Disclaimer: I do not own the Titans, or the Justice League...but my imagination compensates for the horrific mental loss attributed to realising this... *Reow!* XD
Part 2 of my disturbing Titan Story, and yet, it remains to be seen what will happen next...
Enjoy, if you can...
PART II
"Flash, Nightwing, we haven't got a lot of time. The rest of the League is waiting in a cloaked Javelin just outside the Palace walls, Batman's jamming the shield frequency and detection systems for now, but it won't last long."
Superman swooped forwards in a rush of air, a mighty 'Ka-woosh', as certain drunken vigilante might say…when he noticed how they tensed at his approached, though swaying unsteadily on their feet. He paused to assess the situation, "You're drunk. I have to admit, I didn't see that coming…luckily for you, Batman did. Damn he's going to be smug…"
Brandishing two small tubes, the Man of Steel produced a tiny gun-like apparatus, "Now hold still, this might sting a bit but you'll thank me for it in a minute. Wait, no-…" he sighed and pressed a hand to his eyes, then shot off at high speeds to catch the speedster before he managed to make an impressive-looking wall mural. His outstretched hand snatched at the speedster's arm, wrapping firmly around the bicep and pulling them both to a standstill cautiously, so as not to hurt the other with any residual inertia; then turning and flying them both back to the balcony.
...where they were seemingly missing an acrobatic former-Boy Wonder.
Superman dumped the drunken Flash on the bench, swiftly jabbing the gun to his bare neck and whirling about to x-ray the surrounding area, listening hard for-… There. Impossible to find normally, it seemed that when inebriated, Nightwing's breathing and heartbeat were erratic and harsher than usual…
He pounced, snatching the younger man from the shadows and tossing him carefully to land besides the sprawled but apparently still alive, Flash. With a click, the second tube was in place and the gun to Nightwing's exposed throat, leaving no chance or time for the vigilante to protest; green liquid hissed and disappeared. Nightwing slumped against the bench, shuddering slightly; Flash sat bolt upright with a harsh jolt, eyes wide and gasping, hand over his suddenly racing heart. "What the hell was in that thing you gave me?" he asked incredulously, then, suddenly recognising the face, screamed, "Supes! I knew you would come!" and threw arms about him.
Well, Flash had always been a tactile person…
"Gah! How did you know which compounds would counteract the Tamaranian wine?" Nightwing asked, sitting up with slightly less of a show than Wally had put on, but the words made no sense to Superman, who just blinked in surprise. Maybe the compounds had been incorrect, damaged the speech center of the brain…? Flash dashed over and prodded the other hero, "Dude, English. Supes doesn't speak Tamaranian as far as I know…and yes, before you ask, you were still speaking it."
"Why are you here?" came the question to which the answer should be blatantly obvious, in a chilling tone that would freeze even the cruellest and maddened of villains in their tracks. He frowned; this was new… he had not expected to encounter resistance to the rescue.
"To rescue you, bring you home…we can go back to Earth now. Come on, we have two more minutes before the others launch the Javelin and come looking for us." He extended a hand in a friendly manner, wondering if it would just be better to grab them both and drag them off without their specific consent…but quashed the idea, that was more a Batman plan. Superman would must rather full co-operation and free-will be involved…
That ideal may have to go out the window in this case, he revised as he surveyed the two former heroes… A primal light seemed to flare from one pair of blue eyes to the deep green ones beside them, the pair standing and backing away like they saw him as a threat for some reason.
"No." Nightwing clearly informed him of their intentions. Rationality had flown out the window now complete and utter sobriety had returned, had he not spent half the trip across the broad but beautiful surface of Tamaran, to the Palace, -in a cloaked spaceship, no less- listening to their angst-filled conversations of longing to be rescued?
"No?" he questioned casually, trying to sound nonchalant as he moved closer nearly imperceptibly; Flash tensed to run, crouching in a low stance so as to garner the greatest amount of force from the small space if he had to charge the larger, more powerful male. Whereas Nightwing flittered in and out of shadow, body seemingly relaxed and yet, a ripple of muscle here, or the sudden movement there, belied the fake calm as he casually fell into a fighting stance.
"I don't want to hurt you." He said it as a peace offering in the midst of such a confrontation, watching them, as they continued to circle about like predators taking down a much bigger threat… Suddenly, without provocation, Flash leapt forwards, collecting speed and a great deal of kinetic energy in the process, slamming directly into the S-shield on his chest with enough strength to throw him tumbling off the balcony. It took little effort to right himself and shoot back, grabbing the speedster and slamming him against the thick, sturdy bench; oh, not malevolently, of course… just enough to render him unconscious and remove the threat he possessed for the moment.
