"So, the Justice League finally provided scanners to every government on earth." The British voice filled the sheriff's office "To root out those filthy little aliens posing as real human beings."
Not paying much attention to the small TV on the corner of his office, the sheriff continued writing his report of a break-in downtown. Many of the younger deputies were as fascinated by the alien-news as all the children were, even though it had been years since the first alien had been confirmed on earth. He, however, was too old and busy to care about alien invasions happening somewhere he would never have any connection to.
"But you have to wonder," the man continued rambling "how were they able to whip up this deck so fast, or more accurately, how long have they been keeping it from us?"
There was a knock on his opened door.
Looking up from his report, the sheriff took in his visitor and recognized her within seconds.
With a tight and nigh braid, Tara Graeme leaned on the opened door, embracing a stack of folders, pressing them against her chest.
She glanced at the TV "Strange thing, aren't they, Sheriff?" she asked, "One day everything's normal and the next, we're being invaded by aliens."
The sheriff let his pen fall "As long as they stay out of my county, they can do whatever they want."
"Makes it hard, doesn't it?" Tara glanced carefully at the screen "Knowing there are people capable of doing so much while there's only so much we can do?"
She wasn't talking about the aliens anymore. At least not about all of them. The sheriff had to admit, he had a split opinion about those individuals. Whether he supported their group was hard to tell. It couldn't be denied they had helped many, but having so many powerful individuals without any sort of regulation was something he as a sheriff rejected with every bit of his being.
The sheriff pointed at Tara's folders "What have you got there for me?"
"Oh, right!" Tara shook her head "This month's investigation reports. Most of them solved. Only a few burglaries still in ongoing investigation. Just for you to look over and sign off the closed ones."
She let them on his desk and after saying goodbye, returned to her stand. Turning the TV off to get his work done as fast as possible, the sheriff dived in in the reports.
It wasn't until a two hours later that he leaned back on his chair to relax his muscles. Glancing at his phone, he noticed he'd received a message from his son an hour ago.
Being awesome outside for a couple of hours. Food's in the fridge. Be home around 9.
-Stiles
The sheriff briefly glanced at the clock. It was around 6 pm, he wouldn't get home until at least 9 o'clock. Hoping his son wouldn't be out until very late, the sheriff returned to his piles of paper.
At the same time, kilometres away, two teenagers walked into a empty diner while a third one waited on top of a rooftop, ready to jump into action.
The bell above the blue door rang quietly as Jaime Reyes and Karen Beecher walked into Bibbo's Diner, pulling the hoods down the snow had forced them to wear. Bibbo, the diner's chubby and tall owner, immediately grasped a few menus from below the counter and walked over to the newcomers.
"Sit anywhere, kids." Bibbo offered them the menus with a smile.
Thoughtfully, his eyes landed on Karen's tidy short hair, her dark skin, her brown eyes. On Jaimes black hair, his brown skin and his firm eyes. Eyes widening fiercely, Bibbo gasped for air in utter horror, the menus sliding off his hands.
With a single jump, he propelled himself off the ground, using the counter as support to leap into the kitchen. Metal clattered behind the small opening on the wall, pots and pans hitting against each other before falling to the ground. In less than a second, the door was kicked opened. Frantic steps, getting more silent after each second.
"He's heading north." Mischief's voice spoke into their ears from the coms. "Following the alley towards Daily Planet's building."
Karen and Jaime were already running before they replied.
"Acknowledged." Karen spoke "Follow him from above. We'll catch up."
Mischief's steps echoed from the com. "Roger that."
Crossing the kitchen with rapid beating hearts, Karen rammed her shoulder into the door, forcing it open with a loud clang. Cold air hit them in the face as they raced across streets, following Mischief's directions.
As they entered the dark alley protected by walls from curious glances, Karen pulled her black hood up and jumped into the air. A set of clothes floated hollowly in the air as the suit she'd been wearing beneath shrunk its owner to the size of a pen.
Bumblebee flew out of the mess of clothes, increasing her speed as her tiny wings propelled her forward.
Just like Bumblebee, Jaime's armour spread from the scarab infused in his back, covering his entire body slowly. The black mask reached his eyes. Blue Beetle jumped off the ground, allowing his armour's wings to carry him with accelerating speed.
They spotted the broad man in front of them in a matter of seconds. Neither did they miss the dark silhouette jumping from one rooftop to another as it followed Bibbo from above.
Breathing heavily, the persecuted headed for a two-metre-tall fence of wood. He jumped off the ground with ease, swinging over the construction with a grunt. He landed safely on the other side.
Mischief hesitated over them coms. "Blue, Bumblebee, can you-?"
He didn't get a chance to finish "No problema, ese."
Bumblebee steered towards a tiny hole in the wood, buzzing through in a matter of seconds. Behind her, Blue Beetle didn't bother. At full speed, he crashed against the wooden fence, breaking it to pieces. However, his pace didn't slow down for a second.
Taking off from a rooftop, the cold air hitting against his skin while there was nothing beneath him and rolling down on the next rooftop, Mischief smiled with pride at his friend's actions.
"Alley connects to main street in 20 metres. Bibbo get ready." Mischief's voice announced.
Halting above the block's last rooftop, Mischief fished two ninja-stars out of his utility belt. Not hesitating a second, he threw them down. The small devices landed a few metres in font of Bibbo. They exploded in a flash of red.
Gasping for air in utter surprise, Bibbo stumbled backwards. In panic, he glanced up, looking for the weapon's source. A dark shadow landed right in front of him on his knees, getting up in less than a second.
"Running away from people is not nice." Mischief affirmed, crossing his arms.
Before Bibbo could react, pain exploded on his right cheek. Flying off his feet, Bibbo hit the alley's pavement hard. Snow flying upward as he groaned in pain and surprise.
A man, identical to the fallen one but wearing a red jacket, cracked his knuckles.
"There's only one Bibbo." He announced darkly "And don't you forget it."
Just when Bumblebee and Blue Beetle landed behind the fallen figure, the body's eyes lost their clarity, staring into the void. The man's stomach inflated, tearing the red T-shirt on top of it open.
Metal petals opened from beneath the cloth, revealing a capsule inside. A tiny green creature wriggling and groaning with his hands still holding two green controllers.
Mischief's stomach spun around.
"God, I'm never getting used to that." He muttered with disgust.
Reacting at his words immediately, the Krolotean jumped out of the broken cast, climbing up the alley's wall to escape his persecutors. Crawling along the wall out of the heroes reach, the alien jumped back to the ground.
Having landed in front of a drainage grate, the Krolotean burst it open with all his force.
