I'm really sorry for the delay. I've been drowning in work. So let's get on with it.
"Titans, Go!" The familiar command stirred a sense of wild euphoria in Robin, a belief in victory. And, as his friends started, then leapt to follow his reckless charge, it seemed to do the same in them. Too bad it only lasted for about three seconds. A beam of blue light made a quick pass some five feet in front of the Titans before they had halved the distance between themselves and Superman.
"Stand down, kids," announced a silver man with white eyes and a red nuclear explosion imprinted on his chest. He descended, god-like, to hover ten feet above their heads. "Let's talk about this before starting a frontal assault."
"We're not interested in talking, Captain Atom." Batgirl spat.
"Talking is the only option you have left," came the stern, country-ish accent. "Unless you want to surrender." An exploding disk slipped through the gaps in Robin's fingers. "I don't think you want to do that." Captain Atom warned. "See, I'm not flesh and blood anymore. I'm made of living energy. Nuclear energy. The equivalent amount to 10 megatons worth." His hand lit up with a blue halo. "I can use that energy to incinerate steel. Or I can hit you with a small blast that will knock you out and maybe give you prostate cancer. Or I could throw you four miles without even trying. Even if you did manage to hit me, all that holds me together is this containment suit. Rip it, and all of that energy will come surging out. I'll die, and take this island and half of Jump City with me."
Robin glanced at the Titans. They had frozen, fear written across their faces. They were paralyzed. And if he was honest, Robin no longer saw how they could possibly beat Captain Atom, let alone the army of super-powered followers behind him.
"Whoa, Cap, you can't be serious," Green Arrow protested, pushing his way through the other Leaguers to stand at the front. "They're just kids. We can't fight them."
"I have orders," the soldier responded. "And whether it comes to fighting is up to them." He turned back to the Titans, holding up his glowing hand like a radioactive torch. "Well, what will it be?" Robin didn't know what he would have done because someone else answered the question for him. Captain Atom coughed and looked down at the blue light spilling from his throat in disbelief.
"Actually, the decision is up to you, Captain," Batwoman said, kneeling on her miniature Batwing which she parked in the air next to Starfire. "You can stay here and kill thousands, or you can fly into space where you won't hurt anyone." She flipped a red batarang in the air and neatly caught it. "I'd decide quickly if I was you." Captain Atom spared her a glare before shooting off into the sky, glowing brighter by the moment. "You might want to go and collect him once he explodes," Batwoman suggested to an astonished John Stewart. The Green Lantern scowled furiously and flew after his comrade.
"You've killed him," Superman said, tone equal parts angry and stunned. "You nearly killed us all." Batwoman snorted.
"Please, do you really think he would have stayed and let everybody die?" She asked. "No, he's not that kind of person. Green Lantern will probably have most of his energy fed into a new suit in a few hours, just long enough to miss the big fight."
"You tried to kill Captain Atom in a gambol that nearly cost us our lives!" Green Arrow shouted, taking aim at her. Batwoman didn't flinch.
"It's not a gambol when you know what the outcome will be," she derided the emerald archer. "And you're one to talk. Look at you, the mighty Justice League, gathered en mass to beat up a couple of kids for defending their friend." She turned to Superman, leaning forward with a sly smile. "Mr. Green Bean over there never did tell you why Robin attacked him, did he?" She smiled, serpentine, at the Green Lantern in question, who looked more than a little uncomfortable as he played with the bandage of green energy around his head. "I think someone's a little bashful for hitting girl." Batwoman nearly trilled.
"GL, is that true?" Flash asked.
"Well, yeah, but I was in the middle of taking out these robots, and she hit me first, so—"
"Did you by any chance cut in front of her attack? You know, like you do every time we fight somebody?" Green Arrow asked, face contorting beneath his mask.
"Hey, I called it," Hal defended himself. Green Arrow slapped his hand to his face. Several other Leaguers groaned.
"That doesn't excuse nearly killing a member of the Justice League," Superman said. "We'll find out how much of that is true back on the Watchtower once Robin and Batwoman are safely in a holding cell." A pair of missiles pounded against Superman's back, creating a nice frame for his undisturbed expression.
"That's the thing, Boy scout," Batwoman said, her purr closer to a leer. "We don't intend to come quietly. And I didn't come alone." Two miniature Batwings shot across the bay. A silver woman identical to Batwoman crouched upon each craft. Robin's eyes watered from the shockwave that radiated out from Superman when they fired the second round of missiles. A hissing called Robin's attention to the Batwoman above him, who was pointing her craft at Hal Jordan. The other Titans gawked at the scene before them, apparently at a loss for words.
"Lights out, bastard," Batwoman muttered. A pair of missiles shot from the Batwing, slamming beautifully into the back of the Green Lantern's head. Hal cried out, and his green machine gun dissolved as he clutched his head. He turned, glaring at the Titans, and began to glow like a Roman candle. The other two Batwomen were forced to leap clear as the remaining two Green Lanterns shot them out of the sky. The majority of the League looked either annoyed or confused. Superman frowned like he was about to scold a troublesome child as he cut the first Batwoman's glider in half with his heat vision.
"If that's all you have," he began. A pair of energy beams struck Hal Jordan and stayed on him for a good five seconds. The League scattered, trying to dodge the blue T-ship assaulting their ranks.
"I thought you told them to stay low," Robin shot at Cyborg.
"What, you're blaming me for this?" Cyborg retorted. "That girl does whatever she wants." The Titans East fired on Wonder Woman, and Robin had a shriveling feeling in his gut even before the Amazon deflected the two beams. One hit the T-ship's left engine, and the ship began to list badly, nearly ploughing onto the shore. The other hit a very angry Hal Jordan in the chest; Robin didn't hide his satisfaction when Hal Jordan collapsed. The pods on the T-ship swung open, and the Titans East clambered out. Bumble Bee unclipped her stingers and pointed at the League.
"Titans, Go!" She yelled, and her team charged. Robin snapped to attention, realizing the small force would be quickly overwhelmed.
