(Sighs.) You know, it sort of figures that, not even a day after I get back from vacation, I get a bad case of dehydration and writer's block…sorry that this took so long to update, but I've been a bit busy, getting better, but also trying to update more on my other stories.
Kazzy103: (Breathes a sigh of relief) Thank God. To tell you the truth, I was panicking like crazy over my break, telling myself about "how bad this chapter was" and finding all these mistakes with it. I'm my own worst critic… Yeah…poor Raven, especially considering what I'm planning to do to her…it doesn't make me feel any better. Well…I hope you have a good vacation, and I hope to see you back, whenever you return! (PS: Yeah, I loved Part Two of "The End." So cool…But I swear to God, when I saw Slade's face in Part Three—you know, where he's battling Trigon's minion with the giant ax—I was so freaked, I yelled out loud, and my sister came in looking at me like I was a crazy person…well…crazier than I already am, that is.)
Infamous One: Interestingly enough, that's one idea that occurred to me as I was writing the last chapter; what if I had Rose and Robin…? Yeah… But I don't think it would work. Maybe I'll just make them friends. Though if I had them this way, maybe it'd be a lot more painful when I…nah. And…that's how Adeline died? Man…nobody can just die normally these days…Yes, it's very sad, that this is happening to Slade and his family. Yet, when you think about things, sometimes it seems that he brought it upon himself, what with going behind Addie's back to continue being a mercenary (and that got Joseph's throat slit)…it's difficult to pity him, but…if you know his story from the comics, they make him out to be more of a "human." The show, though it's good, really makes him appear as a monster. I have mixed opinions about "Mr. Wilson." I'm glad that you're looking forward to a sequel, and I hope you like this chapter!
Remix17: Yes…(Grins evilly) What will happen to Rose, I wonder? Slade's daughter did join up with him in the comics…Hmm. (I think—I hope—you'll be surprised with the outcome, but sadly, Rose won't return until the sequel that I mentioned in the last chapter. Thankfully, her role shall be much bigger.)
Pickles12: Tsk, tsk…your argument made me laugh really hard. The two of you remind me of myself and my own sister when we're bickering. Pickles: Oh, wow, that is funny; what are the odds? But at least you know a bit more about Rose, hopefully. And I feel bad for you having to explain everything about Robin to Spud. Heh heh heh…when I started telling my younger sister, she wouldn't leave me alone. She had to know everything about each of the Titans, which took a really long time on my part, and then she wanted to know about Slade's family life which is even more screwed up than the Titans' pasts. Spud: Interesting that you should mention Rose's reaction to who Robin really is…I don't know if you guys know, but I'm doing a sequel, which will bring Rose back…with some interesting results…
Napoleon Dynamite clone: Thanks so much; the suspense really is building! (Cue the dramatic music!) I'm glad you liked the lyrics—and I listened to that song you suggested, "Sad but True." Oh. My. God. That was so awesome! It was a really great song and fit Slade perfectly! You were so right. You know…maybe I can use that song for later on in the story, should the perfect situation arise… (PS: I love your name. Napoleon Dynamite is one of my favorite movies, and it makes me laugh so hard every time.)
KaliAnn: Author Alert? Aw, shucks… But I'm so glad that you like this story so much! PS: I've been trying SO hard to get enough computer time so I can finish your story. I want to read the last chapter so badly, but things are so hectic around here…It's such an excellent story…I'll come by as soon as I possibly can! I promise.
