Rook was caught off guard by the psychic shock of Raven's attack, and was
sent corkscrewing through the air. He slammed heavily against the wall, and
slid to the floor, dazed. Raven, however, did not stop as she normally
would – she had let go of her anger, who was no in the driving seat. She
sped towards her brother, hands crackling with power, and smashed into
Rook, pinning him down. She punched furiously, not relenting. As the rest
of the titans were coming to, they were horrified at what they saw – Raven
had never been like this before, not even with Dr Light.
Rook was bleeding heavily from his nose and several cuts on he face. Raven smiled wickedly. "But I thought this is what you wanted, Rook" she gloated, "You said you wanted to get me mad. Well, here I am, and I'm going to make you sorry you ever came here."
Rook pushed himself to his feet unsteadily. He looked up sharply at Raven, his eyes suddenly flaring with intense red light.
"Yes Raven, this is what I wanted." He replied, "And now you are as good as mine."
Raven snarled with fury and lunged again towards Rook. Her brother, however, was expecting this and he back flipped easily out of the way, dropping into a portal that opened underneath him. Seconds later he exploded from a nearby wall, impacting Raven with phenomenal speed. She was thrown sideways by the attack, but managed to slide through her own portal. She rose up from the ground, smiling wickedly.
"You never could get the better of me when I released my full power, brother..." she laughed cruelly.
"That was then Raven, and this is now" he retorted. "And you still haven't counted on one thing – I'm still more powerful." He dodged the incoming block of masonry hurled by Raven, and flew up to where Starfire was pinned to the wall. Once there, he extended his finger and touched he forehead. She struggled, but it was of no use. Nothing seemed to happen. Rook looked at her quizzically.
"Is that it? That's all there is to it?" he was bemused for a moment. "I would have thought it was harder than that..." He descended back to the floor.
"And now I have another power which I can use against you." He said, slowly. His hands charged with green energy – starbolts. "Take this!" he shouted at his sister, launching bolt after bolt in her direction. Raven shrugged, and raised her mental shield impassively.
"Pathetic." She jeered to the now breathless Rook. "You know though, I think I agree with you. They ARE weak compared to me." She stopped, and for a moment her eyes flickered their normal colour. Robin now knew what that meant.
"She's fighting it... fighting him." He muttered to himself. "Fight it Raven! You can beat him!" he shouted down. He was met with a snarl.
"Shut up!" growled Raven, the red light reasserting itself. "I don't need you, I don't need any of you! Especially not him." She pointed at Rook. "By the time I'm finished, all that will be left of you will be a messy stain on the floor." She launched herself at Rook again, firing bolts of dark energy from her hands. The Titans could almost see her changing – her cloak had already darkened in colour; it was now almost the same colour as Rook's. Rook glared impassively. He was not moving. The shadows were lengthening around his form.
"Raven, no! It's a trap!" shouted Robin. He was too late.
Rook exploded into hundreds of dark motes of shadow, which enveloped Raven so quickly she could not react. Muffled sounds came from within the ball of shadow where Raven and her brother had been, sounds of a struggle.
Long moments passed. All the titans could do was hope that Raven would be ok. The ball eventually started to disintegrate. Raven was still there, as was Rook. But a furious Raven was now struggling to free herself from the same black substance the other titans were secured in. Rook was a few feet away. Having completely regained his composure, he drew his cloak back up around him.
"Like I said, sister, I am stronger than you, angry or not."
Raven howled in anger as she tried in vain to break the dark bonds that held her. Her eyes glowed bright red, but started to dull in colour. She was taking back control.
"I will not... let you... win..." she stuttered through gritted teeth. "I know you're in there Rook... you have to fight it..." Rook's expression didn't change, though his eyes were flickering. Something was happening in his head at least.
"It is too late for me," he said, eventually, "and soon it will be too late for you.". His body began to glow with power, arcs of black lightning crackling across his body. The temperature around him dropped by several degrees, causing his breath to mist the air around him. The wind picked up, blowing his cloak around him.
"This is a little spell that I myself developed." He said, raising his arms. "It will make you and your anger switch places, and put it in permanent control of your body. This will not hurt, it will just feel strange..." He stepped forward, Raven struggled ever more to break free, but to no avail.
"Tetrias, Inculum, Califax" chanted Rook slowly. It was easy to see the struggle to maintain the power was – his eyes were flickering madly. "Tetrias, Inculum, Califax" he said, more loudly. Raven struggled against it, but she could feel herself being sucked away from her body, she could feel her anger welling up to take her body as its own. Rook was almost touching Raven now.
"TETRIAS, INCULUM, CALIF-"
The street was silent for a moment, and then Rook dropped to his knees. The bonds holding the titans vaporised into nothing, dropping them to the ground. Rook was motionless, apart from his heavy breathing. Raven turned him onto his back. His eyes were normal...
"Rook!" she shouted, "You are ok!"
Rook grimaced. "No..." he said, after a while. Raven looked puzzled.
"My body... ran out of power... from our fight... I managed to take back my body, but it won't be for long... I can feel our father taking me again even now..."
Raven looked down, as if thinking. Then she looked up, her expression hard to fathom.
"Can we do anything?" she asked.
"Nothing..." replied Rook, "Unless you can get into my mind..."
