I do not own X-men or Young Justice
*Mount Justice: September 4, 19:00 *
Laura sat quietly inside the aptly named waterfall room in the Cave. Named for the decorative waterfall on one of the walls; the room was completely cut off from the outside making it the ideal place for private meets.
A concept that Laura appreciated, as she sat opposite Black Canary.
"Whenever you're ready" she said supportively.
Laura took a deep breath and began her tale.
*Mount Justice: August 27, 07:58*
Beaten, tired, and covered in filth the Team walked into the Cave after a not so stellar performance during their mission in Gotham City. They had run into one of Batman's rogues, the criminal Clayface who proved to be too much for the teens; forcing the Dark Knight to step in and save them.
"I need to speak to Aqualad" said Batman. "The rest of you hit the showers, and head home."
"Head home? I am home" Superboy remarked, as they all went their separate ways.
All except Robin, who had stayed behind expecting his mentor to want him present.
"Just Aqualad" Batman stressed, sending Robin away.
Though not pleased, Robin obeyed and left Aqualad and Batman alone to have their secret conversation.
"I am sorry you had to intervene" said Aqualad. "I know the team performed poorly…"
"The team performed adequately" Batman interjected. "The problem was you. You're their leader and your head wasn't in the game."
"No, you are…uh…correct" Kaldur sighed. "Of late, I am not even convinced I belong on the surface world. For so many years it filled my every thought. But now that I am here, my dreams are all Atlantis."
"Atlantis…or someone you left behind?"
A look of shock appeared on Kaldur's face at the ease of which the Dark Knight had deduced the true cause of his discomfort.
"You can split your time between the surface and the sea, but not your mind" Batman said sternly. "Either you're here 100% or you need to walk away. Make a decision, Kaldur and make it soon."
Batman then walked away leaving Aqualad to his thoughts. Afterwards he informed the Team that for the time being they were being placed on standby barring any unforeseen emergencies. Leaving them with time off. While the other members of the Team didn't seem to mind, Laura found herself feeling restless given her recent decision to try and let go of her search for Weapon X.
Which just left her sitting in her room going over her options for the day. Which weren't that enticing. M'gann would most likely spend the day working on her cooking. Superboy would spend it watching static on the television, for whatever reason. Artemis and Robin would be returning to their respective homes. Aqualad had chosen to take a trip of his own. As for Wally; Laura didn't like the speedster that much, so she had no real idea what his plans were for the day, and didn't care.
Still Laura didn't want to sit around her room all day waiting for a mission to occupy her time. She'd gotten enough of that with the Facility. That's when she decided to try out some normal kid behavior and phoned a friend.
"Laura?" Raven asked, over the phone.
Superpowers or not they were still teenagers. And what teen was complete without a cellphone. So after explaining the situation, Laura asked her friend the all too important question of how she should make use of her free time.
"I just don't want to go back to spending all my time training" said Laura. She was trying to break away from her Facility born habits.
"There is one thing you could do" said Raven. "I've been thinking about looking into my mother's family. This could be a chance for you to do the same."
"That could work." It was something she had been putting off for some time. But maybe now that she was trying to be more than just X-23, this could be her first true step towards that. "Yes, I think I will. Thank you, Raven."
*San Francisco: August 29, 07:00*
Laura had been in San Francisco for two days. During that time, she had been observing a particular townhouse and the people living inside. The house belonged to the only living relatives of her mother, Sarah Kinney.
Perhaps it wasn't the most normal way to get to know family but Laura's fear had made her default to her assassin training, to study them like she would a target.
From her observations she learned her mother's younger sister; her aunt Deborah Kinney was a single mother. Sharing a strong family resemblance with Sarah, including hair and eye color – it was almost painful Laura to look at her. She seemed to work from home as she mainly left the house for simple household tasks such grocery shopping and the like.
