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Chapter 1 - Bright Gift

What was in a name? She sighed and stared at herself. Names were important, she knew that as much. It was one reason why her Grandfather's name meant the Demon's Head. Through the magic of the green glowing pits, Ra's al-Ghul had lived lifetimes. Sure, the green glowing liquid twisted his mortal mind over the years of existence. It didn't help that he was the leader of the League of Assassins and raised his daughter as a bloody-minded psychopath. So when she learned her name, Damian, and what it meant "to take" or to "tame". She was sure her purpose in life was to sit on the Throne and become the next Head of the Ghoul.

That all changed years ago when she was barely twelve years old. She, Damian Wayne, was thrust away from Nanda Parbat. And the turmoil which resulted was traumatic, to say the least. All in one, she dealt with her mother going beyond rogue and trying to kill her. Early dealings with the Court of Owls, and sadly, a lot of wonderful fucking bullshit. Standing in front of the mirror she sighed as she stared at the dress Koriand'r gave her. The dark-skinned Tamaranian had a pretty "exhibitionist" taste. She was twenty-one, and after years of hiding it, she was going to come out.

Scanning the entire bedroom, she twisted around and tossed off the black turtleneck she was wearing. Yup, the slim muscled build of a scion of the Wayne family smiled back at her. Narrow hips, cut abs, and of course, a set of broad powerful shoulders. Damian stared at her reflection and began to note the pros and cons.

"My voice is...reedy at best," the way she was able to pitch her voice was from years of quiet study.

I'll never be built like Kori or Selena. A pair of crossed arms over her bare chest revealed the young woman's feelings. Being a queer twenty-something in Gotham wasn't a big deal. Her brothers had accepted her when she told them the day before, and her father had even hugged her a week ago. Bruce Wayne had fought so many versions of himself and seen how the psyche warring with itself could cause outright slaughter. No way in the depths of Hell or by the name of the Trigon would he not accept his daughter.

Good, she'd come out and felt a sense of freedom. But, years of discipline and indoctrination under the League had locked a lot of it away. Even talking to Orphan did little to assuage her unease. They both knew what it was like to let their feelings loose and to fight in the shade of blood-thirsty birth givers. Damian was groomed to be the Heir, and Lady Shiva brutalized her daughter into a living weapon. So now, she was going to go out on a date with another literal daughter and heir of the massacre.

Nevermore: Jinx is getting bouncy...please tell me you are almost ready.

Damian read the text after hearing the silent beep of her phone. A slow chuckle came from the bottom of her throat.

Desdemona: You were the one who wanted to bring her.

The little writing emblem squiggles for a bit before the reply came.

Nevermore: She bribed me with sour candies, and goreporn. The body is weak.

Desdemona: When did the Unkindness become addicted to candy and bad horror?

Nevermore: You are to blame mortals, it is your fault for making me watch all the Tremors movies.

Desdemona: Never drinking Tequila again.

Nevermore: To quote Jinx, "Stop being a little bitch and get down here!"

I still don't know why I'm doing this. Damian bit her right knuckle and stared at the dress again. A stupid slinky piece of shit, made of lycra. WHY did she have an obsession with Lycra?! Fuck this. The ravenhead turned and dove toward her massive closet. One of the perks of being a Wayne was the ability to order a lot of clothing without questions asked. Years of self-repression were carved away by sharpened knives of her own need.

A pair of black jeans, black as night, made from that stupid "uber black" material. They were painted on, and as she did a quick clean-up job on her nails she considered going open-toe before deciding against it. I don't want to shave my legs or rush a pedicure. Instead she rooted out a pair of leather calf-high boots. Pulling them on she remembered buying them with Raven at an upper-class punk shop in Jump City. The place was run by an ex-Dominatrix who made most of it all by hand. Staring at the boots as she finished the buckles she enjoyed the platforms built into them.

