4.
Two Iceberg Girls positioned themselves at each door, watching carefully for any disturbance. "Hey Blue, do you remember when Speedy said Nocturne was protecting herself?" Terra quipped, floating downward to look closer. "He was wrong. The Penguin's protecting her."
"Everybody be careful. They're probably just a cover for Nocturne leaving. Don't get too caught up," Raven warned, hovering just above two of the Iceberg Girls who had just spotted her. The rest of the team shimmied closer, eventually joining the fray. The Iceberg Lounge's security may not have had the superpowers of the heroes, but their agility, gymnastic ability and technique were flawless. They seemed to share a hive mind, moving in perfect sync or combining their talents in combination moves. But as they soon found out, flawless just doesn't cut it with superheroes, even if your numbers are greater.
Of course, none of this made a difference to Nocturne, who mixed in seamlessly with the crowd at the party. Fifteen minutes later, she had answered her cellphone practically as it went off. "Perfectly timed as usual, hon. I trust everything went well?"
"It went better than well, what with you keeping those minor annoyances down in your area. What about your end?"
"Swimmingly and ahead of schedule. I got myself invited to the party. Do you want to come on down? The 'minor annoyances' are still outside. Ozzy has the Iceberg Girls on them, but I've got a feeling they're not winning."
"Sounds like my kind of party. I'll see you there?"
"Honey I can't fight in this dress... but I'll distract them until you get here."
The last icy shurikens of the Penguin's bodyguards missed their mark, as most of their comrades lay defeated or retreating. The battle, originally ten against five, had become two against five. The remaining pair glanced at each other, before simultaneously spinning on their three-inch heels and sprinting back to the safety of the Lounge. When the doorway cleared, someone else stood just inside. Nocturne's violet gloves and evening gown made her look more like a young debutante than a super-powered villain.
Immediately, all five faces contorted with hatred and a dark green wolf snapped at her heels. "Careful now. Wouldn't want to give those vultures something to film, would we? Can't we just talk this over?" she cautioned with a smile, as nonchalant and flippant as ever.
"Ok, we'll talk," began Speedy angrily. "Two nights ago, you kidnapped a friend of ours-"
"Two nights! God, how time flies... Suppose I should feed her sometime..."
"Now you and your little boyfriend are planning to rip off this city somehow, and your using our friend to help you do that," Venom continued, dangerously quiet, his fangs bared.
"And we're not happy," finished Raven for him, beginning to crackle slightly with dark energy when Nocturne didn't even react. She stood totally still, wearing her sickly smirk as usual. "What is your problem? How can you be so- so-"
"Sanguine? Self-assured? Upbeat?" Nocturne supplied, far too helpfully, obviously enjoying Raven's annoyance. She simply continued beaming as a bolt of the energy broke away from Raven and shot out, scorching her bare shoulder. "Now now, hon. Don't get all upset on me"
"Rae, don't give her what she wants," Venom cautioned her softly, pulling her back.
"But what does she want?" asked Beast Boy morphing back to his human form. "If your plan's so foolproof, tell us!"
"Now where's the fun in that?"
"It might take the smile off your face."
"I think I liked you better when you were a mutt," Nocturne growled with a hint of a threat on her voice. However, within seconds she had returned to her normal self, looking over their heads and waving charmingly to somebody in the street. "Ah, here comes my cavalry. Impeccably timed as always. Well I must say I think I've blocked this doorway too long, don't you? I have mingling to do. I'm sure we'll meet again. Soon."
The team turned to acknowledge Daimen's presence behind them, and in all the time it took to turn their heads, Nocturne had disappeared into the crowd within. "So we're stuck with you? How fun. I don't think we've met. I'm Terra."
"No, you're unfortunate," Daimen quipped dryly as he faded out of sight, reappearing behind Terra and making sure both of them faded. They materialized at the top of the building, with Daimen standing right on the edge and Terra's feet dangling over thin air. "Very unfortunate."
"So you keep saying." A piece of the concrete roof lifted free and shot towards them. Daimen jumped out of the way, but didn't let go of Terra. The boulder only scratched his arm; Terra wasn't so lucky, taking the full force of the blow to her back just before she dropped through the void, hurtling towards the ground.
