Hey there, everyone! I am SuperHeroTimeFan, and I am back with another new chapter of Path of the Padawan. Thank you all for liking my story, Christian Jedi, KrautYank, JacklyinKarst, RozenMaiden7, Ocnarf, and the Guests. Your praises mean so much to me! I can't thank you enough for all of your support! Now, before I move onto the chapter, I will first answer everyone's questions. First off, we have Ocnarf, and surprisingly, only Ocnarf. I do not think that I can add in Spectre because I don't know how to add him in, nor do I know that much about him either. Also, I answered the rest of your questions concerning the Star Wars Universe and Earth-16 via Private Message, so I don't think that there is any need to go on. Considering that that was everyone's questions, it is now time to move on to my new chapter! All credit goes to The Christian Jedi for giving me these ideas, so thank you so much, Christian Jedi! Now, here is Chapter 9 of Path of the Padawan! Please review, rate and enjoy!
Chapter 9: Mirage
Mount Justice January 23rd 2357 hours
M'gann sat alone in her room as she prepared a peanut butter sandwich for herself. She started to think about what had happened over the past month as she finished up her meal and sighed. "Ahsoka's sure made a great impact on the Team." M'gann said to herself out loud. She started to chuckle as she thought about Ahsoka even more.
Just then, a loud screeching noise came from out of nowhere. M'gann gasped and looked around. She got up from her seat and started to walk around. "Is anyone there?" she asked nervously. She had finished recovering from her injuries in Smallville, but she was still prepared for anything that came her way. Just then, the screeching noise emitted again, this time from her right side. She looked over to her side and then walked over to where the noise was coming from. She looked to her window, but saw nothing but rain. She then gasped as she heard the noise come from behind her, at her mirror. M'gann gulped as she quickly changed into her uniform and walked over. The mirror started to distort itself and warble, but M'gann still went on.
M'gann reached the mirror and looked at it. To her surprise, her reflection started to change its color and appearance. Now, standing before her was a silver version of herself. M'gann raised an eyebrow and glared at the doppelganger. "Who are you?" she asked. The silver self just grinned and clenched her right hand into a fist. M'gann continued to stare down the stranger. All of a sudden, the reflection jumped out of the window and strangled M'gann as she pushed her towards the door. M'gann gasped and started to pant. "Anyone, help!" she yelled out, but heard no response. Have they all abandoned me? M'gann thought to herself anxiously. The dark self nodded no, as is she knew what she was thinking. With one mighty push, M'gann was sent flying out the door and into the halls. The mirage clenched her hand into a fist again and charged into the halls to face M'gann.
M'gann got up and gasped at her dark self. As she got up, the evil M'gann sent a straight punch at her. Miss Martian blocked the attacks gutted her reflection in the stomach before looking to the rest of the Cave. "Everyone's gone!" she exclaimed to herself in surprise. Just then, the dark M'gann sent some more punches at M'gann, who fought back. As the two backed away from each other, they charged at one another once again to punch. The punches were equal, but M'gann was sent farther back than the silver one. "Who are you, and why do you look just like me?!" M'gann demanded. The dark self chuckled as she kicked M'gann in the chest, causing her to bow to the ground. The silver one then picked her up by the cape and punched her up to the ceiling, where she fell to the ground soon after. As Miss Martian attempted to regain herself, the silver clone punched her to the wall. M'gann screamed in pain, but it died down after she fell to the ground in pain. She fell onto her knees as she looked up to her evil self nervously. She laughed as she formed her hand into a sharp arrowhead. "There is nowhere you can run, there is no place you can hide, where I cannot find you!" the dark side proclaimed with white glowing eyes. M'gann started to stutter in fear as the evil Martian neared her. "Do you think you are ready to face me?" she demanded. M'gann gasped in horror as the blade of the Martian was brought down upon her. She let out a scream of terror as she felt her heart come to a stop.
Mount Justice January 24th 0116 hours
M'gann let out a scream of terror as she darted out of bed. She sweated and panted as she looked around. Everything seemed to be normal. She continued to pant as she felt her forehead dripping with sweat. "It was just a dream, Megan. It was just a dream." She told herself reassuringly. M'gann's started to widen with shock as she felt something run on her chest. Looking to see if anyone wasn't around, M'gann shifted part of her top clothing to see what was going on. She gasped with horror as she finally saw what was going on. The slaughter of her might have been a dream, but a shallow gash of blood remained near her heart. M'gann started to hyperventilate anxiously before covering up her chest and going back to sleep, crying this time.
