independence day¹
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STAR CITY. 10:30 a.m.
July 4th.
"Sometimes everyone thinks being a teenager with a double life is cool. That life is fun and great, and yes, they are right, to some extent."
IN RECENT YEARS, WHITE CANARY HAS LEARNED A few things that a new vigilante/hero should be aware of right away. Things she would have liked to know on her first night as a Black Canary's partner. The first one? Injuries hurt like hell, especially those caused by a villain with superpowers. Second? You must always have prior knowledge of how to heal wounds, or at least known someone who knows about the subject. Third, you have to stop mocking the bad guys, that just makes them more angry.
But it's the last one where Alana Allen still needed to learn the lesson.
"My idea of this day was completely different from what is happening now, you know?" raised the young blonde voice towards her mentor, who was on the other side of the street. Both were behind cars in the middle of the street, which still had civilians exposed.
"We both had a completely different idea, girl. Don't worry," said Dinah, smiling as she tried to evade one of the ice beams that her opponent was throwing.
White Canary was frustrated at these moments. Only a few days earlier she returned to the fight against crime. After almost four months of rest, what happened? Long story short, Captain Cold, Kid Flash, and The Flash happened. She had always made it clear that if she ever helped Central City, it was because the threat must be a very big one. After all, it would be very weird that one of Star City's heroines would be there to save Central City, right? But after one of her famous bets with her cousin, White Canary and Kid Flash went to stop a robbery, which turned into a snow war between Wizard Weather and Captain Cold,
She hated her father's villains with every fiber of her being. Her knee was struck by one of Cold's weapon rays, so not only could she not walk properly for a month, but she also had to come up with an excuse to her softball coach about why she couldn't participate during the season due to a knee injury from 'gymnastics'. And she was sad because she loves being in the softball team.
And if that wasn't enough, she wasn't White Canary for those months until recently.
"That's one of the downsides, you run the risk of injuring yourself severely. And you want to know the worst part? I don't have super healing, Wally and Barry are fully healed in just two weeks on average. And then there's me, four months in recovery."
Back to the present, the only thought on Alana's mind is to finish off this villain and head to Washington, D.C. for the most anticipated moment of her life: Joining the Justice League. Since her mentor told her about how the heroes with sidekicks have wanted to welcome them into their world officially, her only short-term goal is to prove her worth. And now back in the game, she would not waste a minute of her time that wasn't focused on that (and on school).
But as not everything can be roses, one of the Ice villains, better known as Icicle, arrived to ruin her plan to be on time and to be taken seriously by her mentor's teammates (and to arrive much earlier than Kid Flash and win their bet, a very ridiculous one, but she wasn't going to lose thirty dollars and especially not lose against her annoying and energetic cousin).
"Okay, Ice, and not the drink, why don't we make a deal? You let Black Canary and I knock you out with two blows that won't hurt that much, and you prevent us from having to do the:" she made a noise with her throat before continuing to speak "You have failed this city" as her voice came out identical to that of that vigilante with the green hood. In recent months, she discovered that she can manipulate her vocal cords and with this imitate anyone's voice. KF, Speedy, and especially Green Arrow are tired of her new ability.
Black Canary (with a playful smile) took advantage of her companion's opportunity and removed the exposed civilians from the fighting scene.
"Always such an annoying bird girl, but I see you're heated. Why don't you come here and let me freeze you!?" and with that, he fired another ray at White Canary, which hit her right shoulder, but she didn't even flinch in the adrenaline rush.
"Thanks, always so considerate, although I still think my option is better," spoke the younger blonde while smiling at her enemy with a shit-eating grin.
"Surrender already, Icicle, it's two against one," sounded Black Canary's voice ready to end this fight.
"Never!" he exclaimed as he attacked again. Both heroines synchronized to attack him, dodging his rays one by one until they were close to him and unleashed their famous Canary cries leaving the Iceman exposed to knock him down with two blows, one to the face and one to the stomach. Once unconscious, they handcuffed him and put a collar on him to counteract his powers. The police sirens could be heard nearby and despite Alana's urgency to leave, Dinah told her they had to wait for the rest of the Arrow team because unfortunately the heroines' bikes were destroyed during the fight.
