What? Another chapter in 24 hours of the other one. Wow. I am really hoping to update more and get this story really going since I have so many plans for it but I need to get a lot done before them.
Zatara and Captain Marvel were standing watching Aqualad and Robin as Callie continued to read her book on the side of the fighting arena. It was an interesting book on using the nerve points to render someone out in a fight. With super powered teammates that had experience in fighting the big villains already, Songbird felt like a sidekick to the previous sidekicks. Batman coming into the room was a bizarre surprise as she glanced up from the book to notice it was a full house. Callie hadn't been sure when Megan, Conner, Wolf, Artemis and Wally came in but she knew it was important to pay attention now.
The news came onto the screen as she saw these giant plants wreaking havoc onto various cities. It was a National issue, showing many major cities that the superheroes hailed from. Callie rushed over with the book still in hand.
"Should we get out there?" Robin asked his mentor as Batman turned and shook his head,
"No, The League will soon have the situation under control, that's not why I am here." Batman began. "According to your intel, Sportsmaster supplied Cadmus Blockbuster formula to Cobra."
"Who combined it with Bane's venom to create Cobra venom. " Wally added to the conversation.
"Which the Brain used to create his animal army." Robin finished.
"And upgrade Wolf."
"The Brain also used inhibitor collars like the ones at Belle Reve Penitentiary."
"Batman, is it possible that plant thingy is on Cobra venom too?"
"I had Green Lantern run a spot analysis. The vine's cellulose contains trace amounts of a Cobra venom variant."
"These can't be coincidences," Aqualad and Callie spoke at the same time before Aqualad continued. "Unrelated criminals cooperating with one another worldwide."
Callie knew these weren't a coincidence. This had to be the Light that Klarion was speaking of. She never thought she would see the day they would come out of the shadows or even be formed enough to create a group.
"Exactly. It's now clear that our villains have form some kind of secret society of super villians, the attack on Metropolis is only the beginning." Her palms were sweaty as Callie's brain tuned out of the voices around her and it felt like her chest was being constricted. Why hadn't she told the team what she knew before hand? Could they have stopped this? The book slipping from her hands brought Callie back to focus as it clattered to the ground.
Glancing up to the monitor she saw a man in a purple suit with green hair. From her lessons, she knew that to be the infamous Joker. He was rambling before turning the camera. Songbird squinted as she saw who was on the screen. None of these figures were the shadowed areas or people that Klarion had mentioned. This was a different group. All of another group of powerful villains.
Callie bit her tongue as she listened to the team, guilt rushing through her as she listened back to Batman on their mission. She knew she was not prepared for this, fighting the large villains without the Justice League backing up or anyone for that matter. Looking around the group, Callie saw Aqualad looking back at her with a reassuring look before they all ran to prep for this mission.
The ride on the Bio ship felt constricting and short as they went to the Bayou in Louisana. Crashing suddenly however made the constriction even worse.
"No, no way am I nearly drowning three missions in a row." Artemis grumbled as Callie fished for a breather in her pockets and began swimming with the team to shore. The arrived in a grouping of trees as Callie felt her body wracked to the ground. Glancing up, she saw Count Vertigo.
"When did Canary get a brat?" he snarled before turning to glance at Black Atom. The instant he let go, Songbird sprang to her feet, sending a Canary cry at him that knocked many of the branches off of nearby trees as Aqualad pushed him back with two large waves of water. Smirking, Callie called out. "It's Songbird thanks!"
Running to her other teammates, Songbird sent a cry at Black Atom who was faster than she gave credit for as he knocked her into the swamp. Gasping Songbird coughed out the water she took in before moving to stand again only to be hit in the side and smash into a large tree with her head smacking against the bark.
Waking up, Callie felt a searing headache coming on as she saw Aqualad pulling on the magical bars. Coughing, Callie moved to grab Aqualad when he was shot back. The ground collapsed underneath them within moments as Callie prepared to land.
The minute Songbird hit the swamp, she began running towards Kid Flash who was being slowed by Count Vertigo. Planting a foot, Songbird yelled. "Hey Vertigo." Before letting a Canary cry out to get him away from Wally but Black Atom was quicker and knocked Kid Flash into her.
Falling into the water, Songbird pushed Wally off of her as she patted his cheek making sure he was okay. "Wakey wakey KF." She said as Songbird used a Canary cry to keep any debris from hitting him until he was standing on her feet.
"ENOUGH." Songbird heard as a white bolt of light came out and hit Songbird in the chest and knocking her back down knowing her torso was going to be covered in bruises. Songbird glanced around trying to figure out what she could help with and decided to help Robin. Callie went around the trees as she snuck up behind Ivy and Vertigo.
She followed Artemis' suit by running towards Ivy and driving a knee into Poison Ivy's back, throwing her at Count Vertigo while driving an elbow into the side of her head as a vine snaked around her foot squeezing it tightly as it pulled her away from Poison Ivy and directly into a tree with her foot first. Landing on the ground, she groaned in pain before slowly moving to stand up with a sharp pain shooting through her foot. Clasping her teeth together, Callie pushed through the pain and hobbled around trying to get to a more secure place.
Glancing up, Callie saw the Justice League and let out a sigh of relief before hearing the Joker and noticing the gas all around them.
"Fear not! Fate has intervened." Callie heard as she looked around.
"What were you thinking?!" Wally cried out as he marched towards Doctor Fate, "How could you let him put on the helmet? Nabu will never release him now. Kaldur will be trapped inside Doctor Fate forever." Wally exclaimed. Songbird looked to Doctor Fate as he removed the helmet revealing Aqualad. Rushing over, Callie let out a sigh of relief. Callie had heard plenty about Doctor Fate previously.
