"Ok Raven," started Robin as the titans got into the T-Car, "If were gonna
beat this guy, we need to know everything you know about him."
They travelled in silence for a few minutes, before raven decided to speak. He words were slow and sounded practised.
"His name is not Wraith, it's Rook." She said. "He is... a person with powers like me. I used to know him back home, in Azerath. After we all left, we lost contact with each other. Obviously Trigon managed to consume his emotions, and now he has come here to enable my father to take over my body as well."
She carefully unfolded a small piece of paper that had a worn look about it. It was a picture. On it was a scene very familiar to 'normal' photographs – There were a group of people stood in the centre of a landscape. This landscape however was barren and twisted. Silver stars highlighted the black sky. Beastboy and Cyborg knew this scene; it was identical to the place they had seen in Raven's mind. There were 8 people in the photo – 7 quite young people, and one older one. All were dressed very similarly, the only difference being the colours of the cloaks. All were smiling broadly, save one.
"Whoa Rae!" exclaimed Beastboy jokingly, "I didn't know you could smile like that!" He was met with an almost mournful gaze.
"In Azerath we could afford to show emotion, since our powers can be more easily controlled there." She replied. "It is only when we entered other dimensions that we were forced to control our emotions. But Rook, he never showed any emotion anyway. We always wondered why..."
"We're here" said Cyborg, braking the T-Car.
"He will try and make me lose control of my emotions." said Raven as they got out of the car. "He will probably do anything to meet his ends, even if it means... killing you." She bowed her head. Robin was the one who put his hand on her shoulder.
"You'd do the same for us" he said softly. "We will always be there for you."
The shadows were already getting longer. Raven held her head with sudden pain. "He's here..." she managed before collapsing into Robin's arms. The form of Wraith materialised out of the darkness, eyes blazing fiery red.
"So, you have all come, as I knew you would." Spoke Wraith, solemnly. "What a noble thing it is that you are willing to risk your lives for your... friend..." he seemed to pause on the word, and his eyes seemed to flicker. "However," he continued, "It is rather pitiful that you think you have a chance of defeating me, especially you are already one person down. She will be ours again, you cannot stop this."
"We'll try." Said Robin. With blinding speed, he pulled a grenade from his belt and threw it at Wraith. It exploded a few feet into the air, sending a pulse of bright light to illuminate the entire area. Night was momentarily made into day and Rook, now shorn of the shadow he held so much sway over, fell to the ground, dazed. The titans took their chance, and charged towards the psychic. Rook looked up, and the red glow reasserted itself. Just before the four titans found their mark, Rook dodged to the side, floating up into the air. His cloak billowed eerily around him.
"Nice try" he said, breathlessly, "but I still have more than enough power to defeat you all." He raised his hands in front of him, and uttered the words raven always used. "Azerath, Metreon, Synthos!"
Around the titans, the streetlights were bending out of shape, and one by one they were ripped from the ground in a shower of sparks and light motes. Rook pointed to the titans, and the twisted metal lamps sped towards them.
As Raven began to regain her consciousness, she cast her mind back to remember what Rook's main power had been. He was always the elusive one, and she had spoken to him least out of all the others on the photograph. She saw the titans scramble out of the way of the lamps, and saw Rook rising higher into the air to confront Starfire. She charged her hands with glowing green energy and started firing bolt after bolt at Rook. Only then did Raven understand. She struggled to her feet.
"Starfire, no!" she shouted, barely managing to stand, "His power is that he can turn your own powers against you! Don't use your starbolts on him!" She once again slumped to her knees. Starfire turned to listen to her words, then looked back at Rook. The psychic hadn't moved. Neither had her starbolts – they formed a ghostly green halo around Rook, but hadn't touched him.
"Wise words often come too late." He whispered. To Starfire's horror, the bolts were turning black.
"Azerath Metreon Synthos!"
Starfire was pounded to the ground by her own starbolts which then formed a dark liquid around her body, pinning her to the floor. She struggled against it for a few moments before realising that the more she struggled the tighter the bonds grew. Rook directed his attention to Raven.
"I thought you would have been better prepared." He said mockingly. "Or is it true that you did not tell them everything?" Raven looked at the floor. "I thought so. Why are you so afraid of telling them the truth, if they are your friends?"
She didn't answer. Rook could see that she was starting to shake with silent anger.
"You do not trust them, do you?" he pushed his line of conversation further. "You do not think that they will see you as the same person if they found out that you have some very dark secrets. Secrets that only you and me know..."
"Shut up..." whispered Raven.
"Oh, you still have some will left, Raven?" jibed Rook. "You will not have for long. Still, you have not broken yet, and for that I commend you. But you have doomed your so-called friends. Have you ever seen the spirit of a person completely broken before?" He relished her attempts to control her anger at what he was doing. As Raven made an attempt to stand, Rook grunted slightly, forcing her back down under a wave of psychic force. "You have become weak Raven, weak from relying on other people to fight your battles. I assure you, this battle has not yet begun, and you will have to fight it by yourself. I will make sure of that..."
