Disclaimer: I do not own the existing characters that we know and love of Young Justice, although I do take ownership over the new characters i.e. The majority of the Team's children
A/N: Hadn't updated this bit in a while, but do you like wonder what Lola's going to do? I'm indecisive and would love your opinions so don't forget to review
Chapter 15 – Ky-El Morse-Kent
"Ryan- is that really you?" Lola asked in a gentle tone.
I ducked down by the green plants, concerned that I may be detected. There was something about Lola's behaviour that I did not like. I honoured her wishes to not look into her mind, but I knew that she was hiding something when she lied to me about Green Canary requesting a de-briefing from me and her about Double M.
There was not a chance that I could have said that the reason she asked this of me, was so that she could go and meet Ryan. I did not like anything about him. As he stood there, questioning Lola about my jumper was angering me. To hear her dismiss it as one of her fathers', something felt wrong between the pair.
"Lola, I know the identity of our parents. I know the truth about who I am. I know exactly who you are too. If you come with me, I can show you…" Ryan smiled, holding his hand out to her.
Hesitation. It was written on her face. Lola did not know whether she should take his hand or not.
Afraid of being detected and having Lola accuse me of spying, I camouflaged into the background. I may not have called it spying, but it would have been close to the truth. Edging closer, I checked the ground around my feet rigorously before I stepped in order to avoid making any sudden noises.
"Lola, now!" Ryan shouted.
I saw Lola jump, but I told myself that I should not intervene, or she would never forgive me for my actions.
He reached forwards and grabbed her wrist, pulling her harshly away. "If you won't come willingly, I'll take you unwillingly." Ryan lifted her up into the air and over his shoulder like a rucksack. "Everything I'm doing right now is for us. You'll see that eventually."
Lola struggled to free herself, and without her feet on the ground, her speed was useless. "Ryan, put me down!" she squealed. "You're scaring me."
"I'm not trying to scare you, babe. I just need you to listen to me. Properly this time."
I thought about what the best course of action was. Radioing the Justice Hall would take too long as the signal was limited in the hills. Texting anyone to help was useless when I was not allowed to have a mobile. Having to explain that one to Chelsea was tricky, but Mari's brother Max was able to sort me out with a laptop that had a chat facility. That was not helpful now. Neither were my lack of gadgets. Yet I knew I had to protect Lola. None of the others were here to help, so it was down to me to do something when the time came.
As Ryan followed the trail, he came across his sports car and unlocked it with a click of his keys. Still camouflaged but feeling the strain of remaining concealed, I opened the rear passenger side door into him as he struggled to force Lola to put her seatbelt on.
I calmly sat down in the back, leaving the door open.
Ryan screwed his face up at the open door before slamming it shut. "Stupid car…" he cursed, walking around to the driver's side. "Now Lola- you really are not going to believe who your mother dearest is."
Lola growled, "Let me guess, Wonder Woman? Black Canary? Miss Martian? Zatanna?" The sarcasm in her voice was subtle, but I noticed. "Or Poison Ivy? She's got nice hair…"
"I really wish you wouldn't joke about this, Lola," Ryan snarled, putting a hand on her leg and dragging his nails briefly up it. "Oh- now that was silly of me… Or silly of you."
My hand went to touch Lola, but I knew it was not the right time to make her aware of my presence. She curled up onto the seat and cowered away, leaning into the window and door as her leg showed the raw marks of Ryan's abuse. The car shot off onto the highways, darting dangerously between neighbouring cars. At times, I had to close my eyes to stop from shouting.
"Please let me out at the next service station, Ry…" Lola whispered, trying not to cry.
"Oh stop it with the emotions, Lola. I'm about to give you your mother… Don't you understand!? I've done all of this for you!" He slammed his hands aggressively into the steering wheel, catching the horn.
Which made him laugh…
Holding my camouflage for so long was starting to drain me and I could see the odd occasional flicker of it fading. I knocked my head into the window as Ryan turned sharply off at an exit near what I believed was the industrial districts on the outskirts of Gotham City.
"Why are we here?" Lola stammered once Ryan calmed himself down.
We were outside of a big abandoned, disused factory. There were two tall chimneys towering overhead and I wondered whether this was where Ryan had been hiding since his disappearance. It seemed to fit his style. Creepy and evil looking. The windows were murky and smashed in. Probably by the youth of the area.
"Get out..." Ryan snapped in a gruff voice.
