Scath Roth (Jinx x Raven)

Chapter 17: The Bat Family in Action

Friday, February 26, 1999
Wayne Mansion 23:45

*Raven POV*

We all finished dinner and split up to get ready for tonight. I have a good feeling about this mission.

Making our way down to The Bat Cave, they all inform me of a surprise they've been preparing for me.

Making our way over to where the bat suits are all held, I see a new one. This on is very similar to batgirls black and yellow suit, but this one is black and purple and has a raven across the chest and a cloak clipped onto the shoulders. There's also a black wig attached to the mannequin, cut in a short, masculine style.

Tears spring to my eyes, as I realize that they've made this suit just for me. There's hugs all around and we suit up. My new suit is as comfortable as my leotard. Father tells me that it's made of the same spider silk material, with the added bonus of a titanium lining in each thread. We finish suiting up, Barbara letting out a whistle of appreciation at me making me laugh. And separate to our modes of transportation.

We head out towards the check out that Bruce estimated to be the next location for the gang known as The Polar Pups. They, apparently, are one of the many small organizations that used to work for Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, aka The Penguin. I guess with him behind bars, all his underlings split off towards just being common crooks.

The Bat Family has worked hard to put all these selfish, lowlife, criminals where they belong. If they were stealing to feeds their families, pay medical bills, or something along those lines, I'd be a little more sympathetic.

These crooks, however, are just trying to become rich and hoard their stolen goods.

I didn't tell Jinx, since I was scarred she would be mad at me through a misunderstanding, but when we were talking under the tree, I accidentally saw glimpses of what she and her brothers do for work. They may not be considered moral in the eyes of the law, but I think they are heroes in their own right. They're modern day Robin Hoods, stealing from the rich and donating most of it to where it's needed.

'I'm proud of them and I'll protect them, no matter what,' I think to myself.

Arriving at the bank, me and Barb step off our bikes, and remove our helmets. I move it all to my pocket dimension.

Bruce is on the other side of the building, with little Robin. We plan to keep both exits blocked in case anyone tries to escape, during our ambush.

Before we arrived, I opened mind links with everyone, in case of emergencies. We're sticking to our comms, but the mind link is opened just enough to yell out with our minds just in case anything goes wrong, or the comms become jammed.

It's always best to be over cautious, than under prepared.

I faze batgirl and myself through the wall using my soulself. I keep us both wrapped in it until I know that it won't be necessary. I use it to levitate us to the ceiling in a very similar way to the time I was watching Jinx's team.

Barbara is calm, as we've practiced this before. In fact we've become so good at it, that we've been able to link our minds strongly enough that she can use my soulself to an extent, for as long as I leave it with her.

We found it out while practicing with my abilities one day. She managed to move herself around using my soulself and, with some more practice, was able to shield herself with it and use it to faze through walls and levitate on her own. She can't open portals, use it as telekinesis, or many of the other things I can do, but it's very impressive that she can even do what she can with it.

We split up a bit in order to cover more ground, taking out stray members of the polar pups as we go. We meet Bruce and Jason in the center of the building, just outside of it entrance, where the safe and valuables are located. There's three, armed, guys blocking the main entrance to the room. There's another five guys, inside of the room, but just outside of the safe, obviously trying to open it with explosives.

I open a portal looking into the safe room, from the top, and look into the edges of each of the criminals to figure out which of them is the leader. It's the guy in the the center of the small group, just outside of the safe. I point him out to Bruce and we all nod at each other, knowing, from extensive practice and planning, what to do. Bruce readies his grapple, at the same time Jason and Barbara ready the smoke pellets.

Bruce lifts his hand and counts off with his fingers. 3. 2. 1. 'Go time,' I think to myself.

Robin and Batgirl throw the pellets, engulfing the room with smoke, and making the criminals cry out in alarm, which makes the three outside come bursting in. I lock them in the room with us so that no more smoke can escape and to take them out more easily. The Bats all switch to heat signature goggles, except for me since I can sense who and where everyone is.

Batman uses his grapple to drop through the portal and into the center of the group near the safe and disarms the explosives on the safe. I fall, with style, into the center of the room and use my powers to rip all the weapons from The Polar Pups, including: the guns, knives, brass knuckles, and various other weapons. I also take the remote detonator and, now disarmed, explosives as well, and put it all in another pocket dimension of mine.

This pocket dimension has various other weapons I've "accumulated" over the years. I don't trust most prisons and other 'safe houses' that store the weapons we've confiscated from criminals. Somehow they keep getting raided by our more powerful and influential enemies. I've taken to collecting the more dangerous weapons from their 'guarded' posts. I've found many magical items and spell books as well, that I keep in The Azarath Temple.

The smoke begins to thin out, allowing the criminals to see our outlines. Unfortunately, for them, we've already started our attack. Barbara is taking out the last remaining guy from the group of three at the entrance. Jason joined Bruce to fight off the five at the safe. Both of them have already taken down one each.

I use my powers to handcuff all of the incapacitated criminals and bring them, and the ones we all ran into throughout the building, to the entrance of the room.

As I finish up, so has everyone else. The only one left conscious is the leader. The rest of The Bats have already handcuffed The Pups for me, and I add them to the group.

Batman ties up the leader to a stray metal chair that I teleport behind him. I use my powers to dim the lighting in order to better protect our identities and to intimidate the criminals' leader.

Bruce begins his questioning, all of our voice modifiers on. While he does that, I use my powers to influence the leaders brain to tell the truth. We get all the information we need on where and how The Polar Pups got all their weapons and information from, and where any hideouts or remaining members may be. They only had two hide outs where the few remaining Polar Pups remain to guard their loot.

Bruce knocks him out and we leave a note for the police to where the other two hide outs are, before splitting up and heading to them ourselves.