Young Justice is not mine.
Flames will not be tolerated, but I gladly accept constructive criticism.
Fireworks
"Sometimes we are taken into trouble waters not to drown, but to be cleansed."
- Lolly Daskal
UNKNOWN
Kayanna laughed.
The sound was muffled slightly by the sound of splashing water as she raced along the shore, her brother, Kyle, chasing after her. Her mother, Elizabeth, was sat on a towel on the beach, watching her children fondly as her father, Koda, grilled some hot dogs.
Kayanna had always enjoyed the water, and today was no exception.
Time runs short.
Kayanna blinked.
There was a man- no, a boy- with raven black hair and bright blue eyes that appeared and stood across the beach from Kayanna and her family. He stood their stoically, emotionless gaze glued to the brunette as she attempted to ignore him, but she found herself constantly looking over her shoulder at the boy.
And each time she glanced over, it looked as though he was getting closer and closer.
You must awaken.
Kayanna's breath hitched.
Time froze, the ocean breeze stilling as the world began to blur and melt away. Kayanna felt a presence behind her and whirled around to greet it. She startled slightly as she came face to face with the boy from earlier. His eyes had darkened significantly, anger and darkness swimming within the pools of blue and Kayanna's heart began to beat wildly.
The boys knuckles cracked as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
You must awaken- NOW!
And then he attacked.
Nightfall awoke with a violent jolt, a scream ripping from her throat. Her blue eyes were wide with panic as her heart beat loudly in her ears. Her eyes focused on Superboy, the clone who had mercilessly choked her into unconsciousness.
He was the boy from her dream.
A new wave of panic washed over the waterbender and she sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes snapped her way. She tried to struggle, but found herself trapped.
There was something holding onto her wrists and ankles, and the waterbender tugged at them with all her might, only for them to not budge an inch. She ignored the pain that flared up under the restraints as she continued to struggle and cry out.
"Nightfall!"
A blur of voices called out her name, but she ignored them as she continued to tug at her restraints. They wouldn't budge, and that only caused her to panic more.
My dad is going to kill me. My dad is going to kill me. My dad is going to kill me.
"Quit staring!" Kid Flash cried out, and the clone's attention snapped to the speedster, "You're freaking her out!"
Aqualad glanced at the struggling girl, demeanor calm as he voiced, "Nightfall, please, calm yourself. You are only going to hurt yourself."
Nightfall turned her head to look at the Atlantean, meeting his composed seafoam eyes. Her struggling had decreased as her strength diminished and Aqualad told her to take a deep breath, with which she did, and it helped to settle her racing heart.
She took in another deep breath, eyes slipping shut. Her dad had taught her different breathing exercises to help stay calm, but she was having a hard time actually doing one because every time she thought of her dad, the feeling of panic would be right back again.
But at least with Aqualad's help she was able to calm down slightly.
"Now quit staring at me!" Kid Flash huffed, "You're creeping me out!"
"Uh, KF, how about we try and not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?" Robin suggested from his pod, shifting his worried gaze from Nightfall into an annoyed look aimed at his friend. The speedster merely shrugged.
"We only sought to help you." Aqualad commented coolly.
Kid Flash wasn't as calm as the Atlantean, "Yeah! We free you and you turn on us! What's that all-"
"Kid, please, be quiet now," Aqualad interrupted the speedster with a soft glare before turning back towards Superboy, "I believe our new friend was not fully in control of his actions."
Nightfall scowled and pulled at her restraints once more, "Doesn't make it right." Her panic had slowly melted into anger and frustration, and all she wanted to do was punch the clone in his stupid perfect face.
Superboy's gaze shifted to the girl for a mere second before focusing back on Aqualad and ignoring the waterbender's comment, "W-what if-" He paused, struggling with his words and speech, "What if I wasn't?"
"He can talk?!"
The clone wasn't all too happy with Kid Flash's outburst as he pointedly stated, "Yes, he can."
After receiving pointed looks from his best friend and Aqualad, the speedster shrunk back and shrugged, "What? It's not like I said it…"
"You should think before you speak, Kid," Nightlight spoke up, voice groggy and words slightly slurred.
"Nightlight!" Kid Flash's head snapped towards the girl, a small smile on his face before it disappeared when he took in her appearance. Her face was pale and eyes half lidded as if she was trying to stay awake, "What did you do to her?" The speedster whirled on Superboy.
"Due to the nature of her powers, the Nightlight was heavily sedated. The sedation should wear off soon."
"You okay, Light?" Robin asked their pink friend.
She nodded her head weakly, "I'll be fine."
Aqualad looked thoughtful as he spoke, "The genomorphs taught you telepathically, correct?"
"Yes," Superboy agreed, "They taught me much. I can read, write. I know the name of things."
"Gold star for you," Nightfall grumbled, meeting the clone's eyes for a second before she snapped her gaze to the rocky ground. It was suffice to say Superboy made the girl feel uneasy.
"But have you actually seen them?" Robin questioned, "Have you ever seen the sky? Or the sun? In person?"
Superboy looked pensive for a moment, before a dejected look crossed his face, "Images are implanted in my mind, but no, I have not seen them."
Under other circumstances, Nightfall might've felt bad for the boy.
"Do you know what you are?" Aqualad asked, "Who you are?"
"I am the Superboy," Superboy informed the teens and he stood up straighter, "A genomorph. A clone made from the DNA of the Superman, created to replace him should he perish. To destroy him should he turn from the Light."
That didn't sound sketchy…
"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration…" Aqualad admitted with a small nod, "but like Superman, you deserve a life of your own beyond that solar suit, beyond your pod, and beyond Cadmus."
"I live because of Cadmus!" Superboy erupted with clenched fists, "It is my home!"
"Some home," Nightfall frowned, "It's just a test tube-"
"We can show you the sun!" Robin interjected before the waterbender could say more.
Superboy looked over at the Boy Wonder, a look of hope and wonder crossing his face. Cadmus may have been his home, where he was 'born' and created, but these teens before him were giving him hope of another life.
