xxMontse13xx – I wouldn't be me if I didn't leave it on a cliffhanger
Rio Skyron – I concur which is why I'm drafting the story up now.
Trado – I won't spoil the story because we are only 3 chapters in, but be careful what you wish for.
Keybladelight – we get both answers and more question after this chapter.
Andresskorskiruiz – thanks for the support! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Itachi, Conner, and M'gann all had looks of shock at the sight of Carson in this new form that she was currently in. No one knew what to say or think. Carson went to take a step forward but sudden explosions impeded her progress. They all turned to see Orphan had caught up to them and stood in between them. Itachi could tell by her body language that she was in a fight or flight type of mood.
"Father, back! Carson not right. Dangerous!" Orphan shouted as she threw another explosive at Carson. The attacked supposedly landed clean and made contact with Carson but after the smoke cleared, they all saw that she remained unharmed and with the same look of wickedness on her face. Orphan got into a fighting stance as she prepared for her next move.
'Need more fire power. Maybe if I…' Her thoughts were cut off when she felt the windpipes in her throat become restricted. She looked forward and saw Carson making a Tiger hand sign as the marking across her body began to glow an ominous black color, "Cassandra…time to die."
That was all Itachi needed to hear to be released from his shock and move into action. He leapt up into the air and shot a Fireball Jutsu. Nothing fatal, but it sure will hurt upon impact. Carson, having seen the blast coming, didn't even flinch as she raised her free hand up as if she planned on catching the raging fire blast. Itachi instead saw her hand glow violet as the fireball was absorbed into Carson until it was nothing but embers.
'No way…' Itachi followed it up by weaving hand signs and using his Phoenix Flower Jutsu since it was a wider array of attacks. Carson never moved from her spot as she held her hand out to absorb any of the fireballs that came her way. The glowing marks spread to her face as the newly absorbed chakra flowed through her. To Itachi, it reminded him of the few instance he ever saw his former leader, Pain, fight.
"Our turn." She said as she aimed her hand towards Miss Martian. The markings on her arm and hand hummed as power began to stir inside of her. An orb of chakra began to form in the palm of her hand which was set on fire. It burned so hot the flame eventually became violet, the color of the hottest flames on Earth.
Carson's smile turn into a snarl as she glared at the Martian, "You thought you fixed me but all you did was torture my mind. You can't seal the darkness. In you trying to find the truth about me, you told on yourself and showed me the truth about you. And your truth, M'gann, is that you are just like me. You pretend to be something you are not. Isn't it tiring, trying to please others? I'm tired of letting that weak girl control this body, MY body! It was actually spending time with you that helped me gain control again, bit by bit. It was thanks to your true self. You love how brutality feels and the power it gives you! Let me help burn your lies away."
She shot a beam of violet fire at M'gann with the full intention of killing her. Superboy thought fast and got in the way of the blast to shield his ex-girlfriend. It was well known that Kryptonian flesh was as hard as steel and almost impossible to burn because of it, so it was a shock to all parties as they smelt burn flesh from Superboy's back. Before he knew it, both he and Miss Martian were blasted into a tree and rendered unconscious.
She then turned her hand towards Cassandra next, "And you. You took him away from me the day he learned about you. I'll never be the first thing in his mind as long as you breathe air, so that's why you'll breathe ash!"
It was like time had slowed for Itachi. There he was watching as the love of his life was trying to actively murder his adoptive daughter. He went to attack Carson but stopped when he remembered that she was pregnant with their child. He was stuck and had no way out. Just as the violet flames were about to make contact with Orphan, a blur of blue lightning appeared and stood right in front of Cassandra. That blur was his nemesis; Ayumi Uchiha. Itachi then watched as Ayumi created a wall of Hedoro and hardened it around herself and Cassandra right before the flame could hit them.
A loud explosion could be heard when impact was met, which then was followed by a veil of smoke. Itachi immediately made a search of his surrounds. First, he checked on Miss Martian and Superboy. They were both alive but got the winds knocked out of both of them. He then checked to make sure no civilians were nearby which, thankfully, there were not. Finally, he looked for Ayumi and Cassandra. There were both safe and without a scratch. Ayumi wound up having to reinforce the wall of Hedoro with her actual Susanoo in order to protect Cassandra. Itachi sprinted towards his daughter and held her close to him while silently apologizing for not moving faster.
"Father, it okay." Cassandra said to reassure him. He then looked towards Ayumi, who was dangerously low on chakra herself, and asked why she did it. She smiled as she replied, "She is my granddaughter. I'd never allow harm to come to her."
Itachi didn't know how to respond to that but he could tell by her tone that she genuinely meant that. Before he could respond, he heard what sounded like a panicked struggle going on in Carson's direction as it looked like she was fighting with herself.
"Stop! This is my body! I won't hurt my family!" Carson shouted sounding like her normal self. But then her voice morphed into the evil force of nature that they had just got done surviving violet fire blasts from, "You shut your mouth, you weak fool! You don't know what you want!"
"I don't want to hurt my family. I will NOT hurt my family!" Carson shouted as she started gripping her arms like her life depended on it.
"They are not your family because you are not real! You're a toy doll without a soul that's been playing house this entire time. It's time to wake up! I've been the real Carson all of this time and now that I'm out, I will never go back to that dark corner of your mind…even if that means killing you. This is what it means to be despair!" The entity threatened.
"I'd die before letting you run free. Kioko, you must not be allowed to run free." Carson declared.
