.
How Far We've Fallen
.x.x.x.x.x.
Season 3, Episode 7
~The YoungJusticeFangirls~
The Academy
January 24th, 11:00 PM EST
2022
As Julia exited her bedroom, she clipped her black, military-grade belt around her waist. She hooked two red canisters on the belt, grimacing at her meager supply. The team was about to go on a highly perilous mission, and she only had two canisters of her explosive energy available. They needed a supplies run. Badly.
Sweeping her chocolate brown hair into a tight pony, she padded down the hall of their dorm, ready to reconvene with the others in the living room.
A few doors down, she heard the distinct sound of sizzling metal and caught a glimpse of a half-melted doorknob as Roman Polaris stepped out. He wore a simple compression shirt, along with black combat boots and pants.
"I miss my hoodie," he grunted softly, adjusting his shirt sleeves. Typically, he wore a red hoodie on his vigilante missions or just regular school missions where he was too lazy to change. But tonight, they were all going in stealth mode, meaning he had to ditch the red and actually dress appropriately. Too much was on the line tonight.
"You could always stay at home if you want. The last mission we were all together on didn't exactly turn out great," she hinted, tone laced with venom.
"See, you act like you hate me, then you call me frantically like you actually care. Which is it? Do you hate me or don't you?"
"It's more complicated than that," Julia scoffed, walking away from him.
Roman's eyes narrowed and he followed her, walking right next to her. "Then tell me. What's the issue? What did I even do wrong?"
Part of Julia felt angry he was even asking her what he did. Roman should understand that his excessive violence against Chip and the Light of Justice was enough to make her upset. But, then again...that really wasn't the root of the issue anymore. Ana's fabricated nightmare was, and what he did. Well, what he could do. That hellish dream was a warning of what Roman was capable of. What all his anger, power, and turbulent moral standards could do when unleashed in the proper circumstances. Up until now, though, he hadn't actually done anything yet! Except burn a man's face off.
"Roman, I really, really want to trust you. I want to get along with you. Truly, I do," she stated coldly, her lip quivering ever-so-slightly in the dark hallway. "But as of now, it's not so much what you've done. It's what you're capable of."
Roman opened his mouth to counter, his face twisting in an expression of sheer shock and anger.
"Remember, you asked. Right now we have to leave our issues here. We have a job to do for our team, for our loved ones, for our country. Luthor is and always will be my number one priority. Not you and not my issues with you. Understand?"
He blinked at her, rather surprised at her extensive reply. It seemed Julia harbored some rather deep feelings about whatever she was so conflicted about. He agreed with most of her explanation, though, and would not push it. Unlike previous times, Roman wanted to attempt to fix some of the cracks in their lost friendship. His talk with Jack, after going to see Luthor put some perspective in front of him. He needed to try. He couldn't just let hope slip away and, consequently, his life.
"Quit being so fucking secretive. Just tell me next time," he grumbled under his breath, stalking away.
As her gaze followed his figure towards the fridge, Julia couldn't help but exhale in relief. She'd have a hell of a confrontation waiting for her after this mission, but one thing at a time. One thing at a time.
The Academy
January 24th, 11:30 PM EST
2022
"So there's really no talkin' you out of this, huh?"
Harvard was face to face with nine pairs of determined, passionate eyes. Ranging from baby blue to onyx, they all stared him down with the same goal: bring Luthor to justice. And tonight, according to their leader, was just the beginning.
"We're done sitting around. Genevieve was the last straw. Luthor's fucked and he knows it. All that's left is to corner his cowardly ass, and he's over."
Gezie was at the forefront of their little battalion. The girl was decked out in her usual gear: a purple, lolita dress, her hood up and sandy hair in a ponytail. It felt like ages since she'd worn this mission suit, but as soon as she slipped the hood up, it felt natural.
"Guess I should have known. You were always such a stubborn group," Harvard lowered his head a little, letting out an amused chuckle. He was only a few days free of his hospital trip, but his near-death experience led the man to some thinking. Little food, little water, and little alcohol had been his intakes the last forty-eight hours as he tried picking a path to follow. Should he go to rehab sixteen weeks, forfeit his duty at the Academy? Or, he could just keep going. A few more trips to the hospital and there wouldn't be much left for the doctors to save.
Needless to say, Harvard Jasper was at his own crossroads. Trying to claw his way out of his alcoholism, or to give in. Everything seemed so muddled without Genevieve.
"Stubborn, sure. But mostly angry," Raven chimed in from the back of the group.
"And tired. Luthor's exhausting to deal with. I say we just deal with him and take a vacation," David snickered, earning an appreciative nod from some of his teammates.
Harvard stared at David for a drawn-out moment before laughing, his shoulders shaking from his guffaws. "Vacation? After handling Luthor? You kids aren't going to be able to go out into public for months! That man has so many associates and partners that they'll all want a piece of you afterward. Not to mention the government, since he's literally the president of the country."
That seemed to dampen the mood as Harvard reminded them about how big of a fish they were trying to bag. Travis could feel their confidence flip into a mood of uncertainty. So far, the collective anger and passion had been their driving force, but no one thoroughly considered the gravity of what was happening. This was it. They were taking Luthor down. After these next few weeks, it was either do or die.
"Just let us in the damn weapons room, Harvard," Julia finally snapped, crossing her arms. "We're wasting time. If anyone wants to back out, fine. Give up everything we've been working to protect. Me? I'm gonna kick some presidential ass and no one— not even those stupid assassins or whatever— is going to stop me."
