Invaded
Chapter Eighteen: Intervention
Author's Note: Enjoy and leave a review.
Queen Manor, Star City
June 13
04:28 PM PDT
"You're going on a mission, right?" Harmony asked, watching me with slight curiosity as I secured my utility belt around my waist.
"Yes," I answered, "I'm going to try and save Blue."
"I overheard you talking to Nightwing about him," Harmony admitted sheepishly.
Since I've rescued Harmony from her father at Cadmus, she's been showing growing interest in becoming a vigilante. I've noticed her watching Hunter and I sparring, watching me investigate Blue's possible liberation, and more. Aunt Dinah had warned me about taking Harmony in after such a traumatic experience… about the possible unquenchable thirst for vengeance that can arise given the right conditions.
As much as that possibility scared me, I had hope for Harmony. She reminded me of, well, me.
"Do you… do you want to be a hero?" I blurted.
Harmony's eyes widened as she sputtered to respond. Finally, she exhaled and nodded slowly, "Yeah… I think I do. I want to fix my dad's mistakes."
I know Harmony has been learning to accept her father's wrongdoings, but I didn't know that she felt like this.
"Okay," I exhaled, "okay. We'll talk about this when I come back."
El Paso
June 13
08:40 PM MDT
"Get ready!" I instructed, "Blue is definitely near!"
"Copy!" Batgirl confirmed, aiming her grappling gun at the sky.
"Now!" I shouted; Batgirl's grappling hook whizzed through the sky, successfully wrapping around Blue Beetle's ankle.
"Good aim," I smirked.
"Batgirl, what are you doing? You know this won't hold us!" Blue Beetle shouted.
Batgirl gripped the grappling gun, tugging, shouting back, "It'll hold for a couple seconds, and a couple seconds—"
"Is more than I need!" Impulse shouted, running past us and leaping onto the rope. Blue Beetle yanked his foot, attempting to fly away as Impulse neared him. The rope snapped just as Impulse jumped onto Blue Beetle's back.
Impulse began repeatedly punching Blue Beetle's rocket boosters causing them to deteriorate and malfunction. As they began to spiral out of the sky, Batgirl leaped down, readying herself to fight.
Blue Beetle and Impulse crash landed, slamming onto the asphalt-cement road.
"Sweet dreams, Blue!" Batgirl shouted, tossing a small capsule in front of Blue Beetle. Instantly, a murky green gas filtered into the air, making it impossible to see Blue Beetle.
"Well?" Impulse questioned impatiently. Within seconds, Batgirl was slammed against a tree. Large, blue staples held her unconscious body upright against the tree.
Impulse began sprinting erratically, punching Blue Beetle at any given chance.
"Right on schedule," I murmured as Beta Squad emerged from Zatanna's transportation portal.
Blue Beetle grunted loudly, rising and aiming his staple gun at Impulse. Within seconds, Impulse was incompacitated, stapled awkwardly against a brick wall. Blue Beetle's arms transformed into scythe blades, dragging on the floor as he approached Impulse.
"Rocket!" I shouted, leaping off the rooftop. I hovered in front of Impulse, Rocket landing on a platform above me.
Rocket outstretched her hand, smirking as a blue force bubble surrounded Blue Beetle. I outstretched my own hand, watching as a red force bubble surrounded Rocket's. Blue Beetle grunted as his hands transformed into maces, slamming it repeatedly against the surface of Rocket's force bubble.
Zatanna descended from the rooftop ledge on one of Rocket's platforms, shouting a spell. A final purple force bubble reinforced the other two layers.
"I reinforced Phe and Rocket's force fields. Blue's not going anywhere," Zatanna explained before chanting another spell. The staples that incompacitated Batgirl and Impulse disintegrated. Before their bodies collapsed onto the ground, I outstretched my hands; their bodies levitated in the air.
"Great job everyone," I smiled, pleased.
Somewhere Above the Atlantic Ocean
June 13
Unknown Time
I exhaled loudly, rolling my eyes as Blue Beetle continued his speech, "Enjoy your advantage while you can. The Reach tracks my every move and when we're through with you, there won't be enough for a DNA identification!"
I turned in my chair, asking Zatanna, "Z, there isn't a spell to shut him up?"
Zatanna erupted in laughter, shaking her head no.
Rocket rose from her seat, exasperating, "Ugh, I missed this!"
"Missed what?" I questioned.
