The Unknowing
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or anything dealing with DCU
Chapter Two: Help From An Old Friend
….
Third Point of View
….
Raven stared at the creature before her. It towered over her, ready to slam his fist at her but she was too quick. She moved before he could register it by jumping over him and kicking his backside. He stumbled but she landed perfectly on her feet.
She had sensed his presence in town and decided to track him out here to the middle of the desert. It was very hot and very dry, something she wasn't a big fan of considering her cloak and fair skin but she had to admit it was nice not being around so many people with so many emotions. They were getting harder to deal with as of late.
The creature growled as he leapt for her but before she had a chance to dodge and send a blast of her powers at him, he came crashing down to the desert floor. She caught the eye of a batarang attached to a piece of cord wrapping the creature from head to toe.
Raven smirked as she walked up to her longtime friend, probably her best friend if she was being honest with herself.
"Nightwing, it's so good to see you again. I was very relieved to find out you're alive. That… really shook us."
Nightwing scooped Raven into a tight hug. He smelled of fresh linen and a musk that could only be him. It was soothing, it almost made Raven feel at home in his arms. Almost. Pulling back, she began looking him over. He definitely made a full recovery, physically, to which she was very thankful for.
"It's good to see you, Rae." He flashed her a smile that could light up a whole room.
"How are you doing, Dick?"
After Nightwing was shot in the head, everyone thought he had died. It was one of the saddest days in her twenty-two years of existence. He was the glue that held the Titans together. He was the friend she needed and she understood him in ways he never had to say aloud. He was one of the best people she's ever met, truly good. She couldn't help but cry when she got the call that he was alive and would make a full recovery. He deserved a better life. So did she.
"I'm okay but I'm sure you already know how I feel better than I do. Looks like you've been keeping busy." Nightwing chuckled, stepping back and gesturing to the creature he helped her subdue.
Raven smiled and was about to respond when she was overcome with flashes of two people she had not thought of in quite some time.
Before she was able to reflect on the quick images, she was suddenly bombarded with strong emotions. Anger. Anxiety. Fear. She looked at the source these emotions were practically dripping from.
The man was tall, even taller than Dick. He cast a shadow that nearly filled them all. Raven isn't short but her head barely reached the middle of his chest. His outfit reflected military grade wear with a bulletproof chest plate. Across his chest displayed a red bat, similar to Nightwing's blue one. Interesting. Sporting black cargo pants with a gun on each leg, black boots that also appear bulletproof and a worn brown leather jacket. But the first thing she noticed was his red helmet with white optics. It was scary but in an exciting way.
His emotions were fading. Good. She felt something familiar, too familiar for her comfort but she would need to know more to better understand that feeling.
"Nightwing, why do I feel like this man is your brother? Raven asked, looking upwards to her friend.
"What the fuck?"
This drew both Raven and Nightwing to look at the voice who spoke from under the helmet.
"Raven, it's a long story but your feeling is right, as usual. He's my brother. I need your help, his too," Nightwing answered.
Raven peaked at the man again and then back to Nightwing. "I trust you but he looks like the type of person we lock up and he has guns. Who is he?"
"Seriously? You don't know who I am?" He paused to read the witch's blank facial features. "Well that's a first. Where'd you find this one, Dickhead?"
This man was full of surprises, she has never heard of anyone referring to her friend in such a way. He may need to be watched.
Nightwing sighed. "Raven, this is Jason. Well, Red Hood when he's in uniform. Look, I promise I'll explain more of my checkered past to you but not here. We need to get outta here and to a safe house. I'm thinking the Titans tower, no one is there right now."
Sighing, she looked between them. "Fine, I'll take us but you both need to hold onto me and don't let go. It's gonna be cold. But first…" Raven trailed off as she flicked her wrist towards the creature, creating a portal that swallowed him whole.
"Where'd you drop him off?"
Raven eyed her friend. "Does it matter?" His disapproving look was enough answer for her. "Relax, I just sent him to a jail cell on his home planet, where he can't hurt anyone. Now let's go."
Nightwing held Raven's hand while Red Hood grabbed her left arm, causing her to release a gasp. It wasn't so much the touch but more to do with the sudden rush of his emotions unleashed on her. His emotions were already strong to begin with but they're tenfold with direct contact and he was not shy about holding back.
"Everything okay, Raven?"
"Yeah." Raven turned to Red Hood. "Do you have to feel so strong? You're practically drowning me, hold some of it in."
If he made a face, she didn't see it behind the helmet but she felt how taken aback he was. She got the vibe he wasn't used to people talking to him like that.