Carefully, gently, the limp speedster's body was laid on the ground; silence reigned and an uneasy tension built in the still air of deep night…that is, until a certain former Boy Wonder slammed into him from the side. The pure surprise caught him completely off guard and smacked him into a wall; alright, that did it, even if they weren't in their right mindset, he was going to have to take off the kid gloves and give them a firm spanking.
Something crackled in his ear, "Kzzsht. Superman, you only have twenty-seven seconds, the jamming frequency has been discovered, the Gordanians are already re-routing their systems to bypass ours, do you have them? Repeat, do you have them? Ksssht." His hand went to the JLA commlink in his ear and hesitated for a second before replying, "Affirmative, nearly done. Slight complication…they don't want to come with us…Flash is down, Batman. Apprehending Nightwing as we speak, be there in ten, over and out."
Sensing something was wrong, Superman whirled about in an impressive flair of cape and caught sight of Nightwing's hand going to his own throat, snatching something away in a sharp movement; shrill sirens flared to life through the palace, causing even the great Superman to panic slightly. Moving faster than a human's eye could see, the Kryptonian snapped out a hand and grasped the younger human about the throat, clenching off the much-needed air supply. Any other mortal would have, at the least, been intimidated by such an act…terrified of him, but not the mortal he was currently choking; no, Richard's half-closed eyes flashed at him, a small smirk ghosted the lips like an unspoken challenge.
Gritting his teeth, he clenched just the tiniest fraction harder and was rewarded when, with a small involuntary gasp, the younger hero's ice blue eyes rolled back under the lids and his body sagged. Superman hefted Flash over a shoulder one handed, turning just in time to see a small, flashing amulet stray from the nerveless grasp of Nightwing's hand… He took off with all speed just before the Gordanians burst onto the balcony…their exulted 'Supreme Commander' frantically leading the charge.
As he cleared the walls of the Palace and descended for the hidden Javelin, he spared no remorse for the dark-clad Tamaranian left behind him on the balcony, pacing like an angered but impotent lion in a cage. Superman flew through the open cargo bay doors of the rising ship, readying itself for flight as he touched down and passed one unconscious form to his worried-but-he'd-never-admit-it father…
The Javelin, under Hawkgirl's guidance, took off and sped into space…until Tamaran was just a tiny speck of light many light years distant…
Blackfire screaming her rage and anguish behind them.
~)0(~
"It was unnecessary! You know that, I know that, the entire League is aware of it! Why didn't you just grab them in the duration between when the compound was injected, to when they re-awoke? Much simpler and less physically damaging to their bodies, Flash isn't even healing properly right now, J'onn thinks it's a side effect of Tamaran's atmosphere or possibly what they were drinking before you found them. Something doesn't add up here…" a furious Bat-tirade was quite intimidating to the common criminal, and indeed, even the great Lex Luthor was known to have wet his immaculate black pants on occasion when the Bat had singled him out for some…friendly warning (twice!) , but Superman himself wasn't worried.
Well, not that he would say it aloud…he did want to live after all…actually, come to think of it, he was rather scared. Laugh nervously, back away slowly and wet your spandex scared…
He kept watching at the almost unconscious way Batman's hand reached down to touch at the pouch containing a sliver of Kryptonite, a subtle threat of the Dark Knight's intentions. To be fair, he had just technically strangled the man's long-lost son, estranged or otherwise.
And whilst he may not win a Father of the Year award for his burgeoning relationship with Conner, also known as Superboy, if anything happened to him…there would be hell to pay. So, there was an element of understanding that his potential-death may have a parental purpose other than plain revenge for touching one of the Bat's 'Birds'…
Turning swiftly, Batman stalked from the room and into the Javelin's medical bay; upon two stretchers were laid out, Wally and Dick, side by side. One with bruising to one side of his face where it had had an impromptu meeting with a slab of marble-esque stone, the other's throat was a mottled variety of bruises that gave testament to exactly how much force had been applied.