Next, she had to figure a top, they were going to some sort of Goth or Industrial Queer Bar. A place where she would be expected to not stick out like a Wayne at a Charity. Frowning, the transgirl sighed before snagging a new solid black bralette. It was a simple high-end sports bra style, with a black silver demon skull painted across the front. Jinx had bought it off some video game website saying it was a "Doom Skull" or something.

Now the finale out came the long sheer charcoal turtleneck. It would be all on display and even if she didn't have the hips or the tits. She had her muscles and that ass. Another throaty chuckle and the daughter of Bruce Wayne finished it all with a simple bit of winged eyeliner and black mascara. Hell, even without her mother's legendary cleavage, Damian was the spitting image of a femme fatale.

She sat down in front of her vanity and did it once over. Her hair was in a refined cut, long front fringe with a stylistic skull shaved into her undercut. If it rains it pours. I'm overdoing the skulls. I might as well get a bat undercut next time. Grabbing her phone she slipped on a ring over her finger fitted with a tracking device just in case. Then, she added a knife to the back of her right boot.

If looks could kill. Grabbing her clutch, she sighed before walking out of the hall into the primary study. Father was there, his long, muscled, and scarred body laid out on the couch. Selina, her stepmother, and her favorite sparring partner was busily giving him a massage. The olive-skinned woman glanced over her shoulder and poked her husband.

"Heading out?" he asked without really moving, and she could see the ghost of a smile on his lips. A genuine one at that.

"Going to a place called Batcave," she sighed, "I know it's damn ironic.

"Kate still joining you?" Selina asked as Bruce sat up and slowly began work through a few stretches.

“No, she’s on a double date with Alex Danvers,” Damian sighed.

“What is my cousin up to these days with Alex Danvers” Bruce queried.

“Astra Zor-El,” Damian scoffed, “I’m being ditched for Kryptonian ass.”

Bruce frowned at his daughter's vulgar reply even if it was in the articulate accent of the League. He shook his head before saying, "If it goes south, Orphan's on standby and so is Halo."

Damian sighed, "I figured you would be the overprotective type."

"He's -Batman-, he doesn't kill people, but it doesn't mean he'll break spines to protect his widdle princess." Selina giggled at her own joke before checking her phone and laughing louder. "Harley and Ivy say, have fun, wear protection, and don't forget to order a Diana Prince at the bar."

"A what?" she asked before leaving.

"It's some fucking horrendous concoction made using Absinthe and Ouzo, do not drink it. I did once, and I ended up dancing in Gotham and waking up in a Yacht off the coast of Dalmatia."

"Hey, that was my yacht," Bruce chuckled as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Still," she replied before waving to Damian who was on her way out. The young queer rolled her eyes a third time before heading downstairs to catch a zetatube to Jump City. The walk down to the actual lab itself was not long, and even a little fun if she considered how her father kept remodeling the ways to the Batcave. The small elevator which took her down this time even had some stupid little bit of musak to pass the three-second wait. She stepped out, her boots clomping with each step, into the cool air of the cave itself.

A massive redux of her Father's mainframe sat to her right as did the various hermetically sealed cases holding the historical uniforms of the Batfamily. Passing one featuring Robin, and an early take on Nightwing made her smile. Next was Oracle's old Batgirl costume along with one featuring a less Rambo style for Redhood. Jason, did buy me that Knife, and I'm pretty sure he did it for a reason. The folding blade hidden in her boot wasn't just typical fancy Damascus steel oh no. It was a molecular sharpened blade stained with fucking Trans Pride Colors.

Yup, one of her big brothers bought her a queer as fuck knife. She gave a small shake of her head before heading toward the transporter.

"Robin, recognize," the computer said as a flash of white light struck her eyes and she felt a sudden pulling of her body. A second later she was running into Gar as she found herself in Titan's tower. Jump was home to both the Titans, the Team, and the Outsiders. A touching point for a lot of the more complicated work of the League. Gar was dressed in his usual red tank with white outlining, and a pair of pajama pants His sleepy eyes met her own as he gave her a goofy grin.

