Disclaimer:

I, Syraxes, do not own the Young Justice Animated Series, the Young Justice video game, the tie-in comics, the original comic series that shares its name, or the new comic series that also shares its name. They are the property of Time Warner, Warner Brothers Studio's, and DC Comics. I am simply a humble fan, making this for the enjoyment of other fans. Please support the official release.

Rundown apartment

January 29th, 07:08 PST

Harper was still getting used to wearing a uniform, but she didn't think it was as bad as what she had been expecting. Even before the scarab had attached itself to her, she had never been the kind of person who would have liked to wear a uniform. She was always the freak, and damn proud of it. Who wanted to be normal, fitting in with the boring high school clichés? Not her.

Then her life changed forever. The Light lost their scarab, it found her, and she was kidnapped in the middle of Happy Harbor on her way to school. She was going to meet Violet and Fred that cold winter morning. A meeting that would never take place.

Harper wondered if her friends and teachers were still looking for her. Her dad sure the hell wasn't. Other than Violet and Fred, only Collin would be worried about her. Her little brother, who she had to leave at the mercy of her father, or else risk getting him caught up in her problem. Harper didn't doubt for a moment that the shadows wouldn't use Collin to get to her.

As she finished putting the tie around her neck, Harper sighed. There really wasn't any point thinking about the past. No life could be played in reverse.

Harper was always an early riser. Her father demanded that she have breakfast for him before he went to work, or she'd end up with a beating. Over time she had grown used to it, and even now, on the other side of the country, it wasn't a habit she could break easily. Artemis slept in as long as possible, though she would probably be in the shower right now. That was how their mornings normally went. Only now they had someone else.

When she turned on the kitchen lights, she saw Match sitting at the table. His head turned to look at her, and Harper gave him a smile. He looked exactly like the sweet boy who had comforted her when they first took her. The boy who let her cry, and promised to try and get them out. The boy who held them off while Harper ran. The boy who made sure his girlfriend Artemis got out before he did when Harper was perfectly willing to leave her.

"Harper. The first time we met was at sunset, wasn't it?" Match asked.

Harper felt her breath hitch. Her heart began to beat. The first time they met had been at sunset. After a day of being dragged around, they finally brought her to that small little metal island in the middle of the sea. Match had been allowed to be topside. He had been staring out into the ocean when she first set eyes on him.

"Yes, it was. How do you-"

"Remember?" Match interrupted. She nodded. "I don't know. I got a flash of that moment. I remember looking at you. You were still wearing the armor, but the helmet was down so I could see your face."

"Do you remember anything else?" She whispered, trying to keep from feeling hope. It couldn't be possible. Her Match was dead. Gone. Erased. She was never going to see him again.

"A few other memories," he admitted. For a moment he held her gaze, before looking away. "Some of them were about you. I remember meeting Lex Luthor... And Artemis."

When he mentioned her name, it felt like someone was squeezing her heart. If he remembered her, there was as good a chance that he'd remember Artemis. If he did remember, would he be able to let the blond archer go? Harper didn't know if he would. It was why she made the completely serious offer to share. In their short time together, she had fallen for Match. Had they not been forced to spend so much time together being held hostage, she might not have fell in love with him. But she had. He had been the only person around that showed any kindness towards her, and that had left its mark. So if it meant keeping Match, she'd share him with Artemis. Just like the blond archer, she refused to give him up.

It was that refusal that led her over to the Kryptonian clone. He still wasn't looking at her, so she gently reached out to cup his face. He didn't pull away as she turned his head so they were face to face. Nor did he fight when she leaned down and planted a kiss on his lips. Match closed his eyes and Harper followed suit. It was the second time they kissed, and though it didn't have the passion that first time (the night before their planned escape), it was still sweet.

It was left to her to pull away. She opened her eyes and stared down at the Kryptonian. "Artemis said she was going to fight for you. I hope you didn't think the same didn't apply to me."

Emotions flickered across Match's face, and she felt her own torrent of them surging through her. Harper didn't regret the kiss for one moment. It might be playing dirty for her to do it while Artemis wasn't around, but she didn't care.

"So, how do you feel about waffles?"

Jump City

January 29th, 15:49 PST

There was nothing like soaring through the air, and since he first got out of his pod, Match felt free. The wind blowing across his face, a cloudless blue sky above him, it was freeing. For a moment, Match considered not stopping. He wondered what it would be like to take the communicator out of his ear and just keep flying. Artemis wouldn't be able to stop him, and Harper was still back at the school. There was nothing preventing him from flying on for as long as he wanted.

