[IC] Titans of Gotham [Spots Available!]

[knighthawk]

Hero had his work cut out for him. First he had followed a flying giant, only to see two flying back the way he just came from only now glowing. Assuming the glowing man is related to the flying giant, he resumed his way back to the gym in the disguise just in time to hear the sonic grenades and closed in on the collapsing building blaring music. He made his way inside and saw the massive hole in the floor where someone was in all black and under attack by the others. He felt a lurch in his gut, a wrongness with the black and brass babe. Something pulled at him like a connection he could not explain as he threw the owl down from above to distract her followed by himself in a powerful hammerfall.

He was unsure of himself in this moment. If he did it, he could kill her. She was related to the owls, if she controlled them they could go more chaotic than already, but could it be any worse? With a drop in his heard he called out an enchantment for his hammer. "CALCIUM!" If the blow hit, he would knock ten pounds of calcium out of the talons skeleton, creating soft spots to exploit, if it hit.

[Sigil]

The battle was brutal, taxing both physically and mentally, even for an enhanced scrapper like El Sasquatcho. The burly Luchador and his stalwart comrades-in-arms had their work cut out for them. A mind-warped former Titan with enough raw physical power remove the ceiling from a fortified safehouse was in their midst, and with all the powers of the assembled Titans at their disposal, the team's hairy protagonist went after her with an improvised bludgeon of re-bar and concrete.

The DJ remixed music of the 1980's kept thumping through the speakers, miraculous by noting that, while everything around them was trashed (lamentably even the microwave, by El Sasquatcho's actions), the sound system was in perfect working order. Despite the pounding bass of RELAX sounding among them, El Sasquatcho heard a booming voice overhead, belonging to a descending, red haired blur with a curious looking eighty pound bitchhammer, bellowing, "CALCIUM!"

El Sasquatcho paused mid-swing and tilted his head upward, an incredulous look somehow noticeable through his armored mask as he listened to what he misunderstood to be the worst battlecry ever. "Calcium? For serious?"

He looked back to his opponent, shrugged, and continued his assault.

[Weird Tales]

Chester couldn't believe his bad luck and hated that his assault on their former teammate seemed to be doing nothing. It seemed like everything was going horribly wrong and it looked like he might be joining Leviathan outside of the battle. Ves then began to shake violently and threw off dozens upon dozens of rats at such an incredibly fast rate and Chester had to hold onto the Amazon for dear life. His eyes widened in horror when he caught sight of Archie flying through the air and smashing against a wall. Chester watched in terror as his pet rat's blood splattered onto the wall.

"NO!!!! ARCHIE!!!" He screamed as his grip on his enemy began to loosen and then he lost his hold on Ves and was thrown off of her at great speed. Chester flew through the air and landed hard on the floor on top of a pile of dead rats covered in blood. They cushened his fall so he wasn't killed, but he felt his right leg and arm break upon impact. The pain was instant and awful. He tried to move, but couldn't thanks to his leg being in horrible pain and he was only able to pull himself up into a sitting position.

He looked around for Amy and his eyes saw her feebly crawling towards Archie's broken body. Chester tears start to form in his eyes as he watched his pets die together and couldn't believe that this was happening. Amy embraced Archie one last time before dying with her companion. Chester felt sick and then his strength just seemed to vanish and he fell back into a lying position, breathing heavily. He could not believe what had happened, two of his closest friends had died and he was now unable to help his team anymore.

Chester fumbled for the button that would return him to normal size and he was eventually able to find it and grow back to normal. He was helpless just like the time Robin died and now two other of his friends were dead.

"Oh God, everything is going so horribly wrong!" he said as he just lay on floor, his broken body in horrible pain.

[Omega Man]

"CRAP!" Wildcat thought out loud as he came up on Rat Boy who was now back to normal size and nursing a broken arm and leg.

The hairy masked man was doing his best against the brainwashed Titan in Talon armor using a piece of debris like a baseball bat. Nightlife dodged the debris as the base continued to fall apart as the 80's hits still blared over the stereo. Wildcat carried Chester to the same spot where he'd hidden Zero, guarded by larger pieces of debris. Upon turning around he saw the Titans' newest member Hephestus coming in with a bang, striking at the Talon with his mystical hammer while shouting 'CALCIUM!'

The look on the red haired youth's face explained it all. The attack was not what the hero had expected.

"Is that you, Hero?" the Talon asked removing what remained of her headgear as she deflected the attack with her arm bracers, "The Court used my enchanted armor while fashioning my new gear... your hammer is as useless as..." Ves started to taunt before Leviathan grew from a single individual now to his usual composite giant form crashing through the top of the building.

