Side Effects
Chapter 6
Author's Note: I thought about making this chapter just what happens in the hours before the Darkseid fight to mess with y'all, but I'm only at 18 reviews so I'm gonna include it. I wrote a One-shot called "Season Six, Episode 'One-shot'" about my take on the plot for the first episode of Season 6 (that we will never get). It's not long, so if you like extremely awkward and funny situations involving Cyborg accidently interrupting a BBRae makeout session, go check it out.
Robin's POV—T-Minus 22 Hours until Codename 'D-Meet'
After the war room voted not to execute Darkseid, many of us excused ourselves from the room. I took my leave and began walking, with a pressing need to clear my head. So much had happened really that no one had really gotten a good chance to stop and think things through. It's not every day that you come across someone powerful enough to enslave the world, and the odds that Darkseid would show up right after that? Unbelievable.
Ugh, it just seemed so coincidental, and I don't like those. But I can't put a connection to it. I can't even come close to connecting Raven's ascension to power and Darkseid's resurgence.
I aimlessly walked through the League's Tower, hoping to find some place to clear my head. Really, anywhere quiet would do, but I kinda had a place in mind. I walked around until I found myself on the observation deck. At the very back of the floor, there was a secondary glass viewport that was tactically useless and mainly used for stargazing. I found myself standing there, staring at wherever the port was pointed at, currently the Earth.
"Doesn't make sense, does it?" A voice from my left came. I didn't even need to know the voice to know who it belonged to: this whole situation seemed familiar. Batman stepped forward until I could see him out of the corner of my eye.
"…No. Nothing does anymore. The timing of it all, Slade, the fact that no one else seems put off about this. There are just too many moving pieces and everyone acts like nothing is wrong."
Batman didn't reply immediately. I could tell that he seemed suspicious as well.
"I'd put money that Slade's presence is what most makes you uneasy…" I nodded in reply, and Batman continued. "…And I saw that someone recently viewed Slade's contract, so I know that you know. The Suicide Squad…" he trailed off, waiting for me to pick up.
"…Yea, that. Part of me wonders what the heck everyone was thinking, then the other part of me remembers that he'll be working with Amanda and I take pity on Slade…"
Batman let out a short chuckle. He's never had a half-way decent meeting with Amanda Waller; I don't think anyone has.
"There's too much for any one of us to focus on. That's why I want to speak with you. Too many things are going on for us both to contribute and play detective. I want you to focus more on that second part…see if you can find anything, start checking leads you skipped over, and look at things in a different way. A lot has changed in a short amount of time, so you can't trust everything you thought you knew…"
I took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled it via a long sigh.
"Any ideas where to start?" I asked.
"None whatsoever." He replied as I cringed. "But I trust that you will find something. You've surprised me more than once since you formed your team."
And with that, he walked off, as if I was ready to begin searching.
I wasn't. I'm not. I don't have any ideas, and our conversation has only left me with more to think on.
I decided to keep walking, in the hopes that my head would clear. In truth, I didn't know where I was going. I just aimlessly wondered.
One thing I had noticed about myself is that occasionally a part of my will know something that my mind has yet to latch onto yet. Rather than saying 'hey, idiot, here you go!' I'll find myself in some situation that will trigger a thought, and that will lead me to what I knew all along. Sometimes it's something small, like saying a certain phrase, but sometimes I've found myself staring at a news article that completes the puzzle I had worked on.
And sometimes I would literally find myself where I needed to be. Just like now.
As I was walking, I eventually decided to start over again. I thought back to everything, and tried to find even more discrepancies. I bounced around, usually concerning Slade and his activities, until I realized something: Slade kidnapped Beast Boy, and everyone just assumed that this was Slade auditioning for his current role. I had even thought that, looking back, yet something was bothering me. After Slade took the job, Beast Boy returned as expected…but Beast Boy was trying to cover for Slade. It was a very obvious answer that Slade was putting on a show, but Beast Boy didn't seem to know anything about the offer and said something about a vacation, expecting us to believe that he hired Slade. I'm not sure what's hardest to believe about that statement.
Why would Beast Boy cover for Slade?
Why would Beast Boy try to tell us it was his idea? Was it? Or is he covering for whose idea it really is?
Who would Beast Boy cover for?
If Beast Boy didn't know about the 'audition,' then is he just a pawn that said the wrong thing?
