TCM: "I Wake Up Screaming" and "Hands of a Stranger".

Chapter Five

Wake Up Screaming From Strange Hands

Darkseid...no.

She recalled that name from ancient texts over the course of her studies. He was not from this world, but beyond. And what he was after didn't involve a normal human being's immunity to its effects. There was hardly any explicit detailing of the means, but it was enough to send even the most monstrous being into a mindset of horror.

If life existed, involving humanity and the way human beings thrived and existed, then otherwise had to be present. Unfortunately, there was nothing detailed about what was known about the "Anti-Life" mentioned in the ancient Gotham texts.

But now that she, Jason, and Captain Harper were here - and her sickness and rage combined present, towards the nude, immobile form of Richard Grayson - she came to the realization as to what was involved:

Fear.

Pain.

Torture.

LIES.

Dick, the kind and thoughtful young man who was like an elder brother to her as much as he was to Jason, was reduced to this soulless puppet for this monstrous crone who claimed to once be a servant of this deity she had slain herself and took over his desires because he was weak.

Granny Gretchen enslaved Richard to her will. I don't know if he's aware or not, but it...DAMN HER TO THE DEEPEST PITS OF HELL!

She used tourmaline, which was actually supposed to protect the body, mind, and spirit - it had degraded all three of his and rendered him a shell that leaped at them on Gretchen's command...

...and when the eyelids opened, the irises were a demonic fusion of green and red glowing like the sun's rays, making them impossible to separate. It was hard enough for Kristine to try and avoid looking at the naked body of her beloved's brother, yet when she settled on his eyes, she lost sight of which was worst. He wouldn't have wanted to attack them, which was why her intentions were just the same; the actions of Jason and Harper were tantamount to her thoughts.

They didn't want to hurt him, but how do you free a slave being mind-controlled by someone else's will?

She wasn't a trained fighter, but if the men could keep him - no, the old witch mainly - occupied, then Kristine had to do something with the contaminated stones on the dungeon floor.

~o~

Roy Harper had seen more than enough in his life, gained and lost as equally as the other. He could handle it, but he was TIRED. Damn it, he was too old and wanted nothing more than for this war to end.

He lost the mother of his child to circumstance.

He lost Jason but got him back with the help of another powerful enemy.

But now he was forced to fight another young man he loved like his own son, trained him to be the best, being controlled by a demon witch from who knew where. And when Kristine visibly paled and gasped at the mention of this "Darkseid", he made the note to himself that he would question her knowledge about it. He just KNEW this was beyond bad, far greater than any of them had believed before.

They had come here for the labradorite, but now there was this. There's no way we can find it AND save Richard without hurting him -!

Jason chose to rush headlong in like that night, but he'd intended to go right for the old woman's head, which Roy had planned on doing himself. Only they both should have counted on this. And he wasn't sure how they could ever keep the violations away from Koriand'r once they returned her intended to her.

It seemed the answer was no, for he chose to extend his thoughts to her of his own volition, thanks to the powerful green jewel within his clothes: Kori, if you can find all of us...please be careful. She was almighty and powerful in spite of being overthrown by her own sister; they needed her for this.

This began because of their so-called "trusted" source. Dick had been away from headquarters, and came back with the word of an escaped slave from Cobblepot's grasp; said "former slave" was now elsewhere. It had been too good to be true. Roy had known that. The girl was someone named Terra, who had been a slave since birth to Oswald Cobblepot and had escaped him not long ago only to come to Bonte. She knew of their infamy and was willing to give them the information about the abducted philosopher Jonathan Crane in exchange for safety and a possible place on the team, which they would have done in exchange out of the kindness of their hearts.

Dick had been the one to take up the mission of retrieval, and that was the last anyone had heard of him.

None of them knew what became of "Terra" ever since the betrayal. She had been the same age as Gar and Lian, so as a father, Roy wondered if she'd been caught and slaughtered on sight for her deception. He did NOT want to dwell on the worst.

