Into the Depths – Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four
The Rise of Trigon

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 10:47 am.

The air was penetrated with ranting. Slade leaned against the wall, Raven still in his arms. The kitten had perched herself against his leg, nearly on top of his boot. Her loud, contented purrs couldn’t be heard over the continual yelling that Dick was producing.

“Of all the things it could’ve been, why that?! Bugs? Seriously?! Is nothing normal in my life?!”

Slade sighed again.

“Nothing could be worse than that–that–that thing! Ugh! Couldn’t they have done something more! And why couldn’t they be straight about this!”

“Dick.”

The rant continued, mostly nonsensical by this time.

“Dick. Do you mind?” snapped Slade. “You’re giving me a headache. And I’m not supposed to get those any more.”

“But Dad—”

“Dick, stop it,” said Slade, leaning his head back and sighing. After a moment, he looked at Dick, who had his hands on his hips, a perpetual glare on his countenance. “I don’t even know why you’re getting worked up. All I hear is a drone of angry words. What on earth are you talking about?”

“She said bugs. Really big bugs,” said Dick, grounding out each word in frustration. Slade waited, as if letting him continue, but Dick wanted those words to sink in. The man sighed again.

“And the point?”

“Do you remember when we first found Terra?” asked Dick, the irritated contempt still in his tone. “And I called you and told you about that thing we defeated?”

Slade took a moment, his eyebrows furrowed. Then, his visible eye scrunched up in pain. He shook his head, sighing in exasperation.

“You’re joking.”

Dick folded his arms. “Now you can see why I’m having an issue here. One of those giant scorpions was hard enough for the entire team, but an army of them? That’s ridiculous. We’d need all of the superheroes from around the world, but there’s only us. We have to defeat an army of them – that’s not even including Trigon in this mess. What are we supposed to do?”

There was an almost pleading worry in his tone, though Dick hadn’t meant for it to be there. In the end, it had been more of a statement than a question. With nothing to counter it, the small enclosed room fell into silence. The kitten even stopped purring. Raven turned slightly in Slade’s hold, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head against his own. Slade patted her back, as if he didn’t realize he was doing it, his expression pensive.

Somehow, that scene lifted Dick’s heart. Seeing Slade, a man who could be so frightening and powerful in battle, kindly comfort a small child in his arms with such contrasting softness – Dick couldn’t hold back the smile. For a moment, Slade didn’t notice. After a moment, however, he glanced at Dick and raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

Dick’s smile only grew. “Nothing.”

“You have that look about you,” said Slade, his eyebrow still lifted.

“What look?”

“One of mischief.”

“Lucky for you there’s no time for that.”

Slade rolled his eye, shook his head, and patted Raven’s back. Silence fell again.

As the rock enclosure continued to rise up to the surface and with nothing else to occupy his mind, Dick thought about their recent encounter. After seeing his mother on his birthday, he wasn’t really shocked by the other angels. It was what they had said about Slade that interested him.

Just how in depth was Slade’s gift in healing? Raven had a small amount of healing abilities. What Dick knew about it, she could heal surface wounds, even some deep gashes, and mend sprains. But of deeper issues, like diseases and broken or shattered bones, she couldn’t heal.

Could Slade do that much and more?

But from what Dick understood about Slade’s ability, there was a catch to it – one which, knowing Slade, could greatly hinder it.

“Dad…” began Dick, his voice softer now. Slade stopped staring at the wall and looked at him. Dick met his gaze. “Do you believe them?”

“Believe what?”

“That you can heal others.”

Slade let out a sigh, which sounded mixed with a derisive scoff. He shook his head.

“It’s ridiculous.”

“But they were telling the truth!”

“There cannot be any truth to their claims,” said Slade, his tone turning harder. As Dick opened his mouth, Slade put a hand to silence him. “Look, I don’t want to talk about it, Dick. I need to think about a plan.”

Dick gave the man ten seconds. “So, that’s it?” he said, ignoring the soft growl of annoyance. “You’re not going to believe them? You’re not gonna even consider the possibility?”

Silence.

Dick threw his arms into the air. “Will’s right. He’s absolutely right about you.” He folded his arms and faced away from Slade. He could feel the man’s gaze on the back of his head. After a moment, Dick got the response he was waiting for.

“What did Will say about me?” asked Slade, his voice becoming slightly dangerous. Dick ignored the warnings and looked right back at the man.

“You’re the most stubborn guy on the planet.”

“Excuse me?” growled Slade.

“No, you’re not excused,” said Dick flatly, the imp rising higher in him. Either that or his self preservation had disappeared. But before Slade could counter him, Dick’s expression sobered. “Look, Dad, you could save lives with this. I know, before, you were saving people in your own way—” Slade let out a snort. “—Hey, it’s true,” Dick protested. “Even if you don’t want to admit it. You were. Taking a life to protect countless others. In your own way, you were helping people. Even if I don’t agree with it. But… with this gift, you could save lives. People who didn’t have hope before would be given a new chance at life. I mean, just think about it for a minute. You could do so much.”

For a long moment, Slade didn’t say anything. He appeared extremely uncomfortable, though. Dick wasn’t sure if he should say anything more or let the man think about it a little longer. As the silence continued, Dick was about to try again, when Slade suddenly spoke.

“What makes them think I’m suited to such a skill?” snapped Slade, his tone filled with incredulity. His voice startled Raven and she whined slightly, like a child being woken suddenly from a deep sleep. Once again, Slade absently patted her back and Raven laid her head back down again. This time, as Slade continued to speak, it was softer, even quieter. “I’m not the blasted do-gooder around here. They should’ve given it to you. You would flourish with such a skill.”

