Hey readers, here is "Before the Dawn". Nightwing takes a small squad to rescue the kidnapped teenagers; Miss Martian also discovers the plan by entering Kaldur's mind. Like I said in the last chapter, he doesn't get put into a catatonic state. I'm not sure how I'm going to change it but it's not going to happen. So the next chapter is "Cornered". Not sure how I'm going to change it but I do want Robin and Batgirl to investigate Nightwing's disappearance which happens at the end of this chapter. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle "Cornered"; I might do two parts for that. One part being Robin and Batgirl's POV while the other being the actual storyline in the episode… After "Cornered" is "The missing piece" which is more investigating by Robin and Batgirl; and Robin finding Angelee to tell her what happened. She comes out of "hiding" to aide with the search.
Enough of the spoilers; don't want to give too much away. Let's start "Before the Dawn". Please review with thoughts, suggestions and opinions. Much appreciated.
Disclaimer in Chapters 1 and 5
Chapter 13-Before the Dawn
~Watchtower, March 30th, 19:22, Flash and Angelee's POV~
"Have you had any luck finding Prim?"
"None. And her Father hasn't been much help either," Angelee was watching video footage of her Father in an interrogation room in Gotham Police Department, "he refuses to talk about the Light and his involvement with them."
"Can't you just pick his mind?"
"I could but I'd be afraid of what I'd find."
Flash glanced at her,
"You're worried about her… aren't you?"
"Yeah… we didn't give her a chance to explain herself. What if we really messed this up?"
"We'll find her."
"I hope so…" Angelee went back to watching the footage of her Father. How much she wanted to hit him; make him tell her where she was. But she wasn't part of the Team anymore; she didn't have a say, "Where are you Rosie?"
~Atlantic Ocean, Amazon's, 18:18 POV~
Trapped in a containment pod, Amazon scanned the surrounding area. She was in a lab of some sorts; other containment pods beside her and across from her. There she saw four teenagers she didn't know, Shimmer and La'gaan. Aqualad just left after getting a tour of the area from a blue alien man who called himself The Ambassador.
"Lagoon Boy… Shimmer… what is the purpose of taking them? What is the purpose of me? I have to try to contact Black Crane or Miss Martian. Surely one of them can hear me from here," Prim shut her eyes, "Miss Martian… Black Crane… can any of you hear me? It's Amazon; please respond." Silence, "Dang! This pod blocks all telepathic communications." Sighing, she leaned her against the back of the pod, "Great… all I can hope for now is the Team is able to find us."
~Normal POV~
"Good… they're leading us to Lagoon Boy and the others." Nightwing was staring at a holo-map from his wrist.
"How can you be sure?"
Closing the map, Nightwing had to lie to Cassie,
"Wishful thinking?"
"And the abductee shipment… at the docks… how did you know about that?" Wonder Girl was getting suspicious. She knew Nightwing was a great detective but even this was too good for him.
Lying once again, Nightwing explained,
"Aquaman came across the Intel while searching for La'gaan." He quickly turned his head. Thankfully Crane wasn't there or she would've been giving him the dirtiest of looks ever. She hasn't spoken to him for more than a few minutes since he was forced to tell her about Kaldur's undercover mission. She wanted nothing more to do with him until he figured out who he was… but he didn't have time for it. He had to keep this rouse of Kaldur betraying the Team going for as long as he could. Swiveling his chair to his right, he looked at Crane's usual seat; the furthest in the back to the right of the helm. Staring at it, his eyes softened.
"Why isn't Black Crane here anyways? You'd think she'd be the first one on the ship to rescue the others."
"She's busy with school. She has a big exam on Friday; and the Prom Committee is supposed to go see the location today. She wishes she could be here though." The bio-ship continued to follow the flyer until it docked on an insect-looking ship on the ocean's floor; the bi-ship hid behind a large rock formation, "So this is the Light's Partner. That ship shares the same alien design sensibility as the bombs that destroyed Malina Island and Mount Justice."
