Chapter Nine:

Break My Fall

The clones commenced their attack.

I brought my sword up, and yelled, "Titans, G…!"

I was cut off by a giant boot to the face by one of the Slade clones. Robin jumped onto the back of it, clawing away with the sharp edge of one of his projectiles. The almost impenetrable armor wore the object down like a pencil. The clone punched Robin, grabbed him in mid-air, and threw him into Beast Boy. The two collapsed and slid on the floor a couple of feet away. I hopped to my feet and swung my Masamune around. Slade's clone deflected it with its left arm; I let on a barrage of strikes against it, but it deflected each blow. The twin clone jumped in behind me. As the one in front of me started a jump-kick attack, I hit the floor. My attacker from the rear got sent back into Mr. Wayne's desk. I uppercut the robot in front of me hard, sending it into a back-flip. Robin and Beast Boy pounced on the clone I had sent back to the desk to keep him off my back.

The clone rolled over and leg-swept me off the ground. I hit the floor hard; my brain rattled inside my skull. He reached down and grabbed me by the back of my cape and hurled me like a Frisbee. I crashed through the opposite wall and into the executive lounge. I landed on the secretary's desk and went through it. I pushed all of its contents off of me as we continued this ballet of death. The clone came down with his arm extended, ready to clothesline my head off. I summoned my Materia: "ICE!"

His eye widened as a giant block of ice knocked him out of my path. The robot smacked a giant marble column and then landed onto the polished floor. He was propping himself up on his knee when I made my strike. I leapt off an edge of the desk and came down with Masamune in hand. I sliced off the head of the menacing machinery. The body went limp as sparks began to fly from the now vacant neck. It fell over into a giant metallic heap.

"RAVEN!" Starfire screamed from the next room.

Beast Boy's voice followed promptly, "OH FUCK!"

I burst through the doors to see the clone now wielding Ariel's sword. Robin had a giant slice across his chest; Beast Boy had some of his hair hacked off. I ran forward and fought the monster. Our sword contact echoed throughout the whole room as I let go of all that I was holding back: what I would have to act like when I finally got to face Slade one-on-one. I pushed it back to the window.

It looked at me, and said, "You cannot win, Raven. You have already lost."

I looked back at it, "Go fuck yourself, you piece-of-shit animatronic."

That being said, I roundhouse-kicked the carbon copy of Slade out off the building. It didn't flail its arms as it soared downward. Being a machine it didn't really make a difference. It exploded when it hit the ground, shattering into a million pieces of debris and fire.

If it was right – about me already losing – I was being a pretty sore loser.

Robin and Beast Boy carried Ariel to the elevator.

Starfire and I followed.

Ariel was in pretty bad shape. She had followed Slade to Wayne Enterprises and confronted him. Slade and his apprentices outmatched her, but left her clinging to life for whatever sick, twisted reason that is only known to Slade himself. A deep puncture wound was in her chest; she had bled an awful lot. However, Ariel refused to accept any healing magic or powers.

"Just let me die," she said. "It's happened before. There's nothing I myself can do that would make matters better."

As grim as it was, she was right.

Starfire turned to me as we entered the elevator, "Raven? Are we 'nailed?'"

"Screwed," I corrected her. "And, yes, I believe we are."

I looked down at Ariel, "God wouldn't happen to know how this is going to go down, does He? I mean, He's supposed to know everything."

"He knows the path of each decision. The choice is yours," she replied.

"How cryptic," Beast Boy said.

"Great," I said. "Thanks for confirming my suspicion that we are now royally fucked. Again."

I looked up at Robin, "Way to go, bird boy. We actually stood a chance and YOU fucking handed Slade the power to obliterate us!"

Robin looked away and remained silent.

I turned back to Ariel, "God knew he was going to do that, didn't He."

"I believe so," she said. "But I can't say I blame Robin for what he did."

"I can't believe this shit," I commented, slamming my fist into the side of the elevator car. "What the hell's next on our almighty plan?"

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Cyborg walked up.

"I think Mr. President has something that could come in handy," he said.

Robin and Beast Boy began to reach down to pick up Ariel.

"No," she said. "Leave me here."

"To die in an elevator?" Beast Boy asked.

Ariel smiled, "When I was younger, alive the first time around, I was always the outlandish one. Starfire, it was so good to see you again…"

Starfire's eyes began to water, "As it was you, Ariel."

"Let's go, we don't have much time," I said. I took one last look at Ariel as she slowly closed her eyes into her eternal sleep.

As we stepped out of the elevator, I heard her whisper, "Your questions will be answered, Raven… soon…"

I looked back as the doors closed.