Dick smiled, now fully understanding the problem.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll believe in yourself when the time is right.”

There was a long pause.

“You’re such a cheeky imp.”

ooOOOOOoo

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 10:48 am.

Her power wasn’t good enough.

His power wasn’t good enough.

They couldn’t do anything. Trigon had even stopped responding to Rose’s colorful taunts. The monster continued to sit on his conquered throne, his eyes closed, an almost content expression across his inhuman features. What was he waiting for? Why wasn’t he fighting them? Joey couldn’t even get near him now because a barrier had been erected.

What were they supposed to do?

They couldn’t fight Trigon.

They couldn’t interfere with the other three fights.

Helpless. That word alone couldn’t fully grasp the scope of feelings Joey felt. There was truly nothing they could do, except watch their friends, however new they were to them, be beaten to death. They had the confidence of those who had passed, but… What did that matter if they all died in the process?

Why had Grant appeared? He hadn’t said anything, but winked in that annoying mischievous way of his – like he knew something Joey didn’t. In their younger years, it had always been that way—drove Joey crazy. Why, after all that effort in showing up, hadn’t they received more answers? Were they missing something?

It was affecting Rose, too. She was hunched on the ground, her hands digging into the ashy ground, with her head bowed as her shoulders shook. She had tried to help in the fight. She had tried to help Beast Boy.

In the end, she had only helped get him more hurt.

Until Slade and Dick came back… What more could they do? But even then, what could they do? It wasn’t like they would suddenly have the advantage when Slade and Dick arrived. They would be just as powerless as they were in this fight. Joey was an optimist, but being realistic right now… Who knew what condition they would find Raven in – she could be injured or worse. Or maybe they never found her. Anything was possible.

Joey was startled out of his thoughts as Rose let out an agonizing scream, one of frustration. She bolted to her feet, her fists clenched at her sides. She whirled around, facing Joey. She jerked a hand in the direction of Trigon.

“What are we supposed to do?”demanded Rose furiously. “I can’t just sit here! Joey, what…”

Tears filled her eyes. She roughly wiped them away. Her breath came out in gasps. And that overwhelming, overpowering helpless feeling inside Joey’s chest only grew more. He wanted to reach out to her, but he knew there was nothing that could comfort her. The only thing that would help was being able to aid their friends.

Suddenly, Rose stopped. For a moment, Joey thought she had controlled herself. However, she pitched forward – Joey rushed forward, catching her before she met the ground.

“Rose!”

She was limp in his arms. He turned her over; her eyes were closed. Had she really fainted? But Rose didn’t faint. She never fainted. Surely she hadn’t gotten that hysterical—

But before Joey could try to wake her up, something pulled at his mind. Shocked at himself, he could feel his body slumping over, his arms still curled around Rose’s shoulders. It was as if something tugged at his soul – and yet the moment between everything disappearing and the regaining of consciousness was brief.

He was standing up, even though he’d been on the ground. Rose stood beside him, looking around at the endless white landscape around them. Somehow, Joey knew this wasn’t the world, but something within his mind.

He had to be dreaming, since there were five women, elegantly dressed in white, standing in front of them. They were more magnificent than any living creature Joey had ever seen. The shortest of the women snapped a pen against a clipboard. She gave Joey a gentle smile. Somehow, all the tension in his chest fled.

“Ladies, we have three minutes and nineteen seconds before the lives of the three Titans are in fatal jeopardy. I suggest we make this quick. Hopefully, these two are a bit smarter and sharper than their father.”

ooOOOOOoo

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 10:51 am.

Reaching the surface filled Dick with mixed feelings. His entire body raced with adrenaline, prepping itself for the oncoming battle that was sure to come. It wasn’t like the usual fights he had faced, though. The tension in his chest made it hard to breathe. This fight would have that unique element Slade always talked about: fight to live.

This wasn’t some fight against Mad Mod or some other pathetic, wannabe villain. This was life or death and Dick was determined that every one of his friends and family would come out of this experience alive.

When the stone elevator finally stopped, the sides slowly flowed back into the ground, leaving no evidence of how they reached the surface. The air still choked the senses. It was still the dark, scorched landscape as it had been before. Remnants of dilapidated skyscrapers scattered the surface. Some had fallen onto their sides, the broken debris surrounding its location. Some maintained their structure, but they, too, were unsteady and worn down.

It was too quiet.

Slade gave Raven a waking pat on the back. She stirred. After which he lowered her to ground. She stood there, blinking tried eyes, before she glanced up at him. The kitten pulled away from Slade’s boot and curled around Raven’s ankles.

“You all right, Rae?” asked Dick.

She nodded, rubbing her eyes with both hands. “Just tired.”

“She needs somewhere to hide,” said Slade, placing a hand onto Raven’s head. She looked up at him and shook her head.

“No, I want to stay with you.”

“Rae…” began Dick. He bit his lower lip, before taking a deep breath. “You should stay off the battlefield, all right? It’s better that way. The fight is going to be dangerous and—”

“No!” cried Raven. “There has to be something I can do.” Her young features fell suddenly and she dropped her head. “Even if I’m useless now. This form… I know you were hoping for my help…”

She sniffed softly.

Dick knelt down in front of her, gently lifting her chin, so that her glistening gaze met his. He gave her a smile.

“We didn’t come for your help, Raven,” whispered Dick. “We came for you. Even with the smallest glimmer of hope that you were alive was enough for me to come get you, no matter what. You’re family.” Raven was trying not to cry now, but was having difficulty in stopping the tears from slipping over. Dick grabbed her hands; they were small. “The most important thing you can do is to stay safe. Stay with Kuroi.”