Is Beast Boy being coerced into something? Has he been silently pleading for help, only to be ignored?
After the Beast Incident, I vowed to myself to never accuse my team without damning evidence. I even redefined 'damning evidence' considered I thought that I had more than enough to accuse Beast Boy of assaulting Raven.
Raven…does she factor into this? It does seem as if Raven is someone Beast Boy would cover for, but would he go this far? During her interrogations, Beast Boy didn't almost didn't react at all, and I assumed he was lost in thought like the rest of us. What if he wasn't?
Does Slade have some sort of scheme running? Is he using Darkseid as a cover? What could he have on Beast Boy to earn his trust? Does he have something against Raven too? If he did, he could have used that interrogation time for anything, since Beast Boy and Raven were the only ones who could hear; I made sure of that part myself as a display of trust to my Titans.
I looked up, half-wondering how I haven't managed to trip or run into something. I don't remember even my last two steps!
And wouldn't you know it, I'm standing at door 7-22, more commonly known as the room where Beast Boy is staying. Funny how I ended up here, isn't it?
At our Tower, I observe the 'Privacy and Trust' rules that we all voted on (mainly to stop Garfield from snooping); basically, no one can enter without permission. I stood outside the door listening, and could faintly hear someone talking, though I couldn't make out anything else; I just know that it wasn't Beast Boy. Normally at the Tower, I would knock then manually override the door (because I can't follow all the rules). However, we aren't at our Tower, are we?
And I already know a trick to open any door.
I already hated myself for what I was about to put Beast Boy through, considering last time I was dead wrong with him, but I knew that anything he could give up would help tremendously.
As soon as I got the door open, I practically leaped into the room. Beast Boy jumped out of fright and had a mini spasm.
"GAH! UH, uh, Robin! W-what are you doing here…in my room?" He asked with that sheepish grin his gives when he knows he's been caught.
"Enough games, Beast Boy. I don't like what I've just found out. I'm giving you this last chance to come clean…" I bluffed. Everyone knew that Beast Boy was the easiest to crack, but not everyone considered what his upbringing with Mento meant. While everyone assumed that he was a horrible liar, that wasn't necessarily true. Everyone also assumed he was a horrible leader and was incapable of being serious, yet he led the come-from-behind victory over The Brain's plot. I usually work with the assumption that, when things become dyer enough, Beast Boy is capable of much more than suspected.
"W-w-w-what? I don't…..GAH! Who am I kidding! Your stupid bat-training! I'm surprised you didn't figure it out before me!"
I gave him a stern look that said 'go on' and he groaned.
"Aww, you're actually gonna make me confess!? I feel like I've been caught stealing a cookie…"
I still gave him the look.
"Fine. What do you want me to tell you?"
Now was my chance. Since I didn't actually know the story, he could take a chance at making something up and I wouldn't be able to confirm it. I could, however, give him an idea of what I know, and let him fill in the blanks in a certain area. And I know a perfect area.
"How does Slade fit into all of this? You said that you hired him to kidnap you? Why?"
His posture slumped, at it looked like he knew that what I asked could expose everything.
God, I hope he isn't involved with so much that he feels that he's a part of it.
"Fine. I guess you figured out about us, didn't you?" He asked. Before I could stop myself, I let just a sliver of confusion cross my face. Us? What us?
He picked up on that confusion, and I knew that this had just taken a turn against me.
"You DON'T?! Gosh, I thought you were a detective and all. Like, I'm not even that sneaky about it. I bet even Cyborg could guess!" He exclaimed, seemingly elated that I hadn't apparently figured it out. It was almost as if he seemed overjoyed that he knew something I didn't, and it almost felt like it was something minor.
I hope it is, but he said he wasn't even sneaky? Was he blatantly stooping around, or something?
"OH MAN! YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE! I THINK YOU JUST SLIPPED A GEAR IN YOUR HEAD OR SOMETHING!" Now, he was in hysterics, and he even laughed so hard that he slipped off the bed, and didn't notice.
Every second that he laughed grated on my patience. Now I know what it feels like to be Raven, I guess.
Except for the whole 'demon' stuff.
Just this part seems pretty bad, though; dealing with Beast Boy.
"You've had your fun. Care to enlighten me?" I asked.
He began to come back down to a realistic level, and began wiping tears from his eyes. He had really lost himself in that one.