Yet how could you avoid the worst when someone you saw as your own son was stripped down into the bare essentials of a puppet to obey someone else's selfish will?

On Gretchen's command, when the eyelids snapped open, there was, in place of the expressive sky-blue orbs, an endless tunnel of glowing pure white. Wiped clean of everything that was Richard Grayson.

"Teach your wicked friends a lesson, my consort."

The fact she intended to make him, the most beautiful youth ever seen in existence, the first of her many toys to discard after she grew tired?! She deserved Jason to remove her head and everything else from her body. She also deserved all of Roy's arrows.

"DICKIE! STOP IT! FIGHT HER CONTROL!"

Jason roared out, dodging the fist blows, bringing the blade of his sword out of the way.

"You bitch."

To another man or woman, that vile tongue from a young lady would have mortified them to the high heavens. "You will pay the ultimate price from hell," Kristine snarled. "Not only did you brainwash my beloved's brother, but you are no better or less than the most monstrous of rapists among men." And with that, she withdrew her rosewood dagger from her skirts, the delicate blade glowing as brightly as heaven's glorious rays.

Gretchen's vile lack of regard remained as it was. "Did I not say that those under my command will die trying, missy?"

At the same time, just as rage was at its highest, the floor over their heads blew open and spew tiles and rocks in every direction, but none were so painful as the burst of green that sent Granny Gretchen crashing into the wall behind her, accompanied by a glowing green around a fist belonging to a lovingly deadly figure bearing liquid lava hair flaring thicker and brighter than said fire. The green rays from both fists did not do the moldavite star from five years ago justice.

Those depthless irises raged mercilessly with the words pouring from their owner's lips, just as both fists connected with the heart and abdomen of Gretchen Goode.

"X'HAL! DAMN YOU TO HELL! YOU WILL DIE FOR TOUCHING THE FATHER OF MY UNBORN!"

~o~

Kori?!

Oh, right, Roy telepathed to her.

He would have removed Granny's head from her body if the princess had not broken through the floor above their heads and slammed both her fists and emerald fire into the old lady's body, roaring out the curse of her people, and raging upon seeing her beloved in the state he was in.

"Now that she will keep the old hag occupied," Kristine yelled over to them, "get the box, and I'll see if I can release Dick!" Right. She must have the belt in that bag of tricks of hers, or at least something -

He barely got to see what she did, only heard her shout in the ancient language - "Extrico!" - followed by a blinding flash of blue that he recognized as the power of the lapis lazuli. It headed towards the target that was the spellbound Richard and engulfed him from the head down. His entire body went limp right after the sickly glow in his eyes faded back into his blue, the lids closing just as he fell forward again only for Jason to be there for him, taking him into his arms and kneeling on the ground, draping enough of his cloak over his brother's nude form.

Lapis counteracted evil forces and diminished negative emotions, returning them from whence they came. If Dick was also in immense pain from his imprisonment and enslavement, then the stone's properties must have alleviated the upheaval in his brain.

Yet it was only this moment, and more time was needed, though that was up to Kristine's expertise.

"I have it!" Roy shouted over the vicious battle between the demonic old woman and the semi-murderous young princess. His arrow was back in its quiver as he held up what they'd come here for; it had been hidden in plain sight, in a tile between the first floor AND this dungeon, having been shattered to release its contents by Kori's monstrous power. No wonder we didn't see it in time, or we would have had the time had Granny Goodness didn't intrude. Looking at the thing as he hauled his unconscious brother to his feet, tearing off his cloak to completely shroud Dick to give him enough modesty, Jason beheld an extraordinary wooden box handpainted in intricate mixed floral and scroll designs, in a background of vibrant blue and brass knobs.

Within was the treasure his enchantress sought.

Now the Belt of Gotham would be completed.

"All of you, get out of here!" Kori shouted after delivering a bone-cracking blow straight to Gretchen's throat, the action enough to KILL another human being, but the hag was immune. "I will follow!" The crack in her last words gave away her approaching limits, but she would follow through with this monster if that was the last thing she'd do.

