Stories and Secrets

Mount Justice.

July 20th, 21:32 EDT.

~Arackniss' POV~

It was a quiet evening in the Cave. I was in my room, laying on my bed, reading one of my favorite books and enjoying the quiet, until I felt the vibrations in the air, indicating M'gann knocking on my door.

"Door's open, M'gann." I shouted, as the door opened to reveal I was right. It was M'gann at the door.

"How did you know it was me?" M'gann asked me.

"Superboy doesn't knock." I answered. I placed my book on my nightstand, hopped off my bed and walked to the Martian girl with a small smile, "What can I do for you?"

M'gann rubbed her arm, "Well, Wally had this idea of camping out in the woods tonight. And I was wondering if you and the others can join us?" Then she waved her hands in defense, "But I can see that you're busy." She turned to leave, "I'll tell the oth-"

I quickly grabbed her by wrist, "Actually..." M'gann turned to me and I nodded my head, "I can use some fresh air. Camping sounds like a great idea, M'gann."

M'gann smiled back at me, as I let go of her wrist, and took flight down the corridor.

*Later that Night, In the Woods...*

"This was a great idea, don't you think Wally?" Robin teased Wally, as he was roasting marshmallow in the campfire, "Camping in the great outdoors."

"I don't remember inviting you." Wally shot back, munching on a s'more, "Besides, I didn't say anything about camping... I said a camp fire... Big difference between just a campfire and the whole camping thing. I don't like camping..." I glanced at the young speedster, "Outside..." Then he glanced at M'gann, who was sitting behind us, "Unless, of course, I'm camping with that special someone."

"Okay, Wally. That's bordering on the creepy side." I noted. Robin looked at me and smiled. I guess he was thinking the same thing.

"Well, I think all of us camping is a wonderful idea." M'gann spoke with a large smile on her face.

Wally smirked, "She doesn't seem to think so."

"She's probably on a sugar overload." Robin answered.

"Thanks to Wally, I get to try s'mores for the first time." M'gann smiled, taking a bite from her s'more.

"What can I say? I'm a sweetie." Wally chuckled, "Ha! Get it? Cause s'mores are sweet?"

I leaned over and whispered to Robin, "Fast on his feet, not so much with his mouth, huh?" Robin and I giggled.

Superboy, who's been quiet the entire time, finally decided to speak up, "So, this is what you do when you go camping? Sleep in these flimsy things called 'tents', and sit around the fire?"

Wally shrugged his shoulders and nodded, "Yeah, that's pretty much about it. So if you feel like heading home, I can sit out here with Miss. M..." He folded his arms, "Alone."

"You about as subtle as a train wreck, You know that?" Robin teased Wally with a smirk. I suppressed a small giggle.

"You're not going to catch any fish unless you go fishing, dude." Wally shot back, then realized what he said and turned to Kaldur, "Sorry. No offence."

I leaned back against the log with a stretch, "Well... This isn't all we do when you go out camping, Superboy. We also have some snacks, sit around the campfire and tell stories."

Robin nodded in agreement, then turned to Kaldur, "Oh! I would love to hear your story, Kaldur. Could you tell us how you became Aqualad?" He shrugged with a smile, "I was thinking more of a ghost story type of thing, but I guess... Whatever."

"Oh." Kaldur smiled with a nod, "I suppose I could do that, if you do not think it will be too boring..."

M'gann shook her head and smiled, "Not at all. I would love to hear it."

Kaldur nodded and began his story, "Well, I grew up in the city of Shayeris, which is a city in Atlantis. Surface dwellers think all Atlanteans are the same, but our kingdom has many cities, many people, many cultures. When I was twelve, I completed my education and began my mandatory service in the Atlantean Military, which is standard for all at that age. After a while, I was transferred to the prestigious Conservatory of Sorcery in the Atlantean capital of Poseidonis."

