Starie here! Time to mess with Young Justice!

(For those who read the other things I write yet have to finish, I am actually getting somewhere with them. This one just happened to be first to have some part of it finished. If you read Lying Truths, a chapter will come out by the end of the week.)

So, hi YJ fans! This is a response to Illucida's challenge on the fanfiction challenge fourm to make YJ evil. And as I usually do, I've made this kinda long. As in... 15 chapters? Her challenge was to make an evil YJ for whatever reason. My response: because Gotham has issues that corrupt everyone. (Just in more words and not as blunt.)

Warnings? I have a few:
-Swears, implied sex, other usual M-rated things going to pop up at times.
-Expect any possible pairing. I won't reveal them because that'll give away upcoming chapters. Heterosexual and homosexual and pairings that probably don't exist can come up. So expect anything, be open minded, and tread carefully.
-Have some Batman knowledge. Specifically, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson in later years, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and maybe some Selina Kyle. They'll be here. A general idea of bad guys in Gotham wouldn't hurt either.
-It's AU in the sense that I fudged some details for my own purpose. Like who's in YJ, what happened, Roy being there against his will... Like the pairings, expect anything (except this time, it's limited to some amounts of logic). Also there's some OOCness running about.
-There are no OCs. Therefore, I wish you luck in guessing what character has which new alias.

They won't let me own Young Justice or Batman for obvious reasons: Cartoons are never meant to be this scary.

Enjoy!

October 30, 11:16 PM
Gotham City

There was blood staining the keyboard of her precious computers. It dripped slowly down the keys into the very core of the plastic before pooling at the table beneath. Crimson trickles fell off to the towers hidden from sight, slowly corrupting all of the information-

(my life)

-written on the computer. The monitors that surrounded her flickered on, off, then on again, indifferent to the fate of their creator.

She had been left alone for several minutes. The Riddler had begun to call others to her apartment, ordering left and right. He had made no show of waiting for her to become a corpse. It didn't matter to him as he had underestimated the full effects of his actions. He had not just damaged the Commissioner's daughter. He had taken Oracle out permanently.

The wheelchair was locked. Barbara Gordon suspected that, even if she had the ability to walk, that she would not be able to move. Not after the cuts that seemed to reach her bone and the bruises that turned flesh into mush. Despite all of the years of physical training, her body simply wasn't able to handle the abuse.

She knew that it was too late for them all. The distress call had made it clear, being the last thing that she had-

(it's would because I'm a dead girl)

-received from Bruce. All of his children were simply gone within a night. Humans were such cruel creatures, after all, and the ones who inhabited Gotham were the worse of them.

A stray lock of hair, soaked in blood, fell off of its perch on her glasses. Her eyes followed the movement. She wasn't sure of what she was supposed to do with her last moments, trapped within her own body and waiting for death. Something had already told her that there was nothing that could deter any of their fates. It was not up to them that night. Nothing was up to them anymore.

The world was fading from her. It was simply becoming too much of a burden to stay in Gotham. But how she had wanted to change the city. How she had wanted to prove to the League that they were wrong.

(restless soul

why didn't I see

I am Oracle)

She knew that it was over for Oracle.

July 3, 11:12 PM
Gotham City

Selina Kyle perched herself on the corner of the rooftop, ignoring the bitter cold wind that swept through. The concrete had deprived her of any company. What little lighting that was able to escape from the ground below illuminated enough of the world above. From it, she could see the next roof over, where another woman was standing over her prey.

The intruder had a simple black jumpsuit on, not unlike her own. What stuck Catwoman odd was that the flame of hair that flowed with the wind was orange-red. The same exact shade as-

(she's dead I saw the body)

It was only a single leap to get onto the same rooftop as the other. There was nothing significantly different about the pavement: both were made of a dark gray concrete and littered upon with metal attachments that kept the building running enough. However, Selina found that the temperature had suddenly dropped even lower the moment she reached the other rooftop. Something crept against her soul and settled down by it.

"Don't you remember, Penguin?" The sweet voice had nothing of the darkness that it had in the past. Instead, it reminded Selina eerily of a child's. The gleam of sharp metal against the shadows of the rooftop should have countered the feeling, but it didn't. It was as if they were two different entities altogether, yet they fitted each other like puzzle pieces. "I really hoped that you did. It would have made it faster."

