A Blaze In The Northern Sky
By Trollhammer
Disclaimer: I own nothing yada yada yada…apart from Bolthorn. He's MINE! ALL MINE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!
Chapter 14. Mass w00tage! If anyone can spot the 'Allo, Allo!' reference in this chapter, you win a pint of ale and a fish and chip supper with curry!
Song: 'Re-Connect' by Anathema. Taken from the album 'Alternative 4'
Chapter 14: Re-Connect
Later that evening…After the Titans had returned to the tower, the Titan's East finally made preparations to return home, via Raven. Bolthorn had told them he would contact them when they were needed, which they knew would be the very near future. Cyborg and Bumblebee shared an emotional farewell before they finally made the journey home. Now the Titans were sat in the common room watching a late night movie. Bolthorn, now fully dressed, sat with Raven in his lap, and Starfire was sat in Robin's. They're antics were pretty much the same; the men had their arms gently draped around their beau's waists and their chins rested on their shoulders. Every now and again, they would softly nuzzle their necks or ears with their noses, making soft whimpering noises. The girls would giggle softly and turn to face their respective crushes, only to find their pouting lips and big, puppy-dog eyes. Although the atmosphere of the room was a very calm and peaceful one, Raven's was troubled. Well, troubled would have been an understatement…she was terrified…terrified of…tomorrow. She couldn't let the others know…she just couldn't. She was even afraid to tell the one she loved. She wished tomorrow wouldn't happen…she wished it would never come. As usual, she hid her feelings beneath a stoic expression and blank face. Suddenly, something caught everyone's eye: a bright light on an old offshore oilrig. Bolthorn fumbled around inside his jacket…and pulled out a pair of binoculars. The Titans stared at him incredulously.
"How do you do that?" Robin asked.
"I told ya, magic." Bolthorn grinned, before continuing in a comical German accent, "I shall observe zee disturbance viz my powerful Gestapo binoculars."
He peered through his device across the sea. After a few seconds, he motioned Robin over.
"Is that who I think it is?" he said, handing them to him.
Robin took the binoculars and gazed through them. Surely enough…
"Dr. Light!" Robin yelled out.
The other Titans sprang to their feet, while Bolthorn let out a chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Robin asked.
"I finally get to see Dr. Light f'r meself!"
"You know of him too? PLEASE tell me this guy's got some big-time secret past too like he's really the world's biggest drug baron or something like that!" Cyborg begged.
The Titans waited anxiously for Bolthorn's answer.
"No, he's just a world-renowned prat!"
Everyone in the room face-planted. Robin quickly regained his composure.
"Titans, GO!"
The next day…
Despite the fact that most of the Titans currently occupied the common room, the silence was almost unbearable. The atmosphere was one of tension…tension so thick you could have cut through it with a knife. Cyborg sat on the couch playing video games; Starfire was in the kitchen washing dishes, while Robin was in his room doing research. Bolthorn was sat in the corner reading silently. Although the book in his hands was a copy of Nietzsche's 'Beyond Good And Evil', a work that would have normally had him completely engrossed, his thoughts were elsewhere; he was worried about Raven. After that battle with Dr. Light, instead of celebrating with the team, she had returned to the tower by herself…and nobody had seen her since. She hadn't left her room all day and, quite frankly, he was unnerved. Fair enough, she always wanted personal space and time alone, but this was odd, even for her. It must have been something serious, this at least he was more than aware of. But why wouldn't she talk to anyone, even him, the one she loved? His love was in some kind of distress, and he would be damned if he'd just sit by and do nothing…that was it. He put the book down, and without even so much as a glance to anyone, he stormed out of the common room and into the corridors. He marched to Raven's room and banged on the door.
"Raven? It's Bolthorn. Ya've been in there all day. Is sommet wrong?"
No answer.
"Raven?"
The put his ear to the door, and heard a faint sigh.
"I'm fine. Go away." came her monotonous reply.
"Raven, please! You've always been there f'r me when I needed someone, now let me do the same for you. What's wrong?" he pleaded.
"Nothing's wrong." she replied, her voice sounding a little angrier, "I just don't want to be around anyone right now. Everything will be okay tomorrow."
'That last part sounded a bit too desperate.' Bolthorn thought to himself.
"Please Raven, don't shut me out. You've been my rock, now let me be yours. I wanno 'elp you, but I can't if you push me away like this…I know something's wrong, and the thought of being able to do nowt to help you's tearing me apart inside."
He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. The door slid open enough for Bolthorn to see Raven's anxious face. Raven reached through the gap and stroked Bolthorn's cheek delicately.
"I know." she replied softly, "But you can't help me. Not this time. This is something I need to do alone. Now please, leave me be." she requested, gently sliding the door shut.