"Hey bae," he laughed and gave her a once over, "Looking Crash."

"Thanks." She deadpanned.

"Pick a name yet?" he asked, walking over to the terminal near the boom tube entry-point.

"No. Still thinking one over. It's not easy, especially since I don't want to keep using Robin either." She found her voice was a bit reminiscent of Raven's own throaty rasp.

"Welp, whatever you choose will be pretty crash no matter what," he replied with a smile.

I see why Terra likes him. A light smirk graced her lips before she made her way toward the lift to meet Raven and Jinx in the lobby. Damian waltzed out of the lift and froze. Raven was dressed in a fitted suit sans bra, her silken trousers hugged her long athletic legs, and a pair of stiletto heels capped her feet. A silver chain finished the look and glistened against the soft pale sliver of greyed skin visible reaching from the middle of her navel up to her collar bone.

Jinx was bald at the moment, her body fitted in a pale purple body suit that fit her like a glove. Her legs were encased in sheer black leggings. She was wearing a pair of black ballerina flats. The Indian meta gave a small smile as she sauntered over and slipped her arms around Damian's neck.

"Glad to see you," she purred and pulled Damian into a tight embrace, and the trans femme let out a gasp.

"Damian," Raven said from where she stood, "Are you ready?"

The Wayne Heiress let her nerves chill a bit as all the steel from the League of Assassins came to her command.

"I can do this." Her tone was all the determination of Talia al-Ghul herself.

"Good, because Raven wants to use her shadow-self to transport us there," Jinx giggled.

"Isn't that a little overt?" she asked, turning to face the half-demon.

"Well, it's that or we show up in a limo," Raven replied.

"Do you know any company we can trust?" Damian asked as she removed her phone and immediately began bringing up some bookmarks from an earlier search.

"I was thinking Hive," Jinx stated.

"You always -think Hive-." Raven stated.

"They did break away from the Light and disavow the madness of Queen Bee." Damian pointed out. "Even grandfather approves of them."

"Fine." Raven relented and waited as Jinx texted her contact. There was a minute-long wait before the confirmation came.

"Okay, so they can take us home tonight, we'll have to get there ourselves," Jinx stated before letting out a sigh of frustration.

"Why?" Damian questioned.

"Same old song," Jinx scoffed, "Jackass broke into a lab Hive was funding in Markovia doing interdimensional viewing."

"I take it the League is already investigating?" Damian asked as Raven drew closer to the two of them.

"Yeah, the chatter between various main Hive Agents and their connections with King Brion are already blowing up on the dark web," Jinx replied.

"Let's go dancing," Raven said just as the darkness of her shadow self engulfed the two of them. Damian felt the world stretch around her in a fashion that could only be described as being shunted down a long pipe and pulled by some great hand. Faster than the blink of an eye they were sitting before the entrance of an alleyway. A pair of tall thickly muscled men stood on either side of a pair of steps leading into a basement entrance. Above the entrance itself with a bat-shaped golden neon sign red "The Batcave."

"Father would find this entire thing so shallow," Damian huffed as they drew closer to the entrance. The two bouncers glanced at them and the shorter of the two asked for IDs. Each of the women produced the necessary cards and were waved inside.

"Glad to have you here Raven," one of them said as they passed.

"What about me?" Jinx asked.

"Are you going to start shit again?" the taller bouncer asked.

"Hey, if you don't let terfs in again then I won't!" The woman chirped.

"We did expel that particular patron, she's no longer welcome."

The trio moved past the entrance and made their way down the stairs. What once appeared to be a simple basement entrance turned into a twenty-foot staircase opening into a large thirty-yard-wide dance hall. At right and left sat two active bars with seating areas carved into the wall itself. Tables for standing to drink as well as patrolling security checking drinks. Even at a gay bar, there was so much risk of someone drugging drinks. They didn't ban cisgender straight folx from coming so any absent drinks were immediately trashed.

