Kory had never flown in an airplane. To be fair she had never needed to before, but Jason decided it was more practical than her flying them all over the world. They were going to this place called the 'All Caste'….Or maybe they were people. She heard the phrase 'Chamber of All,' but she had no idea what any of it meant. Keeping track of this planet's culture was a bit of a challenge.
She self-consciously adjusted the baseball cap she had borrowed from Roy, tucking any loose strands back inside. Since it wasn't exactly subtle to travel in their hero attire-and since they lacked any advanced cloaking technology-Kory was left to disguise herself the good old-fashioned way: with a hat, sunglasses, and oversized sweater.
Roy leaned over her to poke Jason, who had the window seat. "Shouldn't you have stolen something from the League by now that's better than this?" he quipped, referring to the plane.
Jason waved him off. "I'm working on it."
Kory rolled her eyes affectionately underneath her sunglasses. Why had she agreed to take the seat between them again?
"Just wake me when we get there," Roy grumbled, slouching in his seat.
Kory giggled as his mouth hung open; he had a talent for instantaneous dozing. She had been with Jason and Roy for close to two weeks now, and she was slowly learning little things about each of them. Roy loved fish tacos. Jason had a habit of pacing. Roy couldn't stand the taste of wine. Jason liked to go swimming under the moonlight.
She had also learned other things, more serious things.
Roy had tried to kill himself once. Jason had a complicated relationship with his former mentor. Roy drank himself to help him ease the pain of being a father forced to be separated from his child. Jason had a tendency to lash out at others when he was really the one who was hurt.
They were certainly a complicated group. They had gone on a few smaller missions around the island of St. Martinique, as well as in the same city where she had first stumbled upon Jason. She had heard Roy saying people were beginning to refer to their team as 'the Outlaws' or in some cases, 'Red Hood and the Outlaws.' He had been rather sullen about the latter title.
Jason, of course, was thrilled, although Kory wondered if that had more to do with his hope that the news of their team would eventually reach Dick, rather than the fame of it all.
"May I inquire a bit more about this mission?" Kory asked Jason, noticing he his eyes hadn't left the plane window.
"You let me worry about that," he told her, without so much as flinching.
"Do you not think me capable of such knowledge?" Kory teased.
"I think you look like a boy I beat up at a mechanic shop once," he said, finally turning to her and pointing at her disguise.
Kory giggled. A moment later Jason rose from his seat to check on the status of their flight, making sure to intentionally step on Roy's foot along the way.
"Son of a bitch," Roy muttered angrily, once he had been jerked awake. He reached down to rub his foot tenderly.
Kory's eyes followed Jason until he disappeared to find a flight attendant on the back half of the plan. Once he was no longer visible, she turned to Roy, intent on getting some answers about this 'All Caste.'
When she vocalized her inquiry, Roy let out a low whistle. "That's a complicated question."
"Then please, ears I am all of."
Roy grinned a little at her broken English before sobering. "How much do you want to know?"
"Everything, if possible."
"Even if I bring up stuff from your past?"
Kory paused. "Even then."
Roy sighed. "Jason's…always had a rough life. He was a tough kid, grew up on the streets of Gotham City. Batman stumbled across him one day and saw potential. He was going to train him as his apprentice."
"Please, this 'Batman' is the mentor in which Jason has a difficult relationship with?"
"Yup." Roy turned to look at her. "Batman always has an apprentice, or a Robin. When you were with the Titans, Dick had that alias and uniform, but he was starting to grow out of it. He was going to change to Nightwing, and Jason was gonna take over the Robin identity in his place."
Kory nodded, trying to keep up with the aliases the best she could. "And Dick went to Gotham to help with the training of Jason?"
"Yeah. The Titans were getting ready to split anyway. Everyone was growing up, ya know? You guys were called the 'Teen Titans,' but you weren't really teens anymore. By the end of the Titans, Dick was spending more time in Gotham than he was with your team." Roy cleared his throat. "Allegedly this was a big reason why the two of you weren't exactly an item anymore."