Raven leaned against her door, sliding down to the floor and clasping her knees to her chest, listening as Bolthorn stifled his sobs. She covered her ears with her hands to try and block him out, while she fought back her own tears.
'I'm so sorry Bolthorn. This hurts me more than you could ever know. But I can't tell you…I wish I could, but…I just can't.'
She listened as Bolthorn slowly walked away down the corridor, buried her face in her knees and sobbed silently.
Bolthorn took a deep sigh as he stepped back into the common room and assumed his place in the corner, burying his face in his hands and sighing heavily. Suddenly, Beast Boy charged into the room, literally dragging Robin behind him.
"Dudes! I've found out why Raven's making such a big deal about tomorrow!" he yelled, flailing his arms about insanely.
Everyone in the room jumped to their feet and gathered around the changeling in a split second.
"Well? Spill it BB!" Cyborg yelled.
"It's her birthday…"
A few hours later…
Raven sat alone on the edge of her bed in her darkened room. She held an old alarm clock in her hands, and stared at it intently, wishing that somehow she had the power to alter time and space and make the hands on the clock move faster in accordance. The only sound that broke the silence was the continuous ticking of every second…although the way Raven was feeling right now, every second felt like the longest minute of her life. Just a few more seconds until…
"Six PM." she said, flopping down onto her back, "Just six more hours and it'll be over. Six more…"
She was interrupted by a loud banging on the door that startled her. Ever since Bolthorn's emotional visit earlier. Nobody else had bothered her…not even Beast Boy…
"Hello?"
No answer. She rose from her bed and walked briskly to the door, slid it open and peeked out carefully. Noticing there was nothing stirring anywhere nearby, she stepped out to investigate. She navigated her way with great ease through the labyrinth of dark corridors until she arrived at the common room. The doors slid open and she was greeted by nothing but darkness and silence. Suddenly, without warning, all the lights suddenly blazed on, making her shield her eyes from the temporarily disorientating light. The rest of Titans popped up and a "Happy Birthday" banner unfurled from the ceiling amid a shower of confetti and balloons.
"SURPRISE!"
A few moments later…"Raven!" Robin called after her "What's wrong?"
"I just don't like parties." She replied icily.
"It's more than that. I can tell. We have a bond, remember? You've been inside my mind. Let me inside yours."
"Robin, the only people that know me better than or as well as you are Bolthorn and Beast Boy. You all know there are places in my mind where you can't go…where no one should ever go.
"We're willing to try if you'll…"
"I can't."
"Tell me what's going on."
"Just trust me. If you knew anything about the day of my birth…you'd know there's nothing to celebrate." she said, walking away briskly.
As much as she detested herself for the way she'd just reacted to the surprise party her friends had set up, how could she possibly feel the desire to celebrate her passage into life…when she was conceived so monstrously? How could she tell them the truth? How could she tell them of her past, the purpose of her existence…her true destiny? She sighed heavily as she entered her room and threw herself back onto her bed, grabbing her alarm clock…the hours slowly passed…too slowly…it was only half past eight when there was a knock on the door. She sighed heavily and slowly walked to the door, opening it just enough to see out of…and there stood Bolthorn, his face the picture of worry and concern.
"I um…" he began, "I thought it'd best be wise t' leave you calm down f'r a bit." he spoke softly, "I'm really sorry I upset you luv…I just wanted to make you feel special, what with it being your birthday 'n' all."
The stern look on Raven's face completely vanished and she sighed heavily, looking up at Bolthorn sadly.
"I know Bolthorn. I'm not mad at you…any of you. It's…hard to explain." she said, her eyes faltering, hoping he didn't notice.
"Raven…" he began, confirming her fears.
"Please Bolthorn, I…I can't tell you…not yet." she said desperately.
She averted her gaze; she couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes…despite the fact that all she wanted right now was to be held within his strong arms…to have her warrior of ice protect her from the oncoming storm…her northern knight shield her from the dragons and ghosts that haunted her…
"Alright." Bolthorn finally said, "But when yer ready to tell us, y'know we'll be 'ere for ya." he smiled weakly.
She smiled back and opened the door enough to allow him a hug and soft kiss.
"G'night." he softly whispered.
"Goodnight Bolthorn." she smiled.
She slid the door shut after he'd left down the corridor and returned to her bed. She continued to eye her clock with malice, willing time to speed up…but it wasn't gonna happen…nine PM.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" she groaned, "I just want this day to be over!"
She had to calm herself down.
"Relax…only a few hours to go…it might not even happen. Focus…meditate…it'll be midnight before you know it."
She assumed the lotus position and began to levitate from the bed, the clock raising to eye level, and she began to chant…
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Aza…" she coughed as the air suddenly choked her.
