Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or Danny Phantom. Only my ocs and how they fit into the storyline.
Revelation
Mount Justice
October 1,18:13 EDT
The Atlantean and Boy Wonder were tied against each other in their battle; Leila mediated on the sidelines. Even after all the information she gathered from hacking into the Batcave's computer, she was still missing pieces. She had gone through all the file reports of the Team: Cadmus and Superboy all the way through to the monkey business in India. There were no such things as coincidences and she could clearly see the dots between Kobra Venom and Belle Reve inhibitor collars but not how Vlad fit in with anything. It was right in plain sight, Leila could just feel it taunting her.
Although her eyes were closed, she could sense every movement, everything around her. She was having fun distracting her frustrations by predicting the little birdie's moves against Aqualad; it was quiet simple. Sadly it ended too fast as both boys drew it an official tie once Superboy, Miss Martian and Wolf entered the debriefing room. Leila opened one eye before sighing, pushing herself up to walk and stand beside Aqualad and Robin who were in civic clothes. Robin whispered to the two of them as Superboy and Miss Martian walked by,
"You know they're a couple right?"
"I believe I knew before they did." Aqualad muttered, keeping their conversation sub rosa. The three of them turned around to see Wally and Artemis walking together towards the debriefing room as well.
"Do we tell them?"
"Pfft, they'll be more mortified than happy currently if we did. I say it'll happen by the end of the year, just watch."
"It is not our place."
Leila smirked at Aqualad, him being the respectable older brother of the Team.
"So if Zatara is our babysitter of the week, why is he still here? And why is he eating my snacks?" Complained Wally as he pointed to Captain Marvel munching on one of his candy bars. Leila chuckled under her breath, knowing exactly why Captain Marvel stayed with the Team. It wasn't her place to tell though.
"Maybe he just likes your snacks."
Leila stated her repartee with a shrug, knowing how ire Wally would be in her nonchalant attitude towards his 'precious snacks'. Wally was about to object before being cut off by the announcement of someone entering the Cave. Leila gave Wally a smug smirk as he grimaced. The intercom's voice was overheard as the zeta tube began to flash with light,
"Recognize. Batman. 0-2."
"Computer. National news." Demanded Batman as he strode into the Cave. Leila straighten herself to attention as the large holographic screen revealed video footage of the current news report. Cat Grant was reporting live from Metropolis,
"The initial attack was short lived, but Metropolis was only granted a short reprieve."
The video screen swiveled around to show a behemoth plant demolishing a building within its thick vines.
"And despite the intervention of Superman and the Justice League, there seems to be no end in sight."
More footage was covered as it showed Superman, Hawkgirl, Hawkman and Green Lantern trying to save civilians while attacking against the destructive plant. Robin was the first to speak,
"Should we get out there?"
Batman turned to face the Team,
"No. The League will soon have the situation under control. That's not why I'm here. According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus' Blockbuster formula to Kobra."
"Who combined it with Bane's venom to create Kobra venom." Wally was the first to comment, followed by Robin.
"Which the Brain used to create his animal army."
"And upgrade Wolf." Superboy noted as he scratched under Wolf's chin.
"The Brain also used inhibitor collars like the ones at Belle Reve Penitentiary." M'gann continued as Artemis inquired,
"Batman, is it possible that plant thingy's on Kobra venom too?"
"I had Green Lantern run a spot analysis. Divine cellulose does contain trace amounts of a Kobra venom variant."
"And now the dots are connecting together." Leila muttered as she narrowed her eyes at the footage.
**Controlling plants would be Poison Ivy but...to have the connection to gain Kobra Venom for them...? **
Aqualad took the lead,
"These cannot be coincidences. Unrelating criminals are cooperating with one another worldwide."
"Exactly. It's now clear our enemies have formed some kind of Secret Society of Super-Villains. The attack on Metropolis is only the beginning."
Robin pulled a holographic keyboard in front of him, searching for video footage worldwide,
"You got that right. Plant creatures have sprouted in Gotham City, Paris, Star City, Taipei-"
Static elapsed on all five screens; Leila frowned at the timing. Robin meanwhile continued to type furiously to find the source of the cause.