As Ryan got out of the car, I timed my exit too. My camouflage failed for a split second and I gasped. Collapsing against the back of the car, I disguised myself again.
Ryan stomped towards the passenger door, wrenching it open – quicker than Lola could lock the door. He grabbed her wrist and hauled her out.
I watched him drag her away. They went up a metal fire escape and into the building. My heart raced with exhaustion as I revealed myself. I gasped for air, inhaling deep.
"You got... this..." I wheezed, picking myself up and going in through the same entrance as Ryan and Lola.
Creeping along the stairs, I could hear Jester's maniacal laughing. It sent shivers down my spine. I tried to think about what my powers could do to help, but the telekinesis was only a one way thing. I could not hold a telepathic conversation. I worried that she would not like that either. Because it might feel the same as reading her thoughts. My camouflage was an exhausting power that I did not have the strength to use again – even for a short duration. Telekinesis seemed like it was the best of all the options.
Going through the door and into the warehouse, I saw two huge vats of a bubbling orange liquid. Suspended over one, was an elderly couple, and over the other was...
Hayden Kennedy-Dallas.
Whilst Hayden was held over the liquid but rope around her waist attached to a meat hook, the elderly couple had been strapped to two chairs that were again, held up in a similar fashion.
Sticking to the shadows, I levitated up to the metal rafters in the roof of the warehouse to watch Ryan drag Lola to a little viewing platform in between the two vats. Her eyes met the artist's across the platform.
"Lola, I believe you're familiar with Ms Hayden Kennedy-Dallas, and my adoptive parents- or as I've come to realise, my biological grandparents. A couple who adore you..." Ryan declared like a ringmaster playing to a crowd. "What happens next is down to you."
Lola's eyes widened and she stiffened.
The thought of talking to her was needed now more than ever. But I did not want to break a promise.
"What do you have planned, Ryan?" Lola quivered.
"These two buttons are connected to the mechanism holding everything else in place. One for mother dearest and one for the adoring grandparents you never had. One must be plunged into the vat below. It's your choice."
No. I was not about to let Lola make the decision without knowing I could help. Telepathy was the only way.
Lola- listen to me. It is Kyle. I will hold your artist up – save the couple. Trust me.
Ky-El! You followed me!
Not the right time to-
"Come on Lola!" Ryan bellowed in her ear.
I held my hands out in front of me, channelling my telekinesis into holding up the chain connect to Hayden's chair.
Ryan held out the device to Lola who hesitantly pressed the button on Hayden's side.
Something clicked and I watched in dismay as the other chain rattled through the air and dropped the panicked elderly couple into the liquid below.
"No!" Lola screamed. "What did you do, Ryan?"
Ryan shrugged his shoulders and then held up the device. "Oh my mistake, I must have handed it to you upside down. Oops."
"You're a monster!" Lola spat at him, before receiving a swift crack to her cheek from the back of his hand.
I felt the anger washing over my body and all I saw was the red tint – it was like seeing the world through a red filter. Miss Martian's words echoed in my mind, forcing me to stay focused and control my anger.
Run! I shouted to her internally. I will take care of Hayden.
Using my powers, I lifted the chair attached to Hayden, catching Ryan's attention because he screamed angrily. The sound of the windows above shattering caught me off guard, making me drop the chair. It dropped and stopped above the bubbling liquid. Black cables descended into the warehouse, followed by a smokescreen canister and three black ops soldiers. They descended into a cloud of smog, disappearing from side.
Something slammed into me, knocking me from the rafters. I crashed into a wooden crate below, completely splintering it. My back screamed in pain from taking the brunt of the impact of the fall. The gas was burning my eyes as I blindly rolled off the broken crate. My hands hit the hard concrete as I crawled along the floor.
"Ky-El!" a girly voice called out to me and I felt their hands grab my arm. They were warm and shorter than me. "It's Nightstar, come with me, let me guide you, okay?"
I gasped a response, allowing her to move me out of the suffocating gas cloud. "How did you find us?" I rasped, feeling a dryness in the back of my throat.
"Us? Who's us?" Nightstar asked, punching through a brick wall to make a hole for us to climb through. "Was anyone else inside?"
"Lo-"
"Lola's inside, wait there! I'll go get here, I'll go get her!"
My eyes were running with water as they adjusted to the outside. I collapsed to my hands and knees as Nightstar flew back into the building.
