Warm Welcome
After finding the location of the asylum, the 3 men took refuge in the famous Wayne Manor. After a brief introduction, Richard and Bruce had gone off to catch up while Victor and Charlie were left to unsettle and try to relax.
They were escorted to their guest bedrooms and were given permission to roam the mansion, only to steer clear of locked doors. The two complied and without a word, Charles went to his room.
He stared at the room in awe. It was a room fit for a king, yet it was offered to him as a guest. He tossed his duffel bag on the ground and took a seat on the bed. He was amazed at how comfortable it was and he completely stretched out, feeling stiff from riding in the T-ship all day.
About a half hour passed before he heard a knock on the door and Richard's voice asking, "Charles?"
Charlie stood up and smoothed his blonde hair back before opening the door. "Richard?"
"Hey…Victor mentioned that you just locked yourself in without a word…everything okay?"
Charlie sighed. "No. And you know why. I just…want tomorrow to come already so we can see her. I'm really worried about her."
Richard glanced at the floor. "Can I come in?"
Charles moved to the side, allowing him entrance.
Richard gave a small nod before closing the door behind him.
Charles narrowed his slightly. "What's up?"
"I wanted to let you in on a few things before we head up there tomorrow morning…"
"Okay." He sat down on the edge of the bed.
Richard crossed over to the window. "When we go up there in the morning, only one of us might be allowed to see her."
Charles' eyes widened. "Only one?"
Richard nodded. "I know what you're probably thinking, that I'll be the one to step up and say I should be the one to see her. If it comes to that, I think it should be you."
"Me? Are you sure?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes. There's a good chance she'll immediately dismiss me or Vic, but since she had a recent connection with you, she might be willing to listen to what you have to say."
Kilowatt nodded, "That's…very nice of you. I definitely was not expecting that."
"Another thing…" Richard rubbed the back of his neck. "They…might not let us visit her at all."
Charles stood up, "What?"
"If it comes to that, we'll have to try again the next day," he continued.
"Wait, what?" He asked louder. "You mean, if we're told 'no', we just say 'okay' and walk away? Are you joking?"
Richard sighed. "Look. Normally, I'd fight back. But this is Arkham Asylum we're talking about. If we're denied the visitation, there's probably a good reason why."
Kilowatt took a deep breath. "So…if we're denied…we keep coming back."
He nodded, "Yes."
"Alright…" Charles sat back down.
"Get some rest. We're getting up early." He tossed a communicator in Charles' lap. "No need to set an alarm, it'll go off when it's time."
He studied the communicator. "Um…how many of these things do you have on you?"
Richard chuckled and without answering, left the room.
"Hoarder," Kilowatt muttered under his breath.
He decided to try and sleep. He turned the light off and was about to get into bed before his communicator went off. He grimaced before answering it.
After a moment, Gar's face was visible on the round screen. "Kilowatt!" He said in greeting.
Charles raised an eyebrow. "Garfield? What's up?"
"I just…wanted to see how you were doing. Also, is Dick still mad at me?"
He chuckled, knowing very well the changeling had only called to ask about Richard's attitude toward him. "I'm fine, and I don't think he's mad at you anymore. He seems a little more relaxed now."
Garfield sighed in relief. "That's good…I feel really bad that I can't be there."
The blonde man shrugged. "It's fine, don't get worked up over it."
"When are you guys going to see Raven?" the changeling asked.
Charles cleared his throat. "First thing in the morning."
Garfield paused for a moment. "Tell her that I'm sorry I couldn't be there. And that I miss her."
"I will," Charles answered.
"Thanks, dude. I owe you one."
"No problem. I gotta get some rest now. Boss's orders," Charlie said with a chuckle.
He snickered. "Got it. See ya."
Charles shut off the connection and placed the communicator on the end table near his bed. He tugged his shirt off and tossed on top of the duffel bag.
His mind was flooded with images of the sorceress. He pulled a blanket over him and assured himself that he would see her tomorrow.
"Tomorrow," he mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.
As he slept, he dreamed of the endless void he was trapped in before Raven had come to his rescue.
He walked the planes, filled with panic when he finally realized where he was. His heart pounded in his chest as the familiar white fog started to roll in. He whipped his head left and right, feeling the temperature drop. "No…" he whispered to himself.
