Chapter Eight

Areina/Red Bird started following her boys' heat signatures, and she found that one was coming from the ventilation shaft to her right. She bent down, and saw some movement in the back.

"Jason'ahm, its mommy." Areina whispered into the vent.

The movement then came toward the vent cover and she saw that she was right, the screws were melted from the inside and the cover came off. All Areina saw first was blonde hair, and then she saw her fire controlling son's face.

"Mommy!" Jason quietly yet excitedly exclaimed.

"I'm glad you're safe Jason, but where's your brother?" Areina asked as she picked up her son and hugged him.

"There's a telepath here. He tried to put both of us under his mind control, but it only worked on Bruce." Jason said, then his happiness to see him mother turned to worry for his brother.

"What did the telepath make Bruce do or think?" Areina asked; she needed to know what was going on.

"That Manta II and Dymond were the true ones that cared about us. Bruce is happy being around Dymond, but that's not the worst thing." Jason said.

Areina had a feeling that this next thing was about Orin. "What happened to Orin?"

"Queen Bee's trying to take his Atlantean magic away. His magic channels are visible and sticking out of his arms." Jason said.

"Who's Queen Bee?" Areina asked, she had heard that name before, but didn't remember it.

"She works with something called the Light, and said that the Light had plans for me and Bruce." Jason said.

Areina's memories came back about the file on Queen Bee, and she knew there was trouble on the horizon. "Can you take me to where Bruce is?"

"What about daddy?" Jason asked.

"Kaldur and Meygan are here as well, they're looking for Orin along with Manta and Dymond." Areina said.

"Okay, I think he's still close to the playroom." Jason said, and with that he led the way for him mother to find her other child.

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Kaldur and Meygan were searching the ship, when suddenly; Meygan felt something strange going on in her mind.

"The telepath is close; he's trying to manipulate my mind." Meygan told Kaldur.

"Any idea who we are dealing with?" Kaldur asked.

"I am surprised the great champion of Atlantis does not remember me." A voice said.

"I would know that voice anywhere…..Psimon." Kaldur said as his tattoos glowed and he reached for his water bearers.

"So, the twins are of your blood; that is very interesting." Psimon said.

"What did you do to them!?" Kaldur asked; the tone of his voice changing.

"They are ready for delivery to my bosses, and I WILL take them with me. Psimon says…..sleep."

"Not on my watch." Meygan said, and with that she jumped in front of Kaldur and put up a demon shield.

"Ah yes, the Light has mentioned you…..Rave." Psimon said.

"The Light has reformed, but I thought you separated back during the Light/Reach summit." Kaldur stated; shocked at the mention of the Light.

"We are a resourceful group, Kaldur'ahm, and the JLU WILL be defeated…with your grandsons as the key." Psimon said. "Psimon says…forget."

Meygan did not let her shield fall as Psimon's power was beating down on it.

"We won't go down that easily." Meygan said, batglaring at the telepath.

"We'll see about that, demon."

Psimon did not give up, but he was hoping to break the shield and went to work on his mission.

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While Meygan and Kaldur dealt with Psimon; Dymond had not heard from one group of guards outside, so she put on a rebreather and activated her beautiful diamond skin. With her metahuman power active, she was safe from the pressure of the water outside, and she headed out; only to find that three of the nine guards outside were sleeping. Just as she was about to call her soul mate; they started to wake up.

"What has happened here, why were you sleeping during your shift?" Dymond asked; she wanted answers.

The guards looked at each other…like they didn't know how to explain what happened. "One minute we were wide awake, then suddenly we started drifting off." One guard said.

Dymond knew then that some of the heroes had arrived. "Keep an eye out for any heroes coming, ESPECIALLY Atlanteans."

"Yes, Dymond."

With their orders, they went back to their posts watching each direction that was visible from their side of the manta sub.

What they didn't know was that someone was watching. "Think you can keep me from my friends….you barracudas?"

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The Playroom within Manta's Sub

Bruce had only gone around the perimeter of the room that Dymond left him and his brother in, and he couldn't find Jason anywhere. As he was about to let his rage out and scream for his brother to show himself, there was some noise at the door. It started to open and Bruce ran to it…ready to hug Dymond.

"Bruce, there you are; let's get you out of here." Areina said as she saw that her other son was safe.

"I don't want to go….WHAT DID YOU DO TO DYMOND.?" Bruce asked and as he yelled the second part, he pulled his water bearers and was ready for a fight.

"Bruce sweetie…." Areina said; her heart breaking as she heard her son's voice raise.

"Listen to me, Bruce; Dymond and Manta are the bad people; and Psimon…well I hope they don't run into Meygan and grandpa."

"I want to know where Dymond is." Bruce said and even at almost three years old, his batglare was very good.

"You really want to be with the person that helped hurt daddy!" Jason said; ready to fight his brother.

"I don't care; Dymond takes care of me." Bruce said, and soon his water bearers activated and tiny swords formed.

Areina was about to cry, but Jason stepped forward and was in a stance to fight his own twin. "Jason, are you sure?"

"It's the only way." Jason said as he looked back at his mother.

She knew right away what her little fire controller was asking for and so she created a small fireball and let her son take control of it.

"So, you're taking HER side…well then, I guess we're not brothers anymore." Bruce said and he ran for Jason, ready to take him down.

"Mommy, go help daddy; I've got this." Jason said; determination in his voice.

"Sweetie, I can't…" Areina said.

"Go, he's going to be killed if you don't find him soon." Jason said.

That got Areina's attention and she nodded to her son as he dodged Bruce's water bearer swords. "Be careful honey."

With that, Areina left Jason to fight his brainwashed brother and she started looking for Orin's heat signature.

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It didn't take long for the person watching the sub from the outside to get in. Once aboard the person let the glowing marks on his arms and around his neck die down and he went from being a huge sea monster to being La'gaan. As he made sure there were no Manta troopers around, he reached up to his comm and activated it.

"Kaldur'ahm; I'm in Manta's sub, where am I needed?" La'gaan said.

"Follow my signal; we are fighting Psimon the telepath." Kaldur said back over the link.

"Alright, I'm on my way." La'gaan said, and he allowed his comm to give him the location of Kaldur's.

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Five Minutes Later; Playroom

Bruce and Jason were really getting hurt, but Bruce wasn't holding back and so Jason had it worse.

"Will you STOP this shit, Bruce." Jason said as he dodged another water snake.

"You'll be sorry when Dymond gets back." Bruce responded before using his water bearers to form tiny maces and he went right for Jason's stomach.

"She's not the one that cares about us…..it's mommy." Jason said after dodging the attack.

"That woman doesn't care….why did she even come." Bruce said as he rethought his fight, and summoned some water and formed it into a ball. "I'll keep you from getting back to her and betraying me."

With that said, Bruce sent the water at Jason and it encompassed him. The prison was good, but Jason was stronger as he still had his fireball inside the hollow sphere of water. He took the fireball and made it larger. The almost three year old fire controller then split the element into two and placed one right at the edge of the sphere and it soon evaporated with the strong heat touching it.

Bruce was shocked…..Jason had never been able to get out of the water sphere. The shock wore off just in time for the young Atlantean warrior to see his fire controlling brother throw the second fireball and it was glowing a bright red with an orange core. Bruce could not move in time and the fireball spread out to encase him.

"I'm ending this fight." Jason said and the fire's intensity increased.

Bruce was starting to sweat, and his breathing was becoming labored, he couldn't take much more. While he was trying to regain his focus on the fight, Jason came running through the fire and punched his brother in the stomach.

"Sorry bro, but it's for your own good." Jason said as Bruce lost his breath and consciousness.