Chapter 7: implant
Raven looked over her shoulder with the eyes of someone slightly paranoid. What she was afraid of, she wasn't quite sure. A number of things, really, not just one.
Here she was, having just been dropped off from a traveling car after exiting the expressway, turning to walk into a wooded area far off from the neighboring city. The city was two over from Jump, she'd traveled a bit of mileage to make it out in this area. To make it out here alone.
She didn't want the others to be involved. Of course it was obviously too late for that. Slade had tempted them with knowledge, and Robin had eaten the proverbial apple from the Garden of Eden. He'd managed to deduce from all the hidden clues, all the off handed verbal hints that she was a demon, and that her father was coming to earth through her. Raven had never told them completely what Trigon was planning to do when he got here, but she was certain they would've made conclusions easily enough.
Raven was befuddled with just how it was possible for all four of her comrades; her friends could just so easily accept her knowing what they did. It was unimportant, however. The fact they did readily accept her was all that she needed. It was all that she had now that Azararth and her mother were gone. She wanted to protect them from herself. Now that they weren't entirely innocent of her heritage and purpose, the only other way to do that was to distance her from them. To put up distance and take an offensive.
Once more Raven cast a glance behind her and slipped off the path of the road and within to the cover of the trees. The layering was thin here, and Raven trudged to find deeper wooding, where the trees were thicker and away from the sights of the road. It took several minutes to reach a spot in which she felt totally satisfied of herself. Unceremoniously she dumped the backpack from her body and to the ground. She opened up one of the zipped pockets and began to strip to the leotard concealed under her clothing.
An offensive. It was something entirely unexpected from her. She was always the member of the team to take the defensive route of anything. Raven was the titans defense, and right now to defend them she had to strike the threat as high up as she could to keep them as shielded as long as possible. The highest Raven could bring down was Slade. Just half a week ago she had fought ruthlessly against him. It was proof enough that she could take him down. Should Slade be destroyed as a threat, than it would take time for her father to find a new emissary. Borrowed time was what it was, but Raven was desperate at this point.
Destroying Slade as a threat. It simply meant what it said. Killing Slade. There was no other option. Slade in essence was dead. Raven knew this, Robin knew this. It was the very reason why Raven could catch glimpses into the mind of a man who was skilled in protecting his body and being. Killing him again shouldn't have been a problem morally, to Raven it really wasn't. It was common sense, you removed the danger whatever way you could. There were times Robin appeared ready to kill Slade, and she had fought him with that mindset. She had killed before, accidentally with uncontrolled rage, this time it was her intent. The fact that it didn't bother her was what in fact bothered her. Raven just couldn't deal with the others seeing her commit such a crime, another reason to go it alone.
Raven threw the clothing in the backpack, her gray hand fumbling inside for a pair of gloves, her belt, and her cape. She pulled the items out, clipping the belt around her first, then the gloves, and then wrapped her cloak around herself, clasping it at the neck. Raven had taken the precaution to remove the tracking chip Cyborg had been known to plant on their uniforms in some manor. Usually Raven wasn't against the device, but even her friends knew she liked her privacy, even at the risk of getting herself hurt. This just happened to be one of those times.
She closed the zipper, than opened to another pocket. Inside were personal items that Raven just couldn't leave around in her room. The Book of Azar, the Bible of the Church of Blood, and her mirror wrapped inside a spare cloak. Her eyes grew slightly sad as she looked at the bundled antique. The glass surface had fractured recently, during Robin's interrogation when she had meditated so hard it had caused her to attack him. Raven knew that it wouldn't affect her means of making it inside the mirror, into her mind, but it still told that meditation was a forbidden practice now.
Raven didn't waste any more time. The tracking chip she removed from her clasp was turned on, then set to a different frequency, and planted in her book bag. She hated technology, really. When she first came to earth it was something that confused her greatly. It still did on a level. Living with Cyborg and the titans, however, had taught her how to understand and use it accordingly. Raven knew the risk of keeping the device on, when all Cyborg had to do was change his frequency to pick up the new one of the chip, but it was a risk she'd take.
With bag in hands, Raven levitated up the length of a tree, scooping out the branches. When she found a thick and sturdy one she approved of, the book bag was looped on it to hang out of sight. She came here to work, and didn't need her items to be a distraction or in danger of getting ruined. At least doing this, should something truly happen to her, her friends could find these personal items.
Landing, her thoughts returned to the mission at hand. Slade had to be taken down, something the world probably wouldn't mind being without. A lot of individuals either raped or not, wouldn't mind taking a piece of him. She suspected it was the reason why Jinx had given her this information to begin with. The girl was a Hive member, and although she was friends with Cyborg and had shown her kindness, she was still an antagonist. Raven didn't put vengeance below the bad luck charm.
Jinx had called her, and Raven had returned that call. Originally she had been under the impression that Jinx had been concerned. It was only half of the truth. After Jinx's feelings were put aside and to rest, Jinx had revealed to her the full purpose of the call. To give her information, specifically, an address.
Why? Jinx, having still been under the impression Slade had raped Raven, concluded that if anyone was able to speak out against his acts or find a way to take him down, it would be the Teen Titans. Seeing as Cyborg was a friend of hers, and that Raven shared a similar experience to hers, Jinx went out of her way to convince Gizmo to do hard core researching about Slade. He had dug up an address not to Slade, but to Adeline Kane, Slade's ex-wife.
Wheels had turned in Raven's head. She knew through the eternalized memories of Slade that Adeline had been the one to file for divorce when her efforts to kill him failed. Slade still had strong emotions for Adeline, obvious in the words he uttered when he harassed the children he had. Suddenly opportunity knocked, and Raven knew that Slade could be reached through Adeline, thus a means to delay her fate and to keep her friends safe. There were no other questions in her mind. The minute she had hung up with Jinx she had begun to pack and was off before the others could return from picking up their pizza.
