SSV: The Raven- Part 2

Chapter 8

Beth sighed as she trudged out of the mystical cave and back into the woods. She was more than a little disappointed that Jake had declined to help her rescue Pam, but she wasn’t surprised by it. On some level she understood the depth that Goth’s hooks had rooted into his brain. The thought caused her anger to spike once again and her fists to clench in an uncomfortable manner.

She felt Salley’s eyes on her and she slowly unclenched her fists. She was glad that at least someone was coming with her willingly. She walked over to the bike and prepared to mount it only to be stopped by the voice of her aunt, “Nuh uh, I get that you’re going through a lot and I know you can ride, but that’s my bike and you’re riding bitch.”

Beth looked over her shoulder and glared at her aunt, “Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?” she demanded.

Salley rolled her eyes as she replied, “No, Beth, your sexual choices got nothing to do with this. ‘Sides, you’re basically a walking fuckin’ armory right now. Better for you to have your hands free because I’m bettin’ we ain’t gonna have a smooth ride back to that fuckin’ castle.”

Beth took a deep breath and heaved a heavy sigh to release her frustration. She really needed her girlfriend back; the blonde was better at keeping her temper in check. Salley had a point and in truth it made sense for her to be able to protect them. She shook her head, “You’re right. Sorry, I’m just-”

Salley held up a hand and cut her off, “You don’t got to explain it to me, kid, believe it or not I’ve been in love before. Now let’s quit yammerin’ and go save your girlfriend!”

Beth smirked at Salley’s enthusiasm. It was nice to have someone on board with her despite the possibility of them not making it back. She would need to ask Salley about her past sometime, assuming they made it back in one piece. She checked her equipment before climbing on behind her aunt. Handguns, a small submachine gun, and a shotgun that was strapped across her back. She wrinkled her nose once the smell of her aunt’s BO hit her and she pulled her hood over her face. The built in respirator helped to ease the stench, if only by a little bit. It was a long ride back, but she was ready to face whatever awaited them.

Goth sat on the bed of what was originally going to be her and Jake’s room after the joining ritual. The feelings of betrayal and hurt had been steadily building within her since he had chosen that nuisance Elizabeth and the traitor that was her former disciple over her. Speaking of her disciple, the rustling of chains and a slight growl drew her attention.

A small smile graced her lips as she looked over to Pamela’s struggling form. She was bound tight and in what she was sure was an uncomfortable fashion. The cuffs she had used had been some of the oldest she had in her possession and were rusted beyond repair. She could have easily removed the rust, but these chains had sentimental value from her own past. They were the very shackles that had bound her centuries ago and it was fitting that they now bound another would-be witch turned wench.

“They won’t come,” Pamela spat venomously.

Goth’s smile grew as she responded, “They might not, but your precious Kitten most certainly will. She is as stupid and naive as she is annoying and pompous.”

Pamela scoffed which caused her to frown, “You of all people have the nerve to call someone pompous?! Have you ever once listened to yourself?!”

“If you are trying to get under my skin, it won’t work,” Goth said as her face took on an impassive appearance, “You are beneath me the same as your little pet. When she comes for you, and she will come for you, I will be ready for her. Don’t worry though, Pamela, I won’t kill her, not yet anyways. She is an integral part of my plan.”

“And what sort of monstrous plan is that?” Pamela asked, “The one where you steal the soul of your so-called beloved? I will say it again, she is not going to come for me.”

The insolence and petulance of her former disciple were beginning to get old. She took a sharp breath before exhaling her growing frustrations out, “Do not speak of my Jake. You lost that right the moment you stole him away from me.”

To her surprise and chagrin, she heard Pamela begin to laugh. The laughter grew into an almost cackle before it slowly died down, “Stole him away?! Haha, you are more delusional than you are arrogant! Neither Beth nor I stole him from you, he chose to come with us!”

Goth growled as she shot to her feet and leered at her prisoner, “Silence! I will not hear anymore of your insidious lies!”

“Lies?!” Pamela asked, “The only lies are the ones that you told him and continue to tell yourself. You are no God, you aren’t even a good mistress! You have warped and damaged his mind instead of trying to perfect and protect him, as you should. No, you are more a devil than anything I have ever had the misfortune of encountering.”

“You want to know the really sad part of it? He did love and he was devoted to you, but that wasn’t enough for you, was it? You drove him away because of your insistent need to control and destroy!”

