Please Enjoy and I only own Nalah, Curse, Gwen, and the Grimoire also anything in italics is either, a spell or in a different language.
A small warning ahead of time this chapter will be changing point of view between Nalah and Gwen.
Chapter 7: - Before the Dawn
I rushed through the barren wasteland in a desperate attempt to avoid my pursuer. Ducked behind a large rocked and slowed my breathing, so as to lower the chance of being found, my heart was racing with panic at being found by him.
I heard the heavy booming of his footsteps, as they nearer my position, I held my breath as I waited for something to happen, the footsteps went past me, I released a silent breath… only to open my eyes and come face-to-face with a blue plasma cannon.
*Young Justice*
Pacific Ocean
March 30th 18:28 HAST
My eyes snapped open as I whipped my head around, I was contained in some sort of capsule, my movements limited. Looking out of the glass in front of me I saw two beings.
One of them was a humanoid-shaped female alien with green skin. The sclera of her eyes were yellow, while her irises were a darker yellow. She was tall and slender. She wore a pointed shoulder, crimson sleeveless tunic. Starting from the back of her head and around her temples, she wore a beige cloth that coalesces with the tunic around the sternum.
Also she had a translucent yellow cloth piece that covered her mouth. The tunic was fastened with a belt that had a satchel hanging down over her upper right thigh. She also wore beige gloves with furled cuffs.
The other being was a large black version of Blue Beetle, I narrowed my eyes as they clicked at each other. I attempted to activate my magic but even though my inhibitor collar was off, my magic was still blocked. Looking out I spotted that Grimoire was in a jar near the centre of the room, I cursed under my breath at my bad luck.
'This is not my day, if it still is March 23rd. I just hope mother and father find me and the others, soon.' I thought… before intense shocking pain rushed through my entire being.
*Young Justice*
Star City
March 30th 21:57 PDT
I jumped down on to the top of a metal container quickly followed by Robin and Batgirl, all of us were dressed in civilian clothing. Robin much like his predecessor was wearing sunglasses, Bumblebee flew down and rested on Robin's shoudler as we stared across at the target.
Below us were a group of young children, who were scared from the expressions on their faces, the children were surrounded by a metal fence and Black Manta guards, including the ninja girl that had attacked the base with Aqualad.
"Ancient ones, conceal my face from my enemies," I chanted and my appearance changed, my hair became a dull red shade whilst my eyes turned green and freckles appeared on my cheeks. I looked over to see Bumblebee, Batgirl and Robin stared in shock.
"If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it," Bumblebee said, her voice laced with awe at my magic. I sighed and pointed down to the children below us.
"Can we focus?" I questioned the three and they quickly snapped back into their professional modes.
"Alright, get those pods open. We're on a schedule and Kaldur'ahm does not appreciate delays," The ninja girl ordered. She whipped her head around and as she turned to face our direction, we ducked further into the crates. Batgirl led us around to an area closer to the cage. After reaching it, we jumped down and landed in the centre of the cage, the children turned around to face us, fear coating their faces, they began to speak in whispered vocies, asking questions.
"Shush. We're here to help," Batgirl told them. However, this did not ease their fear.
"Why should we trust-," A blonde girl began to ask, only to be cut off by Bumblebee flying passed her and landed in Robin's jacket. "Ok, never mind," The girl stated, not finishing her question.
"One per pod. Move!" The ninja girl ordered. The henchmen began to drag the captured children to the pods, me and the other two did not like the others did. We needed to get into these pods so as to find, Gwen, Blue, Impulse, BB and Puffer Fish and who the Light's new partner was. I was forced into a pod that was behind the other three thus preventing me from seeing anything.
"Ok go! Boat 'em and float 'em!" I heard ninja girl order. The cart the pods were on began to move, to wherever this mysterious partner was. We eventually arrived after much travel, and the cart was pushed out into a strange ship.
'Alpha Squad, I'm heading into the alien ship. Are you aboard?' I heard M'gann's voice ring out in my head signifying the mental link was established.
'Affirmative. We're in some kind of docking bay, we have a visual on the new aliens aka the Krolotean's competitor, aka the Light's partner.' Batgirl informed the Martian. 'And we've got other company. It's Aqualad- if he sees us it's over.' Batgirl warned the group outside.
'Stay whelmed, he won't be looking for you. Just don't attract attention.' Nightwing ordered.
'Besides, thanks to my glamour spell, he won't recognise me so if he does spot you two, I'll be safe.' I reassured the female bat. The cart began to move again and we were pushed down hallways until being pushed into a room with other pods.
'I've found, Gar, Bart and Gwen. They're unconscious but alive no sign of Jamie or La'gaan.' M'gann told us. I sighed with relief at Gwen's location being known. Of them all I had been especially worried about my sister sorceress.