The man was kneeling, his body visibly shaking. Beads of sweat mixed with tears of fear as they traveled down his face to stain his suit. His trademark clothing had been torn in ways that could only bring the conclusion of fighting. The bloodstains and opened wounds only added to the idea as the cloth continued to soak it all up. Both arms were extended out, his palms facing up towards the sky as if holding out an offering for some higher being. His pupils had dilated.

"No. No." The raspy voice that belonged to the man was quivering as much as him. Penguin started to shake his head furiously, sending his monocle soaring to the side before crashing into the pavement. The glass shattered into shards, but neither paid it any attention. "No. I didn't do anything to you-"

"You've done plenty." The woman-

(she's dead)

-lifted the large dagger she was carrying into the air. The moonlight danced off of the intricate design of the handle before giving the simpler blade a steady, monotone light. Blood marred the polished surface. "You've threatened my life over and over." The tip of the blade touched the expose skin of the man's wrist. "Not to mention those of my partners and mentor."

"No, no ma'am! I would never-"

"I was Batgirl."

The glint in Penguin's eyes suddenly darkened. "You little-"

"But you said you didn't do anything to me." The pout could be heard in the words, whispering against the night. The metal pressed into the flesh, eliciting a scream of absolute terror as blood beaded out. There was something unusual about the new wound: it was as if the blood was beginning to bubble once it touched the metal. "That meant that you lied to me."

"No, wait-"

"It wasn't as if I didn't know. I can see all of your little thoughts." She took her free hand and gently tapped her temple with her index finger. "In here."

Something in Selina snapped, allowing her body to move-

(as if frozen in place the whole time)

-and propelling her to the two. "Babs-"

"I even knew that she was here!" There was glee coating the voice as Catwoman's body suddenly froze in midair. The only thing that moved was her whip, falling heavily against the rooftop. "And I know when you'll die."

"What? Wait, no-"

Words not formed on the man's tongue were suddenly lost in a swift motion: the blade withdrew from the arm and was sent towards his throat. His eyes bulged, fear making itself the only thing within them. His rigid arms went limp. The whole mass of the villain withdrew to itself as the blood began to trickle down. It was only after the first few seconds that it began to bubble. Penguin opened his mouth one last time to let out a horrifying scream, but it had been lost to the puncture of his throat. Tears cascaded down and mingled with the crimson liquid before disappearing into the black cloth.

"Goodbye. Oh, and the Cobblepots should have been dead decades ago." Barbara Gordon withdrew the knife slowly. There was no doubt that there was a twisted grin on her lips and a gleam in her eyes that reeked of Joker-like insanity. She never once turned around to face the third person upon the rooftop. Her fascination lied with the dying body.

Minutes disappeared into the night. The blood was finally beginning to form a pool against the concrete before the redhead turned her attention away from the corpse. The bright eyes-

(so insane)

-fell upon Selina.

"Oh, Selina. I've missed you so much." The voice suddenly changed tone, taking on one of faux innocence and happiness. The woman finally turned her face to the elder of the two, eyes dancing madly behind cracked glasses. "So, what's happened since the last time I saw you?"

(acting so casual)

Selina could not move at all. Even her gaze was focused directly on the redhead, watching as the blood splattered upon her black jumpsuit run down like rain.

"Oh, don't tell me! I want to see!" The dagger found its way to her exposed neck, lightly teasing it with the sharp edge. She could feel Penguin's blood slipping off of the metal to mix with the new blood from a new cut. "Let's see… Selina, how could you! Joining the Justice League!"

Her eyes were unable to widen from the sheer shock of the statement. No one had known about it outside of the few members-

(Bruce should have been one of them)

-that went directly to her on the rare occasions that they needed her expertise. Officially, under digital encoding of all of the files, she was listed as a reserve member for the times of extreme need. It was really the only thing she felt that she could do to honor the memory of Batman.

"You've been such an antihero, haven't you?" Barbara's free hand tapped against her chin, her eyes pondering her own question. "I mean, look at what you've done. No wonder Gotham's gone to hell!"

The blade pressed deeper.

