Invaded

Chapter Sixteen: Complications

Author's Note: Enjoy and please leave a review!

The Warworld
May 27
06:04 UTC

"Alright," I snarled, exiting Doctor Fate's portal, "what happened? What happened to the rest of my Team?"

Nightwing placed a firm hand on my shoulder, tugging me back slightly. Blue Beetle clenched his eyes shut, muttering, "It's all my fault."

Green Beetle quickly interjected, "That assessment is inaccurate."

"Just tell them what you told us," Captain Atom instructed, attempting to sooth the traumatized teen. Nightwing removed his hand from my shoulder, crossing his arms over his chest expectantly.

"We'd won," Blue Beetle began, "We were all in this docking bay and Wonder Girl had Mongul hogtied. Then, suddenly, a boom-tube opened right beneath our feet. I flew up and out."

Nightwing began conducting his own investigation as he scanned the surrounding area.

"It was instinct, you know? But, before I could do anything else, the boom-tube closed and the others were gone," Blue Beetle concluded.

"Definitely reading traces of boom-tube activity," Nightwing confirmed.

"We think Mongul may have opened the boom-tube as a means of escape, gaining the Team as captives in the bargain," Captain Atom explained before adding, "The Team and worse?"

"And worse?" I echoed.

"Impulse had the crystal key," Blue Beetle clarified.

"So, the priority is making sure no one uses it to reactivate the Warworld," Captain Atom briefed, "Captain Marvel and Rocket are guarding the key chamber now, and the Justice League will continue guarding it in shifts until the key is found and the threat is ended."

I nodded, agreeing.

Blue Beetle bowed his head, "It's all my fault."

Nightwing interjected, "Stop. You didn't do anything wrong. We'll figure this out. For now—"

"I'll ensure he gets home safely," Green Beetle assured us.

"No," Blue Beetle protested, "I want to stay. I want to help."

"You will help," Nightwing attested, "but right now, you need rest. Go."

Doctor Fate outstretched his hand, opening a portal for the two Beetles.

"I'm sorry," Blue Beetle apologized, meeting my gaze.

"Don't be sorry," I retorted, "Whoever did this will be sorry. I'll make sure of it."

Blue Beetle nodded as he allowed Green Beetle to usher him into the glowing portal.

"Do you believe him?" Nightwing asked, purposely matching my slow pace as we walked on one of the docking bay's metal catwalks.

"No," I admitted, asking, "Have you noticed his speech patterns have changed recently?"

Nightwing paused, humming as he noted my observation. He closed his wrist computer, leaping off the railing. He performed several stunts midair before landing in a crouch.

"Show off," I scoffed as I flew to him.

"Air-lock's damaged," Nightwing noted before venturing off towards my left. I leaned in closer, studying the air-lock's damage. It appeared as if someone had forcefully stabbed a sharp object into the air-lock before dragging it through to completely damage the device.

"Robin's birdarang?" Nightwing questioned, holding up the weapon to inspect it with his own eyes. He brought it close to his wrist computer, hoping to find more evidence on a forensic level.

"Birdarang must've scratched Blue's armor," Nightwing reasoned as his screen displayed reports of nanites belonging to Blue's scarab on the surface of the batarang.

"Maybe Robin was aiming for Blue," I countered.

Washington, D.C.
May 28
08:04 PM EST

"How do we even know that she's in here?" Hunter grunted as he pried the elevator doors apart.

I lowered my wrist, closing my holographic map of Cadmus, explaining, "All of Q's investigations have led right back to here. If she's not here, something else is."

"So, we're just supposed to trust some lunatic who goes through my trash?" Hunter retorted, annoyed.

"Don't be ridiculous," I scoffed, chuckling slightly as I add, "Q goes through everyone's trash."

Hunter frowned before glancing down at the elevator shaft, "I thought the League shut down Cadmus back in 2010?"

"The League tried," I corrected, generating a platform for him to stand on, "but it's hard to shut down an organization that was purposely designed for secrecy. The Cadmus the boys and I broke into had no paper trails, no evidence. It even generated its own power using the genomorphs."

Hunter stood on the red platform; we descended slowly.