That was all she could stand to hear. She was across the room before Pamela could blink and her fist crashed into her face, effectively silencing the blonde’s speech. “You insolent,” she threw another hard punch as she roared, “Worthless, pathetic, self-righteous bitch! I may need you alive as bait, but that doesn’t mean I have to sit here and listen to your bullshit!”

Goth continued to pummel Pamela with repeated punches that grew more intense by the second. Her fists rained down left and right and bruised and battered her cheeks and eyes. After a few moments of continued pounding, she wrapped her hands around Pamela’s throat and began to squeeze tightly. It was true that she needed her alive, but her talking needed to stop. She lifted her up and watched as her eyes began to bulge before throwing against the wall of the hotel.

She snarled as she moved to sit back on the heart-shaped bed, “Maybe now you’ll keep that damned mouth of yours shut.”

Pamela blinked in a poor attempt to block out the pain that was flooding her system. One of her eyes was swelling with a quickness and she could do little more than sit back with her hands still bound above her. She managed to wheeze out, “You...you said you loved him...how...how can you even consider what you’re planning?”

It was a reasonable enough question, she supposed, and certainly much better than her prattling insults from earlier. She took a moment to regain her composure before responding, “Yeah, well...I thought he loved me too. I will not be denied what is mine...not again.”

The silence that settled over the room wasn’t a comfortable one, but it was better than nothing. She was to have finally put a stop to Pamela’s struggles and blasphemy. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on her plan. It wouldn’t be long now.

The wind whipped at her face as rode behind her aunt. They were nearing the outskirts of the city now and Beth was ready to get to work. She prayed that Pam was alright and that she wasn’t too late. She had meant what she said, she would burn this city down if it meant finding the girl she loved. If anything had happened to her...well, she didn’t want to think about that possibility.

She looked over Salley’s shoulder and could faintly makeout figures in the distance. She frowned behind her hood as she prepared for whatever resistance was waiting for them. Her frown turned to a scowl as the roar of several motorcycles hit her ears. The Fifth Street Filth Gang, of course Goth would use them. It didn’t matter to her, not this time. She wasn’t running from them and fully intended to meet them head on and make them hurt as much as she did.

“Hang on, Beth, this is gonna get bumpy!” Salley called over her shoulder as she prepared to take evasive maneuvers.

Beth drew one of her pistols and called back, “This is gonna get loud! Stay focused!”

A couple of the bikers approached them and looked like they were preparing to try to knock them off the bike. Beth aimed her pistol at one of them and led her shots. Two subsequent rounds rang out and found their way into the heads of the two women. Their bodies went limp and their bikes fell to the side before skidding across the road in a sea of sparks. That was two down, but she knew that there were still plenty more to go.

Salley began weaving her way through the roads and the growing numbers that were pouring out of alleyways and sidestreets. Beth couldn’t help but notice that the roads were sparse say for the gang. It was probably done to ensure that the gang would have room to ride so that they would have a higher chance at capturing her. Too bad for them, this meant that Beth could cut loose without worrying about civilian casualties.

After Salley’s third wild turn, Beth noticed they were being forced away from the castle. She wasn’t about to be delayed any longer and she got an idea. She would either get to Pam or die trying. “Get me close to them!” she called out.

Salley glanced over her shoulder in confusion and asked, “What the hell are you planning?”

“Just fucking do it!” Beth roared.

She holstered her pistol and grabbed the knife that was inside of her coat. Salley swerved to get closer to one of the women and Beth slowly stood up on the back seat of the bike. The woman had a chain she was swinging in preparation for an attack. That was fine with Beth. Once they were little more than a few feet apart she leapt from the back of Salley’s bike. Her hand was outstretched and clamped around the whirling steel as she landed deftly onto the bike, much to the shock of both Salley and the occupant. She didn’t waste any time and began wrapping the chain around the neck of the rider. They struggled for a moment before they began to lose control of the bike.

Beth didn’t have long before this hunk of metal was going to go down, but she already spotted her next target. Another biker was close enough that she could get to them before her current ride crashed. She kicked off as it began to turn on its side and was soaring through the air with her knife raised to end the rider’s life. The woman tried to swerve to dodge, but it was too late for her. Beth landed on the back of the bike and sank her blade into the soft flesh of her neck without mercy. She twisted it before yanking it out and receiving a mild shower of blood.

