Conner found it hard to believe Happy Harbor had ever been deserving of its name. First of all, it was located in New England. Secondly, the weather was consistently muggy, gray, and overcast. At least Raven seemed to like it.
Upon their arrival, they had made for the Secret Sanctuary - a disused superhero hideout only Damian had ever heard of - which made it even more surprising that the paradooms had destroyed it. Between that and the targeting of the Kent's safehouse, it was clear that Darkseid had inside knowledge of the JLA's workings. Conner suspected Luthor, remembering his protestations at the briefing. There's always a deal to be made. Perhaps it was unkind of him to think that way. As far as he knew, Lex was dead with all the rest of them.
They'd nabbed what weapons, tech, and medical supplies they could from the wreckage of the Sanctuary and decided to stay in the area for the time being. Paradooms were scarce, scavenging was choice, and, for better or worse, they'd yet to encounter any other survivors.
It was Damian's turn to pick their new safehouse and he opted for a large colonial home in the suburbs of the city. Their dear leader did love his old buildings with dated furniture. Conner himself was partial to posh, modern penthouses. Raven switched between the two styles with such regularity that he was convinced she was doing it to appease them. He'd yet to tell her what a sweetheart she was, despite how frequently the thought crossed his mind these days.
"Hold still," she tsked, breaking him from his reverie.
"Sorry, Rae."
He was cross-legged on the floor as she sat behind him, each gentle pull on his hair accompanied by the rasping sound of the scissors snapping shut. His preferred fade was probably a bit beyond Raven's skills, but anything had to be better than the staticky mop he'd woken up with that morning.
Just the idea of something as routine and ordinary as a haircut was surprisingly comforting. Conner found himself needing little pieces of normalcy to help patch the holes in his life left by Darkseid. Although some things might never change - he could still barely stand to be by himself for any period of time, too worried that he would suddenly wake up back in the shadow of Titan's Tower, well and truly alone.
"You're set," she informed him with a light poke to the back of his head.
He ran his hands over his scalp to appreciate her handiwork. Not bad. She'd even left a little bit of length on the top for him. Conner turned to face her with a smile.
Her own indigo-tinted hair had grown considerably in the three months since they'd left Tibet, but he thought the extra length suited her.
"Thanks, doll. What would we do without you?"
"You'd be a bit shaggier."
"I think we'd be miserable." And boy was that the truth.
"I definitely would have killed him by now," Damian put in from across the room, where he was staring absently out the window into the darkening sky. He did that often, falling silent for long periods until one of them brought him back to the present. Raven worried, but he was getting better about it as time went by.
She stood and stretched, the move highlighting her slender frame beneath the black dress she'd taken to wearing when not in hero-garb. Actually, she's looking thinner than usual. Concern welled within him, but he tried to push it down. They'd all probably lost a few pounds.
Even so. "Are you hungry? We still have some of that stew Damian made."
The Boy Wonder turned out to be a weirdly good cook, even with the limited resources they had. Conner had asked him about his culinary skills once before, only to receive a flat stare and terse "Are you going to eat it or not?" And that was that.
She blinked at the non-sequitur. "No? But thanks for offering."
"You sure? You're a growing girl," he insisted. Subtlety had never been his strong suit.
"I'm older than both of you."
"You're, what, three years old, Kent?" Damian added, leaving the window and plunking down on a nearby loveseat.
"But I'm physically seventeen, which makes you the baby," he shot back with a grin.
"Azar, knock it off," Raven admonished them, sitting next to Damian and nudging him with her shoulder to cut off his retort. "You both have growing up to do."
"Tt." Damian scoffed and rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth lifted and he nudged her back fondly.
In the before time their awkward flirting was cute, but Conner found it almost unbearably irritating these days. He forced his aggravation away and rose to examine the massive wall of DVDs that occupied the room.
