Chapter 8: Downtime Side A
Gotham City
06:17 | August 27
New Jersey
"Uag!" Aqualad slammed against a warehouse wall, creating an indent. He was coated in clay and bruised. He glared up; his team was down for the count. All but him and Red X, who moments later landed face down at Aqualad's feet.
"Grr," Red X pushed himself up with his elbows. From behind him, clay tentacles wrapped around his legs. "Oh Crap!" the tentacles dragged him back. Red X turned and produced a taser from his belt. The tentacles yanked him up, and he dropped it. He was slammed into a mass of moving clay. It sucked him in, and he struggled to reach for the fallen taser. "Aaggh!" Red X shouted before he was swallowed whole.
"Red X!" Aqualad stood before falling to a knee injured.
The mass of clay moved into the light. It was the villain Clayface, and his morphed face smirked. "End of the line, kiddies," he morphed his arm into a warhammer with a spike. He raised his hand for a killing stroke when the rafters above shattered into glass shards. Batman dropped through the rafters and threw two batarangs at Clayface. The batarangs embedded themselves into his arm before exploding. "It's the bat!"
Batman landed on a knee and fired a taser at Clayface. The taser unleashed a tremendous electric shock. "RRAAAAHH!" Clayface lost consciousness, and he slowly melted into a clay puddle.
Red X fell out of the clay monster and raised himself to his hands and knees. "Bwagh!" Red X spewed out clay. After he spat out the last bits, he rolled to his back. "I can't believe I swallowed Clayface. Nobody tell Wally when he wakes up." Red X gasped out.
"Are you alright," Batman walked up to the fallen teen.
"Like a million-ugh." Red X rolled over and threw up more clay. He spat and blew his nose before sitting up. "No, I'm not." He fell back with a splat into deformed Clayface. Batman looked at the fallen team and then at Aqualad with narrowed eyes.
Mount Justice
07:38 | August 27
Rhode Island
"I need to talk to Aqualad; the rest of you hit the showers and head home." Batman addressed the team as they finished Zeta tubing in.
"I am home," Connor grumbled, covered in clay.
"Same," Red X walked past Batman.
Aqualad walked up to Batman with Robin by his side. Batman didn't look away from Aqualad, "Just, Aqualad." Robin looked at his mentor before walking off.
"I am sorry, the Team performed poorly," Aqualad bowed his head humbly.
"The Team performed fine; the problem was you." Batman laid it out plain for Aqualad.
"No," Aqualad raised his head before deflating. "no, you are right." Aqualad sighed, "For so long, I dreamed about the surface world, but now that I am here, my dreams are of Atlantis."
"Atlantis, or someone you left behind?" Batman looked at Aqualad as the young man gasped. "You can split your time between the surface and Atlantis. But you can't split your mind; either you are here a hundred percent, or you must walk away. Make your choice, Kaldur," Batman walked past Aqualad, allowing him to gather his thoughts.
Aqualad sighed and thought of his days in Atlantis and, more importantly, those he had left behind. Garth, his best friend, and Tula, the girl who had taken more of his dreams and waking thoughts lately. I must decide, but I must face my past to properly determine that. Kaldur walked to his room to prepare for what he had to do.
An hour later, the team gathered at Kaldur's request. He stood before his friends and sighed. "I must apologize; my performance as of late has been lacking." Kaldur looked at his hand before closing it. "I am haunted as of late about my decision to leave Atlantis behind. So I have decided to return to see where my heart truly belongs." The team gasped and looked at one another.
"You're coming back, right?" M'gann clasped her hands, looking at Kaldur uncertainly.
Kaldur closed his eyes, "I must find that answer out for myself. For the time being, I will be taking a leave of absence. In my absence, Tom, I want you to lead the team."
Tom, leaning against the kitchen counter with crossed arms, gasped. "Kaldur, I can't."
"Yeah, yeah, everyone has to trust their leader. So?" Robin raised his hand, and the team followed suit. Not for the first time, Tom felt a warmth in his chest. He smiled ruefully and nodded. "I will lead with honor."
"I know, my friend, " Kaldur smiled encouragingly. "Goodbye, my friends," Kaldur turned and left for the Zeta tube. After he was gone, the team was quiet; they felt like they had just said goodbye to one of their family members.
"Alright, everyone, go home if you don't have to live here. We could all use a break. If anything happens, I'll hit you up on the horn." Tom tapped his ear and smiled.
"Already barking order," Wally smirked and gave Tom a mock salute, "Sir, yes sir!" Wally mocked and marched to the teleporters.
"Oh, knock it off," Artemis shoved him as they both Zeta tubed out.
"Yeah, I'll be back at Gotham," Robin waved goodbye and walked off.
"Then there were three," Tom looked at M'gann and Connor.
"You guys want to come to the farm with me?" Connor perked up. "I can introduce you to Granpa and Grandma Kent."
"Grandpa and Grandma?" Tom raised a brow.
"They insisted," Connor shrugged.
"Oh, I would love to!" M'gann floated up next to Connor.
"You guys go ahead," Tom nodded, "I want to take care of something personal myself."
"Suit yourself," Connor shrugged, "Grandma Kent makes the best pies," Connor made for the Zeta tubes with M'gann excitedly asking questions as they Zeta tubed out. After they were gone, Tom lingered for a moment, then sighed. He had kept this a secret, not out of mistrust but because he was unsure what to think. Tom walked to his room and donned his armor. He fixed on his domino mask and put two fingers to his ear. "Red X to Wonder Woman, I'm ready. Where to?" the invitation from the Amazon warrior had come a day after their encounter at the Tower of Fate.
"Ah, I thought you only said you'd think about it to be polite," Wonder Woman grunted.
"Uh, am I interrupting something?" Red X raised a brow.
"No!" Wonder Woman exclaimed before she grunted, and a crash was heard. "But, if you want to meet up now, Washington DC, Smithsonian Aerospace Museum." Wonder Woman ended the transmission.
"Right," Tom sighed, swiveled, and ran for the Zeta Tube. He doubted she was in any real danger. But, his body acted on its own. He punched in the coordinates, and Zeta tubed out of the Cave.
Hall of Justice
08:02 August 27
Washington DC
Red X arrived at the Hall of Justice, and as he rushed out of the Tube, he slammed against someone.
"Whoa! Where's the fire?"
Tom rubbed his nose and looked up. Hal Jordan of the Green Lanterns looked down at him. "Sorry, GL, got a call from Wonder Woman, got to go," Red X sidestepped the hero but only got a few steps ahead before a green hand swooped up before him.
"Hold on, Wonder Woman called you for backup?" Green Lantern flew over to him.
"No, she asked me to meet her; it happened while she was busy." Red X sighed, "So if you could just," Red X stepped around Green Lantern.
"Alright, I get it, jeez," Green Lantern put a finger to his ear, "Diana, you okay?"
"I am a bit busy at the moment, but yes, why?" Wonder Woman said, followed by what sounded like a panther's roar. "Literally ran into the parallel universe Kid and said he was going to help you."
"Oh, Red X, yes, we have an appointment, don't worry." Diana finished and cut the transmission. Hal sighed and watched where Red X had left.
Half an hour later, Red X made it to the Smithsonian. The aerospace museum was cordoned off, and police were everywhere. Red X ran up to the police line, and they got in his way when they saw him approach. "Hey, this is off-limits!"
