AN: And now ladies and gentlemen…the arrival of our new villain…along with the mindscape adventure.
Outta This World: The Call Beyond Edition
Arc Two: Deathstroke
Chapter Nine: Luminous Resonance
Entry #35
Been a few weeks since the fight with the fire giant. Nothing important has really happened, except that I've developed an irritating itch on my right shoulder. Think it might just be a rash, but I'm concerned that being in that factory might have exposed me to some chemicals. Or maybe it's just been something I ate or showered with; I don't know. Anyways, I've gotta beat Beast Boy at a video game, because if I don't, I'll have to wash his clothes for a month.
Jump City—like most cities—was awash with criminals, all too willing to commit their various deeds in broad daylight. However, with the arrival of the first superheroes, most of these unsavory fellows retreated into the dark, left to carry on their operations indefinitely. This also changed with the arrival of heroes like Batman, Green Arrow, and others who actively delved into what was known as the Criminal Underground.
Davis Herring was a member of said underground. He wasn't noteworthy, just a thug belonging to some drug dealer who in turn belonged to some other kingpin. The only things that he ever cared about was where he would get the next high from. The only thing he ever asked was when he would get his next payment. He believed that nothing would change that.
Davis Herring was wrong.
A burst of light severed his legs from the rest of him. Davis fell, letting out a harrowing scream as he did so. The panicking man turned his head to face his attacker and found himself faced with someone in some form of armored suit that was white with black accents, and a helmet that hid his face.
"W-who—?"
The figure leveled a gauntleted hand at Davis's head. "To you? Death."
There was a burst of light. Then silence.
I smirked as I laid the controller on the floor, reveling in Beast Boy's defeated groans. "And that, is game."
"Dangnabit." The changeling grumbled as he stood and stalked away. "I'll get you next time, Blitz."
"Sure you will." I replied, a smirk on my face. It was good to not have to fight anything or save anyone for once.
Then, Cyborg and Robin walked into the common room and that feeling of normality disappeared.
"We've got trouble." Robin announced.
Luminous grinned as he stood over the corpses of the dealers, addicts, and worse, feeling the rush of victory and all that it held. With Arthur Light's suit, he might as well be invincible. He would truly bring about a better world, without corruption, crime, and the atrocities that came with them. And best of all? No one, not even the Justice League would be able to stop him…
"What's going on?" I asked as the others and I trailed after Robin.
"Deaths. Violent ones." He informed us. "Most of them have been criminals thus far, but our target has also been attacking less than upstanding members of the community."
"So some guy who thinks that he's the Red Hood." Beast Boy summarized.
"Pretty much." Robin responded.
"Is there anything else we know?" Raven asked.
"The wounds have all been cauterized, suggesting either a metahuman with light-based or pyrotechnic abilities, or someone with advanced technology." Robin answered her. "Other than that, we've got nothing."
"I don't think this happened in the show." I told Light.
"No." He agreed. "Even I could tell you that, even with our memories of the show erased."
"Then where are we going?" Cyborg asked.
"The last place he was seen."
When the Titans arrived at the run-down motel, it was already burning. About five had been killed in the fire. The rest had been slain by the man there. His armor reminded Sean of a character from a video game—whose name he would later remember as Borderlands 2—except that the colors were wrong, and the gauntlets were too big. The man stood at his full height, matching Cyborg—the tallest member of the team—in said height. His frame was thin, and yet…
Blitzkrieg's eyes went wide as the thin man picked up a nearby car and threw it at the gathered Titans, who scattered. There were no words, no introductions. This wasn't a villain who spent time gloating and bantering. No, this was someone completely focused on practicality. He showed that when he methodically used his gadgets and the powers of the suit he was wearing to defeat the Titans one by one, until only Raven remained.
"Azarath Metrion—!"
An orb of pure, condensed light struck her in the stomach, knocking her across the street, and temporarily removing the air from her lungs. The man could have chosen to escape, but instead he approached the fallen mage…whose eyes began to glow an ominous red.
The very shadows around the man came to life, attempting to drag the man closer to the now grinning mage. Then, the man launched another orb of light at the ground and was gone. The others responded quickly, pulling Raven out of whatever rage she had entered, and she fled as well.
Blitz yawned as he walked down the hallways towards his own room. Today's breakfast had been…an experience. Beast Boy had cooked up a tofu meal, which Cyborg had rejected most violently. The size of the feast reminded Starfire of the wedding feasts back on her home planet, causing her to ask if Beast Boy was getting married, and if so, to who.
