Nevermore
It was a macabre setting. The world was an ever-twinkling night sky, billions of stars reaching out as far as the eye could see. Yet, it wasn't as dark as the night would indicate.
Batman craned his head backwards. In front of him was the towering edifice of the Titan Tower. It looked off, however. The main body seemed to slant to one side, cracks breaking up what should have been a flawless surface. The windows in the building were dark, no signs of light or life present. There was a little overgrowth too, as if the building had been abandoned for a very long time.
The vigilante tilted his head to one side. Hovering at seemingly random places throughout the sky were floating rocks, debris that seemed to drift with no known destination. There were larger, rocky islands as well, though it was impossible to tell what was on them from this angle. He could see their underside and it was like looking at stalactites growing out. They were jagged and long, some islands with a single stalactite while others had multiple ones.
As Batman stared at one, he noticed a large chunk of the rocky island crumbled off, its pieces slowly spreading out into the twilight void he found himself in.
So this was Raven's mind.
His knowledge of the inner workings of the mind was limited; however, from what he had been able to pick up from J'onn, entering another person's mind was like entering a strange world, each one designed and dictated by the person to represent them. In this case, the Titan Tower held some significance to Raven, thus its presence here.
But what was the representation for the crumbling, rocky islands? Were they debris? Were they the natural setting for some other world Raven had been too? He didn't know, and it made him feel as if he were out of his depth.
He wasn't alone, however.
Standing next to him was Ace, the girl wearing the black and white leotard he had last seen her in. She didn't look any different than she had when they had first met; whether that was by choice, or she was stuck in the last form she had been in was anyone's guess. She didn't look the least bit perturbed by all of this.
"So where exactly do we go?" the dark-clad man eventually asked.
"To where Ravan's avatar is," the girl replied simply.
"Any idea where that is?"
"Not really, no. Her conscious mind is closed, so it is difficult to locate her."
Naturally this couldn't be easy. "I don't think wandering her mind is the best way to go about this."
Ace turned her head so she could look up at him. He had almost forgotten how short she was. "Do you have any better ideas?"
Sadly, no, he didn't. Batman looked up at the abandoned Titan Tower. Something told him they were going to have to search that building out, not exactly something he wanted to do. There were a lot of rooms there, and there was no telling what they would find. There could be nasty surprises waiting in Raven's subconscious.
"Caw!"
The two turned their heads. Standing on the ground was a black bird; at first Batman wanted to call it a crow, but it was too big for that. How fitting it could be a raven. The bird wasn't looking at them, not directly. It seemed to be looking at something else, right before it turned its head towards them. Two sets of red eyes stared at them.
There was more cawing then. Tilting his head up, the vigilante spotted small forms on top of the tower. It only took him a moment to realize they were all birds sitting on the edge of the roof. Some were by themselves, but more times than not each bird, or rather raven, sat next to a couple others. A few suddenly took to the air, flying as a small flock. A few others flew in then, taking up their abandoned spots.
There was a rustle of feathers then, and Batman returned his attention back to the raven on the ground. Or rather, he saw it flapping its wings as it flew by him and Ace. The two turned their bodies to follow it, eventually finding the raven perching on a wooden post. The post led to a little dock, where a large boat sat.
Make that a yacht. A very familiar looking yacht.
"I think it wants us to follow it," Ace said.
"You think, or you know?" Batman questioned.
"Do you have anything else better to do here?" she countered.
Well, when she put it that way…
Batman took a step towards the dock, Ace keeping up at his side. The two made their way to the boat, getting on board. Batman eyed a W painted on the side of the boat. It was right where it would have been on his missing yacht; however, the font was different. It was more stylized than the familiar W logo of Wayne Enterprises. In fact, the yacht didn't look that much different than Titan Tower, looking as if it hadn't been maintained in years. There were splotches of rust on the hull, the paint looked chipped, and there was grime covering just about everything else.
The four-eyed raven launched itself from its perch, flapping its wings to the bow of the boat, where it took perch again. As if this were some sort of signal, the yacht began to drift away from the dock. Glancing back at it, Batman could see the Titan Tower was situated on its own rocky island. Perhaps that meant the other islands held other places of significance to Raven?
They were about to find that out.
Something was different. Oracle narrowed her eyes at the monitors, reading the images and then moving on to the next ones. A finger hit the right arrow key rapidly as the hacker sought to figure out just what had changed.
It wasn't even something she was seeing, or wasn't seeing, on the screens. There was a feel, one in the air, but it was hard to put your finger on it. What was it? What could it possibly be?
On one of the monitors, the scene of the Birds of Prey defending the Gotham Children's Hospital caught her attention for about two seconds. All of those ladies were fighting their hardest, pushing back against the horde itself and for once it seemed like they were actually doing it.
For example, she saw Manhunter fire off a blast from her staff, and down went another of the constructs. Her movements appeared a little slower, more than likely exhaustion from the constant fighting taking its toll. Yet, Manhunter continued with the same accuracy. From another camera view, Black Canary was efficiently downing construct after construct and take a guess how she was doing it. Like Manhunter, Black Canary seemed to be slowing down a bit as well. You could probably assume the same for Huntress and Katana to different extents.
Moving on, she was able to find three of the Teen Titans and they had paired up with the Batclan. There was a little sense of relief there; at least those kids had someone with some power backing them up. From one angle, she could see Wonder Girl using her lasso to extreme effect and she hadn't slowed down in the slightest. Perhaps that was due to the superhuman abilities that armor gave to her. It was a noticeable difference between the Titan and the Birds.