Wonder Girl made a point,
"Kinda reminds me of Blue's armor."
Nightwing looked down at the console then clenched his teeth,
"Miss M you're up."
Gilling up, Miss Martian phased through the bottom of the bio-ship and swam closer to the large ship,
"Alpha squad I'm heading into the alien ship. Are you aboard?"
"Affirmative." Batgirl, dressed as Barbara Gordon, confirmed their position, "We're inside some kind of docking bay. We have a visual on the new aliens… aka, the Kroloteans competitor. AKA, the Light's Partner. And we've got other company. It's Aqualad. If he makes us… we're over."
"Stay whelmed; he won't be looking for you. Just don't attract attention." Whelmed… He grinned; he can hear what Black Crane would be saying right now. 'Seriously what is it with you and that word? What makes that word so unique?'. He chuckled and thought of his response, 'It's one I made up when I was kid… you used to laugh.'
"I found Gar and Bart," Miss Martian brought Nightwing's attention back to rescue mission, "they're unconscious but alive. No sign of Jaime or La'gaan."
"We've got eyes on Lagoon Boy," Barbara informed, "and Shimmer…plus four civilians and all the teens we came with. Wait… Amazon is here too! We're unsupervised now… but Blue's still unaccounted for. And an escape could trigger a response. Do we wait?"
Thinking of the best strategy, Nightwing gave them the okay,
"Negative Alpha. Go ahead and make your move… before you need rescuing too. You too Miss M… get our boys."
After a few minutes, Superboy confirmed the docking bay,
"Docking bay secured."
"Nice timing handsome." Bumble Bee came flying in with the large group of abductees behind her including Lagoon Boy and Amazon.
"Docking now." The bio-ship docked; the hatch opening to the docking bay on the ship.
Wonder Girl was waiting on the other side,
"Alright people let's move!"
Miss Martian and Beast Boy were running through the hallways trying to find Bart who ran off to find Blue. Reaching a fork in the hall, Kaldur came from the right forcing Miss Martian and Beast Boy to freeze in their tracks,
"YOU!" Growling, her eyes were green; entering his mind. Kaldur tried to his best ability to block it. Thanks to all the training Angelee gave him all those years, he was standing tall for a short time. But Miss Martian's telepathic ability was different than what he was too and soon was defeated.
"AAAHHHH!" After gripping his head, Kaldur fell to his knees.
Back on the docking bay, Wonder Girl was ushering the teenagers onto the bio-ship; Amazon preparing her bow. Tim and Barbara came through the door; running into Superboy who nodded,
"M'gann where are you guys? M'gann!" Superboy ran for the exit, "I'm going in!" Before he could get too far, he came flying back; landing on his back. In his place came a large black figure; a larger, exact copy of Blue Beetle.
"Apologizes meat…" The Black Beetle touched his fingers to the wall, "but no one goes anywhere." The hatch leading to the bio-ship was sealed shut followed by the hatch to the hallway.
Being impulsive, Wonder Girl called him out,
"Listen uh… Black Beetle! You're totally out-numbered. Open those doors now and we'll go easy on you!"
Amused, Black Beetle couldn't hold back a smirk,
"You… go easy on me?" A long maniacal laugh came from him.
"Oh that is not a good sign." Bumble Bee hovered next to Lagoon Boy.
Back in the halls, M'gann continued to pierce Kaldur's mind. Breaking the barriers, she saw flashes of his memories. All of his memories from being on the Team played for her; the heartbreaks, the disappointments, the smiles; everything. Next came the memories from the past few months; Kaldur and Nightwing shaking hands in the grotto in front of Aquagirl's holo-gram, La'gaan being taken, faking Artemis's death, Nightwing placing the necklace around Artemis's neck with Wally and Kaldur looking on… the Cave being destroyed. The whole undercover plan showing itself to her. Her eyes returned to normal,
"No…" She too fell to her knees in despair. Worried, Beast Boy tried to shake her free from the trance,
"M'gann! M'gann?"
