We'll Never Forget

The tension in the air was suffocating as the two different groups of teens stared at one another, each person taking in everything about the other.

Robin of the Titans stepped up, still looking suspiciously over at Robin before looking at them all individually. “You helped the civilians escape. Thank you.”

Kaldur’ahm then took a step forward. “It was not a problem. We do what we can. I am Aqualad, and—”

“Hold up, hold up,” Cyborg began, walking over to them. “You’re not Aqualad. We know Aqualad.”

Kaldur was taken aback, though regained his composure quickly. “I’m sorry, but I can assure you that I am Aqualad, and this is my team, Artemis, Miss Martian, Superboy, Kid Flash and Robin.”

“Whoa, dude, you must be seriously confused!” Beast Boy added, joining them before the team. “This is Robin and that guy is Kid Flash!”

“Are you calling us phonies?” Robin questioned the changeling.

“Listen, kid, it’s nice that you’re interested in fighting crime and helping others, but that stunt you pulled back there was dangerous.” Titans Robin replied in a stern voice.

“Stunt? That wasn’t a stunt. I save people every day.” The thirteen-year-old replied. “And I am not a kid.”

“Yeah, man, we’re heroes, and I can vouch for him. This guy is the real Robin, way more real than some wannabe.” Kid Flash interjected before looking at the Titans Kid Flash. “And I know for a fact that I’m the real Kid Flash.”

“Robin, Kid, please,” Aqualad got between them. “I’m sorry, but would you mind my asking who you are?”

“I’m Robin, leader of the Titans, and this is my team, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and our friend, Kid Flash.” He replied. “I’m sorry, but if this is some type of a prank, consider it played.”

“I can assure you that this is not some kind of a joke, Robin.” Aqualad replied.

The two leaders stared at one another in silence, each member of both teams looking to their respective heads, waiting for something to be said, waiting for some type of fight to break out. Aqualad was the first to speak.

“What city is this?” He questioned.

“Jump City,” Robin replied.

“How’d we end up all the way over here?” Conner questioned his teammates.

“Don’t know. We were in Happy Harbor when the blast went off, and I distinctly remember it being nighttime.” Robin answered.

The blonde of the team turned to face the ginger with a glare. “You just had to touch it, didn’t you?” She growled. “Now look what’s happened!”

“Hey, do you seriously expect me not to touch a glowing orb?!” He shouted back.

“Yes!”

“Guys, please, let’s not fight,” M’gann pleaded. “We need to figure out what what’s going to happen next.”

“Miss Martian is right.” Aqualad agreed. “We must also notify the League.”

“The League?” Robin of the Titans began. “What is that?”

“You seriously don’t know what the League is and you have the guts to dress up as Robin?” Kid Flash questioned.

“The League, you know, the League – the Justice League. This isn’t ringing any bells?” Robin looked at the other Robin incredulously. “You know, it consists of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, pretty much all of the best heroes in the world… none of this is getting to you?”

“Robin, why don’t you try to get into contact with Batman?” Kaldur looked at the boy wonder with stern eyes and Robin walked away to do so. “Simply put, the Justice League is a group of heroes who protect the people of Earth and try to keep international peace.”

“Well, I’m afraid that we haven’t heard of them.” Robin repeated.

Groaning, the thirteen-year-old boy wonder returned. “I can’t get through, it’s almost like we’re out of range.”

“How strange,” Kaldur mused.

Robin’s thoughts began to race as he let his attention leave Kaldur’ahm and his team to glance at his fellow Titans. This was definitely a confusing situation, or better yet, an incredibly irritating one. He knew he was Robin, he knew Kid Flash was himself, and he knew that Aqualad was a part of Titans East and was stationed quite a ways away.

However, he couldn’t deny that he had seen the other Kid Flash dart back inside the mall with his own eyes earlier, and he knew that such a speed was impossible to achieve without having powers or special equipment. Then there was the other Robin to think about. He was young, probably a few years younger than himself, but there wasn’t anything to make his ridiculous claim credible. Robin hadn’t seen the boy in the action and so he couldn’t completely believe him. Finally, this Aqualad looked nothing like the one he knew with his dark complexion and blond hair, and he was also far more polite than Garth.

The more he thought of it, the more he thought it was some teenage prank, and that only caused him to grow further irritated.

“Why does this seem familiar?” He could hear Beast Boy mumble under his breath.

Familiar? What was so familiar about having someone claim to be him or another Titan? Then it seemed to dawn on him and he couldn’t believe he didn’t think of it before. He couldn’t believe it, but Beast Boy had beat him to the punch.

“It seems familiar because this has happened before, Beast Boy. Aqualad, why don’t you and your team come to our tower?” Robin suggested, turning his attention back to the other team of heroes who were beginning to consider their options.

Kaldur turned to the other Robin. “Your tower?” He questioned, and Robin replied with a nod.

“What do you mean, this has happened before?” Conner asked.

“This will sound a bit strange, but a while back, we met someone who was me from another dimension. His name was Larry. Maybe this could be a similar situation?”

“But Robin, they did not arrive out of your skull like Larry,” Starfire pointed out airily.

“He came out of your skull?” The other Robin stared at his counterpart as if he had a second head.

“Uh, yeah…” his voice trailed as he became flustered. It was quite obvious that it sounded unrealistic and that the others were thinking that he might be off his rocker.

Kaldur’ahm thought about his offer carefully. His team was unable to make contact with Red Tornado, Batman, or any of the other League members, and they weren’t aware of where they could gain access to the Zeta-Tubes to return to Mount Justice. Perhaps if they went with them, they’d be able to get into contact with one of their mentors.

“We’ll take you up on your offer, thank you.”

“It’s not a problem. Do you need a lift there? Cyborg can drive you there in the T-Car.”

After everyone was loaded up in the T-Car, with the exception of Kid Flash who would be running with the Titans Kid Flash and M’gann who would be flying alongside Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire, they were all heading towards Titans Tower.