It crossed my mind that if Raven had laughed that hard, the Tower may have exploded. Or possibly the world. Or maybe nothing, now that everything is supposed to be 'contained.' Just one more thing that I don't know.
"Okay, okay. Fine. You seriously don't know? Raven and I are dating…" he trailed off.
It took me a few seconds to comprehend what he just said.
No, scratch that. I have no clue what he just said.
"Hello, did you hear me? Is it really that shocking that I'm capable of winning Raven over?" He asked idly.
"Yes. It is…but that does explain things. Was this way she accepted Trigon's power? She needed more control for a relationship?"
"Yea, you could say that. Most just say that I'm too overwhelming and she needed back-up." He said with an obvious hint of sarcasm and a dumb grin on his face. He was really enjoying all of this.
That would explain the power surge, and why she deemed it so important to accept what she feared. She must love him; I doubted that anything could have made her do that.
And that would explain the distant look on his face during the interrogations: he was trying to distract himself so he wouldn't have to watch. I can image that would be pretty painful.
That only left one question he could help with.
"Then why have Slade kidnap you? What did that accomplish?"
He nervously (and guiltily) scratched the back of his head, as if he knew he had been caught once again with his hand in the cookie jar.
Actually, the whole thing with Raven isn't a 'hand in the cookie jar' kind of ordeal. That's more like opening Pandora's Box, only to have Pandora's Box then accept Trigon's power.
"Uh, because that's what couples do, right?" He tried to make a joke; it wasn't that funny, but it wasn't as bad as usual.
"No. But you're saying that all of that was to meet up with Raven?"
Makes sense, I guess. She was on the lamb, so the only people she could trust were people that couldn't normally be trusted. But still, Slade?
"Yea. I kinda made up the vacation part…wait, no, that still actually makes sense! It just was Raven's idea, and I couldn't say that so I took the blame for myself…"
"How did she get Slade to help?" I asked quickly.
Beast Boy actually rolled his eyes at me. I'm not sure how I feel about that.
"Of course, that's what got your attention. Not the newest celebrity power couple!" He said with a grin, enjoying a jab at me and a compliment to himself. I'm sure he thought it was clever, but my mind stuck on how it literally would be a 'power' couple now. "Apparently, there's this thing called the internet. She put a kidnapping hit out on me, and Slade was the only one to reply. Most people don't want to invade the Justice League's own Tower…"
I stopped listening to him, and slowly the pieces started to mold in my mind. Of course he wouldn't become invested in any plot. This actually helps a lot, since this means that Raven truly doesn't have any intention of coinciding her 'upgrades' with Darkseid. Now, I just need to focus on Slade. From what Beast Boy just told me, it sounds like his does have his own agenda. Go figure…
"That puts my mind at ease. A little, but it helps. Heard anything about what Slade's intentions are?" I asked, now looking for an excuse to leave. I feel silly for again suspecting Garfield, and I don't want him to bring that up at all. There's no telling if that has even crossed his mind, by Cyborg and Starfire are going to have a field day with this.
Raven would too if she weren't preoccupied.
"Nah. I think he's just saving that Squad stuff for a rainy day…"
"That's what I'm afraid of. Thanks for the honesty, Garfield. I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." I said none-too-quickly as I walked out.
Once I was in the hallway, I let out a sigh of relief. That talk really smoothed things over, and I already feel much better about everything.
At least my team isn't involved. It surprised me how much that comforted me.
POV BREAK (BEAST BOY'S POV)
Robin walked out, and once he left I flopped back on my bed and gave a huge sigh of relief.
Man, was that ever close. I mentally made a note to thank Mento for teaching me how to lie and to thank Raven for letting me practice lying (not that it ever worked, but if I practiced on Raven, who could be any harder?).
At least he accepted my story. I don't know what would have happened if he had figured out that Slade's entire involvement with the League was Raven's idea…
POV BREAK (RAVEN'S POV)
One hour until the meet. That's all the time left, and everything has finally fallen into place. The last twenty or so hours have been extremely eventful, and things went from a minor tweak in the plan to major revisions for the near future.
It all started when I went snooping. All I needed were a few personnel files, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to see the Justice League's deepest secrets. Batman had always insisted that personnel files be stored away with the highest security, so once I got was I needed I was literally standing in a gold mine of secrets. It would almost be wrong not to open them.
