Afterlight

Chapter Eleven

"When you hold a grudge, you want someone else's sorrow to reflect your level of hurt but the two rarely meet."

― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

March 30, 2016

Manta and I were greeted by the Reach ambassador the moment we stepped aboard their ship. I examined our surroundings, noting the alien tech and similarities to the Blue Beetle's armor. My mind turned to Tigress, who was picking up the next shipment of test subjects for the Reach. If everything went as expected, operatives of the Justice League's junior team would be in the shipment. I really wished that she were here instead of me. I didn't like this place, not one bit.

"Greetings, Manta and Oblivion. It is wonderful to see ambassadors of the League of Assassins and Black Manta, some of the best of our allies," Ambassador smiled, his gaze sharp and analyzing.

I studied his robe and armor with a blank expression as I responded, "It is an honor to have been invited. I hope to make a good report to my master of your operations."

"I'm sure you will find no fault with our base. The Reach operates smoothly and without the annoyances many of our human allies suffer," Ambassador said carefully, "Manta, I understand that you wish to see our labs."

"Yes, I am curious as to what you do with the test subjects," Manta clarified, "Perhaps you could show us?"

"Most definitely," Ambassador confirmed, "Allow me to give you a tour."

His carefully crafted body language and smooth voice made me very suspicious of him. I did not trust the Reach Ambassador very much, and the way he maneuvered us around questions was alarming. I would have to keep a close eye on him during our tour.

"As you can see, this is the docking station. Through here are our labs," Ambassador led us through a set of metal doors and into the massive hallways of the Reach ship.

"Your ship is most impressive, Ambassador, as are your people," Manta added as he spotted a pair walking into a room.

"We call ourselves the Reach," Ambassador smiled.

"You extend your reach to other planets, then?" I thought of the implications of such a reach. None were good.

"Yes, in an attempt to better our lives and those of the planet," Ambassador gestured at the doors in front of us, "And these are our labs."

"We are most dedicated to researching the human meta-gene," Ambassador explained politely.

"Meta-gene?" Manta questioned. I silently agreed with him, what was a meta-gene?

"A genetic marker indicating the potential of an individual human to survive catastrophic destruction through the development of new abilities," Ambassador said as we walked to the door.

"Unnatural abilities meaning super powers," I raised an eyebrow, "Impulse and Beast Boy have these."

"Yes, they do. They are part of another study that we are performing," Ambassador nodded to the person standing at a computer.

"Manta, Oblivion, this is the scientist in charge of all meta-gene research," Ambassador indicated the Reach that had turned around.

She smiled, "I understand that you are responsible for providing all of our test subjects. Gratitude."

Manta inclined his head. I stayed still and watched as she turned to me, "And you are an ambassador of the League of Assassins. I understand that you have assisted Manta and that you have an active meta-gene."

"Yes," I walked with her, "Although I was not aware there was a term for the gene linked to super human abilities until a few minutes ago."

"Many do not, although that is our fault. We have not released our findings to the rest of Earth," Scientist admitted, "We will once our research is completed."

She looked at Manta, "I assume that it would interest you that in this lab, we are attempting to isolate the meta-gene by stimulating potentially dormant powers in average humans."

Manta stopped before Lagoon Boy's pod, "But L'gann is Atlantean, hardly an ordinary human being."

"But his skills and training are based in sorcery," She smirked at Manta, "Beyond that, he is an average Atlantean, is he not?"

"Neutron was one of your subjects," I stated, referring to the man who had almost wiped out Central City a few weeks ago, "Did he escape? Or was he set free?"

"Neutron was freed by one of our former partners, the Kroloteans. I understand that we are no longer working with them," Scientist frowned, "We have taken measures to prevent such events from occurring again."

She led us through another door, "This is where we study humans with active meta-genes and how they respond to various levels of stress."

I stiffened as I looked at the teens being electrocuted in their pods. They were screaming as they were tortured. I schooled my features into a polite mask to hide the horror I felt at seeing a fellow meta-human being tortured.

"The goal is to learn if their abilities can be extracted or duplicated," I heard Scientist say behind me. I continued to watch Beast Boy and Impulse, unable to tear my eyes away.

"You seek to weaponize the meta-gene," Manta bluntly stated.

"You never said he was clever," Scientist grinned at Ambassador, "Oblivion, is there something bothering you?"

"No," I tore my gaze away from the teens, "We have not seen Blue Beetle yet."

"What we do with Blue Beetle is of no concern to you. Although he is human, he is of the Reach," Ambassador said warningly, "Please understand this."

I dipped my head in a nod, "I do."

