The layer was like a maze, unsure of where I was going because it stretched out into multiple underground spaces.
I placed my hand upon the wall, closed my eyes and focused on the vibrations being made through the walls and along the ground. The structure was so big that it led to an underground network of caves and dungeon-like structures.
The structures seemed to be rigged with a lot of booby traps hidden within the ground and embedded in the walls. An intruder wouldn't live past the first five minute of trespassing into the base, each section leading to another, just like a maze.
I decided to go about it in a round about method, placing my hand on the ground and tweaking the vibrational particle making up the solid ground, and transmuting it into a loosely bonded rock particles.
As the axis on the ground of which I placed my hand crumbled beneath me, I descended to the floor beneath
Immediately I made my landing, I had a sword pointed at me. "What is up with this family and pointing sword at innocent passersby?" I remarked, raising my hands up in the air as I gave a surrendering gesture. Talia looked at me with a disbelieving look in her eyes, squinting them as she tried to process how I just dropped from the ceiling.
"I have been expecting you, but how did you get past the guards without any of them raising an intruder alarm?" She asked, raising a brow as she pondered, putting down her sword as she knows it would be useless against me.
"Don't think too much on that, I just knocked out a few people here and there…" Casually waving it aside as I remembered my little encounter with her brat. "Oh, and I met your son, he's lucky I let him keep his tongue
"Did you just drop from Damian's room and not the ceiling?" She asked with disbelief, looking above as she finally spotted the hole I dropped from.
"Probably." I replied.
"What did you do?" She inquired, suddenly switching to a more serious tone. "Chill, I just put him to sleep that's all, forcefully giving his young brain a timeout from his daily life acting and talking like an adult instead of acting like his age, he's quite an annoying little bastard but I like his spunk."
"Does the kid know that his father is a caped vigilante, part time billionaire, full time hero?" I asked, poking at the fact that I know his father.
"How did you know that?" Talia asked with utter surprise in her eyes.
"You might think you guys were keeping an eye on me, but what if…" I took slow and precise steps, closing in on her as I continued. "Just what if, I'm actually the one keeping an eye on the League…" I threatened, planting seeds of doubt in her mind so she would be confused as to how much I really knew, and there for reduce the percentage of her lying to me.
"So answer me. What does Ra's Al Ghul want with Raven?" Tom asked Talia, unsure if Ra's just wanted to spite him by kidnapping her, or if there was some other agenda behind her abduction. He knew the League had been keeping an eye on him and it wouldn't be difficult for then to tag Raven as his girlfriend due to a few of their open dates together.
"Normally I would rather die than betray my father but what he intends to do might bring the end of the world as we know it, all in the name of acquiring outer worldly powers." She replied him, but instead got a deep sigh from Tom as a response.
"Here we go again, some end of the world bullshit all because of some dude reaching for some power he shouldn't temper with. Humans and their obsession for superiority and control."
"So tell me… What does your dad want with my girlfriend."
"I know the heroes just finished fighting off Darkseid and his minions but this time my father intends to conduct a ritual to extract Trigon's magic from the gem embedded in her head, hoping to subdue the demon and take control of his powers."
Knock on the door…
Shhhh!!! Talia gestured to me as she quickly made her way to the door.
"Yes?" She asked as she slightly opened her door to know who and what they might want. "We found a guard knocked unconscious and hidden at a corner. We suspect the intruder has made way into our base." The assassin reported.
"What does the Demon Head say about this report?" She inquired.
"He said for us not to engage the intruder but lead him underground, where the ritual is to be done."
"Okay, I will be right with you. Inform the rest to stay alert and be on their guard." She instructed before slowly shutting the door.
"Seems Ra's wishes to see what I can do, up close and personal." I remarked, trying his best to put aside the part about a ritual to be done.
"The devil child isn't the only one he has plans for tonight, he also has plans for you. His true objective for the night is to use one stone in killing two birds. He knew you would come barging in here to rescue your girlfriend." She replied, making it clear that he also has plans for me. "Quite romantic if you asked me." Talia teased.
"What makes your father think he could successfully subdue a demon who destroys worlds for sport?" I asked, ignoring her comment and focusing more on how Ra's intended on getting Trigon under his control.
"During his research over the years, he was able to come up with a ritual to transfer the gem on Raven's head. Transferring the gem which holds Trigon captive, unto himself and…"
"Blah Blah Blah." She was interrupted by me just before she could finish. "I don't need to know the details, all I need to do is stop Ra's, get back my girl and I'll be off on my merry way." He added.
"I'll assist you in whatever way I can." She replied.
"This involves you betraying your father and the family you are so attached to. My concern is if you would still be on my side and not switch up on me when I deliver your father with the punishment he deserves for interfering with my personal life." I clarified my concerns before Talia.
Due to the kind of life I've had so far, I subconsciously developed a major sense of trust issues and thought with my brain, not from some shallow sense of responsibility following with an allegiance.