The next morning, the rest of the Team had arrived and immediately started to train. M'gann had been silent the whole time, even when she was training with Robin. The Boy Wonder stood in a fighting position as he grinned to the Martian. Ahsoka, who was training with Artemis nearby, stopped the battle and looked over to M'gann. "What's wrong, Ahsoka?" Artemis asked concernedly. Ahsoka shrugged as the two looked over to Miss Martian and Robin. When Robin performed a right hook, M'gann suddenly gasped and caught his arm, but she didn't let go. "Let me go!" Robin yelled, getting everyone's attention. Miss Martian started to pant as she turned around and grabbed the Boy Wonder by the mask and flipped him over her back. The Team widened their eyes as Robin fell to the ground with a grunt as M'gann flew into the air and dove back down to land a punch. Dick yelled in pain as M'gann punched his left arm. The Team gasped as the sound of bones cracking echoed throughout the room.
Black Canary pushed the Team members aside as she glared at M'gann. "That's enough, M'gann!" Dinah scolded the Martian. Miss Martian was still panting and having an angry look on her face until she widened her eyes with shock. Ahsoka walked over to her and pulled her up. "What was that for?" Ahsoka asked concernedly. M'gann squirmed and held her arm across her chest to reach for her left one. Dinah placed a hand on her hip in disapproval, but then gasped with Ahsoka as the two noticed some blood run down her chest. "What happened?" Ahsoka asked nervously. Superboy ran over and looked to M'gann. "I… had a bad dream last night. It just felt so real!" M'gann cried as she let go. Ahsoka placed a hand on her shoulder as she had the Martian female lie down on the ground. "I'll try to heal the wound." Ahsoka stated. M'gann nodded as she closed her eyes. The boys started to back away as Ahsoka started to place her hands over M'gann's exposed upper chest
After a couple of minutes, Ahsoka placed her hands away as M'gann opened her eyes. She looked to see that the gas was gone, and then shifted back to her original clothing. "Thank you." M'gann stated. Ahsoka smiled as she did the same to Robin's arm. After another couple of minutes, Robin stretched his left arm and smiled at the Ex-Jedi. "That felt great!" Robin exclaimed. M'gann hid her face away in shame as the rest of the Team started to walk up to her. "You're not the only one with nightmares." Wally stated. M'gann and Ahsoka looked to them as Robin nodded. "Was your dream about some sort of evil clone killing you?" Dick asked. M'gann nodded and her eyes widened when she heard this. "We've all been having them." Ahsoka sighed and stepped up. "Let's all just share them so that we can get them off of our backs. They can't be that bad." Ahsoka suggested. The Team nodded as they all walked up to each other to share what they were going through. As the Team was starting to talk about what nightmares they were having, in which they were all the same, Ahsoka looked over to Aqualad standing all alone. I wonder why he isn't joining in. Ahsoka thought to herself. Quietly, Ahsoka walked over to the Atlantean while the rest of the Team continued to chatter.
Kaldur'ahm looked to the Team in sadness. Not because of the nightmares they were all having, but because of some recent events. He thought about Tula, about Garth, about everyone he had left behind in Atlantis to be on the Surface World. He might have a crush on Raquel; he still had his heart set on Tula. He was so buried in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Ahsoka walking over towards him. "Is something wrong, Kaldur?" Ahsoka asked gaining the Atlantean's attention. Aqualad stuttered and then turned to see Ahsoka. "Forgive me, Ahsoka. I was lost in my thoughts." Kaldur explained. Ahsoka smiled. "I understand. I'm sorry if I was interrupting any thoughts." Ahsoka apologized. Kaldur dryly chuckled and sighed. "This situation is serious. All of my friends from Atlantis are starting to disappear, and I don't even know why." Aqualad stated. Ahsoka's eyes widened as she soon started to think back. Anakin used to be the same way, always so stubborn, but he would never give up on those closest to him.
