Chapter Eight — Before the True Fix

"If I knew your pain I would bare it."


Arley had fought in wars, she'd been in the thick of battle and her life had been on the line more times then she could ever count; but never before had she been in more danger then when she had stepped foot onto the Reach's ship.

Thousands and thousands of years ago, long before the first Green Lantern ring had ever come to Earth there had been a war between the Green Lantern Corps and an alien species called the Reach. The Reach were an insectoid species of alien conquerors, they were killers on their best days and warlords on their worst and that had been why the Guardians had sent their forces— their Corpsman —to battle them.

The Corps had won, after years and years of what had seemed like an endless war— and after entire generations of Lanterns had been slain —and with their victory the Guardians had forced the Reach to sign a peace treaty that not only exiled them to Tribunal space but forbade them from ever stepping foot in Guardian territory unless invited by whatever planets government was hosting them.

The treaty also forbade any Lantern from staying on the planet the Reach had been invited too; if the Reach discovered Arley— if they found out she was a Lantern working undercover and if they found out she knew they were on Earth without any governments explicit permission; violating the treaty they had signed —they wouldn't just kill her like the Light would, they would make an example out of her.

Put her head on a pike and use it as a warning for all other Lanterns who thought of violating the treaty.

"Your ship is most impressive Ambassador. As are your people," Kaldur said as the Ambassador led them further into his ship.

Arley walked behind Kaldur and the Ambassador; her hand stayed on the hilt of her chain scythe and her eyes flitted to the various members of the Reach that walked in and out of the corridor. The bright lights that shone over head made the shadows stretch out across the hall and the undercover Lantern more nervous with every passing movement.

There was a thin line between paranoia and vigilance and Arley knew she was toeing it, but aboard the Reach ship, with no way of contacting Dick so that he could let Hal or Guy or even Kyle— the Lantern that had temporarily taken her place —know that the Reach had violated the treaty there was nothing Arley could do but keep her cover and dangerously toe the line between paranoia and vigilance.

"Thank you," The Ambassador said cordially, "These are our labs, we are most dedicated to researching the human meta-gene." Arley's fingers curled around the handle of her weapon as they turned right; their footsteps echoed throughout the hall.

"Meta-gene?" Kaldur asked. He fell a step behind the Ambassador and Arley stepped closer to her former leader; Kaldur smelled of seaweed and sand even though he hadn't been to a beach or in the water since they had destroyed Mount Justice and kidnapped Jaime, Bart and Garfield.

Arley's eyes swept along the tall purple walls; the three young heroes— and La'gaan —had to be in the ship somewhere.

"A genetic marker," The Ambassador explained, "It indicates the potential of an individual human to survive catastrophic physical trauma by adapting new abilities." The three of them came to a stop outside of a metal door; slowly, and with loud clanking sounds, the door opened.

"In other words Ambassador, the meta-gene allows certain humans to develop superhuman powers?" The Ambassador didn't answer, instead he turned and waved his arm towards the room, ushering both Kaldur and Arley in.

Arley stepped between both Kaldur and the Ambassador, leaving the alien to be the last one to enter the room. With more clanking sounds, the door shut behind them.

There were pods— the same pods that not only Queen Bee had been using to keep the kids she had kidnapped but La'gaan and the boys had been put into —that lined the outer parts of the room. There were a dozen different children in the pods; all of them were unconscious. In the middle of the room, at the large control panel, there was another Reach in the room. Their back was turned but the top of their head was bald and their figure was much more slender than that of the Ambassadors.

"Kaldur'ahm, Morningstar, this is the scientist in charge of all meta-gene research," The Ambassador introduced. The Scientist turned and with a sly look the alien smirked at both Arley and Kaldur; it reminded Arley of the look she would see lions wearing before pouncing on their meal. It was predatorial.

Arley had never been more aware of the fact her ring was no longer on her finger then in that moment. The young woman's knuckles turned white under her gloves as she held the hilt of her chain scythe tightly in her grasp, waiting to defend herself and Kaldur from an attack.

"I understand you are responsible for providing several of our test subjects. Gratitude." Behind the Scientist there was a picture of chromosomes on the computer screen.

Kaldur bowed his head in acknowledgement; Arley simply pressed her lips more firmly together. There were several dusty bookshelves in the Hall of Great Service back on, each of the shelves full of books on a planet or people who had been destroyed by the Reach.

"I assume it would interest you both in knowing that in this lab we are attempting to isolate this meta-gene by stimulating potentially dormant powers in average humans." Kaldur stepped away and Arley followed in his wake as he traveled the line of kidnapped children; Shimmer was in one of the pods. Arley and Kaldur stopped at La'gaans pod.

"But La'gaan already has powers. He is Atlantean, hardly an average human," Kaldur said; his face was unreadable to those who hadn't known him for years but to Arley it was an open book, the undercover Lantern could see the regret in the Atlanteans eyes and she could see the apology on the tip of his tongue and she could see him fighting back every instinct he had to save La'gaan and the other children in the curl of his fist.

