History of the Two Crystals
Disclaimer- I've said it a million times and I'll continue to say it a million more. I don't own Young Justice or its characters. Only own OC's and original story content.
Italics- telepathic communication
Jake's POV
"BlackBlade are you in position" David's voice filled my right ear via com.
"Yeah I'm in position," I answered just barely above a whisper as I waited in the shadows and stared at the door in front of me.
"Good, 'cause the guard is coming your way. You've got 30 seconds," David informed me before the connection went silent once again.
I shifted in the dark getting ready to pounce at any moment.
As I waited I took a moment to reflect on the fact that this is one of the rare times where I'm in uniform but don't have a star twirling in my hand. Unlike the rest of the BlackKnight's my first instinct isn't to kill my opponent just to get past them.
I only have to take down one guard and he shouldn't be that difficult to handle even without my weapons.
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the door I've been watching for the past 15 minutes finally opened and a young man stepped out. He looked to be in his early twenties, probably still in college, and physically fit. He's wearing a simple fully black guard uniform with a gun and a taser strapped to his hip. A brief flash of silver alerted me to the presence of the small backup knife strapped around his upper right thigh.
The second the man walked out of the door I sprung into action.
I leaped out of the shadows and before he could call for help or unsheath one of his weapons I delivered a swift uppercut to the gut knocking the wind out of him before lifting my hand to press a pressure point on his neck successfully knocking him unconscious.
I caught him under the armpits before he fell to the floor and dragged him back into the shadow covered corner so no would could see us. I propped him up against the wall and searched him until I found what I was looking for.
Safely tucked into his vest's inside pocket was a small black key and a bright red key card. I grabbed the two objects from his vest before standing out of my crouch and returning to my full height.
"Guard 1 is taken care of. Requesting transport," I whispered into my com before feeling a familiar presence behind me.
I turned and saw David standing a few inches away while staring at the unconscious man behind me.
"That was fast," he stated seeming somewhat impressed though trying not to show it.
"You sound surprised" I replied in monotone as I walked over to him.
David shrugged before placing his right hand on my shoulder and shadow traveling us inside of the building the guard just exited.
When we reemerged from the shadows we reappeared in a dark empty hallway close to the facilities main lab.
David and I silently ran down the hall avoiding all camera's until we arrived at the lab's entrance. I peered around the corner and counted 8 guards guarding the door. Each guard has a belt wrapped around their waist with two guns and a taser strapped to it. All of them are beefy and muscular letting me know that they're actually trained professionals.
Not that I expected anything less from S.T.A.R. labs.
If you haven't figured it out already my partner and I are breaking into STAR labs to obtain a valuable piece of tech for Shadow Strike. I don't fully know what it does, but Shadow Strike said he'll explain everything once we've successfully finish our mission.
I turned back to David and lifted 8 fingers to let him know there are eight guards. He nodded and I watched him disappear into the shadows before turning to watch the guards.
The guards are standing in a triangle formation in front of the door. There are three rows of people forming the triangle shape. One person at the head of the triangle, three people behind him, and then four men behind them forming the base. I watched as David silently appeared behind one of the base guards before clamping a hand over the man's mouth and shadow traveling away before anyone noticed his presence.
He shadow traveled the man to a locked room on the other side of the building and stripped him of his radio before traveling back to the lab. He did the same thing to another guard on the other end and just managed to disappear before someone noticed the two absences.
"What happened to Mark and Greg?" one of the men suspiciously asked causing everyone to turn and see two members of their group missing.
I took this as my queue to move.
Capitalizing on their current state of confusion I silently ran forward and jabbed the guy at the front of the pyramid in the neck causing him to drop to the floor like a stone.
His body hadn't even hit the ground before I pounced on the next closest man. I managed to lunge on his back and punch him in the face so hard that he fell to the floor before the rest of the group turned and noticed me.
The remaining guards drew their guns and aimed at my chest as I pulled my blades out of their holsters before lunging for another guard. David reappeared behind the group and managed to grab another guard from the back before transporting him away while everyone's attention is focused on me.
That left 3 guards remaining and they opened fire the minute I pulled my blades out.
I ran forward and jumped on the wall to dodge the bullets before using the wall as a propeller to jump off of. I ran on the wall for a few steps gaining momentum before pushing off and flipping towards the first guard. I twirled and kicked him in the head before rolling on the ground and jumping back to my feet as the guard went down.
I immediately lifted my swords and ricocheted the bullets aiming for my chest into the wall with my strong blades. The last two guards stared at me in disbelief when they realized I wasn't hurt even though they fired at least twenty times.
David reappeared by my side causing their eyes to widen even more and them to jump back in surprise. One man reached for the radio on his hip to call for back up but before he could move more than a centimeter David formed a small black knife in his hand and hurled it at the guard.
The knife imbedded itself in the man's hand before he could reach the device resulting in the man screaming so loud I'm surprised the rest of the building didn't hear him.
I've been told that David's weapons can not only act as regular weapons but also have the capability to feel artic cold or burning hot to the touch. I assume this particular knife was ice cold due to the man's reaction and seeing the small amount of blue frost appearing around the skin where the knife imbedded itself.
David then created two balls of energy around his hands and threw them at the guards hitting them square in the chest. The two men flew back until their backs collided with the wall, and when their heads snapped back against the solid concrete they both crumbled to the floor like sacks of potatoes.
As they slid down the wall David and I casually walked past or over the unconscious guards and up to the large lab doors. David waved his hand and the knife imbedded in the guard's hand disappeared leaving a large bleeding hole in his palm, but not big enough to result in him bleeding out.
When we reached the lab doors I pulled the black key and the red keycard from my belt before turning to David.
He stared at me for a second before slicing his right hand through the air causing a small black swirling portal to appear. He stuck his hand inside before pulling out a key and keycard of his own although in different colors.
His key is dark blue and the keycard is forest green.
The lab security thought that having different colored keys and keycards would throw off any intruders since most places have matching key and keycards if they open up the same door. For example if two sets of keys open one door they're the same color while another set of keys that open up a separate door are a different color. S.T.A.R lab's keys and keycards are all different colors in order to confuse intruders and trick them into searching for the same color keys when there are none.
"Don't worry I got mine too" David grinned as he lifted his items into view.
I irritably rolled my eyes behind my mask before turning back to the door.
In order to gain access to the lab you need two sets of keys. You need two keys and two keycards along with a ten letter and number combination password. Both the keycard and keys have to be inserted at the same time before putting in the password. Once the password is inserted correctly then both of the regular keys have to be turned at the same time before the door can unlock.
This process requires one guard and one scientist to simultaneously perform the combination instead of just requiring one person.
Another safety measure to try and keep intruders out.
David and I slipped our key and keycard in their slots before I typed in the password. I learned the ten digit code by hacking into the facilities computer system and accessing the doors passcode. I memorized the passcode before the mission and quickly typed it in before David and I turned the keys at the same time. Once the keys were turned I heard a soft clicking sound and the door unlocked.
We quickly stepped back and I pulled the door open before walking through with David right on my heels.
Considering the fact that we came way past work hours its no surprise that the lab was empty when we walked in.
The lab room is massive and virtually the size of two football fields put together. Hundreds of different projects and experiments are spread out all around the area, but we only care about one. After analyzing the lab's blueprints for hours we know the object of our desire is located in the middle of the room.
David looked down at the small wristwatch hidden underneath his shirt before pulling his sleeve back down to cover it up after he finished looking at it.
"We've got ten minutes," he informed me and I nodded before moving forward.
We maneuvered our way through the maze of desks, tables, crates, and podiums until we finally came upon the object of our desire.
