*sticks head out from heavily-fortified army bunker* Umm, hey guys! Sorry I'm late? *ducks back inside to avoid hail of bullets and pitchforks thrown by angry readers*
Alright, folks; I really am sorry it's taken me six friggin' months to update. My only excuse is that pesky RL has gotten in the way, big time. However, it is now summertime, and my goal is to have this story done by August. Yeah . . . we'll see how that goes, I guess.
Anyway, thank you all so much for your support! I hope this chapter was worth the wait!
Disclaimer: I am currently broke and don't think it wise to even pretend to own either Young Justice or Teen Titans, because I really can't afford a lawyer. So, there. *sits in a corner and cries*
Warning: Violence ahead, courtesy of X. Is anyone surprised?
CHAPTER TEN: SOUVENIRS AND XENOTHIUM
Last chapter re-cap:
"Kid Flash," he announced, "Come with me. You have a mission to complete."
"Aw, man," Wally groaned, bummed that his birthday festivities were being interrupted. He brightened moments later, "Wait a second: is this a solo mission?"
"Yes," Batman growled impatiently, "Now come with me. There is no time to waste."
"Oh, yeah!" Wally whooped before zipping out of the room, calling over his shoulder to Artemis, "We'll have to finish that fight later. And I was so winning!"
"You were not!" Artemis hollered back automatically, but Kid Flash was long gone.
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"I can't stand this," Artemis muttered, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground.
"I know what you mean," Zatanna replied, darting a glance at their unwelcome guest, who was seated on the ground.
Raven had her legs crossed in the Lotus position, and her hood was up so that her face was shadowed. She had been in the same position for the last half-hour, and the other two girls were becoming increasingly antsier.
They continued to stare at her, eyes dark with mistrust. Unbeknownst to them, Raven was quite aware of their feelings on the matter of her presence, via her empathic abilities. Unfortunately, the intensity of the two girls' discomfort was driving her to distraction.
Resigning herself to the fact that she wasn't going to get any much-needed meditating done until she had gotten rid of the two distractions, Raven opened her eyes and pulled back her hood so that her pale face was revealed.
She fixed Artemis and Zatanna with a blank stare, causing both girls to bristle defensively.
"What?" Artemis snapped.
"Can I help you with something?" Raven retorted, her irritation revealed only in the raising of a single, sardonic eyebrow. The other two traded a quick glance before Artemis huffed and stepped forward.
"Yeah," she replied, lifting her chin in blatant challenge, "We want to know what the Gem of Scath is doing here."
"I see," Raven replied. She continued to stare at them for a few minutes before gesturing to the seats arranged around the room, "Sit down. I'll tell you what I can."
"How do we know you won't lie to us?" Zatanna asked, narrowing her eyes.
Furrowing her eyebrows, Raven simply replied, "I won't."
She leaned forward abruptly, her amethyst eyes suddenly glinting with a warning, "Magician, let me make one thing very clear. Whether you choose to believe me or not, I do not go back on my word. I have more honor than that. The question is," Raven paused, gave Zatanna a piercing stare that reminded the girl of the one her father gave her when she was being scolded, "are you willing to see past your prejudices?"
"What do you know of prejudice?" Artemis sneered.
Raven glared at her, "Think about it. I am the daughter of a demon hell-bent on inter-dimensional conquest, and a human who was given to him as a sacrifice and raped. I belong nowhere, and everywhere I go people are constantly afraid of me for being what and who I am."
Artemis pursed her lips, unwilling to admit that Raven's words struck a chord in her. Though she tried to deny it, Artemis also had family ties that held her back, led people to make snap judgments of her that weren't true. She knew first-hand how vicious people could be, just because they thought she was her father's daughter.
Gritting her teeth, Artemis looked away, and Zatanna took up the conversation.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Taking a vacation," Raven retorted wryly, before saying solemnly, "I have no idea what I'm doing here, but I assure you I have no ulterior motives against you."
"Klarion knew who you were," Zatanna insisted, "He'll come for you, if only because you almost defeated him."
Raven frowned in confusion, "No I didn't. I was knocked out before I could deal him any real damage."
Zatanna huffed, "Fine. If not you, then, your friend at least will have gotten his attention."
"My friend?" Raven inquired blankly.
Zatanna waved her hand impatiently, "That man. You know – Red-X."
For the first time, the two girls saw a flash of worry in Raven's inscrutable eyes. The purple-haired woman leaned forward in apprehension, her dark eyes suddenly sharp and wary as she asked in a low voice, "What did X do?"
Zatanna replied in an equally grim tone of voice, "Well, for starters, he almost killed Teekl after you went down."
Raven leaned back as though she'd been slapped and bowed her head.
Artemis glanced back and forth between the two girls, feeling kind of lost. It was as if the words the two were exchanging had more significance to them than to her. Artemis did not appreciate being out of the loop. Well, she decided, I can always interrogate Zatanna later.
Her wrath curbed for the moment, Artemis was content to cross her arms and regard the two with her hard, dark eyes.
Artemis watched taciturnly as Raven's lips pursed and her eyes closed. After a moment, the half-demoness murmured, "I don't plan to impose on you much longer. If Klarion comes, I'll see to it that he's drawn away."
"You know he holds grudges," Zatanna asserted softly, looking Raven in the eye.
The mysterious woman's gaze didn't waver as she replied, "I do. Excuse me."