-o-
Nightstar never found Lola, or Ryan, or Hayden Kennedy-Dallas. I was taken back to headquarters where Nightwing and Firewing asked for a debrief as they had wondered what happened.
"I was... I was worried about Lola. Like you are of Zatanna, Nightwing."
The older hero's facial expression made me feel as though this was supposed to be a secret.
Firewing looked up at his dad quizzically before pulled a face that said, 'I dunno'.
"She told me that Green Canary requested a report of our Double M incident and I got suspicious... so I followed her. Against her will, and I- I- feel bad about it. Very bad."
Nightwing nodded slowly as if he understood exactly why I felt bad. "You have nothing to feel bad about, Mentalist. What you did was a great help. We know that Jester is currently alive. That's more information in one evening than the entire squad managed to find in a week."
"I thank you. But Jester might hurt Lola badly. He already hurt her." I went on to explain the trick that Ryan had played on her – it was like he wanted her to kill her own biological mother. The problem was that he did not anticipate her move would have been influenced by me. He underestimated me. "We might not know where Lola is, but I think I can find her..."
Firewing leant closer. "You put a tracking device on her?"
"No."
"You activated a homing beacon in her watch?"
"Is that a thing?"
"You- you, you made a spy-bot and it's attached to her clothes?" Firewing was more confused now and running out of extravagant ideas. "How?"
Nightwing ruffled his son's thatch of hair. "Never you mind- if he thinks he can sense it, he can sense it..." He led me out onto the corridor. "I heard what happened with Zatanna, do we need more training to control your powers?"
"Zatanna underestimated my abilities," was the only response I could manage.
"Yes, she can get like that. But-"
"Perhaps Zatanna should know how you feel. You might be surprised. However, I need to find Lola." I turned quickly on my toes, feeling my cape flow effortlessly with me.
"Report back to us frequently, Mentalist..."
-o-
Outside, I found a quiet and secluded area to meditate and try to find where Lola might be. It was hard to focus and even more so when I spotted a black sedan pull up by the road near me.
An old bald man stepped out of the car and watched me. Something told me that it was me he wanted to talk to. He did not move at all. He just watched me. Watching me closely.
With a nod of his head, I felt like I had been summoned to his side. Obediently, I cautiously approached him.
"Project GMK. I was wondering when we might meet. My name is Lex Luther. You and I have a lot of crossovers in our past and present... I'm here to make sure we are a part of each other's future. I sense that there is a task that you wish to achieve concerning a fellow super."
"A fellow super?" I repeated calmly back to him.
"Indeed, GMK. So, why don't you join me for a drive? I can help you unlock your potential. As well as controlling it all. Only if you come with me now, this is a one-time offer."
Knowing that Lex could help me control my powers and seek out Lola was enough to tempt me.
Then I heard Chelsea calling out to me shouting, "Kyle, is that you?" she squealed, clearly noticing my cape. Over my shoulder, she was probably running towards me.
Lex opened the car door for me. "And from your expression, I can get you out of here and away from her."
"On the condition that if I want to leave, you left me leave."
"Conditions can be agreed upon later. It looks as though you need an escape route now."
The tone on now made me climb into the car and allow myself to be taken away.
-o-
Lex's car pulled up outside one of the tall skyscrapers in the centre of Gotham City. A gold plaque on the wall beside the revolving doors told me that building's name. LexCorp.
"Do come in GMK."
"Why do you call me that?" I asked slowly, following him into the building.
"All will be revealed..."
"And what about my friend- you said you could help me find her."
"All in good time."
Lex put a hand on my back, pushing me to one side of the building. People were stopping what they were doing to acknowledge him. We went into a private lift that shot up the building, soaring high above Gotham.
"Who are you really?" I asked, eager to know the truth.
Lex wasn't telling me much l, but he did give away little snippets. "Don't you know the old Secretary General?"
"I am unsure of what that really means."
"Remarkable," he replied, narrowing his eyes at me. "Your eye- an exquisite amber colour. Martian perhaps?"
I refrained from responding as the lift doors opened out, showing us a long, thin room. At the far end was a tall window that gave a remarkable view of the city below. What I was not expecting, was her to be pacing about the room.
"Kyle!"
"Lola? When did you- how did you?"
She was there. Lola was standing in the same room as me wearing the same clothes as earlier. At first, I was doubtful, but then I saw the raised red claw marks on her thigh.
