The End of Everything
Summary: This wasn't supposed to happen.
Pairings: slight Kaldur/Tula and Kaldur/Artemis
notes: just some quickly written speculation for 2x10. possible spoilers, though highly unlikely. um, serious Kaldur whump. I don't understand why I can't write anything happy for him anymore; dammit, I blame season 2. Not canon, as of 2x07
And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
.
.
.
Today is the day.
Black Manta has been planning for this day for two weeks—two long, irritable weeks. But they will be worth it, after all. Kaldur has been by his father's side through the whole thing. The yelling, the demanding, the punching—he's been there, he's handled it, and now he will watch it unfold.
"Is everything in order?" Kaldur asks, feeling a bit apprehensive. He can't hold the same position for more than five seconds. Nervous energy keeps his eyes flickering about the room.
Black Manta places a hand on his shoulder and offers him a tall glass of something, insisting that Kaldur relaxes and takes a drink. Kaldur accepts the glass, but does nothing with it. He hasn't taken alcohol in years, swearing it off after seeing what it did to Roy – …
"Kaldur," Manta says jovially, "everything will go according to plan."
By "according to plan" Kaldur seriously hopes his father means that the League took the bait. Manta had staged a rather obvious operation by the ocean. The League have probably decided this was a careless mistake and are going to come 'apprehend' them; but what they don't know is that Manta and Kaldur are on the other side of the city, watching from a camera's eye. The station the League know about is set to explode five minutes after its discovery.
It's brilliant.
But not foolproof.
Kaldur sets the glass down while his father isn't looking. He can drink when everything is said and done.
.
.
.
Things do not go according to plan.
Kaldur is watching the monitors intently—he sees Nightwing, Superboy, and Lagoon Boy surveying the area and cringes. He had been expecting them…but it was still a bit rough knowing they would explode soon. (There's something like smug satisfaction that arises when he sees La'gaan—this will be his consequence for disrespecting Kaldur the last time they'd met.)
Out of the speakers, Kaldur can hear Nightwing clearly.
"What is going on here? La'gaan, check the south wing; Superboy the north; I'll get the east and you—"
Kaldur's breath hitches. Another one? This is supposed to be a three man operation. He sneaks a glance at his father, who remains ever indifferent.
"—and you, Artemis, you're going with me."
Kaldur stops breathing.
An indignant woman's voice crackles over the speaker. "Whtat? Nightwing, I can handle myself."
"You've been out of the business too long. No arguments. Let's go."
Their figures run off on the screen. The countdown reads 2:10.
"Father," Kaldur speaks before he can stop himself. "Father we have to call off the explosives."
"Why would we do that?"
Kaldur is speechless. He can't exactly say that he doesn't want her dead, for reasons not even he understands. But she—Artemis—is innocent. She wasn't there when Nightwing let Tula die and Superboy held him down. She was gone already, she is innocent.
"There is an innocent life at stake. We must shut them down."
Manta levels him with a look. "Son, there are no innocent lives. You are either with us, or not."
And then the clock reads 1:00 and shit really hits the fan.
.
.
.
At 10 seconds, Kaldur curses loudly in Atlantean and desperately prays that her death will be swift and painless.
.
.
.
Kaldur can't stop the bomb.
Manta has programmed it to be irreversible.
There are tears in his eyes as he watches the station burst into flames. The screams on the speaker give way to static, and Manta laughs, and claps him on the back and suddenly everything is too much. Kaldur has never considered turning on his father before, but now it seems to be the only logical option.
"Care for that drink now?" Manta chuckles.
Kaldur hasn't felt anger this intense since Tula's death. "Father, you killed her. She was innocent, and you have killed her."
"I told you, Kaldur—"
"No."
Kaldur twists and his vision is a blur; soon Manta's throat is beneath his elbow and Kaldur has to will himself not to push down. "No, nothing you say will make this right. You have become no better than them. She is—was innocent. Just as Tula was. And you. Killed. Her."
Manta meets his eye with that cool indifference. "And what are you going to do about it?"
Kaldur takes a deep breath.
"I believe it is time that our partnership is severed."
Electricity runs to his fingertips and he presses them against Manta's temples, effectively rendering him unconscious. With little ceremony, Kaldur take one final look at the monitor, one final look at the smoke of the explosion—and wedges his helmet deep in the circuitry.
His fingers twitch as the computers combust in rolls of thick, black smoke. He doesn't have time to think things through, nor does he want to.
Kaldur turns and walks out of the room.
.
.
.
Kaldur isn't sure where he will go or what he will do, but any circumstances are better than the previous ones he had been under.
.
.
.
Her graves reads: Hear lies Artemis Crock, Who once swore to make evil her personal shooting target. May She Rest In Peace Knowing She Succeeded.
The first time Kaldur visits it is also the last.
Shortly after, Kaldur goes to the nearest bar and gets the tallest, strongest thing they have. Then he tilts his head back and dedicates the night to Artemis and drinks the whole glass for all he's worth.