All other things aside, he'd grown extremely fond of both his remaining teammates. Damian had this whole protect and nurture thing going on under his snark and temper. Kind of like a mother hen with access to knives and hand grenades. It was oddly touching. And while he wasn't exactly...easy to talk to, Conner enjoyed their mutual ribbing. All in all Damian Wayne wasn't actually that bad. Usually.
Raven was just great; gentle, witty, serene. Being around her was so pleasant and soothing that for a while he was wholly convinced she was using her magic on him at all times. He thought back to when he'd first joined the Titans, Gar and Wallace telling him to leave Raven alone after his initial flirting, warning him how cold and standoffish she was. He blamed Damian for keeping the witch all to himself, and wouldn't have been surprised if the baby-bat reinforced the other boys' impressions to scare them off. Possessive much, Dami?
Clearly, the person who'd owned the house they were staying in was a huge film buff, Conner mused as his eyes scanned the various titles on the wall. TV and movies had been the one normal thing during his time with Lex, and the only time Dabney had treated him like a person, a kid, instead of a project.
"Oh snap," he said suddenly, one particular case catching his eye. "They have my favorite movie!"
He pulled the DVD out, a nostalgic smile on his face as he looked over the cover.
Raven approached from behind, looking curiously over his shoulder. "What's it about?"
"This kid fakes sick to get out of school, then he and his buddies tear up the town." He looked back at her curiously. "Wait, you've never seen it?"
"No. They made an entire movie out of someone skipping school?" she asked skeptically.
"No...well, yes. But there's shenanigans. He steals a car," Conner tried to explain.
"So it's a movie about a criminal," Damian scoffed.
"I mean, I guess? It's funny, though!"
Honestly, how had neither of them ever seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off? Just how in the hell does a three year-old genetic experiment end up having the most pop-cultural knowledge?
"Didn't you steal the Batmobile once?" Raven asked with a smirk.
Conner's eyebrows shot up and he smiled back at Damian. "No way. That's so cool!"
He gave both of them a pointed look. "I was rescuing children. Not playing hooky."
The clone rolled his eyes at their leader's serious tone. "Yeah, yeah. Seriously though, it's a really good movie."
"It sounds childish," he replied pointedly.
Ah, so he was still a little touchy that Conner made fun of his age. He wasn't sure why it rankled him so much, considering Damian probably came out of the womb acting like a pissed-off geriatric.
"Damian prefers black and white movies," Raven informed him.
Case in point.
He looked at her curiously. "What kind of movies do you like?"
She shrugged, running her eyes over the hundreds of cases on the wall. "I don't know, I prefer books. Kori made me watch The Notebook once and I thought it was okay."
A smile slowly spread across his face. "Don't tell me that dark, mysterious Raven likes romance?"
She glared lightly at him but said nothing. Conner winked knowingly before turning back to the shelves.
"You'd probably like Casablanca," Damian said quietly.
They both turned to look at him, but his eyes were focused on the floor. He almost looked...embarrassed?
"If you do actually like romance."
His normal reaction to Damian Wayne of all people suggesting a love story would have been relentless teasing, but when he turned to share an amused glance with Raven, she was staring at the younger man with a soft, pretty smile.
Something about the sight dissatisfied Conner and he felt the grin slide right off his face. He glanced back at Damian, who's gaze was still purposefully averted. Dissatisfaction morphed into something angrier. He's not even looking at you, Rae.
He floundered, inexplicably wanting her attention back on him.
"There's also "10 Things I Hate About You," he spouted.
"What?"
"Another good romance movie. The ice queen falls for a charming bad boy."
She raised an eyebrow. "Weird title for a love story."
"Yeah. Tomorrow when we move we should find a place with a big screen. Could always hook up the generator and do a movie night," he sounded thoughtfully.
"That is not an appropriate use of our generator," Damian chided.
"Lame. Why do we listen to you again? Motion for Rae to take over as team leader."
"Seconded." Raven smiled.
"Motion passes. You had a good run, Dami."