She pulled out her grappling gun and fired it at a nearby street light to avoid the asphalt that was quickly approaching. She was flying through the air just as the bike crashed to the ground and collided with another gang member’s bike. The rider went flying through the air and landed face first on the pavement. She perched on the pole for only a second before dropping down on the back of another of the bikers. She sank her knife into their throat and immediately grabbed the handlebars to keep it steady. She shoved the biker off and didn’t look back as her lifeless body rolled along the road.

She flipped a u-turn to head back towards the castle. There was a group of five that were giving chase to Salley and herself. She was flying towards them and grabbed the SMG from her coat. Without warning or mercy she opened fire and mowed down the group. Some of them tried to avoid the spray of bullets, but there was little they could do to dodge the automatic onslaught. They were full of holes before they hit the ground and Beth zoomed past them.

She was on her way back to the castle with half a clip left in her SMG. It seemed that some of the gang were wising up to the death dealer that Beth had become. Several of them were openly avoiding her while others tried to catch her off guard. She let the SMG fall back over her shoulder as she grabbed a couple of grenades and dropped them behind her. The sudden boom followed by the heat of the explosion cast a terrifying glow on her features as she plowed through the final resistance.

She could see the outline of the monstrosity that was the castle she had called home in the distance. She could faintly make out a couple of figures standing at the doors beside a set of parked bikes. She pulled to the side as she approached and recognized the two women. Amber and Alyssa, the two heads of the gang were waiting for her. It was fine by her, it was their funeral.

Jake sighed for the third time as he sat with his back against the cave wall. Sam sat beside him in a comfortable silence. She had been rubbing his back off and on in an attempt to soothe the worry that had been evident in his features. His mind was torn between thoughts of worry and the near crippling fear that were waging a war within himself. He let his head fall back against the stone with a dull thud as his frustration began to come to a head.

Sam looked at her brother with concern and tried her best to get through to him, “Cheer up, Jake, Sal isn’t gonna let anything happen to Beth. She’ll make sure that she gets back to Pam in one piece.”

Jake appreciated what she was trying to do, but he knew better than to think that getting there was going to be the problem. “It’s not them getting to Pam that worries me,” he said, “You don’t know Goth like I do...I’m sure that Pam is alive, maybe not well, but alive all the same. She hates Beth with a passion and will want to make her suffer. No, what I’m afraid of is what will happen once she does get to Pam.”

Sam wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. It was true that all of her knowledge of the Goth Goddess had been from the rumors, collars, and what little she had heard from her recent company, but was she really that twisted? She was almost afraid of the answer to her next question, “You really think that she’ll let Beth get that close only to pull the rug out from under her?”

Jake shook his head and shot her a cold look that was a far cry from the hero that she knew, “No, I know that’s what she’ll do,” he said and closed his eyes, “The worst part, Goth will probably make Beth kill Pam just to spite her and me.”

His words caused Sam to visibly shudder. She was no stranger to sadism, but this was cruelty on a level that she couldn’t even fathom. The calm and almost spooky voice of their host cut into their conversation, “That is a distinct possibility and one that, should she be allowed to succeed, Goth will indeed bring to fruition. It hinges on whether or not the hero shall choose to return or continue to cower in the depths of my home.”

Sam glared up at Dilatrix who had somehow managed to sneak up on the two of them, “You expect him to run into the fire?” she asked.

“And why not?” Dilatrix countered, “Isn’t that what heroes do or has Goth truly banished the hero in the shadow of her Raven?”

It was Jake’s turn to glare now. He spoke with a hint of outrage, “What am I supposed to do?! You said it yourself, every time my past self has gone against her she has killed me! It’s not that the hero is gone, this is about survival at this point.”

“When has that stopped you before?” she asked, “I have looked across countless timelines and found this one to be most intriguing, but do you know what they all had in common? No matter the danger, no matter the stakes you have always faced these challenges head on.”

Jake’s hardened expression fell at her words. How far had he fallen? The question gave him pause and made him feel more like a failure than ever. He shook his head as he asked, “This is Goth we are talking about, how can I alone beat her?”

A smile that unnerved the two of them crept across her face as she spoke her next words, “Therein lies the key, you are not alone this time. The boy has the chance to best the Goddess with the aid of his friends and family. Tell me, Samantha, should Jake choose to fight, would you follow him?”

Sam blinked and looked between the two before replying, “Yeah, I’m not about to let him go into this bullshit alone. Same as Sal went with Beth, I’ll go where he goes.”

“What say you now, Jake?” Dilatrix asked.