"Sorry, no time!" Red X fired a grapple line above them into a tree and launched himself over the police to the front entrance. He slammed the front door open and ran past the rocket exhibits following the sound of battle. He made it to the airplane displays, where he had to drop and slide on the ground. Wonder Woman flew past him; she hit the floor, rolling back onto her feet. "Look out!" Wonder Woman called out. Tom looked up and saw a humanoid feline woman pouncing down at him.
Red X rolled back, barely avoiding dangerous claws. "What's this, calling little boys for aid? You must be desperate, Wonder Woman," The feline Woman purred, flashing dangerous fangs.
Red X lowered himself into a combat stance. "That is one big cat."
Wonder Woman flew up to stand next to him. "Do not underestimate Cheetah; her strength is almost that of an amazon."
"Ohh," Cheetah cooed, "don't worry, little boy, I won't bite."
"Mam," Red X reached into his belt, "I'm 16," he threw three X shuriken at her. Cheetah surged forward and batted the shuriken aside with her claws. Wonder Woman rushed back and threw a straight jab. The Cheetah jumped up, pushing off Wonder Woman's outstretched arm, and slashed at Red X. The teen hero jumped back, parrying her claws with his gauntlets. The action gave Cheetah pause.
"Hmm, strong gauntlets; my claws can cut through most metals." Cheetah brought her claws up, and they glinted dangerously. "Oh, and don't worry, I happen to like my boy toys young," Cheetah smirked; her ears twitched, and she somersaulted to the said as Wonder Woman landed where she stood fist cracking the ground. "Two against one hardly seems honorable for the mighty Wonder Woman."
"A villain like yourself should not speak about honor, Cheetah," Wonder Woman said, lowering her stance and reaching for her lasso.
"Let's even the odds," a modulated feminine voice called out. A woosh followed the voice as a rocket flew toward the heroes. Wonder Woman quickly pushed Red X out of the way, throwing him several feet away. She crossed her arms, and the rocket exploded against her. Wonder Woman was flung back, crashing against an old World War 2 strato fortress.
Red X rolled back and pushed off the floor, jumping to his feet with his hands. Behind Cheetah, standing atop a biplane hanging on the ceiling, a young woman, judging by her build, held a smoking RPG slumped back over her shoulder. She was clad in black and orange combat armor and armed to the teeth. She wore a black helmet with the left side orange where one eye peered out and the right side was blacked out with no eye hole. She let the RPG drop and kicked up a rifle. She caught it, shouldered it, and aimed at Red X.
"Crap!" Red X turned as automatic gunfire rained down on him. He jumped into a front flip and then jumped over a counter, throwing a bomb that exploded mid-air into Flash and smoke.
"He's an agile one, and it's about time you showed up, Ravager," Cheetah lowered her arm from the flashbang.
Ravager moved her finger, pressing the magazine release. When the magazine clattered on the biplane's wing, Red X showed up atop an F4 Phantom hanging opposite Ravager. He threw three X shuriken at Ravager. She loaded her rifle lightning fast and fired on Red X. He jumped off the F4 onto a World War 2 Mustang. The shuriken missed her and cut the biplane cables. The plane tilted beneath her feet, and she slid off the side of the wing.
"Son of a!" Ravager caught one of the plane's pipes connecting the two wings. Her rifle clattered down to the ground below. She reached into her belt and fired a grapple line at a hanging World War 2 German ME 262. She jumped over it and searched for Red X; Ravager heard the sound of metal warping. She turned and drew one of her swords from her back. Red X shot up using his grapple to the plane's wing, uppercutting Ravager. His armored knuckles clanked against her helmet. She fell back and drew her pistol from her left thigh holster, firing. Red X ducked and covered his face with his gauntlet. The bullets plinked off them, and he fell back, throwing a kick, knocking the gun out of her hand. Ravager sat up, swinging down her sword. Red X tucked his legs, rolling back onto his feet. Ravager jumped to her feet, sword raised. "Ugh, you're just like Batman and his bird boy."
"Handsome dashing vigilante?" Red X smirked.
"Annoying to kill," Ravager rushed Red X, slashing, and Red X reciprocated, parrying with his gauntlets.
Down below, Cheetah pirouetted onto an SR71 blackbird as Wonder Woman missed a right hook. Wonder Woman flew, throwing a roundhouse kick. Cheetah flipped back and then rushed, slashing with her claws. "Give up, Cheetah; you and your partner cannot win." Wonder parried with her bracers and then kicked straight, knocking Cheetah back. She rolled over, digging her claws on the Blackbird, raking the hull as she slid to a stop. She bared her sharp fangs at Wonder Woman.
"You can't possibly comprehend what is at stake," Cheetah pounced, claws outstretched. Wonder Woman dove forward. Cheetah landed her claws digging into the Blackbird's hull. She stood up quick, turning to face her opponent. Wonder Woman smirked, her lasso in her hands, she yanked back hard. Cheetah barely noticed the lasso around her wrist when she was pulled off her feet. Wonder rushed forward, landing a devastating elbow across Cheetah's face. The feline Woman flipped backward as he went past Wonder Woman, landing in a heap.
Above, Ravager swung her sword in an overhead cut. Red X activated the blades on his gauntlet and caught the blade between them. He pulled his arms out, breaking the sword and span into a back kick, sending Ravager over the fuselage onto the other wing of the ME 262. She rolled back with the momentum to her feet. As she recovered, she saw Wonder Woman take down Cheetah. "Great, more work," Ravager threw her broken sword at Red X.
"Hey!" Red X ducked into a crouch, "didn't your parents teach you not to throw those?"
"My old man taught me to, actually," Ravager said as she tossed a grenade at Red X's feet and jumped off the side plane.
"Whoa!" Red X jumped off, firing a grappler line to one of the ceiling beams. The grenade exploded, ravaging the ME 262's wing and sending the rest of the display crashing to the floor.
Ravager fired her grapple line at the ceiling beams and swung down into a kick, throwing Wonder Woman off Cheetah. Wonder Woman flipped mid-air, landing in a crouch and sliding on the floor. Ravager hauled Cheetah over her shoulder as Red X glided down with his cape next to Wonder Woman. Red X reared his arm back, holding a shuriken. "ah, ah," Ravager raised her other hand, holding a detonator. "Rigged this place to blow; either you follow me," Ravager pressed on the detonator. "Or let this place blow, and I'm pretty sure not everyone evacuated." Ravager tossed the detonator and grabbed a canister from her belt. She pulled the pin and threw it at her feet. The canister hissed into a smoke screen, and she disappeared with Cheetah.
"We must evacuate who's left!" Wonder Woman crouched, ready to push off the ground.
"Wait!" Red X brought up his gauntlet holo terminal. He threw an X shuriken into the air. As it flew, it emitted a pulse. "Got them, six total charges, three-second floor, three first floor at the rockets displays." Red X brought up a museum map and pointed to the second floor. "Here," Red X tossed Wonder Woman a can of spray. "nitrogen, freeze the signal emitter to keep them from setting off the charges."
"Understood, Hera watch over you," Wonder Woman pushed off and flew off.
The shuriken Red X threw returned, and he caught it, placing it back into his belt. "Hera protect you too," Red X mumbled, running for the space displays. He rushed to the Apollo rocket and found the first charge on the pillar beside it. He grappled to the mezzanine running through the display and disabled the last two. Red X put two fingers to his ear, "Wonder Woman, I defused the last two charges."
"Just finished mine as well, but I have not found any civilians," Wonder Woman sighed, "let's regroup by the main entrance."
