"Wow, you really wear this thing?" Jinx ask as she studies the suit of armor along with the others who hadn't seen it yet, Bushido however seems more interested in the sword that lies in its scabbard besides the suit while the group had parted with Batman who had patrols to do in Gotham.
"Yup and don't touch the sword, it gets really grouchy when someone other than me tries to." She says, making Bushido lean away, Jinx just stares at her.
"You should have seen the last time someone tried." Cyborg adds.
"It is a fine blade; can you tell me who the craftsman is?" Bushido asks as he finally looks away from the sword.
"Hephaestus. Made the armor as well." She notices Jericho begins signing to her. "Yes, the Greek god."
"If it wasn't for the whole Amazon thing, I'd say were being the victim of Raven's first elaborate joke." Jinx adds.
"So, do we get to see you with it on?" Speedy continues; still sporting his smirk, Raven sighs.
"You better see the whole package then." She starts, getting everyone's attention. "The battle with Malchior had some very disturbing side effects for me, during the battle; he cast a spell that transformed me into this." She says as she changes into her less monstrous appearance before continuing.
"I found out I was much stronger like this, but I couldn't change back. With half of Jump City in ruins and the Tower being a hole in the ground, I decided to leave before I was chased out. I spent half a year trying to discover a way to change back and look at least partially human again. With a little help I found it, as you have seen, but this is what will be buried if I end up doing something stupid. Yesterday, I found out this wasn't all of it. A wizard decided to show me that this is really only half of the transformation." She sighs, letting everyone know she now had that knowledge and would have preferred not having it as the horns, tail and wings rip their way out of her as her legs give way as they change as well.
"Holy shit…" Kid Flash gasps as Raven gets up to look at the shocked faces of her friends, while he gets elbowed in the ribs by Jinx.
"I know, once I looked human while having a monster buried within me, now I am a monster that tries to look human." Rave sighs.
"That's bullshit and you know it Rae!" Jinx says fiercely as she walks right up to her and stares her in the eyes, Cyborg notes how Raven actually towers above the pink haired sorceress. "You and I both know that monsters are defined by actions, not how they look. Read up a few history books and you will find real monsters, all of whom were just ordinary humans."
"Try walking down the street looking like this." Raven grumbles.
"So? You just look different and it's not like you can't hide it. But you of all don't get to suddenly care about outward appearance Ms. Hide-under-my-cloak-and-hood-all-day." Jinx continues, still staring at Raven which the others start to find a little odd, it was as if Raven had offended her. "Like it or not, as long as you continue to do good things, I will still look up to you as the one who proved to me that being born with magical doohickeys and bad pasts can become something good." The two former adversaries stare at each other for another five seconds before Raven actually lowers her gaze, admitting defeat.
"I'd hug you right now, but I fear I would crush you if I did." Raven replies as she looks up again.
"I agree with tovarishch Jinx, I hid away in fear of what had been done to me when it proved unmanageable. No matter how you look, you are still no monster." Red Star adds.
"Yeah Rae, who ever gave you that silly idea?" Cyborg asks.
"My mirror?" Raven replies with a slight smile before looking at her armor again. "Anyways, I do need to find out if that suit actually fits this." She says, getting a slightly questioning looks from the others. "The suit changes along with me from human to the other shape I showed you, practically becoming a second layer of skin." She explains.
"Which happens to be bulletproof." Cyborg adds as Raven focuses and lifts off the ground slightly before the armor disappears from its rack before appearing on Raven, instantly accommodating itself to her shape, enveloping the horns, tail and the sections of the wings where the bones are.
"Neat, a one-size fits all armor." Kid Flash says as she opens her eyes again.
"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it." Speedy adds as Raven tries flapping the wings a little.
"Feels a little odd." Raven notes off handedly before she sees Jericho signing her. "A little now, passed out the first time."
"What?" Jinx asks as she doesn't know sign language.
"He just asked if it hurt when I turn into this." Raven explains while looking down herself.
"We have to get going." Batman notes.
"Doubt she is going anywhere, but yes." Raven sends back. "I have to go see a hung-over sorceress, if you guys want to know more, I'm sure Cyborg still has a few files he can show you." She continues as she changes back to first the wingless demon shape before changing to her human visage.
