The Longest November Part 7
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Have a nice fall, see you next trip...
"You..."
Raven stood stunned, facing her captor inside the Shadow Gallery.
"It was all you?"
"Yeah..."
"You imprisoned me..." she began, "you tortured me, you...you were the one who cast that spell on me!" she angrily cried.
"You must understand Raven, this was the only way." V spoke, sincerely.
"What was the only way?! How are you even capable of casting spells, how were you capable of doing those things to me?!" frustration and pain in her tone, she clutched her chest as tears spilled from her eyes.
"Raven, please let me explain-" before V could utter another word, Raven grabbed at V to which he countered and swatted her arms away with enough force as to not harm her, which Raven was more than ready to cause to him. She swiftly gave him an open palm to the throat, then a knee to the groan, stunning V and allowing her to grapple his waist and backpedaled him into the mirror with his favorite quote. The glass shattered, as she threw a flurry of punches to the body and forearms as he attempted to weave and block her blows. Raven was successful in landing a haymaker to V's jaw, putting a dent in his Guy Fawkes mask, and with her left hand around his neck she summoned a fist covered in black fiery magic ready to pummel him once more.
"Raven...look at yourself." he quietly uttered.
She took a glance at her hand closely, opening her fist and inspecting it, realizing her powers had returned once more.
"I did all of those things to free you, Raven. Trigon no longer has any control over you, and neither does he have any more control over me." V told her, with conviction in his voice.
"What...what are talking about?"
V lifted himself and brushed the pieces of mirror off his cloak as he took to his feet to speak with Raven, who was still shaken.
"The magic I had to cast on you was a rectification spell, one of the oldest of it's kind. Years ago, on the eve of November 5th began the herald of the destruction of detention center Larkhill, where I, Victoria and many others were detained or killed. Just before the midnight hour, I was visited by the entity that had haunted me since I had arrived there. It was your father, Trigon. He offered me freedom and power to escape the facility, but there would be costs. One of them, which I would've never known at the time, was you. To be given his "gifts" I was to obey his every instruction up to this day...but in hindsight, I would never want to cause such harm to someone I never met, so I studied you and found a loophole in Trigon's curse. A piece of his soul has been with me since that day, and now it is no longer...because of you. It would be up to you, Raven, and only you to help me and overcome this. Through that triumph...you have become more powerful than you've ever known."
"I don't feel powerful..." Raven said with tears in her eyes, V catching her as she crumbled to the floor.
"Come. You need some fresh air." V whispered gently, as he helped her to the outside lift leading to the roof.
It was pouring in London, thunder rumbling against the dark night.
"Do you feel the rain? Let its energy wash over you." V uttered silently, as he covered Raven with her blue cloak which began to change to a bright, crisp shade of white.
Raven walked further out to the balcony and outstretched her arms to the weather.
"There's true magic in the rain..." she smiled, stopping every single raindrop that fell. Lightning slowed, then froze in the distance as she stopped time around herself and V, as well.
"I'm proud of you." V spoke solemnly.
Inside, V pressed a combination on his jukebox and began listening to "Team" by Lorde.
"I can't stay here, V." Raven told him as she came forth dressed in urban attire.
"Out of all the songs that I've listened to on this old thing, I've never made the decision to dance to one..." V mumbled.
"We can't take down Mod and the rest of his organization with just you and I, we're going to need the rest of the Titans. I have to find a way to reach them in this period to send out a distress beacon." Raven conveyed, slightly raising her tone.
"Yes, you're right. Your communicator I assumed was damaged on the voyage here, so I did my best to repair it." V handed her the yellow device, and turned away for a moment.
"Raven...if it could be so...could I see you at least once more, before the 5th?" V asked.
Raven walked over to the jukebox before leaving, placing a hand on it. "Our work isn't over. We do make a good team after all, yeah?" she replied, before walking out of the entrance to the Shadow Gallery.
V said nothing and waited for her to fully exit. He didn't want Raven to see his true face as he threw his mask across the room and wept.
I really hope this works...
Raven clasped the communicator and began to send out the call to her comrades.
"Calling all Titans, calling all Titans. This is Raven, requesting immediate assistance, over."
MODFIRE BOARD ROOM, UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
"LET'S 'AVE THE REPORT ON TERRORIST CODENAME V AND THE TITAN GAL, SHALL WE?" Mod bellowed from the monitor to his conference.
"Yes, Chancellor. We have reports that soon after the Bishop's encounter and untimely death with the suspects, the girl has disappeared and so has the terrorist V. At the moment we have no leads."
"BOLLOCKS! THE LOT OF THEM ARE STILL RUMMAGING MY ENGLISH STREETS, AND I WON'T BE SAH'ISFIED UNTIL BOTH THEIR RUDDY CORPSES ARE FOUND! NOW YOU LISTEN 'TA ME, GOV'NAH...WE THE MODFIYAH WILL SHOW THESE MEDIOCRE VIGILAHT'ES, EXACTLY WHY WE ARE THE GREA'EST SUPERPOWAH ON GOD'S GREEN EAR'V! WE NEED TO SHOW THEM, WHY THEY NEED US!"