"Terra!" exclaimed Beast Boy, swooping to the rescue as a pterodactyl and catching her across his wings. Speedy launched a grappling hook arrow towards the roof while Raven levitated upward, holding on to Venom. "I'll take care of Terra. You take care of him."
"Let me guess, you need me now, right?" Blue asked eagerly as she watched the drama unfold on the news and heard someone about to contact her on the earpiece system.
"Yeah," the others answered in flat unison.
"Woohoo! I'll be there in a jiffy, chums!"
Speedy, Raven and Venom stood steadily on the roof of the Iceberg Lounge facing Daimen. "We don't want to fight. We just want answers," said the latter, his fangs bared and dripping venom.
"Where is Teleka?" Speedy asked, knowing he wouldn't be asking so politely again, biting off each word like an individual sentence.
"Can't help you," Daimen answered coolly, glowing an even darker hue than Raven as he adopted a fighting stance.
"Wrong answer!" shouted Raven angrily, struggling to restrain her demon half as she launched bolts of energy at her enemy. He dodged most of them, and those that did connect seemed inconsequential. Daimen absorbed the energy surrounding him and turned it back on her in the form of a single potent blast that took Raven from the air to the hole Terra had left in the concrete and holding her there. "Damn it... You'll have to work together. Keep him busy while I break out of this."
"Right. Venom, let's go."
"I hear you. Blind him," Venom growled quietly, crouching as he prepared to pounce.
"Got it." Speedy fired a volley of arrows at the ground, each one exploding in a flash of light or small explosion of smoke. Daimen coughed and spluttered for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. It didn't take long for the pain to set in. He looked disdainfully down, recognizing the puncture marks along one of the major veins in his arm.
"Nice work, Fangs," he growled. "Pity you can even hide yourself among all that smoke!" Daimen spun into a punch, catching Venom by the face where he was crouched behind him. The stunned Venom lay bleeding, hanging precariously over the edge.
"So much for teamwork." Speedy loaded his bow again, cautiously stepping closer to Daimen.
"You care for her, don't you? Maybe even love her. Deluded fool. There's no such thing! Isn't it obvious? She's using you," he scoffed, having been a firm believer in psychological torment for most of his life.
"What about Nocturne? She's using you. And what makes you think I care for Teleka?"
"It's written all over you. And my partnership with Nocturne is purely business."
"You keep telling yourself that and she might just get what she wants." Speedy counter-attacked with the same tactics, anticipating Daimen's reaction.
"No!" he shouted, letting off another blast at Speedy. This time, however, its target was calmer and better prepared. The energy met with one of Speedy's charged arrows, creating a larger explosion. The results of the detonation took both combatants by surprise as the cement beneath their feet began to quake. "Oh, nice shot!" called Daimen as pieces of the roof began to cave in and tumble into the club below. Most of the shards landed in the large central pool on the ground floor that contained the huge iceberg from which the club took it's name, serving no higher purpose than to startle the seals who called it home. However, others crashed onto the higher tiers around the walls.
Nocturne stood by the pool, catching the full force of the waves caused by a large shard of cement. Instinctively, she raised her hands to the ceiling, struggling to hold the pieces of the roof aloft. Daimen and Speedy hovered over the icy water, still on the platforms. Meanwhile in the crater, Raven fought even harder to free herself, using most of her power to protect the people in the higher tiers. The now-unconscious Venom was in an even more dangerous position than before, dangling over the edges like a pall draped over a coffin.
"Natalia Kitka!" Nocturne couldn't help but smile when she heard the enraged shout of the Penguin from the other side of the floor.
"They're not mine, Ozzy! I'm only trying to help!" she called back, shouting over the commotion and her own pain at bearing the weight of the concrete. She tried to push it upwards, but the effort of simply holding it stationary was draining her stolen powers. Suddenly, the great weight was partially lifted. Nocturne spun to see Terra, supported by Beast Boy, going through the same physical torment as hers was mental as she lifted the concrete upwards.
"On my count, throw it up and I'll seal it!" Nocturne nodded, taking a second to ask herself why she was being helped. "Alright, 1... 2... 3!" Nocturne hurled the pieces upwards with the full force of her powers and held them in place while Terra melded them back into place. The instant it was done, they both fell heavily to their knees, struggling for breath. Terra had Beast Boy to catch and calm her, bringing her back to her feet in seconds. Nocturne felt the ripples through the ground before Terra had a chance to move it. She flipped backwards, balancing like a cat on the bar above the water.