Harvard offered his hands up in a yielding manner, turning around to attend to the lock. He pulled out a plastic key card, swiping it, then proceeded to shift his eye up to the retinal scan.
Avi had only ever been within here a few times to examine different machinery for his weapons schematics, but he knew there were enough weapons in here to last for centuries. The door slid open to reveal a monochromatic room, guns, knives, weapons lining the walls from beginning to end. There were sections organized by type, place of origin, and difficulty of use.
"Cool!" Raven rushed in immediately flying towards the shuriken on the far end. "I can be a ninja!"
"Keep it down. Don't take too much. Cameras are out, but they keep a record of who accesses this stuff. If they figure out I'm supplying you with weapons, I'll end up like our favorite medic," Harvard leaned up against the wall as the children fanned out, looking at all the different machinery. He tilted his head against the cool metal of the wall, ignoring the twitch in his fingers and sweat dripping down his forehead. There was no flask today. No gin, no jack, no vodka, no bourbon. He was clean. For how long he would be clean was a mystery, but for now, he was just riding the waves of his withdrawal.
After about five or so minutes, Gezie surveyed her group. "Everyone good?"
Julia held up grenades and explosive canisters. Raven proudly held up his shurikens. Jack, surprisingly, held up a handgun.
"Uh…" Carla blinked in surprise, waving towards the weapon.
"If Leon wants to play with guns, we can play with guns," Jack said evenly. Normally, he never fought with weapons. His fists could inflict enough damage alone; he never required a medium to produce that damage for him. But this was a unique occasion, and he wasn't relying on his powers and fists to get him through this fight.
"Alright then," Gezie pursed her lips, giving her second-in-command a small smile."Harvard, if we're not back in twelve hours…"
"I know," he nodded tiredly, sweat dripping down his cheeks. He needed to sleep. He needed to drink. He needed to just crawl into his bed and never emerge. But he wasn't giving in yet. He had to stay on call for the kids.
As the Alpha Team left the room, Avi patted the man on the shoulder with his human hand. "Thank you. For everything. I...I can't imagine what you're going through right now."
"Come back alive, okay? If you don't, I got nothing to stay clean for."
Metropolis
January 25th, 12:00 PM EST
2022
Julia wasn't certain at what point she knew this was a terrible idea. Maybe it was when Roman and David started arguing; maybe it was when the former melted the radio off the car that David "borrowed".
"If it's for the greater good," the teen scoffed to their leader over their communicators, "Then I guess the owners will just have to deal with it."
After some hushed arguing with Gezie— who was staunchly against the idea of "borrowing" the car, even if it was going to be used to stop Luthor— David just let himself in. Manipulating the glass to where he could slip his hand inside, he swiftly unlatched the car, and the trio was crammed inside.
Julia felt somewhat bad they were safely concealed in the vehicle while the others were out there, but they were the escape prevention. In case Leon or Haru tried to make a run for it, they were there to take action.
"Will you two shut up?"
"He dripped his hand juices on my glass! And all over the radio!"
"It's acid, first of all, and what am I supposed to do? Open the damn window? This is a stealth mission!"
"Well, if you keep leaking all over the place eventually, someone's going to smell the leather burning!" David hissed back, a strained smile on his face.
Truth be told, this kid had always perplexed Julia. He was odd from the start, obsessive about his art, and not really caring about anything else. He wasn't concerned about a citizen's property demolished; he was concerned about the burning attracting unwanted attention.
"Can't you just fix your suit with your stupid Silky-kinesis—"
"Silicokinesis. Say it right," David's intense gaze locked in with Roman's. "And some art doesn't take mere seconds to fix, Roman. Do you understand the kind of genius it takes to even attempt to create art?"
"Shut up before I knock both of you out!"
The boys glanced at the back seat, where Julia arched a brow, tapping the explosive energy containers hooked to her utility belt. "David. Switch with me."
In an instant, the teenager was out of the back seat, shouldering past a grumbling David, who took her spot. Settling in the driver's seat, she would then look over to Roman.
"So, let's chat, shall we?"
Metropolis
January 26th, 12:00 AM EST
2022
Taking one last glance at the building where he last saw Jack and Avi, Raven was dismayed to find they were no longer visible. He was legitimately on his own now.
'Raven. Don't look at us. If Leon or anyone else is truly watching, you'll draw their attention straight to our spot,' Avi said on his communications device.
"Sorry, sorry, it's just...You know, I haven't been on a mission like this alone in…"
Well, ever, actually. Raven hadn't ever been the bait for two highly trained, extremely deadly assassins. He was the chosen bait because of his ability to teleport. If things went wrong, having someone who could get out of there quickly would be useful. And, Raven was a pretty loud and noticeable guy. Out of the group, he was the best hero for the job.
Bored already, he plopped down on a bench, tugging his hood over his black hair. He should have brought a coloring book or something, he joked to himself. That would pass the time easier.
As he lounged against the back of the bench, tapping his foot impatiently, he picked up the sound of someone groaning. A citizen in trouble, perhaps? Eager to do some hero-work, Raven teleported away, down the street towards where the sound was coming from.
He heard an extremely loud bang as an older woman slammed the hood of her car shut. "Piece of junk," she struck the side of it with her heel.
"Uh, ma'am? Can I help you in any way?" Raven asked, holding his hands up as a peace-offering, showing he meant no harm.
The woman's narrowed gaze roamed over his appearance, catching on his hood.
