Hey there, everyone! It's me, SuperHeroTimeFan again, back with yet another new chapter for my best story, Path Of The Padawan! Thank you all for helping me to get this far. That goes for The Christian Jedi, Logan GC, JacklyinKarst, YellowFlash67, Scourge from BloodClan, Darkest Nightmare's Dread, The Fusion Base, Kamen Rider Blaze, The Advent Master, Master Eubulon Alternative, Neo Kamen Rider Chrome, Hay Lin x Tsukasa Kadoya, Ross Blum the IV, PowerHour2013, Dwayne McDuffie, Slade The Terminator, Sergeant Connelly, Phoenixia8, RTheAwesome, leo0074, Cyber Orteck, iyfan635, Mainalpha, UltraJohn567, revanchists unite, TheGreatGodzilla, Virgil1989 The Crossover King, Vergil1989 The Crossover King, ccheng1234, Spartan111MS, Yin7, ChloeMcPhail94, Superfan44, rancorlover, Darrian808, Skyblue55, InfiniteWriter, The Eternal Lord Draconious, Flaming Dragon, Sonarkiller27, God's Angel of Music, shin obin, Robin Rani, Falcongal, randomy, Swimmer555, All4TheSnow, Moreanswers24, JediSpiritMonk, trickster3696, Jenn, pootisman343, Princess9903, Hylianodst, Ahsokanerd, Crashingthroughthesnow, link01742, chalant4eva, honorableninja, darkspineodd, witchsoul531, Useless Whispers, Crystal-Rose-Lover, Ahsokalo, KrautYank, Ocnarf, and of course, all of the Guests. Honestly, what would I do without you guys and girls? To the Guest reviewer, I cannot assure you for a fact that I will be able to get a new chapter on the day that I started Path Of The Padawan, but I'll try my best to get out a chapter around that time, I promise. Since that is all, please allow me to move onto my next chapter, marking the forty-sixth chapter of Path Of The Padawan, and five more chapters until the finale. Don't worry, everyone, I have a surprise after the finale, but you all must promise to be patient enough for me to complete my story. Anyways, here it is! Please be sure to review, rate, and as always, please enjoy!
Chapter 46: Vixen
Chernobyl, Ukraine September 14th 0016 Hours UTC
ORDER Troops ran throughout the halls of the Chernobyl Chemical Factory, being led by Sargent Slick, now with purple paddings on his armor. Ahead of them was a hail of gunfire, coming from every side of the corridors.
"Subject must be found and contaminated at all costs!" Sylas ordered throughout the speakers. "You heard him!" Slick yelled to his troops. "Move out and find her!"
At that moment, a decapitated ORDER Trooper was sent flying though the air from the now-on-fire corridor. A feminine figure emerged from it, panting heavily as she looked to the forces, her eyes lighting up white.
"Fire!" Slick commanded. He and the rest of the ORDER Troops all shot upon the girl, but she just sped past all of the bullets and blaster bolts like a cheetah before goring one of the Troopers and then snapping another Trooper's wrist, grabbing his blaster and shooting the third one in the face.
The female figure then noticed that she dropped something. Looking to the floor and seeing a chamber full of blue light and a white core, she started to dash for it. Darting and slashing back at forth at the other ORDER troops that got in her way, she finally was able to pick it up before heading towards the door, where Catwoman and Cad Bane followed.
The female, scarred and singed, smashed through a wall and then leapt into the ocean. Sylas finally arrived at the scene, with Barriss Offee and the Terror Titans behind him. He turned to Barriss and craned his neck. "Find her." He ordered. Black Widow nodded silently before the Xanadu Blood, piloted by Cad Bane, arrived and they all jumped in, flying off after the girl. Sylas turned around and sighed as he looked to the damage done. "This will not be easy to tell the Council." He told himself as he placed on a golden helmet with a T-Shaped Visor, leaving away from the base, the base finally exploding behind him.
Mount Justice, September 14th 2216 Hours EDT
Ahsoka Tano trained hard with her twin lightsabers as M'gann and Lux both held back a series of swords. After ten seconds, Ahsoka looked to her friends and nodded. "Release!" M'gann called out. They released all of the swords, which Ahsoka then started to cut through. Zatanna and Robin both watched with interest as Ahsoka made no attempt to slow down in her practices.
M'gann then threw a sword straight at Ahsoka blade-first. Ahsoka looked to the sword and then stabbed her lightsaber out in front, splitting the sword into two. After all she was done with all of those swords, she sighed and deactivated her lightsabers.
"That was quite a workout." Ahsoka said as Wally handed her a water bottle. M'gann chuckled and placed her hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "You know, I'm beginning to think that you're not a Padawan after all, considering all we've been through together on missions." The Martian stated. The rest of the Team chuckled as they entered the Kitchen, where Connor, Serra, Saw, Garfield, Barbara, and Jaybo were. They were watching the show, "Man Overboard" until a news report interrupted the show.
"This is Iris West-Allen, reporting from Happy Harbor, where I have just learned that there is someone or something rampant on the loose." Iris reported. Immediately, everyone turned to Connor, who turned to Serra. "Wasn't me!" They both exclaimed before going back to watching the news flash.
