Raven screamed as her entire being became consumed by excruciating pain. Desperation and agony twisted her features as tears streamed down her face. She thrashed violently as her head snapped back, before rolling off the bed. The impact with the floor was jarring and woke her from the terrifying nightmare. Her cries continued, raw and fractured, as she scrambled against the wall, her eyes clenched shut against the torment. "Raven, breathe, love," came Constantine's urgent voice, though it seemed distant and distorted.
"Raven," a calm, soothing tone cut through the haze—Black Canary. "You're safe."
"Raven." Her name, soft yet insistent, pierced through the cacophony in her mind. Slowly, she forced her eyes open, trying to grasp reality. The familiar cave—or was it the infirmary? —swam into view. Batman, Giovanni Zatarra, Black Canary, Dr. Fate, Martian Manhunter, Constantine, and her deceased teammates surrounded her. Confusion and dread coiled tightly in her chest. "What…?" she gasped, her breath coming in ragged bursts. She touched her head and neck, her pulse racing as she found no breaks, no signs of injury. Her gaze fell to her attire—training gear, not her uniform. Looking around, she saw that her teammates lay on gurneys, IVs dripping into their arms, their bodies a chilling reminder of what had transpired. She looked down at her own arm, where an IV had been before she had torn it out in a panicked frenzy. "What's happening?" she asked in a broken voice. Confusion clear on her face.
Constantine's expression was grave, his eyes reflecting a deep concern. "What's the last thing you remember, love?" he asked, his tone both firm and gentle.
"You snapped my neck," Raven choked out, her breathing still uneven.
"Before that," Constantine pressed, his gaze never wavering. "Before the deaths of your teammates, before everything. Think back."
"I… I don't…"
"Raven. Focus," he urged, his voice cutting through her disorientation.
Raven squeezed her eyes shut, fragments of memory flashing through her mind: the church, Enchantress, Klarion, death, Donna, Cassie, the training exercise. Her eyes snapped open in sudden realization. "Training exercise," she whispered, her hands flying to her mouth as tears welled up. "It was just a training exercise."
"Yes," Constantine confirmed, his voice heavy. "A mental stress test devised by Martian Manhunter and Giovanni."
"What—what are you doing here?" Raven's voice cracked as the pieces slowly came together. "You weren't part of this."
"Something went wrong," Constantine explained, his tone somber. "Your subconscious got triggered, and you lost track of what was real. Your mind took over, pushed the Martian out, and saw your teammates as threats. You put them into comas. The red bird put up one helluva fight, though."
"What!" The word escaped Raven's lips in a horrified gasp, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"That was nearly 36 hours ago," Constantine continued. "Gio couldn't break through. He reached out to me and Fate. After twelve attempts, I finally managed to reach you. We had to use knockout gas, but…"
"Oh, my Azar," Raven's voice trembled as she looked at her teammates, their eyes reflecting a mix of awe, concern, and fear. She clutched at the fear, her heart breaking. I'm going to throw up. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking. Her teammates remained silent, their expressions a mixture of shock, uncertainty, and a little bit of fear. "I'm so sorry." Constantine reached out, his hand gentle on her arm, but Raven recoiled, swatting his touch away. "I told you," she stated pointedly. "I told you it would be dangerous. I told all of you I wasn't ready." Her gaze swept accusingly over Martian Manhunter, Batman, Black Canary, and Giovanni Zatarra.
"Yes, you did," Constantine said, his voice laced with frustration as he shot a dark look over his shoulder. "Some people think they know better."
"Raven," Black Canary stepped forward, her voice trembling with regret. "I should have listened when—"
"Shut up!" Raven's scream was accompanied by a violent surge of energy, sending objects in the infirmary crashing and exploding. She stood slowly, the intensity of her emotions palpable. "Just… just…" She closed her eyes, struggling to regain control. "I need air," she said, her voice hollow, before conjuring a portal. "I need air."
"Raven, wait!" But his plea was swallowed by sudden silence as she disappeared.