The beeping of his com interrupted his daydream. "Hey boy. Looks like I've found a robbery. In progress. How about you come down and help? It's on Fourth and H."

Match reached his hand up to his ear, pressing the com. "Understood. On my way."

He stopped in midair and slowly turned around. He was too far above the city to see where she was, but he had spent the night memorizing the layout. Quickly popping down to catch sight of a street sign, he shot off.

Flying above the buildings, he found the area Artemis mentioned. A group of masked thugs... Were already on the ground, unconscious. What? Match thought to himself.

He looked around, seeing a few people staring at him from the street. They seemed to be normal people. Artemis was leaning against the tree, wearing the same red outfit she wore when she got him out of his pod. "If you were going to handle it quickly, why call for me?"

Artemis shook her head. "It wasn't me. Someone got here first. Come on." She turned around and walked back towards the sidewalk.

Match frowned but followed her out from the shadow of the tree. "Where are we going?"

"To meet the guy who did it. He said he'd wait in the alley right there," Artemis said, pointing towards the small alley they were walking towards.

Match had a growing feeling for foreboding. It didn't take him that long to get there once Artemis called him. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, and yet someone who had beat him there, and taken out all the criminals? That... Was disconcerting enough, but now they were just going to follow this random guy into an alley? He might have taken down the criminals, but that didn't mean he was on their side. If anything, he could have set it all up, just to make sure Match and Artemis would follow him.

Or Match might just be a little paranoid. It was possible, but he was still leaning towards this being way more creepy than he would have liked.

A masked figure waited at the end of the alley. He wore the kind of suit a superhero (or supervillain) would wear. Match should know, considering he was wearing one right now. He had told Artemis no to the tights, but she still had something for him to wear. She told him it wasn't a permanent solution, but it would have to do for now.

"So, you must be new," the figure said. Match stopped when he spoke. His voice was distorted, most likely his mask. A large red x slashed across said mask. "I haven't seen you around with her lately. I've been watching her and the beetle for quite a while."

"Excuse me?" Artemis hissed. She moved her body, forming it into a combat stance.

"Hey. You can't blame me. This is my city. A group of costumed vigilantes taking up residence here is my business. You can't expect me to make sure you're not all on the up and up."

"And are we?" Artemis ground out. Her hands moved to her hips, the same stance she always fell when she was confronting someone. Match observed her only for a moment before his eyes returned to the figure.

"Other than stealing money, you don't seem that bad. Been helping cut down the crime stats, though the Police Department doesn't seem to be very happy you're here."

"Who are you?" Match demanded, stepping forward. "I looked into Jump City. Unlike Gotham or Metropolis, Jump doesn't have its own caped crusader."

"Not officially, no. But I haven't gone out of my way to let the cameras see me. Make no mistake though. Jump City is the Teen Titans territory. We're not going to let some kids run around unsupervised playing hero."

Artemis snorted. "I'd like to see you stop us."

The figure held up his hands. "Actually, I'm not here to try and stop you. Just to talk."

"Talk about what?" Match demanded. He could feel the heat vision building up in the back of his eyes and quickly blinked it away. If the guy wasn't here to fight, then Match wanted to avoid a confrontation if possible.

"About you both joining the Teen Titans," the figure said. "I'm Red X. The leader of the Titans."

Match watched as Red X slowly reached up and grabbed his mask. He pulled it off, revealing the face of a young man. "That's my Code Name, anyway. My real name is John Grayson ."

Murakami Gymnasium

January 29th, 16:09 PST

The whistle blew and the girls stopped playing. Though many of the girls around her were already out of breath, she (and a few others) seemed to be doing just fine.

"Harper, someone is here to see you. Says it's important. Since I don't know if you'll be here later, I have to say good job. You made the team." The middle-aged coach smiled at her, and she did her best to return it.

While she was happy to have made the team, it was the coaches other announcement that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. No one should know who she really was. That she was attending this school. If someone was looking for her, did that mean the shadows had found her? The Light?

"Where should I go?" Harper asked anxiously.

"We must approach the situation carefully, Harper Row," her scarab whispered in the back of her head. She couldn't agree more.

"I told her she could wait for you in the locker room," the coach told her.

As the coach called the other girls back to the court, Harper sprinted back towards the small hallway leading back into the girl's locker room. The coach was right; a black haired girl smiled at her when she entered the room. She couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen years old.

