The Watch Tower
March 14th, 2017
00:20 EST
A swift and consuming silence fell upon them. As the final echo of the Zeta Tube's voice dissipated, a small trembling rattled in limbs.
His panting boomed in the humming quiet. The smoke finally cleared. With its dissipation, rose an anxious tension. With no more smoke to shroud him, his daunting, familiar features brought about a ghost that once was.
But his nostalgic features carried a glaze of subtle, peculiar change. A lean thinness spread through his body. A red, battered, torn bodysuit covered his trembling torso and limbs. His face held a tired, weathered look. Bags rested under eyes; eyes that stared as though they had seen the world fall to pieces. A short, tattered, red beard circled his jaw.
He stood in the entryway of the Zeta Tube, his body slumped. He held one arm up to hold himself up, his hand gripped tight to the rim of the Zeta Tube. The other arm fell limp at his side. His knees wobbled with exhausted uncertainty.
As the man's panting filled the room, a drumming of their pounding heartbeats rang in The Team's ears.
Nightwing found his throat caked with a sudden dryness. He couldn't push any wind from his lungs. He tried so desperately to speak. But the intruder in The Zeta Tube found his voice first.
"Where. Is she?"
A small noise fell from Dick's lips. After almost a year, a nearly forgotten voice finally slithered across his ears once more.
Unmistakable. Unimaginable. Impossible.
The red-bearded man with Wally's voice heaved another tired breath. "Where. Is she?"
A nervous chill shivered between The Team. With tense limbs, their eyes darted from one another, to Wally, to Nightwing. Afraid, nervous, confused; their faces wore pleas for guidance.
Nightwing swallowed hard, his words forced; praying the man was who he looked like. "Y-You mean, Artem-"
"Where is Looker?" The bearded man interrupted with a more forceful tone. He continued panting, as though he had ran for years.
They looked at one another once more with anxious uncertainty.
The man growled at their silence. "Lia?" He grit through his teeth. "What about...Emily?" He panted. "Is there...an, Emily Briggs...on the team?"
He was answered with their wide eyes.
Another shot of anger coursed through him. "IS THERE AN EMILY BRIGGS, ON THE TEAM!?" He belted.
Whispers tiptoed in the air. Movement stirred in their once-still bodies. After a few tense moments of nervous quiet, a small voice finally broke through.
"Yeah."
They all looked behind them as Emily spoke up. Silent, they watched her as she took a nervous step forward. She held her arms to her chest, her hands trembling. Mind and body weary of man who appeared from nowhere, calling her a name from long ago.
"Yeah that-" Her voice stumbled. She finally stood in front of the crowd. "That's me."
A course breath zipped through the man's lungs.
A jolt of fear burst through her belly. She saw the moment fury filled his eyes, before his body bolted towards her in burr of red.
Wind ripped from Emily's lungs. With a pain on the back of her skull, and a crushing pressure against her throat, she found herself pressed against the wall. Her feet dangled below her, eyes level with the red-bearded man who hoisted her up by her throat. She squealed under the crushing pressure of his grip.
Her eyes watered in an instant as she found her air supply cut. She grasped at his hands, tears falling down her cheeks. His eyes beat down upon her with a fiery fury. She felt her moment of death creep close as something monstrous overtook his expression.
It took the team a moment to register his movements, to register where he went, to recognized the sounds of suffocation.
It was Jaime whose words finally found him first. "What are you doing?!"
Blue hues danced on Emily's lips, and the team no longer found their feet cemented to the ground. They raced towards him.
"Wally! Stop!" Nightwing yelled, his hand outstretched.
A daunting blackness crept in the corners of Emily's vision. Her eyes muddled with tears. She wanted to much to scream, to fight. But under his quick, suffocating assault, her body succumbed to paralyzing fear.
Despite her fading vision, she could see her team as they charged towards her. A dozen hands gripped on the bearded man. But she doubted he could feel them at all. He hardly budged under their frenzied grasps.
For that look, that look in his eyes showed that he had only one thing on his mind. His twisted, raged expression radiated toxic fumes of bloodlust.
"Get off of her!" Conner's bold voice boomed throughout the room. In a few quick strides he came up behind the bearded man. Conner reached around his shoulders, placing a firm, crushing grasp on the attacker's wrists. With a groan, he tore the man's hands off of Emily's throat.
Emily crumpled to the floor and Conner spun, tossing her attacker to the side. The man bounced upon the ground, rolling away from them.
The red-bearded man finally caught himself, propping himself up on his elbows. He snapped his head towards them. Beads of sweat flung from his hair. He grit his teeth, brows furrowed with rage. He pushed against the floor, pushing himself into a crouch as he reached his hand into his boot.
Garfield's eyes went wide. It seemed as though time had slowed. His breathing hitched as a tiny shine of metal flashed in his vision. He watched with predatorial concentration as the bearded man pulled a knife from his boot.
The man was much slower than before, but still fast enough to make a nightmare come to life. He sprinted towards Emily. A savage snarl pulled on his lips, the knife clutched tight in his hands.
A massive, carnal roar radiated about the room as Garfield took his favored gorilla form. With fangs bared, his primal scream shook the ground below them. As his call unleashed, he swung his heavy arm at the unsuspecting assailant. A thud filled the air as Garfield thrashed a back-handed arm against him. The man flew through the air and tumbled to the ground once more.
He groaned, eyes squinting in pain. He turned to Garfield's direction, pushing himself up on his hands and knees. He watched as the green gorilla stood stiff on his knuckles. Heavy breaths pushed from his flared nostrils as Garfield stared him down with a dangerous gaze. A red, running line slid down his right forearm where Beast Boy caught the kinfe's bite. Emily lay on the floor underneath him. Eyes looking up at him in awe as he stood over her.
"No," The bearded man winced. His limbs trembled beneath him. And encroaching darkness seeped into his vision. "You don't...understa-..."
His eyelids closed, and with a final groan he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.
"Wally!" The words escaped Nightwing before he had a chance to think on them.
They flocked to his still body, overcome with curiousness of his identity and concern over his unmoving form.
Zataana reached him first, rolling him onto his back.
Kaldur knelt down next to her. "He needs to be taken to the medical bay, now."
Zataana shuddered, hovering her hand over his mouth. "Oh my god, he's not breathing."
Connor leaned his ear towards him, filling the air with words he never wanted to utter again. "I can't hear a heartbeat."
A sudden heat burst into Virgil's chest. His breathing hitched as he looked down at his hand. Sparks danced across his fingertips. He shook as images of Victor played in his head. His still body bloodied and bruised on the charred asphalt.