The Scientist stepped up to them so that she too could look at La'gaan. Arley shuffled closer to Kaldur.

"But his powers are based on training in sorcery," the Scientist said. "Beyond that he is an average Atlantean is he not?" The Scientist stepped away and nodded her head for Kaldur and Arley to follow; they did. The Scientist led the two undercover heroes and the Ambassador to an adjoining room.

Arley felt her body freeze the minute the doors rolled open and Bart Allen and Garfield Logan's screams reached her ears. Kaldur's hand discreetly shot out before Arley could take a step forward and his fingers wrapped around her wrist.

They had a mission to do; any misstep could be their folly and for a moment Arley found it hard to care, Bart and Garfield were in pain and Jaime was yet to be seen. But she had too— Arley had to care —because if she was discovered Kaldur would be too. Arley pushed her shoulders back and squared them and Kaldur let her wrist go before he stepped fully into the room.

"Here we study humans with active meta-genes and how they respond to various levels of stress. The goal is to learn if their abilities are able to be extracted or duplicated."

"I see," Kaldur said with a stony voice, "You seek to weaponize the meta-gene." The Scientist smirked and turned to the Ambassador,

"You never mentioned he was clever." And with that the Scientist stepped forward, she brushed past Arley and the Ambassador followed; Arley and Kaldur hesitated for a moment to catch up and instead looked at the two screaming teens.

The Scientist and Ambassador lead the pair across the hall, to another lab. The Scientist paused in the doorway. "A pleasure meeting you Kaldur'ahm, Morningstar." And with that the door closed shut, leaving just Arley, Kaldur and the green and teal member of the Reach to stand in the deserted corridor.

"Blue Beetle is unaccounted for," Arley said, her eyes narrowed. She felt Kaldur click his heels together; his body tensioned next to her. "Is he inside there?"

Arley liked Jaime— Jaime didn't have a mentor, Ted had died the day Jaime got the scarab and so Arley, who knew what it was like to have some random piece of technology stick itself to your skin at an incredibly young age, had done what she could to help the teen find his footing in the world of heroes and villains; she had taken him under her wing when she could —and perhaps she had to kidnap him for a mission but she wasn't just going to leave him in the hands of the Reach.

Not when she knew what they were capable of.

The Ambassador's eyes narrowed back at Arley.

"That particular laboratory doesn't concern you or your masters, and frankly neither does Blue Beetle, he may be human but he is of the Reach." A silent roar vibrated through Arley's chest, her blood rushed and the young woman went to open her mouth only for Kaldur to hold his hand up in front of her; his fingers curled into a fist.

"Hold your tongue Morningstar," Kaldur said. Arley sucked a sharp breath of air in through her nose; the Ambassador pivoted on his heel and started down the corridor, Arley sent her friend a sharp look to which he replied with an equally sharp one.

Later; Kaldur had all but said, Not now, but later.

Arley pressed her lips together and looked at the floor, the same way a scolded child would and began to follow Kaldur as he started to walk after the Ambassador. The Ambassador turned his head,

"And the new shipment?"

"Arriving soon, my father's best men are personally overseeing everything."

"Perfect."

Arley saw— as both she and Kaldur met with the Scientist in the docking bay —both Barbra Gordan and Tim Drake in two pods Black Manta's men had rolled in and off of a Manta Flyer. She quickly averted her eyes away from the two.

The team was there; Kaldur had told her he had passed a flash drive of information to Dick before they had destroyed Mount Justice but he hadn't told her of any planned attacks. The dark haired woman took a look at her friend and when she caught sight of his sea foam green eyes frozen on Tim's podded figure Arley quickly figured out he hadn't known about Dicks plan either.

Arley rolled her shoulders; making things up as they fell apart was something Hal Jordan had helped her perfect early on in her tenure as a Lantern.

Arley and Kaldur followed a member of the Reach out of the docking bay and towards the second docking bay where they had entered the ship. The pair of them, and the member of Reach they had started to follow had only managed to get down the first corridor before loud alarms started to blare.

The alien who the Ambassador had passed them off to looked alarmed as they looked up at the ship's ceiling.

"What's that alarm for?" Kaldur questioned knowingly.

"Break out; something has happened to one of the pods and now a subject is loose," the alien said, their clipboard hugged close to their chest. Kaldur pressed his lips together and he looked to Arley.

"Follow me," Kaldur ordered, Arley nodded curtly back. As if she was going to do anything but stick to his side. The member of the Reach looked at the two undercover heroes with wide eyes,

"Follow-where do you think you're going?" Arley looked back at the alien with half a snarl on her face,

"You have an escaped prisoner do you not?" Arley snipped, "We're going to catch them, so how about you run along and get back to your chemistry set."

The aliens' chest puffed up but before they could snap anything back both Arley and Kaldur had turned and started off down the hallway. The pair of them stopped running several corridors down; they passed the broken laboratories and paused when they saw the shattered door that had once led to the room Bart and Garfield had been in.