He sat next to M'gann, as he continued, "Queen Mera is the head mistress of the Conservatory and wife of King Orin, Aquaman. It was a different time for me. It was difficult, as it would be for anyone at age fourteen I suppose, but also a time in my life where I met friends that I know will be with me for a lifetime. Then came a day... A horrible day when Poseidonis was attacked by the Ocean Master. I can remember it vividly as if it happened only yesterday. It was the day Aquaman nearly met his end."

Kaldur lowered his head, "When Aquaman and Ocean Master clashed, it seemed to shake the very foundations of the city. Aquaman and Ocean Master fought for what seemed like hours. Ocean Master had gained the upper hand and nearly defeated Aquaman. Correction. Aquaman was defeated. Garth, a fellow student, and I intervened on the king's behalf. It was the only thing we could think of doing. The danger did not occur to us, the only thing that mattered to us at the time was that our king was in trouble. It may have been one of the most foolish things Garth and I had ever done, as we nearly met our own end. We had no hope of defeating him whatsoever, but the time we spent engaged in battle against the Ocean Master was time enough for our king to recover. That was all he needed as Aquaman finally triumphed over Ocean Master. He was able to drive him away from the city and save us all."

Kaldur lifted his head, "Aquaman is a being of two worlds. On the surface world he fights for justice for all beings. Under the sea he is a leader to many. Both carry the weight of responsibilities. Overwhelming responsibilities only the best of men can carry for so long. Even Aquaman cannot do both forever. Realizing that on the surface both Batman and Green Arrow had taken on apprentices that could one day take over their respective mantles, King Orin had been contemplating the same idea. With this in mind, he approached both Garth and myself with the possibility of becoming his proteges. I must admit the possibility intrigued me immediately."

Kaldur put his hands together, "I had never been to the surface world. And I am the first to admit that I am a bit of an adventurer. Many is the day in class that I would dream of visiting distant oceans and possibly one day even the surface world. Both Garth and I seriously considered the king's offer. Garth ultimately chose to continue his studies with Queen Mera at the Conservatory of Sorcery. For me, however, the chance to visit the surface world was a dream come true."

He smiled, "So at age the age of fourteen, I became Aqualad. I miss my friends. Garth. Tula... But the chance to work with my mentor and king was an opportunity I could not pass up. I like to think the work I am doing makes a difference." Then he shrugged, "The rest of the story you know. Aquaman brought Aqualad to the surface world... And now I am here with you."

M'gann smiled in awe, "Wow, so you wanted to be Aqualad."

Kaldur nodded, "Yes. The opportunity arose. I could think of no other path."

Wally scoffed with a smile, "Yeah? If you think he wanted to be Aqualad so bad? Let me tell you about how I got started."

And so, Wally began his story, "It literally goes back a couple of generations. Each generation of Flash started with a bang. Literally. Jay Garrick was in a freak lab accident. Boom! There it is! During the 40's and the 50's, he was everywhere. The fastest man alive. Jay Garrick was the world's first Flash. Then one day this guy comes along, a huge fan of the Flash, wanting to know all about this Jay Garrick, back in those days Jay didn't really hide his identity."

"Sounds like a humble fellow." I noted, earning a nod from Robin and Aqualad.

Wally gave me a look and resumed his story, "Anyway, he contacts Jay and the two spend hours and hours talking about his adventures and about the accident that turned him into the Flash. This guy even goes so far as to re-create the accident that created the original. But where Jay Garrick's accident was a freak thing, this guy recreated the accident under laboratory conditions. He set the whole thing up in a lab and tried to make it happen. Result? Still a big explosion. But lo and behold, he becomes Speedy-McSpeed-Speed himself. Now he's the Flash. Well, not the original Flash. But the new Flash... The Flash we all know. I mean, there's the Jay Garrick Flash and now there's the new Flash."

He scratched the back of his head, "You know, it just occurred to me that they could probably use different names." He shook his head, "Anyway... This time he was faster than the Flash, well, the old Flash... It gave him even more speed."

