"I'm not sure about this, Virgil."
Virgil cringed. "But… you said—"
"I know what I said," cut off Sharon, "and I'm not taking it back. But this is different. You're actively training with the intention of willingly going into danger. Not just…reacting."
"What you're sister is trying to say is that this camp — it's like training you to be a soldier," Robert clarified. "A child soldier."
It had been two days since the incident at Intergang's underground Dakota base, where Robert and Sharon had been rescued. After a thorough checkup and an overnight stay at the hospital, the two had returned home, where they had dealt with any number of issues during their brief and completely involuntary impromptu vacation, including the losses incurred during Intergang's attack on the community center. Once the media had reported Intergang's involvement in the attack, the entirety of Dakota had started baying for the syndicate's blood, ensuring that they, nor anyone associated with them, would not be welcomed back any time soon.
Word had also already spread about the return of the Meta-Breed's two most prominent members, Ebon and Hotstreak, and their decision to join Intergang. Madelyn Spaulding's name had also been added to the pile, the girl already well-known due to her attempt to use her powers to win a school election. Her own previous affiliation with the Meta-Breed had only added to her infamy, and the three young adults had once again shot up to the top of Dakota's most wanted. When (not if) they inevitably returned to the city, they would find that the city's finest (hero and law enforcement alike) would be prepared for their arrival.
In the wake of all this, the Foleys and the Hawkins had met up at the Hawkins home to discuss the future of their sons' superheroics. Also present were Adam Evans, Augustus Freeman IV (who had revealed his identity as the superhero Icon to the families in good faith), and the three visiting heroes that were, in part, the subject of the discussion. Only Raquel was not there, as her family was not aware of the identities of Static and Gear and it had been decided it was best to keep it that way for now. The visitors would visit her home separately for their own discussion.
"They are not incorrect, Virgil," Kaldur concurred to everyone's surprise. "The original sidekick, the first Robin, was acknowledged as a child soldier. All sidekicks are, in truth. The original Justice League does not like to acknowledge this reality, or be confronted with, but we have long since made our peace with it."
"Because you're from the future?" Sean asked skeptically. As another gesture of good faith, the parents had also been told of the 'time travel' — which had been supported by Icon to stave off any questioning. Even so, it was clear that they still had their doubts, Robert included (despite being told beforehand).
"And because we are former sidekicks ourselves," Kaldur added, crossing his arms and looking away. "It was something of a point of contention between us and our mentors. If we are to be honest with you, we would rather no longer have any underage heroes after some of the trauma we've endured. Even the trauma your children have already endured themselves in this time is too much for young people their age."
"And yet you're asking us to have them trained anyway?" asked Maggie, frowning heavily.
Kaldur raised an eyebrow. "Do you truly believe you could stop them? That, if they saw someone in danger, someone that needs help, they would stand aside even though they know they have the power to help that person? When they've done it before and can do it again?"
The adults remained silent. They didn't have to look at Virgil or Richie to know that answer.
"Exactly. If your children had just started their superhero careers, if this had only been one of their first dozen outings or so, perhaps this would be a different story. But the reality is that your sons have been at this for years now. You can no longer make the choice for them over whether or not they can be heroes. The only choice you can make for them is whether or not they can get further training in preparation for what is to come."
"It's the reason why child heroes are still coming out of the woodwork in this time," Wallace tacked on. "The genie is out of the bottle. It's been out of the bottle for years, and there's no going back. All we can do now is do it in a way that causes the least amount of damage, and that means training." He squared his gaze at the two teenagers, who squirmed. "Lots and lots of training."
After a moment, Sharon sighed. "I'm still not sure about this. I saw some of your fight in the junkyard. The explosions—"
"That's not what we usually face!" Virgil cut in hurriedly.
"Yeah, that was an anomaly!" Richie followed up. "Our enemies are usually much weaker than that!"
"Still, the idea of you facing that kind of power again — I don't like it, Virgil. If it was just Bang Babies and thugs like it used to be, I think I could let it go, but things are ramping up in a big way. Your enemies are getting stronger, smarter, more dangerous. You could get hurt, or…" she trailed off, before glancing at her boyfriend, who grasped her hand tightly. Everyone except the Foleys knew what she was referring to.
"Sharon is right, Richie, Virgil," Sean addressed his son and friend, unaware of the turmoil going on with everyone else. "If it was just the usual fare, this would be different. But as it is…I can't condone this."
"Nor I," Maggie noted.
"Or I," Robert completed the trifecta.
The boys looked crestfallen, before glancing at the visitors and Augustus for help. Augustus looked away, while the three other heroes exchanged a look and a collective sigh.
