Injustice: The Path to Hell.
Book 2: Darkness in the Light.
Chapter XXV – The Dark Side Club
"Normal Speech."
'Normal Thought.'
"Demon Speech."
'Demon Thought.'
"Other Speech Variants."
Location/Time.
Saturday 23rd January 2016, 21:10.
Earth's Atmosphere,
The Watchtower.
There were times in life when you were told something so shocking that you struggled to believe that it was actually happening. So shocking that you convinced yourself it was nothing more than a figment of your imagination.
Because what else could it be if not a dream?
Being asked to join the Justice League by Superman of all people, that was truly shocking to Naruto. "W-What?" He stuttered, not quite sure if he had heard correctly and why would he? This was a surreal moment to him, Superman, the Man of Steel, the Symbol of Hope asking him of all people, to become a member of the Justice League.
He was born during the year, 1992, nearly forty-one years after the Justice Society was disbanded. At that time though, comic books, films, tv shows and action figures were still being sold, commemorating and immortalising the legends of the Justice Society and other hero organisations like the Freedom Fighters and Seven Soldiers of Victory. But above all else, the pinnacle of the hero world, the All-Star Squadron and the greatest hero of them all, the Green Lantern.
Heroes by that point though, were just a myth, a thing of a bygone era that would never see the light of day again. There were still heroes and their actions appearing during that time, news detailing their actions, but they were far and few in between. None even come close to the fame and acclaim of even the least popular hero of the Justice Society.
That was until Superman came along.
When he came along, heroes were a dying breed, a burning fire that was slowly being put out. Yet he breathed new life into that fire and began a new age, one that now eclipsed its ancestor.
Not only were heroes more numerous in number, but with the advancements in technology, stories of their actions and deeds were spread far wider and stayed in the public's eye for much longer. Ignoring Superman's existence, a man who went everywhere and saved as many as possible, was impossible and so his name spread far and wide.
He was the man who single-handedly inspired a new generation of heroes and it was no wonder that a young, wide-eyed child-like him had looked up to the image of what Superman represented.
It was a year later that his father died, but Naruto never once lost faith in Superman.
In a single year, the entire world erupted to life once more, all because of Superman. That following year, rumours of a new hero, one who hide in the shadows and came upon criminals with raw brutality that was equal parts morbid and shocking came out of Gotham, the Batman they called him.
Superman may have been the one to inspire a new age of heroes, but arguably it was Batman and the mystery that surrounded who he was that kept the public so focused on them. Those two were the reason the heroes of this day and age were where they were. Without them, things would have been very different, almost impossible to compare to the one they knew today.
Much like many children though, as mysterious as Batman had been, it was Superman who had enraptured their minds. He was the one they pretended to be, the one that horde of children dressed up as at birthday parties.
Naruto had been no different.
It was almost impossible for him to get his head around the idea that the very same person he had looked up to as a child, was now the one asking him to become a member of the Justice League. It seemed impossible; it should be as far as Naruto was concerned.
"You seemed shocked," Superman replied, a smile playing on his lips.
"No kidding," Naruto muttered, rubbing his brow in an attempt to pretend like he was considering the opportunity. But in reality, he was still trying to come to terms with this entire situation, struggling to hide that same feeling he felt as a child when watching Superman save the day.
It was embarrassing.
"It's not an easy decision to make, joining the Justice League." Superman continued, turning to look back down on the planet. "It's even harder to convince yourself every day that joining was the right idea."
That caught Naruto's attention. "You've considered leaving?" Another impossibility in Naruto's mind.
Superman was the face of the Justice League, the very hero everyone thought of when the word hero was muttered. Without him, what was the Justice League except for an assortment of heroes that worked together? It was Superman who made the Justice League into the ideal it was today; it was he who made it into the symbol of a new age.
"Everyday." Those two words only deepened that shock, Naruto unsure of what to say in response. "But every day, when those thoughts come to my mind, I come here. Stand exactly where I am now and just look out this window. I can see everyone down there you know. See the garbage man doing his usual route. I can see the children playing in the parks. Couples walking together on the streets. Families sitting together and eating. They're laughing, smiling, they're happy."
As Superman spoke, he too began to smile as well.
"But I also see the others, those less fortunate." His smile remained, but the feeling behind it changed. "I can see the children starving on the streets. The homeless shivering in the cold. I can see families being torn apart by things out of mine or their control."
"It sounds awful," Naruto said aloud without meaning to.
Superman turned to him. "It can be. But when I question why I do what I do, I always come here and look upon them. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the whole and the broken. I look upon them all and I know that I can never abandon them. I fight to ensure that they can keep living with those smiles on their faces. I fight to ensure that those broken down by the world get to rebuild a better life for themself in the future. When I see all of them, I can't ever give up."
There was nothing to say in response to that, Naruto just went silent as he fully looked down upon the planet. He couldn't see the people below like Superman could, but he simply stared at the beautiful sight that greeted him.
From here, it looked peaceful.
It was strangely calming.
'Fuck!' Naruto cursed himself internally, lips twisting into a frown. 'I've not changed one bit. I'm still running away from my problems and not facing them head-on, the exact opposite of what I set out to do.'
Perhaps it had been Superman's words, or perhaps it had just the brief moment of quiet and tranquillity that had befallen them as both men looked out upon the planet below. It could very well have been the two of those things combined, Naruto didn't know nor did he particularly care. All he knew was that with this moment to think, one thing had become highlighted very clearly.
That was his own cowardice.
"I have to go," Naruto said, Superman looking at him questioningly. "I'll think on the offer, I just have to do something else first."
"If you do not wish to become a member of the Justice League Naruto, I fully understand. No one will hold it against you if you refuse or not, the decision is entirely yours to make." Superman told him. "Whatever choice you make, we will accept it and move on. Do not feel pressured to accept this position if you do not feel like you're are ready or willing to take it."
Saying nothing, Naruto made his way towards the Zeta-Tubes once more, mind deep in thought.
