A/N: LOOK GUYS. AN UPDATE. WOW.
I could rattle on about how I suck and that I'm a terrible person and blah, blah, blah, but you guys probably already know that! ^^ Or just don't care... Yeah. I'll spare you the long author's note and simply say I'm sorry. I really am. Now please, enjoy this chapter!
Oh and the beginning of this chapter is on the slightly gory side... just a heads up! You guys get a glimpse into Falcon's past! And I finally found the name of Hawk and Dove's mother! x3
You can expect to see more flashbacks as the story goes on! I think they're an excellent way to show Falcon's back story without me having Felicity just prattle on and tell the story...
Young Justice is not mine.
"Felicity, honey, can you help me out?"
Her mother's soft, loving smile. The kindness and love that twinkled in her brown eyes as she smiled. Those were the only things Felicity could remember before all hell broke loose.
The sound of gunfire filled the night air, breaking the serene silence of the neighborhood. Bullets ricocheted and penetrated the small, white house. Glass shattered and exploded upon impact, littering the ground below.
Felicity Hall shrieked, brown eyes wide in panic as a warm body landed on top of her. Time seemed to slow down as Rae Hall, her loving mother, told her to keep her head down. The eleven year old complied shakily and covered her head with her small hands, but that didn't stop the sobs that left her panicked body.
As fast as the attack happened, it was over.
When the sound of gunfire ceased, Felicity shakily peered up through her small hands. She shifted slightly, sniffling as she tried to move against the weight of her mother.
"M-mom," Felicity called out, voice trembling. Her heart was racing, chest heaving as tears streaked down the eleven year olds cheeks. When she got no reply, the blonde's heart skipped a beat.
This wasn't happening.
Still rattled, Felicity began to wiggle her way out from underneath her mother. After she pulled her foot loose, she turned towards her mother, who still lay unmoving.
"M-mom," Felicity choked out once more. She scooted across the linoleum floor, which was slowly becoming covered in a sticky, red substance. Felicity immediately recognized it as blood and let out a piercing shriek. Her scream grew louder in volume as she realized what the source of the blood was.
It was her mother's blood. And it was oozing out fast.
Tears streamed down Felicity's cheeks as she gently shook her mom's shoulder, croaking out her name in despaired cries. Her sobs became louder as her shaking intensified. Felicity willed her mother to answer her cries, but no response ever came.
Finally, after a particularly rough shove, Felicity caused her mother to roll onto her back. Rae's head limply lulled to the side, brown hair pooling around her head and mixing with the blood.
There was so much blood.
Felicity's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as an estranged scream caught in the girl's throat. There, in the middle of Rae's forehead, was a bullet hole. A small trickle of blood seeped out of the hole, dripping down the side of her lifeless face and mixing with the blood on the ground as her brown eyes, once filled with happiness and love, stared blankly up at the ceiling.
Stars danced in Felicity's vision as her head went light.
Rae was dead.
Her mother was dead.
Felicity felt nauseous. The scent of blood had filled the air and it was very potent. Head reeling and chest heaving, the girl barely managed to dive to the side before relieving the limited contents of her stomach. After all, she had been in the middle of cooking dinner with her mother just before her father arrived home.
Her father.
Realization dawned on the sobbing girl. Her father, Judge Irwin Hall, had arrived home only a few minutes before the attack. Felicity shakily climbed to her feet. She ran a hand through her blonde hair in a weak attempt to move it out from her face. Only after her hand touched her face did the girl realize something.
It was covered in blood.
Another sob wracked Felicity's body. The girl wanted nothing more than to climb in bed and pray to god that it was only a dream.
Some horrific, nightmarish dream.
Felicity cried out as pain flared in her arm as she attempted to move her shoulder. With slight hesitation, she looked down, only to find a small hole with blood oozing out of it.
She had been shot.
This time, pained tears streamed down Felicity's cheeks. The girl didn't know what to do anymore. She was shot, her mother was dead, and the girl had no view of her father. Not to mention the fact that she didn't know where her brothers were. Never in her life had the eleven year old ever felt so lost.
Felicity collapsed to the floor, dragging her feet to her chest and cradling her injured shoulder. More and more sobs wracked her small body as she fell over, instinctively curling into a fetal position. She felt hopeless. No, more than hopeless.
