Author's Note: The events of this chapter only happen a few weeks after the Season 3 finale which ended on February 28th, 2019 (Team Year 9). Raven is a hero, Nightshade is a mostly-absent guardian, and I start showing Raven going out and about.

Chapter 7: Time skip

| Wallowa Mountains, Oregon

| 2019 March 1st, 9:36 PM

Raven couldn't say she liked long treks through the wilderness, but this is where she was led. Somewhere in this swathe of moonlit mountains and woodlands was a palpable source of fear. Panic from a collection of people who clearly did not want to be here. Possibly from a group of lost hikers or….

She leaned closer to the ground, inspecting a collection of footprints that were imprinted there. It had rained recently, so the footprints were rather distinct. Four adults. Seven teenagers. Allowing her hand to hover over the muddy prints, she was careful to make sure she made no actual contact. Her hand tingled as a series of emotions flooded her consciousness and Raven felt herself take in her usual sharp breath.

Fear. The lingering weight of exhaustion. A bite of anger and frustration. But it held the weight of a feeling that only came with age. Shock rattled her mind when she felt a tug on her wrists. They hurt. Rubbed raw and chafing. Determination pierced the forefront of her attention. And she felt a sense of relief when she felt her head twisted itself to a specific direction. Then her chest throbbed as sorrow gripped her lungs. Snot was dripping down her — stop.

Raven opened her eyes, taking a moment to inhale a deep breath of fresh air. With a quick refreshing of her mind that only came from years of practice, Raven took to the air and began flying. People were dragged here. They were likely bound by rope. And they were likely heading north, as that was the direction she felt her head twist toward.

She flew a few kilometers through the air, her dark body suit conveniently blending her in with the night sky. There was not a lot of wind, and Raven was trying to see if these people left a trail for to her to follow. She was looking for flattened grass, disruptions by the creek, track marks from a vehicle, etc. It was admittedly not her best skill, but her empathy still served as a decent barometer to determine where people were. Especially in mostly deserted places like this, where the only people in the area usually were travelers, tourists and the occasional ranger — each of whom would mostly stick around the main hiking trails.

The more she flew in her current direction, the more Raven was able to sense the empathic signatures of her quarry. She had more land to cover, but she was certain they were being held at the next ridge. Making it a point to make herself less obvious, Raven slowed her speed and began descending toward the tree line.

She was likely being overly cautious, but it was not unheard of for supervillains to have bases hidden out in the wilderness. With their bases being hidden away from the majority of civilization, these bases often became useful as hidden stockpiles, out of the way safehouses, or storage centers when the villain in question had no conventional smuggling methods available.

In which case, she had to be mindful of surveillance cameras and sensors. Carefully navigating through the trees, Raven finally began to pick up some empathic details.

There were at least eight people present. An unknown number of them were scared — likely victims. The others were mostly calm. They were also... lower?

It took a few minutes to find it, but eventually she spotted the entrance. It looked like a sewer grate, old and rusted to the point of near-corrosion. The cement that kept it in place had several cracks on it and was covered in various stains, but the mass of swept leaves immediately beside it showed that someone had recently been in the area.

There was a sentry or two down there, no doubt. But that was hardly a problem.

Taking a moment to get herself centered, Raven felt herself phase out of reality with minimal disruption. Azarath always taught her to respect existence, to acclimate one's self to the surroundings so that their presence was at ease with the universe. The aim was only use just enough magic to achieve the desired effect. To exert neither too much magic, nor too little. And to use magic in such a way to leave as little damage to the surroundings as possible. All so that they may look through or travel the cosmos with the fewer the ripples.

So, when Raven felt herself enter the cold black space of the dimension between realities, she knew nothing would be left in the place where she was once was — not even a faint magical signature. Nightshade said that this was an esoteric practice, even among magic users, and that most saw no real reason to use it nowadays. But it was the near ultimate achievement of control for Raven.

Taking a breath to make an opening, Raven found herself looking upward to peer at the base's interior. From her place on the ceiling she saw the top of a bald man's head, his feet lazily perched on a nearby table. Overall, the place didn't look impressive. Most of the furniture looked worn out, with several cushions in the nearby couch having several holes in it. Most of the tables looked either rotten through or scratched up to hell.

Taking a moment to listen to her extrasensory feelings, Raven closed the portal. With a feeling of opening a familiar door, another portal came into existence. This time was greeted with the sight of a rotting ceiling. But her empathy was picking up the fear of the room's inhabitants. Clearly, this time. There were five people in that room, four of whom were all clustered together in what she estimated to be the corner of the room. They were all tired.