Saturday 23rd January 2016, 21:00.
New York,
New York City,
Titan Tower.
When she learned that Naruto had finished his training with Doctor Fate, she had been happy. Though if anyone said such a thing, she would vehemently deny it, Rose had also been happy to know that he would be staying in New York, working alongside the Teen Titans.
Again, if anyone asked, she would deny it, but she had missed him.
That was something Rose would admit to herself, and only herself.
It was embarrassing enough as it was to admit it, let alone if someone else found out.
Which was why it had pissed her off so much when she had barely gotten to see him. In the beginning, she had brushed it off, pretending like it didn't bother her. Had believed that he was simply busy with other things, like getting his life back in order after mostly spending five years training in the Tower of Fate.
She had been fine with that, though it had irked her a little that he never once dropped by to say hello. Yet she had cut him some slack and just went about her day, as usual, training and the likes.
For all their inexperience, the Teen Titans were a more preferable group than the Young Justice. Their numbers were far smaller which meant that she was allowed to use the large structure of the Titan Tower to always find somewhere to be alone if she wanted. The Young Justice and Mount Justice on the other hand were a different matter entirely, there were so many people coming in and out of there that finding somewhere quiet to be alone was all but impossible.
It was why she transferred in the first place.
However, she had waited, not hoping, but expecting Naruto to drop by at some point and say hello. It was a routine for them really, had been over the past five years for him to be the one to find her and 'force' her to spend time with him. So, when that didn't happen, Rose had gotten a little pissed off but provided him some time to sort himself out.
Only for that to never seem to change.
Or at least she thought.
It was when she learned about him training with Raven that she knew something else was going on and she didn't like it one bit. At that point, she decided to damn her pride and hunt him down herself, reverse their position as it were. In Rose's mind, she had thought that this was some prank Naruto was pulling on her.
In which case, Rose had been fully prepared to force him to admit the truth and then beat him up for the embarrassment of making her hunt him down like a desperate child starved of attention. Only for it to become very apparent very quickly that he was not playing some prank on her.
Naruto was actively avoiding her.
No one could convince her otherwise, Victor, Miquel and others had tried to play it off as her seeing things.
But Rose wasn't an idiot.
She had done stakeout jobs before, had studied her target's actions closely and gotten very good at figuring out what they were planning. It was one of the reasons that Starfire had put her on the job of scouting out the Dark Side Club after all.
So, when people told her she was being silly and paranoid, she ignored them. Rose knew exactly what Naruto was doing and that only further angered her, but above all else, it hurt. For Naruto, one of the people she had always known to be able to count on to actively go out of his way to keep his distance, that hurt more than words could describe.
This is why when she entered the training room to do her usual routine of venting her feelings on the punching bags and instead saw Naruto standing in the centre of the room, Rose was prepared to give him a piece of her mind. Though, perhaps knowing her well enough, Naruto beat her to it.
"Rose, before you say anything, just please listen to what I have to say." There was an undertone in his voice that Rose hadn't heard from him before. A pleading tone and it was a shocking thing to hear Naruto of all people, so confident and self-assured, plead for her to listen to him.
Enough so that the tirade she had been prepared to go on fizzled into nothing in the back of her throat.
Never once though, did he turn to face her.
"Thank you." He breathed out, relief filling his voice. "I know that you don't want to hear it, you'll probably still kick my ass anyway, but I'm sorry for avoiding you. It was not fair and not right, you of all people didn't deserve to be treated that way and I'm sorry, truly I am."
Rose clenched her fists, the shock wearing off a little. "Then why not turn around and say that to my face, huh?" Her words were sharp and angry.
"I would," Naruto admitted easily. "But it makes it easier to talk to you. I have my reasons and I'd like a chance to explain them. If you're still not happy with why then I'll be more than willing to let you kick my ass afterwards. Though I imagine that you'll do that anyway."
She wanted to say no, really, she did.
Rose would like nothing more than to walk over to the blonde and unleash all her anger on him. It would certainly be more therapeutic than a punching bag that bore no resemblance to the person she was truly angry at. But she was curious enough to hold back on that instinct, instead crossing her arms over her chest and frowning heavily.
"Fine then, talk."
"Than-"
"Don't thank me, just explain." Rose cut him off, frustrated with his constant apologies and the lack of answers. If there was a reason he had been avoiding her, she wanted to know what it was and it wasn't good enough, then she'd give him a piece of her mind.
"Alright. Where to start is the question?" She didn't humour his response with a laugh, just remaining silent and glaring at the back of his head. "I guess, I should probably know what Jason told you about those six months I was in Hell."
"Why?"
"Humour me, please."
Kissing her teeth in annoyance, Rose relented. "He told me that the gateway you lot used to enter was closed along with all the others when you killed the king of Hell, or whatever his name was. That you were trapped there and that was it. Why?" Rose though could tell where this was going just from the atmosphere of the room.
"Well, that's not completely true." Naruto's response only proved her suspicions. "You see, we went to Hell because our aim was to replace the current ruler of Hell with someone else, someone we had signed a number of contracts with which would enable us to eventually remove the Demon threat on Earth; permanently. While there, Alan and I ended up fighting against this really powerful Demon, Asmodel."
"How strong are talking?" Rose asked curiously.
Naruto snorted, head shaking in disbelief at the eagerness in her tone. "Strong enough that the combined might of me and Alan was nearly not enough. That if it wasn't for Boston Brand possessing the bodies of powerful Demons to distract Asmodel at times, Alan and I would have not even come close to standing a chance."
There were times, many times, far more than Naruto or Alan would like to admit, that if it wasn't for Boston Brand running interference, Asmodel would have finished the fight much sooner. It was only thanks to Boston doing so, allowing both Naruto and Alan to recover their bearings that enabled them to wear him down enough for the final showdown.
