'Rorschach's Journal, October 13th, 1996.
'We haven't even gotten to Halloween and yet we recent had a horror story to contend with.
'The other night we were woken by an alarm at quarter to two in the morning. The Police had been moving Cinderblock to a more secure prison, but his transport hadn't been secure at all and the blockhead broke free.
'When we arrived on the scene things were already out of hand for the Police. And it did become a bit of struggle for us. I don't know what the prison was feeding him but he seemed bigger and strong since last, we fought.
'Away in the fight Nightwing was sent flying into the forest below the roadway. When we found him, our leader claimed he saw Deathstroke. Now Cyborg questioned this, with the emergence of the new Red X thoughts of the mercenary were brought back to the former Boy Wonder's mind so he could have been seeing things. Plus, thanks to Terra Deathstroke fell into a pit full of lava, I reasoned that his Nth Metal armour could have protected him, the only property we know of said armour is its negating effect on magic, but it could have other abilities we didn't know about.
'Further Nightwing claimed the mercenary presumed died freed Cinderblock to get his attention. Wilson claimed to have put seismic generator, earthquake machines, on three fault lines along the city, and would go off in three hours. The admitted concern did make me lose some focus but I noticed that no footprints matching the mercenary's boat were in the rain soak, thus muddy ground. Still a threat like that we needed to investigate. Beast Boy, Cyborg and Raven were sent to handle the generators while myself and Starfire joined our leader in locating our adversary.'
The rain chucked down in bucket loads and the lightning crashed as the former Boy Wonder, the Tamaranean Princess and the Techno-mage walked through the forest.
Rorschach kept his gloves firmly within his trench-coat pockets and tucked his head into his body. The collar of said coat he turned up to protect his neck. By now turned from the light grey became very dark and mud covered his shoes 'Good job I've got spares of everything.' Thought Josh.
"Fear not Richard." Starfire said, by this point the couple called each other by their real names in proper private conversations, as Josh knew Nightwing to be Dick Grayson and the rest of the Titans knowing Starfire real name thanks to the Phantom Stranger, this meant they could be informal in front his him as well.
The Princess continued her motivation "We will stop him."
"We have no other choice.", the communicator bleeped and he answered, Cyborg spoke "Nightwing I'm at the bridge."
"Did you find the seismic generator?"
"Man, I can't find diddly. No signs of anything unusual.", Raven came on the line "Nothing here either.", then Beast Boy too "I got bupkis." He said before sneezing.
Nightwing spoke again "They're there, keep searching.", and switched it off as Beast Boy kept on sneezing.
Rorschach's mask turned to a concerned formation "Beast Boy's cold seems to be getting worse, perhaps I should take over his search while he heads to the Tower to rest and recover?"
Nightwing threw his communicator to the ground "I told then exactly where Deathstroke put the generators I should have gone to find them myself."
Starfire picked the communicator "They will be found Richard, you must have faith in your…", lightning crashed and Nightwing suddenly rushed forward.
The former Boy Wonder ran out into a clearing and meet Deathstroke, "Tick-tock Robin," he said "this is going to be easier than I thought. You've gotten sloppy while I was away."
Nightwing charge and threw discs at the mercenary, they blew up but Deathstroke remained put, the ex-sidekick charged. Deathstroke dodged, Nightwing went for a karate chop but the mercenary blocked and punched him in the stomach, Nightwing fell to his knees but went for a leg sweep but the mercenary jumped high. Nightwing stood up and looked around. Deathstroke stood behind him and punched him back, he landed on the ground.
"Richard!" Starfire called as she and Rorschach ran out the clearing. Deathstroke took off running as Nightwing got up "Starfire, Rorschach stop him."
"Stop who?" Rorschach said, "There's no one else here.", Deathstroke ran right passed them.
Nightwing ran up beside them and looked deep into the forest, but the mercenary disappeared. The former Boy Wonder fumed a before grabbing Rorschach's coat lapels "What do you mean no one was here? Deathstroke ran right by you! How could you let him get away?", Starfire came up behind him and wrapped her arms around Nightwing "Friend Joshua is telling the truth Richard; we saw no one."
Grayson's eyes widened and he let go of Rorschach's lapels and ran off. Starfire's eyes watered and Josh's eyes frowned.
