Invaded
Chapter Four: Salvage
Author's Note: Enjoy! Thank you for reading.
Washington, D.C.
February 13
09:06 PM EST
"He's en route," I confirmed, watching Red Arrow stumble rooftop to rooftop from the skies.
Red Arrow shot a grappling line, grunting as he tugged himself up. He fumbled his land, tumbling directly in front of an awaiting Green Arrow.
I landed on the ledge behind him, blocking him in.
"Hey, Roy," Green Arrow smiled, extending a hand, "Need a hand?"
Red Arrow glared at his former mentor, slapping his hand away. Rising to his feet and dusting his pants off, Red Arrow scoffed, "No."
"We think you do," Nightwing countered from behind Green Arrow. Red Arrow glared at Nightwing before glancing at the other present company.
"I have nothing to say to any of you. Nothing to explain, nothing to justify," Red Arrow said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Green Arrow swiftly pulled the wad of cash from Red Arrow's belt, holding it up as he repeated, "Nothing?"
Red Arrow closed his eyes, clenching his fists as he attempted to reason with us, "It's not what it looks like. I mean, the store owner offered me reward money anyway."
There was a brief silence before Red Arrow continued, "Besides, I deserve it. Guy wouldn't have any of his money back if I hadn't stepped in."
Wally scoffed, rolling his eyes before exclaiming, "Dude! Are you even listening to yourself?"
Red Arrow snatched the wad of cash from Green Arrow, shoving it into his pocket as he explained, "Look, I need it. I need it to find Speedy, the real Roy Harper. A search like that is expensive, especially when the rest of you have all given up!"
Red Arrow seethed, glaring at all of us.
Black Canary took several slow steps forward until she was able to put her hand firmly on his shoulder, "Roy, I know you feel lost, but that doesn't mean you're alone."
Red Arrow shrugged her hand, scoffing, "I'm not the one who's lost."
Black Canary placed her hands on her hips, asking, "When was the last time you trained? Slept?"
"Don't start that," Red Arrow snapped, pointing at her, "I'm in the best shape of my life!"
"Oh, really?" Black Canary challenged. She swung at Red Arrow repeatedly causing him to stumble back in an attempt to dodge her advances. I placed my hand on his back, steadying him.
Black Canary grabbed his collar, jerking him closer to her, snarling, "Best shape of your life? That was me holding back, way back."
Black Canary released her grip, cradling his face in her hands, "Roy, you used to treat your body as a temple. But now—"
Red Arrow collapsed onto his knees, glaring at the floor, "My body is no temple! It's a cheap knockoff, a clone."
Green Arrow stepped forward, again extending his hand to help Red Arrow, "Roy, come back to Star City with me. It'll be like old times: you and me, fighting crime, shooting the bow—"
Red Arrow rose to his feet, seething once more, "You're confused. Probably thinking of the other guy, the original. The one you stopped looking for."
Jim Harper stepped forward, growing visibly annoyed, "We get it: you're a clone. But you're not… the only clone on this rooftop. And I know from personal experience how tough it was to come to grips with being a copy of someone else."
I couldn't begin to understand the wave of emotions Red Arrow was feeling. Finding out that you're a clone must've been difficult, but to know that your only purpose was to replace the original and infiltrate the Justice League must've been impossible. I'd have to admit, I felt sorry for him. However, I am not going to coddle someone who wants to self sabotage. If Jim and Conner can come to terms with being a clone, so can Red.
"So, what happens if we find the real Roy Harper?" I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest as Red Arrow turned slowly to look at me. Red Arrow fumbled for words as I slowly stepped down from the ledge, approaching him.
"I-I… Roy will…" Red Arrow uttered before glaring at me.
"My point exactly," I sighed, staring into his tired eyes, "I need you to process this as best as you can: there is a high possibility that Speedy, the real Roy Harper, is dead."
Red Arrow's eyes widened enough to indicate that I struck a nerve. I could tell Red was not used to me being so harsh.
Red Arrow's right fist cocked back; without thought, my left hand shot up, gripping his wrist tightly. I turned, pressing my back against his chest and doubled over, successfully overturning him. He landed on his back, groaning.
The present company crowded around us, concerned.
"Best shape of your life?" I repeated, "You used to be able to take me down without breaking a sweat. Now you can't even get a good punch in. So, you're a clone. Deal with it and move on. Conner and Jim did."
Red Arrow rose to his feet, scoffing as he dusted his suit off again, admitting, "I'm whelmed by all this attention. What are you even doing here, West? I thought you ditched the hero game after my sister broke your heart?"
It was evident Red was trying to sabotage his own intervention.
Wally stepped forward, shoving his hands in the pockets of his parka, explaining, "Ditching the game doesn't mean ditching my friends. And before you round back to the original Roy again… let's face the facts: he was never our friend."
Nightwing crossed his arms over his chest, continuing, "We've all done the math. Speedy was abducted before any of us met."
"You're the guy we trained beside, fought beside. You're the only 'you' we know," Wally added.
"Speedy was abducted right when I became Phoenix," I explained, "I've only ever known you to be my brother."
"You're our friend," Nightwing emphasized, "Just 'cause you're a clone with anger management issues doesn't change that."
"Seriously," Wally grinned, "have you met Superboy?"
Red Arrow exhaled slowly, glaring at his worn boots before asking, "All done?"
"Roy—" Red Arrow cut me off.
"You wanna salvage someone's soul? Go get Kaldur to see the light. From what I hear," he turned, stepping onto the rooftop's ledge, "he needs some course correcting. But leave me out! Write me off… or don't. Either way, blow."
Red Arrow jumped down, landing on the fire escape. We all stood in silence, listening to the metal clunking under Red Arrow's weight.
Black Canary leaned into Green Arrow's embrace; they were both visibly tired. I understood Aunt Dinah's worry— I was all she had left.
Star City
February 14
12:03 AM PST
The Queen Enterprises logo shone a bright white against the murky, purple night sky. I stood on the edge of the tower, arms crossed, staring down at the busy street below. A fundraising gala was in midswing in the hotel across the street.
I understand Red's need to find Speedy. Red needed closure to finally accept the truth. Finding Speedy would give Red the redemption he wanted— no, needed.
"I thought I'd find you up here."
I glanced over my shoulder; Aunt Dinah shivered as she slowly made her way onto the rooftop.
"Ashley," Aunt Dinah paused, watching me turn to give her my attention, "I never once thought of you as less than my partner, my equal. I'm sorry if it seemed any other way than that."
I inhaled sharply, processing her apology. "Aunt Dinah—"
"Let me finish," she pleaded. With a curt nod from me, she continued.
"I know you are more than capable of holding your own against the likes of Deathstroke or the Light," her voice was firm, yet I could hear the hint of sadness in it, "I guess it's the fact that you do that scares me. Your mother was the same way. Hard headed, but strong."
"I'm…" I trailed off, struggling for the right words. Aunt Dinah stared at me, tears brimming in her eyes as she processed her own emotions.
I never thought about how difficult Aunt Dinah's life— both as Black Canary and Dinah Lance—could be at times.
"I know that you're scared of me dying," I stated softly, waiting for a reaction. She stood still, silent, waiting.
"And I just want you to know that I'm not going to die over this—over any of this. I'm going to be okay because of everything you taught me. You need to give yourself more credit, Aunt D."