure a shield. Another bullet sliced through the skin of her shoulder, aimed from behind. She tried to extend her defense, but her limb couldn't hold up, debilitating the barrier.
Superboy flashed into view, stopping before Garfield to guard him. Dianna eyed for a moment as the shots clanked on his chest, then turned around to create more cover. Inconsistent, her shield liquefied the caskets, gunpowder sparking near her face.
A burst of wind blew away the exploding dust. Conner had sped out, taking one of the gunmen with him. The other man hesitated and gawked around. Dianna disarmed him with a discharge. He vaulted back, right into the half-Kryptonian's arms. In a blink, they both disappeared.
Dianna scanned their surroundings. They were alone─ she thought too quick. Two gunshots to their left. Grunts. Thuds. Krypto barked in warning but soon hushed when Conner returned by their side, raising a brow at the noise.
They glanced at one another and began heading towards the source with caution. A pair of confident heels tagged along. They didn't even check who it was, Kory's energy could be felt from miles away. The black woman caught Dianna's arm and pulled her into a short hug with a kiss on her head ( her welcoming would've been warmer had it not been for their situation ).
Krypto growled at some movement ahead. Dianna stopped in her tracks, Garfield bumping into the back of her knees. Conner and Kory reacted in unison, maintaining her balanced.
No one looked away from the fight ahead, though. Dick's aerodynamic motions were mesmerizing. He was fighting a man double his size, muscular, stronger. But Dick was faster, sneakier, and quick-witted, always gaining the upper hand in every strike. It was no surprise to see him deliver a powerful kick in the stomach, sending the man slamming against the van he had risked to protect.
As his body dived to the ground, Dianna approached Nightwing with her hand stretched, patting his back. "Dude! Way to kick some ass!"
"Dude?" The man echoed mockingly. Soft laughter came from behind her, she recognized it as Kory's. Dick smiled to himself at the small achievement. "That's new. Spent too much time with Jason?"
"Well, yeah─" She stopped herself as a sixth person joined them. An unfamiliar face. "Oh, hello there."
The hairless man ( a live-action Dr. Eggman, she thought ) scanned every one of them with enormous eyes. He was petrified at his insufficient odds. Dianna offered an innocent wave, to which he soughed and dropped his weapon.
"Thanks for making this easier."
Dick approached the man with confidence, booting his weird gun out of reach. He pulled out his handcuffs; Dr. Eggman wannabe unfolded both of his wrists, ready to be taken into detention. Both cuffs clicked around his wrists. One down, at least a dozen to go.
Conner's gaze traveled across the room, catching their lazy expressions ( if they had cornered them in one place, things would be quicker later ). He gushed out of the room. In a blink, he laid a cuffed minion beside Dr. Eggman, another blink, another man stacked up.
Dianna felt him snatch the handcuffs from her utility belt at least three times. He also dashed towards Dick twice, same with Kory and Gar. Thanks to his incredible speed, the criminals were gathered in less than half a minute─ that must have broken a record of some sort.
"That was easy." Dianna shrugged at stacked men. Someone tutted her comment ( surely Dick ). "Can we go home now?" Her dreamed meal was erased from her head by a warning shout. Her stomach growled in protest, and she sort of did, too.
"San Francisco police! We're going in!" Torches illuminated the laboratory, flashes blinding them for a moment. A squad of cops swarmed the place, guns at the ready as if they intended to work.
Her eyes narrowed at the men, mouth ready to shoot some snarky comment that came to mind. Dick grabbed her arm and guided her out of the place. He didn't want past events to repeat themselves; Dianna wouldn't have minded, though, melting a few more badges.
A more friendly hand, Kory's, pulled her out of Dick's grasp and towards the next setting. People had crowded outside in hopes of glimpsing the team. It was surprising to see a group of fans at every crime scene. How did they even find out about them? And how do they arrive faster than cops or the reporters?
"Brighten up, Fenix, the cameras are here," Kory gleamed at the duo walking towards them. She loved being the poster girl for the team, never shutting down an opportunity to speak with the people. She would usually drag Dianna into interviews, too, though the girl only smiled and nodded along ( giving weekly speeches in Gotham was draining ).
Conner and Garfield preferred to stay away from the media's spotlight, but not the fans. They loved the fans. Tonight, their fan was a cop; she seemed more interested in Superboy which seemed to be aggravating Beast Boy─ or tiger boy, as some kid had called him a few weeks back. The name still tormented him.
