Scene 46 - Bittersweet
The sky continued to darken and everyone was pressed for time but they still gathered at Metropolis to listen to Luthor's plan on disabling the MFDs. Ember stood beside Captain Atom apprehensively and crossed her arms, frowning a little at the sneaky CEO of Lexcorp. She couldn't believe that they were actually co-operating with someone from the Light. Whatever, this was going to be a one-time thing and it would be better to get it done and over with. Once the briefing over, her mentor recruited her and Eduardo Jr. into Alpha Squad. Theirs was the only three-man squad since the runaway insisted on joining his friends to help out.
Just as all the squads headed their separated ways, Alpha Squad crossed paths with Sigma Squad and Aqualad said, "Good luck, Captain Atom."
Her mentor replied, "Likewise, Aqualad." The Atlantean nodded and turned towards Brianna, giving her a look of encouragement. The girl shrugged and flew off to join Nathaniel at the Zeta tube to be whisked away to another part of the States.
They flew while Eduardo teleported to the co-ordinates Blue Beetle sent them and the trio found an MFD floating above a lake while a handful of security drones protected it. All three of them hid behind a bush to plan their attack. "Ember and I will clear out the drones. Once you're in the clear Eduardo, teleport behind the MFD and place the egg. Do not engage in the drone; just wait for our signal which would be the word 'clear.' Understood?"
The young teenaged boy nodded, a little annoyed that Captain Atom was treating him like a child but at the same time, he knew that he wasn't as experienced as them when it came to fighting multiple targets at once without getting hit.
Pressing a communications device in his ear, Nathaniel spoke, "Alpha Squad engaging drones." Brianna's mentor then flew out first as a distraction and all the drones immediately fired on him on sight. The man flew around in a circle and the machines just followed him blindly. Seizing the chance, the brunette snuck up at the back of the line of drones and threw two knives which took out two of the robots. Sensing the disturbance behind them, the three remaining drones turned around and began to fire lasers at her.
The girl shot fire in retaliation to disrupt the path of the laser and as they were weak to mystical powers, the lasers dissipated upon impact with the flames. Ember was quite thankful for her gifts now. Captain Atom then fired an energy blast to destroy the machines that were hassling his student. Brianna dipped down quickly to avoid the explosion and found herself mere inches from the water's surface. Looking back up, she saw all the drones were gone. "Clear!" The brunette bellowed and Eduardo teleported in a flash to the back of the MFD, slamming the Reach-tech egg onto its outer shell and teleported back to land as the MFD deactivated and began to fall down.
Both Ember and Captain Atom blasted the disruptor into pieces with their powers for good measure and watched the debris fall into the water. The duo flew back to shore and her teacher congratulated all of them, "Great job, everyone. Let's head back."
She stood beside her teacher, shell shocked at the revelation of a twenty-first MFD and her anxiety turned to a bit of relief as Flash's voice sounded over the comms, "I'm on my way." Brianna overheard Artemis whether they would make it in time and Kid Flash's designation was announced, signalling that he had left the Watchtower to aid his uncle.
Captain Atom and the senior members of the Team decided to join in. Ember hesitated briefly, pondering whether she should go to the North Pole given her weakness for the cold. She didn't have the time to scrounge for a protective coat and so with a heavy heart, she decided not to accompany her friends but wished them luck.
The wait was agonizing and those who remained on the Watchtower could only listen to Luthor giving instructions to Flash and after that, there was radio silence and some of the Leaguers began to pace up and down the briefing area. Brianna could only sit down at the steps as she thought quietly to herself on whether her decision to stay behind was the right one. The senior members had always been close and it was a rare moment for them to be together again. All of them worked in harmony like a well-oiled machine and not being there for them made her guilty. The brunette cleared her head and willed herself to stop thinking negative thoughts. They would be successful; they always came out on top no matter the odds.
A few minutes later, The Atom exclaimed excitedly that the magnetic readings at the North had stabilized, signifying that the last MFD on Earth was finally destroyed and their planet was safe once more. Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief and cheered each other for the good fortune. Now they had to await the return of the people who went to the pole.
Half an hour passed and finally, they returned. Mr Carr said, "Congratulations! The Earth is safe thanks to… Wait, where are the speedsters?!"
Aqualad replied solemnly, "Wally is dead. Flash and Impulse returned home to deliver the news. M'gann has accompanied Artemis back to Palo Alto."
Brianna's eyes widened and couldn't believe it, "What? Is this real?"
Superboy stepped forth and nodded. The mood in the Watchtower quickly changed from happiness to grief.
Ember stood in front of the Washington Monument and blinked as a camera flash went off. Captain Atom beamed a grin and shook her hand, handing her a Justice League card. She was the last one in this current batch to receive her membership alongside Blue Devil and Adam Strange. As if on cue, fireworks went off behind them in celebration of Independence Day.
Brianna briefly wondered what would be the look on Aqualad's face now as he watched this broadcast. She told him that she would be leaving the Team and the brunette honoured her word by doing so a couple of days after Kid Flash's passing. It was a tumultuous two days as she debated on whether she should stay on the Team so all of them could stick together or whether she should join the Justice League because that was what she wanted. Life was short and she did want to spend time with her friends as she didn't know what the future had in store. Then she realized she didn't have to be on the Team with them in order to do so and they could easily meet up outside of missions. Furthermore, Wally would have wanted all of them to pursue their dreams like what he did with Artemis when they initially retired to live their aspirations of having a normal life.