What were you supposed to do in scenarios like this? She was eleven for Pete's sake. She wasn't supposed to go through a traumatizing scenario like this. Ever.
"Oh my god," Someone breathed out. Felicity heard the person collapse to the floor before her, but the girl didn't glance up. Her eyes were squeezed shut, tears leaking out the corners. Sobs still wracked her body, but Felicity was being slowly reduced to a hiccupping mess.
"Felicity," The same voice murmured, "Please, Fel, open your eyes."
That voice. Felicity recognized it.
Slowly, the girl cracked her eyes open. The blurry, sideways image of Don immediately entered her field of vision and slight relief flooded through the girl.
"D-Don," The girl croaked out before she immediately flung her arms around her brother's neck, flinching as she jostled her wounded shoulder. As if her tear ducts had been refreshed, tears began to spill from the corner of her eyes as a new wave of sobs wracked the girl's small frame.
Don had no words to say as he held onto his sister. There wasn't much her could say. He couldn't tell her everything would be alright, even he wasn't sure that was true. Their mother was dead, father in critical condition and on his way to the hospital.
Their lives had taken a turn for the worse so fast.
"I've got you, Fel," Don cooed, rubbing the eleven year olds back. Felicity didn't reply, she just sat there, hugging her brother like he'd slip through her fingers at any given moment. He shifted slightly, and the girl cried out in pain as her shoulder was jostled. Don muttered a quick apology before scooping the trembling girl up.
Felicity buried her head in his neck, not bothering to protest as she was picked up. The thumping of her brother's heart seemed to soothe the girl. She was quick to notice the scene change, even without looking up, as sirens became more audible and the cool night air nipped at her exposed skin.
"I'll take her," An unfamiliar voice murmured. Almost immediately Felicity began to protest as the stranger, who turned out to be an EMT, took the girl from her brother's arm. The man whispered reassuring words to the blonde, but she didn't listen as she watched her brother step away, having been motioned over by a nearby police man.
Time runs short.
Felicity sniffled as the EMT gently set her on top of gurney, which was covered with a thin, white sheet. The man, who was a brunette with kind green eyes, smiled sadly at the girl. Felicity's heart jolted as the man stepped away, but it quickly calmed as he came back, a small, brown teddy bear in his hand.
"I'm going to quickly patch you up, kid," The man explained softly, handing the girl the teddy bear. Felicity nodded numbly and the man sighed as he set to work. In all his years as an EMT, he had thought he'd seen it all, but never had he seen a drive-by shooting that ended with an eleven year old, who witnessed the whole thing, losing their mother and potentially their father.
The world was a sad, cruel place sometimes.
You must awaken.
Setting to work, the EMT pulled out a small thing of alcohol and some sterile cloths. The blood had started to clot, the wound no longer bleeding. The girl was going to the hospital, that much was sure, but the least he could do was patch her up and relieve some of the discomfort.
"This is going to sting," He told the girl softly, eyeing her with his green eyes. Felicity, once again, just simply nodded. The cloths were soon doused with a small amount of alcohol and as soon as it touched the eleven year olds wound, she screamed.
You must awaken, NOW.
With a choked gasp, Falcon's eyes shot open. Almost immediately a dull, aching pain erupted from the back of her skull. She squeezed her eyes shut with a groan only to snap them open again with a pained gasp as the fresh memory of her flashback replayed behind her eyes.
Why did the memory suddenly pop in her mind? And now of all times?
A dull pain settled in her shoulder, right where the bullet had once lodged itself. Tears sprung up in the corner of Falcon's eyes at the mere memory of her mother's murder, but she immediately swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and held the tears back. She was done crying.
Crying wasn't going to bring her mother back.
"W-what do you want?"
A voice broke the silence. Falcon frowned, glancing to her left only to realize her view was blocked by something… metallic looking, preventing her from seeing who the source of the voice was, though her subconscious vaguely recognized the voice.
"Quit staring! You're freaking me out!" Falcon realized the voice belonged to Kid Flash, the currently panicky speedster.
Staring? Who was staring?
Glancing forward, her eyes settled on Superman… err, his clone. It was then that Falcon remembered how they got into their current situation.
