Afterlight


Chapter Nine

"Maybe that's what we do to the people we love: take shots in the dark and realize too late that we've wounded the people we are trying to protect."

― Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care


Nightwing held out the necklace despite everyone's confusion. Wally raised an eyebrow, "Uh, dude, what does a necklace have to do with Kyara?"

Anxiety made my stomach roll as he explained, "On our last mission, we retrieved a captured scientist from Lex Luthor. Oblivion was guarding him. The Team and I fought her and she seemed to be knocked out at one point. It turns out that she was attempting to get me alone."

Nightwing smiled ruefully, "She succeeded by making a wall of light around us."

"A wall of light? She couldn't do that before…" Wally trailed off and gestured vaguely.

"Her powers have grown under the League of Assassins," Nightwing observed, "Oblivion told me about the star necklace hidden in her old room at Wayne Manor. This necklace was a gift from Zatanna. It contains a recording device that can record an hour of footage on it."

"She recorded something on it," Artemis gasped, "What's on it?"

"I think it'd be better if you just watched it," Nightwing held the star pendant in his palm and pressed the play button.

A holographic video of my head and torso was projected into the air. My voice echoed out of it, "My name is Kyara Wayne, formerly known as Astra. I am the daughter of Bruce Wayne, also known as Batman. Today is October 26, 2011. It is five in the morning here in Gotham City."

"October 26, 2011?" Wally burst out, "That was the day she betrayed us!"

"Shh," Artemis shushed them as the holographic girl continued to speak.

"This recording is my goodbye letter, my final words, my will and testament as Kyara," I paused, "Because I have made a deal with the devil himself, Ra's al Ghul."

I closed my eyes as the memory overwhelmed me.


"If you are watching this, then two things might have happened. One, you found my hiding spot. If so, stop watching. Two, I told you where it was. In that case, listen carefully," I ordered.

I stopped to collect my thoughts, "At the end of October 2010, I was kidnapped by the League of Assassins. My mother later died of the injuries received in the kidnapping. I managed to escape three months later, although it was not without a cost."

"I can't sleep, and when I do, I have nightmares. Half the time, I feel like I'm about to shatter into a million pieces. I can barely breathe without feeling like a knife is inside of me, cutting away at my soul," I wiped away a tear, "All of you tried to help, but that's not how it works. You can't just fix someone like me, you can't. I know you tried, and thank you for that."

"None of that matters anymore," I shuddered slightly, "Because of what I've done. When I was in the car crash and kidnapped afterwards, I met the League of Assassins. They delivered an ultimatum: join or watch everyone I love die. I didn't want to believe them, so I ignored the threat."

"A few days after the deadline to join, my grandmother's friend and nineteen others were killed in an explosion. Later that night, I received a phone call from the League of Assassins that explained that this was the start of their threat. They were going to target my friends and family," I ran a hand through my hair, "I couldn't allow that to happen."

"I made a deal," I stated, "None of my family, friends, or anyone on the Team will get hurt. My death won't be faked either. In return, I will join the League of Assassins and become their soldier and assassin. I am awaiting their call to betray you all, and I am so sorry for any harm that I will bring to you."

"I've given up fighting them. Once upon a time, I thought I could escape them someway, but I was wrong. You can't escape Ra's al Ghul or your destiny, and I'm being chased by both," I looked at the camera, "After I betray you, Kyara will be dead. I can't allow myself to feel anything anymore unless I end up breaking the deal. I can't afford to do that."

"Kyara, are you up yet?" Dick shouted through the door.

I leaned back, "Give me a minute. I'm getting dressed."

"It's time," I whispered, "I'm sorry for everything I will do. Please, understand that I was trying to protect you guys. You're my friends and family. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I hope that all of you will be happy without me. This is the only way I can stop them."

"I'm ready to do this," I reached for the off button, "I'm ready to die."


"Is that it?" I blinked back to the real world at Kaldur's voice. All emotion had vanished from Kaldur's face, leaving me wondering what he was thinking.

"Yes," Nightwing confirmed, "I've reviewed it a thousand times. This isn't fake."

"She sacrificed herself," Wally seemed to be shocked as he stared at the space where the video had appeared.

"For us," Artemis grabbed Wally's hand. In response, he pulled her to him with a quivering hand.

"But does this change anything?" Wally asked. I realized I was shaking and struggled to calm myself.

"It sounded like she gave up. How can we be sure that Oblivion is still Kyara?" Wally pointed out, "Look at what she's done as Oblivion."

"Wally has a point," Kaldur acknowledged, "But I believe that she is still my – our Kyara. Everything she has done, from sparing the lives of the Team to attempting to convince me to leave the Light points towards Kyara."