There was another sniff. Raven nodded. She leaned against Slade for a moment, then she bent over and picked up Kuroi. While the kitten wasn’t as large as an adult cat, she still seemed big within Raven’s arms.

“Stay with Raven, all right, Kuro?” said Dick, stroking Kuroi’s head. The kitten mewled her consent. As Dick stood up, he turned his attention to Slade. “We better—”

A scream tore through the air.

Chills beyond anything Dick had ever experienced slid down his back like frosty, melting ice. He knew that voice. He had never heard her sound like that – she should never have cause to scream like that.

Dick bolted.

“No, Dick, wait!”

Oh, but he wasn’t listening, yet again – though he didn’t know the frustration and anguish he was causing Slade; nor did it matter. All that mattered was reaching her. She had to be all right. It couldn’t be serious. It was normal, in battles, for problems to arise. Surely Starfire was all right.

But Dick knew this wasn’t an ordinary battle.

The landscape raced by as Dick ran faster than he’d ever done so before in his life. He kept his eyes on the crimson sky, looking for Starfire’s flying form. She would be fighting there, more than likely. Maybe Trigon had flying demons, too.

Oh, heaven forbid.

Then, he saw it: a solitary form in the sky. She was falling. Her form in the distance was small, suggesting she was falling from a high height. Without even needing to think about it, Dick was airborne with a grappling hook. The flight was, as the saying went, like riding a bike. Every part of his body knew what it was like to fly, even though he was nothing like Starfire, or even Raven, when it came to true ability.

But it didn’t matter. He flew in his own way, gaining altitude and swinging from building to building, running so fast that he never once lost his balance, even though he was horizontal. As he came to the edge of the latest building, he leapt into the air again, sending another grappling hook towards a dilapidated building – not once thinking about their precarious condition. His eyes were only on her.

Then, in midair, with absolute timing, he caught Starfire. He landed on the building in front, sliding slightly due to the slanted nature of the building. Dick quickly pulled out two boomerangs and connected them into another rapier, which he then stabbed into the surface of the building. He held onto it with a firm grip, while carefully maneuvering Starfire in his arms. She lay draped over his lap, her head resting in the crook of his left arm.

There was so much blood.

Where her skin was visible, there wasn’t a spot not marred by some scratch or streak of blood. There were even a few gashes, some of which had dark, dried blood stopping the bleeding, while other still bled profusely. It wasn’t lost on Dick that she had been beaten heavily. She didn’t move in his arms, her hoarse breathing labored.

Dick’s hand tightened on the hilt of his rapier. His chest constricted with anxiety. He bowed his head, taking deep, calming breaths. He couldn’t lose his cool. Starfire didn’t need that. She needed help. She need an anchor of assurance and it was up to him to provide that for her.

For a few moments, she was unresponsive. Then, as Dick gently stroked the side of her arm, hoping that she would wake up, her eyes slowly opened. A small, relieved gasp broke her lips. Her eyes drunk in his gaze, as if she couldn’t believe who she was seeing. Tears filled her eyes. Slowly, her hand reached up and cupped his cheek. The tips of her fingers were chilled. She smiled weakly.

“I must be dreaming,” whispered Starfire.

Dick shook his head, tipping it towards her soft hand. He cleared his throat, swallowed, and gave her a smile, hoping it wasn’t as strained as he felt.

“We found Raven. We’re back.” He swallowed again; his jaw clenched for a moment. “I’m sorry for taking so long.”

Then, at the watery, yet overwhelmingly thankful smile he received from her, a strange but perfectly normal notion overtook his movements. He didn’t think about it before it happened and afterward he would never regret nor feel embarrassed for his actions.

Dick leaned down and kissed Starfire’s forehead.

When he pulled back, there was a startled expression across her face. Her cheeks were pink – though, she seemed pleasantly pleased by the display of affection.

Thus, Dick found he would most likely do that again, just to see that expression on her face.

A sharp clapping broke the moment. Dick’s head snapped upward; the air went out of his stomach. Standing so lightly on the surface, barely floating there, was Starfire – yet it wasn’t her. Her skin, her clothing all had that same, familiar grey coloring, except for the crimson eyes. Then, pure fear for his friends swept over Dick’s entire soul. They had doppelgangers, just as he had. They would be just as bad, no doubt.

This battle was going to be worse than Dick had originally suspected.

“Oh, isn’t this adorable,” purred Dark Starfire. “What a touching display.” The mocking expression vindictively gagged. “I think I’ll be sick.” She sighed dramatically. “And I was so close to ending her, too.”

She was so different than Starfire, yet there were many elements that Dick could see were the same. The most noticeable difference, besides appearance, was that the doppelganger spoke in a more modern fashion than Starfire.

Dick tightened his hold on Starfire; his knuckles became white from their hold on his rapier.

“Oh, that look in your eyes… You want to kill me, don’t you?” whispered Dark Starfire, her crimson eyes glowing with malevolence. “The poster boy of light wants to kill me.” She laughed delightedly. “That look in your eyes says it all. Oh, you can’t deny it,” she purred. “After all, I’m the one who hurt your precious Starfire.”

Dick took another breath, forcing himself to be calm. If Starfire couldn’t defeat her counterpart, then she had to be extremely powerful. Dick wasn’t sure if he could take Starfire on a normal day by himself – and Blackfire had been more vicious in her attacks. With Slade, however, Dick was confident. But until the man showed up, charging in wasn’t the smart way of going about this. He had to remain calm and avoid rising to the bait of this creature.

