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jet-starling-pyra-blog · 9 years ago

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Lost

Give your heart, and say come take it And she will see that you’re a good man

Lex Luthor pov

My mind was numb after the onslaught of reporters demanding to know the status of Pyrrha and me. I was able to give a believable tale of being taken in the moment of the tradition of the New Year’s Kiss. Nothing more. But on the drive home, Pyrrha consumed my thoughts.

I tried my best to leave her. To resume our partnership on the professional level but seeing her in her apartment, angry and hurt, I felt something. I wouldn’t say it was regret or remorse–it was more the selfish need to be the one to make her smile again. Relationships, even sexual ones, had nothing to offer me but I would be lying if I said Pyrrha didn’t intrigue me.

I hardly noticed her as Jet Starling before she showed me her replication of my soon-to-fail solar technology. Even as she met her end, I watched from my office–bored. But as she was reborn as Pyrrha, the plan to take her for the Light’s purpose practically formed itself. Her anger made persuading her to serve the Light entirely too easy–but so was losing control of her.

Headstrong, but intelligent, Pyrrha instantly took command of the slack I had given her, demanding an audience with the Light. I found myself consistently underestimating her and enjoying being surprised by her–even when she kissed me for the first time. Pleasantly surprised actually.

Whether we realized it or not, we began meaning more to each other. During Light meetings, I had to fight the urge to fixate on her stoic demeanor and when her aide failed to protect her during her fight with the Justice League, I had Sportsmaster dispose of him purely out of anger.

That night, we bluffed and postured until we hit the point of no return at which Pyrrha attempted to bail. Selfishly, I convinced her to stay only to leave her to wake up alone. I left that night from fear–an emotion I was unaccustomed to feeling. Fear of becoming attached to her. Fear of having a weakness.

I am not yours. Not lost in you, Not lost, although I long to be. Lost as a candle lit at noon. Lost as a snowflake in the sea.

The plan was to ignore her. Avoid her. But I found myself on the balcony watching her, feeling something similar to jealousy as those attending fawned over her. All I could think was the state she was in when I had seen her earlier that day and how I’m the only one that has because she chose me. The realization donned on me that I chose her as well and I was a fool to convince myself that this relationship was ever strictly professional or that it could ever be again.

After realizing that, what else was I to do but take the last dance of the year–our year–with her?

Exhausted, I quietly entered my apartment knowing that if Pyrrha was still here, she would be sleeping. The speakers softly played a piano piece as I saw her in my bed. My tension from the evening melted as I studied her shape under the purple silk sheets with ‘The Art of War’ next to her. I gently brushed her hair off her cheek and smiled as her skin involuntarily glowed brightly at my touch.

“Lex?” She said groggily.

“Go back to sleep, darling,” I said as she twisted and stretched drowsily under the sheet.

“Not without you,” she smiled coyly as her eyes opened, glowing in the dark room.

“I have to unwind or I’ll toss and turn.”

“Need a stress release? I’ll do all the work.” Her voice grew deep with lust making my body stiffen.

She floated out of the bed slowly, letting the silk sheet slide off of her body. Her bright red eyes locked onto mine, challenging me to break her gaze but I wanted to look and I wanted her to see me looking.

You love me, and I find you still A spirit beautiful and bright, Yet I am I, who long to be Lost as a light is lost in light.

She smiled at my inability to hide my arousal and began undoing my tie and shirt as I tried to memorize every curve of her. She truly was gorgeous. The nouveau riche saw her as a novelty item, something to hashtag, but I saw her as something more. Something to worship. I didn’t believe in God or any religion besides capitalism but I believed in her. She was what the world needed. She was what I needed.

Oh plunge me deep in love—put out My senses, leave me deaf and blind, Swept by the tempest of your love, A taper in a rushing wind.

I reached to her porcelain face and softly rubbed the apple of her cheek. Her body froze and her eyes widened in shock as I skipped our ritual of ‘Pyrrha, May I’. Her eyes softened as she leaned into my hand, making my heart ache as I pushed aside the thoughts of the implications with our ‘friends’ in the Light.

“What are you doing to me, Pyrrha?” I whispered. Her eyes opened revealing her deep red eyes and smiled as if she held a secret.

“Getting you Lost.” She leaned in and spoke softly on my lips. “Happy New Year, Lex.”

