Young Justice is not mine.
Bereft
"All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was."
- Toni Morrison
The pain within her skull was unbearable. It felt as if someone had taken a meat cleaver and tried to bash her head in. Repeatedly. It was to the point that just thinking hurt her head. The pounding wouldn't cease, wreaking havoc on her mind and Kayanna shifted. Pain flared up in her front temple and her eyes squeezed shut even more. With a soft groan she rolled over onto her stomach and propped herself up on her hands, the loose sand slipping through her fingers.
Wait.
Sand?!
Blue eyes snapping open, Kayanna immediately flinched at the sudden light that entered her vision. It blurred for a second, and when it finally cleared, her eyes settled on the light, grainy substance residing beneath her hands. The young waterbender frowned, pushing herself back into a squat and doing her best to push the pain in her head away.
Reaching out, she fingered the sand, letting it slip through her fingers as her mind attempted to process just what was happening. Her gaze shifted from the sand to her hands, and she startled once more as she noted the fingerless glove, made out of a soft material, was on her hand.
Kayanna shot up to her feet, regretting the action almost immediately and she doubled over. A wave of nausea washed over her, and the young waterbender squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on pushing the nauseous sensation away. After a few moments- during which she almost vomited- Kayanna eventually felt more at ease, though the dull throbbing in the back of her head was still there.
Standing up straight and ignoring the sun, Kayanna held her arms out. Her eyes scanned over the fabric that covered her hands. Both her hands were covered in thick, black fingerless gloves, and they went all the way up her arms, stopping mid-bicep on each side. Adorning each of her wrists were what looked like gauntlets or wrist guards.
Glancing down, the waterbender noted the rest of her ensemble was just as weird. It was vaguely reminiscent of Nighttide's hero suit, half-moon insignia and all. But she didn't recognize it, nor did she understand why she was wearing it. The outfit vaguely looked like sketches she had made of her own hero suit, but her father had yet to agree to her being a hero, so she didn't understand why she was wearing this. It just left her feeling confused.
Though confused could be an understatement.
Kayanna finally addressed the vast desert laid out before her, the sweltering heat wrapping around her like a blanket. Coupled with whatever the heck she was wearing, the young waterbender had no idea as to what was going on, or where she was.
She definitely wasn't whelmed.
….whelmed? What kind of word was that?
Kayanna crinkled her nose and held a hand up to her head. Hopefully this was all some bad dream and she'd wake up any minute now, curled up in bed with her cat just waiting for her alarm to go off for school. She sucked in a deep breath before dropping her hand from her head and reaching over. Doing a quick count to three, the waterbender squeezed her eyes shut and pinched herself.
When she opened her eyes again, instead of seeing the deep blue of her bedroom walls, she still only saw sand- and it went on for miles.
A soft, warm breeze blew through the desert, eliciting a slight shiver from Kayanna at the contact. She brought her arms up, curling them around herself in a comforting manner. A wave of panic began to bubble up within the girl, and she tried to push it down and hide it. This was evidently not a dream, and she was in fact lost in a desert with no recollection whatsoever of how she got here or even why she was here in the first place.
The last thing she could soundly remember was having dinner with her family.
And this was obviously not that.
Perfect.
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she scanned the desert once more for any sign of life. When she still found none, she chewed her lower lip, doing her best to hold back the tears. The young waterbender shook her head as she stumbled forward, legs wobbling slightly in the sand. It wasn't going to do Kayanna any good to just stay in one place and cry.
Nighttide would tell her to keep moving, see if she could find someone- anyone- and get the hell out of here.
Swallowing thickly and pushing back the tears so Kayanna didn't have a mental breakdown, she began to trek on. She ran a gloved hand through her messy hair, loose sand falling out of her hair and she headed off in a random direction, hoping to find a familiar face.
Kayanna suddenly found herself flying forward from an unknown force, a loud boom sounding from behind her. She landed harshly on the sandy ground, face first, before she scrambled to roll over.
A crater had formed behind her, sand and dust lingering in the air from the impact, and Kayanna crawled towards it hesitantly. Curiosity had gotten the better of her, and just as she approached the edge, the debris cleared and she found herself face to face with incredibly angry blue eyes.
A young teen stood in the crater, shirtless and seething. His blue eyes were wild, and Kayanna slinked back as they locked onto her.
With a feral growl, the teen leapt at the girl. Kayanna yelped before diving to the side. He landed in the sand where she once was, and the waterbender tried to scramble away. The teen snagged her foot before she could get out of his reach, and he tossed her harshly to the side.
Out of reflex Kayanna angled herself, shifting her body and twisting so she landed on her feet. She skidded back in the sand, hand grabbing at the ground to steady herself. Fear flashed in her eyes as the teen turned on her once more.
He leapt at her once more, growling harshly and Kayanna snapped her arm at him. Water sailed out of her water pouch, coiling up into a whip that she used to smack him away. The teen rolled in the sand a few feet, righting himself and leveling a dangerous glare at the waterbender.
Kayanna gulped, and her hand snapped up to her comm. It hadn't worked earlier when she tried to use it, but maybe, just maybe, it would work this time. The feral teen made a move to attack once more, and she activated her comm.
Immediately static filled her ear, but it shifted into a high-pitch screeching noise and Kayanna tore it from her ear. Her eardrum throbbed in pain from the sudden high-pitched noise, and when the girl glanced over at her assailant, she was shocked to see him clutching his ears.
Kayanna could still hear the high-pitch noise ringing in the air, though she didn't understand how the teen could hear it so far away. An idea formed in her mind, however, and she chucked her comm towards the enraged teen.
