Not being able to locate immediate help from Shaman left Titans East with few options. After the incident in the kitchen Bumblebee had made an executive decision and called up their sister tower, informing them that they would be bringing Aqualad to see Raven. Her brevity had let the Titans West know of how critical the situation truly was.
They would have all left at once, but just as Bumblebee started loading up the twins into the T.E. Ship an alarm sounded. Another escaped convict, the Shadow, had taken up to wrecking the far side of town. Rather than subject Aqualad from getting help any longer than necessary Bumblebee directed Speedy to divide the ship into segments and sent him off. This way they got a good head start to the West Coast, bringing the unnaturally silent sea-faring warrior to those who could hopefully help him.
Though conscious, the Atlantean was simply a blank-eyed mannequin for the duration of the trip. He said nothing, did nothing, and shut himself inside his own head. The entire time they were in the East Ship Speedy had developed a nagging sense that he was in the range of a creepy porcelain doll or something of the like. Even after they had arrived the archer couldn't shake the feeling, and Speedy wasted no time in jumping from the cockpit to rejoin the other Titans.
"He's a fuckin' vegetable. Didn't move at all during the whole three hours," said Speedy in a rushed whisper to Robin and Raven, a chill still lingering in his spine.
"I could sense it before you even landed. Something is emitting an energy, a bad one," the witch murmered as Cyborg lifted the Atlantean from his seat. The boy was limp in those metallic arms. "I'll explain it inside."
Though he was keeping a wary eye on the lifeless Titan, Robin nodded and said, "Cyborg's going to take him to the Infirmary. We can talk in the rec room."
They had gone inside, turning left down one hallway as Cyborg took a right, and one by one trickled inside the sunny common room with heavy hearts and burning questions. The circular sofa called to them but no one sat. Robin was leaning against a wall not far from Speedy, whereas Starfire and Beast Boy lurked near Raven. The Azarath native took a deep breath and started.
"I had hoped that what Bumblebee described over the link was a simple matter of enchantment or mind control. That would have been easy enough to remove. However, I've seen this sort of magic before and it does not bode well for us."
"That sounds ominous."
"We're dealing with an otherwordly possession. Aqualad's aura is fragmented and weak, so whatever creature is feeding off of him is doing it rapidly. We need to quickly to determine what this energy leech is and how to get rid of it while there's still time."
"Woah, hold up!" Beast Boy's ears perked beneath tufts of green hair. "Possession? Like as in a demonic possession?"
"It's possible. Or it could be a spirit gone afoul or something else entirely. I don't yet know, which is exactly why we're going to have a rough time rooting the creature out."
"But if the malevolent force was drawn into this world can you not simply force it out in the same way?"
"No, Starfire. You can't just summon a planar creature and have it appear right in front of you," explained the witch, "In our plane of existence a creature, like say a demon, has no corporeal form. It takes incredibly powerful magic to bring a complete demonic body to this world: elaborate rituals, ancient incantations, massive energy reserves. We've had that experience before."
Speedy wasn't sure what she meant by that, so looked to Robin for a more detailed explanation. The Boy Wonder crossed his arms and shifted uncomfortably.
"Raven's father was a demon that transcended into this world by using her as a portal, and even then he was in a weakened state when he got here."
"Trigon took a portion of my mortality to manifest himself in our world. That was seriously intricate magic, but when you've got a simple summoning like what this Medium seems to have performed then you only get the essence of the demon. That essence must embed itself in a host and leech off it to stay in the plane it has been called to."
"So, let me get this straight," Speedy said shortly, "There is a mystical force of unparralelled evil feeding off Aqualad? In what way?"
"The possessed become victims of physical weakness. The demon doesn't know how to nourish its host properly in addition to feeding off spiritual aura, and the host person's health declines as a result. The possession continues until the demonic presence is exorcised or the victim… dies."
"But he broke free of it once! He can get out of this, right?"
Raven's brow furrowed at Speedy. "When was this? What happened?"
"It was how we realized something was wrong: he wasn't acting like himself. He - it - attacked me, but then the real Aqualad broke loose. Well, that's what it seemed like, anyway. He just snapped, grabbed a knife and…" the former apprentice of Green Arrow trailed off silently. Recalling the incident was far harder than he had initially thought. "I don't think he was on the offensive or anything. It seemed more like he was going to... probably hurt himself."
"The thing is living off the energy of Aqualad's life force. The emotional torture likely far surpasses that, however, by causing discord with the victim. The host will feel unbridled grief and hopelessness in the creature's attempt to encourage them to surrender."
Speedy was a bit agitated at how Raven kept things impersonal by continuously calling Aqualad a "victim" and "host".
