"Sorry, no powers for you to turn off." Nightwing sang. Artemis's eyes widened in surprise as Nightwing wrapped her legs around her throat and slammed her against the ground. So they were playing it this way then. Rolling to the side she pulled the trigger from her belt. Mentally she apologized before pressing down, electricity lit around the collar shocking Nightwing. A high pitched scream emitted from the girl as she fell to her knees. Artemis released the trigger, masking her concern she looked over at the hero. She was on her hands and knees and barely holding back a full panic attack. Artemis could just make out her whispering. "He's not here." Like a mantra. Damn, she had hoped that Rachel was better now.
Artemis stood as Aqualad began issuing orders to the rest of the group. "What about these two?" She asked. Looking down at Connor and Rachel. "As hostages here they have value. " Kaldur replied. "But Nightwing is an ordinary human and is under protection by an ally until he decides he wants her back." Artemis didn't look down at her friend but she could tell that Rachel had stopped breathing. "And Superboy is a human-kryptonian hybrid. Neither of which are of interest to our partner. " Aqualad finished. Artemis noticed he was studying Nightwing carefully. Artemis looked down and saw the girl was trembling.
Slowly the hero got to her feet. "Aqualad. She said. Her voice was deadly calm. "You will not be leaving here with any of my team." Tigress reached to her belt to grab her trigger, but stopped as Aqualad put up a hand. The room was silent as Kaldur approached Nightwing. "And how?" He asked as he came to a stop in front of the teen. Are you going to stop me?" Out of nowhere a fist was driven into Nightwing's gut. An airless gasp was heard as Nightwing doubled over, only to recover and swing her foot around into the back of Aqualad's knee.. The fight made two more moves before Nightwing's collar lit up once more. This time Artemis held it down until she had passed out.
Aqualad then turned to the twins. "Nightwing will not stay down long, get them to the ship. The Twins and Icicle Jr left, leaving the only Aqualad and Tigress with the two heroes. Aqualad kneeled down next to Nightwing and took her pulse. "She should be fine." He said quietly to Artemis. The archer let out a breath nodded in relief.
"She's not doing well, though. Her moves were sluggish. I don't think she's sleeping. Call Wally later and let him know." Kaldur continued. Artemis nodded once as an affirmative. Aqualad stood and headed for the hanger. Tigress followed, neither looked back.
Nightwing woke up a moment later. She launched to her feet screaming in frustration. Turning she knelt next to her teammate "Superboy, get up." She said shaking the hero roughly. "We have to get out of here, they're going to blow the place." The clone snapped awake. "Get Wolf." She demanded. The clone nodded and got to his feet. Nightwing ran to the computer and checked for life signs. They were none other than her, Superboy, and Wolf. She ran for the hanger.
She saw a glow start to come from the device. "Superboy!" She screamed. She flipped up onto the Superbike and looked over her shoulder, thankfully she saw Connor and Wolf running toward her. "Hurry." She yelled. The two clambered aboard and Nightwing took off. They were around five hundred yards away when it blew. The shock sent Nightwing's head smashing into the bike and knocked her out cold.
As soon as she woke up Rachel regretted it, she was dizzy and her chest hurt like nothing else. But those were only the minor things. She hoped the plan had worked and everyone had gotten out safely.
Wally was going to be pissed. She had blown up the cave, sacrificed the only home of many teammates for a mission. Just like Batman would have. Without her permission a choked sob filled her throat.
A moment later there was a hand placed gently on her shoulder. "Rachel," A voice asked. "Can you open your eyes?" Rachel obliged, only to squeeze them back shut to block out the bright glare from the fluorescent lights. Slowly she opened her eyes again. Above her stood Black Canary.
"Hi." She mumbled to the other hero. Rachel knew she didn't have time for Dinah to start giving her a psyche evaluation so she stood up and began walking toward the door. "Where do you think you're going?" Dinah demanded in her caring mama bird way.
"Wally." Rachel responded. "He's going to want to know what happened, he's been bent on making sure no one else…" She trailed off, looking helplessly at the woman who had become like a mother to her.
