This is the first part of a multi-part series about the dynamic between Artemis, Wally, and Dick on how Tigress mission began.

Quick reminder Alienated is the episode where they raid the Krolotean Base on Malina Island and Kaldur's defection to Black Manta is revealed.

Before Alienated

STARBUCKS, PALO ALTO

Artemis POV

"Kaldur did what!" I yelled. I got up and gave Dick an intense stare for a few seconds.

"Uhhh Artemis..." he eventually said, snapping me out of my focus. I turn around to see that everyone is staring at the two of us. I look down and see that I spilled both Dick's and my coffee.

"Damn it," I say as I grab some napkins to clean up the floor. After cleaning up part of it Dick kneels down to clean up some of the spilt coffee too.

"Sorry for spilling your coffee."

"Don't worry about it. I probably would have responded the same way." Once the two of us finish cleaning up the floor we sit up at the table again.

"Just why? Why would he-" I struggle with the disbelief of what Dick has told me. Was this because of Tula? I knew that he liked Tula before she and Garth started dating. But would he really join Black Manta because of what happened to her. "Why Black Manta?" His mentor's archenemy! And Manta helped kill Tula on top of that!

"Because... Black Manta is his father." I take a second to stare at Dick, then into an abyss as I ponder his words. "Aqualad learned, shortly before Tula's death."

"Did Aquaman-" I attempt to ask. I-personally-know the cost of keeping secrets from your friends. The tense atmosphere of mistrust around you. The personally pain the people around you feel when they learn of your betrayal. And the long road to recover the respect I-you have to take.

"Yeah," he tells me with disappointment. "He knew and chose not to tell anyone."

"Does anyone else on the team know?"

"Everyone else does," he tells me. I stare at him for a few seconds.

"Everyone?" I ask.

"Yes, you and Wally are the last people I have to tell."

"Ok I get that," I tell him quickly. "But everybody else knew before me."

"Everyone but Wally." Wally was SUPPOSED to meet Dick and I here, but apparently his lab discovered some interesting particle or wave or something physicsyyy.

"Even Donna and Mary." Those two are retired they had to have not found out yet-

"Even Donna and Mary." I'm... I'm the one out of the loop? "That's what retirement gets you."

"Ughhhh! Don't remind me!" I moan, feeling guilty about retiring. "I gave up exotic forests, mystical castles, and mixed martial arts for the joys of home cooking, reading books in libraries, and learning how to paint in lecture halls." I complained to him.

"That sounds amazing," Dick says joyfully. "Cooking food instead of anti-poison herbs. Libraries of science-fiction instead of a library of crime reports about stolen [censored]. Trying to learn the arts instead of how to construct a lava-submarine." Dick is legitimately wants to do everything I just said. Which is why he's an idiot! Or he is mocking me.

Either way retirement is awful!

He has no idea what I would do for the chance to punch something! Or poison something.

And come on! I totally want to ride in a lava-submarine, and a bunch of stolen [censored] is the greatest teaser ever! Since he thinks I am so in love with retirement (idiot), he has no idea how tempting his ideas are to get me back into the hero game. But-in spite of my true feelings-I play it calm.

"Come on tell me all about it," Dick asks.

Some Boring Amount of Time Later

"Keep talking," Dick asks very politely. So politely that I didn't tell him to #$%! cooking, and talk about stolen [censored]. That last one was so seductive I would jump at the first chance I get to put back on the green. If baywatch and I wouldn't fight for the rest of our lives, I would join the team again in a heartbeat.

"Why don't you tell me about what you have been doing?" I ask him, very interested in what he would say.

"Come on you don't want to hear about that." Yes I #%^&ing do! I will do anything to hear about it. Or live it and never tell Wally.

"You came here to talk about Kaldur, let's talk about Kaldur," I say. Dick makes a series of facial expressions. He continues in silence once he stops his facial tick. He then drank from his coffee cup, only to put it down once he realized it was empty.

"It-It... It's not easy," Dick says uncomfortably. He continued to look around awkwardly as if he was hiding something.

"I know," I tell him. "Remember the mole thing."

"Humh, ha, HA, the good old days," Dick laughs a bit.

"Maybe Kaldur will betray Black Manta the way Superboy betrayed Lex, or M'gann and Queen Bee or..." I don't complete my sentence.

"You and your dad." Dick completed for me.

"Me..." I look at my empty coffee cup and wish there was something to drink. "... and my dad." The two of us are silent for a little bit. "Maybe Kaldur and his dad will end up like me and my dad." Dick simply blinks quickly. It's weird that I could see that because he is wearing shades. "Are you alright?"

"I... I..." Dick looks like he needs to get something off his chest.

"Is there something you want to say?" I ask wondering if this has anything to do with...

