These Black Eyes Chapter 134: Mortuana part 3, a teen titans fanfic

134. Mortuana part 3

The violins hum.

The flute pauses.

A beat.

The music sinks into a low melody.

The pale man calmly rests his hands behind his back.

He half-bows to the gothic audience.

He says: "To the rescuers......it was a land of hellish nightmares. At first they could not fathom just why things were travailing in the horrific way that they were. The environment was threatening......supernatural......unpredictable. A flux of death was taking place within the blackness, and they were powerless to do anything to stop it. So instead, they relied on the heroism that defined them. They found innocent people hiding from the death. They found them and promised to deliver the innocence back to the land of light. And would they leave themselves?? No. For their task had only started..."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"W-We had heard about the evacuations. We knew that there was some awful villain running around in Main Street. I think he was c-causing so much damage that some of using th-this district were too afraid t-to answer the police department's call to flee the area, much less step outside. And when the darkness fell.....we honestly didn't expect it. I mean...s-some of us thought it was an eclipse. But no eclipse is ever this dark. It's like everything is p-pure and utterly b-black. It's frightening. But that wasn't the worst of it. The monsters came. It's like they were all around us. I was inside the lobby of the hotel when they attacked. God in Heaven....wh-what were those things?? Naked and crawling around with...w-with their heads replaced by tiny, twitching c-c-corpses. I ran the soonest I could. I found other people running with me. Some from across the street. A scant few from the Downtown Library and the stock exchange buildings. As much as I know, we all made it. We took the elevator up here and have felt pretty safe since. Th-That is to say, the monsters seem to be lying close to the ground level. It's as if they're afraid of being anywhere above the third floor or something. Anyhow....a few people---real people have been joining us. People who are actually ALIVE and capable of running the elevator. Like you two. They've come here with their shaken nerves and their stories. Stories of snakes made out of living coils of barbed wire. Streets and alleyways that drop off into bottomless pits. Flying winged bat-things that cry with the sound of dying horses or some shit. It's crazy. It's like the end of the world. I haven't been to church in years. God....it's all so crazy. Tell me you guys can do something. There're a lot of people here who could.....use th-the encouragement. Women and children too. We don't know what to do."

"That's enough...," Cyborg patted the man's shoulder. "We're here to help, Mr......--"

"James. Henry James...."

"I assure you that we'll get everyone here out to daylight."

"D-Daylight??" the man hugged his knees. "Y-You mean the Sun still exists?"

"Yeah...," Cyborg smiled. "It exists..."

Henry let out a shuddering sigh.

Cyborg stood up. He took a deep breath. He looked down the hallway.

Bodies sat along the rows of doors with their backs to the walls. Men. Women. Teenagers in a few scant clumps. Mothers with children sobbing in their laps. Old couples. At least fifty or sixty people. Every other cluster of individuals possessed either a flashlight or a lantern or a candle or other mode of illumination. A young boy was busying himself obsessively with a bright, portable t.v. that merely emanated snow and white noise. "Snkkkkkktkkkkktkkkttkkk-kkkktkkktkkkkk........."

Cyborg walked slowly down the hallway—like the dim intestine of a huge glow worm. He came to the far end where I stood 'keeping guard' at a window. I stared out into the blackness and randomly pointed a bright flashlight out as if to check for......something.

Or somethings......

"Hey, man....."

I looked his way. I waved.

He waved back. A beat. "You okay??"

I sighed. I nodded.

Cyborg placed a hand on my shoulder. "Something got to you in that elevator. Did you want to talk about it now?"

I looked at him. I glanced down at myself. I blinked at the black splotches of supernatural blood scattered across the top part of my white jumpsuit.

Cyborg bit his lip.

I looked at him again. With a weak smiled I placed the flashlight down onto the windowsil and hand-signed.

'It was a vision.'

"A.....vision?" his human eye narrowed.

I nodded. A shuddering breath.

'I was a little girl watching my mother have her her throat slit. And then I was killed by my own father.'

Cyborg blinked. "No kidding......"

I ran a nervous hand through my thick hair.

"And this was....right when that demon-lolita-thingy breathed that red stuff into you? In the elevator?"

I nodded.

"All of the....st-stuff we saw down there was pretty messed up...," Cyborg understated as he rubbed his head. "I'm still trying to figure it all out myself. But....maybe it'd be safe to say that the creepy crawly did something to you?"

I blinked my naked eyes and gazed off in thought.

"It probably messed with your neurotransmitters in your brain or something. Gave you something nasty to dream about since it couldn't feed you to those S&M zombies."

I chuckled a bit. A sigh. Then I thought of something.

'I saw a strange plaque as we entered the hotel,' I hand-signed.

"A plaque?"

'It said 'Hannah and Her Dolls'...'

"Yeah....and?"

".........," I hand-signed: 'I heard the girl's name 'Hannah' in my vision.'

"Could have been all part of the hallucination. You saw the plaque, right?"

'Remember the monster girl? She called those naked things her 'dollies'.'

".......," Cyborg scratched his metal chin. "You think....Hannah could have been that girl in the basement too?"

I shrugged.

A beat.

A voice from behind. "Y-You mean Heather Graham?"

The two of us Titans swiveled and look.

"Say what??" Cyborg uttered.

A girl about our ages stood with a candle in her grasp. She blinked. "You mean you don't know??"

"........." Cyborg and I looked at each other. "......." We looked at the teenager.

"Back in nineteen seventy-two, there was a terrible murder in this hotel," the girl said. "My mom is part of the head committee of this place and has been for some time. So the legend runs in my family."

"A legend of a murder?"

"Yeah. Three bodies were found down in the basement of this place one afternoon. The Graham family. Mrs. Graham had her throat cut and her upper torso beaten to a pulp. Mr. Graham had slit his wrists. And their little daughter—Hannah Graham—was found several feet away from the parents in a pool of her own blood. There was a deep knife wound in her neck. Experts say she died a slow death...probably after her father died. Nobody was discovered until nearly twelve hours since the family was last seen before."

My metal fingers flinched. The prosthetic turned to ice. I got the damned chill....and tried to fight it off.

"That's....That's some story...," Cyborg simpered.

"I heard you Titans talking about it. Is there something going on?"

I hand-signed.

Cyborg 'read' what I had to say. He turned and asked the girl: "You said your mother's on the committee, right? Did they ever put up a plaque in Hannah Graham's memory or something?"

"A plaque?"

I hand-signed again.

Cyborg added: "Like...near the entrance of the building. Gold with black etchings."

The girl shook her head. "I come in and out of this place all the time. Heh...I must wear out the revolving doors. Anyways...there's no plaque of any sort. Why'd you ask?"

I scratched my head. I shrugged.

"I suppose even the superpowered people here are a bit confused," Cyborg smiled. "Thanks for telling us about that story."

"Wish I didn't have to...," the girl shuddered. "This day is creepy enough as it is."

"Tell me, Miss..."

"Elisha."

Cyborg rubbed his temple. "If you know this hotel so much.....is there a way to---oh I dunno---get to the street without actually going to the lobby??"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The window to the seventh floor opened.

I dashed out onto the fire escape.

click!

I pointed a flashlight up the metal steps.

A beat.

I pointed down the metal steps.

A beat.

I stood at ease. I motioned towards the window.

Cyborg stepped out and looked around. "Ah yeah.....this is perfect!!" his voice echoed into the soup-thick blackness around us. He glanced up the length of the fire escape. "Only goes up four more floors?"

"Yup," Elisha said as she and Henry perched at the window inside the dimly-lit hallway. "From there you can walk across the rooftop to the top of the office building next to it. It's h-half a story below the top of this building, though...." She bit her lip.

"Nothing we heroes can't handle."

"............."

"Or the rest of you people if we have something to do about it," Cyborg winced.

"Oh."

"Whew."

I smirked.

"How do we plan to do this?" Henry asked. "A caravan of sorts?"

"Sounds good to me. How about you, Noir?"

I hand-signed.

"Right. I'd take point. You'd take the rear. I think one trip should do."

"B-But what of the creatures??" Henry murmured.

Cyborg said: "You told us—even—that they don't seem to hang around in this building above the third floor?"

"T-True...."

"Well, this is gonna avoid them the best, man," Cyborg said. "There's no way I'm going down THAT elevator again. Especially with a bunch of innocent people on our hands. And I'm not letting us stay here for long either. Fifty people capable of saving is too good for Noir and I to pass up....especially when we have a deadline to get back to our point of entry within an hour from now."

"Point of entry???"

"A spot in the dome where people are waiting for us to return....," Cyborg said. "Hopefully with everyone if not all the people we can find."

I hand-signed.

"Yeah...," Cyborg nodded. "The rest of the Titans are stuck in here too. We were the only ones spared from the....uhm....'black bomb'."

Elisha's eyes narrowed. "You mean you aren't with the others?"

"The....others?"

"Robin...Beast Boy...," Elisha spoke. "A few of the people who came here right before you were with a group being led around by those two."

My jaw dropped.

Cyborg leaned towards the window. "You mean....the other Titans are okay??"

"A-At least those two...," Elisha swallowed. "They saved us from the first bunch of monsters we saw near the parking garage. They hid us here in a hurry to go and investigate strange screaming sounds at the Sheldon Apartments. Th-They haven't been back since."

"Well I'll be.......," Cyborg murmured. A beat. "Sheldon Apartments?"

"Yessir."

"Rich place. Hmmm," Cyborg rubbed his chin. "That's north of here....but out of our way."

"Out of your way??" Henry asked. "Aren't you going to go investigate?"

"Noir and I will, most likely," Cyborg nodded. "But first thing's first...."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Okay, people!! Four people at a time! This fire escape can't handle everyone at once!" Cyborg called out from the shrouded rooftop.

