"Come on, guys, this way," Rickey led his friends. On the way home from school today, he had
briefly checked out a newly emptied warehouse, and was now leading his usual
group of friends to check it out.
Rickey, Kevin, Scotty, and Eric spent most of their time exploring the
old run down buildings of Blüdhaven in the frames of mind of their favorite
heroes.
Rickey was wearing black sweatpants, and a black sweatshirt
that had a blue stripe. He had colored the stripe with a fabric pen which he
had used while visiting the local youth club.
On his back he had glued two fairly straight sticks he had found in
Mealtide Park to mimic Nightwing's escrima sticks. He hadn't figured out yet
how to attach them so that he could get them out, so for now he usually just picked
up two other sticks when he needed to draw the weapons. Rickey considered himself the foremost
authority on Blüdhaven's self-appointed vigilante, and anyone that disagreed
had a problem. And since Rickey spent
most of his life looking after younger siblings, he possessed the leadership
quality needed to be Blüdhaven's protector.
As Nightwing was Rickey's idol, Eric followed Arsenal. He liked the archer's carefree attitude; how
he didn't listen to any authority. Eric
wore an orangey-brown t-shirt with jeans.
Eric didn't have the right pants, and he figured that Arsenal would wear
jeans if he couldn't afford a real costume.
Across his shoulder, he wore a broken fiberglass bow that he had found
in the trash can near the local archery club's range.
Scotty and Kevin both liked the Flash, and had argued over
who got to be Flash on their adventures.
Scotty tended to back down from conflict though, so Kevin got the
role. As Rickey was dressed in a black
sweatsuit, Kevin donned a red sweatsuit with a yellow lightning bolt he had
drawn when Rickey had drawn his wing design.
As the Flash, Kevin ran everywhere their adventures took them.
Disappointed that he couldn't be the Flash, Scotty didn't
know who to be until Rickey pointed out that if he were to be Tempest, they
would have an almost complete team of Titans. Scotty wasn't too open to the idea until Rickey pointed out
that Tempest was from Atlantis, and if Scotty would be him, Scotty would be
able to breath underwater. That made
Scotty think again, and now he actually enjoyed being Tempest. He certainly didn't have anything close to
Tempest's costume, so he wore jeans too with a t-shirt from the Gotham
Aquarium. Scotty's eyes were normally brown, but he knew that when anyone
looked at him when he was with his friends, they looked into purple eyes.
The band followed their leader to the warehouse. They climbed up a drain pipe—first
Nightwing, than Arsenal, Tempest, and Flash.
Of course Kevin complained that the Flash wouldn't be last since he was
the fastest one there, but the rest of the team ignored him. Rickey whispered, "This way," as though they
knew there were bad guys in the warehouse who must not hear them on the roof. He lead the team to a skylight, and looked
into it.
The rest of the team rushed to see after seeing Rickey's
frozen expression complete with dropped jaw.
They saw a man dressed as Nightwing—he looked like the real thing to the
boys' trained eyes—hanging suspended by his wrists. Even through Nightwing's mask, the boys could tell that he was
badly bruised around both eyes, and that his right eye was swollen shut. His
lower lip was bloody and swollen, and his hair was matted with what the boys
hoped wasn't—but thought was—blood. His
costume was rent in numerous places, and he looked to be barely conscious as
his head hung weakly. The team watched
in silent horror as they watched two big, muscular men take turns hitting
him. Rickey subconsciously moved his
hands to his abdomen as they watched the bigger man take a full-forced punch
into Nightwing's gut. Nightwing tried
to react by contracting his midsection, but his hanging position hindered his
instinctive motion. "It's him," Rickey whispered in quiet horror.
Rickey shook himself from his frozen terror and he looked to
his friends. "We've got to help him,
guys," he said.
"How?" Scotty, aka Tempest, questioned incredulously. "We can't take on those guys."
"We gotta think," Rickey answered, "How would Batman rescue
him?"
"Easy," Eric stated.
