***
Kory, Gar and I were all seated in the drawing room of the train headed towards the house that Rachel's mother had promised. Gar seemed anxious, while Kory was sitting quietly deep in thought. In fact this whole trip the three of us have been sitting in silence lost in our own thoughts now that we seemed to have our first moment of peace after days of being on the run.
"Do you think Rachel's mad at me?" Gar suddenly questioned as he clasped his hands together nervously. Although he attempted to make his humorous remarks from time to time, it wasn't difficult to notice that since the asylum Gar has been acting different. Now that Rachel was spending some much needed alone time with her mother his anxiety and uncertainty was not being hidden by his attempts at lighthearted humor.
I picked up one of the many shots that Kory ordered quickly drinking it before answering Gar's question. "Why would she be mad at you?"
"At the asylum, when I attacked that guy, maybe I freaked her out." He described quickly, though he seemed more ashamed of himself than concerned about what Rachels thought about him. I vaguely knew about what happened to each of us in that place, Gar seeming to have gone through the worst being forced to kill a man.
"Maybe it freaked you out." Kory corrected as she leaned forward now seeming interested in the conversation or maybe tired of being stuck within her own thoughts. "How did it feel?"
"Weird. I didn't hate it." He admitted as he looked between Kory and I with shame.
Kory shrugged as she leaned back against her seat. "Good. You shouldn't. It's a part of who you are."
"I killed him."
"He could've killed you." I reminded him knowing that even if what he did was wrong, he didn't deserve to carry the weight of the guilt. "You defended yourself, you just need to be more careful next time. Gain better control."
Gar nodded as he took in our words, he seemed to be attempting to find words of his own. I could see that Gar's confidence was only hiding his fear and the fact that he felt like an outsider. It was something that I understood that fear of accepting who you are completely. "When I'm the tiger, it's not completely me. It's like I'm inside something controlling it, but it has control, too."
"You and Rachel have something in common. You're both learning how to control your abilities. It creates a connection between you two." Kory stated her words causing Gar's cheeks to flush scarlet, of course I had noticed the connection between Gar and Kory. At first I dismissed it as a crush between two teenagers, and maybe it was just that or maybe they did have a deeper connection. A connection that was now vividly clear by how the usually confident Gar had now become sheepish. "You wanna make out with her, don't you?"
Gar's eyes widened in horror as he shook his head in denial. "What? No."
"It's perfectly natural, kissing."
"I'm not comfortable talking about this." Gar replied with a nervous chuckle.
Kory and I looked at each other attempting to hold in our own laughs. "You are too cute. You're getting agitated."
"Yeah. You think?" Gar questioned with a boyish smile, one the unfortunately reminded me how I was getting attached to the kid. He then looked down at the shots lined up on the table before meeting my eyes. "Can I have that?"
"How old are you?" I questioned.
"Sixteen."
I took in this information and weighed the pros and cons of allowing this. Though I knew that if Dick was here he would disapprove, but he was a teenager that until now was denied the ability to be a normal teenager. "Sure. Apparently, it helps... with stuff."
Gar didn't waste a second and picked up the shot drinking it instantly. Though his moment of confidence was gone as full affect of the alcohol set in causing him to choke in disgust.
"Or not." Kory said with a giggle as she took another shot with me. "Why are you drinking?"
"These have been a very stressful couple of days." I replied in disbelief because now all I wanted was to go back to the way my life was before this whole Rachel problem began. Though admittedly I've experienced crazier and weirder, this whole little trip only served in confusing me and causing me emotional trauma. "Anyway you're the one who bought all these shots. Now we have no choice but to drink them."
"Yeah I was hoping to get you drunk enough so that you could spill all your dirty secrets." Kory admitted as she pushed another shot my way. "Or maybe you can loosen up forget about Dick and pay attention to the guy who has been staring at you for the past hour."
I looked up then and followed Kory's eyes towards the man seated in the corner. Although I did my best to hide the slight disgust and disinterest that I felt, I clearly failed as Kory began to giggle.
"Not your type?"
