I know this was supposed to be a one-shot, but I got new ideas while watching the last five episodes of season 2.
This is set in episode 219: Summit.
Enjoy & review!
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She Stands by His Son
He watches in surprise like the others as Ra's al Ghul rips Tigress's pendant off her neck. He gapes like the others as her skin darkens and her hair turns blond, and her expression changes to one of horror.
He recognises Artemis long before Savage finds his tongue and utters her name.
His son shifts, preparing to intervene, and suddenly he knows.
They faked her death. Together. Probably so they could stay together and avoid the complications of being on different sides. He honestly hadn't thought the relationship between Kaldur'ahm and Tigress could be so strong yet – they couldn't have known each other for that long – but Artemis was (is) an old friend and teammate. Their synchronism makes more sense now, and so does the deep level of trust they show for each other.
Ra's says something about Zatanna or Doctor Fate, and he supposes they must have fooled one of those two into making the pendant.
Then that Reach snake accuses them of being traitors, Kaldur'ahm stays silent (they will have to have a talk about how one should respond to accusations like that, because not saying anything is usually not a good idea), and he knows he has to intervene. The truth is he doesn't care if it is Artemis or Tigress standing there; the girl has proven herself numerous times before, by caring for his son and watching his back, and even by choosing him over her own family, although he didn't know about that part before now.
Deception about her true identity or not, she has chosen her side. Her loyalty is to his son and he will honor that. Protect them, even if it means antagonizing the Reach or even some of his other "colleagues".
"No! You will not kill my son – " Or Artemis, the end of his sentence, is never voiced. One comment, two gunshots, and Deathstroke lives up to his name.
In slow motion, his son falls, red on his armor, and he catches him before he hits the ground. Tigress-Artemis lays on the rocky ground some distance away, a broken doll with glassy eyes where a proud warrior should still stand tall, and he knows he has lost this fight before it could even begin.
Lost his son, for good this time even if he is still breathing, because Deathstroke never misses. Because his future was dead before she hit the ground, and he will be following her soon.
"Kaldur!" Hang on, my son. Hang on! A futile prayer, considering who was behind the shot.
"It is too late, father." Yes, he knows it is. But - "I have already… won." Wait… What?
Then Kaldur'ahm goes limp, the arm he was holding against the wound falling to the side, and Black Manta loses his son.
He misses most of what the hologram says, but he still hears enough.
Too much. This is not what he wants to remember of the boy lying dead in his arms – it doesn't matter anymore anyway, although he can feel his heart break at the news that they never truly stood together. He prefers to remember that his son fought for the cause he believed in until the very end, even though that cause wasn't his own – that he accomplished great things, even if against him.
That despite their opposing ideals, he can be proud of who his son was.
Then his boy opens his eyes and gets back up, soon followed by Artemis, and his already fissured world – his illusion – shatters.
"Kaldur… You're – "
"Alive."
The next thing he knows, they're preparing for a fight. He's not entirely sure what he tells his son, but it can't be good – that hard and unforgiving façade one has to put on in this business is something he falls back on by reflex by now, and he sure as hell isn't clear-headed enough right now to think about doing anything else.
They fight, and each word out of Kaldur's mouth makes more damage than anything he could ever dish out physically.
XXX
He wakes up in Belle Reve an unknown amount of time later. He won't cry – doesn't remember how – and he won't seek revenge – doesn't want to. Not against his son.
Kaldur'ahm has won. His plans, not to mention his organisation, are most likely all in tatters by now and it might be years before he can rebuild. Does he even want to start anew? Does he still have the energy for such a big project at his age?
Truth to be told, he doesn't know. Doesn't know where he stands or what he should feel towards his son. Isn't even sure of who he is anymore.
Black Manta, member of the Light and opponent to the Justice League and its allies, among them his own son? The frustrated, faceless civilian whose name he left behind so long ago it takes an effort to remember it? A mix of both? Or has he become somebody else entirely, this aging man who only months ago dreamed of grandchildren and a happy, peaceful future, who took the precious treasure of his son's loyalty for granted and failed to see he was being duped just because he wanted so badly for it all to be true?
Was he truly the reason for his son's betrayal, as Kaldur'ahm himself claimed? Did he do something wrong?
One day, he gets told he has visitors.
XXX
She stands by his son, silent, stone still and completely expressionless, a mix of Artemis's golden hair and Tigress's costume. Unwavering support. Unbreakable loyalty.
The bars still separate them. They aren't on the same side and might never be again, but suddenly it doesn't matter anymore.
He remembers the little girl of his daydream months ago, and realises that pale hair he saw could very well be her mother's.
He won't say that sort of thing – cannot say that sort of thing – and yet the truth remains.
I still approve of your relationship with my son. I don't know what it is exactly – I have been wrong on so many other things before – but what I do know is what it could become. We may not share the same ideals, but I trust you with my son's safety and life just as I would with his happiness should you take that path.
And I have to admit that even now, I wouldn't mind you being part of the family.
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Poor Black Manta. Am I the only one who found the way Kaldur dealt with him in Summit especially cruel? First breaking his heart by "dying" on him, then re-breaking it by revealing he was a traitor all along, and then telling him it was all his fault? Seriously, was he trying to hurt him as much as possible? Because if he was, I've got to say he did a great job.
If the series continues, canon will probably prove the end of this story wrong with Black Manta seeking revenge on Aqualad and/or Artemis, and considering what he did, I won't blame him.
Don't get me wrong; Kaldur is one of my favorite characters, but the way he acted towards his father in that episode isn't something I can see as anything other than a big and cruel mistake – a form of torture, even. If the roles were reversed and Kaldur was a bad guy instead of Black Manta, we'd all hate him for that – and I honestly can't think that his being a "good guy" makes it alright in any way.