Across the massive open dance floor, a series of lights from above swam at different intervals, and a raised platform at the far end showcased a DJ dais. Behind the dais sat a massive OLED screen showing scenes from Bram Stoker's Dracula. She could see Gary Oldman in his ridiculous double-bun hairdo on screen as a heavy double bass section ripped into the air. Her ribs reverberated with the sound of the music. Raven floated across the ground not gaining a single reaction from anyone as two metawomen, one with long green bioluminescent quills watched her, and another with arcs of electricity wriggling up her arms.

"Am I the only regular human here?" Damian asked simply as they made their way to the bar on the right.

"That's an overstatement," Jinx chortled.

"Damian, you are definitely not a normal human," Raven nodded, "You're blood crackles with your father's demonic heritage."

"Can you be more specific?" she asked as they reached the bar.

"Well," Raven ordered a rum and coke as Jinx ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. "Your family has been using the Pits for how long now?"

"A while, more than a few centuries," she sighed, "I always assumed grandfather was a meta or a homo magus."

"Likely," Raven nodded slowly, "Whatever your lineage is, you aren't normal, and that's fine."

"Hotness means that you fit in with us perfectly," Jinx seemed intent on being flirtatious tonight. Damian still wasn't used to people finding her attractive or much else. Well, attractive in the sense of her queer self, and how she wanted to showcase herself. It was all quite complicated. There was what she saw in her mind's eye and what the world was presented. Truth was, there were a lot of options before her, especially in a world with magic and mutagens. It all came down to how she would forge her future.

Now she had a drink to order. The bartender, a rather tall broad-shouldered enby with short-cropped vibrant pink hair, watched her with catlike eyes. Fanged teeth shined from their smile.

"Okay cutie, what you having," the meta asked.

"A Diana Prince."

Everyone stared at her, and the bartender tapped their jaw. "Wow kiddo, I knew you rich kids had a sense of danger but damn."

"Rich?" she squeaked.

"If anyone is here with Jinx you make money, that girl drops tips like no other." The bartender was already moving and lining a series of bottles before Damian could even react. Before she even saw a dissolving cube of sugar. Whatever she ordered, was a sickly green color, and likely was going to make her sick. The others were already halfway through their drinks as the next song picked up in the background. She wanted to do a bit of dancing before the night started to die.

"There is one rule tonight, no matter what we -do not split up," Raven stated with finality, Jinx eyed both of them and offered a nod. Damian checked her phone and saw a smile emoji text to her from Selena and Harley.

"Jinx...why is Quinn texting me?" she queried.

"Oh, your aunties want you safe," the hexer replied.

"...How is it that I have villains as family?" She deadpanned.

"You are the one who ended up with a former member of the LIght for a grandfather, and your mom's pretty hung up on murdering her way in," Raven said it all matter of factly.

"It’s why you and Raven fit so well," Jinx laughed and the bartender pushed her drink toward her. She sipped it and almost spat the thing out. It was...licorice. All she could taste was black-fucking-licorice. By the Pits of Lazarus, it was so damn bad. Why was this named after Wonder Woman of all people?!

"Gods dammit," she coughed as she finished it in two gulps and pushed it away.

"Bad life choices!" Jinx cheered as she reached over and led both of the women out onto the dance floor. Damian's feet settled on the floor and she closed her eyes. Dancing wasn't something she did very often. But she was a trained assassin, and honestly, a pretty good swordswoman. So as a ringing bell and whispering voice rolled over her body she smiled. Identifying the bouncing opening beat was easy, and then sliding her feet into a simple shuffle was even easier.