Iris then walked up to a man by the name of Harry Oblong and placed the microphone up to him. "Well, I was working at the fuel depot, almost about to get paid $50,000,000 in cash for my years of hard work and devotion until some kind of girl attacked me." He stated.
Everyone then shifted their eyes from Connor to Serra, who seemed in shock. "Hey, I was in Japan earlier with Ahsoka, introducing me to Katana." The Shan stated. The Team all turned to Ahsoka, who nodded in confirmation.
Robin looked to the TV and dialed on his hologlove. "I have a match on the location of the fuel depot." He stated. "It's by the Happy Harbor Mainline, 16th avenue."
"Let's go." Aqualad said. Everyone nodded in agreement as they all ran to their motorcycles. When the Hangar Doors opened, they were on their way to the Railroad.
Happy Harbor 2222 Hours EDT
The Team all parked their bikes and walked the rest of the way on foot. While they were scouting, Wally turned to Artemis with a grin on his face. "I bet that it's Devastation, out for revenge when Novastar took him down." He stated.
Artemis rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Puh-lease! If anyone's attacking people out of the blue like that, then it's either Silver Martian or Prowler, from the ORDER, not the Light!" She remarked. "My bet is that it's probably Enola." Raquel stated.
Just then, Aqualad stopped them all by just a lift of his hand. He looked to the ground, as well as Ahsoka. "Our suspect appears to be a size seven." Ahsoka stated. Before anyone could comment on the joke, Saw started to stroke his finger on what appeared to be one of a series of footprints. "What the Hell came here?" the Onderonian Soldier asked.
Aqualad soon got the Team to be quiet. "I hear something." He whispered quietly. The Team all stopped and Aqualad, Kid Flash, M'gann, Artemis, Ahsoka, Lux and Serra all entered their Stealth Modes, turning practically invisible to the naked eye. "Establishing Psychic Link now." M'gann said telepathically. Aqualad nodded as they all prepared their weapons.
All of a sudden, a large shriek was heard from around the corner. The Team all gasped and looked to each other in surprise before running over to check out what was going on. Ahsoka and M'gann placed themselves in front of the Team for protection.
Then, it happened. At that moment, red lights started to cover the shadows, and a feminine figure was seen, leaping into the air for a kill. Aqualad led the Team to the side of the fuel depot, and then, right there, they found their mystery.
The Team saw Xanadu, shooting spells at someone, but her vicious face turned into a nervous one as a hand rail was thrown through her robotic arm. "Xanadu!" Falcon called out as he, Inertia and Ultraboy all looked in shock before being punched and kicked away very hard by the same person who attacked the witch.
There stood a teenage girl. She was dark-skinned, by the looks of it, and she wore a singed, orange shirt with red shoulder pads and torn denim jeans. She let out a loud snarl before slamming Blood Bane into the ground. Angrily, she looked around to the rest of the Terror Titans before running in to attack Xanadu once again.
Connor and Serra looked over the side and both ducked, avoiding getting hit by Xanadu's detached mechanical arm. The rest of the Team all came out and stared in awe at the adolescent, taking out most of the Terror Titans. "Wha-?" Ahsoka asked before Jaybo exclaimed, "Whoa!"
The young girl then flogged Blood Bane before using a single finger to stab him aside, but didn't anticipate Ultraboy jumping on her back. Usually, Ultraboy could outweigh anyone, but this young girl kept her ground before actually biting onto Falcon's upper body and then throwing him to the side with her teeth and then stabbing Enola with her bare foot.
The Team all ducked as Falcon was thrown towards them. The evil twin of Robin, not even caring for the Team, screamed in horror and ran away from the fight. "That just bites." Dick said. Artemis looked to the Terror Titan run away and nodded. "Yeah, I never thought I'd actually feel sorry for the ORDER." She stated.
Just then, they all heard the girl start to snarl. Black Widow shot a web at the young adolescent before Prowler threw one of her shock arrows to Xanadu. The two electrically shocked the young dark-skinned girl, causing her to scream as Silver Martian started to perform a psychic attack. The girl continued to yell even more in pain as the attacks on her kept pressing on. Barriss then walked up to her and activated one of her lightsabers, aiming it at the adolescent girl's face. "Tell me where the ORDER's power cell is, and we may just decide to spare your life." Widow threatened.
The girl looked up to the zealous Mirialan Jedi and snarled. "Never!" she yelled. The rest of the remaining Terror Titans began to push on their attack by this very response.
Ahsoka then reached for her lightsaber and looked to the others. "Come on!" she yelled.
Black Widow glared before raising up her lightsaber into the air. "That was your last chance." Barriss remarked, now bringing the lightsaber down onto the girl.
Just then, Ahsoka threw her lightsaber shoto into Xanadu's chest, causing her to turn into golden mist and fade away back to the ORDER HQ. The rest of the Terror Titans looked into the air with much surprise before Ahsoka then flew down and fired at all of them with her arm-mounted crossbow. Prowler attempted to shoot back, but Ahsoka just jabbed her lightsaber into her chest before using Prowler to swing at Ultraboy and then slamming them to the ground. She shot even more at the rest of the Terror Titans and then looked Barriss into the eye. "Leave. Her. Alone." The Togrutan threatened calmly.