That's right. He kicked our asses.
"Uhhh… KF, how about we not tick off the guy who could fry us with a look?" Robin asked rhetorically. Falcon had to agree. She'd rather not be fried alive.
That was two of her 'teammates', but where was-
"We only sought to help you," Aqualad spoke up. The Atlantean's voice was as calm as ever and Falcon had to marvel at that fact. Had the girl been alone, she probably- no definitely- would have been on the verge of freaking out.
"Yeah!" Kid Flash piped up. Falcon had to hold back a groan at the tone of his voice. He was picking a fight he couldn't win, "We free you and you turn on us! How's that for gratitude?"
"Kid, please, quiet now," Aqualad cut in, voice slightly edgy, "I believe our new friend was not in full control of his actions."
Superboy stared up at the heroes, blue eyes flickering with uncertainty, "W-what… what if I wasn't?" Falcon had to admit, she was slightly startled as the clone spoke up. At this point in time, he hadn't so much as spoken a single word to the make-shift team, just growled and snarled at them as he kicked their sorry butts.
"He can talk!?"
Superboy's fist clenched as icy blue eyes narrowed, "Yes he can."
Three sets of eyes, two hidden behind masks, snapped to the speedster in a glare. Kid Flash shrank back, smiling sheepishly at the annoyed teens, "Not like I said it." He grumbled with a shrug. Falcon withheld a sigh.
"The genomorphs taught you, telepathically," Aqualad concluded, voice laced with interest.
"They taught me much," Superboy confirmed, pausing briefly before carrying on, "I can read, write, I know the name of things."
"But-" Falcon paused as her voice cracked. She quickly cleared her throat, flinching slightly as it felt raw before continuing, "Have you actually seen them?"
"Have they every actually let you see the sky? Or the sun?" Robin carried on.
"Images are implanted in my mind, but no, I have not actually seen them." Superboy admitted sadly, ducking his head down slightly. Falcon felt bad for the clone.
"Do you know what you are, who you are?" Aqualad inquired softly.
Superboy's head snapped up immediately at the question and Falcon though he'd get whiplash from the speed it snapped up, "I am the Superboy, a genomorph. A clone made from the DNA of Superman, created to replace him should he perish… to destroy him should he turn from the Light."
Falcon sucked in a breath. A tension settled in the air. To destroy Superman? What the heck does that mean?
"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration," Aqualad spoke up thoughtfully, cerulean eyes latching onto to the clone, "But that does not mean you should not have a life beyond the solar suit, beyond your pod, beyond Cadmus."
Though Falcon agreed with Aqualad, a small part- the nagging part- was curious as to why no one mentioned the fact Superboy was also created to destroy Superman.
Anger flashed in Superboy's eyes as he clenched his fists, "I live because of Cadmus! It is my home!" An array of emotions flashed behind the clone's blue eyes before they eventually settled for rage.
Falcon glanced around before settling her gaze on Superboy, "Uhm… your home is a test tube." Though she didn't mean anything by it, Superboy snapped his head to the girl, flashing her a glare. Falcon shriveled back in the pod slightly and flashed the boy a sheepish smile.
"We can show you the sun-" Robin started, only for Kid Flash to cut him off.
"Uhmm… I'm pretty sure it's after midnight, but we can show you the moon!"
"We can show you… no, introduce you to Superman." Aqualad tacked on with a promising smile.
Falcon grinned softly as a hopeful look settled on Superboy's face. His blue eyes softened, the thought of meeting Superman echoing around his head.
"No they can't," A new voice spoke up. Falcon glanced up, quickly locating the source of the voice to be a scraggly man in a lab coat, followed by another woman and Guardian, "They'll be otherwise… preoccupied." The look of hope that sat on the clone's face was instantly washed away. "Activate the cloning process." He commanded. The woman that had walked in with him nodded curtly before walking off to the side and setting up shop behind a computer console.
"Pass, Batcave's crowded enough!" Robin exclaimed. Falcon made a small mental note to ask the kid who else was living in the Batcave seeing as he felt the need to call it crowded.
The scientist ignored the Boy Wonder. With a snarl on his lips, he turned towards Guardian, snapping, "And get the weapon back in its pod!"
