An Apprentice's Future
By: Malaizjan Dejesus & Reina Grayson
Author's Note: This is the climatic installment of the Batman Beyond Saga. Everything is coming together and this is the crossover fic. If you're a fan of either this series or Young Justice, than you will enjoy this! I am going to list the theme songs to various DC tv series and most of the theme songs can be found on Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary, which is available now, and the YJ Theme song is on its own album titled: Young Justice, which is also available. So if you don't have them, I suggest you go and buy them both!
Also, I had lots of help with this story. Reina Grayson deserves half the credit in getting 80% of this fic done. We had worked on these scenes for a while. In fact, I believe 95% of this chapter alone was written by her. So give her some love.
Chapter 11
Music: Young Justice Theme Song
Meygan stood there, on the other side of the looking window, looking at what remained of Beta Squad inside the Infirmary. She was angry, at herself, at the world, at the LOD for hurting the youngest members of the team.
Andrew was the most seriously injured. With help from Hawkman and Hawkwoman, Molly was able to repair his wings, reattaching them to his back the right way. But she was so drained that she needed to rest and then try to heal the others. Luna was still recovering from the Kryptonite poisoning. Shock had his leg in a pressure cast, to keep the break still. Syfon had chemical burns from the explosion of the doors. Carlos was healing but resting. (Kid Fate and Syfon were members of Alpha Squad.)
Vincent and Brian stood on either side of Meygan. The three youngest members of the original team just watched as various Justice League members checked on the kids and made sure their vitals were strong.
"It was my fault." It was a quiet statement from Meygan.
"No it wasn't," Brian said, munching on another energy bar. The original Batman and Flash, his great uncle Barry Allen!, had made sure he had a steady supply of energy bars because he was so out of gas that it wasn't funny.
"It was. If I had just left, I could have been there. I could've stopped them," she continued, a sad tone to her voice.
"And you would be captured too," Brian interjected. "You and Vin, you two dealt with a Slade Bot invasion before. A couple hundred, sure, you got me there. 10,000? You're crazy."
"Bri!" Vincent warned.
"It's ok."
The Infirmary doors opened and Molly walked out, looking better. "I'm going to take a walk, ok? I need a little time before I try to heal anyone again." She eyed her sister.
"Ok. Have fun," she said in a monotone.
Molly knew that was a bad sign. But she wanted to see the original league members. Just to get a feeling for them. It was the Greyson in her. She headed for the central control center.
25 minutes later, in the Central Control Center…
Siren kept staring at Green Arrow off and on. She was so close to her dad yet so far. She was suddenly shy. She knew this was her one chance to get to know him and yet she had no clue how. She wished her mom was there. Well she was, but she had no idea how to tell Green Arrow about herself.
Molly Greyson, aka Miracle, had gotten there 10 minutes earlier. Molly saw the hesitation in Siren, how the young lady stood there staring at her dad. So she deftly took the young woman's hand & guides her to Oliver Queen. "Hi," Molly said.
"Hi there, uh, Molly, right?" GA said; a grin ready for the young healer.
Molly giggled. She was so at ease with the billionaire archer. "GA, this is Siren. Siren, this is Green Arrow." Molly then walked off, leaving Olivia Lance-Queen with her father.
"Hi," she said shyly.
Oliver smiled. "So was there a reason you were staring at me or did my looks blind you?"
Siren blushed.
GA knew it had to be something else. "So you're Dinah's daughter. You're a near perfect image of her."
Siren took a breath and let it out slowly. "Not just hers," she finally told him.
Ollie's jaw fell open in shock…..him and Dinah? Anyone looking at Siren instantly saw Dinah. She was a near spit image of Black Canary; except that her hair fell to her waist in a golden blonde braid and her eyes...well they weren't veiled now. He could see them. They were his.
He watched as tears came to her, as if she was holding back intense emotions. "Me?" he whispered to her.
Olivia ran to GA and hugged him, crying softly as she felt his arms around her.
She finally got to see her dad. The legendary Green Arrow.
The pressure was gone.
Batman looked over at Green Arrow. He narrowed his eyes in question.
Oliver saw no need to hide it. He mouthed, "She's my daughter."
Bruce's eyes widened in disbelief. But he nodded. He eyed the young man in the futuristic Bat Suit. He needed to talk to the young man. He walked away from the monitors toward that young man.
Terry was surprised when he saw the watchtower in the year 2016; it hadn't changed much over thirty year, and to be honest, he felt better about being there now…..he wouldn't get lost in the massive Watchtower. He saw Batman staring at him, and knew he'd have some explaining to do, but also, it was a chance to REALLY see Bruce at his peak.
"We need to talk." Bruce (in cape and cowl) said as he walked up to the 20 year old wearing the futuristic bat suit.
"You have NO idea how much we need to talk," Terry said and so the two headed to a private place.
"So, how did YOU get a bat suit?" Bruce, now with his cowl down, remarked, once they were in a secluded. Not all the members of the Justice League knew his true identity.