In the middle of the room, cut off from everything else, is a sectioned off part of the lab. A chest high fence blocks the area off from the rest of the room.
I brought up my sword and cleanly sliced through the fence, not wanting to waste time trying to pick the lock. I then pulled a piece back leaving a gap in the fence allowing us to walk straight through.
Once we were inside I could see the area clear as day.
There's a large rectangular table pushed to the side with three chairs placed behind it. Parallel to the rectangular table, but on the opposite side of the box is a smaller black square table covered in an assortment of gadgets, electronics, and piles of data sheets along with a state of the art computer tucked into the corner.
However despite all of this the one thing that really drew my attention was the podium in the middle of the square.
The podium is a little lower than chest level and has a thick glass box resting on it. The glass cube is made of 4-inch thick clear bulletproof glass. Incorporated into the podium and sitting directly in front of the cube is a small digit keypad.
The keypad is used to turn off the lasers and motion detectors inside of the cube.
Surrounded by hundreds of lasers and 4 inch's of state of the art bullet and knife proof glass is a square 2-inch by 2-inch computer chip. The chip is dark blue with black wires and lines meandering along its surface and currently resting on a short grey stand in the middle of the case. The chip is larger than most average computer chips, but still small enough to easily fit in the palm of my hand.
I took a total of two seconds to canvas the cube before determining that it'll take too long to cut it with my swords.
David tapped his foot impatiently as he glanced up at me while I intently stared at the case. After another second of silent staring he grew bored with doing nothing and enveloped his hand in his signature dark energy. He was just about to touch the case and use his energy to break the glass when I grabbed his wrist preventing him from doing so.
"Don't," I growled in a harsh whisper before moving his hand away from the cube.
"What's your problem" David asked with a heated glare.
I turned my head away from the case and gave him a cold glare from behind my mask, and even though he couldn't see it I know he felt it.
"My problem, is that I've been teamed up with an impatient, reckless, and rash kid who almost just blew our entire mission because he failed to take the time to either look at all of the blueprints Shadow Strike gave us beforehand or can't see the extensiveness of the labs defense before him" I hissed coldly.
David's eyes flashed black as he growled, "What are you talking about?"
I crouched down and pulled one of my stars from my pouch. I brought it up to the base of the podium and used one of its sharp edges to cut through the podiums metal surface.
The metal is strong, but my stars are stronger.
I easily cut out a small rectangle in the podium's base before pulling out the piece of metal I cut out revealing all of the wires and connectors on the inside. Unlike the lab door I can't hack into the main system and find the passcode for the Cube's defenses because it's not in the database. Only two people in the entire building know the code and they're the project's head scientists. Since they created the code themselves and didn't want to risk anyone else figuring it out they decided to memorize the passcode instead of saving it in the mainframe.
"Did you even look at the blueprints Shadow Strike gave us before the mission" I asked as I reached inside the podium and pulled out a group of wires to get a better look at them.
"Of course I did" David defended before folding his arms "why?"
"Because if you would've looked at it longer than two seconds you would've realized that the case has invisible lasers covering every inch of its inside surface. You can't slip a single thread of string through that case at any point without hitting multiple lasers on the way down. On top of that there are motion detectors all along the cube's surface. If that case moves more than a centimeter in any direction you'll trip every alarm in the building alerting not only the rest of the guards, but also the STAR city police department and everyone outside of the building to our presence.
Now as you know police response time to this building is exactly 3 minutes and 43 seconds. You trip that case before I can disable the defenses you'll alert everyone to the fact that we're here before we can cleanly get the chip and delete the video cams.
However feel free to blast the case if you want, I'll be looking forward to seeing you explain to Shadow Strike how you single handedly blew the mission and managed to alert the entire police force to our existence all in one day" I stated matter of factly as I got to work on hacking into the cube's systems.
Because we have a strict time limit I couldn't turn around and see David's expression, but from the way he suddenly went silent I could tell he knew I was right.
He might be powerful and well trained, but he still has a long way to go before he can get on my level.
About 45 seconds later I successfully hacked into the system and shut off the cube's defenses without tripping any alarms. I left the wires hanging out of the hole as I rose to my normal height before lifting the glass case off of the podium.
I placed it down on the table to my left before grabbing the chip from its grey stand.
I pulled out the small container Shadow Strike gave me before the mission and carefully placed the chip inside. The container is similar to the cases people hold their Nintendo games in, but just a little bit bigger in order to fit the chips size.
I then slipped the chip into my belt before turning on my heels.
David looked down at his watch and said that we have 3 minutes left as I stepped over to the computer in the corner of the room.
I sat down in one of the chairs before hacking into the computer. I easily bypassed the login and worked on hacking into the video cameras before completely deleting all security footage from the past 2 hours. Everyone would know someone broke in due to the missing chip, passed out guards, and broken podium, but there won't be any video evidence to connect us to the crime.
Once the videos were deleted I stood from the seat and turned to David as he grinned before saying one minute to spare.
I grabbed his shoulder and we shadow traveled back to base with our precious cargo in hand.
When we returned to base Shadow Strike was very pleased with our performance, although when I left the room after debrief he ordered David to stay behind while I was quickly dismissed. Even though he didn't say why he held David back I know it's because he's going to give him a thorough chastising for almost screwing up the mission. Even though the video feed was wiped clean I wouldn't be surprised if Shadow Strike watched us the entire time from his office on base and evaluated our performance.
When we handed Shadow Strike the chip he explained that it's one of the world's most valuable pieces of technology. It has the capacity to run over 10,000 computers at once and still have them all running at full speed. It's the fastest and most efficient chip in the world and prevents whatever it's operating from being hacked into. It puts a virtual barrier around any device that it controls so no one can hack or track it, which makes it extremely valuable. As an extra bonus the chip allows any device to be self-sustaining so you don't have to charge or plug it in for the device to work.
So far its the only one of its kind, but I doubt that will last long since I'm sure Shadow Strike already has his brilliant team of scientists working on replicating it as we speak.
Shadow Strike also informed us that this chip is the last piece he needs for his phase 2 operations.
I've only seen it once and at that time it was still under construction, but the large machine the BlackKnights are building for phase two of the Light's plans is now officially finished. I haven't been told what it does, but I have a large suspicion that this is where Dawn comes into play. Apparently the chip is going to run the machine, as it is the only thing that can actually control and operate a machine of this magnitude.
As of today its been three weeks since my recruitment, and since then I've became an official member of the BlackKnights. Shadowdeath, or David, has been my partner for the past week and a half and today's mission was the second mission we've gone on as a pair, and lets just say I can't wait until I'm on my own once again.
The kids not terrible, but he's not outstanding either. I find him to be more talented than most due to his newfound abilities, but he still has a lot to learn if he wants to stay at leader status. I can run circles around him as long as he doesn't go full-blown power mode on me.
After I handed the chip off to Shadow Strike I left the base and started to make my way back to my apartment in Gotham City.
For the first week or so after joining the BlackKnights I knew someone was tailing me and that it was under Shadow Strike's orders. Even though I was given a high position in his ranks he didn't know that much about me besides the fact that I'm extremely talented and willing to work for him. I allowed the tail to follow me for the first week or so and report back to Shadow Strike so he could get comfortable in the fact that I'm on his side.
After the first week the tail stopped following me once Shadow Strike seemed satisfied with my loyalty. Because I knew I was being tailed I never went to my Gotham apartment since I wanted a place that no one but me knew about just in case something goes wrong and I need to make a quick escape.