Grunting with the effort, Bumblebee zoomed closer, extending her palms towards the creature. The round energy-propellers in her gloves fired beams of yellow, aiming for the Krolotean. Screeching in fright, the creature spun around just in time for a beam to hit his shoulder.
The creature whined and stumbled backwards, falling into the drain.
In a matter of seconds, Mischief and Blue Beetle took off running. They arrived close enough to glance into the drain, only to find the alien sitting on a vehicle resembling some sort of motorcycle.
Pushing two levers forward, the vehicle's engines roared. Fire raged form the exhaust pipes, rushing upwards. A wave of smouldering heat overwhelmed the heroes. Mischief pressed his lids against each other, turning away from the deadly heat.
It wasn't until the crackling died out that he and his friends were able to remove their arms from their faces.
"Huh." The real Bibbo looked at the heroes "Boy, that practically singed my eyebrows off."
Half of his face was covered by ashes, just like Bumblebee, Mischief and Blue Beetle's.
After looking at him, Blue Beetle's eyes widened slightly. Trying to hide it, he forced a smile. "Yeah, practically."
Mischief's eyes were on Bumblebee.
"Uh, you've got a little soot—" he muttered, pointing at half her face, her neck and her chest.
Bumblebee's eyes darkened. Without letting him finish, she turned around to look at Blue Beetle.
"Blue, scan for it!" she commanded, her fists clenched.
Blue Beetles eyes widened "Right, right. Scanning"
His armour's eyes glared orange. Blue Beetle stared into the opened drain and at the ground above it, being able to see through it. However, there was nothing to find.
"Sorry. Nothing." His eyes returned to normal "He's gone."
Suddenly, he was looking at something in the corner of the alley. His eyes darkened, and he let his fingers fall on his forehead, waving his hand.
"No, it would not have been preferable-" he crossed his arms in anger "-to vaporize him back at the diner!"
Mischief, Bumblebee and Bibbo stared at him with widened eyes. Concern, fear and confusion marked all over their faces.
"May I ask, dear furry friend, why you haven't said anything today?" Stiles glanced at Scott's eyes focussed on something behind him. "Furry friend? Wolfie?"
None of Scott's muscles even flinched. Standing next to his best friend's opened locker, Scott wasn't listening to anything Stiles had said throughout the entire morning. However, since Stiles had spent a great part of his night researching strange symbols with some sort of relation to stars, Stiles would've loved his best friend to pay him at least some attention.
His mission had been quite short last night, and he had only trained for two to three hours with the team afterwards, allowing him to return home sooner than usual. Nonetheless, Stiles would have felt highly flattered if Scott listened to his findings.
"I kissed Allison last night." Stiles closed his locker.
Scott's eyes were still frozen in place.
Leaning on his locker, Stiles crossed his amrs "Dude, are you even listening?"
"What?" for the first time Scott's eyes quickly brushed Stiles before returning where they'd been at before "Yeah, sure."
Frowning, Stiles turned around to find the source of his friend's distraction. To his surprise, there was no werewolf, no zombie and no fire-breathing creature in sight. Instead, some lockers behind them was a group of girls, talking to each other. They were too far away for Stiles to understand what they were saying.
However, it seemed like Scott was highly interested in them.
Stiles sighed and glanced at Scott "Like I said, I kissed Allison." He continued "We went dancing. She said she hated you. You know, the usual."
"Great." Scott replied absently.
"Dude!" Stiles stepped in front of the group of girls "If you're going to ignore me, don't be that obvious!"
Finally, Scott's eyes returned to Stiles. Really returned. With attention and brain.
"Sorry." he apologized "They were just saying— Did you know we are playing against Alexander High this season?"
Stiles rose his eyebrows "That's why you're ignoring me?"
"Dude, they're like Superman." Scott remarked "I don't know if we'll be able to beat them. If we don't, we might not win the trophy."
Stiles highly doubted they were anything like Superman. In fact, he was sure they couldn't be. He was perfectly aware of Batman keeping tracks on every individual in the country with any sort of ability. If they resembled Batman in any way, Stiles would know.
"It might come off as a surprise," Stiles spoke slowly "but you're a werewolf. With strength. I don't think it'll be a problem. We've got other problems."
It was hard to tell what Scott thought in that moment. The corners of his lips suggested he was amused, his frowning suggested he was confused and his eyebrows suggested he was a bit offended.
"Anyway," Stiles continued talking without really wanting to know his friend's emotional state "I was telling you about the symbols."
Before he could keep explaining, he was interrupted by the bell's shrill clinging.
As they started heading towards biology, Scott spoke up "I'll text the pack to meet at lunch. So you can show us everything you found."
"I sure hope there's an acceptable reason why I have to sit with you two during lunch." Jackson muttered quietly as he and Lydia sat down in front of Scott and Stiles.
The former one having his arm wrapped around Allison while he held a bottle of water with his other hand. Sitting to Allison's right were Erica, Boyd and Isaac, the entire pack surrounding the round table.
The sun gleamed over their heads as each of them ate.
"Please, feel welcomed to leave the table." Stiles commented, taking his sandwich into his hands "You'd do us all a favour."
"Listen, Stillinski –"
Allison cleared her throat "Let's focus on our priorities, okay?"
She glanced at Stiles then at Jackson. Miraculously shutting up (though not for long) Stiles nodded and took a bite off his sandwich. Jackson, on the other hand, shrugged but didn't open his mouth to insult anyone.
Lydia's red nails tapped against the table "What did you find yesterday in the woods?"
"What Derek told us." Erica replied, trying to balance a fork with two fingers "Trees marked with symbols. It seemed to be some sort of language. But no idea which."
"Maybe it's got something to do with the fairies we'd talked about?" Isaac wondered "The little glowing thingies in the woods that everyone keeps seeing."
Stiles quickly pulled out the notes he'd written down last night and placed them on the table.
"How are you even able to read this?" Jackson wondered, taking one sheet and frowning at its content.
Stiles snapped it out od his grip "It's called intelligence. That's how people usually learn to read."
It was a good try, but neither one of the pack could hide very well their amusement. Allison bit her bottom lit, Scott snickered, Jackson didn't like it.
"I've got a couple of theories." Stiles continued spreading his sheets "A star has different meanings. It can mean war, humanity, journey, elements, spirituality, demon, a animal spirit in a human body, heaven and knowledge."
"Taking into account our beautiful Beacon Hill's tendency toward life-threatening, brutally violent things, there are three theories I could come up with."
He pointed at the first stack of papers "The symbols could be an incantation, the form of the star a portal. According to this, the star is part of the fae culture, which would kind of explain where the glowing things are coming from. Like a portal to their realm."
Allison frowned "But the glowing thingies have been there for months now and we would've noticed the portal before if that's what it is."
