To Guest: No idea why, but my A/N about that at the end of last chapter got cut off for some reason. To answer your question, no, it's not. They're just friends with tension that I'm not going to develop, sorta like Batgirl and Nightwing. It just like...adds flavor? Besides, Paityn is barely going to be in the story - at this point in my planning, her role in this chapter is the biggest role in a chapter she'll get. She just needs to be here for ~reasons~ which I sort of tried to imply in the last chapter. I know it sounds kind of like she's going to confess she's deeply in love with him or something, but that's not what she's talking about. If you even think that's too much/cliche, sorry!
The Goldenhand: thank you so much! here it is :)
also here's a trigger warning: brief mention of suicide in this chapter. please be warned.
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.
BLÜDHAVEN
February 13, 21:29 EST
Raptor was sitting on the edge of a skyscraper in her city, her chin propped in her hand as she studied the city below. She was bored – really bored. The patrol had been slow that night, and Nightwing had left abruptly about ten minutes ago, telling Raptor that she could handle the rest.
And there was no doubt about that – except for the fact that there wasn't anything to handle.
Groaning in frustration, Raptor beat her heels against the side of the building. She considered calling Sara. It was only six-thirty in Star City, and it was a Friday. She was sure that Sara and her friends would be doing something. Raptor pulled out her phone and dialed the other girl's number.
But her fingers hesitated over the call button. She had hung out with Sara and her friends several times in the past few weeks, but she'd always waited for Sara to invite her. And besides, Raptor was loath to admit that she enjoyed spending time with people, even though she did. Sara's friends were...interesting. But surprisingly, they tolerated her.
Her hand fell from her phone and she clicked it off as she decided against calling. Sara was probably busy, anyways. Sighing, Raptor surveyed the ground again. To her surprise, there was something that piqued her interest.
Across the street, Raptor recognized two Intergang agents as they climbed into a white van. One of them - it looked like the boss, if she was remembering correctly - was carrying a suspicious looking briefcase. It didn't look of this world.
And since Intergang was an organized crime group that specialized in the trafficking of alien tech and weapons, the briefcase being an example of said tech was highly likely. And since the bomb on Malina Island last month had been also alien tech, Nightwing had told several of the senior members of the Team to keep an eye out for any noise from the criminals.
Raptor hesitated, considering. When Nightwing had left, he had implied that she was to continue patrol. But nothing was really happening, and besides, would he really tell her not to pursue two people of interest? No, he wouldn't.
Raptor stood up, her mind made up. She was going after them. She balanced on the edge of the roof, her toes just hanging over the edge of open air. She smiled, shivering in anticipation. A tingle went up her spine – she loved this feeling. She loved the rush of adrenaline she got from heights, from falling and flying.
Raptor aimed her grappling hook and stepped off the roof.
MOUNT JUSTICE
February, 21:51 EST
Jaime, Mal, Conner, M'gann, and La'gaan were watching the Zeta Shield feed in the briefing room of the Cave. Garfield was there too, but he was studying with his tutor.
Adam Strange and Eduardo Dorado were addressing the final preparations for the Zeta Shield in Taos. After receiving the go-ahead from Captain Atom, who was also watching live from the Watchtower, Strange activated the satellites.
"Congratulations," Adam Strange announced after a moment. He was grinning broadly, pleased that the development had gone so smoothly. "The Zeta Shield is now operational."
"Absolutely historic," La'gaan gushed, his arm around M'gann. "Professor Carr!" He turned to where Garfield was studying with his tutor. "You should have your Cave-School pupil write a term paper on this." Gar looked up, scowling at the suggestion the Atlantean had made. He made a slashing motion across his throat, quietly telling La'gaan to shut up. "With this Zeta Shield in place," La'gaan continued, ignoring Gar's threat. "No alien can teleport to our world from off world." He turned to M'gann. "Even your Strange friend won't be able to travel to and from Raan without prior approval." Conner shrugged, evidently not as impressed as La'gaan was.
"Shields great," he allowed. "But it won't stop a space ship or a boom tube." Jaime frowned, confused. He had never heard of the latter before.
"What's a boom tube?" he asked, looking at Mal and Superbly for an answer. Before anyone could explain, Jaime twisted around, looking at something behind and below him. He listens for a moment and then scowled. He started talking again, answering the unheard explantation. "Not compatible with what?" He shouted at the invisible voice. He sounded irritated. "I swear, I don't understand half the things you say!" Mal gave Jaime an appraising look and shook his head.
"Feeling's mutual," the older man assured the teenager, only half-joking. Jaime sighed, looking at the ground. Conner turned to Mal, ignoring the interaction that had just taken place.
"Where's Nightwing?" the clone asked.
"Taking the night off," Mal informed the other boy. "Personal business." Conner sighed, grimacing.
"Perfect," he muttered sarcastically. He glanced around the Cave, weighing his options. Gar was studying, which no one was supposed to interrupt unless it was a dire mission. La'gaan and M'gann were…busy. Conner's eyes fell on Jaime who was standing there with his arms crossed. He didn't appear to have anything important planned. "Tag," the half-Kryptonian decided, grabbing onto the younger teen's hood and pulling him along. "You're it." Jaime yelped, and Mal's eyes widened as he watched the two boys leave.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Con," Mal protested, holding up his hands. "What are you – "
"Taking the night off," Conner announced as he continued to drag Jaime towards the Zeta Tube. "Personal business."
WASHINGTON, D.C.
February 13, 21:56 EST
White Canary watched as Roy Harper shot his zip line from a building across the way. He made it to the other side, the building she was currently standing on, but stumbled on his landing, falling onto his face with a grunt. Canary winced sympathetically. Green Arrow stepped up in front of him.
"Hey, Roy," Green Arrow said. He held his hand out to his former protégé, the boy he had helped raise. "Need a hand?" Roy scowled, and knocked away GA's proffered hand.