He snorted at them, but the mood in the room was light, the banter normal. One could almost forget it was the apocalypse.
"I can feel how much you're enjoying this," she grumbled. "Stop it."
Like it was his fault a sulky Raven was so adorable. Still, he tried to oblige, throwing a puppy-dog look her way.
"Poor Raven. Are we having a bad day?"
Alright, so it wasn't a sincere attempt. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw twitched.
"Sorry, babe," he said quickly.
She scoffed, turning away from him and trying for the umpteenth time to smooth down her hair. It was an especially humid day and she was a mess of curls. Conner fought down a smile.
They were currently wandering through a strip mall in a downtown, corporate area of the city. Damian had stayed behind in the nearby condo he'd picked that morning, working to get the power on while he and Raven searched for supplies. Ordinarily they'd split up, but Trigon had been tormenting his daughter ruthlessly the previous night and she grudgingly admitted to feeling a bit weak as a result. Conner and Damian both agreed she shouldn't go out alone, and since they never agreed on anything, she had to cave.
A bit of genuine sympathy did creep up on him then, as did a bolt of inspiration.
"Wait here, Rae. I've gotta grab something real quick." Then, not able to resist the urge. "You gonna be alright all by yourself, cupcake?" he asked, not bothering to contain his amusement any longer. Her glare could have killed him on the spot. Clearly her years spent in close contact with Damian had paid off.
"I already let you get away with 'Rae' and 'doll' and 'babe.' You really don't want to push me."
"Can I have just one more?"
"Not if it's 'cupcake,'"
"Angel?"
She snorted. "Really?"
"'Angel' it is." He winked at her, zipping away before she could respond.
They'd passed a beauty shop a few blocks back, and Conner burst through the door with enough force to break it. All joking aside, Damian would murder him if something happened to Raven while he was gone. That in mind, he grabbed the first thing he saw from their haircare section and raced back.
He came to a stop right behind her, and the mage didn't even flinch as the wind from his flight whipped at her cloak.
"You were gone for so long. However did I survive?" she deadpanned.
He laughed. "I'll never leave you again, angel. Now, hold still."
Conner yanked the paper backing off the clip he'd taken, taking a brief second to examine it. A flashy maroon flower with a dark yellow center. It was so not Raven that he had to smile.
He gathered her hair, appreciating its length for the second time in as many days, and pinned it into a sloppy bun at the nape of her neck before stepping back to admire his handiwork. Raven reached back to run her slender fingers along the fake petals and let out an amused huff. "Not exactly my style, Con."
He didn't respond, suddenly and unexpectedly mesmerized by the contrast of deep red and yellow against her dark bluish locks. Her coloration was like a darker, more sinful version of his own Kryptonian hues and he was struck with the desire to see her in more of his colors. An image of her with the crest of House El emblazoned across her chest flashed across his mind and he felt his heart start to pick up.
Raven stiffened, probably picking up on his bizarre whirl of emotions. She turned around, cocking her head at him curiously, and it was enough to jolt him back to reality. Conner took a large step back, pointedly looking away from her. Feeling both embarrassed and oddly disappointed. His thoughts foundered until he felt her hand on his arm.
"Calm down," she said, blushing lightly.
She was definitely soothing him with her magic now, and he felt his anxiety ebb away.
"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"
"I'm not really sure myself," he confessed. "I'm sorry...I think...it's just, you're comfortable, Rae," Conner admitted, hoping it didn't sound wrong. That was all it was, right?
"I get it. You're used to a bit more... female contact," she mumbled, flustered.
Hearing her say it sounded like a weak, weak rationalization. Regardless, he seized on it. "Yeah." Pathetic. "I'm sorry," he repeated.
"It's alright, Kon-El," she said, and he'd long since realized she only used his Kryptonian name to pull him out of a bad place. Or if he really messed up. Like when he tried to heat a can of soup with his heat vision and covered the three of them in Cream of Mushroom.