"Muiguffe!"

On Kristine's command, there appeared a portal of sorts, colored with swirls of silver, watery blue, and the darkest blue of the oceans. The sound of the wind roared in their ears, blocking out all other sounds of the battle. "Tell it where you want us to go, and we step in!" Kristine said, putting her dagger back and closing her bag of tricks. Jason stood up on one leg and forced his entire body up, scooping Dick into his arms, the elder still wrapped up in his cloak, and Roy dashed to their sides, but not before he shot one of his arrows with his special concoction he'd whip onto the ends for their getaways.

"Take us to Blud Castle!" Roy shouted over the explosion after the arrow landed before Granny's feet, sending her off-balance and giving Kori more room for her emerald fireballs.

Within seconds, they were out of the manor and in a location he and Roy knew too well, that he was more than glad they were in the presence of, yet they were still not out of the woods. Kristine had clutched her bag close to her being whilst being supported by Roy who helped her to her feet, leaving Jason taking care of his brother and recoiling in horror at the aftermath of Gretchen Goode's torture.

Dick was now laying on the grass, clutching Jason's cloak around himself and whimpering, failing to hold back cries of agony at whatever was going on inside him. His cheeks were flushed in the worst shade of red as though his flesh was melting from within. He threw his head back once and howled enough to make the sleeping birds in the trees burst into awareness and take flight.

"STOP TOUCHING ME!"

Just when things couldn't get worse...

Dick is going to be in a dark place when he returns to himself.

Lights lit up in some windows of Blud Castle, which had been made headquarters of the Outlaws ever since their founding. It was located on the outskirts of a town similar to Gotham but had the worst of the lot to offer. You could say it was a sister town of sorts.

"Lian, your father, and the big bros are back!" a familiar voice yelled from somewhere on the grounds, footsteps trampling the grass as they approached the group.

"Papa, Jason, Richard - oh, God!"

~o~

She had no time to take in Blud Castle upon arrival because Richard's well-being and health took greater priority.

Damn it, he's not good. He's grave.

He'd been rendered mindless - unless Gretchen willingly opened parts of his mind whenever she pleased so he could be aware of certain things happening around him, which Kristine wouldn't put past her since she'd encountered characters like that - for days, and if nothing was done soon, then the fatal aftereffects would kill him. The belt and her elixirs would need all the combined strength necessary.

The exiled Tamaranean didn't return yet, though Harper assured her that via the moldavite link, Koriand'r was on her way and had minor injuries that couldn't not be cared for.

"Oh, hello, mademoiselle," chirped the young man who looked to be almost the same age as she and Jason had been when their lives changed forever, perhaps the same age as Lian Harper, whom the enchantress thought had grown into a magnificent young woman. The lad in a half-sleeved gray tunic was green-skinned, the color of the emerald's core, while his hair was a much darker hue to blend in with the treetops. His eyes were golden brown like any wild animal, though collected and jovial as any stable human being. A druid of sorts - a shapeshifter. Either he was born that way or was created.

And Lian, the beauty in the earthy dress and billowing sleeves, was such a remarkable young lady now. Her raven's wing hair reached her waistline, lush violet-blue eyes belonging to her father, and the last time Kristine saw her, she'd begun developing the aspects of impending womanhood. And she had yet to find a husband of her own, but with this horrid war, Lian needed to be more productive in saving her home and their people, rather than worry about bringing a child into these circumstances.

They brought Richard straight to his room, where he would remain until they stabilized and saved his life. Kristine would NOT let him die - if he wasn't treated soon, that would be an absolute - if she had anything to say about it.

"She's subjected his brain matter to all of the energies hell has to offer," Kristine explained to all of them, intending to keep this short and to the point, "which, in short, has violated all three parts, in the effect of softening and removing self-control. To punish and then reprogram to her liking. You know what I am talking about?" She was asking this of the two youngest of the group, in which Gar's face twisted to resemble some animal.

"She - whoever you speak of - was making him into her puppet," he growled savagely. "Take away his free will."

