FROM MY EXILE, I ARISE REBORN... Well, I arise with a replacement computer. A few notes, because it has been... so long.
1) I hope you've all been doing your best to keep yourselves as safe as possible in this tumultuous time we're living in right now, and I hope by posting this chapter I can bring at least a little shred of happiness to your lives (because finally being able to write for this story again has certainly made me happier).
2) I want to thank you all so, so, so so so so much for sticking around. The hiatus was sudden, unexpected, and highly unwanted, but I cannot thank you enough for caring enough to wait and being so kind about it. If I had the ability to hug you through the internet, I would.
3) Thanks also to those of you that started following the story during the hiatus. Usually I have fairly consistent updates, this was just an unusual situation. Every day I got a new follow notification I was just like "LOOK AT THESE CONSTANT REMINDERS OF THIS STORY YOU REALLY WANT TO WRITE AND ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO READ IT." But now I am back. YOU'RE ALL STUCK WITH ME NOW. YOU MADE YOUR CHOICE.
4) Ummm... Okay, what else? A few oneshots will be posted soon, including the long awaited questionnaire episode. Since the last update I've been working on a very long oneshot that I'll try to finish up and post ASAP. But as you can understand, I desperately wanted to finish this first. You've all been waiting long enough. And so have I, because ZATANNA.
5) A bit of clarification from last chapter's contents. Hawkgirl does not know that Billy Batson is Captain Marvel (and let me tell you, that's gonna be a fun reveal). But Billy Batson/Captain Marvel knows that Skylar Hall is Hawkgirl. Here's my explanation as to why: One, Wisdom of Solomon, and Two, Shayera and Katar are very open about their civilian identities with the Justice League, I have no doubt that Captain Marvel would have been told once he joined the League and/or picked it up from just being around them. Hal Jordan definitely gushes about his adorable overly-aggressive niece and there's nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise. Really, it's an absolute wonder that the whole team doesn't know her semi-secret identity yet.
6) That's all for now, and once again, thank you, thank you, thank you for being so supportive!
MOUNT JUSTICE
OCTOBER 10TH, 2010
16:58 EDT
There were few things more satisfying in the world than successfully keeping a Kryptonian stuck in a headlock. Superboy thrashed in her grip, but she tightened her biceps around his throat, forcing him to rethink his strategy. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the rest of the Team enraptured in their own one on one fights, with one glaring exception. Namely, a certain speedster with a broken arm. In her very brief moment of distraction, Conner rethought his strategy, dropping his center of gravity and forcing her to let go. Her balance was disrupted by the move, so when he dove at her to grapple her in turn, she was unable to completely dodge it. Conner's fingers latched onto one wing, using the feathered appendage to practically throw her onto the ground.
He stood over her, eyes shining with visible surprise and his mouth slightly ajar. "Did that just... work?"
Hawkgirl snarled at him. "It won't a second time."
The surprise faded in favor of a playful confidence. "You sure? You seem a little slow today... Need a break like Wally?"
Truthfully, she was more fatigued than usual, the result of a long string of action packed nightly patrols that had finally caught up to her... not that she'd admit it aloud. Instead, she tensed and prepared to spring. "I'll show you slow." Diving at his legs with all of the force she could muster, she successfully tackled him to the ground, his head impacting the floor with a sharp crack.
While they were actually working, a temporarily incapacitated Wally was being pampered by an overeager Captain Marvel, who had handed him a glass of juice with a tiny umbrella. Wolf was also taking the moment to rest, fast asleep near the redhead's armchair.
"Pineapple juice?" Wally took a long sip of his drink. "Ahh, just what the doctor ordered."
"How's the arm doing, Wally?" Captain Marvel asked.
"Well, nothing wrong that nachos can't cure."
The magic hero perked up. "Nachos? Oh! I'll go get you some!" He sped off towards the kitchen like the eager Labrador puppy he was at heart. A moment later, Robin was bodily thrown halfway across the ring by Artemis, hitting the floor hard. M'Gann and Kaldur's bout was no less intense, the two trading blows back and forth like an intricate dance.
"Good work, everyone." At Black Canary's call, they all stopped. Hawkgirl clambered off Superboy's torso where she'd been keeping him pinned to the ground and helped him up to his feet so they could join the others. "In fact, it's been a very productive week."
Artemis couldn't help but scoff at Canary's complement. "Yeah, for everyone except Kid Malingerer."
"Hey!" The speedster's eyes narrowed. "Arm broken in combat against the Injustice League, here!" He held up his white cast for emphasis. Hawkgirl rolled her eyes. Dealing with Wally had been more than a little annoying, considering he'd been milking his relatively minor injury for all he was worth.
Canary opted to ignore the brewing verbal spar. "I've really enjoyed being your, uh, den mother this week."
Before she could say anything else, the robotic voice of the Cave's computer made itself known.
"Recognized: Zatara, 11"
The magician himself appeared in a burst of bright light, and Hawkgirl's mace hummed to life at her hip in anticipation, no doubt reacting to the aura of magic surrounding his very being. The Leaguer immediately activate the holo-keyboard near the transporter, prompting the computer to speak once more. "Access Granted, Zatanna, Zatara, A03. Authorization: Zatara, 11." Zatara stood by and waited, eyes locked on the tunnel that once more burst into life.
