The Raven Part 5: Hell On Earth

Chapter 1

Beth was crouched atop a roof overlooking the docks. She'd been here since the early evening, and she'd been surveying the area for any signs of life. Everything had been eerily quiet for the last couple of hours, but she'd seen trucks pulling around at seemingly random intervals. They'd pull around, park, and hold their position. So far, she'd counted five trucks all centered around pier forty-three. It looked like Sam's information had some validity to it after all.

She stood up and walked back a bit. She'd brought a thermos with her to keep her alert. Truthfully, she hadn't been sleeping much since she had it out with Pam. She would never admit it, but without Pam her nightmares had gotten worse. The difference was now they consisted of reliving the horrors that Rebecca and Abigail had put her through, and horrific visions of what might come to pass. There was a lot at stake this time around. She doubted Rebecca would have any mercy for her or her city. She should have put a bullet in the witch's head when she had the chance. She knew, even back then, that this day would eventually come. She just never imagined that the people closest to her would have a hand in it.

After taking a hearty drink of her black coffee, she screwed the cap on and walked back to the ledge. Her rifle, a Remington 700 gifted to her by Pam, sat by the ledge, and she hunkered down to peer through its scope. She touched the pistol that Pam had also given her, a Colt 1911, just to reassure herself that it was still there. Mad as she was at Pam, she still routinely checked her guns and her collar for comfort. "When did I become so damn sentimental?" she mumbled to herself.

Staring through the cross hairs of her rifle, she looked past the dock and towards the water. It was getting closer to midnight, and the ship was bound to arrive sooner rather than later. Sure enough, a cargo ship could be seen cutting through the waves in the distance. It was almost showtime. She moved her focus back to the warehouse entrance. Several men and women could be seen moving near the front, and a quick survey of the windows revealed more shuffling about inside. They moved almost like some sort of hive or swarm of insects. She frowned as she realized what that meant; Rebecca had used her powers on them. These people were criminals that she didn't mind putting down, but not even they deserved to be puppets for that woman's will. She'd experienced that herself, brief though it may have been, and it was like having your life stolen. Death would be a mercy for these poor souls then.

She noticed a few people who seemed to be moving freely and giving direction. That was different. Either Rebecca was still regaining her powers, or she'd decided to try something new. Whatever the case, if she had to wager a guess, she'd say those few were controllers of some kind. She took a bit of extra time to find each one, and make a mental note of what they looked like. They'd be the ones who might know something about where that bitch was hiding. There were five in total amongst the mass of thugs and ruffians shuffling about. Two men and three women, each wearing a circlet of some sort. What was Rebecca planning? If one of those five knew anything, she'd make them tell her.

She had attached a silencer to her rifle, and with a few well placed shots had taken out the tires of the trucks. If these idiots tried to flee, they'd been in for a nasty surprise. Times like this, she almost missed working with Jake. His stealthy approach would have been great for subduing the outer rim, but she still had a few tricks up her sleeve. She walked over to the dufflebag she'd brought with her, and pulled out a long rifle with three points sticking out of the barrel. It was something Jake had cooked up while he was benched; a line launcher that she used on rare occasions due to its bulkiness. She took careful aim at the warehouse across the street, and took her shot. A cable fired out of the barrel and embedded itself in the steel of the building. She locked the device in place, four prongs dug into the cement of the roof, and double checked the line. Once she was sure it was stable, she climbed up onto the line and began making her way across.

Years of training made her trip across the wire simple enough. The moniker of Catgirl had been one she's chosen for more than just her claws. A quick glance down revealed that there were more goons filing out of the building than there were going in. Something about this didn't feel right. She had come too far to turn back now, and this was her only potential lead on Rebecca's whereabouts. She made it across, and climbed up the short distance to the roof of the warehouse. Glass skylights were scattered around the rooftop, and she considered smashing through one, but decided against it in favor of maintaining a stealthy advantage. It was a two story building, and even on the second floor there was movement. There weren't many, but it looked like a handful of them were patrolling the second floor.

