Veronica Grey's pov
The Cave
Wednesday, April 10th, 2013
Leigh and I are sitting on the couch in the living room area of the cave, watching tv and sharing a tub of cookie dough icecream. Recently, she moved in here so she could get a jump on her own hero thing. Since I'm Tesla, she's decided to become Cation, the next magnetic hero. Long story short of the explanation, all metals are cations and non-metals are anions. There are a few other members of the team hanging around, like Troia, Artemis, M'gann, Conner, all three Atlanteans and Jason. Funny thing about Jason, he seems so antisocial and aggravated with the world until someone actually includes him in what they're doing. I just wish he would act like the ten year old he is now, not the twenty year old he tries so hard to be.
"It's still crazy seeing the two of you in the same room." Jason laughs, looking at the two of us eating our ice cream. Leigh laughs and runs a hand through her short hair, her current impulse weaving through her fingers. She went out a week or two ago and got little blue streaks throughout all of her hair. I didn't like it at first but it's growing on me… Not that I'd ever dye my hair unless it was for a mission.
"I just love that the two of us are actually in the same room together. I know it's been awhile since she left Cadmus but we spent almost a year being able to see and hear each other, but not actually being there together. She's getting along with the rest of the team quite nicely. She and Connor are getting pretty close since the two of them had a bad Cadmus experience.
"If we're saying things that shock us, I think it's your telepathic link to each other." M'gann adds, Connor chuckling under his breath as he wraps his hands around her waist. She releases a quiet giggle at his touch.
"You don't see many twins in Atlantis. The ones that you do are usually fraternal due to the wide genetic variety of the parents." Garth comments, awkwardly staring at Leigh and I. He and Leigh are becoming fast friends. It's nice to see her get acclimated to the group.
"It's kinda cool. It's like the two of you are mirrors of eachother." Tula smiles, suddenly linking her hand with Garth's, forcing him to draw his attention to her and off of us.
"If you think that's cool, I'm literally the mirror of Wonder Woman." Troia smirks and we all laugh a little bit at that. The amazon is really beginning to come out of her shell, less off handish to everyone.
"Team, report to the mission room." We all hear Batman's voice over the intercom of the Cave. Everyone stops laugh and we all get up and suit up. Leigh and I stand together, her suit exactly like mine but with yellow designs instead of the blue that I have. But I'm still in my civvies. The plan is to leave after everyone is deployed, and get back to the college life. Today was just a little break. Kid Flash and Nightwing arrive via zeta tube after we are all assembled before the holo computer, looking at Batman, calling us from the Batmobile.
"The Marvels are tracking Black Adam so they are out. Currently, I'm on my way to Downtown Gotham. I'm calling all of you in to aid in the apprehension of three major Arkham patients. The three are Killer Croc, the Joker, and the Ventriloquist." He announces, everyone stiffening at the last on announced. She's been notorious for her handy work of how she leaves her crime scenes, her victims set up like puppets. It's been a year since he and I started the hunt for the rogue patients. Batman looks to me through the video feed. "Tesla, I'm going to need you to suit up on this as well. These are dangerous beings and the team needs all hands on deck since the League is investigating a time sensitive lead." Batman orders. I nod and mentally tune into the video feed while I go off and suit up.
"What exactly is the task at hand?" Kaldur asks as I pull on my suit, making sure everything is on the right way. I pull my hair into a ponytail as Batman begins informing us about the situation.
"It's a rampage. Killer Croc is dragging numerous people under ground, Joker is attacking everything in sight, but patterns suggest that he is actually looking for something. Ventriloquist is robbing a bank but now is not the time to go into detail of how she's maintaining the situation by herself. You all should know that she is an extremely powerful telekinetic. I'm on sight, Batman out." He informs us all as I put on my mask and step out to meet everyone else. Everyone looks to me.
"There isn't time to take the Bioship. Nightwing, Robin and I will take the lead. Nightwing, Superboy, Aqualad, Rocket, Tempest, and Artemis, you will take Killer Croc as Alpha. Robin, Rocket, Aquagirl, Beast Boy, and Arsenal will take Joker as Gamma. I will be taking Beta, consisting of Cation, Troia, Miss Martian, Zatanna, and Kid Flash to face Ventriloquist. Follow your team leaders, take the Zeta-Tube. Move out!" I order. I feel a little weird being leader, the one in charge. But I guess it's because this branches off of a mission I've been really close to in the past. We all head through the zeta-tube and one by one we all appear in Gotham. We all quickly divide into out squads and go our separate ways. I lead Beta to the bank where Ventriloquist is held up.
"Make one more move, Heroes, and these cops with go out with a bang." We hear come from the many voices of the Police officers standing outside of the Bank, but they are all afraid with their mouths shut.
"It's her, she's mimicking all of them at once." Leigh informs the rest of us. I devise a plan.
