The Wrong Ones

by TwinEnigma

Warnings/AN: Alternate Universe, originally done as a fill for a prompt on YJ-Anon meme, in which no one on YJ is quite who they claim.

6 – Liberation

"I have called this meeting because I have recently been made aware of a secret regarding my person, one that may impact the team," Aqualad says formally. He sits, straight-backed with his head held high and his fingers pressed together in a steeple, but all of them can see that he is nervous. He adds, "I wanted you to hear it from me directly, instead of finding out later from someone who may not have our best interests at heart."

Kid Flash raises his hand. "Question! Is this like the India mission type secret?"

"No," Aqualad says. "It is of a highly personal nature."

The speedster gawks. "Woah, like your secret ID?"

Robin narrows his eyes, leaning back in his chair, but does not say anything.

"As some of you are aware, I am half-Atlantean," Aqualad says, glancing at Artemis and Robin. "My mother was a native of Atlantis and my father a surface dweller, such as yourselves. Until recently, I believed him to be Calvin Durham, the man who raised me, but it has come to my attention that this fact was in error."

He pauses, pressing his lips together for a moment, before finishing: "My biological father is his former employer. You may know him as the supervillain Black Manta."

Kid Flash's mouth opens with an audible oh, followed by: "Woah."

Superboy just blinks. Miss Martian does not appear to know how to react and Robin simply has no response, probably already having been informed.

It is Artemis's reaction that is completely unexpected: she laughs. It starts as a little bit of a giggle and then quickly goes into full blown laughter.

"Dude, not funny!" Kid Flash whispers, glaring at her.

"No, no, it is funny!" Artemis says, now smiling broadly as she gestures to Aqualad. "Here I was thinking I was the only one with supervillains in the family and, well… No offense, though, boss, but I think I got you beat."

At that, even Superboy raises an eyebrow in disbelief.

Artemis takes a deep breath and then confesses: "My father is Sportsmaster. My mother used to be Tigress. And KF, you've got my big sister's mask as a souvenir."

The speedster's face screws up in thought for half a second and then goes right back into surprise. "Cheshire? Your sister's Cheshire? Does Roy know?"

Artemis cocks her head to the side, shrugs a little, and waggles her eyebrows.

Aqualad, inwardly, is rather relieved and realizes that now several things about some of his previous conversations with Artemis now made much more sense. It is also rather reassuring to know he is not alone in having connections to the criminal element.

"Oh man," Kid Flash says, slumping back in his chair. He then sits right back up, practically blurring, and gives them a cocky grin as he points at her. "But if you think that's going to trump my villainous background, you're sadly mistaken!"

That was certainly not anything Aqualad had expected to hear and he joins the rest of the group, looking at Kid Flash expectantly.

"See, Professor Zoom's the Flash's nemesis, right?" Kid Flash starts, standing up. "Well, this is sort of complicated, but, see, my name isn't actually Wally – it's Thaddeus Thawne – and my parents aren't actually my real parents. I'm just kind of living with them because I'mreallyfromthefuture."

"Pardon?" Artemis says, leaning forward. "Did you just say what I thought you just said?"

"It's complicated!" Kid Flash whines. "See, speedsters can run so fast we can travel in time and my grandfather, well, he's a piece of work. He's a descendent of Professor Zoom, big on the whole evil legacy of evil thing, and totally freaked out that Bart, my brother, ran all the way back to the past to become a Flash. So he cloned me and told me to run back and mess him up, but I… uh… kinda just went a little too far back and then the Flash, who's really my grandfather by the way – did I mention it was complicated –, picked me up and I was like You're totally AWESOME! And then he made me Kid Flash so I could keep using my powers and stuff, but for good, see?"

Artemis rolls her eyes and voices exactly what Aqualad and probably most of the team is thinking. "You're making that up."

"Well, when we finally run into my brother, then you'll change your mind," Kid Flash says loftily. He quickly counts on his fingers and adds, "If history hasn't changed too much, he should be showing up in a few years."

"Is that meant to be reassuring?" Superboy asks, scratching his head in bewilderment.

Kid Flash shrugs, dropping back into his chair. "I dunno. Time travel's confusing. I'm still trying to figure out if my being here and posing as Wally West means the future is fixed or not."

"I'm still not convinced over here," Artemis says, leaning back in her chair and waving her hand dismissively.

Kid Flash gives her a withering look. "Do you think I'd really make up having a name as awful as Thaddeus?"

"Dunno, you tell me, Wallace," Artemis shoots back with a smug grin.

"While we're on the subject of secrets, I'm actually a white Martian," M'gann pipes up, interrupting them before Artemis can finish knocking him about alliteration. All color drains from the Martian's skin, leaving behind milky white flesh. She waves, smiling, and says: "Hello!"

Robin clears his throat and sits up. "Way to upstage me, guys. My birth father was just a lowly bagman for Two Face. So, how about this? My real name's Jason Todd."

"What?" Kid Flash says incredulously, turning to him. "Dude! I thought it was-"

"My first adoptive family changed it when they took me in. Didn't quite match the act, if you get my drift," Robin admits, shrugging. "So, what about you, Superboy? Any secrets about your identity? Inquiring minds want to know."

Superboy shrugs.

"Nothing?" Kid Flash asks, pouting a little. "Aw, man, come on! We're spilling our guts out here!"

Aqualad shoots him a warning look: "Kid Flash."

"There was another me," Superboy pipes up suddenly, frowning a little as he taps his temple with two fingers. "In Cadmus, I mean. A match for myself. We were linked."

Everyone's eyes widen. Both Robin and Kid Flash pale. Aqualad folds his hands on the table and somberly asks, "Is he still with them?"

"He was terminated while you were unconscious," Superboy says. He squirms a little under the scrutiny and taps his head again. "But he's still alive, up here. He's a part of me now."

M'gann puts a reassuring hand on his and sighs, "Oh, Conner."

And just like that, there's a mental link up and it's full of hugs, warm assurance that things will be okay now and acceptance. They are, as one, Young Justice, secrets and all, and it's liberating.

Suddenly, a white and red blur streaks through the room, completely harshing their link, and comes to stop in the doorway, revealing a boy with dark, reddish brown hair, in a white and red jumpsuit.

Everyone stares.

"Umhi, I'mIMPULSEwhereamI?" the boy asks, lifting up his goggles.

Kid Flash is on his feet in an instant, fuming. "You're five years early, twerp!"

"Oh!Oopssorrygottago!" the boy exclaims and disappears again.

"Told ya I was telling the truth," Kid Flash says smugly.

Artemis rolls her eyes, "Whatever, Thad."

AN: Admittedly, Artemis hijacked this chapter when I wrote, as if she'd just realized how patently silly it was to be worried when everyone else also had similar issues, and it seemed totally strange, but utterly natural.

So when The Usual Suspects aired and everyone just came clean, you can imagine the funny face I made.