"I read that there's 52 sub-levels," Hunter stated, watching as we passed sub-level 5. "How are we supposed to find her?"

"I fed her a subcutaneous micro tracker," I revealed.

Hunter's eyes widened before glaring at me, "So why did you have me investigate with Q if you could track her the whole time?"

"There were some… discrepancies with the tracker," I said, slowly.

Hunter paused, studying me before chuckling, "You forgot to activate it, didn't you?"

I scowled, "I didn't forget to activate it."

"So, then what?" Hunter persisted.

"I… I felt bad tracking her. Canary has never done something like that to me. I felt like I was violating Harmony's privacy, so I didn't activate it. By the time I learned she had ran away again, the tracker was out of range to be activated," I admitted sheepishly.

"Oh," Hunter murmured, surprised. He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck unsure. Although he had never delved too deep into the working relationship between himself and the Huntress, I knew they had a somewhat healthy relationship. However, since as long as I've known him, Hunter never felt comfortable dealing with his emotions or feelings. He was a master at deflecting and avoiding which always made me wonder why.

"I know," I sighed, bringing my wrist upwards, "I'm getting too attached to the kid. She's a really good kid who's been dealt a shitty hand of cards. Q said SL-45—we're here."

I placed my open palm on the metal doors labeled SL-45; with a hiss of hair, the doors slid open. Hunter leaped off the platform and landed on the ground.

"We're close," I murmured, reading the map off my wrist computer. "Her tracker is close enough to be activated."

"Did Harmony ever tell you what her powers were?" Hunter asked, walking alongside me. He scanned the empty hallway, gripping his crossbow tightly.

"No," I answered, "I figured she'd tell us when she was comfortable. I know she helped the Runaways escape from STAR Labs though. Tracker says she's behind this door."

I placed a firm hand on cool metal, sensing for Harmony.

"Well?" Hunter asked impatiently.

"Nothing," I sighed.

We stood in silence, wallowing in defeat before a new wave of pulses returned. I nearly stumbled over, catching myself as the anger swelled inside me like a balloon.

"Phe—"

I slammed my fist into the metal door, watching as an orb flickered on. The metal crunched under the orb's surface like aluminum foil. The door creaked loudly, ripping violently off its hinges and onto the floor. It lay, half crumpled like a sheet of paper.

I entered, fists ablaze with pulsating kinetic energy as Hiroshi Sato stood, waiting.

"Harmony is here, somewhere," I stated, not daring to take my eyes off Sato.

Hunter hesitates, glancing at Sato and I. He leaned down, muttering, "Don't do anything stupid."

Sato stood, eerily still and vacant of any emotions. I glared, outstretching my hand; his body jerked forward and up, floating midair. Sato wheezed yet remained silent.

"Are you going to kill me?" Sato questioned as he stood in the center of a traditional dojo. Kanji inscibings lined the far right wall next to a display of katana blades. The remaining walls were filled with beautiful portraits of people.

Sato knelt on the floor, placing his hands on his thighs; it made me angrier that he was acquiescing to any fate I had decided to deliver.

"Why?" I asked. It came out soft, as if I was afraid to ask.

"Time's have changed. Things are different since I was a hero," Sato paused; he tilted his head back, gazing upwards, "Even the villian's motives have changed. Back then, villains were simple. They wanted gratification, power. Now, they want more. They always want more. I did what I had to do to ensure my survival."

I scrunch my face in disgust, feeling the anger swell inside me again.

"So, you sold your daughter out to the Reach?"

"No," Sato shook his head, "I gave her to the Reach so they can ensure my survival."

"Your daughter is not a weapon," I hissed.

"No, she is my shield," Sato corrected.

There's a brief moment of silence before Sato groaned, falling limp onto the floor. The walls of the dojo creaked and groaned as they began to collapse. I ripped the portrait off the wall, shoving my fists through them.

"Phoenix?" Harmony questioned, entering the dojo.

Hunter embraced me, crushing me against his chest. He pushed my hair from my eyes, forcing me to look at me.

"I-I…" I stuttered in shock. I had just allowed myself to lose control, doing exactly what I had promised myself I wouldn't.

"Is he dead?" Harmony asked from beside Hunter.

"No," I muttered.

