Teen Titans Presents Raven – The End – Armageddon
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Chapter 13: Unlucky Number
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It is not, just in retrospect- to those who don't know it's history. Next? Brain - eating demon worms. Duh.
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Clark brought Lex back for the rounds swap. The night went on and all anyone could do was wait for that burning sun to enlighten the group a while. Raven slept beside Vixen, who had vouched to keep Slade apart from her. Just in case he forgot what was going on.
Bruce was on his own, watching Slade who acted have dozed yet…. neither tried to deny their suspicious natures for long.
Lex and Clark stayed last, until a stray signal by John as he returned from scouting the area, had everyone lift up their groggy heads at the bloke.
"I got the signal across, and it's time to do some work. Raven? Come with me. Bruce?" Slade looked up as the bat bobbed his head in the magician's direction. "I have a plan, mate. We'll discuss it with you lot in a bit. Alright? Hold tight, mates."
He was rushing to speak; did that mean that they were not the last surviving group? The Trackers were no longer feeding. They could come back.
Yet John pulled Bruce in and out the door as he sighed with hands in his oversized pockets.
"It doesn't look good. I checked and any way out of this ditch gets odder by the second. As we are, I'd figure it best to travel underground. Slade had the Digger mole tech. Too bad. It must be back at the hall. Covered in debris.
If we need to regroup elsewhere, John…what for? What did you see out there?"
A strange storm, B." The man didn't even bother to light up his trusty cig. "Raven has to become full by her rites soon. If she doesn't fulfill the new prophecy in time, Trigon will destroy her and everything left that we've stayed here to protect. I won't go back. She isn't going to like my barging in and –
"Because you do care." Bruce ended that rant a minute. "John, even in your universe you can't be as heartless as you've said. I just don't see it in you to let a child get hurt."
"Not after Astra, no." John shook his head, blonde shaggy mop and all. "Raven reminds me of what I've got to lose. You know? She's hope, whether she thinks it or not. I'm sure your lad thought the same." He grinned weakly at the bat. "If so –
~ Co….m…a….u….in…
R…
Oom…un
…
~
Bruce froze.
"What was that?"
Shrugging, John didn't have a shot as the Bat's pocket let off a level of pow static in words, the voice being strangely…
~c …
I'm.
U...
Y…
~
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Slade's eye bolted open as he turned to Raven. She was having a bad dream. Maybe something else. Going on his knees to where she slept, he rose and tried to judge her awake. She looked to be battling, remembering as her eyes shot open with a gasp. Vixen fell over with a yell.as the empath dragged herself to sit up.
"III.I.i heard him, a voice
…he's still….he's still.alive…..r –
"Raven." Slade tugged her to look his way, eyes seeing her hope drenched in a false feeling of security. Like a princess to her knight.
Yet,who was that knight, was the big question.
Slade's eye narrowed. He wanted to think it wasn't that.
Anything but...
"Robin…he's…he's still lut there. I can sense him…
SLADE!"
She jumped up to levitate for the door. Be it a trick by a demon, she could feel it too strongly. The blood seeping through as its aura washed over her to drown out all else. "RAVEN!" Slade ran after her, afraid to lose her to more demon scumbags.
Bruce and John saw her moving on her own and were also alarmed by the sudden sleepwalking, trance like posture of the prophecy last hope. "Raven, stop!"
She kept walking, running now and climbing up a dilapidated structure. The grunts. The hurt voice, in pain.
The memories if him. Wanting to help, her…
Starfire was envious of them, curious to know why he'd been so close. Why they shared so strong a bond that not even death –
She looked on over the water as the path was made clear. An ocean of black tar and in the dead moon's glow, limping to her in a better state than she'd questioned, was a boy.
A boy wonder, as she ran to him and embraced the ghost she'd thought could never rise from the grave of stone work.
"Dead…. you….you were-
"Your magic, protected me. The bond. Iii still…. never gave up trying…to find you…" He fainted, cuts and thankfully unbitten, he was hurt for sure. Bruce saw. Slade and Clark saw with John as well. "Is he not a trick? He's only a mortal. No one should have survived this thing without –
"My magic." Raven looked at her palm. "I know what happened. Why I couldn't control all if it. It was to keep him alive. With us."