"Your parents have the final say," Kaldur reaffirmed, causing their faces to fall further, "But I suggest they do not give that say until they know all the facts."
"What else is there to know?" Sean demanded, feeling his temper flare. A hand on his shoulder from his wife only just managed to calm him down.
"You remember the villain we told you of? The villain responsible for our situation?"
"Savage, right?" Robert said, blinking. "What about him?"
"He has a grudge against the entire Era 2 Justice League and, before we sealed him away into the Phantom Zone, he learned the identities of everyone in the organization."
"Okay, so he knows all of your identities—"
Kaldur held up a hand, silencing Robert. "You misunderstood. I meant the organization, not us."
Robert connected the dots, as did everyone else, and paled. "But…"
"By our time, the Justice League had expanded tremendously to include every superhero on the planet," M'gann explained. "We may be three of the leading members, and the main target of his ire, but the reality is that Savage had a grudge against our entire generation, not just us. Capturing the Infinity-Man and sending him to Intergang, instructing them to operate in your city — none of that was a coincidence."
"You think that he wanted to kill our children," Robert concluded grimly. Sean bit back a curse, while the women reached for their mouths in shock and horror. Adam closed his eyes, having already come to the same conclusion.
"Static and Gear — and Rocket, though she was known as Icon by then," the current Icon perked up at this, "were all well-known members of the Justice League. High-ranking too, for that matter. And they had clashed with Savage many times, just like the rest of us. While I doubt killing them was the prime directive…" M'gann shrugged, and scowled. "It was certainly a great side-benefit. You know, if the Infinity-Man could manage."
"And even if that weren't the case, your sons have other enemies, three of whom have just joined Savage and his inner circle," Wallace pointed out. "Once they do whatever the hell he wants them to, what's stopping him from handing out information about their real identities and allowing them to target yours sons and you as well, for that matter?"
"Nothing," Robert answered before anyone else could. There was a tone of resignation in his voice.
"Your sons made a choice, Mr. and Mrs. Foley, Mr. Hawkins. And no matter how much you dislike that choice, it's already too late to take any of it back. Now, you all must live with the consequences, and that includes figuring out a way to protect yourselves from the inevitable backlash." Kaldur shuffled a little bit, before meeting everyone's gaze. "You can refuse your sons further training. You can even make them quit being superheroes. But can you stop the enemies they've already made from coming after them? You could…"
"…but only by completely uprooting our lives and going into hiding," Robert finished with a sigh. "You knew we were initially going to say no, which is why you saved this for until the end."
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Sean demanded.
"I have Wonder Woman on speed dial. Both Wonder Women," Kaldur answered flatly. "If you want, I can call one of them over and have her use the Lasso of Truth on me. And there is no doubt in my mind that I will tell you the exact same thing. Your sons are going to be targets no matter your decision. It's up to you whether or not they're going to be targets that can fight back."
M'gann lightly slapped Kaldur on the shoulder. The Aquaman remained unbowed.
Robert exchanged a look with Sean and Maggie. Then, he glanced at his daughter. A hundred silent words passed between those expressions. And at the end of those unspoken conversations, he let out another breath, the resignation even more palpable. "Fine," he said, answering for both himself and for Sean and Maggie. "But let me make this clear: if anything—"
"—happens to them you'll put us through some indescribable method of pain," Wallace cut him off, droning the words out with an expression that made it all too clear he had heard similar statements before.
"Forgive him," M'gann pleaded, though the slight smile at the corner of her lips betrayed her amusement. "It is just that you are not the first parents to deliver such threats, even in this time. Nor will you be the last."
"Max rode my ass hard when it came to Bart," the speedster grumbled, before snorting. "Not that I can blame him. Bart's a handful in small doses. Having him as a student?" Wallace shook his head in disbelief.
"What about me?"
The room stilled, before every eye turned towards a severe and serious Adam. "Can you train me too?"
"Adam!"
"Sharon, there's no choice," Adam bluntly told his girlfriend, cutting off any remaining protestations. "I'm a superhero with a public identity, and my brother has made it all too clear where he stands with me. I don't want to do it either, but even if I do retire again he's going to come after me anyway, and he'll go after you too if he has to. At least if I'm trained I can ward him off, and keep an eye on your brother too while I'm at it."
Sharon stared at him helplessly, but before she buried her head into his chest. Adam reached forward and rubbed a comforting hand on her back, his eyes never leaving the visitors'. "So?"
"We can train you, Adam," Kaldur admitted, "But at the same time, we can't. At least not with Virgil and Richie."
