This morning when I woke up, I learned along with everyone else of the passing of the legend Kevin Conroy (BTAS Batman, the Arkham games, Batman Beyond, and many others). I had just rewatched the BTAS and Return of the Joker movie I loved, and now on Under the Red Hood the movie. Clasp your hands and bow your heads in prayer, have Kleenex and a strong drink (if you're legally aged, of course) in memory of this badass man.

My favorite Batmen: Conroy from the beginning, Michael Keaton, Rob Pattinson in The Batman, Bruce Greenwood (YJ and UTRH), and Jensen Ackles (both Long Halloweens and is known for voicing Jason in UTRH).

In the show YJ s03e21, there be a long moment with Nightwing and Black Lightning under Granny Goodness...

Chapter title is a combination of Adrian von Ziegler's separate "Sinister Shores" and "Peace of Mind", and a TCM title without the "s" at the end, but where would SHORES fit in here, huh? XD Beware as you venture...

Chapter Four

Victims of a Sinister Peace of Mind

The plan was to get in and then out.

Thank the stars for Kristine's universal perception.

All three of them were cloaked in the night - himself in black, the lady in gray, and his partner and former captain in brown - as they made their way on horse in the woods around the grounds of the Goode House. "More of a castle than a true noble's house in a town like this," Jason muttered to his companions as they beheld the visual blueprints of the layout and gardens.

If the daylight shone, these grounds would be glorious with an array of jewels and aromas that were magic folks' dreams come true. One familiar scent was of roses; they were soon spotted without trouble. Perhaps they were deep red with the centers being yellow, based on what he could tell with the amount of light they could work with - including the torches that were placed throughout the grounds - and the moonlight shone on the petals, giving away the velvety shimmer. If they had more time, and if they had been on a pleasure trip, they would have appreciated this better. The little bit glimpsed might be heaven on earth.

The grand, classical fountain at the center of the hedged maze they trekked through was still flowing and eternally alive; one of the wildest sounds of the night in their ears was the gentle laugh of a stream somewhere from the west of the house encircling toward the forest.

Water was pure and calm, yet could fool you and mask whatever sinister thing lurked about.

"The morning room," Kristine had whispered after she was helped down from her woodland beauty who nickered as his way of wishing her luck and safety. And now they were scaling the walls for the location of said morning room until they were inside, after Kristine used her dagger she imbued with magic to slice through the window vertically, then used both hands to part it and make it wide for herself to get in, followed by Roy - who unfortunately still had traces of drink in him - and then Jason who had to shove him through.

"It's a shame someone had to have more than a few before a mission," Kristine muttered, shaking her head as she waved her hand before the window, closing the glass as though it had never been touched. Always a clever trick.

The room was unoccupied, no torches or lamps lit, but Kristine lighting up a small fireball from her lips was their saving grace, allowing them to take in the dismaying sight of the small breakfast table and accompanying chairs before the fireplace - which had stark naked women on either side. There was nothing out of the ordinary, which made the three of them frown with disbelief.

"Kristine," Roy said, slowly, "I thought you said the jewel would be here."

"And nature is NEVER wrong," she insisted. "But it doesn't mean that I have a direct spot, such as the top of the fireplace. However -"

She broke off, both hands flying to the front of her cranium. Her eyelids squeezed tightly shut, the wrinkles harshly forming. Her yelps could have very much penetrated the stoned walls of this place and awoke its residents - or sole resident?

"Oh, God...the fireplace!"

The fireplace...damn it, there has to be a crafty trap to open a secret passageway! They are common back at Wayne Castle, and anywhere else, so why didn't we think of it before?!

It happened by coincidence, but Roy wound up stepping on a segment of the floor they would forget later on, and within moments, the entirety of the fireplace swerved to the west side, and there, lo and behold, was a dark passageway for them to duck through and venture together, Kristine's fireball guiding them through, with their weapons hidden but ready if hidden enemies made themselves known.

Jason had a BAD feeling, but if her gemstone was down here, then so be it.

Yet at the same time...this was too simple.

They ventured through the darkness, which visually prevented anything from sight until the last second, despite the witch's prowess -

- and as soon as they descended the steps, that was when they glimpsed the end of the tunnel in the form of a rectangular shape. A doorway was within range.

Except there was a sickly golden light with countless flecks of red, no different than a flesh disease, which cast onto parts of the shadows from all four corners.

The light in its entirety blinded them until they came into the area the light emitted from. Jason had the feeling of something terrible, and what he saw made it come to fruition. Roy and Kristine saw the same thing as he, and they froze in unbridled horror as he did. Not only was it something to exist only in nightmares, but it involved someone they all cared deeply about.

