Sometimes I allowed my thoughts, unchecked by reason, to ramble in the fields of Paradise, and dared to fancy amiable and lovely creatures sympathizing with my feelings and cheering my gloom; their angelic countenances breathed smiles of consolation
-Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

DOCTOR SERLING ROQUETTE, as explained by Robin and Red Arrow, is the nanorobotic genius and claytronic expert of Star Cities Royal University. Everyone else was currently going over tactics and briefings over just what 'The Fog' was, Ted was listening in through the com-link in her left ear as she used her right ear to listen to the same thing from Red Arrow or 'Roy' as Green Arrow had named him. In the safety of her med-lab, Ted had been ordered by Batman to take care of the wounds from Red Arrows most recent mission.

"...Ted Hallo, right?"

"Yes I am. I believe you go by Red Arrow now?"

The cut on his shoulder was deeper than Ted had anticipated, and there was some metal and rocks imbedded inside but nothing to big to need surgery. Ted had already numbed his arm as she worked a pair of tongs in the wound. The sight of blood and the smell of iron did not bother her.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

She had learned that Bart would talk a lot whenever she worked on him, not intentionally meaning to annoy her but something he did out of a nervous habit as it was explained by Voice. Ted curled her lips and relaxed her shoulders, trying to give the atmosphere a calmer and more welcoming air to ease Red Arrow. Even under her white gloves, she could feel how tense he was, maybe the adrenaline hasn't been diluted yet in his system, or maybe he was still worked up from the newcomer Artemis.

"Green Arrow had told me you give information to the Justice League."

"I do." Ted replied gently, she stood on her feet while Red Arrow was sitting on one of the beds, she wished he would take off the domino mask so she would read his body language better, "I give them the information of their health and general well-beings. I have no part in mission reports as Kal-uh, Aqualad takes care of that. Batman comes to pick them up himself sometimes, Red Tornado delivers them most of the time. Why?"

He turned to her direction, the tongs in his shoulders finally gotten grip onto the rock-piece and Ted dropped said rock into the tin bowel to her right.

For a moment, everything about him seemed to finally relax.

"...the League... owns you... don't they?"

Tilting up her head, she felt all thought simply stop. "..." Ted opened her mouth to oppose his broken statement, but it seemed that nothing could come out. "You're here only because they said you could be. I know, you're the only one here with a contract of all things."

Ted sighed, how much more does he know? Voice asked in her head, and Ted could only hope to ignore her for the time being. Taking a cotton pad to soak up blood and water.

"My contract allows me to stay here, I don't deny that." she reached into a kit with hooked sterile needles and medical thread. "In order to remain as the active Young Justice Chief Medical Officer, I am required to fill out updates on the conditions of each member and report them to the Justice League as they see fit. I give them information of any injury no matter how small in case of something happens in the future, there are records of past injury to look back on."

"The League owns you."

"No they don't." Ted snapped, "They allow me to stay here."

"They own you. The only reason you're here is because they allow you to?"

"And what of it?" she asked him. "They allow the others in Young Justice, and you're offered a place here as well if you so chose to be. How is it they own me and not the others?"

She knows the League owns her. They had saved her from the Home Base, saved her from living away and wasting what talent she had in a lonely hole in the ground with a mad man. Hearing it from another person only cemented it.

"They don't let you live."

It was no doubt a bold statement, and now he was looking directly at her as she threaded the needle through his skin.

"That's how its different from the others. The others can leave. From your...contract," he spoke it like it was a dirty thing, "You have to stay here. From what I can gather, the League wants to know where you are, at all times. Face it, you're an item to them. You think this is a life? It looks more like a cage from my point of view."

Life. Any normal person could have agreed with him, but Ted was inclined to believe that what she had with Young Justice was also a life. What did he mean? Another loop, the cut on his shoulder was maybe three inches long, and thankfully not very deep. What went into a life? She breathed, ate, slept, and did everything else that the others did and she kept within the bounds of her contract to remain with them. She did what she wanted to do, how was she not living her own life? It did not matter to her on what she was doing, as long as she remained whole and out of the real cage, away from Home Base, this is her life. How was she not living it? Her brow came together in confusion to his bold statement.

Red Arrow must have seen her expression, how could he not?

"... so it is true." he sighed and he leaned in.

