Extra-long chapter to mark my return from hiatus! If you want an explanation, you can find it in a post on my tumblr, but please don't ask any follow-up questions. It was a very sensitive and personal time, and I said all I felt I needed to say, and all I felt comfortable sharing.

But now summer is here, and I have the rest of the chapters planned out. Three more chapters to go after this, and then Verisimilitude will be complete. If you've stuck around this long, hopefully it's paying off.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.

I hope you enjoy!

Awareness returned in stages.

Everything was mixed. His vision was blurry. One second Artemis was in front of him, but he would blink and she was suddenly Stephanie.

Is that ginger M'gann or Barbara? Is Connor carrying me...or is that Jason? Shouldn't Roy be with Lian? Why is he here?

He closed his eyes again and sleep temporarily regained its control on him. His dreams were so muddled - nothing more than noises and mixed colors - and he didn't even properly remember them when he regained consciousness once more.

He was aware of a bit more this time. He could feel a cool wind blowing. He could clearly see that it was M'gann, Roy, and Artemis in is line of sight, and that doubtlessly it was Connor who was carrying him. It was a dark night, but he could clearly see due to the lights from the circus as the others crept back inside, as not to alert any other members of the circus of them sneaking in. The last thing they needed was for them to be accused of being the thieves.

He mentally reached out, using the mental link they had to gently press against M'gann's mind, and he instantly felt an active link being set up. [Robin - you're awake!] She exclaimed happily.

The mental link wasn't as unnerving anymore. It was one of the easier things to get used to (re-used to?).

He could feel Connor stiffen slightly with realization, and he made eye contact with the boy. He gave the Kryptonian a grateful smile, and Connor looked away, clearly awkward.

[What happened after I blacked out?] He questioned as they crept down the hallway.

[He got away in the midst of the confusion.] Artemis reported easily, and soon enough they were back in their cabin.

"I can stand," He muttered, too quiet for anyone to hear except for a certain person with superhearing, and Connor hesitantly put him down on his feet. He wobbled a bit, but managed to steady himself. Roy and Artemis did a quick check to ensure their room hadn't been bugged in their absence, before Roy finally looked at Artemis, who shook her head, and said "It's clear."

"Are you okay?" M'gann immediately asked him, and gave her a smile from his new position where he was partially leaning against the wall. He still felt a bit...disconnected. Out of it.

"Don't worry, I'm good." He told her.

"You're concussed." Roy retorted, but he shook his head at the ginger archer.

"I don't think so. I've been concussed quite a few times and this doesn't feel like it."

Unless it's just different because of my time in the simulation.

Artemis approached him hesitantly, her intentions clear. Can I check?

He nodded, before feeling her gently feel his scalp, searching for any cuts, bruises, or evidence of a broken skull or fracture. "You have any symptoms of a concussion? Any pain?"

"No. Other than a headache and a bit of disorientation I'm fine." He said honestly. Any other symptoms of his were doubtlessly symptoms of his PTSD, not from a concussion. She withdrew, before shrugging.

"Your skull doesn't feel damaged. Perhaps it was a mix of the fire and blast from the explosion that made you pass out?" She offered, and he shrugged.

And a mix of the memories.

That explosion...it was so similar...too similar. Maybe I went into a sort of shock? The repressed memories plus the explosion that was so like the mothership…

He managed to brush aside their worries and concerns until they all went to sleep. They didn't have a show tomorrow morning, he knew. There would be late afternoon farewell show before everyone rushed to pack up the circus onto the train.

That was how international shows went. Life at the circus, plain and simple.

He had thought little of his life before he donned the cape and stepped foot in a new world of heroes and villains since the infamous simulation. He had been too preoccupied with his unlived life to really spare it a thought.

He finally had the time to think about that time of his life as he lay, completely and utterly awake. He felt physically fatigued, but he couldn't sleep. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since before the simulation, maybe further (he couldn't exactly remember how he was sleeping before he gained thirty years of memories).

He just lay there, lying on his back. He could hear the breathing of his teammates around him, and let it wash over him.

This is what's real. I am real. They are real.

We are all here. Alive.

Real.

He didn't get any sleep that night.

The next show went according to plan, and nothing suspicious came up until they began to pack up the circus for the train to Geneva. He nearly bumped into Ray as he carried a box full of the trapeze equipment onto the train.

