The Assylum's Monster

C24: Wake Up Call

Panting, Anais woke up beside the still body of Rose. She sighed as she tried to get up but winced. She stared down at her hands confused. She tried moving her fingers slowly, flinching at the pain she felt. Slowly she regained the usage of all her extremities, she stood up and walked to her bathroom eager to take a well-deserved shower.

She sighed as she felt the warm water flow over her naked body, warming her cold hands and toes. She felt calm, hot, and powerful. Her nightmare seemed to melt away like ice in hot summer.

After washing herself, she dressed herself in her new white hero suit. She had sketched it a few weeks earlier. Dick had agreed reluctantly to ask Bruce to make it. Her white long-sleeved overalls were made of double-weave Kevlar on her chest for added protection from bullets and blows. The rest of the suit was purely made of a sturdy spandex designed to allow flexible movements while being resistant. It was comfortable and durable, she loved it.

It was the first time she wore it, and it made her whole-body tingle in excitement. She tied her hair in a messy ponytail and left her room, not realizing that the gray-haired teenager was no longer lying in her bed.

Anais walking towards the training room, stumbled across Dawn and Hank.

" All those times... that coach... " Hank said, trying his best to control the tremors in his voice. " I know what it's like, sitting in the dark... alone... hurt... praying for somebody, hell, anybody to come and save you. Waiting... but nobody ever comes. "

" Hank. " The woman started only to be interrupted by the man.

" I joked about leaving him, but I'm not ready to give up on that little asshole. No matter how much he makes me wanna punch him in the face sometimes. "

Dawn scoffed.

" Hey. " She took his face in her hands and tilted it upwards. " We can't give up. But Kory's right. If we turn ourselves into monsters trying to fight Deathstroke, there won't be anything good left when it's over. " She reasoned with him.

Sighing, Hank let himself be vulnerable and hugged his girlfriend, trying to get a little bit of comfort.

" We'll find him. " She assured him, petting his head softly.

" Find who? " Anais chimed in, ruining the couple's moment.

Frowning as she saw both their faces crumble as they turned to face her properly, she knew something was wrong. Feeling her anger boiling in her blood she flinched away when she felt Dawn's hand touch her shoulder. Understanding quickly who they were talking about, she whispered to herself:

" Jason... "

As if to validate her guess, Hank sighed, sad, and nodded.

" Deathstroke captured him. " He confirmed.

Anais stumbled back, shocked. It took her only a minute before she ran to the living room, pushing Dick to a nearby wall, her hand pressed on his chest, stopping him from going anywhere. She snarled at him when she saw his eyes be clouded by confusion.

" Why the fuck didn't anyone wake me up? " She growled, digging her fingers in his flesh making him wince.

" Anais, I can explain. " He said, trying to keep his face emotionless. " Could you let me go first? " He asked passively.

Seeing her eyes darkened, he lifted his hands up.

" Jason got captured, do you really think I give a single fuck about your demands right now? Where is he? " She asked aggressively, wincing as her fingers clenched suddenly.

Dick's eyes grew bigger, surprised, as he saw the girl's skin begin to glow and her eyes became completely black. He shuddered, feeling her nails dig in his chest making him bleed lightly. The pressure on his chest kept pushing his thorax on itself making it difficult to breathe.

" Woah, what's going on here? " A voice suddenly asked behind her.

Distracting her, Dick took the opportunity to push her away. While he coughed, trying to inhale as much oxygen as he could, Garfield quickly jogged over to him, helping his mentor stand up straight.

" Thanks for the info, Dick. " Anais laughed off.

When both boys turned towards the girl, she was gone. Garfield frowned as Dick looked around, concerned.

" We need to alert the team. We need to move, now. " Dick ordered.

" Deathstroke wants to make a trade, we'll make a trade. " Grayson said sternly.

" We can't hand over Rose. " Hank disagreed.

" No, we can't. We won't. But I have an idea. " He told them. " Gar, you and Rachel stay here with Rose. Protect the tower. I'll contact Deathstroke, confirm our meetup at the Plaza. And then, we take him down, once and for all, together. " He explained to the rest of the Titans.

They all stayed silent for a bit. They all reviewed the plan over; it was simple and would need a lot of improvising along the way. Still, it was the best they had. They all, one after the other, nodded. Sighing, Dick pinched the bridge of his nose.

" We've got another problem. " He announced. " Anais' gone MIA. "

" What? " Hank yelled, shocked.

" She came to me earlier, demanding Jason's current location. "

" You didn't tell her, right? " Dawn asked concerned.

" No, but I'm pretty sure she saw the rendez-vous point in my mind. " He told them.

Seeing as a lot of members of the team eyed him down, disappointed.

" She attacked me to have the information she needed. " He enlightened. " So, not only is she in danger but she could also be dangerous. And, keeping in mind she was literally glowing earlier, it would be advised to keep your guard up when you'll see her. " He informed them.

Dick, seeing that nobody wanted to argue with him, clapped his hands together.

" Okay then, suit up! " He ordered. " We're leaving in ten minutes. "

They all dispersed around. Donna, Dawn, and Hank went to their respective bedrooms while Garfield and Rachel stayed in the kitchen. Dick walked to the locker rooms and dressed himself in his training clothes. He did not have anything else to wear since he had burned his previous suit at the Asylum a couple of weeks previously.

" Hank, no. " Dawn refused.

" Dawn, the kid needs our help. " He argued stubbornly.

" They don't need us. Kory and Dick are going to bring him back, trust them. " She said, massaging her boyfriend's tensed shoulders.

" You're kidding right? We're talking about Deathstroke here! The damn guy is a professional killer. They need our help, Dawn! " He pressed.

" No, they don't. " She maintained her stand on the subject. " And you are not suiting up, period. "

" Okay, okay... " He sighed, feeling his emotions take the better of him. " But they still need us to find and stop Anais. " He pointed out.

" She's a grown woman, she doesn't need us, Hank. "

" Yeah, well maybe she doesn't need it, but we still have to find her. "

They both stayed quiet looking at each other for a few minutes. When they heard quick, heavy steps pass in front of their door they both nodded and took their jackets on their way out.

" We'll need to keep a low profile. "

" Let's start with a two blocks search radius. On foot. " Dawn decided, walking to the elevator.