019

— i may be skin and bone —

8:59 am

CONNER STOOD IN FRONT OF THE WHITEBOARD, SMILING TO HIMSELF AS HE DREW ACROSS IT. Conner turned back to the others, his smile still wide as he motioned across the sketched diagram. "Okay, so I'll try to keep this simple. You have cold moist air over here, see? And then hot air over here. Add in some atmospheric particulates, mix well, and, well, the result is obvious."

"Yeah, we get it," Donna said with a hum. "It's a storm. It was our idea. We literally just told you that."

"But I drew it on the board," Conner defended.

Donna nodded softly, glancing at Komand'r and Kory beside her, "Yes, you did."

"Okay, cool," Rachel muttered as she sat on the desk. "But the question is, can we do it without getting ourselves killed?"

"That's what 2 of the 3 stooges are for," Kory nodded, motioning to Cole and Terran behind her. "Cole, you will keep us connected and Hazel will constantly be healing us. No one gets hurt."

"Shouldn't Hazel be here then?" Komand'r questioned.

"She doesn't have to. Because I've already connected with Hazel I can do it nearly subconsciously," Cole explained quickly. "And with the blood connection from Terran, and her boosting my powers, I'll barely have to focus."

Rachel nodded and looked up at Kory, "What about the people inside buildings?"

"That's also an us answer," Terran said, leaning on the table beside Rachel. "We'll be growing flowers that will disperse the rain as pollen to anyone stuck inside."

Donna took a breath and looked over the Titans, "Alright, we ready to do this?"

They started to walk to the exit and Cole pulled out his phone, pulling up his messages with Hazel.

New Messages | April 3

9:17 am

McCole :)

We're headed to the Lazarus pit, Gar and Tim went w/ Dick 9:17

left about 15 minutes ago 9:17

Haze Maze

9:18 Dick massaged, just getting to Wayne manor now

9:18 Gtg, stay safe please

McCole :)

Yes ma'am 9:19

Hazel clicked her phone off and slid it into the pocket of her jeans, she couldn't exactly walk in wearing her Venom suit, she was trying not to look like a Titan. She and Jason stood under the old oak tree, hiding out of sight from the soldiers guarding the manor. Jason knocked her shoulder and motioned to Dick's silver car, parking just next to the entrance of the woods.

Dick and the others stepped out of the car, looking over the guarded manor. "All right, here's the plan," Dick started. "We need to get inside Wayne manor before Crane sets off the other bombs Kory, Terran, Rachel and Blackfire are gonna drain the Lazarus pit, and use it to try and bring back people that have already died. There's not enough for the whole city. So we have exactly one shot at this."

Dick turned his attention to Gar and Tim did as well, Gar slowly realising they were staring. "Wait. Why are you looking at me?" Gar questioned.

"You saved my life by turning into a bat. You think you can do it again?" Dick questioned, crossing his arms.

Gar scoffed and waved his arms around. "I'm pretty sure I can't," Gar denied and Tim let out a long breath. "When I did it, when I turned into a bat, I was part of a hive mind, thinking with a hundred brains. It was loud and confusing, and I was flying. I was so dizzy afterwards, I could barely walk."

"I didn't say it'd be easy," Dick said, persisting with his point. "But once you get inside, I need you to go to the keypad in the hall and shut off the security system. Barbara needs to access Wayne Manor's computer network. There's a router in my room." Dick pulled a walkie from his back pocket. "When you get in, I'll talk you through setting it up."

Gar nodded, "Okay. Okay. I'm in. Wait, uh, what's the code?"

"Well, it's five digits and the last person to set it up was Jason Todd," Dick explained.

Gar nodded, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Got it." Gar turned and ran off.

Tim stepped up, shouting after Gar, "Wait, what is it?!"

Gar paused and turned back to Tim, "420, 69."

Tim nodded and pushed himself off the car, "That tracks." He turned and stepped in front of Dick. "Dick, I didn't wanna say anything, but Wayne Manor is crawling with GCPD. When they hear the alarm, Gar's cooked."

"Don't worry. I've got that covered," Dick said with a nod. Dick quickly connected the comms to his phone, the sound buzzing in Hazel's ear. "You're up."

Hazel knocked Jason's arm and smiled up at him, "You ready for this?"