"That makes at least one thinking person around here." Stiles pointed at her and at the second set of papers "This leads me to the second theory."
"A start is also a symbol of a animal's spirit trapped in a human body." He looked at most of the people around him "Don't know if you'll agree but that sounds awfully familiar to your condition."
"You think it's related to some sort of shape-shifting?" Scott asked.
Stiles nodded "Maybe this one needs a place to… meditate or stuff to shift. In any case, we should stay on the lookout for any weird animals trying to rip our throats out, and Derek doesn't count."
Isaac leaned forward and crossed his arms "What's the third one?"
"Well, the star forms a pentagram. There's always a chance of someone trying to invoke demons and bring on the demonic apocalypse." Stiles shrugged "But the Tinkerbell one is my favourite."
Jackson rose his eyebrows "And why does that help us?" he crossed his arms "Your theories don't tell us what we should do right now, Stillinski."
"You wouldn't know where your fricking nose was if it wasn't for me." Stiles retorted
"Now we know what to look for." Scott jumped into the conversation before Stiles could snap at Jackson any more "Just stay on the lookout. Fairies, shape shifter or... demons."
He spoke the last word slowly, pushing it with difficulty out of his mouth. Stiles tried not to feel offended. Demons taking over Beacon Hills was a bit far-fetched, but his best friend was a werewolf. He was willing to give a demonic apocalypse the benefit of the doubt.
That evening, after an afternoon enjoyed with Scott and video games, Mischief found himself in a haze of yellow, arriving at Mount Justice's main hall. The zeta tube's female voice announcing his arrival bounced off the enormous cave's walls. However, when he stepped out of the metal tube, there was no one there.
Most of the team was still following their normal lives. It wasn't until late at night when all the members met up to have their missions assign. However, there were always some that very rarely left Mount Justice. The ones that lived here.
In a few minutes, Mischief walked into the headquarter's living room.
"Mischief, you came just in time to try my cookies!" Miss Martian smiled at Mischief from behind the counter "They'll be ready in a couple of minutes."
Before Mischief had a chance to reply, Lagoon walked over to the Martian's side and wrapped his arm around her waist "Angelfish, I thought you'd made those cookies for me."
Miss Martian turned to look at him, walking into a full embrace "I always make cookies for you, you can share them sometimes."
Stiles rose his eyebrows. The green-skinned individuals before him reminded him of a certain inseparable couple back in Beacon Hills.
"I can't say no to you, Angelfish." He answered, planting a kiss on her cheek.
Silently, Mischief walked over to the counter and sat down on a chair in front of it, facing the embraced couple.
"Mischief's such a good friend, I'd gladly share with him." Mischief tried to imitate Lagoon's tone. He returned to his normal voice "Oh, thank you Lagoon, you're also a really good friend."
Miss Martian turned to smile at him "He's thinking it." she told him "He's just not brave enough to say it."
"Wow, Angelfish—" Lagoon intervened, pressing his green hand against his chest.
Mischief drifted out of the conversation the Martian and Atlantian were having. Superboy was sitting on the blue couch a few metres to his right, facing a turned off television, his back facing them. His back muscles were tensed, his fist clenched on the arm rest and his spine straight.
However, just when he was about to get up and ask his Kryptonian friend what was wrong, the pounding of an shrill alarm attracted his attention. Immediately opening the oven behind her with her telekinetic powers, Miss Martian removed the backing tray, letting it fall on the counter.
It was only seconds before she had put all the cookies on a plate with her mind and the plate in front of Mischief.
Lagoon immediately fished a cookie from the plate.
"Careful, they're—" Miss Martian tried to warn him.
The cookie fell from the Atlantian's hand. He hissed in pain, covering his mouth. A drawer opened, a glass floated to the counter and a floating pitcher filled it with water.
"—hot." Miss Martian ended her sentence as her boyfriend drank the glass' entire content in one sip.
Mischief smiled and leaned his elbows on the counter. Having watched Lagoon burn his tongue caused him to wait for at least a few seconds before trying his first cookie.
"How did your mission to Rann go?" he asked Miss Martian.
Before the Martian replied, frantic tiny steps echoed from behind Mischief, getting nearer each second. Turning around, Mischief spotted another green-skinned individual running towards him. Dressed in a normal shirt and pants, Beast Boy looked at Mischief with glowing eyes.
"Mischief!" he exclaimed excitedly as he sat down next to him "Check out my super cool alien souvenir!"
He raised a red band, holding it above his head like a trophy. Mischief only needed a second to recognize what it was. He remembered the Krolotean two days ago in the huge base he'd destroyed with Blue Beetle, Lagoon and Robin. It was some sort of identifier they wore across their shoulders to mark higher ranking Kroloteans.
Miss Martian smiled at her younger brother "Gar, let me explain first."
"Noted." Beast Boy let the red band fall on the table.
Mischief offered Beast Boy a broad grin before retuning his attention to Miss Martian. "So, what happened?"
"Our mission to neutralize the Krolotean zeta platforms on the planet Rann was a success." She reported "Adam, the scientist that went with us, brought back specs from Rann to create a zeta shield to prevent anymore aliens from beaming to earth from off world."
Beast Boy tapped his fingers against the counter impatiently.
Mischief frowned "Won't that affect out own zeta beam capabilities?"
"It won't." Miss Martian shook her head, her short hair barely moving "The shield will activate at an altitude above the Watchtower's orbit. League zeta tubes will still function normally."
Finally, Beast Boy's patience came to an end "Tell him about Rimbor! Tell him about the 16 hours."
Surprised there was finally an answer to the question the League had been asking themselves for five years, Mischief leaned forward, wanting to hear everything.
Miss Martian's eyes darkened "It may be easier to show you."
Her hand fell on her temple, her lids closed for a second and when they opened, revealed two brightly shining green eyes. A flash of white appeared before Mischief's mind. The image changed, showing him the thoughts Miss Martian had decided to share.
"I successfully interrogated a Krolotean general on Rann—" Miss Martian spoke in his mind while an image of three Kroloteans appeared before Mischief's mind, one of them wearing a red band.
"—who had paid off a member of the Rannian science command to allow the Kroloteans to land a secret base in the Rannian jungle."
The image changed with another flash. The same Krolotean general was letting coins fall on a elvish-like being. A Rannian, Mischief supposed since Miss Martian and her team had visited said planet.
"Once there, the Kroloteans stole zeta platform technology from Adam Strange's friend Sardath. They landed another ship in New Orleans and used the zeta platforms to beam a few hundred Kroloteans to Earth. "
A spaceship appeared. Mischief recognized this one. It was the one Robin, Blue Beetle, Lagoon and he had paid a visit.