"Who do you think?" Arley asked, "Superboy or—"

"—Would you allow someone else to save someone you considered family?" Kaldur asked quietly in a knowing tone, "It's M'gann."

Arley nodded and looked at Kaldur.

"I guess we should go stop them then, huh bossman?" Kaldur smirked. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, one Arely hadn't seen since before Tula— Aquagirl —had died. Arley couldn't help but grin at the sight.

"I suppose we should." And with that they started off towards the docking bay where they both knew the team and the kidnapped teens would be, only to be met face to face with both M'gann and Garfield. Arley and Kaldur's eyes widened; they hadn't actually expected to run into anyone, they planned on being too late.

M'gann's eyes narrowed.

"You!" M'gann shouted thickly; the Martian's hands swept out in front of her and her eyes glowed green. Arley, when she tried to rush forward, flew back into the wall behind her; Arley's head hit the wall and for a moment, when she landed she saw black— Kaldur's knees buckled under him; the Atlantean let out an agonizing scream —and then a moment later when she was sure her eyes were open she saw M'gann dropping to her knees and Kaldur slumped forward.

"Kaldur!" Arley rushed to her feet and over to Kaldur; the Atlantean's eyes were glossed over as he looked at nothing; Arley, as she felt her mind splinter, looked at M'gann.

"M'gann," Arley bemoaned in her mind, "What have you done?"

"I thought—" M'gann let out a sobbing sound, "—I thought he deserved it. I thought he killed you."

Garfield looked away from the alien he called a sister and leapt towards Arley and a drooling Kaldur, the changeling shifted into a tiger in midair and Arley— who's focus had snapped away from her friend —looked at the young teen.

Beast Boy let out a ground shaking roar and Arley snatched several smoke bombs from her belt and threw them at the floor; as thick black smoke filled the corridor Arley slipped Kaldur over her shoulders, the same way firefighters did.

"I'll take mine and you take yours, count yourself lucky kid," Arley snapped at the green tiger before she took off towards where she knew her and Kaldurs ship was.

Safety; as odd and as wrong as it sounded, Arley had to get Kaldur to safety and at that moment that meant getting him to his father, Black Manta.

"What happened!" Black Manta rushed out as he took Kaldur from Arley; Arley had dragged Kaldur back aboard the main ship in Black Manta's miniature fleet, his eyes were glazed over and two dozen of Manta's men had been left on the Reach's ship but— in Arley's mind, at that very second —none of that mattered because he was safe from further harm.

Manta cradled Kaldur in his arms, the three of them were in the Manta ships docking bay; Manta's helmet was off and there was a soft and tender— fatherly —look on his face as he looked down at his son. Arley's ears still rang and her heart beat just as fast as any Central City could run.

"We were attacked; the team-the one Kaldur'ahm was on before," Arley gritted out, her head still spinning, "They attacked the Reach's ship. The Martian girl she found Kaldur'ahm, did whatever this is to him."

"And where were you?" Black Manta spit, "What happened to protecting him!"

"I tried!" Arley shouted, there was a shrill note to her tone and the henchmen in the docking bay stilled. Black Manta reeled back, Arley doubted anyone actually shouted at him anymore. "I was right there and-I couldn't stop her, one second I'm next to him and the next I'm halfway across the corridor and he's like this! I didn't even get a chance—" Arley cut herself off as her throat tightened.

Tears welled up in her eyes; M'gann had done this— she had destroyed Kaldurs mind —for her.

This had been her fault.

"I tried," Arley said, softer, and Manta breathed. Arley lowered herself to the ground— on the other side of Kaldur —and she placed her hand on his arm; forgetting all about how Rosalie Dembitzer and Kaldur'ahm were supposed to be two people who had saved the other's life and simply fought together against the side of good, and not life long friends like she and Kaldur actually were.

"Kaldur," she sniffled, "I'm so—" Arley stopped herself. She grabbed Kaldur's hand and squeezed it. "Oh Kal."

It had been over a week since M'gann had brain blasted Kaldur and Arley hardly left the comatose Atlanteans room. Trapped like a rat and surrounded by enemies hadn't been so bad when she knew she had Kaldur on her side; at least then Arley knew she had a chance to see Wally again, but with him bedridden and nothing more than a drooling vegetable Arley felt more open— more vulnerable —then she had on the Reach's ship.

Moby Dick sat half open on Arley's lap. Wally had given it to Kaldur when they had turned seventeen, right before he and Artemis had left the team; it'd been a gag joke but the team's leader had ended up actually liking the old story and so, on the off chance that he could hear her, Arley had taken to reading to him. Her eyes skimmed over the funny fish related jokes Wally had written in the margins of the pages; a faint smile over took her lips.

Nortz, she missed Wally; she missed his bright smile and his loud laugh and how in the mornings he'd press his cold feet against her legs just to mess with her. She missed the smell of his body wash and the touch of his hands trailing up her body as he kissed her.

