Looting DC #9. The Team And The Titans
A rare sight: the Team and the Titans in the same room. At least on the surface, they got along well enough for someone to mistake them for one big, coincidental unit.
But the cracks were there.
The tension between Robin and Nightwing hadn't faded. And somewhere deeper in the cave, someone had finally remembered to free a forgotten butler.
As for the BatCave itself? It was still a mess. The aftermath of Jake's break-in lingered - webbing stubbornly clung to the Batcomputer's edges, refusing to dissolve even after Cyborg's analysis.
Nightwing exhaled sharply. "All this, just so he could make a suit?"
"A suit?" Starfire echoed, her brow arched. "That doesn't sound right."
"He'd have an easier time raiding the Tower than the BatCave," Beast Boy remarked, glancing around. "After all, it is THE BatCave."
"Not anymore," Nightwing observed. "Its location has been compromised."
He turned his accusing gaze toward Robin. "Wonder what Batman will say about all this mess?"
Robin's response was laced with confident defiance. "Not much. As you said, the BatCave's been compromised."
"What we should really be focused on is that guy," Robin continued. "Whoever he is."
"Come to think of it, he never even gave us his name," Kid Flash added, tapping his chin. "How rude."
"He's fast, agile, and shoots webs like a spider," Kaldur began.
"Considerably super strong," Superboy chimed in, nodding toward the fallen pillars.
"And he's got a scientific mind," Miss Martian noted, gesturing toward the debris. "Look at how he manipulated everything to converge at a single point."
Kid Flash grinned. "That's some solid geometry."
Tch.
"While we praise him, let's not forget he seems to have a sixth sense - like he knows what's coming before it happens," Robin snarled.
"Is that like a spider thing I don't know about?" Beast Boy asked, morphing into a bright green spider. "Spider sense?"
"No," Raven said, her voice cutting clean through the chatter. Calm, assertive, and chillingly matter-of-fact - it was the first time she'd spoken since entering the cave.
"It's something else."
She stepped forward, slowly lifting her arms. Her cloak rippled as she chanted under her breath, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"
The cave responded. A breeze kicked up from nowhere, swirling with a mystic edge - too cold to be natural, too intentional to be dismissed. Dust and shadows lifted off the ground as white and black energy began to spark and crackle around her, forming spirals that curled into her outstretched hands.
The red gem on her forehead burned to life, a deep, hellish glow piercing the dimness.
And then… indistinct whispers.
Raven's expression shifted - sharp, alert, then stricken. Whispers laced with ambition. With hunger. With something Terrible and Demonic.
Trigon.
Her eyes widened. Something was causing the cursed demon to stir again. With more vigor and excitement this time. Something beyond the boy in webs. Something unnaturally powerful was threading its way into the fabric of their world.
A sharp cry tore from her lips, and her knees buckled.
"Raven!" Starfire was the first to reach her, kneeling beside her friend. The rest followed quickly, surrounding her in a flurry of concern and questions.
But Raven's hands trembled as she tried to speak.
"Something's wrong," she gasped, voice thin but urgent. "Something terrible is coming."
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All that was missing was a solid track. Something by Post Malone… Kendrick… maybe even Anderson .Paak. Anything with a good rhythm and mood.
The swinging was liberating.
Especially now, with the suit's ventilation system feeding clean air into his lungs, Jake felt like he could fly. He was bruised, tired from the raid, his limbs screaming for rest - but he couldn't stop. Not yet.
A shower sounded nice. A meal, even better. Sleep was absolutely needed.
But right now Jake just wanted to keep moving. Keep soaring. Let the wind remind him he was still free.
Gotham had its moments, he'd admit that. Pockets of green that looked almost too peaceful for this crime-riddled city. He'd passed one earlier that made him think twice - looked serene, until he noticed vines that practically glared at him. Poison Ivy territory.
So, yeah. Scratch the whole "peaceful" thing.
Still, he couldn't deny it anymore - Gotham wasn't just an eyesore. It had character. One designed to keep you on your toes.
Jake finally landed on a rooftop, rolling to a stop with a practiced ease. He crouched, catching his breath as reality finally caught up with him.
Time to rest.
Alright.
Which hotel do I crash in for the night?
"Looking good there."
Jake froze.
The voice wasn't his. Someone else had spoken. Calm and close.
His head snapped around, instincts firing. The words caught him mid-thought like a sudden jolt of electricity. He scanned the rooftop, then the shadows behind him.
Had the Team caught up already?
Oh shit.
Should've laid low.
"Who's there?" he called out, voice firm even as his heart pounded. "Show yourself."
Someone flipped off the ledge with effortless grace, landing silently in front of him.
Jake's eyes widened as he took in the figure: blonde hair, green mask, bow slung over her shoulder, full lips, and yeah… those curves that had no business being that lethal.
Artemis.
In the flesh.