He reeled back from the device as it landed at his feet, and Kayanna watched as he suddenly bounded away. She held her breath as she waited for him to turn around and attack her once more, but when he didn't return, she released her breath.
Kayanna fell to her knees, head dropping into her hands as her body shook. No tears were falling, but her body was still on high alert from the attack, fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins.
Something about her assailant seemed oh so familiar, and it awoke a great amount of terror within her.
It was if he had attacked her before.
After what felt like hours of walking, Kayanna was still feeling as hopeless as ever- even more so after having been attacked. Outside of whoever had attacked her, all she had seen on her trek so far was sand, sand, and more sand, coupled with the occasional outcrop of rocks (and a spider, but we don't talk about that). No signs of civilization anywhere.
It also meant she hadn't seen the boy from earlier, which was a good thing.
Sweat trickled down the waterbender's forehead and her face felt like it was on fire. She had peeled the stupid mask thing that was on her face off a little while ago- which may not have been the smartest idea- but with how sweaty she was, it stuck to her skin weird and she didn't like it.
The situation she was in seemed grim all around, but it definitely wasn't helped by the fact that her comm- the only connection she had had to Nighttide- was lost in the sandy desert forever.
To make matters worse, she was thirsty as hell. Kayanna had checked the water pouch resting on her hip a little bit ago in hopes of finding some water, but it was completely dry after having used it to save herself earlier, and no matter how many times she checked it, no water ever magically appeared. And with this being a desert she was stuck in, there wasn't much- if any- water around either.
Kayanna sucked her cheek, left arm rubbing her right as she continued to move forward. She wasn't even sure she was going in the right direction, but at some point she was bound to find the end of the desert, right?
Deciding on a quick break, the waterbender made her way towards a nearby outcrop of rocks and quickly shielded herself in the shade. It was only a few degrees cooler, but in the desert, a that few degrees difference felt great.
A humming sound started in the distance and Kayanna glanced up, shielding her blue eyes as she squinted into the sun. From over the hill of sand she noticed a small sand cloud moving her way and growing bigger.
Hope bubbled up within her chest at the thought of a potential rescue, but as the sand cloud grew closer, her hope diminished as it was replaced with an off feeling. Something in her gut was telling her to hide, to get out of sight and sit still. The feeling was overwhelming, so Kayanna did just that and darted behind the rocks she had been leaning on.
Kayanna peered out slightly as the sound of engines grew closer, eyeing the beige vehicles as they sped into view. She took note of the men seated in the vehicles. They were decked out in some sort of military gear, bearing an insignia that meant nothing to the girl, as she didn't recognize it.
What did stick out, however, were the large guns the soldiers were brandishing. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, and the waterbender knew she had to get out of there.
Kayanna pulled her head back, disappearing from view and slinking deeper into the outcrop of rocks, doing her best to stay low and hidden. The truck rumbled by, the men seemingly oblivious to her location. Letting out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding, the waterbender ran a shaky hand through her hair.
Heat hammering in her chest as anxiety kept building up within her, Kayanna slid down one of the rocks, back leaning against it as she sat in the sandy ground. She was so close to having a panic attack and mental breakdown.
"Those were Bialyan Republican Army Uniforms."
A voice!
Kayanna immediately perked up, blue eyes widening and she jumped to her feet. Hope swept through her body and she poked her head out from behind the rock once more. Once she ensured the coast was clear, she darted out and into a small alcove, hidden on both sides by tall rocks.
The clearing was empty, however, and the waterbender frowned. She could've sworn the voice came from here.
"What are Bialyanns doing in… Bialya?!" The voice cried out again, this time sounding rather shocked and confused. It answered one of Kayanna's questions- the where question to be more precise- but it didn't explain why she was here, "Okay, better question… what am I doing in Bialya? In… September?! What happened to March?"
Kayanna's mouth dropped open slightly in shock, confusion dancing about in her mind.
Just what was going on here?
"Better radio Batman."
Batman? The waterbender's nose crinkled in confusion. What did this whole thing have to do with Batman?
And did that mean…
"Uh, hello?" Kayanna called out. She looked up, shielding her eyes once more from the sun as she struggled to make out the source of the voice. If this person was looking for Batman, it could only mean one thing… "Robin?"
"Who are you?"
The voice suddenly sounded from behind her, and Kayanna whirled around, heart nearly leaping out of her throat. It pounded in her ears, the boy wonder standing before the girl cautiously. His body was tensed up, poised and ready for attack if need be.
"I-I'm Kayanna!" The waterbender stuttered out, arms held up to show she meant no harm.
Robin's masked eyes widened in shock, but he quickly masked the emotion and settled a neutral expression on his face. His shock was still at play inwards, however, as he eyed the girl before him. Kayanna was a close friend of his from school, and even though he knew her father- Nighttide- was a hero, as far as he could recall, she wasn't.
So what was she doing here? And dressed like a hero?
"It's not very smart to use your actual name as your hero name." Robin spoke after a brief pause.
Kayanna lifted her arm and rubbed the back of her neck, face looking slightly sheepish, "Well, uh… I'm not a hero? Erm… at least, I don't think I am?"
"You're dressed like one."
"Yeah, I can't explain that."
Robin smirked slightly, "Memory loss?"
"Apparently six months' worth," She replied with a shrug.
Under normal circumstances, Kayanna would be more cautious when meeting a random person in the middle of a desert in a completely different country, but this was Robin, and there was just something about him that caused her to be more relaxed about the whole situation at hand. She wasn't saying she still wasn't concerned about the predicament they were in, but she wasn't alone anymore. Robin would help get her out of here.