"No," he snarled, scrambling to his feet on his own. The building was faintly illuminated by streetlights, enough so that White Canary could see Roy's face. He looked awful. His hair had grown out long, and he clearly hadn't shaved in a while. His frame was thin and haggard, like he hadn't had much to eat lately. Even his uniform was ripped and dirty.
White Canary's heart clenched as she watched the boy she'd grown up idolizing, the boy who was practically her brother (really, if they were going of relationships, he should be her adopted nephew, but so what?). It hurt her to see how far he'd fallen from the man she had once known.
"We think you do," Nightwing said. As he spoke, White Canary followed her sister out of the shadows, coming into Roy's view. He grimaced when he saw all his friends, not meeting their eyes. Wally West, the former Kid Flash, was there too, along with Jim Harper. Jim Harper was the former superhero Guardian, and he was also the other clone of the original Roy.
"I have nothing to say to any of you," Roy snapped, turning away from them. "Nothing to explain, nothing to justify!" He started to walk away, but Green Arrow stepped after him. The older man reached out, pulling the stack of money Roy had pickpocketed from the storekeeper from his pocket. Roy froze, and Green Arrow held up the money for evidence.
"Nothing?" Ollie asked, incredulous. His tone wasn't quite accusatory, but more so disappointed. Roy paused. He turned around, looking a little ashamed.
"It's not what it looks like," Roy said quietly. "I mean, the store owner won't miss it," Roy insisted, growing defensive quickly. "He offered me a reward anyway! Besides, I deserve it. Guy wouldn't have had any of his money back if I hadn't stepped in." White Canary closed her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Clearly, Wally couldn't either.
"Dude, are you even listening to yourself?" Wally asked. Roy growled, and snatched the money out of his former partner's hand. He held it up, shaking it at them pointedly.
"Look, I need it," he snapped. His voice was cold and bitter. "I need it to find Speedy, the real Roy Harper." He stressed the word 'real,' making White Canary wince. "A search like that is expensive," he continued, his tone growing accusatory. "Especially when the rest of you have given up." White Canary stepped forward, holding her hand out.
"Roy, come on," she said. "Will you just listen to – "
"I don't want to listen to you, Sara!" he shouted. "I don't need to!" White Canary sighed, but before she could say anything else, Black Canary stepped forward, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. She pulled White Canary back slightly. The older blonde woman walked up to Roy so that the two of them were eye to eye.
"Roy, I know you feel lost," Black Canary began in a sympathetic tone. She was using her gentle therapist's voice. She placed a hand on Roy's shoulder. "But that doesn't mean you're alone." Roy scowled, and stepped away from her so that Black Canary's hand fell to her side. He turned away again.
"I'm not the one who's lost," Roy insisted. He walked away, and Black Canary's eyes narrowed.
"When was the last time you trained?" She asked Roy. "The last time you slept?"
"How about the last time you showered or even looked in a mirror?" White Canary muttered, loud enough for Roy to hear her. Black Canary flashed her a look, which she pointedly ignored. "You look like shit, Roy."
"Don't even start," Roy snapped. "I'm in the best shape of my life." Black Canary raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, really?" she asked, rhetorically. She fell into a fighting stance, and launched a kick at him. Roy managed to dodge it, but it was clumsy. Even in the dim light, White Canary could tell that his movements were slower and less fluid than they usually were.
Black Canary kicked him again, and this time Roy stumbled. He struggled to regain his balance and put his fists up in front of his face for defense, but it wasn't enough. With every blow, Roy was stumbling backwards, closer and closer to the edge of the building.
He glanced back in horror as his calves brushed the lip of the rooftop, and his arms wheeled wildly as he fought to regain his balance before he fell to a certain death below. Black Canary reached out again, but this time to grab Roy by the collar and tug him back to safety.
"Best shape of your life?" she scoffed. "That was me holding back. Way back." Black Canary's voice softened again. "Roy, you used to treat your body like a temple," she reminded him. The woman let go of his collar, probably expecting him to stay on his feet, but Roy fell forwards again. His knees slapped against the ground hard enough to make a sound against the cold concrete.
"My body's no temple," he snarled. "It's a cheap knock-off. A clone." White Canary sighed, realizing what was happening. It made sense that Roy's self-destructive behavior ran deeper than just wanting to find the other Roy. It was because he thought he didn't deserve to take care of himself anymore - because he wasn't the original.
Raptor pulled to a stop a little ways away from the white van. She'd been following it discreetly on her motorcycle for over an hour, and they'd led her all the way to the Hall of Justice. Raptor reached up to her ear, wondering if she should call for help. She decided against it - she wasn't planning on confronting them.
She was just doing a little recon. If the situation escalated, she'd call for backup accordingly. But until then, she was flying solo. Raptor squinted, trying to figure out what the Intergang agents were doing. They'd made no effort to break into the hall, and were just standing outside of it - not even in front the entrance, but at the side of the building.
Scowling in confusion, Raptor touched her utility belt, activating the binocular function in her mask. She crept closer, staying close to the shadows to avoid being seen. Her comm. crackled, and she touched the device to answer the call.
"Raptor." To her surprise, it was Superboy calling. She recognized the clone's deep, gruff voice. "Beetle and I are right above you." Raptor glanced upwards, and sure enough, there was the SuperCycle. She took one step back, gauging the distance. Then she shot her grappling hook up, and then pulled herself into the backseat of the machine, right next to Blue Beetle. Superboy was in the driver's seat, and Wolf was in front of him.
"What are you guys doing here?" She asked, looking at the two other heroes.
"Same thing as you, I'd bet" Superboy responded. He pointed to the two Interpool agents on the ground below. "I've been keeping tabs on Whisper A'Daire. She met up with her boss, Ugly, tonight." He turned to look at her. "You know what they're doing here?" Raptor shook her head.
"Shoot, you know, I didn't get a chance to ask," she replied sarcastically. "My bad." Superboy huffed in a mixture of amusement and irritation. He turned to Blue Beetle.