"And she won't!" Miss Martian shouted as she used the rest of her strength to put mental shackles on Kioko. Kioko screeched as she fought to keep control over the vessel she was possessing. Itachi couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Ayumi, isn't Kioko the name of your childhood friend that was killed by bandits? What does she have to do with Carson?"
"Her, nothing. But my daughter, who was also named Kioko, is who Carson's spirit is reincarnated from. Kioko was a small child when she died, and had all of the thoughts and impulses of one too. It seems they carried over in the worst way unlike with my son. I was trying to keep her in check, but it seems she won't even listen to her own mother." Ayumi explained.
Carson was down on her knees, gripping her head in pain as she fought to regain control. Itachi put aside any feeling of danger, much to the dismay of Cassandra, and stepped closer to his lover. He dropped down so they were at eye level and pressed his forehead against hers. This caused Kioko to summon a chakra receiving rod and run Itachi right through with it.
Everyone began to rush towards them as they saw the blood start to leak everywhere but Itachi raised a hand up to stop them in their tracks. He then opened his eyes and stared into Carson's as they locked gazes. She saw the beautiful blood red Sharingan eyes of Itachi, along with a smile as blood escaped his lips, and instantly regained control of her body.
"No, no! Baby, what have I done?!" Carson started saying as she panicked from seeing that she had stabbed him. He used his hand to pull her back to him so that they were touching foreheads again, "It's okay. I'm okay. Carson, let's go home."
That was all it took for Carson to full regain control right before passing out in Itachi's arms. Itachi carried her bridal style as the others gathered by his location. They looked around at the aftermath of the battle and wondered how it got this bad, "Itachi, what do we do now?"
Itachi turned to address Conner's question, "I'm taking her and my daughter home. Then we go back to debrief the others about what we discovered on Rann. I feel a shift in the wind. It seems our time of peace has come to an end."
"And what about Carson? How are we going to handle that? It's pretty safe to say that she's a very dangerous threat. Are we really going to just leave her be as if tonight didn't just happen?" Conner asked.
"No, she will be closely monitored…but not by the League. If they find out about who she is or what she can do, they'll lock her up without a second thought. And they would be right in doing so. But…I won't let that happen to her. M'gann, did you finish reestablishing her mental blocks?" Itachi asked.
"Yes, I even reinforced them. Kioko or whatever that freak was shouldn't come out again as long as we keep her in a stress free environment." M'gann answered which caused Ayumi to chuckle. The Martian glared at the Sharingan user, "And what's so funny?"
"Carson is pregnant. There is no such thing as a stress free environment for the next nine months." This shocked M'gann to hear. It shocked her because, most importantly, Carson was pregnant and because it wasn't Itachi who told her. But for the sake of the situation, M'gann would address the hurt she felt later.
M'gann turned to Itachi next, "And what about her? If we bring in Ayumi, it would solve a lot of headaches and bring justice to those who died at her hand."
Itachi thought about this for a second, but then began walking out of the forest with Carson as they made their way back home, "Ayumi was never here. Tonight never happened…none of it. Let her go and call it a night."
Conner and M'gann were left speechless at Itachi's answer. Itachi stopped as he looked upon Carson with sadness, "She saved my daughter's life and spared Carson from having to feel a lifetime of regret over the murder of a child. Nobody gets over that. For that reason, Ayumi bought herself a pass for just tonight. But when we next cross paths, we will get justice for all of those victims."
"Itachi, always the kind boy…just as I remembered." Ayumi said warmly. Itachi looked forward before responding, "I'm not as kind as you think. Tonight was proof that sometimes, dark and harsh decisions must be made so that others won't have to keep suffering."
"I see. I wonder what dark decision you made tonight, Itachi. I can't wait to find out." Ayumi disappeared into the night, satisfied with how things played out. Conner, M'gann, and Cassandra looked to Itachi for guidance, "I'll meet up with you before debrief. I'm taking Carson home. Carla and James will look after her until my return."
"Father, you don't have go. You injured." His daughter offered as she wanted him to be by Carson's side. He smiled at his daughter, "I'll be fine. Nothing major was punctured. Go with your aunt and uncle for now."
She nodded before walked over to the aliens' side. He gave them a silent nod before making his way back home. This left the three of them standing awkwardly as they best tried to process what just happened. It was silent before M'gann chose to speak first.
"So, Carson is pregnant. That's…a thing a now. Did you know, Conner?" She asked. He smiled as it felt good to be in the know about something concerning Itachi before M'gann was since it almost always wound up being the opposite, "Yes, he told me during the mission. I even confirmed it as I heard its heartbeat in her stomach."
This shocked M'gann, "Wow, he told you before me…that's new."
M'gann raised a brow as she could feel Conner mental high five himself. Cassandra pondered on how that was what they both took away from this night.
Over in Metropolis, Karen Beecher and Jaime Reyes were walking in the snow while heading towards a diner called Bibbo's. It was at the diner that the pair had to listen to frequent Justice League critic, G. Gordon Godfrey, rant about the lack of authenticity from the league. The core of his argument was questioning them about their knowledge or lack thereof about the Kroloteans. It was hard for them to listen to it.
The cashier grabbed two menus and offered them service, "Sit anywhere, kids. What can I-"
The man suddenly grew frightened and leapfrogged away with agility that a man his size and age shouldn't have. They knew what this could mean, 'He's a Krolotean!'
They quickly chase in pursuit of him while changing into their uniforms on the way. Now it was Blue Beetle and Bumblebee chasing after him or it as they assumed. They had to give the alien credit, it could sprint. Even with enhanced powers, they found the chase to be difficult. It didn't help that it was leaping around like an Olympic gymnast. They finally caught a break when, seemingly out of nowhere, the real Bibbo hopped out of the alley adjacent to then alien and knocked him out cold thanks to a right hook.