A/N: and that’s it! JK! Now we are in Young Justice: Invasion territory!!! Thanks for reading, lovelies! Let’s pray for season 3 together! Haha

Ogle “Lost” teaser here Gaze upon Masterlist here

#dc comics #young justice #au #oc #fanfic #fanfiction #pyrrha #lex luthor #new year #lex luthor x oc #lex luthor x pyrrha #happy ending #year 6 #i am not yours #sarah teasdale #lost

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jet-starling-pyra-blog · 9 years ago

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Gala

Come on back where you belong The pressure releases if you just let down your guard

Frowning, I stared at myself in my mirror. A long dark formal gown wrapped around my curves making me look far more elegant than I’ve ever felt.

And I hated it.

It had been weeks since my break in at Wayne Enterprises and my encounter with Aqualad. I had become a spokesperson for the Anti-Hero movement taking the nation. I preyed on the younger generation that desperately wanted a revolution to get behind but it was the deep pockets I was after. No change could be made by poster board and markers alone.

A New Year’s Eve Charity Gala sponsored by Lex Luthor was set up to gain money for Metropolis and to turn the hearts of those still loyal to the Justice League to the Light. My part in this was to be the attraction. Razzle and dazzle with my terrifying appearance, do meet and greets, then leave because ‘the city needed me’.

But my stomach was in knots. The material of the dresses I was given were actually quite flammable and kept getting damaged at my slightest provocation and because of my already angered state, controlling my flares proved impossible which wasn’t helped by my current situation with Luthor.

A recognizable knock rapped on my door and the dress began to char in areas as my heat rose sharply.

“Damn it,” I whispered, irritated. “The door is unlocked!”

“You’re ignoring my ca–” Lex froze in the doorway as I ripped the burning dress and tossed it into the bathroom tub where it landed with a splash. I stood in front of him revealing my birthday suit.

“What?” I snapped. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before. If you don’t mind, I’m busy finding a dress that isn’t made of fairy wings and lace which is incredibly important since I’ll probably have to see your stupid face all night or gods forbid, dance with you.”

“You’re in luck. This stupid face doesn’t dance.” He stuck his hands in his pockets, attempting to keep his eyes appropriately placed.

“Thank my lucky stars. Then why are you here?” I began searching for another outfit.

“I came to talk to you,” he sighed. “Since you arent answering my calls. We need to talk. Boundaries need to be reestablished.”

“You came all the way for that? You slummed it to my shitty neighborhood just to drive the knife deeper? You truly are a narcissistic asshole, Lex Luthor. Don’t worry, I understand,” I said sarcastically. “You made boundaries perfectly clear when I woke up alone in your bed after you specifically asked me to stay. So I get it. We’re all business now.”

“Pyrrha,” he said softly, making my anger flare.

“Don’t you ever say my name like that again!” The new dress in my hand went up in flames. “Son of a bitch!”

I walked into the bathroom and tossed the dress into the tub’s soupy mixture of other burned dresses. Luthor stood behind me as I leaned over the tub pulling a heavy robe over me.

“Don’t let me keep you, Luthor. I’m sure your driver is worried someone is going to steal the hubcaps.”

The front door clicked softly as a tear fell into the tub.

“Thank you all for coming to the Metropolis’ New Year’s Eve Charity Gala,” G. Gordon Godfrey announced to the mass of well-dressed elite. “Your generosity will aid in efforts to rebuild our city from the *ahem* unfortunate incident.

“As you know there’s a problem in our community, in our country, in our world! I know–Gordon is a broken record–but the world is broken and instead of fixing the problem, the taxpayers pay for the superpowered damages out of our pockets!

“We must be more proactive and not reactive. We don’t need aliens to aid us. We have our own homegrown, down-to-earth protectors who don’t want praise. They don’t want fame. They only want to be proud of their planet and protect their family. Their earth family. We are lucky enough to have one of our empowered sisters among us! You may know her from her heroic debut against those scoundrels: The Justice League. Please join me in welcoming Pyrrha!”

I descended from the balcony and landed on the stage. The light was hot on my fitted tux, the thick material was the only thing to withstand my flare ups. But figuratively, I was naked. I couldn’t hide behind my helmet and after Audrey’s death, I vowed to never cover up who I was with contacts or makeup. In front of Metropolis’ wealthy, I let them stare at my translucent skin, glowing veins, and bright red eyes. Their gasps only fueled my confidence.

