Afterlight
Chapter Sixteen
"You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control."
― Megan Chance, The Spiritualist
"Alright, that puts a time limit on us. What's the plan?" I asked smoothly, folding my arms against my chest.
"What's the point? I'm doomed. There's no way we can think of something that will get me out of here without exposing all of you," Miss Martian said somberly.
"Don't say that, M'gann. We'll figure something out," Tigress insisted.
"Artemis is right, M'gann. We will figure something out," Kaldur said calmly, "Kyara, can you control the range of your powers? Possibly to just M'gann's collar?"
I hugged my arms to my chest, resisting the urge to shrink away, "My control isn't that strong. I'd kill her and the collar's power. What if someone goes into the control room to disable it instead?"
"I can do that. I've been on duty long enough that a break is justifiable," Tigress volunteered, "But I'll need a distraction."
"Easy enough. I'll keep Black Manta off your back," I considered my options as Kaldur spoke.
"Once your collar is deactivated, you can disable the guards in the room and phase out of the ship. You will have to make it look convincing though," Kaldur said firmly. Miss Martian began to protest, only to have me talk over her.
"Once I leave, give me five minutes before giving your excuse to Deathstroke," I gasped suddenly. I had forgotten about Deathstroke's threat.
"What's wrong?" Tigress asked in concern. How could I have forgotten about that? Shit, I didn't know what I was going to do.
"Nothing," I shook my head slightly, "Just a memory."
"We are in agreement then?" Kaldur startled M'gann into action.
"No, we are not. I'm not going to let you three risk your lives for me," She shouted into the link.
"Too bad. You being here makes it a bigger risk," I said bluntly, "You need to leave."
"But-" She began to say. I shook my head again.
"I'm putting the plan into action now," I ignored her protests and stretched, "Well, as fun as it is to watch this, I'm leaving. I have things to discuss with other people aboard this ship."
I nodded to the trooper as I closed the door behind me. He nodded back, the fear evident in his eyes. I walked in the general direction of the control room, trying to think of something that would keep Black Manta away from the control room.
That problem was quickly solved. As I turned the corner, I ran into Black Manta, who stepped back and appraised me with a cold look, "The Light has requested a meeting with the both of us."
"Now?" I asked in order to clarify his statement.
"Yes, come," I bristled at the order, but followed him anyways.
We walked to the room with the six screens. Only three were lit, and they displayed Vandal Savage, Ra's al Ghul, and the ambassador of the Reach. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at Ambassador, the memories flashing through my mind. He smiled at me kindly, but I could detect the hint of disgust in his eyes.
I acknowledged the others before bowing to Ra's al Ghul, my fist pressed against my heart. Vandal Savage began to speak, "Black Manta, how is your son's progress?"
"Slow, but I believe that he will be healed by tomorrow," Black Manta announced.
"Excellent, I am glad to hear of his progress," Ambassador beamed despite the frosty glare Black Manta shot him.
"This is good news, Black Manta. I am glad to hear this," Vandal Savage practically growled, "Please excuse us. We need to speak to Oblivion alone."
"Of course," Black Manta left quietly.
"I've run into a problem. The Light has requested a meeting with me. I cannot leave," I reported quietly as Vandal Savage stared at me.
"Understood. I'll improvise," I could practically hear the smirk in Artemis's voice.
"Oblivion, Ambassador has brought to us an interesting claim," Vandal Savage rumbled.
"You destroyed almost three quarters of the machinery on the Reach ship, and killed over twenty Reach while on board," Ambassador hissed, his polite demeanor gone.
"Yes," I stated, not bothering to lie to them.
"You do not deny it, then?" Vandal Savage asked curiously.
"I will not lie. Such a thing would bring dishonor to the League of Assassins," I kept my eyes lowered to the floor.
"Then we must be given compensation. A death, at least," Ambassador demanded, "I have lost good friends, family even."
"The deaths were a result of inadequate training, which was provided by the Reach. The fault is on you, Ambassador," Ra's al Ghul spat the name out like a curse word.
