Deceived
Manhattan, New York
March 16 17:00
Raiku and Kid Flash stopped at a pizza restaurant as they walked through the city. After their orders were taken, they took a seat over by the window where Raiku watched the civilians walking by.
"Feels weird having so much time to just sit around." he said, watching as pedestrians and motorist attempted to navigate the traffic filled streets.
"From the way you guys act it looks like having fun was off limits with Oren." Kid Flash commented.
"It...wasn't that. Oren simply kept us hot on Scilia's tail so she'd have no time to recuperate whenever we foiled one of her plots. We didn't really need to rest, but because of the effects dark magic has on her, she does. We think this is where she'll actually make her last stand."
"Hopefully it is, then you guys can stay here. The more the merrier." Kid Flash smiled.
"Hopefully, but knowing our luck she could very well escape, and take some of this world with her." Raiku said sadly.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure we catch her and that she doesn't hurt anyone." Kid Flash assured him.
Still staring out the window, Raiku couldn't help but smile. Kid Flash looked towards the kitchen to see their pizza heading for their table. As they ate the pizza, Raiku suddenly felt a sinister presence around them. He looked around, continuing to eat slices of pizza so as to not tip off whatever might be watching them. He locked eyes with Kid Flash, who also looked somewhat alarmed.
"I don't know if it's the pizza, but I felt a pretty chilly chill go down my spine just now." He sounded worried.
"I felt it too, but keep eating the pizza. If something's watching us, we don't want to tip it off that we're on to it. Just smile and make small talk while I try to pinpoint the source." Raiku said.
"How are you gonna do that?"
"Well, I'm not on Arin or Oren's level of actually sensing where it's coming from, but I do have x-ray vision and super hearing. I'll find something."
They continued to eat their pizza, with Raiku occasionally looking around using his hearing to find whoever they felt watching them. Both were upset once they finished their pizza and Raiku hadn't picked up on anything. They decided to start walking around town in hopes it would draw out whatever was watching them.
"Are you sure someone's actually watching us and it's not another ritual or something?" Kid Flash asked skeptically.
"Yeah, this chill seems focused on and around us. It almost feels like whatever's causing this wants us to be aware of it." Raiku said suspiciously.
"How do you know that?"
"Because you felt it too. If they were trying to be discreet, I wouldn't have picked up on it so quickly and you wouldn't even feel it. This feels like a trap." Raiku warned.
"Then let's spring it! I think we're both fast and strong enough to get out of whatever trap they spring on us." Kid Flash patted him on the back.
Raiku laughed,"Tactics like that would give Oren a stroke. Let's do it."
His gaze was suddenly drawn towards an alley, where a figure in a hooded white robe was facing him. From the way the robe fit the figure he could tell it was a woman, but the hood was so low he could only see the bottom of her face. He looked around and saw that everyone passed her by as though she wasn't there.
"Something over there?" Kid Flash asked looking towards the alley.
"You don't see the white robed woman right there?" Raiku asked in disbelief, pointing towards the alley.
"No, but if you say she's there I believe. We're dealing with crazy kryptonian mages, not much for me to argue against." Kid Flash replied.
The hooded woman smiled and beckoned them to come closer as she slowly backed into the alley.
"So...um...was this hooded lady backing into the alley with a creepy 'come hither' look?" Kid Flash suddenly asked.
"Oh now you can see her?" Raiku sounded annoyed,"C'mon, let's go spring whatever trap she's obviously leading us into."
They followed her down the alley, both boys paying special attention to their surroundings. Raiku used his x-ray vision to look through the walls but only saw two people a few feet ahead of them. Both appeared to be in a conversation and unaware of them approaching. The hooded woman turned around and put her index finger to her lips, telling them to be quiet before pointing towards the two people in front of them. She suddenly disappeared in cloud of black smoke, causing both boys to jump back in alarm.
"What the-" Kid Flash began, but Raiku quickly put his hand over his mouth,"Shhh!"
They peeked around the corner to see a cultist talking to a woman. A closer look revealed her to be one of the civilians they rescued earlier.
"Are you serious right now?" Kid Flash whispered.
Raiku used his super hearing to listen to their conversation.
"Ensure the others understand our Lady's plan. The Knights and the Justice League cannot catch wind of this. The consequences for failure will be dire." The cultist warned.
"The Lady's will be done." she said, bowing her head and quickly walking away.
The cultist turned and walked into the shadows. Raiku used his x-ray vision and saw that he disappeared.
"Teleportation by using actual shadows? Never saw that before." he said.
"Wait, he actually just disappeared?" Kid Flash asked, quickly running towards the spot where the cultist just was.
"Bart! Wait!" Raiku called out.
A tendril shot out of the shadows and quickly wrapped around Kid Flash's leg. Before he could react, more tendrils sprang out, grabbing at his arms and legs. Kid Flash felt his body go numb as he tried to fight them off. Raiku moved to help free him, but quickly dodged to the side as a spear of black ice struck the spot he was before. He looked up to see three Dark Sister's bearing down on him.