Jason grinned and stepped out from the tree, "Oh, I've been waiting to kick some ass." Jason started to walk across the grass and Hazel chased to keep up with him. The GCPD spotted the pair and raised their guns, shouting orders at the pair. Jason rolled his eyes and lazily held his arms up in defence, "Hey, easy now boys. We just wanna talk to Crane."

"You? And her?" One man scoffed. "The Titan?"

"How about you step aside before I blow your brains out?" Hazel said, motioning for the men to stand aside.

They stepped apart and let them pass through the front door, but one grabbed Jason's arm and pressed the barrel of his gun into Jason's back. The second also grabbed Hazel, keeping his gun on her. They started to boast about how easy that was as they walked them through the long hall. "You're not gonna believe who we caught outside trying to get in," The man called, pushing Jason through the door to the kitchen, the other doing the same to Hazel.

A man stepped closer, and Hazel recognised him as the man that shot her. He stepped closer, one hand resting on his belt, the other on his gun, "Well, well, look what we have here."

Rachel led the way back to the Lazarus Pit, Terran and Cole on either side of her as they walked down the long obsidian steps. A few stray bats flew around the roof of the cave, squeaking as they noticed new people. "These are my hands. My knees. I may be skin and bone," Cole recited, stepping into the cave chamber. "Nevertheless, I am the same, identical woman."

"There's something very wrong about this place," Komand'r mumbled, stopping at the edge of the pit closest to the entrance, Kory beside her.

"It's a pit of death," Terran said with a shrug. She stopped beside Cole and slapped his arm, "And you are not making this any less creepy."

Rachel walked around the pit, standing opposite Kory and her sister. She stared into the Pit of dark magic, "It absorbs the worst fears and nightmares of anyone who's ever been in it," Rachel relayed in an ominous tone.

"Extremely dark magic," Blackfire concluded.

"Too dark for you?" Kory questioned, her eyebrows creasing in worry.

Rachel's eyes flickered up to her, smiling ever so slightly. "No."

"And if it goes wrong?" Komand'r questioned.

"It's the last thing we'll ever do," Rachel answered. Cole's eyes widened as he stared down at the pit.

"You don't have to do this," Kory spoke up, looking at her sister.

"Do you think I'm afraid?" Blackfire questioned with a smirk.

"I am," Cole muttered. "This is an awful idea."

"You can still back out if you want, we'll figure it out," Terran said, giving Cole a small nod.

"Oh no absolutely not," Cole said quickly, shaking his head. "There needs to be at least some sort of responsible figure present. Kory you don't count, your first instinct is to blow things up," Cole snapped quickly, raising his hand before Kory could argue.

"Okay then," Kory said with a nod, a small smile on her lips. "You first."

Cole closed his eyes, sifting through the layers of voices in the room, searching deep through each person's mind, connecting them all back to his power. He opened his eyes and nodded at Komand'r. She took a breath and held her hands out, her palms glowing with bright orange fire. "I'm ready," she said.

Kory looked at Rachel and nodded softly, "Me too."

Rachel looked up at Terran and she squeezed her hand softly. Rachel called onto her powers, her red eyes igniting and her dark magic starting to spew from her body in a cyclone of power. She held it in the air for a moment, feeling the magic beneath her fingers before plunging into the dark depths of the Pit. She pushed through the magic beneath her and grasped onto the terror, the dark magic, all of the negativity and nightmares and pulled them back into herself, screaming as all that pain pushed into her body.

Ravens flooded into the room, diving through the hole in the roof, screeching along with Rachel as they swooped at the others. "Shut your ears!" Terran shouted. Terran threw her arms up, sharp whistles cutting through the air. The ravens swarmed upwards, retreating back to the room and through the hole, deterred by the sharp sounds.

Rachel screamed, the dark magic pulsing as it swarmed Rachel, the terror hot in her veins. "Rachel! Rachel, are you okay?!" Kory shouted, her hands twisting in worry.

Rachel took a deep breath, her eyes screwing shut in pain. "No!" She hollered in a demonic voice. "Do it now!" Komand'r sucked a deep breath through her teeth, her fire shooting from her palms and into the pit, burning the magic. The liquid magic began to bubble, and Kory threw her hands out, her blue light pouring from her hands encasing the magic.