I knew Talia would choose family over everything else, and I was nothing to her, compared to her tribe. The moment our partnership seem unfavorable to her, it only seemed logical that she was likely to switch up on me and literally stab me in the back to protect her people.
"I guess we would up hold this aalliance of ours until that time comes." Talia replied, not averting her gaze from my eyes as she spoke.
…
[Back at the Titan Tower]
The atmosphere was lively at Titans Tower, with upbeat music echoing through the spacious common area as the party buzzed with booze and music.
While the drunk and high teenagers danced to the music at the party, others made their way to the pool side with swim suits on.
The dimmed lights cast a warm glow, revealing a mix of heroes and friends enjoying a night off.
"Come on Barbara, you got to move those hips." Kara said as she held on to Barbara's hand, trying to get her to let loose a bit and enjoy the night.
Leaning closer to Kara as she asked, "I know you have a different metabolism from the rest of us, but do I need to worry about a drunk Kryptonian? Considering how much you drank tonight."
"Alcohol has no effect on us Kryptonians, so I can literally party till morning." She replied. "Enough about me, let's dance." Kara added before dragging Barbara to the middle of the dance floor.
"Hey, anyone seen Raven?" Dick Grayson asked Gar Logan. "I don't know man, she must be with her 'boyfriend."' Gar said, casually gesturing with an air quote as he emphasized on the word, boyfriend.
"You are probably right, but I'm a little worried since I haven't seen her in a while and something about that Tom guy just ticks off me the wrong way." Dick replied, trying to calm his paranoid nerves.
"Come on babe, let her have some fun of her own tonight, away from our nosey team." Kori said as she slowly approached him. While Gar just left for the poolside without saying a word, already having his swim suit on.
"I know it's important for her to have some fun away from the team and enjoy her private life, but I can't help but worry about who she spends her time with." Dick said, his protective nature surfacing.
"You know that she's more than capable of taking care of herself, so there's no need to worry. I'm excited to hear all about her might by morning." StarFire said with a mischievous expression on her face.
"I know she can, I guess I was just being paranoid over the strange energy I got from that Tom fellow"
"Just let it go." Kori said as she slowly closed in on him, reaching for his chest as she slowly carcassed it.
"Here's a suggestion." She said, leaning closer to his ear as she whispered. "What?" He asked with a low soft tone, already anticipating where she was heading at.
"Why don't you and I have some fun ourselves, behind closed doors." She whispered in his ear, tracing her hand down his abdomen as she grabbed on to his already erected penis.
Amidst the pulsating energy of the party, Dick Grayson's wide grin met Kori's playful demeanor. "Lead the way, your highness," he said, a spark of mischief in his eyes. She wasted no time, pushing him against a nearby wall. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, the world fading away as they surrendered to the moment.
Caught in the intensity of their make out session, she seized his hand, intertwining their fingers. With a magnetic pull, she guided him through the bustling common area towards their private room.
Their sexual tension hung heavy in the air around them as the door swung open behind her. Unfazed, they stumbled into the room, their entangled embrace breaking their fall as they landed on the bed.
After forging their temporary alliance, Talia gave Tom a spot-on description to the cell where Raven was being held captivate.
Since Ra's was already aware of Tom's arrival, Tom no longer had a reason to be stealthy with his infiltration but needed to keep up with it if he was going to rescue Raven before they decide to use her as leverage against him.
Upon his arrival at the destined location, he noticed the high number of masked men who blocked the hallway to Raven's supposed cell, all armed with varieties of preferred weapons.
"Great, this is starting to feel more like some quest straight out of a video game. With the classic ninja army trying to prevent me from rescuing a kidnapped damsel." Tom muttered to himself, "well I might as well get this over with."
Tom flew up and rested his back against the dark ceiling as he faced the hallway below. He closed his eyes for a second, running calculations on how dense he needed to make his deflective field for it to deflect and bounce back light particles around him.
On achieving this, Tom dropped from the ceiling, making a soft and soundless landing in front of the army.
With his right hand tucked away in his pocket, he cautiously walked through their mist, weaving his way around them like he was playing some game from family game night, trying to avoid making contact with anyone as he dodged every one of them.
His deflective field served like an invisibility cloak, erasing every sight or sound of him. They couldn't see or sense him as his presence had been concealed.
He kept this up until he got around the last one and to the door which led to the underground prison his girlfriend was behind held prisoner.
"This has to be a joke." He muttered, faced with an empty cell as he looked around for Raven. "You have to be kidding me right!!" He loudly exclaimed as he undid his invisibility cloak, attracting the attention of the assassins at the hallway right beyond the door.
That moment he was unsure if Talia lied to him and sent him into a pathetic attempt of an ambush, or if Ra's was soon to begin with his appointed ritual.
He sensed the vibrations produced by each step the assassins took as they attacked him, even though they were soft and stealthy. He knew it came from the direction of the entrance but continued to stare at the empty cell as he feigned ignorant of their presence.
