A/N: Four months, really I have no words please excuse me. So ashamed! I blame exams and the dissertation deadline but anyway, that's all done, so I'm back! Hopefully next update will be next Tuesday (but maybe Monday depending on how fast I type it). Thanks for your patience and here it is!
Chapter 5: Reality
THE BATCAVE
SEPTEMBER 03, 22:00 EST
Today wasn't his day Robin thought as he watched the sleeping girl breath. He watched her chest rise and fall, air softly whispering through slightly parted lips. He glanced up at the digital read out every now and again, noting her steady heart rate and blood pressure, then always looking back down at the still form. It was amazing really, her survival that is. The amount of blood on her shirt suggested a life-threatening wound but when Alfred lifted it there was only a large puckered scar to mark the flesh. She was pale and weak but thankfully alive. Her bloodied clothes had been removed (he looked away of course) and replaced by a sterile, standard hospital gown and the med-pods clima-control function made sure she was always comfortable. The IV gave her a nutritious supply of everything she needed and she was still connected to a blood bag but despite all that (and the initial miraculous healing of that terrible chest wound) there had since then been no improvement in her condition.
He frowned, deep in thought. So deep in fact the he almost didn't notice the heart monitor start beating frantically, or the girl start bucking and convulsing wildly in an obvious seizure.
Robin jumped out of his chair, opening the pod's domed casing and, struggling to get her on her side, called for a flustered Alfred to help him calm her down. Alfred injected the struggling girl with a small dose of Valium and the effects were immediate. She slowly stopped convulsing, her shallow breathing deepening and finally relieved she'd be okay, he depressed the pod's casing and increased the oxygen levels.
He ran a hand through his hair and let out a puff of air. "That was close." He breathed.
Alfred rolled up his sleeves, tutting, "if I may be so bold Master Tim, this poor girl requires actual medical attention from a proper doctor, not the minimum we can provide here. We ought to have sent her over to a hospital the moment she was stable."
Robin chuckled nervously, he really couldn't have agreed more, "Dick said to bring her here Alfred, but you're right. If she gets any worse I'm taking her over myself, hell with the consequences. This is just… way out of the usual stuff I handle." Sitting down he put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. His head pounded. Yeah sure earlier he had been pouting over not getting to go on the mission at Wayne Tech with Batman and Nightwing, but realized now that taking care of an injured person was maybe just as hard and by far a much bigger responsibility than taking down a criminal.
Alfred went about cleaning up the disposed syringe and emptied bottle of Valium, throwing them in a medical-waste bin. Robin watched him listlessly, then went back to staring at his charge.
Alfred moved over to the med-pod once again, decreasing the oxygen levels now that the girl's vitals had returned to normal. At the same time the main monitor flashed twice, signalling a transmission from the watchtower. Robin jumped to respond, eager for a distraction, but just as he did there was the muffled sound of a fuse blowing and the lights, computers and all electrical equipment in the cave went out, throwing them into darkness, followed by a resounding crack spreading throughout the room simultaneously, freezing him in place, half turned towards the monitor. His mask immediately compensated for the lack of light and illuminated the cave with night vision. Turning around he first noticed the sound of a viscous liquid hitting the stone floor then heard a choked gurgling sound and in the half second it took for him to find the source of the noise, he was again shocked to a stand-still.
Eyes wide, he saw Alfred hang off the end of a hand, clawed fingers digging so deep into his neck an alarming amount of blood flowed steadily from the wound down to the floor. He twitched but seemed unable to move otherwise. The arm was connected to the girl from the med-pod. Funnily enough, the first thought to cross Robin's mind was how inhumanly strong she must be to break through that reinforced glass, but whatever was presently in the pod was far from being human.
