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WASHINGTON D.C
MARCH 23, 20:32 EDT
"CALL ME BACK WHEN YOU GET THIS MESSAGE OR THROW THE DAMN PHONE AWAY BECAUSE IT IS A WASTE OF SPACE IN YOUR POCKET WHEN IT'S PURPOSE ISN'T BEING FULFILLED" Shadow uttered into the phone after calling a certain speedster five times. He had called her to DC to help him with his historical monument paper and she was the one with access to old city records.
She stood on the terrace of some fancy waiting lounge when all of a sudden commotion rang out through the building as bullets were fired and people ran out screaming. When she turned she was met with the sight of Death stroke who tilted his head at her "So we meet again, my lovely"
Behind her, a mysterious masked woman appeared, donning a familiar costume. Above stood a flier with Aqualad staring down at her, a gun pointed at her head "How unfair" She stated, staring at him "The world wasn't created equal."
"Yes, it was." She stated, pulling out a kunai from her belt and launching it towards Aqualad's gun, embedding into the mouth and blowing it to pieces, causing him to throw it back "Then someone decided they were better."
Deathstroke charged forward and she avoided his hits, in a trench coat and high heels, she fought quite well, far more comfortably too. Though he did manage a few bruises, she was still better. She spun back and pulled a sword from his back holster, then leaned back, entering the inside lounge and threw a table his way, he ducked out of the way and reached for her, pulling her forward, his spiked gloves digging into her shoulders. She kicked him off and used Shadow tendril to keep him in place only to have the mystery woman engage with her in a sword fight, along with Aqualad showing up.
If her theory was correct, she needed to prolong the fight, just without any interference from the two men. She immediately swiped the woman's legs, made her fall down, and without looking launched a few throwing stars in Kaldur's way, he smugly avoided them, only to be met with a smoke screen of inky darkness and before he knew, Shadow stood behind him, pushing him off the ledge of the building.
The woman somehow found her way through and began to attack her as Death stroke observed, while trying to free himself. She kept up with her but Shadow easily bested her, pushing her over and pining her against the counter. Her gaze fell to the glamour charm around her neck and she smirked. She loosened her grip and the woman pushed her all the way towards the ledge, holding the sword to her abdomen
"Drop the sword" She shrugged "Drop the attitude first, sweetheart" She narrowed her eyes and gripped her harder as Shadow held the sword to her neck in retaliation. She leaned in to whisper in her ear "Instincts are a blessing. Glad to see you aren't dead, old friend" The woman's eyes widened as Shadow let her push her blade in and forced her to break it off, using the one in her hand to land a careful cut on her shoulder before dropping it. She used her final concentration on sending Deathstroke a few floors below and the woman immediately followed behind him but not before giving Shadow a long stare and pushing her off the ledge completely and the woman let her, hanging onto it with a slightly wobbly hand.
The swords were laced. She should have known
She held her abdomen as a gust of wind rushed passed her, only to look up and see Wally staring at her with wide eyes and watched the flier leave onto it's next target. His gaze remaining on the mystery woman and Shadow's on his.
Wally helped her up and carried her back all while she began to connect it all together. That was the last piece needed. She figured it out.
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WASHINGTON D.C
HALL OF JUSTICE
MARCH 24, 03:12 EDT
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Wally demanded once they were standing in the med bay of the Hall of Justice. It was the closest place Wally could run her to and she sighed "I wasn't"
"Clearly"
"Your sarcasm isn't welcomed" She said with narrowed eyes as she quickly cleaned the cuts on her shoulder and carefully bandaged them up. Deathstroke had gotten in a few hits but only one, that made a terrible impact, was the one to her stomach, she'd take care of that in a moment.
"I just want to know why you thought it was a good idea to battle it out with him like that?"
"He ambushed me, was I supposed to sit still?" She questioned and he sighed "It's not all dependent on you. You could've called for backup" He reprimanded
"It is, always has been. Need I remind you I am used to working alone since I was a child and besides he harbours an immense obsession with me, fuelled by both hatred and revenge. No one else." She flinched as she felt a portion of the blade he had broken off. It was laced with deadly nightshade, and every minute it was inside her body, it was painful.