"We can't be sure though," Nightwing decided, "Which is why you can't say anything to her when you see her again. She could expose both of you."

"But if the League of Assassins or the Light becomes suspicious of her, they could kill her," Kaldur argued, "The League of Assassins has already broken her once."

"If we take down the Light, we can extract her," Artemis decided. There was no way I would let them go into danger to retrieve me.

I scooted backwards and jumped to the floor, landing silently. I crept to the corner and looked at the four teammates standing together. I took a deep breath, unsure about what I was about to do. Slowly, hesitantly, I stepped into the light. They reacted quickly, removing their various weapons and pointing them at me. Wally sped around me, removing my swords and belt so that I was mostly unarmed. I kept my hands in the air as Wally returned to the others. Once I was sure that they would not attack, I put my hands down.

"Oblivion, what are you doing here?" Kaldur snapped, horror in his voice. I met his eyes with defiance, daring him to send me away.

"I followed you," I explained, "I knew that Artemis wasn't dead and I suspected that you were undercover. I created a fake story about a meeting so that I could make sure. I'm sorry, but I had to know that I could trust you."

"Trust us?" Artemis asked, "We're not the ones with the League of Assassins!"

"I know," I slowly lowered my hands, "I'm sorry. I never wanted any of this to happen. You were supposed to stay out of this."

"We didn't know," Nightwing stated, "You didn't tell us what was going on."

"I couldn't. They would have killed you," I closed my eyes and removed my mask, tossing it to the side.

"They would have tried," Wally corrected, and I shook my head sadly.

"What is going on, Oblivion?" Kaldur finally asked, and the name made me stiffen. That name…it wasn't me.

"I want to help. My loyalty to the League of Assassins is gone now that I know that the Demon broke the deal. I want to make sure that you two don't die," I pleaded. They had to listen. They had to let me help them.

"Why the sudden change in heart?" Wally asked, and I shuddered.

"They faked my death," I breathed in, "They killed people that were a part of the Team, a part of the Bat Family."

"I didn't know about any of this until last month or so. That's why I followed their orders. Kaldur told me that Jason Todd had been killed and that I had been dead. Ra's al Ghul broke our deal," I repeated, "All bets are off. The idea was to protect you from the League of Assassins, and I can't do that anymore from my position."

"If we end up letting you help, what will you do?" Nightwing asked. Hope flared in me, and I squished it down.

"I will act as a buffer. I can deflect any questions about their loyalty away from them. I can make sure that they don't mess up, and if they do, I will claim responsibility," I explained bitterly as I thought of what awaited me.

"So they can punish you again?" Kaldur interjected, "They will break you."

"I've lasted three years under them. I can survive more," I stated calmly. Please, Kaldur, don't bring it up.

"Punishment? What punishment?" Artemis was bewildered. I stared at Kaldur, silently begging him not to say the words.

"Tell them. Tell them what the League does," Kaldur snarled at me. I shook my head, and he continued, "Every single time she fails, lets us succeed, they hurt her."

"What do you mean," Nightwing asked, not quite believing what Kaldur was implying.

"I let you escape with the Lex Corp scientist," I bluntly said, "I was tortured for a week."

A beep sounded from the communicator in Kaldur's suit. He looked at it, "We need to go."

"What do we do then?" Artemis asked.

"We let her help," Nightwing decided, "For now, but watch her carefully."

March 21, 2016

"Oblivion, the Light wishes to speak to you," Black Manta informed me as I stepped into his office.

"Alright," I stepped into the room with the six screens.

They blinked to life, showing the faces that controlled me. I bowed respectfully to them, pressing my fist against my heart in a formal salute. They inclined their heads at me as I looked back up. I assumed a respectful stance, arms clasped behind my back.

"Oblivion, welcome," Queen Bee greeted me, "What is your report?"

"Manta has behaved honorably for the past month. I believe that he is loyal to the Light, and only the Light," I quietly said.

"Do you believe that he is ready for the next stage?" Vandal Savage asked.

I thought of the fake death, "He is ready for the next step. He is loyal."

"Are you sure?" Ra's al Ghul asked, "Understand that if he betrays the Light, you would be held responsible. Consider your options, assassin."

I replied without hesitation, "I am sure, master. Kaldur'ahm is loyal to the Light."

"And what of Artemis? Is it true?" Vandal Savage asked.

"Yes, I watched as Manta pierced her chest with his blade. I stayed until she was declared dead by the enemy," I confirmed.

"A death can be faked," Vandal Savage stated.

"Are you certain, child?" The Brain asked.

"Yes," I insisted, "Manta has proved his loyalty."

"Can we believe her?" Lex Luthor finally growled, "Her failure two weeks ago has damaged her reputation."

"Watch what you say, Luthor," Ra's al Ghul warned, "She is my assassin."

