Robin threw himself to the right, and the powered armor portions of his suit catapulted him through a small sapling causing it to explode into tiny wooden shards. Where he was standing was a smoldering black spot from a Kaz'Kal beam weapon.
'Oh, this is getting exciting,' he thought to himself sarcastically. Since the arrival of the Midnight Empress' swarm, he and his team had been pushed back from the center, and all Dick could do was hope that the plan was still working. Right now, though, he was doing his best to keep alive and take down as many of the enemy as possible.
"I need some backup!" Gizmo's voice screeched through the tiny speaker in Robin's headpiece. The augmented reality system painted a diamond to his left about 500 meters in the fray. Robin charged through the brush dodging bolts of energy that came out of nowhere. Robin's heart beat hard at the jungle melee. It was almost impossible to make out the movement in the smoke and smoldering fires that were crisscrossed with energy bolts and gunfire. In a matter of seconds though, the boy wonder could make out the metal spider arms of Gizmo followed by the mini-rocket blasts incinerating nearby foliage.
Cyborg charged through at the same time as Kid Wykydd materialized.
"defense pattern Delta," Robin called over his speaker. Gizmo immediately lowered to their level, and they took up a circle facing outward. When Robin slipped into his spot, he activated the energy cannon built into the arm of his suit, and they began to fire.
It seemed like years as the wave upon wave of Kaz'Kal continued to charge them haphazardly. There was no way out of the fight, but so far, no one had fallen. Green fire reigned down as Starfire slammed into the ground sending a shockwave scattering the enemy. Eyes blazing with fierce power, she fired off multiple starbolts cutting through the cannon fodder of the Midnight Empress.
"What are we doing?" Kid Wykydd called from his position. "We can't stay here forever."
"We gotta fight until we can't anymore. Superman and Batman have their plan. We have to keep fighting until we're told to recall." Robin responded, trying to ignore the dropping energy meter of his weapon. How long could they hold out?
When her mind came back to her, she found herself crumpled on the floor of the Fortress' disused throne room. The dust had settled back down from their portal entry, and everything hurt. Raven pulled herself up and looked about trying to clear her vision of the pain that pulsed through her head.
She found him, Sovereign, laying on the floor trying to get up himself.
"What happened?" she barely croaked out.
"They….they hit me with something that stripped me of my power." Jason coughed his arms, shaking as he tried to push himself up. "I'm not invulnerable, Rachel, I knew there would come a time Iris would figure out something."
"What do we do? They'll storm the Fortress to get to you."
"Hold them off, Rachel," Jason said as he collapsed to the floor. "I'll regain my strength if I live long enough. Peace of this reality rests on you now."
Raven pulled herself up and felt a thrum through her chest. She looked at her hands and found they had a slight glow to them.
"I've transferred as much power I could to you, Rachel, but I don't know if it'll be enough."
The sorceress gritted her teeth and balled her fists in anger.
"It'll be enough."
"Robin, you still with us?" the voice of Green Arrow came across the speaker.
"Alive and kicking," Robin responded glad to hear a voice other than his team. It means others had survived Midnight's onslaught.
"Good. It looks like the bitches are pulling back and teleporting out. Can you regroup at the secondary location?"
"We're on our way."
Without having to say a word, The New Teen Titans destroyed the last of the cyber minions and Kaz'Kal before making their way through the forest to the staging area they had set up before the fight. When they broke through the woods and into the field, All Robin saw was destruction. Bodies were lying everywhere. Many of the enemies but there were some colorful suits and human bodies of their allies among the dead.
Triage tents had been set up, and the medics were hard at work. Robin looked at his own team. Starfire was bruised and skin bleeding in places from branches and the enemy. Cyborg's armor was stained, and he could make out the fact his systems were on back up power. Kid Wykydd did not look damaged, but Gizmos was a pile of black and blue bruises and had to use his spider arms to carry him forward.
They made their way towards the big tent when a familiar form came limping towards them from a nearby medical tent. Robin did not think it was possible, but he broke out into a grin.
"Garfield!"
"Robin!" Beast Boy said with a kid like grin. "I see you survived the bugs. Glad I never had any phobias over those. Anyone seriously hurt?"
"No," Robin said after looking at each of his team for a response. "Just scrapes and bruises."
"Well, can't help with that at the moment, we got some seriously injured people. You'll have to patch yourself up."
"Not a problem. How bad is it?"
