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Chapter Text

Star City

July 26, 18:35 PDT

"And...done! Finally."

Jennifer Lance gave a satisfied smile to the bouquet of greenery and flowers on the worktable in front of her. She picked up the vase it was in to carry it to a cooler in the other room.

Working in her little flower shop for two years managed to drum up attention so she seemed to get more and more orders every month. But it kept her busy and it paid well enough to keep the lights on, so she didn't mind it at all.

"Mister Kiligan will be here in the morning to pick that up and he needs to pay me the rest of the total amount," she mumbled as she scribbled a note to herself to read the next day. She crossed over to the cash register, sticking the adhesive to the edge of the counter beside it.

The peaceful evening silence was soon interrupted as the bell attached to the front door chimed.

I thought I locked that hours ago... "We're clo-"

Jenna's friendly demeanor immediately dropped when she looked up to see who had walked in. She slapped the pen down on the counter, gripping the edge to brace herself and hold herself up at the same time.

"Isn't it bad enough you keep coming to my apartment relentlessly?" she inquired.

The intruder's brow furrowed sadly. "Can we please talk?"

"I already told you no, Dick. I'm not interested in helping you at all."

Dick threw his hands up as Jenna breezed past him to the front door. "Why not?"

Jenna looked down at the lock, eyes narrowing when she realized how he had gotten in once she knew it was him. He could have broken the lock trying to pick it. Then I'd have to go and replace it. Idiot.

"You know why," she said, finally turning around. "Now, do I have to shut the door in your face again for you to get a clue?"

Dick ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. "Hear me out. There's something I could really use your help with tomorrow in Moscow," he begged.

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, the meta-human trafficking."

More and more kids were getting abducted and tested for the gene in the last couple of years since the Reach began to do just that. Assuming they even survived the gruesome process, the teens were often shipped off to do the bidding of yet another cruel person.

Of course Jenna had a heart, and she still cared about those who needed help, but the discomfort wasn't enough incentive to work with her old friend. Especially when he had many others at his disposal.

"Well, forget it," she continued. "Because I don't know if I want to work with someone when they may keep me out of the loop of important things."

At least Dick had the decency—or audacity—to wince. "How many more times do I have to apologize?"

Jenna pretended to think it over, shrugging as she crossed her arms. "Maybe when I know it's genuine?"

She pointed a finger straight at him. "After all, you and Kaldur were the ones to decide to keep secrets from me," she reminded, jabbing her thumb in a hypothetical direction. "And at least he has had enough respect for me to leave me alone. You clearly don't."

She took a step aside, pulling the door open wide. "Now leave before I have to kick you out. Literally," she all but ordered, frowning while she watched Dick dejectedly approach the door. "If you want help, why don't you ask Sam? He's helped you out with busts before."

As Dick stepped out, not yet closing the door, he glanced back at Jenna. "I wanted a friend's help."

He shut the door and, through the window, Jenna watched him walk down the street until she couldn't see him anymore. When she didn't, she spun around again, running a hand through her newly chopped hair and tugging on the chin-length ends. I can't believe-

"He still thinks I'm going to let it go that easily? Not a chance," she grumbled.

She got mad when the door opened behind her again. "I already told y-" She stopped when she realized it wasn't Dick.

She let out a long sigh. "Sorry, Di."

Dinah's eyebrows were raised in amusement. "Bad day?" she guessed.

Jenna looked away. "Not until a couple of minutes ago," she admitted. "Dick showed up."

Dinah looked surprised as she stepped into the building, having come from her counseling office on the floor above the flower shop. "And you're still not going to talk to him?"

Jenna turned her head to glare at Dinah, throwing her hand up. "Of course not. Why would I?"

"Because it's been two years, Jenna," her sister pointed out. "I'm not going to judge your feelings in the matter, but you never even gave them a chance to fully explain."

"Dinah, you know how much he hurt me!" Jenna cried out with a scowl.

Dinah's face softened. "Are you sure you're talking about Dick right now?"

Jenna's spine straightened, her nostrils flaring. It didn't take a genius to know who she was referring to.

"Kaldur made his decision three years ago when he decided not to tell me he was going undercover in his father's organization," she defended herself. "He never trusted me enough to harbor a secret like that, so why should I listen to an apology from him? Anyway, he hasn't spoken to me since- since the funeral."

Jenna closed her eyes briefly to steady herself. The usual lump in her throat began to tighten when thinking about her late friend. Two years and counting of therapy had proved to be helpful, but some days were still harder than others.

Dinah approached her sister, resting a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Because he cares about you too much."

Jenna scoffed. "He's sure been doing a great job of showing it," she said sarcastically.

Dinah shot her a disapproving look only an older sister could give. "Communication is a two-way street, Jenna."

"Wow, how often do you use that line?" Jenna moved away, busying herself by shutting off lights and retrieving her personal belongings. The sun was setting more by the minute and she had planned to meet Sam for patrol later.

Dinah waited by the door, following Jenna out of the building and onto the mostly empty sidewalk. The younger Lance sister quickly locked up and began to move down the street.

"I'm serious," Dinah continued, making Jenna roll her eyes. "You know he realizes that you want nothing to do with him so, of course, he's going to keep his distance. So if you want to talk to him so badly, you have to be the one to do it."

"What makes you think I want to talk to him?"

Dinah only gave her a knowing glance. "Did you forget I'm your big sister? I can see right through you."

Jenna scoffed, shoving Dinah's shoulder playfully. "Yeah, and you'll never let me forget it."

Dinah laughed, moving closer to pull her into a side hug. "Come on, let's go grab something to eat."

~/~/~/~

That night, Siren dropped down onto an old familiar rooftop, spotting an equally familiar figure right away. If her years around him didn't make him easily recognizable by his presence alone, his new height, muscled build, and matching tattoo sleeves trailing down those muscles all definitely did.

"Order for Sam?" she called out.

Samuel Hendricks, also known as the hero Banshee, turned to shoot her a grin. "Finally," he said.

"Sorry, I got held up. Then you decided to send me a last-minute text asking if I had any spares." Siren held out her hand for Banshee to swipe the set of batteries that charged up his mask.

Banshee snorted. "Which way are we going tonight?" he asked, fiddling with his mask before sliding it on.

Siren pulled out her communicator, prompting Banshee to do the same. She glanced through the map for a moment, noting the various markers. "Arrow and Arrowette are taking downtown tonight. Let's head down to the harbor and loop our way back by the diner to return here," she suggested.

Banshee shrugged. "Fine by me."

They dropped off the building, landing where their motorcycles were parked and waiting. Siren swung one leg over her bike, adjusting her jacket so the long, fanned back that usually went to her thighs wasn't caught underneath her once she was straddling the seat. Haircuts weren't the only physical change to happen over the last couple of years that took some getting used to.

Once her bike—and helmet—was on, she took off. And by the easily recognizable sound of another motor, she knew Banshee wasn't far behind.

"So," he said slowly through their open comms. "I talked to Dick today."

Siren immediately let out a sigh. "Sam..."

"He really wants your help with all of this, Jen," Banshee quickly interrupted. "You're the one with the tactical skills. And the leadership."

Siren briefly took her eyes off the road to glance at him once his bike became parallel to hers. "Yeah, but those leadership skills haven't been put to much use for the past two years. I only just got back into any sort of crime-fighting a year ago," she gently reminded him.

She had turned her eyes back to the street, but she could feel his returning gaze on her. "But don't you miss it?" Banshee countered. "Sticking to the city isn't the same."

"Yeah, but-"

"I mean, come on," he continued, purposefully not giving her a chance to speak. "You may have tried to come back like nothing was out of the ordinary, but you also came back in a whole new getup since you couldn't stand to wear that old jacket anymore."

When they made a turn, Siren quickly swerved around a parked car on the curb, cursing under her breath. "Do we have to have this conversation right now? Last I checked, you're my protégé, not my therapist."

"Ex-protégé. You forget I'm doing a lot of patrols on my own now."

Siren pulled her bike closer to Banshee's, sending him a light glare. "I don't care how old or experienced you get, kiddo. You'll always be my protégé," she said with a light smile.

The corners of Banshee's eyes wrinkled, indicating he was smiling too.

"My point is," he said carefully, "I know you just want to forget, but there are kids that need our help."

Damn you and your tender-hearted nature. Siren tried to wave it off anyway. "Exactly. You can help just as much as I can."

"That's not the point and you know it," Banshee pressed.

"Attention all units, museum robbery reported on Brooklyn and Eighth. Security officers are down. Requesting backup."

Siren's lips thinned as their conversation came to a sudden halt when the scanner interrupted them. "Duty calls," she said dryly, zooming ahead.

"You can't ignore this!" Banshee called after her.

Try me.

When they arrived at the scene, it was clear the police had yet to beat them there. That was one thing about crime in most major cities: there was always so much going on at the same time that it was hard for the cops to show up in a timely manner.

Good thing Star City had several heroes to defend it.

Luckily, the loud alarms were enough to sneak in unnoticed. Passing by the unconscious security, both heroes took to the rafters, wanting to avoid detection and a gunfight as much as possible. Especially before the police arrived.

"Hurry up, we don't have all day! The cops could be here any minute!"

"Forget the cops, what about Green Arrow?"

Siren signaled to Banshee when the coast was clear, giving him the go-ahead to drop down and sneak behind one of the display cases. It looked like nothing else was being taken besides whatever was inside the one displaying old, collectible coins. It was obviously important if they were trying to be careful getting to it.

"Nah, Jonny confirmed that he was spotted downtown. We don't need to worry about him."

"Then what about Siren? I heard she's back in town."

One of the goons huffed out a deep laugh. "That 'Black Canary wannabe' doesn't scare me."

That's about to change.

"Aw, too bad it's just me then, fellas." Banshee had popped up behind the group, surprising all six of them.

He quickly moved from where he leaned against a case to surge forward, reaching the three gunmen before they had the chance to lift their weapons. He grabbed the collars of two, quickly slamming their heads into one another.

He then swung his foot out, slamming his toe into the rifle of the third just as he was about to fire. The rifle flung away, giving Banshee a chance to knock the guy out with a solid punch.

Banshee looked up at the remaining three, and though his lower face was hidden, Siren knew that he had a cocky grin on underneath.

"If Siren doesn't scare me, you certainly don't, kid."

Banshee tilted his head back with an exaggerated sigh. "Damn. And here I thought the tattoos did something for my intimidation factor," he mused.

Just then, Siren dropped down near the display case that was being broken into, keeping just out of sight from the goons.

She grabbed one, quickly covering his mouth before he had a chance to yell and tightening her bicep around his throat until he passed out. She slowly lowered him to the ground, never making a sound.

With a quick flicker, Banshee's eyes shot over to her before returning to the remaining duo. "But you know what does?"

"Pray tell," the cocky goon sneered, missing when Siren grabbed the shoulder of his partner, swiftly jabbing her elbow into the side of his head before he could react. The loud alarm easily hid the dull thudding sound before the goon slowly went down like his friend did earlier.

She stepped over the robber's body, stopping right behind the remaining one.

"Her," Banshee answered, eyes landing on his mentor.

The goon went rigid, suddenly whirling around to look at what Banshee saw. His eyes widened when he saw the woman barely a few feet away from him.

Which was the last thing he saw before she roundhoused him in the face.

With the robbers tied up and waiting for when the police would finally arrive, Siren and Banshee set back out on their patrol route.

"About earlier-"

Siren let out a groan.

"-at least help out with the trafficking in Moscow Dick was telling me about today. It's one bust. What do you have to lose?"

Rather than answer, Siren fell silent. A part of her did want to help. Despite what had happened two years ago, she was still herself. She still cared about those in need and was always willing and wanting to help.

It wouldn't be so terrible to help out one time, would it? In, out, done.

Right?

~/~/~/~

The Watchtower

July 27, 19:57 EDT

As Banshee's squad entered the mission room, he quickly sought out his friends. It was still a little strange using the Watchtower as the team's HQ for the past two years after the League decided it was high time that they all work alongside each other as equals. In their words, the team had earned it.

"Hey, Ban!" Kid Flash called out in greeting. "How'd Gamma's mission go?"

Following the death of the first Kid Flash, Bart Allen took up his cousin's mantle. It was something that had briefly been discussed beforehand, but, well, the plans got bumped up after the tragedy.

Banshee grimaced while he slid an arm around Blue Beetle's shoulders. "It went," he muttered, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's armored temple.

And that was another thing that came out of the last two years. It honestly just kind of...happened. All thanks to a movie premiere, one speedster having to supposedly cancel, and leaving the other two newly pining teenagers to attend on their own.

As of late, they had been dating for almost a year and Banshee couldn't be happier.

Blue suddenly let out a snort, making Banshee look down. Once he had grown taller than his boyfriend, he hadn't let Blue forget about it for weeks.

"Let me guess, scarab's complaining again?" Banshee assumed.

Blue Beetle rolled his eyes. "He doesn't like you kissing me with the faceplate on."

Banshee scoffed. "He better deal with it," he said, lightly knocking on the side of Blue's head to bother the scarab even further.

"Alright, let's debrief so you can all be free to head home."

Banshee dropped his hand to his hip, turning to listen to what the team's leader had to say. He wasn't sure how the other squad's mission went, but he wasn't excited to hear what she had to say about his.

"Excellent work, Alpha Squad. Textbook op, truly," Miss Martian continued. "Gamma, you could learn something from-"

"Recognized: Steel, three-six. Black Lightning, two-three."

Banshee's eyebrow that had raised upon the interruption only lifted higher when the two men came into view. Particularly because of one. Black Lighting's out of costume? Knowing Static's mentor, it wasn't like him.

The man sighed heavily. "Where are they?"

"Already in the conference room," Miss Martian said softly. "Most of them, anyway."

Both Black Lightning and Steel continued on their way, and Banshee watched with a light frown, briefly glancing down at Static in front of him. I wonder if Jenna happens to know anything about this.

"Well, that's everyone but the League's fearless leader," KF piped up.

"Recognized: Aquaman, two-seven."

"And speak of the devil..."

Banshee glanced around Blue Beetle to stare at the speedster. "Does super speed give you the ability to see into the future or something?"

The new Aquaman finally came into view and he approached his former teammates.

"They're, uh, all waiting for you," Superboy told him.

The three adults began to converse, leaving Banshee to watch silently.

It hadn't even been a year yet since Kaldur became Aquaman and subsequently joined the League when his former mentor stepped down. Banshee himself had gone to the induction ceremony of the newest League members...in civvies obviously. He had also thought that he had seen Jenna there, but before he could catch her to speak to her, she was gone.

Before all of that, when Aquaman was still Aqualad and therefore the team's leader, Banshee felt a bit apprehensive toward his mentor's ex, but that didn't last long. He understood that the hero's life called for impossible decisions to be made. He understood that he only really got to see one side of the story and how much it affected Siren rather than get the whole story at once. So he was also understanding when he saw how much it affected Aqualad in the several months after Siren left the team.

It wasn't just one person suffering, but one was refusing to speak with the other and the other was respecting those wishes. It was hard to believe that it had only been three years ago when they were one of the most powerful couples on the team and in the line of work.

But things changed.

Miss Martian suddenly turned back to the team. "It's going to take a bit before we finish the debrief, everyone," she apologized. "I'll be back shortly then we can wrap up."

Then she was gone, walking away with Aquaman.

Banshee let out a puff of air, the exhale making a strand of hair in his eyes fly up. Yippee.

As the rest of the team started separating, chatting to one another while they waited, Banshee didn't think much about the hand that suddenly grasped his own, but he turned when Blue started talking.

"When's move-in?"

Banshee glanced up at the tall ceiling in thought. "Two weeks?" he said uncertainly. "But I feel like I'm practically living there already with how much I have to be at practice."

Being on the swim team had its ups and downs, but if being a part of it–and being one of the top swimmers–meant having a scholarship for college, he wasn't going to complain.

Kid Flash poked his head around from the other side of Blue, grinning as he ate from his bag of freeze-dried Chicken Whizees. "Need any big guns to help move stuff in?"

Banshee snorted. "Sure, if you know where to find any, let me know."

A loud laugh came from Thirteen who held up her hand for a high five to which Banshee obliged. "Good one," she snickered.

Kid let out a groan. "Blue, a little help?"

Blue Beetle blinked innocently from where he moved to sit on the platform. "Help with what?" he asked with a shrug.

The group's giggles slowly faded away when a few Leaguers began to walk into the room. That was...fast.

Batman, who had been passing by, turned to look at the team. "It's time."

Banshee's brow furrowed when he saw Arrowette and Spoiler begin to walk toward the Zeta-Tubes.

"Time?" he could hear Wonder Girl echo to Robin. "Time for what?"

Her boyfriend's shoulders slightly heaved when he sighed before he let go of her hand and walked away as well. What?

Wonder Girl spoke louder to be heard over the computer's voice when their team members teleported away. "Robin- Tim. Where are you going?"

But he didn't answer her nor look back as he, too, teleported away. Banshee quickly moved beside Wonder Girl, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"What is he doing?" she mumbled with a hurt frown.

Banshee only shook his head. "I- I don't know," he admitted. He squeezed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her...even if he didn't understand the reason he was comforting her.

While Wonder Girl stared at the Tubes, Banshee's eyes trailed over to the Dark Knight.

"Join us, Jeff," he said to the other man who was leaving the conference room too. "I think we want the same things."

"The same things? Really?" Jeff scoffed. "Batman, I just resigned from the Justice League. And at least their leaders were elected democratically. I want nothing to do with Batman Incorporated."

He turned away. "The truth is, I don't trust you. Especially after what you pulled in there today."

Banshee's eyes went wide. Lightning resigned?

"What?" Kid Flash said with an equally shocked gasp, but for another reason. "What did he pull?"

Jeff approached his protégé, sighing. "I'm sorry, Virgil. Maybe you can find a new mentor. One who's...less damaged."

Then he was gone too.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?!" KF cried out.

Banshee frowned. I wish I could. His gaze flickered over to the remaining adults in the room.

Aquaman looked as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Perhaps Dick and Jenna had the right idea," he said tiredly.

Banshee's frown deepened.

~/~/~/~

Moscow

July 28, 03:03 MSK

Siren pointedly avoided Nightwing's gaze. The last thing she wanted was to give him a reason to gloat about finally being able to convince her.

"Thanks for coming with," he mumbled quietly as the both of them stared at the warehouse from the rooftop across from it.

Siren adjusted the mask covering her lower face. It felt weird shielding her identity after so long since abandoning that method, especially when–until she had turned eighteen–she only ever used a mask to obscure her eyes. With a power where she needed to use her mouth, it was odd when she not only had no free access but was forced to muffle it too. But no one can know who we are, even as heroes.

"Yeah, well, let's just get this over with," she finally answered, taking the initiative to drop off the roof.

Getting in was easy enough, as was finding a way to the upper level without being noticed. And once Nightwing gave the signal after they saw who they were up against–which made Siren's stomach turn at the thought of the cages potentially full of kids–it was time to rain hellfire on the unsuspecting captors' heads.

Siren vaulted over the railing, dropping right beside one of the gunmen, startling him. Before he had time to lift his gun, she was slamming the heel of her palm into his nose. While he tried to stem the sudden gush of blood, he didn't notice the elbow coming up to drive into the side of his skull.

Siren lunged for the next nearest captor, kicking the gun out of his hand before grabbing the side of his head and bringing it down to meet her knee. When he went limp, she had no issues with chucking his body on top of his friends.

With a quick glance up once the gunfire stopped, she saw Nightwing had taken out the other two.

"Intel was on the money, Oracle," he said out loud.

"Of course," Siren heard in her own ear as she moved to the cages.

A brief glance through the spyhole confirmed there were teens inside. Heart aching, she pulled out a knife from her thigh holster, jamming the tip of it into the small gap between the lock and crate. With a quick shove at the handle, the lock popped off, allowing the door to fall open. Nightwing had similarly copied her move with his escrima stick, giving the teens a chance to escape.

"You're free! Go!" Siren ordered the several kids in their own language.

"It's definitely another meta-human trafficking lab," Nightwing confirmed to Oracle as they watched the abductees leave.

"But is it Bedlam?"

Siren glanced around the room to get a better look. She scowled when she saw chambers off to the side. Dammit.

"I'm seeing pods full of black goo," Nightwing answered out loud.

"More like torture chambers," Siren muttered to herself.

The idea that teens were being drowned to awaken their meta-gene was horrifying. And that didn't even guarantee that it would work, meaning that some never woke up again.

"It sounds like a match," Oracle surmised.

As Nightwing knelt by the pods, taking a sample of the goo on the floor of the chamber, she continued, "Bedlam uses a substance called Tar as a catalyst for turning abducted meta-gene kids into full-on meta-humans...assuming the kids survive the process."

Siren's expression darkened. As she heard the groans of the waking men, she shared a glare with Nightwing when he stood.

"Then let's shut 'em down," he said firmly, tossing a few explosive disks into the crates where the kids once were as well as the pods.

Leaving the bombs to do their job, the duo sprinted out of the warehouse and returned to their previous lookout. Once they reached the edge, Siren could see the men inside rush out only seconds before the place blew.

Her eyes narrowed. I shouldn't wish that they hadn't made it out, but...

"Nightwing? Siren, do you read?" came Oracle's frantic voice upon hearing the explosion.

"Worried about us?" her boyfriend quipped.

"Worried you didn't get a sample of the Tar before you blew the place," Oracle corrected dryly.

"Way ahead of you. Sending data now." Nightwing held up the sample in his hand, using his augmented reality contacts, identical to the ones he gave Siren before the mission, to scan the substance for its chemical makeup.

"Got it. Running analysis...okay, this is crash."

"What'd you find?" Siren wondered.

"Well, a solid lead to the source of the Tar and hopefully Bedlam Central."

Siren looked out at nothing in particular as the exact data was sent through to her own tech. It was handy to have a computer inside one's vision at the ready.

"Spill," Nightwing requested.

"Tar contains a clay only found in one place"–a GPS location appeared in front of Siren's eyes–"Markovia."

Nightwing pulled off his mask. "Then, Markovia, here we come."

Siren followed suit, beginning to move away. "Good luck with that."

Before she could move very far away though, a hand seized her wrist. "Jen, wait."

She avoided his gaze as he turned her around forcefully. "I told you that I would help you get your information," she answered. "I did, so my work is done."

"You helped me get a location that I could have gotten on my own," Nightwing countered.

Siren rolled her eyes. "So glad that you appreciated my help," she drawled, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

Nightwing let out a long sigh, grabbing her shoulder before she could turn away again. "That's not what I meant and you know it," he said, annoyed. "We got the location, but not all of the information. We have a real chance at shutting this whole operation down, but I'm going to need extra pairs of hands to do it."

Siren remained quiet, finally glaring up at him through her eyelashes.

"Please. Help me," Nightwing practically begged. "Then I swear, after we finish the Markovia mission, I'll leave you alone."

There was a beat of silence.

"Fine," Siren eventually said, pulling her shoulder away. "One mission. That's it."

She turned away, this time without any hindrance. She glanced over her shoulder before she dropped off the roof though. "Keep me updated, let me know what you need me to do. I'll be there," she promised.

After all, she kept her promises.

~/~/~/~

Star City

July 28, 07:16 PDT

Jenna was driving down the streets of a residential neighborhood when the person she was calling finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, hi, so I'm on my way to do what you asked, but care to explain why Sam texted last night asking me if I 'knew anything about Batman, Green Arrow, and their protégés walking out'?"

Dick awkwardly cleared his throat. "I was going to let you in the loop before we left for Markovia," he said.

Jenna hummed sarcastically. "I'm sure you were. Let's hear it then."

It was something to do about trying to beat the Light at their own game. It had been so long since their fight began and since Lex Luthor–unfortunately being the new Secretary-General since Tseng stepped down–placed extremely strict regulations on the Justice League, even preventing them from going on humanitarian missions. Because of it, the fight was getting harder to win.

So, Batman and several others resigned from the League, intent on working on their own terms. Since the League, and subsequently the team, were forced to follow the United Nations' rules, several members of both were going to distance themselves.

"Wait, wait, wait," Jenna's car rolled to a stop at an intersection. "So what is this 'loop' you're talking about?"

"Well if you'd let me get there," Dick said exasperatedly, making Jenna roll her eyes as she turned onto a different street. "It was pre-planned. Kaldur, Diana, and M'gann are all in on it with Bruce, Barbara, and Tim. While their respective teams work seemingly on their own, the leaders of each are going to secretly coordinate everything together."

Jenna pursed her lips. "Guess it makes sense. It'd be best to keep tabs on everything that's going on at the same time," she admitted. "But keep it a secret from everyone that they're all still working together? You know what happened the last time you tried that."

As she parked at the curb, she broke the long, awkward silence that had followed her comment. "I'm here. I'll let you know what the answer is."

After she had hung up and exited her car, she crossed the empty street. With a few, quick knocks, it didn't take long for someone to answer the door.

Jenna smiled. "Hi, hope I'm not bothering you guys this early."

The bearded man at the door pulled her into a warm hug. "Not at all, Jen," he said.

Jenna stepped inside the house as a little voice called out to her. "Auntie 'En!"

She moved over to the kitchen table, wrapping her arms around the tiny two-year-old's body. "Morning, sunflower," she said cheerfully, pressing a kiss on top of Lian's head with a loud smack.

"So what brings you in?" Roy–who had recently started going by Will–asked as he drew closer to the table. "It's my amazing breakfast-making skills, isn't it?"

Jenna snorted. "Uh, no," she teased. "Actually, it has to do with a mission tomorrow night."

"Mission?" She looked up at the question, glancing over at her best friend who was sitting at the end of the table with a cup of coffee in her hand.

She hadn't really planned on speaking to Artemis again a year prior, but she blamed Will for that change in plans. Jenna hadn't even realized that the blonde archer had moved in with her brother-in-law and niece until he casually invited her over for dinner one night. Jade had recently up and left her spouse and daughter so Jenna was more than happy to keep her pseudo-brother and goddaughter company. But when she opened the door to their home that evening, she was in for a surprise to see who was sitting in the living room.

After a bit of manhandling from Will, she sat down and spoke to Artemis for the first time in a year. She was about to start her master's program in college, deciding to get it from Royal University. There...there were just too many memories back in Palo Alto. So she and Brucely, her and Wally's dog, moved to Star City under the warm invitation by Will to live with him and Lian.

Things weren't yet one hundred percent like they used to be, but Jenna had to admit that she was happy to speak with her best friend again. After all, she wasn't the one to hide everything from her from the very beginning.

"Yeah..." Jenna sighed, accepting the mug of coffee Will set in front of her. "This is going to sound insane coming from me, but...Dick and I are going to Markovia. We might have a chance to shut down a meta-human trafficking syndicate for good."

Artemis' eyebrows raised high. "When did you talk to Dick?"

Jenna took a sip of her drink, keeping her eyes glued to the rim of the mug. "Last night when we busted a meta-gene testing lab in Moscow."

Will slid into the seat beside her. "He finally convinced you?" he questioned.

Jenna closed her eyes. "No."

But what did convince me? Dick had been relentless ever since he started going after meta-human traffickers, and she turned him down every single time he showed up at her door. So why now?

"I guess I see myself in those kids," she admitted to herself as much as she did to the other two. "I grew up with my powers before I even knew what the meta-gene was. And now...there are kids who are just like me being-"

She quickly glanced over at Lian before clearing her throat. "-who need help," she corrected herself. "And I feel like I should be there to do that."

She looked up at Artemis. "So Dick wants your help with this too. He's collecting the other two soon, but he figured since we live in the same city, it was easier for me to swing by and see if you were willing to join us."

Jenna picked at her nails. "I- I know you've kind of put up the Tigress mask again, but-"

"I'll help."

Jenna's demeanor relaxed with a small smile of relief crossing her face. If she was being honest, she felt better having Artemis join. Conner was going to be there too which was always great, and Jenna got along well with Jeff, but she missed getting to go on missions with her best friend.

Just like she sometimes missed going on missions with a particular ex of hers.

"Well, I should get going, I need to get ready to open the shop," she said with a sigh, squeezing Will's shoulder as she stood and then moving around to kiss Lian on the cheek.

She glanced back at the trio as she reached the door, meeting Artemis' gaze. She smiled lightly. "I should hear more from Dick later so swing by the shop when I close, okay?" she suggested.

Artemis smiled too, nodding. "See you."

Jenna left the Harper-Crock residence, oddly feeling lighter than she had in a while.

~/~/~/~

Metropolis

July 30, 00:00 EDT

"Recognized: Siren, B-zero-two; Tigress, B-zero-eight."

Jenna's brow furrowed when she laid eyes on Dick. "Is he a no-show?" she asked, noticing that he was alone.

Dick sighed. "I texted him and, when he didn't answer, I stopped by. I even mentioned you were coming along too, but..." He shrugged uncertainly.

Jenna's lips thinned, fiddling with the duffel bag that contained her darkwear and dress.

It wasn't exactly a secret that she wanted nothing to do with those that lied to her. Artemis was different. Yes, she didn't tell Jenna either, but she was following what both Dick and Kaldur asked of her. They were the ones to make sure Jenna was kept out of it since the start of Kaldur's mission.

Nonetheless, the team and the League alike all knew that Jenna had her mind made up. She wasn't going to work with either of her former co-leaders for any reason. It was easier when Dick stepped away from the team following Wally's death. And she supposed that nothing was really hindering her from rejoining the team since the only remaining 'issue' was now leading the League with Wonder Woman.

But if Dick's mission was enough for Jenna to work with him again after two years, she was surprised that Jeff didn't consider that it meant something. I guess Rann messed him up more than I thought...not that I would have reacted any differently to that poor girl dying.

The sound of roaring engines broke through the sky. Jenna's smile brightened when Conner came into view atop the Super-Cycle. Once he landed, she moved toward him.

"Hey, congrats, Con!" she called out.

Earlier that day when Jenna was opening up her shop, she almost immediately got a phone call as soon as she got inside. Since there were no customers yet, she accepted after the second ring, only to be met with exciting—and expected—news.

Conner had proposed to M'gann.

Jenna knew it was coming after the two of them had gotten back together, having seen the ring once it was ready a month ago. Conner wouldn't have taken so long, but things just kind of kept getting in the way. Eventually, the timing finally worked out.

And Jenna couldn't have been more excited. Especially when M'gann had called to ask the blonde if she would be her maid of honor.

"Thanks, Jen," Conner said with a warm smile before glancing at the other two. "This all of us?"

Before any of them could answer, from atop the bridge came an exasperated, "No."

Jenna turned to see Jeff standing there, looking a bit resigned. When he vaulted off the ledge to join them, she couldn't hold back her smug grin.

"Don't give me that look," he told her and her three friends. "One mission only. Agreed?"

Jenna scoffed. "Sorry, that's my condition."

"Agreed. For both of you," Dick spoke up. "Time is short, mission briefing en route. Let's go."

Chapter Text

Markovburg

July 30, 20:00 EEST

Jenna's nails tapped against the steering wheel as she slowly pulled up to the reception entrance. The car door opened almost as soon as she parked, revealing a valet.

Jenna fixed a smile on her face, gracefully stepping out of the parked car. She simply nodded at the valet so as not to waste time with chatter. Not when there were things to do.

One short walk up some steps later and she was handing her invitation to the man waiting outside the party. He briefly glanced over the invitation, nodding.

"Welcome, Miss Drake," he said in a thick Markovian accent.

Jenna smiled politely. "Thank you." Mom, your last name's coming in handy.

Then she was in. That was one less thing to worry about.

As she accepted a glass of champagne offered by one of the waiters, she did a quick scan of the courtyard.

To call it a party was heavily exaggerating things. It was...dull. There was some mingling happening here and there, but for the most part, the mood was down. Which was understandable.

Jenna made eye contact with a blonde woman when she entered the reception. She tilted her chin ever so slightly, receiving a minute nod in return from her and the man she was with.

At least they made it in too. Now I feel slightly less out of my element.

Luckily, it was all going according to plan.

~8~8~8~

"Listen up."

Jenna glanced over at Dick who was beside her. They had just barely started their journey, so she was expecting the full briefing at any time. Especially when there wasn't much time until the mission officially started.

"Bedlam is one of the most notorious meta-human trafficking syndicates on the planet. We now have intel that Bedlam's main base of operations is in Markovia," Dick explained.

Immediately, Jenna's eyes narrowed. She had no problem picking up on the fact that he was keeping their conversation with Oracle under wraps. Obviously, the part where the team, League, and Batman's team were all working together without knowing it was going to be kept a secret. But the fact that they even worked with Oracle too?

Whatever. Jenna wasn't to think too hard about it. She promised one mission, then she was done. Whatever they did to risk the trust of the team and League was their problem, not hers.

"Artemis, Jenna, and I will fly commercially from Vlatava to Markovia under false passports," Dick added. "I suspect that whoever's behind Bedlam was most likely behind the assassination of the king and queen, who had made it their mission to end meta-trafficking in Markovia. Bedlam may even be connected to the royal family, which would explain how the assassins managed to get past heavy security, and into the palace.

"So while Conner and Jeff fly the Super-Cycle under the radar and over the border with all our gear, Artemis, Jenna, and I will scope out the major players using hacked invitations to Prince Gregor's pre-coronation reception."

Piece of cake.

~8~8~8~

At least it better be.

"Not exactly a wild crowd." Jenna had moved closer to Artemis just as she spoke.

She decided that approaching the other two would be fine considering they were already in. And mingling with her two friends would certainly keep strangers from trying to approach her.

"Hard to feel the aster when both your parents have just been murdered. Trust me," Dick murmured, glancing over at the princes in question.

Jenna sided up next to him with a sigh. "I can relate...half relate."

"Do you really think the two princes could have had something to do with their own parents' deaths?" Artemis wondered, finding the very idea appalling just like Jenna.

It was unfortunate to find out that the king and queen were assassinated. Jenna didn't keep up with much news about Markovia, but she did know that the couple was open about their feelings against meta-human trafficking and their support of Quraci refugees.

Their two sons, Brion and Gregor, now had to deal with the aftermath of their parents' murder and so soon after the kidnapping of their sister, Tara, at that. Jenna could only imagine what they were going through.

"I hope not, but we shouldn't make assumptions," Dick reminded.

Jenna hummed. "'Keep an open mind,' right?" she jabbed.

Dick shot her a look that made her have to hide her smirk. "Honestly, though, there are more promising suspects here," he continued.

Jenna and Artemis both followed his line of sight to a man and woman standing by one of the many golden statues. The former's eyes caught another person not too far off the side; a blonde teenager was carrying on her own conversation while being carefully watched over by her bodyguard.

Jenna tensed. Please don't see me, please don't see me. She shifted her body to face her teammates a little more, silently worrying over the fact that the young Queen Perdita would spot her.

With how well she knows Ollie and Dinah, I'm not risking getting recognized.

Hoping for the best, she focused on the data in her contacts while the other two kept talking. "-has taken a low-paying job at the Markovian Children's Hospital."

Jenna hummed while she took a sip of her champagne. "That's not creepy at all," she said sarcastically, eyeing the man across the lawn: Doctor Simon Ecks.

"Maybe he just likes kids," Artemis suggested.

All of a sudden, a message obscured part of Jenna's vision behind her glasses.

I bet this is our guy.

Jenna felt a little guilty about keeping her and Dick's communication with Oracle quiet from the rest of their team, but it certainly wasn't the first secret she had kept. She just hoped it wouldn't cause a rift like the last time. I better not end up being elected team leader this time.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Dick said distractedly, forgetting that Artemis was standing with them.

"Really? I was kinda joking."

Jenna subtly pinched Dick's side, shooting him a look when he jumped.

"I mean-" Dick rubbed the back of his neck, fumbling his words to keep Artemis' suspicions down. "Maybe he just likes to abduct kids and turn them into meta-humans. The fatality rate at that hospital is way above the norm."

Jenna examined the man they were discussing a little longer before her gaze slid over to the person keeping him company.

"And the woman?" she inquired.

"Doctor Helga Jace, personal physician to the royal family. There's no indication she has the training for meta-work, but you never know."

On the other side of the statue, a tall man suddenly walked away, revealing his face. Something about him unnerved Jenna.

"That's Baron Frederick DeLamb, the late queen's brother," Dick said, having noticed him too. "Tomorrow, when Gregor's crowned king, 'Uncle Freddy' becomes regent until Gregor turns eighteen."

Artemis scoffed. "There's motive. For either of them."

"Or both," Jenna said with a shrug. "What's to say they aren't working together?"

Baron DeLamb stepped onto the stage, approaching the podium. "Good evening," he addressed the crowd. Less than twenty-four hours ago, our own King Viktor and my beloved sister, Queen Ilona, were ruthlessly assassinated. But tomorrow, we crown their firstborn, my nephew Gregor, as our new king."

Jenna glanced over at the soon-to-be king and his twin brother. Her eyebrow raised as she watched the two princes converse quietly, Prince Brion being particularly heated. She silently cursed the fact that she was never really a good lip reader...nor able to speak Markovian.

"-now, please, join me in celebrating our soon-to-be King Gregor."

The crowd applauded as the prince turned away from his brother, stepping onto the stage. As for Brion, he dumped his champagne into the grass, walking away himself. Damn.

"Prince Brion's clearly not with the program," Artemis surmised.

"Noted," Dick agreed. "But Ecks is still our lead suspect."

Suddenly, he turned away, his facial expression changing into one of concentration. There was a long pause before he spoke again, quieter this time, "Roger that, Lightning. Good luck."

Jenna looked at him. "They made it?" she assumed.

Dick casually hummed in affirmation as a man walked past the trio. Once it was clear again, he answered her, "Gear's in the northwest corner of the Markovian National Cemetery."

Jenna nodded silently, glancing back at their suspects. Her eyes narrowed when Doctor Ecks suddenly set his drink aside and began to leave. She turned to her teammates with a frown and, judging by their expressions, they were suspicious too.

But they still had two remaining suspects in sight. What they did next would determine what the trio did next. The prince and Doctor Jace had been talking, but something important had to have been discussed when Brion left the doctor behind while he subtly followed Ecks.

"Targets are scrambling," Dick said quickly. "I'll follow Ecks and the prince. You two get our gear."

"Right," Artemis agreed, setting aside her drink. "We'll catch up ASAP."

"Be careful," Jenna muttered, tossing back the rest of her own drink before placing the empty glass on the table.

Time to get to work.

~/~/~/~

Two blonde women all of a sudden getting up and leaving the reception might have been suspicious. But none of the valets put up much of a fuss since it was, frankly, none of their business, and, frankly, both women looked too intimidating to question.

The majority of the car ride to the cemetery was quiet. Jenna was focusing on the next step of the mission, already running through the details in her mind.

Banshee was right. After doing co-ops for five years, taking a break for one, and only returning to vigilantism after, she missed it. She missed the life. On that independence day all those years ago, her entire world changed and she never wanted to give it up.

Except she did, and she wasn't sure if she regretted it or not. But either way, she wasn't going to deny that she missed the rush.

"Here we are," Jenna announced, pulling up into the cemetery. "We should hurry and catch up with Lightning and SB."

She shut off the car and locked it up behind them. She supposed they'd have to come back for it later, but it wasn't that important.

"This would feel a lot less creepy if I wasn't about to strip," Artemis admitted, already beginning to take off her heels.

Jenna snorted. "I'm trying not to think about that part."

It was nice, at least, to discover that the men had left their gear near some tomb-style buildings providing a little more privacy. Not that many people would be wanting to explore a cemetery at night anyway. Or maybe they did. To each their own.

Once she had her bodysuit in hand, Jenna quickly shed her dress, casually tossing it over a headstone to prevent it from getting too dirty. She pulled the skin-tight suit up her legs, over her torso, and up her arms. Having her body covered again made her feel less antsy, so all that was left was the zipper that ran up her spine.

Jenna grunted as she reached her arm back to tug the suit closed. The zipper glided upwards, but suddenly it wouldn't budge. The blonde heroine groaned as she craned her head to look over at her teammate.

"Can you help me with this zipper? I think it got caught," she begged, reaching back to lift her hair away.

Tigress, who was almost all but changed save for her weapons, moved around to assist. She quickly adjusted the suit fabric so the zipper wouldn't catch again before she paused for a split second.

"I keep forgetting you have that," she said, seeming quieter than before.

Siren's brow furrowed as she stepped away to put her boots on. "What are you-"

She froze in place, looking down at her arm which she had left exposed until her gloves were put on. Oh.

During her last birthday, she added a new tattoo to her small collection. The artist was curious as to why she requested a simple outline of a lightning bolt to be added to her inner wrist, but Siren couldn't get out much besides the fact that it was for a 'fast friend.'

It seemed to have become a running theme for her tattoos, despite only having two so far. Although, she tended to try to ignore the one drawn on her ribs, considering that she had gotten it when she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with the man it represented.

Shaking her head as she absentmindedly traced the tattoo, Siren moved on, adding her gloves so she could then adjust the sleeve to try to cover up the memories. Wish you were here to help us out, Wal.

Already having wasted some time in thought, Siren finished getting ready, strapping her knife holster to her leg as the final step. Folding up her dress, she tucked it into her duffel bag with the accompanying heels and accessories.

"Ready?" Siren asked Tigress who had done the same.

At her friend's nod, she prepped the tiny motorbike that was waiting. It provided just enough space for two, but it was still going to be a tight squeeze. All that mattered though was getting over to the children's hospital as quickly as possible.

"What was that?" Tigress suddenly asked as she straddled the bike behind Siren.

Siren looked up to question her, but she hesitated when she noticed the sudden purple glow that cast over everything. "Well, let's find out," she said, starting the motorcycle and raising the kickstand.

She did an immediate U-turn, spotting a violet beam that shot into the air. Hard to miss that. She zipped around the walking trail, cutting between some trees until another side of the cemetery came into view.

It turned out that they weren't entirely alone as they thought. Three men with shovels were messing around with an open hole in the ground. Before Siren could question why strange men appeared to be digging up—or burying—something in the middle of the night, the identification software in her contacts picked up a fourth person. A fourth living person was trying to climb out of the grave, only to be knocked down when one of the men kicked at her.

"Hey!" Siren barked.

"What are you doing?!" Tigress had cried out at the same time.

Siren suddenly pivoted the bike around, allowing Tigress to leap off and attack. Swerving around the three men, Siren yanked out her garrote and looped it around one of them to catch him by the throat while she was in motion. He didn't go very far though as the momentum swung him into a headstone, leaving a pretty nasty gash on his forehead.

Siren immediately braked, jumping off the bike before it really had the chance to come to a complete stop. She left Tigress to take care of the other man–seeing one of the men take off to their van–but all she cared about was the girl.

Dropping to her knees in front of the grave, she warily peeked over the edge. As she suspected, there were several bodies inside the makeshift grave, but somehow, one was still breathing and appeared stable.

"Take my hand," Siren ordered, reaching as far into the hole as she could.

The girl, despite looking disoriented, understood well enough to reach up to meet Siren halfway. She grasped the heroine's hand with both of hers, allowing herself to be pulled up and out of the hole.

Once Siren could reach more of the girl, she wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her the rest of the way. They both fell back onto the ground, the older woman already searching for injuries while Tigress joined them. 

Siren glanced back momentarily at the men who had tortured the poor girl, but she wasn't expecting the remaining man to run toward them with a violently red whip in his hand. Certainly not made out of technology she was used to. She spun around, shielding the girl with her full body.

There was no hesitation in her mind when she decided she would much rather come out with a terrible wound than let the girl deal with even more than she had been. She's been through enough. However, when she heard Tigress gasp yet felt no impact, Siren peeked over her shoulder to see that both of them were covered by a force field coming out of the not-so-dead girl's outstretched hand.

Okay...that's new.

"Whoa," Tigress whispered, staring at the man who had been knocked out by his own weapon.

The girl only looked down at her hand in shock. It was obvious she hadn't been expecting that either. Fear washed over her face.

"Not bad for a dead girl," Tigress added, sharing a look with Siren.

The men began to stir again, groaning with various degrees of pain. Siren's eyes narrowed. "We'll worry about that little development later," she decided.

"Get your weapons out of the truck! We can't let them get away!"

"Time to go," Tigress agreed, pulling the girl to her feet. "And that is not a bicycle built for three."

"It's barely built for two," Siren muttered, sprinting toward the concrete wall surrounding the cemetery.

Tigress hoisted the girl up, allowing Siren who was straddling it to pull her the rest of the way over. Once they were back on solid ground, the archer dragged the unknown girl along, trying to be gentle but not wanting to give the men a chance to catch up with them. She turned back toward the girl with scrutiny.

"What happened back there?" she interrogated while they ran. "What's your name? Why were they burying you alive?"

The girl still looked dazed, not uttering a single word, which brought up the question of if she could even understand them.

"That certainly cleared things up," Siren drawled.

"Keep after them!"

Siren glanced over her shoulder. The men weren't visible, but their voices indicated they weren't far behind. And with that van of theirs, they could be on the women in an instant. "There's no way we can keep going on foot," she said.

"Sphere, we need extraction," Tigress said through their comms. "Track our signal!"

It turned out that their ride wasn't too far away judging by the telltale sound of her chatter. A dark shadow soared over them before the Super-Cycle landed directly in their path.

"Good girl," Siren sighed before turning to their new friend. "I know it might look scary, but we need to-"

She paused when the girl immediately climbed into the closest seat. Her face conveyed a sort of relief, leading Siren to share a look with Tigress.

"Nevermind then," she said with a shrug, joining the girl while Tigress took the controls.

Almost as soon as they were in the sky, Dick radioed in. "Tigress, Siren, looks like Ecks and Brion are headed for the children's hospital. ETA?"

"Running a little late," Tigress answered breathlessly. "And we're, uh, bringing a friend."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it," Siren spoke up, sounding distracted as she kept an eye on the girl.

She certainly seemed to like the Super-Cycle and the feeling appeared to be mutual. Siren found it odd. To newbies, the Super-Cycle was always at least a little offputting since she was sentient machinery after all. So what was different about this random meta-human girl?

Tigress was just as confused. "At least you two are getting along?"

Siren looked over her shoulder at her teammate. "What are we going to do?" she asked as quietly as she could over the wind. "We have a mission to do and I know she might be able to physically protect herself, but it's still too dangerous for her to get involved."

Tigress sighed. "We'll figure it out as we go, I guess. Not much else we can do."

Before Siren could say anything else, a string of messages appeared in her line of sight.

No signal from Superboy and Lightning is unresponsive.

Nightwing's sending Tigress the coordinates to Lightning now.

"Tigress, Siren, reroute to Lightning's coordinates." Jesus, Oracle still scares me sometimes.

"Roger that," the archer said.

Siren read the coordinates that Oracle had sent her, frowning. She had thought that Black Lightning and Superboy had made it to the hospital already, but the location said otherwise. What happened?

"Okay, let's try this again," Tigress said with a light huff. She looked down at the girl in front of Siren. "Can you speak?"

The girl turned around, eyeing the two women in uncertainty.

"What's your name?" Siren said gently.

The girl raised her head, brow furrowing. "...Name?"

Siren perked up at the same time as Tigress. "Name, yes," the latter encouraged. "Do you understand? Do you speak English?"

"English, yes," the girl said slowly as if she was remembering how to speak at all much less speak the same language as them. "I...remember English. I understand."

Siren let out a sigh of relief. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

"Do you remember anything, anything at all, from before we found you?" Tigress continued to ask.

The girl shrugged. "No. Nothing...I am sorry."

It took everything in Siren not to scoop the poor girl into a hug.

"Oh, it's okay," Tigress quickly reassured her. "It'll be okay."

She gave the universal thumbs-up sign to the girl who copied it. "Okay..." she repeated before turning back around.

Siren leaned forward when she saw through the GPS tracker that they were getting close. She scanned the area below as they came up to a river bank. It was dark, making it harder to see, but her lenses immediately picked up on something, zooming in for her to examine.

Siren let in a sharp breath. "Tigress," she alerted.

Her teammate looked below, seeing the same thing she did. "Jeff..."

Siren jumped off the Super-Cycle as it landed, sprinting to her unconscious teammate. Her worries were quelled a bit when the vital monitor told her that he was still breathing and relatively okay, but it still nearly scared her to death.

"Jeff? Jefferson!" Siren called to him as she got him over on his back and removed his mask. No breaks, some bruising on his spine, heart rate and breathing are both normal...

"Nightwing, we found Lightning," Tigress radioed in as she joined Siren. "He's breathing but out of it. No sign of SB."

Siren's brow furrowed. Conner, where are you? She then jolted when the man beside her began to stir. "Oh, thank god," she gasped.

"Lightning!" Tigress said with equal relief. "What happened? Where's SB?"

Siren waited with bated breath as Lightning slowly began to open his eyes. "It got him," he mumbled.

Tigress shared a worried glance with Siren. "What got him?" the former questioned.

Rather than answer right away, Lightning began to sit up, wincing in pain. Siren was quick to help, more concerned about him harming himself even further.

"Take it easy, just start from the beginning," Siren coaxed.

Superboy and Lightning had both made it inside the hospital. They managed to find where kids were being tested: the morgue. Talk about morbid, having an easy drop-off location if the kids didn't survive.

There were even some kids still alive inside pods filled with the tar, but before they had a chance to break them out, they were found out.

By Count Vertigo.

Siren's eyes narrowed at the mention of the man she had grown very familiar with over the years. And not in a pleasant way.

"So Vertigo got him?" she repeated.

"No...the meta-human. I mean, well, Vertigo called it"–he grunted as he stood from where he sat on the Super-Cycle–"him...Plasmus."

"Just take it slow," Tigress told him. "Breathe."

Siren kept a hand on Lightning's back, wanting to be ready to catch him if he happened to pass out. "This...Plasmus. What did it do to SB?"

"Where is SB?" Tigress added.

Lightning sighed. "I think Plasmus must have grabbed SB just as I jumped from the spillway."

"Under orders from Vertigo?"

"Yeah."

Siren let out a groan. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. Count Vertigo runs Bedlam?!"

Nightwing, who had been listening in, suddenly spoke up. "And Ecks works for Vertigo. Fine, we'll take them both down. But our first priority is SB."

"So what's the plan?" Siren questioned, crossing her arms.

"I'm going in through the hospital. Tigress, Siren, Lightning, head back to Bedlam via the sewers."

"Roger that," Tigress answered for them.

Siren ran a hand through strands of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail. She glanced over at the girl who was standing awkwardly off to the side. This just got a whole lot messier.

Chapter Text

Markovburg

July 31, 00:02 EEST

"How are you feeling now?" 

As she spoke, Siren examined Black Lightning again through her darkwear lens, but she was only met with healthy vitals. Nothing too concerning after what he had just been through. Although, she supposed they shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth considering falling onto a rock from that height could have paralyzed him.

"Better," Lightning said as he took his mask from her to put it back on.

"You sure you recovered?" Tigress quizzed, equally concerned seeing how quickly Lightning wanted to get back into the thick of things.

Lightning just sighed. "Enough. Conner needs us."

"Lightning powers?"

Black Lightning raised his hand, but instead of the full-blown pulses of electricity he could normally generate, only a few sparks shot out of his fingers. "Still hoping we won't need those," he answered.

"Don't jinx it," Siren half-heartedly scolded, her attention split between him and their new hitchhiker. A permanent crease was formed between her eyebrows.

"All right," Tigress acquiesced, turning back to face the unknown girl. "We are climbing up into that ominous, dark hole in the cliff to rescue our super-friend. You are going to stay right here with our Super-Cycle. Un-der-stand?"

Despite her speaking slowly and emphasizing what was important, the nameless girl still stared at them blankly. Siren tilted her head back, squeezing her eyes shut. Fuck, this is going to be a long night.

Tigress let out a heavy sigh that matched how her friend felt. "Just keep her out of trouble, okay?" she asked their sentient ride, patting it.

The Super-Cycle revved as if to answer. That had better be a yes.

"Thanks," Tigress said, hoping the same. "Let's move."

As they made the short walk over to the sewer entrance, Black Lightning eyed both blonde women. "So care to explain who your new friend is?"

Siren shrugged. "We had changed into our darkwear when we found these henchmen trying to bury something in the cemetery. If that wasn't weird enough, they were trying to bury her. Alive."

"But we don't know why," Tigress added. "We don't even know her name. We were lucky that she understood English and eventually started communicating, but it's been...tedious."

They reached the sewer and Tigress aimed her bow at the grate. A grappling arrow with a rope attached latched onto one of the metal bars and the archer tugged on the rope sharply to test it against her weight.

"We'll figure out what to do with the girl later," Siren continued, "but for now...gentlemen first?"

At Lightning's eye roll, the blonde woman elaborated. "If you get lightheaded from the climb, I want us to be here to break your fall," she said with narrowed eyes. "Now, go, we're on a clock here."

Not wanting to drag the conversation on any longer, Black Lightning acquiesced, grabbing the rope and starting the climb. Once he was in the sewer, Siren went next, followed by Tigress who removed the grappling hook from the grate.

As they walked through the long tunnel, Siren was distracted by a million questions. What were they going to do with the girl? It was extremely dangerous to leave an amnesiac girl in an area where men were trying to...dispose of her. But would they even be able to take her back to America? What if she had a family? If she did, were they even in Markovia? She looked young, but was she old enough to be on her own?

Nightwing's voice crackling through her comms jolted Siren out of her worried thoughts.

"I'm in. Status?"

Tigress checked their GPS. "We're two minutes out," she answered.

Siren let out a quiet sigh as she picked up her pace. This is not what I had planned when I agreed to do one more mission.

The trio had gotten further into the tunnel when a video feed wordlessly appeared in front of their eyes. Siren slowed down so she could focus on it, frowning.

"Receiving video," Tigress informed Nightwing.

And it wasn't a pleasant sight. Tar pods were being pushed on dollies, no doubt with occupants inside.

Black Lightning had the same idea. "Nightwing, stop this before they finish loading those kids."

"Negative," the former Boy Wonder denied. "Those pods aren't going anywhere fast on rails. I need to locate SB and the prince first."

"Activate the spy gear we planted. Might help you find them."

"Might. If they weren't in a thousand pieces."

Siren groaned. "Great."

After a brief pause, Nightwing spoke up again.

"Got eyes on Ecks and...huh. Doctor Helga Jace."

Siren's eyes slightly widened. "So they've been working together," she mused.

"Maybe." There was a pause, then, "They've got SB. Unconscious, in a pod."

"Oh, he is not going to like that," Tigress pointed out as Siren winced.

"Nope," Nightwing agreed. "Brion's in the next pod over. I think they...tried to make him meta-active.

"Well, shit, does that mean all three of them are involved?" Siren wondered as they reached a caved-in ceiling. "We've reached the entrance."

"Then I'm going in."

"Ready to move in and-"

Nightwing then interrupted Tigress. "Hold up! Something's happening."

Another screen popped up in front of Siren's face as loud voices boomed in her comms.

"Explain yourselves!"

Siren's subconscious scowl deepened the familiar, raspy voice before she even laid eyes on the irritating man. Why is this man always involved in our problems?

Ecks began to stammer. "Count Vertigo, w- we-"

But the Count was in no mood to hear excuses. "I have just spoken with His Highness, and he gave no orders for the podding and Tarring of a prince of the realm!" As he spoke, he grabbed Ecks by the front of his shirt, glaring down at the scientist.

Siren's head tilted in confusion as Nightwing quietly spoke up. "His Highness? Gregor?" the former Boy Wonder inquired.

Siren bit her lip uncertainly. "Well...mystery solved?" she wondered, but something in her gut was still unsettled. There was something off about the way Vertigo said it.

Nightwing's mind was running along the same tracks. "Maybe. But we don't know for sure."

"I want answers," Count Vertigo continued to demand, releasing Ecks. "Now!"

Rather than continue, Ecks whirled around to face Doctor Jace. "You lied to me," he snarled, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You said this was all done by the boss's command!"

Jace looked upset. "I had to! His so-called 'Highness' is out of control!" she snapped, making Siren's brow furrow even deeper. "The things he has made us do... But now we have someone with the power to stop him, to stop Bedlam!"

Gregor? Out of control? The implications seemed farfetched, but Siren knew she couldn't assume someone's personality when she didn't even know them. For all she knew, Prince Gregor could have been pulling a Harvey Dent. Two-faced.

"You ignorant peasant." In an instant, Vertigo had the woman crumpled on the ground, whimpering in agony as she was hit with wave after wave of unbearable nausea. "The plans set in motion here far exceed your short-sighted morality. To get what I need, I will deliver control of Markovia to him! And you will do nothing to interfere!"

Siren swallowed the lump in her throat. Oh no.

"If Vertigo's helping Gregor take Markovia..." Black Lightning said worriedly.

"It's a good bet Gregor will help Vertigo take neighboring Vlatava in return," Tigress continued with a sigh. "Finally giving the Count the kingdom he's always wanted."

"And both countries will wind up under the Light's dominion," Nightwing added.

Siren glared at the screen. "We can't let that happen to Perdita or her people, much less the people of Markovia."

"His Highness will be here any second to decide what to do with...all of you," she could hear Vertigo say after he finally released Jace, leaving her heaving on the floor.

"Lightning, give me a boost," Siren decided. "I want to see what's going on up there before we climb through."

At her request, Black Lightning laced his fingers together to boost the woman into the gap in the tunnel's ceiling. Once Siren reached the peak of her jump, she grabbed a hold of some jagged edges created when Superboy had slammed through the concrete.

Hoisting herself up through the basement floor, she glanced out of the hole to ensure no one was waiting for them. No one waiting to murder them anyway. As she prepared to give the all-clear, she heard alarms go off as a vehicle drove out of sight.

"Nightwing, new arrival," she called out quietly, sending what she saw his way. And I can guess who it might be...if we're right anyway.

She pushed herself up out of the hole, crouching near it to lend a hand to her other two teammates when they got ready to make their way up.

"Incoming," Nightwing said in hushed tones, allowing Siren and the others to see through his eyes.

The team's former leader waited, holding her breath as she watched the lab's door swing open. For a moment, Ecks and Vertigo were blocking Nightwing's line of sight, preventing them from seeing.

But they could hear the sarcasm in Jace's voice as she gasped for air. "Well, if it isn't Baron Bedlam himself."

The new voice and face made a chill go down Siren's spine. "One. Night," said Baron DeLamb as he slammed the door shut. "I only required this organization to operate without me for one night, so I might play the role of regent to the king without interruption. But it seems that was too much to ask."

Ecks quickly bowed apologetically. "Baron DeLamb! Doctor Jace has betrayed us all!" he cried out, immediately shifting all blame to the scientist.

"How did I not notice that DeLamb is an anagram for Bedlam?" Nightwing said through gritted teeth. "I totally should have seen this coming!"

Siren let out a frustrated groan. "This isn't your fault. I should have picked up on it too," she admitted.

"Look out!"

Siren whirled around when she heard the shriek come from the hole in the ground at the same time it shot through her comms. She glanced down the tunnel just in time to see Tigress yank Black Lightning away from a lava monster.

"Plasmus," she whispered with a strangled tone.

Fortunately, her teammates were acting quickly with Black Lightning instinctively reaching out to shock the monster unconscious. Unfortunately, his powers were still stalling. "No...no!" he cried out.

SIren's eyes widened in terror as she watched Plasmus lift one fist, ready to slam it down on her disoriented best friend. She's going to die. A scream escaped her as the fist came crashing down. "Tigress!"

By some miracle, the fist smacked harmlessly against a red force field.

The unknown girl was glaring at the creature with red irises but otherwise had a calm expression. "No kill."

Behind them, the Super-Cycle began to fire at the creature, knocking it away.

Tigress sighed. "So glad you didn't listen...uh...Halo-Girl?" She ran over to grab a seat in the Super-Cycle as it trilled.

"We can't fight him in here. It's too tight," Black Lightning pointed out as he joined them.

"Then lure it up here!" Siren called out over the comms, already sprinting out of the way.

"Good idea," Tigress agreed. "Super-Cycle, clear a path!"

Siren dove behind a pillar, having only a split second to brace herself before the hole in the ground burst open even wider. As the tremors continued, she glanced around her hiding spot. If nobody noticed her presence yet, the explosions were certainly going to catch anybody's attention.

Once her teammates had appeared, she bolted, catching a glimpse of the Plasmus creature climbing up while she grabbed onto the edge of the Super-Cycle. Her muscles tensed as she swung her legs up into a seat just in time as they soared over the roaring lava monster.

"Guys?" Nightwing hissed in her ear as the firefight picked up.

"Kind of busy, Wing!"

"We need an exit!" Lightning spoke up after Siren. "And backup!"

Siren whirled around in her seat, tossing whatever she had at the lava monster and henchmen. She silently cursed at the fact that heroes were not welcome overseas without permission, meaning she couldn't reveal her identity to use her powers. Damn you, Lex Luthor.

Between her and Tigress fighting back since Lightning was still out of commission, plus Super-Cycle retaliating against the monster, things were tense. It was only going to be a matter of time before their luck ran out.

Almost as if she had silently jinxed it, Siren had time to look over and see Plasmus chuck a ball of fire at them before it hit the Super-Cycle, sending them crashing to the ground.

"Shit!" she cried out as she scrambled back from the approaching threat.

She was relieved when the new girl—Tigress had dubbed her 'Halo-Girl'—threw up a shield to protect them all, but that relief was quickly squashed as the monster began to beat down on it. Siren watched as the girl's hands began to shake.

"Uh... Nightwing?" Tigress called out worriedly, noticing too that Halo-Girl was struggling to hold the barrier.

"Workin' on it."

"No kill!" Halo-Girl called out frantically.

"Nightwing!" Siren barked out.

"I'm workin' on it!"

As Plasmus lifted his fists one last time, a loud, familiar boom sounded from the middle of the room. The residual energy from the boom tube opening sent both the henchman flying back and the monster over their heads.

Siren blinked and the boom tube carrying the pods of meta-teens was gone.

"No...the kids..." Black Lightning said despairingly as the shield protecting them faded away. "The kids in the pods, they boom-tubed them away. We've lost them!"

Siren slammed her fist into the ground before she rose to her feet. "We were so damn close!" she snarled. If I get my hands on Vertigo and DeLamb...

"We have to get out of here," Nighting said over the comms.

Siren glanced around the room but anyone that hadn't escaped during the chaos was unconscious. She sighed. "We're ready and waiting," she answered.

She moved over to Sphere who had balled up to let herself heal from the minor injuries. "You okay, girl?" she asked quietly, rubbing the metal shell.

To the Sphere's trills, she managed to smile behind her mask. "Good."

A hand appeared next to her own and she looked over to see the unknown girl hesitantly copying the adult heroine's actions. "Good..." she murmured, making Siren's heartstrings tug.

Footsteps rapidly approached, catching her attention before she could speak to Halo-Girl. Her shoulders relaxed when she saw Superboy carrying an unconscious Prince Brion, followed by Helga Jace and Nightwing who brought up the end.

"Glad you're okay, SB," Siren said, fleetingly brushing his shoulder as he passed by.

"Well, we won't be if we don't move. The lab's going to blow at any minute," Nightwing spoke up.

Siren closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I don't want to know," she said wearily.

Luckily, the Super-Cycle had healed enough to open back up, providing plenty of room for all of them. Once everyone–the squad and their extra passengers–were on board, they were out of there.

~/~/~/~

Siren was glad to get a brief moment to catch her breath, but she knew that it was going to be short-lived.

"We've got the evidence we need to bring down DeLamb and all of Bedlam," Nightwing declared. "Doctor Jace's testimony will seal the deal."

Black Lightning turned on him. "We lost eight kids! Plus that...that Plasmus kid they had their hooks into," he reminded.

Nightwing tried to see the bright side of that night though. "We saved Artemis and Jenna's friend here and the Prince, and countless other kids who would've been Bedlam's next victims. It's not the victory we wanted, but it is a victory."

Siren crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. Not to me. Not with those kids gone.

There was a light groan as the prince finally began to wake up. Siren glanced up at him with a slight frown. But how are we going to handle this?

Once Brion had opened his eyes and noticed Doctor Jace was glued to his side, he recoiled. "You get away from me!" he snapped.

"Brion, please! Calm-"

Jace let out a yelp and suddenly yanked her hand back from the prince's shoulder, palm suddenly red and blistering. Siren let out a startled gasp at the sight but the others hadn't noticed just yet.

"What the-" she started to say as Brion dropped down from the Super-Cycle.

