There is a spacious, abandoned villa nestled comfortably in the mountains
that very few know about. Abandoned, save for several occupants. They are
considered super heroes by the masses and the media. But today they act
like most normal people should act; their age.
For here, in these vacant halls, resides the team of Young Justice. Their ranks, at least for today, include Wonder Girl, Superboy, Impulse, Empress, Robin, and Red Tornado. The majority of the team resided in the rec room, taking some well-deserved R&R. Superboy had just (foolishly) challenged Impulse to a game of `Bust a Groove' on the Gamestation. Wonder Girl was chatting with Cissie, their former teammate and still-friend, on the phone, while Empress and Secret were reading some magazines. Meanwhile, Red Tornado was with his daughter, Traya, helping her with her homework (although `overseeing' would be more appropriate, seeing as how her intelligence level bounded over his own.)
"Okay, bye," Cassie said, hanging up.
"So how's our former teammate?" Superboy asked, in between mutters of disgust over how easily Impulse was beating him.
"She's alright. Her and her mother are going shopping later. Kind of a `bonding thing'. "
"How come you and your mom don't bond like that, Cass" Impulse asked. He played his game with one hand on the controller, while in the other he played on his Pocket Infant. He barely seemed to be paying attention to the game, which frustrated Superboy even further.
"Yawn. `Fever time.' Again," he yawned as his video game character did a defiant victory dance over Superboy's all-but-manhandled character.
"NARC!!!" He said, flinging his controller, full force, at the screen. A high-speed catch by Imp saved an expensive piece of equipment.
"So, care for 26 out of 32?" He asked, holding out the controller, a cocky smirk on his face.
Cassie stretched. Sitting on the couch, talking on the phone, for two hours straight, had a way of contorting one's body in all kinds of wrong ways.
"So, where's Rob?" she asked, curious.
"Fearless leader's in the command room. He said he had some cases that needed to be finished."
*******************************************************
In the command room, seated at a large computer monitor, was the leader of Young Justice, Robin. The Urban Legend, and sidekick to the Dark Knight, Batman. Various case papers lay in a neat and orderly stack around him. His fingers chattered across the key board as fast as his mind worked. Tirelessly he attempted to solve mysteries that baffled even the police.
He stopped typing for a second, stretching his arms and rubbing his eyes. Even HE had his limits. He was about to return to work when a familiar voice called him from behind.
"Heh. The ever-vigilant hero, hard at work, righting the wrongs of the world. Tell me, hero, what makes you think you can save all of them...when you couldn't even save me?"
Robin spun around in his chair. He recognized the voice, but it was a voice he had never thought he'd hear again.
"Young El?" Robin asked, stunned. Standing before him was a young black man, about his age. "But.you're dead!"
"No thanks to YOU, hero," El shot at him. "If you hadn't been messing in other people's business, I wouldn't be dead right now. I'd still be alive. But NO! You had to go play the hero. NOW LOOK AT ME! You left me to DROWN! In a WAREHOUSE!!" Young El was in Robin's face, and it was all Robin could do not to break down.
"But.but I tried to save you. I...did everything I could to save you."
"Like you tried to save me?" Another voice chimed in. One more familiar, but equally scorned. A short, stalky figure crept from the shadows. A figure Robin recognized instantly.
"Philmont?"
"That's right, TIM!" he spat. "You'd willingly risk your LIFE to save some two-bit thug, but you wouldn't risk your precious `secret identity' to save me. Your BEST FRIEND! Hmph! Some hero YOU are!"
"But...but I..."he stuttered, trying to find a good foothold for an argument. He slumped into his chair and turned away, hoping that they'd stop their taunts.
"Yeah, some hero YOU are," Young El mocked. "You couldn't trust your own friend with your identity, and you let me die. No wonder your teammates can't trust you," Philmont whispered into Robin's ear.
"You let us die, Robin," El whispered.
"But I did everything I could." Robin tried to plead.
