Author's Note: For those who want clarification on the YJ timeline, Raven arrives on Earth just after the events of "Satisfaction" (Season 2, Episode 8) where the original Roy wakes up. This is just before an undercover Aqualad destroys Mount Justice in "Darkest" (Season 2, Episode 9) on March 23rd, 2016.

Chapter 2: Appearance

| Secret CBI Base, Wyoming

| 2016 March 22, 8:13 PM

The surge was as immense as it was powerful. A pulsing magical vibration that could neither be seen nor heard except by those who had an affinity for the arcane.

Other prominent magic users from across the country — the world even —undoubtedly would have sensed this anomaly. Being as close as she was, Eve could even feel it in her bones. That thrum of dark energy.

The shrill sound of alarms going off snapped her out of her shock. Red lights were blaring around her, courtesy of advanced technology picking up on what they likely believed was an energy bombardment.

"Nightshade!" A man in a suit called out. She didn't remember his name. "We picked up a massive energy signature near Lincoln, Wyoming. Report to the command center immediately!"

She replied simply "No. I'm heading out to engage and apprehend whatever magical entity just arrived here".

The bald man gaped "Wha — this order came from the chief of this base! And how do you know it's a creature—"

"I didn't say it was a "creature", I said it was an "entity". It could very well be a humanoid. Or a monster." She called for her powers to come forth, and for shadows to engulf her hand. She didn't even register the changes happening to her body, like her Caucasian skin turning pale gray and her black hair transforming into wispy shadows. "You should remind your superior that keeping this facility safe, secret and secure is paramount. The closest zeta-tube is in South Dakota and I have no doubt the Watchtower senses the same thing we did. It needs to be handled immediately. At best we have about 20 to 35 minutes before someone arrives to investigate, depending on how fast they can fly all the way out here."

Clasping her hands together, she crafted a black portal in front of her that was about the same size as her. She wryly thought of how Zatanna and Dr. Fate probably sensed the energy before the watchtower did. Which means unless they were on their own missions right now, they probably had even less time than what she originally thought. "Besides, I'm sure our superiors would not want the league to get their hands on an entity as powerful as this."

And with that, she stepped into the portal, and in so doing, temporarily passed through a realm of nightmare and terror. Not that it affected her. Because while her magic told of unfathomable creatures and crippling fears, her lineage ensured that she could harness the darkness of this world without penalty.

With a few more seconds of stale murk, Nightshade finally exited the portal and inhaled a deep breath of crisp and fresh country winds. All around it took her less than half a minute. If she was where she thought she was, then she should be about 50 kilometers from the energy's focal point. More than enough distance to potentially gather information and create an impromptu assault plan.

"Huginn. Muninn." She called. At her words two avian homunculi appeared, taking on the appearance of wispy shadows. "Take to the skies and keep an eye out. One of you will scout ahead to see what we're dealing with. The other will keep an eye out for anyone who might approach to investigate. Also be sure to contact me if you find anything out of the ordinary."

With a caw of affirmation, both creatures took off on shadowy wings to do her bidding. Now that she had eyes in the sky, Nightshade decided to use her own. She dully noted that there was nothing around but hills and plains. There wasn't a farmhouse or decrepit building in sight. Only grass, wooden fences, and fields of wheat.

Not exactly her battleground of choice. Unless she wanted to go in the grass, there was nowhere to hide. She looked up and nothing but stars and nebulas greeted her eyes. There was absolutely no sign that anything had happened. By appearance alone, it looked to be nothing but a quiet night in a quiet state. And the fact that neither of her birds have reported back meant that nothing seemed out of place yet. No craters. No fires. Not even a crash site. Whatever landed here did so with minimal physical disruption.

There was a gentle push in her mind, and Nightshade allowed herself to connect with the ethereal eyes of Huginn. He had found the entity and it looked - like a girl?

Yes, it looked like a girl. One with black hair, pale skin and a tattered blue cloak. But it was a girl all the same. Or at least, it appeared as a girl. Deciding to raise herself upon pitch-black winds, she began to close the distance between herself and whatever arrived, with dust and debris only mildly irritating her face.

When she began her approach, she noted that it was already looking at her. Given Nightshade's height, it was probably indicative of either advanced eyesight or an extrasensory ability. She also noted that the entity showed no sign of hostility, and instead just remained seated on the ground in what appeared to be a somewhat dazed state.