Jake’s face held a look of surprise at his sister’s words before it shifted into a determined expression that neither girl had seen in some time. He pushed himself to his feet as he replied, “I need time to get there and I need to know that this will work.”

“I cannot answer the latter, but time is something that I have in abundance,” Dilatrix replied with a smile, “If this is to succeed then you will need to save your friends and fight until you can fight no more. Then and only then will the true nature of this timeline be revealed to me.”


It wasn’t a guarantee, but he had done more with less. He extended a hand to Sam and helped her to her feet. It would have to be enough, he wasn’t going to abandon his friends, not again. “Come on, we have to get back to the castle,” he said, “Grab a few weapons from that little armory and when you drop me off cause as much trouble as you can. The more attention you can draw away from me and Beth the better our chances will be.”

“So you want me to fuck shit up?” she asked and smirked when Jake nodded, “Done and done, bro! You just save Beth and Pam and for fuck’s sake don’t forget about me and Sal.”

He removed his cowl and stared into the blood red lenses that had become his visage for so long now. He growled as he drove his fist into the face of his mask and shattered the lenses. He was done seeing things through stained eyes. For the first time since the night of Beth’s defeat he felt like himself. He grinned at Sam as he replied, “I just got my family back, we won’t forget about you.”

Beth hurled the body of Alyssa into the large double doors of the castle. Her and Amber had put up as good a fight as they could, but they had been no match for her. Amber’s fat frame was on the ground outside of the castle. Salley had managed to catch up with her shortly after the fight started, and she had caught a surprise attack from Amber before it could hit her. She’d given Salley the SMG and asked if she could draw attention away from the castle. Her aunt had been happy to oblige which left her with Alyssa.

The doors to the castle swung open and Alyssa’s body tumbled across the ground. The doors led into a familiar room, the throne room. Beth slowly walked into the place and was hit with a sense of familiar dread as she approached her current adversary. The last time she had been here she had been humiliated and nearly broken. Now, she was back and ready to do some breaking of her own. She had a single pistol drawn and Alyssa was fighting to get back to her feet.

She was on all fours when Beth finally closed the gap and she received a painful kick to her ribs that knocked her back another couple of feet. She rolled onto her back and groaned, “Stupid fucking bitch, you have any idea what kind of shit you’re getting into?!”

The sound of Beth’s boots echoing throughout the halls gave a slightly ominous feeling that dampened the room. Each footfall was heavy and deliberate much like the anger and hate that consumed her mind. She placed her boot on the throat of Alyssa and aimed her pistol down at her head, “I know exactly what I’m getting into,” Beth said as she cocked the hammer, “I don’t think you fully understood who you were fucking with. You chose the wrong side.”

Alyssa stared up at the barrel with wide and terrified eyes, “No, no wai-”

The gunshot rang out and bounced off of the walls of the castle. Alyssa’s pleas had been cut short in a second and all that remained was her freshly spilled blood. A tense silence fell over the room and Beth could feel that something was off. Before she could contemplate exactly what it was, she heard a slight snickering from above her. She looked up to see the blonde titan Aurora leaning over the railing on the stairs, “You should really be more careful with your toys,” she said, “You made quite a mess on the carpet. Here I thought your mistress had trained you better than that.”

Beth growled at the mention of Pam and removed her boot from the deceased body of Alyssa, “Don’t you say a word about her!” Beth roared, “Where is she?!”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Aurora chided, “She is the least of your worries right now. Maybe if you’re a good girl, I’ll let you see her one last time before we finish her.”

“You ugly, worthless cow!” Beth roared, “Tell me where she is or I swear to God I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” Aurora interrupted, “Cry like you did when I took her from you?”

Beth took a deep breath and growled before replying, “No, I’ll remind you what happens when you fuck with the people I care about. I killed your ass before without any of my equipment, you want to see what I can do with it?”

She could see Aurora flinch a bit and a look of worry flash across her face. It was gone as quick as it came, but Beth had seen it and she savored it. The sound of heels clicking across the floor greeted her ears and Beth tensed in preparation to deal with Goth. She was surprised to see Bitchbreaker’s leather clad form emerge from the darkness, “Last time it was just one on one and Aurora underestimated you,” she said, “This time she has me and knows what to expect from unruly little bitches like yourself.”

So it was to be two on one? That was fine with her. She had her pistols and she still had the shotgun stashed away as well. She would make sure to make them both suffer, “After I beat you until you beg for death, you’re going to tell me where Pam is and then maybe I’ll put you out of your misery.”

