.

How Far We've Fallen

.x.x.x.x.x.

Season 3, Episode 6

~The YoungJusticeFangirls~

The Academy, Alpha Dorms

January 23rd, 09:00 PM EST

2022

Gezie listened to her teammates discuss the recent events as she poured hot water into mugs, plopping tea bags into each of them.

"Leon openly tried to assassinate you in a bookshop, huh?" Julia scowled, her chocolate brown hair twisted up in a messy bun. It had grown a lot longer since the start of the semester, and now it was becoming a little cumbersome to style. "They're getting bolder."

"I'll say. He even tried to kill me," Jack scoffed, rubbing his side gingerly. Just because he was strong didn't mean it was painless. He was still slightly feeling the aches, a few days later.

"Gutsy," Raven mumbled. "My question is, was Carla's attack planned? Or are they just attacking each of us randomly?"

"Tea," Gezie announced, pulling her tattoos off her arms and manipulating them into whips. She split each of the whips off into sections, grabbing a mug with each little branch.

"Thanks, Gez," Travis nodded in appreciation, dunking the tea bag a few more times.

Jack grabbed his mug. "I'd venture to say it's not random. The whole team was split up, so they had to track her down. This was planned."

"Luthor probably had people watching her all week, waiting for a chance to attack," Julia grimaced.

Carla shuddered. "That's so...Creepy."

"That and the fact that you were literally attacked by an assassin," Gezie pointed out.

"L-Leon is...one of many. I know for a fact that there are more," Travis stammered, his lavender eyes shifting down. "I got a tip from someone who works with Luthor."

Julia pressed her lips together in a firm line, watching the others' faces. The only people who knew where that 'Tip' came from was herself, Trav, and David. Hopefully, no one would question it, and they wouldn't have to reveal Travis' mom was one of the people working against them.

"So...Then where were the others? Yeah, Leon was trying to kill Carla, but what happened to the other assassins?" Raven wondered, his worried gaze flicking around the table

Travis gave a loose shrug, "M-Maybe Luthor only wanted Carla dead?"

The table was silent as they tried to piece together the answer. Then, Julia's head snapped up. "It's nine at night and we haven't seen or heard from Roman. At all."

As Julia frantically dialed his number from her phone, Carla's head dropped.

"It...Would make sense. They'd need all the man power they could get with his abilities."

The phone rang and the team held bated breath. Roman may have been a...well, asshole most of the time, but he was still their teammate. Even after his vigilante work, the last thing they wanted was his death.

Finally, the ringing stopped. "Hello?" Roman's gravelly voice answered.

Julia let out a deep exhale. "Are you okay? Where the hell are you? Everyone's here except you."

The line was silent for a moment. "I'm fucking fine. I live in California, Julia. I just flew in a few hours ago. What's going on?"

The girl's eyes flicked up to the team. Raven shrugged. Jack jerked his head towards Gezie. Gezie mouthed 'Later' to Julia.

"Uh, I'll fill you in later. I was just a little worried about you, is all."

"I didn't think you cared," he chuckled caustically. "I'll be at the school soon. Save some dinner for me; I'm starved."

And the line went dead.

"He's so...annoying," Julia grumbled, taking a passionate sip of her tea.

"Aw, Julia, you do care," Raven teased lightly, but the look Julia gave her told him not to push the subject.

Avi cleared his throat, setting his tea cup down on the table, breaking the awkward silence. "Anyone want to play some video games?"

Julia was all too happy to have something to distract her, and quickly volunteered.

The Academy, Alpha Dorms

January 23rd, 09:30 PM EST

2022

"Want some help?"

Gezie jumped, dropping the cup she was washing into the soapy water.

Avi grimaced, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He retrieved the cup from the water, holding it out to her as if it were a peace offering.

Gezie offered a small smile of thanks, then began to rinse out the cup. "So...new limbs, huh?"

"I can still contribute to the team this way. And maybe learn how to punch while I'm at it," Avi jokes, grabbing another dish from the sink and beginning to help.