Oh, and speaking of superhumans, she would always catch glimpses of Kid Flash. Like the Energizer bunny, that kid. Not for the first time did Oracle wonder just what gave speedsters their inhuman endurance. Why not share the secret? God knew she could do with a little more of it.
However, there was a new element added in. Men, and presumably some women, in tight bodysuits expertly wielding swords had taken to the field. Their presence was helping to empty out a couple streets. A quick search of anyone resembling them was done, because the hacker wasn't about to let an unknown party just waltz around Gotham in anonymity. There was a hit, a file from long ago came up, and she nearly had to rub at her forehead because those were individuals from the Demon's Fang. That was from one her own personal files, circa Bane.
She held her tongue, though. They might be on the same side now, but the constructs were the bigger threat, no ifs, no ands, no buts. Now, if only she could find the source. It would prevent…reinforcements…
Quickly, Oracle went over any and all live footage she had, focusing on the sites where the city had its strongest resistance. Streets were starting to be cleared…they were being cleared! Quickly, she sought out anything aimed at that crow construct and…
It looked to be busy, but now it wasn't raining down nightmares and abominations. Why? Why had that changed?
Well, any kind of change like that, you had to assume Batman was involved.
New life began to perk her up. This was exactly what they needed. Quickly, she made an announcement to all agents in the field.
"Good news folks, there aren't any new constructs being made. This is our chance for a push. Let them have it! I repeat, there are not any new constructs being made."
This was not going well.
Gordon and the few officers who remained were being pushed back. They were running out of ammo, and when that happened, who knew what any of them were going to do. He himself was on his last clip.
Heh, to think this would be the way he went out. For years, he had known the possibility of falling in the line of duty, and had come to terms with it. The only regret he would have would be leaving his family behind. Even with the rise in rank, the target on his back only got bigger. With retirement, the risk to his life had dropped dramatically to the point he almost felt safe. One was never truly safe in Gotham.
Humans had been the threat before, monsters hiding under thin skin and suits. Would it be the mob? Politicians and bureaucrats? A random punk on the street? Inevitably, one of the new element of costume wearing-criminals? Monsters out of a Lovecraft book had been low on the list. Life was funny that way sometimes.
Still, he had managed to take some of them down. He could die happy like that, but then…Barbara. Would she understand? Feel guilty? Blame herself? No, no he needed to survive this if only to let her see his face again, alive.
Cars had been used as barriers throughout this night. The one that he had relocated to was flipped away—yes, flipped—and he was exposed by the latest monster of the night. This one was a cross between a spider, a scorpion, and something else he did not want to name. It was gross, but the eight legs, the pincers, the tail, and the mess under it gave little room to wanting to critique it.
So many eyes it had, and it felt like the former commissioner could see his reflection in every one of them. In answer to that, Gordon fired two shots and at least blinded two of the eyes, the monster rearing back then retaliating with the tail, the stinger stabbing down into the pavement that the old man quickly vacated. A pincer swiped at him and nearly snagged his leg. Eight legs let the beast maneuver quickly.
A few bullets bounced off its hide, or perhaps it was more like a shell. Hard, it barely felt anything and was more determined to come after the one that had caused it pain. That would be him.
His back encountered something solid, a building. Not a good place to move back, only left and right, but what do you know, those pincers were cutting off any kind of escape. He was inches away from…was there a mouth on this thing? Of course there was a mouth on this thing, there had to be, everything else had had a mouth.
And there it was. Starting off as a slit, it opened to bare wickedly curved fangs that was dripping with a green liquid. Venom, acid, who cared, Gordon didn't want any of that stuff touching him. Up came his gun, barrel aimed for that mouth, and his finger pulled on the trigger.
Nothing came out, only a hollow click. Damn it, of all the times to run out. He had miscounted at some point. This was not good.
Not good at—
The monster crushed its face into the building, but Gordon was not in front of it anymore. The world had blurred and the next thing he knew, there was a kid right next to him in a tight-fitting bodysuit, primarily yellow with red here and there.
"No need for thanks, citizen, the fastest teen—"
The vomit spewed out of his mouth immediately, the nausea catching up and oh, there was some disorientation. Swell. What had happened?
"—keeps forgetting people can't handle supersonic speed. Sorry about that. Look, you're safe now 'cause the Teen Titans are here! I'm gonna go see about saving some of your buddies. Back in a flash!"
And the kid was gone in a blur, and belatedly, Gordon realized that that had been a metahuman. A fast one. A speedster, like the Flash. Teen Titans? Who were…? Just because he was retired didn't mean he had all the time in the world to keep up with every single thing happening in it. He mostly kept to local Gotham news, like the murder charges on Bruce Wayne followed by the dropping of said charges.
Suddenly, one of the officers from before was deposited next to the former commissioner. Then a second officer and a third after that. A couple started throwing up while the others managed to keep it down, though balance was an issue.
Bolts of electricity in stream form fired past their position. Then an individual in gold armor flew past, wielding a red-glowing rope that wrapped around the tail of the spider-scorpion crossbreed that had nearly been the end of him. The armored individual flew up, pulling the tail with them and picking the rear legs off of the street. Then came a costumed male who glided by with red wings, ones that he used to slice through the tail and amputate it. From above, the armored individual zoomed downward and impacted the creature in the middle of its back, getting a howl out of it while the pincers snapped uselessly into the air.
While this happened, other individuals in bodysuits and wielding swords slipped into the ranks of the creatures, cutting them down. In the midst of them was perhaps a woman, one who was very beautiful in a barbarian queen kind of way, though he could have sworn he made eye contact with her for the briefest of seconds.