Then, Raven entered the common room, and the changeling attempted to convince her to try some of the eggs, and then mentioned the fight with the villain they had encountered the other night. The mage then proceeded to explode at the shapeshifter, and then retreated to her room.
Blitz was a bit too distracted to notice that the door to Raven's room had been knocked over…but not distracted enough to hear the sudden scream of his green comrade and the subsequent cries of Cyborg. Blitz—being Blitz—ran into said room in order to save his comrade.
Which is how they now found themselves in this situation.
"If sending us to Weirdsville is Raven's idea of a joke…I'm not laughing." Beast Boy commented as the trio walked along the path in the netherspace that they now occupied.
"She didn't send us here." Blitz began, giving the green skinned teen a hard stare. "You were the one looking at yourself in the magic mirror."
"Yeah, but who booby-traps a mirror!" Beast Boy complained, throwing his hands into the sky.
"Maybe this wasn't a trap." Cyborg mused, looking at the countless red stars that surrounded them. "Maybe the mirror was her way home. Maybe this is where she's from."
Beast Boy took a moment to examine his surroundings. "…Definitely creepy enough."
"Meh." Blitz replied. "I like it."
"Of course you do." Beast Boy retorted
"Turn back." Several child-like voices spoke at once, startling the three Titans. They turned to the source, finding several small black birds with glowing red eyes occupying a tree branch that lied on the path.
"…Think they're dangerous?" Blitz asked.
"I think I'd know if they were—OH SHIT!"
The 'birds' attacked.
Lord Insight growled as he sat upon his throne, holding his pained head in his hands. Another anomaly had occurred, this time coming from the death of Doctor Arthur Light, who was found murdered in his lab. His suit and other inventions had been stolen as well, and there were reports that his killer had escaped.
Oh well. Another problem to add to an ever-increasing list.
"Hey guys! What's up?" A pink dressed Raven asked as Cyborg held onto the edge of the bridge.
Cyborg blinked. "I don't know any more."
The Laws of Physics seemed to correct themselves as Cyborg and Beast Boy fell down—or perhaps, up—onto the path.
As Beast Boy began to engage this new Raven in conversation, Cyborg turned to the other Titan, who seemed to be struggling with himself, his uniform changing into a combination of different colors.
Cyborg carefully approached the other teen as said teen began to right himself, his uniform turning back into its original color. "You okay, Blitz?"
The electro-kinetic shook his head…
"Jesus Christ what the fu—!"
"Freedom lads!"
"Gonna get that—wooo!"
"Will all of you shut up—!"
"MAIM KILL BURN!"
"Stop this you idiots! I said stop—!"
"Doing great." I muttered as I rubbed my temples through the hood of my coat. "Light, what the hell is going on?!"
"No idea!" The personality responded. "But whatever it is, the other emotions are acting like they've been given far too much coffee. Courage, Logic and I are holding them back for now, but there's no telling how long we'll be able to keep this up."
"Keep doing that. We don't need anyone else taking the reigns and doing something stupid. Especially Pervert." I shuddered, ending the conversation.
Time passed quickly after that. We entered what Beast Boy dubbed 'the air-freshener dimension', where the pink Raven ditched us, leaving us with a new grey wearing Raven. One of my Emotions managed to escape, but luckily for me, it was just Chivalry. Said emotion convinced Grey-Raven to lead us through a rather large maze while she apologized for every little wrong she committed towards us, perceived or otherwise. Then, when we reached the end of the maze, we ended up having to fight some massive statue thing, which was defeated by a Green cloaked Raven.
And then, we managed to figure out where we were.
"Wait." Cyborg said, pointing at the Ravens and counting off something on his fingers. "Happy. Timid. Brave."
Blitzkrieg's eyes went wide. "OH."
Beast Boy turned towards his friend. "Oh? What's oh?"
"We need to leave. We need to leave now! We're not in her home, we're in—!"
"—My head." Raven finished for him, floating down from the dark skies above, a scowl on her face. "And I want you out!"
The empath turned towards Beast Boy, a furious look on her face. "The mirror you found is a tool I use for my meditations. Not a toy!" She scolded him.
Beast Boy put on a nervous smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Oops?"
Raven's scowl turned to a look of fear as heavy footfalls began to sound somewhere in the distance. "Oh…no…"
"Raven?" Blitzkrieg asked as his shoulder began to itch. "What the hell's happening?"
"Something got loose last night. I tried to get it under control, but…" She trailed off as the Titans finally saw the source of the noise. A hulking, red giant the size of a skyscraper occupied the horizon. It was clad in some form of black loincloth, had flowing white hair, and had four red eyes that glowed with the desire to destroy
"HATRED SHALL RULE!"
