. . .
I feel bad now for taking this long to update. But heeey! You all reviewed! Thanks for that :P
And Danny's name is... Dun dun duuun - Dagger! 9 votes for it. Hero name will remain Phantom. Please and thank you.
Dani's 'human' name is gonna be Mansume, courtesy of Ethan Demas. Thanks man! Superhero name shall be Banshee. It got the most votes... I'm sorry...
Sooo... anyways, this is where the magic happens!
[And yes, he's gonna hate M'gann. Kind of.]
AND WHY IN GODS NAME DOES THE IMAGE TO THIS STORY KEEP CHANGING!? GAAAAAH!
Danny Phantom and Young Justice doesn't belong to me. Sad, though - I want another season of both.
Who wants to beta read for this story? Leave a review and get right to it! :D
Simple Truths
M'gann flew the bioship along, camouflage mode engaged as the team traveled in silence, with the occasional munch from Wally.
Kaldur was nervous because, as the newly declared team leader, he was responsible for making sure the mission didn't turn out to be a flop.
Robin was nervous because half of the mission rode on his shoulders, including to keep stealthy the entire time.
Superby was nervous about the boy they were supposed to recover; he could tell, even in those pictures, something wasn't right about him.
M'gann was curious about sneaking into an earthling building and made a resolution not to snoop around in anything and focus solely on the mission.
Wally was despairing over the fact he was running out of food.
"So everyone knows the plan?" Kaldur finally asked, breaking the silence.
Wally nodded, nonchalantly popping a chip into his mouth. "Sure thing."
Ignoring the speedster, Robin decided to answer. "We sneak in, split into our teams of two, and I gather all the intel I can on what Luthor is up to, while M'gann, Wally and Superboy try to find and recover the boy."
Kaldur nodded, but internally he was breathing a sigh of relief.
"Should I establish the telepathic link now?" M'gann offered.
Kaldur nodded. "Alright."
The faint buzzing noise occurred in their minds, then it faded.
Everyone on? M'gann asked.
Yes.
Sure thing, boss man!
Shut it, Speedy.
M'gann chuckled at them, shaking her head as she turned the Bioship, soaring past a sign that said, "You are now leaving Smallville! Have a great day!"
After the mission, She started to ask, Is it possible to go back to Metropolis?
Robin shrugged. I don't know if we'll ever have any missions here again. Besides, Lex is more of Superman's thing. He won't be happy we're heading inside.
Superboy turned to look at the Martian. Why do you want to go back?
M'gann grinned. Because it's one of the most popular tourist attractions on Earth! It's where Superman patrols in all his glory!
Robin swore there were stars in her eyes.
Superboy scowled, turning away from M'gann and looking out the window instead.
Wally sighed. Great. Now he's all moody.
M'gann realized her mistake, looking sullen. Superboy, I'm sorry…
The Clone gave her a fake smile. It's… alright, He started. Not your fault.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and the other boys exchanged a glance. They knew he was faking it.
And how can you lie on a telepathic link again?
After about a good ten minutes, M'gann shouted, THERE!
They all winced at the sound in their minds, and she gave them an apologetic glance before pointing out the window.
We're here… Metropolis!
Robin nodded, pointing towards a large, black steel skyscraper. There's Lexcorp.
Superboy scowled, cracking his fingers.
Hello, misplaced aggression.
Simple Truths
He followed his master into the office, automatically walking towards his room but remembering his orders to remain in the office and obliged, not making eye contact with his master.
His master sighed with relief and sat down in the chair behind the desk. The boy made no move to sit, eyeing the cyborg warily as 'she' stood by the door, having already received orders to act as a guard.
His eyes hardened. He should be the one protecting his master, not that horrible impersonation of machinery.
"So," His master started, "Do you have any ideas for your name?"
He frowned. "No. I apologize for not thinking ahead, master." Internally, he was chastising himself for not following his master's direction.
Idiot.
The man chuckled. "It's quite alright. I already have some ideas of my own. Care to hear them?"