"They built more platforms, brought in more Kroloteans, and began abducting and replacing humans, -"
The last image was the one of the many platforms Mischief had seen himself during one of his lasts missions. The inside of the subterranean base they had destroyed."
The images disappeared from Mischief's mind. Miss Martian was still standing in front of him, her eyes back to their normal hazel colour.
"—perhaps as part of an invasion strategy," she supposed and shrugged "though that's still unclear."
Mischief nodded, takin all the information in. However, there was something missing. The puzzle in his mind was far from completed.
"Why earth?" he asked Miss Martian frowning "And what does that have to do with the missing 16 hours?"
Her eyes flashed green once more and everything disappeared again before Mischief's eyes.
"Well, as you know 5 years ago Vandal Savage placed the entire League under his control."
Vandal Savage's scarred face grinned maliciously at Mischief. He was standing inside one of the Watchtower's zeta tubes, the League's most secure headquarter. Only very few were ever allowed to go in there, Mischief not being one of the lucky ones. Nonetheless, the League's enemy Vandal Savage had managed to stride in utterly calm due to the entire League's minds subdued to his commands.
"6 Leaguers – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Hawk Woman – went missing for a full of 16 hours."
There was Superman and Batman's red and black cape. Martina Manhunter's green skin. Green Lantern's green suit. Wonder Woman's golden bracelets and Hawk Woman's feathered wings.
"It turns out they were teleported to a planet called Rimbor where they spent 16 hours on a rampage, attacking everyone and everything in sight and announcing in several alien languages that they were the Justice League from earth and that the rest of the galaxy should beware."
Superman's heat vison was destroying a house. Wonder Woman's fist crumbling a statue. Hawk Woman's cub about to crash a villager's side. Batman kicking a blue-skinned alien in the face.
"That's why the Kroloteans came." She ended her explaining and broke off the psychic contact "The League itself brought earth to their attention."
Mischief stared at her wide-eyed "My God, that's horrible."
"Which is why the entire League are wanted criminals all around the galaxy." Beast Boy continued "And none of them even remember."
"What will the League be doing about it?" Mischief asked Miss Martian, even though he knew she probably didn't know the answer "We hunted the Kroloteans that had been masquerading as humans, but all have escaped capture."
Miss Martian nodded and smiled "Batman already reported. I also interrogated the Krolotean you, Blue, Robin and Lagoon captured two days ago. The Kroloteans have an emergency rendezvous point and have standing orders in case of discovery to evacuate there. The base inside a volcano on Malina Island."
Meanwhile near Malina Island, a spaceship submerged under water, finding its way to a subterranean harbour. As the ship rose above the water, it entered a tall cave heavily populated by green creatures with sharp bones and black uniformed soldiers carrying weapons.
After the Kroloteans that had managed to escape the League and team's attempt to capture them abandoned the ship, the spaceship's pilot leaned back on his seat, awaiting his father's message through the television.
It was a matter of seconds until the monitor woke into life. Suited in black uniform while his face was covered by a black and grey helmet with only two red slits where his eyes were, the image before him was dressed equally like the pilot.
"We have arrived with the final shipment of Kroloteans." The pilot reported, his voice distorted by his helmet.
With a identical voice, the image replied "Congratulations, my son."
The pilot pulled the helmet out of his head, revealing a young man with dark skin and white hair.
"Thank you, father." Kaldur's eyes were as firm as rock with determination "Initiating phase two."
"Remember, this is primarily a recon mission." Batman told his protégés without turning around.
His eyes were set on the blue waves rushing past them as the bioship headed for Malina island.
"We want to discover all we can about the Kroloteans' invasion strategy before we shut them down and deliver them to the Green Lantern Corps."
On the pilot's seat, Nightwing steered the ship silently. Robin, Batgirl and Mischief remained seated around the ship's cockpit, neither saying a word as the stars brushed past them through the windows.
After some minutes, Nightwing's voice interrupted the silence.
"Approaching drop zone beta."
Standing on the ship's loading bay, Aquaman and Lagoon looked at each other. The Atlantian King's eyes were firm as he nodded at his companion.
The bioship formed a hole in front of them, stretching out to a perfect size due to the living organic material it was made off. The ocean's salty breeze hit the beta squad. However, none of them were bothered. The following second, Aquaman jumped into the hole, disappearing into the darkness of the water. Lagoon followed his example.
Immediately, the hole closed on its own, erasing every bit of evidence of anyone ever jumping out.
The bioship continued its path, leaving the water behind and flying above land. The volcano grew bigger after each second.
Nightwing spoke again.
"Drop zone gamma."
Four guards stood firmly before a bronze gate, resting their enhanced weapons on their hands and chests. Their faces were covered by black helmets with red glass in front of their faces. Their entire body was covered by black leather. They all looked alike. While four of the figures remained on their post, the fifth one stepped towards the pile of rocks to his left, looking for any sort of trouble.
As silent as a bat's wings, four silhouettes landed behind the four guards.
The helmeted soldiers didn't even perceive the movement behind them. In the blink of an eye, fists and elbows rushed up, sending the guards into oblivion. The weapons slid off their numb arms, clattering while the soldiers fell into heaps.
A few metres away, the fifth guard spun around. However, the only thing he saw before darkness took over him, was a caped silhouette, a dark hood, and pointy ears.
Then, there was a black fist. Glass shattered. The soldier groaned and was overcome by darkness.
Inside the volcano, two Kroloteans were watching over the construction, their eyes set on the small robots building a new oval-shaped spaceship. Metallic bridges surrounded the caves' walls, some crossing the area and looming over the ground.
Metal clattered, engines roared, and steps echoed. Kroloteans boarded their eight-legged robots to help, others packed things into boxes, others typed into keyboards and screens.
"Earth could have been so profitable…" one of the supervisors spoke.
To his side, the other Krolotean replied in the same language "If earthlings had not discovered us."
"The earthlings?" the first one asked incredulous "This is the work of the competitor."
His companion screeched in fury "You cannot know the competitor is on this world!"
"Who else hired the main man to expose us?!" the first one screeched in deeper anger "And last night I was attacked by a competitor warrior."
"All sectors report status." Kaldur spoke into the radio before him, sitting inside his spaceship.
Firm voices immediately replied.
"Sector one secured."
"Sector two secure."
There was a pause.
"Sector four secure."
Kaldur's brows furrowed "Sector three, report status."
He leaned backwards.
Silence.
"Sector three, report!" his voice grew louder.
Silence.
Shaking his head, Kaldur grasped his helmet from the co-pilot's seat und turned the radio off. He was met with the whirling of tools when he stepped outside.
Slowly, he walked around the centre platform, eyeing his surroundings through the red glass of his helmet. It took him seconds to find what he was looking for.
