Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. All rights reserved to their respective owners.
The Kryptonian girl groaned in pain and started rubbing her head. "Ow… my head really hurts…" The girl said.
Now seeing that she wasn't a threat, Goliath released the girl and returned to his human form while Static released the girl's feet from the metal objects that had accumulated to keep her from flying. "Whoa, whoa!" The girl exclaimed as she lost her balance. She held up her arms in a way that she was bracing for the impact of falling, but it never came. She opened her eyes and looked down. She was flying. "Whoa…" The girl said as she looked around. She started to fly down back to the ground and looked to the teenagers that were gathering around her. "I um… I don't know where to begin."
"How about sorry for almost getting us killed!" Arsenal snapped.
"Whoa! Easy man. She didn't have any say in the matter, remember? You said that thing on her head was a mind-control device." Goliath said.
"That doesn't change the fact that she nearly got us all killed." Arsenal said.
"I… What did I do?" The Kryptonian girl asked as she lowered her head. "I'm sorry… I never meant to hurt anyone…"
"Don't worry about it. Everything worked out alright." Static said.
"And what if it hadn't?" Arsenal inquired. "What if she had gotten one of us killed?"
"Okay, we get it, but it wasn't exactly all her fault." Static said. He looked over to Damien Darhk and Dark Archer only to find that they were no longer present. The group turned to see that the villains had managed to escape.
"You have got to be kidding…" Roy said. If he wasn't angry before, he certainly was now.
"What do we do now?" Zeta asked. "Should we go after them?"
Arsenal growled and he said, "I'm going to get in contact with Eduardo Sr and the police. The rest of you can greet your beloved newcomer." He stomped away from the teenagers and went to the elevator.
The Kryptonian girl grabbed her right arm. She felt even worse than earlier. "Don't worry about him… He's one of the short-tempered types." Zeta said.
The girl looked up and she said, "What did he mean when he said I almost killed you? I mean… the flight is new, but I don't think it would hurt anyone."
"Um… not just flight." Static said. "You also have limitless strength, durability, longevity, heat vision, freeze breath, and a few other abilities."
"Wait… I don't understand. I never had any of that on Krypton. Since when was I able to do all that?" The girl asked.
"It um… You know what… I actually don't know." Goliath said. "This whole hero thing is pretty new to us. We don't have all the information yet, but we do know that you have all those abilities."
"How?" The girl asked with a shrug.
"Because you just fought us. We witnessed first-hand most of your abilities." Zeta said.
"Oh… sorry… I had no idea I was-" The girl said but Static interrupted her.
"I told you to not worry about it. You were under mind control and no one got killed." Static said.
"Too bad it's not enough for some people." Zeta said with a disappointed tone in his voice.
"I guess having Arsenal lead was a bad decision after all…" Static said.
Goliath hummed and he said, "I'm not sure if that's what sent him over the edge. I think there's something else going on."
"If you say so… I think he was in the wrong for giving her the third degree." Static said.
"Ditto." Zeta said. Kunoichi sighed before nodding her head in agreement.
"I'm going to go talk to him." Goliath said.
The teenagers watched on as Goliath pressed the button for the elevator. After a few minutes, the door opened. He entered the elevator and waited to get to the top floor. He was lucky. He was glad that Arsenal was around; otherwise, he and his friends wouldn't be alive. However, Arsenal has proven and said that he doesn't work with groups. But they needed him. He and his friends were too inexperienced and the girl, while being almost invincible, was new to all of this. None of them were able to be leaders.
He reached the top floor and went to find Arsenal. It wasn't long until he noticed the young hero grabbing a rocket propelled grenade from the weapons rack. He tested the weapon for the feel before muttering, "I thought you would get the gist that I don't want to be part of the team."
"You made it pretty clear, but I have to wonder… why?" Goliath said.
"Do I really need to explain it?" Arsenal said. He placed the rocket propelled grenade on the table and approached Goliath. "Some people work better in teams while others work better alone. I'm the latter. Now do you get it?"
"I don't believe that." Goliath said. Arsenal just scoffed before getting the rocket propelled grenade. "You led us to victory against not one, not two, not three, but four powerful opponents who should have killed us."
"Wrong." Arsenal said as he turned back around. "You and the others distracted Black Beetle long enough to where I could free Mongul so we could escape with the team. Damien Darhk and Dark Archer escaped. And if there was no mind control device, that girl would have killed us… I'm not a leader… I'm a loner… and I have made my choice."
Goliath looked down and he said, "Regardless of what you think you are, we see you as our leader…"
"Then it's time that you picked a better leader. And oh… before I forget, I did contact Eduardo Sr. He should be able to convert this place into a base. It'll help if you can operate outside the Justice League's control… especially given their current reputation." Arsenal said. He walked past Goliath.