He nodded, listening intently as his master listed all of the possible names.
"There's Dayton, Shane… Hmm, Winchester could act as a last name… Dallek, Dagger-"
The boy gasped. That was it.
"Master…?"
The man stopped rambling and looked at the boy, dipping his head as a sign to continue.
"I believe I would like the name… Dagger."
His master smiled. Maybe now 'Dagger' would have some form of identity now.
"Why do you wish to be called this?"
The boy paused, a frown taking hold. Why indeed?
Ah. Now he remembered.
"Because I feel it makes me… dangerous, and slightly intimidating," He answered slowly, "And because don't most heroes and villians have separate names?"
His master nodded. "That is correct, but if you want to be called Dagger, you'll need a last name."
His eyes widened, but he fought to keep himself calm and neutral. "Then… I can be called Dagger?"
His master nodded, a small smile forming on his face as he saw the pure joy and excitement on the boy's face.
"Sure. I'll see what I can do to find you a last name."
The boy – No, Dagger – Grinned widely, unable to keep his joy down any longer. He had a name now! He could help his master even more!
Simple Truths
Remember; Stealth is key, Kaldur reminded them.
Wally nodded, pressing the button on his suit, turning its yellow and red colors into a dark grey and pitch black. Soon, they were all dressed in the same fashion, and split into their assigned groups: M'gann, Superboy and Wally as one group to find the boy, and Kaldur and Robin to recover intel.
M'gann parked the bioship in an alley, keeping it in camouflage mode as the five teens snuck near the Lexcorp building, invisible due to M'gann's shielding.
The Martian phased through the wall, Superboy and Wally in tow. Robin slipped through an air vent, Kaldur following close behind.
They weren't prepared in the slightest for what would happen next.
Simple Truths
Dagger smiled to himself as he lay in his bed, blue eyes focused on the cielling.
He had a name now. A name, and that meant his master cared for him.
Another thought came to him. Human children called their male parent 'father.' Was Lex Luthor… his father?
He sat up and looked at his reflection in the mirror on his wall, then compared it to a mental image of his master. No… they looked nothing alike.
Another thought, a whisper of doubt, surfaced. Who gave birth to you?
His abuse parents, but they were long dead.
Do you have any siblings?
The thought was so random he nearly fell off his bed in surprise.
Do I have any siblings?
A brother?
A… sister?
Dagger shook his head. No, he didn't, and if he did, he would have grown up with them in the compound. So that meant if, IF, he had siblings, they were dead. Or Care Giver –
He froze. Compound? Care Giver? Where were these thoughts coming from?! He was supposed to be protecting his master, not musing in his room!
That decided, Dagger phased through the wall and scanned his master's office for any irregularities.
He froze when he saw them. Two males, one that was human, and another that seemed… irregular. Remaining invisible, he slowly exited the wall and watched them. They seemed to be communicating, but no words –
There was a telepath in the building.
Hatred swelled inside of him, hatred he had no urge to dismiss. Whatever had happened in his life before, he was certain of one thing:
He hated telepaths.
That was a simple truth.
Simple Truths
Wally sighed. So, any ideas where this guy is? We've looked everywhere for him!
Superboy nodded. He's right, M'gann. Do you have any idea where he is?
M'gann let out a sigh of frustration. No, and I don't know why! I can tell where anyone on the planet is via their mental signature, so why he isn't might-
She froze, her words halting as her eyes widened. What if… Luthor killed him? Only the dead can escape a Martian.
Wally and Superboy glanced at each other, faces grim.
But maybe he's just locked in a room where I won't be able to get him… that might be it…
A smile spread across her face, and she floated in the air. I found him! She exclaimed, and soared along the hallway, Superboy and Wally following close behind.
As they traveled down the hallway, the lights flickered, then went out. Wally stopped running. Um... guys? Anyone else creeped out?
Superboy shook his head. No, but this can't be a coincidence. Lights going out just as M'gann finds this guy?
Wally! Superboy!