One of the assassins leaped into the air, twisting his body midair as he swung his sword at Tom, aiming to claim his head. Acting like he was still oblivious to their presence, Tom swiftly lifted his hand into the air and caught his attacker by the neck, seizing him midair as he neutralized the attack.
His body dropped to the ground while Tom still held on to his head, resulting to a stream of blood from the severed body and neck.
Tom aggressively hurled the head at one of them who seemed to lead the unit, increasing its speed, power and density so it was several times more destructive than a cannon ball.
It made contact with him but didn't stop with just it's target alone, it also made it's way to the guts of two more behind him, blasting through their chests and bashing the third guy behind against the dungeon wall.
The other masked assassins around him abruptly took a step back, shocked by his sudden action which instantly turned his ambush into an horrifically gruesome scene to them, almost as fast as snapping a finger.
"I am only going to ask this once. Where is Ra's keeping Raven?" He asked them and after a moment of hesitation, they proceeded with their attack.
Tom speedily evaded their attacks and intentionally cornered himself in the process as they circled around him, cautiously closing in on him as reinforcement arrived at the entrance.
"I guess I will have to be quick about this, I am in no mood for games." Tom muttered to himself as they charged at him from every direction, individually trying to claim his head.
Tom lifted his right hand above his hand, pointing to the ceiling as he twirled it in circular motion.
The swarm of foot soldiers suddenly got sliced apart at chest level, cutting off the legs of those that attempted to attack from above.
They squirm around in a pool of blood as they cried out in agony. Arrows were suddenly shot at Tom by three archers from opposite each other and in different positions.
The shot arrows were sent back at the archers, digging their way into the meat of their victims as they dropped dead. While the reinforcements cautiously closed in on him, hoping to find a blind spot as their trained minds refused to give in to the horribly gruesome scenes.
"Anyone else cares to do something, stupid." Tom said to them with sarcasm laced in his voice, knowing it was a completely futile effort which would just end up with a pile of bodies, but to what end? He wonders.
The most obvious reasons was to either buy Ra's al Ghul enough time to finish up with the ritual before he got there, or blood sacrifices was an essential condition needed to be met for the completion of the ritual and Tom was unknowingly helping give the sacrifices an honorary death in battle as the massacre of so many souls might serve as a hot spot for such a powerful ritual.
If the latter was the case, it would be quite an irony as he would have a part in the death of the girl he came in there to rescue.
As Tom thought of a fast and effective solution to take him straight to where he needed to be, he continued to dismember his attackers without moving an inch from where he stood. He shoved his fist so high up into the chest of one and it burst out of his throat.
"I just need one of you alive to provide me with Raven's location." Tom said with a crazy and yet scary look in his eyes, almost looking like a psychopathic crackhead as he crooked his head to the side.
As they charged at Tom with attempts to resume their halted assaults, they all froze in place as Tom got his telekinetic hold on them.
By transmuting the molecular structure of the earth, he erupted pillar like constructs up to shoulder level as he sealed everyone of them, just as avatar did with the fire lord.
He wasn't willing to play by Ra's book and needed to find Raven asap. "Tell me where Ra's is keeping Raven or I will make use of the rock capsule you're currently trapped in, and slowly crush you all to death but leaving just one survivor." Tom said as he addressed them.
"As for the survivor, I'll take my time to skin them alive in the most excruciatingly painful way possibly." Tom said to them, emphasizing on each word as they all felt the bloodthirsty intent in his voice, his crimson red pupils did its part in striking the fear of God into them as he locked eyes with one of them.
The assassins remained quite and didn't say a word as they focused on wiggling their way out of Tom's self isolated prison.
"Within the next three seconds, give me the location of where Ra's al Ghul currently has Raven held at… or I might just randomly start squashing everyone of you and find her myself. " Tom said, taking slow and intimidating steps as he walked around their midst.
"… And I might just start with you." He said as he faced up with one of them who could barely even look at his face while the rest were scared to look in his eyes which gave an intimidating crimson red glow.
"We would rather die than betray the Demon Head." A brave dumbass yelled as the rest of them echoed after him.
SQUASH!!!*
Every other person except the foot soldier Tom had eyes on, were simultaneously crushed to death by the rocks that instant.
"I believe by now you have had a change of perspective and would provide me the details as to the location I seek." He said as the walls of the last rock pillar slowly started to close in on itself, tighten against its hostage.
"Okay, I'll tell you." He squirmed in fear as he gave in to Tom's torment and provided him with the directions Tom seek.
"That's more like it. That wasn't so hard, was it now?" Tom asked with an ill-boding tone in his voice, as a result smirk slowly appeared on his face.
"Aren't you going to get me out of this rock?" He asked Tom who didn't bother lending him an ear, or even turned to look behind but instead he slightly stumped his foot against the ground and the rocks crushed him to death.
"Well I did set him free in the end, his soul at least." Tom muttered to himself as he continued to advance according to the description given to him. He knew Ra's Al Ghul must have probably set up a trap for him, but he couldn't care less about it because in the end it would just be a futile attempt.