"He will be fine, Batman. Although I do not agree with Superman's methods, their resistance was not something we had a contingency plan in place for…improvisation… was required." Soothed the telepath, Martian Manhunter; instinctively sensing the desire in the Dark Knight to beat the living tar out of the man behind him. Using Kryptonite or otherwise…
A rapping at the door turned all attention in that direction, "Hey, how's the kid? I- whoa, did I come at a bad time?" questioned Green Lantern John Stewart, stepping back a pace as the Bat-Glare was thrown in his direction…
Superman spoke the reassuring word "No." at the exact same moment Batman responded with a gruff "Yes.", leaving a very confused Lantern hesitantly standing in the doorway…but J'onn motioned him in with a hand. "Flash is recovering, though the planet's atmosphere or the food available may have adversely altered his ability to heal himself at an accelerated rate for the time being. Please inform Shayera of my prognosis, as she is quite concerned over Wallace's health, but has decided to take her frustrations out on the navigation console."
The fluorescent green eyes widened, glanced to the still form of Wally in his unusual Tamaranian outfit of Scarlet red, as if to reassure himself this wasn't some elaborate trick of the light, and that Wally was really here…after all this time. Then turned away in a great hurry as the ship began to rock under fire from an Nth-Metal Mace and an exceptionally emotionally-confused Thanagarian...
Shortly after, the pounding thuds diminished to a faint whack every so often…and then, ceased completely. There were several long minutes of silence in which the air grew thick with tension…
"Hawkgirl should be here momentarily, Diana also…" J'onn informed the two men glaring at one another from opposite ends of the room, a small smile of approval graced his alien features as the Martian saw how Batman had surreptitiously moved closer to stand by Nightwing's bedside. One darkly gloved hand unobtrusively holding onto the unconscious younger male's wrist, seeming as if to feel for the pulse to reassure himself of the other's continued existence as part of the non-dead, or non-zombie population.
J'onn caught himself on that last thought and minutely shook his head…he had been spending far too much time around Flash…and he looked forwards to doing so again, after they had been properly cleared for returning to Earth life. He turned back to the medical readouts scrolling across the large screen and sighed.
~)0(~
Bolting upright, gasping and/or groaning were all stereotypical and, to be honest, rather clichéd ways in which to awaken after a lapse of unconsciousness to which you barely remembered entering, at least…voluntarily. It didn't feel like he'd gone to sleep…and the ache on the side of his face bespoke of, at the very least, some form of concussion and a mass of impressive-looking bruises.
At the sound of voices, he froze and told himself to think like Dick… knowing the other would feign unconsciousness and listen to their captors for information on who, why and where in order to pinpoint their location. So he did…though, the voices seemed vaguely familiar…maybe he had temporary amnesia or something, because he couldn't for the life of him remember what had happened before waking up here…
Slitting one eye, he rolled the green orb to the right and was rewarded with a side-view of a still-sleeping Nightwing, still in his Tamaranian consort outfit of night blue; and, wiggling so minutely no one would notice, from the feel of it…he was also still dressed in his favourite outfit for the moment. So…whoever it was hadn't changed their clothing…obviously not Brother Blood or any of H'k'tal…damn those jelly aliens had a thing about making humanoids into their own personal Barbie dolls. Hang on, he mentally smacked himself, Ken doll…sounded way more masculine.
…Even if some of the outfits they had been forced to wear…well, weren't…
Kormand'r had actually lead the campaign against them herself, about four years ago, when the two of them had been taken by those strange creatures…even though she had been carrying little Kora'h at the time…
An intergalactic war just to rescue them…like being Helen of Troy, wasn't it? Made you feel a little special too; Kormand'r always liked to-… his heart sank. Oh X'hal, Kormand'r! Had they hurt her? Was she here? Did they know she was-…?
His mind blanked as his eye snapped shut, relaxing all his muscles to fool the person or creature that now cast a shadow over his face this very instant…so very close. Yet, he didn't sense danger…whyever not? Straining, Wally listened into the conversation being held overhead.
"…John's piloting right now, but he said if anything happens and we don't tell him immediately, the only warning we'll get of our deaths will be a brilliant green flash…then, nothing." Laughed someone close to his left ankle, their body-heat was so close it radiated…and, hang on…was that-… It was. A feather seemed to be brushing lazily up and down a specific spot on his leg as they, a female voice, laughed; again, familiar…but alien.
Another thought occurred, why on Tamaran would anyone be tickling a –supposedly- unconscious man with a feather duster?