"Yes, but I freed him with the power of the lapis lazuli, although that's not the end of it. I need all of your help: I have to care for what I can of his brain, but Lian, you can stay and help if you wish. Gentlemen, when we are finished, you will take care of his every personal need until he is well."

"There's another 'but' coming," Roy said knowingly, sagely. "He's going to be in a dark place once he comes to." He looked at his daughter, knowing she was old enough for these things, yet it was still his duty as a father to prepare her for the worst.

The damage done to Dick's brain, traveling to the rest of his body, was severe, but nothing that she couldn't mend with her methods. However, the worst lingering trauma would not be physical. Roy had known exactly what she was thinking; he was a man of war and had known fine soldiers who survived and returned home but forgot how to live and thrive. They had lost friends and loved ones, strangers that were counting on them, and even body parts yet lived on as freaks in others' eyes.

Kristine got enough of what she could as her soul connected with Richard's, taking great care to not transgress what had already been trampled upon. The Belt of Gotham and her soothing remedies were all taken out, and now the two final stones she'd been granted would join after the patient was seen to.

Tears were now streaming down his cheeks and in vertical lines outside his face. He jerked his head from side to side, writhing as the onslaught of tragic memories flooded before his closed lids.

His parents...

...his cherished friend Sir West...

...Jason for a moment...

And others he didn't know but couldn't save if he wanted to.

And now he was violated. Dishonored in his mind and fearful of being abandoned by the woman he loved, whom he wanted to return to along with their friends. It would be a fate worse than death. And him still feeling Gretchen's hands on his body where they didn't belong didn't help matters.

Lian's innocent, lovely face was flushed from ear to ear as she was forced to look upon Richard's naked body, someone who was like an elder brother and one of the people she grew up with and therefore considered family, though the lower half was covered by the sheet draped over him. Kristine nudged her with comfort whilst urging her to focus on helping him. The girl bit her lip and laid the mostly completed belt horizontally across his four-sectioned abdomen, beholding the stone looking as though it had come from a tree trunk, another of rosy pink swirling with cloudy white, and ending with the one that started it all at the core.

The petrified wood began with grounding his mind, body, and soul back into this world, telling everything that he was nowhere near the clutches of his captor anymore. May the spirits give you the strength to come back to us. The layers of the stone, reminiscent of the insides of tree trunks, glimmered like threads in a tapestry as it worked its magic.

The green moldavite glowed from its center and slowly grew in response to the turmoil of Dick's soul, the pink-white rhodochrosite bubbly as the puffy whites swirled and overlapped like clouds; they both counteracted the evil thoughts that invaded everything making up the strong ray of sunshine that was mighty warrior Richard Grayson. They reached down into his heart to bring back what Gretchen tried to destroy, slowly bringing it all back to the surface. His heart reached to connect with his mind, the sign being the rapid beating of the organ in his chest slowing down to normal. It was a start.

Compassion, empathy, freedom from pain, and hope could prevail.

The green star from the sky and the love of Tamaran have worked with the earth to heal a suffering soul. Drove back the darkness of an unwanted outsider who toyed with what she never should have.

This world is in dire need of more compassion. We live in a world that is also our responsibility to uphold. Anyone who disregards life deserves to burn in hell.

In no time did the final two gems make their way to the belt, the order never mattering from the beginning of its creation. They fused into the empty oval spaces on their own, predestined, one shimmering like the northern lights and the other sparkling like the sky of stars.

The one of great magic, with surreal, iridescent lights, was perhaps the most powerful of all. The moldavite itself was at the center because it was the beginning point. Labradorite was perhaps the greatest of the group. In Lian's presence, it seemed to have awakened her inner powers. When she was younger, she'd wanted to learn everything Kristine and her father knew, until fate took her and her father from Wayne Castle and Gotham.

The gem allowed the bridge to form between their worlds so that Dick had all the guidance he needed to return from the prison in his mind. This will help alleviate the depression to come, yet it's truly up to him.