Rising from the portal in complete silence, she quickly found her quarry. There were indeed four teenagers in the corner of the decrepit room, crudely bound and gagged inside what looked like a glorified dog cage. The other, an unseen enemy, felt like he was by the door. Beyond the crates and empty cages that obscured him from her view.

She hadn't been noticed yet, so Raven quietly levitated herself toward the ceiling to look at what sort of enemy she was dealing with. He looked thuggish, as many goons tended to be, but his blonde buzzcut just made him look like a punk. Combined with his burly physique and what appeared to be a high-grade knife strapped on his thigh, Raven concluded that he might be a problem.

Particularly since she didn't want anyone to know she was here.

The intimidating man was currently riffling through a wad of cash in his hand, the table nearby being filled with similar stacks of green paper. They counted their finances in the same room as their captives? Definitely not a sign that this was a professional outfit. Combined with the state of this place and the paltry security measures, Raven concluded that she was dealing with a lowly gang of human traffickers. Just a bunch of common thugs who wanted to earn a quick buck by selling off teenagers to anyone willing to buy.

With metahuman trafficking being as popular as it was, even untested teenagers could bring in a tidy profit. Whether they tested positive or not, villains and unscrupulous groups the world over would be more than willing to use them as test subjects. Or just harvest their organs.

But their clear ineptitude showed they weren't anything close to being a solid operation, and the lack of even the most basic security tech meant they were not connected to any big player. Which meant they likely left a ton of evidence around — be it in unencrypted messages or files laying out in some obvious file cabinet somewhere. Speaking of which… The man had a blue iPhone laying on the nightstand.

Lifting a gloved finger, Raven saw the device become enveloped in a purple glow as it soundlessly made its way to her hand. Tucking it inside one of the pouches on her belt, Raven descended to turn her attention toward the captives.

The cage was within the man's line of sight, which meant if they made even a single disruption he would notice. Staring intently at them, Raven began siphoning out their fear.

Quickly noticing their altering emotional state, they all began looking around in muted surprise. They locked eyes with her quickly enough, although none had the emotional impulse to act on it. But they understood she was there for them. Watching with blank stares that none of them really understood, they all felt numb as they watched Raven maintain her keen gaze as she pulled out a small inconspicuous vile that was barely the size of her pinky.

It was actually just filled with water, but its main purpose was to serve as a receptacle. A material anchor. Waiting until the vial glowed with a supernatural light, Raven pocketed the item before opening a portal inside the cage. With her emotional suppression in place, none of them even gave so much as a yelp when the black void enveloped them.

Teleporting herself with them, Raven barely acknowledged the cold space as she made her way to the nearby city of Enterprise. The buzz of emotions, even this late at night, was distinctive and Raven found herself feeling grateful that police departments were open 24/7. If she did this during the day, her empathy would be getting pummeled right about now.

Opening a portal in a nearby alley, Raven found herself looking at a small group of teenagers, their feelings of panic returning to their consciousness as they began struggling in their binds. It probably didn't help they still had no idea where they were.

With a wave of her hand that has their ropes unraveling in a dark purple light, Raven gestured down the alley. "Calm yourselves. The police station should be in that direction."

Two of them bolted immediately, their unease and previous experience fueling their speed. But the others offered her a thankful nod before turning away.

"Hold it."

They paused, their heels still poised to begin running.

She took out the phone from her pocket. "This belonged to one of the kidnapers. Give it to the police. And ah… I would appreciate it if no one mentioned me."

Immediately after she said the words, she inwardly grimaced. She should have said that before the other two bolted. Talk about a moot point. But after the two girls registered her words they immediately started jogging after the others.

Now it was just a matter of waiting and observing. She would not leave the area until she sensed them reaching their intended destination. But so far all of the girls were well on their way. She felt their relief, their lungs heaving with fresh open air, the burning hope that swelled in their chests once their feet began hitting the ground. None of them seemed likely to change course. It was not uncommon for those she rescued, mostly illegal immigrants or those from low-income families, to avoid the police station entirely. They would much rather take their chances on their own, and would approach either a hostel or wait at the nearest bus station. But that didn't seem to be the case this time.

She felt a familiar presence approaching.

"Whisking away another set of victims, Rae? Right before disappearing into the night without saying hi?"