"…I see," Kory said, not quite knowing what else to say, given she couldn't even remember such a relationship in the first place.
"Anyways, Dick and Jason were always at odds. Dick likes to play by the rules, Jason likes to break them, etc., etc. Jason really got to resenting the two of them, Dick and Bruce I mean."
For some reason Kory knew exactly whom Roy meant by 'Bruce' even when he forgot to clarify.
"Then, one day," Roy continued, "…something happened. Jason was…killed."
Kory's eyes widened. "He…died?"
Roy grimaced. "Beaten to death with a crowbar by one of Gotham's worst. He was seventeen at the time."
Kory swallowed. "So the All Caste-"
"-Brought him back, Raised him, trained him, helped him grow in the Chamber of All," Roy glanced over his shoulder, checking to make sure Jason was still out of range. "When he came back, a few years after, he was…different. Had all this rage for Batman and Nightwing. Tried to get Batman to kill the man who killed him. Committed a bunch of crimes, attacked Dick. It was a whole mess."
"What happened to change him so? He is not this way now is he?"
"No, thank God. And I don't really know what changed. Maybe it was the All Caste's teachings. Maybe he was just tired of fighting all the time. Whatever it was, he gave up trying to get Batman to kill, gave up on attacking Dick, gave up on killing in general."
"He does not kill?" Kory asked, surprised.
"I mean he hasn't on any of our missions, has he?" Roy pointed out. "At least not intentionally." Roy shifted in his seat. "If you ask me, what he's doing now, this whole 'Outlaws' thing, it's his chance to make up for all his past mistakes."
"I did not realize his life was so wrought with misery," Kory said sympathetically.
"Glad you think so."
Roy and Kory jumped, and then whipped around to find Jason standing in the aisle, his arms crossed, his face expressionless. "Any chance you can move over so I can sit back down?"
Roy hopped up immediately, making some excuse about the bathroom before speed walking out of the vicinity. Kory pressed herself into her seat, unable to look at Jason as he moved past her to sit down. She swallowed, unsure if she should apologize for being so nosy.
"We'll be landing in an hour," Jason said.
Kory squeaked back a reply.
After they had landed, the team donned their usual uniforms before proceeding to follow Jason to the Chamber of All. If he was still peeved about Kory's conversation with Roy on the plane, he didn't show it.
As they journeyed down, down, down, past the winding tunnels and peculiar plant life, Kory took in her surroundings with wonder. The architecture and markings on some of the walls was truly breathtaking.
They entered through one more archway, and then the area opened up to various cliffs with numerous waterfalls filtering down, seemingly into nowhere. Bundles of clouds hung low, combining with the natural mist and colliding gently into the tremendous stone buildings. This place was older, far older than any place Kory had ever been.
"It is most glorious," she told Arsenal, and he nodded, his mouth hanging open.
"It's quiet," Red Hood grunted, looking around. "Way too quiet. Where the hell is everyone?"
Kory placed a hand on Red Hood's shoulder, but he jerked away as he heard a rustling several yards away from them. He moved forward, his gaze focused on the moving branches. Kory and Arsenal shared a look of concern, before bounding after him.
"Ducra?" Is that you, you old bat?" Red Hood called out, taking out a blade and cutting through a bush. He snapped back in surprise as a moldy, crusted, gray hand leapt out at him, wrapping around his wrist. "What the fuck?!" he gasped, kicking out at the undead person in front of him, landing a harsh blow to the creature's chest.
The Outlaws backed up until their backs collided with each other as they watched in half horror, half wonder as dozens of undead warrior monks rose in front of them. Their eyes were soulless, their skin a sickly, pale hue. They seemed to have no awareness of anything around them as they mindlessly trudged toward the trio.
"Yo Jason, you never mentioned your friends were part of the living dead," Arsenal called as he lashed out at one monk who had gone for his left arm.
"You think I know what the fuck's happening?" Red Hood snapped back.