"Her training should have been adequate at the time," Ambassador narrowed his eyes at me.
"I was under severe emotional and physical distress when the accident occurred. I specifically stated that I did not want to undergo the test, and your scientist did not listen," I kept my voice level and my powers in check.
"That is ridiculous! You were fine until you killed my people," Ambassador spat at me.
"Enough," Vandal Savage seethed, "Oblivion, explain the incident to me."
I gave him a rundown, laying out the basic facts uneasily. Just as I finished, an alarm began to scream into the uneasy silence, the room flashing red from the alarm lights. Black Manta's voice floated through the intercom.
"Intruders on the Manta-Sub. All troopers report to my son's room," I cast an uneasy look at the alarm.
"Oblivion, dismissed. We have enough information to settle this without you," I bowed and made my way out of the room.
"What's going on? M'gann?" I cursed as I realized the mental link was down.
"Oblivion! Cheshire is in my son's room!" I spun to the side as Black Manta came running around the corner. I cursed again and sprinted after him.
"Do you know what's going on in there?" I shouted as I caught up to him.
"No, a blast took out the cameras. If he dies, I will make sure she meets a fate more painful than death," Black Manta promised me as we turned another corner.
"I'll guarantee that- Ugh!" I ducked and slid across the floor as Sportsmaster's hammer smashed into the wall.
"Well, well, it looks like my mark just did half the work for me," Sportsmaster gloated as he tugged the ball and string back and whipped it at us.
I rolled to the side and twisted my right hand towards him, a beam of light severing the weighted ball from its cord. Sportsmaster merely chuckled as the ball began to beep. I shouted in alarm and raised a shield to cover the ball as it exploded, shrapnel bouncing off the walls of light. I stumbled as a sharp pain ran through my head, and frantically struggled to control myself.
Black Manta rose to his feet and rushed Sportsmaster in an attempt to tackle him. Sportsmaster caught his fist and slammed him into the wall. I flipped forward, landing on his shoulders, and threw my weight backwards. Sportsmaster fell backwards with my legs wrapped around his neck.
Sportsmaster grunted when my legs tightened around his neck, cutting off his air supply. Instead of clawing at my neck like most people would, he pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed it into my leg. I shrieked and rolled away, the knife jarring itself out of my thigh.
The intruder rolled to his feet and immediately dived to the side as Black Manta shot at him using the lasers in his helmet. While they fought, I pulled a roll of bandages out of my belt and wrapped them around my thigh. Sportsmaster had managed to find one of the spots on my leg not protected by armor.
I finished bandaging my leg and rose to my feet. Three throwing disks left my hand, slicing through the air towards Sportsmaster. He pulled a throwing disk of his own out and blocked them using that before throwing at a group of troopers approaching us. The explosion knocked out or killed several of them.
"Black Manta, help Manta. I'll take care of him," I shouted to the man. He nodded and sprinted down the hall. A thought from me had a wall blocking Sportsmaster from following him. Another thought solidified the wall into a permanent construct.
"Alright, girly girl, let's dance," Sportsmaster began to advance towards me.
I pulled my swords from their holsters and grinned behind my mask, "I'll lead."
Sportsmaster laughed and pulled a collapsible sword from his belt. Our swords clashed violently as we fought. Sportsmaster was good, I gave him that. He had pushed himself above the average talents of a swordsman and could parry my attacks.
The fight suddenly turned dirty as Sportsmaster kicked me in my injured leg. My leg gave out and I fell to the floor, my swords spinning out of my grip. The tip of Sportsmaster's sword kissed my throat, and I froze. Sportsmaster let the suspense build, "I never thought I'd be the one to kill Talia al Ghul's prized apprentice."
I was preparing to push him away with a burst of light when Tigress slammed into him, "Get away from her!"
My leg throbbed when I put weight on it, but I managed. I threw a hand out as Sportsmaster pushed Tigress to the ground and began to swing his javelin towards her. Pain bloomed in my head as Miss Martian spoke, "Enough."