That's why the second I left base I hopped on my motorcycle and made my way to my real apartment on the outskirts of Gotham. When I arrived I parked my bike behind the dumpster and climbed the fire escape until I was crouching right outside my window. I pulled out the brick with the security system passcode behind it and typed in the code to shut down my apartment security. I then slid the window open and climbed inside before shutting the window behind me. I closed the blinds and curtains before sighing in relief for the first time in three weeks.
This is the first time in what feels like forever that I know I'm actually alone and unwatched.
I took off my mask and ruffled my hair before sliding a hand down my face. I threw my mask on my bed along with my katanas and star pouch before walking over to my desk.
I grabbed my phone from the corner before walking over to my bed and flopping down on it. I lifted the phone above my face so I could see it before typing in the phone number I memorized long ago. I put the phone up to my ear as it started to ring.
It rang three times before I heard shuffling and someone yelling for the others around her to shut up.
"Hello" the person greeted on the other end and I couldn't help but smile when I heard her voice.
I'm still not used to hearing her voice and not having to imagine it like I have a million times over the years.
"Hey Dawn, you free?" I asked before hearing a soft laugh on the other end.
"For my big brother I think I can squeeze you in" she teased before telling me where to meet.
I told her I'd be there soon before grabbing my things and heading back for the window. I slipped out and locked it back up before reactivating the security system. Once I knew the system was up and running I climbed up to the roof.
I haven't been roof jumping in a while and I thought I'd get some practice in instead of taking my bike.
Dawn's POV
I impatiently waited for Jake on the roof of the old Mike's diner where he first revealed his true identity all those weeks ago.
I'm currently dressed in my Shade uniform since Jake called me immediately after team training at the cave.
As you would expect I immediately agreed to meet when he called since I haven't heard or seen him in over three weeks. Needless to say I'm extremely eager to see him again.
I brushed the hair out of my face as the wind snapped it over my eyes and tapped my boot against the cold rooftop.
I glanced down at my specialized watch and saw that it's only 8 o'clock. Jake called me at around 7:50 and said he'd be here in about ten minutes.
"Are you that anxious to see me lil sis? I'm literally right on time" a familiar voice said from behind me and I smiled before turning around to see Jake in his full BlackBlade outfit.
I flew forward and crushed him in a hug almost resulting in us falling off the side of the roof, but fortunantly he caught his balance before we tumbled over.
"Whoa there sis, I know you missed me but I doubt either of us want to die tonight" he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
"Sorry" I quickly apologized as I pulled back.
"I'm just super excited to see you," I answered honestly.
"I'm glad to see you too. I would've contacted you sooner, but I had to make sure my tail was actually gone for good. Shadow strike had someone following me the first couple of days and I didn't want to lead them back to you so I had to be extra careful" Jake explained as we both sat with our legs hanging over the edge of the roof.
Hearing this caused me to remember everything that's happened over the past three weeks and my smile slowly slipped into a frown.
Jake noticed my sudden change in demeanor and slung an arm around my shoulder before scooting closer.
"Dawn What's wrong, something seems to be bugging you," he asked as he stared at my face.
I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder.
"A lots happened since you joined the BlackKnights Jake. Most of which I'm pretty sure you already know about" I answered and he turned away from me before staring off into space.
"You're talking about David aren't you" he commented in an even tone and I jolted up before staring at him wide eyed.
"So you've seen him. Do you know what happened?" I asked hopefully, thinking I was finally about to get some answers, but my hopes were instantly dashed when Jake shook his head.
"All I know is that he's no longer the David Cage you once knew Dawn. I've seen him up close and personal. I've sparred with him, talked to him, hell I've even fought beside him, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that that boy is no longer just an average boy. I don't know what happened to him or what made him this way but he's changed" Jake explained and his words were like sharp physical slaps to the face.
Jake saw the way my face contorted in sadness and his hate for the kid grew even more. He knows that my friends are very important to me even if they're not superheroes, and for me to see one of my close friends go down the wrong path is beyond tortuous for me. Especially when I don't know what happened, why it happened, or what I can do to help.
"Shadow Strike even made us partners," Jake announced against his better judgment since he knew that would only make me feel worse, which it did.
"You're partners" I gasped incredulously.
"And he hasn't told you anything about why he suddenly hates me?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jake sighed and raised his right leg so his foot is resting against the edge of the roof while his left is still hanging over the side. He placed his right arm on his knee before lowering his chin down to his arm.
"Unfortunately no, but I haven't really had the time to ask without either sounding suspicious, nosy, or seeming like I actually care" he answered truthfully and I nodded before messaging my temples.
"Ok enough about me and my problems. How are you now that you're working with the baddest of the bad in the criminal world" I asked with a slight tease to my voice as I tried to lighten up the mood a bit.
Jake grinned and released a small chuckle.
"They're all crazy," he stated before continuing.
"I don't really talk to anyone other than the high ranked members of the team since I'm suppose to keep up this mysterious and stoic image, but I'm making progress. I didn't really get to give you and the team a decent run down of the leaders because I didn't have time to before, but I can tell you all about them now" Jake said and just as he started to open his mouth and go into more detail I held up my hand and cut him off.
"Wait, this is something the whole team and Batman need to hear. Usually I'd just go back and relay the message to them, but I don't really feel like doing that since I can tell this is about to be a twenty-minute debrief and I might forget something. Plus considering the fact that we both need a break from thinking about our stressful lives, why don't you come with me to the cave and tell everyone what you know. After that you can spend some time with the team and just chill for a while. You can even spend the night if you want, we have plenty of room" I offered while looking up at him expectantly.
Jake glanced down at me before answering hesitantly.
"I don't know Dawn. I don't want to intrude on your base of operations and I'm not sure if I'm going to get a call from the BlackKnights tonight so staying might not be the best option" he protested, but I grabbed his shoulder and flashed him the largest puppy dog eyes I could muster.
"Oh come on Jake. When was the last time you relaxed and actually had some fun for once. I get that you're the legendary BlackBlade, but even undercover agents need a little R&R every once in a while. Plus I know you might forget sometimes, but you're still just a 16-year-old boy despite your unique skill set. You might be up there with the big dogs, but you're still just a kid, and kids need downtime no matter how old they think they are" I defended before shaking his shoulder and begging him to come.
He rolled his eyes and moved his shoulder so I couldn't shake it anymore.
"Alright, alright fine I'll come along. It'll be better to tell everyone at once instead of having to relay the same message multiple times anyways. Just please stop with the puppy dog eyes" he begged as he stood from the floor.
"Yes!" I fist pumped before grabbing his extended hand as he helped me off the edge of the roof.
"I'll lead the way" I smiled before jumping off the side and flying towards the nearest zeta tube.
Jake followed close behind and easily kept up with me by jumping from roof to roof.
As I flew towards the zeta tubes I contacted Bruce by putting a finger up to my ear and activating our personal com link. After a second of waiting Bruce answered my call.
"What do you need Shade" Bruce asked in his signature Batman voice.
"What are you doing right now?" I asked without answering his initial question.
"I'm at the Batcave doing some research, why?" he asked suspiciously and I grinned before telling him that I needed him to meet me at the cave ASAP.
"What for? Is something wrong?" he asked but in the background I could hear him shutting off the computer even before I told him what I needed.
"Blade has some things to say," I answered as I floated down to the floor in front of the old telephone booth.
There was silence on the other end before Bruce finally answered after realizing that Jake finally made contact.
"I'll be at the cave in 30 seconds" he answered gruffly before the line went dead.
Jake jumped down and landed in a crouch beside me as I ended the communication.