"And thank you," she added, touching her bun with a half-smile.
He stared at her as she did, fighting to keep his mind from slipping back to somewhere...inappropriate. Had Raven always been this attractive?
The concrete fountain next to them exploded in a flash of red light and there was no more time to reflect on it.
Magic shielded them from the debris and the two of them darted around a nearby building for cover. Conner scanned the sky, terror making it difficult to breathe as he waited for paradooms to descend and tear them both to pieces.
Confusingly, the sky was empty.
"Conner," Raven breathed, nudging him and gesturing towards the destroyed fountain. Three figures stood in the wreckage and he felt his fear evaporate. Not paradooms. His knees almost buckled from relief.
"You're outnumbered and outmatched. Stand down and we may let you live," Black Manta stated in a cold, reverberating voice. Conner rolled his eyes.
"Trust me, we are not outmatched," Raven responded disdainfully, her cloak billowing from the force of her magic as she began to levitate.
Parasite was looking excitedly between the two of them, salivating heavily. "Feed...feed…kryptonian for lunch," he cackled.
The last man, a black-and-white suited villain Conner didn't recognize, was entirely fixated on Raven, the look in his eyes inscrutable. "Leave the girl to me, Manta."
"No, Light. Quinn has ordered-"
"Quinn's not here. What concern is it of yours?"
The other man shrugged. "It's your head."
A blast of searing yellow light was suddenly racing towards the witch, and she repelled it with her magic almost lazily.
"I've got Dr. Light. Can you handle Black Manta and Parasite?"
He smiled at her, not the least bit worried. "Sure. Go easy on him, Rae."
"Not a chance," she growled, taking off towards her opponent.
Odd. He'd have to ask her what the deal was later. Conner looked back towards his own opponents, pausing for just a second before hurtling upwards and letting loose with his heat vision. Parasite scrambled for cover while Black Manta took to the air with his jetpack, returning fire with his own optic blasts. Conner dodged, feigning clumsiness and letting him get close before twisting around in the air and landing a punch directly into his back.
He tore his fist from the now-destroyed jetpack and hurled the black-suited villain to the ground. He descended to finish the job and just as he landed in front of Black Manta, realized he couldn't see Parasite.
"FEED!"
Fuck.
He just barely turned in time, avoiding Parasite's first grab and stumbling as he tried to put some distance between them. The monster's hand was a centimeter away when a small black barrier burst into existence and stopped it dead. I owe you one, Rae.
He snapped his fangs in fury and Conner didn't waste another moment. He let the power build behind his eyes for an extra second before twin beams tore free and blasted through the back of Parasite's head. A stray blood drop landed on his cheek as he shoved the carcass away and he scrubbed at it in disgust. His heart was pounding and he felt nauseous. Watching Damian kill someone was one thing. Doing it himself was another.. They'd kill us no problem. The rules are different now, he insisted to himself.
He forced away his turmoil and looked back towards Manta, who'd regained his feet and seemed to be appraising him behind the red eyes of his helmet. Conner stared back fearlessly.
"I don't want to kill you too, but I will," he promised. Just leave, please.
There was no reply, the older man still staring consideringly.
Dr. Light crashed down nearby wrapped in dark energy, struggling against the constricting force of Raven's magic. She alighted in front of him, eyes glowing as her opponent's suit began glitching beneath her onslaught. Who's outmatched?
As if hearing his thought, the villain suddenly caught Conner's eyes and smiled chillingly. Before he knew what was happening, his heat vision activated and burst free, the red beams charging directly towards his teammate.
No! "Look out, Raven!"
She glanced up in alarm, twisting away a moment too late as one beam grazed her side. Conner heard her gasp in pain and her opponent broke free in the diversion, shooting another blast of light that Raven repelled. She returned a dark beam of her own before taking to the sky and tossing the clone a confused look.