I was in a blindingly white room. I blinked, and things began to form: two beds, posters, dressers, windows. I glanced around, spotting Tigress and Cheshire laying on the beds while Kaldur and Sportsmaster stood. Something made me look up in time to see Miss Martian float to the ground.
Cheshire was the first to speak, "How dare you? What gives you the right to invade my mind and steal this memory from my childhood?"
I tuned them out as I struggled to control my mind. It ached to lash out and attack Miss Martian, but I pushed it away. Cracks were beginning to appear in the room. I turned to Miss Martian, "Release me. I can't keep my defenses from attacking you."
"Release everyone. I need to convince Sportsmaster," Artemis said grimly.
The room disappeared as the ruined hallway replaced it. I watched as Tigress rolled out of the javelin's path and disarmed him. Sportsmaster stopped fighting her when he recognized the move he had taught Artemis. A brief conversation ensued, ending with a favor being made.
Tigress and I began to fight Sportsmaster as several troopers rounded the corner. They joined us, but were quickly taken out by Sportsmaster. Tigress shouted as she was slammed into the wall, sliding to the floor with a groan. I hissed as Sportsmaster hit my injured leg again.
"Can you not?" I snapped, unable to prevent my left hand from instinctively covering the wound.
The move left me open for a punch to the face that threw me to the floor and made me dizzy. Sportsmaster ran away, tossing a final line over his shoulder, "I believe I can."
I struggled to my feet, slapping a hand over the cut in my leg. My bandage was ruined, so I sealed the cut with light. I looked at the recovering Tigress, "Go after Sportsmaster. I'll check on Black Manta."
"Understood," We took off in opposite directions.
The sight of Black Manta hugging his son was the first thing that I saw when I made it to Manta's room. I sighed in relief at the sight of the uninjured pair, "He's okay."
"Yes, in fact, he saved me. The sight of me in danger was the last step needed for his recovery," Black Manta helped his son stand.
"Manta, it is good to see that you are alright," I swayed slightly. I had pushed myself too far today. I needed to stitch my leg up and meditate.
"As I am glad myself," He paused as he caught sight of my leg, "You are injured."
"It's a scratch. I only wish that I had been able to return the gift," I growled. Kaldur's acting was very good. He played the part of a confused, recently recovered patient well.
"Get yourself seen to by medical. We will be along shortly," Black Manta reassured me.
I followed his order and stumbled into medical. I quietly asked for the medical supplies that I needed and took them back to my room, where I stripped and began to work on the cut. I carefully cleaned, stitched, and bandaged the cut on the inner part of my thigh before pulling on a fresh uniform.
It was just in time too. The comm unit in my ear crackled with static as Black Manta spoke, "I have called a meeting with the Vandal Savage and the Reach."
I drew in a shuddering breath and pressed a finger against it, "I'll be there in five."
Black Manta happily announced his son's recovery. Both Vandal Savage and Ambassador offered their congratulations. Even Kaldur somehow managed to deliver a speech on how grateful he was to be healed and his loyalty to their vision. I was disgusted by it all.
I stared at the screens with Vandal Savage and Ambassador on them. I was still in the shadows, but they knew I was there. I wondered if they planned to kill me for what I had done aboard that ship. A small part of me hoped that I would. Every other part, though, screamed at me to survive.
Black Manta and Manta finally finished up and made their way to the door. I stepped out of their way, purposely brushing against Kaldur. His hand squeezed my wrist for a moment, and then he was gone. The brief moment of contact reassured me enough to walk into the light as another screen flickered into life.
I pressed my fist to my heart and bowed to Ra's al Ghul, "Greetings to all."
"Hello, Oblivion. We have reached a decision," Vandal Savage stated coolly.
"Yes, you will not be punished. The Reach were at fault for the deaths. You are not to be blamed," Ra's al Ghul announced. I felt a surge of relief at the news.
"Yes, I apologize for any distress caused," Ambassador said grudgingly.
"I accept your apology, and thank you for attempting to train me," I said diplomatically.
"You are welcome," Ambassador somehow managed to make it sound like it hadn't been forced out of him.