Electric torches were held by four citizen volunteers who illuminated the climb up in a chain of light. I stood at the base of the four flights besides the window. I acted as a toll booth operator, allowing the citizens to progress three at a time until a signal was given me to push the next group up. I tried to segment my allowances among couples, family members, and other familiars so as to not unnecessarily divide anyone and cause trouble.

In such fashion the group of fifty-to-sixty City-dwellers rushed up to the rooftop under the ever-descending blackness. When the last group rushed up the stairwell, I acted as caboose. I marched up and tagged every lantern carrier along the way to go ahead of me. Soon all of us were on the rooftop. A rough line was formed and we marched across the top of the hotel.

Cyborg and Elisha reached the edge first. The girl stepped ahead and pointed down. "Um....th-there it is. The office building."

Cyborg glanced over.

A super-tiny alleyway stretched between the office building and the hotel, barely five and a half feet wide. But there was a descent of about six feet from the hotel rooftop to the office rooftop.

"Ah....so it's a bit of a drop."

"S-Sorry....," Elisha bit her lip.

"Hey...it's okay, seriously," Cyborg smiled. "We just need to improvise, is all...." He amplified the brightness of his floodlight. He scanned around. Citizens with lantern light and flashlights assisted the best they could.

A beat.

Cyborg's light fell onto something flat, white, and broad. He smirked. "That'll do. Hey Noir...hop to, chop chop!"

"????" I marched over. With my black eyes I saw the entirety of what Cyborg's light was touching.

A half-constructed builboard on the corner of the hotel rooftop. Planks of wood, printed sheets, and various tools rested behind the metal skeleton of the board.

I walked over with Cyborg pacing behind me.

"Think that sword of yours can slash through the middle supports?" Cyborg asked.

CHIIIING!!!! I pulled the blade out. I encased it with murk. I looked Cyborg's way. I smiled.

"Have at it, man...," Cyborg gripped the upper width of the billboard with his titanium arms.

I got into a pose. Concentrated. Focused murk through my limbs....my sword. Morphed into steam---

SWOOOOOSH!!! SW-SW-SW-SWOOOOSH!!! SLASH!!! SL-SL-SL-SLAAAAASH!!!!

I teleported five brilliant times in a span of ten seconds. I ended—solidifying—in a crouched position with Myrkblade outstretched. I panted.

Creeeeeak!!

"Nnnnnghhh!!!" Cyborg grunted and strained as the middle supports of the billboard snapped and cracked from my sword-slashes. The weight of the billboard leaned against him.

CRACK!!!!

Cyborg held the entire billboard with his own massive strength. Pacing himself expertly, he shuffled over to the edge of the rooftop...and dropped the object down over both edges of the adjacent buildings.

CLAP!!!!!

"Whew!!" Cyborg wiped his brow and motioned with pride. "Not even Khaza Dum had as good a place!"

I looked curiously.

The billboard had formed a crude—but structurally sound bridge leading down onto the office building's top.

I clapped.

"Heheheh," Cyborg spun and faced the crowd. "All board!!"

"Y-You sure it's safe??" a woman cradeling a child asked fearfully.

"Positively, ma'am. Noir...why don't you hop on over and just give the rooftop a look-see?"

I saluted. I leapt, slid down the billboard, and hopped onto the gravel of the lower building. I looked around without so much as squinting. For hours, I had been wandering the City without my shades. To be honest...it was the most comfortable I had ever felt with my eyes in a long time. Such utter darkness—and if it weren't for the horrible monstrosities, it would have been a perfect haven for me......I imagine.

I found nothing amiss. Nothing but a charred and abandoned green house on the far end of the roof and the occasional antenna and a/c unit in between. I turned and signaled for the first group of people to come.

"One at a time, people!" Cyborg said. "Except the children!! Everyone must be accompanied!"

Quick murmurs of acknowledgement. Everyone was

I suppose they all wanted to see the light again.

Ten...fifteen....twenty people gathered on the rooftop.

I paced around them, motioning, repositioning them into a single cluster like a subtle sheepdog. I didn't want to let anyone get lost. No chances....

The boy with the portable t.v. was still tuning his device as he stumbled by. "Come on....I still can't get anything!!"

I rolled my eyes and went about my job.

Forty....forty-five.....fifty people.....

Cyborg motioned the last few along. "Allright....that appears to be it. Nnngh!!" He leapt.....THWUMP!!! He landed with a splash of gravel atop the office building.

A few people jumped, startled.

".......," I raised an eyebrow.

"What??" Cyborg smirked. "I might not be billboard friendly!"

I shrugged.

"Better burn our bridges......with gravity.....," Cyborg remarked.

He walked over towards the billboard and gripped it.

I shuffled over and held the edge too, doing my best to assist my hurculean friend.

"On the count of three. One...two....three."

We lifted at the billboard's edge, lifted back, and shoved forward again.

The billboard flew down the thin alleyway, banging and scraping against the walls before being eaten up by the darkness and exploding with the unseen floor far below.

CRASH!!!!!

Cyborg dusted his hands off. "Dumbass advertising....HA!....let's go."

He shuffled over towards the main body of people.

"..........," I glanced back at him. I placed my hands on the edge of the building and peered over. I saw nothing but a deep gash of blackness. Like an obsidian stream beneath us. And yet....I was peering much further than I had ever done before. It felt as if my eyes were getting more and more in tune with the shadows of that place.

I took a deep breath.

I was about to go when a touch of gold graced my vision.

"???"

I leaned down even more.

There was a plaque on the very edge of the building. A golden plaque. I saw letters upside down, etched in black.

"..........," I twisted my upper body and neck around so that I could more-or-less read the plaque from an upright position.

'The Dirty Needles.'

I blinked. I stood up slowly. I turned around and looked cautiously all around the rooftop.

"So....is there a stairwell around here we can take down or something?" Cyborg uttered. The clump of fifty-to-sixty people wandered around him. "Have you ever been inside this place?"

"Once or twice...," Elisha said. "Just to use a restroom, though. I-I think I found a stairwell entrance on the first floor..."

I gulped.

This is wrong.........it just has to be another......t-trap.........

"Darn it...almost had something there!" the kid with the portable t.v. uttered. He was right next to me.

"Snkkkkkkkkkkkktkkkkk-kkktkkkkk-kkktkkkkyoutherekkkthhtkkkk......"

"Hey!!" the boy beamed to himself and twisted the antenna a little. "Maybe it's a news bulletin?!"

I looked over his shoulder.

"Snkkkktkkkkktkkktkkkkk-kkkktkkyoukktktkkkktIseeyoukkkthtkkkkk." The bright snow broke momentarily on the tiny screen. A floating guitar. Bleeding rose petals. An unshaven face. Yellow teeth. "Snnkkktktkk—gettheHELLOFFMYROOF!!!"

"AAAUGH!!" the kid dropped the t.v., jumped back, and clutched my side.

PLOP! The portable t.v. landed on the rooftop. A shaking...a shifting...and slowly the t.v. sank into the gravel of the rooftop like unnatural quicksand. It disappeared.

The boy was breathless.

My eyes widened.

Shhhhhhhhhh!!! A moving mound of displaced gravel snaked its way across the rooftop...and towards Cyborg's group.

I gasped. The boy clutching me was breathless.

And he was just the one we needed to scream a warning...

The mound of gravel sunk down like a diving humpback right as it reached the back of Elisha's feet.

"Is it padlocked?" Elisha asked.

"Yeah...not for long," Cyborg readied to kick.

"Hehehe...that method works," the girl giggled.

SWOOOOOSH!!!!! Gravel exploded at her feet...and she sank two feet into a floor of deposits that should have been no thicker than two inches. "AAAAAAAH!!!! Wh-Wh-What?!?!"

Henry spun around. "Holy---"

"Help me!!!" Elisha struggled as she sank to her torso.

Cyborg looked. He gasped. He dove. "Nnnnghh!!!"

CLAMP!!!

The android Titan's hand grabbed the girl's arm at the last second.

"!!!" Elisha gasped, her chin barely above the rooftop's gravel.

The people watched in squirming horror as Cyborg pulled with all his might and oozed the girl back up out of the sudden quicksand.

Elisha panted as her torso emerged....her waist...her legs....

But as Cyborg lifted her up and out completely, there was a gnarled hand of burnt and peeling flesh gripped around her ankle.

"Aaugh!!" the girl shrieked. "Get it off me!! GET IT OFF ME!!"

"Hold on!!" Cyborg pulled at Elisha with one arm and aimed down at the rooftop with his other fist. POW!!!! His arm ejected via a cord and slammed into the burnt limb clutching the girl's limb. WHAM!!!!!!

Torn flesh of a monster....

And....

YANK!!!

Cyborg fell back with Elisha.

"Mmmf!!"

"Nngh!!"

Henry knelt and helped a trembling Elisha off of Cyborg.

"Wh-Wh-What is that?!?!"

Cyborg panted. "You and me both sister....someone get a bestiary!!!" SNAP!! He retracted his arm.

SWOOOOOSH!!!

Gravel exploded in a huge, vertical fountain.

The crowd surged back, cowering and chanting in fear.

In the haphazard electric light from the people, a gray figure sloshed upward in a weak stance. A figure of rust and glass. A figure made out of pure, cohesive syringes. Needles shot and pointed everywhere like metal hairs.

"................oh lovely...," Cyborg grunted.

"SLZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!" the creature hissed. It grew larger. Two arms of shifting and flexing syringes formed by its side. It seemed to breathe red vapors of mist from its 'head stub'. Syringes and needles twitched in its 'wrist' as it sloshed through a sea of gravel towards the group. A deep growl....and the thing seemed ready to pounce. At least part of it...

SWOOOOOSH!!!!!-SLAAASH!!!

I streaked by the monster and struck through its side with Myrkblade.

SHATTTER!!! Glass vials and needles littered the rooftop beneath my strike.

