Smoke curled lazily through the cold, bitter Russian air, twisted metal and broken concrete littered across the chaotic streets. Buildings stood half-collapsed, shattered windows reflecting the orange glow of fires smoldering gently among scattered debris. Amid the destruction stood Robin—Damian Wayne, Batman's son, the disciplined yet intensely driven leader of the Teen Titans. He held a robotic head tightly by its wires, sparks crackling weakly from its exposed circuitry.
"Damn stubborn heroes," Robin muttered angrily, tossing the useless robotic skull onto the rubble-strewn ground. It clanked loudly, bouncing briefly before finally settling into silence. "This mission would've gone smoothly if they hadn't interfered. Fucking Blue and Red Trinity(Russian superhero team), more like the fanatical trinity."
"Still, we had to exchange our findings with them before we could--" Blue Beetle began.
"We only had to do that because we got caught! This is an espionage mission, not an investigation! They wouldn't have had to know shit, if Jericho wasn't too good to just mind control that senior officer that had the clearance information to the underground bunker! We are already in a dangerous position moving to another country undetected, and now was the time for him to take a ride on his moral high horse?" Robin fumed, moving in front of Jericho, who shied away from his stare.
"I don't know why 'he' wanted me to assemble a team. I could do this alone." Robin muttered under his breath, but soon quickly looked up to see the annoyed and disappointed faces of his team.
"I gotta work on my… patience. I am sorry. If there's any good thing from this break-in that attracted the Trinity, the encounter we had with Red Star, who found us after the Trinity left, wanted to join us. I think he is a spy, but to prove his loyalty, I had him take the third bunker." Robin said as he checked his gear.
"Are you sure he can…" Aqualad asked slowly, eyeing Robin suspiciously, wondering if he sent the hero to his death because he wasn't sure where his loyalties where. War brought out the best and worst in men. if he was going to follow under Robin's leadership, he wanted to be sure of the mental state and alignment of Robin.
They were all tired from battle after the Senior Officer in the bunker was stealthily located by the team, but failed to mind control him. The Senior Officer, Petrovic, was staying in an office with a ceiling-to-ground blast-proof glass that oversaw a small IT cubicle room and the production room of the robots they had just fought, which he was looking out of at the time.
Jericho's power requires him to be in eye contact with the target, so he can take over their being, and the transparent glass was no obstacle. The obstacle here was Petrovic himself. He was a talented musician Jericho had grown to respect dearly, and couldn't do his job timely which gave Petrovic enough time to spot him hiding behind a desk in the dimly lit IT room as he hit a red button with emergency, turning the attack robots within the facility to attack the team before the Trinity got notice of activity underground.
They managed to fight back tens of robots until the Trinity found them, aided them and took Petrovic into their custody, but not before questioning why an American superhero team was in a secret Russian underground facility. They were held for five minutes in interrogation until a call came through, and they let them loose. The fact that this event even happened in Robin's plan was very frustrating to him.
Blue Beetle, Jericho, and Aqualad gathered closely behind him, each breathing heavily, slightly bruised but otherwise unharmed. They all stared at the smoking remains of a destroyed sentry robot, part of Russia's shadowy government experiments they'd just uncovered.
Batman himself had assigned this covert mission after his unsettling encounter with Raven. Damian knew it was critical—they needed to determine if the remaining Titans were still loyal or bound to Raven's influence. The Justice League, though fractured, hadn't completely fallen apart yet. They were running out of allies, but they still had time to salvage what remained.
"This place gives me the creeps," Blue Beetle said softly, staring uneasily at the towering concrete entrance ahead. His armour shimmered slightly, the alien scarab readying itself cautiously. With the aid of a stealth jet, they arrived at their next bunker. There were three bunkers Batman wanted Robin to check and luckily, a volunteer showed up to check the third for them as well.
Jericho nodded silently, his eyes darting nervously around the area. Aqualad adjusted his diving gear quietly, already prepared to submerge beneath the frigid waters ahead.
Robin quickly refocused, issuing clear instructions. "Aqualad, Jericho, head underwater and find an entry point. Hack whatever systems you find—get us access immediately."
"On it," Aqualad replied confidently. He nodded once at Jericho, tossing him a diving gear, who smiled lightly, always eager to assist despite the dangerous situation, especially after his recent hesitation. Both swiftly vanished beneath the icy surface, leaving barely a ripple behind.
Robin and Blue Beetle moved swiftly and silently through the shadows, infiltrating the complex with practised ease. Guards stood at strategic posts, unaware until Robin and Blue Beetle dropped on them, knocking them unconscious with brutal efficiency.
Deeper within the facility, Robin paused, surprised. Several guards and engineers already lay unconscious, scattered across the tiled hallway.
"Jericho," Blue Beetle murmured appreciatively. "Guess he's trying to make up for last time."