"Before you run off, can I try something?" Speedy asks as she begins peeling off the armor.
"What?"
"Erm, can I try and shoot at you?" The others look at Speedy with surprise and a little outrage from some.
"Oh no…" Wally sighs.
"You said it yourself that you managed to deflect arrows, I just wanted to see it with when I am not zombified." Speedy explains.
"Robin is going to have kittens, but fine." Raven replies, getting even more surprised looks directed at her, but she remains blank as she strips off the rest of the armor.
"Uh Rae, you did hear what he just asked?" Cyborg says.
"Yes." She replies flatly. "How far?" She continues to ask Speedy.
"Whatever range you think is safe." The archer replies as he pulls off his bow, Raven moves to the end of the hall, making the distance similar to the one she had when she first encountered the three archers. "Ready?" He asks as Raven stands with her arms hanging down her sides with a bored expression on her face.
"Waiting." Raven replies as Speedy pulls his bow taunt as he takes aim and releases, the others, besides Kid Flash, don't see the arrow flying, but they all hear it impact with something metallic before it clatters to the ground as Raven brings up her left arm, making it look like she swatted the arrow out of the air.
"Wow…" Is all Jinx manages.
"Nice." Kid Flash adds. "But Roy never was that fast." He adds with a smirk that is almost instantly rewarded with a slap on the back of the head, by Raven. "Ow…hey?!" Raven just smirks at him.
"I seem to be able to access some of the Founders powers, Wally's included." Raven says before receiving a slap on the back of her own head form Jinx.
"It's only me that gets to hit him." Jinx says, getting a laugh out of Cyborg and Speedy.
"Yep, I'm Kid Flash, world fastest punching bag." The Kid sighs. "But you hit harder." He says to Jinx.
"Anyways, I can feel another one inside of me is growing impatient; take care till we meet again." Raven says before teleporting away.
"One day that girl is going to end up as some kind of deity somewhere." Speedy says as he walks over to find his arrow.
"Better hope not, she wouldn't want that." Cyborg says with all amusement having disappeared from his voice. "Anyways, let's go see if we can rent a big screen."
Salem:
"S...Still a little cold." Raven says with slightly clattering teeth as she appears outside of Fate's Tower.
"Doubt that will change." Bruce mentions. "Think it will matter?"
"It puts a limit on how far I can travel in space." Raven replies, thinking about getting frozen solid in transit as she puts a hand on the wall of the tower, opening the portal to its interior. "I guess you want some privacy for this?"
"She won't believe you aren't listening." Bruce sends back.
"Would you?" Raven asks as she walks up the first staircase.
"No." He says as Raven takes off and flies to the opening in the starry room that leads off to where Fate and the others will be and almost collides with someone big coming the other way.
"Raven?" The man asks.
"Captain Marvel?" Raven says in surprise at the big man, noticing there wasn't a scratch or burn on him. "Good to see you've healed."
"Thank you and likewise." He notes. "The Wizard mentioned your quest when I woke up and I was hoping to wish you luck before you went ahead with it."
"Thank you; think I am going to need it." Raven replies. "You've fought Adam before?" She asks.
"Oh, too many times really, you can guess we aren't really friendly."
"Is there anything you can tell me about his psyche, without breaking the deal I made?" Raven asks.
"Only that his ego matches his strength, one of his gifts is that he is virtually fearless, but he becomes unfocussed when angered. But I am sure you know what can happen when he gets like that?" Raven nods, having read that part.
"I may need to get him that way to lower his guard." She says.
"In that case, if you need to speed him along; he doesn't like being reminded that he was cast out by the Wizard. Also, he once lost his great love, Isis, to foul forces known as the Four Horsemen of Apokolips. No one knows how or why they came for him, but they did and Adam lost his first attempt at a family and peace. Today Khandaq, the country in which they settled, is a blasted wasteland, a testament to Adam's grief and rage." Marvel explains.
"We have files on those." Batman mentions.
"Noticed the references." Raven sends back.
"Thank you for the information Billy."
"No problem, don't go easy on him if you have the choice, for he won't." Marvel replies with a smirk as they part ways. Him leaving the Tower and her heading down the maze of corridors.