I kept an open mind about everything, or at least I tried; this is the Justice League, so they have to possess some dark secrets. I had decided to let most anything slide, and check to satiate my curiosity, when I found a file that changed everything. By the time I finished it, I had already firmly decided that the Justice League could not be trusted, and that I needed to handle Darkseid without their help. With the press support they could get from winning a battle against Darkseid, they could easily spin the contents of this file in a favorable manner, when they were downright an overstep of power.
With the precious hours I had left, I knew I would need more than the few contacts I had gathered, and so I went back to Garfield. The takedown of the Brotherhood of Evil had made him a popular figure among all extended Titans, and he earned some very deep respect from many people. The type of respect that would have them choose Garfield over the entire Justice League.
They would make the type of allies I'm going to start needing.
I visited Beast Boy once again, and learned that Robin had stopped by and found out about our relationship. From what I can tell, Garfield did a good job of throwing Robin off of our scent; not that I'm worried about Robin…I trust that he would take our side, but I would like to avoid dragging him into this unless absolutely necessary.
When I told Beast Boy about what I had found, he was just as shocked as I was. While he seemed skeptical of my new plan, he agreed with it in the end. Nevermind the…methods…required to convince him. Let's just say that we were about of breathe afterwards, and that didn't have anything to do with talking…
So from that point until now, we've been contacting everyone I thought would be open to our idea, and then making visits to those who would hear me out. I had to be selective, since a lot of honorary Titans are already eyeing a career with the League and might sell me out given my fugitive status, but there were some that I knew I could trust. Jinx, and threw her Kid Flash, were already on board, and Beast Boy had already convinced Pantha and The Herald. He was still trying to get a hold of Jericho, but he wouldn't be as helpful until after we took out Darkseid.
Eventually, Garfield insisted that I go back to my cell and get some sleep, considering I was having an 'Ultra-heavy weight title fight' with Darkseid tomorrow. I eventually agreed, but not before asking him what he meant by calling me an 'ultra-heavy weight.' That was a little mean of me, but oh so fun.
When I woke up thirty minutes ago, I went and gathered everyone up and had them wait in an extra dimension (Garfield included). After making seven extra trips back and forth just to get everyone a snack and a chair, we had everyone assembled and standing by. We went over the tactics for the battle until I was sure that everyone was ready.
All in all, we had a pretty good squad. The Herald and Pantha had shown up as promised, and Argent even decided to join. Aqualad had wanted to, but was expected to meet with Aquaman and discuss defense strategies for Atlantis should Darkseid make it to the surface; Bumblebee was more than willing to take his place, and I was glad to have her long range capabilities. I would rather not have melee fighters try to take a shot at Darkseid, but I'm confident that I can keep everyone safe.
And then there was Jinx's crew. A little while back, on a whim, I followed Jinx around for a day and found out that she had been shoplifting small items from stores. When I confronted her about it, she was mortified and said that she missed the thrill of being even 'a little bit evil.' I decided to let her off, assuming she wouldn't do it again, and made a strong ally that day. When Jinx heard my offer, she didn't only join, but reached out and convinced Mammoth and Gizmo to join. Mammoth and Gizmo were considered 'small time' and were released from their frozen containments in favor of a normal cell. When Jinx asked to bring them in, I decided that it would be easy enough, and would bring the extra perk of having contacts from the other side.
That was another strength of our group. Between Gizmo and Mammoth's villain connections and Aqualad and Bumblebee's Titan's East influence, we had the potential to really expand if need be—when need be.
And unfortunately, that when will probably right after the whole Darkseid thing blows over.
SCENE BREAK
Everything had gone off without a hitch. Slade and Beast Boy neutralized Batman and Superman, and we were now in my main realm. Trigon had thousands of dimensions within the reality that he dominated, but this was considered his main one. This is where he made his throne, and where his greatest fighters made their beds. This realm is where Trigon first started, and it is where his power was greatest. It follows that the same would apply to my power, now. I donned my full demonic form, and prepared myself for what came next.
I rose from the ground, revealed my identity (by losing my cape), and gave Darkseid a rather ominous welcome. And just like that, the battle started.
We charged at each, and his fist collided with a black fist of my own magic. I teleported behind him, and gave him a roundhouse to the back of the head that I enhanced with my powers. He was knocked slightly off balance, and stepped forward to plant his foot in the ground, then used the plant to spin around elbow first. Using the height disadvantage I had, I ducked under the attack and returned with an uppercut that sent him reeling backwards.