"Good job, Black Canary," commented one of the police officers who had already arrived at the scene. Normally, Alana would comment how she also helped, but upon seeing only two motorcycles coming their way, she decided to ignore the officer this time.
"Finally!" exclaimed Alana to approach Roy who already had another helmet for her "As much as I love hearing you being praised, we have to go, Black Canary," she said with her usual cheekiness while smiling at her mentor. Without further ado, Dinah dismissed the officers and boarded Oliver's motorbike, where he smiled amusedly as he realized her companion was just as desperate as his.
"Dinah Lance a.k.a. Black Canary, has been my mentor since I was ten. It can be said that I am one of the oldest partners alongside Robin and Speedy. Although Dinah has been in my life since Barry Allen adopted me, she has helped me overpower my skills and taught me everything I can to defend myself."
"The last time I saw you both so excited was when you defeated Oliver in a fight months ago," said the woman, as she saw the two teenagers arguing with each other about who could be the best addition to the League.
Dinah Lance was her second mother figure. Her therapist. Her teacher. Her mentor. She was Alana's role model, and she wanted to be like her. She had a long way to go, but she knew that when the time would indicate, she would be the next Black Canary.
"Don't remember me. That day my ego came out more damaged than my ribs," Oliver replied, as he tried to pretend discomfort, and though he felt ashamed at that time, his pride was greater in seeing how capable his companions were.
"Oliver Queen, ladies and gentlemen. He and I are at each other's throats all the time. Although we do not want to admit it, if there is affection between the two, we are very proud to say it out loud."
Her relationship with Oliver was based on childish jokes and a friendly rivalry. Dinah was always in the midst of them, as if she were a mother with two young children. Roy simply made clear comments with crankiness to boost the discussions. But for the fortune of the redhead and the other adult, the rest of the way was pure talk by the two teenagers, with only occasional jokes by Alana and Oliver.
"I can't believe that once again you and Kid Flash bet to see who is the first to arrive of the both," commented Roy after recalling his friend talk about her cousin.
"He was an idiot to mention the bet, and money is money. You can blame me for wanting to make money," she said.
"You're right, I can't.," he said, breaking into a laugh shared with the younger blonde.
"Roy Harper looks like an idiot who can tell you to go to hell at any moment. But in real life, it's a funny idiot. Arrogant, cynical, but a good companion to joke."
Alana saw Roy as an annoyed older brother. Both discussing and being mad at each other, but never turning their backs to each other. They both had a similar temperament that made them seem incompatible, but that didn't ruin their moments of fun and mutual support. At first, Roy seemed mad of Alana's presence, so they both argued all the time, until one night of patrol, Dinah and Oliver left them on their own to resolve their differences. It wasn't a great idea, but at the end of the night, everyone ended up having a family-sized pizza dinner while enjoying the moment as a team (and family).
[...]
THEY ARRIVED IN THE HALL OF JUSTICE A WHILE LATER. And Alana could notice that there was no signal of Wally or Barry. Today, it's my day. She said mentally as she got off Roy's bike to walk where the other heroes were already there. She visualised the dark night as seriously as ever, and then the king of Atlantis, with a serene expression. She moved her eyes to the two teenagers, who were already greeting her. Being already close to them, Robin took advantage of being the first to speak to her.
"You're late," he said with a silly smile as he saw her walk. Alana noticed that he was a little taller than the last time they saw each other, but she was still winning him by a couple of centimetres. "How much did you bet this time? KF didn't give so many details."
"Late, but with style," she replied, smiling at them both. "And answering your question, thirty dollars. And I don't see him anywhere. Which make me think, this day can't go any better?" she continued as she pushed all her weight to her left side.
"Your shoulder doesn't look good," Aqualad said when he noticed that her jacket was damaged and her skin seemed to be of a light blueish tone. But she just ignored them.
Roy came over to them next to Alana and processed to said "That's because she doesn't want to heal herself."
"My shoulder is completely fine. You should have seen the bad guy, he got it worse," she said arrogantly. She doesn't usually act or speak like that. But one of the best things her mentor taught her was to pretend to have the opposite personality so she wouldn't be discovered. So, if she were just herself like Alana, she would probably be going crazy by being so negligent. But now she was White Canary, the heroine, without fear of danger.
