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SHADOWCAT'S POV
I guard Nightwing's back as we both run across and opening, stopping behind a bolder.
We have split up into pairs, Zatanna and Tigress, Aquaman and Rocket, Nightwing and I.
He didn't even ask me. No one did; everyone assumed who would be going with who. I always went with him. He always went with me. Even with the break up. That's got to mean something, right?
"Anyone got eyes on S.B.?" Nightwing asks.
"Nothing." Aquaman responds in our minds.
"No sign." Zatanna sighs.
"You sure these Kryptonians don't have superpowers?" Tigress asks skeptically.
"No yellow sun, no powers. But don't get cocky. They've been here a long time and know the ropes." He warns.
"You telling us not to get cocky is ironic," I arch an eyebrow at him, but he only rolls his eyes and continues.
"If they spot us, we'll all feel the mode." His body stiffens, "Wait! There he is. We see him."
My heart races as I look forward, my eyes settling on him. He is alive. I fight back a laugh, trying to keep the swarm of emotions rushing in at bay.
"Do we move in?"
"Not yet." He says as we look at Conner and the random man talking to him. Suddenly, the man walks away. "Okay. He's alone in the open. Converge."
I follow Nightwing's lead, stepping out from behind the rock we were hiding behind.
"Conner," Nightwing says softly.
Conner spins on his heels, looking at us with confusion before shock takes over his features. His eyes meet mine before they go to everyone else walking up behind Nightwing and I.
"Zone-Sickness. Hallucinations," He says, grabbing his head. "Ignore them."
"Conner, it's us," Artemis frowns. "We're real."
"We're here to take you home," Zee adds.
"Oh, really," A deep voice cuts through the air, making the hairs on my neck stand. Suddenly, we are surrounded by the war criminals, the leader staring at us. "Then you must have a way out of here. Do tell!"
"Then they're real. You see them too?" Conner asks, making something hurt in my chest. I remember that feeling all too well. Not being sure if the people you love are actually there or if it's a dream.
"Indeed," The man continues. "We have nothing here, nothing but each other. I calculated using the Super boy as bait would pay off. I've been expecting another attempt to retrieve him ever since that Ghosty escaped from the Zone," His eyes scan over us. "Now you people will release us all."
"No problem," Nightwing says, putting his hand on his hip. "Any friend of Super boy is a friend of ours."
"Super boy, does this friend of yours speak the truth?" He asks, making my eyes narrow at him.
Conner looks at us, studying Nightwing.
"No."
"Conner," I mutter disapprovingly, my eyes shifting to the threats in front of us.
"They're trying to play us," The leader states. "They must learn the House of Zod does not play. The House of Zod conquers."
"Conner, these are criminals," Kaldur links him to our communication. "The worst of the worst placed here by Kryptonians decades ago. You cannot side with them against your oldest friends. Remember who you are. What we've all meant each other."
"It's all broken." He mutters weakly.
"That can be fixed," I cut in, his sad eyes looking to me.
"Trust me, we know. M'gann can help you," Kaldur sympathizes.
Almost as if her name were a trigger for him, he recoils. "No! I could never go back to M'gann."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because I might hurt her," He says, making the deep ache in my chest even worse.
"You would never do that," I mutter, taking a step closer to him.
"I would. I'm a weapon, a killer." He closes his eyes in shame. "I killed Superman."
In that moment I almost thought I was looking at myself in a distorted mirror. The lines are not exactly matching up, but the overall picture is the same.
It made me fight back a flinch.
Everyone looks back at him in confusion, him having admitted that out-loud.
"I'm so sorry Conner," Nightwing takes a step closer to both of us. "You didn't kill Superman. He's not dead."
Conner looks at his hands and flinches, making a few steps back. It takes everything in me not to step closer, to help him ground himself and know that he didn't hurt anyone.
"The son of Jor-El lives?" Zod questions.
"Yes. We saw him just before we came here." Zee states, everyone confused as to why Conner would think he was dead.
"This one told us Kal-El was dead. He also told us Krypton was destroyed," Zod reveals, eyeing Conner. "Was that true?"
"Yes, over 40 years ago. I am sorry." Kaldur answers.
"Then our sentences in this hellscape will last an eternity," Zod says almost to himself.
"We can create a probationary court," Kaldur says, making a plan of action to try to calm everyone down. "Consider each of your cases, individually."
"Yes, we can do that," Zod agrees before adding, "After we've been released from the Zone. We've already served our full sentences. So release us now as a show of good faith." I look to Nightwing, his eyes on mine before we both look to everyone else.
No way in hell.
"I see," Zod states. "You don't want to release us because you fear our power under your yellow sun. Not much has changed in 40 years. The House of El and the Kryptonian High Council feared my power, too. That's why we're here. But if we can't leave, you won't either."
I tense my eyes darting to everyone around us.
"That's so not up to you," Rocket counters.
"Isn't it?" He questions before his eyes move to Conner. "Superboy, contain her."
Conner moves to us. Nightwing takes another step towards me as Rocket puts up a force field.
And... Conner walks right through it. My jaw clenches.
"Conner, stop! We are trying to help you," Kaldur holds his hand out in front of him, stepping between him and Rocket.