'We've got eyes on Lagoon Boy and… Shimmer!' Batgirl exclaimed. I noticed that the girl from Bialya was indeed present. 'Plus four civilains and all the teens we came with.' Batgirl added on to her previous statement.
'We're undersupervised but Blue is still unaccounted for. Any escape attmept could trigger an alarm, do we wait?' I questioned Nightwing.
'Negative Alpha. Make your move, before you need rescuing too. You as well Miss M, get our boys and girl' Nightwing adviced. Putting my hands forward I sent out silver blasts which shorted out my contaiment pod, stepping out I shorted out Batgirl's and Robin's and all of us along with Bumblebee began to freed the kids. I shook awake a pale girl with different coloured eyes, who looked up, fear gracing her face.
"It's alright, we're here to help," I comforted the girl. However, she looked at me and spoke in a tongue I didn't know. Grimoire floated over and translated the girl's sentence. "Grimoire, tell her we're here to help her out of here," I told Grimorie who quickly relayed the message.
"Nalah," I told the girl gesturing to myself as I helped the girl to stand.
"Asami," The girl replied. I smiled at her before Batgirl told us to get moving, all of us began to guide the chidlren out of their prison. We arrived at the docking bay just in time to hear that Superboy had secured it.
'Nice timing, handsome.' Bumblebee commented as we arrived, with the chidlren in front of me and behind her. Batgirl and Robin had remained to take care of the guards that were coming after us
'Docking now.' Nightwing infromed us. The glass infront of the tube out of the bay lowered to reveal Wonder Girl who ordered everyone to move; they quickly began to rush onto the bio-Ship.
The last of the kidnappees were boarding the ship when Batgirl and Robin arrived, Superboy attmepted to contact M'gann, but there was no answer.
"The link's down I'm going in," Superboy told us. We only got through the door before he was tossed back, he slammed into the ground having moved to fast for me to stop. The person who attacked him stepped into the light, only to reveal a tall, black version of Blue.
"Apologies, meat. But no one goes anywhere," the Black Beetle said, even though he did sound sorry at all, as he touched the edge of the entrance… and closed off our escape routes. This left myself, Bumblebee, Batgirl, Robin, Lagoon Boy and Wonder Girl to defend a male abductee and Shimmer who were trapped with us.
"Listen uh… Black Beetle, you're totally outnumbered, open those doors now and we'll go easy on you," Wodner Girl demanded. But Black Beetle didn't appear intimidated, I wasn't surprised- we weren't exactly an intimidating sight.
"You will go easy on me?" Black Beetle asked before laughing.
"Oh, that is not a good sign," Bumblebee said.
"Triple goddess protect us," I prayed, knowing we were going to need it.
*Young Justice*
I felt my body fall forward, but somehow the fall was soft and light, I pried my eyes open, the pain of the tests those damned aliens did on me still coursed through my body. Looking up I saw M'gann, Beast Boy and Impusle around me.
I heard M'gann and Beast Boy psychically talking, I headed over to Impusle and shook him, he sat up and looked at me.
"Reach ,we've got to find Blue before he's moded," I told him. He nodded and swiftly ran out the room. I headed over to the centre and smashed the glass holding Grimoire before placing her in a hidden pocket on my dress, before following Impusle out the room.
Despite the fact he was running at a speed faster than I could see, I could still 'see' him thanks to the mana trail that he left behind. I followed his trail jumping over the guards and knocking them out before coming to a door he had entered but not left. I charged up a plasma bolt and threw it threw at the door smashing it to pieces, I stepped in, only to see that Jamie was being tortured and that the Reach female from before was on the floor, courtesy of Impusle.
I rushed over to Jamie and telekinetically smashed the machines that were hurting him, I opened the machine and the boy fell into my arms. I lowered him to the ground and scanned the scarab before sighing in relief.
"Well? Is he ok, is he on mode, is the future doomed for-?" Impusle began to rapidly question me before I held up my hand.
"In that order, Yes, No and I don't know. Anything else you want to ask?" I answered, before pinning the speedster with a look, he fell silent and began to help me pick up Jamie.
*Young Justice*
We engaged Black Beetle in combat but none of us were having any luck, even Superboy who had recovered from his fall. Well, I was having luck it appeared that the Beetle armour was vulnerable to magic, when I managed to damage it the others would hit that area, but that hardly gave us the advantage, Black Beetle was like a one-man army.
All of the martial combatants were thrown back, Superboy stumbled but charged forward only to be punched to the floor. Wonder girl flipped over and kicked him in the chest before going to punch him, but he grabbed it and punched her back toward Superboy.