The two titans leapt over the railing and landed on the ground before her. Bitchbreaker laughed as she cracked her knuckles, “I will personally ensure that you learn proper respect before this is over.”

“Fuck you,” Beth spat, “You’re nothing compared to your sister and less compared to what my mistress has put me through!”

Aurora’s laughter filled the room and caused both women to look at her, “The last time you fought in this room you were broken. By the time we are done with you, you’ll wish that you had never had those legs of your restored.”

Beth snarled and drew her second pistol and readied herself for the first move. Her eyes darted back and forth between Bitchbreaker and Aurora. Bitchbreaker reached for the whip that rested on her hip and that was all Beth needed to see. She opened fire on the hulking dominatrix and forced her on the defensive Beth took off in a sprint to prevent Aurora from using her powers and catching her off guard.

Beth needed to stay in motion if she was going to stand a chance against the duo. She leapt into the air and landed on the stone banister of the staircase. Her balance had improved since her time with Footgirl and some of the training that Pam had put her through, and it made her current tactic much easier. She ran along the banister and fired from her pistols at the two women. She managed to get them to scatter a bit and that was enough for her.

She holstered one of her pistols and pulled out her grappling gun. She fired it at the opposing banister and kicked off of the banister as she hit the retract button. She was flying through the air and rocketing towards Aurora with her boot extended for a surprise attack. She was about to connect when she heard a loud crack and felt a sharp sting around her ankle. She looked down to see Bitchbreaker’s whip wrapped around her ankle just as she was pulled back and launched to the ground.

She landed on her back with a loud thud and a painful bounce. She pushed herself to her feet and prepared to bring out her heavier firepower. Before she could reach it, however, she found herself wrapped in an unseen force that had her in the air and suspended without warning. She couldn’t move her arms or her feet and she was suddenly flung across the room. She crashed into the stone throne and the impact caused it to shatter. It was incredibly painful and while the hold was broken on her she was struggling to get back up.

The thought of Pam suffering at the hands of Goth or these two fueled her resolve and she pushed through the pain to get back to her feet. She had already failed one friend once, she wasn’t going to fail the woman that she loved. Her bones popped as she got to her feet and took a fighting stance with her pistols drawn. Her back protested along with several of the muscles in her legs. Aurora was walking towards her and her eyes began to glow just as Beth pulled the trigger. Her bullets stopped in the air and were suddenly flung back at her. She dove to the ground to avoid them and grimaced from the roll.

She was on one knee when Aurora was close enough to try to kick her. She barely managed to catch the incoming boot and hold it at bay. “Give it up,” Aurora taunted, “You can’t handle the both of us.”

Beth was about to reply when she felt a sharp sting across her back from Bitchbreaker’s whip. She cried out and lost her grip on Aurora’s boot. Aurora twisted and slammed the side of her other boot into Beth’s head which sent her flying backwards. She fought to get to her feet, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. She was on all fours when she felt a heel dig into her back and force her back onto her stomach. She looked up to see the sadistic face of Bitchbreaker smiling down at her, “That is where you belong, on the ground at the feet of someone superior to you, just like your precious mistress.”

She growled and tried to fight against the weight, but she was trapped and her hope was beginning to fade. Then she heard it. A sound that she hadn’t heard since their journey began; the sound of a birdarang slicing through the air. The weight on her back was gone in an instant and she heard the voice of her friend crying out with determination and resolve that she didn’t think possible, “Get away from her!”

She pushed herself up and moved to sit back for a minute. She looked up and saw him. There, in one of the windows, stood Jake in his Raven suit. She noticed that the cowl had the lenses removed and she could see his eyes. There was a determined fire in those eyes that she had believed to be long extinguished, hell she hadn’t expected to see him at all during this fight.

Jake fired his grappling gun and swung downward in an arc to deliver a swift and surprise kick to Bitchbreaker. His boot slammed into her chest and caused her to stumble back a few steps. He glanced behind him to make sure Beth was alright before turning back to stare at the two women who had made his life hell over the last few weeks. Aurora stepped forward and began barking at him, “Bird-bitch! Goth is not happy with you right now. If you’re smart, you’ll get on your knees and wait for us to finish with your little cunt of a friend.”

“Get on your knees and I’ll overlook your little kick,” Bitchbreaker added.

“Fuck you and fuck Goth,” Jake fired back, “I am done taking orders from all of you and I am not going to let you hurt my friends anymore.”