"Behind!" He called out in a familiar way. There was always such a rush to get everything packed up that people only called their position relative to you so there wasn't a collision. He remembered seeing his father weave through the mass of people, shouting 'Left!' and even the occasional 'Over!' as he used his acrobatics to jump over people.

His circus background was the biggest constant between his two lives, and he could remember it without fear of a flashback or losing his grip on reality. It had always been true, regardless of it he was in a simulation or not. It was a part of him, and would forever be. That would always be real.

Ray heard him call, and practically leapt forwards. He looked in confusion as the bigger man flinched desperately to avoid touching him. He recalled how tactile he had been - he had even rubbed his head before he got on stage for good luck - and then frowned at the blond now.

Ray quickly left, obviously avoiding him.

What's wrong? He mentally asked, scanning over the man's retreating form as knot grew in his stomach.

Something was not right.

After depositing the equipment in its proper place, he continued the break down and loading of the circus. He didn't see Ray again, but the memory of his odd behavior stayed with him.

When the loading was all finished and the train started moving, he headed to their cabin. He was surprised to see M'gann there, apparently sick from the flu.

…You don't get that sick that quickly from the normal flu. He realized when she said she had just started feeling ill over the course of the past hour.

He knew it was a completely logical and rational assumption if he just chalked it up to the differences in human and Martian biology and their separate immunity levels to diseases and such, but something told him that wasn't the case. Something was just not right.

Suddenly, realization struck him.

Parasite.

His eyes widened as Connor said it came on just after Ray touched her, and how he must be a 'walking petri dish'.

"Or…" he didn't meet his friends eyes as they all directed theirs to look at him. "It's something else."

Parasite - definitely working solo. Well, he might have planned or have allies, but he takes the field jobs by himself. That's always been his MO.

He rushed out of the room to see none other than Haly himself in the hallway.

For a moment, he expected a flashback. He anticipated it. This was what caused it for him - a mix of adrenaline and a trigger that consisted something connected to a past event.

Nothing came.

Surprise welled in him as Haly smiled kindly at him, but he still made a note about how something in that smile was off. "Dan," Something about the way he said that was concerning. Perhaps the man had changed - it had been around four years since he had seen him last - but he could sense that wasn't the case.

Nevertheless, he didn't let his suspicion show. "Uh, Jack, how long as Ray worked for you?"

Haly took a moment to consider, and he felt his own worrying increase, "I picked him up around the start of the European tour. Poor lad's sick with the same flu that's been going around. He was coughing up a storm just a few minutes ago." He heard his teammates exit the room behind him in time to hear Haly's response, but his mind was too wrapped up in his own realization.

The man in front of him was not Jack Haly.

It had clicked in him - the way the other man was angling his body away from them. The inconsistencies. The tone in his voice when he talked about Ray. The way he built up how sick 'Ray' was.

All to make them stop looking.

"We'll go check on him," Artemis offered, and he could see a flutter of worry over 'Haly's' face, too quick for anyone else to catch.

He nodded in agreement, and Haly nodded as well, covering up his worry.

And that was the end of the conversation. No joke from his pseudo-grandfather. No last words of encouragement.

Every nerve in his body screamed that that was not Haly.

They went to the room, and his thoughts were confirmed. After finding the real Haly tied up, he couldn't but help be a bit relieved.

Despite his convictions to the opposite, a part of him had asked him what he would do if he was wrong. If that was Haly, and he couldn't trust any of his memories. Or worse - if Haly had actually been the mastermind behind the thefts.

If his life was one just big lie after another.

That's why he breathed a bit easier as he untied the real Haly as the others went to go find where Parasite went. He quickly cut through the bonds around the man's hands, and Haly rubbed his wrists gratefully.

He ignored the questions - feeling a twinge of guilt, but he pushed it away - and exited the room.

He suddenly heard noise coming from…was that above him?

The roof. He surmised, glancing upwards at what was unmistakably footsteps. Conner reported his position via radio as soon as he deducted what had happened. He moved quickly to where the cars intercepted, and found Superboy facing off with a clown that was indisputably not a normal clown.

"Watch out, that's Parasite!" He called to his friend, "He can steal powers and abilities with just a single touch."

Parasite scowled at him, "As if you kids are who you claim to be," He retorted, and using what was distinctively M'gann's shapeshifting powers, he shifted into his original form.

"Don't let him touch you, or else he'll take your powers. That's the flu that's been going around," He realized.