Kristine's hiss of the most deadly of poisons came in the sentence: "Oh, someone is going to get the wrath of Mother Earth herself." You could FEEL all the energies flaring around her in dark, raging hues.

"That monster!" Roy growled, lips curling, reaching for his bow and one of his arrows, getting them ready. He was a master swordsman, but archery was his greatest specialty.

As for Jason, his pride in the form of his sword of the greatest steel ever forged, bearing the Wayne family name and his personal colors, glowing with his rage and reflecting off the ailing lights which surrounded the last person they expected to see...yet at the same time, it shouldn't have come as a surprise.

The person - the young man - was encased in a surreal globe of gold which was a disgusting hue to match the flesh tone of a diseased person, coupled with swirls and specks of red like blood and vessels on the surface. The stench was aromatic with rotted plants and soiled earth, and don't get them started with what came from animals and humans. This dungeon was just a level below the first floor, and there was supposed to be just one resident in this whole damned place, which meant no one else would hear possible screams of torture.

The sight of the countless black and red stones in an unbroken circle beneath the man floating in the air clockwise, eyes closed and apparently in a deep sleep.

"Black tourmaline," Kristine snarled, "tampered with. Contaminated with evil. It's supposed to give strength to the mind, purify and protect. It's meant to shield against negative influences - NOT TO SYNCHRONIZE THEM IN SOMEONE'S BRAIN!"

Anything meant to help only to be reversed or infected with something wicked was always the trigger for Kristine and Jonathan Crane; you could see the fire swirling in her eyes, almost making her appear possessed by an evil entity.

The darkness in the containment wasn't all that boiled the blood in their veins. It was rage that put damnation to shame. It was the young man's complete nakedness that caused the sword and arrow to be drawn, and the enchantress to clench her hands into fists at her side, not wishing to release her wrath on this place and take the walls down onto them all.

"Dickie," Jason hissed, "what has she done to you?" If only I didn't have to see any part of you like this! And on cue, a familiar voice made them whirl around only to see nothing until they returned their attention to the sleeping prisoner and spotted her coming out from behind to the left. A dubious smile contorted the kindly visage they'd witnessed earlier that evening.

Jason had known it was too good to be true.

"I simply eliminated what made Richard Grayson-Wayne and remade him into the purest form, children. Now he will have one purpose and one purpose only: to carry out my will, and then DIE by it when I see fit."

~o~

"Old Granny Goodness," Jason mocked, flourishing his sword with a single swipe for show, the metal slicing through the air. "Thought you'd show sooner or later." When they'd prayed it wouldn't be the case.

"I grace the lot of you with hospitality along with the rest of this town, and you repay the goodness of my heart by infiltrating my walls." Gretchen's scowl returned with a vengeance, giving her the appearance of a female demon from eastern legends. Her clothing had changed radically, too. Now she was gowned in something belonging to the highest of royalty, bordering on a goddess. Red-and-black damask billowed out, trimmed with silvery lace shimmering thickly with pearls freshly plucked from seashells, and the sectional sleeves puffed like clouds. Behind her head was a fan-shape of exquisite black feathers from whatever bird had been killed beforehand. "And you, Silviana," she sneered at Kristine, "or is that really your name? You are just like the ones who have walked those streets to seek what has been under my protection since this town's founding. I thought I told you that you were not permitted, and I made it abundantly clear."

Yes, the hesitation and shock in the eyes of all the men in the tavern, and the mild disappointment in this hag's gaze. The public humiliation of it all, and that she had to leave lest she made a further fool of herself; the abrupt switch of the mood back to jovial as though nothing happened, like the lash of a whip, did nothing to ease the tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

Kristine wanted so much to wipe that smile off her face with all her powers. "But now that you are here, behold the future of this world. It's both the greatest gift I will bestow and finally bring order to this chaotic earth, bring the ever-revolving worms together to enrich...and to administer the worst punishments for all of disobedience." Her expression and tone darkened at once, causing the air to become colder than the worst of winters.

Roy snorted. "Are you done talking, madam? Are you gonna get to the point, granted we don't have all night?" Yet his stone-cold bravery did nothing to mask the hint of anxiety.

"Impatient and petulant. Why am I not surprised?" Gretchen shook her head, closing her eyes momentarily. "To make a long story short, what you are witnessing is a prison I have created, and after many, many years, it will expand once one more component is in the palm of my hand. Hence a willful old fool from Gotham was useful, only to withstand every method at my disposal. His body was weakened, but his mind and will were strong against my power. I have learned nothing beyond his possession of the green star which fell five years ago and ignited this war. I am patient enough to wait until all are gathered." Her eyes fired with passion. "Oh, yes, I know of the Belt of Gotham, but the rest of the world will not know until I deem it fit."