The hero used his giant fists to strike at the Amazon again and again and the masked El Sasquatcho continued his assault as well as the new guy with his hammer. The female was in a roughly fifteen feet wide crater in the bottom level of the HQ, Man Owl creatures laid all across the floor unconscious. Wildcat looked on along with Nightlife as the heroes tried to use their combine strength to beat her into submission but she started to regain her composure. That's when another Amazon, Wonder Woman, floated down into the base. The Talon backhanded the giant man through another wall and made it to her feet, and the Justice Leaguer pulled out her equalizer... her magic lasso.

"YOU CAN'T BREAK FREE OF THE LASSO, VES. NOW... TELL ME.. WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!?" Wonder Woman asked with a yell.

The dead expression on the girl's face lead Wonder Woman to believe she truly did not know. After just a few moments the effects of the brainwashing wore off and the young female hero looked all around at the destruction she'd helped cause. Still bound by the lasso she fell to her knees crying. Leviathan walked back into the battle zone from the wrecked personal quarters and went back to standard size but still stuck as a single being somehow. 'Squatcho was the first to kneel down and put his arm around the girl. Nightlife, Wildcat, and Levi followed.

"None of this is your fault, kid..." Wildcat spoke looking up at the Justice Leaguer who had an aggravated look on her face as she pulled her lasso back.

"We've got wounded we need to take care of, Diana." Wildcat muttered rising back to his feet.

"Do what you can, Grant. I'll contact Batman and see where we go from here." Wonder Woman responded sternly, almost as if she put all the blame on the elder hero himself.

~KL~

[Sigil]

"Good to have you back, mi amiga." half-whispered, half sobbed El Sasquatcho, still holding Vesta's cringing form. "I'm so sorry we could not locate you in time. None of this is on you."

The noble Luchador lifted the mentally restored Titan and carried her over to her blood relative, addressing the founding Justice Leaguer directly. "Hola, Senorita... um, Woman. Por favor, could you see to your prima? We need to care for our wounded. He looked into Ves's eyes, smiled, and remarked in an almost cheery voice, "We will talk later, dulcita. You rest now."

The second El Sasqatcho turned his back on the two Amazons, he snapped away from smiles and reassuring talk. His eyes and posture became that of a Field Marshal. He looked to the newcomer who leapt down from the gaping hole in the ceiling with a hammer. "You! El Sasquatcho thanks you for your assistance. Make with the getting over here and grabbing Señor Ratboy. We need to get these two to a hospital, ahora."

The burly wrestler ran to Wildcat's hiding spot for the two heroes, kicking debris out of the way. With as much care as his haste would allow, he lifted the slumped and broken form of Zero from the ground, cradled his neck and back of his head, and made for the door.

On his way out, he looked to Wonder Woman, "If you have an opening with the Justice Leaguing, Miss Woman, por favor let El Sasquatcho know. It has to be safer than this.

Kicking open the doors, El Sasquatcho ran (as fast as he dared with the injured Zero) to his El Camino. As soon as his vehicle was in view, he skidded to a halt. His head cocked to the side, mouth agape, not quite believing what he was seeing.

The car was intact. Fully. Nary a scratch, as luck would have it. Yet still, El Sasquatcho's surprise made him come close to dropping his fragile teammate.

No, nonono... Every efrigging time! NO! Anytime those bastardo seagulls fly near my Vato Truck, they have to make with the bombing, but this El Sasquatcho refuses to tolerate! HEY, HAMMERGUY! When you come with the Rat Boy, please bring the paper towels and sandblaster with, okay?"

Focusing his eyes on the roof of his precious El Camino, there reposed the largest, most obscene example of giant radioactive owlbeast splattage known to civilized man. If but for a second, the horrified masked Luchador considered waiting for a bus.

***

...the El Camino roared from the Grant's Gym parking lot, fishtailing only slightly as he followed a memorized course to the nearest Emergency Room.

[knighthawk]

Hero was still reeling from it all, who was she, how did she know who he was? The only Greek he had yet met was Hermes. That was for later as a whole lotta fur demanded his help. Holstering the hammer, he took up The fallen in his strong arms with the two rats he was holding and carried him to the waiting vehicle.

"Sí señor chewbacca, que es un montón de caca."

You don't grow up a mechanic and not learn a little of every language in order to keep in business. Setting Ratboy down in the back of the el camino, he took up his tool and tapped the toot fruit.