This was one his practices on her when she had been younger, her powers were only so effective as to keep the usual paralysis at bay. But, it was still working like a charm. Courtesy of Poison Ivy no doubt. She could feel it taking a toll on her. The slow hints of confusion, blurred vision when Wally found her, slurs in her speech and the curiously red rash forming on her arm.
"Are you alright?"
"I will be once I get this damned blade out" He stepped forward "Let me-" She reached for the blade with her hands and pulled out the weapon embedded in her side, holding in a pained groan. She cut him off sharply, her words breathless, mumbled "-I do not need nor do I require your help"
"Sure looked like it on that ledge" He scoffed and she shook her head "I would've survived"
"With your bones shattered?" He questioned, rhetorically. He had grown to love and care for Shadow and seeing her in such a state made him worried, he wanted to help her in anyway he could and right now Wally West was frustrated that not only one but two of the most important women in his life were in danger. Both far too stubborn and far too selfless.
"I've dealt with worse and I've survived worse"
"You risked your life today! You could've died" He exclaimed "That is my life. It has always been a second too close to death, this is nothing new." She addressed him and Wally immediately sobered up, seeing how she wasn't wrong. In fact if anything it made him feel like crap yelling at her about safety when her entire life she was surrounded by danger. Wally both admired and pitied the way she remained so calm, her voice not raising as she said her words
"I did it, not only to save myself but to save everyone else that...If there was even a sliver of doubt in their minds...it is gone" She mumbled the last part but ultimately shook her head, not knowing that Wally already knew what she had deduced. She was unable to breathe and placed a hand to her chest before softly turning to him "I-I wish to be alone"
"Shadow-" He began and she sighed, using his name as how he always intended, in a silent plea "Wally" He listened and left without a word
It was only a few moments after that the door slid open again and she let out a breath of annoyance, "I am in no mood to argue further Wallace" She said without looking at who had arrived and the voice of Dick Grayson made her turn. His hair was slightly wet and his hands housed a mug of coffee, showing how much sleep he lacked "Not Wally"
"My apologies, I thought-" He silently placed the coffee mug down and took the supplies laid out "I am capable of doing this myself. I'll heal" He still made a move to kneel down in order to get closer to the wound on her stomach since she couldn't sit down.
"I know"
"Then leave me to do it" She insisted, rather sharply. He hadn't spoken to her in days and he suddenly cared for her now? She wasn't one to let emotions get in the way, she was trained to suppress it.
"I won't"
"Are you not curious where this came from or why I was arguing with our idiotic friend? Usually you'd bombard me with questions"
"You'll tell me when you want to besides arguing with Wally is kinda inevitable" He answered, gently placing one of his gloved hands on her waist his other working on cleaning her wound. The smaller ones had mostly healed along with one or two bones but the larger ones may take an hour or more.
"It's always inevitable, why isn't anything ever evitable" She spoke up lamely, trying to mimic his wordplay, it caused a small smile to appear on his, otherwise, tensed face "Been asking that question my entire life" He answered back
"It is fine" She continued her insistence but he simply shook his head, adamant on cleaning up her wound himself.
"No it's not." She observed him for a moment, a knot tying itself in her stomach as she watched his furrowed brows, the worry evident on his face. "You are both being overly cautious about this."
"Seriously? You almost died" She let out a breath "I have endured worse" He paused, his tone laced with disappointment at her words "That doesn't make it ok!"
"No it does not. But the worst has always passed me" She found her voice going grim "You and I both know that." He continued to clean the wound. It was almost as if her tongue wasn't in her own control at the moment as she questioned him, the dread in her stomach increasing with every breath she took, she needed him to stop, she needed him to stop being this way. She needed him to not be pulled down by her.
