The Unknowing

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or anything dealing with DCU

Chapter Eighteen: Compound A

….

Third Point Of View

….

"What's Compound A?"

Blood gestures for Deathstroke to take a seat but naturally he ignores it. He seems to pay it no mind as he takes a sip from his drink.

"Compound A is a nifty little invention we stumbled across while we were trying to create the Comply Serum. We didn't intend for it to go as far as it has but once we had some succession, we had no choice but to continue. It would have been a shame to stop. You see, when one is able to duplicate a metahuman power then you must stop at nothing. So we didn't."

"You recreated metahuman powers? That's never been possible before." Blood has to be lying because that is unheard of.

"Anything is possible with hard work and magic. You should know that, Deathstroke. But like all good things, there is a price. It only lasts for a short period of time, five hours max. For now, anyway."

He sips his drink but Deathstroke can't help but notice his demeanor and tone of voice has gotten darker by the end of his words.

"How have you been testing this?"

"Well, at first I had no choice but to have our members go out and get people. It was a very tedious process. Thankfully, Joker is rather good at rallying people from the streets so once he came to me he took over that responsibility. They're homeless so no one even notices they're gone so they're perfect to test on them. You see originally, when we were trying to make the Comply Serum, we tried hundreds of options. Even experimented with metahuman blood to see if that would have any breakthroughs. It did, just not in the way we anticipated."

"How did you even come across metahuman blood?" He highly doubts that he asked nicely or they were willing to help a crazy cult leader like him. However, his attention is abruptly taken as a newcomer walks into Blood's office. A woman with shoulder length black hair and fair skin strolls in with the utmost confidence. She's wearing a red, velvet coat that splits down the entire length of her frame. Along with that, black skin tight pants with knee high boots. Her outfit compliments Blood's perfectly.

"It's rather easy retrieving samples from fight scenes left behind for the locals to pick up. Not to mention Argus's help from time to time." She places a hand on Blood's shoulder as she smirks in Deathstroke's direction. "We have members worldwide fighting for our cause. Some of them live normal lives but there are others that work jobs where they can keep an eye out on things and report back to us. May Bennett, nice to finally meet you, Mr. Wilson." She says as she offers her hand for a shake to which he ignores but if it annoys her then she doesn't show it as her smile doesn't waver.

"I can't say the feeling is mutual." Great, another person that can't be trusted. One more to add to the never ending list in his life.

"Hmm. You're just like I thought you would be."

"Mother, be nice, we need him and besides, Trigon sent him to us so he is our guest. Now that you're updated on the matter, Deathstroke, it should make sense as to you why Joker and I are currently working together. He gets access to our Compound A and he gives us the Comply Serum. It's a win-win for everyone."

"Until the Joker betrays you and steals everything." They have to know that's exactly what he's going to end up doing. They can't be that arrogant. But that aside, did he really just call her mother?

"Yes, that is something Mother and I have spoken about so we have people watching him at all times when he is here. For now, though, we are all on the same side and we will all get what we want," Blood says as he snakes his arm around May's waist. "I have a favor to ask of you, Mother."

"Yes, Brother?"

"Our new guest needs a proper greeting. Can you go welcome him into the Church?" With his drink in hand he points towards the monitors, their eyes land on the still tied up hero. "It appears he is a bit groggy from the sedative but I would like you to administer the Comply Serum." She nods obediently and goes to leave before he stops her by grabbing her arm. "Don't forget he's trained by Batman, he'll probably need a double dose."

"It'll be my honor, Brother Blood."

Deathstroke watches as May leaves the same way she came in but not before she locks eyes with him. She doesn't trust him, not that he can blame her because he doesn't trust either of them.

"Come my friend, let's watch first hand as one of your old adversaries gets enlightened."

….

Raven's POV

….

After reading for a few hours on the rooftop, we decided to venture back in the manor. The sun has already set and patrol time is closing in. I stop by my guest room to change into my uniform. It would be easier to use my magic but I don't feel that Dick is back yet so I assume I have some extra time to kill.

The body length mirror catches my attention and I can't help but to study myself. The long dress I now wear and have worn since leaving the Titans falls down in a sea of deep blue. Long ago, I traded in my catsuit for this piece so I had more of my body covered. I still can't believe my teenage self decided to broadcast my legs for all villains to see. Growing older, I quickly learned the error in my ways once disgusting comments started to become the norm from Adonis and others like him. There are two slits in the dress that go up the length of my legs but it's not as noticeable with my thigh high boots and my cloak prevents anyone from ogling me. To finish my look, I place my gold belt around my waist and put my blue gloves on that go past my elbows.

My hair is as long as it ever has been, falling to the top of my back by a few inches. Younger me would have been annoyed with maintaining it but it's not as much work as I previously thought. The length makes me look more like my mom even though she had onyx colored hair. I miss her.

Before my thoughts take me down a road of guilt and regret, a knock alerts me of another presence. "Come in, Jason."

As he enters, I can see he changed into his uniform already, minus the red domino mask and helmet. His look always makes me think that he's getting ready for war. He decides to leave the door open to which I appreciate. Folding his arms over his chest, he leans against the door frame. I don't have to feel his emotions to know he's worried.

"I think we have a problem. Dick should have been back by now. He said he wouldn't be at Barbara's long."

I nod, anxiety hitting me instantly. I already have a bad feeling about this. "Have you texted him?"

