The Darkest of Knights

11/15/31
01:00am - Jump City
04:00am - Gotham City

"Oh my god, I can't believe this." Killer Moth examined the television set. News broadcast had spotlights on the action scene where everything was going down. The Slade Bots. The Slade. The heroes. "Hey what's going on?" His partner asked from behind the couch opening a can of beer. "Put that sh*t down! We're heading out." Killer Moth said standing up. "Haven't heard from Slade in years, thought that bastard died. Y'know he took my spotlight throughout the entire television series?" He asked his partner. "What television series?" Killer Moth's Partner asked sipping the drink. "Just shut up! We're going. Bring your equipment." He said getting up and walking away. "Uhh nope. He's gone." His partner explained. "What? WHAT?!" Killer Moth asked running back to the television. "Yep, just missed him." His partner said pointing at the screen. Then Killer Moth cussed so loud his landlady used a broom from below hitting the ceiling to shut him up.

"Holy crap! What happened!?" Barbara asked dropping her her knees as soon as she formed in the room of the Batship. "Thats... incredulous Zero." Batman smiled in disbelief. "I knew I could count on you." He smiled at him and helped Barbara up. "That's certainly the first time I've experience something like that... you're Zero?" Barbara asked him still a bit confused. He did have Zero's facial features but he looked younger, he was without goggles, and his tattoos on his cheeks vanished. "The Pit does wonders doesn't it Babs? You remember how you looked when you came out of it?" Batman asked helping her up. "Dick... I." She stammered. "Don't worry about it. We're heading back to Jump City to regroup, then we're going straight to Metropolis. That's where we finally take this weapon down. Superman is waiting for us to my knowledge."

Watching Slade leave Karmy still held the grenade clenched in her hand until he was gone. Walking over, she knelt down and picked up the key to the grenade, putting it back in place and back into her bag. She examined her body and found many lacerations from the fight including the one on her face. "Figures.." she mumbled and went to go help the others.

Alice snatched the grenade out of Karmy's hand and b*tch slapped her so hard across the face her hand hurt. "What was that?!" She demanded tossing the grenade away. There was two seconds left, she counted. No time to throw it. "Well?! Explain yourself!" She screamed in her face.

Slade and his motley crew appeared atop the Wayne building. The feel of the wind, the sight of the city lights, the smell of car exhaust.... every detail of being humanity was a rush he hadn't experience din six years. SIX YEARS. He simply waited, uncharacteristacally enjoying himself and NOT thinking about killing someone.
[Hey, I had to do ONE nice Slade post.]

Zero could help but indulge in a slight grin at Batman's praise. Being congratulated by BATMAN wasn't soemthing that happened every day. "So, we're heading back?" Zero asked. He still wanted to see what was going down, remembering he left Ivy there......

Karmy rubbed her now very sore face but kept her head down, not looking up at Alice. "I wanted to kill him. And I couldn't think of any way else to do it." she confessed, keeping her eye's trained on the floor.

"Yeah, I'm going to call Clark. Hopefully he's awake right now. We'll be on speaker phone so we can all talk to him." Batman said setting coordinates to Jump City. "We'll be there early tomorrow afternoon I hope." He explained. Sitting down and punching in the number. Barbara couldn't believe she was back where she belonged. "Dick can we talk about..." She asked shyly. "After we're done talking with Clark. Don't worry, I plan to ask where you've been." Batman said with concern. "But anyway, want to talk to Superman, Zero?"

"Are you an idiot?!" Alice asked grabbing Karmy's chin. "You're a super hero Karmy. You're not the murderer you were before." She explained, lifting Karmy to look her in the eyes. "Killing Slade would be so easy, it would fix all our problems, but we don't kill." Alice told her. "You're not going to murder anyone as long as you're my best friend. Not anymore. And on top of that you'd better not commit suicide or I will slap you so hard in our afterlife you'll reincarnate as buttered toast!" She wasn't making any sense, but that was the only way to make any sense to Karmy.

"I'll always be a murderer, even if I don't kill anymore." Karmy said, jerking her head out of Alice's grasp. "That will never, ever change, no matter how much I want it to. And suicide seems like the only way out at.. Times." she looked down at her scarred arm where she had cut herself.

Alice turned Karmy's other cheek with an equally powerful slap. "You shut the hell up right now!" Alice spat in her face, The Titans and Ropers were looking at this scene like a strange unfolding of events. They wanted to intervene but thought it was best to just wait for the right time. "Just cause you're a murderer doesn't justify you continuing to kill! You got that!? And of you think about suicide one more time I'm knocking you out with happy gas! You want to keep thinking about killing Slade? You can forget about even being near me!"