Both boys immediately rushed to M'gann's side, surprised to see a boy blocking their path, the very boy shown in the images at the cave.
Slowly, M'gann approached him. "Hi… I'm M'gann, and these are my friends, Kid Flash and Superboy."
The boy looked startled, and took a step back, blue eyes wavering on a border of doing… something. Seeing this, Superboy was on alert, watching the boy's every move.
"Uh, yeah… What's your name?" Wally asked the boy nervously, trying to calm him down.
The boy seemed to drop his guard for a moment, saying, "My name is Dagger, and you three are part of the covert operation deployed by the Justice League known as 'Young Justice.' You have two other teammates, Kaldur'ahm from Atlantis and Robin, the gifted protégé of Batman, leader of the League."
The three of them were on high alert as the boy's eyes started to glow a sickening toxic green, waves of light coming off his eyes, which glowed with no color.
"In other words, you are the enemy of my master, and the enemies are always… ended."
Rings traveled up the boy's body, changing his appearance. His clothes morphed into a black hazmat suit, with white gloves to match. His hair turned starch white, and he floated in mid-air, his hands glowing with bright green energy.
Um, Robin? Kaldur? Wally sent out weakly. We have a bit of a situation…
Simple Truths
Wally? Wally! What's the situation?
No answer came.
"Damn, the link is down," Kaldur hissed, glancing at Robin, who was typing furiously on the keyboard. "How long until-"
"Done!" The boy wonder exclaimed, smirking as he grabbed the flashdrive from the port and quickly exited the office, sending out, You guys hold on! We're moving in on your position!
As the two sped down the corridors, they heard the faint crashing sounds of a fight.
But against who?
Their answer came when they rounded the last corner and saw Wally zipping around a boy with white hair and neon green eyes, dressed in a skin tight hazmat suit. The boy seemed to regard Wally as a mere annoyance, and with a single punch, cast him aside, firing a few more blasts of green energy towards the speedster to make sure he stayed down.
Superboy roared and charged at the boy, fists ready, but he merely shot out of the way, revealing to Robin and Kaldur's shock, that he could fly.
The boy's legs morphed into a single, whispy tail that was see-through, giving him the appearance of a ghost.
No… a Phantom.
"Help M'gann!" Superboy roared, dodging a poorly aimed energy blast, and using brute strength, threw the boy through several walls.
Robin started searching for the green Martian, seeing her struggle to her feet, holding her head in her hands and moaning.
"M'gann!" Kaldur yelled, and ran to her side.
"I'm… fine…" She whimpered, and raised her eyes to look towards the boy. "Dagger… he isn't…"
Deciding Superboy could keep 'Dagger' busy for now, Kaldur helped M'gann to her feet, with Robin asking, "What do you mean?"
"His mind…" M'gann started, wincing for a moment and then resuming her sentence. "It's… wrong. Everything is just… locked away. It feels like he's dead… but there's always the same thing…"
"Like what?" Kaldur asked. M'gann looked him in the eyes, hers full of pain.
"Obey your master and the Light."
Robin frowned. "The light?" He glanced at Kaldur, who shrugged and dodged a stray ecto-blast, preparing his sorcery blades to defend M'gann.
"I have… a plan…" M'gann whispered to Robin, who beckoned towards Kaldur.
"If I can… get inside his mind…" M'gann started, wincing in pain once more and continuing her broken speech, "… I might be able to help him."
"And get him on our side?" Robin guessed, grinning when M'gann nodded slowly. "Sweet."
" What do we need to do?" Kaldur asked. M'gann took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
"Do exactly as I say."
Dagger fought to hide his grin as he struggled to his feet after Superboy nailed him through a wall. Now… now he could prove to his master he was worthy of protecting him, not that infernal machine.
And these five… seemed to be worthy opponents. He sighed when he noticed gashes on his torso, and cuts in his attire. Oh well, he healed quickly. Even if they cut off his arm, it would grow back… Eventually.
He frowned when he saw the two boys in the office clustered around the girl from before; a girl who was the telepath he hated.