I skidded to a stop, panting. I turned around.

Cyborg and I watched as the shattered syringe parts sank into the gravel and soon the monster morphed forth glass vials and needles to replace the mass I had severed from it.

I winced.

"Guess it's that time of year...," Cyborg mumbled.

"SLZZZ-ZZZZZ!!!" the monster vapor-panted and sloshed towards us with flying gravel.

I dove out of the way.

Cyborg charged with a heavy fist. "YAAAAUGH!!!"

SMASH!!!!!

Needles exploded and flew around like shrapnel.

I rolled across the ground, barely missing the flung ends of metal. I panted.

Cyborg—in the meantime—found himself toppling through the shattered body of the beast. "H-Huh??" he panted.

The creatured reformed, sloshed around, and slammed a leg full of glass bottles at the android Titan's feet.

CRAAAACK!!!

"AUGH!!!" Cyborg tripped to the floor.

SWOOOOOSH!! I dove for the creature, my teeth gritting, my sword swinging. SLAAAASH!!!

SLOSH!!! The creature sank into the ground.

"!!!!"

WHUMP!!!!! I landed harshly on Cyborg's body and the two of us tumbled across the rooftop.

"Nnngh!!" Cyborg stirred.

A rumbling sound.

Cyborg glanced aside and saw the mound of gravel snaking our way.

"Noir!! Move!!" Cyborg strongly tossed me off the ground and out of the way.

I awkwardly stumbled to my feet.

Cyborg vaulted himself up just as the mound passed underneath him.

SL-SL-SLOSH!!! Syringers shot out of the ground in a string of rail-gun madness. Cyborg barely avoided this.

The mound swam around, brushed by an antenna, and shot it out of its standing.

SWOOOOSH!! CLANG!!! "Augh!!!" Cyborg tumbled again from the impact of the antenna.

The mound then swam past two A/C units.

SWOOOOSH!! SWOOOOOSH!!! I ducked one hunk of metal and slashed my way fiercely through another incoming. SLICE!!!!

As the shrapnel parted, the beast of cohesive syringes leapt out of the gravel 'sea' like a dolphin and pounced at me. "SLZZZZZ!!!!"

"!!!!!!" I fell back flat on my spine.

SWOOOOOSH!!!

The glass and needles brushed barely over me.

I took a breath and rolled to my right as rusted, metal spikes rained down onto the rooftop. TH-TH-THUNK!!!

CRUNCH!!!! The creatured landed from the dive, rolled along, morphed into a thick human figure, and stormed Cyborg.

Cyborg readied his fists. "Okay ghost...come meet the shell!!"

"SLZZZ-ZZZZ!!!"

"YAAAUGH!!!" Cyborg switched his arm into a sonic cannon---

SWOOOOSH-TH-TH-THUNK!!! The creatured launched a glob of needles and glass shards at the android's hand.

CLANK!!!! The shards embedded themselves into the titanium exoskeleton. Sparks flew as the cannon shorted out.

"What??" Cyborg blinked at his failing apparatus. "Aw shitstain omega!!"

SWOOOOSH-THWACK!! The creatured lunged forward and 'punched' Cyborg mercilessly.

"OOOF!!" the Titan fell back with a tumble.

"SLZZZ........." The creature turned and faced the crowd.

Everyone cowered in fear, Elisha and Henry included.

The monster shook and flung a fan of razor-sharp syringes at the vulnerable crowd in a line.

The people shrieked.

.......I was already running towards the line of fire. I had teen feet to miraculously cross to access all of the projectiles. And I did it in a jump....sideways. SWOOOOOOSH!!! Time slowed as I launched myself horizontally, spun in mid-air, and twirled Myrkblade in front of me like a fan—deflecting every syringer and needle and glass shard back at the monster—CL-CL-CL-CL-CLACK!!!—before landing hard on the gravel. THWUMP!!!

The creature seemed to grown. Its convulsing body of junkies' junk grew bigger and flung another arm-ful of needles.

I again deflected to the best of my ability—CL-CL-CLANG!!—but missed a huge array sailing at a family of four.

"AAAIIEE!!!" the parents and their four children flinched.

"YAAAUGH!!!" THWUMP!! Cyborg landed from a massive leap and 'hugged' them with his backside facing the projectiles.

TH-TH-TH-THUNK!!! The needles and glass embedded into Cyborg's titanium backside. He had no risk of contracting anything, but it sure as Hell was annoying. "Hey!! Friends don't let friends do me, punk!!!" he gripped a nearby antenna one-handed and flung it. "RAUGH!!!"

SWOOOOSH-SPLASH!!! The creature exploded violently from the dead-on projectile.

THWOOOSH!! I blurred over and materialized with a hummingbird onslaught of stabsslashesjabsstrikesripstears(!!!!!!).

CR-CR-CR-CRACK!! The monster deteriorated from my blurred attack.

I gritted my teeth and increased the frequency of my split-second stabs with a pulse of murk.

The torso of the syringe monster shattered away and seemed to melt in speeded-up camera mode. And then--

SWOOOSH-GRIP!!!

A burnt brown hand reached out of the pillar of glass and needles andgripped my metal hand.

"!!!" I gasped. I looked up.

With slimy fluidity, the syringes and glass covering the 'head' parted ways and a face emerged. A face with skin peeling and burn marks eating into the nasal cavity. What was left of the man's flaky, stubble-laced lips frowned at me and bulbous white eyes of death narrowed. The mouth opened—calloused—and breathed red vapor into my face.

My eyes twitched.

Shit!!!!

I struggled to get out of the creature's-man's grasp.

Not again!!!!

I pulled and yanked with my arm. As the vapor covered my lips and nose, I tried in vain to sacrifice my metal limb and simply fall away. But I was already inhaling.

Consuming.........

"Noir!!!" Cyborg's voice shouted.

I tried replying. One of those damned moments when I actually forgot that my vocal cords had been exploded a long time ago....

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Screaming faces.

Strobing lights.

Bodies jumping.

Arms waving.

Topless women and...

...beer bottles.

Music......

The stage.

Heaven light.

A guitar.

A drumset.

Goatee.

Raising arms.

Raising arms in unison.

He smiles.

"What are you talking about, Vinnie?!?! The show was a blast tonight!!"

"Just open the damn newspaper, kid. Your latest album's a joke. The reviewers are spitting all over it. And the facts show that the show brought in only sixty percent of last month's revenue. You gotta bail yourself out, kid. It's now or never."

"Vinnie......I know what I'm doing. This is l-like my talent, okay?? I'll bounce back!!"

"No you won't, Trent!! Don't you get it?!?! They know!! They know what you're into!!"

"Pfft...they know nothing."

"Get therapy, Trent. You're becoming a mess. And it's screwing up your act royally."

"Shut up, Vinnie."

"What was that—"

"I said shut up!!"

SLAM!!!!

Pumping blood.

"What's with the greenhouse?? You a nature fanatic all of the sudden, Trent??"

"Don't insult the place. I got it for cheap. Hidden as all get out. Now let's get on with it."

"This is the last time I help you out, man. It's becoming publicly known. As soon as you're up to your neck in it, Trent....so am I. Pop stars are dead weight these days."

"Shut up, Mark. You got it or not?"

"Yeah, I got it. And this time it'll cost you."

"How much?"

"Twelve thousa---"

"Twelve thousand?!?!?"

"You heard me. Take it or leave it."

"How about I take it and leave you?"

"Hahahaha.........ehm.........huh?"

"............"

"Trent, you're scaring me."

"I don't need to pay you. I don't even need to friggin' talk to you."

"God, you're so wasted. Get enough sleep after last night's gig? Oh-yeah-that's right...it was cancelled, wasn't it?"

"Thank you, Mark."

"Heh...for what, Trent?"

Cl-Click.

"Giving me a good excuse."

"Whoah......whoah......whoah!!"

"Give me the stuff."

"Put it down, Trent!!!"

"GIVE ME THE DAMN STUFF!!!"

"NNGHH-NO!!!"

BANG!!!!!!

Piercing......

Heavy breathing.

An eye twitch.

Glinting needle.

Further then it needs to be.

A jolt.

Shooting up in his place.

Panting.

Stumblng forward.

Mark's pool......

THWUMP!!!

Hands crashing.

SMASH!!!

Candle off the table.

Plant leaves.

Fire.

Eating upward.

"Heheheheheheh......"

Pots on fire.

Steam against the glass.

"Heheheheheheheheh......!!!"

Smoke billowing. Dancing. Pixies in the wind.

"It's so funny, Mark........."

Acid air.

Smoldering plants.

"I shot you and we're BOTH in Hell!! Ha ha ha ha ha!! Greatest comeback ever!!"

Burning............

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAUGH!!!!!!!!"

Gold dancing off his arm.

Hair and flesh curling...melting...crying......

"AAAAAAAAAUGH!!!!!" tumbling through a burning plant. Smashing through glass. Blood trickle. The forehead. "MARK!!! HELP ME!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!! GAWWWWWWD!!!!! HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAUGH!!!!!!"

Smoke collecting on the rooftop of the greenhouse.

Forming in bubbles.

Skull sockets.

Ever black and ever and ever and ever..................

..................

......

"Hey!!!"

"Hey punk!!!"

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"Hey punk!!!!"

The burnt arm let go of me.

I gasped and fell back. THWUMP!!!

The creature looked over across the rooftop. "SLZZZZ!!!" Trent's corpse narrowed its bulbous eyes.

"This your brain!!" Kl-Kl-Klak!! Cyborg aimed a freshly repaired and glowing sonic cannon. "This is your brain all over Town!!!"

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!

CRAAAAK!!! The creature shattered instantly and flew—screaming—over the greenhouse and off the edge of the office building.

"Any questions?!?!" Cyborg spat.

The glass and needles melted into dust from the sonic punishment and filtered off into the black murk of the cursed world.

