Clara's POV
At the last second, I pulled back. I didn't know what was wrong with me; one second I was in between his arms, and the next I was halfway across the room. His eyes were full of confusion and pain, and I wrapped my arms around myself self-consciously. Caring about other people was too difficult. I would always have to worry about hurting them, and I couldn't trust anyone. Why was I like this?
"Clara..." he said softly, taking a step toward me with his arm outstretched. I stepped back, staring at the ground.
"I- I'm sorry," I whispered, forcing myself to look at him. His eyes clouded over and he stepped back, folding his hands together. We stood like that in silence until a crashing sound came from the kitchen, accompanied by shouts. I turned and ran to the kitchen so that I didn't have to see his sadness anymore. I knew without looking that he followed me there.
Dick's POV
I expected to feel her lips against mine, but I was wrong. I opened my eyes and noticed that she was six feet away from me. What happened? Why didn't she let me kiss her?
"Clara?" I stepped towards her, but she moved away. She wouldn't look at me. What did I do wrong? She stammered out an apology before crashes and screams came from the kitchen. My body finally registered what had happened, and my eyes welled with tears as she turned away. I followed closely behind her as she ran to the kitchen. I was an idiot for thinking she liked me back.
I almost tripped over her when she stopped abruptly at the kitchen entrance. She was completely silent. Standing behind her, I couldn't see a thing, so I moved to her side and gasped. The kitchen was destroyed. Debris was piled up everywhere, the security cameras were down, and scorch marks covered what was left of the walls.
"What the hell..." I moved ahead of her, scanning the room for any lurking threats. My lingering emotions from earlier were completely erased. Whoever did this took the rest of the Team and left. I scanned part of the floor with my watch, but no footprints appeared. These guys knew how to cover up their tracks.
Clara's POV
A low groan came from underneath a torn-off piece of wood, and I approached slowly. I had to forget that I completely fucked up in ignoring Dick's feelings for me. Now was the time for action. I tore the heavy piece of debris off of the floor, whipped out my daggers and prepared for the worst.
All I saw was Artemis and Wally, crouched and shaking with fear. Their wounds were pretty serious: third-degree burns covered their skin, deep, jagged cuts ran across their faces and Artemis' foot was facing the wrong direction. A twisted ankle. But of course, I'd seen worse.
"What happened to you guys?" I whispered.
Dick's POV
I watched her walk towards the piece of debris, creeping along like a spider. It would take years of training to perfect her movements. What had happened in the time that we were apart? I couldn't stop staring at her. Why was I so obsessed with her? I looked away quickly, remembering that she didn't feel the same way.
She ripped the piece of debris away as if it was a feather. In a heartbeat, her daggers were out. She surveyed Wally and Artemis, assessing their wounds, already starting to question them about what happened. I moved closer to help her. "Two men... attacked the Cave. They... attacked when we weren't prepared. We... hid under the wreckage... so, so that we wouldn't get caught too," Wally explained breathlessly. Artemis looked at her feet shamefully. She didn't want to seem like a coward.
"What did they look like?" we asked simultaneously. "They were wearing black ski masks, and they were superhumanly strong," Artemis said. "I managed to tag a tracker to one of them, but he could've ditched it." Clara nodded. She gently raised her hands. "Is it okay if I heal you guys?" she asked quietly. Wally gaped. "Who would say no to that?"
"Well, it feels kinda weird and makes some people uncomfortable."
"Injuries feel kinda weird and make people uncomfortable too." Wally grinned.
"Okay~," Clara said, returning a small smile.
She gently laid a hand on each of their chests and closed her eyes. I backed away uncertainly. She was too powerful. I had a feeling that when she hesitated to heal them, it was because she didn't want to use her power. Her eyes flashed open, glowing a brilliant yellow. Her dark hair floated around her head. Artemis' and Wally's wounds sealed shut. Their bruises faded. Artemis' foot twisted back to the right direction. A trickle of sweat slid down Clara's brow.
Wally and Artemis stood up easily, but Clara collapsed, shaking. Not again. I ran to her, knelt beside her, and gently brushed my fingers against her cheek. She was cold. Frozen. I immediately pulled my fingers away. Her lips started to turn blue.
"Guys..." What do we do?
"Get her to heat?" Wally suggested.
I picked her up and ran to the hearth before the fireplace. I had it blazing in thirty seconds. Already, she was starting to warm up. Her body seemed so much smaller, so much more fragile in my arms. Was she going to wake up? Her beautiful green eyes opened and stared into mine. "Thank you," she whispered hoarsely. She tried to sit up, but she immediately grimaced. I gently pushed her back down. She didn't protest.