“I have a bit of disappointing news for you, though,” continued Dark Starfire, her eyes glowing further. “You can’t attack me. Only Starfire can. And when I defeat my weaker side, I’ll become corporeal. Then, I’ll have Robin all to myself.”

A sharp growl echoed through Starfire’s throat. She pushed herself up inside Dick’s arms, glaring at her dark self.

“You most certainly will not.”

“Yeah, that’s never gonna happen,” said Dick, shaking his head. His arm supported Starfire as she continued to struggle upward. He didn’t stop her, even though there was a grimace on her face. “Starfire isn’t going to be defeated. Ever. She’s not weak.”

Dark Starfire laughed. She waggled her finger at him. “I do believe you misunderstand. I don’t mean you. And do you truly think your precious Starfire is so pure and so perfect, don’t you? That’s why you like her. But there are things you don’t know about her. Dark things.”

“Of course, there are!” snapped Dick, huffing slightly. Good grief, were all these doppelgangers the same? Did they always have to talk so much? Baiting them was stupid. “Obviously everyone has a darker side, the side which is selfish; the side which thinks only about their self. I know it. I’ve got that, too. We all have our secrets. We all have things we rather no one know about. But that’s what makes us all living beings. Starfire wouldn’t be Starfire without her faults.”

Dark Starfire glared at them.

Then, before she could retort with a comeback, a shadow appeared from behind her. In retrospect, Dick probably would’ve found the moment downright disturbing, even though he didn’t now. Like a terrible beast taking down its prey, the shadow had appeared and swung a broadsword through the center of the doppelganger.

The sword went right through her midriff. Her form flickered for a moment, before it was restored. Dark Starfire laughed slightly, mockingly yawning with exaggeration. She glanced back at her would be attacker. “See? Only Starfire can touch me.”

While the sudden appearance of the attack had been shocking, the fact that it had been Slade who had been the one to attack so viciously somehow didn’t surprise Dick. He now ignored Dark Starfire, looking directly at Slade, who seemed both startled and annoyed that his attack had done nothing.

“Dad, over here,” said Dick, giving the man a beseeching look. Slade looked at him, his nostrils flaring in aggravation. He bypassed Dark Starfire, audibly growling.

“What happened to stealth?” snapped Slade. “Have you learned nothing from me? Now you’ve alerted the enemies to your presence!”

“It’s not like we didn’t already know.”

The doppelganger was completely ignored.

“Dad,” whispered Dick, staring at the man as Slade came closer. The man knelt down next to him. “Star’s hurt.” Then, Dick dropped his voice, so Slade could only hear. “Please, you have to heal her.”

Slade looked at Dick with a dubious expression. He glanced over Starfire; his expression turned grim. “I thought we’ve been through this—”

“Dad, now’s not the time!” snapped Dick. Starfire stared at the pair of them, her eyes wide. “You’ve got to do this. For Starfire!”

Slade sat back on his heels; he shook his head.

“Dick… We talked about this. I can’t heal her. I don’t have that ability.”

“No?” snapped Dick, drawling out the word incredulously. “How did I get better, then? You know, when you thought I was immortal or something. That wasn’t a fluke, you know.”

“It was a coincidence,” said Slade, a growl beneath his tone.

“Either it was you or it was a miracle—”

“It was not a miracle—”

“Then, it had to be you!” shouted Dick. “You can’t have it both ways, Dad! Either way, you have to accept some kind of news you don’t want to hear! You saw them. You had literal angels come and tell you that you have a gift! It’s not rocket science! It’s not like you didn’t make a healing serum with your blood and saliva! This isn’t that much of a step up, you know!”

“Angels?”

The anger slipped away in an instant at the soft, questioning voice of Starfire. She stirred in his arms, slowly rising to a sitting position. She glanced between Dick and Slade, who had folded his arms and was obviously trying to control his temper. Starfire looked back at Dick, her monochromatic eyes seeking him.

“Uh…” begin Dick, realizing Starfire might not know the term. He didn’t know much about Starfire’s planet, even though he had learned some Tamaranean. “Angels… Like heavenly beings. People who have lived and died.”

Slade huffed.

Starfire grabbed his arm, her eyes wide. It took her a moment to speak; she took a deep, nearly rasping breath.

“I saw Mother and Father,” whispered Starfire, her eyes nearly glowing. “They came and strengthened us. Everyone had someone they once knew come.”

Dick smiled, his heart rising. He touched her forearm in return. “I saw Mama.” Then, with a mischievous whisper, he added, “She scared Dad to death.”

Starfire let out a soft exhaling laugh. Slade growled even more. However, before the man could huff some more about it, Dick whirled back on him.

“Ya see?” snapped Dick, jerking a finger at Starfire, who squeaked in surprise. “The others saw angels, too. We don’t have time for your denial! I need you to heal Starfire. Please, Dad!”

“Oh, please, I am truly fine. There is no need—”

“It’s not that simple, Dick!”

“Of course, it is!”

“Please, you should not be fighting—”

Slade lifted a hand in the air, suddenly appearing alert. He jerked his head to the side, before he whipped around in search of something. After a moment, he glared back at Dick.

“Where is she?”

“Huh? Who?”

“The grey version of Starfire!” snapped Slade. “She’s gone!”

The air filled again with more arguing. At any other time – meaning when the world hadn’t ended with so many enemies still around – it would’ve been almost comical to see the pair of them going back and forth. It testified of the closeness that father and son held. Though, any arguing which went longer than a minute became annoying.

Luckily, it didn’t last that long – well, it depended what luck one imagined.

For the second time in the past five minutes, a scream penetrated the distance. It’s pitch, however, was much higher – that of a child.