Tigress came from another hallway,
"Kaldur!" Running over, she kneeled next to him then looked at M'gann, "M'gann…what have you done?" Telepathically, Tigress showed her true form to M'gann; the blonde hair and amethyst eyes low and concerned.
"I thought he had killed you. That he deserved…" Ashamed, Miss Martian stared at the floor.
Angry, Beast Boy morphed into a green tiger and lunged at Tigress. Using a smokescreen dagger, black smoke covered Tigress's and Kaldur's getaway,
"I'll take mine. You take yours." The smokescreen cleared; Tigress and Kaldur gone.
"Count yourself lucky boy!"
With a growl, the green tiger changed back into Beast Boy,
"M'gann snap out of it! You did good; you took out Aqualad. But the others still need our help!" He tried everything he could; but she wasn't budging. Everything made sense to her now; she understood why Black Crane left. She wasn't in hiding; she was furious with this plan. She didn't know about it either that's why she left. Nightwing lied to her; to the Team… about Kaldur; about Angelee. He told everyone she was in hiding because the Light's unknown Partner wanted her. He didn't say she found out about the plan and quit. M'gann knew something didn't sound about that; Angelee never hid from anything since she faced Dremlick. She always faced everything head on… she doesn't hide from anything anymore.
Beast Boy was right; the others needed help on the docking bay. Every Team member was taking on the Black Beetle while one of the abducted teenagers watched on in fear. Black Beetle easily threw aside the Team; them slamming into the walls. The only one left on their feet was Superboy; who, after gathering his footing back, attacked Black Beetle again. Punching in the torso once, Black Beetle didn't feel a thing. Towering another foot over his head, Black Beetle easily landed a hit to Superboy's face. The strength of the punch sent Superboy flying back; crashing into the floor of the docking bay face first. Knowing something had to be done, Wonder Girl gripped onto Black Beetle's pinchers behind his head and swung her legs into him. The force managed to push him back a bit. Crouching down, Wonder Girl charged; right arm extended in a fist. Too fast and too strong, Black Beetle caught her fist and turned her wrist to lock her arm. With one swing, Wonder Girl was out next to the face down Superboy. Flittering above was Bumble Bee. Firing her stingers, they were no match for the pulse cannon from Black Beetle. One pulse and Bumble Bee landed next to a kneeling Lagoon Boy who looked at the oversized version of Blue. From the side came Batarangs from Rim and Barbara; the explosions actually pushing Beetle back. The smoke from the explosions allowed cover for Lagoon Boy to grow in size and attack Beetle on his back. A small victory was soon over when an arm of the scarab on Beetle's back wrapped around Lagoon Boy's arms; shocking him. Losing his grip, a growl escape the blown-up La'gaan. If the shock wasn't enough, Black Beetle faced him and fired his pulse cannon; Lagoon Boy slamming into a computer. The teenager looked on in fear as Tim and Barbara failed soon after. He was all that remained. Eyeing a Trooper's gun on the floor, he attempted to be a hero and shoot Black Beetle. But that too failed as Shimmer leaped and kicked him to the side. Nodding to each other, Shimmer turned her attention to the teen; well… attempted to as Barbara charged her. Arming the pulse cannon again, Black Beetle aimed for Barbara. Before he got the chance to fire, an awakened Superboy and Wonder Girl teamed up and tackled Beetle. Amazon ran over to the teen; her bow armed with a net arrow. She was cut off from the link; she couldn't let Nightwing know what was happening. Waiting for the right time, she shot the arrow; trapping Shimmer in a net.
On the other side of the hatch to docking bay, Beast Boy was a gorilla; Miss Martian right behind him,
"Can't you at least get the link back up? Oh… uh… thanks. Now come on! We're sealed out of the docking bay. What's going in there?"
Nightwing was with the freed abductees; his palms on the hatch thinking of a way he could get in,
"Don't know. I'm cut off aboard the bio-ship!"