Now she was here, stalking through the woods of private property in order to meet the infamous former Mrs. Slade Wilson. In all hopes, Raven would manage to achieve her goals without any hassle from Adeline. The plan was to ask Adeline for her help. To her knowledge through Slade's mind and of Gizmo's research, Adeline had been tracking Slade since their separation. If anyone could keep tabs on Slade, it was her. In the best of situations, Adeline would cooperate and give her a location to find Slade. If push came to shove, Raven wouldn't hesitate in forcing the woman to be bait. She hoped the later wouldn't happen, she had no qualms about harming Slade, an innocent on the other hand was an entirely different matter.
It was dark out here. Raven had anticipated and actually was pleased that she had made it to the property just as the sun was setting. Just as she had done when whisking off to see Terra, the darkness was her friend and the best cover she could wish for. It was funny, actually, now that Raven thought about it. Originally she had gone to speak somehow with Terra about Adeline, to know more about Slade to perhaps learn more of herself. Now she was moving about at night again to meet this Adeline, to know more about Slade in order to kill him. It really was amazing how things went, wasn't it?
Raven's form slowed as she noted the first in a series of security cameras. She narrowed her eyes in thought. What was the best choice of action? Avoid all the cameras in preparation of a sneak attack, or should she take the main road letting them know she was coming? Well…the likely hood of Adeline's cooperation didn't seem to lie with being caught off guard. Since she honestly wanted her help willingly, Raven boldly pulled up her hood and continued on her path, watching as the cameras followed her movements. Too late to go the different route now.
She floated for a time, hovering just above the dirt pathway in a slow, but steady pace. This continued for a time, before finally Raven could see the shady outline of the house, nay, mansion in the distance. The sun was now under the horizon line, leaving the sky in a series of blue tones. Violet orbs looked with a scrutinizing gaze towards the sky. Clouds were shifting in, the signs of a possible storm approaching. The titan ignored it, and continued her ascent towards the building.
Finally she had reached the house, her feet gently touching the ground before her full weight was placed on them. Raven passed up the driveway, noticing once more one of the many security cameras. She gave it her usual, monotonous stare that meant nothing but looked domineering all the same. Up two steps, and on to a porch. An ashen finger pressed the doorbell firmly, and Raven waited.
A moment passed of nothing. Raven's eyes narrowed. Adeline must have known she was on the property, at least some form of guard would have known. There was a minute more of silent waiting before she began to raise her hand once again to the doorbell. If no one answered it, then Raven wouldn't hesitate slipping through the walls. The whole house was enshrouded with shadows, making entry that way easier than normal. The button was pressed again, and she stood patiently—a gun cocked.
Raven didn't think. She acted on impulse.
Her cloaked form spun around, and her eyes suddenly grew wide in alarm as she was face to face with a gun barrel. Now Raven as well as the other titans had come across several guns in their time fighting crime, however, most of their opponents had guns that fired electrical charges. They hurt like hell, but nothing fatal had ever come from them. This, on the other hand, was something different.
This was a weapon aimed at her in such a way that it was meant to kill her. First notion that her body had given was to tense up entirely, freeze to prevent scarring her attacker into pulling the trigger. Then, the part of her that stored the essence of Slade came to the forefront of her mind, and the world around her became super imposed with another image. Suddenly she was starring down at the face of a young, bitter Adeline, and she flinched away from the barrel. A phantom pain erupted in her face, and Raven stumbled back, careening with the wall. Ashen hands shot towards the remains of her right eye as if to heal the wound, but found that no damage had been done, no shot had been fired.
Raven felt herself suddenly flung in through the door before sense was made out of confusion. Her body landed with an 'oof', and skidded to a halt nearing the center of home's formal hall. She winced, forcing the memory of Slade's to the back of her thoughts, and opened her eyes to her attacker.
Adeline stood above her, a grim and determined expression on her now slightly aged features. The years since Slade had seen her last and now had taken its toll on her physical appearance, but it in no means made her slow or dumb in action. Despite the apparent change, Raven recognized that same distinct bitterness in those green irises.
A gun was still in her hand, cocked, with its barrel still pointed on her. Adeline pushed the cigarette between her lips from one side to the other. An unceremonious puff of gray smoke escaped her mouth in the process.
"Raven Roth," she said smugly. Her voice came out slightly muffled as her lips were pressed to prevent the cigarette from falling. "Slade truly has a thing for you young, confused super beings."
Raven more or less stared up at the woman in awe. She knew Adeline to be many things, to know many things, but hearing her last name coming out of someone's mouth was something she hadn't expected. The word seemed foreign, especially so when accompanied with her first name. Last names weren't of much importance on Azarath, and she knew the surname to be her mother's. When she had joined the titans and had needed to fill out a form of registering information, she had adopted the name for the sake of it. That information was located within the forbidden access files of the titan's mainframe, along with her birth date, and no one else knew it. Adeline had been Slade's former partner, surely the woman knew how to resource, hack, and pull the information.
"So what did Slade convince you to do for him," Adeline began her interrogation, "Did he send you here to stop me from moving on him? If he hadn't I may just let you leave as long as you cut off any ties with him. And we'll pretend none of this happened."
Had she just stated what she thought Adeline said? Again, Raven did nothing more but stare. Adeline had just said out right that she had been working for Slade. She thought she was working for Slade. That he had ordered her to come here and probably put her out? Then had the guff to demand that she severe any connections with him?
"Hnhnhn," Raven chuckled, the corners of her lips pulled slightly in amusement. "And just what moves are you making on Slade?"
It was all the taunting Adeline needed. Her finger twitched and suddenly Raven felt a fire burning through the nerves of her left shoulder. Her body flinched just once from the initial puncture, like getting punched a good blow, but no more. A grimace passed briefly over her once smiling lips, but that swiftly fell into a more surprised expression.
The wound hurt, that Raven would readily admit to. It was a bullet, a hunk of metal that pierced through flesh and muscle, lodged securely inside her humorous bone. However, the pain was more of an annoyance she realized in retrospect. Yes it hurt, but it was nothing against the body numbing, gut wrenching presence of her father. A bullet wound was not a candle to match his hellish inferno.
