"Guess you saw that?" Terrific asks over the communications array in the Bat Wing, Richard just nods while eying the mushroom cloud, he's pretty sure everyone with eyes in this region saw it. "Got some more bad news to go with that, the blast is enough to contaminate the entire island. But it gets better; the pressure may have damaged the dam and the other nuclear plant."
"Ok everyone, new situation; Captain Atom, this is your area, clean up as much as you can. Captain Marvel; we need you to check out the dam for damage. Green Lantern, I need you to come with me to the other power plant." Richard instructs
"What about the rest of us?" Donna asks.
"The island is a hot zone, meaning it has lethal levels of radiation right now, until Captain Atom has it under control it's too dangerous to set foot on the island without proper protection." Batman explains.
"No offense kiddo, but I think it's better if we send in Palmer than you. He's a science expert after all." Green Arrow mentions and Richard is silent for a few seconds.
"Agreed. Palmer, go with Lantern and get the other plant secured." Richard orders while silently being annoyed he wouldn't have a chance to find out of who won the power struggle before reminding himself that he didn't even know if either of them survived. "The rest of us will have to wait till the radiation is under control."
"In case of hostiles?" Captain Atom asks as he passes by Richards's jet, normally he wouldn't ask but there simply was no telling if the Oolong scientist had made something that could withstand a blast like that.
"Engage and subdue, but priority is the listed targets." Richard replies.
"Got an incoming transmission from China." Terrific says before a rust-brown armored man appears on Richards screen.
"Justice League, this is August General in Iron of the Great Ten, vacate the area immediately!" Richard sighs, just what he needed, nationalist meta-humans.
The Rock of Eternity:
"As you requested; Black Adam." Raven says to the ghost in his seat before dropping the ankle she was holding onto.
"Yes, a fine piece of work. As the terms of our bargain remains fulfilled; the spell you requested." The wizard replies; as a scroll of paper lifts from a jar next to his chair and floats to Raven, who suspends it in mid flight and has it unfurl in front of her without touching it, finding it written in Sanskrit.
"Can I ask where you acquired this?" Raven asks as she looks up from the scroll.
"All magic passes through the Rock of Eternity, every spell and incantation cast is recorded here. But what you are asking is where it came from. In the region of today's India a sorcerer once believed that he would not achieve nirvana during his life and began fearing rebirth as a lesser creature, thus he devised this spell, amongst others, so that his spirit could return to his body before he was reborn." Shazam explains. "This was one of the many he tried before he believed he succeeded."
"Did it work?" Raven asks. "The one he believed was the right one?" She elaborates as she notes this spell wasn't possible to cast alone and it required that the wizard had already died, meaning others would want him back.
"After a fashion, the man was reborn in his body as he wished it would. Alas for him, as he died at his desk, he knocked over the candle providing his light and his body was horribly burnt when he resurrected. He died again shortly after, I believe he was reborn as a pig or a monkey." Shazam says while looking into the distance while stroking his beard as if not remembering the incident clearly before noticing Raven again. "You look unwell?" He notes as she sways a little.
"Must be the radiation." Raven guesses, she is feeling a little nauseous.
"I see, I will send you to those who can aid you, farewell Raven of the Pit." Shazam says as his eyes glow again and Raven finds herself back on the League satellite in a shower room.
"Radiation shower." Bruce mentions. "Store the scroll and take one, don't change shape."
"Radiation could be instantly fatal for you in your normal shape." John adds as they all come to the realization that Raven's bubble hadn't been completely radiation proof at best.
"After that, you need to have yourself checked out in the infirmary." Diana continues, remembering Raven had walked through Tartarus with a broken arm and not noticed, and a broken arm was at least one thing she'd have after that fight.
"Not that I don't mind the concern, but you are fussing." Raven says wearily as she shuts the door before activating the communications array next to it. "Hello, anyone there?"
"Raven? Is that you?" Terrific asks.
"Yeah, I'm in the radiation shower." She replies.
"Figure you might need that. Was it necessary blowing up the entire island?" Even through the circuits, Raven can feel the annoyance in the man's voice.
"It was an accident." She sighs.
"One that's killed over 200 people."
"What?" Raven asks in surprise, she was certain she had removed everyone from the island.
"They haven't found the bodies yet, but the blast would have killed everyone else there." Raven sighs in relief at this.
"I removed everyone from the island before that, sent them to another dimension." The line is dead for a second.
"Which one?"
"The one I hold some sway over, they will be fine unless they don't follow one very simple rule."
"Hmm ok. Get decontaminated and then you bring them back."