"Can you scan the case?" he asked. Blue nodded, the glove of his armored hand turning into large scanner. His eyes glowed orange, and he pointed the scanner at the two agents.
"Yeah, sure," he replied, unnecessarily. After a minute, he scowled and then protested to no one. "Not compatible again?" He shook his scanner with his other hand, hitting it on the side like that would make it work. "What does that even mean?" Superboy and Raptor exchanged a look.
"Blue," Superboy said, sounding a little irritated. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah, care to introduce us to your imaginary friend?" Raptor asked, arching an eyebrow at the Hispanic boy pointedly. Blue Beetle took a deep breath and then sighed heavily. He nodded his head.
"It's the Scarab," he explained, motioning backwards with his thumb. "The thing stuck to my spine that gives me the armor. It's an artificial intelligence created by Ted Kord," he continued. "You know, the previous Blue Beetle." Superboy nodded, looking away.
"Yeah, I knew him," he said quietly, remembering. "Good man." Blue Beetle's shoulders slumped.
"So I hear," he murmured sadly. "Guess he was a super-genius or something. Captain Atom figures that the Scarab was Kord's ultimate invention. But the Light killed him before he had a chance to use it."
"Touching as this is," Raptor drawled. She crossed her arms. "Still doesn't explain why you talk to yourself. Don't tell me Ted Kord's ghost is advising you." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. Blue Beetle rolled his eyes, but he didn't seem particularly annoyed.
"The Scarab advises me," he replied. He cracked a smile. "Think Jiminy Cricket - with a really bad attitude. But he can't scan the briefcase for some reason." Superboy thought for a minute, considering his options.
"What about the Hall?" He asked. "Ugly may be about to launch an attack against whoever's inside." Next to her, Blue Beetle's armor whirred. "And it's shielded from my infrared – "
"Scan complete," Blue announced, cutting Superboy off. "Hall's deserted." Raptor watched as Ugly set the briefcase on the ground. He knelt in front of it and popped it open. Raptor she pressed on the binocular function again. Her vision zoomed in, and she blinked, observed the odd piece of tech inside - definitely alien. Below her, the SuperCycle whimpered and her engines revved nervously.
"What is that?" Blue Beetle asked.
"I don't know," Superboy replied, putting a hand on the machine to calm her. "But the way Sphere's reacting, I'm guessing it's Apokoliptan." Blue Beetle shook his head. That meant nothing to him.
"Meaning…?"
"Meaning bad news," Raptor replied. She leaned forward, turning the binocular function off again. "We should probably get down there."
"Agreed," Superboy said. He touched a control, revving the engine. "Let's go." As the SuperCycle got closer, Whisper looked up to find the source of the noise. coming from the engine. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the three young heroes and Wolf approaching.
"Company, boss," she warned him. Ugly stood up, smirking. He'd already prepped the device and was ready to go.
"Too little," he said, changing some dials and then pulling down a lever to activate the machine. "Too late." There was a whirring sound, and then the machine turned on. Raptor could see that there were waves of energy admitting from the device, but she wasn't sure what they were doing. They didn't appear to be harmful.
At least not to her.
Next to her, however, Blue Beetle stiffened and clapped his hands to his ears. He shouted in pain, pressing his hands further over his ears as he shook his head like he was trying to shake the noise from his brain.
"Blue!" Raptor cried in concern. She glanced at forward frantically. "Superboy, Blue's hurt!"
"Stay with him," Superboy ordered, swinging over the edge of the seat. "Wolf and I can handle this." Raptor nodded, turning back to her teammate nervously. She had no idea how to help him - there was no sign of injury, and she had no idea why it was effecting only him. Superboy was the one with sensitive ears, after all. She placed a hand on his shoulder nervously, but he didn't seem to notice.
Before Raptor could do anything else to try to help her teammate, she stopped short, her mouth hanging open. Without thinking, she shot to her feet for a better look and nearly lost her balance.
Because a giant monster – it looked like a combination of all the Appellaxian husks that were on display in the hall – had just stepped out of the wall and was standing in front of Superboy. Raptor stared at the beast, her mind reeling
The three of them had to fight this monster, the reason that the Justice League had come together in the first place.
Maybe she should have called for more backup after all.
"Sphere!" Raptor shouted, as Superboy and Wolf began to fight the monster. Neither of them seemed to have much effect, and it mostly looked like they were trying to avoid being stepped on. She hesitated to help for two reasons - one, she didn't want to leave Blue, and two, she doubted that if Superboy couldn't do any damage that she would be able to. "Do something!" The SuperCycle hummed beneath her, and a gun protruded from the top of the machine.
Sphere fired a beam of energy back towards the Appellaxian. It seemed to either erase the previous energy beam from the air, or at least neutralize it, because next to Raptor, Blue Beetle groaned and then relaxed.
He sat up slowly, holding his head. His eyes widened when he saw what was going on. "What – " he began.
"Come on!" Raptor insisted, jumping over the seat so she was in the front of the SuperCycle. "Superboy needs our help!" She took a few sharp knives from her utility belt and tossed them forward, even though she knew their effect would be negligible at best. They whistled through the air, and although a few of them embedded themselves into the Appellaxian's wooden skin, most of them bounced off harmlessly.
Scowling, Raptor prepared another throwing knife, one of the slightly longer, sharper ones. This time, she attached a tiny explosive to the handle. She threw it again, and this time when the knife hit her opponent, it stuck. The explosive detonated, and the creature stumbled backwards. It had created a small hole in the wooden hide of the creature.
And then, right before Raptor's eyes, the creature regenerated – the hole crusted over and closed up. All the wounds Superboy and Wolf had managed to inflict also healed, and there the Appellaxian was, good as new.
"What is that thing?" Blue Beetle shouted. He sounded bewildered.
"Appellaxian Golem," Raptor replied tersely. Unbeknownst to her, the Scarab had also responded to the boy's question.