Bumblebee launched stinger attacks which didn't do anything, she was then shot down by a sonic attack. The bats threw explosive disks at him which were backed by my pryokinesis, Lagoon boy then slammed his fists onto his back before he was attached to the armour and electrocuted before being attacked by a sonic blast.
'We could use a plan of some sort.' I told the bats. They both nodded before taking out tasers and attempted to electrocute him but he simply launched staples at us causing us to dodge, however Robin was captured.
'That's it!' I exclaimed and activated my transformation and then I summoned Curse's weapon. It was a sleek black blade with a silver hilt 'Curse I'm going to need everything.' I infromed my other side.
'Everything!' Curse exclaimed in shock at my request.
'Everything.' I confirmed, before collasping the mental barriers I had put up. I felt Curse power flood through me, unlike previous transformations when it was a slow leek of power- this was a barrage of it.
'This must be serious for you to risk a battle of control. Very well then together, my other half.' Curse chuckled darkly and I felt her sadistic personality bleeding into my own. The glamour faded away to reveal my transformed visage
My outfit shifted and changed in a knee-length dark grey medieval style dress whislt the leggings disappeared, the boots shorted to rest around my ankles, the cloak remained the same.
"If it is magic you fear, maigc you shall face," I declared to the Beetle. Everyone looked at me confused. I used the wind to propel myself up before speeding down towards him, I coated my leg in metal and slammed it into him. He was surprised and stumbled back.
I breathed deeply attempting to control the sadistic thrill Curse was getting so as to not end up harming my friend. The boy who had been trapped picked up a gun but Shimmer knocked him down, Batgirl engaged shimmer so as to keep him distracted.
'Everyone, I'm going to mix my magics together. If you see an opening- strike.' I told Superboy and Wonder Girl who were getting up. I charged a mana bolt which was a dark grey before throwing it at Black Beetle. He blocked his chest but it still blasted through the armour on his arm.
He roared in pain and gripped his arm before pointing the sonic cannon at me, however Superboy and Wonder Girl tackled him to the ground. We continued fighting the Beetle until I felt the mental link be established.
'What's going on in there?' I heard Beast Boy exclaim.
'Don't know. I'm cut off aboard the Bio-Ship.' Nightwing's voice rang out.
'We're fighting Black Beetle and Shimmer. Lagoon Boy, Robin and Bumblebee are already down and – Conner look out!' Cassie excalimed as Conner was kncoked down. I unleahsed a blast of mana infused lighting at the monster, it sent him back but he charged up a sonic attack, I raised my barrier but it still forced me backward .
'Superboy's down. It's just me, Batgirl and Silver now.' Cassie finished her statement. 'Silver is managing to damage him, but not much and it seems to be quickly wearing her out.' Cassie informed everyone. I sucked in deep breaths- this was harder than I thought it would be.
I saw Black slam Cassie into the blocked door that lead further into the ship, when M'gann came through it. Black touched the door and suddenly M'gann collapsed.
"What did you do to her?!" Cassie cried out, anger laced her voice. I glared at the beast and charged up a mana bolt before it spluttered and faded, I ground my teeth in annoyance.
"Shifted the density of the door. Wasn't quite prepared for that, was she? But don't be jealous, I can put you halfway through the door to, halfway the hard way," Black stated, before he resumed slamming her into the wall.
'We need help. I'm running out of strength, Cassie's being tortured, M'gann's down and Batgirl can't hold her own against him. Impusle, Blue, Priestess get here now.' I cried out hoping the link was established to them as well.
*Young Justice*
I peeked out from my hiding place and looked down into the canyon, humans, those that had been captured, were slaving away. They carried items or rummaged through junk to try and made new technology.
My eyes trained on a young boy of thirteen. He was a Caucasian teenager with a slim physical build, brown hair and green eyes. He wore a gray shirt with a green jacket over it, black gloves, blue pants and black shoes, an inhibitor collar was secured around his neck. He had collasped to his knees as he breathed heavily but his brief rest was interuppted when the monster who dominated us stepped before him.
"On your feet, slave," The beast demanded and fired a sonic attack on the young boy. I ground my teeth before taking out my tonfa and I jumped down and slammed the beast with a magic attack which severly damaged his armour.
Blue Beetle whirled around and scowled at me and so we began our 38th fight.
*Young Justice
"That's how it was… I mean how it will be. Somehow the Reach get you on mode and Blue Beetle becomes the biggest, baddest, big bad in history," I was knocked out of my memories by Bart's voice. We were carrying Jamie who had woken up but he was still weak.
"No, I wouldn't, I'd never…," Jamie protested and trailed off. I sneered at the fact I was helping the very being I hated the most.
"Well, believe it. I'm the only one strong enough to stop you. And that is only because my mother and father gave their lives to keep me out of a collar," I snapped. Both boys looked at me shocked.