The two maintained eye contact for a few seconds before Robin's chin lifted slightly, gaze shifting to over Kayanna's shoulder. The waterbender followed his gaze. Turning around, her eyes fell upon the object of Robin's interest. A piece of dark fabric was caught on a rock. Sparing the boy wonder another glance, she walked forward, hesitantly reaching out to grab the fabric.
"What is it?" Robin voiced, suddenly behind the girl.
Kayanna flipped the fabric over, eyes widening, "It's-it's Superman's shield," Her voice was soft when she spoke and she held the fabric out to the boy wonder.
Robin frowned, "Superman doesn't wear black."
Kayanna felt a pang of fear run up her spine as she stared at the fabric.
A part of Kayanna was starting to wonder if she was going to be sane by the time she got out of this mess. At first, traveling with the boy wonder had been delightful. The two had taken turns playing something akin to twenty questions, and the waterbender found it easy enough to talk to him. Though she was slightly upset he wouldn't reveal his secret ID to her- he had this air of familiarity to him, and Kayanna really wanted to know who he was.
Once the questions had run out, however, a silence that shouldn't have been awkward settled over the duo. Maybe it was the tension from the fact the two still had no idea as to how they got in the situation they were in, or maybe it was something else- Kayanna really didn't know- but their trek had turned rather uncomfortable. She just wanted this walk to whatever Robin had marked on his GPS to be over.
"If dislike is the opposite of like…" Kayanna glanced up, turning her attention towards the boy wonder. His face was furrowed up slightly, lips curled downwards and the waterbender couldn't help but think how cute he looked, "does that make disaster the opposite of aster?"
Kayanna quirked a brow and Robin faced her, "Is this what you normally think about in situations like this?"
"Well, no," Robin admitted, "but you see, instead of things going wrong, they go right."
"Then we are definitely not feeling the aster right now."
"You could say that again."
Night had fallen by the time Robin and Kayanna reached the marker on the boy wonder's GPS. The moon hung high up in the sky, basking the deserted wasteland below in dim light. The moon comforted Kayanna slightly, but the darkness had also brought with it a slight chill, as the temperature had dropped drastically.
"Now why did I place a GPS marker here?" Robin was focused on his holo-computer, and Kayanna glanced over at him.
"Is that a rhetorical question?"
Robin opened his mouth to respond, but then his eyes settled on something in the distance. Without another word, he grabbed the waterbender by the arm and pulled the two behind a nearby sand dune. Kayanna wanted to ask him what was going on, but he put a finger to his lips.
Peering out, his masked gaze narrowed, "Heh, guessing that's why."
"What is that?" Kayanna questioned and poked her head out to glance at the weird box-like thing sitting in the middle of the clearing. Robin immediately pulled her back down, pulling the girl to his chest in the process. When they landed back on the ground, she was practically laying on his chest.
Robin shifted away from Kayanna, coughing awkwardly before muttering, "Stay down." The waterbender wasn't able to question him, as he suddenly disappeared over the hill, so she was now alone hidden behind the sand dune.
A commotion started up, voices speaking in a language Kayanna didn't know and she whirled around, peering over the sand dune. Her eyes widened. Robin was surrounded by a handful of soldiers- who were decked out in the same garb as the ones she saw earlier were.
The boy wonder didn't look phased, however. He was poised, face stoic as if he had been expecting this. The soldiers had their guns trained on Robin, and before they fired on him, he dropped a smoke bomb.
Immediately the area filled with smoke, the Bialyan soldiers shouting and spinning around in confusion as they searched for Robin. The boy wonder had leapt into action, and amongst the smoke and cover, Kayanna could only make out flashes of him, his cape fluttering as he leapt from soldier to soldier.
Kayanna wanted to join in the battle and help Robin, but where her mind was screaming at her to help, her body just didn't want to move. Her water sources were drastically depleted, and without them, she was rendered almost completely useless. Her father had taught her some combat techniques to utilize when she didn't have water, but it was all relatively new training to her.
And when she did use the techniques, they were against her father, not soldiers from a different country, whom all had large guns.
A sudden blur zipped through the area, the soldier's guns disappearing. They looked around in confusion, Kayanna doing the same, until the blur came to a halt. Kid Flash grinned broadly, dropping the guns in a pile away from the soldiers before darting back into battle.
A soldier attempted to sneak up on Robin, and just as Kayanna leapt out of her hiding spot to warn him, the soldier was suddenly lifted into the air and tossed harshly to the side. The waterbender paused her movement, staring in shock at the place the soldier once was.
One soldier remained, and upon realizing his comrades had all been taken out, he attempted to retreat. Before he could get too far, however, an arrow shot out. It collided with the soldier, erupting into a net trap before sending him crashing into the ground. Kayanna turned from the now downed soldier and towards the source: a female archer standing on top of a hill.
She started to make her descent, Kid Flash running up to greet Robin, "KF! Man, it's good to see a familiar face!"
"Hey, Rob," The two exchanged a handshake, and Kayanna slowly made her way towards the group. Kid Flash's eyes settled on the girl, a suave smirk suddenly replacing his friendly smile, "Looks like you picked up quite a cutie," He winked at her, emerald orbs glinting in the moonlight and the waterbender blinked, a burst of red quickly coloring her cheeks, "Name's Kid Flash. You've probably seen me on TV, saving the day and stuff. No big deal." The speedster gloated.
Robin bristled at the comment and Kayanna blinked, mind freezing up at the flirting. After a few seconds pause, she spoke the first words that came to mind, "But Kid Flash doesn't wear black?"
Kid Flash opened his mouth to retort, but the female archer cut in, "That's what I said!"