Barriss Offee gasped as she then activated her secondary lightsaber. "Trust me on this one, Ahsoka. You really want to stay out of this one." Ahsoka's former friend stated. "This girl is dangerous."
"Not as dangerous as the torture I endured from the Zygerrians." Ahsoka remarked. "I am not about to see that torture be done on anyone else, ever again!" With that, Ahsoka attacked Barriss, who then formed her double-bladed lightsaber in response while the rest of the Terror Titans prepared to kill the dark-skinned girl, now unconscious.
"Well, I guess that settles it." Jaybo stated as he unsheathed an electrostaff. Aqualad then led the rest of the Team into battle to help out Ahsoka.
Ahsoka continued to battle Barriss until Prowler started to aim an arrow at her. At that moment, an arrow was sent straight through Prowler's head before she was kicked aside by Artemis. Ahsoka gasped and turned around, getting a wink from the archer. Ahsoka grinned back before going back to her battle with Barriss.
Aqualad then started to duel with Blood Bane. The evil Atlantean started to thrust and jab at Aqualad, but he ducked from all the attacks and avoided getting even a single cut. Kaldur then activated his Stealth Mode, getting Blood Bane confused. "Come on out, and the death toll just might go down." Blood Bane called out. Aqualad only replied with a scoff before appearing behind Blood Bane and stabbing him in the back, sending him away.
Kid Flash and Inertia both engaged in a lightspeed battle. Both moving extremely fast made it difficult for anyone to see their movements. Finally, Saw sent a shot into the thin air, revealing a wounded Inertia, dissipating into mist as Kid Flash came out soon afterwards. "Nice hit." Wally stated, high-fiving the Onderonian Soldier.
M'gann and Silver Martian engaged each other in a psychic battle. When it seemed like Silver Martian was winning, Miss Martian just grinned and crossed her arms. "Fight back, wench!" Silver Martian demanded, but Serra just threw her lightsaber at Silver Martian's chest, causing her to fade away as well.
Connor didn't need any strategy to take down Ultraboy. All he just did was throw multiple rocks at his counterpart. Ultraboy saw this coming and punched them all away, but then Connor grabbed his face and threw him to a power line, electrocuting Ultraboy in the process before Raquel and Jaybo shot down Enola and Zatanna sending a spell at Xanadu, which shattered her into mist and sent her away back to the ORDER HQ like Prowler.
Beast Boy started to tend to the girl, knocking aside Xanadu's arm while doing so. "Are you okay?" Garfield asked. The girl looked up to Garfield and started to mutter something. "Ngingomunye nemvelo. Umyalelo akufanele athole mina." Garfield gasped and immediately recognized this as African language. Since he lived out most of his life there, he let out a tear and grabbed the girl's hand. "Wena kuzolunga, ngiyathembisa." Beast Boy replied back. The girl smiled before slipping into a slumber. Garfield then got up and looked to Ultraboy. Morphing into a vicious snake, he wrapped himself around Ultraboy and squeezed him until he faded away into crimson mist.
That was when Barriss then extended all of her eight spider legs. Ahsoka started to cut through them all quickly, but this gave Black Widow the chance to stab at Ahsoka. Ahsoka saw this coming, however, and lunged with her azure lightsaber, knocking Barriss's lightsaber aside and then destroying Black Widow's helmet. Barriss gasped as she was then knocked back.
Black Widow soon got up and noticed that every one of the Terror Titans were finished off. She aimed her lightsaber at the Team angrily and sprouted her wings. "You haven't seen the last of me!" she cried out before flying away. "Justice League, always getting in my way!" she yelled soon after.
Ahsoka deactivated her lightsabers and ran to the girl. She was still unconscious, but was groaning from what she had endured. Ahsoka placed her hand to the girl's heart and sighed. "She's alive." The Togrutan stated to the Team. Everyone looked quite surprised at what had happened before Ahsoka reached for the girl's hand. "She needs medical attention, though. We'll take her back to the Cave."
"NO!" the whole Team soon exclaimed. Ahsoka looked to them all with surprise as Zatanna stepped up with much nervousness. "Did you even see what he did to Xanadu's arm?!" the mage asked. "Or how she tossed aside Falcon?!" Robin added on more strenuously. "We can't bring her back!" Wally stated. Serra looked to everyone and nodded. "It's best that the police get her instead."
"Fine!" Ahsoka remarked. "I'll bring her back myself." She stated. With that, she started to put the young girl on her back. The rest of the Team looked on with widened eyes as Ahsoka lifted the young girl onto the sidecar of her Jedi Cycle, and then leaving back to the Cave. The Team all sighed before getting on their own motorcycles and following after Ahsoka.
Mount Justice 2301 Hours EDT
At Mount Justice, in the Kitchen, Ahsoka had set the girl, still unconscious, onto the couch and looked her over. She was also placing her hand over her chest, to Force-Heal her from her fight. "It seems that she'll live." Ahsoka stated to the rest of the Team. However, they were still doubtful and a bit fearful about the girl after watching everything she did to the Terror Titans.
