Avenging Justice 3:

To Infinity and Anti-Life

Part XXXV

Earth, California, Jump City

Raven's insides were cold, and her whole body felt like it was about to explode and freeze at once. Dark skies circled overhead, even as new reports went on about Spider-Man slandering a resurrected Superman, who had been turned into a cyborg. Their words didn't reach her, she was both a million miles away and stuck looking at a spot just five feet away. Around her, the other Titans were getting ready for battle. Yet, all Raven knew was fear.

Her power began to flick out, her iron clad will being eroded by fear and doubt. He was coming, an arch demon from what many called Hell. Her only allies were an alien, a cyborg, a guy who could change into any animal, and one brave, yet still very human being. She had hoped to gather more, but not long after coming to this world, one fell. Now the other she had hoped to find, Wonder Woman, couldn't afford to come.

In truth, she had thought there would be more time. In reality, she had come to realize that she had hoped this day would never come. Trigon had all but wiped out the people of Azarath, and now he had followed her here. The question was how had he gotten a host, but then again she remembered her mother had been in a cult of his. So, his arrival didn't really need an explanation, one of his people probably gave up their body for him to inhabit.

"You okay there, Raven?" Beast Boy came over, one of the few times she hadn't seen him smiling.

He was concerned, and she didn't need her powers to tell her that. All of them were, but it took her a moment to realize it wasn't about face a demon or devil. They were worried about her! Immediately her mind went to trying to assure them that she wasn't a threat, despite the evidence to the opposite of that. As if to accentuate this, a dark tendril wrested around a lamppost nearby and bent it by ninety degrees. Yes, that wasn't going to help.

This time it was Nightwing, "Listen, Raven, we're here for you. No matter what happens, you're not alone."

"Rob-Nightwing is right," came the eternally bubbly voice of Starfire. "We're going to stomp his curb!"

Cyborg groaned and laughed, "You mean we're going to curb stomp his butt." Then he gave Raven a very human grin, "This guy may be the big bad where he comes from, but we got something he doesn't"

"You," Nightwing finished. "Now, Titans when this guy get's here, we fight as one. Starfire, I won't you on our perimeter. Beast Boy, run hit and run attacks, and Cyborg, bring the heat. I'll keep him off balance, and that leave you Raven."

Raven felt another cold spike down her spine, "I'll do my part."

"I know," he gave her a quick firm grip on her shoulder. "You know this guy, tell us what you need, and we'll bring it. You can do this, together we can win."

She felt her own spirits lifting, she could almost believe that it was going to be as easy as he said. Nightmares still sounded off in the back of her head, but she had something positive to focus on. She could almost feel her mother's warm arms wrapping around her, but now wasn't the time to be focusing on that. Raven had to remain focused, couldn't lose control, not now.

Jump City went silent, all the normal sounds and sights just stopped. People were gone, and vehicles seemed to be stuck in whatever position they had been traveling in. One airplane was stationary, but caught in the process of landing. A helicopter hung at an angle, turning to change course, while a boat was stuck about to crash down. The wave it was riding still had the white tipped crest showing below it. The only movement came from the Teen Titans, as they were nearly incinerated by a spout of flame.

"I see you have found other outcasts like you," Trigon's voice came from a black and orange helmet. "Luckily for me, this mercenary was willing to make a deal."

Nightwing scanned their attacker and had a very good guess as to who the mercenary was. Though Trigon had made a few changes, the orange and black armor and the weapons clued him in to the identity of the demon's vessel. This fight was going to be a lot harder before it got easier, because this guy even gave Batman a run for his money.

"Titans, spread out," Nightwing called out. "That's Deathstroke the Terminator, he's a master of practically every weapon created, and was dangerous before getting a devil in his head."

Trigon turned, "It would be the squishy one that would be the smart one. Listen, boy, just leave. You're out of your league here, just like your mentor."

"You don't look so tough," Cyborg yelled as he leveled a plasma blaster from his hand. "Time to see if demons bleed. Booyah!"