"It wasn't me-" he started to say before he felt heat charging behind his eyes again and snapped them shut, palms pressing hard against his sockets. How is he doing that?!
His superhearing registered Black Manta firing another optic blast towards him, and he rocketed skyward to dodge, flying completely blind. More sounds drifted up - unable to reach him, Manta must have joined up against Raven. If he were to try and help, he'd be just another weapon to use against her with his heat vision being controlled.
Think, Kon-El! Think!
Forcing himself to calm down, he concentrated on the noises below until he had a decent enough pinpoint on each player. By the sounds of it, Dr. Light had closed in on Raven and there was no time to spare. Here goes nothing.
He dove back down at supersonic speed, eyes still shut tight, and plowed into the cold metal of Manta's suit. Relying on instinct and tactile sensation, he reached for the man's arm and threw him bodily in Dr. Light's direction, praying for a hit and hoping Raven would be able to throw up a barrier for herself in time.
A heavy impact and shriek of pain announced victory. Hoping it would take the villains a moment to recover and needing to check on his teammate, he opened his eyes tentatively.
She was on her hands and knees encased in a magic barrier, something about her body language different than usual.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes."
He paused. Had she always sounded like that? Before he could question further something punched through the back of his shoulder, passing clean through and impaling the ground in front of him. Conner eyed the green sword in horror.
Kryptonite. Unmistakably kryptonite. He fell to his knees, feeling weak and nauseous. Two sets of footsteps approached him from behind and even though he doubted he'd be able to generate heat vision in his current state, he snapped his eyes shut. Too risky.
"That's more like it," Dr. Light said coldly. He could hear the rustle of Manta's metal suit in front of him and the sound of the kryptonite sword being pulled from the ground.
"The kryptonite is courtesy of Lexcorp, by the way. Makes it a poetic end for you."
Conner felt his hair yanked back and the edge of the blade slowly being pressed into his throat. He struggled feebly, but could barely budge against Manta's grip.
"Hands off."
The sword and grip were gone in a second, the now-familiar feel of magic rippling over him. And to think he still hadn't told Raven how amazing she was. He'd be singing it from the rooftops after this. Conner opened his eyes.
He had never seen her demonic form before, only heard about it from the other Titans. And they definitely did not do it justice. Her skin and eyes were a hellish red, four glowing pupils narrowed furiously. Loose threads of hair had worked free from her bun and danced around her face, as black magic sparked over her body. She was beautiful. And terrifying.
"Move, Conner." Her voice was deeper and huskier than usual, and he suppressed a shiver before obliging and leaping to a safe distance. He took several deep breaths, holding his wound and trying to force away the lingering effects of the kryptonite.
Raven smiled, showing off sharp canines. Dr. Light was the first to recover his feet, holding his arm at an awkward angle and glaring furiously at the demon.
"Now where were we?"
Red and black energy shot forward, wholly overpowering the comparatively pitiful yellow beam he attempted to counter with. Dr. Light took to the air, attempting to put some distance between himself and the demoness, but she was on him in a second. Their fight quickly took them out of Conner's sight and he let go of a trembling exhale before turning his eyes back to his own foe.
Black Manta had finally risen and was squaring up against Conner, still clutching his now-broken kryptonite sword. One red eye of his helm was shattered and the metal around it was badly crumpled. The clone bit back a growl and his mind raced for a plan of attack when something exploded just behind his enemy. Manta pitched forward from the impact, and had barely begun to turn when Damian's blade collided with the side of his damaged helmet, slicing through the metal and nearly taking the top of his head off. He howled in pain and scrambled back a few steps, before deploying a normal steel sword from the gauntlet on his left wrist.
"Come on then, boy!"
Damian glared fearlessly, green irises bright with anger. While he'd kept his Robin uniform, he never bothered with his mask anymore. Not like secret identities mattered these days. Black Manta's back was to Conner, and the clone took the chance - kryptonite be damned. His fist caught the back of his head, shattered helm flying clean off as the man fell to the ground, barely alive. He collapsed to his knees immediately after.