Deborah was currently living with her boyfriend a Desmond Alexander. There didn't seem to be much that was very interesting about the man. He held a typical 9-5 office job. Though he did seem to have a bit of a temper but thankfully had shown no signs of being violent towards Deborah or her daughter.
Said daughter was Laura's senior by a few months the fourteen-year-old unlike the rest of her maternal family members had blonde hair, though she shared their green eyes. She was in the start of her freshman year of high school and from Laura's observations seemed to be an outsider. Though if this stemmed from her preference for goth clothing style or from some unknown reason, Laura couldn't be sure.
While she had successfully formed a rudimentary understanding of the household, Laura couldn't spend the entire time spying on them. Batman could have another mission for her at any time. So summoning her courage, Laura walked up and rang their doorbell.
"Yes can I help – oh my god" Deborah gasped, once she opened the door to find Laura standing there.
From her reaction, Laura could guess that somehow Deborah recognized her. Though she wasn't sure how that was possible given this was their first meeting and from what she gathered, Sarah had been estranged from her.
Still Deborah invited her inside only asking that Laura wait upstairs while she explained to Desmond about her being there. From the yelling she could hear coming from the kitchen, she could guess he wasn't happy about a mystery niece dropping in to visit his girlfriend unannounced.
Though she felt guilty about causing trouble for Deborah, Laura still took this as an opportunity to study what a normal family home looked like. She had stayed in multiple safe houses before and there were times when she'd infiltrate a target's home. But this was the first time she'd truly had the chance to appreciate what turns a house into a home.
The hall was lined with paintings and pictures; mostly of Deborah and Megan while she was growing up, though there were a few of Desmond. Several knickknacks here and there that added a personal touch to house.
Eventually Laura came to what she assumed to be Megan's room. It was a typical teenager's bedroom. A little dirty with a few socks and papers about, a desk and laptop by the window, filling the room with the glow of the rising sun. There was a small teddy bear on a very comfortable looking bed; having never held one, Laura picked it up and was surprised by how comforting it felt to hug the plush toy.
But the one thing that stood out about the room was the walls were lined with drawings – very good ones in fact. But amongst all of the artwork, Laura found herself drawn to a specific area that seemed dedicated to a single subject: a nightmarish looking man. Strangely there was one outlier amongst the group; drawing of a girl holding up hand with long protrusions extending from her knuckles. Though the face didn't have any specific details only vague shading to leave the girl unidentifiable, Laura could guess it was supposed to be her.
"What're you doing in my room?" Laura turned to see Megan standing by the door, not looking happy with her intrusion.
"I was looking at your pictures" she replied.
"Yeah well get out" said Megan, taking the drawing from Laura.
Respecting her cousin's wishes, Laura was prepared to leave Megan to return her drawing to its rightful place on her wall, when a question came to mind.
"Why do you draw him?"
"Who?" Megan asked, not understanding the question.
"The man who took you."
"What? He's not real…He's just…From my dreams. My nightmares."
Laura stayed silent, mentally berating herself for causing more problems for her relatives. Misinterpreting the look on Laura's face, Megan once more denied the man's existence.
"Yes he is" said Laura, deciding it was too late to deny the truth now. "I killed him."
Tears ran down Megan's cheeks as she struggled to contain her emotions and Laura was starting to wonder if she'd made a mistake. Wiping away her tears, Megan grabbed Laura and rushed downstairs calling out for her mother and Desmond.
"Go on tell them!" Megan urged. "Tell them what you said!"
"What're you talking about?" Laura asked, feigning confusion.
"Tell them you killed him. Tell them he's real!" she cried, but Laura remained silent.
"Megan, you have to calm down" said Deborah, concerned for her daughter.
"Please" Megan begged. "You have to tell her. Please tell her I'm not crazy…please."
Though it bothered her to cause Megan this much pain, Laura remained silent. Wanting to comfort her daughter, Deborah reached out to touch Megan's shoulder but she immediately pulled away, screaming in anguish as she raced out the door.