"I still can't believe we let you talk us into this!" Connor exclaimed. Serra seemed to share the same sentimental feeling as Connor, but tried to hide it from her best friend. Ahsoka smiled and stood up to take a better look at the girl they saved. "What are you saying? Just look at her!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "I mean, she's so peaceful."
"Ahsoka, she's knocked out… cold." Batgirl stated as Wally walked into the room with some cuffs. Ahsoka looked to Wally and Force-Pushed him against the wall, causing the speedster to groan. "Whoa! What are those for?!" the Togrutan asked with concern. "I hate to say this about a girl for the first time, but she's dangerous, and we need to restrain her." Kid Flash reasoned.
Ahsoka let Wally down, but the Force-Crushed the cuffs. "Are you kidding?! That is so wrong! After all, we just saved her, for crying out loud!" Ahsoka exclaimed, placing her hand onto the girl. "The first thing she's going to do when she wakes up is thank us." The Togrutan also reasoned.
At that moment, the girl's eyes started to open. Ahsoka smiled at this and turned to the Team. "See, she's perfectly–" Ahsoka started out, but was then thrown aside by surprise. The rest of the Team stood ready as Ahsoka looked up with widened eyes. "You know, it could be the second thing she does." She stated.
Batgirl tried to throw a batarang at the adolescent, but she just knocked it aside before turning to the Team. "We need to get her under control!" Garfield yelled.
The girl didn't listen to anything that the Team had to say and immediately grabbed Kid Flash by the face. "Help me! Help me!" Wally cried out for dear life. Artemis aimed a crossbow and glared. "I've got you, Baywatch!" she exclaimed. She then shot a rope around Wally's body and started to pull him in, but Wally started to shriek. "Not like that! Not like that!" he whined.
The girl growled and threw Wally at everyone. "Ngikuphi?! Kungani ngilapha?!" she demanded in African. Everyone gasped at this before Robin sent a taser cord at the young adolescent, sending her unconscious again.
Batman and Black Canary soon ran into the room. "What's going on here?" the Dark Knight asked with concern. Connor decided to speak up for everyone. "Ahsoka had us bring some sort of wild chick back to the Cave, and she attacked us!" the Boy of Steel explained.
Ahsoka glared at Connor before walking up beside the unconscious girl. "She needs our help!" she exclaimed. "That young girl attacked us upon awakening." Kaldur stated. "She's a really dangerous monster!" the Boy of Steel exclaimed.
"Didn't you feel just the same way when you were first awakened, Superboy?" Ahsoka asked dangerously. The rest of the Team looked on with silence before Connor started to stutter. He placed a palm up to his face in sadness and regret before Ahsoka looked to Batman. "She was fighting against the ORDER, and even though she was gaining an advantage over them, she was severely beaten." Ahsoka explained further on.
Batman's eyes narrowed at the mention of the ORDER. "Explain." He simply demanded in a calm demeanor. Aqualad stepped up. "Barriss was demanding the location of some sort of power cell, and since the girl refused to reveal its location, the Terror Titans started to torture her, but thanks to Ahsoka, she was saved." The Atlantean explained.
Black Canary nodded after hearing all of this information. She then looked to Ahsoka and nodded. "Ahsoka, I'm proud of you. You made a very wise decision in giving this young girl sanctuary." The Bird of Prey stated.
Ahsoka smiled and stroked her Montrals before looking to Lux. "I couldn't bear to let it happen to hear as it nearly happened to Lux when he and I were in a situation with Death Watch." Ahsoka said. Lux looked to Ahsoka and smiled. "You were the one at the time who saved me, so I should be thanking you." He replied back.
Batman looked to the young girl and noticed some cuts and scabs on her. "Her scars run deep, but they are the shields of a genuine heart." He stated. He then looked up and turned to Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, when she awakens, befriend her." He ordered. All of the Team looked to Batman. "This girl needs someone to trust, and since Ahsoka had taken it upon herself to take the girl in, she will look after her, just as I looked after Robin." The Dark Knight explained.
"We'll also need to know what she knows about the ORDER." Batman added on. "That's why the rest of the Team needs to find this Power Cell before anyone else in the ORDER can." Black Canary stated.
"But we're still handcuffing her, right?" Wally asked nervously.
Batman and Black Canary sighed simultaneously. "Take any necessary precautions, but do not make her feel like a beast." Black Canary ordered.
Garfield then looked up to Aqualad. "I spoke to her before she passed out earlier on. She's from Africa, just like me." Beast Boy reported. Aqualad nodded and looked to the Team. "We're going to Africa for clues." He stated. The rest of the Team nodded and all ran to the Bioship for departure.
Ryloth System | Resolute…
Obi-Wan looked to the monitor and started to type away. Since Anakin needed time to meditate, he was now in charge. The rest of the Clone Troopers and Admiral Yularen were all in separate rooms, and the ship was still in place due to the lack of fuel and the overload of its afterburner. "I hope to find Ahsoka soon." Obi-Wan Kenobi said to himself as he continued to look at the maps.