"Welcome back." Fate says as Raven meets him at crossroad between the corridors further into the structure.
"Thank you; you know why I am here?" Raven replies.
"Indeed, she is down here." Fate says as he continues down the way he was heading, followed by Raven. "I can remove her hangover if you want to."
"No." Batman replies.
"As you wish, but she is quite sullen." Fate mentions. "How was it to meet Shazam?" He asks.
"Uncomfortable." Raven replies flatly. "Especially when he turned me into something…different."
"The other shape you mentioned?" Fate asks getting a nod, Raven hadn't told them much about the encounter before she had departed. "I suspected you might have one, but I couldn't prove it. The usual shape you took just seemed too…human, for the station you have."
"I didn't think I'm human enough to begin with."
"Well, we appreciate you are as human as you are. Zatanna is in here." Fate says as he points at a door before he walks on.
"Do you want to go first?" Raven asks.
"No, it's better she doesn't think she is being deceived." Bruce sends back. Raven takes a deep breath and prepares to face the sorceress on the other side of the door before opening it.
As Raven enters she finds Zatanna sitting inside a blue glowing circle that is just big enough for the bed she is sitting cross-legged on with a book in her lap. Raven admits the woman has looked better than with the almost wild hair and the ruffled and ruined dress shirt, from where she is standing Raven can see a sleeve of the dark jacket usually covering the dress shirt sticking out from behind the bed. When Zatanna looks up and her blue eyes lock with Raven's purple ones, she slams her book shut before standing up besides the bed. Raven can feel the woman's anger rise like a like fire.
"What are you doing here?" Zatanna asks. "Here to gloat? It wouldn't surprise me; your kind is like that." She remains silent as Raven shuts the door behind her before walking to stand before the containment field. "What? Nothing to say? Doesn't surprise me, your kind never have anything useful to say when it comes to the point…" Raven cuts her off by visibly rolling her eyes at her.
"If you are quite done, there is someone who wants to talk to you." She says before changing shape, replacing her features with Batman's.
"What are you doing Zee?" Bruce asks quietly as he hides his body under his cape, Zatanna just glares at him.
"You're not fooling anyone with that stunt Raven." Zatanna growls.
"This is me Zee."
"Shut up! Only my friends get to call me that!" Zatanna yells before banging her hand on the barrier that springs to life around her.
"You counted me amongst those for a long time, since your father taught me." Batman sighs. "You even used it as an argument once to explain why you were still following me."
"You…you raided his mind for that information!" Zatanna shouts, seemingly even angrier than before. "How dare you!"
"No Zatanna, Raven has done nothing like that to me…unlike you, remember?!" Batman replies while his voice turns low and deadly, the other Leaguers know that he doesn't like to talk about this. "You erased some of my memories." He continues as he pulls the cowl back to stare at her, Zatanna is at once almost falling back onto the bed at his tone and getting lost in his eyes. Unnoticed by either of them, a black tendril of power crawls off Batman and races along the floor. "Remember?!"
"It…it's really you?" Zatanna almost stammers, her voice having lost all of its previous anger. "How?"
"Raven is lending me her body for this; she lets me control her movements while she maintains my shape and keeps me from influencing her powers." Bruce explains.
"Sh…she would do that?" Zatanna asks.
"Yes, because she trust me into letting her having it back." Bruce continues. "Why the drinking Zee?" Zatanna looks away from him and folds her arms around herself looking very vulnerable. "Zee?"
"I…I couldn't deal with it; you kicking me out. When I got sent back to Gotham I needed something to make me forget it, guess it started there. It ate me up, the thought that I was proven wrong, that you believed someone other than me. The booze made it easier for me to sleep. I tried going back to focusing on my career, but I couldn't. I felt like everyone knew and were just laughing at me when I wasn't there. 'There goes the mighty Zatanna, once closes adviser to the League in matters magical, now just a stage magician.' I told my company that I would be out a week, saying I needed to clear my head, instead I went on a binge. If it wasn't in some bar in Gotham with John, it was in Shadowcrest. After I woke up on the station, I was only not drinking in the time span I needed to heal my jaw, that I still don't know how got broken in the first place. And now I'm here, hung-over and not a drink in sight." She sighs.
