Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or Danny Phantom. Just my ocs and how they fit into the storyline.
Humanity
Mount Justice
October 10 16:58 EDT
Swishing of wings resounded through the air, the evening sun setting the horizon a blazing orange. The robin fluttered in euphoria outside; a stark difference to the slamming sound of her robin to the ground as Leila watched Artemis threw him off of her. Five points were deducted from his score as Robin quickly got back up to face Artemis. Leila rolled her eyes as she stood on the sidelines, overhearing Wally subtly giving orders to Captain Marvel,
"How's the arm Wally?"
"Well nothing wrong nachos can't cure."
"Nachos? Oh! I'll go get you some!"
Captain Marvel sped off towards the kitchen and Leila folded her arms as she raised her eyebrow. Wally nonchalantly sipped on his drink of pineapple juice.
"Liking him now, Sneakers. Now that he's at your beck-n-call."
"I see it more as his service to the afflicted. Would you leave a disabled person to defend for himself, Raven?"
"Your legs are perfectly fine, Errand boy."
"You wound me Raven. Would've thought you'd take it easier this week too, other then just abstaining from this last sparring exercise."
"Unlike you, I can continue fighting despite my injuries. I only stopped because it was getting harder to breath. At least I put forth effort."
Wally was about to object, when Black Canary ended the sparring session,
"Good job, everyone. In fact, it's been a very productive week."
"Yeah, for everyone expect Kid Malinger. Even Raven has been working hard this week."
Artemis chided as she nonchalantly placed her hand on her hip and raised her eyebrow at Wally. Wally instantly took on the defensive,
"Hey. Arm broken in combat against the Injustice League here."
Leila kept her comments to herself, not wanting to bring solemnness into the atmosphere. Obviously Wally didn't get the worst of it, but Leila wasn't going to bring those memories back for the Team. Even just thinking of not to think of it made her sides and jaw ache. She was surprised how concern the Team was when she woke up; if they knew what she really was, would they have had the same reaction? Would M'gann have cried as much, knowing she was already dead?
Black Canary gave a small chuckle,
"I've really enjoyed being your, uh, den mother this week."
Everyone turned as the whooshing of the Zeta Tubes hummed throughout the Cave; the light flashing with a new arrival.
"Recognized. Zatara. One-one."
The tall, lean man with black hair and blue eyes, wearing a top hat and holding a magician's wand in his hands, stepped into the Cave. Zatara gave a nod of greeting before turning to the holographic access panel to the Zeta Tubes. Leila straighten uneasily at the prospect of a newcomer, the female's robotic voice pronouncing the arrival,
"Access granted. Zatanna Zatara A-zero-three. Authorization Zatara One-one."
Zatara extended his arm out as he introduced his daughter to the Team,
"Zatanna. This is the Team. Team, my daughter, Zatanna."
The light faded away to reveal a female, quasi of Zatara without the facial hair; long, sleek black hair flowed down the girl's back and her eyes were a bright cyan color. She wore a white blouse with a matching black jacket and skirt that showed her slender built. Yet, one not toned by combat training. She was not a hand-to-hand fighter and relied on her powers, Leila deduced while scrutinizing her. Overall, she was very pretty and normal- nothing like the phantom Leila was- alive and brimming with energy despite her nervousness. Maybe in another life, that could've been Leila.
Leila could sense a small innuendo of mischievousness hidden by Zatanna's caring nature aura, both especially towards Zatara. She almost liked the girl upon appearance. Almost.
Robin had eagerly interrupted M'gann from introducing herself, jumping in front of the Martian to get closer to the new girl.
"Hi! I'm-"
"Robin! Ahem, I mean I'm Robin. Heh. She's M'gann. And that's Wally, Artemis, Kaldur, Connor and Raven."
Leila's eye twitched, it was more irritable that she was reacting to Robin's flirtatiousness than just that his voice had risen in enthusiasm.
**It doesn't matter. **
Aqualad inclined forward with a smile,
"Welcome to the Cave."
Zatanna took a deep breath before shyly glancing away,
"Thanks."
"So uh are you joining the Team."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Zatara quickly interrupted Robin as he took off his top hat, "This is strictly a visit. But I am sorry we missed the training. It's something which Zatanna could benefit."