Raven stood up in a whirl of blue cloak and stalked out of the room.
Artemis watched her leave and then turned to Zatanna, "What did she mean? Why would Klarion come here?"
Zatanna sat back, looking troubled, "Klarion is a fickle being. Whenever something either frustrates or fascinates him, he has a tendency to hunt it down, either to play with it or . . . to dispose of it."
Artemis felt something cold sink into her stomach when she realized what Zatanna was implying.
"You mean that because X almost killed Teekl, Klarion will come after him for revenge," Artemis said slowly, making the troubling connection in her mind, "And, because X is currently here, enjoying our hospitality," Artemis sneered, "Klarion will come looking for him at the Cave."
"That's one reason," Zatanna nodded grimly, "But he was also intrigued by the fact that Raven is the Gem of Scath. The lure of vengeance for Teekl and the mystery of Trigon's daughter will be more than enough to draw him here.
"Raven has no doubt realized this," Zatanna concluded, "Now all that remains to be seen is what she will do about it."
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Kid Flash looked down at the contraption currently nestled in his arms. It was a rectangular shape, composed of gray steel and glass, and had recently been the container for one of the most important parts of any creature's anatomy – a heart.
To be specific, this container had been transporting a human heart; one that was currently beating in Queen Perdita of Vlatvia's chest. Kid Flash had carried it cross-country on his birthday, battling not only Vandal Savage, but also Perdita's traitorous uncle, Count Vertigo.
It had been a harrowing mission, but Kid Flash felt he had learned a lot from it.
Saving Perdita's life had helped Wally overcome his shortsighted-ness; and being able to save that girl had helped to soothe the gaping wound left by the revelation that Miss Martian and Superboy were well and truly a "thing," loathe though Wally was to admit it.
With surprising tenderness, Wally settled the heart carrier on a shelf of the Souvenir Room, and stepped back to survey his handiwork, pride swelling in his chest.
Yeah, he thought, much cooler than Count Vertigo's sword.
"Are you just gonna stand there all day?"
The snide comment jerked Wally out of his reminiscence, and he turned to glare at Artemis, who was leaning in the doorway to the Souvenir Room.
"Maybe," he said petulantly, crossing his arms over his chest.
The blonde archer rolled her eyes at his childishness as she straightened up.
As she turned to leave, Artemis tossed over her shoulder, "You did good, Baywatch."
It's a good thing she's facing the other way, Wally mused, because otherwise she would tease me about trying to catch flies. Indeed, Wally's mouth had fallen open in shock at Artemis' – dare he say it? – praise of his performance on his solo mission. For some reason, her words caused something freakishly warm to bubble up in his chest, and Wally's brows furrowed as he tried furiously to tamp down on the feeling.
Oh, no, he thought, You are not going to get all flustered over something Artemis of all people said!
Apparently he had been quiet for too long, because Artemis paused on her way out the door and turned to look over her shoulder. Upon seeing Wally's incredulous expression, she raised a sardonic eyebrow.
"Are you coming or what?" she asked impatiently, putting a hand on her hip and cocking it to the side.
All Wally could come up with to say was a very intelligent, "Huh?"
Artemis rolled her eyes and tossed her hair over her shoulder in annoyance, "You owe me a rematch remember?"
"Oh," Kid Flash said slowly, "You're right!"
"Are we gonna find out who's the best once and for all?"
Wally grinned, eyes lighting up at the challenge.
"You're on!" he hollered, zipping out of the room and leaving her in his dust as he headed for the training area, "Last one there's a rotten egg!"
"Not fair, Baywatch!" He smiled as her shriek of annoyance reached his ears, before dashing around a corner and out of sight.
Forget whatever that weird feeling was earlier, Wally told himself, Artemis is Artemis, which means she's an annoying brat. Definitely not someone to get worked up over.
He had a brief flashback to the Team's mission to Bialya, when Psimon had made them forget six months of their lives. He remembered what it was like to meet Artemis with a clean slate, no bitterness over her "take-over of Roy's place on the Team" setting them off on the wrong foot.
Wally remembered how he had thought Artemis was gorgeous and kind of awesome; before their memories came back and they dropped each other's hands as though they had been burned.
Despite himself, Wally felt his heart give a faint twinge at the memory. Growling in annoyance, Kid Flash forced those memories away again and concentrated on his coming fight with the girl who was quickly tying his heart in knots.
Keep your head on straight, West, he chided himself as he skidded to a stop in the training room and whirled around to face Artemis' wrath for leaving her in the dust.
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As soon as Artemis left the Souvenir Room, hot on Wally's heels, a shadow detached itself from the ceiling and fell into a graceful crouch on the floor. The shadow straightened slowly, its dark, tattered cape draping over its shoulders in such a way that it hid the rest of the shadow's body from view.
The shadow tilted its head and examined each of the artifacts lining the shelves with curiosity, pausing briefly on Cheshire's mask and an intriguing red hood covering a black half-mask before finally settling on Dr. Fate's Helmet.
The Helmet seemed to have a preternatural glow to it, a golden aura that illuminated the dimly-lit Souvenir Room.
For some reason, the shadow snorted softly as it considered the Helmet. Eventually the dark figure finished its perusal and turned its attention back to the red hood.
Almost as though the shadow was in a trance, one of its hands reached slowly toward the red hood. Its gray-gloved fingertips had barely brushed the fabric when –
"Asterous, isn't it?"