She missed the sound of his voice when he said her name; when he called her Glowstick.

Arley looked down at her hand; Aniell, Nortz Arley missed Aniell. After five years with her own Jiminy Cricket in the back of her mind Arley felt almost empty without the echo of Aniell's laughter or Aniell's snarky comments.

Arley missed being herself; she missed going out to lunch with Artemis and Conner and having Sunday dinner with Hal and the other Lanterns— she missed Hal and Kilowog and Carol, back when she'd been nothing more but an abused street kid the three of them had looked at her and found something worthy of loving —and she missed helping Jaime and Billy with their homework and giving them advice on girls and how to balance being a hero with being a teen— because as much as she loved being a sister she adored being a big sister —and she missed space.

She missed the stars and the sights she'd see while patrolling her sector. Maybe she didn't miss the battles and the bloodshed or the war, but she missed the Corps; they'd been the first family she ever had and they thought she was dead.

Everyone thought she was dead.

Arley fingered the glamor charm around her neck, the hero always had to pay the price, they always had to bear the burden but when had the price become this; when had it become her very being?

Kaldur's door slowly opened and Arley snapped the book shut and stood, her hand fell away from the glamor charm and she grabbed the sword she had propped up against her chair and pointed it at the opening door. With Kaldur unable to defend himself Arley knew that any of Manta's men— that any henchmen that worked for any other member of the Light —would choose now to dispose of him whether it be for some kind of powerplay or simply because they hadn't forgave Kaldur's heroic past.

"My son-Morningstar," Black Manta paused, Arley blinked at the villain and then at Vandal Savage who stood a step behind the aquatic villain; the grip on her weapon tightened for a moment before she forced herself to put down her weapon.

"Sir," She bowed her head. Manta didn't smile— Arley wasn't sure the man knew how —but there was an appreciative light in his eyes as he nodded back. Manta turned to Kaldur,

"My son, I have brought visitors." Kaldur of course didn't respond. He didn't blink or look in his biological father's direction, he simply stared up at the ceiling as his father approached him. Manta set a hand on his son's shoulder; Arley looked solely at Savage.

She didn't have a ring or any way to kill him but it would be so easy to draw her sword and bring it up over the Neanderthals head; it wouldn't do anything but the scar on Arley's ribs almost seemed to burn in his presence.

Arley folded her arms behind her back, the same way she was shown in the Corps. Arley Gluck might have attacked Savage but she wasn't Arley— not at that moment —she was Rosalie Dembitzer, Morningstar, and she had to remember that.

If only for Kaldur's sake.

"Robbed," Manta lamented, "Of life and even of a noble death. I will have my revenge on the Martian witch that did this to him."

"As a father myself," Savage said; Arley's brows raised— she of course had not only already knew Savage had been a father in the past, but also known that the children he had helped bare throughout the years never received his immortality —just like they would for someone who hadn't already known about Savage's children. "I understand your pain and the opportunity for vengeance will come but in the meantime let's focus on making Kaldur'ahm whole again."

A cloaked figure walked into the room; the figure pulled down the hood of their cloak and revealed themselves to be Psimon. Arley's heart leapt into her throat.

Kriff, the girl thought.

"I borrowed Psimon from Queen Bee for you and your boy. He'll sift through Kaldur'ahm mind for every fractured memory, every buried thought. By the time Psimon's work is complete your son will be whole and Psimon will know Kaldur'ahm better than anyone else."

Kriff.

"He can do that?" Arley blinked doubtfully; she had called the man an evil raisin the first time they had met, she knew what he was capable of but Rosalie— her alais —didn't and now, more than ever— with Vandal Savage and Psimon just a handful a feet away from her and Kaldur —she had to watch her step.

"Indeed I can," Psimon said with a dark chuckle, "I'll dig in and root about piecing his entire mental life together."

"Perfect then," Arley lied. Manta looked at Psimon,

"When can you begin?" Psimon brushed past Arley and took a seat on the stool, his hands went to his temples and his index fingers pressed against the webbed skin.

"I need to focus," Psimon told Manta, "Set my own mental house in order first before I enter his ruins." Manta nodded and looked to Arley,

"Stay with them until the process is complete. I must show Vandal Savage out," Manta ordered, Arley nodded, and both members of the Light moved only for Black Manta to pause before he shut the door. He looked at Arley who had begun to lean against the wall adjacent to Kaldurs bed, "Morningstar?"

"Yes sir?" Arley straightened.

"My son never spoke of his feelings but not even his words could hide how much he cared for you Morningstar."

Oh, Arley thought, You've got to be kidding me.

"Thank you sir, but I do not speak about my feelings either-at least, not with words." Arley's love language was acts of service and touch, or at least that's what Zatanna had said when she had made Arley, Raquel, M'gann and Artemis all take one of those magazine quizzes.

"Your actions define you," Manta tilted his chin up, "I can respect that." And Arley thought that would be the last of that but instead of leaving and shutting the door behind him Manta continued to speak; "So you will be glad to know that I will take action against the Martian Witch who did this to our beloved Kaldur'ahm."