“What an entrance!” Gordon applauded. “We are so glad to have you looking out for your fellow humans! Aren’t we?” The hall exploded in applause as cameras flashed. Gordon handed the mic to me.

“Thank you, Gordon. I won’t say much,” I began as the crowd quieted down. “I’m not a public speaker. I’m just a kid who grew up surrounded by the rubble of buildings that couldn’t be rebuilt because of the laser beams, super powered punches, and Thanagarian maces that kept destroying anything that went up.

“I grew up believing the aliens were my protectors. That those like me that fought with them were heroes. But when those heroes made a stand against the galaxy, we became the target. Yes, we had crime before these heroes but now every week is filled with terror, not just from petty criminals but from other aliens that wouldn’t have even known we were here! We need to rely on our own. On each other. Not aliens with Messiah complexes!”

The crowd cheered.

“But I’m rambling,” I smiled. “I can hear the Mayor’s stomach grumbling from here so enjoy the delicious courses, dance a little and whip out those checkbooks!” The crowd applauded and dispersed. Gordon and I winked at each other as I handed him back his mic.

“Well done, my dear,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t have powers similar to mine?”

“It’s not so hard, Glorious Godfrey,” I smirked as I used his name. “These idiots will cheer anything if it gives them a tax break.”

The night went on as I walked around introducing myself to the walking bank accounts, giving little shows of my powers and taking pictures with my skin glowing for social media. I was actually having a little bit of fun when I looked up to see Luthor staring at me from a second floor balcony. His face was unreadable. As usual. I stared back with what I hoped was a mirrored emotionless face.

I was furious with Luthor. After the attack on Metropolis, I had spent the night with him. Both of our walls briefly fell and we connected deeper than I ever thought possible. Scared, I attempted to leave before morning but he asked me to stay. Thats when I realized I was in love with him.

So I stayed.

Like an idiot, I stayed. And because I was an idiot, I woke up alone.

Luthor’s gaze broke away from mine and his emotionless expression turned sour.

“May I have this dance?” A deep voice rumbled beside me. I didn’t need to turn. I knew who it was.

“Bruce Wayne,” I turned to face the blue eyed billionaire and gave him my hand. “This is a surprise. Let’s talk about Gotham’s hero troubles.”

He took my hand and we walked to the dance floor.

“Metropolis is blessed to have Gotham’s golden boy here,” I said smugly. “Have you donated, yet? You should have plenty of money after your insider trading deal. Ya know, the one where you profited after I burned alive?”

“You don’t understand what you saw.”

“I understand clearly, Bruce.”

“Regina–”

“The name is Pyrrha.” I heated my hands, enjoying seeing him wince.

“Have you been working for Luthor this whole time?”

“With.”

“So you’re with the Light.”

“I AM the Light, Bruce. I am the future. Our race was meant to evolve. Aliens like Superman and Martian Manhunter aren’t meant to be our gods. We are the gods.”

“Aqualad was right. You are delusional.”

“Oh,” I laughed, “Our blonde beauty abandoned that title shortly after my rendezvous with him,” I teased. Bruce’s eyes filled with anger.

“You know where he is?”

“After I set him in the right direction, he learned the truth of his heritage. And after Aquagirl’s unfortunate incident, well, the Light doesn’t lose their own very often but you heroes seem to drop like flies. Poor Tula. I sure hope Kaldur doesn’t hold a grudge like I do.”

“If you don’t tell me where Aqualad is–” He quietly groaned as I heated his hand with heat equal to placing a hand on a hot stove top.

“Don’t spoil my fun, Bruce. The song is almost done and I need to ask one last thing. Have you figured out your missing hours? Because I did and it was horrifying. I hope you have a good PR firm on retainer because it is a doozy.”

As the music ended, Bruce stared at me as if I were a stranger. Once we fought side by side, trained together, lived together. I considered him more than my mentor. He was my family. But he couldn’t give a shit about me. Just another neglected tombstone in his mental graveyard.

“I’m no longer that scrawny girl eating fast food in your car. I am strong, deadly, and I’m gunning for you.”

We stared at each other with hate.

“Am I intruding?”

I clenched my jaw to keep myself from burning my suit right off of my body. I glared at Luthor who had just succeeded in killing the energy between me and Bruce.