He straightened up, eyes widened as he realized that there were other people nearby. "Who are you people?" he demanded to know, looking frantic. As his breathing began to increase, his feet began to sink.

Siren took a cautious step forward, watching with wide eyes as the ground melted. Oh no.

"What?" As his body began to sink further, Brion's panic increased. "What is happening?"

The group watched in shock as the prince disappeared into the ground, the only thing indicating his route being a trail of lava.

"Brion!" Jace cried out as she jumped off the Super-Cycle but there was nothing she could do without fear of being burnt again.

They could hear Brion's cries of terror seconds before his head burst out of the ground. His body was covered in igneous rock. His eyes searched for the people he saw as strangers, letting out a plea in Markovian before switching to English. "Help me! Help me!"

Siren and Superboy rushed forward, the former yanking off her mask.

"You must calm down!" Jace was trying to tell him without getting too close. "Your meta-gene has been activated. Your body is now manipulating geologic forces!"

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Brion begged.

Superboy had gotten to Brion first, dropping to one knee. Siren was close behind. "The more you panic, the less control you'll have," Superboy explained to him. "Focus on your breathing. Just focus on controlling your breath."

"In through your nose, and out through your mouth," Siren added gently, coming to a stop beside her teammate.

Albeit still shaky, Brion's breathing began to slow down. As his eyes slid shut, the lava trailing up to him began to cool and harden.

"There we go. You can do it..." Siren coaxed. "It may feel difficult, but I promise it gets easier to retain that control."

"I can attest to that," Superboy said. "Luckily, I had help too."

Siren glanced over at him and he was already peeking at her from the corner of his eye. She gave a fleeting smile.

"Guys!" Nightwing suddenly called out.

When Siren turned, he had projected a news feed up into the air for all of them to see.

"This footage shows Prince Brion undergoing an illegal meta-gene activation. This evidence irrefutably links Brion Markov to meta-human trafficking in Markovia and, quite possibly, to the abduction of his own sister, Princess Tara. And given their stance against meta-trafficking, Brion is most likely responsible for the assassinations of his own parents: King Viktor and Queen Ilona."

It felt like a bucket of ice had been dumped down Siren's back as she glared at the live footage of Baron DeLamb.

She knew that just because someone was family, that didn't mean they weren't willing to throw their relatives under the bus to save their own skin. But implying that Brion was behind the kidnapping of his sister and murder of his parents? It was uncalled for.

Because of that, Siren had an inkling that DeLamb himself had been behind both situations. But without concrete evidence, they couldn't do anything.

Just as that suspicion began to creep into her mind, Brion abruptly stood with a furious look in his eyes. "Lies!" he screamed.

Siren could only watch as he once again disappeared into the ground, the only thing indicating his route being the trail of cooling lava.

"This just keeps getting worse," Black Lighting grunted.

Siren slid her mask back on, a stern look on her face as she turned to the doctor. "Let's get that burn looked at," she suggested, offering a hand to the woman.

Meanwhile, Superboy was focused on the prince. "Following him with infrared. He's headed for the palace," he confirmed. "I'll try to cut him off-"

A startling boom sounded behind the group, making Siren whirl around while shielding the doctor and Halo-Girl.

Count Vertigo, Simon Ecks, Plasmus, and a couple of henchmen wearing Apokoliptan tech walked out of the Boom Tube, approaching the group.

The Super-Cycle trilled nervously before Tigress spoke up with a grumble, "And he used a Fatherbox to track Super-Cycle."

"SB, we'll protect the doctor and the girl. Get Brion!" Nightwing quickly ordered.

As Superboy bounded away, Vertigo let out a laugh. "Sending your heavy hitter away? Not very good at this game, are you?" he mused. "I see you're down one Superboy. I'll raise you one, two, three, four, five-"

Doctor Ecks began to duplicate, surrounding the Count with copies of himself.

"Well, now we know why he's called Count Vertigo," Tigress groaned, raising her fists in a defensive position.

Siren readied her garrote, scowling. "I'd love for him to count how many bruises I'm gonna put on his face."

There was an issue though. "We're outnumbered," Lightning pointed out.

"Then let's level the playing field," Nightwing suggested.

In a flash, he had thrown a large smoke bomb onto the ground, encasing all of them in thick smoke.

Siren stepped forward, eyes shifting around to watch for any sudden movement that didn't belong to her teammates as they spread out around Halo-Girl and Doctor Jace. For a short second, it was quiet.

Then the familiar crackle of electricity rippled through the air. Siren turned to her two o'clock, ducking as she blindly threw out one end of her garrote into the smoke. It latched into something solid so she yanked it back and a gun came hurtling toward her. She caught it with one hand, throwing it down into the ground before slamming her heel into the tip to crush the chamber.

Eyes narrowed in the direction the weapon came from, she spotted a dark figure a short distance away. One that didn't look like any of her friends. So she pushed off the ball of her front foot, taking a couple of steps before swinging the other leg up to knee the person in the abdomen. Ecks—or one of his copies—doubled over, giving Siren a chance to swing down her elbow into the back of his head hard.

"Look out, child!"

Siren spun around, spotting the girl and the doctor nearby. Jace had tackled Halo-Girl to the ground as a wounded Sphere came crashing down, only for the girl to return the favor by throwing up a shield to protect them from the whip one Ecks held while another held up another electric gun.

Siren sprinted forward, catching a glimpse of Tigress in the corner of her eye as they ran forward together to take out both men with their respective bo-staff and fist.

Then Siren suddenly felt nauseous. The new feeling of vertigo was so overwhelming she couldn't stand, instead falling to her knees. God, this never gets any easier to handle. She fought down the agonizing urge to throw up.

"We- we need to do...something," she managed to call over to Tigress.

Groaning from her own pain, the other blonde woman couldn't respond but Siren knew she understood when she pulled out her bow, aiming a thick arrow at the man causing their misery. Then she fired.

Since Siren was facing the opposite direction, she couldn't see what exactly it was that hit him, but judging by the sound of someone being electrocuted, she had an idea. Electrified net...nice touch.

And luckily, the agony had ceased. Fighting past residual nausea as it began to settle, Siren slowly rose to her feet. It was still impossible to see through the smoke. So she was once again grateful for her best friend's impeccable aim.

Tigress was standing too, glancing around them. "Halo-Girl?" she called out worriedly, not spotting the girl.

But she did see the other woman and breathed a sigh of relief. "Doctor Jace." She rushed forward to help the doctor stand.

Siren moved at a slower pace until her vision stopped swimming. She was glad to see Jace was alright for the most part, albeit worried.

"What- where is-"

Oddly enough, a voice came from above them, cutting Jace off. "Here."

Siren glanced up, eyes widening to see the girl floating in the air, alive and well. Instead of a red aura, she was now surrounded by an orange glow. Flight and force fields? What kind of meta is she?

The girl was smiling though, seeming to find her ability not all that strange as she began to lower herself toward them. Siren instinctively reached out a hand to help her down.

But something had beat her to it, grabbing Halo-Girl by the head and instantly charring it.

Siren let out a terrified scream that mirrored the girl's, clamping her hand over her masked mouth in horror.

"No!" Tigress cried out but it was no use. It was too late.

Plasmus threw the girl down into the ground, holding her there as she cried out in agony, trying to grab the monster's arm to shove it away, only to burn her hands in the process. Then her struggling and crying stopped.

Tears welled up in Siren's eyes. All she did was help. She wasn't even supposed to be here. This is my fault, I should have kept her away...gotten her somewhere safe...

She had barely noticed Plasmus stomping away. She had barely noticed Black Lightning appearing through the smoke as he took down another copy of Ecks and then caught a glimpse of the mutilated girl.

She only barely noticed the electricity that started to surround Lightning's body as he let out a challenging yell to the meta. "You want to kill something?! Try me!"

But Siren's gaze never left the body laying on the ground. She slowly stepped forward, sinking to her knees when she got close enough. She silently looked on as Tigress' and Jace's sobs reached her ears. All my fault...Never been a good leader since...

The girl suddenly sat up like a zombie, exposed skull and all.

Siren let out a startled shriek.

Halo-Girl looked around at the trio, raising her hands in a placating gesture. "No kill. No dead. Not dead. Me!"

Sphere rolled up beside her and trilled, seeming to know something that the three women didn't. Halo-Girl glanced over at her before closing her eyes. Her body was engulfed in a violet glow, and right before Siren's very eyes, Halo-Girl's body began to miraculously heal itself, repairing skin and regrowing hair that fell past her shoulders since her hijab had been disintegrated.

"Whoa," Tigress said in a disbelieving tone.

Siren nearly cried again, but this time with relief. She's okay...I don't know how, but she's okay. "That's one hell of a meta-ability," she said quietly.

She rose to her feet, offering a hand to the girl. Halo-Girl easily accepted it, having no problems with standing. It was like she was never burnt alive to begin with.

Movement caught Siren's eye and she tensed up as she prepared to continue fighting against the ever-increasing number of clones. Tigress was already fighting back against them but there were even more copies starting to surround Siren and their new friends. But before she could leap into action, the bodies suddenly faded away.

Scanning around the area, Siren spotted Nightwing dragging an unconscious Ecks behind him.

Glad it was over, she turned around to silently examine the Halo-Girl, curiosity growing in her mind. I know there are all kinds of meta-abilities in the world...but several types all at once?

That confusing turn of events could wait. At least until they were all safe. Siren's eyes trailed down to the hair hanging over the girl's shoulders. So can a new hijab for her.

Wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders, Siren guided her to the rest of the group. Tiredly, she glanced up at the Plasmus creature that was just...standing there with Lightning. But he wasn't fighting back, so Siren wasn't going to be too concerned about the deadly meta-human. She trusted Lightning had it under control.

A distant boom sounded and Siren caught a glimpse of Vertigo and one of his henchmen leaving through the boom tube. She sighed, knowing the pursuit would be futile. We'll deal with them again, no doubt about that.

The creature let out a loud roar, but it didn't seem all that malicious this time. It almost seemed like he was trying to communicate with them, but none of them spoke 'lava monster'. Though Siren wondered if Manhunter or Miss Martian would be able to help translate if he went back with them.

Let's just worry about one thing at a-

A gunshot rang through the air a split second before the sound of ripping flesh followed. Tigress let out a choked gasp and Siren's head shot up to see Plasmus collapse, a new hole existing in the center of his chest...right where his brain now was.

Siren's eyes searched wildly for the source, subconsciously shielding Halo in case there was another attack. Except all she saw was a farmer standing a few feet away from where Plasmus had stood, a shotgun in his hands.

His eyes were wide with victory as he spoke in Markovian then repeated it in English, "I killed the monster!"

Siren glanced down at the blackened body of the creature. She heard what happened on Rann. About the League members stationed in space fighting an identical creature. About how Black Lightning electrocuted the creature to subdue it, but it was just enough for its heart to give out. The heart of a young Earth girl.

And from what they knew about the meta-gene so far, it passed on between relatives, giving them identical or widely similar powers. It was the reason why Black Canary and Siren had the same sonic scream that was inherited from their mother. So in that case...

Siren's eyes screwed shut.

...Plasmus had lost a family member, possibly a sibling, then was turned into a monster himself, only to be under the control of Vertigo and DeLamb. And what did he gain after being freed from their control? A bullet through the brain.

As Black Lightning zapped the shotgun out of the man's hands, storming forward to berate him, Siren felt Halo-Girl step away.

"You killed a kid!" Lightning snapped, grabbing the farmer's collar. "And when you realize that-"

He caught himself, letting go as he spoke softer. "When you realize that, you'll regret it...trust me."

Siren joined Halo-Girl who had dropped to her knees in front of the dead meta. She watched as the girl's body glowed violet again, her eyes shut in concentration.

The glow faded as soon as it appeared. "No...life. Cannot heal," she said sadly.

Siren laid a hand on the girl's shoulder, squeezing it. "It's okay. You tried," she reassured.

A heavy thud signaled Superboy's return.

"Brion!" Doctor Jace cried out in relief.

Siren didn't move an inch, only brushing her thumb on Halo-Girl's shoulder consolingly.

"What happened?" Superboy questioned softly, sensing the heavy mood.

No one answered him.

After a long silence, Siren heard Tigress speak behind her. "Nightwing...what do we do now?"

Siren's heavy gaze lifted to look out over the cloudy horizon. She took a slow breath, savoring the peace and quiet while she could.

Because she knew the mission was far from over.

Chapter Text

After a long silence, Siren heard Tigress speak behind her. "Nightwing...what do we do now?"

Siren's heavy gaze lifted to look out over the cloudy horizon. She took a slow breath, savoring the peace and quiet while she could.

Because she knew the mission was far from over.

And just like that, things kicked up about ten more notches.

"We...we go home. We're done here," Nightwing finally answered Tigress.

Siren turned to glare at her former co-leader, boring holes into the side of his head. She then glanced back at Halo-Girl. "I'll be right back, okay?" she promised.

Halo-Girl slowly nodded, meeting her gaze. "O- okay..."

Sadly smiling under her mask, Siren squeezed the girl's shoulder one last time before rising to her feet. She all but stormed over to Nightwing and Tigress. "Please tell me you're joking," she hissed at the former.

"Yeah, what about them?" Tigress wondered, looking over at Brion and Doctor Jace.

"Look. We saved their lives," Nightwing pointed out. "We never promised to adopt them. They can manage just fine without-"

He had turned to address Siren specifically, but something behind her grabbed his attention instead. She turned to look for herself, only to find Halo-Girl levitating again.

Siren sent another glare in Nightwing's direction. "You were saying?" she inquired, moving to help pull the girl back down.

"Jen..."

~8~8~8~

Star City

August 01, 07:16 PDT

"Jen?"

Jenna jolted, spinning around to face the person who had managed to sneak up on her.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Hi?" he said uncertainly.

Jenna's shoulders dropped. "Oh. Hi."

Sam leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms. "You seem distracted," he mused.

"That obvious?" Jenna turned back around to the row of flower pots, watering the last couple of mini rose bushes before setting the watering can aside.

A couple of the pots were overflowing, water seeping into the wooden display shelf. Jenna grumbled quietly, moving off to grab a mop before the water could travel elsewhere in the building.

Sam had beat her to it, retrieving the item from the utility closet. He helped out in the shop whenever he could over the summer and Jenna had been more than happy to pay him for his time. He was no florist by any means, but simply having someone around to take customers' orders or maintain the display cases was more than enough some days. Today being one of them.

"So I take it from your texts last night that your 'last mission' didn't go that well?" Sam asked as he handed the mop over to Jenna.

Jenna followed his gaze to the only other person in the shop. The unknown girl from Markovia–who started calling herself Halo after Artemis unintentionally named her–was wandering around the space, examining each and every single plant, arrangement, and decor set out to be sold. She reached out to poke a small cactus, only to rear back when it poked her in return.

Jenna must have had a bigger grimace on her face than she thought because Sam had no sooner asked the question before he winced. "That's a no then."

Jenna snorted. "That's an understatement," she said.

She recounted the highlights of the night. Namely, the three extras they managed to bring home with them. Halo was staying with her for the time being. Artemis had been willing to do the same, but Jenna had more space for it and assured her best friend that it was fine. 'It would be easier than trying to convince Will,' she had mildly joked.

As for Brion, he was staying with M'gann and Conner. According to Conner, the prince had been exiled, all but ordered by his own brother to leave the country after a skirmish with his uncle was revealed to be a meta-human as well. Brion hadn't taken too kindly to that reminder and practically blew up again, literally, by sending a geyser of lava shooting up into the sky.

Not exactly the kind of thing anyone wanted in their homes.

But Dick had none too kindly pointed out that Conner could handle it because the boy's rage was 'right up his alley.' Jenna had been ready to slap him for that, but Conner acquiesced.

Finally, Doctor Jace was staying in a hotel for the time being under the care of Jeff. Just like that, all three members of the unofficial team were having to make do with 'babysitting'. But unlike a certain someone who disappeared once they returned to the States, they weren't going to ignore their new responsibilities.

Sam let out a low whistle. "Damn," was all he could say after hearing the story. "So...where is Dick?"

Jenna's jaw tightened as she went to wring out and put away the mop. "I wish I knew," she admitted.

With a sigh, she turned back to her protégé. "We need to get going. You sure you'll be fine on your own for a bit?"

Sam waved her off from where he was leaning against the front counter. "It'll be fine. I know today's important," he assured her. "Go."

Jenna smiled at that, ruffling his hair on her way past. He swatted her hand away with a groan, reaching back to fix the loose half-bun.

She turned to Halo who had made her way around to the display in the shop window. "You ready to go?"

Halo simply nodded so Jenna opened the front door to let the girl through.

She glanced back as she slung her purse strap over her shoulder. "Remember-"

Sam rolled his eyes. "-if something comes up that requires the mask, lock up and go. Yes, Mom, I know."

Jenna pointed in his direction. "No more out of you, young man, or you're in trouble when I get back," she teasingly warned.

She shut the door with a laugh when he raised his middle finger in her direction.

~/~/~/~

There was one day that was always a bit more solemn. Experiencing it every year for the past several years formed a sort of routine, but it never got easier. Not when Jenna saw the aftermath every time.

"You ready for today?"

Jenna didn't hide her frown from Artemis as the two of them, along with Halo, walked through the park. It was pretty busy with kids and teenagers running around, enjoying the pretty day. But on days like this, Jenna couldn't really do the same.

"Yeah," she answered.

Artemis' brow furrowed. "I know you've always disliked h-"

A sudden movement caught the women's attention, but no alarm bells went off in Jenna's head so she just came to a stop in time to see a kid trip and fall in front of them. He had a VR headset on, one of those new 'Goode Goggles' that everyone and their mother were trying to get their hands on. Jenna didn't really see the appeal, but it was all Sam could talk about when he mentioned saving up his wages from working at the flower shop. Of course, college was costly so he hadn't been able to buy it just yet.

The kid lifted his headset, glancing up to see Artemis who was holding out a hand to help him up, Halo who was surprised by the fall, and Jenna who was smiling with mild amusement.

"Uh...I got a little carried away there," the kid admitted, accepting Artemis's offer and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. "Thanks"–he scratched his head–"or, uh, sorry."

Then he was off again, chasing after invisible targets that existed in the augmented reality in his goggles.

"Thanks...for me staying in your home." Jenna looked over at a sheepish Halo. "Or, uh, sorry."

Jenna smiled. "I wouldn't have volunteered if I wasn't okay with it," she assured.

And she was. Truly. Even if she told Dick at the beginning that once the Markovia mission was over, she was done.

But that was the thing. The Markovia mission wasn't over yet. Until they could figure out the situations with Halo, Brion, and Doctor Jace, the mission wasn't going to be over.

So Jenna was just going to have to stick it out until then. Whenever 'then' was.

Artemis letting out a startled gasp had shaken her out of her thoughts, only to find Halo was levitating again. Jenna tensed, reaching out to grab the girl's arm at the same time as her best friend and they both tugged her back to solid ground.

"Uh, try not to fly, unless you're doing it on purpose," Artemis said with a nervous laugh, quickly glancing around to see if anyone had noticed. But their immediate area had emptied out.

"Unless I'm doing it on purpose," Halo repeated, nodding her head firmly.

"Yeah...hey, your English is getting better."

Halo brightened. "I remember more words now."

"To be fair, I have the TV on pretty often which probably helped jog her memory," Jenna admitted with a shrug. "Helps to have some background noise while I work on forms."

Artemis looked back at Halo. "Do you remember your name?"

The girl's brow furrowed. "Halo?"

Both women sighed. "Anything about your life?" Artemis continued.

"Sorry," was all Halo said while looking away in disappointment.

Artemis' head tilted curiously. "So, um, if you can't remember anything...why the hijab?"

"It..." Halo touched the fabric around her neck.

Jenna had gone out to buy it and a couple of extras as soon as she could. She did it without even bringing it up either, feeling a sort of obligation to do so since the girl was under her care temporarily. Halo had still been trying to remember how to communicate, but the way she relaxed upon seeing Jenna bring the shopping bag in was enough thanks for her.

"It feels right," Halo decided. "Okay?"

Artemis chuckled. "Of course."

"Of course," Halo echoed with a grin.

As much as they wanted to stand there and continue to try and learn more about the strange girl in front of them, they had a place to be.

"Look, don't worry," Artemis said, laying a reassuring hand on Halo's shoulder before continuing to walk down the pathway with Jenna. "Nightwing's running a background check and, once he figures out who you are, we can get you back home to your family."

"Now? We go there now?" Halo asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry, Halo, I wish we could," Jenna said sympathetically.

"We have a previous appointment we need to keep," Artemis added, "but...it might help you out, too."

Jenna's expression hardened as she looked out across the park at the large willow tree that stood in the center. Be nice, Jen. It won't last long.

She came to a stop at its long branches, pushing some aside to allow Halo to walk through. The older woman glanced out at the park before stepping away from the public's prying eyes.

Either it was perfect timing or he somehow knew someone arrived, but a sudden golden glow blinded the three of them momentarily. Jenna's eyes narrowed again when they lay on the man decked out in a gold helmet. She had never liked him after he stole her friend's father's body all those years ago.

Jenna knew what it was like to lose a mom to cancer. But for Zatanna, it wasn't so long after that when her father decided to surrender himself to the Lord of Order to save his daughter from Fate.

Zatanna wasn't alone. She would never be alone. She had an entire League and team that were there to support her for so long. But let's be real, it's not the same. It will never be the same.

Since that night when the worlds of adults and children were split into two and a sacrifice made by both Zataras changed everything, Jenna always held a quiet hatred for Nabu in her heart. Especially when two men who had been important to her nearly faced the same consequence as well.

"Where is she?" Doctor Fate demanded.

"She's coming," Jenna said through gritted teeth, not even bothering with pleasantries.

"I'm sure she'll be here any second," Artemis quickly cut her friend off. "But since we're waiting"–she gently grabbed Halo's arm–"this is Halo. She's lost her memory. We thought maybe you could give her a mystic once-over or something?"

The Lord of Order lowered to the ground, his eyes never leaving the girl at Jenna's side. The blonde woman bit back a scowl as she moved out of the way, letting Fate do his thing.

A golden aura cast over Halo and all was quiet for a moment.

"I sense an old soul in this very young body," the Doctor finally said. "But who is Fate to judge such things?"

Huh?

"Wait, what?"

A new voice interrupted Artemis before she could question Fate's bizarre answer any further.

"Uh...hi." Zatanna had arrived without them realizing it.

"Zatanna!" Artemis said, mildly startled. "Oh, I was just-"

But the Doctor stepped forward, seeming to be intent on getting this over with. "Child of magic, do you understand the terms of our agreement?" he asked sternly.

"Yes," Zatanna answered. "One hour. Just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that..."

"Be grateful Nabu grants you this boon at all."

As the Lord of Order spoke, the underlying echo of the host's voice began to get louder, covering Nabu's deep tone. The pair of hands raised to remove the helmet and in an instant, Giovanni Zatara was standing before them once again.

Zatanna brushed a lock of hair off her father's forehead as she sadly gazed up at the aging man before pulling him into her embrace. "Daddy," she said in a weak tone.

"Zatanna," Giovanni answered as he hugged his little girl.

And just like that, it was like the two of them were in their own world. Their annual reunion couldn't have any delays with the minutes counting down.

Jenna silently watched as the father and daughter walked out from under the willow tree's canopy hand in hand. She would never say it out loud because she didn't want to allow such a sensitive moment to be ruined by her own desires, but...sometimes she wished she had an hour too. Just sixty minutes. Three thousand and six hundred seconds to be able to lay eyes on her dad, to hug the man she hardly remembered anymore and never let go.

Artemis's hand on her shoulder pulled Jenna out of her daydream. They followed the father and daughter from a distance, finding a bench to sit at just outside the willow tree's canopy.

In front of them was a swing set where Giovanni and Zatanna took a seat. The whole image looked picturesque if it wasn't so heartbreaking.

Jenna crossed a leg over her knee, settling back against her seat. It was time to wait.

~/~/~/~

"An old soul in a very young body..." Jenna glanced around Halo when her best friend spoke.

Artemis looked at the girl. "Does that mean anything to you?" she wondered.

All she got was a shrug in return so she sighed. "Do you remember anything at all before we met in the cemetery?"

Halo's brow furrowed as she tried to think. "I..."

She had nearly missed it, but Jenna watched as Halo's shoulders just barely tensed up. But it was gone nearly as soon as it happened so she had just assumed that it was caused by her concentration.

Halo blinked as she came back and a troubled frown fell on her lips. "Nothing," she said. "...Darkness."

Jenna frowned. Darkness, huh... That sounds familiar.

~8~8~8~

"It sounds like you're dealing with a lot of inner darkness."

Jenna's sharp gaze shot up to drill into the man that sat across from her. "What?"

The man leaned forward, propping his forearms on his khaki-covered legs. As always, his eyes felt like he could see straight into her very soul yet seemed so open themselves, making it hard to keep eye contact. Jenna didn't know this man for very long, but her sister assured her that he would get the job done. But, at the time, Jenna was afraid of letting that happen.

"By that, I mean self-loathing," the man continued. "I think you hate yourself for what happened."

Jenna bristled, defensively crossing her arms. The action made the corner of the man's lips quirk up.

He began to tick off a list with the fingers of one hand. "Your ex leaving you and lying to you. If I recall from what you told me, you always felt like you weren't good enough to lead your first couple of years. It's possible that you might feel more betrayed than your friends did because you think your role as leader and four-year-long relationship with him was for nothing."

His index finger joined his thumb. "Because of the disaster around you, you hate yourself for missing the signs of the kid you recruited personally having internal issues. You think that it could have been prevented if you had been paying more attention."

Jenna's scowl deepened as a third finger went up. "And your friend's death. The last one-on-one conversation you had with him was really just you yelling at him. Am I wrong in thinking you wish you had the chance to say even one last thing to him?"

Jenna looked away. Her long sigh was enough of an answer.

"Believe me, I get it." She looked back to see a wistful smile on the man's face. "Every day, I wish I could talk to my wife one last time."

Jenna's eyebrows raised in empathy, but he just kept moving on. "But that's what we can work on. Some things are beyond our control and sometimes we just have to learn to accept them. And, one day, you will. I promise," he finished.

Jenna stared at him for a few seconds before shaking her head. "You know, Rick, I hate how right my sister was about you," she said, but a faint smirk was on her face as she said it.

Rick leaned back in his chair, matching her grin. "Well, you get to know someone really well when you're dormmates and classmates for years."

~8~8~8~

A quiet puff of air escaped Jenna's nose. Still working on that whole self-loathing thing.

Slowly, the hour was coming to an end. The three bench occupants watched as Zatanna and Giovanni eventually stood up, trying to draw out their last moments as long as they could. Jenna averted her gaze, always finding this part the hardest to watch. And she wanted to be ready for the next one.

"We are here for your friends, but we do not talk to them?" Halo questioned. "We are not...with them?"

Jenna swallowed the lump in her throat as Artemis answered the girl. "We're not here for this part," she said quietly.

Zatanna threw her arms around her father, squeezing his shoulders as tightly as she could manage. As much as they wanted it to linger, it couldn't. Time was up, so Giovanni reluctantly pulled away.

It was a yearly occurrence, so Jenna expected Zatanna's next words. "No, please, Daddy. It isn't fair...it's not enough time!"

"I know," Giovanni whispered, turning back toward her as she clung to his hand. "But if we do not hold to the letter of the agreement, Nabu will never give us another opportunity."

Jenna's leg fell from its crossed position and she leaned forward, almost hunched over as she silently glared at the ground. But one hour for an entire year? Why the hell couldn't he have given them at least a day? The last I checked, there are plenty of heroes in the world that can keep chaos from reigning free for one day. We don't need a pompous Lord of Order to do it.

She looked up with tired eyes to watch as Giovanni caressed his daughter's cheek. "I love you, Zatanna."

Then he placed the helmet back over his head just like he did every year and just like that, Doctor Fate stood in his place once more. A golden ankh was behind him after the flash of light dimmed and no pleasantries were exchanged before he was gone.

When the portal fully dissipated, Zatanna's legs gave out so she dropped to her knees, sobbing. "No, no, no," she plead to the empty space where he father had been moments ago.

Now we're here for this part. Jenna was by Zatanna's side in a flash, as was Artemis who claimed their friend's left side while Jenna took the right. Artemis cradled Zatanna's head while Jenna wrapped her arm around the magician's waist and used her shoulder as a place to lay her head on.

Artemis began to gently hush the woman who was crying a river of tears. "It'll be okay," she promised.

Zatanna's breath hitched as she tried to speak again. "Will it?"

Unable to fulfill an empty promise, Jenna didn't say a word. As much as she wanted to accomplish Zatanna's greatest wish, she couldn't. No one could.

So while Zatanna continued to cry her heart out, Jenna held her tight.

And when she glanced up at the girl sitting on the bench nearby, she decided that there was one thing she could promise. But first, she needed to have a talk with one former Boy Wonder.

Chapter Text

El Paso

August 04, 10:32 MDT

Sam kept one eye on the phone in his hand as he walked down the sidewalk. If he ever said 'I told you so' to his mentor, he was sure she'd kill him, but...he had a feeling that returning to the field would have gotten her stuck in the snares of going on missions. There was nothing else like it and he would always be grateful that she introduced him to it three years ago.

He was even more grateful that she was becoming her old self again, the one that took a liking to a twelve-year-old kid who lost his parents not long after their first meeting. He missed her.

Let me know if you need any help. I'd like to get to know this...Halo girl. And the prince.

Glancing back over previous texts before pocketing his cell, his brow furrowed. He couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be completely uprooted from all he knew and with new meta-abilities at that. To suddenly have to live in a country so foreign to them–and without any memories, like Halo was dealing with–had to be terrifying. They're in good hands. I know Jenna wouldn't abandon them.

Cutting across a lush, green lawn, Sam bounded up a set of steps. As he reached out to turn the handle of the front door, his other fist went up to rap on the wood as it swung open.

"Hello!" he called out into the empty foyer.

Sure enough, a head poked out from around the corner that led into the kitchen.

"Sam, any preferences for lunch after you four come back from the movie?" Bianca Reyes immediately asked.

"When it's your cooking? Anything," Sam said with a cheeky grin, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in greeting.

Mrs. Reyes tsked, trying to hide her proud smile. "My son should learn a thing or two from you."

As Sam began to head upstairs, he laughed. "But then I wouldn't be the favorite, now would I?" he called back to her.

A short walk down the hallway and Sam threw open the door at the end. What he got in return was hardly a glance in his direction from the lounging trio.

"Don't act so thrilled to see me," he mumbled.

After not-so-gracefully climbing around Bart's head, he flopped onto the bed in between Traci and Jaime, accepting his boyfriend's silent invitation to use his shoulder as a pillow. "Is that the new episode of Space Trek?" he asked the girl lying on her stomach beside him.

She groaned. "No, I missed last week's so I'm catching up. So don't spoil it for me!" she said, shooting him a glance over her shoulder.

Sam smirked. "So you don't want me to tell you that Lieutenant Tork stumbled across a-"

He let out a yelp when she kicked him blindly, making contact with his temple. Rubbing the bruised area, he pulled out his phone when a chime rang.

"I can't believe you two love that show so much," Jaime said with an eye roll.

"What's not to like?" Sam answered with a shrug, looking down at a new text from Virgil.

It was a photo of Cassie standing off in the distance, the distant Earth outside the window in front of her indicating she was on the Watchtower. Her phone was up to her ear.

Trouble in paradise.

Sam sighed at the caption. It had been weeks since he last heard from Tim. But he did know that Cassie was still upset with her boyfriend for walking out that day when some of the League members resigned. Maybe not entirely for walking out, but doing so without giving her warning.

"All I'm saying is, there's no sound in space," Jaime continued, glancing up from his comic. "The physics on this show are so messed up."

Sam tilted his head back to look at him with raised eyebrows. "That's what you have a problem with? Seriously?"

Traci scoffed. "Who watches for the physics?" she added.

All at once, the four teenagers' phones went off, blaring a rendition of the 'Hello Megan!' theme. Sam raised his phone back up to his face.

"Hello, Megan!" Bart piped up. "Mission time!"

Sam sat up, already moving to grab his backpack. "Guess we'll have to go watch that buddy cop movie another time."

One quick change later and they had traveled to Miss Martian and Superboy's home in Happy Harbor. All they knew was that their help was needed in space by a friend of Superboy's, but none of them were really expecting the huge, beefy guy that was waiting for them all to arrive.

Miss Martian had introduced him as Bear which was oddly fitting. And it almost made sense why Superboy—the owner of Wolf—was his friend.

"That is a lot of Earthlings!" Bear said happily after Wonder Girl and Static had arrived. "Mother Box, let's be on our way."

Banshee still jumped in his skin whenever he heard the loud explosive boom that came from a boom tube opening. But he couldn't hold back his grin, even if it was hidden from view. Sweet.

As the team began to file forward, Kid Flash elbowed Blue Beetle. "Guess you'll be studying those space physics up close, amigo," he teased his friend.

Blue scoffed. "Who uses boom tubes for the physics?" he retaliated.

Banshee let out a snort. "Is that going to become a thing? Please don't become a thing."

Soon, nothing but a bright, golden glow took over his sight. If he thought too hard about it, the fact that he felt solid ground despite walking in what was essentially a portal would weird him out, but he pushed on, following the group toward a steadily growing exit hole.

Bear was the first to step out, but as soon as he had, he fell with a startled cry. Being mindful of the apparent drop, Banshee landed on actual solid ground, glancing around at their immediate surroundings as he rose to full height.

"Mother Box, why?" Bear admonished, still laying on the ground.

The sentient technology let out a single, deep chime in response as he stood up, wiping the leaves off his face. "Magical bad luck?" he said, confused.

Whoops. Banshee silently snickered as he peeked over at Thirteen.

She looked sheepish. "Uh, sorry. I got excited. Lost control," she said with a shrug.

"Don't blame you," Kid assured. "This is so crash! We're on a mission in space!"

"Just like the Justice League," Wonder Girl added with a puff of her chest.

Banshee let out a low whistle as he continued to look around. "It's more...neon than I expected."

Bear let out a hearty laugh. "You Earthlings are considerably more enthusiastic than Superboy," he said, pulling Kid Flash and Static into his sides.

Even Miss Martian had an amused grin at that. "Why don't you take us to where this all started, Bear?"

The big man let go of Banshee's unfortunate teammates. "Ah, yes. Right this way!"

Time to find out what warranted the help of us 'Earthlings'. Banshee followed the lumbering man deep into the jungle.

Eventually, they reached a new clearing, one with an artificial canopy overhead.

At the same time, Bear was finishing his story. "-this is where the Forager Bug said they encountered the monsters. Can you sense any past Earthling activity?"

Miss Martian tapped her chin. "It doesn't really work like that," she admitted to Bear.

Kid Flash groaned. "It's so moded Robin's not here for the whole detective thing," he complained, completely missing Banshee's signal to shut the fuck up. "He'd pick up on all the clues."

Wonder Girl scoffed as Banshee silently slapped his forehead. Way to go, Kid.

"Fewer than you'd think," Wonder Woman's protégée grumbled.

"Tell me about it," Miss Martian easily agreed. "Super-hearing, super-sight, super-oblivious."

Banshee bit his lip to prevent a loud laugh from escaping when he noticed the pouting looks of Blue Beetle, KF, and Static. "Oh, so boys are bad. Got it," the latter surmised.

A loud roar sounded from the tree line. "Attack!"

Banshee whirled around, hand already reaching back for the shrunken bo-staff strapped to his thigh, only to find a group of giant beetle-like creatures charging at them.

"Uh, how do you feel about giant bugs?" Static wondered.

Banshee jumped back as the green one got ready to throw a punch, but he heard someone cry out 'stop!' just as another bug put itself directly in the green bug's path.

"Why does Forager protect the enemy?" the green bug snarled, pulling off his helmet to glare at the other.

"Forager asked the New God Bear to come," Forager explained. "To help."

"The hive has no need of New Gods! Bear is likely friend to Orion!"

"I am friend to Orion," Bear agreed. "But the Orion you met was an imposter. The real Orion is away from New Genesis."

The green bug scowled. "Of course, a New God would say that to protect another New God."

Miss Martian quickly stepped forward to try and diffuse the situation. "That's why we're here," she explained to the bug. "To find out what really happened."

Forager moved forward hesitantly. "Orion will be here any minute to demand goods from the hive," he piped up.

There was a slight pause as the team leader examined the creatures around them. Then, she shifted to match their appearance. The bugs moved back warily, but she continued. "I can disguise myself so when they come, I can get a read on this so-called 'Orion,'" she decided. "The rest of you"–she looked back at the team and Bear–"hide and be ready for a confrontation if need be."

Which is what they did. That's how Banshee found himself hunkered down near a brightly-colored tree, his hood pulled up to help him blend in the shadows. The rest of his team was spread out behind him, ready to move at any given moment.

"I'm linking us all psychically." Miss Martian's voice filtered into Banshee's mind as soon as he felt the little familiar buzz. "When this 'Orion' gets here, we can communicate without him knowing."

"And pay the New God back for New God treachery," the green bug, named Mantis, added.

"It wasn't a real New God!"

"Shhh!" Banshee hushed Bear unnecessarily. "We've got incoming."

Up in the sky was where the city was floating. And three specks from the base of it began to get bigger as they got closer.

"Is that him and his pet monsters?" Static wondered.

"Meta-humans," Miss Martian corrected. "Not monsters. Wearing control devices..."

Just like the girl on Rann... Banshee shifted uncomfortably, sharing a brief glance with Blue Beetle.

The three newcomers landed their hover pads, with 'Orion' stepping off of his to approach the group. "What have you chorkin brought for me today?" he said, sounding bored.

Mantis gestured to the multiple crates of food. "The hive has collected food for Orion."

"Do I look like I eat bug food?" Orion growled. "Surely you have something of value?"

Mantis glanced around quickly. "Hive has battle gear," he said, offering out the staff in one of his hands.

Orion scoffed. "Oh, please. Your pathetic attempt to mimic New God armor is laughable."

That comment seemed to strike a nerve as the other bugs began to chitter amongst themselves.

But Miss Martian, who had been silently observing, alerted the team. "I'm sensing a psychic wave. This Orion is using telepathy to intentionally fan the flames of the bugs' anger...there's something familiar about his mind-touch."

All of a sudden, she revealed herself, but not in her human form. In her White Martian form instead.

"What- what is she doing?" Wonder Girl hissed, throwing her hands up.

Static answered, "No idea."

Miss Martian landed in front of Orion, but the man didn't look scared or startled. Only mildly surprised before becoming resigned. He then turned away, flying away without the help of a hover pad as his lackeys followed.

The team's leader followed too, but not before sending one final order. "Team, stay put."

"But the mission! Miss Mart-" Banshee couldn't hear Blue Beetle anymore as something almost tangible snapped shut in his mind.

Blue grunted, confirming his suspicions. "I think she shut us out," his boyfriend grumbled.

Banshee huffed, sliding his hood off. So now what?

Kid let out a groan. "Now what?" he asked.

Banshee shot him a look.

"What would make Miss Martian do that? We were supposed to stay hidden!" Thirteen said that.

"It seemed like she knew this Orion...but she's never been to New Genesis before, right?" Followed by Wonder Girl.

"I think he knew who she was too," Banshee added. "If Bear is right and this really isn't Orion, then they might know each other personally."

He looked out over the clearing, frowning as the others chattered amongst themselves to figure out their next move. The meta-humans went with them. He knew Miss M was more than capable of taking care of herself but...

"What're you thinking, Ban?"

Banshee met Blue's questioning look. Then he looked back in the direction of where Miss Martian left after ordering them to stay put.

"I'm thinking we shouldn't stay put."

~/~/~/~

Kid Flash and Bear had run ahead. It took some convincing to prevent the bugs from leaving but the team promised that the issue would get resolved once they had their leader back. But there wasn't much time to waste by negotiating.

By the time the rest caught up, it was just in the nick of time.

Banshee dropped out of Blue's arms, landing right behind a fallen Miss Martian.

"Disobeyed your orders!" KF piped up. "Sorry, not sorry."

"Thank you," Miss Martian answered while Wonder Girl and Banshee helped her to her feet. "Keep the metas busy, I have my own battle to fight."

Banshee glanced at the other White Martian standing across from her instead of Orion. Well, that makes sense. "We've got you covered," he assured, fixing his gaze at the two metas in front of them.

However, they didn't get much of a chance to start fighting before the meta-humans jumped back on their hover pads. Even worse, they started shooting at everyone.

Fuck! Banshee rolled out of the way, coming to a stop by a tree trunk. He pressed his back against it tightly, hoping the lasers weren't powerful enough to slice through the dense wood.

"Ugh, great! The freaky scooters have firepower!" Wonder Girl complained.

"I think I can help," Thirteen piped up.

Banshee raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Are you sure? Remember what happened during the last mission?"

"Zatanna's been teaching me focus!" The two creatures flew past the treetops and with a thrust of her hands, Thirteen sent out a wave of bad luck in their direction.

All of a sudden, one of the weird blisters on one of the meta-humans popped, startling their companion as a blast of acid clung to their gray arm. The hover pad fired on accident, hitting the acid meta's own ride and sending the meta flying off in an explosion. But they managed to make it out mostly in one piece as they crashed to the ground.

One partially down, one to go, and Wonder Girl was already on the other.

Banshee ran forward. "Blue! Let's flank 'im!"

With the flick of his wrist, his bo-staff stretched out which he then used to slam the fallen meta back into the ground. Banshee jumped, pole vaulting over the meta-human as the staff shrunk back down. Skidding on his knees with the toes of his boots slowing him to a stop, Banshee flicked a small button on his jaw and let out a loud scream.

From up high, Blue was using his own sonics to batter down on the meta. Both ranges of the duo's sonic waves were enough to irritate the meta, disorienting it from the sound and impact on its body.

"We gotta-" Banshee cut himself off with a yelp as a green laser blast shot past his face.

Whirling to face the cause of it, his eyes widened upon seeing the bugs had arrived. Mantis was clutching his staff and glaring at the members of the team, not the mind-controlled meta-human. Shit...

Mantis fired again, but this time hit his target: Blue Beetle.

"Blue!" Banshee slammed his bo-staff against the meta-human's temple, effectively knocking them down that time.

Now he could only focus on one opponent. In a flash, Banshee swung out his arm in an arc, flinging four shurikens at Mantis. The bug immediately rolled up into a ball, slamming hard into Banshee as he continued to pursue his teammates. Banshee rolled over with a groan, propping himself up on one arm to watch helplessly as Mantis dropped behind Wonder Girl—who had caught Blue—and charged up his staff.

A sudden blur rolled past Banshee and slammed into Mantis, sending the bug leader sprawling. Oh hell yeah. Banshee pushed himself up to stand, stumbling over to his friends as quickly as he could.

"Babe, you alright?" he asked, claiming Blue's other side to take over Wonder Girl's job in pulling him up.

Blue grunted, clutching where he got hit. "I'll be fine," he assured in a strained voice.

Static dropped down beside the two boyfriends. "At least that's done with," he said, jabbing a thumb in the direction of where Bear was hauling the blister meta over his shoulder to deposit them next to their gray friend.

The timing was once again perfect as Miss Martian shifted back to her usual appearance, watching as the other White Martian sank to the ground.

"It is over," Miss M said.

"Is it?" the other White Martian questioned. "Your love makes you weak, sister. And easy to hurt."

Banshee's eyebrows shot up. Sister?

He didn't have time to question it further as the White Martian continued, "Failsafe Omega." He turned to the metas. "Die!"

"No, no!" Miss M couldn't move fast enough.

The rest of the group was frozen in horror as a shrill ringing began to sound and the two metas began to thrash around, crying out in unintelligible agony. There were two mini explosions and the place where their brains were burst.

They slumped forward, now eerily still and quiet.

"Fuck," Banshee hissed. His grip tightened around Blue's waist as he tore his gaze from the dead meta-humans.

Miss Martian's brother wasn't done. He pointed a long finger at Forager. "This is your fault, little bug. I see in your mind you brought them here," he growled. "If I see you again, I'll crush you like the pest you are."

Then he density-shifted through the ground and he was gone. Miss Martian dropped to her knees, watching him go but making no attempt in following.

For a moment, it was quiet.

Until Mantis slapped Forager. "Forager is a race traitor," the leader growled. "Forager has no place in the hive."

Forager backed up with his head down, but Miss Martian was quick to come to his defense. "This isn't Forager's fault. Please understand, that was never Orion. It was a Martian feeding your hate, trying to start a war between the bugs and the New Gods."

"Lies!" Mantis roared. "New Gods want bugs dead!"

"No, the Martian was manipulating you psychically!"

"This Martian is manipulating Mantis psychically," Mantis countered. "Hive will not listen to Martians, Earthers, New Gods, or traitors. If hive sees any of you again...any of you...hive will end you."

Mantis spat on the ground and then he and the other bugs were gone too. After that, no one really knew what to say.

Bear slowly approached Forager. "I'm sorry, friend Forager, but it is no longer safe for you on New Genesis," he said solemnly. "The shape-shifter could return in a new form and, clearly, you cannot return to your hive."

"But he saved my life!" Wonder Girl protested.

Banshee's arm slipped from Blue's torso as the latter stepped forward. "He needs...witness protection or something!"

His boyfriend grimaced. "I don't think they have anything like that here," he pointed out.

Luckily, their team leader had a plan. She approached Forager, growing two extra hands to hold all four of Forager's. "You can come with us."

"Forager doesn't want to leave Forager's home," he answered sadly.

"I know," Miss M said gently, "but it's not forever. Just for now."

Forager only sighed, making Banshee's heart ache.

The Mother Box's typical chime rang out in the air before a boom tube split open the space in front of everyone. Banshee's frown deepened. Time to go home I guess. Not like we can do anything else.

Miss Martian sent the meta-humans' bodies through first. Then, the rest of the team went one after the other.

Banshee looped an arm around Blue Beetle's neck as he was scooped up to be carried through. As they flew through, he glanced over Blue's shoulder to watch Forager hesitate, getting one last look at his home for what could be a long time. What the hell are we getting ourselves into?

~/~/~/~

Happy Harbor

August 04, 12:55 EDT

"Recognized: Nightwing, B-zero-one; Siren, B-zero-two; Tigress, B-zero-eight; Pierce comma Jefferson, G-zero-one; Halo, G-zero-three."

After Jenna stepped into the garage, she found Conner and Brion waiting for them as well as Lucas Carr. It's a full house.

"Didn't know there were 'G' designations," Lucas mused.

"There aren't, not officially," Dick explained. "See, when Jeff resigned from the League, Kaldur had to revoke his access. And Halo and Brion never had it."

Lucas tiredly rubbed the back of his head. "So you hacked the Justice League computer."

Dick's grin was smug. "I hacked the Justice League computer."

Then Lucas' gaze trailed over to another person he was curious about. "But I thought you quit, Jenna," he wondered.

Jenna sighed, crossing her arms. "It's technically a leave of absence. But no one's revoked my access and it's not like I've abused it, so..." She shrugged. Though I wonder if it's because someone's hoping I'll still rejoin the team...they better not hold their breath.

Halo moved away from Jenna's side as they had talked, eyeing the computer next to the Tube. "Is this Halo? Is this me?" She was looking at the last log, seeing her scanned face and body for the first time.

"As much as we know," Dick told her as he joined her side. "Which isn't much. Yet. But I'll run a match-search comparing your Zeta-Tube recognition file to all world databases to help us figure out your true identity."

A scoff came from Artemis. "I thought you were already on this."

"As did I," Jenna said dryly, recalling their conversation a couple of days prior. Thankfully, Will had already beaten her to it and knocked some sense into their younger friend, but she still berated him for acting as if he could just dump the kids off on the others and forget about them.

"I...am now," Dick said with a sheepish chuckle.

Jenna only rolled her eyes. He never changes.

"Right. We're all together. Now what?" Brion asked impatiently.

Now...the adults were going to figure out what their next move was, leaving the kids to their own devices.

Jenna planted herself by the window in Conner and M'gann's apartment, only slightly bristling when Dick came up beside her to watch the two teenagers as they wandered out into the side yard. Halo was floating again and after a short while, Brion tugged her by the arm to bring her back to Earth. A conversation was being held, but the distance was too far to really get an understanding of what was being said.

"So what now?" Jenna avoided looking the man she was addressing in the eye, but still stole a glance as he stepped away from the window.

"Doctor Jace would've liked to have been here today," Jeff pointed out.

Jenna tore her eyes from following Dick's path back to Artemis to glance at the former League member. That wouldn't have been a good idea. Brion and Halo were one thing. They were fresh meta-humans with no idea how to handle their powers. They needed the help of the adults who were sitting inside Conner and M'gann's apartment.

But Helga Jace? She was another story and Jenna couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about the woman. Which she instantly felt bad about because what right did she have to judge one person and not the rest?

But Conner's similar hesitation alleviated Jenna's guilt a little bit. "Forgive me if I didn't want the mad scientist knowing where I live," he told Jeff.

"She's not like that," Jeff countered. "I think she really cares about those two kids."

Lucas spoke without glancing up from his book. "They both have meta-powers. Why not put them on the team?"

"No," Jenna immediately shot down.

"Uh, meta-powers aren't required for that," Artemis pointed out with a mild glare, gesturing to both herself and Dick.

"And they're not a free ticket to join, either," Dick said with an identical dry tone. "Besides, everyone on the team wants to be a hero. I'm not sure Brion or Halo does."

Jenna strode over to the table, pressing her palms down on the wooden edge. "Even if they did, I'm not comfortable with throwing both of them into the fire. Everyone on the team has had some level of control over their powers or abilities before joining," she continued. "Until we can get confirmation that lives won't be put at risk, that's not happening."

"Plus, we don't need another Red Arrow incident," Conner added. "Can't give Watchtower access to a girl with no memory. She could be brainwashed. Might let in the bad guys."

Lucas winced. "Uh, brainwashing isn't required for that. I kinda, sorta, accidentally led the Joker to Mount Justice when I was their age."

Jenna raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?" she said with a disbelieving laugh.

Ignoring that bit of information, Jeff suggested something else. "What about Miss Martian? Can't she psychically read Halo?"

"Not without ripping into her mind," Conner answered, sounding a bit sterner at that prospect. "M'gann doesn't do that anymore."

Jenna nodded. No way was she going to allow her friend to deal with that kind of trauma again, not after what happened last time. "Not to mention a surface read wouldn't do any good. Remember Green Beetle?"

"So, Halo's a pass...what about Brion?" Jeff asked.

Conner's brow furrowed. "I know it might sound hypocritical coming from me, but Brion's a walking ball of anger right now, always on the verge of blowing up."

Almost as soon as he finished his sentence, there was an explosion outside. Jenna quickly strode over to the window but relaxed slightly upon seeing that both teenagers were alright. Aside from the fact that Brion was creating mini geysers in the yard.

"Well," Dick said over her shoulder. "I guess you'll get to see their levels of control sooner than you expected."

Jenna's upper lip twitched as she kept down a scowl, but she followed him out of the apartment anyway.

By the time they got downstairs, Brion was creating a river of lava to flow through the grass. It was the calmest Jenna had seen since first meeting the prince. At least he's getting a good handle on it.

Brion paused his actions when he realized he wasn't alone, but Dick quickly spoke up. "No, no, keep going. Let's see what you can do."

Brion looked irritated. "Is this a test?"

Dick gestured to the others. "This is just us trying to help."

Brion's glare softened ever so slightly. "Alright then...what do you want me to do?"

Jenna turned on her heel, putting her arm around Halo after pulling her back to the ground. "We might want to stand back," she muttered to Jeff and Artemis as Conner and Dick stayed put.

"Okay, that rock's your target," Dick told Brion, gesturing out to the medium-sized boulder a couple of yards away. "Remember, it's a precision test. Hit it, don't obliterate it."

"I know."

"And please, be careful of my trees," Lucas begged.

"Easy now. This is about control," Conner continued.

"I know," Brion sighed.

Then Dick added, "Visualize where you want it to go-"

"I know!"

Jenna rolled her eyes. So helpful, you two.

Brion turned back to his target, raising his fist that was encased in lava. He reared back, throwing a normal punch in the direction of the rock. A splash of lava made it a short distance away, but not far enough to land where he wanted it to go. Grumbling, he tried again only to get the same result. Steadily becoming angrier, he kept swinging his arm around, but each projectile missed its mark.

Brion glared down at his arm, positively growling at that point. The ground at his feet began to rumble as lava climbed up his legs, hardening on contact until his whole body was covered in the molten rock.

Conner eyed the boy warily. "Uh, Dick? We might want to-"

"Noted."

The men got the hell out of dodge seconds before Brion slammed his fists into the ground, causing a geyser to erupt. Lava went spewing everywhere, several chunks even landing in-

"My trees!" Lucas cried out.

Jenna winced, her calves relaxing from their defensive stance. She let go of Halo's arm which she had been prepared to yank toward her to shield the girl, but she was glad it hadn't come to that. Jesus- She finally looked toward Brion who was panting heavily from the exertion before tearing her gaze away as fast as she could.

-Christ. Because the prince was standing buck ass naked in the middle of the yard.

It took him about two seconds to realize as much. "Mother of goat!" he screamed, covering himself as best as he could.

Jenna tiredly closed her eyes until she felt Halo move away. Opening them up again, she reached out to pull the girl back down, but she had deliberately flown over to where Brion stood.

Brion whirled away. "Don't look!" he demanded.

"Do not be upset," Halo quickly soothed. "You are nicely shaped. Your form isn't the part of you that's broken."

Jenna couldn't cover up her snort fast enough. She let out an 'ow' after Artemis elbowed her in the ribs, but continued to chuckle.

"Excuse me?" Brion snapped at the flying girl.

Halo continued as if she said nothing wrong. "Rest. I'll test my powers now."

As Lucas tossed a jacket over Brion's head, Halo flew back over to Jenna and Artemis, grinning at them widely. Jenna couldn't help but return it.

"I'm glad you're excited to learn," she told the younger girl, not bothering to pull her back down this time.

Artemis began to walk away. "Let's go out front. It'll be easier not having to worry about stepping into lava..." Halo hurried after her, leaving the rest to trail behind.

Jeff and Jenna joined Artemis in the driveway where she finally pulled Halo down.

"The idea is to switch between your auras, to protect yourself," Jeff explained to the girl.

"And if you need to stop at any time, just let me know," Artemis added.

Once Halo nodded, they began.

Jenna watched with a critical eye as Artemis began to hold nothing back. Halo was quick with her defense, throwing up a shield almost immediately. She was clearly nervous, easily noticing that Artemis wasn't pulling her punches. But she held her ground.

Her form needs work. Having a solid foundation will prevent her from getting pushed around so much. Halo's shield dissipated for a moment when she stumbled before she pulled it right back up. It'll also give her better control over keeping the shield intact.

"Well done, Halo," Jenna called out, her years as a trainer preventing her from staying silent the entire time. "Don't let her push you around. Use your powers as an advantage to get some space and figure out your next move."

"You certainly know your stuff," Jeff said quietly, keeping an eye on the ongoing fight.

Jenna let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah, well, I learned from the best."

Just then, Halo used her orange aura to separate herself from Artemis' kicks. "There you go, Halo!" Jenna encouraged, seeing the girl perform a clumsy, yet effective straight-legged flip.

Then her eyes went wide when a yellow aura surrounded the girl once her feet touched the ground once again.

It threw Artemis off, forcing her to pause mid-swing. "Whoa. Okay...that's new."

Halo glanced at her hand. "I don't understand. I cannot seem to make a shield or fly..." She looked over at Jenna who was approaching. "What is wrong with me now? Am I broken too?"

"Excuse me?!"

Ignoring the outburst from a, thankfully dressed, prince, Jenna crossed her arms. "I doubt that," she gently reassured. "We just don't know the full extent of your powers yet, apparently."

Artemis shrugged. "You just...found a new color," she agreed.

Halo's brow furrowed. "What does it do?"

"Well...um, let's try to find out. Carefully."

Jenna took a tiny step backward as Halo turned toward the open yard. Better safe than sorry.

The silence stretched out while Halo lifted her hands out in front of her. After a few seconds, a yellow ball of pure energy formed in between her palms. It shot out, incinerating the closest tree in its path, but at the same time, it threw Halo off her feet. Literally.

The girl was launched backward, only coming to a stop when she slammed into the parked car several yards away.

Jenna yelped, sprinting toward the girl that was slumped against the car door. "Shit!"

"Halo!" Artemis was close behind, racing to check on her.

Jenna came to a sliding stop on her knees, ignoring the fact that it would ruin her jeans as she frantically examined the unresponsive teenage girl. "Come on, sweetie, say something," she whispered.

But no noise came from her. Heart pounding, Jenna quickly did a once-over on Halo. Breathing, no broken bones, some bruising. Could be far worse.

"She's okay," she said out loud, alleviating some of the group's silent stress. "She's unconscious but...she's okay."

~/~/~/~

Sphere trilled again as she practically clung to Halo's side but Jenna didn't look up.

Having settled into a more comfortable position, Jenna had Halo in her lap to cradle her while she healed. As soon as she was in the older woman's arms, a violet aura had surrounded her. Jenna's brow furrowed while she watched.

"She's healing herself," Artemis realized as she knelt on the other side of Halo. "It's like a reflex."

Jenna could breathe a little easier when Halo's eyes began to flutter. Brion, who had disappeared for a long moment, crouched in front of her in concern. He had his only duffel bag slung over his shoulder and Jenna had a bad feeling about the sight.

"I hope you're all right, um...Violet," he said as he crouched in front of her. "I'm sorry, but I cannot stay. You...take care of yourself."

Jenna opened her mouth to try to speak reason to the prince, but Halo stretched her hand out to him.

"Don't go," she said, frowning sadly.

Everything's already so scary, I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to lose the only other person who understood what she was going through. But Brion stood, walking away from the group.

Halo dropped her hand. Jenna rubbed the girl's shoulder subconsciously.

When Brion was passing by him, Dick suddenly called out to him. "Wait. We want to help you," he tried. "Give you whatever it is you need."

Brion sighed, looking away. "I don't know what I need."

Me and you both, kid. But where would he go? The guy was banned from his own country and otherwise had nowhere else to live. And unless he had a savings account of American money, he wouldn't get very far with what he had. Besides, Jenna didn't even want to think about what would happen if he lost control again.

Conner had an idea though. "Direction. Purpose. A clear goal."

"We'll help you find your sister!"

Jenna's eyes darted over to Dick as Artemis helped Halo to sit up. Her jaw twitched as she kept her expression neutral. How can he promise something like that? They didn't even know where to begin looking. Princess Tara had been missing for so long, they had no guarantee that there were even any leads left.

But Jenna held her tongue.

And maybe that's exactly what Brion needed because once Dick had spoken, the prince stopped in his tracks. After a moment, his duffel bag dropped to the ground.

"For Tara..." Brion looked over his shoulder at the group. "I will stay."

Jenna plastered a smile on her face as she pulled herself up off the ground. What the hell are we getting ourselves into?

Chapter Text

Star City

August 05, 13:53 PDT

Sam hoisted yet another cardboard box onto his shoulder with a slight grunt. One hundred and one... As he turned to leave his bedroom, a sudden gust of wind made him automatically blink. He shot a look at the cause.

"Can you not use superpowers? I don't need neighbors noticing," he huffed.

Bart shrugged as he tossed a duffel bag over his shoulder. "I just run up and down the stairs; it's not like anyone would see from outside," he waved off.

Sam made a face when the speedster turned back around, dashing out of the room. He followed at his own pace, out of the house and to his SUV. Waiting for him was Jaime who took the box and placed it in the last available spot in the trunk.

"That everything?" Traci glanced at the pile of personal belongings and then at Sam.

"Should be," he answered, hands on his hips. "If not, it's not like I can't drive over in less than thirty minutes."

Sam's aunt wiped the sweat off her brow as she shut the trunk. "Sam, are you sure you don't want to stay with us? You're always welcome here," Tina reminded him for the umpteenth time.

Sam accepted her embrace, engulfing the short lady. He wouldn't deny that he thought about living at home, but ultimately, he decided to stay in the dorms on campus.

"I'm sure, Aunt Tina," he said with a good-natured eye roll.

She frowned, craning her head back to look him square in the eye. "If this has to do with Gerald, you don't have to worry about him ever again-"

Sam grabbed Tina's shoulders, squeezing them as he hunched over to meet her eyes. "I know. But no, it doesn't. Your divorce was finalized months ago, so he's out of our lives."

Tina pursed her lips.

Sam knew what she was thinking. How she felt guilty that it took so long for her to finally kick her husband out of their home. How it took a full-blown argument with his uncle who 'didn't mind but didn't like that stuff being shoved in his face' after he barged in on Sam and Jaime one day—not that they were doing anything—and claiming that they shouldn't 'do that when Kellie's around.'

When Gerald mentioned his sister's name, Sam saw red. And some of that red ended up on his knuckles and under his uncle's nose.

A short laugh coming from beside his shoulder made Sam glance down. Kellie had a wicked smirk on her face as she signed.

Sam snorted. "She says that if he ever came around again, he'd just get another bloody nose. From her this time," he said out loud, translating to his friends who wouldn't have been able to read as quickly. Jaime had the scarab to translate everything, but the others were still learning.

Sam threw his arm around Kellie's shoulders, ducking to drop a kiss on top of her head. "Glad to know my baby sister's not afraid to take matters into her own hands," he said, pulling back enough to sign with his free hand.

She reached her arms around to hug him in return, nuzzling into his side. Even though Sam was right about the drive between his aunt's home and Royal University's campus not being that long, it still felt bittersweet in a way.

Sam and Kellie had never left each other's side since the night their parents were murdered in their own home. It was partly why Sam even became a hero in the first place. Seeing the terror on his baby sister's face—too little to understand the full extent of what was going on, but still being able to sense the fear her brother harbored himself—made Sam want to do all he could to protect her and those like her. No one should ever have to go through what we did.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

Jaime stopped Bart before he could jump into the passenger seat. "Where do you think you're going, hermano?" he asked, shoving the speedster away to open the door himself.

"Aw, come on! I got there first!" Bart whined.

Sam dug the keys out of his pocket while he rolled his eyes. "Boyfriends get priority," he called out in a sing-song tone as he went around to the driver's side.

Ignoring Bart's mumble about something to do with boyfriends and feeling like a third wheel, Sam shoved the keys into the ignition. Since Traci had claimed the seat behind Jaime, his red-headed friend had to walk around the hood of the car.

As he passed Sam's window, he paused with a contemplative look on his face. Unfortunately, it was one Sam knew all too well.

"Wait, no super-"

Sam shot an arm out to grab Bart's shirt sleeve, but the attempt was futile as he just grabbed the air instead. "-powers."

Sam cursed at the space where his fast friend once stood. He turned the car on, ignoring the snickers of Jaime and Traci as he grumbled all the way to the end of the neighborhood.

~/~/~/~

Happy Harbor

August 05, 21:04 EDT

Jenna stared over the rim of her coffee cup at the newcomer that stood in the middle of Conner and M'gann's living room. Just when I thought things might be calming down. She should have known better than to assume such things when everything else was still so unstable.

The bug from New Genesis–he called himself Forager–was speaking to the couple as M'gann gave a brief rundown of what his new life on Earth would be like.

"So this is...interesting," Artemis said.

Jenna shrugged. "What's one more thing added to the pile? We've dealt with crazier."

"Yeah, like ghosts."

Jenna shared a smirk with her best friend.

"-two kids: Halo and Brion."

Jenna turned back to M'gann once her friend finished her sentence. "Maybe we should go out to speak with them now? Introduce them to Forager?" she suggested.

"You're right. No time like the present," M'gann said with a sigh.

"But how will Forager speak to them? Forager does not speak human language," came from behind her once they all stepped out into the quiet night. "Oh...and Motherbox is not here to translate Forager's words."

Jenna smiled amusedly when M'gann answered him, "I downloaded our language into your brain."

Forager's eyes widened. "Miss Martian taught Miss Martian's language to Forager?"

"Everything but the pronouns, apparently."

Jenna reared back from the mug in her hand just before she took a sip, nearly choking on the still-warm coffee. She cleared her throat, glancing over at Conner when M'gann elbowed him sharply.

"His people have an extremely complex sense of self," his fiancée reprimanded. "They don't have much use for pronouns."