The creature was humanoid in shape but had glowing blood red eyes set in a feathered face with black and white plumage. Razor-sharp teeth were set in a wide malicious snarl, and a deep rumbling sound emanated from her throat. Her previous mess of soft black curls were replaced by long black and white feathers and what appeared to be electricity crackled around her entire body. Robin wanted to move, do something, save Alfred! But he couldn't. He was frozen in place unable to do more than twitch much like the butler. He felt sweat dripping off his forehead and falling into his eyes as he gasped. A deep, pervading, primal fear, made worse by the lack of light, had settled unto him, like that felt by prey hunted by a larger and very hungry predator
She suddenly jerked forward, body crashing into the pod's glass casing and shattering it into a bigger hole for her to get through. Robin gave a weak cry as she lowered her head to Alfred's neck, tearing at his skin with her sharp teeth and lapping up the blood spurting forth from the deep gash. Robin was forced to watch in horror as the girl he had been tending to just minutes ago went about killing the old man. The slurping sounds she made as she drained him of his blood would long stay in his nightmares. Unceremoniously she dropped the spent body to the floor, slamming against the stone floor. Red eyes turned towards him and he knew he had seconds, if any, to think of a way to free himself from whatever held him prisoner. Her movements more fluid, she slipped out of the pod, her bare feet crushing the glass shards. Long pointed talons gouged the stone and noticing the direction of his gaze she smirked, threw her head back, and let out an ear-piercing wail. Robin braced himself as the she vaulted towards him, electricity crackling from her extended clawed hand. He narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth, today really wasn't his day.
-0-0-0-0-0-
THE WATCHTOWER
SEPTEMBER 24, 12:00 EST
Kaldur'am stared at the monitor screen. So much had gone wrong so fast in the short time since he'd been given back the mantle of leader by Nightwing, and it felt almost impossible to keep up. Cassie, Jaime and now Tim… too many of his friends had fallen already to this new threat and he feared, how many more-
Angrily he shook his head then planted his hands firmly on the console, letting his head droop. He wouldn't think like that. He couldn't. He remembered how such thoughts had led to that darkness to grow inside him. They will be fine, there could be no doubt to that.
He sighed and rose to his full height, rolling his shoulders. Opening his clear aqua-marine eyes he settled on the monitor again, or more on the texts there. The report Dick had sent him a fortnight ago still disturbed him, no matter how many times he read it. Covert alien infiltration, exploding extra-terrestrials and a blood-sucking vampire… mutant? Had they not just survived a Reach invasion, he would have been more sceptical. Typical that this insanity should start just as he regained his position as team leader.
Deep in his thoughts he did not notice when Batgirl entered the room. She was returning after visiting Cassie in the Psyche room. She yawned loudly, stretching her cramped limbs, startling him. She smiled thinly and joined him, smile dropping when an accidental glance prompted her to read Nightwing's report on the screen.
"This again? Aqualad, what's the point we've all read this over and over. Nothing new is going to come out of it." She said, exasperated. Kaldur'am lifted an eyebrow. He had noticed the week prior how quick to anger she had become. She seemed to take Cassie's current condition as a personal failure. He really couldn't understand the need for the Bat-family to hold themselves responsible for everything that went wrong, and then adopting a foul mood until the issue was resolved…
He returned his gaze to the screen. Well, if she wanted to act like that it was her choice, but he would not encourage it. He decided to keep quiet; at times silence said a thousand words.
However, she was unfazed. "Aqualad, Aqualad? Kaldur!" She snapped, slamming her hand down hard on the console. He slowly moved his gaze towards her, noting her obvious annoyance and hostile demeanour. He closed his eyes, equally annoyed but to anyone watching he was the image of tranquillity. Fine, he would humour her a while.
"I understand Barbara- and there is no need to shout I can hear you- but this is the only lead we have so far. Batman and Nightwing have found nothing more with their connections at Wayne Enterprises and the other Leaguers are busy trying to fathom what Vandel Savage and the Light are up to with the War World, so I am afraid that this particular issue is our to deal with alone," he raised his hand and let it drift to the screen, distorting the tactile hologram absent-mindedly. Batgirl's eyes narrowed in frustration, then her face suddenly softened and she smiled again, though more heartfelt this time.