"But you've done good too." The redhead shifted her weight to her left foot-

(she's standing)

-in a fluid motion. "Damn it, Selina. I don't want to send you with the Penguin. And Gotham-"

The name of the city hung in the air.

"Well, damn, she likes you too. Not like she loves us, but she loves you. Damn, why you have to choose to show up tonight? Now I have to decide!"

Around them, Catwoman was vaguely aware that the night within Gotham was continuing on as it usually did. It paid no mind to the fact that she was going to die by the hands of a dead woman. After all, how many others had fallen down the same path within the city's shadows? How many times had any single person trapped within the dark architecture told themselves to move on because staying in one place was too painful?

"Actually… I think I do have a use for you. Nothing you don't know how to do, so don't worry. Then you can go on your merry way. I'll even make sure that you can't be blamed for Penguin's death!" The glee suddenly enriched Barbara's voice. The blade pulled back before she tossed it into the air nonchalantly. Moonlight spun with the metal before the blade landed within the black gloved hand. The hilt-

(shaped like a bat)

-glared with the lights from the city that had escaped into the night. The end of the handle came up and simply tapped Selina on the head, leaving the impression of ice cold metal upon her skin. "There, all done."

And suddenly she was free. Her posture faltered as she suddenly regained control. Her hand reached for the whip-

"It won't help." Their eyes met. For a split second, the blue eyes seemed to glow under their own light.

"You're dead!"

"A setback," said Barbara, as if it was the easiest explanation in the world.

Selina had a different view of the matter. She did not find it-

(possible right true

impossible)

-right that the world had raised the woman back from the dead only to be a killer. The rest of the family had not been as unlucky as the other. Yet…

Would they have suffered the same fate? Would Bruce, of all people, allow something as twisted as fate to impose on his sense of justice?

(would he join her?)

The question finally found its way to Catwoman's mouth. "Setback for what?"

"Revenge, of course." A smirk began to replace the smile. It was twisted like many of the insane members of Arkham Asylum, but different. There was an element that reeked of what the Justice League stood for in the madness of it all. It was unsettling. "After all, Oracle died. Nymph wants retribution."

"From who?" Selina was scared to know the answer. The woman had enough experience to know how to hide any of her fears, but she couldn't for that one moment. The answer she was anticipating could have made all of the difference.

But it would never be the one that she had longed to hear.

The smirk set in, blending the Joker and Superman into twisted red lips. A lone drop of blood, fighting to fall off the edge of the blade, won the battle and hit the ground. As her eyes followed, the older of the two could feel her body seizing up. A dread filled her as her control was gone within a single second.

"The Justice League, of course."

July 4, 5:54 PM
Washington DC

It had happened so fast, even for Wally.

The League had brought Young Justice into their fake base on Earth for the Fourth of July. It was supposed to be a bonding experience between the members of the younger group as things had hit a rough spot-

(as always)

-between the members. The speedster could feel the impatience that the adults were practically breathing out as they tried to train the kids.

Young Justice started once the New Year had hit and Cadmus was attempting to contain Superboy. The clone claimed that someone was calling out to him from outside of the lab.

(no not outside of lab just telling him to leave word makes all the difference)

The clone's temperament did the rest. He had escaped, found his way to the League, and demanded help. It wasn't a graceful asking, but nothing else should have been expected from-

(a child)

-a genetic experiment only created sixteen weeks prior and taught by preprogrammed computers.

The memory of the mere look that Superman gave his clone was burned into the teenager's mind. It wasn't the hatred that villains had given them all at one point of their careers or another. At the same time, it was not one that said anything of acceptance, whether in the present or the future of the subject.

The rest of the Justice League took in the clone as soon as Martian Manhunter claimed that the teenager's mind was free of anything to condemn him. As the details of the creation of Young Justice began to settle, Superboy was training with a variety of the League's finest members.

(never Superman)

When the team fell together, it was catastrophic to both mentors and students. Kaldur had easily gotten homesick and heartbroken as his time on the surface increased. M'gann had received the less welcoming side of everyone from her constant cheery attitude. Superboy had suffered from accelerated growth with very little human interaction. Roy-

(don't understand)

-had taken an on-off stance with his relationship with Green Arrow, making his temper tantrum run longer than expected. And that just left him trying to hold it all together.