He focused again as the laughter died away. "You may be interested to know he is aware...and listening to us this very moment, though he does not remember what has occurred…" said a deep, hypnotic voice with some concern. Someone sucked in a breath sharply, the figure by his head moved closer and placed a soft hand to his bare shoulder, it felt soft…like a female's, but slightly harsh, calloused as if from wielding weapons or doing physical tasks.
"Look, I don't want to say the tacky line, 'Where am I?", so I will ask this once and once only… Did anyone get the name of the Kryptonian that hit me?" he said, smiling and opening his green eyes; startling Wonder Woman, who held his shoulder comfortingly.
Even more startling was when a very familiar voice replied with, "If his name begins with 'Kal' and ends with 'El', I am going to force feed him Kryptonite…" Prompting Batman to whirl about in a flutter of dark cape…and Superman to start edging towards the door as Dick sat up, glaring at the Kryptonian. "You remember…?" Superman asked incredulously of Nightwing, who raised an eyebrow and shot the best imitation of the Bat-Glare to date, "How do you forget when someone bursts into your home and attacks you? Not to mention trying to strangle me…"
His blue eyes slid towards Batman, "Hey dad, can I borrow the lump of glowing green rock in the 'Cave for a little while…?"
Superman went white as a sheet, as Batman answered simply, "Of course."
~)0(~
And there it was, the cheesy film moment when all memory floods back as if someone had flipped a light-switch on in his brain…you could practically see the bulb floating over his head and glowing hotly. He was upright and pointing his finger in Superman's face before anyone could blink, "YOU!" he growled.
Taken aback, Superman stepped backwards with wide blue eyes; nearly crossed over one another to stare at the finger in his face. "I- wha- Wally, you have to understand, we would have come sooner if we could, it's just…we couldn't get here and-…there was this invasion and-…well, you see, it's like this-…" the man spat out. This seemed to incense the redhead even further, seeing as he threw both hands into the air with a martyred, exasperated expression on his face.
"You just don't get it, do you? Sure, you may have heard us bitching and moaning about wanting to be rescued, but hell, we dropped all pretence of thinking it was going to happen years ago. Besides, Kormand'r-…you know what, if you don't know, I'm not telling you!" Wally said, clenching his hands into fists and sped across the room to have the standing Dick at his back.
~)0(~
Batman's hand unobtrusively touched Nightwing's shoulder in a manner that expressed more than words ever would…then slid away before any of the others could see or understand the gesture.
The Dark Knight understood, and did not judge, but his misgivings were clear in the way he tensed…after all, it had taken so many years of patient threatening to get the League to finally venture out into the galaxy and bring his son home. Now, he stood to lose him again.
The younger man's hand slid behind his back to grab his father's wrist. The grip was tight, but not painful; it meant more than words could ever say…but as it slackened, it didn't take a genius to read the hidden meaning… Forgive me.
Then the hand was gone, and Batman imperceptibly tensed even further.
~)0(~
Being the most experienced diplomat in the room, Diana stepped forwards, one hand extended open-palmed and the other resting lightly on her breastplate to denote she meant no threat…body language, she had found, was a deeply-rooted ideal in negotiation. Even the slightest involuntary twitch can cause doubt in the other party's minds…and right now, it would pay not to antagonise their confused companions any further…
"Wally, Richard, we understand this is hard for you, but please, let us explain. You see, shortly after you were captured, your destroyed Javelin crashed into another -as yet unknown- planet… Months of tracking the vague co-ordinates, sent out by the automated distress beacon, yielded the final destination and crash-site. By then, there was little hope for your survival in most of the extended League's eyes…but some held to hope, the Titans especially…" she said, though her eyes slid to look at Batman and Shayera in a very significant gesture.
Hawkgirl slammed a mace into her hand and cut in with, "Damn right I didn't give up on you, John either…we knew you were still out there. Too damn clever not to be alive, and considering you were with one of the Bat-clan, well…that pretty much tripled your chance of survival as far as I was concerned." Her hooded eyes flickered gratefully to Nightwing and then back to Flash. Who, despite his earlier anger, and that which still simmered under his neutral façade, smiled back in genuine warmth; he'd always felt close to Shayera and John, even if he had flirted unsuccessfully with them both on many occasions…
Wonder Woman steered the conversation back to its original topic smoothly, "Even after the Javelin was recovered, and it was discovered you were not deceased, it took many more months to piece all the evidence together and even begin to track the alien DNA found all over the ship alongside your own. It…was not an easy task. Even the advanced scanners aboard the Watchtower, were completely baffled…that is, until Starfire was injured on an emergency League mission. The Titans took on your roles as JLA members during your extended…absence; and in this one instance, it was a blessing.