Out stepped a slim girl with pitch black hair and blue eyes that immediately started looking around, practically exuding apprehension.
"Zatanna, this is the Team. Team, my daughter, Zatanna." Zatara presented the girl with a stage-like flourish of his hand, no doubt an ingrained habit.
Ever the friendliest member of said Team, M'Gann flew forward first, a bright smile on her face. "Hi! I'm-" Only for her introduction to be immediately cut off as Robin darted forward, which was definitely an unexpected action.
"Robin!" He cleared his throat, trying to tone done his eagerness. Ski'Lira shared a meaningful look with Kaldur. "I mean, I'm Robin. Heh. She's Megan, and that's Wally, Artemis, Kaldur, Hawkgirl, and Conner."
"Welcome to the Cave." Kaldur greeted.
"Thanks." Zatanna said, crossing one arm over the other in a clear sign of discomfort at the attention.
Robin was still clearly a little flustered, judging by his stilted and hasty speech. "So, uh, are you joining The Team?"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Stepping forward, Zatara swept his elegant top hat off of his head and held it to his chest. "This is strictly a visit." Zatara turned to address the only other adult (currently) present in the room. "But I am sorry we missed the training. It's something from which Zatanna could benefit."
Training? From Black Canary? Considering she was a Leaguer's kid, it would make sense for Zatanna to learn some kind of self-defense, and Black Canary was undoubtedly the best choice to do so. It was a little odd that he would bring her here during the Team's training if he was against her actually joining it, as he seemed to be. Before she could muse further, she felt the familiar settling of a mind link in her brain.
"Do the rest of you get the impression we're still on probation with Zatara?" M'Gann spoke first.
"Not just Zatara." Superboy added. "I mean, why is Marvel still hanging around?"
Hawkgirl forced herself to keep from projecting her frustration that they were doing nothing to stem their physical reactions to their 'speech', gesturing and turning to look at the others as they 'spoke'. This was only going to end in disaster.
"Because we like having him around!" Wally insisted.
Artemis' irritation cut through like a knife. "You like having him around because he waits on you hand and foot!"
"And your point is...?"
"It almost makes one nostalgic for Red Tornado's tenure as our supervisor." Eyes dropping to the ground, Kaldur's tone went a little solemn.
"Yeah, at least he trusted us." Robin added.
Superboy didn't seem to agree with that statement, immediately bursting out with, "If you ignore the fact we shouldn't have trusted him! He was a traitor! That machine nearly got M- All of us killed!"
"Are you guys having a psychic conversation?" Zatanna interrupted, earning startled looks from the teens. "'Cause I can't decide if that's cool or really rude."
"You all really need to work on your subtlety." Hawkgirl deadpanned, finally making her opinion known. Based on the glares she received from several people, it wasn't an appreciated one.
Zatanna's question earned them the attention of the adults, who seemed inquisitive and a little disapproving for excluding the girl so early.
"All right, fine!" Superboy acquiesced first and there was little doubt in Ski'Lira's mind it was most likely because he didn't want Black Canary mad at him. "We were talking about Tornado. It's been weeks since his attack, and the League hasn't told us anything."
"The League is searching for Tornado, as well as the other androids that invaded the Cave and their creator, T.O. Morrow." Black Canary assured. "Batman's made tracking them down our highest priority."
Robin stepped forward. "But you've found none of the above!"
"Not yet, but Tornado is Justice League." The emphasis she put on those words was not missed. "The Team is not to pursue this."
See, saying it that way did nothing to deter them from wanting to. Logically, Ski'Lira understood that allowing the Justice League to spearhead the investigation was probably the safer option. Red Tornado wasn't just a member of the Justice League, he had also been a member of the Justice Society before that. He was a formidable hero in his own right, and he'd already taken them all down with little effort once. Not to mention there were also the two other androids to deal with. Last time they'd faced off, they'd all come very close to being killed.
But logic was thrown out the window in favor of the knife sharp sting of betrayal that cut to the core.
Ski'Lira took advantage of the still-intact mental link. "We're going after him."
"Agreed." Kaldur answered. The others didn't need to directly explain, as the feelings of acceptance and the stern looks on their faces was more than enough confirmation to know they were all on the same page here.
"Why don't you all take Zatanna on a, uh, a tour of the Cave?" Zatara offered, attempting to distract them from the matter at hand.
They all looked towards Zatanna, who was on the ground next to Wolf giving him all of the pets and cuddles he deserved.
At that point, Captain Marvel finally made his grand return, bearing a plate of hastily made nachos. "You're giving a tour? Cool!"
To Hawkgirl's surprise (and pride), Conner took the initiative. "Actually, I was hoping you'd take Wolf outside. He needs the exercise. We'll join you in a few." He falsely promised.
"Sure, sure! I can do that! Come on, Wolf!" Still carefully balancing the plate in his hand, Captain Marvel bounded off with Wolf towards the exit like the two overgrown puppies they were.
With that obstacle taken care of, the Team headed deeper into the Cave, much to Wally's chagrin. "Wh-what? My nachos!" Hawkgirl wordlessly grabbed him by the back of his shirt and physically dragged him along with her. As they were passing by the lounge, Zatanna reminded them of her presence, now clad in a lilac tank top and khaki pants, far different from the skirt and blazer ensemble she'd been sporting when she arrived.