"And this is the testing hall," Scientist opened a door that led into a wide, empty room, "This will be used to test our meta-humans."

"Which will be soon, we hope," A deep voice said behind us.

I turned to see Black Beetle, one of the Light's newer partners. His smile was threatening and his stance was alarming. My hands twitched for my swords, but I held myself back in an attempt to be diplomatic. I flashed a smile, "Black Beetle, hello."

"Hello, partners," He didn't change the way he stood, "I am glad to see that the Light is sending ambassadors to us, especially ones with meta-genes that may be useful to us."

"Only one has an active meta-gene," Scientist said pointedly, "And we have not discussed the topic yet."

"What topic?" I narrowed my eyes and forced myself to drop a hand from my belt.

"We have a deep interest in your abilities. From what we can see, you produce energy when you use your powers," Scientist paused.

"Yes, I refer to it as light, but it isn't really light," I hesitantly explained, uncomfortable at the prospect of sharing information with a potential enemy.

"We wish to study it and see if we can modify it in a way that expands the scope of its power. Unfortunately, we cannot perform this experiment on our test subjects because of their youth and limited control over their powers," By the time she finished, I was already shaking my head.

"I'm sorry, but that is not up to me to decide. This would be up to my master," I stepped back, "Even if I had a choice, I wouldn't allow myself to be tested on."

"I see," Scientist frowned, "I will have to consult the rest of the Reach on this matter."

"Manners, Scientist, we have guests," Black Beetle cautioned, "This will be discussed later. I believe that an associate of theirs has arrived with a new shipment of meat."

"Follow me," Ambassador ordered.

I struggled to keep myself from panicking as we walked through the halls. The idea of my powers being manipulated again was terrifying and made me want to get off this ship as soon as possible. I didn't trust the Reach, and their suggestion of experimentation reduced any chances of trust to zero.

"…apologize for Scientist's barbarous suggestion. We would never do such a thing without explicit permission," I realized that Ambassador was speaking to me and tried to stay focused on his words.

"I accept your apology and will hold you to that promise," I managed to keep myself from screaming at him.

I couldn't keep the six months of reconditioning in the League of Assassins out of my head. They had been six long months of torture and terror. Half the time had been spent being hurt by my own powers, which had grown after Ra's al Ghul had injected me with the serum. The other half had been spent fighting for my life and sanity as I struggled to adjust to the life of the League of Assassins.

A firm pressure on my hand and wrist brought me to the present. Kaldur had moved so that he was walking next to me and had grabbed my wrist. He let go as soon as I calmed down and nodded at him. I was grateful for the small display of support, even if the only thing it did was bring me out of a minor state of panic. Kaldur said nothing, but the corners of his mouth turned up to suggest a soft smile.

Tigress was overseeing the unloading process of the pods when we arrived. She quickly briefed us on her trip before leaning in close and whispering, "They're here, in the first two pods."

I pretended to stretch and stole a glance at the pods. Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake were in the first two pods, fully conscious and looking calm and collected. Great, they were here to rescue everyone. This was definitely going to be messy.

"Manta, may I speak to you for a moment?" Ambassador had returned.

"Yes," Manta said cautiously.

"Excellent. Please, come with me," Ambassador beamed and led him away.

Tigress and I watched as the final pods were moved, taking Tim and Barbara with them. The troopers began to load everything back onto the Manta-Flyer in preparation for our departure. A few minutes after, an alarm began to blare inside the Reach ship.

"Something's happened," I walked over to the open door with Tigress and looked out, hoping to see something.

"Hold your position, trooper!" Tigress shouted. I turned and saw the trooper grab Tigress by the arm and throw her into the ceiling. She hit the ground hard and remained still.

"You are out of bound!" I snarled as I leaped towards him.

The rogue trooper ducked under my beams of light and punched me hard enough to throw me into the nearest wall. I slammed against it but continued despite the pain. The trooper blocked my next swing and knocked me into the hallway outside the loading bay.

Through dazed eyes, I watched as the rogue trooper took out the rest of the troopers. When he removed his helmet, I realized that it was Superboy under the armor. I hissed softly and attempted to move, only to cringe as something shifted inside me. A rib was definitely broken.

Bumblebee, with a herd of teens behind her, charged past me and towards the dock now open to the Bioship. Alarm surged through me. If we lost those test subjects, the Light and the Reach would make us pay. The thought spurred me as I slowly rolled to my feet. I swayed and pressed a hand against the wall in order to steady myself. I needed to stop those kids- wait, where was Kaldur?

"Oblivion, this way!" Tigress called out as I struggled to gather my thoughts.