Not again. He wouldn't fail again.
Virgil charged towards the collapsed man. "Get back." His voice cracked as he struggled to build confidence. He pushed passed Connor. "Get back!"
Virgil knelt next to the man. A rip lay in his bodysuit across his chest, Virgil placed his hands in it, tearing it open.
"Virgil..." Kaldur commented with a weary tone.
"I can do this." Virgil said with clenched eyes. He hardly had any belief in himself, he didn't need anyone else's doubt. He looked up at Kaldur, eyes shaky, but tone confident. "I can do this."
Kaldur nodded. He ordered for everyone to back away.
Virgil placed a palm over the man's right breast and placed the other hand just below his left armpit. Virgil took a deep breath before shouting, "Clear!"
The man twitched as Virgil sent a current through his chest, working to jumpstart his heart. He took his hands off so Kaldur could assist him with the second step as he began CPR.
After 30 seconds, Virgil tried again. "Clear!"
Virgil lost count of how many times they tried. Two minutes felt like two days as the creeping threat of death rested heavy in his heart.
Water rose in his eyes. He placed his hands on the man's chest. Kaldur placed a firm grip on his wrists. He looked at Virgil with sad, solemn eyes as he shook his head.
Virgil shuddered, a tear streaming down his cheek. He looked at Kaldur with a fierce scowl. He wasn't going to fail again. We was never going to be iuseless/i again. He was inot/i giving up. He would not be a ibfailure again/i/b.
"Let go of me unless you want to get shocked." He warned.
Kaldur nodded and released him.
With a shaky breath, Virgil bellowed with a broken voice. "Clear!"
His eyes stayed shut, but the man heaved a course breath. He coughed as life and movement filled his chest once more.
"He's got it!" Connor exclaimed. "He has a pulse!"
"Help me carry him." Kaldur ordered to Connor as he scooped one of the bearded man's arms over his shoulder.
In an instant Kaldur, Dick, Conner, Zataana, and M'gann we gone. Rushing to the medical bay with their familiar stranger.
Clatter rose amongst the younger group. Flabbergasted and stunned looks crept on their faces as they tried to dissect what had happened.
Garfield morphed back into his normal form. He picked up Emily off the floor. Her tear-stain cheeks glistened under the lights as he tilted her chin up to assess her neck. He grit his teeth at the ghastly purple handprint around her throat. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight.
"Who, who was that?" She stuttered, crying once more.
Garfield squeezed his eyes shut, not knowing what to tell her. Hoping that the man wasn't who he appeared to be. Even though his scent was unmistakable. "Someone...who would never do this."
Two hours crept by and it did not take long for word to spread amongst The Team. Soon the common area found itself filled with every member. Worried whispers filled their mouths as they shared the encounter. Voices announcing their concern, disbelief, and hope.
The only ones not among them were Rose, Joey, Garfield, and Emily. Kaldur pulled Emily and Garfield into a lounge room, trying to get any information he could. Desperate to discover why the man would want Emily dead, and how he knew her by her real name. But all Emily could do was tell him what she knew; nothing.
Rose stayed by Joey's side in the medical bay. Her hand clasped tight around his as he slept on the cot. And IV dripped into his veins. She flashed her gaze across the room, eyes weary as the bearded man lay unconscious on another bed. An IV, bandages, and monitors attached to his skin. Kaldur, Dick, Zataana, M'gaan, and Conner circled around a virtual monitor next to him.
Zataana gasped as the computer pinged. Harsh, flustered whispers fell from their lips. Rose's gaze fell from them to the man in the bed. A handcuff wrapped around his right wrist and latched to the bed's sidebar. She eyed around his sunken face, wondering just what it was that drove him to almost become a child killer.
"I'll tell The Team," Zataana whispered. M'gaan followed behind her as they left the room.
Their footsteps brought a sudden quiet to the common room. They weren't surprised to see all of them there. Word traveled fast amongst their members. Zataana felt the heaviness of their eyes upon her and M'gaan.
Zataana let out an exhausted breath. "It's him," She nodded, her voice quiet. "It's Wally."
A silence slithered through the air. An array of agape jaws and wide eyes appeared before them.
It was La'gaan who broke the quiet. "How?" He asked, flabbergasted. "How is that-how is that possible?"
"Are we sure he's not a clone?" Tim, ever the wiser, interjected. His arms crossed on his chest.
"We won't know that for sure until he wakes up and we talk to him." M'gaan answered. "But his DNA matches." She added, tone carrying her own dumbfoundedness.
"Guys?" Cassie's wary voice rose above them. She found all eyes upon her, arms wrapping nervously around herself. She looked up at them with a long, nervous gaze before speaking again. "Who's gonna tell Artemis?"
The question made Zataana flinch. She looked to find that Artemis was the only one from The Team not at The Watchtower. Everyone else was far too smart to let her know without absolute confirmation. But now, now Nighwing's test had proven so.
Wallace Rudolph West lay recovering in that medical bay. And they had no sort of knowledge to explain why.
"I will," Zee answered. She met M'gaan's worried gaze and nodded. "I will."
Back in the medical bay, Nightwing sat on chair next to Wally's cot. Connor and Kaldur stood behind him. Kaldur tapped away on the computer while Connor leaned against the wall. Their voices quiet but minds screaming with rampant questions.
Nightwing leaned over in his chair. He placed his hands over his mouth in thought. A shakiness trickled into his fingers. What a peculiar sensation it was to see someone you love rise from the death.
Twice, in a matter of days.
A tiny groan came from Wally's throat. Nightwing lifted his brows. And with an icy chill in his stomach, he watched as Wally's eyes fluttered open.
Nightwing lept from his seat. Kaldur and Conner followed his sudden movement.
"Wally?" He asked, his throat suddenly dry. "Can you hear me?"
Wally turned his head in his direction. He looked at him with tired, half lidded eyes. "Dick-"
Nightwing let out a sudden gasp of relief. "Yeah," he croaked with a broken voice. He nodded. "Yeah." He placed a shaky hand on Wally's chest. Still not certain if he was real or if maybe, he had fallen into some twisted, cruel dream.
"Jesus how…" Trailed off, mind still in awe. "How?"
Wally let out a tired sign. "So much...running." He looked around him in a daze. "Where…" His eyes fell back to Nightwing, mind suddenly all to aware of what he came there for. A sudden rage creased his face. "Where!? Where is she?"
Wally tore the covers off his lap. He hoised his legs over the side of the bed.
