New Information

Beta shivered in fear and quickly grasped onto Flash's arms as the Green Lantern and Superman passed by. After two years of Dr. Moon screaming at her the truth about why Shayera was treated the way she was, Gamma wasn't the only fragment to feel regret. Beta always felt insignificant next to the others. Before being taken away by Dr. Moon for the two years of psychological trauma, she always knew something was wrong with her to be so afraid all the time. Dr. Moon never held back in his accusations, his insults, and his threats. Beta shivered as she remembered the time when he waved around a hot poker, threatening her that if she ever thought to betray Waller, then she would be dealing with more than one hot poker.

Beta felt Flash pat her hand in reassurance as he led her to the recreation room. Beta appreciated his efforts in helping her, she really did but her anxiety reached whole new levels every time she had to meet new people. The League was nice, always helping her whenever she needed it and offering smiles. She couldn't help but imagine though what they were really thinking about her. They might be thinking ways to exterminate her, or put her back in the dark room, or-

"Hey, hey," said Flash, noticing the way Beta's hands had gripped tighter on his arms, "Relax, we're all friends here remember?"
"I hurt people," whimpered Beta.

"No, you save people," said Flash, "Whatever Dr. Moon told you was lies. You were tricked too. Remember that, even the best of us fall… big time."

The revelation of what the others had done to Shayera still circled in his mind. He still couldn't believe they had such desires that were easily influenced by magic. They were supposed to be better than this but instead… God this was a mess. Flash felt Beta relax a little and he quickly led her to the recreation room. The faster he got her into the room, the faster she can relax. He found Beta hiding in one of the storage closets after Batman had informed him. Batman had wanted to talk with Beta about her treatment with Dr. Moon, but she had completely gone tearful, running away from him and slamming herself shut.

Flash watched as Beta immediately went to the armchair in the corner and huddled herself into a ball. Flash had tried very hard to help her but she never really moved out of her shell. It seemed that trying to break a fragment out of their key characteristic is next to impossible. Beta was capable of expressing other forms of emotions but she always went back to being fearful and paranoid. Flash sighed and sat down beside her. In the old days, he and Shayera would often have Chinese takeout and watch movies. He missed those days but Flash was content really that at least parts of Shayera still existed.

Beta in the meantime just enjoyed the silence that came with her time in the Recreation room. Supergirl and Stargirl were watching TV while Mr. Terrific and B'Wana Man were reading from the bookshelves. Beta felt… relaxed for the first and she was enjoying it. It was quite the relaxing afternoon and Beta was less fearful to have Flash with her. Despite what others may believe about being the fear fragment, Beta was honestly tired of being afraid of everything. It was wearing down her and she knew that it was all in the state of mind but to be so near the people who had performed the unwanted surgery on her was stressful. Beta had no idea what kind of person Shayera was as a whole, but Shayera really held down a lot of fears.

For one: small spaces. Beta absolutely refuses to go in anywhere where there was a limited amount of space. Another: anxiety. Beta felt anxious over everything. She didn't exactly care (as Omicron was later discovered to be Shayera's morals and honor) but Beta definitely feared for others. During the first week in her stay with the League, Flash and Ollie had been sent on a mission. Beta refused to leave the monitoring room, terrified of every worst case scenario that ran in her mind. It was only until Flash and Ollie returned safely did she completely relax. Beta was grateful that at least for the moment she could relax and not have to feel any fear or anxiety. Or at least until Flash turned to Beta and quietly asked,"You know, you never said what caused Omega to go rampant on us. I mean, I know that you said that Dr. Moon had always put you and Omega through a lot of verbal abuses, but was that really what caused it?"

Beta was silent before she said, "We lost Theta and Phi to Luthor's organization."

"What?" asked the Flash, surprised at the new news.
"We were ambushed in Coast City," said Beta, "We were in our apartment and they managed to find us. We were cornered and Sigma woke Omega up to help the escape easier. Phi and Theta were hiding but they tried to rescue us when it looked like we were in trouble. Omicron yelled at them to go back but it was too late. They were taken by an air drop and Omega flew into a rage. We… we had no idea that she had a red lantern ring. We had no idea the Red Lanterns even existed, although Delta said that if there was a green and yellow ring then it was obvious that there were more colored rings out there. Omega slaughtered all that remained and we had to split up before Luthor sent people to cover up the fight. I was supposed to go with Omicron in the teleporter and Delta was trying to calm down Omega."

"Did Delta have some influence over Omega?" asked Flash, he was aware that the others in the room had been paying attention to Beta's explanation. Supergirl and Stargirl had lowered the volume on the tv to hear the story while Mr. Terrific and B'Wana Man pretended to look like they were reading their books. Beta didn't notice though, she was too caught up in her memory to even notice as she said, "We always thought that Omega might have favored Delta over the rest of us, but after learning the truth it makes sense. Whoever Shayera was, she was quick to get angry but she always rationalized to calm down and let go of the anger."