"Am I seeing this?" one of the officers gasped, some vomit dribbling down his chin, eyes wide.
"You're not dreaming!" the speedster chirped, depositing another officer who was bleeding from the right arm and then looking like he too was about to chuck some cookies. "You rest up guys! We'll handle it from here."
Gordon found himself quickly reaching out and grabbing the yellow and red teen by the shoulder. A questioning look was thrown his way.
"We're not about to sit on the sidelines. Can you get us some ammunition? Guns? Some heavy artillery? Anything that's not being used by other officers currently?" Gordon refused to be another bystander, especially with his city on the line. He didn't much care why there were metahumans in his city so long as they got the job done.
"You sure? I know it doesn't look like it, but we're getting a little tired ourselves. But don't think we're about to give up! We'll keep at it until the last one goes down!" the speedster answered.
"We're cops. It's our job. I'm asking you to help us do our jobs by getting us armed. Will you do it?" Gordon pressed.
The speedster looked thoughtful. "Well, as long as you don't get yourselves killed, I don't see why not. I'll need…five seconds? Can you not get hurt until then?"
Gordon gave him a grim smile. "We can give you five seconds. Just don't keep us waiting."
Time didn't seem to have much sway here. There was no telling how long the yacht floated through this odd realm of floating islands. Many would crumble off pieces of themselves, some small, some large, and in a couple instances entire islands just fell apart into floating debris. None of the rocks came close to the boat, but they did make you pay attention to them just in case.
While there was the sensation of the boat moving through water, there were no visual indications of this. Batman had looked over the railing a couple of times and aside from a very faint current, one that could be described as translucent, he could see the entire boat. If it weren't for the floating islands, he wouldn't have known if they were moving or not.
Eventually, there was an island that appeared to be at their level. As it came closer, it became apparent the yacht was drifting towards it. In due time, the two reached each other, the boat coming up right next to the island, coming to a stop. There was no sign of a dock, so no way to secure the vessel.
The four-eyed raven cawed then, flapping its wings to take flight. It seemed this was their destination. Heading to the starboard side, Batman planted one foot on the railing and hopped over it, touching down on the island. He turned around and held a hand out to Ace, who accepted it and helped herself onto dry land.
Together, they ventured further onto the island, not having to go very far. They reached what looked like a long-forgotten ruin. Grey cobblestone rocks made up a floor, one that started abruptly on the rocky terrain. The cobblestones eventually formed a small structure, one made of larger stones. It looked like the front of a building, or even the partial remains of an altar, it was hard to tell. There was an archway, one that had been filled in by the same kind of stone it was made of, parts of a wall that extended out from either side of it. Eight stone-and-mortar pillars were positioned in the cobblestone area, forming a semi-circle in front of the ruin.
Batman and Ace approached the archway, where the four-eyed raven had perched once more. The closer they came, the more they were able to discern, such as a variety of strange symbols carved into the masonry. Batman took a knee along the broken wall and studied a few of them. "I've never seen symbols like these," he murmured out loud.
"I would be surprised if you had," Ace remarked. "These aren't from Earth."
"How do you know that?"
"This is a place significant to Raven. I feel that she isn't native to Earth."
So did that make her an alien? He hadn't really wondered about the emotionally-closed off girl's origin, but now he wished he had. There must have been a purpose for them to be carved the way they had.
"You don't belong here."
The two perked up. Batman stood up and spun around, looking out past the eight columns and into the starry expanse. That had been a voice, one that hissed with suppressed rage. Clearly it belonged to someone that wasn't happy they were here.
"Don't talk to them! They might find us!" another voice whispered frantically.
"They don't belong here!" the first voice shot back. "They must leave, you sniveling coward!"
"Leave her alone," a third voice chimed in. "She is only voicing her opinion."
"I don't need her opinion, or yours. These are strangers and they don't belong!"
"We heard you the first time. We're not deaf, ya know."
"You stay out of this!"
By now, there were multiple voices, but one commonality that Batman could pick out. They were all the same voice. Their tones were different certainly, but not once did he think he was hearing completely different voices.
"We can hear you," Batman called out then to interrupt…whatever this was going on.
"Oh good, they have ears," the fourth voice responded blandly. "Big whoop."
"Show yourselves," he pressed. "You have no reason to hide."
"I disagree!" the second voice protested. "The big one looks scary."
"Yeah, key word: looks. He's probably compensating for something."
That's when a fifth voice chimed in. "I don't know, I think he looks badass! Like, he could break a board with his head! Can you do that, Mister? Can you break a board with your head?"
Batman glanced down to Ace, who looked up at him. The little girl just stared for a moment before she raised a hand up, pointed a finger at her head, and began making a circle with it. Hmm, if Ace was calling them crazy, then this just couldn't end well.
"Yes, I can," he eventually answered.
"Super!" Then the voice told the others, "I'm going to meet him!"
"No, wait, you stupid idiot!"
Then, from behind one of the columns, a figure appeared. Batman immediately recognized the figure as Raven, though she looked different from her usual persona. Namely, her leotard and cape were of a dark green rather than the dark blue she seemed to prefer. Also, her hood was down, revealing a face that wasn't devoid of emotion. Instead, she seemed upbeat, her eyes light up with excitement. "Oh, he's just as badass up close as I thought!" she exclaimed excitedly.
There was a sigh then. "Well, in for a penny, in for a pound," one of the other voices said. This was followed by another Raven appearing from behind another column, this one dressed in yellow, her hood up, and wearing glasses for some reason. "We might as well all come out," she declared.