She turned around to meet a smirking young man with a red head of hair — although it was noticeably buzzed down. "Arsenal."

The man with the cybernetic arm smirked. "I gotta say, you and I keep on meeting in the strangest places. But I don't mind meeting up with you."

He was lying. He was feeling a small rush of satisfaction that only comes after completing a goal. "Which is your way of saying "I was looking for you". How did you even track me down?"

His smirk never left his face. "Deduction. Your teleportation allows you to operate in an obscenely large radius. But your tracking capabilities are at their strongest in places where the population is either small or spread out. But of those areas within your operation radius, there are only a handful of places that actually deal with prominent trafficking routes."

He nodded in the precinct's direction. "Your modus operandi also has you almost always dropping off your charges near a police station. Always at night. All I had to do after that was wait in one of these towns for a few weeks and I had a feeling you show up."

Raven leaned on the alley wall, her hand cocking on her hip. "A few weeks? That's an awfully long time for you. Especially in a place like this. Enterprise isn't exactly known for its rampant crime."

He shrugged. "Easy, little bird. I only come to this town at night for patrol. I have access to zeta tubes, remember? I spend most of my day kicking ass or tracking down out-of-the-way scum like you. So, it's not like I was camping out here. I just... checked in every night."

She raised an eyebrow.

"OK, so maybe 20% of it was luck. But still, the deduction helped narrow down my choices."

Raven huffed, running a hand through her hair. "And why did you want to find me, exactly?"

"I want you to teleport me to Salt Lake City in Utah.", Arsenal replied.

This caught Raven's attention. If he was asking her, that likely meant he didn't want to be tracked through zeta tube activity. That or there was simply no zeta tube near Salt Lake City. Although that was unlikely. Raven gave him a blank but nonjudgmental stare. "Again, why?"

Arenal sighed, but his hard face made it clear he was set in his ways. "I have… personal business in one of the neighboring cities. And I think you can help me out with tracking some scumbags who are hiding out in the area."

Letting out a breath, Raven straightened herself out. It wouldn't be easy going from Oregon to Utah, but it was doable. "Alright. Let me focus myself for a few minutes and I'll get you there."

Arsenal gave her a small thankful smile as she went into the lotus position, entering that familiar levitating form. In a breath or two her eyes opened, her glowing white eyes unseeing as she projected her extrasensory mind outward to someplace beyond.

Her mind traveled far, passing by a throng of mostly sleeping people, the majority of which emitted feelings of calm or peace. Beyond trees that sang of natural hymns. Through man-made streets that rumbled with the echoes of focused drivers. A muddled tapestry of emotions and auras, where places could become stained or drip with active sensations.

She pushed farther, whisking past places she had never felt (or seen), but still somehow feeling like she was getting closer to where she needed to go. She always imaged it was similar to runners knowing when they are just about done running a mile even though they were not traveling in a familiar area. It just felt about the right distance. Conceptually.

Her consciousness was now some place where there was a decent population. One with a serene blanket of unconscious dreamers. It was a place where, when she breathed out the name Utah in her mind, the astral plane gave a small but distinct hum. All accentuated with sense of familiarity and home.

This was it.

The her that was in the alley raised her cloak, the shadows enveloping her and her nearby companion in a gentle embrace. Then it felt like they were flying in nothingness.

It was a place of herself that she carefully cultivated. A place within at the edge of herself, away from her inner demons and other dangers. A place where any emergent emotion was plucked and thrown away like weeds. An empty place her magic had trimmed and melded into an imperceptible void. One that had no echo of a voice, no hint of emotion and no semblance of will besides her own.

It was the complete opposite of the rest of her soul, and as such this place was precious. It was what she built and maintained with every meditation session. Her own little garden of nothingness. One with no distraction. No temptation. No wonder. One with no mirth or joy. One with no sadness or despair. It was quite literally, her inner calm.

But now someone else was in it. It was not like the other times where these additional presences were rushed out as quickly as they were taken in. No. Arsenal was here, and he was the opposite of empty.

Raven felt his countenance press on the edge of her mind. Not from the outside going in, but from the inside trying to go out, and in, and pressing over there, and pushing back. It existed, therefore it should be out there, but it was not. It was here. In this place that should be full of emotion, thoughts, dreams and soul. But it was empty. Constrained. Suffocating.

Arsenal was calm through the whole ordeal, noticing nothing unusual as the familiar darkness shrouded his senses. Blind to how his own being was pushed, prodded and poked at the edges of a not-mind space that was not supposed to be there. Trying to join the rush that laid just beyond the expanse. Knowing naught of the evil and pain that lied just beyond.