"Thanks all the same," she growled, raising one hand off the bar, throwing the pair backwards, out through the same door they entered by. "But save your Snake friend!" She slowed them to a stop on the asphalt, in prime position to watch as Venom slid slowly off the edge of the roof and began to tumble towards the cold, lifeless ground. Beast Boy morphed once again into his pterodactyl form, knowing that unfortunately even he couldn't move that fast. Terra's powers were drained, Raven was still trapped and Speedy was still focussed on Daimen. But of course, there is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Something seemed to pick Venom out of the air sideways, folding him double, but slowing his descent. It wasn't until he crashed to the pavement that his rescuer slowed down enough to be visible.
"I told you you'd need me, so as I much as I hate to do it, I'm going to say it." Blue Moon smiled smugly up at Terra and Beast Boy, still holding onto Venom.
"Just go ahead Blue," BB sighed as he finally landed and breathed a sigh of relief. "You told us so."
"Nah, I'm going to wait until everyone's here. Right then, where's the action?"
"On the roof. Speedy's up there on his own. Be careful, Blue. Raven and Venom already lost out. Don't be next," Terra cautioned, keeping Venom from the ground and checking his pulse was still strong.
"Like I would! You coming, BB?" Beast Boy nodded dutifully and took off after Blue Moon as she soared towards the roof. They landed at the edge, just as Raven won the fight to free herself from the black shackle holding her down, effectively surrounding Daimen. "Alright, guv?" Blue smirked, cracking her knuckles as he turned to face her.
'Daimen, hon? Can you hear me?' Nocturne's voice echoed through his head as they began to power up.
'I'm kind of busy here, Noc!'
'Which is what I'm trying to say if you'll give me a chance! Do you need me or should I head on?'
'Are you okay? You sound tired.'
'Of course I'm tired. I just single-handedly raised the roof on this place. These powers are drained... And you're poisoned, maybe you should just get out of there.'
'You go. Rest up until you're at full force again. We'll need those powers over the next few nights. I'll be fine. I've got a few healing tricks up my sleeve'
'You're telling me? I'm in your head. But if you're sure... I'll see you back there. Watch out behind you," she whispered, leaving his head. Daimen took heed of her warning and stepped quietly to the left, stretching out his arm to clothesline Blue Moon as she blurred at him from behind. She pivoted around her throat and landed flat on her back, choking and coughing. He sensed Beast Boy following after her and lunged backwards, landing behind him as the green rhinoceros charged onwards into Speedy.
Daimen stood calmly, waiting for Raven to make her move. "You got the better of me once tonight," she snarled. "It won't happen twice." She floated upwards, surrounded in a larger, darker aura than usual. Using a series of short blasts as cover, she moved closer and closer, until she was only a foot or so away from Daimen. Raven landed on the concrete and rotated on her toes, snapping out one leg to the side of Daimen's head, charging her kick with telekinesis. She caught him by surprise and he fell sideways. He looked up to her with shining red eyes and a grimace twisting his features.
"You want to play this hand to hand? We'll play this hand to hand then. It makes no difference to me," he told her with restrained anger tingeing his voice. He spun and grounded Raven, sweeping her off her feet and onto her back. She still managed to reach over and deliver another charged punch to his face. She pinned him down with her powers, but her hold only lasted a moment before her threw her upwards and flipped back to his feet. Raven landed on her feet also, somersaulting in the air and crouching close to the ground.
"I'm sick of this! Just tell us one of two things, either what you're planning, or where you're hiding Teleka," Raven growled, looking up as her hood slid away, revealing four red eyes glowing in her face.
"What we're planning, Raven, is enough to blow your little demon mind, and I need this city in one piece to do it, so I really don't want you to explode on me yet. Time I disappeared, I think," he continued calmly, beginning to fade away. He moved closer to Raven as he spoke, fading through the darkness that lashed out at him. He snapped out his forearm across the side of her neck, landing dead-on a pressure point, knocking her out before he finally vanished.
He rematerialized back in the lush apartment, facing Nocturne where she lay half-asleep on the couch. "Did you get them, hon?" she asked quietly.
"Hardly. They're so amateurish they practically take care of themselves."