"Beast Boy, go take Aquaman. Starfire, keep Wonder Woman out of the fight as long as you can. Kid, keep Flash busy. Jinx, Raven, you two hit Zatanna hard and fast. Batgirl, you're with me. Cyborg, give Martian Manhunter something to think about and strafe their lines if the others try to form up. Go!"
The team scattered. Batwoman had already vanished, hopefully regrouping with her friends and launching an ambush. Robin ran straight for Superman, Batgirl hard on his heels. The Kryptonian descended gently, his feet raising only a small poof of dust as he settled like a granite monolith. Robin gritted his teeth. No backing down now.
He and Batgirl threw a birdarang and batarang simultaneously. The projectiles crossed paths halfway to Superman and curved out of the X to hit either side of his head. The explosions obscured Superman's head in a cloud of smoke, but Robin knew that wouldn't be enough to mess up the his hair.
"Robin, this is insane." His voice was different now, less smug, sterner.
"Little late to back out," Batgirl commented, pitching a cluster of pellets. Superman twitched to the side, and the liquid nitrogen steamed on the ground. Robin extended a bo staff. The end hummed and cracked as the cattle prod came to life. Superman set his jaw.
"Stop." J'onn pleaded, flying between Superman and Robin. "We are not enemies. This battle must end now."
"Robin nearly killed Green Lantern," Superman exclaimed. "He allied himself with Batwoman, who just tried to kill Captain Atom. How are they not our enemies?" Out of the corner of his eye Robin saw Cyborg standing off to the side, sonic cannon trained on the Martian Manhunter. Robin gave him a tiny shake of the head.
"You acted rashly in coming here. We have incited an unnecessary conflict." J'onn replied. "I will end this once and for all." His eyes glowed red, and Robin was suddenly sucked back to the prison. Like a movie on fast forward Robin saw Raven struggling to free herself. Only her legs and an arm were visible around Hal's back. He ran, anger turning to fear when her legs stopped kicking. He heard the seemingly thunderous crack of metal against bone ringing over Hal's speech. Then he was back on Titan Island, gasping from the moment of mind reading. J'onn's eyes were still glowing, but he turned his gaze toward Raven. Raven cried out and grabbed her head, legs curling to her chest and shooting back down, black energy lashing out until Zatanna encased her in a bubble.
"Stop," Robin cried, lunging for the Martian. Just before contact Robin bounced back as if he had run into an invisible wall.
"Stay away from Uncle J'onn," warned a scowling Miss Martian, rippling out of camouflage above them.
"No, M'gann," J'onn intervened. "They are not our enemy." Then, to Superman, "We must stop this attack. Immediately."
"It's a little late for that, J'onn." Superman told him. Robin had no time to react. Superman had an iron grip around his neck. Robin heard his staff clatter somewhere to his left. "I won't kill him, just wait for him to black out." Robin grabbed the stony wrist, pounding on the steely forearm. Robin's vision began to deform, twisting as blackness slowly edged the world. He distantly heard Cyobrg's "Yo!" but no sonic cannon came to the rescue. He stopped hitting and plunged his hand into his belt at the same moment the pressure around his throat dissipated. Robin gasped and stared as a green smoke flowed into Superman's mouth.
{You always underestimated me, Superman.} Robin flinched as the Martian's voice swelled in his head. {Our mission here no longer holds purpose. Call an end to this insanity.}
"Kara, burn me!" Superman bellowed. Two red beams struck Superman as the female Kyptonian descended from the clouds. Batgirl shouted, probably a plea for her old friend to stop, but her voice was drowned by J'onn J'onzz's anguished scream. The Martian fell through Superman's body, flames from Supergirl's heat vision enveloping him. Miss Martian cried her uncle's name, but Superman lit her like a Roman candle. Robin yelled and leapt at Superman, drawing the glowing rock from his belt like a sword. But before he could smash Superman's face in, the kryptonite was knocked from his hand.
"What the hell is going on here?" Green Arrow demanded loudly, another arrow nocked. Black Canary stood behind him, screaming at the Martians to extinguish the flames.
"What we came here to do," Superman lectured. "Stop a killer." An arrow exploded against his head.
"Right now the only killer I see is you," Green Arrow told him, sighting down an arrow shaft as he moved closer to Robin's side.
"You can't fight me, Oliver." Superman said, crossing his arms.
"Sure I can." Green Arrow dropped out of a fighting stance, put his arrow in his quiver, and walked to stand just in front of Superman. "You want the kid? You have to mow me down first."
"Don't be stupid," Superman protested. "You can't hurt me."
"Maybe not, but I'm not letting you touch that kid either." The Emerald Archer folded his arms. Superman went to push past him. Green Arrow stepped in his way again. After this happened another three times, Superman grabbed him by the shoulder and flung him aside. Arrow spun twenty feet and crashed to the rocks, blood spilling from his mangled shoulder.
"Oliver," Black Canary yelled, crouching next to him. A green figure leapt out of the Javelin and sprinted over, blond ponytail bouncing side to side.
"I'm, I'm sorry," a thunderstruck Superman stammered. "I, I didn't mean to —" Whatever he didn't mean Robin wasn't sure because Black Canary didn't care.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII." The sound tore a trench in the rock all the way to the Kryptonian. Superman fell to his knees, blood trickling between the fingers clamped over his ears. Ponytail girl hunched down behind her and began tugging Green Arrow back to the Javelin. Robin staggered back, his own ears splitting just from proximity to the sound wave. His confidence shook with his internal organs. These were gods. And one might have crippled the other if Cyborg hadn't crashed into her. Canary's scream died, and Superman shuddered, rising to one knee. Robin noticed the kryptonite lying off to the side and lunged, snatching the glowing rock like a homeless man would fresh food. He looked up just in time to see Cyborg's sonic cannon make contact against a large metal man hovering above them.
"You brought Steel?" Robin growled, stomach clenching. Superman stood slowly, shaking his head.
"You're not the only one with allies," he said. Robin bent his knees, ready to fight when he realized that he was alone.