“Of course not. Luthor, you know Bruce Wayne,” I introduced.

“I do. We’ve met on many occasions.” Luthor stuck his hand out. Bruce kept his burned hands down at his sides and frowned. The music started up.

“Luthor.” He nodded to us politely, clenching his jaw. “Good night–Ms. Pyrrha.”

“Put those on some ice and don’t forget to donate, Mr. Wayne,” I taunted as he walked away. “I’ll see ya around.” Pissed, I watched Bruce disappear into the crowd.

“May I have this dance?” Lex asked.

“I thought you didn’t dance,” I retorted as I held my hand out. He took my hand gently and laced his arm around my waist.

“I don’t,” he said. We began to sway gently. “You look beautiful by the way.”

“You think you can just compliment me, do a few lazy twirls and we’ll be okay?”

“Lazy twirls? I said I don’t dance. Not that I can’t dance.” He spun me around effortlessly, making me float to keep up. Gently, he pulled me close. I smelled his faint scent and felt torn between wanting to burn him like I did Bruce or lay my head on his chest.

“Hear me out, darling,” he whispered in my ear. “You’ve thrown me out of my comfort zone and I did what I thought was necessary. Please don’t blame me for being hesitant. The price for being the heir to LuthorCorp was a detachment to other’s feelings. Understand that I want to want to care for you.”

“Is this an apology? Because it blows.”

“It’s all I can do, Pyrrha. You know who I am.”

“Is it really that easy to forget I’m not stupid? I know who you are, Lex. I know what you are. I don’t expect you to be Prince Charming and shower me with affection. I chose you for who you are and not for what I could mold you into.

“You think you’re the only one with a hard childhood? That’s a piss poor excuse for being a shitty person. Stop using it as an excuse because you became scared. Gods know I have my own demons but if you ask me to stay, don’t pull me in just to push me away.”

My words hung in the air as we swayed to the melody.

“'I am not yours,” he said softly in my ear. I bristled up but before I could respond, he continued, “Not Lost in you, Not Lost, although I long to be. Lost as a candle lit at noon. Lost as a snowflake in the sea.’”

Lex squeezed me tighter and brushed his cheek on mine, inhaling me deeply. I gave in and leaned into him. Both of our bodies relaxed until the song ended and the crowd began counting down. I stepped back from him, rubbing my arm and trying to remain aloof.

“Thank you–for the dance. But I agree. We should keep it professional.”

He held my hand and tilted my chin. I glowed brightly, losing in my attempt to control it which I scowled at him for. He only laughed

“May I?” He said softly.

I smiled at him and nodded. The crowd yelled out ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘Auld Lang Syne’ began as he leaned in, kissing me softly. We pulled back as bulbs flashed. Angrily, I flared up. Lex squeezed my hand reassuringly and shook his head.

“I think we made enough of a stir. And I have done my public appearance and I’m calling it a night,” I said. Looking up at him, I noticed his eyes darkened. “Don’t be too long, Lex.”

“Darling,” he smiled brightly at my hint. “I have a lot of business to finish up here.”

“If you want to be Lost,” I moved closer to him and fixed his lapels. His body tensed and his jaw clenched. “You won’t make me wait long.”

“I’ll do my best, Pyrrha.”

“What the hell is that?” Nightwing scowled at the image of Pyrrha and Lex Luthor kissing in each other’s arms on the screen in the Batcave.

“What does it look like?” Batman said sarcastically.

“So,” Tim sat on a table rubbing his temples, “Regina is part of the Light, knows where Aqualad is, knows about the missing hours, wants to kill Batman, and is in bed with Lex Luthor?”

“Tim!” The two grumps yelled making him jump.

“It’s a figure of speech! Just making sure we all understood how insane this is all getting.”

A/N: thanks for the gala idea, anon! I hope you like it. Sorry it’s so late.

Continue to “Lost” for the final chapter Ogle “Gala” teaser here Gaze upon Masterlist here

#dc comics #young justice #au #oc #fanfic #fanfiction #pyrrha #lex luthor #bruce wayne #glorious godfrey #g gordon godfrey #gala #pyrrha x lex luthor #lex luthor x oc #bruce wayne x oc #bruce wayne x pyrrha #new years eve

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jet-starling-pyra-blog · 9 years ago

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“I am not yours, Not lost in you, Not lost, although I long to be”

Check out some more of Pyrrha’s story and teasers!