M'gann's voiced rang through Leila's mind as she started a psychic link.
Do the rest of you get the impression we're still on probation with Zatara?
Superboy growled a frown in response,
Not just Zatara. I mean why is Marvel still hanging around?
Wally was quick in replying with Artemis's repartee following,
Because we like having him around.
You like having him around because he waits on you hand and foot.
And your point is?
Aqualad kept the two from bickering further,
It almost makes one nostalgic for Red Tornado's tenure as our supervisor.
Robin folded his arms as he commented,
Yeah, at least he trusted us.
If you ignore the fact that we shouldn't have trusted him. He was a traitor. That machine nearly got M'ga- all of us killed.
Superboy yelled psychically which Leila sighed in response,
Actually that was his siblings. I still don't think he had anything to do with it.
Then why vanish with them, Miss Sherlock Holmes.
"Are you guys having a psychic conversation? 'Cause I can't decide if that's cool or really rude."
Leila kept her face neutral as the Team awkwardly glanced away at being caught by Zatanna. She really didn't care if Zatanna felt excluded. Zatara and Black Canary though, frowned in disapproval, demanding an answer without words. Superboy was the first to cave out of frustration,
"Alright, fine. We were talking about Tornado. It's been weeks since his attack, and the League hasn't told us anything."
"The League is searching for Tornado, as well as the other androids that invaded the Cave and their creator, T.O. Morrow. Batman's made tracking them down our highest priority."
"But you found none of the above." Robin objected as he stepped forward with the accusation. Black Canary narrowed her eyes,
"Not yet, but Tornado is Justice League. The Team is not to pursue this."
"Why don't you all take Zatanna on a, uh, a tour of the Cave?" Zatara suggested hesitantly as it seemed Zatanna disappeared from sight; only to find her lying against Wolf.
Leila gave a small snort, hated being placed on babysitting duty as much as being babysat by the League.
"Ah! You're giving a tour? Cool!"
Captain Marvel exclaimed as he returned with a loaded plate of nachos. Leila couldn't decide who was drooling more, Wolf or Wally, at the sight of food. Superboy was quick to intercede,
"Actually I was hoping you'd take Wolf outside. He needs the exercise. We'll join you in a few."
"Sure, sure. I can do that. Come on, Wolf."
Wolf raced after Captain Marvel eagerly as Wally whined,
"What- my nachos!"
Superboy grabbed Wally by his shirt before pulling him along. Leila sighed before following behind her teammates, knowing exactly what they were planning. She overheard Zatanna muttering to herself and Leila peeked back to see Zatanna changing her outfit within a smoke of magic; a lavender tank top with white pants. Of course, Robin was the first to notice (after Leila) once Zatanna caught up at the head of the group.
"When did you- how did you-"
"We're not really taking a tour, are we?"
**At least she's quick**
"No. We're hunting down that robot." Superboy commanded as he turned around, before remembering that Aqualad was the leader and glancing his way for approval. Aqualad gave a curt nod,
"Yes, we are."
"Oh wow. Out loud and everything."
"What about new girl?"
Leila was glad Artemis was the one to comment of Zatanna's presence; she may not have been so nice. Robin was quick to save Zatanna,
"I'm sure she won't tell."
"I can't tell. Not if you kidnap me." Zatanna gave a small, mischievous smile as Artemis smirked,
"Oh, she's going to fit in great."
Leila raised her eyebrow, amused by the girl's quick repartee. Again, she was reminded of how this could've been her in another life- an actual life. It irritated and plagued her as a small whispered ripped through her,
**Freak. **
Leila flinched away, shuddering as her icy core desired to expand under threat. Then it was gone. As soon as it came, the presence vanished but Leila stayed tensed. She slowly glanced around with her eyes, quizzical and becoming rigid at the dreary aura; something- someone- was in the Cave.
Zatanna's voice ranged in her ear,
"You okay Raven?"
Leila pursed her lips, focusing her glance at Zatanna before swiftly looking away, her retort sharp,
"I'm fine. If we want to gain an advantage, then we better get moving. We won't have long to escape."