"Uh, pretty sure it's after midnight," Kid Flash chimed in sheepishly, "but we can show you the moon!" He quickly added.
"We can show you," Aqualad paused, correcting his words, "No, introduce you to Superman."
"No, they can't." A new voice piped up and Nightfall looked up to see a scientist with long, greasy hair pulled back into a ponytail enter the room, flanked by Guardian and another scientist, "They'll be otherwise occupied."
Nightfall didn't like the dark look in his eyes as he scanned the pods in front of him. She struggled in her restraints once more, tugging at the metal withholding her arms and legs. The scientist took note of her struggling, and focused his gaze on her.
"You wear the symbol of Nighttide," He noted and the waterbender frowned at the mention of her father's name, "yet I've never seen you before. Regardless, you may still prove to be useful." He swept away from her pod, turning around to face the female scientist that had entered with him, "Activate the cloning process."
NightFall's eyes widened as Robin quipped lightly, "Pass, Batcave's crowded enough."
"And get the weapon back in its pod!"
"Hey!" Kid Flash cried out, "How come he gets to call Supey an it?" Robin glared at his friend and Nightlight rolled her eyes. She attempted to activate her powers, hoping to go intangible so as to slip out of the restraints, but she was still groggy and lacked the energy to use her powers.
"I can't be cloned!" Nightfall breathed out in a panic, blue eyes wide, "My dad will kill me!"
Superboy kept his gaze set on the teens restrained before him, Aqualad meeting the clone's gaze with his, "Help us, please."
When the clone didn't move, he greasy haired scientist scowled, stepping up to Superboy, "Don't start thinking now." A genomorph jumped from his shoulder to Superboy's, its horns glowing a pale red, "See, you're not a real boy. You're a weapon, and you belong to me! Well, to Cadmus. Same thing. Now get back to your pod!"
For a few seconds Superboy stood in his place, but then he reluctantly turned away. The massive steel doors slid shut behind him as he left the room, and Nightfall felt another wave of panic begin to bubble up within her.
The scientist nodded at the tech, who had positioned herself behind a control console. She didn't look too happy to be there, but she didn't utter a word of protest as she fiddled with the buttons and controls in front of her. With an almost sympathetic glance, she pressed one final button, and the cloning process was activated.
Mechanical arms burst forth from the bottom of each of the pods, a menacing looking set of syringes positioned at the end of each of the arms. Nightfall tried to shrink back into her pod, but had nowhere to go as they advanced in on her.
They connected with her chest, and a feeling like no other flared up in her chest, massive jolts of electricity coursing through her body. A silent scream ripped from her throat, mixing with the screams from her friends as their DNA was forcibly drawn from their bodies.
As soon as the pain had started, it stopped.
Nightfall sagged in her restraints, head hanging down as she breathed harshly. A tear streaked down her cheek as her fingers twitched without her control.
Superboy started towards the trapped teens, tossing the door he ripped off its hinges to the side. The scientists and Guardian charged the clone, hoping to subdue him, but they were tossed roughly to the side and then ignored.
"Are you here to help us or fry us?" Kid Flash questioned skeptically when Superboy stopped before the group.
He narrowed his eyes, but nothing happened, "Huh, I don't seem to have heat vision, so I guess helping is my only option."
"Oh, goody."
"Ah, finally!" Robin's pod snapped open with a hiss, the Boy Wonder dropping to the ground after successfully freeing himself, "Lucky Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long!"
"Seriously, that's what you're worried about?" Kid Flash frowned, eyeing his best friend as he moved behind a computer console, "The whole League will have our heads after tonight!"
My dad is going to murder me.
Nightfall groaned mentally, not looking forward to a reconciliation with her father once this whole shindig was over.
"We do have more pressing matters to attend to." Nightlight commented from besides the Boy Wonder. He didn't even flinch, having already known the girl had freed herself from her pod.
Robin ignored his best friend and Nightlight as he pressed a button on the computer console, the glass lids on their pods disappearing, "Free Aqualad, I'll get Kid Mouth and Nightfall."
"Don't you give me orders either." Superboy scowled before leaping onto the Atlantean's pod and easily removing the metal cuffs with his strength. Robin rolled his before climbing onto Kid Flash's pod and getting to work on the speedster's restraints.
Superboy helped Aqualad to the ground before turning and leaping up onto Nightfall's pod. She startled slightly, having not expected the clone before she shrunk back against her pod. He reached for a cuff and the waterbender tried to stop him, "Its fine. You can leave me here. Robin said he'd get me out."
"This is faster." Superboy simply replied, ignoring the girl's wishes and freeing her of her restraints.
Nightfall involuntarily fell forward at the loss of something holding her up, and the clone caught her before sweeping her up into his arms. She cried out as he jumped to the ground.
"Woah, woah," The waterbender practically threw herself out of Superboy's arms, hands coming up in a mock karate pose as she distanced herself from him, "No touchie!"
Superboy looked mildly confused, but Robin called out to the duo and caught their attention before he could say anything more, "Come on! We need to get out of here."
With a quick glare at the clone, Nightfall darted off after the Boy Wonder as greasy, ponytail man yelled at them, "Y-you'll never get out of here! I'll have you back in your pods by morning!"
Robin paused in the doorframe, turning back towards the scientist and empty pods with a frown, "That guy is not whelmed. Not whelmed at all." He pulled out several explosives as Nightfall turned towards Kid Flash, aiming to ask about the Boy Wonder's word choice.
The speedster shook his head, "Don't ask."
An eruption filled the room as the rest of the teens filed out, the pods they were once trapped in and the containers containing their DNA going up in flames. Nightfall ran alongside Kid Flash and Robin, Nightlight flying ahead to catch up with Superboy and Aqualad.
"We are still forty-two levels below ground, but if we can make the elevator-" Aqualad spoke, only to trail off as a group of mammoth sized genomorphs rounded the corner. The group came to a standstill, only to look behind themselves as sacs on the walls began to glow, more genomorphs slithering out from within them.
Nightlight cringed from her place in the air, "Now that's just gross."