- it was joined by a second shadow that had slipped into the room with all the stealth of a cat.
The hand that had been thoughtfully fingering the crimson fabric was immediately retracted, retreating beneath the first shadow's cape so fast that the second shadow wasn't sure it had ever left the dark figure's side.
"Not bad, kid," Red-X turned to regard Robin, his eyes narrowing slightly, "You almost managed to sneak up on me."
Robin chose to ignore the 'kid' comment (he was coming to learn that X generally gave back-handed compliments, if he gave compliments at all) and changed the subject, "This is the Souvenir Room."
"Is it?" X asked wryly, turning his eyes back to the interesting trophies.
His tone was amused, so Robin felt it was safe to tell him a little more, "Yeah. Kid Flash started it, but it's kind of a tradition now to take a prize from a successful mission."
"I see," X said. He reached out and plucked Cheshire's mask from the arrangement, turning it this way and that, watching the light refract off of the different angles, "Looks like you have some interesting enemies."
Robin shuffled a little bit, uncomfortable. He frowned thoughtfully before tentatively asking, "X, what was the hardest enemy you've ever had to face?"
X stiffened immediately at the question, his hands freezing as he ceased fiddling with Cheshire's mask. After a moment, he relaxed enough to replace the mask on its pedestal. His hands retreated under his cape again, and he turned to give the Boy Wonder an unreadable look.
Robin's face was turned toward the ground, however, and X knew instinctively that the eyes behind his domino mask were cloudy and distant, focused on something only the Dark Knight's protégé could see.
X frowned, but kept his tone carefully neutral, "Why do you ask, kid?"
Robin shook his head slowly as he replied softly, "I don't know, I just . . . I was just curious, I guess."
X stayed quiet, having his own suspicions as to what this was all about. Something had obviously happened to Robin, and the Boy Wonder didn't want to share it with Batman for fear that Bruce would take it the wrong way. X remembered well how difficult it had been to talk to Bruce sometimes, especially when it came to admitting some sort of weakness.
Robin needed an outlet and, for whatever reason, trusted X enough to be that outlet. Red-X understood this and realized that he was strangely okay with this new role.
(He didn't want to admit to himself that perhaps he was being nostalgic, that these kind of talks reminded him of the good old days when it was just him and Dick and Alfred and Bruce against the world, against Gotham City and its unceasing tide of insanity.)
"What is it, kid?" X prompted.
"Well," Robin said slowly, obviously reluctant to continue. He fiddled with his watch-gadget for a second, before taking a deep breath and murmuring, "I was on patrol yesterday and, Batman and I got separated. I ended up meeting the Joker."
X stayed perfectly still as Robin gave a mirthless smile, "You've probably heard of the Joker, but when he manages to get me away from Batman, he always drops by for a little 'chat.'"
"What did he do, Robin?" X asked; his voice low and steely.
"Just talked," Robin replied, staring off into space, "That's why I thought it was strange. Usually he talks for a long time and tries to mess with my head before pulling a gun or something, but this time all he did was talk."
"What did he talk about?"
"The Team," Robin whispered, and X began to understand what had bothered the Boy Wonder so much about meeting the Clown Prince of Crime. "He told me how he could easily take down every one of us, and what he would do to us if given half the chance."
Robin shuddered, and X distracted him from the gruesome memory by asking another question, "Is Joker the hardest enemy you've ever faced, kid?"
Refusing to look up from the floor, Robin sacrificed a lot of his pride by giving a slight nod of affirmation.
"Hmm," X said thoughtfully. "Psychological warfare is one of the most effective tactics to use against an enemy. Once someone gets into your head and plants a seed of doubt, it's extremely hard to go back to being un-afraid. You suddenly see everything wrong with what you're doing, and it makes you paranoid and stupid with fear.
"Joker's one of the best out there at getting into someone's head – everyone knows that. Look, kid," X continued, placing a hand on the Boy Wonder's slim-but-strong shoulder, "I'm not one for pep-talks, but I can say this: whatever the Joker said to you about how easy it would be for him to take down your Team, you have to keep in mind that he's bluffing just a little bit. Remember that. Also, have a little faith in your teammates; one thing I know that you know is that this group of kids can be unpredictable when they want to."
Robin smirked a little bit, and gave a soft cackle. He straightened up from his previous slumped position and turned to give X a cheeky smile, "You're quite the therapist, aren't you, X?"
The tall man responded by cuffing the Boy Wonder lightly over the head, "Don't push it, kid. Let us never speak of this moment again. I have a reputation to uphold."
"Yeah," Robin agreed, his eyes narrowed slightly in confusion over the 'reputation' comment. Just what image is X trying to protect? Robin wondered. He quickly shut away his thoughts for another time and gave X an obnoxiously bright smile, "So, X, seriously; who is the hardest enemy you've ever had to face?"
The gray-gloved hand fell from his shoulder, and Robin looked on in curiosity as Red-X sighed and once again fixed his gaze on the red hood of the cult member from the island where the Team had encountered Bane.
"The hardest enemy I've ever had to face?" X said after a moment of contemplative silence, "I don't know, kid; I've had to face down some pretty tough bastards, so there's no easy answer. Myself. My father."