As if that were some cue, from behind each column was another version of Raven. Starting from the left, Batman saw a Red Raven, her hood up with a set of four glowing eyes coming out from beneath it. Her visible face was snarling as she glared at the Dark Knight. The next was one in Lavender, hood up, but she seemed to be eyeing the dark-clad man a bit too appreciatively.
Third was the Yellow Raven. From the fourth column came a Grey Raven, her hood down, and a look of apprehension on her face. She had her hands on the column, as if she were trying to decide whether to hide behind it or not. Fifth was the excitable Green Raven.
Sixth was an Orange Raven, hood up, and a look of pure apathy on her face. In fact, she let out a yawn, not even bothering to cover her mouth. Seventh was a Pink Raven, hood up, but she looked just as excitable as the green one. In fact, she seemed to be hopping from one foot to the other, bubbling with energy. For the last Raven, that one was the literal last to appear in brown, looking as if she would rather be in bed than be here.
"These are all versions of Raven," Ace explained then, no doubt reading their collective minds, or just knowing how the mind worked. "Consider them avatars of her personality."
"Oh, look, the girl speaks too," Orange Raven drawled. "Here I was thinking she was mute. Not sure which one I prefer."
"I say we rip out their throats and cast them out into the void," Red Raven seethed. "Then use their blood to write out a warning for all whom trespass here."
"That sounds like a lot of work," Brown Raven moaned. "I give it a hard pass."
"Not like we get a lot of foot traffic here," Orange Raven added. "We'd be writing a message for all the people who don't come here."
"I just wish they would leave," Grey Raven murmured as she drew closer to her column. "I don't like them being here."
There was a gasp then. "Guys! Do you know who this is?!" the Pink Raven exclaimed. She then lifted up into the air and flew right towards the Dark Knight, stopping in midair as she hovered in front of him. "This is Batman. The Batman!"
"That's him?!" Suddenly, Green Raven was right next to the pink one, practically shoving her face into his. He had to take a step back just to avoid an accidental headbutt with the girl. "No wonder he's so cool. This is totally awesome!"
"He's cool alright." The other two Ravens were joined by the lavender one, who was looking the dark-clad man up and down, a small smirk on her face. "I bet he could bench press each and every one of us easily. I wouldn't be opposed if he did."
"Do you think he'll fight with us? I would love to wrestle with him!" Green Raven squealed.
"I wouldn't mind him wrestling me."
Alright, that last remark was making him uncomfortable. He knew when a woman had interest and Lavender Raven certainly had that. The fact she was a teen made his hairs stand on end.
"Mr. Batman?" Pink Raven then spoke up, drawing his attention to her. She looked as if she were shrinking in on herself, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Can I ask a favor from you?" Her hands then slipped behind her back. "Can you—"
She suddenly whipped her arms back up, holding up a large book. She had it opened to a blank page, a feathered quill held firmly between two fingers.
"—give me your autograph?"
Batman just stared at her.
"Pretty please? I know it's not your thing, but Cyborg and Beast Boy will be so jelly if I get it and they don't. Please, please, please?"
Batman glanced down to Ace, who just shrugged her shoulders. Hesitantly, he reached a hand out, accepting the quill from her fingers. Pink Raven shoved her open book closer to him to make it easier to write. Quickly, he jotted down a few words and placed the quill down between the two pages.
Pink Raven lowered the book down, a wide smile on her face, her eyes closed. Then she moved a hand to grab onto the page he had written on, and ripped it out of the book. She then tossed the book over her shoulder, where it disappeared into thin air behind her—it didn't land on the ground, so there was no telling where it went. Pink Raven then held the page in front of her face, where she practically touched it to her nose. "Soooo coooooool," she moaned.
"Hey, Mr. Batman," Lavender Raven spoke up then. "I don't have an autograph book, but I know a place you can sign on me."
Aaaaaand he was done with this. "Could any of you tell me where we are?" he asked, looking over the heads of the three Ravens in front of him.
"We are in what remains of Azarath," Yellow Raven answered him, taking a few steps towards him. "Would you tell us what you're doing here?"
"Yes, tell us," Red Raven hissed in agreement.
"We're here to help you," he replied.
"Does it look like we need help?" Orange Raven countered.
Yes, it did. He didn't say that, but even he knew a psychotic break when he saw one. "I'm not certain how much you know, but you all have been under assault from days of torture. You have been subjected to fear toxin, which is causing your powers to run amuck."
Yellow Raven stared at him. "I was beginning to wonder why Timid seemed louder than usual." She turned her head towards Grey Raven, who shrank in on herself. "She has been quite restless."
"I'm sorry," Grey Raven said. "It's just…I felt so scared. There was that movie and the monsters and I couldn't do anything and people got hurt and then the scary man kept doing those things with the gas to me. I didn't mean to hurt anyone."
"You didn't do a good job," Orange Raven added.
"Not the time, Rude," Yellow Raven reprimanded.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Grey Raven kept repeating herself over and over.
"We are in search of your main avatar," Ace spoke up then. "If we are able to find her, we can fix everything that is going on."
"Really, you can?" Grey Raven jerked her head up, looking hopeful.
"Of course, he can!" Green Raven exclaimed. "He's Batman! He can do anything!"
"He can do anything he wants to me," Lavender Raven added.
"I'll say," Pink Raven agreed, now hugging her autograph to her chest, her arms pinning it down. She had her eyes closed, that same happy smile on her face. "If I ever got the chance to shake his hand, I would never wash it again."
"Washing is overrated," Brown Raven retorted.