"I ended up using all five tails of power in a concentrated blast just to kill him. Alan himself pushed his use of the Starheart to a level he never has before and his bodies no longer in his prime anymore." Naruto explained, stressing just how powerful Asmodel had been. The strongest opponent Naruto and Alan had fought; ever. "By the end of it, we were so physically and mentally exhausted that if the battle wasn't all but over, we would have been dead."
"What does this have to do with why you've been avoiding me?" Rose pressed. "It's an interesting story, I'll give you that, but it doesn't explain shit."
"I'm getting to that. I just need you to know what kind of state we, I was in by the time what happened, happened." Naruto said defensively. "You see, by that point, nearly all the powerful Demons were gone, the weaker ones, they were being taken care of by Daniel, Boston and Eddie. John and Jason were up dealing with the heavy hitters. But there was another Demon there, strong, but not powerful. However, she was extremely dangerous."
Compared to most Demons, Lady Blaze was above average.
However, when compared to the likes of her brothers and those he chose to be by his side against Lord Neron, she was weak. Her position was similar to the likes of Aquaman and Hawkman in the Justice League, strong but not powerful.
Yet Lady Blaze was fully aware of that and her powers and usage of them made her infinitely more dangerous than the Atlantean King, if in the right circumstances. Unfortunately for Naruto, when Lady Blaze came for him, the circumstances couldn't have been more perfect.
"Her main use of powers was telepathy, illusions, shape-shifting and metamorphosis, even transmutation," Naruto told her. "Powers perfect for the manipulation of others and the perfect tools for a cunning mind like hers. Like I said, after my battle against Asmodel, I was exhausted beyond measure, physically and mentally. So, when she came along, using her telepathy, I was too exhausted to put up any sort of fight."
At full strength, Naruto doubted she would have ever been able to do the same to him. But he hadn't been at full strength and he had been left at her non-existent mercies.
"When she took control of her mind, even when I recovered, shaking her control of me would have been difficult."
"But not impossible?" Rose noted the little acknowledgement there that he could have broken free.
Naruto nodded his head. "Yeah. I could have." He freely admitted, sighing heavily. "But as I said, her powers were based around the manipulation of others. She could freely manipulate the structure of her surroundings, casting illusions to cover up other areas, change the way she looked. Why would you want to break free when she made it seem like you were living your best life?"
He chuckled humourlessly, hating his past self's actions for what became of them, what they led to. Perhaps if he had resisted, none of this could have happened, but who knows? It was too late to say, too late to go back and change what had happened.
"You know what the first thing I woke up to find was?" Though he couldn't see it, Rose shook her head all the same. "I was at home, my parents were alive, they were older. James was there, he was with his wife, they were happy. As for me, I was married to Barbara, she was pregnant. In that life, I had just woken up, almost as if having a nightmare, as if everything I had been through had been just a bad dream."
Rose was beginning to understand why Naruto had not attempted to resist at this point. Would she have believed it? That everything they had been through was just a bad dream as he woke up in this perfect world? No, but could she confidently say the same if she was in his shoes? No, she couldn't because perhaps she would react the same way.
In a world where Slade truly loved her, treated her like she was his daughter and not some waste of space best forgotten and discarded. Just the thought alone was something that made Rose frown, all because she wanted it and knew would never have.
An impossible dream.
'Perhaps that is why he did not resist?' A little slice of Heaven, a perfect thing to tempt someone into being docile and pliant. 'She really was a manipulative bitch.'
"I convinced myself it was real, I could feel them, touch them, speak to them. They were everything like I knew them to be." In his mind, with access to his memories, Lady Blaze had been able to perfectly sculpt herself and her servants into perfect replicas of those in his memories. She made everything just like he wanted them to be, everyone like he remembered them to be a crafted a story that he didn't want to escape from. "And then she shattered it all. Tortured, killed, ra...brutalised everyone I loved while I was powerless to help, forced to watch."
Within his mind, Lady Blaze was able to suppress his body instincts to attack, to move. She robbed him of the ability to move and to focus on anything but the sight of his loved ones dying in the most heinous of ways. Strangely though, Naruto had not been driven mad with rage, it was there, he felt it coursing through his veins, screamed himself hoarse as he cursed her very existence. Yet his demonic powers did not manifest themselves, not as they would have usually.
He had been powerless to do anything but watch until the illusion broke, Lady Blaze laughing cruelly at his misfortune. "And she didn't just do it once. But again and again, over and over, constantly making me live these perfect lives and tearing them apart. Then when it no longer had the same effect, she would suppress the memories of her actions in my mind, and recreate memories from my head. I'd wake up as a child, there with my parents, reliving memories from my mind like a real déjà vu mind fuck."
"Let me guess, she twisted them."
"Oh yeah." Naruto concurred, lips twisting into a scowl just at the thought of what Lady Blaze did to him. Unknowing to him, his body began shaking violently, hands balling into fists so tight that the skin broke, blood dripping down onto the ground.
"Naruto?" It was her voice that snapped out of this momentary trance, bringing him back to reality. "Are you...You don't have to continue if you don't want to. You've said more than enough, I'm..." Rose really didn't know what to say.
Was he okay? Clearly not and Rose felt stupid for trying to ask that question. How could anyone be okay after going through that?
Apologise? What good what that do him? Show that he cared, Naruto would know that well enough, he had always been good at knowing what she was thinking, a thing that she found equal parts irritating and endearing at the same time. He knew that above all else, Rose wanted nothing more than to find Lady Blaze and kill her.
No.
More than that.
Killing Lady Blaze would be a mercy and Rose was not going to show that Demon mercy if by some chance she was alive. Then she'd find those who helped free Naruto and make them pay for letting that woman live.
Just as Naruto would have done for her.
They were family, it had taken a long time for her to realise that. He loved her, maybe not in the way she had wanted in the beginning, but she understood now. They were family, he, her brother, she, his sister. Maybe not by blood, but by shared experiences and bond, they were family and they were not the type to use that word lightly.
