Author's Note: Okay, I just got my ten reviews, so here's the next chapter! By the way, I'm going to be helping out at a summer camp this week and then helping out at a different summer camp the next week, so my updates may take a little longer than usual, but hopefully not. Also, please note that the timing is going to be a bit different from the show just because I can't keep track of those things. Read, review, and enjoy!
Responses to Guest Reviews:
Weiver – I'm glad you liked the scene, I was super iffy about it personally. I agree with you about the awkward part; it was pretty awkward. Thanks for taking the time to review! And, by the way, your guest name is amazing now that I understand it!
WhatsUp – I'm glad you liked Jinx! Oh yeah, Wally's got some hardcore PTSD by now. Thank you so much for the review!
Guest – Thank you so much for taking the time to review!
WWWWWW
Wally was doing a lot better. He'd decided on a college in Palo Alto instead of his original choice in Metropolis (Uncle Clark was devastated, but Wally promised to visit as often as he could) and he had already made his debut as Falcon. It had only taken him a week after his talk with Jinx to finish the new outfit and he fought the Rogues with it on the same day he finished it. They were happy that he was finally starting to be happy, but that didn't stop him from sending the couple that he caught to jail. Also, he was having way less nightmares than before. Oracle had, of course, found out about it and had apparently scolded the Bat Clan thoroughly before coming to Central and comforting Wally (Aunt Iris had cooed at them and Wally had been mortified).
He still hadn't returned to the Team or figured out a way to ask Artemis on a date and he still hadn't gone home, choosing instead to zeta to school and stay with his aunt and uncle. He had, however, managed a phone call to his family. He thought it had something to do with shedding the title of Swift and recreating himself like Jinx recommended. He and his family hadn't talked about anything substantial, just the little things that didn't really matter. Well, they talked about the little things after he convinced them to stop saying sorry to him. He had spoken with them one at a time because more than one would have freaked him out too much.
His knees still felt weak every time they talked; even over the phone and he always had to have Uncle Barry near him when he made the calls, just to reassure himself. But, his injuries had almost healed and he was feeling less and less freaked out every time they called and he was feeling more and more confident that he could return to them soon. It was a good feeling.
Just then, Barry waltzed downstairs with his ring on one hand and said, "Up you go, time for patrol." Wally groaned good naturedly and they set out of the house and into a different neighborhood, eventually walking to an alleyway closer to the city. They never changed in the house because, well, someone would notice the red and gray blurs that left the Allen household just before Flash and Swift were seen in the city. Well, it wasn't red and gray anymore. Wally's suit was pretty similar to before, but he'd lost the cape, choosing instead to focus on a form fitting suit that wouldn't hold back his running in the slightest.
His suit had tough shoulder pads to deal with the amount of times he barreled into people and it had small compartments on his arms that held all of the things he'd formerly kept in his utility belt (he still had a utility belt on him at all times because that just wasn't a habit he could shake easily). The top half of his suit was a brownish tan and the bottom half was a dark brown. The dark brown color also appeared at his elbows and gloves and he'd even changed his goggles to a dark brown. His boots (an updated version that Flash had recently gotten that was so very comfortable) were the brownish tan that made up the top half of his suit. He replaced the wings over his ears with dark brown lightning bolts and in the center of his chest was a dark brown circle containing a dark brown lightning bolt and shimmery, barely visible outline of a falcon. He was just as proud of this suit as he was of his old one. He didn't think he'd ever be able to get rid of the rings scattered across his room with his Swift suit in it. He actually had a Swift ring in one of the compartments of his new Falcon suit.
Wally was jarred out of his musings as they reached the alleyway and Uncle Barry spun into his Flash suit. It wasn't long before Wally followed him and then Flash and Falcon grinned at each other before setting off on their patrol.
VVVVVV
Vandal Savage spoke to Klarion as they watched Red Arrow placing the Starro tech on each of the heroes gathered in the Watchtower. It was finally time to implement their plan. Flash had continued to be distracted as time went on, still thinking about his precious nephew. Swift, or Falcon as he had come to be known, had yet to return to the Team. Batman's usual paranoia, which had caused a lot of trouble over time, was dulled due to the worry he felt for his youngest. The rest of the Bat Clan (excluding Robin) were spread to the four corners of the Earth attempting to find Psimon, who was currently hidden where no one would ever find him. This was the opportunity they had been waiting for! This was their chance to finally get what they wanted now that so many of the unknown variables were out of the way. The Light would prevail.
