XXIV
Moments Ago
Bruce immediately went to his wife, crumpling beside the bed. For the past year, Raven had been the most stoic, detached person he had ever known. Suddenly emotion poured from her so that he too felt the panic, the urgency that had gripped her. There had been moments when he believed himself to be married to someone void of the common passions of humanity. He had been terribly wrong.
The tears that flowed from Raven preceded heart-breaking screams of anguish. Within seconds of her first tear she had collapsed into a ball on the floor, saying that one terrible word, over and over again, clutching the bed spread until it was pulled down with her. Wayne held her as tight as he could as madness attempted to tear her free of her body… waves of raw emotion pulsed through her to his core. He was suddenly fearful that her sanity might snap, that anguish would overcome her, that she would never come back to him. Or take him with her.
And then he feared for the both of them, so overwhelming was her sorrow and terror. And he remembered why she feared her emotions. Because she would become like her father. Her dark self would be revealed and tear away the barriers between worlds.
Then, with a snap, Raven sat bolt upright. Her eyes stared intensely ahead, but her mind was elsewhere. She cast her gaze across countless realms, piercing dimensions. Finally, she uttered a word…
"Mother…"
With her two words, Bruce was able to piece it together. Raven's mother lived in the realm of Azarath. Had Trigon returned to Azarath? Was he threatening her mother? He knew he would not be able to prevent Raven from leaving him at that moment. He knew what he had to do. He took her firmly by the shoulders and stared into her indigo eyes until he reached a shred of her vast consciousness that have traveled beyond this world.
"You… do not… go anywhere… until… you put on… my cloak. Twenty seconds, Raven."
Like a flash, Bruce Wayne dashed to the closet and pushed aside a year's worth of tailor-made Italian suits to remove the gift specially made for her. It was based off of her own cloak and dress that she had worn when first they met. But it had one great advantage.
It could turn her invisible.
When Wayne Industries had developed the stealth suit, Bruce couldn't help but think of the possibilities this opened up for his wife. She could teleport anywhere. But to teleport anywhere and be invisible at the same time…
"Put this on, Raven. Quick. It will make you invisible. Save her."
Incredulously, his wife listened and slipped on his stealth cloak. It fit well.
"It's very simple to use. Tape the left raven-head brooch that holds your cloak and you're invisible."
Wayne watched his wife's delicate hand reach across and tap the button. And then, like magic, she disappeared.
"It works. Go, save her Raven." He smiled in the direction where he thought she would be.
Letting her go alone was hard… what followed was unexpected.