And with that Black Manta shut the door quietly behind him; Great, Arley thought, Now I have to worry about Megs too.

An hour or so later, just as Arley had switched the weight on her legs and snuck the dark gun she kept out of her boot and into the waist of her uniform, Psimon sighed. The physic had a dark smile on his face and an almost dangerous gleam sparkling in his eyes.

He wanted to find something; Arley pushed herself off the wall and stood firmly with both her feet planted on the ground.

"Alright I'm ready," Psimon announced to her. "Let's see what the weather's like in there." Psimon leaned forward and Arley brought the tiny dart gun up to her mouth— as if she were going to yawn —and fired a needle that was laced with an alien paralytic at the physic. Katma had long ago shown her how to make the paralytic; it stimulated coma like symptoms that lasted for weeks at a time between doses.

Psimon rubbed at his neck.

"The Martian really did a number on you, didn't she Kaldur? Believe me I know the feeling, but fear not, we'll have you up and running in—" Psimon's head dropped and his hands clenched Kaldurs sheets. "—Something's wrong."

Psimon stood up and the stool he had been sitting on toppled to the ground; Arley moved forward ready to feign helping him.

"My mind-clouding over…" Arley stumbled back as a physic force knocked her back; she thought of impenetrable green walls and glowing razor wire and barking guard dogs that had been constructed from the light of will.

Psimon turned, with his hand outstretched and pointed at Arley accusingly. Arley flew through the air; she crashed into the door and then into the wall several more times.

"You!" Psimon hissed as he held Arley in the middle of the room, "You poisoned me! Why! Tell me!" Green safes and glowing locks danced around Arley's mind and the villain's eyes narrowed.

"I've seen those mental blocks before," Psimon slurred.

Psimon's knees gave out but his hand was still outstretched and Arley was still hovering in the air. Slowly the man started to slump forward and Arley began to drop; Arley and Psimon both hit the floor just as Kaldurs door opened and Manta rushed in.

"What happened!" Manta demanded to know, for the second time in just over a week. Arley panted as she looked at Psimons glazed over eyes. She had to lie; as Arley looked up at Manta the lie had already slipped halfway out of her mouth. No one thought you were lying if you didn't hesitate.

"I don't know, he just—" Arley sucked in a deep breath, "—He went into Kaldurs mind and next thing I know sir, he's gone berserk." Slowly Arley got to her feet, "Is it possible that the Martian left some sort of residue behind? Some sort of telepathic trap for anyone who may want to fix Kaldur'ahm?"

"If she did then any sort of telepath we might employ would only suffer the same fate," Manta replied. Arley began to catch her breath and she approached the dark skinned villain.

"Then I suppose sir, we have only one choice left." Manta looked at Arley, "The Martian herself; if she has truly left some sort of telepathic virus in Kaldur'ahm's mind then she is the only telepath that can help us." Arley's clenched fist hit her open palm, "Send me to the mainland sir, I'll bring back the Martian and we'll force her to fix what she has done to Kaldur."

"Yes of course, but she is dangerous. Kaldur would never forgive if I sent you to face her alone."

"I'll take a squad of troopers—"

"—No," Manta said. "You'll take the Light's newest enforcer, Deathstroke." Arley didn't bother to ask what had happened to Sportsmaster; she had been there when the team had taken him down the year before.

"Yes sir." Kriff.

Arley knew M'gann would be in Chicago; Deathstroke hadn't asked how she had known where to go when she took the pilots seat of the Manta Flyer, he had just sat back and observed. His one golden eye followed her every movement in an unsettling way that made the undercover hero want to sink into the shadows of the junkyard that surrounded the League's Chicago zeta-tube.

The zeta-tube flashed once and then twice; Arley and Deathstroke observed both M'gann and La'gann exiting the disguised teleporter, Arley blew a harsh breath out of her nose. She hadn't expected anyone to be with M'gann.

The couple stopped several feet away from the zeta tube, La'gaan spun on M'gann.

"I can't wait any longer, I have too many questions," the Atlantean growled out, "Why have you been avoiding me? Why haven't you been returning my calls? What is going on between you and Conner?"

Arley looked to Deathstroke who shook his head; the young woman looked back at her friend and La'gaan.

"Nothing," M'gann said, she placed a hand against the Atlanteans cheek, "I mean, not what you're thinking."

"Then what? Angelfish please," La'gaan pleaded. Deathstroke moved and Arley, with her crossbow drawn, followed his lead.

"Well," the Lights news enforcer said from his perched position atop a stack of junked cars, "This is awkward. We hate to interrupt such poignant interspecies romance but we have pressing business with the Martian."

La'gaan bared his teeth and Deathstroke drew his sword; the light that reflected off the blade blinded the two heroes and the assassins' took that as his chance to attack. Deathstroke landed on La'gaan, M'gann shot upwards; Arley fired an arrow at the Martian, which she easily deflected. Arley felt her mind splinter and for the first time in months the undercover hero felt herself breath easier.