Raven watched the hole in her shoulder with a sense of curiosity. It wasn't often you just saw a hole that big on your person. Blood loosely seeped like a dark river from it, and when she focused hard enough, she could see bone fragments that seemed to pierce the muscle tissue surrounding the bullet. No, this certainly wasn't something to be upset over. It was actually…kind of funny.
Black energy encased her hand as she raised it over the wound. She felt her powers surround the bullet and she delicately pulled it from its resting place. Once free from her body, she dropped the bullet and her hand became encased with a blue light. Slowly the bone pieced the osteo fragments back into place, the muscle tissue mended, the skin grew back. The only evidence that she'd been injured at all was the deep maroon that had seeped into her leotard, making the blackness somehow blacker, and the whole within both her cape and leotard.
"That tickled," she off handedly stated as her eyes focused again towards Adeline.
Adeline showed no signs of being impressed or shocked with her last display. Instead, she merely moved the gun's position to face just left of center chest. Having done that, the smugness returned to her expression. Her left hand rose to her lips and removed the cigarette. A wisp of gray smoke exited her mouth before the cylinder of nicotine was replaced to its proper home.
"I'm only going to ask you again, Ms. Roth. Tell me what Slade sent you for." The gun was cocked again.
Raven's lips pulled down in a frown. The weapon had grown tiresome, and Adeline apparently would not listen to her if she spoke the truth behind asking her help. She would just have to do it the hard way. Purple eyes flashed a glowing white. The gun disassembled and fell to the floor in parts.
Adeline was caught off guard; she was used to individuals knocking guns from her hands. Her fingers slackened, the gun handle dropping, her left hand reached to pull a spare gun on a belt holster. She made it as far as touching the handle before Raven's black powers slammed her up into the wall behind her. Instead of falling, she was held in place. Helplessly she watched the demon push herself up from the ground, approaching her slowly.
"You assume wrong, 'Addie'." Raven mockingly called her by the nickname Slade had always referred to her with. There was no hesitation in using this route now, having abandoned any hope of willing negotiations or compromise. Besides, Adeline shot her.
"I'm not working for Slade.," her voice conceded a grisly tone.
Adeline's green eyes began to burn with that fiery hostility. "The eye, you know about his eye. He'd never tell anyone of that unless you're very close to him."
"I suppose you could call it that.," Raven mused darkly aloud to herself. "The fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter how I know about this." She pointed her finger to her right eye. "What I'm here for is a little help."
Adeline's eyes narrowed. "What kind of help?"
The cigarette fell from her lips, and Raven caught the stub with her free hand. It was brought to her side, dropped, where she promptly ground her toe into it. Off handedly she stated to the other, "I have no desire to see your house light up in careless flames."
"Glad to know you care.," a snide comment back.
"As for your help, I've noticed we share similar goals." Raven lectured.
"Like not setting my place on fire? I hardly see that as a common goal, Roth." Adeline jerked at that moment, a vain attempt at testing the bonds that held her tight.
Raven simply countered this by tightening her hand, thus squeezing Adeline slightly. The older woman grunted in response. Then she glared at Raven.
"Shall I enlighten for you then?" Raven paused as if Adeline's response would affect her actions or not. When the woman didn't say a word, she continued. "You are tracking Slade down in hopes to either kill him or have him locked up. You want justice. You want revenge. You want to protect your family."
Adeline's face grew harder as it was an easily seen truth. The girl clearly had done her research on Slade if she knew enough about his former wife.
Raven passed, oddly enough, in a fashion that Slade had done to her when he had initially tried to rape her mind. On some sub conscious level she must have been aware at how she had switched positions, at how much she was acting like Slade then. Those thoughts never surfaced towards her current mind frame. If they had, she might have broken off whatever insanity she was pulling.
"I also want justice. I also have bitter retribution towards him. I have a family I want to protect. And I am also tracking him."
Adeline's thick brows narrowed in realization. Coldly stated as fact, "And I'm bait."
"Quite." Raven stopped, body fully facing the other. "He still cares for you, so you are the only option. Unless you would rather locate him for me so that I may be on my way?"
"Give my quarry up willingly to you? I'd rather be bait.," Adeline spat at her.
Raven's faced remained stoically indifferent. "I don't think you understand the severity of this issue."
Adeline laughed. "Severity? Roth, you invade my property, demanding Slade of me, and expect me to move mountains for you? You super humans are all alike."
"There's just one thing," Raven seethed, her eyes glowing white once more, "I'm not human."
Her wrist flickered, and her arm propelled Adeline with force towards the ceiling. The older woman coughed out as the air was knocked from her lungs. Raven only allowed her enough time to drag in another breath before she flung both arms downward, throwing her down into the floor. The dark energy around Adeline's body dissipated. Her body stayed in place, the woman sputtering and sucking in air.
Raven approached her, her blank face now somewhat bitter and cold. The roles between her and Adeline were now switched, as she stood over the other. The half demon raised her hand, preparing to knock her out, when she detected the hint of another presence in the room. Instantly Adeline was forgotten as she spun around, arms lashing out in waves of black.
It wasn't enough, her eyes made contact with her opponent, and instantly he was gone before her energy could strike him. He had simply vanished, and it had happened so fast it seemed as if he was never there at all. Just a figment of her over active imagination. Then she felt his touch.
It was on her body at first, just an initial contact that stated 'Yes I'm there'. Then that touch permeated through her clothes and her skin, it was inside her, and flowing through her. She realized then that this antagonist didn't simply evaporate; he was moving into her body.
The first thoughts to assault her mind included the insecurities she'd always had, but managed to grow since her birthday. This individual was literally invading her body, was likely to see her mind, and possibly far worse. Raven panicked, caught up in the horrors of the violation.
Her body grew numb from the sensation, yet she could still feel. It was a sensation that was distant at best, and it didn't hinder her empathy. Feeling wasn't an issue, but her movements were becoming difficult. Raven fought with the unseen weights that almost seemed strapped to her limbs. Resistance training in the worse possible way, trying to do the opposite of what her body was doing.
