April's story was nearly everywhere; on tabloids, radio stations, and social media. There wasn't nearly one person who wasn't talking about it. Suddenly April's life prior became unearth, pictures of herself with her father appeared; each time the focus was family, love, and tragedy. The wholesome, simple family; a single father raising his darling daughter after the passing of his wife. Pictures of April's mom were shown. Elevating April's words and hold among the public.
Pushing the narrative forward further, . He was relentless and restless, using his colorful words to paint a picture that swayed nearly anyone. Prompting April's misfortune tragedy to heights, while sinking your perception in the public.
Ungrateful. Cruel. Spiteful. Conniving.
A few words labeled you with; insisting you had this plan. Showing pictures of you with April and Kirby during "concealed" or "ulterior" happier times. Fading April and Kirby out and highlighting you. Bringing your photo front and center and the shredding began.
There wasn't one word from his mouth that provided sympathy for you, unlike April. And the information he threw out on you, your history anything was or had to be fabricated in some way.
"We know nothing about this, May O'Neil," Godfrey fumed, staring heatedly into the camera, clenching his fist and brows furrowed, "only that she was kindly accepted into a loving family. Who, may I remind you, was unaware of the danger they brought in. Kirby O'Neil, a widower. A father. A standup citizen. Took it upon himself to provide love to another who needed it. Clearly, that wasn't the case!"
He paused for a mounting minute, and proceeded his crusade, "Struck down by a lurking predator, in his own home. May's dark heart connived a malicious plan. A dastardly plan. Mirroring her corrupted soul. Deceit is hidden behind those golden-eyes," he has your picture zoom in and his lips curl into a snarl, "deceit that took the life of Kirby O'Neil. The man who loves May like his own." He gives a moment of silence, "to think the Justice League allowed someone like this among their ranks, tells me something everyone, do they really care about justice? Or are they in a league of their own?"
Godfrey's words were cruel and distasteful, yet Cassandra knew they were a necessity. Still, that stop her discontent with them. Pausing this segment, Cassandra brought up another on screen, this one of Cat Grant standing out in front of shambles of The Hall Justice and brought up your picture. Just like Godfrey, though with a bit more personality, equated The Hall of Justice to you. Your past, life with the O'Neils, even the Justice League. Cassandra's nose wrinkled slightly and paused the segment, at that moment her elder sister Olympia came in. Instantly the woman's old eyes lit up and hurried to Cassandra's side.
"Hello, Olympia," Cassandra greeted respectfully.
"Ah, soon we will have her home soon" Olympia smiled at the paused segment, more specifically at your picture. A warmness washed over her, the same one Cassandra recalled Olympia having when she came to live with Savage. "Is not exciting?" Olympia placed a light touch on Cassandra's shoulder.
"It is. I truly wonder what it would have been like if the two of us came here together." Cassandra said longingly, allowing herself to think of just how such a moment would have gone.
You and she would be taken from your past lives, retrieved by Savage, and brought to live a new world. Together. She'd have a companion close in age, learning the same and under Olympia's care. Savage guiding them with pride into those worthy of his vision and lineage. What or how would you have turned out during that time? Cassandra wondered, would you be focused yet caring? Or Stoic with logic? The possibilities remained endless and from what she heard of your upbringing and how you were with...that O'Neil female, sounded weak as well wonderful.
Anger began taking hold of her, Cassandra felt it and quickly poured it out. Now was not the time to latch on to such emotions, though her clenched fist said otherwise. What mattered at the moment was your arrival, all and everything would be told to you. You'd be free. You'd be rebirth and see the light. She would know who are, who were meant to be and she'd have you back. Savage would have you back.
Yet a question ire Cassandra, Olympia seemed to know and turned to her with concern, "What is it?" she asked.
Cassandra held her question for a moment, doubt swelled on her tongue and shame washed over her, and she turned from Olympia. "I-It's nothing." she lied bringing up another segment.
Sensing bristles, Olympia left it alone and turned her focus back to the segments. This one, one of the sprinkled few, defending you by Iris West-Allen. Another came up, given by Lois Lane. Their defense, the timeline didn't fully add up and if you, as April claimed started the fire why did she flee? Was she covering up her own actions? What further proof was there besides the colorful story being dragged across screens?
In the subway lair, Kid aka Bart sighed a sense of relief seeing his grandmother come to your defense, and he was glad she did him the favor. It would at least help ease Blue a bit. Clicking off his phone, the speedster looked up from where he sat in the common room, over at Blue walking out from a section where they found four former bedrooms. Everything in each room was coated in dust, mites, and webs. Moss and algae roosted there, with a bit of rot for good measure. The furniture and items inside aged with time, and each room held its own phantom personality. Kid recalled finding a couple of worn, withered photos of you with April and residents of this place...home. Four green teenage humanoid turtles each with their own distinctive colored mask, blue, red, purple, and orange. The friendship was obvious in the photo and Kid knew if Beast Boy saw this he'd be a little jealous. Another photo, had you and April, with the turtles and an older, tall brown humanoid rat man, dressed in a simple red robe, smiling kindly behind the group. It was taken in what appeared to be that worn-down dojo. You and April were dressed in workout clothes, you in shorts and tank-up with your hair pulled into a single braid, and April in pants and sports bra. Both you and she wore fingerless gloves.
You looked happy.
Actually happy. Kid saw it shimmering in your eyes and by your bright smile. He saw it in April too. All he could think was, what happened?
"How much longer," Blue huffed, breaking Kid from his thoughts, fully entering the common area.
Before Kid could say anything Static, coming from the kitchen did, "Who knows, man." He sighed heavily, plopping down next to Kid, running his fingers through his hair. "Tigress told us to keep still until we get word. Which is code for: I'm done with you any of you yet. Anyone else wonders what might happen after all this?" He looked concernedly at everyone in the area, Tye and Asami included who sitting closest to the make-shift lab.
