Master of My Fate
Part Two
Recap: The Titans were called to the docks and were greeted by Cinderblock. Robin abandoned the fight to go find Slade, and Cyborg sent Raven to go look after him. Robin fought Slade and got his butt kicked, and the villain had been about to kill him with an odd, laser-like device when Raven appeared. She directed her dark energies at the laser's blast, and the resulting impact formed a rift in the fabric of reality. Raven was sucked into this rift, and it is here that the story continues.
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Raven wasn't sure how long she traveled through that vortex. It could have been seconds, days, years or eons. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she fell through, and then she fell out.
She landed unceremoniously on a hard, rocky ground, and as she hit, the hole above her closed. It took a few moments for Raven to form conscious thought: to understand what had happened and realize that the metaphorical door to her home had just closed. To comprehend that, really, she was locked out.
But as soon as the synapses linked, Raven's eyes shot open and she stood in alarm.
"No," she whispered. "No…"
She floated up; her panic building as she desperately searched this strange and unfamiliar sky for an exit that wasn't there. Raven collapsed once more, her head swimming. She didn't understand what had happened. She could remember a machine… a flash of blue and then…this. What was this? Where was she? She wasn't on earth… at least, not the earth she knew. This whole place just felt… wrong, somehow.
Scanning the terrain, Raven grew worried. It was desolate. There was rubble and debris everywhere, but from what? What had this place been? She thought she could hear the distant crash of waves, so she knew she was on the coast. Thinking logically, Raven determined that this place must have at one time been a village or town- maybe even a city. After all, such places were built on the coast, right?
The Titan stood slowly, and determined that she wasn't going to figure anything out just sitting there. She started walking, hating that she didn't know what direction she was traveling in. She hugged her arms, feeling lonely. If she had reflected upon this feeling she might have laughed. After all, wasn't this what she had always wanted? To be left alone in peace and quiet: to meditate in isolation. Yet here she was, not even away from the group for thirty minutes and already wishing to be surrounded by them.
She walked in silence for more than an hour before a cold dread seized her. She was beginning to enter what had probably been a more populated area, and some of the buildings weren't entirely destroyed. Some were even decent enough that a person could live in them. Provided, of course, that they had no trouble with gaping holes in their walls and ceilings.
But it wasn't these buildings that frightened her. It was the sudden feeling of déjà vu. She felt like she had been here before: that she had walked this street and seen these buildings and-
"Oh gods," Raven stopped completely, utter disbelief on her face. "It can't be…"
But it was. On the other side of the road, slumped over in defeat, was what had once been the Pizzeria. Raven remembered going here with the rest of the team, laughing between slices of cheese pizza. She remembered when they had celebrated Cyborg's birthday here, and how he and Beast Boy had ended up throwing ice cubes at each other until Starfire had tried to join in by throwing other things as well (things like salt shakers and salad bowls). She remembered the long and introspective discussions they'd have over pressing issues like, 'were N'SYNC the product of some evil plan to destroy the brain cells of children?' and 'who decided that the Chihuahua was a dog?' To think that this pile of rubble had once been a place of such memories tore Raven's heart apart. It meant that she wasn't on some distant planet or alternate dimension.
"I'm on Earth," she whispered to herself, as if saying it quietly would somehow make it less true. "This is Jump City."
Raven sat upon a large piece of slate, her back straight and her eyes staring off into nothingness, and she stayed like that for a long, long while.
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It wasn't until she awoke that she even knew she'd fallen asleep. As she looked around she wondered what had woken her up… and then she heard it- a fear-filled voice screaming for help. Her baser instincts kicked in, and Raven was up and flying towards the trouble.
Scanning the ground below she finally spotted something. It was a figure, shaped like a man and running as though the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels. What followed him certainly did not look like hounds, but they did look as though they'd come from hell. The creatures were beastly things, as large as black bears but built more like wolves. The closest thing to compare them to was a werewolf. Whatever these things were, one thing was for certain- they weren't alive.
Raven tried to wonder why someone would build such machines, before remembering that the man she spotted earlier was still running for his life. She decided, wisely, to focus on helping him first.
She swooped low, trying to get overhead of the man so she could better assess the situation. She didn't have much time though- those creatures were gaining ground fast.
Finally, the Titan decided what to do. There was no way she could pick the man up (she did not have the same Herculean strength that gifted Starfire) but she could block the path of his hunters. Gathering forth her powers, Raven began telekinetically lifting large pieces of rubble and rock and then dropping them behind the man. The werewolf machines were startled and confused by the sudden interference, and would slow and even stop when a large boulder or concrete block would suddenly fall into its path. Next, Raven flew down beside the man.
