Back of her head bounced against the metal chair. She wished the chair had some kind of upholstery. Then again mechanical bounty hunters didn't have to worry about being comfortable. Rath's hands held the controls as steady and firm as he could.
The undercutter wasn't shaking cause of poor design or a bad pilot, but because of the extra weight attached to the underbelly of the undercutter, namely the trash bin with the remains of the cybertrackers, one of Rath's modifications.
They were heading straight for the cybertracker mother ship. The plan was going to be a dead run, at least that was what Rath told Raven. Now she was starting to wonder if she should've stayed back in San Francisco.
The shaking stopped once they were outside the Earth atmosphere. Rath was using the guidance computer to lead them to the mother ship. Once Rath got a visual, he increased the speed.
On the bridge, X209 noticed the increase in speed and something was attached to the underbelly of the approaching undercutter. Trying to hail the pilot was going unanswered. Number 1 had to be notified.
Rath wasn't going to wait for Number 1. Typing, the cargo bay doors opened. Pushing a button on his wrist computer, the trash bin was released and the retro rockets, another Rath modification, sent the trash bin into the cargo bay. It skidded across the floor taking out some cybertrackers, slammed against a wall, and blow up. The explosion wasn't from the remains of the cybertrackers inside the trash bin, but the sixty thousand pounds of nitroglycerine Rath, not telling Raven, had packed inside the bin.
Pulling up on the controls handle, the undercutter barely missed the surface of the mother ship.
"Think I lost my stomach," remarked Raven.
"As long you don't lose your lunch," commented Rath, "then there should be no problem."
The undercutter started to bounce as huge sparks of light appeared in front and beside them.
"What was that?"
"Laser fire."
"Who's firing at us?"
Looking at the radar screen, "Cybertracker's attack ships."
"They have attack ships?"
"Yes."
"You knew this?"
"Hoping they didn't bring them."
Bouncing of the undercutter prevented Raven's head from sinking into her hand.
Now you're wondering how come the Justice League Watchtower on the moon wasn't monitoring this? Simple, all the ships were cloaked so the monitoring systems weren't picking them up. The laser fire was recorded as meteors burning up in the Earth's atmosphere.
Raven's discomfort increased when they entered the asteroid field. Her fingers dug into the arm rests as Rath dodged the floating rocks.
"For somebody who flies, you don't like flying much."
"Least when I fly, I'm in control."
"Control freak," moving the controls left.
"Shut up and," seeing the huge asteroid, "Watch out," covering her eyes.
Turning the digging operations on, Rath's hands sent the undercutter into a spin. They drilled into the rock. Some of the attack ships slammed into the surface.
"Time to end this," pushing a blue button.
It released a sonic bomb. Increasing the distance between it and them proved difficult when one's trying to dodge rocks, but not impossible. It went off and sending a shockwave taking out anything in its path including the attack ships.
With her hands still on her eyes, "Are we dead yet?"
"Not yet," trying to keep rocks between them and the shockwave.
Ahead of them was the end of the asteroid belt. Question was could they make it? Once they cleared, Rath pulled up and the edge of the shockwave skimmed under them. They went into a tailspin.
Hearing a long list of dirty names coming from Raven's mouth, "She's must be making some of those up," he thought trying to stabilize the ship.
That shockwave was recorded by the Watchtower. However by time it was investigated, those involved were gone.
Finally the ship stabilized.
Removing her hands, "Are we dead?"
Holding his hand out, "Welcome to Hell."
Brushing his hand away, "I'm not in the mood for your attempts at humor."
"But funnier then Beast Boy," pushing buttons.
"No, more tolerate."
Beside their chairs, the floor opened and armrests with a cylinder with tubing sticking out from appeared.
"What are those?"
Unlatching the cover of the cylinder next to Raven, "Must prepare for cryosleep," placing her left arm onto the armrest.
"What's cryosleep?"
"A self induce deep sleep."
"Like a coma?"
"Close."
Pulling her arm from the rest, "No, take me home."
Turning her chair and leaning into her face, "Raven, listen, some one knows I'm on Earth. That means more cybertrackers or other bounty hunters will be coming for me."
"They can have you."
"Not if they have to go through you and the Titans."
Giving this a thought, "Fine," putting her arm on the arm rest, "Are there any side effects?"
Closing the cylinder around her arm, "It's believed that most of the brain goes a sleep expect the animal side," turning the pump on, "Just calm easy breathes. No different then mediating."
Resting her back against the chair support, her breathing was a calm, easy rhythm as a blue liquid entered her blood stream. Her eyelids became heavy and difficult to keep open. Finally sleep claimed her.
Staring at the reading of her life signs, Rath conclude she was a sleep. Kissing her forehead, he sat down and repeated the process that Raven had just went through.
At bar on unnamed planet, red eyes of a Czarnian was studying the aftermath of his perfect handling of another bar fight. Lighting his cigar, his beeper went off. Puffing on the cigar, his right hand pulled the beeper off his belt. Pushing a button, a hologram appeared.
"Well, well, well," he said reading contents of the hologram.
He had a client. That didn't surprise him since he was the main man. It was name of the bounty that surprised him.
"Hello, Blackie."