Previous Chapters: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/fan-fic/8/ravager4s-fan-fic-archives/660884/#1
Disclaimer: I do not own any DC characters or locations. All rights belong to DC Comics.
Rating: T+
Note: Had to post this one a little earlier in the day than usual, since I won't be able to later. So now I my latest three chapters are floating around out there without any comments, and that just won't do. If you have been reading this series at all, and you have any thoughts on it, please don't be afraid to leave a comment. There's currently only one person who leaves regular comments on my fan-fics (thanks batkevin!), and yet each chapter gets upwards of 40 something views. I value any kind of comment, whether positive or negative, as long as it is constructive, so please don't be shy.
Rose Wilson: The Ravager #24
Ext. Silverstone Outskirts – Night
Ravager continues glaring, her grip tightening around the handlebars to her cycle. Sitting across from her on his own bike is Red Robin, aka Tim Drake, one of her former teammates of the Teen Titans. She hasn't seen him now in almost a year, not since she left after stupidly screwing up one of their alerts and getting Bart Allen killed, along with a bunch of cops. She knew they'd end up kicking her out after that, she she simply saved them the trouble.
But what is he doing here now?
Ravager: I don't have time to talk right now, Tim.
Red Robin: Then make time.
Ravager: Quite a ways from San Francisco, aren't you?
Red Robin: I was already in Gotham when Batman asked me to check up on you. You've been stealing, hurting innocent people, haven't been answering your phone. That's not like you.
Ravager: Maybe you just don't know me as well as you think you do.
Red Robin: I know you better than you think.
Ravager: Somehow, I doubt that. How did you even find me?
Red Robin: There's a tracer built into your ride. Batman put it there in case of emergencies.
Ravager: Of course he did. Guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Red Robin: Tell me what's going on with you, Rose. If you're in trouble with something, I can help. You might have left the team on bad terms, but you're still one of us. You're still a friend.
Ravager: Is that you talking, or is that Dick?
Silence follows. He turns his gaze slightly, not able to bring himself to answer her question.
Ravager: Yeah, that's what I thought. You guys still haven't forgiven me for what happened, and you probably never will. That's fine, I don't care. I know what I did and I've paid for it. But I have my own life now, I don't need to go running back to your team, begging for forgiveness.
Red Robin: I know, and I'm glad you're finding your own way, Rose, really. But something is going on right now with you. Something is wrong. You need to let me help you before it gets out of control.
Ravager's comm finally activates in her ear, emitting Jerry's annoying, scolding tone. He's been listening to the whole conversation, after all.
Jerry/Comm: Not a word, Rose. You know what will happen.
Ravager: I know... But I can't, Tim, I can't.
Red Robin: Don't suppose there's any way I can change your mind?
Ravager: Not a chance.
A small sigh leaves his lips.
Red Robin: Then, I'm sorry, but I have to stop you.
Ravager: You even try, and I'll snap your arm.
But he's already hopping off his bike and reaching into his utility belt. She scowls at him, clenching her jaw. She isn't about to let him stop her, there's too much at stake. Best to put him down quickly so she can get on with her job. Jumping off her ride, she evades his incoming throwing disks, without even trying.
Ravager: You'll have to do a lot better than that!
Red Robin says nothing, instead tossing down a few smoke pellets and enveloping them both in a thick haze. She frowns, straightening herself a little and glancing around carefully.
Ravager: Smoke? You're kidding, right?
Red Robin: Just tell me what's going on and we don't have to do this.
Her precog goes off, showing an attack from the left. She turns instantly and pushes the incoming kick away, then counters with one of her own. The smoke throws her aim off, and she hits only air. Red Robin's shadow disappears a moment later.
Ravager: You say that like I'm afraid to.
Another flash of precog. More disks this time. She turns her body and evades them with ease, then jumps back to avoid a swinging strike from his bo staff. He comes in again, thrusting and swinging his weapon. She ducks, weaves, then jumps forward with a flying elbow. She gets a good hit in, striking his jaw and sending him rolling back into the smoke, which is already beginning to dissipate. She can see him more clearly now, and this time charges at him.
She takes only a few steps before suddenly freezing up, shouting with pain as a strong electrical surge courses through her body. A few seconds later, the electricity disappears, leaving her body fried and numb. With her heart racing, she stumbles back a little bit, but maintains her balance. Looking down at her feet, she notices a round, flat device on the ground, some kind of stun mine; he used the smoke as a cover to place it, then lured right into the trap.
