A Raven Flies by the Light of the Moon.
Jump city sat happy below the twinkle of thousands of terrestrial stars burning in the night, she stood on the tallest portion of a bank, or some other large building with a clock. She didn't really care her target was down there directly below the museum waited. But so did She.
That Brother Blood fellow insisted on exact timing. She was to break in at just five minutes before two A.M. it was still three minutes away, then his little trio and those joker gangs would move, where ever they were supposed to go. That guy didn't even give me a target, 'Just break into the museum that will draw them'. Her eyes flashed a dull glowing red as She stared at the darkened screen on my phone waiting, then like lightning the device flashed to life, a silent alarm 1:54, show time.
Standing and patting the stone gargoyle on the ledge next to her she stretched arms out to a full wingspan going onto her toes stretching every muscle at once, or trying to. Her eyes returned to the grey that had become so typical the last seven years, but pushing through the past she returned to her task powered or no she was getting paid, that guy didn't seem like one to accept excuses. With the comforting thought the leapt flipping off the ledge adrenaline coursing through her very soul a slight orange tinge appearing in the air around her mirroring her eyes and the canvas converse tied around her lower shin. A loosely woven poncho hood flapped uselessly as the air cut down to her bone and her long shorts were blasted flush against her legs in the torrent.
The museum roof flashed past, then four, three, two with a puff of orang myst the plummeting girl was gone. Now what was it BB had said, oh yea, make sure to trip the alarm and make sure a camera see your magic. I can't honestly believe that he expects me to make such a bad thief of my self but what ever I'll just make sure it's noted somewhere for posterity. She was now inside, standing calmly surrounded by dinosaur bones. The slight glow of orange like a single low candle flickered out her eyes and shoes again returning to grey, and now she had to be seen doing magic. Focusing her energies she concentrated on five of the skeletons she could see not too far away and in unseen clouds of dark grey myst important structurally important bones were now falling from the ceiling just catching up with their fellows as all five skeletons collapsed in cacophony. Then with a simple somatic gesture she made all of the bones float in the air, and two seconds after the lights flicked on and a guard burst into the room, she vanished in myst.
She stood surrounded by an array a artefacts from the ancient near east, it was supposed here stupid people probably don't even know it's worth displaying. Or maybe it wasn't here another false lead. But undaunted she knew there was at least one more room to check before declaring the mission a bust two in truth, but the archives seemed unlikely and time consuming. She again vanished into myst.
An alarm blared inside a tall T shaped building jaring the residence and the tyouwo homeless guys sleeping not far away on the beach out of their peaceful dreams and sleep. "What's that noise Bill?
"I don't know Joe, it's like it were nineteen 72 all over again. Oh god, the soviets the war, there're missiles coming."
"Oh, no you really think so"
"you hear those sirens it's just like the old cold war drill, we're doomed"
"Ww,we can duck and cover, shit who am I kid,we're going to die!"
"Bill, I, I think I should say I aways loved you,"
"Joe, I uh, concur"
Inside the building however a group of teenagers who weren't in the throws of alcohol induced sleep were already meeting down in a garage five of them. A boy strode before the others proselytising about care needed when interrupting a museum robbery. again going through the information they had. "One suspect, seems to use magic, was seen appearing to use magic by a guard, made entry at 1:55 two minutes ago we must be extra careful not to break anything I told the mayor we'd be more careful. WE can't cause more damage than we prevent this time." He said this looking at a green guy roughly the same age seventeen or so.
"Hey don't look at him like that Robbin as I recall it was you he was saving from Red X last time." A blonde girl tall and skinny spoke up for the Green boy.
"Look Terra it's noting against Beast Boy but his abilities are usually the most destructive especially his more powerful ones. There's a lot of brute force in the animal world." Robbin said.
"Friends let us not fight we must use team spirt and take work." The tall red head said her her lithe body like a compressed spring.
"Um, I think you mean we must take sprit and use team work Star," Beast Boy said.
"Yes that is it."
"Cy your here good now we can go."
"Yea, sorry Robbin, that info drop took longer than I thought it would but I've got bad news of a sort. In away it's kind of good news, see it seems like a group of Jokers have started causing trouble near the main power station," The half robotic black guy said entering the garage.
"How is that good news?"
"We don't have to go screaming across town for one burglar who's probably a distraction from something bigger."
"They're just Jokers they always try to cause trouble." Terra said.
"Police say this is more than one gang and how often do the Jokers team up."
"The police can handle a few Jokers," Robbin said comfortably. "That's what they're here for."
"Yea a few Jokers, not around a hundred jokers." Cyborg said they were all quieted at this.