A spark of memory. Parasite flinching away from him.

Physical contact is all he needs to steal someone's strength...but doesn't just steal the strengths of others, but also their weaknesses.

Weakness. He looked at Parasite with narrowed eyes.

He didn't get...the flashbacks...did he?

The thought struck him just as M'gann climbed up beside him, "Well well well, if it isn't the pièce de résistance herself - Dawn Danger!" Parasite smirked, before amending, "Or...whatever her real name is. I thought I'd munch on her trapeze skills. Imagine my surprise when she tasted like Martian Manhunter instead!"

He could see Roy and Artemis climbing up on the other side of the cart, where Conner was.

"She made a lovely appetizer...but guess who I want for my entrée?" He held out his hand to Conner in a manner that was recognizable as Miss Martian's when she was using her telekinesis, and he realized what was happening too late.

Well, nearly.

With experience from years that never existed, he was able to realize what was happening just in time. He drew three discs from his utility belt (which was hidden on his person using a trade-secret) and tossed them at Parasite. The first two missed due to Parasite's movements, but the last one sunk into his forearm and he grunted in pain.

Parasite looked at him and growled, "You!" He barked, using M'gann's telekinesis to block Roy and Artemis' arrows. He tensed, trying to anticipate Parasite's moves. He had only faced Parasite once in the simulation, and it had been about ten simulated years from when he exited the fake reality.

It wasn't enough to truly be able to have a good sense of his fighting style.

Parasite slammed him and M'gann together using his telepathy. He managed to turn enough in the air so that their heads didn't collide. His back did collide with her chest, but there wasn't the telltale sound of ribs breaking and he didn't feel like that much damage had been caused on impact, so he figured they were both relatively okay.

He felt the control on his body loosen as Parasite let them both drop, and in doing so he rolled forwards, launching several more discs at him. Parasite let them collide with the arrows shot by the two archers, causing a miniature explosion that slightly rocked the train. He then got a smirk and reached towards Superboy once more, telekinetically bringing the clone into his grasp and clearly draining his powers.

He mentally swore, casting a brief glance at M'gann. She was still weak from Parasite's own attack on her, but their collision hadn't hurt her too badly.

"Now that's the full body Kryptonian flavor I love!" Parasite exclaimed, throwing Superboy towards Artemis and Roy, effectively knocking them back. He grinned, before using laser vision to melt their bows, which had been thrown to the side during their encounter with a certain clone.

His eyes narrowed. Full-body Kryptonian? No, Superboy wasn't created will the full powers of a Kryptonian, and Parasite should have been able to sense that. He could only get the powers that the person held and had active - not potential, like heat vision was for the Superman clone.

There was no plausible way that Parasite should have heat vision, unless Conner was lying to them.

With Parasite's back to him and Miss Martian, he sprung forwards, aiming more for the box than the villain himself. It had been sitting there, seemingly forgotten, while the entire exchange had occurred.

He had not forgotten.

He grasped the box, but before he could move away, Parasite turned. He met eye contact with the villain for a moment, before Parasite knocked him back with telekinesis.

That was when it happened.

He had reacted quickly, having had years of experience in reading his enemy. It was a reflex - not a physical one, but a mental one - that had been honed after dealing with a countless number of foes in a simulated world.

It was the idea expressed that, as Jason had put it so eloquently, "They can't attack you as well if you kick the shit out of them first."

(Tim had rolled his eyes. Barbara chastised with him slightly for swearing, but it was more affectionately than sternly, which was clear through her own amused smile.)

So, in seeing Parasite was going to attack him, he lashed out. He had miscalculated the blow, since the reflex had been honed for him as an adult, not with a child, and therefore did not adjust to the fact that he was in a younger body with shorter limbs. The blow did not land.

However, his attempt did mean his arm was outstretched in a position where it brushed against Parasite's own arm. Skin contact. All Parasite needed to drain him.

And yet…

Parasite glared at him furiously, and he did not feel his abilities being taken.

So...I must have been correct.

Parasite must have gotten a similar thing to his flashbacks. It wouldn't have been as clear as they were more memories than weaknesses. But still, Parasite couldn't take one's strongest abilities without taking something else by accident.

His eyes widened in realization as he was knocked back through the air.

He skidded across the traintop, and managed to just latch onto the roof of the car before he went flying over the edge. As M'gann reached quickly to help pull him back to safety, he saw Parasite escape with what was doubtlessly more stolen tech.