"You know, I'm bilingual," Blue Beetle quipped. "And I still don't know have any idea what you just said." Raptor groaned, aiming her grappling hook at the creature. She shot the knife and tested her weight against it. When it held, she prepared to swing over.
"Don't care," she shouted, as she landed on the Appellaxion's shoulder and retracted her grappling hook back into the gauntlet. It tried to shrug her off, but she simply re-adjusted her balance. "Fight, idiot!" Raptor took a few explosives out of her utility belt and began to stick them onto the creature, climbing around its body to avoid the detonations as they went off.
"Okay," Blue Beetle said, laughing. "That I get." But apparently he didn't – at least not completely. Blue Beetle took to the air and aimed his sonic cannon towards the beast, careful to not hit Raptor. Unfortunately even with his careful aim, his attack didn't go as planned.
The teenage girl turned to see what her teammate was planning, and her eyes widened with horror. She held up a hand futilely, as though it would stop him.
"Blue, no!" she shouted. But her warning came too late. He had already fired the cannon.
At first nothing happened; the Appellaxian just seemed to absorb the shock. And then – it redistributed it, twice as strong. Raptor had unfortunately been hanging just below one of the crystal parts of the creature, and the sonic blast hit her dead on.
Raptor flew through the air, the explosives she'd had in one hand scattering all over the ground and causing tiny explosions as they did so. The girl hit Superboy hard – it felt like hitting a brick wall – at the same time the blast did. The two superheroes, along with Wolf and Sphere fell into a pile on the ground.
Raptor hit the dirt and her vision went blurry, like a static-y television set. Her ears ringing loudly – but not quite loud enough to drown out her groan of pain. Raptor rolled onto her side. The world was spinning when she looked forward. She was pretty sure that that was a bad sign.
Blue Beetle was slowly pushing himself off the ground. Even he clearly he hadn't escaped the aftermath of his attack. But before he could get up completely, the Appellaxian stepped on him, crushing the teenage boy back into the soft dirt. Raptor winced, hoping she wasn't next. Her Kevlar suit wasn't nearly as durable as Beetle's armor was.
To her relief – and also dismay, as it meant their enemies were getting away – she saw the Appellaxian arch its back, growing wings. It then bent down to pick up A'Daire and Ugly, and beat its wings a few times. As Raptor watched, it flew off into the night.
Superboy, being the Boy of Steel, was the first to get up. He bent over Raptor, concern evident on his face.
"Are you okay?" He yelled, louder than necessary. She winced, touching her head and then nodded.
"Lower the volume," she told him, accepting his hand. He pulled her to her feet, and the both turned to look at Blue Beetle. Superboy winced sympathetically as he observed the indent that the creature had left around Blue.
"Looks like it hurt," Superboy said. His voice was still much louder than it needed to be. Raptor realized he probably couldn't hear himself – the sonic blast must have messed up his super sensitive hearing.
"It was his own fault," Raptor muttered, irritated. She sighed, going over to check on her teammate nonetheless.
Green Arrow stepped up to his former protégé. He offered Roy his hand once more, their positions mirroring the start of the conversation.
"Roy, come back to Star City," Green Arrow pleaded. He placed one of his hands on Roy's shoulder and the other around his waist so that he could pull the younger man back onto his feet. Roy let him. "It'll be like old times – you and me, training, fighting crime, just hanging out, shooting the – "
"You're confused," Roy cut off Green Arrow with a sneer, bushing off his arm. "You're probably thinking of the other guy. The original. The one you stopped looking for. Me, I'm just – " Jim Harper stepped forward, cutting his 'brother' off.
"We get it," he cut in, sounding slightly irritated. "You're a clone," the former Guardian said. "But you're not the only clone on this roof." He walked up to Roy so that they were face to face. Being clones of the same person, the two were exactly eye to eye. "And I know from personal experience who tough it was to come to grips with being a copy of someone else," he added, more softly. "That's why I gave up my identity as Guardian. So that I could figure out exactly who Jim Harper is supposed to be."
"That's not the only thing you gave up," Roy muttered stubbornly, refusing to see his point.
"Roy," Jim sighed. "You know that we both spent years looking for the original Speedy. And everyone else here did the same. We never found him because the Light didn't keep him alive. It was Cadmus policy to delete the source material." Jim's voice grew somber. "He's dead, brother. Which is all the more reason that you have to live. To honor the Roy that was."
Roy didn't answer, and dropped his gaze to the roof. Anyone else might have thought he was giving in, but White Canary knew him better than that.
Superboy was piloting the SuperCycle through the air, trying to catch up with Ugly and Whisper. They'd split after stomping on Blue Beetle, leaving no trace behind. The only way they could track them was by relying on Sphere's sensors.
"How are the ears?" Blue Beetle asked Superboy hesitantly. The clone's sensitive hearing had been temporarily damaged by the loud sonic blast the Appellaxian had admitted, and it was clear that Blue felt guilty.
"Fine!" The clone shouted back. He lowered his voice, realizing that his volume was far too loud. "Fine," he repeated himself more quietly. Raptor looked at Blue, scowling slightly.
"What were you thinking?" she asked him, not bothering to sugarcoat her criticism. "Why the hell would you use your sonic against an Appellaxian?" Blue Beetle shrugged. He somehow managed to look both sheepish and defensive at the same time, even through a mask.
"Dude, never even heard of an…apple-laxative before tonight!" Superboy groaned under his breath, and Raptor rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, you freshmen never do the homework," Superboy muttered. He glanced back over his shoulder critically. "Haven't you read the case file on the League's first mission? Haven't you taken a guided tour of the Hall?" Blue Beetle shook his head, looking confused.
"Um...those are rhetorical questions, right?" he asked innocently. Superboy turned to face the front with an annoyed sigh, and Raptor frowned, putting the pieces together.