"I can go to the museum you guys should go after the Jokers," The only one not to speak yet said. She only taller than Beast Boy and not by much she was wrapped in a silky robe of dark blue and her violet hair cut an up side down V exposing her neck falling to fram her face falling just below her chin. "You're all to clumsy and flashy to fight in a museum without damages. Besides she uses magic I can handle her."
"You, sure Raven?"
"No but both issues need looking into and the Jokers are a priority I'll catch up to you there." With these words the shadows seemed to gather around her and she was gone.
"I hope she'll be okay" Beas Boy said.
"You should be worrying about yourself jokers aren't special but that's more than anyone would want to meet." Robbin said getting onto the motor cycle, Terra and Beast Boy filed into the tank like car and Starfire flew behind the two easily keeping pace as they roared out onto the Interstate.
She had looked through the Near Easter, Egyptian, Greek and Northern European exhibits each small only taking a minute to search. The damn thing would stick out like a pink flower in the grass. She had been on her way to the archives when she walked out of an exhibit horribly stereotyping Vikings and Stonehenge when she saw the Chinese Exhibit infront of her. It hadn't really struck her to check there but what would it really hurt, at least BB had excused her free access to the museum.
Walking into the first room she felt it, a slight tug at the senses like the room was wanting to bend inward towards some power. Something just here She knew it those idiots couldn't even tell between ancient Mediterranean texts and Far Eastern ones. Walking into the next room she saw the sparking aura around the book as the inferred security system battled with the magical energies within. Without even closing the distance with the book she stared at it willing it into her grasp extending her mystical energy until it seemed to close over the warm inviting book then it was gone and the glass case was now filled with black myst. Damn I didn't think they'd be that clever to keep the book under spell proof glass. The book now comfortably tucked under an arm she turned to leave when she saw strands of magic arching across the ceiling. They were dark a glittering midnight violet. I turned my head following their trail and saw a girl step out of a portal shining with the same energy as the tendrils on the ceiling. This must have been the Raven she'd heard all about.
"So, you were after the book." She said emotionless, "And you managed to get it to you're good. But I'm not in the habit of letting just anyone wander off with powerful spell books." She said.
"You're Raven right?" She inclined her head a millimetre, "you've got to know you can't keep me in here."
"Why," in respose she turned dematerialised into myst only to appear again touching the ceiling and she then fell backwards as if in slow motion rolling down a hill until I slammed into a sheet of the violet energy that bounced me to the ground between two glass cases. "You know who I am you have to know I can stop teleporting into and out of a room."
"They left that out of your bio," She said looking up intime to avoid two stretching arms of energy by vanishing into a cloud of myst, and reappearing by the only window in the room. "You really weave your magic quickly this is a high seal."
"I do my job right." Raven said launching a full garage of energy arms at the other girl who wove her way between the like a dancer moving to an invisible drum line. It was infuriating to Raven, like trying to catch Robbin at practice, but she focused and moved the other witch into a corner like a chess game she planed to her endgame.
Four arms of energy were about to close around her and she could see the smug smile on the other girls lips, the smile that faltered when the other vanished in another cloud of grey myst.
"You almost had me there," The thief said in a purr. This caused Raven to leap away taking several quick steps away, the cloak that had been wrapped tight slipped reviling the body underneath, only clothed in a black leotard. "Wow, the bio's never said how pretty you are either." She said her eyes resting locked on the other girl's own violet eyes as the hood as well slipped back. But as the words left her mouth she was again a dispersing cloud of myst, and then again she was weaving around a flurry of swipes the energy promising to snare her should they connect.
Then as on managed to contact the thief's foot her communicator went off and Robbins voice broke the dark magic users concentration.
Just as she went to teleport away caught Raven's eye and she froze a warmth flaring inside distracting her a second too long and a tendril snatched her foot. Trying to Myst away she wasn't able to the other girls energy tying her to this dimension not letting her shift. Gathering my focus I split my energy to sift to the ground and break her hold, "Raven, we have trouble it seems more Jokers have moved on city hall they've taken the Mayor and family hostage." It worked she was able to vanish into her usual Myst and appear on the floor winded and on one knee. Raven didn't seem to notice at first her attention on her teammate.
"What do you want me to do," She asked.
"Move to city hall we'll meet there, mayor and his family have to take priority."
"Okay Robbin." Raven said and she realised I had broken out of her trap. "Why didn't you attack," She said as her energy flashed back to her defensively.