With that, Raven teleported them to the common area of Titans Tower and immediately took a couple steps away. She needed to balance herself after the onslaught of negative emotions. She calmed her mind, steadied her breath and chanted her mantra. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Okay we're good. Turning back, the first thing Raven saw was Red Hood without his helmet and him looking at her with a puzzled expression.
The man was absolutely gorgeous, probably the most gorgeous man she's ever seen. Even more so than Dick. He had an overall rugged look about him but in a very adonic way. Small cuts littered his chiseled face but they were barely noticeable. His brown curls mixed with a white streak that fell messily upon his mesmerizing blue eyes. She could stare at those eyes all day.
Wait, that's not right. He felt odd and odd usually wasn't good but she did trust Dick so she'd give him a chance. She needed to look away from him before it was obvious she was unintentionally checking him out.
"Okay, Dick, seriously where did you find her? She looks like she's barely keeping it together. How is she going to help us?"
The sarcastic one, are we? Hmm, he might not be all bad. Raven raised a brow. "I only needed a minute because you can't keep your emotions in check."
"Excuse me? You in my head or something, Sunshine? Because that's not a place you want to be."
"Oh trust me, I know. You've got a lot of rage trapped in you that I want to shake off."
"And how would you know that?" Jason moved his hand to rest on his hip, while holding his helmet in the gap it made.
"Empath," Raven answered with her monotone voice.
"Great," he said sarcastically as he sighed and looked around the room. He didn't want her reading his emotions, just the idea made him feel vulnerable and that's not a feeling Jason Todd likes to associate himself with.
Dick sighed. "Let's save it for another time guys. We have bigger problems right now."
"Such as?" Raven prodded, leaning against the kitchen table.
"Well I don't know too much yet, that's why I've gathered you two here to help me find out what is going down in Gotham. I've been having these dreams about Joker but I can't help the feeling he's allied himself with someone else. I've only seen glimpses but I have this feeling that there's more to the story than I think. Joker isn't known to work well with other criminals so if it's even remotely possible he's teaming up with other criminals then that can only mean something big is about to go down. And we need to find out what it is and stop it."
Chills went up and down Raven's frame as she listened intently to her long time friend. How could this be possible? It couldn't be, could it?
"It's Brother Blood and Slade," Raven's low voice broke the silence, causing both of the men to focus their attention on her. "I've had… similar dreams of Sebastian, only of Sebastian but when we hugged, it unlocked more. I saw flashes of Slade as well as Sebastian."
This was already turning into a horrible nightmare that Raven did not want to concern herself with but knowing the fear she felt is exactly why she needed to stop whatever their plan was. She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't afraid of them each individually but together? That thought alone made her want to leave this dimension and start anew somewhere else. But that's not what hero's do, that's not what Raven would do. Thankfully she never had any encounters with Joker but his reputation itself scared the jeebies out of her. The man is pure chaos and she's an empath. That's asking for trouble.
Meanwhile her history with both Slade and Brother Blood was long and twisted. Slade once worked for her father and made sure to put her in her place on her sixteenth birthday so she would willingly accept her destiny to destroy worlds. To this day, she would still wake up from nightmares screaming, soaked in sweat from remembering his hands on her. He thoroughly broke her down both mentally and physically before tossing her off that god forsaken building all those years ago. Brother Blood was just as bad if not worse. If his cult was involved then it usually meant they wanted to summon Trigon or capture her so they could brainwash her and summon Trigon. Either way you look at that, it spelled disaster for not only poor Raven but also the world.
"Our bond." Dick shook his head in confusion. "I hadn't felt it in a while, I honestly thought it was gone after all this time but this would explain why I'm having these dreams. Raven, I think their target is you."
Of course that's what's happening. It only made sense. The lack of meditation and sleep definitely played a big role in that. It was like someone, Blood, didn't want her to stay focused.
"So Sebastian, Slade and Joker are all possibly working together? That just doesn't make any sense. Slade isn't the type of person to affiliate with the Joker, he's too unpredictable. There's too many variables with him, too... chaotic." Jason added as he ran a hand through his dark locks.
"I know, something isn't adding up here and we need to be the ones to put a stop to it before it's too late. Now more than ever if it's as bad as you say." To emphasize his words, he balled his fist and hit it against his other hand like he did so many times as a teenager.
Raven paused, looking him over as she contemplated her next words. "Dick, if Sebastian is a part of this then… we might need more backup. We barely defeated him before and now Slade could be working together and add Joker to the mix?" She shook her head. Bad idea. Very bad idea.
What was their motive? Why would three well known villains group together now all of a sudden? It just didn't add up. Why anyone would want to even think about working with Joker is beyond her.
