Chapter Twelve:

Crawling

Slade smacked me hard with the back of his right hand.

Blood shot out of my nostrils and the corner of my mouth. I fell down. He picked me back up and punched me in the chin. My head snapped backwards like a whip. Before I could even let gravity take over, he threw me across the room and into the elevated executive desk. I slammed into the glass barrier that surrounded it – the shattering echoed throughout the whole building – and landed on the floor. I brought myself up to all fours.

Slade began to approach, and asked, "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

Silently, I prayed, God… if you're still there, I could use a hand…

Slade inched closer and closer. The blood dripping from the gunshot wound in his hand made soft patter sounds as it leapt off of his fingertips. Slade lifted his foot high to mud-stomp me into the floor when I heard the long, slender blade of the Masamune scrape across the floor. Slade spun around as Aeris took a heavy swing with the mighty sword. The blade made contact with Slade's mask, slicing the bottom half of it off. In return, Slade kicked Aeris in the throat. She choked as she was lifted off of her feet. Aeris landed on her collarbone and rolled backwards onto her stomach. Slade picked up the Masamune that she dropped when she had the proverbial hell knocked out of her. I looked up into his face and saw half of a human mouth and chin. Slade began to raise the Masamune above him, but then he stopped…

He dropped it and grabbed his chest.

"No," he said. "NO!"

Immediately he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small syringe with a huge needle on it. His body clinched tight and he fell to his knees. I watched as Slade pointed the needle inwards towards his chest and rammed it into where his heart was, injecting the mysterious fluid inside of him.

Slade sneered, "Didn't… think you'd be that clever… did you…?"

I got up as he removed the syringe and fell forward onto his hands. I began to reach down to pick up the Masamune when a hard shoulder rammed me from behind. I fell over Slade and rolled onto the floor. Cidious was back with a vengeance. He lifted Slade to his feet but had to offer support for his weakened master.

"Before I leave," Slade said warily. "I think you need to take a little trip."

With the motion of his eye, a whirlwind began to form around me. Aeris was pressed against one of the marble columns, possessed by fear. I got to my knees as I felt the world slip away. I screamed out "NO!" as the dimension shattered around me; I was hurled through time and space. Like my trips to Azarath, it all slipped past me in vivid colors. Only I was not in control, and it drove me insane. Before my eyes the portal opened up to the world that Slade had thrust me in to. I was ejected from my dimension portal and onto the soft carpeted floor of… my room?

I rolled continuously until slamming into my closet door. I lied there for a moment before pulling myself up and looking around. In my bed, I saw a half-nude Starfire – the blankets came up to her armpits and covered her bare chest.

Holding her from behind was me.

Where the hell was I…?

I pushed myself up off of the floor and leaned quietly against the wall. Starfire stirred with my identical counterpart, but thankfully they did not wake up. I crept silently through my room and towards the door. It slid open silently allowing stealthy access to the hallway. I looked back at my alarm clock: three o'clock in the morning. I needed to try some way to contact Aeris and make sure she was still living. And – for Beast Boy's sake, at least – get the mysterious item that Aeris had for Terra's predicament. I was without my sword and my materia; all I had was this alternate Titans Tower where I was found sharing a bed nude with Starfire. I guess this is what Cidious meant by the secrets that belonged to Starfire. I needed to find a way to get back, but first…

Robin was walking down the hallway. He startled me, nearly making my skin pure white for a moment.

"Raven? What are you doing up?" Robin asked.

I fumbled for words, "Oh… I…"

"Well, as long as you're up," he said. "There's something I want you to take a look at with me."

I nervously nodded, "Okay…"

We made our way up the stairs to the roof. In the night sky, Robin pointed out to a fiery ball in the heavens.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

I couldn't speak.

I felt my throat close.

I choked.

Robin turned to me, asking "Raven? What's wrong?"

I cleared my throat and tried to remain steady on my weakened knees.

"I've must go," I said, pushing away from him.

I ran down the stairs and burst into my room, startling its sleeping occupants. The other me shot up in bed – careful to keep the covers across her bare chest – and gasped at the sight before her. Starfire did likewise. I tore through my books, frantically searching for the Journal und Ansammlungen Germania und europäisches Zwischen-Mass buchstabiert und Prophezeiungen.

The other I asked, "Who… who the hell are you…?"

"No time to explain," I said. "Gotta find this book."