"Intruders, upper level." He announced through his com. "And in the water."
In a single swift motion, he spun around towards the water, activating his helmet. Water splashed through the cave as high-energy beams burst out of the helmet's slits, hitting the two shadows hidden beneath the water.
With that, chaos exploded inside the cave. Red laser-beams heated their way across every inch of it, aiming at the heroes whose cover had been blown.
"There!" a soldier shouted, pointing at a dark silhouette hiding behind a bridge's metal railing.
Within the next seconds, Mischief was forced to jump over the bridge's railing, using the cave's rock wall as support to arrive at the bridge below. The metal where he had stood exploded in heat as red laser-beams zoomed failed to hit him.
He landed with a roll, beams of energy zipping over his head. Ducking as much as he could, Mischief reached to fish ninja starts from his utility belt.
It turned out unnecessary. A dark shadow landed behind on one of the soldiers, bringing him down with a grunt. With a circular kick, the second soldier was propelled off the bridge, screaming his way through the fall.
In a swift motion, a batarang flew off the Dark Knight's hand, flashing towards something behind Mischief. Just in time, Mischief rolled away from the explosion. More soldiers screamed when the bridges surface disappeared, heading for the water metres below.
Batman's eyes landed on Mischief for a moment. With a quick nod, he jumped upward, going for his next target.
Steps echoed from Batman's right, soldiers approaching with heavy weapons in their hands. Calculating his situation within seconds, Batman swung his hand back with another batarang. The device hit the first of them right in the chest, sending him to the ground with a groan.
Jumping into action from a door to the second soldier's right, Batgirl hit the guard in the face, catapulting him towards oblivion. Nightwing arrived within the next second over the railing, kicking the gun off the third soldier's hands. Within seconds, all three of them were nothing more than heaps on the ground.
On a bridge further right, Robin spotted two running guards, their weapons hissing as they aimed for Mischief's struggling figure below. Pulling his stick from his back, the Boy Wonder left his cover behind a rock. The first soldier fell with a swift swing. The next second, electricity sprouted from Robin's stick, making the second soldier's eyes roll back in his head.
Heavy sizzles exploded a few metres above water as more soldiers aimed at the water, hitting its surface with red beams loaded with energy.
Water spluttered upwards as Aquaman and Lagoon leapt out of their cover, breaking out of the water's surface. A guard fell to the ground with a punch, the other one with Lagoon's legs landing on his chest.
The Kroloteans around the ship stared in horror at their fallen protectors, stepping backwards. It only took a single command and the eight-legged robots building their spaceship turned into fighting machines, shooting and stepping on the Atlantians.
With glowing tattoos, Lagoon crushed a machine under his fists. Mischief hit a guard in the face before kicking another soldier. Batman threw an explosive batarang at a bridge, destroying the surface five soldiers had been standing on. Nightwing threw Batgirl upwards towards the nearest bridge. Batgirl used the impulse to hit two guards in the face. Robin's stick fizzled as he sent guards flying off the bridges with heavy groans.
A fallen soldier landed with a heavy thud before Kaldur. He didn't move. With his face still covered, Kaldur assessed the situation, taking in his soldiers falling by the hands of the League.
"Manta to partner." He informed through his communication device "The base has been infiltrated. Abort operation."
A deep voice immediately answered. "Partner to Manta. The device is already primed. You have five minutes. Get your men out. The bomb will take care of the rest."
"Perfect"
"Nightwing to delta squad." Nightwing reported through his com. as he observed soldiers board the spaceship floating in the subterranean harbour "Enemy is attempting escape. Request backup."
In a matter of seconds, the cave's wall exploded with a glare of red, sending rocks flying through the air and crushing one of the robotic spiders. Carrying Superboy, Superman entered through the hole he'd made, closely followed by Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl.
Aquaman's eye landed on the robotic spider crushed beneath the rock. "Nice aim."
"X-Ray vision." Superman landed before him "I cheat."
To his right, Superboy pointed at three robotic spiders flying above the ground. "Superman, triple combo over here."
Without a word, Superman swung Superboy in a circle, cutting the air before letting him go. At full speed, Superboy crashed against a spider, making it blast up in seconds. Continuing to fall on the closest spider, Superboy made the other creature live through the same heated future as its companion. With a last grunt, a third spider joined the group.
Superboy rolled to the ground, landing right in front of another robotic spider. With a final punch and scream, the fourth spider flew off its feet into the wall.
"Quadruple. Nice." Superman floated above Superboy.
Standing on a bridge nearby, a guard unconscious at his feet, Mischief rolled his eyes. "Show off."
To the other side of the cave, Wonder Woman swung her lasso over her head. The moment she swung it down, the rope closed around a spider's body. Tearing her muscles with the enormous effort, Wonder Woman lifted the creature off the ground, sending it crashing against a wall in a fiery explosion.
Wonder Girl landed by her side. "That was amazing!"
"You just—You just poosh," she fiddled with the lasso hanging from her belt "And then—and then—and then bang."
Jumping in front of her, Wonder Woman raised her arms. The fizzling beams of energy bounced off her metallic bracelets, saving Wonder Girl from being fried.
"Little less fangirl," Wonder Woman briefly glanced at her protégé "Little more Wonder Girl."
"Right. Sorry." Wonder Girl blushed.
She jumped from the ground, swinging her lasso over her head.
In one swift motion, the rope closed around a spider's head. Pulling with all her strength, Wonder Girl ripped it off the creature's body, redirecting it towards a second spider. Crushed by the head's weight, the second spider died in a heated explosion.
A smile of pride brushed Wonder Woman's lips.
"3 minutes to departure." Kaldur informed his men as he retreated.
Grunts and screams attracted his attention from above. With inflated muscles, Lagoon rushed towards him, clearing everything in his path. Kaldur only had time to widen his eyes before a fist at full speed hit his face.
Falling backwards in pain, Kaldur couldn't help the helmet flying off his head.
Standing on the bridge above Kaldur, a punch of steal hit Mischief's heart when he recognized the face beneath.
Before his mind had time to understand what his muscles were doing, he jumped over the railing. His heart was pounding in his chest when he landed between Aquaman and Kaldur.
He looked at Kaldur with pain in his eyes "Kaldur, how could you?"
The Atlantian in front of him only stared with darkness in his eyes.
Behind Mischief, Aquaman stared at his former protégé wide-eyed "I had not believed Nightwing until this moment."
The darkness in Kaldur's features turned into flat-out fury "You did not want to believe!"
"None of us wanted to believe this!" Superboy arrived at Mischief's side "How could you betray us?"
Kaldur pulled the handles of his swords from his belt, anger hidden in every harsh movement. His magic immediately formed the water around him into the weapon's glowing blades.