Rachel and Kaldur knew when they had started this plan that there were going to be sacrifices, the first was to distance themselves from the people who would be able to figure out something was going on. This led Rachel to slyly push Bruce over the edge to a full blown fight that ended with her leaving Wayne Manor. The sixteen year old settled in Blüdhaven, a place not many heroes would wander.
But that decision paved the way for Jason's death, and Bruce making Tim the next Robin, something that Rachel felt true resentment for.
The next step was for Rachel to remove herself from being in close contact with other heroes. She took on some of Bruce's old habits, brooding and anger. She spent much more time convincing herself that her parents death was her fault, using it to fuel her need to stay away from people, they always ended up dead.
Rachel had been telling herself this for so long she started to actually believe it. That was when Kaldur told Wally and Red Arrow about the plan.
Kaldur had began to worry that in preparing to destroy the Light as they were, Rachel, who was now Nightwing, was becoming self destructive in order to keep herself from being in contact with other people. Red Arrow was worried, but he was already on a bad path addicted to drugs and spending his time around Cheshire, this worried Kaldur but the Atlantean hoped this news about the girl who Roy considered his little sister would shake him out of his funk. Sadly he was mistaken, Roy remained as terrible as ever. Kaldur doubted he even remembered the conversation.
Wally though, he came immediately. At the sight of his best friend, Wally realized just how bad things were, Rachel wasn't caring for herself past the point to be efficient for her mission. All the mischievous joy that she had had only a year ago was completely gone, she had become Blüdhaven's Batman. It wasn't long until Wally agreed to his own mission with Kaldur, making sure Nightwing didn't do something reckless and get herself killed. A month later Kaldur defected and joined Black Manta, all part of the plan.
Wally had left the hero business after that going to college with Artemis, he provided a place for Rachel to escape the stress of being a hero and her dark lonely place in Blüdhaven. It worked for around two years, then Rachel needed help. She needed Artemis to fake her death and go undercover with Kaldur.
Wally was needless to say, furious about this. It seemed everyone he knew were falling apart. Roy, Kaldur, even Barry was running with Bart now. But Rachel insisted. She said she'd go herself, but someone working closely with Manta would recognize her in a heartbeat. She didn't elaborate but Artemis seemed to know who she was referring to. After that he was angry with her, he knew what his promise to Kaldur was and kept it, but only to a minimal scale. He didn't seem to notice that Rachel was on a downward spiral once more.
Rachel was shaking when she entered the Hall of Justice. She quickly headed for the small break room and made a cup of steaming hot coffee. She returned to the room and sat on one of the chairs, but quickly stood up, jarring her ribs when she realized it was the same one she had sat on the day that they first came into the hall, and Young Justice was born. Instead she sat at the table, the Zeta tube was right near it. Around six minutes later the computer announced, "Recognized, Kid Flash B-03." Wally was here. There was no greeting, Rachel didn't even bother to look up from her cup. Wally was pissed.
"What happened." He growled. Rachel sat down her cup.
Rachel was shaking slightly. "It was necessary." She defended weakly.
"It better have been." Wally said. He had no idea what to think, even after Rachel had begun to pick up some of Batman's habits, he had never thought she would go to such lengths for a mission. "Spill." He said, hoping that there was some reason behind this that would justify her actions. Nightwing was not someone he knew anymore, this person in front of him wasn't the cheerful laughing hacker he had known. This was a dangerous vigilante.
"Aqualad needed to find a way to help us rescue Lagoon-boy. He had already injected a microscopic tag into Lagaan's bloodstream, and he used the raid on the cave to pass essential intel." She paused and placed a device on the table. "A flash drive with, among other things, tracking software that can locate the tag." Rachel explained. Her voice was devoid of emotion. She showed the device to Wally and met his green eyes with her masked ones.
"Like that was all he did." Wally hissed. As he crossed his arms. The picture from that evening's national news showing the burning rubble of what used to be the team's base made a reappearance in his mind.
"Wally, he had to make it look good, he put inhibitor collars on us, but he knew I'd get us out of them." She said. Trying to justify Kaldur's actions. She stood, knowing at this rate she'd eventually have to dodge a punch from Wally.