The magic beat against the dome of Kory's power, pushing through the gaps in the power. Terran panicked and pulled her hands apart, creating a second tighter dome over Kory's magic, pushing back the wisps of magic inside Kory's power. Komand'r tore her arms back, her fire disappearing with a gasp.

Terran and Kory pushed the orbs tighter, pushing the Lazarus magic into a dome just shorter than arm's length. Kory took a breath and nodded at Terran. Terran flicked her hands, the sound done shifting to blue lights that ran up the walls. Terran stumbled and Cole her, steadying her on her feet, calming her pulse.

Kory looked up, smiling at Rachel as she breathed, the Lazuras contained safely within her light.

The man stripped Jason of his weapons and tossed them onto the counter, humming with a grin. "What in the actual fuck are you trying to pull here? Crane is done with you," The man scoffed, turning to Jason and Hazel.

"I saw what he did downtown," Jason said, shrugging his shoulders. "Let's just say I'd rather be in here when the next bomb goes off."

The man shook his head, as if it were a struggle not to laugh at him, "What the fuck makes you think he'll take you back? Especially bringing a Titan with you."

"Oh," Jason chuckled softly and glanced up at Hazel. He raised his hands softly and motioned to Hazel, "If you think I hate Dick Grayson... You sure as hell haven't met her."

The guard turned his attention to Hazel. She tilted her head and stared at the man, "What? They call me Venom, remember? That bomb went off over my head, the night went on like any other," Hazel said, raising her eyebrow. "Not to mention you shot me three fucking times and I'm still standing."

The man stared at Hazel for a moment longer and Hazel crossed her arms. The guard lifted his hand and pressed his finger to the coms, "Doctor Crane?" The man paused, awaiting Crane's answer. "Red Hood is here. And he has brought Venom." Another pause. "Thank you, Doctor." He pressed the com and turned back to another guard. "Take them down. I'm gonna go outside, and see if we have any other visitors here."

The man walked past Jason, shoving his shoulder. A second man pushed Jason and Hazel forward. They barely got a few steps forward before an alarm started to blare.

The GCPD paused looking around confused for a moment and Hazel quickly shot a flare around the room, blinding the men, Jason ducking before Hazel even raised her arm. Jason was up in a second, jabbing his elbow into one man's side, sending him to the ground as the shots began. Hazel jumped over the kitchen island, kicking a man in the face, his body slamming into the countertop.

Hazel slammed a beam of lighting into a pair, with Hazel limited to her light, Cole borrowing her power to expand his own, she had no vines to bind the officers in so she had to knock the men unconscious, slamming them into counters and walls. "12 o'clock!" Jason shouted, tossing a man at Hazel. She spun quickly, kicking the man in the head, his body smashing the cupboards.

Hazel grabbed an officer by his face, her light burning his skin. She slammed him into the counter, and flipped him over. "3!" Hazel called. Jason grabbed the man by his collar and dragged him over the counter, tossing him around.

A man turned to Hazel and she grabbed the barrel of his gun, pulling him toward her, slamming his knee into his stomach. She grabbed the gun and turned it back on the man, firring into his stomach. Hazel looked over it and frowned. "Jason! Heckler? I think?" Hazel called, tossing it toward Jason.

Jason aimed it at one officer who quickly raised his hands, begging, "Don't shoot. Please." Jason cocked his head to one side and smiled. He spun, slamming his foot into his stomach, shoving him into the table.

"How the hell do you not hate me?" Jason questioned, spinning quickly to face Hazel.

Hazel slid him his guns and smiled, leaning against the counter. "For starters, you're my best friend, secondly, you died, pretty familiar with that feeling, so pity points," Hazel started, raising her fingers accordingly. "You got screwed over by Dick, I know how that feels. The person you look up to most doesn't think you're ready and you're always fighting? Yeah Kory and me most of the time."

"I get pity points for dying?" Jason scoffed, shaking his head. "I at least gave you a jacket." Hazel laughed, shaking her head as she started to walk down the hall, Jason beside her. He sighed and shook his head, "By the way, this is an Uzi, not a Heckler."

"I don't use guns, Jay," Hazel reminded, chuckling softly.

"No you're just the killer Demi-God," Jason teased. 

— rage —