Adam frowned. "Why not?"
"Simple. You're an adult," came the reply. "You have a life, Adam. A girlfriend, a thriving career. You can't just put that all aside for this, no matter how important it is. Nor should you, for that matter."
"It's easy with them because they're still in school," M'gann elaborated, gesturing to the boys. "They have a set break where they can make up an excuse to be out of town for those few months. But you? You have obligations, and while they may not seem as important anymore, they are important."
"So what do you suggest? I can't just lounge away waiting for my brother to come back and wreck my life!"
"We are not suggesting you do that," Kaldur rebutted calmly. "We are suggesting we make alternative arrangements for you."
Wallace hummed. "Plastic or Elongated?" he asked, confusing everyone except his friends.
"Both," M'gann replied. "He can learn from both, and they both have personal lives of their own. Splitting the workload only makes sense."
"We can't keep Dibny away from the baby for too long, after all," Kaldur smirked.
There was more discussion about that, upon which everyone learned of what the visitors had in mind. Instead of enrolling him into the camp like Virgil and Richie (and, hopefully, Raquel), they would instead divert him to the direct tutelage of two superheroes who had similar powers to him: Plastic Man and Elongated Man. They would have to contact both men to get their approval, but all three were certain that they wouldn't refuse as long as they managed to reconcile their schedules to a satisfactory level for all involved.
Once that was settled, M'gann drew out two small booklets from inside her coat with her telekinesis and handed off to the parents. "That's an orientation handbook. It contains an introduction for the camp, all the rules your children will be required to abide by, and the protocol that we follow for missions, emergencies, and everything in-between." Her coat ruffled again as two packets followed the booklets and were floated down into the other hands of the astonished adults. "And that is a packet containing all the lists and forms you'll need to prepare for the camp itself. That includes a detailed syllabus of all the classes your sons will be partaking in, the necessary supplies they'll need to bring, our contact information if you have any questions, and instructions for their departure on the day the camp begins."
"The medical consent forms may seem redundant or pointless considering the technology we have at our disposal," Wallace noted, "But it's good practice all the same to have them on file in case your children need something like medical attention that we cannot provide immediately ourselves. S.T.A.R. Labs won't require them, they have an agreement with the Justice League, but a regular hospital or any other facility is another matter."
"Read them all, sign them, and have your children take them with them when it's time for them to be picked up," Kaldur instructed. "Or, if you feel that you'll lose them, then fax them to one of the numbers on the contact list and we'll file them ahead of time."
There were a few questions after that, but not many. With the final words said, it was time to go. Goodbyes were exchanged, as were some words of gratitude, and soon all the adult heroes, including Icon, were gone from the Hawkins home. They would grab a bite to eat, and then head over to the Ervin home to repeat the process.
"What will you do after you leave Dakota City?" Augustus asked over a salad at their chosen restaurant. They had elected for a small bistro in one of the nicer parts of town before heading into Paris Island for Raquel's home.
"Well, after taking a day off to reset ourselves, we're heading over to the Watchtower to do a full report to the JL." M'gann gave a light groan. "Which I fully expect to lead to an absolutely boring meeting as we discuss the implications of everything that's happened the past couple of days." She grumbled something under her breath. "The one good thing about dying is that I didn't have to deal with those anymore, and yet here I am…"
Wallace patted M'gann on the back even as he chewed on a piece of bread, before dipping it back into his tomato soup. Kaldur leaned back into his chair, perusing through the menu. And Augustus… he had an odd look on his face.
"What's on your mind?" M'gann asked, catching sight of it.
"Your invitation," the Terminian admitted.
"What about it?"
"…I think I'm going to accept it."
Almost immediately, everyone else straightened up at that, adopting serious expressions. Wallace took one last bite and swallowed, before speaking. "You sure? You said you wanted a few days to think it over."
"And it's been a few days," Augustus pointed out. "And try as I might, my mind keeps on going back on what Sharon said. Before all of… this," he grimaced, "it was just Bang Babies and the occasional alien. A few high-tech criminals as well. Difficult, but manageable. But with Intergang intruding in our affairs, they've put a spotlight on this city. The crime here is only going to ramp up, just like you said." He placed a hand on his head. "Dakota is in an economic slump that it's only just beginning to pull itself out of. If it has any hope of keeping that on track, then it needs the crime here handled. And with the kids heading off to college soon, it's just going to be me for a couple of years. And at the rate things are going…"
"…you don't think you'll be able to handle it," Kaldur solemnly concluded.