She cracked one of the skylights, and dropped onto a stack of crates. She didn't make a sound as she landed and climbed down. She would deal with the goons up top before moving onto the main floor. She crouched down behind the stack of crates, and waited for one of them to come close. She drew her knife from her inner pocket as a man in a knit cap approached. As soon as he was in reach, she grabbed him and pulled him into the shadows. She brought the edge of the blade to his throat, and painted the glistening silver a deep shade of crimson. She had covered his mouth, but his muffled cries turned to gurgles as he bled out. She set his body down amongst the boxes and moved on. She stuck to the shadows, moving between crates and containers scattered around, and decided to utilize another new toy she'd picked up. Remote charges, courtesy of a strange arms dealer she'd met, were stowed away in her belt. She planted them around the second floor as she made her way around.

She picked off the four others in a similar fashion as the first. Silently and deliberately slitting their throats then stashing their bodies. With the second floor cleared, she cautiously peered over the railing to see what awaited her down below. She spotted a group moving towards the ship that had finally arrived, and preparing to begin unloading it. One of the controllers, a woman in a long coat, stood nearby barking orders at them. Her voice was shrill and harsh, but there was an air of dominance about her. She reached up to touch the pendant dangling from her collar while she planned her next move. As angry as she was with both Jake and Pam, her collar still brought her strange sense of peace.

There were five controllers in total, so she really only needed one of them alive. Still, there was a chance that their intel would differ from one another. She'd wound them, and deal with their followers first. Once that was done, she could get what she needed from these poor fools. Drawing her pistols, she decided it was time to make some noise and begin the fight in earnest. She got a running start, and vaulted over the railing with one leg sticking out for a kick. Her boot connected with the side of one of the thugs' faces, and she opened fire as she landed. Six shots fired in an arc that executed three of the goons, and startled the rest of them.

"Goddamnit, I told you idiots this was taking too long!" the woman shouted, "Don't just stand there, you worms, kill her!"

One of the men recovered and tried to take a swing at her. Beth blocked his punch with one hand, hit him with the butt of her gun with her other, and fired a round into his skull to finish him off. Another of the thugs rushed her, but she sidestepped him and fired a shot into the woman's kneecap. She howled in pain as she fell to the ground, and she kicked the thug in the back of the knee. He fell forward as two more tried to ambush her, but she ducked under their attacks, reached forward and snapped one of their arms, and kicked the other in the chest. The man with the broken arm cried out as the other staggered backwards. She put a bullet in the man's head, and used the barrel of her gun to deliver a powerful uppercut to the other man.

The group of thugs had been dealt with, and she began walking over to the woman in control. Her boots echoed in the warehouse with every slow step, but something was amiss. She'd seen several more men and women while scoping the place out, but outside of her footfalls and the woman's strenuous grunts as she crawled away, the building was silent. She tried to keep an eye out for any movement, but everything was still. The sound of the waves lapping at the ship was the only accompaniment to her soon-to-be interrogation. She bent down and grabbed the woman's leg. She pulled her backwards, and put her boot on the gunshot wound.

"I'm gonna make this real simple for you," she said, "You're going to tell me everything you know about Goth, and I'll make sure you don't suffer. Lie to me or get smart, and I can make this the longest night of your life. Do I make myself clear?"

"I know who you are, how you work, you filthy animal!" the woman screamed, "Elizabeth Thompson, submissive slut to Pamela Lavely, and the only one stupid enough to take on the Goth Goddess! Go to hell, you worthless little whore!"

Beth scowled behind her mask, and began grinding the sole of her boot on the woman's leg. She howled in pain for a moment, but began screaming when Beth shot her in the other leg. She bent down, placed her thumb in the bullethole, and began to twist it, "You know my name, good for you," she mocked, "If you know so much about me, then you know you're not leaving this place alive. How much pain you endure before dying is up to you."

"Fuck you, you stupid slut!" the woman yelled, "Run and tell your mistress that you failed, that you've all failed!"

"She's not the one you're dealing with, and neither is Goth," Beth replied, "I'm the one here, I'm the one with the guns and time, and I'm the one you need to worry about. Now, what do you mean we failed? The way I see it, the only failure here is you and your sad little operation."

The woman let out a strangled laugh, "You never could see the big picture, could you?" she asked, "You think that you showing up here, murdering a few idiots, and interrogating me is a victory? You've played right into her hands, just like she said you would. You're nothing but a nussence, always have been and always will be."

Beth started to grow more agitated, and she knelt down in front of her. She pulled out her knife, and slowly started to drive the blade into her already painful bullet wound. The woman began screaming in pain, "Listen, you loud mouthed bitch," she said through gritted teeth, "You're testing my patience, which is already incredibly thin, and trust me when I say you don't want to see what happens when it runs out. What. Is. She. Planning?!"