"I have standards Kory." I whispered as I leaned back against the seat knowing that I really should stop drinking as my mind was beginning to become a little fuzzy. Apparently Gar was feeling the same effect after one shot as he rested his head on my shoulder instantly falling asleep. "Already?"
"That boy cannot handle his alcohol." Kory commented as a smile tugged on her lips.
***
Looking out towards the old farm house I did my best to avoid my distaste. Having grown up in the city a country setting wasn't very appealing, even if it seemed peaceful. An maybe it was the peaceful quality to this place that brought me unease.
"You really have to teach me how to use this thing." Gar commented as we all approached the farm house. I turned around to face Gar who was holding my whip in has hands looking at me excitedly.
"How did you get that?" I questioned as I took the whip from his grasp and wrapped it around my arm. Though I had to admit that I was slightly impressed that he looked through my things without my noticing.
His smile slowly faded as his features became something that almost bordered fear and concern for himself. "I may have looked through your things in the car."
"May?"
"I did." He corrected sheepishly as we entered the old home following after Angela who looked around the place fondly. "I did look through your things."
When Kory and Rachel entered the house there was a set determination on their faces as they looked between the three of us. "I'm going to help Kory get her memories back."
None of us argued, although I personally didn't completely understand Rachel's powers or where they came from I did know that she was extremely powerful. Maybe more powerful than any of us, my only reservation was the fact that it seemed that Rachel didn't completely understand her powers either. Regardless I believed in her.
Gar, Angela, and I watched as Rachel placed her hands on both sides of Kory's head, a long moment passed where nothing happened. We had no other choice but to remain silent in fear of breaking Rachel's concentration when a familiar orange glow began to radiate off of Kory.
Before any of us had a chance to fully process this Kory had her hand grasped tightly around Rachel's neck as she cried out in pain. It was Gar who reacted first as her ran up to Kory and Rachel.
"Kory, stop! You're hurting her!" Gar yelled in fear as he attempted to pull Kory away from Rachel. "Kory? It's me. Gar."
Only Kory seemed to be someone else entirely as she picked Gar up with one hand and effortlessly tossed him across the room. When Kory raised her arm to blast Rachel and her mother I instinctively grabbed the whip on around my arm lashing it out so it wrapped around her wrist pulling them away from Rachel. My action only seemed to further anger her as she turned her bright green eyes towards me.
"Kory, what are you..." I began to say when the front door flew open and a golden shimmer filled my vision. It took me a moment to realize that the golden glow came from the lasso that was now wrapped around Kory's neck.
Focusing my vision behind Kory I saw a familiar face who looked back at me with irritation. "Blackout."
"Wonder Girl." I replied with a smile though it wasn't genuine considering the first time we met was under terrible circumstances. Knowing she had this handles I pulled back on the whip releasing Kory from my hold allowing Donna to pull her back. Instantly, she pulls Kory towards her and although Kory attempts to fight it Donna's strength is superior in the moment. Once Kory is at arms length Donna knocks her out in a single punch that left her crashing into the wooden table.
"What happened?" Dick questioned as he helped Gar to his feet.
Angela stepped up in a fury as she wrapped her arms protectively around Rachel. "She tried to kill my daughter."
"Rachel?"
"I was trying to help Kory get her memory back." Rachel explained the fear from what just happened was still vivid in her eyes as she held on to her mother. "I must have done something wrong."
"None of this is your fault." Angela stayed immediately as she continued to try to sooth her daughter.
Suddenly Kory began to groan as she sat up from the remains of the coffee table. All signs from the Kory we just saw a few seconds ago gone. "What's going on?"
Dick looked towards Rachel before meeting Kory's confused eyes. I could see the hesitation in them almost like even he didn't believe what he was just about to say. "You tried to kill Rachel."
"What?" Kory questioned in disbelief horrified by his words, but immediately shook her head in denial. A denial that I shared unsure of what really happened knowing how Kory cared for Rachel. "No, I would never do that."
"I want this woman out of my house." Angela exclaimed as she held onto Rachel tighter her usually calm and frightened demeanor becoming rage as she turned towards a still dazed Kory. "Now, God damn it!"