By then, Yellow Raven had walked the remaining distance between herself and Batman. "You do realize that none of the damage already done can be erased, both in your realm and in here. I have to warn you, our mind is not a nice place to be."
"Neither is mine," Batman replied.
Yellow Raven gave him a once over, much like Lavender Raven, just without the creepy teenage flirting. "Are you certain you wish to proceed?" she pressed.
"Yes, I do."
The four-eyed raven cawed again, spreading its wings before it took off into flight. It seemed it was ready to lead them on again. "Then what are we waiting for!" Green Raven exclaimed as she punched a fist up into the air. "Let's go kick some bad guy butt!"
"Oh, joy, just want we needed, a whirlwind adventure," Orange Raven drawled
"You know, you don't have to come," Green Raven pointed out.
"Can I say behind?" Grey Raven asked quickly.
"I wouldn't mind staying behind with this beefcake," Lavender Raven said. "Alone."
Batman again looked to Ace. "Ace."
The little girl returned his look. "Yes?"
"Keep that one away from me."
There was much relief she felt when she saw the creation of constructs trickle to an end. No longer did those wings precipitate more terrible forces onto the massive human settlement, meaning her friends and the other defenders would have a more successful chance with their respective battles.
However, since it was no longer occupied with generating more constructs, the avian construct had to direct its attention elsewhere. This attention regrettably fell upon her and her flightless comrade.
"I don't like the way it's looking at us," Nightwing called up to her.
Neither did she, but before Starfire could engage in some agreeable banter, the avian construct opened its beak.
Generated from within, sound itself was wielded as a weapon. The Tamaranean was slammed by the vocalization and force back. Her eardrums went numb, all hearing organs seemingly terminating to protect itself from the ravaging noise. Her brain began to process then abruptly stop as the shriek penetrated straight to her soul.
Her hands clasped onto either side of her head, her throat emitting a scream that she herself did not hear. It was an effort of will that was needed to open her eyes again, and the sight she saw was the sky above. As she tilted her head downwards, she was able to identify that she had been forced a significant distance away from the construct and the settlement. It was quite alarming since not only was there a chance of the construct to renew its efforts, but also her ally Nightwing was positioned on it.
If the construct was able to redirect its attention to either…
Her trajectory away was stopped, and the Tamarenean righted herself before proceeding to fly back towards the battle itself. Her hands were alight with her life energy, Starbolts ready to be dispensed when she was close enough again.
The four eyes of the construct were turning away along with the rest of the head. The target of the eyes was more prominent due to this and the human settlement below returned to its position of decorating the ground, Starfire began to fire off bolt after bolt. The intention was meant to regain the construct's attention, only this time she would be prepared for the beak.
One of the eyes shut, and the head turned back to her. Success. And now to continue with her assault. The orifices, where would others be? Her expertise with avians was lacking in this regard.
The expansive wings rose, then titled. From within them, a new stream of aerial constructs emerged and they were all flying to her location. A small swarm this time, much preferable to an unending onslaught.
Then Nightwing appeared on the back of one of the constructs. He must have jumped from atop the avian construct, and now he was using the electricity emitted from his handheld weapons to bring the creature under his control. The construct moved erratically until Nightwing directed it into another construct, leaping off of it to land onto the back of another.
While her ally was doing this, Starfire aimed for the constructs that were closing in on her. Increasing the intensity of her bolts, she fired one after another, targeting the open mouths. Increased intensity meant more time between each bolt, but the power differential was necessary. Normal intensity was resisted, thus the higher charge.
Constructs that were struck lost their stability and began to fall, their mouths glowing with heated green. Unfortunately, not enough were removed from the field and evasive action was needed. However, she had new targeted bodily regions to strike at which she did. Her fist clad in green life energy, she lashed out at any and all underbellies, avoiding snapping jaws and swiping talons.
She had noticed that the flying ones possessed less durability than ground-based constructs, so her strength was a match for them. However, numbers were against her, but she would not allow such a disadvantage to hold her back.
Her practice with aerial maneuverability was revealing how advantageous it was as none of the aerial constructs were able to strike her. One after another they fell, and while distracted by her, Nightwing was able to land another unmolested, for this particular one he stabbed the ends of his electrical weapons on either side of its head.
From above, something large began to descend, and her eyes widened as she realized the avian construct was physically attacking with its beak. Changing her trajectory, she flew for Nightwing, grabbing hold of his body while he relaxed into her hold. The two of them barely managed to evade the beak, though displaced air pursued them.
Angry red eyes from above watched them, then began to emit light of their own. The intensity continued to grow—oh no.
Starfire quickly began to gain altitude, drawing the angry gaze with her. At this angle, if what she feared would occur happened, then—
Violent red beams of red fired from the eyes, and a quick burst of speed was all that saved them from the energy based attack. From her periphery, she noted how the beams entered the settlement's harbor, launching untold amounts of water into the air. Some of the salty liquid began washing into the settlement's harbor, the site of impact that close to land.
By X'hal's scorching genitalia, this was not a fight to continue!
"Perhaps we have bitten off more than we can chew," Nigthwig remarked, holding onto her tightly. "Strategic withdrawal? Come up with a new plan of attack?"
Starfire considered this course of action. "That may very well be the only tactic we can enact."
Cyborg was aware of the irony of this, but man, this guy, Fate, was a machine! He was a damn powerhouse, nothing that got in his way lasted longer than a second. You'd think the Justice League would have snatched him up by now.
Not that he or BB were slouches, far from it. It was just…how could you argue with the results?