Beast Boy as a bird flew to where Cyborg and Raven stood on the street, the blue witch used her magic to shield herself from the rain. The changeling sneezed and changed into a pig before crashing onto the ground and turning normal, Raven knelt and expanded her shield around him "Thanks Rae.", a ghost of a smile appeared on her face.
Beast Boy sniffled and spoke again "I've looked everywhere; I think Deathstroke sent us on a…" he sneezed again, changing into various animals until he stopped at a water fowl, to which Raven finished the changeling's sentence "A wild goose chase?", Beast Boy tucked himself into a ball "Can I please go lie down now?"
Cyborg spoke up "I've run a complete sweep of the city's seismic faults, there all clean, I'm thinking all this seismic generator stuff is just another one of Deathstroke's tricks."
Starfire landing carrying Rorschach, the Tamaranean Princess spoke "I am not so certain that Deathstroke is behind this."
"What happened?" Cyborg asked "Where's Nightwing?"
"Nightwing, has elected to search on his own."
"Huh?" Beast Boy said getting up "Why?"
"He said he saw Deathstroke, we tried to see him, we truly did.", Rorschach nodded with her as she continued "But we could not, I have never seen Nightwing so angry."
Raven turned to Rorschach "What are your instincts telling you?", the Techno-mage shook his head "They're not helping", the empath raised an eyebrow and motioned him to elaborate, Rorschach sighed "One moment their saying Nightwing's telling the truth, the next they say it's not the entire truth, the next their saying Deathstroke is most definitely dead." He rubbed his temples "At this rate I'm going to get a migraine."
Cyborg put his hands on both Rorschach's and Starfire's shoulders "Let go find Nightwing."
Nightwing kicked the doors down and walked into the ruins of Deathstroke's hideout, the only part which survived the volcano eruption. Giants gears and other oversized clockwork components laid scattered about the massive room. He searched, wiping dust of the throne where the mercenary sat, very full of himself. The former Boy Wonder walked up to the mirrors, one almost completely gone and other cracked.
Something moved behind him, which he saw in the mirror. He turned around and saw a shadow jumping across the broken gangway. Nightwing ran to the end, but no one stood at the top.
Something rushed behind him and he followed stopping at a piece of machinery swinging like a pendulum.
"So here we are again.", Nightwing turned and looked around as the villain continued "The old haunt, just the two of us."
"Deathstroke show yourself, come out and fight."
The mercenary stood on a pile of gears "Relax Robin, I not going anywhere."
The former Boy Wonder started to climb the pile, but when he reached the top Deathstroke no longer stood there. A creak sounded and the pile collapsed. Nightwing jumped from debris to debris before landing and legged it. A massive gear landed and air pressure wave knocked him over. He landed flat on the ground. He rolled out the way as another gear came crashing in. He stood up panting.
"Brings be memories, doesn't it?" the mercenary said.
"All I remember is how much I hated you."
"What I remember, is that you couldn't defeat me. At least not all alone.", Nightwing walked over to a light switch and pushed the lever on, the bulb flickered and burst.
"Pity your friends are no use to you.", the mercenary stood behind the former Boy Wonder. Nightwing turned around and asked, "Why couldn't Starfire or Rorschach see you."
"I believe you are familiar with cloaking technology?"
"I'm familiar with all your tricks, that's why you're not going to get away with it." Nightwing charged and threw punches. Deathstroke dodged fast and fluently before disappearing. Nightwing looked around. He saw a shadow jumping on the ruined clockwork. He initially followed but turned around and walked back.
"Our time apart may have made you soft," Deathstroke stood on a gear "but it's only made me stronger." He jumped back and acrobatically made his way around the gears and pipes.
When Nightwing follow suit the gears and clockwork components broke apart.
Deathstroke landed on the gangway no moment from it. Nightwing jumped off a gear and grabbed the edge, the gangway groaned under the new weight. The former Boy Wonder looked down at the broken pipes ready to impale him. He pulled himself up.
"Your friends won't find the generators," Deathstroke said "and they can't see me. They can't see the truth Robin, even when it's right in front of them.", Nightwing swung himself over and landed on the gangway behind the mercenary. He got into a martial art stance "Then I'll have to take care of you myself. I've stopped you before."