"You're already programmed into the system so I don't need to get you in. Just walk in a few seconds after I do and the machine will do the rest," I told him before stepping into the telephone booth and closing the door.
The zeta tubes immediately hummed to life and I teleported to the cave after being scanned. I quickly walked out of the zeta tubes just as the computer announced BlackBlade's arrival. Jake walked through and stepped out of the zeta tubes just as Batman teleported to the cave.
Bruce immediately accessed the cave's intercom speakers as he walked in and ordered the team to meet in the main hangar ASAP. He then lowered his finger before walking over to Jake and I. He stared at Jake before nodding in greeting.
"It's been a while since you last initiated contact. Are you sure you're not being followed" Batman asked and Jake nodded.
After teleporting to the cave Jake removed his mask since he knows it's safe to do so. I followed his lead and peeled mine off as Jake moved to answer.
"I made sure the tail wasn't following me anymore before contacting Dawn. They tracked me for about a week and a half before calling off the dogs. I waited a couple of extra days though to make sure they were truly gone before calling," he explained and Batman nodded in satisfaction.
"Do we have a missi- oh" Robin began to ask as he ran into the room, along with the rest of the team, before seeing Jake standing next to me.
He stopped running when he saw Jake and knew there wasn't a mission. However he did grin as he walked in and fist bumped my brother.
"What's up Jake, long time no see" he greeted as the rest of the team stepped forward.
To my surprise Sasha was at the back of the group beside Zatanna, Artemis, and Zaphira. She wasn't here when I left, but I guess she must have come while I was gone.
Jake greeted everyone he knew until he saw Zatanna and Sasha.
"Uh someone mind filling me in on who the ninja guy is?" Sasha asked as she cocked her hip to the side and placed a hand on her hip.
Zatanna pointed at Sasha as if to say "yeah what she said."
Wally ran over to Jake and slung an arm around his shoulder.
"This tall, broody, sword slashing guy is Jake Parker, aka BlackBlade, aka secret double agent, aka Dawn's older brother" he introduced before I swatted him off of Jake's shoulder.
"Ohhhhhhh so this is the mysterious returning brother I've heard so much about" Sasha said as a grin found its way onto her face before she moved forward to shake Jake's hand.
"I'm Sasha, your sister's best friend, and the one who knows all of her deep dark secrets" she introduced herself causing Jake to sport a sly grin on his face before Wally slung an arm around her shoulder.
"You can just call her Skittles," he teased before stepping away when Sasha swatted at him.
"Well now I know who to go to when I need to know all of Dawn's deep, dark, dirty secrets" Jake teased before I playfully nudged his shoulder.
"Oh shut up" I mumbled, but Jake and Sasha just ignored me.
"I'll fill you in on all the embarrassing stories later" Sasha whispered to Jake behind her hand even though I heard her loud and clear.
I scoffed and slapped Sasha's arm causing her to mouth a silent ow while the rest of the team just rolled their eyes.
Zatanna ignored our playful banter as she stepped forward and shook Jake's hand before introducing herself.
"It's nice to meet you both" Jake stated before glancing at Sasha.
"And I'm definitely taking you up on that offer" Jake laughed as I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Zaphira saved me from having to respond by stepping around the team and walking up to Jake.
Jake smiled when he saw her and stepped forward to pat her shoulder in greeting. She returned his nod as he reached out to ruffle her fur.
"She says hello" I informed him since he can't hear her telepathic communications.
"Well hello to you too Zaphira" Jake said and gave her fur one last ruffle before stepping back to face Batman.
"If this is everyone I'd like to get started," he announced, immediately transitioning into BlackBlade mode.
The team must've sensed his change in demeanor because everyone instantly went silent and got serious. We all shifted so we're standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a single file line giving Jake our full attention.
I'm standing in the middle of the line in-between Robin and Sasha while Zaphira sat in front of the line, but in-between the space between Robin and I. Batman stood in front of the group but slightly off to the left so Jake remained the center of attention.
"You can begin" Batman declared once everyone was situated and Jake nodded before spewing out information.
"As you all know I've been undercover as a secret agent in order to infiltrate the BlackKnights. Three weeks ago I was officially offered a position in the organization and underwent a week long recruitment stage before finally becoming an official member. In these past three weeks I've learned some valuable intel about the enemy" he began before pulling a small black flash drive out of a hidden compartment in his suit.
He tossed the drive to Batman who caught it without moving more than his right arm.
"I've attached a substantial amount of pictures and data on that flash drive to help you understand what I'm about to say. I don't know if you have some sort of projector or something to showcase this information for everyone to see, but if not than you can all study it later" Jake added and was about to resume his debrief when Batman tossed the drive to Robin.
Robin caught it and plugged the device into his wrist computer before linking the information with the cave's holographic projections. Within seconds the room was filled with six large holographic screens each highlighting a different people. Looking through the row I learned that I didn't recognize about half of the group.
The team glanced back and forth between the six holograms and Jake whistled in appreciation before pointing to the screen on the far left.
"Alright well that makes my job a lot easier. Anyways lets begin. As you can see I have pictures and data on six different people all of whom create the basic core of the BlackKnights organization. First on the list is Dr. Janice."
As Jake said her name I turned to the picture of a young woman with chocolate skin and dark brown curly hair pulled back into a tight bun. She's wearing an all black jumpsuit with an unbuttoned white doctors coat over it. Her eyes are a soft vibrant caramel and she seems to be small in size. She doesn't look like much, but then again looks can be very deceiving.
I guess most of the team had the same disbelieving or unimpressed look on their face because Jake laughed.
"Don't let the looks fool you. She might not be a fighter, but she's key to this organizations structure. She's the facilities head physician and doctor, thus anything medical related happening in that facility goes through her. Now as for what makes her so special that's something that can't be seen on the surface.
She's in charge of all medical operations because she is what Shadow Strike likes to call gifted. She has the power to heal people by simply touching them. She can heal gashes and cuts in minutes, headaches in seconds, and even severe injuries like deep gashes, knife and bullet wounds, or loss of blood in a couple of hours depending on the severity of the patient. The only catch is that the healing process requires energy so it takes time to heal big things. It also means that she can't heal the world in a day or a large group of people at once because that would take too much energy out of her."
After finishing with Dr. Janice Jake moved on to the next screen, and this person seems more like someone I would expect to see from the BlackKnights. He's huge and has muscles all over his body. His hair is almost nonexistent but the small amount he does have is midnight black. Two guns and two knives are strapped to his legs and his clothes are military style except for the fact that its all black instead of the usual speck of green.
"This is Roman. He's one of Shadow Strike's closest friends and most trusted ally. He's one of the founding member and is the BlackKnights weapons and combat specialist. He trains all of the new recruits and oversees all of the large infiltration operations. He can use virtually any weapon on earth and is one of the best snipers I've ever seen. Having trained with him over the past couple of weeks I can vouch for his skill and say with absolute certainty that he's one of the best trainers I've ever met. He's smart and methodical unlike most of the modern muscle nowadays. He has the muscle to do some major damage but also the brains to back it up making him a deadly adversary" Blade continued before moving on to the next person.
He stepped over to the girl next to Roman, and I immediately recognized her. She's the same one who fought with David back at the docks.
"I'm sure most of you recognize this women from your fight earlier this month but in case you didn't know her code name is Red Blade. She's been with the organization since she was 12 and has been training ever since Shadow Strike brought her in. She's one of the group's best fighters and is known for her famous red knives that she uses in battle, hence the name Red Blade.
She's great at hand-to-hand combat, highly skilled with a bow, and one of the best I've ever seen wield a knife. She doesn't use her bow very often since her missions usually require stealth and small spaces, but she can use it with deadly precision if she needs to. Being one of the few archers on the roster also differentiates her from the rest of the group."