But that is not how things were supposed to be. This place was supposed to exist because she says so. It had to exist because if it didn't, all hell would break loose. The barriers were strong, her mind long since trained to prime form to reinforce and guard this place. This place that lied at the razor's edge between reality and her spirit-self.

But now another was inside, the essence of a being seeping out at dimensional walls that were used to repelling forces from beyond its confines and not within.

Her mind strained, reinforcing barriers and constructing defenses from that place while still transitioning herself to the location she wanted to go to. That place full of sleeping people that she connected to not too long ago.

It was doable. But it was difficult. They needed to travel farther.

More energy ran through her being, more and more magic being spent to guard the necessary barriers, the necessary divisions. This place would not break. It would not yield. She would last longer than this.

Longer and longer. More and more strain. The shadowy edges were becoming taut, the endless expanse showing a horizon never seen. If the blackness started to become glassy then she would need to cut this journey short. Otherwise, there would be consequences. Mostly for Arsenal. It might have been artificial. A construct that she could repair at a later date. But she needed it to be strong.

| Salt Lake City, Utah

| 2019 March 1st, 9:51 PM

She reached the end of their journey and she eagerly embraced the release. She grasped at the dimensional edges, taking less time than usual to reflect upon their essence before she opened the portal back to the mortal realm. Arsenal stumbled out like he was pushed out of a cave, and Raven felt herself coalesce into her naturalized form before leaning heavily on the nearest wall.

She panted. Heaved laborious breaths. Her form quickly beginning to form sweat now that it had the body to do so.

Arsenal looked at her alarmed "Hey! You alright!? I thought that —"

"I'm fine!", she snapped. Taking a moment to collect herself, Raven straightened out her posture, making a show of brushing nonexistent dust off of her waist. "But this pushed me to the edge of my limits."

Her limits for inner control, more specifically.

The redhead gave her a concerned glare. "I thought you could transport yourself here without much difficulty."

She gave a small huff, mostly because she was still out of breath. "I can. But things get difficult if there is another person added into the mix. The more people I have to transport, the more difficult traveling becomes. Particularly if we need to travel a long distance. Like here." Air rushed through her nose as she took in a large inhale.

She released it as a steady exhale as Arsenal carefully examined her, his masked eyes betraying nothing as he crossed his arms. "Well. You can't exactly help me out while you are like this. The guys I planned to track down are out in the wilderness and you don't look fit for such travel." He reached inside his belt, bringing out what looked like a black phone.

He took a few moments to press some buttons, his face lighting up in happy surprise as he showed her the map he brought up, a blue dot showing their current location. "Well lucky us. We're in Salt Lake City. Which happens to be a city I have a safehouse in."

She gave a small smirk in his direction. "You? Or Green Arrow?"

His jaw ticked in mild irritation. "Mine. Green Arrow has to rely on the League or other associates to set his bases. I don't."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, nodding upward to the rooftops above. It was something of a standard procedure among superheroes to stay above street level when possible. Primarily because most cameras tended to be located down there. Street cameras, corner store surveillance, lawn sensors, etc. Rooftops, in comparison, had relatively few cameras, and most of those tended to be located close to rooftop entryways.

After Raven gave a slight nod in acknowledgement, Arsenal raised his cybernetic arm. It quickly shot out a grapple hook, and he securely grasped Raven by the waist as he hauled her upward.

When two pairs of boots landed on concrete, he immediately gestured toward the west. "Come on. It's not too far away from here. Just a few blocks down. Awfully convenient, yeah?"

There was only a short pause before they took off running. One could not jump between rooftops without acquiring the necessary momentum, after all. But even as the two began running, Raven inwardly thanked Nightshade for putting her through physical training.

She was able to run at a steady pace, her cloak flapping in the nightly wind as she catapulted herself from one roof to another, having no fear of falling between any of the tall buildings. She also noticed that she was keeping pace with Arsenal. Or rather, he was keeping pace with her. She knew for a fact he was faster than her, but for the time being he seemed to be content to travel beside her.

Which was a stark contrast to how he usually operated with her around.

"What would be your plan be if we didn't just-so-happen to be near one of your safehouses?", she asked.

He huffed in amusement. "I would have led us to a motel."

Raven was unamused and promptly stomped on his foot, halting their progress.