She hacked a bit louder and opened her eyes. A low rumbling started, and flames erupted all around her as she gagged and clutched at her throat. The initial burst cleared and the entire room caught fire, leaving her completely hemmed in on the bed. A deep, gravelly voice began to speak…a voice she knew all too well.
"What you have concealed, you shall become. You have no other choice. Your destiny will be fulfilled."
Embers dropped from the ceiling and set the blankets ablaze in rivulets of fire that snaked quickly from edge to edge. Raven stared in mute horror as the flames formed an all too familiar symbol...the mark of Scath.
"The portal must be opened!"
"NOOOOO!"
A great flash, and the room was exactly as it was before. She heaved for breath as the sweat fell from her brow. A loud knock at the door kicked her out of her temporary paralysis very quickly as she answered the door to find Bolthorn stood there.
"I heard you scream."
As if on cue, the alarm sounded and began to flash. Raven looked back to her love.
"Trouble!"
The Titans had traced the cause of the disturbance to a factory deep within the city. They had navigated their way through the entrance and through a few corridors…but so far they hadn't encountered anything. They entered an enormous machine room with rows of pistons cycling on the walls, while the floor was a network of catwalks, below which many levels of piping could be seen.
"So, who's the bad guy du jour? Gizmo? Mad Mod? Killer Moth?" Cyborg japed, brimming with confidence.
"The report simply stated there was an intruder." Starfire informed the semi-robotic teen.
"Well, whoever it is, we're gonna totally kick their…"
Beast Boy never finished the sentence, as he walked into the back of Robin, who has stopped short.
"No." he whispered horrified.
Beast Boy gazed in the same direction as the Boy Wonder and gasped in horror, as did the rest of the Titans. They couldn't believe their eyes…it couldn't be…it just COULDN'T…but there he was.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Titans?" Began Slade, "A month? A year? A millennium?"
He finally turned his head to face them..
"Far too long for my tastes, anyway. I was beginning to think I'd never see your smiling faces again."
There was a long, death-like silence.
"You…how did you survive?" Cyborg asked, beside himself.
"Terra took you down. Way down!" Beast Boy cried out.
"Slade." Robin sneered, "I don't know where you've been, but you shouldn't have come back. I'm still ready."
On Slade's forehead, a glowing mark appeared; a small copy of the design that traced itself onto Raven's bed during her vision.
"That's precious, Robin. But…" his hands began to glow with an unearthly fire, "…I didn't come back for you."
With a feral yell, he sent a thick snake of fire out toward the Titans. All scatter before it; the thing bent up from the floor, and as Raven gained a bit of altitude, she found it headed straight for her. With less than a second to spare before it struck, she conjured up her 'soul self' and escapes through the wall. Elsewhere, Starfire carried Robin away and Cyborg raced across the floor to stay ahead of Slade's blast. He jumped clear of the next one and went over the railing near one row of giant pistons.
"Ever have one of those days where you just feel happy to be alive?" Slade mocked with a disturbing hint of euphoria to his voice.
He targeted Beast Boy, flitting nearby as a hummingbird. The changeling dropped down in human form and Raven arose from the catwalks as the Titans regrouped
"Dude!" was all Beast Boy could manage.
"Yeah! Since when can Slade do that?"
"Not sure, but he won't be doing it for long. Titans! Go!"
Beast Boy became a velociraptor as the others rushed ahead. Cyborg and Starfire launched their first wave, unleashing a blitzkrieg barrage of star bolts and sonic cannon-fire. Slade, however, merely created a shield of fire to protect himself and vaulted back up to the upper platform. As he stood there, imperturbable as ever with his arms folded, Robin threw a handful of discs across the floor. They froze the conflagration and its creator solid on impact, the ice rapidly spreading upward to cover Slade's head. The Boy Wonder crouched low, ready to pounce again if needed…and it was indeed needed as soon as the masked criminal shattered the layer of frost away from his body. He jumped down and found Raven rising to meet his challenge; she brought the ice fragments under her control, then projects the deadly shards straight at him. A few deft leaps and sidesteps kept him from being skewered, but as soon as he cleared the obstacle, Beast Boy leapt down from above as a gorilla to strike. Slade slid backward out of his reach; now Starfire moved in, both hands blazing, and he quickly threw up a shield. It protected him, but the onslaught pushed him backward a good distance. When Slade regained his balance, he hurled a fireball up at Starfire; now she tried to create a starbolt barrier, but his shot overpowered it and she was brought down. There was a sudden primal roar from above as Bolthorn leapt from the highest walkway, Widow-maker poised to strike. Slade however simply sent out a wave of flames that sent Bolthorn flying across the room. Behind him, Cyborg had moved near the shaft of one wall piston. He tore the entire thing loose from its moorings, intending to knock Slade out of his boots with it. The weighted end came around in a thundering arc, dead on target…but Slade merely created a layer of fire on his body for a moment and let it burn cleanly through the makeshift club without even braking a sweat
"Whoa!"
