Ch 4: Prophecy
CAIN made short work of the front door, tearing it off its hinges, and tossing it aside. Robin's hands flew over the keys. "I've got a few surprised in store for him," he muttered."
"You really think this will work?" Raven asked. "All of us couldn't hold him back, so what makes you think the Tower's defenses can?"
"Faith, Raven," Robin sighed, "That's all we have left." Suddenly, Robin's eyes widened. "He's gone?!" He quickly flipped through the cameras, spotting him on the one looking outside the tower.
"This has become boring. No point in destroying soulless machines," CAIN mused. With that, he took off, heading straight for the city. Robin hit a small red button, but nothing happened."
"No... he destroyed out communications!" Robin muttered. "Raven, we have to..."
"There's nothing we can do!" Raven exclaimed. "He'll slaughter us just as he did Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy!"
"We can't just sit back and..."
"Who's going to stop CAIN if we're both dead?" Raven argued. "As hard as it may be, it is for the greater good that we stay behind and think of a way to stop CAIN."
"Its better we die out there, saving people, than stay here doing nothing," Robin walked out. "Feel free to join me if you want to."
Robin walked outside, and took a deep breath. Raven came up behind him. Without a word, they made their way to the city. But it was far too late. Before them stood only smoldering ruins and raging fires surrounding smoking corpses, and in the center of the carnage, CAIN awaited.
"I hope you like what I've done with the place," CAIN smirked. "I had such fun redecorating."
Robin pulled out his staff, and shot a glance at Raven. "Leave, now," he ordered. "I'll hold him off as long as I can. Go get the Justice League, and anybody else you can find."
"But you'll die," Raven protested.
"We're heroes, Raven," Robin explained. "Sometimes, we have to make tough decisions."
Raven nodded, and ran off. She knew that if she flew, CAIN would be able to shoot her down. This way, at least she could use the rubble for cover. Weaving through the smoldering buildings she ran. She could hear the sounds of battle behind her. Then they ended. To his credit, Robin never screamed.
"He'll be coming after me," she thought. "I need to get out of here." Footsteps sounded in Raven's ears. She growled, scrambling for cover.
"Here, birdie birdie birdie. I promise it won't hurt... me that is," CAIN taunted.
"As much as I'd love to smack him for that, I would only be killed. I have to warn the world." She crawled out, and ran from the source of the voice. The beach started to come into view. "If I can just get to the ocean, I'll be safe. If I can just..."
Raven's leg exploded in pain. She fell to the ground with a start. She looked down as blood poured from the wound. She looked up, at CAIN. "You led me on a merry chase," he smirked, "but now you die."
"Azerath, Metrion Zynthos!" Raven cried, sending scraps of metal and concrete torn up by CAIN back at him. Raven took to the air, flying away as fast as she could.
"Oh no you don't, little birdie!" CAIN fired a single crimson beam, striking Raven's back with lethal force. Limply she fell, hitting the cold ocean. She reached for the tower with the last vestiges of strength she could muster, as a second beam turned it to rubble. The tower gone, the city destroyed, and CAIN was victories. Her strength, her very life began to leave her as the waves overtook her. Slowly she sank, deeper and deeper into the darkness...
And with the last rays of the setting sun she bled her life away...
***
Raven's eyes shot open. The sun was setting over the horizon, and birds chirped along the orange sky. "I'm alive?" she thought. She got out of her meditation position, and looked around. She ran downstairs, where Beast Boy and Cyborg were busy arguing. Beast Boy wanted to play Bloody Roar, while Cyborg argued the merits of Dead or Alive. Robin was searching the fridge, while Starfire was busy slurping down what Raven hoped was a milkshake.
"What's the matter, friend Raven?" Starfire innocently asked.
"You... you're dead, so are all of you! I saw it all happen!"
"Musta had a bad dream up there," Beast Boy said.
"No," Raven replied, "not a dream, a prophecy. We have to find Slade."
Raven led the Titan's to the location in her vision. They burst down the door, where Slade was working with some machinery. Next to the machines, a chamber stood, with a blonde-haired, black and silver armored boy.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"His name was William. He was born with impenetrable skin. Unfortunately, this meant that needles couldn't do anything. Diseases we take for granted he contracted. Without this chamber, or my cyborg implants, he would die in seconds."
"So, you plan on making him a cyborg and turning him on us. Since he can't be destroyed, we'd have no way to beat him." Robin deduced.
"After a little reprogramming, yes. This switch will activate the implants, granting him life beyond this chamber!" Slade said, reaching for a switch. Raven reacted, pinning Slade to the wall with a large piece of metal.
"I've seen what will happen if you revive him. You will lose control of him, he will bypass all you failsafes, the remote killswitches, the passwords, the manual shutdowns, everything." Raven said. "He'll kill all of us, you included, and this entire city, if not the world. He cannot be allowed to wake up.
"Azerath Metrion Zynthos," Raven muttered, raising a girder in the corner.
"Raven, wait!" Robin yelled. "If what you're saying is true, if you kill him, what will make us any better than him?"
Raven said nothing, and just rammed the girder into the machines. The cyborg inside shook, blood leaking from his eyes and mouth, then stopped.
"The fact that we even debated it proved it. We're heroes, Robin. Sometimes, we have to make tough decisions." Raven walked away, and the other Titans followed. Inside the chamber, a soft whisper escaped CAIN's mouth before he died.
"Thank you, Raven."