“Raven!” cried Dick, looking in the direction of the scream. He looked back at Slade. “You left her alone?!”

“I left the cat,” retorted Slade, bolting to his feet. Dick gave him a horrified glare.

“Dad!”

“Now, see? This is why I shouldn’t have been a parent!” said Slade, huffing yet again – but there was a glint of teasing in his eye. A second later, he turned serious. “And don’t look at me like that – we were planning on leaving her alone, remember?”

Soft laughter stopped Dick from snapping back. Starfire held a hand over her mouth, her eyes closed with her amusement. She wiped a few tears away, before she looked at them.

“For such a long time, I did not think I would ever smile again nor have cause to do so.” Then, she took a deep breath and carefully stood up, refusing Dick’s help on the way. “Let us go save Raven.”

ooOOOOOoo

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 10:54 am.

Raven ran. She ran faster than she ever had in her life. Yet her tiny legs wouldn’t take her far. In the back recesses of her mind, she knew her legs were supposed to be longer. She knew she was supposed to be different, but all the old remnants of who she had been were gone. They were nothing more than distant memories, even though they too felt as if they were someone else.

Not her.

Tears rushed down her cheeks. She tripped; she skidded forward on her front, rocks and earth scraping her folded arms, which were clutching the black kitten. The kitten let out a howl of protest when they landed on the ground. Raven uncurled her arms and the kitten darted away, disappearing into the crevices of nearby debris. As Raven pushed herself to her scratched and bleeding knees, a sob of despair broke through her chest. With blurry vision, she looked around, but the kitten was gone.

Well, it had been useless to run, anyway. It didn’t matter now.

She slowly turned around, looking upward into the face of her pursuer.

Crimson skin; crimson eyes; contrasting gleaming white teeth – Trigon gazed down at her with obvious dark pleasure, as if he were pleased at her appearance, yet still viewed her beneath him.

“Raven, my dear daughter. How I’ve missed you.”

I remember him lying. He’s lying now. He’s a liar.

“Why do you run from your father?”

You were always cruel, weren’t you? You did this to me. You forced me to do something against my will. What I wanted didn’t matter. You didn’t care about me. You didn’t come for me. Dick did.

“I would never harm you, my dear daughter.”

It sounded like a curse from his lips. She couldn’t bear to hear it any more. The memory of how Slade held her in his arms rose in her mind. She wasn’t even his and yet he’d been so gentle. He’d been so kind to her. He had adopted Dick, hadn’t he? They weren’t even blood related and yet they acted like a father and son – even more close than most families.

That was the ideal, wasn’t it? That was something to be wanted, to be desired, and someday, to be achieved.

Raven couldn’t ever hope to have that.

Never.

Trigon’s towering form leaned down closer. Raven didn’t move. The hope she had felt before was gone. It didn’t matter any more. How would Trigon kill her? She was of no use to him now. Would he crush her beneath his hands? Would she feel pain? Or would she simply vanish, never to be remembered again?

Trigon’s large hand lowered down. Raven cringed backwards, her eyes squeezing shut, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t bring herself to run away any more. Would Dick forgive her for giving up? I’m sorry, Dick. Hopefully the end would be quick.

“My dear daughter, not running away now, are you?” purred Trigon. Something warm, yet everlastingly uninviting caressed her cheek. “You’ve come at the right time. My power has been restored; my curse is gone. Now you will see your father in his glory – what should’ve been mine from the beginning.”

The warmth still stroked her cheek. The voice sounded close, not like the booming, bone-chilling voice that Trigon usually had. What touched her cheek felt smaller than what should’ve been possible. With her eyes closed, she couldn’t know what was going on. And yet… that touch… felt so much like a gentle hand.

“Come, my daughter, behold your father in his true form.”

Raven whimpered.

“Shh, there is nothing to fear,” purred Trigon, his voice tantalizingly soft and inviting.

The warmth moved to the top of her head. Somehow, it felt nice, something like Slade had done earlier. Her heart yearned for it. It was different than what she had experienced with the monks of Azarath. They had never been so demonstrative, more especially with her. Was it bad she wanted someone to be nice to her like this?

Slowly, ever so slowly, she opened her eyes.

The towering figure of Trigon was gone.

A man stood in front of her. In his countenance, there was an expression of power, yet his features seemed to gaze fondly at her. There was no softness in his eyes, however, which were a crimson, blood red. His skin was pale, absurdly so, yet it not a colorless pale. White hair brushed over his shoulders, thick strands framing his regal face. The only hint as to whom this could be was his clothing, which were similar to Trigon’s clothing – only a metal plate around his lower waist; the white loin cloth around his hips; his chest bare, his legs bare, and his feet bare.

He looked so human, yet he permeated everlasting power. There were no horns; there were no hooves; there were no creature like features – and he had only two eyes.

A devastating amount of pure fear swept over Raven.

She screamed.

ooOOOOOoo

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 10:56 am.

Rose was laughing.

Unfortunately, it was the way she was laughing that disturbed Joey. It ruined the moment, to say the least. And while he could barely wrap his mind around what had just happened and what he had been told, her laughing like a maniacal madman didn’t really lift his spirits – nor did it reassure him that the message had been legitimate.

“Rose, could you stop that?” asked Joey, his voice soft. She didn’t hear him. Joey sighed, feeling overwhelmed now. He wasn’t sure if immortality should be in the hands of someone like Rose.

Then, Rose suddenly stopped. With a satisfied smirk, she lifted a hand in the air. She took a deep breath, then she turned slightly, facing down a landscape filled with ruins. Determination entered her eyes. With a sharp swing, she threw her arm outward towards the ruins.