Insanity 101: Oh yeah. I can totally relate. Being grounded absolutely sucks. I'm happy, knowing that you want a sequel. I was worried that nobody would want me to do something like that. But, everything's okay! Actually, what you said about Wintergreen made perfect sense because it's what I was aiming for in the first place. I really do believe that Alfred's Batman is not so different from "WG." Yeah…Rose was supposed to be a Titan…when I read that, it left me completely surprised. It's funny that you should mention that as well, because that's basically how I was going to start off this chapter! You've got an excellent point about Slade. Normally, fathers (though Slade's not exactly a possible candidate for "The World's Best Dad" award, if you know what I mean) are changed after they have children. Slade did love Rose's mother, but she's not the one that shot his eye out. (This is the part where I go into a major comic explanation. Brace yourself!) Slade's first wife, Adeline Kane, gave birth to his two sons, Grant and Joseph. But Slade hated just being a family man, so he continued being a mercenary behind her back, until their younger son, Joseph, was kidnapped by one of Slade's enemies (I think it was the Jackal) and then Slade had to tell Addie about what he was doing. The two of them saved their son, but he got his vocal cords slit by the bad guy, so he was a mute. Needless to save, Adeline got seriously pissed at her "husband," and shot his eye out, and then divorced him. Then he met this Asian Royalty person Lili Worth—Rose's mother—and had this love affair with her, the result being his illegitimate daughter, Rose. Lili kept Rose a secret, and later moved to the states. Ta—da. That may have been a bit more than what you were asking for, but… No, no, it's okay, you explaining the entire episode and all. Seriously; I usually want all the details anyway, so I don't have a problem with that. Yes, my poor friend—I keep telling her that Teen Titans is on at seven now, and yet there's never enough time for her…matter of fact, I've been trying to get her turned on to some of your stories…She doesn't really go for pairings, but she thinks that Robin and Raven makes a lot more sense than anything else. Well, anyway; yes, my evil little sister. Thankfully, I've seen "The End," part two…only to miss the stupid third part. I'm dying to know if Rob and Rae wound up together…though, unfortunately, I think he'll go with Star…(Shakes head wearily). Anyway—yeah! I finished HP6 in…under two days. I can't believe JK would end it like that! AHHHH! Yes, we definitely need to talk…well, enjoy the chapter!
Anaconda13: Thank you! Here's that update you were waiting for!
Pirategirl89: Thanks so much! I was a little worried that there were too many flashbacks, but…I guess it's okay! Hahaha, yeah…Slade in a tutu…that's priceless…. Oh, Wintergreen? Uh, okay; believe it or not, Wintergreen is Slade's friend—imagine a dude like Slade having a friend! He's the only one that Slade trusts, and he's sort of…he's sort of like Batman's Alfred, you know what I mean? Hehehe…a giant stick of gum…To be honest, I love your reviews. They make me crack up…anyway, here's the new chappie!
Aeris-Raven: Yeah…to think Rose would've been a Titan! I was shocked when I read that about her, when I was trying to figure out more on her past…wow…so glad you liked the last chapter—here's the new one!
Firefly4000: Yay! You like it! I'm glad that you are enjoying my story so much!
Chapter Nineteen: Clipped Wings (Ominous name, eh?)
Robin-
It was hard for him to think, that, if everything had gone according to Slade's original plans for his daughter, Rose would be one of the Titans right now. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing, or bad thing; she had seemed nice enough. Perhaps she was trustworthy? …On the other hand, her father might one day come for her, and he and his friends might have just ended up with another Terra on their hands.
Robin also couldn't help wondering that, if Rose was on their side, would Slade still give Holocaust the order to kill her alongside his friends? A shiver ran up his spine; the man wasn't so cold that'd he mortally wound his own daughter…was he?
Not wanting to pursue this subject any longer, the Boy Wonder drove it from his mind and turned his attention back to the looming shape that was Wayne Manor, a slightly guilty expression crossing his face as he remembered the conflict he was going to encounter with Raven…not to mention Bruce…honestly, he didn't know how he was going to be able to deal with either of them…
The boy sighed and, withdrawing a birdarang he had stashed in his pocket—just in case—sliced the lock that held the large, black gates in front of the house closed, before setting off down the enormous drive, hesitating slightly before the front doors. He felt like he was eight years old again, staring up at the gigantic mansion before him and feeling tiny and insignificant. Robin recalled himself thinking about how he couldn't live here. What if he got lost?
But Bruce was always there, right behind him with words of encouragement, opening the door for him…
Robin shook his head violently and hurried over the threshold, hoping to leave his thoughts outside where they couldn't disturb and distract him…
It was only as he finished locking the door that it struck him how silent things were in the house. Everything was left just as it had been before he'd taken Beast Boy to the hospital; Alfred was still propped limply in his armchair (Robin felt another twinge of guilt in his stomach. He was going to have to make it up to Alfred later) and there was no sign of Bruce anywhere…however—Raven was nowhere in sight, but there were glass shards covering the floor and rug everywhere; he could guess how that had happened.