"Ladies, please," The speedster held his arms up, preparing a defense of himself, "I-"
Robin harshly nudged the speedster to the side, placing himself firmly between Kid Flash and Kayanna. He flashed his friend an annoyed look, "Let's just hogtie these creeps and compare notes."
Comparing notes didn't take too long, and Kayanna found that even with input from the new faces she had no memory of- which included archery girl and a green girl- she still felt as lost and confused as ever.
"So, we're a team?" Robin asked.
Kayanna was in disbelief. If she was here, that would mean she was a part of the team, but there was no way her father would ever allow something like that. Especially since, as far as she could remember, she wasn't a hero.
"The five of us and Superboy." The green skinned girl- who introduced herself as Miss Martian- confirmed.
Robin shared a look with Kayanna before pulling out the fabric they had found earlier, "Then this must belong to him."
"Yes!" Miss Martian exclaimed, grabbing the material, "Did you see him?"
Kid Flash shared a look with the blonde archer, who had shortly introduced herself as Artemis, "I think we saw him." She admitted.
"Feral boy?" The speedster scoffed, crossing his arms, "Some teammate! He attacked us!"
Kayanna glanced between her supposed teammates, rubbing her hands together before piping up quietly, "H-he attacked me to." She wasn't sure if it really was the same person, but it seemed like a safe bet.
All eyes snapped to the waterbender, and Robin stepped towards her, a concerned expression on his face, "You didn't tell me that earlier."
She shrugged, "I didn't know what to say."
Kid Flash made a wild gesture, "I reiterate: some teammate! Who just attacks their teammates like that?"
"He didn't know who we are," Artemis rolled her eyes, "I don't know who we are!" The archer threw up her arms, flashing the speedster an annoyed look.
Though Artemis didn't seem perturbed at having been attacked by Superboy, Kayanna felt the opposite. What little she did remember of the teen left a bad taste in her mouth.
Robin casted Kayanna another concerned look, but she glanced away and he turned back towards the group, "I remember Batman ordering radio silence," He remarked, brows furrowed before they snapped up in realization, "Our team must work for him!"
"Hey," Kid Flash frowned, "How do you know the team doesn't work for my mentor?" The speedster jabbed his chest with his thumb, and suddenly the dark colors of his suit switched back to its normal, bright colors, "Whoa! This is so cool!"
Kid Flash kept playing with his suit, colors switching between light and dark and everyone else soon followed. Kayanna reached up, pressing the half-moon insignia on her chest. Robin and Artemis also checked to see if their suits did the same thing, but the three were unsuccessful.
None of their suits changed colors.
Finally, after growing more and more agitated, Artemis snapped, "We look ridiculous!" Kid Flash continued to play with his suit, and the archer smacked his shoulder, "Quit toughing yourself!"
Kayanna watched as, out of spite, the speedster pressed his insignia once more, his suit going from black to yellow. Robin rolled his eyes behind his mask, shoving Kid Flash's arm down and smacking his chest, his suit reverting back to the dark colors it once was.
Kid Flash scowled at his friend, and Kayanna kicked at the sand, "We need our memories back…" She muttered softly.
"Cha, you think?" Artemis agreed in an annoyed tone.
Miss Martian eyed the four teens before her, wringing her hands together before ultimately clasping them. She pondered over her options before, with a deep sigh, she closed her eyes, "For Superboy."
Kayanna jolted as the scenery around her suddenly changed. The once desolate desert that had surrounded the teens was now gone, replaced by lumpy walls of purple and pink. The waterbender looked around at her new surroundings with curiosity, a gasp leaving her throat when she noticed moving images- some of which she was in- dancing across the boundaries of the space.
"I brought you into my mind to share with you what I have remembered so far, but I need your help." A shimmering purple figure appeared, and the four teens set their eyes on it as Miss Martian emerged. Her hood was up, a shy expression on her face as she continued to address the group, "Together our broken memories can form a whole if you open your minds to mine."
Artemis was the first to react, body stiffening as she went on the defensive, "You want to pry through our private thoughts?"
"I do not wish to intrude but-"
"You need to hack our minds to find out what happened to us. Got it!" Robin cut in with a grin.
Kayanna glanced from the boy wonder to Miss Martian, not as confident as the former about this whole situation. She had never faced a telepath before, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to through with this.
"My brain is all yours!" Kid Flash beamed, flashing the Martian a wink, "Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you."
"Or underwhelm you," Robin mocked, ignoring the look his friend flashed him. He glanced at Kayanna as a thought occurred to him, "Hey, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?"
"Maybe because it's not an actual word." The waterbender snapped at him. Robin frowned at the tone, and Kayanna sighed, running a hand through her hair. She didn't mean to snap at him, this whole situation just seemed to be getting progressively worse and worse, "I'm sorry, I'm just- not whelmed."
The boy wonder stepped towards the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, we're all together now, 'An- Kayanna." He cleared his throat, "You have nothing to worry about. We'll all be home soon." She smiled at him.
Artemis crossed her arms, still not very pleased with the idea presented before them, "I don't know…" She trailed off, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Kid Flash moved towards the archer, offering her a gently smile before grabbing ahold of her hand. She relented, "Fine. Last six months only. And only what you need!"
Miss Martian nodded, and then suddenly a feeling like no other tore through Kayanna's mind. Memories of the past six months came flooding back, dancing across her vision and playing out like scenes from a movie.
The day her father finally agreed to let her become a hero. She had chosen the name Nightfall.
On the Fourth of July she aided her father in Gotham, before he deposited her at the Hall of Justice.
There she met the original proteges, and then joined them on an impromptu mission to Cadmus.