"Clearly," Robin answered, slightly amused despite himself.
They found Jericho moments later, standing casually in a brightly lit kitchen area, rummaging through the fridge. Robin scowled, slapping Jericho's hand sharply away from a wrapped sandwich.
"Aww," Jericho whined softly, giving Robin a pleading look. He may have been mute, but he could still make certain sounds.
"Quiet," Robin whispered sharply, holding a finger firmly to his lips. "No snacking on missions."
Jericho shrugged apologetically, quickly refocusing as Robin and Blue Beetle immediately turned their attention to hacking into the main facility systems. The terminals glowed dimly, streams of code racing rapidly across multiple screens.
Robin's fingers moved swiftly, but frustration grew. "This is taking too long," he muttered, irritated. Normally, Victor would handle this easily—but Victor was no longer their ally. A grim reminder of Raven's spreading corruption.
As the systems slowly yielded their secrets, Robin's mind drifted, recalling why he'd returned. He'd spent considerable time away, training rigorously, far from Raven's attention—so long that she'd seemingly forgotten his presence entirely. A small oversight, perhaps, but one Robin hoped would give him the edge he desperately needed. After Dick's report about Raven's strange behavior, Damian had suspected her father, Trigon, was pulling strings once again. But after careful consideration, he dismissed that idea. Trigon didn't work subtly. This Raven was different—more patient, more cunning. More dangerously human.
It hit him then: perhaps an emoticlone had dominated Raven. He remembered vividly the chaos that had been caused in the Tower before. And now, this twisted version had somehow claimed Victor and Donna. Losing those two Titans—strong-willed, prideful, nearly unbreakable—had been a severe blow. What had Raven done to turn them? What hold could possibly enslave Victor Stone and Donna Troy?
"Robin!" Blue Beetle whispered urgently, snapping Damian back to reality. "Pay attention, man. I need your coding to mirror mine exactly."
Damian sighed, shaking the troubling thoughts from his head. "Right. Sorry."
Quickly, he matched Blue Beetle's rhythm, finally penetrating the facility's main database. Files flooded their screens—detailed blueprints, mission logs, surveillance footage—all confirming Damian's worst fears.
"This isn't just national defense," Damian murmured darkly, his stomach knotting uneasily. "They're planning something global. This could spark another war. But that's foolish given the state the world is in now. Or are they planning something else? Service? It hasn't been made known to everyone about the threat Raven poses, so… hmm…"
Blue Beetle's eyes widened. "What do we do now?"
Damian's voice sharpened decisively. "Destroy everything here. The world doesn't need more wars. The data we got from the system log here says military personnel which means these robots aren't exactly family friendly as we know in the last bunker. Something doesn't add up. But make sure everyone here survives. We blindfold and bind all staff, leaving them outside. No fatalities."
As Jericho and Blue Beetle swiftly obeyed, Robin stood silently, thoughts churning rapidly. They were running out of allies fast. Especially with the Justice League disbanded after recent events. He'd watched endless news cycles in disbelief as Earth's strongest heroes turned against each other. The world was panicking, yet some areas remained bizarrely calm—Gotham, Themyscira—places he knew his father was quietly preparing. Bruce Wayne was gathering anyone capable of standing against Raven's growing power, no matter how distasteful or dangerous they were.
The absence of Superman symbolized the absence of hope itself. Without Earth's greatest beacon, despair spread quickly. Robin shook his head firmly. They couldn't afford to lose more allies.
He had recently recruited a powerful Russian superhero, painstakingly vetted through Jericho's telepathy. His new ally was currently infiltrating another underground facility alone—a dangerous distraction designed to cover their movements. Robin hoped this gamble paid off. Every ally counted.
"All clear," Aqualad's voice came clearly through their comm system. "We've placed charges along the underwater exits and disabled their escape routes. Time to go."
"Roger," Robin replied sharply. "Let's move."
Robin, Jericho, Blue Beetle, and Aqualad quickly evacuated, loading onto the sleek, stealth jet hidden nearby. As the facility beneath them erupted into flames, Robin stared silently through the window, determined yet weary. They had accomplished their mission—but at what cost? Each victory felt smaller, more desperate.
"Plot a course immediately to our ally's coordinates," Robin ordered briskly. "We can't afford to lose anyone else."
"Understood," Blue Beetle replied firmly, fingers rapidly inputting their next destination.
As the jet cut silently through the night sky, Robin leaned back in his seat, eyes focused grimly forward. They'd learned enough tonight. Something sinister was building rapidly, something Raven had either orchestrated or allowed. He didn't know exactly what, yet—but Damian Wayne vowed quietly, fiercely, that he'd be ready when it happened.
Because soon, the Titans—what remained of them, anyway—would be tested like never before.
Raven really did a number on the Heroe society. There's barely any left now.
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