"Stopping you is the reason, well the main reason me and Gwen came back, to stop you from betryaing the human race and bringing on the Reach apocalypse," Impulse finished his explaination. I felt a mental message rush into my mind, I snapped my head to the boys.
"Blue, armour up, Silver needs help- she's fighting Black Beetle," I told the other two. Blue blinked in shock before his armour covered him, and we rushed off. A huge amount of mana was washing over this place and I identified it as Silver's thus I guided the otherto a closed door, with Beast Boy in front of it and M'gann through it.
"Crap, he must have shifted the density and trapped her. Blue, touch the door and will it to open. You're the only one who can get us in there," I told him. He was still stunned from what we revealed to him, but was able to comply and opened the door and M'gann fell down… the sight on the other side was shocking.
M'gann and Cassie were unconscious before us, Superboy, Bumblebee, Lagoon Boy and Robin were shattered about the room unconscious, Batgirl and Silver were still standing, but it looked like Silver might collapse any minute and there was an abductee trapped with us as well, the enemy was standing in the middle of the room.
Beast Boy and Impusle immediately bent down to the two heroines close to us, whilst Blue opened the other door and sent the boy into the Bio-Ship. Black turned to us and Blue walked around the perimeter of the room until he was directly in front of Black.
"Little Brother, one way or another I'm putting you back on mode. You are of the Reach and cannot escape it," Black stated to Blue. I ground my teeth, fury rising within for some strange reason, and I fired a blast of mana at him, not expecting it Black stumbled back.
"You stay away from him!" I ordered. Black turned to look at me.
"You meat are starting to annoy me," Black stated as he fired a plasma attack at me. I smirked and stopped the attack in midair and sent it back to him.
"I'm a plasmakinetic- that ain't going to work," I told the Reach enforcer who scowled at that fact. Suddenly there was shift in the air and even Black sensed it, we glanced over and saw that Blue's legs by his shoulders had extended and his eyes were gone, he activated a sonic cannon and a plasma cannon. Black turned to face him and activated dual blades before the two Beetles charged at each other.
"Batgirl, go inform Nightwing of what is happening," I tod the girl who nodded and grabbed a hold of Bumblebee and took off. Using the distraction that Blue had created, I rushed over to Nalah, whilst everyone else began to slowly drag the others out.
"Nalah, you've got to stop what you're doing, otherwise you'll burn yourself out," I told the elder sorceress. She weakly nodded and soon her appearance changed, her hair turned all black and her eyes became blue, her outfit returned to normal and the black blade turned into her white staff.
I hauled her arm around my shoulders and picked up the staff before taking off to the ship. Nightwing looked up and took a hold of Nalah immediaetly, he settled her down into a chair where she almost fell off if not for a pale, dual eye colured girl grabbing her shoulder.
I went back out and picked up Robin and then returned to the ship, suddenly water began to flood into the ship. Batgirl told Nightwing to get out of there, I turned back and was about to go back until a boy grabbed my wrist stopping me.
"You'll die if you go out there," He told me. He was a teenage boy with long black hair and blue eyes. His attire consists of an orange headband on his head, tags around his neck, black pants and red sneakers. He also wore an orange jumper covered by a brown hooded shirt, an orange hankerchief around his right leg and a black wristband around his left wrist with metal studs on it.
"I'm not that weak and I refuse to abandon Blue to the Reach," I argued. But before I could move the Bio-ship took off, I was shaken and fell into the boy who managed to stop me by grabbing my shoulders. I pulled back a light blush coating my cheeks.
Lagoon Boy was sent out and managed to hold on to the ship with a tether. He managed to get Blue and was brought back in. I rushed over and helped Blue sit up along with Impulse. A little while later Blue woke up and his armour melted away, luckily everyone who wasn't a hero was in another room at the time along with the injured heroes getting checked over
"It's me, it's me!" Jamie exclaimed. I sighed thinking that Impusle shouldn't have told him the truth.
"We know," I comforted the boy. He looked at me shocked and I smiled gently at him. Blue Beetle to me was a monster but Jamie was an inncoent kind-hearted boy maybe, I could be kind to him… a little.
"Mission accomplished everyone. Care to take the controls, Miss M?" Nightwing asked. I looked over to the Martian who was distant ever since boarding, as if something terrible was plaguing her thoughts.
"I think she's still basking in the glow of victory. She totally nailed Aqualad, you should've seen it, well actually it didn't look like much but I'm sure it was very cool inside their heads," Beast Boy exclaimed. Something about this troubled me, if she had gotten back at Aqualad for killing Artemis… then why wasn't she happy… it was as confusing as the bluff Aqualad had used.