"This!" Rocket emphasized, gesturing towards Blue, "The missions, the-the intensity! You guys have it good. All my missions have been snooze-fests."
Blue Beetle growled, "Tell me our destination and I'll make your deaths painless."
Collectively, we glanced at Blue Beetle unimpressed before returning to our conversation.
Bialya
June 14
05:19 UTC+2
Batgirl slowed the Supercycle to a halt as we hovered under the cliff's edge. I scanned the cliff's side, pointing at the fake wall.
"There," I instructed.
Batgirl nodded before guiding the Supercycle in front of the fake wall and strategically aiming and shooting at the hangar doors. The metal doors caved in as black smoke filtered out from the explosion. Batgirl expertely drove the Supercycle through the thick smoke, skidding to a halt.
"We've got company and I'm otherwise occupied maintaining this bubble around Blue!" Rocket shouted, hovering in the air above the detained Blue Beetle. I raised my hand in the air, generating a force field to protect us from the rain of bullets.
"Relax, Roc, we're prepped for Queen B's tin soldiers," Impulse countered as Zatanna shouted a spell. The soldiers' guns levitated in the air above them before breaking into pieces.
"Hey!" Impulse protested, "I was going to do that."
Zatanna glanced at the speedster, suggesting, "You can still knock them out?"
"Oh, yeah! Crash!" Impulse shouted, sprinting out of the Supercycle. As he ran towards the unarmed soldiers, Devastation landed in front of Impulse. With a loud groan, Impulse slammed into Devastation.
"Wait, that's Devastation then where's—"
Mammoth slammed into the Supercycle with brute force; we crashed onto the ground, groaning.
"Rocket, the force bubble?" Batgirl asked, rising to her feet.
"Holding, but I'm a sitting duck here!" Rocket answered, still hovering in the air.
"That's why I'm here!" I shouted, floating in the air.
"You were fools to bring us here," Blue Beetle seethed, "Queen B is our ally and her minions will destroy you!"
"If only these bubbles were soundproof," Rocket sassed.
"Batgirl, take on Shimmer! Z and I are on Mammoth and Devastation!" I instructed.
Zatanna and I pressed out backs together; I raised my hands, groaning as I lifted Devastation in the air. Mammoth thrashed in the air as Zatanna's spell jerked him upwards. We slammed the two against each other repeatedly before throwing them down the hole Shimmer had accidentally created.
Batgirl kicked Shimmer's chest; Shimmer stumbled back before ultimately falling into the hole as well. Quickly, Batgirl sealed the hole with a foam pellet.
Rocket descended from above, grinning, "Z, sometime you're gonna have to tell me how you figure out those backward words so fast!"
Zatanna smirked, "Maybe backwards is my native tongue?"
Rocket chuckled, "Seriously?"
"Come on," Batgirl urged, "Let's get to work."
"Here," Zatanna instructed. The energy orb containing Blue Beetle glowed brightly as Zatanna, Rocket, and I took our positions at equal distances from each other and Blue Beetle.
"You, uh, sure you've got the power for this?" Impulse questioned nervously.
"Me?" Zatanna paused, walking up the stone steps. "No, but I'll summon it from those who do."
Rocket and I followed, guiding the detained Blue Beetle to Zatanna.
"You all die now!" Green Beetle shouted, emerging from the entrance of the temple. He draws his scythe blades back, fuming with anger.
Impulse rammed the Supercycle into Green Beetle, sending him to the ground.
"Guys, this is all on you! I still got my own Beetle to hold and Z's smack in the middle of her mystic trance!" Rocket shouted.
"I'm going to help them," I said, "As long as I can maintain focus, I can hold my orb and fight."
Impulse revved the Supercycle, reversing away from Green Beetle, "Not like our butts haven't been kicked by one Beetle already."
"But this one comes with his own personal kryptonite!" Batgirl shouted, throwing a series of explosive pellets.
"Impulse, go!" I shouted; Impulse leaped from the Supercycle, running circles around the Green Beetle. The fire caused by the explosives grew, successfully trapping Green Beetle in a ring of fire.
"Ha! Those Martians really can't take the heat!" Impulse cheered.
"No, but stay alert! He has other skills to compensate," Batgirl retorted.
"Do you have eyes on Green?" I questioned, guarding Rocket and Zatanna.
"Right behind you!" Batgirl noted.
I turned, flying back as Green Beetle aimed his sonic cannon at me. I aimed an orb at Green Beetle in return; Green Beetle hesitated, glancing down before an elephant appeared, crushing him onto the ground.
