Previously…
They were all sitting on the beds. None of them were happy to be there, but at least they weren't in some dungeon. The Outlaws were not attacking them, but instead talked among themselves in whispers.
"Enough," Superboy said, "the sooner you tell us what you want, the sooner we can tell you to shove it up your-"
"Language!" laughed the Red Hood, "Sheesh, one would think the big blue would have taught you better."
"He does make a point Jason, are you going to finally going to tell us what is it that you want?" Tim asked.
"So we can tell you to shove it up the place where the sun doesn't shine," Kid Flash said crossing his arms.
"We want to help you getting a better perspective of yourselves before you start the operation of your little team," Arsenal said. "Nothing strenuous, you are just going to be placed in a fake reality and face a few things about yourselves. And you won't have to move an inch away from your beds."
"It can actually be quite fun," Starfire said with a smile as she checked on his bandages, "depending on what you get it could also be a nightmare."
"Did you really have to knock us out to do this?" Jaime asked as he rotated his shoulder. At once Starfire was at his side. They all had received minor injuries which had been tended by Starfire. None of them, unsurprisingly, had complained about her getting close to them.
"Just making you aware of your weaknesses in case you didn't know them," Arsenal said with a smirk. "It took us a while to figure out some of you, but it was all worth it."
"Why should we follow with this test of yours?" Tim asked as he rubbed his bruises.
"Don't think of it as a test, but a revelation. We went through it and believe me; it will change the way you see things," The Red Hood said with a faraway look.
"How does this work?" Superboy asked with a frown.
"Is hard to explain," Jason said before showing them a small cloth bag, "none of us is very knowledgeable on magic."
"So again, why should we follow with this?" Tim asked.
"Let me put it this way," Jason said with a sharp smile, "this will make you live your darkest and most hidden desires. You will love it, or maybe hate it depending on how soon or if you will realize is all fake. Still, you will wish it was all real. You will come to a point where you have to make a choice, the choice of being your real self. When that happens, you might be giving up your dream or decide to make it a reality; when that happens you will wake up."
"I hate to admit it, but I am curious," Kid Flash said lying back on the bed, "hit me with it."
"You are crazy," Blue said lying down too, "but I am also in."
"If any of us get hurt, I will make you pay," Superboy said lying down.
"How long will it last?" Tim asked lying down as well.
"It depends on each individual. Some last a few minutes, others hours, but rarely days," Arsenal said looking serious. He reminded them of his old self. He wondered how long Arsenal had been in that dream world.
Once they were all lying down Arsenal went to each one of them and placed some of the blue powder from the pouch on their faces. He started to feel sleepy.
"Where did you get this?" Tim asked as his vision began to blur.
"From the Sandman, of course," the Red Hood said with a chuckle. "I know his sister; Death, and said that as long as we use it for good things she would keep getting it for us as we need it."
"Leave it to you to make friends with Death itself," Superboy laughed sounding sleepy.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Jason said making them all have their eyes go wide for a moment, "you might also get glimpses of your future through it; nothing to worry about."
"Bastard," Tim said before the lights went out and they forgot they were dreaming.
(Now we continue to the chapter)
The Flight of the Blue Beetle 20
It was midday by the time he got home. His parents and sister were out and he was happy because he could actually use some time away from everyone. The night before had exhausted him; between chasing Damian through downtown and also getting things ready for their base. They all had their assignments, but the more he thought about his, the more he realized that things were going to be just as Booster had said. He wasn't sure if to be upset that he was being led like a dog on a leash, or glad he had some sort of guide.
Just as he started to doze off with a movie on TV someone rang the door. When he opened the door, he found a man in a very expensive suit carrying a briefcase. His smile was the kind that got bleached every other weekend and made him uncomfortable.
"I am here to see Mr. Reyes," the man said handing him his card "Matthew McKay; Business Lawyer."
"My dad is out," he wondered if everything was fine in the garage.
"My apologies," the man said with a strained smile, "I mean Mr. Jaime Reyes, from what I understand he is only eighteen." The way he was looking at him told him he wished he was anywhere but there. He pulled himself to his full height, which just barely went over the man, but that was enough. The man seemed to become even more uncomfortable.
"Yeah, that would be me. How can I help you?" he asked keeping a stoic expression. He wasn't going to let this suit look down on him.