Robin asked, "For what purpose, though? I mean, if you could take over any person in the world why Aqualad?"
"That's the problem: I haven't any idea. This evil power affecting him seems to have tried to assimilate by living through him, which makes me think he intends to use our friend as a permanent host. Whatever the business this demon has on our plane is an enigma."
"How do we get rid of it? An exorcism?" asked Robin, who had assumed pacing about the room in thought. Raven bit her bottom lip before answering.
"It's not as simple as in the movies. A mind is a complex place: it's a fragile battleground where either side can hide and retreat into. Each one is different and expansive, and I'm afraid that this presence may pretend to be banished, then lurk in Aqualad's mind until it recovers enough power to take him over completely in one strike."
"Like in your mind when Trigon broke loose!" quipped Beast Boy, recalling the incident in which he and Cyborg had accidentally entered Raven's unconscious self, Nevermore. "We were able to hide until we regrouped and could fight him off. Hey, is that what Aqualad is doing now?"
Raven nodded. "I assume he's gone into hiding, gathering his strength while this foreign energy assumes control of his body. My guess is he expended all of his strength trying to break free, then was forced to retreat. He's weak and vulnerable, so we have to act fast."
"What do you need?"
"First, a secure location. He and I will need to be completely isolated for the duration of the ritual."
Starfire cocked her head to one side slightly. "How long could that be?"
"It depends," Raven replied vaguely, "Minutes. Hours. Days. It comes down to how powerful the demonic entity is and how much of Aqualad it has in its control."
"Will it hurt him?" This question was asked by Speedy, sitting with his chin on his clenched fist. No one instantly noticed how his fingernails were drawing blood from his palm. "Aqualad, I mean. Will this hurt whatever is left of him?"
The witch wouldn't make eye contact with him as she thought about her response. It was a long pause until she finally produced an answer to his question. "I don't know."
Speedy knew she was lying.
The former apprentice of Batman changed the subject wisely. "What about the safety chamber that we built to keep Trigon's minions from you? It's probably the most secure room in the tower."
"That'll do. Second, I'll need something to banish the creature to. A statue, a lock box, a necklace, a book; anything. It doesn't matter what, just so long as I have a place to expel it. Otherwise the creature could just jump to another host and we'd have the same problem all over again."
The alien princess gasped excitedly and levitated from her seat. "I believe I possess an object that will suffice. I shall retrieve it," she said, then quickly floated from the room.
"Beast boy," Raven turned to the shape shifter once Starfire had gone, "Tell Cyborg to put Aqualad in the warded chamber. Robin? Speedy?" The masked superheroes looked to her abruptly. A door slid open as Beast Boy left the hub. "Will you help move my spell books downstairs? I'm taking everything, just in case."
"Raven," Speedy started, staring at his own clasped hands, "Stop avoiding it and gave me a straight, no bullshit answer. You gave him a preliminary exam and had to have drawn some conclusions. Tell me, how long do you think this will this take?"
There was no changing the subject or giving either-or answers this time. The Azar witch bowed her head and told him outright, "Based on the sheer strength of the evil presence, I'd say that this fight could last for days, easily."
"And you might not be able to defeat it, correct?"
There was a silence that prompted Robin to shift his weight uncomfortably. Raven conceded, "There is that possibility."
"I see." Speedy stood and looked his fellow Titan straight in the eye; not trying to intimidate, but appearing as though he was fearing anything she might say next. "And the real Aqualad, will this hurt him?"
"Yes, it will. Extensively." Upon hearing this Speedy nodded understandingly, but Raven felt she should drive the point more. "As I fight with the creature it will be drawing energy from Aqualad constantly. Speedy, the demonic force won't kill its own host until it has utter control, but I think you need to become acquainted with the idea that this experience could damage Aqualad so badly that he may never be able to function socially again."
The was no humor in Speedy's rattled chuckle. "What? He'll become insensately?"
"He may become nothing more than a shell of what he once was. On second thought, Speedy, you should go contact Bumblebee. Tell her what's going on, and explain to her everything I've told you. Robin can help me with the my books. Try to hurry, though. We need to move on this quickly."
Speedy hadn't any choice but to follow her directions. He waited for them to leave before turning to the expansive monitor on the far side of the room. This wasn't going to be easy.
The screen flickered as he entered the call recipient's name. How was he going to explain all this? Aqualad was being systematically killed by an ultimate being of evil from another realm of existence? That certainly wouldn't be the bomb she would be expecting him to drop.
"Bumblebee here. What's goin' on?"
"It's me," he sighed, knowing his face would have shown up on her communicator. "Are you sitting down?"
"No, I'm not. Does Raven know what's wrong-"
"Sit down, Bumblebee. Trust me."