"Megan!" Deborah called out, to no avail. "Desmond, we have to…"
"Just let her go" Desmond said dismissively, as he started to leave for work. "She'll come back, she always does."
Seeing the stressed and heartbroken look on her aunt's face, Laura was tempted to reveal her deception but ultimately decided against it. She didn't want to add to the family's problems.
"I'm sorry about that Laura" said Deborah, turning back to her niece only to find she's disappeared, leaving only a note saying she was going to be with Megan.
It wasn't hard tracking down Megan. Even without her scent, Laura's spying had revealed that her cousin frequently visited the pier to watch the sun rise and set, which led her to find Megan sitting at the end of the boardwalk, dangling her feet over the water, crying.
Though not entirely sure how to comfort her, Laura silently sat down next to her cousin; deciding to let Megan have the first say.
"Why didn't you tell them?" she asked, feeling betrayed.
"When I saw your pictures, I thought you remembered what happened" Laura explained. "Had I known the truth I wouldn't have told you."
"Why?" Megan thought she deserved to know the truth.
"You are safer not knowing."
"But you said the man who took me is dead. You said you…"
"I killed him. But the ones who made me, they…" Now that caught Megan's attention.
"Wait, wait, wait…The ones who made you?! What're you talking about?"
Deciding she might as well let everything out into the open, Laura held her hand up and unsheathed her claws, shocking her cousin.
"If these men knew I was here, they would kill you and your mother to get to me" Laura explained. "No one but you can know the truth."
"Oh…ok" said Megan, dumbfounded.
"We should go to school now. I don't like being late."
"Ok but you're telling me everything."
*Abraham Lincoln High School: August 29, 08:21*
Laura explained that her mother, Sarah Kinney had snuck her away from the Facility to track down Megan after Deborah had told her sister she'd been kidnapped. Megan didn't appreciate finding out her aunt had her drugged in order keep Laura's involvement a secret, though she did find some amusement in Laura's retelling of how she tricked the kidnapper and threw him out a window, all while disguised as a girl scout.
If she expected Megan to be afraid after learning the truth about her, Laura couldn't have been more wrong. Instead Megan took an interest in her cousin's exploits and abilities. It was actually kind of telling someone about herself. With Raven her powers had caused them both to learn about each other's histories instantly. Now Laura had actually chosen to confide in someone.
She and Megan were growing close. So it bothered Laura to hear what the other students were whispering about Megan as they walked through the hallway; spouting words like "freak" and "slut". So when some jock grabbed hold of her cousin's arm, it was all Laura could do to resist breaking his.
"Well, look who finally made a friend" the jock jeered. "Or is it girlfriend?"
"Screw off, Hennessey!" Megan spat, trying to pull away from the jock.
"Let her go" Laura growled, coming to her cousin's aid.
"Or what little girl?" Hennessey smirked, unaware of the danger. "You gonna hurt me?"
"Yes."
Not wanting Laura to blow her cover just to put one of her tormentors in the hospital, Megan managed to pull her arm away from Hennessey.
"Forget him, Laura" she told her, pulling her cousin away.
"So how'd you get into my school?" Megan asked, as they took their seats for first period.
"I snuck in and added myself as a new student" said Laura. It was hardly the most secure building she'd ever had to break into. "I wish to spend time with you, so I copied your schedule."
Megan just shook her head in amusement, taking it as a peculiar quirk.
First period was French class and the teacher immediately noticed the late addition to his class.
"It seems we have a new student. Miss Kinney, is it? Do you have any experience in the romance language?"
"Oui" said Laura.
"Then perhaps you could give us a demonstration. Beyond the word 'yes'."
Laura stood up and recited the first thing that came to mind.
"Les protocoles de collecte d'information internationale: lorsqu'ils traitent avec la police locale et d'autres autorités, des pots de vin devraient être efficacies.