"Where do you think she went?" Cassie asked the team as they sat down to lunch. They had been released from the infirmary hours ago. The Martian Manhunter confirmed there was no residual mental damage of any sort.
"A part of Raven must have recognized you as friends and protected your minds," J'ohnn said to the team. "So, while she may have inadvertently held you hostage, she simultaneously protected you. Her mind is a fascinating place."
"What now?" Garfield asked.
"You passed. You six will be the new Alpha Team with Artemis, M'Gann, and Superboy acting as floaters. However, Garfield, Robin, and Kid Flash, will be part-time members, as they are still minors."
"Hey, Cassie is a minor, too," Garfield complained. "Why isn't she part-time?"
"I'm a demigoddess," Cassie folded her arms, "the rules are different."
"I'm surprised Diana gave you the okay," Dick said to her, "especially after what happened."
"Diana is still on the other side of the universe," Cassie shrugged. "Not like any of the Amazons will leave the island to stop me," she scoffed. "Now, we just have to find Raven."
"I wonder where she went," Garfield said, "Azarath, maybe?"
"No idea," Bart shrugged, munching on a snack.
"Does she have a favorite spot?" Cassie asked curiously.
"She doesn't really do much outside of the team and school," Bart replied, making a face like he was thinking hard. Tim listened to their chatter. He knew exactly where Raven was. The League had slipped a tracker on her as soon as she entered Mount Justice, and, once again, Tim had to hack into the League's satellite to keep tabs on her. Bats will never admit it, but I'm definitely a better hacker than he is, Tim thought with a smirk.
He subtly glanced at the tracking app on his phone. Instead of holing up on Azarath, Raven was exploring libraries and aquariums around the globe. She was currently in…."Well, well," Tim said as he checked the time. "I gotta run," he announced to the group.
"Bat-emergency?" Dick asked, jumping up, ready for action.
"Nope," Tim said, standing up. "This is a Tim-emergency."
"Bernard?" Dick asked with a teasing grin, while Bart and Garfield snickered, and Cassie looked genuinely puzzled.
"No! What? No!" Tim exclaimed, waving his hands in the air. "Shut up." He stormed off with a mock-serious expression, though his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. "Bernard and I are just roommates." Seriously, we haven't hooked up in the last two months. I'm pretty sure we are now just, and only, friends.
Red Robin landed gracefully on the cathedral roof. "You found my favorite go-to spot," he called out to the figure sitting on the edge. Without a word, the figure floated to her feet. She landed beside him and began to walk away, saying, "Sorry. I'll leave."
"Raven," Red Robin said, hurriedly stepping into her path, successfully halting her escape. "I wasn't trying to kick you out. I never thought I'd see a teammate willingly choose Gotham as a place to relax." Raven wiped her eyes with her sleeves, avoiding his gaze. "Stay," Red Robin said gently.
"Don't you have patrol… or something?" she asked, glancing at him.
"If Batman and Batgirl need me, they'll send a Bat-signal," he replied, strolling over to the edge of the roof. He sat down and patted the space beside him. "Come on, join me. We can both enjoy Gotham's… charm." Raven hesitated, shifting from one foot to the other and biting her lip. "Raven," Red Robin said with a head tilt, "I don't need to be a mind-reader to see you could use a break." He flashed her a hopeful smile.
Raven met his gaze and then sighed, her lips curving into a sad smile. "I'm not wearing my uniform. Isn't there a rule about that?"
"Raven," Red Robin said, tilting his head with a grin.
"Fine," she huffed, returning to her spot on the roof. "But if I get in trouble, I'm definitely blaming you."
"Fair enough," Red Robin said, chuckling as she sat down next to him. "Just think of this as a bonding experience."