Ravager: Okay... that really hurt.
Red Robin: Please, Rose, tell me what's wrong. I don't want to hurt you.
Ravager: That's the last time you do.
She runs forward at him, intent on bringing him down as quickly as possible. But her actions are sluggish, body still tingling. She throws a punch, but he dodges, then twirls his staff around and catches the bottom of her jaw, forcing her backwards.
Jerry/Comm: You may want to hurry things up a little bit, Rose, and maybe try harder. Would be a shame if he stopped you, so close to finishing your last job. Just think of Rebecca...
Holding a hand to her jaw, she glowers and comes forward again. This time, she toughs it up, ignores the uncomfortable results of the electrical charge. Her adrenaline is pumping now, and she's not screwing around. Red Robin readies his staff, prepared to defend against her attack, but she draws one of her swords. Pulling such a lethal weapon seems to catch him off guard slightly, causing him to flinch with surprise. That one flinch is all she needs to capitalize.
She swings her blade viciously, while he raises his staff to block. Unfortunately for him, her weapons are a lot sharper than he's familiar with. It slices cleanly through the metal pole, throwing his balance off as his arms go apart, each hand holding one half of his weapon. This time, when Ravager brings her fist up, she catches him squarely on the side of the face. He tries to bring his arms up to block, but her attack goes straight through his guard.
Ravager doesn't stop there, throwing a high kick to his side, causing him to double over, and then punching with her other hand, the one holding her sword. The hard hilt catches his jaw, causing him to stumble. She finishes things with a leaping kick that drills him flat against his chest, sending him tumbling backwards to the ground. He tries to get back up, turning over and pushing himself up, but she kicks him back down.
Red Robin: Rose, you don't have to do this.
Ravager: Stay down, Tim.
Bringing her boot down, she forces it against the side of his head, keeping him pinned against the ground.
Ravager: You can't beat me in a straight fight.
Red Robin: I know.
His hand inches down towards his belt, clicking a small button.
Red Robin: That's why I brought help, in case I needed it.
Ravager's eyebrow lifts a little, as the sound of an incoming aircraft begins to reach her ears. It's quiet, at first, then grows louder as it approaches. Glancing upward, she watches as the Bat-Jet comes into view, slowing down above them and hovering.
Ravager: You have got to be kidding me.
Suddenly, a large metal net flies out of one of the jet's many on board launchers. She jumps to the side, evading it easily enough. The jet turns, following her, and fires a couple more times, but never hits its target. With her attention occupied, however, Ravager isn't paying attention to Red Robin, who's back up to his knees now. As she flips back to avoid another incoming net, he pulls out another couple of round disks and throws them at her in mid dodge.
Though her precog goes off, Ravager is in a poor position to suddenly change her direction. She tries to turn and spin away, twisting her body in an awkward position. She only succeeds in tumbling clumsily to the ground. Before she can get back up, a large weighted net wraps around her and forces her against the ground. She shouts angrily, trying to push up against the metal cables, but she can barely get up to her knees.
Ravager: Let me out of this!
Red Robin: Sorry, Rose.
Meanwhile, the Bat-Jet lowers itself from the air and comes to a stop when it reaches the ground. The cockpit opens up, revealing another member of the Bat Family inside, a blonde girl in a black and purple batsuit.
Batgirl: Awesome! We got her!
Red Robin: Yeah, thanks for the hand, Steph.
Batgirl: Always happy to help.
Ravager: You don't know what you're doing!
Her comm link then hisses in her ear.
Jerry/Phone: Things not going well? That's a shame. I'm not going to have to make a call, am I?
Ravager flinches, a bolt of panic surging through her. She grips two sections of the net with her hands, then starts tugging on the metal cables with every ounce of might she can muster in her body.
Batgirl: Wow, she really got you good, huh?
Leaning close, Batgirl inspects Red Robin's bleeding nose, and bruised cheek. Pushing past her, he heads for the jet.
Red Robin: I'll be fine. Just keep an eye on her while I make a call to Dick.
Batgirl: You got it.
Giving him a firm, over-emphasized salute, Batgirl then folds her arms and turns towards Ravager, watching closely. After a couple seconds, though, she raises her eyebrows and drops her arms in surprise.
