Delirium | Titans

Chapter 9

The dark smoke wisp traveled towards Jason and slipped into his ear. She dug through his mind, searching for painful memories or terrible fears. She found one and her mouth twisted into a slight smile. So fresh, so painful, so beautifully real. She began transforming the training room into Jasons worst fear.

He fell to his knees and screams began to claw their way out of his throat. His fear was so beautifully simple. She had woven the scene of a never ending plummet to his death. She heard footsteps and turned around.

In the doorway to the training room stood who she recognized as the new and old titans teamed up together. They took in the scene. The smoke swirling in Katarina's eyes and floating around her head and shoulders. Jason on his knees screaming and yelling, miles away from reality.

"What did you do to him?" Dick asked, looking past her at Jason.

"Katarina, you don't have to do this." Rachel said, taking a step forward. She sidestepped the arm that had Dick held out protectively to keep her from moving towards Katarina.

"Well, you're right on one account. I don't have to. But I want to." She said in her distorted and demonic voice and her smile grew. "But I'm not your poor street rat Katarina. On that account you're so very wrong."

"Then who the fuck are you?" Hank snapped, his hands in fists at his sides.

"Most call me Pasithea." She replied.

"Pasithea, don't do this. We need Katarina back." Rachel pleaded. "Katarina, if you can hear me we need you."

"Katarina can't hear you darling." Pasithea said, the smoke that filled her eyes swirled and twisted as she stared Rachel down.

A green tiger joined the team by the door and each team member pulled out their weapons, or readied their powers, preparing for a fight. None of them wanted to fight someone who was becoming their friend. But it was painfully obvious that this wasn't Katarina any more. Pasithea had taken over and they had to keep her from killing all of them and most likely more.

As one the ragtag team moved forward. Pasithea danced out of the way of swords while above them two clouds, one of a dark matter and the other of dark grey smoke, fought for control.

Pasithea was surprisingly strong which Dawn discovered when she was thrown across the room and into a rack of weights. Kori began charging up with solar energy and the Titans parted to allow her a clear shot.

"None of that," Pasithea said with mock disappointment.

A wisp of smoke strayed from the large cloud and darted down to Kori. It slipped into Kori's ear and she began to dig through the alien woman's mind. She found something and began to weave and intertwine the scene into her senses. It was a complicated process, fear weaving. It took a fair amount of concentration and the team was beginning to catch onto that.

With a flick of her wrist she brought the cloud of smoke down from its battle up above. She absorbed some of it while the rest blocked most of the attacks thrown her way. Kori fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. The glow disappeared from her hair and the fire in her eyes died down.

Rachel's demonic substance swooped down and floated behind the girl. She stepped toward Pasithea. Her eyes were glowing red, as was the gem in her forehead.

"Stop." She commanded, her voice just as demonic as Pasithea's own.

Pasithea tilted her head and smiled at the purple haired young woman. She took a  step forward and her smile slowly widened, the smokey storm in her eyes churning. She leaned in towards Rachel.

"No," she whispered the reply with a smirk.

In a burst of speed she had Rachel by the throat and slammed her up against the wall. Rachel's red glow died down and it was only Rachel again. Her feet were kicking just above the ground and she struggled against Pasithea's grip.

"Katarina," Rachel choked out, struggling to breath.

Pasithea looked down for a second, and when she looked back up some of the smoke in her eyes had dissipated. A thin sliver of Katarina's green iris's were shining through the haze of dark smoke.

"Rachel?" She whispered, the distortion of her voice had lessened some.

Suddenly she choked out a pained noise and dropped Rachel, coughing and choking onto the training room floor. The sliver of green expanded and filled her eyes until they were back to normal. Her smokelike hair morphed back into long locks of dark hair. Katarina opened her jaw and let out a horrible scream. All of the smoke in the air flew back into her body and she looked down.

The glinting tip of a sword protruded from her gut. It was coated in blood. Her blood she dimly realized. Her vision went white and she crumpled to the ground, blood already pooling on the floor beneath her.

Jason took a step back, still holding the sword he had grabbed from Rose. He dropped it and the blade clattered to the floor. He watched Katarina pale as she lay on the floor. He turned and sprinted out of the room.

When the white faded Katarina found herself staring up at the ceiling. People were crowded around above her. Everything sounded distant, like she was underwater and she couldn't think. She didn't have a clue what was happening, what she had done. The wound in her gut was sending fire through her nerves. Dick bent over her, trying to stop the blood flowing from her wound. Katarina felt herself sluggishly force words out.

"Let me die," she breathed, barely audible.

Her vision went black this time and she let go.