The Fourth of July gathering felt like a last attempt to keep the group at all. Between everything else that had happened between the teenagers, it was understandable.

(unfair)

But something had happened. The teenagers had been placed away in one of the many rooms that littered the faux headquarters. What was not expected was for a woman with orange hair waiting in the shadows-

(like Batman would have)

-for them all. It took only a glance into her eyes before something… happened.

(sit like good children it'll be better like this it'll be nice)

The kind voice whispered into Wally's mind, beckoning him to the plush chairs that surrounded the lone table. It was not a barked out command, which in itself was appealing to the speeding teenager. There was something else within the voice that begged to be listened to. It was sweet and caring and-

(actually loves me not broken promises)

-there was even possible love in the words. There were promises of what he had dreamed for with just one-

(be a good)

-little-

(little)

-action.

(child)

Her fingers were dancing upon the keys that sat in front of the large monitor of the room. There was never a pause in the typing, as if what appeared on the screen had no meaning to her. It was like she was completely focused upon something else entirely. Yet there were no errors to the typed commands. The computer had no reason to call her an enemy, allowing her access to more and more data as she typed away. To see that the security meant nothing but a mere hindrance to her was unsettling. It was unlikely that any member of the League could pull such a feat off in one sitting, let alone in such a short period of time with no flaws.

It was a full five minutes before the woman brought up a picture onto the large monitor. It only stayed there for a second before it disappeared into the sea of data that came and went by her will. However, it was long enough for Wally to catch a glance of the image. His memory came up with his own list of features of the woman at the metal hardware, suddenly wanting to do something that did not involve listening to the voice.

(redhead glasses face

the same)

The picture that had flashed on the screen was definitely her: the facial features were an exact match and the hair was the same shade of the autumn orange color. However, it was as if they were two separate entities entirely. The woman from the picture was serious and businesslike. The woman in front of them was insane, scars riddling her body.

She idly tapped the microphone at the far end of the keyboard. An echo of the low thud filled the base, followed by a small squeal of happiness and a smile that shone in the reflection of the monitor. The blue eyes in the dim reflection danced with the movement of the keys. After a few more minutes had passed, her attention fell onto the microphone again. The plush chair made no noise as she leaned forward to lessen the distance between metal and flesh.

It was then that cold fear began to seep into Wally. The voice was still whispering within him, soothing what should have been a sudden adrenaline rush that would spike his blood. It was only tainting what should have been his own reaction. Despite the overtone of the voice, there was something within him that whispered against it. It was two minds-

(it'll be better)

(lying using us controlling us)

-within the space of his conscience. The thoughts came slowly, but picked up pace the more he realized he lacked any sort of control of his physical presence. The panic was trapped with the fear: powerless compared to her. He was unable to look at his teammates, but the fear had answered the unasked question. They could not have been in league with her.

(right?)

"Anyone here?" She paused, waiting to see if a response would suddenly materialize. "Hello? Conference room B, a woman waiting with all of your children." The woman was childish in her speech, setting Wally off even more. It was not her actual words, but the creeping insanity that was present in them. The League had always spared them the task of fighting against those that were on level with the Joker, leaving them now to a woman who could easily kill them. The insanity-

(like the Joker)

-in the pure yet tinted eyes grew with each second that slipped by. A countdown was beginning.

"Come out, come out." Her voice whispered eerily on the speakers. Some of the echoes rebounded within the room, making the power behind the words grow. A drop of temperature accompanied the sound, but whether it was from the fear or actual powers Wally could not tell. Instead, he began to wonder if there was any way to beat the woman. Before any consensus could be reached mentally, the panic had told it was too late.

"Oh, I know!"

She snapped her fingers before bringing her lips towards the microphone again. "You are getting sleepy from listening to my voice. You know that my sweet voice is seeping into your mind. All it's telling you to do is come over here. Be peaceful. Your children want to see you. Your guest wants to see you."

It was a mere minute before she got the desired response. The woman smirked as she watched each member of the League walked into the room like zombies. There was something in her eyes that sparked at the sight of the heroes parading in under her control. The heroes themselves had faces blank of any true emotion, making the most notable feature the twisted grin on their lips. Their posture was set to be straight, almost mechanical. She spared each of the adults a glance before turning to the teenagers. The fear in Wally's veins began to course harder.