Just then, he hears a voice. "Obi-Wan, can you hear me?" an old and friendly voice asked. Obi-Wan gasped and turned around. There, behind him, was a Jedi, transparent, and wearing tan, Jedi robes. "Master Qui-Gon?" he asked. Qui-Gon Jinn nodded as Obi-Wan stepped away from the controls.
"What brings you here? I haven't seen you since our trip to Mortis." The Negotiator stated. Qui-Gon chuckled and walked around. "It is nice to see that you are a proud member of the Jedi Council, and a Master at that." Jinn said peacefully. Obi-Wan placed his hand to his beard and stroked it. "So, what brings you here?" Obi-Wan asked once again.
"Not long ago, I spoke with Ahsoka. She is in good hands, but I sense her conscience is starting to mislead her." Qui-Gon explained. Obi-Wan let out a soft gasp as he paced around the room. "This could be the work of Mortis again. After all, when the Father died, the Son was the only one remaining before we all left." Obi-Wan deducted.
"Ahsoka is one of Anakin's vital keys to being the Chosen One. When you find her, she must not be denied becoming a Jedi once again." Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan nodded before Qui-Gon faded away.
Earth-16 | Mount Justice 2325 Hours EDT
At Mount Justice, the young girl was now placed on a chair. Her legs and chest were bound together by metal, but her hands and mouth were free. Her eyes started to twitch, and all of a sudden, she awoke. "Where am I?" she asked in English. She tried to move, but then noticed the metal clamped onto her. In attempt to find her center, the girl closed her eyes. She was about to recite a chant until she heard some footsteps approaching.
"I'm glad to see that you're finally awake." Ahsoka said as she brought some soup with her. The girl sighed and looked up. "Set me free!" the girl demanded. Ahsoka started to hesitate at this. "I'm sorry, but I was given orders to do this to you or you might attack me." The Togrutan stated with sadness. "But don't worry. Me and the Team helped save you from the ORDER."
The girl sighed, but the let out a hand to the side and made a scratch on the wall, hard enough to be seen. Ahsoka gasped at this and then gave the girl some soup. "Here, this should help you replenish your strength." The Togrutan said. "I whipped it up myself." Ahsoka added on. "By the way, my name is Ahsoka, Ahsoka Tano." Ahsoka finally said, introducing herself to the new girl.
The young adolescent looked to the bowl of soup as Ahsoka then offered her a spoon. Ahsoka wasn't such a good cook, and since this was her first time, she felt nervous about what the new girl might think of her work. Turning away, the girl started to have some soup. After a while, she chuckled. "This is the best thing I have ever tasted!" she exclaimed. Ahsoka's eyes widened with surprise as the girl started to have some more.
Africa 2129 Hours UTC
The Team soon arrived at Africa, where they landed near a sculpture consisting of a series of sharp rocks. "Stay together, and keep an eye out for anything that may be the Power Cell." Aqualad ordered. Serra sighed and placed her hands out while walking with the Team. "Sometimes, it's good to be stealthy." She said out loud.
All of a sudden, a sharp piece of slate was thrown towards Serra. The Team all ducked as the slate flew past them. Robin and Garfield both gasped then at Serra, who seemed to have been beheaded. After a while, she came out of thin air, indicating that she was in Stealth Mode when the slate was thrown. "And sometimes, it's good to have an intangible Stealth Mode made for you by a young genius." Serra then said, placing a hand to her head.
Just then, wild animals started to surround them. "Anyone feel like this is nothing but a redux of our mission to India?" Artemis asked. "It's a trap!" Aqualad yelled. Soon, all of the wild animals of Africa started to run after the Team, all running and trying to find a safe place to hide. More slates and animals started to bombard the Team as they tried to fend themselves from the dangers coming their ways.
Back at Mount Justice, Ahsoka was now sitting across from her new friend. The two were silent, not knowing what they should talk about. After a while, Ahsoka started to speak up. "So, what's your name, anyways?" the Togrutan asked.
The young girl looked up and stuttered. "I… am Mari Jiwe McCabe." Mari stated. "I go by no other name but my own." She added on.
Ahsoka looked over to Mari and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Were you ever a hero?" she asked. Mari just shook her head, implying that she meant 'no'.
Ahsoka gaped as she looked to Mari. "You have powers that could be put to good use!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "You really need a good hero handle."
Mari turned her head to the side, starting to think. "You know, up until now, I haven't really thought about it." She stated. Ahsoka smirked and looked Mari all over. She then noticed a small-sized necklace under Mari's chin, in the shape of a fox.
"Nice medallion." Ahsoka complimented. Mari looked down to it and smiled. "It's an heirloom that was handed down from my family." Mari explained. Ahsoka smiled. "It's a nice fox." She stated. Mari then shook her head in disagreement. "It's not a fox, it's a Vixen." Mari corrected.
"Well, that can be your hero name: Vixen." Ahsoka stated. The two girls smiled at each other before Ahsoka sat back down in her chair. "So, why did you attack us?" Ahsoka then asked. Mari sighed at this, raising calming herself down. "Forgive me for my earlier… outburst." Mari stated, thinking back to what happened. "Inside, I have a demon that I can't control. I'm a monster."
