Shadows and Cards (a Batboys x OC)

Chapter 5

   Athena

When Athena awoke, she did not know where she was. The first thing she noticed was that she was in bed. A real bed. Gods, when was the last time she slept in a bed? And more importantly, why was she in a bed? She tried to sit up, but a searing pain sliced through her lower back, and she hissed. She then heard a soft grunting noise. 

She whirled to the noise, causing her back to flash in pain again, and saw a boy asleep in a chair. He was the boy that saved her from her master, Dr. Keystone. He wore a suit of dark greens and yellows and reds, and a katana was strapped across his back. If he carried other weapons, he did not show them. 

She took her hand out from under the sheets and felt the shuriken shimmer into her hand. Fast as lightning, she hurled it towards his head, and for a second, she thought it would go through. But, as she expected, his hand went up and caught it an inch from his face. He opened one eye and saw that she was awake. stiffening, he opened his eyes fully. He lowered his hand to look and the shuriken she threw at him. Its eight points gleamed in the fluorescent lights, and you could see the shadow language inscribed in the points. He stood, and she took in the full stature of him. 

Lean and muscular, he couldn't have been older than her. His face twisted into a form of shock, as he beheld her wings. No longer were they in their pure white form, but were now feathers of ice. She flinched. He shook his head and knelt to the ground. He placed the shuriken on the ground and held his palms for her to see.

"I do not want to hurt you." He said.

She felt the bed beneath her begin to frost over. Gods, she was in trouble.

He said, "You were being controlled by Keystone. I saved you."

Athena laughed, a bit shakily. "Oh please, I remember everything."

The boy stood. "Everything?"

"Everything."

He sighed, "My name is Damian."

She stared at him.

"Are you not going to tell me your name?" he questioned.

The bed creaked as the iron bars of it began to freeze. She could feel the fear course through her now.

"My name is... is Athena." she stammered. Gods, why is she telling him this?

He grinned. "Well then Athena, let's meet the others."

Others? She did not have time to question as he pulled a set of clothes from behind him.

"These are for you. Put them on and come find us afterward. We'll be waiting for you in the main room for questioning."

She began to panic. "Wait, what? You can't question me! Why am I being questioned?" she sputtered. The frost was covering the whole bed now. Damian seemed to have noticed, because he then walked to the edge of the bed, and touched her hand.

There was a spark of gentleness in his eyes, and she relaxed a bit at his touch. The frost receded like a tide back into her, and he stepped back. He nodded and left the room. She sat there for a few moments, trying desperately to sort her thoughts, and eventually, her wings faded to their normal pure white. Such an innocent cover for power so immense. She thought. And as if it heard her, the stone in her chest pulsed. She scowled at it as she swung her legs to the edge of the bed. Her lower back screamed in protest and she stood and pulled on the clothes that Damian left her. At least someone had a sense of style in this miserable world. She guessed it was mid-summer by what he gave her. Camo tank top, a pair of black cargo pants, and a pair of sturdy boots. She tentatively touched the bandages near her hip, and they throbbed in pain. Great. Another piece of her that got in the way. She made her way to the door, and when she opened it, she almost dropped.

She was in a cave. A massive cave. Technology filled each nook and cranny, and so many levels filled with everything and anything from jets to weapons to sections filled with medical supplies. Then, as her eyes drifted to the back wall of the main floor, she beheld a cluster of people facing a massive computer.

It was all so much to take in, but she kept her head and tuned in to the cluster of people's conversation with her enhanced ears. She could only hear bits and pieces, and she cursed internally for it. If she were back at the lab, she would be punished for her incompetence. Doing her best to stick to the shadows, she started to weave through the walls and pillars. She realized that the large circle in the middle of the cave was some sort of training area, as there were lots of discarded swords and weights laying around the perimeter. She was so focused on the circle, that she didn't see the figure standing behind the next pillar.

It jumped out from behind it, and she let her instincts take over, as she landed a fierce roundhouse kick to its face. The figure cried out in alarm, and from that, she guessed it was a man, early twenties, and will have a bruise on his cheek after the kick. Her back lashed out in pain, and she gasped and dropped to her knees. The man grasped her by the shoulders, and she could feel the anger and fear rising in her gut. No-no-no. But before she could say anything, he led her out of the shadows, and into the computer area to the crowd of people. They turned to her and looked in surprise. They turned their gaze to the man, and one of them cracked a grin.

"What a hit. I'm surprised she landed one on you Jason," he said. He was a little older than Athena, built lean and tall, and wore a combat suit of reds and yellows. A cape of blood-red hung from his shoulders. The man who held her, apparently named Jason, scowled.

"She's a quick one, that's for sure. Glad she didn't get another hit," he muttered. She could see his cheeks color. Now that she got a good look at his face, she decided it was a rugged, gloomy sort of handsome. He had a streak of white in his hair, that contrasted well with his blue eyes.

She looked back at the group of people, and her anger bubbled again as she realized they were all men. She let a little of it flash out, and Jason hissed and released his hands from her heating skin. She stood to her full height, which was a mighty five and a half feet, and glared at every one of them.

She shifted her gaze to Jason, who she realized was the man who was with Damian when she escaped. He wore a combat suit of black and red, paired with a classic leather riding jacket. She spotted Damian in the group, and she relaxed the smallest amount. There was the boy who wore the red and yellow combat suit, and then the two older ones. There was a man who seemed to be in his late twenties and wore a combat suit of black and blue. He looked at Athena with an old, tired look, but still very protective. It made her shudder. Then there was the eldest man. He wore an impressive suite of blacks and a cape connected to a cowl that looked like a bat. She realized, with a skip of her heart, that this man was Batman. And these were all of his Robins.

Batman stepped forward. Her anger flared a little, and she could feel the veins of gold in her eyes start to pulse with fire. He spoke with a lethal calm voice that threatened her anger to break all hell loose.

"We do not want to hurt you," he said, "But we do want to know what you are, and what you know about Dr. Keystone."

Athena focused on her breathing, her anger screaming to be let loose. But she was not ready. Not yet. She needed answers.

"One, why would I tell you? And two, why does everyone keep telling me they aren't going to hurt me? It's a little boring." she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The man who wore blue stepped forward. She sized him up, a full six feet and 5 inches of pure muscle stood before her, yet she did not feel fear, only anger. She let her power flash once more, and her eyes lit up. They all jumped back, as she beheld their shocked expressions as they looked at her eyes, lit aflame with a blazing fire. She grinned. And let her power seep through her in its full form. Heat began to engulf her, but it did not burn. Her clothes were lit aflame, and her hair seemed to ripple like the flames of a wildfire. She felt the weight of her quiver form on her back, and she lifted her hand to find her bow resting in it, shadow language carved into its wood. She extended her wings, but instead of them being normal feathers, they are ablaze with all of the fire from hell. Gods, she loved being on fire.

She inhaled deeply and snuffed the flame from within her. Immediately, she felt the heat leave her, and she was almost sad as she folded her wings, once again in their pure white state. She saw that all of the men had taken cover behind tables, and when they emerged, weapons drawn, they all had looks of fear upon their faces.

"That answers one of your questions. Now, what would you like to see next?" she asked sweetly.