Ten minutes later, the police and rescue personnel were inside the museum doing their job. Bomb experts disarmed the C-4 explosives, and Red X decided all well that ends well. Wonder Woman finished talking with a police officer and walked towards Red X. "Thank you for help Red X," Wonder Woman offered her hand.
Arms were hidden under his cape, and Wonder Woman did not see Red X ball his hands into fists for a moment. "Yeah, anytime, I guess?" Red X shrugged and shook her hand.
Diana smiled; the boy was good, like Bruce had said, but whether he knew it or not. He wore his emotions on his sleeve. She felt him tense up; the physical contact with her was difficult. "I apologize; I intended for us to talk," Diana sighed. "But these events warrant investigating. I have not known Cheetah to attack museums with nothing of value to her." Diana punched her chin in thought, "There's also this Ravager character. She's definitely a new player."
"I guess we can reschedule," Red X shrugged, "no big deal."
"We could," Wonder Woman nodded, "unless you would not be opposed to joining me in investigating this?"
"Uh," Red X scratched the back of his head. "Isn't this League business?"
Wonder Woman smiled, "Wonder Woman to Watchtower, I stopped the attack on the Smithsonian with the help of Red X. The culprits have escaped; Red X and I will follow up on this."
"Watchtower, understood, good look Diana," Flash came over the comms.
"Now it is our business, shall we?" Diana gestured to the door.
"Yeah, let's do it," Red X smiled slightly.
On a rooftop, Ravager scanned the skies with a rangefinder. Looking around, she caught Wonder Woman flying through the skies with Red X at her side. Ravager put the rangefinder down and put a finger on the right side of her helmet. "This is Ravager. Phase one is complete."
"Understood, Ocean Master has delivered the intel, and Black Manta is en route. Phase two is now in effect," the voice came through filtered, keeping the speaker anonymous.
"Mm," Cheetah came to and looked around. "Where?" she looked to Ravager and scrambled to her feet.
"You're welcome," Ravager shrugged in her armor.
"Do you think we distracted them long enough?" Cheetah cocked her hip, resting her hand against it.
"One way to find out," Ravager placed her finger on her helmet again. "Ravager to team Bravo, what's your status."
"Bravo Team here," the immortal wizard Wotan spoke up. He stood outside a nuclear power plant, "We will begin shortly."
"We're a go," Ravager nodded to Cheetah.
"Good…" Cheetah paused, looking at Ravager. "Were you talking to someone else earlier?"
Ravager turned her head, the black of her mask without an eye making for a more intimidating sight. "No, I think Wonder Woman rattled your brain a little too hard." Ravager subtly put her hand on her left pistol, hidden from Cheetah's view.
"She got lucky," Cheetah snarled and turned, leaving. As she stormed off, Ravager eased her hand off the gun. Her mind thought back to the old man's lessons. Keep enemies and 'allies' off balance. In this line of work, no one is a permanent ally. Observe, study, and apply psychological pressure when needed.
Ravager sighed and removed her helmet. Her white hair fell down her back like a silk sheet. A young woman with an eyepatch over her right eye stared at the busy DC streets. Professionals have standards, no collateral, and no unnecessary involvement of civilians. That's my own lesson, old man, I'm a merc, not a butcher. Ravager turned, donned her helmet, and left after Cheetah.
Smallville
08:34 | August 27
Kansas
"Alright, we're here!" Connor grinned ear to ear and led M'gann to land at the front of the Kent Farmstead. As Connor had expected, he found Jonathan working on the tractor by the farm. The older Kent was working on the engine, mumbling to himself.
Jonathan sighed and pulled back from the engine. "Where did I put that," Jonathan began before a wrench moved into his line of sight. Jonathan turned to Connor, holding it for him. "Ah! Connor, how are you my boy!" Jonathan stood up and shared a bear hug with the young hero.
"Hey, Grandpa Kent, I got the day off and thought I'd visit." Connor pulled back, smiling. "Uh, this is my friend M'gann. I hope it's okay."
"Ah," Jonathan stood up and walked up to M'gann. "You must be that girl Connor talks about all the time."
"Oh!" M'gann felt a sudden giddiness fill her, along with her nervousness. "Yes, I am M'gann M'orzz or Megan, I'm a Martian, but you probably knew that…and my name." M'gann rambled off, shaking Jonathan's hand.
"Ohhh, don't worry, we aren't strangers to aliens in this house." Jonathan smiled kindly. "Come on inside, Martha's just watching television." Jonathan led them inside, and Connor and M'gann followed.
M'gann, you okay? Connor called over with his mind.
Sorry, just nervous about meeting your adoptive grandparents! I hope I don't come off weird. M'gann was walking rather stiffly behind Jonathan.
Relax, I told them about everyone on the team; they already like you, trust me. They're good people. Connor smiled at her, and M'gann took a deep breath, calming her racing mind.
"Martha! Guess who's come to visit!" Jonathan called out, entering the living room.
"Wonder Woman went in to confront the villain attacking the Museum-" the TV was blipped off as Martha stood and turned to Jonathan and their guests. "Oh, Connor dear, and, ohh!" Martha smiled at the green girl next to Connor. "You must be M'gann! Oh dear, we've heard so much about you from Connor."
"You guys act like I only talk about her," Connor grumbled, rubbing his head.
Martha and Jonathan shared a knowing look, "Of course, son, you talk about all your little friends." Jonathan patted Connor's shoulder.
"Here, how about I make some snacks," Martha made for the kitchen.
"Oh, can I help!" M'gann clasped her hands under her chin.
Martha smiled knowingly, "Of course, dear, come on."
"Well, back to the tractor for me," Jonathan sighed, "it the dang drive-shaft again.
"Dirve-shaft," Connor echoed, rolling his eyes. "I told you, Grandpa, just buy the one Mr Henderson is selling."
"What!?" Jonathan looked at Connor, "My own grandson asking me to give money to that greedy son of a gun. I never thought I'd see the day," Jonathan said, walking out the door. M'gann peaked from the kitchen doorway, watching Connor walk after him.
"I told you it's less than the market value," Connor said, walking out the screen door closing behind him.
M'gann smiled; she was happy seeing Connor like this. He was acting like the teenager he resembled. M'gann turned back to Martha, who was putting ingredients on the counter. "He looks so happy here."
"He was so shy at first," Martha smiled over her shoulder. "But after a while, he really just became our grandson." Martha turned around and leaned on the counter. "I really am glad to have him in our lives."
M'gann felt a warmth spread across her chest. "Me too," M'gann jumped slightly. "All of my friends, I mean. They're all very special to me."
Martha grinned knowingly, "How about I show you how to make his favorite snack?" Martha turned around, unpacking the ingredients, "You know what they say, the way to a man's heart…" Martha trailed off, and M'gann suddenly nodded thoughtfully. She was about to get wise advice after all.
Indiana Airspace
13:00 | August 27
Wonder Woman's invisible jet cruised above the clouds. Red X looked at the passing clouds, unsure how to converse with Diana. For her part, Diana wasn't sure how to begin either. She didn't want to sound like she was interrogating the young man. So far, he had proven sincere in his interactions. Finally, Diana sighed and decided to go with the basics. "My name is Diana of Themyscara, by the way."
"Oh," Red X crossed his arms and looked ahead. "I'm…" Red X bit his tongue, pursing his lips.
"You do not have to tell me your name if it makes you uncomfortable." Diana offered with a comforting smile.
