Cassie sat with Lar Gand in awkward silence. She didn't know what to say—they didn't exactly speak the same language. Instead, she studied him as he lay in the hospital bed, staring out at the stars. His bright blue eyes, like the ones she associated with every being from that side of the universe, held her attention. Even Connor had bright blue eyes, and he was half-human. Eight years ago, when those Kryptonians escaped the Phantom Zone, they'd wreaked havoc. All of them, regardless of their skin tones, had the same blue eyes. Maybe it's a dominant trait, she thought.
Cassie shifted her focus back to Lar Gand. Black hair with strands of deep brown mixed in. Full lips. Skin like hers—though smoother, she noted with a frown as she glanced down at her own hands. "Vethar, nai'r daxeon vruud rethval nuras," Lar Gand said.
Cassie looked up, confused. "What?"
"Nai'r daxeon vruud rethval nuras," Lar Gand repeated, this time pointing to the window. Cassie followed his gaze, and her eyes widened. Floating outside in space was a massive red dragon, with a man standing on its head, surrounded by other dragons.
"Oh," she blinked, caught between confusion and disbelief. She inched towards the door. "Yeah, that's... not normal." Without hesitation, she spun on her heel. "Diana!" she yelled, sprinting out of the room and leaving a bewildered Lar Gand behind. "DIANA!"
Snow fell as Raven tightened her grip around Red Robin's waist as he bobbed and weaved through traffic. Being on his bike reminded her of the times Wally had carried her while running through the streets at his usual speed. It's getting easier, she realized. Her chest didn't ache as much when she thought about Wally and what could have been. It felt more like a fond memory and less like heart-wrenching pain. Raven felt the beginnings of a smile creep on her face, and she felt herself almost smile. It's because of Tim, silly, a persistently perky voice in her head suggested.
Shut up, Raven thought with a scowl, I need to focus. Her energy hadn't fully returned yet, but she had to be ready for the fight ahead. Thoughts whirled around in her head. Multiple portals opening across the globe simultaneously? Something bigger was at work.
Raven swallowed a groan as her stomach twisted when Red Robin made a sharp turn, the bike wheels skidding on the pavement. This is awful. She glanced back at Artemis, who was on her own bike. Raven could have ridden with her, but the blonde's driving was even more reckless. Raven had eaten a little, but still—puking now would be humiliating.
Raven rested her forehead on Red Robin's back, trying to steady herself. Why is my heart racing? I'm not scared… am I?
"We're about five miles from the Narrows, B," Red Robin said into his earpiece.
"Orphan and I are two minutes from Wayne Tower," Batgirl replied, heading to the closest portal near the secret Bat-tech vault.
"Robin and I are three minutes from Arkham Asylum," Batman's voice came through the comms.
"That's one fast jet," Artemis muttered.
"Orphan wants to know if we have plans for the other portals?" Batgirl asked. Eighteen portals in total had appeared across Gotham.
"Batwoman and Batwing are at Gotham Bridge. I've already contacted the Justice League. But... the same thing is happening around the world. We save who we can."
"Got it. Woah!" he said, skidding to a stop. Raven's stomach lurched again. She closed her eyes, trying to suppress the nausea. A bright green portal appeared a few yards in front of them. The atmosphere became charged with energy.
"Are you okay?" Batman asked.
"Yeah," Red Robin answered. "A portal just appeared in front of us. Looks like we'll be fighting here."
Racing toward the gunshots, Garfield and Bart hadn't known what to expect. A stalker? A creepy fan? Whatever they had expected, slimy, inhuman monsters with flesh hanging off their bodies pouring out of a portal had not been it. Quickly changing into his uniform, Kid Flash said, "I'm guessing those are the bad guys."
They watched in horror as one monster vomited a thick, green substance onto one of the princess's bodyguards; the bodyguard disintegrated before their eyes, screeching in pain. Both boys, along with other bystanders, began gagging at the rancid odor that lingered in the air. "Don't let the green stuff touch you," Kid Flash gagged.
"Good plan. We should contact Red Robin," Beast Boy suggested, doubling over as his stomach churned from the smell.
"Already sent an SOS to Red Robin."
"Then let's do this!" Beast Boy said, shifting into a cheetah.
"Already ahead of you!"
Raven stared at the scene in front of her. For once, the cold almost didn't register as her mind struggled to comprehend what her eyes were seeing. Monstrous lizard-type beings poured out of the portal, chasing and snatching people in their massive jaws. Despite the cold, snowy night, it was Valentine's Day. Enough couples were out and about. "Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Valentine's Day," Artemis said, aiming an arrow and releasing it. A lizard screeched as the arrow embedded itself in its eye. The rest of the alien lizards paused and turned their beady eyes toward the three heroes.
