Invaded
Chapter Fourteen: Runaways
Author's Note: Enjoy!
Sato Residence, Star City
May 13
2:05 PM PDT
"There's no way those kids are coming back to STAR Labs willingly," Hunter argued.
"'Wing said he had Blue working on it," I paused, "Ty Longshadow is his best friend, so I don't think Blue would just let them go. It's his best friend's wellbeing at stake."
Hunter paused, leaning back enough so the computer monitor didn't obscure his eye roll.
"Those kids were abducted by the Reach and experimented on," Hunter reasoned, "They don't want to be in another lab, even if it's for their own good. They want to sleep in their own beds."
I frowned; although Hunter was right, we both knew the ultimate reason those kids were admitted into STAR Labs was to protect society from them. They possessed uncontrolled powers and had undergone a severely stressful and emotionally traumatizing event. Things could get volatile fast.
"If you're sure Blue has things under control, why are we here?" Hunter asked.
I hesitated, searching for the right words.
"I trust Blue," I explained, "and I'm sure he's trying his best, but he doesn't know Harmony well enough to convince her to stay at STAR Labs."
Hunter challenged, "And you do?"
"D-Dad?" Harmony's muffled voice called out from behind Sato's office door.
"Well enough," I smugly note as the office door slowly opened.
"Harmony," I stated, crossing my arms over my chest.
Harmony inhaled sharply, clutching her chest in shock. Regaining her composure quickly, Harmony glanced around the room before sighing in defeat.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, "You should be at STAR Labs."
"I know," Harmony admitted, "and I promise I'll go back… I just wanted to see my dad."
I frowned again, "You know that's not a good idea. You'd be putting yourself in danger and at risk of being abducted again."
Now, Harmony frowned. There was a brief pause before she asked, "What if Hunter was there? And you?"
Hunter rose from his seat, crossing his arms over his chest, "Not exactly our style. Question, kid. How did you get from New Mexico to California this fast?"
Before Harmony could respond, Hunter hushed her.
"Listen," he instructed in a whisper. Faintly, I could make out the sound of voices and approaching footsteps. They were careful not to be heard, but the old wooden floors of the Sato residence gave them away.
"Your father knows you're here," I hissed, outstretching my right hand. Harmony eyes widened as her body jerked forward, floating in the air before landing behind me.
At the center of the wooden door, a glowing red hand melted through. The rest of the door crumbled into broken pieces of wood, revealing two females. They wore identical known League of Shadow's uniforms yet their faces remained uncovered.
Slowly, they entered the room; one was visibly more cautious than the other.
"Phoenix," the first crooned, fists igniting in red flames.
"You must be Novastar," I noted, watching as a sadistic smirk tugged at her lips.
"Good, you know my name," Novastar paused, "So you'll know who will bring you to death's doorstep."
I scoffed, clenching my fists as my orbs ignited.
Hunter raised his crossbow, aiming directly at Novastar, "I don't think Phoenix liked that very much."
Novastar scowled before lunging forward. Before I could react, I felt my body jerk back as a bright, white light encased me. I turned, searching for Harmony as we fell through a portal.
Queen Manor, Star City
May 13
2:54 PM PDT
"You are not, under any circumstances, to take gifts—or anything for that matter—from Lex fucking Luthor!" I shouted.
Harmony flinched, inching as far back as her seat would allow.
"I think the kid gets your point," Hunter noted, tugging me by my forearm.
"No harm, no foul. Nightwing's taking care of the Father Box as we speak," Hunter assured me.
"That's not the problem," I argued, jerking my arm from his grip. I turned to Harmony once more.
"Your father works for Lex Luthor. Do you know what Luthor does? He cuts off people's arms and harvests the DNA to make clones!"
Again, Harmony flinches, leaning further back in her seat.
"I said," Hunter interrupted, guiding me away, "relax. She got us out of there. Nightwing and Superboy made sure the Father Box couldn't be tracked. She's safe, Phe."
Harmony was visibly trying to hold a panic attack while I was in the midst of an emotion-fueled meltdown. Although I had tried to convince myself that Speedy's abduction and recently discovered fate didn't bother me… it was obvious I had unresolved trauma of my own about it.
"I'm sorry," Harmony whispered, staring at her hands in her lap, "I really am."
"No one's going to cut your arm off, kid," Hunter assured her, "Wait. If Luthor gave you a Father Box, it's because he wanted to track where you were going. He must've thought you were going to lead him somewhere."
I furrowed my brow, sitting straight in my chair, "You're right, but what was she leading him to? Sato already gave Luthor the nanotechnology and the hyper-speed travel research. What else does Sato have to offer?"
Hunter crouched, kneeling in front of the thirteen year old, "What else aren't you telling us, kid?"
Harmony hesitated, glancing at me then Hunter. She struggled momentarily before sighing altogether.
"My father," she paused, "he has the Soultaker sword. It is said to be forged by Muramasa, a swordsmith from the 14th century."
"I've heard about it. It has a twin version that isn't enchanted," Hunter added.
"Enchanted?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at the two.
"The Soultaker takes the soul of those slain by it and traps it inside the blade," Harmony elaborated.
"I don't think Luthor wants the sword," I said, "I think Vandal Savage does. Can the sword bring people back after they've been slain?"
Harmony nodded, "I believe so, but there's some ancient ritual that must be done first."
"Which is right up Vandal's alley," I muttered.
"Where are the swords now?" Hunter asked, looking at Harmony expectantly.
"My grandfather fled Japan, seeking asylum in America from the Yakuza," Harmony revealed.
We had been sitting in silence for almost an hour after Hunter's departure.
"Did you get to meet him?" I asked, looking away from the holographic screen in front of me.
"Yeah, but he died when I was five," Harmony said.
"Were you close?" I persisted.
"No," Harmony chuckled wryly, shaking her head almost as if scolding herself, "He was my mother's father. She died giving birth to me, so I didn't really know her. I always felt… disconnected with that side of my family."
"I know the feeling," I muttered. Harmony lifted her head, glancing at me; once she noticed that I had seen, she looked away, attempting to hide the flush of red on her cheeks.
"My mom died when I was younger, too," I explained, closing the screen, "We were really close. I never knew my father so I've always felt like there was something incomplete about me."
There was a brief moment of comfortable silence before Harmony asked, "Why do you care so much about me? I was acting like a total bitch after you rescued me."
A part of me wanted to scold her for cursing, but she reminded me of myself at that age.
I chuckled, crossing my arms over my chest as I leaned back into my chair, admitting, "You remind me a lot of myself. You're headstrong, yet you mean well. You took the news about your father pretty well, considering all others."
"All others?" Harmony repeated.
She doesn't know about Kaldur, I reminded myself.
"I have a friend, his name is Kaldur. Well, he found out his father was a bad guy, too, and he thought that meant he had to be a bad guy," I explained, attempting to simplify the situation as much as possible.
"Why?" Harmony asked.
"I… I don't know. He was going through a lot at the time. He was really confused and he probably felt like he was alone. I guess… I guess none of his friends were really there for him," I admitted, surprising myself with my own words.
I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"Do you think he knew he had the option to be good?"
"I'd like to think so, yes. I have another friend, Connor. He has a really good parent and a really bad parent. Even though he was raised by the bad parent, he chose to be good in the long run. I'd like to think we are in control of our own destinies and whatnot. That we decided our own fate."
There was another moment of silence before Harmony whispered, "Do you think I can be good?"
I nodded, "Yeah, I do."