To say it was disarming was an understatement; she looked really just like… not her. Red X looked away from her. "I'm Thomas of the Cave," he tried, looking back at her with a wry smile.
Diana chuckled and looked ahead again. "I wanted to talk to you about where you come from."
The smile dropped from Tom's lips, his expression becoming neutral. Diana spared him a side glance and sighed internally. I stepped in it now, but there was no way but forward. Diana raised her hand, "this is not an interrogation, merely my own curiosity."
"Alright," Tom sighed and looked back at her. "Shoot," he shrugged.
"What do you remember?" Diana began.
"Everything; I honestly just said to buy time to gather my wits." Tom frowned. "Sorry, I know it's crappy lying to the people who treated you so well. But, I feel like my past should stay the past."
"Was your past a time where you did things you were not proud of?" Diana looked ahead, her tone holding no judgment.
"No," Tom paused, "yes, I don't know. Most of what I did wasn't my call, just following orders." Tom started to feel uncomfortable. He tapped his foot, and he pulled on his armor's collar.
"Where you a soldier? But you are so young." Diana frowned, her eyes worried.
"I didn't have the luxury of not being one." Tom pursed his lips, "We faced extinction, and I did what I could for those I loved."
"I see; what can you tell me of your conflict?" Diana closed her eyes briefly.
Tom swallowed thickly, and his breathing started speeding up. He covered his mouth, coughing. Tom blinked and suddenly was kneeling. He looked across to strewn corpses and raging fires. The clamor of combat drowned out the wailing of the dying. Machines of war, alien to conventional human design, floated over the cracked pavement. Atlatians clad in carapace armor stepped over the dead regardless of side. Opposite them, women clad in battle plates of ancient Greece marched against them. Their heels are a rhythmic staccato of millennia of discipline and warrior tradition against the corpses around them. Tom feels his heart hammer against his chest with each crisp marching step.
"Tom!"
Tom bolted to his feet, and something grabbed at his ankles. He fell, and he turned on his back. "Boomer?" Tom whispered. Captain Boomerang had half his face missing, and his hands were tattered flesh and bone. More hands grabbed him, dragging him down. Tom struggled to pull free. He looked over his shoulder. Slade, with boned fingers, scratched at his armor, attempting to hold him down.
"You failed."
From his left, Harley, holding her head with one hand, reached for him with the other. To his right, Colonel Flag, riddled with arrows and swords, glared at him. He lunged, choking Tom. The young hero struggled, freed his arm, and clamped his hand around Flag's. "Colonel, stop, please!"
"You let us all die."
Amanda, with a hole in her right temple and her skull blown out the opposite, stood above him. Her eyes glared at him with disgust. Tom reached down, pressing on his belt buckle. With renewed strength, he broke Flag's grip and kicked him off. He suddenly lurched and fell sideways. Tom fell against a skyscrape's side, the glass cracking beneath him. He couldn't stand some unseen force pressing against him. Tom barely managed to get on his back, and his eyes widened in horror. Boomer's body fell on top of him, and then Flags, President Luthor, and countless others rained down on him. Tom gasped for breath, the weight of the bodies pressing down on his chest.
"Tom!"
The young hero panted, pushing bodies aside, and reached out. "Help!"
"Tom!"
A light he pushed past the bodies, reaching his hand out. Somebody grabbed his wrist, and he clamped down on the wrist of his savior. The stranger pulled him from the corpse pile, his eyes squinted through a bright white light behind his savior. He reached out, hugging them. Tom pulled back, and after his eyes adjusted, he felt his stomach drop. "No!" Tom pushed her off, and he fell back, tripping on the bodies.
"Tom!" His savior growled, clad in red, blue, and gold armor; she had a shield across her back and a sword on her hip.
"You cannot taint them; man's world corruption hangs upon you like a shadow." Queen Hippolyta's golden hair was held back by her gold tiara. She reached down for him, "Your blood, your very soul, bares the taint of man," she reached for his throat.
"No," Tom's hands lashed out, grabbing her wrist.
"I can forgive the weakness, for that same weakness lives in all women. Love betrayed me and my sisters." Hippolyta glared, her cerulean eyes alight with cold fire.
"Hera! Help me!" Tom thrashed, but her hand inched closer, his strength failing him.
"She will not answer you! You are not worthy of the god's grace! You live by my grace alone!" Hippolyta glowered her hand inches from his throat. The light behind her grew; it swallowed all it touched. The Atlantians and Amazons, blind to it, continued to butcher one another as the light turned them into dust.
"You should not exist; you took her from me, from her sisters!"
"Mother!" Tom shouted in hysteria.
"TOM!" Diana pried Tom's hand from hers and placed her hand against his cheek. She was shocked; Tom had gone silent and then stood. She tried to help him, but her touch sent him recoiling down. He clawed at his own throat, thrashing about. Even behind the domino mask, she could tell his eyes were wild. She tried to calm him, but then Tom pressed the X symbol on his belt and with strength unknown he kicked her! Diana had smashed against the invisible jet's controls, careening off course and into a dive. She had to retake the controls to level them out.
When they were lelved, she saw him reach out, calling for help. Diana had thought the episode had passed, but when she helped Tom up and their eyes met, he screamed bloody murder and fell back. She wasn't sure, but something told her skin contact would help. So when she tried touching him, he clamped his hands around her wrist and fought her. Diana called out to him until Dina finally could put her hand on Tom's cheek.
Tom gasped, "Where," he said in ancient Greek, making Diana gasp. Tom tore the domino mask off his eyes, and his blue eyes shone with unshed tears.
"Mother, where were you!" Tom threw his arms around Diana, burying his face in her neck. Diana was shocked, and Tom continued speaking in Greek. "Why did you leave me? I was alone and left to find you and Father."
"Tom," Diana whispered, her hands hovering, unsure what to do.
"They did," tears leaked from Tom's eyes, unable to finish his thought. "I couldn't stop them; they came to the tower whenever they wanted." Tom stuttered. "Artemis, she held me down; she said I was a man." Tom held Diana tighter, "she said I was lying that I wanted it." Tom curled into himself, hugging his knees.
"Gods," Diana eye's eyes widened in realization. She hugged Tom and pressed her cheek against his head. "Shhh," Diana cooed, "I am here," Diana hesitated. "My son, I am here. Your mother will not abandon you again." Diana spoke in ancient Greek, careful to maintain Tom's current illusion. He was still going through it. This was all she could do, play along until he came out of it.
"Why did you leave me? Why did you let Father take me there." Tom said, voice broken and raspy.
Diana hesitated once more, unsure how to respond. "I," Diana paused, "your father and I thought you would be… safe."
"Don't send me away again," Tom cried and hugged Diana again. Diana remembered a lullaby her mother would sing her to sleep.
"Sleep, my pampered child, while I am lulling you
and rocking you in my arms to put you to sleep.
Sleep because I have ordered your trousseau in Constantinople
and your clothes and jewelry in Venice
Oh, nani, nani, my darling baby."
Diana would not consider herself a singer, but it had the desired effect. Tom fell asleep, and Diana was able to untangle herself from the young hero and placed him to sleep on the ground. She grabbed a cloak in the jet and let it serve as a blanket.
Tom awoke groggly thirty minutes later. He opened his eyes and found his hand holding a woman's. Tom blinked, confused and unsure of where he was. Tom could hear a faint hum from the floor. The hand squeezed his, and Tom looked up to its owner. Diana smiled slightly at him, waiting for Tom to regain his full sense. The events prior rushed to his mind, and he sat up. Tom pulled his hand back like it was burned.