Si l'information ne peut être obtenue par la corruption, recourir à la torture. Gardez à l'esprit que sur le devoir des agents doivent être en mesure de faire rapport ou leur disparition vont déclencher des alarmes, mettant en danger la mission.
Bribes sont trop coûteux pour les fonctionnaires supérieurs de classement; le premier plan d'action devrait être la torture. En cas d'échec, passez à l'enlèvement et/ou l'exécution de membres de la famille, en commençant toujours par des parents de sexe féminin." (1)
The students all stared opened mouthed at Laura, unable to understand anything she just said. Unfortunately, their teacher did, and somehow Megan found herself accompanying Laura to the principal's office. As they sat together outside the door Megan turned to Laura with only one question:
"What the hell did you say?"
It wasn't until lunch time that Laura finally asked Megan, why she didn't seem to have any friends.
"No one talked to me after the abduction" said Megan. "No one believed me. They all thought I was making it up to get attention. Or that I was crazy…even my mom thinks I'm crazy."
"I don't think you're crazy" said Laura.
"I know. You're my only friend."
"I should introduce you to Raven. I think you'd get along and she could use some more friends too."
"I think I'd like that."
Laura and Megan just continued to chat, happily ignoring the fact that no other student would even sit near their table.
But of course the rest of the day wasn't as peaceful. They were sitting in biology class, listening to their teacher's lecture on the human body, when Laura ignoring her cousin's pleas to stay silent, stood up at her desk.
"That is not correct. The human body contains an average of six quarters or 5.6 liters of blood, not seven. Your data is flawed."
"Anymore trivia about the human body you'd like to share with the class, Ms. Kinney?" the teacher asked sarcastically, but Laura didn't seem to catch it.
"There are twenty-six ways to kill a person without leaving signs of an attack, nine of which involve suffocation or the use of gas" she continued, missing Megan's attempts to get her to stop. "When using poisons, it's important to use chemicals that are already found in the body…"
And of course the Kinney girls once again found themselves in the principal's office. And she didn't appreciate having the two of them sent to her twice in less than four hours of class.
"Suspended" Megan cried in distress, as they left the building. "I've never been suspended before. I can't believe you did that. Why did you do that?"
"The principal asked if I was listening" Laura replied.
"Yeah, but you weren't supposed to yell it all back to her" Megan sighed. "Mom is going to kill me."
"What kind of training does your mother have?" Megan just chose to ignore that one and continued on her tirade.
"I wish we could just run away."
"Run away to where?" Laura asked.
"Anywhere!"
For a moment Laura considered bringing Megan to the nearest zeta tube, but she had no doubt that Batman had security against unauthorized users. But as they passed the parking lot an idea came to mind.
"What's with the smirk?" Megan asked, not liking the mischievous look on her cousin's face. But Laura didn't look at her, instead she focused on a red convertible. A matching smirk spread across Megan's face as she read the parking space belonged to the principal.
That's when Megan learned Laura knew not only how to hotwire a car but also how to drive one.
What followed was a day of fun for the Kinney girls.
They visited the San Francisco Museum of Fine Arts, where Megan showed her cousin the works of her favorite artists. Caught a movie at the local theater where they saw the latest horror movie, but Laura seemed to enjoy it more than Megan.
Megan's next choice brought them to the pet shelter where they discovered Laura was pretty good with animals though had a bit of a soft spot for cats, letting the small kittens climb all over her. Afterwards Megan brought them to underground concert, during which Laura got to experience crowd surfing.
Their night came to an end with the girls returning to the pier to wait for sunrise.
"So what happened to Aunt Sarah?" Megan asked, wondering about Laura's mother's absence.
"She's dead" Laura said sorrowfully. "They made me kill her."
"H-how?"
"They made a chemical…a scent…when I smell it, everything goes dark. When I wake up, everyone's dead."
Despite her efforts to control her emotions, the pain was thick in Laura's voice, prompting Megan to pull her in for a hug.