"I'm sorry Aqualad. I know I'm… touchy at the moment." She ran her hand over her face. "But it's just… it's been weeks and still we have nothing?! Usually we'd have at least a lead or a suspect but this time we have pretty much nothing but a weak connection to Lex Luthor and Lex Corp. I just wish- I just wish I had someone to viciously interrogate about Cassie's and Jaime's condition."
Though slightly alarmed by the venom in her voice and how wildly she was shaking her hands in a strangling motion as she spoke, still Kaldur'am gave her a pitying look. He had no doubt as to how physically and emotionally fatigued the girl as. The mask hid the bags sitting by Cassie's and Jaime's side for the week they stayed in the coma had incurred, and her suits reinforced skeletal support almost hid the fine tremors wracking her body, almost.
All forgiven almost immediately, he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "I have taken no offence, but you should go rest. You are far too tired to aid me or anyone else at this time."
"Alright, but call me if anything comes up." She said as she left waving goodbye. Her heeled boots clicked as she walked away from him, until he was alone once again. He watched her go and realised how much he had enjoyed her company, despite her previous difficult attitude. Batgirl was one of the few people who still treated him like a friend instead in that careful, hesitant way most of the others were, as if unsure on how to act with him now that he was back.
"Move slowpoke! I've got a full day of zombie killing planned ahead and you're not going to stop me!"
"Whatever dude I've got dibbs on the TV and I'm watching Gangsters vs. Aliens."
"W-ell, not if I get the remote first."
"Dude, not cool!"
A blast of air preceded the speedster's entrance into the comm room who seated himself on the couch, remote and controller in hand as he switched to the right input. Soon the sound of gunfire and snarling zombies filled the room, broken now and again by the sound of Bart whooping and shouting "Kill 'em!"
BeastBoy closely followed in the form of a cheetah, yowling in dismay seeing Bart with control of the TV. He morphed back to his half-human half-monkey shape, skin green with a long prehensile tail swinging behind him. He pouted at the scene then, catching sight of Kaldur'am, waved towards the Atlantean hesitantly and made his way to the couch, giving up the struggle and deciding to play with his friend instead.
"Dude, I wanna play too."
"Pssht, whataver man. You said you didn't want to first, so stick with your decision. Bam, headshot!"
"Come on dude, be cool!"
"No, also, you suck. And- Hey Megan didn't know you were back from Mars already."
BeastBoy whipped his head around with a wide grin on his face, expecting to see his blood sister. Instead Bart took the chance to knock him off his seat. Chuckling maliciously he lay down on the couch so he was taking up most of the space and a sullen BeastBoy glared up at him.
"Not cool dude, I'm totally getting you back for this."
Their bickering brought a soft chuckle from Kaldur'am's lips. It was moments like this that broke the tension-filled atmosphere at the Watchtower. He closed the screen window and started to head to the training room. Working out at times helped put his mind in order, and by Neptune, he needed it now.
Unfortunately, it was in that instant that the alarm started blaring. The entire room was suffused with a red, blinking light and an animatronic voice came over the intercom.
"Attention, attention! Intruder detected in Sector 12. All personal to Sector 12 immediately. Repeat, attention, attention!.."
The sound of the game had stopped and the two young boys stood up immediately, Bart lowering his goggles and jetting off to Sector 12 with his super-speed. BeastBoy glanced his way once then morphed into a falcon, flying to the disturbance at high speed. Kaldur'am quickly followed disturbed as he left the comm room by the sound of the explosions reaching him.