"it's just chemicals, Phosphate! its just chemicals Potasium! its just chemicals Nitrogen!....EEWWW!

With each charge of his hammer, the chemicals were separated from the messy mass until nothing more than thirty pounds of seperated chemical powders sat on the cars surface.

"That, didn't, happen."

[Omega Man]

Days had gone by since Zero and Ratboy were taken to a hospital. Thankfully the closest ER had been one of the ones keen on protecting identities and such secret of Batman and his allies. With the HQ and Gym both in a wreck, Ted Grant had the remains of the team held up in a hotel just outside of city limits. A now completely composite teen, Leviathan, could no longer separate into Daniel and Robert. Nightlife did a lot of sleeping. Hephestus and El Sasquatcho seemed to sort of hit it off. Parasite was taken to the nearest STAR Labs in Metropolis, now completely encompassed in a cocoon type of bug construct.

There was a door between the two rooms the team left open. Snack food wrappers and fast food bags were scattered everywhere, and it looked like Ted Grant hadn't shaved in days. One of the two tv's was on, sounded like a basketball game or something from the other room. Grant kinda stayed in the corner on a phone the last hour or so. He approached Levi and the others in this room and was kinda near the open door connecting the two rooms on the inside so the others could hear him.

"Batman said Zero will be out of the hospital soon, Rats isn't looking to get back in the field and will probably be in recovery a few more days. Batman is bound to make this 'Titans' thing work, and recruited a couple more young heroes who should be arriving at any time..." Grant said in his grizzly voice, "Still nothing on Parasite though. The guys at STAR Labs don't want to crack the cocoon in case it's healing her or something but she's under observation. I know you kids are just starting your careers... but I think I'm gettin' a little too old for this sh.."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Who was going to show up at the Titans' temporary door step? Was Zero already back? Maybe it was one of the new recruits? Levi started picking up trash and trying to make the place look more presentable.

~KL~

[Half Pint]

Zhang's eyes grew weary as she watched bag after bag circle around the conveyor belt like one of those hypnotic circles that seemed to go on forever. She looked at the small, black watch that rested on her dainty wrist. It was edging close and closer to 2am, China time that is. She looked up at a large clock hanging on the wall opposite and adjusted her watch accordingly, she was going to have a hell of a lot of jetlag, that was for sure.

Finally her suitcase slowly made its way around to her. She picked it off the conveyor belt and got on her way, explaining to the security guards that the reason she was carrying knives in her bag was because 'Batman said it was fine' was hard enough back in China, where she wasn't jet lagged, it was going to be a hell of a lot harder with the feeling of tiredness that was becoming more and more troublesome as the day went on.

---

It had been a few days since she'd arrived in America and, Zhang was anxious to meet her new team. She'd been informed about their recent fight, and knew about their losses. She was more anxious that she'd say something inappropriate than she was about meeting them in all honesty. She'd dressed appropriately enough for the occasion, she actually put on a baggy pair of jogging bottoms and a zip-up hoodie, rather than her usual attire of board shorts and a t-shirt.

She approached the hotel room, hesitating before she knocked on the door. She breathed in and breathed out rather heavily as a futile attempt to stop the feeling of nervousness overcoming her. Nevertheless, she put on a smile and knocked on the door. No answer. This was problematic. Being herself, Zhang simply turned the handle and took a step in, seeing the rather messy room along with a rather tall boy attempting to clean the room.
"Uh, I'm looking for the Titans?" She asked.

[knighthawk]

Hero was hammered. No, wait, hammering. Hero was hammering away like an inexplicable anime as he used his magic mallet with no fire to shape the tools they brought with them. Batman would never willingly let his tech fall into the wrong hands, so Hero had taken up the crates of titan toys with them to the new location where he was at work experimenting.

Minimization is always something useful, smaller means easier to place or more to carry, since he could not affect an objects mass, he could affect its density. For the moment he was practicing with grenades to make them smaller and smaller by removing the gaps in the molecules to make a more 'solid' explosive that could fit more in the hand. After the grenades, he would look to experimenting on that talon costume they confiscated to see if any technology from the court of owls could be put to their use.

Now, before you ask, hes not so stupid as to be using explosives or even flash bangs in the hotel. He's practicing the technique with gas grenades only loaded with liquid mist as he tries to improve on not only his own limited skill with this tool but also improve the team as a whole in his own way. With headphones on, listening to greek music, he's blissfully unaware of the knocking on the door.