AAAAAA
They were all pretty proud of the work they just did in Santa Prisca. Artemis had to admit that the Team had really grown from when Swift, Robin, and Kaldur broke into Cadmus that fateful day so long ago. She'd heard the stories about it; they all had and she had always been impressed with the camaraderie they had all shown despite never having worked as a Team before.
Speaking of Swift… Artemis didn't know what was going on. She thought that they'd connected all that time ago, even going so far as to thinking that he might even ask her out by the end of the day because he seemed that genuinely happy to be helping her. Then Flash had told him that there was a Rogue attack and Batman and Robin had disappeared soon after.
A couple of days later, Robin and Batman finally showed up again. They had both looked haggard and worn down (at least, Artemis was pretty sure they did; it was hard to tell with the cowl and the mask) and Robin's arm was in a sling that he explained was to keep him from jostling the bullet wound he had. He neglected to mention where he got the wound from. They had gathered the entire Team to the main room, including Red Tornado, Black Canary, and Captain Marvel, their den mothers. Batman had announced in his emotionless, gravelly voice that Swift had quit the Team indefinitely. The reactions were instantaneous. Everyone was angry and clamoring to be heard. They couldn't keep going without Swift! He was their linchpin; he was one of the founding members of the Team; he was their friend.
Any pleas and any demands for a reason were ignored and Batman left soon after, leaving a quiet and shrunken Robin behind. Robin wouldn't answer their questions either and just said that it was Swift's business and Swift's decision. For a couple of weeks after the incident, Robin hadn't been his usual… asterous self. He was so much more serious and any moment he didn't have to be at the Mountain for training or missions, he wasn't there, choosing instead to go wherever it was he went. It was disconcerting to say the least. It was also somewhat heartbreaking to see how much Swift's departure hurt Robin. It was obvious something else was going on, but none of the rest of the Team could figure it out and soon enough, Robin started getting back to his normal self.
Then Artemis had seen the news alert when Swift changed his name to Falcon and put on an entirely different suit, fighting alongside Flash like usual. It was almost like he was cutting ties with the part of him that used to fight in Gotham. Artemis didn't understand. And Falcon didn't bother explaining it to any of them. He had sent the Flash to grab his things from his room in the Mountain (no one had bothered changing the code or declaring the room as someone else's; they would probably keep that as Falcon's room as long as they remained there) and hadn't called anyone. It broke Megan's heart and made Artemis angry. What right did Falcon have to be such a jerk?
The archer was pulled from her line of thinking when she saw Batman standing in the main room. She looked to the others, but they seemed just as confused as she was. Kaldur stepped forward and said, "You normally wait until the next day for a mission report. Has something occurred that we should know about?"
Batman nodded and said gravely, "We have discovered the mole."
"What? Who?" Robin asked, looking almost betrayed. Apparently Batman hadn't told him first.
Batman continued, "The mole is Red Arrow." He raised a hand to stop Kaldur and Robin from protesting (which they were obviously planning to do) and gave them a scowl. They shut up, but there was a look of simmering anger and disbelief in their eyes. Batman explained, "The Red Arrow you know had replaced the original Speedy three years ago, shortly after he became Green Arrow's sidekick. The Red Arrow you know is a Project Cadmus clone. The clone was programmed with a fervent drive to join the Justice League, which explains his intense anger at being denied at the Hall of Justice. Wishing to eventually gain the approval of the Justice League, he refused the Team and struck off on his own. Unaware all along that he was a clone and a traitor Red Arrow's secondary programming activated upon his induction. He betrayed the League to Vandal Savage by attempting to infect them with mind-controlling bio-nanotech chips." Artemis heard Robin's short gasp and caught the two Gothamites sharing a significant glance before Batman continued, "We do not know where the real Speedy is, but we are doing as much as we can to find him. Red Arrow is now a League member and his apprehension is a League matter, however, he felt that you should be informed of the mole's true identity. I must leave now. Please leave this to the League, kids." With that, the Dark Knight swept out of the room, through the zeta tubes.
Artemis had never really liked Red Arrow and he had certainly never liked her, but this still bothered her. She had at the very least reached a kind of truce with him after the whole Haly's circus fiasco. And now… now it turns out that he was a clone. She never really knew the real Speedy, only this clone version of him. She wondered if Speedy would have liked her.