Halo eagerly turned to the adults and Forager, holding a large pile of apples in her arms. "Have you tried these?" she asked, but Jenna wasn't sure exactly who she was speaking to.

"They're called apples," Brion gently piped up, but Jenna wasn't sure exactly who he was speaking to either.

Halo smiled brightly. "I know! They're incredible. And they grow on trees!"

Adorable. Jenna's grin was hidden as she sipped her drink.

M'gann gestured to Forager. "Halo, Brion, this is Forager. He's from New Genesis."

"Have you tried apples yet, Forager?" Halo wondered, stepping closer to the newbie. "They're incredible!"

Brion had perked up too, but for another reason. "New Genesis? That's another-"

"New Genesis is one of two planets of origin to the New Gods. The leader of New Genesis is Highfather, who lives on the floating city of Supertown. The surface of the planet is inhabited by a race of sentient bugs..."

Halo blinked after her long spiel. "...oh, like you."

Jenna stared at Halo with a bewildered expression. Um...

"Halo knows much of Forager's world," Forager said, surprised.

Artemis shared a look with Jenna as they stepped closer cautiously. "Yes, she does...Halo, how do you know all that?"

Halo looked relatively calm for someone who had just spewed out a whole bunch of information as if she were a living Wikipedia page. "I...I don't know. I just do," she admitted.

Brion was still staring at Forager. "So you're an alien?" he prodded, pointing at the bug. "I- I- I can't believe I'm meeting a real alien!"

M'gann was unamused. "Uh, hello? I'm from Mars, and Conner's half-Kryptonian?"

Brion waved her off. "Y- yes, of course. But Forager is a real alien!" The prince chuckled, seeming positively delighted at the sight of Forager.

It was honestly amusing for Jenna to watch. She was the kind of person to take things in stride. From pretty early on in her career as a vigilante and hero, she got used to the atypical since she practically grew up in it since birth. As the years went on, any sort of surprise over anything different began to wane.

Now at twenty-four years old, and being Siren for eleven of those years, she hardly batted an eye. So she forgot how foreign some things were to people who were new to the game.

Jenna watched on fondly as Forager eyed Brion. "Brion is the alien to Forager," he countered.

Brion chuckled. "Well, you would think that, wouldn't you?"

"Forager's life was in danger on New Genesis, so we've brought him here for his own protection," M'gann explained gently.

Forager hung his head. "Forager is in exile from Forager's home."

Brion didn't hesitate to put his arm around the bug. "From one exile to another...welcome to Earth," he said kindly.

"Forager thanks Brion."

"Seriously, Forager," Halo piped up, "you have to try the apples." She tugged him away, eager to show him the wonders of their planet.

Jenna's shoulders dropped. "We're collecting quite a number of strays, aren't we?" she telepathically said to her friends, peeking at them from the corner of her eye.

"I was planning on having Forager join the team while he was on Earth, but where will he stay?" M'gann asked.

"Not with me, there's hardly enough room for Halo," Jenna immediately answered with a shake of her head.

Artemis winced. "I... I'd love to help, but with Will and Lian, I've already got a pretty full house."

"So do we," Conner admitted. "Maybe the Watchtower?"

"No one's living there right now," M'gann pointed out. "He'd be all alone. He needs people, Conner."

Artemis' expression softened. "Makes you miss Mount Justice."

Jenna ignored the pang in her chest.

"Yeah, those nights in the Cave were pretty special," Conner mused.

As M'gann and Conner shared a soft, loving glance, Jenna's misery only got worse. She averted her gaze.

"Yeah, I definitely miss almost walking in on those special moments," she said dryly, trying to make a joke out of the situation.

"You're one to talk," Artemis shot back, smirking at Jenna who only scowled in return.

M'gann looked back at the kids and suddenly scoffed, hitting her forehead. "Hello, Megan!"

Jenna's eyebrow raised. "You got an idea?" she wondered.

She didn't get a response as M'gann instead walked past the trio, over to the driveway. "Brion, Forager...how would you guys like to share your own place?" She leaned against the red SUV resting there.

Brion scoffed. "Sleeping in the car?" the prince questioned, making Jenna cover her mouth to hide her laugh.

"No, not a car..."

M'gann turned to face the vehicle, staring at it silently. The teenagers and bug were bewildered, but the adults were waiting expectantly. Sure enough, the SUV began to expand on its own, morphing into a full-sized RV.

At the same time, Jeff had been walking out of the garage, only to jump in surprise when he watched the display. Spilling the hot drink in his hand across the front of his shirt.

That time, Jenna did bust out laughing.

Jeff let out a gasp of pain. "Dang it!" he hissed. "This thing still freaks me out."

"Please don't call Bio-Ship a thing!" M'gann scolded, patting the side of her camouflaged ship.

At least Jeff looked apologetic. "Sorry. Besides, I should know better than to bring anything spillable to Marstown."

"Marstown?" Conner questioned.

Jeff looked back at him. "Little Mars?" he suggested only to be met with blank faces. "Nevermind."

Jenna snorted, leaning up against Bio-Ship beside him. "Yeah, just keep shoving that foot in your mouth," she dared, taking a sip of her lukewarm drink as Jeff walked away.

"I have never lived in a recreational vehicle before," Brion mused.

"Neither has Forager..."

That's a shocker. Jenna turned her attention to her phone, learning she had missed a text.

We still on for tomorrow?

Jenna sighed. She wasn't annoyed by the question, but she was annoyed with having to rearrange her schedule after having a new person staying at her place. She didn't doubt that Halo was capable of taking care of herself, but everything was still so new...Jenna just didn't want to jump right back into doing her own thing when she now had someone to care for.

Shaking her head, she responded to Arsenal. Maybe. Things have been crazy around here. I'll keep you posted.

Great, now I have to figure out how to continue training with Roy too. Jenna stashed her phone away with a sigh.

"Brion, Halo," Jeff said to the kids when he approached them. "I kinda promised Doctor Jace she could talk to you."

He held up his phone to show a video call with the woman in question.

"Prince Brion, Halo," she greeted. "I've been so worried about you both. I wanted-"

Brion's eyes narrowed. "We are fine, Doctor Jace," he interrupted her, impatience clear in his tone.

Doctor Jace easily caught onto it too. "I owe you some answers, I know," she acknowledged.

"I have only one question. Is my sister–is Tara–still alive?"

"I believe she is. At least, she was," Jace said. "I tried to protect her for as long as I could. But soon after her meta-gene was activated, your uncle took her away from me and shipped her off to- to I don't know where."

"So she did have the meta-gene... What were her powers?"

"I never saw," Jace admitted. "But since you and Baron DeLamb both have different types of geo-force, it stands to reason that as your blood-relative, Tara would have a similar power set."

Then Dick was on the scene, appearing by Jenna's side in an instant. At first, she hardly flinched, used to it after so many years, until she remembered she wasn't on good terms with her old co-leader. She put an extra step between them.

"That's what we were thinkin', too," Dick said.

Jenna finished off the remainder of her drink to hide the twitch in her eye. This idiot sure likes to slip up when he seemed determined to keep all of this a secret from everyone.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one to notice the mess up. "We?" Jeff questioned. I'm gonna kill you, Grayson.

"Uh...me and Jen," Dick easily stretched the truth, forcing Jenna to not roll her eyes in front of everyone.

He tapped his watch, a projection springing up to display in front of everyone. "A man named Jaqqar Marlo was killed this morning by a meta-human who dropped a massive rock on his head. Black Spider, an assassin from the League of Shadows, was also spotted in the area."

Jenna inclined her head. "As you can imagine, causing 'avalanches' isn't really his thing," she added, lifting one hand to make air quotes.

She then met Brion's gaze as he approached them. "So if our suspicions about Tara are right...your sister could be with the Shadows. It's something we need to consider anyway."

"No..." Brion said with a devastating whisper.

"Princess Tara would never kill!" Jace added, horrified. "They must be using a control device upon her!"

"Like they did with Plasmus and his sister," Jeff confirmed.

"The princess must be rescued from these Shadows."

Brion's face was pinched tight. "Yes, we must rescue her now!" His skin started to steam.

Dick stepped closer, raising his hands in a placating manner. "Brion, I want you to literally chill. We don't know conclusively that this was Tara, or even that it was someone with a 'geo-force' power."

M'gann agreed, "A telekinetic could have moved that boulder..."

"...or someone with superstrength could have chucked it," Conner finished.

Brion got so close to Dick that the toes of their shoes nearly touched. He glared up at the older man. "Do you know where the Shadows are or not?" he demanded.

DIck sighed, pressing another button on his watch to show a map. "They're based on Infinity Island, but that doesn't guarantee Tara's with them."

"There's one way to find out."

Jenna grabbed his shoulder as he turned away. "Absolutely not," she snapped.

Brion glared at her, looking her right in the eye. "And why is that?"

Dick answered for her. "The League of Shadows is run by Ra's al Ghul. The Demon's Head, a member of the Light, and one of the most dangerous men on the planet. We are not facing al Ghul and all his Shadows without more intel and a solid plan."

"Unless you'd rather go out and get yourself killed before you even have a chance to save Tara?" Jenna quizzed.

Dick rested a hand on her shoulder, but she was too focused on Brion to shake him off. "Brion, don't make me sorry I told you about this," Dick begged.

Jenna's brow softened. "We'll do everything we can to get Tara back, Brion. But you need to be patient," she said in a gentler tone.

She caught the small tick in the prince's jaw, but he still backed down. "Fine," he acquiesced. "We'll...play it your way."

Hm. Even though she didn't like how easily he changed his mind, Jenna reluctantly nodded, finally moving her shoulder so Dick's hand would fall.

Brion turned away. "In the meantime, I suppose I should explore my new living quarters," he grumbled.

"Forager would explore, too," Forager piped up.

Halo had apparently decided to join them as all three of them walked off.

Doctor Jace wasn't aware though. "Prince Brion, Halo, please take care of-"

Jeff cut her off. "Uh, they're gone, Doctor."

Jenna could see the disheartened expression on the doctor's face. "Ah, I see. Jefferson, you'll keep me apprised?" she requested.

"Of course, Helga. I promise."

Jenna's eyebrow lifted. Helga? That's a bit personal.

That seemed to satisfy Jace though. "I can ask nothing more. Goodbye."

Jenna sighed, glancing down at her empty cup. "We need to figure out our next step," she told the others. "But first, I need more coffee."

The adults left the kids to their own devices, moving back into M'gann and Conner's upstairs apartment. Jenna made an immediate beeline to the kitchen after she snatched up Jeff's mug as well despite his protests.

She listened to her friends talk while she filled up their respective cups, her brow furrowed in thought.

"So now we're on a time crunch," Conner said to Dick.

Except the former Boy Wonder wasn't catching on. "What do you mean?"

Jenna glanced up as she set the coffee pot down. "Think about it. Was it really a good idea to tell the guy, who has been extremely impatient and wound up since we've met him, who might have his sister and where?" she pointed out, handing Jeff his coffee when she came up beside him. "Besides, I don't like how easily he agreed to wait."

Conner nodded at her, agreeing with her train of thought. "If he's desperate enough to find Tara...I don't know how long you'll be able to put Brion off," he finished.

Someone's phone rang out.

"Just a second," Dick said distractedly, revealing it was his. He pulled it out to read whatever text he had gotten.

Thank god Jenna's phone was usually on silent, otherwise the fact that her phone pinged just a second before might have drawn suspicion. But instead, it just vibrated in her back pocket.

As casually as she could, she pulled it out while she blew on her fresh cup of joe to cool it down. Sure enough, Barbara had sent a message to her.

Hey, Jen.

Halo's real name is Gabrielle Daou, a sixteen-year-old Quarci refugee.

Was working as a servant in the Markovian Royal Palace.

Interesting. So how did she wind up being tested for the meta-gene?

Deciding that could be a question for later, Jenna sent back a quick thumbs-up emoji with one hand. She lifted her mug back to her mouth but used it to hide her glance over at Dick.

"Just got Halo's ID," he said, looking up at the rest of them to deliberately meet Jenna's eye. "Her real name's Gabrielle Daou."

Artemis perked up. "That's great! We should go tell her. It might summon some memories."

Jenna was hopeful. She couldn't imagine what it would be like for the girl's family. Assuming she still had any. But if so, they had to be worried sick.

They had a lead though, so it was a start. I'm sure Halo...er, Gabrielle, will be happy.

But they didn't even get the chance to tell her.

Jenna and Artemis had gone into the Bio-RV to talk to the kids, but it was empty. The only sign that they had even been there was the apple cores left behind. The women shared a worried glance before rushing back out to rejoin the others who had been waiting.

"They're gone!" Artemis said in disbelief. "All three of them."

Conner frowned at his pet wolf who had been asleep outside the whole time. "Wolf, where are the kids?" he asked.

Wolf blinked up at him, letting out a whine before going back to sleep. So much for that.

"Thanks, Wolf," his owner said sarcastically.

"They can't have gone far," Artemis pointed out.

The bright side was quickly dimmed when Conner realized something else. "Wait, where's Sphere?"

She was gone too. Which was odd because she was usually Conner's shadow.

Jenna tilted her head to give Artemis a pointed look. "You were saying?"

Frowning at the others, she reached past the garage door to grab her bag. "Suit up," she called over to the others. "We need to go, now."

The time it took to change and get into the Bio-Ship was a new record. And despite the urgency of catching up with Halo, Brion, and Forager, Siren couldn't help but feel nostalgia tug on her chest when she got inside.

The last time she was sitting in the Bio-Ship, she was about to make one of the most important decisions of her life. Now, even though she was worried about the safety of the two teenagers and one bug under their care, she couldn't help but reminisce about the hundreds of missions that began the moment she would sit at the front of the ship, watching the ground pass underneath them.

"I can't believe this," Superboy spoke up, grumbling. "They've only been living in here five minutes and it's already a mess."

"You're sure they went to Infinity Island?" Miss Martian asked Nightwing.

"Duh."

Nightwing ignored Siren's interruption, answering anyway. "The one place we very specifically told them not to go? Yup."

Wait...oh, you've got to be kidding me.

"Well, what goes around comes around," Miss M chuckled as Siren ran a hand down her face.

Nightwing wasn't catching on though. "What's that supposed to mean?" he questioned.

"Uh, 'Cadmus' ring any bells?"

Nightwing and Siren let out a groan at the same time. "Man, I hate being the grown-up," the former whined.

"Speak for yourself," Siren shot back, her amused grin luckily hidden since her back was to him. "You weren't the one who had to lead your asses for six more years."

She couldn't explain it. One second, she couldn't stand to even look at Nightwing. Another, she was teasing him just like nothing ever happened. But, as her smile dropped to a frown, she remembered that nothing could ever make her forget.

~/~/~/~

Infinity Island

August 06, 00:55 ECT

Siren bit back a shudder as her small squad crept through the woods, just along the edges of the looming fortress that made up Infinity Island. She had her fair share of going up against the League of Shadows throughout the years, but she preferred to not have another encounter that night.

Although...something felt off. Siren suspected that the kids were already there, but the silence that hung in the air as she slipped into the fortress wasn't right.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

"You know, I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that you have trackers on the three of them," Siren hissed at Nightwing through the mental link.

It's why he was the one leading the squad. The place was so huge, they wouldn't have really known where to begin. But Nightwing's GPS was leading them downstairs where the kids were probably locked up. Siren didn't like that.

"What does it matter? I have trackers on everyone," Nightwing protested.

"Yeah, but it's consensual. I doubt you asked them if you could have tabs on them the whole time."

"How is this any different from the time you put a tracker on Red-"

Superboy quickly cut the bickering off. "Can we focus? Once we find them, we're going to need a way out without raising alarm," he pointed out to draw their attention back to the matter at hand.

"Already on it." As he led them down some stairs, Nightwing switched to a different screen and got to work while on the move. The second they reached a set of heavy, metal doors, the power went out. "We're clear. SB?"

At the silent request, Superboy pried the doors open without breaking a sweat, exposing a small prison with two human teenagers, a bug from New Genesis, and a sentient sphere.

"This is why you don't go in unprepared," Nightwing scolded Brion specifically as the adults rushed in. "Now, hold still."

While he and Miss Martian got to work on removing the control chips on the back of Brion's and Forager's necks, Siren dropped to her knees beside Halo.

"Are you okay? Any damage?" she asked warily.

Halo subconsciously rubbed her neck. "N- no. I am okay."

Sensing there was more to the story, Siren decided it could wait until they were all safely back aboard the Bio-Ship. So instead, she rose to her feet and offered a hand to the girl. She and Tigress both wrapped an arm around her when she stumbled.

"You gotta figure the Shadows are on their way," Tigress pointed out with a grunt as they helped Halo walk.

"Then let's move!" Miss Martian urged.

The group booked it back out into the hallway and up the stairs. There was no time to waste if they wanted to get out before they had a whole army of assassins on their heads.

They rounded a corner, coming up to an intersection where another set of doors lay. They had passed them after they got in through a side entrance, but Siren decided she had to think fast.

"Superboy, get us through. There's no time to be sneaky," she called over to her half-Kyrptonian friend.

Superboy went ahead, kicking the door clean off its hinges. But everyone paused their race out into the courtyard when they saw what greeted them.

Sensei, Ubu, and an unknown red-hooded ninja were waiting in the center of the courtyard.

For a moment, no one spoke. The only sound came from Brion who growled accompanied by the sound of his skin sizzling.

Finally, Nightwing spoke up, "We just wanna leave."

"Your trespass must be punished," Sensei countered, his face wrinkled in a deep scowl.

Siren slowly reached to her thigh, matching his expression. Not a chance.

"Wrong answer," Superboy agreed with her silent opinion.

Then it was like a starting pistol went off in everyone's heads.

Siren moved, letting out an ear-splitting scream. Although she suspected it wouldn't do much against trained assassins, they still pulled back, giving the rest of her team a chance to push forward. After all, even though the team greatly outnumbered them, Sensei's skill and the Apocalyptic tech Ubu wore were certainly going to even those odds.

After dodging a blast from Black Lighting, the ninja was on top of Nightwing in an instant. Sword clashed against eskrima sticks as they went head to head. They both struggled to overpower the other for a moment until Nightwing managed to break loose long enough to gain some ground while the ninja quickly pursued.

"M'gann!"

Siren spun to find Miss Martian had collapsed due to the proximity of Broom's rage literally bubbling over. Then a sharp cry from Nightwing sounded as he was kicked down by the ninja.

Siren scowled. Two friends needed her help, but she was unfortunate in being unable to clone herself. However, once she spotted Halo quickly rushing to Miss M's side, she knew what battle she had to pick.

So that was when Siren jumped into the fight. It was admittedly a bit harder to fight with merely her fists, so with a toss of her garrote, she had snared the ninja's weapon and yanked it free from his grasp. Then, she was on a more level playing field. The hooded ninja adapted to the new change quickly, getting up close and personal with Siren by sending open-handed blows which she would block and retaliate with her own fists.

Catching a glimpse of something in her peripheral, she shifted to the right just as Nightwing swung down on the ninja with his eskrima sticks. The ninja flipped backward, grabbing his sword again in the process.

"Enough."

Just like that, the ninja stilled. He dropped his sword arm to his side as he straightened back up. But neither Siren nor Nightwing had any intention to get the upper hand because they were too busy looking at the owner of the new voice.

"Well, young man. Are you proud of this little debacle?" Ra's al Ghul stepped out of the shadows where he had been clearly watching, eyes trained on the former Boy Wonder. "I believe the detective will be quite disappointed."

Nightwing said nothing, but his quiet groan was enough to tell that Ra's had gotten him right where he wanted him.

"I assume you came to recover these children?" Ra's continued, glancing over at Brion, Halo, and Forager. "Take them and go."

Don't have to tell me twice. Though Siren remained where she stood, not interested in being the first to move.

Neither was Brion. "Not without my sister: Tara Markov. We know the League of Shadows has her!"

"Stay your tongue when addressing the Demon's Head," Sensei snapped at him, leveling his sword at the rock-covered boy.

"It is fine, Sensei," Ra's assured, turning to the prince himself. "Boy, the Shadows may indeed have your sister, but I am no longer head of the Shadows. As you can see, there are no Shadows here."

That admittedly was something that hadn't sat right with Siren. An entire island and only three people came to prevent their escape? Now it made more sense. They were...short-staffed.

Ra's added to Siren's surprise even further. "In fact, I'm no longer part of the Light."

"He lies."

Nightwing turned to Brion. "Ra's al Ghul is many things, but a liar isn't one of them." At that, Brion cooled down, looking troubled.

Siren always hated to admit it, but it was true. At least the great Demon Head had some morals left after being alive for several centuries. Albeit being very few and far between.

Tigress stepped toward the man. "Would the Great One care to reveal who is running the Shadows now?"

Ra's chuckled darkly. "No, he would not."

Tigress had to check anyway. "It's not my dad, is it?"

"No."

Tigress matched his sarcastic chuckle. "My sister?"

But Ra's patience was running thin. "Get out," he ordered.

And that's our cue. Siren finally moved, supporting Miss Martian's weight while she continued to recover.

"Can you still call the Bio-Ship?" she asked her friend.

Miss M slowly nodded, her eyes flashing green seconds before the Bio-Ship landed in the courtyard. Then Siren helped Miss Martian walk up, each step getting stronger than the last until she could walk on her own to take her seat in the pilot's seat.

One by one, everyone else got on board, and then they were off, leaving while they still could.

After some time, once he was wearing clothes again—some of Superboy's spares—Brion stood in front of everyone, looking shameful. "I apologize. I know this mess was all my fault."

"It happens," Superboy admitted. "Once upon a time, I had to rescue Robin, Siren, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, too." Hey now.

Halo looked at Siren, confused. "Who?"

Siren made a face, opening her mouth to speak but Forager beat her to it. "Forager met Kid Flash."

"That was a different Kid-"

Before the comment could continue to strike a nerve, Nightwing let out a sigh when he met Siren's softened gaze, deciding there was no use in correcting him. "Never mind."

He turned to Brion instead. "Let's make one thing clear. We are not happy," he said, crossing his arms. "You stole Sphere, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered your lives. You will not be doing this again."

Siren rolled her eyes, leaning back in her seat. It's like I'm sixteen all over again.

Although he knew he messed up, Brion still didn't want to fully back down. "I know I made mistakes, big mistakes. But please, I need your help. I'm not ready to walk away."

Halo readily stepped forward too. "Neither am I," she said firmly.

Siren fought back a smile.

"Forager rolls with Forager's hive," Forager piped up as well.

Miss Martian turned to him. "Forager, there's still a place for you on the team," she offered.

"Forager has chosen Halo and Brion as Forager's hive...also, Bio-Ship." Forager petted the console in front of him. "Especially Bio-Ship."

"I do not believe any of us would fit inside your team," Brion pointed out.

Halo smiled at Siren. "But we can remain outside together."

There we go. Siren returned the smile, standing to join Nightwing's side. "Good," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"That's the commitment we were lookin' for," Nightwing agreed.

Brion looked hopeful. "Does that mean-"

"Yep, we'll find a way to make it work. To make this work." Finished with the conversation, Nightwing turned to look out over the ocean.

"And, just like that, you're leading another team," Superboy piped up.

Nightwing braced himself on the console with a groan, hanging his head. "Please don't rub it in."

Siren giggled, glancing over at him with a rare smile that was almost reminiscent of years gone by.

"Oh, Halo!" Tigress suddenly added. "We almost forgot...We found out who you are."

Siren perked up. "Right," she said, turning to the girl too. "Your real name is Gabrielle. Gabrielle Daou."

She wasn't sure what to expect in Halo's reaction. Relief maybe? But certainly not a form of hurt.

"No," she answered solemnly. "I'm not Gabrielle ...My name is Violet."

Chapter Text

Star City

September 07, 23:45 PDT

"Got one coming your way."

"Copy, I'll handle it."

Footsteps grew louder as did heavy breathing. The robber who had managed to escape out of the back of the store came around the alley corner, only to be met with a swift punch to the jaw. His head bounced off the brick wall next to him then his body flopped onto the hard ground.

"Nicely done."

Siren dropped down beside Arsenal from where she had been keeping watch. It was nice to have moments when she could let others take charge. Besides, she had a reason to do so for this situation.

"Although I'd be a bit more careful about accidentally killing someone from head trauma rather than leaving them with a concussion," she added dryly, looking down at the unconscious person at their feet.

Arsenal shrugged. "Sorry."

Baby steps. Siren only shook her head, deciding it was good at least that he didn't use his prosthetic arm.

"All clear in here," came from their comms.

Siren bent down to scoop up the bag that was heavy with expensive pieces of rocks. "We're coming back in, Ban," she answered, starting to walk back around to the entrance.

"So I have to be the one to lug this guy back?"

Siren smirked back at Arsenal. "You're the one who knocked him out," she pointed out, rounding the corner.

Once all robbers were tied up and all stolen jewelry returned inside the store, the trio took off once the police cars rolled up to the curb.

"Good job with your communication this week." Siren addressed Arsenal more than she did Banshee. After all, she did this for him.

"All in all, I like the progress I'm seeing," she continued to praise. "Especially since I know you've helped out Nightwing with some trafficking busts too."

Arsenal still didn't really take compliments all that well as he awkwardly shifted his stance on the rooftop. "Thanks."

Siren could admit when she was wrong. And the way she left things with him two years ago, before he dipped with the kids from the Taos STAR Labs, she hadn't been happy with. That moment couldn't have come at a worse time with the way her mental health had been fraying up until she finally accepted that she had to step down. So when she saw Arsenal again, spotting him in Star City, the first thing she did was apologize.

The second thing was to offer—legitimately offer—to work with him. Train him on her own as she would have if the both of them were still on the team. No strings attached, just wanting to help him regain some skills he lost after those years on ice. He accepted.

It wasn't until later that the two of them ran into each other while she and Banshee were on patrol one night. She asked Arsenal if he wanted to join them.

Banshee had been a bit apprehensive at first due to the kidnapping of him and the team being Arsenal's fault in the first place. However, upon listening to Siren explain that she wanted to give Arsenal the chance to work as part of a team—even if it was a small one at first—without feeling any pressure, her protégé agreed. And then Banshee eventually warmed up to the guy.

Siren didn't know if Arsenal would ever want to be on a team again, much less the team, but it wasn't even her place to make that call again. So she decided to just enjoy the monthly patrols with her two boys for the time being.

Siren glanced down at her communicator, checking the time. "Alright, I can't spend too much more time out since I have places to be first thing in the morning," she sighed. "But I still have time for a quick stop at the Starlight Diner if either of you is interested. My treat, as usual."

She knew she didn't have to pull Banshee's leg too hard. "I'm down," he said.

The two of them glanced over at the third of their little group. Siren smiled hopefully and even though Arsenal rolled his eyes, she knew it was mostly just for show.

"Fine. Let's go," he relented.

He shook his head at Siren and Banshee's small cheer, following them down the street.

~/~/~/~

Mount Justice

September 08, 11:04 EDT

Jenna always enjoyed the beach. During the times that the Cave was being used as the team's headquarters, she would spend as much time as she could outside, soaking up the sun. Sometimes, she would have company—some more...romantic than others—but most of the time, she used it as a chance to be alone, to unwind from the stress that came from being a leader.

Time is a fucking circle. Although she had an arm slung over her eyes to shield them from the bright sunlight, her subconscious frown wasn't hiding. She cared about the girl who was in her care and her two new companions, but that one night pulled her right back into the clutches of leading right alongside one of her oldest friends. One that knew just how to get under her skin.

But that's your fault, isn't it, Jenna?

Jenna's jaw tightened as she tried to tune out the mocking voice in her head and instead listen to the podcast that Conner had playing on his phone.

"-and I've got the names of some up-and-comers that are sure to be future first-round draft picks. My picks for this year's national high school all-star squadron...topping the list from Henry Heywood High School in Detroit: wide receiver Victor Stone. Trust me this kid's a touchdown machine-"

The one-sided conversation came to an abrupt stop when Conner called out to the kids that were exploring by the tide pools, "Gather up!"

"Aw, I was actually getting interested," Jenna complained, lifting her arm.

She then saw the reason why Conner had paused the episode. The last person they, plus Artemis, were waiting on had arrived.

Artemis ahh'ed. "Someone's come bearing gifts."

That had caught the teenagers' attention and they all went inland to meet Dick halfway. "Super-suits," he declared. "One for you, Violet..."

He tossed the tailor-made suit to her, but rather than catch it, she flinched back and threw up a shield. She then gasped. "Sorry, super-suit, sorry," she apologized to the gray and black outfit complete with a built-in hijab, picking it up and stroking it.

Jenna stood up, stretching her arms up above her head. We need to work on reaction time, I see.

"...And one for you, Brion." As Dick tossed the boy his, he easily caught it.

"Thank you," Violet said happily. "As you have clothing for action, now I do too!"

Brion looked significantly less thrilled than she did, holding out the green suit to inspect it. "And of course, it is form-fitting," he sighed. "As you superheroes seem to prefer."

"Some of us," Conner quickly corrected.

"Hey, I don't wear a super suit," Jenna protested.

Conner sent her a look. "Says the woman who wears fishnets and a leotard."

Jenna stuck out her tongue childishly.

"Yours was specially designed by Fire of the Justice League so it won't burn up from your lava," Dick explained to the banished prince. "Now you won't be naked in training."

Jenna raised her gaze to the bright blue sky. Thank god. And God.

She almost could have sworn she saw Brion glance over at Violet before letting out a nervous chuckle. Huh. "Thank you," he said. "Naked was, uh, not my style."

"What is wrong with naked? Forager is naked now."

Jenna's gaze slowly returned to the atmosphere, vaguely wondering if a bolt of lightning could finally catch up to her and strike her down.

"Can I pretend I don't know that?" Artemis muttered to her.

"Already doing it," Jenna mumbled back.

Forager took note of their varying degrees of discomfort and sighed. "Fine." He shoved his helmet back onto his head. "Now Forager is not naked."

Suddenly, Brion perked up. As much as one would consider perking up when it came from him. "W- wait. Did you say training?" he said eagerly.

Taking that as her cue, Jenna stepped forward, putting her hands on her hips. "Yes. We figured it was well past time for the three of you to get some official training," she explained. "And since the three of you want to stick together, I'm not letting a team go without learning to work as a unit on my watch."

"Your watch?" Violet asked, brow furrowing. "Is this what you do with...Arsenal and Banshee?"

The thing about Violet living with Jenna meant that the grown woman wasn't exactly able to go to and from her home whenever she pleased. She certainly trusted Violet, but as long as a teenager was under her care, Jenna wasn't going to neglect her.

So patrols had been kind of weird for a month. Luckily, Jenna wasn't the only hero in Star City, so her services weren't absolutely vital to the safety of its citizens. Plus, having a protégé who she had been working with for three years helped split up her time between patrols significantly.

Maybe once she gets more training, I can start introducing her to the 'nightlife'. Only if she tells me she's ready though.

"Jenna was the team's trainer for several years," Dick piped up.

Jenna could feel him automatically go to rest a hand on her shoulder before he froze and let his arm drop again. She tried not to show a reaction in front of the teens.

Dick clearly didn't either so he plowed on ahead. "So while we're all going to work with each of you individually, Jen's one of the best so she'll be taking the lead today."

Wouldn't be the first time. "First of all," Jenna continued, jerking her head in a random direction, "Violet, Brion, go find a place to change. Then we'll get started."

As the two human teenagers walked off in opposite directions to suit up, the adults set out to prepare for training. Jenna walked a few paces away where some sticks were laying around. She grabbed two, tossing one at Dick. "Help me out with this," she requested.

She wanted to draw a circle in the sand as a way to test out environmental awareness. It's not the combat simulator like we had in the Cave...but it'll do. Jenna purposefully kept her back to the collapsed mountain so her heart wouldn't hurt as much.

Dick must have noticed her small frown as they worked on their respective halves. "You okay?"

Jenna met his concerned gaze. She surprisingly appreciated it, but...all she could think of was that night.

"But what do you mean that Mount Justice is gone?"

"I mean...it blew up. Kaldur blew it up."

Looking back at it now, I can almost understand why he had to do it. But I had to go through all of that and more because the two of them refused to tell me.

Jenna knew her expression was leaning more toward pained than annoyed. "Yeah," she said softly. "Just...I miss this place."

Dick looked guilty. "Jen, I'm-"

Jenna's attention was pulled away when Brion and Violet returned. She let the stick fall as she left Dick to go join the rest.

"Let's start with maneuvers. The team uses them, and I want you to as well," Jenna began. "It's important to have a simple call out for a few reasons. One, so that you and your teammates know what to do without trying to take time explaining your idea. And two, so that the enemy isn't aware of your next move and able to counteract."

She scanned her friends briefly. "Artemis, Conner, help me out here," she requested.

After she showed them what she needed the two of them to do, she turned back to the remaining onlookers. "One we use nearly all the time is 'maneuver seven'. Whichever teammate is closest, call out their name and the maneuver. They will sprint a few paces ahead of you so they have time to plant their feet and lace their fingers together to give you a foothold. Then, they'll launch you into the air so you have an angle to attack, altitude to grab something or reach another level, and more."

"For example..." Jenna glanced over at Artemis who gave her a nod to signify she was ready. "Tigress, maneuver seven!"

As she ran in Conner's direction, Artemis ran ahead, spinning on her heel to widen her stance and lace her fingers together. Jenna kept moving, planting her foot into the makeshift stirrup. Artemis launched her into the air where she flipped until she was falling head first.

Conner, who had been waiting, braced himself seconds before Jenna's hands reached behind her head to grab his neck. After she flipped her body over his head and her feet found purchase in the sand behind him, she threw her weight forward, tossing Conner over her shoulder and into the ground at her feet.

Being half-Kryptonian meant any injury would hardly affect him, but as he made it back to his feet, he still grumbled when he met Jenna's smug look.

"Just like old times," she reminisced, laughing as she was playfully shoved off to the side.

When the two of them returned to the group, pointed to each of them as she gave instructions. "Let's do some test runs. Just work on finding the right angle to hit the target, got it?"

At the nods, she clapped her hands together. "Let's see what you've got!"

~/~/~/~

"Alright!" Jenna called out with a clap of her hands after the sun had dipped lower in the sky. "Pair up. Since we've had time to run through some drills, let's get a general idea of where you are in various combat scenarios. Forager, you're with Dick, Violet, with Artemis, and Brion, with Conner."

Then they all split off into their own little bubbles, with Jenna flitting in between to analyze the kids they were training.

Oddly enough, Brion and Violet reminded her a lot of M'gann and Conner when they were all still teenagers. Violet was extremely eager to please. Although she was also determined to fight well, just as M'gann was, Jenna knew that too much eagerness could also turn into a need to prove oneself, something she wanted to make sure wouldn't be a problem.

And of course, Brion was a hot head, just like Jenna's Kryptonian friend once was. But she saw the improvement Conner displayed through the years of working with the Lance sisters, and just maturing in general, so she knew that Brion could learn the same through Conner's mentoring.

Forager...she didn't know what to think of him yet. There was a similarity between him and Violet in learning about the world around them. Although Violet's was due to extreme amnesia, at least they had each other in a way. But nonetheless, Forager was clever in combat. Which he easily demonstrated in his practice with Dick.

Jenna stood outside the line with her arms crossed while she watched Dick and Forager spar. As Forager rushed at Dick, the former Boy Wonder was quicker, flipping over him and grabbing his ankle with the beach towel in hand. Forager lost his footing, falling flat on his face outside the circle.

"You're quick, but mind the line," Dick advised him. "This will teach you to be aware of your surroundings in combat."

Forager stood back up, humming. "Forager understands. Forager will try again."

He charged again, only for Dick to easily roll past him. As the man raised the towel again, lashing out at the bug, Forager caught it with one of his shorter arms and tossed a handful of sand in Dick's face with a longer one.

Dick hissed and recoiled as the granules got in his eyes. Jenna watched in amusement as he turned away to try and wipe the sand out of his eyes, not noticing Forager winding up the towel. He whipped the makeshift weapon out, smacking Dick's butt.

Dick yelped in pain, his body lurching forward subconsciously. Unfortunately, that made him step over the line. He blinked a few times until he could see again, squinting up at a chuckling Jenna.

He scowled at her, but she didn't take it seriously. "What're you laughing at?" he mumbled.

Jenna's grin widened. "That your greatest ass-et has become your downfall."

Dick straightened up, opening his mouth to retaliate, but Forager came up to his shoulder. "Dick Grayson is quick, but mind the short arms," the bug advised. "This will teach Dick Grayson that Forager fights dirty."

Jenna rested a hand on his shoulder. "It pays well to fight dirty from time to time. Use what you can to your advantage. Well done."

Forager clicked. "Forager thanks Jenna Lance."

Jenna smiled, patting his shoulder before walking off to check on Artemis and Violet.

By the time she got over there—passing by Brion who was trying to land a firey hit on Conner—Violet tried firing at a target, only to just barely miss and fall out of the air in the process.

Artemis ran over to offer a hand up. "Nice," she praised.

"B- but I missed," Violet pointed out, clutching her sore arm. "And I fell."

"Aim takes time to learn, and falling is part of the game," Artemis pointed out.

Jenna laughed. "I can't tell you how many times I got thrown back by my own scream when it first woke up," she recalled before resting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "But you've been gaining more control over your auras every time you use them. Being able to switch on the fly is the most important part of the process. And that's a win in my book."

She matched Violet's hopeful smile, glancing over her body to judge her energy. From the slight sag of her shoulders, it was easy to tell the teenager was getting tired.

"Let's stop there for now," she decided. "Brion and Conner are nearly done anyway."

The girls rejoined the others, watching as Brion still worked to impact his moving target. Conner swiveled his hips to dodge one splash of lava, smirking as it sailed past. But Jenna's eyes zeroed in on his burning tank top with a raised brow.

"Now you just have to hit me," Conner told Brion, oblivious to his current predicament.

"Uh, Con?" Jenna called out, pointing at his chest with a grin.

Conner looked down, eyes widening when he realized he was on fire. He quickly whipped the shirt off his head and tossed it into the sand, stomping on it to put out the fire.

"Perhaps I only hit you by accident," Brion started, "but at least I'm not naked this time. You should get one of these." He curled his gloved hand into a fist with a grin.

Jenna snorted. "That'll be the day."

Dick had wandered over to their belongings that were stashed off to the side and returned with another black tank in hand. He tossed it at their friend while clearing his throat.

"Got you covered, CK," he said, holding back a laugh. "As usual."

He turned to the kids. "Guys, real improvement today. You're ready for the next step."

Jenna glanced out over the ocean to watch the sun set below the horizon. "For now, it's time for a break. And a treat, since you've all earned it."

That treat had been s'mores. Once a small fire pit was set up and crackling with life, everyone dug into cooking their marshmallows, holding some casual conversation in the process.

"It's hard to believe I'm here, training with heroes," Brion was admitting. "As children, my sister, brother, and I would pretend to be Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman in our playroom. I used to say Superman could beat anyone because of his powers. Gregor argued Batman could beat Superman by outsmarting him."

"That's stupid."

Jenna paused from pulling apart pieces of her gooey marshmallow to look at Conner with wide eyes.

He looked at his friends' surprised expressions. "Why would they ever fight?"

Jenna scoffed, popping a glob of her sugary treat into her mouth.

Artemis hummed sarcastically. "If they were being controlled by bad guys?"

"Nah, that could never happen," Dick said with a knowing wink.

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Not anymore...hopefully," she mumbled.

Brion chuckled. "It was just fun to think about. Man versus Superman. Who would win?"

Through a mouthful of banana peel, Forager spoke, "In Forager's hive, there is a similar question. Bugs versus New Gods. Who would win?"

"Man and Superman. Bugs and New Gods. Balance is key for both species to coexist," Dick pointed out. "But when balance is lost, when one species grows stronger than another, it rarely works out well for the weaker group."

He looked into the fire, a thoughtful furrow on his brow. "Fifty thousand years ago, humans shared the world with another species: the Neanderthal. Humans must've had a genetic advantage over them; they thrived and outgrew Neanderthals in number," he explained. "While the details are unclear, Homo neanderthalensis was driven to extinction, while Homo sapiens survived. Then, whether through random mutation, evolution, or something else entirely, a new species of human emerged...the first meta-human. Now, humans share the world with metas. And we find ourselves grappling with the big question: Can we all achieve balance?"

Jenna ate the rest of the marshmallow to hide the unhappy look on her face. It was honestly ridiculous how the opinion of super-powered humans could change so quickly.

There had always been people who hated the thought of some human being 'overpowered', but it really wasn't until the discovery of an actual gene that determined whether or not someone would have such powers that caused hate groups to rise up. As she got to learn about herself and her entire existence more over the last couple of years, understanding who she was and how she came to be, it was upsetting to see so many kids be trafficked to suit other people's malicious goals.

And knowing there were so many people that she knew personally that could face that same fate worried her. Even those who didn't show signs. When the possibility to be tested for the meta-gene started going around, Jenna had asked Sam if that was something he'd want to know, even if it was just due to curiosity. But he said that his parents appeared as normal as they could be so he didn't see the point. Yet that didn't mean he wouldn't be at risk if traffickers thought that he would be a potential asset. Thank god he knows self-defense.

But as for balance between meta-humans and other humans? Maybe, once upon a time, Jenna could have thought it possible. Except the past two years changed a lot. 

~/~/~/~

The sun had been set for a long time by the time they moved on to the next part of the day. One less action-filled, but important nonetheless. Probably the most important thing.

If only Dick would speed this part up... Jenna rolled her eyes as her friend began to babble.

"The Art of War says, 'Oh divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you, we learn to be invisible.' Tonight, you'll choose a word that will help you become invisible to our enemies. Tonight, you choose your cryptonym. Your...nom de guerre."

Jenna swatted his arm with a scowl. "Knock it off."

"Yeah...those are Dick's fancy words for code-name," Artemis reiterated to the kids.

Brion laughed. "Ah, yes, our...superhero names."

"It sounds a little silly," Conner admitted. "But you need one for our field comms to keep your identity secret from the bad guys."

Violet perked up. "I'm Halo! It was the first name you gave me, and I like it," she said. "I'm Violet at home, I'm Halo during a mission. Halo."

"Halo is a beautiful name and describes your powers well," Brion agreed with a soft smile. "I will take a name that describes my powers, too. From now on, call me"—he struck a dramatic pose—"Hot Lava."

Jenna, Dick, and Artemis burst out laughing.

"What?" Brion said with a pretend pout. "In my new form-fitting super-suit, I bring the hotness, do I not? Hot Lava!"

Artemis settled down. "I'm not calling you Hot Lava."

"Agreed," Conner quickly piped up.

Brion's laughter tapered off. "All right, all right. Seriously, then." The amusement died on his face. "Doctor Jace had a name for the powers in my bloodline. She called it a...geo-force."

"Better," Jenna sighed.

"Geo-Force. That's a bit less of a stripper name," Artemis hummed.

Dick grinned at her. "Says the girl named Tigress," he said, turning back to the teenagers and playfully purring while forming claws with his fingers.

Artemis swiftly punched his ribs, causing him to cry out in pain. "Says the guy who took his name from an eighties mullet-rock band," she mocked as he rubbed his bruised side.

Dick laughed sarcastically, glaring at the archer. "Not true."

Jenna let out a short laugh. "You sure? Because I was there when you picked it out," she jabbed.

"Oh-kay," Conner butted in. "Forager, what's your code name?"

"Um, Forager is...Forager."

Well... "If it ain't broke," Artemis said with a shrug.

Jenna nodded. "Now that's over with, let's run through some maneuvers again. I'm going to throw them out so think fast."

Forager quickly darted down the beach first. Geo-Force bowed slightly, offering a hand to Halo. "Miss Halo..."

Halo giggled, causing a smile to grow on Jenna's face. "Thank you, Mister Geo-Force." She activated her orange aura to fly up into the air.

As Geo-Force followed, sinking into the ground, Jenna raised her voice to be heard, "Maneuver seven!"

She worked through several rounds of maneuvers with them until she was satisfied. Besides that, it was getting late. Owning a business was great for flexibility, but still required her undivided attention most days. If she was going to be functional in the morning, she agreed with her friends when they decided that they had done enough for the day.

"All right, everyone. Excellent work," Dick praised the teens once they finished training. "You guys made real progress today. Mastering your own abilities and working in concert with each other."

"Plus the fact you've chosen to stay together," Conner added, "train together, fight the good fight at each other's sides and, well, I- I, uh-" He stammered to a halt, rubbing the back of his neck.

Artemis laughed. "Careful," she teased. "You almost sounded like Big Blue."

Quite the change from almost ten years ago. "Aw, it was sweet though," Jenna assured, nudging his side with a giggle. "Now, who wants more s'mores before we go home?"

Halo bounced on her toes, her hands flying up to each side of her face. "S'mores? I love s'mores!" she said gleefully.

Jenna's smile wiped away when she began to glow green, several copies of Halo surrounding them, much like Doctor Ecks's power. She blinked at the girl who looked around with shock.

"Holograms?" Artemis muttered in concern.

"Uh, that's new," Conner said.

Dick placed his hands on his hips. "All right, everyone, uh..." His confident posture sagged. "We're starting over."

Jenna sighed. "Maybe tomorrow. For now, you've had a busy day. Go get some rest."

Following her own instructions, after Violet, Jenna, and Artemis had returned to Star City, and the two former bid farewell to the latter, Jenna was happy to step foot into her apartment again.

As Violet prepared for bed—becoming more and more comfortable in Jenna's home for which the older woman was glad—Jenna refilled her cat's food bowl. She bent down, scratching between Amp's ears as he rubbed against her calf. Someone missed me.

Jenna glanced back at the couch where Violet had paused, examining her hands. Jenna leaned a hip against the counter, crossing her arms as she examined the girl. I've never seen a meta-human with so many different abilities. Sure, two years is nowhere near enough time to get a grasp on what the meta-gene is, but...Violet is so different. And we still know so little.

"Don't worry about today, Violet," Jenna finally spoke, making the girl look up at her. "This is by no means a setback in helping you get a grasp on your powers."

She crossed over into the living room to stand in front of the girl. "I'll do anything I can to help you gain more confidence, and if we find out more powers, then we'll just take them in stride," she assured.

Violet's brow softened. "There is still so much that I do not know," she admitted. "But thank you."

Jenna reached down, helping her extend the rest of the pull-out couch. "That's just part of the gig sometimes," she said with a shrug. "Learning as we go is nothing new, trust me."

Once she was sure Violet was settled in for the night, she retired to her own bedroom with Amp following close behind.

Soon after Jenna had prepared herself for bed, she happily snuggled into the covers, fully intent on getting some decent sleep for once. But as soon as she closed her eyes, her mind began to reel.

Who is Violet?

Chapter Text

Gotham City

September 26, 02:05 EDT

Oracle had her eyes glued to the gigantic screen in front of her, but when two people stepped up beside her, she addressed them. "You're late. What happened?"

Siren let out a humorless laugh. "What didn't happen would be easier to explain."

Nightwing leaned against the console between the two women. "There were...difficulties," he sighed. "Mist, Livewire, and-"

"I know this part," Oracle interrupted. "Skip to the-"

Nightwing cut his girlfriend off. "You want to tell it?" he teased.

Oracle sighed, rolling her head off to the side before glancing his way as a silent go-ahead.

So he continued. "Mist, Livewire, and Shade made their move tonight on STAR Labs Detroit..."

~/~/~/~

Happy Harbor

September 25, 23:43 EDT

"Recognized: Pierce comma Jefferson, G-zero-one."

"Good. We're all here," Dick said once Jeff came into view.

Jeff raised an eyebrow as he scanned the team. "All? Where's Conner?" he asked, noting that one person was missing.

"Mending fences with Megan."

"Didn't know their fence was broken," Jeff inquired.

Artemis shrugged. "It's not so much broken as left unattended for too long," she corrected.

"Ah, right," Jeff mused. "Lynn and I had fence problems...before the divorce."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Alright, Mister Pessimist, not everyone's fences are the same," she pointed out.

Brion stepped forward, annoyance pinching his features. "Must we maintain the"—he threw up air quotes—"'fence' metaphor or can we find out why we've all been summoned?"

Jenna and Dick shared a quick look before the latter rested a hand on the prince's shoulder. "Okay. I need you to maintain your cool," he prefaced. "We've located someone who might have some intel on the League of Shadows."

Brion looked hopeful and relieved. "Meaning we'll finally find my sister? That's wonderful!"

Jenna grimaced as Artemis piped up. "Not so wonderful. The intel would be from my sister."

Violet perked up. "Lian's mother? That's great!"

Despite living with Jenna, Violet would still spend time with Artemis at her and Will's home since Jenna often worked. That, combined with Jenna frequently spending her time with her pseudo-brother and niece, meant Violet got to know the family more. Lian adored her.

"Not so great," Jenna spoke up, glancing at Artemis. "She might not be cooperative."

"Might not be cooperative? That's excellent!"

They all turned to stare at Forager.

He raised his hands in a shrug. "Not so excellent?"

The adults and Brion all spoke in unison, "No."

Forager leaned in to speak to Violet, but Jenna still caught his hushed words. "Forager is good at this game." Oh boy.

"Our understanding is she's wounded, a cornered animal," Artemis continued. "That makes her dangerous."

Brion was getting impatient. "Are we going or not?" he asked.

Jenna turned to him. "Depends on how fast you can suit up," she said.

Time to see how quickly these kids can move on a deadline.

~/~/~/~

Detroit

September 26, 00:56 EDT

Since Cheshire was known for ducking out at any given time, Nightwing and Siren's team had to hurry. Any sort of escape plan had to be cut off. And since her location was a hangar, that meant taking care of a whole-ass plane. Easier than it sounded with a hero who could manipulate the ground into lava.

Tigress had split off from the team to go handle her sister inside the plane. Siren would have been more than happy to confront her as well, considering she had a few choice words she wanted to tell her brother's spouse, but Tigress would have it under control.

Siren and Nightwing rounded to one side of the plane after Geo-Force ensured it was grounded, only to be cut off by a random girl. Well, not so random.

This must be Mist. Siren knew from Oracle's intel that a few meta-criminals had broken into and stolen an item from STAR Labs. They had nearly been apprehended, but Cheshire jumped in to help them escape. At the cost of being shot in the shoulder, which explained her injury.

Siren had expected that the three of them—Mist, Livewire, and Shade—would stick around. Perhaps against their will.

Nightwing began to strike at the girl while Siren rounded on her, but she, well, turned into mist. Meaning neither of them could touch her.

"Wearing yourself out?" Mist taunted as Nightwing continued to swipe his escrima sticks through what was usually the girl's body.

"It's a two-way street, kid," he reminded her. "I can't touch you. But you can't touch-"

"Wing!" Siren barked out, noticing he had closed his eyes briefly.

It was a stupid mistake. Because Mist had seen it too and solidified her hand enough to punch him in the gut.

Siren lunged forward to grab her fist while it was still solid and yanked it away. It didn't do much, but it at least grabbed the girl's attention. Unfortunately, that meant her other first swung out and made contact with Siren's jaw, sending her to the ground with a grunt.

Before she had a chance to raise back up, the same pair of hands closed around her throat and squeezed.

Shit! Siren began to choke, unable to throw her opponent off when she couldn't get a solid grasp. No pun intended.

"Sorry! Really don't want to do this..." she could hear Mist say.

Any day now, Wing! The seconds felt like hours as Siren's airway was being restricted. Mist continued to half-heartedly apologize, leaving a tiny thought bubble in Siren's brain, but as her mind began to go dark, she quickly lost hold of it.

Until Mist let out a gasp of pain, immediately loosening her grip around Siren's throat. "Ow! That hurts!"

Siren's eyes fluttered open to see the girl standing over her, her body in a frozen state. Nightwing was kneeling by her side, with a small container with some sort of freezing compound in his hand, so she slammed a fist into his torso. He yelped in pain.

"Way to take your time," she wheezed before letting the tension in her body fade as she lay against the concrete ground for one more moment.

Then the moment was ruined. "We're not done yet," Nightwing reminded her as he nudged her leg.

Siren opened her eyes again with a sigh. "Yep."

She willingly accepted Nightwing's offer to help her up, moving out from under Mist and stumbling to her feet as the blood rushed back into her brain. A solid hand grabbed her hip as she rubbed the tender flesh of her neck.

"Geo-Force! Return him now!"

While Nightwing pulled Siren along, checking on their teammates and how they were faring, Halo and Shade were having a stand-off. Halo looked furious as her teammate in question was nowhere to be seen.

"Mmm, no," Shade decided, probably smirking if his mouth would have been visible. "I think we'll just keep him bottled for a while. Or forever."

Halo went rigid. "Bring him back! You have to bring him back!"

A sudden light pierced every shadow in the room as a pale blue aura emanated from her body. It was so strong that Siren had to hold a hand out over her eyes so she wouldn't be blinded.

Shade threw up a shadow to shield himself, but even it wasn't enough as the light began to pierce through. And since light and dark didn't mix, Halo's new power began to burn him. He screamed in pain as pale blue flames licked along his body when he collapsed. With no other choice, he sank into the shadows. Then a short second later, Geo-Force flew out from that same shadow, alive and in one piece.

As Halo's power died down and she ran to embrace the prince, Siren watched her with a troubled expression on her face. Just how many abilities does this girl have? And how many more are we going to find?

Just then, Tigress radioed in. "Nightwing, Siren. Cheshire and Shade escaped, but I have Doctor Moon and the League of Shadows intel."

The two adults shared a look, knowing the night wasn't over yet.

~/~/~/~

"Catch."

Barely glancing his way, Siren caught the frozen bag of peas that Nightwing had grabbed from the freezer. "Thanks," she said, wincing when her throat ached from use.

She grabbed her discarded jacket from the kitchen table with one hand as she pressed the cold pack up against the bruises on her neck. She walked out of the kitchen, turning down the hall toward the BatCave's secret entrance. The moment she stepped out of the doorway though, Nightwing grabbed her shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want to just stay up here to recuperate?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

Siren fought back an eye roll. "I'll be fine."

That didn't reassure him that much. "You know that he's here, right?"

Siren's expression darkened. "I know how to be professional, Dick," she all but snapped.

She heard him groan quietly as he followed her down the hall. "That's not what I meant, Jen," he said exasperatedly. "It's been two years. Are you sure you're ready to be in the same room again?"

Siren did pause, staring at the ground with a frown. Do I have a choice?

She looked up at Nightwing with a mild glare though. "Don't act like you weren't involved either. Yet I've been helping you with the kids constantly," she reminded with a steady tone.

She turned back to the entrance. "I'm a big girl, Grayson. Don't worry about me."

As much as she wanted to act like she was unbothered, actions tended to speak louder than words. Which is why it took everything in her to not freeze when the large cave came into view. To not lose her breath when she laid eyes on the tall man standing on one side of the room.

Fuck.

Kaldur was as handsome as ever. The role of Aquaman suited him...much more than being Black Manta's right-hand ever would have. And being co-leader of the Justice League only aided a little in growing the constant, commanding aura that he exuded.

Stop it.

Siren wasn't sure which side of her mind said that: the one that was still hurt after everything or the one that still...

Her jaw tightened as she followed Nightwing to the computers.

Oracle had her eyes glued to the gigantic screen in front of her, but when they stepped up beside her, she addressed them. "You're late. What happened?"

Siren let out a humorless laugh. "What didn't happen would be easier to explain."

Nightwing leaned against the console between the two women. "There were...difficulties," he sighed. "Mist, Livewire, and-"

"I know this part," Oracle interrupted. "Skip to the-"

Nightwing cut his girlfriend off. "You want to tell it?" he teased.

Oracle sighed, rolling her head off to the side before glancing his way as a silent go-ahead.

So he continued. "Mist, Livewire, and Shade made their move tonight on STAR Labs Detroit..."

As he began to recount that night's events to Batman, Oracle, and Aquaman, Siren felt another pair of eyes on her. Or rather, felt a physical presence nudge its way into her mind.

"You okay?"

Siren looked over at Miss Martian who stood next to Aquaman. Luckily, no one—especially him—was paying attention to the two women's silent conversation so Siren was a little more inclined to show her true feelings underneath.

"No." The single word was heavy with exhaustion. And maybe a little weakness. "I thought I would be fine. I demanded to be part of this and I wasn't about to let myself be out of the loop again. But..."

She glanced over at Aquaman briefly as she adjusted the homemade ice pack against her throat. Goddammit, Kaldur.

"You miss him?"

Siren ducked her head subtly, keeping her eyes glued to her boots. She didn't say anything, but she knew the silence was enough for Miss M to understand.

What was she supposed to say? No, because the man that she fell in love with and was committed to for four years didn't make her heart race anymore? That she didn't still cry herself to sleep some nights because she felt so alone in her bed, but that every time she remembered what he did, her blood would start to boil?

That she wished she could hate him just so she could move on...but, clearly, her heart had other plans?

Siren slumped further against the console behind her, leaning heavily on one hand. The numbness settling in her other fingers was almost welcomed.

"And although Cheshire and Shade managed to escape, we found out where the League of Shadows now operates out of," Nightwing finished.

"Good ol' Santa Prisca," Siren mumbled to herself. Why is it always there? And after last time...

Nearly silent footsteps came up behind Batman as Robin seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Without looking back, the Dark Knight spoke, "You're late. Report."

"R- right," the Boy Wonder said, resting his hands behind his back. "So, per your orders, and since his release from Arkham six months ago, I've been keeping occasional tabs on Jervis Tetch aka The Mad Hatter. Two weeks ago, I brought along my squad: Spoiler, Arrowette, and Orphan..."

Siren's lips were in a thin line as she listened to his recount of that night.

~8~8~8~

The squad had been tailing Tetch for a while. Being out of Arkham, and on parole, he was heading to his night job as expected. Except something was fishy about the way he was acting.

He was drinking lots of water, and fast. Too much for one ordinary human being. Robin and Spoiler had picked up on it first, noting the clay backwash in a bottle left behind. They needed to find a way to be certain, but unfortunately, Orphan had beaten them to it.

By the time Robin, Spoiler, and Arrowette had caught up with her, she had sliced Tetch right down the middle. Then the two halves had reformed to reveal Clayface as suspected. Either Orphan already knew, or she just didn't care.

Either way, Clayface wasn't happy about it. But as the squad fought against the creature, they noticed something odd. Clayface and Tetch weren't particularly known to be buddies, so it wasn't hard to put two and two together to realize Tetch was probably controlling him.

Spoiler had decided that they needed to abandon the fight to go hunt down Tetch who was clearly not where he was supposed to be. But Clayface, who definitely seemed to be under Tetch's control at that point, had fled to protect his controller. Although thanks to Spoiler, they knew exactly where to find Tetch since she tossed a liquid tracker on Clayface.

That tracker led them straight to the docks and one warehouse in particular. After busting down the doors of the said warehouse, Tetch, who was inside with Clayface, fled with an unknown man.

Spoiler took off in pursuit of them while Arrowette and Orphan ran interference with Clayface. Robin, in the meantime, searched the area for any clues as to what Tetch was even doing in the first place and why Clayface was so bent on protecting him.

However, the search didn't last long as Robin quickly discovered bombs planted up in the rafters. After ordering his squad to get out, he tried to persuade Clayface to do the same, but the creature was so focused on protecting Tetch who had managed to disappear. The warehouse exploded seconds after the squad got out, but knowing Clayface, he was going to be fine, not to mention really angry at Tetch.

~8~8~8~

It was troubling to realize that Clayface was under Tetch's control. Sure, he had been a pain to deal with in the past, but no one should have been forced to do another's bidding.

Siren's ice pack was thawing out against her thigh when Robin finished up his mission report. One person was missing from the group that they were waiting on to finally arrive so the briefing could end. And it seemed Siren wasn't the only impatient one.

"She is late," Aquaman finally spoke up.

Siren had to fight the shiver that threatened to go through her. She withdrew her hand from the ice pack and rested it in her lap with the other one.

"She's calling from halfway across the galaxy," Miss Martian reminded him amusedly. "Give her a minute."

Right on time, a projection of Wonder Woman appeared beside them. "Sorry I'm late. Had to bounce a signal from the Javelin to the Watchtower to you," she quickly explained. "Break it down for me."

Aquaman nodded. "Of course. It began several weeks ago. Two meta-prisoners were loaded on a transport to take them to a secured flight to Belle Reve..."

~8~8~8~

That specific transport was being led by Barry Allen and Billy Batson. Something that they had been doing for some time since there had been so many complications with Belle Reve already. It didn't hurt to have a couple of extra Leaguers in disguise to ensure nothing would go wrong.

Except it did.

They had barely gotten through Star City when Sportsmaster showed up and upturned the transport truck. Abra Kadabra made his appearance while the two Leaguers were distracted to free both Brick and an unknown meta.

They would have gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for two more Leaguers—Rocket and Aquaman—being ready to provide backup. While Rocket had easily ensnared Brick and Aquaman had knocked out Abra Kadabra, Sportsmaster and the remaining meta had managed to flee. Flash had tried to catch up with them, but they somehow disappeared into thin air.

~8~8~8~

Aquaman finished his retelling. "We held on to Brick and captured Abra Kadabra, but-"

"But Sportsmaster got away with the other prisoner," Batman finished, already knowing this part of the story. "Still, over the last few weeks, we've managed to cripple the Branchwater chain of meta-human traffickers."

"Branchwater?" Wonder Woman inquired.

"A so-called 'security firm' owned by a series of shell companies that trace back to Stagg Industries and its majority shareholder, Simon Stagg."

Siren eyed the list that was projected beside the Dark Knight. Security, media, protection, and more. It was almost clever. All under names that didn't even seem to link to each other and probably had no reference to the Stagg Industries either. To an average citizen, it would have been overlooked. But the Bat never did such a thing.

"Branchwater uses different methods, but is easily as bad as Bedlam," Nightwing spoke up. "It's basically a meta-crime covert ops unit that Stagg used for corporate espionage."

Siren's fist tightened against the arm of the chair she had moved to. "Or corporate warfare."

Oracle turned to the League's co-leader. "Diana, we had identified three links in the Branchwater chain: acquisition, coercion, and utilization." She turned back to the computer to provide information while the rest of the group continued to piece it all together.

Aquaman started it off. "Link one: acquisition. Instead of creating new meta-humans as Bedlam did, Sportsmaster liberated existing metas from prisons and transports. Clayface, Livewire, and Mist had all been taken while en route to Belle Reve."

Robin jumped in. "Link two: coercion. Instead of Bedlam's control chips, Branchwater had Mad Hatter inject its newly liberated convicts with nanotech that forced them to follow Branchwater's commands." He shrugged. "Okay, yeah, they're criminals, but they're criminals being victimized by Stagg."

"Clayface, Livewire, and Mist were all discovered to have Hatter's nanotech in their systems," Oracle added.

Siren had to force herself to look over at one man she had been avoiding as he spoke. She couldn't quite bring herself to look any higher than his shoulders. "Which would've been Brick's fate had he also been 'liberated,'" Aquaman said.

"Finally, link three: utilization." Nightwing glanced up at the security feeds playing in front of them. "Cheshire ran missions for Branchwater, using the controlled metas for whatever Stagg wanted or needed."

"Cheshire? Working with Sportsmaster?" Wonder Woman questioned. "I thought she hated her father."

"She does," Siren butted in, crossing her arms. "I doubt Jade knew she was inadvertently working with him. Or vice versa."

"So the end result?"

Robin stepped in. "Well, for starters, no one's being coerced anymore," he said. "I found one of Hatter's control devices before his place blew up and freed Clayface from his control."

Batman was holding up said device. "I used the same device to release Livewire and Mist after Nightwing and Siren's group left the Detroit airfield."

"Clayface, Kadabra, Brick, and Moon are now in Belle Reve cells," the former added.

"And Mist and Livewire?"

Aquaman answered his co-leader. "They are minors, not hardened criminals," he explained. "We believe they are salvageable and are seeking another solution for them both."

Without fully realizing it, Siren mirrored his softened expression in sympathy for the young girls. She hoped that they had a chance to help them before it was too late and two more people were enthralled by a life of crime.

Wonder Woman continued her barrage of questions, trying to get all the information she could considering she was currently stationed in space. "And what about this Stagg?"

"Conner and I took care of him," Miss Martian piped up. "We busted him for receiving stolen property, the Reach device Cheshire's group took from STAR.

"What does this Reach device do? Why did Stagg want it?"