[Weird Tales]

Chester didn't know how he had gotten to the hospital and didn't really care too much after he regained conscious in a hospital bed. All that was on his mind was the death of his two pets who were also his closest friends. How could things have gone so wrong? Chester felt his heart ache every time his mind replayed the sight of their death in his head. He felt tears begin to fall down his cheek as he thought of those horrible memories and looked at his two casts on his right arm and leg.

"Damn, I'm going to have to tell my parents about this. I don't think I can keep doing this anymore" he said to himself and wondered what his teammates would think of him if he quit the team. His anxiety and guilt that he had ever since Robin died had increased by a large amount now that two more friends of his were dead. After about couple of hours thinking about what his next choice was, Chester finally came to a decisions, he would quit the team and try to seek help for his emotional trauma.

"I'm so sorry team" he muttered to himself as he continued to lie on the hospital bed and get treatment and checkups from the doctors.

[Omega Man]

-snip-

~KL~

[rocketrobie2]

After a long nap Ted woke up to the sound of banging coming from the newest addition to the Titans roster, Hero. Ted didn't like all the noise his hammer made but he thought his powers were cool even if he didn't understand exactly what they were or how they worked. That had been quite a fight the week prior but after everything was said and done Ted felt more guilt than anything about the fight since he actually enjoyed it. He realized how many people had gotten hurt and how Chester's rat friends had been killed but Never in Ted's life had he felt like he was in an actual battle, it was a feeling he now found that he enjoyed.

Ted rolled out of the rented bed and walked over curiously to the now shrunken Leviathan to, quite simply, ask him a bunch of questions about how he feels and what its like to be one guy instead of two. "Hey Levi, whats it like being stuck like that? Is one of you in control and the other one is just sorta along for the ride or how does it work?" Ted asked curiously.

[Sigil]

Life had become somewhat erratic for El Sasquatcho. In the days following the owlbeast attack, he had become withdrawn, even quiet, as if pondering over a great decision to be made. Those who were even vaguely acquainted with the jovial Luchador could tell that something was off.

He spent most of his time away from the remaining team, busying himself with mundane tasks. There was still his legitimate work to be done with the Gotham Cultural Arts Center, which he approached with a sense of lackluster automation. He hadn't even bothered to unpack what little he owned fully, taking out only what he required for day-to-day use and replacing it again.

If he wasn't at work, he was at the hospital, checking in on his people. If he wasn't at the hospital, he was training. If he wasn't training, he was back at Grant's Gym, picking through the damage for anything of use. (While at Grant's, he took the opportunity to gather a multitude of intact feathers. They were unique, and he was an artist, after all.)

El Sasquatcho spoke comparatively little, and then mainly to the newcomer, Hero. Mostly curiosity about what he could do with automobiles. He was somewhat skilled at regular maintenance on his Vato Truck, could handle installations well enough, but working outside of a mod kit or standard part switch taxed his knowledge. Still, the conversations were mostly informal technical ones, spattered with varying bits of broken Spanish on either end.

One visit to the hospital brought him into a rather strained conversation with Chester Prince, the younger Titan expressing his doubts and desire to leave the team.

"Si si, Señor Ratboy. El Sasquatcho also has doubts. El Sasquatcho did not sign up to get his head removed from his torso by force, nor his intestines used for the double-dutch jumproping by some monologuing rudo. El Sasquatcho wanted to train with the best, and make the world better for himself and others. Still... there is uncertainty."

Shaking his still covered noggin, he continued, "Listen, if you want to leave the Titans, I have the understanding of your feelings. Do not cut us off, though. Keep in touch with El Sasquatcho. If things change, or someone comes after you, El Sasquatcho has a backup plan for us, ok? Ok, you make with the resting. El Sasquatcho will see you in a day or two."

The day progressed as days do, when one is in the process of rebuilding their life: Slowly and without mirth. This particular day had him mumbling something to his teammates about going out to get some air, maybe hit the Taco Hut nearby. He plodded down to his El Camino, the majority of his few possessions still within. With reverence, he patted the roof of the vehicle like one may a beloved pet, eased open the door, and swung himself inside.

The engine roared to life, subsiding to its usual impressive mechanical purr. He slowly backed out of his parking space, and near-idled it to the edge of the lot, facing the street with apprehension. To his left, the way to the nearest Taco Hut. The right - the highway out of Gotham. The vehicle waited there for a long moment, owing to the indecision of its driver.

