XIV
Air National Guard Base 51
Transporting her soul-self across vast distances of space was easier than physically teleporting. In her spirit form, she could have traveled as quickly to Mars as Connecticut. While her conscious being was divided into two, a part of her was still tied to her physical form in Gotham. Bruce was admiring her legs while her soul was hundreds of miles away. Her physical form glanced up at him and smiled as his face turned red. True consciousness was ubiquitous, a goal she aspired to.
The base was a collection of nondescript buildings, so Raven began with the largest. With the number of military vehicles parked outside, it seemed the best place to start. She would have preferred to wait until night instead of early evening to do this, but it seemed time was of the essence.
Gliding inside as a raven-shaped shadow, she slid across the shadows on the walls, flickering from room to room. She could travel like this for up to five minutes before the pain from separation of soul and body became unbearable and she began to die. She had searched over half the complex when she came upon a strange sight.
In a large room, bits and pieces of furniture were spread across numerous tables. At first, it was difficult to tell it was even furniture until she saw mattress coils. It seemed as though someone had dissected every single household item the Free's had, carefully documenting each piece. In the center of the room was what appeared to be an 'operating table' with machines she had never seen before. Even the stuffing from the chairs and couches had been bagged, stored in lines and rows along tables.
Besides the extraordinary effort of combing every fiber of possessions that the Free's owned, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. This was bedding, chairs, tables, carpet and even drywall reduced to shreds… a wholesale forensic audit perhaps?
Raven faded into the corners when she head voices approach.
"…I don't think there's much more we could do, Sir. We've conducted every test we have available. To the best of our knowledge, there is nothing extraterrestrial about these items. We've even traced them back to their point of purchase." It seemed to be a lab technician.
"Just make damned sure of that before all this *%!# is crated." His superior officer.
"Yes, sir."
Raven could feel the first real pains of soul separation. In another minute, it would be pure agony.
"Carry on. I hope those boys from LexCorp found more than we did."
Success! Raven let her soul self pass through the shadows of the wall and into the dark corridor beyond. Once she was sure no else was near, she teleported her soul self back to Gotham and into her own body. Upon uniting, despite her best efforts, she still doubled over in pain.
"Four minutes, and seven seconds" informed her husband. "I was beginning to worry. You weren't breathing."
"No… when the soul departs, the body dies. I believe it's what you call an 'out of body experience' here. Would you put on some tea?" Raven watched as her husband blanched and gripped the table for support.
"Raven… I am so sorry! I had no idea I was putting you life in jeopardy! I will never ask you to do that again. I am so sorry."
"My soul will fly back to my body before I die, dearest. My people have been practicing this separation of soul and body for centuries. Only those who choose to exist as spirits would die from this. In the early days of Azarath, many elders chose the spiritual form of existence to ensure there were enough resources for its newest citizens."
"I still have much to learn about your people."
"In time, my love… I'm afraid I am not able to provide you with the news you wish. The army's search was fruitless. Only the mundane furniture items, broken down to individual fibers remain at the Air National Guard Base. LexCorp has the rest."
"Damn! We may already be too late."
Bruce and Raven were surprised when Alfred suddenly entered the kitchen.
"Terribly sorry… came in from the garage. The traffic finally abated. Shall I prepare dinner?"
"It's alright, Alfred," responded Bruce. "We had your wonderful leftovers. Have you eaten?"
"No sir." Bruce seldom saw Alfred eat anything.
"We saved you some, as well. Or you can make yourself something different. Would you mind putting on some tea, Alfred? I'm sure Mrs. Wayne would love to convey recent events."
After Alfred had made tea and politely finished off two biscuits, Raven relayed the evening's events to him and Bruce in fine detail.
"With all due respect, Sir" intoned Alfred, "I don't believe Vice President Luthor is trying to detain Big Blue."
"How so, Alfred?" asked Bruce.
"Our government would seem to be aware of who currently possesses this off-world technology if it exists. It sounds like a sanctioned investigation. If something were to happen, suspicion would immediately fall upon Luthor. Sabotage is something best done to someone else, not yourself," explained Alfred.
"True…" Bruce contemplated this for a moment. "Which means that Luthor wants Big Blue found."