Trigon thought momentarily allowing the blast to hit him, but that would possibly damage his vessel. It wouldn't be much to fix it, but he wanted his vessel at full strength, just in case this was a ruse. Why would she only select these outcasts as her champions, hadn't the massacre of Azarath taught his daughter anything? If not, he was going to enjoy teaching her the error, before he broke her.

A growl from a large tiger caught him off guard, just momentarily. Trigon turned and slung the green beast toward the ground. He was impressed as the tiger morphed into a falcon and then came back for his eyes. He swing at the hawk, meaning to end the shapeshifter's life, only to connect with a pachyderm. The elephant trumpeted and fell hard to the ground, managing to morph into a sugar glider before it hit.

Trigon growled and sent a gout of flame at the small creature, when green energy blasts buffeted his body. At the same time, the forgotten blast from the cyborg hit him, and actually hurt! This being wasn't made with the technology of this world, but of another. The pain he'd felt came from just one world he could think of, Apokolips, and that brought a devious smile to his lips. There might be more he can do with the cyborg, once done with the others.

He healed his body, and shot back flames at the flying girl come at him. Meanwhile Cyborg repositioned himself, only to find the street reaching up to engulf him. Trigon smiled, and then scowled as an electrified batarang embedded itself into his flesh. The surge of energy hurt his host body, and Trigon sent a dark blast at who had thrown the weapon at him. Much to his surprise the blast missed!

Then his target, shot out a line that wrapped around his leg. That didn't bother him, he just reinforced that part of the body to keep it from getting harmed. However, when the blue and black clad warrior threw the other end to Cyborg, Trigon realized the error. Cyborg yanked with his might, and sent the possessed Deathstroke slamming into the ground.

"Now Raven!" Nightwing called. "Starfire, pour on the damage. Cyborg, unload everything you got!"

The area lit up with the blasts even as Trigon was pelted with dark objects, and Raven's magic assaulted his host body. The sky lit up, and it was painful to look at, despite this, Nightwing looked on. Once again, thankful that Bruce's teachings had him prepared for most things, and thus he'd built in diffusers into his mask. The lightshow was still bright, but wouldn't blind him.

Beast Boy came up in Tyrannosaurus Rex form, and slammed one massive foot down on where Trigon was, "This is what you get for hurting one of my friends!"

Then, it was all silent, too silent. Nightwing recognized it first, nothing had returned. He went to shout a warning when he was sent flying. Cyborg and Beast Boy were sent crashing into a nearby building, and Starfire had dark tendrils wrapping around her. Her eyes were wide with terror, and thousands of cuts slammed into Raven, tearing into her armor.

"That was pitiful, unexpected, but pitiful," Trigon claimed as he reached his feet, and then slowly started to float into the air. "If the world can only send him children, let them watch what happens to children!"

Pain washed over the Teen Titans. The world faded to a bright, blinding white light. Their screams lifted up from their throats, but nothing came out. The heroes only knew agony before the blessed light took them, but they couldn't help feeling like the end was near. All but one, who refused to give up. Then again, not everyone had been trained to be a force of will, to be more, to be a symbol of hope, or at least Justice.

Sector 1128, Elemiar, Orbital Station Prime

Kyle Rayner fell to the deck, exhausted. He'd been receiving a crash course in how to operate the ring, but it still eluded him. His teacher was being patient, but there was an obvious time frame they were working against. He could feel the pressure, and he could also feel how out of his depth he was. Was this guy sure he was who he thought he was? Shouldn't this be a little easier, if he was some type of savior?

"Take five and get some rest," the Emerald Knight said. "We'll begin again in thirty minutes."

Kyle stumbled over to the nearby bench, and collapsed. He felt like that kid in high school again, being run ragged by the gym coach, because he was the artsy one. Then again he was so tired, he might have been substituting a show he had watched, instead of that memory being a real one. Either way, this guy obviously had made a mistake. The only thing was now to tell him that, and take the crushing realization that he was just a nobody.