"Crap."
Hermit's Cave, Brazil
March 16 18:40
Black energy surrounded the hermit's hand, a sadistic grin forming on his face. Oren could only stand on one knee, and looked over to see Superman trying to keep himself up with his arms. He knew it wouldn't be long before Superman succumbed to the effects of the kryptonite, and himself not long afterwards. He needed to hold the hermit off until helped arrived. He slammed his hand on the ground, and three rings of light burst forth and surrounded them. The hermit's grin vanished for a second before he started laughing.
"So full of surprises Grandmaster. How long do you think you can keep that shield up? It doesn't stop the debilitating effects of kryptonite."
Oren could feel his strength still failing him, but much slower with the shield up. He looked over to see Superman lay motionless on the floor.
"Hang on...Kal." The words struggled to escape his mouth. One of the rings suddenly faded away, and he felt more of his strength go with it.
"Treacherous dog," Oren glared at the hermit,"You will find...no victory...here."
"You're not in the best position to make threats Grandmaster." The hermit chided. He placed his hands on the barrier, causing dark ripples to appear. As the next barrier shattered, Oren fell to his knees but kept his hands raised. He poured what strength he could into the final barrier, knowing it was the last thing between him and certain doom.
The hermit cackled wildly as he slowly reached out to shatter the barrier. He gave a cry of pain as his hand was suddenly knocked away by a batarang. Batman landed between the hermit and Oren, with Nightwing, Robin and Zatanna flanking him.
"Batman...the kryptonite..." Oren said weakly.
Robin quickly grabbed the kryptonite off the wall and ran out the cave with it.
"Ah, the mighty Batman. Come to die side by side with your friends?" the hermit chuckled.
"No one's dying today. I'm giving you one chance to surrender and come quietly." Batman warned.
"A chance you've wasted with your mercy fool!" The hermit slammed his fist against the cave wall.
The cavern shook as the ceiling began to cave in around them. They quickly grabbed Oren and Superman and quickly fled the cave as it collapsed behind them.
"Did he really just bring that cave down on himself?" Zatanna asked in disbelief.
"He most likely had an escape route planned. We'll find him." Batman looked at Superman and Oren,"For now, let's get them back to the Watchtower, it's not safe here."
The Watchtower
March 16 19:00
Maya and Blue Beetle emerged from the transporter and started to look for Arin to inform him of their discovery. They searched the Watchtower but found no trace of him.
"I mean, he's not the type to just go somewhere and not say anything..." Maya said in confusion,"Then again, I don't see Raiku or Bart here either."
"Let's check the computer. It should tell us where he went." Blue Beetle suggested.
Maya agreed and they headed for the mission room.
"So...sorry about that back there." Maya said,"Hope your mom doesn't think you're some kind of pervert now."
"It's ok, she just thinks we were doing teenager things. My dad and little sister gave me a thumbs up, so it's not all bad."
"What's the thumbs up for?" Maya raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you know, just them saying good luck...in life." Blue Beetle gave her a thumbs up and an awkward smile.
As they walked past the infirmary they spotted Superman unconscious on a bed with Batman and Wonder Woman watching over him. When they entered they spotted Oren on the other side of the room getting his vitals taken by Atom.
"Oren! What happened?" Maya asked in shock.
"It would appear the witch is a few steps ahead of us. We were attacked by a servant of hers who used kryptonite to weaken us. The effects took longer for me, however Kal's strength is slowly returning." Oren told her.
"Thank Rao you guys are alright. Were you able to find anything before you were attacked?"
"No, the wretch brought the cavern down around us after help arrived." Oren sounded disappointed.
"Don't worry, I'll start an excavation in there tomorrow. Hopefully the cave in didn't destroy everything." Batman assured them.
"I'm grateful for your assistance Batman. It is unfortunate no new information was gained today." Oren admitted sadly.
"Not true, Jaime and I discovered something." Maya said, grabbing Blue Beetle's hand activating the rune.
Oren nearly jumped out of his seat in delight,"Ah! Excellent work! It looks to be a key of some sort. Where did you two get this?"
"The door in Memphis was warded so only I could pass through. I grabbed Jaime's hand and led him through and luckily the ward must've not noticed we were two separate people. It must've branded us with this when we passed through, but we both only recently noticed it." Maya explained.
Oren inspected their hands,"It doesn't look as though you've fully unlocked this key's power."
"What do you mean? It glows and everything." Blue Beetle said.
"Yes, but that is because Maya knows how to tap into a rune. You on the other hand, do not."
"How long would it take to train him in your ways Grandmaster?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Years, but we may not need to do that. Since the rune is nothing more than a key, all he'll need is intense concentration and discipline."
"Not something you'll find in your typical teenager." Atom joked.