I caught a glimpse of Black Beetle as he entered the loading bay. The fear of what he would do to the sidekicks spurred me into sprinting towards the loading bay, but I was too late. Black Beetle closed the doors, leaving us stranded on the other side.

"Now what?" I said in frustration.

As if on cue, a scream rang through the halls of the Reach. It was followed by another scream, one that I easily recognized. I took off at a dead run down the halls of the Reach, "Kaldur!"

I swerved down another hallway, and then another until I found him. A horrified gasp escaped me as I examined the catatonic Atlantean. I shook him, but it was no use. Kaldur was gone. No, no. I couldn't do this without him. We were going to be discovered, we were going to die, they were going to kill everyone –

Breathe.

I had to breathe.

Miss Martian had done this, but I couldn't attack her. Not when Kaldur was in danger. My head had to stay clear until I got him to safety, then I could fall apart, but not now. Never now. My feelings were nothing but a distraction, and Kaldur was nothing but an asset to the mission. That was all, nothing more.

"Kaldur," Artemis whispered behind me. She inspected him before looking at Miss Martian.

An old pain twinged inside my head, one that I hadn't felt in over three years. I frowned at the Martian as she set up the mental link, tempted to rip her mind to shreds, "You idiot."

"M'gann, what have you done?" Artemis asked.

Miss Martian responded in a dead voice, "I thought he had killed you, that he deserved it."

"No one deserves this," I hissed through the link. I ached to reach out to Kaldur, to yell at him until he responded, but knew it was futile.

Any further thoughts were broken up as Beast Boy charged us, his scream turning into a roar as he changed into a tiger. I stepped in front of Kaldur and Tigress and called up a shield of light that shielded us from them. The tiger bounced off the wall and scratched at it.

"I'll take mine, you take yours. And count yourself lucky, boy!" Tigress and I hauled Kaldur down the hallway.

I released the shield once we were farther away and frowned at the roar that echoed through the halls. We were moving too slow for my liking. Even with both Tigress and me supporting Kaldur, we couldn't go very fast. I narrowed my focus to the fallen Atlantean and lifted him up using my mind.

A yellow glow surrounded Kaldur as he was lifted into the air. Tigress let go in surprise and attempted to speak, but I cut her off with a sharp jerk of my head. We marched through the halls in complete silence as we took an alternate route to the loading bay.

"Oblivion, stop! Where are we going?" Tigress finally ignored my commands.

"The loading bay," I replied as I continued walking. I needed to get them to safety before I fell apart.

"Would you set Kaldur down for a second and think? We need to revive Kaldur first!" Tigress argued. I set Kaldur on the ground with a sharp thought.

"Don't you get it, Tigress? He's gone!" I snapped, staring at her with watery eyes, "There's nothing left unless we can get someone with telepathy to help him."

"Gone? What do you mean?" Tigress asked, bewildered, "Miss Martian just put some kind of lock on his mind, right?"

"No, she ripped it apart. Everything that made him is destroyed. All of it," I shuddered slightly, "There's nothing we can do for him until we get someone with mental powers to fix him!"

"What about you? Don't you have a way to help him? I know you have some sort of mental power," Tigress growled. I understood that she was upset, be even she knew that I couldn't extend my mental power to others.

"Mental power? Try a barrier around my mind to prevent my mind from being manipulated. It doesn't extend to others, Tigress," I frowned, "I can't help him."

"Then it's over," Tigress said softly, "We can't do this without him."

"We're in too deep. If we get out now, we die," My voice was harsh, "We'll find a way."

"How? Kaldur is dead!" She cried, "Without him, Black Manta won't have a need for me and the League of Assassins will take you back."

"He isn't dead, not yet, anyway," I looked at the catatonic man, "We need to tell the Light."

"Why? They can't use him anymore," Tigress looked around frantically, "We need to get him out of here."

"No," I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her a little, "We tell the Light. They're the only chance we have right now. Many of the Light have knowledge on broken minds. They can fix him."

"And discover us in the process!" Tigress shook her head, "It's too risky."

"We'll figure it out," I insisted, "But we have to trust the Light for now. It's the only way to keep our covers and help Kaldur."

"Fine, for now," She looked at me with fear, "But the moment they get suspicious, we're out."

"Whatever you want," I said sarcastically, having no intention of ever following that declaration.

"How can you be so calm?" She asked desperately, "It's like you don't care."

"I do care, but I can't let myself panic. Not until you're safe," I responded, "Then I'll fall apart."

"So what now?" Tigress asked quietly.

