BeastBoy/Neo Batman V Raven Civil War EP. 9

While the other titans were fast asleep, Batman was setting his bed in the ops room. Although he was exhausted like the titans were Batman's mind was on Joker and the Civil War between Beast Boy and Raven. He tried to distract himself from the thoughts when he picked up the remote and turned on the TV in the ops room. He flipped channel to channel trying to find something to keep his mind occupied and maybe help him sleep later. Robin also entered the room because he couldn't sleep; his hair was messy and was feeling groggy. Then Batman stopped at a news channel and sat up when he saw the news station covering a vigil for Tara.

"Breaking News this evening, a local student from Murakami school is the latest victim of the clown prince of crime, the Joker. She was found in a local alley with the sinister grin; a result of the infamous Joker toxin. Officers were at the scene, and determined that the toxin was used in a syringe that was injected in her neck, possibly by one of the Joker's henchmen," The female anchor said before transferring the broadcast to a reporter at the site of the vigil.

"It is a very sad day here at Murakami school; Tara Markov was one of many victims who were poisoned by the Jokers toxin along with her mother who was a well respected doctor at Jump City Hospital. I spoke with her friends and they told me..." Click. Batman turned off the TV as Robin then sat down on the couch. Batman couldn't help but feel guilty over what has happened in the past few hours. He sighed and put his face in his hands.

Robin was sitting next to him put his left hand on Batman's right shoulder, "Batman, We will stop Joker, don't let him get to you," Robin said.

Batman then lifted his face from his hands and turned his head to Robin. "So this is what it felt like with Slade? Just when you figured out his plan, it turned out to be a diversion and his real plan was revealed later?"

Robin bowed his head, "Yeah it was."

Batman continued, "I know sometimes that Joker was a step ahead of me in the past with his schemes, but why is it that he's far more ahead than usual?"
"I don't know, but maybe once we get some sleep, we will be sharper and be ready." Robin told him. He soon asked his mentor to get some rest. 

Batman said, "Alright, I'll see you in the morning."

Robin nodded and then went out to go to his room. Batman then laid down on the couch and slowly closed his eyes and went to sleep.
***
Raven was asleep in her room, and she was dreaming. She was chasing after Neo Batman jumping from rooftop to rooftop in Jump City. The rain was pouring very hard. Finally the chase ended on top of the Wayne enterprises building. Neo Batman had his hands in a fighting stance, and so did Raven.

"Well Raven, here we are. No one else has to interfere. Just you and me," Neo Batman said with a smirk.

Raven clenched her eyes in a scowl. "I warned you not to come back to the city, but you still came back, why?"

Neo Batman chuckled, "Because, I got sick of being pushed around. As Beast Boy, I was nothing but as Neo Batman, I became a bigger threat to the bad guys and an even better ally to the Titans." 

"Don't give me those lies, you're just like Malchoir. You messed with my emotions and you ended up betraying me!! You're a liar with or without the mask!!" Raven shouted with anger.

"Oh Really? I'm the Liar?! Then tell me this; I know Terra was jokerfied but not by Brother Blood or joker, it was you wasn't it?!!" Neo Batman retaliated. "She didn't want anything to do with the titans. You could've saved her, but you just stood there and watched her die!!!"

Raven then lowered her stance causing her guard to fall.
"I wasn't thinking; I know I haven't forgiven her but it still hurts; I Know I could've saved her but didn't. Even now.."

Before she could react Neo Batman charged at her and her eyes widened as she was stabbed in the stomach with his bat-sword.

"It's too late for forgiveness, you have to suffer for what you have done!!" he said as he slowly pushed the blade further, causing Raven to cough up blood.

"Aargh, *cough *cough no, please!!" Raven begged for mercy but to no avail. 

Neo Batman laughed maniacally, "I guess it's true...you do bleed!!"

Raven opened her eyes and let out a gasp. She sat up on bed panting and then placed her left hand on her forehead. She kept thinking to herself, "When will these nightmares stop? And what does this Joker have to do with my Civil War?" Then she heard a knock at the door.
Neo Batman was on the other end, "Raven, It's him...It's the Joker."