There was a peculiar bitterness in X's tone as he answered, as though the masked man was remembering something that disgusted him, something that he would rather forget altogether. Robin wondered at his cryptic reply; what did X mean, when he said that the hardest enemy he had ever faced was either himself or his father? Frowning, Robin lost himself in thought.
X heaved a sigh and reached out to pluck the arrow from the Souvenir Shelf, twirling it around his fingers for a while. The short, dark-haired boy thought that the masked man had said his piece, and was surprised when X spoke again, "We all have demons, Robin, and we're human. Fear is natural; you shouldn't be ashamed of it, but you can't let it control you."
Robin disguised his shock at such advice with admirable speed. Instead of letting X see his bewilderment and turmoil, the Boy Wonder opted to smile fondly, "That's something Batman would say."
The Dark Knight's protégé couldn't see it, but his comment made X's lips twist bitterly.
However, Robin's highly-trained senses picked up on the slight spike of killing intent coming from X and correctly deduced that he did not like being compared to Batman.
To keep things from getting awkward, Robin quickly said, "Thanks for listening, by the way."
X snorted and relaxed slightly, "Don't mention it, kid. And don't get used to it, either."
Robin's lips twitched into a small smile and the two fell into a companionable silence. The easy feeling of camaraderie between them was slightly disturbing to Robin, and for a moment the Boy Wonder had to fight off a disturbing sense of surrealism.
He had known X for how long? A couple of weeks? Why then was he so at ease around the mysterious masked man? At one time X had been labeled a potential threat, and yet here Robin was, having casual conversations with him as though they had known each other for years! Shaking his head in bewilderment, Robin's musings were interrupted by a polite knock on the door to the Souvenir Room.
The Boy Wonder turned to see Zatanna standing in the doorway, her arms crossed. She cast an uncertain look at X, whose attention was still focused on the arrow he was fiddling with, before saying to Robin, "Hey. Just came to tell you that Kid Flash 'requests your presence as witness to his triumphant butt-kicking of Artemis.' His words, not mine."
Robin gave her a disarming smile, unconsciously trying to alleviate her obvious nervousness at being in close proximity to X, "KF said that? This I gotta see."
He gave a short cackle and headed to the doorway, giving a grand gesture for Zatanna to lead the way. She smiled at his theatricality and headed off down the hallway. Before following her, Robin paused in the doorway and turned back to X, "Later, X."
X glanced at the Boy Wonder briefly and gave a mock-shooing motion, "Sure, kid. Now run along and have fun."
Rolling his eyes, Robin raced off to see the much-anticipated fight between Artemis and his incredibly dense best friend.
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As soon as Robin had disappeared down the hall, X's belt gave a dull beep. Grunting in annoyance, X replaced the arrow and glanced down to see the centerpiece of his belt flashing like a dim red beacon.
"Damn," he said softly.
"What?" a low, husky female voice growled.
X brightened immediately and turned to face Raven, who had darkened the doorway to the Souvenir Room. He made as though to make a jaunty comment at her expense, but paused when he saw her expression. Her hood was pulled up, leaving the top half of her face in shadow. The only part of her face that he could see clearly was her lovely mouth complete with slim, pouty lips, which were currently pressed together in a grim white line.
It was only after he noticed her foreboding expression that X also realized there was a fair amount of murderous aura rolling off of her tense, blue-cloaked form; all of it directed towards him.
Whoa, he thought with slight awe, That's some pretty impressive I'm-going-to-kill-you-now vibes. It's kind of hard to miss – wonder when I became desensitized to killing intent? The thought made his lips twist in amusement.
Aloud he whistled and said, "Not bad, Sunshine. Tell me, what did I do this time?"
Her mouth – which was almost unfairly distracting, in X's humble opinion – pursed even more as she replied, her dark eyes piercing him from under her cowl, "Why didn't you tell me you almost killed Teekl?"
X stiffened and crossed his arms, "Right to the point. I like that about you, Sunshine. To answer your question, I didn't tell you because I knew you would want to leave right away, and I couldn't afford to have you leave before you were at least partially healed."
Raven reached up and jerked off her hood in a swift, angry motion, "You know Klarion will come for us. By staying here, we place these people in danger," she hissed. "We have to leave. Now."
X shifted to lean casually against the Souvenir Shelf, his cavalier attitude making Raven twitch in annoyance.
"About that, Sunshine," X said, "We might have a slight problem."
"What?" she narrowed her blazing amethyst eyes at him, silently telling him to choose his next words very carefully.
Once again, X seemed supremely unconcerned in the face of her anger. He fixed her with a look and made a simple gesture to his belt.
"You know how my suit works, right, Sunshine?"
Her hackles fell slightly, distracted by this seemingly random question, "Yes. It runs on Xenothium. Nightwing explained it to us once."
"Right you are, my dear," X said cheekily, making Raven frown again.
"So what's the problem?" she asked.
"Well," X replied, "To put it bluntly . . . I'm almost out of Xenothium. And since this suit and most of the fun gadgets that come with it are run by Xenothium, that means the suit will soon be useless. Now, I'm not helpless without it – not by a long shot – but wouldn't you agree it would be best if I wasn't dealing with faulty weaponry that could fail at any time during our vacation in this lovely dimension?"
Raven gave him an incredulous look, before sighing and rubbing her temples, "What are you thinking, X?"