None of what she said made much sense, except - Papa IS still alive, but he's been tortured and imprisoned all this time. He's needed for this, except I am being underestimated because I am only a woman. It did make sense that his only child would be left alone and could only become subpar compared to him, but what did it matter now? These people had another thing coming.

But oh, no. She KNEW about the belt. "What do...I thought Oswald Cobblepot was the mastermind behind this war," Jason said with a frown. "Who the devil are you really?"

"I have lived for thousands of years longer than the lot of you ants, all to carry on the will of my master who failed to obtain what he was looking for. The Penguin is just a cog in my contraption, and more. As is your father...Kristine Crane."

Kristine gasped as her heart frosted. Whoever - whatever this woman or fiend really was, she was the true mastermind behind all of this, and that meant Cobblepot could be played for a fool, or just sold his soul for a price too high. Her father, powerful as he was, was an unwilling pawn in all of this, so it didn't surprise her, either, that Gretchen would put it together that his daughter was the one who came across her path and had known since the beginning.

Gretchen clapped her hands together with the sole drop onto the execution's drum. "This is the key to controlling ALL life in this world and beyond."

The world could very much come to an end here and now with this information being dropped on all their heads like falling debris. The belt - my father's dream, which is mine and which is Lord Wayne's and all those counting on us...it's being corrupted for a greater threat we never knew we were up against. No, no, no NO!

Roy's lip curled as he raised his bow and arrow higher, with the intention of striking anywhere on the old woman's face. "You...atrocious monster," he seethed. "What will this accomplish?"

"What you call subjugation, I call unity," Gretchen said matter-of-factly, fingers folding into each other. "I will harvest all of this world and rule with this power. In short, to eliminate the free will that results in nothing but ongoing conflict. On one hand -" She held up her left hand then, smiling mockingly. "- there is love, hope, understanding, peace, independence, and ultimate respect for life. And yet, on the other hand -" Now the right hand came up, and her nose wrinkled while her lip curled as though she'd smelled something rancid. "- there is death, isolation, judgment, shame, deception, and utter despair. Simply remove all of that..."

And it will leave the victims alive, yet drained utterly of life, akin to zombies obeying the ones who raise them. We'll all be nothing but hollow shells of who and what we were.

Looking at the imprisoned and dormant Dick, not only had his clothes been stripped, but so had what made him the man he was. Kristine was scared to death of what she and the men would be given if he were awakened.

"Humans need free will to thrive, otherwise life is NOT worth living!" Jason fired, sword unwavering and impatient to attack. "You will have nothing left if we've outlived your usefulness. What will you gain after it's dust?"

Gretchen's scowl remained, contrasting with her jovial tone. "There's more water in other wells to choose from." She'll find other worlds from this one after she's eliminated us all.

"My father and I never would have given the belt to you," Kristine agreed, the fire building in her palms to reflect her rage, "and I shall not do it now. The purpose was not to make the population its mindless subjects, but to heal for a brighter future and ease tensions."

A scoff from their adversary. "Pitiful dreams for the foolish. In the end, it all boils down to one's will - my will," she declared with both hands raised on either side, palms upturned in her direction, "once Darkseid's will."

No...

It can't be.

~o~

Jason's raging fury had been at its peak when he was raised from the dead.

Now it tripled to the greatest levels as though the fires of hell were unleashed from deep within the earth.

There was his brother naked and placed in a deep sleep, unaware of what was going on around him - or WAS he? - and they were being told he had ended up as the first of countless more to come in the plan to eradicate humanity's freedom in the worst way incomprehensible. And as a result, this evil witch was going to DIE.

On his honor, on the lives of his father, his beloved, his friends, and his brother who needed them, he would spill every drop of Gretchen Goode's blood tonight, or in the future if they got away alive.

It would be a benefit for us all if tonight was the night.

He doubted it would be easy, too, because she made it abundantly clear she was beyond all creatures of this world. She had to have come from hell itself. Seeing the mortification on Kristine's face as well as the paling of her complexion at the name of "Darkseid", the terrible feeling up his spine and through everything within his being became unbearable.

"And to prove it, I will demonstrate." Gretchen then snapped her fingers, and the diseased globe of light vanished, Dick's inert form collapsing to the floor, knocking some of the cleansing gems away in random directions. His round buttocks were for all to see; Jason forced himself to look away, keeping the corner of his eye open just for the main action. They weren't brothers by blood, only in bond, but he wished the elder some preservation for his pride. "I have done this to previous subjects, but he is the first in ages. Those who require discipline find themselves placed within what I call the Ghost Pit. Even the strongest of souls must give in to be cleansed." Her devilish lips spread wider to either side of her face as she walked past the trio to stand before the fallen warrior.