"We're fighting off Black Beetle and Shimmer. Lagoon Boy, Robin and Bumble Bee are already and… Conner look out! Superboy's down…it's just Batgirl and me now." Wonder Girl filled them in.
"You got to get in there!" Beast Boy turned and looked at Miss Martian. Right now, she was their best hope.
Miss Martian's eyes were still low; she was still in shock over what she saw in Kaldur's mind,
"Wh...What? How?"
"What do you mean how? Density shift!"
"Ri… right. I can do that. I can still do that." Phasing through the hatch, she saw Wonder Girl get held against it. Noticing her, Black Beetle placed his palm against the hatch; Miss Martian was stuck. Grunting, she lost focus and hung halfway between the door.
Wonder Girl noticed too,
"What did you do to her?"
"Shifted the density of the door. Wasn't quite prepared for that was she?" Black Beetle glanced at Miss Martian, "But don't be jealous. I can put you through the door too," he leaned closer, "halfway… the hard way." Like a rag doll, Black Beetle began banging Wonder Girl against the metal hatch.
Losing count of how many times she was banged, the teen watched as Wonder Girl went down. Turning around, Shimmer, who managed to be released from Amazon's net, was fighting with Barbara; the only person left. So Black Beetle thought. Behind him the hatch somehow opened freeing Miss Martian. There stood Beast Boy, Impulse and Blue Beetle. All three were shocked to see their teammates down. Blue Beetle ran into the docking bay, Beast Boy to Miss Martian and Impulse to Wonder Girl. Acting quickly, Blue put his palm on the wall and opened the hatch where the teen was cowering; he fell back.
"Amazon, Batgirl… get everyone out of here!"
The two girls looked at each other then nodded; none of them knew the truth about Amazon yet. And she wasn't about to tell them right there; that wasn't the time.
"Little brother," Black Beetle acknowledged Blue, "one way or another I'm putting you back on mode. You are of the Reach; and cannot escape it."
Blue was weak from the torture while in the pod; he leaned against a wall while Batgirl and Amazon were dragging the closer fallen members out of the docking bay,
"I have to," he was silent while his scarab spoke to him, "do it." Grunting, Jaime allowed the scarab to take full control of the armor. The pinchers on his back extended as he and Black Beetle began to fight.
In the hallway from the docking bay to the bio-ship, Nightwing ran to help him Team; Batgirl stopping him,
"Hold up," Batgirl handed him Bumble Bee, "Blue's keeping Black busy. Impulse, Beast Boy, Amazon and I will get everyone else into the bio-ship's hold. Once we're in, you need to be at the helm ready to make a fast exit."
"Right," Nightwing nodded, "execute." He carried Bumble Bee into the bio-ship; Amazon dragging Lagoon Boy behind him. Inside the bio-ship stood all the freed abductees; Amazon setting Lagoon Boy down, "Are you alright?" He couldn't face Amazon now that he knew the truth.
Getting to her feet, Amazon couldn't look at him either,
"Fine." She ran off to get more fallen members. She still cared for the Team even though she knew the truth about her past. The Team was her new family; she worried for them. Back inside the docking bay, Amazon came to the doorway just in time to see Blue pinning Black against the ceiling then being forced in the ground, "BLUE!"
To the side, Shimmer rose to her feet holding her head. Resting her hand on the wall, all the experiments by the Reach awoke her meta-gene as she vaporized the wall; water began pouring in.
"Amazon get out of here!" Blue yelled to her as his arms turned to blades and began to joust with Black.
"No! Not without you!"
"Forget me go! Now!"
Beast Boy, still as a gorilla, swung across the top of the docking bay into the bio-ship.
"Everyone's aboard except Blue!" But everyone wasn't; Amazon was still in the docking bay with Blue.
"Going back in for him!" Impulse was determined to save him. Darting towards the door, a large gush of water pushed him back.
"Nightwing seal the hatch! Docking bay's flooding the hold!"
"Acknowledged!"
Beast Boy was holding Impulse above water,
"But Blue!"