"Where's Batgirl?"
"With Kara," Superman responded, eyeing the kryptonite and edging backward. "You have your own problems to deal with." Robin narrowed his eyes and extended his second staff. He thought about what Batman would do then and tightened his jaw.
"So do you, Clark."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Raven thought she had hated Zatanna before. Now she really hated her. The pants-less enchantress had evaded everything she and Jinx had thrown at her. Jinx's hexes slower her down a little, but nothing the pink witch tried broke through her shields. Zatanna had twice deflected Raven's astral form, and she wasn't having much luck with her telekinesis either. Raven was running out of ideas.
"Pass out already," Jinx snapped, pirouetting out of the path of a magic beam and firing a miniature tornado of pink hexes.
"Sexeh rettacs," Zatanna countered, and the hexes scattered into the sky. Raven seized a rock in a black beam and hurled it at her. "Kcor nurt otni tsud." The rock dissolved into a fine earthy mist. Reluctantly remembering Malchior's teachings, Raven raised her arms and flung them at Zattanna, summoning black lightning to arc from the sky toward her at the same moment Jinx fired another wave of hexes. "Dleihs esira dna tcetorp em morf krad cigam!" A glowing sphere encased Zatanna just in time to block the lightning and hexes. Zatanna cried out and stumbled, and her shield broke, but she was otherwise unharmed.
As Raven weaved away from a blast from Zatanna'a wand, she was forced to admit that Zatanna was a better sorceress. Raven was by far more powerful, but Zatanna was better trained and more creative. Raven wasn't sure if it was just because Zatanna had had longer to hone her skills, but whatever the reason she was worried.
"Eransne eht rethguad fo nogirT." The spell hurtled toward her, and Raven raised a shield, unsure it would hold. But another shield did.
"Halt," Dr. Fate ordered, descending to stand beside the golden ankh that separated the quarreling sorceresses. "Order cannot be achieved through this conflict. Whichever side succeeds, Chaos will triumph."
"Fate, we're just doing our jobs," Zatanna protested. "Superman said we have to take Robin, and they're trying to stop us. It's that simple."
"Our job is to oppose the imbalance of Order and Chaos," Dr. Fate corrected her. "So Fate demands. As does the wisdom of Solomon." Dr. Fate gestured farther down the island where Captain Marvel was trying to talk to Hawkgirl. Hawkgirl promptly whacked Captain Marvel upside the head with her mace and continued to hit him until Earth's Mightiest Mortal dropped. "That was…unforeseen."
"Step aside, Fate," Hawkgirl warned as she flew up, mace drawn back like a batter ready to hit a home run.
"Please, this battle is pointless," Fate protested, raising a second ankh between him and Hawkgirl. With a yell she smashed it to golden motes and kept flying.
"I'm not losing another teammate to this city," Hawkgirl told him. "Sorry Fate, but you're right, this has to end." Dr. Fate fired a beam of magic at the Thanagarian, which she deflected off the shaft of her mace. With two swings of her mace and a dull gong from the golden helmet, Earth's sorcerer supreme fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ahhhgg," Zatanna cried, snapping Raven's attention to the older sorceress, bent double against Jinx's hexes.
"Now, Raven," Jinx yelled.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Zatanna's mouth was gagged by a band of black energy.
"Mmmph!" Zatanna complained as Raven threw her down the beach. Jinx fired a second, larger stream of hexes into the magician's stomach; Zatanna was unconscious by the time she rolled to a stop at the shore.
"That was low," Hawkgirl growled, swooping down at Jinx. Jinx lashed out with her arm, and her hexes scythed outward to dissipate against Hawkgirl's mace. Jinx barely rolled out of the way before the spiked head crushed the rock she was standing on. But Hawkgirl's side punch hit home, and Jinx was thrown off her feet and rolled to a moaning stop just beneath Raven. Raven encased herself with a black aura and reached for the Thanagarian with an astral raven foot.
"My mace disrupts magic, like a break in a current." Hawkgirl informed her, smashing aside the attack as she faced Raven. "Captain Marvel, Dr. Fate, none of you can stop me." She launched herself at Raven, and Raven suddenly thought that ravens in the wild probably didn't beat hawks by themselves too often. She ducked down, throwing a boulder at the belligerent woman. Hawkgirl smashed it to rubble and dived down, screaming her blood curdling war cry. Raven erected shields, lashed out with tentacles of magic, and called down lightning. Hawkgirl hardly slowed her reckless flight, the steely glint of war shining in her eyes and mace.
"Uhhhn," Raven gasped as the back of Hawkgirl's hand smashed into her face. Raven was seeing stars before she crashed next to Jinx. Jinx groaned, pushed herself to her hands and knees, and blasted Hawkgirl with a wave of hexes. Hawkgirl swept them aside and alighted, barely sweating. A green wolf slid to a halt on Raven's right with a yelp, and Aqualad crashed next to him with a harsh gasp.
"Pathetic," Aquaman, sneered walking to stand next to Hawkgirl, harpoon held slightly before him. "I'm ashamed that I took you as my protégé before Kaldur, Garth. You've grown soft among these surface dwellers." The dark-skinned Atlantean Raven had seen in the Watchtower moved to stand on Aquaman's other side, watery war hammer in either hand. Beast Boy resumed human form and groaned.
"Dudes, my butt can't take much more kicking," he whined. For once Raven agreed with him.
"Stand down and — arrgh," Aquaman cut off, stumbling and grabbing his left shoulder.
"My king," Kaldur cried, reaching out for Aquaman and stumbling back with a shout as blood spurted from his right shoulder.
"I'm sorry, but you did imprison my Beloved." All seven heroes stared at the woman in black who had appeared behind the Atlanteans. Raven couldn't make out her emotions very clearly, but the green eye not hidden by a curtain of hair and pistol aimed at Aquaman said enough.
"Talia al Ghul," Aquaman growled. "Here to protect the Bat's brats?" Raven had seen a lot of frightening figures, but her spine crawled at Talia's serpentine smile.