"Arley, that's you, right?"

"Yeah Megs," Arley said as she reloaded her crossbow, "It is and I need to kidnap you."

M'gann's eyes grew huge. Arley fired a series of arrows at the flying hero, all of which were either deflected or missed.

"Look," Arley said through the mind link as she continued to fire arrows at M'gann, "I need your help to save Kaldur but neither Deathstroke or La'gaan can know I'm on your side so this needs to look real, okay? Make this abduction look good, please."

M'gann's eyes glowed and the arrows Arley fired her way shattered. Two crashed cars lifted into the air and shot towards Arley; Arley dodged the first one by flipping back and then narrowly managed to avoid the second by falling onto her back.

"Okay Megs you don't need to make it look that good."

Below then Deathstroke ran at La'gaan, Deathstroke kicked the Atlantean into the trunk of a car and raised his sword to bring down onto the gilled man, only for La'gaan to duck and sidestep the long haired assassins attack. La'gaan kicked off the passenger side doors to one of the wrecked cars and flung it at Deathstroke; Deathstroke kicked the door back at La'gaan— who hadn't been expecting it —and sent the Atlantean into an old piece of sheet metal.

Arley dodged another car— she leapt off the cars silver trunk —and dodged the inflatable pool toy that had been laying around the junkyard. Arley landed a kick to the Martian's stomach and both young women went down; M'gann let out a groan as she hit the ground.

La'gaan was blown back and M'gann who had only just pushed herself upright, gasped.

"La'gaan!"

Arley tackled M'gann; Deathstroke threw out several small explosives that went off around the two friends and M'gann swayed under Arley as fire erupted around them. Arley— with an apologetic look —slipped an inhibitor collar around M'gann's neck only for the collar to electrocute her.

Arley's head snapped to Deathstroke who held the collars controls in his hand. "The fish called for backup, we have to move," Deathstroke told Arley. Arley nodded— she couldn't trust the sound of her own voice —and scooped M'gann up into her arms.

The Manta Flyer— with open doors —appeared overhead and slowly lowered until both Deathstroke and Arley— with M'gann in her arms —were able to get on, leaving behind La'gaan and a ring of fire.

Hang on Kaldur, Arley thought heavily as she placed M'gann down in the back of the Manta flyer, Help is coming.

Back on the main ship in Manta's fleet— back in Kaldur's room —Arley and Black Manta waited for M'gann to wake up. The pair stood silently as they watched the rise and fall of Kaldurs chest; Arley looked at M'gann and the crease between her brows.

Arley looked at Black Manta, she could remember when Kaldur found out about his father, how he had struggled to grapple with that in the wake of Tula's death.

"Sir," Arley asked, "May-I may be out of line in asking this—"

"—Ask," Black Manta said, "You have served my son well; protected him, stayed by his side every day since this tragedy has occurred and even secured the means to his recovery. If you are out of line I will tell you so."

"Why did you leave Kaldur'ahm?" Arley asked, "As a child I mean? He said he grew up in Atlantis with his mother, and father you hand picked to watch over him-so, if you don't mind me asking, why did you leave him?"

Manta leaned back against the wall, he looked at Kaldur for a moment and then he turned to look back at Arley. For a second Arley didn't think the villain would answer.

"I didn't love his mother, and I never intended to have a child-to have Kaldur'ahm, I know the life I live, but when Sha'lain'a told me she was expecting I was so overcome with joy. My own father had always told me no love I would ever experience would ever come close to rivaling the love I have for any children of my own and he was right."

"So why leave?"

"I was a wanted man even back then, what life could I have given Kaldur if I was always looking over my shoulder-Kaldur was safer, better, without me."

"Didn't it hurt to leave him?"

"Of course it did," Black Manta said, his voice sharp. "But," he said much softer, "When you're a parent-a good parent, you'll suffer through anything in the name of your child." Arley, with a tender smile on her face, cocked her head to the side. "What?"

"Nothing sir, I just-it's admirable how much you care for Kaldur. I'm sure he's touched to know how much you care."

"Thank you Morningstar, my son said you saved him from being captured from Nightwing." Arley nodded at her cover story. Dick had made her go over the Rosalie Dembitzer file so many times Arley was sure she could recite it in her sleep.

"I was in Singapore for a job and I saw Nightwing chasing after Kaldur'ahm; I've never dealt with the Bat or his birds before I knew what side they are on and what side anyone running from them would be and so I figured I'd lend a helping hand. Though truthfully back then I didn't realize it would lead to this," Arley lied.

"Oh?" Manta wanted clarification.

"Standing in a submarine with one of Justice League's most wanted and a kidnapped member of their little team of sidekicks." Manta didn't laugh; he didn't smile but he let out a sound that was akin to laughter, before Arley could appreciate the fact she had made one of the League's most wanted criminals laugh, M'gann groaned.

Slowly she began to wake up; Manta and Arley both moved closer to the green skinned hero.