"You dare question me?" His angry voice was nothing but a scream "After all of you let Tula die!?"
Mischief's heart couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was Kaldur. Kaldur was drowned in fury before him. Kaldur was digging his eyes into theirs, leaving nothing but hatred in its way.
"Kaldur, that was a mission." Nightwing landed in front of Mischief "Aquagirl knew the risks. No one wanted her to—"
Lagoon scoffed behind Aquaman "Neptune's beard!" he stepped forward "Don't coddle this traitor. He has joined forces with our King's greatest enemy."
"Do you mean the king that hid from me the true identity of my father?" Kaldur spat, loathing dripping from every muscle in his body.
"That was my error in judgment, Kaldur 'Ahm." Aquaman immediately answered "No one else needs suffer for it."
"All will suffer if Black Manta demands it." Kaldur retorted.
Mischief stared at his former friend "Kaldur, please, don't do this."
Kaldur's eyes brushed Mischief's silhouette before returning to Aquaman. Mischief tried to push away the punch in his chest at utterly being ignored.
"Blood is thicker than seawater."
Something moved above Kaldur's shoulder, a small rocket appeared above his uniform. Within the next second, the red explosive headed at the group of heroes. None of them being able to react fast enough.
Before the device could explode, Superman landed right in front of it. Crashing against his chest, the metal exploded, drowning the entire cave with thick smoke.
When the grey smoke cleared, only Superman, Lagoon and Aquaman remained where they'd been standing a second ago.
Kaldur slid down a secret tunnel with his glowing swords in hands, entering a hidden chamber underneath the cave. The rising and falling of water spluttered to his right, showing him his way towards the ocean.
"Kaldur." Mischief's voice echoed from the tunnel. He landed in the secret chamber "Whatever you think—"
His former friend's eyes only stayed on him for a second, before turning around to look at an approaching set of steps.
Nightwing stepped from the dark. Kaldur's eyes darkened.
"You and me again, old friend." He spat raising his blades.
Again, Mischief's heart shrunk in his chest after not being even acknowledged.
"No!" Superboy's voice neared from behind Mischief. He landed to his right "It's a regular reunion special."
Relaxing his fighting stance, Kaldur's blades turned into normal water, splashing on the ground.
"Fine, you can take me down." He said slowly. He turned to look at an oval device with a red light beeping in its middle "Or you can save everyone from this bomb."
Nightwing's eyes widened.
"I am told the yield is quite impressive." Kaldur smiled darkly.
Screaming in frustration Superboy rushed forward, extending his arms to bring Kaldur down. Mischief watched in horror as Kaldur hit him in the neck and the face. Superboy fell to the ground with a grunt. Before he could attempt to move, Kaldur's hand closed around his neck, electricity fizzling from his glove.
Mischief's eyes widened as Superboy screamed "Kaldur! Stop!"
The Atlantian looked up at Nightwing "You've got two minutes."
Losing his grip on Superboy's neck, Kaldur jumped on his feet. Without looking at his former friends, he rushed to shore, jumping into the water and disappearing.
Above them, Wonder Girl and Lagoon spotted Black Manta's spaceship taking off from the harbour.
Wonder Girl's legs were moving before she knew "They're getting away!"
"We'll stop them." Laggon arrived at her side.
"Negative." Nightwing's voice cut through the communicators "We have a bomb down here. Alien tech I cannot disarm it."
Superboy's voice immediately replied "I'll get it out."
"No." Nightwing's voice cut yet again through the communicators "It might have pressure or motion sensors. All squads evacuate the bioship now."
Batman turned to look at his two protégés fighting by his side "You heard Nightwing. Move!"
Following his orders, Batgirl and Robin spun around, heading for the closest entrance they could find. Leaving the shooting spiders behind, Batman closely followed.
The moment they stepped into open air, the bioship landed before them, its camouflage dissolving to reveal the red oval-shaped sentient spaceship.
As the load bay opened, Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl landed in front of it, carrying Lagoon and Aquaman. At the same time Batman, Robin, Batgirl and the four new arrivals boarded the ship.
"Neptune's beard." Lagoon's eyes widened when he spotted who (or much rather what) was sitting on the pilot's seat.
Two Kroloteans stared at the arriving heroes with wide eyes, surprise written all over their face.
"Hello, Megan." One Krolotean facepalmed. Slowly the Krolotean shifted back into Miss Martian "Knew we forgot something."
In front of her, Martian Manhunter did exactly the same, shape-shifting into his real body. The green, blue-caped Martian handed Batman the information-drive they had stolen while the fight had been going on.
"Well done, alpha squad." Batman observed the drive in his hands.
Mischief, Superboy and Nightwing ran into the bioship.
"Find a seat. It's time to go." Miss Martian announced from the pilot's seat.
The bioship raced at full speed away from the island. Behind them, light burst outward, incinerating everything in its path. The heavy blast shook everything in its wake. It was only a matter of seconds, until the immense force hit the bioship.
Superboy and Aquaman tried to hold on to the walls and not loose the ground under their feet. Unsuccessfully. Their heads crashed against the ship's metallic walls. Mischief, Wonder Girl, Nightwing and everyone present were pressed against their seats by an immense force. Grunting filled the air. Miss Martian's eyes became slits with concentration, her hands tightly closed around the controllers.
"Come on, old girl!" She spoke into the psychic link, encouraging her ship to stand through.
After what felt like a painful eternity, the bioship won height, leaving the ball of light behind. Red smoke rose to the sky, the entirety of the island incinerated.
"What just happened?" Wonder Girl asked aloud once the explosion was far behind them.
"The Kroloteans were clearly trying to build a new ship." Miss Martian immediately answered.
Lagoon stared at the sky behind the window. "They had to, Angelfish. It was the only way to leave earth without their zeta platforms or their original ship."
"But was Aqualad helping them escape," Mischief frowned "or luring them into a trap?"
"The bomb was of alien origin." Nightwing immediately answered turning to look at Batman "Yet the Kroloteans clearly knew nothing about it. So where did it come from?"
Batman stared at the ocean before him "I have the feeling it may be up to you and your team to find out."
Stiles couldn't bring himself to care about Mr. Harris' blabbering. Drawing little circles on his block instead of molecular structures, Stiles' mind kept drifting off to the events that had happened the previous night.
The Kroloteans' ship, the bomb they knew nothing about and Black Manta's involvement didn't matter to him. He was sure the team and the League would solve all those mysteries given enough time.
The image he couldn't get out of his head was Kaldur, standing ready to cut them open with his blue swords, ignoring every word he said, electrocuting Superboy. There was no way his mind could conceive how the Kaldur he'd known had turned into that other Kaldur so quickly. How Aqualad had died inside him and Kaldur had decided to follow into his father's footsteps.