Teeth grit down in bulk opposition. The best she could compare it to be was trying to arm wrestle Cyborg. You just couldn't budge his presence. The fact he was taking control of her movements wasn't the startling part. He was inside her fully. Not just in body, he was in her head now, and she could hear his thoughts.
Stay away from my mother.
That was it! She wanted him out. NOW! Physically fighting would not do it. Raven needed something else. Never a second thought, Raven beckoned the charters to surface on her skin. Instantly she felt the presence of a source of power that forever seemed locked away from sight. She was Trigon's daughter, damn it! No one could touch her!
"Get. Out. OF. ME!," Raven yelled, eyes white, crimson markings burning brightly. The air about blasted out from around her like something had exploded. Raven shouted more so out of the sheer aggression she was using to push back her offender.
Suddenly she was thrown back, her legs skidding until she stood standing, coming to a halt. Opposite her the same distance away from where she last stood was a blonde boy, lying on the ground, panting like mad. His green eyes were half lidded.
Raven swallowed, catching her own breath. Tapping into her demonic heritage worked wonderfully, but even she knew that it would hold some side affects. She'd just accepted a little more of what she truly was. The bridge between herself and Trigon was growing steadily. She had managed to avoid the shock of violation and prevented any unnecessary lapses into Trigon's whim, but now she was closer to her father. Not a win-win situation.
Not wasting the opportunity for the teen to collect himself, Raven charged forward. Her powers surrounded the boy and she flung him into the wall in the same manor she had Adeline. Suddenly another piercing wound ruptured through her leg, squirting fresh crimson to the marble floor. Raven's stance faltered, and as she fell into a roll, the boy went flying towards the opposite wall momentarily loose from her grip.
Coming out of the roll, Raven's body flung up into a levitative stance. The charter marks flared as brightly as the blood seeping from her leg, and Raven thrust her hands forwards to clutch hold of both Adeline and her son once more. Her right wrist flinched and the boy went sailing across the other end of the room, leaving her to crush the gun Adeline welded into useless scraps.
The gun was roughly discarded, her powers seeking out the boy again. Much to her dismay he was now on his feet, rushing at her for once. Raven swung around and released Adeline from her grasp, pivoting the woman into his nearing form. They collided and flew backwards. Her lavender eyes darted left and right, searching for projectiles. Pale lips curved into a deviant smile as she chose two sets of armor.
Those too were plummeted at the two as they made their way to stand. The weight of both suits forced them to drop like flies. Raven waited, judging if they were out for the count.
Mother and son locked eyes, and within a second's span, the boy had dissipated into Adeline's body. The extra space allowed the now body controlled middle aged woman to slide out of the pile. The boy, using his mother's knowledge and physical skills, didn't waste the time to charge towards a surprised Raven.
Adeline shot a rough punch geared towards the empath's face. Slade's imprisoned instincts kicked in, and unnaturally Raven flinched away from the blow, ducking low to add in a ruthless blow to her stomach. Adeline faltered back, but was fast in recovery as she grabbed Raven's wrist and flung her over her shoulder.
Raven landed hard and bounced once, and back up in the air once more. Teeth clenched, eyes furiously white, she caught grip of an overhead chandelier and in a wave of black, cut its support chain. The cords sparked dangerously as they snapped, and careened downward to Adeline's form.
The former military captain dived forward in roll, just barely missing the initial startling crash of metal and glass. Unfortunately, the shattering of glass flew in a radius centering the chandelier, and Adeline was unable to protect herself from the shards biting down into her back. Only a growl was given in frustration as she stumbled, half hopped to her feet. Adeline began racing towards a side table, its purpose mostly decorative, but in its drawers was an extra pistol.
Raven realized this quickly, blackness surrounded the desk, thrusting it away, and then swinging it into Adeline. There was a nasty crash of splintered wood as the desk landed, and Adeline, though bruised and bleeding, came back to her feet.
Another shot sounded from behind her, and once more Raven felt the instinctual presence of Slade draw back with gifted speed. The bullet exploded past her, grazing her right ear and biting into and out of the zygomatic bone, the force of the bullet knocking her back to the ground. Blood ruptured from her face, and without thought Raven bolted around and pushing her powers out in a wave of rage. Black assaulted and collided with another blond boy, flinging him up against the wall with a sickening thwack. The boy fell down, his gun clattering, unconscious. That shot was clearly meant to kill her.
Adeline was on her in a heart beat, and Raven soon found herself hand to hand, struggling physically in a push of strength. Under normal conditions Raven would've easily lost, but the inscriptions flared more valiantly than ever. Raven did not come here to lose, her friends depended on it.
"I don't see what you could possibly gain be seeking Slade. You wouldn't last three seconds against him," Adeline's face was scrunched in a fury of determination. Her voice was free to work as her son controlled her body.
"You would think that, wouldn't you," Raven sneered back, an even more affective look now that her bodily fluids were leaking from her face. "I beg to differ."
"You're pretty good.," Adeline snapped, "And I don't say that about anyone, Roth."
"I've fought better.," Raven grinned maliciously.
"Why you--!" Adeline pushed forward.
Raven countered this blow with a hard kick to Adeline's shins, the earlier bullet wound seeming to not affect her fighting at all now. Adeline crumbled beneath Raven, but her hands refused to let go of her, and managed to pull the demon down with her. Adeline's hands quickly found a place around Raven's neck and squeezed tight. A gag followed, before her body became inky obsidian and melted into the shadow of herself and into the floor. A moment later she shot out of the shadow of a neighboring flower pot, her powers making fast work in grasping Adeline once more.
Just like the other boy, Raven swung the woman hard against a wall. Instantly the body of the other boy fell from Adeline's form, unconscious. She groaned out painfully, and Raven held her pinned to the wall once again. The titan approached her, face set hard and bleeding, eyes an ashen blaze.
Adeline coughed before glaring back at her. "I've never met someone to want Slade's hide as badly as I do."
"You're wrong.," Raven corrected darkly. She grasped a thick bushel of Adeline's hair tightly, "I want him more."
Adeline gave a wicked smile, a teasing smile. "I couldn't possibly imagine what he could've done to get a Teen Titan so ruthlessly viscous and determined to see him dead. Did he rape you Roth? Did he rape you like all the others?"