She rolled her shoulders, and then her body. As she did so Jinx imitated her and as they started to they synced their movements and swiveled their hips. Slowly swinging their hands out and then back outward. The growing relationship with Jinx was still new to Damian, but even as they moved together it felt real on a level that wasn't possible for her before. When she still warred with who she was, she wasn't able to understand it until she started cutting away all of those repressed feelings.

Raven floated behind her before she felt arms encircling her shoulders from behind and she was being lifted a few inches above the ground. The two twirled there as Raven pressed her lips against Damian's causing the young woman to swoon. Wanting to be desired, and chosen for who she was, and not what she was shown to be was - uplifting on so many levels. She shivered as memories of the night dealing with the Court of Owls and being used by Talon. Raven drew a hand along her jaw and calmed Damian with a small kiss.

"Thanks for coming with us?" Jinx was beside them in an instant as she used her hands to press them apart and insert herself between them. As the Indian girl shimmied her hips and started grinding her behind against Damian's front. Raven was on the opposite watching the two of them as she bit at her lip. Damian closed her eyes, letting her mind wander and being taken by the sensation. She wasn't the most sexual of beings. But, the close contact did bring a lot more sense of wholeness and love than she'd felt in a long time.

Sure, there was that carnal desire, and want mixed in, a hell of a lot of it honestly. I need to sit down and have a long talk with Aunt Kate. Damian still wasn't sure if she was a lesbian, a bisexual, or perhaps something a bit more complicated. Their dance continued for a few more minutes as Damian attempted a simple twerk and ended up colliding with a swaying Jinx. Both girls laughed to themselves as Raven guided them to one of the booths for a bit of a snack before ordering another drink.

The booths were built into the walls of the underground bar, each about six feet tall, and enough benches to sit seven people. The thick metal table on top appeared easily cleanable, and she noticed a line of circuitry running from the base. On the very top embedded into the table itself were a series of circles each ready to provide a warm or chill point for a drink. Beside each sat a small control as well. As the trio found their seat Damian took an outer seat as Raven sat beside her with Jinx across.

At the center of the table, a small screen popped up and displayed a simple list of appetizers to order. Jinx immediately swiveled the screen over and began to select a series of vegetarian options. Raven was busily scrawling something over the edge of the table itself. After mouthing the words, 'Azarath metrion zinthos.' Damian felt her ears pop.

"Privacy ward," Jinx chuckled as she finished.

"I hope you all like curry and hummus," Raven cautioned.

"I'm Arabic and some Han Chinese," Damian chuckled, "My grandfather named me Hafid."

"What do you want to call yourself?" Daven asked.

"Blake." She said quietly, "Blake Hadiyya Wayne."

The words came so easily and so did the name, Jinx blinked and smiled as Raven gave a nod. "Shining Gift."

"Do you think Father would approve?" Damian-no-Blake asked.

"I think your father would definitely approve, he's acknowledged you as his kid hasn't he?" Jinx asked quietly.

"Yes, publically he has, after Grandfather's resurrection he used an alias under Leland McCauley. An Arabic-Scottish philanthropist." Blanke muttered. "Mother is still going by Talia McCauley when she travels, and, apparently, she and Father have an agreement."

"What is that?" Raven asked, slightly curious.

"She's out of my life, I get to not be a bastard with the story being, I was an accident. Selena adopted me years ago anyway she's my real mom." That statement felt so right to say. Even if as a kid she had called the former thief a "harlot" she still considered her more of a mother than Talia al-Ghul.

"Talia also knows I'll shred her soul if she comes near Blake at all," Raven started with a quiet fury. Jinx nodded and smiled as their platter arrived. Large amounts of curry, hummus, and what appeared to be fried flatbread along with a large assortment of cheeses.

"This place has a weird appetizer selection," Blake noted.

"I may have bribed them to carry some of Raven and your favorite foods for tonight," Jinx giggled.

"Why?" Blake asked.

"Well, unlike Nevermore here, you, I have to impress," Jinx twirled a lock of Raven's dark indigo hair around a finger before kissing her cheek. "You two have known each other longer, and while she and I have dated. This Polyamorous thing is still new to me."

