Here is the next chapter!
Sorry that I haven't been the best updater with this, but I've been trying to get Code: Ghost Girl; squared away too, so yeah.
Black target; I've set this up in a slight AU where Green is Maddi and Megan's dad. As for how he's Green while Maddi and Megan are White, their mother is White and their dad is Green.
I don't own anything except for my OCs; all rights go to their respective owners.
Huntress
Atlantic Ocean
April 9, 01:16 EDT
Dan- Helena was lying down on her bed in her quarters. Thanks to the glamour charm, nobody ever recognized her, but she was always hesitant to remove her mask anyways.
'How did it all go so wrong?' she wondered. 'Id say I have nobody to blame but myself, but it's getting hard to tell who myself is.'
She got up and looked in the mirror, pulling her cowl down. She fingered her necklace. 'Thanks to this glamour charm, the whole world thinks I'm Huntress, AKA Helena Bertinelli; professional assassin, and trusted member of Black Manta's organization with a personal vendetta against the Justice League.'
She glanced into the mirror and saw her usual short, windswept black hair, her cerulean blue eyes, and her fair skin. 'The only problem is that I'm one of the few people the charm doesn't affect; the only thing it does to me is disable my powers. When I look in the mirror, it's the only reminder I have that I'm still Dannie Fenton.
'Why did I decide to do this? Dick and I, we had things going good. Yeah, he didn't want to give up being Nightwing, but things were slow enough in Amity Park that I could leave the job of being a hero to Danielle and just be... normal, but when Dick needed someone to go undercover, I couldn't convince him to let me go fast enough.'
Huntress punched the mirror and broke it mere moments before the intercom announced, "Huntress, report to Kalur'ahm's quarters at once."
The halfa pulled her cowl back on and made her way to Kaldur's room, where she was greeted by Black Manta, and an eerily smiling Psimon.
"Yes boss?" she asked.
"This is Psimon." Manta introduced. "He is here to psychically repair the mind of my son."
"He can do that?" Huntress questioned, though she already knew the answer.
"Indeed my dear." Psimon replied. "I'll dig right in and root about, piecing together his entire mental life together. By the time I'm done, I'll know Kaldur'ahm better than he know himself."
"Perfect," Huntress told them, but she was really thinking, 'If you call perfect Psimon discovering that me and Kaldur are really spies for the team and the Justice League.' "But you've forgotten something."
Manta quirked his brow. "What have we forgotten Huntress?"
"What if Miss Martian left some sort of mental virus that prevents anyone but her from repairing his mind?" she questioned. By the looks on the two villains' faces, they hadn't thought about that.
"What do you suggest then?" Manta asked. "As Kaldur'ahm's right hand, you must have an idea."
"My idea is that we kidnap Miss Martian or her sister, Kid Martian, and have one of them repair the damage." the halfa suggested "From what I've seen, Miss Martian wouldn't have left a virus without making sure that it couldn't hurt her sister."
'Sister... Jazz.'
"Very well, but she is dangerous, and I'm sure that her sister is just as hazardous; Kaldur would never forgive me if I sent you alone."
"I'll take a squadron of troopers."
"No. You'll take Deathstroke. I've seen that you two have come to trust each other, even sharing details about your pasts. Your bond would make things far easier."
"If you say so boss."
'Perfect. Just perfect.'
Kid Martian
TAOS
April 9, 00:20 MDT
"I'm not very comfortable with this Dad." M'Gann told Green Beetle. "Delving into your mind, i-it's an... intrusion."
"You have my permission M'Gann." He promised. "We must be able to trust each other, your friends and I."
B'arzz's face curled into a very creepy looking smile, and M'Gann gasped as Maddi sighed, rubbing her temple.
"Does my smile displease?" he asked. "Is this not how humans convey friendship, and put each other at ease?"
"There has to be another way." Superboy growled.
"Look, I'm not sure what the Martian educate is here, but Green Beetle is right; we need to confirm that he is who he says he is: hers and Kid Martian's father. Miss M is our only real option with Dannie... gone." Nightwing explained.
"Go for it angelfish." La'Gaan told his girlfriend. "Reading your dad will be a piece of crabcake."