"You won't get one, you're better than that." Zatanna huffs at him, keeping her back to him.
"No I'm not Bruce. I enjoyed loosing myself as much as I hated waking up with a hangover and I want to do it again when Fate decides to let me out. I don't handle loss very well." She continues.
"Drinking won't solve it or make it go away, you know that."
"I know, but what else did you expect me to do? Rage? Go into a depression?! Or turn it into a source of strength like you?!" She asks as she faces him again with her anger growing again.
"I expected you to move on and try to make yourself better, like you did with your father." Zatanna just stares at him, while something inside of her breaks at the mention.
"You don't get it Bruce, what you did was the greatest humiliation I have ever experienced and the greatest defeat I have had to endure since I lost him! You know me, how I plan my stage acts to make sure they never fail on stage, you may be able to handle public humiliation, but I sure as hell can't!" Bruce sighs at her outburst.
"What you felt from that was entirely of your own making. You have a lot of pride Zee, but it blinds you more than you realize. There are things we can all be wrong about…"
"When have you ever been wrong about anything?" Zatanna cuts in.
"I thought keeping Robin close to me after that night with the Joker was the right thing, in the end I pushed him away. I thought when he left that he would come back eventually, but he didn't. I have several times been wrong about my priorities when it came to crime, sometimes with fatal consequences. I just don't let it affect me too much beyond from what it teaches me. I know what you need to learn."
"What do you know about magic?" Zatanna sighs.
"I am not talking about magic; did you know Superboy has a soul?"
"He's clone, born in a tube, he doesn't have one." Zatanna replies flatly.
"Raven disagrees with that, she met him when informing the Kent's about the current situation, she could see it, but it is smaller than it should be. We could see it as well, like a pale blue aura that surrounds a person. The lesson is to not jump to conclusions." Zatanna sighs when he finishes before replying.
"You would have jumped on her if you could sense what I did." She continues, returning to the argument about Raven.
"Maybe. But that's not what I saw; I saw a small, frail girl who had spent a good deal of time to work up the courage to ask for our help."
"Demons are known deceivers, when she appeared; I felt like I was standing in Hells doorway, the malice that poured from her was so thick I couldn't believe none of you could feel it." Zatanna replies.
"Do you still feel it now?" Bruce asks.
"I can't sense or affect anything beyond this." She says while knocking on the barrier.
"Did you sense it on the satellite?" He continues, Zatanna closes her eyes and thinks for a moment.
"I don't know, I wasn't looking at feelings, only a four eyed demon with red skin that had hospitalized me and gotten me into trouble with the League." She shrugs, Bruce does the unexpected and he crosses the barrier markings.
"Wonderful, now we are all stuck in here." Raven mentions.
"Now?" He asks.
"I…" Zatanna's surprise is quickly replaced with an air of professionalism as she takes a long hard look at Bruce. "I still feel like Etrigan is breathing in my face, but I can't sense the amount of malice I remember." She says after staring for two minutes. "What happened?"
"Raven explained it was not her malice you sensed, it was her fathers. You know how demons can affect their offspring better than I do."
"I do." Zatanna agrees. "Christ I could use a drink."
"Zee, if you want to continue along that path, it is your choice and I will intervene when it becomes too much. But I am asking you as a friend not to force me to do it. I will talk to the others if you get cleaned out, you will have to work hard to earn back the trust that has been lost, but I know you will get there eventually." Zatanna and Bruce lock eyes as he speaks.
"You…you'd do that?" She asks, half hoping, half not believing.
"I'd rather not have to worry about your condition when I'm out on patrol, not to mention Joker would probably take an interest in you, if you begin appearing in Gotham's alleys." Bruce replies with a smirk, Zatanna coughs stifling the laugh.
"Way to kill the mood Bruce. I will try to be better."
"You already are." Bruce says with a smile gracing his face, pleased that she seems sincere. "There is one thing we need to know, you were kidnapped and brainwashed during the last month."
"Guess that's why I have a hole in my head." Zatanna sighs. "What happened?"
"Luthor happened, a lot of heroes and unwilling criminals were treated the same way. But you, Katana and a man called Bushido were shown in public raiding a S.T.A.R. Lab's facility, you were opposed by a group of guards, of which there is no trace, except an arm." Zatanna eyes go wide with shock at the explanation. "For the families, we need to find them."