I moved my eyes to the next screen after he finished talking about Red Blade and my breath hitched when I saw the picture. I clenched my fists in anger and glared at the screen wishing I could inflict physical pain upon the man through my intense glare.
Upon seeing my reaction and hearing the low growl escape my throat the rest of the team discretely glanced in my direction.
Everyone in this room knows about my past and my parents so they know why I'm acting the way I am.
Robin placed a soothing hand on my shoulder to calm me down while sendingt he screen his own heart stopping glare. Batman grew rigid under his cape and narrowed his eyes at the screen, but no one noticed.
Jake paused to glare at the picture himself before turning back to the team with fire swirling in his eyes and hatred lacing every word out of his mouth.
"This bastard here… is Shadow Strike. I'm sure you've all been informed about my sister and I's past so I'm not gonna go into extensive detail on why this guy is the worst asshole on the planet. However he is the initial founder and leader of the BlackKnights so he's extremely important to talk about. Shadow Strike controls everything in his organization and nothing, and I do mean nothing, goes on in his organization that he doesn't know about. I don't know he does it, but before anyone even tells him anything he already knows about it and has taken action to resolve the situation. He's one of the most organized, methodical, and efficient leaders I've ever known.
He can use pretty much any weapon you put in his hands and he's smarter then most men ever hope to be. He's merciless and doesn't have an ounce of remorse or sympathy for screw-ups and failures. You do something to hinder his plans and you either wind up dead along with the rest of your family and friends, missing in action, or missing a few limbs to prove a point before sending you back to work. All in all he's not a guy you want to underestimate or trifle with. You see him at a fight you either run the other way or give it your all because I assure you if you give him the chance he won't hesitate to kill you, and rest assured he won't make it pleasant or quick" Jake warned while going through the line and making eye contact with everyone to make sure we fully understand his warning.
I continued to glare daggers at the man who ruined my life and killed my parents before forcing myself to move on to the next screen in order to save my sanity.
However the next picture caused me to quirk an eyebrow in shock.
The picture's focused on a young Asian woman of average height with long black hair. She's wearing a pair of black tights with two belt sized straps crossing over her bare stomach with ends attached to both her shirt and pants. Her skintight long sleeved crop top stops just below the bust line and her feet are covered by mid calf boots.
Even though I can make out these few details I'm finding it hard to discover anything else since a large black cloak is covering about 85% of her body. The hood attached to the back of the cloak is up and covering about half of her face in shadow as well.
Proudly standing on either side of her body are two large black panthers that seem to be enhanced just like Wolf and Zaphira, but maybe just a little bit bigger. Perched on her left shoulder is a fully black African crowned eagle and wrapped around her right arm is a black Paupan Taipan snake with flecks of red and orange speckled across its surface.
"This is Shadow and she's probably the most interesting and unique of the group. She's Shadow Strike's second in command and usually operates the overseas operations, but has recently been called back to main base for the foreseeable future. As you can see she has a small group of strange pets, and that's because she, along with Dr. Janice, is one of the few gifted people on Shadow Strike's roster.
She can control and talk to animals either by communicating telepathically or speaking with words since her mind translates animal gibberish into clear English sentences. Most animals follow her command without being prompted to because they see her as some sort of animal queen, but if one does happen to disobey she can control their actions to fit her specific needs" Jake explained and both Zaphira and Wolf snarled with displeasure.
Superboy lifted his hand and soothingly scratched the top of Wolf's head. Neither he nor his canine friend like the idea of an animal controlling woman fighting for the enemy.
"Do you think she'll be able to affect you even though you're not a typical animal?" I asked Zaphira through the link.
"I'm not sure, but what I do know is that I won't allow her to twist my mind to hurt you or the team. Wolf and I will just have to work on blocking her out if we ever come across her in battle," she swiftly answered before turning her attention back to BlackBlade.
I nodded in agreement before once again giving Jake my full attention as he moved on to the one person I never wanted him to talk about.
Jake moved to the last screen and gave me a quick remorseful glance before pointing to the picture of David in his new Shadowdeath uniform.
"Since I know you've all meet Shadowdeath I don't think I need to go into much detail on him. Apparently he merged with some weird dark crystal thing a few weeks ago, which is how he got his powers. In more ways then one his abilities are similar to Dawn's just…darker" Jake said as he pointed at me when he said my name.
The rest of the team nodded when he said this thinking back to when we fought at the docks. We all still vividly remember the way David and I fought against each other and how we're virtually matched in power level and skill.
"As for his abilities, he can create balls of energy that with a mere flick of his wrist can easily flip a 100 pound tank. He can control the shadows and use them to create any weapon or object he can think of, similar to the Green Lanterns abilities. He can also do what they're calling shadow travel, which means he can dissolve into a shadow before reappearing in another shadow anywhere on earth. However the only catch is that he needs to know something about the place or imagine it in his head in order to travel there. This means he can't just imagine the Cave for instance and appear here without knowing what it looks like" Jake clarified when he saw the look on Batman's face.
"He can fly and has been trained by Roman, Shadow, and Red Blade so he's a decent fighter. Unfortunately I know about him more than most since Shadow Strike made David and I partners since we're apparently two of his best fighters" Jake continued before Wally interrupted him.
"Wait, wait, wait did you just say you two are partners?" he asked incredulously and Jake reluctantly nodded.
"Yeah, and let me tell you he's definitely not the greatest partner in the world. He's rash, impulsive, and completely unpredictable. He can handle his own in a fight and I wouldn't mind having him by my side in a major brawl, but he's not that much of a strategic fighter. Ever since he got his powers its like his only desire is to use that power no matter the cost. He doesn't care about being stealthy or strategic he just wants to bash people's heads in" Jake contested before turning to me when I spoke up.
"Which doesn't make any sense" I interjected just as Sasha said, "that doesn't sound like David."
"Care to explain what you mean by that?" Batman asked while folding his arms over his Kevlared chest.
Everyone turned their attention to Sasha and I making us the center of attention.
"David is many things but angry, impulsive, and unpredictable are not one of them. Sure he can be brash and angry every once in a while, but what teenage boy isn't. David is extremely intelligent, and just because he suddenly got some fancy new powers doesn't mean he's going to toss all of that knowledge out the window.
I might not know him as well as Dawn does, but if there's one thing I do know its that David is a smart and strategic guy. He goes through most, if not all, of the possible options and scenarios before making a decision. Plus his first instinct isn't to fight someone in order to get his point across; you guys saw that at the game. He's not afraid to get physical if he has to in order to protect and defend his friends and family, but he's not the type of person who likes to knock people's lights out for fun" Sasha firmly defended her friend while wrapping her hands around her elbows.
Sasha found out about David becoming Shadowdeath a few days after we did during her last visit to the cave, and lets just say she didn't take it very well. She still doesn't believe that David is this evil guy people keep telling her he is.
I nodded in agreement before speaking myself.
"She's right. David is one of the smartest and levelheaded guys at GA. Even though he obtained superpowers he wouldn't just suddenly change his whole personality and demeanor in a day. I can see him being angrier and a little more impulsive than usual like you said, but him not being strategic and thinking through a plan is just not David" I declared before pausing when I heard Aqualad sigh from the other end of the line.
"Shade I know David is one of your close friends, but you have to start thinking about the possibility that he's no longer the person you once knew" Aqualad noted and I narrowed my eyes at him.
"If it were any of us would you be giving up so easily?" I asked him and before he could answer Artemis interjected.