"Please," Green pleaded. "Proceed with the mind-link. I trust you M'Gann."
M'Gann took a deep breath before her eyes turned a dull glowing green.
After a few moments, Megan turned around and said, "Green Beetle is on our side."
Maddi linked her mind to Superboy's and said, 'I'm going to head home to Uncle J'onn's apartment. I'm getting tired.'
The Boy of Steel looked to the youngest Martian and said, 'Go ahead, but remember; you promised Robin that you'd let him walk you home.'
Maddi nodded and took her boyfriend's hand.
Robin silently asked her if she was ready to go, and she nodded her head as they headed for the zeta tube.
Chicago
April 9, 6:00 CDT
Recognized: Robin, B-2-1; Kid Martian, B-2-4.
Maddi was heading home to her Uncle's apartment. She'd made the decision to stay with M'Gann at their Uncle J'Onn's apartment during weekends, and to stay in the warehouse during weekdays. She wanted to be able to see her sister more than for just missions, so this was the best option.
"So, are you excited about your dad?" Robin asked, trying to make conversation.
"Not really." Maddi answered truthfully.
"Why not?" he asked.
"I feel like he doesn't trust me; that he went behind my back, and even though he is here to help with the Reach, it was just an excuse to check up on me. Does that make any sense?" She questioned.
"It makes a lot of sense. You didn't know, and I get that it hurts that he doesn't seem to trust your decisions. I understand; Batman does it to me all the time. He checks up on me whenever he can get the chance to." he replied. "But that's what parents do; they're supposed to worry about us."
Maddi smiled. She was about to reply when she heard, "Well isn't this awkward?"
Both of the heroes whipped their heads in the direction of the voice to see Huntress and Deathstroke.
"We hate to interrupt such special inter-species romance, but we have pressing business with the Martian." Deathstroke told them.
Robin stepped protectively in front of Maddi and said, "Not going to happen Slade."
Almost immediately after that sentence had been finished, Maddi and Robin were separated from one another, and Huntress had her pinned down. "Read my mind; I'm offering you specific thoughts."
Out of pure curiosity, Maddi listened and read the assassin's mind, gasping when she had finished.
'Dannie? You're alive?'
'Yeah Maddi, I'm alive, and I'm here to kidnap you.'
'What? Why?'
'I need your help to fix Kaldur's mind, but Deathstroke can't suspect I'm on your side, and neither can Robin. I need you to make this abduction look good. Can you do that?'
Maddi nodded and density shifted through the car that Huntress had her backed against, escaping until she was near a pile of cars.
Huntress continuously shot arrow from her crossbow as Maddi used telekinesis to deflect and destroy them before finally going on offense and throwing cars with telekinesis.
'Well it doesn't have to look that good.' Dannie informed her.
Dannie herself just barely noticed it when Robin said, "Robin to team; Kid Martian and I are under attack at the Chicago zeta tube. Requesting back up."
Robin was promptly thrown into a car before Deathstroke said, "You see, calling for help like that just pushes up the timetable. Now I can't savor the battle."
Maddi continued 'fighting' Huntress until she heard Robin get thrown into a large group of refrigerators.
She looked towards him and shouted, "Robin!"
She was quickly tossed to the ground, and when Dannie went in for another attack, she lifted the halfa into the air with telekinesis.
Dannie, well prepared for something like this, threw some of the same bombs she'd used in El Paso a few weeks prior at Maddi's feet, and when they had ignited a ring of fire around the Martian girl, Deathstroke placed an inhibitor collar around her neck.
The collar shocked her unconscious, and Huntress threw Maddi over her shoulder, entering their nearby Manta Flyer.
Suddenly, the Chicago zeta lit up with energy as it called out, Recognized: Miss Martian, B-0-5; Superboy, B-0-4; Nightwing, B-0-1; Artemis; B-0-8. Authorized: Dani Fenton, A-0-6.
Nightwing ran out of the zeta first and looked over the area until he spotted Robin, running over to help his little brother, with help from Artemis and Danielle.
M'Gann looked over the area before her heart sank as she said, "I don't see M'addi, and she's not in my telepathic range."