Clara's POV
The pain was awful. My arms sizzled, and the smell of burning flesh invaded my nostrils. The skin started peeling, just as deep cuts sliced my forehead, legs, and burnt arms, laced with poison. My left ankle began to twist, severing muscles and tendons. I thought that maybe this time, I would die from the intense pain, but of course, I didn't. I almost cried out.
I knew I collapsed, wheezing and shaking. At least Wally and Artemis were okay. They stood up and stared at me with a mixture of fear and awe. I was so cold. My teeth chattered, and my cheeks and nose stung. I curled up, trying to fight it off. I failed. Dick came to my side, and I couldn't hear what he was saying. He gently brushed his fingers against my face, and I shuddered from his touch. He picked me up and cradled me in his arms. I was beginning to warm up.
Then I was bombarded by even more heat. He had started a fire. He held me in front of the fire and I thought that I would never be cold again. When I felt strong enough, I opened my eyes and looked straight into his, but they were covered by a mask. I wished he would just take it off.
My brain was fuzzy from the cold. When I tried to sit up, a sharp pain shot through my abdomen and Dick's hand pushed me down. I laid in his arms for a while before I decided that I was strong enough to try and sit up again. I rolled out of his lap and stood up. The room danced before my eyes, and I knew I was swaying. Dick came up behind me and held me still. "I got you," he whispered into my ear. I leaned against him, but he was holding me a little bit too protectively, so I pushed him away. I didn't need his help. I didn't need anybody's help.
Dick's POV
I watched her walk toward Artemis and Wally, immediately asking them if they were okay. I joined in their conversation. "That's a pretty sick talent you got there," Wally said, grinning. Artemis rolled her eyes at him. "Thank you, Clara," she said sincerely. "What would have taken weeks to heal was gone in thirty seconds. You're extremely talented." Clara grinned nonchalantly, but I could tell she was radiating from the praise. "I do what I can," she said.
"Artemis, can you check the tracker to see where they are?" I asked, trying to get back on track. She pulled the device out of her pocket and showed it to the rest of us. They were heading south, to an island somewhere just off the equator. "Everybody else is with them?" I asked. Artemis nodded. Wally squealed. "Did I just hear 'rescue mission'?!"
"Welcome to the team, Clara," I said with a smile.
Clara's POV
Before I knew it, we were seated in a strange red vessel. I almost screamed when seatbelts came out of the chairs and strapped around me. Dick leaned close to me and whispered, "It's called the bioship. It belongs to M'gann, the girl with green skin." I nodded evenly. I hated how this was all so new to me. Especially Dick, or 'Night Wing.' I glanced at him. How was he so confident? He must love this so much.
But I also felt bad for him. He was tethered to this lifestyle, to the responsibility of protecting everyone around him.
Dick broke the silence by saying, "Let's go over our plan one more time." He glanced around to make sure everyone was listening, then continued. "We'll be split into two groups; Clara and Kid Flash will be on alpha, and Tigress and I will take beta."
Anxiety flashed through my mind. "Whoa, wait," I said. "Are you sure you want me on alpha? I'm not even technically on the Team!"
Dick sighed. "Yes. I trust you, Clara." He smiled tentatively, and I glanced away. "We're going for simple rescue here. Do not bring any attention to yourself. Do not fight unless it is absolutely necessary. And most of all, we must succeed. If we don't, it will result in our capture as well, and then the League will have to get involved if we ever want to see the light of day again."
He continued to talk, but I zoned out. He was good at this. What was I even thinking, coming here, trying to fit in with these experts? I was nobody compared to them. Even though I had trained with the... Dick's voice broke me from my thoughts.
"Is that clear? Does anybody not know what they're going to be doing?" I looked at the ground, and he grinned at me. "I guess I'll repeat the instructions." Wally snickered. My nostrils flared.
"Alpha will take out any defences, then continue to find the rest of the Team and free them. Beta is in charge of finding the person behind this and taking them down. Stick close to each other, and make sure you have each other's backs. Is that clear?" he said with a pointed look in my direction. I glared. "Crystal," I said, crossing my arms.
Night Wing's POV
She hadn't been listening. I chuckled to myself, glancing at her. Her arms were crossed and her jaw was set as she glared out the window. I sighed. It was almost as if she constantly had a glare on her face, constantly had her arms crossed. I shoved her out of my mind, looking ahead. I needed to focus on the mission.
Soon, we arrived at the warehouse, hidden in the depths of the jungle. We dropped Clara and Wally out of the bioship and they moved in. Surprisingly, the security was horrible. It took thirty seconds for Wally to disable it. Artemis put the bioship in camouflage mode, then parked it and we moved in, following behind Clara and Wally. Large leaves slapped us in the face and we stumbled over roots, but we managed to stay out of sight beneath the trees' foliage.
