ITN’s Titans Equinox Iss. #104: Image of the Beat Part 2

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-ˏˋTitans Equinox Iss. #104´ˎ-

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ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹Image of the Beat Part 2◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ

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Outside of Titans Tower; Midnight

Beast Boy took a defensive step back, his fists clenched and body tense. “If this is about what happened with Vixen—”

“ You did the right thing.” Batman’s voice was calm, and measured. The shadows around him seemed to part at his presence. “Even when it wasn’t by the book.”

“ Wait… what?” Gar asked brows furrowed. “Did Batman just say I did the right thing?”

Batman gave the faintest hint of a nod. “You put yourself in danger to protect someone who couldn’t protect themselves. That’s what a hero does.”

Gar’s expression twisted. “She died, Bruce. I wasn’t fast enough. I didn’t save her.”

“ You tried. And I’ve seen too many people in this line of work who don’t even try. You may have lost that battle, but you exposed something we didn’t see coming. A new assassin with skills rivaling the League of Shadows—possibly more advanced.” Batman stepped forward. “And someone who knew how to disrupt Mari’s totem. That takes knowledge of ancient magic… or access to very specific intel.”

Beast Boy looked away. “So what? I’m just a pawn again, right?”

“ No. You’re a key piece now.”

Gar blinked. “Key piece?”

“ Your DNA was found at the crime scenes. This assassin isn’t just trying to kill heroes—they’re trying to send a message. About you. You were meant to take the fall. That means they fear what you could uncover. You’re closer to the truth than anyone.” Batman handed him a flash drive. “Take this to your room. Study it. Intel from J’onn’s cross-referenced databases. We may have a location on their base of operations.”

Gar hesitated, still processing the sudden shift. “And what about the others? They’re ready to toss me into a cage.”

“ They’re scared. Not just for you. Of you.” Batman’s tone softened just slightly. “You’re changing, Gar. You’re evolving in ways even you haven’t fully understood yet. Whatever’s happening to your DNA… it’s not just a frame job. Someone’s trying to manipulate your biology.”

“ Like… another experiment?” Gar asked.

“ Or a clone,” Batman confirmed. “Possibly more than one.” A long pause was held between the two.

“ I’m not going to stop looking, Bruce,” Gar finally said, gripping the flash drive. “If they’re trying to use me, I’m going to flip the script. They’ll regret picking me.”

Batman turned toward the shadows. “Good. Because you’re going to need all the help you can get. Go inside, and patch things up with the team. We can’t afford cracks when the real enemy’s still out there.”

“ What about Artemis?” Gar asked. “She almost died.”

“ Zatanna’s already healing her. She’ll live.” Batman paused. “But she wasn’t right about the killer’s identity. The killer couldn’t be Vixen. Not even someone using her face. We’ve seen this before.”

“ Clayface?” Gar asked.

“ Not this time.” Batman’s voice dropped low. “This is deeper. I’m talking Cus-level deception.” Gar’s eyes widened. “Trust no one until we have confirmation. Not even yourself.” Batman turned his head slightly. “And Gar… be careful. If the assassin comes after you again, you may not get another chance.” And just like that, Batman vanished into the night, leaving Beast Boy clutching the flash drive, his reflection caught in the still waters near the dock… and for a second, it wasn’t his own reflection looking back at him. It was something darker. Something else.

Blackgate Ward

Wally sat at Artemis’ bedside, his gaze soft but filled with concern. The sterile smell of the ward was almost suffocating, but the real weight in the room was Artemis’ quiet resolve. “Artemis,” Wally started, trying to sound calm, “This isn’t the answer. You don’t belong here. You don’t want to be here.”

She sighed, her eyes downcast, the weight of her words heavy. “Wally, it’s not that simple. You don’t know what it’s like to live with the things I’ve done. I don’t deserve to be out there… not with everyone else.”

Wally clenched his jaw, leaning forward. “Artemis, I just want my wife back. I want you back. You don’t have to keep punishing yourself.”

Her eyes flicked up, a mix of pain and defiance. “You can’t fix this. I don’t want you to feel responsible for something that’s… it’s not about you.” Before Wally could respond, his communicator beeped with Nightwing’s call. He reluctantly glanced at it, his brow furrowing when he saw the caller ID. He answered, quickly pulling the device up to his ear.