In an instant of frustration, the Infamous El Sasquatcho, Blood of Saints, Titan of Gotham City, slammed his head into the steering wheel. The car responded by openly blaring its "La Cucaracha" horn into the evening air. The moment taking him, he did so more than once.

From the motel rooms, one might hear the slightly obnoxious, repetitive klaxon. La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha... La Cucara, La Cuca, La, La, La, La, La, La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha...

The engine noise roared to life again, quieting only with distance.

[Omega Man]

Hero hammered away at weapons. Tinkering with grenades. The normal sized 'Levi' now stood in place of the two brothers, now a completely composite being in and out of giant mode. He attempted at picking up some of the trash when a knock on the door was heard. The new guy tinkering was wearing headphones listening to foreign hits, Sasquatcho had just left, and Nightlife had just woken from a nap and started asking Levi a bunch of questions as he tried to clean.

"Hey Levi, what's it like being stuck like that? Is one of you in control and the other one is just sorta along for the ride or how does it work?" Nightlife asked curiously.

Most of them were in their civilian clothes, having visited the hospital several times off and on through the last few days. Still, there was a knock on the door to be answered.

"Just help me pick up some of this trash, I'll tell you about it later. I''m gonna grab the door..." Levi responded to Ted/Nightlife.

Zhang simply turned the handle and took a step in, seeing the rather messy room along with a rather tall boy attempting to clean the room.

"Uh, I'm looking for the Titans?" She asked.

"You must be Katana's friend, Zhang?" Wildcat, the only guy in the room over fifty asked from his seat by a table next to the window.

"Titans... believe it or not Batman's determined to see this thing through and do right by you young heroes. This girl could probably whip every one of you in hand to hand." Wildcat began informing the team, standing up and sort of in between the connected rooms, "..and she won't be the only addition to the team. When El Sasquatcho gets back I gotta make the call to Bats and see if Zero's ready to check out of the hospital. Tonight you kids get ta' meet the Justice League."

Levi was ecstatic, but didn't really show much emotion as he was still getting used to being the one person. Ninety percent of the time the two were on the same train of thought and speech, but sometimes their words get jumbled when a difference of opinion has both sides questioning the consciousness. Right now both of them were thinking the same thing. Maybe somebody in the League can help them get back to normal. Zatana was a member last he'd heard. It was also nice to see some new members filling the void left by members getting injured or in the case of Parasite cocooned. Levi wondered who else might be joining the group, as weeks earlier Daniel was researching other possible metahuman teens who could be recruited into the team before Daniel and Robert had been made completely composite. Still, the knowledge was retained within this new consciousness.

~KL~

[Double]

Unfortunately for Archer, his little trip to the hospital pretty much blew his cover as far as his parents were concerned. The injuries he sustained in the fight were not really the kind one could easily explain away. Archer honestly expected to be pressured into quitting the team under the pretense of it being too dangerous. However, that never came up. At all. In fact both his parents seemed to treat the situation in a positive light, confident that working in the company of superheroes would provide a positive influence for him. Maybe they just agreed that since he was about to turn 18, they would simply trust him to make his own decisions? Or maybe Batman convinced them? Archer wasn't exactly privy to what went on around him through the first night and in the morning of the next day after being brought in. So exhausted was he that he just slipped in and out of sleep.

From what he understood, it was Hector who brought him to the hospital. As for his parents... Wildcat was likely the one who called them. When the team was first formed, Archer made up the excuse that he wanted to learn boxing and self defense under Grant's instruction, and so the elder superhero traded some contact info with Archer's parents to sell the idea to them. After a few days or so in the hospital, Archer was itching to get out and back to work. Staying in the hospital bed only ever gave him time to think. And the more time he spent thinking, the more time he spent blaming himself for all of the team's problems.

This was the third time in a row the team suffered a major blow, whilst on his watch no less. He let Mr. Freeze cripple Neith. He failed to stop the owls from capturing Ves. He couldn't protect the gym. He couldn't protect Caitlyn. His plan to stop the owls failed miserably, and was quite poorly thought out in hindsight. He couldn't even save Chester's rats. As far as hero'ing was concerned, he was doing an utterly shitty job. And, of course, there was also the tragedy with Robin still haunting the back of his mind. If only he were stronger. There had to be something - someone - who could help him.

"..." Archer said nothing. The silence in the room was deafening, the kind of quiet where could hear a slight ringing in their ears. The kind of silence that seemed to slow the world to a crawl. He was alone in the hospital room, having lost track of how many days he'd been there. Odd, since he expected his parents to have been there still, never leaving. Finally, a nurse entered, she carried a clipboard and appeared to be making marks on whatever paper was attached to it.