He smiled, "Okay, so check this. The Second Flash is a fan of the First Flash, Jay Garrick. It turns out great minds think alike, cause I was a fan of the Flash, the second one, not the first one. Well, I was a fan of Jay Garrick, the first one after I got to know him. He was a little before my time. Long story short, one day I was in my uncle's house, stumbled across his notebooks and got the shock of a life-time. That was the day I found out my uncle was the Flash! Once the shock passed a bit, I kept reading. He was keeping a journal of all his experiences and experiments. Especially the one that made him into the Flash. The second one, not the first-"

"We get it already!" Robin and I shouted at Wally.

"When I found that out, I would kind of keep hinting to my uncle that the Flash could maybe use a partner." Wally resumed, "I tried to convince him that Flash could use and probably needed a partner. I mean, come on, by this time Bats already had Robbie over here and Green Arrow had Speedy, this was a no-brainer! I got to admit, Flash was a bit resistant at first..."

"Does this sound confusing to anyone else?" Superboy asked, folding his arms and rolling his eyes.

"Just let me finish and you'll be confused no more, Supey." Wally answered, then resumed his story, "So, having seen his journal, just like he saw the previous Flash's, I tried to re-create experiment with my own chemistry set. And what do you know? I was able to do it."

"The experiment actually worked?" Kaldur asked.

Wally tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders, "Well... Not at first actually. It didn't happen at first, but a couple of weeks later, I was off and running. I couldn't wait to show Flash. When he saw I had powers, how could he not want me as a partner?" He chuckled, "You guys should've seen his face when I showed him. This time he jumped at the chance to have a partner! Flash couldn't wait to show the world. The Flash was beyond ecstatic! He couldn't contain his excitement. It was the greatest day in the history of the world. Why, you ask?"

"Just for the record, we didn't." Robin answered.

"That's the day the world got Kid Flash!" Wally announced, the others fell quiet while Wally smirked, "You... Are... Welcome."

"Yeah. We're all thrilled you're so speed-capable." Robin joked with a smirk.

"What's the matter? Jealous?" Wally teased.

"Sheeyeah right! Jealous of you?!" Robin shouted.

"Can you tell us about how you got started, Robin?" M'gann asked, munching on another s'more.

Wally laughed and turned to M'gann, "Are you kidding me?! Bats won't even let him tell you his real name!" Wally continued laughing, "I mean... You'll probably get a better origin story out of Supey or Spider Queen over here!"

I looked at Robin, who lowered his head and turned his attention to the campfire with a sad look. I looked at the Boy Wonder with a sympathetic look and watched the dancing flames of the campfire.

"But you already told me their story, didn't you?" M'gann spoke up, glancing at Wally, "You said that the three of you rescued them from Cadmus."

Wally nodded, "Yeah. We did."

Kaldur nodded, "Yes. Chronologically, Superboy is only sixteen weeks old. And..." He looked at me, "How old are you, Arackniss?"

I glanced at the Atlantean teen for a second, then returned my attention to the campfire and answered, "I'm Seventeen."

M'gann turned to Superboy, "And you have no memory of things before being rescued?"

Superboy looked up from the flames, "I have some memories... From the G-Gnomes. They would teach me about the world outside while I was in the containment pod."

"So you can remember things?" M'gann asked, "When you were in the containment pod, they would feed you information and you could remember it, right?"

Superboy nodded, "I guess so."

"Well if you can remember what they taught you, you must've been thinking about things as they fed you information. What did you think about?" M'gann asked Superboy.

"When I was in the containment pod, I was fed... Information. I really didn't start thinking for myself until after I got out." Superboy answered.

"Well, what kind of things do you think about now?" M'gann asked.

Everything fell silent for a moment, until Superboy decided to answer, "The one thing... That's always on my mind... Is... Destroying Superman."

Kaldur, Wally, myself and M'gann gasped in shock and horror from Superboy's answer. Wally turned to Robin, who hasn't looked away from the flames.