"You let us die, Tim," Philmont whispered.
"I...I didn't mean to..."
"You let us die," the spectral voices echoed through his ears. "You let us die. You let us die..."
"I...I did everything...everything...." Robin muttered to himself, burying his face in his hands.
"Robin?" A hand pressed against his shoulder. Enraged, he spun from his chair, forcing the person to the ground. He grasped their wrist tight, and brought his other hand wrenching around their neck.
"I DID EVERYTHING I COULD!!! EVERYTHING!!!!!" He screamed, fear and sorrow rasping his voice.
But it was no ghost that he held so violently in his hands. It was a female. Wonder Girl, to be precise. Her eyes were glazed with utter terror. She had been trained by one of the best warriors in the world, yet there she was, helpless against him. He noticed a shattered mug next to where she once stood.
"R...Robin...please..." she gasped. He looked into her eyes, afraid of what she thought of him, but more afraid of what he did.
He released her from his grip. "Cassie...I...I'm..." He tried to explain, but the words evaded him. He looked around, and saw all of his teammates staring at him in disbelief. They heard his screams, and came to his aid, only to find him strangling on of their own.
"Geez Rob. All she wanted to do was bring you some coffee," Superboy said.
"What's wrong, Robin? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Secret inquired, trying to be supportive.
"I...I...I have to go," Robin said. And, like a hush, he was out the door, the squeal of the Red Bird the only sound that could be heard.
"ROBIN!" Secret screamed out.
"Leave him be, Secret," Red Tornado said. "No real harm was done today. He just needs to be by himself."
*****************************************************************
Alone in a graveyard, a dark shadow stood over a grave. In his hands were tightly grasped a red rose. He placed it over the grave, a tear trickling down his face. The name of the grave read `Philmont'.
The shadow moved to another. This one read `Elroy Lee'. He placed another red rose on this site, and another tear fell down his cheek.
"Forgive me," the shadow said, in a whisper, which was swept away in the wind. And, just like that, the shadow merged with the night.
....just like another ghost in the graveyard.
For here, in these vacant halls, resides the team of Young Justice. Their ranks, at least for today, include Wonder Girl, Superboy, Impulse, Empress, Robin, and Red Tornado. The majority of the team resided in the rec room, taking some well-deserved R&R. Superboy had just (foolishly) challenged Impulse to a game of `Bust a Groove' on the Gamestation. Wonder Girl was chatting with Cissie, their former teammate and still-friend, on the phone, while Empress and Secret were reading some magazines. Meanwhile, Red Tornado was with his daughter, Traya, helping her with her homework (although `overseeing' would be more appropriate, seeing as how her intelligence level bounded over his own.)
"Okay, bye," Cassie said, hanging up.
"So how's our former teammate?" Superboy asked, in between mutters of disgust over how easily Impulse was beating him.
"She's alright. Her and her mother are going shopping later. Kind of a `bonding thing'. "
"How come you and your mom don't bond like that, Cass" Impulse asked. He played his game with one hand on the controller, while in the other he played on his Pocket Infant. He barely seemed to be paying attention to the game, which frustrated Superboy even further.
"Yawn. `Fever time.' Again," he yawned as his video game character did a defiant victory dance over Superboy's all-but-manhandled character.
"NARC!!!" He said, flinging his controller, full force, at the screen. A high-speed catch by Imp saved an expensive piece of equipment.
"So, care for 26 out of 32?" He asked, holding out the controller, a cocky smirk on his face.
Cassie stretched. Sitting on the couch, talking on the phone, for two hours straight, had a way of contorting one's body in all kinds of wrong ways.
"So, where's Rob?" she asked, curious.
"Fearless leader's in the command room. He said he had some cases that needed to be finished."
*******************************************************
In the command room, seated at a large computer monitor, was the leader of Young Justice, Robin. The Urban Legend, and sidekick to the Dark Knight, Batman. Various case papers lay in a neat and orderly stack around him. His fingers chattered across the key board as fast as his mind worked. Tirelessly he attempted to solve mysteries that baffled even the police.