"[cough] [cough]" Dick fake coughs, very obviously (and I thought retirement would dull my skills), and looks around. "You don't plan to return to the hero game anytime soon right?" Does he seriously believe that I DON'T want to return to the hero game? Well... I guess wanting to and planning are two different things.

"No," I'm not telling him a lie. Planning and wanting are two different things.

"The rest of the league doesn't know this..." Dick says with a serious, captivating aura. "...but the reason Kaldur defected to Black Manta, was... because I told him to."

I just blink at him for a few seconds. Just. WOW. Did he tell him to strike out his own like he did after what happened between him and Batman? "How bad was the advice that you game him?"

"What?" he says very confused.

"I mean I could understand the kind of advice you would give him." I start channeling my inner-Nightwing. "Your mentor was a jack ## who kept secrets from you that you deserved to know. In order to make sure that they never-"

"I didn't give him advice that he misinterpreted," Nightwing interrupts. "I told him: Black Manta is your father, join his organization." He tells me with a straight face.

"I-You-What?" I ask very confused.

"Kaldur hasn't betrayed us, he has become an infiltrator," Dick clarifies.

"Ohhhhh... Why are you telling me this?" Dick is a professional, everything he says about his job, every facial expression, and every little move is made to tell somebody what he wanted them to know and think. Batman can... and Jason could... do it better. If someone wasn't careful, one of them could easily manipulate you into doing their bidding.

"I-I need to talk to somebody about this."

Some FAR MORE INTERESTING Amount of Time Later

"So why did you feel the need to talk to me about this," I asked him. He explained to me Aqualad and his plan to infiltrate the Light. But given how well it seems to have gone so far I don't see what he is so stressed about.

"It's because I haven't been able to talk to anybody about it," he responds.

"I thought you were in contact with Kaldur."

"I have contacted with him, but I am not in contact with him."

"The difference being..."

"[Sigh] We prearrange meeting times to meet in person because then we don't risk communication interception."

"How often do you talk?"

"Every two or three weeks."

"That's a long time to spend with a super villain."

"That's a long time to spend alone," he corrects me.

"Is there nobody with him."

"Why would I send somebody else with him?"

"Because we all know somebody who needed a partner," I remind him. He smirks a little.

"Ha. I guess we do," the two of us think about the past for a while. "But who would I send?" he asks a question that causes me to smile.

MANTA SUB, ATLANTIC OCEAN

Black Manta POV

"Computer connect," I tell the device. Million dollar equipment for a new monitor when I entered the Light and the best upgrade is that Alexa is attached. I look up at the monitor as the others start to connect.

"L-3 Connected."

"L-2 Connected."

"L-6 Connected."

"L-1 Connected."

"L-4 Connected."

"L-7 Connected."

"The meeting is now in session," Klarion said deviously.

"As Klarion is so eager to report..." Vandal Savage started talking. "...our mission to contact the Reach was a success."

"I'd assume that they need a place to stay," Queen Bee said.

"As much as I assume they would enjoy your hospitality," I interject "But I believe my domain is better suited to hide an alien vessel."

"Vrai," the Brain adds in his French accent. "Le Earth's waters provide ample cover for the Reach's ship."

"Since they took up our offer for test subjects should we start picking some out," Lex Luthor says.

"I can send agents out as soon as possible, but I will need both our Queen and Manta to assist in transport around the globe," Ra's offers.

"All of which can be dealt with in due time," Vandal Savage noted. "Our new allies have an more immediate demand. The immediate removal of all Kroloteans."

"Well isn't that convenient," I add. "We gathered most of them all in one place."

"And our new allies have given us a bomb to dispose of them."

"I can have my people watching the Kroloteans in Metropolis be discovered," Lex adds

"And I can have my son pick them up," I add.

There is an aura of silence afterwards.

"We have to give test him sometime."

"But with the future of our alliance at stake?" Ra's adds. "Should we really be putting that much trust in a child."

"What better test could there be for my son?"

"I agree," Savage unexpectedly adds. "I find testing my children works best with high stakes."

"Well that didn't work out for me?" Lex points out.

"Perhaps we should have him shadowed?" Queen Bee asks.

"I can overlook him personally?" I add.

"Nah! Kids are always different when daddy's not around." Klarion adds with a mischievous smile.

"I agree with Klarion's... poorly worded statement," Savage adds. "I say we send Sportsmaster."

"Second," Ra's adds.

"Aye," Klarion, Bee, and Lex add.

"Then I believe we are all in agreement," I say. "Sportsmaster will watch over my son's recovery and execution of Kroloteans."

"How about notre new partner?" Brain asks. "I'm sure they will want to confirm that the Kroloteans are eradicated by this weapon they are providing."

"Hmmmm, I would rather have my son be watched over by a fellow father, but I guess it will have to do."

"Excellent!"

"Does your son work alone?" Lex asked. "He should really hire an assistant. Mine always comes in handy."