"I think I may need something more than a shower." Raven says as her vision blurs for a second, causing her to lean against a wall, a tickle in the back of her throat has her coughing into her hand that comes away with blood in it. "Oh no." Raven says before blacking out, knocking her head into the wall.
"Raven...?"
Later, the Watchtower:
"Well, I'll admit she is sturdy, most other people would have ended up like bacon with her amount of rads I'm pulling off her." A voice says, as Raven regains consciousness.
"At least she is mending." A familiar voice continues, though it sounds muffled. "She is coming to." The voice says as Raven opens her eyes into a painfully bright light, one that fades after a few blinks enough for her to see two figures standing above her. "Rae?"
"Uhh, what happened?" She asks, only dimly remembering talking to Terrific before blacking out.
"You appeared on the station with enough radiation to power the old space gun for a blast, exchanged a few words with Terrific, and then passed out." The un-muffled voice says, to Raven's vision he appears to be made of silver, the other is wearing an orange radiation suit.
"Terrific jumped into a radiation suit and got you scrubbed clean before isolating you here." The other one says, Raven finally identifies him to be Richard despite the muffling of his voice. "After we were done, the Captain has helped remove any radiation the shower didn't."
"How long was I out?"
"Four hours and 32 minutes." Captain Atom replies as Raven tries to sit up. "Easy, you will still be dizzy for some time."
"Rae, we have to know…" Richard begins as she sits up.
"The power plant was an accident." She sighs knowing where he was going. "I didn't realize where he was heading before it was too late."
"And everyone on the island?!" Richard asks. "The Patrol?! Beastboy?!" Raven can sense the anger present in his being before it starts creeping into his voice. "We found several dead guards on the ground, but none were dead from the explosion."
"They should be fine, I got careless and Adam turned on the guards when he believed I was down. Everyone else is in another dimension, if they are fine is another matter."
"Rae, where are they?" Richard asks sternly.
"The Eight Pit." Raven says while looking up at him. "And if I have to transport them back; I have to get back to Oolong." She says as she tries to get her head on straight.
"No you aren't, besides from the fact the island can now glow in the dark, China saw fit to arrive and evict Cale and her bunch, and they do have a valid claim to the island." Richard says. "Why weren't you in disguise?" He continues as he thought they had agreed Raven would only resort to full scale violence as a last resort and he had thought that Raven would have been able to leave the island relatively damage free.
"We found something on Oolong the others decided would bring the League down on Oolong anyways, making the disguise moot." Raven sighs.
"What?" Richard asks.
"A prototype dimensional portal to Apokolips, Cale wanted to trade technology with them. And with Luthor back, the others are sure Darkseid is back as well. I broke into Cale's head to find out about this thing."
"If that's true, she was right in blowing cover. Contact with Apokolips has been outlawed on a UN level since the invasion, along with the possession of technology from there." Raven looks past Richard to see Mr. Terrific standing on the other side of a glass window. "But it will be hard to prove now."
"Excluding the equipment Orion, Barda and Mr. Miracle carry of course " Captain Atom adds. "But I doubt the UN will be too interested in that when what was clearly a several megaton nuclear explosion went off on an island that wasn't supposed to even have that kind of material."
"That will be our saving grace, China has for a very long time been pushing for strict controls of what was happening on Oolong; the blast just validated their concerns. Even if they really just wanted to get their hands on the tech they produced." Terrific continues.
"Ok, so I can't bring them back there, but where then?" Raven asks.
"Spread them." Richard says after a moment. "All the guards and non-scientists. Dump the rest in Iron Heights. Leave the Patrol up here." He continues, before turning and walks out.
"He is really mad, isn't he?" Raven asks over her shoulder to Captain Atom.
"Had to deal with the Chinese super functionaries, can't blame him." Atom says while drawing the last of the radiation away. "All done, but you need to be aware you still have a risk of developing cancer." She nods at him in understanding, they simply didn't know how her body would react to the radiation exposure. "But you got him?"
"Yeah, eventually." She replies as she notes it down she needed to go see Mid-Night about a general checkup in the near future.
"Good, they put the cloth in the trophy hall after decontaminating it."
"Cloth?" Raven asks. "What cloth?"
"That piece from his chest with the lightning bolt on it, it was still stuck to those." Atom says while nudging the scallops on her arm with a finger. "So are you going to change back in case there's still something left?"
"Not yet, I have some things to do first." Raven replies. "But thank you."
"No problem ma'am." Atom replies while saluting her as Raven gives him a slight smile and a nod before she disappears, letting him turn to Terrific. "Michael, might I ask what we are going to do if Cale takes us to court over all of this?"