Exorcised.

A huge sigh of relief settled through the crowed.

Cyborg exhaled and returned his arm to normal. He placed a hand on Elisha's shoulder. "You okay??"

"Y-Yes...," she nodded breathily.

Cyborg smiled a bit. He glanced over. He walked over and knelt besides my sitting figure. "Noir?? Talk to me, man."

I shivered a bit. I hand-signed: 'I may not get my flu shot this year'.

"But are you in one piece?"

I gulped and nodded. Sighing. Running a hand through my hair.

He patted my back. "You're tough, dude. Two times in a row with those nasty things. You're not getting addicted, are you?"

"...........," I glared at him. "........."

Cyborg winced. "Okay....s-so that was bad. Ahem."

I nodded.

He stood up and helped me to my feet. "Come on," he led me kindly towards the stairwell where everyone else was gathered. "Let's get the Hell out of here..."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"So you say you saw through the eyes of Trent Larson??" Henry asked.

I was taking up the rear as we marched the fifty-to-sixty people through the dark city streets towards the point of entrance. I nodded at the man's inquiry.

Henry took a deep breath. "It was always a hush-hush thing...but rumor has it that Trent's burning 'suicide' not only took place in this City...but there was another body involved. A drug dealer or agent or someone. I imagined it to only be a pop culture legend. I mean...he was a famous guitarist. One of the best ever. Hall of Fame was in his future. Some people—obsessed fans—are crazy enough to think he's still alive."

Oh, he's dead all right......

I hugged myself and took a deep breath.

Henry bit his lip and looked away.

"We're here!" Cyborg said.

I craned my neck and walked ahead.

Indeed, there was the edge of the black obsidian. It was thicker than the dark fog always hanging before us—if such could be properly envisioned. The cords lying across the thick curtain were there. Cyborg picked it up, handed it to Elisha first, and yanked on it.

"That's the signal," Cyborg smiled. "Y'all should be okay to walk through now."

"Whew."

"Thank heavens."

"We're so grateful, Mr. Cyborg."

"Yes....thank you!"

"The Titans rock!!"

"L-Let's hurry!! I must see the light!!"

Elisha simpered. "Guess you did it."

"We've done only some of what we've come for," Cyborg said.

I nodded.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

I looked at Cyborg.

The android said calmly: "We're going back."

Commotion.

Murmurs.

Elisha's mouth hung open. "But....B-But why??"

"More people to save," Cyborg exclaimed.

I hand-signed.

"The Titans especially," he smirked. "We'll be going to Sheldon apartments first."

Elisha bit her lip.

"Hopefully we'll find Robin there. And lord knows he's more than enough for us to feel 'together'."

I chuckled breathily.

Cyborg shrugged.

Elisha took a deep breath. "Well....good luck." She looked at me. "And your eyes....."

"??????" I glanced at her quizzocally.

"They really are black, aren't they? It's not just a t.v. rumor?"

I rolled the optics in question. I motioned her along.

"R-Right...," she spoke. "Good bye." And she blushed.

"......"

She pulled on the cord and walked through the inky wall of black first, followed by the rest in straight-line formation.

".........," I looked aside.

Cyborg was staring at me with an eyebrow raised. He had a pathetic smirk on his lips. "It never fails, does it?"

I groaned.

He made kissy expressions.

I was about to give him an expression of my own when a mother carrying her baby girl was last to pass on through.

"Byeeeee Titansssss," the girl smiled sweetly and waved as she disappeared over her mother's surface into the bright world beyond.

"........."

Cyborg and I glanced at each other. A beat. We quietly—numbly—turned around and walked back into the dark, dark murk of the City.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Forty minutes later....

"The Sheldon Apartments......shouldn't be too far now....."

I nodded.

We trudged on through the darkness by the scant illumination of Cyborg's floodlight and my noirish vision.

Silence.....

"................," I took a deep breath.

"I still don't get it..."

I glanced at him, squinting from his light.

"They went after you both times...," Cyborg said. "After a good fight, they seemed to have selected you for that crazy-ass forced REM stuff."

I shrugged.

"Come on, Noir! It's a big deal, dawg. We don't truly know what we're dealing with and I.....I-I don't want you to get hurt..."

I nodded. I smiled warmly at him as if some sort of consolation.

It didn't seem to work.

"I should have been packing more punch down there when Dr. Light showed his sorry-ass self," Cyborg grunted. "I mean...how can a bearded twerp like that take me down? Much less all of us?"

'He had some pretty good technology...'

"Yeah, I know. But it's not as if it's something we haven't faced before. We beat the guy once! And in one night too!"

I looked at him funny. I hand-signed. 'I thought Raven was the smoking gun.'

Cyborg bit his lip. "Yeah.....th-that...."

"............," I stared curiously at him as we walked.

"Dr. Light was making a robbery. He did high-powered burglaries for a thrill all over the continent at one time. When he stumbled in on our Town, he had five superheroes to contend with. But the guy was downright tricky...and it was—yeah—becoming a losing battle. For some awful reason he really got to Rae. And I mean really got to her. As it turned out, Raven had been—I dunno—down on meditation at the time. Her emotions most closely linked to her dad got loose, and her powers went berserk and sucked Dr. Light into some cold, dimensional void thing. I tell you what, it wasn't pretty...."

I shook my head. I gulped.

"Anyways...it was the first real time that the Titans ever did something that made people really question us, ya know. Cuz Dr. Light was really traumatized by the dimension he tasted of from Raven's rage. None of us ever meant for that to happen, of course. Not even Raven. But Dr. Light had to go to Arkham for rehabilitation...and—you know Arkham—he didn't last inside that place for long. He got out and now he's going royally nuts all over our City's behind. Man, I don't know how that upside down head of his concocted the damn bomb that did this to our Downtown....but I know for sure that Dr. Light wasn't a dabbler in the supernatural. No matter how much he may have rambled on and on about death or Raven being a witch or whatnot....all he is is just a mad scientist. So how on earth do these monsters and crap enter the playing field???"

I blinked. A street sign or two swam past us through the thick black soup.

"I hope Raven's not feeling bad right now," Cyborg said. "I bet it's easy to assume that Dr. Light did all of this to the Downtown because of her."

I glanced back at him. "..............."

"Eh.............heheh............okay," the android cleared his throat. "So maybe Dr. Light DID do all of this because of Raven."

I ran a nervous hand through my hair and looked ahead again.

"But nothing excuses what he's done. And I....I-I can't help but think that Raven may be in some bad situation now. Dr. Light must have planned all of this out or something. I don't know about the monsters though...but he could probably have Raven as a hostage now or even worse. I know she c-can take care of herself and all...........but.........."

Silence.

"Noir?"

I looked back again.

"What was it that Raven wanted to talk to me about?" he asked solemny...with concern. "Before everything got shot to Hell?"

I came to a stop. I sighed. I hand-signed.

'She was a wreck this morning. She was almost crying.'

Cyborg blinked. "Sh-She was?? I didn't notice..."

'It was before you got up to the Titan alarm. I saw her on the way to meditation.'

"What'd she say?"

"......," I hesitated. I hand-signed eventually. 'She said a lot in that she did not say a lot.'

"Huh???"

I sighed. 'She could not finish most of her sentences. She was rambling. Helpless...'

"But...B-But why??" Cyborg gestured emphatically. "You know she never gets emotional! Or at least...when she does, it's usually NOT a good sign!"

I bit my lip. 'She mentioned you.'

His was caught somewhere precariously between falling and lifting. "She d-did?"

'She said she could not tell you something.'

"Tell me what?"

'I am not sure exactly.'

"How come?????"

I frowned.

Cyborg ran a hand over his face. "S-Sorry, man....I just.....dammit, how could I be so blind??"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Did it have anything to do with....with Tempest?"

I seemed confused.

"T-Tempest's loss. How tragic it was that Tula died. Tram and Ivan and the rest......"

I gazed off. My black eyes were round.

"She.....she's been taking it hard, Noir..."

I glanced at him sideways.

He looked at me sincerely. Softly he asserted: "Raven is a much rounder person than she tries to be. And Tempest's tragedy has really gotten to her. She doesn't seem to know how to deal with it...so I do the best I can to—ya know—distract her. Cuz she won't ever freakin' cry or get angry or anything. She has no outlet, man! And the best I can do is just....take her mind off the subject. I talk my head off about stuff. I don't mind it, really. Heh.....I enjoy it even. But it can't be perfectly healthy. Not when she's holding in lord-knows-what. But yeah...ever since Tempest has been here, Raven's been up and down. And just yesterday she seemed really in blue funk. I think it all has to do with her dad. Trigon and Slizzath are practically bedmates—so far as their power and methodology is concerned. I think Raven's stressing over the thought of what could happen to all of her friends if Trigon's power was to be manifested."

I took a deep breath. A chill ran up my left arm.

Trigon......

If there was a second soul on the planet that knew him, I did......

"But there's something especially bothering me...," Cyborg seemed to bit his lip with nervousness as he confessed, "...late last night, I could have sworn I heard something crash outside of my laboratory in the hallway. But when I stepped out to look, there was nobody there. One of the lightbulbs in the ceiling had shattered, though. And I saw a little blood—like someone had stepped in the glass. And....and....it was like I felt Raven." He gestured confusedly as his eyes gazed through the dark ground. "I...I can't explain it. But...I felt her. A cold hand washed over my circuits and down my body and it was so.....so.........cold." He inhaled. A beat. "So lonely........so desperate........"

My lips parted a bit.

He looked at me. "You think I'm going crazy?"

I slowly shook my head. I gestured: 'That was the one thing she admitted this morning.'

"What's that?"

'Loneliness.'

"............," Cyborg took a deep breath. "I never doubted for a second that the girl would feel lonely, Noir. I just....I-I just never imagined myself ever understanding the feeling. The coldness....the....the utter helplessness of what her lifestyle must demand of her...."