"Robin, if you've "stopped" me, then why am I still here?", the former Boy Wonder ran up fast and swung, Deathstroke dodge. He dodged the next punch. Then a high kick. Another punch. Another kick, which the mercenary flipped far back for, making no sound on the metal walkway. He dodged the next few punched, but grabbed the last, gripped tight and punched Nightwing back. Nightwing charged. Deathstroke threw him back. The former Boy Wonder landed on the edge of the gangway, he knelt panting.
"You can't even touch me." Deathstroke said.
Nightwing charged screaming, the mercenary stepped aside and Nightwing felt pushed of the opposite edge. As he fell Nightwing fired his grapple. It wrapped rode the railings. He swung and glided down to the ground. A shadow cast over him and he turned as Deathstroke slowly walked up "How can you save a city Robin if you can't save yourself?" he punched the former Boy Wonder down. Nightwing slid across the ground before getting up. Deathstroke jumped and punched Nightwing, he kept beating into the lead Titan.
The five ran up the corridor and Cyborg's arm started beeping "Nightwing's locator signal, he's nearby."
A crash and a grunt sounded.
"Very nearby." Raven said before they ran to the source.
Starfire reached the doorway first "Nightwing!", the other arrived. Cyborg activated his shoulder light.
Nightwing walked backward into the light, he lurched back and spun, his suit torn and battered.
"Uh," Beast Boy groan still cold ridden "since when is Nightwing into Mime?"
The former Boy Wonder looked around and shouted "Deathstroke."
Cyborg and Beast Boy gasped.
Starfire charged a massive Starbolt and illuminated the room in green light.
At the same time, Rorschach shot an energy beam at the space before Nightwing but it only hit the gear.
Nightwing turned around "What are you doing here? Your supposed to be finding the generators."
Cyborg spoke "I don't think there are any generators man. We looked everywhere."
"Deathstroke must be cloaking them," Nightwing reasoned "Just like he's cloaking himself, that why you couldn't see him."
Rorschach held up his hand "So wait, Wilson has a cloaking deceive that make him invisible to us, but you can see through it? Oddly specific don't you think?", Nightwing's easy widened before he scowled "What are you trying to say?"
Raven floated up "Nightwing, are you really sure you saw Deathstroke?"
"Saw him? I fought him." He gestured to his costume "You think I did this to myself?"
The others initially didn't speak, Starfire looked away with her eyes shut. Finally, Beast Boy broke the silence "Dude, this is the only way out, no one got passed us."
Cyborg then spoke "No one was in here but us."
"I don't have time for this." The former Boy Wonder muttered and began to walk to the doorway "I have to find those generators."
Cyborg stepped in front of Nightwing "There are no generators." He leaned down to look his leader in the mask "There is no Deathstroke."
"I know what I saw!" Nightwing backed up "I have to stop him, I'm the only one who can." he took hold of a bird-a-rang "And I'll takedown anyone who gets in my way…" Before he could do more Starfire fire a Starbolt into his back. She looked down and tears fell from her eyes.
Nightwing passed out.
The former Boy Wonder opened his eyes.
He saw the ceiling of the medical room, he then glanced down. He rested on a bed but restrained tight by thick belts and his brain monitored.
He heard Starfire speak "But must we keep him restrained?", Nightwing looked around and saw the other outside in the examination room, the light making them silhouetted.
"He threatened us Star." Cyborg said, "He dangerous."
"Dangerous!" Beast Boy wailed "Try total flipped out, cuckoo, la…" he couldn't finish as he sneezed again.
Rorschach took his hat off and scratched his head "I wouldn't go that far, Nightwing's definitely paranoid, but my instincts are telling me it's not his fault. But I don't know what."
Raven finished "We've got to run some test on him figure out what's going on." The mechanical jock and the Techno-mage nodded in agreement.
"Alone again Robin?" a voice called and Nightwing stiffened he looked around the ward.
Deathstroke walked out of the shadows "As long as I'm around, you are never alone.", Nightwing struggled to break out but the mercenary spoke stopping him "Relax Robin, I promise," he held up a surgical tool "you won't feel a thing.", the tool charged with electricity.
Outside in the examination room, Cyborg, Raven and Rorschach looked over the readouts on Nightwing. Beast Boy sat in a charge with an icepack and Starfire stood well back.
The Tamaranean spoke "Please you have uncovered the cause of his strange behaviour."
Raven looked back "So far everything looks normal."