At Cadmus they found Superboy, who had attacked them initially and instilled a great amount of fear within Nightfall.
A team subsequently was formed, but her father forbade her from joining it.
It led to weeks of arguing, a rift forming between the father and daughter.
Eventually their relationship began to mend, and Nightfall proved herself apt in the field.
Robin, Kid Flash, Nightlight, and Nightfall protected a bank from the Pyro's.
And finally, the day her father had finally allowed her to join the team.
The mental link suddenly broke off, memories fading away and Nightfall clasped her hands to her head. Her temple throbbed, and her eyes snapped open alongside everyone else's.
"Aqualad, Nightlight!" The group chorused together, Kid Flash's voice putting more emphasis on the latter.
"Where are they?" Robin questioned, voice anxious, "What happened next?"
"I- I don't know." Miss Martian admitted with a frown, "That's the last thing I- we remember!"
"We need to find Nightlight," Kid Flash decreed. He glanced over towards Artemis and down, suddenly realizing his fingers were still entwined with hers, "Oh, ugh," He pulled his hand away, the archer doing the same and the archer turned her head, scowling. At the looks from the rest of the team, Kid Flash cleared his throat, "And, uh, Aqualad of course…"
Robin rolled his eyes before quickly pulling up his holo-computer, "We landed twenty-four hours ago," He informed, "and if Aqualad has been wandering the desert for that long…"
"That's not good for a guy with gills." Kid Flash finished. He was practically vibrating with anxiousness as he watched the boy wonder finagle with his holo-computer. The speedster was internally kicking himself for forgetting about Nightlight… the one girl he never thought he'd forget.
"They're close," Robin reported, and Nightfall shifted closer to glance over his shoulder. Two dots blinked on screen, both within close proximity of each other, "It looks like they're together."
"Then let's go!" Kid Flash urged before zipping away. A few seconds passed, and the speedster suddenly reappeared, "Uh, which way?"
The group found Nightlight and Aqualad huddled behind a rock.
Nightlight was looking worse for wear with the Atlantean's head in her lap. She was muttering soothing words to him as he stirred, obviously unconscious. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, which was contorted in distress.
Kid Flash had immediately zipped to Nightlight's side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and asking how she was. Instead of answering his question, the fatigued girl brushed him off and relayed to the team Aqualad's condition.
It was obvious she wasn't feeling so well either. Her skin was pale, dark brown hair sticking limply to her face from the sweat, and her normally bright pink eyes had lost their signature glow. She faced the rest of the team with confusion, not recognizing the other girl's that had accompanied Robin and Kid Flash.
Immediately Nightlight stiffened, but Kid Flash squeezed her shoulders reassuringly, "Relax, Light, they're with us."
She turned her gaze towards the speedster, "What is going on?" Though she was doing her best to remain neutral and calm, Nightfall could make out a hint of underlying panic within the girl's voice, "After waking up in the desert with no recollection of how I got here, I found Aqualad nearly unconscious, and now you guys show up? With people I don't know?"
Robin bent down, placing his fingers against the pulse point on Aqualad's neck, and Kid Flash explained to Nightlight the information they had all just learned, "You're missing your memories, Light. We're a team. The seven of us plus Superboy."
"Super-"
"Aqualad's pulse is weak," Robin pulled back, cutting the girl off and facing the others, "He needs immediate rehydration."
Eyes snapped towards Nightfall, and the girl rubbed her arm, "I'm out of water… used it to defend myself against Superboy…" She looked away in guilt, feeling helpless.
"Hey, it's not your fault." The boy wonder tried to comfort. It didn't really make her feel better, but she offered the boy a small smile for trying.
Miss Martian sighed as she eyed the dehydrated Atlantean, "Unfortunately, I can't restore his memories in this condition."
"What about Nightlight's?" Kid Flash spoke up.
Nightlight tore her gaze from Aqualad to glance up at the Martian before her gaze swept over the other faces she didn't recognize. Kid Flash still had his arm wrapped around her shoulder, and he gave it another squeeze, trying his bet to reassure the girl. With an apprehensive sigh, she began to speak, "We can worry about my memories later. Aqualad is our priority."
Robin nodded and turned to Miss Martian, "Call the bioship, if we can-"
"It's out of range," She cut in with a shake of her head, "but Kid Flash could probably get him there fast."
The speedster looked sorrowful, "I don't think I can. He's too heavy, right now I couldn't even carry Nightlight."
Nightfall rubbed her hands together, chewing her lower lip as the familiar feeling of unease settled in her stomach. Their options were running out. If only she had water left… she could help. And knowing she could do nothing was eating her up.
She was useless to the team.
As if sensing what she was thinking, Robin reached over and placed a hand on Nightfall's shoulder. She glanced at him, and he gave her shoulder a soft squeeze.
"Why don't you just levitate Aqualad back to the bioship?" Artemis suggested to Miss Martian.
"I can't," Miss Martian backed up with a shake of her head, and Robin and Nightfall looked at her in confusion, "I have to find Superboy. Six months ago he didn't exist. He has no memories, just animal impulse. I'm the only one who can help him!"
"Superboy's indestructible," Kid Flash started and frowned, "Aqualad needs our help right now."
Miss Martian looked ready to protest, but she suddenly doubled over in pain, holding her head. Nightfall stepped forward, Robin's hand slipping off her shoulder as she placed a hand on the Martian's shoulder, "Miss Martian?"
The waterbender reeled back as Miss Martian stood straight up. Her brown eyes were wide with panic, and she cried out, "No! Superboy's in pain!"
"M'gann, wait!" Artemis cried out as Miss Martian suddenly took off into the air, leaving the small group on their own with the unconscious Atlantean.