As he collected himself, I summoned my 'Spirit Armor.' It was something that Garfield envied with every fiber of his being as soon as he saw it. Red, glowing armor that matched my eyes appeared around my body. Spirit Armor is something only angels and demons have, and its abilities are unrivaled. In addition to the Armor, I summoned one of the many weapons that Trigon crafted for me, should I ever accept my heritage. I don't think that his is how he envisioned they would be used, but their power boggles even my mind and they were crafted to meld with my demonic form. The first weapon I decided on was a magical staff, headed by an abnormally large Sapphire.
Now, I held a significant advantage in the fight: I had come here prepared to fight, and moved everything to my own home turf. Darkseid didn't even have a weapon, and had no contingency plan. I decided to press my advantage.
I charged him, letting my mind meld with my staff to see what possibilities could arise. It was as if the staff was a part of my being, and I could summon magic through it as easily as I could through my own hand. I swiped at Darkseid with the staff, and he put his arms up to block the sideways jab. Although I enhanced the impact significantly with my power, Darkseid blocked the blow without wavering. I opened a portal behind Darkseid, and went for a low jab with the staff. Darkseid swatted it into the ground, leaving me exposed, and landed a punched squarely in the center of my chest, sending me flying backwards. I caught myself partway through and slid back the rest of the way, and one of Bumblebee's rays came through the portal and hit Darkseid in the back of the head, utterly distracting him.
I quickly teleported in front of Darkseid without his knowing, and prepared another attack.
I sure wish I had something with a little more blunt force. Before I knew it, magic had encased the head of my staff, forming a massive hammer. Well, that'll work.
I swung at an upwards diagonal angle, and caught Darkseid clean across the side of the head. The impact was jarring even to deal, and Darkseid stumbled backwards dazed. I knew that a being who could go 10 rounds with Superman wouldn't be distracted with a single blow for long, so I quickly went for another strike, this time connecting with the side of his arm. The next two swings both landed across his face, and Darkseid began stumbling backwards blindly.
That was nice, but I could use something a little sharper. As I suspected, my staff shifted its coating into that of a sword. Nice, but not quite iconic. What else you got?...Oh, that's perfect.
My staff changed into a three-pronged trident. The devil's weapon.
How perfect.
I jabbed into Darkseid's waist, then swiped across his face with the butt of the weapon quickly afterwards. Darkseid stumbled back out of range, then steadied himself. I opened two portals behind him, and both Pantha and The Beast simultaneously landed blows on Darkseid's back before disappearing again. I had thought that this would be enough to distract him, but the same trick didn't work twice and he was already upon me. I reacted, but he knocked my weapon away before I was clear of his attack. From there, he made sure to keep me close, and just like that I was having a fistfight with the strongest being known to this reality.
"You think I don't know where I am, or who you are, daughter of Trigon!?" He grunted as he brought his fists down on the ground where I had just been standing. I rolled between his legs and intended to land a blow on his back, but he kicked backwards and I again had to dodge his attacks.
"Then you know that you don't have a chance of success. There's no way you find a way out of here alive!" I shouted back. His scowl increased, and so did the speed of our fight. I was steadily being outpaced, until he had maneuvered me on the ground directly in front of him as he brought his fists down. Until now, I liked to think that I was fighting fair by keeping engagements close and using minimal portals.
But I'd much rather win easily then die fair. As he brought his fists down, I opened a portal between us that opened just above his head. While he thought he was going to embed me into the rock floor, he instead give himself a mighty bash on the head. Simultaneously, I had focused an extreme amount of energy into my hands, and when his blow landed on his own head, I double-palm struck his abdomen, focusing all of that energy into an extremely powerful blast that sent Darkseid flying up and back, and the recoil of which threw me straight into the ground.
I picked myself up off the dirt, and looked ahead to where Darkseid had skidded to a stop, 50 yards away. He struggled up to one knee, and once I saw where my blow had landed I knew why I felt so drained: that one blow contained so much magical power that I blew a round hole as wide as my double-palm move in the lower right part of his stomach where I had struck. For a being as large as Darkseid, this wasn't an immediate fatal blow, but that didn't some serious damage.
I decided it was time, and opened a large portal near Batman and Superman where all of my allies stepped out to watch.