"Be calm, Thomas, I do not wish to see you relapse." Diana raised her hands.
"Gods," Tom crossed his legs and leaned over, burying his face in his hands. "Of all the times to break down, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
"No!" Diana stressed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Forgive me; I did not mean to cause you such distress with my questions."
Tom looked up, his eyes puffy and red. "I must have said some embarrassing things," Tom let out a dry chuckle.
"Thomas, do not apologize," Diana said, shaking her head.
"Then you know," Tom sighed, "what happened to me…where I came from."
Diana looked ashamed, even if they were not her sisters; they were Amazons and supposed to be better. "I am truly sorry, Thomas," Wonder Woman looked down. She could offer nothing else in defense of the Amazons.
"This world is different," Tom said, "I never met your Amazons," Tom smiled slightly. He felt terrible now; he never wanted to cause Diana distress. No, she was the last person Tom ever dreamed to cause trouble. If he was being honest, she was the last person he wanted to see. It all became too much, and now the cat was out of the bag.
"Well," Tom looked at Diana, and he found it hard to maintain eye contact now. "No point being evasive about it, but Wonder Woman was my mother." Tom felt such relief saying it, but it was not without the sorrow it caused.
"I was the shame of Hippolyta," Tom looked at his armored wrist. "But, I never hated you, for all her faults, Hippolyta spoke with nothing but reverence for you… sorry, uh, the other Wonder Woman."
'I understand," Diana smiled, "go on."
Tom felt something light in his chest. He had very few good memories to speak of. His mother was among the good he treasured forever. "I was born dead," Tom started.
"Dead?" Diana's brows arched, confused.
"Yes, there were no complications; medically, everything was right." Tom shrugged, "but when I left my mother's womb, everything stopped. My heart, brain, lungs, it all just stopped. Like the only reason I was alive was her." Tom looked at his crossed legs. "My father didn't deal well with loss, so he did what he always did. He got angry and took it out on his enemies." Tom smiled slightly, "he nearly killed his greatest foe in anguish."
"You," Tom shook his head, "my mother, she did not give up. She took my body from the doctors and flew straight to Themyscira. She went to the altar of the gods, placed me in the center, and prostrated herself before them." Tom looked up and closed his eyes. "with tears in her eyes, she begged the gods to breathe life into me, and she would give up everything, even her life." Tom raised his hand and let a crackle of lightning snap across his fingers. "So Zeus came from Mount Olympus and took a piece of my mother's soul and imbued it with a fragment of his." Tom smiled, "My mother says, when Zeus kissed my forehead, lightning struck the pedestal. After the smoke and light cleared, she heard me cry loud and strong."
Diana blinked and wiped a tear from her cheek. "She sounded like a wonderful person."
"She was," Tom felt tears prickled at the corner of his eyes. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes tight to keep the tears at bay. "I miss her every day," Tom smiled, "she called me her moon and stars," Tom exhaled. "It feels good and painful all at once. But I haven't talked about her since I came here." Tom smiled, wiping his face. "Thank you for listening; I'm glad someone else will know about her."
"Thomas," Diana nodded, "if you ever wish to talk about her, simply reach out to me." Diana placed a hand over her heart. "I cannot replace your mother, even if we are the same person." Diana reached over, putting her palm flat against his heart. "But a piece of her will always live with you, and if you need to," Diana paused. She did not want to overstep, but she now felt a connection to Tom. Maybe it was the realization he was her son from another reality or the odd warmth Diana felt when she held him for a brief moment. But, to her, he was the closest thing she had to family outside of Themyscira. "You can call on me as family. I cannot promise I can live up to the other me's legacy… but if you wish for a mother," Diana felt embarrassed. I am being ridiculous; he must think I'm a fool. "Though you have lost your mother, know that so long as I breathe, you shall not be motherless." Diana looked away, unable to hold Tom's gaze. "Of course, if I have overstepped my bounds, please do not feel obligated to agree."
Tom surprised her when he rose to his knees and hugged Diana. "Thank you," he said with genuine warmth.
Diana smiled and reciprocated, her arms wrapping around his back. After a few minutes, the two parted and rose to their feet. Tom put on his domino mask again, feeling better than ever. "Guess we should get back to work," Tom smiled, shrugging.
"Right you are," Diana moved to the controls, and Tom sat beside her on the jet.
On cue, Diana's comm beeped at her. "Wonder Woman, go ahead."
"This is Flash; we got a security breach at the Salt Flats Nuclear facility in Colorado. You're currently the closest, think you can check it out, Daina?"
Diana glanced at Tom and smiled, "Red X and I are on it. Wonder Woman is out."
"Got a lead?" Tom punched his palm.
"No, but there's been an attack on a nuclear plant in Colorado; we are the closest responders," Diana explained as she vectored in the trajectory and steered the invisible jet to Colorado.
"Might as well, Cheetah and Ravager's trail is a dead end at this point." Tom shrugged.
"All part of the job," Diana smirked, and the two settled into bantering as they flew.
Gotham City
13:25 | August 27
New Jersey
Artemis sighted an arrow, making sure the shaft was correct. "Hm, wonder what Tom's doing?" Artemis put the arrow down next to the others she was working on.
"Artemis!" her mother rushed into the room, placing a letter on the coffee table. "This came in the mail for you."
"And you opened it?" Artemis looked at her mother, annoyed.
"Oh, just read it!" Her mother smiled eagerly.
"Say's I've been accepted into Gotham Academy with a full Wayne Foundation scholarship." Artemis eyed her mother suspiciously. "I didn't apply to this," Artemis tilted the letter down.
"You do not apply for a Wayne Foundation; you either get in or you don't," Paula Crock clasped her hands.
"All my friends are at Gotham North; I'm not moving schools," Artemis crumpled the letter and tossed it on the coffee table.
Paula took the crumpled letter and smoothed it open. She looked at her daughter, working on another arrow. She reached over and plucked the arrow from her hands. "Either you transfer, or you quit your extracurricular activities."
"Mom," Artemis sighed and buried her face in her hands.
"This is a chance for you to better your life, Artemis!" Paula insisted. "Something I never had the choice to do." Paula pursed her lips and tossed the letter on the coffee table. She turned and walked out of the room.
Artemis flinched when she heard the door to her mom's room snap shut. Artemis looked at the letter and sighed. She grabbed it and walked to her mother's room. She raised her fist to knock when her ear beeped. Artemis looked away from the door, then returned to the living room. "This is Artemis," she placed a finger to her ear.
"Artemis, it's Tom. Are you up for a little adventure?"
Artemis looked back to the hall; her mother hadn't made a peep. "Yeah, I could use some air," Artemis sighed and gathered her arrows.
"Cool, catch the nearest Zeta tube to Denver, Colorado. Go wheels?"
"Yeah," Artemi's lips tilted up slightly. "I got it covered."
"Meet us at Salt Flats Colorado," Tom finished the transmission.
Artemis dressed in her costume and armed up. She left the apartment through the roof and stopped by a local storage unit. She slid the door to a storage unit and smirked. At least you left me something I could use, Dad. Artemis donned her helmet and mounted her dad's old motorcycle.
Salt Flats
14:25 | August 27
Colorado
Artemis slowed down to the coordinates Tom gave her. She looked at the power plant before her, where cops, firemen, and hazmat crews were crowded outside. Artemis was about to call Tom when someone called out to her.
"Artemis!" Tom said from above.