Batgirl pointed out a good point,
"We can't help him if we drown or get crushed from the pressure at this depth!"
The hatch of the bio-ship closed; sealing the water out then pulled from the docks. Inside the docks, Blue and Black Beetles were sparring; Amazon watching on as the water rose. The two beetles' chests morphed into large pulse cannons and fired at each other. Equally matched, they were at a standstill. As the water rose, the pressure sucked Amazon through the hole in the wall; her floating in the water. Holding her breath, she tried to swim for the surface as the large ship began to shot yellow lasers at the bio-ship; Blue and herself escaping in the water. Becoming unconscious, Blue began to sink to the bottom of the ocean floor; Amazon swimming over to keep him afloat. The bio-ship glided past with Lagoon Boy on a line behind it. Swooping past, he grabbed Blue while Amazon gripped the line; they were pulled into the bio-ship. Soon the scarab was back online and Blue was staring at Impulse.
"It's me! It's me!" The armor disappeared; Jaime sitting there.
"Course it is." Impulse smiled at him.
"Mission accomplished everyone. Well done," Nightwing rose from the helm, "care to take the controls Miss M?"
Miss Martian couldn't say anything; she just stared out the window.
"Uhh," Beast Boy spoke, "I think she's still basking in the glow of victory. She totally nailed Aqualad; you should've seen it!" Superboy stared at her; he knew what happened, "Well actually it didn't look like much but I'm sure it was bigger and cooler inside their heads!"
Amazon sat next to Jamie,
"How are you feeling?"
"Lousy… how about you?"
"Little dizzy but okay." Amazon smiled at Jaime, "I'm glad you're okay. I was worried about you."
At the helm, Nightwing stared at her.
"How did you get taken Prim?" Jaime asked the one question she didn't want to answer.
"Why don't we all rest for now," Nightwing backed Amazon up; for now, "we'll get details when we get back."
~The Watchtower, March 31st, 06:40~
Nightwing was having a video conference with Captain Atom,
"By now they had moved their ship. Plus there's still the Beetle connection to figure out. But you can tell the world that they're here. Their secret invasion is no secret anymore."
"THAT… would be an understatement." Aquaman joined the video conference by pulling up a press conference.
"Repeating today's top story. A small group of extraterrestrials, The Reach, have arrived at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. For more on this, we go live go GBS's own G. Gordon Godfrey at the U.N."
Godfrey appeared on the screen and began speaking,
"Thanks Cat. And yes folks, it seems Earth has finally met some aliens who know how to get it right."
The camera zoomed to the blue ambassador from the ship,
"The Reach comes to you world as friends. We come with open arms, extending our hands; our Reach, if you will, to help." He shook hands with Secretary Tsang.
"Well thumbs up to The Reach. Ohh I know what you're thinking; Ol' G. Gordon's gone soft on the spacemen. But don't you see, this is exactly how aliens SHOULD come to Earth; knocking on our front door! Not sneaking in the back like some Leaguers we know." The video was paused.
Nightwing was in a state of disbelief,
"So before we warn the public, they go public."
"It could be worse. At least we know EXACTLY where they are."
"That's right. We know what we're up against." Oh Nightwing… if only he knew that down in the Marianna Trench, more ships waited there he wouldn't have said that.
~Hall of Justice, March 31st. 07:15, Normal POV~
Ending the video conference with Captain Atom and Aquaman, Nightwing closed the video and turned to the Library where every member of the Team had gathered to welcome back the taken members. Amazon walked over,
"I know you know," he lowered his eyes, "the truth about me."
"I do…"
"I didn't remember my past. I was getting fragments; that's why I went to Black Crane and asked her for help. She recovered my memory but something attacked her and when I went to wake her, I got a telepathic message from my Father to meet him where I lost my memory. Turns out Luthor was waiting for me there too. When I refused to go through with whatever he had planned for me, he attacked me and put me in a pod to take to their Partner."