A silence filled the room for a moment, Tye cast his eyes down staring at some of the gravel and cracks. "Does it matter?" he spoke calmly, holding the tightening of his voice. Asami set a hand on his edging shoulder. "It shouldn't matter. Not now. Not with all...that's going."
"Yeah, but," Static tried protesting, stopping noticing the shielded worry in his friend's hardened eyes. A worry he and the others shared, casting his eyes around at everyone, observantly, saw their worry in different manifestations and realized his own was out of fear.
Now was not the time to think of what Tigress would do to them, any of them. Actually, Static recalled, Tigress nor any of the other senior members had even brought it up. Tigress was preoccupied with getting arrangements ready for you and with the news and headlines still burning about you, it seem less likely. None of them were here right now, Zatanna had put an enchantment around the whole place, sort of as an alarm system, and ensuring none of them left.
It was a lockdown, from Static's perspective.
"Yeah, you're right," Static muttered turning downward and let the silence resume covering the room. Only for approaching footsteps to disrupt it.
It was Robin, coming from where Blue emerged and instantly read the room. "So how is he?" Kid spoke, breaking the silence.
"He's fine, Zatanna's spell is wearing off. I'd say about another three hours."
"You think he'll be happy?"
Robin glanced over his shoulder down the dim-lit hallway, Roy was resting in one of the rooms(now slightly refurbished thanks to Zatanna) Jim arrived with him and placed him there. Just like the Kid and everyone here involved with you, he had to reside here. Especially now. Robin took it upon himself to check on Roy every so often.
"Most likely not," Robin shrugged. "Is he ever?"
A light snort pushed from Kid, matching his smirk, "Nope. By the way, if you haven't already been keeping track of the news-"
Robin cut him off, "Yeah. Thanks."
"No problem. Highly doubt it might change minds, but it's something. Right? The least we can do for her, I mean, does she even know? Or remember?"
The response was ready to jump off Robin's tongue but he held it back, "Possibly not. I'm not sure really. When she was-"Blue grunted and shot him a look, Robin corrected himself, "I mean when I hid her and ran a few tests, nothing showed from the mental aspect. Actually, I wasn't quite focused on that part. I should have, I had my suspicions."
"I'm sure you did," Blue gritted between his teeth, clenching his fist. "Which would have been nice to share."
Robin looked past Kid and meet Blue's firm eyes and their force. Kid stepped between the two, "Okay, yeah he should. But, nows is not the time to get heated right now."
Tye stood up, "Why not?" He pointed sharply at Robin, Asami rose and touched his arm hoping to calm him, "None of this would have started if, he would have told us he had May."
"I had my reasons," Robin defends with a staunch calmness. "I was going to inform everyone."
"Oh, yeah? Really? When?" Blue scoffed. "After the manhunt or I don't know never. Do you have any idea how worried anyone was? Huh? After everything that happened, the attack on Luthor. The random attacks on cities. Oh, let's not forget the occasional rendezvous you took her on."
Shock spread across the other's faces and questions filled their eyes on Robin. Robin stood firm against Blue, "What?" Tye frowned. "What rendezvous?"
"What's he talking about?" Static asked still shocked.
Robin remained closed, wondering how Blue found out about that because he specifically told you not to mention it to anyone. So how did Blue find out? For a split second Robin slightly parted, speaking the question he had.
Blue quickly answered, "She told me."
Robin's feelings betrayed him, "How?" He shot back, clenching his fist to his side.
Blue went quiet this time, their eyes turn to Blue and if he didn't have his armor they would see crimson covering his face and hear his heart pounding against his chest ready to explode. He did his best to remain solid, even if his widen eyes betrayed him, he quickly regained control narrowing them cuttingly at Robin.
"She told me, that's all that matters," he deflected, "so why did you take on those rendezvous runs?"
Robin bit his tongue, sensing Blue hiding something. As much as he wanted to probe further he set that aside for now and repeated the exact words, "For field work."
"What kind of fieldwork?" Tye stepped in, suspiciously glaring at Robin.
"She needed further experience in the field since she's been out for a while." Robin again repeated the words, "You all saw how she was on her first mission. I was tasked with helping her reframe her expertise."
Static rose a brow but kept quiet. Blue held Robin's eyes, burrowing for truth. Tye did the same. Rising tension it filled the whole compound, Kid quickly stepped in to defuse it.
"Alright. Enough," he said, shooting a look at both parties. "This isn't the time to point fingers, alright? Right now figuring out how to help May is our first agenda, alright?"
Blue and Tye kept their eyes locked with Robin for a few more seconds. "Fine." Blue relented with Tye, who turned away. "You're right. May's situation is the focus." Blue acknowledges, his normal voice returning.
Kid sighed, relieved, "Good."
"Yeah," Roy agreed groggily, walking out of the hall. Everyone turns to him surprised. "What? It's hard to actually sleep when all of you squabbling like..." he paused and looked around the place, quickly throwing out the word he wanted to use remembering what you said, and changing it, "chipmunks."
"Hi to you too," Tye nipped back. "You good?"
Roy nodded, scratching the back of his head, and glanced around. He did his best to take in everything and summarize what happened. Quickly he pieced it together looking around at everyone here. You were missing. He kept calm and lifted his eyes to the others.
"Where is she?"
Silence fell on everyone, Jaime stepped forward and was about to answer, when someone else did, "She's not here. For now," Jim said entering the compound from the entrance carrying bags of food. Roy's face harden, and Jim, smirked to himself, "You don't need to worry, she's fine. Now, who wants something to eat?"