Hawkgirl's unseen eyes narrowed a little in thought, as she realized her mace was still humming despite them being well away from Zatara's presence. A casual sniff as the girl passed by her confirmed it.
Magic user.
Well, this whole situation just became a lot more interesting.
Robin was clearly thrown off by the sudden wardrobe change. "When did you...? How did you-?"
"We're not really taking a tour, are we?" Zatanna asked, straight to the point.
"No." Superboy answered, stopping and bringing the group to a temporary halt. "We're hunting down that robot."
"Yes, we are." Kaldur affirmed.
"Oh, wow." Zatanna's eyes widened a little. "Out loud and everything."
"What about new girl?" Artemis gestured to the tag-along, clearly skeptical.
Robin practically leapt at the opportunity to defend her. "I'm sure she won't tell."
"I can't tell." A sly look sparkled in Zatanna's eyes. "Not if you kidnap me."
Artemis put her hands on her hips. "Oh, she's going to fit in great."
A scoff left Hawkgirl's mouth before she could suppress it. "As long as she can keep up." Knowing magic didn't equal being able to use it effectively in combat. This was going to be a difficult enough challenge already without the prospect of introducing a completely new element to the equation. The tide of battle could shift drastically out of their favor if she made a single slip up, and she wasn't about to let that possibility go unvoiced. "The last thing we need on the field right now is a liability."
The (completely valid) comment earned her a harsh elbow jab in the ribs from Robin.
H
It took but a moment for the bioship to reconfigure for the presence of an additional passenger, and soon they were in the sky and starting out on their completely unsanctioned journey. Only a few minutes had passed before they were being hailed by the Cave, and M'Gann immediately answered it to avoid garnering further suspicion.
"M'Gann, the bioship wasn't authorized for departure." Black Canary immediately reprimanded.
"We're kidnapping Zatanna!" The Martian teen cheerfully replied. "To show her Happy Harbor! Be back soon!"
"... Roger that." The female hero sounded a little taken aback, but seemed satisfied. "Have fun?"
Once the line had been cut off, Robin began musing aloud. "Where are we going? Batman is the world's greatest detective and he searched for Tornado and Morrow in every logical location... If we're going to do better, we need an illogical solution... a truly dumb idea..."
Everyone turned to look at Kid Flash.
He didn't look even the slightest bit upset. "As a matter of fact..."
BELLE REVE PENITENTIARY
OCTOBER 10TH, 2010
18:35 CDT
This was far from Ski'Lira's first time being in an interrogation room (seeing as the St. Roch Police Department loved to throw the Hawks at uncooperative criminals), but it was probably the strangest. The Team was clustered in the relatively small room, all staring down an orange-jumpsuit clad Ivo.
Miss Martian took the lead, glaring down at the mousy scientist. "Warden Strange owed us a favor for stopping last month's prison break. He's given us five minutes with you."
"Spill, Ivo." Superboy snapped. "How do we find T.O. Morrow and his Reds?"
Ivo was visibly unimpressed with the attempt, leaning back in his (no doubt highly uncomfortable) metal chair, expression unchanging. "Now, why in the world would I know how to find Morrow?"
"Because-" Kid Flash began to answer. "And here's a truly dumb idea, you're Morrow's biggest competitor in the evil android game. Who better to keep track of what he's up to, and where?"
Folding his hands together, Ivo considered the claim for a moment. "Ah, I see your point, so let me rephrase..." His eyes hardened ever so slightly. "Why in the world would I tell you how to find Morrow?"
"He knows." Kaldur turned to M'Gann. "Do what you must."
At his succinct order, M'Gann's eyes began to glow as she invaded his mind... to no effect.
A smug smile appeared on the mad scientist's face as he leaned back in his seat once more. "Oh, please. As if I've never faced a telepath before."
"There are other ways to get someone to talk." Hawkgirl pointedly twirled the knife she had retrieved from it's hiding place in her right boot while the attention had been on Ivo and M'Gann's exchange. At the sight of the razor sharp blade glinting in her grasp, Ivo visibly tensed, his cocky facade fading in the face of a very real physical threat.
Before Hawkgirl could drive the point home (either figuratively with words or literally with the knife), Zatanna finally spoke up from where she stood innocuously behind Ivo. Leaning in close, a litany of nonsense words left her lips, tinged with a strange echo.
Ivo straightened as if he'd just been doused with ice water. "Morrow's in a secret underground base beneath Yellowstone Park, one hundred meters south of Old Faithful." He clapped his hands over his mouth, but it was too late. "Wait, what just happened?"
Everyone in the room (apart from Hawkgirl), stared at Zatanna with shocked expressions. Hawkgirl wordlessly slipped her knife back into it's hiding place and headed for the door. This was going to be a fun conversation, she could tell already.
Boarding the bioship had been a tense and quiet experience, as no one seemed to want to be the first to call out Zatanna for her abilities. Hawkgirl honestly had no idea they were so surprised in the first place. It was a highly probably logical jump to assume Zatanna had the same (or at least similar) abilities as her father. She had literally come to the Cave today for training with Black Canary, did nobody else pick up on that?
"Black out all external communications." Aqualad told M'Gann. "Soon, Canary and Zatara, Batman too, I imagine, will know of our visit with Professor Ivo. We haven't much time."
"Look..." Robin began, getting Zatanna's attention. "I'm trying to be all... nonchalant here..."