Finally getting a full grip on himself, Dagger shot towards them, but the human from before, the speedster, Kid Flash, grabbed hold of his tail and held tight, running in the opposite direction and shouting, "I don't think so!"
Dagger growled at the minor annoyance; who he really wanted to fight was Superboy. He was full of righteous anger, and powerful enough to cause him to bleed.
Dagger loved it.
Kid Flash stopped running, and using his super speed, nailed Dagger with dozens of punches, causing the ghost boy to wince. Man, that hurt.
"Why are you attacking us?!" The speedster asked, dodging an ecto-blast and nailing Dagger in the stomach, causing the boy to fall to the ground in pain. "What the heck did we do!?"
Dagger winced and pulled himself to his feet. "You… are here to… harm my master…" He said, gasping for air. Dang, did he bruise a lung? "I… won't let you…"
The African boy raised his arms in surrender, eyes placid and pleading. "We are not here to harm your master, Dagger."
He froze, not dropping his stance but allowing himself to stop hovering, landing on the tile in confusion.
"That's your name, correct?"
Dagger nodded slowly, trying to make sense of what was going on.
The boy breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to himself. "My name is Kaldur'ahm, also known as Aqualad. He-" He pointed towards another boy, one with a mask concealing his face and a black cape. "-is Robin."
Dagger was confused. If they weren't here to harm his master, why were they here?
"I saw you two," Dagger said slowly, pointing towards the named Kaldur'ahm and Robin, "In my master's office, preparing an assassination attempt. You three," He gestured towards M'gann, Superboy and Kid Flash, "-were looking for him to carry out your plan."
Kid Flash burst out laughing. "You've gotta be kidding me! We were here for you!"
Those were the wrong words to say, however, as Dagger was immediately back on high alert, hands glowing, eyes full of… fear?
"I'M NOT GOING BACK THERE!" He roared, and attacked again. Kid Flash yelped and sped out of the way, Kaldur'ahm cursing after the speedster. Robin pulled M'gann out of the way, as she was still muddled, and Superboy once again charged their attacker.
Superboy gritted his teeth as the energy surrounding Dagger's hands expanded, a glowing white aura starting to appear.
Something tells me this just entered a whole new world of complicated, Superboy deadpanned and dodged Dagger's now finely tuned attacks.
Dagger grew irritated as Superboy nailed him through a wall- again. In retaliation, the boy charged full speed at Superboy, green eyes glinting red. Taken by surprise, the clone was hurled down the hallway, creating a dent in the linoleum floor.
Kid Flash, having already been filled in on the plan, ran circles around Dagger, creating a whirl wind to suck out the oxygen.
To their surprise, Dagger wasn't gasping for breath. He looked winded, but nothing to suggest oxygen deprivation.
Superboy struggled to his feet, getting annoyed with how many times Dagger nailed him through a wall and roared, charging Dagger at full force.
Kid Flash stopped running and zipped out of the way. Disoriented, Dagger was taken by surprise when Superboy held him in a chest lock, arms pinned behind his back.
Dagger struggled as hard as he could, finally resorting to phasing back into human form to get out of Superboy's grasp, hopeful that the foreign feeling would get him to let go, but to no avail.
M'gann walked up to Dagger, her eyes shining a bright green, and her voice resounded inside his head.
Let me in.
His barriers broke as she thrust her way inside his consciousness.
Simple Truths
M'gann was horrified at the inside of Dagger's mind. She was in an enclosed room, with a boy screaming in pain on a lab table, green and red blood seeping out of various wounds.
Faceless adults in lab coats encircled him, some brandishing tasers, others their fists. On Dagger's head was a circular device that thrummed and vibrated, and M'gann knew she had to do something.
Taking action, she forced the scientists to disperse, but he didn't stop screaming. Quickly, she reached for the device above his head, struggling to get it off of him, and succeeded. It fell to the ground in a heap, shattering into nothingness as it hit the linoleum floor.