"First of all we have no idea if Cale knows Raven or that she is affiliated with the League, the blast has most likely destroyed all records they had on the island. And finally if push comes to shove, I am certain that if the Founders agreed there was reason for her to break cover, then they will have seen something. Not to mention whatever else they might have come across on an island populated by people with no regards for human life." Terrific shrugs, he wasn't that bothered by the prospect of Cale trying to place blame, because it would mean the League had all the reason to talk about what they knew about the island, which would backfire on her.
The Eight Pit:
"Uh oh, I think something is coming our way." Cliff says as he spots what he thinks is a dark carpet that moves towards them from the distance.
"Pretend as if you don't know me, pass it along." Raven's voice filters into Beastboy's head, he waves the others over in a small circle around him.
"It's Raven, pretend you don't know her." He whispers to the others, who look at each other before nodding in agreement, in time to look up as a chorus of wolf like howls heralds the arrival of several figures that distance themselves from the dark carpet that halts.
Beastboy recognizes the monstrous shape of Cerberus as it runs towards them, with three shapes flying besides it. As they come closer, some recognizes the Emissary flying besides Cerberus, the other two are unknown to them, but they appear to be the archetypical demon. With broad shoulders, red mottled skin, curling horns, huge bat wings and long manes of black hair and the cloven feet of goats.
The group comes to a halt a few meters from the perimeter, the Emissary marked, revealing the two unknown demons to also have four yellow glowing eyes and are as tall as the Emissary. But these carry huge weapons, one a huge axe the other carrying two smaller ones. At the sight, several people begin crying in fright. As if it was needed, the Emissary thumps his staff into the ground for attention.
"Kneel humans. The Mistress desires to speak to you." He says before a black flame rises out of the ground, before a figure steps out of it. Although it is human height, there is no hiding that she is by far the most powerful of the group, it just seems to radiate off her or it could just be the fact that the towering monsters behind her lower their gazes to the ground as she appears.
"Emissary, how many?" Raven asks without turning to face the demons.
"Three crossed the line you ordered erected, Mistress." The demon replies, besides the first guard, two others had after two hours of waiting braved the circle after careful scouting out the area and the skies, the others only heard their screams when they obviously ran into something.
"Hmm, very well. Let's see what we have left." She continues as she looks over the group of people. "Urgh! Should have thrown them back." She says and pulls a face.
"Indeed, they are not up to specifications. Except perhaps that group." The Patrol suddenly feels uncomfortable as they are regarded more closely.
"Yes, they may prove useful. The rest is waste." Raven agrees, getting a few worried looks to pass between the humans.
"To the grinders?" The Emissary asks.
"I won't foul the army with such poor nutrition!" Raven snaps back at the suggestion.
"Of course, my apologies Mistress." The Emissary says quickly while bowing and backs away.
"Now be gone from my realm." Raven says to the group as her eyes glow and most of the scientists and guards are swallowed by black flames before disappearing under yelps and shouts. "And you." Raven says as her shadows spread, she leaps forwards, swallowing the Doom Patrol and those they liberated, behind her Cerberus rushes forwards and leaps into the shadow as it shrinks.
The Watchtower:
"Well, that was fun." Mento notes, as he takes in the arrival hall of the satellite with clattering teeth, like the rest of the group.
"Sorry, it gets colder when we enter space for some reason." Raven says with fogging breath.
"Raven? I thought I said Iron Heights?" Batman asks as he eyes the group with the Patrol.
"Shivana's human test subjects. I doubt that Iron Heights was where anyone would send them." Raven replies flatly as she faces the man shortly before turning back to the group, still sensing his anger. "You are safe; these people will help you now." She says in several different languages. "I am sorry if I scared you." She says as the Spanish speaking woman erupts in a scared yelp as the young girl runs from her and over to Raven, who looks surprised, the child only radiates happiness.
"Mama always says we should thank those who help us. So, thank you lady." The girl says in Spanish while looking up at Raven before hugging her right leg.
"No problem." Raven replies a little stunned and pats the child on the head gently before the girl runs back to her mother, who hugs her closely. "I need to go to the infirmary, if that is ok with you?" Raven asks while eyeing Batman, who just steps aside after a moments staring contest, letting her pass.
"He still seemed angry." Shayera notes as they walk.
"He was always like that when things didn't happen the way he wanted them to." Raven sends back.
"Really? He should have had contingency plans ready?" Bruce asks.
"Oh he had plenty, but I think he always wanted plan A to be the one that succeeded. I think, without being disrespectful, that he wanted to prove he could plan as well as you can."
"He ought to know how often my first plan is replaced by a number of others." Bruce mentions.