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A high pitched screeching sound stirred Seble from her sleep. She groaned and tossed not wanting to be roused from her sleep. She felt so good right now, like she was disjointed from her body but still vaguely aware of her surroundings. But the sound wouldn't stop. Grudgingly she cracked open an eye. She closed them almost immediately (the light was too bright!) but forced them open again. Blinking a few times she saw a room that was unrecognisable to her. It was white, very white, and artificially lighted by a single strip of halogen lighting. She tried to sit up, but hissed in pain as she met resistance at her arms preventing her from moving. She was shackled! A surge of panic flared in her heart. She tested her bonds again. The shackles looked to be of the old fashion variety, metallic rings joined together leading to a band on either end, one connected to each of her hands and the other to the bed. Her legs were similarly restrained. Closing her eyes she tried to calm her wildly beating heart. Looking around the room once more she saw that there was sparse furniture there, one door and no windows. And that annoying sound still continued, though she now noticed that it was outside the room where, from the small glass square set in the door, she could see a flashing red light as well. She bit her lip anxiously. Whatever was happening outside couldn't be good but it's not like she could do anything about it, she couldn't leave even if she wanted to! Instead she could only lay there; hoping whoever had put her here would at least come by to give her an explanation.
She knew it was a waste of time but she couldn't help trying to get free from the shackles. She pulled on them fruitlessly and screamed in frustration as her efforts were met with failure, again. She seriously had no idea why anyone would do this, or why she was in this unknown place in the first place.
She froze mid-struggle as she heard heavy, lumbering steps followed by a bone rattling roar, draining the blood from her face. She forgot her chains and tried to sit up again and in her fear, she started to panic, causing blood to start dripping from the new wounds cut into her skin by the shackles. Another roar and this time closer. Seble could only watch as a huge shadow blotted out the red light coming from outside her room. She could here its wet breathing and then a set of five long claws punctured the metal door, making Seble jump and shriek in terror.
Please, damn it, I need to get out of these chains!
And just like that there was a click and the shackles fell off her wrists and ankles. Seble stared at her hands in amazement, not knowing how it was possible. Maybe she had loosened it somehow, or it was really old and rusted? No matter how she was grateful she was finally free. She scrambled off the bed just as the monster threw the door crashing into it. She fell to the ground shielding her head against any falling debris. She dared to look up seeing the monster fully for the first time.
It was very tall, very bulky and very purple and these were the only non-scary features she could see. The thing was huge with three eyes and a fish-like fin growing on top of his head. He stood hunched forward, his huge frame obviously too big to be supported by his skeletal system. He was shirtless (now obvious to her he was male) and his skin seemed 'ripped' in places, showing knotted muscle tissue underneath. Ropes of saliva dripped from his mouth. Seble sniffled, not realising she had been crying. Wiping the tears from her eyes she cries out as the monster continues to move towards her. The creature increased his speed and slashed towards her. Seble raised her arm in a weak attempt to defend herself but found her hand covered in a crackling light. Staring in wonder she moved her hand away from her face and that one gesture created an arc of white light, so bright the after-image burned behind her eye-lids as she closed her eyes from it. The monster didn't seem to like the light at all and with another deafening roar threw itself at her. This time Seble screamed as loud as she could burying her head in her hands despite the crackling aura on it.
But the monsters movements were stopped. Haltingly Seble lifted her head from her hands and saw that a band of wait-water? The water encircled his torso and was trying to yank it back. Braver, Seble lifted her head further. There was a distant grunt and the monster was completely thrown outside. Seble scrambled up unto her knees and finally got up. This was insane. Just where was she?
Pure curiosity drove her to look outside her tiny sterile room. Stepping over the overturned stool and careful of the metallic fragments littering the floor she looked passed the threshold, looking into a wide, long corridor. The monster was being assaulted on three sides, by a tall dark-skinned blonde man wielding swords made of water, a… blur of sorts and a green gorilla?! Seble's hands flew to her mouth at the scene in front of her. The gorilla pounded his chest then attacked the monster, striking it twice across his face and throwing him into the path of the blur who tripped him making him fall hard unto the floor. The blonde man took this chance to encircle the monster's face with a ball of water, effectively cutting off his air. This only made the monster angrier and using his powerful arms he managed to grab to blur (turning out to be a boy) and threw him into the blonde man. They both crashed into the opposite wall. The gorilla screamed in anger and charged the monster but just before they crashed the gorilla changed into an anaconda, entwining itself around the monster's neck and squeezing hard. The monster struggled hard, throwing himself into the wall to loosen the snakes hold.