"I'm so sorry, Laura."
"Me too."
*San Francisco: August 30, 06:30*
"Where the hell have you two been!" Deborah yelled, once Laura and Megan walked through the door. "I've been calling everywhere, worried sick! Desmond is still out there looking for you! I thought you were dead!"
Megan walked forward and wrapped her arms around her mother, assuring her that she was home safe.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything mom."
"I thought I lost you" her mother said tearfully.
"I know. I'm sorry, but things are going to be better now. I promise."
As she watched Megan and Deborah reconcile, Laura couldn't help but wonder if this was how things would've been if Sarah was still alive. Despite everything it was obvious that Deborah's love for her daughter never wavered; would it have been the same between her and Sarah? Laura wanted to think so.
Still as she stood there with Megan and Deborah, Laura thought that just maybe everything would be better.
*San Francisco: September 2, 19:00*
Laura was having a great time staying with her aunt and cousin. Though Deborah was sad to hear about her sister's passing, she had welcomed Laura with open arms and had more than once not so subtly hinted wanting her to move in permanently with them. While Megan didn't even bother being subtle and just came out and offered. Even Desmond despite his initial displeasure had supporting her moving in, stating her positive influence on Megan as the reason.
It was a tempting offer that Laura was giving real consideration to but the adults realized she needed time to think about, while Megan simply tried to convince her to hurry up and accept.
"Come on, Laura" said Megan, as they left the pier. Laura just shook her head in amusement. Megan was about to continue when her cellphone started to ring. "Hey Desmond, how's mom feeling?"
"A little better I'm making her some tea now" said Desmond, over the phone. "Before you come home, I need you to drop by the drugstore and pick up some medicine for your mom."
"Sure, we'll be home in like twenty." Ending the call, Megan explained to Laura about their detour. "Hey do you have any money?" she asked her.
"Yes" said Laura. "I have one hundred forty-seven thousand dollars."
Megan's eyes practically popped out of her head in shock.
"Seriously?" she asked.
"Yes. My mother had it prepared." That it was obviously meant to help them disappear went unsaid.
"Can I borrow twenty bucks?" Megan pressed on, not wanting Laura to have time to dwell on her grief.
"Yes, but we'll have to go to your house first. I don't have it with me."
With no other choice the girls returned to the house. Megan rushed through the front door, accidently knocking into Desmond who was coming down stairs, causing him to spill a pot of tea all over himself.
"Oh god, oh god" Desmond panicked.
"Desmond, I'm so sorry" said Megan, trying and failing to cover her laughter. "Here, let me help you up."
Megan grabbed hold of Desmond's wet sleeve, attempting to help him to his feet when he said something that chilled her to the bone.
"Where is X-23?"
"W-what?" Megan stuttered, wanting to believe she misheard him.
But there was obvious fear in Desmond's eyes as he cried out "Where is X-23?! Oh god!"
Megan looked over her shoulder to just what had Desmond so afraid, only find Laura standing over them with her claws released, and her eyes glowing red with a murderous expression.
"Laura?" Megan called, but her cousin didn't respond.
Pushing Megan out of the way, Desmond took off running "Kimura! ABORT THE MISSION! I NEED EVAC NOW!"
He didn't get very far before Laura leapt over Megan and pounced onto Desmond's back. Poor Megan tried to call out to Laura but in the end she could only watch as her cousin clawed through Desmond's back.
Suddenly a light bulb came on in her mind as she put together all of the pieces. Laura had told her about the Facility creating a chemical that caused her to black out and subconsciously kill anyone marked by it. Desmond had called Laura by her designation 'X-23' and had spilled tea all over himself.
The very same tea that would now be on her hands and that he had made for…
"Mom!" Megan cried, running upstairs while Laura was still preoccupied slaughtering the treacherous Desmond.