"There's only room for one Bibbo." The real Bibbo said as he rubbed his fist with satisfaction. Out of the imposter came a Kroloteans that ran towards the sewers to try to escape. Bumblebee quickly shot at and hit him with her lasers, but it was enough as he made it to his getaway vehicle in the sewers and blasted away to evade them. The vehicle he used created a blast of fire behind it that made further pursuit impossible. Blue was about to joke about how Bumblebee had soot all over her, but she cut him off by telling him to quickly scan for it using his alien beetle.
"Sorry, there's nothing there. He's gone…No, it would not have been preferable to vaporize him back at the diner!" Jaime said as he argued with the alien intelligence attached to him. This gave him frightened looks by Bumblebee and Bibbo as he knew he should've kept that exchange in his head.
The runaway Krolotean used the sewers to make his way back into the harbor where a sea vessel was awaiting it. It entered and was greeted by the sight of other Kroloteans and the infamous villain himself, Black Mantas.
"Welcome aboard. Dive." The vessel then dove under water to complete the escape from the League.
The next morning, Crow, Orphan, Beastboy, Superboy, and Miss Martian had joined the rest of The Team in the Star Labs facility in Taos. Nightwing, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Captain Atom were waiting as the zeta-lab opened up. Nightwing and the others immediately had questions like why they were coming from Gotham and not Rann, why Orphan was with them, and why did everyone look so banged up. Itachi quickly came up with excuses.
"I had a personal matter to attend to in Gotham, it took priority." Itachi answered. That wasn't good enough for Atom, "Priority over the security of Earth?"
"Yes." Itachi replied. Atom was about to press more about it but Nightwing cut him off, "Is everything good in Gotham? I saw on the news that there was a big battle there but the guy you were fighting was never identified? Who was it and why didn't you call for backup?"
"It was personal." Itachi said. He then looked at the others, "Orphan and Carson got an uninvited guest which led to that battle. I never got the person's name, I just rushed in once I was notified. Had Miss Martian and Superboy not been with me when I got the alert, not even they would've been involved. It's handled now."
"We need a detailed report on what happened." Wonder Woman stated. Itachi turned towards her as he spoke, "And you just got one."
Now she was about to get mad but Strange went to deescalate things, "Guys, guys! Let's get back on focus on the reason we are all here. The Kroloteans. We made a discovery back on Rann."
"Yeah! Nightwing, checkout my super cool alien souvenir!" Beastboy shouted boastfully and totally unaware of the tension in the room. M'gann gave her adoptive little brother a serious look before addressing him, "Gar, business first."
"Noted." He replied with disappointment. Nightwing addressed the whole unit, "Zeta Squad, report."
Itachi took lead, "Our mission to neutralize the Krolotean zeta platforms on Rann was a success."
"I also brought back specs of Rann to create a zeta-shield to prevent anymore aliens from beaming to Earth from off-world." Strange added.
"How will this affect our own zeta capabilities on Earth?" Atom asked. Strange reassured him that it won't due to the altitude of where the shield would be in effect. Beastboy quickly pulled on M'gann's arm to get her to speak, "Tell them about Rimbor. Tell them about the lost sixteen hours."
The Leaguers in the room had apprehensive looks now due to them fearing the extent of the damage they could have caused. They hoped it wasn't too bad…but it was. M'gann got ready to use her powers as she created a psychic link for all of them to see what her memories all entailed, "Perhaps, it would be better if I just show you."
"I successfully interrogated a Krolotean general on Rann. He paid off a member of the Rannian science command to allow the Kroloteans to land a secret base in the Rannian jungle. Once there, the Kroloteans stole zeta-platform technology from Strange's friend Sardath. They landed another ship in New Orleans and used the zeta platforms to beam a few hundred Kroloteans to Earth. They built more platforms, brought in more Kroloteans, and began abducting and replacing humans." She revealed.
"Perhaps it's all part of a future invasion, but we still don't have enough evidence to come to that conclusion." M'gann added.
"But why Earth?" Atom added. Itachi stepped forward, "I think I may be to blame. I saw the Uchiha Crest aboard one of their vessels. They know about my clan and probably about me too."
This was unsettling news. Wonder Woman quickly gathered herself and followed up on the discoveries, "What does any of this have to do with the lost sixteen hours?"
M'gann sighed, "As you know, five years ago, as a way to get us away from Itachi to prepare for the Day of Golden Light, Vandal Savage placed the entire League under his control. Six Leaguers; Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Hawkwoman went missing for sixteen hours. It turns out that you were teleported to a planet called Rimbor where you spent sixteen hours on a rampage attacking everyone and everything in sight, and announcing in several different alien languages that you were the Justice League from Earth and the rest of the galaxy should beware."
"That's why the Kroloteans came. The League itself brought Earth to their attention." She sadly revealed. The Leaguers were shocked. Wonder Woman looked especially crushed, "I don't know what to say. I have…no memory of this."
"No," Atom said as he put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, "This isn't on you. Blame Savage, the Masked Stranger, and their Light. But John, how is it that you haven't heard about this with you being a galactic officer and this is an intergalactic incident."
"No clue. Rimbor isn't a planet in my sector, but I'll head to Oa to consult with the Guardians of the Universe and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise." John Stewart swore.
"In the meantime, we still have a Krolotean force to track down on Earth. You did good work on Rann. Now we need you at the Hall of Justice." Atom informed them.