The instant her hand extended outward, the ground broke apart in the landscape. Joey gasped and grabbed some nearby debris for support; the earth beneath his feet shook from the pressure. The shattering of debris and ruins pierced the air. Brown and black dust fumed into the air.

Joey could only stare at the mass destruction Rose had inflicted on an already destroyed land.

Rose dropped her hand and whirled around to face him, grinning broadly from ear to ear. She clapped her hands together, looking like a child on Christmas morning.

“All right, I could get used to this.” She nodded, still grinning madly. “Yup, yup, this I could get used to, very much so.”

Once again, Joey questioned the sanity of those Archangels.

“Whoa,” gasped Beast Boy, from behind them. His voice was hoarse and raspy. Joey turned to them, relief flooding through his veins. With a delighted cry, Rose rushed to Beast Boy’s side, who had been held up by Cyborg.

“You can say that again,” said Cyborg, staring at the Rose’s handiwork. He sounded weak and breathless. “Since when could you do that?”

“Apparently, always,” said Rose, taking the support of Beast Boy onto herself. A moment later, Cyborg collapsed onto the ground, bending his knees and resting his arms there. Beast Boy went limp in Rose’s arms and she carefully lowered him to the ground as well. Beast Boy laid on his back, breathing heavily with difficulty.

“We’ve lost Starfire,” whispered Beast Boy. “I don’t know where she is or if she’s all right…”

“Shh,” murmured Rose, running a hand through his bangs. “I’m sure she’ll be all right.”

Though, at the glance she gave Joey, it was apparent she was worried now.

Joey came to Cyborg’s side, kneeling down beside him. Both boys looked terrible. A number of circuits had been shorted out; parts of Cyborg’s metal body had become black due to electrical issues – at least, from best what Joey could see and understand. He was an artist, not a mechanic – no matter how much he wished he had taken an interest in the subject, just for the sake helping Cyborg now.

Beast Boy’s clothes were more torn than ever. There wasn’t a spot on his body that wasn’t smeared with dried or fresh blood.

Joey suddenly wanted his father. The Archangels had said the man could heal. When Joey had first heard that, he’d been somewhat jealous. Out of all the gifts, he would’ve rather had that. Persuasion and leadership? That sounded something that Slade would’ve been good at – or even power, since Joey questioned the safety and wisdom in letting Rose have that. If Joey had healing abilities, it would’ve been so easy to save Beast Boy and Cyborg. He could’ve believed it. He could’ve accepted it.

But as it was, the strangeness of the ‘so called’ gifts didn’t seem fitting to each personality – well, Rose’s fit, but once again, it was like they were asking for trouble.

“Joey!”

At the sound of his name, Joey’s head snapped up. “What? What’s wrong?”

Rose let out an exasperated sigh.

“Did you hear me calling you? Weren’t you listening to me at all? We need to move them away from here. Their dark jerkselves will find them and finish them off. They aren’t in any condition to fight and we can’t protect them!”

Joey nodded.

“All right, then. I’ll help Cyborg; you take Beast Boy.”

Somehow, opening his mouth and letting his voice be heard seemed much more difficult than it used to be. He’d been so proud to use his voice when he had learned it had been healed. He hadn’t been able to wait to speak, call out with his voice to his father after so many years of being mute. Now, it felt like a burden – or like a curse.

As the two of them began to help Beast Boy and Cyborg, a high pitched scream in the distance could be heard. Joey frowned. That sounded like a child, but… Since when were anyone else alive besides them?

Beast Boy bolted upright. His entire body shuddered in pain, yet his face betrayed none of it. His eyes were wide. He slowly turned towards Rose.

“That’s… That sounded like Raven.”

“Raven isn’t a child,” said Joey, seeing the pure horror and panic flooding through the boy’s face. “It can’t be—”

“It’s Raven,” whispered Beast Boy. “I know her voice.”

ooOOOOOoo

June 21st, 2009. Sunday, 10:58 am.

They didn’t waste any more time arguing, blessed day; though, it did take a few reassurances from Starfire – that she was able to move and even fly now on her own – for Dick to not hover over her. She flew ahead of them, her eyes scanning the ground for Raven. She hadn’t even blinked when Dick told her about Raven’s condition, something for which Dick was grateful.

But Raven wasn’t in the same location Slade had left her. Without Beast Boy, they couldn’t track her. Thankfully, another scream, this time more like a sob, sent them in the right direction. Dick could only hope and pray that Raven would be all right by the time they reached her.

However, they didn’t get far. Suddenly, Dick tripped over something. There was a sharp whine of pain, as he ended up tripping over a bloodhound transformed Beast Boy, causing him to land fall face forward onto the ground. Beast Boy became tangled in his legs. At the same time, Slade managed to grab Joey by the shoulders, effectively stopping them from smashing into each other.

“Daddy!” cried Rose, utter relief throughout her tone. She jumped at the man, causing both her father and brother to finally lose their balance. With a low curse, Slade fell back, still holding onto Joey’s shoulders in the process. They landed in a heap on the ground.

Dick made a mental note to tease Slade about his language later on.

“Good grief, Rose,” muttered Slade. She had thrown her arms around his neck and was clinging to him like a monkey with a banana.

“You’re alive!”

“With the way you’re strangling me, I might not be soon!”

But the girl didn’t stop hugging him. Even Joey had taken the opportunity to give the man a squeeze around the waist. Slade dropped his head back against the ground and let out a low sigh.

“As much as I’m happy to see you both alive and well, our pressing problem is Raven. So, get up!”

As the three of them got off the ground, Dick and Beast Boy untangled themselves from their fall. Dick felt a pang inside his heart at the sight of the younger boy. Cyborg himself didn’t look any better.