Dick took a moment to sigh before he continued. "Everyone else that I either trust or think could help with his are unavailable. We're all we have right now."
"What can Joker do to me that he hasn't done already? I'd like to see him top his last performance." Jason scoffed as he leaned against the counter a few feet behind them.
"Do you really want to test that theory, Jay? I know I've had enough run-ins with Slade to last the rest of my life. I'm sure you have too."
"Yeah yeah, let's just figure out what their plan is so we can kill them and move on already. I'm tired of dealing with Joker and Deathstroke." Jason didn't leave room for comments as he turned towards the door and made his way to who knows where in the Tower.
Raven turned back to Dick and searched his face as she felt his emotions circulating throughout him. He couldn't hide his fear from her, she knew it all too well, hell she lived in fear most of her life. "Dick, I can sense your fear over this situation. I can ease it if you'd like, it might help you focus better," came Raven's smokey monotone voice.
This caused Dick to chuckle slightly as he leaned back on the couch. "I appreciate your concern and offer but I'm okay, thank you. I have a deal with fear."
"What do you mean?"
"I live in fear everyday so I can harness it at my will instead of letting it consume me. You could say it motivates me but I'm more concerned with you. I know you're an empath but I've never seen you struggle so much with someone's emotions. Jason's obviously affected you a lot. Is something else going on, Rae?"
"It's nothing to worry about, I'm fine." Fine wasn't the best way to currently describe her life but it was the easiest answer.
"Raven, I know there's more to it than that. You can talk to me about whatever is going on. You keep so much bottled up, it can't hurt to let it out."
She sighed. "I've been having dreams."
"What kind of dreams?"
"I-I don't know for sure, I've only seen glimpses. It's the emotions I feel from it that are… the most intense. There's so much pain and agony, it's throwing me off balance. I haven't been able to center myself properly."
Dick looked down at his feet before he faced her again, concern wrapped in every syllable. "Have you been meditating regularly?"
Frustrated, Raven ran a hand through her hair and started pacing with her arms folded into her. "No, not nearly as much as I should be. I've been having trouble… focusing."
"How so?"
How do you tell your friend that you have this gut wrenching feeling that something extremely bad is going to happen soon but you don't know what or when. It is infuriating. "Meditating hasn't been that helpful. Lately, before I can really get into it, I start seeing the flashes I mentioned. And the other day, I got this wave of dark energy that made me want to… well, act more like my heritage." At this point, she stopped pacing and threw herself on the couch. She didn't feel 100% herself and that is the only thing she can trust right now.
Dick took a seat across from her. "Do you think this could be related to Trigon? To Brother Blood?"
"No, it can't be. I'd smell his stench and there's no way he can escape unless I allow it." Raven paused. "It has to be Sebastian. I don't know what his motives are but he's doing a damn good job at messing with my head. It's fine though, I'll figure it out. I think I left a couple books in my old room that'll help me meditate." Groaning, she rubbed her forehead to help alleviate her oncoming headache.
"We'll find Joker, Brother Blood and Slade and bring them to justice. If you're ultimately their target, you know I won't let them hurt you." He gave her shoulder a squeeze before standing up. "I'm sorry you're going through this right now, Raven. I really am but I still need your help, if you're up for the task."
Groaning, she looked up at Dick before finally conceding with what she knew to be the right thing to do. She would never say no to a friend in need, especially one that saved her from hell. He was the only person she truly trusted for a long time and felt completely comfortable around. He always strived to do the right thing, something she respected immensely. But there was a darkness buried very deep within him that he fought to control when his OCD kicked in. Raven could easily relate with the bat boy. Besides, if Sebastian is up to something then she needs to know.
"Of course, Dick." She huffed before continuing. "I just can't promise I'll be totally in control of my powers."
"I understand. We'll stop them together but we'll need the bat computer's help to locate them." It's one of their only options right now to get some headway into this mission.
"You want us to go to Gotham? I don't think Bruce likes me that-"
"Bruce won't be there, he's dealing with a Justice League mission that'll have him out of the states for a while." Raven frowned but nodded in agreement. "I gotta give Kory a call to let her know what's going on." With that he exited through the double doors. Raven watched him disappear, settling into the couch as her eyes wondered around the spacious room. Not much has changed since she left the tower, except for the foolsball table by the wall. If she had to guess, Gar would be the reason for that addition. Now that Vic moved out, Gar probably wanted the extra distraction when he has downtime. Everything else remained the same and it brought more comfort to Raven than she expected it would. But as nice as it was, she knew that feeling of comfort is exactly why she can't stay here much longer.
I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I can't wait until we're in Gotham.