A meaty fist came barreling towards the group of teens, and Nightfall found herself being pushed to the side by Kid Flash as the group scattered. Nightlight grabbed Robin as an oversized foot came down before him. Turning the two intangible, they flew through the genomorph before arriving on the other side.
Nightfall came to a halt beside Aqualad, who had turned to look at their newfound friend. Superboy had neglected to dodge, choosing instead to attack. The hallway shuttered violently, chunks falling from the ceiling as the clone slammed a genomorph into the wall.
Nightlight threw up a shield just as a large chunk of debris fell their way and Aqualad shouted at the enraged clone, "Superboy, the goal is to escape, not to bury ourselves alive!"
"You want escape?" Superboy screamed, picking up one of the large genomorphs he had taken down. He spun it around before throwing it at the two that remained, giving the group a momentary reprieve.
Nightlight blinked, "Well, alright then."
They reached the elevator shaft, and Aqualad pried it open with his strength, the force crumpling the metal. Nightfall paled at the thought of going into yet another elevator shaft as she looked down the shaft while the others looked up.
Kid Flash zipped into the empty elevator shaft once the coast was clear, perching himself onto a lower ledge. Robin shot his grapple up into the shaft, and once he was sure he had purchase, he wrapped a hand around Nightfall's waist, pulling him and the girl upwards.
"Hey!" She cried out, suddenly finding herself in the air without a warning. The waterbender threw her arms around Robin's shoulders as the wind whipped past their faces.
Nightlight flew into the elevator shaft next and grabbed Kid Flash's hand, flying the two upwards while Superboy grabbed Aqualad around the torso. He super-leaped into the air, fist extended outwards as he attempted to fly. The power was lacking, however, and their momentum was lost as they began to plummet into the darkness below, "I-I'm falling."
Nightfall watched, eyes wide, from the ledge Robin had set the two on. With quick thinking on his part, the Boy Wonder whipped out a birdarang, throwing it so it impaled the wall and Aqualad could grab a hold of it.
Superboy looked sullen and dejected as he hung in Aqualad's grip, eyes downcast, "Superman can fly, why can't I fly?"
"I don't know," Nightlight assured, floating over and grabbing Superboy's arm to help steady him as he settled on the ledge below, "but it does look like you can make pretty great leaps with your strength."
"Still impressive," Kid Flash chimed in in agreeance from his place on the ledge.
"Thank you."
"Guys, this'll have to be our exit!" Robin snapped over the sound of a loud, whirring noise and Nightfall looked up, eyes widening as the elevator came speeding their way.
Superboy and Aqualad easily took down the doors and Nightfall was incredibly relieve to see a normal looking hallway. They were getting somewhere!
The group scrambled into the hallway just before the elevator flew past them. However, things could never be easy and a horde of genomorphs appeared at the opposite end of the hallway, jaws snapping as they screeched at the teens.
"Let's get moving!" Robin cried out before they took off down an adjacent hall. Nightfall was confused as to where they were running to, but away from the genomorphs was better than towards the genomorphs.
"Go left!" Superboy suddenly cried out as they reached a crossroads, "Left!"
Kid Flash, who had easily found himself at the head of the group, turned the designated direction, as did the rest of the group, and they found themselves running down another hallway. Another directional command from Superboy, and the group of six found themselves at a dead end.
"Great directions, Supey!" Kid Flash snapped at the clone.
Nightfall scowled, "We're going to get re-podded because of you!"
"No, I… I don't understand."
"Don't apologize!" Robin beamed as his gaze settled on a small vent located at the top of the wall. Nightfall frowned as she followed the Boy Wonder's gaze, not liking where his mind was heading, "This is perfect!"
After a little bit of finagling and breaking things, Nightfall found herself crawling through the vents thanks to Robin's brilliant plan. Instead of traveling through a nice open hallway, they were travelling through a gross and dusty ventilation duct that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years.
"At this rate, we'll never get out!" Kid Flash hissed from his place behind Nightlight, whose pink aura illuminated the metallic shaft slightly.
"Sshhh!" Superboy hushed the speedster, pausing in his crawling, "Can you guys hear that?"
The group paused and Nightfall glanced back, straining her ears. It took a few seconds before she could hear anything, but when she could, she could definitely make out the faint sound of the horde of genomorphs crawling through the vents behind them.
"Come on, our exits not too far up ahead!" Robin called back to the heroes.
They reached their exit and Robin kicked off the metal grate and Nightfall shimmied out after him. She gave a hand to Aqualad as he came out behind her, and the Atlantean turned to help the others.
Robin had dropped to the floor and removed a metal plate, revealing colorful wires and buttons below. He immediately pulled out a cable from his computer, plugging it in before getting to work on some sort of computer thing. Nightfall assumed he was doing his hacker thing.
A few moments later, and her thoughts were confirmed when a smug Boy Wonder turned to his friends, "I hacked the motion sensors!"
"Sweet," Kid Flash grinned.
Nightfall extended Robin a hand, and he accepted it as she helped hoist him up, "And that means?"
"We should be safe for now, but there's still plenty of them between us and out."
Kid Flash didn't seem fazed as he slipped his goggles over his face, "But that just means I've finally got room to move!" In a blue of yellow, the speedster kicked open the door behind the teens, revealing a stairwell before he began to race up it.
"And somehow he still has the energy to run off on us," Nightlight frowned, evidently unamused as she flew into the stairwell, following after the rogue speedster.
Nightfall shared a look with Aqualad before she followed the three remaining teens into the stairwell. They began to race up the stairs, passing and occasionally having to jump over the downed genomorphs Kid Flash managed to take out.
"More behind us!" Robin called out, eyes on his holo-computer.
Superboy skidded to a halt and turned around, taking out the stairs behind them so the encroaching genomorphs couldn't sneak up on them. Nightfall stumbled as the stairwell shuddered from the force, but quickly caught herself and followed Robin into an open hallway.
Alarms blared loudly and the walls were tinted red from the raging lights. Kid Flash was sprawled out in the middle of the floor, leaving Nightfall a tad bit confused, as he sat up and rubbed his head. It was then her eyes settled on the large wall that did not look normal.