She moved to attempt to heal his wounds, but as she reached a hand towards him, a blast of energy pushed her away. Startled, she looked up to find him glaring at her, his eyes a flaming red.
"Get… out… of… my… HEAD!"
Barriers reinforced themselves, and M'gann found herself back inside her own body again, Dagger struggling against Superboy.
"What did you do to me?!" He screamed, struggling to break free. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?"
The white aura encircling him expanded, his eyes mere trails of neon green vapor. Superboy let him go, only to find himself being rammed through several layers of wall once again.
Wally readied himself in a prepared running stance, and Robin reached for his gadgets. Kaldur readied his swords, and M'gann only stood there, staring at him in shock and mortification.
"Why do you obey them?" She whispered. Dagger's aura faded slightly, and the rest of the team stayed prepared. Who knew what he would do.
"Because it is my duty to protect," He snarled, green eyes boring into her own. "I live to obey my master's orders."
Wally gaped at him. "Why? What's the point?"
Dagger glared at him, but made no move to attack. "Because it is what I was built to do!"
M'gann shook her head and took a step forward, eyes full of pity and compassion. But what she was about to say was lost in the thrumming of incoming feet.
"Dagger!"
He turned to see Lex Luthor, a girl in a business suit behind him. In the billionaires hands was a large, black gun that screamed, 'Get hit by this and you're dead.'
He surveyed the damage to the hallway and glared at his uninvited guests. Pointing the bazooka in their direction, his eyes were cold as he stated calmly, "End them."
Dagger instantly returned into his fighting stance, aiming his energy blasts towards M'gann, but Robin pulled her aside at the last second and threw a handful of black marbles at Luthor and Mercy. Dagger immediately changed tactics and destroyed the smoke bombs, releasing the smoke.
Realizing that his targets were escaping through the fog, Dagger shot blindly, eyes burning in frustration. When the smoke cleared, however, they were gone, the destroyed hallway and Dagger's various wounds the only thing that betrayed they had been there.
Dagger returned to human form, winded and drained. He panted heavily, having exerted much of his power in the fight, and was dimly aware of the cyborg picking him up and carrying him back towards the office.
Simple Truths
Inside the bioship, no one said a word, too shaken at the fate they had narrowly escaped. Dagger had nearly killed them, and easily took out Superboy time and time again.
Wally's tactics and super speed had no effect, and he also had a suspicion that Dagger didn't need to breath to survive.
Superboy felt useless; Dagger had took him out time and time again, and in that narrow hallway, there wasn't many things he could use in a fight.
Kaldur felt useless; he hardly fought in the battle whatsoever and ended up playing defense.
Robin saw himself as a failure, and glancing at his teammates, wondered if bringing Young Justice together really was the right choice. He gripped the flash drive in his hand; the mission wasn't a complete failure, however.
They flew in silence, until M'gann turned to Kaldur and asked in a pleading tone, "Do you think you can take over?"
The atlantian was so surprised at the request all he could do was nod.
Quickly, the bioship unstrapped him from his seat, and he traded places with M'gann, eyeing the controls nervously.
M'gann flopped into the seat, staring dead ahead with a vacant expression.
"Um… M'gann?" Wally asked hesitantly. "Are you…?"
The Martian nodded, wiping at her eyes. "I'm fine, but Dagger…" She shook her head, looking Wally dead in the eyes. "They've tortured him there, Wally. They torture him and experiment on him and abuse him and he still stays there."
Silence permeated the bioship, until Robin held the flash drive aloft, saying grimly, "I can make a copy of this, and we can look through one while Batman looks at the other one." He fixed M'gann with a completely serious face. "If what you say is true, we're busting him out, willingly or not."
"No one deserves that kind of life," Kaldur agreed.
The time passed slowly, with everyone going over various wounds. Wally and Superboy had received the brunt of Dagger's attacks. Kaldur and Robin had various bruises, while M'gann was completely untouched.
As they flew inside Mount Justice, Kaldur slowly parked the bioship and the five teen heroes left, Superboy failing to disguise a limp.