"What about tonight's objective?"
"Oh I got that alright. That was the easy part."
"Don't be so cocky," she smiled, anticipating her prize like a small child thinking about Christmas morning. He pulled a small leather wallet from his back pocket and tossed it to her. It landed on her chest and fell open, revealing a number of key-cards and a tiny computer chip. "Oh Daimen, you're a god! Simply divine, darling! Yes! We are good to go. Oh... That's made my night now!"
"Glad to oblige. It's not like I'm not getting anything out of it."
"Well, I promised Ozzy the South Side in return for his compliance, so you can have West and North, and I'll take East and Central... Just imagine it. The entire city belonging to just three individuals. What a vision..."
"So long as we can pull it off."
"I wouldn't have gotten into this if I couldn't pull it off, hon." She curled up into an upright position, leaving him room to sit down. "Did you run into any trouble at all tonight?"
"Not really. I set off an alarm on the ground floor and every guard in the building ran to it. It was just a matter of walking in and taking what I needed," he told her, not slightly gloating. "So when do we move?"
"As soon as possible, before our loving city saviours have the chance to interfere again."
Meanwhile, at Triquetra Headquarters...Raven and Venom had been laid out on two pallets across the floor of the central room, tended by Beast Boy and Terra, who claimed to have made a full recovery, even she was rubbing her back every few minutes. Blue Moon sat completely still, starting straight at the documents that still lay on the table. "We're missing something... Else we'd have figured this out already. Telly was always the one who worked the puzzles out. My entire bloody role is to be impatient, rant, rush into things and state the obvious. End of job description."
"Blue, with what we do, there is no job description. We make it up as we go," Speedy reminded her, typing numerous commands and searches into the computer.
"Yeah, well I never wanted to make this part up. What are you looking for anyway?"
"Nocturne. The Penguin called her Natalia Kitka. I want to see if there's any mention of her before now."
"Right then, at least that's something. BB, Terra, how's your patients?"
"I think they'll live, Blue," laughed Beast Boy. "But he really did knock them for six."
"And how far exactly did you knock me, BB?" Speedy quipped, still bearing the bruises of his encounter with the rhino. "I've got results!" he exclaimed, moments later. "Natalia Kitka, known metahuman and noted thief. A cat burglar who has never been convicted due to various diplomatic immunities and the simple fact that there is never any evidence to prove her presence at the scene of the crime. Little is known of her except that her sporadic attacks ceased quite suddenly a number of years ago. But, if you cross-reference that with the data from Telly's log... Nocturne's last score and Teleka being traded from Catwoman to Slade as an apprentice coincide."
"Do you think they could be connected?" Terra asked curiously, walking over to study the information. "Maybe Catwoman's second apprentice?"
"There was no Cat-girl in Gotham City after Telly moved to Jump. I was just here at the time," Blue Moon mused out loud. "Maybe it's just a coincidence" She fiddled around with the pages for a second longer, before letting out a high pitch squeak that deafened those close to her and threatened to wake Raven and Venom. "I've done it! I know what we were missing!"
"So do I! My eardrums!" complained BB, walking over to the table where Blue Moon had the three pieces of paper one on top of the other. "What's that supposed to do?" he asked sarcastically. Blue Moon reached under the table and flicked a switch, causing the glass top of the desk to light up. As the light beamed up through the paper, some of the map lines showed up darker than the others, spelling out a message. "Oh. Right, yeah. I knew that..."
Ignoring him, Blue began to read. "Friday, midnight. The isolation chambers at Stonegate Prison. Get them. Find me. I'll be fine. Love... Oh God, it's from Telly! She must've gotten into their files at some point."
"Blue, they stole those documents from the Mars Building the same day we stole them back. When would she have gotten the chance? It's a trap. They said if we were seen, she'd kill Teleka. Can we take that risk?" Terra asked worriedly, sitting opposite Blue Moon.
"Can we not? What if, somehow, this was Teleka? What if she was in the Mars Building? I wouldn't put it past her to have found some way to communicate with us. Besides, anyone else would have signed off as Teleka. We would be the only ones who call her Telly." Blue looked into the distance for a second, thinking deeply about the wording of Daimen and Nocturne's threat. Seconds later, she smiled conspiratorially round at them. "Besides... they only said, 'If we were seen..."