"Ow!", he howled. He jumped on one foot as he grasped his injured toe. But he quickly placed it back on the ground. "OK. OK. But I wasn't entirely joking about the motel. There are usually unused bedrooms in those and they usually don't have the greatest security. So, most don't notice if a superhero lies in bed for an hour… or several. You just have to be careful to leave the room exactly how it was found."

Raven gave an exasperated groan. "Why does that sound exactly like something you would do?"

The young man began running again, Raven trailing not too far behind him. "Because that is exactly what I have done in the past. That or just literally camp out." He gave a look toward the moonlit sky, a small smile gracing his lips. "I have no problem sleeping under the stars. Although…" He looked at Raven. "You'd be surprised how many dilapidated houses and empty properties I have slept in."

"So, you're a prolific squatter?", Raven snarked.

Arsenal placed a hand on his heart, as if wounded. "I'll have you know that squatters use empty properties as actual homes. I'm a nomad in comparison."

Arsenal skidded to a halt, his boot scuffing against the concret. Raven followed suit. "What is it?"

"We're here.", he stated. He walked to the building's edge, pointing a finger downward. "Top floor. Give me a minute."

With a single step Arsenal dropped off the side of the building, the only indication of his disappearance being the groan of a nearby windowsill bearing his weight. She heard him messing with a lock as she began approaching the ledge, curiosity beginning to pique her interest. She almost gasped in surprise when Arsenal's head popped back up, wearing his usual cocky smirk. "Come on in Raven. Mi casa es su casa."

He disappeared with a whoosh of wind, and Raven found herself looking around awkwardly before she gripped the edge to lower herself. She saw an open window a little farther down, requiring nothing but a small drop for her to perch herself on what looked to be a decrepit windowsill. She did so, quickly stepping inside what she suspected to be a penthouse.

What greeted her eyes was instead a dingy apartment. Ratted out curtains, walls with crumbling paint, a wood floor littered with rat pellets and debris. The air was stale and smelled faintly of rot.

It was a dump, and Raven could not hide her disgust. "You know, when you said "safehouse" I thought you meant a secret base. Or at least a well-kept dwelling. Not this. I'm pretty sure the two-bit base I just raided had better upkeep."

Arsenal, who already took to sweeping the floor, perked his head at this. His voice was laden with skepticism. "You actually raided a place? Not just go in, re-abduct the victims, and leave as if you were never there?"

Raven quirked her head, heading toward the couch that at least looked reasonably clean despite the surroundings. "So I didn't take out the offenders. What matters is that I helped the victims and those who were being hauled off to who knows where."

Arsenal gave a low hum in acknowledgement. But even as he returned to sweeping, Raven could feel his muted irritation. This was the same issue they usually got into. "Well, whenever I raid a place, I go after the criminals first. You know, to apprehend them. Or at least kick their ass to teach them a lesson."

Raver closed her eyes, her exhaustion finally catching up with her. "And I respect that. But I'm not interested in being seen. Especially by such small fry. If I see someone who is actually a substantial threat, then I may attempt to engage them in combat."

The young man crossed his hands on the top of the broom, letting his head lazily roll on his hands. "Except you won't. If they are a criminal of any notoriety, they usually come accompanied by several active, likely highly trained, guards. When you see that, you immediately back out of potential confrontation on the basis that it is too risky for you." He raised his head. "Which is bullshit."

He looked at her with a tired frown. "I've seen you fight before. When fighting is unavoidable you are fully capable of taking them down. You just don't like initiating conflict for... some reason." He sighed. "Which I don't get. If you aren't going out to fight crime then why bother putting on the uniform."

The young girl rubbed her head. "Not this talk again, Arsenal. I told you —"

"Yeah, yeah. That it's risky. That you can be hit from a ricocheting bullet, a stroke from behind, etcetera." He resumed sweeping. "Which is — once again — bullshit. If you believed you needed someone watching your back you would have joined up with me by now. God knows I've offered."

Giving a wry smirk, Raven lazily stared at the ceiling. That offer was a perpetual feature of their relationship at this point. An ever-present road bump. An open door that she never bothered to walk through. "Going to rant about my "wasted potential" again?"

There was a small sound as the broom was laid to rest on the wall. Shortly afterward, she heard the shuffling of feet as Arsenal headed toward the trashcan with a full tray. "Normally, I would. But I'd just be wasting my breath. Again. I just need to figure out why you are so intent on staying in the shadows."

"So you can kick me out of them?", she teased.