I prepared the spell in my head. What I was preparing to do was something reserved only to demons; it's just part of what makes a demon a demon. I was literally about to rip his soul out, and send it to its own personal corner of Hell.
I'm not even exaggerating in the slightest. It's a spell that has no words, because if it did then some non-demon might learn the spell. I was going to perform an extremely rare version of the spell, one that only two beings had ever pulled off: Trigon, and the Master of all Demons. This spell required a special weapon to help bring it to fruition, and I found it in the deepest corners of Trigon's vaults.
This version of the spell would send the target's soul to one of the last few uninhabited 100 Hell Dimensions. 100 dimensions per reality are set aside as realms of Hell, and in this reality 92 are occupied. Most hold condemned souls, but 10 are reserved for powerful beings. Another 3 hold one being who was too powerful to be put with others. I was about to make that 4. But the special part of this spell, was that I would kill Darkseid's body and absorb all of his power. It wouldn't cause any physical changes, but it would convert his power into magical power that I would then commandeer. That is why I had battled him for so long, and why it would work now that he has a hole bigger than a bowling ball in his chest. With Darkseid severely weakened, now is the perfect time to condemn him to Hell and take his power.
And of course, that means I get to say a pretty cool line. I slowly walked towards Darkseid, and it took until I was 8 yards away before he could finally stand up, though he looked unstable. Understandable. That doesn't look fun. I reached my hand out to the side, as if grabbing something handed to me, and the weapon needed for the spell appeared in it. The weapon literally hummed in my hand, and it invoked the strangest sensation: it felt warm, but also radiated death at the same time. The weapon had its own gloomy sheen to it, and being a magical weapon it would grow or shrink to fit whoever holds it.
The one thing about the weapon that was constant was its form: a scythe with a black rod and a silver-colored blade.
A scythe: the grim reaper's weapon.
THE Scythe: THE GRIM REAPER'S WEAPON. The one from lore, told in stories to scare children. There is only one of these throughout all realities, because its power is too great. The ability to absorb power via killing? This weapon would render a mass-murderer unstoppable.
It already did render a mass-murder unstoppable. How do you think Trigon became the most powerful being in our realities? This scythe that I hold in my hands.
As I walked towards Darkseid, he tried to focus on my weapon. As the realization dawned on him, I took the opportunity to revel in my victory.
"You recognize this, don't you?" I asked in my demonic voice. Darkseid's horror only grew.
"That's…that's not possible. I've looked for that in my quest…it shouldn't exist, not here. How…how long has he had it?"
I shrugged. "Don't know, but it was one Hell of an inheritance. As if all of this wasn't good enough…" I gestured to the world surrounding us.
"So…that's how it's going to be, isn't it? You drew me here for my power. What next, Superman? Or are you planning on becoming a very busy executioner for your perfect world?"
As I approached him, I swooped low with the Scythe and placed deep cuts on the back of his calves. He was already struggling to stay upright, so this caused him to fall on his knees in front of me.
I made sure he looked up at me, and I looked him deep in the eyes. I could feel how bright my four red eyes had grown, and I could see their reflection in Darkseid's own stony eyes.
"Next? You shouldn't worry about next. You leave that to me…you don't have a next.
"Actually, I take that back. Your soul has a next, but you're not going to enjoy that."
I rose the Scythe above my head.
"RAVEN! DON'T! HE'S NOT TO BE KILLED!" Batman had the gall to yell to me.
I lowered my Scythe, and Darkseid spat what I assumed was his equivalent of blood at the ground in front of me.
"HA HA. Go to hell, bitch!"
I had turned to walk away, but spun on a dime upon hearing those words. I brought the Scythe from the ground up, with the blade running straight through his chest and protruding far out his back. The Scythe began to violently glow white, and I could already feel power flowing into me.
"No, you." I told him in a low, dark tone of voice.
In a sudden flash of white, Darkseid's body was evaporated, cutting of a deep yell that had emanated from him during the transfer. The spell was complete, and I felt reinvigorated with Darkseid's power. While' I've never been trapped in a Hell realm, I can only imagine what Darkseid is going through right about now.
I turned around to see a bunch of scared, confused, angry, and astonished faces. And one confused but smug in a 'yea, that's my girlfriend there' green face.
Suddenly, from the very back of the group, I saw Ardent slowly 'cross' herself like a Catholic. I wasn't sure if she was being funny or not.