"We still don't know what erased our memories!" Robin called after her, "It could happen again!"
His words fell on deaf ears, however, as Miss Martian disappeared into the horizon. Nightfall stared at the skyline in shock, confusion dancing in her mind. How could she just leave them like that?
"Great," Artemis scowled, kicking at the sand, "Our only hope just flew off to save her boyfriend."
Nightlight turned an annoyed gaze to Kid Flash, "What kind of teammate just ditches us?" He didn't have an answer for her.
The situation just seemed to keep getting worse, and Nightfall called out to Robin, "What do we do now?"
Robin glanced over his holo-computer to look at the girl, "According to my GPS, the bioship isn't too far from us. The five of us should be able to get Aqualad there safely."
"And how are we going to do that?" Artemis questioned, crossing her arms.
It was Nightlight that answered the archer's question, "We can use my cape to create a make-shift stretcher." She nodded her head to the side, "We can use some sticks from that tree to stabilize it."
"Good idea, Light." Robin shut off his holo-computer, and Nightlight gently placed Aqualad's head in the stand.
Kid Flash removed his arm from the girls shoulder, shifting slightly to the side to allow the girl to stand up. Nightlight attempted to climb to her feet to remove her cape, but she suddenly swayed and nearly lost her footing, and the speedster was quick to steady her.
"Woah," She commented quietly, hand placed on her forehead, "Vertigo."
"A-are you okay, Nightlight?" Nightfall questioned the fatigued girl.
Nightlight casted her pink gaze the waterbender's way and attempted to shrug off Kid Flash's steadying hand, "I'm fine." She didn't want to show weakness, but as soon as the speedster's aid was no longer there, her legs started to give out. Before she could protest, Kid Flash scooped the girl into his arms, "Put me down, Kid."
The speedster quickly pulled off Nightlight's cape, tossing it towards Robin- who caught it with ease- and addressed the girl in his arms, "You're nearly drained, Light. We don't need you passing out on us either."
Artemis crossed her arms and levelled Kid Flash with a glare, "What happened to not being able to carry Nightlight?"
Nightfall wasn't sure why the archer's tone was so accusatory, but she kept her mouth shut, holding onto the cape as Robin attached the sticks for support.
"Well he's not going to carry me," Nightlight responded before Kid Flash could start an argument with the archer. She shifted her body, going intangible and attempting to float herself out of the speedster's arms.
Instead, however, she found herself with not enough energy to fly, and subsequently landed roughly on her butt on the sandy ground, right at Kid Flash's feet. He was quick to help her back up, but her legs gave out and Kid Flash picked her up once more.
"You were saying?"
"Fine," Nightlight relented, "You can carry me."
After getting Aqualad onto their make-shift stretcher, Artemis and Nightfall each grabbed one side. They dragged the stretcher behind themselves, Robin leading the way with his holo-computer, and Kid Flash and Nightlight bringing up the rear.
They had only travelled for a little while when Robin suddenly stopped. Nightfall opened her mouth to question the boy wonder, but he quickly pointed to a sand dune, "Quick, over here!" He hissed.
The group followed him, ducking behind a nearby sand dune. A group of Bialyan soldiers drove by. Aqualad began to mumble incoherently, and Nightfall cupped his cheek, "Shh, quiet, Kaldur." She soothed. As if he had heard her, the Atlantean began to quiet.
Robin watched the girl for a second before addressing the rest of the group, "There's no way we can risk a fire fight with Aqualad unconscious and Nightlight so low on energy."
"It's not just them," When they had all ducked behind the sand dune, Kid Flash had placed Nightlight beside him on the ground, "I'm way out of juice…"
"And I'm almost out of arrows." Artemis tacked on.
"We've already discussed how I'm out of water…" Nightfall added quietly. The waterbender went to ask Robin what their next plan of action was, only to find he was no longer next to her, "Robin?"
"Man, I forgot how much I hate it when he does that!" Kid Flash complained. With a heavy sigh he shook his head and faced Artemis, "You never explained why your dad wanted you to kill me!"
Artemis looked slightly taken aback, and Nightfall glanced between the two with confusion, "Oh, I uh, got confused… about some old movie I saw last night," The archer tried to explain, "about a ninja girl whose… ninja dad ordered her to kill her ninja boyfriend because he was from a rival… ninja clan."
"Say ninja one more time," Nightfall muttered, more to herself than anything. Her comment went ignored, however, Kid Flash looking at Artemis with confused eyes.
"So you thought I was your ninja boyfriend?"
"Is this really a conversation we should be having right now?" Nightlight commented with irritation.
Kid Flash turned towards the pink-eyed girl, offering her a sly smile, "Would you prefer it if I were your ninja boyfriend?"
Nightlight shook her head, though you could tell she was slightly amused, "Stop it."
"I can't believe amnesia made me forget how truly annoying you are." Artemis snapped.
"Hey!" Kid Flash turned towards the archer, emerald eyes narrowed, "You're no goddess of congeniality!"
Nightfall pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. The two continued to bicker, and nothing Nightlight or Nightfall said could get them to stop.
"Yeesh," Robin suddenly reappeared, the waterbender jumping at his sudden presence, and Kid Flash and Artemis stopped arguing, "Can you two be any louder?"
Kid Flash casted Artemis one last glare, the archer returning it with ease before turning on his friend, "Dude, where were you?!" He demanded.
"Breaking radio silence." Robin answered smugly, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. Nightfall wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but before she had the chance to ask, the boy wonder's familiar cackle echoed in the area, shortly followed by the sounds of smoke bombs going off.
"That's our cue, move!"