"I don't know, but I'm so glad you're here..." Lola hesitantly watched me. Her facial expression made me feel as though she didn't know if she should hug me or not. The fear in her eyes was still lingering as Lex pushed me towards her.
He smirked slightly, "As touching as this reunion is, there's more to it than meets the eye. More than just a coincidence." Lex sat in the regal chair that was facing us behind a large desk. He propped his elbows on the wood and frowned at us. "There is someone who tells me that you two share a rather formidable bond. I'm sure you'd like to learn more about that, wouldn't you?"
"Ye-"
"No," Lola snapped quickly. "We don't want anything to do with you. Kyle might not know who you are, but I certainly do. You're Lex Luthor, ex-Secretary General."
"That's debatable."
Lola shook her head, standing in front of me like she was the protector. "You're going to let us out of here now. I mean it..."
"I don't think so, Miss Allen-Reyes. You might be a speedster, but your friend isn't. And I know you won't risk leaving him behind. I guess you're stuck here." Lex had been – as Finn would say 'trying to bluff us' and it was admittedly working. Lola would not leave me, and I would not leave her either. Her hand reached behind her and squeezed the cuff of my suit, activating the concealed distress beacon. "No. We're leaving. Whether you like it or not!" Lola declared as she started to slide her feet from her shoes.
Meaning only one plan. Speed was coming into it.
Lex put up a hand. "Let's not bother with this. I know you think you can speed yourself off the building- most likely dragging GMK out the window. But I cannot allow that. This is GMK's home. He belongs here." His hand disappeared under the table, the softest click being heard.
I sensed something hurtling towards us from either side. My hands shot out to the sides like I was showing off my arm span. Two arrows paused in mid-air, held in place by my abilities.
"Excellent. That guardian like ability is admirable." Lex laughed, leaning back slightly in his chair. "But watch out..."
I paused, confused and jerking my head around in all directions then at the floor in front of me. "Lola!" I shrieked as the square tile she was stood on dropped. Levitating, I was able to save myself and let her catch my foot.
"Kyle!" she screamed, her voice brimming with fear and petrification.
The anger buzzed, flicking on like a switch. An animalistic scream blasted itself out my mouth. I lost all control. The books on either side of the room started falling off as the walls shook. The arrows rotated their position and pierced either side of the chair's headrest, a mere inch from Lex's head. For a moment, he was shocked, but then he laughed. The laughter added to the red in my eyes. No longer holding up the arrows, I levitated higher and squinted at Lex.
Lex was lifted into the air, his hand slowly started to scratch at this neck. The air being squeezed from his lungs. His body flew back against the window, cracking it.
"GMK, what are- you cannot-" Lex rasped before his body slammed against the window again.
The window shattered.
Something grabbed my cape, dragging me down. I went to strike them, still holding up Lex. The wind ripped through the office and disturbed the documents on the desk.
My eyes met Lola's, but the anger threw her back before I registered. The frustration and irritation was all I was able to think about. I dropped to the floor, walking towards the desk, slamming it into the wall with my telekinetic power. I released Lex's throat, but pushed his feet back towards the edge of the window. Forcing him to balance precariously on the edge.
"You- cannot... control me!" I roared loudly with the wind ruffling my dark hair. "None of you can!"
Lola rushed in between me and Lex. "The Justice Squad doesn't want to control you- neither does Lex Luthor. This isn't the right thing to do and you know that. Deep down I know you know that." She was shaking, knotting the cuff of my jumper around her fingers. "You have to listen to me," Lola pleaded with a shaky voice.
"No!" I yelled, trying to push her away from me with the power in my left hand.
My mind was not fully in control, but I felt exhausted. To use my so many of my powers and for such an extended period, my energy was depleting.
"Stay away!" I shouted, gritting my teeth. "I don't- I don't want to hurt you..."
Lola pushed against my force, drawing herself closer. In a moment of lapsed strength, she picked her moment. A quick burst of speed caught me off guard as she pressed her lips to mine. The anger faded. I felt my legs buckle from under me.
I hit the floor.
Lola cupped my face in her hands. "Stay awake, Ky-El. Please." A tear dropped from her cheek and onto me.
A flash of violet light was the last thing I saw. Nightstar was saving the day.
Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = I cannot begin to tell you how much I love writing this story and would really appreciate reviews about anything (just to see what you're thinking of the story so far!)