Located in Washington D.C., the Hall of Justice had become a beacon of strength and unity for the world to see. Civilians were allowed to tour it and see some of the mighty feats accomplished by the League over the years gone by. Defeated villains, averted disasters, and even retired heroes were all on display.
"And finally, we have the four surviving host bodies used by a race of alien energy beings, known as the Appellaxians, who attempted to conquer the Earth." The tour guide stated. She then walked them over to the display of the original seven, "Of course, the attack brought together Earth's mightiest heroes to form the Justice League."
"G. Gordon Godfrey is saying that the League is working with the aliens." One of the tourists whispered. The guide ignored the comment and decided to continue with the tour. On the inside of the Hall, a Krolotean was in the middle of being interrogated by Martian Manhunter and observed by Batman himself. The door opened and Miss Martian, Superboy, and Crow all entered the room.
"You both didn't have to come along." She mentally griped. Superboy defiantly responded by saying that he did.
"They know about my clan, M'gann. I need to find out how and who told them. Plus, there is something else I wish to observe." Itachi responded.
She ignored Itachi as she knew there was some underlying agenda he had for coming and addressed Batman, "This Krolotean captured by Lagoon Boy, Robin, Beatle, and Orphan?"
"Your uncle has been interrogating him for days, but simply achieving psychic translation has been difficult. In the meantime, the League and the Team have hunted the Kroloteans that had been masquerading as humans, but all have escaped capture…despite the fact that we destroyed their zeta-platforms here and on Rann, and that they apparently destroyed their own ship."
Miss Martian had already began doing her work. She, to the knowledge of no one but Itachi as he watched closely, began to tear into the Kroloteans mind until it was nothing but putty in her hands. After reducing him into drunken stupor, she easily extracted all of the information she needed from it.
"Captain Atom believes you may be of some assistance." Batman said as he turned towards her, not even see that the alien was possibly now suffering from brain damage now. M'gann had an accomplished smile on her face as she addressed him, "The Kroloteans have an emergency rendezvous point have standing orders, in case of discovery, to evacuate there. The base is inside of a volcano on Malina Island."
As helpful as he thought the information M'gann just extracted was, Itachi's main focus was the state she left the Krolotean prisoner in. He thought it was brutal and thought back to Carson when she was lost to that demented alter ego of hers back in the garden, 'You love how brutality feels.'
And based on the look Conner had, he was feeling the same about what she had just done as Itachi did; worry for their friend.
Back the said base on Malina Island, a vessel could be seen making its way to rendezvous. It emerged out of the underwater cavern to dock and disembark. Out of the vessel emerged a small unit of armed soldiers and three Krolotean escapees. They stared conversing with their kin about the status of their new alien ship and reaffirmed their plans to leave Earth.
Inside the pilot house of the vessel, the man in the Black Manta suit opened in video communication to report to his superior, another Black Manta, "We have arrived with the final shipment of Kroloteans."
"Congratulations, my son." The older Black Manta replied as the younger on removed his helmet to reveal that his identity was actually former leader of the Team; Kaldur, aka Aqualad. He a look on his face that could rival Itachi whenever he was determined, "Thank you, father. Initiating phase two."
Though it was known that he didn't leave on the best terms, none of his friends could've expected that his defect would put him on a path as dark as this.
The League and The Team were working together on this joint mission to scope out the Krolotean base.
"Remember this is primarily a recon mission. We want to discover all we can about the Kroloteans before we shut them down and deliver them to the Green Lantern Corps." Batman reiterated.
They were taking M'gann's bioship and had it in camouflage mode. Inside were Lagoon Boy, Aquaman, Batman, Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, Crow and Orphan. They were approaching the first drop-zone where the two Atlanteans were to depart. They both gave a silent nod before making their dive into the surrounding ocean. They quickly found a sealed entranced to the base and went to open it.
"Together, my king?" Lagoon Boy asked in his Atlantean tongue.
"Together, La'gaan." He confirmed before the pried the entrance open with their immense Atlantean strength and swimming inside.
Above ground, the bioship had made it to its second drop-zone. Crow and Batman went ahead to clear the guards at the entrance. Crow used a kunai with wire attached to trip up the guard furthest from him and used his to trip the other two up as well before they knew what hit them. They all had specially made helmets to shield their eyes so genjustu couldn't be used on them, too bad for them that meant brute force would be used for incapacitation.
The final guard heard when Crow finished off the last guy and turned toward the direction of the ruckus. He saw his three fellow guards knocked out on the ground and instantly went for his radio. He turned to get it, but was met with a swift right jab by Batman himself.
"Let's go." The Dark Knight ordered as Nightwing and the sidekicks followed himself and Crow inside.
The base was crawling with Kroloteans and their mecha-spiders working diligently to repair their ship so they could leave the planet. The grunts were lamenting on their lost chance to make a great profit off of Earth, blaming the Earthlings for discovering them. His companion disputed that claim, instead accusing an unknown player in the game who is called the Competitor. It was a big deal amongst the Kroloteans as none of them were even supposed to know who the Competitor is, let alone that they were on this world. But it made sense to one of them as they couldn't guess anyone else who would hire the Main Man to expose them like how he did. He even revealed that he was attacked by a Competitor warrior last night along with an Earthling who took after a bee.
Kaldur was overseeing the entire operation. It was time for a conditions check, "All sectors, report status, now."
"Sector one is secure."
"Sector two is secure."
"Sector four is secure."
The gap in sectors lit up a red flag in Kaldur's mind, "Sector three, report status, now. Sector three, report!"