"Me as well," Blake replied before both looked at Raven.

"It was quite natural on Azarath, they just didn't like extremes in hedonism," she replied matter-of-factly.

Their conversation halted for the moment, then the trio dug into their food. Jinx started to eat the lion's share as Blake sampled a few bits of cheese on a plate set aside just for her. Raven was simply using her magic to float various bits of hummus and roti directly into her mouth before they all suddenly ceased eating. Without warning an invisible miasma of disquiet pervaded the club as the air near them started to crackle with energy. Just as Raven was about to react when a large circle appeared, filled with alien runes, and shot her with an arc of energy.

The Titan screamed in pain as she fell on top of the table, knocked out. Blake immediately rose in her seat as the circle disappeared and a tear, in reality, began to slowly unzip itself before them.

It reminded her of the zetatubes the League used to use for teleportation, a vast flash of light, except in this case it burned a scar in the atmosphere before her ears. Jinx leaped atop the table and stopped as a woman clothed in black composite armor stalked from the opening. Her ears were cold, uncaring, and focused. In her hands was a long sharpened sword covered in red searing markings pulsating with arcane energy.

"Lady Shiva," Blake scoffed at the woman as she stood from her seat and glared at the woman. "Are you here to enact some foolish vengeance on my lineage once again?"

"No actually," the woman replied, her face while beautiful, held only the cool detached expression of a hardened killer. As she waited, another woman exited the portal halfway, this one appearing to be the source of the reddened magic. Her face was covered in a series of markings easily identifiable as ancient Sumerian and proto-Atlantean. An emblem of the Lords of Chaos was branded upon her brow, and her hair was arranged into a series of spiral horns atop her head.

Unlike Lady Shiva, Mother Blood fit the part of a cult leader. A simple silken crimson robe hung around her body and she wore a red a-line dress beneath it.

"Fuck sakes, the Light and the Shadows are using the magic of the Church now?" Jinx growled. "You'll pay for what you did to Raven, Blood."

"Unlike my predecessors, I see no point in provoking the Unkindness," Mother Blood replied, seeming to want the act before she finished. "I am a mercenary in this job."

Lady Shiva glared at Jinx and nodded to Mother Blood as she placed a simple black package on the ground. "Either you come with us Damian, or we kill everyone here."

"So fucking typical," Jinx sighed as she was spinning bright hex magic in her hands, "Can you take them both so I can wake Raven?"

Blake tried to analyze the scene and showed not a single bit of worry on her face. Jinx's hesitation was all real though. The former Hiver was not likely to attack foolishly and the threat of an explosive was a classic cliche deterrent. What worried her though was the spell used to knockout Raven. If Mother Blood could incapacitate the daughter of Trigon, one of the most powerful heavy hitters of the modern Justice League, then what else could she do?

"What do you want with me?" Blake asked as she took a step forward.

"You, we want nothing, we simply want your body," Shiva replied as she cocked her head and glanced at the bomb. "Tick-tock Damian, we have more outside ready to kill all your little queer friends."

The daughter of Batman exhaled, she knew the answer, there was no choice. A single step and just as she signaled her surrender Lady Shiva was in motion. The woman drew a dart from her armor and tossed it directly at Blake. Before the young woman could react the bladed end struck her and the entire contents of the weapon were emptied into her veins.

"As I said we need your body, not your mind, not your useless mouth," Lady Shiva stated. "Move and you all die, understand me?"

"Copacetic," Jinx muttered as the two women strolled up to the now downed body of Blake. As they hefted her over Shiva's shoulder; Blake's eyes were already growing heavier. Her body lacked any sense of feeling as she felt her senses except for feeling and hearing shutting down. What was this? Why make it so she was still partially cognizant? As they turned to leave she heard Lady Shiva say, "Welcome to the Light, Project Tartarus."