"You were supposed to go with Omicron? What happened?" asked Flash.

"Omega wanted everybody associated with Splitter to die. We just lost Phi and Theta and to learn that Gamma was gone too it pushed Omega over the edge. She refused to listen to Delta and she wanted payback at the people that started it in the first place." said Flash.

"The Justice League." answered Flash. Beta nodded and confirmed, "The Justice League. If… If they didn't do what they did… things might have been different and we could remain as a whole: we could still be Shayera. Now we're just fragments…"

Flash noticed the look of misery entering Beta's face and said, "Hey! No frowns in this satellite, come one! Let's go get you some eel heads."

"Ew." said Beta. Flash looked surprised at this and said, "Shayera always loves Eel heads. You don't?"

"Eta likes eel heads, we never did." said Beta.

"I guess you each have one part of Shayera running through you aside from the brain parts huh?" said Flash, smiling to show he meant no harm.
"I guess," said Beta, "I don't know. From what Delta told me, the Alpha is the one with the memories. The Alpha is supposed to be the one that's more like Shayera."

"I bet there's something about you that still has something of Shayera. We just haven't found it yet." said Flash, smiling at Beta. Beta softly smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. He got up from his seat and everybody who had been eavesdropping in their conversation immediately snapped back to their activities. Beta followed Flash and they left the room, content to spend the day in relaxation.

Gotham

"Mr. J! She's calling for you!" cried out Harley. She was nervous at informing her pudding that the Alpha lady was asking for him. For the last two days, she was unnaturally silent and it caused some unease over Harley and some of Mr. J's hired goons. Joker though smiled a wicked grin and said,"Finally."

Harley wasn't sure if she was meant to hear that but she remained silent and followed him down to the basement where they kept Alpha chained up. Harley wasn't going to lie. It pained her to see the poor woman chained up when she was cooperative to Mr. J's demands, but Harley was never one to question the Joker's decisions so she kept it to herself. They walked into the basement where Alpha was chained down in her chair and she stared at them blankly as they approached her. Electric nodes were still strapped to her temple, just in case Joker decided that she needed another 'tuning'.

"You called for me my dear?" asked Joker, noticing with glee at the slight maniacal gleam that entered the Alpha's eyes.

"I want to kill Batman." she whispered with much venom that it made Harley shudder. Not even Mr. J spoke with that much hatred regarding Batman.

"Why do you want him dead?" asked the Joker.

"He deserves it."

"And the Justice League?"

"Deserves to die with him." she snarled and began to jerk against her chains. The Joker laughed maniacally and clapped his hands in delight as he said, "Well then my dear, let's get you suited up!"

Lex-Corp

"Dr. Arden," said Luthor as he walked into the lab, "How goes the unification process?"
"Successful, Mr. Luthor," said Dr. Arden as he continued to examine the sleeping fragment in the pod, "We have managed to fuse Gamma, Eta, Phi, and Theta back together. We will call her the Zeta fragment for now until we can successfully merge all the fragments back together."

"Excellent work," said Luthor. He was anxious to get this project finished in order to successfully show the world the new and better protector of the world. He knows that the League will never try to say otherwise or else their nasty little secret will be exposed to the whole world. Their recent escape from Waller's prison was of no concern to him. So long as the people continued to question the Justice League's stance on this planet, he was free to continue with his plans.

"Have you made any headway into where the other fragments have gone to?" asked Luthor.
"Yes, we have discovered the Kappa fragment in Germany with the Iota fragment, the Sigma and Delta fragment are more craftier to locate but we have managed to pinpoint their last known location in New York. The Omicron fragment however, we… well it is almost as though she has disappeared."

"Will she be an issue to our plans?" asked Luthor.

"No," said Dr. Arden, "As far as the Omicron fragment is concerned, she can do nothing but try and protest. She is not a fighter."

"Then we will deal with her later," said Luthor.

"Is the Alpha Fragment still in Arkham? We will need to begin the memory blockade process soon." said Dr. Arden.

"I have the best people keeping an eye on her. I'll check up on them in a month once we have all the fragments together." said Luthor. Dr. Arden nodded in agreement to the plan and resumed his watch over the new Zeta fragment. He hopes that by the end of this month, they would be able to introduce to America and the world the superior being.