'I wonder if that's what Dr. Light felt.'

"Who gives a shit about Dr. Light, Dr. Dark, Whoever anymore?!?!" Cyborg cackled.

I winced.

Cyborg's fists clenched, but he wasn't frowning at me. He gazed off into the infinite black. Seething. "It can't just be a coincidence. All of this...all of this nightmarish crap....it's all got to do with Raven. I just know it!!" He looked at me, furious. "She's the center of all this!! And leave it to me to be a oaf and not the friend she could lean on in her time of need—"

I held a finger up.

Cyborg stopped, interrupted.

I hand-signed emphatically: 'She wants to tell you, Cyborg.'

"............"

I swallowed a sudden lump down my throat. 'She wants to tell you so much. You, Cyborg. She feels helpless only because you are helping her and she does not know how to receive it yet.'

Cyborg's human eye rounded. He took a deep breath.

I stared at him firmly. 'We will find Raven, Cyborg. You will have your chance. But first we must check on Robin.'

He nodded. "Y-Yeah.....Robin first....then the rest...."

I smiled weakly.

He weakly returned.

He patted my back and the two of us pressed on.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

The Sheldon Apartments existed in a tall, skycraping structure with lots of glass panels that gave it the deceptive appearance of an office building in the northeast portion of downtown. It was at least fifteen stories in height, and the exterior was lavishly decorated around the entranceway; a testament to how glorious the rich living areas inside the building must have been.

But neither of us could have cared at that moment. Instead, we were standing there and staring fixedly at a golden plaque inscribed with the black text:

'The Banshee'

".............."

"............."

Cyborg and I exchanged glances.

"Did the last one have—??"

I nodded.

He winced. A beat. "Uhm....ya know, Noir...," he tried to smile. "You can stay out here this time and—I dunno—keep guard while I go in and—"

I shook my head.

He nodded. "Yeah...we're both in on this together. Just stick next to me man..."

I sighed and saluted.

"And no super-heroics this time," he said. ".........relatively speaking."

I smirked.

We stepped into the atrium, one by one.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

Cyborg's floodlight swam across the dark interior.

I gazed around where the edges of shadows were.

Great, another lobby......

There was a desk of sorts. Lavish elevators on either side. And a fancy mosaic on the floor.

"I've always wanted to furnish our Tower like this..."

I rolled my black eyes. I wandered over behind the desk. I checked for any signs of recent activity.

None.

"Well...we only have fourteen floors to look through.....," Cyborg grumbled. "I suppose I could just fire a sonic cannon blast up one of the elevator shafts. That'd get Robin and B.B.'s attention."

I scratched my head. I looked at a black plaque on the lower wall behind the desk. It was made of a glossy, plastic sheet and contained room numbers lined up vertically in a fourteen columns respective of the floor. I suddenly noticed buttons and spots for lights on all of the panels. Finally, speaker holes.

An intercom......

My black eyes narrowed as I noticed something. The panel for Room 1113 had been planted over with a golden bar with black smudges. It seemed glued on with some sort of questionable, brown material.

Uhm.........

A hand on my shoulder.

I jumped.

"Yo!! It's just me....kay??"

I exhaled and shrugged Cyborg's hand off me.

"Yeesh....touchy! Now what do we have here??"

I pointed at the gold bar.

".............ew."

I glanced at him.

He looked at me, then at the bar. "Now why would this be here?"

I motioned towards the exit from which we came.

"Yeah...it does seem to be the same type of gold as the plaque. But what's that mean?"

I shrugged.

Just then, something dark dribbled down from under the bar covering the panel.

"Uh....hang on...," Cyborg leaned forward with his fingers.

I watched....

The android's fingers clamped over the bar. He pulled. He bit his lip. He pulled more.....more....m--

CRACK!!!! The bar snapped off.

SKRIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!

An ear-piercing wind blew unnaturally out of a slimey gash that was hidden in the 1113 panel, and a fountain of black monster blood splattered out and doused the belly of my white jumpsuit.

I winced, my long black hair windblown. My eyes were thin.

The 'scream' died down, and there Cyborg stood beside me....holding the dripping bar. He blinked.

"............."

He looked at me.

I cleared my throat and pivoted to face him. I then looked down at my stained shirt.

"..........I never understand why you don't just wear red, man..."

I groaned.

Cyborg held the bar up to his red eye and examined it. After a bit of crimson-strobed scanning.... "It's blood allright. Nothing I can classify, though. The readings say it's fresh. As if it just came out of a wound. The cells are alive and everything."

I held my mouth shut and waved for him to stop the description.

"Okay, okay, okay...," he sighed and twirled the bar around. "No doubt this has to do with that 'Banshee' plaque." A beat. "Elisha DID say that Robin and B.B. heard screaming sounds that drew them here, right?"

I nodded. I hand-signed.

Cyborg replied: "Then whatever they were looking for....it was probably in the obvious place that we've just been 'told' now. Floor eleven...room fourteen."

I smiled sarcastically.

Cyborg was similarly enthused. "A trap, perhaps?"

I mouthed: 'What hasn't been today?'

"Heheheheh."

I shook my wet arms dry and wandered towards the nearest stairwell.

"Onward!!" Cyborg pointed his floodlight.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

As soon as we stepped onto the eleventh floor, we knew that we were in the right place. Somewhere between the hallway walls replaced with stretches of dirty-brown leather and blood smears and the ragged strips of rope nooses hanging from random parts of a rusting metal ceiling........we got the hint.

Cyborg and I stood at the top of the stairwell.

"......................................................."

A beat.

We blinked.

"...................okaaaaaaaaay," Cyborg uttered. "I, for one, am glad that I haven't had to poop for about five years now."

I looked at him enviously.

He took a shuddering breath, summoned his courage with a tightening of titanium shoulders, and said: "Okay...let's move." Kl-Klak-Ka-Klack!! His arm morphed into a sonic cannon which he stretched out in front of him as he lead the way.

I flanked him with Myrkblade held at ready.

Cyborg's floodlight illuminated the hellish hallway ahead of us....but not that it needed to. There was actually dancing light in this place, illuminating the leathery walls and rusted metal support structure. It looked like torchlight. But none of us could determined where the flames were until we realized that the crimson glow was shining out from under the leather wall fabric. The place seemed to glow all around us like hidden embers. And if that wasn't enough, there was a devilish gurgling sound vibrating through the chambers. It felt like we were inside some giant incubus' digestive track.

And it smelled like it too......

"Well....," Cyborg muttered under his breath. "Here goes....." He cleared his throat then and cried out: "Robin?!?!?! Beast Boy?!?!?!?!"

My black eyes darted around as we crept forward. I examined every shadow of the hallway. Every strap of leather. Every noose hanging above us...

"Robin????? Beast Boy???? If you can hear us, give us a shout!!!"

Silence....gurgling.....embers.....

My foot stumbled into something.

I glanced down.

There was a bundle of rope coils beneath me.

"............"

I stepped over it.

There was a bright flickering light coming from the right just a few feet ahead. Cyborg and I soon realized that it was a doorway.

"Room 1114....," Cyborg slurred.

I took a breath. I tightened my fingers around Myrkblade's hilt.

Cyborg's human eye narrowed along the sight of his cannon.

The flickering increased....the first blinding thing in hours.

Cyborg slowed down. He slid his foot forward.

I poised next to him.

He glanced at me. He held up three fingers.....two fingers......one....

He pointed forward.

SWOOOOOSH!!!!

SW-SWISH!!

KL-KLAK!!!!

I dashed into the room, spinning Myrkblade at ready.

Cyborg shuffled in, his cannon aimed.

And...........

We lowered our weapons.

Our eyes were wide. Brown and red and black and black.

"...................."

Bodies.

Bodies dangling everywhere.

Filling the richly furnished room like an upside down forest of flesh and rags.

Twisting...swinging gently.

Hung on ropes.

Men, women, children......

My mouth was agape.

Cyborg blinked as he scanned the scene slowly.

Mothers and daughters hung together.

Their eyes shut.

Legs still....dangling....

The robes made tiny little grinding noises with the subtle drifting of the bodies suspended from the nooses.

My tongue rolled to say something.

Again......I forgot......

I looked desperately at Cyborg.

"........."

I shoved him. "!!!!!!!!"

"What?!? What?!?!" he jumped. "Shit...hang on!!" He whipped out his arm console and typed madly away. Taking a censor reading.

I took the initiative to walk over to the nearest body I could find and felt with two fingers around its wrist.

My heartbeat confused me....

"Oh my god...."

I looked Cyborg's way.

"They.....they...," he looked at me with explosive eyes. I soon found out why. "They're a-alive! They're all alive!!"

I felt a pulse for sure then.

I shuddered for many reasons.

"But they shouldn't be!!" Cyborg exclaimed. "They've had to have been hanging here for forever---"

I pointed at one of the nooses.

Cyborg's eye narrowed.

There was a red glow on the ropes right where the flesh of the neck made contact. There didn't seem to be any constriction on the craniums whatsoever.

"That's doing it....that's keeping them alive....I-I guess!!!" Cyborg stuttered. "It breaks all the rules of....everything....but screw it in this place!!" He switched his one arm back to its regular shape and started untying the first noose he could see. "Let's get them down! Now!!"

I nodded. I walked over to a hanging family and worked on loosening them.

Cyborg's and my hands were shaking during the first few minutes of grounding the innocent figures. As soon as the rope came loose from their necks, the red glow disappeared and instantly the people gasped and sputtered—as if magically gaining their breath back. We lay them gently on the floor where they groaned groggily and seemed to take a great deal of time in 'waking up'.

"Come on....," Cyborg muttered desperately while trying to untie as many people as he could. "Come on!! There're so many of them!!" He seemed on edge...panting. He pointed a metal finger at me. "Noir!! Check the rest of the apartment!! Get an estimate on how many people we're dealing with here!!"