..............................................The End.
CAIN made short work of the front door, tearing it off its hinges, and tossing it aside. Robin's hands flew over the keys. "I've got a few surprised in store for him," he muttered."
"You really think this will work?" Raven asked. "All of us couldn't hold him back, so what makes you think the Tower's defenses can?"
"Faith, Raven," Robin sighed, "That's all we have left." Suddenly, Robin's eyes widened. "He's gone?!" He quickly flipped through the cameras, spotting him on the one looking outside the tower.
"This has become boring. No point in destroying soulless machines," CAIN mused. With that, he took off, heading straight for the city. Robin hit a small red button, but nothing happened."
"No... he destroyed out communications!" Robin muttered. "Raven, we have to..."
"There's nothing we can do!" Raven exclaimed. "He'll slaughter us just as he did Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy!"
"We can't just sit back and..."
"Who's going to stop CAIN if we're both dead?" Raven argued. "As hard as it may be, it is for the greater good that we stay behind and think of a way to stop CAIN."
"Its better we die out there, saving people, than stay here doing nothing," Robin walked out. "Feel free to join me if you want to."
Robin walked outside, and took a deep breath. Raven came up behind him. Without a word, they made their way to the city. But it was far too late. Before them stood only smoldering ruins and raging fires surrounding smoking corpses, and in the center of the carnage, CAIN awaited.
"I hope you like what I've done with the place," CAIN smirked. "I had such fun redecorating."
Robin pulled out his staff, and shot a glance at Raven. "Leave, now," he ordered. "I'll hold him off as long as I can. Go get the Justice League, and anybody else you can find."
"But you'll die," Raven protested.
"We're heroes, Raven," Robin explained. "Sometimes, we have to make tough decisions."
Raven nodded, and ran off. She knew that if she flew, CAIN would be able to shoot her down. This way, at least she could use the rubble for cover. Weaving through the smoldering buildings she ran. She could hear the sounds of battle behind her. Then they ended. To his credit, Robin never screamed.
"He'll be coming after me," she thought. "I need to get out of here." Footsteps sounded in Raven's ears. She growled, scrambling for cover.
"Here, birdie birdie birdie. I promise it won't hurt... me that is," CAIN taunted.
"As much as I'd love to smack him for that, I would only be killed. I have to warn the world." She crawled out, and ran from the source of the voice. The beach started to come into view. "If I can just get to the ocean, I'll be safe. If I can just..."
Raven's leg exploded in pain. She fell to the ground with a start. She looked down as blood poured from the wound. She looked up, at CAIN. "You led me on a merry chase," he smirked, "but now you die."
"Azerath, Metrion Zynthos!" Raven cried, sending scraps of metal and concrete torn up by CAIN back at him. Raven took to the air, flying away as fast as she could.
"Oh no you don't, little birdie!" CAIN fired a single crimson beam, striking Raven's back with lethal force. Limply she fell, hitting the cold ocean. She reached for the tower with the last vestiges of strength she could muster, as a second beam turned it to rubble. The tower gone, the city destroyed, and CAIN was victories. Her strength, her very life began to leave her as the waves overtook her. Slowly she sank, deeper and deeper into the darkness...
And with the last rays of the setting sun she bled her life away...
***
Raven's eyes shot open. The sun was setting over the horizon, and birds chirped along the orange sky. "I'm alive?" she thought. She got out of her meditation position, and looked around. She ran downstairs, where Beast Boy and Cyborg were busy arguing. Beast Boy wanted to play Bloody Roar, while Cyborg argued the merits of Dead or Alive. Robin was searching the fridge, while Starfire was busy slurping down what Raven hoped was a milkshake.
"What's the matter, friend Raven?" Starfire innocently asked.
"You... you're dead, so are all of you! I saw it all happen!"
"Musta had a bad dream up there," Beast Boy said.
"No," Raven replied, "not a dream, a prophecy. We have to find Slade."
Raven led the Titan's to the location in her vision. They burst down the door, where Slade was working with some machinery. Next to the machines, a chamber stood, with a blonde-haired, black and silver armored boy.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"His name was William. He was born with impenetrable skin. Unfortunately, this meant that needles couldn't do anything. Diseases we take for granted he contracted. Without this chamber, or my cyborg implants, he would die in seconds."
"So, you plan on making him a cyborg and turning him on us. Since he can't be destroyed, we'd have no way to beat him." Robin deduced.
"After a little reprogramming, yes. This switch will activate the implants, granting him life beyond this chamber!" Slade said, reaching for a switch. Raven reacted, pinning Slade to the wall with a large piece of metal.
"I've seen what will happen if you revive him. You will lose control of him, he will bypass all you failsafes, the remote killswitches, the passwords, the manual shutdowns, everything." Raven said. "He'll kill all of us, you included, and this entire city, if not the world. He cannot be allowed to wake up.
"Azerath Metrion Zynthos," Raven muttered, raising a girder in the corner.
"Raven, wait!" Robin yelled. "If what you're saying is true, if you kill him, what will make us any better than him?"
Raven said nothing, and just rammed the girder into the machines. The cyborg inside shook, blood leaking from his eyes and mouth, then stopped.
"The fact that we even debated it proved it. We're heroes, Robin. Sometimes, we have to make tough decisions." Raven walked away, and the other Titans followed. Inside the chamber, a soft whisper escaped CAIN's mouth before he died.
"Thank you, Raven."
..............................................The End.