Dick was nowhere in sight, as per usual. At first, he would stay and converse with the cops, just as Robin and Batman would do with Gordon. When the cameras showed up, that's another story; he raced away from them. No wonder why Gotham's vigilantes were a myth for months.
Kory didn't want the same bad coverage happening with Titans. They needed to put themselves out there, even Nightwing, who she exposed many times in hopes of coaxing him out of the shadows. It hadn't worked but it was worth the try. He did, however, gain a large fanbase after that. They even figured out he was Batman's first Robin, comparing footage and stuff. To Dick's amusement, those fans did not like Jason taking the shroud─
Shit. Jason.
She carefully plucked Kory's firm hand away from her shoulder. "You're gonna have to handle this one alone, Kory." Her attempt at a guilty face was brushed away by the woman's knotted brows. "Gotta make a call."
Snatching her phone from her suit, Dianna rushed in search of a quiet spot. She found herself climbing over a van, escaping any chance of running into someone. A short jump and she found herself standing by the facility's roof, still lighted by the police's glares.
Turn on the screen. Type in the password. Phone. Recent. Jaybird. Call. Wait. . . Nothing. . . Continue waiting. . . No answer. . . Fucking voicemail. Cancel.
He must've forgotten his phone somewhere. It had to be that. Jason was that kind of stupid. Maybe he was in the bathroom. Yeah, he never took his phone to the bathroom. She should collect herself, try again. Peeing doesn't take long.
Her hands were jittery, sweaty. Blinking away the blurriness, she tapped on his contact name again. Call.
Pick up.
Pick up.
Pick up.
Fucking pick up.
Pick─ Hey, it's Jason. Don't waste your time leaving a message. I won't listen to it. Bye.
"You fucking idiot!" Without having him in person, Dianna settled by yelling at her phone. It didn't work as well. Her free hand clenched around thin air before stretching her fingers and running them across her hair. She exhaled, feeling a tiny bit better. "You're unbelievable."
She heard the footsteps too late, turning around with a fist of fire that was caught in the air. The blaze smoked at Dick's confusion. He lowered her hand.
"Everything okay? You sounded worried."
"It's Jason," she spilled immediately. Her chest pounded, communicating her concern was making her feel worse. She tried to continue but her voice cracked. She cleared her throat. "I'm hoping he fell asleep but─ wait. You have special access to the cave. Could you check on him?"
Dick was never one to enjoy using Batman's technology, he preferred doing things on his own. Dianna could see the conflict in his eyes; this wasn't about him, though. "I'll let you know as soon as I have something. You should go meet─" His earbud beeped. Sending her an apologetic glance, he responded. "Hello? What?"
"What is it?" Dianna pivoted around him, glimpsing the stress in his face. He twisted his head away, only for her to follow. His eyes were watering. A tear threatened to spill if he so much as blinked. Shit. Fuckfuckfuck. What was happening? "Dick!"
He captured the hand that reached for his arm, glowering at her. Her lips parted to protest but only a breath came out. She was staring at the back of his suit for the third time. "It'll be okay. I'll be there tomorrow. Goodnight."
She lingered until he finished the call ( the last thing she needed was to irritate him further ) then allowed him a second to process what he had been told. "Grayson. What happened? Did Jason kill him?"
"No, I. . ." His words were lost in thought. He rotated over his heel wearing a frown. Dianna didn't care that her inquiry had been specific, she wanted an update. His eyes scanned her frantic face, expression unwinding in a heartbeat. "No. I'm sorry, Dee."
He traversed the few steps that divided them. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, dragging her into a hug. Her face was mashed into his chest. She didn't melt in his embrace, remaining disoriented by his lack of explanations.
"What do you mean I'm sorry?"
She did not want an answer. She knew. But accepting such news. . .
Gathering the last force of will in her body, she planted the heels of her hands on his biceps, pushing him away. One slip of her grip and the next thing she knew, she was clutching him back. Tight. His suit started to feel damp against her cheek. She didn't care. It didn't matter.
Nothing mattered.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
the amount of times I rewrote this chapter is embarrassingly high. This is the best I could deliver right now (I might regret it later lol)
Hope you liked this. More chapters are in the way 🖤
PS. this book turns 2 in two weeks 😭