"Shed some light on the reason for your current anger?" He didn't look at her "Was it something that occurred?" She questioned, knowing these were several reasons tied together, but she wanted to be-rid of the one that disturbed her the most. Maybe it was the poison running through her system at the moment. Her words not sounding her own, as she opened up.
"You are silent?" She questioned mockingly "A stance you've had for days? You speak nothing about it then tend to my wounds? Is it possibly because we are both well aware of why you are so concerned about my current state?" She looked at the ceiling before closing her eyes "If you feel even a fraction of care for yourself, you'll stop whatever thoughts you have about me. All of them" She calmly stated.
He stopped whatever he was busy doing and she felt him gently move, possibly standing up and even closer than she anticipated, a passionate tone in his voice. It made her open her eyes, though she regretted it the minute she saw him, even with his mask off. The idea of sheer fervour within his eyes made her crumble.
Where was this coming from exactly he had no clue "Thoughts? You think i have thoughts?" He scoffed, already in shambles because of the damn mission, he couldn't hold in all this emotion at once "Do you honestly think that all I feel for you are thoughts?"
"Whatever the matter, feelings, thoughts, ideas. All of it. Leave it be" She advised, no, ordered
"I can't, alright?" He explained, his words laced with a sense futility "Shadow I-"He began snd she cut him off immediately "-Don't" She tried to stop him but he relented
"Let me say it, Shadow" He softly demanded, "I don't want you to say anything, I-I know it, but if you say it-" She said
"-I won't say the words. But you can't tell me what I feel for you isn't beyond thought." He was staring into her eyes, deeply as he spoke with the utmost sincerity, only inches between them; "I know you don't know what it means but I will stay until you can tell me every terrible thing you've ever done, and I'll ask you to let me love you anyway."
She was speechless for a moment, she hadn't expected someone to say such beautifully zealous words to her. She remained silent after and he sighed, returning to stitching the wound.
It wasn't until a while that she had found her own voice, her words. Though she had a hard time believing the words she spoke weren't complete gibberish "You do not deserve a love so tainted." She frowned. She said and it was in honest truth. She was someone who was not fed love with a silver spoon, so she was forced to lick it off knives. She had no right to love another, when she herself had never been loved
But, she needed to get these feelings out of her head and she needed him to know. She didn't know why, but she did. Perhaps it was the inevitable fear that creeped up, telling her that she would lose him all together, anyway.
"You are the most important. You are the only light that's ever truly pierced my armour. You are the happiness and the spark and the one who never ran, who never cowered, who saw through my facade. You are my confident. I will never meet another like you, I do not need you, I want you and I will never want anyone as much as I want you. I do-I love you" She had said it, painfully hesitant, yet she had said it "But, I do not deserve you" She was afraid to want things for herself. She didn't think she deserved them. He sharply responded, a blaze within his words.
"Don't ever say that" He said "I don't ever want to hear you say that you don't deserve it or you aren't worthy. You do. You are." He took her hands and pulled her impossibly close "You will certainly find yourself in a labyrinth of heartbreak, Grayson. I don't think I would ever forgive myself for breaking your heart" She whispered, afraid to break the softness around them
"Break it, fix it, throw it away. If you can't tell already, I've kinda lost it to you so...too late" She rolled her eyes as her lip quirked up slightly. She gently laid her forehead against his own. This was one of the rare ways she showed her affection. When she had no words. This was an unspoken promise of many things, an apology for everything and a prayer for them, a prayer that if destiny was already written, then let their names be written next to each other's,
But they weren't together. Not yet, anyway.
He was the first to pull away, realising this wasn't the right time to discuss...them? But, the minute he did, he was hit with reality and just how dire the situation really was, just how much he was risking himself and everyone else. He stared at the wounds on her body and his hands clenched into fists.
"Aqualad blew up the Cave" He informed, returning to his serious tone as opposed to the softer one he had, looking away to find gauze and she looked down, registering the news, both she and Wally hadn't known, they'd shown up directly to the Hall of Justice because this is where Nightwing had been.