"You can thank us later," Robin smirked as Delta Squad filtered in.
I scoffed, rolling my eyes as Wonder Girl wrapped her lasso around Green Beetle's body. Green Beetle squirmed, freeing his arms enough to shoot his sonic cannon at Wonder Girl and Beast Boy.
I slammed my orb into Green Beetle's head; he groaned, colliding into a pile of rocks.
"A word of advice," I said, glancing at Robin, "Never get cocky especially when the villain isn't down yet."
Rocket flew back as the area where Zatanna was performing the cleansing ritual began glowing white. The energy orb containing Blue Beetle slowly disintegrated as Zatanna chanted a spell in a distorted voice. Rocks that laid aimlessly around the cave began to rise, fusing together to form a stone beetle behind Zatanna. The stone beetle glowed a bright blue before spreading across the stone walls, lighting up the hieroglyphics.
"Fools!" Blue Beetle shouted, aiming his sonic cannon at Zatanna.
Green Beetle stood from the pile of rocks, aiming his own sonic cannon at Zatanna.
"You will all die!" Both Beetles declared, discharging their sonic cannons.
Impulse ran past me, grabbing the Wonder Girl's lasso that is still hanging around Green Beetle's waist. Impulse tugs Green Beetle towards Zatanna, throwing him in front of both blasts.
Both Beetles land on the floor, but only Green Beetle is unconscious from the close range aftershock of their sonic cannons' blasts. A searing pillar of light materalizes from the dais, quickly expanding outward, enveloping both Beetles.
I winced as Blue Beetle screamed out in agony. After a few moments, the searing pillar of light slowly dimmed, revealing the three again. A small, stone beetle that had attached itself to Zatanna's forehead fell to the ground, smashing into tiny pieces.
The glowing hieroglyphics on the wall slowly dimmed as the stone pillars cracked, crumbling into pieces.
I took a small step forward, igniting an orb out of caution. Impulse ran past me, catching Zatanna before she collapsed out of exhaustion onto the ground.
"Zatanna, you okay? Did it work?" Impulse questioned.
Both Beetles slowly rose from the ground, groaning. I aimed my orb at Green Beetle, glaring.
"Or are we back to square one? Who controls the Beetles?" Impulse persisted.
"Let's find out," Zatanna murmured; she raised her arm, muttering a spell. Slowly, both Beetles' armor began to deactivate, revealing Jaime and B'arzz O'oomm.
"Jaime and B'arzz O'oomm are back in control of their own bodies," Zatanna announced. My orb flickered off as I slowly approached Jaime and B'arzz.
"It's true," Jaime smiled, "I can feel it. I'm free of the Reach—for real this time."
"You're one hundred percent sure?" Batgirl hesitated, crossing her arms over her chest, "Because we've been through this before."
"I can feel it," I vouched, "The Reach no longer has a hold on them."
"Reading no external signal since Zatanna worked her mojo. Neither Beetle is in contact with the Reach," Robin confirmed.
"Hey, hey, hey, hermano!" Impulse shouted, embracing Jaime, "Congrats!"
"Thank you," Jaime emotionally sighed as he embraced Zatanna then me.
"Z did all the work," I admitted.
"But you planned all this," Zatanna retorted. I grinned, rubbing the back of my neck as Zatanna and I exchanged tired smiles.
"It has been so long. I had all but forgotten the sensation of controlling my own body. My gratitude knows no bounds," B'arzz O'oomm expressed as he examined his hands in his true Martian form.
"You're welcome," I assured him.
"This is all great but Queen B's goons are waking up," Bumblebee warned.
"Which means it's time to go," Batgirl noted.
"So, spill. How did you know how to cure us? That temple wasn't even in the Reach's database," Blue Beetle said as we flew beside the Supercycle.
"Bumblebee and I first came across it months ago on another mission," Batgirl explained, "I couldn't help notice the blue scarab imagery and recorded a holographic file of the symbols and hieroglyphics. Doctor Fate translated the 'glyphs which revealed a mystic ceremony the ancients used to cleanse the scarab of Reach control."
Blue Beetle hummed, "That's why my scarab was off mode when I found it."
Zatanna continued, "Because the ritual used the magic of human origin, Fate—a Lord of Order—could not perform it. So, he prepped me instead."