Beast Boy's face fell, and he shook his head. "We lost a lot. Most among the non-metas but we did lose some metas to."
"Who?"
"I heard Doctor Strange talking. We lost Hawk girl and Black Lightning. Big Barda is critically wounded, and they don't think she'll make it through the night."
Robin gritted his teeth. So much death, heroes who had protected Earth for so long were gone.
"BB, Doctor Strange needs us to start prepping the wounded so we can move!" called a voice that rang familiar in Robin's ears. He saw the blond girl come out of the tent and freeze when she saw the Titans.
"Terra," Robin said with a frown.
"We needed all the help we could get," Beast Boy said. "She and I are working together in the Medical division, until I can heal enough to rejoin you in the field, Robin."
There was too much going on, and Richard knew he couldn't drum up old hatreds, especially when one of his own had betrayed them.
"I gotta go, Robin. I'll see ya." Beast Boy said patting the boy wonder on the shoulder.
Making is way through the rest of the shuffling soldiers and the tents, Robin finally met up with Green Arrow who looked more like a brown stain of mud and blood than his trademark green. He flashed a weary smile and motioned towards the main tent's entrance.
Robin strode in with his team camping outside, and it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman were among the few powerful heroes that were there along with Iron Man, Agent Coulson, Captain America, and his retinue.
"My drones confirm that Midnight has withdrawn back into its fortress," Batman was saying with a low pain laced growl. He looks like he had caught the worse end of a beating. "Coulson and I got a direct hit on Sovereign so we can confirm he is down. We need to move now against Midnight Empress and her Archon Knights before they can regroup."
"What are you suggesting?" Green Arrow asked pulling some more arrows from a case in the tent and re-filling his quiver.
"All out assault on the fortress," Superman said grimly. "We cannot allow Sovereign to regain his strength, or he will rip this reality apart."
"Were risking a high casualty rate," Captain America said gritting his teeth. "I know our wizard friends can open portals and get us closer, but we'll have to cut through a lot to get in."
"It's our only chance," Tony Stark said pointing at the holographic Fortress that hovered over the overturned bucket. "As soon as Sovereign is back on his feet, he's going to hit us with everything he's got. Midnight is on the pure defensive. They didn't expect us to strike such a blow."
"When do we move?" Diana asked, folding her arms acrossed her chest.
"As soon as we can."
Raven had lifted Jason off the ground and set him on the empty throne that had seen eons of time. He coughed and could barely keep himself upright. The Midnight Empress sensed them first, the descent of Jinx and Blackfire who alighted gently into the throne room.
"What is your bidding, Mistress?" Jinx asked, stepping forward, looking curiously at the weakened form.
"Mann the defenses and prepare for a counter-attack," Raven said quickly as she stepped away from Sovereign after making sure he was comfortable.
"They aren't going to try to strike us now, are they?" the pinkette asked surprised.
"Well, it seems her god is wounded," Blackfire spat. "We're all going to pay if they come after us."
Raven snarled and spun on the Tamaranian and reached out with her hand. Blackfire was knocked backward and suspended in the air gasping and clawing at her throat.
"I do NOT need insolence from you right now, woman," Raven snarled, a deep thrum in her voice. "You are vexing me more than you are worth."
"Mistress," Jinx said calmly approaching and placing a hand gently on Raven's forearm. "We don't have time to create new Archon Knights. Blackfire is mouthy, but she serves."
Raven contemplated the thought as Blackfire kicked and gasped for breath dangling from the invisible power the Midnight Empress had cast. There was something delicious about watching her squirm, to have her life hanging so near the balance. With a huff of disgust, Raven threw her aside sending her into one of the stone pillars. Blackfire coughed and gagged trying to pull herself up from the ground.
"They will portal into the outskirts and launch a siege," Raven said returning to Sovereign's side to stand by him. "They won't be able to pierce the fortress' defenses that way. Secure the walls and let them throw themselves at us. Once they tire out, we'll destroy whatever is left."
Jinx bowed low while Blackfire turned on her heel and soared back up through the cavernous window she had come through.
"Control," Jason gasped out and then coughed.
Raven came to his side and knelt down beside him. He ran his hand through her hair and smiled at her. "You must show restraint. The power coursing through you can easily consume you. It feels good to have others lives in your hands. Avoid indulging in those fantasies."
"I will try."
"It's a fine line, my love. I know."
My Love.He had called her his love. A smile broke across her face.