"He'd swing down through the skylight and take out those guys with two
kicks. We can't do that," he stated
matter-of-factly.
"We gotta think of something else," Kevin said.
"What about a distraction?" Scotty wondered out loud.
Scotty's comment piqued Rickey's interest, and he asked,
"Like what?"
"I dunno," Scotty answered, "What if one of us let them see
us and we ran away leading them away from him?"
"Ok," Rickey nodded, "Who's the fastest of us?" He caught
Kevin's give-me-a-break look, and Rickey clarified, "This is real, Kev. We gotta make sure." Kevin sighed and
nodded.
"I think it's still Kevin," Eric pointed out. "He's good at
getting in small places too. He can get
away from those goons best I think."
Eric's endorsement made Kevin beam, and Kevin nodded enthusiastically
when Rickey looked at him asking if he was willing.
"Ok, then Kev's gonna run distraction. Anyone got a knife? We're gonna need to cut him down." Rickey
said.
"I got one," Eric volunteered, producing a knife from his
back pocket. After all, Arsenal was a
master weapons specialist; of course he'd have a knife.
"Good," Rickey said, taking the knife from Eric, "Let's go."
The team climbed back down the drain pipe and found the
nearest door to the horror scene they had seen. After a nod from Rickey, Kevin ran into the building, and watched
until the goons saw him. He had decided
to take the low-profile approach because it would seem like he had accidentally
come upon the scene. He was near the
door when the goons started toward him, and he ran past his friends down the
street. The two men ran after him, not seeing the other three boys hidden
near the entrance.
As soon as they goons were gone, Rickey, Eric, and Scotty
ran into the building. "Oh, God,"
escaped Scotty's lips as Rickey quickly motioned for Eric to let him up onto
his shoulders. Eric complied, and
Rickey started to cut the ropes as Scotty held the badly beaten hero to keep
him from collapsing to the ground. As
soon as Nightwing's wrists were free, Scotty gently lowered the hero to the
ground.
Nightwing was barely conscious, and Rickey said with
urgency, "Those guys are gonna be back.
We gotta hide him." The other
two nodded, and with Scotty and Eric on one arm each and Rickey supporting
Nightwing's head, the three boys tried to drag the hero. The motion though produced an immediate low
groan of protest from Nightwing, and Rickey noticed that his shoulders appeared
to be dislocated. Rickey stopped his
friends, and said "We gotta do this another way." Rickey studied the injured
hero lying before him, and directed his friends, "Guys, get on either side of
him. Lift him up. I'll get his head." Eric and Scotty complied, getting on either
side, and slid their hands under the Nightwing's back. On the count of three, they lifted him,
allowing his legs to drag, and Rickey stayed at his original position,
supporting the hero's head, and guiding the party to safety behind a stack of
boxes.
Once they were sure they were out of sight from their
previous position, they lowered Nightwing to the ground. Rickey noted with alarm that Nightwing was
unconscious and Rickey quickly checked the hero's vitals. He could feel a pulse, and Nightwing was
breathing, but even with his limited first aid skills, Rickey knew the hero was
in bad shape. Nightwing's right leg was
bent at an odd angle, and, remembering the beating they had witnessed, Rickey
knew the hero was internally injured.
"I hope those goons get back and leave soon," Rickey whispered to his
friends, "We gotta get him to a hospital."
They heard a crash as the goons reentered the
warehouse. Frozen, they listened as
they heard the first man curse, "Damn!
No way he could have gotten far."
Rickey breathed a sigh of relief.
Apparently these men were too dimwitted to consider the possibility that
Nightwing was receiving help.
"He's not gonna last long," the second one said, "Let's go
back and say he's dead." Rickey shook
his head; apparently those goons hadn't watched enough movies. Everyone knew the boss was gonna ask for a
body. But now Rickey didn't care; he
was just glad they were leaving. The boys listened carefully as the bullies
left the warehouse, and Rickey cautiously peeked around the stack of boxes. He saw Kevin rush in and look around, and
Rickey made himself visible and waved his friend to the scene.