"I'm glad. This...This will be good for you, Avi."

"Speaking of good for you, someone mentioned you were going on a date with Lediv?" Avi asked casually. He was somewhat blunt with the segue, but he didn't want to dance around the issue. Lediv wasn't the most trustworthy. In fact, all he did was give Avi weird feelings. Why would Gezie want to go on a date with him?

"Normally, I would tell you to fuck off because that's my buisness," she turned to Avi, staring pointedly with her blue eyes. "But I understand your concern. He's shady, I get it."

"So why go on a date? You freaked out on Ana when she tried to ask you out, and now you just said yes to the shadiest guy in the Academy?" Avi raised a brow, drying a plate. Roman was giving Lediv a run for his money on being the shadiest student in the whole school, but at least he was honest about his vigilante work.

Gezie huffed, "It's to gather intel, Avi. I'm hoping Lediv will let something slip. It's the only reason I said yes; people are vulnerable in romantic situations. At least, that's what's in all those spy movies."

"You said yes to the date because you saw something like it in a movie?" Avi asked incredulously

"No, that's not what I said—"

"How about we just have Roman kidnap the guy, interrogate him, and then we win?"

"No! What is wrong with you? We're supposed to be the good guys!" Gezie swatted him with her soapy hands, splattering water across his shirt.

Avi chuckled, darting away from her playful hit. "Kidding! I am so kidding. But, you'd have to admit, it's an easy solution."

Gezie's glare quickly shut down his joke, and the pair returned to washing the dishes.

The Academy, Alpha Dorms

January 23rd, 09:30 PM EST

2022

"Can someone go get David? I want to face him next!" Raven shouted, his gaze glued to the screen, attempting to take Julia down in the fighting game they were playing

"Calling for back-up this early, Raven? Disappointing," the girl scoffed, dealing a critical hit to her teammate.

Rave gaped in shock, looking from her to the screen, then back again.

"I can go get him," Jack stood up, heading towards the door. He wasn't a huge fan of video games, seeing as he never played as a child and most kids at this school had some experience with them. Even Carla could play Tetris with some skills. It took Jack a full twenty minutes to even learn what the game's purpose was.

"I'll go with him!" Carla quickly volunteered, excusing herself from the couch where they all sat.

"It's just down the hall, Carla," snickered Julia, who gave her friend a teasing glance.

Carla shot her an annoyed glare. "Assassins, remember? They could strike at any time."

Jack had to suppress a smile as she joined him outside the dorm. He quietly shut the door, and turned around to meet Carla's lips. Her kiss pleasantly took him by surprise, but he paused, glancing around, to make sure there was no one else in the hall with them.

"I knew your mind wasn't on assassins," Jack quietly teased, gently hugging her to his chest.

"I found something a little more distracting, I guess," Carla mumbled, blushing lightly. She found his hand, and interlaced her fingers with his. "Come on. Let's go find David before the others get suspicious."

Jack let out a soft sigh as the pair walked down the hall, on the lookout for any students. He wasn't entirely sure that keeping their relationship was necessary, but Carla seemed to think so. And if she wasn't ready to tell the others, than he wouldn't. But he could see how their relationship could be used against them by enemies or any spies. Leon, just a few days ago, was a prime example of that. Jack was shot protecting her.

"I hate that this has to be a secret. Why can't it just be simpler?"

Carla squeezed his hand. "Me too. But this war has to be over soon. Luthor can't fight forever."

'And neither can we,' Jack wanted to finish. He would have, but he didn't want to ruin the moment. It was tempting to ask Carla to move to the west coast with him. Find a job and do hero work on the side? It could be Flux and the Druidess, the dynamic duo.

But he could never outrun Luthor; the only way to finish this war was to stop him for good.

"It'll be over soon. Win or lose, I can feel it...We're nearing the end," Carla mumbled, ominously, before knocking on David's door.

Jack didn't tell her, but he felt it too. The end was drawing close.