From his spot staring out into space, Robin muttered, "How did I not notice? I knew him before he became a clone and I didn't notice. I should have… I should have known." Even though he spoke quietly, it was loud in the silent room. Artemis watched as Megan put a hand over her mouth, looking extremely upset. To be completely honest, Artemis wasn't much better. That was… that was depressing to say the least. From looking around at the other members of the Team, Artemis surmised that it was only Robin who'd known Red Arrow before he was cloned. As always, her thoughts slipped back to Falcon and she wondered if he'd known Red Arrow as long as Robin had. He'd probably be devastated by this news if he knew.
Kaldur's voice broke into the silence that had resettled around the room, "I do not care if this is a League matter or not. Red Arrow is my friend and I will search for him." Robin looked like he was about to say something, but at that exact moment, Red Tornado shut down. Everyone froze and looked to each other. What just happened?
Suddenly, Rocket darted forward and grabbed something out of the android's limp hand. She lifted it up and gasped, "This is one of the modified bio-tech chips from that briefcase we got in the Smokies! What was this doing in Tornado's hand?"
Before anyone could answer, Robin said, "What's wrong Zatanna? Are you alright?"
The teenaged magician had a hand to her temple and her eyes closed. She frowned and said, "There's a strange, mystic energy within the Cave; I think it might be what caused Red Tornado's shutdown. I sensed the same energy emanating from Batman as well."
Robin frowned and said, with a look of dawning horror, "Batman called us kids. When has he ever called us kids in the entire time we've been a Team?" The others glanced around at each other, trying to remember. Artemis knew that Batman had never called them that as long as she'd been on the Team. What was going on? This was bad; really bad.
Kaldur quelled the growing panic by saying, "Robin, Zatanna, Rocket. See if you can get Red Tornado back online. The rest of us will leave to look for Red Arrow." Everyone calmed down now that they had a clear purpose in mind and something to do.
Megan, Conner, Kaldur, and Artemis climbed onto the bioship, silence blanketing them once more. They followed Kaldur's directions to different equipment caches Red Arrow had in the major cities. After checking a few cities, Artemis finally broke the silence by saying, "This is really messed up, huh? None of this makes sense. Why did Batman call us kids? What was that strange energy coming from Red Tornado and Batman? Why did someone clone Red Arrow?"
"I am afraid that I do not have the answers you seek." Kaldur answered evenly, but Artemis could hear the underlying weariness and sadness lingering in his voice. He was obviously shaken up about this. Apparently he and Red Arrow were quite the buddies; best friends even. It wasn't quite the bond that Red Arrow, Robin, and Falcon shared where they were brothers in all but blood, but it was still quite a strong bond and he must really be feeling the betrayal.
They stopped over an apartment building in Washington DC and Kaldur walked into the building. It took a little while before he finally came back up, Red Arrow towed behind him. Superboy became defensive, muttering, "How do we know we can trust him?"
Kaldur had simply looked Superboy in the eye and said, "We can trust him." There was a terse pause and then Conner nodded. Someone decided it was a good idea to put Red Arrow next to Artemis and both of them were scooched to the farthest parts of their seats so they weren't as close to each other as they could be. Kaldur continued, "We will reconvene with the others before asking you any questions. It shouldn't take long to get back to the Mountain and then-,"
Their leader was interrupted by M'gann exclaiming, "Look! It's the Super-Cycle!" Kaldur waved for her to open a hatch in the bioship and let the others on board.
To everyone's surprise, Red Tornado was in his John Smith body and Black Canary was unconscious and bound. Kaldur leveled the others a look and said, "Explain."
It was Red Tornado who answered, "The bio-tech chips, called Starro-tech, were implanted by Red Arrow. The alien organisms, infused with nano-technology and magic, shut down the independent control of the individual and allowed Savage to reprogram the minds of the League to suit his needs. Even robotic brains like myself, mystically protected minds such as Doctor Fate, and a variety of aliens were not immune. However, the chips needed 0.16 nanoseconds to completely subvert the host, and that delay allowed me to create a failsafe sub-routine. If I tried to infect another person, as what happened earlier when I attempted to contaminate Aqualad, the sub-program would completely disconnect my power cells, shutting me down. The reason that in the body of John Smith I was not affected was because the Starro-tech was body specific. Part way through the procedure of transferring my consciousness to this body, Black Canary entered the room and attempted to stop them. They knocked her unconscious. We escaped the cave using the Super-Cycle to avoid Icon, Doctor Fate, and Captain Marvel. I instructed them to stay off the radio in case it was being tracked."
