Kevin's pov
I woke up next to a nude blonde, asleep but full of life as the sun creeped through the window. She didn't even bother to remove her linen hoes last night. Not wanting to wake her, I slipped my pants on, checked the hall and tip-toed back to my room.
After changing, and bagging up the clothes that were loaned to me. I couldn't help but check the news and get pissed over it. Once I put that away, memories of last night came to mind and made me feel a little better. Also made me want a little more.
Later the team had a little debrief about the hacker. Something about two metal songs blasting at the same time with a red symbol with the words "Gotham, it's mine now" written on it. These songs in question were Baba Yaga and Demolisher by Slaughter to Prevail. Based on the translations from Red Star of the Russian portions apparently we have another "Baba Yaga" after us. Red Star also went on to explain that this was a Russian boogeyman equivalent… with a house that moves on chicken legs or something.
Normally, a troll wouldn't be a concern. Supposedly this happened a lot when the Riddler was running around. However there were certain lines in the lyrics of the songs that made Robin and Oracle uneasy.
As if this person knew them.
Before we could make heads or tails of it we got a call. There was a red light that whirred and Alfred came in on the intercom.
"There appears to be a riot at Grand Avenue. Those who can fly are expected to be there ASAP."
Next thing I knew everyone who could fly was going to the balcony except me. To be honest, I forgot about my new abilities for a second because I still didn't have any caffeine in my system. Who starts a riot in the morning?
Then I remembered, "Can't Arisia give everyone rings?"
She looked at me and snarked mischievously, "Can't you?"
"Can I?" I legit had no idea.
"Not everyone is trained. As you know, after breaking your neck, it's not safe to practice either."
"Touché."
Red Star clapped my shoulder, "Let us go and bring justice, friends!"
"Everyone line up and prepare to stay in formation!" Miss Martian yelled professionally. "I'll lead the wedge, casting an illusion to hide our movements!"
"What about the others I asked?"
Our team consisted of me, Leo, Arisia, Troia, Beastboy, Raven and that Danny Chase kid. The others were on the balcony to watch us go.
"Danny," Raven ordered, "stay with Hosun and help run logistics."
"But-"
"Now, now," Oracle cooed, already in battle gear, with Orphan as her shadow, "don't get on Raven's bad side."
"Fine!" Danny huffed.
"We'll be helping Terra handle the press and clean up."
The Markovian's accent was very similar to a German one when she exclaimed in terror, "Press?!"
"Everyone fly slow for the slowpokes." Megan added, giving me a smirk.
Beastboy nudged me before getting into formation, whispering, "That's us."
I grumbled, "I'm not that bad."
"Troia?" Megan asked with a smile, "Do the usual countdown pretty please."
She let out a sigh but a smile broke through onto her face as she said, "Now there is no food, drinks or barf bags on this flight. But possibly by the end you may wish you had some. Thank you for choosing Titan's airlines! Please keep your eyes off the butt of the one in front of you if possible! We're taking off in-"
I got ready, popping my shoulder out and my neck.
"Three!"
Beastboy added while morphing into an eagle, "Let's do this."
"Two! One!"
Leo shouted something in Russian before we all launched into the air. I struggled to stay in formation as we took sharp turns around the corners of buildings but Raven's telekinesis and Arisia's green hardlight gently nudged me whenever I needed it. I was still kinda proud of myself but that pride faded as we grew closer to our destination.
And the music grew louder.
César Franck's "Le Chasseur maudit", the Accursed Horseman. It tells the story of a Count of the Rhine who dares to go hunting on a Sunday morning, in violation of the Sabbath. Eventually he finds himself lost in the woods, where a stern voice from unseen heights pronounces his sentence: "Accursed hunter, be thou eternally pursued by Hell!" The Count tries to flee, but flames surround him and his horse. Imps and demons pursue him, now goading him on, now blocking his path; throughout the daylight and darkness.
We saw the crowd milling below but couldn't identify much other than the fact that they were definitely not being nice. The smoke from a few burning wrecked cars was too thick from the angle of our descent. Donna wrapped the lasso around her sword arm in a way that she could punch with her rope. Megan shouted, "Going in hot!"