Artemis craned her head up, and her retort died in her mouth when Tom landed with Wonder Woman. She let go of Tom's waist, and Wonder Woman nodded at Artemis. "Greetings, Artemis; allow me to get you up to speed."
"Uh, yeah, sure," Artemis hung her helmet on her bike handle and dismounted.
"We received a call of a security breach and arrived earlier. After reconnaissance, it appears some villains are attempting to steal plutonium." Wonder Woman raised her fist. "We must stop them at once; we cannot allow villains access to fissile material."
"Alright, let's hit it." Tom raised his own fist eagerly. "Artemis and I will infiltrate through the roof."
"Good idea; once you spot the villains, radio me, and we shall strike at them in a double envelopment." Diana punched her palm, and her face set into a fierce look. She floated up and left Tom and Artemis to their devices.
"Come on, I already scouted our insertion," Tom walked to the right of the police blockade."
"Why didn't you tell me you were working with Wonder Woman?" Artemis eyed Tom.
"I thought it would be funnier if it was a surprise," Tom smirked at Artemis.
"Jerk," she jabbed his side with her elbow. "Ouch," she rubbed her elbow after hitting his armored side. Tom's smirk only grew slightly more before they reached their destination. "So how do we get in?" Artemis looked for somewhere to grapple to.
"I got it," Tom suddenly picked Artemis up bridal style.
"Hey!" Artemis gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck instinctively. Tom crouched and jumped over the wall. He landed on an outer scaffold, the metal groaning under the force.
"could have warned a girl you were gonna do your armor strength thingy!" Artemis sighed as she hopped off his arms.
"Sorry," Red X shrugged, then pointed at the ceiling. They climbed on top and ran across to a set of rafter windows. Red X placed a device from his belt on the electronic lock. The red light on the lock flashed red before turning green. He retrieved his device and opened the window. The two hopped down wordlessly and darted through the many corridors, looking for their targets. Eventually, they entered the plant's cafeteria. The cafeteria had a mezzanine, and Artemis and Red X crept to the edge, watching those below. The plant employees were standing around and meandering about.
"Wally would be making a zombie joke right about now." Artemis narrowed her eyes.
"Hmm, you're right, something's wrong." Red X produced his grapple gun from his belt. Down below, one of the employees meandered close to the mezzanine. Suddenly, a shadow dropped, wrapping around the employee before zipping up instantly. Red X swung over the glass railing, dropping the employee to the ground.
"Hey, be careful," Artemis hissed, kneeling before him.
"Look at him, I don't think he's feeling anything." Red X grabbed a light and shone it into his eyes. "his pupils don't contract," Red X turned the light off and hummed. He grabbed a device from his belt and opened it underneath the man's nose. The man's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth. Red X instantly clamped his gloved hand over it, muffling his scream. "Shhh, were the good guys," Red X whispered.
The man's wild eyes refocused, and his nostrils flared, breathing rapidly. But, after looking at Artemis, who looked less intimidating than the dark vigilante covering his mouth, he calmed down. He looked at Red X and nodded. Red X removed his hand, his lips pulling up slightly. "You okay?"
"Yeah," the man groaned and lifted his head, rubbing the back of it. "The back of my head hurts," he frowned to himself.
Artemis gave Red X a deadpan look, and Red X averted his gaze elsewhere. "Yeah, probably an after-effect of whatever you were on."
"What was I on, ow!" The man glared at Red X as he was jabbed by something, taking a blood sample.
"Let's take a look," Red X ignored his companion's disapproving stare. He took the vial of blood and placed it in a socket on his gauntlet. He brought up his holo terminal and typed away. "Hmm, you should cut down on sugar," Red X commented.
"What are you, my wife, now? Alright, jeez, I'll stop with the chocolate bars." The man grumbled.
"Huh, I thought so." Red X showed Artemis. "There's some kind of foreign pheromone in his body."
"What? Am I gonna be okay?" the man panicked briefly.
"You're fine," Red X turned his holo terminal off and handed the man back his blood.
"Gee, thanks?" The man grabbed the vial and put it in his suit breast pocket.
"Can you make your way out of the plant?" Red X offered his hand.
"Yeah," the man took it, and they all stood.
"Good, avoid any of your coworkers. I don't know the vector by which this pheromone is being spread. So better not risk it." Red X nodded to the door they came from.
"Yeah, I can do that; good luck finding whoever did this." The man nodded and crawled towards the exit before jugging out.
"Let's get moving," Red X said, and they continued their infiltration.
Further inside, a man, going by the alias Psycho-Pirate, sat in the plant's operation room. All around him, the employees went about their work with blank stares. Psycho Pirate was sitting back on an office chair. "How's it going down there, skully?" Pirate said into a microphone in his hand. Atomic Skull glared up in the reactor room at the control room before securing the plutonium in a sealed case. Atomic Skull put his finger to his helmet. "I've secured the package," Atomic Skull started making his way out of the reactor.
"Understood, prepare for retaliation; I can sense the Amazon's magic," Wotan came over the comm. "But, there is another source of magic; it is suppressed, making it hard to detect."
In the control room, as Pirate watched Atomic Skull leave the reactor, he smirked. "Alright, folks, time for the big finale!" Pirate stood up with a flair and spread his arms out. The workers began moving with more purpose. Behind him, he didn't notice a small tube camera sticking out of a vent. Red X glared and looked to Artemis behind him. She narrowed her eyes and nodded, placing a gas mask over her mouth and nose. Red X turned back, rose to his knees in the confined space, and drew back his fist.
A loud clang startled Psycho Pirate, and he turned. Red X landed on a knee from the vent. He looked up at the villain and smirked. Seconds later, plates started unfolding from his armor's neck, encasing his head in a black helmet. The helmet had a white skull faceplate with an X emblazon on the forehead and into the left eye of the helmet like a scar. "Wonder Woman, we have the targets, strike now!" Red X's voice reverberated in a dark, deep tone from the helm.
"Skully, get over here!" Psycho Pirate shouted, then pointed at the young hero. The workers not working rushed Red X. Artemis hopped down seconds later, firing two arrows with cylindrical tips. They hit two rushing employees, shocking them into unconsciousness. "Alright, kiddos, if you want to play!" More workers left their tasks and rushed the two heroes.
Outside, Wonder Woman rushed from the sky to the plant. Then, from out of nowhere, the dark wizard Wotan appeared. He spread his arms out, and a magical barrier formed around the plant's main building. "You will not be interfering, Wonder Woman; I shall be your opponent."
Wonder Woman glared at the dark wizard and placed two fingers on her ear. "Red X, the dark wizard Wotan, was keeping himself hidden. He has put a barrier around the plant; you must stop them."
"Acknowledge, Artemis behind you!" Red X shouted before cutting off the transmission.
Red X threw three X shuriken, knocking out three employees who came in from the control room front entrance. Dozens of employees were now rushing from the door. "Take them down, uh, gently." Red X turned to Psycho-Pirate, who had retreated to the far end of the control room.
"Right, gently," Artemis knocked three arrows and fired them. Their tips burst open into punching gloves, cracking three employees across the face and knocking them back into others. One got close, and Artemis cracked him across the face with a roundhouse. "Sorry," she turned, swinging her bow and knocking on another before jumping back and knocking on a fresh arrow. "Sorry!"