"Everything's checked out, you can check out whenever you're ready." she said, handing Archer the clipboard to sign. That's right, he was legally old enough to sign the check out form himself. He did so, and within minutes he was brought out to the front door on a wheelchair, as was standard practice, "And you're sure you've got transportation covered?" she asked, sounding confused since Archer had elected to contact no one about being checked out.

"I'm fine. Thanks for everything." said Archer, only half-paying attention. He was back in suit, and of course, his identity would be kept confidential. Similar to before, Zero used his powers to skate along the street and sidewalks. He was a bit sore, but otherwise he seemed okay. Perhaps he was treated with some form of advanced medication from S.T.A.R. Labs or something, he wasn't sure. He remembered Wildcat telling him something about a hotel the team was currently staying at. From Gotham Mercy Hospital - where Zero was taken - it was pretty much a straight shot to the west to reach it.

Zero wasn't going west, though. Instead he was going North-Northwest... toward Arkham Asylum.

[Weird Tales]

After Chester was released from the hospital with his right leg and arm in a cast, he informed his parents of his hero work. They weren't too pleased with what they heard and demanded that he give up on heroics. Since he had already chosen to quit the team, Chester did not argue and agreed with his parents. They allowed to him to visit the Gym one last time to pick up his things and say goodbye to his teammates. He almost had trouble speaking when he met his teammates, but he managed to find words to express his regrets at his time on the Titans coming to a close.

"I'm sorry that this couldn't work out and I'm going to miss you all. I hope that everything works out for the rest of you and please stay safe my friends. Keep my suit" he said to the rest of them with a sad smile and with one last wave Chester left the gym and slowly walked to his parent's car having to use a crutch to walk properly. Once at the vehicle he got in and closed the door. His parents then drove away and Chester rested his head on the door. He looked out the window and his mind filled with his memories of the time he had with his team. I can't believe I'm leaving them like this, oh well life goes on and I need to get help for my depression, he thought to himself. Ratboy was done for now.

[Sigil]

"...so I'm very glad you called me, Hector. Of course, if you need me to cover a few of your classes, you just let me know. Just promise me you'll stop giving me bullshit excuses. You seem to forget, I know who you are. And I have an idea what you were doing, when the attack on Gotham finally stopped. You don't go anywhere, I'll see you in ten minutes. Order me two Pollo Grandes, huh? Make sure they don't skimp on the queso dip."

Luis Martinez, El Sasquatcho's former mentor and present supervisor at the Gotham Cultural Arts Center, had always looked out for the young hero. He had known the hairy lug since the first day he set foot in his High School, almost immediately recognizing what he was and what he could be if he took the wrong path in life. It was quite probably his influence that prevented El Sasquatcho from becoming a dark and terrible force of nature, bent on raw, hellish vengeance without regard to anything else, least of all his own safety.

The fact El Sasquatcho called him while wrestling with a hard decision spoke volumes, psychologically. He knew what the right thing was. What the almost legendary Luchador needed was someone to talk him out of doing the wrong thing.

Eight minutes later, the late-model sedan of the Martinez family barreled into the Taco Hut parking lot and came to a rubbery, squealing rest next to the only 1970 El Camino in present. Luis, a man of Latino descent in his late 30's, hopped out and jogged into the vaguely cumin-smelling establishment.

It was easy to spot the Luchador in the restaurant; the youth was dressed down in a pair of jeans and a black band tshirt (Pollo Negro '08 tour), and was cowled quite effectively in his trademark brown and black sugar skull wrestler's mask. He couldn't have laid low in this place if he had tried. Upon seeing his approach, El Sasquatcho rose from his seat and extended a hand in greeting.

He was met by a rough slap to his face.

"What is wrong with you? You know what to do!" began Mr. Martinez, without so much as a salutation.

<SMACK>

"You are El Sasquatcho!"

<SMACK>

"Blood of Saints!"

<SMACK>

"Last of your people!"

<SMACK>

"Aw, boo hoo," he said mockingly, "Me and my friends beat an army and saved the day, but we didn't win exactly how I wanted us to... Look, I don't pretend to like what you're doing. But answer me, Sasquatch, your friends - do they have a better chance of living if you're there, or if you're gone, huh? You gonna quit? You gonna let more people die? Or are you gonna get back up and fight?"

At least Luis stopped hitting him.