Raven's eyes widened as she then got up from her bed, put on her robe and both Neo Batman and Raven went to the ops room.
***
Batman, Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Neo Batman and Raven were in the ops room watching the monitor and their worst fears came true. The Joker was the real villain they were after but what was his plan? The monitor in the ops room revealed only his eyes and that twisted grin. 

"Hello Batman. I see you and bird-boy decided to patch things up. What? Couldn't handle the pressure of fighting crime alone? Ah and look who it is...Neo Batman!! Hehehehe."

Batman clenched his eyes in anger. "What do you want Joker?"

"Well since you asked nicely, I see your familiar with my toxin, that hospitalized twenty people? Well Bats if you and your friends want to find me then here is a map of where you can find the source of the toxin."

Joker then pushed a button on his monitor and sent the titans a map of the monastery.

Ravens jaw dropped when she recognized that same monastery was the home of the kids Melvin, Teether, and Timmy. "Oh no, why there?" she thought to herself.

Joker added, "Once you make it there, you have to search extra carefully if you want to shut down my chemical plant. See you soon." The screen then turned black as Batman and the other titans were not sure how they would try to stop Joker.
***
At the monastery, the Joker then pushed a button on his neck and soon he took off his mask and his purple tuxedo. But the person underneath the mask wasn't the Joker. It was his second in command/love interest Harley Quinn. Quinn used a voice modifier to make her voice sound like the Joker as a distraction for Batman and the Teen Titans. She took out a walky talkie and contacted the Joker.

"They fell for it Mr. J. They'll be coming to the monastery real soon."

"Nicely done my dear, and don't forget about the movie I made for Neo Batman and Raven. Once you broadcast that, then the real fun begins. And if that plan doesn't work, I always have plan B. HAHAHAHAHAHA!" 

Quinn chuckled, "They won't know what hit them puddin." She ended the transmission and turned to the henchmen. "Listen up Bozo's, the titans and B-Man are on their way here. You guys deal with Batbrain and the titans while I handle Neo Batman and that black bird." 

One of the minions was confused and ask, "How are you going to do that Harley?" 

Quinn and rolled her eyes and said, "Idiot! Haven't you been paying attention? Oh never mind, just keep Batbrain and his kids busy once I have set up the main attraction for Mr. J!" The other goons just looked at each other in confusion.

"Move!" Quinn added in frustration to her goons. Then they all scattered around the castle to prepare for an invasion.
***
Back at the tower the titans and Batman were packing their things to travel to the monastery. In his room, Neo Batman was going over the design of his latest armor, the demon-bat armor. This armor had a shifting nano kinetic metallic composition which could be shed and re-adorned to his person on command via voice activated computer A.I, with a built-in cloaking feature giving him total invisibility. The cape could transform into a pair of wings for a flight which are composed of the same supposed nano-particle mesh. Enabling them to change shape and semblance diving into living bodies and putting off the inner ear, liquefy and reform around enemies to flail/bash them around, use them as shields for defense or stone cutting armaments for offence. As well as the ability to transfer all power to the chest insignia port, the latter of which can be used to send out a powerful blast of energy. The suit could also eject certain elements of the armor in order to have more time in it with voice commands. He felt he didn't need it, but he had a remote to summon the armor if the situation was dire. The armor separated into small pieces but with a push of a button, Neo Batman could have each piece attach to him and he could continue to fight. The other titans were gathered outside on the roof as their vehicles were ready for take off. Robin contacted titans east and asked them to watch the city while they were gone. Raven went with Batman in his batwing as the t-ship took off ahead of them. Batman then ignited the engines and followed the t-ship.
***
In the Batwing mid-flight, Batman saw Raven looking out the window at the ocean lost in thought. He then said, "You seem troubled, more than usual. I suppose I can't blame you, a lot has happened since you saw Beast Boy unmasked."

Raven then turned her attention to Batman. "Batman, I want to ask you something. When I became a Teen Titan, I kept most of my secrets hidden from my team. I know the others have secrets of their own but why does it hurt so much that we never were completely honest with each other? Why are revealing secrets not as painful as keeping them hidden?"

Batman turned his head to Raven before switching back to the view straight ahead. "Raven, sometimes there are hard truths and you have to face them, no matter how bad they are. I know Neo Batman and Beast Boy are the same person. I didn't force him to be Neo Batman, it was what he wanted. I know it hurt you, but he was not like Terra. That I can assure you." Raven smiled and then kept looking out the window. She then asked Batman, "Joker poisoned those people, but why was Terra the one he went out of his way for to keep alive?"