We remembered there and then who was in charge out of the two of us Titans.

I nodded, lowered the last gasping person I was freeing, and rushed into the 'forest'. I brushed dangling legs, ankles, and bodies aside as I tried to reach the far side of the room. I bumped into a table, positioned myself around a soggy-stained sofa, and met a wall of glass overlooking pure darkness. It certainly was a spacious apartment. But no room—no matter the size—felt comfortable when it's filled with over fifty pseudo-executed people!!!!!!!!

I gritted my teeth and pushed myself past a rather....obese body. I glanced down a hallway where a bedroom and a bathroom yawned open. Bodies weren't hanging there. The walkway was filled with bundles of rope and rusted metal......pointy things.

I shuddered, turned around, and headed back into the thickness of the body 'forest'. I pushed my way through the dangling forms and made it to a rough count of seventy-five to ninety bodies.

This place is packed!!

I turned to rejoin Cyborg's task when I suddenly got a face-full of red and yellow cape. I winced, shook my head, and glanced up.

My black eyes twitched. I grabbed the metal-tipped boots and whistled shrilly.

Heavy footsteps. Parting bodies. Cyborg pushed his way into the center of the room and joined me.

"What is it---holy mother of god...."

I held the legs of Robin. The Boy Wonder's eyemask was thin and lifeless. He dangled from the noose in tight, petite fashion. His gloved hands were bound behind him in barbed wire.

"Come on...let's get him down...," Cyborg breathed. He held him as I 'scaled' the Android's shoulders, unsheathed Myrkblade, and cut through the rope. –SNAP!- We carried Robin down and gently lay him on the ground beneath the feet of those left hanging above us. I slipped the glowing rope off while Cyborg shook him. "Rob! You hear us, man? Say something!"

A gasp escaped the boy's lips. He groaned and stirred.

"Hold your hands still....," Cyborg extended a sparking tool from his finger and cut the barbed wire 'binds' around the Boy Wonder's gloved wrists. "You're gonna be okay. Everyone's gonna be okay. Noir and I are here."

"Beast Boy....," Robin coughed, sputtered, writhed slowly. We couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not, but the rest of his face looked painful. "....did he make it out of here??"

"We don't know, man. We just got here. He could still be here."

"You must......you must....."

I placed a hand on the leader's shoulder.

"Just take it easy, Robin...," Cyborg said gently. "What do we need to know?"

Robin suddenly gasped.

"?????" Cyborg and I were confused.

Shuffle............

We froze.

...............sh-shuffle.........shuffle......

We both looked around, but all we could see were hanging bodies.

"It's just the people we freed....r-right?" Cyborg asked....me.

I looked at him stupidly.

The shifting sound was too heavy to be any of the weak rescuees......

Cyborg spun his vision about. The floodlight only went so far due to the bodies in the way. All we could see was the red embers glow from the leather walls beyond.

Shuffle...........................shuffle............

Robin sputtered: "Plug....P-Plug your ears....."

We both looked at him.

"That's h-how she takes you o-out...," he stirred and slurred.

Shuffle......

Cyborg and I slowly stood up.

He swallowed and spoke: "You think he's delusional?"

I glanced around at all the dangling bodies. I hand-signed. 'You think we can blame him?'

"Shhh!" Cyborg hissed.

We froze.

Shuffle.....................Shuffle...............Sh-Shuffle......sh-shift.....................stomp! stomp! Stomp! Stomp! STOMP!!! STOMP!!!!!!

To our right.....

TH-TH-TH-TH-THWAP!!!! The dangling bodies parted like upside down dominoes and a brown shadow broke through, slamming into us.

WHAM!!!!!!!

"AUGH!!!" Cyborg went flying into the body forest, along with his light.

"!!!!!!!" I pinballed backwards through three rows of bodies and landed hard with my shoulders pressed to the wide, glass window. CRACK!!! Hairline fractures spiderwebbed out from the back of my head.

I winced.

Amber flickering danced across me from the dangling bodies.

I saw a glimpse of two leather feet under the shadows before it disappeared. Bodies swung and knocked about towards the far end of the room, then Cyborg's voice:

"AUGH!! DAMMIT!! RGHHH!!!"

THWAP!! SMACK!! CRACK!!

"AAAUGH!!"

I gritted my teeth. I vaulted up to my feet, twirled Myrkblade, and blurred through the bodies towards the hidden fight. I morphed into smoke form every now and then teleport into random dangling bodies as I zeroed in on the spinning kaleidoscope that was Cyborg's half-concealed floodlight. And as I emerged onto the clearing of parted bodies--

SWOOOSH!! Cyborg's fist came at me.

I skidded to a stop, wincing.

Cyborg stopped his punch at the last second. He was panting and sweating profusely. "It was just here!!!!!!"

We looked around.

A ring of violently swinging bodies haloed us.

"Shit!! Shit, man!! Where is it?!?!"

I panted. I spun and looked between two bodies only to see a wall of rotted ribcages.....breathing......'staring' at me.

"!!!!!!!!"

SWOOOOOSH!!! The two bodies parted and a leathery mass leapt on me. A BIG leathery mass.

"HEY!!!" Cyborg shouted and readied his sonic cannon for a point blanc shot.

I fought with the shadowy mass. The huge thing rolled us over in time to avoid the blue stream.

ZAAAAP!!!

POW!!! The floor exploded.

A leathery leg kicked out and shoved Cyborg away.

"YAAAUGH!!" the android fell back, knocking a few bodies around from where they hung.

"!!!!!!!" I gritted my teeth and angled Myrkblade to stab into the leathery thing I was entangled with. It would be an awkward feat, for whatever the thing was...it's body had to have been four feet in diameter. I heatedly realized that using Myrkblade in close combat was a stupid idea anyways, since there were so many innocent bodies hanging around that I could accidentally stab....

I gritted my teeth and decided upon a crazy test of brawn...only to have myself mercilessly twisted about and launched forth from the forest of bodies.

TH-TH-TH-THWAP!!! I broke free and found myself sailing right into Cyborg—who had marched himself out into the clearing at the side of the room.

WHAM!!!

We tumbled into the nearby wall. We collapsed on the floor and achingly got up.

"Is it still in there?!?!" the android Titan gasped.

I merely winced.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!!

We both looked at the line of hanging people.

STOMP!! STOMP!! STOMP!!!

The leathery thing emerged from the swinging forms. It was a bulbous thing of thick plates of black leather with exposed ribcages circling upwards and forming a sphere....like a bleeding tangerine. Two thick legs like that of a dinosaur or rhinoceros planted into the ground beneath us. It was like a walking blob of steel-plated flesh. And right then and there—at the end of its march—it unfolded. The leather plates peeled down like a black lotus flower on an invisible pond's surface. In the center of the leather 'petals' rested the naked torso of a bleeding woman. Two white eyes opened as the centerpiece torso extended both arms to her side and stretched open a bleeding mouth three times its normal capacity and:

"SKRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"

The Banshee.........

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!" Cyborg clutched his skull.

I screamed mutely and palmed my flesh and metal hands over my ears, dropping Myrkblade to the floor. But I couldn't hear the wood strike the soggy carpet. I couldn't hear anything. My ears were on fire with iron picks stabbing their way twistingly into my brain and shattering skull fragments up to my brow and down to my throat.

"SKRIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"

The window shattered, dousing hanging bodies with thousands of shards. Dirty vases and glassware in the apartment's kitchen fell apart. Cyborg grunted and twisted about as fissures formed in the see-through portions of his titanium exoskeleton. A spiderweb formed in his left skull. His floodlight started to crack and fracture...

And finally....the creature stopped shrieking. She marched towards us, drooling in some sort of sob and swinging a ragged arm of bleeding muscle at me.

THWACK!!!!

I flew back ten feet and slammed into the leather wall—WHAM!!—bouncing off and tumbling to the floor below. THRUMP!!!

The creature then shuffled about, grabbed Cyborg, and swung him through a piece of furniture. CRASH!!!

Cyborg twitched painfully on the floor.

Blood trickled down from my ear lobes as I stumbled up, gritted my teeth, and charged madly at the creature. Without Myrkblade, I felt my best bet was flinging my titanium prosthetic into the creature's gut. And that's exactly what I tried to do....

...until it saw me and let loose one 'chirp' "SKRIEEE!!"

"!!!!!" I instantly clutched my throbbing head, tumbled blindly, and fell into the monster's grasp.

THWUMP!! It hooked an arm around my waist and tossed me effortlessly behind her.

SWOOOSH!!!

I twirled in the air and found myself flying at a hanging man's body.

THWAP!! I hugged onto his torso. Swung towards the window. Swung back. And leapt onto the back 'petals' of the leathery creature.

"!!!!!" I slammed my metal fist down into its skull repeatedly. WHAM!! WHANG!! SMACK!!

The creature shook, convulsed, then reached a meaty arm hideously backwards at me with a snapping of unearthly joints. CR-CRICK!! It gripped my forearm, twisted its head about, and:

"SKRIEEEE!!!!"

I howled and shook as if receiving a concussion blast.

GRIP!!!

The banshee flung me over her shoulder and into a glass lamp.

SHATTER!!

I fell limply to the floor, groaning.

Something barely broke through the ringing on either side of my skull: "Hang on, Noir!! I've got this covered!!"

I looked over with weary black eyes.

Cyborg marched forward. He pressed a button on the back of his skull. CL-CLAMP!!! Metal plates surrounded his ears and face and mouth from within the exoskeleton. I recognized it as his automatic 'breathing mask' for underwater missions. Right now, it seemed just enough to mute....

I gasped and slammed my palms over my ears like Robin instructed.....a long time ago.

"SKRIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! The Banshee howled at Cyborg.