"Do you know who Mr. Ted Kord was?" Matthew McKay asked looking a little lost. He didn't blame him. There was no tie to him to Ted for the exception of Khaji Da. Still, he didn't pity the man. He didn't see the point of wearing such an expensive suit when money could be spent in more productive ways.
"Yeah, I never met him but we had some friends in common," he said hoping this wasn't what he thought it was. Since Booster told him about it, he had been dreading it.
"Were you aware he left you as his only heir?" the man was authentically curious.
"I heard something about it," he admitted, "but I sincerely didn't believe it."
"Then this should make things easier. Would you mind if I come in?" Mr. McKay asked half way in already.
"If you must," he said before leading him to the kitchen.
They went over paperwork, and conditions and obligations for God knew how long. He knew it was late when he saw the sun start to set. He offered the man some of his mother's infamous cookies. He accepted them reluctantly but later saw him reach for another. Someone who wasn't so proud as to decline his mother's cookies couldn't be that bad.
"Excuse me for asking," Mr. Mackay said, "but you don't seem so surprised about all of this."
"You should have seen me when I was first told," he laughed nervously as he read over one of the pages in the contract; he was to assist in the biweekly meetings. Didn't Booster say he didn't need to get involved with the actual business?
"Do you know anything about running a business?" the man asked him worried. The man was under the direct employment of Kord Industries, of course, he would be concerned a kid would run it to the ground.
"I am going to college to study mechanical engineering, so that would be no. This seems like a lot of responsibilities," he said taking notes down.
"Are you really eighteen years?" though he was tall, he knew he still had a kid's face.
"Turned just last week," he said. Then, he pointed to a particular line in the contract, "I am leaving for college in a few weeks. I can't make the trip to Chicago from San Francisco every time there is a meeting. It says here I can have a proxy, but I don't know anyone with the time to spare to look after it in my stead. Would it be any trouble if I joined in through video chat?"
"Not at all, actually the late Mr. Kord used to do the same all the time," Mr. McKay said as little surprised.
"Great, well at least until I find someone to assist in my place. I know Mr. Kord worked hard to build his company. So, I would feel better if someone with more experience could look after this," or at least until he learned something about how to run a company. He wondered if Tim would have the time to teach him a thing or two about it. The kid had stocks, so he had to know something, right?
"You and me both," the man said before covering his mouth in shock, "my apologies. I didn't mean any offense. It's just that you are so young."
"Is fine," he couldn't help laughing, "I know just because I turned eighteen doesn't mean I magically gained knowledge about everything."
"We are home!" he heard his little sister shout as her family returned. She ran to the kitchen and stopped in her tracks when she spotted Mr. McKay, "ehm, hello?"
"Hi," the lawyer was a little taken back by the sudden appearance of the ten-year-old.
"Milagro, this is Mr. McKay. He and I have to talk about some very important matters, could you go play somewhere else?" he begged her with his eyes that she didn't try to stay.
"I am getting a cookie first," she said taking one from the family's special cookie box before running off. On her way out she told her parents, "says he is busy."
His parents had given him a worried look before he smiled at them, "everything is fine." That snapped both of his parents into movement.
"Would you like some tea Mr.?" his mother was playing the hostess as she got the kettle filled.
"McKay," the man said with a sincere smile, "and that would be nice."
"I am heading to the garage, give me a call if you need anything mijo," his father told him before going out.
"Will do," he called out.
It was dark by the time they finished going over the paperwork and he couldn't have had it sooner. He knew he was going to need all of his remaining strength to talk to his parents about moving to San Francisco. Though they had said they trusted his decisions, he still felt nervous about telling them of all that would be changing.
"I will have a meeting set by the middle of next week. We need you to be in Chicago to sign in front of the witnesses," he said looking a lot more confident than when he got there.
"Will be there," he told him before the man left. After he had closed the door, he leaned against it and slid down. His mother and sister were watching him from the living room a little worried before he explained to them what was going on. His little sister exploded with questions, and it was a decent change from having spent the day before and that morning in the company of the sullen Damian. His mother, on the other hand, didn't say much, but he knew she was thinking of all that this meant. She and his father had raised him to believe in hard work. Having something handed like this was strange to them. Still, when he explained to her that he had no intention of making use of Kord's money for himself, she seemed to relax. He knew it was wrong of them to be so proud, but they just were.
"But-but!" however Milagro didn't share their view.
