May 13

Dick had convinced me to hold out longer and put a pin in telling everyone the secret. In the meantime, Connor had moved into my house in my spare room. He said he felt like he hadn't been the best brother in the past year dealing with his own relationship issues. I told him he had nothing to worry about but if he wanted to take up residence in my spare room he was more than happy to it.

I arrived on the Watchtower via zeta tube to help Uncle Barry's the increased lab work load. A couple members of the League and Nightwing discussing something with several photos of teenagers up to the screen.

"What's the matter with the kids from Reach mission?" I asked. They turned to look at me. "Are they okay?"

"These four are the ones that developed powers. We had them placed in Star Labs," Captain Atom stated." To get their powers under control but they seemed to have escaped tonight."

I looked at him, "So you placed kids, who now have life altering abilities as the result an alien kidnapping, in an lab where they have been studied like lab rats?" I asked, "And you are all completely surprised as to why they ran away…again?"

"We felt it was in their best interest," he responded offended by my observation.

"And did any of you think to ask how they felt about this? Being confined to a lab, hidden from the outside world, probably feeling like they are freaks, with no physical contact to their family or friends," I reasoned, "No offense, but are you really being this stupid?"

"Carter," Black Canary warned, "Mind your tone."

"Why because I am right?"

"They need to get control of their powers," Captain Adam stated angrily.

"What if they don't want to use their powers? Their powers are connected to a traumatic event to go through at their age, and they aren't heroes. Maybe they want to forget that their powers don't exist and get a sense of normalcy," I reasoned.

"And what if we did? Just ignored their powers until they hurt someone?" he reasoned.

"Then we reason with them about how dangerous that is an give them the option to inhibit their powers," I argued back. "Did you even given them the option on inhibitor technology?"

Their silence spoke for them. "I'll take that as a no," I stated. "Now, where were they last sighted?"

"Blue Beetle is tracking them down now," Nightwing said, "We have it handled."

I snorted. "Obviously, you don't," I stated. "I'm going to suit up, send me their coordinates, and I'll meet up with Blue Beetle to assist. I was a runaway once and I can relate." I walked back towards the zeta platform. "Someone tell Barry I will be back tomorrow for the lab."

I zetated back to Palo Alto and got dressed in my bunker and comm'ed Nightwing. "Star Labs security task force sighted them at a bus station," Nightwing stated, "They are headed their way now."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, because men with guns is the best way convince them that Star Labs is their best option." I headed to the zeta tube. "I'll zeta there to the nearest tube and make my way to them. I'll keep you updated."

I zetaed to a city in New Mexico roughly thirty minutes away from Taos. With my way of transportation, I was there in ten, and I met up with Blue Beetle. We flew until we reached the location. And the sight we were met with was one for the books. A large energy being with no face and a teenager floating in the middle standing in a roofless bus station is something even I find is weird.

"Okay….not what I expected," Blue said making me smirk at his tone of astonishment. He flew down and spoke to the men who had their guns drawn at them. I rolled my eyes. "Okay, everyone, stay calm, the situation is under cont—"

I watched as the large energy beings hand slammed down on Blue, crushing him into the ground. I floated down and landed on the ground and approached the crater that had formed. "You okay, Blue?"

He stood up, "I'm bueno, Chicka."

"Good," I said, "because we got places to be and people to find." I floated over to the scientist. "Go back to Star Labs, we will handle this." We both flew away not giving him any time to argue. We found them fairly quickly, I mean how hard is it really to follow a florescent yellow outline of a male a couple hundred feet tall?

"Eh, it happened again," the teenager said, "I thought it was all a dream."

"No dream, trust me," Blue said. We landed on the ground and he put his hands up. "We aren't here to hurt you but you four need to get back to Star."

"Look I recognize you," another teenager said. An African American male named Virgil Hawkins from Dakota City that developed a power involving electricity. "Both of you, you are the good guys, two of the heroes that saved us all from the Reach."

"But, you guys just don't get it," the teen said with the power to make the giant energy man.

Blue looked at towards me before retracting his suit back to the scarab. He appeared before all of us in his civies. "No, Tye, I really do."

"Jaime?" his friend asked in wide eyed disbelief.

"Yeah, it's me," Jaime answered.

"But how?" Tye asked curiously.

"It's a long story," Jaime moved to take his sweat shirt off to show them the bright blue scarab attached to his back. "But it was started with this scarab. It was created by the Reach to both give me powers and control me. So believe me, Ese, I get it."