There was a pause where everyone took that in, Red Arrow staring at BC in obvious concern. Then Kaldur commanded, "Now it's your turn Red Arrow."
The older archer nodded seriously and explained, "I was a sleeper agent, programmed by Cadmus to infiltrate the League. Sportsmaster was my handler and he used the key phrase 'Broken Arrow' to bring me to a hypnotic state. While in that state, he could retrieve secrets from me, or install further instructions in my subconscious. I would carry out these instructions, completely unaware of what I was doing. Part of these instructions might have been to cast suspicion on Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis as mole suspects." He wasn't exactly apologizing, but Artemis could tell that that was as close to an apology as she was going to get. She smiled softly at the older archer and he, after a moment of hesitation, nodded back to her.
Kaldur frowned and said, "I believe our next course of action would be to have Red Arrow and Red Tornado pretend that they were still under the influence of the Starro tech to allow us time to access the other heroes and use the cure-tech that was recently created to offset the Starro tech. We should be able to neutralize all of the Justice League before turning our attention to this organization… the Light." Everyone nodded in understanding, steeling themselves for the battle that was to come.
Then Red Arrow suggested, "Why don't we bring Falcon in? We need all hands on deck and I'm not sure the rest of us can take down a speedster while trying to get all the rest of the heroes at the same time. It'd just be easier if we had Falcon helping out."
Artemis noticed Robin tense out of the corner of her eye, his face almost paling. She turned to him completely and interrupted whatever Aqualad was about to say, "Why don't you want Falcon to come? What's been up with you and him lately? Why did he quit the Team in the first place?"
Kaldur answered sternly, "This is not a time to be asking these questions. Red Arrow is correct; we need all the help we can get and Falcon would be of great help. Robin, do you know if he would be in Central that we would be able to go there and Miss Martian could contact him telepathically? Also, is there anyone else you can think to contact."
Robin paused and finally answered, "Yeah, he'd be in Central. And… I'd say the rest of the Bat Clan, but even I don't know where they are right now. They're all on the same case and they're looking for clues all around the world." They changed course for Central immediately, tilting to the side. What case would they be working on that required all of them to work on it? Robin didn't get any less pale and started to fidget when they got closer to Central. What was wrong with him? Artemis frowned to herself and crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't believe that Kaldur wouldn't let her question Robin. He had to be just as curious as she is!
Then they all heard Megan call out telepathically, Falcon! Can you hear me?
There was a silent pause where everyone was on the edge of their seats and then an answer came, Megalicious? What's up?
Kaldur answered, his calm voice wavering through their heads, We will explain later. The Team direly needs your assistance. I know that you left the Team, but we would be grateful if you helped us this one time. You know that we would not ask if it were not important.
When Falcon answered again, his mental voice was tense and almost nervous, Is Robin going to be there?
The Team all turned to face the mentioned boy, but he was staring fixedly at the floor. Kaldur answered, Yes. The entire Team is here along with our newest member, Rocket. Red Tornado and Red Arrow are here as well. Please tell us where to pick you up and the bioship will hover over the area and lower a ladder.
There was another pause, longer than the earlier one. Falcon finally answered, but his mental voice was tight and resigned, I'm at the Rogue's bar. Robin knows where it is.
Robin started giving instructions for Megan to fly to the right spot and Artemis asked lightly over the mind link, Why are you at a bar? Aren't you a little young for that?
That's a good question. Red Arrow commented, practically projecting an expectant expression.
Falcon answered quickly, Like you care if people get their booze when they're underage Red Arrow, certainly not after Bludhaven. The older archer got strange looks after that comment, but he just shrugged noncommittally while Robin snickered. There was definitely a story there. Falcon continued, For your information, I was playing darts with Trickster like I do every Thursday he's not in jail or the mental hospital. He's not allowed darts after that one time… Artemis didn't even want to guess what happened then.
Megan squealed, You play darts with your villains, Falcon? That's so sweet!