Beth kept digging her blade into the woman's wound for another minute. Once the knife was halfway in, she let go and stood up. Even behind her hood, the woman could feel her piercing eyes. She caught her breath before spitting, "Your death, you miserable little shit!"

Beth rolled her eyes, and stomped on the pommel of her knife. The force of it drove the blade the rest of the way in until its hilt was resting against her thigh. "What part of this are you not getting?" Beth hissed, "There are over a dozen ways I can make what's left of your shitty ittle life hell. This can either be over in seconds, minutes, or hours, but I have got nothing but time and contempt for people like you."

"I'm telling you the truth, you cunt!" the woman yelled before slowly beginning a rising cackle, "You're what stands in the way of her getting her Raven and disciple back. Your idiotic ideals are steering them away from their rightful places. You think that killing me will change anything?! You've already lost! She's coming back, she'll be stronger and smarter than before, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

Beth knelt down and asked, "You really want to take that bet?"

"You're alone, you stupid girl!" the woman laughed, "You've alienated the only people who might have helped you, you've let your guard down with me, and now you're going to die alone. Nothing you do tonight will change that, and even if you walk out of here you know you don't stand a chance against her. You failed before, and you will fail again! Now...suffer, you pretentious little vermin!"

Beth heard a sudden influx of footsteps running towards the two of them. "Goddamnit!" she yelled before finishing the woman and ripping her knife out of her leg.

There had to be at least thirty, maybe more, of these brainwashed fools. Where they'd been hiding, she didn't know and honestly didn't care. She holstered one of her pistols, reached into her coat, and dropped a flashbang grenade before putting some distance between her and the growing group. It exploded with her back to it, and she ran for cover. A hail of gunfire filled the warehouse as several of Goth's goons opened fire with automatics. She didn't stop running as she fired blindly into the crowd. She never saw if any of her bullets connected or not, but if nothing else it would buy her time. She'd have to reload soon; she'd lost count of how many rounds she'd fired.

She tucked herself behind a stack of crates beside a support beam, and ejected the clips from her pistols. She slapped a fresh clip in each gun just as a woman swung a crowbar at her head around the corner. She ducked under the attack, and fell back on the defensive. She dodged the wild swings, and waited for an opening. She found it when the woman rushed forward, and she planted her boot in her kneecap. A gut wrenching crack could be heard followed by a pained scream. The woman fell to the ground, and Beth put a bullet between her eyes and silenced her screaming.

She thanked Alexis for her little serum when two men charged at her from the shadows. She leapt high into the air, and landed on a stack of crates. The two men collided with one another, and she quickly tossed a grenade between the two of them. She ran along the tops of the boxes before it exploded. Two more goons had come to try to aid their comrades when the explosion went off. A mess of gore and fire filled the area, and she could hear the survivors reloading and cursing. She really needed to invest in a submachine gun for times like these. She capitalized on their occupied state, and began firing both pistols into the firing squad. Several of them broke away as soon as they heard her guns, but she managed to eliminate six without stopping. She dove off of the crates, and rolled behind cover. She peaked around the corner, and nearly met her end. The boxes splintered as bullets tore into them.

She heard someone laugh and call out, "Ha, you're finished now, bitch! Wait, what are you-oof!"

She heard the sounds of confusion and a beating beginning. Then she heard a familiar sound: a grappling gun being fired. She rolled her eyes behind her hood as she realized she had unwanted aid. She turned to move away from her hiding place, and watched as a thug raised his gun at her. She was about to shoot when a small metal rod hit the man in the face. He fell backwards, unconscious, just as Jake landed and snatched his weapon. "I had this under control!" she spat.

Jake blocked another man's attack with his new escrima stick, quickly shifted himself to the side, and snapped the man's arm. He cried out in pain, and Jake jumped to knee him in the jaw. "Yeah, getting surrounded and ambushed is a great way to handle things," he replied sarcastically.

She ran over to him just in time to push him out of the way of another woman's wild swing with a knife. She blocked it with the side of her gun, and kicked her in the ankle. She stumbled, and she whipped her with the butt of her pistol before finishing her with another shot. "Fuck you," she spat, "This is just a minor complication. Why are you even here?"