She turned her attention back to his arm, another stitch and it was done. Tying it off and cutting off the excess, she quickly dabbed it with cotton balls to soak anything left. Her cheeks felt like they were burning, but Ted could not pinpoint why. She felt embarrassed, she felt jittery and antsy and her stomach seemed to flutter for a lack of a better description. Swallowing a lump she didn't know she had, she turned away to grasp a lone roll of wrapping. What was it? Shame? Remorse? Whatever it was, she did not understand it.

She didn't like it.

Turning back, she felt every muscle lock.

She could feel his breath across her lips and cheeks. He was not smiling, and the domino masked made it impossible for Ted to know where he was looking. His forehead bumped hers gently, and his uninjured arm lifted up and a large hand was on the back of her neck. It wasn't threatening, and his shoulders were relaxed and his face was giving signs that said 'shame' but what was there for him to be ashamed about? Noses bumped, and Ted's grip on the wrap loosened in her shaking hand and it fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Muscles in his face came together in a fashion she was not familiar with, far to relaxed to be shame, and too soft to be disappointment.

"Do you know what real freedom is?"

Being out of the Home Base, she wanted to answer, but her throat seemed to want to be drawn inward rather than out. Everything inside felt energized, too much to be deemed comfortable but with so much she could not find the strength to move. What did he mean? She couldn't look away from the white of the mask, she could just see his eyes, and everything she saw frightened her.

Ted did not know what was going on in his head, and everything inside her own was buzzing and fuzzy and fluttering that she could not put together a proper response.

He leaned back, and Ted let loose a shaky breath and turned away. "-Y-you're fine." she said looking everywhere but him. Another wrap was in order, she finally thought, and fished out another roll from the cabinet, "You can remove the stitches in three to four weeks." she needed to regain her head. "Keep it wrapped up if you're going to continue with missions. Go see someone if they don't hold up or if it starts bleeding to much." She didn't want to say come see me if his stitches did indeed break.

She rolled his arm faster then she could remember, fastening it with hooked clips, she pulled her hands away as if it burned.

His expression did not change.

At the door, she had her back to him. "I don't have to report anything to the League since you're not a member of Young Justice. Don't speak of anything that happened just now. To anyone." He might know to much as it is! Voice claimed, and that was the very reason Ted did not want him talking to anyone about this. Too intimate. Too much. Dangerous. Voice hissed.

A shadow was behind her and Ted could hear the soles of his shoes against her once clean floor. His arms wrapped around her shoulders -Dangerous!- and everything seized violently inside.

"What are you doing?" She whipped around and forced him away with a well placed knuckle to a lower rib. Her muscles suddenly felt far to taunt to use properly, she could smell a strange odor she doesn't recognize and the sensation of something she doesn't like. She stepped away, in the threshold of her office. Red Arrow was a meter from her person. The unfamiliar look was still directed at her, but now the lines were deeper, and Ted felt something she hadn't before. Anger? Frustration? Some poisonous mix of the two and it was threading through her limbs and everything inside was telling her fight back to the unknown source.

"I trust you can let yourself out." she turned away from him, wanting to get out. "I have a mission to carry out and I'm sure you have somewhere to be."

Ted knew it was rude of her. Ted knew that she blew it and there was absolutely no feeling of the aster and everything all at once wanted to move. Something. Anything. Anything. Stepping down the hallway, she tried to relax when she was greeted with Kaldur and Bart, whom was now in uniform and the half-lidded eyes of the new member of the team.

His face never changed from that dreaded expression.

HAPPY HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL had not yet been opened to the local youth and Ted minded that they should not damage it like the high school in Gotham. Ted was leaning against the table where the blond haired woman was typing away furiously at the virus program meant for The Fog. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she absently watched the computer screen blip lights and sounds that their own computer would. In the same room was Robin, Artemis, Kid Flash, and Kaldur. Megan and Superboy were taking first watch as patrol. Kid Flash was eating something, and Ted couldn't be bothered with what, she was bothered with something else.

We need to watch out for Red Arrow. Voice spoke up gently, He is dangerous. Stay away from him.

He's only trying to help me. Ted defended him, try as she might to dislike him, she could not.

Don't bother yourself with what he said. Voice soothed, a coolness came over her head like a wave, Ignore it. Cast it. It is nothing.

It is not 'nothing'. It bothers me to an extent I didn't know possible! Please Voice! Go back to sleep or 'whatever' it is you do in my head!