"This is just great," Roy muttered. They were all back in their car, this time in their hero uniforms, as they would have to quickly leave as soon as they got a lead to Parasite's location. There was no more undercover work required. "We have exactly zero leads."

'And I'm stuck on a mission with four potential mole suspects,' He probably also thought.

He couldn't exactly blame the archer. After Miss Martian's friendly-fire brain blast in Bialya (not that anyone other than himself and the Martian herself knew about that, but still), Artemis' family problems (again, not that he was aware of that), and Parasite inexplicably getting laser vision from Superboy, despite the fact that that should be impossible, Roy definitely was not getting suspicious without reason.

Plus, there was always himself, still trying to get over a life never lived.

That didn't mean he still wasn't entirely unsuspicious of the archer, either. Despite the likely possibility that it was just a side-effect of him being extremely close with Roy in the simulation, he still thought the archer was off. Maybe he was just losing his grip on reality, but maybe…

Maybe it was because he was so close to Roy in the simulation that he was able to detect that his friend was behaving oddly now.

He held up a flash drive, "Not completely," He said, "I managed to get this off of Parasite before he got away," He plugged it into his gauntlet, trying to ignore how unfamiliar it was. Sure, he had still been adept at hacking, but he had had Barbara and Tim to really rely on for it. Oracle's job was tech assistance from afar, and Tim had managed to surpass him in the hacking field.

"Parasite's working for Intergang," He reported, scanning the information in front of him after his program decrypted the files, "They're putting together some sort of machine or weapon, some piece of tech that generates...black holes." He stared at the screen in surprise.

"Oh come on," Roy scoffed, crossing his arms, "For that, you'd need a particle accelerator,"

But he was a step ahead, "There's a boson collider in Geneva, which is the circus' next stop." He reported.

Suddenly, Roy was deadly serious. "Parasite has a big head start now that he can fly,"

"Sorry," M'gann apologized, and he noticed Conner looking to the side, his face stone.

"It's not your fault," Artemis reassured her, as he stared at Conner.

It's not M'gann who he got the flying from, is it?

He shook off those thoughts, "We need to hurry,"

"You and I need to hurry," Roy corrected, moving to grab his spare bow, "Without powers, the others would just hold us back,"

Roy would never say that.

"Hey, you're not the only one with a backup bow," Artemis retorted, holding up a fully loaded and armed crossbow.

There was suddenly a bang, and everyone turned to look at Conner, who had punched the wall with his super strength, leaving a rather large dent. "And my powers are back,"

Impossible. It hasn't even been an hour.

"I guess Kryptonians recover faster than humans or Martians," He said, rubbing his right arm as he replied to M'gann and Artemis' confusion.

Liar. It doesn't have to do with biology. That's not how Parasite's powers work.

Miss Martian looked at them all, "Don't you even think about leaving me behind,"

He tried not to look at Roy's suspicious face as the boy looked at all of them.

Overall, it had been simple to take down Parasite.

He had informed the others that while Parasite could take one's strengths and powers, he also would take some of their weaknesses. Which meant since M'gann's weakness was fire, they just had to trap him in the flames.

Which they had been able to achieve.

After that, all they had to do was head back.

What he hadn't been expecting was a certain confrontation.

"Robin," He turned as he left the room to see none other than Roy standing there.

He looked at the physically older boy, "Yeah?"

Roy gave him a look of severe distrust that made his stomach twist slightly.

"Roy?" His call made the archer turn around and look back into the hospital room to face him once more. Him, lying in bed, utterly weak and broken.

"Yeah, Dick?"

"Can you...stay with me? For a bit?"

A look flashed between them. The recognition that they were all that was left. That now they needed to stay together, heal together, and rebuild together.

"Of course." Roy's voice was soft, and his chest loosened slightly. His voice was a promise, telling the thirteen year old that he wasn't completely alone. That the Invasion hadn't taken everything.

"I don't know what you're hiding from them," This Roy's voice was harsh in his ear, and shocked him out of the memory. "But I swear if you've turned on us, you will regret it."

This Roy made him feel even more alone.

I know, I know - I skipped out on the Parasite fight. It's virtually the exact same as in the show, and I didn't see a point in writing it as all it would add would be more time before this chapter was posted, as it wouldn't have any plot relating to this story. With already so long since you've all had an update, I decided it just wasn't worth it.