"Hello," she spoke first. Harper arranged her face into a glare, leaning forward. She tensed her body and readied for a fight.

"Recommended tactic: Plasma cannon, focused dispersal. Incinerate her," scarab threw in its two senses.

"Who are you?" Harper demanded. "Are you a shadow."

"I'm Starfire," the older girl announced. She held up her hands. "I'm just here to talk to you. I'm a member of the Teen Titan's and we want you."

Reach Infiltrator Craft

January 29th, 0:03 UTC

Djo Zha watched through the screen as they approached the Earth. It was the only planet he had ever heard of that was able to resist the Reach incursion. Not only did he free itself, but it exposed the Reach to the Guardians of the Universe. At last, their treachery was unknown.

According to the records he had been given access to, the beetle of Earth was the one responsible. Or at least, the warrior of the Earth delegation believed him to be. If it was true, Djo Zha wanted nothing more than to meet him. Ask him how he did it.

His own species had fallen to the Reach rotations ago, and he had been the catalyst. The scarab found him and turned him against his people. Had it not been for the action of the Earth beetle, he'd be back on his world, forced to oversee the continued rule of the Reach.

But since the war with the Green Lantern Corps had broken out, even nonessential scout beetles were being called into service. Djo Zha had been taken off his word and deployed to the front lines. He had watched his body murder three Green Lanterns before he had been called back for a special mission. The Light, those who helped make a fool of the Reach in the first place, had killed a warrior and stolen the scarab. It was his job to lead a strike team to retrieve it.

Djo Zha foresaw more death and blood in his immediate future.

"Commander!" One of the Reach drones called. Djo Zha felt his head turn, and once again cursed the scarab on his back. It had been years since he had last been in control of his own body, and there wasn't anything he wouldn't give to get that control back.

Commander smiled as she appeared on the deck. Like all the Reach species, she was called as her function. Even he didn't know if they had names, and he had been a slave of the Reach for so long.

"Scout," Commander addressed him. "Engage cloaking."

Djo Zha's body moved against his will. His right hand pressed against the ship console, and his scarab made contact with the system. He could see it the connection, his scarab activating the ship's advanced cloaking.

"Completed, Commander," his scarab spoke through his voice. "I live to serve."

Commander smiled at him. "Yes, we do."

She turned away, looking back at the main view. "Begin tracking of the warrior scarab."

Djo Zha wasn't addressed, so the scarab put his body at attention, waiting for his orders. If he was a free man, Djo Zha would cover the distance between him and Commander as fast as he could, before he drove his blade through her neck. He'd kill every Reach soldier and tech aboard this ship. Then go down to the surface of the planet and warn the Earth beetle.

"Such a tactic would betray the Reach," his scarab spoke in his head. "We serve the Reach, and thus will achieve whatever they desire."

Since it had first attached itself to him, the scarab had done nothing but spot the same nonsense over and over at him. It didn't let him think for a moment where his loyalty ought to like.

"It would be easier if you confirm to the Reach," the scarab continued. "You could become a Warrior. Get control of your body back."

"Then be responsible for every order they give me," Djo Zha shot back. He knew that already. Some scouts, driven to the extreme by being trapped in their bodies gave into the Reach. In return for being in control, they followed every order that was given like a good little drone. If they ever thought about betraying the Reach, or tried to do it, the scarab would take control again and they'd never get the chance to be back in control of their body. Or worse, it might erase the scout's memories, convincing them that they were all loyal to the Reach. Djo Zha didn't want that to happen. He'd never give in to his captors.

"It would be less painful," his scarab said.

"Yes. It would," Djo Zha agreed.

Author's Note:

Hello! I hope you have enjoyed the fourth chapter of Teen Titans: Rising.

John Grayson is not an OC. He's actually a canon character from Young Justice. His father was Richard Grayson, the brother of John Grayson, Dick's father. The John Grayson here is the son of Richard and Karla Grayson. In canon, he died that fateful night the rest of Dick's family bit the dust, but in this fic he has survived. I've based his appearance and personality of the Dick Grayson from the DC Animated Movie Universe, my second favorite portrayal of the character (in animation) after Young Justice. His Red X costume is basically the same as the one we see in the Teen Titans cartoon.

Djo Zha is a character canon to the Blue Beetle comic books. He appears in Blue Beetle Vol 7:35 , Vol 7:36 and some Booster Gold books. Djo Zha was originally a Reach warrior before he defected and joined the KDRA, aka the Khaji-Da Revolutionary Army.

Pa tr eon . com (slash) Syraxes