"Dude."
"It's not me. Someone's cutting into the satellite signal. All satellite signals."
The chalky white skin, green hair and grinning, red lips of Joker appeared on screen. He tapped the screen to make sure he had visual before starting,
"Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt your regularly schedule mayhem to bring you this important announcement...from the Injustice League."
Joker flicked his compatible knife before turning his camera to his allies for center attention. Leila gasped quietly to herself, for the group included someone she had hoped to be stuck in the Ghost Zone. Count Vertigo smirked as he stood center in the group, dominating as the lead spokesperson,
"We are responsible for the attacks on your cities. If you wish to save them, a ransom of 10 billion American dollars is required. Delivery instructions have been sent to the United Nations. There is no time limit. But- the longer your governments wait-"
Joker swiveled the camera back to himself, a mischievous flashed of joy gleamed from his eyes.
"The more we get to have our...jollies. Hahaha."
The screens went static again and Batman spoke through his radio com,
"Rodger that, Aquaman. The UN will prepare the ransom as a fallback but it won't come to that."
Robin typed away on the holographic keyboard, his fingers blurs as he typed to rewind the video and pull up the image of the group of villains. Leila did not like seeing Skulker on the right side next to Wotan, smug as ever.
**How did Vlad find him? Is Skulker working with Vlad...Why else then would he even be there? What would a ghost gain from 10 billion dollars? **
"Count Vertigo, the Joker, Poison Ivy, Ultra- Humanite, Atomic Skull, Black Adam, Wotan and-"
Robin paused as he shared a look with Leila and Batman.
"And who, Robin? Who's that last person?" Aqualad patiently asked, remaining calm and assertive although Leila could sense everyone's uneasiness at seeing an unknown enemy.
"His name is Skulker. A ghost." Leila muttered and Wally gave a huff in disbelief.
"Oh come on Raven. A ghost. Really? You don't actually believe in ghosts do you?"
Leila turned around to glare at Wally,
"What if I do? He's right there in front of that screen if you don't believe me. Of course ghosts are real, it was my parents' life research."
"Right- how is it I can see him then? Or why is it that he's a robot."
"I'm telling you, Skulker is real and not to be taken lightly. A ghost is based on a human's obsession when his or her conscious seeks something more while dying. Skulker's obsession is hunting. Obviously a ghost allows you to see him when he wants you too."
"Still doesn't explain the robotic suit if he's a ghost."
"How would I know why? He's a hunter; maybe he likes the latest hunting fashions," Leila sarcastically started; annoyed that Wally can't even see with his two eyes.
"I've only met him once and wish that didn't happened. Why don't you ask him yourself? I would worry more on him being apart of this 'Injustice League' than his fashion statements. He's a skilled hunter and that's not even including his powers as a ghost."
"Which means eight heavy hitters. Probably behind nearly everything and everyone we've faced."
Robin interjected; moving the conversation along and Leila took note to thank him later.
"Well there's your secret society." Wally muttered with Artemis following,
"Not so secret anymore."
"Perhaps after India, they realized we would deduce the truth and saw no point in hiding any longer."
Leila pondered Aqualad's assumption, frowning as she thought. It was logical…but that reasoning seemed like it would be something the enemy would want them to think after being in hiding for so long. A distraction.
"Yeah? That was their mistake. Right now I say we go kick some plant creature butt."
"The Justice League will handle the plants. I have a different job for this team."
If Leila hadn't been trained to hide her emotions, her eyes would probably have been bulging out from Batman's statement. The Team handling the so-called 'Injustice League' was not what she wanted to hear; at least not when she would have to fight a ghost without her powers. Even with her powers, Leila wasn't sure. The last time didn't go well as planned.
Leila eyed Batman a questioning look, not wanting to believe in his assignment.
"Oh man. Ow." Artemis punched Wally, who grunted while rubbing his arm.
"With the plants attacking so many locations simultaneously, there must be a central control system. Your mission is to destroy it."