"If that person tried to kill me multiple times and almost succeeded then yeah I'd wake up and see that there's nothing left to save" Artemis added and I rounded on her.
"Well I'm not" I seethed before turning to Jake for support.
"You've seen the darkness that creeps into his eyes when he gets angry right?" I asked and his face went blank for a few seconds before he nodded.
"Yeah his eyes get a layer of darkness over them when he gets angry or uses his powers a lot. Lately it's been happening more and more often and he's getting a lot easier to set off. When I first met him he was a hot head, but now its like every other word riles him up" Jake responded and I pointed at him while looking at the team as if to say 'see there.'
"See, something's…controlling or influencing him somehow. I don't know how but if we can find out what and why then maybe we can stop it and bring him back" I concluded before going silent as I felt a presence I haven't felt in weeks.
Everyone in the room shielded their eyes when a bright blue light appeared in-between the team and Jake. The bright light ebbed away a few seconds after it appeared and everyone lowered their hands.
I immediately placed my hands on my hips when I saw Priscilla standing in the room in all her glory.
"I think I can help with that," she announced as she floated down to the ground.
"Where have you been? I've been calling you for the past three weeks and haven't felt anything from you" I exploded just a little bit angry at her silent spell.
For the first time since I've met her Priscilla's face shifted into an expression of remorse and guilt. The two expressions on her usually regal and carefree face don't match with her positive aura.
It's like seeing M'gann cry or frown, it doesn't and shouldn't happen.
My anger instantly dissipated and I whispered a soft sorry to apologize for my angry outburst.
"It's alright dear I understand your frustration, but just know it was never my intention to ignore your calls. I heard every one of your summons and believe me when I say I tried to answer and come to the physical world but I couldn't. Your fight with David and his dark energy weakened me enough to where I had to retreat deep into the crystal to heal. His energy managed to suppress my power until now" Priscilla explained and I didn't miss the way her eyes and body reacted when she mentioned David's name.
For some reason her shoulders slumped a little and the wind around her chilled as if reacting to her sour mood. Her eyes lowered in sadness and it almost looked like the back of her eyes glistened with unshed tears before she quickly blinked them back.
"So you're saying David's new found abilities are powerful enough to suppress a magical spirit of your magnitude" Robin asked incredulously and Priscilla nodded before turning to Batman.
"Are you alright?" Batman asked in his usual rough and seemingly uncaring tone, but unlike most people Priscilla heard the soft undertone of care and worry in his voice.
She smiled at Batman before placing a tender hand on his shoulder.
"I am fine Batman, I just needed a few days to rest and recover my strength. However I didn't just appear for a social visit, we have business to discuss" she acknowledged before moving so she's standing back in the middle of the room.
Jake moved away from his previous spot and over to the team so he's facing Priscilla's face instead of her back. He nodded and smiled at her as he moved around the room and she enthusiastically returned his smile.
Once Jake was in place and she had everyone's full attention Priscilla got to work on explaining.
"As you have all discovered the BlackKnights have officially come out of hiding and gone after Dawn. I anticipated this long ago and warned you about their schemes, but what I didn't foresee was them finding the dark crystal and actually finding a host for it to merge with" Priscilla stated before her voice grew icy and grave when she mentioned the dark crystal.
"So you know about the dark crystal?" Zatanna asked Priscilla who grimly nodded.
"Unfortunately I do. The dark crystal is an ancient power that traces its origins back to the beginning of time just like the light crystal inside of Dawn. The histories of these two ancient powers have been intertwined ever since the beginning of time, however the dark crystal hasn't appeared in over 200 years and the very few people who actually know of its existence believed it to be gone forever.
The dark crystal and the light crystal were created at the same time, and the two are mortal enemies and eternal opposites in every aspect of the word. The light crystal represents peace, light, and love, while the dark crystal represents darkness, evil, and corruption. When the two crystals come into contact their main desire is to wipe the other off the face of the earth forever.
Along with the opposite representations the dark crystal doesn't just merge with its host like the light crystal does. Because it represents evil and corruption the dark crystal is known for corrupting its host's soul and twisting them into a darker version of their former self. The dark crystal can take the sweetest and most innocent person and turn them into a bloodthirsty killer.
The transition is gradual at first, but the more the host uses their crystal powers the greater the crystal's influence over them grows. Eventually the crystal ends up completely controlling its host and guiding them to do nothing but destroy everything in their path until the world is nothing but a smoking pile of ash and death.
About 200 years ago the crystal hosts faced off in the biggest battle this world has ever seen, but most will never know about. Surprisingly both crystals found a host at around the same time, but unfortunately for the first time ever recorded the two hosts were from the same family. The light crystal merged with the older brother, Erik, while the dark crystal merged with his younger sister by 2 years, Laurel. Erik was 21 at the time and his sister was 19.
Now keep in mind that Laurel was by no definition a bad kid. She did well in school, loved to help people in any way she could, and more importantly loved her brother unconditionally since he was the only family she had left. Their parents died when they were both extremely young and were the only family they'd ever known. Thus they relied on each other for everything.
For some unknown reason their particular family had traits that made them more prone to the crystals choosing their bodies as acceptable hosts.
Laurel merged with the dark crystal first and had her powers about a week before Erik received his. After merging Laurel was fascinated by the crystals energy and powers and used them all the time, which only sped up the corruption process. In a matter of months Laurel was no longer the lovable young women her brother adored and cherished, but rather a dark and evil person he didn't recognize.
Just like his sister, Erik trained with his powers and honed his abilities ultimately becoming just as powerful as his sister in the span of a few months.
At first he tried to ignore the signs, but over time he couldn't afford to cast a blind eye to the person his sister was slowly starting to become. After destroying an entire town in one of her angry episodes the two siblings confronted each other.
Erik of course didn't want to fight his sister because he still saw her as family, but she no longer saw him as such and had no qualms with attacking him. The battle between the two was long and one of the biggest displays of power this world has ever seen, but Erik knew that if he didn't win his sister would go on to destroy everyone and everything in her path, and he couldn't let that happen. He knew that deep down inside the person that his sister once was wouldn't have wanted him to let her go just to let her hurt others so he made the toughest decision anyone's ever had to make.
When he saw an opening he flew forward and stabbed his sister in the gut with one of his balls of energy that he formed into a knife like shape. He stabbed her just enough to where she'd eventually bleed out, but not enough to where she'd die immediately.
The attack weakened Laurel just enough for the crystal to retreat deep inside of her body and return control to Laurel as it recovered. The only down side to this was that Laurel regained consciousness to see her brother hovering over her with a gapping hole in her stomach.
Before the crystal could regain control and heal Laurel's wounds Erik took her to an underground cave filled with magical energies. He encased his sister in a large crystal dome made of his own powers and left the dome in the cave. He knew that if his sister died the dark crystal would just search the world for a new host and the cycle of constant battle would continue forever without fail. However if she died while trapped inside his crystal dome within the magical cave the dark crystal wouldn't be able to escape.
He left the cave after closing it off before burying it under piles and piles of rock, dirt, and water to make sure no one ever disturbed the cave again. Laurel died in that cave and when the dark crystal left her body to find a new host it couldn't penetrate Erik's barrier, thus trapping the crystal deep beneath the earth and ocean where no one would ever find it.
It stayed hidden in that magical cave for over 200 years; that is until now.
Shadow Strike must have found a way to retrieve the crystal and free it from its imprisonment, which is why its suddenly reappeared after all these years" Priscilla solemnly explained as she retold the epic story of Erik and Laurel's sacrifice in order to save the world from destruction.