"I had that," Damian advised, closing the distance and kicking kryptonite from the prone villain's hand. He picked it up and chucked it as far away as he could.
"You're welcome, Damian," he replied weakly.
"Where's Raven?" the younger boy demanded.
Conner took a shaky breath, strength slowly returning. "Fighting Light," he managed. "They went that way." He gestured vaguely.
"Light? Dr. Light?"
His tone was strange, but Conner ignored it. "I killed Parasite," he admitted in a nervous voice. It's Damian, he told himself, He won't judge. He can't.
Damian paused, almost looking concerned before shaking his head angrily. "Nevermind that. Why would you let Raven fight Dr. Light?"
He raised an eyebrow. Since when did he let Raven do anything? "She's doing just fine. What's the problem?" he grumbled, finally standing.
Damian shot him a disgusted look. Conner glared back, "She's not a kitten up a tree. Rae can take care of herself."
"Yes," she agreed, making both of them jump.
Raven approached slowly, forcing the final remaining villain to march towards her teammates with angry tendrils of magic. Deja vu, Conner thought distantly.
She was still in her demonic form, something oddly gleeful in her expression as her opponent squirmed. "What to do with this one?" she mused.
"Raven?" Damian asked warily.
"I feel fine, Damian. Just fine," she answered airily, all four eyes still locked on her victim.
"The fight's over. Come back to us," he ordered, eyes betraying concern.
The demoness seemed to debate internally before finally nodding. The eyes on her forehead closed and her skin reverted back to it's usual porcelain. She shot Dr. Light a final withering glare before glancing apologetically at the two of them.
"Sorry...he...said things to me. I lost my temper."
Damian glared at Conner again, who was starting to feel confused and frustrated. He cleared his throat to try and move past the awkwardness.
"So, what now-" he started to ask before a chipper voice cut through the tension.
"Whoa, whoa! Let's all just take it easy, huh?"
The three of them whirled towards the voice's owner, her distinctive style leaving no doubt in his mind as to who they were dealing with.
Harley Quinn approached casually, comically oversized mallet slung over her shoulder and manic grin in place. She wasn't alone - Cheetah and Bane flanked the jester, and Conner felt a twinge of fear. He still felt a bit weak from the kryptonite.
"I'd normally say my guys should be pickin on people their own size, but I think you taught 'em their lesson."
The three of them squared up in unison, Raven still keeping Dr. Light bound in her magic.
"Easy kiddies, we're not gonna hurt ya," Harley said, smile still in place. Damian bristled next to him, indignant.
Her blue eyes narrowed when she saw Dr. Light subdued in front of Raven. Conner looked back to see the man staring balefully at the half-demon, ignoring the clown entirely.
"Back to the old gag, Arthur? Didn't I tell you to stay away from pretty girls?"
The man finally turned his eyes away from Raven, meeting Harley's glare but saying nothing. She shook her head exasperatedly.
"Classic case of paraphilic coercive disorder. Sorry, kid," she said to Raven apologetically.
Everything clicked into place at once. No wonder Damian is pissed. Guilt and anger coiled in his chest at the thought of what Raven had been up against, and he remembered her comment. What did he say to you, Rae?
"Bad company even by your standards, Quinn," Damian replied acidly. Behind Harley, Cheetah growled in agreement.
She shrugged. "Beggars can't be choosers. Speakin of bad company, where's Parasite?"
"Dead," his teammate replied.
The blonde's eyebrows shot up and she laughed. "Well look who's all grown up! Bad luck for me though," she sighed exaggeratedly.
"Why are you here?" Raven asked sharply, clearly sick of this exchange.
"Oh don't mind us, just passin through and doin our "Robin Hood" thing. Steal from the rich and sell to the poor," she answered with a grin.