Jake felt his brain short-circuit for a second. She took a casual step closer, and suddenly everything felt a bit too real. The rooftop. The night air. The fact that Artemis was now standing within arm's reach, and he had no idea what side of the chessboard she was playing on.
Maybe she was here as part of the Team. That could mean a fight.
Or maybe - just maybe - this was something else.
Either way, he was weirdly okay with both options. Especially if it meant getting to live out the most unhinged daydreams he never told anyone about.
"Hello?" Artemis said, raising an eyebrow. "I said I haven't seen you around before. Are you deaf, or just dumb?"
That snapped him out of it.
She was closer now. Too close for someone who might be an enemy. He realized he'd been standing there like an idiot, mentally monologuing about her jawline.
Alright. Play it cool.
Jake smirked. "Nah. Just enjoying the view."
Artemis raised a brow, the corner of her mouth twitching like she was fighting a smile.
"You too?" he added, grin sharpening.
She scoffed, a soft chuckle slipping out despite herself. "Nope. Just wondering why there's a tear in your suit."
Jake's grin faltered.
ROBIN!
I swear I'll...
Artemis caught the shift immediately. "Whoa, didn't know you'd lose your charm that fast."
Jake straightened, recovering. "Nah, just remembered to schedule an appointment with the tailor."
"Oh?"
"So you do think I'm charming," he said, leaning into it with that confident, cocky stride of words.
"Easy there, cowboy," Artemis replied, hands on her hips. "We just met. For all I know, you could be a pumpkin head under that mask."
"Tempting offer," Jake said smoothly. "But I'm not stripping just yet."
That one got her. Artemis laughed - genuine this time, her guard down just a little.
Artemis's laughter faded into a sly smile. "Alright, mystery boy. You've got jokes. But let's see if you've got moves."
Jake tilted his head, intrigued. "Moves?"
Before he could react, Artemis whipped out a blunt-tipped arrow and fired. Jake's spider-sense screamed, and he ducked instinctively. The arrow sailed harmlessly past, clinking against the rooftop wall behind him.
"Reflexes check out," she noted, lowering her bow. "Not bad."
Jake straightened, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder. "You always shoot at people you just meet, or am I just lucky?"
"Depends," she said, pacing a slow circle around him now, analyzing him like a target on the field. "You steal blueprints often?"
Jake blinked. "Wait - that's what this is about?"
"So I am tracking the right guy," Artemis said, smirking. "Saw the swinging. Wasn't sure with the new… upgrade."
Jake turned cautiously. "Okay, but so what? I stopped the bad guys. They had guns. I had webs. They lost."
"You also took what they stole," she countered, raising a brow. "Then vanished before anyone could ask questions."
Jake shrugged. "Didn't see a customer service kiosk."
Artemis gave him a long stare. "So what's the deal, spider-boy? Planning to sell them? Use them? Frame someone?"
"Or toss them because Gotham rats chewed them up," Jake said with a shrug.
"What?" Artemis blinked.
"Yeah," he said, casual as ever. "They're barely readable now. Total garbage."
She stopped cold. "Those were high-level schematics. Military-grade. And you're telling me rats... chewed them?"
"Pretty much. Yep," Jake nodded, deadpan.
Artemis looked like she wanted to throw him off the roof. "You have got to be kidding."
"What's your interest, anyway?" Jake asked, tilting his head. "Didn't think you were the 'master planner' type."
Her face darkened. "You really aren't joking."
Jake frowned. "If I knew they were a big deal, I would've kept 'em safe or something."
"So you've got powers, gear, and what - you're just doing petty thug gigs?" she snapped.
"Hey," Jake raised a hand. "We all start somewhere."
Artemis' grip on her bow tightened. Jake felt something dark about her, instinctually. Darker than usual. What was going on.
"What now?" Jake asked. "You gonna start putting arrows in my throat? Or what?"
She gave him a long, unreadable look, and then smiled. "Where's the fun in that?"
"I like to enjoy a hunt," she said with a glint in her eye. "Tell you what. I'll give you a ten-second head start. If you can outrun me, I'll let you go."
Jake looked at her, puzzled. Seriously? What does she think she has on me? A bow and arrows?
Artemis stepped back toward the ledge, counting, "9, 8..."
And then, without another word, she vanished into the darkness.
Jake blinked. What?
Pshooshshshshsh!
Jake's spider sense screamed in alarm as a dozen arrows whizzed toward him. What! Does she have like an army on that ledge!?
But adrenaline kicked in, and before his mind could catch up, his body was already moving - out of instinct, out of thrill.
This oughta be fun!
Jake swung with a grin on his face, weaving through the arrows. One plucked him despite his reflexes and agility. A sign?
"...Yep. Definitely in love. Wait - what?!" Knock it off, knucklehead.
I got nothing more rn, but... Patreon.com/mimiclord if you'd like a future where there's more always.