catgirl ! crushed (nightwing)

«chapter twenty-three: bedlam»

  "You!" He sneers as he looks at Conner. Must have met him before. Doesn't sound like it was pretty.

  "Yeah. Me." Conner remarks as he crunches his knuckles before we all run at him.

  We stop short when a pain takes over, making us all fall to the floor.

  I groan with the others as Vertigo steps out and Bedlam slips out of the back room.

  My eyes close due to the pressure in my skull, making me hold it in pain. I hate this guy.

  "Gamma to Beta. We've rescued the hostages and taken down Doctor Ecks. How's it going at the Palace?" Miss Martian asks through the communicator.

  "Just a... second," I hear Nightwing groan, making me look up just in time to see in throw one of his escrima sticks and it Count Vertigo right in the face. He falls out the ground unconscious, making us sign out in relief as the pain eases.

  "Jected! Beta to Gamma," He says as I stand up with Halo and Tigress. " Vertigo's down. Sending Tigress, Shadowcat, and Halo to Alpha."

  With that, we start running to find the others as Tigress says, "On our way."

I just hope we aren't too late.

  The very thought makes me run faster, and Artemis must sense my worry, her picking up the pace too.

  When we find them, Tara is holding a rock over Gar's head. She is ready to crush him. To kill him.

  "Tara, listen," Tigress says as Halo is too stunned to speak. "You don't have to do what Deathstroke says."

  Beastboy looks at us in confusion, "Deathstroke? How does she-"

  "How long have you known?" Tara asks, her eyes widening.

"Known? Known what?" Brion echos.

  "Since before we found you," Tigress admits as she takes of her mask to face Tara. "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."

  "And I could tell," I add, letting her know that I also here for her. "When you have been in that same position, it's not hard to figure it out."

  "You knew I was still a Shadow? Why didn't you-" She starts, her eyes wide, but Artemis cuts her off.

  "Busting you upfront would've taken the decision out of your hands, which is exactly what the bad guys have done to you from the moment you were abducted," She explains, her voice gentle as she talks to the girl.

  My eyes go to Garfield, who is staring wide eyed at us, fear shining in his eyes as he hood his arm to his chest. He is hurt already, which means if this did turn bad, he doesn't have the best chance.

  I don't react as I make a plan to protect him if I need to before I look back at Tara.

  Tara pauses, and I can tell Deathstroke is talking to her. It sends a flare of anger through me.

  Seeing her so torn up about this... so close to where I was... I can't help it. I can't separate my emotions.

  "I have been betrayed so many times," Tara mutters, her tone seeming slightly broken. "But these people risked their lives to save me.
Treated me with kindness and respect... Made me part of their family."

  She pauses again, and this time I can't stop myself from stepping up to say, "You have a choice, Tara. The Shadows pretend to know what is best for you and to give you a choice, but it isn't real," I shake my head, my eyes meeting her's, "So I want you to know, we are giving you the choice. And this one is only your's to make."