"I…I…don't remember anything like that. Before waking up on the satellite the last I remember is falling asleep in my apartment."
"This can be your first step." Bruce sighs. "Since we are all stuck here, I am going to ask you to work with Raven on this. And you two need to make peace." He says before letting his features fade, leaving a slightly miffed Raven standing in his place.
"The Bat God has spoken I guess?" Raven notes.
"I guess." Zatanna replies as her features harden slightly. "Can you even do something like this?"
"I can try." Raven shrugs. "What I do fear, is that I might get to see what you are missing as well, possibly something more." Zatanna seems to think about this for a moment.
"If you do, you can share some of yours with me, deal?" Zatanna asks while fixing Raven with a stare.
"I have to warn you about that, some of my recent memories are not something you'd want. And I am not sure I can choose what to share with you, assuming you mean sharing by linking minds." Raven warns.
"I'll take that chance." Zatanna says firmly. "Deal?"
"Deal." Raven nods, hoping that she won't see anything inside of Zatanna's mind. "So have you ever done anything like this?"
"Yes, unfortunately." Zatanna sighs. "I guess physical contact makes it easier for you as well?"
"It does, but I can do it without having to."
"Well let's make this quick." Zatanna says as she climbs onto the bed to rest her back against the headboard, Raven moves to stand between the barrier and the back of the bed while gently placing her fingers on Zatanna's temples.
"Try to relax, I know it will hurt both of us if I have to force my way in." She warns before beginning, Zatanna takes a deep breath before closing her eyes, behind her Raven's eye begin to glow white as she enters.
Zatanna's Mind:
As Raven opens her eyes again, she finds herself on the stage of a huge theater with red drapes and green wood framed seats, the only light is what is being shone on her from a projector hidden near the ceiling.
"Figures." Shayera notes at the sight, she isn't in here with Raven but watching from the Council.
"Zatanna, can you hear me?" Raven asks ignoring Shayera.
"I hear you." Zatanna replies but remains unseen for a moment before she materializes before Raven. "Hmm, see what Hawkgirl means." She says as she looks around. "So what now?"
"I guess we need to look for something you don't know anything about, this is your mind after all." Raven suggests.
"So like a closet I don't know what is inside?"
"Yes, but it could be anything else, a piece of wood, possibly one of your props." Raven continues as Zatanna takes on a thoughtful expression.
"It's somewhere backstage amongst the props." She says before turning to walk behind the big green curtain bearing Zatanna's name in gold letters, Raven follows her, to find a huge dark area littered with the props she guesses Zatanna uses in her shows.
There are boxes containing wands, cages with rabbits, doves, mice and other smaller animals. Larger equipment includes several vertically orientated boxes Raven knows is supposed to be sawn in half with a person inside. A sour reminder of the time Raven was turned into a rabbit by Mumbo creeps into her head.
"I take it this looks all very silly to you." Zatanna notes as she browses the area, having often noted that Etrigan didn't have any kind of respect for her day job.
"I am not really into the spectacle of magic, but I was just reminded of a nutcase from Jump City."
"Mumbo, heard about him. Wasn't all of his magic in his hat?" Zatanna asks.
"It was, along with the craziness. Do you play fair with all of this?" Raven wonders, she knew already that despite being a practitioner of real magic, Zatanna was also supposed to be one of greatest in the fields of conventional stage magic.
"Mostly I do my shows without using real magic, but I often throw it in for the finish, like I usually say, 'save the greatest trick for last'." Zatanna replies as she eyes a box at the size of a man that has a top hat placed on top. "Strange, I don't recall this." This catches Ravens attention.
"Don't touch it!" She says suddenly as she remembers something, getting an odd look from Zatanna. "There is something you need to know."
"What?"
"I did meet you in the complex in Jump City and I am the one who broke your jaw." Raven admits. "But that is not why; I heard from Diana that you somehow caught Dr. Psycho's attention."
"Somehow I guessed it was you." Zatanna sighs. "Look I appreciate the warning, but if we have to find where I sent those guards, I got to do this, even if I won't like it afterwards." She says before placing a hand on the box. "Huh? Nothing?"
