A/N: Did this kind of late last night, but I think it turned out great. May turn into a brief series, three or four separate one-shots just to cover everything I want to cover about this concept.

Warning: Spoilers for season finale.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Real

There's a light hiss as the pod opens up and the stasis fluid drains out, spilling onto Cadmus's cold floor.

The limp fifteen-year-old body falls out, right into Kid Flash's arms. "I got him," grunts the speedster to his two comrades, quickly pulling the fellow redhead into his arms and heading back to Robin and Aqualad. "He'll need a lot of time to readjust after three years, but-"

There's a soft whimper from the form in his arms, and the jade eyes fall on the real Roy Harper, taking him in for all he is. Thinner than his elder counterpart, yet his arms (well, arm) is just as defined even after years of doing nothing. His hair is damp, and he looks very vulnerable in his current state, especially with the bandages-

The blue eyes fly open wide, growing wide in panic. "Who are you?" he hisses, gaze narrowing in rage as he then struggles to slip out of Wally's loose grasp; the childish voice (compared to Red Arrow's, at least) is raspy after going unused for so long. He actually does manage to get away, even if it's merely just shoving off the ginger and allowing himself to be dropped on the floor.

Kid Flash has to step back on this one, realizing that he'd never actually met the real Roy Harper. He moves back closer to Kaldur, realizing that only one of them could deal with this properly.

Roy gets to his feet with the one arm he had. Upon trying to reach for his bow with the opposite, he discovers his loss. The weight is all wrong. Azure orbs flitting from his enemies to the lighter extremity, he sees the bandages. He sees the stub. He knows, yet his mind is too foggy to comprehend any of it. He barks out viciously, "Who did this to me?" Desperation and hatred come out of his cry.

Robin steps in. A familiar. "Hey, Speedy, it's me, remember?" he begins slowly, hands out in surrender. He keeps his voice low and gentle; even though Roy's older than him, he knows alarming him further would only create problems.

Just a common presence settles him. "Robin, where's my arm?" he begs, gaze glowing painfully.

"Listen," the Boy Wonder says patiently, "you've been in suspended animation for almost four years. You're body isn't ready for too much movement yet, and KF will carry you to the nearest-"

Tears are actually glistening in his eyes as he growls, "Where's my arm, Robin? Where the heck is my arm?"

Kaldur, noticing the sudden lack of control, steps in subtly; he does not wish to alarm the panicked prisoner. "We do not know, Roy, but please, we request that-"

"I can't use my bow if I don't have my arm!"

"Roy!" Robin knows how to get through to people. He grabs the teen's shoulders and pulls him in close so that they're glaring at each other, blue-to-blue, one pair hidden behind the domino mask. "Focus for me, okay?" A sharp tone has taken over his words. "It's nearly four years in the future, Speedy. You were taken from Green Arrow and cloned. There's a second Roy Harper- Arsenal- walking around. He's been you since you were taken. Arsenal was unaware that he was a clone or that you were still alive." He stares into the older boy's eyes. "Do you understand me?"

A nasty sneer crawls across his grim countenance as a few tears dribble down his cheeks. "I just want my arm back."

He isfocusing. He's focusing on the one thing he wants most, the simplest thing to understand. Roy Harper can't fathom much beyond that, let alone comprehend the full meaning of it all. He's still trying to figure out when Robin had gotten so tall and when he'd started hanging out with-

His gaze caught on Wally. Some of the harder information leaks through his thick skull. "Is he-"

"No, no," laughs Robin, glancing over his shoulder in time to see Wally's horrified face. "That's Kid Flash. Flash's sidekick."

"Not a sidekick," coughs the green-eyed ginger, indignantly folding his arms across his chest.

"Ro- Arsenal is eighteen years of age. He has aged at the normal rate once stripped of his solar suit, and seeing as you have been in there for a very long time, he is much older." Kaldur's quiet explanation is precise and simple, exactly what Roy needs to hear.

"He... stole my life?" The cerulean gaze hardens in rage.

"He didn't know," defends West, quick to step up to the clone's defense. "He was programmed to believe he was the real Roy. He just found out last year and hasn't stopped searching for you since."

Robin, looking at his fatigued friend, shoots a glance back to the speedster. "KF, I want you to run him to the nearest hospital, get his arm looked at. Make sure they don't ask too many questions and try to field off the worst of the identity stuff. There's gonna be a lot of paperwork after all of this."

Once more, the green-eyed speedster steps up beside his friend. "Come on, Roy," he says. "I'll carry you."

His sullen, distraught gaze falls on the Boy Wonder. "Robin-"

"I'll be there as soon as possible," he promises with a grin. The computer on his wrist lights up, beginning to hack into Cadmus's complex systems. "Aqualad and I are going to see if we can't find your arm."

With lingering reluctance, Roy allows himself to be nestled in Wally's cradling arms for the run. Then Kid Flash takes off like a speeding bullet.

They're about halfway there when Roy pipes up, "Is he a good person? Arsenal?"

Behind the red-tinged goggles, the eyes stay focused ahead. He takes a deep breath and gently says, "Yeah." He even smiles for a moment. "I'd trust him with my life. No matter what."

A/N: I'll expand on this with a few more one-shots. I'd really like some feedback.

~Sky