Before one of them could reproach her, their mentors spoke to them.
It was time.
The four heroes and their partners stood next to each other, admiring the large hall in front of them. There were people outside waiting to see them, admiring them for the heroic actions that each of them had done over the years. Everything was perfect.
"Today is the day," Batman says.
"Welcome to the Hall of Justice," followed by Green Arrow.
"Headquarters of the Justice League" finished Aquaman.
Alana couldn't help but notice that her mentor didn't say anything, and it was hard not to be able to make fun of her. "Something to contribute to their words?" turning her head towards the blonde female adult, who was already expecting some reply from her.
"In fact, yes. On landing the cave, I hope that you can heal that shoulder yourself," and without hesitation, she gave her a strong palm on her injured shoulder.
She tried not to swear. She wasn't going to let that prevent her from enjoying this day. "Funny as always" released sarcasm as she took off her mentor's hand and felt the funny looks of the men behind her (except for Batman, as he never smiles). "But this shoulder won't ruin my day. Additionally, I earn thirty dollars easily."
Could this day get better?
"Oh, no!" Everyone turned around when they heard somebody scream, only to find the two fastest people they knew arriving late. "I knew we would be the last ones here." Kid Flash let go of anger when he noticed Alana's winning smile. "And I lost thirty dollars! Can this day get worse?"
[...]
WHEN THE TEN HEROES WERE TOGETHER, THEY STARTED to walk towards the courtroom, where they were surrounded by fans and photographed. Alana didn't understand very well what they were saying, she was more focused on looking around her.
"Oh, look! They are Black Canary and White Canary!" she heard someone say.
"The enthusiasm seems to come out of you, you know?" Alana heard Dinah say as she hugged her partner on the side, taking care of her wounded shoulder as they continued walking towards the lounge. Alana had a great smile, and while her gaze was covered by her famous domino mask, Dinah knew that her look was radiant with her particular brightness, which she only felt in moments of happiness.
"Oh, shut up. I've dreamed of this day since I became White Canary," said with a big smile.
Though she hadn't told her yet, Dinah was completely proud of her. She remembers that she had known her as that shy and frightened little girl who couldn't speak, who was now this brave, fearless teenager with the biggest heart anyone could have. She had no words to explain how happy she was to have her as her apprentice, but what she knew was that she would one day be the best heroine.
As they continued walking, the blonde rejoined the group of partners. Once next to Robin, Aqualad decided to talk. "I'm glad we're all here."
"Have all five sidekicks ever been in the same place at the same time?" said Wally with excitement. About to answer Alana was interrupted by Roy.
"Don't call us sidekicks, not after today.".
"Sorry. First time at the hall, I'm a little overwhelmed."
"Always so gentle, Speedy." Her sarcasm made Roy look at her graciously, but she only smiled more. "Let's go, boys. Today is a day to be calm. There is no reason to be anxious or overwhelmed." She tried to calm them, but inside, Alana was a handful of nerves. She would explode at any moment.
"You're overwhelmed, Freeze was underwhelmed. Why isn't anyone just whelmed?" talking all of a sudden, Robin.
"Alright, stop with that kind of scrabble. You look like an idiot," Alana replied, surprising the boys around her. "Okay, I apologize, Rob. I'm feeling overwhelmed and nervous, which is not a good combination right now."
"Hey, don't worry. Maybe we can be overwhelmed together," replied Robin as he grabbed her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her, who managed to do so.
Finally, they entered the building, where they could see the huge statues of each of the founding members of the League. Then the superhero Martian ManHunter came out of the entrance. "Robin, Speedy, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and White Canary. Welcome." Alana felt that they held her arms, helping her out of her trance after hearing the Mars hero welcome them. She focused her attention on Dick and Wally, who were waiting for her to get the five and go on with the journey.
"Make yourself at home," I hear Barry say to them when they get to the library. The latter sent a smile to his daughter, whom he had not seen since early.
Alana didn't waste time and went to sit next to Robin's seat, but Kid Flash was faster than her and sat in her place. Alana just hit his head and stood behind the chairs of his two friends. She saw Aqualad give her a gesture as if telling her to take his place, but she answered him by denying her head as she smiled, although she was grateful that he had been more gentle than her other three friends.