Hearing her boyfriend and daughter's screams, Deborah ran out into the hallway to meet her.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Did you drink the tea?!" Megan panicked, getting only a confused look from her mother. "Did you drink it?!" she stressed.
"No, I spilled it when I heard you screaming?" said Deborah. "What's wrong?"
Desmond's screams came to an end and Megan knew she didn't have time to explain. So she grabbed her mother and dragged her into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind them. But that would only by them only seconds as Laura's claws broke through the door, just barely missing Megan's head.
"Megan, what's happening?!" Deborah screamed.
Megan looked around for anything that could save them, as Laura in her maddened state continued to tear the door to pieces. That's when she remembered that the chemical was a trigger scent. Pushing her mother into the tub, Megan turned on the shower on its highest setting, just as Laura broke through the door.
Mother and daughter desperately held each other, screaming in terror as Laura struck only to stop just at the last moment; her eyes returning to their normal green as the trigger scent washed off Megan and Deborah.
As her mind cleared, Laura immediately picked up on a familiar scent.
"She's hear" she said softly, sounding afraid. "They're coming for us."
With the danger far from over; Laura, Megan, and Deborah rushed downstairs, where they found Desmond's torn remains, throwing Deborah into a panic.
"Mom, I'm sorry you've got to calm down" said Megan, trying to restrain her mother as she fought to see her dead boyfriend's body. "Laura, help me!"
Of course Megan wasn't expecting her cousin's idea of help to be knockout punch to the jaw.
"What did you do that for?!"
"They're coming to kill you, Megan!" said Laura, not even bothering to hide her fear. "Now help me get Debbie to the basement."
Megan and Laura carried the unconscious Deborah down to the basement just as smoke bombs started crashing in through the windows.
"There's no way out down here" said Megan, not following her cousin's plan.
Pushing Megan and Deborah against the wall, Laura jumped up and sliced through a water pipe, letting the freezing water wash over them.
"Stay down here, no matter what" said Laura. "Don't make a sound."
"C-c-can't y-you c-call y-your t-team?" Megan asked, her teeth chattering from the cold.
"No, they would've jammed communications by now. Just stay here and you'll be safe."
Equipped with thermal vision goggles, Facility agents spread out around the house searching for their targets.
"Infrared is picking up heat signatures in the basement" one of the agent's radioed, his goggles picking up on Megan and Deborah. "Body temp's too low to be human. Subjects are not…"
The agent fell silent as Laura snuck up behind him, stabbing her claws through his neck killing him instantly.
The Facility had come there to capture her and Megan and Deborah were just innocents caught in the middle, Laura wasn't about to let that pass. This had nothing to do with the Team or the Justice League. She was going to protect them with everything she had even if it meant having to kill again.
The sudden radio silence alerted the other agents to Laura's presence bringing them all running.
"Kimura, we are engaging X-23" the agents radioed, as they opened fire on Laura.
"Good luck with that" a woman's voice replied, a hint of amusement in her voice.
To no surprise the ordinary soldiers stood no chance against Laura as the bullets did little more than slow her down before her claws tore them to shreds. They didn't even have time to scream before Laura stood triumphantly over their corpses. Still she couldn't relax just yet as the real threat hadn't revealed herself yet.
Laura's senses were all on high alert yet it didn't make a difference. She had only just caught their scent, before Laura felt her neck snap, causing her body to go limp. Standing over her in a dark grey body suit, with a crossbow strapped to her back, was a dark haired woman with a twisted sadistic grin on her face
"Hi, X" she taunted. "Did you miss me?"
"Who exactly is Kimura?" Black Canary interrupted. "She has to be skilled to have snuck up on you."
"Kimura was my handler" said Laura. "The Facility designed her to specifically counter me. Her skin is completely impenetrable. Not even my claws can cut her."
"You said they 'designed' her?"
"Yes the Facility gave her the ability. Kimura was to punish me should I fail a mission or disobey an order."