This made him very concerned as he decided to investigate the issue personally. Aquaman and Lagoon Boy could see Black Manta as he departed his ship, along with the rest of the base. It wasn't just them; Crow, Nightwing, and the others all had infiltrated the base and were stealthily converging in. And Kaldur saw each and every one of them, 'So you're here. You have to do better than that to get me.'
He turned his coms on and spoke to his security force, "Intruders…upper level and in the water!"
He then let out a fierce energy beam into the water below where he had pinpointed the two Atlanteans. Kaldur just barely missed them. As he did that, his guard force had found where the others were hiding and started firing on them. The shot at Robin and Orphan first, but two of them were ambushed and knocked by Batman via roundhouse kicks to the head.
Crow weaved hand signs and shot out a Fireball Jutsu at the platform below to take about for more guards out of play. As he did that, two guards tried to shoot him from behind, but Nightwing and Batgirl came in with an assist and took them both down. Robin and Orphan recovered in time to get in on the action as they took two unsuspecting guards by surprise. Robin, by using his staff to easily dispatch with one, and Orphan, as she punched another's head into the wall before throwing him over the nearby rail.
Black Manta's security force joining him in shooting into the water to try and snuff the Atlanteans out. Aquaman and Lagoon Boy both exploded out of the water to sneak attack the security unit shooting at them. The Kroloteans backed away in fear of being found out and quickly ran to their mechs to join the fight. Lagoon Boy saw one approaching him and went into attack mode by leaping into the air and destroying it with his raw power.
Behind the scenes, a hidden person quietly places a device on a nearby stanchion, turned it on, and departed before he was found out. The Bat family had all they could handle as the guards kept coming and coming. Batman quickly dodge to shots from a blaster and countered by delivering a straight right cross to knockout a nearby goon. Nightwing and Batgirl had finished off the goons on their currently level and used their maneuver seven to launch Batgirl to the next platform up so that she could begin clearing that level. She could even see that Robin was on the level above them doing his part with Orphan nearby to watch his back.
Some guards on a higher level had Batman pinned down so Crow decided to give an assist by throwing a kunai with a paper-bomb attached underneath where they were standing. It blew up the platform and sent the guards hurdling down to the ground, which got Crow and nod of appreciation form Batman.
Down below Black Manta did everything he could to salvage the situation by blasting whatever hero he could see. Aquaman saw his enemy and attacked him before anyone else got hurt. He did a leaping punch at the villain but it was blocked and the king was met with an energy beam that blast him several feet back in pain. Manta took this time to radio in his partner.
"Manta to Partner. The base has been infiltrated. I'm aborting the mission." He declared.
"Partner to Manta. The device is already primed. You have five minutes. Get your men out and the bomb will take care of the rest." He partner responded as he revealed that it was him who was sneaking around earlier and the device he set was in fact a bomb.
"Perfect." Kaldur said as he got ready to make his next move. He started his retreat as he sent out his orders to his men, "Manta to all troopers. The endgame is enabled. I'm ordering a strategic retreat to the Manta flyer. You have four minutes!"
The troops heard the message and, one by one, started to make their way to Black Manta's ship. Nightwing saw this and quickly went to his coms, "Nightwing to Delta Squad. The enemy is attempting escape. Requesting back up now."
Just as Itachi made this call, a heat ray could be seen blasting through the cave walls to destroy a mecha-spider that was attacking Aquaman. Soon after that a hole was blasted in the wall as Superman, Superboy, Wonder Woman, and Wonder Girl all came flying in to help prevent the escape.
"Nice aim." Aquaman commented towards his friend. Superman shrugged it off, "X-ray vision. I kind of cheated."
Superboy was ready to get into action, "Superman, let's do a triple combo attack!"
Superman lifted his clone up and threw him in the vicinity of three mechs, which Superboy was able to destroy with ease since he now had experience with them from the trip on Rann. He then made it a quadruple when he ran into a demolish one that was approaching from behind much to the approval of Superman.
"A quadruple combo…nice." Superman praised. Superboy shook his head, "If you think that was night, just wait until you see what I do next."
This got a chuckle form Superman as he used his heat vision and to destroy the mechs at larger distances. Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl also joined in as Wonder Woman used her lasso to tie up one of the mechs and sent it crashing into the wall using her god-like strength. This got Wonder Girl distracted.
"You are amazing! You just, you just…whoosh and then and then, and then, bam!" Wonder Girl expressed as she lost track of where she was. A mecha-spider tried to shoot at her while she was distracted but was intercepted and blocked by Wonder Woman. This got her scolded.
"A little lest fan girl and a little more Wonder Girl." The heroin said as she black laser blasts. The young hero was red with embarrassment before she recovered, "Right, sorry."
She then flew into action by using her own lasso and tied to the head of one of the attacking mechs, she then used her strength to yank its head from the rest of the machine and pulled it towards her, and finally launched its head at the other mecha-spider to destroy it. A true sight for a warrior.
Away from the action, two Krolotean went to a console and pulled out what looked to be a memory card from it without being seen before making their own exit. Time was winding down as Black Manta kept providing covering fire to get as many of his soldier to the vessel as possible for the escape.
"Three minutes to departure!" Black Manta was too busy with the cover fire to see Crow deliver a powerful kick that both sent him to the ground and knocked his helmet off. When his face was revealed, it was confirmed that Black Manta was now Kaldur. Itachi confronted his friend, no, his brother as Aquaman, Lagoon Boy, and Orphan soon joined him.