"We're cut off from the street." Aqualad announced.
"Thanks," Kid Flash grumbled, still rubbing his sore head, "My head hadn't noticed."
Nightfall extended him a hand, "Are you alright?" She asked, helping him to his feet.
"I am now that you're here, beautiful."
"Yeah, he's fine." Robin shook his head as he pushed past the two, holo-computer up as he attempted to hack the door.
Nightlight floated over to the door as Superboy and Aqualad walked up to it, "I think I can phase us through the door!" She placed her hand on it and attempted to go intangible, but was quick to pull back her arm with a hiss, her hand flickering between densities for a moment. Kid Flash looked on in concern as she explained, "Gah! There's too much iron in the door, I can't take us through."
They moved onto a different plan, Superboy and Aqualad each taking a side of the door and trying to use their combined strengths to get it open. Their attempts were futile as each of them struggled, and Robin called out, "I can't hack this fast enough."
A group of massive genomorphs rounded the corner, growling at the heroes as they closed in on them. Nightfall and the others glanced around for an exit, before the waterbender ran up to one, "Door!" She shouted, pushing it open and not bothering to check the other side as she ran through.
The others followed her, hoping it would lead to freedom.
It did not.
They found themselves at a crossroads once more, but this time each path was blocked by a wall of genomorps, and Guardian stood at the head of them with an emotionless expression. Aqualad slipped into a fighting stance, pulling out his waterbearers and the rest of the teens followed suit, Nightfall pulling the remaining water from her water pouch.
Even though they were outnumbered, they weren't going down without a fight.
Nightfall suddenly felt her body go slack, mind going numb as she collapsed to the ground, the water once in her control pooling out around her.
…
"Nightfall."
Someone shook her shoulder, and the waterbender groaned, shifting slightly before cracking her eyes open. Nightlight was looking down at her, pink eyes filled with worried as she helped the other girl up.
It appeared the others had bounced back rather quickly from their short time unconscious, but in Nightfall's case, she'd never been knocked out twice in a span of not even twelve hours. She could already tell it was taking a toll on her body.
"Are you okay?"
Nightfall nodded as she stood on her feet. A dull throbbing started at the base of her skull, and she could tell it would be a full blown migraine in the span of a few hours.
"Feels like," Nightfall glanced over, watching as Guardian placed a hand on his head. He looked shaken and mildly disoriented, "fog lifting…"
Aqualad glanced at the supposed hero pensively, "Guardian?" His voice was calm, but there was an underlying tone of caution to it.
"Go," Guardian voiced firmly, "I'll deal with Desmond."
So that was greasy ponytail man's name…
"I think not," The crowd of genomorph's split, moving to the side to reveal Desmond himself, "I will not lose control of Cadmus, and Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore it." He held up a small test tube containing a bright blue liquid. It swirled in the test tube, even bubbling slightly before in one quick motion, Desmond downed the liquid.
Pain overtook the scientist's body as he twisted and contorted, bones cracking and Guardian positioned himself in front of the young heroes. Nightfall grimaced as Desmond fell to his knees, clothes ripping off his body as his muscles ballooned in size. His skin began to crack before it to began to rip, revealing a pale blue layer underneath.
The transformation was complete when Desmond stood tall, now about twice the size he once was. Superboy scowled and the others braced for a fight while Nightfall found herself behind the group, eyes wide.
"Everyone back!" Guardian ordered before he charged at the creature, but he was roughly thrown into a wall.
Superboy surged forwards, and the two exchanged blows until Desmond ultimately tackled the clone through the ceiling, creating a massively sized hole.
Robin ran over to it, the rest of the group following suit, "Okay, that's one way to bust through the ceiling!"
"Think lab coat planned that?" Kid Flash asked, grabbing onto his best friend's utility belt as Robin lifted them through the hole with his grapple.
"I doubt he is planning anything anymore," Aqualad tacked on before jumping through the hole to follow after the two boys.
Nightlight extended Nightfall a hand, low key eyeballing the girl to ensure she was okay, "I guess we're going up."
"Unfortunately," The waterbender frowned as she accepted the other girl's hand, and Nightlight flew the two through the opening, adrenaline beginning to course through her veins once more.
They landed on the upper floor just in time to see Superboy get thrown their way, Nightlight reacting fast enough to move herself and Nightfall out of the way of the clone, Kid Flash and Robin moving as well. Aqualad, however, wasn't as lucky and the two boys colliding, skidding back on the ground a few feet.
The group of heroes quickly regrouped, helping Aqualad and Superboy to their feet before turning to face Desmond. Nightfall felt her heart pounding violently in her chest, but instead of her body being filled with fear as she was during their fight against Superboy, she found herself filled with determination.
Though this guy was twice the size of the normal thugs she went up against with her father, Nightfall was determined to aide in the fight and not freeze up this time around.
Kid Flash was the first to take action, zipping forward before skidding underneath the creature's feet. He propped himself up just as Nightlight flew in, launching a barrage of pink disks at Desmond that sent him stumbling backwards, stumbling over the speedster until he fell onto the ground in a heap.
"Learned the one in kindergarten," Kid Flash smirked just as Robin flipped over his friend, releasing a barrage of biradarangs at Desmond. He merely swatted them away before rolling over, only to find himself at Superboy's feet.
Desmond roared in anger before surging to his feet and running into the clone, who had braced himself. The two stumbled backwards into a cement pillar, Superboy deflecting each blow Desmond dealt him. He finally got a good hit in, leaving Superboy slightly disoriented, but when he pulled back to deliver another punch in the face to the clone, but a whip of water curled around his meaty fist, stopping his attack.
Desmond glanced back at the source to see Nightfall struggling to hold onto the water to keep ahold of the creature's fist. Just because she wasn't a Superboy fan didn't mean she wasn't going to help him… they were on the same side after all.
Just as she felt the water in her control slipping, Aqualad launched his own water whip, combing forces with the girl. Together they tugged Desmond backwards, giving Superboy a mini reprieve, but that was all the clone needed.