That being said, an enormous earthquake shook the tower. All of my books fell upon me; trinkets and decorations fell over and shattered. Windows shattered and the wind began to flood the room. I looked over the couple in bed to the ocean in the distance. The waves were parting, making way for the largest creature I have ever seen. It was a monster large enough to take on my father Trigon with ease.

It could only be described as an upright mix of a dragon and a tyrannosaurus rex. Needless to say, the silvery thick-skinned spawn of Hell was pissed. In his chest was a giant depression where swirling red energy was collecting. With a whip of his tail crashing down upon the water, a typhoon-sized tidal wave slammed into the city and tower. The creature screamed in its high-pitched tone as it began to take flight.

Starfire screamed and hid herself under the covers. My twin counterpart merely sat there in shock and awe, letting the blanket fall from her naked body.

"Shit," I snapped. "Shit, shit, shit!"

The other Raven turned to me and said, "What the hell is that!"

I tore through the scattered books, ignoring the question. There were more important matters at hand. She tried to ask me again; again, I ignored her. Finally she put on her clothes and ran over, grabbing my shoulder.

She asked, "Hey! What is that and who are you?"

I kept searching and replied, "That's one of the WEAPONS. Now help me find that damned German Journal book."

Raven didn't argue, sensing my notion of urgency. She began to dig through the volumes too. Starfire slipped into her clothes quietly as I recovered the book I was frantically searching for. I flipped through the pages, searching, praying, banking on the idea that Slade didn't rip what I needed out. I came to section I wanted and the words that I needed.

"Found it," I said aloud.

"Good," Cidious said.

He grabbed the back of my head and slammed it into the bookshelf. I came backwards with the remaining books and boards, crashing onto the floor. The other Raven began to cast her magic.

She began to say, "Azarath, Metrion…"

Cidious turned quickly and shouted, "Silence!"

Raven's eyes widened as sparkling white magical pearls dropped around her head and dissolved into the air. She grabbed her mouth, desperately trying to make a sound. Cidious laughed callously.

"I never get tired of that," he said.

Starfire leapt off the bed and pushed him through the wall into the hallway.

"Whoa!" Cyborg shouted from the outside corridor. Raven ran over and helped me to my feet. She motioned to her mouth quizzically.

I rubbed my head, and said, "I don't know. Hopefully it'll wear off."

Starfire was knocked back into the room. She slammed into the glass window, her head jerking back and taking most of the blow. The Tamaranian fell face first to the carpeted floor. Behind her, a giant blood-splattered crack formed in the glass from the point of impact to the floor. I heard the rest of the Titans get knocked around with various magic and physical attacks. Robin was tossed into the room as well: he bounced off the bed and landed onto my nightstand. I ran out into the hallway where Cidious was about to break Beast Boy's neck. The changeling saw me and tried to call my name, but only a hoarse whisper came out. I took control of Cidious' hands and pried them free. Beast Boy fell to the floor where he slumped over, exhausted from his short battle.

Cidious smiled, "Quake!"

The floor shook below me, opening up to the lower level. I fell through the hole and made a crash landing onto the floor. Cidious looked up to see my identical twin jump and punch him in the face with all of her might. Cidious' head jerked to the side as the other Raven continued her attack: kneeing him in the groin. Cidious bent forward – his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. Raven wrapped her arm around his neck and jumped backwards towards the ground. Cidious' head slammed into the solid floor; he allowed his body to flip over with the rest of the motion and fell into the same hole as I did. I rolled out of the way as the stout warrior made his dead-weighted fall. I crawled over and grabbed his dark blonde hair, forcing him to look at my blood stained face.

I screamed at him, "HOW DO I STOP IT!"

He warily looked at me, perplexed, "Stop what?"

I punched him. Blood was pouring out of his nose like a faucet.

"YOU KNOW WHAT, DAMMIT!"

He looked back at me and grinned widely, allowing the blood to come out of his mouth.

"You can't," he said. "There's no way. Not even if you kill him… with FOXDIE… once he's ascended…"

Cidious' eyes closed as he lost consciousness. I released his head; it fell back onto the floor with a loud thump. I had to get back home somehow, to make sure Aeris was all right, to make sure my friends were all right, to stop Slade from launching the Weapons… to evaluate all that has happened. Seeing Starfire and I nude in the bed made me realize that maybe Starfire felt more than just a deep friendship; that maybe she was too afraid to come out into the open, so she decided to be subtle and to play it off as loving me as a "sister." Who knows?

Outside, one of the Weapons screamed, filling the night sky.

I screamed, too.