Kaldur looked both annoyed and enraged at having his mask removed and seeing the sight of his old comrades. Aquaman and Lagoon Boy were both shocked from having seen Kaldur in the black Manta suit, Orphan has a look of hurt from seeing someone she referred to as her uncle fighting on the bad side, and Itachi merely stared ahead as he knew this day would come after how their last mission ended.
"I had not believed Nightwing until this moment." Aquaman said with hurt in his voice. That hurt only made Kaldur angrier as he responded, "You did not WANT to believe!"
"None of us wanted to believe this." Conner said he saw his friend for the first time in a lifetime. Now, he wish he hadn't, "How could you betray us?"
"You dare question me?! After that so called hero over there let Tula die!" Kaldur shouted as his aimed his hydrokenitic weapons at Itachi with eyes that burned so hot that the Earth itself seemed like wit would burn away. The others couldn't believe that Kaldur blamed Itachi for a Team decision.
"Kaldur, that was a mission. Aquagirl knew the risks when you recruited her." Itachi shot back. It was Kaldur's turn to get personal, "It was not enough that you got Jason killed by the Joker because of his obsession with you! You had to go and get Tulia killed as well! You meant the world to her! I wonder who you will kill next. Nightwing, maybe your daughter, Orphan? Maybe this time Carson will die because of the decision you make. Or…maybe it'll be you unborn child."
This got everyone to turn towards Itachi as he kept his eyes squarely on Kaldur. The Atlantean smiled as it seems none of them knew by the looks on their faces, "That's all you're good for Itachi; getting loved ones killed. It is no wonder your brother grew up hating you."
Now that was crossing the line to Cassandra, "Uncle Kal, how you say that?! I not forgive you!"
Night wing dropped down to join the group, "Kaldur, it wasn't just on Itachi. We ALL played a part on that day."
"His lead, his mission, his call, his choice. That failure and Tula's death is on Itachi Uchiha." Kaldur responded.
"No one wanted her to-" Dick was cut off by an enraged Lagoon Boy. The Atlantean started powering up the more he got angry, "Neptune's beard! Don't coddle this traitor. He joined forces with our King's greatest enemy."
"Do you mean the King who hid from me the true identity of my father? I bear no loyalty to him or that kingdom he rules over. I am not like Itachi. I cannot betray and murder my own father in the name of a lie." He coldly responded.
Aquaman felt hurt for Itachi as Kaldur wasn't pulling any punches with his words, "That was my error in judgment, Kaldur'ahm. No one else need suffer for it."
Kaldur then turned his glare towards his former king, "All will suffer if Black Manta demands it. Blood is thicker than seawater."
He then fired a missile at Orphan's direction. Superman quickly moved to action and blocked it before it could make contact with her. Kaldur used the smoke from the explosion to make his escape as time was ticking away from the bomb, but he wasn't the only one on the move. He slid down to where the bomb was placed but was met by Nightwing and Crow.
"Kaldur." Crow whispered as he and Nightwing emerged from the shadows. Kaldur quickly turned towards them, "I get the two of you alone now, my old friends."
"No," Superboy shouted as he made his way down too. He used his x-ray vision to follow after them, "it's a regular reunion special."
Itachi wasn't expecting Superboy to follow. Kaldur quickly responded to the clone, "Fine, you can take me down…or you can save everyone from this bomb. I am told the yield is quite impressive. Even able to blow past a Susanoo."
This made Superboy charged at Kaldur but he was emotional and easily dispatched. Kaldur gave him a chop to the neck, tripped him to the ground, and started to choke him while applying electricity from his suit. Crow and Nightwing ran to assist them but Kaldur let off of Superboy on his own before giving a final warning, "You have two minutes."
He then dove into a nearby pool of water as he made his escape. Back at the Flying Mantas, the security force was getting ready to get away. Wonder Girl and Lagoon Boy were about to give chase when Crow called them off, "Negative. There's bomb in the base and time is ticking away. It's of alien origin so I can't disarm it."
"I'll get it out." Superboy offered. Itachi quickly waved him off, "We don't know how it works. The moment you touch or attempt to move it could mean setting it off. We can't risk the children. All squads, evacuate to Bioship, now!"
Kaldur was already ahead of it as he met his vessel outside of the base and successfully made his escape. Batman quickly began gathering the others, "You heard Crow, move!"
Everyone started to make their exit with the hopes of escaping the blast radius. Superman stopped and tried to urge the left behind Kroloteans to leave too before they were caught in the blast. As the other made it to the Bioship, there were greeted by two Kroloteans. One of them spoke and sounded just like M'gann. It even said her signature, "Hello Megan. I knew we forgot something."
They both then changed to their hero forms and revealed that they were in fact Miss Martian and Martian Manhunter. It was them that were at the console retrieving the hard drive from it. Batman greeted them as he secured the device, "Well done, Alpha Squad."
"Find a seat. It's time to go." Miss Martian ordered. Superboy looked around and noticed that they had two missing passengers, "Wait, Superman and Crow, where are they?"
This made Cassandra worried because she knew exactly what her father would be doing in a time like this, 'Showing far too much compassion and mercy.'
Back in the base, the pair had stayed behind to try and convince the aliens to leave before the blast goes off, "I'm not trying to hurt you! A bomb is set to explode beneath this base. There are too many of you for myself and Crow to carry individually, even with his Susanoo. But if you board your ship, he and I will fly you all to safety."
They responded to Superman's plea by shooting at him. They shouted in their native tongue to not trust the Earthlings. Crow shielded himself from the lasers using his Susanoo but Superman caught the brunt of it.
'We're running out of time. Less than thirty seconds. I need them alive to ask them about how they know my clan.' Itachi lamented.