Seble's mouth dropped open. The ape changed into a snake. Not believing what she was seeing anymore she tried to find a way out of there and her eyes fell on a still form laying a few metres away from her. Although still afraid she managed to inch her way towards it, rushing towards it once she was close enough. Kneeling next to it, she noticed that the figure was a girl with red hair. Batgirl? Being a Gothamite she wasn't a stranger to the Batlogo. Batgirl was pretty beat up but, checking her pulse, thankfully alive. Seble sighed in relief and turned the girl to her side, laying her gently on the ground. A loud crash and a blast of air ruffling her hair forced Seble to look towards the fighting once again. It seemed that the monster had the upper hand once more, and the three guys (now reduced to two) were having a hard time holding him off.
"Aquald!" One of them shouted, the blur-boy, from his place lying on the ground. "You think back-up is coming anytime soon? 'cuz I'm feeling pretty moded right now."
The man being addressed as Aqualad (blondie) didn't seem able to reply as he dodged a particularly vicious blow to his head, arm tattoos glowing a bright blue colour as his water-swords transformed into maces and he swung his right arm upwards hoping to crush the monster's elbow, but the blow deflected against his skin like it was nothing. The snake was now a green rhino and it charged the monster horn first, for the first time actually managing to push him back.
BatGirl stirred and Seble immediately helped her sit up. The girl couldn't even open her eyes but she seemed to want to say something so Seble lowered her head closer to the girl's lips.
"You ne- you need." She started then broke off. Seble was afraid the BatGirl had a concussion or something.
"What, what do they need?" She asked.
"The air-lock… open it."
Seble froze. Air-lock, like in a space ship? Seeing what she had been through already, why not. Another loud crash startled her into action.
"Where's the hangar then."
Batgirl's lips twitched upwards in a smirk. "Need to… lead it to Sub-Sector 6."
"Alright, Sub-Sector 6 got it. Don't worry you're going to be fine."
"Not me… I'm worried… about, hurry."
She helped her lie down again then let a harsh breath out. Every nerve in her body wanted her to go find a safe place to hide and let these obviously better equipped people fight the monster, but the tiny logical part of her brain knew that there was no safety without getting rid of that monster and, deeply hating that stupid logical part of her, she braced herself and stood up searching for someone to convey the message to.
All bar one of the boys were strewn across the floor, unconscious. Seble cringed as the last man standing, Aqualad, was struck across the back hard, forcing him to cry out as he crumpled to the floor. Seeing as he was the closest one to her at the moment she ran to him then crouched down turning him over. His eyes were open but were rolling in their sockets. He was in obvious pain, a blow to the spine wasn't something the average person could walk away from, and in some places the skin had split open revealing bloody wounds. Careful not to agitate them too much, Seble desperately clutched at his face with both hands, slapping him lightly to help him focus. There would be time to feel guilty about this later but for now, they all needed to find a way to get rid of this monster. The man stirred and his eyes focused, starring directly at her. An alarmed looked flitted across his face but was quickly hidden as he grabbed her hand and pulled them away from his face. The monster had moved towards one of the other unconscious boys, but was slow progress; thankfully one of his legs seemed to be hurt in some way. Aqualad vaulted up, landing on his feet in a curled position, tattoos glowing blue again. He picked up his swords, now just hilts lying on the ground that were swiftly filled with water, moulding into back into swords.
"Stand back," he rasped, glancing at her briefly then taking a defensive stance. He started shouting, desperate to take the monster's attention away from the unconscious boys. "Despero! We are not yet done!"