"Meanwhile, Batgirl and I got with the hacking," Robin said, elaborating, "Starting with the files of the previous Blue Beetle, the late Ted Kord. Ted's files revealed that an archeologist named Dan Garrett first discovered both the temple and the scarab in 1939. It fused with him the way it fused with you, but Dan assumed it was some mystic artifact and he used it to become the first Blue Beetle of modern times. When Dan passed away, he left the scarab to his protege, Ted Kord."
Batgirl noted, "But Kord quickly realized the scarab was alien technology. Since he wasn't about to let an alien device fuse to his spin, he locked the scarab away."
"But Garrett still inspired Ted to become the second Blue Beetle, even with no superpowers," Blue Beetle concluded, smiling softly.
"I hear those are optional," Robin smirked, continuing, "Anyways, Ted suspected the Light wanted the scarab back in play. He tried to stop them from stealing it and paid the ultimate price."
"That's where you came in," Batgirl said, gesturing towards Blue Beetle.
"But, even though we had this information, we needed someone who could and would actually do something about it," Zatanna paused, "Rocket and I are League members, which means we don't have access to the Team's missions or files. Phoenix was the best person for the job."
I chuckled, nodding, "You guys give me too much credit. I was just willing to take the risk that the ritual wouldn't work. Zatanna came to me with the information about the temple, the ritual, and the 'glyphs. I granted her access to any files on Dan Garret and Ted Kord, both associates of my grandmother, the first Black Canary. Since Queen B and I have a very long history, I knew what we were up against. I devised a plan, worked out the kins, and here we are."
Blue Beetle sighed, "I guess I wasn't what the Light or Reach had in mind, but why keep all this from me?"
"Because it took months for me to learn the ritual and not to mention configure the ancient Bialyian incantations to work with my magic," Zatanna answered.
"I also had to scout Queen B's lair to make sure no new updates were made while also trying to keep Green Beetle at bay. I knew Miss M didn't really dive too deep investigating if he was on our side due to her emotional trauma at the time. So, I had to make sure the Reach had no doubt that we trusted him," I further explained.
Blue Beetle hummed again, concluding for himself, "And you couldn't risk letting the Reach know the temple existed until you were ready."
I nodded, confirming his conclusion. Blue Beetle glancing at Impulse in disbelief, "You managed to keep your mouth shut? You?"
"Hey," Impulse protested, "Making sure you stayed a hero was the main reason I came back to the past. So, I was motivated to take my mouth off mode. Don't you get used to it now!"
Star City
June 16
05:36 PM PDT
"So, what's the big news?" Ollie questioned as he shuffled through paperwork. Aunt Dinah sat on the edge of his large, wooden desk reading through a mission file. The League's official stamp was etched onto the cover of the pale blue folder.
"I wanted to talk to both of you about retirement—specifically, mine," I stated softly, nervously tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
Both my guardians glanced up from their respective paperwork, surprised.
"Retirement? As in…" Ollie trailed off, waving his hand suggestively.
"Yeah," I exhaled with a nod as I slowly sat in one of the chairs positioned in front of his desk.
"After the Team offs the Reach invasion and the Big 6 return to Earth, I think it would be a good time for me to be normal. I've spent my entire youth fighting and… truth be told, I'm tired. For once, I'd like to know what it feels like not to have the weight of the world on my shoulders," I admitted.
Aunt Dinah glanced at Ollie before slowly smiling, "I agree. You need some normal in your life. What about Harmony?"
"She wants to be a hero and I want to travel. I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone and study abroad in Japan, live with Uncle Ted. He trained me and I know he'd love to train her, too," I answered.
Ollie furrowed his brow, confused, asking, "You're training her to be the next Phoenix?"
"No," I answered quickly, "I figure, maybe, one day the world will need me to be Phoenix again—but maybe then, I'll have my own protege. Harmony isn't seeking vengeance, she's seeking redemption for her father's mistakes."
Aunt Dinah exhaled slowly, "The student becomes the teacher."
"I think it's a great idea. Have you talked it over with Dick and everyone else?" Ollie asked, leaning back in his seat.
"No," I admitted, "I wanted to tell you guys first. I also wanted to thank both of you. We've been through a lot together as a family and I know you both beat yourselves up about things, but I wanted to let you both know that you guys are the best parents. I'm really thankful to have you two," I smiled.
Ollie cleared his throat, blinking his eyes rapidly to avoid crying.
"Don't cry, damn it," Aunt Dinah cursed, slapping Ollie's shoulder lightly, "If you cry, I cry."