"How come he gets to call Supey an it!?" Kid Flash shouted his protest. Falcon rolled her eyes. The kid was almost unbelievable.
"Oh I don't know, Kid," She started with a huff, "Maybe because he doesn't give two shits about Superboy?" Kid Flash glanced at the girl, slightly taken aback by the venom in her voice. In all honest, Falcon hadn't meant to throw in as much venom into her voice as she did. She was just frustrated, that was all. Her head was pounding with the headache of the century, her shoulder was throbbing lightly from the memory, the scratches on her stomach stung- and the girl was pretty sure they were still bleeding- and to top things off, apparently they were going to be cloned.
Oh she was having a jolly good time.
Movement caught Falcon's attention and the girl turned away from the wounded Kid Flash. Guardian stepped towards Superboy, attempting to place a hand on the clone's shoulder only for him to brush it off with a glare. The scraggly scientist growled, allowing the small genomorph on his shoulder to hop onto Superboy's. What little emotion the clone was showing immediately disappeared.
"Don't start thinking now!" The scientist almost groaned, "See, you're not a real boy. You're a weapon and you belong to me," Falcon grimaced. That came off really wrong. The scientist seemed to realize it because he corrected himself, "Er… To Cadmus. But same thing! Now get back to your pod!"
Falcon slumped in her bindings, wincing as she jostled the scratches, and watched as Superboy turned on his heel, face stoic as he made his way out of the room. The scientist grinned to himself.
"Help us," Falcon barely heard Aqualad plead, "Please."
The metallic door closed with a soft hiss, hiding the clone from the view of the four heroes. The scientist glanced up, smirk plastered on his face before he turned towards the other scientist. With a nod, the woman set to work behind the keyboard, clacking away before pressing the final button.
Metallic prongs immediately shot up inside the pods, each of which Falcon shriveled away from. Electricity sparked between each tip on the prongs, snapping and cracking at the trapped blonde. Falcon barely managed to let out a gasp as the prongs dove into her flesh. Pain began to immediately flare up her body.
The sound of her own cries drowned out the cries being emitted from the rest of Falcon's make-shift Team. The girl couldn't remember a time when she had felt more pain. The pain she was feeling now was relentless and filled her whole body, leaving the girl feeling helpless.
As quick as the pain had started, it was over. Falcon's body slumped as her limbs went limp, each one feeling like lead. Every now and then, a muscle spasm would occur, jostling the blonde's already weak body.
Curious as to why the pain all of a sudden stopped, Falcon lifted her head up. She watched as Superboy stormed into the room, door held high above his head before he tossed it to the side. Guardian charged towards the clone with some genomorphs, only for Superboy to toss them to the side like they were nothing.
"Don't give me orders," Superboy growled at the scientist with a glare.
Kid Flash glanced at the clone suspiciously, "Uh… are you here to help us or fry us?"
Superboy's eyes narrowed, but when nothing came out, they softened up, "Huh. I don't seem to have heat vision, so I suppose helping you guys is my only option."
Falcon heard a click and from her peripherals she saw Robin jump to the ground, rubbing his wrists, "Ugh. Finally! Lucky Batman isn't here, he'd have my head for taking so long!"
"Seriously?" Kid Flash scoffed, "That's what you're worried about? The whole League will have our heads after tonight!" The speedster exclaimed and Falcon rolled her eyes.
Robin merely chuckled and stepped towards the center console. He pressed a few keys and shortly after the pods slid open, metal prongs retracting and Falcon felt a sense of relief wash over her.
"I'll get Kid Mouth and Falcon, you get Aqualad," Robin turned towards Superboy.
The clone growled, "Don't you give me orders either!" Robin opened his mouth to reply, but Superboy jumped off, landing with a thud on the pod containing Aqualad.
Falcon muttered a thanks as Robin landed on her pod, quickly setting to work on unlocking the clasps. With a soft click, the clasps opened. Falcon landed on the ground with a thud, legs slightly wobbly as she rubbed her wrists. A few seconds later, Kid Flash landed beside her and she looked over.
Noticing Falcon's wobbly form, Kid Flash placed a hand on her shoulder, "You okay, beautiful?"