"Lay down!" Dick ordered, pushing on his chest. "You're too weak to-"
"Where-" Wally began again. He cut himself off as he felt the tug of the handcuff on his wrist. Enraged, he screamed at Nightwing. "Get this off me! Get this off me!"
Kaldur and Conner joined Nightwings side in an attempt to subdue their hysteric friend.
"I'll kill her!" He yelled, pushing them back. "I'll kill that traitor!"
"Wally snap out of it!" Conner barked.
Wally finally made it to his feet as he shoved them away. "You can't keep me here!"
Palo Alto
March 17th, 2017
00:15 PST
To say she was annoyed, wouldn't be quite accurate. For if Artemis had to describe her natural state 'annoyed' would most certainly be the word she'd use. But today, today she could describe her status as dangerously irritated.
Of course she would re-enroll in classes at the end of winter quarter. Of course she would miss the initial sign up for classes and have to take the late enrollment window. Of course, of course the website would go down for days. Of course IT wouldn't know know what the issue. So, of course her and hundreds of other students would have to wait in line at the Registrar's Office late at night to sign up in person.
Of course. OF COURSE.
Artemis growled internally at crowds of tiny Freshmen. She held her directory of classes in her hand with a tight grip. All she wanted was to sign up for her damn classes and leave. Trying to figure out a decent class schedule yourself was already hell, let alone doing it on paper.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She groaned, pulling it out. She glanced at the Caller ID before answering. "What, Zee?" She snipped unintentionally, holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder; trying to balance the giant directory and her notepad as she wrote. "I'm kinda busy right n-"
"Artemis." Zataana's words hung soft in the background. "He's back."
"What are you talking about? Hey!" She yelled as she jumped back, should knocked by another another student as they ran past. She shook her head in irritation, giving her attention back to the phone. "Who's back?"
There was a moment of quiet before she answered. "Wally's here."
An icy, stinging chill grasped Artemis's lungs still. A tiny panic slipped down her spine as she found she couldn't breathe. Did she hear her right?
"What?" Artemis managed to push out with hoarse breath.
Zataana let in and out a long breath before continuing in her quiet, steady voice. "Wally's in the medical bay at the Watch Tower."
A tremble grew on on Artemis's lip. Her eyes watered and face creased with an aghast anger. "Zataana," she hissed into the phone. "This better not be your idea of a joke because it is not fucking funny."
"Artemis." Zee shuddered. Her quiet, genuine tone suddenly became the loudest thing in Artemis's proximity. "He's alive. Wally's alive."
Artemis lowered the phone from her ear. She heard Zataana say her name over and over on the speaker but she couldn't bring herself to form any sort of sound. Zataana's words repeated in her mind like a damaged record. Over and over the sound of his name rattled against her chest.
Wally.
Wally.
Wally.
Alive?
Artemis dropped her book and notebook to the ground. Her feet glided her out of line faster than any time she was chased by an enemy. She may have pushed one or two or three people but in all honesty she couldn't recall.
Where was she running? Where was she going?
The Watchtower.
Familiar streets and alleyways filled in around her. A natural sort of autopilot weaved her through the city. She noticed the stitch in her side, the fire in her thighs and the tightness of her chest. But she couldn't stop. She couldn't slow. She couldn't stop running.
Artemis slid into the back alley phone booth. Her shoulder crashed against the inside wall. She hardly registered the Zeta Tube's voice.
Recognized, Tigress B07
She didn't recall who stood in the common area. She didn't recall how many eyes were upon her, or how many hands reached for her as she sprinted past them, or who it was that shouted "Artemis wait!" as she tore down the hallway.
"Wally snap out of it!" Nightwing's shouts filled the air.
"You can't keep me here!"
That voice.
"You can't keep me away from-"
A loud crash echoed across the laminate. She couldn't bare the thought of waiting for the medical bay's automatic door to slide on its own. So, she shoved it open with haggard force.
In the wake of the noise, every gaze snapped at her direction in the doorway; Rose's, Kaldur's, Conner's, Dick's and...
"Artemis..." The words fell from Wally's lip with a tender longing. Tone dipped with a light glaze of guilt at the thought that he had forgotten of her even for just a moment. The tension in his face melted away.
Artemis heaved with a heavy rise and fall of her chest. She stood still in the doorway, hands against the opening to hold herself up. She panted; a trail of sweat running down her forehead.
She couldn't decide if she was awake, or maybe she was dreaming some sick, twisted fantasy. Because right there, in the middle of the room, stood Wally. The man she loved for years, the man who knew her inside out, the man who she shared a life with, a man who had evaporated in chrysalis energy, stood just feet from her.
In the tense quietness, the cool touch of the doorway danced on Artemis's fingertips. The ache in her ankles throbbed, the sweat on her brow cooled. In that overwhelming sensation of touch, she came to grips with the reality that she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't dreaming.
It's real.
It's real.
He's here.
Artemis unleash and sharp cry. Her pants growing with intensity as her harsh breaths turned into sobs. Her face turned from a tense exhaustion to an overwhelming burst of sorrowful, surprised relief.
She ran.
She sprinted from the doorway and into his arms. The moment her arms wrapped around his shoulders, the moment her skin touched his, she yelped an unabashed sob. Her loud cries barely muffled as she wept against his neck.
"Kcolnu," Zataana whispered as she pointed to Wally's handcuff. It unlocked and flew to the floor as Wally's arms snatched up around Artemis's waist.
He held her like he never wanted to let go. Like he never would let go again. He pressed his face against her hair and breathed in that scent of lilac and lavender that he never thought he would smell again. He whispered soft, gentle reassurances in her ear as she cried like no one in the world would hear.
Zataana felt a tingle rise in her nose. Her chest flooded with a notion that she shouldn't be there. That none of them should be there, for their moment.
"Out," Zee snapped with a quiet hiss. She pulled on the boys' uniforms. "Out. Everybody out. Now." Her face filled to the brim with intensity. An intensity that neither Kaldur, Nightwing, nor Superboy wanted to challenge. However, still quietly begrudged, they exit the room.
Zataana looked over to Rose, Joey still lay fast asleep. Rose looked at Artemis and Wally with a startled curiosity, finally realizing who the bearded man was.
"You too," Zataana hissed at Rose. "He's fine. Out:"
She was referring to the now quietly-snoring Joey. Rose looked at him then looked at Artemis again. She saw the same face of pained relief, the same eyes that Joey gave her when she brought him to The Tower.
She nodded, cautious, but understanding that now, was their moment.