"Whoa"? That's it? No clever comment? I was looking forward to that." Slade mocked.
Needled in just the wrong place, Cyborg dropped the remains of the piston and charged. Slade ducks underneath his punch and raises one hand, forefinger poised behind thumb as if ready to flick something away. It stopped just short of Cyborg's face, a spark of fire flashes from the fingertips, and the flick came with enough force and heat to throw him backward. Bolthorn came running in with a full head of steam, just in time for Cyborg to plow into him. Above them, Beast Boy swooped down as a hawk and zeroed in on Slade. A few nimble jumps carry the target up over the pistons and onto a high catwalk, and a moment later the Titan was up there and reverting to human form. His next bound took him far along its length, where he landed as a triceratops. Slade merely touched one set of knuckles to the planks, sending traces of fire across its width and toward the green behemoth. A second later, the section beneath Beast Boy's feet collapsed, weakened by the fire, and dropped him toward the floor. As rubble thunders down all around, he resumed human form, then became a vampire bat and flew away from danger. Behind Slade, Robin swung onto the intact end of the catwalk and started slinging discs. They detonated everywhere but fell short of the fleeing villain, and Robin charged through the smoke with his staff at the ready. The pursuit carried him into a forest of turning gears; he hopped among them but couldn't catch sight of Slade. Finally he caught his eye…riding up on a slowly rotating gear. He held his own fighting staff, fire leaping up along its length, then pulled back for his savage yell as he jumped to meet the Boy Wonder. Robin backed up on the giant metal teeth to keep from getting his skull cracked, and the two sparred for a moment before one hit burnt Robin's weapon in two. He eyed one smoldering, half-melted piece as Slade stepped along the gear's teeth with frightening ease.
"Take my word for it, Robin…" he began, "…You shouldn't play with fire."
"One fierce roundhouse sent Robin, glowing and smoking, down to a distant horizontally-mounted gear.
"It really has been nice seeing all of you again." he said, looking for his intended target.
He finally found what he was looking for and focused his attention on Raven, who was presently residing over the unconscious forms of Cyborg and Bolthorn.
"I just want this day to end!" she cried out in a panic.
"I think we both know this day is far from over." Slade's sinister voice came from behind her.
She spun around and gazed uncomprehendingly up at his concealed face.
"Hello, birthday girl. Ready for your present?" he mocked sinisterly.
Disgusted by his remarks and behaviour, she gathered her powers in one hand and projected a huge black claw that seized him and carried him high over the machine room. It smashed him into a spot high on one wall; she flew up to survey the damage and sighed with relief upon seeing all the smoke.
"I have a message for you." he said, emerging from the haze.
She prepared herself to unleash another onslaught, but five steel-clad fingers locked around her left wrist and startled her out of it. White light flashed around her straining face, red light burned steadily around his, and the she stood before him, unable to move due to the blinding pain caused by his iron grip. Bolthorn, finally regaining consciousness, sees what's happening and was gripped by a burning fury; he saw red, and shoved Cyborg's unconscious form off him. Finally Slade relinquished his hold on her, and she tumbled down to land on a gear wheel. As she sat up and looked herself over, her eyes widened at the realization that her sleeve had been torn. Behind her, Slade floated in midair, wreathed in crackling blue-white sparks. The skin of her exposed forearm now sported a glowing red mark identical to the one on Slade's forehead. She whipped around to see him showered in sparks as dark energy crackled about him.
"It…has…begun."
The energy flashed all over the room, blowing out machines in clouds of smoke; some of it flowed through his outstretched hand, then hit the shaft of a piston and snapped it. As Cyborg comes to, he had to back up very quickly to avoid the falling debris. More explosions rip through the rest of the stilled shafts and the huge gears fell free from their elevated mountings near Robin. On the floor catwalks, Beast Boy had resumed human form and was still badly dazed by his hard landing; Starfire swept past, pulling him toward the exit, and Cyborg cut out after them. Robin swung down a second later as the framework under his feet started to blow apart. While the four flee for their lives, flames boiled up from the levels beneath the floor and the wall pistons tumbled like rows of pine trees. A terrific blast brought down more of the gears and their framework; one colossal wheel slammed down and rolled after Robin, whose feet were already doing triple time towards the door. The catwalk buckled under the vast weight, leaving him on a slope too steep to climb, and he stared bug-eyed toward the advancing shadow.