"The bell is about to ring, El Sasquatcho. You getting back up? Or are you going to run?" his voice softened, and arms extended as a man about to give an embrace. "Now, come here. You've had a rough week."

The two clasped each other in a long, brotherly hug. El Sasquatcho, in full view of everyone, wept openly. He may have found his way back on the right path by himself, but his mentor could shove him back there with much needed haste. Luis rasped a low whisper into El Sasquatcho's ear, "You got my burritos, right?"

---

Two giant bags of Taco Hut cuisine rested in the passenger seat of his El Camino, still warm and steamy from earlier. The burly Luchador stepped lively out of a convenience store, a couple of two liters and handful of scratch-off lottery tickets. Couldn't hurt, maybe he'd get lucky.

---

El Sasquatcho kicked at the bottom of the door to one of their rooms until someone opened. His hands were full, you see, and he really didn't feel like engaging in a three way battle with gravity and a hinky keycard. His mostly jovial attitude returned, thanks to the catharsis of his conversation just earlier.

"Ok, El Sasquatcho brings you gifts of Burritos and Soda! Si si, there is more than enough for everybody!"

It was at this time that he acquired full notice of their newest member. The presence of a stranger in their midst seemed to be taken with an fair amount of acceptance and simple "going with it", as he queried, "You, new girl! Do your people partake of the yummiful Taco Hut Burrito Grande? ...you're going to want a box of rice with that, too..."

Sequestering a bag for himself, El Sasquatcho pulled the bottom half of his mask up to allow for his speedy consumption, as he set to horking back one burrito after another, practically swimming in white cheese sauce. He sat on the floor, up against the wall, and set to his repast with raging gusto, as if he had very recently remembered how to be hungry after a long fast.

When the assault slowed, he took a fingernail to his tickets.

Were one looking very carefully at what his expression might be under his mask, they would note muted surprise and a light tremor in one hand. His eyes shifted around the room, taking in the people around him with detached observation. He composed himself fully, and let out an optimistic inquiry:

"Ok, here we are. El Sasquatcho is curious as to our next move, eh? Where do we go from here?"

[Weird Tales]

Remy was slightly nervous when it came to meeting his team for the first time and he wasn't sure how thing would go. This team seemed to have gone through a few roster changes and it sounded like they had run into some bad luck along the way. Zatanna didn't tell him much, but it sounded like they had suffered a recent battle with a wicked organization and their army of monsters. This wasn't going to be an easy ride and Remy had to be prepared for terrible situations and plans going south very quickly. His magic was powerful, but he still wasn't fully trained and had a lot to learn. No matter he was sure that his abilities would be helpful to the Titans.

He came upon the hotel that the team was staying at and saw that this was the place. Already in full costume Remy entered the building and was greeted by the sight of other young people who he guessed were his new teammates. Being raised in the south, Remy had a since of politeness and formal introductions when greeting new people and this would be no different here.

"Hello, I'm your new teammate. The name's Remy Sean, but when in the field you can call me Mystic. Magic is my specialty and I hope to be as useful as possible for this team. It's a pleasure to meet all of you" he said to the heroes in the gym and wondered if his introductions were good. Good first impressions were key in his opinion to having good teamwork and helped make a possible future of great success.

[Mr_pink]

Maddie stared out of her bedroom window at the slowly setting sun over the horizon of Naples. The family had moved there recently, her parent's decision, they didn't know how they were going to handle, Maddie going away from home while at university, they had no idea how they were supposed to handle her going halfway across the world to fight crime in America. Maddie was rather solemn about the whole thing, she was ecstatic about getting to go to America, and even more excited about the possibility of meeting Batman.

However, underneath all this excitement was the resounding possibility of being injured for life. She had been informed by the Italian representative of Batman Incorporated about what had happened to Robin, and even, Ves as of recent, it was only fair for Maddie to know what she was getting into. Along with the nervousness, was her sadness for leaving. She loved her home country and her parents, and was sorry to leave them at such short notice.

She sighed, turning from her window to her room and staring at the mirror. It was going to be a long flight to America that was for sure, but old Bats' had paid for first class. The benefits of being a young hero it seemed.

---

Maddie carried a sports bag slung over her shoulder as she made her way up the stairs to the meeting place. She stopped when she reached the top step, taking her signature bandana out of her pocket and tying it around her head. She rubbed her tired eyes, still jet lagged from the flight. She moved around the corner to see the door to the room was already open, with a few people inside. She wandered in, shutting the door behind her and gazing at the people inside. They were a ragtag bunch that was for sure.
"Hey" She said as she walked in, before continuing her introduction. "The name's Maddalena, you can call me Maddie for short, this is the Titans place right?" She asked, her thick Italian accent coming through like a freight train.