The Academy, Training Room

January 24th, 10:00 AM EST

2022

Avi was losing his old self. He didn't feel anxious or nervous, like he usually did during battle; no, he felt angry. He felt alive. There was power oozing from every pore of his body and he was beginning to feel invincible. Was this how Jack felt during battle? No wonder Roman was so antagonistic; he had the power to back it up. And now here he was, reaching the same level as his teammates. Able to hold his own, able to show his strength in battle. Avi loved it.

He hit the punching bag a final time, allowing the sand to spill to the floor haphazardly, drops of sweat rolling down his face. Avi felt amazing. Sure, he probably didn't look amazing, sweaty, dressed in sweatpants and a black tank top, but he felt amazing.

Avi launched one more punch towards the side, completely tearing open the side of the bag.

"Well, look at you…"

Avi turned around at the sound of a low drawl, and found Harvard Jasper stumbling into the training room. The man was unshaven and his hazel eyes were bloodshot. His usual button up shirt was wrinkled, stained with...What was that?

Avi squinted at his shirt, trying to find out what the mystery stain was.

"Jameson," Harvard coughed, holding onto the doorframe. "I know, it looks like piss. But it's Jameson."

"A...whole bottle's worth?" Avi arched a brow, hesitantly walking towards the man.

"Yup."

"Damn, Harvard, you're going to kill yourself," the mechanic led him towards a chair. Harvard stumbled, falling to his knees, but Avi's prosthetic arm made it a lot easier to help the man towards safety. "How much did you drink?"

"That was the plan, pipsqueak," he coughed, siliva flecking his lips. "Eh...Couldn't tell you. Man, that's...that's saying something', even for me."

Avi wrinkled his nose; he reeked of alcohol. Harvard smelled as if he marinated in it for a whole day. How was he not passed out by now? His alcohol tolerance must have been off the charts.

"I'll get you to the med bay; Genevieve will know what to do. You're going to get alcohol poisoning," he pulled the older man's arm around his shoulders, helping him to his feet. "You can't just drink like this," he scolded, voice shaking out of anger and fear. "People are depending on you here. Your students, Luthor, everyone…"

"No point in taking me to the bay, kiddo," he drawled, legs going limp. Avi nearly tripped over them. "Genvieve's dead. And none of those other nurses are near the level of doctor she is—"

"What?" Avi's face went blank, searching the man's eyes for some kind of answer. He had to be kidding...didn't he? Yes, this was all a joke. He was known for that. "...Harvard?" he asked quietly, voice wavering.

The man let his head fall onto his shoulder, his breathing becoming ragged. The putrid liquor scent grew stronger; Avi felt as if he were suffocating. Then, he was faintly aware of Harvard...moving. Avi turned to the man, eyes widening as he saw his shoulders shaking, his body wracked with sobs.

"They—," he couldn't even start, tears and snot pouring down his face. "They killed her. They fucking killed her and I was too much of a coward to save her."

"Harvard—"

"No. Fuck, I knew they were targetin' her, but I couldn't stand up to Luthor. Too much of a damn soldier," he laughed weakly, tears streaming down his cheeks. Harvard haphazardly reached for his flask, and unscrewed it. In one fluid motion, he dumped the remaining few drops into his mouth. Avi attempted to stop him, but supporting him was hard enough.

"Harvard," the teen attempted to stand him up straight and look him in the eyes. "Who killed her? Tell me now."

"Luthor's little assassin team. He got a fun gang together to murder a bunch of teenagers," Harvard slurred, hiccuping by the end of his words. "Isn't that the most pathetic thing you've ever heard?"

"Who specifically?"

Harvard's gaze trailed off towards a window, sniffling one final time. "Shouldn't-a told you that. Now they're gonna fucking kill me," he laughed darkly.

"Harvard," Avi shook the man slightly, trying to get him to focus on his question. "Who is it?"

"Why don't ya ask your teammate? He's got all the answers, that golden eyed freak," he chuckled, then stumbled back.