"Please, accept our help!" Crow shouted. But the lasers kept coming. And just like that, bomb went off and consumed the entire island. All Itachi could do was look up at Superman before everything went bright and the heat started to rise.
The Bioship was several kilometers away from the island and it still was caught in the radius. M'gann's superb flying got them through it, but it was still a close call. Through it all, Cassandra had one thought, 'Please be alive, father.'
Miss Martian looked back at her niece and sighed because from this range, she couldn't tell if her friend was alive or not. Above the explosion, Itachi's Perfect Susanoo could be seen, or what's left of it, as it had Superman in its grip. Itachi was able to conjure it just mere moments before the blast caught him. It was badly damaged.
The Susanoo had its left wing completely singed off with its right wing just barely hanging on to keep them in flight. The headpiece to the Susanoo was all but destroyed. Its armor was cracked all over, leaving the Susanoo exposed in a way it hasn't been since it went up against Ayumi's Susanoo. The most damaged was its lower extremities. Its left leg had been blown off completely with the right one looking mangled. It's probably because Itachi's Susanoo forms from the head down, so when the blast went off, and the legs probably weren't properly formed yet, it gave way to this amount of damage being done to it.
Itachi only had scrapes and a few cuts, but Superman's suit was in bad shape as he also got hit with the blast before Itachi could get to him. Eventually, the Susanoo gave way and fully disintegrated. Crow and Superman fell into the ocean beneath them as a result.
M'gann flew the Bioship to their location and had Aquaman retrieve them before anything else could happen. Orphan quickly went to her father and gave him a hug as she was glad he was okay.
"He's breathing and his pulse is strong. He'll be alright." Wonder Woman said to update them on his status.
"We couldn't save those Kroloteans. He won't be alright with that…and neither am I." Crow responded with a partly bitter tone in his voice. He thought back to Carson, 'Will I be too slow to save you from the explosion waiting to happen in your heart too…'
"What just happened?" Wonder Girl asked. Itachi took a seat before answering, "The Kroloteans were trying to build a new ship. They were trying to leave Earth. We took their other options away when we blew up their zeta-platforms and original ship. It seems that Kaldur promised them assistance in building a new way to escape, but I don't think that was his true intention. Not based from a bomb that is powerful enough to blast chunks off of my Susanoo in its strongest form."
"The bomb was clearly alien in origin, but the Kroloteans had no knowledge of it being there. So where did it come from?" Nightwing asked. Batman kept a calm voice as he prepared for the next move, "I have a feeling it may be up to you and your Team to find out."
They didn't know what Batman meant by that, but it couldn't be good. Itachi already had one guess as to who was behind all of this, 'The Light. This has their thumbprints written all over it.'
Back at the Flying Mantas, Kaldur'ahm was able to give his father an update on how the mission went as he was able to dock into an even larger vessel. Kaldur went into the private quarters of the man who was responsible for his new transformation, the original Black Manta
"Father." Kaldur greeted as he saw his father enjoying his dinner. The man looked up at his son and spoke with pride, "Congratulations, son. You did well. I don't suppose Aquaman died in the explosion."
"Unlikely." Kaldur answered honestly. This made his father sigh before wiping the leftover food from the corner of his lips, "Pity…if you'll excuse me."
He put on his Black Manta helmet to convene with the members of The Light, who had just called for an emergency meeting. Seven figures appeared on the screen; Tikal, Queen Bee Brain, Lex Luthor, Ra's Al Ghul, Vandal Savage, and Masked Stranger.
"Good Morning, Black Manta. The Krolotean's competitor, our new Partner, is quite pleased with your efforts. And so is The Light. All agree we made the right choice…asking you to replace poor, disgraced Ocean Master. You are officially one with The Light." Masked Stanger informed as Black Manta smiled behind his mask as his ambitions grew one step closer to being fulfilled.
The Team and League had returned to the shores of Mount Justice to regroup and carry out their next move. Each sidekick was saying goodbye as their individual mentor got ready to set out to clear their name.
"I wish I could come with you." Wonder Girl said with disappointment. Wonder Woman had a sad smile as she replied, "I doubt your mother would approve of that. And only the six of us who stand accused need to take this odyssey…though Hawkman insists on accompanying his spouse, Hawkwoman, and Icon will act as our advocate...for it seems he is familiar with intergalactic trial law."
As she said that they could see Icon hugging Rocket. Captain Atom went over to John and asked if this was truly necessary for them to do, "The Guardians of the Universe seem to think so. They've sent Guy ahead to make sure the so-called High Court of Rimbor will know that we come in peace. And to know that we expect a fair trial."
"How long will you be gone for?" Superboy asks Superman. The Kryptonian put a hand on his younger brother's shoulder, "However long it takes to clear our names, Kon-El. But, we will be back, little brother."
"I'll miss you." M'gann said while hugging her uncle.
"And I, you, M'gann. Oh, perhaps you could water the plants in my apartment while I am gone?" He asked of his niece which she gleefully agreed to.
"Be careful, alright?" Nightwing said to his adoptive father. Batgirl and Robin also were there for support, "I was about to say the same to you three. I fear we leave the more dangerous task here on Earth."
The three members of the Bat-family smiled at each before offering him reassurance, "We'll manage."
Batman's face grew somber as he looked towards Crow and Orphan, "Nightwing, look after Crow. He and I…after Jason, may not be on the best of terms but I still realize how much the world needs him…how much we all need him. He's carried such a heavy burden and lost so much. And now it seems Carson is pregnant with his child according to Aqualad. There's no telling the amount of stress he'll be under. I may not know the details, but that recent battle he had in Gotham proves he still needs us too. Don't let him push you away and deal with it on his own. Be there for him in the way I never could."