"Well," Red Robin said, brandishing his bo, "that got their attention." He glanced between the approaching creatures and the portal. "Raven, can you close the portal?"
"I won't be able to concentrate enough to close it," Raven said, her voice tense, "not while these things are attacking. It would be easier to find the person who is opening them. We should focus on these lizard-things."
"Fine by me," Artemis called, already leaping into action. She fired another arrow, this one exploding in a flash of light, stunning several creatures as they advanced. She darted across the snow-covered street, sliding under the swipe of a monstrous claw and landing a kick to its side.
Red Robin was next to move. He rushed forward, the ends of his bo-staff sparkling with electricity, and struck down one of the larger monsters with a quick series of blows, dodging its flailing limbs.
Raven joined in the surrounding chaos, her heart racing—but not from fear. No, it wasn't fear. Her senses were firing off warnings. There's someone else here, she thought, looking around her. But where?
A creature lunged at her, claws outstretched. Raven had scarce time to react, summoning a shield of dark energy just in time to deflect the blow. The creature shrieked in frustration as its claws scraped against the barrier. Red Robin glanced over his shoulder, seeing Raven under attack. "Raven, look out behind you!"
"I've got this!" she replied, her eyes glowing brighter. With a surge of power, she sent a blast of dark energy into the creature, hurling it back into a nearby storefront. Glass shattered as the creature crashed into the display, collapsing into a heap of smoke and ash.
Artemis, flipping back from her latest opponent, landed beside Raven. "You okay?"
Raven nodded, though her breath was uneven. "Someone or something else is here. It's hiding, but I can sense it." Raven released a barrage of blasts around her and Artemis, buying them some time.
"Can you pinpoint it?" Red Robin asked, flipping and rolling between giant claws.
"I can try," Raven said, summoning black spikes of energy from the ground, piercing the abdomens of several lizard creatures at once. Outlining several with her powers, she sent them flying back into the portal. Throwing up a shield in an instant—"Ah!" she heard a yell from Red Robin. Whirling around, she saw a long spear pierce his body. "Tim," Raven gasped as he dropped to his knees, blood pouring from his mouth before his body hit the concrete. "Tim!" she screamed, running to him and falling to her knees beside him. "Tim," she breathed as tears ran down her face, while Artemis screamed in pain. Raven turned and saw that a magical spear had also run through the archer's body. She turned back to Tim. The spear that had pierced his body disintegrated. Raven rolled him onto his side, trying to heal him. Acute awareness tingled through her body. Raven almost failed to create a shield in time. From the alley appeared a grinning Enchantress with a sadistic look in her eye. Raven then returned to her body. She was in the same spot, holding up a shield. "Red Robin," she breathed. Whirling around to find him, Raven didn't waste a second; she threw shields around both him and Artemis in the nick of time. Gold spears pierced the shields, disappearing into nothingness a split second later. Suddenly, the portal closed, and the lizard aliens vanished.
"Wow," Raven heard Enchantress before she saw her appear from the alley. "Am I sensing a bit of precognitive power in you?" she smiled sadistically as her malignant green eyes scanned Raven from head to toe. "Oh, you can lower the shields," Enchantress waved her hand. "I just want to talk."
"How are they able to breathe fire in space?" Cassie shouted, bewildered, as she used the bracelets on her wrists to block a stream of blazing fire. Wonder Woman's sword gleamed in the cold expanse, slicing through the wing of one of Mordru's conjured dragons. The beast roared in agony, its massive form twisting as its tail whipped toward her. With swift reflexes, she spun in midair, her shield absorbing the impact as she steadied herself with her lasso.
"Fight me one-on-one, Mordru!" Diana cried out, ignoring the dragon, who was slowly regenerating a new wing. "Stop hiding behind your beasts like a coward!"
"You think I'm stupid enough to fight hand-to-hand against you?" Mordru smirked, summoning another dragon and silently ordering it to attack Diana. "I'm insulted. Though..." He summoned dual swords in his hands. "Humbling the prize of the Amazons would bring me joy. Come at me, Amazonian wretch."
Wonder Woman released a warrior's cry before charging at Mordru with all her strength.
"Great," Cassie frowned, "still doesn't answer my question about the fire-breathing in space," she muttered as she watched Mordru and Diana battle each other.
"Look out!" someone cried. A green orb surrounded her body right before a rain of fire descended upon her.
"Phew," Cassie said as she turned to her savior, raising a brow. "Guy Gardner?"
"Careful, kid," he said with his trademark grin before flying past her. "Wouldn't want those golden locks to turn into golden fries." He created a gigantic, mechanical green dragon, almost identical to Mordru's, and engaged in battle.