"He required that and much more."

"Just what the hell did you do to my brother, you hag from hell?!" Jason roared, his knuckles getting far more fragile as they were on the verge of breaking apart from his tightening grip.

Gretchen chuckled, skirts swishing loudly as she stood on Dick's left. He didn't move a muscle to indicate awareness. "Not only was he naughty, but he was a great fool to not see the trap that was set. I've had my eye on your merry band of outlaws for some time now, Gotham Knights - actually, it IS former, am I correct? You lost many a good boy that night." She somehow knew everything about them, but would that stop them? Not if Jason and his friends had anything to say about it. "Obey the will of your mistress and rise."

It was here that they learned she'd repeated that phrase to him many a number of times, and nothing else - or so they thought. They watched as Dick rose, exposing his full nudity without awareness, the old woman giving an appraising eye first over his mystical beauty and then back up to his peaceful yet firm face. His lips were pursed in a tight line.

"I believe he's learned his lesson on foolishness. I allowed him a false lead as to the whereabouts of old man Crane, let a pawn of mine act as a trusted source so that I could have at least one of the Outlaws as a test run, so to speak. Imagine my delight when the leader wound up within my grasp." Gretchen licked her pungent lips obscenely. "I saw everything in his mind, all his secrets: the painful tragedy of losing his parents, being taken in by the lord of Gotham who had no wife and child of his own, then gaining a younger brother some years after that, all being well until the slip-up of a certain little girl who should have known better than to trespass where she shouldn't have." Kristine's body language and facial mannerisms didn't change. Jason could only pray she wasn't letting all of this get to her. "Oh, and much more delightful to break in my humble opinion: the loss of a cherished friend that monstrous night, and then his own brother - but I see you are alive and well, Jason Todd. And at last, which is the cherry atop the cake, the passionate love story with an exiled Tamaranean princess, who I believe is also amongst your band of rogues."

He was glad Koriand'r wasn't here, otherwise, she'd unleash her temper because her dear heart was violated in more ways than one. Not only did the nasty gaze from the nefarious harpy tell him, Roy, and Kristine what else she'd done to Dick, but she sealed it all with her own words.

"I must admit that not only did I gain what's most precious to him, but I have grown quite...indulgent for him. You can see why, can you not?" She laughed heartily, raising a hand and cupping his chin. His eyes remained closed. "Not only did I manage to soften his brain for readjustments, but I also took some pleasure without going too far; it shall wait until I conquer the whole world, children. He is to be the first of as many consorts I intend to take into this old yet savory bosom of mine." Her and her lack of shame, lack of regard for human life -!

Kristine covered her mouth with both hands and bowed her head forward, gagging behind her fingers. Roy came close to vomiting himself and dropping his bow and arrow in the process but visibly swallowed it back down unlike the many times after he drank too much. Jason's stomach rolled over, but there was nothing that he could release; it would only stir and tighten like vines when the witch's hand let go of Richard's jawline and traveled down to explore his body, further desecrating him and Kori's love.

"I could never get enough of Richard's exquisite beauty." Her palm smoothed over gleaming, glacial chest and abdominal muscles, ending directly over the small acre of dark curls upon his pubic region. Tempers had been toyed with long enough; Jason lost his patience and raised his sword, whirling all the way around and charging right for her, intent on removing her head from her shoulders...

...but his love for his brother proved that despite his ascendance to manhood, he still had the habit of once in a while rushing in against his better judgment. Roy and Kristine's shouts along with Gretchen's leer were enough.

"Richard, obey your mistress...kill them all."

Hever Castle in Kent, England was the inspiration for the Goode House. It's a bed and breakfast with the possibilities of hosting wedding ceremonies today, but back in medieval times, it was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I; he gave the castle to Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife, following their divorce. It also contains a rare portrait of the king in his youth.

Black tourmaline is a stone ideal for nullifying and protecting against negative influences, washing away anxieties, unworthy feelings, and anger. This stone connects the user with the earth to realize that they belong to it; it's used for strengthening mental health and for protection and purification purposes. Not only does it come in black as named, but also in red, pink, green, and a green and pink combo called watermelon tourmaline.

Granny Goodness - don't you just want to slice her head off? (demonic face) She's on my list of the most hated villains ever, and I never knew of her existence until I watched the YJ show. I. Want. To. EFF HER UP.

The Ghost Pit is basically the X-Pit, which is charged by the Ghost Dimension (still trying to understand the basics of this stuff), so it's like the same damned thing on a smaller scale.

Review! :D