#dc comics #young justice #au #oc #fanfic #fanfiction #lex luthor #bruce wayne #glorious godfrey #g gordon godfrey #metropolis #pyrrha #nightwing #robin #batman #gala

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jet-starling-pyra-blog · 9 years ago

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Expose (OC & Aqualad)

I’m walking down the line That divides me somewhere in my mind

After the attack on Metropolis, things were going according to plan. Public opinion believed–thanks to news coverage–that the damage was indirectly caused by the Justice League. Because of the backlash spearheaded by G. Gordon Godfrey the heroes stayed out of the public eye allowing our operatives to be able to work with minimal altercations and prepare things for our partners.

While they and the Light were satisfied with current events, I wasn’t. I was Plan A for killing Superman and when I failed–despite Savage saying preparations were made for every contingency–I hated that I didn’t even manage to kill Bruce. No reason fueled my blinding hate for him than the tiny tidbit Lex Luthor let slip when I woke up in the hospital room that Bruce had ulterior motives in my “death”. After digging around, the clues pointed to monetary gain but I needed proof. I was normally left alone when the Light wasn’t meeting and I needed a break from Metropolis.

And Luthor.

So, I took off to Gotham. The proof I needed could only be accessed by logging into Wayne Enterprises’ computers and accessing the private local files. Sneaking into Wayne Enterprises to hook into their internal database was easy when you knew all the blind spots. Leaving the suit at home, I substituted it for a simple Batman logo hoodie as a jab when the footage would be reviewed.

I entered my information into the system and was surprised when my login information still cleared. I clicked into file after file until I saw one folder titled ‘Sol’. Inside was proof of my fear. Bruce had bought into Sol Inc., a nobody company who made millions after the LexCorp incident. After I explained to Bruce and Superman the flaw in LexCorp’s technology, Wayne Enterprises bought the majority of stock in Sol Inc. After my death, the stock skyrocketed and the shares were sold for millions.

I stared at the account information.

“You bastard,” I whispered. Steam rose off of my tear-stained face as I saw that Bruce was hiding the questionable funds in MY name. That’s why my information still cleared. Who would look in a dead person’s account?

The computer and the lights above me exploded and water began to pour from the sprinkler system. I turned to see a glowing Aqualad, heavily breathing from the shock he received from blowing the computers.

“Tats!” I smiled. “This is a surprise.”

“Starling.”

I chuckled and removed my wet hood. My black hair fell, framing my red, glowing skin and eyes. His face remained unchanged despite my changed appearance.

“So, you DID figure it out. But the name is Pyrrha now, Aqualad. Although, I must say,” I took off the soaked hoodie revealing the my steaming, glowing skin and simple tank underneath. “You are looking more ‘Man’ than ‘Lad’. It seems you’re in need of a name change as well.”

“I’ve been monitoring your movements since our last meeting.”

“You’ve been watching me? Would you like a closer look?” Floating, I twirled to him and smiled mischievously, preparing to fight. “How do I look?”

“Seeing as I believed you were dead, you look wonderful,” he said, catching me off guard. “But, I will not fight you, Starling.”

“You believed right, Kaldur,” I cocked my head. “Jet Starling burned up.”

“That is not a funny joke.”

“Do I look like I’m laughing, Kaldur'ahm?! I wasn’t laughing when my skin bubbled, I wasn’t laughing when I woke up and no one was there, and I wasn’t laughing when I saw you and the Team laughing and joking in the streets only WEEKS after I died.”

“What are you talking about? We mourned you! I mourned you!”

“How dare you lie to me!” I hissed as my fists ignited. “You abandoned me!”

I went on the offense, but I was still not at my full strength after attempting to kill Superman. Kaldur easily blocked me with his Hard Water, filling the room with steam. Using the cover, I snuck behind him and wrapped my arms around his, putting him in a full nelson. Using the energy I had left, I shocked him but it wasn’t anywhere near enough. His leg wrapped around mine and I lifted off the ground, slamming down hard on my back. Gasping for air, I let go as he pinned me. We glared at each other, panting.

“That is enough, Starling. Why are you doing this? Why are you with the Light?” Looking up at my former leader, his light green eyes pleaded with me and instantly taken back to all the times he effortlessly prodded me to open up to him so I faltered.