"Why? Be as chalant as you like." She offered.
Hawkgirl bristled, she couldn't believe Robin's trend was spreading so soon, though she remained quiet.
"I think we're all just trying to get a handle on your powers." Artemis admitted. It was an important issue to address, considering what the magician in training had just managed to do. "Could you teleport us to Tornado? Or Morrow to a cell? Or force his bots to surrender?"
"Or create peach on Earth for all time?" Zatanna added, sounding a little amused. "Zatara couldn't even do all that, and I'm nowhere near my dad's level. I need to know a spell cold, or else have time to prep it... Plus, all magic requires energy, which usually has to come from within. I just can't make the impossible happen at will."
"What's our ETA to Yellowstone?" The snapping of Superboy's steadily growing temper was nearly audible. "I'm way past ready to stuff Tornado into a trash compacter."
Actually, that wasn't a bad plan... Hawkgirl was brought out of her pondering by Aqualad's interjection. "Are you so certain he betrayed us?" Hawkgirl's mouth turned down into a frown. The Atlantean hadn't made this opinion known yet. How long had he been holding onto this?
"Aren't you?" Superboy asked.
"I am... not convinced. And even so, that makes him but the victim of his creator's programming. Certainly, he deserves a chance to prove he's more than the weapon others designed him to be."
Conner went quiet at that, the words hitting close to home.
Hawkgirl took it upon herself to break the tension. "That's something we will have to discover for ourselves when we find him..." She went quiet for a moment, the rest of the bioship occupants maintaining their own silence. "... Did you all really not realize she was a sindarti?" At the first confused look, she quickly backtracked, seeing her error. "A magician, I mean. I thought it was obvious."
Throwing his hands up, Wally angled his head to face her. "Clearly it wasn't!"
"Well that's no fault of mine. Perhaps your training is lacking."
"Not to mention you deal with magic way more than the rest of us... except maybe Aqualad, because... you know. Sorcery." Robin pointed out.
"How did you know, anyway?" Zatanna asked. "I mean, considering it surprised everyone else."
"Three reasons." Hawkgirl held up three fingers for emphasis, ticking them down as she spoke. "One, Nth metal naturally reacts around magic." With her free hand, she tapped her mace for emphasis. "Two, you reek of magic. And three, you're literally Giovanni Zatara's daughter. It's a logical conclusion."
"... Are you saying I smell?"
"Yes. Of magic. Take that how you will."
"I'm sorry." Artemis spoke up, caught off guard. "But did you just imply magic has a scent? What does... what does that even smell like?"
Hawkgirl could only shrug. "I can't explain it. It'd be like me asking you to describe what a rose smells like without using the words 'rose' or 'flower'. It doesn't have an olfactory comparison I can provide unless you can pick up on it yourself."
"... Okay, point. So you can just... smell magic?"
"Yes and no. Only highly concentrated sources, like particularly powerful people, or places. Like the Tower of Fate. Artifacts too, sometimes, but only highly potent ones. Have I sufficiently answered all of your questions, Artemis?"
"Yeah... Wait, no." Her brows scrunched up a little. "One other thing's been bugging me since we met with Ivo... Exactly how long have you had that knife in your boot?"
"... What have I done to make you think I'm not the kind of person who would keep knives in her boots?"
"Fine, point made once again... Wait, did you say 'knives'? As in plural?"
H
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
OCTOBER 10TH, 2010
20:22 MDT
The moment Miss Martian brought the ship to ground, Aqualad took charge and started issuing orders. "Stealth mode." Everyone apart from Robin, Hawkgirl, and Superboy activated their stealth gear (or merely shifted her clothing, in M'Gann's case). The Thanagarian and the Atlantean were the last ones to leave the ship, apart from their tag-along.
"I recommend you stay behind." Kaldur said succinctly.
Zatanna's eyes gleamed. "Is that an order?"
"No. You must do as you see fit."
"Good." She recited a new spell, this one creating a spiral of smoke that surrounded her form, revealing a fitted magician's coat and tails similar to her father's own hero attire. She popped a hand on her hip, smiling proudly.
But a mere change in outfit wasn't enough of an argument for Hawkgirl. She had tolerated Zatanna's presence up to this point, because for the most part it was harmless. The girl had stayed out of the way, only intervening to use her powers once in a helpful manor. This situation was entirely different, what was sure to be a hard fought battle, not a mere milk run to interrogate a relatively harmless prisoner. Stepping in close, she put a gauntlet-clad hand on the younger girl's shoulder, careful to avoid tearing into the fabric with her sharp metal claws. "This is your first battle. Do not deny it, I can tell. Keep your wits about you and stay close to us. No risks, understand?"
The cocky grin on Zatanna's face faltered for a second before it came back in full force. "Going soft already, Hawkgirl?"
"Attempting to prevent disaster does not make me soft." She snapped. "I would rather not bring you home to your father in a body bag. Or do the same for any of my teammates, if they end up paying for a rookie mistake."
"And there's the Thanagarian temper I've been warned about. So angry."
"Angry? Oh no. You have no idea what a truly angry Thanagarian looks like." Hawkgirl bared her teeth, half threat, half smile. "And hopefully you never will. Now get moving."
Zatanna gave a snappy salute before following the team leader and his second out of the ship. The Team took off into the night, sprinting in a tight formation (that Zatanna was fortunately keeping up with fairly easily). Robin took point, only skidding to a stop and bringing the group to a halt in order to pull up a holomap of the area.
