LOVE + FEAR

CONTEMPLATION

— G O T H A M —

Something icy caressed Raven's cheek as the residue of the teleportation spell lingered in the air around her. Another flash of cold, this time tracing along her eyebrow.

Rain. The most common welcome sign of Gotham City.

Raven looked about the gothic relic, invaded by the neon-alterations of the outside world. The near-constant blanket of gray covering the city cast the shrubs in a soft olive-green hue. Even the people on the street were little puzzles to her empathic senses. Gotham had its own atmosphere, something chilled and unsettling. But Raven found that the more unsettling something was, the more she felt at home.

A familiar roar assaulted her ears and seemed to make the nearby skyscrapers shudder. She smiled just as a sleek black machine raced down the streets, far too massive and far too dangerous to be mistaken for a car.

The Batmobile pulled up right beside her as the jaws of the passenger door opened wide. She leaned down to meet the gaze of the driver.

"Hi," She waved shyly at Damian Wayne.

"Hey," Something close to a smirk fluttered across his features. It was a small gesture, yet it thawed the icy chill of the Gotham atmosphere. Raven climbed in as the downpour struck with more force. The deathly growl of the engine snarled once more as the vehicle sped off.

It wasn't Raven's first time in the infamous Batmobile, but she had begun to accept that all passengers received a spark of adrenaline when inside. She found the drive much more comfortable over time, listening to the splatter of raindrops across the windshield and watching the extended blur of lit-up buildings.

"Have you eaten enough today?" Damian asked. It had become a casual greeting between the two of them.

"Yes, thanks..." Raven's voice trailed off as her eyes hovered on the driver. Damian was still wearing his Robin uniform, a mask obscuring half of his face. She glanced down at her own dark, everyday clothes.

"I suddenly feel very underdressed."

"Don't be. Just came off patrol," He replied. Roads were simple streaks in the side windows. Damian always drove fast, but he never lost control of the vehicle. It wasn't hard to believe he'd driven much longer than her, or anyone else.

"Ah. Anything interesting happen?" She said.

Damian shrugged. "Not really. A few robberies, Quinn blew up another ACE Chemicals location to mock Joker. Otherwise, very uneventful."

Raven nodded along. Between Constantine and Damian, she was aware of any news-worthy events occuring in Gotham; Harley Quinn had been striking out on her own, Commissioner Jim Gordon's marriage was worsening and exceedingly gross. Everyone knew everyone...or, more accurately, Batman knew everyone.

"So, what happened with Kent?" Damian glanced over at her, one hand still leisurely on the wheel.

Raven reiterated Clark's claim about his memories. Damian frowned as he listened to the apocalyptic visions, and above all, Clark's insistence on their close affiliation.

"I can't say why Kent would be interested in you, but the way he described the memories sounds very similar to Barry Allen's Flashpoint theory," Damian replied thoughtfully.

"Flashpoint theory...? What does that mean?"

"Personally, I don't see any authenticity in the theory, but father believes it has merit for some reason. The Flashpoint occurs when the Flash attempts to alter an event in time, and in doing so also creates a ripple effect and influences other events of the timeline. Allen claimed that he still remembered his life from the altered timeline, but other than his word and my father's, there's very little evidence surrounding the theory."