But as she came closer and closer, Nightshade's body tensed with caution. There was no mistaking that aura — that distinct feeling of malevolent danger. What was now before her held a demonic presence, and Nightshade had her hands charged with magic before she even consciously noticed it.

But it didn't do anything. It just sat there and idly stared at her with an impassive face. "You're scared."

She extended her hand a bit farther, ready to deal a concussive blast. "Not scared enough to not deal with you. Why have you come here?", she hissed.

Its face remained unchanging, though Nightshade detected a slight note of fear in its eyes. "To help people. By warning them."

Nightshade's stance didn't waver. "Of what?"

"Of Trigon."

Her powers actually snuffed out of pure shock for a second, but they came back quickly at her insistence. Trigon? Trigon the Terrible? She had heard of the name, but she didn't quite know what to make of this information.

She took a step closer. "And who are you, exactly?"

A serene face continued to stare at her. "Raven. Raven of Azarath."

Nightshade began to feel apprehensive about this. Despite her continued advances and her obviously readied attack, the girl had not moved an inch. And despite all her years of advanced training in identifying even the most minute facial movements, the girl maintained the perfect poker face. Even the glimmer of fear in her eyes was gone and was now replaced with an indecipherable gaze.

It honestly felt like she was addressing an old porcelain doll. It was unnerving. "Well then, Raven. I am Nightshade, and your arrival here has caused quite a scare."

"I noticed. Your fear was apparent to me. Even now.", it deadpanned.

Somehow Nightshade had no doubt of that. The mere fact that the girl was able to construct this inscrutable mask within a few minutes of meeting her showed that she was probably aware of her situation.

"I mean to more than just me." She huffed. "I mean my superiors noticed. More than just my superiors, actually. So I need you to come with me. Quietly, please."

They were barely a foot away from each other now, and Nightshade had yet to relax her stance as she summoned a portal just to the right of them. "Be sure to close your eyes while we're in there. Otherwise there will be consequences."

Raven looked at the portal inquisitively and blinked only a few times before declaring "That portal does not lead to anywhere on earth. And it…prods. At me. With fears and terrors found in the dark."

Nightshade raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you already sense it. Yes, it will try to "prod" at you, as you put it. But so long as you don't actually look at it, you will only experience mild discomfort. This is the transitory space I use to get from one point on earth to another. It will only take a few seconds for us to get where we need to go."

For the first time since their introduction, Raven's tone had a hint of suspicion. "And where exactly is that? Furthermore, who exactly are you taking me to?" As if to punctuate her questions, the girl finally stood up on her own two legs. Despite wearing tattered clothing with several rips and holes, she stood with an air of confidence rarely seen in children.

Nightshade charged her powers up a bit further and her voice turned stern. "My superiors are affiliated with the government. More than that you need not know. After we traverse through that portal we will end up at a secure location."

A tense moment passed, Nightshade's eyes only widening a fraction before the girl spoke. "Can you be more specif —"

The portal rushed and encompassed her faster than she could blink, but Raven already started flying toward where the exit should be. But it was already too late. The moment Nightshade had the girl in the Land of Nightshades was the moment the portal closed. Darkness encompassed them now, and as they were set adrift on ebony tides that only Nightshade knew the direction of, she noted that Raven had taken her advice and kept her eyes closed.

Thankfully it was a short journey.

The cold steel of the base gave out a shrill 'ting' when Nightshade landed while Raven tumbled out in an indignant tangle of blue and black. After a few seconds of disorientation, Raven took the feeling of cold metal as her cue to open her eyes. They were in a long metal corridor with nothing but a few doors beside them.

"Sorry about the rough landing. But Muginn told me we didn't have much time left."

Raven only managed to garble out "Who is Muginn?" as she wrestled with her tangled cloak.

Nightshade almost snorted. For a being who so clearly radiated a demonic presence, she certainly had low motor control. It was almost cute. "Listen. Seeing as how you have been mostly cooperative with me, I have decided to not knock you out. But for now, I want you to enter this room and remain there until we can get you processed."

The girl stared at her and watched her closely. "What do you mean processed?"

The older woman opened an access pad. "I mean cataloged. Filed. Put into the system." After a flurry of strokes, the door opened with a distinct hiss. "We will want to know who you are, what your powers are, and investigate why you have arrived here." She gestured to the room.

Peeking inside, Raven saw nothing but a table and chair. "They won't… do anything to me?"