Avi recognized the look on his face. It was the same look Carla had all those months ago when she had to vomit from the toxin. Avi quickly led him over to a corner in the training room and looked away, grimacing as the combat teacher vomited. As Harvard relieved himself, Avi mulled over the information he'd just gained. Golden-eyed freak? The only teammate with golden eyes was...Lediv…

"Come on," Avi lifted the man up with his cybernetic arm, helping him towards the door. So, Lediv was a part of Luthor's assassins. This made their situation quite a bit more interesting, now that Avi had proof Lediv was up to something sneaky. Sure, Harvard wasn't the most trustworthy man in the school, but Avi's gut told him this was true.

"Avi?" the man groaned weakly, lifting his head to meet his eyes. "You and your friends need to watch out. Luthor's visiting the school in a few weeks time. You've got targets on your back, and after that, he won't be holding back."

Luthor was coming to visit, Avi thought, his brown eyes widening. That changed everything.

"Thank you, Harvard," Avi murmured, leading him down the hall to the med bay.

The Academy, English Class

January 24th, 12:00 PM EST

2022

'Holy Shit'

Raven turned around in his seat, looking at Avi with wide eyes. The mechanic, sitting a few rows back, waved his hand across his neck, trying to prevent Raven from drawing attention to last thing he needed was for the teacher to get involved.

Raven squinted his eyes, making motions with his hands, but quickly stopped when he realized Avi's message. He turned around, sitting straight, just as their English teacher gave them a glare.

'You're serious? Luther is coming to the Academy in two weeks?' Julia texted back. She was in art class currently, which was why Avi resorted to text messaging to get the message across.

'That gives us two weeks to come up with a plan of attack,' David texted back.

'Attacking the president of the United States sounds like a horrible idea,' Carla responded.

'Exactly why it was David who proposed it.'

'It was a figure of speech!' David promptly responded. 'Though, I would not be opposed to actually attacking Luthor at this point. He is a major douche.'

Avi snickered softly, typing out a reply when his phone disappeared from his hands. His eyes went wide, then he groaned. Looking up, Avi found himself staring at his very displeased English Teacher.

"Detention, Redhawk. You were accepted to this prestigious school. Act like you want to be here," the man admonished. "You're lucky I don't make you read these texts to the class."

Avi's stomach flipped at the sound of 'read these texts'. The last thing he needed was for his classmates to find out he was working against Luthor. Despite how embarrassed he was, Avi was a little pissed, for lack of better words. The teacher entirely assumed his situation. In fact, Luthor demanded he attend the Academy, and Avi didn't really want to be here. But he had to finish what he started for his team.

As the teacher walked away, Raven looked back at him, giving a sheepish smile.

'We'll talk about it later,' he mouthed, then turned around to stay in the teacher's good graces.

Metropolis

January 24th, 04:00 PM EST

2022

Gezie leaned in, looking into the dark, clear windows of some hotel. She couldn't see inside, but that's what made it perfect. She grabbed a light pink tube of lipgloss from her pocket, swiped it over her lips, and stuffed it away. Good enough, she shrugged. Gezie wasn't entirely trying to look amazing, just do the bare minimum. The bare minimum, so that's what she was calling this. Agreeing to a date with Lediv for information seemed like overkill to her, but Gezie was getting desperate. Luthor was making moves that they didn't even know about.

Assassin teams, secret visits, killing comrades— Gezie could barely wrap her head around the fact that these things were really happening. They seemed so fairy-tale-esque, like it was straight out of a movie. But their lives were seriously at risk, so she had to keep her wits about her if she wanted to survive.

And that meant going on a date with Lediv Awbree, of all people.

If Gezie didn't feel sick to her stomach by the end of this night, it'd be a miracle.

Stepping inside a quaint Italian restaurant that smelled of baked bread, she scanned the tables for Lediv. He sat near the corner, his brown hair slicked back, wearing a pressed collared shirt. Gezie had to admit, he did clean up nice. But, still, she was cursing herself for agreeing to this.