With Desmond fighting against the two waterbenders, he was too distracted to notice Superboy cock his fist back. As soon as Aqualad and Nightfall dropped their water, effectively releasing the creature, Superboy attacked and sent Desmond flying backwards.
Nightlight swooped in and caught Desmond in a bubble. To focus on maintaining the bubble as the creature pounded against it, she firmly placed her feet on the ground before using what strength she had left to spin the bubble around before throwing it across the room. The bubble dissipated and Desmond went sailing, headfirst, into a pillar, shattering it and causing the room to shake.
As Aqualad and Superboy went after Desmond, Nightfall found herself standing off the side, watching the battle as she struggled to figure out what more she could do to help. She had used what little water she had left in holding back Desmond's fist, but now she was out and on the more useless side of things.
"Nightfall!" A voice cried out, and the waterbender looked towards the source. Robin, who was also standing off the side, pointed to the side, and Nightfall followed his gesture. Her eyes widened in happiness as they settled on a water fountain, nestled between some bathrooms, attached to a wall.
She ran towards the water fountain, ducking slightly as more debris rained down on her. Nightfall pressed the button on the fountain, happy to see water flowing out of the spigot before she stepped backwards.
Nightfall sank into a pose her father had taught her and steadied her breath. She focused on feeling the water concealed behind the fountain before she thrusted her hands forward. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then the fountain began to creak and moan until it suddenly burst, a wave of water erupting from within.
The water swirled around Nightfall as a feeling of giddiness coursed through her veins. She had never had this much water in her control at one time! It was empowering to say the least.
The building shook once more and Desmond roared, causing Nightfall to snap back into focus. Aqualad went flying across the room, Nightlight darting over to catch him before he hit the ground, leaving the creature standing relatively unoccupied in the middle of the room.
With her own version of a battle cry, Nightfall leapt forward before spinning around and jutting her hands forward. The water followed her command, twisting into a strong stream that barreled Desmond's way. It collided with him full force, sending him stumbling to the side and right into Superboy's fist.
Desmond flew through the air before roughly colliding with the ground. He shifted to his stomach and growled as he looked up, deadly gaze set on Nightfall. The creature surged to his feet and made a swipe at the girl.
"Yikes!" Nightfall cried out before diving to the side. He whirled on her again, and she collected the water into a tidal wave, jumping onto it like she had seen her father do before surfing away.
Desmond gave chase, making mad swipes at the waterbender as she ducked. They came across a pillar, and Nightfall swiped the tidal wave right to avoid it. Desmond, however, barreled through it, the concrete and rocks falling upon him.
As Desmond reoriented himself, Nightfall skidded to a halt across the room, the water splashing to the ground. Excitement bubbled up within in as she turned and cheered to herself.
"I have never done that successfully before!" She exclaimed to no one in particular.
The ground suddenly began to shake and Nightfall glanced up to see Desmond charging her way. Her face paled, eyes growing wide but before she could retaliate, Kid Flash swooped in and picked the girl up, racing her across the room and setting her beside Robin.
Aqualad and Superboy combined their strength to knock Desmond to the ground once more.
"How about we save the cheering until later, okay beautiful?"
Nightfall rubbed her neck sheepishly and Robin glanced between the two, "I have a plan." He pulled up his holo-computer, which showed a blueprint of the room they were currently in. Six columns appeared, a few showing significant damage to them due to the battle that was currently still raging on.
The room shook once more as another pillar went down.
"Got it?" Robin asked his best friend, who nodded in response, "Good. Go!"
Kid Flash raced off and Nightfall watched as he skidded underneath Superboy, who had been whacked to the side. Desmond eyed the speedster with mild annoyance, halting his attack on Aqualad as Kid Flash punched his face.
When the speedster landed he had a chunk of something in his hand, which he held up and mocked, "Got your nose!"
"That is so gross," Nightlight scowled as she floated at Kid Flash's side.
The speedster wasn't able to retort as Desmond dropped Aqualad and charged at Kid Flash and Nightlight. The two scattered, Kid Flash racing off towards a pillar with the creature on his heels while Nightlight went to aide Aqualad.
"Superboy, Aqualad, Nightlight!" Robin called out to the three, who glanced over at him. He showed them the buildings schematics, including the structural damage and the three nodded in understanding.
"Come and get me, you incredible bulk!" Kid Flash placed his back to a pillar, rolling out of the way as Desmond's fist rained down upon him. The pillar shattered, but the speedster wasn't far enough out of harm's way as a piece of debris struck his back, knocking him to the ground.
"Kid!" Nightlight cried out before flying across the room as Robin finished explaining his plan to Superboy and Aqualad. She positioned herself between the still recovering Kid Flash and Desmond before throwing up a bubble.
Desmond's fists bounced harmlessly off of the bubble, but the girl knew it wouldn't last forever. Cracks along the pink dome were already beginning to form, and they grew larger with each blow.
"This one, and that one!" Robin exclaimed, pointing out two pillars, one of which was position behind Desmond. Superboy and Aqualad nodded before taking off, the clone tackling Desmond into the nearest pillar.
Nightlight's bubble dissipated and she pulled Kid Flash over towards Robin, who was drawing an 'x' on the ground in chalk. While Desmond was distracted, Nightfall managed to snag the water she had once been using earlier, picking it up and spreading it across the 'x' the Boy Wonder hard marked out.
Aqualad raced across the room, leading Desmond towards the designated spot. The creature roared and before he could make a swipe at the Atlantean, Superboy emerged and knocked him into the puddle.
Aqualad spun around quickly, electricity sparking up his arms as the heroes cleared the puddle. He slammed his electrified hand into the water, the sparks surging outwards and consuming Desmond. He roared in pain as the electricity coursed through his body.
"Move!" Robin ordered, turning tail and grabbing Nightfall's hand as they ran towards safety. The explosives stuck to the remaining pillars began to glow and beep sporadically before they erupted.
