Chapter Eight—

"Patroclus has fallen - he whom I value above all others, and love just as dearly as my own life? I have lost him."

"I'm sorry," Roy said as he laid in one of Titan Towers hospital beds. Wally, Dick and Kaldur we're on one side of the bed while their former mentors and the Lanterns were on the other.

Zatanna Zatara's hands hovered over Roy's side as she used some kind of magical spell— much to Wally's chagrin —to heal the ditched wound in Roy's side.

"I know I should have commed you guys but I saw Arley and—" Roy winced as Zatanna pulled her hands away so that she could pretend to dust them off.

Roy was as good as new; not a single trace of the stitches he'd received in Georgia left behind.

"—And what?" Wally asked again somewhat hysterically; none of it made sense. Arley would never just shoot someone she knew. Family and friends— her connections —meant everything to her.

"It was that clone," Roy spat. His brows knitted together as he sat up. "He and Arley, they were arguing about something, I don't know, and he took a step forward-I wasn't going to let her get hurt again."

"He was going to hit her?" Hal blinked. His knees hit the edge of Roy's bed.

It was one thing for the bad guys to be after Arley, another for their undercover agents to be too but it was a completely different worry to know Arley wasn't even safe with the people she was hiding out with.

To know she wasn't ever safe.

Dread curled up in Wally's stomach.

Roy shrugged, "Maybe? I wasn't going to wait and see, I fired an arrow at him—"

"—Roy!" Dick snapped.

"I know!" Roy snapped back, "But what would you do Boy Wonder?" Dick didn't reply, he just sucked in a sharp breath of air. They all knew what they'd do if they saw Arley in danger.

Act first and think later and question even after that.

"Exactly but before I could get my grabbling hook out and get down to them that genomorph sent Arley up-she attacked me and called me a sleeper agent. She said she'd never go back. I thought if I let her get close it'd show her I wasn't going to hurt her but that's when she shot me."

Wally felt his eyes close.

She was never going to come to them then. They had lost their best chance of finding her when they'd come across Roy bleeding out on some rooftop and now Arley was convinced they were in bed with the Light because she's mistaken Roy's intent.

"I'm sorry," Roy said for the hundredth time, "I blew it. Arleys probably convinced Savage has the entire League under his thumb."

"Maybe not," a voice— Kyle's voice —spoke up for the first time since zeta-beaming Roy back to Titans Tower.

"Oh?" Wally practically sneered, "And how is driving Arley away and definitely underground not blowing it Kyle?"

Dick elbowed Wally sharping in the ribs; the younger hero shot Roy a pointed look. Wally felt his tight shoulders wilt.

He knew it wasn't Roy's fault, that he'd only done what any of them would have done if they saw someone take a step towards Arley but Wally didn't understand, why was Kyle still there.

Kyle was just Arleys replacement.

Kyle rolled his eyes; he looked at Hal and Guy from his spot against the furthest wall. He took two steps forward.

"What's the best way to get to a Lantern? To throw them off their game?"

"I don't know? Put them in front of a pretty lady? I'm not really following Rayner." Kyle rolled his eyes and held his ring up in front of them.

"We're all chosen because of our will power-working ring or not, Arley's still a Lantern." No one in the roomed seemed to be following where Kyle was going, so with a huff he continued. "Look Arley might have thought everyone was a Light sleeper agent already but she's convinced now which means she's going to be thinking everyone is after her."

"Which is bad Kyle," Wally snapped, "We don't want her going under anymore cause she could disappear again." The Light could get her again and they would never know.

"Jesus Christ—" Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose, "—If Arley is thinking everyone is after her she's going to want to go underground again, yes, but she's also going to be second guessing everything she dose. Nothing is going to seem safe enough. And what happens then?"

"She's going to mess up," Oliver said with a slacked face and raised brows.

"Exactly, and that's how we find her." Roy looked as happy at the prospect of waiting to find Arley as Wally was.

"In the meantime thought," Batman said, "We run down leads on the Light."

Roy threw his legs over the bed; "What are we waiting for then? Did Manhunter get anything from Shimmer?"

…

They were a few hours outside of Columbus, Ohio. The three of them hadn't stopped— they hadn't slept or eaten —since Georgia and Arley was going to explode.

The boys, the Light had the boys.

They had Wally.