"She's gone." Robin muttered subconsciously. "Already got taken."
Miss M took in the Boy Wonder's words before she began to sob.
Meanwhile, Maddi slowly woke up to see Dannie, garbed as Huntress, Black Manta, and Kaldur.
"Welcome aboard, Martian." Manta greeted. "Let me make your situation perfectly clear; you are here to psychically repair the damage your sister has done to my son's mind. This inhibitor collar negates all your Martian abilities. In a moment, we will selectively reinstate your telepathic powers, but before we do that, let me warn you; Deathstroke is watching you at all times from a safe distance, beyond the range of your psychic power. If he perceives even a hint of trouble, he will press a button, which will activate a substantial explosive charge in your collar, so try not to lose your head."
Manta looked to the security camera in the room and said, "Deathstroke, activate her telepathy."
A single light on the collar turned off before Manta began to leave. "Save my son, or die."
And with that, he was gone.
"You heard the man; get to it!" Huntress directed.
'Dannie, what should I do?' Maddi asked.
'Fix Kaldur, duh.' the halfa replied. 'We'll worry about the rest later.'
'I'm not worried about the rest, but honestly, I don't know if I can fix Kaldur or not.' the Martian admitted. 'Breaking a mind is easy, but fixing one... it might not be possible. M'gann can't do that, and I'm nowhere near close to her level. I might just make things worse. Just my prescence could be perceived as a threat.'
Dannie glanced into the mirror for a moment before she said, 'Then take me with you; he won't perceive me as a threat. I can help.'
'Maybe, or maybe I'd lose you inside his mind.'
'We don't have many other options, and the clock is ticking.'
'Yeah, I guess you're right.'
Maddi's eyes glowed a dull green as she entered Kaldur's mind with Dannie in tow.
When she opened her mind, she was inside a water filled city of ruins.
She turned around at the sound of someone gasping for air to see Dannie, looking like her ghost half, grip her throat tightly.
Maddi swam over to the halfa and removed her hands. "Dannie! Dannie! Snap out of it! This isn't real! If you let the illusions here hurt you, they could do your mind real damage; real, permanent damage!"
Dannie coughed for a few seconds and said, "R-Right, this is all in my head. Well... Kaldur's head. Kaldur's very screwed up head. Care to explain the water and stuff?"
"Everyone perceives their Psyche in a different way, and this how Aqualad perceives his; Atlantis... in ruins. I don't even know where to start." Maddi explained.
Both of the girls were suddenly blasted by magic, and they both looked up to see a very angry Aquagirl.
"Tula!" Dannie shouted.
The Atlantean girl ignored them and used her sorcery to launch ice at the heroes.
Dani
"For Batman's sake, let go of me!" Robin shouted as he tried to vacate the hospital bed with a broken leg.
Dani just frowned and continued to help her dad, Artemis, Miss Martian, and Superboy hold the red clad boy down.
"I have to save Maddi!" he growled, still trying to get up.
"Robin, calm down! There's nothing you can do for her in your condition. As Agent A would say, putting your health at risk won't save the girl!" Nightwing attempted to reason with his brother.
"Then why isn't Superboy out there?" M'Gann asked. "I know that you hate me Connor, but do you hate me enough to let Maddi stay abducted?"
"You have no idea how I feel about your sister!" Connor growled.
"Enough!" Nightwing shouted. He looked to the archer and said, "Take Superboy, and Miss Martian out of here. Tell them."
Artemis's eyes widened, but she nodded and led the Kryptonian and the Martian out of the hospital room.
Once they were gone, he said, "I'm not supposed to tell you guys, to tell anyone, but Aquald isn't a traitor."
Robin eased up and Dani relinquished her grip on him.
"What are you talking about Dick?" Robin asked. "He murdered your fiance."
"No, he didn't." Nightwing admitted. "Aqualad has been on a deep cover mission for months, infiltrating Black Manta's troops, the Light, and the Reach. We faked Dannie's death. She's alive. In fact, Dannie is Huntress. If she kidnapped Kid Martian, there must be a reason."