"You caught me in the right mood for one. For two Brother Blood never said anything about hurting you just that I needed to distract you. Third I know Brother Blood would have expected me to try and hurt you. And four I'm really rather angry at brother blood right now." She said a flash of red orange in the air and the air around the now red eyed girl spiked. Then she fell back down to her usual grey. "I'm just to burnt out to care about offence right now anyway."
"You're lucky this time I have other priorities but don't make a habit of this." With that she was gone again into shadows.
"My name is Luna," the girl said to the now empty room her breath returned. "Way to go just let all the pretty girls just vanish from your life, it's like a metaphor." And Luna was gone in a cloud of myst.
The moon was starting to drop down behind the buildings the only celestial body visible in the early morning sky above the city. Waxing it seemed to be half lidded by darkness like the night sky tired was falling asleep. Luna looked around and saw a flashing that made her think immediately that someone was throwing a street rave in front of city hall. Of course red and blue isn't usually the favorite color of people abusing the drug laws. She was standing on a roof with a clear view of the ornate building surrounded by police and yellow tape and Luna wasn't too upset about not being inside that building. A spray of bullets echoed out of one of the second story windows, reevaluating the situation Luna decided this was exactly when and where she want to be, well she'd rather be inside that building the overwhelming sense of danger that surrounded the area was lighting her up like neon a orang sign she illuminated the roof and leapt to the next landing on her feet she continued laughing she began to sprint going faster than a human could go she leapt into the night sky the glow emanating from her so bright it attracted the attention of those blinded to the sky by flashing red and blue. Cameras swivelled to pick up the girl only for a second until the girl was enshrouded in a shinning orange cloud that dissipated to nothing.
Raven who had felt a manic glee seconds before the orange cloud of myst began to disperse. She was sure she recognised the spell but there was no way that emotionless girl, no just the same spell, such a rapid shift would surly rip some one apart. "Raven it look like the guard are gone this is our chance." Robbin said next to her.
"Right," she followed up the right side of the building where they entered through a side door as a S.W.A.T. team quietly pushed open a door that simply had lost any means to latch it.
The room flared with an obnoxious orange light that slowly drifted away from the source but the whips of myst continued to glow in the room that had been mostly in shadow casting every thing in an orange light. A light that never quite settled between a lurid peach/pink and a true orange the fluctuations the stuff headaches are made of. "So whacha guys up to?" Luna asked the bald man with the white painted face infront of her.
"You're that Luna girls ain't you, so why are you here brother blood,"
"Isn't my boss not really he's paying me but I think I got what I wanted and well with the way you guys were waving around heavy munitions you got a girls blood pumping, so I thought we could play a game. All of you against me. Winner take all, they want." Luna said.
"Seems a painful way to become the J Jokers new bitch doesn't it?" The white face said. At the words the drifting myst in the room darkened into a glowing bloody colour.
"You may have signed a death warrant." Luna said exploding in a burst of flame that left two long scorch marks on the tile floor still burning. She closed the distance before he could pull a trigger and her hand entirely wreathed in flame closed around his groin fingers closing burning through everything until only a clinched fist full of ash was between his legs. The white face fell not dead but wishing he was. The red turning back to orange slowly tough red still shot through her orange iris clashing together horribly. "That was therapeutic if I may say so, you guys are lucky your boss took it for you." Had Luna been an empath she could have felt the fear piling up in the room, as it was she could smell it, her pupils shifted into fox like slits, bisecting an orange red circle.
Like lighting she struck through four people dropping them with sick cracks and pops as her fists broke bones. Their guns blared but missed as she darted from one to the other, ten of the thirteen were down when someone opened a door and two teenagers in vastly contrasting costumes burst into the room, this wasn't lost on Luna or the Jokers one of whom levels his AK at the pair and held the trigger until the clip was empty. Luna didn't remember acting.
Raven concentrated snaking her black tendrils of energy around the frame of the door and with a thrust more of her mind than body she sent the door flying into the wall opposite. She slipped in a step behind the Boy Wonder and wondered why they never considered guns or attracting attention. Raven knew they'd walked into their early demise of course this was always a possibility in their line of work, always. She blinked as a purple cloud appear in front of them and Raven knew with out having to see it that a rip had been opened in the dimensional fabric such fear was pouring out of the three jokers. When the Myst dissipated she saw girl with a swirling vortex of dimensional energy between them and the bullets that had been in flight. Each swirl of power in the eddy seemed to be lined in fire just aura form the girl seemed to give away noticeable heat.
"I never said anyone else was involved, least of all a pretty girl I like. If you need to shoot your guns aim them at me." Luna said as if looking off the peak of adrenaline. The as the three Jokers fell to the ground full of holes from the bullets that had sped through the dimensional loops she positioned in front of each mans chest.