“Man, am I happy to see you guys,” said Beast Boy. Then, he grew concerned again. “We heard Raven scream. Where is she?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” said Dick, getting to his feet. There was a brief acknowledging nod between himself and Cyborg, before Dick turned back to Beast Boy. “Can you track her?”

Beast Boy nodded. “She’s close.”

No one paused. Beast Boy led the way, his long ears flopping wildly. He barked once. Time seemed to speed up for Dick. Everything was happening so fast, he couldn’t help but worry whether something was off. But he pushed those thoughts away and focused on running. It was only a few moments, before Raven, thankfully, came into sight.

“Raven!” cried Dick. He skidded to a halt. Raven was crouching on the ground, her hands over her head. She rocked back and forth on her heels, sobbing quietly. Kuroi wasn’t anywhere to be seen. In front of Raven, a man was standing in front of her, leaning over her form. He straightened, slowly rising to his height, which had to be around, if not taller than, Slade’s height.

A chill entered Dick’s heart.

Power.

That was the first impression that Dick got. This man had immense power. Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t a survivor. His clothes were too strange for that. Was this one of the demon generals that the Archangels had mentioned? But hadn’t that black demon been one of them? This man… he looked so human – so normal.

Although, walking around in those clothes – or lack thereof – wasn’t exactly normal.

“Who’re you?” asked Dick, still tense. “What are you doing to Raven?”

The man turned slightly. His movements reeked of some unknown power, even beyond Dick’s initial thought. It was suffocating just to look at him.

“What makes you think I’ve done anything to her, Richard?”

Dick inhaled sharply; his eyes widened; his head reared backwards. This man knew his name? A smug, nearly sinister expression molded the man’s features.

“You accuse me, yet you do not recognize me. What an insignificant, worthless boy, you are.”

Dick narrowed his eyes.

“I suggest you refrain from speaking to my son that way, Trigon,” hissed Slade, glaring at the man. Dick gaped, whipping his head back to the strange man; there was a smug, triumphant expression on his face. The group followed suit, staring at Trigon in absolute shock.

“Wait, you’re Trigon?” asked Dick, shock and incredulity pouring through his tone. “But you look human!”

“Indeed. This has been the goal all along.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Rose, holding up her hands and motioning with them each time she spoke the word. “Whoa, no. You are not allowed to look like that.”

“Excuse me?” whispered Trigon, his crimson eyes glowing ominously.

“You cannot look like that – all sexy like,” said Rose, motioning wildly in his direction. Beast Boy choked. “That’s just not in the everyday villain job description.”

“Rose!” gasped Joey, visibly appalled.

“What? I’m being serious here! He should have, I dunno, horn and a tail—” She broke off instantly. A strange expression began to mold through her features, before an obviously mischievous grin settled there. Her entire face lit with it. She lift a finger in the air and twirled it once. “Would you… turn around for me?”

“Rose!”

Now Joey’s voice had nearly squeaked its shock.

“What?” said Rose, completely unapologetically. She gestured to Trigon. “I mean, look at him. He’s shirtless, for crying out loud. What, you can’t appreciate it?” Silence. “What, is it just me?” She glanced around. Everyone stared at her. She nodded to herself. “Just me, then. All right. Well, still…” She gestured again, as if this answered everything.

Joey whipped his head towards Slade. “Dad, do something about her, will you?”

Slade threw his hands into the air. “Don’t look at me; she’s your sister.”

“That statement only works with Mom!”

“As amusing as all your tit-for-tats are,” began Trigon, his clear, yet dark voice rising above all others. “I do believe I have a war to finish.”

Then, with inhuman speed, Trigon vanished. A second later, he appeared in front of Slade. The man didn’t have time to react. Trigon smashed a flat palmed hand into his stomach. Slade was sent instantly back from the force of the blow. The sound of his body slamming into buildings and debris blasted through the air.

“DAD!”

Three horrified voices echoed in unison.

As the dust settled, there was a low moan and a fit of pained coughing; then, debris and rubble moved as Slade stood up. Dust clung to his suit and skin. A red gash had torn through his cheek, downward to his jaw. Blood slipped down in a single trail. He stood there for a moment, glaring at Trigon with grim determination, and before Dick’s eyes, he could see the gash on the man’s face slowly knit back together, leaving only fresh blood behind as evidence.

“How many times will I tear through your unnatural flesh,” whispered Trigon, his voice filled with seductive malevolence. “Before it will no longer answer the healing’s call?”

“However many times needed before I end you,” said Slade, with pure loathing in his tone. Trigon’s entire face seemed to glow in dark excitement.

“Oh, I will enjoy your struggles.”

Trigon exploded after Slade.

It was a fight of absolute power. Dick had seen Slade in a few seemingly inhuman battles before, but this was on a completely different level. For the first time, Dick feared for Slade. To see someone fight blow for blow with Slade at a speed Dick could barely keep track of, let alone keep up with himself, was disturbing.

What was most frightening was that Slade visibly was having trouble against Trigon.

There wasn’t much time to observe their fight, however.

Foreboding poured through every section of Dick’s soul. He’d known it was coming. He’d known this would be a battle like nothing he’d ever experienced. But seeing the distance filled with never ending enemies brought its truth close to his heart. Demons upon fire demons rose out of the ground. They weren’t like the first, inhuman fire demons. These were like the one Slade had summoned so long ago, though they were of human size height.