**Easier said than done. Can you really trust me with this Batman? **
"You realize what you're really asking them to do." Zatara stepped forward, voicing Leila's nerves. Batman gave Leila a quick reassuring glance before replying,
"They're ready."
"Ready? Ready for what?"
Artemis punched Wally for his stupidity again.
"Ow! Will you cut that-"
"Hello, Wally. If the big guns are fighting plants, who do you think we'll be fighting?"
"I don't know. I guess we'll...oh-h-h."
Artemis had pointed to the screen viewing the frozen image of the Injustice League. Leila stared worriedly at the stilled picture of Skulker. He was grinning wickedly as if he was floating right in front of her.
"Well Batman, I trust you are correct."
"I trust you can locate the enemy."
"Indeed. Wotan's involvement suggests sorcery is part of how the plants are controlled. Robin, if you would provide a holo-map, I'll search for signs of concentrated sorcerous activity."
A large holographic map of Earth appeared between the Team and Zatara. The latter raised his arms with his wand, chanting the backward words,
"Etacol retnecipe of yrecros."
A large red dot appeared on the eastern seaboard of the United States.
"There. That is where you'll find the Injustice League's central control system."
"Coordinates locked in. The Louisiana Bayou."
"We are on our way."
Leila turned around, about to head out with the Team, when Batman stopped her.
"Raven, you'll be needing this."
Leila glanced back to see Batman holding the ghost catching thermos. She grimaced as she took the container from Batman. He gave her his signature bat-glare, a message she completely understood. A curt nod was her only response before Leila ran out to catch up with the Team in the Bioship. Aqualad held a small duffle bag over his shoulder but Leila was too occupied with her own worries to ask what the bag was for. Batman trusted in her with her powers, should she trust her teammates just as much?
Kid once again broke the silence as M'gann took the ship into flight.
"So Raven, I see now why you're always so aloof. Believing in ghosts must make you paranoid."
Artemis punched Kid for the third time while Leila narrowed her eyes. Errand boy was behaving exactly how she thought he would,
"You have such myopic beliefs Sneakers. I'm surprised since you supposedly gained your powers from a kiddie science experiment."
"But that's exactly it- it's science. Not some ghost stories or paranormal activity that's not real. Wait- how'd you know how I got my powers?"
"I'm Batman's protégé, not that hard to find information if you look for it. And for your information, there is scientific research. Ghosts are the manifestations of ectoplasmic energy and post-human conscious. It's why ghosts have a specific obsession to them."
"Right- to haunt and scare people. Such scientific research."
"If Skulker is a ghost Raven, then how will we defeat him?" Aqualad interjected, feeling the tension growing between the two. Their arguments weren't the same as Kid and Artemis's, and Aqualad was worried about Kid's big mouth against Raven. Just by her intellect alone, Aqualad could tell Raven was the one to be most afraid of in a fight. Leila kept her face neutral though, her emotions buried deep in her gut.
"I'll deal with Skulker. Batman and I have been studying my parents research and creating weaponry against ghosts."
"Robin can help you then? You, Robin and M'gann will handle taking out the central control plant. The rest of us will make sure to give you cover."
Leila gave a small nod before suggesting her own deductions,
"We're probably don't have much of the advantage of surprise anymore- if the Injustice League is behind everything the Team has encountered then they'll know about us. Poison Ivy would stay by her plant; Skulker most likely too...he enjoys a hunt but probably would wait with his prey coming to him. Joker is probably the one keeping control over all the plants, while Wotan and Atomic Skill maintain the power necessary to have so many large plants attacking at once. I suspect Vertigo and Black Adam would be the first to intercept us then with everyone else occupied with the control center."
"And how'd you know all that?"
"Simple deductions based on each of their powers and abilities. It's elementary Kid- or do you need more 'scientific research'."
"Hmph. Still not giving you the satisfaction."
Leila rolled her eyes, giving up on the childish argument, as she knew she had won. Kid will realize soon enough that ghosts are more than just campfire stories. He made a pouting face as he folded his arms, turning his seat around to not face her. He instantly switched the subject- Leila smirked as it showed that Kid was flustered- as he questioned Aqualad,
"What's in the duffle?"