"Ivo was right." He said, squinting slightly at the red markings littering the blue map. "Something's down there."
Aqualad took over the lead, setting off once more, but they had all scarcely followed suit before they were accosted by a strong gale of wind. At the first tug of air on her feathers, she pulled her wings as tightly against her back as she could just before they were all thrown violently to the ground. A glance upward confirmed the presence of Red Tornado, the situation somewhat reminiscent of their hard won fight with Mister Twister.
The sight of Red Tornado looking completely unharmed made her feel both blinding rage and a bit of relief. He was a former trusted League member and devoted den mother, and that was difficult to forget, but the rage won out in the end.
Tornado began summoning a circle of his namesakes to surround them, keeping them trapped in a relentless vortex. That was when her sharp eyes caught on something just behind the floating android, carved into the ground and clearly meant to be seen.
"Why, Tornado?! Why are you doing this?!" Miss Martian screamed as she set up a mental link, displaying a telepathic message of the carving. "Message recieved?" Ah, it looks like Sky wasn't the only one to see the message. Wordless affirmations poured through from the other members of the Team (and Zatanna).
"Who cares why? Nail him!" Superboy shouted, though there wasn't as much bite to his war cry as there would have been. He ran straight for Tornado.
Aqualad called after the charging teen. "Superboy! Maneuver Seven!" Changing tactics, Superboy came to a stop and laced his fingers together, allowing Kaldur to step onto them and create a launching pad, assisting the leap with his enhanced strength. The Atlantean flew towards Red Tornado, only to be punched out of the air straight back into Superboy.
Artemis fired off two explosive-laden arrows, only for them to be thrown right back at her and Robin, the projectiles detonating at their feet. Taking a calculated risk, Hawkgirl flared out her wings, grimacing at the effect of multiple air currents trying to harshly tug her in different directions. Mustering all of the strength she could, she forced her wings to flap powerfully enough to propel her straight at Red Tornado. In the process, she disengage the head of her mace and threw the chained, spiked ball at his metallic face. A hand shot up, grabbing the head before it could make contact, and swung down with his android level strength. Since she was still holding tightly onto her weapon and still fighting to remain in the air, she was helpless as she was swung downwards. Slamming bodily into the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of her lungs (but not enough to seriously injure her), she forced herself to go limp and remain still.
"That does it, Red!" Kid Flash yelled. "You're not the only spin doctor around here!" True to his words, the speedster forced his body into a constant spiral, generating his own small whirlwind. The distraction worked just long enough for Miss Martian to fly in close, but just before she could make contact the android grabbed her and threw her into the newly formed, smaller vortex. Both Martian and speedster were knocked out of the fight, leaving Zatanna the last one standing.
A spell tumbled frantically out of her, but she stuttered and lost concentration as Tornado landed in front of her, wrapping a hand around her throat. A few heartbeats later, she went limp.
Red Tornado flew up to hover over them, expressionless as always as he surveyed his handiwork. A pillar of rock bearing a darker red android emerged from the ground behind him, bringing the two to eye level. "Quite a performance, brother, but we both know that's all it was. I have all your memories Tornado, plus a next-gen processor. I know your next move before you do." The section of ground bearing the 'Play Dead' message was torn out of the ground, and at that point all of the members of the Team moved, their ruse already broken. "Blowing a message into the sand?"
The new android threw the giant chunk of rock at the gathered young heroes. Aqualad, Hawkgirl, and Superboy all jumped or flew to intercept it, slamming into it with fists and weapons. Their combined efforts smashed it into smaller, more manageable pieces before it could strike their teammates. Or at least, they made it so the smaller chunks were easier to dodge.
"Zatanna?" Judging by Robin's worried inquiry, the magician must have almost been hit by a wayward chunk of rock.
"I'm good." She assured. "But Red Tornado's getting away!"
Miss Martian joined Hawkgirl and Superboy as they targeted the new android via the air, leaving the others to cover ground attacks.
"Is he abandoning us?" Artemis asked.
"I don't believe that." Miss Martian insisted.
Kid Flash was the first to make it to the android, racing up the side of his rock pillar, fully intent on some kind of take down, only to be immediately smacked back down to the ground by a heavy metal hand. "You stand no chance against me, humans." If the android was capable of sneering, he definitely would be right now.
His comment was highly unappreciated, as Hawkgirl, Miss Martian, and Superboy all found themselves shouting back in unison. "We're not human!"
"Apologies." The android didn't sound sorry at all. "I suppose the properly inclusive term is... Meatbags." Two giant hands made out of rock burst out of the ground, clapping the trio between them, crushing them in stone. They were temporarily immobilized, but they still had a clear view of the battlefield as they began digging themselves out. Hawkgirl was not going to let another android encase her in rock. Judging by the concerned look M'Gann shot her, she wasn't the only one who was noticing the similarity in the situations.
For a single heart-stopping moment, Aqualad and Artemis disappeared down a newly formed crack in the earth, only to reemerge moments before it sealed itself. Robin threw an explosive birdarang at the android, only for it to be caught easily and explode harmlessly against his metal carapace.