Rose looked back at them one last time before slipping out of the room behind Zee.
Wally held Artemis tightly in his arms. His hands caressed her cheek as he turned her face towards his. A longing held their lips together as they kissed like they never thought they ever would again. Their tear stained cheeks rubbed against another. Their hands grasping as though they could not get close enough.
With a gasped breath, Artemis released them. Her sobbing reduced to quiet hiccups as she placed her head on his chest. Her stomach fluttered at the warmth of his bare chest on her skin, the pounding of his heartbeat in her ear.
A wobble started in Wally's knees. Dick had been right about him still being too weak. So with a soft kiss and gentle tug of her arms he lowered her onto the cot with him. She buried her face into his chest again as she basked in the warm notion that she could lay with him once more.
She cried quietly, her hand gliding up to his cheek. "I can't-" She looked at him, a rush of water filling her eyes. "I can't believe-"
"It's okay babe," He cooed in reassurance, kissing her forehead. "I know."
"Where did you go?" She shuddered.
He bit his lip and answered with a sad look in his eyes, "Away." He wrapped his arm around her waist, a sad smile tugging on his lips. "But I'm back." He nodded, "For good."
Artemis looked at him with pleading eyes.
He cleared his throat, trying to change the subject, "So, uh, you like the beard?"
"No," She answered with a small laugh, running her fingers through it. "God it's so gross." She smiled. "But you're here." Her voice cracked. "You're here."
He gave her a small smile back. He brought his hand to the side of her face, rubbing his thumb against her damp cheek. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of her breathing, the rise of her chest against his.
"Babe," She began. He opened his eyes. Artemis looked at him with a cautious, pleading gaze. "Where did you go?"
Wally let out a strong breath through his nose as he closed his eyes for a moment. He looked at her. A tired, defeated, sorrowful look grew on his face as he answered:
"The future."
A steady clicking of Zataana's boots tapped on the floor. Rose followed along behind her. The entryway to the common area drew close. The sound of voices grew; jumbled brew of questions and flabbergasted statements. She heard the word "Wally" peak a few times but her name spiked from the mixed mess.
Rose's suspicions were confirmed the moment she stepped into the common area. Conversations slowly quieted upon her arrival. Heads turned in her direction. Their stares felt heavy, she realized that every person on the team was there. Either she had done something that infuriated them, or that "Wally" person was quite important to them.
Well, maybe both.
"Do not think we have forgotten."
With a scowl and a hard swallow Rose turned to see Kaldur approached her.
"You owe us all an explanation Rose." Kaldur's voice was strong and unrelenting. The restless gaze of the other team members shot past him. Rose felt their heavy stares on every inch of her skin.
"I don't owe you shit." She clipped back. But the sentence rested heavy in her gut, for she knew it wasn't true. After everything she had put them through, for as long as she used them for, an explanation was the very least she could give. She looked down the hallway for a moment. "I got my him back, I'm not sorry for anything."
She turned to see they still stared her down. She knew that the fight was over. She tilted her head down, defeated. "I don't know where to start."
"The beginning," Connor commanded. "Tell them everything. Or I will." He crossed his arms as a means of solidifying his threat.
Rose looked up at him with a nasty glare.
"Tell us what?" Aqualad asked, eyes suspicious and unyielding.
Rose let out a loud exhale, eyes closing for a moment before she began her self-indictment.
"My father is Slade Wilson," she began. "I am the daughter of Deathstroke."
Chilling, muffled gasps sprinkled in the air. Her teammate's minds slowly connecting a puzzle with the missing pieces now unearthed.
"I guess it starts with him." She continued.
Rose told a story of her father. How Slade, an assassin, a bounty hunter, traveled the world for years killing people for whoever offered the highest price. In his travels he would spend his victorious afterglow with a slew of a lot of women along the way. It was how Rose and Joey came to be made.
Four years ago, Deathstroke was offered another job Cambodia. He paid his favorite brothel another visit, most likely to buy another round with his favorite worker, Lillian Worth, Rose's mother. Upon his arrival he discovered a 12-year-old Rose playing on the back alleyway with the other bastard children. He knew right away that she was his child. Rose didn't know what it was he saw in her, but he wanted to take her away. He boasted how he would make her his 'little soldier'. And when Lillian tried to stop him from taking Rose, he killed her.
After that Slade revisited every past lover that he could remember and find. To see if he had any other children out in the world that he could kidnap and train. That is when he found Joey.
Rose also told them of a serum called the Mirikuru. It was a serum created by Japanese scientists during World War II. It gave the injectees heightened senses, increased strength, and stamina. The effects started off temporary in the test subjects but eventually ended up permanent. Fortunately for America and its allies, Japan wasn't able to mass produce the serum before Hiroshima. After Japan's surrender into landed into the hands of American scientists. Scientists that would become the grandfathers of Cadmus.
Twenty five years ago, Slade Wilson joined the United States Army. When the opportunity was presented to him, he volunteered to become a test subject for the Mirikuru. After a long, grueling trial period, it gave him his abilities but also made him aggressive; made him a killer. And essentially was the reason he was dishonorably discharged from the Army. That is when Slade began his assassin career.
"When Slade found us," Rose continued. "When he took us," she corrected. "He brought Joey and me to Cadmus and had them experiment on us with the Mirikuru." She clenched her fists, as though the memories physically pained her. "Joey was too weak for the serum, his immune system couldn't take it. But it worked on me." Her last sentence dripped with spite. "It let him control me, it made me violent, made me do things I didn't want to do. Made me hurt people I didn't want to hurt."
Rose had to stop herself for a moment, to subdue the water in her eyes, to stifle the sniffle in her nose.
"I don't believe her for a second."
Rose snapped her head up at the sound of Cassie's voice. She turned her nose up in defiance as she looked down at Rose with a doubtful gaze. "I vote we have M'gaan read her mind to make sure she's not lying."
"You can try," Rose snipped back. "But that serum really fucked with my mind. I blacked out almost every time. There's a lot of the past few years that I don't remember."
Cassie flashed her a condescending snarl. "Oh, well how convenient."
Rose snarled right back. "Fuck. You."
A light tapping rattled beside them. They turned their heads to find Joey. His tiny fist rapped his knuckles along the metal on the entry way. His body swam in a spare t-shirt, light bags still rested under his eyes. His wild blonde hair sat on his shoulders. But, unseen before, a tiny, closed-lipped smile pulled on the corners of his mouth.
And with diligent movements Joey began to sign.
The Team looked at one another with confused gazes.