"Plan B."
The Bioship was just flying over the coordinates of the Louisiana Bayou; Leila did not like the gloom silence suspended after Aqualad spoke. It was worst that he wasn't going to explain more either. Leila closed her eyes; quickly scanning through her memory layout of the Cave to find what Aqualad would have grabbed to be the Team's "plan B." She traveled through her mind, the memories of the Cave, flying towards the souvenir room before M'gann's gasped pulled her away. Opening her eyes, Leila tensed as she turned to look at M'gann; Superboy instantly was concerned for her.
"You alright?"
"Dizzy"
"Martians get airsick?" Robin tilted his head in confusion as he asked. Kid stated another one of his obnoxious statements,
"She does look a bit greener than usual."
"Not me, her."
"I feel fine." Artemis objected, placing a hand on her chest to indicate herself. Leila frowned; it was starting.
"Not her. The Bioship. She's trying to shield us but..."
Leila turned back around, debating on turning the Bioship completely invisible or not (would M'gann sense her lifeless touch with the Bioship?) but then suddenly the ship was propelled forward from being rear-ended. She kept her body locked in a tense position as the Bioship flipped over itself, crashing into murky waters of the Bayou.
The Bioship began to sink, large plant vines strangled the ship down to the bottom of the river, and Black Adam ripped a hole from above as he raged to reach the teen heroes. M'gann clutched her head, groaning in pain,
"Ah! He's hurting her!"
Superboy roared in anger before jumping up to punch Adam away; water came rushing into the cockpit. Leila quickly grabbed for a rebreather- about to hand one to Kid and Artemis- when she heard Artemis exclaim,
"No. No way I'm drowning three missions in a row."
Before Artemis handed Kid a rebreather from her quiver and Leila instead followed behind Robin as he dove down under the water. Aqualad's voice echoed through her head as she saw M'gann opening a hatch through the ship's floor,
Out. Everyone out.
Leila swam out last, following behind her teammates as Aqualad led the way to the riverbank around the curve of the trees. All seven gasped for breath as they reached the shoreline. M'gann and Superboy watched from across the trees as the Bioship slowly sank beneath the murky waves.
"She's in shock. She'll need time to recover."
Leila cried out as her head split opened, dizziness disorientated her and bile rose through her throat, she dropped to her knees clutching her midriff; burning an icy cold. Gritting her teeth, she tried to keep control as her powers wanted to expose themselves under the threat. Kid Flash groaned as he struggled to push himself up,
"Vertigo."
"Count Vertigo to you, Peasant."
Leila gasped as she felt the dizziness disappear, swallowing hard as she tried to refocus her bearings. She shakily stood up, breathing slowly to remain in control, as Aqualad's voice echoed through her head.
Raven, Robin, Miss Martian, Disappear. We will keep them busy. You three fulfill the mission objective.
Leila gave a curt nod before disappearing through the shadows of the trees. She heard the groans and struggles of the fight; knowing that despite their best efforts, her teammates may not win.
She silently followed behind Robin through the shadows of the trees. Her nerves were all jumbled again, a mixture of fight and flight. The pit of her stomach was slowly becoming a deeper chill as she could sense the three of them closing in closer to their destination. Robin held his arm in front of him, observing and comparing the coordinates with their location. M'gann voiced her concerns instantly.
I've blocked contact with Aqualad and the others. Should we-?
Sorry that's not our gig. This is, the Injustice League's central control system.
They'll be okay. Even if they were captured, if we did go back, it wouldn't save them M'gann; nor defeat the Injustice League. The best is to have them as hostage leverage- make the Injustice League think they're keeping them alive for their own purposes. The faster we take out the central control, the better chance we have in all of us making out.
Leila could feel M'gann's worrisome stare on her but Leila merely shrugged it away. She knew M'gann would think her reasoning was dangerously manipulative, but it was true. To keep the Team alive and succeed the mission, she couldn't seem attached. As how it always is.
Robin peeled the vines and bushes away to reveal a large dome, greenhouse structure. A large plant peaked out of the top, covering the structure as an umbrella.
