Renegade

Chapter 21

Batman was at the mercy of a madman, not that he hasn't been there before, but it was always difficult to survive. Wraith motioned with his blade for him to move inside the room. Batman complied and stepped in the room always conscious of the sword that Wraith had to his throat. He slowly stepped to the corner of the dark room following Wraith's every order. Wraith backed him up until there was no where else to lead him; Batman was his. Or at least he was until light crept into the room.

The door opposite to them opened wide to reveal the face of Ark Magnus who witnessed would have been Batman's execution were it not for his quick reflexes.

Quickly, he reached out his arm and conjured a mass of energy to form around Wraith's arm preventing him from cutting Batman through. Wraith's head was turned away so he didn't notice him enter, but Ark stopped him from cutting Batman's throat, he knew exactly was going on. Wraith tilted his head and turned it until his eyes met with Ark's.

"Renegade." He said to Ark.

"Now, now, did you really think a psionic dampener would hold me back?"

"How did you escape?"

"I would be really stupid to tell you wouldn't I?"

"You are really stupid to challenge me, aren't you?"

Wraith, who had practically forgotten his former prey, launch straight for Ark who had the grace and agility to avoid his sword. Ark bulleted to the side, ricocheted of the wall, and went flying straight toward Wraith, who also had the speed to dodge an attack.

Fortunately, Wraith didn't see the attack coming; so his face once again met Ark's fist sending him flying into a bookcase on the far wall of the small room.

Wraith was angry now, and as bad luck would have it Ark was still recovering and composing himself from his last attack, making him a perfect target. Wraith ran and slashed hitting Ark's chest agitating his wound that was still left from their last battle. Ark returned his strike with some quick punches which Wraith easily blocked. However, the roundhouse kick to his side forced him to the ground. Ark leapt at his fallen enemy and started sending him punches like he was giving out coffee to a room full of business men (that's a lot). Wraith managed to find an opening in his attacks large enough to fit in his own.

He kicked Ark right in the chin, which hurt, a lot. It hurt enough to once again send him flying into a wall, but this time, he was in trouble. Wraith prepared for the final strike. His footsteps were precise. His determination was rock-solid. His—

Suddenly the ghostly figure fell to the ground. He looked franticly wondering what happened to his legs where he found the problem, a Bat-a-rang.

Batman stood in the corner where he originally was and smiled a simple smile.

"Forget someone?"

Wraith quickly got up to meet the Caped Crusader but was struck from behind by Ark. After that moment he was disoriented, disoriented enough for Batman to pick him up and begin his stereotypical interrogation. You know, slamming him against the wall to frighten him and then get the info out.

"Who are you?" Batman demanded.

Wraith bided his time by speaking a prepared speech as he fumbled with his fingers. "A ghost in the night, a slayer of men, and your worst enemy, I am," Wraith took out a knife, which he secretly hid in his pocket, and slashed Batman across the chest forcing him to let Wraith go. Wraith wouldn't leave until he finished his speech. "I am the Wraith." He said as he ran out the door.

Batman looked at the figure identified as the Renegade and began his questioning.

"You're the Renegade?" Asked Batman

"I wish I could say no." Confessed Ark.

"What do you know about the organization?"

"Enough to know that if you know what the name: organization means you've obviously done your homework."

"Most of what I know comes from this." Batman took out of his Utility belt: six silver balls, and a familiar red jacket."

"So you've found my databalls, and my jacket." Ark took his beloved jacket and put it on. It was a perfect fit and it seemed somebody had sown it back together since his last battle. Ark looked into the great detective's eyes and saw that he was rather resourceful. He had never mentioned the stolen databalls, as he called them, to anybody except Crossfire. So he was either lucky, or smart to be able to find them. The information they held came from an official whose name neither Ark, nor Crossfire cared to know. All they knew is that they would need to combat their invisible enemy somehow, and revealing them seemed to be the best way.

"But of course now you know that the information is fragmented, almost useless, almost, but it seemed to be enough to track me using my subdermals, and probably Crossfire's as well."

"I understand that you have a connection to the Titans." Batman was still concerned about Robin, fearing for him as a father would his son.

"Yeah, that's true. I went to them for protection, but the organization attacked them and me. Now I don't know where any of them are." Ark still felt guilt over the Titan's situation. It wasn't fair that he brought them into this. But he definitely was going to get them out.

Batman understood the boy's guilt well. Ark's mind was full of "If only's" and "What didn't I's" But that wasn't going to help at this point.

An idea struck the Dark Knight and he began searching through the files he had uploaded from the computer earlier.

"What are you doing?" Ark asked.

"Finding Robin." Batman continued until he found a file dubiously named "Catmix" Which strangely enough held the location of Robin's cell.

"I've got him."

After Batman said those words, the tide began to turn toward the heroes' side.

Raven began her meditation in her distracting room. With Wraith gone to wherever he was it was barely doable, but she had always been the one to never give up. Despite what depressing words she had to say, she always deeply believed everything would turn out right.

She began sending out a signal, like a homing beacon that would draw the attention of any magic users. Even the novices.

Ark heard her distant voice echoing. He needed it to be clearer to be able to tell where she was so he went into a sort of trance. His muscles loosened, his conscious thought drifted until he was unconscious lying on the floor, which came as a shock to Batman. From his perspective, Ark just randomly passed out, but soon enough Ark's eyes opened and he slowly got to his feet. He knew where Raven was now. He just knew. It was like he remembered exactly where to go to get there.

Ark looked into Batman's shocked eyes and made an attempt to explain himself.

"It's Raven. She's sending out a message to anyone who can hear her. I can barely make it out; it's like throwing a rock into a calm stream and I'm standing on the edge of the last ripple. But it's strong enough for me to find her."

Batman was clueless at this point; so he said what he absolutely knew for sure. "That's two Titan's then."

Ark could tell that Batman needed to be clued in. "Umm, maybe I should recap what's happened in the last few days."

"It would help."

Wraith stood with his partner Vincent in a dark room. The room itself was dark enough so that not even the figure of a body could be seen; both of them preferred the dark.

"How is everything proceeding?" Vincent asked.

"Well enough, but I still don't understand how he got out on his own."

"In the end it doesn't matter. All that matters is that things are going according to plan. Are they, Wraith?"

"Other than Batman finding the place a little too quickly and the Renegade's ability to escape from nearly any prison, I would say that things are going exactly as planned."

"Good. We can't know everything, but we know enough."