And Kaldur and Dick and Roy; they had her family.

Arley paced the length of the rest stop bathroom they had stopped at. Superboy had locked the woman's bathroom door so that no one could come in and Arley, as she paced, wanted to tear her hair out.

Guilt settled heavily in her stomach. She'd been so angry at them all for leaving her behind and continuing on with their lives when it had been so clearly what they had been directed to do.

The boys, her boys, would have never. Arley had known that and she had allowed Savage and Sportsmaster to get to her.

She'd been the youngest Lantern in Corps history and she had allowed them to— abet momentarily —break her faith. To shake her willpower.

"I'm an idiot."

"You've said that nearly a million times since we left Athens," Superboy responded. There was no real heat in his voice, some slight annoyance but he didn't need to speak for Arley to understand what he was feeling; the pity in his eyes spoke volumes.

"Then I'll say it a million and one times—I'm an idiot. I mean," hot tears dotted at the corners of Arleys eyes, "I doubted them."

I doubted Wally.

Bile began to rise in the back of Arley's throat as the most unpleasant of thoughts rocked through her.

The world was cruel and dark and people lied and hurt each other but Wally West didn't lie. Not to Arley and he had promised to stay by her side.

"They were probably captured saving me, weren't they?" Superboy didn't respond, neither did Dubbilex and that was all Arley needed for the first year to slip down her face.

"I'm an idiot." This is all my fault.

"I'm sorry," Dubbilex said softly; he'd tried to reassure her before, tell her that he had no knowledge of anyone trying to save her but the Light was large and the lab they had been held in was their only one.

Wally had promised her stability at nine years old and had paid the ultimate price at what? Sixteen? Seventeen?

Cadmus— whichever lab was used —wouldn't have kept a record.

Arley braced herself against one of the bathroom stall doors. Scientists couldn't clone will power like they could gills and super speed. That was the only reason Arley was alive. It was why the boys— her boys; her Wally —weren't.

Arley knew how the Light operated.

Wally was dead. He'd been murdered— probably —trying to save her. And Arley had been mad at him for it.

Arley felt her shoulders start to shake as more tears fell.

Oh God , she sobbed— Dubbilex was quick to step up and open his arms up for Arley; she was just as quick to fall into them and against the genomorph —Wally's dead .

And not for the first time since she had escaped the Lights clutches, Arley felt her heart shatter.

…

"Why the actual holy hell did Starfire have to tell us your dumbass got shot!"

The boys— and Kyle —and the rest of Titan Main had made themselves at home relooking over any and all footage they had of Arley when two out of the five members of Titans West had all but kicked down the door to yell at Roy.

Roy looked up from the business reports they had on Cadmus and raised an eyebrow at Bumblebee.

"Oh gee Red I can't believe you got shot! Are you okay? You're going to live right?" Roy mocked in a high pitched voice.

"Go to hell Roy!" Bumblebee snapped as she and Aqualad— Kaldur's sub-in —stepped further into the room.

Wally's grassy greens flickered between the winged girl and Roy and the two Atlantian's. Kaldur seemed to look anywhere except the old friend who had taken up his mantle.

"We're your team, you're supposed to call us when you get hurt on some mission you won't even tell us about–you're in no way supposed to let someone else tell us! What if you were dead!"

Roy leaned back in his chair; "You'd want me to tell you if I died? Seems like there's a flaw in your logic Bee."

Bumblebee's eyes narrowed; her lips pursed together.

"I'm going to kill you." Before she could— take another step into the room —though, Cyborg got up from the table. He had a smooth smile playing on the ends of his lips and it almost reminded Wally of the smile he would give Arley when he was trying to weasel something out of her, whether it be more food or another kiss before they left.

"Karen," Cyborg smiled, "You look great."

"Not now Cy-actually," Bumblebee seemed to pivot her attention away from Roy to Cyborg, "Why didn't you let me or Garth know?"

"I—" Cyborg blinked, "—What?"

"My teammate was shot. I assume he had to receive medical attention?" Cyborg nodded slowly, "So why didn't you let me know, while he was being treated?" Bumblebee crossed her arms over her chest and her right brow raised sharply. "I thought we were cool."

"We-we are! We are, it's just—"

"—I told him not to Karen," Dick rose. He'd been at the head of the long table they'd been working at. "We're working on a sensitive matter right now and the less people in on it, the better."