Leila swiftly brushed past Zatanna, not caring if her phantom aura shadowed Zatanna's. Here the newbie was easily fitting in with the Team and Leila couldn't even stop being paranoid, always constantly looking over her shoulder. She kept to the back of the Bioship, her arms folded. Was it really a ghost in the Cave? Or was it just her paranoid thoughts? It wasn't her voice she heard, she believed. But, the presence vanished just as it came, like wind through the night. She didn't want to alert the Team- Wally already gave enough jokes to her about ghosts in the past week- if it was just her own insecurities. It was worst that it all stemmed from one girl.
Leila tilted her head as Black Canary radioed the Bioship,
"M'gann. The Bioship wasn't authorized for departure."
"We're kidnapping Zatanna- uh to show her Happy Harbor. Be back soon!"
"Roger that. Have fun."
Expostulation from Zatara could be heard just before Black Canary signed off and Robin was the first to break the silence,
"Where are we going? Batman is the world's greatest detective, and he searched for Tornado and Morrow in every logical location. If we're going to be better, we need an illogical solution. A truly dumb idea," concluded Robin as he turned to smirk behind him where Kid Flash sat.
Amusement played on her lips as Leila listened to Kid's idea. He actually had one, in that thick skull of his, an idea that had only one problem. No one else knew how to be intimidating.
Belle Reve
October 10, 18:35
Leila rolled her eyes as she listened to the pathetic interrogation the Team was proposing against Professor Ivo. Kid's idea actually wasn't too bad, not like villains didn't have connections as seen by the 'Injustice League', but the fact that the Team thought they could just stroll on in to wheedle information from Ivo was a joke. Leila muttered under her breath,
"This is pointless. None of them know how to interrogate."
"And you can do better Raven?" Zatanna raised an eyebrow at Leila who was leaning against the corner of the room. She merely smirked while rolling her eyes again.
"Of course I can. Best not have me go down that path though, it won't be a…well pretty sight."
"Hmm well I have an idea then. Think you can distract him for me."
Leila raised her own eyebrow in return but continued to smirk before winking. Her chuckled filled the room, silencing the Team as Ivo finally spotted her in the corner of shadows. He gulped as sparks of fear tighten his stomach into knots.
"You may have faced telepaths before Ivo but she's not the one you should be worried about."
Leila's voice was soft and quiet, chilling to the bone as she walked to where Ivo was sitting. She could sense Ivo's nerves shaking and she smirked. She had him right where she wanted him.
"Raven?"
"Oh good. You have heard of me."
Leila slammed her hand against the table, sensing her teammates jumping at the sound but her focus was on the canny man before her. She leaned down closer to him, seeing him shudder as she let the air drop around the two of them.
"Afraid now, aren't you."
"Truib tuo S'worrom eurt noitacol." Zatanna suddenly appeared beside Ivo, casting her spell. Leila leaned back as she folded her arms, the air returning to normal around the two, smirking as Ivo blurted out,
"Morrow's in a secret underground base beneath Yellowstone, National Park, 100 meters south of Old Faithful."
Silence lapsed before Ivo covered his mouth in shock.
"Wait. What just happened?"
"I told you dear, she wasn't the one you should be worried about. Thank you for your time."
Leila turned on her heel, finally seeing the stun faces of her teammates staring between her and Zatanna. She only walked pass them, taking the lead,
"Come on, Ivo cooperated enough, no use staying around here."
Leila lead the way back, walking swiftly through Belle Reve and back to the Bioship. She didn't like the feeling that was bubbling inside her, a dark sense of accomplishment. The same presence from the Cave suddenly appeared, imbuing her mind.
**You enjoyed it. Seeping fear into others. Being a ghost...A freak. **
Leila clutched her fists, whipping her head around. The presence disappeared just as it came, again.
It was then Leila heard her name being called,
"Raven! Raven, wait!"
Leila stopped just before reaching the Bioship. Zatanna had called after her, and Leila clutched her jaw as she turned to see the whole Team staring in awe and uneasiness. She did not want to deal with the pesky new girl nor her teammates. She needed to be alone.
"Why in such a hurry? We just found out the location."
"Oh gee I don't know, maybe you don't remember that we're not suppose to be here," Leila didn't hide her sarcasm, getting a raised eyebrow from Robin. She could sense that he knew something was wrong.
"The Justice League will know about our visit soon and if we want to stay ahead and find Red Tornado, there's no point staying here."