“Because… they liberated me, Kaldur. I am the future, can’t you feel it? Look at me, really look. Can’t you see?” He searched my eyes, confused and sad. Bitterness washed over me and I snarled at him. “Don’t look at me like that, don’t you dare pity me. You really wouldn’t if you knew what I know about you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” He demanded. I only smirked.

“You should ask Aquaman. But don’t expect a truthful answer on the first go. Honesty isn’t the top quality for our mentors. A fact I keep learning. A sin I intend to punish.”

“A sin? This is not you. This is not my friend.” His hand released my wrist and raised to my face. My blood boiled, my skin blazed as I tried to squirm from his hands.

“How dare you think you can just touch me!? I am a God!”

“A God? What have they been telling you?” He roughly grabbed my hand and held it in front of me. Blood slowly dripped from a gash. “Do gods bleed? You have been brainwashed, Starling. Remember, remember the early mornings in the cave after missions, Connor and M'gann’s cooking, DJ Turret-”

“Stop.” I twisted my head away as memories flashed, too exhausted to fight him off.

“Remember Wally and Artemis, Zatanna-”

“Stop!” I pleaded.

“Remember me!” His light green eyes flashed with something I couldn’t place before they faded. “Remember Nightwing.”

It was like a door shut on the emotions he was trying to fill me with. I stared at him with empty eyes as I knew what I had to do.

“I’m sorry, Kaldur,” I said, emotionless.

“Sorry? For wha- Starling, NO!”

Heat exploded from my core as I squeezed my eyes shut. The weight of Kaldur’s body disappeared. I heard a crash and then a thud. My fire faded as I opened my eyes to see the destroyed room. I choked back a sob as I flew to Kaldur. Tears fell from my cheeks faster than they could steam away.

“Why, Kaldur?! Why did you make me do that, why couldn’t you just leave me alone? You weren’t supposed to be there. You weren’t supposed to be HERE! Why do you keep getting in my way?” I touched his face, terrified of the consequences of what I had done. His skin was cold but I wasn’t sure if it was because he was Atlantean. I checked his pulse and felt a faint heart beat. It felt like I had just learned how to breathe but sirens blared closer and closer. Rubbing my face to wake up, I grabbed the tiny earpiece from him.

“Is anyone on?” I said quietly.

“Who is this?” Batgirl’s voice demanded.

“Aqualad is hurt. Wayne Enterprises. Come quick.” I set the earpiece down and held his hand. “Forgive me.”

Leaving my water logged hoodie, I flew out of the destroyed building and waited for GCPD, Nightwing, and Superboy to show up. They helped a dazed Kaldur into Sphere when Nightwing noticed my hoodie. He held it and stared at the symbol. I saw him begin to shake.

“Jet! Pyrrha! Whoever the hell you are!” He exploded. “You’re a fucking monster! He was the last person who gave a shit about you!”

“That’s enough,” Connor said. “She’s probably gone. We need to get him out of here.”

They left and I slid down the wall and stared at the steady drip of deep red from my hand.

Gods don’t bleed.

A/N: thanks for reading!

Continue to "Gala" here Ogle “Expose” teaser here Gaze upon Masterlist here

#dc #young justice #oc #fanfic #fanfiction #au #pyrrha #aqualad #kaldur'ahm #kaldur #gotham #wayne enterprises #expose

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jet-starling-pyra-blog · 9 years ago

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“Don’t you dare pity me. You really wouldn’t if you realized what I know about you.”

Check out some more of Pyrrha’s story and teasers!

#dc comics #young justice #oc #au #fanfic #fanfiction #aqualad #pyrrha #kaldur'ahm #kaldur #expose

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jet-starling-pyra-blog · 9 years ago

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have u ever been in a mood to destroy your relationship with everyone you know

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jet-starling-pyra-blog · 9 years ago

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Return

A massive attack on Metropolis brought the existence of a new villain–Pyrrha–to the League’s attention but Aqualad has some information that will change everything. Pyrrha is actually Jet Starling–sidekick of Batman–who was thought to have died in a LexCorp incident.

And I’m ready to suffer and I’m ready to hope It’s a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat

In the medical wing of the Watchtower, Dick Grayson woke up in bed and in a darkened room. Looking around, he noticed another bed to the side of him. Even in the darkness, he could see it was Tim.