The corner of Raven's lips twitched. "I'm sorry. I don't kiss and tell."
With a gruff shout of effort, Raven slammed the back of Adeline's head against the wall. When she let go, the woman was as unconscious as her sons. Only then did Raven drop her to the ground and observed her handy work. After a moment of awe stunned silence, Raven exhaled a shaky breath, raising a hand to gingerly cup her cheek. What she did was phenomenal…yet, all she could think about was one thing.
Why had it been so easy?
It hadn't taken long for Raven to do the necessary clean up. By clean up, it was meant the separation of certain parties and confining them to separate rooms. Adeline for the most part had seemed primarily unharmed by their fight. Clearly the middle aged woman would retain some bruising, but she was in top physical condition for her age and that helped to deter some of the wounds Raven could've inflicted.
The boy who had placed a well aimed bullet to her head, Grant as Slade's mind notified, was also fairly unharmed. It was likely he would've received a concussion to the back of his head, but otherwise seemed fine.
Joseph, the other boy, seemed perhaps in the worst shape when compared to the other two. There wasn't anything physically wrong with him, so to speak, but he appeared the most fragile and prone of the others to injury. Raven was weary of him. He had forced entry inside of her. Not a rape by any sexual means, but some minor form of it more or less. She would be lying if she didn't agree to feeling violated, but it was something Raven was certain that would fade away with time.
All three had been bound using duck tape, and gagged similarly. Joseph was the first to be placed within a room. There he was also duck tapped to a chair, with the door locked using her powers to create a makeshift key to do the job. Adeline was next and following Grant, all receiving the same procedure. Each room was separated quite a ways, especially in Joseph's case, to avoid any regrouping tactics should any manage to get out.
When she was certain that part of her job was secure and finished, she took the time to examine the wounds she'd received from the skirmish. Minimal bruising, but they were nothing to the shot taken at her head and leg. Both were shots that grazed the skin; however, this didn't deter the fact they were wounds that needed tending. Raven spared only enough of her power to heal both afflicted areas to closed scabs. If she were to take down Slade, she needed all her strength.
It was at that time Raven began to hunt through the private home, with Slade presently reasserting precedent in her mind. His mind had come in handy during the prior fight, and Raven had no bars against tapping into his knowledge in order to locate what might have been a sort of hidden headquarters. A base of operations that Raven was hopeful Adeline used in her ambitions to track down Slade. It was more convenient to find this base and use it to find Slade without further argument from the woman, then Raven intended to leave after a little memory alteration on behalf of all three hostages above.
It would mean more mental rape on her part, but Raven wasn't below this now. She accepted her similarities to both Slade and her father. She may not have liked this truth, but it was a truth none the less. And if Raven could use it to her advantage, then she would just have to ignore the immediate consequences pertaining to these traits.
Slade's memories dictated a behavioral pattern of Adeline, one that Raven could have read similar to a map. The ways she acted, her organizational habits, the proper place of things, all of it held information capable of telling Raven just where exactly this secret room was harbored.
The search took time; an endeavor Raven was characteristically thorough and patient with. Those traits that she managed to locate a passageway hidden behind the bulk of a china cabinet. Never one for subtleties, she simple moved the massive cabinet up and towards the other side of the room. It was then as the passage doorway slide open that Raven peered in and bluntly stated, "Well, it certainly isn't a batcave."
The darkness inside the passage way was welcoming company, the best she'd received since this mission of hers was embarked upon. All of the individuals she had caught rides with were mostly annoying if anything else. Still, it was miracle enough she made it out here without too much hassle. Whenever she knew her emotions to become too much to control, Raven found solace in gently rubbing the warm metal of the set of rings on her fingers.
Yes, rings. Raven still couldn't believe that she was actually wearing jewelry, Azar's jewelry. At the time she decided to put them on it seemed like a good idea, but now in the moment, it just surprised her. Out of all the time she had these remnants of her former mentor, hell, a second mother, perhaps even a grandmother, Raven had never made an effort to wear them. They were too precious, too sacred to her to ever put them in danger by wearing them. There were battles, and the rings were so old that she feared they'd break. It seemed they could hold up better than Raven formerly believed.
Yet, battle wasn't the only thing that caused Raven to usually keep them stashed away. Just the normal curiosity bubbling about the Tower left Raven to hide the things that seemed mostly out of character for her. She had never been seen as one being overly vain, or at least obsessed to the point of Starfire with accessories. Then just Beast Boy alone and his carelessness was more than enough of a reason to keep them out of sight.
So what had made her begin to wear them recently? Her trip to Azarath, point simply. Raven had been so caught inside her own frantic fear of trying to escape her father's nearing hand that she simply forgot about them when she fled for asylum in Azarath. To just do that without another thought bothered her so much that Raven could not abandon them a second time. They were another personal affect she couldn't afford to leave in her room, but too precious to leave lying out in the woods in her back pack.
Her booted feet met the bottom of the long pathway of stairs leading to a room that Raven anticipated to be this base Adeline kept. Much to her delight, and sudden surprise, a low red light flared on as she stepped into the room. Computers lined the wall, each running and whirring in manors that indicated several fans running to keep each individual PC tower cool.
Raven's brows furrowed in investigation. A lot of juice was clearly running into these things with the sounds of the fans that were going and by the amount of computers that were set up. Sternly she approached the nearest and began to analyze the layout, swiftly discovering the features and options of the screen. It wasn't entirely unlike the one system Cyborg had installed, and she began to make headway without much pause.
The first thing she uncovered was the most recent files they had of Slade. This was specifically in relation to the neighborhood Slade had recently torched down. There were news feed, paper feed, but none of it went in any more depth to the events taken inside the library, just that it miraculously survived.
The next most recent file pertained to her birthday. Camera feed showed a bit of their warehouse fight, up until her powers had stopped time. Apparently they had also stopped the cameras as well. Another clip picked back up focusing on the watch tower that Slade informally dumped her from.