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Half of Raven's magic no resided inside of Dick as a reagent to her power. A vessel she could take it back from only once they'd tended to the boy's wounds. "He'll never stand a chance, Raven. You only doomed us further ny bringing him here." Slade was not too optimistic. "He could be easily overshadowed. I'd say put him to sleep until thos is over. Take back some of the magic –
"Not until I know I can heal all of these cuts." She grumbled. Her hands went up by his torso, to his head. So much. "How long, Robin. Did you travel far to find where I was? How?"
"Bond…. kept dragging…me…to you. I'm sorry, Rav –
"No, don't speak. You'll be better. I won't-
"Dick." Bruce came into the room as a storm raged outside. "We have to relocate. A tornado is on its way in the next hour or so. I can see why. Trigon doesn't want him to change the plan. To help you gain back what you lost."
Slade huffed, pulling away while Vixen questioned the older male's envious energy. Her animals could sense it, she could. It was easy to see. Besides something else that Slade wouldn't admit. He was….embarrassed.
Robin had seen him at his lowest and highest. The man now, was far lower than the first time. A shell. So, what could that tell the boy wonder, his damned nemesis. That Raven had grown to trust the rusty old conger who'd no sooner hold a bullet to the brat's skull?
Bruce walked over and knelt to cradle his waking son's face a second. Trying to admit, that miracles weren't all fantastic. That magic did this. That he…did nothing.
"B….hey….I'm sorry…I lost…gonna try…one more –
"Don't talk, Richard. I understand." Bruce whispered softly. "I always know who you intend to be. It's ok. Please, rest."
Richard smiled weakly and closed his sunken eyes. He'd eaten nothing but what he could dig up. Boiling from pots and trying to use what skills he could before landing here he had no idea how it had happened.
Lex looked on, the boy not noticing as he slipped away again. Raven holding the prized protégé from the river Styx's giant doors. His parasitic controller inside the man's body and brain made the man twitch all over.
~ HOPE CANNOT RETURN. HE MUST DIE. YOU MUST FIND A WAY TO GET RID OF THE HERO. THE MERCENARY'S REACTION IS STRANGE. YES….USE IT AS OUR COVER. HE KILLED THE BIRD. WE ARE INNOCENT! ~
"M…murder? I …was stalling to kill the half demon girl! He's not going to be that –
The man choked, the demons, not wanting to be questioned, kept devouring Lex's remaining will. ~ KILL THE BIRD. THE CROW SHALL FLY INTO OUR HANDS. DEATH TO THE PROPHET. KILL THEM ALL. RAISE UP – OUR LORD TRIGON TO RETURN! YOU SHALL BE SET FREE. FREE!!~
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Vixen sniffed the first morning's light as she sneezed. Raven was still there. He head bowed as her eyes looked ragged and drained. Robin however, was losing that pale sight. Vixen scrambled over as Raven's arms were pulled away.
"STOP! DOIN THAT IS KILLING YOU! WAKE UP!"
Raven fell with a shout into Vixen's chest as they both woke the test of their elders up. Bruce was to Dick's side. Same as before, he was doing the same by sleeping – sitting up.
Slade grumbled and batted open an eye. "What gives, beastie? What'd I miss?"
"Raven used enough power here." Bruce held back a yawn. "I can feel a stronger pulse…." He put an ear to the boy's beating chest. "Blood flow. And an increase of body temp – Raven..."
Was….the man –
He grabbed her hands and for the first time, she saw the man cry in front of her. A grown adult as his son had come back to life. She smiled, winded as Vixen caught her. Robin groaned and rolled a bit, wincing at his still healing side. "R…rave –
"She'll be ok, lad. Rest some more. She worked all night on you. Like Frankie's corpse." Joshed the grinning Brit.
"So…" Clark rubbed his neck as he came up to Bruce a minute. "Ready for breakfast, everyone?"
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So, Clark is our ray of sunshine! Aww, and yes. There will be a death, sort of…. Robin is back but why is Slade the only one unhappy about that? Find out!