The running man must have been in his forties, and his black/brown hair was thinning in some areas. He was sweating profusely, and judging by his build he wasn't used to such long-winded running. The man wouldn't last much longer if Raven didn't get him out of harm's way.
"Hey," she said, coming up alongside him.
The man almost stopped in surprise, but instead started running faster.
"Listen to me," Raven said calmly. "I am here to help you. I have certain powers that will help get you to safety. Nod if you understand me."
The man looked her in the eye, perhaps judging her sincerity, but then nodded.
Mentally, Raven sighed in relief.
"Alright," she said, "let's hope this works. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
The man still looked as though he was running, but he was no longer on the ground. He was floating- in a black, cosmic sphere courtesy of Raven. The man gaped at the sight of the city so many miles below his feet. He reached out his hand and touched the side of this energy-wrought hamster ball and was surprised at its solidity.
Raven struggled to rise with the weight. She had to get far away from here- she couldn't keep this up much longer. Her powers seemed… weakened, somehow. She had to find a place to land.
Suddenly, the man began pointing wildly at something.
"There! Take me down there!"
Raven complied, but inwardly grumbled about how surprisingly demanding he was being for someone who had been running for his life.
She set him down, exhaling softly with the release of the mental strain. They were far enough away from the machines that Raven felt safe, and so she took this opportunity to sit and rest upon a pile of brick. The man, however, had different plans.
"Hurry," he whispered, looking around wildly and then dragging her into the remains of a building. He worked his way through piles of wood and cement blocks before they reached a shadowed region. He told her to stop and then reached down, grabbed a half-buried piece of rope, and tugged. The lid to a trap door came up, and the man descended into the shadowy depths. Raven hesitated, but then followed after.
Down the steps into the darkness they went, and for a moment Raven felt a twinge of anxiety. The man lit a lantern, and Raven blinked in the sudden light.
The psychic teen found herself in what seemed like a well-furnished foxhole. There was a makeshift bed, a table with two chairs, and a corner of books. There seemed to be another half, but this was separated by a raggedy curtain. The room also contained candles, which the man set about lighting. Raven stood by the far wall, slowly taking in her surroundings.
"I'm… I'm sorry if I was a little… rude, outside," the man said suddenly, drawing Raven's attention. "I am thankful for your intervention, but I was worried that I wouldn't get back here."
"No harm done," she responded quietly. "This is…your home, I take it?"
The man nodded with a light sigh. "Yes. I thank the Lord that I found this basement. I don't know what I'd have done if I hadn't."
Raven nodded, trying to appear calm and collected. She turned to stare at the books he'd stacked in the corner, attempting to gather herself.
The man took off his coat and set it down on the floor.
Raven faced him again. "Do you know what those creatures were, Mr. …oh. Father."
Raven took in the sight of the man's white collar, and the cross that hung around his neck. He was a priest.
He grinned reassuringly. "You don't have to refer to me as 'Father'. I may be wrong, but you don't seem to be a Catholic."
Raven allowed herself a small smile. "No, I'm not. What should I call you then?"
"Harold. Just Harold. And your name?"
"Raven."
For a moment, the slightest traces of recognition flickered in Harold's eyes. Though any other person might have missed it, Raven saw it plainly, and her own eyes narrowed in distrust.
"Have you heard of me before?" Raven asked innocently.
"Hm? Oh… no. No, I don't think so. Should I have?"
"No," she responded simply, but silently thought So why have you?
The two stood quietly for a few moments, not meeting each other's gaze and trying desperately to think of something to say. Harold thought of something first.
"Your powers are very… unique. Helpful, too."
"Sometimes. They require great mental effort, though, and I must meditate for hours to keep them under tight control."
"Oh. Are they dangerous?" He asked this casually, as one might ask for the time, but Raven could read his body language plainly. He was tense, and she was not yet sure what this meant for her.
"They can be," she answered truthfully, never having been one to approve of lying. "But I doubt they're as dangerous as those things that chased you. What were those?"
The priest shuddered and sat in one of his chairs. "They're Anthroids. They are meant to keep the people in line, and they do a frighteningly good job. I was terribly lucky that you came when you did. Their form of punishment is… unpleasant."
Raven glided over to the seat across from him, and slowly sat. "Why would they keep people in line? What has happened here?"