Black Canary was the first to see them, eyeing them over quickly before turning to Robin and asking, "Do you have the drive?"
With the boy wonder's nod, she sighed and asked dryly, "I take it the boy wasn't too happy with the idea of coming with you?"
Wally shook his head. "Not a chance. And by the way, kid's name is Dagger, apparently."
Canary blinked as the speedster zipped past them, probably headed towards the infirmary to get his wounds checked out. Superboy lumbered after the speedster, the ever present scowl quite visible.
Canary turned to Kaldur. "Fill me in."
As the atlantian opened his mouth to reply, a voice behind them called out, "He won't do that now. The team needs to rest first. Debriefing can wait until after they've been checked over."
It was Batman. The Dark Knight's face was set in its usual scowl as he walked towards them.
Turning towards Robin, he extended his hand for the flash drive. Robin handed it to his mentor and turned towards Kaldur. "I'm gonna hit the showers," He said and walked after Wally and Superboy.
M'gann moved to follow, but Batman blocked her path. "After the shower, meet in the mission room for a debrief."
The Martian nodded and flew after the boys. Kaldur gave Batman a questioning glance before he too followed after the team.
"That boy… he's powerful, Batman. He took out the team, and would have had Luthor not intervened."
Batman nodded, looking Canary in the eyes. "I know. That's why I sent them; to see if they were strong enough as a team."
"Are they?" Her tone was questioning, but there was an undertone that seemed to say, You're really asking for it.
"No. They need more training, more discipline," Batman answered. Black Canary sighed. "They're going to try again, you know."
Batman nodded. "I know."
Simple Truths
Dagger opened his eyes to find himself in his room, laying on his back, facing the ceiling. With a small wince, he sat up and tried to stretch, only to find he was still sore from the fight.
"Why do you obey them?"
Dagger frowned, shaking his head in an effort to ignore the voice, but it persisted.
"Why do you obey them?"
He obeyed because it was his purpose. His purpose was to protect.
"Why? What's the point?"
He stopped. The point was because… it was what he was made to do. He was supposed to protect his master.
That was why he was alive.
He stood up, momentarily dizzy, but when the feeling passed he phased through the wall and saw the office was empty once again, except for his master, who was talking on his phone.
"What's the point?"
He growled, blue eyes glowing a faint green. The voices stopped, but he could feel them in the back of his mind, itching to be answered.
Now in complete favor of ignoring the voices, Dagger turned himself visible and smiled inwardly at his master's surprised face when he flickered into view.
"Yes… yes, I know. Yeah, he's still alive." He paused, sighing at the voice on the other end of the line. "Yes, those pesky brats are still alive. They got away before Dagger terminated them."
Dagger blinked, eyeing the phone curiously. Who was his master talking to?
"Yes, I'll have him get to it soon. Look, I'll call you back." With that, Luthor ended the call, brows furrowed and looking a bit irritated.
"When did you wake up?"
Dagger hesitated in his answer. "A few minutes ago, master." He answered genuinely, and winced as the feeling, the urge grew stronger. But to do what?
Luthor relaxed in his chair, looking a bit relieved. "Do you feel up to going after Young Justice again?"
Dagger blinked. "And to what?"
Luthor sighed. "Terminate them. The Light has become slightly worried that they will pose a threat to their plans, and have instructed you to terminate them."
Dagger nodded slowly, a mental frown forming. They wanted him to… kill someone? To kill five people? Why?
And at the same time, he knew why, and that half wanted to obey without question. The other half protected strongly, and yet it was weak, as if it had been asleep for a long time and finally opened its eyes.
Dagger knew, though, that the feeling he was receiving wasn't the urge to terminate Young Justice.
But what was it?
Simple Truths
Two weeks had passed since the Team encountered Dagger. Batman had quickly created a profile of the boy, detailing his abilities as explained by the team.
The five teenagers huddled around a single laptop, each dressed in swimwear. The plan was to pose as if they were going to the beach, and Wally was disappointed over the idea of not going swimming, but they all agreed that figuring out exectly what Luthor was up to and what the League was hiding from them was more important.