The teen could have screamed out loud in his anger; she couldn't just listen to what he suggested! She had gone looking for him, despite what he said in his note, and if she wasn't careful, she was going to be attacked!
"God…" He growled viciously beneath grinding teeth, close to ripping his hair out. Instead, he managed to contain his anger (just barely, however) and stomped over the piano, where he punched out the tune that opened the Batcave. He needed to find his uniform, which he'd discarded in Batman's lair—there was no way in hell he was staying in these clothes, and he needed his mask if he had to take on Slade once more. Robin felt vulnerable without the comforting feeling of it against his skin, as it covered his eyes securely.
All in all, he admitted reluctantly, as he cast his cape around his shoulders again. At least the meeting with Rose hadn't gone horribly wrong. At least she was friendly. She could have been some sort of evil villain psycho…
It was a bonus, he concluded, as he pulled his boots on, that he didn't have to deal with yet another crazy out there in the world, especially when he had Slade and his homicidal buddy, Holocaust.
During the time he had been changing, he'd slipped the disk from Cyborg (he'd stashed it in his utility belt for safe keeping) into one of the cave's spare computers ("spare" meaning any of them that Bruce hadn't already turned on and cluttered with a bunch of information on the maniacs in Gotham) and continued learning what he could on Slade's past life…
It was strange, but, as he dug deeper, reading more on his worst enemy, the man became less and less superior and monster like, and descended to the level of just another normal human being…aside from the mercenary, super villain things. In fact, Robin almost laughed out loud when he learned that Slade had lost one of his eyes because his first wife—Adeline Kane was her name—had shot it out after his secret work as an assassin had endangered their son. Funny: Robin had always wondered about Slade's one eye, and had often imagined something a bit more dramatic.
He sobered up considerably though, when he came Lili Worth, Rose's mother. Robin and Rose had more in common than he—or she, for that matter—had guessed. They both had at least one parent die in a freak accident (But the report never said Ms. Worth's death was confirmed, he noticed thoughtfully).
There was so much more, though…Slade blamed himself for the deaths of his two sons; he'd lied about his age to get into the army—thanks to Wintergreen, his best friend (Robin's mouth fell open—Slade actually had a friend! So how could the madman tell him that friend's meant nothing!)—and it was there that he subjected himself to experiments of a truth serum which made him—
Immortal.
Robin swallowed hard, feeling his heart sink into the pits of his stomach. Slade would…would live forever? Then…that meant that he'd never stop running, never stop fighting the man until the day that he died, unless Slade caught him and—
From above, the elevator came to life, sinking downwards into the cave, and Robin was alert in a second. Warily, he stood and withdrew the disk, before slinking backwards into the shadows to hide.
It looked like Bruce was home…
Raven-
Day was fading fast, and there was no one who could confirm on the phone that Robin at the hospital in either Jump or Gotham. She could find no mental waves coming from him throughout the streets, and she had been out for hours, not to mention that she was starting to get a headache.
Needless to say, Raven was pissed off.
With an annoyed huff, the demoness threw herself down on a bench in the midst of the shadowy park to rest for awhile, but also to simmer for a few moments and pleasantly conjuring images of Robin under different and horrible curses.
The girl closed her eyes and leaned back slightly to gaze at the moon, as it was unveiled by the declining sunset, picking out a few stars nearby. She was so tired…Raven hadn't slept in an extremely long time, and it was certainly not improving her mood…maybe…maybe all of this would be over soon, and she could stop running: Running after lost friends like some sort of baby-sitter, running from bad guys who wanted to mortally wound her—or kill her, more likely. Even heroes sometimes needed a break at times; they didn't have unlimited energy to go speeding around the world to save the day all the time…deep down, they were still—uh—at least partly human. It didn't matter how the comic books or newscasters depicted them, nobody was perfect.