"I'm thinking I need to go get more Xenothium," he held up a hand to forestall the questions she opened her mouth to blurt out, "Luckily, I happen to know a place here in this dimension where I can get some. The catch is that I only have enough Xenothium left in this suit for the teleportation there; after that I'm high and dry, unless I can find a good Xenothium supply."
"I'll come with you," Raven stated, "I can teleport you to this place and you won't have to waste what little Xenothium you have left by getting there."
To her frustration, X shook his head immediately, "No. Sorry, Sunshine, but this is something I have to do alone," he paused at her mutinous expression before continuing softly, "Look, I can tell you're worried about these kids, Sunshine. Stay here and look after them. Protect them from Big, Bad Klarion if you have to."
"How do I know you won't just disappear?" Raven asked darkly, crossing her arms under her dark blue cloak.
X laughed. Although it sounded strange coming from his voice modulator, Raven was slightly surprised to realize that it was sincere and not at all mocking.
"You'll just have to trust me, won't you?" he asked lightly. Then his aura turned serious and he murmured, "I won't abandon you, Raven. I won't be gone long – I promise."
Struck by his words, Raven tried valiantly to remain unmoved, but her efforts proved futile and she bowed her head in defeat.
"Alright," she said after a moment. She slowly raised her head to meet his eyes though his mask, "You can go."
"Thanks," X said seriously, staring at her for a moment, pinning her with the invisible, mesmerizing gaze of his beautiful, sea-green eyes. After a moment, the spandex covering the bottom half of his face twisted and Raven got the distinct impression he was smirking playfully at her.
"See you, Sunshine," X gave her a mock-serious two-fingered salute. His gloved hand flickered down to his belt, and then he was gone.
Raven stared at the spot where he had once stood, before she signed and turned to search for the kitchen.
"I need tea. And then I need to meditate," she said darkly.
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Hmm, M'gann mused, What's that wonderful smell?
The White Martian was floating down the hallway, on her way to the kitchen to make a batch of cookies for whoever emerged victorious from the Kid Flash vs Artemis skirmish, when her attention was grabbed by a positively delicious scent wafting through the air.
Pausing briefly, M'gann tilted back her head and took a deep breath.
Huh, she thought, It smells like spices and crushed herbs. It reminds me of the outdoors.
She took another deep breath and smiled dreamily.
I like it, she decided. Whatever it was, besides smelling lovely, also had a curiously calming effect on her: seeping into her veins and relaxing the tension that had built up in her muscles over the past couple of days due to the stress of recent events.
Maybe Connor is making something. The thought made M'gann giggle and she began floating once more, following the pleasing scent to its epicenter; the kitchen.
Unfortunately, all good feelings inspired by the smell and the thought of Superboy cooking vanished as soon as M'gann passed over the threshold to the kitchen and saw the source of the smell.
Raven – otherwise known as the Gem of Scath – was standing at the counter, hood down, fixing a kettle of water.
"What is that?" the words had been blurted out before M'gann had a chance to consciously hold them back, and Raven glanced at her before putting a lid on the teapot and setting it to steep.
"It's a pot of herbal tea," the young woman said in monotone, settling down at the counter to wait for the tea to be ready.
"Oh," M'gann said, floundering for something to say, "Um, it smells good?"
Her compliment came out as more of a question than a statement, and the Martian felt herself blush green. To M'gann's surprise, however, Raven gave her a bland look before her eyes softened slightly.
Heaving a quiet sigh, Raven replied, "Thank you."
There was awkward silence for a moment, before Raven asked, "Why are you so nervous?"
Miss Martian jerked and gasped in surprise, "How could you tell?"
However, the pretty, green-skinned girl stopped Raven from replying by smacking herself lightly on the forehead, "Hello, M'gann! You're an empath, right?"
Raven stiffened, "How did you know that?"
"Well," M'gann said, "I, uh, sensed it back when you sealed off our memories."
She gave Raven a timid look from under her bangs, "That was you, wasn't it? When the spell broke, I saw a bird, and it looked kind of like a raven, which is your name, so I just assumed –"
M'gann realized she was rambling, and Raven cut her off, "Stop. Calm down. Yes, I was the one to seal your memories."
To M'gann's astonishment, Raven didn't seem annoyed at her bad habit of turning into a motor-mouth when she was nervous. And somehow, Raven's calm reply was enough to allow M'gann to get herself back under control as well.
When she spoke next, M'gann's voice was steady. She looked Raven in the eye as she asked a question that had been burning to be answered for days, "Why did you do it? Why did you knock us out and seal our memories?"
Raven pinned Miss Martian under a blank stare and said simply, "I did it to protect all of you. If you could forget everything about X and me, then you wouldn't come looking for us, and would therefore be much safer."
"I see," M'gann murmured hesitantly.
Raven stared at her for another moment, before looking away to gather several mugs from the cabinet. She plunked two glasses on the counter and paused to look back at Miss Martian.
"I do apologize for knocking you out," the empath said, her monotone voice just slightly deeper with emotion.
"It's okay," Miss Martian assured, and even as she spoke, M'gann decided to forgive and forget. If the Gem of Scath had really been trying to protect them – and M'gann believed that despite everything, Raven really was a good person – then the Martian supposed it would be best to put the past behind them. Besides: Raven and X had saved the Team from Klarion, and helped them bring back the adults.