"I know," Naruto said, understanding what she was trying to say and while she couldn't see it, Rose knew he had that smile he had on when trying to comfort her. A smile that often made her feel relieved, but only frustrated her at this point.
If anyone should be comforting someone, it should be her doing it Naruto, not the other way round. Yet like always, it was him comforting her and trying to make her feel at ease. Then again, Rose should expect this by now, Naruto had always been like this and she imagined that was something about him that would never change.
No matter how frustrating that fact might be at times.
"But you need to know, Rose. The reason I've been avoiding you isn't because of all that." That made her raise a brow, though he seemed to realise how much like a lie that sounded. "Well, it plays a big role in it, yes, but it's not the main reason."
"Then what is?"
There was a pause.
"...Lady Blaze was fond of assuming the forms of those with who I held a deep connection with, mainly women," Naruto said, Rose already feeling a pit in her stomach. "For some reason, she never assumed the form of the guys I knew, perhaps because it made easier, or more fun for her. But the reason I struggle to be around you, Rose, is because I can't tell whether it's actually real or if this is just another one of Blaze's cruel tricks."
Thursday 28th January 2016, 19:30.
New York,
New York City,
Manhattan.
"Is everyone in position?" Starfire asked over the radio, Rose positioning herself on one of the high-rise buildings overlooking the Dark Side Club. Her snipe rifle was raised, she looked through the scope and watched the back entrance, making sure no one came in or out that escaped her notice.
The reconnaissance they had done, she and Victor had resulted in nothing of interest. From what they knew, there was no one truly dangerous that had entered inside in the last few weeks since they began watching this place closely.
As Starfire had said, if this happened, they would go in and get to the bottom of why the Kroloteans had been so afraid of going near this place. The fact that two days ago, the five leaguers, plus Martian Manhunter had left Earth for the trail the Justice League and those five, in particular, were under meant that they were understaffed. In five more days, a large roster of heroes, young and old would be signed into the Justice League as a means to turn public attention away from those leaguer's absences, especially Superman's.
As a result, allowing such an operation as the Dark Side Club with all the suspicion hanging around it continue to operate was something they could not allow. Certainly, they had considered leaving it alone as up till this point, besides hosting a place for villains to hide, it had done little else.
But who was to say that was going to remain the case?
Who was to say that the Dark Side Club and whatever was inside wasn't just waiting for something like this to happen?
There wasn't and therefore they did what they did best; their jobs.
With Rose covering the back entrance, Arrowette on another high-rise building would cover the front. They were to act as support, something Rose would not normally volunteer for, but after her talk with Naruto, she didn't feel mentally ready for such an engagement.
Meanwhile, the main force would be split in three.
Two of those would head inside through a pincer manoeuvre, those being led by Starfire and Cyborg. The former would be going in with Raven and Caveboy while Cyborg would be heading in with Aquagirl II and Bunker. The third group would be Jesse Quick, her job being on ensuring that anyone who escaped out from the Dark Side Club would be quickly rounded up.
This was the first mission under Starfire's orders and they wanted to leave an impression.
They were here and they meant business.
A flawless mission with all those connected to the Dark Side Club being rounded up would be the best way to do so. Even then though, they had Maelstrom on call, he was nearby but not meant to intervene unless something truly unforeseen made an appearance that they couldn't handle.
"I'm here, the back entrance is clear, Cyborg, you're clear to move in," Rose said over her radio, similar sounds of confirmation being given by Jesse Quick and Cyborg.
However, Arrowette was different. "Wait, I've got movement." She said, all going quiet as they waited for her to look closer. "Three individuals. Men. They're making their way down from the east. They should be approaching your position soon Starfire."
"I see them," Starfire responded. "From the looks of things, it appears to be Heat Wave, the other two I can't make out."
"Do we abort?" Cyborg asked the question on all their minds, all waiting for Starfire to make her call.
Thursday 28th January 2016, 19:30.
New York,
New York City,
Manhattan.
They could push ahead, Starfire knew that.
Heat Wave would only prove a real threat to the likes of Jesse Quick and Arrowette. After all, as a known villain of the Flash, he had experience in combatting speedsters and Jesse was nowhere near as quick as her mentor, despite her claims otherwise. He would also be a threat to Arrowette, mostly due to her inexperience and human limitations.
For everyone else though, he would be a minor annoyance, if matched up properly.
Considering things, it was also safe to assume that the other two were around a similar level, based just from the way they interacted with one another. Weaker villains had a tendency of putting on a strong front or cowering away from stronger villains. The fact Heat Wave was comfortable around them said enough about the strengths of the other two.
"We go ahead with the assault," Starfire ordered over the radio. "Cyborg, wait for my signal."
Victor gave an affirmative over the radio, Starfire waiting patiently. "Alright, they've gone in," Arrowette informed, Starfire taking a moment to look over her shoulder at the two behind her. The team distribution had been pretty easy to do, she needed to be able to balance out the two assault teams with members that could cover the necessary ranges and fulfil certain roles.
The Teen Titans may not possess the numbers of the Young Justice, but arguably, they were a far more rounded and balanced team than they were. With Caveboy being superhumanly strong and with his training alongside Rose, incredibly skilled, he filled the role of a close quarter's fighter very well. He would be the one to get up close and personal and end fights there and then.
Raven meanwhile was a magic user and a powerful one, even with all the disadvantages holding her back. Considering she had also been training under Naruto, someone that she knew from personal experience was incredibly skilled, she knew Raven had grown stronger. The fact Naruto had said as much was further proof that his training was working.
With Caveboy taking lead and Raven covering the rear, it would be up to her to cover Caveboy and also Raven. Thus allowing both to do their duties without interruption.
Cyborg was in a similar situation as her.
Bunker with his telekinetic abilities would assume the same role as Raven while Aquagirl would take the place of Caveboy. Cyborg meanwhile would assume the same role as her, covering both fighters to ensure they could do their duties to the best of their abilities without needing to prepare themselves for an attack.
Out of the six heroes in the main force, the two of them were the defence team.