It was like every enemy knew it was time. The three dark doppelgangers arrived next. Dark Cyborg cracked his knuckles, while Dark Beast Boy, in Velociraptor form, roared. Dark Starfire smirked. Cyborg’s face slipped into impassive grimness, while Beast Boy whimpered with growing determination. Starfire only looked at her opponent with a detached expression. It was with their arrival that Dick wondered if they would get through this alive. It seemed improbable that no one would get seriously injured or perhaps…

Dick gritted his teeth. He whipped out his rapiers, readying himself into a stance. As if he was about to let anything happen to his friends. He wouldn’t run. He wouldn’t worry. He would just fight.

Nothing was said as the vast army of fire demons continued to flow out of the landscape. Each glanced at the other, with a resigned determination in each face. The number of enemies far exceeded what had attacked Dick and Slade in the underground. The numbers foretold failure, yet such an outcome was ignored and resisted.

Then, that same terrible feeling Dick had experienced enveloped the air – that burning, choking feeling which clutched his heart with a fist of iron. It appeared: black, misty sludge poured out of the ground, slowly forming upward into a humanoid figure. As the last of the sludge solidified into form, the black demon grinned malevolently at the group.

“I am the Fifth of five,” whispered the black demon, baring gleaming white teeth in his dark smile. It let out a low, wispy laugh. “Your graves will be my gift to my master—”

Before it could say anything more, a blast of power rushed by in a great whoosh. In a tremendous explosion, a fifth of the fire demon army had been destroyed. The black demon gaped in shock, staring at the carnage. Though it had little effect on the actual army, since already more fire demons poured out of the ground to replace the missing units, it did do a wonderful job at flooring everyone.

“Whoops,” said Rose in a bored voice. “Did I miss you? My bad. I won’t next time.”

The black demon hissed, baring its fangs. It let out a terrible, chilling scream of rage. But before it could attack, another wave of that same terrible feeling entered the air. It felt even more dark and sinister than the wave created by the black demon, its power far greater as well. Next to the black demon, another pile of black sludge poured out of the ground. Chilling laughter echoed through it.

“Do not tell me you are being bested in wits by a mortal child, Fifth.”

This voice, though similar to the black demon’s, had a more feminine quality to it. Though, that was debatable.

The sludge formed into another black demon. It stood next to the first, its glowing eyes filled with amusement.

“Fourth,” hissed the first black demon. “Where are the others?”

“Detained,” it replied, sounding both bored and annoyed. The black demon hissed furiously to this answer. The other one shrugged lightly. “It matters not. I will eliminate the enemy for our master.”

“I have claim on them first.”

“Hm… We shall see about that.”

Then, the earth shook. Ground, dirt, and rock gaped opened, releasing a hoard of creatures. The clicking of feet echoed like a monstrous beast. Thousands of scorpion enemies, just as Dick and his friends had defeated so many weeks ago, poured out of the ground with a never ending stream. On top of that, hundreds of them had smaller ones on their backs.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” whispered Beast Boy.

Dick had been prepared for this and he still couldn’t help but feel the same.

Another blast shattered apart the ground. Debris blew in all directions, raining the group in its dirt. About fifty feet away, Slade struggled to his feet. He coughed hoarsely.

Trigon approached the group. “My servants have come. Your struggle will be useless,” he said, his voice soft, yet overbearing. He turned to his two Generals. His eyes narrowed briefly. “You both will give me their submission. I want them to cry out to me. I want them to acknowledge me as their master. Do whatever it takes.”

Then, Trigon turned his head towards Dick; his lip curled and his eyes gleamed. At the sudden attention from Trigon, Dick tensed, waiting for the attack.

“And I mustn’t forget… My most faithful,” whispered Trigon, his eyes smiling darkly. He flicked a hand in Dick’s direction. A moment later, red markings appeared beneath Dick’s feet; the crimson light crackling along the designs. Dick sucked in his breath. Oh, man, this can’t be good… “I think it is time to greet an old friend, hm? You know him well, don’t you, Richard? Come forth, my servant!”

Pain.

Terrible pain ravaged Dick’s entire body at that command. He wasn’t aware of it, the pain was too much, but he was screaming – screaming so loud his voice would be hoarse. It felt as if every nerve inside his body was on fire. It was so intense, he wondered how long he could last against it. He needed it to stop; the liquid fire in his soul needed to stop burning.

Then, the pain slowly began to recede, his mind reawaking to his situation. However, it didn’t last long. New pain exploded in his chest, just as a grey hand burst out of his flesh there. The hand hadn’t torn his skin, though; yet, somehow, it still managed to be the most painful thing he had ever experienced.

The hand extended out, slowly causing a head to appear. Terror gripped Dick’s heart as he saw just who was coming out of his body. The all too familiar smirk lifted that grey face, the one which had once haunted Dick’s nights. There was a dark glimmer of light that graced those crimson red eyes. Then, the pain came to its climax. With a cry bursting from his mouth, Dick was thrown back as the enemy broke from him. Another cry tore his throat as he landed against the harsh terrain.

Dick looked up at his foe, terror filling his heart as he saw the mirror image of himself, yet completely grey. The doppelganger lifted his hands into the arms, sharp laughter rising into the air. His cold, empty voice laughed with a hollowed, chilling nature – just enough to send shivers down Dick’s spine.

Then, he turned around to face Dick, whose breath caught inside his throat at the sight of those bloodcurdling crimson eyes. It was him. This was the same creature who had terrorized his dreams. The doppelganger’s face lifted, an almost crazed look flashing throughout his grey features. His eyes were wide with a sick thrill, his lips curving upwards as further dark laughter poisoned the air.

How can I not fear him?

“It’s about time!” He threw back his head with another bark of laughter. Then, he looked directly into Dick’s eyes. “Let’s play, my dear, little robin!”

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