(it'll get better)

(from what)

(you'll see)

"Now that everyone's here, it's time for the obligatory explanation that all villains seem to have. In essence… It's a game, really." she said, the smile never leaving her face. Her left hand found its way to the keyboard, drumming lightly on the metallic finish. The beat was a slow repetition of fast taps. "We'll come, one by one, and take what we deem to be the most important thing! It's only fair."

She paused, bringing the fingers of her free hand up to drum against her bottom lip. "Well, it's not fair to the children, is it? I mean, they don't even know who I am! Hm..." Her face hazed over with thought. "How about I tell all of you my story! And I'll even let you keep everyone! You'll just have to be super prepared for the next time, okay?"

A uniform nod answered back, lacking any of the true emotions that plagued the heroes. Wally couldn't help but wonder if the woman had any sort of friends who would answer her questions honestly. It wouldn't have been surprising if she had a massive array of victims like himself, obeying anything that the sweet voice whispered in their heads. Yet the thought of being completely devoid of another who could understand was worse. Was there not one person who kept her company?

"Once upon a time," she began softly, pausing as she collected her thoughts. The tone of the words held the innocence of childhood within them. "Well, there was a city called Gotham. Gotham was dark and full of bad men. But she had a knight who wore shadows and fought unlike anyone in the world could. He called himself Batman. Gotham's knight was alone for a while, but then others joined him. Gotham was happy that her knight had a family who helped protect her. It made Batman happy too."

(bad guys)

"But one night an evil curse took hold and killed each one of Gotham's knights. Even the fearless Dark Knight fell because no one would listen. Gotham was furious that it happened and swore to bring back her children for revenge. But they were captured, one by one, by the famous Justice League. Then there were only three of Gotham's children left to wait. There was Dryad, Muse, and then me. Nymph." Her attention turned back towards the screen of the computer, her face appearing hunched over to hide the reflection. "I was the first one to come to Batman's aid. He was the other father of my life."

The tears were heard within the statement quite clearly. Something within the soul begged for sympathy, despite the obvious sins that marred her. Her fingers ghosted over the keys lovingly, hovering slightly above a single key.

(a guillotine)

"And you took him after you took us."

The innocence dropped from her voice and was replaced with a colder tone. "The one man who had made a difference to the world, and you took him. All he wanted was to keep his family together. But no, it didn't fit your little ideals so you let them take us. That's basically killing us yourselves."

(world's unfair we'll change that)

"And look at everything now. You have your own little families. In fact, you had them longer than the criticism existed! So, doesn't it make it fair that we take them from you?"

Wally's face was contorted into an easy smile, hiding all of the emotions that he was feeling. The words made no sense, yet the meaning behind them was not at all lost. The woman was insane. She wanted to take each and every one of the teenagers and kill them just because of what happened to the family. But despite the overtone, there was something else to the whole matter that bothered the teenager: What was the thing that had turned the woman into this?

A purr rippled through the air softly. It was followed by the light sound of boots on the carpeted floor. A figure clad in a black jumpsuit and a cowl with ears sticking out picked herself up from her landing. Her face was blank of any true emotion, just like the rest of the room sans a single female.

"Ah, Catwoman! I knew you wouldn't let me down once I convinced you!" The childlike smile had returned to the woman's face. Any tears that were there were gone with the pure rage that had spoken before. "And imagine that! How much information you got with just your login! So dumb, the Justice League is." She held out her hand and received four discs from the other. Catwoman's movements were jerky and unnaturally rigid. The rings under her eyes seemed to have darkened with the single action.

The metallic coating on the discs shone in the brief amount of light they received before being hastily placed within a back pocket. "And now you're free. Was that too hard?"

Catwoman nodded in the same manner that the heroes had under the redhead's control. The moment her head was stationary, she collapsed to the ground. A groan accompanied her fall. It was sickening to hear.

"Oh, don't worry. Maybe you'll be able to roam the rooftops of Gotham in a year or so. But with the amount of chemicals I made you ingest in order just to listen to me… well, let's just say anything within the rest of this year is definitely a wish."