We landed and the violence started immediately. Going soft we quickly grounded a large part of the group in the smoke from the flames. I slapped two to the floor with open hands using my new strength I got from Osiris in a backhand and then gripped the heads of two more before smacking them together. I saw a brute in the smoke and rushed forward. As I grew closer we all too slowly began to realize what we were going up against.
The brute wasn't a tall and beefy dude.
Two people and a collection of hides sewn together turned to me. A hideous and misshapen smile greeted me as it let out a sick shriek. It's four arms at it's sides as it shouted and howled to the sky.
Raven was quick to hop onto the COMMs yelling, "AniMen Dollotrons! Don't hold back!"
"ImPeRfEcT!!" The four armed abomination screamed before trying to hit me in the face.
I summoned a hellfire tether to catch the lower fist while I caught the higher in my hand. He… err it sent an attack from the other side and I caught that in like manner. Next it tried to bite me.
I finally shoved it away in horror and into a car. Another Dollotron was flung past me after, who I assumed to be, Donna in the smoke slapped one with her shield. Others were launched airborne as well, a sign that the others were releasing their strength rather aggressively.
"Kevin!"
I couldn't hear Starfire as I looked at some of the other Dollotrons as they ripped someone apart Attila The Hun-style. This wasn't any normal riot. No, this was much worse.
Next thing I knew something flew into me and lifted me into the air. Starfire forced me to look at her and yelled, "Kevin! Snap out of it! They aren't themselves! You must immobilize them! They are resistant to pain!"
"Okay," I swallowed, "alright."
Taking a much needed deep breath, I flew into the relative center of the chaos. Charging hell-energy under me I crashed into the blacktop sending tendrils under the cement and snaking around a bunch of their legs. I summoned a flare into my free hand that sucked away the flames roundabout. Detonating the flare caused a shockwave that would have knocked the Dollotrons down but instead they stumbled in a way that broke their legs in the tendrils I snared them in.
After I cleared the smoke a little Raven watched me and took inspiration from my strategy. Creating dark matter snares and launching Dollotrons backwards. A new song started at this moment. Dvořák's "A Hero's Song" blared across the street. This was a weird off-the-wall poem with no text to go off of and had a funeral march in the beginning of the song.
"Kevin, put out these flames!" Raven said, using my snare technique even faster now.
"Alright-" at that moment a knife hit and shattered on my face.
Startled, I glanced in the direction it came from and spotted a figure clad in black, cloaked with a "Thalia and Melpomene" or "Sock and Buskin"-
Um the masks used in ancient theater to display comedy or tragedy. In my day there were more masks around than just two. The Greeks actually had like forty something for comedy and over 20 for tragedies.
The figure just looked at me before tilting its head slowly like Michael Myers. A few more emerged from the buildings and seemed like proficient climbers with how they scaled the walls around us as we fought. Something wasn't right.
These… AniMen were pawns.
The others, with the drama masks melted onto their faces, didn't seem human. No, they possessed an uncanny air in how they moved. They were more like machines than people. Definitely more skilled, more deadly.
Just as the funeral march to the song was about to end Alfred got onto the COMM, "Titans it's a trap get out of-"
Bombs dispersed a dust that I knew from my many times being tortured was laced with a chlorphorme-like substance. It quickly blanketed the street and caught all of us in the white cloud. Cussing, I tried to run but was already exposed. I made it three steps before falling over.
I pushed myself with all my might but Osiris' power I had taken had nothing to do with biological attacks. Crawling I spotted Raven already knocked out. Were any of us left? A truck opened up to my left, down the street and heavy set feet thunked onto the cement.
"Hmm, too symmetrical." A high pitched voice said in a sing-song manner; as if perusing through merchandise. "That one, too fat."
My vision started fading and I screamed in effort to get away. All I managed to do was a weak grunt. The feet drew closer and I got kicked over onto my back. The previously blue sky was white and everything above me was a black silhouette, this unsettled me because not only were the hooded figures over me but the AniMen of various shapes. In the center of them however was a man with a misshapen head with… pig ears?
"Ah but you," the dark man said, my hearing dementing his words in my head, "my pearl, my lump of coal, my diamond from the rough! Beautiful! Even in your imperfections! You," he snapped twice, "you I will make perfect for Mother. Take him and-"
My hearing faded as someone screamed in rage. Then I flew before falling into unconsciousness. At least the other half of the team should be here soon.
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