"Perhaps it would be wise to get to higher ground?" Kory suggested, grabbing each man by the arm and lifting him up. She placed them on an overhang, where they could observe the chaos below. Kory let out a screech of alarm as a flood of warrior monk zombies suddenly burst through the cracked concrete of the building next to them.
"I don't know about you, but I'm not really in the mood to join a zombie army," Arsenal said, whipping out his arrows and aiming.
"No," Red Hood snapped, placing his hand on his companion's weapons. "You crazy? This is the fucking All Caste. We need to find Ducra. She'll know what to do."
"I find it hard to believe we will live to see this Ducra," Kory yelled, sending a warning starbolt toward the zombies.
"Someone's fucking turned them. Essence tipped me off about this," Red Hood said tersely. Kory still had no idea who this 'Essence' was, but she didn't think such information would help them now.
"Or she set you up," Arsenal snapped back, as the team backed against a stonewall, trapped like rats. "Jason, this isn't them anymore. We can't let them live…er, be dead like this. It's fucking them or us, Dude."
Red Hood smacked his fist against the wall before pulling out his signature guns. "Fuck it." He began firing his weapons, the bullets cutting through some of the zombies' skin like clay.
Kory took this as her cue. Flying upwards into the air, she spun around, using her eyes beams and starbolts to burn dozens of the undead around her. As she took out their attackers, she made sure to keep an eye on her two male counterparts in case they needed aid.
She noticed Red Hood was more violent and angry in his attacks than usual, and her heart ached for him. If what Roy had told her was true, then these creatures in front of her were once Jason's family, and now they were destroying them.
Her head jerked down as she heard Arsenal's cry and she swooped to his rescue, using her strength to barrel into a horde of zombies, sending them over the side of the cliff. She flew back to join her teammates and realized they were hopelessly outnumbered.
"There are too many!" she cried, throwing her starbolts desperately.
"Fuck!" Jason yelled as he narrowly avoided a zombie's jaws. "Well we can't just fucking leave them like this!"
"We don't have to," Arsenal screamed back, continuing to fire arrow after arrow. "I've got enough ammo to blow this cliff sky high."
Kory turned as Red Hood swore. "Shit, fine. Let's do that. But if you take out more than this cliff I'll fucking maim you."
"Noted." Arsenal pulled out a flaming arrow and stuck it in the ground. He lifted his arm toward Kory and she instantly pulled him away from the ticking time bomb of a weapon. Grabbing Red Hood after he fired his weapons several more times; she bolted into the air, turning Arsenal so he could deliver the final blow. He took aim and launched another flaming arrow at the one implanted in the ground, and the entire cliff was immediately engulfed in fiery reds and oranges.
Kory could feel the burning heat of the blaze right behind them, so she turned expertly in order to save her teammates from being burned to a crisp. She flew out of the tunnel and up, up, up, until they broke the surface, the world behind them seemingly lost forever.
Once she was sure they would be safe from harm, Kory placed her teammates on the ground. Red Hood immediately moved away, angrily kicking at some rocks on the ground. "I don't fucking believe this. I thought Essence was bullshitting. Someone fucking turned them, I know it."
"We'll find who it was, Dude. We'll figure it out," Arsenal said unsurely, although Kory could tell his attempts to calm his companion were feeble at best.
Kory flew in front of Red Hood, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Jason, simply becoming angry will solve nothing. It is what you do with that righteous fury that will make the difference. We shall smite your enemies, but only if you are committed to such annihilation. Do not let the rage consume you; let it fuel you to tear apart those who have wronged you."
Red Hood snorted, but it wasn't filled with his usual contempt. "You sound like my kinda girl, Kory."
Kory smiled.
~0~0~0~
That night, after they had returned to their base, Jason retreated into his room. Normally Kory would have encouraged him to talk or go night swimming, but she sensed he needed the night for himself. She instead walked alone on the beach, staring up at the moon.
She thought about Galfore, and about Tamaran. She wished there was a way she could easily contact him, but she wasn't sure Galfore would have wanted her to anyway. He had seemed so adamant about her mission to observe this strange planet, a planet that she now knew she had visited before and perhaps even had a real life here. Perhaps her caretaker had known that all along.