"But Raven, back there-"
"How were you able to interrogate Ivo as such, Raven? Miss Martian couldn't read his mind yet he seemed ready to comply to you even without Zatanna's spell."
Aqualad inquired, interrupting Zatanna as he stepped forward with gentleness while still being assertive. Leila sighed, reining in her emotions.
"Batman taught me well, I guess. It's all about presentation, but it doesn't matter right now. If we want to find out what happened with Red Tornado, then we better get moving."
Again, Leila was swift in her reply, boarding the Bioship before becoming aloof. Everyone else stayed away from her, edgy like they seen a ghost. It was the same presence...the same feeling of despair. Was it not another ghost, or really just herself? Robin appeared besides her, whispering,
"Sure you're alright Raven. Not feeling the aster much?"
"I'm fine. I just don't like..." Leila stemmed off, frowning as she tried to control her irritation.
"Don't like what?"
Zatanna had turned around in her seat, drawing everyone's attention on Leila. Leila pursed her lips, her voice hard,
"Don't like when people think I can't take care of myself. I'm fine," folding her arms, Leila glanced away, not wanting the attention.
"Still paranoid Raven? Believing in ghosts," Kid chimed in, an attempt to lighten the mood with a cheesy grin.
"You believe in ghosts Raven?" Zatanna questioned but Leila ignored her. A flash appeared in her eyes, her body bristling. She was tired of Kid's limited beliefs.
"So what if I do? Besides Kid Mouth- we all saw Skulker remember."
"Skulker-?" Zatanna questioned again, lost on where the conversation went.
"As if he's a ghost. Dude's got a robotic suit with weapons, that's all."
"You're so blind, you know that. Seems you're only fast in your sneakers."
"Raven, Kid. That's enough, just calm down"
Leila turned swiftly towards Aqualad, snapping,
"I'm not a little girl. Don't tell me what to do."
Silence held, suspended in nothing. Leila blinked, biting her lip as she realized what she said. It wasn't like her, something was wrong. Robin placed a hand on her shoulder,
"Raven..."
Leila glanced down, frowning in confusion and solitude.
"I'm sorry Aqualad. Something's...something's not right. I need to be alone."
A quick turn on her heel, and Leila was by herself in the back of the Bioship. The silence was deafening, her own thoughts plaguing her. She never lost control, even with her arguments with Kid; just small pricks against each other, and yet, she snapped at Aqualad. She had lost control.
She could still hear her teammates. Kid Flash was first, followed by Robin.
"Moody much. I know Raven's...Raven but that was too weird. Think it has something to do with what happened with Ivo?"
"Possibly. I'll try talking to her later. Right now, just give her some space Kid."
"Just can't keep that mouth shut of yours huh Baywatch," Artemis cut in, protecting her friend who was obliviously not herself.
"Hey, you saw how she's acting. Even before we left, she was paranoid."
"Which begs that question, of what?"
Leila tuned out after that, Aqualad's question repeating itself through her mind. She wasn't crazy, she couldn't be. Not with her existence, what ever she is. Wally didn't believe in her, yet here she was- a living corpse. But not really, she was alive, if not least barely. Created by Vlad- killed by him- to defeat the Justice League. Was she becoming paranoid? Not because of ghosts, but because Vlad still seem to have a threat over her, over her teammates and friends. She was still attached to strings.
Robin walked in, seeing Leila mediating and soon sat down beside her. Waiting.
"I don't know what you want Robin," Leila started, keeping her eyes closed as she pretend to mediate, "not when I don't even know what's wrong myself."
"It doesn't matter right now, I just came to make sure you're okay."
"I'm-"
"Raven. You don't have to pretend in front of me."
Leila sighed, opening her eyes as she unwound herself to pull her legs to her chest.
"I just don't get it. I can sense ghosts but this...presence- it comes and goes in a whisper. I'm not sure if it really is a ghost or…or just me. It makes me doubt if I really am...a hero."
"Of course you are, Raven. Why would you-"?
"But I'm not," Leila glanced away, clutching her fists, "I'm not a hero Robin. You don't know what I was feeling when I started to interrogate Ivo. I liked it. I liked seeing the fear in his eyes. Knowing...knowing that I was making him squirm, if Zatanna hadn't casted her spell...Robin, I enjoyed haunting him. I'm a ghost- not a hero."