M'gann didn't know what she would have done if her Uncle J'onn had been taken from her forever. Thus, the Martian felt she owed it to X and Raven to stop treating them like strangers and instead open up to them just a little bit, as thanks for their help.
M'gann's musings caused a small smile to flicker across her face, and she allowed herself to alight on the floor of the kitchen. Raven seemed to sense the change in her and relaxed in turn.
The kettle gave a shrill whistle, startling Miss Martian. Raven remained unfazed and poured herself a cup of tea.
The purple-haired woman hesitated for only a moment before raising an eyebrow at M'gann, who was watching the kettle with curiosity.
"Would you like some?" Raven asked with slight amusement.
"Yes!" Miss Martian squealed eagerly. Forgetting her old misgivings about being close to Raven, M'gann skipped over to her and took a sip from the mug that the empath slid over to her.
"This is amazing," M'gann whispered in awe. Raven's lips twitched in a faint smile, but she remained quiet and took a deep breath of steam, closing her eyes and going still.
It suddenly seemed to M'gann that there was an intriguing tranquility about Raven, as though the Gem of Scath had been a churning pool which had abruptly found solace and centered itself, ripples smoothing out into a peaceful glassy surface that hid mysterious depths.
For a moment M'gann was tempted to say something, but Raven's face had suddenly relaxed into such a serene expression that the Martian was loath to disturb her.
So, out of newfound respect for the ashen-skinned empath, M'gann settled down and closed her eyes, taking a moment to let go of her worries and just be.
Ah, well, M'gann thought, I can always make cookies later.
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When Red-X teleported to the other side of the world, he was slightly surprised to drop out of the sky and land in the middle of a herd of wildebeests.
He took it well, of course. X landed with all the grace of a cat amidst the startled animals, and as they scattered in fright he straightened up and looked down at a small gauge he had pulled out of his tool belt.
Five miles off from the Xenothium source, X thought to himself, stifling a brief spike of frustration and forcing himself to think positive, Slightly irritating, but I suppose it's for the best. This way I can scout out the area and avoid stumbling onto any unpleasant surprises like, say . . . an ambush. Now, where am I?
Placing the gauge back into a pouch on his tool belt, X switched his white optics to night-vision mode and darted into the nearest shadow to survey his surroundings. From his vantage point, X could see a farmhouse of some sort about thirty yards away; a series of other buildings spread out adjacent to the main farmhouse.
Cocking his head, X focused and could just barely make out the sound of a generator humming: muffling the noises of several animals that appeared to be held within the buildings.
What is this place? X raised an eyebrow. Some kind of animal research facility? Continuing his scan of the darkened cluster of buildings, X spied a rustic sign proclaiming the establishment the Logan Animal Refuge.
Well, he thought wryly, that answers that question.
X was startled out of his perusal by a light flickering on in the main window of the farmhouse. Scowling, he flattened himself against a nearby tree trunk and allowed himself to blend in with the shadows.
Have I already been detected? he wondered irritably. Come on, I can't be that rusty.
The front door of the farmhouse opened suddenly, and light spilled out from inside, illuminating the woman who emerged in a temporarily-blinding brightness. Once X's optics adjusted to the sudden over-exposure of light, he was able to get a better look at the mysterious woman.
She stepped out into the dusty yard, a shotgun of some sort slung over her shoulder. She was wearing a robe over her nightclothes, and it looked as though she had hurriedly thrown it on before charging outside, the sash untied and fluttering haphazardly behind her. Her long auburn hair was tied in a messy bun atop her head, but a few strands had come loose and had fallen to frame her pretty, lined features. Her eyes were narrowed in wariness, and she scanned the shadows beyond the main clearing in a vain attempt to find . . . something.
Judging from the heat she's packing, X mused, I don't think she's expecting guests.
He continued to analyze her, struck for a moment by a feeling of intense familiarity. Somewhere, somehow, X knew that he had seen her face before.
Narrowing his eyes, X concentrated, trying to place her face. At first, nothing jumped out at him, but then something clicked and his eyebrows rose in surprise.
If you take a few years off her face, he realized, and change her skin color to emerald green, then I'd say she's be a perfect match for that alien girl – Miss Martian, or whatever.
Huh, X blinked. That's interesting.
The woman gave one last uncertain look at the lowing wildebeest herd before sighing and heading back inside. Red-X stayed perfectly still as she closed the door, and he only allowed himself to relax when the lights turned off and the clearing was quiet once more.
She must have come out to check on the wildebeests, he reasoned, relieved that he hadn't been discovered trespassing as of yet.
Alright, X thought, Let's get going. I'm on a rather tight schedule, after all.
With that, he darted away from the tree and vanished into the night, heading toward the place where he knew he could find Xenothium.
#? #? #? #? #? #? #? #? #?
It didn't take X long to reach the place where his research had indicated he could find Xenothium. Ultimately he had been able to cross a couple miles of rough terrain in an impressively short time without breaking much of a sweat.
Ah, he thought smugly as he crested the final hill, the joys of being in peak physical condition for a human being.
Despite his well-deserved haughtiness, X was still on alert, which was probably the only thing that saved him from being blown to bits in the next instant after he slipped over the hilltop.
Just as he was about to put his foot down, a glint of metal caught his attention, and X had barely enough time to throw himself into a back-handspring, landing quietly with a crouch behind a thicket.