At one point, they left the streets, going for the rooftops. It was easy for Fate here and BB to do that, but don't think your man Cyborg was going to be left behind. After their last trip here, and taking into account the patrol through Jump, he had added a few upgrades over time and that included a means to jump really, really high. You never knew when you would need it, like scaling buildings, getting the high ground, leaping over opening chasms as the temple ruins fell apart around you…okay, that one came from a movie and several video games, but it was a good idea all the same!
Like hell he was going to be left behind. They were too close, he had come too far, everything was so crazy, and the finish line was in sight. Then it was all in sight as Fate came to a stop, Beast Boy changed back to his human form, and Cyborg landed a few feet next to them.
The first thing he saw was a skinny man in rags and a sleek metal vest. Next to him was the gnarly black scythe that was just laying there. Who the hell was that? The next thing he saw—that was Batman! The World's Greatest Detective had beaten them here, should've never doubted. The hero was crouched low to the rooftop, looming over—
"Raven!" he gasped out. After all of this time! There she was! The last time he had seen her…the last time…that…that had been before he had taken a flight down to Mexico with Red and Miguel. Miguel was calling himself Bunker nowadays, but back then—it felt like another lifetime at this point.
There she was, there was Raven, and now—
Fate's arm came up, blocking his way.
"Do not approach any further," the man in gold and blue warned.
"What?!" Beast Boy exclaimed, speaking for both of them. "Raven's right there! She's—"
"Unresponsive. Her powers continue to rampage throughout Gotham. This is not the end, just another leg of this race," Fate interrupted. "I still do not sense her, nor the other mind…" The helmeted head turned to the other body on the roof, the man in rags. Hmm, was that a bag over his head?
"Hey…that's the Scarecrow!" Beast Boy exclaimed, pointing a skinny arm at the rogue. That same hand then pulled back and gave a mock slap to the head. "Of course it would be him! Raven only makes monsters when she's scared! He's the guy that scares people when it's not Batman!"
"And how do you know this?" Cyborg asked, giving his green teammate a look.
"What? I surf online like any respectable person," BB replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"And when do you do that?" the cybernetic eighteen-year-old demanded.
Looking away sheepishly. "During class."
No wonder his grades were struggling.
While this back and forth took place, Fate had stepped closer to Batman and Raven, appraising the two. Eyes that Cyborg wasn't entirely sure were there took in the sight, giving little of what he thought away. For teens on the edge already, it was very aggravating.
Deciding that a discussion of BB's classroom acumen could be saved for later, Cyborg redirected. "Alright, what's this all about? You got an idea of what's going on?"
Frustratingly, Fate did not answer. Not immediately. For some reason, Cyborg felt as if his patience was reaching Kid Flash levels. When he finally did, "I see. The girl has retreated deep into her mind. The damage to her psyche and her defense is great. He has found a way to enter her mind to try to repair from the inside. Will surprises never cease with this man?"
"Okay, I didn't understand half of that, but that is soooo Batman," the green shapeshifter gushed.
Cyborg was of a similar mind, but the praise could wait until later. "Can you explain that all in English for the rest of the class?" It felt like they were going into foreign territory here where all the rules were different and the laws of physics no longer mattered. He was tired of being left in the dark here.
Somehow, he could tell that Fate was getting put out. The helmet-wearing man looked about to say something when his body tensed up. Back down to Batman and Raven—no, just Raven, Fate stared down hard at her. You didn't need to be a genius to tell that something was up.
The cybernetic teen became alert, quickly looked around but nothing. Not even an approaching construct to provide some conflict. So what was it?
Impatiently, "You're not leaving us with no clue. What is going on?" Okay, that came out more as a bark than a demand, but seriously. This was Raven, his friend, the first person who had treated him like a human being after the transformation into a cyborg. No fear, no alarm, just calm acceptance and he had needed that back then.
Well now Raven was the one who needed help and damn it, he was going to give it to her.
As if sensing the turmoil under the titanium surface, "There is another player that has entered. I can feel the terrible presence. But why now? Why…" Something drew Fate's attention away from Raven and towards the unmoving Scarecrow. A gloved hand raised and something tore off the unconscious Arkham rogue.
It was small, looked like a twisted, shrunken…kinda like a bat…
"I should have known. The dark presence of Barbatos. One of his followers more like."
"You're being cryptic again," Beast Boy warned.
"So long as Raven remains in control of her powers, she is able to keep herself hidden. Now that they are beyond her control, they are acting as a beacon for something far worse, and he will enter the stage unless action is taken," Fate stated more than explained. "The only reason it has not happened yet was the interference from the totem. Now without its protection—I must enter and calm the girl's mind before it is too late."
"You're going into Raven's head?" Beast Boy said dumbly, green eyes wide. "Is that safe?"
"Batman's already in there, somehow." Cyborg glanced to the vigilante then looked away because that sentence already was boggling both of his mind and the computer mainframe attached. Logic seemed like it was being tossed out the window here. Well, when in Rome, they say. "Then we'll have to go in too. We can calm her down."
Beast Boy got a deer in the headlights look. "I repeat, is that safe? For us?"
Cyborg grimaced and corrected himself. "I can calm her down. You might just make her angry."
"There is no further time for talk," Fate declared as he stood up to his full height, cape flapping regally behind him. "I will—"
"-take us with you as backup, got it," the cybernetic teen interrupted. Even with his doubts and knowledge of Raven, Cyborg was dragging BB with him by the shoulder, the shapeshifter squirming under his grip.