"DEATHSTROKE!"
Slade's eye snapped open and he shifted his gaze to Bolthorn's advancing form, Widow-maker swinging around his head, obscuring Slade's view of his masked face. NOBODY called him by that name anymore! Well…nobody alive anyway. Raven watched the entire scene unfurl before her, horrified, from her vantage point among the few intact gears for a second or two, before she finally found her voice.
"STOP!"
A black wave radiated out from her body and washed over the entire machine room; the lights dimmed and the tumult slowed to a dead stop. When she looked up, totally bewildered, she found that the machine room had become a full-scale freeze frame; Starfire was flying out, Beast Boy was partway through a transformation, Cyborg was running like mad, as was Robin, recoiling from the giant gear about to crush him…and Bolthorn had stopped in mid-air, mere inches from Slade's face. Raven gasped in shock and looked around the frozen tableau, her arms wrapped around her body as if for warmth. Her eyes stop on the levitating Slade, plastered back first against a wall with arms spread wide and head tilted upward.
"How did I…?" she began.
"You might be able to stop time, birthday girl…" Slade's voice interrupted, before his eye darted to her, "…but you can't stop me."
Much to Raven's horror, he unfroze himself.
"You can't stop any of it, really. I have to say, Raven, when I found out the truth, I was very impressed."
He began to walk in midair, gesturing rubble away.
"All this time, I had no idea…the power lurking inside you…the glorious destiny that awaits…it's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"
Raven clapped both hands to her head and groaned as if trying to tear this experience out of her mind through her scalp. As Slade continued, she ran in search of a place to hide.
"But honestly, did you think you could just blow out the candles and wish it all away? Today is the day it begins. You've known this all your life." He said, catching up to her, leaning into her face, "It is going to happen. And no matter what you wish…no matter where you go, no matter how you squirm…there is nothing you can do to stop it."
She swivelled her head to face him, her eyes flaring white, and passed through the wall that has blocked her path. She emerged from the opposite surface, having assumed the form of her "soul self," and took flight. As she gained altitude, she resumed her normal appearance and cast an eye over the motionless tumult at ground level. She then looked back and saw, much to her horror, that Slade was very closely inspecting the frozen figure of Bolthorn, hands clasped behind his back, walking in midair around him.
"Deathstroke…" he said aloud, "I haven't used that name for many years. And all those who did are dead. Who are you boy?" he asked, reaching for the mask, still obscured by his arms and hair.
Raven flew over to the pair of them, knocking Slade to one side and stopping by Bolthorn. She placed a hand upon his chest and energy washed over the dimly lit Titan as his normal color and motion resumed. He gasped for air and looked up at her.
"Raven?"
"Both turn their attention briefly to Slade, who was slowly advancing towards them, and Raven carried them away in a black burst towards Robin. She revived him too, removing him from mortal danger. She flew out onto a nearby street; the light had assumed the same dim tinge, time frozen here as well…her powers had worked on a very large scale indeed. Her "soul self" rose from the pavement and glided through the urban still life, and both Robin and Bolthorn were ejected to the street when it had moved a safe distance from the underground machine room. Raven resumed her human form and eyed them ruefully as they lay prone, gasping for breath. A cathedral stands at the end of the block.
"What the fuck were that?" Bolthorn asked incredulously, standing up.
"Why is Slade back? Where did he get those powers? How did you stop time?" Robin asked.
"I…I'm not sure."
She raised her torn left sleeve and saw the luminescent rune on her forearm fade out.
"I never wanted this day to come. And when it did, I just wanted it to stop. I guess I got my wish."
"What's happening?" Bolthorn asked, concerned for his beau's plight.
"It's my birthday."
The black figure of Slade appeared on the edge of a nearby rooftop and dived toward her. She took a few steps back toward Robin and Bolthorn as the foe lands. Robin and Bolthorn leapt in front of her.
"Raven, run! Bolthorn, get her to safety!" Robin ordered.
Bolthorn took Raven by the shoulders and guided her away from her tormentor. Robin stepped over to put himself between her and Slade, who just eyed him as if his presence was of no importance whatsoever. The Boy Wonder unloaded on his arch-nemesis with a series of flying kicks that rock the steel-masked head back and forth; the last one sending him sliding far down the block. Despite the ferocity of this assault, Slade was able to straighten up…but his head was twisted at an impossible angle on his neck. He slowly clicked and snapped it back into alignment, the sound of crackling vertebrae making itself quite clear. Robin stared in total disbelief at this piece of skeletal legerdemain. Around Slade's feet, two tongues of flame erupted and entwined into a huge fireball that rocketed toward Robin, hitting him squarely in the face. His yell of pain is heard and a car is blasted into the intersection. Raven and Bolthorn caught sight of this and flew/ran in to help, only to find a solid sheet of flame blocking the approach to the place of worship. Another tongue of flame knocks Bolthorn off his feet and into a building behind them. Slade stepped easily out of the inferno.