Raven suddenly realized how quiet it was. Sure, it was getting close to night, but…shouldn't there still be birds or crickets chirping? Or people for that matter?
Slowly, she got to her feet, squinting at the oncoming darkness. Something was wrong; she could sense it. The girl couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there something lurking at the back of her mind, some eerie feeling that disturbed her…
"Hey there, kid. Miss me?"
Raven's eyes narrowed and she turned to face the familiar countenance of Holocaust. For someone who was about to fight, he looked oddly relaxed, sprawled lazily across the bench where she had just been sitting a few seconds beforehand. She did not respond, but instead gathered psychic power to her palms and eyed him frostily, even though within, her heart was beating like mad.
Meanwhile, Holocaust had got to his feet, still looking extremely comfortable. He made no move to start throwing fire, but instead looked at her with the same pitying interest someone might show to a little child who was acting stupid. This fact melted some of Raven's fear, fueling the furnace that was her rage. She might be lucky enough and win this battle, or at least escape this time unscathed…
That was what she was hoping anyway.
"So," the fire demon drawled. "It's your turn. I hope you're ready?"
He was mocking her.
"Don't worry," She said coolly. "I am."
Holocaust laughed and, cracking his knuckles, summoned fire to match the darkness she clutched in her hands.
"Let's get this started."
And the two began to battle.
Batman-
He might not know much about Richard's new life, or what his son was up to these days, and other trivial things a father should know, but he knew the way Robin worked and what his thought process was. After all—he had taught the kid everything he knew.
He'd suspected someone was in the house from the very start, after he found Alfred knocked out. If there was anything the butler didn't seem to do, it was to take breaks during the work day. The British man seemed to love his work a bit too much…then again, so did Bruce. Partly the reason the two of them worked so well together. Anyway: Alfred's current state was nothing that smelling salts couldn't help, but, as his friend awoke, the Dark Knight had noticed the green pieces of glass strewn all over the floor, something he didn't remember doing. And since the demon/Goth/whatever she was girl wasn't to be seen anywhere, Bruce had drawn the obvious conclusion, and headed for the Batcave.
It was a bit too quiet when he went below; the air carried a strange sort of feeling in it, the kind of sense you get when you know there is something amiss. It's often easier to pick up when you are in familiar surroundings where you spend much of your free time, for you've grown so accustomed to a usual ambiance within it, that when there is something wrong, the problem is only too simple to detect.
Bruce moved with stealth, weaving his way between tables cluttered with newspaper information (many of them bearing similar titles of "Day Saved Once Again By Mysterious 'Batman'!") and computer monitors whose screens were crammed with multiple windows that had been opened, his blue eyes darting this way and that for a clue that would alert him to another presence. Quite truthfully, he could just barely keep a smile off his face as he resisted reminiscing the old days of training he'd spent, trying to see how long Robin could hold off, eluding an enemy's grasp.
Too bad for the Bat that the boy had passed with flying colors. But he didn't let that discourage him in the least.
Bruce tuned his ears for even the smallest noise—a simple bat flapped its wings once, a mouse's tail accidentally flicked against an empty test tube: He would hear it. Robin might have a few tricks up his sleeve here and there that his mentor wasn't aware of (and Bruce was humble to acknowledge often enough) but being a father—especially to a stubborn teenager who went around chasing criminals, and whose behavior started rumors that he was suffering from insanity (Batman had discovered that much about his kid at least, not that it eased his troubles at all)—enabled him to benefits that Robin didn't.
Whaddya know? Being a parent pays…
Batman halted, acting bored, beside a gigantic stack of note cards (each containing a miniature bio on every crook he'd ever gone up against and alphabetically ordered, of course…another suggestion that he obsessed with fighting delinquents, and another excuse for Alfred to clear his throat loudly and begin wondering—out loud, of course—about Bruce's single life) and pretended to flip through them as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world at the moment, but all the while, he was listening hard, waiting. For the most part, he was patient man and could spend all day anticipating the next action of his prey.