That was close, X scolded himself as he studied the landmine he had almost stepped on, his mouth set in a grim line. That's definitely military-grade, which means the local army must be prowling around here somewhere.
X had done some research once he realized that his Xenothium supply was running low, and had discovered that there was an apparent merging of countries going on where he was most likely to find Xenothium. Apparently, Bialya was merging with its neighbor Qurac, on whose soil X was currently standing.
Curious, X had researched the key players in the merge, running their names and faces through the League's database (What? It's not like he had been idle while Raven was healing.), and had come up with some rather interesting results. Bialya's ruler, Queen Bee, claimed that the two countries had once been one entity, and the leader of Qurac had bought the story; thus, the countries were set to reunite under one banner in a few days.
X thought the whole thing was rather fishy, but figured that since he was just here for Xenothium it was best he stayed out of it.
The clomping of boots drew X's attention further down the hillside, where he could see a lighted area surrounded by several soldiers. Spotlights shone down on several pieces of heavy machinery – mechanic beasts that were quiet for the moment, seeing as how it was the middle of the night – but were nonetheless heavily guarded.
Creeping closer, X paused just outside the periphery of the compound and watched as several well-armed soldiers loaded a handful of wooden crates into the back of an armored truck.
A tell-tale red glow that shone through the slats of the crates revealed the precious cargo that was being transported; raw Xenothium, freshly mined from the ground.
Hello, Red-X mentally greeted the extremely powerful element, Give me a couple minutes and I'll have you free from that tiny container and back where you belong; with me.
Eyes narrowed in determination, X did a head-count of soldiers (who were all wearing Bialyan military uniforms, even though they were on Quracan soil – interesting) and came up with a plan of attack.
Twenty soldiers between me and those crates, X smirked. Piece of cake.
Taking a deep breath, X centered himself and pushed all unnecessary thoughts from his mind, focusing himself entirely on the mission, on the thrill of the hunt.
Damn, Jason Todd thought with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, It's been a long time since I did something like this.
With all the grace and tightly controlled power of a panther, X slipped behind the first guard and knocked him out with a swift jab at a particular pressure point. Guards #2 through 7 went down in much the same way, and it wasn't until X was stalking the oblivious #8 that Guard #9 realized something was wrong and shouted a warning.
The alarm came too late for #8 unfortunately, and X had him down and out before the man could so much as blink. Once the soldier hit the ground, X turned his attention on #9 and dispatched him just as quickly.
As #9 fell, X straightened slowly and turned to look around at the rest of the soldiers, who were quickly surrounding him in a wide circle, shouting to each other in Bialyan. X stood still, watching as each soldier hefted their weapon and took aim.
Coiling his muscles, his sharp eyes waited until he saw the soldier in front of him tighten his finger on the trigger.
Idiots, X thought, before leaping straight up and back flipping onto Guard #10's shoulders. His sudden move caused several soldiers to pull the trigger in surprise, and Guards #11 and 12 went down under friendly fire.
Red-X paid only the slightest attention to this and instead focused on taking out the soldiers in his immediate vicinity. As soon as he landed on Guard #10's shoulders, X wrapped his legs around the man's neck and threw his weight backwards, making #10 choke in surprise and topple over. His head hit the dirt hard enough that his eyes rolled back in his head and he lay still.
The moment X felt #10 begin to fall, he had leaped off and moved on to Guard #13, who was standing to his left.
Bypassing #13's priceless expression of absolute shock, X kicked the machine gun from his weak grip and grabbed his arm, swinging him into Guards #14 and 15, who had been trying to sneak up behind him and take him by surprise. All three flew several feet before colliding with the armored truck and sliding to the ground, out cold.
X dropped to a crouch and took out Guard #16's knee with a brutal snap-kick. When the man collapsed to the ground in pain, X delivered a crushing blow to his head and was satisfied to see the soldier's face fall into unconsciousness.
Adrenaline pumping, X saw that Guards #17 through 20 had backed off and begun to circle him cautiously, bodies tense and eyes slightly wild as they struggled to comprehend how this stranger had taken out so many of their comrades with apparently single-handed ease.
Letting loose a boisterous laugh that bubbled up in his chest and couldn't be contained, Red-X grabbed his daggers from their sheath and twirled them. Smirking, X slid into a fighting stance and looked each of the terrified guards in the eye.
"So, since I'm such a gentleman," X taunted, "I'll let you ladies decide who's going to go first."
Even though they couldn't understand what he said, and were slightly thrown by how eerie his voice sounded thanks to the modulator, the soldiers clearly picked up on the challenge in his voice. With a war cry, Guard #18 broke the stalemate first and charged forward, raising his gun to use as a club.
Sneering beneath his mask, X dodged the soldier and round-house kicked him to the ground. Then he flipped over Guard #17's pathetic attempt at punching him and gave the man a swift blow to the back of the neck with the edge of his gray-gloved palm, KO-ing the soldier.
Guards #19 and 20 tried a slightly different tactic and came at Red-X from opposite sides. Scoffing, X stepped forward, driving one of his daggers into the Kevlar vest of Guard #19, taking great care not to puncture the man's skin . . . much. (X could practically feel Sunshine glaring at him for even knocking these soldiers out, and figured that he better be careful and control himself at least a little, for her sake.)