Raven didn't let it faze her, but she did contemplate on this. Adeline certainly had quite a lot of tech out there in order to hunt Slade down, perhaps enough to be arrested for invasion of privacy if possible. Then again, Raven was almost positive Robin had similar cameras established around the city as well for the exact same purpose. It was even possible that Adeline was being paid by the government for such a task.
She forced these thoughts from her mind. The US government was still unique and different from the one established in Azarath that Raven was still learning to the extent all the laws and rights citizens had. She didn't even want to get into the possibilities of secret service and military perks.
As the clip of her body fell from the watchtower her finger tapped a key on pure reflex. The clip rewound and her lavender eyes stared crucially at it. The red inscriptions faded from her skin, and Slade let her go. Her finger twitched again and it rewound, playing once more. His gloved hands gently pulled out of the lower portion of her torn leotard, while his other hand removed from a half exposed breast. Again, it was rewound. His eyes stared smugly at her unconscious form.
Raven scowled and exited the files, this time bringing up a search feature. She typed a command to search out the slave of her father. It began to run, apparently by pivoting between established cameras and checking for body signatures. Satisfied with this, Raven continued in her investigation. What powered all this?
Her feet took her down to the end of the room, following the wall of computers. Critically her gaze stared coldly about her before her eyes landed on a door set off to the side. She took no time in wasting opening the door and stepping inside. Unlike the previous room, this one didn't light up automatically. Instead, Raven ignored this entirely, sensing out the room's contents. It was a storage shed.
Curiously, Raven pried open the first box beside her, and what she found was rather surprising.
"Xinothium," her voice murmured, "No wonder she can run all this without looking suspicious…"
"Hmm, I could really go for a piece of black bird pie right now."
Raven's body shot up and was turned around in an instant. There Grant stood, his face all smug smiles, leaning inside the doorway. "Hey lovely, you come here often? Can I buy you a drink?"
Raven's face scowled, "How did you get out?"
"I'm just truly gifted." Grant chuckled in response. He stood from the doorway and casually took a step inside the room. "I have a knack for getting out of my play pen."
Raven's fists lit into glowing black spheres, but Grant merely walked past her and replaced the cover on the box she had opened. He turned his head and grinned ever so slightly through his chin length, golden locks. "You want to come up to my play pen? I've got plenty of toys."
"You want to play, huh," Raven countered. She was ready, she could take him down. Not a problem. He was nothing of a threat without a gun, and even with, Raven was more than confident Slade's reflexes would kick in to save her.
Grant stood with coy expression still to his face. "You know, of all the Titans to crash my place, why couldn't it have been the red head?"
Raven glowered at him. "I'm going to state this once. Either you shut up and help me locate your father willingly, then let me tie you back up, or we can do this as painful as possible."
His face perked. "If I'm given a choice, then by all means, I choose the latter. I like a challenge."
"I don't think you understand who exactly you are willing to fight with." Raven stated. By now she had moved in front of the storage room's door. Her frame, although small, still blocked a fair share of it.
"Hmm, enlighten me.," he teased.
"I could quite easily cleave the soul from your flesh and send it to an unpleasant circle of the abyss."
"Let's make that a date. Name a time and I'll tell you if I'm open." He seemed serious.
Raven's lips tugged just slightly in a knowing smirk. "When hell comes to earth." Azar knew how close that day was upon them.
"Sounds hot.," he mused, before adding "Forget red. I think purple's my new favorite color." He crossed his arms. "You still didn't answer my question…although you don't really need to. Those clips of Slade show you're his bitch clear enough."
Anger and reflex mixed to shoot out a hand encased with black energy, allowing a small blast of darkness to fly towards him. Grant easily dodged and the projectile struck another box of what might have been Xinothium. A sudden, large, brilliant and blinding red blast followed. Yes, that had definitely been Xinothium.
Grant and Raven both were flung from the room as a result of the blast. He collided painfully into her, and Raven skidded slightly as a result of his propelling body. Instantly she detected the connection his mouth made with hers. Repulsion filled her, and Raven brought a hand up to plant into the side of his face. Grant caught it, however, breaking the kiss to look at her and her furious eyes.
He smiled victoriously, before licking the scab of a wound that remained of the shot he had fired towards her head. "If I didn't know better, you fired at me because it's true."
Raven's eyes flared white as she mentally grasped a chair and flung it clear into Grant, knocking him off of her. Not relenting in the attack she snatched him up in a wave of black and threw him across the room.
Flying.
Flying.
Falling.
Crashing the computer running her search.
And shutting off every computer.
Raven cursed silently as Grant released a pained groan before his body remained still and unmoving. Luck had been with her during their first fight, but it had clearly left. Once more Raven mentally cursed. She needed that to find Slade, damn it. Of all the things she could throw him into, why had it been the computers?
A pause. Silence. Raven exhaled, calming herself. Her fingers rubbing the rings tenderly. She would buy for an alternative. Joseph. Surely if he was so enthralled with protecting his mother, he would similarly be involved with her hobbies. If Adeline would not willing reveal the information she needed, than Joseph might.
The empath sighed heavily, wiping the residue of saliva from her cheek. It was going to be a long night.
Joseph. Joseph was an oddity that Raven didn't anticipate encountering. A literal curve ball. Of course she knew of Joseph. Slade's memories had indicated that he hadn't truly seen him since the accident landing him in a hospital, which consequentially led to the removal of his eye. Slade hadn't known of Joseph's abilities, and if Raven had that information, she might have reconsidered going through with her plans just to avoid it all.
No doubt what Joseph did to her was somewhat physical. If there was magic involved, she would've been able to detect a cast spell. Their eyes had met, and it had been set into motion. Logically, Joseph must have had this ability all his life if he hadn't learned it through magic. Knowing all of Slade's seemingly impossible feats of athleticism were caused by a resistant cure to the truth serum, than perhaps the youngest of Slade's sons received it through heredity. And it worked through eye contact.
Raven's frown was ever present as these thoughts flitted through her head. Seeing Joseph was the last thing she wanted to do, but Grant had left her no choice. As the china cabinet lowered back in front of the secret room's door, she fumed, "Try and get out of that."