Not as sweet as you Megalicious, Falcon shot back quickly, ignoring the gagging sounds Zatanna made over the connection. Artemis smiled. This was how it was supposed to be. This was how they were all supposed to act because they were supposed to have Falcon on their Team. He brought them all happiness and helped them work together and forget about their worries for a little while. Why did he have to leave?
Finally, the bioship hovered to a stop in a seedy part of town (who knew Central City had a seedy part at all) where Falcon waved to them all. Artemis had to admit that he looked pretty good in his new suit. He looked really good actually. Wow…
Then he was being pulled up. He grinned at Red Arrow, but then his head turned a little and he must have caught sight of Robin because the smile slid off his face and he turned back to Red Arrow, forcing an obviously fake smile back onto his face. Red Arrow frowned between the two of them and the rest looked on with barely concealed curiosity. Before Falcon's older brother figure could say anything, Falcon zipped over to Rocket and said, "Hey there new girl! I'm Falcon, your personal stud muffin and encyclopedia of awesomeness. At your service." He did a little bow and grinned at her and Artemis felt her heart flutter at the thought of him doing something like that for her. She had it bad.
Rocket introduced herself and seemed like she was going to say something else as M'gann set off again, but Kaldur interrupted the moment, saying, "You and Robin working together won't be a problem, correct Falcon?"
Falcon froze and everyone else froze with him. Robin was staring at him with… hope almost. Falcon said, "I… I don't think it'll be a problem. I don't know, really."
Robin's voice was hesitant and small as he asked, "Are you sure?" It was so unlike the normally exuberant teen that Artemis had to turn and stare at him. Red Arrow was scowling fiercely at the two of them, obviously confused and angry at being left out of the loop.
Falcon turned to fact Robin, finally, and he took a deep breath, saying, "Yeah, I'm sure. I can definitely work with you. I just… maybe you could not… come near me… much." Falcon trailed off lamely and the rest of the Team were really starting to wonder what was going on.
No one had a chance ask, however because Kaldur immediately started explaining the situation. When he explained that the rest of the League was most likely under mind control, Falcon gasped slightly and paled dramatically. What was it with the speedster and Boy Blunder getting so worked up about mind control? Do they have some bad experience with it or something? It was weird.
Then, it was time to put the plan in motion and all of her questions and worries drifted away.
WWWWWW
Wally wasn't sure what he was doing. This was bad. This was really, really bad. The entire League was under mind control? He had enough problems when it was just the Bat Clan under mind control! Speaking of that, Robin was in the bioship with him. He could hear Robin's heartbeat (thundering as much as Wally's; obviously just as nervous) and he could smell Robin's scent and… he was little bit freaking out. It wasn't as bad as when he had first woken up and the thought of going near them again had been as terrifying as going near the Joker after that particular mishap. It wasn't as bad as the original phone calls where he stuttered over every other words because he was shaking with so much fear. It wasn't as bad as when Barry suggested that they have at least one of the Waynes come over and Wally had run to the bathroom to puke because they idea scared him that much. It… it actually wasn't that bad. When he calmed down and thought through it rationally and let his worries flow away, it wasn't bad.
His knees weren't quivering and his heart calmed somewhat and he didn't feel like he should constantly be on his guard. And then he remembered that he was in a ship with the rest of his Team and that Red Arrow was there (despite being a clone because that was mildly really not okay and Wally was a little bit really freaking out about that particular fact) and he was completely safe if Robin decided to try to attack him and he calmed down even further. It was starting to feel like a normal bioship ride. Well, at least until he remembered that Batman actually was under mind control and they were going to fight him. Luckily, Robin was assigned that particular task, but that still meant that Wally would have to fight Uncle Barry.
That was not okay. Barry was his buffer against the people who were mind controlled. His uncle saved his life that day and helped him become form his new heroic identity and comforted him after nightmares and let him stay in his house and now it was Barry who was under mind control and that… that was not okay.
"You okay Falcon?" Red Arrow asked hesitantly, obviously concerned. Wally realized that he had been sitting in silence for a while. That, as far as they knew, was not normal for him. They were probably freaking out that he was quiet.
He tried to pass off a believable smile and laughed a little, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just, uh, worried about the fight."
"You? Worried about a fight? Where did mister confidence go?" Artemis joked. Wally smiled to himself; he'd missed her. He really was head over heels for her.
He answered, "Mister confidence fled the room when he realized he was going to have to fight Flash. He's, unfortunately, faster than me, so… I don't know if I'll be able to beat him."