He stopped typing for a second, stretching his arms and rubbing his eyes. Even HE had his limits. He was about to return to work when a familiar voice called him from behind.
"Heh. The ever-vigilant hero, hard at work, righting the wrongs of the world. Tell me, hero, what makes you think you can save all of them...when you couldn't even save me?"
Robin spun around in his chair. He recognized the voice, but it was a voice he had never thought he'd hear again.
"Young El?" Robin asked, stunned. Standing before him was a young black man, about his age. "But.you're dead!"
"No thanks to YOU, hero," El shot at him. "If you hadn't been messing in other people's business, I wouldn't be dead right now. I'd still be alive. But NO! You had to go play the hero. NOW LOOK AT ME! You left me to DROWN! In a WAREHOUSE!!" Young El was in Robin's face, and it was all Robin could do not to break down.
"But.but I tried to save you. I...did everything I could to save you."
"Like you tried to save me?" Another voice chimed in. One more familiar, but equally scorned. A short, stalky figure crept from the shadows. A figure Robin recognized instantly.
"Philmont?"
"That's right, TIM!" he spat. "You'd willingly risk your LIFE to save some two-bit thug, but you wouldn't risk your precious `secret identity' to save me. Your BEST FRIEND! Hmph! Some hero YOU are!"
"But...but I..."he stuttered, trying to find a good foothold for an argument. He slumped into his chair and turned away, hoping that they'd stop their taunts.
"Yeah, some hero YOU are," Young El mocked. "You couldn't trust your own friend with your identity, and you let me die. No wonder your teammates can't trust you," Philmont whispered into Robin's ear.
"You let us die, Robin," El whispered.
"But I did everything I could." Robin tried to plead.
"You let us die, Tim," Philmont whispered.
"I...I didn't mean to..."
"You let us die," the spectral voices echoed through his ears. "You let us die. You let us die..."
"I...I did everything...everything...." Robin muttered to himself, burying his face in his hands.
"Robin?" A hand pressed against his shoulder. Enraged, he spun from his chair, forcing the person to the ground. He grasped their wrist tight, and brought his other hand wrenching around their neck.
"I DID EVERYTHING I COULD!!! EVERYTHING!!!!!" He screamed, fear and sorrow rasping his voice.
But it was no ghost that he held so violently in his hands. It was a female. Wonder Girl, to be precise. Her eyes were glazed with utter terror. She had been trained by one of the best warriors in the world, yet there she was, helpless against him. He noticed a shattered mug next to where she once stood.
"R...Robin...please..." she gasped. He looked into her eyes, afraid of what she thought of him, but more afraid of what he did.
He released her from his grip. "Cassie...I...I'm..." He tried to explain, but the words evaded him. He looked around, and saw all of his teammates staring at him in disbelief. They heard his screams, and came to his aid, only to find him strangling on of their own.
"Geez Rob. All she wanted to do was bring you some coffee," Superboy said.
"What's wrong, Robin? You look like you've just seen a ghost," Secret inquired, trying to be supportive.
"I...I...I have to go," Robin said. And, like a hush, he was out the door, the squeal of the Red Bird the only sound that could be heard.
"ROBIN!" Secret screamed out.
"Leave him be, Secret," Red Tornado said. "No real harm was done today. He just needs to be by himself."
*****************************************************************
Alone in a graveyard, a dark shadow stood over a grave. In his hands were tightly grasped a red rose. He placed it over the grave, a tear trickling down his face. The name of the grave read `Philmont'.
The shadow moved to another. This one read `Elroy Lee'. He placed another red rose on this site, and another tear fell down his cheek.
"Forgive me," the shadow said, in a whisper, which was swept away in the wind. And, just like that, the shadow merged with the night.
....just like another ghost in the graveyard.