"Not alone," she purred right before three red Batarangs burst against Aquaman's head and shoulders. Aqualad leapt up and tackled Kaldur as the larger Atlantean turned to face the three Batwomen. Aquaman fired his harpoon into Talia's pistol and tossed it aside. He started to run for her but almost immediately slowed and cocked his head. A minute later Raven heard it: the revving of an engine. Aquaman turned just in time for a purple motorcycle to launch out from the rocks and crash on top of him, breaking apart right before its occupant leapt free.
"Tell everyone it was Huntress who beat you," snarled a dark-haired girl in purple, her pointed mask giving her a feral look as she cracked a staff on Aquaman's head. Aquaman grabbed Huntress's staff and threw her at Talia, rolling easily to his feet. Raven stumbled back as a green elephant trumpeted beside her and ran down the King of the Seas.
"They won't last long," Hawkgirl commented. "About six seconds longer than you though." Raven and Jinx clambered to their feet, hands raised to cast a spell when Hawkgirl took her turn to cry out and stumble to the side, her left wing studded with four glittering spines, sunk into her wing like arrows. Or like…
"You," Hawkgirl spat.
"I rarely show up where I'm invited," Catwoman shrugged, replacing the claws on her left hand from a pouch in her belt. "Besides, cats do like birds." Hawkgirl turned to keep all three women in front of her and readied her mace.
"Need a hand, Shayera?" Asked a metal man, landing next to Hawkgirl with a hammer that Thor would have been proud of. A blue burst of sonic waves pushed him farther down the beach.
"You got your own problems, Steel, or did you forget about me already," A slightly dented and very angry Cyborg reminded Steel, coming to stand between Raven and Jinx. Steel stood, his metal suit broken in some places to reveal brown skin beneath.
"You won't break me with that air horn," Steel told him.
"Then it's time to take it up a notch," Cyborg countered. He reached behind him, and a panel on his back slid aside. From it Cyborg pulled a yellow and black weapon Raven had all but forgotten about.
"Is that an ion amplifier?" Steel asked, lowering his war hammer.
"Yeah, and it'll supercharge my sonic cannon," Cyborg responded, clipping the amplifier around the end of his right cannon like a giant armband. "I brought it for Superman." The cannon hummed to life, and Cyborg took aim. "But it looks like you want to go first."
"Ready, Shayera?" Steel asked.
"Always, Steel." The Thanagarian responded, and her mace crackled to life. Raven winced, skin crawling.
"Do exactly what I saw, and we'll all get out of this in one piece," Catwoman hissed. Hell broke out before Raven could protest. Steel charged Cyborg with a shout, hammer raised overhead. Cyborg waited until Steel was almost on top of him to fire. The blast was more than ten times his cannon's usual strength, and Steel was thrown down to the shore like a rag doll. Cyborg kept the cannon trained on him. Hawkgirl lunged for Cybrog, and Raven and Jinx blasted her from the side, forcing her to stop and block their attack.
Catwoman's whip curled around Hawkgirl's mace handle, metal balls on the end of the whip clanking and sparking against the mace. Hawkgirl yanked the mace away from her contemptuously, and Catwoman leapt with the motion, twisting into a kick so that Hawkgirl pulled the thief's boot straight into her jaw. Hawkgirl stumble back, a beautiful bruise already blossoming on her chin.
"Now," Catwoman shouted. Jinx and Raven fired before Hawkgirl could interpose the mace, and the angel of war flew in a new way right into a granite boulder. For a moment Raven thought she was down. Then Hawkgirl groaned and started to stand. Raven scowled. This was a fight she couldn't afford to loose. Raven's eyes glowed black, and the rock Hawkgirl had crashed into followed suit and slowly floated into the air. Hawkgirl stood and brandished her mace, eyes slits beneath her helmet. Raven shouted and smashed the stone down as hard as she could. Hawkgirl screamed once, and boulder cracked. But it had done the job.
"Not bad," Catwoman congratulated, staring at the unconscious form lying amidst the rubble. Raven felt a stab of pride at the praise despite herself. She turned to see Cyborg shut off his sonic cannon. Steel was lying on the shore, his armor smoking. He tried to push himself up, but fell back and passed out with a groan.
"Booyah!" Cyborg yelled. A green light zapped the ion amplifier, and Cyborg yelped as the pieces crumbled off his arms.
"This little game is over," one of the green lanterns said. The other lantern, a ginger, held Speedy, Bumblebee, and Mas y Menos in a set of green handcuffs. Red Tornado hovered beside him. "Give up now, and—" A pair of lasers hit him in the back, braking off his sentence. Raven wondered if the Justice League was always interrupted this much as an orange rocket ship barreled into the ginger green lantern, smashing into the island in the process. "Guy!" The first lantern shouted. He flew toward the ship, and a black, vaguely humanoid shape flew through the walls of the ship, going through the green lantern's stomach and out his back. The green lantern doubled over, and the black shape flew back into the ship. Negative Man.
"Doom Patrol, attack!" Raven had seen so much tonight that she wasn't completely surprised to see Mento lead the Doom Patrol out of their ruined rocket. Aquaman froze with a hand around one of the Batwomen's neck and stared at the reinforcements like he was ready to blow a fuse. A green gorilla hit him with both fists from behind and morphed back to human form.
"Mento, we got him! Go get the green guy!" Aquaman threw him down, and Beast Boy changed into a Utah Raptor. The three Batwomen and Talia jumped Aquamna from behind, and everyone fell into a mass of flailing limbs. The Doom Patrol charged the remaining green lantern and Red Tornado. The rocket shifted, and the ginger green lantern crawled out from under it, dazed but clearly alive. Raven might have just stood there and tried to organize the rapidly growing fight all night if Catwoman hadn't taken command.