It went unsaid that Kimura's idea of punishment was to savagely beat Laura to the point she would've died if not for her healing factor. Worst of all it didn't even matter if she hadn't done anything. Kimura would find any excuse to beat Laura.
Ice cold terror struck Laura's heart as once again she found herself a being a plaything for Kimura's sadistic urges, unable to defend herself as the woman kicked her heard enough to crack her ribs.
"When are you going to learn, X?" said Kimura, feigning disappointment. "First Tanaka(sensei), then Sarah; how many people do we have to kill before you understand that you're a weapon not a person."
Handcuffing herself to Laura, Kimura dragged her across the floor and down into the basement, taking care to knock her head on every step, until they found the terrified Megan.
"Hello, Megan" Kimura grinned, pointing her crossbow at the girl's head. "Bye, Megan."
Regaining movement, Laura managed to shift herself just enough to throw off Kimura's aim leaving the arrow to imbed itself in the wall just inches from Megan's head.
"Not bad, X" Kimura complimented. "But now I have to kill Megan with my bare hands."
Not about to let that happen, Laura swiped her claws at the handcuff chin, only to not even make a scratch.
"The cuffs are adamantium. You're not getting away this time."
Laura was getting desperate; she wasn't sure what else she could possibly do. Kimura was the one person in the world that actually frightened her. But as she focused on the terrified look in Megan's eyes, something changed in her.
"Kimura" she spoke up, catching the woman's attention.
"What?" Kimura asked, expecting to hear desperate pleas.
Instead she felt Laura use the handcuff chain to pull her forward into her knee. Pressing her attack, Laura tackled Kimura up against the side of the basement stairs – hard enough to break a piece of the railing – and let loose with a volley of punches, not stopping even as her knuckles bled from the impact, while Kimura didn't even so much as bruise, still she carried on hoping to do at least some significant damage.
But the situation shifted once more as Kimura regained her balance, and caught Laura's fist.
"Striking your handler is against the rules" Kimura smirked. "Time for your punishment!"
Kimura swung her head forward breaking Laura's nose with a head-butt, causing her to stumble back. Picking up the broken piece of the railing, Kimura started to savagely beat Laura over the head, as she continued to taunt her with each blow. "You. Cant. Beat. Me."
"Stop it!" Megan cried. "You're killing her!"
"Oh Megan" said Kimura, in a mockingly sympathetic tone. "I'm not killing her. I'm killing you. X just has to watch."
Throwing the piece railing aside, Kimura cornered Megan up against the wall, while keeping Laura pinned under her boot.
"How do you want me to kill her, X?" she asked, a wide grin on her face. "Should I put my finger through her brain, or through her heart?"
"Kimura, please" Laura begged. "I'll come back to the Facility. I'll do anything you say. Just please don't kill her."
"Oh, sweetie" said Kimura, sounding like a concerned parent. "Of course you are. But your little friend is still going to die. Now the only choice you have is brain or heart. But if you won't choose how Megan dies…" Kimura starts to press her pointer finger against Megan's chest, drawing agonizing screams from the girl, as she slow started to crush her bones. "I will. Of course you could stop her suffering. You could kill her, X. It'd be merciful compared to this."
Tears swelled in Laura's eyes as she watched Kimura slowly torture Megan to death. Grinning in satisfaction, Kimura stepped back from Megan, as she heard release her claws. But instead of striking Megan, Laura severed her own hand, freeing herself.
"Cleaver girl" Kimura grinned, moving to attack the still defiant Laura. But to her shock she couldn't move, looking down at her wrist, she saw that while she was distracted by Laura, Megan had handcuffed her to a pipe. "You little bitch!"
"You ok?" Megan asked, rushing to Laura's side.
"Wake your mom" said Laura, using her healing factor to reattach her hand. "We're leaving."
"This isn't over!" Kimura raged, as Laura and Megan helped Deborah up the stairs. "There's nowhere you can run! I'll kill everyone you love! I'll kill Megan! I kill Deborah! I'll even kill that little team of yours! I'll kill them all! Do you hear me?!"