He threw one of his sticks at one of the support beams. It hit before ricocheting off to the side, and they could hear it collide with two more goons. He tackled her to the ground as more gunfire tore through their cover, "This is a minor complication?" he asked, "Looks pretty major to me."

She shoved him off of her, did a handspring to get back to her feet, and returned fire through the shattered crates. Her bullets hit their targets, and she took off in a sprint. He followed after her and she argued, "I don't need your help, Raven, these idiots are working for your bitch of a girlfriend!"

"She's not my-" he defended before getting cut off by Beth shooting behind them, "I know they're working for Goth. Why else would I show up here?"

"I don't know, maybe to help them kill me?!" she yelled as she holstered a pistol and hurled a throwing knife into the throat of an oncoming goon, "That's what you and Pam do now, isn't it? Help that fucking psycho?!"

"Beth, come on," he said as he leapt over a pair of men holding chains and began blocking their attacks, "You have no idea how manipulative Goth can be. You think you do, but Pam and I caught the brunt of it way more than you. Hell, Pam spent longer under her influence and control than I did!"

One of the thugs managed to wrap his chain around one of Jake's weapons, but Jake yanked him toward and went into a corkscrew kick to his head. Beth shot the other one when he tried to take advantage of Jake's landing, "That's your fucking excuse?!" she demanded as she turned to face another man with a set of knives, "That woman crippled me, and made me into a fucking puppet! She enslaved the entire city, and hers, and you just hand her her fucking powers back?! What did you think was going to happen?!"

Jake dove into a slide, and knocked a woman off of her feet who tried to surprise them. He swung his escrima sticks in an arc that broke her jaw before yelling back at Beth, "I have to see the good in people, Beth, we're heroes! It's what we do!"

"Newsflash, asshole, neither of us are exactly heroic anymore!" she yelled as she began exchanging blows with a large man, "That bitch doesn't have a shred of decency in her! She's toxic, hateful, vindictive, and she's going to turn this whole city into a hellscape because of you two!"

Jake dodged an incoming punch, ran up a stack of crates, and launched into devastating kick that slammed into the side of his attacker's face. He landed in a crouch, and spun around with his leg extended to take down another goon. He rose with his arms crossed to block an incoming attack, "Damnit Beth, this isn't on Pam, it's on me!" he yelled, "She didn't give Rebecca that book, I did, and you're killing her with guilt!"

"She could have destroyed that fucking book!" Beth yelled as she batted the big man's arms away and looked for an opening, "She could have kept your dumbass from handing it over, but no! She handed it over to you, and then took that big bitch's nasty socks!"

Jake knocked his attacker's arms away, and proceeded to unleash a flurry of blows with his sticks, "That's what this is about?!" he demanded as he finished his beat down, "Rebecca dropped those off, and it nearly broke Pam! She's been wracked with regret and guilt since then, but she can't bring herself to get rid of the stupid things!"

Beth jumped back and unloaded what was left of her clip into the big man, "And that makes it okay?!" Beth roared as she began viciously beating another thug with the butt of her gun, "Those...those things are a reminder that I'll always be second! Second to you, second to her, second to everyone! As long as Goth is alive, as long as she draws breath, I will always be the afterthought in yours and her mind! I gave her the chance, at both of your insistence, to prove she was more than just a condescending, manipulative, sociopath, and look what's happened!"

"Beth," Jake began, the rush of goons finally beginning to die down, "Is that really what you think?"

"If the two of you are finished," a man standing on one of the crates yelled, "Our Black Matron would like Elizabeth finished, and she is going to be very displeased with you, Raven."

Beth was about to reply with an obscenity when a familiar sight appeared. Ethereal chains snaked their way behind the man, wrapped around him, and lifted him into the air. They covered his mouth and began slowly pulling at his limbs. Then she saw her. Pam walked out of the shadows wearing a black dress that came down just above her knees and a long flowing cloak with the hood up. The cloak was maroon in color, and it billowed around her as she walked. "No one is hurting the people I care about," she said menacingly before ripping him apart.

"Great, just fucking great," Beth said, "The gang is all fucking here. Let me guess, you just couldn't stop yourself from trying to stop Goth's bullshit, could you?"

"No," Pam said, and raised her hand to lift several crates into the air and hurl them into the dwindling crowd, "I knew you'd be here, and I need to talk to you."