"Ummm," Jamie began. "Does anyone speak sign language?"
"Yeah," Rose answered. "I do. He's trying to tell you that I'm telling the truth."
Cassie snorted with disbelief, "Yeah, also convenient."
But before Rose could respond with a nasty remark, Joey snapped his fingers with rapidity, trying to get their attention. He pointed at M'gaan and then tapped his finger on his forehead. He signed once more.
Rose translated for him. "If you want the truth then read my mind. Let me show you my memories. I couldn't use the serum. My memories aren't broken."
M'gaan turned to Kaldur for support, the past few hours leaving her wary and on edge of everything. She turned back to Joey and asked, "Are you sure?"
He nodded with a smile. M'gaan connected every one of them.
Joey winced under the psychic connection.
'Alright Joey,' she said on the link. 'Just say what you're thinking and we'll hear it.'
He rubbed his head, 'Ow, that hur-'
Joey gasped, stopping himself. He swallowed hard, 'Oh my god.' He brought his hand up to his throat, rubbing the massive scar that rested across it. 'It's been so long since, since I heard my own voice.'
He let out a shaky breath as he worked to compose himself. M'gaan's powers allowed the memory of his voice to radiate in his mind. Allowed the memory of what he sounded like to surface. Allowed him to speak to other beings.
He had forgotten what that felt like. To speak to other people so freely and so quickly without having to write it down or struggle with an elaborate display of charades.
He had forgotten what vocal freedom felt like.
'Joey,' M'gaan began. A sudden, brash curiosity overcame her. A question rose that she felt she already knew the answer to. 'Why is it you can't speak?'
Joey looked up at her tense eyes as he answered, 'Slade.' A frown pulled on his lip. 'He did this to me.' He looked over at Rose for a moment before he gave his attention back to The Team. 'You don't believe Rose when she said Slade took us away. So I'll show you.'
In an instant, their minds became black. Joey's voice rang in their heads. 'I wasn't there for Rose's kidnapping, but I'll show you mine.'
A woman's voice scream in the darkness, "Get out of my house!"
A room appeared before them. A vast and lavish foyer meant for the social elite. A woman, sharply dressed in a designer skirt and blouse stood in the middle. Gold jewelry sat on her ears and neck. Her sharp, dangerous face was framed with poignant brunette curls.
'That's my mother,' Joseph choked out.
She stood with and outstretched arm, a switchblade held firm in her hand. Behind her protective stance, cowered a tiny eight-year-old Joseph Wilson.
In front of them, in full uniform, stood Deathstroke. His hands balled into fists at his side.
"He's my son," He snarled. "He's coming with me." Deathstroke inched towards her with bold steps.
Her savage facade slowly faded with each of his strides. She turned her body, taking a few steps back, pushing Joey away from him.
Deathstroke snatched her wrist, the knife trembled in her hand. "Now we both know you're not going to use that." Slade taunted. "So let me take the boy and no one has to get hurt."
A tense moment passed between them. Then the woman brought her knee to his groin. She shoved Joey away. Deathstroke released her with a groan. Then with a fierce screech, she brought the knife down on his right eye.
Slade screamed.
She turned towards Joseph with a frantic cry, "RUN JOEY! RUN!"
The tiny Joey stumbled to his feet. Desperate to pick up speed as he ran towards the back door.
His movements halted as a gurgled cry filled rang in the air. With a shuddered breath, Joey turned to find Deathstroke with a sunken, bloodied eye. Slade's hand gripped around a handle of a dagger plunged into his mother's stomach.
She coughed, blood flickering across her lips.
Enraged, Slade pulled the dagger out of her and plunged it inside her. Over and over and over.
Joey screamed, calling out for his mother. He raced towards Deathstroke, pulling on his arm. Out of reflex, Slade pulled the blade out and swiped it at Joey.
His mother toppled to the floor, a crimson wave pouring from her torso and onto the white fur rug.
Joey's eyes went wide. He tried to cry out from the sting in his throat but found no sound could be made. He clutched his hand to his neck. Blood streamed between his fingers as he fell to the floor next to his mother.
Slade growled, hoisting Joey up as he trudged them out the door.
"Look what you've done to yourself you stupid boy," he hissed.
The space in The Team's mind went black but Joey's psychic voice filled their minds. 'The only thing I remember next was Cadmus.'
A surgical room appeared around them. Frantic and frazzled doctors buzzed about the room as Joey lay on a cot. His neck soiled his pillow red.
Slade stood in the corner, his destroyed eye being bandaged by another doctor.
A young Rose slipped into the room. She gasped at the sight of Joey, charging towards his bed. She snapped her head over to Slade. "Who is he?" She snarled. "What did you do to him?"
Slade shooed the doctor away just after he bandaged up his eye. "He's your brother." He informed. "And he did this to himself." He glided out the door with a cool disregard.
The young Rose turned towards Joey. Her eyes still held a certain innocence that long since had disintegrated. She grabbed Joey's hand and placed the other on his forehead. "It's gonna be okay," she cooed. "You're gonna be alright."
The operation room dissipated and The Watchtower appeared as Joey took them out of his mind. He opened his watery eyes, cheeks stained with tears.
'We didn't want to be with him, he took us away. ' Joey jumped on the psychic link. 'He took our mothers away from us.'
The rest of The Team found themselves silent. Most of their heads turned down or away in thought.
Joey flashed another look over at Rose before addressing The Team again. 'You didn't believe Rose when she says she didn't want to fight for Slade. You didn't believe her when she said she didn't want to kill for him.' His brows furrowed with anger at their doubt. 'I can show you something what will change your mind.'
'Joey,' Rose's voice growled across the link. She looked at Joey with vicious desperation. 'Don't,' she pleaded.
'They don't believe you,' he said with a shake of his head. He turned towards The Team, 'I'll make them believe.'
Joey opened his mind to them once more.
A setting from another time morphed around them. They could hear the ocean's waves crash against the ship as the deck of a massive yacht appeared. Whatever important persons the yacht unloaded, carried enough to importance to be protected by armed guards.
The sickening slick sound of a sword running through a body filled the air, followed by a masculine cry.
A man collapsed onto the wood deck. The life draining from his eyes as fast as the blood ran from his gut. Rose stood with a red-stain sword to her side. She wore all black with a utility belt around her waist and a holster on her back. Her wild hair fell from her pony tail.
She panted, a snarl curled tight on her lips. A feral savageness creased her face, matching her fine-pointed pupils.