Looks like that plant is acting as an antenna to control the other plants worldwide.
An icy wisp crept through Leila's throat, escaping from her breath. Just as she turned around, thick vines were constricting her, M'gann and Robin also were being held above the ground.
"Well hello." The soprano voice of Poison Ivy rang out; herself smirking with hands on her hips. Ultra-Humanite fell from the trees beside Ivy, with Skulker grinning as he appeared behind the two.
"The princess and her whelp came to play. And brought a little Martian friend too- excellent prizes for the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter."
Leila struggled to reach her tessen as both male villains loaded their respected guns. Poison Ivy grinned as Leila narrowed her eyes.
"Now goodbye."
M'gann, their guns.
M'gann's eyes glowed a lime green as she controlled Skulker and Ultra-Humanite's guns, causing them to fire at the vines constricting the three of them. The vines screamed as they died, releasing the three teens who scattered instantly.
It was one-on-one: Robin against Poison Ivy, M'gann against Ultra-Humanite, and Leila against Skulker. Leila threw down a smoke pellet, disappearing from sight as Skulker laughed,
"Mere smoke won't help you Princess."
"You obviously don't know anything Skulker, I'm not the prey you should focus on."
The two birds switched partners, Robin flipping over from a tree trunk to kick Skulker from behind, as Leila backhand spring to land in front of Poison Ivy. She threw a punch straight to Ivy's face, knocking her backwards, before instantly cartwheeled into the quagmire. She dodged Ivy's various plants as they attack her from all around. Leila could hear Robin struggle under Skulker's grip,
"Whelp. I'll take your puny pelt first then for interrupting my hunt."
Leila threw an explosive, ectoplasmic birdarang at Skulker. Skulker growled as the birdarang exploded, losing his grip around Robin's arm. Robin fell to a large log, rolling to break his fall. Again the birds switched places, Leila jumping up to roundhouse kick Skulker as Robin flipped from tree to tree to dodge the attacking plants. Skulker blocked Leila's kick, grabbing her leg before hanging her upside down.
"Losing your specialty Princess. I expected better."
Leila smirked,
"Maybe I wanted you to catch me."
Leila tucked her body inward, making sure M'gann wouldn't be able to see, her eyes burning purple as she fired her violet ectoplasm into Skulker's chest, propelling him into a tree. Flipping midair over herself, Leila landed crouching beside Robin. She quickly helped him back up, about to throw three explosive birdarangs at the approaching plants, when M'gann stopped the threat.
Raven. Robin. She made contact.
Artemis?
No.
Leila glanced up, seeing the rest of the Team trapped in a golden cage as they flew overhead. Suddenly, the outline of the Bioship barreled through the sky and knocked Wotan to the ground; her teammates plummeted to the swamp below.
Then it's our time to move.
Leila led the way through the shadows, only to be blocked by Skulker before reaching the doom structure.
I'll distract Skulker. Go.
Leila threw another smoke pellet, allowing for Robin and M'gann to disappear. Six mini missiles zoomed through the smoke, Leila threw her birdarangs just in time as she rolled out of the way.
"Afraid to show the real you to your pathetic teammates Ghost Child."
"I don't need my powers to defeat you."
Leila fanned out her tessen, sending it on a course of flight towards Skulker as it glowed neon green. He merely dodged the trinket. She ran up to high kick Skulker, flipping over herself again before catching her tessen after it hit Skulker from behind.
"You won't escape this time Princess."
"I'm not trying to."
A loud explosion echoed behind the two, rocking the shallow waters of the swamp. Behemoth pieces of vines fell and Leila smirked as she heard Robin called out calmly,
"Timber."
Leila ducked as a fiery blast of ectoplasm barreled towards her. Skulker growled out in fury,
"You may have defeated our plants, but by the end of the night your teammates won't be able to save you."
Leila suddenly felt the ground disappear, Skulker strangling her as he lifted her up with a pylon grip on her neck. Leila's eyes glowed a haunting purple as she struggled, her voice menacing low and rasped,
"Let. me. go."