I looked at Robin and reached my hand over Robin's shoulder to gently shake him, "Robin? Robin, can you hear me?"

Robin blinked under his shades and looked at me, "Huh? What?"

I smiled and removed my hand, "Thank goodness. I was afraid we lost you for a moment there."

Wally shook his head, "Never mind that!" He looked at Superboy, who turned away from the fire, "Did you hear what Superboy said?" Robin shook his head, "He just said that he wants to take down Superman!"

"Are you serious, Superboy?" M'gann asked.

"...It's how I feel... Sometimes..." Superboy answered, lowering his head, "What if that's why I was created? What if that was the only reason I was created?"

M'gann shook her head, "That's not possible."

Wally nodded in agreement, "Yeah. Look at all the good stuff you've done so far."

Kaldur nodded, "What would be the possible reasoning behind this thinking?"

Superboy shrugged his shoulders, "I just feel... I don't know what I feel. Sometimes... Thoughts happen."

"Those would be silly thoughts." M'gann pointed out, "You should put them out of your head."

"He does have a valid point." I spoke up from my moment of silence, "We don't really know anything about what Cadmus did to him." Robin glanced at me, then back at the campfire.

"We know he's one of the good guys." Wally interjected, picking up another s'more, "And we know he's part of the team."

Kaldur nodded in agreement, "In my world, actions speak louder than words. Superboy has proven his intentions with actions."

Wally nodded and walked over to Superboy, "Yeah! You put those thoughts outta your head, Supey." He handed the young colt a s'more, "Here. Have another s'more."

Superboy took the s'more and smiled, "Thanks... Everyone."

Wally turned to Robin and myself, who still had our attention on the campfire, "Hey! What's with you two? Not like you to zone out like that, Rob."

"I guess Superboy isn't the only one lost in thought tonight." Robin answered.

Wally shrugged, then turned to me, "Say, Niss?" I looked at him, "I just realized that we know nothing about you. Why don't you tell us where you came from?"

I looked away from the teens and lowered my head, "I don't want to tell."

Robin turned to me and smiled, "Come on. It's not everyday that we meet an anthropomorphic spider with magical abilities. Since it was Martian Manhunter's idea for you to join us, what's your story?"

"I don't want to tell." I repeated, frustration building in my tone.

Wally put his hand over my shoulder, "Come on, Niss. If we're gonna be a team, we need to know more about each other. So drop the cold exterior and-"

"I said NO!" I shouted angrily, standing up from the log and glaring at the teenage speedster.

My magic sparked and struck the grass, slightly burning parts of the grass around me. And the campfire blew up twice in size. Kaldur and M'gann flinched from the growth of the flames. Robin and Wally stared at me with wide eyes. And Superboy turned to me with a quizzing look on his face.

I grabbed my sleeping back and backpack and made my way back to the Cave, "Thanks for the camping trip. I'm going home."

I entered the Cave and returned to my room. The door closed behind me, as I sank down and hugged myself tightly to stop the tears. I took a deep breath, picked myself up from the door and walked toward my bed. I opened the top drawer of my nightstand and grabbed a locket on a leather cord. I opened the locket and looked at the photo inside. It was a photo a younger me, a green-skinned girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, a Caucasian woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, and a tall, bald African-American man. They were smiling and happy.

It was a photo of my family. Before I joined the circus and the accident that cracked my psyche. The locket played my favorite track from my favorite movie, from when I was just a kid. I wish I could just meet my family once again and just say I was sorry for all that I have done, but so much has changed and I don't know if my family will ever forgive me...

I closed the locket and put it back in my nightstand with tears welling up in my eyes again. They'll never forgive me, I know they won't. I've done too many bad things. I have blood on my hands, even though all I did was hide and perform for money. I sat on my bed, curled myself up into a ball and clutched my head, as I could laughter and angry voices shouting at me from within my mind.

I buried my face into my hands and cried.