"But he is not normal, Nightwing would not do these thing, he would not threaten his friends," she held her arm "he would not shout at me, or…" she looked up her eye brows frowning "There is a cause and you must find it!"
"Star," Beast Boy groggily said, "I'm sure there is a good explanation okay, maybe Deathstroke really is invisible and we just can't…"
"No," Cyborg said, "he still would have shown on my radar."
"And," Rorschach added "it can't something spiritual since myself and Raven would've detected it."
Suddenly the readings started going mad, everyone turned Raven was the closest and looked at them "His heartrate is off the charts.", Cyborg quickly took over "Blood pressure, neural kinetics, most people can't survive this amount of stress."
Suddenly everything went slack.
Starfire gasped and rushed into the wardroom, the other quickly followed and found the room empty and an utter mess.
"Woah," Beast Boy said, "and I thought I didn't like going to the doctor.", Starfire looked at the empty bed "But where is Nightwing?"
The sound of echoing footsteps sound, everyone looked up the air vent seeing it open. Beast Boy changed into a hummingbird and flew up to it, but a bulkhead door slammed the vent shut before the changeling could enter it, similar bulkhead shut the windows and doors. Raven and Rorschach checked the console "Nightwing's activated the quarantine protocol." The blue witch said, "Nothing can get in or out."
"We shall see about that." Starfire said and fired a Starbolt at the bulkhead door, however it bounced around the room. When it dissipated, she started banging at the bulkhead "We must find Nightwing." She shouted, she stopped and looked down at the floor, Cyborg put his hand on her shoulder before he moved her away, a sawblade came out of his arm and he tried to cut their way out.
Rorschach connected a USB cable from his gloves to the console "While you do the more direct approach I'll see if can override the quarantine."
Raven float up and went into the lotus position, Beast Boy looked at her "What are you doing?"
"Finding Nightwing." She simply stated before starting to meditate "Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos." She slowly uttered before his soul-self, taking the form of a black energy raven she left her body and went through the bulkhead and into the air vent. She travelled through the tower and found Nightwing in the ventilation, and she entered his mind "Nightwing I'm here to help."
"Raven what are you doing?" she heard him say "You have to get out; Deathstroke he'll destroy you.", Raven saw the images in his head, the living room with images of the mercenary on the main computer, she then proceeded down into the storage area "Nightwing your heart. You're in danger. You have to trust me." She went down the stair toward an open box with all the pieces of technology left behind by Deathstroke including his mask, the box covered in a dust cloud.
Raven continued "Deathstroke isn't here. He's not in the tower." She found herself going into Nightwing memories, in a dark cave she saw Nightwing silhouette in candle light as he took an oath of some kind.
Nightwing spoke again "No, he's here, he's real, I've seen him.", the darkness opened like a curtain and Raven found herself in a circus tent as two people dressed as trapeze artist quickly fell to the ground, and fast as a child screamed.
"Then let me see," Raven suggested "through your eyes."
Nightwing felt himself go and Raven took control of his mind "See Nightwing." She said, "There no one here." She looked around "There never was." She looked back and suddenly she saw Deathstroke about to strike.
The punch hit her and she fell back hard, ejected from Nightwing. Beast Boy quickly got to her side as she got up with a gasp "Deathstroke!"
The other joined Beast Boy "You saw him?" Cyborg asked.
Raven shook her head "I don't know if he's real or not. But he's real to Nightwing, and that's all that matters. The stress on his brain is destroying his body, Nightwing truly believe he's fighting Deathstroke, and Deathstroke winning."
A tear fell down Starfire's face.
Suddenly the snap of a finger caught attention and Rorschach spoke in elation "Of course, a hallucinogen! That's what my instincts were telling me earlier." He returned to the console and began hastily typing "We need to get out of here before Nightwing completely goes."
"Dude!" Beast Boy shouted, "You going to explain?"
"Later, we've got other priorities."
Nightwing and Deathstroke fought their way down the stairs into the storage room. Deathstroke punched Nightwing in the stomach. Nightwing continued punching. The mercenary dodged and grabbed the former Boy Wonder's arm, twisted it behind his back and threw him over the side of the stairway. Nightwing flipped over and landed, finding himself alone. He heard something behind him and turned. Deathstroke landed and punched Nightwing in the front and back sending down the stairs and crashing into the boxes.
