(Volume 2: Heaven Beckons)

(General P.O.V)

Despite the urgency of the situation, the Justice League failed to get to the source of the abnormal weather patterns in time.

They were occupied, assisting in the evacuation efforts.

******

Superman froze the huge tidal wave headed towards the coastal region of Puerto Rico.

The height of the Tsunami had surpassed initial estimates and was a whooping 80 feet.

Black Canary then released her full power, breaking apart the ice with her sonic scream before it could begin melting, which would have resulted in huge chunks of ice falling onto the shore.

Batman,with an environmental shield around him, had the task of rescuing the ships stranded on sea.

Most of these boats had been too far in the ocean to get to the shore before disaster struck.

With the rest of the Leaguers carrying out other rescue missions across Cuba and Nicaragua, the latter having faced a snowstorm despite the tropical climate, it fell upon the sidekicks to investigate the source of the uncommon weather.

Using the Justice League jet, Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis, Red Arrow and Aqualad cut a straight flight towards Infinity Island.

Artemis' hands were long used to the motions of twining her crossbow and maintaining the bolts.

Her fingers were deft and steady. The only sound in the cabin being her grunts as she tightened the string mechanism.

"Could you please not do that now?"

Red Arrow said, fixing her with an annoyed stare.

Artemis' retort was on her lips before she swallowed it.

Being the only girl in the team sucked and made her irritable yes, but snapping at a teammate was bad for first impressions.

Unlike the others she had something to prove.

"Sorry, force of habit."

She apologized.

Aqualad smiled at her, proud she'd backed down from a confrontation with the other archer.

"You're nervous, it's understandable. We all are."

He told her from his position near the window.

"Speak for yourself."

Robin muttered under his breath.

"This is like the first time the League has let us go on an official mission. I'm so pumped!"

Kid Flash slammed his fist into his other hand as he smiled.

"Only because they realized we were useful after Gotham."

Robin spoke to the rest in a subdued tone, eyes narrowed at the oceanic view they were flying past.

"You...you think this has anything to do with him? The Scarlet Devil?"

Artemis enquired.

The mood inside the cabin went sour.

"Quiet a jump there little missy."

Red Arrow made a mocking remark.

This time she couldn't let it go.

"Don't call me that...Speedy."

She emphasized his sidekick nick name.

"Hahaha...new girl is feisty."

Kid Flash observed, blitzing from his seat to sit next to her.

"How about after this, you join me and I can show you the ropes to this heroing gig?"

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He winked, entirely missing the thick tension between Artemis and Red Arrow.

"Not every big bad is the so called 'savior of Gotham.'"

Red Arrow replied curtly.

"Not a savior."

Robin interjected before she could.

Artemis turned her gaze towards Boy Wonder or rather his back.

Her eyes made contact with his own, which were reflected on the Jet's windshield.

"No...not a savior but a hero nonetheless. I saw it, he defeated Trigon..."

She said, thumbing the tip of a cross bow bolt with a far away look on her face.

"I felt myself die...then the kids and I...we were suddenly back and Raven..."

She looked away, the pain of losing her friend despite having betrayed them all too fresh.

No one said anything for a few minutes.

"I see the Island. Get ready for drop point A. Initiating cloaking."

Robin informed them from the pilot's seat.

"Right."

Aqualad stood up, facing them all.

"Remember, this is a simple surveillance. We go in undetected and come out undetected."

******

(A few hours before)

So much had happened over the course of a day.

This was the most fun Shiva had had since facing Kobra, the god the cult by the same name worshipped.

They had gotten stuck in his realm by accident.

Her, Richard, Bruce and Ben up against a force of nature.

They had pulled out all the stops, fighting for 13 straight hours before defeating the 'god'

Despite the fun she had had with Davian, the man who seemed to contain all the qualities she looked for in a partner, she couldn't lie that the League of Shadows had suffered a massive blow.

The Shadows had been reduced to a few confused members.

Sensei was dead, so was Ubu and...the Demon's Head.

Ra's Al Ghul corpse had just recently begun to grow cold.

Atleast he had held on for quite a while. Enough to appoint her the leader.

