Tempest: Chapter Eighty-Seven: Beginning to Break
AN: Conner is very gay and is figuring himself out by asking his friend about her experiences, and that's a very healthy way to do it rather than continuing to remain in a relationship where he has to feel like he's putting on a show.
Barry is #dad goals
Amara's abdomen was still aching from where she'd been shot and it was honestly a mystery how no one else had figured it out, but she'd gotten very good at lying through her teeth when she was in pain. And that pain was nothing like the pain that radiated from her spine down her legs.
Besides, Amara had other concerns.
Like the private message that had been sent to Masquerade: Midnight, Central City, Abandoned building off of 17th st, 7th floor. Come alone if you want info on VS.
And Amara wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to get some dirt on the guy that had taken advantage of Roy.
She left the stilettos at home.
"So, you did come alone…looks like Cheshire was right about you," came a rough and unfamiliar voice and Amara turned slowly to get a look at Scandal Savage, not an altogether great name to have when your dad was called Vandal, but who was she to judge.
She was a tall woman with auburn hair tied back, black cloth tied around her face, hiding everything beneath her dark eyes. She was pure muscle, wearing dark clothes and a sleek wrist-mounted blade.
Amara was starting to wonder just how many times she and Cheshire had clashed in the past.
"Cheshire said you didn't trust her," Amara's modulated voice echoed oddly in the silence. "So why believe her?"
Scandal's eyes seemed to gleam with mirth. "When your enemies start telling the truth…that's when you get suspicious." Her eyes raked over Amara, trying to see the trap.
Amara had weapons, of course, she wasn't stupid. She had the bracelet that extended into a grappler if she needed it -with an extra one at her hip- and two concealed knives. Masquerade traveled light, Storm Chaser traveled heavy, there was a difference; Amara would rather avoid fighting as Masquerade after Roy'd shot her the last time.
"Did he kill someone important to you?" Scandal asked finally. "You'd have to be truly desperate for information to come to me."
Amara thought of Roy's smile and his annoyed expression and how he'd swung her in a circle when she'd hit the target with his bow. "Yes," she said dully, "he did."
"Sympathies," Scandal said tonelessly. "But that's kinda what he does."
"Thanks, I've noticed," Amara said dryly.
"You probably also know that everything comes with a price."
"It's dawned on me," Amara said without a change in tone.
Scandal handed her a thumb drive. "Give me what I want and I'll give you literal files of compiled evidence on Vandal Savage."
Amara scrutinized her intently before taking the drive. There was no telling what she was going to ask of Amara. "And how will you get the information to me once I do what you ask?"
Scandal smirked. "You'll figure it out."
And that was when shit really hit the fan.
Barry roused suddenly to the sound of his phone buzzing…no, that wasn't right, his phone and Iris' were going off.
"Who's calling you?" he slurred out, fumbling for his phone while Iris did the same.
"Harley," she realized, concern leaking into her voice. "You?"
Barry frowned at Pamela's name blaring across the screen. "Pamela," he answered, "what's going on?"
"Have you been in contact with Amy?" she pressed.
Barry opened his mouth to say "Pamela, she's sleeping," but a familiar dread settled into his bones. He threw off the blankets and raced out of the room to throw Amy's door open.
"Dammit!" he muttered. "She's gone."
"Barry," Pamela said with deadly calm, "turn on the news."
Barry was in the living room in a flash, the TV on. "—and we are just getting reports of the supposed death of infamous thief Masquerade, whose body was found in the sewers of Central City after surviving being thrown from the seventh floor of an abandoned building. No word yet on her identity—"
"Shit!" he muttered. But there was no way it was her, it couldn't be…
"Listen up," Amy'd said shortly, "since people like me keep getting kidnapped, I've decided to put one tracker on me."
"Okay?" Harley and Iris said in complete confusion.
"You hate the idea of being tracked," Barry pointed out, remembering how it had been an issue at several different points in time.
"Oh, yeah," Amy agreed, "but I also like being alive…so Robin has the code to get my tracker transmitting."
"Why Robin specifically?" Pamela arched an eyebrow, faintly amused by where this was all going.
Wally snorted loudly. "Robin's her best friend after Roy, of course she'd give him the code."
Amy beamed.
Barry raced up to Wally's room, opening the door without even knocking. "Wally, I need your phone."