Leila swung her legs, kicking Skulker off of her as she transformed into her ghost half. She allowed her icy core to expand, engulfing her as two lime, green rings snaked through her distal ends. She levitated, stopping her fall, before swiping her arm across her as she fired an ecto-energy explosive disk from her fist. Leila could hear the fighting between the rest of the Team and the 'Injustice League'; their screams of agony, but for her to help them, Skulker had to be captured first.
Leila continued striking, firing ghost ray after ghost ray, hoping to keep Skulker's attention on her. It was simple enough. A game between them. She would flip and dodge his prosaic missile strikes; almost amused how easy Skulker was as an opponent. She must be getting stronger; her strikes easily hitting their target, while Skulker's missed for the countless time. It seemed almost too easy.
Leila sped towards Skulker as he tried to load his shoulder gun again. Neutralizing the blast with her own, Leila appeared through the smoke, grabbing Skulker's leg before throwing him hard into the trees. Crash! Skulker slid down the tree trunk. She swiftly uncapped the metallic thermos, aiming it at Skulker as she sublimated her energy into the container.
"You lose Skulker."
Radiating a hue of violet, Leila felt the surge of energy blast from the thermos as it wrapped around Skulker's collapsed form. Nothing was exclaimed as Skulker was sucked in; only his laughter of insinuation,
"Excellent job Princess. Your father would be quiet proud."
Skulker's laugh echoed as he disappeared through the thermos.
Leila's nerves crawled through her throat; Vlad was behind this. She quickly capped the thermos shut as she gave a shaky breath.
**There's still the Team. Focus. **
One deep breath. Then Leila was on the ground running to help. She came through the trees to find her teammates in disarray. No longer caught in pain somehow from earlier.
Kid and Artemis were helping each other up from the marsh, Superboy went toe-to-toe with Ultra-Humanite, M'gann was shakily hovering over Poison Ivy and Count Vertigo- both tangle around each other in the mud- and Robin was dodging Joker's double dagger strikes. Aqualad was nowhere to be found but Doctor Fate was fighting against Wotan.
Leila rushed to help Robin, spreading her tessen into flight to knock the knife out of Joker's hand. Standing in a defensive stance beside Robin, Joker simply laughed at the two birds.
"Ha ha ha. So the rumors are true, Batsy got himself a second bird. A female too. Oh I do love the pretty ones. Vladdy-boy wasn't lying. Excellent. Ha ha ha."
Leila stared confounded at Joker, hesitating a second too late.
**Joker knows about Vlad...? **
He ran towards her, flicking out a third knife from his jacket sleeve into his hand.
"Raven, move."
Joker snake-like strike caught Robin in a hook as he blocked Leila from the attack- the blade slicing Robin's cheek. Blood welled from the cut, dripping down Robin's face, and Leila swiftly pulled him out of Joker's second swipe. Her tessen blocked Joker's knife as Leila kicked him away from the two of them. She stood protectively in front of Robin, sneering as Joker laughed while stumbling backwards. Suddenly a batarang swished to knock Joker's knife out of his hand, causing a frown of amusement to appear on the Clown Prince. Batman, Black Canary, Green Arrow and Aquaman were all standing on a Green Lantern platform, with Superman, Captain Marvel and Green Lantern himself descending beside them. It was then Leila noticed the whole Justice League surrounding them. The Injustice League cornered to each other's backs.
Batman was the first to speak,
"It's over."
Each villain held up his or her arms in surrender, Count Vertigo proclaiming the surrender as the presumed leader,
"There will be another day."
Joker angrily growled,
"Another day? There won't be another day!"
Joker suddenly lunged at Robin and Leila intercepted, grabbing Joker's arm. Joker laughed as he clutched his fist, pulling Leila towards him to punch her in the stomach. Leila gasped before her airways were cut off, Joker twisting her around to place a knife against her throat as he wrestled her under his arm.
"Not for any of us! Starting with Batsy's new, pretty bird. Ha ha ha!"