Red X rushed, deflecting clumsy grabs from the employees and delivering knockout blows to take them out of the fight. Arms wrapped around his midsection, pinning his arms. "sorry about this," Red X pushed off the ground, throwing out two kicks and cracking two employees on the chin, knocking them out. He threw his head back, hitting his attacker in the face and stunning him. He broke from the grip and turned with a backhand fist, knocking the employee out. "You're sick for this!" Red X turned, throwing a shuriken at Psycho Pirate. An employee got in front of him, taking the hit and collapsing unconscious.
"You're the only monsters here, attacking these poor, defenseless people!" Psycho Pirate's mask face actually moved and smiled mockingly. "Ohhh, good job, my little helpers!" Psycho Pirate threw his hand out, and the employees all turned and rushed to Red X. Red X turned into a flurry of movement. An employee dove at him. He grabbed the man's suit and used the momentum to spin him around before throwing him to a group of employees behind Red X. He jumped over the next employee and leap-frogged over the next three before tackling Psycho Pirate through the control room window.
"Red!" Artemis roundhoused an employee just as she saw them crash through the window. Just over the window, Red X grabbed the edge, holding Psycho Pirate by the scruff of his coat. Red X gritted his teeth and used all his strength to haul Pirate up, allowing him to grab the ledge.
"Thanks, kiddo!" Pirate said, elbowing Red X across the face and making him fall. Red X reacted swiftly, firing a grapple line into the rafters. The line went taught, and he hung from it. Pirate was hauled over by his mind-controlled puppets. Pirate got to his feet, and as he did, two boxing glove arrows walloped the two employees he had hauled him over, knocking them out.
"Don't move," Artemis growled; several employees were out cold around her. Several arrows embedded across the room finished hissing out their nerve gas. Pirate stepped back, and a zipping noise caught his ear. He turned halfway to Red X perched on the ledge, his fist flying at him. Psycho Pirate flew a whole foot back, landing unconscious.
Red X hopped down and immediately sat down at a nearby terminal. "Secure him; I need to see what the damage is." After a few minutes of typing away, he sighed in relief. "They were seconds away from starting a meltdown," Red X typed a few commands and stood up. "There, safety protocols are back online and restoring reactor integrity."
Outside, Wonder Woman smashed her fist against a barrier at the end of Wotan's outstretched hand. He flew back, firing a beam of dark magic at her. Wonder Woman blocked the blast with her bracers. "Agh!" Wonder Woman shouted, falling as a blast of green nuclear fire exploded against her back.
Wotan looked down to see Atomic Skull, his entire head lit aflame with nuclear fire. Wotan landed beside the villain who lifted the plutonium case. "Where is Psycho Pirate?"
"Left behind," Atomic Skull grumbled.
"Within acceptable losses then," Wotan raised his hand, opening a dark portal. "It seems he failed at his task as well; we must activate plan B." Wotan put a finger to his ear, "Poison Ivy, you are to test your creation." After Wotan finished his transmission, he and Atomic Skull stepped through the portal. The dark barrier around the plant disappeared shortly after.
Wonder Woman came to and shook her head. She cursed herself for being caught off guard like so. She looked towards the plant, seeing the barrier gone. "Red X, come in and tell me your status."
"We captured the villain, but the other escaped the plant."
"Yes, I was ambushed, and unfortunately, all of them have escaped." Wonder Woman flew down to the authorities. "The villains have escaped, so you can enter and help the people inside."
An hour later, Wonder Woman stood before the young heroes, "Good job in there; if they had triggered a plant meltdown, well, it's best not to think about it."
"Sounds good, but the bad guys got away WITH the plutonium." Artemis frowned and crossed her arms.
"The League will investigate for now, I think you have all done a great job," Wonder Woman smiled at them. A beep in her ear caught her attention, and Wonder Woman put a finger to her ear. After a moment, her eyes widened before narrowing. "Another emergency, New York is under siege by some sort of plant creature."
"Let's hit it," Red X stepped fist raised.
"Yeah, in for a penny and all that," Artemis nodded.
"Very well, we will catch the nearest Zeta tube; let's go!" Diana pushed off to fly off, with Red X and Artemis taking her bike.
New York City
16:10 | August 27
New York
Red X stepped up to the ledge of a skyscraper. "Wonder Woman, I got a visual on an apartment building. Vines are growing out of it; only a few people have come out."
"I'm working on an office building two blocks over, and you and Artemis evacuate the civilians." Diana finished her transmission, and Red X drew his grappler gun. "Let's go!" Red X jumped off, and Artemis fired a grapple arrow. Red X broke through a window, taking stock of the situation. A woman with two children cowered in the corner as a massive vine breached the center of their living room. From the vine, several smaller ones crept towards the family. "I got you!" Red X rushed to them, and vines shot at him. He dodged into a pirouette and then a backflip. He landed before the family, activated the blades on his forearms, and cut the vines apart. The vines retracted but quickly started regrowing towards them. "Come on!" Red X led them to the window. He took the kids from the mother and had her wrap her arms around his neck. "Hold on tight!" he clipped his grapple gun to his belt and zipped down with the family. He dropped them off by the other gathered people.
"Thank you so much!" the mother grabbed her children and rushed to the cheering crowd.
"Artemis, I got a family down, fifth floor, heading back up!" Red X zipped up this time to the fifth floor. He crashed through another apartment window and found an elderly woman. "I got you, Mam!" Red X gently picked her up and kicked her front door off its hinges. "Sorry!" He said and rushed down the stairs. Halfway down the third flight, a giant vine burst through, cutting his path off. Red X clicked his tongue and ran back through the third-floor hall, where he saw a civilian jump through a window.
Red X gasped, but then Artemis poked her head through the window. "Red over here!"
There was a loud crash behind him, and Red X instantly ran for the window. "Hold on!"
The older woman wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder. The crashing sound, along with the splintering of wood, drew closer. Red X used his hand, not holding the older woman's legs, and threw two X shurikens at the window, lodging them at each side. "Move!" Red X shouted, and Artemis jumped down. The shuriken beeped, exploding and creating a more significant breach. Red X jumped out and turned his back as they landed on a high-density foam clump on the ground. After a few seconds, Red X emerged from the foam, and the elderly woman smiled at him. "You okay, Mam?" Red X smiled back.
"Oh, I'm fine, deary; I haven't had excitement like that since the end of the war!" the elderly woman cackled, and Red X dropped her off as emergency services finally arrived on the scene. "How many are left?" A firefighter rushed to help him with the elderly woman.
"That's it, everyone's out!" The building super, an older black gentleman, jogged out the front door with a cleaver in hand stained with green ooze. "Mrs Abernathy was the last one; I was making my way up when you got her out."
"Then you guys take it from here," Red X nodded as Artemis walked up behind him. "
"What? GA, slow down. I'm here in NC with Red X," Artemis talked with her finger to her ear. "Roger, we're on our way!" Artemis nodded to Red X, and he joined her. Together, they and several more superheroes joined as the vines, seemingly growing at random, stopped. Artemis sighed, pulling off her mask and sitting on an ac unit. "You really know how to show a girl a good time."
Red X looked at Artemis, his lips pulling up slightly. "Sorry, I'm not good at…this." Red Xrubbed the back of his neck and removed his domino mask. He walked up next to Artemis and took a seat.
"Oh, good, at what exactly?" Artemis eyed him with a playful smirk.
"Stating how I feel and stuff," Tom rolled his eyes, averting his gaze.
