Chapter 3: Guardian Gossip
Madison's POV:
Sitting there in the red of room the Reach had been kind enough to put me in, instead of one of those pods, I had a few epiphanies. I think after Tula died, Artemis and I both realized we never really could leave the life. Being a superhero was a lifestyle and you stay in it until you die or go mad. It was a drug that your world gravitated around. We were the moon and our abilities the world. Artemis had it easier than me. She didn't have any metahuman abilities. She didn't feel the need to use them or the rush to take on the powers of another.
It was empowering the surge of energy and each power held a new flood of medication. Superboy's was the best. He made me feel warm with his touch as if the sun was standing beside me whispering happiness into my ear. It was intoxicating. And that is why I couldn't stop. I had to be near people with abilities or I felt like I would die. I fed off their power. I needed it. Roy's abilities just weren't enough anymore.
They weren't enough…
~0~
The Green Lantern Council 23 years ago…
"The Key must be protected," Basilus slammed his fist down. The Green Lantern Guardians were holding a council to decide the fate of Aurelia, the infant princess of the Symbiote race.
"Obviously, Basilus. Isn't that why we are holding this council?" Lianna sighed. Basilus' arrogance was getting on her nerves.
"That is not what I meant, Lianna."
"Than what did you mean?" Ranakar was eager to move this along. He had many experiments to conduct which could not wait. He didn't understand why this subject was so important. The Guardians had already dealt with this matter a year ago when the Reach conquered the world of Symbiosis. The Lanterns had fought hard to protect the planet but the Reach had already infiltrated it and the world was too far gone. The Lanterns only success was in escorting the Queen and harbinger of the key, Auro'ra Timur, off the planet. If you asked Ranakar that key was causing more trouble than it was worth. "If you ask me this is entirely pointless. Auro'ra sealed her own fate when she fraternized with the Bat."
"Yes, but we must continue to protect the key. It is absolutely necessary that the Reach does not acquire it. Nor any other of our enemies and Earth is not safe enough."
"Earth is perfectly safe, Basilus." Herupa interrupted waving Basilus off. They hid the key within the Line of Symbiosis royalty centuries ago. They were the only ones perfectly suited to combat any and all enemies. That was until the Reach caught them in a peaceful age where only a few champions still had the power of mimicry.
"We thought Symbiosis was safe. And since have learned it was not." Lianna decided she had to be the voice of reason. Herupa was even more disagreeable than Basilus. And they were both uncontained.
"That is exactly what I am trying to say. Earth is a planet of savages. And without her mother the child will surely suffer. No human is qualified to keep her and the key safe."
"You want her brought here? Is that what you want, Basilus?" Lianna was finally seeing where Basilus was going with this. It had been three maybe four Earth days since the news reached Oa. Queen Auro'ra had died in childbirth and her daughter, a half-blood Symbiote, was left to her father. Aurelia would have to grow up without a mother, but for the Gaurdians to also deny her a father was not something Lianna would stand for. Lianna stood up on her pedestal quickly becoming the tallest Guardian in the room, which wasn't that difficult. None of them were all that big. "I will not take the girl from her father. Has Earth not brought us many heroes? The humans are not as savage as we once believed and are keepers of the one of the largest cashes of willpower in the known universe. The Bat will keep her safe. Does anyone deny this?" The others said nothing. Lianna sat back down, "That is what I thought."
Then Herupa grunted, "What happens when she reaches the final stage? What if she has the power of mimicry? We are all aware of why the Symbiotes discontinued breeding their champions."
"Hmm…" Ranakar stroked his chin thoughtfully, "I agree with Herupa. The child may yet show the signs. What then? She must be taught how to use her abilities."
"Yes, we cannot have a repeat of Torran the Enabler. And I believe—the Amazons may be of use," Lianna suggested. "They have championed many heroines."
"All I am worried about is the key," Pazu finally spoke in a slow and deliberate draw. He had been biding his time to see where this would go. "As many of you have seem to forgotten, the key the child holds opens the Forge of Creation. It holds unimaginable power. More even than our race ever has. Earth may be safe for her, but Forge is what we must protect."
Basilus stood as if the rest of the Guardians were to bask in his glory. "Then we shall send some Lanterns to guard it."
"You are forgetting one thing, Basilus," Lianna sighed. "We do not know where it is."
~0~
Arsenal's POV:
"She wasn't there." I kicked a table across the living room. The mission had been a bust. Madison was nowhere to be found. Yeah, maybe we saved a few runaways, but they were not my problem. "You said she was there." I yelled at Nightwing. He failed to react.
"The transmission came from there. I thought—"
"You thought? She was taken by the Reach and who knows where they've taken her." I threw my hands up in the air. He was her brother. It was like he didn't even care that those—things had her. Both of us had already been kidnapped once. I would not let our relationship go through that again.
"We'll find her Roy. I promise."
"You Promise? Okay. Then why aren't you looking for her right now!" I started pacing the room. A thousand thoughts were racing through my head. Is she okay? What have they done to her? How badly am I going to pound the Reach scum who took her?
"We are doing all we can. Oliver is following some leads Batman found and—"
"Because Oliver is so qualified to look for her? He was the one who lost her last time, lost us." I ran my fingers though my hair still pacing. Why wasn't Nightwing as torn up about this as I was?
"Roy, I know you won't believe this, but Oliver cares about her too. Both of you. He went looking for you as soon as he found out you were gone."
I stopped, "And then he gave up."
He put a hand on my shoulder, "We will find my sister. Neither of us will ever give up. That I know."