"Now, we yell," I raised my voice in a hoarse shout, "Someone help! We need help!"

April 3, 2016

"We are very unhappy with your news, assassin," Vandal Savage sneered at me, "You have failed."

I said nothing and waited for them to continue. Ra's al Ghul spoke next, "She will be punished for her failure to complete the mission."

"I will accept the punishment, but," I considered my words, "Shouldn't we focus on healing Manta? His mind is not permanently damaged."

"And how would you know that?" The Brain asked, "You are nothing but a tool."

"The Martian scum that did this considers themselves to be a hero, a good person," I scrunched my nose in disgust, "She would not kill someone. There must be a way to repair Manta's mind."

"There may be," Queen Bee said calmly, "We plan to have Psimon look at his mind and heal him, unfortunately, there is a complication."

"Psimon was caught by the Justice League one week ago and sent into Belle Reve," Lex Luthor said coldly, "We cannot get him out through the legal system."

"But we can get him out through other means," Queen Bee said with a coy smile.

"Belle Reve is a fortress," I was confused, "How can we get him out?"

"Belle Reve is not a fortress, child. There are holes in the system that we may slip through, however small they may be," Ra's al Ghul lectured.

"How?" I asked respectfully, "I do not understand."

"With me and a new operative," Klarion grinned childishly, "You are on this mission."

"A new operative?" I questioned.

"Deathstroke, otherwise known as Slade Wilson," Lex Luthor explained, "He has expressed interest in our activities."

"This will be a test for him. If all goes well, he will take the place of one of our less cooperative operatives. We expect the mission to be a success with him on the team," Savage said in a detached voice.

"How will we break into Belle Reve?" I asked hesitantly. I felt like I was being disrespectful to them, and was afraid of what the Light would do if they noticed.

"Listen closely, child," Ra's al Ghul quickly explained the plan as the other members of the Light signed off. Soon, only Ra's al Ghul was still on the screen.

"You failed another mission," I froze at the harsh statement. Ice filled my veins and my vision narrowed until Ra's al Ghul was the only thing I could see.

"It was a complication. We did not expect the sidekicks to show up," I said quietly.

"That does not matter. My daughter trained you to adapt to the situation. You have failed yet again," Ra's al Ghul looked at me with cold eyes, "Do you know what this means?"

"Punishment, as you said," I whispered as I struggled to control my panic. I couldn't deal with losing control over my light. Not again.

"Yes. You are new, and you must learn. If it must be through pain, then so be it," Ra's al Ghul smiled, but it did not reach his eyes, "However, I have a new punishment in mind for you. Punishment for you, and a new prospect for the League."

"Sir?" A terrible idea came to mind, which involved an offer that had been made to me a few days ago. I refused to believe that Ra's al Ghul would consider the idea.

"Our Partner has offered to test your powers and see if they can unlock more of your meta-gene. I have agreed to their terms," Ra's al Ghul dropped his smile, "After you retrieve Psimon and ensure that Manta is cared for, you will join the Reach, where you will subject yourself to their tests. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Master," I dropped my eyes to the ground.

"Then we are done here," I met his eyes a second before the screen went black, and saw hatred in them.

I left the room with calm, measured steps and the intent to go to my room. As soon as I stepped into the hall, however, a trooper walked over and spoke to me, "Black Manta has requested your presence in Kaldur's room."

"Understood," My feet turned towards Kaldur's room. I was not happy with being summoned by Black Manta, who was taking the status of his son hard.

"Oblivion," Black Manta acknowledged me as I stepped into the room, "What will the Light do?"

"They are working on a solution. You may get your son back," I stated, "How is he?"

"His status hasn't changed. The Martian rat ruined him. I will destroy her," Black Manta promised. I stared at Kaldur, who was lying in his bed with an empty expression.

"We agree on something for once," I said without humor, "I'll make sure you get your shot at the Martian."

"Why do you care?" Black Manta suddenly asked, "I believed that you wanted him dead."

"He's grown on me," I looked at the catatonic Atlantean with a softer expression than the one I had given to Black Manta, "He didn't deserve this."

"No, he did not," Black Manta agreed, "I may have misjudged your feelings for him. You care for him. I only wonder what that relationship would have been like."

Black Manta opened the door, "A worthless assassin and my son. You would not have been worthy."

Black Manta left without another word. I collapsed into a chair beside Kaldur's bed and rested my head on it. I shuddered against the blanket, fear and hatred swirling in my head. A sob ripped through me. I was so afraid, so very afraid.

Author's note: And I'm back! Special shout out to TheLadyMuse, who offered up the wonderful name of Kaldara for a ship name.