Damian rolled his eyes at her joke. "We're not interested in anything you're selling. And there aren't any other survivors here."
"Ha! So you don't know? There's a big 'ol survivalist camp about twenty miles from here. Super quaint. They'll all be dead in a month." She pulled her expression down in a mockery of sadness. "I tried warnin em. Tragedy, ain't it? We've been sellin em loot from Happy Harbor and Lexi's supply trains."
Wait, what?
"Lex is alive?" Conner blurted out.
The jester's blue eyes locked on his and she smirked slyly. "Oh boy, you three really are out of the loop." Something about the way she said it made him antsy, and he was tempted to run away from whatever she was about to tell them.
"Lexi and Bats are both Darkseid's little lapdogs now."
The news hung in the air for a moment.
"You're lying," his teammate said lowly.
"She's not, Damian," Raven murmured.
The blonde shrugged. "Some kinda reprogramming. New Batman is a total drag too - sorry to tell ya. But hey, if you wanna get back at your daddies, you could always join my merry band of suicidals."
Damian scoffed in disgust. "Not a chance, Quinn. Leave now, and take this trash with you," he gestured with his sword towards Black Manta and Dr. Light. "Before I change my mind about letting you live."
Bane fisted his hands and Conner tensed, readying for a fight.
Harley just rolled her eyes. "Down boy. We'll get outta your hair. Cheetah, you mind helpin' poor little Arthur up?"
Raven beat her to it, magic thrusting him forcefully towards the trio where he fell with an undignified thump. The feline smirked at her approvingly.
Conner followed suit, lifting the still-unconscious Black Manta with one hand and hurtling him at Bane's feet. The ragtag remnants of Task Force X turned to leave, Harley throwing one last glance over her shoulder. "Good luck out there, kiddies. We'll see ya around."
The mood was tense as they arrived back at their safehouse. Conner's shoulder had already started to heal, and he refused Raven's offer to help. She'd done enough for him today.
The witch winced lightly as she sat on the couch, pulling her cloak aside and pressing a glowing palm against the wound on her ribs. The clone felt another stab of guilt, recalling how his heat vision was responsible. She finished quickly and laid back on the couch with a sigh. "So...now we know why the Sanctuary was destroyed."
"I should have considered this possibility. That Darkseid would keep some heroes alive for reprogramming. Especially someone like my father," Damian said bitterly, throwing his sword belt down.
"I doubt he had to reprogram Lex. He'll do anything to save his own skin," Conner muttered despondently, picking at a loose thread on his black jacket. Silence reigned for a moment and Raven sat back up, looking between the two of them. I'm sure this room is just a joy for her to be in right now.
"What are you thinking, Damian?" she asked in a soft voice.
"That this doesn't change anything. That there's nothing I can do for him," Damian answered quietly.
It was true. Even if they could get to Apokolips, the three of them wouldn't stand a chance against Darkseid and his army. If it was Kal-El, would I try anyways? Perhaps he would have at one point, but now he wasn't sure. The things he was once willing to die for had already been taken away, after all.
"Hm. We're a real 'sins of the father' crowd, aren't we?" Raven said airily, trying to lighten the mood.
Damian made a small noise of assent. "Tomorrow we'll check out this camp Quinn mentioned. I want to see it for myself."
Conner nodded, grateful for the change in subject. The idea of seeing people who didn't want to kill them felt strange. Hell, this whole day had been strange.
"What's that?" Damian asked suddenly.
He looked up to see Raven fiddling with her hair clip and smiled automatically. She returned it. "Con found it for me."
The other boy's brows furrowed and suspicious green eyes met Conner's. What, brat? He raised an eyebrow in response and Damian tensed, his glare sharpening.
"No arguing," she ordered. "Today's been rough enough."
"Amen," he muttered, dropping his eyes to the floor.
Besides...it's not like that. Raven's just pretty. And clever. And strong. And she looks great in my colors.
Hm. Perhaps it was like that.