Batgirl: Hey, uh, should she be able to to that?
Red Robin looks back over from the jet to see Ravager yanking apart the metal cables on the net, her arms shaking and muscles straining. She's almost made a hole large enough to fit through. Reacting quickly, he digs around the cockpit and pulls out a stun gun. He doesn't want to use it, but he has to put her down long enough to at least get her properly tied up.
Red Robin: Don't do it, Rose!
He runs forward, taking aim with it and stopping when he comes to within ten paces of her.
Red Robin: Don't make me use it!
Ravager doesn't listen to him. She continues pulling, harder now. Her arms have gone practically numb, they're struggling so much. Groaning, she tightens her grip and puts everything she has into it. She can feel the net beginning to strain, almost ready to give way. That's when the stun gun's nodes hit her square in the chest, sending a powerful electrical current through her. She works through it, feeling her entire body tingling and crying out with sharp pains. Not once does she stop pulling, though she is screaming now. Red Robin actually looks surprised that it isn't putting her down, growing concerned over how long he has to keep the charge going.
Red Robin: Rose, just stop!
Ravager: NO!!!
With one final tug, the metal netting snaps and rips open. Ravager instantly throws it around her, stepping out of the newly created hole, then grabs the cables running from the node to the stun gun and pulls them off her chest. Though her entire body is almost entirely numb, tingling like pins and needles, she doesn't let it stop her. Taking in deep, heavy breaths, she slowly brings her gaze up, glaring at him. Both he and Batgirl stare at her for a moment in genuine shock over her feat.
Batgirl: Holy crap. How did she do that?
Red Robin: Never mind that, just stop her!
But before they can converge on her, Ravager reaches a shaky hand to her belt and pulls out a small round device, cracking it down the center. Then, she throws it straight at the ground, in the process covering her eye. A bright, blinding flash goes off, temporarily stunning them.
Ravager: You're not the only one with toys.
With those words, she turns around and picks up her sword, sheathing it, then stumbles towards her bike. Her legs feel like jelly, threatening to give out at any second, but she maintains her balance. Sliding back onto her ride, she revs the engine back up and bursts forward with incredible acceleration. She can't stay here, can't try to keep fighting them like this. She has a delivery to make
As their vision begins to return, Red Robin squints forward and blinks a few times, noticing the fleeing Ravager. He curses under his breath and starts running back to his R-cycle.
Batgirl: Ow, damn it! My eyes! What the hell was that thing, some kind of super flash grenade?
Red Robin: I don't know, but we need to stay in pursuit, Batgirl. In her condition, she'll end up getting herself killed, if not someone else. I'll follow on the ground, you take to the air. We have to stop her!
Batgirl: Right, right, yeah, just give me a second here.
Blinking a few more times, Batgirl rubs her eyes and squints, trying to get rid of the bright spots in front of her eyes. When she's finally able to see again, she heads back to the Bat-Jet.
Batgirl: Alright, I'm on her!
Red Robin zooms down the street, trying to make up for the head start that Ravager has on them. Bagirl closes the cockpit behind her on the jet, presses a few buttons, and then takes off into the air, flying after them.
Ext. Silverstone City Streets – Night
Ravager's control is shaky. She swerves, struggling to keep straight on the road, breath heavy and eye quivering, as her arm muscles begin to spasm randomly. Taking extended electric shocks capable of turning an ordinary grown man into a twitching mass on the ground will do that. But she can't stop to take a breather or recover; she's still being pursued. Batgirl passed overhead of her a couple times already, and she can't seem to lose Red Robin on the ground, no matter what streets she takes. Even though she knows the city a lot better than he does, he's still good, and she's in poor condition.
Jerry/Comm: You'd better lose them quickly.
Ravager: I can't!
Jerry/Comm: Well I can't have them following you right to me, now can I? Figure it out.
Letting out an annoyed breath, Ravager turns onto a busier street. Now she has to make her way around other cars, weaving through traffic in order to keep her distance from her pursuers. Glancing upward, she notices the jet coming back overhead, this time managing to stick right above her as she goes. Red Robin is catching up, too, she knows it.
Sh*t. Time to take some chances.
Taking a sharper turn, she picks up the speed and races toward an on ramp, leading up to the highway overpass that runs through the west side of the city. In seconds, she's gunning it down three lane traffic, darting her bike in between numerous vehicles. Red Robin keeps up with her, though, regardless of how much faster she goes.