This was something Starfire had personally chosen to do as it would give the four heroes the chance to truly test their abilities, just like they had against Doctor Light. Just like that encounter, if it became too much, Starfire and Cyborg would step in and get involved. However, they wouldn't hold their hands throughout it all and every opportunity she could get to test her team, that's exactly what Starfire would do.
The heroes of the Justice League didn't coddle their sidekicks anymore.
She wouldn't do the same either.
Eventually, a time would come when they wouldn't be there to protect them and they needed to be able to handle that situation on their own. If they didn't have experience in that then they would fail. Starfire was not about to prepare them for failure, not now and not ever.
"Everyone," Starfire said, moving out from behind cover. "Let's go."
Thursday 28th January 2016, 19:35.
New York,
New York City,
Manhattan.
Pushing open the door to the Dark Side Club, Mick Rory made his way quickly towards the bar. It was quiet, with very few people actually hanging around which was good, places like this did have a tendency to get a little rowdy. Though considering the recent situation with the heroes as well as the fact there were no organised fights, it was no surprise as to how quiet it was.
As he ordered a few beers from the bartender, Mick leaned against the bar, his two compatriots, Evan McCulloch and Marco Mardon, the Mirror Master and Weather Wizard respectively joined him. "Hey, isn't that George?" Mick questioned, looking to one of the closest tables where a scarf-wearing man with ginger hair was sat drinking from a mug, boomerang spinning around on his finger.
"Considering he has a boomerang in his hand, I'd say yes, it is," Marco muttered, taking the beer from the bartender. "Shall we go say hello?" Evan shrugged, the three grabbing their beers and walking towards George's table.
"Aussie prick."
George frowned as the three dragged chairs over to join him, hand clutching the boomerang threateningly. "Real blood original there, mate. I'm an Aussie and a prick, like I haven't heard that one before."
"So, you are an Aussie and a prick?" Evan retorted, George sitting upright.
Marco though intervened before something could be done. "Need I remind you that we're being watched?" He asked, nodding his head towards the side where they looked to the man seemingly wearing a snake suit watching them carefully.
As soon as Evan and George looked upon him, they both relaxed, the latter placing his boomerang down on the table. "Since when did Copperhead get recruited by this place?" George muttered, nonplussed by the fact a contortionist of all people got recruited as part of a security team here in the Dark Side Club.
Getting hired in this place was one of the best gigs a criminal could get.
Not only did you get a number of bonuses, but also access to a portion of its resources to help with future crimes. For criminals like them who enjoyed robbing banks, that extra money would be incredibly useful for future jobs. Speaking of which, as George looked at the trio across from him, he noticed someone missing.
"Where the bloody hells Leonard, aren't you the cold cunts cock sleaves? Surprised you went somewhere without the loon to hold your hand?" Mick grit his teeth, eyes narrowing, though he kept his senses about him as he once again looked to see Copperhead still watching them closely. In any normal situation, with Copperhead watching over him, Mick would have been more than happy to go for it.
Copperhead was considered as much of a joke as Kite Man in most circles. No one was afraid of the guy and Mick was one of many who wasn't. Yet it wasn't Copperhead that stopped his actions or instinct to fight, no it was the others that would follow him.
He was probably nothing more than the eyes and ears on the ground floor.
The real security force that looked over this place would be waiting and the Dark Side Club had a reputation for breaking up fights, even amongst the most dangerous of criminals that entered. As a result, there was not many if any fights that broke out in places like these, nothing more than a few heated words.
"He's on his way," Mark answered. "Had a meeting with Sportsmaster."
That caught George's attention. "Sportsmaster? Does that mean they're on the move again?" Mark shrugged, no one really had a clue on what happened to the Light as after five years they had seemed to go quiet.
They had always been small cogs within the larger machine, none of them was stupid enough to not recognise that fact. But they had been smart enough to recognise the fact that the Light was the biggest organised crime group with a hand in practically every field of crime there was. As things turned out, there wasn't a major villain currently on Earth at the time, that wasn't working for or inadvertently a part of the Light's plans.
Then they suddenly went missing, their large infrastructure was still in place, their lines of communication and all that still there and being used as criminals communicated with much greater ease than before. But there were no orders issued, no meeting places designated, no tasks given.
It was just quiet.
What made it even worse was from the sidelines, it was clear to see the Justice League had no idea, nor did the various governments of the world. They were finally getting into a position where they could emerge victorious and all of a sudden, there was nothing.
But there was one thing every villain of the world had anxiously looked forward to and that was the moment something from the Light would come down the communication lines. Though they weren't certain, every villain in the world had a feeling in the pit of their stomach that they had been close.
To what they were unsure, but they had been close and every one of them knew it. If the Light started moving once more, then that could only mean one thing and so all waited anxiously for it.
"Not sure. I hope so though, the Justice League have been cracking down even harder recently, ever since that incident a year ago." Evan admitted, the other three nodding their heads in agreement. Being a villain in this day and age was becoming harder and harder, the heroes seemingly getting even stronger as impossible as that seemed.
For them, the Flash was just getting faster to the point it was almost impossible to keep up. They knew from experience that the Flash didn't move at his full speed when fighting against them, when all one saw was nothing, and then suddenly a blur as it approached people, it was clear to know the Flash had slowed down. It made predicting where he would be much easier and therefore, with experience, fighting him even easier.
But now that was becoming much harder and harder to do.
The last time they had fought was the first time they struggled to land even just a glancing blow on the Flash where once, it had been easy to do so. That was just the Flash and there were dozens of more heroes, each becoming more active and more powerful, including the younger heroes.
It was then though, that something caught Mick's attention, just a little movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned, focusing upon it and saw a figure sitting in a dark corner of the room, a well-dressed man in a top hat, a cane resting by his side.
"Who the hell's that?"
All turned to look, George scoffing. "Dunno, he was here when I got here a few days ago. Looked to have been here for a while. Thought he was part of the new security detail at first, but every time I come down here, he's always in that corner of the room. Don't even think he's moved from there."