He gave a small smile in return. "If I need to. Sometimes little birds need to be kicked out the nest before they can fly."

She peered at him from the confines of her hood. "You seem to forget that this little bird is fully capable of taking you in a fight. Don't even try to kick me from my perch unless you want me to claw your skin off."

He plopped himself down on a nearby chair, the piece of furniture groaning with the contact. "Heh. I don't doubt that… much. I think you care for me too much to do any lasting damage."

"Then proceed at your own peril. But what is this about tracking down someone? I believe you described them as "scumbags" that you wanted to track down?"

Arsenal's face took on a more serious edge as he brought out his phone again. "Right. Well, have you ever heard of Psycho-Pirate?"

"A henchman of Atomic Skull. Has been known to engage in robberies, assaults and the like. Uses the Medusa Mask to control people's emotions.", Raven listed.

Arsenal nodded. "Well, he's back out, and the mask is apparently back in his possession. Here's the thing: He hasn't been engaging in his usual crimes. But I know he's been in contact with several high-class people in the area. Probably conducting business on someone's behalf. But I haven't been able to confront him because I have no idea where he is hiding."

"So, you want me to help you track him down."

Stretching his legs, the young man took a look at a clock on the wall. "Well, that, and help me out with his emotional manipulation. This guy was able to send an entire group of employees to attack the good guys by instilling hatred in them. And he was able to incapacitate an entire team of heroes who were sent to apprehend him* by making them feel fear and anxiety."

After taking note of the time, Arsenal turned his head to look at Raven lunging on the couch. She was remarkably comfortable, settling into the sofa like she was ready to go to sleep. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was relaxed, and it made the young man give a small frown.

She was more tired than he thought. Although he knew that already. If she had the energy for it, she wouldn't have run on the rooftops to get here. She would have flown. Or teleported again using one of her standard portals. "I think the guy does most of his business in the early morning, so we can sleep here for the night before we go out to track him. We can survey the city in the morning, see if we can find anyone who knows where he's been. But if the trail runs cold, we can go to the city outskirts and see if you can find something."

Raven gave a small hum of agreement before sinking even lower inside the sofa cushions, apparently relieved to hear him say that.

Arsenal stared for a bit before he huffed, "… Are you just going to sleep like that? Or do you want some covers?"

"Covers would be nice." She didn't even move a muscle.

There were a few moments of awkward silence. Neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke. Or at least not until Arsenal raised his hands in exasperation, walking away to get the desired item. "You know, you're lucky you are a chick, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this."

Raven gave a lazy reply "And you're lucky I can stay over in a stranger's house without my guardian putting up a fuss. Or hang out with you, for that matter."

| Junction City, Kansas

| 2019 March 1st, 10:06 PM

The CBI mainframe used a computer system that was similar but significantly different from the Justice League's system. So, when a zeta-tube activated near Fort Riley, there was no announcement of who was arriving, and only the whir of working machinery filled the empty bunker when Nightshade walked out of the golden light.

She only gave a quick glance at the nearby control panel. Standard procedure to make sure her arrival registered in the system and all that. Seeing nothing amiss, and also having no further duties for the day, the pale shadow woman immediately made her way to the nearest changing room.

She had stored her civilian clothes in one of the lockers there, and she desperately wanted to sleep in her own bed tonight. And she did have a public image to keep up.

As she began stripping off her titanium-based fibers of her outfit, a mild feeling of curiosity rushed through her person. Would Raven be home today? And if so, was she doing one of her… things, again? If there was one constant truth in her life it was that Raven — or rather, "Rachel" — always put a small part of her on edge.

Now clothed in a respectable pair of jeans and a dress shirt, Eve generated a portal that would transport her to the city proper. After a few moments of dark air whishing past her senses, the super-agent found herself in a standard suburban garage, complete with a flickering light and a haphazardly organized worktable. But despite its mostly-normal appearance, there were a few quirks this home made use of.

One of which was currently driving into her garage.

The sedan was exceedingly monotonous in appearance, but the image of Eve Eden sitting in the front seat hinted at its high-tech nature. A self-driving car combined with adaptive micro-optoelectronics* was a potent combination when it came to deceiving the general public.

Eve Eden, as most public records stated, was a civil servant and she was primarily seen driving into town to enter the Junction City Manger to work diagnostics on their information systems. In reality such diagnostics were performed by an automatic computer program provided by the CBI.

