On The Darkest Night [2]

Lights Up

10
Lights Up
Season Two: Episode 3

Alister and Dick walked into the kitchen. Their laughs died down. The screeching tea kettle rang in their ears.

"I see it didn't take long for you two to reconcile." Donna said. She lifted the kettle from the flame and reached for a mug.

Alister glanced at Dick. He had a lot of ass-kissing to do if he wanted Donna to forgive him. "Donna I--"

"Unless you can look me in the eye and tell me you were gonna come back before you knew we were in danger, there's nothing you can say." Said Donna. Her tone was cold as ice though she sipped hot tea.

Alister's wings deflated. He sighed and leaned against the counter. "Don, please try to understand. I lost the only two people on this Earth who could begin to understand me. I lost my family..."

"The Titans were supposed to be your family. What about Dick and me, huh? 'Cause I distinctly remember the three of us in it for the long haul. We're your family too, Al, and you just vanished."

"Donna it wasn't just about Carter and Sheyara, okay? It was about me and some deeply personal shit. I... I can't even remember what happened to me after Trigon. I thought I flew straight to Sheyara's but it turns out, I was gone for days. I still have no clue where I went."

"No use in telling me now. Just drop it, Alister, because the more you talk, the more I want to punch you." Said Donna. She fixed her annoyed gaze on Dick. "Any luck with Doctor Light?" She asked.

Dick, who'd been quiet as a mouse, finally spoke. "Gar is searching the power grid. If Doctor Light powers up, we'll find him." Dick answered.

Alister rolled his eyes. He turned and left the kitchen. There'd be no getting through to Donna Troy. She was much too stubborn to just forgive and forget.

Alister picked up his mace and stepped onto the balcony. He spread his wings. Anyone above the 10th floor of the adjacent building could see him. See not only his shimmering wings, but the ample scars that lined his body.

In the 3 months he'd been gone, he learned to appreciate his body more. His scars were a symbol of what he overcame. His wings were his symbol of power. Nobody could take that away from him. Not anymore.

"You could just fly away," He whispered to himself. "They have it under control. You have to get Lion-Mane before he disappears again."

"Al, Gar's got a lead." Said Dick as he poked his head outside.

Alister jumped. He curled his wings and followed Dick inside. They walked into the surveillance room and listened to Gar explain away.

"There was nothing irregular in the main grid, so I started searching the private lines, and then this." Gar worked his fingers against a screen. Lines stemming from all over the city trailed back to one hot spot.

"It doesn't look like enough power for Doctor Light but it's centered around that location." Gar said.

"It's a switching station." Said Dick. "Kinda like a back door into the grid."

The moment Dick stopped talking the power shut off. The backup power kicked in. The once bright lights were replaced with dimmer ones.

"What's going on?" Asked Alister.

He followed Dick out of the room. They walked into the main room and peered out the window. It became evident that they weren't the only ones facing an outage.