Mick turned to Mark and Evan. "Either of you two know who he is?" Both responded with a negative. "Well, I'm not going over, the guy's giving me the creeps."
At that moment though, the doors to the front of the Dark Side Club burst open and in came Caveboy, Raven and Starfire, the latter floating in the air, green energy wafting off her hands as the doors smashed into the tables and wall. And almost at the same time, a similar bang was heard from the back entrance.
While none could see it, they knew with almost certainty that the rest of the Teen Titans were on the way through there. "You were fucking tailed!" George shouted out, hand reaching into the pocket of his trench coat and flinging boomerangs towards the trio of heroes, only for them to seemingly turn into dust. "Huh?"
At the same time, Mick pulled out his Heat Gun, taking aim and firing a wave of flames towards the group only for the heat to converge into Raven's hand. All of it compacting into a small ball that she fired right back at them.
All of them were forced to dive out of the way as the flames rushed across the bar, engulfing the wooden chairs. Though as the four lay there, having just avoided being roasted alive, they suddenly came upon the sight of Caveboy charging towards Copperhead who before their very eyes grew into a monstrous beast. The snake suit he wore seemingly became an actual part of him as he grew into a reptilian humanoid beast that with one hand, smacked Caveboy across the face.
It possessed enough force to throw the young hero across the room, who smashed through a series of tables before coming to a stop. Starfire coming down and blasting him with her energy-based attacks.
Yet the four of them just looked at one another in shock. "Could he always do that?!" Evan shouted in shock at seeing someone they thought of as purely a joke suddenly just become; well less of a joke.
Though they may have been shocked, neither Raven nor Starfire was. For the latter it was many years of experience, for Raven though, it was her many hours spent training with Naruto. He may have never attacked her, simply defending against everything she threw at her, that alone was enough to teach her to always pay attention to her surroundings.
Floating in the air, Starfire continued to strike out at Copperhead with Starbolts, the transformed villain only able to raise his guard to block the strikes. Meanwhile, Raven continued to lash out at the Rogues with tendrils of shadows, they doing their best to return fire with flames, boomerangs and mirror-based attacks, but nothing worked. It didn't help them that the most dangerous amongst them, Weather Wizard had his only access to the outside cut off.
Raven had secured the broken door with shadows, she standing just slightly in front of them. 'Her awareness and preparation have improved massively.' Starfire recognised that instantly, and despite feeling immensely proud at how far Raven had come, couldn't dwell on it for long. "Cyborg, report."
"...We've run into a little trouble," Cyborg reported over the radio, she able to pick up the sounds of conflict down the line.
She herself quickly rushed Copperhead who had lowered his guard lightly. He, in response, swung his arm around, intending to backhand her. However, Starfire spun under the strike, cracking him on the underside of his chin with an uppercut that smashed him into the ceiling, cracking it heavily.
Though before he could go through it, Starfire grabbed him by the tail and swung him around with one hand, launching him across the room. All the while unleashing the Starbolt she had been charging up in her other hand.
It exploded against his floating form, sending him further through the air to the point he smashed through numerous rooms, disappearing from sight. "It looks like Clock King, Dreadbolt, Persuader and Disruptor."
Cyborg gave no information other than that, but it told Starfire all she needed to know. While their reconnaissance had not reported anyone entering the Dark Side Club, it had reported many leaving. It had been suggested that they were villains who took refuge here during the time that the Justice League and heroes all over the globe hunted the Kroloteans. Since then, the only activity within the Dark Side Club was of villains leaving the club, something they reported to the Justice League as to enable the heroes to monitor their actions.
Yet this current situation was not something that she had not expected.
There was always a chance of unknown variables and when attacking a place like the Dark Side Club, stragglers had to be expected. This was clearly what had happened here, it was just lucky on their part that no serious villain was actually here, just a series of small-time ones that would prove little challenge.
None of the villains listed would prove a serious threat to either her or Cyborg. Nor would they prove much of a threat to Bunker or Aquagirl. She could trust Cyborg to overcome those four quite handily, it was just up to her to handle this lot here.
As Starfire communicated with Cyborg, Raven concentrated on the others, shadows rushing out from underneath her cloak. All the while her magic reached out, she drew in the shadows from all across the room, they all rushing to answer her call. Except for a small area that stubbornly refused no matter how hard she tried to wrench control away from whatever was holding it in place.
"My dear young lady," a cultured British voice sounded, a cane lightly tapping against the floor.
The shadows that Raven had been attempting to take control suddenly became all but impossible to retain a hold of, they suddenly turned on her. It was only her own shadows, that protected her, Raven herself looking out towards the corner of the room.
The fighting within the room also became still as the lights themselves seemed to be swallowed by darkness, only the burning of chairs resulting Heat Wave's Heat Gun providing any source of light in the room. They all looked upon the figure that became illuminated, as he walked out into the light, cane tapping lightly against the floor.
He was pale, wearing a nice three-piece suit and a top hat. "Did no one ever teach you any manners? I was enjoying a nice, quiet evening and you all happened to intrude upon that. That alone was incredibly rude, though I suppose your curious set of skills is enough for me to overlook the noise you happened to make. But then you had the audacity to intrude upon my realm?"
The shadows suddenly attacked Caveboy, Starfire and Raven all at once, Starfire's Starbolts protecting her and Raven's own shadows doing the same. Caveboy had no way to protect himself from these and if it wasn't for Raven, he would have been finished before the fight even truly began.
"I suppose it's only gentlemanly of me to teach you proper etiquette on matters such as these." Then the shadows blocking off the door were torn apart, Weather Wizard quickly capitalising as powerful winds rushed in, picking Raven and Caveboy off their feet, Starfire herself actually carried slightly along with the wind before she managed to root herself in the air.