"Get bent, both of you," Beth spat and took off running into the crowd after reloading her guns.

Pam frowned for a moment before giving a small smile and glancing over at Jake, "You know that is the first thing she said to me when I proposed our little relationship."

"Is that a good thing?" he asked, genuinely confused.

She shrugged, "It's not the worst thing she could have said to us. Come on, we have to eradicate these peons so that I can talk to her."

"You mean we can talk to her, right?" he asked, running after Beth with Pam in tow.

"Yes, because your conversation with her was going swimmingly," she replied as she began channeling her power, "Let's not let her have all the fun."

The two of them were hot on her heels when she turned back and yelled, "Spread out, and get away from the second floor overlook!"

Neither of them argued with her, and they broke apart. Pam was lifted into the air by a bed of her chains, Jake vaulted over a few boxes, and Beth dove into a slide with her guns blazing. A group of four, two men and two women, holding assault rifles opened fire when Beth rounded the corner, but through diving she avoided their gunfire. Her own bullets ripped through their legs and chests, and the four of them fell to the ground in agony. She holstered one of her pistols, transitioned back into a sprint, and pulled out the detonator from her pocket for the charges on the second floor. She waited to make sure that Jake and Pam were safe before pressing the button. The sound of Pam's chains rattling, goons getting strangled or sliced open, and her magic humming in the air told her that she was closer to the center of the room. She could faintly hear Jake fighting with a group of thugs off in the distance. She hoped he was far enough away, but before she could press the button it was knocked from her hand.

A woman had delivered a spinning roundhouse kick to her hand that sent the device flying. She made the mistake of glancing over at where it had landed, and she took a hard hit to the chest followed by one to her head. She stumbled backward, but took a fighting stance. The woman, a black haired beauty, took a familiar fighting stance and stared her down. Beth brought her one hand up, and angled her gun in front of her chest. The black haired woman moved first, launching into a series of flip kicks that Beth managed to back away from. She dropped into a leg sweep that Beth barely managed to avoid, and she followed with a back handspring to avoid Beth's counter stomp. She fired two shots, but the woman dodged both shots and closed the distance. Beth swatted her strikes away, and tried to deliver a couple of her own. The woman fell back into an incredibly fast defensive stance, and looped her arm around Beth's. Before she could snap her arm, however, Beth delivered a side kick to her ribs that knocked her away.

The woman charged her and launched into a series of alternating kicks. High, mid, and low attacks that Beth just barely blocked. She caught her ankle on the last one and tried to throw her into one of the crates, but the woman spun herself in her grip and kicked her in the head. The force of the blow knocked Beth off balance, and the woman landed on her feet. She charged forward and performed a jumping kick to Beth's chest that knocked her through the crates. Luckily, Beth managed to snatch the detonator as she tumbled through the wood and shattered ceramic, rolled across the ground, and came to rest at someone's ankles. She was about to attack when she felt a familiar hand hauling her to her feet.

"Having trouble, Kitten?" Pam asked as she sent four of her chains shooting through different thugs.

Beth glared at her from behind the visor of her hood, "Just focus on dealing these idiots down here," she spat, "Where's your dumbass partner?"

"He's not-" Pam began before sighing, "Nevermind, don't get yourself killed, love."

"Not planning on it," she replied as the martial artist dove down for a kick that she evaded.

She blocked four punches and two kicks, but she wasn't able to counter any of them. This woman was good, remarkably good. She found an opening and went in for a few jabs and a surprise right hook, but the woman dodged or blocked all of her attacks. She hadn't fought someone like this since Alexis long before Goth took over. The woman was about to launch into another assault when she stopped short just in time to avoid a metal rod that would have hit the side of her head. Beth saw the purple tint of the metal, and knew that Jake was already on his way to aid her. Sure enough, she saw a flash of silver and purple as he jumped into a spinning flip kick that the woman managed to dodge.

"You looked like you could use some help," he said over his shoulder as he began circling her.

"Shut up and fight," Beth replied as the two fell into an old synchronicity.