"But sir-"
"GET BACK TA WORK WANKAHS, I 'AVE A FASHION FUNDRAISER TO ATTEND! MODFIYAH PREVAILS!"
The screen turned black as the board room participants gave a weak "Modfire prevails", the giant projector terminating its transmission before they could even finish the full sentence.
23,000 FEET ABOVE EDINBURGH, ENGLAND
PRESENT DAY
"Another sold out fucking show in the U.K. lady and gents, Changeling will be the only band worthy to hold a goddamn Grammy in a hybrid category before the year is out! Mark my fucking words!"
"Getting nominated a few years back was an amazing honor in itself, Scaz." Beast Boy told the manager of his shoegaze/dreampop and industrial trip hop group, Changeling. They lounged in their private jet, popping champagne and toasting to the success on their European tour. Beast Boy's communicator began to blink.
"Calling all Titans, calling all Titans. This is Raven, requesting immediate assistance, over."
"No way...dude, you guys aren't gonna believe this...Raven's hitting my squad's old comm up and it says she's in London! I haven't heard from her like like two decades, man." he told his bandmates with excitement.
"Whoa, man. We gotta play the show in Edinburgh first, London's not for almost a week! You really gonna ditch right now for some chick you haven't heard from in twenty years?!" his manager called to him.
"Yo dude. If mama sends the call, young BB answers, you copy me? Tell the pilot to lower this shit to about 15,000 feet."
"YOU'RE GONNA PUNCH OUT?! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A PARACHUTE, MAN!"
"Don't even trip, dog. I'll morph into a field mouse midway through the jump, they can survive a drop from any altitude. Plus, I'm wearing my Changeling gear under this, see? Wingsuit swag. See you fuckers in a few days!"
"Damn it, Gar! Get your ass-" but before Scaz could finish, Beast Boy was out of the plane giving off a boisterous yell as he soared, now through the London skies.
FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, ANTARCTICA
PRESENT DAY
"Cyborg, you still have that thing? C'mon, meeting's about to start."
The half-cybernetic hero's communicator began to beep as soon as Superman mentioned it, able to hear the sounds of the mechanism working even before the alarm sounded with his super hearing.
"Old habits die hard, Supes." Cyborg chuckled as he tossed the comm in the air once only to stop at the recording of Raven's voice signature on repeat.
"Calling all Titans, calling all Titans. This is Raven, requesting immediate assistance, over."
"It...it can't be..."
"Is that Raven? Your old teammate?" Superman inquired, slightly caught off guard by the message.
"Yeah...but none of us have heard from or seen the girl in twenty years." Cyborg said with shock and worry.
"Looks like it's coming from London. You can sit this one out for us, Cy. Go find Raven, tell her I send my regards."
"Thanks, Clark. I will."
"Give Dick my best when you see him." Batman added.
BLUDHAVEN
PRESENT DAY
"Oh, X'Hal. Mar'i, you went the pee in your pants again? Has the grishnak gotten your tongue?
The three year old Mar'i, daughter of Koriand'r and Dick Grayson whimpered and cried as her mother scolded, then comforted her.
"There, there, my little bumgorf. Accidents happen, just...next time try not to give your k'norfka a pain in the grebnaks." Starfire sighed, brushing her bangs back and keeping a hand on her forehead.
Starfire heard her comm device sound from the other room and went to inspect it before cleaning up her daughter and sending her off to a nap.
"Pleasant shlorvax, my little bumgorf." she whispered to Mar'i, kissing her ever so tenderly as mothers often do.
"My old communicator, who could-"
"Calling all Titans, calling all Titans. This is Raven, requesting immediate assistance, over."
The Tamaranean gasped.
"Raven...my old friend!" she cried with glee. "I must tell Dick, he'll be so thrilled!"
The former extraterrestrial Grand Ruler engaged in a video call with her husband to tell him the good news.
BENGHAZI, LIBYA
PRESENT DAY
"Hey honey, good to hear from you so soon. I should be heading home to Bludhaven in the next few days." spoke a much older and experienced Robin, doing some "contracting" at an outpost in northern Africa.
"There is no need, my love. I've just been sent a distress call from friend Raven! She has sent the beacon from the U.K."
"Raven? We haven't from her in forever...should we meet in London, then?" he asked.
"That is where her signal was located from. I will call the babysitter for Mar'i." Starfire replied.
"I'll be on the next flight out. Love you, tell little Nightstar daddy loves her when she wakes up, okay?"
"Will do, my love. Be safe."
Robin closed his laptop, stuffed it into his bag and tossed it over his shoulder with a grin and a whisper.
"Nightwing is back, baby."
END OF PART SEVEN