"Tornado's memory files and my superior processing speed allow me to anticipate your every move." Well if the android had all of Tornado's memory files, it explained why he had the typical 'villain' monologue already perfected, considering how many egotistical villains Red Tornado had taken on over the years he'd been in service as a hero.
Just as Hawkgirl and her fellow teammates finally managed to free themselves from the rubble via the use of their combined powers, Zatanna snapped out a spell at rapid figure. A curl of smoke wrapped around the android's optics and solidified, creating a blindfold.
"Tornado never knew my moves." Zatanna said proudly.
"And I bet you've got some good ones." Robin's eyes widened as he realized what he just said. "Whoa. Sorry. That may have come off a little too Wally."
"I don't mind."
"KEEP IT OFF THE BATTLEFIELD!" Hawkgirl shouted, immediately enraged at the presence of more flirting where it did not belong. "I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO KEEP SAYING THAT!"
Any reply that Robin would have made was cut off as the new android's eyes shone with red light, and he angled his face up to shoot the beam up into the sky. The light show was accompanied by the ground rumbling beneath their feet, followed by a plume of lava erupting behind him. Magma oozed down the hillside towards them at a worrying speed, and soon, lava was pooled all around them. The android didn't pause in his assault, starting to fire pieces of half-molten boulders straight at them.
"He's activating a Stage Two Eruption!" Kid Flash's tone was frantic as he made use of the still-active mental link. "It gets to Stage Three, kiss the hemisphere goodbye!"
"Hit him from all sides!" Aqualad's order spurred them into action, the Atlantean taking the first shot, only to be smacked away. Superboy charged the android straight on, but his fist was grabbed before he could make contact, and he too was easily thrown away.
Meanwhile, Hawkgirl had taken full advantage of the makeshift distraction, gaining altitude so she could drop down from above. She had no clue what tipped him off, but as she dived towards the android, he fired a sizeable rock straight at her. The super-heated stone was stopped from searing her skin only thanks to the incredibly durable fabric her suit was made out of. However, that didn't stop the force of the attack from knocking her off course. Disoriented, her wings twisted slightly out of alignment, causing her to drop straight down... towards a pool of lava. Gritting her teeth, she forced her wings to spread out straight to either side of her, taking advantage of the heat-generated updraft to keep her from what would surely be her death.
Her feathers caught the super-heated gale, and she soared straight upwards out and away from the immediate danger. Before she could recalculate a course and attempt to attack the android again, he disrupted the ground at M'Gann's feet and flipped down towards her.
"M'Gann!" Superboy screamed, but he couldn't do anything to stop the android as he grabbed the Martian by the block and held her. Miss Martian was completely limp in his grasp, like a wet kitten.
Zatanna grabbed Kid Flash's shoulder, and with a quick spell and several poofs of smoke, half a dozen Kid Flash's stood around the battlefield. "I use a scaled down version when I want to sneak out of the house."
The magically created clones proved an excellent diversion, allowing the real Kid Flash to speed in and grab M'Gann, pulling her back to rendezvous with the others. Hawkgirl followed suit, landing next to them and readying her mace for another onslaught. She also made sure to do a quick visual inspection of Kaldur, knowing that the heat was just as dangerous to him as M'Gann. He seemed to be relatively fine for the moment, but she was prepared to act the moment that changed.
A massive tendril of water tore out of the ground from a nearby geyser, grabbing the android and pushing him deep into a pool of lava. Perhaps Kaldur was doing better than she thought.
"Nice hit!" Robin shot a grin at Aqualad, who was... standing perfectly still.
"The hit was not mine." He admitted, brow furrowing. "Look!"
Ski'Lira had already spotted the newcomer, the unmistakable form of Red Torpedo. There were even distinct talon-gouge shaped patches of slightly differently hued metal on his chest, the robot version of scars.
Red Tornado made his grand return, rocketing down from the sky, and slammed into the unnamed android's hastily constructed pillar of rock and lava he had used to escape from his submersion. Tornado's attack shoved him right back under the magma, and a gout of flame courtesy of Red Inferno slammed into it's face. Inferno didn't hesitate to get in close to engage directly, and the new android had to grab her by the hands to cease her onslaught.
"Sister! Brothers! Stop!" The android cried, electronic voice screaming in desperation, but to no avail.
Torpedo and Inferno dragged the android under and kept him there, with Tornado dropping down, submerging his legs in the lava to help from above. A few tense moments passed, and Tornado started to sink down more rapidly. Superboy dashed towards him, pulling him from the lava and spiriting him away to tentative safety. The entire volcano began to rumble, the tremors far more intense than when the android had first activated it.
Kid Flash had to shout at the top of his lungs to be heard over the apocalyptic noise. "Tornado, listen! We're on the verge of a Stage Three Supervolcano Eruption! There's no turning back from that! We need to vent pressure, fast. But the ash cloud will bring on worldwide nuclear winter unless you divert it!"
Red Tornado gave a single, concise nod.
Kid Flash turned to Robin. "Triangulate around the pressure locus."
"Right." Pulling up a holomap of the area, he fiddled with the settings, causing three red dots to highlight in succession. "There, there, and there!"
Artemis didn't hesitate, glancing once at the map to confirm location before drawing a multi-shot explosive arrow, aiming and firing at the pressure points. The three arrows hit every spot dead on, spraying chunks of rock and steam up into the air as they detonated.