Just then, everyone's thoughts were interrupted as Batman entered the room. "I have a mission for you all." The Dark Knight stated monotonously. The Team lined up and watched as Batman pulled up a holoscreen. "Kobra has been performing operations in Kenya. Several surveillances show that Deathstroke, Killer Frost and Mammoth are behind the operations. Your mission is to find Kobra's base and discover what it is they're up to." Batman ordered. The Team nodded as they all went to the Bioship for immediate departure.
As the Team was heading onboard the Bioship, Ahsoka and Aqualad were the last to head on. Before Ahsoka could make her way into the Bioship, she suddenly turned around and looked to Kaldur. "What is it, Ahsoka?" Kaldur'ahm asked. Ahsoka sighed and shook her head. "If what you say is true, that the Atlanteans are starting to disappear, then it's your responsibility as leader and Aquaman's loyal partner to go there and find out what is going on." Ahsoka reasoned. The Team stopped walking and looked back to the two. Lux walked over. "If your king's subjects are being taken, then it's up to you to get to the bottom of whatever's going on." Lux urged on. Aqualad looked aside to think for a moment before sighing and looking back to the two strangers from the next dimension. "Thank you, both of you. Your wisdom is far beyond mine." Aqualad gratuitously thanked. Ahsoka and Lux smiled as Aqualad looked to them again before taking off to the ocean. "Ahsoka, you are Team leader." The Atlantean ordered. Ahsoka nodded as Kaldur ran towards the edge of the Hangar Bay, jumped and twirled into the air and then dove into the ocean below. Ahsoka smiled as she and Lux ran into the Bioship. "Let's go!" Ahsoka ordered. The rest of the Team chuckled as they were soon off.
Bialya January 24th 1116 hours UTC
Sylas and Black Widow, alongside with ORDER's two top generals, Victor Deacon aka Striker and Alakshmi Mira aka Syrena, watched as Count Vertigo, former and honorable member of the ORDER, tried to fight against the monstrosity known as the Zillo Beast with his psychic powers. Sylas gritted his teeth at the sight of the resistance and looked to Alakshmi. "Bring out the turrets." He ordered. Syrena nodded and bowed slightly. "It will be done, my lord." The Persian woman stated. She looked to her robotic hand and snapped it off. Under the hand was a concealed button. Syrena gave a 'tsk' noise from her tongue before pressing the button.
At that moment, Count Vertigo ran from the Zillo and away to the safest spot he could find. Before he could reach it, however, turrets started to emerge and open fire upon the Count. The execution of Vertigo was swift and painful, as the four left the room soon after. Sylas gritted his teeth in a calm frustration. "What… moron gave humans free will?!" he rhetorically asked. As the four were walking down the hall, Sylas redirected his group over to the Surveillance Centre. "There's something important going on." He stated. Barriss smirked as Sylas brought up an image. "Kobra is operating in Kenya. We shall require their large surplus of Kobra Venom." Sylas explained. Barriss stepped up and placed her mask on. "I am ready and willing to perform your tasks, Sylas." Black Widow stated. Sylas sighed and nodded his head in disagreement. "I do not mean this in offense, but we need you to remain hidden until the time is right." The headman of ORDER explained. Barriss took off her mask and nodded. "I understand, Master." Barriss said respectively. Sylas smiled at Barriss and then looked to his two generals.
"Striker will ensure that any distractions or complications of this operation will be taken care of with swift action." Sylas ordered. Victor stepped up and bowed. "It will be my pleasure." Striker stated. "While that will be occurring, Syrena shall infiltrate the Cult's Base of Operations and steal all the Kobra Venom that Kobra has in their possession." Sylas added on, looking to Alakshmi. "I will not disappoint you, my liege." Alakshmi promised in her usual Persian tongue. Sylas chuckled. "Good, this is very good. I know that my best two generals would never let me down." Sylas stated. The two generals started to chuckle as Barriss smiled to them.