I stood there in silence taking in all of this new information, but I couldn't help but see the expressions on my teammates faces. They all stared at Priscilla in shock, disbelief, and bewilderment as they filed the new information into the back of their minds.
"So why David. You said the crystal's choose hosts, so what makes David so special" Sasha suddenly asked after a few moments of silence.
I watched as Priscilla's face sunk and her glow visibly diminished like her energy was sucked out of her body. Tears flooded the corners of her eyes but never fell as she answered the question with something I never expected to come out of her mouth.
"Because he's my son" she whispered softly, but the whole room heard her loud and clear as if she'd hollered at the top of her lungs.
"WHAT!" I screamed and almost fell back from shock when I heard the words escape her lips.
Priscilla, the spirit of the crystal, my friend and virtual mentor, one of the most powerful magical beings in the universe, is…David's…MOTHER!
I definitely DID NOT see that one coming.
Wally silently brought his hands up to his forehead before pushing them away with his palms up while making a drawn out explosion sound.
"Mind…officially…blown," he stated after making the explosion sound and gesture.
After hearing Priscilla's confession it all suddenly clicked for Batman. He thought back to when he talked to Priscilla on Roanoke Island and saw her looking at Zatanna with sadness and remorse after she lost her father. She confided in him and told him that she knows about Zatanna's particular type of loss more than most. If Priscilla is David's mother then she probably had to leave as a result of her duty and thus had to leave David behind. That's why she fought so hard for Zatanna when Fate took Zatara away. She knows what it feels like to loose a child and tried to stop it from happening to someone else.
"Um how is that even possible? Aren't you like a magical spirit…being...thing or something" Robin asked highly confused by today's current events.
"You're David's mother!" Sasha gapped before grabbing her head.
"Ay dios mio I have a headache" she mumbled before massaging her temples.
"If everyone would stop asking her questions and let her speak we might actually get some answers" Aqualad interrupted causing everyone to immediately shut their mouths.
Priscilla silently stood in place as the team bombarded her with questions before Aqualad promptly shut us up. She nodded to him in thanks and Batman would have smirked in approval if he weren't in his Batman get up.
"Thank you Kaldur" Priscilla thanked him before answering our questions.
"As I said before yes I am David's mother because contrary to popular belief I was once a regular human being just like you all...well most of you" she corrected while glancing at Megan and Conner before continuing.
"It wasn't until much later in my life that I become the spirit of the crystal.
Many years ago I was just starting college when I met my future husband Jacob Cage. He was the sweetest man I ever met and had strength and charisma like none I'd ever seen. After we both graduated college he proposed and I quickly accepted since we'd been dating for a few years at that point.
About a year after we were married I had David and I was happy. I had a loving husband, an amazing baby boy, loyal friends, and a stable home. Jacob's business was just starting to take off and I was his biggest supporter.
However even though we'd known each other for years I never told him about my crystal powers. I didn't want him to know because I never planned on using them and didn't think the world was ready for my magnitude of powers just yet. The world was just being introduced to superheroes and people with powers and I didn't want to make myself known until the world had some time to adjust to this new development.
However my plan to wait went out the window when Jacob and I were at the house by ourselves one night while David was out with the nanny. We were in the living room when I had to reveal my powers to him.
I had just walked into the room and was about to make my way over to him when we both heard a loud crack from the ceiling. We looked up just in time to see two large wooden beams break and fall towards the ground just above Jacob's head. I knew he wouldn't be able to dodge in time so I created two balls of energy and threw them at the beams breaking them into smaller pieces before creating a shield around Jacob's body so he wouldn't get hurt by the falling pieces.
When it was safe to take the shield down Jacob was staring at me in shock since my hands were still glowing. Not able to avoid it any longer I explained how and why I could do what I did and where my powers came from.
I merged with the crystal when I was 14 years old. I was sleeping in my room late one night when I was suddenly woken up by a bright blue light shining in my eyes. I sat up and almost screamed when I saw a glowing blue crystal floating in front of my face. I sat there for a while frozen in shock as the crystal just hovered in the air. After shaking off my initial surprise I moved to swat it away but the crystal had other plans. It dodged my attack and flew towards me before touching my chest. Once it made contact with my skin my body absorbed its energy and I merged with it. Once that happened I quickly discovered that I had powers and immediately worked on learning to control them so I wouldn't expose myself in public.
For a while I believed that letting Jacob in on the secret would strengthen our relationship and relieve a huge weight from my shoulders, but after Jacob found out about my powers he…changed" Priscilla trailed off and her voice drastically changed from nostalgic to pained.
She turned to look back at the large holographic screen of Shadow Strike as she continued to speak.
"He became obsessed and wanted to use my powers for all sorts of things rather than keep it hidden like I asked. He'd stay up all night making blueprints for new pieces of tech or weapons incorporated with my powers, and as time passed I noticed that the new knowledge had corrupted him in a sense. He didn't see me for me anymore or even his wife that he married and loved, he only saw another power or resource to exploit in his climb to success. I tried to ignore it at first telling myself that ignorance is bliss, but when I saw his large military development project with my energy fused into the weapons I knew my husband had changed beyond recognition.
In that moment I knew I had to leave, but I also had to think about David who was still just a young baby at the time. I didn't want to leave him behind, but I couldn't take him with me because once I left I knew Jacob would search for me. Once I left I'd have to live on the road and constantly be on alert to stay one step ahead of my husband, and that wasn't a life I wanted for my son. I wanted David to have a normal life and grow up like every other child his age. I envisioned him going to school, taking his first steps and being praised for it, participating in sporting events, going to high school and college, meeting a girl he loves and eventually settling down with a family of his own. If he came with me he wouldn't have that.
However at the same time I was conflicted because I didn't want to leave him with his father or drop him off at an orphanage either.
After Jacob learned about my powers he cut off virtually all of my contact with the outside world and didn't allow me to leave the house very often, but thankfully I still had my closest friend, Allison.
Allison and I have been friends ever since preschool and we're practically the closest thing you could get to sisters without being blood related. The only reason she wasn't cut out of my life along with everyone else is because when David was born she became our full time nanny and assistant so she was around me 24/7. She loved raising kids and doing nanny services so we got the best of both worlds by having her around for David.
She was the first and only person I told about my powers because she was my most trusted confidant.
One night, after I came to the decision that I was going to leave, Allison and I came up with a plan while Jacob was out on a business meeting.
The plan was for me to break out and trip the outside alarms to distract Jacob and the house's security personnel while Allison took David and disappeared. Jacob and his crew would focus all of their attention on pursuing me while Allison snuck out of the house and took a car to the train station before going anywhere in the world as long as it was out of Jacob's reach.
Obviously I could have easily escaped anytime I wanted to, but I stalled because I was clinging to the small sliver of hope that Jacob would revert back to his old self. Once I lost hope in Jacob the only thing left to worry about was David and Allison, but that problem was solved when we came up with this plan.
Allison promised to raise David and keep him away from his father since I couldn't be there for him like I wanted to be. I planned on visiting from time to time when it was safe to do so, but I wouldn't be able to stay for long periods of time because Jacob would never stop hunting me and I didn't want to lead him straight to them.
We initiated our plan about a week later, late one Saturday night in October. Allison was pretending to put David to bed while Jacob was in his office and I was in the living room. Once I knew Allison was ready and in position I slipped out of the house while purposefully tripping one of the garden's alarms causing the lights in the backyard to snap on and every security guard radioed about my escape. I ran through the garden planning to fly away after I'd led the group far enough away that they couldn't get back before Allison was gone, but I guess I didn't give my husband enough credit because he saw the whole thing coming.