"Come on, he's the Flash. All he does is run around in spandex. It can't be that hard to beat him." Wally felt the air move as Artemis swished a hand around.
He smirked at her and said, "So, if Flash is better than me, how can you think that you can take him down when you couldn't even beat me in training?"
Red Arrow laughed, "That's because you're a speedster and you've got that same freaky Bat training as Robin." He tensed and heard the stretching of material as Robin's muscles coiled in the same way. Apparently Roy noticed because he growled, "And you two are going to tell me what happened after all this is said and done and I won't take no for an answer. Got that?" Wally nodded sullenly and heard the air move as Robin nodded as well. That was going to be a fantastic conversation. It was going to take everything Wally had to make sure Roy didn't kill the entire Bat family. He was just as protective of the teenaged speedster as the Bat Clan and the rest of the speedster… and the entire Justice League… and Oracle… and the Rogues. He suddenly realized that everyone was really protective of him. What was up with that? He was not some baby to be coddled!
He was broken from his sullen thoughts when Aqualad announced that their plan was in motion. It only took a few moments for Red Tornado to disable the Watchtower's security system and then Wally and Artemis were racing for the cargo hold where they were informed Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Flash were.
It was better than his battle with his family. This time, he knew they were under mind control and he also knew he had the cure for them in one of his arm compartments. They wouldn't be able to beat him. They wouldn't win this fight. The Team would win and Wally would fix Uncle Barry and Uncle Hal and King Arthur and they'd hopefully never be under mind control again and they'd defeat the Light which Wally surmised was the core to all of their issues. The Light consisted of a lot of the same people who had helped create Wally's earlier situation. He was determined to get revenge on them for doing this to his family.
From his left, Artemis cried out in pain and he called out, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine! That hurt a little is all." Artemis grunted in reply. Wally couldn't help the worry that coursed through his veins. Was she really alright? Would she be okay? What happened? He heard something hit her, but had been too focused on his own battle to hear what it was. He didn't hear any blood splattering and he knew he didn't hear any bones cracking, so she should be fine. It didn't stop him from worrying, though.
Flash took advantage of his momentary distraction and punched him in the jaw at super speed. Wally went flying backwards, slamming into the wall. Well, that hurt. He heard Artemis scream his superhero name and pushed himself up. He could do this. He had a way to fix Flash. He knew Flash was under mind control. He had help with him. It wasn't going to be like that field with his family. It wasn't!
Just then, he heard Aqualad run into the room and pause, probably seeing the situation they were in. Then Aqualad ran to the other side of the cargo hold and Wally dodged a stray arrow from Uncle Ollie. He heard someone slapping their hand against something… plastic and it sounded like it was coming from where Aqualad had run off to. What was he playing at?
He heard Artemis's gasp and listened as she ran in the opposite direction of where Aqualad was. He heard her smash an arrow into the ground behind a large crate and he could hear the wood creaking slightly beneath her fingers as she held on tightly. What was going on here? She could obviously see something that he couldn't, but what would it be? Then a strong vacuum like power started pulling at his clothes and he understood. Aqualad had opened the airlock. Well, that was sort of helpful except now Wally had to find something to hold onto. He grappled around in his compartments while the suction got stronger and stronger. His feet started sliding back and he started running forwards. He wasn't certain he could outrun the vacuum. Then he found a strong piece of rope attached to a heavy magnet in one of his compartments. He grinned to himself and activated the magnet, attaching to the wall. He tied the rope around his waist and held on tightly. This magnet should withstand anything.
Wally listened as Green Arrow, Flash, and Aquaman started being pulled further and further towards the door. Then, he heard it. The sound of an arrow breaking and a startled shriek from Artemis. He cried out and reached his hand towards her, his echolocation device telling him that the girl of his dreams would be passing by any second. Small fingers intertwined with his before slipping. He cried out again as she screamed. Wally stretched to the absolute maximum and, finally, thankfully, caught hold of her fingers, actually locking with them this time. He pulled her towards him and cradled her to his chest, holding on as he heard the heroes finally get pulled off the ground, hurtling towards the outside.
Artemis huddled her head into Wally's chest and he placed his chin on her hair. How many moments like this had he missed when he'd been away from the Team? Then, he heard the sound of flesh hitting plastic again and the airlock slammed close. Instants later, he heard the sound of three bodies slamming into the door and he winced internally.