The monster, Despero, turned at the sound of his name and roared, rushing as fast as he could towards Aqualad making the whole floor quake. Aqualad met him halfway, swords clashing against the brute's arms again trying to push him back.
"Ah wait!" Seble remembered Batgirl's message but the man was already in the middle of a vicious battle. She lurched to her feet, wary of the swinging arms and the slashing water swords. She shrieked as Despero was thrown just inches away from where she was standing.
"Leave, you are not safe here. Move to the comm rooms it is only a few doors down from here," Aqualad gestured to a hallway opening to her left. "Go, no-"
"No, seriously listen!" She shouted. There was nothing she wanted to do more than run away and hide but she said she'd deliver the message and by god she was delivering it. "I have a message from Batgirl. She said you needed to open the air-lock ahhh!"
Seble ducked as the monster reached for her, rushing over to Aqualad's side for some measure of protection. One of the boys on the ground stirred and was getting up. It was good, hopefully they'd have a better chance at fending off the guy.
Aqualad turned towards her, cool blue eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Did she say anything else."
"No, just to open it… Hey are we in space?"
He ignored her question and instead returned to the fight, watching as the animorphing boy grew into a gorilla again and held Despero in a bear hug. "We need to lead him there but it will be fraught with difficulty. Girl, how well can you use your abilities?" He asked.
Seble was confused. "What abilities?"
Aqualad gave her an irritated glare. "This is not the time for playing innocent! To what extent can you control your transformation, hurry! BeastBoy cannot hold off Despero for much longer."
"Seriously man I have no idea? Wait, my hand did a weird glow earlier, but I've never done that before… sorry…"
He cursed in a strange language then, with a wild yell, he threw himself back into the fight, aiding BeastBoy. Seble felt like she had disappointed the guy but she really had no idea what he was talking about, and his attitude towards her seemed a bit weird. But so what if she couldn't help him in that way, there was still something else she could do.
There was a map near her luckily, and from that she could see one air-lock was indeed located at Sub-Sector 6, so down to the end of this sector, down the stairs and second door to the right? Trying her hardest to remember the route by heart she pushed herself from the wall, going down to the end of the hallway and started to wave her arms about her head like a maniac.
"Hey, hey Despero! Over here you big radioactive fish head! Yeah I'm talking to you!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. It worked as the monster turned towards her and seeing his prey, he instantly gave chase. So her hunch was right, the monster really was after her. "Catch me if you can!"
As soon as she was sure he was following her she turned on her heels and ran, down to the end of the sector and took the stairs two at a time. She heard the monster crashing into the walls behind her. Already she could feel herself tiring, but she forced herself to keep going. Forcing the door open she lost precious seconds allowing Despero to almost catch up with her. She stumbled as the monster crashed into the stairway opening but caught herself and kept running. She only had a bit more to go until she was at the air-lock and then, if things went as she thought it would, they'd all be safe.
She heard Aqualad shouting orders at someone and the yowling of a large feline come from behind her, but she ignored it all and kept running. Finally, panting she skidded to a halt in front of the entrance to the air-lock room (hangar 1) and rushed inside. Despero followed at her heels but was preoccupied by a little green humming bird buzzing around his face. Aqualad ran in, eyes not leaving Despero, but looking, if possible, even angrier than he had been earlier at her.
"What are you doing! I specifically told you to get to safety, this is the complete opposite of that!" He hissed through clenched teeth.