Songbird didn't even care that Batman thought they did okay today since the team was reasonably undamaged. Black Canary stood beside Songbird as she leaned on her. The ankle now throbbing. Taking a deep breath, Callie allowed the day to sink in before following everyone back to the Bio Ship.
-
Callie sat on the chair as she glared at Oliver who was touching her foot. "I'm telling you it's just a sprain and maybe some bruising." Callie argued with him as moved to touch the center of the bottom of her foot. She bit back a yelp as Oliver raised an eyebrow.
"Just a sprain? I think not." Oliver said as glanced to Dinah who was sitting beside her. "Besides you can't tell by looking at it." He interjected as Dinah and Oliver both stood up and stared at her.
"Well, I was able to walk on it earlier, I wouldn't be able to do that if it was broken."
Dinah immediately answered "Adrenaline," as Oliver said "Then walk on it now."
Callie, being stubborn about not wanting to sit out of any upcoming missions pushed herself up from her seat and moved to take her first step with the bad foot. The instant it grazed the floor, pain shot up through her leg and she began to fall only for Oliver to grab her.
"We're going to check this out." He said more firmly as Callie didn't argue and let her two mentors hobble her to be checked out for a professional's opinion.
That opinion was not one Callie wanted to hear as she was taught how to use the crutches and told explicitly to not put any wait on it for a few weeks. The cast felt uncomfortable on her foot as she hobbled back into the main room of the Cave and chose to sit on a stool in the kitchen rather than the couch. Leaning the crutches against the counter she looked over at Miss Martian who was baking something while speaking with Wally who had been on couch with Captain Marvel.
"So how is it?" Callie heard as she looked towards Kaldur who took the seat beside her. Glancing down at the cast, she shrugged.
"Personally, I still think it isn't that bad but the doc says to stay off it for a few weeks and we will see." Sighing, Callie rested her head on her folded arms before looking at Aqualad and pushed herself up in an instance.
"Actually, Kaldur I need to talk to you in private." Callie declared while grabbing her crutches.
Kaldur didn't seem to question it as he stood and let Calliope lead the way towards the room where mere weeks ago, Tornado's siblings nearly drowned them and sat on the higher section with her feet dangling. Staring at her lap, she took in a deep breath.
"I don't even know if you are the right person to tell but you are my leader and I can't keep this secret anymore. Not after today." Callie whispered as she could see Robin way below them, tinkering on something as she bit her lip. "I can't put the team in danger."
"What is it Callie?" Aqualad asked softly, grey eyes staring at her own blue ones. It made her feel even worse but she knew that it was time to let the cat out of the bag.
"Okay, so Klarion always talked about The Light, referencing it. I thought it was a plan of his at first with random things from other villains including the Brain. But then just before I left, I saw him in his room talking with other individuals that were cloaked in black so they were just silhouettes." She began as her one hand began to absent mindedly pick at the nail bed of the other one. "I came to the conclusion that they must have been the villains assembling for something but I didn't have proof or anything of what it could be. I don't even know how what I got for Klarion could help them in any plan."
Aqualad's eyes widened but nodded to let Callie know she should continued. "It wasn't until today that I realized that it may be that these villains could be doing what the Injustice League is doing but more discreetly." Laughing slightly, Callie felt the warm tears slid down her face. "I thought maybe the mole related to them since I think Sportsmaster was a part of them, so after we got back from India..." Callie said before stopping.
It was a long pause as Kaldur pressed a hand over her own. "What happened after India?"
"I went to Star City and waited for Klarion to find me. I asked him about it and after striking a deal, he told me that it wasn't him that had the mole but the mole was someone connected to Sportsmaster." Sucking in a deep breath, Callie pulled her hands to wipe the hot tears from her eyes. "I don't think I can bring this to the League with more information and proof." Callie whispered.
Kaldur seemed to have his mind elsewhere as he softly asked her with a slight authority in his tone. "What was your end of the deal?"
"To kiss him." Callie said with barely a whisper as she thought about the kiss and how her lips tingled from the thought of it happening again. "Just that." Not realizing that she absent mindedly pressed her fingers to her lips.
There was an awkward silence between the two as Callie couldn't take it anymore. "Kal- Aqualad, I think that I should consider meeting Klarion and see what other information we can get from him."
"We aren't going to put you back into a dangerous situation like that-" Aqualad began as Callie cut him off.
"He's already trying to get me to meet with him- I can do it and get information or be forced into it. I'm not risking OUR team for me Kaldur. If I can even get one important piece of information in the longrun then it is worth it. I feel as if we are about to wage a war and need any advantage we can get. Klarion's going to try and play this mind game with me so why don't we at least use it to our advantage."
Kaldur stood up as he looked down at her. "He's already planned the next meeting, hasn't he?"
"He inferred it, yeah but I don't know when or where." Callie honestly said while looking up to him. "But I want to be ready." Pushing herself to a position that she could get up. Callie struggled for a minute before getting adjusted to the crutches. "They presume we are still busy with our mole issues… who would expect us having someone scouting for information at the same time?" she offered. "I'm the only one who can get into where Klarion resides and I can put in listening devices or trackers if needed."
Kaldur looked at her as he sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Callie, rest and recover. I will bring this to Batman and we can figure out if this is worth it, okay?" Callie knew this was the best she would get that day so she nodded and began to hobble away.
Even if they weren't fully for this, Callie knew it was going to happen. A broken foot was very little compared to what she would sacrifice to protect her new family.
Honestly, I love using the episodes but there was a few that I wanted to skip since I'm not used to it so having Callie out of missions with a broken foot seems to help that issue for now.