"What happened to being a team Nightwing? I thought that's why you brought us all on."

"It's complicated," Dick replied with a stony face.

Wally felt himself shift in his seat. At first it had just been because they'd been caught up in the fact Arley was alive and then Cyborg had brought Carr in— it'd taken Manhunter to delve into his mind to get what he knew —and suddenly no one could be trusted.

The former mentors had closed ranks; after Ocean Masters murder the only two that had been brought in to help had been Manhunter and Superman simply because they couldn't be cloned or manipulated but everyone else— the League, their teams sans Titans Main who had been there when Batman delivered the news about Arley —had been shut out.

"Then uncomplicate it Nightwing cause neither Garth or I are leaving until we know why our teammate was shot."

Dick looked at Wally. Bumblebee was good; she was an asset to the Titans. She was sharp and could handle anything that came her way. She'd gone undercover to get dirt on Brother Blood all by herself because she hadn't thought Blood was on any heroes radar.

And Garth.

Wally didn't know him. They'd spoken maybe twice since the Atlantian had taken up Kaldur's mantle and both times had been at Titan meet and greets.

Wally looked at Kaldur who sighed; he turned to the other gilled boy. He tipped his chin up and then brought down in a nod; he trusted Garth.

He was willing to bet Arley on Garth.

Dick sighed; "Alright take a seat it's a lot."

Bumblebee took two steps in before she paused and turned to Wally.

"Your girlfriend is in the kitchen-Garth and I thought we might need backup."

"What?" Wally blinked. Bumblebee smiled, a single brow quirked up in his direction.

"I figured if I couldn't get Red and Blue to budge Jinx could get you to open your mouth."

Jinx. Pink hair, bad background but good heart. Jinx.

Wally blinked again before he felt Dicks toe kicking his shin under the table.

Jinx. His girlfriend.

Wally jumped up to his feet.

"Right! Uh, feel free to take my seat Bee." And then he was gone and in the kitchen. With Jinx.

She was sitting at the kitchen island eating one of Raven's yogurts in her usual Goth garb; platform boots that brought her up to his chin and pink hair styled up to resemble devil horns.

He didn't mean for it to but Wally felt his heart twist at the sight of Jinx. Arley had always worn black but she'd also always worn pink or green with it; sometimes she'd steal one of his shirts or sweaters and plan her outfit around that.

There was always some kind of light with her; his Glowstick.

Jinx never did; she loved dressing like an Adam's family member and while Wally was all for it— Wally did love Jinx's sense of style and the fact she wore what she wanted no matter what others might think of it —he couldn't help but compare her to the lost Lantern.

His lost Lantern.

"Hey Kid," Jinx said as she turned in her seat. She had a half smirk on her face; it wasn't the kind of unabashed smiles Arley would wear in the hundred and one photos he had of her but it was a nice smile nonetheless.

One he liked.

"Lucky," Wally winked; Jinx rolled her eyes at the nickname. Arley had always adored nicknames because they showed you cared; the more thought put into a nickname— the more heart —the more she had always smiled.

And Wally had always loved her smile.

"You haven't been answering any of the team's calls," Jinx said. Wally's brow furrowed.

"The team's been calling?"

"I've been calling Wally," Jinx said.

"Sorry," Wally said with an unseen, internal wince. It wasn't that he was trying to ignore his team— and girlfriend —it was just that if he wasn't passed out from exhaustion he and the guys were running down leads. He hadn't had time for anything outside of finding Arley except for showering and eating when made to.

Jinx ran her tongue along the bottom side of her lip, her arms crossed over her chest. "What's going on?"

"What?"

"Wally," Jinx said, "It's been a month and not only is this the first time we're speaking in a month but Bumblebee had to show up at the tower and tell me Red Arrow's been shot working on some case with you, Titan's main and the original Aqualad. What is going on?"

Wally shifted his weight from leg to leg; he trusted Jinx the way he trusted Dick and Roy and Kaldur. She wasn't a clone or a double agent for the Light, he knew it. But doubt wasn't why he hesitated in answering her.

Guilt was why. It was the same reason he hid his files of leads on Arley and why whenever he grabbed her hand in public he always seemed to hide it behind himself, away from the cameras and watchful eyes.

"Wally," Jinx frowned.