A light flickered as the mercenary approached the downed former Boy Wonder "You always knew it would end this way." He grabbed his back and pulled him up "No." Nightwing uttered.
"Nightwing." Raven gasped, the other looked to her, Cyborg still trying to cut through the bulkheads, this time the windows one. Beast Boy as an octopus trying to pry open the vent bulkhead. And Rorschach hacking away at the computer.
Raven clarified "I can feel him. He's not going to make it."
"Then." Starfire said her expression becoming more determined "let up end his battle now.", she grabbed the floor and pull the metal out and flew down it.
Nightwing crawled to the stairs "Deathstroke," he weakly uttered "stop."
"No Robin." The mercenary said kicking the former Boy Wonder from the foot of the stairway and close to a steam support beam "I won't stop," Deathstroke continued "Not now, not ever. I am the thing that keeps you up at night. The evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind. I will never rest, and neither will you."
"My friends say, you're not real."
"Oh, I'm very real," he said before throwing Nightwing back into the beam "Could you have gotten all of those bruises from someone who wasn't there?", as the lights on the room flickered Deathstroke disappeared in the light "You can't even touch me."
"All these bruises," Nightwing said looking at himself before looking up at the mercenary "but you don't have a scratch.", he began to remember what occurred over the night, Starfire and Rorschach not seeing Deathstroke in the clearing, Cyborg and the other not finding the generators, Deathstroke's sudden disappearances and reappearances, as those word about being the evil in his mind replayed in his head 'Every dark corner,' he pulled himself up with the help of the support beam next to a light switch "You're only in my mind, only in the dark, my friends are right you aren't real."
"I'm real enough to finish you." Deathstroke charged. Nightwing pulled the lever and lights in the room came on "Light's out Deathstroke." He said as the figment disappeared.
Starfire flew through the door and looked down "Richard!"
"It's okay Starfire." Nightwing smiled, she took hold of him as he collapsed saying "It's okay.", just as the others came down the stairs.
Back in the medical room they hooked Nightwing to the diagnostic machines and Rorschach explained, bring up images of chemicals, "After Raven's mind read I realised that whatever was happening was happening in your head, but my instincts kept tell you weren't mad, in your perception you were telling the truth, but overall not the entire truth, Deathstroke is dead but he left one last trick up his Nth metal sleeve."
Cyborg examined the reading "His mask contained a chemical reagent that infiltrated your central nervous system."
"The dust." Nightwing muttered remember when he examined the mask in the book before the Cinderblock incident dust came from the mask, he pulled off the sensors on his head "It made me see, hear, and feel Slade, even though he wasn't there."
"A very powerful hallucinogen." Rorschach said, "It messed with you head, creating fake information, like fake pain when the figment of your imagination punched you."
"And the more you fought," Starfire said standing close by Nightwing "the more harm it did to you."
Raven spoke next "And anyone else who got in the way." She rubbed her jaw where Deathstroke hit during her mind meld.
Cyborg grinned "Scan says you all clear though."
"Yeah," Nightwing said getting up "just to be sure." He walked over to the light switch and turned them off. He looked around the room, none who shouldn't be there stood in the dark, he sighed and switched the light on again "I've fighting Deathstroke for so long, I guess it's hard to just let it go. But sometimes I think I'm the only one still looking for him, the only one who can stop him."
"Nightwing," Starfire said walked up and wrapping her hand into his "you are never alone.", Cyborg nodded "And if Deathstroke really does ever return we'll be ready. We've got things covered. Why don't you get some rest?"
"Sounds like a good idea." And the former Boy Wonder left the room.
From the other bed, Beast Boy sat up "Okay he's better. Now what about me I'm dying over here." He started sneezing again, finally into a frog and giving rather pathetic croak.
Raven, Rorschach and Starfire laughed, but they turned to Cyborg studying to readings more closely, Rorschach walked up "What's the matter?"
"The reagent in Deathstroke's mask didn't trigger itself, there was a signal, somebody triggered it, from outside the tower.", the Titan looked at each other.
Josh's eyes widened and his eyebrows frowned 'Well, that's not ominous at all.'
Undertaker chuckled as General Immortus grumbled, finally Winker spoke "It appears you underestimated both Nightwing and the other Titans General. You're almost as bad as our late friend the HIVE Mistress."
"I do not need criticism." The ancient man sighed "Still we can learn from this failure.", Undertaker nodded.