"I was there," Harmony stated, "In this mind, I mean."

"How?" Hunter asked, cradling my upper body. He rocked me, slowly, soothing me. He's seen this side of me before so he understood how dangerous it can be.

"Astral projection," Harmony stated pragmatically. "What's wrong with him?"

Sato lay on the floor, eyes vacant. White foam drizzled out of his mouth, pooling on the floor. He is alive physically, but he is as good as dead in this state.

"I… broke his mind."

After a short snapshot of silence, I push myself off Hunter's chest, rising slowly.

"Let's go," I muttered, "Reinforcements will be here soon."

Queen Manor, Star City
May 28
12:01 AM PDT

"I know what my father said about me," Harmony stated, breaking the silence. Since Hunter's departure after ensuring our safe arrival to Queen Manor, Harmony had remained silent. She sat beside me, watching me enter in my mission report.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, apologizing on his behalf and my own.

"How come you couldn't sense me?" Harmony wondered. Her tone was soft, innocent.

"Sometimes… sometimes when a telepath is distracted," I paused, sighing. There was no use embellishing the truth with technical terms.

"I was too mad to sense you," I admitted.

"That was the first time I used my astral projection to enter someone's mind. Usually, I can just enter their bodies. They can still talk, like in my head, but I'm in control of everything."

"Is that why he couldn't move?" I wondered.

"Yeah, I think so," Harmony's voice lowered, "I was searching through his mind, looking for answers. It was… weird. He remembers certain memories differently than I do. Is he… Is he going to be okay?"

I faltered; Harmony shoulders slouched as her gaze lowered.

"He's not dead," I clarified, "His mind is just…"

"Broken," Harmony finished for me flatly.

"It's okay to be upset about anything and everything," I noted. Harmony nods, inhales sharply before laughing uncontrollably. I startled me; Harmony laughed harder at my reaction.

"I'm-I'm sorry," Harmony laughs, "It's just… It's just…"

I let her laugh, watching her throw her head back, shoulders bouncing up and down as she clutches her stomach. Eventually, tears leak from her clenched eyelids and the laughter evolves into sobs. I embrace her, crushing her small body into my chest, gradually lowering onto the floor of the Arrow Cave.

Slowly, the sobs died down and she's sniffling every few seconds.

"You were my favorite," Harmony muttered.

"Hmm?"

"I was eight, I think. It was July 4th, that I remember. It was all over the news. All the sidekicks were gathering at the Hall of Justice. You were my favorite because you were the only girl there. You looked… so sure of yourself, like this badass who wasn't scared of anything," Harmony recalled.

Now, I laughed. It was genuine, erupting from my chest. Harmony tilted her head back, startled.

"We don't call ourselves sidekicks, by the way. We thought we were joining the Justice League that day," I revealed. It had been years since I had talked about that fateful day.

"It was in the works for months, so I remember pushing myself really hard leading up to that day. I was the only female partner to any hero at the time, so it was a lot of pressure. I had never been inside the Hall—I mean, really inside, you know, in the parts restricted for civilians. Get this— turns out, it was just a glorified backstage pass. We weren't joining the League nor were we actually forming a team. It was just a stepping stone, a lame introduction to each other."

Harmony furrowed her brow, "You guys didn't know each other?"

"No, we did," I clarified, "but we'd never worked together. I mean, yeah, our mentors had teamed up, but all the proteges together, at the same time? Unheard of. Anyways, my brother—he went by Speedy at the time, but he's Red Arrow now—he was super pissed so he literally just walked out. There's reports of a fire at Cadmus and Wotan trying to blot out the sun, so obviously the League responds to Wotan. Aqualad, Robin, Kid Flash, and I break into Cadmus, and what do we find?"

"What? What do you find?" Harmony asked, impatient.

"Superboy," I answered, "He starts attacking us and saying all this crazy shit. Eventually, we convince him to help us escape in exchange for his freedom. I was scared—like, out of my mind scared. At any moment, anything could've gone wrong. But even though I was scared, I knew this is what I had I wanted to do. I wanted to help people."

Harmony hummed, nestling herself deeper into my embrace as she absorbed my words. We sat, in silence, like that for what seemed an eternity, comforting each other.