He gently let go of Artemis and she stood shakily. He deactivated the magnet and untied the rope from his waist, carefully placing it back in the compartment. Wally called out to Kaldur, "You okay Aqualad?"
"I am fine. Are you and Artemis alright?" Kaldur responded calmly. It was good to see that he was as unruffled as ever.
Wally called back quickly, "Yeah, we're fine. Are they unconscious?" Their breathing patterns and heart rates indicated that they were, but Wally didn't want to take any chances. Kaldur responded affirmatively.
Falcon zipped over to where the bodies were and placed the cure tech on each of them, smiling sadly at the body that he was pretty sure was his biological uncle (the other two counted as uncles, but they weren't related by blood; well technically neither was Uncle Barry because he was related by law, but whatever). Kaldur announced, "We should go to the observation decks where the rest of the Team is. Follow me."
The two heroes followed him up around curves and passages that, according to Wally's mental map, would lead to the observation decks. They got there just in time for the conclusion of the battle there. There was a weird shape that Wally figured was M'gann and he resolved to ask someone what, exactly, she had morphed herself into that particular time. That shape was in front of Martian Manhunter and the two seemed to be waging some mental war. He heard Superboy racing towards another figure and realized with a start that the figure was Batman. That was not okay. That was not okay. He heard Robin and he heard Batman and he could hear the sounds of them fighting and suddenly he was back in that field and they were attacking him and he couldn't breathe and he couldn't escape and they were going to kill him and Uncle Barry couldn't save him anymore and why was this happening again and he still couldn't breathe and he thought he could do this why why why?
A hand came down on his shoulder and Wally flinched, grabbing the arm instinctively and flipping the person over his shoulder, twirling around and digging his knee into their throat. It was only after a second that he realized that it was Superboy who he had just flipped. He backed up quickly, hands in the air, and said, "I'm so sorry! You caught me off guard! I am so, so very sorry! Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. You just spaced out for a second and then your heart started going really fast, well, faster than usual. Are you alright?" Superboy asked back, concern lacing his voice. The other members of the Team stopped walking and he could feel their stares burning into him even if he couldn't see them. Wally nodded and started walking, trying to play it off as nothing. Conner shrugged and started walking beside him, probably sending him worried glances. He was fine now. It was just… it was just that hearing Batman and Robin fight was… not fun. It was almost like a trigger or something and his memories of that particular evening came rushing back in. He had thought he'd be fine since he really wasn't having that much of a problem on the bioship, so maybe… maybe he could go home. He thought that it would be alright to go back to living at Wayne manor, but he couldn't rejoin this Team. He couldn't fight alongside Robin or the rest of the Bat Clan. He might be able to join them again eventually, but it was going to take longer than he thought.
They got to the control rooms just in time for Wally to hear a whooshing sound along with the fading rhythms of Vandal Savage and Klarion's heartbeats. Apparently they just missed them. Then Red Tornado was announcing emotionlessly, "Congratulations on your victory, young heroes." Wally beamed at anyone who was looking his way and everyone started cheering. Then, Wally had the perfect idea.
He sped over to where Artemis was standing and scooped her up bridal style. Her small yelp of surprise was enough to cause everyone to stop cheering and probably stare at them. Wally didn't care as he swept Artemis upwards, his lips landing against hers gently. They kissed for a few blissful, heavenly moments, each of their lips curling into smiles as they kissed like it was the last kiss they'd ever have and not the first. When Wally finally pulled away, it was only by a few centimeters and he laughed gently, "I should've done that a long time ago."
"Yeah you should have, Baywatch." Artemis said before pulling him in for another kiss. He heard Megan squeal in joy at the two of them before Superboy pulled her into a kiss. Then Zatanna walked over and kissed Robin (when had that become a thing; or did it just then become a thing), Rocket pecking Aqualad on the cheek.
There was a pause where the couples continued kissing, but then Red Tornado announced, "I do not understand human customs." They all laughed, basking in the glow of their victory and their love. It was a beautiful moment.
Author's Note: So, this was my way of explaining why Wally disappears from the Team for five years as you find out in season two of YJ. I figured that I could go ahead and put that in there. He's just afraid of fighting alongside Robin because well, PTSD has triggers and those scents and sounds are definitely triggers. So, let me know if I did anything wrong and if you have any suggestions. Ten more reviews please! Thanks so much for reading!