[Double]

Arkham Asylum, Gotham City's most... famous landmark. "Famous" perhaps, was the wrong word. Infamous is likely much more accurate. Once upon a time, it was an estate owned by the Arkham family. That was a long, long time ago. Amadeus Arkham reformed the estate into a Psychiatric Hospital. Death and tragedy seemed to plague the Arkham family, first with the death of Arkham's mother Elizabeth, followed years later by the rape and murder of his two daughters. The Asylum's infamy only rose from there. Almost as soon as the Batman began his crusade against the crime of the city, psychotic criminals began to spring up almost as if in response. These monstrous human beings had become the common residents at the Asylum.

Over time, Arkham Asylum has had many different renovations done to it to account for some of the more... talented inmates. One such inmate, Victor Fries, had to be kept in a constantly refrigerated cell due to his condition. If let out for any reason, then the life support device from his suit would be plugged into him to keep him alive, but only the device itself, as the rest of the suit was kept locked tightly away in a vault filled with confiscated weapons and gadgets the inmates were brought in with. As for Mr. Freeze himself, he sat in his arctic cold cell in silent contemplation, perhaps planning his next escape and revenge on Batman and the young heroes who had a hand in his capture. He was interrupted from his thoughts by something metallic tapping on his cell window.

"Officer Cash," said Freeze coldly, having recognized the distinct sound of the guard's hook hand, "to what do I owe the pleasure."

"Visitation," Cash responded, even holding up the portable life support device, "apparently you still got relatives that actually give a damn about you."

Freeze complied, but he was secretly confused. He knew for a fact that Nora was the only family he had, and she surely wasn't the one visiting him. Someone was lying, that was for sure. But there was only one way to find out the meaning of all this. Freeze let himself be hooked into the portable device, and even complied with the cuffs on his wrists. After this, Cash led him to one of the Asylum's visitation rooms, this one was two rooms separated by a reinforced glass wall. Freeze and his visitor would only be able to speak through a pair of connected phones. Upon entering the room, Freeze raised his eyebrow with intrigue at his supposed relative.

"You get 5 minutes, no more, and no less." said Cash before he exited to wait just outside the door.

Approaching the glass wall, Freeze took a seat in front of his vistor and slowly picked up the phone on his end. As soon as he did he heard a voice all too familiar to him. One that belonged to a young man who, only weeks ago, had actually fought Freeze just before his capture by Green Lantern.

"I'll make this quick, Freeze. You know the power of ice better than anyone within a thousand miles of here. I need to know how to make it stronger." the voice's owner, the Titan called Zero, leaned in close to the glass wall as if to whisper, even though the window prevented him from being able to do so, "Don't forget, you're in there and I'm out here. That means there has to be something you need."

Mr. Freeze narrowed his eyes, then closed them in contemplation. The boy made a point. Being owed a favor from the outside was a valuable thing, especially in a place like Arkham. Of course, Freeze could have simply demanded his freedom, but knew that was impossible. This Titan, though useful he could be, was still just a Titan. He had neither resources nor the ability to free him. But there was something he could do. Something very important to Freeze, important enough that the man would even be willing to part with a few of his secrets as a trade for it, "Listen carefully Titan, I won't be able to repeat this..."

Several minutes later, Zero found himself finally approaching the hotel. After departing from the Asylum, he swung by a burger joint and got himself something to go. Was there food already at the hotel? Possibly, especially if Hector was around. The guy loved his Taco Hut after all. But the burger wasn't really for eating. Zero needed an excuse for where he'd been, and that seemed a good enough one to use.

When he approached the room, he saw the door closing as someone was just entering, but couldn't see who it was. Shrugging, he approached the door and let himself in. He saw a scene of teens gathered around a rather large amount of food from Taco Hut. He was also just in time to hear a girl's voice introduce herself as Maddie. When she asked if this was the Titans' place, Archer cleared his throat from behind her.

"It better be, or I'm about to feel very embarassed." he said, having to force a smile, "Sorry I'm late everyone. Just checked out and I had to get some kind of food that wasn't from the hospital. Yuck." he placed his paper bag on a table nearby and pulled up a chair. Before sitting down he dropped a backpack that held his costume inside it on the floor near one of the beds. Realizing there were new faces in the room he spoke again, "Oh right. I'm Archer. Most of the time anyway, otherwise I'm Zero."