CHAPTER 04: SAVIOUR
She cried out in pain as the polearm went through her stomach. Her arms shook as she tried to defend herself against the super-strong enemy.
Evelynn was on a mission to stop a drug dealer from making super-strong drugs, the same kind the Nuclear Family had taken years ago. It turns out that Dr. Adamson had hidden lots of these drugs all over the cities.
Each of the Bat kids had a job to find these drugs in specific cities, and Evelynn's job was in Gotham City.
Her vision was blurry, and the pain in her stomach was almost too much to handle. Maybe she should have listened to Batman's advice and brought someone with her. She didn't realize how serious the situation was. After all, it's Gotham, and anything can happen. Fuck me I guess.
She was really scared, like, freaking out kind of scared. Evelynn tried to run away, but it didn't work. Instead, she felt this shocking pain in her stomach, and there was this big, open wound. Somehow, she found a hidden spot in the quiet streets of Gotham City, making her way into an alley.
Her shaky arm reached into her usual black leather pants, and there it was—a specific syringe Tim always gave her for missions. Despite her mumbling and groaning, she tried to control her breathing.
She tore off her top, revealing the red mess and exposed flesh. Evelynn's chest went up and down visibly, a clear sign she was panicking. Blood was gushing out, and without wasting any time, she jabbed the syringe near the bloody wound.
Her trembling fingers found a familiar gadget—something she never went without. Evelynn clutched Mariane's pager, tears welling in her eyes.
"Only emergencies."
Closing her eyes, she held onto the pager, a glimmer of hope in her heart. It had been eight long years, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Mariane would answer. She always did when they needed help... Surely she'd come this time too?
With hands shaking, she pressed the button on the pager. It blinked once, then emitted a sound, reminiscent of a ticking bomb. A symbol appeared on its small screen—a unique design, circles and curved lines, something she'd seen before.
No turning back now.
At that moment, the echo of hurried footsteps reached Evelynn's ears. Oh no. She bit her lip, pressing herself against the cold stone wall, trying to blend into the shadows, hoping they wouldn't spot her.
"There you are."
When she glanced up, a gun was already pointed at her. It was the first time she admitted defeat; closing her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Images of her brothers, her family, her father, and Alfred flashed through her mind. What added to the welling tears was the bitter belief she held about time being cruel, not just to her, but to Mariane and everyone else.
As Evelynn braced herself for the inevitable, the sound of sparks grew stronger.
Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the surroundings. She opened her eyes, turning towards the source of the brilliance.
Before she could even process the situation, something came flying straight at the guy with the gun. He screamed, but his voice was muffled as the cloak wrapped around his head.
Gunshots rang out, followed by more screams, not from the guy struggling with the cloak.
Evelynn's eyes widened as she took in the scene.
The person she had called for help was there, taking on about five superhuman men. Yellow shields appeared on her arms and hands as she fought against the formidable foes.
The moment Mariane caught sight of Earth-9 through the open portal, Bronze wasted no time and zoomed in, sensing trouble on the other side. The cloak's warning had been spot-on.
She watched as Bronze swiftly dealt with the guy aiming for Evelynn, but Mariane noticed more of Evelynn's adversaries appearing out of nowhere.
Recognizing the threat, she tackled that issue first, and it took her less than fifteen minutes to handle them. Mariane couldn't ignore that these men weren't your average humans.
They matched Yelena's strength, a fact she knew from their past wrestling sessions under Yelena's training for the impending encounter with the widows.
Mariane had to knock these men out cold, bashing their heads against the concrete so hard that blood began to drain from their heads as a result of the cuts.
The cloak was still trying to kill the man when she turned back to where Bronze was.
"Bronze" The cloak came off with a single call, and Evelynn was quicker to grab the gun and shot him in the head without pausing for a second.
Mariane's eyes grew wide as her legs began to multitask, sprinting to Evelynn's side. Her gaze shifted to her sides and stomach, where she noticed the bloody puddle and the redness on both of her hands.
The cloak, Bronze, moved animatedly towards Evelynn's wound and then to Mariane, who was studying Evelynn's entire body.
On the other hand, Evelynn was staring directly at the cloak that was floating next to Mariane.
Evelynn mumbled, "Does it... always do that?" Mariane glanced at the blonde girl, a slight smile on her face. "Yup. He said your wound is pretty bad."
"He can talk?"
"Well," Mariane's gaze shifted back to Evelynn's wound. "He uses his emotions to communicate, I guess it's a yes?"
Mariane moved closer to Evelynn, her expression turning serious. "This might hurt," she warned. Evelynn nodded, uncertain about the sorceress's intentions but willing to go along with it.
Mariane placed her palm over Evelynn's open wound, and beams of light started to emanate from her hand towards the injury.
As Mariane's fingers moved in a rhythmic pattern, Evelynn felt the stinging sensation intensify, prompting her to take deep breaths.
Evelynn realised Mariane had used her abilities to heal her wounds.
"Might take a while," Mariane whispered, her tone gentle. "The human body is delicate. I don't want to exert more energy than necessary." Her eyes briefly shifted towards Evelynn with a grin before returning to the ongoing task of patching up a wound.
"You came."
The way Evelynn spoke caused Mariane to pause instantly. She continued after a moment, causing Evelynn to grip onto Mariane's free hand for support.
"You called," Mariane said. Her eyes slowly turned towards Evelynn, observing the blonde girl with welled-up tears. Evelynn quickly wiped away the tears, shaking her head. "I'm sorry I had to call you like this."