"I have a message for you…and I will deliver it, whether you like it or not."
Raven panicked and backed up slowly. Her fear gives way to rage in a twinkling, and she raised her hands to bring a loop of sewer pipe up from underground to snare him.
"Skies will burn." he said, breaking free, "Flesh will become stone."
She levitated mailboxes and parking meters and threw them at him in a desperate attempt to halt his advance…but to no avail as they merely bounced off his body.
"The sun will set on your world, never to rise again."
His form suddenly turned to pure flame and exploded in all directions. Raven's whose eyes darted up and down the street as she tried to figure out where Slade had disappeared to. He rematerialized behind her, she turned to face him with a gasp, and he seized both upper arms in an unbreakable hold. As in the machine room, white light flashed around the gray face, drawn in a sudden, silent contortion as if she were being electrocuted, and she was hurled to the street on her back. When she started to rise, she was shocked to find that the fabric of her outfit was torn away where he touched it; she hastily covered the exposed skin, which now displayed red marks.
"Time won't wait forever. You can't run away from who you are."
She turned to face her tormentor, eyes blazing.
"I can try!"
Two huge slabs of asphalt cracked loose under her influence and flipped up, crushing him. She then set off running toward the cathedral and the flaming chaos that fills the street near it. Just then, Bolthorn regained consciousness and managed to scramble uneasily back to his feet. They both began to search for Robin.
"Robin!"
She pushed one chunk of rock aside and levitated a few others out of the way, but fails to uncover her teammate. Bolthorn desperately threw rock and debris out of the way to find their leader. A huge slab of rubble behind Raven fell away to reveal him pushing it. He was barely able to draw breath after Slade's assault, so they both helped him up and steered him toward the cathedral. Bolthorn stopped, looking over at Raven.
"Ya c'n sod off if ya think I'm going in a bloody church!" he chuckled.
Raven rolled her eyes and they made their way into the warehouse next door, finally stopping amidst some stacked wooden crates. They placed Robin on the floor gently.
"I shouldn't have dragged you into this…any of you. But you're in, and you need to know. I need to tell you. When I was born, they looked into my future. On this day, the anniversary of my birth…something is supposed to happen. Something very bad. That's why I…I didn't want to celebrate. But just because you don't have a party doesn't mean it's not your birthday."
Robin groaned and stood up.
"The symbol…on his forehead…what does it mean?"
Before she could answer, the door was blown in off its hinges and Slade stood amidst the clearing smoke. He put his hands together and swept them apart, throwing out a sea of fire that set all three of them tumbling. Robin and Bolthorn dived over a few crates, while Raven ended up on the floor, separated from the two of them. Standing up, she looked about and found Slade crouching by his handiwork.
"It's just you and me now, kid."
In a panic, Raven fled out of the back door and into an alleyway, just as a jet of fire hisses out after her. Slade stepped out a moment later, taking his time.
"You're making this much more difficult than this needs to be."
He threw a fireball that unfolded into a blazing barrier to cut off her escape; she turned back, shielding her face, and found him ambling up.
"The message must be delivered."
Almost without thinking, Raven manifested her "soul self" and flew through the flames. She resumed her usual form on the other side and continued her flight, but Slade was in hot pursuit. Every move she made, he copied without even a hint of stress or effort. Several blocks later, her course carried them into a narrow alley between two buildings; the fiery arms hit the architecture on either side and dissipate, but Slade charged straight on in.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
As she spoke the words, her powers engulf the structures and pull them toward each other until they clash together, reducing Slade to a mass of crushed bones and ruptured flesh and organs Raven hoped. Now in open air, she stopped to look back at the trap she had sprung. Thick dust clouds wafted slowly up from the shifted foundations and ruined masonry. She dipped her head sadly, thinking now of the destruction caused by her desperate gambit, but was rudely interrupted when the upper stories partially blew out and Slade emerged unscathed. The shock of seeing him rooted her to the spot and left her wide open for him to get in a flying tackle. Both crashed into the roof of a circular design, observation deck. As the smoke cleared, Raven hustled away from the impact site and Slade stood erect, his masked face showing nothing less of single-minded determination.
"What you have concealed, you shall become!" Slade yelled, reaching out and grabbing a handful of cloak, ripping it away.
She now lay prone, the back of her leotard split all the way down to her belt, and a pattern of glowing scarlet inscriptions had appeared on the bared skin. With some effort, she turned over to face up at him.
"You have no other choice."