At that moment, Copperhead returned from where Starfire had sent him, launching a large metal container that struck Starfire in the air, knocking her out of the sky. The Rogues also throwing out attacks of their own, the three members of the Teen Titans forced to defend themselves desperately under this sudden and surprising assault.
Thursday 28th January 2016, 19:50.
New York,
New York City,
Manhattan.
As Lorena flipped through the air, her leg smashed into Dreadbolts face when he appeared suddenly behind Bunker. The man was a teleporter, a power gifted to him by his Bolt Suit, he was by far the most irritating fighter amongst the group they had encountered when entering through the back.
The members of the groups weren't all that powerful, but Dreadbolt was much trickier to handle than the others. Luckily for them, inside this narrow corridor, Dreadbolt was not able to fly effectively meaning teleportation and energy projection. It certainly made things much easier, but with Clock King and his precognition, Persuader and his Atomic Axe and Disruptor and her Disruption Gauntlets acting as interference, he was able to keep his distance.
However, standing over his unconscious body, Lorena looked to see Bunker bringing down two large hands made of energy bricks. Neither Clock King nor Disruptor could stop the hand from falling down on them. Each letting out grunts, eyes rolling into the backs of their head
Cyborg himself, parried Persuader's axe, uppercut breaking the man's jaw as he collapsed to the ground. "Everyone, let's make a move now," Cyborg ordered. "Starfire and the others are in trouble. Do you copy that, Ravager?"
"I heard you, moving into position." She responded over the radio, Cyborg looking towards Aquagirl and Bunker, both giving him nods of their heads.
"Aquagirl take point, Bunker you cover our rear," Cyborg ordered, the three quickly falling into formation with him taking the centre, all moving quickly across the corridor. The door at the other end opened up, revealing an entry into a stairwell, it was a much more spacious area though where it led to was unknown. "Bunker, remain here in case anything else comes down."
Not waiting for confirmation, both Cyborg and Aquagirl made their way across to the other side of the room. As they drew closer they could hear the sound of combat inside which was good, Starfire and the others were still active.
But Cyborg did not give the order to enter straight away, both he and Aquagirl came to a stop at the door. "Starfire, draw them outside, we'll strike them from behind, Ravager, Arrowette, JQ, get ready to ambush them by the door." He received a series of affirmatives down the other end, though Starfire's was delayed.
Bunker watched on, foot-tapping lightly as he kept sparing glances up the stairs to see any sign of movement. It was possible, as they had now discovered, that there were more people here, those that had not arrived or exited during their period of reconnaissance. Starfire had always said it was a possibility and while things seemed to have gotten a little derailed, he was confident it wouldn't be for long.
He had been a member of the Teen Titans since its founding, had trained under and alongside Nightwing for many years. Bunker knew that he was strong and that if need be, he could even give Starfire and Cyborg a good fight. The only reason why the Teen Titans had done as good a job as they had against Doctor Light a few weeks back was because of him.
Admittedly, they lost until Starfire and Cyborg stepped in, they having been stood on the side-lines to give the new blood more experience, but it was because of him they lasted till that point. At which point, both had proven how wide a gap there was between them and the rest of the Titans.
Alone, there was a fifty-fifty chance of Starfire beating Doctor Light, on a good day that was.
Cyborg, a little less so.
But even so, the fact that they could claim that against a villain who had been recognised as a Justice League level threat, was saying a lot about their power. Individually, both of them were two of the strongest of their current generation, outmatched only by the powerhouse that was Miss Martian and he supposed, Maelstrom though he had heard only tales of his power from Kid Devil.
However, the two were also charismatic and capable leaders, had been practically leading the Teen Titans ever since Nightwing took a leading position back at Young Justice with Aqualad disappearing, recently having returned as an ally of Black Manta.
If anyone was capable of turning the tides back in their favour despite the current situation, it was them. So as frustrating as it was to be relegated to his current role, Bunker accepted it for what it was. The last thing Cyborg wanted was for more villains to come out of the woodwork and strike them from behind.
As Cyborg turned back, giving a nod of his head, Bunker returned it, he and Aquagirl then bursting through the door and entering into the fray on the other end. Bunker himself just remained behind in silence, releasing a drawn-out sigh.
He respected Cyborg enough to stay here, but it didn't mean he had to like it. 'God I kind of hope something happens soon, even if it's just someone like Kite-Man. Hell, I'll even take someone like Condiment Man.' As soon as he thought that, Bunker let out a groan. "I can't believe I just thought that."
This whole waiting around was not made any easier by the fact he could hear the fight going on in the other room. Explosions sounded out, the walls and stairs shaking violently sending dust falling down. He could hear the sound of superpowered punches breaking apart concrete and striking against flesh, could hear the sounds of people uttering orders and screaming profanities at each other.
It sounded chaotic and Bunker was envious of it all.
Leaning back, Bunker looked up to the darkened ceiling many floors above him, hoping to find something to distract him from what was happening just on the other side of the wall. Unexpectedly, that's exactly what he found and Bunker smiled happily, seeing a figure move around on the top floor.
"Hey!" He called up. "Come on down, I've seen you."
Bunker waited, squinting his eyes to try and see if he could see the figure again. He couldn't, they having more than likely scurried away upon realising they had been caught. 'That's boring. Wait, what if it really was Condiment Man? I'm pretty sure he wore something greenish or was that his old suit?'
Though before he could think on that further, Bunker's eyes widened as he saw the same green-clad figure jump off the railing and plummet down towards him, a golden yellow glow originating from something they had clasped in their hands, an orange box in the other.
Reacting quickly, he swung his arms up, purple bricks materialising from nothing and rising up to meet the figure midfall. Both an attacking and defensive move he had used many a time to stall, if not take out an enemy many a time and with great success. Except, the wall of bricks formed from the energy which he controlled, was sliced apart like it was nothing.
Exactly as how Persuaders Atomic Axe had been able to cut through them.
Rolling to one side, Bunker avoided the figure as they smashed into the ground behind him. Though he was not saved completely, the ground beneath them erupting outwards, picking up Bunker and smashing him into the wall with a grunt.