On the deck lay seven figures. Two guards, the captain, two crew members, and two socialites. Their bodies landed askew. Crimson puddles pooled around them as their wounds poured relentlessly.
The younger Joey lay on his side, arm pushing himself up. He wiped away the blood trailing off his lip. He too wore all black, his sword fallen beside him.
A clapping echoed across the boat. Deathstroke stood in his uniform, his hands praising the bloodbath before them.
"Good girl." He said. He turned his gaze to Joey, chastising. "You see Joseph? Now that is how you fight." He looked up at a clock on the wall, "Just in time too Rose, your serum should be wearing off soon." He began to sift through the guards' arsenal, confiscating what he could through his own use before throwing the bodies overboard.
Rose stood, her chest heaving as she panted. She shook with gritted teeth. Her nearly-pupilless eyes stared out into the sea.
After a few moments, her breathing slowed. Her ravenous expression loosened into a more familiar face. The black of her eyes expanded to normal proportion. She was coming down from the Mirikuru's hold.
"What?" She whimpered, her breath shuddered in her chest. She trembled, looking at the bodies around her. "What did I do?" She whispered. With slow, fearful movements, she brought her hands up in front of her.
She yelped at the sight of blood upon them. The thick red oozed between the lines on her fingertips and palms. She stared at them, shaking. Water rose in her eyes. Her brows creased, a sob falling from her throat. She snapped her head up at Slade as she screamed. "What did you make me DO?!"
"Nothing you didn't really want to sweetheart." Deathstroke answered.
Wide eyed and trembling, Rose stared at the bodies. Her chest tightened, finding it hard to breathe. "I killed them," she shuddered. Tears fell down her cheeks. "I killed them."
"Yes dear and Daddy is very proud of you." Slade answered in a near-mocking tone. He unclipped a holster on his utility belt. He pulled out a pre-filled syringe, pulling off the plastic cap. "Now it's time for your second dosage, we have another mission to get to."
"No!" Rose snapped her head up at him. "I'm not-I'm not-" The words choked in her throat as she cried. "I'm not a killer, I'm not a killer." She stumbled backwards as Slade crept forward.
Rose snapped a dagger from the holster on her waist. She turned it towards her gut. It shook in her hand. "I'll kill myself before I hurt anyone for you again," she threatened.
Slade snapped at her wrist, pushing the blade in her hand closer. "Do it." He challenged in a tense voice. She winced at his intense, towering form.
Slade continued. "You have the gall to make the threat now follow through. DO IT." He yelled. He brought his face close to hers. "But do be warned Rose, if you gut yourself with this knife, I will put the same one through your brother, do you understand me?"
Rose swallowed hard. Her lip trembled as her eyes fell past him to Joey. He stared at them with a wide eyes and a slacked jaw, fearful for the knife against Rose's skin.
Defeated, Rose dropped the dagger to the ground. She lowered her head is submissive understanding.
"That's what I thought," Slade said. He snatched a hand around Rose's throat. She squealed under his grasp. "Listen here you ungrateful child." He hissed, slamming her against the wall.
"Nononono." Rose squeaked, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. She cried 'no' over and over as Slade brought the needled closer to her. She grasped at his hands, shaking her head as she cried.
Slade brought his face in close to hers. "Daddy does this because he loves you. He wants you to grow up strong." He jabbed the needle into her neck. "You want to make Daddy proud, don't you?"
Rose gasped, paralyzed as the rush of adrenaline blasted through her veins. He released her, dropping her to the ground.
He turned, picking up her sword and wiping it on his pants. "Pick yourself up Rose, it's time to go."
Rose did as she was told. A cold, dead expression flooded her as she looked at him. Her pin-point eyes nearly lost behind her blazing white hair.
"Yes Daddy," she answered.
With a rush a lightheadedness, Joey cut them all out of his mind. The confines of The Watchtower came back around them.
A silence fell across the room. Joey looked at M'gaan with tired, pleading eyes. She turned to Rose, who had turned her back on them at some point during the story. She stared out into stars, her body shaking with anger.
'Holy shit' Virgil's confounded, unintentional remark chimed in on the psychic link. Jaime shot him a look, reminding him they were still connected. A small, embarrassed sound, rose in Virgil's throat as he tucked his head down. 'Sorry.'
Uncomfortable, unsure eye contact was made between teammates. Jaime, was the first to voice the question. 'So what do we do now?'
Another beat came and went before Bart answered. 'We forgive her.'
Heads turned in Bart's direction. Rose let out a small, surprised gasp before turning towards him as well. A genuinely surprised expression morphed on her face.
Bart met her gaze with a calm coolness. A soft expression crept across his face and an unshakable determination filled his eyes.
'What?' Cassie snipped.
Bart held out his hand, as if his answer weren't obvious. 'I mean, unless you didn't see the same thing I just saw.'
'Yeah but,' Jaime tried to reason. 'Dude she...she nearly blew off your leg today.'
'Yeah,' Bart nodded. 'But and she never activated the bomb.'
'Dude she lied to us this whole time.' Jaime added, aghast. 'This whole time she was just using us.'
Bart stepped close to him, his eyes never straying from his. 'You mean to tell me if you were in her shoes, you wouldn't do the same for Milagro?'
Jamie clenched his jaw. His eyes fell to the floor. An irritation bubbled under his skin at the fact that Bart used his little sister to win an argument. But Jaime found himself silent because Bart was right.
He would have done the exact same for Milagro.
'All intentions aside, she's dangerous.' Cassie snipped. 'You saw what she did when she was on the Mirikuru. You've seen how she fights in battle. You've see how violent she gets even with us. It's obvious it's left a mark on her.'
Cassie was tired, fed up, and outright pissed that Rose was about to get away with her behavior once again. 'She's violent, she's dangerous. She's not. Sane.'
"Don't talk about me like I'm NOT EVEN HERE!" Rose verbally bellowed towards her. Her words echoed across the room and jolted them where they stood. An angry crease folded between her brows. Fists clenched so hard she thought her fingers would break.
She was tired of not being treated like her own person. She was tired not being able to make her own decisions. She was tired of being forced to do things. She was tired of being told what she was. She was tired of being controlled by Slade, by The Team, by everyone. She was tired of not having her own autonomy.
"Glad to see some things never change."
A new voice filled their space. They turned to the entryway, bones turned to ice at the sight of phantom before them.
Wally stood there, an arm around Artemis's shoulders as he leaned against her. Dark bags still hung under his eyes but his face was now beardless. He wore a spare T-shirt and gym shorts. Water lightly soaked his collar. Water dripped from his bangs.