"I have never seen you place worth on your assassins," Luthor mused, "What is this about?"

"She was trained by my daughter," Ra's al Ghul spat, "Her worth has been proven."

"Even the daughter of you can make mistakes," Ra's al Ghul's eyes widened in anger. I hurriedly interrupted.

"May I suggest something?" I hesitantly asked. This could be my way to stay.

"What is It, assassin?" Vandal Savage asked.

"Allow me to remain with Manta until you truly trust him. If you decide that he cannot be trusted, then I will remove him," I suggested.

"That is agreeable," Ra's al Ghul nodded.

"I find this satisfying as well," Queen Bee declared. The rest of the Light declared their cooperation.

"Then it is agreed," Vandal Savage decided, "Remain with him and watch him closely. You should know that we will be watching you closely as well, Oblivion."

"As expected," I bowed.

"Let the games begin," Klarion crowed.

March 22, 2016

I grunted as my fist smacked into the heavy canvas of the punching bag. I was ruthless as I hit the punching bag with a flurry of blows that did nothing to calm my thoughts. Following my usual routine, I threw in hits with my elbows, knees, and feet that sent the punching bag swinging around the chain it was attached to. Sweat poured into my eyes, but I didn't stop as they stung and burned.

The situation with Kaldur and Artemis -Tigress and Manta- was rapidly turning messy. The Light was suspicious of them and me, due to my support of them. While I could deflect suspicion from them, the moment Ra's al Ghul called me back to the League of Assassins they would be screwed. I couldn't allow that to happen. If they died, everything that they had given up for the mission would be worthless.

"Oblivion," Someone caught my hand. I reacted violently and twisted hard, other hand reaching out to grab their arm and twist it behind their back. A pained grunt reached my ears.

"Don't interrupt my workouts," I released Manta's arm before he hit the floor, "Unless you want me to kill you."

Tigress cleared her throat and stepped forward, "Don't make threats you can't carry out."

"Then don't underestimate me," I snarled, "What do you want?"

"Black Manta wants you to assess my skills," Tigress explained before Manta could, "Apparently, he wants to be sure that I can hold my own against an assassin trained by Talia al Ghul."

"Does he do this for every new person?" I looked at Manta with exasperation, "I will do it, but I don't want to test or be tested for Black Manta. That's not why I'm here."

"It will not happen again," Manta reassured me, "We will give you time to put on your armor."

"No. Now," I walked backwards until my shoes hit the mat, "We fight now."

"I'm fully armored," Tigress gestured at her orange suit and at my tank top and spandex pants, "It wouldn't be fair."

"It wouldn't be fair even if I had an inhibitor collar on," I grinned savagely, "We fight now."

Tigress cautiously stepped onto the training mat and took a fighting stance. I backed up until there was an equal distance between each of us and the center. Tigress had been trained well and her fighting style was similar to the League of Assassins', but she had been retired until a few days ago.

"Begin," Manta suddenly said.

We attacked each other at the same time, clashing together in a tangle of arms and legs. I pushed her away with a hard kick and waited for her to come at me. Tigress crouched down, hand throwing some sort of net at me. I cut through with a slash of light and somersaulted over her head, spinning out to catch her with a kick in the ribs.

She whirled around just as I punched her. I kept my momentum going as I spun from the blow and kneed her in the side. She stumbled but grabbed my leg and threw me to the mat. I rolled into a crouch and launched myself at her, tackling her to the floor. She threw me to the side and began to roll over, only to be stopped by my foot on her stomach. I dropped my full weight on her, smirking at her pained grunt.

"Do you yield?" I ask as I pressed an arm across her throat, effectively cutting off her air supply.

"Yes," She choked out. I stood and watched as she coughed.

"She'll do," I tossed over my shoulder as I left the room, "But she's like you, Manta. She doesn't go for the kill."

"And that's a bad thing?" Tigress called after me. I didn't respond.

A strange sort of sourness filled my mouth as I walked to the showers, clothes tucked under my arm. I had gone easy on her, and she couldn't handle it. Yes, she would be fine against the Team and Manta's troopers, but not the Justice League or the League of Assassins. I would have to train her in these coming weeks. Out of all the people to choose, Nightwing had chosen one who had gotten out of the superhero life and didn't train as hard once she was gone. I didn't blame Artemis, but she shouldn't have been tugged back into this life.

And the idea of the two of them continuing to carry out orders from the Light was horrifying. I didn't want them to go through with orders to kill, destroy, and torture. It wasn't right for them to become as ruined as I was by the things that I had done and they were about to do.