Jake charged forward and started exchanging blows with the woman, and Beth holstered her pistol to capitalize on her distraction. The woman managed to fend off Jake's assault, and spun around in time to counter Beth's surprise attack. Jake moved in a second time with a faint kick before swapping legs and connecting a kick to the woman's midsection. Beth delivered a powerful low kick to her leg that caused it to buckle, and hit her with a strong uppercut. She staggered back, and Jake jumped into a spinning side kick that hit her in the chest. She recovered and tried to resume her counter defense. She blocked a straight punch from Beth, but Jake managed to deliver two punches to her ribs that knocked the wind out of her. Beth leapt into a backflip kick that slammed into her jaw, and knocked her back. She pulled out the Colt 1911, and fired three fast shots into her chest, throat, and head that put her down for good.

The three of them stood back to back as several guns could be heard being cocked from the second floor. "This has gone on long enough!" a woman's voice yelled from up above, "Clearly our Goddess was mistaken about you two. You can die alongside your Feral friend!"

"Shield, now!" Beth ordered and Pam brought her hands up to produce a bubble around the two of them.

Beth pressed the button on her detonator, and a series of fiery explosions went off that wiped out the thugs up top. The second floor came crashing down around them, and the fire began to spread throughout the warehouse. Pam used her empathic senses to verify they were finally alone before extinguishing the fires with a simple spell. She brought down her shield and glanced around at the destruction the three of them had caused. She was about to say something to Beth, but her girlfriend had already stormed off to the ship. She exchanged an exasperated look with Jake before following after her. They walked onto the ship, damaged as it was, and began looking through the containers on the deck. To their surprise, they were empty.

"Son of a bitch!" Beth yelled and stomped her foot, "This was a goddamn decoy!"

"Shit," Jake said, "We've been played."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Beth yelled, reeling on the two of them, "Were you two in on this too?!"

"What? No!" Jake replied, "We came here for the same reason as you! We're here to try to stop whatever Rebecca is planning, and we had to make sure you were okay!"

"I came here to speak with you," Pam amended, "The prospect of spoiling Rebecca's plans was an added bonus, but sadly it seems she was one step ahead of us."

"This was nothing but a damn waste of time!" Beth yelled and began stomping off.

"Kitten, wait!" Pam called out.

She ignored her girlfriend and continued down the walkway back into the warehouse. The two of them chased after her and Jake called out, "Beth, hold on! We need to talk!"

"I've got nothing to say to either of you," Beth spat, "Run back to your Goddess and tell her whatever it is she wants to hear!"

"We are not on her side, damnit!" Jake said, "We made a mistake, I made a mistake. Be mad at me all you want, but Pam didn't do anything to deserve how you're treating her!"

Beth stopped and spun around, "She turned a blind eye to your fucking stupidity!" she yelled as she marched over to them, "She accepted Goth's fucking socks, and then didn't tell me what happened until I found them! She lied to me, and I was stupid enough to trust her! Why should I make that mistake again?!"

Pam looked away, guilt overtaking her at Beth's words. There was truth in them, but the reality was she had been afraid to tell her. She hadn't had this much trouble finding her voice in a long, long time. Jake spoke up while she collected herself, "If you don't trust her, if you don't still care about her, then why do you still wear your collar?"

"I-" Beth began before faltering, "I don't have to explain myself to you! If she's so goddamn upset, then why doesn't she speak for herself?! The woman I fell in love with wouldn't let someone else speak on her behalf!"

That was enough to snap Pam out of her stunned state, "That is enough! I can speak for myself, damnit, and do you want to know why I didn't tell you? I was afraid, Beth. I knew how you would react, and all you've done is prove me right! You're right, okay? I should have destroyed that book, I should have hidden it away, and I should have thrown Rebecca out of our home that night, but I spent years serving under her! You have no idea the horrible things that I had to do just to gain the place I had in her court! I had no one, I was alone and starving on the streets, about to lose the shitty apartment I had, and she found me and took me in! She was all I had, and she knew it. She played on my insecurities, my fears, and my desire to become something more again and again. I believed in her cause, not out of some ignorant loyalty, but because I had nothing else to live for!"

"What about me?" Beth asked, her tone losing some of its edge, "You had me, and I thought that was enough…"

Pam walked closer to her, "I did, and it should have been," she admitted, "Rebecca's claws go deeper than any physical scars Jake or I have, though. That night...the night you held me and I cried myself to sleep was the night she came to our home, and I realized what a stupid mistake I'd made. In a moment of piss poor judgement, I nearly cost myself the one person who brings me happiness. All I want is to have you back in my arms, or to be in yours again. You're killing yourself over this vendetta, Kitten, and I don't know what I'll do if I lose you."