Artemis placed an arm around his waist, helping him stand like she helped him shower. Wally was still too weak to walk on his own for long. But he felt it time to clean up and face his team.
"Still fighting over the psychic link? That never gets old." He chimed in. His familiar, toothy smile flashed behind his lips. He cleared his throat, trying to clear the tension of the stares all over him. "Hey guys. So…what's up?"
"Wally?" Bart asked, hands shaking. "Is-is it really you?
"Yeah," He answered quietly with a small nod "It's me."
With a gust of wind, Bart supersped up to him. Wally let out a hefty 'oomph' as Bart smashed into him, wrapping a firm hung around his ribs.
Wally winced under Bart's crushing embrace. He wrapped his free arm around Bart, laughing. "Bart, glad to see you haven't changed buddy." He rubbed his hand over his crazed mop of hair.
A cluster of noise broke out amongst them. They came closer to him, some with cautious steps, others with carefree sprints. It wasn't long before Wally found himself surrounded and pulled in every direction. Turns taken to hug their arms around him or pat a hand on his back.
Only four beings in that room did not move closer towards him: Joey, Rose, Garfield, and Emily.
Garfield stood in front of Emily. He bent is knees in an animalistic crouch, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. "Stay behind me," he told her.
M'gaan, the last to greet him, pulled out of Wally's embrace. She placed a hand on his cheek. She looked at him with tense, watery eyes. "What happened?"
The Team quieted at M'gaan's question. They too, curious for an answer.
"Where did you go?" She added, bringing her hand away.
Wally looked over at Artemis. She nodded her head in reassurance.
Wally let out a sigh before answering. Unsure if he were tired because it knew how many times he was going to have to tell the story. Or tired, because he wasn't sure how hard he was going to have to work to get them to believe him.
"The chrysalis energy, transported me into the future." He answered. "Fifteen years into the future."
Bart felt a few glances head his way. He shook his head, unknowing of any story like this one. Knowing for certain he never heard of any tales of his cousin heading into the future.
"What was it like?" Cassie asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
Wally snapped his gaze towards her. He went to answer, then found his attention drawn past her. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Emily. Garfield twitched under his gaze.
"Terrible." Wally snarled in a low voice. He took his arm off of Artemis. The crowd parted before him as he took a few wobbly strides forward. He shortened the gap between him and Emily.
Emily whimpered at his closeness and Garfield hunched his shoulders, fangs poking from behind his lips.
"How long has she been here?" Wally asked in a dark tone, turning his head towards The Team.
M'gaan flashed Nighwing a nervous glance before answering. "About three months."
Wally turned towards Emily and Garfield once more. A scowl pulled on his lips and a cold, haunting darkness rested in his eyes as he stared her down.
It was silent.
"Wally?" Nightwing asked.
But Wally paid no mind to him as he placed another foot forward.
Garfield unleashed his claws. "Don't you take another step." He warned.
Wally perked a brow at his threat, "She has you wrapped around her finger already, doesn't she?"
Garfield stayed as quiet as his hands were steady.
"She is a traitor." Wally turned towards The Team, a finger jolted at Emily. "She grows up to join The Light and single-handedly takes down The Team." He watched them all flash doubtful stares.
"She already knows about her parents, doesn't she? The Creature Commandos? Her killer genes?"
It was at those remarks that they fully listened.
Wally turned towards Emily again. "You already have a craving for blood don't you?"
She gasped, placing a hand over her mouth.
His face creased with anger. "You have. I bet you already find yourself losing control when you fight too."
Emily looked up at him with large, glistening eyes. A tingle already rising in her nose. Garfield looked back at her with a concerned expression, already knowing that everything Wally was saying was true. But Gar had been the only person who knew.
Until now.
"She betrays us." Wally informed, snapping his head back to The Team. "She takes out innocent people and destroys lives while becoming a pawn to The Light."
"No!" Emily screeched, her voice booming across the room. "No I-I wouldn't do that." She pleaded with them, eyes on the verge of tears. She looked at Garfield, her voice begging for his belief. "I would never do that."
Gar nodded. "I believe you Emily," he answered in a quiet voice.
"Of course," Wally scoffed.
"I believe you too Wally." Garfield answered as he turned towards him, his tone genuine. "So you say that in the future Emily turns evil. Ok, sure, fine. But that's not who she is now. That doesn't mean that we should treat her like a criminal right now."
Gar motioned towards Blue and continued. "When Bart came from the future, he said the same thing about Jaime right? And you know what? Bart could have taken Jaime out right away if he wanted too. We could have just killed Jaime." Beast Boy pointed at Jaime, "But we didn't. We gave Jaime a chance. We helped change his fate. Because he wasn't a monster yet." He nodded. "We can do the same thing for Emily. We can help fix her. Figure out what turns her and prevent it."
"You don't understand Gar." Wally protested darkley. The bags under his eyes now carrying an ominous tone. "This...this is too big for me to just sit and wait..."
"And Blue possibly starting the Apocalypse wasn't big?" Gar snipped, irritated. "We've 'sat around and waited' before. Emily deserves that same chance-"
"I won't stand by and watch her kill you again!" Wally yelled at him.
The room went quiet. A soiled turning rose in Garfield's gut as the word 'again' rang in his ears.
Wally's breathing shoot with a rising fury. "Or Robin. Or Blue. Or hundreds of other innocent lives."
"No," Emily squeaked. The bubbled word almost dying in her throat. A fat tear fell down her cheek. "I wouldn't. I would never kill anyone."
"You say that like you know you're so sure. But I've seen it." Wally hissed, unapologetic. "You do it. You kill people you say you care about, you kill people close to you."
"No." She squawked back.
"Wally stop." M'gaan chided, seeing Emily's crumbling state.
"You're lying," Emily cried back. Her eyes gushed with tears as Wally's words cinged her skin like a rabid blaze.
"I've watched you." Wally hissed. "I've watched you slit Garfield's throat."
"Stop it!" She sobbed, bringing her hands into her hair. Her head pounding. Pounding with thoughts. Thoughts of doubt and accusal. Thoughts that didn't sound like her own.
"I watched you laugh as you stabbed Blue!"
"Shut up!" She screamed, her sobs choking her.
No. No, it couldn't be true. She loved them. She loved all of them. But even now as the scent of Wally's drying blood danced on her senses, she couldn't help but let the stinging poison of doubt seep inside her. After how she nearly killed that ninja in the lab, after she nearly clawed out Beast Boy's eyes, she couldn't help but think his accusations bore some truth.