"Dude!" the green bean hissed. "I don't think Raven's mind's the safest place for me! Or anybody! Maybe we should just…keep an eye out! It's not safe out here! So…"
"BB, you're my bro, but grow a pair. This is our friend. I think right now, friends are what she needs to see." Turning back to Fate, "So how does this work? We just stand here or are you going to—I can't believe I'm saying this—open up a portal?"
"Might as well look at a mirror," BB grumbled, wincing when the cybernetic teen tightened his grip on his much thinner shoulder.
"This is not something for children to take part of," Fate began, but then stopped when the cyborg was literally in his face, giving a look that dared the man continue with that train of thought. A sigh followed. "I am beginning to appreciate the plight of parents in this day and age. If you will not be dissuaded, then stay close. Whatever consequences—"
"We know the drill. Let's get a move on," Cyborg interrupted once more. He didn't care to hear anymore that the consequences would be on their head. You have a pair of eyes? Look around! They were already bearing the consequences on their heads.
The game wasn't over; it was only half time. So come on, let's save Raven once and for all.
Not bothering to retort, Fate formed a bright light around them, the symbol of an ankh appearing and then swallowing the trio, leaving no sign that any of them had been there. It was quiet now, only Batman crouched in front of a prone Raven. Nothing else came across the sight, no constructs arrived to attack, and no help to try and defend them.
Until the once unconscious Scarecrow sat up, back hunched, and bloodshot eyes peering through the holes in his mask. Slowly, his gaze ran across the rooftop until it stopped on the Dark Knight's back.
Eyes that once were lifeless came back to life with raging hatred.
A place that could be so alien also looked like it could have been made by the hand of man. Batman did not see himself as a poet, but the architecture of this place could not be hidden by the ruin. This Azarath, it must have been a sight to see in its prime, which then brought up the question of what could have brought it down to this.
Why was it so important to Raven?
He could ask one of the colorful versions of the girl, but conversation was not something he was in the mood for, especially when—
"I still remember how you handled the Tamaraneans! One after the other, down they went, it was amazing! And the stuff about the cold! Never would have figured it out by myself!"
"Yes, yes, we're all impressed, you're impressed, now shut up."
"I think I have forgotten to breathe! Cyborg and Beast Boy are going to be so jealous!"
—this. This was not something he had expected to experience when he woke up this morning. With Ace to his right fending off any unwanted advances from a particular…Raven, to his left walked the Raven in yellow and wearing glasses. There had been an explanation, naturally, and surprisingly it hadn't taken much to elicit.
Yellow Raven was the embodiment of wisdom, and had explained that each and every one represented a different aspect and emotion that the girl possessed. Initially he had theorized that this had been a result of Crane's toxin fragmenting the girl's mind, but that had been dismissed. This separation of emotions had occurred years ago and had been committed by Raven herself.
What would possess the girl to do such a thing, not that he fully grasped the implications. A discussion with J'onn was in order, but that would have to wait. For now, he would need to allow himself to be guided through this mental Azarath. Ace was keeping the one that he had been told was the embodiment of passion away from him, just as asked. It begged the question of how much of a teenager Raven truly was.
The aloofness, characterized by the Orange Raven, or rudeness, the insults that rarely failed to aggravate her teammates, and blunt affect did much to hide…everything else. Batman was willing to admit he was out of his depth here, but such a situation was not going to deter him.
As a slight distraction, he paid much attention to these ruins and more than once kept his gaze on specific spots. The foreign letters and symbols, a language obviously, was one he was going to look into, and recording it would go a long way into doing that. There were other sources he could check into about this Azarath as well; this may very well be Zatanna's domain and if she knew nothing, she could find someone who did.
If nothing else, he could fill in the blanks on Raven's background. Of all of the Teen Titans, hers was the one that had the least uncovered. Encountered by Victor Stone in the western states, nomadic lifestyle, little to no documentation, no known relatives, nothing to be found about her, and he had tried. These last few days he had learned more about her than in the years he had been checking her background.
The vigilante slowed to a stop, sensing that something was different. Perhaps that had to do with the colorful Ravens coming to abrupt halts, all of them with their heads turned in the same direction. Peculiarly, Ace was only a step ahead of the avatars, but she too was watching something that he himself was unaware of.
"That's not good." The Green Raven, bravery. "You're all feeling him, aren't you?"
Him?
"We're out of time," Yellow Raven stated. The cowled head whipped back towards him and his companion. "You must go. We'll try to buy you time."
"From what?" he demanded.
There was no answer except each of the different colored Ravens rising up and flying off, none of them making any of the banter that the Dark Knight had been subjected to since he had encountered them. He was left alone with Ace, perhaps the only one now who might be able to explain what was happening.
As if sensing his gaze on her, the young girl looked back up at him. "We must continue."
"Tell me what's happening," was his response, emphasized with him not moving an inch.
After all the time she had spent in his head, Ace understood that he was not about to go anywhere unless he was given a satisfactory answer. "There is something else here, something that does not belong here. That is all I can sense…and I do not like it."
"What else can you tell me?" he pressed. There was no way he was going to continue without anything to go on.
"Nothing else. Like us, it does not belong here, and it seems what defenses Raven has that are intact are going to engage it. We must find her before those defenses fail. That is all I can understand for now," Ace told him.
It was too vague. He didn't like it. However, Ace had yet to lead his astray so far, so he would have to trust her assessment of the situation. Looking forward once more, "Is she ahead?"
"She should be," Ace replied.
It would have to do for now. When he began to walk once more, it was with a faster pace. He understood there was urgency here, but his was for something else entirely. Gotham was still under assault from Raven's out of control powers, and that had to be brought to heel as soon as possible.