"You don't have to worry about Itachi. He's as much my brother as you are my father. And that means that Cassandra is also my niece. I won't let them go through it all alone. That's what family is for." Nightwing said as Batgirl and Robin agreed with him. That answer seemed to satisfy Batman because he walked off to join the other Leaguers.
Itachi was off to the side with Cassandra as they discussed what their next move will be, "Father, you join League on trip? Help clear name?"
"No, I trust that the Justice League can handle that on their own. My place is here with you, the Team, and Carson." He replied as she ran to hug him.
"Father, Carson she…what we do?" Cassandra asked. Itachi took is mask off and gave her a kind smile, "You don't worry about that. You're a child. A very skilled and talented child, but a child nonetheless. Let the adults worry about adult things. I'll take care of Carson and the baby."
"Mikoto. Baby a girl, I know. We name her Mikoto after grandma." She said. Itachi smiled at her. He knew there was no arguing with Cassandra when her mind was made up, "Fine, Mikoto it is."
His daughter smiled before she back away and a look of seriousness appeared on her face as she looked ahead, "Father, what Uncle Kal said. He pay. I never forgive him."
Itachi saw the look of hatred in her eyes and knelt down so that they were at eye level. He then motioned for her to come towards him, which she obliged, and then proceeded to flick her on the forehead. It made her rub her forehead in annoyance and ask why he did it, "Remember what I told you about reality and fantasy? Each of us lives dependent and bound by our own individual knowledge and awareness. The things that all combine to be what we deem as correct and true…that is what we call reality. However, both knowledge and awareness are equivocal. One's reality may be another's illusion. We all live in fantasies, it could be a fantasy created by our own doing or by that of another's."
"But what Uncle Kal said no illusion. He really said it. And him being a traitor no illusion. He really is. And if he threaten you, I kill him. That is reality." She replied with anger.
"Don't let the hate of our clan consume you, my daughter. You must strive for peace and justice, as we all do. Even your Uncle Kal still does. You say you will kill him for threatening me, your family, and your beliefs, and while that may be justice for your reality…what about Kaldur's reality and his justice?" Itachi asked his daughter.
"I…I don't understand, father." She replied with confusion the anger she felt subsided. Itachi looked towards the ocean where he believed Kaldur escaped to, wondering if he made it out of the blast in time. He then turned back to address his daughter.
"What about his family, his loved ones, or his beliefs? Tula, the woman he was in love with, died because of a decision I made. Kaldur'ahm grew up living in a lie, someone else's fantasy, because of a decision his king made. How is it fair to let only us preach about peace and justice? Because we wear costumes and save a few people from time to time? That doesn't justify doing wrong unto others and Kaldur feels wronged. And he is. I never should have let Tula go through with her plans to buy us time for escape, but I wanted to save as many people as I could. Her death was…is on me. And I live with it just like I do with Jason…and so does Kaldur. Try to image a reality where the one you love the most doesn't exist anymore…that darkness Kaldur must feel. We all moved on, not even noticing that he was drowning in that darkness. The only who noticed and reached out to him was his father, and we are all to blame for that. Those of us that called him brother, but did nothing to help the hurt in his heart. What he did to us was no different from what we do when we feel wronged, we are all the same when it comes to the pain of loss. Just as you strive to protect your reality, Kaldur strives to protect what is left of his. Kaldur is no traitor to me, he is and will always be my brother. Just like how Naruto once pulled your Uncle Sasuke from the darkness, we can do that same for him. But to seek vengeance in the name of justice is how the Uchiha Clan fell, how your grandfather fell. We can't continue to live in that cycle. The past can't be how our future will be. We must learn how to understand each other through the pain of it all. Hate may rule this world, but compassion and sacrifice is how we beat it. Show your uncle the compassion that I know is in your heart, Cassandra."
"I…I don't know what to say." Cassandra said as she was speechless. She wasn't the only one; Superman, Superboy and Miss Martian all heard his speech to Cassandra. They couldn't believe Itachi really didn't blame Kaldur for this and that he still wished to help his friend despite what happened today. It reminded them of how kind Itachi was.
"Cassandra, think about this. The next time you see your uncle, what would you do to confront the darkness in his heart to restore his peace?" He asked her.
She looked down from him and started to contemplate on it, 'I really…don't know what I'd do. Violence, is all I know. Father, I'm not like you. I don't have compassion or kindness.'
He knew she was in deep thought and turned to leave her to it. Itachi figured she would only come up with an answer on her own. The Justice League went over to Green Lantern as he got ready to transport them to Rimbor. Wonder Woman wished the Team their best as they began their journey across space. Superman looked at Itachi wished peace for him as he knew that it would only get harder for the young man.
Itachi battled eternally as he too had a decision to come to, 'Carson, when the time comes…I wonder what I will do to combat the darkness in your heart. No…I already made that decision, didn't I.'
That's it for this chapter! It took a while but I hope you all like it. It was a lot to unpack in it. Everything from the aftermath of the battle with Carson in Gotham to seeing Aqualad as Black Manta, and even Itachi giving Cassandra important information and clues to think about. Not all is what it seems. The League has gone to clear their name which has left mainly the Team as the guardians of the Earth. This will take them growing up fast to face the true dangers that await them. I enjoyed reading your reviews and hope they continue to come in. If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to PM me so we can talk about them. Until next time guys and gals!