"Oh! Yeah, the costume. I'm a hero at Luthor's Academy for the Gifted," Raven mumbled, struggling to pull his wallet out of his tight pockets. He flashed his school identification at the woman. "And I am on duty right now. For my class. Yeah. Is there any way I can assist?"
"Ah, Luthor's little school, is it?" She had a distinctive twang in her voice. "Tell me, you ain't as corrupt as he is, are ya?"
"O-Oh, no. I'm just trying to help—"
"We'll see about that. Been in office for three years and hasn't done one single thing for the people," the woman grumbled, trudging over to the front of the car, and wrenching open her hood.
'Raven,' his communicator buzzed with Avi's voice, 'What are you doing?'
"I'm a hero, Avi. I gotta help her—"
'What do you know about cars?!'
"I've been your friend for like, a long time now! Maybe it rubbed off on me! I'll just try, okay?" He hissed into the communicator.
The woman gave him an odd look, squinting her eyes at him. "Who are you—"
"Not important. Let's take a look, shall we?" Raven quickly busied himself with examining the compact car, hoping to forestall any questions. He glanced around the interior, making a low humming sound as he flicked a wire, and then a tube. "So, this thing is leaking. I don't really know what it is, but I don't think it's supposed to be leaking."
Raven stood back from his examination, patted the hood of the car.
"I thought you said you could help? So far, my car still ain't fixed—" The woman completely paused as the streetlight that illuminated their work went out, plunging their area of the street into darkness.
Raven's silver eyes swept around the area, his blood growing cold. Holy shit. The assassins actually took the bait. While Raven wanted to pump his fists at the fact that he successfully lured their enemies out, it suddenly dawned on him that this meant he was in mortal danger. They were following, watching, targeting him. And now, this unwitting, innocent elderly lady whom he'd dragged into this.
"Run," Raven croaked to her, then teleported a good distance away into the shadow, hoping to steer them away from her.
The woman looked around frantically, letting her eyes adjust to the dark. Unluckily, it was futile, as a few blasts of a plasma gun flashed before her eyes and nearly blinded her. Raven caught a glimpse of the woman diving to the side, then hurriedly sprinting away as her car's windshield shattered. The sound of shattering glass was promptly followed by a shrill car alarm.
'Way to be covert, Raven.'
The whir of the plasma gun started up again, and Raven sprinted to the side, avoiding a barrage of blasts. Ducking behind a mailbox, he gulped once, trying to steady his breathing and arrange something of a plan.
"Hey, guys? Not trying to rush you or anything, but I've got one right here!"
There was nothing but silence for an interminable minute as Raven tried to elicit a response from his team. Where were they? It never took Avi this long to respond.
As he heard the familiar drone of the gun charging again, there was suddenly a mighty smashing sound as someone fell straight into the roof of a car, setting off a second car alarm.
'We found one, too,' Carla's voice croaked.
Raven poked his head up behind the mailbox to find Jack, gingerly picking glass out of his hair and dusting it off his clothes.
"Arsenault! How's that bullet wound holding up?" Leon Coal laughed from across the street, dressed in his usual black suit, ginger hair sticking up from all ends. The street was dimly lit, but the few remaining street-lights allowed Raven to recognize their challenger.
Down the road a bit, there was another smash as someone plummeted into the ground, cracking it with the force of their impact. An unusually aggressive looking woman, dressed for battle in a black military suit approached them. This was not good. Where was the rest of their team?
There was a sharp yell as Raven spotted Gezie near the edge of a building, ink swirling around her in a protective shield, defending from some unknown attacker. She glanced once, twice again at the decreasing ground she had left to stand on. Extending an ink whip from her shield out to a nearby light pole, swinging herself down to safety. With Leon and the other woman, Haru, beginning to circle them, the heroes gathered together.
They were joined by Avi and Carla, rushing down a fire escape, with Travis waiting in the wings to aid where necessary.
Jack gave Gezie a hesitant look. "So. It looks like we're about to fight three highly skilled and highly armed fighters—"
"And we're missing three of our own," Carla huffed, the druidess gazing worriedly at their opponents, not enjoying how this situation was turning out.
"We fight. Travis, get a hold of the other three! They could be under attack as well," Gezie yelled to him, satisfied their medic would do the job when he gave a confident nod.
With how tough this matchup looked, Raven was now unsure how smart their impulsive "ambush" truly was. None of the group really thought the entire assassin gang would be patrolling together, and they didn't even know if this was the whole group! He could only hope the other three weren't in mortal danger, and they could provide the edge the Alpha Team needed.
Metropolis
January 26th, 12:00 AM EST
2022
"I...did that?"
Julia had been dreading telling him about the nightmare. Honestly, it was probably right at the top of her list of things she didn't want to do. But she had a promise to fulfill, that she'd tell him everything. This was everything.
Roman sat next to her, numbly staring at the melted radio, eyes devoid of their usual rageful glare.
Julia swallowed down her feelings, "I know it never actually happened. But the way it...it was so realistic. I—"
"You could see me doing it. Even if it never happened," Roman murmured, still avoiding her gaze.
In the back, David watched the show unfold silently. Though Julia, a close friend of his, talked to him often about the issue, he didn't have many opinions on it. Although he disliked Roman, he chose to remain neutral. He didn't want to be caught in their 'will-they-won't-they' drama. It would just drag him through the mud.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let th-that fear consume me, but you have to understand what I went through."
