[Sorry about the wait, I was trying to find a feasible way of doing the
next bit. Thanks for your patience.]
"I assure you, this battle has not yet begun, and you will have to fight it by yourself. I will make sure of that..."
Rook lowered himself slowly to the ground. He looked around at the remaining able Titans. Both Raven and Starfire could not pose a threat at the moment, Rook assured himself. That left three. Two did not have biological powers in a conventional sense at least, and one was a shape- shifter. This may get a little... different. Rook didn't not rate this as anything he could not easily deal with... he had expected Rook's "friends" to be more prepared. Evidently, there was much they still had to learn. If they survived this night.
"Who wishes to be the next one to face my power?" intoned the psychic. He knew who would be next anyway, but the formality of the situation called for the sentence to be said. Cyborg charged, his ion cannon powering up. "Take this!" he bellowed, swinging his other fist in a wide arc, aiming to incapacitate Rook as he charged. Rook easily dodged out of the way, but at the same time Cyborg fired the ion cannon, at the precise place where Rook would land from the dodge.
"Booyah! Dodge tha-" began Cyborg. There was something wrong with the ion beam. He noticed his right arm crackling with dark energy. Rook had regained his footing.
"I do not need to, but maybe Beastboy would like to try..." whispered Rook. "Azerath, Metreon, Synthos!"
Cyborg's arm pulled itself around, and started shooting energy blast after energy blast at the changeling, who changed into a crow and flew out of the way of the blasts. Amidst Cyborg's cries of disbelief and the frantic noises made by Beastboy, Robin had crept up behind Rook. Jumping into the air, the titan aimed a flying kick at Rook's back. He was too close, there was no way Rook could dodge this attack.
Robin connected with Rook's back with a loud thud. Rook looked surprised for a moment, and then seemed to unravel like smoke. The vapours smouldered away quickly.
Robin looked around for a few moments, then stood up. Cyborg and Beastboy walked over to him. "Was that it?" asked Beastboy warily. "Is he gone?"
"I... think so..." said Robin in a confused voice. It had all bee a bit too easy. "Let's free Starfire" he said. The three walked over to the fallen titan. Raven was regaining her footing. It was... not right... she still felt him nearby...
Then she realised.
"It's a trap!" she shouted.
"Too late once again, Raven." Echoed the voice of Rook. The ground underneath the three boys opened up, the titans sinking into the floor up to their necks. Nearby, the ground liquefied, and the form of Rook rose up through the portal. He gestured with his hands, and one by one the three boys sank fully into the ground, appearing moments later on separate walls of the street trapped in the same black substance as Starfire was. Rook advanced on Raven.
"And that is that. How disappointing that your so called friends were that easy to defeat. That is what comes of teamwork – they could not function on their own." Raven slowly dragged herself to her feet, almost fainting under the psychic pressure that Rook was emanating.
"I... will... never... help my... father..." she managed.
"Oh, you will Raven." Answered Rook. He stopped using his psychic influence to force Raven down – he would need to fight her without that trick to achieve his aims.
"You will either join him willingly, or I shall make you join him. Either way, I win. There is no way for you to prevail over me Raven, no way at all."
"We'll see about that." Muttered Raven. "Azerath Metreon Synthos!"
The street lamps, still lying strewn at the other side of the street, lifted themselves from the floor and sped towards Rook. With a gesture, he easily deflected the bars of metal, and liquefied them. "Predictable AND weak." He said. "You really could've had all the power in the world. You wasted it by joining these... misfits. Idiots. They cannot even make me break a sweat! You call these friends?"
"There is more to friendship than just power Rook..."
"Is there now. What else could there possibly be? After all, all your friends seem to do is make you weak. Well, I think it is time to remove that particular distraction from your life Raven. I will show you what it is like to see a soul torn from its sanity by fear and pain. I will show you by using your friends..."
Rook clenched his hands and uttered words Raven had never heard before. He started to crackle with dark energy. As if on cue, the 4 trapped titans began to lurch and judder, wracked by invisible pain.
"Please, Rook, stop!" shouted Raven.
"Soon they will not even remember their names..." said Rook, distantly. "They will be stripped of all their sanity, all their knowledge, everything. And then, I shall leave them to wander around this city as gibbering wrecks..."
"Don't make me hurt you Rook, I don't want to have to hurt you..." Raven's eyes were beginning to flicker with red power. Rook released his hold on the Titans. Their heads sagged down.
"They are not insane... yet. I wish them to know what happens next." Said Rook.
Raven was starting to lose control... out of anger or despair, her mental barriers were cracking. It would only take a little more, and then she would be ripe for the taking.
"Now, let us commence the required "final battle", shall we?" intoned Rook. "You know the one... good versus evil, light versus shadow..."
"What are you doing this for?" asked Raven, through gritted teeth. Even now she could imagine the efforts of her other emotions to keep Anger at bay.
"Because it is called for. You will come back to us. After all, is not family far more important than friends? Is that not the case, my sister?"