"Cyborg, help the Doom Patrol take the green lanterns, we can't let them help Aquaman or Superman. Bumblebee and Green Arrow junior, keep Red Tornado busy as long as you can. You two, speedy kids, help Kid Flash with real Flash." Catwoman pointed, and for the first time Raven noticed the massive waves tearing across the bay as Flash and Kid Flash chased each other over the water.
"I'm not Green Arrow junior," Speedy shot back. Catwoman extended her claws.
"Unless you want to be broken and bloody junior, you'll do what I said." She growled. Speedy gulped, and all four ran off. "Jinx, Raven, you're with me; we have to take out Aquaman before they call in reinforcements of their own."
"Little late for that," a voice snarked above them. Supergirl floated to land between the three girls and Aquaman, Batgirl's neck in her fist. "You've put up a good fight, I'll admit, but this is over." Her eyes began to glow red. "You have to the count of five to give up. One."
"Kara," Batgirl choked out. "Don't."
"Four." Supergirl replied, eyes glowing brighter. Raven got ready to throw up a shield. Jinx's hands began to glow, and Catwoman readied her whip.
"I'm sorry, Kara," Batgirl ground out, pushing a hand down the front of her chest-plate. "But I can't let you do this."
"Five." Supergirl spoke at the same moment Batgirl thrust a small, silver rock into her face. Supergirl recoiled and staggered back a few steps, releasing Batgirl. Batgirl fell flat, but pointed the silver rock at the Kryptonian, slowly climbing to her feet and marching toward her.
"It's silver Kryptonite," Batgirl said to the swaying Supergirl. "It has the same effect of regular Kryptonite, but the longer you're exposed to it, the greater psychotropic effect it has on you. Translation, as long as I hold this rock here, it's spring break and you have the funnel." Supergirl collapsed and curled into a ball, moaning. Batgirl cocked an ear toward her. Supergirl moaned a little louder. This time Raven could almost distinguish a word. Batgirl twirled to face Catwoman, eyes wide. "We have to get out of here."
"What the HELL is going on here?" Jinx exploded. "I've been in fights before, but shit I don't even know what just happened." Batgirl opened her mouth to answer, but someone beat her to it.
"What happened is that the Bat let her guard down," said a blond girl floating above them. A familiar WW insignia stretched across her shirt, and she spun a golden lasso in one hand, in the loop of which a small silver rock was caught. "And I just won our bet." Wonder Girl grabbed the silver kryptonite and ground it to dust in her fist, releasing it into the wind. Batgirl drew a batarang, but Wonder Girl dove down and punched her in the stomach. Batgirl sat down hard. "See, Supergirl and I made a little wager going into this." Jinx lashed out with a hex. Wonder Girl held up a bracelet and deflected the worst of the magic. What little did hit her seemed to barely register.
"See, Batman and Wonder Woman have a history, and it hasn't gone well for her," Wonder Girl continued, grabbing Batgirl and throwing her aside. "I want to be the one who guards Robin on the Watchtower so I can make Batman pay for hurting her." Jinx fired another wave of hexes, and Raved struck three times with blasts of black energy. Wonder Girl flew up and through the attacks, effectively dodging their spells. "Supergirl wants to be his prison guard because she thinks he's cute and might be fun to play with." Raven felt Hatred boiling within her, and she called down another storm of lightning. Wonder Girl blocked or dodged most of hit, but a bolt struck her in the chest. She fell to one knee and got right back up, smirking like a shark that sees an easy meal. "But I've lasted longer, so it looks like I've won."
Raven snapped. She lunged, magic streaming from her in a pillar. Wonder Girl crossed her arms at the wrists and braced her legs against the ground. Raven felt a jarring through the beam of magic, like bumping a golf cart into a wall. Surprised, she dropped her guard slightly, and Wonder Girl leaned forward. Raven pushed back, summoning the image of Robin in handcuffs before the Justice League, Wonder Girl standing over him in a cell. She felt her extra eyes opening.
"No!" Raven shouted, pumping more magic into her attack. Wonder Girl gritted her teeth and hunched slightly. Raven heard the rocks around her feet start to crack from the pressure.
"Flank her," Catwoman ordered Jinx. Raven realized her plan, and a seed of confidence bloomed. Wonder Girl couldn't take all three of them by herself. Raven pushed harder, and Wonder Girl groaned. Twin red streaks flashed before her; and Raven broke off her spell with a yelp, grabbing her burned forehead. The burn wasn't that bad, but it had struck her right in the extra eyes.
"Cassie?" Supergirl groaned, pushing herself up behind Wonder Girl.
"I'm here, Kara," Wonder Girl told her. "How long until you're ready to fight?"
"To fight these guys? Thirty seconds, max."
"I can buy you thirty seconds." Wonder Girl flew at Raven like a bullet. Raven erected a shield, but Wonder Girl smashed her way through it with a yell and punched Raven I the gut. Raven folded in half and hit the dirt hard. Her confidence cracked. This girl was stronger than Starfire. Wonder Girl flew in for another hit. Raven swept her arm up; and a raven's foot erupted from the ground, seizing Wonder Girl and tossing her aside as the rest of the raven formed and dove through her, leaving Wonder Girl shivering on the rocks. Jinx hit her in the side with a series of hexes, and Catwoman cracked her whip across her back.
Wonder Girl jumped into the air and noosed Jinx with her lasso, spinning the witch in a circle and releasing her just in time to crash into Raven and interrupt her next astral attack. Wonder Girl dove at Catwoman, who twisted aside and slashed at her face. Wonder Girl blocked with a bracelet and grabbed her by the collar. Catwoman flipped over Wonder Girl's back and sunk her claws into her side. Wonder Girl hurled Catwoman aside, tears squeezing from the screaming teen's eyes as blood ran from her side. Catwoman, of course, landed on her feet, leaning low on her legs, whip in hand. Raven was very happy to have her on their side. She just wished Supergirl was as helpful.
"Time to skin the cat," Supergirl spat, seeming to materialize with her fist around Catwoman's throat. Raven shot toward her, but Wonder Girl jumped atop and pinned her. Jinx fired hexes furiously at Wonder Girl, but the massive weight crushing Raven's spine didn't budge. Raven tried to focus, but Wonder Girl was forcing all the air from her body. She dimly saw Catwoman's smiling face turning red. Wait, smiling?