"Watfer?" Wally slurred out tiredly like Barry didn't know that he'd only been asleep for about an hour after talking to Artemis on the phone for an age.
"I need to call Dick."
Wally blinked tiredly and unlocked it, handed it over and then went back to sleep. Barry almost had the mind to tell him what was going on, but better wait until they actually knew something concrete.
He shut the door quietly behind him and hit the speed dial that Wally had for Dick. "Wally," came the tired and almost immediate response, "I've got school in the morning—"
"Dick, it's Barry," Barry informed him shortly.
There was a stilted silence and then confusion. "Uncle Barry, why do you have Wally's phone?" It had taken about an age to finally get Dick and Roy to call Barry 'uncle' or just plain Barry.
"Dick, I need you to activate Amy's tracker."
There was an even longer silence and Barry could just imagine the suspiciously narrowed eyes (him and Amy, birds of a feather, really). "Dick, Masquerade was just reported as killed."
There was a rustling of fabric and Barry could just imagine him throwing his blankets off to get to a laptop.
"She's downtown, I'll direct you…looks like she's underground," came Dick's response and Barry looked up to meet Iris' worried eyes.
"I'll find her," he promised and she nodded seriously, her hair blowing in the wind generated by his sudden leaving.
Barry had to admit that he was relieved enough to know that Amy trusted Dick enough to leave him a code for a tracker, because months ago she wouldn't have gone for that; the attack on New Year's had changed a lot of things.
He sped into the sewers, bypassing the numbered cones and the police gathered around what must've been where the body of the supposed Masquerade had been found, but since Dick was still directing him forward, Barry had hope.
"Stop!" Barry skidded to comply. "She should be right next to you."
She wasn't, Barry knew that at a first glance, but he hadn't gotten into the sewer water itself. He eased himself carefully into it, miming throwing up slightly in his mouth, but for his daughter, he'd do anything. His legs ran into something.
He reached down swiftly to lift up what he'd run into, more relieved than he'd felt in a while to see his daughter despite her thief getup…albeit bound in bolas, a rebreather between her lips that did nothing to help the rapid breaths she was taking.
Barry remembered all too well Amy's fear of drowning.
"I've got her."
"Is she okay?" Dick asked in worry.
"Not yet," Barry said, setting Amy on her feet and untangling the bolas around her, removing the rebreather. "Deep breaths, sweetie."
Amy wheezed, clutching tightly at him.
"Let's get you home."
She nodded weakly against his chest.
The first thing Amara had done as soon as she'd come through the door was run upstairs to empty her stomach contents into the toilet and then rinse off the muck from the sewer water.
"All right," Iris said when she had a hot cup of raspberry tea in her hands and Wally yawning widely next to her. "Tell us what happened."
"I was getting information on Vandal Savage from his daughter," Amara admitted, "which wasn't a problem, what was the problem was Jade sold me out."
"Jade," Barry repeated dubiously, "Cheshire."
"Aren't you two friends?" Wally asked in total confusion.
"That's the one," Amara muttered sullenly. "What's the point of giving me a lead and then handing my ass on a platter?"
"Amy," Iris warned.
"Butt," Amara corrected quickly. "Some monster of a guy threw me out a window, I had to hit the ground running before she dragged me into the sewers. That's when I saw the corpse she had dressed up to look like me." Amara shook herself viciously. "She stuffed a rebreather in my mouth, tied me up, and tossed me in the water…I might've freaked out a little."
"Amy," Barry sighed, "remember when we said we wanted you to be careful?"
"I am!" Amara said furiously. "I was! I just—" Words escaped her and she looked to the side furiously. "I don't know what happened and there was water everywhere and I was stuck—"
She pressed a hand to her chest, her breath catching there and it was a struggle to regulate her breathing.
"Amy, sweetheart," Iris said gently, "you were thrown out a window…you could've died…I know you're careful, but sometimes your best isn't good enough, and I don't mean that to be mean, I'm being serious. People make mistakes, they slip up…how many times do you think your father's crashed because he overestimated himself—"
"Hey, now—" Barry complained.
"—or how many times Wally's broken a nose or an arm because he thought he'd be quick enough to avoid a hit?"
"Um, that's—" Wally flushed in embarrassment.
"So, I want your laptops," Iris continued, "both of them. They'll stay down here and you can only use them in front of us."
Amara opened her mouth in horror. "For how long?"