"Yeah but I'm going to call him right now." He pulls his phone out of his pocket and I watch as he calls Dick. It's not long before he's cursing. "Went straight to voicemail."

Fuck. I have a really bad feeling now. "How long has he been gone?"

"About five hours, something is not right." He stops to scratch the back of his head like I've seen him do a couple times before. "I'll look up his tracker."

"You can track him from your phone?" I ask as he clicks away at the glass rectangle. Why am I even surprised that a son of the bat can track his bat family from the convenience of his phone? Of course he could.

"Yeah, it's a Wayne Tech phone and Bruce makes us all have one just in case one of us goes missing, not to mention the tracker in our arms. Wasn't on board with it at first but for times like these, it definitely makes it easier."

I nod, that's not the worst idea. When I was part of the Titans, I would also have a tracker and a panic button. Now that I'm not with the Titans, I only have the panic button for emergencies.

"Fuck, they're both offline."

He runs his hand through his white and brown curls as he leans back into the doorway. I can feel his anxiety rise within him, mixing with my own. I take a steady breath to release the excess emotions. I need to focus on what I'm about to do. Taking a step back, I hover in the air and sit in my usual criss-cross style. I focus on my breathing, taking a few deep breaths in and out before chanting my famous words.

I find my center and feel my magic spread through my veins and the feeling excites me. Using my magic has always been a reassuring comfort. It's a natural part of me that I've always loved. Unlike when I tap into my demonic magic. That brings a whole other feeling out of me that's addictive.

The tug of magic pulls me forward as I search for Dick. As long as he's alive, I'll be able to locate him. Having a bond with him makes it even easier. My soul lurches forward even more, searching as far away as I need it to find him. He saved me from my father's hell, I will do whatever it takes to save him now.

It takes a few minutes but I finally locate him. He's definitely underground and… he's surrounded by other people. But who?

"Feel anything, Sunshine?"

"I located Dick but I can't tell where he is yet. Hang on…" Releasing more magic, I finely tune in to pinpoint his location. My eyes shoot open once I know where he is. "I need a map."

Jason doesn't question me and hands me his phone once he unlocks it. I zoom into the area I know Dick is and hand it back to him.

"He's somewhere underground in western Bristol."

"Bristol? That's not far from here but… that's the rich area of Gotham. Are you sure-"

"I'm sure. He's underground. I'm not sure the exact location but I can at least get us there." Getting us there will be the easy part, it's what comes next that will be difficult and I'm not looking forward to it.

"That'll have to work for now. We'll handle it as we go." Jason was no stranger to playing by ear, he's been doing it his whole life. So this time is no different.

"Jason, there's just one problem."

"What now?" He raises an eyebrow at my worried look.

I swallow the lump in my throat but it doesn't ease my anxiety. "Brother Blood has him."

….

"So to recap. Dick is gone, captured by Blood. Probably in Blood's hideout, that's underground. Who knows how his state of mind is right now. Oh and Joker is working with Blood but we have not seen or heard from him since he brought homeless people into that warehouse."

I can't stop pacing the length of my room as I go over everything. Listing that all out puts it in perspective how the odds have not been in our favor since the beginning of this case.

"Don't forget Slade's on the loose and wants to kill you," Jason adds from his seated position on the bed.

"Thanks, Jason. How could I possibly forget that?"

"I'm here to help, Sunshine." Jason flashes a charming smile.

I roll my eyes at his poor attempt to lighten the mood. "And Slade is out to kill me at his earliest convenience because he thinks I could essentially eat the world one day. Am I forgetting anything else?"

"That we're shit out of luck."

"And we have no back up." I pause to stand in front of him. Our eyes lock and it's like we're speaking without any words being exchanged. I know he sees the worry in my eyes and I see his reflecting back as well. He clears his throat and stands up, towering over my smaller frame. He doesn't give me a chance to get lost in his blue eyes before he turns to head out of the room.

"I can try to make a couple calls but I can't promise anything."

As I wait while Jason makes his calls, my mind can't help but wonder who he's asking for help. I hope he has some luck because the only people I could ask are currently off-world. He walks back in but his frown doesn't give me much hope.

"Any luck?"

He shakes his head and leans against the door frame again. "No, Roy's already on another mission and Artemis is in Themyscira. What about the Titans? Are they still off-world?"

I cross my arms. "I assume, Dick would have told me if they were back. Jason, what are we going to do? There's only two of us and who knows how many there are of them?"

We fall into a tense silence as we both try to think our way out of this predicament as easily as possible. We didn't exactly plan for it to go down like this.

Straightening up from his leaning position, he clears his throat. "I have one idea but it's risky."

"At this point, I don't think it matters." No matter what Jason and I decide to do, we'll probably be risking our lives anyway so I'm open for anything in order to rescue Dick.

"We'll need the glamor rings and you would have to teleport us to the hideout, where we'll knock out a couple members and wear whatever cult members wear-"

"Robes," I add.

"Sure, wait, seriously? Robes? Okay robes, even easier and then you can use your bond to find Dick and get us the fuck out of there. Then we can make a better plan and go back to finish what we started now that we know where they are." He pauses, waiting for my reply as I think about what he said.

"That… might actually work." And it's the best chance we have at this point.

"But this could also be a trap," he adds as he shrugs.

He's right, this could all be a trap that Blood planned for us but what choice do we have? "Fuck, we're so screwed."

Jason nods in agreement.