"Terra betrayed you. He wanted to use that knowledge against you, not to mention the fact that she was someone who got close to the Teen Titans, for the wrong reasons."

Raven then saw the view of the monastery getting closer outside her window. Then Batman landed his Batwing on the outskirts of the monastery.

"We're here."
Raven and Batman met up with the other titans and Neo Batman. They were looking at the map of the Monastery and saw that it was overtaken by the joker's crew. What puzzled them was that the outline of the monastery was different than when Raven was there last time. There was a courtyard in the back, and three additional rooms in the castle. Batman then turned to Robin and asked him what the plan should be. 

"Okay, Cyborg you and Starfire take the first floor. Batman and I will take out the guards on the roof. Neo Batman and Raven will search the other rooms in the castle, if there are hostages get them to safety. My guess is the basement where the toxin is being produced. We find the plant and shut it down and maybe we will catch joker."
The other titans all nodded in agreement. "Alright let's move out," Batman said to the group.
Batman and Robin grappled up to the roof of the castle and quietly took out some of the guards that had their rifles pointed at Neo
Batman and Raven.

"Does this seem easier to you?" Robin said to Batman.

"I don't like it." Batman added.
***
Inside the castle, Raven and Neo Batman were searching to see if there were any hostages. They soon came upon a door that had a red marking with the words, "Deception." Neo Batman slowly opened the door to see it was a room filled with photographs. Raven and Neo Batman were shocked to photo's were Neo Batman and Raven kissing. They soon realized it was a ploy by the Joker to see if one of them will snap. They kept going until a voice broadcast from the speaker, "Well...it seems maybe these pictures aren't enough to make one of you snap." It was Harley Quinn using a voice modifier to sound like the Joker. "Why don't we continue then? Maybe these additional pictures might help." Then they noticed a file. Raven picked it up and saw inside it was more pictures but it was Neo Batman being unmasked by Robin. "How did Joker get his hands on these?" Raven asked pretending not to reveal it was her.

"What? Are you serious? Oh never mind I'd probably end up ruining the surprise. There are two more doors that have different red markings but maybe those doors will reveal who the real enemy is," the voice chuckled.   

Neo Batman then turned to Raven, "Stay calm, he's trying to get to us."

"I'm okay, Neo Batman; Let's keep going." Raven said assuring him. Then she got a transmission from Robin. "Raven, did you find joker?" 

"No, but he tried to slow us down, there were pictures of Neo Batman getting unmasked in front of the brotherhood of evil."

"Wait, what how did he..." Robin was cut off by joker goons who were firing their rifles at him. "Never mind that keep looking for him, we'll meet up with you later!!" A laser blast then hit Robin's communicator and there was static on the other end. 

"Robin? Robin?!" Raven replied, but it was just static. Worried, Raven contacted Batman. "Robin's signal is out, is he alright what's going on?" 

Batman threw a Batarang at a goon knocking him out and responded, "Robin's alright but his communicator's been destroyed; He's headed to the first floor, he said he's found hostages including the kids." 

"What should we do?"

Batman then tracked Cyborg and Starfire's location to the roof. "I'll tell Cyborg and Starfire to rendezvous to the basement, it's possible that's the source of the toxin. You guys look for joker, we'll handle the toxin."

Raven nodded in agreement, "Okay, Neo Batman let's keep moving."
***
The two then stumbled upon another door with the same red markings; this time with the word, "Revenge." They slowly opened the door, and saw more photographs but this time there were photos of Raven with her demon eyes fighting against Neo Batman. "Whoa!" Neo Batman started as he and Raven saw the photos of Raven thrashing Neo Batman earlier. "I don't blame you for thrashing me like you did, but we need to focus, Joker's trying to catch us off guard."

Then the joker's voice echoed, "Don't feel too comfortable you two, the last door will enter have an extra surprise in it! And I guarantee, one of you will break!"

Neo Batman raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked Raven, "What's he talking about?" 

"I'm not sure," Raven responded.

They exited the room and soon followed arrow markers to the last door. It was a tall double door, and the word painted on the wall was "Betrayal". What was beyond that door will reveal all!!

To Be Continued...