Currently, they were all in Superboy's room, which was simply adorned with a bed, a closet, a dresser holding spare black T-shirts and jeans, and a few pairs of sneakers.
Wally took one look at the room and offered to paint it over for him, but Superboy declined.
"Alright, you guys ready?" Robin asked. They all nodded, and Wally zipped out of the room and ran all over the base, returning with a bag of chips in hand. "Bats and Canary are out; Tornado is in his den so we're green for go."
Superboy frowned. "Why does everyone say that…?"
Everyone ignored his question and instead watched the screen as Robin clicked on a folder labeled, "Subject 43 – First Trials."
A video appeared, with a young boy that was unmistakably Dagger. He was in his power form, dodging attacks from all sides of the training area he was in, green eyes blazing with determination.
Three minutes later, he won against a staggering number of thirty five opponents. In the video, he was only eight years old.
Frowning, Robin exited the file and scrolled down, trying find something that would give them a good idea of his life in the compound, not just training.
Another file caught the boy wonder's interest; labeled 'Scientific Enhancments – Fiftieth Trial,' Robin had a sinking feeling as the video loaded.
Their eyes opened in shock as they saw a ten year old Dagger strapped to a table, eyes closed and his body trembling with fear as the scientist advanced.
"Subject 43 has disobeyed protocol by engaging in a fight with Agents 5, 64, J and X. Trials have been suspended until it is fully obedient to the cause."
The scientist adjusted his glasses before picking up a faintly glowing scapel, and walked up to the boy, who opened his eyes and for a brief moment, there was a fighting spirit in those eyes, proof that he wasn't broken.
But then the spark faded and he went limp, ready for his inevitable punishment. The scientist licked his lips, an insane gleam in his dark brown eyes.
"Proceeding with the appropriate punishment," He said, and brought the scapel down into Dagger's stomach. The boy screamed in pain, and the scientist tsked. "None of that is permitted, Subject 43. You know this."
The boy whimpered before falling still again, biting his teeth and eyes squeezed tight, waiting for the next blow.
The team grew sick as Dagger was stabbed several more times before a collar was placed around his neck, the remote in the man's hand.
"What is your purpose?"
Dagger looked ready to pass out from the pain, green blood trickling out of the wounds as he finally got out, "O-obey the Light…"
The man pressed a button and Dagger screamed, his voice raw. "No stuttering. What is your purpose, Subject 43?"
M'gann brought her hands to her mouth as the video was cut. A few seconds later, the scientist appeared on screen again, looking haggard, but the insane gleam still remained in his eyes.
"Subject 43 has responded well with the punishment. Conditioning is advised for later by the higher ups, but our division wants to see how much pain he can take…"
He licked his lips again, and Robin moved to stop the video, except Superboy stopped him. "Look," the clone said and pointed behind the scientist, who was still talking.
Dagger had escaped his bonds and was slowly walking up to the man, a dead look in his eyes. His hand coated itself in green energy, and he rammed it into the man's stomach. The scientist looked shocked, and turned his head to see Dagger mumble, "My purpose is to end trash like you."
The scientist pressed a red button, and sirens blared. The scientist slumped to the floor, seemingly dead, and Dagger fixed his eyes on the camera, a gleam of desperation in the green orbs.
"Please… get me out of here…"
The video stopped then, and the team was completely silent, until Wally zipped out of the room, everyone's costumes in hand. A determined look was on his face as he growled, "We are so getting him out of there."
Simple Truths
Quickly, the team dressed in their attire and headed towards the bioship only to see Batman, Black Canary, Red Tornado and Green Arrow standing around in the Mission room.
As per the plan, Wally zeta-tubed inside the Mountain, a large mountain of swimming stuff in hand. He ran forward, exclaiming, "I'm here!" only to trip on a noodle and fall flat on his face.
M'gann laughed and used her telepathy to lift the items off of Wally's injured form, and was surprised to hear another voice join in.