The building shuttered as a shockwave decimated the ceiling and remaining pillars, massive chunks of debris raining down upon the heroes. When it was clear they weren't making it to safety, Nightlight threw up a massive pink shield as Robin tackled Nightfall to the ground.
Nightlight grunted and cried out as the force of the debris falling on the bubble caused her to fall to her knees, but she still kept the bubble up. Kid Flash was at her side, green eyes ablaze with worry as sweat streaked down her forehead. Tiny cracks danced along the bubble as more debris was piled on.
When all seemed to be settled, Nightlight, with the help of Kid Flash, staggered to her feet. With a harsh cry she swiped her hands roughly to the side and the bubble erupted outwards, the debris that had collected on top of it being thrown to the side, clearing a space for the heroes.
Robin moved away from Nightfall as he climbed to his feet before offering the girl his hand. She accepted it and he easily pulled the waterbender to her feet. They took in their surroundings as Nightlight doubled over, sucking in deep breaths, and Kid Flash placed a hand on her back.
Despite the area looking like a huge disaster zone, thanks to Nightlight's shield the small group of heroes had escaped the wreckage relatively unscathed. There were a few nicks and bruises here and there, and somewhere along the line the front of Superboy's solar suit had gotten ripped, but otherwise, they looked good.
"We did it," Aqualad breathed out, mildly disbelieved.
Robin propped his hands on his hips, sharing a look with his best friend, "Was there ever any doubt?" The two shared a high five and a short laugh.
"There was a lot of doubt, actually." Nightfall shrugged and Robin turned to the girl, beaming.
Before she had time to react, he pulled her into a friendly hug, his normal cackle echoing in the night, "Oh come on, Nighty! Live a little!" Nightfall struggled for a second in his grasp before rolling her eyes and giving into the embrace, arms curling around his torso as she buried her head into his shoulder.
The comfort she felt in his arms was short lived, however, as the two pulled away and the events of the night hit the girl full force.
It was as if all of the energy suddenly left her body, and the pain the adrenaline in her system once masked erupted all over her body. Her neck was mildly sore from when Superboy had once choked her, wrists throbbing from the restraints of the pods, and body overall just sore and achy from the previous battle.
Her bed was looking real good right about now.
But they had other things to deal with.
Superboy had walked away from the small group of celebrating heroes, blue eyes focused on the unconscious form of Desmond, who was trapped beneath a large chunk of roof. Nightfall felt an urge to comfort the boy, but she quickly quelled it and looked away.
Her feelings regarding the clone were still mixed, and she didn't exactly trust him.
"See," Kid Flash called out and Superboy turned to look at him as the speedster jutted his thumb upwards, "The moon!"
The group looked upwards, and as Nightfall stared into the full moon, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace. It washed over her and she closed her eyes, but when she opened them again, shadows began to appear in the distance and as one took the form of Superman, the semblance of peace she once felt was shattered.
"Oh, and Superman!" Kid Flash chirped, ignorant of the panic that spread through Nightfall's body, "Do we keep our promises or what?"
Whereas the speedster may have been happy, Nightfall now felt a deep sense of dread fill every fiber of her being. Where there was a Superman, there was a Justice League.
And sure enough, one by one, they began to appear.
Behind Superman appeared Martian Manhunter, Zatara, Captain Marvel and Red Tornado, while other Justice Leaguer's such as Captain Atom, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern's landed behind the small group of heroes.
Shadow Hunter floated into view, and Nightfall shifted her position so she was slightly hidden behind Aqualad as the blue bubble Shadow Hunter created dissipated and revealed the flightless superheroes: Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Aquaman.
And Nighttide.
Visible anger radiated off of Nightfall's father and she did her best to ignore his gaze, eyes downcast. The feeling of fight had long left her body, and now she just felt tired.
Batman approached Superman as Flash zipped to a stop behind the Dark Knight, and Superboy stepped forward. Nightfall watched as the clone approached the Boy Scout with determination, and when he was a few feet away, he lifted the hanging cloth of his solar suit, revealing the 'S' shield.
A mixture of emotions flickered across Superman's face, and Superboy looked hopeful for a moment. When the older Kryptonian's face hardened, the clone looked dejected as he scowled.
"Is that what I think it is?" Batman inquired, voice stable.
Kid Flash stepped forward and held a hand to his mouth, waning in a mock whisper, "He doesn't like being called an it."
"I'm Superman's clone!" Superboy announced, and waves of concern spread throughout the Justice League as they shared conflicted looks.
Batman narrowed his gaze and demanded, "Start talking."
Nervous looks were shared through the small group of teen heroes before Robin stepped forward, beginning the harrowing tale of how they got to where they were. Each person took turns reciting a part of the story, but Nightfall chose to stay in the back, staying quiet at the same time as their adventure was relayed.
And as the tale continued to be told, fresh memories from the night danced across her vision.
Aqualad closed out the story, stepping forward in the process and Nightfall realized her cover was blown. Nighttide's gaze immediately snapped towards his daughter, but she refused to meet his eyes as she dug her foot into the dirt.
After the story had been concluded, Batman ordered the removal of Desmond, and Nightfall caught word of something about Belle Reve as the Green Lantern's pulled the creature from the rubble. They took to the skies, the Hawks going with them for extra aide if need be.
The main group of Leaguer's, consisting of Nighttide and Shadow Hunter, stood off to the side as they talked amongst themselves, Guardian included who was relaying his side of the story as well. Nightfall could tell it was taking everything within her father to not march over to her and scold her or scream at her or whatever he had planned, and the girl was thankful for that fact.
She knew she'd have to face him eventually- they did live together- but any delay in a confrontation with him was a good delay.
"Hey," Robin walked over to the girl, Kid Flash and Nightlight at his side, "You did good tonight, don't sweat it."
"Yeah, babe, you rocked!" The speedster tacked on.
While Nightfall appreciated the sentiment, it was hard for her to accept the compliments in the face of perpetual doom from her father, "Thanks, guys, but tell that to my dad." She jutted her head in his direction, and Nighttide kept stealing glances their way.