"Is your brother's choice," his mother said sitting the little girl down after her outburst. Then, she said to him in a voice that reflected how tired he felt, "go rest mijo. We will go together early to the school to sign the papers so you can-" but she was unable to finish the sentence. Though they knew it was what needed to be done, it didn't make it any easier. "I… I will explain to your father when he comes back home, so don't worry about staying up for him."
"Thanks," he told her placing a kiss on her cheek and then one on his sister's forehead.
888
He didn't need his mother with him, but even though he was now an adult it felt nice to have someone watching over you. Would that feeling ever go away? He wondered as he signed the last of the papers. Over the last few years, he had accumulated extra credits to the point where he could graduate early. It all had started when he had been gone for weeks when the Reach got control of Khaji Da. They had feared the hero would keep him from graduating, so they made him take extra classes before and after school whenever possible.
"That's all Mr. Reyes. Hope to see you in the graduation ceremony," the principal's secretary said as she stamped the paperwork.
"Thank you," he said with a sincere smile.
As he walked out of the school, probably for the last time, he wondered if he should have given in so easily. There were still a few months before classes actually ended. It was the time he could have spent with his friends, still be an ordinary high school student.
"Do you already know where you will stay?" his mother asked him.
"I have a place in mind," he told her as they drove him. He wanted the same apartment he saw himself sharing with Traci. Before he started his way back to El Paso, he had stopped by the place and found it just waiting to be rented.
"What happened, Jaime? I know you helped over there, but you seem changed," his mother asked as they parked in front of the house.
"Is a really long story," he told her looking at the steering wheel, "and a little crazy."
"I am all ears," she said giving him that kind smile that always made him feel safe.
"We went to the island of a group of people. I am not sure if to call them heroes. One of them was a Robin, the others…" he told her everything from beginning to end. He told her of Traci, of the life he led back then, of the life they built. He even told her of Milagro trying to become a hero too. Finally, he told her of his decision to return to be the Blue Beetle and sacrifice the love of his life for it.
"So, do you regret becoming a hero?" she asked him.
"No, not at all; I am just wondering what type of life I could have if I weren't. Things would be a lot easier," he told her.
"Being normal isn't as easy as you think son. I think you have forgotten the part of your life when you weren't flying about. Either a kid or an adult, no one has all the answers and we all make our own choices hoping for the best. Even if you weren't a hero, you would still wonder about your options. I can tell you that because all of us go through it."
"How do you do it?" he asked leaning his forehead on the steering wheel. How could some words from this woman; his mother, a wife, and a nurse always made him feel like a child yet also make him feel more confident about where he was going?
"It comes with being the mother of the Blue Beetle," she told him with a smile.
888
"I haven't seen that thing in ages," Tye said as he stopped in front of his house on his old skateboard.
"Do you still have yours?" he asked holding his skateboard. The darn thing seemed smaller than he remembered.
"Not all us got wings or a car. Give me a minute," Tye laughed before he went inside his house. A few minutes later he came out with his old skateboard.
"I can't remember the last time we did this," he said as they rode down the street. In actuality he did. It had been the same day he got Khaji Da. After getting his wings, the skateboard was abandoned in the back of his closet.
"Me too!" Tye laughed as they reached a street going down, "man, I forgot about this." His friend started going down the street at all speed, he followed shortly dodging the same old cracks in the sidewalk and pedestrians. He was laughing too as he remembered the one time his dad caught them doing the same thing.
They took a shortcut through the parking lot of the old abandoned building of Kord Industries. The once clean parking lot was now invaded by weeds. He stopped for a moment in the exact same place where he had two years ago and picked up Khaji Da. Had he been smarter back then, he would have just kept going until he made it home.
"Can we go inside, just for a while?" he asked his friend who had also stopped.
"I guess," Tye said with a frown, "though breaking and entering are the sort of thing we stop."
It wasn't difficult to remove some of the boards at the door and go in. As they moved towards the stairs, they saw they hadn't been the only ones to break into the place. The walls were painted with graffiti and the ground littered with trash of all kinds. Some things he wished he didn't recognize.
"They should just take this place down," Tye said kicking an empty bottle out of the way.
"Yeah," Jaime said as they reached the stairs and started going up. Every step they took up made his feet feel heavier. It had been on the top floor where Ted Kord had given up his life to make sure Khaji Da didn't fall into the wrong hands. Even back then, the man knew the little creature would fall on his hands and that he would die. Still, he didn't change a single thing.