Leila stiffen as Robin placed a finger under her chin, lifting her face to his.
"You are a hero Raven. You've saved the Team multiple times; you've saved me multiple times. You belong here."
"I'm not even fully human anymore, fully alive..."
The two birds stared at each other, seconds of tension held before Leila sighed, leaning her head against Robin's shoulder. He pulled her closer to him,
"Your powers may be...paranormal, but you're still here Raven. You're a hero to me."
Leila didn't know how to respond, only to bury her face into Robin's shoulder. It felt nice, feeling his warmth, feeling more human. He always made her feel human.
M'gann's voice over the intercom disrupted the peacefulness,
"Raven. Robin. We're getting close to Yellowstone."
"Come on Rae. Time to be a hero."
Leila smirked, rolling her eyes as Robin gave his signature, cheeky grin while helping her up. They both arrived to hear Aqualad's instructions.
"Block out all external communications, soon Canary and Zatara- Batman, too, I imagine- will know of our visit with Professor Ivo. We haven't much time."
Leila glanced down slyly and Robin went to sit in front of Kid, right beside Zatanna.
"Look. I'm trying to be all nonchalant here."
"Why? Be as chalant as you like."
Leila's mouth twitched slightly, but she breathed deeply, not allowing herself to lose control as she saw Robin smile at Zatanna. Artemis thankfully, cut in,
"I think we're all just trying to get a handle on your powers. Could you teleport us to Tornado, or Morrow to a cell, or force his bots to surrender?"
"Or create peace on Earth for all time. Zatara couldn't even do all that, and I'm nowhere near on my dad's level. I need to know a spell cold, or else have time to prep it. Plus, all magic requires energy, which usually has to come from within. I can't just make the impossible happen at will."
Leila narrowed her eyes, thinking strategically now. If Zatanna wasn't near Zatara's level, with minimal practice in a real battle, then she'll probably be in more danger than able to help. Not only was she put on babysitting duty, but now had to actually worry about the new girl.
Superboy growled out in frustration, as usual,
"What's our E.T.A to Yellowstone? I'm way past ready to stuff Tornado into a trash compactor."
"Are you so certain he betrayed us?"
"Aren't you?"
"I am not convinced. And even so, that makes him but the victim of his creator's programming. Certainly, he deserves a chance to prove he's more than the weapon others designed him to be."
Leila pondered what Aqualad said, frowning. Would that be the same for her- will she ever escape Vlad? Be more than the weapon she was created as? She couldn't worry about Vlad now, not with her Teammates putting themselves in danger. Leila took a small step forward,
"Do we even have a plan? We're about to face possibly three of the previous powerhouses of the League, and possibly their creator. Not to forget the small detail that they're robots who nearly beaten us last time."
"We're not to engage yet. We'll first find the Reds, confirm Tornado's allegiance."
Leila gave a small nod of acceptance, following Aqualad's command. Expect the unexpected as the old saying goes. She was ready. M'gann landed the Bioship just a mile radius from Old Faith, everyone standing ready to depart. Aqualad stood up, pressing his Atlantis symbol buckle on his waist,
"Stealth mode."
Kid Flash, Artemis and M'gann followed suit, respectively turning their costumes to darker shades of color. As they began to exit the Bioship, Aqualad came up beside Zatanna,
"I recommend you stay behind."
"Is that an order?"
"No. You must do as you see fit."
"Good. Emit ot yrt tuo eht wen kool."
Zatanna changed her outfit again, this time smoke swirling around her to change into a replica of her dad's magician attire. Leila frowned, wishing Zatanna would stay behind, but instantly shook her head; she had to focus.
Robin led the way out, Leila following right behind silently. She skidded just before entering the clearing, Robin pulling up a coordinate grid on his holographic screen,
"Ivo was right. Something's down there."
Aqualad took the lead, until a strong gust of wind propelled all of them backwards into the ground. Red Tornado had come out to greet them. Red color of tornados surrounded them and Leila frowned, deducing that Red Tornado was not a threat if he merely was surrounding them. M'gann cried out,
"Why Tornado? Why are you doing this?"