"Take them, secure them all!" Zod orders.
And that's when shit hit the fan.
In an attempt to fight back, we had our asses handed to us.
I cry out in pain as one of them slams into me, before knocking me down, stepping on my back. My face pushes into the ground, making me glare up at them.
They pinned all of us. Every single one.
Our weapons don't work in here and somehow they have control over when they are solid or not. Hardly fair if you ask me.
The one holding me down moves first, pulling me up by my neck.
I hiss out in pain, glaring at him.
"This one has spirit," He mutters to himself.
"Meet me in the real world and you will see just how much," I bite out.
He throws me on the floor again, making me hit my head harder than I would have liked.
Maybe I should learn when to keep my mouth shut.
He picks me up again, lining me up with the others as they keep a look out for us.
In a last attempt at getting free, Nightwing pulls out kryptonite.
We find out right after that it does not work here.
"That was my last trick Zee," Nightwing mutters.
Zatanna knows what that means, because a few moments later, we vanish.
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I huff out, glaring at the kryptonians in front of us as the rest step through the tube. A tube that randomly opened.
First step is closing that stupid tube and keeping from more power crazies beings off of Earth.
Suddenly, it closes before anyone even moves toward it.
Tigress exhales, "Well, that takes care of that problem."
Rocket mutters, "Yeah. I thought we'd have to fight off an entire Kryptonian Army keep 'em out of that Boomtube."
I look to Nightwing who says, "Zee, time to go."
She nods, "One school-bus portal to the real world coming up..."
The boom tube behind us opens again, making me groan.
"The Boomtube has reopened," Aquaman states the obvious.
"So first a Boomtube opens, then it closes, then it opens again?" Zatanna complains.
Tigress crosses her arms over her chest, "And we come here to get Superboy. He won't go with us. And then he leaves without us?"
"Yeah, I'm really getting to hate the Phantom Zone," Rocket grumbles.
Me too.
"Mother of Goat," Nightwing curses, letting me know he spends too much time with the younger kids, "All right, come on. Job to do."
We move forward with Zatanna's glamour on us until we are right in front of the tube and it warps, making us visible to everyone else.
"Look." One of them sneers to us, making me sneer back, my claws slipping out. They are so lucky I don't know how to fight in here.
"Damn it. The Boomtube warped my glamour. I couldn't hold it," Zatanna informs us.
"Then we must hold the door," Aquaman narrows his eyes in determination.
"Move, Soldiers of Zod!" One of the barks, making them charge at us.
Nightwing jumps in front of the portal. "You shall not pass!" Nightwing mimics Gandolf's voice.
"Huh. I bet he's always wanted to say that." Artemis muses, getting ready.
Nightwing laughs, "I always wanted to say that."
I can't believe I fell in love with that.
"Focus. Do not forget that they defeated us before. And handily. For the sake of the galaxy, we cannot let them defeat us again." Aquaman orders.
And just like that, all of us spring into action, fighting different soldiers, left and right, so they can't get through our little huddle.
"It's working. We're like the Spartans..." Tigress trails off as we both dodge a few punches.
"At Thermopylae, yes. A small force can hold a small pass because..." Kaldur continues.
"Only so many opponents can attack at once," Nightwing finishes before grunting as one of them gets his arms around his body.
I run forward only to be stopped by another solider. I flip out of his reach and look back at Nightwing.
"Etativel yawa, Gib Yug!" Zatanna chants, making the two separate.
"Thanks, Zee!" Nightwing says over his shoulder.
"Happy to help," She calls back as I kick one of the soldiers away from the tube.
Nightwing looks back at the tube, and I know I am not going to like what he says next. "Not that this isn't asterous, but someone needs to find out what's at the other end of this Boomtube."
I knew it.
Tigress fights back someone else before saying, "Go. We've got this."
"Okay, then," Nightwing nods, "Ready to tap in, Roc?"
"Very." She says already stepping up.
"Everyone else stay out!" He says, looking my direction for a split second before running into the tube.
I watch for a moment, and Zatanna sees the look in my face.
"Cat, no-"
I don't listen. Like hell am I going to let him run into a zeta tube without me. I take off after him, knowing he is going to be pissed at me for doing it, but not caring. He is always pissed at me. At least with me there I can make sure it is alive so he can be pissed at me.
"Let her go!" Tigress shouts, cutting off Zatanna. "Like she will listen to us. Besides, he needs backup."
That's the last thing I hear from them. I keep running forward into the tube, my eyes on Nightwing's back.
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A/N:
i'm so sorry for this being so late. i have had a rough last few months. everything is looking up though!
i really want to hear from you guys so plz comment to me <3 also ignore any mistakes, my sister didn't want to read it tonight so they will be fixed later; i wanted to get y'all the update anyways.
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how are y'all feeling?
the crumbs of brick in this chapter?
thoughts about what cat did running in behind him?
conner and her having similar experiences?
any other thoughts?
do you think this will push them together?
favorite parts?
are you excited for the next one?
what do you want to see specifically? more jealousy for someone? any flashbacks?
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thanks for reading, don't forget to vote & comment !!
xoxo, author