Algeria 1138 hours UTC
The Martian Bioship flew directly over Algeria and made a B-line straight across Africa all the way to Kenya, where the Kobra Cult was holding their operations. "We should land here, somewhere near that savannah." Ahsoka ordered. M'gann nodded as they flew down. As soon as the group got out, M'gann started to feel a bit woozy. Ahsoka turned around and gasped. "It's too hot for you, M'gann. Stay here." Ahsoka ordered. M'gann nodded no as she shifted her clothing to match Ahsoka's first Jedi attire. M'gann took a deep breath and then let out a sigh. "That's much better." She said to herself. Superboy and Ahsoka smiled at this as the Team went onwards. "I'll race you there!" Kid Flash teased to the Ex-Jedi. Ahsoka smirked. "You wish!" she quipped back. With that, the Team was off. Kid Flash decided not to use his super speed, but Ahsoka made a game out of the workout. The rest of the Team laughed as they soon decided to join in.
Atlantis 1146 hours EST
Aqualad swam through the cities of Atlantis as he looked for each and every one of his friends. "Tula, are you there?!" Kaldur called out. There was no reply. Aqualad panted and tried to call out to his other friends, but there was no response from them either. Neither Garth, La'gann, nor anyone replied. Aqualad furrowed his brow in frustration before swimming off further into the ocean. "They have to be somewhere!" Kaldur said to himself.
Just then, he saw a black floating object up ahead. Aqualad narrowed his eyes and swam up ahead. His eyes widened as he saw what was happening. Black Manta's personal vessel, the Manta-Sub, was docked at the coast of Africa! Aqualad panted. "I need to inform the Team immediately!" Aqualad said to himself as he swam away. Before he could, he thought to himself. "They're here!" he remembered. With that, Aqualad went into Stealth Mode and swam past the blockade of Black Manta's forces.
Kenya 1207 hours UTC
Ahsoka and the rest of the Team ran up behind some rocks and spied on the enemy Kobra Cultists. Robin looked over and gulped. "Snakes, I hate snakes." He cursed to himself. The others nodded as the Boy Wonder and Kid Flash looked over to the temporary leader. "So what's your plan for getting past these guys?" Wally asked. Ahsoka smirked and looked over to a small crate. Robin and Zatanna looked over to the crate Ahsoka was looking at and they immediately widened their eyes. "You want to use a beat-up box?!" Robin asked. Ahsoka just chuckled. "This always worked with me when I was still with the Jedi." Ahsoka explained. Connor looked over to her and raised an eyebrow. "How did you get expelled from the Jedi anyways?" the Boy of Steel asked. Ahsoka sighed. "I don't like to talk about it." Ahsoka stated. The others shrugged in understanding as Ahsoka went on.
"The smallest member of the Team will crawl under there to make their way past the enemy lines while the rest of us distract the enemies long enough for said person to infiltrate the base." Ahsoka explained. "It's basically live bait." Ahsoka added on, gaining some understanding mutters from the Team. Robin smiled and looked to Ahsoka, who was smiling back to him. "That's a great idea! It's–" Robin started out, but widened his eyes with shock as Ahsoka started to smirk evilly at him. "Hey!" he silently whispered. Ahsoka groaned and looked to the Boy Wonder. "Come on, Robin. You're the smallest and stealthiest member of the Team. My plan is foolproof." Ahsoka reassured him. The Boy Wonder placed his hands on his hips and stated, "I am not about to sneak into that Kobra Cult headquarters under a box! No way, man, there's just no way!"
"I cannot believe I let Ahsoka talk me into this!" Robin complained later on, in fact under the beat-up box, like Ahsoka had planned. Robin started to crawl and mutter silently to himself as he made sure he was getting past the radars of the enemies. "You're doing great, Rob!" Ahsoka complimented the Boy Wonder through the Psychic Link. Robin muttered something to himself before replying. "Gee, I'm so glad that I could be of service, so BLOODY happy!" Robin uttered back.