"Concentrate, Guy!" Hawkman ordered as he flew by, swinging his giant mace and taking on two dragons at a time.
"Ahh, you're no fun!" the Green Lantern replied, creating a giant green plasma cannon. "Let's see how you beauties do against my Drag-be-gone 3000!" He fired several hundred blasts, wiping out many dragons that just kept regenerating.
Cassie lassoed a dragon and, using her strength, tossed it into another. Ducking beneath another dragon's fiery breath, her gauntlets glowed as she smashed a punch into the beast's snout. "These things are annoying me!" she muttered, flipping in space as the dragon reeled backward.
"This will all be pointless if we can't stop them from regenerating," Hawkgirl—Kendra Saunders—said as she fought her own dragon.
Several yards away, Mordru blocked and dodged Wonder Woman's attacks. Calling two dragons to himself, he ordered them to attack the Amazonian princess. While she was occupied, he skillfully used his hands to trace ancient symbols. A vortex of crackling energy formed between his fingers. His eyes glowed with malice as he unleashed a powerful blast toward the preoccupied Wonder Woman. She raised her shield just in time, but the force pushed her back into the endless void, her muscles straining as the magic sizzled against her armor. "Coward!" Wonder Woman accused as more dragons attacked her.
"Do you think you can defeat me, Amazon?" Mordru sneered, summoning more dragons from the swirling rift beside him. "You amuse me."
Cassie, still locked in combat with another dragon, dodged its swipe and sent a bolt of lightning from her lasso toward its eyes, but the creature wasn't backing down. Before she could change tactics, another dragon trapped her, winding its long body around hers and squeezing. "Ahh!" Cassie screamed in surprise as her ribs cracked. "What!" she coughed, not used to feeling pain during a fight. What are these dragons made of?! Just when she thought her insides were going to turn into mush, the pressure disappeared, and she could breathe again. Her eyes widened when she realized someone had ripped the dragon off her and tossed it miles into space. "Lar Gand?" she said, surprised to see him wearing his hospital gown and everything.
He turned to her and asked, "Kri-on ve'kat, Kaessie?"
"I don't know what you said, but thanks for the save," Cassie smiled. Lar Gand returned her smile before flying into the fray. "Wow," Cassie said to herself, surprised to find she was blushing. "We really need to get him some boxers." She then rejoined the fight, and Lar and Cassie, unable to coordinate through words, fought side by side against the onslaught of dragons.
"I just want to talk," Enchantress reiterated as she stepped confidently out into the open.
Raven raised a brow at her outfit. Enchantress stepped confidently into the clearing, her fitted black crop top and high-waisted leggings hugging her form, accentuating the elegant curves that belied her fierce power. The layered necklace she wore gleamed with intricate runes, casting an enchanting shimmer under the dim light.
As Raven observed Enchantress, a chill ran down her spine, not just from the cold but from the unsettling aura that surrounded her. How is she not freezing? The thought was fleeting."Forgive me for not believing you," Raven replied dryly, pushing thoughts about the cold to the back of her mind.
"Look, I closed the portal and got rid of the lizard things," Enchantress said, a hint of expectation lacing her voice.
"Did you close the other portals?" Raven asked, glancing at Artemis and Red Robin, sensing their curiosity mixed with defensiveness.
"No, I didn't. Do you know how hard it is to close a portal you didn't open? The Chaos Lords opened hundreds around the world. I closed this one." Raven didn't budge. "Use your empath powers. You can sense that I'm telling the truth."
Raven scowled, realizing Enchantress was indeed telling the truth. Lowering her shields but keeping her mental defenses in place, she felt a flicker of unease as Artemis glared at their foe.
"What the hell?" Artemis exclaimed.
"Are you okay?" Red Robin asked, his tone steady yet concerned.
"Are you?" Raven countered, keeping her gaze fixed on Enchantress.
"I'm fine," Artemis replied, narrowing her eyes. "Of course, you're behind this." She leveled an arrow at Enchantress, taut with tension.
"Your little arrow won't harm me…girl Robin Hood," Enchantress shot back with a smirk.
"What!" Artemis snapped, offended.
"I'm not here for you," Enchantress said, turning her gaze to Red Robin. "Though…I may have to keep you." Her eyes roamed over him, and Raven felt a flicker of annoyance.
"What do you want?" Red Robin asked, his voice now calm and steady, but his body poised to counter any attack.
"I want to talk to Raven," Enchantress replied.
"I'm not interested," Raven stated her position firmly, not leaving any room for arguing.
"You heard her," Artemis said, brandishing her bow again, "fuck off."