"Why am I only hearing this now?" Dani asked, her eyes about to burst with tears. "I mourned my mom. Son of a biscuit eater, I wanted to rip Kaldur limb from limb; you should've told me!"
"No." Robin told the girl. "Nightwing is our leader, and we put our trust in him."
Artemis came in and said, "As soon as you're done, we need to talk privately."
Dani stormed out as she said, "You all lied to me!"
Artemis said, "I take it things didn't go well on your end?"
"Not even close; Danielle hates me now." Nightwing said. "Anyways, what did you want to talk about?"
"Kid Martian. It turns out that because M'Gann believe Dannie was dead when she encountered Kaldur on the Reach ship, she fried his brain. We think that's why Dannie grabbed her; to fix Kal's broken mind." Artemis explained.
"Well that's just downright lousy." Robin deadpanned.
"Why exactly would that be bad?" Nightwing questioned.
"Maddi doesn't know how to do that, and Manta just might kill her and kill Dannie, when she breaks her cover trying to save her, and we'll have lost all three because you thought it was a bad idea to share." The anger and pain in Robin's voice was all too obvious.
When the archer and former Boy Wonder left the room, they found Dani sobbing into Connor's chest, arms firmly cemented around the clone's neck.
"I'll never forgive you." Dani whimpered to Nightwing.
His heart dropped. The little girl had become his anchor to sanity with Dannie gone. Without her... Dick didn't know how he was going to survive.
Dannie and Maddi
"Not real!" Dannie shouted before the ice could hit her. "Not real, not real!"
Because she truly believe the ice wasn't real, it passed right through her, and barreled into M'addi.
Dannie swam over to the girl and tried to help, but Maddi's subconscious wasn't making the distinction that it wasn't real.
"Tula stop!" Dannie shouted. "We're here, both of us, to help Kaldur!"
As another blast went through the halfa, she said, "What am I doing? You're not real either."
She swam away and to the only thing inside of Kaldur's mind that was still standing to see the Atlantean boy sitting on a stone bench, wearing his Aqualad uniform.
"Kaldur!" Sh shouted, but when the boy turned around, he had no face.
He began speaking in Atlantean before saying, "What is left of Kaldur'ahm?"
Then he began to speak in Atlantean again. "I knew I should've payed more attention in my Freshman Atlantean class. Kaldur, listen to me; It's Dannie. Kid Martian and I are here to make you better."
He said more things in Atlantean before adding, "I am alone."
"No, you're not alone Kal!" Dannie shouted. A large blue water vortex opened up behind him, and Dannie grabbed Kaldur with one hand while keeping a firm grip on the bench with her other.
"We can fix this all together Kaldur! You're not alone! We can fix this, the three of us! Oh, what's the word? Symbiose! Together! Help us save you! Symbiose!" The vortex disappeared, and Kaldur had regained his face.
Dannie grabbed Kaldur by the waist and led him to Maddi as she said, "Go ahead, finish me. I deserve it for making my family and friends worry."
"No!" Dannie shouted. She swam through the illusion of Tula, destroying it.
She helped Kaldur stand near the Martian girl and helped Kid Martian off the ground. "If you want to stop making people worry about you, fine, but not unless you're willing to prove that they don't need to worry about you. Fix Kaldur. He's ready to be fixed."
Maddi took Kaldur's hand and said, "I'm so sorry about what M'Gann did to you, but I want to help you now."
"Help?" Kaldur questioned. "No. Ruins. All ruins."
"It doesn't have to be ruins though. We fix this; all of it. Together. Uh... Symbiose." Maddi smiled weakly.
Dannie facepalmed. Of course Maddi would've paid more attention in the Freshman Atlantean class.
Maddi led Kaldur across the stone and helped him to repair a stone soldier, showing him what they could do if they worked together.
Manta grabbed Dannie's shoulder though, snapping her out of the illusion. She gasped.
"Huntress! What's wrong?" he asked.
"Uh nothing. You just startled me. I was daydreaming, about my parents. Feels like we've been here for hours." Huntress admitted.
"You... have. Six hours. I came to check on your progress." he told her.
