Identity
When he looks in the mirror, he knows what he sees, but he's not sure it's really him.
Word Count: 556
Pairings: None
Rating: K+
Notes: Spoilers for "Auld Acquaintances".
When I first saw the episode, I couldn't believe it. And then I gained some respect for the creators. You gotta admit: that was clever of them. Anyway, just my thoughts on the finale~.
On a side note, everyone else hear about Wonder Girl? Cassandra's gonna shake things up.
Disclaimer: See chapter one~
A clone. From Cadmus.
The truth had been easy to understand. Accepting it was a different story. For the past three years, he hadn't been his own self, had instead lived off the life of another person, had taken his place for the sole reason of betraying them for the League, to work for Vandal Savage. The real Roy Harper was somewhere out there, dead or alive, he wasn't sure. He was just a clone, a tool, a means to an end. That was the easy part to understand.
He stood in front of the mirror of the apartment he rents. The red hair, the blue eyes….everything's there, everything's real. But none of it is the truth. Each cell, each fiber of his being has been a lie. He's stolen the identity of someone else, someone who's been god knows where for so long. That's what makes a mole so great: the fact that the mole doesn't even know he's the mole.
He grimaces and briefly wonders if the original him looks the same way when he grimaces. He wonders what the original Roy would think, would do, would say when he sees what they've done to his DNA. And if, no when they find the original, what will happen to him? What will happen to the person who has become Red Arrow? There are too many questions and not enough answers.
He doesn't like that.
The knuckles on his hands turn white as he grips the sink hard and he drops his gaze down to his hands for a moment. None of this is him, but at the same time, all of it is. He remembers everything that he shouldn't: Dad dying in a forest fire, being adopted by Brave Bow and being part of the Tachini Tribe. He remembers the pain he felt when he lost another father, and the joy he felt when Ollie became his adoptive father.
But none of that is his. It's all a lie.
He sinks to the floor, holding his head in between his hands. This is a twisted case of identity theft, far beyond anything that any government in the world could ever pull from any file. At least Superboy has his own identity, he's not a rip-off of Superman and Lex Luthor, he's his own person. Him? He doesn't even know what to call himself! Roy doesn't fit him anymore; it's not his name. Never has been and never will be.
He doesn't know where to go from here. Green Arrow and Black Canary's comforting words have fallen on deaf ears. But he knows where to start.
With considerable effort, he picks himself up off the floor and looks at his reflection again. It may not be his reflection, but right now, it is his life and it is his choice. Tentatively, he picks the domino mask up and slips it on, reminding himself that while he was not the only one wronged in this scenario; he is the only one now who can make it right.
The quiver of arrows, he slings on his back and the bow he grips tighter than ever. He may not know what will become of him later, or if he'll ever have to find out. But the real Roy Harper is out there.
And he's going to find him.
Review?
Even if it's just a word or two. Please.
.chary