"He took three more hostages, members of your team!" Wally shouted, he couldn't believe this. Rachel let her people be captured, Kaldur had taken kids to give to the Light. He was worried that Kaldur might have actually switched allegiances. The old Kaldur would have never done that.
"We'll rescue them when we rescue Lagaan." Rachel cried. "Kaldur was going to blow up the cave, he had to get as many people out as possible without it being suspicious. The Light's partner has no interest in a clone, and their own evaluation of me places me as unstable and dangerous. I'm not supposed to be harmed until Deathstroke gives the word." Rachel stopped the whites of her mask widening as she clapped a hand over her mouth, she had said too much. Wally was frozen.
"Deathstroke." He breathed. "What does he have to do with you?" Wally watched as Rachel shook her head and sat back down pulling off her mask to reveal watery blue eyes. She choked on a sob. Wally was scared. What did that mercenary have to do with Rachel. He came and kneeled in front of her. "Tell me Rachel." He whispered.
"Deathstroke, aka Slade Wilson, made his first appearance in 2013, I was fifteen. Kaldur was still in charge of the team and you guys didn't hear from me for around five months." Wally nodded, he remembered that.
"I wasn't undercover overseas." Rachel admitted. "I was blackmailed by Slade, he knew who Bruce and I were, and we had just taken in Jason, who wasn't trained well enough to fend off Slade, if he went after him. The deal was that I become his apprentice, I would call him Master and do whatever he told me to. I was his pet." Rachel spat. Wally had never seen Rachel act like this.
"He took me out of the country, I was with him for three months. He caused enough damage that I was in therapy for the next two years. It was while I was with him that I discovered our need to have an operative inside the Light. Wally." Rachel paused for a moment.
"Deathstroke is the most dangerous man I've ever met. He's not insane, he has no known weakness, and he can manipulate anyone. I was only with him for three months and I had to have therapy for two years, with Martian Manhunter, and Canary. I'm not even over it now. Artemis found out when Batman came to her, he was worried. I was back on the team and no one knew what happened, I was lethal, I knew how to kill a man from Batman, He taught me so I would never go to that length, but now I was employing them.
Rachel stopped, and threw her arms around Wally, sobbing. Wally froze, how had he not noticed just how broken his little sister was.
"Wally, I killed someone!" Rachel screamed, beating her hand on his chest. "You should hate me! Why don't you hate me?" She was having a full on panic attack now, her breaths were quick and short and she was a mess. "Rachel, I would never, ever hate you. We're family, you, me, Kal, and Roy, the first four, I don't hate you, just like I don't hate Kaldur, he's had to kill people to keep his cover, you were mentally distraught." He paused a moment before adding. "Heavy on the dis." A choked laugh was the response.
Wally stood pulling Nightwing up from the place on the floor and took her over to the seating area. Sitting her down on the loveseat he sat facing her. "Finish telling me Rikki, no more secrets." She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself before speaking.
"He was a robber," She whispered. "His voice sounded just Like Slade's. I freaked and killed him. That was how Artemis found out, she was with me and watched me kill him. I terrified her, Batman explained what happened and she was someone my own age who actually understood what I was going through, with her help I was able to hide what happened from the team, it was her idea to use the failsafe as an excuse for therapy."
Wally froze a bit, all those hours of therapy that everyone had thought was for the failsafe exercise was for a completely different trauma. He thought back that year, He remembered how quiet she had gotten and her aversion to contact.
That was also the point she got super close to Artemis, they became best friends. Shared looks and arriving at the same time from Gotham. Wally found out later that Artemis went to Gotham Academy, Rachel's school at the time, and had discovered her identity because of Robin's wordplay.
"So Batman made Artemis your caretaker, she had to make sure you didn't do anything drastic." Wally realized. He looked at Rachel for confirmation. She nodded.
"I was the youngest on the team, it made sense that I would be the most upset about the situation we were thrust into." She had calmed down considerably, She knew her face was probably a mess, but she had to pull herself together, she had to be brave. She stood from her place next to Wally. "But that doesn't matter anymore."
She put her mask back on and walked over to a computer. She plugged in the flash drive and watched the lengths of information cover the screen. Her jaw dropped. "Wally," She breathed. "Kaldur did it, he's in."