"We've only just begun." Maddi reported. "This could take days, weeks even. Repairing a mind is difficult, even for M'gann or my uncle, and I'm nowhere near close to their level. This'll take a while."
"You'd better not be stalling Martian." Manta threatened.
"Father." Kaldur said. "Father."
"My son, I am here." Manta stated, sitting at his son's side. Kaldur looked to Maddi, who said, "He's not all back yet, not really."
"No," Manta agreed. "But I see that you are making progress. Keep it up, and you'll live. Helena," Huntress flinched at being called by her 'real' name, "a word."
The halfa followed her 'boss' out of the room and looked to Manta after closing the door.
"The Witch's sister is being more cooperative than I imagined." Manta mused.
"Meaning that you're having second thoughts about killing her?" Huntress assumed.
"She is safe until she finishes restoring my son's mind." Manta replied. "Then, she dies. I will bring the Martian Witch pain."
"Perfect." the assassin smiled, but as soon as Manta was gone, it turned into a frown as she thought, 'Perfect. Just perfect.'
Dannie went into the room and reported, 'Manta says that he's going to kill you once you've fixed Kaldur. You need to stall until then.'
'She already is.' said Kaldur's voice inside Dannie's mind.
'But I thought she said-'
'Kaldur told me tell him that. I wouldn't have know how to stall otherwise.'
'Okay, so now what?'
'We bide our time until we can find a way to save Kid Martian's life. Until then, we must all put up the illusion that I am not well yet.'
Huntress curtly nodded, sneaking off the Manta flyer to the mainland.
She went to Bludhaven and wrote down two notes; one for Nightwing, and one for Dani.
She just hoped that they would actually read them.
Dani
Bludhaven,
April 10, 12:30 EDT
When Nightwing walked in, Dani turned her back to him.
She was still angry about keeping it a secret that her mother was alive, and she wasn't ready to forgive her father figure yet.
"I just thought you'd like to know that-"
"So now that I know my mom is alive, you finally decide to trust me?"
"It was her decision that you wouldn't know she was undercover. She didn't want you to worry. I would've told you if Dannie didn't want it to be kept a secret from you." Nightwing promised. "And I thought you'd like to know that she snuck away from Black Manta and left a note for each of us. I already read mine, and I wanted to give you some time to cool down before I gave you yours. Here it is."
He handed her a green envelope with her name on it, which she ripped open and started reading.
My dearest Danielle,
I know that by now, Nightwing has told you that I'm not really gone, and that I'm undercover with Kaldur as Huntress. You won't see me as myself because I'm wearing a glamour charm; a physio-morphic spell from Zatanna. To anyone besides Nightwing, Kaldur, Artemis, and myself, I'm Huntress, AKA Helena Bertinelli; professional assassin and trusted member of Black Manta's organization. I'm sorry that I made Dick keep this secret from you, but I didn't want you to worry about me.
Don't be angry with Nightwing for keeping this secret Baby Girl. It was my choice to go undercover. Remember that he's hurting because I'm undercover too. Just know that no matter where I am, or what I'm forced to do, I will always love you Danielle. Never change into something you're not.
Love,
Panjo.(1)
Dani was crying when she finished the letter. She wasn't angry anymore. She felt guilty. She had been so wrapped up in herself that she'd forgotten about Dick.
She set the letter down on her bed, jumping up to give Nightwing a hug.
"I'm sorry." she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I love you... patro.(2)"
Nightwing stiffened for a moment before he softened and hugged the little girl back. "I love you too filino."(3)
Nightwing's letter
Dear Dick,
I love you, and you know that, but you need to tell Danielle my reasons for wanting to stay dead to Danielle before you lose her. She needs a father, and I'm glad that you've been that for her, but since I'm positive she knows I'm alive by the time you read this, you need to tell her why I wanted it kept a secret from her.
I don't want you two to lose each other.
Love,
Spirito. (4)
Alright, this chapter is done! I know that not a lot of this makes sense, but oh well; it's for the plot line. BTW, the language that Dannie signed the letters in and Dani and Dick used was Esperanto.
(1) Mommy
(2) Father
(3) Daughter
(4) Spirit
Please read and review!
Signing off,
-MckennaTennyson-Harper12