"Hey," she offered a grin, slipping her purse onto the back of the chair, and sitting down.

Lediv awkwardly rose to try and pull her chair out, but she waved him off.

"Here's the menu. I, uh, already ordered a few appetizers I thought looked good," he rubbed the back of his neck.

She nodded, eyes flicking up from the menu. Gezie wasn't sure how this night was going to go, but she was sure it would be nothing short of awkward. There wasn't much else to do than make conversation, right?

"So...Lediv. What is this all about?" She asked, trying to dance around her true question.

"What do you mean? It's… we're going out."

"What I mean is that this is completely out of nowhere. To be honest, I-I wasn't even completely sure you were interested in girls," Gezie stammered, blushing lightly. She hoped she wasn't making a completely misjudged assumption. If he had flirted, it wasn't obvious enough, and would only intensify the awkwardness of their date. "You were super apathetic at first... and if you made a pass for me, I'm sorry, I just didn't realize it." That, and she was dealing Ana and the wreckage of her mental stability. If Lediv made a move previously, he had done it at the wrong time.

"Let's get this out of the way: I'm interested in women," he smirked, eyes widening. "And yeah, it probably wasn't obvious. I don't usually openly flirt with girls. I prefer to do that on dates. Hence…" Lediv gestured to the restaurant.

"Oh. In that case, yeah, this was somewhat of a surprise for me," she laughed nervously, playing with the napkin in her lap.

"I was surprised you even said yes. After all, I thought you and your teammates loathed me," he scoffed, gold eyes wandering the walls of the restaurant, then finding their way back to Gezie's.

Under his gaze, her cheeks reddened further. "Well… We haven't been having the easiest year, Lediv. We have our reasons for keeping our distance. You probably heard the rumors—"

"That Travis was the mole for Luther. Right, 's old news. Of course it made your team such a hostile little group. All is forgiven," he rolled his eyes.

Gezie stared at him in alarm, pressing her lips together. "We never told anyone he was a spy for Luther."

Lediv flashed her a shark like smile. "Of course! You didn't want anyone to know you were secretly thwarting his plans as a side job. Why would you?"

Her face paled, clenching the napkin tight, inwardly panicking. "This… This isn't a date, is it."

"No. No, it's not."

Silence.

Gezie glanced back at the exit. What if this was an assasination attempt? He lured her here, to this benign little Italian restaurant, to poison her or shoot her through the forehead. The ink on her wrists begin to swirl as her heart raced.

"You always were one of the clever ones out of that team. Sure, Avi's smart and all, but he never saw through Luthor like you did."

A waiter set down waters and a basket of bread.

"Are you ready to order, sir?"

"I think I'll need a little more time, thank you," Lediv responded cooly, his gaze trained on Gezie. Once the waiter returned to the kitchen, he began again. "I'm not here to kill you, if that's what you're worried about. I'm not that crass."

"But you're bold enough to kill Phoebe and pass it off as a suicide. You made David disappear and now we don't even know if he's alive or not?" Gezie hissed, her blue eyes flashing with anger. Her emotions told her to leap across the table and choke this kid, but she needed to keep a cool head. He still had valuable information.

"Wasn't really my doing. That's why it was crass," he shrugged, taking a sip of his water. "Anyway, I'm here...probably for the same thing you are. Information."

Gezie narrowed her eyes in confusion; what information could he possibly need on her? Anything he wanted to know he probably knew through Travis. That is, when Travis still gave information to Luthor.

"I'll just cut to the chase. I think it'll be more pleasant for both us that way. How far are you willing to take this little vendetta against Lex?" He said plainly.

"What...What do you mean?"

"People are dying, Gez. And you're still leading your team to destruction. You, Jack, Carla… you need to give up. Stop fighting this war; you're not going to win."

She stared at him, flabbergasted. "You… You want me to give up?"

"Yes. Leave the Academy, swear an oath to Luthor, whatever you choose. If you keep fighting against him, he will kill you," Lediv leaned forward, gaze serious and cold.