"Now, because I care, I'll leave you one last bit of information that could save your sorry asses. Chances are none to none, but you never know. After all, aren't I supposed to be dead?" She pulled out something that fitted her hand like a glove, a large metal plate shaped like a bat adorning the top. Her hand barely raised itself before it went off. The cord that followed the metal plate was thin, but there was no room to doubt its strength. "One of you is one of us."

And with that, she disappeared. It was as if the legend of Batman and his family came alive.

The words remained after she was long gone. Wally could feel them sit with the heroes as they tried to gather their wits. His uncle was helping Catwoman up. The woman seemed to be beyond what daze would fall upon a scale of confusion. Her balance was completely off, sending her down to the floor as she tried to stand. Even the collapse fell upon itself. The other members of the League were looking over their charges, the exception being Superman. Unconsciously, he noted that Roy was batting away-

(like him to me)

-the Green Arrow's attempts to check up on him. The teenagers themselves were in varying degrees of shock. The questions around what had happened made an aura of curiosity and distrust.

He took it upon himself to ask the first question. "Who is she?"

There was a glance passed around all of the adults, daring another to speak. But they were as shaken as their protégés. Any answers would have been lost to either their nerves or secrecy, which only increased the redhead's irritation for them. How could it be that, in one of the few times where the teenagers agreed upon one thing, that their mentors lacked anything to help?

When the silence persisted, it was Roy who answered. "She's Barbara Gordon. She was the first Batgirl, but was paralyzed by the Joker. She became Oracle afterwards."

The names came with vague images of who the archer was talking about. They had all been mentioned before in the hero community, so none were coming up as questions. But there was something else...

"She was walking," he pointed out.

A cough erupted from Catwoman, who was attempting to sit up. The hand supporting her bent, which in turn sent her down to the tiled floor. The words came out anyways, struggling for air. "She's... dead."

"Did she just-"

"Oracle's been dead since October," Superman said slowly. He kept his sight concentrated-

(not on Superboy)

-on the computer monitor, as if he was expecting a clue. "In fact, every member of Batman's family died that night except for the butler."

There should have been an atmosphere to say some sort of joke that would fix some of the mood. Wally's mind was racing to find one in the darkness, but was coming up empty handed. Even joking that the butler had to have done it was overshadowed greatly by the fact that the heroes of Gotham, Batman and all, had all died within a night. It was as if fate had erased them from the world with a raise of her hand.

"What happened?" M'gann asked, her voice barely even reaching a whisper.

"Different things," Flash muttered. "Oracle was killed by the Riddler."

"Different?" Kaldur repeated. Any emotions over the murder of another were hidden from his face. Instead, it was set as a stoic mask. "Are you saying that they died of different causes in one night?"

Flash nodded. His own mask to the world did nothing to cover the sadness in his eyes. "It shouldn't have happened like that, but it did."

"But she's here. Doesn't that mean that the others-"

"No." Superman's voice was definite in the confusion. "She is the only-"

"Bullshit! She said that others escaped! Don't lie about what we heard," Roy hissed. The words stung more than any of his previous proclamations. "So stop fucking-"

"What about what she said?" Superboy asked. "That there was 'one of them' in us?"

M'gann opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Roy's anger. "Obviously, there's a traitor among us!"

"But who?"

Kaldur's words echoed in the silence that followed.

July 4, 11:36
Gotham City

"Those. STUPID. SONS OF BITCHES." The sounds that filled the cavern echoed as Nymph slammed her fist against the stone. The long caverns whispered her frustration, disappointment, and pure anger within the pockets of air. There was never an answer among them, however. They were of no help but to remind her of her failure. "I-"

"Nymph, please stop. You're upsetting Mother." A mop of black hair accompanied with blue eyes sauntered into the small niche within the tunnels. The jumpsuit that his body was placed in was not unlike hers, save for the peaks of green and red amongst the black. His muscles created outlines in the material, allowing the eye to follow the years of training and fights. "Things could-"

"Even they do not know, Dryad. Do you know how much space that opens up for search? How much time-"

"You act as if I know nothing about the location of our siblings." The boy's-

(can't be a boy death makes us equal)

-calm tone washed over her softly. The echoes that it produced trapped her in the velvet sea, stealing away some of her anger. "I have been doing my own research. STAR Labs is quite interesting in that regard."

