006
— you're nothing else —
THE SOFT DING OF THE ELEVATOR DOORS OPENING MADE THEM LIFT THEIR HEADS. Dawn walked out first, Hanks just behind him, a small limp obvious in his left leg. "I'll get some painkillers from the infirmary," Donna announced, turning down the hall.
Hazel ran her hand down her face, her mind racing. If she could have gotten closer, if Dick had just trusted her she could have got him down in seconds. Before Hank had gotten burnt. Hazel took her jacket off, hanging it over the edge of the couch.
"You had a chance," Hank called to Dick.
Hazel turned to watch them. Dick sighed and turned to Hank, shrugging softly. "He would've killed everyone on the bus," Dick justified.
"And he's gonna kill how many more now?" Hank shouted.
"I'll get him," Dick assured.
Hank shook his head and took a daring step closer. "Maybe you've lost the taste for how this works," Hank continued.
"We'll get another shot."
"The old Robin would've taken the first one."
"Hank. Hey. Hey," Dawn soothed, taking Hank's shoulder, running her hand over his arm in a calming motion. "That's enough. Come on." Hank let Dawn take his hand and lead him down the hall.
Hazel sighed and watched Hank limp away, her stomach churning at his leg that she had failed to properly heal. "Why did you have to try and chase him?" Dick snapped and Hazel turned to him. His eyes were tired, but his shoulders had yet to loosen.
"Why?" Hazel scoffed, throwing her hands up. "If you had just trusted me I coulda' had him."
"But you're back up alright?" Dick shouted and Hazel stepped back. Dick whipped his hand down his face and huffed. "Nothing else."
"Where's Dr Light?" Jason cooed, walking from the hall, Gar, Rachel and Terran following him.
Hazel looked between Jason and Dick. She shook her head and grabbed her jacket, storming past the others. A moment later the echo of the slamming door made them jump. Terran turned quickly chasing after Hazel. She sighed and knocked on the door. "Hazel?" Terran twisted the door handle, but it refused to open. "Haze, can you just let me in?"
A few moments later the lock clicked. Terran opened the door, watching the small vine retreat from the door handle and twisted back against the doorframe. Hazel slouched over her desk, one hand holding onto a glass filled with an amber liquor, the other sprouting flowers from her fingertips. "So... I'm guessing that didn't go amazingly," Terran muttered, closing the door behind her. Hazel turned her head looking up at Terran. "What did Dick say?" Hazel's brows furrowed as Terran pulled out a small stool and sat beside her. "He looked way serious, and you looked way mad. So obviously he said something."
Hazel hummed, turning back to stare at the glass. "He said that I'm back up and nothing more," Hazel muttered, pushing herself to sit properly. "And you know... Feels great to be appreciated." Hazel took the glass and sipped softly, the burn racing down her throat.
"Okay, one, gross," Terran huffed, taking the glass from Hazel. "Two, does it matter? Hank's more than happy to see you and Dick asked for your help, so they definitely need you." Terran kicked Hazel's chair and Hazel turned to face her, a small smile pulling at her lips. "I ordered things to the tower. Downstairs garage?"
"Behind the black Ute, password to use the door is my number plate."
"Cool." Terran pushed herself up, slipping out the door quickly.
Hazel sighed and slumped in her seat; her knees propped up against the desk. Hazel closed her eyes and hung her head back, staring up at the ceiling. She could feel the lump in her throat as she swallowed hard, what more could she do? She had trained to the point she could defeat Jason, once but she never let him forget it, she had near perfect control over her powers, she could run this tower by herself and had learnt everything Dick had to teach her but still she was reduced to back up.
Hazel slid from the chair and fell back against her bed, pulling the covers up to cover her head. Her eyes screwed shut, the sound of beeping cars outside filling her ears.
Hazel crouched low behind the car, the thump of her heart echoing in her ears as Dr Light fired beams of scorching light, illuminating the car park. The urgency pulsed through her veins, prompting her to move, but before she could take a step, Dick's strong grip closed around her arm, yanking her back into the safety of concealment.
