Devil in My Mind

The Fade Away

After another recuperation-nap, Dante awakes, stretching happily, wanting to be greeted by Little Raven.

"Where is my beautiful Bunny Raven? My little girl, where did she go? Little Raven, where are you?"

He searches for her.

After some time, to his great disheartenment, he discovers behind a rose bush, the last of the three ravens. She's expired like the other two. He gets on his knees then gazes at the swirl in the sky, searching for her voice.

"Did something bad happen to you? Say something to me. It doesn't matter how, as long as I hear your voice. Raven? Raven, tell me you're alright!"

He sits still, giving her a chance to answer him, but the only response he receives, is the wind, swaying the golden pasture all around him.

He then somberly witnesses the lining of the sanctuary begin to expire as well. A phase out, presenting to him, a swarm of encircling, leftover robots. The ones molded after Slade, now demon possessed and armed with stolen weapons from hell. Blades of all shapes and sizes. They've been waiting for him, Deathstroke's forgotten army of decoys.

Oddly, his communicator sounds off, the one Robin gave him. He pulls it out from his pants pocket.

"Robin?"

White noise. Then, Slade's voice, threatening him once again.

"I'm..." static "...going to..." static "...kill you."

Dante chuckles, pissed.

"We'll see about that."

More static. This time it's Cyborg.

"Dante!"

"Maybe. You a demon?"

"Holy shizz monkey, it worked!" he hears Beast Boy cheer.

"It's me, Cyborg! Hey man, really good to hear your voice!"

"It's really you, huh? Real good to hear from you too, no joke."

"So, long story short, I've got you hooked up to a machine that's connected to Raven's mind."

A bit weirded out, Dante asks, "Is she alright?"

"Sorta kinda," Beast Boy replies.

"Her powers are faltering," Robin informs. "How does everything look from your end?"

The globe aggressively starts wobbling, fading, the chill of the Underworld making it's way into the atmosphere. The army is more than ready to come closer.

"Not great, I don't think this place is gonna hold up much longer," he glances at the gateway above, "but I have a way back."

"Listen," Robin says, "if the asylum deconstructs, is there any chance you can fly through that same portal in the sky?"

"Can do."

"Good, on my signal, you need to..." crunch. Disconnected.

Back at the new Devil May Cry, the Titans throw their hands in the air with agitation.

"Oh come ON!" Beast Boy cries.

"So close," Cyborg laments.

"I'm sorry," Raven moans. The poor girl's strapped to some pretty invasive tech. Just as Jinx predicted, she proceeds to hurl all over the floor.

"Get that stuff off of her!" Beast Boy cries.

Cyborg rushes to unhook her from all the equipment. As fast as he can, he removes the wires and pins, then pulls her out of a contraption similar to an electric chair.