“ Wally, we need to talk. It’s about Beast Boy,” Dick’s voice crackled through.

Wally’s eyes darted to Artemis, who gave him a small, unreadable look before turning away slightly, lost in her own thoughts. “What about Gar?” Wally asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

“ He’s being reckless,” Dick continued the urgency in his tone clear. “He’s out there, acting on his own. He doesn’t think before he does these things. We need to find him before—” The sound of a door sliding open interrupted his sentence, and Wally’s attention snapped back to the conversation. Artemis’ face had darkened, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. He could tell something was weighing on her, and despite his frustration with her decision, he couldn’t ignore her struggle.

“ Dick,” Wally interrupted his tone firm, “Hold on. What’s happening with Gar? Is he in danger?”

“ Yeah,” Dick replied, “But the bigger issue is… he may be doing something without us knowing. He’s slipping again, Wally. I know you care about him, but this isn’t just about him being reckless. It’s about what happens if he keeps going down this path. We can’t afford another screw-up.”

Wally glanced at Artemis again, his mind racing. This was a disaster—

” Gar was at risk, and Artemis was slipping further into her self-imposed punishment. “

“ Alright, I’m on my way,” Wally muttered, quickly ending the call.

He turned back to Artemis, a conflicted look in his eyes. “I need to go, Artemis. Gar’s in trouble, and I can’t let him do this to himself.”

Artemis met his gaze, her expression unreadable. “You’re going to leave me here, aren’t you?” she whispered, her voice tinged with a mix of bitterness and resignation.

Wally swallowed hard, guilt knotting in his stomach. “I don’t want to, but Gar—he needs me. The team needs me.”

“ I know,” Artemis replied softly. “Go. Before you make things worse for yourself.”

Wally stood up slowly, his heart heavy. “I’ll be back, I swear. We’ll figure this out. You’re not alone in this, Artemis.” With that, Wally turned and left the ward, but as he stepped into the hallway, the weight of both Artemis’ situation and Gar’s reckless actions bore down on him. He had a lot to fix—he just wasn’t sure if he could fix it all in time.

Meanwhile

Chains rattled as Nyssa al Ghul shifted in her restraints, her posture still regal despite the situation. The air was thick with smoke and tension. Across from her stood the assassin—hooded, silent, deadly.

“ You’ve made quite the mess,” Nyssa said calmly, blood trailing from a cut on her lip, “killing your way through our ranks. And for what? Revenge? Power?”

The assassin stepped forward, her voice low, almost calm. “I want Talia.”

Nyssa raised an eyebrow, despite the pain radiating through her bruised ribs. “So you thought abducting me would bring her out? You clearly don’t understand how we operate.”

“ I don’t care how you operate,” the assassin snapped, her mask shifting slightly as she leaned in close. “You and Talia are the last ones. The League is ashes because of you. Because of her. All I want is to finish it.”

Nyssa’s expression darkened, her voice dropping an octave. “You think Talia did this? You think she’s the one behind your pain?” She let out a cold, bitter laugh. “You’re even more lost than I thought.”

The assassin slammed her fist into the wall beside Nyssa’s head, cracking the concrete. “Don’t play games with me. Where is she?”

Nyssa’s smirk faded. “You’re wasting your time. You already killed the others. The council. The guards. Even Shiva. And now Slade’s dead… the one man ruthless enough to be a suspect.” She leaned forward, meeting the assassin’s eyes through the mask. “If you want Talia, you’ll have to do better than this. Because if she doesn’t find you first… you won’t even see her coming.” A tense silence settled between them.

The assassin’s hand hovered near a hidden blade, jaw tightening. But instead of striking, she turned her back. “If you’re lying, I’ll come back. And I won’t ask nicely next time.”

As she stepped out of the shadows, Nyssa exhaled deeply, her gaze hard. “Then I’ll be waiting.”