From above, Ahsoka and the rest of the Team watched as Robin was crawling through the enemy lines without being noticed. "Hear what's going on around you. Don't stop, just keep going and remember to listen for enemy footsteps." M'gann reminded the Boy Wonder. Just then, the sound of some footsteps caught their attentions. "So, you're the amazing Team I have heard about for all this time." Striker stated to the Team. The Team turned around to see him walking towards him. From head to toe in combat armor, Striker stood before them. "Who are you? What do you want?" Superboy asked. Striker chuckled. "I am Striker, the ultimate Combatant of the illustrious ORDER." Striker snapped back. Rocket furrowed her brow and held her hand up, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's ORDER?" Raquel asked in confusion. Striker chuckled. "In a matter of minutes, that won't matter. I want to see what you're made of, so give me a challenge!" Striker demanded, unsheathing a long, black lance-like sword and pointing it to the ground in a fighting stance. "Bring it on!" he yelled. Ahsoka, Superboy, Rebel and Artemis all stepped up and stood ready to fight. "M'gann, keep Robin intact and on task. We'll take care of this Weapon Nut." Ahsoka ordered. The Martian nodded as Ahsoka activated her twin lightsabers, followed by Artemis unsheathing her longbow while Superboy cracked his knuckled and Lux unsheathing his Darksaber and pistol. "Let's go!" Ahsoka yelled. The Team nodded as they all went to fight off Striker, who charged into the fray.
Meanwhile, Aqualad neared the Manta-Sub and looked onwards. "Black Manta!" Aqualad muttered to himself, as he saw the manta-based villain. He could also see Tula, Garth and La'gann, all being held prisoner. "The Atlanteans are ready for experimentation, my masters." Black Manta reported to the Light. Ocean Master smiled. "Excellent work, Black Manta, we will await further test results." Ocean Master stated. "As queen of Bialya, I have cut off all routes heading your way, thus ending any complications." Queen Bee added on. "You forgot about me." Aqualad quipped as he made his entrance into the underwater laboratory.
Black Manta ended his transmission with the Light. After that, he craned his neck and turned around. "You are a worthy adversary, Kaldur'ahm, but you are nowhere close to Aquaman yet." Black Manta sadistically greeted the Atlantean. Kaldur growled and looked to his friends. "Let my friends out of this." He ordered, unsheathing his Water-Bearer hilts. Black Manta chuckled and unsheathed a Water-Bearer hilt of his own. "Sorry, Kaldur'ahm, that won't work." Manta quipped. The two then swam towards each other as they readied their fists for battle.
Above the ground, Striker continued to battle the Team. He knocked Superboy aside and then pushed Kid Flash to the side. As Rocket attempted a kick to the chest, her foot met Striker's sword as Rebel and Artemis clashed with him on both sides. Striker broke off with Lux as he kicked away Artemis. He was able to send a quick slash to the Senator while he turned around to clash first with Artemis, then with Zatanna. Ahsoka leapt over Striker's blade as he continued to slash at the rest of the heroes. As he turned around, Ahsoka was there, waiting for him to strike. "I was wondering when I'd get the chance to use this!" Striker stated, pulling out a familiar item. Ahsoka gasped as she realized what it was: Barriss Offee's previous Jedi lightsaber. She angrily activated one of her lightsabers and Force-Grabbed Lux's fallen pistol. Striker responded to this by pulling out his own pistol similar to Lux's and the two stared each other down.
Meanwhile, Deathstroke was sharpening his sword with a rock. As Killer Frost and Mammoth were sparring with each other, they heard a loud explosion come from above. "What was that?" Killer Frost asked. Deathstroke held up a hand and looked up to see and hear what was going on. "There are some intruders. Let's go take care of them." Slade announced. Mammoth and Frost nodded in agreement as they all walked up to the battle. Robin, who was still hiding under his crate, looked up. "They're gone." He stated in much relief. Robin chuckled and ran over to the base. Inside, he found millions of computers. Looking around to see if anyone was there, Robin walked up and plugged in a flash drive. "Let's see what you're up to." The Boy Wonder said to himself. Just then, something hit the Boy Wonder in the back of the head. Robin fell to the ground unconscious as the last thing he saw was a woman walk up and lean in towards him.
Outside, Ahsoka and Striker activated their lightsabers. Striker shot first and blasted straight at Ahsoka Tano. "No you don't!" Ahsoka yelled as she jumped out of the impact and shot back. Striker jumped into the air from the blast and the two met in the air, where they clashed blades. The two circled each other in the air before landing on the ground and clashing fiercely. Ahsoka jumped up and kicked Striker, but the assassin knocked her to the ground. Ahsoka groaned and leg-locked Striker and threw him to the ground. "That lightsaber is Jedi property! I want it back!" Ahsoka yelled as she shot another set of rounds at Striker. Striker back flipped into the air and then jumped back down with the blue lightsaber drawn. Ahsoka and Striker charged at each other and began to clash again. The Shadows had arrived and saw the Team. "Who is that guy?" Killer Frost asked skeptically, pointing to Striker. "He looks like that soldier who escaped the Shadows." Slade deducted.