Her ward, Rachel Roth, was documented to have been taken in when she was found as an abandoned eleven-year-old. Her biological mother* was reaffirmed as a missing person and now had a warrant out for her arrest on charges of child abandonment. Rachel went to public school. But she had no friends and was a consistent loner. She was almost never seen in public on the weekends save for when she was spotted in the local library.

They were considered a very reclusive family overall.

But there were days when Eve was able to actually engage in suburban life — although it wasn't often. In truth, it was Raven who did most the heavy lifting when it came to maintaining their public image. Interacting with teachers, actually being seen in buildings other than her workplace, etc.

The security pad by the door gave a few beeps as she entered in a four-digit code. When Eve Eden finally made it into the quaint looking home, she immediately locked the door before she headed to a hidden control panel in the wall.

It slid out of the wall like a fancy appliance, and Eve absentmindedly put in another security code as she looked into the familiar blue screen that denoted a CBI system. It wasn't an impressive system by most high-tech standards, but it served its purpose. It was mostly used to set up the car's schedule, regulate holograms, enforce basic security measures, and serve as a secure communications line.

Which is why when Eve inserted a few more codes, she learned two things.

One being that the car was set to only show an Eve Eden illusion for the weekend as opposed to showing both of them. Another was that Raven left as soon as school ended on Friday and had not returned.

The note Raven left was brief: Sensed something in Oregon. Investigating. Will hop states to do hero work. Will give personal status reports every 5-10 hours. Will return on Sunday night or Monday morning.

"Straight and to the point as always.", Eve muttered. The keyboard clicked as Eve's fingers cascaded over the keys, and Eve saw the ever-familiar line of Raven's 'optimal' status. Which meant she was safe, not compromised, and was mostly staying under the radar.

Giving a slight huff, the older woman put away the system as she made her way toward the kitchen area. God knows the last time she was able to enjoy a glass of wine on her own time.

The cabinets squeaked slightly when they were opened, and Eve ended up taking much longer than usual to find her preferred brand of alcohol. But she eventually found what she wanted: A nice bottle of merlot. Now where were the wine glasses again?

She opened up one cabinet. Then another. Then another. Then… did someone rearrange her cabinets? She huffed in annoyance when the shrill sound of the doorbell was heard. Schooling her features to an amiable disposition, the black-haired woman walked past the pale tile to reach the front door that took her months to consider familiar.

When she looked through the peephole, her fake smile turned into a real one and she quickly opened the wooden door. "Adrian. It's really good to see you."

The surprised gaze of a blond man met her sight right before he returned the smile. He was the same age as her, but somehow the darkness around his eyes made him look several years older. "Hey, Eve. I didn't know you were actually home."

There was a cough beside him, and Eve's eyes were directed to a red-headed boy who was standing beside Adrian with an irritated frown as he readjusted his glasses.

Adrian quickly motioned toward him "Oh yes. I also brought my nephew along. I thought since he and Rachel were peers in the same 'specialized courses' that he could help Rachel with her technical communications material."

Eve gave a knowing nod. "I see. Well unfortunately, Rachel has decided to do some supplementary research this weekend. She won't be back until Monday. But you two are more than free to come in. I've been wanting to have a chat with Rachel's tutor."

The man gave a small nod before ushering his nephew inside. "Well, Rachel is a gifted student overall. She excels in most of her courses."

There was a small moment of understanding as he glanced at her, and Eve made it a point to close the front door with a friendly smile.

Adrian nodded in slight approval before he headed toward the living room area. "She has taken excellently to learning about espionage tactics, counterintelligence theory and advanced combat techniques. But it must be said that her skill in technological communications - as well as holographic technologies — are areas where Rachel is having some difficulties. She's actually falling behind. Way behind. She's part of the lowest percentile, in fact."

He situated himself on the plush sofa. After placing his elbows on his knees, he continued. "It's not exactly unprecedented. But at a bare minimum Rachel needs to be aware what a hacked system looks like and how to perform some damage control. So, I brought Daniel along this time around. He actually excels in this area, so he may be able to help."

Eve pursed her lips. "I can't say it is entirely unexpected. But I was hoping her studious nature would compensate for her electronic illiteracy."

The look Adrian gave her was neutral, but he turned his blue eyes away when he began scratching he side of his head. "Academic report aside, I actually want to ask you a few questions."

"Oh?"

"Uh, yeah. So, you know Rachel's room? The one that has no windows?"