Raven looked at Robbin who seemed torn between fear and a desire for action. The girl who had seemingly both saved them and cause several Jokers to die fell onto one knee her aura visible even to the boy lacking any sensitivity to magic collapsed along with the fear gripping the room. Luna slowly gathered her self looking around at the disaster she had caused in the room. "Shit," she said softly walking across the room beginning to go through the nearest jokers pockets.
"Hey that's not yours, your under arrest for murder." Robbin said an air of fear still clinging to his righteousness.
"You're arresting me for saving kidnap victims and saving your lives. Ha, ha it's like BB's paying me twice and once for ruining his plan." Luna said a momentary flash of orange engulfed her and then vanished as fast, Robbin noticed the cursory details and her shoes just turned blue. The whole room nearly glowed in the melancholy hue. Robbin was about to respond when Raven who could feel the gut wrenching sorrow pouring off the girl laid a hand on his shoulder stepping in front of him.
"How much control do you really have?" she asked
"None well I'm never really out of control, to say my emotions control me is wrong. They are me and I have nearly no control over them, wow I guess I really can't control my self huh." Luna said looking around. "Of course in killing them I was able to save you, which was my goal. It's just that spell is complicated and I needed an exit and couldn't think of anywhere else I knew no innocents would be hurt." Her eyes aura and shoes again changed both growing paler and greener giving a sickly effect. "They're people too I should have considered, but it's in the job description after all. They knew the risks should have been prepared hurting no one is impossible. Maybe they will be in peace, but we all dig the grave we lay in, one day I'll likely end up full of holes." And with that Luna vanished from the scene in a green myst.
The communicator at Robbins hip flared and he opened it to see a grimacing Cyborg looking back at him. "Hey there Rob, uh, well the Jokers all ran off from the power terminal BB tells me and we got the bank secure, but those three H.I.V.E. kids got away with a lot of money didn't seem to interested in fighting only really slowed us down a little and ran." the older teen sighed, "I think they got us this time, made us stretch too thin, hows the hostage situation? The chief said all clear."
"It is thanks to some girl who well frankly had frightening power, but I'll save it for the debriefing." Robbin closed the communicator not rudely on his friend. "Shall we head back Raven?"
"Yea, Robbin she was the one who stole the book, and with HIVE involved this has to be the work of Brother Blood that's who she meant do you think."
"Well I'm positive it wasn't Beast Boy. But I hope so, at least we would know our serpent." Robbin said walking from the room as police turned up at the door. "Three are dead don't know about the rest . . . Yes, yes they were like this when we arrived, . . . does it look like either of us have AK-47's? . . . Just get forensics in here."
A light rose colour to the east signalled the approaching day from where she sat on the fire escape she felt the rays warm her back as the top edge of the yellow disk broke over the peaks of glass and concrete. Two yellow eyes flashed across the pages of a very old and faded book, one that had a strange symbol gracing the cover. It was like a yin yang sign only there were eleven arms spiralling into an empty centre grey like the cover. Reflecting it made sense for the book to be in a section of the east asian wing of the of the museum after all the only language they could probably read was Lou-Li's introductions and she phrased every thing in eastern riddles. Riddles that seem to be explained in the ancient magical glyphs.
"Mistriss Luna, I imagine that is the book that you were looking for?" A voice said from the the flight of stare above her.
"Kitsune, you've already made it here. I wasn't expecting you for a couple of days still. Have you managed to track down another of my orders lost books?"
"Yoko's lost books are yours mistress not that of your order. After all with the death of the moon demon mistress Yoko declared you her successor and inheritor. So her library is yours."
"That wasn't my point," Luna said, her eyes flashing amber a second.
"Yes I have, as well I have taken the liberty of purchasing a small house for your stay."
"Kitsu what makes you think I'll be staying here."
"Because when I was searching for your books I noted that one had recently been sold to one Sebastian Blood of Jump City one was sold several month's ago to a Horace Galif, also resident in Jump City. And there seemed to be a bidding war between two Jump City residents for a third. Which they are is unclear these humans seem incapable of deciphering glyphs." The older girl with fox ears and slit pupils said above her. She was wearing a very formal looking Kimono that she never the less look at home in. She bushy tail stuck out and in-between to of the steps of her flight above Luna.
"Um, Kitsu did you by chance find any information on that other book I asked about did you?"
"No ma'm Merlins spell tome is still untraceable I was laughed at several times in my search." She said and for a demon sounded a little hurt.