The blonde nodded, immediately regretting the decision as a wave of vertigo washed over her. A nauseous feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, the urge to throw up feeling greater. Running a shaky hand through her hair, Falcon swallowed the feeling down. There was no way in hell she was vomiting in front of Kid Flash… and the other guys.
Just as the feeling of nausea was going away, Falcon felt the breathe leave her lungs as Kid Flash swept her into his arms, "Sorry beautiful, but we have to go."
A cool breeze swept over Falcon's face- the girl had to admit it felt nice- as Kid Flash sped over to Robin, who had paused in the doorframe. The blonde was going to ask what Robin was doing, but she noted the birdarangs in his hands and held her tongue.
"You'll never get out of here- I'll have you all in pods by morning!" The scientist shouted after the teens.
"That guy is not whelmed, not whelmed at all," Robin commented, flicking his wrists and sending the birdarangs in his hands sailing. They landed with soft clangs on small tanks located beneath pods, each swirling with what looked like blood.
Kid Flash shook his head, following Robin- with Falcon in tow- out of the room, "What is with you and this whelmed thing?"
And then they were running- er, the boys were. Kid Flash still had Falcon scooped up in his arms. The girl wanted to protest, but she was also secretly glad to not have to run. Her limbs still felt like lead and running jostled the three jagged scratches etched across her stomach.
Aqualad spoke up from the front of the group, urgent voice drifting to the back, "We are still forty-two levels below ground, but if we can make it to the elevator-"
The floor shook beneath the group of heroes and Falcon looked up to see the huge mammoth creatures from before blocking their escape route. A glance behind revealed another set of genomorphs, these ones smaller and more agile, had trapped them from behind.
A small yelp escaped Falcon's lips as the group scattered, Kid Flash jostling her slightly as he weaved through the massive, mammoth-like legs. When they reached the other side of the creatures, who massive enough to the point they couldn't easily turn around in the cramped tunnel, Kid Flash set Falcon down, giving the girl a once over.
Tempted to wobble a bit- her legs still felt like lead- Falcon stood firm, sinking slightly into a more battle ready position as she watched Superboy turn, launching himself at the oversized genomorphs. The walls shook, small pieces of debris falling as Superboy's punch rocked the tight hallway.
"Holy crap," Falcon breathed out as Aqualad halted next to her, "He's going to cause a cave in."
Aqualad glanced at the girl, who was doing her best to ignore the stinging sensation in her side, before turning back to the clone, shouting, "Superboy. The goal is escape not to trap ourselves down here!"
Something seemed to snap in the clone as he heard those words. Wild blue eyes turned to glare at the other teens as Superboy bellowed, "You want escape?!" Without hesitation he whirled around, gripping a fallen mammoth creature by the leg before spinning around and letting it fly into the last encroaching mammoths.
"We're leaving!" Robin cried out, arm latching onto Falcon's own. The girl took the cue and began to run after the Boy Wonder, ignoring the aching of her limbs and joints. They make it to the elevator and Aqualad steps forward, prying the doors open. With the doors now open, Robin launches a grapple, giving no warning to Falcon as his arm curls around her waist, pulling the girl up with him.
Below them, Superboy grabbed Aqualad before leaping up the elevator shaft, Kid Flash on his heels racing up the side of the shaft. Robin ascended up the shaft, Falcon hanging onto the boy for dear life before, with a cry from Superboy, who had gotten above them, the two stopped.
"I-I'm falling."
Falcon's eyes widened before she felt Robin's grip on her slip. She had half a mind to yelp, but before she could make a sound, her feet came in contact with an edge on the metallic wall. The blonde shakily clung to the metallic walls of the shaft, pushing herself against it as hard as she could just as Robin landed on the edge next to her. In one fluid motion, the Boy Wonder had launched a single batarang, which lodged itself into the shaft's wall.
Aqualad's hand shot out, immediately latching onto the weapon as Superboy looked down into the bit dejectedly, "Superman can fly. Why can't I fly?"
A silence settled on the group until Kid Flash broke it with a half-hearted shrug, "Don't know, but it does look like you can leap tall buildings in a single bound!"
Falcon felt bad for the clone, but she didn't dare express it as she helped the clone onto the ledge. She did smile, however, when the clone offered her a small thanks and was that a smile she saw?