Kevin rushed behind the boxes and gasped as he took in the
critically injured hero. Rickey looked
at Kevin's reaction, and restated grimly, "We gotta get him to a hospital,"
"Shouldn't we take him to STAR Labs? Don't all heroes go there?" Scotty asked.
"Only those with powers," Rickey answered. "Nightwing doesn't have special powers. Plus STAR Labs is in Gotham. There's no way we can get him there."
"Either way," Eric stated, "We've gonna have a hard time
getting him anywhere. He's too heavy
for any of us to carry, and if we try to carry him together, we could kill
him."
Rickey nodded in agreement, and thoughtfully looked at
Nightwing's battered form. "We need to make a stretcher. Let's look in these boxes. Scotty, watch him. Make sure he stays alive, ok?" Grimly, Scotty nodded, and moved
to sit next to Nightwing's still form.
The other three boys started to tear open boxes, looking for
anything that might help. After a few
minutes, Scotty alerted his friends as they heard a low groan. Nightwing was regaining consciousness. Rickey moved quickly to kneel by the hero
and he gently rested his hand on Nightwing's shoulder, "Nightwing?" he
tested. The hero responded by groaning
again, but didn't open his eyes. Rickey
felt unshed tears surface as he spoke gently to the hero, "Nightwing, try to
stay awake, ok? We're going to help
you." There was no response from the
hero, and after a few moments, Rickey glanced worriedly at Scotty and went back
into motion, standing and quickly returning to the boxes.
He had just gotten back to the boxes when Kevin produced a
blanket, and announced, "What about this? We can put him on it and lift him up
by it."
Rickey came over to his friend and inspected the find,
"Yeah, I think it will work. Good work,
Kev," Kevin beamed again. Rickey took
the blanket and spread it out next to Nightwing. He moved to stand over the hero, and stated, "Ok, on three. One. Two. Three." They carefully lifted Nightwing onto the blanket, although the
movement still produced a weak protest from the hero. Rickey was glad to hear it though, since it meant Nightwing was
doing his part by remaining conscious.
With a boy on each corner, they carefully lifted Nightwing with the
makeshift hammock. "Ok, I think we can
do this." The boys moved slowly, careful not to jar the barely conscious man. "Hospital's two blocks away. We can do this, guys."
The young heroes had gone a block when they were descended
upon by their namesakes. They jumped
as, carrying Arsenal, Troia flew down into the boys' path. "Nightwing!" Troia cried as she came close
to dropping her teammate and rushed to the scene, ignoring the boys, and
inspecting her fallen teammate.
Arsenal acknowledged the boys with a nod, and addressed the
dumbfounded youths, "Hey, guys, what happened?" He noted the boys' dress, and would have broken into a grin if
the situation hadn't been so serious.
Taking rushed turns, the boys relayed the rescue, and Rickey
ended with, "We were taking him to the hospital."
Arsenal nodded approval.
His attention was shifted to Troia as she stated in panic, "He's dying,
Roy!"
Roy suppressed the panic that threatened to rise in him as
he address the boys again, "Good job, guys.
That was some good thinking. We
can take him to the hospital now, ok?"
In awe, the boys nodded.
**
Rickey and his 'teammates' were on the rooftop of another warehouse they had found—they hadn't
returned to the warehouse in which the found Nightwing since they had rescued
him—when they were visited unexpectedly.
This time Arsenal did break into a grin as he confronted the
'Titans.' He inspected Eric, and said
good-naturedly, "Those jeans just don't cut it, kid. Remind me, and I'll help
you find some decent threads." He
watched as Eric broke into a broad grin and then extended his inspection to the
rest of them. His grin got wider as he looked at 'Tempest'. He laughed, "Garth is not gonna like that
one bit. We'll fix you all up,
ok?" The boys nodded enthusiastically.