Nightlight glanced at her own father, who also looked less than pleased, before facing the young waterbender before her, "This wasn't your idea," She gave a pointed glare Robin's way, "and we shouldn't have dragged you along, but Robin is right, you did good." She offered Nightfall a friendly smile, and the girl hesitantly returned it.
"Psh. When am I not right?" Robin cackled, and a genuine smile appeared on Nightfall's face as she laughed, some dread leaving her system.
"Honestly," Nightfall rubbed her arm, smile disappearing as she chewed her lip, "if you guys had left me behind, I probably would've followed you anyways…" Kid Flash chuckled as Nightlight rolled her eyes, "Besides, my only regret tonight is that now I may never be a true hero…"
"You will always be a hero, Nightfall," Aqualad told the girl with a smile, setting a calming hand on her shoulder as he stepped up with Superboy, "We appreciate your help here immensely."
Nightfall shook her head, "I don't think I did much, but thanks, Aqualad. This has been one of the best missions I've been on."
"Tonight was pretty fun, wasn't it?" Kid Flash grinned and crossed his arms.
"Fun wouldn't be the word I'd use to describe tonight," Nightlight corrected with a light grin, "but it did beat hanging out at the Hall of Justice for the night."
"And Miss 'stickler for the rules' admits this was a good idea!" Robin cackled, ducking as Nightlight tried to punch his shoulder. She settled for crossing her arms and fixing the boy with a glare as he ducked behind his best friend.
Robin suddenly straightened out and Nightfall glanced over to see Superman approaching the small group. He looked hesitant and unsure, gaze flickering from Superboy to the others, "We'll, uh… we'll figure out something for you. T-the League will, I-I mean," It was obvious the Man of Steel was uncomfortable and a scowl settled on Superboy's lips, "For now, I'd better make sure they get that Blockbuster creature squared away…" He nodded his head and gestured to the sky before taking off, disappearing into the night.
Aqualad placed a hand on Superboy's shoulder, who was still staring at the sky. The clone brushed the hand off, arms still crossed as he turned to glare at the ground.
"Cadmus will be investigated," Nightfall turned around as Batman approached the group, flanked by Flash, Nighttide, Aquaman, and Shadow Hunter, "all fifty-two levels, but let's make one thing clear-"
"You should have called!" Flash interrupted.
Batman flashed the Flash an unamused look before focusing his harsh gaze on the young proteges before him, "End results aside, we are not happy." Nightfall resisted the urge to mutter 'no shit' as she finally met her father's gaze. His brown eyes narrowed even more, and the younger waterbender flinched slightly and redirected her gaze to the floor as Batman continued his scolding, "You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again."
There was a brief pause, and Nightfall felt the mood shift as the small group of teen heroes shared looks amongst themselves. Though words had yet to be voiced, they seem to come to a general consensus as each one stood tall, "I am sorry, but we will."
Aqualad was the first to speak up, and shock spread through the few Leaguer's present at the bold tone of the young Atlantean's voice. Nightfall felt a new wave of hope wash over her as she glanced up, this time making full eye contact with her father and not wavering slightly.
"Aqualad, stand down." Aquaman attempted to order his protégé.
Aqualad put his hand over his heart, head dipping down slightly as he apologized, "Apologies my King, but no. We did good work here tonight! The work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful, important." As he spoke his strong words, the Atlantean glanced over at each of his new found friends, gaze lingering slightly on Nightfall before he returned his gaze to the League.
Flash spoke up, "If this is about your treatment at the hall, the four of you-"
"The six of us," Kid Flash quickly corrected his mentor, stepping up besides Aqualad, "and it's not."
"Nightlight?" Shadow Hunter voiced softly, shock evident on his face as he looked to his daughter.
Nightlight was silent for a moment before she nodded her head, finally speaking up, "This goes beyond our treatment at the Hall. We've proven time and time again that we're ready, ready for something more. When are you guys going to see that?"
"Batman," Robin stepped forward, addressing his mentor, "we're ready to use what you taught us. Or why teach us at all?" His voice broke near the end of his statement, and Nightfall placed a hand on his shoulder, finding her own courage to speak as her father's glare darkened.
"We're tired of being looked down upon, tired of being viewed as inferior. Why can't you guys give us a chance?"
"Why let them tell us what to do?" Superboy sneered, "It's simple: get on board or get out of the way."
Superboy's statement brought silence down upon the League, as they shared warry looks between each other. Nightfall stood firm beside her new found friends, their confidence rubbing off on herself.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Batman spoke up, his words shocking the group, "Give me three days."
Nightfall shared a look with Nightlight and Kid Flash shrugged, "Three days isn't so long?"
"Uh, guys?" Robin voiced, glancing back at Superboy, "What about him?"
"What about me?" The clone frowned.
"I think he means where are you going to stay." Nightlight supplied.
"Oh."
Nightfall crossed her arms and shook her head, "I'm in enough trouble with my dad, I don't think taking a random clone home would help my situation…" Superboy scowled at the waterbender and she realized her statement may have been insensitive, but it didn't much matter to her right now.
Kid Flash beamed as he turned on the clone, "Guess that means you're coming home with me, Supey!"
"Okay," Superboy shrugged.
"Nightfall."
May my death be swift…
Nightfall turned around at the call of her name, facing her father, who still looked particularly ticked. She paled slightly and her mouth suddenly felt dry, "H-hi dad."
"Let's go, now."
Nighttide's voice screamed no nonsense and Nightfall complied with him. She turned around, muttering a sad goodbye to her new friends as her father waited impatiently behind her.
"See you in three days?" Robin asked optimistically, voice soft.
Nightfall met his gaze, a sad look in her blue eyes as she replied, "I hope."
MOUNT JUSTICE
Three days later, the small group of teen heroes had been reunited.
Batman paced before the teens, who were dressed in their civvies as they stood within the mountain. Various members of the Justice League were bustling about, moving equipment and doing final checks while Batman, Aquaman, Black Canary, Red Tornado, Shadow Hunter, and Captain Marvel stood before them.