The Cave, headquarters of the Team, the place that housed several memories, memorials and gave the members of said Team a home, was now gone with nothing left to salvage. No wonder he was so despondent. It only confirmed what she had thought and now was the time for confrontation.
Her face was blank as she spoke "I suppose it was to conceal his identity, afterall you have both been working hard to keep your infiltration of the Light a secret"
He was surprised but that only lasted a minute, in truth if he expected anyone to figure it out, it would be Shadow "How did you figure it out?"
She shrugged "The small signs others looked over I suppose, Aqualad's new partner with the same alias as Artemis' mother. Not to mention said partner appearing right after our friend's demise."
"Could be a coincidence"
"In our world, only fools believe in coincidences"
"What solidified it all was today. I saw a glamour charm on her neck. Her motions and her style of fighting was exactly like Artemis. I saw Wally, looking at her. He wanted to see a glimpse of a loved one." She traced her hand over her freshly wrapped wound and let out a breath before turning to look at him
"He's afraid he might never see it again"
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NIGHTWING HAD STEPPED OUTSIDE FOR A MOMENT TO CONVERSE WITH WALLY BUT WAS MET WITH THE SIGHT OF THE RED HEAD IN ANGER "What happened?" He questioned calmly as Nightwing stepped out of the med-bay, leaving Shadow to attend to her own needs at the moment. He assumed by the look on his face, Wally knew what occurred and what went down. But, in this moment he wasn't Dick Grayson, he was Nightwing "It was necessary" He answered
"It better have been. Spill" He demanded "Aqualad needed to find a way to help us rescue Lagoon Boy. He'd already injected a microscopic tag into La'gaan's bloodstream and he used the raid on the Cave to pass essential Intel. A flash drive with, among other things, tracking software that can locate the tag."
"Like that's all he did." Wally accused
"Wally, he had to make it look good. He put inhibitor collars on us, but he knew I'd get us out of them. He took three more hostages. Members of your Team and we'll rescue them when we rescue Lagoon Boy."
"Dick, he blew up the Cave. You guys almost died. Do you understand the severity of the situation? He attacked Shadow. Athena. What if for once she couldn't manage a fight? What if he took her back?"
"No. It's all on the flash drive. He knew I'd have to pursue to make it look legit and that's exactly what happened. He gave us time to get out. We just...We got caught in the debris field from the explosion and Shadow...it was a..." He tried, more so to convince himself but trailed off
"You can't even think about it can you? Do you even hear yourself? What if even one of you had been left behind, huh? Why take that risk? Why go to such extremes?"
"The drive explains that too. He needed to cement his position with the Light...and the Light's Partner." Nightwing defended "Wasn't that why he murdered Artemis?"
"I guess it didn't convince everyone."
"You guess?"
"The Cave is...was just a place. Worth sacrificing if it helps us stop the invasion." He began with shake of his head "Look, I'm sorry you lost all your souvenirs." He insensitively added and it seemed to push the red head over the line
"Are you serious? I don't care about that junk. I'm worried about Artemis, terrified for her. You've put her right into his hands."
"Wally, we're talking about Kaldur here."
"I know. Kaldur, our friend... who, in the space of a few months, lost the love of his life... and found out Black Manta was his father. Isn't it possible Aqualad might actually be a traitor? A triple agent? He's supposed to be playing them... but are you absolutely sure he isn't playing you?"