Roy sat on the roof and gestured for the boys to do the
same. They did so, and Roy informed
them, "I just came by to tell you guys that Nightwing's gonna be ok, thanks to
you. Any longer, and he might not have
made it, so I think you guys saved his life."
Roy smiled as the boys beamed.
"So you guys hang out as the Titans a lot?"
"Yeah!" Kevin spoke up, "You guys are the best!"
Roy laughed at the praise, and noted, "You guys don't have a
Troia though. No girls?" he asked with a mischievous grin.
Roy laughed as the boys made faces, and Kevin said, "Na,
girls can't do this. Besides, they just
get in the way."
Roy chuckled again; it had been a long time since he had
been among boys of this age; and he pointed out, "I don't think Troia would
agree with that. And I think you'll
find a use for girls a little later."
The boys shrugged, and Roy continued, "I was talking to the
rest of the Titans, and we'd like to reward you guys for what you did for
Nightwing. Considering how you guys
like to be us, how about a little later when Nightwing is out of the hospital,
we arrange for you guys to come visit the Tower? I'm sure Nightwing would like to thank you himself, and we can
give you a little tour."
Roy had his answer as the four boys' eyes went wide. Roy turned his thoughts to another point he
came to make, and he started more seriously, "I want to make sure.. You guys know to just do this for pretend
right? I mean, how you guys found
Nightwing shows you how dangerous what we do is." He saw that he was getting through to the boys as they nodded
seriously. "Good. Well, how about you guys come by tomorrow
after school, and we'll help you get some real costumes." He smiled as the boys nodded
enthusiastically.
**
It had been about two weeks since the rescue, and today was
the boys' big day. Nightwing was still
hurting pretty badly, but it was decided among the Titans that the boys should
see him in this condition to discourage any reckless behavior. In fact, it had been only few days since
Nightwing had been released from STAR Labs; where Arsenal and Troia had taken
him after all; on the promise that he would rest at home. Dr. Charles knew all
too well that he wouldn't rest unless forced to do so by his teammates, but his
condition made it so that he couldn't put up much resistance, and Sarah was
certain his teammates would keep him under proverbial lock and key.
Arsenal met the boys on the mainland shore, and watched as
the beaming youths boarded the floating shuttle to Titans Island. Soon after their first visit, Donna had
taken measurements from the boys, and had offered to make matching costumes of
their heroes. Arsenal knew that while
she wouldn't normally offer to sew, Donna was so grateful for what the boys did
for Nightwing, that she wanted—needed—to do something in thanks. So now each boy looked like the spitting
image of his chosen hero, except that the costumes were made from a
cotton/spandex weave instead of a Kevlar weave, and the accessories such as the
boots, gauntlets, and weapons were only costume.
They entered the tower and were greeted by Tempest and
Flash. Both men grinned at the smaller
versions of themselves, and Wally greeted the boys with, "Hey, guys, how's it
going?"
The Titans' grins got wider as they glanced at each other
and the boys' awestruck expressions complete with dropped jaws. It was clear that Wally was not going to get
an answer, so Roy spoke up, asking his teammates, "How's Nightwing doing? Up for visitors?"
Before Garth could answer, a four-year-old's squeal entered
the room with its owner as Lian exclaimed, "Daddy!!" and ran into Roy's
arms. Standing in the doorway Lian had
just passed through was Toni, who had been on babysitting duty for Roy as he
picked up the boys. She leaned in the doorway with crossed arms and a smile as
she watched her charge get swept into her father's arms.
"Angel!" Roy beamed at his daughter as he lifted her into
his arms.
The boys were forgotten until Scotty spoke up incredulously,
"You have a kid?!"
His smile not shrinking an inch, Roy turned his attention to
the miniature Tempest and stated, "Yep!" He smiled at his daughter as he
continued, "This is Lian. Isn't she beautiful?" At the boys uncertain expressions, Roy laughed heartily. He address Lian, "Honey, would you keep Auntie
Toni company for a little longer—that is if Auntie Toni doesn't mind," he
looked at Toni, and she nodded consent, and he turned his attention back to his
daughter.