Cyborg visibly groaned under his mask. But with fiery eyes he resisted and stomped strongly towards the creep and swung his titanium fist.

POW!!!!!

The banshee's head swung from the impact.

THWACK!!! A fist slammed into her chest.

The torso piece doubled over, sputtering. The legs and 'petals' twitched painfully.

Cyborg gripped one of her arms and hoisted her 'torso' up. "MMMMFFFF!!" the android let out a muffled war cry and started to form a sonic cannon to plow into the prone creature's skull.

CLAMP!!!

"!!!!!!!!!" Cyborg gasped. His arm was caught in mid-transformation by two petal plates of leather squeezing over his limb. The metal joints and sonic cannon parts twitched and sparked, trying desperately to finish the cycle.

"SKRIEEEeeeeEEEE!!!!!"

The creature shook his one hand free from its shoulder, leaned its torso back, leaned its torso forward, and slapped the android Titan hard across the face with two spark-showering wrists.

SLASH!!! SLASH!!!

It then shrieked and head-butted Cyborg.

THWUMP!!!

The petals let go with a spin and Cyborg rolled dumbly across the floor.

"MMmmff!!"

I struggled to get up to my knees.

The beast twirled about. It hissed at me. Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! It charged my grounded figure and—GRIP!!!—seized me by the throat.

I gurgled for breath.

The bony hands held me up.

I dangled.

The scar in my neck ached.

My black eyes thinned.

"Sssssssssss....." the creature's eyes narrowed. It opened it's mouth wide.

I winced.

Aw crap......

"N-Noir!!" Cyborg coughed from where he struggled to get up.

Red vapor came out of the Banshee's mouth.

Not again.........

"Nnngh...," Cyborg hobbled my way. "N-No!! Noir, get away!! Teleport or something!!"

I had no strength left.

I merely hung their limply as the vapors filtered out from the creature's mouth and tempted me to consume....

".............."

The sound of a flute filled the air.

My black eyes rounded a bit.

Cyborg panted...confused.

The banshee had stopped. Her mouth shrunk down to barely human standards. Its leather neck twisted around.

The melody continued to play. Drifting around the bodies. Dancing in the darkness and the red aura.

TH-THWUMP!!! I was dropped to the floor.

I watched—breathless—as the creature limped towards the doorway. As Cyborg and I looked over, we realized that there were three human figures at the front end of the room. Dressed in black. Pale skin.

And the furthestmost of the trio was a flutist.

The whistling came forth from his thin figure and seemed to soothe the writhing creature. The Banshee stumbled over towards him, hissing...almost whimpering. The woman inside the half-open cocoon sobbed and shook.

The figure kept playing. His companions stood silently nearby.

The Banshee stood close enough in the flickering red to touch the flutist. It seemed to kneel down as its arms curcled and its upper torso swung around.

The music stopped.

The flutist slowly lowered his instrument. He smiled peacefully. He reached a pale hand out. It touched the Banshee's head.

"................," Cyborg and I wearily watched.

A beat.

The banshee shuddered........then..........opened its mouth violently wide.

FLASH!!!!!

A red stream of vapors shot from its mouth into the flutist's face. The gothic musician stumbled back. His companions gently caught him. At the same time, the banshee fell down in a ring of deflated flesh-petals....and faded into mist.

A beat.

FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!

The room's leather walls were replaced with plaster. The metal serration turned into carpet. The ropes disappeared—and---

THWUMP!!!!

All of the bodies fell to the floor, clean. Everyone gasped with the sudden wind of life flowing through them once again. They coughed, sputtered, then panted slowly for breath...getting up gradually at different rates of recovery.

But Cyborg and I remained grounded. Cyborg crawled over to me and placed a concerned hand on my shoulder.

I looked at him and gave an assuring smile.

He seemed relieved.

Then...

Three pairs of footsteps.

We looked up.

The instrument player was fine. He stood upright—howbeit visibly weak and even dizzy. He smiled the best that he could and said: "You need not worry.....she is gone.....for now...."

Cyborg blinked. "Wh-Who are you??" the android murmured. A beat. "Better yet....what did you just do??"

"What we are purposed to do...," the young man gestured at himself and the two flanking companions. "We've consumed the dead."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"So who are they??" Robin grunted.

"Can you—I dunno—just rest for a second and let me run a thorough scan on you, man???" Cyborg frowned.

"You've scanned some of the others," Robin gestured tiredly with his glove. "What's true of everyone else must be true of me. We're fine. Besides...you should be more concerned about the citizens right now. Not another hero."

Cyborg glanced at me.

I shook my head with a weak smirk.

"You are far too 'you', my friend...," Cyborg said.

"Don't plan on changing anytime," remarked Robin.

A half-hour or so after the banshee fiasco, almost everyone 'hanging' had awakened. It was a miracle that they survived. But....perhaps they were never meant to suffocate to begin with. All that the creature had wanted to do—according to these strangers—was be 'consumed'.

And in speaking of the strangers...the three pale figures of gothic standing resided in the corner as if waiting for us to either die or ascend. Maybe both...maybe neither. They seemed perfectly calm...perfectly tranquil....and—as one would assume—perfectly at home in this blackened environment.

"And just who are our benefactors, exactly?" the Boy Wonder wearily, warily nodded his head towards the three. "I've not run into them before."

"I dunno who they are.....," Cyborg said with a rub of his human skull. "But they sure came in the nick of time for Noir and I. Hell...all of us!"

"I'm proud of what you and Noir are doing...," Robin cracked his knuckles nonchalantly while speaking with a furrowed brow. "Walking into this dark place is a feat in and of itself. I'd be afraid you'd chicken out and ask Superman and Wonder Woman to come crashing in."

"Geee....thanks for the ego-boost, Robin!"

"You're quite welcome...," the Boy Wonder sniffed. "I gotta go question them." He tried standing up. He ached all over. He slumped back down. "Okay....maybe later."

"Heh....maybe....," Cyborg said. He stood up and walked across the room towards the three strangers.

I joined him.

All around us, huddled groups of people sat with candles and small torches provided by the flutist. One or two flashlights from Cyborg and I were donated as well. The post-hanging citizens seemed on the road to recovery—psychologically speaking—and it was only a matter of time before we made an effort to evacuate them towards the daylight world.

Right then and there...we marched up to the pale figure and--

"Dimitri...," the musician said.

"I beg your pardon?" Cyborg blinked.

"It's my name," the man smiled and extended a pale hand. "Even in this place, we still have identities."

Cyborg eyed the man's hand. It had stitch marks in a few key places. "Uhm....yeah...," he shook the man's hand and looked at all three. "Just who are you guys anyhow?"

"I am a Mediator," Dimitri said. "Victor and Raphael...," he gestured towards the two men, "...they are my guardians. We work together."

The two men bowed.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Greetings."

Cyborg rubbed his human head. "So....uh.....how come you three don't look spooked and stuff??"

"Do you mean scared?" Dimitri asked.

"Yeah. In case you haven't noticed, the City's stuck in permanent air raid practice and the Downtown has become a stage play for American McGee's Alice."

"Oh, we have noticed the....'oddities' of this place," Dimitri smiled liquidly. "But then again, what's not to notice when you live here?"

My black eyes went crooked. I glanced at Cyborg.

Cyborg leaned forward. "You.....live here?"

"But of course."

A beat.

"Like...in this apartment?"

"Hehehe...no, good sir. We live 'here'...," he gestured all around. "Isn't 'here' not obvious?"

Cyborg twitched once or twice before managing: "Yeah...well...right now 'here' isn't too safe of a place. We'd better get you—"

"To the land of light?" Dimitri remarked. "We are quite blessed and delighted to witness your visitation, but we cannot go there. It is not our home. Though—at an archaic time—it once was."

"You mean to say this darkness stuff is normal to you??" Cyborg cackled. "I have news, buddy! The only reason this place has ended up like this is because of Dr. Light's gizmo!"

"Ah...but you do not understand..," Dimitri patiently smiled and said: "What that man did was merely create a doorway."

"A doorway?"

"Naturally, your City does not possess such horrific beasts and mutilated landscape, does it? Or do you often find in the world of light buildings that will change shape on you, blood and skin where it shouldn't be, golden inscriptions appearing out of the darkness, and glass that does not reflect?"

"............." We were both silent in response to that.

Dimitri seemed to expect that. "I would be so happy to explain," he said. "But it may be best that the Grand Mediator meet with you. After all, your entrance into our world has been a very monumental thing...especially with so many of you scattered abroad."

"You know where the other citizens are??" Cyborg leaned forward. "Are th-they safe??"

Dimitri held a hand up. "I can only sense their presence. I cannot vouch for each individual. As it is...our numbers are few. But I am most certain that the Grand Mediator can plan something to benefit your kind and bring you back to the world of light. That—and he can explain things with...heheh...far greater finesse and flair than I ever could." Dimitri smiled pleasantly. So did his 'guardians'.

I hand-signed: 'Very happy people'.

Cyborg nodded. "I know a word for 'happy'..." he muttered. He stepped forward. "Where's your Grand Mediator?"

"In the Dwellings," Dimitri said.

"...........okay. Anywho...yeah, I think we will see him. But first...," the android Titan gestured. "We gotta get these people back where they can be safe."

"By all means...," the man half-bowed. "...and we shall help you."

"Well...," Cyborg smirked at me. "Looks like not everything about this place is gruesome."

"........."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

"'Grand Mediator'??" Robin asked.

Cyborg nodded.

The three of us Titans were marching the group of seventy people or so towards the edge of the City. I was at the front of the group with Dimitri, Victor, and Raphael. Cyborg and Robin held the back. With combined flashlights and candles, we illuminated the line of nervously marching people and proceeded onward through the thick blackness of the Downtown.

"I think he wants to help us, Robin," Cyborg said. "His leader too."

"Do you trust them?"