"You were scared. Of me," Roman spoke flatly.
"No. Of what you were capable of. Roman, you have been heading down a dark path for the last few months. I didn't want to be collateral on that path!" Julia let her head sink against the seat, squeezing her eyes shut. She could hear a deep sigh from him, and tilted her head to the side, cracking her eyes open to peek at him.
He was staring at her, a frown etched in his face, but silently.
Somehow, she grasped what he was saying. "I'm sorry. I really am."
"Me too."
'Hello? This is Carla, can you hear me?!'
"Hey, Carla. What's up?" Julia snatched the communicator from the cupholder, putting it on speaker. After a few short bursts of static, the line went dead.
"Hello? Carla?" Roman leaned closer to the microphone, trying again.
Tapping her nails against the leather seats of the car, she would let out a frustrated groan. Where were they? What was going on? The three of them wouldn't move until told to, but Julia couldn't just let something happen to them.
"If we don't hear anything within the next five minutes, we're going to find them," she stated quietly.
"What if it's a trap?" David leaned in, putting himself in the space between the two others.
"Then we fight. We can't sit here passively—"
The communicator crackled to life, 'Julia, Roman, David! We need you up here!'
"On our way. What's happening?"
Julia was out of the car, tightening her brown hair in its ponytail, sprinting across the street. She'd studied this layout many times over the last few hours, and knew exactly what turns to take. A left, another left, and then a right. Around her, David was using broken glass bottles to forge a path, manipulating his glass to move him incredibly fast. He sped over his path almost as if he were skating or surfing. She could hear Roman's flight just above her.
'We got three of them, right here! I think we may be outclasses!'
Julia didn't even bother responding, knowing that they would be there within the next minute or so. She merely forced her legs to fly faster, hoping that the battle wasn't already over.
Reaching a chain-link fence, Julia jumped, grabbed hold of it, and pushed herself into a flip. She vaulted over to the other side and landed on the ground with a thud. David encountered no problems either, manipulating his glass path up onto a wall, capitalizing on the momentum to thrust him over the side of the fence.
Rounding the corner, the battle was already underway.
Carla and Avi seemed to be preoccupied with Leon, while Gezie and Raven were barely keeping up with Haru. Jack was all alone, going toe to toe with Mercy Graves.
"Haru is here," David grimaced, recalling the meeting with Travis at the beginning of the semester. From the way Trav described her, she would not be an easy fight to win.
"So is Mercy. Seems like Luthor is using all his lackeys tonight," Julia breathed, finally she rolled her shoulders back, preparing for battle. "Let's go. I want Leon."
"I got Mercy!" David grinned in anticipation.
"Let me handle the other chick," Roman gave one final glance to Julia.
His teammate paused, frowning slightly at his hesitation. She could see what he was thinking. Years of being trained to read people by the League and his obvious, visible worries aided that. He didn't want this to be a repeat of the docks. Of what happened to Chip.
"Don't let me head down that path again, okay?" He spoke softly. "And...Stay safe."
Giving a final nod, she shoved that jumble of feelings down for the last time, before heading into battle.
Metropolis
January 26th, 12:10 AM EST
2022
"Jack, I've known you for six years now. Do I really have to fight you?"
Flux knew what he was doing. He knew exactly why he was taking on Mercy Graves in one of Metropolis' business districts at twelve in the morning. This would be personal. Jack understood how she fought, but she also knew how he fought. It would be a test of stamina, and who could outthink the other.
"Mercy, I've known Luthor since I was a child. It's exactly the reason I have to fight you," He spoke, low and determined.
The auburn-haired woman nodded, now in a Cadmus issued combat suit, and her ponytail bounced along.
"Is it really worth it? I mean, this is your last chance," Mercy gave him a knowing smirk, holding up a thick, corded whip that had sent Jack flying off the roof previously. "You can go back to Luthor. Leave them here, let them die. You can still have the fame, the money, the power—"
"And go back to being Luthor's experiment? Let him continue this madness? Look at them, Mercy!" He gestured to Haru and Leon. "Look at what he's done to people! To humanity! Nah, Mercy. You can't bribe me with money or power. He's not getting away with this."
"He gave me a life outside of gangs. He cleaned me up, took me off the street," Mercy chuckled. "And now...I have a name. He did the same for you. But suit yourself."
Uncoiling the rope, the pair began circling each other, tense yet reserved. Until Mercy's whip shot out towards Jack.
Jack allowed it to connect with his wrist, wincing slightly in pain. He snatched the end of the whip, planted his body, and gave it a sharp pull. Mercy went flying, allowing it to close the distance between them.
Jack had been prepared for a blast from her cannon-arm but was instead shocked to find her aiming a punch for his chest.
More specifically— or, more problematic— it was aimed for his solar plexus.
With the wind knocked out of him, he would give a vicious glare. Then, their battle began. With an aggressive flurry of kicks and punches, Jack would attempt to keep Mercy on the defensive so she couldn't use her cannon.
He landed a final, solid hit on her cheek and sent her sailing back a good distance. Breathing heavily, he glanced at his fists, seeing his shredded and bloody hands for the first time. He grimaced; punching metal ordinarily wasn't an issue for him, but repeated hits would eventually put a strain on his powers.
He needed to end this fast.
"Well, it looks like you've got this handled for the most part!"
Jack turned to get a look of David Porter, armed in colorful red and blue-toned glass that somehow left him unharmed.