"Longer now," Iris said decisively and Amara gaped even more. "And limited computer use at the Cave, I will be letting Kaldur know."
Amara wanted to be aggravated -she was, really-, but it wasn't like Iris was wrong or unreasonable. So, she trudged upstairs to hand her mother her laptops.
"This is Oracle, speak quickly."
Amara's mouth twisted at the modulated voice translated from Quraci. "Oracle, this is Pythia. I need something done and I need it done quickly."
"Whatever you need," she replied.
"Sending you the info," Amara said, sliding the thumb drive into place.
"I'll get right on it," Pasiphae promised.
Amara heard nothing from Jade and she couldn't help but be glad of it.
Dick ran home after school in order to zeta over to the Cave before anyone else, barely changing out of his very distinctive school uniform into casual clothes.
"Amy?" he called cautiously out as he left the garage, the zeta-tube still whirring.
"Living room," came the sullen reply, but he felt a bubble of relief growing inside him. He dashed forward to see her lying on the sofa, her hands over her eyes, looking appropriately miserable.
"So…" Dick said conversationally. "You're alive."
"I'm alive," Amara sighed. "Jade tied me up, dumped me in the sewer with a rebreather."
"Ah," Dick realized. The last time she'd been stuck under water like that she'd almost died. He sat down beside her on the sofa, tapping lightly on her hands until she pulled them away. "How're you feeling?"
"Like shit," Amara sighed again. Her hands were shaking he noticed…Dick couldn't remember the last time she'd held hands with anyone on the Team, because Dick was all-too familiar with her tactile fixation. He took her hands in his, his lips twitching at the corners when she relaxed slightly. "Richard?"
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you something?" Amara asked cautiously.
"Sure." Dick always had a hard time saying no to Amy.
"Do you…do you think I'm becoming more like Mardon?" she finally forced out weakly.
"What?" Dick balked slightly. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just that…" Amara bit her lip. "I always want to do things my way and then I keep getting people mad with me and Zee and I are arguing more, so what if I'm more like him no—"
"Okay, first of all, you've always liked to do things your way," Dick pointed out dryly, "like I like to do things my way. We were trained as partners first, that's just how we function…besides, you do a lot of solo work." He arched an eyebrow. "Anyways, you've gotten into trouble with your parents before, this isn't new; I get grounded by Bruce when I mess up too."
Amara snorted doubtfully.
"What?" Dick grinned. "I'm serious! And anyways, if you guys are having arguments, maybe it's something you should talk it out about, open communication and all."
But Amara wasn't really sure there was a way to talk all their differences out; the space between them was filling up with all the things they didn't talk about. Zatanna was a better person than Amara, she was a lot like Dick in that respect, but she couldn't understand why Amara did things that weren't strictly legal. And she couldn't understand that Amara wanted to not think about Mark Mardon as her father.
"Distract me," she said instead.
"Okay…what's a random fact about art?"
She opened one eye and Dick gave her a smile.
"Did you know that Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night was painted while he was in an asylum, while he was getting treatment for his depression?"
"I did not know that," Dick admitted. "Where'd you learn that one?"
Amara's fingers twitched in his, but she made no move to be let go, like she was soaking in the touch. "I might've finally picked up an art history class."
"Sounds like fun," Dick grinned and Amara laughed, unaware of the shadow around the wall's edge, fists clenched tight.
(Look at that…she's your girlfriend, but she's so free and happy with Robin…holding his hands like it's the most natural thing in the world…when was the last time she was that way with you?)
The jealousy that had been instilled over the past few months would reach its breaking point soon.
"Check out the hottie!"
"Damn, think she'll let me take her home tonight?"
Wally was ignoring practically everyone around him, stuffing his books into his bag as he walked, mentally planning an essay he had to write for next week, only lift his eyes when there was a sudden yelp of pain.
"Hands off, Creep!" Artemis snarled, twisting one of the school bullies' hands into an uncomfortable position until he whimpered.
"Hey, babe!" Wally grinned at the sight of her. Damn, she looked good. She had to've just gotten out of school, which meant she'd had to run home, change out of her uniform, and then run over to his school via zeta-tube. And the idea that she'd run immediately over made his stomach do a somersault.
"You're dating West?" came the dubious question, to which he was completely ignored, Artemis coming up to wrap an arm around his waist as he threw one arm across her shoulder.