I stripped my clothing off and stepped into the shower, feeling the warm water loosen the muscles beneath my skin. They washed over old cuts and bruises that no longer hurt, but still reminded me of what I had done to deserve them. I breathed in the scent of salt, trying to tell myself that they would be okay.


"You went easy on me," Tigress leaned against the door leading to my quarters, "Why?"

"Come inside," I said tiredly, "This isn't a conversation for everyone to hear."

I shut the door behind us when we entered, "You're rusty. Very rusty."

"I've kept up my training," She shrugged, "I should be okay."

"Yes, but you haven't had to fight for your life like you did when you were younger. That changes things," I slowly sat, "It changes a lot."

"I've been trying to understand why you did it, but I can't," She admitted and sat next to me, "I don't understand. Why didn't you ask us for help?"

"I was scared and confused. I didn't want to let anyone in," I let the words roll off my tongue, "When I was offered a way out, I took it."

"But your way out wasn't a way out. Look at what they made you do! How can you do it?" She asked softly.

"I'm used to it!" I snapped, "This is me! This is what the League of Assassins made me!"

We fell silent for a few minutes before I spoke again, "Can I ask you something? Why did you go undercover? Why not Superboy or Miss M? Even one of the newer people would have worked. Why did a retired superhero come back?"

"None of the newer ones would have been able to handle the stress," Artemis removed her mask and leaned back, "Nightwing doesn't feel like Miss M or Superboy can handle it without blowing our covers. It's not that we don't trust them, it's just we don't believe they can keep quiet."

"Oh," I said quietly, "They won't trust you guys once your actions are revealed."

"I know," She murmured, "I know."

"What happened after I left?" I suddenly asked, fingers twisting my bed sheets until they were wrinkled.

"You mean after you betrayed us?" Artemis asked in a biting tone.

"It was implied," I shrugged, "So?"

"We were a mess," She began, "The Team…we stopped trusting each other. At one point, we were getting ready to disband the entire team because we couldn't work together without snapping at each other. Everyone blamed themselves for not realizing that you were a traitor."

"Robin and Batman started fighting. Robin started staying in the cave three or four times a week because of their fights. Batman got really paranoid. When we got new team members, Batman monitored their movements for months," Artemis sighed.

"Wally and I almost broke up. We blamed each other for not realizing that something was up with you. Wally was convinced that you were a traitor, but I said that you weren't. We fought for weeks," She lowered her eyes to the floor, "M'gann couldn't stop crying and Conner got really vicious. I think he would have killed someone if Superman hadn't stepped in."

"Rocket and Zatanna handled it in their own way. Zatanna started dating Robin, and it moved really fast. Like really, really fast," She emphasized, "Rocket withdrew from the team. She started working with another team in the South and then went solo."

"Kaldur was angry at himself. He had gotten close to you and he hadn't realized that something was up with you on that day. He closed himself off from us. For a while, he was just a leader. He didn't really care about anyone," I closed my eyes as tears gathered in them.

"What saved the Team?" I choked out.

"Black Canary started doing therapy. I don't know, we just started sticking together again. Then Robin stopped being Robin and became Nightwing, and Batman got a new Robin," Artemis paused, "Jason Todd. He was a kid from the streets that was always in survival mode. Out of everyone, I was his closest friend."

"He died," I stated.

"Yes, Batman pulled Robin off patrol a few times. It sort of caused tension between them. Jason was headstrong and harsher, which Batman didn't like. When they went to Ethiopia in search of the League of Assassins, the Joker found them and killed Jason," She swiped at her eyes, "He was fifteen, and he died thinking that he was all alone."

"And then?" I asked, afraid of what I would hear.

"We recovered. Wally and I left the Team and retired. Kaldur's friends came onto the team for a while. Then, Tula died in an explosion and Kaldur found out that Black Manta was his father. That was when Nightwing figured out this plan. This way to end the Light once and for all," Artemis sighed, "After everything he had lost, Kaldur didn't care. So he agreed to it."

I rocked back and ran a hand through my hair, "I'm sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn't have done what I did. If I had been there, maybe I could have stopped it."

"It?" Artemis asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Everything. The deaths, the broken Team," I hissed, "I should've been there."

"You can't go back and change things," Artemis suddenly said, "But you can make amends for it."

"That's what I'm trying to do," I picked up my mask and looked at it, "I'm trying to fix it."

"How?" Artemis demanded.

I thought of everything I had done in the past few years. All the death and destruction, and the desperate attempts to protect them. I didn't have any hopes of saving myself, but them…I could save them. I had to save them to make up for all the pain I had caused.

"I'm going to protect you," I suddenly said, "I'm going to make sure you get out of this place. Kaldur and you. You guys will live."


Author's note: Hey, sorry for being gone for so long. Life is very messy right now, but I'm hoping that it will clear up by December. See you guys soon!