"Well, maybe that's just what you think you are. But if you learn to calm yourself down and find a center, you can control your wild side, and prove everyone who thinks of you as a monster wrong." Ahsoka suggested.
Mari smiled and nodded. "Thank you." She stated. The two smiled to each other once again.
"You are wise beyond comparison, you know that?" Mari asked. Ahsoka sighed and placed her hands behind her head. "Yeah, no one seems to notice that quality about me." Ahsoka gloated. The two girls laughed as they started to talk.
Back in Africa, the Team continued to run and fend themselves from the wild animals. Just then, Beast Boy noticed a small hut. "There's a place to hide!" he yelled out. Everyone nodded as Serra Force-Pushed them all inside before using Force-Speed to get inside herself, letting the animals run by.
Once the Team was inside of the hut, Robin looked around. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. The Team all looked around as they saw pictures of a young girl with animals of the savannah. Robin looked to one part of the wall and inspected it. He started to stroke his finger along the wall, and all of a sudden, a square piece pushed forwards, revealing a hidden cabinet.
The Team all looked to what was behind the cabinet. There was a small container with a chamber of blue energy and a white core. Wally then started to take out two rods. "This thing's really giving off some power!" he stated. Upon placing both of the rods to the chamber, an electric surge was sent through the speedster, sending him back to the other wall, much to everyone else's surprise. Wally groaned and waved his fists around in the air. "First the badge, then the Tactical Droid, the missile, and now this!" he yelled out. "Why am I the one who always has to touch the weird ORDER STUFF?!" He asked out loud.
The Team then all headed back for the Bioship, and since the stampede had passed, they were safe. "Do you know what the ORDER would use this thing for?" he asked Jaybo, who was looking to it while Wally was carrying it. "Well, with the right components, it could power practically everything!" Jaybo exclaimed. "Flashlights, lightsabers, cities on the moon, you name it." He added on.
"I wonder why that girl would even want it." Batgirl asked. Artemis placed her hand on her hip and placed her other hand out. "Well, let's take it back to the Cave and ask her." She suggested.
Mount Justice September 15th 0222 Hours EDT
As soon as the Team got back, they saw Ahsoka, leaning against the wall and waiting for them. "Hey, guys." She said calmly. The Team all nodded at Ahsoka before she suddenly got excited. "Vixen's really off the chain, I swear!" she exclaimed.
The Team, after thinking about who 'Vixen' was, widened their eyes in surprise upon the thought of Vixen being the girl and all readied their weapons. "You mean you set her free?!" Serra asked, her lightsabers already activated.
Ahsoka raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?" she asked. The thought then hit her. "Oh, no, nothing like that. From what I learned in Earth language, it just means that she's cool." The young Togrutan explained.
The Team all sighed with relief before Ahsoka turned her head to the side. "And that's why I set her free." She finished up. The Team all gasped and turned, seeing Mari standing at the entrance to the Hangar Bay and having some more soup. She looked to the Team and sent them a small salute.
Ahsoka saluted back and also waved, while the rest of the Team was in shock. "You're saying that you let that maniac loose?!" Wally exclaimed, his eyes wide enough to become bowling balls. Everyone turned back to Ahsoka as Kid Flash chuckled nervously. "Maybe you forgot that she grabbed me, by the face." He said calmly. "So, I'll remind you: she grabbed me… BY THE FACE!" Wally then yelled.
"Baywatch, you've been hurt worse since." Artemis teased, kissing Wally on the cheek.
"Why did you let her loose without any consent?!" Aqualad asked. Ahsoka chuckled and placed her hands up in defense. "She's all calm now, trust me." Ahsoka reassured them all. Aqualad sighed as he and Ahsoka walked up to Mari.
"So, Vixen," Aqualad started out calmly but nervously. "About the ORDER…"
Ahsoka's eyes widened with surprise as Mari dropped the bowl, letting it shatter at the ground. She then punched the side of the wall and growled.
Aqualad looked to Ahsoka with a stern look on his face. "What were you thinking?!" Ahsoka demanded. "You said that she was calm!" Aqualad exclaimed.
"WELL DON'T GO SAYING THE 'O' WORD AROUND HER!" Ahsoka yelled out loud.
"What else should I do?!" Aqualad asked, spreading his arms out. "Just ask her about her day, like anyone else would!" Ahsoka exclaimed back.
Aqualad sighed and walked up to Mari again, who was now back to being calm. "Okay, Mari, how was your day?" he asked casually. Mari panted as she tried to control himself. "It started out terrible." She replied.
Ahsoka sighed at this and placed her hand on Mari's shoulder. "Mari, you know that you're in a safe place now, right?" she asked. Mari nodded at Ahsoka and said, "Yes."
"The Team just needs to ask you a few questions. Do you think you can handle that?" Ahsoka asked again. Mari looked up and continued to pant. "I'll try." Mari promised. Ahsoka smiled and looked to the Team with a hand on her hip. "Now, what is it that you wanted to ask?"
The Team all then looked to Wally. Everyone let him through as he nervously approached Vixen. "We just want to know…" Wally started out before taking out the canister they found in Africa. "What this is."