After a pause, the answer came out tightly. "They may run a few tests... But trust me when I say I will be following your case personally." The last word held particular emphasis, and Raven had no doubt the woman meant what she said. Her feelings were too determined for her to be lying. So without further complaint, Raven entered the room.

The door almost shut instantly the moment she entered, and the action sliced through Raven's limited comfort like a knife. She was alone. It was silent. In a room so glossy and metallic that she could practically taste the metal.

Nothing adorned the room but a few chairs, a table, and a mirror. With nothing but a coil of nervous dread, Raven took a few measured breaths and took a seat at one of the chairs. Making a mental note to keep an eye on her emotions, Raven couldn't help but wish the woman would come back. Nightshade may not like her, but from what Raven could tell she was still mostly trustworthy.

| Secret CBI Base, Wyoming

| 2016 March 22, 9:00 AM

Nightshade never really talked to anyone from the DEO. Occasionally she would drop off a metahuman that would eventually make it in their direction, but otherwise their jobs never really overlapped. But here she was: Standing in the office of one Sandra Barrett*. She was the highest-ranking DEO member in the base, and as such quickly took to processing their new arrival.

The tanned woman was eying her critically. "And you want to follow this case why?"

"Because I want to know who — or what — we're dealing with.", she replied.

The DEO agent gave a slight frown, clearly unimpressed with her reasoning. "That's what processing is meant to do. We evaluate extranormal threats and phenomena and deal with them accordingly. This is no different. If the CBI needs to get involved, we'll tell you. But otherwise the girl is no concern of yours. As it is she's barely a threat to national security at all."

Her fist clenched. "I grant you that she doesn't seem malicious, but that girl set off every alarm in this building. How could I not want to learn more about her?"

"Because our initial intelligence is beginning to show that she isn't powerful enough to cause that much disruption on her own." Barrette lifted a file from her desk drawer, her eyes only lightly scanning its contents. "The girl has demonstrated several powers. Telekinesis. Teleportation. Empathy. She claims she has more, but we haven't verified them. But our scans are quite clear on the matter. Her power output can only exert so much energy. Certainly not enough to cause that disruption. Our experts are inclined to believe that she was merely swept up in what they are calling a "dimensional shifting anomaly"." The woman closed the folder with a quick snap before turning her eyes to Nightshade. "Despite her rather disrupting entrance, she's barely any more threatening than your average metahuman. Less so, actually, given how she seems rather docile and stable with her abilities."

Nightshade's shadowy hair flowed in mild agitation. "Did she tell you about her magic?"

Sandra's response was tight. "She did. Although like other things with the 'magic' label, such abilities are difficult to categorize without extensive evaluation."

"Then you know that a consultation with a magic user would be prudent. Particularly in this case, since I can confirm that her abilities are somewhat similar to mine."

That seemed to catch the woman's attention. "Is that so? Well that will make things much easier. I'll make a note to list her magical abilities under SHD-06 until further notice. That should speed up her process quite a bit." She made a dismissive wave of her hand. "Now that that's out of the way, go back to your duties. I'm sure the chief wants you to run a patrol or something before the day is out. I'll be sure to tell our arcane experts they may want to look at your file for a reference."

At this point Nightshade actually stood up. "You really don't understand, do you? That girl has a demonic air about her. The DEO has never encountered a being like her before, if there was ever a time to involve me —a shadow magic user who has encountered demons in the past—now would be the time."

Sandra's gaze was hard, her voice coming out in a frustrated growl. "I don't like your tone, Eve Eden." The starring contest continued for a few more seconds before she sighed in mild resignation. "You know what? Fine. I'll show you what we already know. I don't particularly like dealing with you over something that is clearly being handled."

With that Sandra grabbed the file again and tossed it on her desk in a clear invitation. "Go on."

With a thankful nod, Nightshade almost instantly turned to her diagnostic scans. They showed she was only half-human. But her other half was indeed demonic. Or at least what could be categorized as demonic. While her results were inconclusive, current DNA analysis showed she only shared 13% to other demonic creatures they had within their custody. But they categorized her as a half-demon anyway.

That made sense. Despite having captured several demons and other supernatural entities in the past, demons were scientifically regarded more like a genus than an actual species. This genus was then organized in variants and subgroupings, who were themselves categorized based on phenotypical and DNA similarities. But despite this, "demon" was still listed as a race on most forms, with the only qualification for classification being that a subject must have a substantial amount of what their scientists labeled the "base demonic genome".