"At least not in a way that's economically feasible," Augustus said, swallowing, "And like it or not, money is important. The recent attack on the community center — even with the donation Alva gave Robert, it's going to put a major dent in their finances, and an overall burden on the city as a whole. But the JL fund…it's the single largest compensatory fund in the world. If the city were to become a recipient of that fund, it would lighten the load exceptionally. The ability to call in fellow heroes to help to handle the criminals here when the kids are forced to take a backseat on their heroics is another major benefit."
Icon placed his elbows on the table and laced his hands together, resting his chin on the bridge. "I am the primary protector of this city. It is my job to do whatever can best benefit it. And the primary reason why I was so reluctant to immediately accept your offer is because I feared that if I did join the JL, it would just invite stronger enemies to attack my home. But now, that fear has been realized without any input on my end. So all I can do is do my best to mitigate the damage, and this is it. As you said…"
"…the genie is out of the bottle. There's no putting it back in," said Kaldur with a sigh. "Very well. We will pass your answer on to the Founders. Batman will handle your registration into the JLA and either Superman or he will contact you for further instructions."
Then, he smiled, and held out his hand. "Welcome to the Justice League, Icon. It is an honor to call you our comrade."
Icon took the hand and shook it firmly. "The honor is all mine, my friend."
"Well, that's that," Wallace groaned as he flopped onto the hotel bed. They had just finished their conversation with Raquel's family, reassuring them and convincing them to allow their daughter into their care for the summer. Once that had finished, they had left Paris Island for the Concordia, whereupon they bid a final farewell (for now) to Augustus. Now they were in Kaldur and Wallace's hotel room, taking a much needed break. "When are we leaving?"
"We'll stay the night, get some rest, and then we'll head on back to the base," Kaldur decided after a moment. "I'll contact whoever is on monitor duty at the Watchtower tomorrow morning after breakfast."
"WOO!"
"Always so easy to please, Wallace," M'gann shook her head.
"Screw you, M'gann. The food here is awesome."
"And unlimited," Kaldur noted with some amusement.
"Yeah! It's like heaven here!"
M'gann let out an unladylike snort, before sighing. "So. Infinity-Man."
"What about him?"
"Well, other than thanking our lucky stars we somehow managed to survive him, I'm wondering why the hell Savage let them throw that guy against us when he would've been much more suited to fighting Kyle." She hummed. "I'm also surprised Kyle didn't show up."
"You think Kyle can actually sense Infinity-Man?" Wallace asked skeptically.
The Martian shrugged. "Well, he does have a direct connection to the Source."
"As do the Apokoliptans, M'gann," Kaldur breezily pointed out, taking out a book from one of the bags and laying it upon his bedside drawer. "That's how they were able to brainwash him in the first place. Kyle can only sense disruptions to the Source, and technically, brainwashing its Guardian using its other half is not a disruption. Besides, we can't expect him to solve all our Source-related problems."
"True," M'gann acknowledged. "What do you think he's doing now?"
"Knowing him? Probably something that allows him to ignore the fact that he can't turn Sinestro into space dust."
"This…This almost beats turning Sinestro into space dust," Kyle said rapturously as he watched the giant, lemon-colored battery melt under the plasma fire breath of a truly enormous crimson dragon construct. On both sides of him, a cringing Hal and a stunned Guy watched in two different combinations of shock, awe, and no small amount of horror.
Guy in particular gave a slow whistle, flinching as the dragon construct was joined by a shark of a similar shade of scarlet. One that opened its jaws wide and began chomping on the melted remnants of what had once been the Central Power Battery of the would-be Sinestro Corps. "I take it this is something you've always wanted to do?"
Kyle grinned. "Oh, like you wouldn't believe."
"I'm not sure about that…" the other Lantern muttered. Because right now, watching that display? He could believe. He believe very much.
Hal rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he glanced at the Qwardians they had temporarily captured, who were also watching the show. From what he could see of their expressions, they seemed to be torn between fascination and terror. Not that he could blame them. "I'd tell you not to build that thing again," he said to one of them, "but I think you got the gist."
The Qwardians nodded.
Huh. They listened. That was new.
With that finished, the trio exited the Anti-Matter Universe with little fanfare and started making a beeline for Oa. The home base of the Green Lantern Corps was still in the process of being rebuilt after its terrible destruction during Hal's rampage while he had been under the influence of Parallax. While construction was still ongoing, the recently-awakened Mogo had been serving as a secondary base for nascent Corps, using his ability to manipulate his surface to provide lodging and supplies such as food and water. The newly-remade Central Power Battery, empowered by an awakened Ion, had also been built there on the edge of a cliff, so it could be easily transported to Oa once the renovations were complete.