They travelled in silence for a few minutes, before raven decided to speak. He words were slow and sounded practised.
"His name is not Wraith, it's Rook." She said. "He is... a person with powers like me. I used to know him back home, in Azerath. After we all left, we lost contact with each other. Obviously Trigon managed to consume his emotions, and now he has come here to enable my father to take over my body as well."
She carefully unfolded a small piece of paper that had a worn look about it. It was a picture. On it was a scene very familiar to 'normal' photographs – There were a group of people stood in the centre of a landscape. This landscape however was barren and twisted. Silver stars highlighted the black sky. Beastboy and Cyborg knew this scene; it was identical to the place they had seen in Raven's mind. There were 8 people in the photo – 7 quite young people, and one older one. All were dressed very similarly, the only difference being the colours of the cloaks. All were smiling broadly, save one.
"Whoa Rae!" exclaimed Beastboy jokingly, "I didn't know you could smile like that!" He was met with an almost mournful gaze.
"In Azerath we could afford to show emotion, since our powers can be more easily controlled there." She replied. "It is only when we entered other dimensions that we were forced to control our emotions. But Rook, he never showed any emotion anyway. We always wondered why..."
"We're here" said Cyborg, braking the T-Car.
"He will try and make me lose control of my emotions." said Raven as they got out of the car. "He will probably do anything to meet his ends, even if it means... killing you." She bowed her head. Robin was the one who put his hand on her shoulder.
"You'd do the same for us" he said softly. "We will always be there for you."
The shadows were already getting longer. Raven held her head with sudden pain. "He's here..." she managed before collapsing into Robin's arms. The form of Wraith materialised out of the darkness, eyes blazing fiery red.
"So, you have all come, as I knew you would." Spoke Wraith, solemnly. "What a noble thing it is that you are willing to risk your lives for your... friend..." he seemed to pause on the word, and his eyes seemed to flicker. "However," he continued, "It is rather pitiful that you think you have a chance of defeating me, especially you are already one person down. She will be ours again, you cannot stop this."
"We'll try." Said Robin. With blinding speed, he pulled a grenade from his belt and threw it at Wraith. It exploded a few feet into the air, sending a pulse of bright light to illuminate the entire area. Night was momentarily made into day and Rook, now shorn of the shadow he held so much sway over, fell to the ground, dazed. The titans took their chance, and charged towards the psychic. Rook looked up, and the red glow reasserted itself. Just before the four titans found their mark, Rook dodged to the side, floating up into the air. His cloak billowed eerily around him.
"Nice try" he said, breathlessly, "but I still have more than enough power to defeat you all." He raised his hands in front of him, and uttered the words raven always used. "Azerath, Metreon, Synthos!"
Around the titans, the streetlights were bending out of shape, and one by one they were ripped from the ground in a shower of sparks and light motes. Rook pointed to the titans, and the twisted metal lamps sped towards them.
As Raven began to regain her consciousness, she cast her mind back to remember what Rook's main power had been. He was always the elusive one, and she had spoken to him least out of all the others on the photograph. She saw the titans scramble out of the way of the lamps, and saw Rook rising higher into the air to confront Starfire. She charged her hands with glowing green energy and started firing bolt after bolt at Rook. Only then did Raven understand. She struggled to her feet.
"Starfire, no!" she shouted, barely managing to stand, "His power is that he can turn your own powers against you! Don't use your starbolts on him!" She once again slumped to her knees. Starfire turned to listen to her words, then looked back at Rook. The psychic hadn't moved. Neither had her starbolts – they formed a ghostly green halo around Rook, but hadn't touched him.
"Wise words often come too late." He whispered. To Starfire's horror, the bolts were turning black.
"Azerath Metreon Synthos!"
Starfire was pounded to the ground by her own starbolts which then formed a dark liquid around her body, pinning her to the floor. She struggled against it for a few moments before realising that the more she struggled the tighter the bonds grew. Rook directed his attention to Raven.
"I thought you would have been better prepared." He said mockingly. "Or is it true that you did not tell them everything?" Raven looked at the floor. "I thought so. Why are you so afraid of telling them the truth, if they are your friends?"
She didn't answer. Rook could see that she was starting to shake with silent anger.
"You do not trust them, do you?" he pushed his line of conversation further. "You do not think that they will see you as the same person if they found out that you have some very dark secrets. Secrets that only you and me know..."
"Shut up..." whispered Raven.
"Oh, you still have some will left, Raven?" jibed Rook. "You will not have for long. Still, you have not broken yet, and for that I commend you. But you have doomed your so-called friends. Have you ever seen the spirit of a person completely broken before?" He relished her attempts to control her anger at what he was doing. As Raven made an attempt to stand, Rook grunted slightly, forcing her back down under a wave of psychic force. "You have become weak Raven, weak from relying on other people to fight your battles. I assure you, this battle has not yet begun, and you will have to fight it by yourself. I will make sure of that..."