Still, their lack of knowledge on demons as a whole was obvious. They only had 4 demonic sub-classifications available on the form, and Nightshade almost rolled her eyes at how almost all of the classifications applied to the more bestial demons. Things that appeared more like an animal or an unthinking beast than anything resembling the much more dangerous demons. The kind that can talk, think, walk on two legs and even shapeshift. And those demons weren't even in the listing.

The words 'DMN-Unknown' stuck out to her, and Nightshade had to remind herself that these forms only applied a purely scientific analysis. There are several anecdotal records of humanoid demons. Intelligent ones too. But few, if any, were ever captured. Much less studied. Still, it was disappointing to learn that they had no idea what type of demon sired her.

Her eyes scanned all of the following pages with disappointment. Most of its contents only glossed over the bare minimum of her heritage, saying nothing about things like biological temperament or dietary preferences. It was not an understatement to say the U.S government, despite acknowledging magic and magical creatures, only knew so much about the supernatural. Especially in this case. This biological analysis had several noticeable gaps, with several multiple sections being left either unfinished or with a note attached telling personnel to not even bother trying to fill it out. For this reason, Raven was also being classified as Level 5 SOI (Subject of Interest). With that sort of designation, blood samples were likely already being sent to DC — possibly even making its way to those who dealt with the Black Room* Program.

Nightshade scoffed. "You think this report shows that you "got it handled"? Half of it is empty!"

Sandra gave a look that almost seemed like a sneer. "I don't know if you noticed honey, but several reports on our non-human subjects are half-empty. We only just recently mapped out the entirety of the Martian genome, but we still know only a little on Kyptonians, Thanagarians, Durlans*, - hell, even the Atlantean genome isn't completely understood. It's a big universe, Nightshade. Is it really that surprising?"

As if to punctuate her sentence, she began absently twirling her pen in thought. "With any luck, we will have more comprehensive knowledge on most of those species by the end of the year. Ever since Atlantis joined the UN, the U.S has benefitted from their shared technology. Including in the field of genetics."

"None of that applies to this child who we know almost nothing about." Nightshade stated.

"Know nothing? You haven't even looked at the entire report yet." Sandra quipped.

With her face set into a distinct frown, Nightshade turned to the last page inside the file: The page that detailed her initial questioning and psychoactive evaluation. It said her mother came from Gotham, that she came from a dimension known as Azarath and —

Mental Status: Stable but delusional. Was raised by a cult who raised her to believe she would herald the end of the mortal realm (Ref: XCF Interview 000056347 for full transcript). Further psychiatric evaluation needed.

"She's …delusional?"

Sandra nodded. "Honestly not too surprising. If Azarathian cultures is anything are anything like ours, they would ascribe evil to anyone with a demonic heritage. This culture just made sure she believed she was the descendant of their Satan-equivalent. He's the epitome of evil, spawns sinsa sin spawner, destroyer of worlds, etcetera. Odds are we will have Jaimison take a look at her. She's good with troubled kids. Otherwise, she'll just be sent to one of the DEO's facilities. Give her some therapy. If she shows any additional potential, it will be filed and appropriately followed up on."

Nightshade gave a small sigh, before handing the file back to Sandra's waiting hand. "I still want to follow up on this girl's case. See if maybe I can help in dealing with her."

Sandra rolled her eyes "Help her? It sounds more like you want to contain her — which we are already doing, by the way. That being said, if you want to get even more involved, then I certainly won't stop you from trying. Just know that due to the girl's circumstances, her case will likely be sent all the way up to our director. That means if you want to do anything or even see anything pertaining to her, you will have to go through him."

At this Nightshade stood up, her hands already engulfed with dark energy. "So be it. Don't think I am intimidated by your director's reputation. If I know there is more than meets the eye on something, I will do all I can to keep an eye on it. This girl is no exception."

Author's Notes:

Both Dakota Jamison and Sandra "the Bear" Barrette are both characters already established in DC comics. Both are agents of the DEO.

The Black Room Program was a government project seen in some of the Justice League: Dark comics. Its purpose was to collect powerful mystic artifacts and safeguard them from those who would abuse their power.

Durlans are a shapeshifting race from the planet Durla, which was ravaged several decades ago by a nuclear war. They appeared in one of my early story drafts before their role was mostly scrapped. But it should be noted that Durlans, or rather their tech, has appeared on Earth (notably China) in the past according to several comics. So I decided to list them in as an alien race that has landed on Earth in the YJ universe.