Harrison explained the difference between alkenes and alkanes, Stiles didn't bother to listen. The circles on his block turned into dots as he filled them up with his pencil.
As another dot appeared, Stiles mind drifted off, taking him to the moment in his past he couldn't believe Kaldur had forgotten.
Like the year before, Mischief was sitting on a rock outside of Mount Justice. The ocean's cold breeze brushed his face as he stared into the sunset, dangling his feet thoughtfully. He couldn't sit still very often, but today wasn't any normal day. Today was the fifth anniversary.
His mother had died five years ago.
He'd tried spending time with his friends, but it had just felt off. Today wasn't a day to be happy. Neither Mischief nor Stiles could be happy.
Tearing the thirteen-year-old out of his thoughts, something suddenly pushed his back forward. Taken by surprise, Mischief fell from his rock, landing with a roll. Adrenaline immediately flashed threw his veins. Quickly getting on his feet, Mischief turned around to look at the figure responsible for his fall.
Aqualad was staring at him wide-eyed. "I didn't mean too…"
Mischief's muscles relaxed. Letting his hands fall to his sides, he realized what had happened.
"How did you…?" Aqualad asked without recovering "I didn't—I didn't see you."
Jumping with all his strength, Mischief managed to get hold of the rock's edge, pulling himself up and sitting down again. Aqualad's legs to his right.
"I do that sometimes." Mischief explained "I—I can make people not see me when I want to be alone."
"You've got abilities." Aqualad sat down by his side.
Mischief shrugged "I guess." He muttered "I can't control them, though. They just happen sometimes."
The newest member of the team was thankful that Aqualad stayed quiet. Only his uncle and Nightwing knew about his small incidents, he wasn't eager to share them with anyone else, much less the team's leader.
"So, you want to be alone?" Aqualad asked after at least a full minute had passed.
Mischief shrugged.
"I also came here to be alone." Aqualad commented, staring into the ocean "This ocean, it reminds me of my home. Atlantis. I miss it sometimes."
Mischief looked down at his dangling feet. He missed his home sometimes too.
"Don't you visit your home?" he found himself asking without a real reason "Or haven't you thought about returning?"
"I did once." Aqualad answered, quickly glancing at the boy before looking back at the ocean "Couple of months after we founded the team. I wanted to go back. Meet my friends. Be with Tula."
"Who's she?"
Aqualad sighed heavily "The love of my life."
"Why didn't you stay with her?" Mischief wondered out loud.
"I was going to return and ask her to be with me." Aqualad continued explaining "When I did, it turned out her life had continued while I was away. She had started dating my best friend while I was on land helping Aquaman."
Mischief stared at him speechless "Touché."
Aqualad shrugged "She's happy, that's all that matters."
Again, neither Mischief nor Aqualad spoke for a couple of minutes. They sat together on the rock, hearing the waves crash against the shore, feeling the cold breeze on their skin, seeing the sun's violet gleam over the water.
"I miss my home too sometimes." Mischief said quietly, pulling his legs up and wrapping his arms around his knees.
Aqualad turned to look at him "Haven't you thought of visiting?"
"I don't know." Mischief admitted "It wasn't a nice place when I left. I don't know if it has changed."
Aqualad nodded. "I know how that feels."
Mischief stared at the waves. However, Aqualad wasn't thinking of keeping the silence.
"So, what can you do?"
Mischief frowned "What do you mean?"
"Your abilities." Aqualad specified "What are they?"
"Oh." Mischief let his legs dangle off again "I can—I can make people see what I want them to see. It's like—like creating illusions."
Aqualad rose his eyebrows "That could be really useful in missions. Why haven't you trained it?"
"I've seen what powers can do to people." Mischief hesitated "They can… corrupt. Like Killer Frost, Poison Ivy or Doctor Freeze. I don't want to turn out like that."
"Do you think Kid Flash, Superboy and Miss Martian would ever turn into something like that?" Aqualad asked.
"Of course not!" Mischief was quick to reply.
"Then why should you?"
That was one of the few times Mischief truly didn't know what to say.
Aquald jumped from the boulder, landing silently on the sand. "Show me what you've got. I'll help you train."
Mischief hesitated for a moment when Aqualad offered his open palm to him. None of his family had superpowers, he didn't know how to cope with them. He had never tried. Never thought of trying.
But Aqualad was familiar with magic. Atlantian magic. If there were only few people qualified to help Mischief, Aqualad would most definitely be one of them.
Taking Aquald's hand, Mischief jumped from his rock. For the first time, ready to find out what he could do.
"Dude, you look like shit today." Scott quickly glanced at his best friend.
Stiles smiled coldly at him "Thank you, Scott. You really know how to cheer someone up."
Standing to Scott's left, Erica rose her eyebrows "You really do look weird today."
"Well, excuse me, not all of us can be hot-smoking werewolves over here." Stiles sat down on the steps leading to the manors veranda. The ancient wood cracked under his weight.
Jackson leaned on the wooden railing of the same veranda "He's right, you know."
"I swear to—" Stiles' eyes became slits.
A few metres in front of Scott, very near to the tree line, Derek turned to look at his pack "Are those two like that all the time?"
"Yep." Isaac nodded "Jackson is a jackass. Stillinski doesn't shut up."
Before Stiles could reply anything to defend himself, Allison frowned at Derek "Shouldn't they have arrived yet?"
Derek shrugged "It wouldn't be the first time a pack would come late."
After training, the pack had walked over to Hale Manor, the place the voyaging pack had decided to pay a visit. They'd contacted Derek the former day, asking whether his pack could meet them in front of the manor. Thus, Scott, Stiles, Derek, Jackson, Erica, Boyd, Isaac and Allison where now waiting before the burnt down household.
They'd been waiting now for 20 minutes, Stiles, Isaac and Allison had already given up standing, sitting down on the steps leading to the house. Lydia had openly admitted she didn't have time to wait for some werewolves to come and say hello. Besides, she had said, her nails wouldn't take care of themselves.
Bushes stirred before them as a silhouette made its way through the forest's landscape. The entire pack fell silent and leaned forward as leaves rustled and branches cracked before them. Scott quickly glanced at Stiles who rose his eyebrows in excitement.
A long-haired, tall man stepped from the trees' shadows. The moment his eyes landed on the group of teenagers and their alpha, he spread his arms. His black hair swung backwards while his leather jacket opened to expose a white shirt.
"Alpha Hale!" the newcomer announced, "Such a pleasure to meet you!"
Derek's reaction wasn't as warm "Alpha Rodriguez, I assume?"
The tall man smiled "In the flesh."