"Welcome aboard Martian," Manta drawled, "Let me make your situation perfectly clear, you are here to physically repair the damage you have done to my sons mind." Manta— roughly grabbed the inhibitor collar around M'gann's neck —yanking her forward crouched down so that they were eye level with one another.

"This inhibitor collar negates all your Martian abilities. In a moment we will selectively reinstate you telepathic power only, but before we do that—" Manta turned to the camera in the corner of the room, "—Understand Deathstroke is watching you at all times from beyond the range of your psychic power. If he perceives even a hint of trouble he will press a button that will activate a substantial explosion charge in your collar. So don't lose your head."

Manta released the collar and M'gann's head jerked back. Manta stood up and looked at the camera in the corner of the room as he opened the door to Kaldurs room, "Deathstroke activate her telepathy-now save my son."

And with that Manta shut the door behind him. Arley grabbed M'gann's shoulders as she felt her mind splinter and twirled the Martian girl so that she was looking at Kaldur. "You heard the man, get to it."

"Arley what should I do?" M'gann asked lost.

"Fix Kaldur," Arley replied, "The three of us will figure out a game plan after he's no longer a drooling sea cucumber."

"It's not the rest I'm worried about," M'gann said. "Honestly I don't know if I can fix Kaldur. Breaking a mind, that's easy, but restoring one? That may not even be possible. And what if I make things worse? My mere presence in his mind could be seen as an attack."

"Then take me with you," Arley said, "You and I, Megs? Since when have the two of us not been able to do something?"

"But-but what if I lose you too?" M'gann asked, "I thought you were dead. What if I—"

"—Megs," Arley breathed, "We don't have another choice."M'gann snorted morbidly.

"No," she said, "I guess we don't." Arley set her hand on M'gann's shoulder; the Martian's eyes glowed green and the room around Arley slipped away.

Arley smiled when she looked down at herself; she wasn't in the uniform she had been wearing when she had been standing in Kaldur's quarters, she was in her Corps uniform with the Lantern symbol proudly displayed on her chest. Slowly though, as she looked around her, the smile slipped off of her face.

Though it was clear that they were underwater, the wreckage that was Kaldur's mind reminded Arley of space. The slowly drifting columns and misplaced buildings looked like something the supposedly dead Lantern would find in place of a destroyed planet.

"Nortz," Arley breathed, she was glowing green, just as she always did in space or when she visited Atlantis; M'gann brought her arms close to her chest.

"This is how he perceives his psyche, Atlantis, in ruins. I don't even know where to start." Arley opened her mouth to say something— anything that could help one of her closest friends —only for the both of them to be blasted back and onto a broken off piece of Atlantis.

Arley came to a stop before M'gann and looked up to see a snarling Tula glaring down at them; Arley and the Atlantean girl had never been close— she'd been on the mission Tula died on, every had been, Wally and Artemis had been kidnapped by the Light —but that didn't mean the Lanterns heart didn't clench in her chest at the sight of her fallen comrade.

"Tula!" Arley shouted, only for the figment of Kaldur's imagination to attack them again. The large ice shards passed though Arley and hit M'gann, pushing the Martian back and into the half crumpled wall. M'gann threw her hands up in front of her face in order to block the attacks.

Arley shot over to the red headed Martian and began to pull her out of the way only for ice shards to pass through her and hit the alien. Arley looked back at Tula and saw that the girl— the long dead girl —had stopped attacking in favor of conjuring two flaming balls of fire.

Grabbing M'gann around the waist Arley flew through the water that was Kaldur's mind and away from Tula; but just like Arley and M'gann were in Kaldur's mind, so was Tula. The Atlantean girl— no matter how hard Arley pushed herself —continued to gain on the two living heroes.

Arley paused before two broken pillars and moved M'gann around in her arms.

"Megs-Meg-M'gann!" Arley snapped, shaking the Martian, "M'gann, snap out of it! None of this is real, you know that!"

"All my fault," M'gann muttered, "It's all my fault."

Arley moved the Martian girl out of the way from one of Tula's blasts only to catch sight of the Atlantean; Arley took one look at M'gann before she let the Martian go— allowing her to drift along with the current of Kaldur's mind —and took off towards Tula.

"Tula stop!" Arley snapped, "Megs and I are here to help Kaldur!"

With a yell Tula attacked; the blast of light Tula shot at Arley phased through the Lantern and hit M'gann, sending the alien into another broken piece of Atlantis.

"Right," Arley breath, "You're not real either." But Kaldur was; Kaldur could stop Tula. Arley took off, away from M'gann and Tula, in search of Kaldur. Arley swam through a coral filled tunnel and past several destroyed homes, one of which Arley recognized as Kaldurs. Arley only stopped swimming along when she saw Kaldur.

He was sitting in a pavilion, he was in his old Aqualad uniform and his back was to her.

"Kaldur!" Arley swam faster, towards him; her feet had only just landed on the stone when she touched his shoulder and spun him around. Arley— though she'd never admit it —let out a scream when she was greeted with Kaldur's blank, smooth over face.