"Quick debrief to discuss the coincidence of five ice villains attacking on the same day," he heard Batman say to his mentors. "We shouldn't be long," he told the five teenagers.
Was that all? said Alana mentally. She was sure they would show them what the League's real headquarters were. How did she know about that? Well...
[...]
( flashback )
"Shit!" she screamed after falling mouth-up on the floor over the training mattress.
"I suppose that's enough for today, huh?" she heard the voice of Dinah asking as she looked at her with fun.
"Please, I'm feeling like a boxing bag," she begged as her mentor helped her get up.
"Fine. But try to train that kick, okay?" In response, Alana just nodded while drinking some water. "Any suggestions for dinner tonight?"
"Chinese food" she replied.
"All right, Chinese food will be." With this, Dinah headed to the elevator outside of what is the Arrow Cave to arrive at the shared apartment with Oliver and Roy. "I won't be long." And so it disappeared from Alana's sight.
As she was preparing her things for a hot shower she needed more than ever, the computer from the cave sounded. It was Oliver. "I'm sorry, this line does not respond to arrogant idiots with money and a stupid beard," she replied by the intercom. At the bottom, Roy's laughter was simply heard, and Alana knew that Oliver put on such a famous face as an angry old man that he always gave it to her. It was all an act, of course.
"Where's my girlfriend?"
"Dinah went to buy dinner. And before you talk, she went for Chinese food, so she already knows your usual orders," said in a tired tone. "What am I helpful about?"
"Just search the rooms at our location, can you?" Oliver replied.
"Emm... There are like five men in the building, on the third floor. And they have... Wait, are those swords?" She asked after expanding the monitor image.
"Great, we're dealing with ninjas," Roy said in an annoying tone.
"Yes and no. Alana, is there one in particular that figures out?" He asked again.
She looked at the monitor this time and saw a new person who seemed to be giving orders; his bow and arrow distinguished him from the others. "There's a new one. This one brings a bow and arrows." Her voice stopped. She only knew an archer who used ninjas as reinforcements. "It's Merlyn, isn't it?" Oliver claimed as she listened again on the other side of the line, to Roy cursing and saying, "This will be a long night."
"Do you want me to call Dinah? I don't think we'll be late to get where you are."
"Don't worry. We'll take care of it." And with that, she said goodbye. She went to shower and change into more comfortable clothes when the intercom rang all over the cave. Alana pressed the keyboard button, but before she answered, Oliver's voice sounded, but it didn't seem to be speaking to her to Roy. "Look, I know I don't say this often to you guys, but I'm proud of you two."
"Well, I didn't know that by almost dying you were putting yourself in a cheesy mood," Roy mocked, but Oliver made him shut up by giving him a stern look.
"Listen, tomorrow is an important day for you and Alana. I know you've been waiting for it for a long time, and that's why I want to tell you this in confidence between us."
Shit, he doesn't know that he turned on the intercommunication, thought Alana mentally, feeling bad for listening in secret, so determined to be a good person, and about to hang Oliver's voice again. "Our real headquarters is called the Watchtower, it's a kind of satellite in space. And I am sure that shortly you will be there with me as a partner, not only to me but to the rest of the League."
[...]
After that moment, Alana was quite silent during dinner. Even after she arrived home, it was hard for her not to tell Wally. Don't get her wrong, Alana Allen knew how to keep a secret—much better than Batman himself—but this was something huge. She had no idea how long she would have to pretend to be an idiot and think that Justice Hall was the "true" headquarters of the League.
"That's it?" raised the voice of Roy, who had walked to stand in front of the major heroes. "You promised us a real look inside, not a glorified backstage pass.".
This is not going to end well, though the blonde teenager, as she began to bite her lip (a bad habit) anxiously to see her partner, angry with the situation.
"You've been granted access that few others get," she heard Aquaman say, which seemed stupid to her. Weren't there people outside the library looking through a window?
"Oh, really?" he said sarcastically, letting go of the furrows. "Who cares which side of the glass we're on?"
"Roy, you just need to be patient," Oliver said in a calm tone to calm him down. It didn't work.