Not surprisingly, Clara was the most silent one among us, her graceful long legs dancing over the roots that we were tripping on as she ducked under the low-hanging branches with ease. She was so beau- Shut up. Focus. Concentrate.
Before long, we ran out of trees to hide under. Clara was smart enough not to go charging out into the open. I glanced at her. The glare was still plastered on her face. Artemis took out the security cameras, and we split up from Clara and Kid. Artemis and I ran into the building, taking out security cameras and the occasional guard here and there. There was nothing we couldn't handle. I hoped it was the same for Clara and Kid Flash.
Kid Flash's POV
I nodded to Clara, and she placed a hand on the wall. Her eyes flickered yellow for a moment, and she pointed down the hall. That way. The thrill of the mission started to creep into my veins. I shoved it away, keeping a clear head. Always focused.
We moved to the corner of the hallway, across from the door where she believed they were. Clara took out a camera with her crossbow, and we paused to catch our breath. I was surprised by her skill. Where had she learned all her techniques?
"I still don't understand why he paired me with you," I whispered. "Because," Clara explained, "If he had paired you with Artemis, you would've just made out the whole time."
I scoffed and crossed my arms. "Would not."
"Would too."
"Guys, we can hear you," growled Artemis through the com. "Shut up."
"Would not," I continued.
"Would too."
"Would not- " I didn't see the guard in time. Thankfully, Clara did. It seemed as if her catlike eyes saw everything. She clamped a hand over my mouth and suddenly, I couldn't see anything. Just darkness. Holy... What happened?
After about thirty seconds of perfect silence, everything reappeared. "That was close," she whispered.
"What... what happened?" I asked shakily.
"What do you mean?" Clara peered around the corner.
"Where did everything go?"
"Oh. That's what happens when I turn invisible. You get used to it." Clara looked over her shoulder to grin at me.
"You can do that too?"
"Well, duh."
"Move in," ordered Night Wing, and we sprung into action.
Somehow, Clara moved faster than me, and swiftly kicked the door down. In the middle of the room sat Miss Martian, Aqualad, Beast Boy, Zatanna, and Superboy. They were all bound and gagged, and it looked like they had put up a good fight. They were surrounded by guards with guns who were wearing black uniforms.
In an instant, six of the guards had been knocked down, all with blood gushing from various parts of their faces. How did she do that so quickly? I knocked a few of them over as Clara pulled out daggers and started slicing through guards.
"No killing!" I shouted to her, but it seemed like she couldn't hear me. Gunshots filled the room, but none hit their target.
Night Wing's POV
We were still moving through the somewhat silent halls when shouts came from Kid's and Clara's coms.
"Night Wing to alpha; what's going on?" I whispered into the com.
"We found them!" shouted Clara. I could hear metal clanging, gunshots and the sound of bodies hitting the floor. "There's... a lot of guards," she panted. "I don't know... I don't know if we can take them all-"
She was cut off.
"Clara? Clara!" All I heard from the com was static. I spun around and ran in the direction that they went when we split up. Artemis chased after me and stood in front of me, blocking my path. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Stick to the mission!"
I ignored her and brushed her out of the way. "I can't lose her again," I called over my shoulder. I heard her sigh, then she knocked an arrow into her bow and followed me through the halls.
Clara's POV
The pain screeched through my mind, bringing everything to a halt. I had barely deflected the bullets in time. Had they met their mark, Kid Flash would be laying on the ground with more holes in him than in Swiss cheese. I was already exhausted from stretching my spirit, but I couldn't let it show. Guards kept spilling into the room, pummeling an exhausted Kid Flash. My fighting was getting sloppy, too, and I had run out of arrows for my crossbow.
Just as one of the guards finally landed a punch on me, Dick and Artemis dashed into the room and attacked. Dick knocked over the guard that was fighting with me and held a hand out to help me up. I threw a dagger just past his ear, and it pinned a guard that had been sneaking up on him to a wall. I took his hand and we fought back-to-back, whirling and spinning and taking out guards left and right.
When there were only a few guards left, Dick threw some tiny grenades or something and yelled, "Take cover!" We all dove to the ground.
Just in case, I wrapped my spirit around everyone, even though I was already depleted. I felt the thunder of the grenades shatter against the side of my skull. The pain was agony, tearing through me like a knife, churning my insides like butter. That managed to knock the remaining guards unconscious. Good. All I could do was lay on the ground and watch as Wally knelt to take the inhibitor collar off of Miss Martian.
Before my brain could register it, a hidden door on the other side of the room burst open, revealing a man with dark hair, glasses and a lab coat, flanked by guards.
"I wouldn't think about doing that," he said. That's when I noticed that Miss Martian looked different than when I had met her in the Cave. The glamour spell wore off, and the Team morphed into more guards in black uniforms.