Starfire's DNA triggered an alert in the Watchtower database, not only identifying your captor's race as Tamaranian, but also identifying them by nearly identical genetic code to her own. It had to be Blackfire… Sadly, it took a full eighteen months to garner this knowledge…for this, we apologise, but there is worse yet to be heard. For after we discovered this, the Titans took off for Tamaran and returned in a battered old ship, half-alive and weakened by battle, riddled with tales of horror and excruciating guilt. They could not understand how she had driven them back so easily, but would not risk your lives in a greater confrontation… We treated them here, well…their physical wounds…I do believe they still blame themselves for their failure; especially Koriand'r and Donna…
For a year afterwards, we could not even begin to fathom a way to attack the Homeworld, as Blackfire's troops had spread outwards from Tamaran in waves; conquering worlds in all directions and expanding her iron-clad grip of control over the galaxy, one planet at a time. Civilisations fell, worlds reduced to slavery…and yet, here lies a puzzle we could not understand, she was quite ruthless at removing the threats of military and opposing rulers, and yet…never once did she take an unnecessary life in her campaigns.
Where children and women were once slaughtered for her amusement, they were now herded away and secreted, well-fed and protected. Do we have either of you to thank for this, or is her dark nature simply changing from lengthy exposure to you two infectious creatures? We never understood it until now…still, something has changed in her…and we believe it is for the better.
Blackfire's fleet took over many galaxies, many quadrants, the Gordanians under her control were bloodthirsty and cruel, but never deviated from her orders to herd the women and children away to safety before enslaving the non-militant men. It made any attempt to venture beyond our own solar system very risky, not to mention going to the aid of anyone in the neighbouring systems… We simply could not come for you; I hope you can understand our reasoning." Diana finished with an almost pleading look at the pair.
"Why now?" the words rent the apologetic air like lightning, snapping all eyes to the speaker, who was lounging back against the bio-bed with a strange look to his eyes; almost…quizzical, but dark, something approaching anger and yet not, hovered in their cerulean depths.
Wonder Woman's mouth gaped open, unsure what to say…how to respond. Hawkgirl, uncharacteristically, looked away and denied the confrontation of the tone; the Batman was frighteningly quiet, and J'onn seemed to frown deeply, mouth clenching slightly, but not replying. And so, the onus fell to Superman, who shuffled his feet a moment as if to stall and collect his thoughts…
"You have to understand how dangerous it was here, we had been fighting the Gordanian fleets nearly every day for four years, their attacks had begun two years after you had gone missing… Giving all due respect to your situation, we…we decided we simply could not risk it for…just…two heroes…" he trailed off, the Man of Steel looked away.
"And yet, you still managed to magically evade the entire Gordanian fleet that is apparently all over the known universe, cloak the ship and land on Tamaran, for the sake of those two insignificant heroes. All without any other confrontation than the little altercation you had with us, when you dragged us from our home, is that correct or did I miss something?" the tone was so acidic it was a wonder the people it was directed at didn't start melting; taken aback, those in the room stared in surprise.
"I- yes, you could say that," Superman agreed. J'onn frowned, "That is twice either of you has mentioned the word 'Home' when you have spoken of Tamaran, and I sense an aching loss in you both that I initially associated with a longing for Earth. It seems I was mistaken…yet, I do believe this association was not of your own making… Humans refer to this type of attachment as, 'Stockholm Syndrome', I believe?"
Nightwing's knuckles cracked in the flaring anger that seemed to pass between him and Flash, there was something in the way the redhead glanced back at the dark-haired male, something the others could not understand. This time, it was Wally who spoke, "How can you say that? Did you even stop to ask how we felt about this 'rescue'? Stockholm my ass, did you even bother to check if we had-…"
"Had what, exactly? Family? Friends? Grow up, Wally, you and Dick were nothing more than glorified pets to Blackfire, admit it. No matter what trappings she gave you, what titles and gifts she bestowed; it was all a lie, can't you see that?" Superman yelled, angered. Hawkgirl growled, pounding her mace into a hand and twitching her wings menacingly at the way Clark was yelling.
Still, he persisted, "Go on, deny it…did she tell you she loved you? That you had best make Tamaran your home as you would never again see Earth? She isolated you both from all you knew and loved in some far-fetched scheme to destroy her sister…who loves and misses both of you, for that matter. Koriand'r nearly killed me when I was forced to tell her she could not come on this mission, would you throw away the chance to see her again, after all she has sacrificed to see you back alive?"