"Cation, jam the signal between the trigger and the bombs, then diffuse before following. Everyone else, follow me inside." I order and everyone acknowledges. We all charge the building. "Miss Martian." I look to the Martian and she nods.
Psychic link established. She speaks in all of our minds.
Miss Martian, you are first line of defense. She's telekinetic so I need you to rival her just long enough for Troia to contain. I will subdue. Zatanna and Kid Flash, get everyone out. She's limited if there is no one around for her to puppeteer. I tell them the plan. Everyone gets into position. M'gann charges first and begins to do her best to counteract the powerful female telekinetic across from her.
"Yawa Nur! Snaillivic!" Zatanna casts and those who aren't under Ventriloquist's control, immediately run out but have facial expressions indicating that they are afraid and they don't know why their bodies are running away. I see KF zipping around, taking those who are under the telekinetic control out of range so they can get away.
"You're just children! You'll all love my Freddie!" She laughs maniacally, a little puppet coming out of nowhere and attacking Miss Martian. It looks like it just stepped out of a saw movie, same face and there are drills in his fingers. Miss Martian loses control as it attacks her, all she can do is send out a pulse of her telekinesis to get it off of her. All of the sudden, we all feel the telekinetic grip. My body positions itself like a puppet, hovering in the air as if I were actually on strings.
Troia! Now! I command in the mental link. Before Ventriloquist could see her, she flew up to the ceiling. Now that I've ordered her attack, she flies down and tackles the psychopath, pinning her to the ground. My body drops and I run to Troia and the Ventriloquist. I plant my hands on either side of her skull and send a short pulse of electrical energy, overwhelming her nerves, knocking her out. The puppet drops on the ground, the drills in his hands shutting down. All of us relax for a moment, but the moment ceases when my comm goes off.
"The Joker found what he's been looking for. It's a dirty bomb. Cation and Tesla, we need you, now." Batman orders. I look to my twin and the two of us spring, pulling on magnetic fields and electrifying our limbs to push us faster and faster. But when we get there, the bomb only has seconds left. Batman has Joker in handcuffs, everyone already backed away, aside from Cation and I.
"Get out of here, I can handle this." I tell her.
"Let me help you!" She pleads, but time is running out and this is a delicate piece of machinery. One wrong move and I blow up half of Gotham and give the outer blast radius cancer from the radiation.
"Kid!" I scream and in a blur of yellow and red, Leigh is whisked away without a fight. I put my hands on the bomb, running my consciousness through the circuitry to find the best point of disconnection. I find the core and disconnect everything, but there is still backlash from the core melting down. I reach out and mentally command metal to rip from buildings and construct a dome around the bomb to protect everyone from the minimized blast. I struggle to keep it all together as the inside burns.
"Just hold on a little longer, Captain Atom is coming." I hear Batman's calm voice on my comm. The pain is growing as the temperature rises in my proximity from the dome. I'm losing my grip on the metal, each time it slips, the more I feel the heat of the radiation. But I can't let go. If I do, it releases the radiation to everyone. The next thing I know, I'm on the ground taking deep breaths as I look up at Captain Atom, glowing with the absorbed radiation. When the glow fades, he puts a hand out and I take it, him helping me up.
"You are one heck of a kid, Tesla. You just saved everyone." He says, his southern accent finding its way to the surface of his voice. I smile at him, still trying to catch my breath.
"Just doing my job." I smile as he shakes my hand. The two of us walk together, back to the team and Batman. Everyone relieved that today was successful.
Cambridge
Roy and I are laying together on my couch with the tv on in the background. It's so warm that I'm down to a sports bra and athletic shorts. Roy's light touch is tracing little designs on my bare back. I look up and see the light bounce off his copper hair and glow with the sunlight. His blue eyes are tired from his long day with the League.
"I heard from Dick that you diffused a dirty bomb today." He says quietly as I bury my face in his chest.
"Not big deal. It was a lot more important that we subdued all of the convicts and go them back to Arkham." I sigh, my voice muffled by his chest. He just laughs a little bit.
"Not a big deal? If you weren't there, a lot of people would have died." He reminds me, and I understand, but I'm trying to take a break from the hero life.
"I think Batman knew there was a dirty bomb, he specifically asked me to suit up on this one instead of letting Leigh take on my usual technopathic roles." I rationalize. I look up at Roy again and he strokes my cheek. There is a bit of silence for a while until Roy finally speaks up again.
"What would you say if I asked you to marry me?" He inquired with a completely serious face.
"Are you saying right now or in the future?" I ask, confused about this sudden wonder of his.
"Future." He clarifies. I let out a sigh of relief.
"Good, we are too young to get married now. If you ever ask me, ask after I graduate." I tell him and he smiles.
"So does that mean you would technically say yes if I asked at the right time?" He smiles, putting his forehead to mine.
"What do you think, Harper?" I smirk, leaning in to give him a little peck on the cheek.