Enchantress lifted her hands. Two portals formed behind her, and a giant, alien, lizard walked out of each of them.
"Will you be okay, Raven?" Red Robin asked her.
"Yes," Raven replied.
"Okay," Red Robin sighed. "Artemis…"
"I know we have a no killing rule," Artemis said to Raven, "but I'd lie for you." She and Red Robin ran at the alien reptiles, leaving Raven and Enchantress alone.
"You are a hard demon to pin down," Enchantress began. "You're not as…flamboyant as your teammates. Since I last saw you, a year ago, I think I've seen you show up in maybe five media posts. Your face was covered in all the posts, so no one knows what you look like. Seriously, Batman appears in more photos than you, and he's photographed very, very rarely. I'm pretty sure he lets those wannabe photographers take his picture. Anyway, I've been looking for you."
"Like I said," Raven repeated, "I'm not interested."
"You don't want to hear my proposal?"
"Let me guess. You want me to open a portal for my father?"
"You're only half right. You've never met the being I represent."
"Again, not interested."
"It won't hurt," Enchantress said. "Come with me willingly, and I can promise that your body won't be torn to shreds; the fiery, excruciating pain you felt when you opened your portal for Trigon—you won't have to worry about if you willingly come with me."
"Your boss knows a lot about me. Are you sure it's not Trigon in disguise?"
"Trust me," Enchantress smirked, "this being is not Trigon. You killed Trigon. He's not coming back. You did the universe a favor by ridding it of him for good. Honestly, I'm surprised worlds haven't thrown parades in your honor. That is another thing my boss can offer you."
"Parades?" Raven asked snarkily.
"Praise. Recognition. Power."
"I don't need praise. I hate being the center of attention, and I have more power than I care to have access to. No deal—especially since I don't know this…boss of yours."
"He will reveal all in due time."
"This conversation has grown tedious." Raven's eyes glowed black as her powers sparked at her fingertips.
"Think carefully, Raven," Enchantress said in a warning tone. "We will get you one way and force you to open a portal one way or another. Trust me. I am here as a courtesy. The next time you see me, I will not be so friendly." Raven didn't reply. She only stared. "Fine," Enchantress huffed. Raven could now sense the anger beneath the surface. "I'll let him know. He is going to have fun with you, and I can't wait." A beeping sound came from the watch she was wearing. "Looks like my time is up. I'll be seeing you. Soon." With that, she disappeared.
"Hey!" Raven heard Artemis from behind. She turned to see the lizards, Red Robin and Artemis had been fighting had disappeared too. Red Robin looked around him with the HUD lens Raven wasn't supposed to know about. "This area is clear," he said. A communicator on his wrist beeped. "Batman," Red Robin said with a hand to his ear. He turned to the two girls. "They're all gone. Every single portal that opened—they've all closed and the monsters—the surviving ones, disappeared, too."
"Left a colossal mess behind," Artemis looked around at the unconscious or dead lizards. "Clean up is going to be fun." A black energy soon covered the lizards' bodies before disappearing. Artemis and Red Robin turned to Raven, whose eyes were just returning to normal. "Well…thanks," Artemis said. Raven nodded once. "What did she want?"
"She wanted me to open a portal for someone," Raven answered.
"Your father?" Red Robin asked.
"She was adamant that it was not my father," Raven replied. "But I don't know who else it could be." Raven's eyes fell to Red Robin's torso. "You're hurt," she stated.
"One of those alien creatures swiped me in the side. I'm sure I'm fine," Red Robin waved her away.
"Or you could be bleeding internally," Raven sighed, walking over to Red Robin. She reached her hands out.
"Raven," Red Robin grasped her hand gently, "you've used a lot of your power today."
"I have enough energy to heal you," Raven said, placing her other hand on his torso. Red Robin flinched at the contact, his face relaxing as the warmth of her healing powers filled him. "Thank you," he said gratefully.
"Do you need healing, Artemis?" Raven asked, holding back a yawn.
"I didn't get touched. Unlike Boy Blunder over here, I kept my distance."
"Well, I'm done," Raven said, stepping back from Red Robin. The cold she had disregarded seeped into her bones. Raven wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. She was freezing and exhausted. "Here," Red Robin said as he unclipped his cape and placed it around Raven. "You look dead on your feet. Let's go back to the Batcave." He wrapped an arm around Raven and helped her back to his motorcycle. Raven was grateful for the help. She felt close to collapsing. She leaned into his warmth as the exhaustion of the confrontation weighing heavily on her. With each passing moment, she couldn't shake the feeling that Enchantress's visit was the harbinger of something far more sinister.
"Obviously, this attack was a distraction," Artemis surmised.
"I was thinking the same," Red Robin replied. "But why?"