Terry laughed a bit at the thought of when he stole the suit. "Long story but the short part is I kinda stole it at first to get back at the person that killed my father. After you cut off the suit, I was beaten up pretty good. I convinced you that we were the same. You let me keep the mantle and fight crime in Neo Gotham."
"You've got guts. How did you know where the Batcave was?" Bruce was even more curious than before. He couldn't have just handed that suit over to someone that wasn't part of his extended family.
"I was chased to your place by a group of Jokerz. After you helped me beat some of them up, I helped you inside. When I went to call my dad to let him know I was alright and on my way home, I saw a bat trapped in the grandfather clock's face. I tried to let it out and the clock moved to reveal the cave." Terry remarked, knowing that was just the start. "You kicked me out, but I found a disk of something that your company was working on and I figured it got my dad killed, I came to you about it, you told me to go to the police commissioner and I was then attacked. The disk was taken from me so I thought I'd take matters into my own hands. So I stole the suit."
Batman only smirked. "You're reckless, but you seem to do the mantle proud, and I'm glad you took over." He meant that. He wanted to know why Dick hadn't taken up the mantle. But he was happy someone did.
Terry was taken aback by this remark; he had NEVER gotten a straight complement from Bruce in the three years he was Batman….well except after Terry had saved Tim from Joker's control.
"I don't want to ruin anything you've done within my timeline, but you really do soften up over the years; I think Areina had something to do with it." Terry said. "Don't let any of the others comments bother you. They grew up hearing the stories of the Dark Knight, you that is."
Once that was behind them, the two had a completely different conversation as only Bats do, and that satisfied Batman. The two then went to do their own things: Batman checking everything out with his time's Wally West; and Terry getting his ankle checked out by Molly.
"Hey Mol; how about your healing magic on my ankle. It's killing me," Terry said to the young girl.
"Go find a cast. I'm tired." Molly did look tired. "And Andrew needs another round of healing. His wings are damaged."
Terry stared at Molly. "It's a sprang; I'll live." But he knew something was going on with the young girl.
Areina found an empty training room full of gymnastics gear. Red Bird hated herself right now; she attacked her cousin. She would NEVER have done that. There was something wrong, and she could feel it but she didn't know what.
"You know you want to kill Rave for leaving your fiancé behind," A voice said, filling the room and Areina's mind with more hatred toward Meygan.
"No, she was right; she had to help those of us that she could, and Mathen told her to go." Great, she was talking to herself now.
"She abandoned them, especially her brother who tore her apart emotionally, how else was that brat, Mordred, able to bring hers and that demon's greatest fears to life."
"Stop it, whoever you are!" Areina said as she covered her ears so she couldn't hear anymore.
"She should not be allowed to walk free. She must pay for leaving him behind," that voice continued.
Wally West was snuggled with Artemis, both staring out at the observation deck. He had a son. He had no idea what to say to him, nor how to say it to him. Artemis, for her part, stayed quiet. So much had happened to them, and she thought she lost him forever. Now he was back and everything in the future had hit the fan, sorta speak. The poor young heroes of that time were here, in the past with them, well most of them. She wanted to meet her son. But she was going to wait on Wally.
Bruce Wayne watched the young couple in the shadows. Wally seemed to be indecisive about seeing his son. He understood that. The young heroes from the future were wheeling from their first major defeat. And that was stinging them.
"Spying on my nephew, Bats?" Barry was next to him, and Bruce was surprise that Barry Allen could get to him without making noise.
"Just wanted to make sure he was alright."
"He's not. He's far from it. He needs time to adjust."
Meygan was tired. She walked away from the Infirmary window, leaving Brian West and Vincent Harper-Crock behind. She needed some air. Rave had rested some, but she felt something was amiss with her family. She didn't know what, so she followed the feeling and found Areina. Her cousin looked like she was fighting with herself. It was then that Mona came into Meygan's mind. They were separated at the moment, Mona hanging out with Eolus. "It's Raven's brother; I did not pick up on it before because of Areina's power, but now I can sense him."
"Oh hell no! First me…then Mathen and now my cousin?! I'm not letting him hurt anymore of us," Meygan said out loud and she flew into the training room. "Areina!"
"Something's not right, there's a voice that's trying to convince me….." Areina started as she saw her 16 year old cousin, but after the pause, Meygan could hear a change in
Areina's breathing. "You'll pay for leaving him behind! You just abandoned them, and according to Siren, Mathen was bleeding out."
"Areina!? Please you have to control yourself, this isn't you. It's Raven's brother Strife, the one that made Mathen hurt me emotionally," Meygan said, hoping that Areina's will power was strong enough for fight off the evil of Strife.
"No…..you always hated your brother, I'm sure of it! He knows the lost of a sibling, as I know how it is to lose a parent. I'm sure letting him get caught was all part of your plan!" Areina said, her eyes dark with the power of Strife controlling her.
"I didn't want to leave them! Orin wanted you safe and Mathen knew he wouldn't make it to the time portal. Kevin was left behind too! Do you really think I wanted that!?" Meygan said, tears coming to her eyes.
Areina closed her eyes as she tried to fight for control of her mind and heart. "Meygan, please, you have to stop him. I know I said what was in my heart, but I won't let him use me to break you again."