The small moment was interrupted however when Robin suddenly exclaimed, "This'll have to be out exit!"
The sound of elevator wheels squealing and an engine echoed in the shaft, causing Falcon to look up. Her eyes widened as she watched the elevator come speeding their way. Superboy and Aqualad set to work on the door, easily knocking it down with their combined strength. Not wasting a second, the group spills into the hallway, watching as the elevator speeds past.
Too close.
Not a second later Falcon feels her arm being tugged, Kid Flash having latched onto it. The two race down the hallway after the others, Kid Flash easily taking the lead after letting go of Falcon's arm.
The sound of snarls and growls filled the air behind the heroes, which caused Falcon to pick up her pace as the group quickly veered down a new hallway. The genomorphs were hot on their tails.
"Go left!" Superboy exclaimed. The group followed his directions without hesitation, immediately shooting down another hallway. After a few moments, the clone spoke again, "Go right!"
The hallway came to a sudden end, causing Falcon to skid to a halt next to Robin, who had immediately pulled up his holo-computer and began to fiddle with it. All she could make out on the thing was what looked to be a map. What good would a map do at this point in time? She didn't know.
"Great directions, Supey!" Kid Flash whirled on the clone, who was looking slightly on the confused side, "Are you trying to get us repodded!"
"Kid," Falcon stepped forward, a frown on her face as she placed a calming hand on the speedster's shoulder. Kid Flash calmed down slightly, glancing at the girl with soft eyes.
"I-I don't understand…" Superboy muttered to himself, looking lost and confused.
Robin smirked, lifting his gaze up from the computer and at the ventilation shaft, "Don't apologize! This is perfect!"
Falcon sighed, puffing her blonde bangs out, "I don't see what was so perfect about this," The blonde crumbled, voice echoing slightly in the ventilation shaft.
"I can see exactly what's so perfect about this," Kid Flash's voice floated forward, with a hint of coyness underlying his voice. It took Falcon a moment, but the girl realized what he was talking about. In their efforts to scramble into the ventilation shaft and away from the encroaching genomorphs, Falcon didn't pay any mind to what order they ended up in and apparently, Kid Flash had managed to get the spot right behind the girl. A blush immediately consumed Falcon's face at the realization that her ass was right smack dab in front of Kid Flash's face, "I have a perfect view."
The girl jutted her foot back in retaliation, smirking smugly at the not-so-manly yelp that escaped the speedster's lips. A few seconds later, a thud followed the yelp, alerting Falcon to the fact Kid Flash's arm had given out, causing the speedster to face plant directly into the metallic floor beneath.
"Would you two keep it down!" Robin hissed from the front. Falcon opened her mouth to protest, wanting to snap at the teen that it was Kid Flash making all the noise, when Superboy cut in.
"Ssh. Did you hear that?"
"Hear wha-" Falcon started, only to cut herself off as the sounds of claws scratching metal gets louder and louder.
In front, Robin curses before he picks up his pace. He crawls a few more feet, the rest of the group trailing behind, before crawling up to an opening. With a solid kick, the vent cover goes flying off and Falcon shimmies out after Robin.
Standing to the side, Falcon stretched her limbs, while simultaneously ignoring the lingering looks she could feel Kid Flash giving her. A hiss escaped her lips as she stretched her arms upwards, causing the three long scratches on her side to be stretched.
"You're hurt."
Falcon glanced up, a snide remark on the tip of her tongue until she realized it was just Superboy- who wasn't there during the whole "oh you're hurt" elevator fiasco. Though Falcon was slightly startled by the amount of concern that was swimming in the clone's blue eyes as he stared at the bandages- that were slightly bloodied and dirty- wrapped around her stomach.
"You could say that," She muttered with a shrug, "But it's not your fault." A small, sheepish smile settled on her lips as she noted the small gash on Superboy's cheek- the one her own knife caused, "Sorry about the uh…" She pointed to her own cheek while nodding her head his way.
Superboy lifted his hand up, gently touching the small cut, "Oh uhmm… it's okay."
"I hacked the motion sensors," Robin glanced up, a smug smirk settled on his face as he cut the duo's conversation short.