Dick's whimpers subsided, only becoming occasional as his brain began to slowly heal from the torture. His blood had been boiling some, and it seemed to cool and calm like the ocean waters.

When she freed him back in Bonte, the heavenly lapis had done its duty in banishing the diseased flames from Dick's mind, but doing everything at once would have killed him if the Ghost Pit's dominance wouldn't have had he'd remained there. "Such a being," Kristine hissed when the worst seemed to finally be over and they could all breathe sighs of relief, but the sweat forming in Dick's flesh needed to be washed off, and the men would have to come in, and tend to this personally, making her wonder about the princess who hadn't returned yet, "deserves cold damnation if she relishes all that hell's worth."

Lian looked up at her, tying her hair behind the nape of her neck. "Who do you speak of?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

"I intend to tell all of you, but Gretchen Goode, the matron of the town we came from, is behind Richard's current condition. Your father, Jason, and I faced her, and the princess is dealing with her as we speak. Pray she returns safely if she hadn't eviscerated the demon hag already." She spat without releasing saliva.

"By the gods!" Lian gasped, taking a step backward. "What the devil is she?!"

"She mentioned a nightmarish entity called 'Darkseid' and once served him. Most likely is one herself. I'll have to bring forth the ancient texts I acquired from my father and other places I traveled, and then we will all know what we are dealing with." Kristine looked down at the belt. "Jason gave me the blue stone he acquired in Nanda Parbat; it freed Richard and returned the chains where they belonged. She'd removed his emotions, his thoughts, his freedom. I can't say whether it's worse than being alert and aware of what's going on, but there is no comparison."

Lian shook her head, looking down at the shivering but otherwise calm and deeply sleeping man in his bed. "I don't want to think about what else she's done to him if naught but his flesh is anything to go by." She squeezed her eyelids tight. "Kori..."

She referred to the Tamaranean princess. Kristine had heard of the stories of a crowned heir to the throne being overthrown, parents' deaths arranged, and all at the hands of her own sister who was now Empress - and a rumored but most likely known ally of the Penguin. They were all in enough trouble as it was, but now this old demon...

The rhodochrosite is the Stone of the Compassionate Heart. It's beloved by our neighbors of the north for these reasons: its radiant colors, its ability to soothe and comfort the heart and soul, inspiring courage, enhances all passions and embrace love without fear, and perhaps healing the earth.

The berry-hued stone had also assuaged Dick's heart and circulation, remnants remaining behind to ease away lingering brain suffering, but now would leave what the princess would have to undertake. Cynical men and women said selfless love would NOT remedy what tormented you inside, that it was all hope for fools. "She might be the one to pull him from the darkness," she told the younger girl behind her, laying a hand on Lian's shoulder. With a jerk of her head behind her, she led the way out to break the news.

"The energies of every stone have soothed him, promising to nurture him on his road to recovery," Kristine explained to all the men who waited outside, with Jason's back against the wall and his arms folded across his torso, Roy lazily slouched against the chair beside his former protégé but now straightened, and Gar having been pacing only to cease and attentively listen to the progress. All five jewels had the will of their own to give him the sustenance needed before they ceased their flashes to my eyes.

"Although...we need one more person to help finish this, and until she returns, gentlemen, you need to finish helping Richard."

Extrico - Latin for "extricate, disentangle, free, unravel, clear"

Muiguffe is also Latin and a backward version of "effugium" with the definitions: flight, way to escape, evasion, means of escape, and exit.

Loches Castle in Loire Valley, France, inspired the Outlaws' castle, which is named after Bludhaven.

Lian Harper - BOOYAH I finally write her as a character. :D I look forward to what I might do with her, but at the same time, I'm kinda nervous.

We live in a fantasy setting, so how scientific can everything be? I'm trying to keep this as fantastical as possible, given this unknown setting is a time before science existed. Also, there might be some knowledge of the brain that could still work in terms of understanding. As a result, there may or may not be medical inaccuracies, as I'm not a true brain expert, and did my research the best I could.

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