"Could use a little break, not going to lie," Jack held up his bloodied fists."Still a little winded from being thrown off a building."
"Go get some help from Travis. I have a feeling we're going to need everything we have tonight. Let me handle her," David smirked to the older boy.
Jack hesitated, giving an unsure look to Mercy, who rose slowly from the ground. She wiped a trickle of blood from her lip, her eyes burning with rage. He wasn't a man to give up a fight easily. His battles went to the bitter end, or until he was ordered to stop. And he still had gas to burn inside him.
"Go," David urged. "We need you at your best. Not injured."
Exhaling heavily, he nodded. There was a time for pushing through, but this wasn't it. Turning around, he would jog towards Travis, going to get his hands patched up.
Metropolis
January 26th, 12:10 AM EST
2022
"Gez, your left!"
Gezie reacted too slowly to Haru's insanely fast punch, taking the deck on her cheek and flying back. She groaned, rolling onto her back, and forcing herself onto her feet.
"Ooh…" Raven grimaced, catching a glimpse of his leader's dazed look before having to go on the defensive, teleporting to dodge a kick.
Haru wasn't like other opponents he'd faced. She was deadly quick, and mostly silent when she fought. No taunts, quips, or insults. Her language was battle and victory, exuded through every minute movement she made.
Raven teleported slightly to the left of her punch. Unfortunately for him, Haru caught on to his trick. She swung the hit downward, bringing it onto his side.
There was a popping noise and a sharp gasp. He barely avoided a boot to the chest thanks to the intervention of an ink whip.
"Don't touch him," Gezie growled, a scratch on her cheek from where she landed on the ground. Violently pushing her whip forward, she'd send Haru spinning onto the pavement.
But, they could tell she wasn't close to winded, as the woman just sprang right up.
"Surrender now and no more harm will befall you."
Gezie wasn't particularly fond of the predatory, icy look in this woman's dark eyes. She was staring at them like they were just another obstacle. No more than a pest, rather than a living, breathing opponent like Elle used to.
But behind her, a racing figure in the air approached.
Hearing the sounds of his ignited nitroglycerin, Haru would grab Roman Polaris' outstretched arm, snag it, and toss him twenty feet away into the concrete. All as if she were throwing a frisbee.
The duo stared in absolute shock.
"No surrender? Fine. Killing children never bothered me anyway."
A shared look between the two teammates settled what needed to be done. Gezie frantically used an ink whip and sword to keep Haru at bay. Raven teleported into a nearby shadow, jogging over to Roman.
"You okay, buddy?! She just completely trashed you!"
"Thanks for that, Raven. I felt it," Roman hissed, slowly rising from the crater she created. "I'm assuming Lex Corp enhanced her strength?"
"That's the theory. That, and literally everything about her. She's something else, man. We haven't been able to land a hit!" Raven watched as Gezie took a kick to the knee and dived to her right.
Roman gingerly stood up, testing to see if she had damaged his legs. Seeing they were fine and he was raring to go, he'd ignite himself again. "We're going to change that, then."
Metropolis
January 26th, 12:10 AM EST
2022
With a new challenger, Mercy seemed even more determined than before, bursting into a strident laugh. "Fuck, so he just handed the fight off to you? I guess Luthor didn't teach you to honor a fight after all, Jack!" She screeched, strands of her auburn hair loose from her braid.
"Hello," David gave her a small wave. "New opponent here. You should probably focus on me, since I'll be the one handing out your K.O."
"You, scrawny arms?"
In one millisecond, all of the glass that encased David crashed to the ground, a beautiful yet unsettling cacophony of twinkling. Raising his arms, the glass would levitate, swirling around the glaring David.
Mercy scoffed, raising her cannon.
David swung the glass down just in time to create a barrier that shattered upon the impact of her blasts. Wasting no time, he would re-form a part of it into a small, glass soldier carrying a sword.
Trying to divide her attention between David's glass shields and the approaching figurine, Mercy fired away at the teen. She steadily grew more annoyed at how his glass shield just reformed, saving the continuously moving David from any real damage. The glass would shatter, occasionally slicing into his lower-arm, but it didn't seem to faze him.
The figurine closed in, swiping its miniature sword at her leg. While Mercy cursed in frustration, furiously smashing her fist into it, David focused his attention on his glass.
Hardening a little pile into a rather thin and lightweight glass javelin, he would pick it up and throw it.
His opponent barely had time to register the attack and even dodging it, the javelin sliced across her upper arm. At least it didn't slice plain through her head, though, because that's where David initially aimed it.
"You need my help?" Jack approached, slowing his jog to the glass manipulator.
David swept his arms down, commanding the levitating mass of shards towards Mercy, who frantically dodged to avoid being sliced apart.
"I mean, I've got her cornered. If you want to do the honors?" He gave a disappointed smile. David wanted an actual challenge, not someone to babysit with his glass manipulation.
"I got it. Let's get her out so we can help the others," Jack flexed his newly healed, clean hands that Travis patched up, heading towards Mercy.
Metropolis
January 26th, 12:10 AM EST
2022
This was nowhere near the battle Carla was expecting.
It was only a few weeks since Avi and Leon Coal last met, with the latter blowing off two of Avi's limbs with a missile. She expected an explosive, volatile, and mostly personal battle. What she hadn't expected, well, was how visibly emotional Avi would become.
"It seems they put old Humpty Dumpty back together. Hopefully, they'll do it again," Leon offered a remorseless, wicked smile to the boy he so brutally tore apart not even two months ago.