"Nightwing was the one who made sure I did that," she realized. "Blue doesn't have a mentor." The boy next to her shoulders slumped, and he looked at his lap sadly. Superboy seemed to relax, realizing that it wasn't Blue's fault – entirely. As they sped through the cold night air, he explained.
"The Appellaxians were an alien race of energy beings that attacked Earth twelve years ago. They inhabited elemental host bodies, including one made of crystal, that could absorb and redirect a sonic attack." Blue Beetle nodded, now understanding what he had done wrong.
"Oh…" he said. "So, what were they doing inside the Hall?" Superboy sighed, and Raptor stepped in. She could tell Superboy was still irritated.
"The original seven members of the League drove the energy beings off world," Raptor informed the teenage boy. "The empty husks the aliens left behind became the League's first trophies." She shrugged. "Bit conceited, if you ask me. It had been one successful mission." She glanced forward at Superboy. "My question is, how does an Apokoliptan device activate empty Appellaxian shells?" Superboy shrugged, angling the SuperCycle closer to the ground.
"Couldn't tell you," he responded. "But we're closing in. Get ready." Superboy guided Sphere downwards so that they were navigating through the thick, snow-covered pine forest. After a few more moments of silent flying, they reached a clearing in the woods. The two Intergang agents were there, and so was the Appellaxian.
"…that monster doesn't feel anything," Raptor could hear Ugly saying. "And with this thing as my enforcer," he continued, a triumphant sneer plastered across his face, "I can expand Intergang's reach exponentially."
"Wow," Superboy called out mockingly as Sphere descended into the clearing. "Five syllables." Ugly grimaced, backing away from the heroes' descent. "I didn't think you knew words with more than two." Ugly sneered at them, clutching his Apopkoliptan controller to his chest like a lifeline.
"Hilarious," he drawled. "But we'll see who's laughing when I –" Before Ugly could finish his sentence, Superboy was speaking.
"New Genesphere," he addressed the SuperCycle with her proper name. "Jam all Apopkoliptan signals in the area." Sphere beeped happily, and her tires glowed blue. Ugly gasped as the controller in his hands crackled with electricity, and he tossed it away instinctively. It landed on the snowy ground, smoking.
And as if it wasn't destroyed enough already, the Appellaxian Golem stepped forward, crushing the device underneath its foot. It was growling low in its chest, and had turned on the two Integang agents. Ugly's eyes widened, and he backed away from the creature slowly. Whisper A'Daire followed her boss's suit. Both of them looked nervous, probably realizing how dumb they'd been to unleash this monster in the first place.
"Uh oh," Ugly muttered, taking in his now-adversary. The Appellaxian stepped forward again and swept out its hand, knocking them backwards. Ugly and A'Daire went flying back, tumbling to the ground.
In most circumstances, Raptor would have laughed at seeing her enemies' 'pet' turn against them. Now, she was a little preoccupied with worrying about dying as the creature rose to the air on wings and brought its fist down on Sphere.
Raptor tucked into a ball, rolling to the ground so that her padded shoulder absorbed the impact of the fall instead of any other part of her body. She threw a hand over her face to block the snow and dirt that rained over her as the creature landed hard on the ground, throwing the stuff up in the air. Rising to her feet in one swift movement, Raptor reached behind her and drew her katana.
The raven-haired girl rushed forwards, and began to scale the creature like she had last time. She leapt of the ground and landed on its knee. By the time it had swatted at her, she was already moving again. Raptor could hear Wolf snarling as he bit the creature and hung on; his claws digging into the wooden body for purchase. She could also see Superboy whaling on the creature from above her.
Then, as she watched, Wolf was thrown loose. The oversized dog let out a whimper when he hit the ground. Despite being enhanced by experimentation, Wolf was not immune to pain. Before long, Superboy was receiving the same treatment. When the clone landed, he broke a tree in half with his back. Raptor grunted as the creature moved underneath her. Her grip was slipping - it was now or never.
Raptor dug her sword into the wooden skin and began to twist the blade. Before she could get very far, the Appellaxian reached up and plucked her from its chest. It threw her back easily, and then pulled the sword out of its chest with two fingers.
The acrobat managed to land on her feet as she flipped in midair, and dull pain from the impact radiated from her feet to her knees. Her sword landed a few yards away. Straightening up with a grimace, Raptor's eyes narrowed. She had no idea how they were going to fight this thing.
As she watched, Blue Beetle came flying in, the gloves of his armor in their battering ram function. He hit the stone shoulder of the monster and bounced off, landing flat on his back with a groan.
"Ooh," Raptor muttered sympathetically when Blue was stepped on for the second time that night. She took the Appellaxian's momentary distraction to retrieve her weapon. She darted forward to grab her sword and then paused, looking for a weak spot on the creature.
Her eyes fell on the back of the creature, the wooden part. Its upper chest was covered predominantly in stone, but maybe she could access its heart – if it had one – from the back. Before Raptor could either ponder the logic of this further or put it into action, the Appellaxian turned on her.
It swung its leg back and kicked her, hard. Raptor soared backwards. Her back cracked into a tree, and the air rushed out of her lungs. Her sword clattered from her hands, and she slumped forward, down for the count.
"Raptor," Blue Beetle said, concern edging his voice. The girl still hadn't woken up. She was breathing, but he was concerned that she had a concussion. Or worse. He touched her shoulder. "Raptor, wake up. Por favor." The girl moaned in pain, and he could see her domino mask move, like she was squeezing her eyes shut. Relief flooded through the other teenager, and he sat back on his heels with a sigh.
"Ugh," she muttered, sitting up a little. "Whaz goin' on?" she slurred. Blue Beetle offered her his hand, which to his surprise, she actually accepted. She stumbled a little when he helped her to her feet, and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist. She stiffened underneath his touch but didn't knock him away from helping her.
Raptor may have been a prideful asshole, but she even she had her limits.