Ahsoka and Striker both continued to clash until they locked blades with each other. "It seems you're fond of this lightsaber." Striker stated. "I demand the Jedi weapon." Ahsoka stated. "Do you mean the lightsaber of Barriss Offee?" Striker asked back. Ahsoka gasped. "Barriss Offee! How dare you mention her name!" Ahsoka snarled. The Team looked at the scene in confusion as Ahsoka and Striker broke off. The two swirled around and shot at each other. The blasts made the two get a distance away from each other. Ahsoka charged up all the Force she had into her weapons, as Striker's seemed to glow with fire. Ahsoka shot her blaster, followed by a slashing attack from her lightsaber. Striker mimicked the same attack and the two attacks collided with each other in thin air. "Now!" Ahsoka yelled. She shot at Striker's hand and the blue lightsaber flew into the air. Ahsoka caught the blue lightsaber and looked to Striker. "Game over, Striker." Ahsoka quipped. Striker growled and disappeared into thin air. The Team and the Shadows gasped at this. "Where'd he go?!" Zatanna asked. Just then, a cloud of golden feather appeared. The Team and the Shadows looked in confusion as Robin fell out. Zatanna gasped and ran to his aid. "Robin, are you alright?" the mage asked. The cloud of gold feathers disappeared as Robin woke up. Zatanna noticed that there was a large red mark on his cheek. "What happened?" Robin asked. He looked to his hand to see the flash drive, and then to an anxious Zatanna. "You're bleeding." Zatanna exclaimed.
At that moment, Aqualad and Black Manta leapt out of the ocean. Aqualad looked over to the Team. "There are a group of Atlanteans being held hostage underwater! You need to rescue them!" Aqualad ordered. Ahsoka nodded as she sheathed her new lightsaber. Kaldur continued to look to his teammates as Black Manta snarled. "You need a wakeup call, Kaldur!" Black Manta exclaimed. Aqualad looked back up as Manta stepped forward. "You gotta learn about consequences." Black Manta added on. Aqualad craned back and looked down. "The Light needs to learn about consequences. You, on the other hand, need to get off my back." Aqualad quipped orderly. Black Manta walked forward as his cupboards on his gauntlets opened up. "When you interfere with the Light, the Light does not take it lightly. You need to die." Manta said as Aqualad reached for his Water-Bearers. "I'll be sure to strike an ultimatum at the Light, just as soon as I see a change of demeanor in your black heart." Kaldur exclaimed, unsheathing his Water-Bearer hilts. "That won't be happening anytime sooner." Black Manta spat back, pulling out his single Water-Bearer. Aqualad stood ready as the two charged up their weapons with the water from the ocean. Soon, Aqualad's right mace clashed with Manta's sword. "It's our way or the highway!" Black Manta yelled. Aqualad threw him off and swung with his left sword. "Then I'll take the highway!" Kaldur screamed back. The two continued to clash blades as the Team went to rescue the captives.
Atlantis 1542 hours EST
Ahsoka swam underwater with the rest of the Team as they saw the captured Atlanteans. "Let's go!" Ahsoka yelled. Luckily, Miss Martian had set up a psychic link to let the Team talk underwater. The Team nodded as they swam faster. Ahsoka activated her new blue lightsaber and cut away at the Manta Troopers as M'gann whipped them all around. La'gann took notice of the Martian female and gazed with wonder. "She is one beautiful angelfish." The Atlantean captive stated. Tula looked over to La'gann and rolled her eyes. At that moment, Ahsoka cut them loose of their binds. "Kaldur'ahm is fighting Black Manta above! Let's go!" Ahsoka yelled.