He ordered his battered body up, "Listen, I appreciate the galactic tour, but I think you made a mistake."

The blue and green clad man shook his head, "Nope, no mistakes made. What makes you think that?"

Kyle struggled up, "Well, if you haven't been watching, I'm not getting it. We've been at this, and maybe I'll get it. But you told me that this thing was close to happening, and I can't do this!"

The Emerald Knight turned, "Do or do not, there is no try."

"Great you're quoting Star Wars to me!" Kyle felt his shoulders lag. "You can't give me that and then tell me that the whole of existence is riding on me."

The Emerald Knight response was just as cutting, "Would you rather have me lie to you? You can do this, the only person you need to convince in this room is yourself."

"Well at least you admitted in this room," Kyle grunted and then went back over to the bench.

From the side, he heard the door open and another enter into the room. Thanks to the perfume the woman was wearing, he knew it was the other Green Lantern from this sector. This one was a native to the planet above, albeit strangely wearing a get up that looked like Catwoman from back home. Come to think of it, the guy was looking like a cross between Green Lantern and Batman.

Immediately his artist's mind was going over the shapes and remaking them into something from that. Immediately he had two Chibi images for them, and he couldn't help but laugh. Yes, art was his life and he constantly was working on his style redefining it, and remaking it. Looking at the world and recreating it into different ways, to express a message, to express a thought or feeling. That was what he was. At that moment the main feeling he was having was frustration, but there was a bit of fear in there. What if they were wrong, and he doomed everyone.

"Is my love running you ragged?" the newcomer asked. There was a bit of humor in the inflection, that she felt the situation was funny despite the stakes.

Kyle nodded, "I doubt I could even lift a pencil or a brush at this point."

"I would hope that is not the case," the Green Lantern woman sat down beside him. "He's told me you're a very good artist."

Kyle laughed, "My on again off again says I am, but there is a reason why they call it a starving artist trope."

"Yes, here on Elemiar we have those as well," she responded. "My uncle tried to keep several employed, but couldn't save them all. Sometimes talent found once in a lifetime, is lost because it's not found till after the artist is gone."

Kyle leaned back, "I wouldn't say that about me."

"He thinks so, in fact he said it was your gift," she replied back. "Don't ask me how, because I can't tell you. I've come to trust him, but I would like to see an example of your work."

Kyle sat there for a moment, "Sure, do you have some paper, a pencil or something to draw with?"

The Emerald Knight came back over, "Start by viewing it in your mind, trace it out with your hands." He handed Kyle an empty tablet, focus on the picture.

Kyle shrugged and immediately his mind went into creation from nothingness. He thought of the subtle curves of the land, the jagged peaks of the mountains. There off in the distance was the lapping of the lake, a fisherman was casting off in a rowboat. The grass swayed in the gentle breeze, but what he remembered was the bird flying. He focused on the animal.

He started to draw out the shape of the wings, the angular nature of the beak. He sketched out the talons, connected to the legs swept back. The tail was fanned out, catching the air and stabilizing the bird. Feathers waved as the air flowed over them, and the bird of prey's eyes focused on what it was hunting below.

In that moment Kyle drew inspiration and he began to draw in the air, getting the patterns right. He'd done this dozens of times, both when painting and sketching, and he could see the sketch come to life in front of him. The lines were green instead of black, and he began to see the bird's take form as the construct materialized in front of him.

He heard the bird's call, and that was enough to break him out of his artistic space, and there before him was a green bird of prey flying near the ceiling. Then in just a matter of moments, it slowly went to nothingness. The light particles making it up, just slowly lost cohesion and evaporated out into the atmosphere.

"Congratulations, that was your first construct," the Emerald Knight said.

Kyle smiled broadly, "Can we do that again?"

"Don't know, can you?" the Green Lantern woman asked.

He looked at them both, "Yes!"