"You gonna take my word for it???"

"Maybe."

Cyborg rolled his human eye. "After everything we've fought and seen, what's not to trust more than them?"

"So you've run into other freaks before the banshee?" Robin asked. "Beast Boy and I had our hands full of strange creatures when we met each other at the radio station. They were like conjoined bowling balls with millipede feet and a hundred razor-teethed mouths. And I thought the Scarecrow's hallucinations were bad..." The Boy Wonder shook his head. "Well, it's good to hear you and Noir faired well. Fifty people, huh?"

"Fifty to sixty, yeah," Cyborg nodded. "We got them out of the Downtown Hotel after our first.....er....'run-in'. Someone in the hotel named Elisha said she last saw you and Beast Boy heading towards the Sheldon Apartments. So after we took them to safety, Noir and I came back to try and get you guys. And that's when we ran into the sequel to the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Man...I swear....." A beat. "Just where is B.B. anyway?"

"He got away safely during our first battle with the banshee when we tried to save all of those people," Robin said with a touch of angry frustration and regret. "When I realized it was a losing battle, I told him to run for it and try and get help. So he leapt out of a broken window in the shape of a jellyfish."

Cyborg made a face. "A jellyfish?"

"No ears."

"Ah."

"I haven't seen him since...," Robin muttered. "He probably has his paws full of more obscene crap in this hellhole."

"What about the others?" Cyborg asked. "Star? Flipper?" A beat. He painfully swallowed and added: "Rae??"

"The last time I saw Tempest, he was being smashed into the sewers again," Robin said. "He may be down there for all we know. I tried looking for Starfire the first moment I awoke from the falling darkness, but I couldn't see her anywhere near the building she flew into. And I have no clue where Raven is."

"I don't like the sound of that...," Cyborg muttered. "Dr. Light was going after her to begin with. If his plans were successful enough to hold off all of us Titans and bathe the center of the City in pure blackness...then who knows what else his precision could have done?? Especially if Raven was his target. She could be in big danger right now. Even worse."

"I'm sure she can handle herself, Cyborg," Robin smirked ever so slightly. "It's not like we're bathed in a world of intense 'light', so I'm sure he's quite at home."

Cyborg frowned. "It ain't funny."

"I know," Robin retorted. "And Raven knows it too. She's fine. Have faith."

"HA!! You, Robin? Faith?"

"I was trying to appeal to your sense of pathos—"

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Cyborg grunted. "Anyways. Dimitri's gotten me thinking again about this whole situation."

"What about it?"

"The way he speaks of this place and all its freaks...," Cyborg spoke, "...it's as if he's used to it."

"Point being?"

"They're natives...unless they're pulling our universal tail," Cyborg scratched his human head. "I'm beginning to believe that the monsters and all the other creepy stuff have nothing to do with Dr. Light."

"Then what could they be here for?" Robin asked.

"He called Dr. Light's bomb as 'doorway'," Cyborg said.

"As in....," Robin blinked under his mask. "...to another dimension? That would make sense."

"Would it? Then you'd have to explain it to me, dawg. Cuz nothing in this place seems to have a top or a bottom!"

"This 'Grand Mediator'...," Robin's eyemask narrowed. "He may have some answers."

"He'd better..."

From the front of the line, I whistled.

Robin and Cyborg looked up.

The line came to a halt.

"Ah."

"We're here."

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

We safely escorted the seventy people to the edge of the dome. After they had walked through to the world of light (though it was probably late in the evening by then...heh) the six of us walked back into the City. The six of us were—of course—Dimitri, Cyborg, Raphael, Robin, Victor, and myself. Dimitris led us between buildings and through parking lots, and across many sidewalks in the utter blackness. His gait was very nonchalant, and he seemed to have no apprehension or fear of the things around him. Everything appeared natural to him. The same went for Raphael and Victor...who walked on either side of me at the rear of the procession.

Halfway through the stroll, my mind was a blank...but was soon interrupted by:

"You're the one the Grand Mediator talks about..."

I glanced to my left.

"The one with black eyes," Victor said, eyeing my optics as he did so. "We've sensed you when you entered. Tell us...are you a mediator?"

I blinked.

"He can't be a mediator...," Raphael hissed. "The boy's from the world of light. He doesn't adhere to the teachings."

"But the teachings specify that some are possessed with the talents," Victor said. He looked at me again, smiling. "Tell us....how did you do it?"

I was confused.

"He cannot speak, Victor. Do not tease him."

"I am not teasing him! I just want to know how he did it!" he looked at me. "Two poltergeists in a span of hours...and without any prior knowledge of mediation. H-How did you learn to consume them?"

My lips parted.

Consume??

"The creatures....th-they were drawn to you....weren't they?"

I looked off. A chill ran up from my damn metal arm.

"Leave him be, Victor. If need be, the Mediator can speak to him. Don't confuse his poor mind."

I smiled sarcastically at that.

It was around that point that I noticed Dimitri leading us towards—of all things—a subway station underground. As we walked down the steps, I couldn't help but do a double-take at a hint of gold metal.

My eyes widened.

A golden plaque on the entranceway read: 'The Acolytes'.

I took a deep breath. I was about to whistle or tap Cyborg's shoulder or--

A hand on my shoulder.

I glanced over.

Raphael had calm eyes. He and Victor smiled. "Don't worry...," Raphael said. "It's us..."

"................," I glanced at the plaque....then at them again.

They smiled. "You don't have to come down if you don't want to—"

I shook my head and motioned down the subway. I swiveled about and descended the steps. But I was taking a nervous breath the whole time.

-T-T-T-T-T-T-

I never remembered the subway looking so decrepit and run-down. Dust and soot was everywhere. Walls had crumbled in various places. Metal racks and concrete pylons blocked our path, and we had to climb over them to proceed down the pitch-black corridor.

Dimitri led us on. Soon, Cyborg's floodlight met a flickering glow from the first of many candles and torches and lanterns.

Dimitri smiled. "You need not worry...we have lights of our own down here..."

Robin and Cyborg exchanged glances. Cyborg flipped his shoulder light down and off.

We approached the aura.

My black eyes thinned a bit. I sensed the light was going to be dim enough for me to manage it without sunglasses...but it was still a bother.

We rounded a corner...and that's when the framework began. The 'framework' being a series of wooden platforms, ladders, planks, and ramps. The interior of the subway yawned open wide into a huge, underground chamber of broken down tile and concrete. But the framework of wood created a very old-fashioned skeletal structure, and on every other platform there rested tents and leather flap 'booths' and huts of haphazardly sewn material. And people were there. Lots of people. Walking on wooden catwalks. Casually sitting in the tents. Carrying food items and pails of water from point a to point b. And the people looked alive and busy...but they all weren't normal—at least to our perspective. Their skin was pale. They weren't albino, but rather their bodies seemed to reflect in a silver sheen like wet moonlight. And much of the skin looked like it remained their by miracle. Stitches and sutures ran circles around their limbs and faces, so that everyone looked like patched-up dolls. And—as hard as it is to explain—they looked just about as beautiful as any person I was used to seeing could be. Their eyes were dark...or rather most of their eye sockets were dark. They appeared like children from a silly Halloween play. But they weren't children. At least not all of them. They all seemed young. Young and vibrant in spite of their pale 'patchwork'. There were men and women...mothers and fathers...elders and nobles. As we approached, many stopped to look at us. They gazed from catwalks, from interior patches of gardens, from gathering places of makeshift bazaars. Men in the middle of toiling. Women in the middle of sewing. Children in the middle of playing. They were all dressed in aesthetic garb of an old-fashioned nature. And 'old-fashioned' in this case harkens back to something reminiscent of the Victorian era only.....well....gothic. Super gothic. Black dresses and black suits and gray working trousers, plus the outrageous bonnet or top hat to complete the obsidian look. It looked like a life of luxury, poverty, ecstasy, and misery all the same. All eyes were locked on us.

I swallowed.

Dimitri smiled and pulled out his flute. He played a lively melody as pulled us along. It was like a victorious pied piper leading three Titans into the midst of confusion. But the confusion gave way to merriment as people from above clapped and children ran along with us, giggling, curiously gazing at us. On the sidelines, men bowed and women curtsied. Soon we became the eye of the storm.

Dimitri lowered his flute long enough to speak: "Summon Jonas! The allies of the Grand Daughter have arrived!"

Cheers. Excited muttering. Bodies running back and forth.

Dimitri came to a stop, and so did we. Cyborg, Robin, and I gazed around at the underground 'city' of lanternlight and gothic faces.

"So who's this 'Jonas'??" Cyborg murmured. "Tim Burton's twin?"

I chuckled breathily.

"Don't look now...," Robin uttered.

We did.

From a wooden ramp leading down from a platform above us, a cluster of pious-looking people in brown dress clothes wandered down. They were flanking a couple. A tall man and a very familiar blue-haired girl of petite stature.

Cyborg gasped. He took a step forward. "R-Raven!!"

Raven stepped down to our level, hand daintily held in the grasp of the man's. She looked at us......and she smiled.

Cyborg's jaw dropped. "Raven???"

Robin and I scratched our necks.

"I'm happy that you finally got here...," the dark girl said.

"H-Happy???"

"Mmmmhmmm," she breathed and smiled in a manner so soft that....we had to 'believe' it. "You wouldn't believe it....b-but...I'm with family now."

"Raven...," Robin stepped forward. "Who are these people?"

"The brothers and sisters of Azarath...," the tall, pale man said. He stepped forward and—in spite of the blatant stitches running gray across his face—he produce a very pleasant smile. Very peaceful..... "The last protectors of the Sacred Mother's Daughter, Raven."

Cyborg glanced back and forth. He finally gazed at the man. "And you are??"

"Jonas," he bowed. "The Grand Mediator."

Raven floored us when she giggled....and said: "Welcome to Mortuana."