Blue Beetle helped her limp over to where Superboy was pinning Whisper A'Daire and Ugly against two different trees. Ugly was trying to blame everything on Superboy, which was pretty rich, considering he was the one who had awoken the creature.
"Blue," Superboy called over his shoulder. "Lock them down." Raptor carefully unwound herself from the boy, placing one arm over Wolf so that she could lean on the huge dog discreetly. Her ribs were killing her. Blue Beetle stepped back to calibrate the aim and then fired four staples in quick succession.
Superboy stepped back. Blue's aim was impeccable; A'Daire and Ugly were now both locked to the trees by a large staple over each shoulder that impeded both their movement and their ability to escape. Both of them struggled against their restraints in vain, and Superboy turned away, satisfied.
"Ew…no," Blue Beetle protested, talking to the Scarab, presumably.
"Blue, Raptor, let's go!" Superboy shouted. Raptor pushed herself up to stand freely, wrapping one arm around her chest protectively. She smirked at Blue.
"Yeah. Fight your inner demons on your own time, man. God knows the rest of us do." She turned and limped towards the SuperCycle, her long braid swaying side to side. When she got to Sphere, she accepted Superboy's hand and he swung her into the seat behind him.
"Demon, singular!" Blue Beetle protested as he followed her. "One demon is enough, believe me!" Raptor snorted, leaned back against the seat.
"Oh, I believe you."
"Shit," Raptor swore when she saw were the Appellation was headed. It was walking in the direction of a nuclear power plant. "If it reaches the reactor – " she paused, unsure how to phrase the disaster that would ensue concisely. "Well, that would suck." Superboy snorted, balancing against the edge of Sphere as she drove them towards the creature.
"To put it lightly," he said drily. "Move!" Raptor jumped off of the SuperCycle on his command, sucking in a quick breath when her ribs screamed in protest. She landed on the monster's shoulder and jumped off again, throwing three charges as she did so.
Raptor landed on the ground in a neat crouch, admiring her handiwork. The explosions on the back of the creature caused the Appellaxian to stumble forward, right into Superboy's fist. It stumbled again, and Blue Beetle swept down low, knocking its feet out from under him. And it fell – backwards. Right towards Raptor.
"Ah, fuc – " Raptor rolled forward, between the Appellaxion's legs and narrowly escaped from being crushed. She stood up, scowling at Blue Beetle menacingly. "Hey rookie! Little warning next time, asshole?" Blue Beetle shrugged in midair, looking a little embarrassed.
The Appellaxian tried to get up, but as it did so Sphere – in true Sphere form – launched herself at it. She hit the monster square in the chest, and it fell flat once more. Superboy jumped onto the monsters feet, grabbing them and pulling them close together. Wolf had planted himself onto its left arm and was also trying to pin it to the ground. Raptor launched her grappling hook, and wrapped the creature's right arm up. She pulled the tether tight, knowing that her attempt to hold it wouldn't be extremely helpful.
"Can't – hold – this – for – very – long," she ground out, straining against the Appellaxian's arm. Her feet, which she'd planted firmly, were slowly sliding forward as the monster fought to get up. She really shouldn't have been able to hold it at all, but Superboy and Wolf were doing the brunt of the work.
"Blue," Superboy shouted. "Lock it down! Lock it down!"
"Working on it!" He shouted back. Out of her peripheral vision, Raptor could see Blue Beetle's armor making a giant staple shooter, bigger than the one he usually used.
"Work faster!" she spat, beads of sweat pouring down her face. As if in response, a large blue staple pinned the Appellaxian's arm down just above where Raptor had her tether wrapped. The teenage girl relaxed with a heavy exhale, grimacing when her chest smarted in response to her movement and deep sigh.
"Sphere!" Superboy commanded. "Pillbug mode. See if you can take control of it." Sphere responded accordingly, turning into an insect-like machine and taking flight.
As if it was suspecting the attack, the Appellaxian surged upwards, sending Wolf, Raptor, and Superboy flying. Superboy was thrown upwards, and he knocked Beetle out of the air with him. Raptor hissed when she collided with the ground for the fourth time that night.
"Man, this is getting old," she snapped, climbing to her feet as fast as she could. Which was, admittedly, not very fast at the moment.
"I don't suppose we could just ask it to play nice," Blue Beetle suggested, pushing himself up with a groan. A pause as he listened to the Scarab. "Wait, you mean it's possible?"
Roy sighed heavily. His shoulders were slumped as he took a seat on the covered fan on the roof. White Canary watched him sadly. She couldn't believe how far her friend had fallen.
"I'm whelmed by all the attention," he muttered under his breath. He looked up, his eyes falling on Wally. Roy's scowl deepened as he checked out the guy – he was dressed in civvies. "What are you even doing here, West?" he asked. "Thought you ditched the hero game." Wally scowled and stepped forward. His green eyes were heated.
"Ditching the game doesn't mean ditching my friends!" he cried. "And before you round back to the 'original Roy' again, let's face the facts. He was never our friend." Roy scowled and looked away. Nightwing stepped to his best friend's defense.
"We've all done the math," he informed Roy. "Speedy was abducted before any of us met." Wally nodded, pointing at Roy for emphasis when he spoke again.
"You're the guy we trained beside, fought beside. You're the only you we know."
"You're our friend," Nightwing finished. His voice was soft. "Just because you're a clone with anger management issues doesn't change that." Wally snorted, a smile lighting up his face. It looked far more familiar and comfortable there than the somber expression he'd previously had.
"Seriously," the speedster agreed. "Have you met Superboy?" Roy shook his head vehemently, refusing to see their point.
"What about you three?" he swung on Black and White Canary and Green Arrow accusingly. "You can't claim that I'm the only one you knew. How can you not want to find him?" White Canary stepped forward. Her eyes were wide and earnest, and when she spoke, her voice was sad.