"Sweet," Kid Flash beamed. Falcon crossed her arms, nodding slightly. The kid had some pretty impressive hacking skills and she had to admit, they'd be lost without Robin.
"There's still plenty of space between us and out!"
Kid Flash smiled cheekily, sliding his goggle over his eyes, "That just means I have room to move!" Without another word, the speedster darted out the nearest door and up a flight of stairs. Falcon held back her sigh as she followed after Aqualad and Robin, Superboy taking up the rear.
The sound of pounding feet echoed in the stairwell. Soon the sound of claws scraping against metal and angry snarls joined the echo of pounding feet and Falcon subconsciously picked up her pace.
"There's more behind us!" Robin shouted, referring to the massive amount of genomorphs charging up the stairs as Falcon jumped over a stray limb from a genomorph Kid Flash had barreled into.
Falcon attempted to slow her pace, mind sort of set on helping to take down a few genomorphs. However, with one glance over her shoulder, Falcon watched as, with a mighty heave, Superboy kicked down the stairwell. He flashed the girl a blank stare when he turned around, coupling it with a motion for Falcon to keep running.
The two raced up the rest of the flights of stairs, exiting through a still swinging door. Falcon subconsciously winces as the first thing she sees is Kid Flash race head first into a closing heavy metal door.
"We are cut off from the streets," Aqualad notes and Falcon has to strain her ears to hear the Atlantean over the blaring of the alarms.
"Thanks," Kid Flash snorts, rubbing the back of his head, "My head hadn't noticed." Falcon chuckled slightly and while Aqualad and Superboy set to work on trying to pry the heavy doors open, she stepped over to the fallen speedster, offering him her gloved hand.
Kid Flash accepted the outstretched hand, smiling softly as Falcon helped him to his feet, "You alright, KF?" The girl questioned, cocking her head to the side.
"Never better, beautiful," The speedster retorted, soft smile shifting into a sly grin. Falcon chuckled, rolling her eyes. If the speedster was capable of flirting, then he was going to be more than fine.
"I can't hack this fast enough!" Robin growled, closing down his holo-computer in frustration. It was then that the sound of snarls and growls once again greeted Falcon's ears. She glanced to Superboy and Aqualad, who had made no progress on getting the door open. Acting quickly, Robin whirled around, kicking the nearest door open and motioning for everyone to follow after him.
The group rounded a corner, only to be greeted by Guardian and an army of genomorphs. Falcon whirled around, ready to sprint back the way they came only to freeze midstep. The smaller, yet just as deadly, genomorphs had cut the group off from behind, surrounding the young teens.
Falcon sunk into a battle stance, pulling out a few sharp knives. Beside her, Kid Flash and Superboy each took defensive stances with Robin and Aqualad each pulling out their respective weapons. Before any of them had a chance to attack, Falcon's stomach fluttered as she suddenly felt her legs give out, head going numb before darkness eventually greeted her for the second time that night.
A/N: I didn't want to end it where I did, but I felt ending it there was better than me not updating for like another three weeks with the full chapter. I've been distracted lately by school and deviantART. So yeah. There's my lame excuses.
I was going to go through and respond to reviews, but I'm feeling lazy right now and just really want to get this chapter published. I will say this though: Thank you all SO MUCH for your kind reviews! They mean a lot to me and I really appreciate each and everyone of them! c: I want to also thank all of you that favorite/followed as well! Your support also means a lot and I am blown away by the support I have gotten from you guys in just a few short chapters! ^^
Fun Fact: Falcon's hero name was originally going to be Cardinal. I changed it to Falcon because I really wanted her civilian name to be Felicity. Why did her civvie name matter? Because of the F's. Falcon/Felicity. I wanted to keep with the whole 'matching first letter initial with first letter of hero name' thing Hawk and Dove have going on. Y'know, Hawk/Hank and Don/Dove. So we have HH, DD, and FF.
Make sure to drop a review! I'll try my best to not have a two month gap between updates. The semester is winding down so that shouldn't be an issue! For those of you who care, I'll probably finish the Cadmus chapters- they'll be one more after this one- and then go back and update Strike or A Few Cards Short of A Deck.
Anyways, review! They make me happy! Also, make sure to drop a question for Felicity in the review! I'll use it at some point in time in a funfact! :D
~SnowWolf22