Red Tornado flew up into the air, lower half supported by a scarlet cyclone, disappearing up into the dark plume of smoke emanating from the top of the volcano, and disappearing from sight. They waited for one moment, then two... and finally the smoke began to clear, siphoned upwards harmlessly into space. Lava began to cool around them, the heat fading slightly as the threat was successfully neutralized.
"Yes!" Kid Flash pumped a triumphant fist in the sky.
And that's when the body of Red Tornado fell from the sky, landing in a hard sprawl on the ground.
H
The Team gathered around the medical-reminiscent table that supported Red Tornado in the depths of Morrow's lab. It had taken some work, some wordless diretion for Tornado, and more than a few minutes spent poring (and bickering) over blueprints, but in the end Kid Flash and Robin seemed to be successful.
"There. That should do it." Robin declared, stepping back.
Tornado's faceplate dropped back down, hiding the sensitive inner workings once more. "Yes. I can speak again."
"You were willing to sacrifice yourself to save the planet." Aqualad began.
"The planet would have survived. It is humanity that was saved... Though not by me. My sister and brother were the true heroes this day."
Placing a hand gently on his shoulder, Kaldur offered the slightest of smiles. "My point is this... You were never the mole, never the traitor."
"No." He confirmed. "I left to protect you from further attack and to find my creator, Morrow."
"Cool!" Kid Flash crowed from the corner, brandishing a familiar bulky robotic hand from a box. Hm. That explained a lot about Mister Twister. "Souvenir!"
In turn, Robin held up a dismembered robotic leg from the same source, judging by the size and coloration. "Reddy, we can rebuild you better than you were before!"
"I do not believe I should be repaired." Tornado's declaration hung over the room, until Superboy finally spoke up.
"Why'd you volunteer to become our den mother in the first place?" He demanded, uncrossing his arms and glaring at Red.
"I was the pragmatic choice. I do not require sleep. I have no secret identity or second life to live."
Kid Flash's green eyes widened, a wide grin on his face. "But you do have advanced AI programming designed to learn, adapt, evolve!"
Smacking herself in the forehead, M'Gann began to smile too. "Hello, Megan! You wanted to become more human!"
"And you couldn't do that with the League." Artemis offered. "They're stiffs." Well, that was a point Hawkgirl disagreed with, but she supposed that the others had never seen the video Flash took last month of a heavily anesthetized Green Arrow crying over a picture of a baby pig in a sweater.
"You're sure not going to learn emotion from Batman. Trust me." Robin added. "Or the Hawks either, no offense."
"None taken." Hawkgirl replied.
"Then the Cave was not a proving ground only for us." Aqualad said. "But for you as well."
"... I do not know if these statements are accurate..." Tornado sounded pensive, but... content? "But perhaps they are true. And if I understand the term correctly, I believe I have come to... care about you all."
"See?" Superboy finally allowed himself to smile. "Practically a meatbag already."
"You'll get used to it." Clapping him on the shoulder, Hawkgirl looked down at Red Tornado. "Good to know I won't have to claw out your inner workings with my bare hands for betraying us."
"The sentiment is... appreciated." Tornado replied. "Which reminds me... I... believe there is someone else I must... care for."
H
While Robin and Wally aided in reconstructing his melted legs, Red Tornado had filled them in on the details of the situation. Morrow's creations, his multiple attempts to infiltrate the Justice Society of America, and his siblings' penchant for heroism above all things, resulting in their final sacrifice. Story told, he compiled a detailed report of events for the Justice League, providing more than enough evidence to let his innocence in the matter be known. He'd ushered them back towards the bioship, instructing them to head straight back to the Cave without him, as he had personal business to attend to first.
"So... Good kidnapping?" Robin asked Zatanna once they were in the air.
"Actually, yeah. Best ever."
"Heh. First of many, I hope."
Groaning, the girl rolled her eyes slightly in exasperation. "If my dad doesn't ground me for life."
"But hey, I'd say your first foray out into heroing went pretty well! Despite what some people may think." He shot a not-so-subtle look Ski'Lira's way.
Honestly, Hawkgirl wasn't really paying attention at that point, partially from tiredness and also from her ruminations about the events of the night. She was still trying to reconcile the image of the androids from their misdeeds with their hero personas, and their fall in battle. So she had no idea why she was being addressed, just that she was being stared at for some reason. "Hm?"
"Just admit you were unnecessarily harsh on Zatanna. I mean, didn't she prove herself?" Robin clarified. There was no real bite to his words, he was clearly just trying to get a rise out of her to lighten the mood.
Hawkgirl let out a noncommittal hum. "She didn't lose a limb or die, so... I suppose she wasn't completely useless." She shot him a lazy look. "You know, I was no harsher on her than you were on Artemis during the android's attack on the Mountain. What was it...? Get traught or get dead?" Her face screwed up. "Ugh, I can't believe you forced me to say that allowed."
Clearly taken aback, Robin's eyes were wide. "How did you know about that?!"
Loudly clearing her throat, Artemis brought his attention to her. "You know, we can have conversations by ourselves, where we tend to share stuff. Besides, it's obvious you're embarrassed because Hawkgirl called you out for flirting with the new girl."
Robin spluttered, at a loss for words, earning himself a bout of mocking laughter from his so-called best friend Wally. Once his laughing fit was done, the occupants of the bioship lapsed into a contemplative silence.