Bashing his fist against her head, Leila felt her vision blur, Joker twisting her back around before throwing her into the quagmire; a circle of reeking, red with black thorn blossoms laid within the shallow waters. Dizziness and the throbbing ache were nothing in comparison to the succeeding torment.
Pain. Agonizing pain shot through every molecule of Leila's being. Red smeared across her vision; a hot, burning red- a scarlet, bleeding red. It became her being, her soul. Her icy core slowly peeled away from the searing fire, melting to nothing. All Leila could do was scream.
Then grayish-green fog began to appear, suffocating her. All Leila could do was laugh. What was she laughing about? Her screams became mixed with laughter, killing her. She was dying. Again. Being ripped apart- stripped to her essence of death.
Only screams and laughter could she hear, only black and red sparks could she see, only herself dying could she sense.
Everything stopped.
The small relief of pain and pressure lifted…somehow- relaxing her curled-up body. She couldn't stop laughing though, causing an unremitting ache. She could hear better now, hear past just her screams and laughter. She could see the blurry image of the domino mask and black hair of her little birdie. He had a streak of blood on his face. She tried to reach for him, to fill the aperture between them, to wipe away the cut she allowed to be made there, but she couldn't stop laughing. It was hard to breathe.
"Raven! Hold on. You'll be okay. You'll be okay...just- just hold on."
Leila never heard Robin so distressed before, it sounded like he was trying to reassure himself more than her. She wanted to speak, to tell Robin that it's all right that she was dying. She was already half-dead; now the rest of her was dying. However, she could only feel her body aching and squealing at her; her vocal cords lost in the laughter and her face stretching into a wide grin.
"Robin. That small dose of antidote isn't working fast enough. We need to get her back to the Cave. Now."
The advancing outline of Batman prowled towards her, and Leila's vision drooped to blackness as she passed out, her laughter slowly dying out as the wide grin became etched to her face.
Thoughts of moving hurt; everything hurt. Even the thought of groaning was impossible as Leila sense her conscious wakening. Shallow breaths could be heard along with the monitor beeps for blood pressure. Robin sat tiredly by Raven's bedside; her haunting presence sapping his already low energy. She held a greenish hue on her skin, paler than a ghost if that even seemed possible. The creepy grin finally relaxed from her face; so she would get better. He wasn't going to leave her though, the rest of the Team could- only checking up on her- but he couldn't. He wouldn't leave her. She had to get better.
Batman had done some digging, finding out that the flowers- blood blossoms as they notably were called- were once used in the late seventeenth century; flowers used to ward off ghosts and the specter beings of the unknown. It seethed Robin to have had watch the horrors of Leila dying. If that was only the experience in her human form, he didn't want to think if blood blossoms surrounded her in her ghost form. Exposing their true purpose. How did Joker know about Leila? Was that how it was like when she went through Vlad's portal?
Robin shuddered at the thought, lightly tracing his finger along Leila's hand to distract himself. Artemis and M'gann walked in- M'gann heaving quiet sniffles- breaking the eerie silence.
"Is- is she any better?"
Artemis inquired as she wearily glanced down at her friend, her sister who lay still under the covers of the medical bed. Batman had rushed to get Leila back to the medical bay at the Cave; Superman and Captain Marvel helping to carry the Bat family back to the Cave before the Team followed behind in the Bioship.
"She- she will be. We sedated her with a stronger antidote. It just...takes time."
"What happened? I mean, her- screams were before the Joker Venom was exposed… how was Joker able to...to-"
"We don't know...exactly. It's not beneath Joker to go to such...laughing extremes. Let's just be grateful we saved Raven in time."
Robin was curt in his response, partly to keep Leila's secret, but more importantly he didn't want to dwell on what Joker nearly succeeded in doing. He kept his body hunched away from the two girls, his back towards them. Artemis placed a comforting hand on his shoulder,
"Let us know when she wakes then."
Robin nodded, hearing the two heroines walk out. Silence was suspended before Robin felt the twitching of Leila's hand. He quickly and gently laced his hand over hers.
"Raven?"