Lian scrunched her face in protest, and stated in a very
grown-up like manner, "I want to stay with you."
Roy could never say no to his little girl, so he shrugged,
smiled, and said to Toni, "Thanks, Argent."
He looked sideways at the boys to see their eyes get wide again; they
obviously hadn't recognized Toni even with her chalk-white skin. He asked, "Want to go along? We're gonna visit Nightwing and then I'm
gonna give these guys a tour."
"Naa," Toni responded, "Lian and I were just down to visit
him, and I've got some things I need to get done. Thanks though."
Arsenal nodded and turned his attention to the boys. "Well, guys, mind if Lian goes along?" The boys shook their heads no, and they
still seemed unsure about Arsenal, the heroic archer member of the Titans,
having a daughter. Roy smiled at the
boys, readjusted Lian in his arms, and asked again, "So, how is ol' Wingster
today, anyway?"
Garth answered, addressing both Roy and the boys, "He's
doing well today. And he's expecting
you guys. Troia's with him." At Garth's
last statement, the boys looked at each other uneasily, and Roy knew his words
about girls were going through their minds.
Retaining his grin, Roy released his more free hand from
holding Lian and held it palm out to his side as if to usher the boys as he
said, "Come on, guys, not good to keep Nightwing waiting too long."
Roy escorted the boys to the Titans' infirmary. They entered facing Nightwing who was
sitting up in bed with Troia at his side, and Nightwing caused Troia to turn
around as he greeting the boys and his friend with a broad smile. The boys entered the room carefully, for
Nightwing still looked pretty beat up.
Although his right eye was opened, he face was still somewhat bruised,
and he wore a cast on his right leg.
His costume looked fresh though, which to the boys made a big difference
in Nightwing's overall appearance.
"Well! There are my heroes!" Nightwing greeted with a
smile. "You guys look great. You made those costumes?" The last was addressed to Donna.
Donna nodded with a smile, and Nightwing teased, "Wow, I
didn't know you could sew."
In reaction, Donna tsk'd and playfully slapped Nightwing on
the shoulder, causing a quick pained look.
It was clear that under the fresh costume, Nightwing still had broken
ribs and bruised muscles. The boys were
still standing right inside the doorway with Arsenal standing behind them until
Nightwing prodded, "Come on in guys, take a seat." The boys self-consciously did so, pulling up stools with Donna's
help, so that when they sat, they were almost eye-level to Nightwing. Donna had given up her seat to one of the
boys, and was now standing next to Roy and greeting Lian.
When the boys were settled, Nightwing continued, "So you
guys like to follow us, huh?" The boys
nodded self-consciously although Nightwing tried to make them more comfortable
with his smile. "Well it was good news
for me that you happened to explore that warehouse. You guys haven't been back there, have you?" The boys silently shook their heads no in
response. "Good. I don't want you guys
to go back there, ok? It's too dangerous." The boys nodded. Truth was they had no intention of going back there, but it was
nice to hear Nightwing worry about them.
Nightwing looked into each boy's face in turn and asked with an amused
grin, "So you guys talk?"
"Uh, yeah," Rickey spoke up for his 'team.' "We're glad you're ok. Is it ok.. can we ask.." Nightwing's
expression became questioning until Rickey got out his inquiry, "How did they
catch you so that they could hurt you so bad?
We didn't think you guys ever got caught."
"Well, we're not perfect either. What we do is very dangerous, and we try to be very careful, but
sometimes bad things happen to us too.
They set me up; laid a trap. I
didn't see it until it was too late.
That's why I want to make sure you guys just pretend."
"We know. We already
promised Arsenal." Roy grinned at his friend, proud that his responsible
attitude towards the boys came out in front of Nightwing. Knowing what his friend was thinking,
Nightwing gave Arsenal a mock surprised expression, and then winked.
Nightwing turned his attention back to the boys and asked,
"So what do you guys do when you're not being us? School?"