It was extra precaution. Grant, although human with no abilities, was still a wild card. He'd managed to get out of his room on his own. And checking on an emotional level, the others were still where she left them. Why Grant would do something stupid like searching her out was beyond her, nor did Raven care. All of it only proved he was quite the escape artist, a distraction Raven didn't want to occur again.
So Grant had been tied up using piping stored inside the Xinothium room, then locked inside said room, which now was all blocked off by the china cabinet.
Raven glared emptily at the structure before using her dark powers to line up the room's other furniture before it.
Now she was satisfied. She turned outward from the room and began in her journey towards Joseph, and again her mind wandered.
True, what Joseph had done was physical, but he had also found a way into her mind. Not being able to control her body was bothersome in its own right, but that, that was what frightened her about Joseph.
Raven was scared. She knew that, but would never admit it to anyone. She didn't do fear. However having someone else in her mind… There had been no pushing or wedging inside like Slade had attempted on her. There was no resisting because there wasn't any fighting. After he was inside her body, her mind was just open to him. Subconsciously she brought up her arms and held herself as she walked.
So why hadn't she lost it? Why hadn't the world gone up in some calamitous day of reckoning? Joseph had achieved something that Slade could not with relative ease. He had entered her mind, but yet here she was, still herself, as much of herself that was possible. It was because he avoided access to my memories, there wasn't any transferring. That's why I'm still here.
Her legs stopped. She was now in front of the room she placed Joseph. Raven exhaled a long and soft sigh. Her fingers began to rub the Rings of Azar on her fingers. A moment later, the cool blank exterior that was Raven remerged, and she entered with indifferent confidence.
A blindfolded Joseph flinched in the chair he was tied to through the sound of the opening door. Raven watched a moment expressionless as he twisted his head back and forth, desperate to take something in. Knowing that she was safe as long as he couldn't touch eyes with her, Raven stepped further into the room. Her gloved hand rose out to summon a chair, but paused, then abandoned the order. She was more in control standing.
Then there was silence, a collective pause between both parties. Raven noted that if Joseph wasn't all ready spouting insults or demands of her, than he wasn't going to start. That left her to open up the conversation between them. Again, she reminded herself that this conversation with Joseph was to find Slade's whereabouts. If he couldn't give that up, she had to use Adeline. The best way to obtain this was to coax it from him, or at least she hoped.
With that in mind, she finally issued an apology. "I regret having to use the tactics I had this evening, Joseph, but there's too much at risk if I hadn't. Don't think of all the Teen Titans being responsible for my actions, for they are solely my own."
The boy remained silent, his lips pulled down into a frown, his head lowered away from hers as if he could avoid her entirely by doing so.
Raven folded her arms as she continued. Her voice came out with a serious tone. "I need to know Slade's whereabouts. I don't want to use force."
I don't know where Slade is.
Raven stared at him a reflective moment. His mouth hadn't moved. The dark titan wasn't slow about putting two and two together. Raven was empathic; she could easily detect the slight bitterness inside him. But her telepathic skills were not nearly as strong. Unless her abilities to catch stray thoughts were growing stronger due to the nearing date of the prophecy, then the boy certainly thought loudly, or was a telepath as well.
Just to be certain, Raven's fingers wrapped around his chin and pulled his face up towards hers. "Then who does?"
Joseph promptly flinched out of her grasp as a sharp intake of startled air filled his lungs. Y-you can here me? Then, almost pleadingly. Untie me.
Her lavender brows furrowed. "You're telepathic?"
Untie me!
"Are you telepathic," Raven reiterated with a terseness in her voice.
The blonde paused, silently thinking of his response. It was clear she would not abide by his order.
No. He darkly answered. Not to my knowledge.
It still didn't explain why he didn't simply answer her. A few stray seconds followed as the truth dawned on her.
"No, you're mute.," she stated after a moment. With his hands tied, there was no way for him to physically answer her. "You just think very loudly."
Another frown from Joseph, his blindfold holding the fact he was glaring. Why in God's name would you want my father?
"If you were near by when I spoke with Addie, you'd know."
You sound so familiar with her. He sounded thoughtful, almost accusatory.
This didn't surprise Raven any. She hardly ever called others by nicknames. It was informal, and it also implied she actually cared and considered others friends. The reason she kept referring to the woman as Addie was easily written off as an affect of Slade's mental rape. Slade instinctively knew more about the military woman, her buttons and how to push them, so it was only natural that personality inserted itself when it did. It was purely reflexive, and Raven couldn't really control it.
Instead of commenting towards that, Raven restated the question he earlier ignored. "Who knows where Slade is?"
And he promptly ignored it again. You attacked my mother.
"She attacked me first.," Raven said indignantly, humoring her hostage. He might have opened up some information if she indulged him with the idea his mother was safe. "I had no intention of coming here to fight with anybody. My fight is with Slade."
I…I've no desire to fight anybody. I just wanted to help my mother.
The empath resisted the urge to chuckle. If he thought that could issue a warrant to release him, than Joseph was dead wrong. No matter how sincere he was, no matter if Raven could feel the honesty empathically, she couldn't afford it. Now he might not want to, but if Raven really had to use Adeline as bait, she didn't want to go through Joseph again.
However, his honesty did earn him a little more patience with Raven.
"Joseph." He flinched at her knowing his name. "I have to find Slade. There are things he did…things that he'll do that'll end up cataclysmic. I have to find him, if you're hiding anything—"
I told you I don't know where he is. And if what he'll do is any worse than what he has, than why is it just you that's here. Where are the other titans? Don't get me wrong. My father's done a lot of sick stuff. And you're the one lately to be the closest to him. I'm still trying to figure out if you were working for him or not. You should just get out of any situation involving him, save yourself some trouble, and let us handle it. You guys haven't turned Slade in yet, what makes you think just you can?
"And Addie's done better," she scoffed at him. "I commend her for shooting his eye clear out of its socket, but look at how much it did you?"
Calling her Addie, the eye…The empath detected a wave of shock run through him by her statement. His head turned in her direction, his covered eyes distantly staring in awe. Just…just how close to my father are you?