M'Gann spoke up first, sounding apologetic already. "I don't want to be the one to bring down the mood, but... Do you think Red Tornado will be alright on his own?"
That question earned a frown from Aqualad. "He has already proven himself to be innocent."
"That's not what I meant. I know he's not the traitor, we all do. But..." She chewed on her lip for a moment. "He just watched two of his... siblings... sacrifice themselves for him, and the world. It just... feels wrong to leave him alone to deal with that."
"He wanted to be alone." Artemis defended, eyes glued outside to the passing clouds they flew over. "And besides, the League's probably going to find him soon enough, considering how long he's been MIA... and you know, thought to be a traitor."
"Yeah, no kidding." Wally agreed. "But the other Reds just... they didn't even hesitate, despite everything else that's happened."
"It's something to be proud of, such a sacrifice." Hawkgirl's tone was solemn. "There is no higher honor one can achieve. I hope to accomplish such an end when I meet mine in battle."
It went absolutely dead silent.
"... What?" Hawkgirl straightened in her chair, looking for some kind of threat outside the windows that she had somehow missed.
"Your phrasing was... concerning, to say the least." Kaldur said, drawing her attention to him.
"Which part?" She asked, genuinely confused.
Artemis made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat. "Um, the part where you literally just said, 'Yeah, I'll die in battle and I'll be happy about it!'"
M'Gann made a face. "It does sound a little..."
"Insane!" Conner snapped, eyes narrowed and frowning heavily.
Ski'Lira couldn't help but roll her eyes, letting out a sigh. Today has been a long day. "Yet again you find yourselves forgetting how intrinsically different our cultures are."
"In what world is that a cultural difference?!" Wildly waving his hands, Wally was clearly as agitated as the others, though he showed it more blatantly. "Other than yours... Okay, that was a dumb question, but still!"
Leaning back in her seat, Zatanna cast a critical eye over them all. "This took a much different turn than I was expecting. Are the flights home always this morbid?"
"Not usually." Robin promised.
Sensing another escalation, Hawkgirl quickly cut in before anyone else could comment. "Look, before you all start yelling at me again, you have to understand, Thanagarians are literally born and bred for war. Evolution didn't just give us wings, our entire genetic structure is specifically made for war. On a battlefield is the only place we ever truly belong, and above all things our priorities are to protect our people and take down the threat at any cost, whatever that might be."
"That's..." Robin, usually so well-spoken (apart from his relentless butchering of the already butchered English language), struggled to find fitting words. "Downright suicidal."
"Sometimes we don't get a choice. When our very lives are on the line we-" Hawkgirl cut herself off. They were already upset enough, she didn't want to add more fuel to the fire.
Hawkgirl felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Aqualad had reached out to grab her. "We don't mean to persecute you or your culture. We are merely... concerned. For your well-being."
"Especially hearing it from Miss 'I hide gunshot wounds!'" Artemis added.
Zatanna's eyebrows furrowed. "You do that?"
"She does." Robin affirmed, nodding solemnly. "We hate it."
A low, half-growl half-whine came from Ski'Lira's throat. "It was once."
"And it won't be the last, I'm sure!" Artemis snapped back.
"Perhaps this is a conversation best held later." Kaldur gave her a look, one that promised 'Yes, we are definitely going to be talking about this in detail once Zatanna's not around, probably with an adult present.' "For now... We should be thankful we were able to save a friend today."
As he did best, Wally broke the last of the steadily waning tension that had fallen over the group. "And he admitted he cares about us! Maybe we should make him a scrapbook or something?"
"Do we even have any pictures to put in a scrapbook?" Robin pointed out.
"... My plan, foiled. I'd suggest M'Gann bake a cake, but something tells me he wouldn't be able to appreciate it."
"I'm sure we'll think of something." M'Gann assured. "... So, um... How angry do you think Batman's going to be that we went on an unapproved mission?"
Absolutely none of them wanted to think about it.
"At least you guys don't have to live with him." Giving a visible shudder, Robin put his face in his hands. "I am so grounded."
"Something tells me we're all going to be grounded." Wally corrected. "After all, we did kidnap someone today, willing or otherwise... Pretty sure that's not going to look super great."
The bioship's automated voice made them all jump. "Incoming message from Batman."
They all winced.
This wasn't going to be fun.
Sarcastic, self-confident Zatanna is best Zatanna.
Also, I've been waiting for a chance to insert Hawkgirl's ideology about personal sacrifice and all of the 'War-Bred Thanagarian' stuff for a while. I vaguely referred to it in the Dr. Fate episode, but this felt like a better time for specifics, since this is the first time the Team has dealt with a sacrifice like this (Nelson technically did sacrifice himself, but he was old, more than ready to go, and Wally was the only one who witnessed the actual act).
Not pictured: Aqualad glaring her down until she admits 'I'm not actively suicidal, I promise, it would just be really neat to die saving a bunch of people because I'm probably going to die in battle anyway'. It does not help.
I know this chapter definitely wasn't worth a months-long wait, but at the very least WE ARE BACK ON SCHEDULE!
Next time on Fight or Flight, M'Gann and Skylar finally get in some quality bonding time.
And as always, comments, questions, and concerns are welcome (I have really missed saying that).
Stay safe all of you! Listen to the CDC, social distance, wash your hands, and a wear a mask. If you don't, Ski'Lira will be disappointed.