Nightwing put a hand on her shoulder,
"Rose calm down; I'm not angry or anything. But I think you should tell the Team."
"Must I? None of them know I didn't remember my past."
"I think you should."
Sighing, she agreed,
"Alright. Can you call them over… please?"
Nightwing nodded then talked into the coms,
"Everybody to the Library; need to talk." A large group formed in the library in front of Nightwing and Amazon, "Sorry to take everyone away from their own time but Amazon has something she'd like to tell everyone. Go ahead."
Amazon stared at the large group of the Team in front of her. Taking a large breath, she began to tell the truth,
"None of you really know who I am; or where I came from. When I was 9, Flash took me in after finding me on the streets in Central City. I had no recollection of my past; I didn't know anything about my childhood or how I got on the streets. Just recently, I discovered; thanks to help from Black Crane, that my past involves the Light." Gasps and dirty stares came from the Team, "I know what all of you are thinking but it's not like that. It turns out, when I was younger, I wanted to be like Black Crane… and my Father was determined to make it happen."
"Who is your Father?" Superboy asked.
"His name is Tom Martin; he's a scientist for the Light. Somehow, five years ago, the Light got a hold of some of Crane's DNA and my Father was going to combine it with mine to, hopefully, give me powers like hers. But when I found out the reason Luthor agreed to let my Father have access to it, I had to be a warrior of the Light; and kill all of you and the Justice League. I couldn't do that so I destroyed the samples and ran from the facility. Luthor ordered the facility to be set on fire and I was caught in it while trying to escape. When I woke up, no one was around me and I had no memory of what happened. When Black Crane entered her mind, some telepathic force knocked her out."
"Sounds like Psimon to me." Miss Martian had her arms folded; La'gaan's wrapped around her.
"That's what we were thinking," Nightwing scanned the Team, "I know how this seems."
"I can assure all of you that I didn't join the Team to spy on any of you for the Light or The Reach; I really had no recollection of my past. But now that I'm on the Team and have seen what you and the League do first hand, I won't betray you and go report to my Father. The Team is my family; not Tom Martin."
Thinking to themselves, Superboy was the first to walk forward and hug her,
"I know firsthand the damage Luthor can do. It doesn't matter what your family does, what matters is what you do."
"Superboy's right," Miss Martian was next, "you were mentored by Artemis; my best friend. If she trusted you, I do too."
The rest of the Team openly expressed their feelings; some were more concerned like Lagoon Boy and Beast Boy while others; Impulse for example, shrugged it off. But Jaime was different; he didn't say anything. Instead, he just walked away and went outside.
"Excuse me…" Amazon ran after Jaime outside.
~Amazon's and Jaime's POV~
"Jaime!" She caught up to him, "You didn't say anything in there… why not?"
"I don't know chica… just not in the taking mood."
"You've been quiet ever since we got on the bio-ship. What's wrong?" Jaime looked at the sky, "Are you traumatized from being abducted or something?"
"NO!" He quickly answered; a little too quickly, "Lo siento…It's just… what you said about your Padre being with the Light… they're the very reason all of this is going on. How do any of us… or me… know you won't turn your backs on us?"
Understanding his feelings, Amazon held Jaime's right hand,
"I won't because my Father is a jerk who wanted to use me to gain points with Luthor. The Team is my family Jaime… I would never betray family."
"But how can you be sure? How can you know?"
Chuckling, Amazon took her right hand and turned his head toward her,
"I'll make you a deal. If I do betray the Team, you can be the one to take me down. Deal?"
"Deal. Are you okay? They didn't hurt you did they?"
"No… I'm fine."
"Are you sure? If they did they'll be sorry!"
Blushing, Amazon stared at him,
"I'm positive," kissing his cheek, Amazon turned to leave, "I'm glad you're okay." She went back into the Hall. By then, Nightwing had left to go find Angelee and tell her they found Amazon. She hasn't responded through their mental link in days and he was starting to get worried. He was worried that something had happened to her so he had to find her.