"You could say he's…confided a great deal in me." The words escaped her before she had meant them to. If she were herself, she would've chosen to ignore the question. Another reflex from Slade.
His brows furrowed in confusion. You must be very… intimate with him. He's been on top of you many times.
Raven's hand was around his throat before she realized she'd put it there, again impulsively. "How do you…" She felt the bulging tissue of a scar across his neck. Raven reasserted a firm voice. "How do you know of that?"
All thoughts of the cameras set up all across Jump City had left her mind. It would have only made sense that Joseph had seen through video feed all of the rather suggestive positions the two were in countless times throughout the past weeks. And this was true. Joseph had seen these tapes. Yet, he had also seen from another perspective entirely.
I saw it, in your head. He swallowed in a gulp as Raven's hand suddenly clenched almost violently in increasing pressure around his throat. Just glimpses! Emotions! Subconscious flashbacks—you were scared! It w-was as you put it: you think loudly!
Raven's grip remained tightly coiled around his neck. Joseph's body and muscles were tense and poised and his breath straggling and short. It would seem she kept them there as she weighed the truth behind his statement. She felt it easily enough, but continued to hold him there for the pure pleasure of it.
As the awareness of her cause of action emerged, Raven instantly loosened her hand. It wouldn't be long now if she could so easily choke another with no remorse. Slade was right. The hour was growing near.
Once his breathing was close to a normal pace, his lips quirked into a small smile. It was nothing near as mockingly like Adeline's or Grant's, but a genuine smile. Raven could feel the integrity behind it. She couldn't decide if he was smiling out of still being alive, but it was certain that in it's gentility that he was still mocking her.
Raven scowled at not just him but herself. Her patience was running thin now, and once more she restated her demand of him. "Joseph, this is a world wide crisis, probably bigger. I have to know where he is. Now."
Joseph shook his head once more. No one knows where he is. Don't you get that? Look, he disappeared after the take over he pulled on Jump two years back. We hadn't seen anything on him until about six months ago, when he was with you. Every time we've seen him since it's always been with you. Otherwise it's like he isn't even on Earth. If anything we should be asking you where he is, you're so close to him.
The information was a revelation to hear. It was like he wasn't even on earth because he wasn't on earth. He wasn't even alive, why would he spend his time on the surface when he could remain safely in hell until he was ordered to carry out his duties? Why hadn't this ever crossed her mind?
Raven growled out in aggravation, letting her hand drop from his throat. "All this for nothing!"
Joseph's chair abruptly flipped backwards to the ground, no doubt a result of her emotions. Raven cringed as it hit the floor. Slowly, she exhaled, petting her rings before turning around. The chair was then righted in silence.
She stood rubbing her temples as she tried to calm herself down. No, this wasn't all for nothing. In her rising anger she'd lost sight of the intentions of the interrogation. Remember, she told herself, originally it was assumed she'd have to call him out of hiding anyway. She could still do that with Adeline.
But then, if Adeline was in her control, and if Slade constantly watched Raven's actions, why hadn't he shown up to her rescue? Raven thought he still had some spark of attachment towards the woman. Maybe she was wrong.
That was it. The interrogation was over. She got all she wanted out of Joseph and cared not to be in the same room with him any longer. Her emotions were becoming too great, she needed to clear her thoughts before continuing further. The dark titan turned to leave.
You scarred him.
"What?" Raven droned out in an exasperated tone, turning back to face him.
My mother took out his eye, but you scarred him as well. On his neck…Like my neck.
"Slade left me little choice," she said flatly.
It's still a different scar than mine. There was…there was darkness in it. Joseph paused as if to find the best way to describe it. There is darkness inside you from which you can't escape. I don't know what it is, or why it's there, but I felt it inside you. It made you throttle me.
Raven's spat indifferently. "I don't need you to tell me this."
It's similar to the darkness in my father.
Raven glared, though its effectiveness was lost due to Joseph's blindfold.
Perhaps it's why he has confided in you so much. He believes you can save him.
"I'm no savior.," she spat. "Not to him."
No…no you're not. His thoughts sounded dawning, as if he was realizing something she had not.
You're a wolf in sheep's clothing. You're trick-or-treating as a hero. It's all pretend. You're just like him. The way you treated my mother, how you fought…and the darkness. You're no hero, but maybe…maybe you are his salvation. That's why he's always around you. And maybe he's your savior too.
Raven's eyes narrowed in loathing. The kid barked up a lot of strong statements. She couldn't argue with pretending. Raven wasn't a hero. It was penance. It was to makeup for whatever horrible fate she'd bring upon the earth, something that brought her hope and kept her sane for the most part.
However Joseph's claims of being each other's saviors were purely fanatical. Slade kept hounding her down because of her father and for the sick pleasure of simply doing it. The last thing Raven would do was to save Slade from anything. The bastard deserved what he got, serving her father or not. And there was just no fathoming Slade actually rescuing her from her fate.
"Why is it you think I'd rescue your father?" Raven's tone was bitter. "How can you even make out Slade to do the same?"
Because... His lips smiled that genuine smile again, this time waves of smugness did radiate from him.
He loves you.
Raven's eyes widened, the breath leaving her throat.
And you love him.
AN: Sorry for the month long absence. Work and school, plus I'm still having some troubles in the chapters 12/13/14 area. Just a lot of revisionary work that wouldn't kink out write.
So what do you think of the additions of Grant, Joe, and Addie? Originally Raven was supposed to head after Addie right after the incident that occurred in Terra's cave. Funny how these things turn out, huh? And this chapter was supposed to be much shorter, but with the additions of Grant and Joe, it needed to cross over another chapter entirely. Grant and Joe are indeed Slade's sons in the comics, for those unfamiliar with them. Grant died early in the comics, and I realized when compared to his comic counterpart he seems rather out of character. There's a reason for this that won't be revealed until another 6 or so chapters.
As for Joseph's role, many of you know him as Jericho. This fic will differ universes with the cartoon in relation to season 5. I can't say much more to that. Enjoy peeps.