"That is all, assassin. Continue using the techniques your mentor has taught you to master your powers. Dismissed," I bowed again and left the room.
I was almost to my room when Deathstroke grabbed me and yanked me into the armory. I found my back pressed into a rack of guns with a knife at my throat. The one visible eye glared at me with an intensity that had me shrinking back.
"Traitor," He hissed, "I told you what I would do if you came back."
"So why haven't you done it?" I leaned forward, pressing the knife against my throat, "Scared?"
"No, confused. Why did you spend so many years convincing the League of Assassins and your family that you were loyal? Not many heroes kill, especially not a bat," Deathstroke asked curiously.
"Because I am loyal to the League of Assassins," I snapped, "I do not understand why you can't see that. The only reason I blocked your attempt to kill Lagoon Boy was because the Light was not ready to handle the fallout from the Justice League."
"The Light was already handling the fallout from the archer's death well enough," Deathstroke mused softly.
"Yes, and look what happened. Miss Martian wiped Manta's mind and two assassins attempted to kill the father and son," I pointed out to him, "The Light was not ready for her death."
"A pitiful excuse," Deathstroke snarled, "You are a traitor to the Light. I will inform them, and you will be dead by morning."
My temper snapped violently. For a moment, I allowed my control to slip. My new power eagerly rushed towards the only other living thing in the room: Deathstroke. It brushed against him, and I caught myself, pulling my powers back in check.
The effect of my powers brushing against him was immediate, though. Deathstroke's grip on the knife weakened, and I brought my arms up to push him away. He staggered backwards until my high kick brought him to the floor.
I moved quickly, pinning him to the floor with bands of light that solidified into a permanent construct. I knelt on his chest, a knife forming in my hand. Smirking, I made eye contact with him, "Listen closely."
"I have worked for years to prove my loyalty to the League of Assassins. I have tortured, murdered, and destroyed for them, because I believed that the League of Assassins was right. I still do, and I will continue to follow Ra's al Ghul and his teachings," I made no effort to hide the venom in my voice.
"But if you ruin that trust, even one bit of it, I will make you suffer. I will kill everyone you love, then I will kill you. I have given everything to the League of Assassins, and I will make sure that it was worth it. I am not going to ask you if you understand, because that's an insult to us both," I snarled, "I am going to leave, and you will not follow."
With that, I rolled off of him. All bands of light except for one around his wrist disintegrated. I walked away, Deathstroke calling after me, "I'll keep your secret for now, Astra."
I somehow managed to make it to my room without losing complete control. Once I locked the door, I began to shake violently. I ripped my mask off and threw it across the room, not caring that it made a cracking sound when it hit the other side. Oh God, I had lost control.
May 29, 2016
While Kaldur's mind had recovered, his body had not. His muscles had begun to weaken from being bedridden for a month. A meta-human with the ability to restore the human body had been brought aboard the sub yesterday. He had spent hours restoring Kaldur's muscles.
Afterwards, the healer had prescribed a strict training regimen. I had been chosen as his trainer, and I was hating every second of it. The close contact was making it hard to keep control of my powers, and I was pretty sure that Kaldur was worried by how I refused to show any skin.
It was necessary though. This new power rolled beneath the surface of my skin and ached to be let out. I struggled to control it, which is why I refused to show skin. I was afraid to tough anyone, because the slightest tough of skin could break my control.
I groaned and rolled off my bed, grabbing my pillow and using it as a cushion as I sat on the floor. I gathered myself into a classic pose used for meditation, resting my hands on my knees. I breathed deeply, somehow managing to clear my mind.
I closed my eyes and looked inward. I could barely feel the light that had been with me since I was a child and the gift I had been given by the Atlantean boy so long ago. What overwhelmed both was the… parasite the Reach had awoken within me only a few weeks ago. I struggled to push it down and back in its cage.
I breathed again, my mind flaring out and feeling everyone on this ship. The parasite pushed against its cage, and I pulled back so that I could only feel this room. I twitched as I realized that I could see the energy tumbling and flowing in the room, and shrieked when I saw that it was being drawn to me.