As I ran I turned my head to see how many guards were following me when I gasped and froze when I saw Jacob in David's room with a gun pointed at Allison's head. The back wall of David's room was pure glass, which is why I could see what was happening inside. Jacob brought in another servant and the female servant nervously rushed inside to grab David from Allison's hands as instructed and Allison reluctantly gave him up not wanting to hurt the baby in a struggle.
Once the servant was out of the room Jacob led Allison out to the connected balcony and pulled the trigger instantly killing her with one shot. Allison's dead body then fell over the railing before plummeting through the air and landing in the small fountain under the balcony.
In that moment my heart and world shattered into a million pieces. Not only had I failed my best friend by getting her killed by my husband's hand, but I'd also failed my son by failing to get him away from his father.
For a second I debated on whether or not to go back and retrieve David. On one hand I could go back and risk Jacob getting his hands on me but stay with my son, or leave and ensure that Jacob never gets his hands on my powers but unfortunately leave David behind.
I can't even begin to tell you how much I wanted to go back, storm through that house, kill everyone inside, and take my son away from that place forever but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Jacob could never get his hands on the crystal and I knew if I went back I'd never be able to leave again, because I wouldn't be able to muster up the strength to kill anyone like I would have to if I went back.
I had to choose between what's right for the world and what's right for my son.
After a long and excruciatingly painful pause I made the decision to continue my escape and go through with the plan, because at the end of the day I was the crystal's host. The light crystal does what's best for the world and not what's best for itself or its host. So I left and escaped even though I knew David would grow up without a mother.
I knew Jacob wouldn't harm him in any way since David didn't have any powers and he'd grow up safe and sound just without two loving parents to nurture and support him like he deserved.
I managed to slip away from the house and into the surrounding wilderness before disappearing into a nearby cave with my husband hot on my tail. Knowing he'd descend upon me in minutes I knew I only had one option. I used my powers to blast the cave's entrance and block the hole with large rocks. It would take Jacob an hour or so to break through, which would give me enough time to do what needed to be done.
I sat on the ground and tapped deep into my crystal power. I tapped into its energy and placed my essence inside of the crystal so it could move on and find a new host without me having to die in the process.
I merged my mind, body, and spirit with the crystal and it accepted me as its own but only if I promised to protect it. Thus in that moment I became the spirit and guardian of the crystal. The crystal then dissolved into the ground and scanned the earth for a worthy host which is how it appeared in your backyard" Priscilla concluded as she nodded in my direction when she said your backyard.
"Over the years while I was inside of the crystal and dormant from your knowledge the crystal taught me all about its past hosts and their powers which is why I know so much about the two crystal's and their history. It was through this knowledge that I was able to summon the staff and board that I gave to Robin. During this time I was also able to interact with other magical beings and spirits, which is why I know Dr. Fate.
As for your initial question on why the dark crystal chose to merge with David, it's precisely because he is my son. Since he is my flesh and blood he inherited an invisible magical aura that the dark crystal instantly attracted to.
Like I said before, the crystals are more likely to draw towards certain people and the unique fact that he is the son of a previous light crystal host gives him a quality that attracted the dark crystal's energy.
His father's dark presence also helped draw the dark crystal in which is why he immediately merged with it despite the fact that his mother was once the host of the light crystal. Usually the son's and daughters of previous hosts don't strongly attract the opposite crystals energies, so the fact that the dark crystal chose David is extremely rare and highly unexpected" Priscilla said finally answering our initial question before going silent as she finished explaining her past.
The room plunged into silence as Priscilla shifted her eyes to David in his Shadowdeath uniform and stepped closer to it. She lifted her hand to touch the image and lowered it when the hologram flickered under his touch.
After Priscilla finished speaking I flew forward and wrapped her up in a strong hug. Priscilla gratefully returned my embrace and squeezed me just as hard as I squeezed her.
After a few seconds I pulled back and gave Priscilla an encouraging smile and she smiled back appreciatively. I saw her face go from its previously depressed and grieving expression to more upbeat and cheerful like it usually is.
She lifted her eyes from mine and immediately pushed aside her unhappy feelings and shook off her disgruntuldness. She smiled and returned to her regal and optimistic demeanor.
"That is all in the past now and there's nothing I can do about it. However we can all do something to change what happens now and in the future," she asserted as I stepped back and returned to my position beside Robin.
"Is there any way to safely separate David from the dark crystal" Batman asked using David's real name instead of his new code name for Priscilla's sake.
Priscilla shook her head.
"Not to my knowledge. It's been tried many times before and no one has ever succeeded in their efforts. I assume there is a way to do it, but there is no one in this era who knows how or has been able to do it without killing the current host in the process" she stated and Batman nodded.
"Well I think that's enough for one day. That's a lot of information to digest. We'll continue this conversation another time," Batman proclaimed before holding his hand out to Robin who immediately knew what he wanted.
Robin unplugged the flash drive from his wrist computer and tossed it to Batman who caught it in his hand before returning his fist under his cape.
"I'll hold onto this" Batman told Jake before addressing the team.
"You're dismissed," he stated and everyone nodded before moving to leave.
I gave Priscilla one last smile before grabbing Jake's hand and dragging him to the living room/ kitchen where the team is most likely headed. Priscilla stayed in the room to talk to Bruce while the rest of us left.
The team went to the living room and everyone sat around the room before moving to turn on the TV and play some games to get our minds off of everything we just learned. Robin and Jake played against each other on the Wii while Sasha and Wally played virtual air hockey. Aqualad, Artemis, and Conner watched their teammates and friends play while Megan went to the kitchen and started to bake some chocolate chip cookies.
I plopped down on the couch and laid my head on Conner's thigh since he's sitting on the other end of the couch. I splayed the rest of my body against the couch's seat cushions and laid on my back while cheering for both Robin and Jake in their game. Aqualad and Artemis sat in the other two chairs and watched the game in amusement.
As I watched the game I couldn't help but think back to what Priscilla talked about earlier and it all suddenly clicked for me.
When David and I first fought he kept saying that I tore his family apart and that I'm actually a bad guy because I rip people away from their families. I didn't understand what he meant before, but now it makes total sense.
For some reason David knows Priscilla is his mother and the spirit of the Crystal. Shadow Strike probably twisted the story to make David believe that Priscilla leaving him was all my fault instead of his father's.
That was David's trigger.
He finds out that the missing mother he probably thought either abandoned him or died, is actually alive, inside of another person, and didn't actually want to leave him.
If someone told me that I'd be more than a little pissed off myself.
So to get David back I need to tell him the truth and reveal his father as the crazy, evil, and psychotic man that he is. But if the crystal is still influencing him then he might not care or believe me if I tell him the truth. Plus even if he does believe me and goes against his father that still doesn't solve the issue of him becoming evil due to the dark crystal's influence.
My head started to pound and I felt a headache coming on as I thought about all of these new complications and how I'm going to fix them. I shook my head slightly and shoved the thoughts out of my head as I returned my focus to the game going on in front of me.
For right now I'm not going to focus on hero work or trying to solve all of the world's problems. For the rest of the night I'm just Dawn Parker hanging out with her friends and enjoying my one night of peace while I still can.
Because lord knows those are far and few between.
And now you all have the full story about the crystals, David, his father, and Priscilla. From the beginning I had this cool idea that Priscilla would some how be connected to David which is why he'd go bad, but I didn't come up with the mother idea and their history until after I'd already written a few chapters.
Just so everyone knows I skipped the agenda's episode.
So what did you think about the chapter? Did you like it or not? Please Review!
Next chapter I'll be returning to the Young Justice storyline.