The thing was on them in an instant, its footsteps sounding like cannon fire.
Luminous huffed as he stood over the burnt corpses of his would-be killers. He didn't know who they were or where they had come from, but from the way they talked and the amount of cohesion they fought with, they were most likely part of some large organization. No matter. Whoever had sent these assassins after him would fall like the rest.
"Greetings, mister Luminous."
The murderous vigilante turned towards a darkened alleyway, gauntleted hands ablaze with white light. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
A red-haired teen stepped out of the dark. "Relax, friend. I'm not going to stand in the way of your mission. In fact," The teen's bright green eyes narrowed. "I'm here to offer aid…so long as you aid me."
"Get out of my mind! NOW!" Raven screamed, straining to hold the barrier up against the giant's mighty blows.
"Sorry, but no!" Blitz shouted back. "I don't make a habit of leaving friends behind!"
The demon raised its fist again, and then rammed it into the barrier.
"This is my fight, not yours!" Raven cried. "And if I lose, you'll be stuck here!"
Blitzkrieg grimaced as his hands charged with electricity. "That's a risk I'm willing to take. Besides, it may be your fight, but I'm not leaving you to fight it alone!"
The giant reared its fist back again…only to be blasted by a beam of blue light.
The two darkly dressed heroes turned back to see Cyborg and Beast Boy, ready for the fight of their lives. "What he said."
Luminous stared at the boy's outstretched hand. "And why would you want to help me."
The teen smiled. "Because I want the same thing you do. A peaceful, just world."
"…Who are you?"
"Call me Cire."
Raven sighed as the four hid behind a ridge. "He's too powerful. Even if we fought together, I doubt that we would win."
"So call for backup!" Cyborg suggested. "What about the other you's!?"
"Yeah, the green one kinda kicked but!" Beast Boy said, giving his opinion on the matter.
"It still won't be enough." Raven told them. "None of my other selves have the power that we need."
"…What about all of them together?" Blitzkrieg suggested. "I mean, all of them are part of a greater whole."
The last two words made Raven's eyes light up. "I'll need a few minutes." The mage said, sitting down and crossing her legs.
Cyborg nodded. "We'll buy you whatever time you need."
Blitz hummed as he stared at the raging giant. "Any plans?"
"Not really." Cyborg replied, readying his sonic cannon. "Just an all-out attack, and a battle of attrition until Raven does whatever she needs to do."
"Right…" Blitz sighed. "I'm going to do something I haven't done since we first formed this team."
"You mean that thing you do when your clothes turn white?" Beast Boy asked.
"Yep."
Despite the battle only taking three minutes, it felt like it had taken years. The Titans were ultimately victorious, and the Red Clone was banished, for the moment. However, the technique that Blitzkrieg had used left him exhausted in every way. It didn't help that Robin was grilling him for information on said technique.
"…So Light and I can sort of 'merge' our minds, temporarily giving us a power boost in combat." The electro-kinetic finished as he took a sip out of a glass of water.
"Interesting…" Robin said, steepling his fingers. "And how long did you say you could do this?"
"About six minutes." Blitz replied. "Now can I get some rest?"
Robin stood up from his chair and nodded. "Yes. Be sure to update me on any changes."
The medical bay became silent, as Raven and I were the only ones left in the room. Cyborg and Beast Boy had long since ran off to the kitchen, insisting that Raven get a proper breakfast, while Starfire had trailed behind them, eager to taste more Earthly cuisines.
"Thank you." Raven said, her cloak becoming some sort of mixture of purple, grey, and pink for a mere moment. "For not leaving me behind."
"It's what anyone else would have done."
The mage looked out the window as the sun rose over the tower.
"Anyone, huh?"
AN: First off, Guest Reviewer:
I get where you're coming from. However, while I am adding new things to this, this is me mostly polishing up the chapters, since it is a 'rewrite'.
As for why everyone seems to be taking an interest in Sean…that shall be explained later.
As for the whole 're-cycling sub-plots' thing and the large cast…let's just say I'm building up to something BIG. If you've been paying attention to the parts with Lord Insight or are learned in a certain part of comic book lore…you will know what I'm building up towards.
As for the whole segment involving Sean and Slade…let's just say that things will be different this time. Including the use of the microchip.
Also, I've been using anagrams for two names. Find them and PM me what they are, and you will be rewarded with an explanation. But beware, once you find them, you can never forget...
Now, for the second part: Next Time! Something that has happened in the original story happens in the re-write, but now with some added characters!