“I’m warning you, you little shit, I have full authority to do whatever I want with you so long as you're alive when I deliver you to Goth,” Aurora threatened.

Jake ignored her and turned to extend a hand to Beth. She looked up at him for a minute before smirking and asking, “Thought you were too scared to help?”

Jake rolled his eyes, “You want my help or not? I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you and Pam. Besides, you clearly need my help here.”

“Heh, I was just warming up,” Beth said as she clasped her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet, “Sure you’re up for a face to face fight?”

“Hey!” Aurora interrupted, “If you two are finished, I believe we have a couple of spirits to break.”

Jake nodded at Beth and spun around on Aurora. His eyes hardened and he staked his claim, “Yeah, I want Aurora. She’s mine, you keep Bitchbreaker busy and make her suffer. You hear that you sadistic monster?! You and me, just like you always wanted!”

There was something about the tone in his voice that Beth couldn’t quite place. It sounded familiar, but she had never heard it from her friend. There was a determination and layer of hate that underlined his speech. She would respect his wishes and she set her sights on Bitchbreaker. She walked over to stand opposite her and slid her coat off. Bitchbreaker laughed at the simple gesture, “Is this how the Feral Slave gets serious when she fights, by taking her coat off? Haha Pathetic.”

Beth cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders, “Odds are even now, bitch, say what you want, I am going to make sure you suffer.”

Jake stared down Aurora and began circling her. He produced his quarterstaff and flipped the switch to extend it and let it release an intimidating crackle, “You’ve pushed me around for too long,” he said, “I am going to return every ounce of pain and fear that you’ve dished out to everyone.”

“Ooo I am shaking,” Aurora taunted, “Keep talking like that and maybe someone will believe you. You’ve always been a little bitch and that’s all you’ll ever be, don’t kid yourself.”

Jake couldn’t hold back another second and pulled out his grappling gun without warning and fired it at Aurora. The cable shot out and caught Aurora by surprise and wrapped around her. She was strong enough to break the cable, but Jake didn’t intend for it to hold her for long. He flipped the switch to retract the cable and was pulled to her with his boot extended out and it slammed into Aurora. She stumbled back for a second before roaring and ripping the cable to shreds. Jake didn’t waste a second and swung his staff as hard as he could with the electrified end out and slamming into Aurora’s side. She cried out as she was jolted with a series of volts that stunned her.

Bitchbreaker swung her whip out to try and bring Beth back to her knees, but Beth was ready for it. She held up her arm and let the leather coil around her arm. It hurt like a song of a bitch. She had endured worse in her early days of training with Pam, though, and it was a small price to pay for what she had planned. She grabbed the knife that was stashed in her belt, pulled her arm back to make sure the whip was taunt, and sliced the leather strip. The whip fell slack along with Bitchbreaker’s face. Beth launched her knife at the leather clad tormentor and smiled as the blade embedded itself in her shoulder.

Aurora had managed to recover from her shocking encounter with Jake and successfully snapped the cable that had bound her. Angry seemed like an understatement to describe how she felt. She began swinging left and right to try to have a more intimate beatdown on him. She may as well have been telegraphing her moves to him because he dodged each of her swings with ease. He knew that it was bound to spike her anger even further and he was counting on that. It came to a crescendo when she attempted to bring both of her fists down on him. Jake stepped back to dodge it and flipped himself backwards with his staff hanging out. The end of the staff collided with her chin and gave her another shock and knocked her back.

Jake went to charge in and follow-up with another attack with his staff, but to his own shock Aurora managed to take hold of his staff. She grit her teeth as electricity surged through her and managed to yank it from his hands. She threw it across the room and capitalized on his surprise with a powerful right cross. Her massive fist slammed into his face and caused him to stumble. She decided to try to continue her assault, but Jake caught her next attack and bent her fist backwards. She cried out as a sickening crack was heard and was silenced by Jake’s fist hitting her face. The blow staggered her and before she could recover, Jake rushed her and drop kicked her in the chest.

She was knocked onto her back and before she could get up Jake was on top of her. She glared up and spit in his face just as he began raining blows down across her face. His punches were hard and fast and came without mercy or breaks. Aurora’s face was knocked to the left and then the right before repeating again and again. Jake’s eyes took on an almost haze as he beat on the woman who had tortured his friends, sought to make him a mute, and fueled the hateful monster that Goth had become.