That was when he started to run. He sprinted in away from the fog, but it seemed to catch up to him effortlessly. His breathing hitched and his eyes were wide with fear.
He fell to his knees and held his head, closing his eyes. "This has to be a dream, this can't be real," he murmured to himself.
His body trembled slightly as he continued to reassure himself. Suddenly, a feminine whimper caused him to freeze and lift his head quickly.
His thoughts immediately jumped to former heroine. "Raven!?" he called out.
His call was left unanswered, but the whimpering quickly evolved into sobbing.
Charlie wasted no time. He immediately stood up and started running toward the source of the sobbing. As he ran, his eyes scanned the endless plane, squinting through the white fog.
He heard a chain being dragged across the ground. He turned around and was blinded by a bright light. He shielded his eyes with his arms, surprised.
Once he was able to tolerate the light, he lowered his arms and opened his eyes slightly.
He jumped at what he saw. Raven was seated on the white floor in a fetal position, a chain locked around her ankle. To his horror, she no longer wore her normal leotard and cloak, but was dressed in a white gown that appeared to be too short for her. Her feet were bare and her hair had grown past her shoulders. She was trembling and sobbing.
He took a cautious step toward her, unsure if he should call out to her or not.
Raven seemed to sense him and she slowly lifted her head, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, as if she couldn't believe the sight of the man in front of her. "Who…?"
Charles knelt down, ready to reach out to her, but to his horror, Raven stood up in a flash and sprinted away from him. His eyes widened. "Raven, wait!"
The former titan continued to sprint away, her hair whipping behind her. She didn't say a word.
Charles chased after her, determined to catch up to her. He called out once more, "Raven!"
That was when a bright flash of light lit up the dark area.
"Ah!" Charles covered his eyes, blinded by the sudden flash.
Silence filled the area and the scent of rain tickled his nostrils. Adjusting his eyes, he slowly uncovered his eyes and looked around.
Jump City, he recognized, and not a soul in sight. He cleared his throat and called out, "Raven?"
He was answered with silence. Charles walked amongst the abandoned city, his heart heavy.
He was always used to the livelihood of Jump City. Seeing it like this hurt him inside.
Unable to think about where to go, he powered up and flew as fast as he could to the tower. He knew this wasn't just a dream. Raven was free from whatever barrier they had her in. This may be his only chance to communicate with her if he doesn't see her tomorrow.
Guilt flooded his heart. Even if he was able to see her, what would he say? What could he say? He could apologize a million times…and he still wouldn't expect her to forgive him.
He approached the tower and wasn't surprised to see it in such a sorry state. It was leaning to one side, threatening to fall into the ocean any minute. He landed on the roof and scanned the sky. That was when he heard something creaking.
It was close and sounded like something was moving with the breeze. It wasn't raining, but it looked like it would any minute.
He followed the source until he realized it was coming from the edge of the roof. Something was hanging from the edge over the ocean. His heartbeat quickened, afraid of what he might find.
He hovered over the edge and his eyes widened.
Hanging in what appeared to be a large, black birdcage was Raven. He blinked, unable to believe she was wearing her familiar black leotard and royal blue cloak. She appeared to be in a deep sleep.
"Raven!" He shouted. He gripped the cage and shook it, trying to wake her up.
Raven continued to sleep peacefully, undisturbed by Kilowatt's attempts to wake her.
Charles tried to pry open the cage, but the bars were thick and would not bend.
He hovered back a little and studied the cage. He looked over his palms and glanced back at the sleeping sorceress. He didn't want to use his powers on her, but he felt at this point, he had no choice.
He started to create a small ball of electricity in his hand and before he could aim at the former, he heard someone behind him whisper, "Don't."
He turned around, unsure of what he would find. He immediately allowed his ball of electricity to disappear when he came face to face with a child-like Raven wearing a sky-blue cloak.
She hovered just 10 feet away from him, her eyes fixed on his.
"…Raven?" He stared at the girl, dumbfounded. Just how many Ravens were there?
The girl nodded. "You can't do anything to wake her," she said, pointing at the cage.
As she spoke, Charles tried to determine what emotion she represented. He wasn't familiar with her at all. "Who are you?"
The child hovered past him and toward the cage. Without turning around, she responded, "Hope."