Then:
A small noise came from underneath a table off to the side followed by someone vehemently swearing beneath their breath, before a set of footsteps began racing towards the elevator—
Bruce turned smoothly on his heel and gently caught Robin's arm just as he raced past. The boy wasted no time however and, using the force that Bruce jerked him back with, whirled back around and hit his mentor in the stomach as hard as he possibly could.
It had the intended effect, and Bruce doubled over, muttering curse words even worse than the ones the teen had uttered just a few minutes earlier, while Robin continued sprinting for the elevator shaft. Before the Dark Knight could get his breath back to ask what the hell the kid was doing, the Boy Wonder had already grabbed onto the nearest rope that raised and lowered the contraption, and began climbing up it furiously.
I guess the stupid thing isn't fast enough for him, Bruce thought wearily, staggering after his adopted child while trying to regain more air in his lungs and silently promising that as soon as he got his hands on Robin, the boy was in for it…
Holocaust-
Okay, okay; for a little girl who sat around and sobbed over her brainless, unskilled friends who were currently lying in bed and oozing like sacks of wet sand, and was a member of a group of annoying, bratty teenagers—she wasn't half bad when it came to fighting.
To put it better…she was a nut, flying around and screaming gibberish at him: Alakazam, Meteor, Zinko? Well, fine—powerful gibberish, because a bunch of black stuff flew at him whenever she yelled and nearly blasted his ass off. So, he was being a bit more cautious this time around.
The Goth girl's eyes suddenly became black, her pupils and irises lost in shadow; it was freaky enough without having to know what would follow. Her feet left the ground and Holocaust just managed to dive behind a tree for protection, before she let loose those magic words in a sort of animalistic shriek—it sounded a lot like a bird screeching before it swept down on its next meal—before spirals of power erupted from her palms and twisted to form a gigantic creature of darkness—a mix between a pterodactyl and a hawk. Four red eyes gleamed sadistically at him before it screamed and dove at his crouching form, beak wide open as if it were preparing to devour him.
Holocaust threw his hands out in front of him and ignited a brilliant flame, that, much to his shock, caused the evil monster to melt away in the light. He chuckled slightly, happy at his victory, but the girl was still frozen, spread—eagled in mid-air, eyes now a brilliant white. Her mouth was still open wide as if in a silent scream and, followed by many blasts of lightening—which he knew weren't natural—other twisted beasts began emerging from the power that was flowing out of her palms like a waterfall. Huge, bloated rats—also with multiple eyes—lumbered towards him, their jaws slavering as they crawled over one another in hoards to get to him. Vicious birds with fangs (now that was something you didn't see everyday…) swooped and cursed at him with their crazed squawking…they looked a lot like morbid duplicates of ravens or crows…or something like that, anyway…
The fire demon blasted back as many as he could, but they began to overpower him, crawling on him and dragging him downwards, while he struggled all the while. The girl, on the other hand, still appeared dazed, but—for just a brief second—the face of a monster leered out at him, instead of her blank look… a terrible monster, who appeared to be something from the very depths of Hell; its face was wrapped with sickly green bandages and tentacles waved like streamers in a sudden, tiny cyclone that had picked up without warning. White hair streaked out from beneath the scabbing face beneath the makeshift mask, and a set of antlers began growing from its head. Silver lights whirled everywhere, blurring in the freakish storm that surrounded the two of them; above, the once peaceful sunset was now ruined, streaked with lines of sickly green and black as if it were canvas for kindergartner finger painting project.
A screech seemed to come from the Earth, and, through the suffocating masses of darkness, he saw the girl suddenly gasp in horror as she fell back to the ground in a crumpled heap, shivering violently. The rats and birds and everything vanished and Holocaust quickly got to his feet and scrambled backwards into a safe area where he could hide and watch her…
What in the hell was he dealing with here?
Raven-
She shuddered horribly beneath the many folds of her cloak which now felt threadbare, leaving her alone and vulnerable to the crazed winds that were just dying down now as she lay there. Raven was confused, and her headache hadn't improved…What had just happened—?
She knew.