Kaldur's voice echoed around them, several things were said, all of them overlapping the other and almost all of it in Atlantean; "What is left of Kaldur'ahm?"

"Aniell was right, I so should not have relied so much on the ring for translations," Arley muttered to herself. "Okay okay Ars, just think-how in esehigi do you actually speak Atlantean again?" Arley moved so that she was in front of Kaldur.

"Kaldur it's me-er, ha's nin Arley!" Arley said in a rough Atlantean.

"Besome Arley, besame." Help; Kaldur was asking for help. Arley dropped to her knees and gripped at her friends hands.

"Kaldur, M'gann and I are here; besome, Kaldur, besome!"

A swirling white vortex appeared behind Kaldur, more Atlantean phrases echoed around Arley and Kaldur, none of which Arley could understand.

"I am alone," Kaldur whispered; the ceiling above them began to crack, "There is no one here." The floor beneath their feet began to crumble. "Nothing, ruins."

Kaldur began to float away, as if he were weightless.

Arley's hands tightened around Kaldur's.

"No! No! You're not alone-Megs and I are to help you—" more and more of the pavilion began getting sucked into the vortex and Arley's nails had started to dig into Kaldur's skin as he started to slip away, "—Symbiosi besome Kaldur'ahm! Symbiosi!"

"Besome? Symbiosi?" Kaldur's echoed voice replied. "Im am u-eriol?" Arley knew those words, she knew she did but with the vortex growing louder and Kaldur just barely in her grasp, Arley couldn't think.

"Yes!" She shouted nonetheless, "Symbiosi!"

Slowly the vortex shrunk, the swirling winds subsided and almost as if he was pressing his face into a cast, Kaldur's face slowly began to reform; Kaldur drifted back down and slumped against Arley as his lips curved out and his nose stretched and his eyes slowly opened, only to shut once more as his weight fell against her.

Arley wrapped her friend in a tight hug; "Thank Nortz," Arley breathed.

She heard Tula's battle cry and Arley tucked Kaldur under her arms, she wrapped his around her waist and pushed off against the small piece of stone her feet were left standing on.

"Do it," M'gann said as she laid on the ground defeatedly, "Finish me, I deserve it."

Tula raised her arms over her head, ready to dole out the finishing blow.

"No!" Arley snapped as she and Kaldur swam through the figment of Kaldurs imagination. Arley landed on the ground next to M'gann— Kaldur stood upright on his own but there was no look of recognition in his wide unblinking eyes —and grabbed the Martian by the arm. Arley yanked M'gann up and put Kaldurs hand in hers. "You want to blame yourself, Megs do that, but only if you're willing to do something about it!"

M'gann looked sadly at Kaldur, there were tears in her eyes.

"Kaldur," M'gann said weepily, "I am so sorry. Let me help you."

"Help?" Kaldur repeated, "No, ruins, all ruins."

"It doesn't have to be ruined," M'gann said, "We can fix it."

Arley put her hand on top of M'gann's.

"Symbiosi, together."

M'gann, with a wet and wobbly smile, looked at Arley and then at the broken Greek statue that's top half laid on the food several feet away. Guiding his hand, M'gann moved Kaldur's arm; the top half of the statue floated up and rejoined it's bottom half, almost as if it had never been broken. M'gann lead Kaldur over to the collum and just like she had done with the statue she moved Kaldur's hand so that the column stood upright; Arley felt a hand on her shoulder and with a gasp she felt her mind snap back to her as she was forced to turn.

"Morningstar," Black Manta said, "What's wrong?"

Arley blinked. Lie, she told herself, Lie.

"Nothing sir, I was-the Martian, I wasn't going to allow the Martian to re-enter Kaldur's mind, at least not alone. I was with her." Arley looked over at M'gann, who with glowing eyes held onto Kaldurs hand.

"Oh," Black Manta said, his helmet tipped back, "Good thinking." M'gann's eyes stopped glowing and she turned to the villain and Arley. "I just came to check on your progress."

"We've only just begun," M'gann said softly, "This could take days. Maybe weeks."

"You better not be stalling Martian," Black Manta warned.

"Father," Kaldur called out, Arley looked at the bed bound hero as Manta brushed past her to sit on the edge of the bed, "Father."

"My son," Manta said softly, "Kaldur'ahm, I'm here." Kaldur didn't make any more motions, he just— with a glazed over expression —stared at Manta.

"He's not back yet," M'gann said, "Not really."

"No but I see you are making progress. Keep it up and you'll live. Morningstar, a word." Arley nodded and made to follow the villain out of the room; Kaldur's bedroom door shut behind them. When they were in the submarines deserted corridor Manta looked at Arley, "The witch is being more cooperative then I imagined."

"You're having second thoughts on killing her sir?" Arley wondered.

"She's safe until she finishes repairing my son," Manta corrected. "Then she dies."

"Wonderful sir," Arley lied. Kriff.