"Oh, and did the poor lil demon get laughed at by the big mean humans. Don't worry your pretty pink Kimono I know you think that humans are beneath you but we're not, any way who cares what they think."
"But mistress you are a demon now, and well it's not that they were laughing at me but they dared laugh in the face of your query."
"You're so cute." Luna said folding the corner of the page she was on and closed the book, looking up at the fox above her with green eyes. "Merlins spell tome will pop up it always has in the past so we wait. Besides we have three more of my books to steal back. Looks like we may be here for a while, huh."
"Yes mistress," the fox-girl said teleporting in Luna's fashion next to the green eyed girl. "I'll show you our residence." Taking Luna's hand the two vanished into a cloud of white myst. Below a weary Raven returning the purse of a nice old lady, at her own admission on a walk of shame, who had been robbed not even a full block away from the vacating crime scene. But Raven thought it was nice that even in old age people still found companionship. Looking up she thought she saw a cloud dispersing out of the top of the ally way across the street, but looking there was nothing.
Robbin was clearly trying to pace a whole in the floor in front of the long table in the Towers meeting room. The other five sat half asleep after the long morning they'd shared, and now all their various information seemed to spell out one thing. They were out numbered and needed help. Brother Blood was an organiser to be sure he'd insured he used low level targets to confuse and keep the Titans in impromptu teams. Their effectiveness didn't even seem to registar.
"I think it's time we tried to expand the team," Robbin said declaratively.
"What do you mean. 'expand' we got Terra." Beast Boy said.
"Yea, thankfully or we might have lost the power grid not just had it a little damaged. But since the advent of the Jokers, it seems like a new white face creeps up every other day. I'm just glad the real Joker is still to preoccupied with Batman to leave Gotham. On top of that we now have at least one more meta-human thief in the city, and let's not kid ourselves the potential for meta-human crime goes up with the population every year."
"Yea but I mean how many could the tower really hold?" The green changeling said.
"Thirty eight, it be tight though, most that'd comfortably fit would be twenty maybe twenty five." Cyborg said automatically, when the others gave him quizzical looks he continued. "What I've thought this was a good idea since I talked to Robbin about it a month ago. Didn't seem so keen on it then though."
"Recent history has changed my mind and well I've considered who might fit well on the team." Robbin said, "Honestly I've only thought of Speedy, Aqualad, maybe Batgirl but I'm not sure she'd want to,"
"What of this girl who is super? I have heard of her in the polis metro."
"That's Metopolis Star and Super Girl, I don't know she seems too . . ."
"What Robbin too good for us, too strong to well connected." Raven said a small nod, "I would really worry about her fitting in. But same with you and speedy,"
"What about Kid Flash we've worked with him before." Beast Boy chimed in.
"We could just keep it to out casts you know," Terra said. "Like I don't know find Meta-humans before the HIVE."
"It wouldn't hurt," Raven stated.
"Or even try and bust up the HIVE, I know some aren't too happy from when I was a mole."
"I think first we should ask the League for recommendations then go through them find those who will work, but now I think we all need rest. But be alert though if something comes up we'll try and deal with it in shifts." Robbin said stifling a yawn poorly, hopefully for one day the city will be peaceful, he didn't even care for a full twenty four hours. He left the room last gathering his thoughts. He walked out of the room to unsurprisingly see Raven leaning against the wall to the doors left. "Hey Raven something else you wanted to say to me."
"Yea, actually there was, that girl from earlier, well I didn't say anything because I didn't want to scare the others but you saw it. You deserve to know." She said this and led him back into the conference room closing the door behind them. "She wasn't a Meta-human."
"What, then what was she."
"I think she was a demon, or partial demon as least. If she was a meta-human her abilities would be innate easy to control, she was casting spells and weaving uncontrollable power, that my friend means she does just what I do. Only like she said she has no control over her emotions therefore no control over her power, she might be more dangerous than Slade and Brother Blood combined. But she might,"
"Also be a great hero, one who may not be beyond our reach and influence,"
"I might not go that far, but she's still around I saw her teleport spell when I was chasing down that purse."
"We'll keep an eye open." Robbin said.
Luna looked out eyes tired and grey watching the waves lapping at the shore in the near distance not three miles away stood a massive T shaped building. Her eyes glinted now and then a little orange at the thought of introducing herself to her new neighbours. But for not she was too tired. She vanished from the window of the apartment and reappeared in her bed. The place wasn't special, but the idea that the whole stack of half condemned apartments would collapse at any moment was wonderful. and of course Luna just loved what Kitsu had done to the lower three floors of the building.
End, Ep1.