"Are you fucking stupid?" Dick snapped, frustration etched across his face. "You're back up! Nothing else!"
"But Dick, let me help—"
"What are you gonna do, huh?" Dick argued, his voice edged with concern and exasperation. "You gonna yell at him to stop?!"
"I can use my light!"
"You can't control it," Dick yelled, his fingernails piercing her skin. "You tore apart our fucking kitchen."
Stuck in their argument, neither noticed as Hank raced forward. He managed to dodge one of Dr Light's strikes, but a second shot through his chest, burning through his skin and bone. It was Dawn's scream for Hank that made them turn.
Hank's body slammed into the ground with a violent thud, blood and flesh spilling out onto the floor. Dick raced around Hazel, Donna and Dawn following him as they ran at Dr Light. Hazel's eyes had singled in on Hank's face, his eye's unmoving as they stared out at nothing, just a blank void with no life behind them.
A ringing noise filled Hazel's ears as she slowly rose to her feet and walked to Hank's body, kneeling beside him. "Hank?" Hazel's voice cracked as she called to him. Her hands shook as she grabbed his upper arm and shook him softly. "Hank..."
Hazel sat straight in her bed, her chest pounding in fear as her jagged breaths filled the room. Her hands fisted the sheets as her eyes tried to focus on something, but she couldn't make out the details of her room, the dark of night filling her vision. Her prayers were answered when her door slammed open, an extremely rattled Gar standing in the doorway.
Oh no.
"Gar?" Hazel called. She waved her hand and lights filled the room. "What happened? Are you alright?" Hazel pulled herself out of the bed and Gar stepped closer, motioning behind him, stammering. "Hey..." Hazel took Gar's hands and he looked at her, his eyes blown wide. "Breath alright."
Gar took an uneasy breath, his grip on her hands tightening. "Jason... he's gone."
"What do you mean?" Hazel questioned, her shoulders dropping. "Gar what do you mean Jason's gone?"
"What happened to Jason?" Dick questioned, stepping into the doorway. Gar spun to face him, his eyes widening again. Gar stammered the words caught in his throat, his hands shaking in Hazel's. Dick sighed and nodded for them both to follow him.
They followed Dick to the control room, Dick sliding into the seat as Gar started to pace, his fingers fidgeting with everything they could. "We figured out that Dr Light was in the train tunnels," Gar explained, putting his hands in his pockets. "Jason wanted to prove to you that he wasn't a reject. We were gonna come right back. And then, Jason wanted to split up. And then I heard him scream, and I ran, but they were already gone."
Hazel's heartbeat sped up once again as she listened to Gar speak. "Why did you go out there in the first place?" Dick questioned, in a low voice. "On your own, with no weapons, no backup."
"I wanted to take Hazel, but Jason insisted. I'm sorry," Gar explained, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You wanted to take-" Dick sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I just need details. Specifics. Just write down everything you remember." Dick handed Gar a notepad and turned back to the screens. "I'm searching for his tracker right now."
The tracker displayed a hundred per cent search rate before beeping. "Subject offline," The computer echoed.
Dick sighed and Gar's grip on the notepad tightened. Hazel's mind ran in circles, what just happened to Hank could be happening to Jason but a hundred times worse. He could've killed him- no he was taken for a reason. Even if her light could track him, it would be no use with how thick the tunnel's walls were. "If Jason's still in the tunnels, the GPS signal would be covered by stone and concrete," Hazel offered, stepping closer.
Dick glanced up at her before nodding quickly, "Yes, it would."
Dick hunched over the computer, typing stuff the others couldn't see. Hazel looked up at Gar and her eyes landed on the grazes across his face. Hazel carefully slid the notebook from his grasp and tossed it aside. "Come on, let me take a look at your face," Hazel encouraged. Gar nodded and followed Hazel back to her room.
Gar took his jacket off and hung it on Hazel's desk chair before he sat on the edge of Hazel's bed. His leg bounced nervously, and Hazel cleared her throat. Gar looked up and brushed his hair back. "Jason's strong, he'll fight back, right?" Gar asked, looking up at Hazel.