Vixen gasped at this, and her eyes went white. Soon, she twirled into the air and slammed her foot onto the side of Wally's face. "Oh, come on!" Kid Flash complained as he was sent to the ground. Ahsoka looked in much surprise as the rest of the Team got out their weapons. "This is not my day!" Wally yelled out, muffled under Mari's foot.
Aqualad and Serra both charged at Mari first, trying to hit her, but then, their blades were blocked by Ahsoka. "Don't hurt her!" she exclaimed. "She's gone rogue again!" Serra yelled, but Ahsoka just broke off with their blades and then Force-Pushed them both away before Mari leapt over her and kicked away a flying attack from Superboy.
Vixen growled and then looked to the ground, where the strange canister was. Robin looked to it and gasped, throwing a birdarang at it and letting the canister slide away to the other side of the room. Vixen gasped and ran after it, but Robin tackled her. Mari then started to glow as she rolled over, slamming Robin against the wall hard. Saw and Beast Boy attempted to attack, but Vixen just threw Robin at Garfield and got into a scorpion stance, both hands and one foot on the ground while the other was in the air.
Saw and Batgirl then attacked, but with Mari's stance, she was able to jab and kick them both away before Ahsoka activated her lightsaber, getting Vixen's attention. When she turned to Ahsoka, the Togrutan deactivated her lightsaber calmly. "Mari, calm down!" Ahsoka yelled. Mari was about to regain control of herself until she noticed that Ahsoka was holding the container in her hands. Snarling at Ahsoka, Vixen punched at the ground, sending out a shockwave. Ahsoka jumped into the air, but didn't anticipate for Vixen to then roughly kick Ahsoka to the wall, making a large crater in its place.
Vixen growled and looked around. All of a sudden, her eyes started to revert back to normal. She once again looked around to everyone, except with shock this time. "No." She whispered to herself. She then turned to see Batman run in and look at the Team with horror. Mari cried and started to head to the water. "I'll leave." She said somberly. Even though the Dark Knight didn't show it, he was starting to feel sorry for Vixen before she jumped into the water and swam away.
Kaldur soon started to come to. "Is everyone alright?" Batman asked. The rest of the Team woke up and started to moan. Serra looked around and noticed that something was wrong. "Where's Ahsoka?" she asked.
The rest of the Team widened their eyes with shock before Lux stepped up. "She couldn't have gone after Vixen." He said. "I mean, no one would be reckless enough to follow her."
The Team then all gasped with surprise before coming to their conclusion. Superboy looked to where Ahsoka used to lay and then noticed some footprints from the spot leading into the ocean. "I have a bad feeling about this." The Boy of Steel stated.
In Africa, Mari anxiously cleared her way to her hut, where she placed the container down and lit up some candles that were around a picture of her and some animals and started to chant a mantra. "Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba, Sithi uhm ingonyama. Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba." She chanted.
All of a sudden, she heard the door open up behind her. Not caring to turn around from the shame, Ahsoka's voice was heard. "Vixen! Why did you attack my friends?" the young Togrutan asked. "I thought we were friends!"
"I tried to warn you, Ahsoka." Mari stated, shifting her head to the side and her eyes to Ahsoka. "There's a demon inside of me that I can't control, so I decided to distance myself away from you, and your Team." She added on. "So, that is why I must be alone."
"Vixen!" Aqualad's voice then came out. Ahsoka turned to see that the rest of the Team had followed her, just as Ahsoka had followed Mari. Saw then aimed his blaster pistol at Mari while Lux with his own blaster. "Step away from Ahsoka, or we'll gut you like a Rokarian Dirt-Fish!" the Senator of Onderon threatened.
"Please! I mean her no harm!" Mari cried out, getting the Team to ease up. "It was the ORDER that made me this way!" Vixen stated, starting to explain more about herself. "I was only a young girl, living here in the wild because my parents didn't approve of the savannah and left me there after making the decision not to destroy the wildlife I was trying to protect."
"That's when the ORDER came. They kidnapped me and subjected me to horrible experiments with the Symbio-Enhancer. I had the power of every animal in the Circle of Life, but I didn't want the ORDER to bring harm to any other living being. So, I escaped from them with my powers one night, and stole their Power Cell." Mari finished up.
The Team was heart-struck by the sound of Mari's story. "What does the ORDER want with it?" Aqualad asked.
"It powers the Trans-Dimensional Gateway, a portal Sylas uses to travel between the Universes." Mari explained. Ahsoka gasped and then snapped her fingers. "So, that's how Barriss came here and joined the ORDER, as well as Slick and everyone else!" she exclaimed. Mari nodded and looked to the Power Cell once again. "Without this, the ORDER cannot enter other Universes, or emigrate from one Universe to the other."
From the outside, someone's metal staff slashed a rock apart while a hand started to glow with fire.
"I swore to keep this Power Cell away from them, even if it meant the cost of my own life." Vixen finally finished up. The Team looked on with awe before sudden gunfire was sent their way. "Get down!" Ahsoka and Serra both yelled, the two activating their lightsabers and deflecting the rapid fire action.