"Roy, please," she begged. His eyes fell on her. "Growing up you were my hero. You were like my brother." She crossed her arms. "And that's all that matters to me - not who was there first. Not who was the original. Just the fact that one of you was always there. He was before and you were after. It's as simple as that." White Canary held his gaze desperately. "Please come home." Roy stared at her for a few minutes, heart heavy. He dropped his gaze, tearing his eyes away from her face.
"All done?" he asked, voice still bitter and cold. White Canary stepped back, her stomach dropping. After all that, he still wouldn't listen. "You want to salvage someone's soul?" he asked, standing. "Go get Kaldur to see the Light. From what I hear, he needs course correcting. But leave me out." Roy walked to the edge of the roof, putting one foot up on the lip at the edge. He turned to face them halfway, a scowl still etched onto his face like it was carved there. Honestly, White Canary was surprised that his face hadn't frozen like that. "Write me off," Roy finished. "Or don't. Either way, blow."
And with that, the archer leapt of the roof, leaving his friends and family who had gathered there to help standing in dismayed silence.
Raptor's eyes widened when she realized what Blue was doing again. He had run up behind the creature, which was busy attempting to destroy the power plant, and had raised his sonic canon.
"Stop, Blue!" Superboy commanded, running forward. Wolf was bounding at his master's side. "Sonics don't work!"
"Didn't you learn anything the first time?" Raptor growled, following the Boy of Steel and his dog. Blue shook his head, lowering his canon so he could explain what he was planning.
"Not as an attack," he replied, turning back to look at his friends. His eyes were wide with earnest. "But maybe – " He cut his own explanation off and aimed his canon again, firing. Instantaneously, it had the same effect as before.
Raptor watched in helpless horror as energy rebounded off the crystal and surrounded her teammate. He yelled in pain, falling to his knees. But he still didn't drop the connection.
"Blue!" she shouted, running to his side. She fell to her knees beside him and reached out hesitantly. She was unsure if the energy would affect her as well, should she come in contact with it. But when she touched the canon with no ill effect, she began to try to pry it away from where it was aimed. Unfortunately, Blue Beetle was stronger than he looked.
"Blue, whatever you're doing, break off before it kills you!" Superboy ordered, reaching over to help. Blue Beetle shook his head, pushing Raptor back with his free hand.
"No," he protested, turning towards them. Underneath his mask, his eyes looked feverish. "It's not attacking! It's communicating – communicating its pain – listen." Superboy and Raptor explained bewildered looks, and both fell back. Blue Beetle turned towards them, his eyes glowing orange again. When he spoke, it wasn't his voice.
"Where is the stillness of wood, of stone, of crystal, of metal?" Beetle lamented, translating for the Appellaxion. "All this noise, all this life is pain. We sense the power in this place. Power enough to destroy us. To destroy the pain. To be still again." Raptor reeled backwards, her heart pounding. Suddenly she was remembering her time as a Talon – her darker times, when she'd had similar thoughts.
"I can relate," Superboy said quietly. He shook his head when Blue Beetle looked at him. "I mean, we can help you." He turned and addressed the Appellaxion directly. "We will help you."
But before they could, out of nowhere, another sonic canon fired. This one was far stronger, and it hit the creature dead on. The sound was loud enough to make Raptor cover her ears, and she could see that Superboy and Wolf were in intense pain as well. Blue Beetle cried out too, not from the noise, but from the canon's affect on him.
With a high-pitched, whining moan Raptor watched as the Appellaxion was destroyed right before her eyes. It spewed bright orange light that made Raptor cover her face. When she opened her eyes again, fragments of stone, crystal and wood were raining down around her. Her heart thumped heavily, and she blinked slowly, looking around.
The scene was suddenly peaceful and dead silent. She heard a groan from behind her, and Blue Beetle's knees buckled.
Superboy caught the younger teenager before he hit the ground. Raptor turned back to face the two of them, and when her eyes met Superboy's, she saw that his gaze was as anguished as she felt.
Fire burned around them as Raptor knelt next to Blue Beetle, supporting his head and trying to figure out how to get his armor off. There was no catch or latch around his helmet. Once he made sure that Raptor was with Beetle, Superboy stood up, looking around – he was trying to find the source of the attack.
Two guards of the power plant ran up. Miraculously, they'd survived everything. One of them immediately began to check the damage of the power plant, but the other turned back to look at the three heroes gathered together on the ground. He grinned at them enthusiastically, not understanding what had just happened.
"Don't know who you guys are," he said. "But you just took that thing down! Probably saved the whole East Coast!" Raptor lowered her head. For once, her throat was too tight to make a sarcastic remark.
"It was alive." Raptor's eyes fell on Blue Beetle. He was awake, thank god. His voice shook as he reached out, like he was still trying to touch the creature, to talk to it. "And now it's gone." He paused, and then continued, "Who attacked?" he demanded, looking from Raptor to Superboy. "Who killed it?"
Superboy's gaze darkened, and he looked over the forest. His eyes were cold.
"Someone ugly," he whispered. Raptor frowned.
She wasn't so sure about that.
She managed to convince Superboy to let them go back to the clearing to check. She doubted A'Daire or Ugly had the kind of firepower to mount an attack to just destroy the creature like that. It just didn't add up - for example, the way they'd been so terrified in the clearing.
Besides, she was extremely doubtful that they could have made it out of Blue's restraints. Those staples were strong. Superboy was reluctant, however, convinced that the journey would be pointless.
"I'm telling you," he argued even as they rounded the corner back to the clearing. "They're long gone – " Superboy's voice dropped off and his eyes widened when he saw the two villains – hanging right where they'd been left.
But there was one difference.
Both of the Intergang agents hung on the trees, gazing forward. Their eyes were open, but blank and staring out at nothing. Neither of them made any acknowledgement of the three heroes in front of them. Superboy shook his head in confusion and stepped up for a better look. Blue Beetle lifted his scanner.
"They're alive," he reassured his teammates after a moment. "Steady heartbeat. But unresponsive." Raptor flicked Ugly's ear. He made no movement. His expression didn't change.