More leaves rustled behind Rodriguez. Soon, a young woman with long dreadlocks appeared behind him, her dark skin contrasting her white blouse and pants. A smaller silhouette jumped into the light, closely followed by a fourth one.
The first one belonged to a girl about Stiles' age. Her black, spongy hair bounced up and down as she stepped closer. By her side was a slightly younger boy, his chocolate skin and spongy hair identical to the girl's.
Finally, another man stepped forward. Contrasting his pack's companions, his skin was as pale as snow while his beard and hair as dark as ink.
"I assume this is your pack?" Derek asked, eying the newcomers with a slight frown on his face.
Alpha Rodriguez didn't notice the distrust "Yeah, yeah." He pointed at the woman wearing white by his side "This is Amanda, my wife."
Amanda raised her palm and waved "Hi."
"This are my niece and nephew, George and Alice." He pointed at the two teenagers. His eyes fell on the last man "This is my cousin John. And please, call me Miguel."
During the following minutes, Derek proceeded to introduce himself as Derek, the pack's alpha. Pointing at each member one after another, he introduced every single one of the present teenagers. While they were being named, said teenagers smiled and waved. All but Jackson who limited himself to nod absently.
When they were done, Miguel frowned slightly "You've got two humans in your pack?"
His eyes landed on Stiles, then jumped to Allison.
"Yes," Derek crossed his arms "Have a problem with that?"
It would've been a lie to say Stiles' heart stayed completely silent at Derek's protectiveness.
Miguel grinned "'Course not!" he immediately replied, spreading his arms again "I love humans, they keep things interesting."
Stiles frowned. "Thanks?"
Amanda stepped towards the house, her eyes inspecting every inch of the destroyed wood "So, this is what is left of the great Hale household?"
Derek's fists clenched "We're planning on rebuilding it."
"We are?" Stiles wondered aloud.
Derek's alpha eyes dug their way into Stiles', sending a shiver down his spine.
"We are." He affirmed and coughed "We are."
John joined Amanda's side "This hunter-filled world can't function like this anymore, things have to change."
Allison glanced insecurely at Derek and at Scott. It didn't take a second and Scott's hand was already around hers, squeezing it with affection.
"They've left us alone until now, we aren't looking for trouble." Isaac commented, still sitting to Stiles' left.
Miguel shook his head "Things are changing here."
"You'll figure it out soon enough." Amanda and John exchanged a glance.
The instinct Batman had made him develop and train for years, rang an alarm inside Stiles' mind. It screamed at him something wasn't quite right, there was something off about these revolutionary wolves.
Thinking the same as Stiles, Derek cleared his throat "I understand you are leaving Beacon Hills tomorrow morning?"
Miguel turned to look at Derek with a broad smile, he wrapped his arm around the other alpha's shoulders. "That was the original plan, pal."
"But we decided we'd like to know a bit about this pack, you know, since rumour is out you have done some real badass things." Alice smiled at Derek.
Derek frowned in confusion. The entire pack did, in fact. They hadn't expected to have to take are of a second pack during at least the following months.
"I thought you'd said—" Scott spoke slowly.
Amanda smiled warmly at him "We know what my husband said but we've decided to stay a couple of days. See if our packs can get to know each other better. Make allies."
Glances jumped around the pack. None of them spoke a word, but their confused eyes and frowns were enough to communicate the message. They were all thinking the same thing.
"Only if you are okay with it." Miguel smiled at Derek "We wouldn't want to intrude or anything."
Derek took in a deep breath, sliding his hands in his pockets. "As long as you don't cause any trouble, you are welcomed to stay."
"Great!" Miguel walked over to Scott, wrapping his arm around his shoulder "Now, tell me. Is it true what they say about you? Dating a hunter?"
Confused, Scott hesitated "Uhm…"
Amanda smiled at her husband and the young werewolf by his side. "You can tell us later, we can meet and train together, learn a few things from each other."
"Uhm…" Scott didn't know what to say "…Sure?"
"Great!" Miguel clapped Scott's shoulder "It's settled. I'm looking forward to it!"
It was just for a second, but Stiles' eyes brushed Derek's figure. The alpha stared at Miguel crossed armed, eyes filled with suspicion and distrust. However, the darkness in his eyes only remained there for a second before his face turned back into a stone, not revealing a single thing.
Miguel's eyes landed on Stiles and Allison "And you two! You'll be coming with, right? Also learn a few things?"
Stiles heart jumped in his chest. He had hidden his abilities for years now, he couldn't risk having everything ruined by a single training session.
"I don't think we are quite up your speed…" he replied slowly, seeing Allison shake her head out of the corner of his eye.
"Well, your werewolf-friend won't always be there to protect you." He shook Scott, dangling the young werewolf in his strong grip "The only way you'll learn is training."
Not knowing what to reply, Stiles pushed out a smile. He hoped the pack wouldn't think anything about his throbbing heart. He hoped they wouldn't notice anything if he decided to train with them. He hoped he would quickly come up with an excuse.
Somewhere else, in the middle of the ocean, a door opened inside a submarine, clearing Kaldur's way. The fire burning inside the traditional masks on the brown upholstered wall being the only light illuminating the dining hall as he entered his father's view.
"Father." Kaldur greeted the moment he entered the room.
Sitting in front of the table, with a filled plate and a glass of wine to his left, Black Manta looked up.
"Congratulations, son. You did well." He stuck his fork on a piece of flesh "I don't suppose Aquaman died in the explosion?"
Kaldur's face was made of stone "Unlikely."
Black Manta sighed. "Pity."
After he had thrown his napkin on the table, an alarm started dinging to his right. Getting on his feet, the older Atlantian took one last sip from his glass.
"If you'll excuse me."
Leaving his son behind, Black Manta removed his helmet from a bust and put it on. Another door closed behind him when he entered the barely illuminated conference room.
The only source of light in the room, a big screen, flickered as seven images appeared one after another, transmitting life-images.
A dark-haired boy with horns, a machine with only a brain, a golden crowned dictator, a bald ruthless businessman, a cloaked assassin, a blonde hunter with a scar and an immortal with three long scars across his face.
"Good morning, Black Manta." The immortal, Vandal Savage, spoke "The Kroloteans' competitor, our new partner, is quite pleased with your efforts, and so is the Light."
His eyes were firm "All agree we made the right choice asking you to replace poor, disgraced Ocean Master. You are officially one with the Light."
Thank you very much for reading! I hope you liked the chapter!
If you did, or if you've git anything to say, please let me know! I really appreciate every chance I can get to improve my writing. And reading reviews always makes me extremely happy!
So, thank you very much orionastro, it really means a lot! I hope you keep liking the story!
(Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes.)
(If you notice anything, it would be awesome if you told me, so that I can correct it.)
I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Melpomene :D