It was another girl, wearing a green outfit with a bow and quiver strapped to her back. She chuckled at Wally's face-plant and eyed the rest of the team, who were confused.
Robin eyed M'gann pointedly, and she quickly activated a telepathic link, just in time for them all to hear Robin's words: I think something's come up.
Ya think? Wally sent dryly, moving away from his stuff and glancing at the assembled heroes. I just made myself look like an idiot in front of Green Arrow! Green Arrow, guys!
Superboy rolled his eyes. Don't look so miffed, he sent with a sly smirk. You achieve that all the time.
Wally glared at Superboy, and Kaldur quickly intervened. The plan is changed, not abandoned. Whatever the League is planning, it involves us and our new teammate.
Wally blinked. New team mate?
Superboy rolled his eyes, glancing at M'gann and saying, Is my point proven?
The Martian chuckled and nodded, allowing the link to remain active as she sent, I bet we're looking incredibly rude right now, so speak out loud guys. We can discuss the plan later.
Wally started grumbling under his breath as he finally moved all of the swimming things out of the way.
"I'm Kid Flash," He said, handing the girl a hand, "But these guys call me Wally."
"And idiot, and moron, speedster, food fanatic…" Robin piped up, a grin on his face. Wally glared at the boy wonder, who just grinned and looked at the girl, giving her a mock salute. "I'm Robin."
"I am Kaldur'ahm, but my friends address me as Kaldur," Kaldur said with a small smile.
"He's also the team leader," Wally added.
"Hi! I'm M'gann, and this is Superboy," M'gann introduced with a smile, hovering above the ground out of habit. Superboy acknowledged the girl with a simple nod, eyeing Green Arrow, Batman and Black Canary curiously.
The girl nodded, looking a bit miffed at having to remember all their names, but proceeded anyways. "I'm Artemis, Green Arrow's new-"
"Padawan?" Wally guessed, a mischievous grin on his face. Artemis laughed at him, shaking her head.
"No, I'm his-"
"She's my-"
"Niece."
Green Arrow and Artemis both laughed at each other, giving Kaldur the opportunity to modify their plan.
We wait until Dagger leaves Lexcorp, He decided. After freeing his individuality, he should have some doubts about following each and every order blindly.
And if he doesn't leave? Robin asked sourly, waiting for Green Arrow and Artemis to stop laughing.
Kaldur sighed, rubbing his temples. Then we get him to listen to us.
Superboy nodded. Sounds like an okay plan, but what about Artemis?
The team all exchanged a glance. Let's get to know her first before we ask her to go against the League, Robin suggested.
M'gann frowned. But what if she tells them what we're planning?
Wally shook his head, glancing at the now calming down Arrow and Artemis. She won't, because we're gonna show her the files.
Robin nodded slowly, a grin forming on his face. She'd have to help us then!
Simple Truths
Dagger sighed as he laid on his bed, eyes facing the ceiling. His master had left the building with Mercy an hour ago.
"Why do you obey them?"
The boy sighed and closed his eyes. The voice had grown even more persistent in the weeks since the telepath had entered his mind. Dagger would have told his master, but the voice made him reluctant to. Besides, he wasn't in any mood to let any other telepath into his head to fix the damage M'gann, as she was called, wrought.
Honestly, Dagger found himself wondering what to do with himself. That half of him that wanted to obey was growing smaller and smaller, and the voice grew stronger, as did the ever present urge to say no.
No to the killing, the fighting, the guarding, but always Yes to the protecting. Something in him always wanted to protect.
He was okay with it; protecting. But more and more, he realized the truth behind his 'master.'
"Why do you obey them?"
Why indeed? Why even call him master to begin with? It's not like he was a pet, or anything.
If so, then he was a very dangerous, very ghostly pet.
Dagger groaned and rubbed his eyes, dragging his hands down his face. This sucked. Like, really, really, really sucked.
A part of him longed to be ordered around, and the other half screamed at him to refuse and leave, to be free.
He didn't know what to believe anymore.