~Nightwing's POV~
Leaving the Hall of Justice, he headed for Gotham. He knew she wouldn't be in Bludhaven since she was no longer staying at his apartment every so often so she'd have to be in Gotham. Heading for the Gotham Lighthouse, he climbed the stairs to the room at the top. Opening the door, there he saw her suitcases and bags scattered across the floor; a mattress on the floor with blankets and her pillows. She wasn't there; she must be at Nicki's. With a heavy sigh, he climbed down the stairs again and headed onto the Gotham rooftops. Rooftop after rooftop he jumped. Rolling to break his fall after a long jump, he felt himself being stretched. Growling, he tried to free himself but he couldn't. The sensation felt similar.
"Finally I found you Nightwing," a low voice called to him, "you are one difficult person to find Earth scum."
"Who are you? And why do you talk like a Trivoyian?"
"Ahh so you are familiar with Trivoyian. Now I am certain I have the right person."
Nightwing clenched his teeth,
"What do you want with me? I'm not even Trivoyian."
The voice laughed,
"I know… but you are in love with one," the voice finally came into view. Bright blonde hair with vibrant red eyes, "and I have come for her."
"Who are you? What do you want with Black Crane?"
He laughed again,
"Dear boy… it is not Black Crane I want. It is Angelica I am desiring," he lowered Nightwing to eye level, "you see… she took something from me. And now, I am going to make her pay for it; by taking away the very thing she loves. You." The young man snapped his fingers on his free had, "Teleport him to our location. And make sure he cannot contact Angelica in anyway; that means getting rid of any Earthly electronic devices. And, of course, making sure their mental link cannot be accessed."
"Yes Sir!" A woman with red hair and violet eyes appeared next to Nightwing. Removing his com and cell phone, among any other electronic devices, she made sure he couldn't be traced. Like Angelee, this woman spoke Trivoyian and wind began to twirl them. He felt his body twirling with it and rising off the roof. Flying through the sky, he couldn't make out any geological position. Soon he found himself in a room with a single window but no bed then trapped inside a force field with inhibitor stones. Thinking he was smart, he tried to channel Angelee's life force inside of him to escape the field. Sadly, it didn't work; he only succeeded in shocking himself.
"Aaaahhhhh!" He screamed in agony.
The blonde-haired man and red-haired woman laughed,
"Stupid Earth Person." She muttered out.
"Do you not know what you are in boy? You are in an inhibitor field. Those crystals are forged from the volcanoes of Mount Volm then doused in the waters of the Forbidden Lake. Water and fire combined together inhibit every Trivoyian power imaginable. Just one of them can significantly weaken a Trivoyian. Add multiple of them and you get what you are standing in. The small piece of Angelica's life force inside you is useless; you should start to feel yourself getting weaker." It was true; he did feel himself becoming weaker, "Right about now you should start to feel yourself returning to how you were before you met Angelica; before she power shared with you."
"What… what are you planning to do with me?"
"Himera, water for the Earth scum." Another woman came in. She had black hair and green eyes. Nightwing couldn't help but notice a resemblance to Amera who fought alongside William. "And make sure he does not escape. Come Dear," he held out his hand to the red-head, "it is breakfast time." They left.
Himera poured water from a pitcher into a glass and created a small hole in the field. Handing Nightwing the green glass, she couldn't look at him.
"You remind me of someone I know," he refused to drink the water; "she was a close friend."
"You must drink. The water is clean; I fetch it myself. Tiberiick requires you alive until he can find Queen Angelica," Nightwing placed the full glass next to the field; he didn't trust anyone, "I understand your reluctance. You think Tiberiick tainted the supply in some way. I can assure you it is safe; I am the only person who touches the water and the pitcher," Nightwing still refused, "I will leave it there. It is my understanding Earth people cannot go long without water. You will need it soon." Rising from the floor, Himera left the room leaving Nightwing alone. Where was he? Who was this Tiberiick and what did he want with him? Why was he looking for Angelee? There was nothing he could do; all devices were gone and the mental link was inhibited. He couldn't feel her life force inside him anymore; it was so fate. Examining the field, he thought that if he could move a single stone out of place the whole field would collapse. But he couldn't touch it; every attempted ended up with him getting shocked and the glass only added intensity to the shock. There was nothing else he could do to move it from inside; it had to be moved from outside the field. It was really happening; he was trapped… with no way out.
