Fall From Grace ◦ Dick Grayson

THIRTEEN.

     "Rachel", Dick whispers.

     "Go!" Kory orders. "Grace and I will handle this."

     He nods, not questioning the look in her eyes, and slips past them and Autumn steps to her left, blocking the robot from following him.

     "Don't make me fight you", the mummy says. "You don't want to see what I really."

     Kory cocks her head, her eyes glowing a brilliant green, heat rolling off her in waves. "Same."

     Autumn casts a side glance at her, that deja vu clawing its way back up to the surface again. There's something so familiar about her, about the glowing eyes and the magma boiling beneath her skin ━━ but Autumn can't shake the feeling that her eyes should be purple, that energy blasted from her hands should be the same. 

     Kory feels like a puzzle that's missing some major pieces. She can see parts of the picture, can solve little bits of the mystery, but the overall picture is lost to her.

     "We don't want to fight you", Kory continues, "but if you get in our way..."

     "We don't have to fight", Autumn adds. "All we want is Rachel."

     "The kid?"

     "Are you hiding another Rachel here?" Kory snaps at them.

     There's a look tossed between the mummy and the robot, before they step back. "Chief's gonna kill us for this..."

     Kory doesn't waste time thanking them. The second it seems like they're not going to attack, she moves, chasing after the girl she's sworn to protect. The melting woman follows at the same pace, movements rushed as footsteps pound towards the basement but Autumn ━━

     Autumn isn't so quick to move.

     There's fear in her heart, the real kind, about what happens when she next sees Rachel. Will she remember what happened? Will Rachel look at her and see the woman that tried to kill her? Or can she even remember what happened?

     She knows she needs to get those answers, to find out what happens next, but it's like she's rooted to the spot, her guilt weighing her down.

     "Look, lady", the robot says, "if the kid's in trouble ━━"

     "We've got it handled", Autumn says, somehow keeping her tone even. "Ish."

     "Oh, well, if you have it handled-ish", the mummy drawls, "why should we be worried?"

     Autumn glares at him, lightning crackling in her veins. "The situation is complicated, but we're trying to keep her safe and, shockingly, letting her stay with strangers doesn't fall into that category."

     She doesn't give them a chance to respond, following the sounds of carnage that lead her away from them. Her mobility comes back in a rush and she's chasing after Kory, chasing after Dick, until she's pausing atop a balcony that overlooks the whole scene.

     Dick is holding onto Rachel, the room around them a mess. In the corner, Autumn can see the crumpled form of a man, but that's not what grabs her attention.

     No, her mind is focused on the medical bed that Rachel is straight beside, the broken restraints she must have had to fight her way out of. Mix that with the screams and Autumn gets a sickening picture, one that sends her mind into a rage.

     Fury bubbles underneath her skin like magma. "I'm going to kill him."

     Kory's eyes flicker to the same place Autumn is looking at, steel overcoming her gaze. "You won't be alone."