"Or he'll just talk Dr Light to death," Hazel said with a light chuckle, pulling a stool up to sit in front of Gar.
"We should be out there helping to bring him back," Gar huffed, turning his head away.
"We are helping," Hazel countered.
"No, we're not," Gar snapped.
"Yes I am Gar! I've got my lights tracking him," Hazel explained, settling her voice. "If anything happens, I'll know."
Gar nodded, a wave of guilt washing over him. "They don't trust us," Gar admitted.
"Trust me, I'm aware," Hazel said, shrugging softly. Gar furrowed his eyebrows. "Dick called me pretty much nothing but back up." Gar hung his head and Hazel took a deep breath. "You're right though, what's been happening? I've been so busy trying to settle Terran."
"They- They've just been acting strange... even before Jason went missing. Closed-door meetings, keeping secrets. Did you notice how they're barely even talking to each other?"
"Something probably happened before," Hazel started. "Dick said he restarted the Titans, old wounds, that kinda thing. I think, for now, we leave it to them to bring Jason back old school style."
Gar nodded and ran his hand through his hair. "Now, turn that way," Hazel instructed. Gar turned his head to look over Hazel's room, his eyes danced across the pink flowers, hand carvings and posters of fantasy books. Gar jumped as Hazel's fingers traced down the side of his face, the green glow slowly stitching the scrapes back together. "If you stopped stressing so much you would heal yourself," Hazel muttered, her fingers moving down to the edge of his nose. "What'd you even do?"
Gar's eyes dropped to his hands. "I slipped on Jason's blood."
Hazel's eyes flickered over Gar's face, and she gently stroked his cheekbone. "I'm sorry," Hazel mumbled. "You're uh, all patched up."
Hazel stood, kicking the stool back under her desk. "Thanks, Haze," Gar smiled. Hazel nodded and kept her hands busy as she tidied her desk. "Hey, are those new?" Gar asked, looking up at the light pink flowers hanging above Hazel's window.
Hazel followed his gaze to the top of the window the pink and white flowers Jason had gifted her. "The pomegranates?" Hazel asked, looking back at him. "Depends on your definition of new."
"When did you grow them?"
"I actually didn't grow these ones," Hazel answered laughing softly. "Hank sent them to me a few months ago." Gar sighed softly, letting out a soft oh. Hazel wrapped and unwrapped a ribbon around her hand. "It's been a while since we talked."
"Yeah, I guess," Gar sighed.
"Why?"
"Hm?"
Hazel crossed her arms and leant against her desk. "Why haven't we talked in nearly two months?" Gar sighed and turned his head. Hazel pushed herself up and sat beside Gar, her shoulder brushing his. "Gar..." Talk to me, please.
Gar sighed again and his hand fisted his hair. "At first it didn't get to me so much, because you never said anything about it, and then I just felt horrible. So I just... stayed away," Gar said softly.
Hazel's eyes dropped to the floor, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "You say it," Hazel pointed out. "Do you mean when Trigon possessed you?" Gar sighed through his nose, his jaw clenching tightly. "Gar... What happened wasn't your fault. You were possessed-"
"I killed you Hazel," Gar snapped, jumping from the end of the bed.
Gar looked down at Hazel and he swore he saw blood splashed over Hazel's face. "Gar..." Her voice made his eyes meet hers. "That wasn't you, in no way was that you," Hazel argued, her voice pleading. "That wasn't you. That wasn't Kory. That wasn't Dick! Gar, it was a god damn, mother fucking demon from another dimension!"
Hazel sighed and stood up, placing her hands on the side of Gar's face. He flinched slightly but Hazel tilted his head up and she smiled softly. "Gar, if I was actually mad, or whatever you think, I don't think I would've come to San Francisco with you." Gar smiled and nodded. Her fingers traced his cheek bones again. "Let's get some coffee, yeah, take a minute, then we'll help with what we can."
— pain —