"That's unclear," Oracle admitted. "It was salvaged from a Reach warship downed during the battle against the Warworld. Blue Beetle had previously translated the Reach text on the side of the machine, and all it says is 'Meta-human Failsafe.'"

"We believe Stagg had grown paranoid," Nightwing summed up. "Because he was using metas against others, he feared someone else might use metas against him. He thought the machine would protect him against the 'scary meta-world' he himself was helping to create." He used air quotes to emphasize his point.

Siren didn't hide her scowl. As the only meta in the room, she felt particularly stung by Stagg's decisions. Hearing that phrase, even if it might have been a slight exaggeration to explain where the man might have been coming from, made her stomach turn. We just can't catch a break.

"And it cost him," Oracle said with a smirk. "Because I anonymously forwarded the evidence we gathered to the authorities. And right about now..."

She pressed a button which threw up a news feed in front of everyone. A live recording of one Simon Stagg being put into a cop car was playing.

"Good fucking riddance," Siren spat, leaning forward with her arms pressed into her thighs keeping her balance.

"Nice timing," Miss Martian agreed.

"And where's the Reach device currently?" Wonder Woman asked one last question.

"En route back to Dr. Stone at STAR Labs Detroit," Oracle answered her. "I'm sure he'll be able to figure out its true purpose safely."

"Right now, I'm more concerned about Branchwater's most recent acquisition: Shade," Nightwing changed subjects to talk about their newest problem. "Sportsmaster liberated him, turning him over to Hatter for a nanotech control injection so that he wound up as Cheshire's mind-controlled stooge. Which means he's still subject to her manipulations. Cheshire's not about to free him without significant incentive, but at least Stagg—who was responsible for turning him into a living puppet—is no longer pulling Shade's strings."

Siren absentmindedly tapped her foot in thought. I was hoping we could help him too. He had a reason why he was en route to Belle Reve, but as Robin said, no one should be under another person's control.

"So this is a win?"

Siren's brow furrowed as she looked up at Wonder Woman.

"Largely. What troubles you?" Batman wondered.

"This." Wonder Woman gestured at the group standing in the BatCave. "All of this. Between the eight of us, we're coordinating six teams of heroes, none of whom know we're working together."

Internally, Siren winced. It was something she had questioned when Nightwing brought her up to speed the first time. And it was something that she wondered was right to do even when their little team formed. But still...another part of her felt like what they were doing was necessary.

Does that make me a hypocrite?

Do you even need to ask if it wasn't true?

Luckily the conversation happening around her stopped her inner turmoil for the moment. "It's what we all agreed to, Diana," Batman reminded her. "Taking a page from the Light's own playbook to fight fire with fire."

"We're kind of the 'Anti-Light,'" Robin piped up helpfully.

Siren closed her eyes with a sigh. Dammit, Tim.

"And that's a good thing?" Wonder Woman didn't like that suggestion either. "The opposite of light is darkness. Is that what we represent?"

Robin shrank back. "Um, maybe that was a poor choice of words."

"Or maybe it wasn't. I don't like keeping the other members of the League in the dark." Wonder Woman frowned at Batman as he approached her where she stood in the middle of the room.

"Worst-case scenario, they need real deniability. Do you expect Superman to lie under oath?" Batman questioned.

"Do you expect me to?" Wonder Woman asked incredulously.

"If it comes to that. As a princess of Themyscira, I expect you to use your diplomatic status to avoid taking the stand at all," Batman shot back.

Unsatisfied with his answer, Wonder Woman rounded on the others. "And the rest of you? Are you all prepared to lie?"

Wouldn't be the first time, right? Siren didn't bother to look his way, but she could practically feel Nightwing's gaze burning into the side of her head. If she tried hard enough, she probably could have felt the same thing coming from Aquaman and Miss Martian.

Suddenly, the large cave felt like it was closing in on her. It was too much of a reminder of years past. I gotta get out of here.

Siren stood abruptly. She ignored the eyes that landed on her, instead snatching up the thawed-out bag of peas resting behind her. She was glad that no one called after her as she swiftly exited the cave to go back up into the manor.

The silence was welcoming as she quietly slipped into the kitchen, intending on stashing her temporary ice pack back into the freezer and going on her way, even if it meant leaving the Manor and slipping through Gotham City until she found another Zeta-Tube to use. It was late and she had slipped out of her home without Violet knowing why so it was time to go back. Even though patrols called for late nights, the thought of lying to the girl through omission made her uncomfortable.

The little voice in her head reminded Siren that that was what she'd been doing already. She let out a sigh, realizing that she wasn't going to get much sleep when she got back home.

"Enjoying the peace and quiet?"

An older man was standing in the doorway, seemingly not surprised to see Siren standing in the dim lighting.

Siren gave a thin smile. "I didn't realize how badly I needed it," she admitted.

Guided by only the light that hung over the island in the center of the room, Alfred Pennyworth moved to the stove and flicked it on before moving to one of the lower cabinets. Siren was mildly bewildered that the old man was still up with it being so late, but she remembered that he had an employer who almost solely operated at night so it was likely hardly anything new.

"I was just about to make myself a cup of tea before I retired for the evening, but I always feel that it's more enjoyable with some company," Alfred said casually as he finished filling up the kettle in his hand with water to boil it.

Siren heard the underlying offer and smiled gratefully. "I'd like some if you wouldn't mind?" she said, going along with it.

Saying nothing, Alfred only pulled out an extra cup and saucer before placing both beside the stove. In the meantime, Siren slid onto a nearby barstool, welcoming the feeling of tension in her shoulders beginning to ease.

Chapter Text

Star City

September 29, 09:39 PDT

"Thank you, Cat Grant. We'll be getting back to the meta-human delinquent center in just a moment. But first, allow me to introduce our guest-"

The television screen went black.

Jenna rolled her eyes as she tossed the remote back onto the coffee table. "That's enough of that."

She still couldn't stand to listen to the grating voice of G. Gordon Godfrey more than she had to. Alternatively, it had been nice to listen to Cat's update about the new meta-human youth center that had recently been opened in Taos. It was a relief to finally have a place for meta-teens such as Mist and Livewire to rehabilitate without being forced to go to jail. With the help of other meta-teens–such as Ed and Neut–and various Leaguers pitching in as well, it sounded promising.

Jenna turned back to the kitchen sink, quickly cleaning the two bowls of the cereal and milk remains before setting them on the rack to dry. She moved down the hall to her bedroom, but not before rapping on the bathroom door as she passed. "We'll leave in five, Vi," she called out.

"Okay!"

Shutting her door behind her, Jenna swiftly moved around to get ready. Usually, her uniform was hung up, but the night before had been a late one so most of it was still tossed onto her desk chair. Proof of the long night made itself known when she bent down to lace up her boots and her lower back throbbed in protest.

Jenna winced in pain. The explosion nearly wrapped me around that light pole.

As she was grabbing her knife holster and communicator off the desk, there was a knock at the door. "Violet, can you grab that?" she asked as she was buckling the leather straps across her thigh.

After she slid her arm through her jacket and tugged the bedroom door open before pulling it all the way on, she found Halo ready to go, standing at the front door.

She had a friendly, albeit shy smile on her face. "Hello."

"Hey...Halo, right?"

Siren poked her head around the girl's shoulder to spot a familiar face. "Hi, Sam." She rolled her shoulders to settle the leather jacket across them before glancing down at Halo. "Ready?"

Halo nodded. "Yes. Are we waiting on Artemis?" she wondered.

"No, she'll meet us at the Tube." Siren turned back to Banshee who leaned against the doorway. "Thanks for agreeing to help out today."

Banshee had a grin on his face. "No problem, it'll be fun. Balcony?" he guessed.

Siren gestured to the door on the other side of the living room. "Lead the way."

~/~/~/~

Owings Mills

September 29, 13:02 EDT

It turned out that the little group of Star City residents was the first to arrive. It was ironic, considering they lived farthest away, but it was also fitting since they traveled by Zeta-Tube versus car or Super-Cycle.

But they didn't have to wait very long as Superboy, Geo-Force, and Forager were quickly arriving the same time Jeff's car was pulling up with one extra passenger. Doctor Helga Jace was going to be observing their training for the day after Jeff assured them that she would be there to do just that. It was another reason other than space why they decided to take advantage of the old, abandoned quarry.

Siren had a mildly strained smile on her face as she watched them pull in. I don't love the idea, but...she was forced out of her country too.

Halo waved at the boys as the Super-Cycle finished her descent. "Hello, Brion!" she greeted happily before her eyes went wide. "I mean, Geo-Force! Geo-Force."

Siren smiled amusedly. Cute.

Oddly enough, Geo-Force's returning smile was bashful. "Hello, Halo," he answered with a small wave.

Forager elbowed him, making him wince. "No, not like that. Forager will demonstrate."

He walked up to Halo, extending two of his hands toward her. "Hello, Violet. Forager means Halo. Halo!" he greeted her then he leaned in to speak in a loud whisper. "Do not worry, Geo-Force may still learn."

Oh, that's not going to get annoying at all. Siren only shook her head, choosing not to acknowledge Banshee's snickering behind her. She then perked up in remembrance. "Oh, Geo-Force, I want you to meet-"

"Hello, children."

Siren turned to Doctor Jace as she approached with Jeff, stifling a sigh. Well, I guess introductions can wait.

It seemed she wasn't the only one who didn't fully welcome the woman's presence. "Doctor Jace," Geo-Force greeted cooly.

"Thank you for allowing me to join you here," the scientist said gratefully, looking around at everyone standing there.

"Oh, thank Jeff for convincing us," Artemis told her.

Jeff smiled down at Jace. "Oh, she has."

It was so quiet, a bird screeching could be heard in the distance.

I...did not need to know that. Siren glanced over and saw Banshee just barely managing to hide his disgust.

Thankfully, Forager stepped forward to break the awkward silence to say hello to the scientist. "Hello, Doctor Jace. Forager means Doctor Jace! Doctor Jace," he said cheerfully, extending his hand for her to shake. "Forager is Forager."

Jace forwent the handshake to bend over and rest a hand on his shoulder. "Hello, Forager," she said sweetly.

Forager turned back to the group with a frustrated frown. "Humans can be very slow of study," he observed.

Siren smirked. Ain't that the truth.

The corner of her lip fell as she watched Doctor Jace quickly approach Halo. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the back of her neck bristle when the woman eagerly embraced the girl. Then she had to remind herself that some people were just more friendly than others.

"Gabrielle, it's so good to see you," Jace said, making Siren's confusing discomfort grow.

But Halo quickly yet gently pushed the woman away. "I'm not Gabrielle. I'm Violet," she said firmly. "Besides, right now I'm Halo. Halo."

"Now Halo is just showing off," Forager muttered.

At least Doctor Jace looked apologetic, clasping her hands against her chest. "I'm sorry, Violet. Halo. You're right," she said before glancing over at the young man who stood behind Halo. "And I owe you an apology as well, Prince Brion. Everything that's happened to you is my fault. I thought you were the only one who could stop your uncle and Bedlam. If I'd known these good people were coming to help-"

Geo-Force sighed, cutting her off before she went further on her tangent. "I know it wasn't your fault. You were Bedlam's victim, too," he recalled.

"But not the only one." Jace's brow furrowed. "What are we doing to get Princess Tara back?"

"Nightwing has a plan."

Siren suddenly blinked as a flash of light hit her eye. Seriously? Now? She refrained from physically reacting as she quickly spared a glance at the top of the quarry.

"I'm told we must be...patient," Geo-Force continued as Siren shifted a step closer to Banshee.

Suddenly, a bullet ricocheted off the ground at their feet, causing everyone to flinch.

Halo was the first to react. "Geo-Force, get down!" She threw up a shield in front of the two of them.

"What? What's going on?" Geo-Force questioned.

Although she knew none of the bullets would come near her, Siren still moved further off to the side to watch the three new heroes at work.

"Since when is Nightwing good at using a gun?" Banshee questioned, bewildered as he trailed after her.

Siren shrugged. "When you have good aim, all you really have to worry about are the weight of the weapon and the kickback," she answered.

Her former protégé eyed her for a moment. "Don't tell me you've used a gun," he said, a bit of awe seeping through the dryness.

Siren only smiled, turning back to watch the training.

Halo was improving more and more. To be able to switch between different auras without a second thought, it was clear she was getting a strong hold on her powers. The same went for being able to rely on her teammates to be there for her. Such as when she had to drop her orange aura and fell toward the ground but trusted that Forager would be there.

Geo-Force...was a bit slow on his reflexes. Jumping into action should have come easy, yet it didn't. Concentrating enough to generate what he was trying to do with the lava should have come easy, yet it didn't.

As a result, a rubber bullet struck him in the chest, knocking him back.

"Okay, that's enough," Nightwing called down from his position. He moved the assault rifle to his shoulder and Siren could have sworn the doofus was smirking.

Although mostly everyone wasn't too concerned about Geo-Force's safety, one woman was. "Is he insane?" Doctor Jace demanded to know.

"He was using rubber bullets," Jeff assured her. "Painful, but non-lethal if carefully aimed."

Jace glowered at him. "That doesn't answer my question!" She stormed off as Siren glared after the woman, hackles raising again.

Jace dropped to her knees beside Geo-Force, grabbing his shoulder. "Brion, are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

Brion slowly stood up, looking perfectly okay even if he might have been sore. "Fine. I'm fine," he said.

Nightwing slid down an incline, quickly joining the group as they all reconvened. "Halo, Forager., you both get A grades for reflexive action, evaluation, and adaptability," he told them.

As they both cheered, Siren smiled at them proudly.

Nightwing gave Geo-Force a deadpanned look. "Geo-Force...you get an F in all categories."

Although Geo-Force was annoyed, it was nothing compared to the glare the woman beside him was sending the former Boy Wonder. What is her deal? If Siren recalled correctly, Doctor Jace was exactly that: the royal family's doctor. Not Geo-Force's mother. He needs to learn and if that means getting banged up, so be it.

Geo-Force stepped closer to Nightwing, steam starting to rise from his shoulders. "I came here for training. Not cheap shots," he snapped.

Siren's gaze flitted up to the sky before she walked over to join Nightwing's side. If she wasn't mistaken, she heard Banshee mutter an 'oh boy'. He knew how seriously Siren took training and having someone claim it wasn't annoyed her.

Before she could speak up to correct the hot-headed prince, Superboy jumped in to try and diffuse the situation. "All right, let's dial this down a few degrees," he said calmly.

"No, it's okay," Nightwing waved off. "Let him say his piece."

I can't wait to hear this. Siren crossed her arms, her expression stony.

Geo-Force's eyebrows raised as he clasped his hands together. "Well, thank you for the indulgence," he said sarcastically.

Nightwing sighed. "Do you have a point to make or not?" he questioned.

"If not, we should get back to training," Siren piped up. "I have a lot I want to cover today."

Geo-Force turned his fiery gaze to her. "Training is all you care about, isn't it?"

"When it's clear that you need it, yes," she said with her eyes narrowed in warning.

He scowled. "You promised me Tara. We know she's on Santa Prisca. So what are we waiting for?"

"We don't know she's there," Nightwing butted in. "And we don't want a repeat of the Infinity Island debacle, do we? Brion, you need to be patient."

Geo-Force let out a bitter laugh. "Everyone preaches patience," he said under his breath.

He turned back to Siren. "Fine. But perhaps you'd care to explain the point of that last exercise?" He threw his arms around as he spoke. "A surprise attack proves nothing."

Siren tilted her head. "You'd be surprised how much it proves everything actually," she countered. "Believe it or not, needing to be able to think on your feet is something that comes up more than you'd expect."

Then she shrugged. "Our plan today was to test that. To see how the three of you handled a 'surprise attack.'"

Before any of them knew what was happening, something dropped down beside the group, sending them all flying.

As the dust settled, Siren pushed herself off her bruised shoulder with a groan. Holy hell I didn't mean that literally! She glanced around to see the others faring about the same, Banshee and Tigress meeting her wide-eyed gaze nearby.

She quickly moved to her feet, scanning for the thing that had fallen from the sky. And what she saw had her blood boil.

Lobo. The bounty hunter that she encountered two years before with Batgirl and Wonder Girl. Last time, the three women got their asses handed to them. And his appearance revealed that Kroloteans were on their planet by disguising themselves with suits to resemble several citizens in different cities. And their little 'visit' to Earth was what made everything spiral out of control that year.

"You!" Siren called out, glaring at the red-eyed man who examined their group–all either readying themselves for a fight or beginning to cower. "What do you want this time?"

Rather than answer, he pressed a button on his belt. An automated voice rang out from it. "Translating Interlac."

Lobo then pointed one finger right at Forager. "The Main Man's contracted to kill this bug. The rest of you can go."

Superboy flanked Forager with Siren and Nightwing. "Not gonna happen," he said cooly.

"Fine," Lobo grinned as he slammed one fist into the other palm. "You had your chance." He let out a wicked laugh.

With a quick leap, his fist came flying down at Forager, but Superboy was quick on his feet as he grabbed the bug and threw the both of them off to the side. Nightwing and Siren quickly surrounded Lobo as Nightwing struck him in the side with his escrima sticks.

His nimble movements kept Lobo in motion as Siren latched onto his wrist with her garrote. She yanked his arm to one side, leaving the other side of his body wide open. She felt an odd familiarity in her actions as she hoisted herself up by pushing off of his thigh, slamming her heel into his shoulder, and launching herself off of it. She flipped in the air, dropping behind Tigress who had her bow primed with an arrow notched. The archer fired, but Lobo just caught the arrow. It exploded, however, pushing him back toward Jeff.

The pulses of electricity coursing through Lobo's body froze him long enough to give Superboy a chance to start swinging. He threw punch after punch at the 'Main Man', but it hardly phased the guy as he grabbed Superboy's fist.

Lobo grumbled. "Keezy Kryptonian thinks he can frag the Main Man?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

He swung Superboy around to knock Tigress and Nightwing down as they tried to attack from behind before throwing the half-Krptonian onto the ground and pinning him with his foot.

Siren flew through the air after having called for a maneuver seven from Banshee, releasing a high-pitched scream at Lobo's head. But his arm shot out before she could land next to him and he caught her by the throat. He tugged her closer to his sneering face, starting to squeeze her neck.

"Oh, now I remember you. Keezy fem thinks she can do better this time, huh?" He threw her back the way she had come, her body arching in the air before Banshee came sliding in to cushion her fall.

Banshee clutched her shoulders as he loomed over her in his crouching position. "Your back okay?" he asked worriedly.

Siren waved him off, pulling herself back up to stand. "We've got bigger things to worry about right now," she said.

Lobo had picked Superboy back up, only to spike him into the ground with a heavy fist. It looked like it hurt, but Superboy was still able to get up quicker than any of the others might have. "Maneuver sixteen!" he called out.

Super-Cycle came down from where she was waiting, starting to fire on Lobo. He covered his head, temporarily blinded by the lasers. It was enough to give Superboy enough time to send back a blow of his own.

Lobo fell back, slamming into a pile of rocks where Forager had been standing until he quickly got out of dodge. Super-Cycle set her sights on the man, revving as if to warn him, but Lobo only let out a chuckle before he put his two pinkies in his mouth to let out a shrill whistle. Then out of nowhere, his motorcycle that Siren would never forget began firing right back at Super-Cycle and forcing her to retreat.

"Halo, fly Forager out of here!" Nightwing commanded as he and Banshee ducked to avoid getting hit by Superboy who Lobo had kicked away.

"Of course!" Halo quickly did as ordered, snatching up Forager while Siren and Tigress tried to hold Lobo off. Not that they did much good. But Halo managed to get up into the air, carrying Forager up and out of the quarry.

"There's no running from the Main Man, keezy fem," Lobo reminded her after he sent Nightwing slamming into Siren.

She pushed her teammate off of her in time to see Lobo aiming a hook right at the flying girl. "No!" she cried out.

The hook reached its target, tearing straight through Halo's torso. She let out a scream of agony, dropping Forager as she went limp.

Lobo yanked her down to the ground, slamming her into the rocks. With the push of a button, the chain attached began to retract, dragging Halo's unconscious body in the dirt and leaving a trail of blood behind her.

Fuck. Siren struggled to keep down the bile that threatened to rise. She was grateful that Halo would heal, but it would never get any easier to watch her face such brutality.

She whipped around to her two friends. "Tigress, Nightwing, cover me," she ordered.

They split up while Lobo was distracted, muttering about having to clean his hook of all things. After Tigress blinded Lobo with an arrow full of polyurethane foam to the head, Siren got in and scooped up Halo from where she lay at the man's feet. She whirled back around to move at a dead sprint as Nightwing tossed an explosive disk past her head into the foam covering Lobo's.

Ignoring the explosion behind her, Siren quickly deposited Halo in Doctor Jace's lap, immediately turning back to the three other men she was looking for. "Geo-Force, Banshee, Lighting! Maneuver thirteen!"

To keep Lobo distracted as well as to get answers, Nightwing began to interrogate him. "Who hired you? Was it Mantis? Was it Ma'alefa'ak?"

Lobo peeled off the rest of the foam that hadn't blown up. "The Main Man doesn't kill and tell," he answered.

"Clear!"

At Jeff's call, he fired bolts of lightning at Lobo, pushing him back where Geo-Force, Siren, and Banshee were waiting. The latter two let out their respective screams, battering Lobo's head and eardrums with them. Then Geo-Force started up his attack similarly to Jeff's by sending an endless stream of lava into his side.

With all four forms of attack hitting him at once, Lobo let out a yell. Of anger or pain, Siren wasn't sure. But at least it was effective to an extent.

"Surrender before it's too late!" Geo-Force demanded, raising his voice over the sound of sonic screams.

Lobo straightened back up with a grunt as the four heroes paused the assault. "I can buy a new vest and regenerate new skin and regain my hearing," he said calmly. "But you sure ain't gonna grow new heads to replace the ones I tear off you."

"Geo-Force, the ground!" At Nightwing's command, Geo-Force quickly dropped to one knee, melting the ground with his hands while Siren, Banshee, and Jeff kept Lobo busy. A stream of lava snaked out to pool around the Main Man, causing him to sink.

"Cut it out, you summy Earther!" Lobo threatened as his head drew closer to the ground. "The Main Man's gonna frag all you-"

His words were swallowed up as his head disappeared under the lava.

Then he burst through seconds later, sending them all flying back again.

Siren quickly tracked where Lobo aimed his hook, ready to spring up from where she lay to tackle Geo-Force out of the way. Nightwing had beat her to it, calling out a warning, and they both landed next to her.

Siren moved to a crouch, rifling through an inner pocket in her jacket. Dammit, out of smoke bombs. We could really use them right now.

"Thank you."

Siren paused, glancing down at the two men from the corner of her eye. Geo-Force looked genuinely grateful. And maybe a tad apologetic. For a second, Siren's expression softened.

But there wasn't time for conversation. The trio stood, ready to intervene as Lobo chased after Forager, but as the bug rolled away, suddenly there were several copies of him.

Siren's head swiveled, searching for Halo. Sure enough, she was standing off to the side with Doctor Jace, her green aura active.

"How many of these keezy bugs are there?" Lobo cried out as the multiple Foragers spun around him, disorienting him from where the real Forager actually was.

He swung at a few, only for them to dissipate. Then he caught on. "These bastiches are fakes!"

He spun around where the others were, spotting Halo. Siren, who had moved back to protect the girl, tensed up as Lobo began to stalk over to them.

"You're behind this," he realized. "Looks like the Main Man's gotta frag you all over again."

Before Siren could move, Jace jumped in front of Halo. "No! Stay away from her!"

"Doctor Jace, get back!" Halo yelped as she quickly stepped in front of her.

Siren yanked on the woman's arm, pulling her behind the two heroes. Is she trying to get herself killed?!

Halo threw up her shield, protecting the three of them from Lobo's punches. Luckily, they didn't last long as an explosive arrow came out of nowhere.

It struck Lobo, sending him stumbling. A loud screech—not Siren's own—came from the same direction, making Lobo continue to fall back. Then so did a stream of lava.

Halo's yellow beam was the final part of the back-to-back assault, shoving Lobo as far back as he would go. As he stood, Halo feebly sent one more blow, sending a beam arcing through the air.

It was poorly off, sending her flying into Jace and Siren, but as Siren glanced up from where she knelt to catch the girl, the beam had sliced off Lobo's pinkie. Nice.

Of course, it did very little to faze Lobo besides maybe piss him off even more, but before he could approach them again, Forager came out of nowhere and struck him in the head.

Forager dropped back to the ground, still balled up, but Lobo grabbed him before he could go anywhere. He barked out a laugh. "Got you."

He punched straight through Forager's shell, sending a splatter of pink everywhere.

"Forager!" Halo screamed.

Siren leaped to her feet, coming up behind Nightwing as he attacked Lobo with Tigress. The Main Man struck both of them, sending Tigress flying into Geo-Force, and Nightwing into Siren. The woman hit the dirt hard, pain rippling up her back so much that it made her black out for just a second. But that second was long enough for Lobo to take down the rest and finish his contract.

When Siren slowly raised her head, Lobo had demolished Forager. No...

The group could do nothing but watch in shock and horror as Lobo simply turned around to call back his ride, but a missing pinkie made it difficult.

He groaned. "Just get over here!" he called out.

His motorcycle stopped fighting Super-Cycle, hovering beside its owner. Lobo got on, grinning at the heroes stumbling to their feet.

"Don't feel too bad," he said with mock sympathy. "You bastiches did better than most"—he met Siren's furious gaze—"and you did better than the last time."

Then he was gone, the only trace that he was even there being the team's wounds and the dead bug left behind.

Not knowing what to say, the group slowly approached Forager's body. Siren hung her head, fists tightening at her side. I failed again. That asshole beat me again. Forager didn't deserve this.

A very familiar series of clicks made her head shoot up.

"Is Lobo gone?"

A pink mass slowly peeled his head around a pile of rocks, searching the area warily.

"You're alive!" Geo-Force said ecstatically.

"You're pink!" Halo added.

Forager approached the group once he was sure he was in the clear. "Forager shed his exo-shell to fool Lobo," he explained. "But...Forager thinks Forager now understands what friends meant by not liking to be naked."

In her excitement, Halo reached out to hug the bug, only to quickly recoil. "Oh, um, sorry. I can't. You're too...goochy."

Oh that's not gonna get stuck in my head at all. Only Banshee caught Siren's shudder, snickering beside her.

"Shut up," she muttered, elbowing his side.

Despite Halo's reluctance, Geo-Force didn't seem to care. "I don't care how goochy you are," he said, throwing his arms around Forager to embrace him.

When he pulled away, strings of pink underskin remained. "But you are indeed quite goochy," Geo-Force observed, raising his body temperature to melt off the goo.

Tigress let out a short laugh. "Yeah, uh, welcome to the Fake-Your-Own-Death Club," she declared. "Its membership is very exclusive, and I'm the president." She opened her arms to gesture to herself.

Forager took her closest hand, shaking it. "Forager thanks Artemis Crock," he said gratefully before looking to the rest. "Forager thanks all his friends for risking limb and life to save Forager. The humans here are all truly drones in Forager's hive."

"Feeling's mutual, kid," Superboy said.

"We always take care of our own," Nightwing added.

Always.

In the end, everyone decided it was best to just end training there for the day. After all, there was no better practice than real life. So the group began to split off after Siren reminded them they would pick back up 'same time tomorrow.'

As Tigress got closer to her, Siren eyed her best friend's formerly-goo-covered hand which was slowly starting to get dangerously close to her leather-covered shoulder. "If you touch me, I'll scream," she threatened.

Ignoring Tigress' laughter, Siren turned around when Geo-Force cleared his throat.

"Can you give me some advice about how to prepare for surprise attacks?" he said with some mild sheepishness.

A smile spread across Siren's face as Banshee sided next to her with crossed arms. I'll take that as an apology. "I'd be more than happy to."

Chapter Text

Star City

October 12, 05:00 PDT

"I'll be at the shop once you're done with training, alright?"

"Okay."

"Have fun, Vi."

After Jenna had shut the door, her shoulders sagged. She would have liked to lead training that day, but since her schedule was packed with a mix of her civilian life and heroine life, there wasn't time.

I need some coffee. Jenna trudged over to the kitchen to brew a fresh pot. As she got it started, she turned back to the TV.

Conner once said that he liked listening to GBS for the sake of learning what the 'other side said about heroes', yet while she didn't disagree, Jenna tended to keep away from the irritating reports from G. Gordon Godfrey.

Luckily, he wasn't the one currently on screen, so Jenna was fine with leaving it on mute as she got some forms pulled up on her laptop; Oracle had sent them a couple of days before. She stifled a groan as she began to open the links while she waited for the coffee to percolate.

"The role of 'mom friend' is being taken way too seriously," she said with a sigh.

It was well past time that Violet needed to start enrolling in school, but since they knew so little about the girl, they couldn't use her old identity. Not to mention 'Gabrielle Daou' was supposed to be in Markovia as a refugee. It wouldn't look too good if she suddenly appeared in the States.

So a new identity meant creating a new life for her, even if it was just temporary. And Oracle was happy to give that responsibility to Jenna.

"'Fill out the forms,' she says. 'I'll handle the rest,' she says," Jenna muttered, pouring fresh coffee into a mug.

After she had gotten settled at the kitchen table, she began to scroll through the first form with a weary sigh. Here we go... She briefly glanced up at the TV across the room before focusing on her task.

Then she did a swift double take.

She didn't know what was being said; honestly, it wouldn't have mattered. She could only sit there, frozen, as she watched Aquaman speak. It looked vaguely familiar so it might have just been a recap, but that didn't change the fact that Jenna's eyes were glued to the screen.

Her heart stubbornly skipped a beat.

"I can't believe that after everything we had been through together from day one, you didn't trust me enough to help in this situation."

"My love, it is more than that."

"No, Kaldur'ahm, it's not. I don't care about how you try to justify it, you deliberately chose to keep this a secret from me from the very beginning."

Jenna tugged her glasses off, setting them off to the side as she pinched the bridge of her nose, brushing against the rough texture of the scar there. Am I being a hypocrite? I'm participating in nearly the exact same circumstance that I was left out of two years ago. How would the team and League feel if they find out?

A chime from her cell phone broke her out of her stupor. Blindly, Jenna reached out to grab it before finally raising her head to check the text.

Lian misses her godmother. Come over this evening for some dinner?

Trying to ignore the pang of guilt in her chest caused by secrets, she sent a quick affirmative reply back to Will before moving to set her phone down again.

Except she hesitated, scrolling through her various text threads. Barbara wouldn't understand. And I'm certainly not going to vent to Dick...maybe M'gann can help me talk through some things. She is a counselor after all.

Jenna opened her messages with her Martian friend, typing out a message before backspacing, then typing a new one out and backspacing again. She let out a frustrated groan before, finally, she settled on something.

Need to rant to someone who's involved in our little 'secret'. Got any free time this weekend?

~/~/~/~

Jenna knew her sister well enough to see that she had been in a bad mood for months. Dinah wasn't exactly happy about Green Arrow leaving the League and blindsiding its leaders. He had suggested that she join those that returned to vigilantism, but she refused.

Except it wasn't blindsiding. Not when Kaldur and Diana were in on it. God, she's gonna kill me if she finds out I'm involved too.

Jenna winced, not realizing she had done it until her sister spoke up. "Everything alright?"

Jenna managed a dry smile as she unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for the door handle. "Would you believe that having to take care of a teenage girl is a lot of work?" she joked, deciding to go with a half-truth.

Dinah let out a dramatic gasp as her head popped up over the top of her car, eyes widened. "Really? I would have never guessed," she said sarcastically.

"Fuck off," Jenna laughed.

She shut the passenger door, waiting for her sister to pay the meter, before starting to walk down the sidewalk. "Seriously though. How did you do it? I know I wasn't the easiest to handle at times. Especially when I was younger."

An additional 'before I became Siren' went unsaid. Although becoming a hero didn't change the fact that she had her moments growing up, especially in her early years.

Dinah matched her pace as they walked, eyes unfocused as she relived some memories. "I'll be honest, it wasn't easy. Between my 'side job'"–Being Black Canary–"and the events following Mom's death, it felt like I had the whole world on my shoulders," she recalled. "I wasn't sure if I was capable of raising my baby sister in the midst of it all."

She looked over at Jenna, having to slightly look up since the younger Lance sister had long since grown taller than the older one. Jenna grinned at her cheekily before returning to a more somber expression.

"It's just..." Jenna shrugged. "I'm afraid of screwing stuff up, I guess. I mean, thank god Violet's a teenager, but she still remembers so little. I try to be patient and encouraging and all of that, but I'm afraid something will go wrong."

Dinah raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? From what I can tell, you're doing just fine. You don't have to be a mother, Jen," she pointed out. "Our circumstance was different. With both Mom and Dad gone, I had to step up. Between you and Violet, you don't have to do that. Sure, she'll be here indefinitely, but it's not like you have to become a parent overnight. Be...a big sister at most. Just look at you and Sam."

The two women came to a stop in front of the flower shop. As Jenna turned to unlock the door, Dinah caught her shoulder so she glanced back at her sister.

"Don't feel like you have to bite off more than you can chew, okay?" she said gently.

Jenna gave her a wry smile, nodding. Satisfied, Dinah walked a few paces away to the steps that lead to her upstairs office.

Once Jenna had slipped into the flower shop, she stood in the dim lighting for a moment with a troubled frown.

"Too late for that, Di," she whispered into the silence.

The day had rolled over to the afternoon when Violet slipped into the shop with a cheerful grin and flushed cheeks.

Recognizing that expression with bittersweet fondness, Jenna held back her grin as she finished up her closing chores. "Have a good day?" she asked.

"Yes, we played tag before we finished for the day. I've been getting a lot better at not falling!"

Jenna's smile did widen at that. "I'm glad. I'm proud of you."

Violet straightened up proudly, flushing at the compliment instead. She watched the older woman as she finished turning out the lights in the back of the store, darkening the room bit by bit.

Once Jenna came up to her by the door, Violet tilted her head curiously. "Are we getting dinner before we go back to your apartment?" she wondered.

Jenna adjusted the strap of her bag as she reached out to flick off the string lights hanging from the ceiling. The shop had an abundance of windows so she was glad that she got to refrain from using irritating fluorescent lights as long as there was still light outside. She wanted the store to give a cozy appearance since she spent so much time there as well as for the sake of any physical customers.

"Actually," Jenna began, "Will invited us over to eat. Sound good to you?"

Violet lit up. "Yes! I love getting to see Lian," she said excitedly.

Jenna let out a chuckle. "She likes to see you too," she assured. "I also need to get you enrolled for school by the end of today. We can do that after dinner."

She checked the time on her watch. "Speaking of, we should get going."

Violet left the building first, followed by Jenna who locked it behind her. The younger girl waited for her unofficial mentor to start walking up the street in the direction of the nearest bus stop.

"I don't remember what school's like," Violet suddenly admitted. "And I don't know what an American high school is like either."

Jenna's cheeks puffed up as she pushed air out through her mouth in a sigh.

~/~/~/~

"Another point to Team Chicken Whizees!"

Sam snorted as he wiped down the dry-erase board in his hands. "I still can't believe Bart got to choose the team name."

"Hey, Chicken Whizees is crash; you just need better taste," Bart retorted.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "The team or the food?"

"Yes," Traci answered for their speedster friend, making Sam laugh.

More often than not, date night would wind up with a third and fourth wheel. Especially when someone forgot to check how many people were needed on a team for trivia night. But with the proposal of a prize of free ice cream for a year, one particular speedster couldn't get there fast enough with their witchy friend in tow.

Not that Sam cared. With the whole relationship between him and Jaime still being relatively new, he was just happy to spend any time with his boyfriend. Besides, their little friend group made sure it was never boring when they were together.

The perky host at the front of the ice cream parlor cleared her throat, the noise being extra prominent due to the microphone she had in her hand.

"Next question! What is the average life span for orcas?"

Sam snickered, glancing over at one of the other competing groups. There was a lot of stiff competition to handle, but one group called the Sea Lions was neck in neck with Sam and his friends. With only a few rounds left, either group could win. I wonder if they'll get the right answer.

Sam felt someone nudge his side so he glanced over at Jaime who had leaned in.

"Remember that beach day we had during spring break and saw that class on a field trip?"

Sam let out a small chuckle. "Oh yeah," he said dryly. "The day I forgot sunscreen and looked like a lobster for a week? I'll never forget that."

"Well, it's nice knowing our dates are never dull," Jaime joked, placing his arm around Sam's shoulders. His boyfriend rolled his eyes but leaned into his side anyway. "Even though I had to listen to you complain that whole week."

Sam recoiled, shoving Jaime away with a laugh. "Says the guy who doesn't burn."

"The answer is between fifty to ninety years which means another point to both Team Sea Lions and Team Chicken Whizees!"

Sam's head whipped around confusedly. "Wait who answered the question?" he asked.

Traci laughed, wiping their board clean once more. "I did while you two were too busy being in love," she jabbed. "Besides, I knew that one anyway."

Sam felt his ears turn red which were thankfully hidden by the mop he called hair. The so-called 'L word' had yet to come up in any shape or form. Their year anniversary had recently passed and they were both very happy together, but Sam was a little afraid to rush.

After all, he had never really been in a relationship with a guy until Jaime. He had been out since he was a kid, thankfully living in an environment where he could do so. His mom's sister's ex-husband was one thing, but the rest of his family–especially his parents–were always loving and caring and gave Sam the chance to find himself while he was still growing up.

Of course, the world wasn't always perfect, and seeing that Kellie was appearing to learn about herself, in similar ways that Sam did, made him miss their parents even more. Even seven years after their death, it wasn't easy.

A soft peck to the corner of his eye broke Sam out of his distracted thoughts. "What're you thinking?" Jaime asked him.

Sam shook his head, managing a smile. "Nothing. It's fine," he waved off.

Jaime frowned slightly, giving Sam a look but he didn't push it as Bart and Traci had leaned in to figure out the answer to the next question. They went through the motions a couple more times until it was finally time for the last question of the night. Their team was tied for first place at the moment so it had them all anxious.

"Okay, everyone, last question of the night," the host called out. "What is William Shakespeare's longest play?"

Sam grinned wickedly as he lashed out to grab the dry-erase board before anyone else. He scrambled to scribble the answer down before flipping it face down to keep other teams from cheating. He glanced up at his friends.

Traci was rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "No surprise you know that answer," she said.

Bart was practically vibrating in his seat. "Good thing we've got an English major in our midst!" he cheered.

Jaime was laughing. "Calm down, the other team might get lucky," he reminded.

"Markers down, please!" the host requested. "And the answer is...Hamlet!"

There was a mixture of groans and cheers, but none as loud as the ones from Team Chicken Whizees.

"And the winner of tonight's competition is Team Chicken Whizees!"

Bart let out a whoop. "That was so crash!" he exclaimed, high-fiving Traci.

"We did it!" she cheered.

Sam and Jaime shared their own high-five before the latter pulled down their hands enough for him to lean in and kiss his boyfriend. "Nice job," he praised.

"Thanks," Sam said with a grin.

Then he heard his phone chime in his pants pocket where he had stashed it away for the game. It was a familiar tone, automatically bracing him for what it was.

"Great timing," he muttered, glancing down at the notification of a shoot-out in the area he usually kept an eye on.

He raised his head to speak to his friends, but Jaime was already waving him off. "Go. We'll wrap up here," he assured.

Sam shot him a grateful smile as he stood, dropping one last kiss onto his boyfriend's lips before taking off out of the parlor and into a back alley to suit up. Break time's over, I guess.

~/~/~/~

Good job. Glad you didn't get hurt.

Setting her phone aside after reading Sam's text–something he still did occasionally when it involved situations where he knew she would be worried, Jenna hunched over and twisted her torso to dig out her laptop from the bag hanging over the back of her chair. She straightened back up once she retrieved the item, pushing it open.

"Ice cream, Jenna?" Artemis offered.

"Sure."

Her best friend placed the bowl beside her laptop, moving to sit down at the head of the table, opposite Will. Violet sat beside Jenna, enjoying her after-dinner treat.

"Alright, Violet, time to become a student at Happy Harbor High," Jenna declared, following one of the links Barbara had sent her. "Since I got the rest of your paperwork done today, this is all that's left to do. So..."

She clicked on the first blank. "Name."

Violet looked up from where she was petting Brucely. "Oh, Violet!" she said confidently.

Jenna giggled. "Yes, but a last name's important too," she pointed out.

Violet hummed, looking around the room as she thought. She glanced down at the table to spot the bowl in front of her. "Um..." She picked it up. "Ice Cream?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Violet Ice Cream?" she echoed. "I don't think that'll fly. What about Daou? I mean, after all, it is-"

"No." Violet had a frustrated expression on her face again. "Daou was Gabrielle's last name, not mine. Halo, maybe? No, that's my mission name, it must stay secret."

Jenna rested her chin on her propped-up hand, eyeing the girl from the corner of her eye. She desperately wished she could help the girl.

She wondered what made Halo want to make Gabrielle sound like a completely different person. Clearly, the amnesia affected her in ways they couldn't understand. But to act like she was a whole new person? 

That's okay though. Jenna knew trans and non-binary people so she wasn't a stranger to that idea. If Violet was determined to have a whole new identity, so be it.

"Well, there's Crock?"

Violet grimaced at Artemis' suggestion, making Jenna quietly snort.

"Yeah...I always hated that name, too," Artemis admitted, not too fazed by the girl's reaction.

"Lance is up for grabs," Jenna piped up.

Violet seemed to mull that one over a bit better but still shook her head.

Jenna tapped her chin. "So, if Violet Crock and Violet Lance are out, then..." She trailed off.

Artemis sighed, placing her elbow on the table and resting her head against her closed fist. "Man, I'm stumped," she said.

Will finally spoke up. "You can use Harper if you want."

"Violet Harper...I like it!" the girl agreed.

Jenna met her grin, filling out the space on the form. "I do too. Violet Harper, it is very nice to meet you," she said.

"It's very nice to be met," Violet answered.

She wasn't sure what had caught her attention outside–maybe a bird of some sort–but Jenna had looked out the kitchen window with enough time to spot something. Or rather, someone.

Keeping her expression steady, she turned back to her laptop. "Alright, let's get the rest of this squared away then," she declared, sparing a glance at Will.

His smile had twisted into a frown, not that the other woman or girls would have noticed as he abruptly stood. "Excuse me. Bathroom break."

Jenna forced herself to focus on the paperwork, but her smile had turned a bit fake as she looked over her laptop at the little three-year-old girl. She shook her head, pushing her thoughts away. "Man, I'm tired," she said, making an excuse for her hesitancy.

"Jen, has Forager been enrolled yet?" Artemis asked her, not thinking anything of it.

"No, not yet. But you can get started on that..."

They continued to chat while finishing up Violet's enrollment. It wasn't until Will had returned, alone and trying to hide the pain in his eyes, that Jenna even remembered what had caught her attention outside.

I may not feel like I'd be great at the whole legal guardian thing...but I can still be a good mother figure for Lian. Especially since Jade is out there, refusing to come inside.

Chapter Text

Happy Harbor

October 15, 07:19 EDT

"Recognized: Siren, B-zero-two; Tigress, B-zero-eight; Halo, G-zero-three."

Jenna felt like she could relax once they left the Zeta-Tube. All morning, she had been practically dashing around her apartment. From her bedroom to grab her bag, to the kitchen to ensure Violet was finishing her breakfast, to the living room to make sure the girl's backpack was ready, then back to the kitchen to quickly pour a cup of coffee. Trying to ensure they weren't running late left her slightly frazzled, much to her best friend's amusement.

But they made it through the morning, finally teleporting to M'gann and Conner's (and Lucas') home where waiting for them were Brion and Forager.

Violet let out a giggle as they left the garage, shooting up into the air excitedly. "It's the first day of school!" she cheered.

"Uh, no flying at school please!" Artemis called up to her.

"That is one phone call I would not want to receive," Jenna whined, keeping her metal thermos close to her sternum. Violet listened though, dropping in front of the boys.

Artemis approached the bug from New Genesis. "Forager, Zatanna created this just for you," she said, digging out an item from her jacket. "Your very own Glamor Charm."

She held it out to Forager, but he just bent over halfway, ducking his head. Clearly, he was expecting Artemis to put it on him herself. The woman shared a look with Jenna who just shrugged, then placed the necklace over his head.

It was weird, to see the change happen in real-time. Jenna wasn't a stranger to the magic–having seen it on Artemis when she was still undercover with Kaldur–but it still harbored some bad memories. Yet Jenna simply decided to shove them back into the depths of her brain with another sip of coffee.

Forager had straightened back up and was examining his hands. "So...is Forager glamorous now?" he questioned, his voice sounding much clearer and human. He certainly looked more human too, appearing as a short, chubby teenager with a normal set of arms.

"You look human!" Violet said with awe. "...And considerably less naked."

Forager wasn't convinced though. "Is Violet sure?" he asked, looking down at his hands. "Forager still looks like Forager to Forager. And Forager still feels naked."

"Violet is sure. And it's Violet Harper now; I have a new last name!" she revealed.

"Forager is still Forager," he reminded.

"Not today," Artemis piped up.

"You needed a human name for school," Violet explained. "I helped Artemis fill out the forms and picked a name I thought you would like: Fred Bugg. With two 'G's."

That's a bit on the nose. Jenna hid her smile behind her drink as she thought about that conversation from the other night.

Fred mulled the thought over, tapping his chin. "Forager is Fred Bugg-with-two-Gs," he repeated. "Forager understands. No, wait- Fred Bugg-with-two-Gs understands!"

"I'm sure you'll fit right in," Brion piped up.

Jenna quietly shushed the prince, sharing an amused glance with him.

Violet turned to him, not catching the sarcasm as she usually didn't. "Isn't this wonderful, Brion?" she asked him. "Fred and I will meet so many new girls and boys!"

"Just be careful about the boys," Brion said with an odd urgency. "They only have one thing on their minds."

Jenna raised her eyebrow as she examined his perturbed expression. Interesting...

Violet, however, didn't understand what he was implying. "What one thing?" she asked innocently.

Jenna turned on Brion, warning in her eyes despite her smile. "Yeah, Brion, what one thing?" she echoed.

He quickly ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. His awkward silence said everything.

"Uh, we can talk about that on the way to school." M'gann and Lucas had made it downstairs and were waiting by the car, witnessing the tail end of the conversation.

"And if we don't hurry, we're gonna be late," M'gann continued.

"Oh, this is perfect!" Violet exclaimed as she and Fred walked away. "When we drive up with the guidance counselor and the principal, all the other kids will have to like us!"

Oh, you sweet, innocent child. Jenna's smile dropped when Violet began to levitate again. "Violet! No. Flying. At. School!" she reminded, quickly following to control the chaos.

~/~/~/~

Star City

October 15, 08:23 PDT

There was a familiar ding as the register drawer slid open. Jenna lifted the cash organizer up to place the check she was just handed inside for safekeeping until the end of the day.

"Thank you so much, miss." Jenna's customer, a middle-aged man, clutched the bouquet in one hand. 

She smiled. "You're welcome," she said. "And, uh, good luck with that apology dinner."

The man's smile looked strained. "Thanks, I'm gonna need it."

After he left–the bell that hung above the door ringing as he did–Jenna let out a puff of air that blew a strand of hair out of her face. "God help him for whatever he did," she muttered. "Or her to have to put up with his apology."

She stepped away from the register, turning down the narrow hallway that lead to her office. Trusting that she'd hear someone come in if she left the door cracked, she took a seat in the rolling chair waiting by her desk.

"I need to stop putting off ordering more inventory," she mumbled to herself, tugging her hair back into a tiny half-bun even though some of the shorter strands were stubborn.

She got to work, but it wasn't very long until her cell rang. Not even bothering to turn her head, she reached over to accept the call and place it on speaker. "Hey."

"Hey. Remember the mission that Batman, Katana, and Metamorpho were sent on?"

Jenna raised an eyebrow. "To go check out Santa Prisca? Yeah, what about it?"

Dick let out a sigh. "She was there. But by the time they went on the mission, she was gone, sent elsewhere."

Jenna had a similar reaction. "Great," she said, disappointed. "So any idea where she might be now?"

"No, not yet. It's a long story and Batman wants to talk about it in full soon so I'll let you know when we figure out a time to meet."

Jenna leaned back in her chair, head tilted up to stare at the ceiling. "Alright, fine. So what do we tell Brion?" she wondered.

"As a matter of fact, I'm on my way to talk to him now."

Dick wasn't joking when he said 'now' since the sound of a Zeta-Tube computer emitted from the phone immediately after. Jenna couldn't hear much for a moment as the loud voice announced his departure and arrival, but after it had, Dick spoke again, but not to her.

"Looking for something?"

The person that answered made Jenna's lips thin as she surmised that he had been trying to dig into the computer system sitting in Conner's garage. She kept quiet, choosing that she didn't want to be involved in the conversation, but she still wanted to listen in.

"Actually, yes," Brion said to the man that had suddenly shown up to catch him in the act, "because you won't tell me anything."

"There was nothing to tell until now," Dick told him. "That's why I'm here."

Jenna settled further into her seat, crossing one leg over the other. This ought to be interesting.

Dick continued. "Your sister, Tara, was on Santa Prisca but has since been shipped elsewhere. We're trying to track her now."

"So she was there," Brion growled. "And your delays cost us the chance to rescue her!"

Dick was getting frustrated having to deal with the temperamental teen time after time. "It's more complicated than that, Brion," he said with a tight voice. "I need you to be patient." Then there were footsteps on concrete that transitioned to gravel.

Jenna heard Brion grunt in anger. "Do not turn your back on me!"

There was the sound of a collision then a splash as Dick's body and his phone hit the ground. Jenna suddenly dropped her leg to place both feet on the floor, leaning toward the phone.

"Dick?" she called out, a spark of panic going through her.

There was another thud that sounded like a body was sent flying before rapid footsteps approached where the phone had fallen. An impact, almost like a punch or shove to the torso, came quickly after though, followed by one more fall. Then a tell-tale sizzle as Brion growled.

Oh fuck. Jenna's hand twitched from where it was tightly gripping the arm of the rolling chair, her body poised to jump up even though there was nothing she could do to control a situation she couldn't even see.

There was a slight lull before Dick spoke up again, seemingly okay and unharmed.

"So what's your next move?" he questioned the prince. "Roast me alive for suggesting you exercise patience?"

"Patience?!" Brion barked. "Patience, patience...what is the magic of patience?!"

The sound of bubbling lava was faintly heard as he ranted. "You preach patience! My brother preaches patience! Once upon a time, my parents sang the same song of patience! Where did all that patience get any of us?!"

Jenna slowly lowered herself back down, folding her arms on the desk. She held her tongue, trusting Dick would know what to say.

"Huh. Okay. Yeah, now I get it," he realized. "See, I think you know we're doing everything we can to find Tara. So, is this really about her, or is it about Markovia?"

That has shaken Brion from his blind rage. "What?"

Dick's voice grew fainter, likely as he approached the boy. "You've been online every day, every hour, obsessively following your brother's every move."

Brion stammered. "You hacked my phone?" he said incredulously.

Jenna rolled her eyes. Not like we wouldn't know that anyway.

"Stay focused, Brion," Dick said cooly, neither confirming nor denying the accusation. "Because, right now, you have a decision to make: Are you a man perpetually looking back at what he's lost, or a man looking forward to what he might become?"

The silence that drew out was enough for Jenna to quietly hang up, leaving the two of them to hash the rest of the situation out.

"Dammit," she muttered, running a hand down her face.

She wasn't worried about Brion. She knew Dick could take care of that problem. But his last words struck a chord in her, one she didn't want to address. Not at that moment anyway.

Luckily, she didn't have to as a ring was heard at the store entrance. With a sigh, she stood, leaving her phone—and the troubled thoughts it caused—behind.

~/~/~/~

Happy Harbor

October 15, 19:21 EDT

The first day. We couldn't even get past the first day. Jenna's brow was furrowed with worry as she walked out of the garage. Dick, Artemis, and Brion were waiting just outside.

"Sorry it took me so long," Jenna apologized. "Couldn't leave without closing up the shop."

"No worries, Jen," Dick assured.

The small group went to join the others on the patio. It was the typical crowd created after the mission in Markovia—and after Forager was brought back—but one particular person stood out from the rest, making Jenna's eyes instantly narrow in confusion.

"Okay, M'gann, we're all here," Dick said. "What happened?"

Artemis looked over at Violet with sympathy as she and Jenna approached her. "I take it your first day at school was a bit atypical?" the archer guessed.

Violet was confused. "How would I know? Maybe every day-"

M'gann cut her off. "I know. It was very atypical."

Jenna rubbed the corner of her eye. "So start from the beginning, please. What went wrong?" she wondered.

"And who is this?" Brion questioned, having approached the stranger in their midst.

"Victor Stone is Victor Stone," Fred piped up.

Victor held up his hand, showing that it was entirely made of metal. As was his shoulder, half of his face, and god knows what else.

"You guys really aren't freaked out by how I look?" he asked, glancing around the relatively normal-looking group.

"You...picked the right crowd," Conner convinced him. Understatement of the century.

Fred smiled, reaching for his necklace. "Perhaps...but is Victor Stone"—he pulled it off, revealing what he really looked like—"freaked out by how Forager looks?"

Victor glanced over at the bug, recoiling with a yelp at the sudden change. His foot slipped off the patio step and he tumbled to the ground.

Forager frowned. "Apparently, Victor Stone is," he surmised.

Jenna held back a smile. "Maybe don't reveal yourself so quickly next time?" she suggested lightly with a hand on Forager's shoulder.

"What does Jenna Lance mean? Why would Forager need to reveal himself to Victor Stone again?"

"No, I-" Jenna cut herself off with a sigh. "Never mind." She shook her head and moved back to her best friend.

Victor felt bad, rushing to explain. "I'm sorry. You've been great. You just...caught me off guard."

Jeff had gone to offer a hand to the kid with a knowing look. "Way off guard?"

Victor took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "Way off guard," he agreed.

Dick loudly cleared his throat. "Uh, still haven't heard what happened," he reminded them.

Forager was the one to give the story. "At school today, Violet Harper opened a boom tube as if Violet Harper was a Motherbox."

Jenna and everyone else turned to the girl in question. "What?!"

"Mm-hm, it's true!" Violet said eagerly. "I didn't know I could do it until I did it. Then it seemed, well, natural."

Doctor Jace stepped forward. "But even for a meta-human of your abilities, how is that possible?" she wondered.

Jenna's eyes went wide as it dawned on her. Because maybe she isn't a meta at all. "Holy shit," she whispered.

"Maybe I know," Conner quickly spoke up.

Jenna turned to look at him with surprise.

He continued. "When we were at Bedlam Central, I spotted a dissected Motherbox."

"Of course! That must be the device Baron Bedlam gave to Doctor Ecks," Jace realized. "Simon tried to learn its secrets, but only succeeded in destroying it. There was a burst of energy, then the machine went dead."

"Not just dead. Murdered," Conner corrected. "Motherboxes are living computers. That burst of energy? It was probably Motherbox's soul escaping."

Jenna grabbed Artemis' arm as her friend smacked her own forehead.

"Hello, Megan!" Artemis cried out. "Doctor Fate sensed an old soul in Halo's very young body. And the first time Jen and I saw Halo, Vertigo's crew was burying her."

Jenna frowned. "Bedlam wouldn't ditch powerful meta-humans if they could make a good profit, so they must have thought she was actually dead," she added. "Gabrielle Daou did die that night."

Artemis turned to Violet. "But the Motherbox's soul energy—or whatever you wanna call it—merged with Gabrielle's body and resurrected it as-"

"As me!" Violet realized. "I told you I wasn't Gabrielle."

Jenna approached the girl, grasping her shoulders gently. "You did," she confirmed. "I didn't understand at first, but I wasn't going to take that away from you. You're Violet, no matter what."

The relief on the girl's face was enough for Jenna to get the urge to hug her, but she refrained for the time being.

"The trauma must've wiped their combined minds clean," Jace explained, drawing closer to them. "She'd get flashes of Gabrielle's residual memories, flashes of the Motherbox's knowledge..."

"Everything else she'd have to learn anew."

Violet looked over at Brion when he spoke. "It...doesn't upset you that Gabrielle is dead?" she asked, turning to face the prince and making Jenna's hands slip off.

Brion reached out, taking Violet's hand with a fond look. "Strangely, no. I suppose it's because you are the only you I've ever known."

He then chuckled lightly. "Besides, I have grown accustomed to such...strangeness."

Victor quickly raised his hand. "Yeah, well, newbie to strangeness here," he pointed out. "What does all this have to do with me?"

Jenna glanced back to the one who started the whole debacle. "Vi, what happened after you opened the boom tube?"

"Well, I went through it to see where it would lead me. When I stepped out, I saw Victor."

"Call me Vic. And it, uh, it was more than that," he said sheepishly. "I was attacking my dad and some other scientists he worked with."

Jenna raised her eyebrows, a million questions running through her head. But she decided to wait. "Then what?"

Vic looked over at Violet. "She did something weird that made me feel less...murderous. She was glowing purple when she did it too."

Jenna crossed her arms in thought. Her healing aura?

Artemis spoke up, "But, Violet, you've never been able to heal anyone but yourself."

"Well, she healed me. That's why I-"

Violet shook her head. "Actually I don't believe I did heal you, Victor," she told him. "I think I only made adjustments to your internal technology."

"More proof she's a living Motherbox," Conner mused.

"Whatever. Look, I just wanna get back to my actual life," Vic said. "I'm this close to a college scholarship, and maybe even a career in pro football. So I need one of you freaks to get this tech off me."

"We're trying to figure this out," Dick cut in.

Brion sighed. "And now, he'll tell you to be patient," he said dryly.

"Yeah, 'patient' is not gonna cut it. You can talk about all these Mother and Fatherboxes later-"

Everything seemed to explode.

"Hang on, what do you mean by-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said anything about-"

"-a Fatherbox?"

Jenna's and Conner's voices overlapped before coming together at the end. Jenna's eyes were as wide as saucers and, if she turned around, she imagined her Kryptonian friend had the same look.

But before anyone else could say anything, Sphere ran up to Vic, beeping frantically.

"Whoa!" Vic jumped, eyeing the sentient ball. "What's this now?"

"Sphere?" Conner called out.

Then Sphere transformed, rising into the sky to hover over Vic threateningly.

The boy glanced over at the others watching tensely. "What's going on?"

"Super-Cycle, what are you doing?" Conner snapped.

The Super-Cycle continued to freak out, trying to communicate the only way she knew how. But when she did, something happened to Vic.

The technology fused to his body seemed to turn on, glowing a violent purple. And as he spoke, his voice had an underlying demonic sound: "You dare threaten me?!"

He reached out with his robotic hand, firing a laser at Super-Cycle. She swerved, beginning her own attack.

Conner suddenly jumped in between, becoming the middleman since he was the only one who could physically handle both assaults.

He groaned as his body was wrecked. "Both of you! Stop!" he ordered.

Whatever had taken over Vic wasn't happy. "Fool! You seek to intervene? Then suffer for it!"

"No!" Violet took a step closer, throwing her own hand out.

She spoke again, but in an entirely different language that sounded nothing like anything modern-day. And her body began to glow violet just like when she was healing herself, but a similarly colored beam cast out of her outstretched palm to engulf Vic. After she was done, she looked around with confusion, blinking rapidly.

But it worked. Vic's technology shut down before rebooting as he woke back up.

Vic looked down at his hand, realizing what he had done. "Sorry! Sorry..."

Some of the group split as M'gann checked on her fiancé and Jeff checked on Vic.

"Conner!" M'gann said worriedly, resting a hand against his chest as he straightened up.

"I'm fine," he said, groaning in pain as he looked up at the Super-Cycle. "Super-Cycle, stand down!"

She was still unsettled though, clearly not trusting Vic even if it was just because of the technology. However, Violet flew over to her, patting her gently.

"It's all right now," she said soothingly.

As even more proof that Violet was a living Motherbox, Sphere balled back up, now at ease.

Jenna met Violet at the bottom of the steps, glancing over at the boy she 'cleansed'. "I swear, that wasn't me attacking," Vic said.

"No. It was the tech within you taking control," Violet agreed. "But I have cleansed you again."

"Yeah, well, clearly, a 'Halo Cleanse' is only a temporary solution," Dick said from the patio. "For the time being...you two had better stick close to each other."

Violet smiled up at him. "Understood. I will stick close," she said determinedly.

Jeff pointed something important out. "What about his father? Shouldn't we bring Vic back to him-"

Vic whirled around. "My father did this to me!" he snapped, holding up his hand.

"All the more reason."

Vic was steadily growing more frustrated, making it clear that he wasn't on great terms with his dad. "Look, I'm eighteen. You can kick me out, but you can't make me go back."

"No one's kicking anyone out," Conner interrupted.

Jenna couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her. "Yay," she mumbled. Time to figure out new sleeping arrangements.

She straightened up, looking back at Dick with an annoyed glance. He at least looked apologetic as he turned away, expecting her to follow. Which she did.

Once on the patio, she leaned against the side of the house next to Dick, keeping her body angled to where no one could notice what she was saying. "We need to figure this shit out," she said in a low voice.

"Jen, I'm sorry, but we need to keep Vic and Violet together in case something bad happens," Dick pointed out.

But Jenna shook her head. "I don't care about that," she corrected with a wave of her hand. "Fine, at the very least I can stick Vic on the couch and Violet can stay in my room since she sleeps six feet in the air anyway. I'm talking about this."

She gestured between the two of them. "This whole thing that we've got going on the side. We're still trying to find Tara but now we have to figure out how to help Vic?" she reminded. "And that's even assuming we can help him but I know he won't want to hear that right now."

Dick ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "I know, I know. We'll figure it out. Together."

"Good." She reached out, nudging his shin with the toe of her shoe. "At least I don't have to chew you out this time."

His guilty expression faded when he looked up and saw her smirking. Then he rolled his eyes. "Thank god," he muttered, yelping when she kicked him a little harder.

Jenna pulled away, moving back over to the kids. "I'll take care of tonight and we'll go from there," she said, glancing over her shoulder at Dick. "But just remember, I'm housing a guy who might turn homicidal in the blink of an eye so you owe me."

She sent him a wry grin as she turned away. My grocery bill is going to be a pain in the ass.

Chapter Text

Star City

October 31, 14:01 PDT

Jenna was stretched out on the couch, happily enjoying her day off from her main job and her side job. Some days she didn't know which was which. But since Vic and Violet had both left to prepare for Happy Harbor High's annual Halloween party it left Jenna's apartment empty and quiet for the first time in months.

The past couple of weeks took a bit of an adjustment with Vic staying in case of another Fatherbox incident. He kept to himself most of the time, only conversing when Violet or Jenna would prompt him to, but Jenna understood. I can't imagine what it would be like to have your whole life flip on its head like that.

Jenna's cat was clearly happy about the peace and quiet though since he was happily snoozing on her lap as opposed to being hidden away in her bedroom.

Jenna let out a chuckle, running her hand through Amp's fur. "Poor baby. It's not easy having a bunch of new people in your home, is it?" she cooed.

She got transfixed on the show playing, only snapping out of it when her phone rang. No surprise of who it was calling. But what did surprise Jenna was the caller barely gave her time to answer.

"The depot bust is tonight."

Jenna immediately stood, ignoring the cranky yowl as Amp lost his seat. "I'm on my way. Do you need anything from me?" she asked.

"No, I already called the others. Just get to Happy Harbor."

He didn't have to tell her twice. The urgency was clear enough.

Jenna rushed out of her apartment with her duffel bag in tow, hauling ass to the nearest Zeta-Tube. Once she had left the one located in Conner's garage, he, Artemis, and Dick were already waiting. The latter had garment bags tossed over his shoulder.

When they approached the patio, the kids were talking about the school party. Violet was particularly excited. "-and the Halloween dance will be good fun!"

"Halloween's canceled," Dick called out to them. "Sorry guys, but we're going to Greater Bialya and we're going now. We have a solid lead on Tara Markov."

Brion didn't even hesitate. "I'm ready," he said firmly, melting the face paint off his skin.

Violet walked up to him, resting a supportive hand on his shoulder. "So am I. Although, I would prefer to change into my Halo clothes first."

Jenna's brow wrinkled. "I'm afraid not," she said. "We need you to stay close to Vic in case he needs another cleanse."

