double digits! so, instead of my normal Saturday & Tuesday updates, this Awesome chapter wouldn't leave me alone... yes, awesome with a capital A. Thanks for the reviews!
It had all gone wrong a couple of days after Lydia's birthday. The nano-tech once used to control the entire Justice League had been duplicated, and made so there could be no cure. The entire league, and most of the team were under the villains control. The villains? The three unknown woman who the girls had faced on their first mission, who the team now knew as Knife, Sword and Dagger. The identical triplets had control of most of the world. And the only ones that were still free? Astrid, Bella, Grace, Quanta, Lydia and Anna. They had barely escaped with their lives.
~FLASHBACK~
"This isn't right, something's wrong," Quanta narrowed her eyes slightly as the rest of the team and the league stood in front of the girls.
"I know, they all seem... I don't know... like they've been brainwashed," Grace muttered.
"Do you remember that story, the one where the Justice League was controlled by some weird nano-tech?" Anna whispered. Bella nodded, surveying to crowd, ready to change into a liquid state at a moment's notice.
"You don't think?" Lydia joined in.
"Well, I think we should run considering the Supers have heard everything we've said," Astrid suggested, before dodging out the way of Wonderwomans lasso of truth. The girls scattered, running for the zeta tubes, dodging their teammates and mentors weapons. Bella hissed at Bart as he tackled her to the floor, her mentor, Red Tornado, watching over the pair. Grace came up through the floorboards, knocking Bart off Bella, and dragging the water bender towards the rest of the girls. In a brief flash of light, they were gone.
~END OF FLASHBACK~
"Everyone OK?" Lydia asked, taking the position of leader. A chorus of yes came from the girls. They had gathered in an old abandoned warehouse somewhere in Hawaii, trying to hide from the League and their friends.
"Do you guys remember what Batman and Nightwing were saying before we left?" Anna asked, sitting on a crate.
"Yeah, something about Waters of Resurrection?" Quanta shrugged. They had all been too busy wondering what was wrong to listen properly. Except Bella, who for once was being smart.
"Somewhere, up north in Washington state, there's rumoured to be a river that can resurrect and heal. I think Knife, Sword and Dagger want to find it," Bella recounted, trying to remember what she had heard.
"So where are we heading?" Grace asked.
"Washington State," Astrid set her jaw.
"OK, so we got here with only minor injuries, now what?" Quanta asked as she cleaned her graze with some antiseptic Astrid always carried around. It had been caused by Blue Beetles cannon, she refused to think of him as Jaime. The girls looked around at Kelso, a small town in Washington state. Batman had given them the coordinates, so it was pretty easy for Astrid to teleport them there, even though it used up a lot of her strength. The forest around them was thick with life, the sounds of animals coming from all around the girls, branches shaking as small creatures jump from one to the other.
"I think..." Lydia paused, straining to hear for the sounds of running water. Even Superman's hearing only went so far.
"Got it! We go left, I can hear water," Lydia pointed towards where she heard the noise. The girls trudged under the muddy trees, but on guard in case the league or team came. Finally, they reached a clearing, with a structure with a 3 meter wide dish like thing resting on the top of a large rock. It looked rather like a large bird bath. From inside this bird bath, the sound of water gurgling could be heard.
"The Waters of Resurrection," Grace breathed out.
"Almost as cool as Narnia," Bella smiled.
"And now we guard it," Anna said firmly, Knife, Dagger and Sword could get their hands on the Waters.
"Astrid, get on the rim of the bowl, I don't want you to tire yourself out by flying, you're still recuperating from the teleportation. Bella, take the north, Anna take the south, Grace stay west, and Quanta go to the east. I'll borrow someone's power and fly. Seem good?" Lydia pointed to the girls as she dished out rolls. They all took out their comms that they normally carried around, and set up in their respective positions. Up in the air, Lydia borrowed Miss Martians powers and camouflaged herself as she flew up into the sky. The girls silently crept around the bird bath, until Astrid called out via the comms.
"Hey guys, there's some words around the edge here," Astrid slowly read the words out to the others, "blood in here will save you, blood out there will kill you, blood in here will cure the world, but will it not cure you?" Astrid narrowed her eyes at the words. She came to the conclusion just before the others.
"We need blood in there, it could save everyone," Astrid sighed.
"Don't you even think about it, it might not cure you!" Anna hissed.
"I don't think we have another choice," Astrid bit her lip.
"Impulse is here!" Bella's shout came loud and clear even without the comms. The girls were instantly in battle mode, scanning the surrounding area for movement. Sounds of Lydia's combat in the sky echoed down to the rest, who were now aware for accidental blasts heading for the ground.
"Hello," Superboy's hand landed on Anna's invisible shoulder, and she spun around.
"I can hear your heart beat," his normally brooding face twisted into a sinister smile that didn't sit on his features properly. She dodged a punch, before turning an running, knowing her fighting skills weren't up to scratch to spar with him, and win. But that was when she heard the scream.
Bella was steam, struggling to get out of Impulses grip as he swiped his hands through the condensation that was her body. She felt betrayed by his actions, even though she knew he was being controlled and these moves were not under his control. But that was when she heard the scream.
Quanta was throwing branches and stones around, chucking them at every figure that moved in her fear. Unfortunately for her, she didn't see Blue coming up behind her, raising his arm to hit the back of her head. But that was when she heard the scream.
Grace phased through the green lions attacks, dodging everything thrown at her, or just shifting through them. But that was when she heard the scream.
Lydia was doing everything in her power to make sure Nightwing's attacks did not hit anybody else, while trying not to get injured again. But that was when she heard the scream.
Astrid was in trouble. Facing a murderous Robin when on full strength would have been difficult, but tired from teleporting? She had practically no hope. She jumped backwards, still staying on the rim of the Waters, narrowly avoiding batarangs left, right and centre. But she should have been more worried about the centre. But that was when she screamed. A batarang was lodged in her stomach, her hands coming up to stop the flow of blood. Astrid fell, straight into the Waters, staring at Robin's blank expression, horror in her eyes. Slowly, the blood seeped out of her wound, staining the Water around her a dark crimson. The glittering glow her mark always gave out spluttered to a stop. Her heart stopped beating.