"What Luthor is doing is wrong. He experimented on people, forced Avi to create weapons… Someone has to stand up to him," she snapped.

"Stop playing hero!" Lediv growled suddenly. His composure returned after a moment. "You're not the Justice League. You're not Batman, or Superman, or Wonder Woman. You will lose. Genevieve lost, Phoebe lost, and David lost. I am trying to warn you before you get too deep."

"Why? Why warn us? Don't you want us dead?" She hissed.

"Because you all still have value! Luthor spent billions making a super soldier like Jack. Avi could change the world as we know it with his inventions. Travis is a genius in his own right, and his powers have so much potential. Julia… imagine her as a covert soldier. None of her targets would be able to survive her—"

"That's it? That's all you care about? Our 'value'?" Gezie made air quotes, giving him a disgusted look. "Some teammate you are."

"I'm not your teammate. I never have been, and I never will. You had to have known that on some level, after your team treated with such kindness and trust," he sneered. The waiter attempted to come back, but after seeing their angry looks and hushed voices, promptly turned around and returned to the kitchen.

She let out an angry sigh, knowing that he was right on some level. They weren't the most trusting bunch, but this dinner had certainly proved their fears. Lediv was up to something and it wasn't good.

"I'm not going to stop. Either Luthor reforms his ways, or we keep going. Too much is riding on our success," Gezie said firmly, standing up from the table abruptly.

Lediv shook his head, "You're making a big mistake. We've got the world at our fingertips. You won't be able to beat us like you did to the Light of Justice."

"You don't know who we are. You don't know what we've been through. We will make it out of this. Someone has to stand up for the greater good and the responsibility falls to us," she declared, slinging her purse onto her back. Gezie began to walk away, her heart pounding out of a combination of adrenaline, anger, and fear. How dare he try and persuade her to give up? He was one of the problems she was fighting against! Lediv was just one of Luthor's lackeys, so she wouldn't be surprised if this was something he'd be ordered to do.

But Luthor's orders were to kill them, right? This meant Lediv was definitely acting on his own volition.

Gezie whipped out her phone, storming towards the academy. She was going to make Luthor regret even coming after her friends.

'Get the team together. We've got ass to kick.'

Metropolis, Lex Corp Headquarters

January 24th, 9:00 PM EST

2022

It was just beginning to snow as he stepped up the polished marble steps of LexCorp. Even in the winter, not a trace of snow or salt residue remained on it.

Jack Arsenault's eyes scanned the building in front of him with disdain. Many uncomfortable and unpleasant memories were held in the basement of this building. Flames, needles, bright lights— his skin crawled at the thought of what he endured here. And he was okay with it. Until he met his team, that is.

It was surprising how much of a paradigm shift he'd had in the past year or so. Going from licking Luthor's boots to being his number one public enemy was enough to give anyone whiplash, but Jack especially felt it.

He forced himself to take a breath of fresh air. He'd have to repress most of his childhood memories, marching through this freak show.

Wrenching open the door, he exhaled. Time to be the poster boy. Marching up to the front desk, he flashed a smile to the pretty redhead behind the desk. "I'll be just a second. I'm just stopping in to see Lex."

She looked up, hazel eyes flashing with interest. "Sorry, sweetie. He's in meetings for another three hours. I can tell him you stopped by?"

"It's a little urgent. You know, personal stuff. I'll be just a minute," Jack promised her, trying to let some of his 'poster boy charm', as Harvard used to call it, leak in.

He could tell she was thinking, her lips pursed as she stared at his schedule.

"Okay. Only a minute."

Jack turned towards the hallway that led up to Luthor's office. The easiest part was over now. Of course, this meeting wouldn't really last just a minute, but it was easy making the receptionist believe that. After Genevieve's death, Jack knew he had to do something to protect his team. He had to use what little leverage he had left on Luthor and attempt to remove the target on their heads. Maybe, if Jack begged enough, Luthor would even let him go and he could stop being the Academy's poster boy.