Goliath turned to Arsenal and he asked, "Where are you going?"
Arsenal stopped before he turned back to Goliath. "I need to find Damien Darhk and Dark Archer and capture them."
"Are you kidding? That's suicide." Goliath said.
"My clone did it, so why can't I? After all, the original is usually better than the clone." Arsenal said.
"They're too strong. Look, I'm sure the Red Arrow had help from his allies like Green Arrow and Black Canary. You can't do this alone." Goliath said.
"Watch me…" Arsenal said. He walked away from Goliath. Goliath couldn't do much of anything. Arsenal would only fight him if he got in the way and the fact was that Arsenal had fought harder opponents than him. So, he let the teenager leave.
After a few minutes, the team returned and approached him. "Hey… how'd the talk go?" Static asked.
Goliath shook his head. "That bad huh? I guess I'm not too surprised." Zeta said.
Goliath looked up and to see his three friends and the Kryptonian girl. "He left… He doesn't want to be our leader…" Goliath said.
"Dang… all this because of Kara?" Zeta asked.
"Who?" Goliath asked.
"Me… My name is Kara Zor-El… and as you have probably figured out by now, I'm from Krypton." The Kryptonian girl said.
"Oh okay… I'm Goliath." Goliath said.
"Real name is Tye." Zeta said.
"Dude… seriously? Arsenal said superhero personas until the mission was over." Goliath said. His eyes widened when he noticed that none of them were wearing the cloth that acted as masks.
"Hey… no one's around." Virgil said.
"What about her?" Tye asked as he gestured to Kara.
"She already told you her secret identity and well… we could really use some help out there." Eduardo said. He turned to Kara and he said, "How about it? Would you be willing to join the team?"
"I… I can't… I have to find my baby cousin, Kal-El." Kara said. "Do you happen to know if any other Kryptonain pods have landed on Earth recently?"
The group shook their heads. "There's only been two. Your pod and Superman's."
"Superman?" Kara asked.
"None of us really know his real name." Tye said. "I guess he really has that secret identity concept down."
"I thought my cousin and I were the only Kryptonians left. I'll have to find him. There's so much he could teach us… but first, I have to find Kal-El." Kara said.
"Wait… please… we need your help." Tye said. "Arsenal's going to get himself killed. He's going after the same people who put you under mind control. They're too strong. He won't stand a chance against them."
"I… I have to find my baby cousin, but… I do owe you guys one." Kara said. "If it wasn't for you, I'd still be under mind control… and who knows what those guys would have made me do…"
"Thank you." Tye said. "He turned to his friends and he said, "Come on guys. We have to help him. He saved our lives today and on the Warworld."
Virgil, Asami, and Eduardo looked to each other before looking to Tye. "I think you would be an amazing leader." Virgil said.
Tye shook his head. "I don't have the experience that Arsenal does. He may be rash and have a short fuse, but I feel confident with him leading us. Even if he doesn't want to recognize it, he IS our leader. Without him, we can't do much of anything."
There was silence amongst the teenagers. "Kara and I are going to save Arsenal… and I think you guys should do the same." Tye said.
Asami smiled and she said, "I want to help."
"Count me in too." Virgil said.
Eduardo sighed and he said, "You're right… I'm in too."
Tye nodded and he said, "Alright… thanks guys."
"No prob. Now let's get a move on." Virgil said. He put his mask back on along with the others.
The five teenagers left the cave to be greeted by Eduardo Sr and the police. "Arsenal did say he contacted the local police and Eduardo Sr." Goliath said.
The sheriff walked up to the teenagers and he said, "I recognize you. You're those vandalizing kids who destroy all that Reach garbage."
"Is everything alright, officer?" Static asked.
"Everything's fine. As far as I'm concerned, those Reach aliens shouldn't be here…. And now they're giving us that poison. As far as I'm concerned, you kids can keep destroying that Reach vomit. I don't trust them." The sheriff said.
"Do you hate all aliens?" Kara asked.
"Not all of them. I consider Superman and the Martian Manhunter to be prime examples of trustworthy aliens. They've saved the human race more times than I can count." The sheriff said.
"Thank you Sheriff Collins. I'll handle it from here." Eduardo Sr said. The sheriff nodded before he walked away to tend to the guards that were unconscious or captured. Eduardo Sr turned to the teenagers and he crossed his arms over his chest. "You kids…. None of you have returned home since you left STAR Labs… and from the looks of it, you're now encouraging other children to leave their homes." He looked over to Kara; she wasn't part of original four teenagers back at STAR Labs.