Once the team had reached the bioship, they were greeted with an open hatch as it recognized their presence. Aqualad was immediately placed upon a platform in the back the bioship had conjured up, and an IV was hooked up to his arms, revitalizing fluids flowing into his body. Artemis stood over the Atlantean, keeping an eye on him attentively. He had quit stirring, and color was returning to his dark skin.
Nightlight was sat on her own platform in the back, a water bottle in her hand. Kid Flash continued to buzz around the girl, fretting over her. If she had had a bit more energy, Nightlight would've sent him away, but he looked so concerned about her, so she let him continue hover over her.
Nightfall dropped into a chair in the cockpit of the bioship, running a hand through her disheveled locks as the group waited for Miss Martian and Superboy to return.
Robin slipped into a chair in front of the girl, turning to face her and offering her a water bottle. She graciously accepted it, taking a swig from it as the boy wonder studied her intently, "How're you feeling?"
"Like my head is about to explode."
"I can relate," Robin cracked a grin and Nightfall smiled in response, "But how're you really feeling?" Her smile faded.
The boy wonder knew first missions could be rough, but with everything that had happened to them here in Bialya, it kind of took the cake as far as first missions went. It wasn't everyday you ended up wandering a desert with severe memory loss. Robin had to admit, he was kind of impressed with how put-together Nightfall seemed when she had found him. Granted she seemed kind of panic-y, but waking up alone in a desert with no recollection of how you got there, and then being attacked by a feral teammate will do that to a person. But still, he had to admire her strength and determination to figure out her predicament and find help instead of just shutting down and waiting for help to find her.
"Honestly?" The girl started, capping her water bottle and shaking her head, "I'm not really sure…" Robin's face contorted in confusion as she continued to speak, "It's like… on one hand, this mission was hell, but on the other hand, I wouldn't change anything about it?"
"So, best first mission ever?" Robin beamed.
Nightfall laughed, reciting his words, "Best first mission ever."
A comfortable silence settled over the two as they waited for the rest of their teammates to return to the bioship. The waterbender pondered for a moment over what her father would say about this whole mission, but she quickly wiped that thought from her mind. The mission was done and over with, and there was nothing Nighttide could do about it. She was returning safely and in one piece.
And that was all that mattered.
'Hey, everyone!' Miss Martian's voice erupted within Nightfall's already pain-filled skull, and she cringed at the chipper voice, 'I got Superboy! He's back to normal, and we're on our way!'
Nightfall pressed her water bottle to her forehead, using her powers to freeze it slightly and enjoying the cool sensation on her aching mind. She rolled her eyes and flashed Robin an annoyed look, "Oh joy, Superboy is back."
Robin chuckled, having already guessed at the waterbender's feelings for the clone, "Hey, he's not that bad."
"He's attacked me twice."
"To be fair, neither of those times were directly his fault."
"I don-"
"Who are you? And how did you get inside my head?!" A new voice called out within the bioship. Nightfall and Robin shared a look before jumping to their feet. They made their way towards the back of the bioship, where Artemis was trying to calm a startled Aqualad.
'Hello, Megan! Aqualad's memories! Knew I forgot something.'
"I would like my memories back as well." Nightlight tacked on with an annoyed frown.
'Woops… and Nightlight's.'
'Aw man, me too!' Kid Flash complained with a smack of his forehead. Nightfall glanced at him with confusion, the speedster still speaking, 'I forgot to get a souvenir from the mission!'
'Souvenir?' Nightfall mouthed to Robin.
The boy wonder rolled his and shook his head, 'Don't ask.' He mouthed back.
'Don't worry!' Miss Martian chirped again, and Nightfall flinched as pain erupted in her skull once more, 'Got the souvenir thing covered!'
Robin, who had noticed the girl's pain, reached into his utility belt before pulling out some painkillers. He handed them to Nightfall, who graciously accepted them, as Kid Flash glanced around, "Uh, should we be concerned?"
As it turned out, they should've been mildly concerned about this 'souvenir' Miss Martian had mentioned.
The Martian had returned to the bioship, as chipper as ever, with a broad smile on her face and a hesitant Superboy beside her. When Kid Flash asked about his souvenir, however, no one was expecting a giant, metal (and seemingly intelligent?) ball of metal to roll into the ship. It beeped excitedly at everyone, startling Kid Flash, and sticking closely to Superboy's side.
Kid Flash frowned and poked at the sphere, "What is that thing?"
"That thing," Superboy scowled, "is Sphere." He responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Nightfall rolled her eyes.
Robin rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, are we taking it-" Superboy glared at him and the boy wonder cleared this throat, "-Sphere back with us?"
The clone folded his arms, "Yes."
"Alright!" Kid Flash clapped his hands together, chuckling unsurely, "But, uh, I don't think Sphere is going to fit on my souvenir shelves…" He frowned.
"Hey," Nightfall nudged Robin gently, and he turned towards her, "Do you still have that fabric we found earlier?"
Robin nodded, following the girl's train of thought as he pulled it out, "Hey, KF, we also have this." He extended his hand, and the speedster grabbed the fabric before holding it out, revealing the crest of Superman.
"Cool, thanks! And this souvenir won't kill me…"
MOUNT JUSTICE
After restoring both Aqualad and Nightlight's memories, Miss Martian flew the team home. Once a safe amount of distance from Bialya, they had radioed Batman, and the Dark Knight intercepted the team in the hangar. They gave a brief mission report, Batman recognizing the fatigue of the team and releasing them to head home and go to bed, but not before telling the team that Sphere would need a full examination by the League to determine if it was a threat or not.