Voice went silent once again. Ted whispered hope to herself, not wanting for Voice to start hating her if she doesn't already.

What bothered her was the sensation that Red Arrow had caused.

The smell of something dirty in the air and something felt like crawling and pulling every where in her being. The smell of wet dirt, the smell of something rotten and another tangy smell she could not place. A liking to fear, but something worse and she was afraid to venture any further into that unknown territory within. Why was it that only Red Arrow caused it? By a simple hug? Ted had seen him coming, and she had been held by the other members of the team before, so what was different with him?

Ted was brought out of her thoughts when Kaldur took a hand to his com-link. "Miss Martian. Link everyone up. I do not want the Shadows intercepting our com."

In her head, she was very aware of a phantom pressure. Artemis, having never felt her mental link up before, must have felt a great deal more since she had put a hand to her head and started looking at herself as if she had been suddenly injured.

'Uh! This is weird...' Artemis' blinked hard.

'And distracting.' the doctor Serling spoke, or rather thought, for the first time in Ted's presence, and she had not sounded pleased, 'As if coding a distributed algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with less ram than a wrist watch is hard enough. Now I have to hear teenagers think in my skull!'

Ted could feel a migraine coming on.

'Lady do you always get this upset when people try to help you?' Bart ate another bite of whatever it was he was eating. Kaldur watched absently

'Pot. Kettle.' Artemis gestured Kid Flash, than Serling, it did not help the throbbing in her head, 'Have you met?'

Ted tried in vain to rub her temple, she could feel her blood pressure rising and something else she couldn't place.

'Hey!' Bart voice was harsh and a flash of pain bolted in her head, 'I do not need attitude from the newbie that drew Red Arrow off the team!'

'That is so not on me!'

Ted had enough of the yelling.

"Enough!" she verbally barked, her eyes felt heavy as she narrowed her gaze on Kid Flash and Artemis. She missed the jump on Kaldur and Robins part. She did however see the sudden movement she associated with surprise. "I am in no mood for this." she hissed, the tension in her chest felt like it was unwinding and it felt good.

'Continue to work on the virus Doctor.' she addressed her in the same fashion she would address Hallo, 'Artemis and I will go patrol with Miss Martian and Superboy.'

'She started it!'

"I don't care who started it!" she snapped at him, "I'll finish it!" Everything felt far too tense.

'Fine.' Artemis said.

Ted ignored the strange look from Kaldur, opting to hold the door open for Artemis. '...Good idea.' Kaldur said to them all.

'… I like that Medic.' Serling continued to work on the virus as they walked through the entrance.

Going up the stair-well had not been pleasant either, drawing out both her pistols, Ted had needed to forcibly request Artemis and Kid Flash to not respond to each other unless the situation deemed it necessary.

On the rooftops, Superboy had heard everything. The strange tone that Ted normally did not talk in but he had never seen or heard Ted angry and therefore was concerned on the cause of it. Stepping around the pavement near the fencing that marked the boarder of the school property, his nose had caught wind of the scent of apples and old paper that was their Medic. Another quick glance around, he could see nothing or hear nothing that was decided dangerous. Taking a bounding leap, he made bee-line for the origin of the scent.

'You two shouldn't get on her bad side.' Robin lightly suggested, 'If she thinks you're a danger to the health and safety to the team, she has the authority to remove you from missions.'

'Seriously?' Artemis chortled like Robin had said a joke, but this seemed to have been something new to the team. 'You're serious?' Bart questioned. Robins' silence had cemented it to fact. 'When did that happen? I don't remember a meeting about that?'

'Since she's been CMO.'

Taking another leap over an air duct, then over a series of windows, he landed before the Medic and the archer Artemis. Superboy peered over the area, senses alert and form ready to jump if need be. However, he could not smell anything over the foreign scents that had nearly taken over the pleasant smell of apples.

Artemis on the other hand, gave the Medic a once-over. Slim build, built as if she had been running track. Hands encased in a thick layer of cloth and metal. Lips set in a way that clearly said 'Annoyed'. When she met those eyes, greener than any leaf and sharper than any of her arrows, Artemis deemed that the team Medic was also sizing her up as well. Her stance, her shoulders were straight and each hand held a pistol with finger-ready triggers, held firm as the two clashes with their eyes.