Vic frowned, glaring off to the side. "See? Maybe being a potentially murderous freak is not such a good thing after all," he mumbled.

Poor kid. Jenna didn't try to reassure him, knowing it wouldn't convince him.

However, Violet suddenly got worried, looking up at the guy she had considerably grown closer to in the past few weeks. "But- but Brion..." She trailed off as he walked away, focused on one thing and one thing only.

Jenna moved to soothe the girl, but she halted in her tracks when Doctor Jace beat her to it. Her muscles began to tighten as she watched the woman gently grab Violet's shoulders.

"He'll be alright," Jace assured her.

She glanced up at Jeff who had hardly left her side. "I'll watch over these two. Go, save Tara."

Jenna turned away, deciding there were bigger things to worry about than a woman she barely knew. She breezed past Brion while he grasped the hands of Violet who had worriedly followed.

He took a deep breath. "Violet, I want you to know-"

Before he could continue his declaration of love, Dick quickly cut him off. "No speeches, Prince. We're going. Now."

Jenna rolled her eyes, 'accidentally' elbowing him on his way past her to board the Bio-Ship. "Be nice," she chided.

She met Brion's glance when he followed Dick. "But I agree. Save it for when we come back with your sister," she suggested.

And we will save Tara. If it's the last thing I do.

~/~/~/~

Earth's Upper Atmosphere

October 31, 21:46 UTC

"Using the rotation of the earth, the Bio-Ship should reach Greater Bialya within the hour."

At Conner's announcement, Jenna briefly glanced outside to look at the starry night before back to her nails to which she was busy applying acrylics. She didn't often do her own nails because both of her jobs called for the need to use her hands and they would just get in the way. However, when it came to missions like the one they were on–albeit how few there were–she wanted to be polished.

"May Forager drive?" the bug from New Genesis wondered. "Forager lives inside Bio-Ship. Forager and Bio-Ship have a...good relationship."

The corner of Jenna's lip turned up. Aw, that's...cute?

"Well, that's great," Conner started. "But-"

When he stopped talking, Jenna glanced over her shoulder to see that he suddenly lost the controls and they were instead resting in front of Forager. Well.

Taking the change in stride, Conner put his hands behind his head. "Okay, sure. You drive."

Forager let out a usual series of clicks, smiling down at the controls. "Good girl," he praised, making Jenna giggle.

Tired of the casual conversation, Brion started seeking answers. "What do we know and how do we know it?" he questioned.

"What we know begins with these VR goggles manufactured by Gretchen Goode's Goode World Studios," Dick began, holding up the said device. "A friend of ours, Garfield Logan, learned the hard way that the goggles were designed to test for the meta-gene. If the subject tests positive, subliminal messages begin to brainwash the potential meta-human, sending the subject to a specific location in the vicinity."

Jenna refrained from shuddering. Thank god he made it out. Hearing from M'gann about what had happened left her worried. And she made sure to warn Sam. He might not have the gene, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that junk nonetheless.

She raised her head to pipe up. "We think they're depots. A place to trade meta-teens."

Dick continued on. "As we speak, the Justice League and the team are sending squads to take down all these depots simultaneously so one location can't tip off another," he informed. "We're hitting the depot in Greater Bialya."

"Since when are we working for the League?" Jeff questioned.

"We're not," Dick said abruptly, almost defensive. "But Garfield gave the goggle intel to M'gann, who took it to the League first. Fortunately, she made sure we got the Bialyan gig because of the Tara connection."

"What is the Tara connection?" Brion said, growing impatient.

"Intel from another source. A tip that the Shadows handed Tara over to someone named Granny."

Jenna turned back to finish her temporary manicure to hide her annoyed expression. From the Dark Knight himself...but you're treading on thin ice, Dick. They're all smarter than you give them credit for.

"Unfortunately, 'Granny' was too generic a term," the former Boy Wonder said. "Could've meant anyone or anything. But since Gar made the Goode Goggles connection, we now believe Granny refers to Gretchen Goode's nickname in the popular press: Granny Goodness."

Dick looked directly at Brion. "And remember Jaqqar Marlo? We thought he might have been killed by a Shadow wielding geo-force powers? Turns out Marlo worked for Goode R and D on the goggles. Moreover, he was the buyer of record for a Goode shell company, which purchased an abandoned mall in Greater Bialya, one of the meta-depot locations the League hacked off the goggles. We even found a list on the Dark Web of merchandise available for purchase at this depot."

As he was speaking, he threw up some information for all of them to view through their respective darkwear lens. "Note item sixteen. Female, age fifteen, earth powers."

Brion jumped up, shock written all over his face. "Tara!"

Jenna nodded. "That's a very high possibility. That's why we're here: to check and know for sure."

The hour passed by quickly, and before they knew it, they were-

"Entering Greater Bialyan airspace," Conner announced.

"Bio-Ship is already in camouflage mode," Forager said, still piloting.

"That's why I traded Sphere to M'gann. Her squad's raiding a meta-depot in Utah, where being spotted is...less likely to create an international incident."

Jenna leaned forward, the organic seat belts following her body as she glanced out the window. The building they were approaching was heavily guarded outside so there was no telling how bad it would be inside.

"We're here." Dick reached into his jacket to pull out the tiny bug drone he had at all times. "Now, let's get a closer look."

Forager opened up a minuscule hatch to allow the drone to fly out and into the building's ventilation. The silence stretched out for a long time before Dick made a thoughtful sound.

"You, uh, in a sharing mood?" Artemis wondered.

"What? Oh, yeah. Sorry."

He switched the feed over to the Bio-Ship, allowing the entire interior to become the screen. Jenna began to take in every detail she could. There were several levels where people were mingling. They were all dressed up in formal attire, but every face was completely covered by emotionless white masks. Guess they don't want to get caught. God knows who might be here tonight.

"Fancy crowd. But they don't look too tough," Jeff noted.

"You're focused on the spectators," Dick told him. "I'm more concerned about the security: Queen Bee's meta-human enforcers, code-named 'Onslaught'."

The drone quietly moved around the area, drawing closer to a balcony where several people stood out from the rich.

Jenna raised an eyebrow. "Since when did Junior grow a beard?" But she took account of the others, particularly Devastation, Mammoth, and the Terror Twins. They don't mess around with their bodyguards, do they?

"Willkomen, bienvenue, welcome!"

The drone began to circle the center of the room. The lowest level gave off the impression of a fighting ring, and something in Jenna's gut told her she wasn't too far off the mark. Walking across the balcony above the ring was a man with white face paint contrasting the black lipstick and eyeliner he wore.

"I am your host: Mister Bliss!" the man continued, addressing the crowd. "And these are our first items up for bid: in this corner...Holocaust!"

A tall, dark young man in orange fighting attire stepped out first. He gave off no reaction to the cheers in the room, only radiating intimidating energy.

Mister Bliss gestured to the other side of the ring. "And in that corner...Terra!"

There she was. A blonde girl in her own purple fighting attire. Her expression was steely and cold. Looking nothing like a princess would.

"Tara!" Brion exclaimed in relief and worry for his sister.

"Brion Markov finds Brion Markov's sister. This is a good day," Forager said happily.

"Just one problem. This isn't just a depot," Dick piped up. "It's a fight club for meta-teen gladiators."

"And sensors show they're all enslaved by control chips," Artemis added.

Brion growled. "Not for long."

Dick turned to him. "Look, I wasn't expecting this, either, but you have to be-"

"Be patient?" Brion guessed. "You cannot seriously expect me to walk away now!"

Jenna rounded on him too, crossing his arms. "That's not what we're asking of you, Brion," she soothed. "Did you see that man with the exposed brain? His name is Psimon, and he's a psychic. A crazy powerful psychic that we've gone toe-to-toe with too many times to count. If you go in all riled up, he'll notice and our cover will be blown. We need you to not just be patient, but calm. For everyone's sake."

"So can you stay whelmed or not?" Conner questioned.

Brion glared at him for a moment before taking a deep breath. He met Jenna's and Dick's questioning gazes. "I will follow your lead."

Dick nodded. "Good. Here's what we're gonna do: if too many people go in at once, it'll raise suspicion. So Jeff, Jenna, Artemis, and Brion will go liberate Tara. There're clothes and masks in the back for each of you. Get changed and we'll go over the plan before you go inside."

Artemis had gone first, stepping out of view so she could get dressed. It was quick, so the moment she rejoined the squad, Jenna went next.

She stripped in one fluid motion, pulling the floor-length dress over her head. Once it had settled over her body, she smoothed the nonexistent wrinkles, tugging at her sleeves even though she knew her tattoo wasn't visible.

She then twisted her torso, examining as best she could how the tight, black fabric accentuated her...features. Not bad.

She grabbed her duffel bag, hauling it back to her seat. "Your turn, Jeff," she spoke as she dug through the side pocket for the pair of earrings she brought along.

She paid no mind to the low whistle Artemis let out, though it was hard to not subconsciously smile. "Looking good, Jen," the archer called out.

Jenna tilted her head to one side, glancing up at her friend briefly before focusing on getting the earrings secured in her lobes. "Back at you," she said, having eyed the equally low-cut and sexy dress the woman was wearing.

She turned back to her personal task, adding the second earring in silence. She was well aware of the soft murmuring coming from her two friends, but she only acknowledged it when the telltale sound of a camera shutter went off, followed by a smack and whiny 'ow'.

She slid a bangle bracelet onto her slender wrist as she looked up at Dick. He was rubbing his arm, scowling at Artemis—who met his glare—before sheepishly grinning at Jenna.

"Barbara's looking for a new dress and can't decide what style to get," he excused.

Jenna raised a brow, knowing good and well that the hacker was probably the one that picked out the outfits...not that the others would know that. "Uh-huh," she said slowly.

She turned away as Jeff stepped back into the room, letting Brion finally change. She rolled her eyes as her friends no-so-subtly continued their conversation.

"You're going to send that to me so I can show him later, right?"

"Duh."

I don't wanna know.

"I presume we're all ready?" Brion questioned as he reentered the main room.

Jenna swiped the mask off her seat, turning it over in her hands. "So what do we do once we're inside?"

Some information flashed in front of her vision, specifically account and routing numbers to transfer money. There was no name associated with it, but Jenna knew instantly who it belonged to. Gotham City's playboy. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Helps to have him on our side...especially when he's funded my stipends through college.

"Money's no object," Dick answered her. "However much it costs to get Tara, bid it. We'll be waiting just outside for your getaway."

~/~/~/~

The fight was in full force once Jenna, Artemis, Jeff, and Brion got through security and made it indoors. Although there was a force field keeping the battle contained, the heat coming from Holocaust's powers was still very present. Tara was doing well enough to defend herself, but her opponent wasn't holding back in the slightest. She was getting beat up and her brother wasn't happy about it.

But Jeff was there, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. Once the prince had backed off, Jeff reached out, electrifying the metal railing. It traveled across the balcony, finding its target that was leaning against it as he telepathically searched the room for whatever spark of emotion he felt.

He was quickly interrupted as his body began to seize from the shock, falling limp as he collapsed to the ground. Devastation, who had been standing with him, quickly checked on him, but the residual electricity was gone. It was as if it had never happened.

Tara was still down, so the fight was over. Only the bid was left.

"Tell 'em, Bliss," Holocaust called out with a laugh. "The girl is toast. Or should I toast her to prove it?" His hand raised, generating a ball of fire menacingly.

"No, thank you, Holocaust. A living loser still nets a pretty penny," Mister Bliss reminded before turning to the crowd. "Terra is down for the count. The winner is Holocaust!"

The sound of the crowd cheering while Holocaust fired out streams of fire in victory pissed Jenna off. It was sickening how they all found enjoyment in watching the meta-teens fight. Then, theoretically, by the end, they would go home with some of those people to do the unimaginable. Not if we can help it.

"Bidding is open on these items," Mister Bliss announced. "Starting bid for Terra is five hundred thousand U.S."

As planned, Artemis immediately raised the paddle in her hand, catching Bliss' attention. "Ah! I see we have our first bid! Anyone else willing to spend seven hundred and fifty thousand?"

Someone did seem to have more interest in Tara, enough that they were willing to fight for her. It went back and forth briefly until the final amount ended with Jenna's group at one million and five hundred thousand dollars. Pocket change to these people, ugh.

It was done. They had transferred the money to a person near the exit and soon, they were out of the building. Tara followed them without a fight, the control chip preventing her from doing so.

Once they had all gotten back into the disguised Bio-Ship, Jenna felt like she could breathe. She pulled off her mask as it began to drive away, sparing a glance over at the girl they had finally been able to rescue.

Brion was the last to remove his mask, smiling down at his little sister. When she realized who he was, she gasped in joy before throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace.

The Markov siblings were together again. It made for a successful day so far.

The area began to shift, forcing Jenna to stand as her seat melted away into the back of the Bio-Ship. She let out a sigh, fully relaxing as they ascended into the sky. Except it couldn't last long.

Dick and Conner joined them in the back as Brion took Tara to the front of the ship. Those still dressed in formal wear quickly changed to their darkwear, preparing to shut down the depot that was below them. Before heading out, they moved to the main room so they could inform the kids before leaving.

Brion noticed their new appearances, his brow furrowing. "Wait. What's going on?" he asked.

"There're more kids back there," Black Lightning began.

"We made sure Tara got out safe." Nightwing.

"But now we've got to go back, rescue them." Tigress.

"And shut that place down." Superboy.

"Stay on the Bio-Ship. You'll be safe here," Siren finished.

Forager began to protest. "But Forager wants to help."

"You will," Nightwing assured him. "But your shell's still too soft for combat. Keep the Bio-Ship in camouflage mode. When we signal, lay down cover fire and be ready to extract us."

Superboy glanced up. "Bio-Ship. Hatch."

The ship listened, doing as told so the squad could drop out onto the rooftop. From there, they split. Lightning went to provide a power outage, Superboy and Siren dropped to the front of the building to take out the guards, while Nightwing and Tigress went in to rescue the teens.

Siren huddled close to the cars parked out front, watching as the street lights flickered out thanks to Black Lightning frying the circuit breakers. The guards immediately went on alert, searching their immediate areas.

Surprise. Siren darted out, throwing herself at the closest guard. It startled the others who began to raise their guns, but Superboy was on them before they could blink.

As the two of them were at work, Nightwing's voice could be over their comms. "Forager, we need a distraction. Open fire on the venue."

Okay, guess we're doing this the loud way. Technically, that already happened as the remaining guards were firing up on Superboy and Siren, but they both adjusted their methods since they no longer had to be sneaky.

From up high, a pair of lasers appeared out of nowhere as the camouflaged Bio-Ship began to strike some of the tanks parked nearby. The ground shook violently from the impact, causing several charging guards to flinch. Their distraction gave Siren time to make them lose their footing and steal their weapons as they fell.

Suddenly, Siren felt a literal chill so she ducked without a glance. The jet of ice managed to hit the motorcycle Superboy had in his hands to knock more soldiers off their feet, but he just used it to his advantage. Once in the clear, Siren followed the trajectory to find Icicle Junior standing on top of a car.

"That mask doesn't fool me. I know it's you, Superboy," he snarked.

Siren raised an eyebrow. What am I, chopped liver?

"Hey, Junior. Good to see you," Superboy called out, speaking casually as if he was catching up with an old buddy.

There was a loud yell coming from Siren's blind spot so she quickly spun around, kicking Shimmer in the chest as she came barreling down on her. As she fought the meta, she couldn't help but get distracted by Superboy's and Junior's conversation.

"Don't play nice," Junior snapped as he dropped onto a tank waiting to fire on the Kryptonian. "You think I've forgiven you? You stole my girl!"

Siren rolled her eyes. This again? She dodged Shimmer's blows, trying to make the woman tire herself out before getting in close. The last thing she wanted was a hole in her chest.

"I mean, sure, I didn't know she was Miss Martian," Junior continued, his voice becoming very irritating. "But I was totally into her, and you knew that!"

Superboy quickly destroyed the tank, bending the cannon in half so it couldn't attack. "Yeah, but I was into her first," he pointed out. "I just hadn't figured it out 'til you helped bring us together. I owe you for that. Hey, we're engaged now!"

From the sounds behind Siren, she could tell Junior had fired at Superboy. "Dude! Congratulations!" he said excitedly.

Siren yelped ice hit her in the foot, quickly crawling up her leg to immobilize her.

She whirled on Superboy, scowling. "If you're gonna chat, can you not come anywhere near me? I'm kind of busy!"

She dodged a punch from Shimmer, taking the chance to slam her own fist into her opponent's stomach. Shimmer stumbled back with a grunt. With some more space to spare, Siren tugged her garrote free and wrapped one of Shimmer's arms in it.

Yanking the woman toward her, Siren brought up her other leg straight up into her jaw. As the momentum pulled Siren forward and out of the ice trap, she pulled Shimmer's face back down into her knee. The red-headed meta fell back with a groan, fading into unconsciousness at the blonde's feet.

"No, really, that's awesome!"

Siren sighed when Junior piped up again. They're still at it?

"I always thought you guys made a great couple," he said, creating a kind of sword from ice. "And maybe that means there's hope for me, too!"

"I hope so," Superboy said genuinely, jumping up to meet Junior halfway and kicking him in the head.

The ice villain flew back into one of the parked cars, falling to the ground with a pained 'ow'. Not unconscious, but not getting up anytime soon.

Siren joined Superboy's side. "You two have the weirdest friendship I've ever seen," she said flatly.

A roar from behind them reminded them that they weren't done.

Siren turned to her Kryptonian friend. "Maneuver seven."

~/~/~/~

The rest was chaotic according to what Siren was told once the meta-teens were out and the rest of Onslaught was taken down. Despite Geo-Force and Terra going against the adults' orders, it proved to be useful as the siblings' teamwork was what helped them escape.

The trafficked meta-teens were taken to Taos where the Dorados—both father and son—were waiting with open arms. Then it was back to Happy Harbor for the squad. There was good news waiting for them too.

There had been a struggle between Vic and Violet as the Fatherbox took control again. Violet, under the stress of it being the first mission Brion went on without her, temporarily lost her powers. But not wanting to leave Vic to Fatherbox's clutches, she managed to regain that control and cleanse him again. This time, it seemed permanent.

So, with both teens confirming that they felt a physical change, Vic was going to move out of Jenna's apartment and into the Bio-RV at Happy Harbor. It was more spacious and less girl-central. Both parties were fine with parting.

"As for Tara, she's staying with Will and Artemis for the time being," Jenna said, wrapping up her debrief. "I think Artemis felt bad that I've had to house two kids recently so she took Tara home with her. But we'll both still be able to keep an eye on her."

"And you're sure she's working with Deathstroke?"

Jenna wasn't the one to answer Wonder Woman, instead, it was Batman. "Positive. Except we can't approach her about that very matter just yet."

After splitting up for the night—and after Jenna had yet again left Violet alone in the apartment—she and Dick went to meet with their 'Anti-Light' group to update them on the rescue of Tara. The whole reason why the depots were being tracked in the first place.

The usual group was there, those associated with the League and the team having just returned from their own busts. Dick and Jenna were lucky to have been able to get the Bialya depot for Tara, but the other vigilantes weren't able to get involved. Jeff had nearly picked up on their little secret, so who knows who else could have too if Batman and Robin were seen.

"We need to gain her trust, give her a chance to tell us herself so we can get the upper hand on Slade and the rest of the Light," the Dark Knight continued.

Jenna eyed him, crossing her arms that were still clad in darkwear.

It didn't come as a shock that Batman had known Deathstroke had been lying about Tara 'washing out' of the League of Shadows. Even less so that Slade had put her in a place as obvious as a depot in the form of a fighting ring located where the team had their biggest issues time and time again. He wanted her to be found so she could fall right into the laps of those associated with the Justice League. What for, they didn't know yet. Which is why Artemis and Jenna were keeping an eye on her.

"We're trying to gain her trust because the girl's been through enough," Jenna corrected, her tone chilly as she addressed Batman. "This isn't going to be some sort of manipulation tactic. She's a kid. One who has gone through kidnappings, forcible activation of her meta-gene, trafficking, training under the League, and god knows what else."

She turned to address the others. Aquaman's expression almost threw her for a loop, but she breezed past it. It was something akin to sympathy. Not for Tara; for her.

Jenna silently cursed the fact she could still read her ex so well, but she knew that he understood her feelings on the matter. In the time that she had started caring for the kids from Markovia, she really started to care.

It was nothing new though. She had always had that sort of tenderness...that urge to become a motherly figure ever since meeting Sam. It became a little different since Jenna certainly wasn't old enough to be his mom, and really, the same went for the kids now, but the point still stood. She wanted to help them...protect them. And the man she was with for four years knew that just as much as she did.

"We'll help Tara," Jenna finished determinedly, turning back to Batman. "She's what matters the most right now."

We'll save her. If it's the last thing I do.

Chapter Text

The Watchtower

November 16, 21:21 EST

"Recognized: Banshee, B-two-three."

The guy let out an exasperated groan as he walked out of the Tube. "Sorry I'm late, coming back from the meet took a bit longer than expected," he apologized to the group in the room.

"It is fine," Aquaman assured.

It looked like nearly everyone was there and waiting for the briefing. A couple of weeks prior, Halo, Geo-Force, Forager, and the new girl, Terra, finally joined the team. The reason Banshee was there was to add an extra member with experience with so many new teammates on one mission. But besides that, it looked as if they were just waiting for one more person.

Banshee nudged the blonde woman in his path as he walked by. "Glad to see you back," he said with a grin.

Besides their new members, Tigress was back in. It wasn't long after Siren had left two years prior that she did too, deciding it was too much to handle after she lost her boyfriend as a consequence of the life, so seeing the woman back without her best friend was a little strange and admittedly sad. 

If she ever felt the same, she didn't let it show. "Glad to be back, Ban," Tigress said with a similar smile.

"Recognized: Beast Boy, B-two-zero."

Tigress smirked as the kid finally arrived. He, too, had rejoined the team, after learning about Gretchen Goode's little secret single-handedly.

"Oh, hey, you're a little late, Garf-"

Beast Boy cut her off her teasing, not even paying attention as he stormed past her. "Fifty-two takes. Fifty-two!"

Damn. "O-kay," Tigress said slowly. "We will talk about it later..."

She rejoined Aquaman's side, addressing the team as the briefing began. "Okay, everybody, Miss Martian was needed at the Meta-Human Youth Center, so she assigned me to lead Gamma Squad."

"This will be a covert mission. Recon only," the Justice League's co-leader reminded.

Beast Boy, obviously still pissed about whatever happened during shooting that day, scoffed as he leaned to stage-whisper to Forager.

"They always say 'recon only,'" he muttered. "It never turns out that way."

And obviously, Aquaman wasn't too happy about that little jab involving several past missions. "The mission had better 'turn out that way' since the League is not allowed in Russia without prior consent."

"Russia?" Geo-Force inquired.

A global map and video feed pulled up behind the two adults simultaneously. "We're being sent to investigate Russia's Ploshchad Fifty-Two base," Tigress explained. "We have intel of a possible government-sponsored meta-program there."

"No doubt the Russian equivalent of Bedlam," the prince said tightly.

Aquaman looked at him. "I understand Markovia suffered under the former Soviet Union, but do not prejudge. Yes, this may be Russia's equivalent to Bedlam, or it may be their equivalent to Taos."

Banshee crossed his arms. "So we go in, find out, get out, done, yeah?"

"Yeah," Tigress confirmed. "So switch to polar stealth, we leave in five."

Guess it's going to be a quiet night then.

~/~/~/~

Verkhoyansk

November 17, 23:23 VLAT

There was no sound other than the howling wind and crunch of snow as Banshee silently ran out of the Bio-Ship following Tigress' signal. Beast Boy had gone ahead, camouflaged as a bird, leaving the rest of Gamma to trail behind. Or rather, under, since the stealthiest option was to have both Markov siblings dig a tunnel from their position all the way to the end of the hill.

Once they reached the base, Beast Boy's feed showed that they were inside the perimeter and clear to move. With a single nod from Tigress, Geo-Force opened up a hole above them for Terra to lift them out of. As they came into view of one of the buildings just past the fence, Halo quickly threw up an illusion, hiding them from view.

Just in time too, a scientist standing just past the window glanced in the direction with suspicion. We're not here, we're not here, we're not here. Seeing nothing, the woman walked away.

The group silently moved closer, watching the conversation between two other people. A woman was wearing heavy-duty armor and a man was still unclothed but standing in front of a chamber.

"Welcome, Lieutenant Dmitri Pushkin, to Area Fifty-Two," the woman said, Banshee's new darkwear lens providing automatic translation. A good thing too since he knew a little Russian, but not nearly enough to follow fluent speakers.

The lieutenant saluted. "It is an honor, Colonel Olga Ilyich."

"It is an honor you have earned after volunteering and training. Soon, Lieutenant, you will take your place as the newest member of the Rocket Red Brigade."

Rocket Red Brigade? Banshee's brow furrowed as he looked on. The scientist had moved to the chamber, fiddling with it while the lieutenant and colonel spoke. Upon further inspection, the man had metal plates attached to his body along various joints. The sight wasn't all that comforting.

"The bonding of a Red to his armor is painful," the colonel continued, increasing Banshee's discomfort even further. "Fortunately, you will be in a drug-induced sleep."

The chamber opened wide, revealing an armor similar to the colonel's. It looked ready and primed for someone to step right into. Jesus.

"Understood," the lieutenant said. "And soon the Brigade will be revealed to the world...as heroes whose valor puts the Justice League to shame."

Banshee scowled, glancing over at Tigress to see what their next move would be. As expected, she signaled for them to head out, going back the way they came. It was like they were never there.

"Forager, prepare for extraction," Tigress called out over comms after they had returned to the tunnel. "Our mission's complete."

Banshee was still thinking about what they saw at the base. What is it with people trying to one-up the League? He wanted to run his hand through his hair, but the beanie camouflaging the dark strands prevented that. So, he opted to tug on his undershirt's sleeves, ensuring his tattoos were still hidden.

"It is?" Halo asked.

Banshee wasn't the only one frustrated, but Geo-Force was significantly more so. "Why are we not stopping this?" the prince demanded to know.

"Because it's not our business," Tigress said simply. "If volunteers want to be heroes, who are we to say no?"

"But their government will use them as super-soldiers for- for propaganda and who knows what. They want to be the Russian Justice League!" Geo-Force hissed.

"And that's not our business either."

She was right of course. Even though they wanted to strive to do better than the Justice League, they still had good intentions. Who was the team or even the League to deny them that?

Once they were moving back through the tunnel on a platform created by Terra, a video flashed in Banshee's vision. His stomach dropped when he saw who was visible.

"Tigress, Beast Boy's feed," Halo whispered urgently.

"Noted," the squad leader said. "I have confirmed IDs on Black Manta, Captain Boomerang, and Monsieur Mallah, all of whom should be in Belle Reve prison wearing inhibitor collars."

"I thought that place was supposed to be escape-proof," Geo-Force said incredulously.

Banshee couldn't help but snort. "It is."

"Did anyone tell them?" Halo wondered.

Tigress let out a sigh. "It looks like they're planning a little surprise party for the Russians."

Geo-Force looked at her. "And is that our business?"

Banshee eyed the video feed. "Whatever that answer is, it better be made fast," he warned.

Tigress' jaw tightened. "Terra, give cover to the base, now!"

Terra quickly thrust one hand upwards, sending a shield of rocks bursting out of the ground. It was perfect timing too judging by the near-immediate explosion and tremors that went through the tunnel as the squad shot back to the drop-off point.

They, too, burst out of the ground as they prepared to defend the base from its attackers. When the smoke cleared, one particular person wasn't happy to see them. Rather, see their leader.

"Tigress! You and I have a score to settle." Black Manta snapped.

With a Halo shield covering them all, Tigress' bow expanded, arrows poised as she glared at the man she once worked beside as a double agent. "Really?" she inquired. "'Cause I'm pretty sure your son and I settled that score two years ago."

The trio was the first to attack, gunfire, lasers, and boomerangs alike assaulting the shield. Banshee's squad held back, waiting for the right moment.

And that moment came when a green rhino charged at Mallah. Tigress and Banshee went after Manta while the rest ganged up on Captain Boomerang.

With a press of a button, Banshee's bo-staff split into two nightsticks with handles to hold them flush to his forearms. They acted as a type of bracer which was particularly useful against a man who could shoot lasers out of his helmet. That, plus his agility thanks to years of traversing Star City's rooftops, kept him from being scorched as he and Tigress circled Manta.

Tigress pushed off a boulder, firing an arrow in Manta's direction. It didn't hit him, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it went off, exploding in Manta's face which sent him flying backward. That gave Banshee a chance to drop down on the man's head so to speak, slamming the solid metal into the space between his helmet and suit. With a shove, Manta toppled back even further until he landed face down in the snow.

It didn't take long for him to get back on his feet, forcing Banshee to retreat. It became a dance between the three of them, Banshee and Tigress either attacking or pulling back to mess with Manta's mind and cause him to slip. It would be much easier if Manta weren't so damn competent.

"Halo!"

Banshee had bounced off a tree trunk to avoid a blast at the same time as Geo-Force had let out a panicked cry. Sparing a glance in their direction while Black Manta's lasers were focused on Tigress, the young siren saw Halo slumped against a tree with a boomerang protruding out of her sternum. Fuck.

In the short seconds that Banshee was distracted, a body was flung into him, sending them both flying backward. Then a boulder went sailing over their heads. As Banshee pushed himself up out of the snow, wiping the clumps of ice off his face, he was concerned to see their opponents starting to fall back per Manta's order.

"Boomerang, we need cover!" he called out.

The Australian man grinned. "Best idea I've heard all year." He quickly threw down the boomerang he had on hand, dark plumes of smoke instantly obstructing the squad's view.

"Gamma, HUDs on infrared," Tigress quickly ordered, a split second after Banshee had done just that.

"No need for that."

At the new voice speaking above them all, Banshee's head shot up to find the two Rocket Red soldiers hovering there, arms raised to fire their weapons at any sign of danger.

"Move and you'll die," came the colonel's voice.

If they didn't dip, they were screwed. Anyone associated with the League was not allowed to be there–the team included–so they were about to be in big trouble if they didn't disappear.

"Halo, boom tube?" Tigress whispered to the wounded girl.

Geo-Force had managed to pull his girlfriend to her feet, wrapping his arms securely around her as her violet aura did its magic. "She's still recovering," he informed, eyes narrowed. "So we fight."

Except Tigress wasn't having that. "No, stand down," she urged.

She held her arms up in surrender, turning to address the Russians. "We have no quarrel with the heroes of Russia," she called out. "We didn't come here to attack you. In fact, we prevented an attack."

"You expect us to believe this?" the lieutenant said incredulously.

Before anyone could answer or continue to argue, a missile came flying through the air and struck him down.

The colonel shouted, translated by the darkwear tech, "It's a trap!"

"No, it's not-" Another explosion cut Banshee off as a couple of more missiles hit Halo's shield.

Although Manta was trying to attack them, it was clear his focus was on the Rocket Reds. Between the gunfire blinding the colonel and a single boomerang exploding in her face, both soldiers were down for the count.

Quickly setting sights on the three villains circling up on those still standing, Banshee's muscles tensed involuntarily. Once they got closer, they began their assault. The bubble around all six heroes tremored as Halo fought to keep it steady.

"Can't...maintain...shield!"

Tigress' hand flew up to her comm. "Forager, now!"

Just above them, the Bio-Ship came into view as the bug inside began to fight back. With the new layer of protection forcing their opponents back, the squad had room to counterattack.

"Halo, drop the shield," Tigress ordered as Banshee slotted his bo-staff back to full length. "Gamma, go!"

Banshee all but pounced, following Tigress' lead as they returned to their battle against Black Manta. For a moment, it was a flurry of staffs and lasers as all persons involved threw all they had. Manta was ruthless, just like he once tried to instill into his own son, but Tigress wasn't having it.

It didn't take long for her to push back against the villain. It didn't take much for Banshee to grasp the fact that the fight was getting a bit personal. So he did ease up, allowing the archer to do her thing. And all it took was a mid-air roundhouse to the head to send Manta flying.

Finally reaching a point where she could finish the job, Tigress ran up to where Manta had fallen but didn't account for how winded he might or might not have been. Banshee saw it coming before she did, but there was no time to move or call out a warning before Manta fired at her.

When she fell back several feet away, Banshee raced to her side, dropping in front of her fallen body to guard her. He scowled at the man as he stood. Would really love to have my mask right now!

As if some higher power heard his silent pleas, both Rocket Reds suddenly dropped from above, one on each side of Black Manta. "Rocket Red Circuit Attack!"

Rocket Red what now?

Two guns jutted out of the shoulders of each Red and–before Manta could flee–sent out waves of electricity that sent Manta into a spazzing fit. He hit the ground with a soft thud, unconscious.

Finally. Banshee dropped his stance, immediately turning around to help Tigress stand. She clutched her wounded shoulder, leaning up against the kid for a moment as she got her bearings again.

Beast Boy shifted out of 'beast mode', resting a concerned hand on their leader's good arm while the rest of the team converged. They all watched with wary gazes as the colonel and lieutenant drew closer, weapons drawn. Banshee glared at them. Seriously?

One of them spoke after a moment. "Wait, aren't you...Tork?" he asked Beast Boy.

Normally, Banshee would laugh. It wasn't every day that a teammate was also the lead actor in a popular show–one he particularly enjoyed himself. But at that moment, he just rolled his eyes while Beast Boy groaned.

Tigress grunted as she straightened up. Banshee kept a hand on her upper back just in case. It was probably just a graze, but he would feel better after it got looked at.

"Again," Tigress said slowly. "We're not here to fight you. Which should be obvious, since our ship could've attacked you while camouflaged."

Banshee kept quiet, but he still itched to comment that she had a point. Even then, why would they have squabbled against another squad just to play up appearances? Why would we wound ourselves on purpose?

"All we ask is that you allow us to take these escaped convicts back to Belle Reve prison," Tigress added calmly.

"Do you think us fools?" the lieutenant snapped. "You American meta-humans have violated Russian sovereignty."

"We're not all metas," Banshee mumbled.

"We are not Americans," Geo-Force said a bit louder.

"And we're not your enemy," Beast Boy finished.

Tigress wasn't done. "You can take us in. We won't resist," she assured. "But word will get out that your top secret base was infiltrated by two separate covert American meta-squads."

Again, she had a point. And they knew it too.

The colonel lowered her arms, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Just go," she acquiesced.

~/~/~/~

Belle Reve Parish

November 17, 10:10 CST

They didn't stick around any longer than they needed to. After hog-tying their three captives and hauling them on board, Gamma Squad took off, heading straight for Belle Reve with Aquaman promising he'd be there to see to the return of the three convicts.

Hidden high in the sky, Banshee tugged off his beanie to shake his hair loose while they all waited. Able to listen and watch through Aquaman's comms and surveillance cameras respectively, they watched as Captain Boomerang, Mallah, and Black Manta were escorted back to their cells.

As the final villain walked to the entrance, he came to an abrupt stop once he laid eyes on his son that was overseeing.

"Kaldur'ahm," Black Manta greeted darkly. "Seeing you in those colors turns my stomach. Nearly as much as the memory of your relationship with that woman did."

Even though Aquaman's face wasn't visible, the just barely noticeable icy tone in the man's voice was unmistakable. "Then it is fortunate you cannot see them or her from your prison cell, Father."

Banshee's eyebrow lifted. Well then...

Manta grunted, saying nothing else as he was forced to continue on.

With no one around, Aquaman could finally speak to the team freely. "I spoke with Warden Economos about the three dangerous felons who escaped Belle Reve under his watch," he told them, mainly addressing one of his oldest friends.

Tigress tilted her head. "Let me guess, he had 'no idea they were gone'?" she surmised.

"He admitted nothing, but, yes, that was my impression. He claimed the situation was being 'handled' and promised to send someone up to explain."

Banshee scoffed, crossing his arms. Well isn't that convenient?

Tigress had the same train of thought. "Oh, someone other than the man in charge of the place?" she asked.

"Apparently." Then Aquaman changed subjects. "How did the new team members do on the mission?"

Tigress peeked at the kids in question from the corner of her eye. "Uh, you know they can hear you," she reminded.

"I do."

Banshee followed Tigress' gaze to the other one who had gotten injured during the battle. She had become abnormally quiet, lost in thought. Probably still recovering from that nasty attack.

"Halo got banged up pretty good, but the rest did okay," Tigress reported.

"And Terra?" Aquaman questioned, wondering about the newest hero.

Tigress smiled down at her. "She did fine," was all she said.

Beast Boy straightened up. "So, what now, boss?" he asked, intent on returning to the previous topic. "Press conference?"

"Tell the world Belle Reve is not as escape-proof as advertised?"

Before anyone could consider his rhetorical question, a new person made themself known. "I wouldn't recommend it."

No fucking way. Banshee leaned forward, eyes narrowing when he saw the woman that approached the Justice League's leader. What he would have given to see Aquaman's expression up close.

"Amanda Waller," the man greeted. "What is the former warden of Belle Reve doing here now?"

"My job and my duty," Waller answered. "When your people aren't interfering."

"So it was an op," Aquaman realized. "Manta, Mallah, Boomerang, all working for you."

Waller straightened her pristine tie. "Not for me. For the US Government, which I represent," she corrected.

"By tapping into Belle Reve's previously untapped source of meta-individuals?"

"To run hazardous missions we wouldn't risk our people on."

Banshee scowled. Forcing people you see as disposable to risk their lives to do your dirty work. So just a regular day at the office, huh?

Aquaman had another concern though. "And yet you risk loosing Manta on the world?" he questioned, thinking about the trouble his father had caused in the past.

"There are carrots and sticks. Very persuasive sticks," Waller waved off. "Our operatives know they're extremely expendable."

It was doubtful that their 'operatives' were one hundred percent willing to do whatever. As much as many of them wanted to create chaos and ruin whatever they could, Banshee had a feeling that not many wanted their lives to be the cost of doing so. I wonder if she's got some sort of leverage that's making it hard to say no.

Whether Aquaman had the same idea, he didn't let it be known. "I see," he said almost casually. "And if your...'suicide squad' is caught or killed?"

"They're disavowed. Task Force X does not officially exist," Waller said calmly.

"Then why reveal it to me?" Aquaman questioned.

Waller closed the gap between the two of them. "Clarity," she said simply, pointing at him. "You expose my operation, and I expose your little playgroup."

Banshee's eyes widened. She knows?

Finished with the little talk, Waller began to walk away. "Given current public opinion, the League has way more to lose than I," she said with finality.

Banshee's fists tightened as he glared at the empty space where she stood just seconds before.

Beast Boy wasn't happy either. "Big talk. She's totally bluffing!"

There was a small pause before Aquaman answered, "We all have secrets to keep."

Banshee let a puff of air escape his nose. And see where those got us before.

Chapter Text

Star City

November 22, 11:37 PST

"Violet, let's go! I promised Artemis we'd be over soon to help prepare dinner!"

Jenna peeled off a corner of the aluminum foil that had been wrapped around the dish resting on the counter. She took a peek at the blackberry pie, double-checking that it survived the night before covering it again. Grabbing the edges of the glass pan, she moved it to the kitchen table so she could grab her purse and keys.

She quickly ushered Violet out the door and then held out the pie pan to her. "Hold this please."

The girl complied, giving Jenna more mobility to lock the apartment up. And they were off, ready to enjoy the holiday with friends and family.

Jenna had suggested to Dinah that she join them, but she declined. Paradise wasn't all that perfect still between her and Ollie, so the two sisters agreed to have brunch the following day while the older Lance woman just preferred to be alone for the actual holiday. It did little to prevent the guilt from eating at her sister.

That's a problem for another day. Jenna forced the unhappy expression off her face as she slid into the driver's seat of her sedan, glancing to the backseat to make sure Violet was able to set the pie on the floorboard. Once the girl had done so and had moved to the front of the car, they were off.

"So," Jenna started as they were making their way down the street, "excited for your first Thanksgiving ever?"

She was met with silence. Curious, she spared a very quick glance over to the passenger seat.

"Vi?" she prodded.

Violet turned her head abruptly from where she was staring out the window. "Oh, sorry. Yes, I think it will be very enjoyable," she answered.

The street light they had rolled up to was still red so Jenna took a moment to fully examine her unofficial ward.

She shot Violet a smile. "Everything okay?" she wondered. "Is school going alright?"

Violet nodded, saying nothing else. It was clear her mind was on other things.

Jenna hummed uncertainly but didn't push it further. She'll feel better once she sees who decided to join us.

~/~/~/~

Taos

November 22, 14:03 MST

Getting embraced by someone moving faster than the speed of light was unexpected the second Sam exited the Zeta-Tube, but not unwelcome. He didn't have much time to react to the hug either as Bart zipped around to repeat the same action to Traci and Virgil individually before throwing his arm around Ed's shoulder.

"Nice to see you again, Ed," Sam greeted, still holding Jaime's hand after they were not quite jumped by their speedy friend.

Ed nodded in acknowledgment. "Likewise. Although the circumstances are a bit better than last time," he said with a smile.

Sam just shrugged. The events leading up to the first time they met weren't all that enjoyable, but it had been a long time since so he didn't want to relive the memories.

"Is everyone here?" Jaime asked, squeezing his boyfriend's hand as he probably sensed where Sam's train of thought had gone.

"Not yet, the others should be arriving any second now."

When the group began to migrate outside, Traci was confused. "Shouldn't we wait for them?" she asked, jabbing a thumb toward the Tube.

Sam let out a laugh. "Uh, no, they're coming by a different mode of transportation."

Once they got outside, the wind began to pick up. Not from the weather, but from a helicopter landing on the pad just outside the youth center. Nice timing.

"Looks like Gardita's in the house!" Bart called out over the sound of the propellers.

Suddenly, a sharp stab of pain went through Sam's ribs. He let out a yelp of pain, quickly releasing Jaime's hand to clutch at the spot Traci elbowed him.

"Ow!" he whined.

Traci was glaring at him. "Why didn't you tell me Tork was coming?" she hissed in his ear.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Why are you so shocked, dude? You know Gar is on the team!" he reminded. I swear...

"Hey there, hi there, ho there, Gardita!"

"Hola!"

"Hello, boys. It's so nice to see you again," Perdita greeted them, as sweet as ever.

"Garfield Logan, Queen Perdita, meet our friend: Traci," Jaime introduced before lowering his voice to a stage whisper. "She's a big fan."

Traci was bouncing on her toes, barely able to contain her excitement. She pulled away the collar of her shirt where she had been muffling her joy. "I'm a big fan," she squeaked.

"Hello, Traci. Lovely to meet you," Perdita said gracefully.

Garfield winked. "Hey, Traci."

Sam had begun to roll his eyes again while listening to Traci's squeals when his bruise only got bigger. "Ow!"

"Oh, and thanks, you guys, for keeping our arrival quiet," Garfield continued. "What a relief not to have to deal with the paparazzi."

Traci was absolutely starstruck. "If you say so," she said dreamily.

Sam let out a wheezing laugh, covering his side with one hand in case Traci decided to flail anymore.

So Jaime tugged him closer, still grinning at his boyfriend's misery. "Yeah, I wouldn't know," he added.

Garfield was the first to move, just as eager to enjoy the day as the others were. "Now, let's get this party started!"

The small group began to make their way to the miniature amusement park set up by the youth center. The rows began to form themselves with Bart and Ed leading the way, followed by Garfield and Perdita, Sam and Jaime, Traci, the bodyguard, and finally Virgil.

"Um, this was supposed to be a team-building day, right?" the guy inquired. "'Cause I'm feeling a little like a- a sixth...seventh...eighth wheel?"

Sam held back a wide grin as he eyed the two boys up front. Oh, you noticed that too?

"I mean, so where's the rest of the team?" Virgil continued. "Like, you know, Cassie?"

Traci glanced back at him. "Oh, she's in Gotham trying to salvage things with Tim," she said simply before turning back around to chat with Jaime and Sam.

Sam huffed out a laugh when he heard Virgil grumbling as they continued on. You need to get a girlfriend, man. He sped up, tugging Jaime behind him as the day's fun was looming ahead.

~/~/~/~

Jenna ran the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead, her entire face warm from hovering over the stove. "Mashed potatoes are ready," she called over her shoulder to her best friend.

"Great, put it by the stuffing."

Jenna turned to grab a serving bowl, letting out a small squeak when she deftly moved around Violet who had suddenly appeared. She then spared a quick glance into the living room where the girl came from. The small group of people gathered there was clapping upon the end of Lian's little singing performance with her grandmother. With a small smile, Jenna went back to her task at hand.

"Nice of Tara and Brion to join us," Artemis said, also noticing the new presence that had come into the kitchen.

"Yes, but I thought they were going to Taos?" Violet wondered.

"Oh, well, Brion said-" Artemis cleared her throat, putting on an exaggerated accent. "'-it's American Thanksgiving! Violet and Tara are the two people I'm most thankful for.'"

She shared a laugh with Jenna, dropping the accent. "Since you decided to spend the day with us, so did he."

Violet glanced over at Jenna. "And Tara?"

Jenna's smile dimmed as she searched for the girl in question. Her brow softened.

Artemis sighed. "Well, Tara's been through a lot. You know she doesn't talk much," she reminded, "but, she's here. Crash, huh?"

Violet's smile seemed off, confusing Jenna. "Yes. Very asterous." She took the plate of chips and dip Artemis had handed her to place in the living room.

Jenna watched her go. She could tell something was wrong with the girl, but she couldn't figure out what. Nothing new about her existence had changed and no new abilities cropped up, so Jenna was truly lost.

Except it wasn't the time or the place to have a heart-to-heart. Especially with the house getting more crowded by the second.

Unexpectedly, Doctor Jace made her appearance, having walked in via the front door. "Hello, everyone. It's so nice of you to include me," she greeted.

There was some chatter as everyone welcomed her in, but Jenna's smile had become somewhat strained. "I didn't realize that Doctor Jace would be joining us too," she said in a low voice, glancing over at Artemis.

Her best friend raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's not like she can celebrate the holiday with Jeff," she pointed out the obvious. "Bringing your current...whatever to your ex-wife's while spending time with your kids would be in bad taste."

Jenna couldn't help but snort despite the weird feeling in her stomach. "No kidding. I mean, it's not like she's unwelcome, I just wasn't expecting it is all," she said casually.

Artemis then set a can of cranberry sauce on the counter beside Jenna. "Can you get this open and on a platter? I'm going to check on the turkey."

Jenna dug in a drawer for a can opener, letting her attention return to the task at hand. "Sure."

~/~/~/~

Sam's body lurched as the bumper car he was in was slammed into. He flipped off Garfield and Perdita as they fled, laughing, before he whirled around to berate the man behind the controls.

"Babe, you gotta do better than that. We're getting creamed!" he cried out.

"Sorry! It keeps getting stuck!" Jaime protested.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh, right," he drawled, swatting Jaime's hand away from the controller. "You've officially lost driving privileges. Traci looks like she's out for blood over there."

He pushed the handle, making the car lurch forward. It struck the first car in its path, belonging to a very lonely Virgil. Sam let out a triumphant laugh, grinning wickedly as he zoomed away before Bart and Ed could get any closer.

After looping around, targeting their friends too many times to count, the group vouched to take a cotton candy break.

Sam thanked the vendor once he had his own treat in hand, trailing after Traci who secured some of her own. "I bet I can hit more targets than you in that shooting range game," he mumbled around a mouthful of fluffy sugar.

Traci's eyes gleamed. "Oh, you are so on," she laughed.

Sam sent her a pointed look as they began to walk back to rejoin the others. "That means I better not suddenly get hit with a wave of bad luck," he teased.

Traci just stuck her tongue out at him defiantly, not promising anything.

When their friends regrouped, Garfield was looking around at the whole fair, watching all the teenagers that enjoyed the festivities. "So, how's it going with the meta-kids at the center?"

"Mixed bag," Ed mused. "Some are really having trouble. I wish I could do more."

Bart stared at him incredulously. "More? You set this whole party up!"

Ed shrugged. "Sure, but I wish there was some grand gesture I could make to truly inspire them."

Garfield sighed. "That's the problem with the team. The covert thing gets in the way of the inspiration thing," he said. "It's- it's just not what I wanted when I came back."

"The TV star likes the spotlight," Jaime said in a singsong voice.

Sam glared at him as Traci simultaneously elbowed him. He let out a yelp of pain.

"Not cool!" Traci hissed.

Sam only shook his head when Jaime turned to give him a questioning glance. "You brought that on yourself, babe," he sighed.

"It's not about that. It's...it's about setting the right example," Garfield explained. "Offering hope to meta-teens and kids."

"Could've used some more of that when we went meta," Virgil added, sharing a look with Ed.

"Exactly," his long-time friend said with a grin.

"And that's not all. The game's rigged against us by the Lex Luthors of this world. We need to change-" Garfield cut himself off, wincing for no reason.

Sam suddenly felt very nauseous, dangerously close to throwing up. His head began to spin. What the...

It wasn't just him or Garfield though. Every single one of his friends began to have similar reactions.

"Okay. Maybe I did eat too much cotton candy," Bart said weakly.

They all began to collapse one by one, the misery raging inside them becoming too much to handle.

It wasn't until Sam squinted up at the sky that he realized who was behind it all once they stepped into his line of sight. "Vertigo," he said with a pained groan.

"That's Count Vertigo to you, peasant," the man said coldly.

It was clear that he was focused on whatever his goal was as he simply ignored the people laying around him while his henchman picked Perdita up off the ground. Oh no...

"No..." Garfield mumbled, too weak to do anything under Vertigo's influence. "Perdita..."

Vertigo examined the girl suffering in his henchman's arms. "My dear niece, I believe it's time for a family reunion."

Perdita grunted. "Uncle, you cannot- win- the crown by k- killing me," she stammered through her pain.

"You have so little imagination, child. Bring her."

His henchman grinned. "Lead the way, boss," he said with a wicked laugh.

Perdita tried to fight back despite the agony coursing through her, but as she punched the henchman in the face, she let out a yelp, clutching her wrist.

"Karabast, girl," the henchman scolded. "That was pathetic."

He took Perdita to a small helicopter that was landing nearby. Once it did, they got in and took off in a single moment.

The waves of vertigo began to ease.

"Perdita!" Garfield cried out.

Sam stumbled to his feet. "Well what are we waiting for?!" he demanded.

He reached out an arm, allowing Jaime—who had quickly changed to his armor—to scoop his boyfriend into his arms and shoot up into the air. From below, their friends were taking off too.

With his speed, Bart had taken the lead, quickly following after the copter. Then he called in through the comms shortly after he disappeared.

"Guys, don't get too close," he warned, his voice strained. "Vertigo's power will have you feeling the mode!"

"Blue, can't your armor protect you or compensate or something?" Ed questioned, having paused his pursuit to check on Bart.

Jaime and Sam had drawn closer to the copter, but the second they almost reached it, nausea hit again. Sam grunted, tightening his hold around Jaime's neck subconsciously.

"Apparently not," Jaime grunted.

"So what now?" Traci called out, hitching a ride with Virgil.

A green bird suddenly shot past Jaime and Sam.

Virgil spoke up, "We follow Beast Boy, keep that whirlybird in sight, and wait for our moment. We will get Perdita back safe."

Sam watched the copter as it began to move farther away. We're coming, Perdita. Just hold on.

The minutes seemed to stretch out into hours. Every time they tried to get a little closer, Vertigo would just attack again. Before they knew it, the sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving very little light to see with.

"This is so frustrating," Jaime said with a groan. "We're so close, but we can't get any closer!"

"There has to be something we can do," Sam said, desperate for some sort of solution.

However, Jaime wasn't listening to him. "Scarab, no! The goal is saving Perdita! Not sending her to a fiery death!"

There was a slight pause before he said, "It's implied!"

Sam glanced at him. "Scarab wanted to blow it up?" he questioned.

Jaime rolled his eyes. "How'd you guess?"

Traci's voice rang out over the comms. "You know, I think I can bring it down without injury!" she realized.

Sam glanced down where she was hovering off the ground behind Virgil on his metal skateboard of sorts. Traci reached out a hand past Virgil's shoulder, aiming for the copter.

Looking up to see what her magic would do, Sam watched as the fuel line broke immediately, making fuel spray everywhere. "Nicely done, Trace," he praised.

"That should do it," the witch agreed. "They'll have to make a controlled landing now."

Jaime spoke up, but not to any of them. "Dude, you are the king of overkill. You never suggest precision!"

Sam scoffed. Every time...

Bart ran ahead once the copter began to descend. "They're down! In the pueblo!"

~/~/~/~

"You'll have to send me the recipe for the casserole, 'Mis," Jenna piped up as she took a second helping of the dish.

"Believe it or not, it was my first time making it," Artemis answered with a light laugh.

"It's good, Artemis," her mother agreed.

"Thank you."

Paula then chuckled. "It could use a little salt," she jabbed.

Artemis' expression dropped into one of annoyance, making Jenna bite back a snicker of her own.

The Lance woman felt a nudge at her thigh, glancing down briefly at Brucely who was wandering around for scraps much to Artemis' chagrin. So spoiled. Don't have to guess who he got his appetite from. Jenna smiled fondly as she tore off a piece of her dinner roll to give the dog.

"Well, I must say, my first American Thanksgiving has been lovely," Doctor Jace spoke up. "I'm so thankful to have been included."

Jenna trained her eyes on Lian's plate where she had turned to cut the turkey into smaller pieces. Hilarious.

"My daughter does set a nice table," Paula said, looking at the end of the table where the woman sat. "Something I'm sure she never learned from me."

"I had a little help. Or a lotta help, really," Artemis admitted humbly, glancing over at Will and Jenna with a smile.

Lian perked up. "I helped, Aunty Mouse!" she declared.

"Yes, you did, baby girl."

"I'm not a baby!"

Jenna hid her grin so as not to upset the little girl. "Of course you're not, sunflower," she quickly assured, sharing a smirk with Artemis over her head.

Jace laughed at Lian's protest. "Oh, you must be so proud of Artemis. It's not just the meal, of course."

If only Jenna had picked up on what the woman was referring to before it was too late.

"Of course not. It's the degree in Comparative Literature that makes me proud," Paula agreed. "My daughter will be a college professor!"

Jace gave the woman a confused smile. "That's...wonderful. But I was actually talking about the way she's mentored these young people"—Jenna's face dropped—"Brought them onto the team, worked with them as Tigress."

Everyone flinched when Paula slammed her cutlery down onto the table. "You're back with the team?" she hissed at her daughter. "You're Tigress again?!"

"Uh-" Before Artemis could begin to explain, Paula pushed away from the table and wheeled into the hallway. Then the other woman quickly followed for an overdue conversation.

"Whoops."

Jenna glanced down at Lian before turning to share a look with Will. Whoops is right.

"I- I'm so sorry," Jace stammered. "I had no idea-"

"It's alright," Will quickly reassured the woman. "You couldn't have known."

Jenna turned away again, attending to Lian as an excuse to hide her frown from the scientist. Right...she couldn't have known. Still, the odd feeling she had been harboring for months only grew.

~/~/~/~

Taos Pueblo

November 22, 17:41 MST

The team ran through the pueblo weaving around what felt like an endless maze. As they reached yet another intersection, Ed appeared in front of them.

"Lo siento. I can't find them."

Bart ran up to them from the right. "I've run up and down every walkway, every alley. And every building in this moded place looks exactly like every other! And I mean exactly!"

Jaime extended his wings. "I'll get a beetle's eye view," he quickly suggested before shooting up into the air.

Sam tilted his head back to watch him fly up, but his eyes widened when the walls began to distort. It was enough to make his head spin.

"This isn't good," he muttered.

"Gee, you think? Walls don't normally do that," Jaime said out loud, but Sam had a suspicion that he was talking to the voice in his head.

Sure enough, Jaime continued to speak to an invisible person. "What're you talking about? I'm like a hundred feet up!"

Oh shit. Sam groaned. "Perspective's off," he realized. "We're not seeing this right. Meaning-"

Jaime dropped back down. "Meaning Vertigo's using illusions to fool us!" he finished.

Bart let out a frustrated grunt, smacking his forehead. "Hello, Megan! I was running in circles. Checking the same building over and over."

"But Vertigo doesn't have illusion power," Virgil pointed out.

"So, how do we find Perdita if we can't trust what we see?" Traci wondered.

Garfield's eyebrows had a deep wrinkle in between. "Let's see if we can trust what I smell. Close your eyes and follow the sound of my roars." He shifted into a bear, sniffing the air before letting out a deep roar.

Keeping his eyes trained on the ground, Sam followed with his team. He listened for Garfield, not trusting anything else at the moment.

They eventually turned a corner and as Sam glanced back up, he could immediately tell it looked different. Not only the buildings but the fact that the walkway had a new addition.

"Sorry, boys and girls," Vertigo's henchman called out. "This is as far as you go."

Garfield let out a threatening roar, charging at the man. What startled all of them was how easily the henchman grabbed Garfield by the snout, punching him to land in front of the group.

To retaliate, both Virgil and Sam sent projectiles flying. Virgil's shocker pellets flew apart as the electricity running between them did little to faze their opponent. As did Sam's shurikens since they dented upon impacting the unmoving henchman's chest.

"What the fuck?" Sam said, eyes wide.

The henchman laughed. "Tickles."

Bart ran forward, sending a rapid barrage of punches to the man's abdomen before flinching back in pain once it registered.

"Ow! What're you made of?" he questioned.

The henchman sent Bart sprawling with a solid punch to the face. "Sugar and spice and everything nice."

Oh, so we're dealing with a Powerpuff Girl. Gotcha. Sam ran to pull Bart to his feet.

"Makes no sense," Jaime said frustratedly. "It's just one guy... Scarab, we seeing this right?"

Sam spared him a glance, seeing the face he made after listening to the scarab's response. I'm gonna take that as a yes.

All of a sudden, the henchman flinched as he held Garfield at arm's length. He whipped his head around behind him, crying out, "Baby!"

He punched Garfield again before his body shimmered, revealing that he was an illusion all along. In reality, they were going up against a woman.

"She was Devastation!" Jaime realized as they watched her run off.

"Well, that explains a lot," Bart grumbled. "Let's go!"

The rest of the team quickly followed the fast-moving kid. A couple of buildings down was where Devastation had busted into so they were right on her tail.

There was Perdita whom Garfield quickly rushed over to. Devastation had run over to the only other person in the room, that being-

"Psimon, of course! The illusions, the nausea...all telepathically induced," Jaime recounted.

Sam's nose wrinkled as Devastation began to pepper kisses on Psimon's bloody and unconscious face. Wow. He had to admit though, that solid punch to the face was impressive. Nice job, Perdita.

Virgil trailed in after the rest of the team, laying eyes on the unlikely couple in the room. "Are you- Come on!" he whined. "I've gotta get a girlfriend."

"Dude, not the issue right now," Sam hissed.

And the issue had quickly scooped up her...boyfriend, busting through the ceiling to escape. Sam jumped back, avoiding the falling debris.

"Do we follow?" Jaime wondered.

"Wait! This makes no sense," Garfield mused. "Psimon and Devastation are both part of Onslaught. They're Queen Bee's enforcers, not Vertigo's."

Perdita's brow furrowed. "Since when is Queen Bee interested in Vlatava? Or me?"

Sam crossed his arms, a scowl slowly forming. "I have a better question: where's the rest of Onslaught?"

Ed suddenly dropped his head in his hand. "Oh, I'm so stupid!" he cried out. "Wendy and a bunch of the other kids at the center were rescued from Onslaught in Bialya!"

Traci brought her hand up to her chin in thought. "Then Perdita's kidnapping-"

Garfield finished for her. "-was just a distraction."

"Shit!" Sam snapped. "We need to go. Now!"

Bart grabbed Ed's arm. "Come on, amigo. Let's go!"

They were the first to take off, being the fastest of the group. The others trailed behind as quickly as they could.

By the time they got back, going at full speed since they didn't have to slow down in fear of being knocked back from feelings of motion sickness, the battle to stop the rest of Onslaught was already raging.

Icicle Junior and a new meta, Holocaust, were already down, but there were still the Terror twins to deal with. Easier said than done, but it helped to have the element of surprise.

As Traci tripped up Tommy Terror with her magic, Sam jumped out of Jaime's arms, dropping to skid on his knees to catch Leslie–Livewire–who had been tossed over Tommy's shoulder. He cradled the girl in his arms, moving her to safety while Jaime had body-slammed Tommy into the transportation container Junior was sitting in while unconscious.

Spotting something in the corner of his eye, Sam tensed when Tuppence walked up, freezing when she saw her teammates were down. That gave Garfield enough time to transform into a snake and coil around her and Virgil time to grab Andie–Mist–who had been in her hold.

Sam had begun to carry Leslie back to the group, noticing too late when Tuppence had pulled a Fatherbox out of her pocket, aiming it at the ground.

"Get back!" Sam yelped, jumping a couple of feet backward just as a boom tube opened.

Unfortunately, it opened right underneath Bart and Ed, making the both of them drop. If it had been anyone else, who knows what would have happened, but Bart was able to run along the walls of the tube while Ed simply teleported out.

They landed back on solid ground, sharing a look. "Don't wanna know where that would've landed us," Bart griped.

"We need to deal with that Fatherbox, so they can't open any more boom tubes," Jaime said, quickly followed by, "No! Superboy says Fatherboxes are living machines, like you. We're the good guys, we don't kill!"

Sam rolled his eyes. A precision attack, right, Scarab?

Virgil raced forward, yanking the Fatherbox out of Tuppence's hand via electricity just as she tried opening another tube. It did open right in front of Sam, but Virgil was able to chuck the Fatherbox inside, closing it for good with no way of opening again.

After that, Tuppence grabbed Garfield, yanking him off her neck and slamming him down into the ground. While she was distracted, Ed teleported onto her shoulders and stuck an inhibitor collar around her throat. Then one pissed-off green ape decked her, making her slam into a booth and collapse.

"Knew these collars had to be good for something," Ed said, appearing by Garfield.

The storage container that Junior and Tommy had been trapped in suddenly flew up into the air as Tommy punched his way out.

"Virge!" Sam called out, sprinting away from where he had left Leslie with Traci.

Virgil dropped down onto Tommy, leaving a collar behind. While Tommy struggled to get it off, Sam jumped onto Virgil's disk, using it as a launch pad to roundhouse Tommy in the face and send him flying into the same booth his sister was at.

Sam hit the ground, rolling to a stop. "Sucks, doesn't it?" he taunted.

The entirety of Onslaught–minus Psimon and Devastation–was down. And at the same time, the unconscious civilians and meta-teens were starting to rouse.

"Gas is starting to wear off," Jaime said with relief.

"Everyone will be recovering soon," Ed confirmed, having teleported over to his dad. "And no way will we be able to keep the press away now."

Perdita looked up at her boyfriend. "Maybe you should sneak away," she told him.

"We are supposed to be a covert team, right?" Virgil said uncertainly.

Sam placed his hands on his hips. "So how will they explain Onslaught getting taken down when everyone was unconscious?" he said, a bit irritably.

Being a co-op team was never an issue. But all of a sudden, it felt constricting.

Judging by Garfield's expression, he didn't like the reminder either. "No," he said. "I'm tired of hiding."

Sam snorted. "Hide what exactly? You're a dude with green skin," he pointed out.

"That's my point," Garfield said, looking over at him. "Ed said he wanted to do something more for the meta-teens. What if this is that something? People just like them in the spotlight?"

Bart zipped over to join them. "So...what? Are you going to make your own team or something?" he wondered.

Garfield shrugged. "Why not?" he said, looking between him and Jaime. "For now, I'm sure the press wouldn't mind talking to Blue Beetle and Kid Flash who happened to be around to save the day."

Sam's eyebrows rose, eyeing the three guys. I can't believe this is happening. As he watched Bart run off to change in two nanoseconds, he couldn't help but feel excited.

~/~/~/~

Jenna giggled as she felt a paw on her leg. "Sorry, buddy, I'm all out," she told Brucely as she stood to take her plate to the sink. She glanced over at Paula as she did, but it seemed that the previous argument between mother and daughter had at least come to a pause.

Then she glanced down to watch Brucely as he continued to circle the table, whimpering at Artemis' side. The woman chuckled, giving in by giving him a piece of her food. "That is the last bribe you get, puppy!" she lightly warned.

Out of nowhere, Violet jumped up. "That dog should not be accepting bribes!" she exclaimed.