At that moment, Aqualad and Black Manta entered the ocean, clashing blades with each other. Aqualad kicked Manta away as the elder chuckled. "You have the skill and anger it takes to join the Light. Join us, Kaldur'ahm." Black Manta taunted. Aqualad grunted and threw him off. "Never!" he exclaimed. Ahsoka swam towards the two as they continued to fight in a flurry. Ahsoka dashed straight forward as Black Manta sent a punch to Aqualad's jaw. "You'll die, then." Black Manta exclaimed. Before he could attack the Atlantean, Ahsoka spun around and used the Force to create a cyclone of water. Black Manta looked to the side as Ahsoka spun with all the water she could manipulate and drill-kicked Black Manta in the chest, sending him flying into the deep blue sea. Ahsoka looked to Aqualad worryingly. "Are you alright?" she asked. Aqualad smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Ahsoka." Kaldur said. The two chuckled as Aquaman soon arrived and took the captured Atlanteans back home.
Mount Justice 1600 hours
As the Team was recovering from their battle in Africa, Ahsoka trained with Aqualad. "So, you never told me what it was with you and Tula." Ahsoka said as she swept her leg under Kaldur's. Kaldur started to stutter as he held up his hands in surrender. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently. Ahsoka chuckled. "I noticed the way she looked at you when I was freeing them. What is it?" Ahsoka asked. Aqualad chuckled and spread his arms out. "A while back, Tula and I were in love. It all changed when I was chosen to become Aquaman's partner, Aqualad. After I had left Atlantis, Tula and my best friend, Garth, had fallen in love with each other. Nonetheless, it's a burden I have to carry as leader." Aqualad explained. Ahsoka nodded with understanding as she thought back to how her master, Anakin, would always feel the same way and do the same thing. "I vow to protect you, the surface world, and Atlantis, even if it kills me to do so." Kaldur went on.
Ahsoka smiled at the Atlantean and patted him on the shoulder. "When Master Anakin carries a burden, he keeps it, but always fights for me and for the ones he cares about. I'm honored to stand by one with such a devotion to friends, Kaldur." Ahsoka stated. Aqualad smiled. "I'm also honored, to be fighting alongside a fine warrior like you, Ahsoka Tano." Kaldur replied back. The two laughed as it was the start to a new friendship.
Meanwhile, M'gann was inspecting Robin's bruise to the cheek. "How serious is it, M'gann?" Zatanna asked anxiously. M'gann felt the bruise and lifted an eyebrow. "It's serious, all right. So serious, in fact, that the 'blood' was nothing more than lipstick." M'gann stated. Zatanna's eyes widened with shock. Robin also shared the same reaction. "Somebody kissed me?!" he asked in disbelief. Zatanna stuttered. "Whoever did it is so dead! D-E-A-D, DEAD!" Zatanna mumbled to herself, but it was loud enough for the two to hear.
Bialya 1616 hours UTC
Sylas looked to Striker and Syrena, both bowing before him. "I take it the mission was a success?" Sylas asked the two. Alakshmi stood up and nodded. "I have stolen the Kobra Venom as you instructed, my lord." Syrena informed her headman. Sylas chuckled. "You did a job well done, Alakshmi." Sylas complimented the Persian. Alakshmi smiled as she tossed around her silver hair.
Sylas then looked down to Striker. "Mr. Deacon, you have performed admirably as well." Sylas complimented his assassin. Victor stood up and smirked. "I give you my thanks, Sylas." Striker stated. Sylas chuckled. "I have a mission for you, one that involves a visit to the Expanded Universe." Sylas explained. Striker nodded as the three headed down to the laboratory, where Barriss was waiting for them. "You are to collect weaponry, including lightsabers." Sylas informed his top general. Striker scoffed. "It's a piece of cake!" he retorted. "Then get the job done." Sylas ordered. Striker nodded as he walked through the Multi-Dimensional Gateway and into the Expanded Universe. Sylas chuckled the minute he left. "Everything is going as planned." He stated sinisterly.
Author's Note: Well, I hope that everyone liked the new chapter. I would like to especially thank The Christian Jedi for helping me out. By the way, be sure to read his awesome story, Fallen, But Not Forgotten. It is heartwarming, and totally worth reading! Thank you all for your support. I promise a new chapter will be out later on this week. Please review and rate this story, I am keen to hear from you all! For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off. Have an excellent week, and make right decisions!