The teenagers gave looks of guilt. Goliath sighed and he said, "I should have gone home and checked on my mom…"
"I knew I was forgetting something… Man… pops and Sharron are going to kill me…" Static said.
Kunoichi shook her head and she said, "There's nothing for me to return to…"
"I um… I don't have a home…" Kara said. She was the only teenager that didn't have a guilty look on her face.
Eduardo Sr sighed and he said, "Junior, your mama misses you. You need to go visit her."
"I will… but Arsenal… He's in big trouble right now." Zeta said.
"What kind of trouble?" Eduardo Sr asked.
"The kind of trouble that involves Damien Darhk and Dark Archer." Goliath said. "We're on our way to help him."
"No… that would be suicide. Let me contact the League. I know they're stretched thin, but quite honestly, Damien Darhk and Dark Archer are too strong for you five." Eduardo Sr said.
"No… you need to let us handle this." Goliath said. "Like you said, the League is stretched thin and they're too focused on the Reach."
"They're too dangerous." Eduardo Sr said.
"We'll take our chances. Arsenal helped us on the Warworld; we have to help him." Goliath said.
"You went to the Warworld?" Eduardo Sr inquired.
Zeta rubbed the back of his head and he said, "It's a long story…"
"We'll explain when we come back, but right now, Arsenal needs us." Static said.
Eduardo Sr sighed and he said, "I feel like I'm sending you to your deaths… but alright… Just... regardless… I'll need to contact the League."
Goliath nodded and he turned to the group. "Let's move." Goliath said. The teenagers followed Goliath's lead and they started to go deeper into the forest.
"So wait… How do we know which way he went?" Zeta asked.
Goliath looked to the ground and he said, "I'll follow his tracks." He looked up and started following the footprints and tire marks that went deeper into the forest. The other four teenagers followed him.
Arsenal peaked over the bushes. He gritted his teeth as he watched the exchange between Damien Darhk and Dark Archer.
"It seems our mission failed." Dark Archer said.
"Not quite. True, the Kryptonian is now out of our grasp, but we now know the capabilities of the mind control device… Now we just need to capture her and find a way to make the mind control device fuse to her body. Either way, the Justice League will be no more… and Superman will be broken." Damien Darhk said.
"Those new heroes were unexpected. I have never seen them before." Dark Archer said.
"Indeed. We'll have to ask our little friend about them." Damien Darhk said before he made a hand gesture. Arsenal groaned as he tensed up. He was forced out of the shrubbery and out into the opening. Damien made another hand gesture which repelled Arsenal into a tree.
"AHH!" Arsenal exclaimed. Damien Darhk made another hand motion that brought Arsenal forward only to be kicked back by Dark Archer. Arsenal fell to the ground with Dark Archer standing over him with his sword pressed against his neck.
"We should kill him." Dark Archer said.
"Hmm… perhaps… he could prove useful." Damien Darhk said. "With enough torture and brainwashing, he could become our little sleeper agent into the Justice League… He will provide us the opportunity to strike."
"You will… not capture me…" Arsenal muttered. He raised his prosthetic arm and activated the ion cannon. He shot Dark Archer off. Dark Archer groaned in pain as he landed on the ground nearby. Arsenal grabbed the rocket propelled grenade and fired it. He didn't aim for Darhk. Instead, he fired at the nearby vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed.
"There goes your talisman, Darhk." Arsenal said. He aimed the rocket propelled grenade at Darhk, but Darhk stopped the attack with telekinesis.
"Impossible!" Arsenal exclaimed. The rocket was turned around with the telekinesis. It was aimed at Arsenal. Arsenal's eyes widened as the rocket was released and went toward him. He jumped away as the rocket exploded next to him. "AHH!" Arsenal exclaimed as the blast sent him to the ground. He groaned as he was picked up by the dark magic telekinesis.
"Well done." Damien Darhk said. "Aiming for that talisman was a good idea, but I'm afraid that it can't be destroyed by conventional means. It would take a magic user to destroy that talisman which is something you don't have." He turned to see Dark Archer stand.
"It's time we ended this little fiasco." Dark Archer said. He grabbed his bow and aimed it at Arsenal. Arsenal wanted to fight back but he couldn't. The dark magic telekinesis kept him from moving. He thought maybe this was for the best. His clone had lived a very successful life. His clone accomplished so much in eight years. Not only was Red Arrow able to become a member of the Justice League, but he was able to handle situations tougher than this. And to add on top of it all, he had a child. Maybe the clone was better than the original.
Damien Darhk sighed and he said, "I guess you're right… Arsenal would prove to be too much trouble." Dark Archer released the arrow. A few seconds passed before Arsenal could hear the metal clang of the arrow hitting the ground. He looked up to see the Kryptonian girl hovering before him.
…To be continued.