Lux looked outside and then gasped as six figures approached them. Each of them had the symbol of a cross on their jackets, which were pitch-black and they all had red and gold streaks of hair. There were only two females and four males. "I know them!" the Onderonian Senator exclaimed as he turned back to the Team. "Kendo the Sniper, Martyr the Man of Metal, Rekka of Flames, Scauldon of the Tai Chi Arts, Eternum the Ever-Living, and Maria the Cyclone Goddess, all from Team Gaia, a faction of the ORDER that Sylas introduced on the day of his revelation!"
"Hand over the Power Cell that belongs to the ORDER, Team!" Scauldon exclaimed. "Never!" Vixen yelled out. Artemis and Saw then started to appear from out of the windows and shoot at them, but Eternum and Rekka just sent the blasts aside or absorbed them. Aqualad, Serra and Batgirl all leapt out and then started to clash with Martyr before Ahsoka send her lightsabers towards the ORDER Troopers that they brought along with them.
Soon, the whole Team was up against Team Gaia and the rest of the ORDER. Ahsoka guarded Vixen from Martyr as they both engaged in combat. "We'll keep you safe, Mari!" Ahsoka exclaimed. Vixen just looked in shock as the Team took on the organization that she once feared. Find your center. Ahsoka's voice said in her head. Vixen did just that as she sat on the ground in a meditating position. All the sounds of combat became mute as her eyes closed, and her mind opened. After two minutes, a vision came into her head.
Mari looked upon the savannah. The animals of the wild roared and bellowed, roaming everywhere. "I… am one with nature." Mari said to herself as she then touched her necklace. "I… am one with nature." She repeated once again. Her eyes started to close as she now had found her true center.
'I… AM ONE WITH NATURE," Mari said out loud, her eyes glowing. The Team all stopped to see what was going on, even the ORDER. Ahsoka gaped as she watched Vixen float in the air. "Find your center." The Togrutan said quietly to herself. Mari's eyes opened and glowed blue as the tattoos on her body then began to glow as well. "AND NATURE LIVES WITH ME!"
Animals started to run around her in the air. Their forms were spiritual, and they lit up the sky. The Team was in awe while Eternum turned to the Troopers and Kendo. "Fire upon her!" he ordered. The Troopers all nodded and started to shoot, but that's when more animals of the wild started to appear.
The ORDER stood in shock as a snake started to strangle Scauldon before he was pulled into the mist covering the area. Dolphins started to stampede upon Rekka, cancelling out her flames. Lions tackled Martyr as he started to run, and wolves began to surround Kendo. Maria was then pulled into the wind by eagles as Eternum was the last one standing. The Team continued to watch as Vixen flipped in the air and stood in a battle position, glaring at the leader of Gaia. She spread out her arms, causing every animal to charge at Eternum. In a white Flash of Light, Team Gaia and the ORDER Troopers were gone.
Vixen landed on the ground and then looked to the Team, all in shock. After a while, they all started to cheer and run up to her. Vixen smiled at this, and Ahsoka ran up to her and they immediately hugged. "I knew you could find your center." Ahsoka said with confidence. Vixen laughed as the rest of the Team congratulated her.
Mari then walked up to the Power Cell and picked it up. She then walked over to the Team and placed it in Ahsoka's hands. "You should hold onto this, for safekeeping." Vixen stated. Ahsoka nodded and patted Mari on the shoulder. "You did a good thing, Mari." She complimented. Aqualad looked to her and smiled. "If you're ever around in Happy Harbor, don't hesitate to visit us." He reminded her. Mari smiled and nodded back. "It was a pleasure meeting you all." She said.
"Now, with your help, I can begin my new path." Mari finished up. The rest of the Team sent Mari warm smiled as Ahsoka extended her hand. "See you again." She said. Mari happily nodded at this, and the two shook hands as the sun began to rise.
Bialya 2345 Hours UTC
Sylas placed on his helmet as he looked to the Council of the ORDER, all with helmets and armor on as well. "We hear that you have lost the only Power Cell needed for the Trans-Dimensional Gateway to function." O-6 stated with much concern in his voice. Sylas looked over to the colleague and sighed. "With all due respect, August, I no longer find it to be a reliability." He reasoned.
"So, Col. Trademore, what's your new plan?" O-4A asked while blowing some cold air. It then turned into an ice snake before she tightened her fist, causing it to shatter. Sylas looked to her and smirked. "Eyce Bone, you needn't worry." He reassured the female. "Soon, the plan to rule together will come into complete fruition." He stated.
"Meeting Adjourned." Everyone said simultaneously before ending their transmissions. Sylas then removed his helmet, and placed a hand to his head. "What is this strange disturbance?" he asked himself, sensing something dangerous lying ahead. The only vision that came into his head as he walked away was a red face, yellow eyes, and spiked horns. "This, Sylas, is just the beginning!" the voice exclaimed before its laughter started to fill the base.
Author's Note: I hope that everyone liked this new chapter that I made. It took me little time to get done, I can tell you that, ironically considering every other chapter I have written. I promise to get a new chapter that will celebrate the one year anniversary of this story out when the time comes. Please be sure to review, rate, and if you can, please try to Private Message me for anything on the story. For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off! Have a great week, everyone!