Her eyes blazed; she swirled up into a charge.
"No!"
Black energy surrounded her entire body, but evaporated the instant he held her forearms in his vice-like grip.)
"The message will be delivered. Your destiny shall be fulfilled."
The mark on Slade's forehead imposed itself over the gem on hers as he mimicked her father's words. She let loose with a series of tortured howls as white light poured from both of her eyes. Ancient runes appeared on both of her legs, and more were exposed on her midsection when the cloth covering it disintegrated. The remnants on one arm tore apart, revealing extended marks there as well. The sun and moon cycled rapidly through the sky, which darkened and lightened through the passage of many days. As Raven strained against the mastermind's inflexible grip, her hair lengthened until it was almost to her waist. Finally, he released his grip on her and she dropped to her knees against the night sky, wrapping her arms around her body as if trying to ward off a soul-freezing chill. She unfolded them after a moment and looked down in shock at the markings that covered almost every square inch of her body. The remnants of her uniform resembled a raggedly cut halter-top and briefs, and her wrist guards and bands had completely gone, although her belt remained. Raven looked up, still horrified; her eyes panning slowly across the Jump City skyline…or rather, what remained of it. Every building stood in ruins under a blood-red sky, with the sullenly still bay as their backdrop. Then she saw it…Titans Tower, in complete disrepair, standing at an awkward angle offshore in a sea of lava. The streets below swarm with four-eyes ravens and various other cursed scavengers. Then she sees them…statues depicting Cyborg, the fully human Beast Boy, and Starfire, Each being dragged down by a horde of small creatures with drawn, ghoulish faces and long arms. A fourth figure shows Robin in the same dire situation. The last statue haunted her the most…it was Bolthorn…but he was lying in pieces in the middle of the street, as if he had fallen from a great height, he had had his weapons poised to strike from the looks of the remains. Reluctantly, Raven finally stood.
"No!"
"Yes." Slade sneered, moving closer to her, "Look at it…drink it in…behold the world you are destined to create."
From the horizon, a towering humanoid silhouette stood up among the once-proud structures. No features could be discerned at this distance except for a pair of antlers that sprouted from either side of its head…but Raven knew fine well that it was…even though she didn't want to admit it. A thundering roar from the monstrosity split through the sky.
"No!" Raven cried out, clapping her hands down either side of her head, "I won't do it! This is just a vision. This can't be real!"
Slade softly clasped her upper arms and leaned over her shoulder, talking directly into her ear.
"This is the future…Your future. It began the day you were born, and nothing can stop it. This will come to pass…I will make sure of it. You're going to destroy the world, Raven…It's written all over your face.
Her eyes widened, blazing white-hot with energy
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Black rings of energy washed up from the roof over her "soul self", causing it to disintegrate into shreds while the sky restored itself to normal night coloration as time, and reality, reset itself to normal. People went about their business, completely unaware that anything out of the ordinary had put their lives on hold for a while. Amidst at all though, still stood Raven her uniform still in tatters, utterly spent by the night's experience and slumped wearily backward in his Slade's arms.
"We'll be in touch." Slade began, about to release his grip on her.
"DEATHSTROKE!"
Slade's eye snapped open and he whirled around on the spot, dropping Raven safely on the rooftop at his feet. Bolthorn stood there, fists clenched at his sides, his legs apart, his hair waving in the breeze. Slade froze when he saw the mask.
"No, it can't be. I ended the line of the Ravagers!"
Bolthorn produced his father's mask and threw it at Slade's feet. Slade looked down at the crumpled object, then back at the masked boy before him.
"That was my brother's mask…"
Bolthorn ripped the mask from his head.
"Aye, if you 'aven't worked it out yet, I'm your brother's son, dipshit! I'm Bolthorn DeFarge, son of Wade DeFarge."
Bolthorn pointed an accusing finger at Slade.
"YOU MURDERED MY FATHER!"
The fragments of connection died
Some things just won't fade with time
After a moment's silence, Slade regained his stoic composure.
"Yes, I murdered your father…and I revelled in every second of it. You should have been there to witness it; the sight of his blood spilling…the sound of his bones breaking, the futility of his screaming…" Slade closed his eye, savouring the memory.
Much to his annoyance though, Bolthorn remained calm and collected.
"I see you've not inherited your father's lack of self-discipline…or is it because you're frightene…?"
Before he could finish, Bolthorn had shoulder charged him in a split second, sending him sprawling. Slade was infuriated to say the least; he was one of the world's deadliest killers, he now had the powers of a deity bestowed upon him…and yet he was taken down by a mere tackle…and his assailant still stood there afterwards, looking calm and collected.
"How…DARE you!" Slade spat through his mask bitterly.