"Yes" Laura replied.
Moments later the entire house went up from a gas explosion.
* US/Canadian Border: September 4, 09:00*
As if reflecting their moods rain poured down on the three Kinney women, as they waited in a field not far from the border into Canada.
"I need to show you something Laura" said Deborah, pulling out a photo of Laura sitting sadly in her cell at the Facility. "When Sarah brought Megan home…after you saved her from the man that took her, she gave me this picture."
Megan was tempted to ask her mother why she didn't just admit that she knew about her abduction, but in the end was more interested in learning more about what her late aunt had said.
"She told me your name was Laura and that she needed to get you away from where you were living." Deborah continued. "I thought she was just in a bad relationship. I never imagined…I mean, how could I?"
Laura didn't interrupt though she squirmed uncomfortably, thinking for a moment that Deborah blamed her for Sarah's death and for uprooting their lives.
"What I'm trying to say is the day she told me about you, I saw a side of my sister that I thought our father stole from her. For so long Sarah couldn't love anyone, especially herself. But you changed that Laura." Deborah said tearfully. "She truly loved you and that took away the pain my father caused her."
So stunned by her aunt's words, Laura could only stand there as Deborah wrapped her arms around her.
"You saved your mother. You saved Megan. And You've saved me too. You've saved us all, Laura" Deborah cried. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Laura said quietly, returning the hug, before handing Deborah her duffle bag. "Inside you'll find money and passports. Keep moving for the first month and alternate your cover story as you move. You have everything you need to get you the rest of the way."
"What do you mean 'you?' You mean us right?" asked Megan. "Laura?"
"I can't go with you" said Laura.
"What why?"
Unlike her daughter, Deborah understood Laura's reasons.
"We love you, Laura" she said tearfully. "We'll miss you every day."
"What're you doing?!" Megan demanded. "You have to come with us! Forget the League and those Facility psychos. We can just go and…"
"I can't!" Laura screamed. "The Facility will never let me. Kimura will never let me go. The League doesn't have the resources to protect you 24/7, without me you'll have a chance."
"But how, how will you find us?" Laura didn't respond. "I said 'how will you find us?!'"
"Goodbye, Megan" Laura said sorrowfully, turning away, only for Megan to catch her arm.
"I was going to give you this when we got settled" Megan placed a locket in Laura's hand. "It has a picture of your mom. I put my picture in it t…"
"Thank you" said Laura, cutting her off and surprising Megan as she initiated a hug for once.
"I want you to promise me something, Laura."
*Mount Justice: September 4, 22:00*
"I left them after that" said Laura, gripping her locket for support.
Black Canary knew the rest. The League had investigated the remains of the house there was no sign of Kimura. They could only assume she was still out there. The Facility had also taken the bodies of the soldiers, Laura had killed placing Canary in a difficult position. Batman had no way to prove Laura had killed those men and even though it would most likely be ruled self-defense, the Dark Knight might not hesitate to bring up the girl's past killings and have her locked away somewhere.
"What did you promise Megan?" Black Canary asked gently, deciding to keep what Laura had done in the defense of her family a secret from the rest of the League.
"That I would stop."
Canary's eyes widened for a moment before being replaced by a kind smile.
"She noticed you've been cutting yourself?"
"I believe she like you suspected" said Laura. "I don't know when or how she noticed. But I…I want to keep my promise."
"And I'll help you" said Canary.
(1)
"Protocols for international information gathering: when dealing with local police and other authorities, bribes should be effective. If the information cannot be obtained through bribery, resort to torture. Keep in mind that on-duty officers must be able to report in or their disappearance will raise alarms, endangering the mission.
Bribes are too costly for higher ranking officials; the first course of action should be torture. If not successful, proceed to the abduction and/or execution of family members, always beginning with female relatives."