Shadow who leaned against one of the book shelves for support, she was now in a set of cleaner clothes, hearing every word "Enough. Both of you" She advised calmly "You arguing amongst yourselves does nothing to save Artemis or help further your plans"
"You told her?" Wally turned to Dick in irritation, already worried about the people involved getting hurt but Nightwing shook his head as Shadow answered "He didn't have to. Unlike the rest of the general populous, I am capable of using my head"
Wally rolled his eyes "Great. She figured it out, just how long do you think this can go on before they figure it out too?" He questioned before his eyes widened in realisation and he turned to her "Today. It was on purpose wasn't it?" He scoffed, recalling her earlier words " 'A sliver of doubt?' You losing the fight, allowing Artemis to take you on? I've seen you beat people far worse, easier than that. You-you wanted her to win"
She kept silent throughout his apparent 'epiphany' crossing her arms before shrugging, her usual blank expression on her face "These people. The Light. They're paranoid and insane. Deathstroke wasn't just after me, he was testing them on their behalf, he was trying to see if someone of Kaldur's choosing was worth the risk of allowing entrance into the Light. Believe me, no matter how many betrayals we showcase, there will always be room for suspicion on their part"
Wally sighed "Just how long until one of those 'betrayals' isn't a show anymore?" He questioned and she raised a brow "You cannot possibly be doubting Kaldur"
"Look-" He began to defend but she shook her head "-You have worked alongside him longer than I have yet it seems as if your trust in him dwindles by the minute" She shakily took a step closer and placed a hand on his shoulder
"Whatever faith you have left in you, keep it intact and play this out until the end. You are too far involved to back out" She advised "For Artemis. You must." She looked at his frown and continued "Your worries are justified but if you cannot control your emotions then all of this crumbles."
"Calm yourself" He nodded, his face evidently one of worry and frustration but he silently walked away, bumping his shoulder with Dick who did nothing and silently took a seat on the large conference table. He placed his hands under his chin and looked down in deep thought. Shadow's wounds had mostly healed and so she chose to sit down next to him with a sigh of relief, feeling the wound near her stomach closing as well.
"He hates me" Dick spoke up "Not likely, he is frustrated" She reassured "Much like you."
He grunted "He's letting his emotions get the best of him" He placed a hand on the table and tapped it twice "That almost was your inner Batman come out" He scoffed "I don't want to be like him. To him the mission it's everything and I get that, I'm willing to risk everything here but not at the cost of..." He trailed off unable to decipher exactly what it was that he was thinking at the moment
"It is not the worst thing to be like him" She began "He is resilient and smart. Beyond others in his own merit and I think that's what you admire about him." She leaned forward in her chair
"But his drive is far darker than yours, that part of him that makes him Batman isn't who Bruce is, you know that." She stated "Bruce doesn't want you to become him." She placed her hand on his "Nightwing isn't Batman and you aren't Bruce. If anything, he wants you to be better than him and he knows you can be"
"What if I don't know what the hell I'm doing?"
She shrugged "I know you Richard Grayson, you always have a plan as far as plans go and peoole like us, we cannot leave room for doubt. Secrets within teams lead to disasters but if your gut tells you you're right, you must stick to it"
She gently brushed the hair falling from the front of his face and shrugged "I hope you are done brooding...I would like to mention that damned vein in your forehead is coming out again" He swatted her hand away and she gave a small, genuine laugh "You are the worst, you know that?" He questioned with a small smile and she nodded "I am well aware of that one quality. Yes"
He just gave her a smile, admiring her before sighing. Being a leader was tough, something he always wanted to do and he was doing it but it didn't come as easy as he thought. No wonder Bruce was always so stressed. He rubbed his temples, he need to find a place for everyone who lived in the Cave and he needed to do it soon.
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BLÜDHAVEN
MARCH 25, 21:15 EDT
"WELL IT'S CERTAINLY HOMEY" SHE SAID LOOKING AROUND THEIR NEW BASE "If you're a fungus..." She muttered "I know. I know it's damp, disgusting and inhabitable. Which is exactly why no one will suspect it houses a bunch of superheroes"
"Actually it is the first place I would search" He huffed "Well you're...you" She smirked "So Boy Wonder any clue on your next course of action?"
"I'm sorry" He apologised and she raised a brow "Whatever for?"
"For putting you in danger. For putting everyone at a risk. This. None of it is going right" They walked out of the warehouse and she stared at him "Perhaps not. But, if there is cause in it, it must lead somewhere"
"I hope you're right"
Author's note "Two chapters? Anyway your honour, I love them and I both loved and hated writing this chapter. Please comment and vote. Also thank you for reading. <3