Carla watched with uncertainty as her partner remained still, just the twitch of his fingers signaling something more was bubbling under the surface. Leon stood only a few feet away. Carla's eyes darted between them, ready to intervene in case the mechanic started the brawl.
"But, I have a sneaking suspicion you're not as shiny and new on the inside as that chrome on the outside is."
Carla was not sure what snapped. She was entirely clueless as to why that single statement created the reaction it did. But she was a little unsettled that Leon was able to produce that break that it did.
Uttering no words, Avi threw a wild punch at the man's jaw. Leon took the hit, stumbling back from the blinding speed.
Spitting on the concrete, he'd utter a throaty chuckle: "I'll let you take that one. I think I owed you that, after...Well…"
"Wipe that grin off. Now," Avi hissed, brown eyes darkened with hate. "Before I make your face unrecognizable."
"Careful now. You sound a little like Roman."
And they were off. Avi wasted no time with an uppercut, followed by a left hook. Enveloped in a blue glow, Leon's ring expanded into a handy shield, blocking Avi's attacks. He grunted, though withstanding the great force of the punches easily. The blue plasma shield's energy rippled with each hit.
Carla raised her hands, breaking the concrete road and raising roots from a nearby tree. But when Avi lunged into a punch and Leon darted to the left, the latter trip over a root meant for Leon. He went sprawling, but quickly picked himself up, dusting off the rubble.
"Wild punches aren't going to get us anywhere," Carla shouted quickly, hoping the mechanic would regain a level head. He couldn't keep punching away forever; as long as Leon had that shield, Avi would just exhaust himself.
"The witch is right," Leon scolded, pulling a machete from the holster on his belt, "You'll need a little skill to beat someone with six different kinds of martial arts under his belt."
"I only have three, but it should be more than enough for you," Julia hollered, trotting over to the group.
Carla breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, reinforcements. Sure, she was glad Julia was okay, but she did not want to lose to Leon today.
Leon's gaze flicked towards Julia, which was all the time Carla needed to whip out a potion. Shaking a slate grey, thin vial, she'd throw it onto the ground. A large plume of dust rose into the air, with Leon struggling to back out of the cloud.
'Wait,' Carla mouthed to Julia, just as she was unhooking an explosive canister from her belt.
"Avi! I need you to get him still!" She shouted.
Avi nodded in response, grabbing the arm that attempted to stab him. Leon tried to punch his inner-arm but was only met with metal. He lunged back, avoiding Avi's jab, but hooked his foot around the boy's ankle. Avi went tumbling to the ground, letting out an enraged scream.
Leon removed his plasma hand-gun, firing a round at Avi. The teen raised his cybernetic arm, allowing it to bast a fairly large hole in the metal.
Then, in a single move, Avi rammed his shoulder into Leon, knocking him flat on his back.
Carla seized her chance and thrust her hands forward, vines rising and beginning to pin the man. Avi would dance back, walking a good distance away from the dust cloud.
"Stay down, Leon. This is your final warning," Julia boomed, her dark eyes hardened into a glare.
With a low chuckle, Leon would lie still for a moment. Then, a blue laser sliced through the vines to his left. He rolled out before the roots could reach him, taking off for Avi.
"Now!"
Julia threw her canister and Carla shot a fireball for good measure. Immediately, the plume of dust illuminated in red and orange, a massive wave of heat cascading over the street.
Julia squinted, barely catching the outline of Leon being thrown through the air, hitting the pavement and rolling to a stop.
Silently, she smiled, holding out her fist and hitting it against her Julia's.
Metropolis
January 25th, 12:10 AM EST
2022
The moment Haru closed her fist around his throat, Roman could feel the internal urgency. He could not allow her to regain control of the situation. The trio of heroes had been holding her at bay— while taking a few hard hits, admittedly— but their stamina was growing thin. Haru, on the other hand, didn't seem even an ounce tired.
She snapped her weight to the side, throwing the teen down into the pavement again.
Roman tried to put his acid-covered hands on her arm, but it just slowly began to melt her suit. Fear surged through him when he realized Luthor prepared for this situation. He had created this suit to withstand lethal acid.
Gezie threw a whip at Haru's raised fist, holding her back from punching Roman.
The woman growled, putting a foot on Roman's chest. She wrapped her hand around the whip, then yanked, pulling Gezie towards her. The teen felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, letting out a scream.
With a yell, Haru swung the girl around. The ink snapped, and Gez rolled away.
Roman let out a scream as Haru shifted more weight onto his chest; his lungs felt heavy and tight. He couldn't withstand her strength for much longer.
Raven teleported from behind Haru, throwing every ounce of muscle into the attack. Haru stumbled forward a little, but it was just enough to give Roman's chest the break it needed. He groaned and gasped for air, coughing violently.
Gezie shakily rose, watching as Raven distracted Haru. She heard the distant sound of an explosion, but couldn't pinpoint exactly which fight it stemmed from. After the explosion, she could hear the wail of sirens. This wasn't good.
They couldn't hold this woman off for much longer with straight fighting attacks; Haru had been more than prepared to deal with each of them.
Taking a tremulous breath, Gezie willed the ink to leak off her gothic lolita dress and upper-arms, the black liquid pooling at her feet. She would push her arms and stop her foot simultaneously, allowing the wave of ink to push her forward as if she were surfing. Then, she drove her hands forward, allowing the several gallons of ink to cascade down on Haru and flood her backward.