"I know, wasn't it Helmuth von Moltke that said; 'No plan survives contact with the enemy'?" Raven asks.
"It was, but I hope you didn't plan yours out from that perspective." Bruce continues.
"No, but I like the quote, ever since I did make one plan that was thrown at the beginning. Stupid mistake of mine, miscalculation of hostiles and that they were armed." She sighs as she enters the infirmary, finding Pieter and a few other doctors there who look up in surprise at her. "Don't worry, it's just me." She says the other doctors look at Pieter for confirmation; he just nods, recognizing her voice.
"You don't look injured?" Pieter notes.
"Not yet. But when I change back, and get out of my armor, I will be." Raven says as she walks over and sits on one of the vacant beds. "If you have the time that is?"
"Of course." Pieter says quickly, guessing she was halfway expecting to be turned away. "Umm, can we move you into the suite you were treated in last time?" He asks, getting a quizzing look from her. "We had Fate up to ward it in case you were injured again." Raven nods at this and gets up to walk into the room across the hall from the main section of the infirmary, Raven had noted that you could stand in one room and look at the occupants of the other with some dissatisfaction. "Ok, so how do you get out of it? Are you even wearing it?" He asks.
"Becomes a second layer of skin when I transform." Raven explains while sitting down. "I have to do this gradually, if I pass out the transformation stops."
"That will hurt if the injuries are serious, will you need any painkillers?" Pieter asks.
"I don't know if they even work on me right now." She replies. "Diana, have you ever taken any?"
"Sorry, can't say that I have."
"I think it would be best if I can think clearly at first." Raven sighs.
"I'll be out here, no need for you to worry about injuring me. Fate assured me the wards will hold." Raven nods as he walks out and closes the door behind him before appearing in the window.
"Wing's first." Raven says as the appendages first shrink before disappearing into her back slowly while she grinds her teeth together at the searing pain it brings her. "Hurts." She says as they disappear completely. "I'll be fine." She says before Pieter can talk to her. "Horns and tail." Fortunately for her, she only gets a mild headache from these two. "Ok, the legs normally hurt." She warns before digging her fingers into the mattress and grinds her teeth again as she changes, growling in pain all the while, gasping for air when it is done.
"You ok?" Pieter asks.
"No, hurts like hell!" Raven heaves, she doesn't notice the freed captives being led into the main infirmary behind Pieter.
"Are you sure you can do it?" He asks.
"No, I am not sure what injuries I will have other than my right arm will be broken and I might still be irradiated. And I can't do this last bit partially, like I've done so far." She says as she lies down on the bed. "Here goes nothing." She says as she changes, at first she feels nothing, then it all rushes into her mind and her eyes roll into the back of her skull as she moans and writhes in pain as the injuries make themselves felt. Dr. Mid-Night rushes in.
"Raven? Raven?!" He asks while trying to hold onto her head to see if he can get her to focus and almost gets thrown through the window by a flailing left arm. "Damnit!" He swears as he calls for the crash team by pushing a button on his belt as he gets out a syringe with a clear liquid from his belt, testing for blocks quickly before he literally jumps onto Raven's stomach and forces the needle into her neck between the chain links of the armor. He holds onto her as she gradually slows her movements and she dozes off. The team enters as Mid-Night gets off her. "We need to get this armor off fast, she's hurt bad underneath." He says before beginning to undress her, unknown to him and the others, the former captives are all standing at the window in the other room, staring at the very human face that hid beneath the demon's.
Later:
"How bad is it?" Richard asks as Mid-Night exits after the first check up.
"Severe concussion, broken right arm and lower left leg, several cracked ribs, numerous lacerations and huge bruises." Pieter says. "I'm surprised she could even walk, much less act with those injuries."
"I suspect she doesn't actually feel them when transformed, probably meant as a reason for her to stay that way." Richard says having drifted into 'mission mode' as Beastboy calls it, where he is emotionally detached from the events around him. "Is she mending?"
"Yes, but at a normal pace this time. I suspect the concussion is to blame for that, Zatanna once had one and couldn't focus properly for a period of time." Richard nods at this, Raven once had the same problem, but it had been a mild one. "As long as it's there, I will recommend she doesn't try and do magic, in Zatanna's case it almost made it worse." Richard nods again.
"How's Zee?" He asks quietly.
"Physically fine, I can't go into details." Mid-Night says. "It's her head that worries me, but it's outside my field. I will go and see if there is a chair for Raven." He continues before turning away.
"Thank you." Richard says quietly as the man walks away, knowing he was heard. He is actually breaking on the inside, while maintaining a rocky exterior in the face of the situation on the other side of the glass.