"You said you needed a distraction. Meet," she pointed to herself. "Your distraction. Now you just need to get the air-lock open." She explained. Aqualad's eyes were still narrowed in anger but he nodded his assent. Despero mindlessly swatted at the hummingbird which was little by little driving it closer to the air-lock door, which Aqualad had managed to open. The monster flailed and stumbled, harassed by the tiny thing. Aqualad ran forward and dived low sweeping Despero's legs from under him. He fell head first into the air-lock and the shape-shifter quickly morphed into a gibbon and thumped the release button, closing the door on their side and opening the doorway to the outside. For the third time that day Seble's mouth dropped open. They were in space! Actually in space! Despero was sucked out due to the pressure change, poor sucker didn't even try to resist, and was thrown into the darkness, turning end over end as he spiralled away. Seble thought it was a horrible way to die but seeing as the monster wanted to kill them all- her especially- she didn't feel too bad about it. Very quickly he was out of sight and she breathed a sigh of relief. Turning around she leant against the wall and massaged her temples. Helping deal with a psychotic monster trying to kill you really gave a girl the mother of all headaches.
The sound of laboured breathing was all that could be heard for a while, then the gibbon changed back to a kneeling human-ish boy. Seble remembered Aqualad calling him BeastBoy. BeastBoy slumped down on his side, giving a weak whoop and pumping his fist in the air.
"Dude, we did it! We actually beat Despero, kinda!...Yes…." His hand slumped weakly down above his head as he finally gave in to exhaustion. Seble smiled still feeling giddy with the fading adrenaline. Aqualad approached her and she looked up tiredly at him, expecting to be rewarded for her part in saving them, but quickly became alarmed when he raised his sword at her just centimetres from her face, his demeanour suddenly very aggressive.
Her hand once again went to her mouth. "Get up and start walking." He gestured with his sword towards the exit. Confused, Seble tried to speak but he only pressed his sword closer so she got up, arms up in surrender. It was like the phrase 'out of the pan and into the fire.' Though she realised that technically if this place belonged to these people, then weren't they the ones who apparently kidnapped and locked her up in that room? The feeling of comradery left her fast. BeastBoy slowly hauled himself up looking confused.
"What're you doing Aqualad? Also, who is she anyway, wasn't she just helping us out?" He asked but despite defending her he quickly moved to help Aqualad restrain her. But despite Aqualad's obvious wariness handling her, BeastBoy leisurely side-stepped the tall, lean serious man and took hold of her hands, looking up at her with a reassuring smile as he handcuffed her with a couple of cable ties around her wrists. The gentleness of his movements made Seble smile back nervously. Whatever she was being accused of it was always better to not aggravate the people holding her captive.
With a satisfied huff he allowed her to lower her now restrained hands. Aqualad's eyes just narrowed further making BeastBoy back away from her, tail and ears lowered in submission. "Just asking dude, didn't know that was such a crime..."
"To enlighten you, she is what attacked Robin, so I am sure you are very aware as to how dangerous she is. Nightwing has specifically asked us to keep her restrained," Aqualad's eyes snapped towards him as he explained. "We cannot let our guards down with her. Now move."
BeastBoy looked at her with wide eyes making her feel like a monster, much like the one who had been attacking her a while ago. She couldn't believe she had attacked someone! And when would that have happened? Last thing she could remember she…
As memories flooded her mind she felt horror well up inside her. She clearly remembered the events at Wayne Tech, finding out Francis was an alien, almost dying… but she also saw glimpses of something or someone else. Hunger, then joy, the smell of blood, pain, an old man's face and strangely feeling really sleepy. It was like watching a movie, or seeing events form someone else's body. Aqualad mistook her sudden panic for aggression and swung his arm up high, blade transforming into a whip as he brought it down fast towards her throat. She let out a strangled cry as the whip wound tight around her throat. He yanked his arm back making her fall flat on her face. BeastBoy shouted in alarm and seemed to be arguing with him, but Aqualad listened to no one as he continued his hold on her neck. Not even able to struggle the last thing she saw before she blacked out was a dark silhouette standing by the doorway and it was Batgirl who stepped through, arm held weakly at her side as she limped in clutching the wall for support. Then Seble's vision went completely black and she passed out.
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As I was writing I was thinking that maybe someone might think Aqualad sounds a bit too violent nearing the end? Is there a reason? Who knows! No, there is an actual reason don't worry guys all will be revealed.