Memories of the night flooded back. The flood of attacks in Metropolis, the all-heroes alert, Tim’s distress signal, the demonic looking woman, being thrown into the car. Then black.

Tim had received more than his fair share in that fight. He had been separated from Batman by Clayface prior to being batted around and burned by the woman just to get Batman’s attention.

Dick tried to get up but was sent back down from the intense pain in his chest.

“Take it easy. Your ribs are broken.” Bruce sat in the corner of the room with his cowl off, looking and sounding much older than usual.

“Bruce?” Dick croaked out. “What the hell happened?”

“Something dangerous.” He muttered, his mind elsewhere as he watched Tim. “Listen to me very clearly, Dick. Do not engage that woman. Ever. You see her anywhere near you, you run. You don’t follow her, you don’t do any recon. You run, got that?”

“But–” A muffled commotion came down the hall. The two watched through the semi-frosted glass wall as Superman was wheeled on a gurney through the hall with a trail of League-hired nurses and doctors.

“Wait, was that–”

“Yes. They arrived shortly after she made quick work of us.” Dick realized Bruce must have came soon after he was thrown into the car by the red woman. But even Batman was no match for her.

“They?” He realized. “Superboy, too?”

“Dont worry. He’s in better shape than Superman–who seemed to be her target all along.”

“She seems to be a woman who knows what she wants,” he joked. Bruce didn’t laugh. “But, she used Tim to get to you, Bruce. That felt persona–”

A knock rapped softly on the door. Bruce quickly put his cowl back on and limped to the door, cracking the door open slightly but stopped when he realized the nosy Grayson stood behind him.

“Go back to bed. Your ribs are broken,” he reminded him as if the pain wasn’t already taking care of that.

“When has a broken rib stopped me?” Dick smiled.

“You have four.”

“Personal record.”

Rolling his eyes, Batman tossed his domino mask at him and opened the door. An equally bruised up Wonder Woman stood outside.

“Hello, Nightwing. Glad to see you up,” she smiled before turning to Batman. “The Atlanteans have something to tell us.”

“About the girl?” Batman asked.

“It’s definitely not about melting ice caps.”

The three heroes joined up with members of the League and the Team as they stood around Aqualad. Nightwing glanced at everyone’s ruined suits, their bruises and cuts. This night was one of their worst.

“Continue, Kaldur'ahm,” Aquaman said.

“As I said, the intel we’ve received leads to the fact that this was all a diversion.”

“For what?” The Flash asked.

“Knowing that this was the Light’s doing, we should assume everything has been compromised and do checks in our respective jurisdictions for anything missing or anything new,” Martian Manhunter advised.

“What we do know is that this new superhuman’s name is Pyrrha,” Kaldur continued, putting up a quick bio of the woman and security footage of her attacks. “Her power type is fire–”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Wonder Girl said holding her burned hand.

“The fire is not normal,” Kaldur continued. “It has solar properties. That’s how she attacked Superman. She was able to overload him with the one thing that gives him his powers on our planet. The solar power was the second clue after her fixation on Batman, Robin, and Nightwing. After I cracked her helmet I was able to confirm.”

Red Tornado placed the stats of Pyrrha and Batman’s deceased sidekick, Jet Starling, side by side.

“There are variants in body temperature, skin tone, iris color,” he announced. “Result: 99.8% match.”

“That’s not possible,” Miss Martian gasped. “How is this possible?”

Nightwing felt all eyes on him. Except Batman, who wouldn’t even look his direction.

“We should get statements from Superboy and Artemis,” Black Canary attempted to turn the conversation back on track. “They were the last to see her besides Nightwing. We need to figure out who was involved, when they took her, as well as who the body was that we buried.”

“Superboy is with Superman,” Miss Martian said. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“But how could we not realize it?” Zatanna said in disbelief.

“It’s not your fault. We were all blinded from the truth. The Light knew this and used our grief against us.” Wonder Woman said.

“Wait. Then why was she fighting against us good guys? Even against Batman?” Flash asked.

“The Light has multiple ways of messing with someone’s mind,” Green Arrow stated referring to Red Arrow’s recent betrayal due to being a sleeper agent for the Light.

“Maybe if we talked to her,” Batgirl said. “We could straighten this out. Bring her home.”

“No,” Batman said.

“Agreed,” Wonder Woman said. “She’s highly dangerous. Wonder Girl and I were nothing to her.”