"The girl is weak; and to think this one grew up with the original Batman." A stereo tone to Areina's voice was now apparent.
"She's from MY bloodline Strife, she's not as weak as you think," Meygan said, and with that she went right after her cousin. "Sorry Areina," she whispered.
Areina/Strife countered a kick that would have sent the young fire controller into the nearby sandbag. She then created fireballs and sent them toward Meygan. The young demoness/wizard quickly doused them with a water spell and went on the offensive. The two went at it for several minutes, then Meygan was able to use her powers inherited from Raven to trap Areina in an UNbreakable hold against the wall.
"You won't win, brat; I broke you once, and I WILL do it again," Strife said, Areina's tone nowhere in the voice.
"Never again, and the next time I see you; beware," Meygan said, and she let her eyes gain a purple tint. "Azarath…..Metrion…Zinthos."
With the incantation completed, Areina screamed out in pain but that soon ended as a black mass of energy left the 2nd generation fire controller. It then opened a small portal of its own and vanished. Meygan knew that Areina was going to need some psychic help, but first she had to make sure her cousin was going to be alright.
"Areina?" Meygan questioned as she lay the 20 year old on the ground gently.
Areina didn't say anything or open her eyes, but after about a minute; Meygan saw some good signs. She started to move and her eyes opened slowly, blinking up at her cousin. "Meygan….I'm so sorry. On the surface I was angry because Orin's not here and yes, I thought you left him behind on purpose; but deep down I know you were just following Mathen's orders."
"I knew it wasn't you, I don't know why I didn't see it when we fought the first time. I should have known something was wrong when Vincent was aiming an arrow at you; he saw what I couldn't at the time," Meygan said.
"That's my brother for you," Areina said with a weak smile as she sat up.
Meygan never let her emotions show because of her demon powers, but right now, she was just glad that her cousin was alright. The young demoness/wizard attacked Areina with a hug, being careful to not allow any skin-to-skin contact and Areina returned the embrace. "You need to be checked out by J'onn," Meygan said as she continued the hug.
"Alright, let's get going," Areina said as she released Meygan from the hug and the two cousins stood up.
"No worries about what you said. I know you held the words in your mind and heart, but that's how Strife fights, he uses a person's feelings against others," Meygan remarked as they left the training room.
"Well, I could hear you while he had control, and I hope you go through with that threat," Areina said as she looked at her cousin.
"Oh I will, you can trust me on that one." Meygan whispered darkly, and with that last statement; the two finished their search for Martian Manhunter in silence.
Oliver Queen wanted to see this supposed LOD leader. He needed to. Why would this kid pick a fight with the Justice League in the first place? The scope of all of this planning? He needed to see it for himself. He went to the detention area of the WT and stood before Ian's cell. "So you're the big, bad leader of the new Legion of Doom?"
Stalker turned his head from where he was laying down and grinned. "Ian Montgomery at your service." His tone was so sarcastic.
"Not impressed."
"You're one to talk. You're a mere human acting like Robin Hood. No wonder you got taken out."
Green Arrow was shocked at this statement
"You want to know how Deathstroke did it. You are a thorn. Eventually, those thorns get taken out."
"How?" he asked. He couldn't be hearing this but he wanted to know.
"Free me and I'll show you," Ian challenged.
"You really think I'm stupid don't you?"
"I heard you were. You look stupid too."
Ollie's temper rose. He wanted to deck him... No wonder Superman got pissed after seeing him.
"The best part was what Deathstroke did to your son, you know the clone." Ian said; a grin showing on his face. "It's too bad he didn't get to see his kids grow up."
"Roy?!" Oliver shut off the static field, went in and punched him in the face.
Ian punched back. "If only you had been there to see the life leave his body as he bleed out. But I guess there could have been SOME consolation that the other original sidekicks were there."
Green Arrow punched again. The pair were then on the floor, rolling around and trading punches.
"GA!" A green construct hand came and pulled him off of Ian. Another hand had Ian pinned to the wall. "What the Hell is going on!?" cried GL, Hal Jordan.
"I have to admit, IF Roy had survived, then he could have witnessed his son's death at Deathstroke's hands...when it came to it."
"He won't touch him, you son of a bitch. I promise you!" Oliver spat out.
"OLLIE!" Hal pulled Ollie out of the cell; released Ian and restored the static field.
"Deathstroke kills Roy! And he's after his son!" GA cried.
"Relax; let's go talk and get away from this psycho."
"And Black Canary did a good job hiding your daughter from him. When he finds out, she's dead too."
Ollie was ready to enter round 2, but Hal kept a hold on him. Ollie was passionate about protecting his family. And daughter? The blonde that looked so much like Dinah? She was his kid too? Whoa…
Ian laughed as the two heroes left the area at the thoughts in his head: Archeron would be next, then Siren and finally Tigress. With those three gone, ALL archers in the history of the Justice League and Team would be out of the way, and he would start into his master plan…
*** Will the BB YJ team ever heal up enough to return to their time and take down the LOD? And is Strife the beginning of those villains arrival to take down Rave? ***