Harold looked confused. "I'm not sure I understand your question. You are from around here, aren't you?"
In a way. "No."
"I see." He scratched his neck. "Are you from the west coast?"
"…Yes." Raven felt herself falling deeper into the falseness of her pretense, but found she couldn't really stop it. She didn't totally trust this man, and she had to know what had happened to her city and her friends.
The priest nodded. "That makes sense, then. Slade has not yet reached the west coast."
Raven felt her throat go tight. "Slade?"
"Yes. He is the lord of Jump City. Soon, he will be the lord of this country, and then who knows?" A grim, faraway look entered his eyes. "Slade is an ambitious monster, and his evil spreads far."
Raven stared down at her hands, and found that they were shaking.
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The Anthroids stood dumbly still in the last rays of the setting sun. Their metallic claws hung limp, and the cybertronic lenses that formed their eyes were dim and dull. Their prey had escaped, and with no further orders they had shut down to conserve energy.
Heeled boots strided down the street, crunching underfoot pieces of glass from shattered windows, mercilessly cutting a swathe through the rubble. The person inside these imposing shoes was female, clad in a striking combination of purple and black that was nicely highlighted by the colors of the sunset. Even the woman's dark pink hair was tinted with these dying colors.
Behind her walked a short, bald man in a dark green jumpsuit. A pair of thick, yellow goggles covered his eyes and through these he sneered at the landscape, his gaze sweeping over the last vestiges of the city with only mildly interested disgust. The difference between the man and the woman came down to more than size and clothing, however. While the woman walked in a pair of imposing black boots, the short man traveled on eight long, metal legs.
The two figures stopped before the assembled machines, staring in distaste. The woman approached one, and angrily shoved its shoulder.
"What happened?" she growled.
The Anthroid remained silent.
Her colleague maneuvered himself to stand beside her, and he tossed her a teasing smile. "Maybe you should turn him on," he suggested, handing her a remote with mock politeness.
She shot him a quick glare, but jabbed a button on the control pad. The psuedo-eyes of the assembled machines glowed red, and they straightened to attention like well-trained soldiers.
The woman repeated her question and the lead Anthroid stepped forward.
"We have lost the Prey," it said in an odd, clicking voice just a little too high in pitch. "We have failed our mission."
The pink-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Well that's obvious. Why did you fail?"
It stopped, apparently confused. After a short while it replied, "…We lost the Prey."
Her hands clenched, and a faint, rosy light enveloped them. The short man quickly intervened. "Let me do this," he commanded, moving her to the side. "You have to ask your questions particularly, or they won't be able to process them." He cleared his throat. "What caused the loss of the Prey?"
This seemed to slide into the Anthroid's circuitry more smoothly, and it quickly responded, "We encountered outside interference."
The man narrowed his brows. "Specify."
"An unidentified human wielding an energy source collected the Prey and carried it out of the proximity. We were unable to pursue."
"Unidentified human? Male or female?"
"Female. Approximately 16-17 years of age, height of 5"5, weight—"
"That's enough." The man cut off the Anthroid with a wave of his hand. "Return to base and await further orders."
The wolf-like head lowered quickly in a submissive gesture. "Yes, Maker." The Anthroids ran down the street.
The woman stepped close to the man's side, drumming her sharpened fingernails against one of his metal legs. "Are you sure you shouldn't have questioned them further?"
"They wouldn't have been able to tell us any more. There are limits to my creations' thought processes. They have trouble if given more than the usual 'hunt, catch, kill' commands."
"Obviously." She tilted her head and the newly risen moon illuminated the pale white of her face. "Do you know who this girl might be, Gizmo? The one who interfered with our plans?"
Gizmo shook his head. "No, but Slade will. He knows everything that goes on in this cruddy city. Ready to head back, Jinx?"
She sighed. "I suppose so." A wicked grin suddenly lit her face. "That girl's gonna be in SO much trouble…"
The snickers of both Gizmo and Jinx could be heard filling the emptiness of the street as they returned to their base… and to Slade.
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!Author's Note!
Hey, everybody! (-Sheepish grin-) Yeah, I know. This isn't exactly "a week later", but oh well. Can't change the past. Um, in addition to the changed posting time, I have also decided to divvy up the length and content of the forthcoming chapters. Instead of a three-part story, this one might turn out to be more like five or six parts. I'm still undecided. In any case, I apologize for the delay, and hope that you enjoyed this chapter, short and late though it may be. I don't know when the next will be out- hopefully soon.
Tootles!