Artemis was not one to give up.

However, when Artemis gave a little smirk, one that would normally unnerve the other, Medic did not yield. A cold wave came over her head.

Artemis did not move from her spot, and the eyes of the Medic seemed damned near frightening now. Locked on her, Artemis wondered if the Medic was looking more at her neck rather than her eyes. There was an almost silent 'click' in the air when Medic's wrists flicked. Artemis knew that was the sound of a safety-lock being undone. The Medic, narrowed her gaze by a fraction, and a cold shiver ran down the archers back. It was how the light hit the green eyes of the Medic and how her shoulders remained taunt and her whole body and eyes said 'Natural Born Killer' and Artemis wondered if challenging Medic would be wise.

The Medic was clearly in no mood.

Artemis was the first to look away and Megan let out a relieved breath as Medic turned her back to them and started walking away. Superboy had fallowed a moment later.

'Do you have to challenge everyone?'

Ted ignored them for the time being, instead she concentrated on trying to slow her pulse, worried that maybe her med's didn't work if her blood pressure rose. Keeping herself alert was hard now, everything felt super-sensitized and the hyper-awareness she suddenly had was overall uncomfortable. 'Where I come from, that's how you survive.'
Megan sighed and shook her head lightly, but the new information about the nature of their Medic was somewhat distressing. Normally, when Megan was with Ted or when Ted was in the area, the green eyed girl was looking over yet another stack of papers or a book or something on a touch-pad. Very rarely did anyone see Ted not working. Watching Ted have a stare down with Artemis was frightening. Those green eyes hardened in such a manner she didn't associate with the Medic. The eyes of a killer. The dilation of the pupils, and Megan could hear how Ted's heart rate would rise just a bit, and it was the stance that she took that distressed Megan. The manner had spoke 'I have done this before. I will do this again' and Megan did not want to be that sort of fight.

Not to mention the strange temper Ted was emitting now. She had never seen her angry.

Megan could feel something inside, from the mental connection, that something inside Ted was eating her alive. From the moment she made the connection, Megan felt something else inside her, a little tickle that she had never before experienced when making a mental bridge even with so many people. Ted hadn't been to the mission briefing, as she was ordered by Batman to fix up Red Arrow. So logically, by Megans deduction, whatever happened with Red Arrow was eating Ted. However, something told Megan that wasn't the tickle she was feeling.
Perhaps she needed more training with her uncle.

Megan thought more to herself. She knew what a single mind felt like, simply put as a caress of a feather gliding along another feather. A gentle wave and minds where linked and she would feel something like feathers on her own mind. But connected to Ted, was far different from the others. Difficult to place into words, Megan could only say that it was a 'tighter' feeling. She felt as if something inside Ted was refusing the mental bridge, but Ted had already accepted it and would speak through it. Perhaps the tight feeling was that of Ted refusing it to think in private.
Perhaps it was something else.
But for now, Megan would not question it too much.

Ted and Superboy took a walk around the building before Ted made her departure at the entrance. Stepping away from the Doctor had not been her intention before the mission began but to be sure her two teammates didn't push each others buttons, and her own, she felt tired and frustrated by just having the walk them out.
As strange for someone like herself to use the term, she felt like she had to treat them like children. Walking silently through the hall, she felt something inside, something familiar give her a little tickle. Like static, a vision before her had no sound, but the picture was fuzzy and Ted hoped to herself that it would go away soon.

The scene was not one she was familiar with, but there was a sensation of relief and a cold satisfaction filled her being and she gripped her pistols tighter and walking through the red coated man. The brick wall was not real. Ted reminded herself, now was not the time to be lost within a memory.

Now was a time for action.

Everything around her wrapped and slowly reality came back. Instantly, her mindset switched from angry and irritated, to confused and aware.

Why had she been angry before? Ted asked herself, wished Voice could speak to her but not with Megans mind-bridging still in effect. She knows its simply in Bart's nature to be quick witted if not somewhat stupid but always had good intentions.

Hey everyone! Soft Requiem is back from the dead! Just letting a part of what was going to be chapter 7 but I said 'these poor guys' and here it is! I am currently working on the the action scenes (as I admit my horrid skills in that field) but no worries more is coming! Now since the Young Justice Season 1 is complete hopefully I can update at least once a month. Longer than is. WAY LONGER. Like... twenty pages at least.