Leila tried to reply but her voice lapsed to a rough whisper before dying out. Instead, she slowly curled her fingers around Robin's hand. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the bright lighting, squinting as she search to find Robin; her abdominal and face still stinging with soreness. Once Robin (with a stitched cut on his face) was in her vision, Leila tried speaking again, forcing her rasped voice out,
"Did we-"
"Defeated the Injustice League- feeling pretty asterous about that now actually."
Leila started to chuckled before pursing her lips in a grimace as she tried to hide the pain. She rasped out with a whisper,
"Don't make me laugh too hard Boy Wonder."
The medical bay door slid open to reveal the foreboding presence of Batman. He stepped in silently, closing the door behind him.
"Good. You're awake."
Only short words as Batman but Leila could tell his sub rosa meaning: relief from a father seeing his daughter still alive. Batman strode over, observing the last listings of her vitals before detaching her from the monitors and handing her a glass of water. Leila drank eagerly, gulping a waterfall to quench her dried throat. Batman got straight to the point,
"Joker and Skulker- most likely Vlad as well- mixed the Joker Venom into the flowers called blood blossoms. They hold a quality of anti-ectoplasmic energy much like the specter deflecting system in our utility belts. That, combined with Joker Venom, gave way to a lethal weapon against you Raven."
"So what-did you-tell the Team-then?"
"For now, you were thrown into a cursed, magical circle created by Wotan while the Joker Venom took effect. You were very lucky."
"I know. What-happened with- Doctor Fate?"
"The Helmet of Fate is back in the souvenir room. No one should use it unless absolutely necessary."
Leila slowly craned her in head into a nod, her neck stiff from her thrashing while encountering the blood blossoms.
"And the thermos?"
"In the Batcave. The super villain secret society has been neutralized. With Skulker captured, Vlad will be one step behind now. As for your performance."
Batman paused and Leila glanced away. She may have captured Skulker but she let her teammates get hurt and allowed herself to be vulnerable; disapproval must be coming.
"It was satisfactory."
Leila looked up astonishingly at Batman. He formed his lips into a hard line, but she could see the corners lifting in encouragement; the cordial reminder that she was not among the shadows anymore.
Unknown Location
October 2, 23:45
Dozens of screens viewed disparate clips of the ubiquitous plant attacks with multiple Justice League members scrambling to defeat the deleterious creatures. A voice echoed from the darkness,
"Impressive. The plant creatures have proven their usefulness as potential weapons. Same as for the blood blossoms. More importantly, the so-called 'heroes' now believe our secret society has been revealed and crushed."
The man slowly walked out of the shadows, revealing his features of three scars etched across his rough face. Vandal Salvage. The video clips switch to the notable image of the Injustice League.
"With the Injustice League serving as our proxies, we are once again free to operate with impunity."
The man turned to his comrades, each stepping in a line on both sides of him: Queen Bee, Ocean Master, Ra's Al Ghul, Lex Luthor, Klarion, The Brain and Vlad Plasimus.
Vlad chuckled as he beckoned for the ghost to hover forward. A flame wisp of a female figure with crimson eyes shadowed the light in the room. She bowed her head before the Halfa, a stronger and higher ghost in rank. She had gladly accepted his offer of youth for tormenting his little girl and her friends.
All of the separate screens switched from the image of the Injustice League to the images of Leila and Skulker fighting. The largest one being Leila standing over a defeated Skulker as he laid pressed against a tree, her eyes glowing angrily violet in triumphant.
"Leila is progressing quite nicely, defeating Skulker in her ghost form, she's accepting her true self; getting stronger and still hasn't revealed herself. When the timing's right, make sure she comes back to the Light, Spectra."
Spectra hissed a grin from the order before disappearing, fading away through the air. Vandal smirked nefariously,
"Now shadows still conceal our light."
A/N: Finals are over, performances are done and another chapter down! So sorry for being a long wait but it's been a busy month. Luckily summer's here, which means more chapters! I'm really excited where this story is going and doing all the ideas I have for it. Hope you all are as well- thank you to those who continue to read, favorite and follow! I'm slowly editing old chapters as well so special thanks to those who stuck with the story even with my many mistakes in the beginning. Please review and thank you all again!