"No, don't be sorry," Mariane frowned. "If you hadn't called, I don't know—"
Her words were abruptly cut off by the sound of someone throwing a grenade. Mariane reacted instantly, forming a shield to protect them both.
Mariane swiftly turned her attention to Bronze, urgency in her voice. "Cover Evelynn!" Following her command, Bronze acted quickly, shielding Evelynn just as an explosion erupted nearby.
"Damn it. More of them," Mariane muttered, spotting additional masked men with guns pointed in their direction from a distance. It wasn't the usual threat; these were not your ordinary widowed serumed. These adversaries seemed different, stronger, possibly enhanced by some mysterious chemical.
Panic flickered in Mariane's eyes as she surveyed their surroundings. Ten of them. This wasn't going to be an easy encounter.
"Mariane, just go!" Evelynn urged, her voice strained. Mariane couldn't help but give Evelynn a puzzled look.
"What?!" Mariane's attention darted between Evelynn and the approaching threat. "You call me over and now you want me to leave?!" Mariane found herself yelling at the injured woman, her hands gesturing in frustration.
The tension in the air heightened as the armed men closed in.
Evelynn's voice echoed through the alley, defiant and fierce. "Rather than getting killed by ten big dudes!" she yelled, her words hanging in the air.
Mariane could only shake her head, staring at Evelynn in disbelief. The frustration on Mariane's face transformed into anger, leaving her at a loss for words.
Evelynn noticed Mariane's reaction, and her eyes widened in surprise. The flickers of anger in Mariane's eyes didn't go unnoticed. Mariane stood tall, her back turned to Evelynn as if she was shielding her from something.
Bolts of yellow-orange energy crackled to life in both of Mariane's palms. She was on the verge of unleashing them when the sound of loud footsteps echoed through the alley. Mariane's head instinctively turned toward the source at the top.
In an instant, three figures emerged from the shadows, illuminated by the moonlight, and Mariane swiftly recognized them. Without hesitation, they descended from above, and Mariane wasted no time in unleashing a barrage of energy blasts at these super-serum-enhanced men. A peculiar sense of satisfaction filled her as she fired away.
Amidst the action, Mariane made a mental note to discuss this newfound ability with Clea, realizing that she was now tapping into her powers without the use of the sling ring. The resemblance to Scarlet Witch's abilities struck her as she engaged in combat with these formidable opponents.
Nightwing, her ally in the battle, fought valiantly by her side, contributing to the defeat of five of the adversaries. As they locked eyes in the midst of the chaos, Nightwing spoke, redirecting her attention.
"Batman and Robin will handle the remaining threats," he declared, casting a glance toward the rear before focusing back on Mariane. "Stick with White-Arrow for us."
Mariane gave a single nod, turning away from him and immediately running towards Bronze and Evelynn.
She wasted no time in resuming her efforts to heal Evelynn, channelling her power to mend the wounds. As Mariane's healing intensified, Evelynn's groans grew more audible.
"So..." Evelynn moaned, her eyes squeezed shut against the stinging pain that eventually subsided. "...This is what you meant."
Mariane scoffed slightly, her gaze shifting towards Evelynn, who responded with a sheepish smile. Mariane then directed her attention to Batman, Nightwing, and Robin, standing amidst the fallen bodies.
Intriguingly, Mariane's eyes found Nightwing, and their gazes locked.
His chest rose and fell steadily, one hand gripping an electrical stick, the other clenched into a fist.
It seemed like an unspoken connection as they stared at each other.
The moment was broken by someone clearing their throat, prompting Mariane to quickly avert her gaze.
"Thank goodness your fingers haven't lost their touch, even with the distractions," Evelynn snarked. In response, Mariane injected a bit of energy, prompting a groan from Evelynn. "Hey!"
Mariane shot a raised brow at the blonde, just as three vigilantes came running towards them.
"Evelynn!" a deep voice called from a distance, the worry evident in his eyes as he scanned Evelynn's form.
"I'm fine, father," Evelynn reassured with a tired smile.
"That's easy for you to say, considering you had a wizard patching up your stomach with magic," Robin quipped, earning a glare from Evelynn.
"Damian," Nightwing called, giving the younger one a look that caused Damian to roll his eyes.
With the final stitch, Mariane's hand covered the wound, glowing with an eerie light. When she withdrew her hand, astonishment reflected in everyone's eyes, except Batman's.
"When did you learn to heal?" Damian asked, perplexed, turning to Mariane, who was helping Evelynn stand with Nightwing's support. Despite the healed wound, Evelynn still bore bruises from earlier fights.
Mariane found herself glancing upward at Damian, a realization hitting her: when did he grow so tall?
Her father's description of Damian suddenly made sense. While his hair was impeccably styled, Stephen had left out the detail that this boy had shot up in height – about 2 centimetres taller than Nightwing at the moment.
It dawned on her that time seemed to whisk by swiftly in this place.
"Um... I'm not sure," Mariane frowned, trying to remember. It had been a recent development, she recalled.
The looks Batman, Nightwing, and Robin exchanged spoke volumes, their surprise evident.
Mariane shrugged casually, "The yellow-orange blast you saw just now, that was my first time too." The two young vigilantes stared at Mariane, their faces a mix of confusion and amazement, though Damian attempted to keep it cool, his efforts falling short. Batman, ever stoic, maintained his unblinking gaze on Mariane before shifting his focus to Evelynn.
"We've got some talking to do later," he declared.
Mariane, now turning her attention to Evelynn, noticed her looking away with a sigh.
first gif is from pinterest by lady_percival