Raven had given into Fear. In her mind, her own self-control had just barely wrestled her anxiety back into its cage…she'd almost let Trigon back in…
The demoness found it astounding that this simple bad guy could cause such a dangerous reaction with her powers. Slade was insane and had caused more trouble for her and her team than any other enemy out there. But…Holocaust had just come to town, and already he was affecting her. How…?
Perhaps what frightened her the most…maybe it was because he was part demon like her, and if she had submitted to the evil in her…she could be just like him, taking down her friends one by one…and not even caring.
They were more alike than she had considered in the first place.
Is this what you feel like when you face Slade, Robin? This mental torment that, if things had gone differently, you could be like him? Is this one of the reasons that he scares you?
Grabbing onto the bench—or at least half of it, since the other part had been blown away in her outburst—Raven shoved herself back onto her feet, hands curling into fists as she prepared to fight. Unless it was necessary, she wasn't going to use her powers…she should be careful…she didn't want to lose it again.
"I know who you are…"
The voice came from all around her, and it made her jump slightly. Holocaust emerged from his hiding place, regarding her thoughtfully.
"I heard about you back home."
"And where's that?" Raven spat, keeping the quiver out of her voice, though just barely succeeding.
"Hell," he said simply. "So. Shall we proceed?"
In response, Raven hurled herself at him, leg poised for a round house kick to his stomach.
Alfred-
Being a butler to a super hero was never a simple job; he knew that when Master Bruce had decided to don the cowl of the Dark Knight and start on his never-ending quest to purge his home city from evil.
But really? Knocking him out? Was it absolutely needed?
Alfred touched the newly acquired lump at the back of his head tenderly, biting his lip in pain.
Master Dick and his friend could have just asked, the man thought resentfully, as he knelt on the ground and began to scoop up what had once been a paperweight. His work was never done around this place…
The British man was about to go for the dustpan and broom that were in the kitchen when there came a small scuffling sound from the library as the bookcase and entrance into the Batcave was shoved aside. Robin stumbled through the opening, looked about him wildly, and began running for the front door; the bookcase, which had just begun to close automatically, suddenly shuddered open again and Master Bruce burst into the room as well, before he took after his son in hot pursuit. Alfred watched the interesting spectacle with a slightly bemused (and slightly puzzled) look, as the two of them pelted down the hallway.
Master Dick almost made it to the door when his father suddenly threw himself forward and caught hold of the boy's ankle. However, the teenager was not about to go down without a fight.
"Let go of me!" He yelled, hostility evident in his tone as he kicked without warning, and his free foot nearly got Bruce in the nose. The older hero loose a roar of obvious frustration.
"Richard! Why in the name of God are you running away from me! We're on the same side, damn it! Richard, listen to me—"
"I told you earlier, already; don't call me that! It's not my name anymore!" At that moment, Alfred saw something that Master Bruce did not; a small tear slipped down Robin's cheek even as the Boy Wonder continued to rant. The boy had turned away though, so that his father could not see it. Why?
"…And I don't give a shit about what you have to say anyway—LET ME GO!"
In response, Bruce drew his hand back and smacked the boy abruptly in the head and immediately, Robin's struggles died down a bit as he devoted his activity now to staying awake. The blow, Alfred noted, had been especially hard on Master Bruce's part, and he eyed his employer a bit reproachfully as the man carried the boy's dizzy form over to the couch. Bruce shrugged guiltily, before turning his attention to his son, who was steadily recovering from the hit.
"Robin: Stop moving. Tell me what's going on—no, stop! Now, just relax and—"
Despite the Dark Knight's attempt at a soothing tone, Master Dick began to sit up, and Bruce had to hold him down, though it barely made a difference; his son continued to writhe—obviously enraged that he couldn't get away—with amazing strength for a child.
"Would you just hold still! Please, listen to me, Robin. You can trust me; explain what's going on with you and your—stop! Damn it—" Alfred winced at the repeated profanity, but did not interrupt. "—If you don't stop and talk to me, I swear I will hit you again!"
"Then do it!" Master Richard suddenly screamed, enraged. "Just do it already! Hit me as hard as you want—Slade would, and the two of you are exactly alike! You both try to control me and you both hate me—"
The butler noticed that Bruce stiffened slightly at being likened to the unknown madman that tormented the Boy Wonder, but looked especially sorry at the word "hate." Richard saw this and pressed his advantage, thrashing even more wildly than before.