Everyone watched in stunned silence as she quickly left the house.

Jenna let out a quiet sigh as she began to move toward the door.

Then Doctor Jace suddenly appeared at her shoulder, grabbing her arm. "Please. Leave it to me," she said gently, but Jenna found it a bit odd that the woman's grip said otherwise.

That sent a spark of irritation through Jenna, but since she didn't want to cause a scene, her lips thinned into a fake smile. She nodded curtly, stepping away so that Doctor Jace could open the door.

With nothing else to do, Jenna cleared her throat. "Is anyone else finished eating? I can get started on cleaning the dishes," she offered, glancing at the pile in the sink.

Moving to start the chore while Artemis moved to get some saucers for the pie Jenna had brought, Jenna couldn't help but stare out the kitchen window as the sink began to fill up with soapy water. She watched as Violet and Doctor Jace conversed, the latter acting oddly affectionate with the former, and tried to ignore the sirens going off inside her head.

You're doing too much, Jen, chill out. Jace has her own kids ;  she probably knows what to say better than you  would .

She tore her eyes away from the outside scene, the reminder doing little to alleviate her concern.

~/~/~/~

Sam leaned against a tree with a tired sigh, keeping an eye on the impromptu press conference. Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, and Kid Flash all stood front and center as the cameras flashed around them.

"It's not about the limelight," Beast Boy was saying.

"I'm more of a lemon-light person, myself," Kid piped up, making Sam huff out a laugh.

"Look, we were here, so we helped," Blue explained.

As Beast Boy continued to explain the reason for their sudden appearance, Virgil spoke up nearby. "This is crazy. I mean, 'against the rules' crazy, right?" he questioned.

Sam just shrugged. "Maybe not," he answered simply. "The League already does it, why can't we?"

"-If people just give meta-humans a chance, they'll be amazed not just by what we can do, but by what we choose to do."

Virgil shook his head at Beast Boy's speech. "It's crazy," he repeated, making a face.

Sam turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Are you done freaking out?"

Before Virgil could continue to rant, one of the girls from the meta-human center came up beside them. "Those hero boys are pretty cool, man," she piped up, her Jamaican accent clear as day.

Oddly enough, Virgil began to stammer. "Really?" he said, his interest suddenly piqued.

The girl let out an affirmative noise. "And not just cool...hot."

Sam shifted his weight against the tree, eyebrows raised high. Easy now...one of those hero boys is mine. He shared a glance with Traci and she bit back a snicker at his expression.

Meanwhile, Virgil was beginning to fall apart. "Well, you know, I'm a-" He caught himself, realizing that revealing his identity wasn't the best course of action. "-uh, friend of theirs."

The meta-girl looked significantly unimpressed, thinking that he was just trying to get on her good side. "Sure you are," she said sarcastically, walking away.

Virgil's shoulders sagged as he let out a miserable groan.

Traci shot him a deadpan look. "You gotta get a girlfriend."

Huffing out a laugh, Sam looked back at the conference. He smiled fondly as he laid eyes on his boyfriend who exuded confidence more than his sixteen-year-old self once did. Whatever was going to happen next...might just have a chance of working out.

Chapter Text

The Watchtower

December 04, 19:09 EST

Banshee stood, arms crossed, alongside his friends while he tried to reign in his enthusiasm. He, along with several others on the team, had been planning for days. 

They were serious about forming a team of their own. One that didn't operate in the shadows. One that could inspire teens out there that were trying to be just like them. Now, they just had to convince their superiors.

Miss Martian watched her little brother step forward to address the adults in the room. "Okay, Garfield, you called this meeting," she said, handing the metaphorical microphone to him.

"And I appreciate you hearing me out." Beast Boy's eagerness and determination to get started were visible on his face. "Kaldur, though the Justice League's ranks are divided, you stand centerstage defending a world seemingly committed to stopping your good works. And, M'gann, you lead the team against our adversaries while avoiding the spotlight. Despite all obstacles, you're both making a difference...but something is missing."

Tigress glanced over at her friends uncertainly. "Okay, I'll bite," she decided. "What?"

"A public version of the team," Beast Boy revealed. "Young heroes rebelling against the system to fight the good fight in clear view."

Aquaman's expression was stern. "No. We do not put those kinds of targets on our underage heroes. That is what the Justice League is for."

"The League can't do what we need, because you're playing on the Light's game board. Have you seen the headlines lately?"

Above their heads, different articles appeared.

"Lex Luthor's grip on the United Nations. The public fear of meta-humans. Meta-teen trafficking," Beast Boy rambled off. "Bad guys like Granny Goodness and Baron Bedlam are capitalizing on all of it. We've lost the hearts and minds of the people we're trying to protect. Demagogues and fear-mongers have caused folks to give up on the heroic ideal, the reason the Justice League was formed in the first place!"

Tigress sighed, looking dejected. "Great, now I'm thoroughly depressed," she mumbled.

"Don't worry. I've gotcha covered." Beast Boy spread his arms. "See, we're gonna break the rules the League can't, we're gonna connect with people in ways that can't be blocked by governments, we're gonna quiet the fears of the public terrified by the meta-gene generation, and we'll do it all by inspiring that generation. Because we are them. Raised alongside them in the fallout of a scary, meta-human world, we can be the heroes that empower them to conquer their fears."

Miss M's brow furrowed. "That's a great speech, Gar. Sincerely. But...how's that any different from what the League's trying to do now?" she wondered.

"The League and the Light are fighting spin campaigns, and the Light's winning. That's not what I'm talking about. Look at this."

He turned around, projecting a social media post of the press conference on Thanksgiving. It had practically blown up overnight. So did the time when Beast Boy had publicly stopped a mugging from happening.

"Without even trying, these actions have generated something organic, something beyond spin, something that could never emerge from under the thumb of Luthor or Granny," Beast Boy continued. "It's something relatable. It's something we can build on by giving people something they can brand. Something they can own on social media. Something that makes them part of the story. We're going to be highly mobile and accessible. And together, we're gonna start a revolution!"

To finish off his huge speech, Beast Boy pumped his fist in the air before freezing and shrugging sheepishly. "A- a small one, anyway."

"You have given us much to consider-"

Beast Boy cut Aquaman off. "No. We haven't," he said firmly as half the team split off to join him. "Get on board or get out of the way."

Superboy's grumble was easily heard.

"We've all heard the story," Kid Flash began.

"You guys built this team-" Blue Beetle continued.

"-it's time to take it to the next level," Wonder Girl finished.

Tigress eyed each of them. "Are you sure you're ready for this kind of spotlight?"

"Green skin. Can't hide," Beast Boy chuckled.

"The Reach outed me two years ago," Blue piped up.

"Kid Flash is out too, from back in Wally's day," Kid added. "Public doesn't always get that I'm a different guy. Plus, I never really grokked the whole secret ID thing anyway, you?"

He glanced over at Banshee who shrugged. "People in Star City are starting to notice me more and more," the young siren admitted. "Besides, Jen gave her blessing even if she was concerned about our safety at first. You know how she is."

"Markovia and the world already know what I have become," Geo-Force said. "Now, I want to show them who I have become."

Wonder Girl glanced back at the boys. "And there was no way I was going to let this be a no-girl squad."

Static grinned. "The group needed a little color," he said simply.

Blue laughed. "Hey, brown skin here," he reminded.

"Might as well be blue skin with that face plate," Static countered, knocking on the armor to emphasize his point.

Miss Martian looked at those who stayed behind. "And...the rest of you?"

Halo was rubbing her arm. "Not ready. Not yet."

"That's just fine. I was afraid I was losing my entire team."

"And I'm guessing we're too old," Tigress said with a dry laugh. "Wow, when did that happen?"

Aquaman huffed out a chuckle, realizing that everyone had made up their minds. "So it is decided. The covert team will now consist of Miss Martian, Superboy, Tigress, Halo, Thirteen, Forager, and Terra. While Beast Boy will lead Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle, Banshee, Kid Flash, Static, and Geo-Force in this new public squad but still covertly answer to the League through Miss Martian," he reiterated. "Agreed?"

"Agreed," Beast Boy answered. "Oh, and there's one more thing I got covered."

He looked around at all of those present. "Who's up for a little field trip?"

~/~/~/~

Hollywood

December 04, 17:48 PST

"Welcome to the Premiere Building! The new squad's base of operations."

Jenna felt a body nearly tackle her, grunting as she shifted to adjust to the new weight on her back. "Jesus Christ, Sam," she wheezed.

Banshee immediately pulled away, grinning at his mentor. "I'm surprised you came," he admitted.

Jenna shrugged. "You're the one who gave a heads up. Besides, Violet is under my care for the time being."

Banshee squeezed her shoulders before wandering off to check out the whole penthouse.

Jenna glanced around as Beast Boy continued to give the tour. "I call this 'The Hub,'" he started, showing off the computer projections in the center of the room. "Holographic computer interface. Secured link to Watchtower systems. Basically, our mission room. When not in service, it'll double as our super-stylin' living space."

KF was dashing around the penthouse like a madman. "This is so crash!"

"And whether you're with the squad or not, there's enough space upstairs for me, Brion, Tara, Violet, Vic, and Fred to have our own separate bedrooms."

"Finally!" Geo-Force quickly settled down, smiling sheepishly. "I mean, thank you."

Beast Boy grinned. "Gotcha covered, B. And if anyone's hungry, got that covered too," he added, gesturing over to the spacious kitchen where Forager was already digging around.

He backed up near an empty side of the building, just under the bedrooms. "And just like Mount Justice, we'll eventually have a medical bay, a science lab, a gym, even a Zeta-Tube."

Jenna couldn't help but smile as she glanced around, nostalgia washing over her.

"Wow, it really is starting to feel like the Cave back in the day," Tigress mused before clearing her throat. "But, um, who's paying for all this?"

Jenna crossed her arms. "Yeah, this whole place is gonna cost a pretty penny, that's for sure," she said.

Beast Boy let out a laugh. "Gretchen Goode," he revealed. "She might still have me locked into a contract, but that means ol' Granny has to pay me, enough to finance the mission to take her down."

Jenna snorted. Impressive.

"Now, that's what I call payback!" Wonder Girl whooped, raising her fist to Static. "Eh? Eh?"

He shook his head. "Yeah, this is a sympathy bump," he muttered, knocking their knuckles together.

"The bedrooms are quite spacious," Geo-Force called from where he and Halo were wandering upstairs. "I must say I will not miss the confines of the Bio-RV."

Miss Martian glanced up at them, her brow furrowing. "The new place is great, Gar. But there's no way six teenagers are going to live here alone and unsupervised."

Tigress leaned toward her knowingly. "Yeah, who knows what might happen?" she said with a giggle, letting out an 'ow' when Miss M elbowed her.

"Behave," the team's leader muttered.

Jenna quickly averted her gaze, cheeks growing red as some...not unwanted memories of her and Kaldur resurfaced. She coughed awkwardly.

From behind them, a soft voice was heard. 

"I would be happy- honored to move in and act as a...den mother?" Doctor Jace offered as Jenna turned to look at her, eyebrow raised. "I'm already working with Victor, so it would help to stay close to him, plus, I've been living in a hotel for the last four months, and, well...it's not for me."

Miss Martian smiled. "That would be a tremendous help, Helga. Thank you."

"Got a bedroom with your name on it, Doc!" Beast Boy declared. "Well, uh, not yet, but uh, let me get a pen and an index card!" He ran off to complete his mission.

Doctor Jace giggled, placing her hands on Terra's shoulders to pull her in. "It'll be so nice to finally be together," she said happily, looking up at Geo-Force and Halo. "Like a family! I doubt any of us will miss our prior accommodations."

Jenna made eye contact with Halo, her expression falling. Amid everything, she forgot that she was about to lose a member of her household very soon. Judging by the look on Halo's face, she was thinking the same thing.

~/~/~/~

The Premiere Building was looking great. In no time at all, everything was moved in, installed, and ready for use. Its permanent residents hadn't moved in quite yet, opting to wait until they could travel via Zeta-Tube to make things easier. But that didn't mean the penthouse wasn't already bustling with life.

Banshee had his arms crossed, chin dropped down to rest on Blue Beetle's shoulder as they talked to Static in the kitchen. The latter was rifling through the fridge, only to poke his head up and make a face at the couple.

"Is this gonna wind up being the rest of us third-wheeling the two of you?" he asked, straightening up with a drink in his hand.

Banshee made a face in return. "How's finding a girlfriend coming along?" he retorted.

Static's face dropped into a look of annoyance. He opened his mouth to make some sort of feeble excuse, but his words were drowned out by the sound of a loud-ass alarm blaring throughout the building.

Banshee jumped, raising his head. "Jesus Christ, again?" he whined.

Geo-Force could be heard yelling from the bedrooms as the trio went into the lounge. "Mother of goat, that ridiculous alarm is even louder up here!" the prince cried out.

"Dude, this better not be another Troub-Alert drill," Static warned Beast Boy.

Kid Flash whirled around, panic in his eyes. "No drill. The Reach are back."

Banshee tensed up, eyes widening. "What?" he snapped.

Blue was visibly shaken. "No. Just no."

Before anyone else could stress out, Miss Martian–who had been supervising until Doctor Jace fully moved in–spoke up. "Hold up. Looks like the League's already on it."

Everyone turned to the live feed playing where a girl's voice could be heard behind the camera. "Someone's here. I think it's...Aquaman?" she said, following the movement of the Leaguer running down the street.

He used the snow around him to his advantage as he launched himself into the air. He dropped down on top of the Reach ship that was attacking a small town. He began to tear at it with his water-bearers, trying to shut it down, but two more suddenly appeared and fired at him, knocking him off the ship before he could brace himself.

The camera turned to reveal the person operating it. The girl's eyes were wide. "Oh, no! Aquaman's hit!" she narrated.

No other words had to be spoken as Beast Boy was the first to take off toward the brand-new Zeta-Tube. Banshee, close behind, shoved his mask on over his face moments before stepping into the bright light.

Thank god that Brooklyn was one of the very few small towns that had a Zeta-Tube nearby, meaning the team was able to get right to work. Kid Flash, as always, was the first on the scene, briefly checking on Aquaman.

Geo-Force and Banshee split off from the rest of the group, dashing through the woods to find a spot for a crash landing away from civilians.

"Blue, can you confirm they're Reach?" Beast Boy called out over comms, finally able to communicate while transformed.

"Scarab confirms it," Blue said grimly. "I can deactivate them on contact, but only one at a time."

"Great! We'll distract 'em, so you can tag- whoa!" Their team leader was cut off, leaving Banshee to return to the task at hand.

He extended his bo-staff as far as it would go, pressing each end against a tree trunk to make a makeshift clothesline. He pressed a finger to his comms. "Ready when you are," he called out to his teammates.

"Comin' your way!"

"Consider it covered," Geo-Force told Static as Banshee ran past him. The prince pressed his palms into the snow, sending a river of lava rushing toward a quickly approaching Reach ship that was chasing their teammate.

The lava spewed out after Static zipped by, waiting for the ship to ram into Banshee's trap and impale itself on the hardened rock. It flipped over, hitting the ground.

Banshee–noticing that it wasn't slowing down immediately–checked its path to find a girl building a snowman nearby. He moved into a sprint, getting to the girl just in time to tackle her out of the way. His shoulder hit the ground as he shielded the girl's body from any debris. They rolled to a stop by a tree and a glance over confirmed the ship had stopped too.

Banshee rose back to his feet, glancing down at the girl. "Are you alright?" he asked to make sure, dusting the snow off his clothes.

She only looked up at him with wide eyes. "Whoa." In a short second, she was standing back up and had her phone out to live stream. Gonna take that as a yes.

Banshee returned to the crashed Reach ship just as Blue dropped down onto it. His eyes glowed blue when he pressed his hand against the ship, sending a similarly blue pulse out onto the shell. "Shutdown confirmed," he reported.

"Yes!" Static cheered, dropping off his disk and high-fiving Banshee who had reclaimed his staff.

"Blue's done it!' Geo-Force radioed in. "One down, two to go."

He turned to the ship. "Let's get the pilot out of the cockpit."

Banshee quickly went to search for the hatch, pressing a hidden panel on the front. With a hiss, the cockpit opened, revealing a person in Reach armor. They thrashed out, trying to throw a punch at Banshee, but he grabbed their wrist and forced it behind their back.

"Okay, you're done," he grunted, grabbing their collar to yank them out of the ship and onto solid ground.

"Shutdown confirmed!" was heard over their comms as he and the two others hauled the Reach soldier back to the center of town.

"Mode crashed! Literally!" Kid Flash whooped.

"Two down. One to go!" Wonder Girl added.

As the streetlights came into view, so did the final Reach ship. Blue Beetle landed on it while it still flew, quickly using his tech to shut it down.

"Shutdown con-" But maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do it while in motion as the ship began to fall toward the street. Blue quickly extracted his wings, grabbing the tail end of the ship. "Coming in hard!" he warned.

Coming to the rescue, Wonder Girl flew up to grab it from the bottom, effectively halting its descent. "Gotcha covered," she assured with a grin.

Working together, the two of them brought it down without causing destruction.

The two girls that were recording the event, along with one more, were excitedly chattering.

"That was amazing! Can you believe it? They saved the town, and we covered the story like real reporters!"

"Indubitably!"

When Beast Boy detransformed, landing in front of the ship, they all whirled around to him. "It's media celebrity, Garfield Logan!" As they cheered, Beast Boy grinned, winking at the camera.

Banshee huffed out a laugh. Show-off.

"Garfield, you just saved us all from the Reach! Thank you!"

"First, call me Beast Boy," he answered. "Second, don't thank me. Thank my squad."

He looked over at the three bringing in the soldier from the woods. "That's Static, Banshee, and Geo-Force," he introduced.

The town's sheriff let out a chuckle. "Hey, you're that Markovian prince!" he realized. "Uh, Brian, uh-"

"It's Brion. Markov, yes," Geo-Force corrected.

"Yeah..." The man chuckled, clearly invested in the whole debacle as well.

"Here's Kid Flash and Wonder Girl," Beast Boy continued, motioning to the two who were opening up the other Reach ship.

"Wonder Girl?" one of the reporter girls echoed, her eyes lighting up. "As in, sidekick to Wonder Woman?"

Oh, man, not the sidekick thing. Banshee stifled his groan, but his teammate handled it much more gracefully. "We prefer 'protégé'," she corrected.

"And over there is our not-so-secret weapon against this Reach invasion," Beast Boy finished. "Blue Beetle."

Blue Beetle wasn't paying attention to the introductions though. Visible even through his armor, his expression had hardened as he pulled the final soldier from the third ship. "I knew this didn't feel right," he growled. "This was no Reach invasion. Look!"

He tugged off the soldier's helmet to reveal a familiar face underneath.

"No fucking way," Banshee breathed, forcing the soldier they had apprehended to their knees with the other. "Whisper?!"

Although not recognizing the person or name, the civilians were startled to see that it was not a Reach alien. "She's human."

"Her name's Whisper A'Daire," Blue clarified. "And she works for Intergang."

Banshee turned, pulling off one helmet while Wonder Girl pulled off the other. The darkwear tech identified them immediately.

"They all do," Beast Boy confirmed.

"Intergang?" the sheriff asked.

"Criminal organization that deals in alien weaponry."

"And we would've scored big time," Whisper growled as Blue escorted her out of the ship, "if you heroes hadn't gotten in our way."

Banshee rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we're meddling kids. Whatever," he mumbled.

"Sheriff!"

A man was storming up to the group, looking perturbed. Banshee knew instantly that he was going to be a problem. "Arrest these costumed delinquents!" the man continued. "The Justice League did not go through the proper channels to be in Brooklyn."

"Excuse me," Aquaman said politely, "but these young heroes are not members of the League."

"Oh, so they're vigilantes!"

One of the girls who had been recording the event stepped forward. "They just saved the whole town!" she protested.

"Saved it?!" The man, likely the town's mayor, pointed over to the destroyed window of one of the buildings. "Look what they've done to our library!"

The girl Banshee had saved glared at the man. "Dad, uncool," she huffed.

"Don't you 'Dad' me, Tommi Tompkins," her father scolded. "It's time your little 'Newsgirl Legion' woke up and smelled the maple syrup!"

He turned to the squad. "Lex Luthor warned us about your type and Brooklyn listened. Passed strict laws prohibiting vigilante justice, laws designed to protect us from exactly this kind of mayhem!"

Banshee shared a look with Static, rolling his eyes. Thanks a lot, Lex. The United Nations Secretary-General had been nothing but a huge ass problem since he was elected after the Reach nearly destroyed the world.

"Mister Mayor, you're making a mistake," the sheriff tried to reason with the man. Called it.

But Mayor Tompkins wasn't having it. "Sheriff, if you value your badge, you'll arrest these criminals!"

What?! Banshee was fully glaring at the mayor at that point and it didn't go when his gaze slid over to the sheriff who just sighed and began to pull out handcuffs.

No one really knew what to say at first, but when Beast Boy was the first to comply, Geo-Force got frustrated. "This is outrageous!"

"Stand down, Geo-Force," Beast Boy said calmly. "If we have to be arrested to do good, so be it."

Banshee was thankful the lower half of his face was covered because he was unable to keep his scowl away as the sheriff restrained his wrists. Once the man moved on, Banshee let his arms fall, glaring down at the cuffs. I hope my family doesn't hear about this.

Kid Flash let out an irritated sigh. "This is so moded," he complained, now sporting his own pair of handcuffs.

"No way," Blue Beetle muttered, head whipping around to stare off into the distance.

"Yes, way! I mean, look at us, we're in shackles!" Kid continued to ramble, but Banshee was staring at his boyfriend instead, unable to ignore the unsettling feeling in his gut.

"Blue?" he asked warily.

Blue Beetlemoved into action. "Quick, everyone behind the WarBug!" he called out frantically.

Not even bothering to question it, Banshee moved fast, hurrying to get to shelter. It was a good thing too because once he was safe and had turned to see what the problem was, a giant Reach ship was moving over city hall. And it was also a good thing that everyone else had listened because the ship fired right where they had all stood.

"What the hell?" Banshee turned to Blue for answers.

"Scarab sensed the ship lock on our position," he quickly explained. "But it won't target Reach tech 'cause it's on autopilot, summoned by a distress signal from the WarBugs."

"Hey, we didn't activate any signals!" Whisper snapped. "Didn't even know those things had 'em."

She looked over at the mayor. "Look, if I were you, I'd call the Justice League," she said, proving she had to be desperate to want the League involved with the mess she and her friends caused.

The mayor only grinned. "We don't need meta-vigilantes; we have the United States Air Force!" he declared, looking to the sky. "Which I called in, by the way."

Banshee looked overhead to where the mayor was pointing. A couple of remote-piloted planes were quickly flying in, shooting missiles at the Reach ship. They hardly scratched the ship which, in turn, fired at the planes and instantly wiped them out.

Banshee rolled his eyes. Thank god there weren't people in there.

While he was relatively unfazed, the civilians around him were even more scared. Save for the mayor who smacked his forehead, grumbling at the feeble attempt made by the military.

"What do we do?" one of the reporter girls questioned, still shoving her phone in people's faces.

Geo-Force looked over to where she was huddling near the other WarBug. "One thing we don't do is wait for your military to send reinforcements," he said dryly.

"They'll bomb that ship out of the sky-"

"-and it'll crash down and flatten your whole town." Static finished Wonder Girl's sentence.

Whisper rounded on the mayor. "Now will you call the League?" she begged.

"No, no, no!" The mayor whipped his head around at the people that were ganging up on him, but he was too bull-headed to give in.

"Then I am sorry. My hands are tied," Aquaman said, causing Banshee to send him a frustrated glance. Although the man was the epitome of politeness, he had to be feeling the same way internally.

"Mine aren't. Just handcuffed," Beast Boy answered. "Squad, it's time for a jailbreak."

Finally. Banshee quickly unsheathed the lock pick embedded in the fingertip of his glove, making easy work of the simple handcuffs. Once one wrist was free, he repeated the action until the handcuffs were entirely off.

Glancing up, he found his teammates had broken free too, much faster and more effectively than he had. He scoffed. Damn metas.

Beast Boy glared at the mayor. "You can arrest us again after we save your town again." With that, he transformed into an eagle, allowing his own handcuffs to fall off.

"Scarab says the only way I can shut down the ship is from the inside," Blue Beetle told their leader.

"Then we're going in." Beast Boy was the first to take off.

Following his lead, Blue slid his arms under Banshee's armpits and hoisted both of them into the air. The latter couldn't help but grumble silently in spite of the seriousness of the situation. This is the worst way to be carried.

He didn't have to fuss for long, thankfully, since the squad had made it into the Reach ship in no time. Landing on his feet inside the ship, he immediately took note of the room and what it contained. Which was nothing and no one.

Wonder Girl whooped. "We're in. Now shut this sucker down, Blue!"

Kid came back from making his rounds in a flash as Blue got to work. "Good news. Just checked every deck," he reported. "No baddies, just their bones. We're in no danger at all."

Suddenly, a loud alarm sounded. At the same time, a pair of cameras zoomed into an incoming threat.

"Uh, bad news," Geo-Force said. "The good guys are here to blow us out of the sky."

"But this ship will blow them out of the sky!" Wonder Girl pointed out. "And those jets are manned!"

Beast Boy's beady eyes examined the approaching problem. "They're almost in range, and it looks like the ship has a lock on 'em." He turned to the guy whose shoulder he was resting on. "Blue?"

"Good news," the blue-armored hero spoke up. "I can totally cut power to the ship's weapons."

Kid Flash crossed his fingers, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please, no bad news, please, no bad news," he muttered.

"Bad news..."

Kid let out a groan. Banshee smacked his arm.

"I can only do it by deactivating the ship's engines at the same time," Blue continued.

"So it crashes down and flattens the whole town," Static sighed. "Called it."

"I think the ship's about to fire!" Wonder Girl warned.

Beast Boy metaphorically jumped into action, calling out orders. "Blue, hit the gas! Give us enough thrust to clear the town. Then cut the power. We'll crash this thing somewhere safe."

Something changed on the panel Blue was using, making the entire ship shift as it began to turn away. It managed to move past the buildings, just in time for the power to cut off. Then it began to drop.

"Brace yourselves," Banshee warned, gripping the console in front of them. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, counting off a silent timer.

Three...two...one...

The ship lurched as it slammed into the frozen lake, the ice providing just enough padding to keep it from instantly sinking. Banshee's body jolted, as did the others when the ship shook violently before coming to a full stop.

They were all silent, holding their breaths as they waited for Blue's report.

"It's done."

The squad began to cheer, throwing around high fives. Banshee smacked Kid's palm before throwing an arm around Blue Beetle's shoulders and tugging him into his side.

"Nice job, babe," he praised, temporarily removing his mask to kiss his boyfriend's cheek.

"Well done. All of you," Beast Boy agreed. "Now let's get out there."

"Yeah, time to go greet our adoring fans," Kid said with a puff of his chest.

Banshee laughed, nudging the speedster's side. "You mean time to get arrested again," he corrected.

Kid's shoulders slumped, letting out a whine as Wonder Girl hoisted him out of the ceiling hatch.

As expected, everyone was waiting for them past the lake. The three teenage girls were cheering as they watched the military jets fly away, realizing they were no longer needed.

Once the squad made it back to dry land, Beast Boy held out his wrists. "As promised," he said.

"That won't be necessary, kid," the sheriff assured.

Mayor Tompkins whirled around. "What? Why?!" he snapped.

The sheriff simply turned to look at his boss, taking a deep breath. Banshee's eyebrows went high as he grinned in amusement.

"Brooklyn Statute Sixteen-Sixteen. The Good Samaritan Law. It states that 'Minor and incidental harm done in service of the greater good is not a crime,'" the mayor began to ramble. "These kids and Aquaman did way more good than harm here today. In the eyes of the law...they're free to go."

Banshee propped his hands on his hips. Well, I'll be damned. The corners of his eyes crinkled as the girls began to cheer again.

The mayor threw his hands up. "No concept of how much that thing's gonna cost to get out of my lake!" He began to storm off, mumbling incoherently. "No concept at all!"

One of the reporter girls ran up to the squad, followed by her friends. "So if you're not the 'Young Justice League,' then who are you?" she inquired.

Beast Boy turned to address her. "We're something new, here to help people," he explained. "We don't answer to bureaucrats and bad guys trying to twist what we do into crimes against the system. Those types can get on board or get out of the way."

"Wow, sounds like a revolution," the girl said with awe.

Beast Boy tilted his head. "Maybe. We're definitely not playing by the insiders' rules. We can't," he said. "We are all outsiders."

As the reporters began to ask a barrage of questions, Banshee hummed in thought. Outsiders. Sounds like that's gonna catch on.

~/~/~/~

Star City

December 07, 23:50 PDT

Jenna settled down at the kitchen table, nuzzling further into her hoodie. It was so late and she was so ready to get some sleep.

She and Violet had gone over to Artemis and Will's for one last 'sleepover' before both Tara and Violet moved out of their respective temporary homes to live at the Premiere Building. During their time spent talking and enjoying ice cream, they watched the televised event of the so-called 'Outsiders' tackling their first mission.

Jenna was proud. She felt that it would bring about some good change. Once upon a time, she would have wanted to do that very thing at their age. Seeing it finally happen made her hopeful.

"I feel like so much is going to change now," Artemis mused as she settled next to Jenna with two mugs of tea.

Jenna hummed. "Weird how we're the adults now, watching the new generation of heroes fight to have a say," she said amusedly. "Can you imagine if we had done something like that?"

Artemis scoffed. "If we had done something like that, it would have been a disaster. We had enough bad moments as a covert team."

Jenna laughed. "No kidding," she agreed, taking a sip of her warm drink.

She felt Artemis' gaze on her. "Do you ever think you'll rejoin?" her best friend wondered.

Jenna set down her mug quietly. She didn't look up, letting out a small sigh. "I miss it," she admitted. "I do, but...I don't know if the team is the right place for me anymore."

When she spared a glance at her best friend, Artemis' brow was furrowed. "Then what is?" she prodded.

That was the million-dollar question, wasn't it? Where would she even go? 

She already had enough to worry about with the whole secret coordination thing going on between the League stationed both on Earth and in space, the team, Batman's and Robin's teams, Dick and Jenna's team, and probably the Outsiders now too. That chalked it up to seven separate teams who were being connected like a spider's web. With each new day, more and more things were being added to their plates. Even if Jenna wanted to rejoin the team, would she even have time?

Sparing her from having to answer, Jenna's phone let out a ping. She glanced down at the screen before dropping her head tiredly.

"I should get going," she said, rising to her feet. "I'll be back in the morning to pick up Vi before we help the girls move their stuff in, alright?"

Artemis took their two mugs, moving them to the kitchen sink. "Sure. See you."

"Bye." Jenna waved as she stepped out the door, walking to her car parked on the curb.

As she slid into the driver's seat, she glanced down at her phone with a frown, rereading the text that had been sent earlier. Then she called the number that was associated with it. After a couple of short rings, they answered.

"Sorry for the hold-up," she said to Nightwing and Oracle whose faces were visible first. A glance in the background showed everyone was there.

She stifled a yawn, adjusting the phone on its dash mount so she could drive with no hindrance. "Alright let's hear it, how did it go?" she asked.

Aquaman was the one to answer her. "One week ago, I received a tip from La'gaan about a lost Reach War Ship being salvaged by Intergang. La'gaan and I conducted a raid on the ship. We shut down Intergang's operation, but not before Whisper A'Daire slipped away with three WarBugs."

Jenna spared a glance down at him on the screen, not even caring to ignore the man she had been refusing to acknowledge every time they had one of these little meetings. She was too tired to care, just ready to finish up before she got home.

"Thanks to Oracle, we tracked them to a dark net, black market auction," Miss Martian continued Aquaman's story. "Whisper planned on sparking a bidding war by demonstrating the WarBugs' power in Brooklyn. Aquaman was on scene to throw the fight, so we could send in Garfield's squad knowing that Blue Beetle would be our best bet against Whisper's Reach Tech."

"Of course, no one expected the Reach Ship itself to launch," Aquaman added, "but the Outsiders did well."

"Very well. As Gar promised..."

Jenna looked at some social media posts that appeared on the side. The hashtag We Are All Outsiders seemed to be catching on. In spite of the situation, the blonde woman's heart warmed in pride.

Which went cold when Aquaman posed a question to Miss M. "And as their leader, should Beast Boy not be included among us?" he asked.

"I..." The team leader's brow furrowed. "...don't think he's ready for that. For this. He has his own mission."

Trusting her, Aquaman nodded. "Which is most promising for our mission, as well."

There was a small tick in Jenna's jaw as she looked away, focusing on the road. It seemed that that was all that mattered and she wasn't sure how to feel about it.

Chapter Text

Star City

December 21, 06:22 PST

The light that began to stream through the bedroom window managed to wake Jenna up before her alarm for once. One would think having to go on late-night patrols before getting up early to work would become easier as time went on. Especially when so much time was spent in other time zones, forcing sleep schedules to be extremely flexible. Yet, that wasn't the case every day.

Jenna reflexively turned her face toward her pillow in a feeble attempt to block out the light. 

It had been a bad night; a sarcastic comment made by Sam had reminded her of an old argument between her and the...former...love of her life. Though she tried not to let it show, it dropped her mood pretty significantly, so patrol wrapped up a little bit early.

Either way, her attempts to grab any last bit of sleep she could were feeble, so Jenna gave up and finally cracked her eyes open.

She took her time getting up and getting ready for the day. After a quick shower and a cup of coffee with a bagel after getting dressed, she felt a bit more alive. She scratched Amp's head before straightening to reach for her purse resting on the entryway table.

She then noticed the sticky note left underneath. Skimming over her own writing, she let out a groan.

"'Need extra invoice forms.' Right."

Jenna tossed the small sheet of paper away in the kitchen before padding back to her bedroom. She made a beeline straight for her desk, rifling around for the spare book she kept at home for backup. Usually, she had enough at the shop, but she kept putting it off until she ran out completely. She made an order for more, but it was still going to take a couple of days until they arrived.

"Where did I put that..." Jenna sat at her desk, rifling through its contents until she found her prize. There it was, laying inside the bottom drawer with a bunch of old folders and no-longer-needed items that she just couldn't bring herself to finally throw away.

She rolled her eyes, straightening up to place the booklet on the desktop. Note to self, clean out the desk this weekend. She bent back down to close the drawer, only to pause when she spotted something laying on top of a stack of old papers and letters.

Although part of her was already telling her to just close the drawer and leave, the other part won out as she reached down and picked up the picture frame that lay face-down.

Jenna stood upright, slowly turning the frame over to view what she already knew it contained.

~8~8~8~

"Is that funnel cake?"

Jenna whirled around, shielding the paper plate in her hands with her body. She glared at the person who asked the curious question.

"Don't even think about it, Wal," she warned with a hint of venom in her tone. "This is the best place in Star City for anything sweet and fried and I'll be damned if you take any from me. Your girlfriend's coming with some in a second."

Wally suddenly recoiled. "Fine, damn," he said with an incredulous laugh as he held his hands up in surrender.

Jenna stuck out her tongue at him as he backed closer to Dick, muttering under his breath. His best friend chuckled.

"Dude, you're just mad that you met your match," he pointed out, eyes full of mirth.

"Finally," Jenna called out, grinning as she turned back to the person at her side.

As she took a bite of her treat, she noticed the amused look in Kaldur's gaze. Her brow furrowed. "What?"

Saying nothing, her boyfriend reached up, gently swiping his thumb across her bottom lip. Although they had been together for over a year, the intimate action still made her flush. Even more so when Kaldur licked the powdered sugar off his finger.

Jenna then grinned cheekily. "You know there's a much more efficient way to do that," she teased.

It was Kaldur's turn to be confused, so Jenna leaned further into his side, maneuvering the plate in her hand to prevent it from getting crushed. As she tilted her chin up, Kaldur realized what she was implying.

"I see," he hummed before looking off to the side thoughtfully.

He then leaned over, pressing their lips together in a brief but warm kiss. Jenna would have liked it to have drawn out longer, but they were in public after all, so she pulled back with a bright grin.

"So?" she inquired.

Kaldur seemed to consider the idea before dropping his gaze to look at her with a slight smirk. "Yes, it is very efficient," he answered.

Jenna let out a laugh, returning to her sweet treat.

~8~8~8~

Jenna blinked away the tears that started to blur her vision.

She stared down at the moment forever frozen in time where she was caught mid-laughter while Kaldur had an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her cheek. If she tried hard enough, she could feel the warmth of his lips spread across that exact spot.

She ran a finger down the jagged crack in the glass protecting the photo from harm.

One night, not long after she had left the team and after Wally's demise, she had ended up drinking one too many glasses of wine. She had been about to go to bed for the night when she spotted the photo sitting on her desk, having yet to be moved even after she believed Kaldur betrayed the League and the team. Jenna's heart just didn't want to accept the truth so she never touched it, only laying it flat so she didn't have to look at it.

Except she did that one night. And in a fit of tears and sudden rage, she chucked it across her bedroom. The frame managed to stay intact, but the glass cracked. As her mind caught up with her and she realized what she had done, she broke down in sobs as she cradled the picture frame in her arms.

After that, once she woke up in her bed with an alcohol-and-sorrow-induced headache, the photo resting on the empty side of her bed, she placed it inside her desk and closed the drawer, deciding to never open it again.

Until now.

Knowing it was well past time that she should leave for work, Jenna stood. She still clutched the photo in her hand, unable to bring herself to shove it back in the drawer. She glanced up at the other various photo frames of her with her friends littered around her desk before making the split-second decision to place the one in hand among them.

Then she grabbed the invoice book before she could overthink anything, rushing out the door so she could finish her tasks for the day.

And of course, it was like the universe chose that day of all days to torment her. On that particular day, Jenna made was met with a reminder as soon as she got to work. A reminder to start planning out arrangements.

Arrangements for a wedding to be exact.

Great. Jenna had a permanent frown as she read through the customer's requests to determine the best flowers, design, and more. She tried her hardest to ignore the ache in her chest.

Funnily enough, a big wedding never crossed Jenna's mind, even after she and Kaldur were engaged. It just wasn't their style. All that really mattered was them, their loved ones, and the life-long commitment they wanted to make.

So much for life-long. Jenna's eyes trailed down to her hand, staring at her bare ring finger. She then balled her hand into a fist, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I can't do this today," she whispered, taking a few more seconds before opening her eyes and getting to her feet.

Then she reached for her phone and dialed a familiar contact. In no time, they had answered.

"Hey. You caught me just in time. I was about to leave for the Premiere Building."

"Uh, yeah, about that. Care to meet me and we'll go over together?" Jenna asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Sure." Artemis sounded confused. "I thought you were too busy working today though."

Jenna managed a dry laugh as she grabbed her bag and turned off the office light. Since the shop was officially closed that day, she hadn't bothered with the main shop lights so she was able to go straight to the entrance. "Yeah, well, change of plans," she explained.

There was a pause while she locked the door behind her. "Is...everything okay?" Artemis said cautiously.

Jenna walked down the sidewalk. "Nothing some training won't help," she said a bit bitterly.

Artemis still sounded concerned but agreed to swing by Jenna's apartment before leaving. After hanging up, Jenna walked in silence, caught up in unwanted emotions.

~/~/~/~

Hollywood

December 21, 10:30 PST

Jenna leaned against the back of the couch, arms crossed over her leotard-clad chest while she and Artemis waited for the kids to get back from school. Both were dressed in their usual garb, minus their mask and leather jacket respectively since it was a mostly casual thing when it was just Violet, Tara, and Fred.

Well, it was supposed to be Violet, Tara, and Fred, but only two kids out of the three stepped out of the Zeta-Tube. Jenna's brow furrowed.

"Where's Violet?" Artemis asked, voicing her best friend's thoughts as they approached the kids. "I thought all of us were training today."

"I reminded her," Tara said, "but when the bell rang, she...what is the English...ah, yes. She 'blew us off' to hang with her friend Harper Row."

Artemis was just as bewildered as Jenna was. "Violet blew us off?"

Jenna's eyebrows rose high. "Are we talking about the same person here?" she questioned, sharing a wide-eyed glance with the archer.

"That doesn't sound like her," Artemis agreed. "Still, if she's socializing, making friends...it's healthy I guess."

Jenna could see her point. So she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "That's alright. She'll just have to make up training later," she muttered.

She raised her head, looking up at the other kids. "You two, go get changed. We'll work in pairs today."

The four of them ran through some basic drills in the gym, testing the kids' memories on how to handle different scenarios and the like, for about an hour. Artemis was finishing up a run-through with Tara, so Jenna dismissed Forager and was resting on a workout bench while she watched the girls finish up their spar.

Artemis and Tara circled the mat, both looking for an opening to attack. Artemis did so first, charging at the meta-teen. Tara dropped her body weight as she grabbed Artemis' arms, using the momentum to get her feet underneath the woman and toss her away.

Artemis easily landed on her feet behind Tara, turning back to face her. "Good. Use your opponent's momentum."

Tara leaped forward, intending to strike her teacher with a backhand, but Artemis quickly side-stepped and crouched to kick the girl's feet out from under her. Tara landed on her back before rolling over on her hands and knees.

"Mother of goat!" she cried out, slamming a fist into the mat in frustration.

Jenna lowered her water bottle which she was taking a sip from, sharing a glance with Artemis. Tara's reaction seemed to stem from previous experience. Maybe where she knew how to keep her balance and that not doing so had consequences.

Jenna's eyes narrowed. They knew that Tara had been mentored by Deathstroke–and was still communicating with him–but they knew so little about the Markovian girl's past. Just what did Slade do? Even thinking about the possibilities had Jenna worried.

Artemis approached the girl who had yet to stand. "Hey."

Tara whirled around, opening her mouth as if to say something only to hesitate when she saw Artemis was offering her a hand up.

"It's alright," the woman assured. "You can't expect to know the counter for every attack overnight."

Jenna let out a quiet scoff, drinking more of her water. Even I still slip up sometimes.

Rather than accept Artemis' offer, Tara stood on her own. Taking the change in stride, Artemis propped her hands on her hips.

"Okay..." she said slowly, sensing the tension but not addressing it. "Let's try again, but don't just focus on my eyes. That might work against an untrained fighter, but not against an experienced foe."

She gestured to different places on her body. "Be aware of my entire body, hips included. You'll learn to see the tells, to anticipate what's coming-"

"I know that," Tara interrupted with a bit more bite than expected.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Do you?" she asked, almost challenging the girl to slip up.

Tara caught herself, glancing away. "I mean...I'm sorry," she said. "I appreciate what you're trying to teach me."

Artemis stepped closer to her, reaching out to touch her shoulder. But Tara jerked back, refusing to look her way.

Artemis sighed. "Look, I get it. You have bad memories associated with training."

No doubt. Jenna's frown deepened when Tara tensed up. "Training? Me?" she said, panic poorly concealed in her tone.

"Before your cage match with Holocaust?" Artemis pointed out. "Seemed like someone had given you a few tips, if brutally."

Tara relaxed slightly. "Yes," she answered. "My training was a bit...rough."

"I understand, trust me. My dad, Sportsmaster? He was just like that. Borderline abusive on good days." Artemis' brow furrowed in recollection. "But that's not my style. So...go again?"

Her hopeful smile was mirrored by Tara. "Yes."

~/~/~/~

Jenna hadn't gotten changed and gone through a Zeta-Tube as fast as she did shortly after training was done.

Violet had been arrested with her friend Harper. Specifically, for being two minors who had liquor and a firearm in their possession on the beach by Mount Justice. M'gann was able to pick her up from the police station, but not before sending her own friend a text to have her waiting for them.

The headlights of M'gann's car momentarily blinded Jenna as she pulled up to the garage. Once the lights were shut off along with the motor, she could finally see the passengers inside. Her brow furrowed when she laid eyes on Violet who looked very closed off.

As the women exited the vehicle, Jenna pushed off the side of the garage door, crossing her arms as she waited for them to approach her. Violet kept her head down while she passed without greeting, making Jenna sigh.

"Did you get anything out of her?" she silently asked her friend.

M'gann shook her head. "Nothing. I don't get it. Violet being caught with alcohol and a gun? It's nothing like her."

"But how did Harper get those things? They had to be in her possession originally, right?" Jenna wondered with a tilt of her head.

"From what I understood, her dad isn't the best role model. Clearly doesn't seem to care for his kids if Harper is going to have to be in holding until he decides to go get her."

Jenna's brow softened as she felt an instant wave of sympathy for the girl. She glanced over her shoulder at Violet who stood waiting by the Zeta-Tube. Jenna sighed again as she turned back to M'gann.

"I'll see what I can get out of Vi," she decided. "And if you're allowed to, keep me updated about Harper."

M'gann nodded, looking over at Violet too. "Good luck."

"Thanks," Jenna said dryly as she walked away.

Violet still refused to meet her gaze as she approached the computer. There were some pre-set coordinates for the most frequent places traveled to, but Jenna hesitated on the one to the Premiere Building before typing in a new one entirely. Violet didn't notice, only moving into the Tube as she waited to be transported.

Jenna joined her, being whisked away immediately.

"Recognized: Siren, B-zero-two; Halo, B-three-two."

Jenna started walking the moment they reached their destination, but Violet lagged behind, obviously not expecting them to be in an alley instead of the Pemeire Building's living room.

"I- I thought we were going back to the Premiere Building," Violet said as expected.

Jenna paused at the alley's entrance, glancing back at the girl. "We're...taking a little detour first."

Without elaborating any further, Jenna continued on, knowing that Violet wouldn't be far behind. It was mostly quiet as they walked down the sidewalk, but the bustle of city life filled up the silence for them. And the walk itself didn't last very long as their destination was close to the Zeta-Tube. The warm air that came from the diner greeted the women as Jenna tugged the door open for Violet to step inside.

Jenna migrated to a very familiar corner booth, one that provided as much privacy as the diner could give. Memories flooded into her mind of time spent at that exact spot with close friends, primarily Will, Artemis on occasion, and then eventually Sam. Once she took a seat on the side that faced the door, followed by Violet reluctantly sitting across from her, a waitress had come up to the table.

"Afternoon, Jenna. Usually, we see you at night whenever you come around."

Jenna smiled up at the middle-aged woman. "We're changing things up today, Margaret," she explained, sparing a quick glance at Violet. She had yet to make eye contact or speak.

"I see," Margaret hummed, flipping open her notepad. "So are you changing up the order or will it be the usual? Basket of fries and a strawberry cheesecake shake? What about your friend here?"

"Make that two shakes and it'll be perfect."

After scribbling down the order, the lady walked off. "Yell if you need anything," she called over her shoulder.

The little personal bubble surrounding the booth was filled with silence. Jenna laced her hands together, resting them on the table as she examined the girl in front of her. Violet risked a glance up at her before quickly returning to the table.

There were a few more beats of silence before Jenna finally spoke.

"I brought you here to treat you since I can tell you had an...eventful day," she began. "But to truly relax and enjoy it, we need to clear the air. And we can't do that if you don't talk to me."

Jenna then spread her arms out against the table, opting for a more open stance in hopes that it would feel more inviting. "Vi. I'm not going to be the one to force you to give an explanation or give answers. I already know the gist of what happened and why you were arrested, but what I don't know is why you did it at all."

Violet shifted in her seat, indicating to Jenna that she certainly was hiding something. Something that she wanted to talk about but that she was scared to. Jenna fought to keep the millions of worries and guesses in her mind at bay as she leaned back, waiting until Violet was ready to talk.

Then Violet finally met Jenna's eyes.

"How did you know you were bisexual?"

Jenna's eyebrows rose quickly. Not the conversation topic I expected, but okay. She leaned back against her seat, crossing her arms as she stared at a point above Violet's head in recollection.

"I was fourteen," she started. "I don't remember the exact moment, but I do remember that a girl in my eighth-grade math class was involved."

Jenna cracked a smile. "We actually hung out a couple of times. But she wound up having to move the summer before freshman year, so obviously, nothing stemmed from it," she said with a shrug. "I had a couple of small crushes here and there–on both guys and girls–but I didn't get into my first solid relationship until I was almost seventeen."

For the umpteenth time that day, memories flooded Jenna's head. Her smile fell as she thought about that relationship; from the most insignificant moments to the bigger, more life-changing ones.

It didn't surprise her that Violet noticed her change in mood. "What...what happened?"

It was Jenna's turn to avoid making eye contact. "Life," she said shortly. "Life and choices made got in the way of a four-year relationship."

Violet's brow furrowed. "Do you miss them, whoever they are?" she wondered.

Jenna swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. "Yeah," she admitted in a whisper.

She looked up at Violet. "Why are you asking? Are you not happy in your relationship with Brion? Is there someone else?"

Violet sat up straight. "No, I am. And...no, there isn't," she said quickly before shrinking back again. "I'm just...trying to learn more about myself."

Jenna's brow softened. "I get it," she said. "I'm here if you ever need advice. For anything."

Her pointed look was enough.

But their food arriving halted the conversation for a moment. Thanking Margaret, Jenna waited until they were alone before speaking to Violet again.

"For now...let's just enjoy our food. Then whenever you're ready, I will be too."

As they dug in, Jenna kept one eye on the girl sitting across from her the whole time.

Chapter Text

Gotham City

January 01, 21:00 EST

While waiting for everyone to arrive for another 'Anti-Light' meeting, Jenna was pacing. Her brow had a troubled wrinkle. She turned to Miss Martian, eyes narrow.

"I don't understand what's wrong with Vi. I mean, her throat was sliced open by that terrorist. Risking her life like that could have ended very badly if she couldn't heal herself," she said.

Miss M sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "I know. Which is why I benched her from the team for the time being. At least until we find out why she was even arrested in the first place," she decided. "Has she told you anything?"

Jenna scoffed. "No," she said, crossing her arms. "I'm trying to give her the chance to open up first. But now, I'm not sure that's the way to go about this."

"I encouraged her to open up to someone," Miss M added. "If not me or you, then Artemis or Helga."

Jenna went still, contemplating a question that suddenly arose at the mention of the scientist. But before she could tentatively ask it, the Zeta-Tube came to life.

"Recognized: Aquaman, two-seven."

Reflexively, Jenna's eyes darted over. Of all days...why did we have to meet today? Why do I have to see him today?

New Year's Day was forever going to leave a bitter taste in her mouth after the one that took place eight years ago. Mainly because of the relationship formed from it and the fact it was no more...even if it was her decision. Swallowing tightly, Jenna looked down at her crossed arms, only noticing Wonder Woman had also arrived by the sound of her voice.

"Alright, fill me in on what happened tonight. Something about the Outsiders?"

"It would be easier to show you," Batman answered her, turning to the computer. With a few clicks, a pre-recorded news broadcast played.

The headline read Outsiders Save Local Girl but since G. Gordon Godfrey's face was on the screen, Jenna doubted it was meant to praise them. Especially when he showed a video of Beast Boy urging everyone to get clear before the building behind them exploded.

"And there you have it, faithful viewers," Godfrey drawled. "The latest explosive exploits of every punk's favorite heroes, the Outrageous Outsiders."

He moved across the room to sit across from an annoyingly familiar man. "We're here with UN Secretary-General Lex Luthor. Mister Secretary, thoughts?"

"It's wonderful the girl was rescued, of course," Lex said. "But frankly, the local constabulary could have managed that."

Jenna rolled her eyes. If she weren't so irritated by Lex's face and all the other events of the week, she would have laughed at the irony.

"Instead, these irresponsible super-children rush in," he continued. "And the predictable result? An explosion, massive property damage...sad." I f Lex was petty enough to pout, he would have.

Godfrey raised an eyebrow. "Isolated incident or pattern?"

"The latter, I'm afraid," Lex sighed. "Take Bwunda, where I personally witnessed the near-death of Kid Flash. He and Wonder Girl and Beast Boy show all the maturity of kids putting on a show in their backyards. It's appalling Flash, Wonder Woman, and the League allow it."

Jenna glanced over at the Amazonian woman in the room–so to speak–as she frowned at Lex's patronizing face. Her gaze returned to the screen, similarly glowering. It wasn't lost on her how he neglected to mention those of the Outsiders that were over eighteen, such as Banshee.

"I happen to know that the parents and guardians of these teenage Outsiders are not on board with their antics," Lex added. "That's why I call upon the nations of the world to authorize a new Hero Registry to catalog, unmask, and regulate all vigilantes, cracking down on them and holding them accountable, even for the actions of their wayward protégés. Something like what we had in the U.S. in the nineteen-fifties."

"As if the fifties are something to strive for," Jenna scoffed.

Weirdly enough, Godfrey's smug demeanor had suddenly shifted while Lex monologued, turning to confusion then irritation then boredom, until he yawned loudly to butt in.

"You make some interesting points," he said dully.

"I'd call, 'interesting' an understatement, G. Gordon-"

Godfrey cut the Secretary-General off verbally and physically as he held his hand up. "Perhaps, 'inaccurate' would better suit?" he suggested. "Based on recent social media, it seems the Outsiders' parents are one hundred percent 'on board.' The original Flash, Jay Garrick, even started a brand-new media account to post this video."

The screen behind them changed to show a video of Flash, Kid Flash, and Jay Garrick, all smiling brightly.

"No one could've stopped me from being a hero when I was young," Jay said to the camera. "So, I say-"

All three of them spoke in unison, "We are all Outsiders!"

G. Gordon Godfrey looked gleeful, clearly enjoying raining on Lex's parade. "Oh, and look! Mr. Garrick must watch our show! Because he just posted this in response to your comments"—a social media post took place of the video—"'Fascist Hero Registry didn't work in nineteen-fifties. Won't work now.' Hashtag: 'We Are All Outsiders.'"

Jenna had a hard time reigning in her mirth at the steadily growing frustration on Lex's face. She never thought she would see the day.

Godfrey wasn't done. "And there's more!"

Video after video began to scroll by — showing civilians, United Nations ambassadors, meta-teens from the youth center, and more familiar faces. All of them recited the motto that seemed to catch on fast.

Godfrey smirked at his guest. "It appears you're on the wrong side of, well, everyone on this, Lex," he declared.

The last frame before the video automatically paused was of Lex Luthor's scrunched-up face.

"Someone should get Superman a print of that," Miss M chuckled. "He'll want to frame it."

Jenna laughed with her. "Forget him, I want to frame that," she said, feeling better than she had in a while.

Although she was more professional about the situation, Wonder Woman was inclined to agree. "A publicly annoyed Lex Luthor is...a minor miracle. How was it achieved?"

Batman's chair swiveled around. "It began with Oracle, who sorted her way through LexCorp shell companies to find the Dublin factory," he began.

Miss Martian spoke up. "Nightwing, Aquaman, and I checked it out and discovered Lex was using it to store his weaponized SpiderBots."

Then Batman took back over. "So, the seven of us devised a plan," he said. "Oracle posted the blurred MONQI image on the Outsiders' feed. I posed as the distraught Matthew Malone-"

"-while I morphed into his missing daughter, Moira," Miss M added.

"The Ivo drone and the MONQIs?" Wonder Woman inquired, wondering how those came to be involved if it was a setup.

Jenna cleared her throat lightly. "Damaged bots," she explained. "I salvaged them from Ivo's last base with Robin, who repaired, reprogrammed, and operated them via remote control."

The aforementioned Boy Wonder puffed his chest out slightly when the woman rested a hand on his shoulder.

Wonder Woman's eyebrow lifted. "To...fool the Outsiders," she surmised, making Jenna internally cringe. Not exactly the wording I would use...

"Among others," Batman answered her more-or-less question.

"But not Lex Luthor."

"No." Batman turned off the broadcast and stood. "Lex will know this was a setup. But knowing and proving are two different things."

That seemed to tick off the League's co-leader. "Is that your excuse?" she quizzed before turning to the others. "Don't any of you see how truly compromising this is?"

Batman's usual frown deepened. "This is a war, Diana."

"And which side are we on?" Wonder Woman all but snapped. "We're not simply hiding things anymore. We have gone beyond lying to our comrades and the public."

Jenna's hand balled into a fist at her side as she listened to the berating.

"Now, we're staging false events? Creating fake news? Merely to make our opponents look bad? Or the Outsiders and, by extension, the rest of us look good?" Wonder Woman pointed out. "Even with the best of intentions, that is crossing a line. You must see that. You must."

Jenna squeezed her eyes shut, resignation settling into her bones at the woman's last words. But what if it's too late to stop now?

By the time she opened her eyes again, the space in front of her was empty and the others were beginning to trickle out one by one.

~/~/~/~

Hollywood

January 02, 05:00 PDT

Jenna was running on low steam since the last meeting had left her tossing and turning in the night. But when she received the call that Vic was in trouble, she wasted no time throwing on her clothes and rushing to the nearest Zeta-Tube.

Upon entering the Outsiders' HQ, Jenna found Artemis trying to get the kids around for school. They shared a tired glance as the former turned to enter the medbay. There, Jeff was standing around one of the beds where Doctor Jace was examining Vic.

"What's the status update?" Jenna asked as she approached the foot of the bed. She looked over Vic's weak body which was glowing both the usual red and the purple that was associated with the Fatherbox.

"He seems stable for now," Jace determined.

"Doesn't feel that way," Vic admitted.

There was a loud clang from the doorway. Conner and one of his New God friends, Dreamer, had arrived. If it wasn't such a serious situation, Jenna would have been happy to see her again.

"It shouldn't," Dreamer agreed with Vic. "Your condition is anything but stable."

"Guys, this is Dreamer of the Forever People of New Genesis," Conner told the three people who hadn't met her yet. "Figured we might need her help to figure Vic out."

"We can certainly use all hands on deck," Jenna said, resting one hand against the footboard.

Dreamer held the Motherbox in her hand over Vic, waiting for a responding clang again. It hardly took one second before something came back. "Motherbox has run a diagnostic," she reported. "She believes your only hope is to place you in the Mobius Chair of Metron."

Vic, despite feeling sick, still had enough energy to look and sound bewildered. "The what of who?" Right, new people problems.

"The New God Metron," Dreamer repeated, her eyes glowing magenta as a projection appeared above her head. There, they could see the man in question. "He invented Motherboxes, Fatherboxes, and Boomtubes—among other things. His Mobius Chair is the only thing with a powerful enough connection to the Source to purge Fatherbox's soul from the technology contaminating you."

Just as Jenna opened her mouth, ready to ask and see if Violet would be able to do anything in the meantime, shouts came from the main room.

"She is gone!"

"Violet Harper has left the building!"

Jenna's heart dropped to her stomach as she rushed out of the room.

She hadn't noticed Jace had followed until the woman spoke behind her. "What's going on?"

"Violet Harper slash Halo is gone!" Forager repeated as he and Tara ran down the stairs. In hand, Tara held a note that she gave to Jenna since she was the closest.

"'Thank you. Sorry. Don't try to find me. V,'" Jenna read off.

Artemis let out a sigh, pinching her nose. "M'gann said the two of you have talked about something that's been troubling Violet," she recalled to her best friend. "I tried to get her to talk to me, but she wouldn't open up."

"We've talked, but never about her leaving us," Jace added.

Jenna shook her head, handing off the note to the scientist's outstretched hand. "I've been busy so I haven't had the chance to try and get more out of her. But I never expected something like this would happen."

"It is our fault," Tara admitted, causing Jenna to turn to look at both her and her brother who still stood on the stairs. "Violet confessed to us that Gabrielle accepted a bribe to allow our parents' killers into the palace."

Jenna's brow furrowed, more concerned about the girl involved than the actual story. Why didn't she tell me about this? She thought Violet trusted her.

Artemis huffed. "E- even if that is true, that was Gabrielle, not Violet," she pointed out. "They're two different people."

Tara ducked her head. "I know. But I did not react well. Neither of us did." Behind her, Brion looked equally guilty.

"Okay, go back in," Artemis told Jace. "We'll find her."

"I- I'd like to come with you," the woman said.

"You're the doctor. Vic needs you here." Artemis rested a hand on her shoulder. "We'll bring Violet back. I think I know how."

When Jace nodded, returning to the medbay, Jenna turned to the remaining teenagers. "You two, go get ready for school. You need to leave soon," she told Tara and Forager.

"No. Forager must stay with Victor Stone!"

"And I need to help you find Violet. It is the least I can do."

Jenna studied the two kids, letting out a puff of air through her nose.

"Extraordinary circumstances," Artemis muttered.

"Fine. Tara, go get ready."

As the girl hurried off, Jenna turned back to her best friend. "In that case, I'll stay here. I think we have a lead on helping Vic and I want to be here to help out," she explained. "Besides, too many of us might overwhelm Vi and make things worse."

Artemis nodded, turning to the Tube but Jenna stopped her with a hand on the shoulder. "Good luck."

"We're both going to need it," Artemis answered, squeezing Jenna's hand before it fell.

The latter returned to the medbay–trailed by Brion and Forager–just in time to hear the last bit of Dreamer's instructions to Vic.

"Do nothing. Your resistance is low. The slightest stress could allow Fatherbox's advance," she said to Vic. "I will leave Motherbox with your friends, so that they may bring Metron to you."

"You're not coming?" Conner questioned.

"I must return to New Genesis...hold your ears, Earthlings."

A boom tube opened, making Jenna flinch from the noise reverberating in the room.

As she handed the Motherbox over, Dreamer continued. "Also, Bear struck Metron last time we saw him; the presence of the Forever People might not be helpful. Motherbox will take you to Metron and return you upon your request."

"Thank you," Conner told her, seconds before she went through the portal and it closed behind her with a loud explosion.

Since time wasn't on their side, they had to move. Conner held out the Motherbox in the open space beside them. "Motherbox, please take us to Metron."

There was another sharp boom as the tube opened, blinding them all again.

Vic placed his hands over his face. "Y'all giving me a headache," he mumbled. "No more boomtubes in the house."

Jenna placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. "Just hold on, kid. We'll be back soon," she said, hoping they could keep that promise.

She followed Conner through the tube, the world disappearing for a moment. With a quick glance back at the entrance, she begrudgingly witnessed the tail end of a kiss between Doctor Jace and Jeff before he stepped in, quickly followed by Forager. Brion clearly decided to stay behind. 

The four followed the tube until they could see the exit where they were deposited in a dimly lit cave. Shortly ahead, a figure in a chair was flying away.

"Is that him?" Jeff asked.

"I think so," Conner answered. "Metron, stop! Metron!"

As he broke into a run, so did the others as they went off in pursuit of the man to save Vic's life. Jenna reached the cave exit, only to halt when she saw the view around her.

Billions upon billions of stars lit up the night sky. And what they were on wasn't any kind of rock as suspected. Although its features were too huge to make out, going off the several other gigantic statues around them, they had to assume that's what it was too.

Forager walked around in awe. "Oh, Forager's heard stories of the Old Promethean Gods, but Forager never thought Forager would actually stand on the face of Gog!" He chittered excitedly. So, not a statue then.

"We're...standing...on a God?" Jeff said, shocked. "And we were in his nose?" He let out a disgusted noise.

Jenna sent him a deadpan look. "Is that really a concern right now?" she asked dryly.

A loud clang caused Conner to whirl around. "There's Metron!"

But the man they were hunting down simply went through another portal.

"Oh, too late," Forager complained.

"Not yet it's not," Jenna muttered. "Con?"

Conner looked down at the technology in his hand. "Motherbox, follow Metron!"

There was one more explosion as another boom tube opened. This shit's gonna give me tinnitus. Sighing, Jenna leaped into the portal after her friends.

She braced herself for landing, dropping onto another solid, rock surface.

"Now where are we?" Conner wondered.

"In the thick of it! Take cover!" Jeff called out.

When Jenna looked up, she didn't like what she saw. A swarm of Parademons was attacking...something. The quartet was lucky that they hadn't been spotted yet, but their luck was going to change at any moment.

Jenna made a run for the first solid object she could find that could shield her from harm.

"Who are Parademons shooting at?" Forager wondered as he ran beside her and the other men.

The question was answered when a single figure appeared, throwing punches at the Parademons to knock them down.

Conner suddenly stopped in his tracks. "My brother," he realized.

"He may be indestructible, but there are too many for him to take on at once," Jenna said, watching as Superman quickly began to become overwhelmed by assailants and tumbled to the ground.

She ran out from hiding, pulling in as much air as she could before she let her scream loose. Several unsuspecting Parademons were caught in the blast, sailing through the air until their backs slammed into floating rocks.