"What I need is respect," he said, turning to look at the other four partners. "They're treating us like kids. Worse, like sidekicks. We deserved better than this." They looked at each other, but no one said anything. It was clear that they did not want to disobey their mentors. And worse was the case of Alana having not only her mentor but also her father there. "You're kidding, right?" said Roy. "You're playing their game? Why?" Alana didn't know what to say; on the one hand, she wanted to be there to support Roy. Not only was he her close friend, he was her brother, but for the other, she didn't feel it was her duty to respond at this moment. "Today was supposed to be the day. Step one in becoming full-fledged members of the League".
"Well, sure, but I thought step one was a tour of the HQ," replied a confused Wally.
"Except the Hall..." Alana, seeing what he was going to say, tried to stop him.
"Roy, shut up. We shouldn't say anything," but he didn't mind hearing it.
"...isn't the League's real headquarters," both adult and young heroes changed their expressions when they heard him finish. Damn it, Roy. You had to be so stubborn, Alana thought, then saw how Dinah and Barry looked at her afterward, realizing that she knew that too. She was in trouble.
"I bet they never told you it's just a false front for four tourists and a pit stop for catching Zeta-Beam teleporter tubes to the real thing," he said angrily, looking at the four teenagers in front of him. "An orbiting satellite called the Watchtower." Alana closed her eyes in frustration when she saw how Roy completely revealed the true location of the headquarters. If I could, I'd hit him right now.
"Well done, idiot. If they weren't angry before, now they are," Alana spoke as she saw a rather annoyed Batman looking at Oliver.
"And how did you know it?" asked Barry towards his daughter, somewhat upset.
Her exasperated expression changed to a nervous one when she saw Barry's gaze on her. "Mhmmm. I may have heard their conversation during the patrol last night," she replied with a nervous laugh.
"Before or after I go out for dinner?" Dinah spoke for the first time, quite angry.
"After. I was helping them with Merlyn! Yet, it is not my fault that GA pressed to call the cave by mistake," she defended herself, but that didn't take away their frustrating gazes from her.
"You are not helping your cause here, son," Aquaman commented as he addressed Roy, distracting her, Barry, and Dinah, but not removing the fact that they were angry with her. "Stand down or..."
"Or what? You'll send me to my room?". Shit, just blew up this idiot, Alana mentally said, not knowing how many times in the day. "I'm not your son. I'm not even his. I thought I was his partner. But not anymore." He began to walk towards the exit, but Alana's hand stopped him.
"C'mon, Roy. Stop being a jerk," she said, still surprised by his stumbling.
"Of all of them, I thought at least you would support me." His tone wasn't the usual humor and sarcasm that he used to use with her. It was a severe and cold one. Alana felt bad about that tone. "Guess they're right about you four. You're not ready." This time his words were for them four, and he immediately removed Alana's hand from his arm with determination and left.
Before any of them could prosecute what happened, Superman was already on the screen, reporting an emergency. Batman had begun to speak, but the hero Zatara appeared on the same screen to notify them of another emergency, a little more urgent than that of Superman. Alana saw Oliver going to the Zeta tube and immediately approached him, pushing him with all her strength.
"Alana!" she heard Dinah say, but ignored her.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Oliver let go, surprised.
"What the hell is wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you?" The anger was evident as she pushed a finger over the blonde's chest and looked at him with rage. "How could you let Roy do that?"
"He made his decision. I couldn't do anything else."
"Of course, you could! Shit, Oliver!. Roy has been near you all the time, ever since, and you leave him like that without more?"
"Alana, enough," Barry stated this time, who, after telling Wally that he would stay with the others, went to detain his daughter.
"No! Really, Oliver? How the hell can you let him go like you don't care?" She raised her voice again, much louder than the first time.
"Alana, I said it was enough," Barry replied as he kept his daughter away from Oliver. He was affected by the words of the young blonde.
"Or what? Will you punish me?".
"Yes, if you continue with that attitude," he replied in a firm tone. For the father-daughter duo Allen were never like this. Barry never had to take on the role of an angry parent. Alana always behaved well, and Barry always explained to her what was right and what was wrong. It hurt him to have to take that attitude towards his daughter.