Supergirl swayed slightly, and Catwomen swung both feet up into her chin, completing the flip to land on her feet before Supergirl crashed into the dirt. Catwoman sauntered over, smirking down at the teen. Above Raven Wonder Girl cried out, and the weight left her back. Raven sucked in a breath and surrounded Wonder Girl in a black aura, her arms now burned by Jinx's hexes in the moment of shock. Raven threw Wonder Girl for all she was worth, sliding her across the rocks with a firm sense of satisfaction. Catwoman's quiet chuckle caught her attention.
"One lesson Superman could never teach you: always accessorize before you leave the house." Catwoman gestured to her tiny green earrings with a bloody claw. "One emerald, one kryptonite. Even Batman doesn't know I made it. But don't worry, I won't stand over you waiting for this little rock to kill you." Catwoman grabbed Supergirl and flipped her over. "See, if kryptonite removes your powers, I don't have to wait."
"Aaaaahhhhrrrrgg," Supergirl screamed, blood welling from her back.
"I can slice you now," Catwoman growled, claws trailing down her back next to the spine. Raven froze, a mixture of horror and, worse, reluctant approval, making her sick. Jinx took a step back.
"He'll get you," Supergirl gasped. Catwoman curled a lip.
"Who, the Boyscout?" A white blur slammed into Catwoman out of nowhere and pinned her to the ground.
"No, the backup I called earlier, when Batgirl pulled the kryptonite," Supergirl gasped twisting to look behind her. "Ahh, Kryp-ahh-Krypto."
"Grrrrrr," the white dog growled, teeth hovering over Catwoman's throat.
"I thought he was slobbery before," she growled. Supergirl tried to get up and fell back with a gasp. Raven lifted her hands, ready to throw the mutt away.
"Try anything, and he'll kill her," Supergirl warned. A roar ripped the air before she finished speaking, and a tawny mountain erupted from behind the rocks, slamming into Krypto like a freight train.
"You're not the only one with pets," Catwoman ground out, wiping away the dog saliva. "Saber, sick him."
"ROOOOOOAAAAARRR," the saber-tooth replied, smashing a paw nearly as big as Raven's body into Krypto's head. The cat was more than twice the size of a black bear with muscles to match and shoulders like tawny hills. It's claws were so long the tips poked out of their sheaths, and it's saber teeth were the length of Raven's arm. Krypto whined at the roar in his ears and threw Saber down the beach, where it landed on its feet just in time to back-kick the super-dog in the chin.
"Where did you get that thing?" Raven asked. Catwoman gave her a tiger's smile.
"Call him a stray who followed me home," she purred. "But I've taken good care of him. Even fitted him with a special collar just for the evening." Raven peered at Saber more closely and saw that his collar, a black leather band with silver mice, had a small green pendant clipped to the front. Kryptonite. These Gotham Girls were lousy with the stuff. Raven turned to make a comment about the collar only to see Wonder Girl smash Catwoman in the stomach with her forearm. Before Raven could react the stronger teen had slapped her with twice the force Hawkgirl had, and Raven face-planted. She heard Jinx yell and a thud somewhere in front of her. The breath was forced from Raven's lungs as Wonder Girl began crushing her in a bear hug.
"Now I'm going to end this once and—" Thunk. Thunk. "Unnnnnhhhh." Wonder Girl's speech slurred away, and the hold on Raven's gut loosened. Raven nearly fell back with Wonder Girl and jerked into the air with a gasp. She turned to see a very ruffled Batgirl holding Hawkgirl's mace in hand.
"Her powers are magic based," Batgirl huffed. "The Nth metal in the mace negated her resistance to blunt impact."
"Thanks," Raven said, rubbing her abdomen. Batgirl smirked.
"There's only one girl on this island who gets to beat up Robin, and she's holding the mace."
Raven smiled. Maybe Batgirl would make a good friend after all.
"Help the Doom Patrol take down the Green Lanterns. Me and Jinx can help Cyborg, Bumblebee, and Speedy with Red Tornado." Batgirl continued.
"Looks like someone beat us to him," Jinx panted, taking a hand off her knees to point at the android in question. A teen-aged boy in a sleeveless green suit and bike helmet was trying to attach what looked like a metal backpack to Red Tornado's back. But Red Tornado's attention was more firmly fixed on a boy in a black and blue suit firing tendrils of electricity at him.
"Static, he came!" Batgirl trilled, eyes lighting behind the mask. "And Gear." A bolt of black lightning nearly twice the size of Static's fired from the ground, jarring Red Tornado. "Lay it on him, Black Lightning!" Batgirl cheered as the aptly named man obliged. Except for the fact that Static had hair, was clearly twenty years younger, and was flying on what appeared to be a trashcan lid, the two were almost identical, right down to the costume. Raven wondered if it was a family business.
"Alright, then our top priority are the Green Lanterns Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardener," Batgirl continued. Later, Raven wondered if the battle had been intentionally orchestrated for Batgirl's convenience, for at that moment the ground ten feet to their left and behind them exploded as one of the Green Lanterns crashed into the rock. And perched on his chest…
"Behold man's final mad disgrace," rumbled the yellow demon, clothes steaming. "He chops his nose, to spite his face." The Green Lantern aimed his ring at the red eyes, but a clawed hand pinned his arm down as the demon bellowed forth an inferno over him. Raven's first instinct was to raise her arms to repel the demon, but when she focused on it Raven saw the form of Jason Blood superimposed like a hazy mirage.
"What the hell is that thing?" Jinx asked, backing away. The demon turned to face her and grinned a shark-tooth grin.
"To my share of chaos I lay my claim, and Etrigan is my name." He told her, bowing slightly with a hand over his heart.
"Thanks for coming Etrigan," Batgirl thanked. Etrigan's smile widened. The Green Lantern began to get up. Etrigan bellowed and fell upon him like a hellhound. "That's one Lantern down," Batgirl commented.