Eve gave a distinct frown before setting the wine glass down on a nearby table. "The one I distinctly told you to never enter without her or my permission? Yes."

"Well I looked inside it.", he admitted.

Eve sounded cross. "Which I told you not to do. Ever." The woman took a deep breath before fixing him with a stern glare. "And? What happened?"

Adrian looked sheepish "Nothing much, really. But I opened her closet trying to find the notes I leant to her, and I ended up finding… a bird cage. A covered one."

Eve stared for a moment, her expression something between worry and mirth. "Let me guess. You uncovered the cage to find —"

"A pair of adorable-looking blackbirds." He quickly admitted.

"They're ravens, actually. But I bet they said "turn back" to you in a sing song voice, right? As they looked at you with a pair of cute big red eyes?", Eve continued.

"Yes!", the man exclaimed. "And I thought 'Aw, how cute' and assumed you were teaching her how to make animunculi."

"Homunculi.", Eve corrected.

"Whatever." He shook his head. "But then they shifted into raving four-eyed, sharp-toothed things* when I came to get a closer look!"

She chuckled. "Well, that's because you didn't leave when they told you to." She took a sip of red liquid, apparently still pleased with the outcome. But by the time the glass was once again set on the table, Eve's face was one of slight unease. "But yes, those things can transform at the most unexpected times. Don't worry through, they're mostly harmless."

"Mostly!?", he sputtered.

She took another sip of wine. "Just don't stick your fingers inside the cage."

"So, what are they?"

Eve looked incredulous for a second. "Didn't you already answer your own question? They're homunculi. They just tend to be… different when compared to mine. She's still trying to figure out how to make them obey her commands."

"Then why are —"

His nephew ran in just then, excitedly holding the item both adults feared. "Hey uncle, look! Look at how cool these birds are!"

The silver cage was proudly hoisted to the air, hosting a duo of black birds that were pointedly staring at the two adults. They were cartoonishly proportioned, their heads being substantially larger than their small bodies. But both knew that could change in an instant.

They peered at the sitting people with their gigantic eyes, and by appearance alone most would consider them adorable. But neither of the stiff-sitting compatriots thought looking away from them would be a good idea.

Apparently finding their reaction acceptable, one cooed "He turned back."

It almost sounded like a child's voice.

"He took us though.", another sang.

Then both spoke at the same time. "Can we stay here?", they chimed.

Eve relaxed a bit before offering her glass to Adrian. The poor man looked frazzled. As if he was dealing with a dog that he secretly hated but knew belonged to a close friend. He accepted the glass slowly.

"I suppose that's... fine" She exhaled in resignation. Creepy though they may be, these birds never caused any serious issues.

She looked to Daniel. "You know you are not allowed in Raven's room, right?"

The young man frowned before he turned his nose away form her. "Well obviously I didn't!"

She let his tone slide. "That's fine. But — and this is important, Daniel — did you see any rats inside a box while you were in there?", she asked seriously.

Adrian looked aghast. "She has rats too!"

"Listen, I don't dictate Raven's magical experiments. I just respect her boundaries so long as she respects mine — which she does religiously, by the way. And I have never regretted letting her operate however she pleases since she is so responsible. So, I think letting her have a few pets around is perfectly acceptable."

"But these are not pets!"

She took another sip of wine "Fine. You can either call them magical constructs or homunculi experiments. Take your pick."

Author's Note: For those who want a mental reference to what Raven's (current) superhero garb looks like, just think of her outfit as seen in Teen Titans vs. Justice League or Teen Titans: Judas Contract. It's basically her Teen Titan TV show outfit but with leggings and minus the jewels on her hands.

Psycho-Pirate and his feats were featured in the Young Justice comics ("Face Your Fears"). He was taken out by Kid Flash who was able to shake off the effects of the Medusa Mask due to his sped-up metabolism.

Adaptive micro-optoelectronics was actually mentioned in the S1 episode called "Denial". It was used with "phase shifting" to explain how Abra Kadabra was concealing himself from the Team.

Adrian Chase and Daniel Chase are both from DC comics. Adrian was the first Vigilante and a Checkmate operative. Daniel was a former Titan who mostly ran tech support despite having telekinetic abilities. Daniel was never confirmed to be Adrian's nephew, but it was a common theory at the time.

Just a small reference to the birds found in Raven's mind durring the Teen Titans TV show ("Nevermore"). In a similar vein, the "rats" mentioned by Eve appeared in an episode called "Fear Itself" where they overwhelmed Starfire.