"Nevertheless, you should seek out Arin. He'll be able to teach you the skills and discipline required to unlock this key."
"We can't find him." Maya said.
"Yeah, we were headed to mission room to use the computer to find him." Blue Beetle added.
Oren's eyes narrowed,"Where's Raiku?"
Uknown Location
March 16 19:10
Kid Flash awoke to find himself in a dimly lit cell. He quickly looked around for signs of Raiku, only to find himself alone. As he approached the bars to try and get a look at his surroundings, a Dark Sister appeared on the other side.
"The mut's companion finally stirs." she said mockingly.
"Where's Raiku? What have you done with him?" Kid Flash demanded.
"He will be delivered to Mother, as will you." she held up her hands in praise,"Rejoice, for soon you too will come to know Mother's love."
"No thanks." Kid Flash retorted.
She lowered her hands and slowly approached his cell,"You will not have a choice. No one denies Mother's love."
"Looks like Maya's doing a pretty good job of that." Kid Flash smirked.
The Dark Sister's eyes flashed with anger as she reached through the bars and grabbed him by throat.
"I shall enjoy watching you suffer for Mother's love." she snarled before throwing him to the back of the cell and walking off.
Kid Flash rubbed his neck, somewhat alarmed to find his skin felt incredibly cold. He approached the bars, and after checking to make sure no guards were nearby, phased through it and began looking for Raiku. As he sped through halls of the cavern he stopped to listen in on the conversations of some of the cultists for clues. Unfortunately none of the conversations he eavesdropped on gave any information about Raiku. He was also unable to find an exit to the cavern as many hallways began to look the same. He suddenly spotted the same Dark Sister from earlier walking out of room and beckoning a cultist to approach her. He quickly hid behind a rock close by to listen in.
"Mother will be here soon. The mutt is remains shackled in our magic, but he is a strong one. If he should make any attempt to free himself from bondage, use this on him." she handed the cultist a small shard of ice. Kid Flash could see a faint, green glow within the ice.
Kryptonite!
"Impale his chest, and watch his final moments. I must fetch our Brother and make preparations."
Kid Flash waited for her to leave and the cultist to enter the room before making his move. He dashed into the room and hid behind another rock before looking around.
While the rest of the cavern was dark with barely any light, the room holding Raiku was fully lit. Raiku was in the middle of the room, chained to the floor. Looking closer Kid Flash saw the chains were made of black ice. Raiku's eyes were closed, as though he were deep in thought. He didn't even twitch when the cultist grabbed him by the hair and raised his head to look at him.
"Wake up mutt. We can't have you being comfortable." The cultist sneered.
Raiku reared his head back and quickly brought it forward to headbutt the cultist, sending him flying back. Kid Flash struggled not to laugh at the situation. The cultist got back up, furiously rubbing his head.
Raiku opened his eyes,"You shouldn't stand to close to a bear you just poked bud."
The cultist took out the shard of ice and held it to Raiku's face,"You know what this is don't you?" he snarled.
"Oh, so that's what made you grow a pair and grab my hair." Raiku smiled.
"Let's see how your levity holds when She arrives. I can almost hear your screams now."
"Why wait? According to my super hearing weren't you given instructions to stab me with that if I tried to escape?" Raiku winked at the cultist. Kid Flash realized the wink was letting him know Raiku knew he was there.
"You are not so foolish to attempt an escape while I'm standing right here." the cultist said confidently.
Raiku lifted his arm and quickly broke a chain binding him to the floor. The cultist leaped back in surprise before charging at him with the shard. Kid Flash dashed out and knocked him into the wall. The shard was knocked out of his hand in the process, and Kid Flash reached for it.
"Don't touch it!" Raiku warned.
He pulled back his hand and let it fall to the ground and moved to help Raiku out of his chains.
"Stay back. They've enchanted that shard and these chains. You touch either one, you'll be encased in ice and probably freeze to death." he warned.
"So how are you able to just break out of those chains?"
"Benefits of a blue sun. Their magic is powerful, but our magic coupled with our own biology helps us overcome it eventually. That's why she instructed him to kill me." Raiku explained, breaking off more of the chains.
"Okay, cool. Let's get you out of there and get out of here before she comes back with her brother and mom." Kid Flash said.
"Oh, it's much too late for that." Came a deep voice.
Kid Flash barely moved out of the way before a Dark Sister's spear struck the spot he was at. Raiku broke the last of his chains and rose to face the Dark Brother, flanked by two of his Sisters.
An explosion occurred above them, and from the smoke dropped Arin.
"Good to see these homing beacons work wherever we are." Raiku grinned, holding up a beacon.
"You...allowed yourselves to be captured." The Dark Brother growled.
"Of course. How else were we supposed to find you when you hide like rodents." Arin raised his sword,"You won't escape this time."
"No, you most certainly won't." The Dark Brother shot back.