"Soon to be two," Catwoman commented, gesturing with her whip. Above them the Doom Patrol were soundly thrashing the remaining Green Lantern. Mento stood on the shore, firing waves of psychic energy at the ginger Lantern, disrupting his concentration while Negative Man and Elasti-Girl pounded him, driving the Green Lantern low enough for Robot Man to jump up and hit him back up.
"Right, then let's take care of—"
"AAAAARHHHHGG, WITCH!"
"Aquaman?" Raven finished for her. The area around Aquaman looked like a colorful version of the Battle of the Somme. Beast Boy, Aqualad, and one of the Batwomen were still, hopefully unconscious. The new Atlantean, Kaldur, had several crossbow bolts stuck in his skin and a long cut down his arm and across his stomach. Aquaman himself was glaring at Talia, who squared off against him with a saber. His harpoon hand lay severed in the dirt between them. As Raven watched the remaining Batwomen came up behind Kaldur and kicked him in the back of the head together. When he turned to face them, the silver bats punched him in either eye, and Kaldur fell to his knees.
"You'll pay for this, harlots," Aquaman roared, charging Talia. Talia leapt aside, but Aquaman grabbed her by the leg and flung her in an arc over his head to land some twenty feet away. "You'll never do that again." Aquaman growled ominously. Before Raven could charge to their new ally's defense Aquaman went rigid.
"No, she won't," Huntress snarled, pushing the harpoon limb deeper into Aquaman's back until the tip protruded from his abs. "Because she won't have to." Aquaman turned to stare at her, furious shock stamped over his face. Huntress drew a staff much like Robin's. "Stay out of Gotham." Huntress warned, driving the butt of her staff into Aquaman's eye. The King of the Seas stumbled back and stared at her, disbelieving, before falling back with a cloud of dust.
"Did we, just, win?" Raven asked, not quite able to believe it. A green light streaked from the sky and crashed into the rock, throwing up a cloud of dust. As the dust cleared, Raven made out the glint of a gold crown, knee length red heels, and thick black hair.
"No," Wonder Woman said from the crater she had just created. "You've lost." Beneath her boots Starfire lay, bruised and beaten worse than Raven had ever seen her, left arm bent at an unnatural angle, blood trickling out of her mouth. The Tamaranean twitched like a poisoned insect. For her part, Wonder Woman appeared to have the faintest sheen of sweat, only visible because dust had clung to it.
"Starfire," Raven yelled. Starfire moaned so quietly Raven wondered if she had imagined it.
"She's a fine young warrior," Wonder Woman said, stepping off of Starfire and floating to land just outside of the crater. The Amazon stood perfectly straight, fists at her side. Her eyes were like nothing had ever seen, harder than any metal or stone. "But I saw what you did to Wonder Girl and Supergirl. I won't go so easy on you."
"Arrrrrraaaahhhhhh," Etrigan roared, bounding over their heads at Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman grabbed Etrigan in midair and smashed him down on her raised knee, audibly breaking bones. She rose into the air and swung Etrigan in a wide circle by the cape, releasing him with a yell at the peak of the swing. Etrigan flew into the night sky with a scream. Raven waited for the splash of Etrigan landing in the ocean nearby. She never heard it.
"Please don't tell me she just took out our big gun in four seconds flat." Jinx asked in a small voice.
"I'm pretty sure it didn't take her that long." Raven said. Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes slightly. She put one long leg behind her and pushed off, right at the four women. Jinx fired waves of hexes that Wonder Woman blocked with one hand. When she reached Jinx, she seized the agile sorceress before she could leapt away and kneed her in the gut. Jinx passed out on the spot. Wonder Woman blocked Batgirl's batarang without even looking up and shot over to the younger woman, grabbed her by the torso, and threw her down the beach.
When her turn came Raven focused all her energy into raising a shield. Wonder Woman didn't even slow down, just punched forward and shattered her shield. But for a single instant as Wonder Woman connected with her shield Raven saw a glimpse of her emotions. Wonder Woman's will was ironclad, indomitable. Raven finally understood what an immovable object was. This insight did not help Raven keep herself from being tossed aside like a kickball. Raven bounced once and huffed, convinced she had left her lungs behind when she was hit.
"No," Catwoman shouted somewhere to her right, quickly followed by a sound like a cat getting its tail run over.
"These kids are just trying to protect their friends," Wonder Woman said. Raven wiggled from side to side, trying to sit up enough to see what was happening. "I can't fault them for that. But you, Catwoman, you're just another crook." Raven forced watering eyes to focus on Catwoman held by the neck in Wonder Woman's fist. "I'm not going to let you walk away." Raven caught Catwoman's eye in that moment, and the message the thief sent her was clear: Run!
Raven didn't obey.
Raven thrust out her hand and encased Wonder Woman in a black aura, intending to crush her the way she once did to Slade. Wonder Woman had her own intentions. She made that painfully aware when she shattered Raven's aura. Wonder Woman gave Raven a glare hard enough to crack granite, and it cost her dearly.
"Aaahhhhg," Wonder Woman cried as Catwoman tore her claws across her face and collarbone. Wonder Woman tossed her aside, but Catwoman lived up to her namesake and landed on her feet, whip already twisting around for the Amazon. But Wonder Woman wasn't as hurt as Raven had thought. She snatched the leather thongs an inch away from her face and yanked. Catwoman tried the same trick she had pulled on Hawkgirl, but Wonder Woman grabbed her foot, twisted, and slammed her on the ground. Raven grabbed a rock in her magic and chucked it at Wonder Woman. To her rapidly lessening surprise Wonder Woman smashed it aside with one hand. The Amazon froze after punching the rock and stared, eyes wide, at a set of scratch marks on her arm. Catwoman had nailed her on the way past.
The feline in question used her surprise to lean back and up with almost unnatural flexibility and kissed Wonder Woman. Ok. Neither Raven nor Wonder Woman had expected that, but it gave the Feline Fatale to grab Wonder Woman's shoulders and back flip over her to land behind the Amazon with her claws at Wonder Woman's throat.