I gave them a sad smile, "We both do, my situation just didn't involve the Reach."

"Fine," Virgil said, "you are both one of us. Except you are flying around free as...beetles and you expect us to still be lab rats for Star."

"That's not why I am here, Virgil," I told him honestly. "I didn't know you four were sent to Star Labs. I will make sure your circumstances change. I will make sure of it."

"Yeah, just so you can leave and they get right back to the normal routine," the third male responded sarcastically.

"When I make a promise, I keep my promise," I told him in Spanish. "For now you will need to go back to Star Labs to keep you safe from the Reach."

"No, you can't take us back there," Tye argued.

"You guys trust me, I don't want you to go there where they don't understand, but right now that is the best option for you, until I find another solution."

"Yeah, what is the alternative? I let you run loose and the Reach snatches you up again?" Jaime said.

"No, we are headed to my parent's place so they can —" Virgil started.

"Get hurt or killed to protect you that's your plan?" Jaime blurted out. I put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look of warning.

Asami, the Japanese girl who hasn't spoken until now, probably because she didn't understand it, spoke. She asked if we were going to help.

"Hai, we will help you," Jaime answered.

I approached her and spoke to her in Japanese. "I know it must be hard to be surrounded by people who do not understand you but I promise we will keep you safe." She smiled and nodded her head, flashing me a smile.

"Ugh, you both speak Japanese?" Tye asked.

"Yes, except Jamie gets to cheat. His scarab translates is for him, I actually learned it," I teased. I got serious, "But look we need to get you back to Star Labs, trust me if I could bring you anywhere else I would."

"Well," Jamie said causing us all to turn to him, "I may have an idea."

"I have this buddy, Green Beetle, he helped me," Jamie said, "I think he can help you too. He's not far from here, I'll take you." He couldn't see it but under my mask I was skeptical. How could Green Beetle help them?

As we walked I placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder, "Are you sure it is a good idea to go to Green Beetle's place unannounced?"

"I'm sure he won't mind," Jamie said and quickly shoved my hand off.

We walked for a few more moments before Jaime's cell phone went off in his pocket. "Nightwing, que pasa?" he said with suspicious enthusiasm.

"Blue, your radio's down," Nightwing's annoyed voice echoed through the speaker.

"Sort of incognito at the moment," Jaime answered.

"Well armor up, the robot Red Volcano is attacking Star Taos for body parts of an android called Amazo. Probably to incorporate its tech. And since Amazo was capable of duplicating the powers of the Justice League we can't let Volcano succeed."

"But I'm on the runaway teen thing," Jaime pitifully argued, "and we've almost tracked them down."

"They will have to wait," Nightwing stated, "Zeta tubes are down so only Flash and Impulse can get there fast enough and they are both rescuing tsunami victims in Rhelasia. You and Blue Raven are the only ones close, Nightwing out."

Jaime turned to the others, "Minor setback."

"We heard," Virgil said, "Volume on your phone is maxed out."

Jaime began stuttering. I looked at them, "Look we have to go do this. I'll send Jaime ahead and bring you to a secure location, until things settle."

"Are you sure about that?" Jaime asked, "I really think they should go to Green Beetle's place."

"Yeah, well, we don't really have the time for that now do we?" I said, "Now suit up and go."

"But—"

"Blue Beelte, you are to go to Star Labs Taos where I will meet you," I ordered. "That wasn't a suggestion."

As soon as he left, I turned to the others and I could already see the wheels turning in their heads, especially Eduardo's. "My dad could be in trouble," he stated.

"Dude, you hate your dad," Tye pointed out.

"Uh, ugh, only sometimes," Eduardo argued.

"Hey, it's cool. If it were my dad nothing would keep me away," Virgil said understanding. He walked forward and placed a hand on Eduardo's shoulder, "I'm with you."

"So you want to go back to the exact place that we just escaped from?" Tye asked aggravated. "Whatever, I'm in too."

They turned to look at Asami, she looked at me expectantly. "They wish to go back to labs to help make sure Eduardo's father is safe from harm. Are you alright with going back?" I asked her in Japanese. She turned to them and made a statement about of course she would go and ended with a thumbs up gesture in their direction. They looked to me.

"We'll I'm ready to go whenever," I said with a smile. "Seriously don't look at me, I'm not going to argue with you guys. You do what you got to do."