"Hello, Megan!" Miss Martian playfully smacked her forehead after Batman had left and turned towards Nightfall, "We haven't given you a proper tour of the cave yet!"
Nightfall blinked in confusion and tried to figure out how to tell the friendly Martian that it was a bit too late for a grand cave tour.
"Uh, Meg-alicious, it's a bit late for a cave tour, don't you think?" Kid Flash came to the girl's rescue.
Miss Martian deflated slightly, rubbing her arm, "Oh, right."
"I would love a tour though!" Nightfall was quick to chime back in, noting how crestfallen the Martian was. She immediately perked back up at the waterbender's words, "Just… a raincheck for now?"
"Raincheck." Miss Martian confirmed with a smile, "I'm glad you were able to join the team, Nightfall."
Nightfall rubbed the back of her neck, "Thanks, Miss Martian."
"Feel free to call me Megan!" The Martian beamed, and Nightfall nodded. Megan continued to smile before saying a quick goodnight to everyone. She spared a look at Superboy, and together the two disappeared into the mountain, Sphere racing after the clone.
Kid Flash yawned, which was very fake and overexaggerated, arms widespread as he stretched, "Guess I should be getting home as well." He turned towards Nightlight, who had been rather silent during the whole exchange, "Mind if I walk with you back, Di?"
Nightlight looked slightly off-guard at the speedster's question, but she was quick to smile, "Not at all."
The pair exchanged smiles before saying quick goodbyes to the remaining teammates and making their way into the mountain, most likely heading towards the zeta tubes. Robin smirked knowingly as he watched Kid Flash and Nightlight walk away, and Nightfall glanced at him, "What?"
The boy wonder just shook his head, but his smirk remained, "Nothing." The waterbender opened her mouth to say something more, but Robin cut her off, "We should get going as well."
Nightfall frowned, "Okay?" and Artemis and Aqualad agreed with Robin.
The four made their way into the mountain and when they reached the zeta tubes, Artemis and Aqualad were the first to disappear into them. Nightfall was about to enter, but Robin called out to her, "Hey, Nightfall. Hold up a second?"
The waterbender glanced back at him in mild confusion but listened nonetheless and stopped. Robin walked closer to the girl, reaching into his utility belt to pull something out, "This is for you," He extended the object towards her. It was a small rod, and Nightfall took it, brows furrowed as she stared at it, "Press the button on the side." Robin instructed.
Nightfall did as she was told, and as soon as she pressed the button, the rod suddenly extended to a length of about five feet, "Woah!" She exclaimed, startled slightly by its sudden change. Her eyes ran over the sleek metal, noting how it looked shiny and new, before she shifted her gaze to Robin, "What is this?"
"It's a bō staff." Robin explained, gesturing towards the weapon in her hands, "On our mission today, I noticed you were a little low on weapons and I figured if you run out of water, you might want something you can still fight with," Nightfall nodded her head. And though she could tell his words were carefully picked so as to not offend her, she knew he was referencing the fact that, when in the field earlier, she was practically hopeless in battle because she had no water.
Nighttide was doing his best to help train his daughter to be able to fight in situations without water, but she sometimes relied on her powers too much, so the thought never really crossed her mind.
"The staff should also work as an extension of your powers," Robin continued to explain after seeing the unsureness on the waterbender's face, "I'm sure you could probably control water with it as well."
Nightfall glanced up, blue eyes a mixture of emotions, "This is for me?"
Robin studied the girl for a few seconds, but for once in his life, he found it hard to read her, "Uh, y-yeah," The boy wonder rubbed the back of his neck, worried that he might be offending the girl, "That is, uh, if you want it!" He quickly finished.
Nighthfall looked from Robin to the staff and then back at Robin again. The boy wonder had a small frown on his face as he suddenly looked rather unsure of his gift, but then a bright grin stretched across the waterbender's face, and his frown turned upside down, "Thanks, Robin, I really appreciate it."
"No problem, Nightfall."
The waterbender felt her cheeks heat up at the smile Robin flashed her, and she quickly ducked her head, hoping her curtain of hair would hide her blush. She pressed the button on the side of the staff once more, and it shrunk back to its original size. Nightfall played with it in her hands, still looking down and still fully aware of Robin's eyes on her.
"I can, uh, show you how to use that if you'd like?" Robin offered. He rubbed the back of his neck as Nightfall looked up at him.
"I'd, uh, yeah… I'd like that." She answered with a smile.
The boy wonder's shy smile brightened, and Nightfall felt her cheeks heat up once more. A silence settled over them, the two maintaining eye contact. It was Robin that broke the eye contact first, glancing down with a soft blush and breaking the silence as well. "I should probably get going."
"Huh?" Nightfall blinked before processing his words, "Oh, uh, yeah! Me too…"
Robin flashed the girl another smile before walking past her and towards the zeta tube. Nightfall watched him as she waited for her turn to use the device, before he suddenly stopped. The waterbender arched a brow as Robin turned around to look at her once more. He looked both thoughtful and nervous, wringing his hands together before finally speaking.
"I'm really glad you got to join the team, Nightfall."
And then, before the girl could respond, he disappeared in a flash of bright light.
Nightfall stared at the place Robin had once been standing, a goofy grin stretching across her face as her heart fluttered at the boy wonder's words. Her cheeks were positively still burning as she glanced from the zeta tube to the staff in her hands.
Yeah, today had been a pretty good
A/N: Hey guys! Quick update for ya'll because honestly this chapter has been mostly written for like a year now... lmao
Thank you for all the support! I really appreciate it. And don't forget to keep those reviews coming! ;D
Hope you all- that celebrate it- have a good Thanksgiving! Probs won't be updating before then lol...
-SnowWolf22