She could not hide the venom from her words. "But what does that tell us?"

"Everything." He walked over to a computer that had managed to survive her fists, allowing his hand to ghost over the keys before carefully selecting which to press. Once the process started, it was impossible to tell the exact order he pressed them. "They protected their minds from the world by leaving it to chance. But they could have never cast the others away to anywhere but Earth. They kept the others here in hopes of a cure. Of course…" A map flashed on the cracked screen, highlighting several areas with stars. "Nothing cures death. Not even our lust for revenge."

"Right." She straightened herself into a standing position as the dust settled away from her. The woman took in a deep breath before turning to face the other for the first time that night. The teenager had lost any of the self-doubt that had once carried itself with him as he flew through the night. It had been replaced with anger coated with innocence and the ability to bring his imagination to life. It was a terrifying combination to find within someone as bright as him. "What about-"

"The League will find out soon because of you." His words were light, despite the anger that was present in them. "I worked so hard to protect the fact, and you practically gave it away!"

"But can you imagine the chaos-"

"Chaos like that can only last for so long! They will discover the truth before we can find the others. The information we could have gotten if you had only stopped and thought for one. Little. Second." With each word, the amount of anger that could be heard increased without any filtering of the truth needed. "You could possibly endanger him if those Martians search his mind. Do you know how much effort I had put into training-"

"He can protect-"

"That was what we thought. Remember?" The words stung the air as they sat there, their echoes dimming slowly. "And looked what happened to us. We're dead, if you haven't noticed."

He spoke with emotions. But there was too much logic in the plan that had to count for something. "But he's dead as well."

The silence it brought on was pressing. She could feel the anger radiating off of the other as the ground beneath her began to emit life. It was not as bad as Pyroead, but the sheer amount of knowledge that the boy had was more than enough to erase her existence. "Excuse me?"

"Dryad-"

"Damn it, Nymph. You did not need to remind me-"

"But he chose-"

"He shouldn't have-"

"What other choice-"

"If that stupid-"

"Enough!" The rest of the argument gave way to the single word. A woman, much older that Nymph, slowly made her way to the two. Her presence was different that theirs. Even if she had been tainted in blood while the others were clean, she still would have been different. Her hair fell to her back, slowly trailing behind her as she walked the rocky floors. The dark brown eyes were scarred with more experience than they could have known in their short lives. At worst, she could have killed them several times over.

"Mother." Dryad's eyes widened with shock. "I-"

"Save it, Dryad. There are more pressing matters." She looked at the shattered remains of the computer towers. "We will need another if we are to find everyone."

"This was junk. I left the good ones over there." Nymph lazily gestured towards the numerous shadows of the cave, her mind obviously finding the piece of information boring. "What should I do?"

"We must get to the base at Happy Harbor. Bru-" The rest of the name was lost.

(like the past)

"Lampads might have left something there." It was as if the beginning of the name was never spoken at all. Yet, as the woman suddenly made her turn to leave, Nymph could feel the weight of the past sneaking up on her. It was unfair for the peace of death to be stolen from them all, but forced to their graves unrested was not much of a better option.

The next moment sent her into sheer pain. A large vine spiked with thorns glared at her as she toppled down to the ground, clutching her stomach. Black blood seeped out of the wound, tainting the shadows with only the wetness.

"That was for revealing the truth." Dryad turned away, making no motion to send the vine away. The sound of it returning to the earth was enough indication that he was done extracting his own justice. "Try not to do that again."

(demons we are)

His footsteps followed after his mother's, the empty echo healing the wound of an idiotic decision. Before he dropped to another level of the rocky structure, he spared her one last glance. The pale blue eyes sparkled in the darkness of their own thoughts. "I'm sorry, for what it's worth."

"I apologize as well." Her hand moved against the cold, uncaring ground. She stabilized it for support, managing to keep it steady as she brought up her body. Her other hand found itself at the smaller end of the wound that punctured her stomach. The black blood seeped through her fingers, coating them in the warm darkness. "If only Romeo received the message."

"If only."

Dryad stepped off the cliff of the caverns, allowing his weight to pull him out of her line of sight. The cave echoed his landing, allowing them to keep their thoughts of revenge to themselves.

And it's only the beginning...