"You don't say," she murmured. Superboy didn't say anything, and when Raptor turned towards him, she shivered. Because there was an expression on her face that she'd never seen on the clone before.
Fear.
BLÜDHAVEN
February 14, 01:06
Raptor slipped through the window of her bedroom. She was exhausted, and her ribs were still killing her. They were definitely bruised, if not fractured. She slammed her window shut and then slid down the wall with a groan. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for twenty four hours at the very least. Raptor buried her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking with a heavy sigh.
Beyond her physical pain, she was also emotionally drained. She kept remembering the Appellaxian's words, about wanting to be free from the pain. She closed her eyes and shook her head hard, as though it would dislodge the memory from her psyche. She kept her eyes squeezed shut and half them closed until they were burning, and then she opened them slowly, blinking the spots out of her vision.
"Karla?" Dick called from the living room. The teenage girl sat up, stifling a yawn. She peeled off her domino mask, wincing at the slight sting as the adhesive pulled at the sensitive skin around her eyes. "Karla?" he said again.
"Yeah, I'm here," she called back, pulling herself back up the wall with a heavy sigh. She left her bedroom and limped into the living room. Her brother was there. His eyes were wild and his hair was a mess, like he'd been running his hands through it. She frowned, a little concerned. "Is everything okay?" Dick stared at her.
"Why don't you tell me?" he requested, his voice low. Karla stared back at her brother, confused. She shook her head slowly.
"I – what do you mean?" Dick sighed. He sat down on an armchair and lowered his head into his hands. He, too, looked exhausted.
"It's late," he replied in a steely tone. Karla watched her brother carefully, unsure of why he was speaking so stiffly. He seemed angry at something or someone, but she wasn't sure what.
"It's fine," she replied. "It's not even one yet." She glanced at the clock next to her and her mouth twisted. "Well, barely."
"You have a curfew," Dick reminded her. "Midnight."
"Karla has a curfew," she corrected him. She tapped her chest pointedly, right where the emblem of the owl was. "I don't." Dick shook his head.
"Karla, where the hell were you?" he asked. Dick looked up at her again, his blue eyes burning with anger. "I've been trying to call you for the last two hours!"
Karla frowned, reaching up to touch her comm. She hadn't heard him trying to contact her, which was odd. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard any static in it for a few hours. She pulled it out of her ear and inspected it. To her surprise, it was cracked down the middle. It must have happened when the Appellaxian had redistributed Blue's sonic attack.
"Sorry," Karla apologized, genuinely surprised. She sat down on the couch opposite from Dick, still carefully holding her ribcage. "I didn't realize it was broken." Dick took a deep breath, like he was trying to control himself. He exhaled slowly, and then spoke again.
"Where were you?"
"Washington DC," Karla answered, bewildered. "Oh, and then Arlington, Virginia."
"Doing what?" Dick demanded. He was clearly making an effort to keep his voice quiet.
"Tracking two Intergang agents," Karla responded. She sat back against the sofa wearily. She was so busy situating herself that she didn't notice the irate look her brother was giving her.
"Alone?" Karla looked up, and her eyes widened. Now she knew why her brother was mad. Biting her lip nervously, she shook her head slowly.
"Not really," she replied in a subdued tone. "I, ah. I ran into Superboy and Blue Beetle." Dick took another deep breath and closed his eyes. He nodded once, swallowing hard.
"But you didn't call," he said, circling back to the first part of the argument. Karla shook her head. "Karla – " Dick's breath hissed, and he started again. "What happened in DC?" He raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh, and then what happened in Arlington, Virginia?" He added sarcastically, mocking her.
"Intergang woke the Appellaxian shells at the Hall of – " She didn't get to finish her sentence because Dick was shooting to his feet, his eyes blazing.
"An Appellaxian?" he nearly shouted. He shut up quickly, glancing around nervously like he was afraid someone would hear them talking about their extracurricular. He made an effort to lower his voice before continuing. "What the hell were you thinking? You should have called Batgirl or Robin for backup."
Karla glowered at her brother. She didn't appreciate the insinuation that she couldn't handle it. Or that the Replacement could.
"Yes, well," she began, her voice as dry as sand. "If I had known they were planning the Appellaxian I would have called the whole League for help. As it turns out, I'm not a psychic. Or a seer." Dick took another deep breath.
"Okay. But that's not – that's not even the point."
"Then what is the point?" Karla asked him. She was tired. She wanted to go to sleep. And she would seriously kill for some Advil.
"The point is I was worried," Dick told her. His voice was suddenly raw and tired. "I came home, and you weren't here. I looked around the city, and you weren't there. I called, and you didn't answer. I called Alfred – he said you hadn't been by. I called Mal – you hadn't been by the Cave either." Karla looked at the ground, feeling guilty. "I didn't know where you were," Dick added, his voice almost a whisper. "The last time I couldn't find you –"
"You didn't see me for seven years," Karla finished. Her voice was dull, and her eyes were half-closed. Her shoulders slumped and she nodded slowly, understanding. "Okay. I'm sorry. Really. It won't happen again." Her voice was a monotone drawl, not out of lack on sincerity, but out of exhaustion. Dick let out a long, shuddering sigh and nodded.
"Thank you."
"Can I go to sleep now?" she asked, standing. Dick nodded.
"Yeah, of course. Go get some rest." Karla nodded, turning to walk back to her room. Dick watched her go with a heavy heart.
He still felt guilty for her having been taken by the Court and raised as a Talon. He felt responsible.
After all, they'd only taken her because they'd failed to get to him.
dick gets a little ooc towards the end. oops.
important note!
i'm struggling with karla's pairing. as you probably noticed, i entered this story with very deliberate intentions to pair her with sara.
and then i wrote this chapter and remembered how much i adore jaime. so.
i have no firm plans yet and will continue to develop her relationship with both characters until i decide, but until that point, if you have a preference please let me know in a review!
thank you!