As #19's breath whooshed out of him and he doubled over from the blow, X grabbed his right arm and used his momentum to toss the man over his shoulder and straight into Guard #20. The two collided with such force that X was sure he heard a few bones snap, but considering the two were still breathing as they collapsed to the ground, Jason figured they couldn't be that hurt.
A scuffing sound alerted X's keen ears to the sound of another enemy, and the masked man turned to see that Guard #16 had scrambled up and was reaching for his gun, which had fallen nearby. Reacting instantly to the new threat, Red-X flicked his last dagger from his hand and watched with satisfaction as it speared the uniform covering #16's arm, pinning it to the ground. From there it was a simple matter of kicking #16 hard enough in the face that his head snapped to the side and he collapsed without a sound.
Rolling his shoulders and feeling more alive than he had in a while, X plucked his dagger from #16's sleeve and strolled over to the tangle of limbs that was Guards #19 and 20. Red-X nudged the two with his foot until they rolled apart and X could crouch down to claim his prize.
"Nothing personal, boys," X said as he pulled his dagger from Guard #19's Kevlar vest.
Sliding his knives back into their sheath, X turned toward the truck and reached toward the nearest crate –
A sudden noise startled him and he whirled around to see he had somehow been surrounded by at least thirty new soldiers, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Snarling with impatience, X prepared to take them out as well, unease beginning to stir in the back of his mind because how had they managed to sneak up on him–?!
His question was answered by a smooth female voice coming from above of all places.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you, Red-X."
Tensing, Jason glanced up to see a beautiful African-American woman dressed in flimsy clothes float down out of the sky, alighting without a care on the ground five feet from him.
"Who are you?" X snapped, even though he already knew. Shit, he thought, this is not good.
"I am Queen Bee," the woman purred in reply, a dangerous smirk flickering across her exotic features, "And I have a proposition for you."
"Do you now?" X said, sweat trickling down his brow. He flicked his dagger once as a warning, "Start talkin', babe. I got places to be and things to do."
Queen Bee appeared unfazed by his crude retort; in fact her lips curled in amusement.
"Well, I suppose I won't keep you long," she simpered, "I only wanted to make a deal."
"What deal?" X asked tersely.
She smiled, her dark eyes indicating she had X right where she wanted him, "It's simple, really. I'll give you as much Xenothium you want – free of charge – in exchange for your help."
"What do you want from me?" X shot back, his voice smooth.
"Nothing much," Queen Bee replied, "I just require your assistance with a few projects I'm working on at the moment. Good help is so hard to come by these days, you know."
"How do you know who I am?" X pressed.
"You defeated Klarion," she answered lightly, "That in itself is an impressive feat, and word gets around," she gave him a sly look from under her lashes, "You sound like just the man I need, X."
"It's Red-X," Jason corrected, even as he relaxed from his fighting stance. Keeping his voice level, X pinned her with a hard stare, "Let me get this straight. I help you with a few things and in exchange you'll give me Xenothium."
"Yes," Queen Bee replied, "It's a fair trade. Otherwise," her eyes narrowed and she gestured at the soldiers, whose numbers had tripled while they'd been talking, "you can try to fight my army for it, but, my dear, do you really think you'll succeed?"
"You got me," X said cheekily as he sheathed his knives, holding his hands up and showing he meant no harm.
He stepped forward, holding out his gray-gloved hand to shake, "Sounds like you've got yourself a deal."
"Excellent," Queen Bee purred as they shook hands, "I look forward to working with you, Red-X."
"The pleasure will be all mine, I'm sure, Your Majesty," X replied, a roguish grin implied in the inflection of his voice.
Queen Bee gave him a small smile in return, her eyes hooded. Then she turned and gracefully walked away, "This way, Red-X. You'll get your Xenothium soon enough."
"Fine by me," X replied easily, strolling after her. Together the two disappeared into the sea of soldiers, just as dawn broke over the horizon.
The soldiers parted way and Queen Bee led X to a military-style Jeep, where a pale man, his head semi-transparent and proudly displaying his over-large brain, greeted them with a poisonous smile.
"My name is Psimon," the man said, "Welcome, Red-X."
The two shook hands before the Jeep started up and carried the trio off into the depths of the Quracan wilderness.
Thousands of miles away, Raven paused in taking a sip from her tea as a feeling of foreboding washed over her. Frowning, she briefly tuned out M'gann's happy chattering and concentrated on the feeling of dread, even as it was quickly fading away.
Something's not right, she realized, her amethyst eyes narrowing, I feel like something important has been set in motion.
Yes, Raven thought as a subtle shift in the atmosphere of the entire Earth-16 dimension caught her attention and simultaneously confirmed her suspicions, Somewhere, a plan has begun and dominoes are beginning to fall.
For some reason, this certainty reminded Raven of the inevitability of her destiny as the Gem of Scath, and she couldn't help but shiver slightly in dread.
X, Raven wondered absently, knowing deep down that the masked man must have a part in this, what have you done?
Sooooo . . . hopefully it wasn't too choppy and confusing. When I finished writing this I was honestly too tired to go back and read the whole damn thing again, so I can only hope it makes at least an iota of sense. (Though I have to say I was quite pleased with X's fight scene. Also, dang you guys are good! You all guessed right about who made a guest appearance last chapter (and this one as well, actually). :D Yay!)
Questions? Comments? I am eager to hear from you! Please feed the hungry author!
See you sooner than last time, if all goes well. Otherwise, have a lovely June!
~Home By Another Way