"How about a demonstration then?" Artemis put her hand atop his. Tom looked down and stood up, holding her hand. He pulled Artemis up, and she shot up, wrapping her arms around Tom's shoulders. Tom looked into Artemi's eyes and hesitated. Artemis didn't seem to notice as she was lost in the moment and closed the final gap. Tom felt her lips on his and wrapped his arms around Artemis's waist, pulling her closer. The kiss was brief, and the two parted, sighing.
"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
Tom opened his eyes and stared into deep blue eyes, blonde hair in a bob cut. Kara, Supergirl smiled at him. "Well? Gonna kiss me again, cowboy?" Kara said as she had taken to call him after she showed him cowboy movies for the first time.
"Tom?"
Tom blinked and looked into Artemis's concerned eyes. He stepped back and reached up, wiping his tears. "Sorry," Tom sighed and looked away, ashamed.
"No, it's fine. Was it something I said?" Artemis stepped back suddenly, feeling self-conscious.
"No!" Tom shook his head, "it's not you, I just," Tom sighed. "I thought I was ready to move on." Tom looked down at his hands, "but Wonder Woman kind of broke that, and I was stupid to think this was different."
"Oh, is there someone else back where you came from?" Artemis suddenly felt a tightening in her chest.
"Not anymore," Tom shook his head. "Artemis, my world was destroyed. I ended up here as a fluke; there's no returning to it." Tom shook his head, "I'm sorry, I really am."
"No, it's good, I mean, I get it, well, I don't, but you know what I mean." Artemis shook her head.
"Friends?" Tom offered his hand to her.
Artemis looked at it and swatted it away, "Friends." She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. Tom smiled and hugged her back, smiling, feeling less guilty.
"So, ready to go back?" Tom pulled back, donning his domino mask.
"You go ahead, I should head home." Artemis shrugged, and Red X nodded, parting ways with her.
Gotham City
20:03 | August 27
New Jersey
Artemis jumped into her bedroom window and tossed her quiver and bow on the ground. She sat on the bed and buried her face in her hands. "Way to go, Artemis, fought your mom and got turned down by the guy you liked." She flopped back onto her bed, "great night." She changed into her civies and walked out of her bedroom. As she went to the bathroom to wash up, she found her mother sleeping on the dinner table. A cold plate of food was next to her, and Artemis cringed. She gently walked over, waking her mom. "Mom?"
"Huh?" Paula awoke with a yawn. "What time is it?" she looked at Artemis.
"It's kind of late. Did you wait for me?" Artemis frowned, feeling guilty.
"I waited for you, I wanted to talk," Paula looked down. "I am sorry if I tried to pressure you into attending Gotham Academy." Paula put her hand over her daughters, "I just want the best for you, Artemis; it's just you and me now."
"I know, Mom," Artemis put her hand over hers. "I thought about it," Artemis lied; she had forgotten the whole thing when she was with Tom. But now, well, seeing her mom like this? I mean, if this made her happy, why not? "I'll go, Mom, for you, Mom," Artemis smiled.
Paula smiled in return and stood up, "Here, let me reheat your food, wanna watch a movie?"
After everything that happened? Yeah, she did. It's just her and her mom watching a movie that sounds really good. "Alright, but no soaps!" Artemis grinned, and Paula stuck her tongue out at her.
"Ah, you kids don't understand the subtlety of Asian soaps," Paula waved her hand.
"Yeah," Artemis grinned, "subtlety, that's what we don't get." Artemis was already starting to feel a little better.
Mount Justice
23:30 | September 3
Rhode Island
The team gathered as Batman called ahead for a mission. Tom was getting ready to take command of his first mission when the Zeta Tube whirred to life. "Recognize Aqualad B02," Kaldur materialized before the team as they all rushed to greet him. M'gann was first hugging him tightly. "We missed you!"
"I missed you all as well," Kaldur smiled, hugging M'gann back. "Did I miss anything important?"
The team all looked at one another and shrugged. "Nah," Wally shrugged.
Artemis and Red X shared a knowing look, "boring few days," Red X said.
"Uneventful," Artemis grinned, crossing her arms.
"I see," Kaldur smiled. "Please allow me to introduce you to someone." Kladur moved to the terminal by the Zeta tube and typed a command. He stepped away, and the Tube whirred to life.
"Recognize B11 Aquagirl," the light shone bright, and a redheaded tan girl appeared before the team.
"Hello, my name is Tula, actually, but Kaldur insisted on a code name," Tula smiled, shrugging.
"Tula will be joining the team if that is alright with you all," Kaldur offered his hand. Tula took it and stood by Kaldur.
"Yes!" M'gann flew over and hugged Tula, surprising her. "Another girl, I'm so happy!"
"Oh, you're welcome?" Tula smiled, patting M'gann's back.
"No complaints from me," Wally crossed his arms.
"Really?" Artemis gave him a withering stare.
"What?" Wally shrugged.
"Ugh, unbelievable," Artemis walked past, shaking Tula's hand. "Welcome aboard, Wally is the weird one, so watch out."
"Hey!" Wally protested.
The Zeta Tube whirred to life, "Recognize Batman Z01."
The Dark Knight walked in and looked at Kaldur and Tula. "I take it the decision has been made?"
"Yes," Aqualad looked at Tula with a smile. "The decision is made; I am here one hundred percent."
Batman nodded, "Good," he walked to the center and started the holo terminal. "Because your next mission is here."
The Zeta Tube whirred to life again, "Recognize Wonder Woman A03," Wonder Woman in her armor appeared before the team.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" Tom smiled, walking up to Wonder Woman and sharing a hug. Kaldur blinked and looked at his friends.
"Oh, that, yeah, we'll catch you up later," Wally grinned and shrugged.
"Just wanted to see you; I am heading to the United Nations for a meeting." Diana pulled back, placing a hand over his shoulder. "Forgive me, Batman, I did not mean to interrupt." Wonder Woman squeezed Tom's shoulder before taking the Zeta Tube back out.
Without missing a beat, Batman continued, "We detected a massive power surge from the Bialyan desert…"
Mariana Trench
00:00 | September 4
Pacific Ocean
Black Manta's sub cruised along the trench, as inside, its captain stood before several gathered figures in monitors shrouded in light. "I was unable to secure the objective; I had to resort to plan B."
"You did well; everything falls into place, so the light commands."
The Manta Sub cut through the darkness of the ocean floor, its light in the darkness a premonition of events to come.
Aqualad got crapped on a lot in this series, my man suffered a lot to be happy in the end. Even then its suggested there's tension between him and his lover because he spends so much time on the surface. So I decided to give Aqualad a deserved early win. How does this come to pass? Wait and see for the next chapter, also I want you guys opinion. As we near the middle point of the show, would you guys be interested in some chapters in the time skip? I got a few ideas for that and if you're interested once season 1 is done, I can give you a short five chapters set in the five year time skip. Also I promised you a reference to another story here in the fandom, and its coming, so be patient with that hah.
With that said, I'm sorry I sunk yall's Tom and Artemis ship. But, my boy has a lot of baggage he needs to work out before he can even think about romance. You just got a big reveal about his parentage AND the look into his PTSD from the war. You also got a subtle but clear look into the hypocrisy of the Amazons. Who's Tom's father? Stay tuned, all will be revealed soon enough.
If yall feel Tom not telling the team everything, trust me, he wants to. But, mental trauma is hard to work through and hardest to admit to those you care about most. The fear of how they will respond is what makes it hard for him to share. You'll get more hints of his world next chapter.
Anywya, read and review my fellow heroes. I love hearing your thoughts and GOOD guess about Tom's origins! You were very close indeed!