Begging. That was what he was resorting to now. But it was the only nonviolent option they really had left before someone else died. He had to do something.

After stepping past the double oak doors, he greeted the familiar, pristine white hallway he'd walked through so many times. On his way to the elevator, he was confused to find that when the doors opened his teammate stepped out.

"Roman?"

The redheaded boy's eyes widened in surprise. "Jack?"

He stood speechless for a moment, staring at Roman. So many thoughts and questions ran through his head. For one, how did they even let him into LexCorp? Roman threatened Lex many, many times, and the fact that he was here was odd. He wasn't being chased by security, so he didn't break in or try and physically hurt Luthor.

"This...It's not what it looks like," he mumbled, brushing his spiky red hair back with the back of his hand.

Jack's eyes narrowed at his weird behavior. "How am I supposed to trust you?"

Roman's red eyes flicked up, glaring at him. "You just are. I'm not here giving information or shit to Luthor, or making any deals with him, if that's what you're thinking."

"Then what is this? I never even thought they'd willingly grant you access to see Luthor after everything, so it makes it pretty suspicious you're here."

Roman shook his head, pushing past the teen towards the door. He grabbed Roman's arm, stopping him.

"If you aren't honest, people are going to draw conclusions that you don't want them to."

Roman's gaze turned back to Jack; anger flashed through his eyes first, then...a muted sadness Jack had never witnessed before. His grip on Roman's arms loosened slightly.

"He changed you. He changed Chip and Elle. I was hoping he could change me," he murmured caustically, lifting up his hand.

Jack could see the beads of deadly acid on his fingertips. It had really gotten worse since he'd seen the other boy, hadn't it? Now he was beginning to understand, it wasn't rage and sadness in Roman's eyes; it was desperation.

"Why Luthor?" Jack asked softly.

Roman shrugged, "It was the quickest way. He has the money and the means...I was just hoping he could do something."

"We will figure something out," Jack promised him, letting go.

Roman stayed quiet, his face stoic and impassive, but the expression in his eyes betrayed everything. Hope had dwindled for him and he was down to his last options. Just like Jack.

"It's just...impossible to live like this."

"We will figure this out. You're a part of the Alpha Team. We don't leave anyone behind," Jack assured him firmly. "Come on. Julia...Was really worried about you today. She'll be relieved that you're okay."

Roman nodded weakly, and following Jack as he began to lead him to the door.

"Thank you, Jack," he murmured softly from beside him.

The teen nodded back. Luthor wasn't important anymore. He didn't know how much talking to him would have helped in the first place, but Roman needed him. Roman needed someone to support him, and Jack knew that his team— no, his family would always come first. Even Roman, who he had a tumultuous relationship with. He was a part of the family, and Jack's family always came first.

.x.X.x.

What's this? Another post within a month? Must be the apocalypse!

Nah, not the apocalypse, just the Fangirls being super productive as usual. Which is actually a surprise since I went on a two week vacation and I'm applying for college scholarships. Sooooo about three more chapters left. Yeah. That's happening. Just a reminder that we have almost nothing of this and these next few chapters planned out, so if it seems jumbled, it's just how it's going to be. Gonna try and bust out the next chapters by the end of this year, but the graduation is approaching. I may reveal the SYOC I had been planning, too. Not sure if I'll actually do it.

I think my favorite scene was the Avi and Harvard scene. I just really liked exploring Harvard and Avi's changes as a character. It was just wonderful to write.

I'm trying to give all the characters equal time to shine, but for character arc purposes, some will have more than others. I focus on quality of character developments, not the amount of times the scenes focus on them.

That's all I have to say for this. Super disjointed and short. But, hope y'all enjoyed.

Please review if ya liked this chapter!

Thanks,

The Fangirls

Favorite scene? (I'm always going to ask this question XD)

What do you think the Alpha Team's next move will be?

Do any of the villains or heroes have something up their sleeve?