Alana just stared at the adults angrily and then turned around, pressing her fists hard. She heard Dinah tell her that they would talk about it later. And then, hearing that Red Tornado was the last one to leave, she wanted to hit something. That helped her when she got angry. She always strikes the boxing bag when she trains, but this time she contains her anger. Wally turned towards her, putting his hand on her shoulder in a form of consolation. She put her hand on his for a moment, until the speedster walked away and then despised his anger with the others.
"Uh, when are we ready? How are we ever supposed to be ready when they treat us like sidekicks?" he commented with frustration.
"My mentor, my king. I thought he trusted me," continued Kaldur, who seemed more than disappointed.
"Trust? They don't even trust the basics. They've got an HQ in space!"
"They just think that we aren't worthy of such information, what a bullshit," declared Alana as she stood again in the midst of them.
"What else aren't they telling us?" Aqualad asked.
"I have a better question. Why didn't we leave with Speedy?" Dick talked for the first time since the conversation began.
All three bowed their heads, and Alana could feel that Wally and Kaldur put their hands on her shoulders, although Roy was angry with the four. She was the one who got the worst treatment in the end.
"What is Project Cadmus?" asked Aqualad.
"I don't know, but I know someone who can do us the favour of investigating that," Alana replied moments later, as she looked at Wally and Kaldur with a smile before subsequently looking at Dick, who seemed to be distracted. The boy felt her eyes and felt nervous to see that she was smiling at him. He then noticed the other two sharing gazes, and he understood what Alana meant.
"Oh! Are you talking about me?" he asked "Well, I can find out" Dick said with his characteristic smile and he headed to the computer.
[Access denied]
"Wanna bet?" says Dick. Alana stopped Wally by putting her arm over the boy's shoulder. She made a motion to recall her wounded shoulder but tried to distract herself as she tried to understand what her friend was doing on the computer.
"Whoa! How are you doing that?" Wally questioned him curiously.
"Same system as the Batcave." answered flagrantly.
"Well, it was Batsy who put money into this. It was clear that he was going to put the same system into it. Isn't that right?" Alana whispered as she watched the boy do his magic. With her comment, the three boys just let go of some laughter and started to see what the archive said about Cadmus.
"All right. Project Cadmus Genetics Lab is here in DC. That's all there is, but if Batman's suspicious, maybe we should investigate." finished speaking, the acrobat boy gave Alana a sufficient look. Alana just turned her eyes and leaned on her shoulder on his as Kaldur started to speak.
"Solved their cases before them. It would be poetic justice."
"Hey, they're all about justice," Dick mocked with a laugh as he turned to see Alana. She just smiles at the bad joke.
"But they said stay put," replied Kaldur heavily.
"For the blotting-out-the-sun mission, not this" Robin reasoned.
"Wait. A-are you going to Cadmus? Because if you're going, I'm going." Wally exclaimed and then smiled at Dick, and both looked, with that same expression at Aqualad.
"Just like that, we're a team on a mission?" questioned the Atlante.
"We didn't come for a play date.".
"With your age, you could still," responded the Black Canary partner for the first time, who had remained silent, thinking about the pros and cons of going on that mission. Wally let go of a scratch, Dick was only willing to look unwillingly at her, and Kaldur, just to make no mistake, asked her what she thought.
Barry's going to get mad. Dinah's going to get furious. Iris's going to get angry. Oliver's going to get mad, but I don't care about him right now. But then she thought, This is the moment for which she had prepared herself. This will help her to finally stand up for herself, to stand out as a heroine, and what is the better return from injury than doing a team mission with the rest of her hero partners?
"All my life, I've been following orders. Ready to serve and help others with anything. But with all this Roy's harassment, I'm more than sure that trying to do poetic justice would not hurt us. So, fuck our mentors, and let's show how capable we are," she clarified, looking seriously at the three boys.
They were going to prove that they were good heroes; nothing could go wrong, right?
"Spoiler alert!! Yeah, it ends badly. Or well, not all."
── mir's talk
HELLO PEOPLE!!! so here is the first chapter of season one. I hope you guys enjoy it:)
no in all chapters will be Alana's voice off, I think only in importants ones where maybe I put some monologue about her own thoughts.
btw I just finished the list of episodes of S1 and i just tell you, enjoy s1 cuz pre S2 and S2 would hurt as fuuuuckkk!!!
anyways, vote, comment or whatever.
read u soooon:)