He lunged for Bolthorn with a palm strike, but Bolthorn merely sidestepped him, bringing his elbow down hard into the back of his skull…HARD, sending him to the floor in a crumpled pile at his feet.
Hide behind a transparent eye
You can't see me but I can you...
Slade tried to sweep his feet out from under him…only to have Bolthorn's boot stamp down on his ankle, then the other stamp on his face, the mask denting beneath the force. Bolthorn merely stepped over Slade while the resurrected villain scurried away, nursing his bruised pride.
Betray without a moment's thought
Regret nothing but getting caught
"How? How are you able to strike me down? I must know! You will tell me!" Slade demanded.
"What c'n I say?" Bolthorn smirked, "I 'ave the blessing o' the Gods."
"You will PAY for your insolence!" he cried out, lunging for Bolthorn again.
Bolthorn grabbed his fist as he came for him and drove him into the floor, standing on Slade's shoulder-joint and wrenching his arm backwards, threatening to snap it out of the socket.
"Wait, Bolthorn! Wait!" he pleaded, "I was…I was under contract from someone else to take out your father! It was nothing personal, I loved my brother! Family means everything to me, it always has, and it always will! Please Bolthorn…you're all that I have left…please forgive me!"
There was an uneasy silence between the two of them…just as Raven woke up and Robin arrived to tend to her. They both watched on uneasily at the scene before them.
"Aye…I am all you've got left…considering Grant died trying so hard to impress you and you practically MADE Joey run away from home! Considering it was YOU who murdered my father's mother…face it Deathstroke, you're a cold-blooded murderer!" he said, snapping his arm, "AND YOU'RE NO FAMILY OF MINE!"
Your time has come and here I stand
Why should I hold out my hand to you...
Slade just laughed, sat up, grabbed Bolthorn's free foot and flung him over his head and into the roof, face-first. He snapped his arm back into place.
"Foolish child! Did you honestly think you stood a chance against me? I LET you get this far to draw you into a false sense of security, and now you're MINE!"
He grabbed Bolthorn by the legs again and flung him about the roof, smashing his head and face into the hard surface. Bolthorn had an inexplicable memory lapse from his childhood…as if this had happened to him before…as if this was commonplace every time he and Slade were together…then it hit him; he's suppressed this memory over the years for the love of his father…despite his own suffering.
I could never turn to you
Silenced by that look in your eye
Feel I'm slipping back again
As he stood over Bolthorn, Robin let out a roar of anger and leapt for Slade. He let loose with a volley of kicks and punches whilst Raven tended to her love. He'd taken quite a beating, and was losing consciousness. No…it couldn't end like this…
'Father…'
Black cold night I toss and turn I'm sinking, feel so
...drained
Shroud me, blind me, sick, weak, empty, drag me
...into pain
I tried so hard, don't drown me, bound to me,
self indulgently ...crazed
Black as coal, my sunken soul, will it ever be
...saved?
Suddenly, he felt gentle nudging and forced his eyes open…and he saw Raven, trying to rouse him into consciousness.
"Hey. he whispered softly.
"Hey." she whispered back.
"Time to pull out t' big guns."
With that, he struggled to his feet and pulled out one of his daggers. He aimed it at Slade, who had Robin by the throat with one hand. He took careful aim and threw the knife, hitting Slade squarely in the chest, white light sprouting from the wound. Slade screamed at the searing pain as he ripped the blade from his chest.
"H…how?" Slade cried out incredulously.
Bolthorn grabbed his Thor's hammer pendant tightly in his fist.
"Like I said, I 'ave the blessings o' the Gods." he replied, pulling his two-handed sword from his back.
With a roar, he charged Slade, slicing into his chest and gut, making more incisions that burned Slade's flesh like white-hot fire, making him scream in agony as he reeled backwards.
Come on and twist that knife again
Well I'd like to see you fucking try
Never going back again
Suddenly, Robin leapt over Bolthorn's head, kicking Slade squarely in the chest, sending him teetering on the edge of the roof. The two teens looked at each other, nodded, and both landed simultaneous punches into Slade's face, sending him falling from the rooftop with a scream. Slade looked back at the three of them as he fell.
An answer won't come from me
Confront your own worst enemy
What does your mirror see
Is it time to face up to me?
Instead of his body smashing into the concrete, Slade merely phased through it. They knew this wasn't the last they'd see of him. The three of them turned and smiled to each other, tired, battered and bruised. Robin finally broke the silence.
"Let's go home."
TBC
Phew! Sorry this one took so long! If you must blame something…blame World Of Warcraft. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW! I hope you're all enjoying it. I'll get chapter 15 done ASAP.
Until next time.
Trollhammer.
METAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!