The boys nodded and Kevin spoke up, "Yeah, we all go to PS
84."
Nightwing nodded thoughtfully. He knew PS 84 served Blüdhaven's poorest sections, which
statistically meant that these boys had little if any parental guidance. He stated carefully, "You guys have
families?"
"Yeah, but they're never around," Kevin answered, and by the
fact that all four boys were looking at the ground, Nightwing knew that he had
answered for all four. And by the boys'
expressions, Nightwing knew that their parents had little or no positive
influence on the boys.
Rickey spoke up and lifted his head to address Nightwing,
"I've got a little sister and brother that I take care of. All our parents work all the time, or just
never come home." He finished the last sentence looking back at the floor. "We met in juvie hall when the system took
us away from our families, but even though we're all back with them, we still
hang out together."
Nightwing looked at
his hands in his lap, and then up to Roy who was still standing behind
the boys, and he knew Roy's saddened expression mirrored his own. He knew he was crossing the line between his
identities, but he had to say something about his past, so he started, "You
know, both Arsenal and I are orphans, so we know what it's like to be
alone." The boys looked up, surprised,
and looked back to Roy for confirmation.
He nodded reluctantly, although he didn't know why he was
reluctant. It wasn't like it was a
secret that he was an orphan. He
thought maybe it was that he didn't like Dick mentioning that he's an orphan to
a group of boys who don't know who he was.
"You're an orphan?!" Rickey addressed Nightwing. "I thought Batman was your dad?"
Nightwing gave a small smile to the boy and said, "Batman's
not my dad. He just helped me out when
my parents died." Dick felt a pang of
guilt as he 'disowned' Bruce, but he needed to tell the technical truth to make
his point. "I want you boys to remember
that. Just because your parents aren't
around doesn't mean you can't accomplish great things , ok? Expect the best from yourselves. Do what you dream of. And, Rickey, make sure your brother and
sister get that message from you, ok? It's the most important message a parent
or older brother can give."
The boys nodded solemnly which seemed to satisfy
Nightwing. And Roy's smile told Dick
that he agreed with Dick's advice and was glad Dick gave it. Dick wanted to do more for the boys who had
saved his life though. He remembered
what it was like in juvie hall, and he knew that a home with absent parents was
just as bad and sometimes worse.
He thought for a moment.
The best thing to do would be for him to mentor the kids, but the kids
knew him as Nightwing, so almost daily contact wouldn't do at all. So he had to find another way to make sure
the kids got the adult support they needed.
Just recently he had helped to start a new program for kids just like
the boys in front of him, and monthly visits with the Titans would help Dick to
make sure the boys were happy. He told
them, "There's a new program on the east side of town for kids like you, and
I'm gonna set you up with it, ok?" The boys looked uncertain, so Nightwing
clarified, "It will give you adults who care, and set you on the right track
for good lives. And you'll all still be
together." The boys looked a little
more certain, and nodded silently.
Looking at Rickey, he said, "And I'll do the same for your brother and
sister, ok?" Rickey nodded.
"Good," Dick smiled at the boys,
and then looked to Roy and Donna. Both
of his friends mirrored his expression, telling Dick that they thought what he
was doing was a good idea.
Nightwing continued, "I want to make sure you guys get the
support you need, so what would you say to monthly visits to the tower?" Nightwing laughed as the boys' eyes grew to
ridiculous proportions, and he stated, "I'll take that as a yes."
Dick's laughter caused him to wince in pain, and, concerned,
Donna moved to his side. Although the pain in his eyes hadn't gone away, Dick
nodded to her that he was ok, and with a slightly quavering, yet still kind
voice, Dick addressed Roy, "Why don't you take these guys on a tour."
The boys knew their hero was in pain, and looked uncertainly
at the archer. Roy smiled a comforting
smile, and, as he shifted Lian in his arms, echoed Dick's kind tone of voice as
he asked, "Where do you guys want to go first?"