Sitting down, Raven made sure to leave at least two feet of space between them, much to Red Robin's amusement. They settled into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Red Robin spoke up softly. "You know, no one on the team is upset with you," he said, glancing over at her with a reassuring look. Raven didn't respond, her gaze remained fixed on the horizon as she hugged her knees to her chest. "We understand, Raven," Red Robin continued, his tone gentle and understanding. "What you're going through is really tough. We know you didn't mean to hurt anyone." Raven wiped her eyes, saying nothing. "I might not be Black Canary," Red Robin said with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood, "and I definitely don't have a degree in psychology. But I did manage to memorize the entire textbook for my PSYCH 101 class." Raven didn't respond, still lost in her thoughts. "You can talk to me if you want," Red Robin said quietly. "But if you'd prefer to sit in silence, that's okay too." They continued to sit in a peaceful silence, the calm of the rooftop and the gentle company offering a small comfort in the midst of Raven's turmoil.
"On the other Earth," Raven began in a soft, almost child-like voice, "there were these two villains: Enigma and Phobia. Enigma had psychic powers. She could distort reality by speaking a riddle; she could warp your mind and make you relive the worst days of your life. Phobia could control the fear centers of the human mind to create a person's greatest fear; she could also project fear. I was 15 the first time I fought them. They took a special liking to me, mainly because they could never get deep inside my head. We fought many times throughout the years." Raven paused. "When I was 25, Wonder Girl and I intercepted an SOS at a warehouse. It was supposed to be just me, but Wonder Girl tagged along."
"Cassie?"
"No. Her name is…was…Donna. Um…I don't know what happened, but Enigma and Phobia seemed to have some sort of upgrade. They were almost 100 times more powerful than before. They put Donna down in minutes. They ganged up on me. I don't know how long we fought. I remember it was...rough. I don't know how long it was until they finally pinned me. I was so exhausted," Raven sobbed, "I was trying to maintain control, protect myself, and Donna. It was too much. Donna regained consciousness, but she was so weak. She charged, but Enigma intercepted her. Enigma had this special dagger. It was meant for me," Raven's voice cracked as tears rolled down her cheeks as she relived the moment. "But she used it on Donna. I lost control. When my team arrived, I was sitting in the middle of debris. Enigma and Phobia were dead, and I was holding Donna's dead body. That was the moment I…it happened five months before my final battle with Trigon." Red Robin continued to watch and listen. "When I saw Cassie die, I immediately went back to that fight in that warehouse, and I…I just…." Raven played with the hem of her sweatshirt, staring at it through her tears.
"Raven," Red Robin said softly, scooting closer to her. "It's okay," he whispered, his voice soothing. "None of us were hurt."
"But you could have been," Raven said, standing up and beginning to pace. Her movements were frantic, her worry palpable. "I could have seriously injured any one of you. I could have shattered your minds."
"But you didn't," Red Robin reassured her as he followed her. His voice remained calm and steady.
"Those hellhounds? They were Constantine and Fate trying to break in," Raven said, her voice tight with frustration. "My mind is so messed up, I saw them as threats and turned them into hellhounds."
"Raven," Red Robin said softly, stepping closer and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You didn't shatter our minds."
"I have so many mental defenses in place," Raven said, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't even know what they are. I… I killed you," she said, meeting his gaze with a raw, pained look. "I killed all of you."
"No, you didn't," Red Robin said firmly, his hand squeezing her shoulder gently. "We're all here. I'm here. It was a training exercise, a mental stress test. We're okay."
Raven pulled away, her voice barely a whisper. "It turns out, no matter where I go, no matter what universe, I will always be a danger. I'll never not be a danger. I don't belong… anywhere."
"That's not true," Red Robin said, his voice tender as he stepped closer. "You belong here, with us. Your mom, Azarath. You belong wherever you choose to be."
Raven shook her head. "I'm sorry," Raven said, her voice breaking. She conjured a portal, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."
"Raven," Red Robin called out, reaching for her as she stepped through the portal. "Raven, wait!" But she was already gone, leaving him standing alone on the rooftop with the weight of unspoken words and a lingering, unfulfilled connection hanging in the air.
Raven sat atop a clocktower in Jump City, staring at the sunset. Tears filled her eyes. I'll never belong anywhere.