Meditation broken, I scrambled backwards until my back hit the wall. I struggled to control my breathing and push the parasite down. When I finally managed to, I slumped forward and rested my forehead against my knees. My fingernails left half-moon crescents in my calves.
Someone knocked on my door. I slowly stood and cast a longing look at my uniform, which was lying on my bed, and tugged the sleeves of my shirt down until they covered my hands. Walking calmly over to the door, I looked through the peephole and sighed.
I rested my forehead against the door and took a breath. Standing back, I opened the door and gestured for him to come in. I slammed the door shut and hissed, "Are you crazy? Black Manta has been watching you like a hawk!"
"He is in a meeting with the Light and the Reach. I believe that they are discussing the next shipment of potential metas," Kaldur explained, "He will be indisposed for some time."
"Excellent, more death," I muttered to myself. I stepped back as Kaldur moved forward.
"It is unfortunate and must be stopped, but today it gives me a way to speak to you," Kaldur fixed me with a piercing stare, "We need to talk."
I thought of what had occurred to me a few days ago: that I refused to let anyone in. Maybe it was time, "Yeah, we do. Sit."
We sat on opposite ends of the bed. Kaldur was still trying to give me some space, how polite, "What do we need to talk about?"
"The Reach and what they- what they did to you," Kaldur explained, "What did they do?"
I hugged myself, "They put me in a pod and experimented on me until the last part of my meta-gene kicked in. They didn't realize how hard it would be to control though. The first time I woke up, I shorted out the power in the room. The second time, the power and a few assistants."
"That was when they started training me. They would put me in a room and fire blasts at me until I learned to absorb them instead of being injured by them. And then, they thought 'why not try her out on a human? A girl, a teenage girl," I laughed humorlessly.
"She was just a girl, and she died when she touched me. I lost control, and I'm still losing control. If I touch someone, they die. I can't control it," I turned away for a moment, stifling my hysteria.
"Yes, you can," I jumped at the statement, "But you are afraid."
"Of course I am. How could I not be? I don't want to hurt anyone else. Not anymore," I bowed my head, "I can't touch someone without them dying. How can anyone survive like that?"
"Kyara, look at me," I did reluctantly, "You are afraid. I understand, but your fear is what is keeping you from controlling them."
"No, that's not…" I shook my head frantically.
Kaldur looked at me with a kindness that had tears springing into my eyes, "I am going to touch your hand. I know that you won't hurt me."
He began to move his hand towards mine. I didn't move, "I don't think I can control it."
"Don't be afraid, Kyara. I trust you," My heart raced as his fingers moved closer to mine. Please, don't let me lose control.
Kaldur gripped my hand. I felt the parasite rear its ugly head inside of me, and I pushed it back. I could do this. I could control myself. I had to, if not for him, then for me. I was so afraid of losing control of this thing inside of me.
Maybe that was the problem, though. I was so afraid of accepting this new ability that I had convinced myself that it wasn't really my ability, that it was some sort of parasite. That was the issue, it had to be. It was time to accept that it was different, and that things changed.
"Kyara?" Kaldur asked softly. I blinked, and felt my powers settle inside of me. Kaldur was still holding my limp hand, and I curled my fingers around his.
"Thank you," A dry sob escaped me, "Thank you so much. I'm not- I haven't-"
"I understand," Kaldur smiled sadly, "We all have made mistakes."
My grin didn't reach my eyes, "Yes. Oh, I didn't even ask. How are you, Kaldur? You should be worrying about yourself."
"There are times," He paused and took a breath, "When I do not feel like I am healed. It feels like I am floating faceless, nameless, in Atlantis again. It is worse when I sleep, like I am going to be swept away by the current."
"Oh, Kaldur," I looked at our hands and made a decision, "Stay with me tonight. We'll rescue each other from the nightmares, okay?"
Kaldur smiled again, and I saw hope flicker in his eyes, "Alright. We will save each other."
I fell asleep feeling safer than I had in years.