"Umm, perhaps what you are missing is inside of it?" Raven suggests.
"Guess so." Zatanna replies before trying to pry open the lid. "Damn thing is stuck, give me a hand?" Raven moves to pull as well, the two women strain till they think something will pop before falling back having pulled the lid open. "Nothing?" Zatanna notes as she gets up to look inside the empty box.
"It's not empty…you just refuse to see it." Raven notes. "I see a dark mass standing in it, but I can't tell what it is. Your hand is on it now." She continues as Zatanna puts a hand forwards slowly, brushes against the dark shape.
"I…I can feel it. Damn this is bad!" She say before doing what Raven feared she would, she jumps into the box that slams its door shut after her. A split second later Zatanna's scream shatters the world in her mind and sends Raven flying back into the real world slamming her back into the barrier.
Stunned only momentarily by the event Raven quickly gets to her feet as she hears frantic breathing coming from Zatanna, as she gets up, she seen Zatanna lying curled up on the bed clutching the sheet like it was the only thing that can save her while her eyes are completely vacant but panicked.
"Zatanna?" Raven asks, but receives no indication of the woman even hearing her. "Zatanna?!" Raven asks again as she gently touches the woman shoulder, this gets an instant reaction as Zatanna kicks out with her left leg colliding with Raven's ribs before she almost tumbles off the bed to the far side, looking even more scared than she was before.
"NO! STAY AWAY! DON'T TOUCH ME!" She screams while moving to get as much distance between herself and Raven.
"I am going to calm her down." Raven sends inwards to the others before turning her attention to Zatanna, letting her empathy affect the woman slightly, trying to calm her. "Easy Zatanna, I am not going to hurt you, I want to help." Raven says while holding up her hands and moves slowly to appear non-aggressive.
"Stay away!" Zatanna continues as she shuffles away as Raven moves around the bed.
"I know you are scared, let me help you if I can." Raven says as she continues to approach slowly.
"You can't help me…" Zatanna sobs as tears begin welling up in her eyes, but she remains seated on the ground. "No one can help me."
"We can try?" Raven asks as she slows down even more as she comes closer. "What happened? I can feel it is tearing you apart, don't bury it."
"I…no…stay away!" Zatanna says half heartedly as Raven slowly sits down next to her. "I can't."
"Yes you can, you have to." Raven says quietly, feeling every emotion rampaging through Zatanna as she tries stemming them with her own powers. "What happened?"
"They….they…oh god….they raped me…." Zatanna whispers the last part, Raven hears it all the same and it hits her like a lightning bolt.
"What?!" Raven asks out of nothing else to say.
"THEY RAPED ME!" Zatanna screams into Raven's face before falling forwards to cling to Raven like a child while crying her heart out. The mortified Raven mechanically embraces Zatanna, the woman she feared and even hated for so many years, while being the only one to support her through this. Fate and the others soon arrive finding the two like this.
Authors notes: Because I've had the questions a few times now I think I'd better clarify a few things about this series:
1) Raven doesn't have siblings, however interesting the idea from the comics was that Raven embodied the original sin of Pride with her six brothers, I didn't like how that effectively threw the usual DC perception of the Seven Deadly Sins being entombed in the Rock of Eternity into the air. Also it ruined the dynamic between Raven and Trigon as I saw it; why would he want or need her when he had 6 others who'd gladly dance to his tune? For those who read it, much of this story was actually written before the New 52 was launched...also I am not sure if Belial father of Etrigan and Merlin is the same Belial eldest son of Trigon that appeared in the Phantom Stranger a few months ago, if thats the case Etrigan is effectively Raven's nephew.
2) Physical powers, ever since being introduced to the Godswater Raven has had the physical properties and abilities of a normal Amazon which includes, increased durability, increased strength that will eventually make her able to lift around 12 tons (in the world of superheroes its actually pretty low, Cyborg and Starfire has way more for instance), enhanced reflexes (if the JL episode Fury is to be believed; all Amazons can deflect arrows with their bracelets). Changing into her first demon shape however lands Raven closer to Wonder Woman's physical level than most, she is still weaker and slower than her, but she has her magic and other abilities to argument her. The Armor of Vengeance arguments this even further. The final form however...that's something I prefer you all read about :)