"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League," Batman started his spiel, "We're calling it into service again. Since you five are determined to stay together and fight the good fight, you'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado has volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary is in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."
"Real missions?" Robin urged.
"Yes, but covert."
The Flash spoke up from his place beside Kid Flash, a smile on his face, "The League will still handle the obvious stuff," He poked his chest, right on the lightning symbol, "There's a reason we have these big targets on our chest!"
"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter," Aquaman continued.
Shadow Hunter picked up where his fellow Leaguer left off, a small smile aimed at his daughter, "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."
"The six of you will be that team." Batman concluded.
"Cool!" Robin beamed before doing a bit of mental math in his head, "Wait. Six?"
Excitement bubbled up within the teen and he shared a look with Nightlight. When they had all arrived at Mount Justice this morning, Robin had been initially disappointed to see a lack of Nightfall, and he wasn't the only one either.
Kid Flash had asked about her whereabouts, but Batman just delved into his speech.
So this sixth member had to be Nightfall, right?
Batman glanced over the teen's heads, prompting them to excitedly turn around. However, instead of seeing the familiar face of Nightfall walking towards them, they were greeted with Martian Manhunter and a younger, green girl.
Robin's face fell slightly as Batman explained the girl was Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian. The other's seemed a bit down as well as the young Martian shyly waved at them, but despite the lack of Nightfall, any new member was a good thing.
Kid Flash glanced at Nightlight before sharing a look with Robin, a smirk appearing on his face, "Liking this gig more every minute." He stepped forward, making himself center stage as he greeted the girl, "Welcome aboard! I'm Kid Flash. That's Robin, Aqualad and Nightlight. It's cool if you forget their names."
"I'm honored to be included!" Miss Martian beamed and clasped her hands together.
Aqualad, Robin, Kid Flash and Nightlight walked towards the girl, Nightlight shoving the speedster to the side in playful annoyance before floating towards Miss Martian. Robin glanced back, noting how Superboy hadn't moved before calling out, "Hey Superboy! Come meet Miss M!"
The clone looked up, hesitating for a second before approaching the group. Miss Martian smiled shyly at him, her cape disappearing as her white shirt shifted to black, "I like your t-shirt."
Superboy glanced at her shirt before up at her, a soft smile forming on his face. Robin playfully elbowed the clone, and Kid Flash zipped over to toss an arm around his shoulder. Nightlight just smiled fondly as Aqualad spoke.
"Today is the day."
Batman approached the group, "Superboy, most of us will be leaving. You are not to go anywhere. Just sit tight until Red Tornado returns."
Martian Manhunter began to speak to his niece about leaving as well, but Robin tuned it out as he faced his mentor, "What's the sitch, Batman?"
"We're needed back in Gotham."
Nightlight watched the two walk away before facing her father, who had approached, "We should be headed back to San Francisco, Nightlight."
She nodded her head in agreeance, but paused for a moment, "Before we go," Nightlight started, pausing for a moment as she looked between Shadow Hunter and Batman, "can you tell us why Nightfall isn't here?"
At the mention of the girl's name, the attention of Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad was caught. The Boy Wonder cocked his head to the side, eyeing his mentor expectantly as the other two young heroes tuned into the conversation as well.
Shadow Hunter opened his mouth but quickly closed it, sharing a look with Batman. The Dark Knight sighed before answering, "Nightfall was not given the proper permission to join the team."
Robin frowned, "Will she ever be joining?"
"It's at Nighttide's discretion as to whether or not she will be joining."
Kid Flash glanced down as Nightlight rubbed her arm. Maybe had they not allowed the girl to come along, she could've joined the team upon its formation, but none of them had the foresight to actually know that their adventure to Cadmus would lead to a team formation.
It was just unfortunate Nightfall couldn't join them.
Because now they weren't sure when they'd see their new friend again.
A/N: Hey guys! Not so happy with the ending there tbh, but I just wanted to show that no, Nightfall does not join the team right away! Nighttide is far from pleased with his daughter and her escapades with her new friends. I wanted to show their fight and the discussion that lead to her not joining the team, but that made the chapter super extra long so I'm going to add it to the next chapter! Because I have a few chapters to go until Nightfall does join the team...
Reviews (to those who were actually decent human beans!):
jdkeller2000: Next chapter! Thanks for the review!
Faby0411: Thank you so much for your kind words! Yeah, here on out will ignore any and all flames. Sorry about tossing in Nightlight like that! I know the character pretty well so just throwing her in like that was my bad. I tried to mention her in the first chapter, and hopefully you guys will get to know her more as the story progresses! Nightfall is still the main character but I will try to show off Nightlight more as well! My friend did such an amazing job creating and developing this OC. If you ever have any pressing questions about her and you're confused, just ask away! I'll either answer you here or answer in the story somewhere! Thank you again! 33
Aria: Thank you much!
Person002: Thank you! I tried to make things a bit more realistic and create a start to an OC we don't really see! Spoiler alert but Aqualad will still be the team's leader! lol Nightlight is more so 'mama light' and would probably make a good co-leader alongside Aqualad, but Nightlight's creator feels she's a bit too young (she's actually 14) to be a leader. And I hope to reveal more about her as the story progresses! Like I told an above reviewer, if you ever have any questions about her or are confused about her in general, ask away and I will answer!
I may go back to Strike at some point, but idk... just kind of lost that inspiration... ^^;
PrettyKitty Luvs U: Ahhhh thank you so much, bae! I love reading your reviews! They make me so happy~ All the ships will appear, my dude! :D
Uh, who's fic? o: The dream scene was actually going to be part of a one-shot I started writing but then forgot about xD I stumbled across it again and added that bit to the beginning of this fic!
Rude Guests: Ya'll have a problem if you think being rude and mean to someone solely over a fanfiction is a-okay. Get over yourselves please and lighten up. We're all DC fancs here.
Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews! I really appreciate them and they definitely keep me going. You are all the best! .3.
-SnowWolf22
P.s. Remember: Nightlight is NOT MINE. She's a wonderful OC who belongs to my good friend xdarkhikarix on deviantART! Check out her stuff!