Only for Tornado to create more tornados, and Leila smirked as her deduction was confirmed. M'gann's voice ranged through everyone's mind,
Message received.
Superboy gave a nod, taking the lead in striking first.
"Who cares why? Nail him."
Aqualad raced behind him, calling out strategy,
"Superboy! Maneuver 7!"
Linking his hands together, Aqualad help lift Superboy up, the latter throwing himself at Tornado. Tornado merely punched him away, sending Superboy to crash into Aqualad. Leila threw her tessen, running along side Robin and Artemis as she fired two arrows. Just as their weapons were about to hit their target, they were sent back by Tornado. Leila cried out, faking that her tessen had strike her face as Artemis's explosive arrows explode around her, Artemis and Robin's feet. All three lied still on the ground like Aqualad and Superboy.
She heard the struggles of Kid Flash, M'gann and Zatanna, each being easily defeated and thrown into the ground. She almost hoped Tornado's idea worked, until she heard a deep, robotic voice from above,
"Quite a performance, Brother, but we both know that's all it was. I have your memories, Tornado. Plus a next-gen processor. I know your next move before you do."
The ground shook, the unknown robot ripping Tornado's message from the ground as the Team broke their facade of injuries.
"Blowing a message into the sand." The Red snapped the stone, causing boulders to fly towards the Team. Superboy and Aqualad yelled as they tried to block most of the stones, destroying them into tinier pieces. Leila pushed Zatanna out of the way; Robin quickly dodged the other, as a rock slammed into the ground just inches from where she stood earlier. She quickly stepped away from the young magician, crossing her arms as she tried to figure out how she could help without her powers.
**A Red that could control earth, while hiding within a volcano at Yellowstone- and not just any dormant volcano. This is not good. Need to at least bring him down from above. **
Robin's voice echoed through the psychic link in her mind, distracting her concentration,
Zatanna? Raven?
I'm good, thanks to Raven. But Red Tornado's getting away.
Artemis objected as she ran towards Red Volcano with an arrow notched in her bow,
Is he abandoning us?
I don't believe that.
No. He must be trying to get his other brother and sister to help.
Leila deduced as she saw Kid running up the rock pillar towards the Red, only to miss his strike and be punched back to the ground.
"You stand no chance against me humans."
The Red declared as M'gann and Superboy yelled back,
"We're not human!"
"Apologies, I suppose the properly inclusive term is," Two rock hands sprang from the ground, smashing Superboy and M'gann together,
"-meat bags."
Leila threw an explosive birdarang at the rock pillar, causing it to crumble under the robot. He merely created another to catch himself, causing the ground to shake and split open under Aqualad and Artemis in the process.
It was then she felt it, the shivering up her spine again. An icy breath escaped her lips, making Leila shudder despite the sudden heat shaking the ground. The Red was planning to erupt the volcano. The voice whispered through her thoughts again,
**Not human. Not alive**
A shadow moved behind the few trees around the area, and Leila ran hard, following the source; a shadow tinted in a green hue was pulling her away. Her core, her power wanted to expand and her fight mechanism overpowered her flight. Despite the soon eruption, despite the Red, despite knowing it was most likely a trap by Vlad, her teammates were under another threat. Only she could end this one.
Leila stopped in the middle of a second clearing, just hidden by the trees on the left of the volcano. Fists clenched and standing at the ready, Leila scanned the area. The hair on her neck bristled, causing Leila to send three ectoplasmic, explosive disks flying behind her. The green blob weaved between the disks, the three exploding against the trees instead.
Maroon eyes glowed back at her, sharp, jagged teeth exposed as the blob of a ghost grinned,
"Oh look, the little girl is far from home. Lost aren't you sweetie?"
Leila's eyes flashed a threatening purple,
"Don't call me that."
"Touchy aren't you. Still think you can stop me. You're just a little, insecure girl!"
A growl foamed through the air, the green blob transforming into a powerful panther. The ghost charged, but Leila was ready. Holding her tessen by its wings, she bashed the butt end of the weapon across the panther's head, deflecting him off of her and into the dirt.
"I'm stronger than I look, Spook. Didn't Vlad tell you that? He sent you didn't he? How'd you find me?"