President Wall took a seat on one of the plush leather couches in the lobby of Wayne Enterprises. The area looked like a tornado had hit it several times. The bodies of Slade's forces and creatures scattered the building; it would take days, weeks even, to clean up. I approached the President.

I asked him, "Cyborg said you have something that might come in handy. Let's hear it."

President Wall looked up, "Yes, but first I believe you should know what you're dealing with."

"I'm listening."

"Do you really know who Slade is?" the President asked earnestly.

Robin's attention was sparked.

"Slade was originally going to be the world's best soldier. Have you ever heard of the Les Miserables Teribles project?"

"Wasn't that a human genome project started back in the seventies?" Cyborg asked.

Mr. President nodded, "Indeed it was. It was believed that you could alter one's genetic makeup to make them into the perfect soldier. Soldiers that would: never get sick, could go for extended periods without food or water, could withstand pain more than ever thought possible… a soldier that was unstoppable. A rise above super heroes, if you will – since you all are mortals yourself – we could produce beings that could be immortal on the battlefield.

"There was just one problem: the process was trial and error. Wilson was a success as you could probably tell – the pride and joy of the United States Marine Corps. Unfortunately, in testing the prototype of one of our new classified weapons, he lost half of his face."

"Wilson?" asked Robin. "Does he have a first name?"

"I can't say," President Wall replied. "If he did, it's long forgotten now."

"Please: let us not digress from the issue at hand," Starfire said.

Beast Boy scratched the back of his head, "Yeah… what she said…"

President Wall nodded, "Agreed."

The President sighed, "Wilson went nuts afterwards. To hide his scarred face, he had the mask you see today constructed. The Marines tried to have him institutionalized, but something happened…"

"What?" I asked.

"He was suddenly declared sane before being shipped off. Not even I can access that piece of history. But I think I know where…"

"And this fabled 'secret weapon' you're supposed to bestow on us?"

President Wall reached into his tattered dress coat pocket and pulled out a long syringe filled with a clear liquid.

He squirted some of the liquid out, and said, "I believe Slade became a part of a special anti-terrorist group called FOXHOUND. I don't have concrete evidence for sure, but certain unnamed sources suggest so. Such as it is, a safety protocol was implemented in certain highly regarded members of society should they ever come into a position that the safety of the world would be compromised."

Cyborg managed to ask, "What… is that?"

The President continued, "The key to activating the protocol, a virus known as FOXDIE. You will become a vector: the virus will travel airborne from your nostrils and mouth. It can pass through skin contact, too, and any bodily fluids. If you come into contact with Wilson, the virus will enter his bloodstream and cause a myocardial infarction."

"A fart what?" asked Beast Boy.

"A heart attack," Robin said. "But how do you know this will stop him?"

"I don't," President Wall said. "But as of now, as Commander in Chief, I'm willing to try anything. Now, who's going to be the candidate?"

Without hesitating, I stepped forward, "I'll do it."

Starfire grabbed my arm, "Raven!"

"Don't do it!" Robin followed.

"I have to," I explained. "This is my mess, I'll clean it up."

"Let me do it," Beast Boy disagreed. "I can turn into a hummingbird and get in close to him!"

"Are you sure you want to be the one, child? Your green friend sure can change into a lot of interesting flying creatures. He saved me from my impact." President Wall asked.

"While I don't doubt Beast Boy's abilities to change into something with wings," I said, glancing over at the one in question. "As the pro tem leader of the Titans, I must accept the responsibility. Administer it."

Everyone backed up as President Wall stood upright from the couch. He reached into his pants pocket and took out a small alcohol prep pad and prepared a place on my arm. I looked away as the needle was inserted and released of its contents. He dabbed away at the small spot before I put my hand on it and sealed the entry wound with my powers.

"You shouldn't feel a thing," he said. "The virus takes only a matter of seconds to get through your system, but it can take a few minutes before it reaches your target. Now…"

President Wall dropped the syringe and wrapped his arms around his chest.

"No," he coughed before screaming in pain.

The President fell to his knees, coughing and screaming, "My chest…! No…! Why…!"

Everyone watched in horror as he collapsed backwards. His body jerked a little bit before remaining still. Starfire reached down and felt for a pulse.

"He is deceased," she reported.

"Guess this must be a special batch," I said.

"We've got a small glint of hope," Robin said. "Maybe all is not lost."

I lowered my head, "Maybe it is; maybe it isn't. A hole can pull you back in it in an instant no matter how far you've climbed up. We don't even know where Slade is."

Then it hit me.

Aeris would probably know.

"I need to meditate," I announced.

Cyborg grumbled, "You couldn't pick a worse time…"

Maybe he was right.

The hole was starting to pull.