Later

The waves lapped gently against the rocky shore, the sky cast in hues of orange and indigo as the sun dipped lower. Beast Boy sat on a large, smooth stone near the edge of the ocean, absently skipping pebbles across the water. His green hair ruffled in the salty breeze, but he didn’t move much—just tossed another stone. One… two… plop. Raven stood behind him for a moment before slowly sitting down beside him, pulling her cloak tighter around herself. For a few seconds, she said nothing, just listening to the sound of the water and the faint cries of seagulls overhead.

“ I shouldn’t have called you a child,” she said softly.

Gar didn’t look at her. He just shrugged. “You weren’t wrong.”

“ No,” Raven replied, “I was. Instead of helping you, I just piled on. I didn’t mean to make you feel alone.” Another stone skipped—this time only once before it sank.

“ You didn’t pile on,” he muttered. “Everyone else did.”

“ I know,” she said, her voice steady but filled with guilt. “But I didn’t stop them. I didn’t speak up for you when I should’ve. And I hate that I let you feel like you couldn’t rely on us.”

Gar finally glanced at her from the side, his eyes heavy with frustration and hurt. “I wasn’t trying to be a hero. I was just… trying to stop someone from dying.”

“ I know,” Raven said. “You did the right thing… even if it didn’t go the way you wanted.”

He looked down at the water again. “I keep wondering if I was faster… if I shifted into something stronger… maybe she wouldn’t have died.”

“ You can’t carry that,” Raven said gently. “I’ve lived long enough to know there are some losses we don’t get to prevent. No matter how strong we are.” They sat in silence for a few beats. A gentle wind brushed past them. “I miss how simple things used to be,” Gar itted. “Before the League politics, before all the blood.”

“ Yeah,” Raven said, placing a hand lightly over his. “Me too.”

He finally turned to face her more fully. “You think the others will let me back in?”

“ I think they already want you back,” she said. “They’re just bad at saying it.”

Gar gave a small, dry chuckle. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Raven stood and held out a hand. “Come on. Let’s go home.” Gar hesitated, then took her hand, rising slowly to his feet. He looked back at the water once more before walking with her, the sun now barely a sliver on the horizon—faint, but still there.

Gotham

Shadows stretched across the ruined rooftop as the wind howled between the buildings of Gotham. The assassin stood still, poised like a statue in the dark. Batman stepped from the gloom, cape billowing behind him, each step deliberate and unshaken. “I know who you are,” he said flatly, eyes narrowing beneath the cowl. “Or at least… I have a strong guess.” The assassin didn’t respond, only slightly tilting her head as if amused. “Only a handful could infiltrate the League’s inner circle and eliminate targets with that level of precision,” he continued, calculating every subtle movement. “But you’re getting sloppy. Coming here… this was emotional.” Still silence.

Batman lunged first—quick, calculated, and controlled. The assassin met him halfway, blades flashing in the night. Sparks danced from metal as their weapons clashed. She was fast—faster than most—but Bruce had faced worse. For every strike she landed, he countered with three. A knee to her ribs. An elbow to her jaw. A sweep that knocked her into a stack of crates.

“ Give up,” he said, breathing evenly. “You’re outmatched.” The assassin spat blood but didn’t retreat. Instead, she darted forward again—more aggressive this time. Her movements were tight, desperate, but dangerous. She nicked his shoulder, then his thigh, but Batman adjusted quickly, overwhelming her with force and technique. He caught her arm mid-swing, twisted her wrist, and slammed her to the ground with brutal efficiency. Her dagger clattered across the rooftop. She struggled beneath his weight, but Batman had her locked. He reached for her mask, intent on ending the mystery.

“ You’re finished,” he growled. But as his fingers clasped the edges of the mask and began to tug a faint hiss escaped. His senses instantly screamed at him. A delayed release of toxins. Gas expelled rapidly—not from a visible vent or seam, but from an internal mechanism completely hidden within the mask’s lining. His grip faltered. Vision blurred. Muscles weakened. She took the opportunity. With one swift move, she twisted under him and delivered a boot to his chest, sending him staggering. The last thing Bruce saw before the darkness crept in was her disappearing into the shadows, her silhouette vanishing like smoke. He hit the ground, heart pounding as the toxin took hold.

“ This wasn’t over.” She muttered to herself to continue her job. For now… She knew how close he was to figuring it all out.

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