Dylan stared at Ariel as if she had two heads.
"Impossible!" he declared. "You're a good guy! You're dating Nightwing."
"I went off the grid," Ariel said. "For five years. And some of the things I did weren't exactly something Nightwing would forgive me for. Which is why I haven't told him yet."
She sighed, loosening her grip on the bioship's control and looking at him.
"I'm not proud of what I did but it was worth it. Nightwing just won't see it that way. And I'm not ready to tell him. Not yet."
Her creepy eyes penetrated the sunglass' barrier, pleading with him.
"Please, don't tell Nightwing about any of this."
Dylan gulped, weighing his options. On one hand, helping Cheshire and Sportsmaster meant one less bad guy. But on the other, Ariel was admitting to criminal actions, though vaguely, and he was use to walking the straight and narrow. As much as possible. But she did save him.
"Fine!" he finally decided. "But you have to tell him. And soon."
Ariel's eyes narrowed.
"How soon?" she asked.
Considering she was currently controlling the bioship and could set him on fire, he shouldn't push her too far but he was risking his own neck.
"Three days," Dylan decided. "Or I'll tell him."
Ariel smirked.
"Three days it is."
Dylan couldn't help but feel that he'd just lost a very powerful ally and gained an extremely dangerous enemy.
His nerves. That was it. They were frayed. Dylan was grateful that his day as Aquarion was over. Ariel had been right. Sportsmaster and Cheshire were back on the bioship in less than ten minutes. Being the gracious host that she was, her words, not his, Ariel had decided to return them to shore. Which they'd just done. Now he and Ariel were headed for the warehouse and she was blasting some infernal soundtrack which he suspected was to punish him given the fact that she was wearing headphones plugged into her own device. Dylan wished he'd brought his own because the Rent soundtrack was the last thing he wanted to listen to. Was it because of the deadline he'd given her? He glanced at her, trying to embody stealth but she caught him looking and smiled.
"Problem? If you have to pee, we're almost there. I can even see it now," she informed him.
Dylan could see it too. He could also see Nightwing waiting outside for them.
"Remember Just Dylan, not a word," Ariel reminded him in a chilling voice.
She pulled the bioship up, still in camouflage mode and leapt out of the seat. A door formed in the side and Ariel bounced out, clearly catching Nightwing off guard because she managed to tackle him.
"Hey!" she greeted.
She studied his face.
"What's the matter?"
Dylan was just now stepping out of the bioship, taking note that Nightwing didn't even spare him a glance. Something was definitely wrong.
"The others have gone missing on the War World," Nightwing reported.
"By others, who do you mean?" Ariel inquired.
She was suddenly serious and Dylan was just a little thrown off by the switch.
"Superboy, Wonder Girl, Robin, Wolf, the Guardian, Bumblebee, Arsenal and Beast Boy."
"No! Not the green one!" Ariel cried.
She turned to Dylan.
"Go chill in the man cave."
She turned back to Nightwing.
"We're going to the War World."
"Ariel, calm down," Nightwing instructed. "I already planned to head up. But I can't take you."
"And why not?"
"Because I think it has something to do with the Reach and this may all be a distraction that will allow them to get Dylan."
"So we'll take him with us," Ariel pressed. "I won't let you go alone."
"I won't be alone," Nightwing assured her. "M'Gann is coming with me."
Ariel's eyes widened.
"Here I am worrying about you and wanting to go along and you come out and tell me you're going with another woman!" Ariel gasped. "And not just any woman! An older woman!"
Dylan was beginning to get lost. Where did M'Gann's age come into play in all this? Ariel didn't seem to notice. She was trapped in some melodramatic delusion of hers.
"I know how you like older women," she was saying. "Oh what should I do?"
She looked to the sky and then to the left and right before an evil grin broke over her face.
"I must not let my caged bird to be set free," she declared, flames dancing at her fingers.
Dylan gulped nervously. He had a really bad feeling. Nightwing reached out, catching Ariel's hands.
"Calm down, Ariel. Nothing will happen between M'Gann and I," he declared.
"I will hold you to that!" Ariel yelled, shaking off his hands.
She blew a raspberry at him before taking off down the pier. Dylan and Nightwing watched her go before Dylan turned to Nightwing.
"I kind of get why you like older women," he declared.