The brunette made her decision right then and gave Captain Atom a call and he was absolutely ecstatic at the news. She carefully kept that information from Aqualad as it was frankly, none of his business. More flashes interrupted her train of thought and she grimaced slightly before her mentor nodded and the inauguration was disassembled. The girl turned away and followed the two men into a vehicle as they drove off towards a Zeta tube.
"Congratulations to everyone. In a moment, I'll bring you to the Watchtower so feel free to explore what would be your second home. Your PDAs should be able to guide you if you need any assistance. Since today is a holiday, you will have your briefings and trainings starting from tomorrow."
As they entered a tunnel, the car stopped mid-way and all of them disembarked. Captain Atom then walked down a small corridor and came to a dead end. He leaned forward and pressed his hand just beside his head and a tiny camera popped out, scanning his retina and reading his designation. The wall pulled away to reveal a rather spacious room with a shelf of food and another shelf of medical supplies. All four of them walked in and the wall closed behind them. "This is one of our emergency rest stops in case you're in need of medical attention or you're running low on energy. Behind this room is the Zeta tube and we will be heading there to the Watchtower now," Nathaniel said and stepped into the tube.
The others followed suit and soon, they were beamed up into space. When they stepped out, Blue Devil was entirely mesmerized, "Wow…"
The new Leaguers went off in separate directions and Ember's old teammates greeted her eagerly, "Congrats, Brianna!" M'gann said and gave the pyro a hug. Artemis, who was dressed in her Tigress outfit embraced her as well.
"Thanks guys," The brunette said shyly. Conner gave her a handshake and when it came to Nightwing and Aqualad, she quietly acknowledged both of their congratulations with a very subtle nod.
Before Kaldur could say more, Brianna turned away and walked with Artemis towards the garden. He was a little surprised that she would join the Justice League as she never made any indication she would do so. Did she really hate him that much that she didn't bother to tell him this? The Atlantean was resigned to never seeing her again but now, a little bit of hope sparked inside him as her joining the League meant some wishful interactions with the brunette.
"You really should talk to Kaldur," Artemis said quietly and the pyro was slightly annoyed, "There is nothing left to talk about. We have closure on our break up and I would like to move on."
Brianna then saw a look of hurt on the archer's face and she reached out to place a hand on her back, "I'm sorry, that was very crude of me to say this… You're still healing from Wally's…" The word 'death' hung back in her throat and Tigress gazed at the brunette hopefully, "There's no need to apologize. I shouldn't have forced you either but he will always be there for you, Bri. Don't forget that until it's too late…"
The girl could only bite her lip and nod as she gave the blonde a hug and they parted ways. Brianna walked to the edge of the garden which overlooked the main briefing area and saw Aqualad talking to Nightwing. Artemis's words resonated in her somewhat and she felt a little confused on how she should react to a man who would never stop protecting her. Brianna didn't want to take advantage of his kindness as they had nothing to do with each other anymore.
Ugh, she was just thinking too much. He had not even done anything for her yet and it was not like he was stalking her like a lovesick puppy. Only time will tell on how his behaviour would be like and if he went too far, she would put her foot down but right now, he had been giving her space.
It appeared the rest of the Leaguers were gathering and she flew down to join the rest of her new teammates and both Zatanna as well as Rocket greeted her enthusiastically.
"Bri! It's good to see you have finally joined us. I missed our fire and magic combo," The black haired magician said fondly and Ember replied, "Well, now we'll be to do it to our hearts content."
The trio smiled and their conversation had to end right there by Batman addressing the Team.
"Having stopped the Reach invasion and broken the Light in half, the Team will now operate out of the Watchtower, side by side with the League. Not because Mount Justice was destroyed, but because you earned it."
The Dark Knight had a small smile on his face and the new Justice League leader, Black Canary carried on his words, "And so, we'll leave you to it." She turned and walked off before being followed by the rest of the League. Ember gave Kaldur a small glance and then strolled beside Captain Atom towards the meeting room.
The Atlantean looked at the departing League members but his gaze lingered on the brunette. He blinked, overjoyed by the Team's new beginnings and a little satisfied that he'll be able to see Brianna from time to time.
Aqualad spun on his feet and addressed his crew, "This Team has had successes, but much remains to be done. Superboy, Miss Martian, Beast Boy, you're Alpha. B'arzz O'oomm has called from Mars, he needs help. Tigress, Kid Flash, Bumblebee, Guardian, you're Beta. Lexcorp is bringing out the Reach soft drink under a new name, we need proof. The rest of you are Gamma, and will investigate Batgirl's lead on Vandal Savage's next move."
It was business as usual and while Brianna and Kaldur went on seemingly different paths, their fates would inevitably bring them back together again.
Author's Note: We finally cover the last Season 2 episode, "Endgame". I added Rocket and Zatanna into the finale scene with the Leaguers as I felt it was natural for her to reunite with her old friends.
With that, this concludes the fourth arc of the story. There will be a dozen more chapters and this story will end. :)
To Molly Grace 16: Yeah, I still can't help but think of them as teens when I write my fic. Then I have to remind myself that they're already adults.
To Eszra: Thanks!
To murdercrowther: You'll see how they'll get back together. :D
To LadyAmazon: Well this is a Kaldur x Brianna story, afterall. ;)
To Vanessa Masters: Hi there! Thanks for reading my fic!
To Yaoi-Beloved: Wait and see. ;)
To piggythelaw: Aww, don't be sad. Things will get better eventually.