"Ah no!" Karmy screamed and covered her head. "No more happy gas!" she quivered in fear.

Alice looked around, Red Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Cassius, Cyrah, Ivy, an Robin were creeping up on the two in a circle. "You two okay?" Red Robin asked. "Yeah.. Yeah we're okay. Right Karmy?" Alice asked picking her up and hugging her. "I'm sorry." She muttered. "I'm so sorry. Don't scare me like that ever again." Alice embraced.

"Don't.. Like.. Happy Gas.. Al." Karmy whimpered keeping her eye's covered. "I.. I'm really trying not to have those thoughts. It's hard when it's been burned into your brain, almost literally, that killing is a necessity in life." she quoted her forever tormentor, Dr. Foster.

"You just shut the hell up and get us back to Titan's Tower." Alice sighed still hugging Karmy. "Gotta figure out how Dick is doing." She mumbled resting her head on Karmy's shoulder.

Karmy cringed at the 'shut the hell up' part, a part of her was still scared of Alice. "Alright, alright.." she muttered and snapped her fingers, transporting everyone back to the tower.

Everyone had begun to settle down and end up in a rather quiet evening. Cyborg managed to order pizza's online at a late hour, they then had a dinner that was unusually quiet, Cyborg tried to break the ice, but in reality everyone was scared to the core. The nightmare that haunted The First Robin had returned in the flesh, what made them scared to go out at night had manifested itself, and literally came back from the dead. Surprisingly, there was left overs.

Alice led Karmy into the room she was staying at to talk as a friend. They entered the room marked "TERRA" and shut the door. Alice flopped on the bed, she had a big day. "So we've hit a lot of road bumps in the past several days, and I think today was... Ugh... Sorry about everything Karmy." Alice was at a lost with words. "Take a seat, please. We do need to talk."

"Uh... Sure, Al" Karmy looked around the room for something to sit on but saw nothing. With a shrug, she pulled out a dark blue bean bag from her bag and plopped down in it, leaning back until she was comfortable. "What's up?"

"Okay.. Just.. What are your honest thoughts of me?" Alice inquired getting to the meat. "Tell me straight up. Don't hold back."

"You're different Alice, and I don't care that you were once Slade's apprentice." Karmy said, still leaning back. "You aren't now and that's all that matters. Back then, you seemed confused and I blame Slade's brainwashing for that. But now, oh hell no you're not. You're definitely smarter than me, always will be too. I've always counted on your when I needed you most, though.. There were times when you chose to leave. And damn did that hurt Al, it really did. You're my best friend, and I never want that to change." she shifted slightly and averted her eye's. "But.. You scare me." she admitted.

Alice nodded, she stomach was laying on the bed and her arms rested over one another. "Okay, so you want to be my friend... But I scare you." Alice repeated resting her head over her arms now, her eyes half open. "I scare a lot of people. I was with Slade for nearly thirteen years. But you don't worry about that, how do I scare you?"

"Because of these." Karmy rolled up her jeans and showed Alice the bullet scars and then the scar on her back. Then she pointed to her bruised face. "You can kill me in an instant. And just because you won't, doesn't mean you can't."

"You're wrong. I can't kill you. Its impossible." Alice admitted. "There's no way I can kill anyone anymore. Not after what I've been through. If we were duking it out and you really knew what you were doing... I'd let you kill me."

"How do you do it, Alice?" Karmy asked, still not looking at her. "You and I have both killed people, innocent and guilty. But.. No matter how much I try, the instinct to kill is still there. I can't get rid of it."

Alice thought for a minute. "I read ever book in Bruce Wayne's library." She said softly. "Several books he wrote. All his journal entries." She sighed. "Just being in Wayne Manor.. He rubs off on me I guess. I wish I could have met him."

"He was a great man from what I've heard, wish I couldve met him too." Karmy curled up in the bean bag. "But I don't think I could handle any of his books or journals. It's all logical mumbo jumbo in my head. If somethingv makes sense to others, then it probably doest make sense to me and vice versa." she sighed. "I'll never lose these insticts."

"Instincts? You may not eat them, but you're not an animal." Alice explained, "Humans have free will, we're not bound by instincts. I don't even think Beast Boy has those certain instincts, after all he's still human." Alice rolled her head right side up to look at Karmy. "What I'm trying to say, is that if that's been pounded into your head you can break free from it. You just have to work on it. I'll help you." She smiled at her broadly. "After all, you helped me."

[I'm gonna be out 'till this evening, so control to whoever needs it untill then. EXCEPT Ra's, I've got something special in mind for him.]