⭐️ Eternal Shadow 🌙 Damian wayne ~~~~complete

Chapter 30: The Raid Plan

"...Actually," Marceline murmured, "I could go for fries."

Gar beamed like a kid on Christmas morning. "See? Mars gets it!"

Damian groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We are not risking operational security for-"

"Too late," Kory sighed, flipping a switch. "I'm already rerouting."

"Traitor," Damian muttered.

Within five minutes, they hovered just out of sight behind a rocky bluff as Gar and Jaime zipped out the side hatch, Raven following reluctantly to supervise. The air outside was crisp, night settling fully in, the sky scattered with stars.

The smell of fried something drifted back into the transport.

By the time they piled back in, arms loaded with greasy bags and four too many neon-colored shakes, Gar looked way too pleased with himself.

"Mission morale: saved," he declared, handing off a box of fries to Mars.

She took them, and for the first time in days, her laugh wasn't forced. "You're an idiot," she said, a soft fondness in her voice.

"Yeah, but I'm your idiot," Gar shot back.

Damian muttered something dark about team discipline, but even he didn't stop from stealing one of Mars' fries a minute later.

As the ship lifted again, greasy wrappers rustling, the tension in the air eased - just a little.

A moment of normal before they charged straight into hell.

And they were going to need every scrap of it

The landscape below darkened as the Titans' transport cut through thick clouds, stars swallowed by the heavy mist curling over the mountains. The last traces of Gar's fries and the glow of neon shakes were gone, replaced by tightened grips on weapons and sharpened gazes.

Mars stood near one of the side panels, hood up, shadows curling lazily around her shoulders like restless snakes. She could feel the ancient pulse beneath them, the lingering presence of Ra's, thick like tar in the atmosphere.

Kory's voice crackled through the comms.
"We're approaching the drop zone. Everyone gear up."

A wave of cold certainty settled over the team.

"There it is," Jaime murmured, pointing ahead.

And there it was - a sprawling fortress carved into the cliffside, half-swallowed by the earth itself. Towers jutted from the rock, their stone slick with age, torchlight flickering like the place belonged to another time entirely. The main gate was sealed tight, guarded by Ra's men, all armed to the teeth and cloaked in shadow.

"Charming," Raven said dryly.

The team gathered at the hatch, pulling masks down, adjusting gauntlets, blades, and shields. Mars slid her new obsidian-hued mask into place, the interior tech scanning rapidly.

Damian stepped beside her, his presence a steady weight.

"Stay close," he murmured.

She flicked him a look, eyes briefly softening. "You too."

"Alright, listen up," Dick called, stepping into their circle. "Standard breach and divide. Raven, you'll cloak Jaime and Gar for sabotage on the west wall. Kory and I take the front distraction. Damian, Mars, you're with me for infiltration on the east flank. Objective is Ra's and the artifact. Priority: neutralize and recover."

Everyone nodded, tension thick but steady.

Gar gave a cocky grin. "What's the over-under on me turning into a grizzly and wrecking some cultists?"