Avenging Justice 3:

To Infinity and Anti-Life

Part XXXVII

Sometime, Someplace, Somewhere

Nightwing knew nothing but pain. Every cell in his body felt like it was on fire, and that acid was burning through his veins. His whole existence was pain, every moment pure agony. Memories flashed through his mind, horrible memories. His voice wanted to let out a scream, but nothing came out. All he could do was lay in this nothingness as he burned and froze, with a good measure of melting added on.

"Get up," the gravelly voice, one Nightwing recognized. "You need to get up!"

Nightwing bit back a response, but something changed. He moved. Bruce, Batman was here, he didn't know how. He struggled back to his feet, pain wracking him the whole time. Still, hearing his mentor, his second father figure, had him pushing beyond. He saw his father, smiling, and next to him was the Dark Knight of Gotham. He wasn't smiling, but the nearly translucent Bruce Wayne beside him was. That and there was Alfred, radiating comfort.

"Young Master Grayson, you must move," Alfred said. "You can do this, you are stronger than you realize."

Batman came next, "The mission, what is your mission?"

"Come on, you can do this," Bruce said. "You're the best of us, now get up and fight!"

"I…I…Can't," Nightwing said, feeling like that little boy again.

Batman said, "Focus, remember why you are fighting."

Images of Raven and the other Titans came to view. They were a new team, but they had each come to Gotham when he'd asked. He had agreed to help Raven fight, because she was a part of them, and at some point, had become a friend. Starfire had agreed without even considering the danger she was agreeing to. Then Cyborg agreed because it was nice to be on a team again, to have people around him that accepted him. Beast Boy, there was something more to his acceptance, but it was simply because she was his teammate. Now, some devil thought he was going to come and hurt one of his people.

Nightwing made it to his feet, there was still pain, but he shunted it off to the side. His team needed him. He slowly felt his strength return, and he gripped his batons tightly. A blue glow came from them, that was new. However, that wasn't the thing drawing his attention. No, that would be the floating land masses.

"Well, that complicates matters," he said and felt more like himself. "Luckily, I've had weirder dreams."

Nightwing leapt off, and used his grappling hook to move to another floating rock. He landed and rebounded off, directing himself to another. For the next several moments he jumped from floating rock to floating rock. Slowly climbing to where he could see more of the area he was stuck in. Like a video game level, there were multi platforms, spinning and rotating in all directions. A sense of adventure overtaking the ever-present pain he was blocking out.

Time moved oddly. As he moved, the bright light at the center never seemed to dim. However, some of the platforms he leapt onto were as dark as any midnight alley. Others were set to an immediate dusk, that never listed. Stil compared to some of the things Scarecrow could make you see, this was tame in comparison.

He continued onward, wherever they were, he was going to find his team. There at the center, laughing, was the being that had sent them all here. That was, where "here" was, or whatever it was. With as expansive as this place was though, a possibility existed of searching lifetimes and never finding anyone. If it weren't for the indirect help of whatever was holding them here, it might take that long as well. However, Nightwing noticed that when he moved in certain directions, the pain grew worse. The worse it got, the more sure he was closer to his team, and he was about to be proven right.

"Get away from me!" screamed Starfire.

Bolts of green energy erupted out of her hands and obliterated shadows, only for them to reform again and again. Shadowy tendrils swirled around and about her, running up her arms and legs. She blasted them away, and felt fear spike as the kept coming onward. Her mind raced and instantly she was that small girl, fleeing those who came to her world with ill intent.

She could almost smell the hideous odor of those invaders, and was distracted enough for one inky tendril to yank her leg. She slammed into the floating piece of land and she felt her breath leave her body. Not many things could hit her that hard, and it had been some time since she'd felt pain like that. Fear spiked, and she let out more energy, destroying more of the tendrils.

"I'm coming Starfire, hold on!" Nightwing screamed and aimed his grappling hook at her floating mass.

A small whimper, of a young girl, interrupted him, "She can't hear you, none of them can. You can't interfere either."

The voice was familiar, different enough to cause him to pause, but he knew it. Nightwing turned and saw a girl, maybe ten at the most, dressed in a white costume that looked like Raven's. Well that is if you disregarded the color being wrong, but with wherever they had been sent to, he was okay with a little leaps of logic.

She was huddled, with her knees under her chin. Eyes were wide with terror, and those normally steely orbs darted about. Raven, a much younger version of her, it must be, was afraid and alone. He knew something about that. He had lost his parents, and realized the world was darker and more menacing then he had realized. He went to her.

Alone, scared, and not sure what was going to happen to him, Dick was that little boy again. Looking up at the other performers, grieving the loss of the Flying Graysons. They were extended family to him, but the circus was no place for a small boy by himself. They had to keep moving, despite how much their hearts ached and broke. He was destined for the System. At that time he had no idea what it was, but the adults sounded afraid of it.

