Changing Destiny
Chapter One
Raven sat in her room, in complete solitude. She had her hood up, concealing the stoic expression on her face. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, yet her face showed no emotion. She was trying to be as calm about her situation as possible.
She stroked the smooth, metal barrel of the 9mm Beretta she held in her hand. She had bought it in secret from a nondescript gun shop yesterday. She had dressed in normal civilian clothes, so as not to attract attention, as if her pale skin and violet colored hair weren't enough (she wore a headband to conceal the jewel on her forehead). She used her credit card for the purchase. Being such a run down and out of the way place, an extensive background check wasn't done by the clerk; just a simple look to see if she had a police record, which she obviously didn't. She had seen the place before on her patrols, and so knew she could get a weapon and ammo in a single day.
Now, she had her prize. She snuck it into the Tower, the weapon still in the paper bag, unnoticed. Why would her friends suspect her of brining a gun to her home? Why indeed.
That was nearly twenty-four hours ago. Since then, Raven spent as much time with the other Titans as she could, without trying to be suspicious. She went over the times she spent with them in her mind several times now. Now she experienced her final hours with them, and cherished every moment of it. Even Beast Boy's antics were memorable.
She looked out the window. It was sunset, the sky turning a marvelous shade of crimson. She felt as if the sun was setting on her own life as well.
"Nice way to spend my last night." she said to herself.
As the sun finally sank below the horizon, she got up. It was time now. She only had one more person to see. Well, technically two people, but one was a statue. She hoped that would change after tonight. She took the gun along with a bundle of her own clothes, a pair of shoes, a flashlight, and an envelope with her. She enveloped herself in black energy and flew off. There was no turning back now.
A few minutes later, Raven had teleported into a dark, damp cavern. She turned on the flashlight and saw the familiar statue, still standing in its outstretched pose. She was exactly where she wanted to be. She set down the bundle of clothes and the shoes in a depression of rock nearby. She put the envelope inside one of the sneakers and paced the cavern.
She shined her flashlight around the cavern, stopping where a deep hole in the ground that looked as if something crashed out of it.
"So," she said to herself. "This is where it began."
She looked around, decided where she stood was good a place as any. Using her powers, she made the design of a fiery 'S' in the ground.
"I hope I know what I'm doing!" she murmured.
A flaming figure of a tall man then appeared, crashing in from above!
"Hello, Raven!" said Slade. "Nice to see you again!"
She glared at him, saying nothing. He eyed her closely.
"I must say, I was impressed with your performance back at the library! A taste of what is yet to come for you!"
She still was silent.
"Aren't you going to say anything, my dear?" he asked.
Raven looked Slade in the eye. "I hate you." she deadpanned. "You ruin my life. And you ruin other people's lives."
She pointed to the statue as an example.
Slade looked at Terra. "Ah! My former apprentice!" he laughed. "She was the first of your victims, Raven!"
She glared at him. "She was corrupted by you! She died in saving us! If anyone killed her, it was you!"
Tears flowed out of her eyes.
"Oh, Raven, did I hurt your feelings?" Slade said, sarcastically. "You never trusted her. Now look what has become of her because of you!"
Raven grinded her teeth together in anger. "I'm tired of your bullshit, Slade." she said to him. "Time to end this!"
She pulled out the gun from her belt. Slade stared at it with his single eye, and then chuckled.
"You know, it's been a while since I've been threatened with a gun. I never thought a Teen Titan would be my new assailant, least of all you."
Raven smiled as she flipped the safety off. She then pulled back the slide, chambering a round, and then aimed at his chest.
"This is for my friends!" she yelled.
She fired five rounds at him, a slight pause between each shot.
"That's for each of the Titans, including Terra!" she explained. "And this is for me!"
She shot him in the forehead, obliterating the mark that was that of her father. Slade fell to his knees, but still lived.
One by one, the bullets were pushed out of him and the wounds closed with a hint of flame. It was as if each wound was burned, but the event played in reverse so as to close up the injury! Raven expected that.
"I must say Raven," Slade said, standing up. "That was invigorating."
She smiled. "Thanks."
Slade was a bit surprised by her reaction.
"I've been doing some thinking, Slade." she continued. "I know I'm the portal, the key. But suppose something happened to the key, where it was lost. What then?"
Slade glared at her. "I bet you and my father would be fucked, right?"
Slade appeared to have an expression of concern. "What are you thinking of, Raven?"
"About changing my destiny."
"We've been through this so many times, it's boring me, Raven. You can't stop your destiny."
"That's what you want me to believe. But I can!" She flashed a toothy grin at him, one of near insanity. "I know the way! I know how to save the world and my friends!"
Slade laughed. "You can't even save yourself! What makes you think that?"
"I'll show you! I'll do it right here, right now!"
She pointed the gun at Slade's knees and fired. He collapsed, resting his weight on his arms and almost fell over on his side. Raven ensured he did by shooting another round into his left arm.
"You know, Raven." he began, the wounds starting to heal. "This is getting annoying."
She glared at him. "Just sending a message to you and my father."
"Oh really? And what is that, if I may ask?"
"Fuck my destiny!"
With that, she pointed the gun at the jewel on her forehead and fired.
Slade's expression was now of terror and disbelief. "NO!" he screamed.
A gory shower of skin, blood, pieces of the gem, and bone were emitted from the shot. Raven stood for a moment with a slight grin on her face. Then she collapsed to the ground, blood flowing out of the wound. Slade managed to stand over her.
"No! I failed you, master! I failed you!"
The runes on Raven's body that were placed by Slade now glowed bright red. Then, they all left her body like wisps of smoke. The emblem on Slade's forehead also glowed brightly. Then he felt pain as his master now spoke.