"That was low and you know it," snarled Wally, pressing closer to his companion, feeling suddenly outnumbered and very small in the midst of so many more powerful than himself; sure, he could run, but so could Superman, and Diana was just as fast. He wasn't great at hand-to-hand where his super-speed was stricken useless, and was frantically running over a half-dozen scenarios and vague plans that might let them survive what was coming.
"Don't try to run, you know we can catch you." Wonder Woman said coolly, logically; a voice of reason, like water in the midst of a raging fire. He sighed, "I know…" and relaxed his tense muscles, giving in to the inevitable; seeing this, Superman smiled, "It's for the best, Wally. You know that, I know that…what happened on Tamaran was nothing more than a few absent years and an unfortunate accident.
Your attachment to Blackfire was simply a necessary reaction to your imprisonment, a survival instinct if you will, Stockholm Syndrome; none of us blame you, but you need to realise it was never real. Blackfire is a ruthless tyrant, cruel and heartless, without mercy…why she spared you is still a mystery… except to maybe torture her sister, Koriand'r. It would probably be best if you both pretended the last few years…simply…never existed, we will do what we can to help you overcome these ridiculous feelings for her, but in the end, it is your decision alone."
There wasn't time to blink before Superman found himself slammed so deep into the opposite metal wall, his imprint was damn near perfect; about his throat was the trembling, no…vibrating, hand of Wally, whose green eyes flashed with hatred as he yelled, "You don't know anything about her!"
The image flickered and Wally was gone, replaced instead by a close-up view of Wonder Woman's back as she flew backwards and struck him in the chest. "Ooof, I am ashamed to say, I did not see that coming. I shall not underestimate Nightwing again. If you will excuse me…?" she smiled, righting herself. Her feminine form rocketed across the room to slam into the midnight-clad human, whose Tamaranian clothing seemed a hindrance, especially the knee-high boots of ornately carved metallic substance –not unlike that of their warrior armour.
Strong and durable, but flexible and form-fitting; although, not built for one whose very essence was as free and flexible as water, they left the wearer earthbound, so he could not escape her onslaught…
He hit the bio-bed, arching away as the metal bit harshly into his back; Superman's eyes flickered towards where Shayera seemed to be circling Wally hesitantly. The speedster also seemingly reluctant to strike at her; but the redhead turned as Dick was again struck into the bio-bed, the metal bending and twisting under the force of Diana's blow… and disappeared in a blur. As did Nightwing…
"They're loose on the ship, but they cannot have gone far…for there is simply nowhere aboard to go." J'onn observed aloud, looking to the others; Superman was glaring at Batman, "You were not exactly helpful back there, Bruce, I know he's your son but-…"
A deeper voice cut across his own, "Just… find them …and above all, Clark…? If you EVER attack my son like that again, physically or verbally, I will drown you in a vat of Kryptonite myself. Diana, it's over…" With a curt glance at the forlorn looking Amazonian Princess, he turned, and disappeared in the shadows.
Superman sighed and gestured to the others, "Come on…"
~)0(~
Tiny though the ship may be, the corridors blurred past in streams of lights and endless white walls, though they slowed as Wally brought his speed to a standstill and placed him on the floor; he arched away from the wall with a soft grunt. Normally, there would be a long, drawn-out argument about the specific manner in which he'd been carried… [Bridal style was not exactly intimidating to any villain…] but considering the damage he'd received in the last few minutes, well, that was one conversation that could hold out for another time.
"You alright?" he asked, looking the redhead over for any obvious signs of injury…you know, other than the bruises to the side of his face; which should have healed by now, come to think of it. Unexpectedly, Wally started to laugh humourlessly, "Me? You're seriously asking me if I'm alright? Dude, were you even aware that Wonder Woman pretty much tried to kick your ass into next century and partially succeeded? You really shouldn't have kicked her…any form of attack and Diana goes straight into Warrior Mode!"
Dick laughed hollowly back, "Heh, guess you're right. Right, we have to –agh-…I mean, we have to find some way to get off this ship. All the Javelins have miniature craft for emergencies and escape pods…but those things get annoying after an hour, so let's steal something a little more interesting. How do you feel about taking over the ship and heading home…?" his eyes filled with mischievous light, but the speedster was having none of it. "Hey, I heard that, you can't fool me, let me see." Wally knelt on one knee, moving closer to Dick and reaching out a hand.