"You okay?" Tye asked him and he realized he hadn't opened the door on the top floor.
"Yeah," he said before pushing the door open.
The place was empty. Every single piece of equipment had either been destroyed or moved somewhere else. There was nothing here to speak of his predecessor's demise but the scorch marks on the walls.
"So, is this like your walk down memory lane?" Tye asked him stepping into the room and walking towards the window.
"Sort of," he said as he walked to look out the window, "I used to take a short cut through here all the time. Do you think he saw me at some point?"
"That would be creepy," Tye said leaning on the window sill, "but the guy was supposed to be some sort of genius, those are usually weird."
"Yeah, I have met a few," he couldn't help laughing.
"When will you be leaving?" Tye had asked him before he gave him a questioning look "the secretary doesn't know how to keep a secret. Besides, your little act in San Francisco made it clear where you guys are going. Just so you know Azami and I are visiting every chance we get."
"Good to hear and I guess as soon as possible. I have to make sure everything is good before I leave," between his parents, grandmother, scholarship and the part time job he was going to get he could afford an okay place to live. He knew he could use Kord's money anytime, but that just didn't feel right. He knew that was his pride talking again, but he couldn't help it.
"Right, with the Lantern guys; dude, your life is a mess," Tye declared.
"An awesome mess," Jaime said with a smile. The idea of going into outer space made his gut clench.
"That's yet to be seen," Tye said "so, the Titans?"
"We are going to be different," he told his friend. He had seen it, and he knew they would be.
"Are you?" Tye asked looking at him with cautious eyes.
Jaime knew what his friend thought of the heroes they grew up listening about. They fought the big fights where fists, powers, and gadgets made the different, but they had seen other side of the battle. They had seen Kids were dropping out of school to join gangs. They were offered drugs since they were in middle school. They both had known people who were shot or hurt by those who were supposed to protect them. That was the other side of the fight people even in the news forgot about.
"Can you keep a secret?" he asked his friend.
"Am I not selling you out to the tabloids?" Tye said with a smirk.
"I saw the future, or at least I think is a possible future," he told him.
"What did the Outlaws put in your drink?" Tye asked him with a skeptical look.
"I am serious," he said turning around and scratching the back of his head.
"Okay, go on," Tye said.
"So, I saw this place we had built where Metas could go to for protection. We helped them through the small and big stuff. Most of them wanted to be heroes, a few didn't, but they just wanted to be in a place where they felt like they belonged. It was a place they could run away to and find some understanding. I saw my little sister there, and she seemed so happy to be able to talk about that side of her life with someone. Who said that living this life had to be lonely?"
"It would have been nice that a place like that existed back when Maurice was around," Tye said grimacing. He probably remembered his mother's ex-boyfriend, "but that sounds like a dream Jaime."
"I know," it had been a dream, sort of "but if there is anything I can do to create that future, I will do it."
"I can't believe I am saying this, but if you need my help you just need ask, okay?" Tye said punching his friend on the shoulder friendlily.
Until night fell, they spent their time at the skating park. The turns they made on the air were nothing compared to the freedom he had in the air. However, seeing his friend laugh as they used to when the only thing was getting before curfew reminded him his life was decent. Unlike others in his trade, he got to experience normal life. As his mother had said, it wasn't easy, but it was still incredible. Even after it got dark, they kept on going. It was when one of his wheels broke away that they finally stopped and settled for watching.
"Is that Lozen?" he asked seeing a girl around thirteen make turns in the air with long dark hair following her.
"Yeah, that must mean her brother is around. You remember Victorio?" Tye asked.
"Yeah, he graduated two years ago," Jaime remembered the older boy used to be very protective of his sister. Also, he didn't like Jaime that much. Since Tye was claimed to be the next chief of his people, he didn't think he should hang out so much with someone that didn't belong to any tribe. For sure he belonged to a tribe or two. The physical appearance was a sure sign of that, but the country where his parents came from just didn't usually follow their roots so carefully. He only knew his mother came from Mexico City, and his father from Tijuana.
"Speak of the devil," Tye said before he realized Victorio was standing right behind them.
"Reyes," Victorio said sitting between them and making sure to push Jaime to the side.
Vic," he said remembering the guy hated being called that. "So nice to see you, we were just talking about how long we hadn't seen you around."
"Are you looking at my sister?" he asked glaring at Jaime though not bothering to point out Tye too had been looking.