"How's it hanging out with all the pretentious snobs?" Wally asked as they walked down to the road towards his house, knowing full well that his best friend literally went to that school.
"Getting to do archery during school time is always fun," Artemis shrugged against his shoulder. "I hear Conner's thinking about sitting down with Superman and talking about some stuff."
That was the rumor, at least. Things had been awkward the last few days -so much so that Kaldur had asked Amy if he could sleep at her safehouse (which had been abandoned by Sofia two months back, as her stalker appeared to have given up) for a few nights, which she was perfectly fine with-, ever since the breakup between M'gann and Conner. Wally had thought they'd seemed happy, but if Conner felt he had to put on a show to be with M'gann, then it wasn't a relationship he should be in.
"Something like that," Wally hummed, "I think he says he'll only do it if Amy goes with him, and her response to that was 'Ah, I've become Roy'."
"She has?" Artemis thought about her predecessor and how very unlike him Amy was…like she still didn't understand how they'd become so close when they could be so antagonizing to each other -their love language, apparently. But then she'd seen Roy flake at a glimpse of Amy's big green puppy eyes and his attempts to avoid her ire by giving her a sound kiss to her cheek with a "I love you the most, Storm Warning."
"Yeah, Roy went with her when she went to see Pam and Harley after her big blowout fight with Dad," Wally said absently and Artemis blinked and then stared at him. "What?"
"You just called Barry your dad," she pointed out.
It took him two seconds for it to hit, and then he went white, his freckles a stark contrast with the pallor. It had been almost four months since his parents' death and even if it seemed like he was managing okay, there were some days where she knew that he wasn't.
But calling Barry his dad…that was a new one. She'd heard Barry call him and Amy his kids before, but they kinda were, when you thought about it. Artemis thought that Wally was Barry's actual kid until she'd heard him call the speedster 'uncle'.
Wally pressed his free hand over his eyes. "Don't tell him, or Amy, she'll never let me live it down." His mouth had thinned into a hard line.
Artemis frowned. "Wally…I don't think Amy would give you a hard time about this." Belatedly, she realized his lower lip was trembling. "Why don't we sit down for a second? Okay?" And she steered him towards the nearest bench.
They just sat there for the longest time while Wally tried to calm down, holding hands like it wasn't the thing that was grounding Wally the most right now.
"You know," he said finally, "I didn't really understand what Amy meant when she said she had a hard time calling Pam 'Mom' because she felt like she was betraying Aunt Iris…I mean, people can have more than one mom or dad, but…" he swallowed thickly. "I get it now."
"There's nothing wrong with calling your aunt and uncle your parents," Artemis assured him, "but you don't have to call them that if you aren't comfortable yet…no one's expecting you to get over losing your parents in a hurry."
Wally rubbed furiously at his eyes. "It's been a weird year," he sighed.
"Well, you aren't wrong," Artemis admitted, thinking about the first time she'd met Amy as Storm Chaser. They'd all changed so much. "So…what're the chances Amy's gonna snap at Zee one day about calling Mardon her dad?"
"Oh, god," Wally grimaced, "Robin's offered to talk to her like several times now, but Amy's just waving him off. She's more of a grin and bear it kinda person, which kinda sucks when you're dealing with your girlfriend…"
"Yikes," Artemis muttered. "Has she said it in front of Barry?"
"Eh, Barry's not likely to notice anymore," Wally snorted, "Amy was sick a couple of days ago and she apparently told him that he was 'the best daddy in the whole world'…I'm pretty sure he cried."
"Aw…see, that's cute as shit," Artemis sniggered.
"What wasn't cute as shit was the look on Amy's face when Zatanna came by to see if she was actually sick."
"Ooh," Artemis winced.
"Yeah, I think those two are ringing some bells that can't be unrung," Wally sighed. It was sad because being with Zatanna had made Amy the happiest he'd seen her in a while, and they were cute together…but if Zatanna was saying things that made Amy uncomfortable enough that she didn't even want to address something as simple as 'please don't call the man who abused me my father', then it probably wasn't a healthy relationship. "Sure you still wanna come over tonight?"
"What kinda question is that?" Artemis snorted, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
It had been a pretty nice night, as Amara's nights had gone lately, but she was bracing for an explosion, or, at least, a disagreement. So far, she was in the clear, though, which was nice.