As Hal flied into Mogo's airspace, he couldn't help but notice the other Central Power Battery being built next to the one he was usually familiar with. While identical to the first one, there was one key difference: its color. The one Hal knew was the same bright green it always, while this one was a bright blue, glowing in equal measure to its counterpart. The Central Power Battery of the Blue Lantern Corps…whenever they got around to actually building up the Corps.
The very sight of that great monolith brought up the memories of that first planning session with Ganthet. Of how Kyle had refused to use the power of Ion or the White Lantern to revive the original Guardians lost in Hal's rampage. That decision had preceded an absolutely vicious argument that only ceased after they all learned what, exactly, the Guardians had gotten up to after their revival in the original timeline, actions that left Hal with shivers down his spine, wondering if it had really been such a mistake to rebel against the Guardians — even if it was under Parallax's influence.
Ganthet had no more arguments after that, and so the real planning had begun. On top of reviving the Corps, there was the matter of connecting with the other nascent Corps and, in the case of the Blue Lantern Corps, creating another one. With the Guardians no longer an obstacle, Kyle had quickly decided to fulfill the original directive of the Blue Lantern Corps and make them direct partners of the Green Lantern Corps, with each Green Lantern paired with a Blue Lantern. The others had questioned this choice, but Hal remembered that brief moment where his ring had been empowered by that almost-mystical sapphire light and threw in his support immediately. Having constant access to that power, and with a partner to boot… well, restoring order to the universe no longer looked like such a tall order.
That had been one of their first missions: locating Adara, the Hope Entity, and bringing her to Ganthet so he could begin construction of the Blue Central Power Battery and thus the Blue Lantern Corps. To aid with this endeavor, Kyle had decided to create a new, female Guardian to act as a counterpart to Ganthet, a being called Sayd. The two got along splendidly, and those fond looks Kyle tended to shoot them when they weren't looking made Hal wonder if there had been some ulterior motive to the decision beyond extra Guardian power.
Since then, their missions were mostly search and rescue operations for the surviving Lanterns, interspread with the occasional mission involving the other Corps, including this one. The destruction of the Sinestro Central Power Battery had been one of their main goals since beginning this whole operation, but it was only now, after they had repopulated the Corps with over a thousand Lanterns, they were allowed to take on the mission. Ganthet had not want to task them with something as dangerous as venturing into the Anti-Matter Universe when they were lacking Lantern power.
But that was no longer an issue. The Corps was growing, beginning to reach its former heights, and probably expand beyond even that if Kyle's wishes went through. They had knowledge of the future, knowledge the Guardians would've suppressed under the belief that only they knew better. They had goals, a direction, a drive.
Hal never thought he would see it again, if only because of his own mistakes: a thriving Green Lantern Corps. If he were a weaker man, it would've driven him to tears. He hadn't ruined things — at least, not beyond repair.
"Hal?"
The pilot blinked, and glanced towards Kyle. The other man nodded towards the small building that was currently acting as the main headquarters for the Corps. "We need to make our report to Ganthet and Salaak," the White Lantern reminded him.
"Right," Hal breathed. "Right."
"Well done," Ganthet praised as the Lanterns ceased speaking. "Do you think they'll abide by your orders?"
Kyle shrugged. "As long as there isn't a bigger fish to hook themselves, they should. I was very… persuasive."
Guy coughed. Hal elbowed him in the ribs. Ganthet raised an eyebrow.
"Very well then. You'll have two days leave to do as you wish before your next mission. Use them well, because it will be your most difficult one yet."
"What da ya mean by that?" Guy asked before anyone could stop him.
Ganthet level him a flat look. "I'm sending you after Agent Orange."
Hal and Guy blinked. "As in…" Hal trailed off, suddenly very apprehensive.
"Larfleeze," Kyle noted offhandedly, reading a datapad Salaak had given him up on arrival. "Sole user of the Orange Light of Avarice and the most powerful Lantern in the universe after myself."
"…Oh."
"Yeah," the other Lantern absentmindedly said, sliding his finger down the datapad, "Oh."
The end of an arc and the beginning of a new one. Sorry it's been a while, there's been some personal stuff going in on my life along with a new job, so I've been busy. It's only now that I've really worked up the energy to write again. I've gotten this arc written at least, and I figure you all deserve the chance to enjoy it. Expect it to be uploaded to the story on both FFN and AO3 in periodic intervals five days to a week.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please update the TV Tropes page so it's up to current events.
Next: The search for Larfleeze.