Ravager: Can you get your guys to come to me? Could use some backup here!
Jerry/Comm: I suppose I could. But you're supposed to be doing this on your own, you know.
Ravager: Save the lecture. They're tracking me through my ride, so even if I manage to lose visual contact, they'll still find me, and I'm in no condition to keep this up much longer. You want this device of yours or not?
A small sigh comes over the comm.
Jerry/Comm: Very well. Head east along the overpass and take the next exit. You can work your way around to the factory and I'll have my men meet you halfway.
Ravager: The tunnel would be faster, it's a straight shot to the East District.
Jerry/Comm: No, I'll lose your comm signal through the tunnel. I won't be able to keep in contact or guide you.
Ravager goes quiet, a rapid series of thoughts flickering through her head. She suddenly has a plan.
Ravager: I'm taking the tunnel.
Another sigh.
Jerry/Comm: Your decision, I suppose. Just remember the consequences, should something go wrong.
Ravager: I haven't forgotten. See you on the other side.
Int. East Silverstone Tunnel – Night
The tunnel is a long stretch that goes underneath most of the city, dark except for the lines of florescent lights along the walls for illumination. Ravager pushes her bike faster, moving around the traffic of other cars. It isn't heavy traffic, but still thick enough that one mistake, one wrong jerk of the handlebars, and the results could be catastrophic. She's lost one of her pursuers, though; no way Batgirl is going to fly her jet inside the tunnel.
Glancing back into one of her mirrors, she notices Red Robin still hot on her tail. Good, she wants him to follow now. Speeding up, she heads to a side tunnel, one meant for maintenance personnel. Her bike barely fits through the narrow passage, the walls close on either side of her. Eventually, though, it widens out into a work area, allowing her to slow down and spin herself around to face the way she came. She quickly jumps off and waits, already able to hear Red Robin coming down the tunnel after her.
Ravager: So, can you hear me?
The only thing she gets back from her comm is static.
Good.
A few moments later, Red Robin appears and slows down to a halt, sliding off his vehicle.
Red Robin: Rose, what the hell are you doing? You know how many people you could have hurt driving like that? And in your condition?
Ravager: In my condition? Please, I'm just fine.
Though her body is still a little numb and tingly, she's quickly starting to regain most sensations, and her heart isn't beating as fast anymore.
Ravager: So, just you and me now. Batgirl won't be joining us down here.
Red Robin: Don't do this again, we don't have to fight. Just talk to me, tell me what's wrong.
Ravager: Oh, you want to talk?
She cracks her knuckles, glaring at him intently.
Ravager: Then let's talk.
Ext. Silverstone City Streets – Night
A short while later, Ravager rides out of the tunnel and into the East District. She's on Red Robin's bike now, after taking it from him. Batgirl won't be tracking this one, after all. Turning onto a side alley, she parks and waits; her other transportation should be here soon. As she waits, however, the radio on the vehicle's dash suddenly clicks on
Batgirl/Radio: Tim, are you alright? What's going on? I couldn't reach you while you were in the tunnel.
Reaching forward, Ravager clicks the button to respond.
Ravager: Sorry, Tim isn't available at the moment.
There's a slight pause before a response comes.
Batgirl/Radio: Ravager? What did you do to Tim?!
Ravager: If you want to find him, you should probably head back down the tunnel. That's where I left him.
She then turns the engine off and stands up, taking her stolen item out of the side compartment of the bike. She stares at the strange device for a few moments curiously, then walks down to the end of the alley. Another hiss of static comes in over her comm, followed by a familiar voice.
Jerry/Comm: You took a little longer than you should have getting through that tunnel. Have a little trouble?
Ravager: No, just taking care of a little business.
Jerry/Comm: Then I trust those two that were following you won't be a problem anymore?
Stepping out of the mouth of the alley, a sleek black car with heavily tinted windows pulls up in front of her. One of the rear doors opens up, allowing her to get inside.
Ravager: Trust me, they're taken care of.
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Chapter #25 Preview: Jeremiah Belmont has been making Ravager's life miserable for the past week, forcing her to steal for him under threats of killing her hospitalized partner. But what has he been doing with these items that she's been stealing for him? What is his plan? And how can Ravager stop him without putting Becky or Holly's life in danger? The answers to these questions are coming in the next chapter!
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