He had seen people in Raven's condition before, usually people he and the others had saved from a gang or an unfortunate person who had received a 'lesson' as the Gotham Mafia's called them. Raven is wearing a hospital grown along with an IV drop in her left arm and a oxygen mask, her right arm and left leg is in a cast. While not much of her is visible of her besides the face and her left arm, Richard has a dreadful suspicion that the rest of her body is as beaten as those, swollen, blue and almost yellow as they are.
"She won." Terrific says, startling Richard slightly as he had spaced out. "China has been on the horn for the last hour accusing us of deliberately destroying everything worthwhile on the island."
"The blast and the fight?" Richard asks.
"EMP the blast generated took out everything electronic, this close even any shielding would have been blown away, the only papers the Chinese have found were in Cale's house, which had been blown into the sea. Also the fight started several fires inside the labs further ruining anything near them." Terrific explains. "What worries me is that even with all of this, there might be some robotics left intact enough for them to work with. But I told them it had nothing to do with us and we were there to investigate some of the rumors Oolong has cultivated, show of force was just in case Cale refused us entry."
"A next generation Amazo I suppose is possible?" Batman asks getting a nod. "And the Patrol? Mento seemed a little different when he got up here."
"They were lied to; Mento was being subtly controlled by Caulder into doing his bidding without it seeming suspicious. Raven had to pass through them to get to Adam in the first place, and she helped them discover something." Richard turns to face the man next to him, sensing something bad. "Caulder arranged for the accidents that created Robotman, Negative-Man and Elasti-Girl to happen. It's because of him they are what they are today."
"Where is Caulder now?" Richard asks with a dangerous edge in his voice.
"Iron Heights intensive care unit, Robotman hurled him into a wall after they found out, admitted by the man himself, no remorse there."
"And where's the Patrol now?"
"They went back to their HQ in the Alps after their debriefing, Mento said he wanted to think everything through and the others needed time to deal with it, Beastboy has stayed behind however." Terrific adds. "Him and the others were here a few hours ago to check up on her."
"They wondered where I was?" Richard asks as he turns back to the window.
"I don't know, they seemed more concerned about her. Starfire seemed particular upset about it. Fate has been by to collect the scroll I found with her in the shower."
"I know, I sent for him." Richard replies flatly. "I'm getting lost in Bruce's monster." He sighs to no one in particular, knowing how emotionally detached he is becoming from everything when he is dressed up in the cape and cowl, and he doesn't like it.
"You are." Terrific agrees. "Look I know Adam and while I don't condone Oolong being turned into a wasteland, I know that if Adam is involved, widespread devastation is almost assured and you shouldn't blame her for it, given a chance he'd throw the island at her with everyone on it. And that little stunt in the main hall…"
"Was out of line, I know." Richard sighs. "I'm trying so hard to imitate him that I fear that I have become him, I keep thinking 'what would Bruce do? How would he act here?' And so on. And that's tough for me to do."
"Remember, Raven has him inside her head, if she does anything wrong, she will know about it. But also remember that you don't have to pretend to be him up here, I doubt those refugee's have even heard about Batman." Terrific says while throwing a look at the people in the large infirmary hall.
"I can't risk people finding out he's gone." Richard sighs.
"No, but I know you, through Bruce, well enough to know that you are more than aware of when people are around you." Terrific continues.
"Not always." Richard sighs, thinking about Slade. "How are they?" He asks and throws a nod at the captives being cared for in the infirmary behind him.
"Malnourished, a little scared and have I don't know how many drugs in their systems, none of it good but they will make it." He replies before pausing. "It's strange; the woman with the child was dead scared of Raven when they got here, now she keeps asking if she will be ok."
"She is wondering if what they saw was real." Richard surmises.
"Probably, but I would be as well if I got my ass hauled to safety by something that looked like her and if I had faith." Terrific shrugs with a smirk.
"I've always wondered about that, how can you not have a little in this world we live in?" Richard asks, knowing Terrific is a proclaimed atheist.
"Everything can be explained in terms of science, heaven and hell are just other dimensions to me and magic is just a type of energy only few can wield." Terrific explains. "Wish there was more though or that the understanding of it was better, there would be no limit to what could be accomplished."
"Personally I think it best its limited, the world is scared enough by the idea of some cook getting his hand on uranium, imagine Luthor or Joker getting the powers of Zatanna or Fate?" Richard sighs. "And if everyone suddenly had it, everything would erupt in chaos."
"Yeah, unfortunately. I'd just wish that it could be used for something more than law-breaking and enforcement." Terrific sighs.
Author's Note: While it was a victory, it had it's price. Next chapter: Monitor Duty :)