Something that Shiva would have protested to vehemently if it wasn't for the fact that the man was dying.

Shiva was a fighter first, everything second. A leader grew fat, never having to scrape for anything. They could delegate. Shiva couldn't hide her revulsion over the idea.

Fortunately, the object of her new interest had proven once more just how resourceful he could be.

Shiva and the Shadows had spotted a massive light ascend to the heavens from the relative area the Island had occupied.

Then, Infinity Island had appeared once more, looking whole despite the fact that she and her new underlings had seen it go down, swallowed by the ocean.

The fight between Vandal Savage and Davian had literally reshaped the landscape. The boats had been in danger of collapsing if it weren't for...

"We are going back right?"

The pale blue figure dressed in red asked from her back.

'Speak of the devil.' Shiva mused.

She was cordial with Cheshire and her friend, Deadman. The latter had used his abilities to effectively ensure the boats weren't swallowed into the depths.

Her eyes briefly jumped to Cheshire who was silently also watching her, shoulders in a forced relaxed state but Shiva could tell she was ready for a fight.

How amusing. As if anyone there could stop her from Killing them.

"Yes."

Shiva finally answered.

If the Island was back, that meant the Lazarus Pits would be as well.

She had a chance to get rid of her new position by bringing back Ra's Al Ghul, so why not take it?

*******

Getting back to the Island took an even shorter time than when they had left.

The boats were left on the shore.

The whole place looked untouched. Quiet.

Too quiet.

"Hurry up you lot, get the Demons Head to the Lazarus Pit."

Shiva informed the Shadows who jumped to fulfill her orders.

"I'll check the area. Make sure there are no surprises."

Deadman informed Cheshire before sparing a glance Shiva's way.

The latter raised an eyebrow.

"You need not hide your intentions from me Phantom. Your master, he's... interesting. He shall face no danger from me and mine."

She assured him.

The disembodied soul chose not to reply, merely giving a polite nod before flying off towards the interior.

Cheshire passed by Shiva.

"I cannot hope to defeat you. However, harm my fr- allies and I'll kill you."

She delivered coldly.

Shiva watched her walk away with an amused smile on her face.

*****

Deadman flew around the Island going over Lady Shiva's words.

He didn't know much he could trust her promise to leave them unharmed.

The woman was deserving of her deadly reputation enough that even he, had heard of her.

It didn't matter in the long run. Deadman only had to make sure he found Davian who would handle the rest.

Deadman suddenly stopped in mid air. A gasp escaped his mouth as he struggled to even comprehend what he was feeling.

He'd made it into Davian's Sphere of influence.

Power unlike anything he had ever felt before squeezed him from all sides.

The disembodied soul belatedly realized that he could never truly know the limit to Davian's power.

It felt as if he made the habit of shattering any preconceived notions about the true depths of his power.

Deadman ground his teeth, using his own energy as a shield that allowed him to pass through the passive Spiritual Pressure being released by Davian.

Following the pulse of the monumental aura, Deadman found himself on the other side of the Island.

A large green Crystal structure in the shape of a flower occupied the entire length of the training yard.

In the middle of the flower was a silhouette. Pulling in closer, Deadman realized who it was.

Davian lay within.

His eyes were closed and he was naked.

Deadman immediately dove in to try and get him out.

A large amount of energy gathered around his fist. With a grunt he punched out at the crystal flower.

A pulse of power swept out, throwing Deadman back.

Next he tried to phase through but was once more repelled.

Deadman paused in thought. He couldn't leave without Davian. His goddess had told him that fate itself would bend backwards for this man.

Deadman looked around. If they couldn't leave with him, then they would need to hide him from prying eyes.

(Perhaps I can be of assistance, Champion)

He felt his goddess voice through the link between them. Deadman immediately bowed in reverence.

"My goddess."

(None of that. Time is of the urgency. The authorities have sent in a... specialized group of agents to investigate this island. I will instruct you on how to create a spirit barrier to hide the Incubation crystal.)

Deadman had many questions.

However, he understood time. He understood you couldn't get it back if wasted.

"Ok. Let's do this."

He replied.