That was when a kindly older gentleman and a brooding man walked in with an offer. He had known who Bruce Wayne was, but now the man was standing right there in front of him. Dick didn't remember most of what was said, but he remembered a big scary mansion, mischief and a warm bed. Next came school, and Bruce made sure he was provided for. Adjusting to living in one place for any amount of time took some getting used to, but he did eventually.

Still, as he stayed, something was off. Anger grew, so did sadness and utter loneliness. The killer of his parents was still out there, and he was doing nothing! No amount of Alfred's desserts, wisdom or Bruce's understanding was enough. No, a darkness was eating him alive, and that was when Bruce shared the one thing that did help. He showed him how to accept the darkness, use it to protect instead of hurt. And with it, Dick became more than what even Bruce could ever have hoped for, one that could be both Light and Dark.

"Raven, are you okay?" Nightwing asked, his voice gentle. She looked like a child, and in this state may react more like one.

She looked up, "We failed, Trigon won. I was too weak."

"I don't' think so," Nightwing picked her up and hugged her tight. The embrace was warm, comforting. "I'm here aren't I? So obviously we can escape."

The young Raven broke off the embrace, "He's so much stronger than me. Than all of us. A demon, I was kidding myself to think we could win."

"Oh I don't know, I'm sure a few ancient words, a little bit of salt and iron, and we could take this guy on," Nightwing said, despite the direness, the injected humor felt good.

The smaller version of his friend turned, "You've studied the arcane. Then you would know that won't work…you're messing with me, aren't you?"

The last part came out with the snark and inflection that Nightwing remembered Raven having. Also for just a moment, she was her teen self again, clad in her dark costume. It was just that fleeting instance, and then she was back again. She needed a push, Nightwing knew that. Just as he had several times when he had been training.

"I need you to help me reach Starfire and the others," he said firmly. "You can do this, you may be the only one of us that can."

The young Raven turned her head downward, "I can't, he's too strong."

"Says the young woman who trained with the monks, left her home to a different plane and then rounded up four others," Nightwing reminded her. "Then you join them in a city that many say is cursed, and uphold one man's crusade while he wasn't able to."

Raven screamed, "He's more powerful than me!"

"And just how powerful are you?" Nightwing asked, gently. "You're always in control, always holding back, always reigning in your emotions. I know, I've seen that before. You fear something inside of you, but there is something else too."

She finally looked up, "What else?"

Nightwing took her hand, "Something more."

Instantly she saw a dark avenger leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Below a family looked on with fear as a maniacal clown faced man came at them. The dark shape of a bat fell over them, and the child instantly knew hope. Yes, the Batman was scary, but he fought against the other scary things. In that moment Batman went from a dark brooding creature of the night, to an avenging angel bathed in luminous light.

Then he was gone, but she recognized one of Titan's patrols. She and Starfire flying above, while Beast Boy and Cyborg stayed on the streets. That left Nightwing, acrobatically dancing through the night, touch sky and ground alike. Their target were a group of criminals that had taken a child, as punishment.

Raven had been the first one in, and she had thrown the kidnappers back. The child had screamed, and nearly fell over a ledge. Raven caught them though, and it didn't even distract her from the others. The look of terror in the child's eyes almost mad her lose focus, but the others had been there. Together they were stronger than they were separate.

"Are you Batgirl?" the child asked after its fear tapered off.

Raven had answered, "No, I am not."

"You're scary, but I think you're a good scary," the child's words struck a chord.

Raven's point of view changed and she was not the child looking up at the teen Raven. Darkness exuded, but Light pulsed out. Passed all the darkness, the center was not, it pulsated like a star. She was pulsing light one of those orbs in the dark blanket of night. Then Raven was back looking at Nightwing in this Limbo.

"You can do this," Nightwing said. "Eight times knocked down, nine times up. We can do this, and then we'll show this demon you don't mess with the Titans."

Despite herself, Raven felt herself moving. She pulled with her powers, and shredded the barrier keeping them separate from Starfire. Immediately the dark things came for her, but Nightwing was there. His batons were moving at such a speed as to be nearly invisible. He had no powers, but he had training. That was enough it seemed, as the shadowy tendrils howled in pain. Especially as energy burned them from the opposite side.

"You are not nice tentacle things!" Starfire proclaimed. "Nightwing and Raven! I am so relieved you are unharmed. You look smaller Raven, did something happen?"

Nightwing took the hug from Starfire, "I think it's this place, but she looks older than before. Maybe it has something to do with freeing you."

"Then we must find the others," Starfire blazed with energy. "Then we'll find this not nice guy and give him a stern talking to!"

Nightwing looked at Raven, "Well you heard the lady, let's get a move on!"

Raven felt something, deep down, a warmth that radiated out. These were her friends, that thought sent another cascade of emotions. These she didn't tamp down, and her power surged. Chanting, was it chanting or this place messing with her, seemed to carry on the unnatural winds of this place. She could almost make out words, but didn't have time, there were more of her friends that needed her. So, she followed Nightwing and Starfire, further into the depths of this place.