Forager in his balled-up form went flying over her head thanks to Conner's super-strength, and he slammed into a trio of Parademons like he was a pinball. With the three of them plus Jeff working to ease the flow of enemies, Superman had time to recover. He launched forward, grabbing a Parademon before punching it into space.

"Kon-El?" he said with surprise upon noticing his brother was there with him.

Conner glanced over at him, grinning. "Hey, Kal." He knocked a Parademon back and it slammed into a rock, crumbling to the ground.

Superman let out a chuckle as he landed. "What are you doing here?" he asked, reaching out to embrace Conner. "I mean, I'm glad to see you, but-"

"It's a long story," his brother cut him off. "What about you?"

"Well, uh..." Superman quickly reverted back to Leaguer mode. "Apokoliptan forces staged a raid here. The Parademons attacked local miners and, while we were saving them, the Furies boomtubed away with stolen minerals. It's disappointing, but we'll get 'em next time."

"There will be no next time."

Jenna raised her head to see where the voice was coming from. Metron was there, lowered down to speak to them.

"The mineral taken here was the final element Desaad and Granny required for their device," he explained.

Jenna froze. What?

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jeff interrupted, just as surprised as she was. "Granny? Granny Goodness?"

Suddenly, Conner turned to Superman. "Hey, I know this is a weird time to ask, but would you be my best man?"

"Of course." Then the Leaguer's brain caught up with what his brother had asked. "Wait, what?"

Jenna couldn't help but snort. Not the time for this.

Metron had yet to speak, only humming as he examined the group. Specifically, two men. "One-point-five Kryptonians...Interesting."

Forager hurried up to him. "New God Metron must come back with Forager to help Forager's friend Victor Stone!" he begged.

"That is not my function," Metron said haughtily.

"Okay, that's great, but we have a friend back on Earth, a human, who's being eaten alive by Fatherbox tech," Jeff said dryly.

Metron's bored expression subtly changed. "I see, yes. I must return with you."

Jenna's shoulders sagged. Oh, thank god.

"Uh, great!" Conner held up the Motherbox. "Home, please, Motherbox."

A boom tube opened yet again, allowing the group to traverse through.

"We'll talk later!" Conner called out to Superman over the noise of the tube, ending the very sudden and very odd reunion.

Jenna stopped once she left the tube, finding a stranger inside the medbay beside an unconscious Vic. She was confused by the man's presence but her confusion turned to concern once she saw Vic had grown worse, the technology starting to sprout out of his skin.

"Who are you?" Conner questioned, eyeing the man beside the bed.

It was Forager that spoke up.  "Silas Stone is Victor's father," he explained. "Forager has seen Victor looking at pictures of Victor and Silas Stone."

Silas looked at the New God who had approached, fingers laced in contemplation, then at the group. "Is this the- Can he-"

"This is Metron," Jeff answered the question Silas couldn't get out. "He can save Vic."

"There has been a misunderstanding." Metron finally pulled his gaze away from the boy laying in the bed. His expression gave no impression of sympathy or care. "I am not here to save this 'Vic', I am here to watch him die."

Jenna's eyes narrowed into slits as she took a step forward. "Excuse me?" she said, barely restraining the bite in her tone.

Metron returned to watching Vic. "I have never seen a Fatherbox completely override an organic system. Such a thing is worthy of study," he said simply.

"Study it? You need to stop it!" Silas snapped. "My son is dying!"

"Death is commonplace."

As anger began to bubble up inside Jenna, Jeff leaned in to whisper to her and Conner. "You know, according to Dreamer, we don't actually need Metron," he pointed out. "Just his chair."

Jenna glared at the New God, then looked between Vic and the two men flanking her. "Let's do it," she hissed.

Conner stalked forward, grabbing Metron by the shoulders and throwing him to the ground. Meanwhile, Jenna rushed over to the bed to remove any wires from Vic's body. When she glanced back, Metron was on his feet in an instant.

"You dare, mortal?" he asked. "I am a New God. To me, you are zero-point-five of nothing."

A beam shot from his forehead, striking Conner and sending him flying into the wall. And just as quickly, Jeff's electricity had Metron seizing on the ground.

"If you're really a god, then I guess you can handle this!" the former Leaguer called out.

Doctor Jace and Brion both ran in after hearing the commotion as Jeff addressed the woman moving around Vic's bed. "Put Vic in the chair! Hurry!"

"Hurrying!" Jenna said, snapping a little in her urgency.

She grabbed Vic's shoulder, tugging him to the edge of the bed where her other arm was waiting to slide under his knees. With his legs secure, she pulled the rest of his body weight against hers, making sure she had a good hold on the kid before she lifted him off the bed.

"Move," she ordered Silas who was nervously hovering, stepping around him to haul Vic to Metron's chair. "Brion, give me a hand."

Brion instantly went to the other side of Vic, mirroring Jenna in how she carried the boy. They maneuvered themselves around so that, when they approached the chair, they could place Vic on it with little hindrance.

"Do it," Jenna said, looking up at Conner who stood on the other side of the chair.

"Motherbox, tell the chair to save Vic!" Conner requested.

The Motherbox responded in her own language and a deep ring came from the chair in response It began to glow, so Jenna backed away, ushering Silas behind her. Everyone in the room, minus the one being held down thanks to electricity paralyzing his body, watched with bated breath as tentacle-like wires began to extend out of the chair and attach themselves to Vic's torso, legs, and head.

At that moment, Vic and the technology residing within him woke up. He let out a cry of pain as the agony caught up with him. The technology flashed between purple and the bright blue from the chair as the jagged pieces of tech protruding from his arms began to retract.

Jenna flinched as she couldn't do anything but listen to his screams. Forager ducked his head so she laid a hand on his shoulder in comfort. Almost there. We're almost there...

Vic let out one final cry. As it left his mouth, so did a physical, glowing wisp. The spirit or soul, or whatever it was, flew straight into the back of the chair where it was absorbed.

There was a final clang and the wires attached to Vic began to retract. The boy sagged, slowly starting to come to.

Silas and Doctor Jace rushed forward to check on him, leaving Jeff to finally release Metron.

"Did you see that?" Conner asked.

"What, the freaky spirit leaving Vic?" Jenna scoffed. "Nope."

"The soul of the Fatherbox has returned to the Source," Forager realized. "Something similar must have happened to Motherbox-Gabrielle-Halo-Violet."

Jenna crossed her arms. "No doubt. But I'm done trying to learn more about Motherboxes. Done." She rubbed her forehead, glancing over at Metron who was standing again.

"Fatherbox has been purged," Metron told them. "Your 'Vic' is all Mobius-Tech now. A missed opportunity for study...a waste."

Jenna scowled while she watched him return to his precious chair.

"I'm starting to see why Bear punched this guy," Conner muttered to her and Jeff.

"Is it too late to get a swing in myself?" Jenna whispered.

Before Metron could leave, Jeff approached him one last time. "Look," he started. "I know I'm not your favorite human right now, but you mentioned Granny earlier. Is your Granny the same as our Gretchen Goode?"

Metron stared down at the man. "No." The corner of his lip turned up. "And yes."

Jenna's brow furrowed. No...and yes? What does that mean?

Before any of them could pry further, there was an explosion as a boom tube opened behind Metron and he stunk away.

Great. Jenna's jaw tightened. Looks like I'll have to update Nightwing and the others.

Silas straightened up after the winds from the boom tube dissipated, glancing over at his son. "You're stabilized. You'll be alright," he assured. "I...can go now."

As he stepped away, Jenna caught the look in Vic's eye. And her mouth turned up when he stood, stopping his dad before throwing his arms around him in an embrace.

Jenna touched Conner's and Forager's shoulders. "Let's give them some space," she suggested.

The others began to trickle out, leaving the medbay empty for the father and son to have privacy. Jenna trailed over to the kitchen to send an update text to Dick where she was away from prying eyes.

It's great that Vic's permanently cleansed now. But now we have the Granny issue again. Jenna frowned in thought as she absentmindedly sent the text. What in the world did Metron mean? Is his Granny the same as ours? If so, what would she have to do with Desaad of all people? She just couldn't shake the unsettled feeling in her gut at all.

But the thought left her mind if only for a moment as there was a familiar explosion in the other room.

Hopefulness rising in her chest, Jenna left the kitchen to see where the noise was coming from.

"Violet!"

"Violet Harper has returned!"

Jenna's face split into a smile as she saw the girl leave her self-created boom tube along with Artemis, Tara, and Sphere. She's okay. Jenna's shoulder dropped with relief.

Some hugs went around to welcome Violet back. Jenna even chose to look past the way Doctor Jace tightly squeezed Violet, deciding the moment wasn't worth petty suspicions.

As Violet was finally released from the different embraces, she glanced over at Jenna when the woman approached her. She still looked off from her usual demeanor, but Jenna was willing to put that on the back burner when Violet stepped forward into her open arms.

We're okay. Jenna tightened her arms around Violet's shoulders, letting her eyes fall shut to enjoy the hug with the girl that she had come to be very attached to.

It wasn't until later though that she could have sworn she saw an out-of-character expression cross Doctor Jace's face. But she decided to shake it off, assuming that it was just a trick of the light.

Chapter Text

Star City

January 20, 18:33 PST

"You can't be serious."

Jenna turned around, leaning against her kitchen sink with a glass of water in hand. Her hair was tugged back into a sweaty ponytail since she had just returned from a run when she found someone waiting at her front door. For the first time in two years, she willingly let the person inside since he wanted to talk about a plan of his.

Jenna stared at the man sitting at her table. He was looking up at her expectantly after he gave a short rundown of what he wanted the two of them to do. Nothing about his expression or posture gave the impression that he felt even the slightest bit guilty about what he had just suggested.

"Dick, you're suggesting that we break into someone's home," Jenna said sternly. "Don't tell me you don't see how that can go very wrong very quickly."

Dick spread his arms against the table, shrugging his shoulders. "You said yourself that Metron implied that Gretchen Goode could be the Granny that's working with Desaad. That's worth looking into."

"By committing an unlawful search and seizure?" Jenna pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is going too far."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

"This!" Jenna exclaimed, gesturing to the air. "This 'Anti-Light' matter. Wonder Woman was right. We're starting to cross a line by lying and influencing missions. And now this."

She narrowed her eyes. "If we do check out Gretchen Goode's home, what if we get caught?" she questioned.

"We won't."

"You don't know that!"

Dick sighed. "Look. We'll just do a recon of her house until we find something," he tried to reason. "We'll be in and out."

Jenna crossed her arms, glaring at the table in silence. All she could think about was what Wonder Woman had left them to contemplate in the last meeting. The Leaguer's co-leader might as well have grabbed her by the shoulders and shaken her. She was right of course. But Jenna was afraid they were in too deep at that point.

"Jenna."

Jenna looked up to see Dick had stood and rounded the table to stand opposite of her. He mirrored her actions, leaning against the edge of the table and crossing his arms.

"Please help," he begged. "I need you."

There was almost a sense of déjà vu that made Jenna close her eyes. "Okay," she acquiesced with a sigh. "When are we doing this?"

~/~/~/~

Hollywood

January 20, 20:26 PST

Siren wasn't sure why she felt so anxious. The more she looked up the hill at Gretchen Goode's house, the more she steadily grew uncomfortable. It was supposed to be a simple search, so why did she feel like she was waiting for the ball to drop?

"This is Cat Grant reporting live for GBS from the Babylonian Theater in Hollywood; where Goode World Studios is holding the World Premiere of its latest blockbuster: 'The Great Khan.' With me now is the name behind the studio, Gretchen Goode herself!"

Siren's gaze focused on the broadcast playing in front of her eyes. She chewed on the inside of her cheek at the sight of the woman whose house they were about to break into.

"Oh, do call me Granny, dear. Everybody does."

Live feed confirmed.

Granny's away...

Time to play.

Siren took a deep breath to settle her nerves.

"Playtime after the mission."

She then glared at Nightwing beside her, clearing her throat. "I'm still here, you know," she reminded.

Nightwing jumped slightly. "Sorry."

"Let's just focus on this 'simple recon' you want to do," Siren added, raising her hand to make air quotes.

"I said 'recon'. I never said 'simple'."

Siren rolled her eyes as the technology in Nightwing's hands let out a ping. "Do I even want to know how you got the Motherbox from Conner? He was supposed to hold onto her for Dreamer."

Nightwing shrugged. "Dreamer hasn't come back for her yet," he pointed out. "I asked Motherbox to ping if she sensed any Apokoliptan tech inside. And ping, she did."

He moved away from the tree they were crouched by, making the first step to Gretchen's house. But before he could go very far, Siren grabbed his arm.

"Hey. Are you sure you want to do this?" she whispered. "If we get caught trespassing, we're going to be in so much legal shit."

Nightwing glanced back at her. "That ping was probable cause. Besides, we can't leave old Granny alone with Apokoliptan tech. She might hurt herself." If his mouth was visible, Siren knew his smirk would have been on full display.

This better not blow up in our faces. The pair made their way up the hill, keeping low. With a house that nice, there had to be surveillance to accompany the big gate at the front of the driveway. And there was.

Your Darkwear's picking up Granny's wireless security network.

Siren ground her teeth as she found the cameras they were just out of sight from. She just hoped that they wouldn't be spotted.

Activating counter frequency pulse from your Darkwear transmitter.

Siren's heart continued to pound.

Cameras down.

This is too easy.

"No fucking shit it's too easy," Siren hissed while she watched for any sign of trouble as Nightwing worked on getting the front door open. "I don't like this, Wing."

"I know, Si," he answered. "But we've got Motherbox. If things turn Apokoliptan, we'll 'boom tube' out."

They got the green light as the door unlocked, granting them access to Gretchen Goode's sanctuary. Nightwing slowly pushed the door open and Siren glanced behind them one last time before the door swung shut.

"Alright, let's get this over with," she breathed out.

They began to search the living room first. It was dark, hard to really see anything, but Nightwing kept the Motherbox out in front of him as they walked around, hoping for something to show up on her sensors.

Apparently, something did as she let out a loud ping.

And Siren froze when a deep, threatening boom responded. Then the ground beneath her feet gave way as a flash of light engulfed them.

All of her pain receptors were hit at once with overwhelming, scorching agony. She subconsciously squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a blood-curdling scream.

Obey your Granny. She tried to struggle, she really did. But the pressure inside her head was too much.

"My command is Darkseid's will."

Siren opened her eyes, blinking slowly. "What?"

The guy standing in front of her grinned widely. "I said, call me Kid Flash."

That's a bit on the nose. Siren smiled though, eager to meet new, young superheroes like her. She met Robin already, and of course, she had Speedy living in the same city as her, but the more the merrier.

"Well, you can call me Siren," she said in a similar, boastful tone as he had. "Ever been to Star City before?"

"Nope, first time," Kid Flash answered. "Hey, you got any food? That run over here took a lot out of me." He patted his stomach.

Siren raised an eyebrow. "Um..." She glanced down at the bag strapped to her thigh, unzipping it to rifle through. Her hand wrapped around something encased in plastic so she pulled it out to take a look.

"I have this protein bar?" she offered with a shrug.

In the blink of an eye, Kid Flash had taken it from her and had it halfway open as he began to take a big bite.

"If you have food allergies, don't blame me," she muttered, zipping up her bag. No surprise that he and the Flash have similar appetites. She had heard the stories from her own sister about League meetings.

She turned to walk away, wincing as her head began to spin. When she shook her head to free herself from the twinge of pain, she looked down at the phone in her hand.

"Man. We're finally going to be members of the League tomorrow, can you believe it?"

Siren laughed at the face that stared up at her. "I can't," she said. "Although, I can believe that you've been the one talking about this day the most out of all of us."

Kid Flash grinned at her. "Oh come on, don't tell me you're not excited. All five of us were finally going to be part of the Justice League!" he pointed out.

Siren smiled fondly, using one hand to open the door to her bedroom. "Hard to imagine we're so close. Not to mention we'll be the youngest members of the League so far. We're making history," she said, followed by a short laugh.

The sunlight shining through her bedroom window made her wince, closing her eyes.

Blinking away the spots in her vision, Siren looked up at Kid Flash who was lounging at the foot of her bed, laser-focused on the video game he was playing. She was just as focused, eyes never leaving the tv screen as her thumbs flew across the controller in her hand. The animated characters fought in a one-on-one match as the two teens ordered them to beat each other up.

"What kind of history do you have with this new chick? Why did you never mention Green Arrow's niece was going to join the team?" Kid Flash asked, still sounding miffed about the idea.

Siren grunted as her character tried to block the blows of his character. "It wasn't my place to tell," she easily lied. "Ollie was figuring out the right time to bring her in and I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

Kid Flash huffed. "I still don't like that she's replacing Red Arrow."

"For the last time, she's not replacing Red Arrow," Siren said, taking a split second to glare at him.

When she turned back to the tv, her character had fallen in defeat. Across the screen flashed the words 'Obey your Granny'. A flash of pain ran through Siren's body and she dropped the controller to grab her head.

My command is Darkseid's will. She ran her hands down the sides of her face as she looked up from the kitchen table. "Sorry, what did you say?" she asked as she bent over to give attention to her needy cat that pawed at her leg.

"I said, when are we planning to have this Red Arrow intervention?" Kid Flash asked, his face taking up the laptop screen in front of her. Since they actually lived in the same time zone now, it meant the both of them were sitting up late working on whatever college assignment they had due.

Siren sighed. "Ollie's been tracking down his whereabouts as of late. He's been unpredictable so it's been hard to figure out where he might be," she explained. "Ollie's got a pretty solid lead though so I think we'll meet sometime next week."

Kid Flash looked off to the side. "Do you think it'll work?" he wondered.

"The intervention? I don't know," Siren admitted. "It's easier said than done to convince him to give up the search for Speedy."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about stopping the Earth from being destroyed."

Tremors went through Siren's body as it felt like fire was licking up her body. She let out a cry of pain, standing so quickly that her chair fell backward. When it slammed onto the ground, her vision went white.

When it cleared, she saw it. The crystallized funnel was massive, making it hard to have faith that the three speedsters running around it in circles would accomplish the mission. Lightning shot out into the air, making the landing a little nerve-wracking, but Siren darted out of the ship as soon as she was able.

Nightwing was right behind her. "Look! It's working! They're shutting it down."

He was right. The funnel was slowly starting to unravel.

"Yes!" Blue Beetle cheered, pumping his fist.

Joy spread through Siren. She couldn't have felt more proud of the three men. Everyone might have pitched in, but they definitely were the heroes of the day.

"They did it!" Miss Martian cheered as the funnel finally disappeared.

When the snow kicked up from the running cleared, the group rushed to join their saviors. They looked exhausted, Impulse even collapsing on the ground. Siren only imagined that it would take a while before any of them felt up to running again.

"It's over!" Miss M said, landing beside the youngest speedster to help him stand.

Siren glanced around to find Kid Flash. She might have still been unhappy with him and the other three, but she was willing to put her grievances aside temporarily to celebrate.

"Congratulations," Aqualad praised Flash, supporting his weight. "You have saved-"

"Wait," Artemis called out at the same time as Siren's smile started to fade in confusion. "Where's Wally?"

Because Kid was nowhere to be seen.

Flash looked devastated. "Artemis...he wanted me to tell you..."

Then it hit Siren. All of a sudden, she couldn't breathe as her chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself. Oh my god.

"No...no," Artemis whispered, begging him to not say those next few words.

Flash placed his hands on her shoulders. "He loved you."

At first, Siren couldn't move even as Artemis began to sob, sinking to her knees. No...he can't be dead. He can't be.

"It's your fault, you know."

Siren jolted. "Wh- what?" she said weakly, tearing her eyes away from the scene.

Kid Flash was standing next to her, watching the scene as well. When he turned to look at her, she shuddered when she stared at the sockets where his eyes had been.

"You should have stopped him before he went to help," he said. "You knew he wasn't as fast as Flash or Impulse. You should have known that it was going to put his life at risk by going to help."

Siren inhaled sharply, taking a step away from the group and her dead friend. "No. No, that's not my fault. There was nothing else we could do," she protested.

As she continued to back up, Kid Flash followed her. "Are you sure?" he questioned. "Maybe he felt the need to make things up to you after everything that happened that year."

Siren's fists tightened. "He did it to protect all of us. He had nothing to prove or make up for," she hissed.

Kid Flash leaned forward, bringing his mouth to her ear. In turn, her body froze. "He died thinking you hated him."

"Stop." Siren spun around, clamping her hands over her ears.

"After all, you did hate him, didn't you? You were so angry with him and the others. They lied to you. They kept secrets from you. They betrayed you. He betrayed you. He didn't love you. Why else would he go join his father's organization and leave you to lead the team?"

"Enough!" Siren's voice caught in her throat mid-sob. The world felt like it was starting to close in on her.

"Why do you still love him?" the haunting voice in her ear whispered. "It's been two years. How do you know he hasn't moved on? He should move on. Why would he want to still be with the likes of you?"

Siren blindly swung, trying to push away the presence that began to overwhelm her entire being. She couldn't see anything around her, but she just wanted it to end.

"And what about her? She died only a few feet away from you by his hand. Sure, it turned out to be a trick in the end, but what's to say it wouldn't repeat? You know that this life has consequences. You've already lost one. What's one more? Or another? And another?"

Siren choked on her own hyperventilating breath. "Please," she gasped, feeling like her ribcage was starting to tighten.

Breathe. You gotta breathe.

"Don't forget him either. He's the one who started it all, lying to your face every time you saw each other. And just as you thought you got away, he's the one that dragged you back in. How can you ever forgive him for that? He ruined everything you worked so hard for."

Inhale...exhale.

Slowly, her shoulders started to loosen. Siren slowly lowered her hands from her face.

"No."

She raised her head, glaring at the empty gaze of Kid Flash. "Wally died a hero and I will forever be proud of him for it," she said. "We know what we signed up for when we joined this life, Artemis included, and we're just lucky to have one more day. So it doesn't matter who might be next because we'll fight to the bitter end."

She took a step forward, squaring her shoulders as she stood nose to nose with the thing torturing her mind. Whether it was subconscious or something external messing with her, it didn't matter.

"That's why I came back. Not because of Dick. Because of myself," she declared. "And I'm sure as hell going to live my life how I want with every day I can get. And I'm going to love whoever I want with the time I have left."

She realized it just as the words left her mouth. And it had never felt more right. "I love Kaldur and nothing's ever going to change that," she snapped.

Kid Flash—what was left of him because it hardly resembled him anymore—snarled. "Obey your Granny. My command is Darkseid's will!"

Siren felt her consciousness snap back into her body, but she wasn't the one in control.

"Teach your naughty friends a lesson."

She couldn't even recognize the figures that stood in front of her as her body tensed, ready to pounce. All she did recognize was the voice giving her orders against her will.

"Attack, my thralls!"

Siren's upper lip curled into a scowl as she set her sights on one of the figures. It was impossible to judge who it was, all she knew was that they were dangerous and she had to protect her master from them.

So she let out an amplified scream.

Whoever it was that she was trying to fight, it was clear that they were prepared. Like they were accustomed to her fighting style. So in one way or another, she had gotten subdued, with her arms pinned at her sides, which she couldn't break free of no matter how much she struggled. Whoever it was, they were strong.

It felt like she was trying to fight for ages until suddenly, Siren felt a warmth wash over her, strong enough to force her eyes shut. As everything else faded away, a powerful voice in an otherworldly language drowned out the haunted whispers in her mind.

She stumbled, lurching forward as she snapped back to reality. She let out a painful groan, straightening up weakly. "What the hell..."

Shaking her head to remove the lingering cobwebs of her rapidly fading dream, Siren shifted around and reached out blindly at whatever wall she was up against to support her weight. Except that wall tightened its grip on her shoulders, making her blink away the spots in her vision to see. She momentarily lost her breath when she saw who was staring down at her with immense concern.

"You're here," Siren whispered, her expression softening.

"I'm here," Aquaman said gently.

Forcing herself to look away, she quickly accounted for who else was in the room. Jeff, Garfield, Vic, Brion, and Violet were all surrounding the two of them, plus a man Siren had never seen before who was holding Dick up.

"What happened?" Jeff demanded to know.

Once he asked that, the answer slotted itself into Siren's mind. "We were being mind controlled," she said, eyes narrowed in anger.

"Who did this to you?" Vic asked worriedly.

"She did."

Siren followed Garfield's accusing finger to the woman that stood at the end of the room. That fucking bitch.

Gretchen Goode glared at the boy. "Garfield, you are long overdue for discipline," she growled. "I'm dropping all of you in-"

There was an explosion that shook the whole room, forcing everyone to brace themselves. Siren huddled next to Aquaman for cover, eyes wide as the light dimmed from the missile's blast. Gretchen was on the other side of the rubble, knocked out, but probably not for long since it wasn't close enough to actually hurt her.

"Was that..." Siren trailed off, sparing a glance over at Aquaman. He had a light smirk on his face that made her heart thump and confirmed her suspicions. Oracle, you're the best.

There was another explosion as a boom tube suddenly opened. Except Violet hadn't been the one to open it.

"Everyone into the boom tube!" Vic ordered. Since when can- never mind.

"But Gretchen-"

Aquaman cut Garfield off, wisely choosing to save the battle for another day. "There will be another time."

He turned to Siren, eyeing her with worry. "Can you walk?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

Still, she didn't deny the arm that went around her middle to help usher her through the tube. She could hear Gretchen yelling after them, but at the moment, she couldn't have cared less about what the woman had to say. What mattered was that they made it out alive.

~/~/~/~

The cries of pain coming from the bed next to hers left Jenna shaken. While Doctor Jace looked over her to ensure she was stable, there was little that could be done for Dick who was thrashing around in his sleep. He never woke up after Violet had cleansed the both of them, and it wasn't until they exited the boom tube that he started having a subconscious reaction to what Gretchen did to them.

In no time, Barbara had Zeta'd over to the Premiere Building, wanting to be with her boyfriend when Jenna warned her of his condition. So they were the only ones in the medbay besides the doctor and Jenna, but the longer the latter woman sat there, the more stressed she got.

"I believe you will be alright," Doctor Jace softly said, finally putting some space between her and the bed Jenna sat on the edge of.

Jenna finally tore her eyes away from the other bed, clearing her throat. "Thanks, Doc. I'll, uh, I'll be outside to wait for the others to get here."

She slid off the bed, quickly walking past Dick's bed so she didn't have to listen to his suffering more than she had to.

The door swung shut behind her and she took a shaky breath. She shuffled over to the wall, leaning against it as she tried to get her bearings. I gotta wait for the others. Bruce, Tim, and Alfred will be here soon. Plus Conner and M'gann. Artemis and Will can't make it, and neither can Raquel or Zatanna, but 'Mis said she'd be near her phone the whole time while she works on her dissertation.

But she couldn't move, finding the trembling in her hand too hard to ignore as she tried to reach for her phone to text her best friend. All Jenna could think about was the man laying in the medbay in such a serious condition.

When soft voices began to float in her direction, she clung to the distraction, looking up at the two other men standing near the stairs. Kaldur's brow was deeply furrowed with worry as he watched the closed medbay door. The unfamiliar man who had been there with him at Gretchen Goode's was still present, resting a reassuring hand on Kaldur's shoulder.

Jenna stiffened when he made eye contact with her and she quickly looked away, feeling awkward for staring. It wasn't until footsteps got louder that she realized she was standing near the only private exit of the building.

"Will you be alright?"

Jenna looked up with mild surprise at the man as he smiled at her sympathetically. "I think so," she answered. "I guess I have you to thank for that."

She glanced over his shoulder to watch Kaldur walk into the kitchen. "How did you two manage to get us out?" she wondered.

"I'll admit it wasn't easy," the man confessed. "When that...Gretchen Goode took us down to her X-Pit where you two were being tortured, she allowed us to retrieve the both of you. Although it was very painful."

Jenna let out a long breath from her nose. "No kidding," she muttered, still able to recall the incessant agony. It was at that moment that she realized she didn't know just how long they were down there. It felt like no time at all, but she couldn't trust that.

She turned to the man in front of her. "You didn't have to put yourself through that, but you did anyway. I appreciate it."

He smiled. "There are things that I did when I was younger that I regret. But when I tried to make amends, Kaldur was among the first people to accept them and be my friend," he admitted. "When I overheard what the situation was and saw how worried he was about you, nothing was going to stop me from helping him."

Jenna's expression softened as she looked off to where Kaldur had gone. After all this time.

"I should be going. It is getting late and I am sure you and your friends will want privacy once they arrive," the man added, starting to approach the Tube.

Jenna watched him go, only realizing something moments before he stepped inside the glowing transportation. "I don't think I caught your name," she called out.

The man looked back at her. "My name is Wyynde."

Jenna smiled. "Thank you, again, Wyynde," she said.

He softly nodded, disappearing into the flash of light.

Alone again, Jenna took a breath as she pulled out her phone. She saw she had messages waiting from various people, all checking on her well-being, updating her on when they'd arrive, and asking about Dick's condition. It felt so overwhelming.

She glanced up, searching the room for Kaldur to see if he had returned. He hadn't yet. Surprisingly, Jenna found herself feeling disappointed. She had a sudden urge to talk to him...a need to speak with him.

Except it wasn't the time as more messages were rolling in. Jenna sighed, turning her attention back to her phone. She knew a conversation with Kaldur could wait. The priority was Dick's health.

Or maybe some sleep. Although she was lucky that she wasn't facing a similar fate as her friend, she couldn't pretend that the torture from the X-Pit zapped all her energy. Things were getting blurrier the more she was alert so she couldn't even fully recall what had happened in there besides the physical pain that had slammed her.

She was exhausted and wanted to get some rest, but she also refused to go home. The mere thought of her leaving, only for the worst case to happen once she did, terrified her.

So she was going to wait.

Jenna slumped onto the couch as soon as she got close enough, propping her elbow on the arm of the seat and resting her chin in her palm. After glancing back at the medbay once more, she finally gave her attention to her phone to update the others.

She texted back and forth for a while as she explained what happened and what was currently going on, but she could only keep her eyes open for so long. Before she knew it, she had dozed off.

Jenna had been floating in and out of consciousness, every little sound being picked up in her ears. She never opened her eyes, but her mind felt like it was still running on overdrive, preparing her to jump up at any sign of Dick's condition worsening.

But when a presence made itself known near her, her mind seemed to settle on its own.

Through the sleepy fog, Jenna didn't mind whoever gently rearranged her body so it stretched out along the seat cushions. She also didn't mind the hand that took her phone out of her grip to set it down on the coffee table. And she certainly didn't mind the light weight of a blanket that was settled across her lower body, keeping her feet from getting cold which she always hated.

Jenna subconsciously took in a deep breath as she relaxed, snuggling deeper into the couch. The wrinkle in her brow softened when she felt something soft and warm lightly press against it before a deep, comforting whisper made even more warmth spread through her.

"Get some rest."

In her half-conscious state, Jenna's brain still registered that whatever was spoken wasn't English. But at the moment, she was only aware of what was being said, not how it was being said. So she listened to whoever it was that talked, letting herself be dragged further into sleep.

Chapter Text

Hollywood

January 22, 02:25 PST

Dick wasn't getting any better. In fact, it seemed like his condition was just getting worse. And Jenna couldn't feel anything but guilt knowing that she had a hand in his suffering. Sure, it was his idea. But Jenna knew she should have vetoed it. After all, she was reluctant to go to Gretchen Goode's home in the first place.

Who am I kidding? How were we supposed to know it would go so wrong so fast? And the proof of that mistake was laying in the medbay, crying out in delirious agony.

Everyone who was able to had already arrived. Dick's family was taking up residence at the foot of his bed while most of his friends were hovering near the doorway. Jeff was there too.

Jenna winced at the sound of Dick's cries when she returned to the group. Before arriving, M'gann had swung by her apartment to grab her a change of clothes since the darkwear was the last thing Jenna wanted on her body. So she snatched the bundle out of her friend's hands before rushing to find somewhere to change. A bit easier than expected since the permanent residents of the Premiere Building had stepped out to give Dick's close friends and family some privacy.

When Jenna rejoined the others, she found herself subconsciously gravitating to Kaldur's side. She still kept her distance since there still hadn't been any free time to speak with him alone, but...his presence was always comforting to her. And she needed it now more than ever.

"I don't understand," Jeff sighed, glancing into the room before turning back to the original team members. "Jenna, you said Granny's X-Pit was pure torture, but you recovered. Why is Dick in such a bad way?"

Jenna shrugged helplessly. "I'm not sure," she said. And I hate that there's nothing we can do.

Bruce appeared in the doorway. "His brain is swelling. Doctor Jace says we need ice to bring down his temperature." The urgency in his tone and posture was clear enough.

Jenna's fingernails dug into her bicep as she hugged herself tighter. Fuck.

"We're on it," Jeff said, hurrying to complete the task with Conner.

As Bruce returned to the medbay, that just left the last three.

M'gann looked at her blonde friend. "How are you feeling?" she asked gently.

Jenna sighed. "Exhausted. I don't expect less from being tortured for over twenty-four hours and then barely getting any rest before everyone else arrived," she said. "But I'm okay physically and mentally. At least it seems that way."

M'gann's eyes flashed green for a split second. "I don't sense any residual brainwashing. It seems like the effect the trigger phrase had is gone too. Violet's aura did the trick."

Jenna's shoulders sagged. "I just wish it had been able to restore Dick," she said weakly.

She must have looked worse for wear than she thought because M'gann's brow furrowed before she reached out to tug the other woman into her embrace. Jenna accepted it, bringing her arms around M'gann's waist in a tight squeeze.

From where she had leaned her head against the Martian's, she looked up at Kaldur who was watching her with a protective type of concern. Thank god he was there. If he hadn't been...

Jenna pulled away when she heard Conner's footsteps approaching. "We got the ice. Hopefully, it'll help," he said.

Jenna's lips thinned. It was going to be enough to bring down his fever and decrease the swelling. But that still left the initial root of the problem. How could it have affected him so much? She tried to think it through. Easier said than done when she felt so tired. But for Dick's sake, she had to.

She had gone off into her own little world as her friends spoke around her. She barely acknowledged Doctor Jace coming out of the medbay to be greeted by Jeff and a cup of coffee. Until, over Kaldur's shoulder, she could see a small group leaving the medbay, then her heart skipped a beat in worry.

Doctor Jace asked the question that was on her mind. "I- Is everything-"

"There's no change," Barbara interrupted. "Alfred's with him."

Jenna relaxed, at least for a moment, until Bruce looked over at them.

"Kaldur, Jenna, M'gann...a word?"

Jenna looked between Bruce, Barbara, and Tim, her slight frown deepening as she began to suspect what this was for. Yet she trailed after Kaldur, following the others into the small room nearby. The door slid shut behind her, encasing them in silence.

She didn't like the way Bruce looked at her. "Did the two of you learn anything on your mission?" he instantly questioned.

Jenna stared at him through her eyelashes, crossing her arms defensively. "Dick is in the other room suffering and you're concerned about this now?" she all but snapped.

"It's because Dick is suffering that I want to know everything either of you might have learned so we can figure out how to fix this," Bruce said calmly.

Jenna's jaw tightened as she held his gaze, refusing to move or speak. Then in the corner of her eye, she saw a bit of orange as someone moved closer to her even while keeping some space between them. But it was enough for her shoulders to relax slightly.

"Fine," Jenna ground out. "We didn't have time to get a good look through the house. We were barely ten feet past the door before we were dropped straight into that X-Pit."

She closed her eyes in recollection. "All I really remember is being in a lot of pain. It felt like every nerve in my body was on fire, and I'm not putting that lightly," she said. "Not to mention a chanting in my head. It's a wonder I didn't go insane."

She then shook her head, her gaze flickering back up to the group. "I don't know why it affected Dick more than me. My best guess is it has something to do with the meta-gene since that's the only thing differentiating my physiology from his. But that's all I've got."

"It's a start. Certainly something we might want to look into later," Bruce mused. "For now, we just need to focus on Dick's well-being."

"Great," Jenna said dryly, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder. "So if we're done here?"

She turned to step out into the main room, followed by the rest, only to halt when Jeff stormed up to them.

"You were all working together!" he snapped.

Jenna's eyes widened. Shit.

He glowered at all of them, starting with her. "Mister and Miss 'We Don't Join Teams' Grayson and Lance go on a rogue mission to Granny's house, where they're rescued by the co-chair of the Justice League and a Bat-Family drone?!"

"That's on me-"

"I can explain-"

"Oh, I'm sure it is, and I'm sure you can," Jeff snapped at Barbara and Kaldur. "But it doesn't stop there."

Jenna could practically see the gears in his head turning as he began to piece it all together. "Or start there, for that matter. That joint-op busting meta-traffickers around the world? Dick explained it all so logically," he realized. "It was intel M'gann provided to us, to the team, and to the League. But, of course, it was really the seven of you coordinating!"

He scanned each of their faces, trying to find answers. "Just how long have you been coordinating?"

He looked at Bruce. "When I quit the Justice League and wouldn't join Batman Inc.?"

Then at Jenna. "Did Dick recruit me for Markovia just to keep me in the fold?"

His eyes widened as he rounded on Kaldur. "Holy- When the League split, Batman didn't blindside Aquaman; you both planned it in advance!" he cried out. "Created that dog and pony show to lie to every one of your fellow Leaguers! And why?"

He got up in Kaldur's face, glaring. "So you could break the law with impunity? While dragging me into it?!"

Kaldur flinched. "It is not as bad as- as you make it sound," he tried to argue.

"Oh, no, I'm guessing it's worse," Jeff growled. "Everything's a lie! Badass Kaldur getting his bad ass kicked in Brooklyn, Maine? That was just to make the Outsiders look good, wasn't it?"

The kids, who had all since returned to the building, had been hanging on to every word. When their team was brought up, Garfield and Brion jumped forward.

"No!"

"That's not what happened!"

Jeff gestured to them. "Not bad enough you manipulate me, you had to manipulate these idealistic kids!"

Jenna stepped forward, slotting herself between Kaldur and Jeff. "Maybe you should move where it's more private to talk," she suggested, her tone stern. "So we don't 'manipulate these idealistic kids' anymore? Now."

Jeff glanced back at the teenagers watching with varying degrees of shock and anger. Wordlessly, he stalked forward, forcing Jenna to stumble back into Kaldur so she wouldn't get run into. They all watched in silence as he cut between all of them to step into the room, quickly followed by Bruce.

Jenna put some space between her and Kaldur, letting his hand fall off her shoulder. "Go," she urged. "I'm staying out here to keep an eye on Dick. Besides, I don't think I have the energy for a yelling match."

She grimaced, shooting a sympathetic glance up at him. Without another word, she stepped away to return to the medbay.

As the door slid shut behind her, she was encased in much-needed silence. She let out a long sigh, giving herself a couple of seconds to gather her thoughts.

She suspected things were getting too dangerously close to being revealed for a while. She knew that the more they added to their plates, the harder it was going to be to keep it all under wraps.

Yet part of her had wished that they would have been able to find a way to end things without anyone ever knowing. Is this how Dick and Kaldur felt? Jenna squeezed her eyes shut.

"Jen?"

Jenna's head jerked up towards the occupied bed. She drew in a sharp breath when she saw the patient lying there, awake. "Hi," she said with a disbelieving laugh.

Dick struggled to sit up so Jenna rushed to his side to help him sit up. "Hey. I take it things aren't going great out there?"

Jenna grimaced, both in response and as a reaction to the coughing spell that took over the former Boy Wonder.

"You could say that," she answered. "Jeff found out. About everything."

Dick glanced over at the door, frowning. "Maybe I should-"

Jenna grabbed his shoulder before he could try to stand. "Slow down, Wonder Boy. You just woke up," she pointed out. "You better not stand, much less deal with any arguments right now."

She settled on the edge of the bed, bringing up one leg to face the footboard like he did. They fell into silence for a few beats, both probably trying to think of something to say. There were no more sounds of raised voices in the other room, but that didn't guarantee that there weren't heated conversations going on. And there was a conversation that Jenna wanted to have herself, much calmer but certainly one that was a long time coming.

Jenna took a deep breath. Just rip the bandaid off.

"I'm sorry."

She and Dick blinked at each other, both going quiet after speaking over one another.

Jenna's brow furrowed. "What're you apologizing for?" she asked incredulously.

Dick huffed out a weak laugh. "What am I not apologizing for? For getting us trapped at Granny's, for dragging you into the Markovia mission-" He brought his fist to his mouth as he let out a cough. "...For not telling you about our double-agent plan three years ago."

Jenna reflexively recoiled, dropping her hand from his shoulder. "First, you couldn't have known going to Granny's would fuck us over like that," she pointed out. "Second, I can make my own decisions which means I could have said no to that mission and the Markovia mission if I had wanted to. Deep down, I knew I wanted to be back in all of this again even if I didn't act like it at first."

Taking another breath, she looked down at her lap. Their thighs brushed against each other but neither of them pulled away. Neither of them wanted to.

"And third," Jenna said slowly, looking over to meet his eye. "You were just trying to do the right thing. Keeping the rest of the team safe, keeping us from worrying about Kaldur's safety...you couldn't have known then how much of it was going to go wrong."

She frowned, thinking about how Kaldur's mind was nearly destroyed for good. She couldn't imagine what it would have been like if she never got to hear him speak to her again...never got the chance to tell him that she still loved him. But she nearly did if it hadn't been for M'gann.

"I'm not going to act like I was never hurt by some of your choices," Jenna admitted, picking at her cuticles. "I'm not going to act like some days I remember what all went down and get so angry."

She closed her eyes wearily. "I'm trying to work past that, and I'm getting there," she added. "But what snapped me out of it? Was thinking that you were going to die right here"—she jabbed her finger into the solid bed underneath her—"and I was never going to get to speak to you ever again...just like with Wally."

Tears welled up but they didn't fall yet. She looked back to Dick whose eyes never left her. He wasn't nearly as close to crying as she was, but she could see how vulnerable he was.

"I wish every day that I could have one more minute with him. To tell him I'm sorry. But I can't," Jenna said shakily.

A warm–albeit sweaty–hand rested over hers so she turned her hand over to lace their fingers together. She clung tightly and, even though it was clear that he was weak, he was doing the same.

Jenna sniffled a bit as she stared down at their hands. The black ink on her forearm stared up at her, making her only wish the person it memorialized was there with them. "But I do have that minute with you, and more, which I didn't realize I was taking for granted until now," she continued. "So I'm sorry. Truly sorry for cutting you out these last couple of years. I hope you can forgive me eventually."

"Of course, I do."

Jenna couldn't help her snort, lifting her head to meet his gaze. "Jumping the gun there, aren't you?"

Dick was serious though. "No. I'm not. You had every reason to be angry and I regret being the cause of those reasons," he said firmly, yet breathless from his energy being zapped. "And I've probably given you more this year alone, but if you're able to forgive me, that's enough."

His following words made Jenna choke up. "Wally would feel the same too."

Jenna's lip began to tremble. She wasn't sure who moved first, but they were soon twisted at the waist, hugging tightly with faces buried into shoulders. She didn't worry about the tears that were streaming down onto Dick's skin because he didn't seem to mind.

For the first time in a long time, Jenna felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The breath she let out made her sag against her friend's warm chest which rumbled with a weak laugh.

"You're not even sorry!"

Jenna's head whipped around to look at the closed door. Great timing.

While wiping away her tears, she glanced back at Dick when he began to move. At that point, Alfred had stepped in to help support him and try to keep him in bed. Dick was insistent, so Jenna had no choice but to support his weight while they walked into the next room.

"We are sorry we have made you feel this way," she could hear Kaldur say as Alfred pulled open the medbay doors.

"That's not an apology!" Jeff snapped.

Bruce's expression darkened. "I am not going to apologize for putting the mission first," he said coldly.

"What good is the mission if we lose ourselves trying to fulfill it?!"

As Jenna helped Dick step further into the room, the latter called out to make his presence known. "Jeff."

Everyone finally seemed to realize they were there as all eyes in the room turned to the pair.

"I think the person you're really angry with...is me," Dick said.

As he spoke, Jenna watched Jeff's expressions. He had all but closed himself off to them. His expression was hard and unflinching.

"I was the one who pulled you into this from the start," Dick admitted. "If I hadn't, you wouldn't have had to be involved."

Jenna's brow furrowed when the man he was addressing remained silent.

"Jeff." Dick paused to clear his throat again. "Please-"

That time Jeff did cut him off, probably tired of seeing him push himself in his weakened state. "Stop. You're not sorry either," he said tightly. "I'm so gone."

He glanced around the room. "Where's Helga?"

It was then that Jenna realized the doctor had disappeared.

"Uh, she left a while ago with Violet and the Markovs," Garfield piped up.

Jenna felt her skin crawl for seemingly no reason.

"Yeah, I don't blame her," Jeff sighed. "Probably didn't want them to see all this."

At that exact moment, the elevator opened. Inside were two people, Brion and Tara, both looking dejected.

The uncomfortable feeling in Jenna increased.

"Where's Violet?" Jeff wondered before noticing something else. "Where's Helga?"

The looks on the Markovs' faces weren't a good sign.

"She's gone," Tara finally said. "Both of them are."

Jeff's eyes narrowed. "Gone? Gone where?"

After letting Tim take over in supporting Dick's weight, Jenna took a tentative step forward. "Start from the beginning," she said gently.

Tara glanced over at her. "Doctor Jace chipped us and took us to her car one by one where we waited until she came back out with Violet," she began. "Then she drove us to her lab under the assumption that she was going to help heal Violet from whatever illness was killing her."

"Violet's dying?" Jenna questioned out loud, eyes wide in fear.

"No. But Doctor Jace led her to believe that she was since last month," Brion picked up the story. "That's why she had been so distant from all of us! Because she wanted Violet to keep her illness a secret until they found a 'solution.'"

"Then what happened?" Jeff asked the siblings.

"Gretchen Goode showed up." Jenna's body tensed at Tara's revelation. "With a talking gorilla called Ultra-Humanite? They put this...leash on Violet, preventing her from fighting back just like a control chip would."

"Then they took us down into the X-Pit," Brion added. "Shoved Violet out into it where she struggled until her violet aura activated on instinct. Then Granny shoved Doctor Jace into the Pit as well."

The room was silent, almost as if everyone else was afraid to interrupt. Chills went up Jenna's arms and her hands reflexively curled into fists.

"Violet was somehow able to project her aura out to protect Doctor Jace. That's when Gretchen started to interrogate her," Tara said.

"She revealed everything. How she forcefully activated Tara's meta-gene, but when our uncle took her away, Doctor Jace convinced me to activate my own while making me feel like it was my decision," Brion continued. "Because of our meta-genes being activated, she truly believed that, because she 'created' us, we were her children now.

"When Gabrielle Daou was brought to her lab and tested, the result was negative, so Doctor Jace put her to sleep. Of course, you know the rest...she was being buried until Jenna and Artemis found her and rescued her. But Doctor Jace–like the rest of us–thought she had a meta-gene that revived her. So she believed that Violet was her daughter too. And in order to get closer to us, in her own words, she...decided to seduce Jeff."

There was an awkward pause until Tara stepped back in.

"She believed that Violet was her creation until you all found out she was a living Motherbox," she said. "Jace tried to separate her from Brion, so she came up with the story that Violet was dying, when in actuality, she was waiting for a chance to hand over Violet to someone else so, in turn, she could be provided a safe place for her and her children. Us."

Jenna was reeling with the onslaught of information. It was then that she realized her instinct was right all along. She always felt like something was off about Helga Jace but just couldn't figure out what the problem was, mostly chalking it off as being too paranoid. Besides the occasional odd protectiveness that the woman had toward the kids, nothing was concrete.

But Jenna's gut was right all along. And it was so much worse than she could have expected.

Jeff had become silent, having sunk down on the couch with his head in his hands. He had just found out the woman he was growing very attached to was a pathological liar and had some pretty twisted ideals. The shock was understandable.

"My control chip had malfunctioned after coming back from the X-Pit," Tara explained. "I was in turn able to free Brion so we could fight back. Except it was in vain as Gretchen left with Violet and Ultra-Humanite left with Doctor Jace."

"But that means Gretchen has Violet under her control," Brion said with more urgency. "We have to rescue her!"

"But we don't know where she is," Tara pointed out.

Jeff hadn't looked up once. "This can't be true."

"I am sorry, but it is. If my control chip hadn't malfunctioned, Brion and I would never have escaped."

Clearly, Jeff was having a harder time accepting the fact. "Helga-"

Tara interrupted him though. "Jace betrayed you. Betrayed us all," she said.

It wasn't like Jenna wanted her instinct to be correct. They had all put so much trust in the scientist for months. But it seemed that before they had even met her, she had been plotting.

"I gotta get outta here," Jeff whispered, finally rising to his feet.

He had gotten past the group and halfway to the elevators when Kaldur tried one last feeble attempt to reach out to him, even as Jenna had instinctively reached out to stop him. "Jefferson..."

Jeff just whirled around, jabbing a finger in their direction. "Don't follow me!"

After the elevator doors slid shut, Jenna stared at them sadly, squeezing Kaldur's arm as the room went quiet once more.

~/~/~/~

The sounds of Hollywood city life were comforting. That coupled with the soft breeze made Jenna feel like she could clearly think for the first time in weeks.

'What good is the mission if we lose ourselves trying to fulfill it?' What if Jeff was right?

She had been in his place before. She had secrets kept from her by two of the most important men in her life. And yet, there they were, doing the same thing. But she was brought into the fold instead and suddenly she was okay with giving others that very same treatment.

Jenna dropped her head with a sigh as her palms dug into the metal railing. She didn't know what to think anymore. Honestly, with Dick suffering and with Kaldur risking his life to save both of them, she couldn't bring herself to hold onto the anger that she had been harboring for two years. And anyway, she hadn't for a while if she was being honest.

I could have lost them both. Or it could have been me. And I would have never gotten to say goodbye. Just like with Wally.

She closed her eyes.

Which she then opened again when the doors behind her slid open. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Four years together, three years apart, and she still knew him better than anyone.

Kaldur leaned against the railing beside her, keeping a close but respectable distance between the two of them, but Jenna's heart was stubborn in wishing that he would put his arms around her again.

You did this, remember?

Shut up.

"Are you sure you're alright? The X-Pit didn't hurt you?" she asked out loud, breaking the silence that surprisingly didn't feel all that awkward.

"Yes. It was Wyynde who discovered that our magic could help fight the pain so we were able to get the two of you out."

Jenna sighed. "Good. I don't know what I would have done if we...if you had been laying in that room like that too."

She finally looked up, sparing him a glance to find he was already watching her with a soft expression that made her heart ache. His movements were hesitant, but she didn't reject his hand reaching across to rest on hers.

"You are not going to lose me," he said softly.

I don't want to lose you. Jenna stared up at him sadly, remembering the words spoken seven years before, the ones that started it all.

"And yet you kept me in the dark, knowing how I'd feel." Even now, her tone was full of hurt.

Kaldur's gaze lowered to their hands, guilt written all over his face. "I know that anything that I try to say will not change how much we hurt you. How much I hurt you," he admitted, meeting her eyes again. "The last thing I wanted was for you to get caught in the crossfire. And in my attempts to do so, I broke your trust. Which I will spend the rest of my life apologizing for. If I could go back and change everything, I would do so in an instant."

Jenna frowned. "But that's the thing. You can't," she said, barely holding back the tremble in her voice. "What's done is done and there's nothing you or anyone can do to change that, Kaldur."

Kaldur dropped his gaze, beginning to pull his hand away.

Don't go! Before she could really stop herself, Jenna flipped her palm over and gripped his hand tightly. He paused, waiting for her to say something like she clearly wanted to.

"But," she started slowly, "you're not the only one who has things to apologize for."

Her eyes flickered down for a moment as she swallowed tightly, trying to find the words to say. "This whole secret coordination thing has made me learn where you were coming from that year you went undercover," she continued. "It's made me realize how stupid I've been too."

Kaldur's eyebrows went up. "Jenna, you had every right to-"

Jenna cut him off. "I know. I don't regret feeling the way I did. But I do regret waiting so long to make amends with you and Dick when I already forgave Artemis."

She sighed heavily. "Because even if I didn't want to admit it for the past two years, I haven't stopped loving you."

She threaded their fingers together, relishing in the feeling she had missed for so long. It fell silent as she watched his thumb brush her empty ring finger. A bittersweet feeling nearly overwhelmed her to the point of tears. Get whelmed, Jen, geez.

Part of her was worried when Kaldur didn't speak so she shyly glanced up.

And nearly lost her breath because he was watching her with something so raw and unwavering in his eyes. "I haven't stopped loving you either, Jenna."

The last bit of anger she had been holding on to started to fizzle out.

Jenna's heart thumped as she stared into the eyes she loved so much. The wrinkle in her brow disappeared when she lifted her hand slowly to cup Kaldur's face.

And her eyes slid shut as she leaned up to press a kiss on his lips.

The sheer relief she felt when she did almost made her cry. Three years was far too long. She missed this. Missed the warmth that would spread through her. Missed the feeling of his arms around her waist and-

Jenna made a noise when a pair of hands grasped her hips and pulled her in closer.

-missed that his presence alone made her feel so safe and secure.

She wound her arms around Kaldur's neck to bring him closer, deepening the slow kiss.

The pair was lost in their own world for a while. There were still things to attend to. Jeff was angry with all of them. Dick was awake but still not one hundred percent. Not to mention Violet was now missing. And Jenna didn't even want to think about having to deal with whatever 'Granny Goodness' had going on...

A shiver shot down her spine as teeth nipped at her bottom lip.

Right. Still, she was going to enjoy one of the very few moments of peace she got. With everything that she's had to deal with since two kids from Markovia were tossed out with nowhere to go, she hadn't had much of a chance to breathe.

Jenna pulled away, resting her forehead against Kaldur's as they both caught their breath. She didn't want to move much more than that, almost afraid that if they stopped touching, she would wake up from a dream.

"I missed you," she whispered, also afraid to shatter the silence that hung over them.

Kaldur reached up, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and refusing to look away from her either.

"I missed you too, my love."

Despite being happy that she was in Kaldur's arms again, Jenna couldn't stop herself from looking over at the elevator doors, subconsciously frowning. Then a hand gently grabbed her chin, drawing her attention back to the man in front of her.

"We will figure it all out," Kaldur promised. "Whatever may happen, we will handle it together."

Jenna's heart swelled. "Yeah. Together," she whispered.

And she knew they both meant it.

Chapter Text

Hollywood

January 25, 14:29 PST

Satisfied that Dick was well enough that there wouldn't be another episode caused by the residual effects of the X-Pit, Jenna finally went home. But not for long. With one issue over, another had come up.

Violet was missing.

The girl that Jenna had come to be so fond of was taken away by the very person who dropped her and one of her oldest friends into a torture pit for over twenty-four hours. Afterward, during an extremely heated argument started by the former League member that Jenna's friend had recruited for a mission that just never seemed to end, Violet was coerced to leave with the doctor–who was in a relationship with the former League member–that they had all come to trust. Then the doctor took her to a lab where the aforementioned person who tortured Jenna and her friend put both metaphorical and literal leashes on Violet and had her boom tube them away to god-knows-where.

And that was just the start of Jenna's past week.

It was Artemis that finally arrived to drag Jenna back home to recharge and refuel. She didn't have much say in the matter as she was grabbed by the wrist and hauled to the Zeta-Tube, glaring at Kaldur's amused glance on the way out. So she put up with her best friend's orders, taking a much-needed shower, eating the food from Big Belly Burger that Artemis had delivered, and eventually crashing into bed when she determined enough self-care had been done for the night.

Except Jenna couldn't sleep.

With so much going on in the real world and having nightmares from the world of her dreams, she couldn't get any proper rest. So the next morning had her feeling like shit. And after a long day of catching up with her to-do list at work–thank god for Sam doing what he could around the store while she was busy, she wasn't very excited to have a repeat.

Tossing and turning the next night proved to be fruitless, as expected, so she frustratedly grabbed her phone, scrolling through her list of contacts to find someone to call. Then one she landed on made her laugh. If someone had told her she was willingly speaking with that person even months ago, much less contemplating asking them to come over, she wouldn't have believed them.

This time, she didn't hesitate to press the button and wait for Kaldur to answer. She shouldn't have been surprised that he was so willing to make the Zeta-Tube trip over.

It was almost ironic how things felt so shy when she answered the door. Even when they were first starting their relationship way back when they were teenagers, it was never uncomfortable. Jenna supposed that leading a team and always spending time together kind of skipped the whole 'awkward' stage.

But once they started to talk, it was like falling back into an old routine. They each claimed one end of Jenna's couch and talked with a fresh pot of tea to last them into the earliest hours of the morning.

Jenna didn't even realize she was falling asleep until the next thing she knew was a pair of arms lifting her and pulling her into a warm, solid chest. She only slightly stirred, reaching up to loop an arm around the owner's neck as she inhaled a familiar scent.

Then she had felt herself be lowered onto her bed before Kaldur pulled back. When a chill had come up on her, she reached out blindly to grab the wrist of the man, mumbling one simple word.

When Kaldur fully stepped away, Jenna cracked her eyes open to see that the only reason he had pulled away was to strip before joining her under the covers. Once he was settled, Jenna immediately gravitated toward him, curling into his side with an arm stretched out across his waist. As she felt a light kiss drop onto the top of her head, she fell into the best sleep she had in ages.

Upon waking up, she was greeted with a sight she had missed so much that, in the comforting silence of the morning, she silently vowed she wouldn't lose it again.

The temporary peace could only last so long though. The solution to her sleeping problem was found, but it was only one in an entire mess that had been created. So she got up, feeling more refreshed and ready to tackle their next issue.

Easier said than done when they had no idea where to start looking for Violet and her captor. Doctor Jace was still an issue too, but Jenna couldn't have cared less. If she never saw the backstabbing woman again, it would be too soon.

First things first, they had to regroup. Tensions among some friends were still high, but they had to get together to work things out. Which was what finally brought them back to the Premiere Building in time to catch the tail end of a televised interview with Gretchen Goode herself.

"Goode World Studios is under attack," the 'innocent' old woman was saying mournfully. "Across the globe, our facilities have suffered a rash of break-ins. Our security and privacy violated–or so forensics indicate–by meta-humans!"

Siren was almost jealous of how quickly she seemed to turn on the waterworks. "My heart has been shattered by these betrayals. Especially after all my donations to the Meta-Human Youth Center." The woman looked at the camera, her true nature seeping through her glare. "These meta-hooligans working outside the law must be disciplined."

Beast Boy swiped at the projection, effectively turning it off as he stormed off.

"She's just taunting us, Gar," Tigress pointed out. "Don't let her get in your head."

"Been there, done that. Not a fan," Siren muttered, crossing her arms.

Forager clicked his tongue. "Forager wishes Forager could smell out Violet Harper as Forager once smelled out Victor Stone," he said sadly.

From where he was walking up the stairs, Vic lifted one arm to take a sniff underneath. Not what he meant, Vic...I hope.

Tigress sighed. "We all wish that," she told the bug. "But on the point Gretchen just jabbed us with, you know the team already conducted covert raids on all Goode holdings to find Violet. And no luck."

"Since neither Sphere, Motherbox, nor Victor can sense her, she is likely off-world by now," Aquaman pointed out from his spot beside Siren.

Someone loudly cleared their throat. "We'll find her."

Siren immediately turned, shooting Dick a look. He looked better but was still under the weather as his body tried to heal. Unfortunately, she knew that confident smirk all too well.

"What are you doing?" she sighed.

"I thought you were confined to bed, Mister Low-Grade Fever," Tigress added.

Dick shrugged. "You can't keep a Boy Wonder down," he boasted. "Uh, and please don't mention any fever to Barbara, okay? It took forever to convince her I was over my 'Ghost Dimension' sickness. She'd been at my bedside for two days straight; I finally persuaded her to go home."

Aquaman hummed. "Not until after I promised to watch over you," he spoke up with a smile.

"Figures," Dick mumbled.

After letting out a snort, Siren took a couple of steps forward and lifted one hand to rest the back of it against his forehead. Thank god his fever had gone down, but it had still been lingering for a few days and she didn't like that. "Are you sure you're feeling okay enough to be up and about?" she asked worriedly.

Dick rolled his eyes, grabbing her arm to pull her hand away. "I'll be fine, Mom," he assured, accepting the light swat on his shoulder.

A startlingly loud buzzer rang throughout the room as the building's front desk rang in, cutting their conversation short.

Forager was the one to answer. "Yes, Doorman Kirby Jacobs? How can Fred Bugg assist you?"

"Hey, Fred." Instantly, Siren picked up the wary tone in the man's voice. "Uh, there's a...a gentleman here in the lobby to see you guys."

Wide eyes rested on the screen that appeared, revealing who was waiting out front. Their wicked smirk made Siren reach for Aquaman's shoulder.

"He says his name's Savage? Should I send him up?"

By then, everyone who was still downstairs had reconvened. They all shared silent glances, particularly Siren at Dick since he was still in casual wear. He had two options: go wait out the conversation in the medbay or suit up quickly to hear what the man had to say. Judging by the returning glance as he walked off, he had clearly picked the latter.

Siren turned to her other friends who all shared the same expression. Miss Martian silently nodded at Forager who was waiting.

"Yes, Doorman Kirby Jacobs. Please send Vandal Savage up."

Tigress had disappeared and then reappeared by Siren's side, having gone to put her mask on. "What do you think he wants if he's so willing to come here?" she asked both of her friends.

"When it comes to Vandal Savage?" Siren raised an eyebrow. "I'm almost afraid to find out."

"We must keep our guards up," Aquaman added.

Tension was so thick in the room that it felt tangible. Siren trusted Vandal Savage as far as she could throw him, what with how many problems he had caused so much in the past. And since they caused him grief two years ago at the summit between the Light and the Reach, she knew the feeling was very mutual. So what does he want?

The air was eerily still as the elevator lift announced its arrival and the doors slid open. Not a single capable being reacted as the man inside stepped out, the growing smirk on his face as he approached becoming infuriating. Siren hardly breathed as he came to a stop in front of the assembled heroes.

Then he spoke. "I believe you're shepherds who have lost a sheep," he said calmly

Geo-Force lunged forward. "Tell us where Halo is!" he snapped, only stopped by Superboy being quick enough to raise a hand to his chest.

Savage's gaze slid over to the prince. "That is precisely why I'm here," he revealed. "I know you have a Motherbox. I'm here to offer coordinates, so you can boom tube to Miss Harper's location."

"What's the catch?" Superboy questioned, not buying how easy Savage's cooperation was. Neither did Siren.

Although, it was strange how Savage's façade seemed to crack, showing true anger underneath. "The catch, as you put it, is this. You promise to tell her abductor exactly who sent you."

Siren shared a look with Aquaman before glancing past him at Nightwing and Miss Martian.

Savage withdrew a plain card from somewhere, holding it out to the group. "I believe this will help you get started."

There was a beat before Siren was the one to step forward, grasping the edge of the card while glaring at the man on the other end. He cooly glanced down at her, giving away no hint of sinister plans. So she pulled back, rejoining her friends and mentees while handing the card containing coordinates off to Superboy.

Savage seemed satisfied. "I will leave you to it. Trust me when I say she won't see you coming," the immortal man said before leaving the way he came with no fight.

~/~/~/~

Siren had one foot propped up on the steps toward the Zeta-Tube, slotting her throwing knives into their places on the holster strapped to her thigh. Once they all locked in, she moved to sit beside Aquaman while she worked on detangling her garrote. As she glanced over at Tigress, she scoffed at the light smirk.

That was reminiscent of another thing that had happened in the few days that Siren took to refresh. The morning after her...company stayed over, Tigress had gone to check on her again, only to find she wasn't alone. The grin on the woman's face could have rivaled the one on Cheshire's mask.

Siren imagined that any of their friends were catching on to the fact that she and Aquaman were back together. And irritatingly enough, none of them seemed all that surprised if they noticed.

"I can't reach Thirteen." Siren glanced over at Miss Martian briefly. "Last I heard, she was at the Tower of Fate, training with Zatanna."

"We'll manage," Tigress assured the team leader.

"I know, but it's a team mission to recover one of our own. And she's part of the team."

"I'll sub in for her."

Siren rolled her eyes, finally putting away her weapon as she looked over her shoulder. Nightwing was still suited up, holstering his weapons as he walked up.