Raven snapped. Eyes blazing with red energy, she lunged at Rook.
"I assure you, this battle has not yet begun, and you will have to fight it by yourself. I will make sure of that..."
Rook lowered himself slowly to the ground. He looked around at the remaining able Titans. Both Raven and Starfire could not pose a threat at the moment, Rook assured himself. That left three. Two did not have biological powers in a conventional sense at least, and one was a shape- shifter. This may get a little... different. Rook didn't not rate this as anything he could not easily deal with... he had expected Rook's "friends" to be more prepared. Evidently, there was much they still had to learn. If they survived this night.
"Who wishes to be the next one to face my power?" intoned the psychic. He knew who would be next anyway, but the formality of the situation called for the sentence to be said. Cyborg charged, his ion cannon powering up. "Take this!" he bellowed, swinging his other fist in a wide arc, aiming to incapacitate Rook as he charged. Rook easily dodged out of the way, but at the same time Cyborg fired the ion cannon, at the precise place where Rook would land from the dodge.
"Booyah! Dodge tha-" began Cyborg. There was something wrong with the ion beam. He noticed his right arm crackling with dark energy. Rook had regained his footing.
"I do not need to, but maybe Beastboy would like to try..." whispered Rook. "Azerath, Metreon, Synthos!"
Cyborg's arm pulled itself around, and started shooting energy blast after energy blast at the changeling, who changed into a crow and flew out of the way of the blasts. Amidst Cyborg's cries of disbelief and the frantic noises made by Beastboy, Robin had crept up behind Rook. Jumping into the air, the titan aimed a flying kick at Rook's back. He was too close, there was no way Rook could dodge this attack.
Robin connected with Rook's back with a loud thud. Rook looked surprised for a moment, and then seemed to unravel like smoke. The vapours smouldered away quickly.
Robin looked around for a few moments, then stood up. Cyborg and Beastboy walked over to him. "Was that it?" asked Beastboy warily. "Is he gone?"
"I... think so..." said Robin in a confused voice. It had all bee a bit too easy. "Let's free Starfire" he said. The three walked over to the fallen titan. Raven was regaining her footing. It was... not right... she still felt him nearby...
Then she realised.
"It's a trap!" she shouted.
"Too late once again, Raven." Echoed the voice of Rook. The ground underneath the three boys opened up, the titans sinking into the floor up to their necks. Nearby, the ground liquefied, and the form of Rook rose up through the portal. He gestured with his hands, and one by one the three boys sank fully into the ground, appearing moments later on separate walls of the street trapped in the same black substance as Starfire was. Rook advanced on Raven.
"And that is that. How disappointing that your so called friends were that easy to defeat. That is what comes of teamwork – they could not function on their own." Raven slowly dragged herself to her feet, almost fainting under the psychic pressure that Rook was emanating.
"I... will... never... help my... father..." she managed.
"Oh, you will Raven." Answered Rook. He stopped using his psychic influence to force Raven down – he would need to fight her without that trick to achieve his aims.
"You will either join him willingly, or I shall make you join him. Either way, I win. There is no way for you to prevail over me Raven, no way at all."
"We'll see about that." Muttered Raven. "Azerath Metreon Synthos!"
The street lamps, still lying strewn at the other side of the street, lifted themselves from the floor and sped towards Rook. With a gesture, he easily deflected the bars of metal, and liquefied them. "Predictable AND weak." He said. "You really could've had all the power in the world. You wasted it by joining these... misfits. Idiots. They cannot even make me break a sweat! You call these friends?"
"There is more to friendship than just power Rook..."
"Is there now. What else could there possibly be? After all, all your friends seem to do is make you weak. Well, I think it is time to remove that particular distraction from your life Raven. I will show you what it is like to see a soul torn from its sanity by fear and pain. I will show you by using your friends..."
Rook clenched his hands and uttered words Raven had never heard before. He started to crackle with dark energy. As if on cue, the 4 trapped titans began to lurch and judder, wracked by invisible pain.
"Please, Rook, stop!" shouted Raven.
"Soon they will not even remember their names..." said Rook, distantly. "They will be stripped of all their sanity, all their knowledge, everything. And then, I shall leave them to wander around this city as gibbering wrecks..."
"Don't make me hurt you Rook, I don't want to have to hurt you..." Raven's eyes were beginning to flicker with red power. Rook released his hold on the Titans. Their heads sagged down.
"They are not insane... yet. I wish them to know what happens next." Said Rook.
Raven was starting to lose control... out of anger or despair, her mental barriers were cracking. It would only take a little more, and then she would be ripe for the taking.
"Now, let us commence the required "final battle", shall we?" intoned Rook. "You know the one... good versus evil, light versus shadow..."
"What are you doing this for?" asked Raven, through gritted teeth. Even now she could imagine the efforts of her other emotions to keep Anger at bay.
"Because it is called for. You will come back to us. After all, is not family far more important than friends? Is that not the case, my sister?"
Raven snapped. Eyes blazing with red energy, she lunged at Rook.