"Damn." He cursed, shaking his head as he pushed himself up onto his feet.
Yet as he looked into the smoke, Bunker couldn't help but smile as he rose to his feet.
"Now this is more like it." He thought, large fists forming in the air that he sent rushing into the smoke. They moved with such speed that it burst huge holes in it, revealing a frail, large-headed woman with short black hair clad in a green dress waiting there. A box held to her chest, something formed of an unknown technology from what little Bunker could make out in that short second.
Because a mere fraction of a second later, the glowing yellow dagger she clutched in one hand swung up and cut cleanly through the fist as if it was made of paper. Which considering that Bunker had made them to be tougher than titanium, said a great deal to her strength, or that of her weapons.
'Considering she survived a fall from that height, I'm inclined to believe that she's not a normal person, just as that's not a normal dagger. But who the hell is she?' He wondered, not recognising her from any file that Nightwing had forced all Teen Titans to read on supervillains. There was literally no file possessing the image of a woman matching her description, nor possessing such a dagger.
Which meant she was a new figure.
"Who are you exactly?" Bunker asked, taking this moment to recollect himself and prepare for the coming fight. "You don't seem familiar and you look quite pissed off. Can't say I've ever met you before so I'm inclined to believe that I haven't done something to piss you off in the past."
The woman never responded though, the box in her hands starting to beep rapidly.
This alone made the woman's anger, not dissipate, but brought a large smile to her face. "You have incurred the wrath of the Master of Darkness, the Lord of Apokolips." She spoke, the rage still simmering but beginning to be overtaken by absolute joy and reverence.
'I'm really not liking the way this is heading.'
"You have invaded his land and your lives are forfeit, I, Bernadeth of the Dark Gods Female Furies, shall be the last thing you see this day. For your crimes, this shall be your grave." Bernadeth declared gleefully, a boom echoing out, a violent wind seeming to suck in everything around into a large golden circle that formed from nothing.
So strong was the wind that Bunker had to summon a wall to stop him from being sucked into it. This wall saved his life as from the portal as strange creatures burst out, clad in yellow armour with fly-like wings sprouting from their backs. Dozens rushed out, smashing into Bunker's wall, something he had to strengthen and build upon further as the first one nearly broke through in an instant.
All the while, Bernadeth remained where she was, a wide smile upon her face. "For Darkseid!" She declared, more and more creatures pouring out from the portal and quickly overwhelming Bunker.
So, another chapter done, and I had a lot of fun with this one. As you can see, Superman is someone I'm trying to really flesh out and emphasise the impact he's had on the hero world. There's a reason for this of course, though I won't spoil what it's for or why, just know it will be tragic. However, this is one of those moments that will force Naruto to start to overcome his trauma, there's a few more hurdles to come of course, but this leads to a major step which is his talk with Rose.
And as you can read for yourself, Blaze really fucked with Naruto's head. She put him under an illusion so impossibly perfect, that even though Naruto knew it couldn't be real, he wanted it so badly to be so that he didn't resist. Then she tore it apart, forced him to relive his memories and then twisted them, assumed the forms of those he loves to a point that being around someone like Rose, makes him question whether he's actually safe, or still being held captive by Lady Blaze.
She fucked with his mind to point that well, you'll have to decide for yourselves whether she succeeded in breaking him or not. But strangely enough, Naruto's demonic powers didn't manifest no matter how angry he got, I wonder why that could be?
We also get the assault on the Dark Side Club, or the beginning of it. Things are going a little hectic with the Teen Titans clashing against the Terror Titans, the security detail of the club. But also the severely underrated villain, Shade. One of my favourite villains from the DCAU, the JL and JL Unlimited era. But also the introduction of Bernadeth, a member of the Female Furies and loyal servant of Darkseid. Makes sense now why the Kroloteans stayed far away from the Dark Side Club.
Anyway, now that that's done, let's get on with the questions:
Stonepotrice: Oh yeah, I really want to kind of emphasise just how much of an impact Superman has had on the hero world. Not just in DC, but kind of in our world because let's face it, when you say hero, more often than not the first though that comes to a person's mind is Superman. He is the titular hero people think of when saying superhero genre and so I kind of want to showcase that here.
But yeah, hopefully this chapter explains why Naruto has trouble being around women and has problems confronting his problems based around them. Lady Blaze did more than what was obvious, her aim was to break Naruto and the way she went about it made her come very close to doing just that. As for Raven, it's completely different for her at this point in time, thanks to an Avatar of Trigon being in her head.
I. P. Frealy: Nope, that's you not fully understanding what's going on here. Yes, at this point, Naruto is a hero. But he wasn't always and he won't always be so. The world of DC is fucked up and realistically, shouldn't allow for things as simple as titles like hero and villain to remain the way they have. This story will reflect that. Yes, at this point Naruto is a hero because the world currently allows for those titles. But very soon, it won't and being able to label people as such will be impossible. Because at times, the heroes will be just as bad, if not worse than the villains they fight against.
LightninXX: Hopefully this satisfies your desire to see more on Naruto's' trauma. And I do apologise, but there will be a lot of emphasis on the Teen Titans. Mostly because Starfire is highly invested in them and Naruto will become highly invested in Raven, who is also highly invested in the TT. Those two will be pivotal to Naruto overcoming his trauma, especially Starfire and so, the TT will get a lot of screen time. And so do I my friend, if for some reason I can't finish off this story. I'll definitely be posting extra chapters that detail and outline all the future arcs and the villains that would have been involved so at the very least, you could have seen where it was going to go.
Bladewolf101: They're not dating, but what they have is a mutual respect and understanding of each other. Starfire is also attracted to Naruto and is also, very open about her sexuality and quite flirtatious. But what they have is bond between a leader and a former leader, two experienced heroes, victims and a respect for one another as heroes.
Hope this clears up any questions and if not, please let me know and I'll gladly answer as best as I can while avoiding spoilers.