He pulled back, gasping as his back made contact with the wall; cold, unyielding metal pressing harshly into the damaged skin… Those bio-beds were made of sturdy enough stuff to hold down even Diana in Warrior mode; in the split-second he paused, the other grabbed him. Gently, but firmly, Wally pulled him forwards to look down at the large, red marks across his back; gasping in surprise, the redhead stroked a finger down the largest of the marks, where the skin was mildly torn and bleeding…
"This is going to bruise like one of Kori's 'Tamaranian Burns'… -Which I will never forgive Beast Boy for teaching her -… Seriously- No, stop laughing, that's not going to help your injuries at all!- it looks bad. Hawkgirl only glanced me with her mace, probably for the best or I'd be so very dead right now…she did it deliberately, too. J'onn didn't even move, and Batman just stood there. Only Superman tried to make me Kryptonian Fried Speedster…and I know Diana tried to slam you into the next room, but that's about it if you don't count the half-hearted attempt to kill me from Shayera."
Wally laughed, lightening the mood minutely. Dick sighed, they were doomed.
…and Wally seemed to think it was hilarious; the other had the weirdest sense of humour…
If only the other could have read his mind at this exact moment, he would have burst something laughing at the irony of the thought…
"Hey, Wally, you're awake?" came a surprised, yet pleased voice. They whirled about as fast as both were capable, Wally becoming a quickly solidifying blur and Dick groaning as he turned; Green Lantern stood in the doorway, a pleasant smile on his face…which quickly fell as he saw their respective conditions. "What on Earth happened to you two? Are you okay?"
"The Justice League happened, that's what, and we're –gah- fine. C'mon Wally, let's go…who's piloting this thing right now?" he asked bluntly of the older hero. Pressing against the wall with both palms and rising with no small effort on his part; a green band trapped him millimetres from the wall. "Hang on there, kid. That looks pretty nasty, maybe you two should go back to the Infirmary…" John Stewart said, seeing the bruises in stark clarity for the first time.
"No! We can't go back there, ever…who do you think did this? Diana just about killed him in there for defending himself, Superman practically wants my head on a stick… look, we just want to go home, can't you help us?" Wally begged. The green band dissipated, replaced as the older male grabbed his shoulder and looked across the corridor at Wally, "Come on kid, you know I can't do that without a good reason…why do you want to go back there so damn badly? Do you know what we went through to rescue you…?"
"I- I know what you did, they explained it, but there's something you need to know. It's, well, it's about Blackfire…the others don't want to hear it, keep screaming, 'Stockholm syndrome' at us whenever we open our mouths, but it's like this…" Wally began, Dick opened his mouth to finish when something crimson shot past them and bored a hole into the wall to their immediate right. John threw up a luminescent green shield.
His earpiece crackled audibly, Superman's voice ringing through, "Kzzzsht, John. Lower the shield, they're not well, they need to be contained for their own good. Ksssht." Green Lantern raised a hand and pressed against the earpiece, "Oh, and I suppose you don't feel the need to explain how Nightwing and Flash ended up looking like they've lost a fight with Amazo, huh? I can see what you did with my own eyes, damnit, why shouldn't I protect them from you?"
"Ksssht. That…was unfortunate, but necessary. John, you can't protect them forever; just bring them back down here now, or I'll be forced to come over there and get them myself. Over and Out. Ksst."
There was a telling 'Ka-whoosh'…and the person just out of sight vanished, as if they had never been there. Nightwing's eyes narrowed dangerously, the other two having remained stunningly oblivious to the fourth presence…but now it was gone, a subconscious barrier broke down and relief swept through their bodies.
"Well," blinked John, "That sounded pretty final… Now tell me, what's this all about?" Wally sighed, not wanting to go through it all again; Dick slid down the wall with a hiss. "They think we're crazy, but you have to realise, after seven years, we lived there. On Tamaran. It's our home, now. We have a life there, family, titles…and- …" he faltered, "…Wally?"
The other looked grave, "I trust him, Dick."
John Stewart's eyes grew larger by the second as the story came pouring out.
~)0(~
TBC...
So, Part II...let me knnow what you think, I have half-completed Part III and it may become a 4-part story.
That is yet to be seen. Do you like where this is going?
Please REVIEW and tell me...
~*SailorSilvanesti*~