He was greeted by a cacophony of responses as all boys
answered him at once. All at once he
heard, "The swimming pool," "The computer," "The gym," and "The archery
range."
He laughed, knowing just by hearing which boy had said what,
and suggested, "Well the pool's on this level, so why don't we go there
first." The boys nodded, hopped off
their stools and moved to stand near Arsenal.
Lian struggled to be let down, and Roy did so, taking his daughter's
tiny hand in his own. Roy waved to
Dick, the boys and Lian followed suit, and the small party left the room.
**
Of the tower's two pools, Roy chose to take the boys to the
natural salt water pool at the lowest level of the base, because he guessed
that that was the one Scotty really wanted to see. When the group arrived, they found Garth relaxing
underwater. It was clear that he was
waiting for them, and he rushed to the surface to greet them when they
arrived. "Hey, guys, bring your suits?" Garth asked with a smile as he tread water
in the middle of the pool.
The boys bashfully shook their heads, and a thought occurred
to Roy. He knew the same thought
wouldn't present itself to Garth, so he asked, "You guys know how to
swim?" The boy shook their heads no again,
and by Garth's surprised expression, Roy knew he was right in his assumption.
To his credit, Garth hid his reaction quickly, and he asked,
"How'd you like me to teach you to swim when you come back with your
suits?" The monthly visits Nightwing
had mentioned to the boys had been discussed among the team, and Garth knew
that Dick had already extended the offer to the boys. He didn't have to ask if the boys accepted the offer.
They boys' now-common wide-eyed expressions reappeared as
they let out a collective, "Yeah!" They
could hardly believe it! Not only were
they going to learn to swim, but Tempest himself was going to teach them!
Garth laughed at their reaction as he swam to the edge and
pulled himself out of the water to sit on the naturally rocky bank. He gestured for the boys to sit around him
which they did, and he asked, "You guys ever meet someone from Atlantis?" The boys shook their heads, and Garth
continued, "I guess how we live underwater is kinda strange to you guys,
huh?" The boys nodded, and Garth
laughed to himself at their respectful awe.
"You see over there? Under that
cliff?" He pointed to an underwater
cliff under which a trained eye could barely see hint of habitation. The boys answered with unsure affirmations,
and Garth continued, "That's where I sleep when I don't have time to go
home. Even when you can swim like I
can, Atlantis is pretty far away."
The boys answered with collective "wows"— it was one thing
to know that Tempest sleeps underwater; it was quite another to actually see
his bedroom. As he was talking, Garth
caught Scotty's glance, and he allowed it, knowing that Scotty was studying
Garth's violet eyes. Garth told Scotty
with a grin, "Roy tells me it was a good thing I didn't see what you were
wearing before Troia made you your costumes."
Scotty blushed and was rescued by new good-natured voice
behind them, "Come on, Garth, give the kid a break. It's not like your costume is easy to duplicate." Everyone turned
to see Wally come down the steps from the tower wearing a monstrous grin. At the sight of his chosen hero, Kevin's eyes
lit up, which Wally noticed. He smiled
at the boy as he said, "Just thought I'd come by and see how everyone's doing.
Garth challenge you to a race yet?"
Garth rolled his eyes at his friend as the archer behind them let out a
laugh.
"You're one to talk," Roy spoke up. He was sitting with Lian in his lap on a
carved bench which was right inside the door and made to look like the
surroundings. Because of the bench's
placement, Wally didn't see Roy as he entered the room and turned around in
half-surprise when Roy spoke up. Roy continued with a grin, "And before you
ask, no, I didn't challenge them to target practice." Everyone laughed, although the boys did so a little nervously.
The boys listened in mute surprise as the friends took
playful jabs at each other. Their visit
was turning out to be the most interesting experience of their young
lives. They never imagined that their
heroes teased each other, had normal everyday relationships with one another,
ever shared the boys' grim circumstance, or even had children of their
own! The boys glanced at one another
with twinkling eyes and small smiles, and then back at the three teammates,
anxious to learn more.
