True to his word, the pinkette and her flying compatriot Blackfire found her as the sun touched the horizon. Jinx immediately began to fuss over Raven looking for injuries and exaggerating any of the purple bruises she spotted around the edges of her uniform. Blackfire rolled her eyes in disgust while Jinx continue to fret.
"You sure they didn't hurt you, install a micro bomb at the base of your skull, enchant you with some sort of powerful magic?"
Raven gripped Jinx by the wrists to stop her fiddling with her cloak. Raven stared directly into the pink catlike eyes that stared back in fear.
"I'm fine, Jinx," Raven said earnestly giving the girl's wrists a bit of a shake. Jinx let out a ragged breath and then nodded.
"If you to love birds are done, we need to get out of her before they found us," Blackfire drawled as she looked out towards the direction Raven guessed Iris was.
"Mammoth is bring an ARGUS shuttle," Jinx said dismissively. "They won't find us in time. We need to get to the safe house to rest."
"And to plan our next move," Raven said straightening her cloak around her shoulders and pulling the hood up immersing her face in shadows. "We may have the Obsidian Key and the Archon Ring but we still need to be in the right spot. They'll know the spot just as we do."
"So, a fight then," Blackfire said with a grin on her face. "You're right, Jinx, this is going to be fun."
The safe house turned out to be a HIVE base that had been abandoned a long time ago. Jinx happily explained to her as the shuttle descended into the depths of the ground through a hidden silo entrance that she had gradually erased the existence of the base from records so she could have it to herself. There was very little chance Iris would have its location.
That was good. Raven knew they had to plan and get ready for the next phase. Raven just wanted a bath and to rest.
Jinx ushered the sorceress into a room that was set up in a way that was much like her old room back at the Tower. A wave of nostalgia washed over her and she quickly quashed it before it became sorrow.
"I'm going to take a bath and think," Raven announced. "Leave me alone."
Strolling into the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom, she found the steel tub and began to fill it with water. The metal and walls soon became cloudy with condensed water confirming it was just the temperature she wanted.
Peeling off her dirt and sweat caked leotard then draping her cloak over a wooden chair with a broken slat, Raven slid her sore and aching body into the water. The temperature was quite hot but it was the way she liked it. The disadvantage of being half demon was her resistance to heat and that meant running a bath hotter than normal humans would have liked it. Robin had been nice enough to install a water heater just for her so the rest weren't screaming in agony when they turned on the hot water.
Raven closer her eyes and rested her head on the back of the tub letting the heat soak into her cold bones. The gentle hum in her head from the Archon Ring around her brow acted like white noise lulling her to sleep.
"I'm glad you're not hurt."
Raven's eyes shot open and they locked on to the pinkette's cat like ones staring at her from the end of the tub. The girl was perched on a chair like a cat waiting to pounce. Raven instinctively moved her arms to cover her chest. Normally she would not care with another girl but Jinx had a bit of lust in her eyes.
'Did not realize she swung that way,' Raven mused to herself.
"I said I wanted to be left alone."
"That's what I told them. They won't bother you."
"That included you, Jinx."
"Oh."
There seemed to be the sound of hurt in her voice and the girl stood to leave. Raven spoke before she thought it through.
"You can stay. Is there something you want?" 'besides wanting to jump me in the tub.'
"I just have my concerns, mistress," Jinx said curling back up on the chair she had originally vacated. "There is concern among the ranks about the fact that we're bringing down the entire planet's defenders. I've witnessed Sovereign's power but they have not. They believe in the vision I told them."
"What vision is that?"
Raven actually had no idea what Jinx had told them while she had been locked up in the tower.
"I told them you are bringing them a new world where they won't be judged for who they are. A world of peace where you will rule it to give both villain and hero a chance to live their lives the way they want."
It was a corrupted version of Sovereign's mission but true nevertheless. Raven shifted in the water trying not to expose to much skin to the hungry girl in front of her.
"Sovereign has given me the next step of the plan. He's learned from his past mistakes. He underestimated Iris the last time he tried to break through."
It was the feeling in her heart that Jason was in a hurry at that time to get through. Something the entity would not do again.
Raven heart hovered on a precipice between what her old friend Robin and Starfire would have called good and evil. They were such quaint descriptions for things that were simple. You did not murder someone out of anger but it was okay to kill in the protection of others. That's what Raven knew she was doing, she was protecting the world and those who got in the way had to be sacrificed to save all. Was it wrong she was secretly enjoying it.
Only seeing the reverence in the eyes of those in the fortress and the way Jinx followed every word did she feel the power of absolute control. Was this the corruption Phil Coulson had warned about? She had so much power both physical and emotional. Raven knew by the way that Jinx watched her she could easy use her for her own carnal pleasure. For a split second, Raven thought it might be worth a night of pleasure to put the pinkette to work. It was not like Jinx wasn't telegraphing the desire in every look and word.
It was absolute power and a power Raven knew she had to start using because the stakes and stage had grown. Raven forced herself past her inhibitions and her desire to just leave things alone. She had chosen to be the Archon and she had to carry it through the protect the ones she loved.
"Sovereign wishes us to release Millennium first," Raven spoke up and Jinx looked up from her reflection she was studying in the bath water.
"Millennium? Who is-?"
"He is a servant of Sovereign like you and I. One that will aid us in to bringing him Jason into this world. We've reached and past the point of no return and must accept our roles. You wanted to be my second in command, correct?"
"I would gladly serve as your second, mistress," Jinx said eagerly.
"Then you are it," Raven said imperiously for effect. It felt ridiculous but she saw the way the ex-HIVE 5's eyes lit up. Raven decided to use that power to solidify the hold. She stood in front of Jinx to get out of the tub.
She watched Jinx's eyes hungrily study her naked body and then stopped when she made eye contact with Raven who was watching her with a bit of amusement. A deep blush reddened Jinx's face.
"And if you serve me well, you may just get the reward you want."
"I..." Jinx tried to swallow at the bit of information. "I didn't-"
"We all want something," Raven said getting out and drying herself off, letting the imperious personality that came naturally to her take over. She began to dry off her curves. "we're not doing this for altruism's sake. I know what you want and if you earn it, you may have it. I am interested in seeing how well you would….perform."
The last innuendo drove the blush deep into Jinx's cheeks and she lowered her eyes to the floor.
"Now, leave me." Raven said with a flurry of her hand and Jinx scurried from the room.
In the silence, Raven stared at the cracked mirror in front of her, the doubt, the anxiety, the loneliness of knowing her friends were hunting her struck her hard. She looked at herself in the mirror only seeing the pale skin, the ordinary hips, and the lackluster figure that she could not understand anyone would want. Her purple hair was ragged and unkempt and the rings under her eyes told of the lack of sleep.
"What have I become?" she mouthed to the mirror.
No answer came back.