"You can't do it! It's an empty threat! You can't do it because you're too weak! I wish you'd go to Hell!"
Master Bruce did nothing for a few minutes, merely stared at the teen fighting beneath him, then quickly struck his son on the side of the head. Robin blinked, looking slightly surprised before he blacked out, though not before murmuring:
"I knew you were just like him…"
Batman got to his feet and stood stock still, gazing upwards at the ornate chandelier that dangled from the ceiling, glittering with light; it illuminated the inside of the manor, twinkling merrily—an odd contrast to the navy dusk that had swept down on Gotham gently, like a blanket tucked around a child that was preparing to sink into peaceful slumber. Alfred still remained behind the couch, glancing between the unconscious form of Richard, and Master Bruce's back.
"I don't hate him, you know…" Bruce muttered gruffly, not turning around. "He's the only one I've got, besides you, Alfred…the last thing I want is for him to be hurt in any way."
The British man nodded silently.
"I…" The Dark Knight gave a fierce bark of laughter. "He's going to kill me whenever he gets up…I…would you please get some tea? I have a feeling he's going to have a splitting headache when he wakes up."
Alfred nodded mutely once more and shuffled off to the kitchen but not before glancing briefly over his shoulder; Master Bruce had begun to pace in a circle, apparently thinking hard.
Raven-
"AHHHH!"
Raven charged at her attacker, punching wildly at Holocaust as hard as she could. The fire demon dodged her blows with ease, before grabbing hold of her wrist and swinging her into the nearest tree, knocking the wind out of her. Her vision swayed, but she still managed to watch him lean down over the broken remnants of the bench and pick up a metal beam, wielding it like a weapon; Raven glared and flew back into the fight without pausing to think.
She had her emotions imprisoned…but at the same time she was no longer in control. There was a hint of desperation as she moved while she battled with her adversary; he'd hurt her friends…and he'd hurt her too.
Raven couldn't let him do that—
The scenery before her eyes started to swirl and blend together. For a moment, she thought she'd been struck in the head, but slowly darkness began to gather, and she realized what was happening—another premonition.
No, no, not again!
She was Robin again, dodging and twisting as she steadily made her way backwards along a catwalk suspended somewhere in a horrible, abysmal place somewhere below the earth. It had a dark, slimy smell to it that make her want to gag and there was a trickling sound that made her assume that the entire place was located somewhere near water. Slade was steadily advancing on her, clutching his bo—staff, though Raven noticed—and it didn't encourage her—that the point had become much sharper than before.
Suddenly, in an unexpected move, Slade sliced through the air with the staff in an arc to cut through the left side of her friend's chest. Raven froze in shock, unable to understand what had quite happened…blood was seeping everywhere, soaking the orange of Robin's apprentice uniform, pouring over his hands. Slade—his mask spattered with droplets of crimson—poised the staff once more, aiming for her friend's heart—
Raven snapped out of it just in time to see Holocaust coming towards her, the metal piece in his hand held like a javelin—
The very tip punctured her stomach.
The demoness gasped, eyes widening in shock as she started to reach for it, about to pull it out, but the fire man drove it upwards, into, and through her chest, impaling her perfectly, before he ripped it out mercilessly.
Raven sank to her knees unbelievingly, shoulders shuddering with lack of air. Why was it so difficult to breathe?
He punctured a lung.
A tear of frustration slipped down her face.
"No…"
"Well, kid…" Holocaust's eyes were glowing again, and he sounded pleased with her agony.
"It has been tons of fun but I've just got to get to this meeting with my partner…you know, finalize plans to destroy your home…murder him…so on and so forth. Later…"
Raven turned her head towards the pavement, shaking her head from side to side. This couldn't be happening...Nobody knew where she was, and night was already on the city…If she didn't get medical attention, eventually she was going to lose the will to keep breathing, she would slowly suffocate…
And then, she would die.
To be Continued…
Dear me, this is getting bad…
Later:
Rebel-Aquarius