Their deaths, the future. Their futures. Would it be all her fault?
All her fault.
All her fault.
Just like everything in her life was her fault.
It was her fault her powers didn't bloom on time and her father was order to kill her. It was her fault she was alone on that park after dark in the first place. It was her fault her mother thought she was dead. It was her fault that her mother killed herself.
All her fault.
All her fault.
Now the deaths of her teammates were going to be all her fault.
Her growing heartbeat pounded in her ears as the world closed in on her. Her chest tightened. She wheezed, finding it hard to breath as a pressure crushed her lungs.
"Wally stop," Nightwing boomed.
"No." He beamed back, turning towards them. "No I won't stop. She needs to hear this. She needs to hear about how she betrayed people who trusted her. You all need to hear about her betrayal." He pointed back at Emily. "She needs to be taken out now, before she kills most of the people in this room."
"No, please." Emily pleaded. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because you killed ARTEMIS!" He screamed at her.
Another silence filled the room. Artemis stifled her gasp with her hand as he eyes went wide. She found many eyes upon her.
"Wally, stop." Nightwing demanded in a calm tone. "We can talk about this later."
"No," Wally snipped. "You don't wanna talk about this now?" His dark expression stared right through Emily's soul. "Then I'll deal with this now."
Wally took a firm step towards Emily.
From across the room, Rose watched the hate contorted his face into a savage snarl. She caught a glimpse of something in his eye. It flickered and sparked until its flame constricted his pupils into fine points. It was something that she had contact far too much in the time she was a minion for her father.
It was the sight of bloodlust.
And when Wally tried to move forward, a look of desperate terror flashed upon Emily's face.
Rose and had enough. With clenched fists and white knuckles, she tore across the room. Wally felt winded as in an instant Rose stood only inches away from him. Her hot breath tingled against his skin as her wicked glare pierced right through him.
She placed and firm hand on his chest, "And you need to take about five steps," and shoved him. "BACK!"
Her final word rang through the air like a shattering piece of fine china against a tile floor.
Wally, aghast, stared at her with a slacked jaw as he stumbled to maintain his footing.
But Rose did not falter. She looked up at Wally with an icy and vile grimace. Her words were just as firm and dangerous as her stance.
"I don't give a shit who you say you are." She spat in the silence. "I don't give a shit who they say you are. I don't give a shit what time you say you're from, or what things you say you saw, or what terrible things you say she does." She pointed back at Emily. "All I care about is my teammate. My teammate whose throat you-" she poked him on his chest. "Had your hands around. So right now, that makes you the bad guy."
Rose brought her hands up to her waist. She pulled out her energy sword and unleashed. The energy pulse echoed a warning across the room. She held the sword down at her side, a dark snarl pulling on her lips. "You don't wanna know what I do to bad guys."
"Don't listen to her Wally." Cassie's snide voice rose in the tension. "Her opinion of right and wrong doesn't have value here." She turned her nose up at Rose in condescension. "She's nothing but Deathstroke's daughter."
Wally gave a small gasp of disbelief. "Death-Deathstrokes daughter?" He looked back at Nightwing in disappointed awe. "And you guys serious? You let the daughter of a psychopath on the team!?"
"Oh my god!" Rose chimed in, irritation rolling off of her. "Yes! I am so tired of this already. Yes, I lied this whole time. I lied to you all. I am Deathstroke's daughter." She pointed her sword at The Team, head tilted in a cocky manner. "But what does that say about you? Huh? What does it say about all of you when Deathstroke's daughter is only one of the two people in this whole fucking room protecting a little girl-"
She brought her sword to her side as she looked Wally up and down with a snarl, "From a grown ass man?"
Cassie twitched under Rose's words. She looked around to realized that Rose was right. Encroaching on Emily's space with dangerous ferocity, was Wally. And they all stood behind him, while only Gar and Rose stood between him and Emily. She was reminded of something that Artemis had taught her not long ago.
Girls must protect other girls.
"I am not afraid of you." Rose warned with a firm tone. "And I am not afraid to stand up to you."
"You better think about those threats newbie," Wally growled. "I've been in this game far longer than you have."
"Fucking fight me I dare you," Rose hissed.
"You have no idea what you are getting yourself into by letting her live. That girl-"
"You touch her again. And as Deathstroke's daughter, I will have no qualms with stabbing you in the heart."
"THAT IS ENOUGH." Kaldur's voice boomed across the room. They jerked under his jarring interruption.
Kaldur placed himself between Rose and Wally, they backed away under his presence. "I think that tensions are very high right now." He commented, looking between them. "And I do not think that it would be appropriate time to act on that tension. Rose, I think that you should take Emily back to The Warehouse. She needs to be in a calm place right now. And Wally you should stay here, so you can have a safe place to be heard." He looked at Wally. "Alright?" Then looked at Rose. "Alright?"
Rose only held his stare for a small moment, knowing all too well that his request was actually a command. And knew all too well that he was right.
"Come on kid." Rose held her hand back towards Emily, motioning towards herself. But her eyes never left Wally. "Let's get you outta here. You too Joey."
With quick steps, Rose, Emily, Joey, and Garfield headed towards the Zeta Tube.
"Kaldur are you serious?" Wally gaped. He took a step towards them. "I can't just let her-"
"Wally West." Kaldur stepped in front of him, placing a hand on his chest. "You run after that girl. And I will be the take you down."
Wally stared at him with cold, unrelenting eyes.
"Now, Tigress, Miss Martian, Superboy, Nightwing, will you please stay we can discuss this manner further?" He commanded. "Everyone else on my team, go home. NOW."
Without another word the other team members did what they were told. They were all far to seasoned to challenge that particular tone of Aqualad's.
"I can't believe you don't trust me." Wally commented, hurt.
"I do trust you Wally." Kaldur nodded. "I trust you like the good friend and teammate that I have grown up with. But I need you to trust me as well. I need you to trust me, and my ability to recognize when one of my good friends is about to act on impulse instead of reason. I need you to trust in my ability to know when one of my friends cares so much for me and his team, that he sometimes acts with too much passion. I need you to trust that I will hear him out without any judgement. Can you trust met on that?"
It took a few seconds. But the tension on Wally's face finally eased. He looked down for a moment before meeting Kaldur's gaze. "Glad to know the same level-headed Kaldur is here to keep me from doing something dumb." A small smile pulled on his lips. A smile that carried nostalgia of a Wally West long before. "Hope you brought snacks. It's gonna be one hell of a story."