The ghost rolled before pushing himself up, waving his tail in amusement,
"It wasn't hard. Why not continue our little hide and seek game, sweetie, hmm."
Leila threw an ecto-explosive disk again, missing just as the ghost jumped out of the way and disappeared. She sighed, allowing her senses to expand. She kept her eyes closed, despite trying to sense where the ghost disappeared to, overhearing the fight with the Red,
"Tornado's memory files and my superior processing speed allow me to anticipate your every move."
"Emoks sic emoceb a dlofdnilb!" Leila heard Zatanna chant, smirking as she called out in triumphant,
"Tornado never knew my moves."
Robin ran up beside her, like her partner,
"And I bet you've got some good ones. Whoa. Sorry. That may have come off a little too Wally."
Zatanna smiled, flattery sparkling in her eyes,
"I don't mind."
The ground shook, throwing Leila off balance and for her to open her eyes to see hot beams of magma exploding through the air. Kid's voice rang through her mind with the psychic link,
He's activating a stage 2 eruption. It gets to stage 3, kiss the hemisphere good-bye.
Hit him from all sides.
Aqualad's command followed and Leila clutched her fists. She should be helping her teammates, not fighting a petty ghost.
It was then Leila heard the voice taunting again,
**Look at them. Working together. Not one of them, are you. **
Growling out in frustration, Leila finally spotted the green blob speeding beside a blur and she instantly sent her ectoplasmic tessen into flight. Her mistake. The blob pulled back, vanishing from sight as her tessen continued its course, straight at a zooming Kid Flash. Just as he grabbed M'gann from the Red's clutches, Leila's tessen slashed him at his side, causing him to trip in surprise and roll, crashing over M'gann. An outline of a smiling, green blob appeared through the mists of smoke, eyes flashing in glee before disappearing.
Leila stood mortified, watching as Kid clutched at his side but still covering an unconscious M'gann to protect her. She knew what was happening around her, Red Tornado, Red Inferno and Red Torpedo were fighting against their brother, but Leila couldn't move. She couldn't stop staring at what she did, her hand shakily covering her mouth. Not only did she abandon her teammates, but she had hit one of them too.
Not even the rumbling of the volcano aroused her, or the fact that her teammates and Tornado scrambled to save humanity. She would've survived and the voice echoed through her mind again,
**Abandoned them. Hurt them. Like a ghost, not human. Not a hero. **
Leila shut her eyes, desperately wanting it all to go away. Knees shaking, Leila gasped as she felt a hand grabbing her wrist,
"Raven. Where were you? What happened?"
Leila snapped her eyes open to see Robin staring at her, demanding an explanation. He was holding her blood-tipped tessen in his other hand, fanned out in front of her. Her voice came out in shaky breaths,
"There-there was a- a ghost. I- I wasn't aiming for him, I swear."
Her eyes dart around, the Team (Superboy holding a leg-missing Tornado) and Zatanna stood behind Robin. Kid was holding his side, the cut not fatal but still dripping around his cast. He was glaring and yelling at her,
"Are you serious, still paranoid Raven? A ghost- a make-believe, supernatural spirit is your excuse for attacking me?"
Leila's cheeks burned in anger,
"I wasn't aiming for you. You have to believe me- there was a ghost."
It was hard not to yell, she so wanted to, but instead it came out passive-aggressive; don't lose control.
"And that was more important than our fight with Red- whatever his name is? Or that a volcano was erupting to kill everyone on Earth?"
Leila was about to retort back when Aqualad stepped in,
"That is enough- for now. We'll discuss this later. Right now we need to help repair Tornado."
Leila folded her arms, covering her clutched fists and glancing away as she followed last behind the Team. She kept to herself, not even looking up when she sensed Robin's staring with concern at her. Never before had she made such a mistake. She had lost focus, abandoned the mission- abandoned her teammates, her friends even.
Leila remained towards the back of the secret lab beneath Old Faithful; a chilly, darken gloom surrounding her. Robin and Kid Flash worked together in fixing Tornado, helping him to speak again.
"There. That should do it." Robin exclaimed as he and Wally stepped back from the examining table.
"Yes. I can speak again."
Aqualad took a small step forward,
"You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save the planet."
"The planet would have survived. It was humanity that was saved. Though not by me, my sister and brother were the true heroes this day."