“This is for Dart,” Jake roared between punches, “This is for Pam, this one is for Beth, and this one's for me!” he paused to grab her collar and force her to look at him, “This one...this one is because you are nothing but a sick and depraved monster!”

Beth had been holding her own against Bitchbreaker since disarming her. The woman was strong and a skilled fighter, but Beth had something that the larger woman didn’t: motivation and drive. Her guns were also giving her a significant advantage. She countered a left hook from Bitchbreaker and pistol whipped the titan to stun her. She aimed at her kneecaps and fired two shots into each which caused her to scream and fall to the ground. That threat was neutralized, now it was time to see if Jake needed help.

She turned to check on him and was suddenly in her own stupor. Jake was on top of Aurora and pounding her face in a way that was making her unrecognizable. His gloves were coated in blood and she wasn’t even sure if Aurora was still alive at this point. He continued his assault all the same. She decided to let him have this and focus on getting her girlfriend back. Bitchbreaker would have to know something; besides after everything that Jake had been through he needed this. God knows she knew better than anyone how cathartic beating your tormentor could be.

She turned her attention back to Bitchbreaker and stalked over to her. The dominatrix still had that superior and determined look on her face despite the pain she was clearly in. She was crawling away and Beth decided to put a halt to that by stomping on her hand. She ground her boot on her fingers and bent down to talk to her, “Still think you’re better than me? This is where women like you belong, at the feet of women stronger and more superior. Now. Where. Is. My. Girlfriend?!”

Bitchbreaker glared at her and Beth rolled her eyes. She didn’t have time for this. She removed the knife from her shoulder and plunged it into the bullethole in Bitchbreaker’s knee. She screamed in pain and finally broke, “Alright, alright! I’ll tell you, just stop!”

Beth twisted the knife in response, “Tell me what I want to know or this is going to get much worse for you.”

“Agh, you little cunt,” Bitchbreaker said, “You precious Pamela isn’t here! I’m sure that by now she’s begging my sister for mercy. She’s at the Heartbreak Hotel downtown, the very place where she was going to take Jake for their honeymoon. You are doomed and you wasted so mu-agh!”

Beth had heard everything she needed to. She sliced Bitchbreaker’s throat and kicked her one last time. The woman deserved to suffer more, but she didn’t have time. She needed to get Jake and get to that hotel. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He was panting and he looked up at her with almost feral eyes. The irony was not lost on her. “Pam’s at the Heartbreak Hotel, come on we gotta go.”

Jake threw one final punch at Aurora before nodding and rising from her broken body. He went to retrieve his staff and retract it. He put it away and looked at his friend, “We don’t have much time then. My grappling gun is shot, you got a spare?”

Beth shook her head, “No, but Alyssa and Amber’s bikes are outside. We can take those to get there. You take point and get us there, then we go in together.”

Jake nodded and the two left the castle for the final time. The bikes that were out front were stinkcycles and were decked out more than either Salley or Sam’s own. It didn’t matter to either Jake or Beth, these nasty things were simply a means to an end. The bikes roared to life and the stench that rolled off out from the exhaust was enough to turn their stomachs. After everything that they had been through, they had thought they would be used to those noxious smells. It took them next to no time at all for them to adjust and take off.

They rode down the streets and were met with virtually no resistance. The sound of gunfire could be heard in the distance, but it was almost eerie how empty the streets were. It was almost as if Goth had arranged this. Jake rolled his eyes as he realized that was probably exactly what it was. Goth wanted them to make it to her, this was part of another dramatic plan of hers. She was as predictable as she was powerful.

They pulled up to the rundown building that Jake recognized instantly. It had been renamed and was dilapidated with boarded windows and caution tape wrapped around it, but this was the hotel that he used to take Goth to. He swallowed and sighed as he dismounted his bike and fell in step with Beth. He had never expected to be back here.

They ducked under the caution tape and pused through the once pristine glass double doors. The glass cracked and crunched beneath their feet as they walked into the stained and dark carpeted lobby. Jake looked around as memories came back to him of his first night here with Goth. The front desk had a layer of dust on it, but he could still see the clerk that used to stand there along with the books that he always seemed to keep open. There was a single key with a heart-shaped keychain dangling against the wall. He motioned for Beth to wait while he walked around to grab it.

He looked at the number that had been etched into it and rolled his eyes. 666 had been engraved on it adn on the back read: The Honeymoon Suite. Of course this was where Goth had planned to take him. It was fitting, in its own way, this was the place where it had all begun and it would be the place where it came to an end. He clenched the key in his fist and walked around to lead Beth to the stairwell.