The psychic was suddenly gripped with what looked like a massive spasm. He rolled over, clutching at his head.
"Go!" he shouted. "There is still... time..."
He slipped to the floor, only to rise again seconds later. The red light reasserted itself.
"Time's up." Said Rook.
Rook was bleeding heavily from his nose and several cuts on he face. Raven smiled wickedly. "But I thought this is what you wanted, Rook" she gloated, "You said you wanted to get me mad. Well, here I am, and I'm going to make you sorry you ever came here."
Rook pushed himself to his feet unsteadily. He looked up sharply at Raven, his eyes suddenly flaring with intense red light.
"Yes Raven, this is what I wanted." He replied, "And now you are as good as mine."
Raven snarled with fury and lunged again towards Rook. Her brother, however, was expecting this and he back flipped easily out of the way, dropping into a portal that opened underneath him. Seconds later he exploded from a nearby wall, impacting Raven with phenomenal speed. She was thrown sideways by the attack, but managed to slide through her own portal. She rose up from the ground, smiling wickedly.
"You never could get the better of me when I released my full power, brother..." she laughed cruelly.
"That was then Raven, and this is now" he retorted. "And you still haven't counted on one thing – I'm still more powerful." He dodged the incoming block of masonry hurled by Raven, and flew up to where Starfire was pinned to the wall. Once there, he extended his finger and touched he forehead. She struggled, but it was of no use. Nothing seemed to happen. Rook looked at her quizzically.
"Is that it? That's all there is to it?" he was bemused for a moment. "I would have thought it was harder than that..." He descended back to the floor.
"And now I have another power which I can use against you." He said, slowly. His hands charged with green energy – starbolts. "Take this!" he shouted at his sister, launching bolt after bolt in her direction. Raven shrugged, and raised her mental shield impassively.
"Pathetic." She jeered to the now breathless Rook. "You know though, I think I agree with you. They ARE weak compared to me." She stopped, and for a moment her eyes flickered their normal colour. Robin now knew what that meant.
"She's fighting it... fighting him." He muttered to himself. "Fight it Raven! You can beat him!" he shouted down. He was met with a snarl.
"Shut up!" growled Raven, the red light reasserting itself. "I don't need you, I don't need any of you! Especially not him." She pointed at Rook. "By the time I'm finished, all that will be left of you will be a messy stain on the floor." She launched herself at Rook again, firing bolts of dark energy from her hands. The Titans could almost see her changing – her cloak had already darkened in colour; it was now almost the same colour as Rook's. Rook glared impassively. He was not moving. The shadows were lengthening around his form.
"Raven, no! It's a trap!" shouted Robin. He was too late.
Rook exploded into hundreds of dark motes of shadow, which enveloped Raven so quickly she could not react. Muffled sounds came from within the ball of shadow where Raven and her brother had been, sounds of a struggle.
Long moments passed. All the titans could do was hope that Raven would be ok. The ball eventually started to disintegrate. Raven was still there, as was Rook. But a furious Raven was now struggling to free herself from the same black substance the other titans were secured in. Rook was a few feet away. Having completely regained his composure, he drew his cloak back up around him.
"Like I said, sister, I am stronger than you, angry or not."
Raven howled in anger as she tried in vain to break the dark bonds that held her. Her eyes glowed bright red, but started to dull in colour. She was taking back control.
"I will not... let you... win..." she stuttered through gritted teeth. "I know you're in there Rook... you have to fight it..." Rook's expression didn't change, though his eyes were flickering. Something was happening in his head at least.
"It is too late for me," he said, eventually, "and soon it will be too late for you.". His body began to glow with power, arcs of black lightning crackling across his body. The temperature around him dropped by several degrees, causing his breath to mist the air around him. The wind picked up, blowing his cloak around him.
"This is a little spell that I myself developed." He said, raising his arms. "It will make you and your anger switch places, and put it in permanent control of your body. This will not hurt, it will just feel strange..." He stepped forward, Raven struggled ever more to break free, but to no avail.
"Tetrias, Inculum, Califax" chanted Rook slowly. It was easy to see the struggle to maintain the power was – his eyes were flickering madly. "Tetrias, Inculum, Califax" he said, more loudly. Raven struggled against it, but she could feel herself being sucked away from her body, she could feel her anger welling up to take her body as its own. Rook was almost touching Raven now.
"TETRIAS, INCULUM, CALIF-"
The street was silent for a moment, and then Rook dropped to his knees. The bonds holding the titans vaporised into nothing, dropping them to the ground. Rook was motionless, apart from his heavy breathing. Raven turned him onto his back. His eyes were normal...
"Rook!" she shouted, "You are ok!"
Rook grimaced. "No..." he said, after a while. Raven looked puzzled.
"My body... ran out of power... from our fight... I managed to take back my body, but it won't be for long... I can feel our father taking me again even now..."
Raven looked down, as if thinking. Then she looked up, her expression hard to fathom.
"Can we do anything?" she asked.
"Nothing..." replied Rook, "Unless you can get into my mind..."
The psychic was suddenly gripped with what looked like a massive spasm. He rolled over, clutching at his head.
"Go!" he shouted. "There is still... time..."
He slipped to the floor, only to rise again seconds later. The red light reasserted itself.
"Time's up." Said Rook.