"My point is this, you were never the mole, never a traitor."
Leila could feel Wally swiping a small glare towards her as he rampaged through the crates in the room with Robin, but she kept still and to herself.
"No. I left to protect you from further attack and to find my creator, Morrow."
"Cool. Souvenir." Exclaimed Kid as he lifted a robotic hand from a crate. Robin pulled a robotic leg, following Kid's excitement,
"Reddy, we can rebuild you, better than you were before."
"I do not believe I should be repaired."
"Why'd you volunteer to become our den mother in the first place?" Superboy interrupted angrily, while Tornado took a second before answering,
"I was the pragmatic choice. I do not require sleep. I have no secret identity or second life to live."
"But you do have advanced A.I. Programming. Designed to learn, adapt, evolve."
Kid expounding while M'gann slapped her palm against her head in realization,
"Hello, M'gann. You wanted to become more human."
"And you couldn't do that with the League. They're stiffs." Artemis concluded with Robin backing her up,
"You're sure not going to learn emotion from Batman. Trust me."
"Then the Cave was not a proving ground only for us, but for you as well."
Aqualad explained, Leila rubbed her arms uneasily as she listened to Tornado's response.
"I do not know if these statements are accurate, but perhaps they are true. And if I understand the term correctly, I believe I have come to...care about you all."
She doubt Tornado cared about her anymore, not after her mistake. Superboy gave a tiny lift of his mouth, the smallest smile as he stated,
"See? Practically a meat-bag already."
"Which reminds me..."
Leila went back to her own thoughts, letting the Team fix Tornado. She knew they probably didn't trust her as much anymore. Thoughts of trying to make amends popped through her head, but all seemed refutable.
She still couldn't believe how stupid she was, allowing a ghost to get to her. Not only did he get away, but she also injured her teammate in the process. She didn't even get insight to Vlad's plans. It came and vanished like the ghost.
Leila pondered further into her thoughts, shifting through reasons of who the ghost was and why Vlad would send him after her when he barely put up a fight. She was pulled out from her mind as Tornado began to depart, letting the Team focus back on her. She didn't back down but stayed in the control,
"I only left the fight because I believed the ghost was going to be a threat to us. Maybe even work with this, Red Volcano. He vanished before my tessen could hit him and instead it hit Kid. That's what happen, it was an accident."
"Seems pretty purposeful to me. You never missed before."
Leila pursed her lips at Kid, holding back her anger at his scuff of a remark, as she knew it'd only make it worst. She kept her voice even,
"It was a ghost. He turned invisible and vanished, that's the only reason why I missed. Why can't you believe me?"
"Gee why not ask the cut on my side." Pouted Kid as he pointed to his blood stained side. It was then Robin cut in,
"We all know Raven wouldn't attack without reason. Sure, she and KF get into arguments but I believe it was an accident."
Leila sighed; she just wanted to be alone.
"I told you how it is, believe it or not, but I assure you- I wouldn't want to harm any of you."
She quickly stared at each of her teammates- Zatanna even, her eyes pleading for them to believe her, before starting back out of the mountain. She hugged her middle as she walked, feeling depress and actually cold for once. Zatanna could be heard from behind her,
"Raven did save me from those rocks. Maybe there was a ghost."
Leila kept walking, heading straight towards the Bioship and keeping herself to the back again. Silence encasing the Team, only Kid's munching on a snack bar could be heard. Until Robin leaned forward to talked to Zatanna,
"So. Good kidnapping?"
"Actually, yeah. Best ever."
"Heh. First of many I hope."
"If my dad doesn't ground me for life."
Again, Leila was reminded how this could've been her, possibly her and Robin if she was fully alive. Not cold and detached, a gloomy, phantom presence. But, one that was fun, a little mischievous maybe, and bright. Not eerie or dead. But alive…human.
A/N: Another chapter down! In case it's completely clear, the ghost who attacked Leila is Bertrand. Spectra and him are gonna have a little fun with her and the Team in the next few chapters ;) Anyway, summer is here and I hope to post again as soon as possible. Sometimes it just takes time, especially with the headcanon chapters; so, sorry if this is later than expected. Hope all are enjoying the story and thank you to all who have favorite, followed and continued with Leila/Raven!