"The key is lost! The portal destroyed! You failed! You failed!" he roared. "This is not how it was supposed to be! No!"
With that, the ghostly figure of Trigon had vanished from Earth, this time for good.
Slade's body, meanwhile, blazed with fire, as if he spontaneously combusted. Flames came out of his mask from the eye hole and mouth piece. He then fell to the ground and burned to a cinder.
Raven still was conscious to see all this. She knew it was all good. Now, she was free of her father's influence. 'Only one thing left.' she thought.
With her last bit of life force, she freed her soul self. Her soul, in the form of a large raven, faced the figure of Terra. With a burst of power, she enveloped her in her dark energy and exerted all her powers upon her. A loud screech from Raven's soul echoed throughout the caverns.
After a moments pause, the stone figure of Terra burst into light. The rock glowed and vanished, leaving only flesh. When the light subsided, Terra collapsed to the ground. Raven managed to see her handy work. She felt a sense of accomplishment and absolution. "Goodbye!" she whispered to Terra.
With that, her soul left her body for good.
Terra managed to stir after a minute or two. "Where am I?" she said aloud.
She looked around. She saw what seemed to be Slade's body, but was too burnt for her to tell. She then noticed Raven, lying down with a gunshot wound to her head. She gasped at the sight. She managed to find her balance as she walked toward her rescuer. Tears flowed from her eyes.
"Oh, Raven! Please! Don't be dead!"
But when she got to her, she saw it was too late already. Terra collapsed next to her, sobbing, her tears falling on Raven's cloak.
After a minute or two, she examined the rest of the cave. She noticed a bundle of clothes and a pair of shoes. Instinctively, Terra looked at herself and saw she was naked. She rushed over to the bundle. She assumed the clothes belonged to Raven. 'So she planned this, then.' she thought.
The clothes seemed the right size for her. Reluctantly, though, she stepped into a fresh pair of underwear Raven had also provided. Terra wondered if they were hers and hoped they weren't used. She then smacked herself in the head for thinking such a stupid, mundane thought.
She quickly dressed in the clothes, and was about to put on her shoes when she saw the letter in one of them. She took it out; the words 'To Terra' was written on it. She noticed Raven's flashlight on the ground and picked it up to illuminate the message. Terra opened the envelope and read the letter.
Dear Terra,
By the time you read this, I most likely will be dead, and my plan accomplished.
I should explain it all to you. You see, Slade returned to life some months ago. His exact purpose, I was unclear to, but it seemed to be to allow me to fulfill my destiny, which was to destroy the world. You see, I was the portal for my father, Trigon, to come to Earth and destroy all mortal life. Slade must have been a servant of a sort to him.
I told the other Titans of my true destiny, and they vowed to help ensure it wouldn't happen. Well, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I realized that without me, Trigon would have no way to come to Earth, and thus the end of the world wouldn't happen. The only way to keep him from coming was to destroy the portal; that is, destroy myself. I knew it would cause pain and grief for my friends, but at least the world would be safe. I felt that was worth sacrificing my life for. So, I made a plan. And, by now, it has been carried out. I also figured that since Slade was brought to life by my father, my death would also cause him to be destroyed, as my father's influence over him would be lost. This would also bring justice for what he did to you.
Finally, I figured that with my last bit of life energy, I could restore you to life. I sincerely hope it works. I have a feeling that the suit Slade gave you would be destroyed in the transformation, so I am also providing a change of clothes for you.
As my last wishes, I would like you to inform the Titans of what has transpired here. Let them know that I always loved them all, and that I wish the best for them in their lives.
I hope that Cyborg will find someone special to settle down with, and for Robin and Starfire to be happy together. And I hope you and Beast Boy will get together again, and live a happy life.
As for myself, I wish to be cremated, and for my ashes to be scattered in the bay. Ensure all my books are locked away in secure storage. No one must obtain my book collection. The portal to my mind that Beast Boy and Cyborg discovered will be useless, so they can keep it as a memento of me.
These are my wishes, so please respect them. My time is almost at an end. All will be safe, shortly. Live a good, long life, my friends. In whatever afterlife awaits me, I will be watching over you.
Love, Raven.
Tears streamed from Terra's eyes as she read over the part concerning Raven's wishes again. She felt angry that Raven wanted her to explain everything, rather than address it to the Titans. Then again, she was just brought back to life by her. Perhaps it was just as well she tell them, as Raven's sacrifice brought her to life. She returned the favor she herself had done, almost a year earlier. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to bring back Raven, as she brought her back.
Sobbing, Terra got up with the letter in hand. She folded it and put it in her pocket. She walked over to Raven's body and sat next to it. She reached over to her face and closed her now glossy eyes, and then adjusted her hood to cover her face. She used the cloak to cover the rest of the body as best she could. When she was done, she sat down again, laying an arm on Raven.
Her mind raced on how to let the Titans know that their teammate and friend was gone, while another had returned. It was a tough problem, but not the end of the world. Terra nearly laughed at that, as Raven had prevented the end of the world now. Still, she didn't even think she deserved life, not after all she had done.
Her eyes traveled and saw Raven's gun, lying next to her outstretched hand. Her dead fingers were barely touching it. Terra considered using it on herself, but quickly pushed that thought aside. She couldn't do that, not with the sacrifice Raven had made. Instead, she took the gun, made a deep hole in the ground and set it in there to bury it. When she finished, her mind turned to the difficult issue at hand. To make the Titans see Raven's sacrifice as she wanted them to was going to be problematic and stressful.
She wasn't quite sure what their reactions would be or how to break it to them. But she would think of something.