Watchtower

Beta watched in amusement as Flash sped his way around the cafeteria, grabbing one of everything that was available. The mess hall was filled with heroes and heroines, eating and chatting away. He had been pushing for Beta to socialize but she was firm in her stance to stay away from the League, still terrified of possible outcomes and based on what she had already experienced. Flash led her to a table with two baskets full of fries and burgers and proceeded to pig out while Beta timidly nibbled on her fries. She was looking at Flash's speed eating that she didn't notice the figure behind her until she heard a polite cough behind her. She turned in her seat slowly and was met with the green and black uniform of the Green Lantern. Terror immediately filled her mind. Beta wasn't aware that she was shaking until the world began to tremble. The Lantern gave a startled look and raised his hands. Beta flinched involuntarily and he backed up, hands raised to show that he meant no harm.

John had an idea that she would react like this, but he had still hoped that she wouldn't be so afraid of him. Ever since the day it was revealed that Shayera had been fragmented into pieces of herself, John felt so much loathing for himself to have been tricked by Klarion that he had basically harmed the one woman in the world that he loved unconditionally. He was with Mari, yes, but he could never stop himself from loving Shayera. Seeing Shayera fear him with so much horror drove a knife in his heart. He wanted to reassure her that he would never harm her in anyway but he would be lying and Beta knew the truth.

John cautiously sidestepped away from behind Beta and sat across from her, hands on the table to show her that he didn't have his ring powered up. Beta warily watched him as she grabbed another fry and shoved it in her mouth, anxiously wanting the distraction so she didn't have to think about what he did. Flash though was feeling a little anxious about the whole thing. John had come to him earlier in the day, asking Flash to help him talk with Beta. Any ideas to try and speak with Omega were out of the question as she remained in a coma. John was still stupefied at the discovery of the Red Lantern Corps but that was a mystery to solve for another day. He looked at Beta and gave her a small smile. She looked away from him and focused on the basket in front of her. John sighed and said, "I would like to speak with you, Beta. Somewhere where it is just the two of us."

Beta whimpered and shook her head quickly while John sighed and said, "Would it be better if Flash was there?"

Beta didn't answer and refused to look up from her basket. John sighed and looked at Flash, who shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head towards the empty seat next to Beta. Deciding to risk it, John stood up from his seat and sat down next to Beta. She stiffened and attempted to rise from her seat but Flash's hand on her shoulder stopped her. He was looking at her with pleading eyes and Beta sighed as she remained in her seat, wanting to at least give Flash some peace of mind.

"I want to tell you that I'm sorry." Said John, looking at Beta's hunched form. She had almost squeezed herself into a ball and still refused to look at John. She had her arms on the table to steady her curled form and John slowly placed his large hand on top of her small one. Beta flinched and attempted to remove her hand, but he squeezed gently and said, "Please, listen."

Beta took several deep breaths to calm her terrified heart but she remained in her seat. John took it as a good sign and said, "I'm sorry. I… I hate myself. I really do. You are the most important individual in my life and I hurt you. I hurt you beyond the level of the hurt you have given me and I'm sorry. I never wanted this for you."

"Then why?" whispered Beta, terrified of Lantern but deciding that this was the best shot to get answers.

"Klarion the Witch Boy. He made a deal with ARGUS in exchange for knowledge. He shows them how to separate a mind with magic and they give him scientific knowledge and aid. They didn't want to perform the first test on a human though. You were the prime candidate because of the Thanagarian Invasion and if the process failed then it was ok for them as long as it wasn't human… I'm so sorry." said John. He was feeling the knife again at his heart when Beta refused to meet his eyes. John very much wanted to fix things with Shayera and he decided if he can make Shayera's fear of him disappear then it is a start.

Beta only stared at his hand that remained on top of hers. She had wanted to pull her hand away, but for the first time she felt genuinely safe having his hand on hers. Beta didn't want to feel this, especially for the person who contributed with her mutilation. She felt safe, secure, and dare she say it? Loved. She was confused to feel this way for him and jerkily removed her hand from underneath his. She heard him sigh in disappointment and he moved to rise from his seat when Beta quickly gripped his wrist. John froze in surprise and waited to see what happens next. Beta was surprised at her herself but she quickly forced her fear down and said quietly, "Thank you."

John smiled down at her and felt a little hope rise within him. It was a start and he will gladly take it as a first step. Beta meanwhile struggled to understand why she would feel that way for the Lantern and turned to Flash and asked, "Did… Did Shayera and Lantern have anything?"

"You…" Flash stopped himself and wondered if he should say anything. Beta was already reluctant and hesitant but would revealing such intimate information do anything? Deciding that the truth would be better for Beta and said, "Before the Invasion, you two were really close. We actually had a bet going on if whether you or John was going to make the first move. And then, the Invasion happened…"
"I ruined it." whispered Beta.

"No you… you-"

"I did," whispered Beta, her voice cracking, "I ruined it. And he decided to punish me back… I deserved it."