"Dick, you're still-"

He cut Tigress off. "I'm traught, whelmed, and feelin' the aster. I'm going."

Siren huffed out a tiny laugh. Oh, wow, he's serious.

Aquaman was smiling too. "I do not believe we could keep him here if we tried," he pointed out.

"You think?!"

The League's co-leader looked up. "Which is why I am going. I promised Barbara I would watch over him."

Miss M eyed him. "And since you're going..."

Aquaman placed the water-bearer in his hands back into the pack over his shoulder. "I am strictly backup," he said. "As you said, Halo is your teammate. This is your team...your mission."

Miss Martian smiled at the unspoken confidence he gave her. She then turned to Siren, eyebrow raised in her own silent question.

Siren stood. "Vi is part of the team, but she's too important to me to just stay behind," she explained.

Miss Martian tilted her head. "Any chance of you eventually being part of the team again?" she questioned.

Siren glanced down at Aquaman who met her gaze. Among the things they quietly talked about on her couch, that topic was one of them.

"Not sure," she said out loud, glancing back up at the team's leader. "Not yet."

A vibration against her ribs had her attention turned to her communicator kept in the inner pocket of her jacket. It was Banshee.

Outsiders are following intel from Vic about Granny's studio. Wish us luck.

Even though she had full faith in her protégé and his teammates, a spark of concern went through her as she responded.

We might have a lead on Violet so we're checking it out here. Be careful, kiddo.

His last message came in an instant.

Always. You be careful too.

He was more than a little pissed when he found out about the secret organization half the original team had a hand in coordinating. But in the end, he understood, trusting that Siren knew what she had been doing. Although she wasn't sure she knew herself, she was grateful for the tiny bit of reassurance he gave. She loved the kid and never wanted to hurt what they had. 

So honestly? It was almost a good thing that Jeff found out, forcing the group to unofficially disband. Who knows how much worse things could have gotten if we let it go on?

With a fond smile, she pocketed the device as Superboy approached the group with Geo-Force and Nightwing. Terra and Forager had come downstairs as well.

"Motherbox has Savage's coordinates," Superboy announced.

Pressing a hand to her temple, Miss Martian set up a link. Feeling all of their presence in a stronger way than physically made Siren feel nostalgic for simpler times.

"Psychic link established," the Martian confirmed. "If Vandal's intel is correct, we'll have the element of surprise. If not, this could be an ambush. Be ready for anything."

Lifting the Motherbox, Superboy aimed for the space in front of them all, allowing a boom tube to appear out of thin air. Miss Martian was the first to rush in, quickly followed by Superboy and Aquaman. It didn't take long for the latter to speak in their minds: "All clear."

By the time the remaining heroes joined them, they had two Parademons knocked out and sprawled along the metal floor of the satellite. Once the tube closed behind them, the light dimmed enough to see clearer.

Terra was covering her nose with her arm. "Mother of goat, what are those things?" she asked. "The stench."

"Parademons," Forager supplied helpfully.

"Don't let them spook you," Superboy told the younger heroes. "Remember your training and they'll fall like any other opponent."

Geo-Force looked at the Boy of Steel. "But Violet, is she here?"

Superboy had been looking around, watching the Motherbox. Facing one corridor, she let out a ping. "Savage was being straight. Motherbox is locked on Violet. She's here, and close."

Thank god. Hope rose in Siren's chest.

Miss Martian had stopped beside him. "That's...odd," she said slowly. "I can't sense her psychically. But I don't have to be psychic to know our boom tube will attract attention, and soon."

She turned to the kids. "Beta Squad, you know the plan. We provide the distraction, you find Violet."

Superboy held out the Motherbox. "Geo-Force, you're leading Beta," he said.

Siren fought to hide a smile. There was just something about couples on the team, former and present, that seemed to prove they worked together well as leaders.

"If you get in real trouble, have Motherbox boom tube you home. And remember-"

Geo-Force cut him off, waving his free hand in the air. "Keep my head, do my homework, and be in bed by ten. Got it."

Noticing Superboy's unamused frown, the prince smiled reassuringly. "Seriously, I'll watch out for them, and we'll bring Violet home. I'm honored you've put your trust in me."

At that, Siren did smile. He wasn't the same person that he was nearly six months prior. She couldn't be prouder.

"Let's go!" Then Beta Squad was gone.

"They grow up so fast," Tigress sighed.

"Alpha," Aquaman called out.

They joined the League's leader where he had moved off to.

"Behind that ship..." He stepped to the side so what he had seen was visible. "The Javelin. Which means we are almost certainly aboard Granny Goodness' asteroid base."

A chill went up Siren's spine.

"The League was staging a raid here today to liberate dozens of kidnapped meta-teens. Sending update to Beta."

"So where is the League?" Siren questioned.

"Not hearin' a battle," Superboy added.

Miss Martian brought her hands to her temple. "I've reached out psychically. Meta-teens, the League, I can't sense any of them here, not even my uncle."

"We know from the Markovs that Granny can potentially use Violet's power to control anyone without a fight," Nightwing reminded.

Tigress sighed. "Then we assume Granny's got 'em. Then we'll just add the Justice League and several dozen meta-teens to the rescue list," she said with a shrug. "No big deal."

Siren crossed her arms. "Then we need to be extra careful. We won't be of much use if we get captured too."

"Company's comin'."

Siren raised her head, looking down the corridor Superboy was watching. Good, I wanted the chance to bash a few heads in.

"Alpha Squad, take positions," Miss Martian ordered and the squad began to split. "Keep base security focused on us, so Beta has a clear shot."

Siren raced toward the stacks of crates in the center of the room since most of the others did too, seeing as they were the closest and easiest place to hide. She jumped, grabbing onto the edge of one crate to pull herself on top for a good vantage point. Please be sturdy enough! Crouching beside a taller stack to keep out of sight, she glanced down at the two squad members who had stopped below her and across from her on the other side.

She frowned as the man below her sagged against the crates, running an arm across his forehead. See this is why you should have been confined to bed.

Nightwing noticed Aquaman's concerned gaze. "I'm fine," he assured.

Aquaman's brow furrowed further as he shared a look with Siren across the way. She gave a small shrug. Too late now, we'll just have to watch his back.

"Alpha, you have incoming!" Terra's voice shot through her thoughts from deep in the base.

Siren took a deep breath. Peeking around the corner of the crate, she saw several Parademons and other people on hoverboards leaving the corridor.

Miss Martian flew up in front of them. "Please surrender. Now," she said, giving them one and only one chance to back down.

The woman in white swung her staff which went through Miss M's density-shifted body as did the rest of her as the momentum kept her moving.

As a couple of Parademons flew past Siren's position, she stood, letting out an ear-splitting screech. They fell, allowing Siren to land on them with her whole body weight to slam their heads into the hard ground.

She spun around, searching the room for Nightwing. At first, she didn't see him, but then her search was interrupted by an explosion that caused one of the entrances to cave in. Fucking hell.

"One entrance sealed." There he was, standing atop the crates. God knows when he got up there. "I'll close another to keep them channeled from one direction."

"Wing, move!" Siren yelped out a warning as she saw a Parademon fly toward him.

He took off into a sprint to jump down, but his reaction was too late and the Parademon fired, causing the crates to blow up with Nightwing having one foot off the ledge.

No, no, no! Siren sprinted toward the rubble, praying to every possible god there was that her friend was okay. Before she could get there, a Parademon dropped in front of her face. She ducked the swing of its staff, grabbing it with one hand to hold it in place until she could lift her foot and kick it out near the Parademon's grip. Once the staff was free, she let out a scream, making it skip like a rock a few feet away.

Scowling, she turned back to where Nightwing had fallen, nearly getting smacked in the face by the end of her braid with how quickly she moved.

Siren's head spun. Wait. She reflexively glanced down at her body.

For a moment of bewilderment and panic, she was afraid that the X-Pit had damaged her more than she thought, causing her to hallucinate in the real world. After all, she hadn't kept her hair braided in years, certainly not since it no longer fell to her waist. And she definitely didn't wear anything in white anymore, yet when she looked down, her chest was clad in a white leotard. Then her vision blurred and things were back to normal.

What? Eyes wide, Siren looked up to find her squadmates. It was strange, seeing each of their appearances change like a mirage and return to normal if she focused hard enough. Superboy, Miss Martian, Aquaman to Aqualad, Tigress to Artemis-

"Dude!"

Siren's breath hitched. Her eyes slid over to where Nightwing had fallen.

"Monkeys must love you 'cause you are bananas if you thought the Wall-man would stay back at the Cave and miss this."

No...please, no. Siren was frozen momentarily until a loud roar entered her ears. Reacting purely on instinct since she couldn't trust her mind, she flipped backward over the Parademon and roundhoused it in the head to send it sprawling.

"M'gann?" she called out warily.

"It's Nightwing," Miss Martian instantly confirmed. "He's having a fever dream, making all of us see it through the link."

Siren squeezed her eyes shut briefly.

It still hurt to see her dead friend. She wished for nothing more than to be able to touch him for real. But she couldn't. And she still had a job to do.

The job was admittedly a bit harder while being forced to hear her dead friend's voice in her head. But she managed, trying to just focus on the task at hand. It helped when even more Parademons started flying in, expected when Superboy provided a heads-up.

She had gotten so focused, trying to do all she could to not think about Kid Flash, that she jumped when Nightwing let out an exclamation. "KF, you're brilliant!"

"Uh, Rob? Why did my souvenir just eject some thingies?"

Siren's steady barrage of screams halted when a remote control laser gun flew overhead.

"To subject some space monsters to a little team-style shock treatment," Nightwing said boastfully from where he had crouched behind a crate and was hard at work on his computer.

Siren shook her head. Boy Wonder, you're a genius.

It was chaotic though. Between those fighting by hand and the lasers flying everywhere, the intensity almost felt reminiscent of the old days. The costume changes only added to it.

Then it was done. Their opponents had fallen, the Javelin's weapons ceased fire, and the fever dream came to an end.

Meaning one member of their little team was gone again.

Siren forced her breathing to slow down. It's over.

"Nightwing hacked the Javelin," Aquaman surmised.

The man in question was panting, running an arm across his sweaty brow. "I hacked the Javelin," he said with a grin that only faded when his friends surrounded him.

"Your fever dream also hacked into old memories...old feelings," Miss Martian said softly, sharing a look with Tigress. "We all experienced it."

Nightwing sighed. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Um, sorry."

Tigress walked over to him, crouching down. "Don't be." She pulled him into a hug from where he sat. "Wally's always fighting at our side...and always will be."

When they broke away and Nightwing looked up at Siren, she sent him a tearful smile.

Their successful fight clearly wasn't going to last long as the Parademons began to stir.

"We have to move," Aquaman said before turning to their sick teammate. "Dick, if you are not one hundred percent in the game-"

Nightwing stood, grinning confidently. "You kidding? I haven't felt this good in years," he said, picking up one of the Parademon's weapons and powering it on. "Let's go ject Granny."

In order to save time, those that couldn't levitate hitched rides on some hoverboards. Siren was worried though. They had no idea what to expect once they reconvened with Beta. And if the League was still aboard the base, it made Siren concerned for the kids.

Miss Martian's update didn't comfort her either. "My link with Beta's been severed," she said as they traveled down the corridor. "For just a moment, I sensed my uncle's touch upon Geo-Force's consciousness. But J'onn's mind was not his own."

"Superman and the other Leaguers?" Superboy wondered.

"Nothing. Nothing on any of them. Not even J'onn now."

Tigress grunted. "No doubt they're all under Granny's control."

"Stay traught," Nightwing reminded. "Just need to level the playing field."

Before Siren could even question how, it seemed her partner had a solution. "Yes. M'gann, the moment we enter, brain blast everyone," Aquaman said. "Render all unconscious, friend and foe alike."

Siren's head whipped around. "You can't be serious."

"That won't work on everyone, especially those under Granny's sway," Superboy reminded. "A puppet doesn't need a mind if someone else is pulling the strings."

"Your psychic strength may be the only way to tip the balance in our favor," Aquaman urged. "You must do to them what you once did to me."

Siren turned away, jaw tightening.

Superboy wasn't a fan of the idea either. "You are not suggesting she brain-fry everyone. Don't you know the effect it has on-"

"Believe me," Aquaman said sharply. "I understand the consequences to our friends, but-"

"But what about the consequences to M'gann?"

Miss Martian finally ended the argument. "Conner, what about the consequences to the universe? If Granny succeeds in using this 'Anti-Life Equation', then billions throughout the galaxy will be enslaved."

She closed her eyes briefly. "I'm prepared to sacrifice my soul to save theirs," she said slowly. "Are you prepared to stop me?"

The rest of the ride was in tense silence, both because of the final words hanging in the air and because of anticipation of what was about to happen to so many people.

When they saw the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel, Miss Martian spoke again. "Be ready."

Siren tried one last time to change her mind. "M'gann-"

But the woman just flew further ahead before coming to a halt in the middle of the room and dropping everyone in the room. Screams were heard all around.

"Please. Hurry," Miss Martian begged as the rest of the squad rushed in.

In the middle of the room was a massive machine that had a ball of what looked like pure Ghost Dimension energy forming.

"There! Target that device!" Aquaman continued.

But as they got closer, the energy suddenly burst out, capturing every being in the room in it.

Siren fell to her knees as she cried out in pain from the fire coursing through her body. No, please, not again!

A powerful, familiar voice then called out an unknown language.

The pain ceased, but Siren couldn't move.

Until another voice spoke up...

"Rise, children, and bear witness. The Age of the Anti-Life Equation is finally upon us! The Age of Darkseid begins!"

...Telling them they had lost.

Chapter Text

Burbank

January 25, 17:16 PST

Banshee's knee bounced anxiously. He had just gotten word from Siren that they had a lead on Violet. He hoped that they would be able to find her. Or he hoped that his team would be able to find her if they couldn't.

"Luck? That's all you're gonna say?"

Banshee turned to Vic. He was looking back at Beast Boy who was finishing up a text.

The Outsiders' leader frowned. "How did you-" Then he realized who he was talking to. "Oh. Never mind."

He pocketed his phone, turning to the rest of his squad. "Miss Martian and the team are following their lead, we'll follow ours."

"And what is our lead? Why are we here exactly?" Kid Flash questioned from the front of the Bio-Ship. Everyone else who could make it was taking up the rest of the space, making for a packed ship.

"Didn't the team search Granny's studio already?" he added, looking out at the set of buildings below.

Banshee's frown deepened as he looked too. Since he was no longer a part of the team, it sucked that he wasn't able to help with the initial searches. Even more so, it pissed him off that his friends and former teammates had inadvertently received backlash since Granny had gone on the air to voice how upset she was that metas were raiding her places 'after all she had done for them.'

Hearing that made him want to barf. Or land a solid punch to good ol' Granny's face after what she did to Siren and Nightwing.

Rather than explain himself, Beast Boy turned to their newest friend. "Vic?"

Vic sighed. "Okay, for a while now, I've been struggling to figure out the full extent of my cyber-abilities..." he began. "It all started when I intercepted a text from Violet to Brion."

"You hacked his phone?" Wonder Girl said incredulously.

"Uh, no. The cybernetic part of my brain just intercepted the text," Vic corrected. "Things like that would happen at random. I- I couldn't control it. And back then"–he scoffed–"I didn't want to. But after my recent Mobius-Tech infusion, I kinda got a handle on this...'gift'.

"I can reach out with my mind to anything on the web or the cloud or, well, anything electronic, really," he revealed. "That's how I sensed Motherbox was in danger at Granny's house. So ever since Tara told us Granny took Violet, I've been searching any and everything related to Gretchen Goode, Granny Goodness, or Goode World Studios."

Blue Beetle spoke up. "How's that different from what Oracle's been doing?" he asked, his arms crossed in contemplation.

"It's not...and it is?"

Banshee raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate."

"Oracle travels the information superhighway; I...become the highway itself," Vic said as if that made everything suddenly make sense.

"Okay, Mister Highway," El Dorado drawled, "what did you find out?"

Vic's brow furrowed. "Uh, let me see if I can show you."

He hesitated for a split second before he opened his palm and a projection appeared in front of him. Oh.

"Oh-kay...since when can you do that?" Wonder Girl asked skeptically.

Vic sighed. "First time," he said, before speaking in a mutter, "Doing a lot of stuff for the first time these days. Anyway, I jacked into the studio's proprietary network, and found this."

From the satellite image of Granny's studio buildings, a smaller screen popped up with a new camera angle. "Building Sixteen, a storage facility for props and costumes with no network connectivity at all."

Blue interrupted Vic with a short laugh. "Gee, that's not suspicious," he said, sarcasm clear as day.

"Right?" Vic scoffed. "So I checked again and found a clear Apokoliptan signature, which I could sense, 'cause apparently, that's a thing I can do now."

"Talk about convenient," Banshee mumbled.

"Didn't the team already search that building?" El Dorado pointed out.

Beast Boy looked over at him. "They must have missed something."

"If there's even a one percent chance Violet's there, we have to go in," Wonder Girl decided.

"Yeah, but we go in smart."

El Dorado's eyebrows raised. "And two men short? What about Static and Geo-Force?"

Beast Boy winced. "Didn't want to get Brion's hopes up," he explained. "And Virgil texted he's still with Jeff. So, it's just us."

"That's fine," Banshee shrugged off, sliding his mask on. "We've done with much less before."

Vic did a quick scan with his newfound ability. "No heat signatures in the building, so no people," he reported. "It's safe to go."

Then he caught himself. "Or, you know..." He made air quotes. "'Safe.'"

All they had to do was get inside. Pretty damn easy when they had someone who could create boom tubes without blinking.

Even though Vic confirmed that there was no one inside the building, Banshee was still tense when he stepped out of the boom tube. His shoulders relaxed, even just slightly, when a quick scan of the area proved that they were in the clear...so far.

"Man, this is nuts," he could hear Vic mutter behind him as the tube closed. Right, new guy. He's not used to this mess.

Beast Boy was sensing the guy's nervousness too. "Dude, you got us in. You can wait on the Bio-Ship," he coaxed. "You don't have to come along."

Even though Vic still looked stressed, he also looked determined. "Yeah, well, thanks, but Violet's saved my butt so many times, I gotta do this for her," he said.

Kid Flash grinned widely. "Time for a little recon," he declared, then he was off as he made a noise that mimicked a laser blast.

In barely half a second, the noise closed in on the group as he returned. With a...souvenir. "Look, look, I'm a Klamulon!" he cried out, showing off the prop head on his head.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Wonder Girl hissed.

"Besides trying to tick me off?" Beast Boy added dryly.

"Come on!" Kid whined, pulling the head off. "The Klamulons are classic! They have heads shaped like clams!"

Banshee rolled his eyes. "That's the whole point, dumbass."

Blue elbowed him. "Not a cheesy aesthetic choice at all," the armored hero said, teasing his boyfriend for his love of the show. Banshee just scowled, ignoring the fact that it wouldn't be visible.

Kid scoffed. "You guys have no taste. Anyway..." He tossed the prop over his head, not even checking to see where it would land. "I checked the whole place."

Something shattered when the prop made an impact with it.

"Twice," he added. "Nothing unusual."

Vic wasn't convinced. "Something definitely feels weird here," he said.

It seemed that a lot of what he was learning to do was purely instinctual. Otherwise, it didn't make much sense for him to know to raise his hand to scan the room. Or that when he did, some kind of illusion would start to drop.

"Almost, almost...there!"

The illusion was wiped away completely, revealing a weird green haze and an even weirder machine.

"Whoa," Wonder Girl gasped.

Banshee took a tentative step closer. "I second that."

"So," Kid said slowly. "A big sci-fi machine, making a loud, nefarious-"

He waved his arms around, mimicking the deep droning noise with his mouth. Banshee's eye twitched.

His speedster friend dropped the annoying sound, tapping his chin. "I'm guessing it's Klamulon-tech!" he surmised.

I'm going to kill him. 

"Not compatible," Blue sighed beside Banshee. "Why do I have the sinking feeling I'll be hearing that a lot tonight?"

Banshee sent him a deadpan look. "The more Scarab uses that phrase, the more I question how useful he actually is," he said dryly.

Blue rolled his eyes, but not at Banshee. "He didn't like that," he relayed.

"Shocker. So how are we gonna know what to do with this thing?"

Vic put his hand against the machine. "Give me a second," he said. "I can figure it out. I speak its language."

"You speak-" Kid made the droning noise again.

Before Banshee could snap at him, the floor gave way.

There was pain. So much pain. Every nerve in Banshee's body had lit on fire as a scream was ripped from his throat.

No, no, no! He couldn't think, he could barely breathe. The only thing he was still aware of was the sound of his teammate's screams. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move a single muscle to try and help.

Too much. It's too much! It all felt so wrong. Siren had briefly mentioned what it was like in the X-Pit, but she was a meta. She had a gene that could protect her. But I don't. And neither does Jaime.

Banshee forced his eyelids to crack open at the thought of his boyfriend. Directly in front of him, Blue–minus his armor since it seemed Scarab had retreated–was suffering just as badly. He wanted more than anything to reach out, to grab Jaime, to help somehow. But he couldn't.

Through the delirious agony blurring his vision, Banshee could see El Dorado appear by Jaime's side and disappear with his teammate. Only to reappear a few more feet away since it looked like El Dorado was struggling to get his bearings.

What if we're stuck down here? No one knows where we are. Jen and her squad are God knows where and wouldn't be able to come to find us or know how to get us out. We're screwed.

Banshee's eyes squeezed shut as he endured the fire coursing through him. He desperately wished there was something that could be done. All of his friends were trapped and it killed him that there was nothing he could do. He just wished he could help.

Wonder Girl, Jaime, El Dorado, and Kid. All of them were writhing as they endured the X-PIt's torture. Vic wasn't reacting at all, seeming to have been paralyzed. And Beast Boy was dealing with his own fight since Granny had come down and was punishing him in her own way.

Banshee couldn't even open his eyes. Something in his mind was screaming at him but it all hurt too much to listen.

Then the pain dissipated.

Banshee collapsed to the ground, gasping as he had relief for a single moment before everything slammed into him with full force.

Too much. It's too much. He could barely breathe as his senses were suddenly overwhelmed in a different way. A brand new way.

It felt like every movement around him was sending electric shocks up his spine. Every footstep was being pressed into his brain. He brought his hands up to his head without even realizing it, letting out a whimper as it felt like he couldn't figure out where he ended and everything around him began.

"Ban?"

The whisper might as well have been a shout directly slamming into the space behind Banshee's eyes. He let out an incoherent mumble, managing to shake his head. What he was saying no to, he didn't even know.

He didn't realize he was curled up on his side until a hand that felt like it was branding his skin grasped his shoulder and gently turned him over onto his back. Banshee's eyelashes fluttered as he struggled to open his eyes, only catching a glimpse of the very panicked look on his boyfriend's face.

A wheeze escaped Banshee's mouth as he tried to speak, but that was enough to knock him out completely. And he was grateful for the relief that unconsciousness gave.

~/~/~/~

They had lost.

But...maybe not.

The constant fog in Siren's mind began to clear as her muscles slowly began to work for her will and not someone else's. She brought a hand up to her head, letting out a groan as she seemed to wake up from whatever weird sort of sleep she was under.

What...what happened?

She lifted her head, searching the room. Memory of what took place returned to her when she laid eyes on her various surroundings.

We went looking for Violet. Granny subjected us to the X-Pit torture, but then Vi protected us all from it against her own will. So how did she stop?

Siren looked up to the balcony above, finding a very familiar girl hovering in the air. ...And with a rainbow aura surrounding her. Deciding to worry about one thing at a time, Siren let out a sigh, just happy to see Violet was okay and of sound mind.

So was Geo-Force. "Violet!" he cried out, regaining consciousness himself.

Violet matched his relief. "Brion!"

The red cube she was beside had dissipated, catching Siren's attention as she split her attention to check on her two non-meta friends. Nightwing seemed to be okay, thank god. And Tigress was alright too. They were weak, but not under the Ghost Dimension sickness thanks to Violet.

"You naughty child!" Siren glared up at Granny Goodness as she began to rant. "You've ruined everything!"

She pounced, so laser-focused on punishing Violet that she easily avoided Vic's attack. "Violet, look out!" he warned.

Violet refocused on the matter at hand. dodging Granny's swing. And once the woman was back on the ground, Violet threw a bubble around her to cage her in, much to the woman's dismay.

Granny Goodness began to beat on the bubble, raging. "No! No! No! No! No!"

At least that's one less thing to worry about. Except their job wasn't done yet.

It seemed Violet had the same train of thought. "Help me destroy this!" she called out to everyone below before beginning to fire at the device in the center of the room with Vic.

Siren was more than happy to help. With her screams joining just about every single long-range attack any hero of the League could do, it was wreaking havoc on the machine.

"It's working! Keep pouring it on!" she could hear Superman call out in encouragement amidst the chaos.

Their barrage of attacks certainly seemed to be doing something as the machine began to crumble, the technology within starting to heat up.

"Uh, we may be doing too good a job!" Vic warned. "It's gonna blow!"

Siren cut off her scream just as three distinct, green, glowing streaks shot toward the machine and formed a cube around it seconds before the explosion.

"Admit it, you'd all be chipped beef on toast without ol' Guy," the Green Lantern called out, his weight being supported by Wonder Woman just as the other two were being held up by Icon and Martian Manhunter.

Then they dropped the shield and the rest of the explosion escaped. It was still enough to make the room tremble as the machine collapsed to the ground. Siren flinched back at the tremors, stepping into the side of the man beside her as his hand came up to her waist. Then the shaking ceased. It's finally over.

She returned to her non-meta-friends' sides, mainly paying attention to Nightwing since he was still sick from their initial experience in the X-Pit. He let her worry over him, but there wasn't much to worry about it seemed since his fever had appeared to be broken.

"Insolent girl!"

Siren looked up in time to see Granny fire at Violet, effectively breaking her shield. Violet tumbled back in the air, but once she was upright again, she sent a concentrated beam of energy at the evil woman, putting enough force into it to send Granny sliding against the floor.

Before Granny could regain her wits and reach for her weapon, Violet dropped down on top of it and in front of her. "Life and free will have triumphed over Anti-Life," she hissed, radiating more confidence than Siren had seen from her. "Remember, I know how to destroy the Ghost Dimension, so there's no point in rebuilding your device."

Siren couldn't hold back her smile. That's my girl.

By that point, a few members of the League and team had surrounded them.

"Oh, and one other thing," Superboy piped up, "if you're wondering how we found you, you can thank Vandal Savage. He sent us and wanted you to know."

Granny let out a guttural cry of rage, thrusting her hand out. But rather than it being an attack of some sort, she had a Fatherbox in her hand, allowing her to escape before anyone could stop her.

Of course. Siren's brow furrowed. She wasn't surprised that the villain managed to escape, but there was nothing they could do to change the outcome. She just hoped that the outcome wouldn't return to bite them.

"Violet!"

"Brion!"

With a fond smile, Siren turned away. I can hug Vi later...for now, she's pretty distracted.

Since the crisis was averted, the League members stationed in space regrouped to work on rescuing the meta-teens they were originally trying to liberate. That just left Alpha and Beta Squad, meaning it was time to go back home since their mission was complete too.

But...there was something Siren wanted to do first.

When she caught a glimpse of Wonder Woman moving past her, she quickly reached out to grab the Justice League's co-chair's attention.

"I know that now isn't the best time to chat," she began, "but there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about. Got a few seconds?"

Wonder Woman glanced around to ensure she wasn't immediately needed. At her full attention and question of 'what is it?', Siren took in a nervous breath, opening her mouth to start.

~/~/~/~

Despite how much stress and chaos came from within the Premiere Building's walls in the past few weeks, Siren couldn't be happier to be back and with everyone she cared about in tow.

The penthouse wasn't empty like it was before they left, instead several of the Outsiders were standing around, watching everyone leave the two boom tubes in surprise and elation.

"Vic! Violet! I knew you'd make it!" Beast Boy cheered, sporting a hefty black eye.

Vic let out a chuckle. "Good to be back," he answered.

"Indeed, it is," Violet agreed.

Then Miss Martian piped up. "There's more good news. The League will soon return to Earth with hundreds of rescued meta-teens."

El Dorado's smile was wide. "Wow. The Taos Youth Center's going to need more beds. Maybe more buildings," he realized.

Beast Boy had a glare though. "And Granny?"

"She...got away," Superboy admitted. "But we've shut down her operation in space."

"Plus, I got proof Gretchen Goode and Granny Goodness are one-in-the-same," Vic piped up, showing exactly that in a projection from his palm. Of the two people merging back into one being.

"Dude! You MVP'd this puppy!" Beast Boy cried out.

"Nah, man." Vic glanced over at Violet. "Violet's the All-Star. She rescued everyone from the Anti-Life Equation."

"Which would not have happened without your intervention, Victor," Violet pointed out. "I agree with Garfield. You are the crusher of magic today."

"All in favor of Vic joining the Outsiders?"

At Beast Boy's question, everyone on the team unanimously called out. "Aye!"

"And if Static and Ban were here, I know they'd vote aye, too!" Wonder Girl added.

Siren's brow furrowed in confusion, glancing around the room.

"Whoa, whoa," Superboy spoke up. "How 'bout asking whether that's something Vic wants?"

Everyone fell silent, laying eyes on the guy in question.

"Uh..."

Miss M quickly gave her own suggestion. "If being a public hero is a concern, you're also welcome to join the team."

"But doing something heroic today does not obligate you to join the team or the Outsiders," Superboy pointed out.

"It's your choice," Siren softly added. "Always."

Vic looked away in thought. He met Forager's gaze and the bug just shrugged.

After some silence, Vic began to talk. "You know, when I played football, I was never afraid of the spotlight," he said with a light chuckle. "Man, I sought it out. But this? This is in service of a better cause."

He raised his head, meeting everyone's curious gaze in front of him. "So, I guess...I guess I'm an Outsider."

The teenagers in the room let out cheers. The adults looked on with proud smiles.

Geo-Force piped up. "Now you'll need a cryptonym, a, uh, nom de guerre."

Siren rolled her eyes, sharing an amused grin with Nightwing and Tigress.

Vic was beyond confused. "You, uh, a what now?"

"Your code name," the prince supplied. "Any ideas? I believe 'Hot Lava' is still available."

Over my dead body. Still, Siren let out a small snicker at Vic's expression. "Uh, why would I-"

Violet cut him off with a giggle. "That's what is called an inside joke," she said. "Choose whatever code name suits you."

Vic let out a hum. "For too long, I've been running from what I am. Who I am," he admitted, looking down at himself. "It's time I embraced all my freakishness."

He looked up with a hint of a smile. "I am Cyborg."

"Catchy," Tigress muttered, nudging her best friend's side.

"And fitting," Siren added.

Beast Boy approached Cyborg, raising a fist. "Welcome to the Outsiders, Cyborg," he said amid everyone's cheers and laughter.

Cyborg touched Beast Boy's fist with his own. "Booyah."

It had been a good day. Except it wasn't over and Siren felt troubled.

"Uh, Jaime, where is Sam by the way?" she asked. "I figured he would have stuck around."

Blue Beetle approached her, a new look of worry all over his face. "About that...you might want to come into the medbay."

Siren's eyes widened. Fearing the worst, she hurried after the young hero.

Banshee was laying on one of the beds, eyes squeezed shut and muscles all in his body tense. Sweat dripped down his brow and his chest heaved with every breath.

"Sam?" Siren prodded, taking a step further into the room.

As soon as she did, Banshee flinched, letting out a hiss of pain. "H- hey," he managed to get out.

"Kiddo, what's going on?" Siren asked, coming to a stop by his side. "Can I touch you?" Her hand hovered over his forearm.

Gritting his teeth, Banshee slowly nodded after some hesitation. So Siren let her hand settle against his skin. His arm instantly went taut, concerning her even further. "Talk to me, Sam," she urged.

Banshee let out a wheezing laugh. "It, uh, it might sound crazy," he started. "When we went to check out our lead...Granny was there and she dropped us into the X-Pit."

Fear shot through Siren like a bullet. "What?"

"Don't worry, it wasn't for long...but I guess it was long enough."

Siren searched his face. It had relaxed a little but still looked strained as his brow furrowed in concentration. "Long enough for what?" she asked in a soft tone.

Banshee's eyes cracked open ever so slightly, enough to make eye contact with his mentor. His next words made the color in her face drain away. 

"Enough to activate my meta-gene," he whispered.

Chapter Text

Star City

February 15, 7:00 PST

"I'm guessing that you've had a busy month."

Jenna gave a wry grin as she settled back into the plush cushions behind her. "How'd you figure?" she asked. "Was it because it's been over a month since we've last done one of these sessions?"

The man sitting across from her smiled in return. "Something like that," he said simply. "Why don't you give me a rundown of the important parts?"

Firstly, there was the thing with Sam.

The kid was an actual meta-human.

Looking back on it, it was almost ridiculous how that little fact had managed to stay a secret for so long. So many situations happened where that could have been discovered and yet it still managed to slip under their radar.

He called it a 'messed up version of echolocation'. It was like his sense of awareness had been cranked up to a thousand, giving him a mental map of everything around him to know exactly who or what was around him before anyone else did. The size of said things depended on how clear they were in his mind, but he was getting the hang of it.

It sucked for the first few days. It was all so new and unexpected that even the slightest shift in someone's stance nearby would nearly make him keel over. Then the next few weeks involved a lot of effort to learn to separate his usual sense of feeling from the amplified version. It was necessary if he was ever going to get it under control; the last thing he wanted was to be stuck like that, only able to see through vibrations essentially. 

Jenna had drug him out of the Premiere Building's medbay, grappling with the fact that she essentially had to re-teach control to her protégé. Something she had to learn herself at a young age.

Her own powers had woken when she was just seven years old. She had gone to the mall with her family and, due to it being so crowded, she got lost. Her fear was already overwhelming her, but it was someone grabbing her by the arm that set it off. She had let out a scream, but what came out was no ordinary cry from a child.

Amid the chaos and confusion of 'why is that little girl screaming so loudly' and 'how did those store windows suddenly shatter', Jenna's mom found her and immediately grabbed her and her sister, rushing all of them home. Then the following days consisted of teaching Jenna how to handle her newfound Canary Cry–the exact same that her mom and sister had.

Which is what Jenna had been doing with Sam almost twenty years later. Easier said than done when it was nothing she had dealt with before, but the only way to get better was to force him to work on that control. They found that meditation helped. Forcing oneself to let everything go and then pick and choose what to allow back in. 

It was helping, little by little, and so was learning to hone that ability when one couldn't rely on vision. He had also joked that wearing a blindfold so many times was going to improve his hearing too.

"What else?"

Then there was the situation with Artemis that took place just the night before.

~8~8~8~

Jenna had received a phone call from Zatanna in the evening. Her friend asked her to meet her, M'gann, and Raquel immediately. Because there was an issue involving Artemis.

She wanted to see Wally.

She had hopes that their magic friend would be capable of...finding her a solution. So she could see her boyfriend again and get some kind of closure.

Clearly, Artemis only wanted Zatanna. But Jenna was thankful that the woman had the sense to give the other three a heads-up behind Artemis' back.

So when Artemis arrived at the location they agreed upon–that being the park where Zatanna had her annual meeting with her father several months ago–she was surprised and a bit annoyed to see Zatanna wasn't alone.

"Thanks for coming, but, um, I only asked to see Zatanna."

Jenna placed her hands on her hips. "I'm gonna try not to find offense in that," she said dryly, upset her best friend didn't bother to call her too.

Artemis mildly glared at the three women. "Don't any of you have Valentine's plans?" she questioned.

M'gann looked away.

Jenna refrained from rolling her eyes. As if I would skip this if I had.

"Sure, but you know we'd do anything to help you," Raquel answered.

Artemis let out a frustrated sigh. "You three can't help me. Only she can," she pointed out, grabbing Zatanna's hand and pulling her closer. "Why did you bring them? They're not part of this."

Jenna tried to ignore the ache in her chest.

"They're not here for this part," Zatanna waved off. "They're here for the aftermath...assuming we do this at all."

"Assuming?!" Artemis snapped.

"I've told you there are limits to my magic. I can't raise the dead."

Raquel's eyebrows raised as she clearly didn't know what Artemis wanted to do. "Raise the dead?" she echoed.

Zatanna kept talking. "If we do this, it'll leave you devastated all over again," she told Artemis, who had looked away. "I am asking...I am begging you to reconsider."

Artemis glared up at her through her eyelashes. "You say you can't raise the dead. But the three of us saw Secret rise from her grave," she said, gesturing at Jenna. "We know the soul exists."

She stepped even closer to Zatanna, grabbing her friend's hand. "And you know I never had the chance to say goodbye," she added, her voice starting to tremble with emotion. "I never had closure."

"Artemis," Jenna said gently. "Do you really think you're the only one?"

Artemis looked at her over Zatanna's shoulder. "That's not the same. You have no reason to feel the way I do!"

Jenna's spine straightened as a flash of hurt went across her face. "I have no reason?" she questioned. "I'm not trying to diminish just how much he meant to you. But you seem to forget how long he and I were friends. How I ended things right before his death. So don't tell me that I have no reason."

To control the heightened emotions of the two best friends, Zatanna took Artemis' chin in her hand to refocus her. "Artemis, I love you, but this is something you need to work through, like anyone who's suffered a loss-"

"No!" Artemis pulled away entirely, jabbing a finger at Zatanna as her voice rose in anger. "I need your magic! I will do anything! If you won't help me, I will make a deal with...Wotan or somebody, I swear it!"

Jenna closed her eyes briefly, refusing to look at her when she was like this.

Finally, Zatanna sighed. "I can't bring a dead soul to Earth," she said slowly. "The best I can do is help you meet him halfway."

Artemis' relief was palpable as she threw her arms around the magician. "Thank you."

"D- don't thank me. Just try not to hate me when this is over." Zatanna gently pushed Artemis away. "I'll be sending your soul to Limbo. Nothing there is real. Your imagination creates everything you see.

"It'll be very seductive. Easy to get lost, to want to stay..." she continued. "And if you don't emerge by sunrise, your soul will be trapped there. Forever."

Artemis nodded. "I understand."

"Do you? 'Cause I sure don't-"

Artemis cut Raquel off with a bite in her tone. "I do. And I take full responsibility," she said. "Now, let's get to it."

Zatanna glanced back at the others. "Please, step back," she requested.

Jenna did as asked, sending one last pained glance at her best friend, but Artemis wasn't looking in her direction.

Maybe it was a good thing. Because Jenna might have felt too guilty, knowing that what Artemis was about to experience wasn't going to be real.

Because Zatanna was telling the truth. She didn't have the power to bring Wally's soul back. But she, and Jenna, knew that if she didn't get closure in some form, Artemis would never be able to move on. So with a little help from M'gann, Artemis was going to get what she asked for.

Her mind would become a little playground. Whatever she saw in there was entirely made up by her subconscious. It gave her the chance to work things out for herself.

Which she did.

When she 'came back' to her friends, Jenna was the first to launch herself into Artemis' arms at the sight of the joyful tears streaming down her face. Her best friend's returning hug was just as suffocating, silently conveying an apology. In Jenna's mind, she was apologizing too, but for very different reasons.

~8~8~8~

I know that it probably wasn't the best decision on our part. Maybe we'll tell her one day when it feels like she's fully moved on.

Jenna couldn't say that the glance from her therapist didn't irk her. No one else knew besides the women and she intended to keep it that way, even in a confidential setting. Maybe it was just paranoia, but if Rick suspected anything about the way Jenna made it seem what they did worked, he didn't say.

If Dinah trusted him enough to recommend him, I trust him. It helps to have someone to confide in about 'the life' that doesn't hold any biases. But some things should stay a secret.

So instead, she told about the other events that took place. Namely how she finally forgave Dick and Kaldur.

Rick's expression softened. "This is going to sound a bit cliché, but...how do you feel?"

Jenna mulled the question over. "At peace, I think," she admitted. "Not just about my relationships with the two of them, but also with Wally. Like...even though I still miss him, I can start moving on. 'Some things are beyond my control and sometimes I just have to learn to accept them', right?"

At that, Rick smiled. "Right."

He looked down at the notepad he was using. "So, let's move in another direction," he continued. "...Do you have any plans for the future? In your civilian life or your...other life?"

Jenna bit the inside of her cheek. "Maybe. They're still up in the air, but I've been trying to have some conversations, finalize my ideas, and so on."

"Is anything happening immediately?"

Jenna took in a deep breath. "Yeah. Tonight actually."

And actually, they needed to wrap up the session soon because she had things to do.

~/~/~/~

The time to fight back had arrived. They had no choice to do anything but, since Baron Bedlam himself escaped from prison and staged a coup while King Gregor was out of the country to reunite with his siblings quietly. And since Lex Luthor once again had the Justice League sidelined, they had to have a backup. Which they did.

There were three squads cued up and ready to go. Alpha–consisting of Geo-Force, Terra, Beast Boy, and Cyborg–was going to take the fight straight to Baron Bedlamb. Beta–consisting of the remaining members of Nightwing and Siren's team minus Black Lightning–was going straight to the palace to provide Alpha some backup. Then finally, Gamma–consisting of the remaining members of the team and the Outsiders–had their own mission to prevent the murder of anyone still loyal to King Gregor.

It was going to be a busy night. As long as all went as planned, the Markovia mission was going to end. Soon.

Siren stared into the empty space where the boom tube was about to open before turning to her squadmates. "Remember the plan. We just need to flush Bedlam right into Alpha's open arms where we can subdue him and get him off the throne. Got it?"

At the nods, Siren turned to the girl at her side. "Halo?"

With a sharp explosion, the tube opened and one by one, each hero raced through. Waiting on the other side was a very startled and angry Frederick DeLamb. He had one hand on his sword and a scowl on his face which only deepened when he saw who was daring to...show up unannounced.

"You," he growled.

"Yeah. Me," Superboy answered, slamming his fist against his palm threateningly before rushing after the fleeing man.

They all followed, reaching the base of the stairs before each of them was suddenly hit with a massive wave of nausea. Or vertigo to be more precise.

Siren quietly groaned. They suspected Count Vertigo was going to be around. They also knew their goal wasn't to take down Baron Bedlam first, prepared for any hindrance they might have to flush the man out to where Alpha was waiting. But that doesn't mean this headache isn't a pain in the ass!

The seconds ticked by. "Gamma to Beta." Perfect timing, M'gann. "We've rescued the hostages and taken down Doctor Ecks. How's it going at the palace?"

"Just a...second!" Nightwing called out, his voice strained from exertion.

He managed to get one of his escrima sticks out of the holster on his back, flinging it straight at the man causing them misery. It reached its target, knocking out Vertigo entirely.

"Jected! Beta to Gamma, Vertigo's down. Sending Tigress, Siren, and Halo to Alpha."

The three women instantly moved up the steps. "On our way!" Tigress called out as they raced past the unconscious count.

When they moved through the hall, Siren made a swift turn to a broken window. "Time for a detour!" She leaped out of the gap, dropping down onto the grass below.

When she raised her head to see what was happening, she let out a gasp.

Baron Bedlam was encased in igneous rock.

Geo-Force was in front of him, arms covered with magma.

And Terra had a massive boulder hovering over Beast Boy's head while he cradled his wounded arm.

No...

Tigress pushed past Siren. "Tara, listen," she said, panting from the run and from the anxiety of the situation. "You don't have to do what Deathstroke says."

"Deathstroke?"

Terra ignored Beast Boy's outburst, eyes widened in fear only focused on Tigress. "How long have you known?" she asked, arms still outstretched in preparation to end Beast Boy's life.

"Known? Known what?" Geo-Force questioned. He was no longer focused on his uncle. The revelation was enough to distract him.

"Since before we found you," Tigress continued. "Batman had surveillance on Slade, and could tell from his micro-expressions that he was lying when he said you'd washed out of the League of Shadows."

Terra's entire body was rigid. "You knew I was still a Shadow?" she asked, eyeing both Tigress and Siren as the other woman joined her friend's side. "Why didn't you-"

"Busting you upfront would've taken the decision out of your hands," Tigress said, "which is exactly what the bad guys have done to you from the moment you were abducted."

After a moment, Terra looked away. Siren was holding her breath as she watched. Whatever he's telling you, trying to convince you of...it isn't worth it, Tara.

Finally, the girl spoke. "I have been betrayed so many times," she admitted, clearly speaking to the man in her ear. "But these people risked their lives to save me, treated me with kindness and respect...made me part of their family."

Tigress took a few more tentative steps forward. "We wanted to show you there is a better way. You can be forgiven, Tara. The choice is yours."

Everyone was deathly still as they watched and waited to see what her decision would be.

Then Terra threw the boulder away before yanking the comm out of her ear and tossing it to the ground.

Siren's heart softened when Terra lunged into Tigress' embrace.

She then met Cyborg's eye from where he stood past Terra. He gave a silent nod, proving another part of the mission was done; one Oracle had on her own. She would ask about it later.

When Tigress and Terra split, the former replacing her mask, Geo-Force took the chance to storm forward. "Tara...how could you?" he hissed.

The prince looked around at the others. "Why didn't anyone tell me this?!" he cried out.

Siren's eyes narrowed. Because they were afraid he was going to react exactly like he was. And it seemed they had good reason to. Besides, it was Terra's place to tell, not ours. It just happened that things got a bit too dicey to wait.

"Here he is!"

Siren's annoyed expression turned to a man coming up the steps into the courtyard. "Here's our prince!" he cried out to whoever was below.

Geo-Force was surprised. "Ambassador Baazovi?"

"Prince Brion!" The man's eyes widened as he looked past the prince. "Is that...the princess? And who are these others?"

It seemed they just couldn't catch a break since, at that exact moment, Bedlam broke free from his makeshift prison and attempted his escape.

"My Prince, you cannot let that war criminal escape!" the ambassador warned.

Geo-Force thought fast, slamming one foot into the ground to send a stream of lava past Bedlam to cut him off. The wave of lava splashed up into his stone-covered face and the motion of the burning liquid dragged the man back into a similar cage he was in before.

"Siren to Nightwing," the woman called into her comms. "We need you to hurry. Baron Bedlam is proving to be a problem in keeping him subdued so we really need SB's help."

"Almost there!"

Her hand fell as she turned back to the issue at hand. Geo-Force was approaching his uncle, ready to keep him contained if he tried to fight again.

"It is over, Baron," he said cooly.

Bedlam sneered. "It will never be over, Princeling! Not as long as I draw breath."

Maybe if Siren had been able to see the look on Geo-Force's face, she would have been more prepared. Maybe she would have been able to subdue the prince herself before anything else could happen.

"Uncle...I believe you."

Siren's gaze zeroed in on Geo-Force's magma-covered arm as it began to rise. When it thrust forward, she realized what was about to happen. "Geo-Force, no!" she cried out.

It was too late.

The prince grabbed the baron's face, completely covering his nose and mouth as Bedlam let out a scream. The lava began to suffocate the man, scorching his insides until it reached its limit and began to pour back out of his eyes and ears. Bedlam choked and gurgled until he fell entirely silent. The lava began to quiet too as it hardened around his face.

Siren was frozen in horror, unable to tear her eyes away from the gruesome sight before her.

No one knew what to say.

No one knew what to do.

Then, the ambassador tentatively asked, "Is...is he dead?"

"Yes," Geo-Force growled.

Siren felt like she was about to throw up.

The ambassador turned back to those who were standing at the bottom of the steps, calling out something in Markovian, but Siren was too shocked to even bother looking at her translator. Not that it would have mattered since the cheers and chanting of Geo-Force's name from the crowd below told her all she needed to know.

It was also too late for Nightwing, Forager, and Superboy's arrival.

"What...happened?" Nightwing asked quietly, eyes trained on the dead man in front of them.

"Oh, Brion," Superboy sighed.

After reveling in the cheers from his people, Geo-Force finally turned around with a smile. Only for it to fall when he saw the looks on everyone's faces. One girl in particular.

"I had to do it," Geo-Force defended himself, even as Halo backed even further away. "Don't you see?"

"You crossed a line we don't cross," Superboy said calmly.

"You murdered that man," Nightwing pointed out.

"I executed a criminal-"

"That wasn't your call to make!"

Geo-Force ignored Siren's icy tone. "-while you hypocrites allowed a murderer to walk free among us!"

Terra flinched, making Siren's protectiveness flare.

"She was a vulnerable child!" Tigress snapped. "Brainwashed, Stockholm-Syndromed-"

Terra turned to her. "No. There was no control chip on my neck when I killed Marlo," she said, sighing. "I had a choice; I made the wrong one."

She walked over to her brother, all while the crowd still chanted his name. Whether his satisfied smile was from the background noise or Terra seemingly taking his side, who knew? Either way, it made Siren's blood boil.

Until she slowly raised her head. "We both must turn ourselves in," she said with finality.

Geo-Force let out a gasp, recoiling. "To whom?" he questioned. "Do you not hear the crowd?"

He gestured back at them. "They know what I did was just. And so should you!" he snapped before his expression softened again. "Tara, I dedicated my life to rescuing you, but you lied to me and nearly betrayed us all. You are an assassin! I am a hero."

"Heroes don't do what you did," Superboy spoke up, reminding him of what they thought the prince always understood. What they never thought had to be so plainly written out.

"The people would disagree," the Markovian ambassador said simply, approaching until he was leaning over Geo-Force's shoulder to get him to listen. "Would you condemn a soldier in war? No, you'd call him varonis, a hero. And I'd call this hero karalis. A king."

"King?" Terra spluttered. "But Gregor..."

"Kings make hard decisions for the sake of their people," the ambassador explained to Geo-Force. "You know I supported Gregor, but Gregor isn't strong enough for these times. Only you have the strength to rule Markovia. With the full support of the military."

Then the man turned away to address the crowd again, this time in English. "Prince Brion brought down the tyrant DeLamb, who staged a coup after escaping prison...after murdering our king and queen!"

Someone started up a new chant, repeating the words the ambassador had used. The chill that had gone through Siren's body at the sight of Bedlam's murder didn't ease one bit.

The ambassador turned back to Geo-Force, speaking into his ear again, but with the crowd's chanting, Siren couldn't pick up what he was saying.

But it couldn't have been anything good as Geo-Force walked to the end of the steps, facing the crowd with his head held high. With a wave of his hand, the crowd settled down.

"My brother is a man of great patience," Geo-Force began. "But that is not what our country needs."

Terra stepped forward. "Brion, you cannot betray Gregor!' she cried out.

Geo-Force's glare was something new. Nothing Siren had seen on his face before. "Unlike you, I betray no one," he declared. "Gregor's sixteen minutes is no justification for his rule. I've always known the crown should be mine."

The cold feeling in Siren settled at the bottom of her stomach. Brion...what are you doing?

The prince raised his voice to be heard by the crowd and likely by the cameraman nearby to pick up. "Markovia needs a King who is a hero," he said firmly. "Sister, I will forgive your crimes. If you support my rule."

She hung her head when he reached out a hand. "No, brother. That I cannot do," she answered.

Geo-Force's brow furrowed. "Fine." But then he turned to the rest of the group, making Siren subconsciously curl her hand into a fist as she anticipated his next words.

"Halo! Join me. Rule beside me as my queen."

At that title, Halo jolted, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth.

Geo-Force's eyes were begging. "Violet, please. I need you now," he said gently.

Halo couldn't handle it anymore. She whirled around, burying her face into Siren's chest as her shoulders heaved with sobs.

Siren instantly threw her arms around the girl, cradling her while she glared at the prince. The young man who no longer resembled the kind of person he had grown to become since they first took him in. It made her heart break.

His expression hardened. "So be it," he said, meeting the woman's gaze. "Siren"–he looked over at the other leader of their little team–"Nightwing, take all your heroes out of my country. At once!"

The haunted sounds of chanting filled Siren's ears as she stood there, not sure what to do. But there was nothing else they could do.

Their mission had failed.

~/~/~/~

Star City

February 17, 09:02 PST

Brion was now a murderer. And the Markovian people praised him for it and made him king.

It left Jenna wondering what they could have even done to prevent that.

But that was just it: how could they have known? How could they have expected Brion would kill his uncle in cold blood? As much as they might have wanted control over all they could, they weren't perfect or all-knowing. And they just had to accept that and control what they knew they could control.

Which is why Jenna threw herself into helping Sam with his new powers for the following days. Not only to continue training him but to help clear her own mind. It helped.

She watched from the corner of her eye as Sam flopped onto her couch with a groan. "You alright?" she called out as she grabbed some water bottles from the fridge. "Not too overwhelmed?"

Sam let out a sigh. "Nah, just whelmed," he answered.

The corner of Jenna's lips turned up. She might have been tempted to throw the bottle without warning, to see if his power would pick up on it and give him time to catch it when he wasn't expecting it. But knowing they did a lot of work that morning, she went easy on him, opting to just toss it on his abdomen as she nudged his legs over the edge so she could sit.

He opened his eyes as he sat up straight, watching her reach for the television remote. "How did it go yesterday with Lighting and Cyborg?"

Jenna shrugged. "Jeff made his claims against Lex about still running LexCorp, his own meta-trafficking chain, all of it. With proof. I'm hoping the news has an update on it," she said.

Sam's brow furrowed when she mentioned the trafficking. He subconsciously rubbed his arm in thought but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he scoffed.

"Luthor working with Slade...what was his goal?" he wondered.

Jenna sighed. "I wish we knew. But we were only able to get the encrypted files before the connection through Tara's comms shut down."

Sam rolled his eyes as he tilted his head back to take a sip of water. "Of course. It's never easy, is it?" he mused.

Jenna snorted as she leaned back against the cushions, unmuting the television. "Nope."

On-screen was a reporter standing out in front of a crowd of protestors against Lex Luthor.

"One day after Lightning's stunning revelations, we're live at the United Nations, where a crowd has gathered, calling for Luthor's resignation." Suddenly, he lifted a hand to his earpiece. "Uh, wait, I'm being told Secretary Luthor is making a statement."

The screen changed to show the inside of the building where Luthor was standing at the podium. For a man who had just been accused of several crimes, he didn't look all that angry, only mildly put off at best.

"This is fake news. Fake. News," he declared. "And I resent even addressing allegations from unregulated meta-vigilantes like the disgraced Black Lightning. We will soon change the international libel laws, which allow these so-called 'heroes' to smear my good name with spurious charges."

"Every charge Lightning and Cyborg laid at your feet is true, Luthor! And more!"

Jenna let out a gasp at the oh-so-familiar voice and face.

Sam leaned forward. "No fucking way," he breathed.

Because there he stood. Superboy. At the steps leading to the podium with Superman–in the flesh–not far behind.

When the camera returned to Luthor, he glared when the Boy of Steel approached, covering the microphone as they spoke quietly. By the look on her friend's face, Jenna would have given anything to hear what was said.

Eventually, Luthor stepped away, giving Superboy the spotlight. "At Project Cadmus, Luthor bred and enslaved living weapons. Including me," he began. "I am the Superboy. A genomorph. A clone made from the combined DNA of Superman and Lex Luthor. I was created to replace Superman should he perish. To destroy him should he turn from the light. Lex Luthor's Light. I'm more than that now. More than the weapon I was created to be."

Jenna's hands over her mouth were barely containing her smile. She didn't bother to wipe away the tears of pride from her eyes either.

Superman had stepped up to the podium, placing a hand on Superboy's shoulder. "I've come to think of Superboy as my brother," he explained. "You can trust him."

"You don't have to trust me. Test my DNA. It's all the proof you'll need."

The screen changed, showing Garth in the crowd. "I call for an immediate vote of no confidence in Secretary-General Lex Luthor!"

Sam's loud whoop drowned out whatever was said next, but it didn't matter. He flung his arms around Jenna as she laughed.

We did it. He did it.

She glanced over at the television before it went to commercial, catching a glimpse of Superboy one last time. Way to go, Con.

~/~/~/~

Luthor was forced to resign. Thank god. 

And even though they had to go through the process of selecting a new candidate to become Secretary-General, a little 'wonder' bird told Jenna that Troia was a promising candidate. It was a relief, to not have to worry about such restrictions on the League anymore. Having someone on their side who understood what it was like since she, herself, had once been a part of the team, gave Jenna hope.

Tara's trial had ended soon after too. After all, she was a child who had been through abduction, forceful assassin training, and more. With the promise of Gregor, who was still in exile, to watch over her while she did community service by working with the Outsiders, she would be just fine.

Through one way or another, Jenna heard that there could be two others joining the Outsiders as well. To think one of her oldest friends, one who had only worked in the shadows since he was essentially born, was planning to be a public hero...she never thought she would see the day.

To say she was proud would have been an understatement.

So she made sure it was known.

Siren nudged Superboy's side as she sided up next to him. It felt good to be back in the Watchtower after so long. It was certainly nice to have it so crowded too.

"I understand if you're still upset with the rest of us," she said quietly. "But just know I'm really proud of you for doing what you did at the United Nations...and from what I've heard, for joining the Outsiders too."

Superboy's smile eased her uncertainty. "Thanks, Jen," he said in an equally quiet tone.

She sent one last smile his way as she moved to the front of the room, sharing a glance with Nightwing who stood at the top of the steps leading to the Zeta-Tubes. She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow in a silent go-ahead.

Nightwing looked up at the projections that suspended overhead. "Can you hear us on the Javelin?" he called out.

Guy Gardner answered. "Roger that. You got three Lanterns, two Hawks, a Martian, a Captain, a Doctor, a Devil, Magog, Steel, Icon, Fire, Ice, and...Flongated Man."

A voice could be overheard, protesting, "That's Elongated Man!"

Guy's grin fell as he sent a look to the former Boy Wonder. "Hope you poozers make it worth our while."

Nightwing checked on the other group. "How about at the Batcave?" he asked.

"Metamorpho here with Batwoman, Katana, Hardware, Plaz, Spoiler, Arrowette, and Orphan."

Nightwing looked over at Batman. "That's just about everyone," he confirmed. "Wasn't sure they'd all respond."

"You command more respect than you realize," the Dark Knight pointed out.

"Ah, starting to get that," Nightwing said with a sigh.

Siren cleared her throat. "If I recall, a Boy Wonder once worried about that very thing," she said. "Good thing he was proved wrong."

She shared a smile with her friend who then looked rueful. "Still, everyone's here except the one guy I really need."

Siren's eyebrows raised when she saw the Tube light up behind them. "Recognized: Pierce comma Jefferson, G-zero-one." Well, I'll be damned.

"Glad you could make it," Nightwing said, barely masking his relief as the man–suited up–walked by. "Gladder still you're staying in the game."

Black Lighting had a cool expression on his face. But after what happened at Markovburg, it wasn't as harsh as it could have been. Siren was going to take that as a win.

"Yeah, well...it's the right thing," he said to Nightwing before walking down the steps.

He glanced over at Siren for a moment before turning away. It made her bite the inside of her cheek in concern. If this even works...will he agree?

"You sure about this?" Batman spoke up, breaking Siren's train of thought.

Nightwing had a big grin on his face. "Oh yeah."

He took a few steps forward, standing in front of the very first step so he was in clear view. "Thanks for coming, everyone. Word's spreading fast, so we might as well get it out in the open," he started. "Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Miss Martian, Siren, Oracle, Robin, and I have been running a secret task force, coordinating all our teams and squads in an attempt to beat the Light at their own game."

Siren looked out at the crowd. "We wanted to keep it a secret to protect you, keep you all safe...except we went about doing so in the wrong way," she admitted. "There have been successes, failures, compromises, deceptions, betrayals, but..."

Aquaman took over. "It is now clear, that despite our best intentions, we made a mistake."

Then Wonder Woman spoke up. "So I hereby resign as co-chair of the League, effective immediately," she said.

To the agreement of her co-chair. "As do I."

Miss Martian had made a decision too. "I'm stepping down as leader of the team, as well," she said with a sigh.

That left one little problem. "Which means we need a new leader," Nightwing continued. "One who has consistently acted as the conscience of the League. And although I'm not a member...I'd like to take the liberty of nominating Black Lightning."

Siren's smile widened at the stunned look on Lighting's face.

"Seconded!" Wonder Woman quickly agreed. "All current Leaguers present and in favor?"

Several 'aye's were heard around the room.

"And aboard the Javelin?"

That got the same result.

Siren let out a chuckle. "Guess it's unanimous," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

But Lightning was far from thrilled. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! I don't want this," he protested.

"Maybe not. But we kinda need you to take it," Superboy pointed out.

Siren watched nervously as Lightning looked back at the two men near the Tubes. "What say you?" he questioned.

Batman shrugged. "I don't have a vote, currently."

Black Lightning's eyes narrowed. "If I take this, you're either in or you're out. There's no halfway. No behind-the-scenes crap," he said firmly.

As always, the Dark Knight had a perfect poker face, not reacting to the man's words in any shape or form. "If you take this, we'll fold 'Batman Inc' back into the League and the team on your terms," he decided. "It's for the best. For the mission."

Lightning's eyes slid over to Nightwing.

"I rejoin the team, team works for the League, I work for you...boss," the former Boy Wonder agreed.

Siren rolled her eyes at his smirk. She met Lightning's silent gaze. Deciding that words didn't matter at the moment, she gave a simple, affirming nod.

With everyone on board and ready for him to take up the mantle, Lightning sighed. He turned to face all of the heroes watching and waiting.

"We all believe the League needs course correction because we're all afraid of the same tired old story," he began. "The hero gets lost fighting the good fight and becomes the very thing he or she is fighting against. And, sure, it happens. Vandal Savage, Teth Adam, Ra's al Ghul. And now, sadly, Geo-Force."

Siren searched for Terra and Halo to find them holding hands in support with Tigress comfortingly grasping their shoulders.

"But it will not happen again," Black Lightning continued his speech. "Not to any of us. Because from here on out, we will not keep secrets from each other. We need each other to know each others' secrets to keep each other on the straight and narrow.

"No more making decisions to protect each other from the choices we might be forced to make. In this League, the ends will not justify the means! We will not sink to using the methods of our enemies.

"We will keep our covert team, not for the sake of it being covert, but because it affords our young heroes a place to learn out of the spotlight. But, otherwise, like the Outsiders, we must live in each others' spotlights.

"If we fail while doing right, then at least we went down swinging on our own terms. But in the long term, we will not fail. Holding firm to our principles will guide us to an honorable victory!"

At that moment, Siren knew they couldn't have picked a better leader.

"Now," Lightning finished, "let's get down to business."

Much needed to be done. And among them, a conversation desperately needed to be had.

After some time, after meeting Tigress' encouraging glance as she walked away from Black Lightning, Siren lightly cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Got a few minutes?" she asked lightly.

Although his scrutinizing gaze still made her subconsciously cringe, she still held it. She was sure about the decision she wanted to make and she was determined to convey that.

"I understand that things aren't...back to normal just yet. We did things that we should have known better than to do. That I should have known better than to do," Siren admitted. "But I've talked to some of the others, got some advice and guidance, and now, I just need your permission."

Black Lightning's eyebrow raised as he crossed his arms. "My permission for what exactly?" he questioned.

Siren drew in a deep breath, her eyes never looking away from him. She knew that the moment the words left her mouth, there was no going back. It's now or never.

"I would like your permission...if the open invitation still stands...to become a member of the Justice League."

~/~/~/~

Metropolis

February 28, 16:16 EST

After the whirlwind that had been the last several months, it was nice to spend time with loved ones and breathe.

Jenna couldn't stop looking around the room, watching each of her friends talk, laugh, and just feel normal for once. The private party for the original team from Year Zero–plus any partners or children–was a great idea, but it had Jenna reflecting. Not that that was a bad thing.

In the two years after Wally's death, she always felt something was missing. There was the obvious: the loss of one of her friends...but she lost three other friends too, in a way. Some she reconciled with sooner than others, and it was all right in the end, but that wasn't all.

Her whole purpose was to be a hero. To help others. To be a mentor, training the next generation to fight the good fight. But because she had gotten too close to the deep end without giving herself a chance to rest, she nearly drowned.

Jenna didn't regret stepping back. But, god, did she miss it, and now, things were going to be different. A good different.

And I'll do it with these people at my side. Because I'm sure as hell not letting them go ever again.

Jenna's fond smile grew when she felt an arm slide around her shoulders and a body join her in the booth. She tore her gaze from Artemis, Lian, and Will across the table after a warm kiss was pressed against her temple. I was wondering where he was.

"Hello."

"Hi."

It didn't matter what was next. As long as he was by her side.