"Mm, I'm not sure what had Bats so hooked anymore, but whatever," Catwoman purred. Raven could hardly believe her nerve. "But I'd stay perfectly still if I were you. I scratch first, hiss later." Wonder Woman grabbed Catwoman's wrist and flipped in midair—an impossible feat without the power of flight—and reversed their positions.
"I don't hiss at all," Wonder Woman said, crushing Catwoman's throat against her wrist. Catwoman tried to scratch, but Wonder Woman grabbed both her wrists in her other hand. Catwoman looked at Raven and once more sent her a silent message to flee. But Raven wasn't going to leave her or Robin or anyone else to the League.
"Rrraaahhhh," Raven yelled, holding out her arms and turning into a giant astral raven. Wonder Woman let go of Catwoman's wrists to uncoil her lasso. As soon as it noosed her waist Raven reverted to her regular form. She fell to her knees, unable to fight. She understood exactly what was happening. The lasso's magic was connected to Wonder Woman's will, similar to Green Lantern's ring. Her virtue, her sureness, her belief in truth was so powerful that Raven was totally unable to resist. Her every thought was stripped bare, every emotion screamed as loudly as it could in Nevermore, and Raven was forced to admit her fear. But something in the lasso kept her calm in a way Raven didn't really understand, as of she was awake but all responsibility had been removed from her.
"Aaarhg, I never did like cats," Wonder Woman ground out, and Raven looked up passively. Wonder Woman and Catwoman were circling. Catwoman's movements were stiffer than normal, and Wonder Woman had a fresh set of scratch marks scored into her right arm.
"Another difference between you and Batman," Catwoman hissed, and even Raven could see the taunt. Wonder Woman set her jaw and charged. Raven didn't think she would ever see anything quite so amazing if she lived to be a hundred years old. Wonder Woman was faster and stronger than Catwoman, but she was hassled by having to hold the lasso in one hand. Catwoman was clearly in pain and her attacks only raised sparks against Wonder Woman's remaining bracelet, but her agility was superior even to the Amazon's. She wove around her larger opponent with seamless grace without pattern. Wonder Woman became angrier as seconds wore on, but Catwoman's smile grew ever broader and more feral even as Wonder Woman came so close to catching her that she tore off the shoulder of Catwoman's suit.
"That's it, I'm done playing this—Uhn," Wonder Woman broke off as she stumbled over her lasso. Catwoman took a step back, and when Raven saw what she had done she laughed harder than she had in months. Wonder Woman was entangled in her own lasso so thoroughly that to get free she'd have to release Raven and tease out at least ten knots. To add insult to injury Catwoman had strung a handful of metal cats in the macramé contraption that drew blood when Wonder Woman pressed against them too hard.
"Anytime Batgirl," Catwoman called. Batgirl leapt out of hiding and pelted Wonder Woman with the entire contents of her belt and both bandoliers. A multi-colored cloud of smoke arose around the enraged Amazon, and Catwoman stepped around the cloud to Raven. She carefully pulled the lasso over Raven's head and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, thanks." Raven replied. Catwoman offered her hand, and Raven took it.
"Uh, guys," Batgirl called. "We're gonna need a new plan." The smoke around Wonder Woman was starting to clear, and to Raven's astonishment Wonder Woman stood straight and tall in the midst of it, almost completely unaffected by the attack. Even the scratches Catwoman had left had stopped bleeding. Her lasso was coiled at her side, and she opened her palm, spilling a few dozen batarangs on the ground.
"It's MY lasso," Wonder Woman said, scorn ringing in her words. Maybe it was her imagination, but Raven thought the fog was reforming behind her. "Did you think you could hold me in it for longer than ten seconds?" Wonder Woman put her hands on her hips, and the fog behind her began to condense, as if it too was cowed by the Amazon.
"Any more tricks?" She asked. They all looked at Batgirl.
"Yeeeaaahhh, I got nothing," Batgirl admitted.
"Good, then it's time to go to jail now." Wonder Woman announced. Raven gulped. Wonder Woman stretched her eyes wide. Her mouth parted in a small gasp.
"Wonder Woman, your Angel of Death awaits," said the figure who had formed in the mist. Dressed in gray and black rags from head to toe, a face like a skull sat beneath the gray hood. Instead of a right hand, it sported a giant metal hook which it had impaled in Wonder Woman's back. The figure's entire demeanor was glacier, but within Raven sensed a mind aflame with boiling, seething rage, an unquenchable thirst for retribution. Before her stood the very soul of vengeance given mortal shape.
Wonder Woman put out a leg and took a shaky step forward, pulling herself off of the hook. She turned and stared at her assailant for a moment before hitting it so hard Raven could hear metal and bone crunching beneath the rags. The figure sailed far enough to land out of sight.
"The Phantasm is the most elusive assassin in the world," Wonder Woman growled, pressing a hand against her back with a wince and a glare at Catwoman. "I'll see if I can find you a hospital bed next to her." Never before had Raven been so sure she was about to die as in that moment. But she was saved from a multitude of broken bones by a single, soft word, spoken with authority earned from long years of trial.
"Enough."
Across Titans Island combatants stilled. A ring of unconscious Titans lay around Superman, who held Robin in his fist. But even the Man of Steel stared at the fearsome outline descending from a stalled Javelin. Utter and unnatural silence pervaded the island as Batman dropped onto the rocks, noiseless. He met Superman's dumbfounded stare with a look so cold Goosebumps rose on Raven's legs. Wonder Woman stepped back from Catwoman, staring at Batman with a mixture of anger, surprise, and longing that would have made Raven nauseous if Batman's aura was not so potent as to draw all other emotion into its static frost, an unstoppable force.
"This ends tonight. All of it."
There are a few things I plan to address in this footnote tomorrow, but you've all waited so long I didn't want to put off posting it. Enjoy! An I promise to start the next one immediately.