"Yeah, she makes some amazing McTwists. I wish my sister would take an interest in something like that," and that was the sincere truth. Milagro though magical and whatnot, still behaved like a regular little girl.
"I heard she is competing," Tye said as said girl made a rail slide.
"Next year," Victorio grumbled.
"That's cool," Jaime said as he stood up, "I will see you guys later."
"Don't forget to call Brenda! You know she will kick your ass if you don't tell her!" Tye had called after him before he continued to talk to Victorio.
He could sense Victorio's eyes on him as he left. There was no real aggression when he made it clear he wasn't looking at his sister in a weird way. It seemed they all grew up without realizing. Though normal, he could help feeling a little odd at it all.
"He is leaving for San Francisco," Tye told the young man, "he is such a bag of feelings."
"You two were inseparable a few years back, what happened?" Victorio said as he watched over his sister. Any guy that looked at her the wrong way would get his patented glare.
"Nothing really, just got different interests," Tye said.
"You are not leaving too, are you?" Victorio asked.
"Nha, I am going to community college here and I will where to go from there," Tye told him, "my grandfather is getting too old."
"I am glad to hear you have your priorities set LongShadow," Victorio said.
Tye wondered if he was prepared.
888
"So you are not taking a break," Brenda asked him over the phone.
"I really can't," he said biting his lip. He didn't talk to her too often because it was still a bit awkward with him getting her aunt behind bars and having also dated for a short while.
"Look, if I don't get at least one souvenir from outer space I am going to hurt you. I know that fancy armor of yours is not immune to magic," she told him with a smirk.
"What would you like?" he asked her with a smile.
"Not a shirt that says 'my friend went to space and this shirt is all he brought me' anything but that," she said before he heard something fall, "mierda."
"You okay?" he asked her sitting up.
"Yeah, I was working on this damn locator potion which just went down the drain because I was too slow. I really have to go and get this completed or Madam Xanadu will have my hind. Make sure to call me before you leave the stratosphere, alright?"
"Yeah," he laughed.
"Oh, just one thing," Brenda said, "thirteen."
"What?" he asked.
"Is your lucky number," she told him.
"Really?" he couldn't help being skeptical.
"Hey, it was on the cards," she said before something else crashed, she cursed like a sailor and then hung up.
"Thirteen," it was just his luck that his lucky number was an unlucky one.
888
It was one A.m. but he couldn't stay in bed anymore. He slept two hours before waking up restless. He flew over the city listening to the police's radio signal. He stopped a few robberies and watched as the nightlife of his city bloomed. It reminded him of the night from the last weekend and he couldn't help laughing. It had been crazy, tiresome, but also amazing. The days of hanging out at the skating park, or in front of the mini-mart were gone. He was (by law) an adult and he was planning on making taking full advantage of it. While he was getting settled in San Francisco, he could also have some fun, right?"
"Hey Escarabajo!" he stopped in midair before he spotted Piñata waving at him frantically from the top of a building. She was accompanied by Thumper. It wasn't strange for him to meet members from the Posse during patrol, but they didn't usually look this worried. The normally exuberant Piñata wasn't wearing one of her loud neon colored outfits and looked very upset, and Thumper looked like he just wanted to leave though he was usually very friendly.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked right away.
"Where have you been? Aren't you supposed to be the protector of this city!?" Piñata said poking his chest. At once Khaji Da warned against her and her explosive abilities, but he ignored it. He knew she wouldn't hurt him on purpose.
"What?" he asked before she punched his abdomen, which was armored.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" she shook her hand before lifting her other fist.
"That's enough Mary," Thumper though usually quiet said taking hold of her hand. "I am sure he was busy."
She muttered under her breath and then glared at him, "well?"
"I was working with my team," he had told them about their team the previous week, and they knew he was going to be busy. He had asked them to look after the city in his absence, not that they didn't patrol every night. "What is going on?"
Piñata opened her mouth to say something but choked on her words before a tear spilled down her cheek. At once he felt fear. Where was the rest of the Posse?
"Something is wrong with Paco," Thumper said, "we think is related to his heart." The same one Khaji Da had healed.
"Where is he?" it hadn't even been a year since his father was hospitalized. He couldn't believe this was happening.
"He is back in the house. He locked himself in his room and won't come out. We can hear him speaking to himself but is all gibberish," Thumper told him.
He didn't like the sound of that at all.