"Arley's alive, Lucky." She blinked.

"What?" Her back straightened in her seat.

"Arley's alive," Wally said again. He took the seat next to her and sagged in it, allowing the weight he'd been shouldering to drag him down in the most literal of senses. "There's a syndicate of villains and they kept her for years. She escaped last month-that's what the guys and I have been working on. It's why Red Arrow got shot."

Jinx leaned forward, "What do you mean there's a syndicate of villains? I thought we—"

Wally shook his head, "—I mean the Brain was a part of it but it's called the Light."

"Why didn't you say anything, Wally I know how much Arley meant to you. I would have helped." Jinx scooped up Wally's hand in hers.

"I know that."

"Then why shut us out?" Shut me out, was clearly the subtext. Wally threaded his fingers through hers.

"Because I need to find her. Savage—" Wally tightened his grip on Jinx's fingers, "—What the Light did to her Jinx happened because the guys and I left. No one was there to watch her back." This had all happened because he hadn't stayed.

He'd sworn to stay years ago; long before either of them knew what love was or that the other person was it for them. And he'd broken that promise to her.

"Wally that's not on you—"

"—Yes it is!" Wally sprung up. Jinx's hand fell from his. "We found Deathstroke after she broke out, we thought he might be a lead. Jinx, Arley was sure I'd save her and I didn't."

"Not so tough now, are you Lantern?" Savage had asked over Arley's whimpers. This had been in the start of the recording; before her screams had started.

"So wh-at if I'm not?" Arley had replied, "W-W-When Kid finds m-me he's gonna-gonna kick your ass so hard you're gon-gona wish it was an-another b-b-bear asshole."

"How many times do I have to tell you, he's never going to find you. No one is."

"T-Think piglet could k-kick your ass? I mean Pooh's grandpa already did." And Savage had let out a growl. "Wally will find me," she had whispered.

She'd said it like a promise, like a prayer; like it was the only thing keeping her going and sane and maybe it was.

"You know what? Maybe he will but all he'll find are your broken, disfigured, remains Lantern." And then she started screaming in reaction to whatever Savage was using to beat her with until her voice had gone raw.

Wally took in a deep and shaky breath, "I left her and she paid the price Lucky. Tell me how that's not on me."

"You didn't know."

"Who cares, she was still tortured for years because I was angry at the Flash. If I had stayed—"

"—You could have been tortured too."

Good, Wally wanted to say. Fine. I don't care. Because he would have been with her. Hell wouldn't have been hell by her side. A utopia wouldn't be perfect without her no matter how glistening and glorious it was.

Instead though, all he did was shrug. Jinx got to her feet and placed her hands on either side of his face, her lips were curled inwards and her eyes were trying to say something Wally couldn't make out. Her thumbs brushed the lengths of his cheekbones and Wally, as much as he wanted to turn away, didn't.

"Let me help."

"How?"

"In case you forgot Wally, I used to be a bad guy. If anyone could offer you insight on the minds of the people who had her, it's probably me."

"Thank you," Wally said softly.

"It's no problem," Jinx said in her soft, raspy voice. She said it as if those words had some sort of double meaning.

Wally simply smiled at her gratefully and as she brought him in for a tight hug all Wally could think about was how when Arley would hug him and he'd press his nose and lips against the top of her head, she would preen against his chest.

And how much he couldn't wait to hug her again.

…

The Columbus, Ohio laboratory was underground. Above ground though, from behind the wheel of the stolen pickup truck Arley, Dubbilex and Superboy had all lifted, all the former Green Lantern could see were armed guards patrolling the barbed wire perimeter in ten minute increments.

Arley leaned back in her seat.

She thought of not-Roy and their fight on the rooftop. Arley thought of the actual Roy she knew, of the boy who used to tease her that Wally had left a hickey on her neck and Hal was bound to see it.

She thought of Wally's smile and Dick Grayson's laughter and the bright looks Kaldur'ahm gave in lue of large toothy grins.

And how they were all, more than likely, dead.

"Let's move out."

Notes: First and foremost: THANK YOU!!! Thank you for the comments' you've been leaving because they've really been making my day and helping me get through writing the next chapter!

Second off! What did we think? The plot kicked off a whilw ago but now its a-rolling! Anyway, let me know all your thoughts in the comments down below!