They passed by several broken decorations that had either been damaged during one of the city’s fights or suffered the effects of time. Pictures hung on the wall and were either torn or warped, but some of the eyes in the portraits seemed to follow them as they walked. This place certainly had an air about it, albeit a creepy one. They reached the door to the stairs and pushed it open with a loud creak that shattered the silence that seemed to permeate the building. The sound of their footsteps was the only noise that was heard outside of their breathing.

It took almost fifteen minutes for them to reach the top floor. They took more time than they normally would in anticipation for some trap or something to stand in their way, but nothing ever came. They pushed the door to the hallway open and Beth took off before Jake could stop her. He had shown her the key and she knew that was most likely where Pam was being held. He had to run to keep up with her. She arrived at the door and didn’t hesitate to kick it in. So much for using the key…

Beth’s mouth fell open as she looked into the room. There, chained against the window across from the bed was her lover, her mistress, her girlfriend. Her legs were moving on their own before she realized it and she was kneeling in front of Pam. Her vision was blurry from tears that she hadn’t realized were there as she lifted the face of the blonde up. Her cheek was bruised along with one of her eyes that had begun swelling. There were a few cuts on her face and there were handprints on her throat. Goth had beaten her and strangled her! Beth pushed the anger aside and focused on getting her out of the chains.

Pam had been expecting Goth to return, but she was surprised to see Beth and more so to see Jake not far behind her. She had been sure that the two of them would have abandoned her; it was what she would have done and what plenty of people had done to her before. Part of her was happy to see Beth, but another part was worried about what was to come. “Kitten?” she asked with a wheeze, “You shouldn’t be here. This is a trap.”

Jake answered her while Beth worked to get her wrists freed, “We know. General rule of thumb: when the villains tell you where to find the hostage, it’s a trap.”

He sounded more sure of himself than he had in a long time. It almost reminded him of how he was when he had first arrived at the Tower all those months ago. She furrowed her brow and frowned as she asked, “If you knew it was a trap, then why would you come here?”

Jake grinned, “Because that’s what heroes do.”

Pam shook her head, genuinely not understanding, “But why come back for me?”

Beth finally got the chains undone and Pam’s body fell forward into her arms. She wrapped her arms around her and held her tight. She kissed the side of Pam’s head and whispered her answer into her ear, “Because you left before I could say I love you too.”

Those words gave Pam a sudden surge of energy. She pulled back from Beth, as much as the shorter girl would allow, and stared into her eyes, “You...you do?”

Beth nodded as a tear of joy fell from her eye and rolled down her cheek. She was about to reply when Jake interrupted with a joke, “Yeah, Beth was going to, how did you put it? ‘Burn the whole city down?”

Beth was tempted to fire off a snarky reply, but she smiled and nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to let go of Pam for fear that the blonde might disappear again. She leaned forward and did something that was new to her, she initiated a kiss between the two of them. It lasted only a moment before Beth pulled away and rested her forehead against Pam’s, “Yeah, of course I love you. How could I not? Throughout everything, you have been the one person who’s been kind and has made me happy and stronger. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met and yeah, I was fully prepared to destroy this city if anything had happened to you.”

Pam sealed her lips around Beth’s once again. She was at a loss for words and this seemed to be enough to convey what she felt and wanted to say. The passion of the moment was intense enough that nobody noticed the fourth presence enter the room. The air took on a colder feel and a malicious voice cut in and caused the two women to break their embrace, “This is all very touching, but I believe you two are celebrating too soon. I am so glad that you brought my Jake back to me, Elizabeth, you can die knowing that you served your Goddess one final time and I was kind enough to allow you to see your beloved one final time as well.”

Beth rose to her feet to stand between Goth and Pam. There in the doorway stood the crazed and sadistic woman who had made her life a living hell. The amazonian woman looked more disheveled and insane than either Jake or Beth had ever seen before, and in her hands was a vial of some strange glowing liquid. She was wearing a violet robe over a long and flowing black dress and a confident smirk on her face. Beth drew her guns and Jake his staff. This was it, for both of them. Win, lose, or draw this was where this saga in their lives came to an end. The two were prepared for whatever the sadist had in store for them this time, they weren’t going down without a fight. If it happened to be the last fight of their lives then so be it; both heroes had made their peace with it this time around.