"Let's go," she yanked the coughing Roman to his feet. The pair sprinted, Raven teleporting into a shadow of a streetlight, and caught up to Jack.
Her second-in-command tightened a piece of pipe around an unconscious Mercy's wrists, with David working to help the other group cuff a badly hurt Leon.
"We need to move. Police," Jack muttered to her.
"I know. We can't get caught here with them," Gezie said, her eyes warily watching as Haru lumbered to her feet. "You feel good enough to fly?"
Roman gave a nod, rubbing his solar plexus. "It's easier to breathe now. I can manage for a little while."
"Good. Let's go!" She shouted to the rest of the team, as Roman ignited his nitroglycerin and soared into the air.
The Academy
January 25th, 01:00 PM EST
2022
"Ow, ow, ow…" Roman hissed as Carla pressed the ice-pack to his chest.
She gave him an annoyed glare, "Stop moving. It'll hurt more. How's it coming, Trav?"
Travis held up a finger, focusing more energy on Gezie's shoulder. It glowed a bright silver color, then the bruises disappeared. "Done. I'll be over in a moment."
Gezie stretched her arm, rubbing the place where Haru dislocated it. She was glad the adrenaline had allowed her to push through the last minute of the battle because fighting while injured was never fun.
"Have I ever told you how useful the healing is?" Gezie blurted out to Travis, who paused while walking towards the injured Roman. "No, really. I can't even imagine having to let it...Heal normally."
"Grown accustomed to the comfy hero life, huh Gez? I remember the days before the Academy where I'd actually have to take care of my own cuts and bruises. Man, the privilege we have," Raven snickered, putting a hot compress to his hip. "Trying to heal this? Probably would have been out for a few weeks."
Travis let out a chuckle, "I'm happy to help, guys. Really. You all fought hard...I-I'm sorry it didn't turn out better."
"Well, it would have helped if that lady didn't have an acid-resistant suit. That was a shocker," Roman groaned as Travis removed the ice pack.
The medic froze at the mention of his mother, then, without missing a beat, placed his hands to his chest. Today had already sickened him, hearing his mother was a part of the battle. She was here, in Metropolis, assassinating and trying to hurt his friends. There was no doubt in his mind Haru was a part of Genevieve's murder. One of Lediv's "little friends"? It had to be her. She was so deeply entangled in Luthor's operations there was no way to tell where Haru's agenda ended and Luthor's began.
But they didn't know. No one but David and Julia knew the secret. Travis still hesitated to tell them, even after all this time. He didn't want them to know. He didn't want his team to know the dark, dark truth of his parentage. His mom was trying to kill them. His mother.
Soon, Travis resolved, he would tell them. But, they didn't have to know who Haru was to defeat her.
"Alright, I got it up!" Avi pumped his fist from the kitchen table, where he, David, and Julia crowded around a laptop. Bringing over the device, the team would all crowd around the mechanic, watching as he worked his technological magic.
"They didn't get us on camera right?" Carla muttered to him.
Avi gave her a drawn-out look, "Are you doubting two tech geniuses' work?" He held up his cybernetic arm and wiggled his leg, before holding up his homemade computer and jerking his thumb to Travis. "Of course they didn't. Security cameras, easiest things to hack. Now...Let's see if it worked."
"W-We rerouted the feed from the cameras, saving them to the hard drive. And t-then found old security footage to play so they wouldn't see our battle," Travis interjected.
"And all the while, the real footage went to my computer— Aha! Here we are," Avi let out a smug chuckle, clicking on a file that soon loaded a video.
The group leaned in, hushing anyone who whispered or made noise.
"Well, that didn't go as expected," Haru let out a short sigh.
The police swarmed the area, checking the pulses of the two unconscious fighters, and swarming Haru. Though the feed was a little blurry, they could make out her pulling a paper out of her pocket. With a few officers inspecting it, they'd yell out a few commands.
"Back off! Order of the president!"
As soon as they uttered those words, the group let out a collective jumble of groans and complaints, with Julia beginning to pace the floor and Raven sinking into the couch dejectedly.
"I mean...We all knew this was going to happen, right? These are Luthor's personal assassins. Of course, they'd have a free pass when it comes to the military and stuff…" Raven grumbled, a scornful frown twisted in his face.
"Yeah, we knew that Luthor was going to give them a 'Get out of Jail free card'. But it would have been useful to have them in prison for a day or two. Would've gotten them out of our way, even for a little bit," David sighed, leaning his head against his hand.
Jack watched the rest of the feed numbly, as Mercy, Leon, and Haru just simply walked away. And so did the police. "This puts us at square one. That battle...Was practically for nothing—
"No! W-We got valuable information...Now we know what we're dealing with," Travis interjected softly, putting a hand on his teammate's shoulder.
"But the matter remains. As long as Luthor is around, they'll be around. We can't get them in jail, and I doubt they'll give up on trying to kill. So…" Jack's blue eyes searched his team. "We have to hit the problem at its root: Luthor himself."
Lex Corp
January 26th, 02:00 AM EST
2022
Lediv never liked other people doing his work. Not his cooking, his cleaning, or his research. He especially didn't like people doing his dirty work. It took several days of mental debate and convincing to even persuade Lediv to consider allowing a group of assassins to take care of their targets. And, even then, Luthor had demanded it— no one could find out Lediv's secret.
So when the head technician— who had known Lediv Awbree since his conception in their laboratories— asked if he truly wanted to take on this project, the teen gave him a calm look.