Beth pulled away just as Pam tried to put her hands on her shoulders, "Fear or not, you lied to me," Beth said, "You kept me in the dark on purpose. You should have told me what was going on, or at least told me about what she did to you...you know more about me than I do you."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Pam admitted, "Please, don't shut me out, Kitten. I'll tell you anything and everything you want to know, but please don't...I can't be alone anymore, I need you."

It was easily one of the most honest moments she'd had with Pam in a long time, but there was only one thing she wanted to know. She shook her head and said, "If you two really want me to trust you, you'll tell me where she is. I know she's not in the city, believe me I've scoured every inch of it, and she's not at the apartment anymore. Where is she?"

"Citiville, I'd wager," Pam replied.

"Of fucking course," Beth seethed.

"Beth, we need to work together on this," Jake said, "We're stronger as a team, and going it alone is going to get you killed. Let us help you."

"You want to help?" Beth asked, "Tell me where she is. I know that you've got to know, Jake. That amazon bitch is too crazy over you to not stay in contact. Give me something I can fucking use."

There was a loud caw from a raven that flew in and perched on some debris. It tilted its head and stared at Jake. All three of them stared at the bird curiously. "Is that...is that a raven?" Pam asked.

Jake swallowed and sighed, "Yeah, it is."

"Where the hell did that thing come from?" Beth asked.

"Rebecca," Jake replied, "She sends them whenever she's summoning me…"

"So she wants to see you," Beth said as she marched over to him, "Good, you can start making up for your mistakes by taking me with you."

"Beth," Jake began, "I really don't think-"

"That's your problem," Beth cut him off, "You haven't been thinking since all this shit started! I don't give a damn what you think, you're taking me to her. You two want to prove to me that you actually give a shit? You want me to believe that we're stronger together? Then let's go pay that lying bitch a visit!"

"She's right, Jake," Pam agreed, "We made this mess, and it's up to us to help correct it."

"Don't try to suck up to me," Beth said, "I'm still mad at you."

"At least you two are talking, I guess," Jake sighed and shook his head, "She's at the Heartbreak Hotel, where it all began."

"Then let's go," Beth said.

"We should probably go resupply, and maybe get you a shower, Kitten," Pam offered.

"I thought you were into the whole unwashed thing," Beth said bitterly, "Fuck knows Rebecca doesn't exactly shower regularly."

"That's not-" Pam began before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose, "Nevermind, do what you want. I was just offering it since I know you're tired and sore."

"Fine," Beth said, "We restock on ammunition, and maybe I'll take a shower. Don't try anything if I do. I swear to God, Pam, I am not-"

"I won't do anything without your consent, Kitten," Pam interjected, "I'm not going to wreck what little trust you have in me. Do you want to walk or would you rather I teleport us?"

"Teleport," Beth answered, "We're taking this douche canoe with us, though. I'm not letting him slip out and run off to Goth without us."

"I wouldn't do that," Jake defended.

"Yeah, just like you wouldn't help a sociopath get back into power," Beth argued, "Oh wait! That is exactly what you did!"

"Can we just go?" he asked, resigning himself to Beth's judgement.

"Let's go," Pam said, "You two can bicker on the way there, just try not to kill each other before we get there."

"Don't act innocent in this," Beth snapped.

"I'm not," Pam argued, "I know I made a mistake, and I want to make it right."

"I need to stop by the building across the street to get my bag and rifle," Beth said.

Pam smiled and nodded, "Of course, Kitten, I'm glad you're making good use of your toys."

"I'm not going to let good equipment go to waste," Beth said, "Don't get a big head. It's a quality rifle, and it's served me well so far."

"I'm glad it's kept you safe," Pam said, "Ready to go, you two?"

"As ready as I can be," Jake replied.

"Let's get a move on," Beth said.

The three heroes walked together into the shadows. A pool of darkness bubbled around the three of them, and Pam began bringing the shadows up around them. Their bodies sank into the ground, and they left the chaotic night behind them. The three of them were together again, and deep down Beth felt relieved to have Jake and Pam alongside her. She hadn't forgotten what happened the last time she fought Goth alone, and she felt more confident having backup this time. All that was left in the wreckage of the warehouse was the raven, and it gave a parting caw before flying off to its mistress.