She shook her head. Her K'Norfka had played her. Maybe she would fiddle with her Titans' communicator later and see if she could get a signal to Tamaran.
Looking up at the stars, she also thought about Karras. Being away from Tamaran had surprisingly reduced the pain she felt over his death, but the thought of him never being able to see his family again still caused her to choke up. She hoped that wherever he was in the afterlife, he was happy.
As she started back on the walk home, she was unaware of the putrid yellow eyes that continued to watch her from a distance.
Later, as she prepared herself for bed, she jolted when she heard a crash come from the room over. Flying into Roy's room she discovered he had fallen out of bed, empty bottles of alcohol strewn about.
His hair was a mess and his eyes were bloodshot. In one hand he fisted a piece of paper, holding it so tightly that Kory was surprised it was still in one piece. Her eyes flickered to the discarded envelop on the ground. She couldn't make out the return address, but she was almost positive it was from this Jade woman that Roy was in love with.
"Roy?" she asked tentatively, crouching down beside him. His head swiveled drunkenly to look at her, his eyes glazed over in confusion and sadness.
"Kory, she duzzn't care 'bout me," he slurred. Kory watched him worriedly, realizing this was the most inebriated she had ever seen him.
"Oh Roy, I am sure that is untrue. You must have faith," she said gently, sitting beside him.
"No use. I'ma never gonna see my daughter," he replied miserably. He attempted to take another swig of liquor, but the bottle tumbled out of his hand.
Kory carefully pushed the bottles away from him, moving forward to wipe his damp hair from his face. She frowned when she realized how pale he was.
"You will see her again, Roy. I promise this. We shall look for her after we help Jason avenge the All Caste." Roy shook his head sadly, and Kory sighed. "I will fetch you some water."
She attempted to get up, but Roy placed his hand on her forearm, so she hesitated. He was staring at her intently, scrutinizing her in a way that made her feel unnerved. She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but gasped when he pressed his mouth to hers. She carefully detached herself; briefly noting that his lips moved sloppily, in contrast to Karras' lips, which had been stiff and unfeeling.
As soon as she had moved away, Roy's face overtook an expression of horror. "I'm really sorry, Korrry; I didn't…I don't know what I…Uhhh, shit. Dick's gonna fuckin' kill me. I'm an idiot." He buried his face in his hands, and his shoulders began to shake.
Kory, still dazed at the lip contact, suddenly remembered that on Earth this gesture meant…more to humans. Although she wasn't happy with the sudden gesture and was disappointed she had not even learned any new languages, she could not be upset with Roy after seeing how confused and miserable he was.
"Here, here, Roy," she said, patting him on the back. "Do not cry. I forgive."
Roy sniffed but didn't respond. Kory realized there was nothing more she could say while he was like this. In fact, he may not ever remember he had engaged in lip contact with her the next morning. She decided the best thing she could do was provide him company until he went to sleep.
Using her strength, she lifted him back into his bed, delicately retracting the crumpled letter from his hand and placing it on his bedside table. He passed out quickly after, so she made sure to tuck him in and place a glass of water by his bedside in case he became thirsty in the night. Finally, when she was sure he was out cold, she cleaned up all of the bottles, empty and full and hid them in her room. She swore to herself that this would be the last time she would let him get like this.
As she finally tucked herself into her own bed, she realized with startling clarity that there wasn't much she wouldn't do for these two men she had stumbled upon. It was true she hadn't known them for very long, but she could tell their connections with each other were already starting to run deep. She smiled to herself, realizing Roy and Jason were more than just her teammates now.
They were her friends.
~0~0~0~
Author's Note:
Feel free to correct me if I got some of Jason's origin story wrong after his death. I tried researching the All Caste and found the information in regards to the Outlaws was fairly limited, so I did my best.
Next up: Team bonding, travel, Jason and Kory late night talks, and perhaps a sighting of a former Titan?