Young Justice: Red Beetle

Chapter 45 - Out Of It

My heart freezes at his words. It's impossible, he can't know. We kept it secret so they would never know.

One nod of the Ambassador's head, and Blub Beetle is gripping my arm, jerking me up and walking me to another room. It's a security room, with multiple camera feeds. With a few taps on buttons, the Ambassador pulls up a large screen. The video feed makes me forget how to breathe. 

Mev is being shoved into the very same time machine Bart used to travel to the past. Red Beetle is cramming him in there, with his inhibitor collar and ropes around his arms and legs.

Red Beetle has always terrified me more than Blue Beetle. She likes to hurt people, loves to watch them suffer. Her body is pure muscle, and it's impossible to tell that the body was once a short female. Even her voice is impossible to identify as female. She's completely terrifying.

"Mev." I whisper. His red hair is ruffled up in a mess as per usual. He is the only light in my dark world, and they're taking him away. They found my boyfriend. How?

"Awaiting your command." Red Beetle's voice fills the room, as she stands on the screen, waiting to activate the time machine.

"Now." The Ambassador orders calmly.

"NO! PLEASE, NO!" I lunge forward, but Blue Beetle wraps his large muscular arms around me, effortlessly lifting me off the ground. I thrash and scream and kick my legs. I wish with my entire being that I didn't have this horrid collar on me. Then, I watch helplessly as Red Beetle pushes the button, and the machine rattles and a bright light flashes. The machine is gone, then a moment later, another light flashes and it reappears, nearly destroyed with smoke coming off of it.

And Mev is gone.

"MEV!" I scream pitifully. I stop thrashing and stay still. Blue Beetle lets go of me, and I sink to my knees, staring at where my boyfriend once was.

"The Message has been set," Red Beetle declares.

"Perfect," He says, then turns to me. "M'evolo has a data chip attached to his inhibitor collar." The Ambassador explains, standing in front of me. "Once the past version of the Reach stumble upon him in their ship, they will read the chip and know the plan."

He looks down at me, smiling triumphantly. "He is our insurance that you will do everything we order you too. If you mess up, if you disobey, one step out of line and he'll pay the price. Do you understand?"

I can only stare him. I would give my soul if it meant that Mev will be alright. He's my light.

"Yes." I whisper.

As I explain this to Nightwing, he doesn't say a single word. I finish with myself traveling to the past with a fixed up time machine, and getting my inhibitor collar taken off and beginning my mission.

"And your mission was to put Red Beetle on mode?" Nightwing clarifies.

I nod. "I came here that night to try and just kidnapped her. When I realized I wasn't going to win, I told them that I was here to protect Remy from getting killed."

"You lied about Remy getting killed." Nightwing states.

"Yes, I was hoping it would scare her into coming with me. I didn't realize how... brave she is." I say.

"And why lie about Wonder Girl being the one to kill her?" He questions.

"To try and scare her again. I almost got her that time, almost."