"No!" said Flash a little loudly, some heroes noticing the interaction and looking over to see what was the commotion, "You saved us! You gave up your rank, your people, and your world for us! You know what is? That's a hero! The kind of hero that doesn't deserve the suffering you went through!"
Beta shook her head in disagreement and was about to speak when Flash cut her off, "It doesn't matter! You were a spy? Ok fine! You were a spy! You are a spy that chose us in the end! You picked us! You picked us over them! You wanted Earth spared so Earth was spared! And guess what! You were lied to, too!"
Beta looked at him in surprise, as did the other heroes in the mess hall that was listening in as Flash continued to rant, "You told us that they told you that your mission was to build allies and to help fight against the bad aliens! They tricked you into giving up our secrets because they said it was the right thing to do! You're a soldier! You were trained to listen and obey orders! None of us can say that we would have done things differently because out of all of us in this League, only two of us actually served in the military! You and John! Did you deserve the punishment handed to you because like any good soldier, you were following orders? NO! Did you deserve to be called a hero because you chose to save innocent lives instead of letting us all get killed? YES! You deserve better than this! I promise you Shay, I'll help you and I'll be damned if I let anyone else tell you that you deserve the suffering!"

Beta was thinking over the new information. So she was lied to by her superiors too? Why wasn't this common knowledge? Why didn't the League reveal this information to the world? Unknown to Beta, the other heroes were also wondering the same questions. Why would the founders keep this information secret? The people had the right to know about this. One hero in particular got out of her seat and intended to confront her beau as to why he decided this wasn't worth the public knowing this information.

Gotham

Cassandra Cain was patrolling the city in her Black Bat persona when an explosion lit up 3rd Avenue and Broadway. She hurriedly made her way over, signaling to Robin and Red Hood to make their way over. As she was about to take out her grappling gun, a hard hit to the back of her head surprised her. Cassandra fell to the floor stunned and astonished. The attack came out of nowhere, not even her training with the League and with Bruce helped her hear anybody in the area with her. She struggled to keep the world in view when a swift kick to the head knocked her unconscious.

Cassandra awoke groggily but snapped awake when she realized that she was caged and restrained in a dim-lit room. She attempted to move her arms and legs when she noticed that her restraints were purple putty. Her attempts to break free was futile, the putty too strong for her to even try to break free. Cassandra next realized that her equipment was gone. Her utility belt, her communicator, and her tracker were gone as well. She was about to try to break free again when the door from across of her slammed opened and the Joker strutted in.

Cassandra sneered at his maniacal smile as he said, "Well, well. That's one bat brat down and another to go. My dear, you will be one of the many in line for my rehabilitation program. After I have all of you, you will help me destroy the Batman."

Cassandra sneered at him as he laughed. Like hell she'll help him. She would rather die than help him kill her adopted father. The Joker knew her thought process and said, "Oh, you won't have a choice where this is concerned my dear. Once I find the right trigger, even you will hate him with as much vigor as my latest success."
Success?

"Oh yes, she fought back at first when I first found her, but after a few shock therapies, a couple of reminders, and even helping her after Batman left her without limbs, even she wants to kill him." Said Joker.

Who was he talking about? Cassandra felt her eyes widen when she saw the figure approach from behind the Joker. Her red hair was in knots and her skin was a sickly pallor. Her emerald eyes were crazed, the pupils diluted to the point where it appeared that she had no pupils. The black wings protruding from her back made her appear like Death reincarnate. It took Cassandra a while to realize that the woman behind the Joker was Hawkgirl, or what was left of her in this state. She wore a dark purple trench coat that Cassandra could see was designed for flying and fighting. It was outlined with neon green designs on the shoulders and cuffs, the designs having no specific order: reflecting the craziness that was in her current situation. She wore a dark green shirt under the trench coat and black pants with black boots. Cassandra would have been intimidated by her outfit alone if it wasn't for the blank expression on her face. A blank expression that showed that there was nothing in her head, it was just a shell. The Joker laughed maniacally when he saw the comprehension dawn on the bat brat's face.

"Do you like?" he gloated, "You want to know something, kid? I was surprised myself when I first learned how Batman and his team of merry men cut off her wings and left her for dead, but I realized that even the best of us has a little bit of madness. Don't think for a minute that you don't have any. I know all about you and the League of Shadows, I know just how to tip you over."

The Joker turned to the silent woman behind him and said, "Come my dear. I have another mission for you. Time to see if you can hunt a robin."

Lex-Corp

"What do you mean the Alpha fragment is missing?" snarled Lex into his phone, "Why haven't I been informed the minute she was gone?"
"Sir, we thought-" began the man on the other side of the phone, but Lex cut him short, "NO! YOU WERE TO INFORM ME OF ALL ACTIVITES! YOU'RE FIRED!"

With that he cut the call and turned to Mercy, "Mercy! I want the best bounty hunter here on the double!"

Hey readers, hope you liked it? Yes? No? Thanks for reading :)