"Will this be challenging?" The boy trained his molten golden eyes on the technician, watching the man squirm under his intense gaze.
"W-Well, yes, extremely. This was one of Avi Redhawk's most expansive creations— so intricate, really, that he only created one. And it was destroyed during Team Alpha's raid—"
"Then, yes. If Gear created it, then I want to as well."
The technician shifted, watching as the teen took a strap wrench from the array of tools on the workbench.
Before he could try to offer his aid, the door to the workroom swung open. The technician caught sight of the serious woman, and promptly left the room, understanding from her tense posture that this likely would not be a pleasant meeting.
Lediv recognized the footfall of Haru Akiyama's boots before he even heard her voice.
"They got away. And managed to remove Leon and Mercy from the battle."
The slightest twinge of annoyance hung around her tone. Subtle, but there.
Lediv let out a short sigh, gripping the edge of the metal bench and staring at his work. "Were you outnumbered? Or just sloppy?"
"Their numbers were an issue. We were not able to separate the group, so their forces became overwhelming. They also included another fighter, David, to replace the medic. And even then, Travis boosted the powers of the team significantly."
"And this is why we silenced the Beta Team. Had any more fighters been involved...We might have had some serious issues on our hands. You know, Leon and Mercy are lucky the Alpha Team is so good-natured. Maybe they wouldn't have been left so unharmed."
Haru shifted, preparing for her next question. "Shall I...send for them?"
"No. I have a long week of work ahead of me, and I'll need no distractions. Tell them to consider that battle a...Trial run for what's to come. Annoying, yes, but if numbers are the issue...I guess we'll just have to up our own."
Her eyes flicked over his bench carefully, "I, uh...Of course. May I ask—"
"Don't worry, Haru. This won't be used unless our plan goes awry." He turned his stare toward her. "So, don't let it go awry. This," he patted the machine, "Is not pretty when it's used."
"Of course, sir. I'll let the others know," Haru swallowed a bit of fear, her eyes catching the words on the blueprints. She pivoted on her heel, stalking towards the exit.
.x.X.x.
AN:
AHOY Maties!
Warning: It's two am and I'm going to go on a ramble. Skip and come back when you're mentally prepared to deal with it. Or, wade right in...If you dare.
This chapter clocked in at approximately 8.6k words. Whoo. I think this might be one of the longest chapters in the story, but hey, take a break if it's too much. OR just enjoy your lengthy coronavirus novel :) you're welcome! Overall, this took me three and a half weeks to pound out. I'm tired. I wrote three thousand words in the last four days.
I just want to say that I feel like this story is getting really shitty, especially since there are a ton of characters and arcs and not nearly enough time but I neeeeeeed to finish this damn story. For my sake. Honestly, there's just...so much going on and I'm trying to tie up loose ends. But like I said, I did NOT plan most of the ending four chapters Probably bad writing, but you know what...We're gonna go with it.
Good news, though: I'm going to major in creative writing this fall. So if I ever come back to SYOCs, hopefully, my quality is better. Mind you, I started this story when I was FIFTEEN. I was a small, inexperienced child who did not know what good writing was. You can argue that I still don't :)
Anyway, lots of battle. Hope you enjoyed. Tried to include battle with character development to shorten the word count and amount of scenes.
I have been steadily developing Roman's character through this story, and this chapter he's finally really turning the corner! Yay! He's patching up things with his team, and trying not to make the same mistake he did at the airfield with Chip! Be happy for this guy. Roman's getting some much needed positive character development :)
Julia is also getting development with her relationship to him in the way that she's resolving her anger and sadness to his "downfall". Yay! She can somewhat interact with Roman without getting angry anymore!
I think the fight between Avi and Leon was my favorite. Avi tried to get some retribution for the guy that blew off two of his limbs. Key word there is "tried". But, as our dear mechanic learned, anger isn't always the best emotion to fight under.
Gezie, Raven, and Roman got their asses kicked. Needless to say, Mercy got her ass kicked even more! Team Alpha needed this win, guys, even if it wasn't a complete win.
Andddd Carla, being our calm, rational druidess. What would Avi do without her? (Probably take more punches to the face).
This was a complete ramble of my thoughts on the chapter. I'm sorry, it's two am but I really enjoyed writing it and had to share my thoughts. Read if you want, don't...if you don't want. You get the gist.
Hope you all are healthy and safe. Protect yourself. Protect others. Shoot me a message if you're bored. I am a quarantined senior avoiding her homework by writing semi-decent fanfiction. Please, someone let me graduate already.
Goodnight, time to sleep.
Love,
The Fangirls.
PS. One thing I really want you guys to note about this chapter is Jack's development because it's super subtle but super important for understanding for this chapter and the next few ones. Over the course of this story, Jack's part as a role-model/older brother figure to the team has become prominent. It's shown when he takes care of an injured and traumatized Avi, after the battle at the airfield, and then he takes on that role again with Roman. (Another thing to note: although he was originally heavily affiliated with Luthor, being the poster boy for the academy, he realizes over the course of these chapters that a lot of people are victims of Lex Luthor— including himself, due to the trauma he bares as a result of the experiments.)
PPS. Check my profile for updates on chapters if you haven't been. I update it every time I work on the story.
Questions!
1. Favorite battle moments? (If you found the battles pleasing at all)
2. What has been your favorite moment of development for your character or another's?
3. What is one thing you want your OC to have at the very end of the story? (Just for funsies :)