They continue walking through this dead city, one that must have been magnificent at some point. What had happened here? There was no sign of overgrowth, so abandonment and neglect couldn't have been the cause of the ruin. The desolation seemed to weigh down on the soul itself.
Beside him, Ace's head slowly turned from left to right then back to left, as if she was scanning their surroundings. Batman glanced around, recalling that a raven had been leading them earlier, but now for the life of him he could not find it anymore. Where had it gone? Had it too flown off with the other Raven avatars?
Abruptly he stilled, his ears picking up on a sound that was out of place here. For so long, everything had been silent, but now…what was it? If was soft, deliberately soft. Almost like…sniffling?
"She's close," Ace breathed out.
The vigilante nodded, gesturing for the girl to lead. Ace needed no further invitation, and Batman followed after, keeping his eyes peeled. The volume of the sound did not increase, no matter how far the two of them walked, nor did their surroundings change. It was ruins and more ruins.
For a moment, Ace came to a stop and remained unmoving. Batman allowed her the time, then continued to follow when the girl turned onto what appeared to be a street. Rubble littered it all, but the ruined buildings remained standing all the same. Ace's thin legs were taking long, fast strides, as if she was honing in on…
Once more, Ace stopped, but this time her head was turned and tilted downwards. Batman walked around her and followed her gaze, peeking under debris that had formed a small alcove, hiding away anything that looked down onto it.
Within, he found a small, trembling body, one that wrapped a white-colored cloth around it. The sniffling was louder here, obviously the source. It sounded so much like…a child. Something about this…it gripped at something deep within him and urged him to…to…
Crouching down, Batman spoke, "Are you alright?"
Immediately, the body stilled, then slowly a hooded head lifted. A pair of wide, dark eyes stared back at him, shimmering with tears that had stained cheeks rounded by baby fat. The hue was distinctive, one that he had only associated with the girl, Raven, on the few occasions he happened to be in her company.
Why did she look so young?
"It is okay," Ace soothed. "We are friends. We wish to help."
Batman nodded his head. "You're safe now."
The small girl's trembling only seemed to increase and she pushed back into her hiding space, carved rock preventing a withdrawal. "No. No it's not. I'm so scared. I'm scared and nothing is okay. I…I just want to be left alone."
The voice was so young, and he could hear the fear. It had to be the fear toxin still in Raven's body, still affecting her in this psychic landscape. When someone was consumed by it, it was difficult to try and reach them. Yet, that was what he came here to do. He wasn't about to turn away now.
"I know. You're afraid," he told her. "I want you to know I'll do everything in my power to protect you. You don't need to hide anymore." The vigilante outstretched a hand, one the girl flinched away from. He kept the limb steady, waiting for her to take it. It would have to be on Raven's terms now.
Still, comforting a child, even one in the form of an avatar, it still wasn't his strongest point. If he…if he saw her like he did his daughter, recalling that she was locked away in a bunker, recovering from her own poisoning, it helped to channel some of those paternal instincts here. It also meant that…vulnerability was not a weakness but a tool to use to connect to another traumatized individual.
"I was afraid too, once," the Dark Knight admitted. "I was scared too. I had no one to turn to. I was alone and…" He could practically hear the gunshots once more, the pearls scattering against the pavement, and the running footsteps… "...I know. I know what it's like to try and hide away from all of the horrible things. You don't have to be alone now. Not anymore. Take my hand, and I will keep you safe. I promise."
As he spoke, the young Raven continued to watch him, wet eyes still drowning in tears. She had remained quiet, staring, watching, but the sniffling had died down. Almost tentatively, "How…how can you make that promise?"
It was a good question, but for once the answer was easy. "Because it is a promise I make every day. Every time I go out into the night. Every time I…hear my daughter's voice. I make the same promise to you now."
"You don't know if you can keep it."
"It won't stop me from fulfilling it."
A small hand rubbed at the large eyes, but it served to help clear them. "Why do you care about me?"
"Because I see a child in need of warmth and help. What other reason would I need to care?"
Once a child had witnessed an unspeakable tragedy, and now that same child, grown and adult, was offering the comfort that had not been there in his time of need. It was offered to another one, one tormented and scared, and needing that comfort as much as he had so many years ago.
"I…" The young Raven swallowed, lips parting slightly. "I…"
Batman took care not to narrow his eyes when he saw that the girl had gone still once more. The large, dark eyes were filling with terror, but her gaze was focused on something over his shoulder, and not him. Carefully, the vigilante stole a glance at Ace and found the teenaged girl turned away, looking at something behind him, in the same direction that Raven's terrorized gaze was.
Slowly, Batman stood up, allowing his cape to cover his body. He began to turn, turning his eyes to what the two girls were looking at.
Two muscular, red skinned arms were propped on top of the ruined buildings across the street from the trio. The arms connected to a powerful torso, and twin tassels of white hair flowed over the shoulders. Four glowing red eyes looked down on them from a grinning face, two horns reminiscent of a deer's grew out from the temples, wicked and ivory.
The grinning mouth was filled with sharp teeth, gleaming unnaturally. As it opened, it spoke with a deep, rumbling voice that was filled with nothing but triumph. The four words this monster uttered felt like four heavy blows that struck Batman to his core.
"I've found you, daughter."
Author's Note: You can guess that this chapter is also based off of the Teen Titans episode of the same name. And guess who decided to crash the party? If things were bad before, they have gotten a whole lot worse and in so many ways. Thanks for taking the time to read and see you all next time.