Then the doorbell rang.
She opened it cautiously before throwing it open and screaming "Max!"
Max Mercury hadn't been back to Central City in a long time and he still hadn't aged a day. He was looking pretty spry for a guy born in the nineteenth century who occasionally time traveled to different eras, taking new hero names with him wherever he went -Lightning, Blue Streak, Quicksilver.
Max laughed. "Hey there, Spark-plug, still making waves?"
She threw her arms around him in a hug and he responded by swinging her in a circle, setting her down just in time for Wally to yell and wrap around the man like an octopus.
"Family member?" Artemis guessed with the exuberance they were exhibiting.
"Pretty much, yeah," Amara grinned, "Max Mercury's the 'Zen Master of Speed', that's what Dad says, anyways."
"Your dad likes a good joke," Max rolled his eyes, considering Artemis and Zatanna, casting a questioning look towards the pair.
"Our girlfriends," Amara offered helpfully, "That's Wally's girlfriend, Artemis and Zatanna's my girlfriend."
"Ah," Max nodded in understanding, shaking each hand respectively before nodding towards Zatanna. "You're Zatara's little girl, right? I knew him back in the day."
Zatanna smiled thinly but she didn't like hardly anyone commenting on her father -the irony didn't escape Amara.
"I hear you've loaded up on moms since the last time I saw you," Max added, ruffling Amara's hair with a grin.
"Three for three!" Amara beamed, holding up three fingers on each hand before pausing. "Wait…what are you doing here?"
"Your dad called a top secret meeting," Max shrugged, "speedsters only." His eyes flicked towards Wally who'd made a gesture towards himself in confusion. "Adult speedsters," he amended.
Amara scoffed. "Pretentious bastards." Artemis snorted and Zatanna's mouth twitched while Wally just looked offended about the whole thing.
"Hey, Dad!" Amara shouted into the house, "Max is here!"
Within seconds, the Flash had sped down the stairs to hug Max in delight, both of them embracing and speaking at supersonic speeds too fast for Amara, Artemis, or Zatanna to follow, though Wally appeared to be doing okay with it.
"Who else is coming?" Wally asked shrewdly.
"No one you need to concern yourself with," Barry said airily.
Wally and Amara shared a doubtful look.
"Just Jay, and Avery Ho."
"Whu-wha?" Wally garbled and Amara's jaw dropped.
"Avery Ho?" she said aghast. "THE Avery Ho is coming here?"
Barry sighed. "I miss when she used to get excited about the things I did." Max patted his shoulder in understanding.
"Uh? Confusion?" Artemis said at a loss.
"Who's Avery Ho?" asked Zatanna, just as confused.
"I am," came a thick voice behind them. Avery Ho turned out to be a tall Asian woman with short black hair and a lock dyed purple.
"Oh my god," Amara said weakly, "I think I'm gonna faint."
Zatanna's mouth twitched and not in a good way but Artemis arched an eyebrow. "I thought your type was blue eyes."
"Shh!" Amara hissed.
"You must be Amy and Wally," Avery presumed with a smile, "Barry's told me so much about you."
Amara looked absolutely mortified while Wally beamed, which Artemis thought summed up their personality.
"But you're the speedster, right?" she asked, turning to Wally. "Kid Flash?"
"That's me!" He saluted like the dork he was.
"And you're…Storm Caller?" Avery turned her attention back to Amara.
Evidently that was the wrong thing to say, because Amara's smile fell off her face and she looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"Storm Chaser, Avery," Barry intervened quickly. "And that's their girlfriends, Artemis and Zatanna."
"Hello," Avery smiled, casting an apologetic glance towards Amara, who waved her off.
"So…are you another speedster?" Zatanna guessed.
Avery laughed and the other men snorted.
"She's the Flash of China," Wally informed her, "she got her powers during a Speed Force Storm a couple years back with a few other guys, but Zoom killed the rest of them trying to get their speed; Avery was the only one to survive."
"Hardcore," Artemis conceded, nodding approvingly.
"And this is the point where I kick you all out for a few hours," Barry said over their complaints, "no buts, guys, go out and have fun at…I don't know, an arcade or bowling, something like that."
"Ugh, you're so old!" Amara complained loudly, ignoring how miffed Barry was ("I'm thirty-six!"), and taking Zatanna's hand and dragging her out the door.
AN: As always: please review!