---
Everyone had gathered in the watch room above the warded chamber in the time Speedy had made his call to Bumblebee. When he walked in on the group he could feel their worry. He hadn't realized Starfire was floating along right behind him. Naturally, he jumped when she spoke.
"I have retrieved the item to which the creature may be banished," he announced in her perfect dialect, holding up a necklace with a rather impressive green stone. It looked immensely valuable and it seemed out of character for such a simple girl to own the thing.
Robin also took in the sight of the green gem and offered a half-grin. "Who knew something good could come out of that fiasco?"
"My sister may have doted this Centauri diamond upon me with foul intentions, but that does not mean it cannot be used with good ones," replied she, setting the necklace down on the counter.
"Where'd Raven go?"
"She just teleported out. Said she had to get some help but wouldn't drop a name."
"And considering Raven like, practically wrote the book on demons, I can't imagine anyone having more experience than her," mused Beast Boy aloud.
They continued speculating on the identity of this new mystery allie, but Speedy wasn't interested. He couldn't focus or think. His head was beginning to spin with fatigue, but no doubt with some help from the recreational narcotics he'd gotten addicted to. He hadn't used in two days. The backlash was starting to hit. And right on time, it was at that exact moment Robin chose to invade his space.
He wasn't stupid, either. The archer's decline in health had been so abrupt, so obvious that it brought Robin back. Back to a time when it wasn't Batman and Robin, but it was Bruce telling Dick to sit down; they had something very serious to discuss. Back to a conversation about why Roy had broken himself and would no longer be working or living with Ollie. But Roy had bounced back. He'd snapped out of it, got help and got his head back in the game. The guy was a fighter.
And here they were again, years later. It was the same thing happening all over again.
Silence. Then, "Are you alright, Speedy?"
"Fuckin' peachy."
"You look like-"
"I'm fine!" he snapped, causing the white void of Robin's mask to widen in surprise. Then those hidded eyes narrowed, probably in suspicion, and Robin left the archer to his own devices. Speedy noticed that the other Titans were all turned away, pretending that they hadn't taken notice.
Thankfully, like an event queued on a stage, their focus was taken from him and directed towards the growing black space that was beginning to take form in the middle of the room. Funny how it looked like a bird.
Oh. That's why. Raven appeared in the middle of the mass of darkness, a shorter figure holding her hand. He was a blonde kid with some piercing green eyes that he'd seen before. Speedy recognized his face from... It must have been the Brotherhood crisis. There had been a lot of Titans there that he'd met only that one time. He was sure he had been introduced with the kid but couldn't get a recollection of his name. Thankfully because of Raven he didn't need to.
"Say hi, Jericho."
The playful comment was based on the Titan's inability to speak. The young man merely smiled and waved at his fellow crime fighters, all of whom gave him a happy reception.
"Hello, friend Jericho!" exclaimed a delighted Starfire who probably would have launched into the frail newcomer with a bone crushing hug had it not been for Raven, who wisely stepped between the two.
"He breaks easily, Starfire," she reminded her friend. The Tameranean looked baffled for a moment before settling on returning Jericho's wave.
"Glad to see ya, but why bring him into this now?" Cyborg asked.
Raven rested a hand on Jericho's shoulder. "His abilities can help us recover Aqualad… in theory."
The bionic teen leaned in. "So what do you think will be going down here?"
"The best case scenario?" Raven spared a glance at her partner, "I will be able to force the entity out of the conquered areas of Aqualad's mind. Jericho will follow up by using his powers of possession to reclaim portions of our friend. This will keep the creature from just taking back territory. It will also save me a lot of energy and lessen the chance that we'll loose control of the fight."
It all seemed too optimistic to the rather depressive Speedy. "And worst case?"
The thing about Raven Roth was that she was brutally honest at times. "In the event that the creature exceeds our expectations it may have already defeated its host and simply aims to lure Jericho and myself into the deepest regions of Aqualad, trap us, and destroy our consciences thus making all three of us cease to be."
"Oh, that's not a deterrent from jumping head-on into this," Robin remarked unhappily. He began to pace, arms crossed and a deep scowl giving a clear indication of just what he thought about this course of action. His show, hoever, did little to disuade Raven.
"I've already discussed this with Jericho," she assured, "We both understand the risks."
"The risks, maybe," said Robin darkly, "but do you understand the consequences?"
"If you had this power you would do it in a heartbeat." She had cornered him with a simple comment, and the Boy Wonder could not bring himself to deny that accusation.
"And what can we do to assist you from the outside?" inquired the Tameranian princess with an eagerness to help.
Jericho smiled, but it seemed to hint at a concealed sadness. Raven answered, "You can't do a thing."