In an unknown part of the unknown location sat Tiberiick and the red-head at a table eating. Finishing their food, Tiberiick went to work tracking down Aqualad. Unknown to Nightwing, Tiberiick had been following him and Black Crane for some time and became aware of the rouse before Black Crane did. Knowing Angelica would not be able to teleport to their location, she would require the aide of a friend. Surely she wouldn't trust anyone on the Team to help her; no, she'd go to Aqualad for transport.
"Is it absolutely necessary we find this Aqualad Tiberiick?"
"Yes Fram it is. Instead of us searching for Angelica, once she discovers that her boyfriend is missing, she will surely search for him. Eventually her search will lead her here. But having to cross the water will be difficult as she would not be able to teleport here and it is too far of a distance to fly. This Aqualad could surely provide transport for her. But the Martian put him in a catatonic state and he is in no condition to be of aide. However, if we should find him, I could repair his mind in time for him to be of help to Angelica."
Fram beamed from ear to ear,
"That is brilliant my husband," she kissed him, "this is why I love you."
Tiberiick grinned,
"Come. We have an Atlantean to find. My son, keep an eye on our guest."
"Yes Father." A 9 year old boy nodded than ran into the other room where Nightwing was being kept.
"He is such a good boy."
"Just like his Mother."
Fram and Tiberiick teleported from the room in search of Aqualad. What did they have planned for all of this? Why go through all this trouble just to get Angelica? These two have surely done their homework and got to know Angelica's lifestyle and personality down to the point. But something about Tiberiick seemed all familiar to Nightwing; almost too familiar. But why? Who was he?
So… what do you think? Who is this Tiberiick and why does he want Angelee? And why kidnap Nightwing? This is the beginning of the change for Angelee; she will never think the same way again. The next chapter is "Cornered" which focuses on the attack at the Hall of Justice which will happen so this is the plan right now for that; I'm thinking of doing two parts for that episodes. One part will be the actual episode while the other is Robin and Batgirl investigating the disappearance of Nightwing; and maybe more Jaime/Primrose bonding. If you haven't noticed from this episode, those two are another pairing which was decided between ShyWolfDog and myself. So after "Cornered" is "The Missing Piece" which is Angelee looking for Nightwing with a bit of help from Robin. "The Missing Piece" leads right into the next episode which is "Lost and found"; the name gives it away… the finding of Nightwing and Angelee's new power which coincides with the epilogue of the season and the series finale. Now I know I haven't had a reference to Trivoyian or Lucinda or anything like that for a while but remember, she can't communicate with them unless she's in her room in the Cave. But now since the Cave is destroyed she has to look for a new place to use the communication spell.
Anyways… I really hope you all are enjoying the story; now we're getting to the good part of the season which makes my job of writing chapters easier. So let me put this out here; I've gotten two requests from readers in this story to add OC's and I have agreed; one being Amazon from ShyWolfDog and a soon to be introduced one from SheWolfSwift. As much as I would love to add more during the story, it's getting too crowded and busy so unfortunately I can't add anymore during the season but for the epilogue I have no problem with doing. I can guarantee you this; the epilogue is going to be SUPER… SUPER long with lots of chapters and possibly long chapters. I have so much planned for that; I've hand-written the first year after the series ended but I have stuff planned for like the next 20ish years after that. But that won't be up until mid-June maybe sooner; we'll see how fast I can write the remaining chapters to this one first. So that's my long author's note here. Please review with thoughts and suggestions and don't forget to follow me on Twitter Callenlover1031 to get exclusive update information, future fanfiction polls and more. Much love!