"Rachel, I am so... I am so sorry." Kory said desperately, and was about the approach her but in seeing how we all instinctively surrounded Rachel protectively, she hesitated. "I have to go."
"Kory, wait." I yelled as I followed her out of this house, something in this whole situation just seeming wrong. What Kory just did, it didn't seem to be her. "What happened? What's wrong?"
Kory stopped at the bottom of the steps, and as she turned to face me she seemed to be somewhere else entirely. "I'm starting to remember."
"What?" Dick questioned as he approached us. "What are you remembering?"
"I don't know. I don't know." She muttered to herself as she climbed into the truck we arrived in before speeding off down the dirt road that reminded me just how much in the middle of no where we actually were.
"We have to follow her." Dick declared when Donna suddenly threw a throwing star that embedded itself in the truck. Ignoring our eyes Donna pulled out her phone to begin to locate the teacher she placed on Kory.
"What? You're not the only one with cool gadgets." She told Dick as she walked over to her own car. "I'll drive."
Dick and I shared a brief glance that attempted to communicate everything that had happened in the last days, before numbly filling Donna into her car and after Kory.
"Stay out of sight." Dick ordered as he looked down at his phone following Kory's tracker. "Where the hell is she going?"
"I'm sorry I was right about your friend wanting to kill Rachel." Donna commented as she looked at Dick who seemed more tense than usual. Personally I was irritated at the fact that this was happening considering our Rachel problem was supposed to be over.
"You weren't. Kory's not a killer."
"Well...she's killed people." I reminded Dick, the image of the corpse at the gas station returning. The last time I saw burns that horrible on someone they were inflicted by Firefly, though they were no where near as severe as the ones by Kory. "Though none of this makes much sense. All we've been doing is protecting Rachel, why would she want to hurt her now?"
"By the way what the hell is she doing here?" Donna exclaimed as if she had just remembered my presence, her tone thickly coated with her distaste towards me. "She's just going to pull you in again."
Dick looked up now clearly feeling uncomfortable as he looked straight ahead at the road. "It's not what you think."
"She's a criminal Dick."
Admittedly I felt a small amount of relief when Dick shook his head in response, even if it was a lie and he knew it too. "Not anymore."
"You're sleeping with her again, aren't you?" She concluded bitterly as she looked at Dick accusingly. I remember how Dick used to talk about her like if she was his older sister, I could see that relationship now as he slightly shrunk back against his seat. "You're making excuses for her. And you have a thing for dangerous women."
"Dangerous women." Dick repeated with a chuckle as he crossed his arms over his chest like an upset child.
"Except for Dawn." Donna stated as she stole a glance at me from the rear view mirror, her words a clear attempt to want to hurt me. I was well aware of Dick's little relationship with Dawn Granger, the memory itself causing me to roll my eyes. "You fucked that up."
"Can you just drive, please?" Dick pleaded as he finally turned to face her.
"No like you seriously fucked that up."
"Donna lets drop it." Dick replied with a sigh. "Like right now."
"Look how you're defending her." Donna continued now becoming visibly angry as her hands tightened around the wheel. I knew her resentment towards me was due to everything I did to Dick, all the pain I knew I caused. For that I also knew that I couldn't resent her, because if I was in her place I would resent me too. Though that didn't mean that I would allow her to address me like I wasn't here. "You are so sleeping with her again."
"Oh darling you don't need to have sex with a man to have him wrapped around your finger." I stated a smile touching my lips, my only desire in the moment was to continue to irritate her. I was deeply aware of the fact that I was slipping into the persona that I adopted in Gotham. "Did Wonder Woman not teach you that?"
Donna looked over her shoulder at me with a mixture of shock and irritation before turning back towards Dick who was looking out the window almost like he hoped he wouldn't be addressed again. "Dick you have got to be kidding me!"
"Enough." He muttered under his breath, running his hand through his hair in frustration.
"No, please continue I find this all very amusing." I commented as I leaned back casually on the seats, knowing that this was going to feel an extremely long trip if we continued on this way.
"Chey you're not helping."
***