“Which spells trouble for the rest of us.” Green Arrow said.

“Hopefully,” Red Tornado said, “this was the last we see of her until we–the League–can make a plan and Superman heals.”

“Yes,” Wonder Woman said, looking at the young heroes. “No one moves on this. This is a League concern. Got that?” The Team nodded. A nurse came and whispered in her ear. She motioned to the other Leaguers and they began to leave. Batman didn’t even say a word to Nightwing or Batgirl but Nightwing could feel the tension.

The Team looked at each other.

“I can keep a secret if you can,” Rocket thought through the link.

“Totally,” thought Zatanna. “She was one of us and we shouldn’t give up on her.”

“Agreed,” Kaldur thought. “Batgirl, LexCorp was in charge of Starling’s care.”

“Follow the breadcrumbs to Jet. Got it.”

“M'gann, get Superboy’s version. We all continue as normal. Maintain appearances. If Pyrrha does come back out, follow the League’s wishes and stay clear of her.”

The group disbanded but Kaldur grabbed Nightwing.

“I need you to talk to Artemis. We need her side.”

“Side? Does everyone think I was lying when I confirmed her death? She was dead!”

“Do you still believe you saw her now?”

“No.” He hung his head. “I saw the body but I assumed… how was I to know?”

“No one blames you. We all know this was especially hard on you, Robin, and Batman. But you should rejoice. She is alive.”

“As long as the Light has their claws in her, I’m not counting any chickens.” Kaldur looked puzzled. Dick forgot how English wasn’t his first language and Dick usually talked in his own version of English. “I’ll just be happy when she’s home.”

“No one bothered to call us? We were worried sick!”

“Wally, just let him talk,” Artemis gripped his hand.

“We respected your wishes for wanting out and we had it covered,” Dick explained.

“Clearly! The biggest battle to date and we watched it on tv. I should’ve been there.” Wally pouted as he fell to the sofa.

“Ahem,” Artemis coughed.

“Sorry, babe. WE should’ve been there.”

“Missing the point, Wally.” Artemis bopped his head. “So who was this new baddie? That battle with Superman was unreal.”

Dick faltered and looked to the ground.

“That’s why I’m here, Artemis. I need you to tell me everything from the day Jet Starling died at Metropolis General.”

“What? Why? You were there. She was fine one second, the machines went berserk, they pushed Connor and me out. Then she was gone.”

“We believe the woman who attacked us was Jet.”

“I’m sorry. I must’ve misheard you,” Artemis said, becoming defensive. “Jet died. I heard her flatline.”

“Artemis,” Wally held her hand but she recoiled.

“No! I saw her die! I was in the room! She died on my watch!” She left to the window to regain herself. “Was it really her?”

“Yes. I need to know what you saw, Artemis. Anything strange. Anything off,” Dick quietly said. “Did you ever see her? Did you see her face?”

“No,” she thought for a second. Wally held her hand. She stared at their hands and her eyes opened wide. “Actually, I remember Kaldur holding her hand our first shift watching over her. She was wrapped up but I could see her nails. I didn’t even think that was strange but then my next shift, she was bandaged completely. Like completely covered in gauze.”

“The Light switched her out with someone else.” Dick realized.

“The Light?! But you saw her,” Wally said angrily. “You saw her body. How could you not notice it wasn’t Jet?!”

“What can I say, Wally?! I wasn’t exactly traught enough to think about taking tissue samples from what I thought was my friend’s burned up corpse!” The trio stood in silence.

“I’m sorry, Dick.” Wally apologized.

“It’s okay. We’re all confused and hurt from this.”

“No one more than Jet,” Artemis added. The boys looked at her strangely. “We were her friends, her family. Why would she want to hurt us? Hurt Batman? Something’s not right in her head.”

“That’s true.” Dick pondered. “Aside from her ordered attack from the Light on Superman, Batman was personal.”

“Because he let her go,” Wally deduced.

“Wally!” Artemis hissed.

“I’m looking at it through her eyes! She told him this tech was dangerous and then she died from it? It would be easy to twist that and assuming Luthor and the Light have had her this entire time, who knows what lies they’ve fed her? Remember what they did to Roy?”

“So what can WE do?” Artemis asked.

“Batman and the other Leaguers have told us to stay away from her but we need to find out how she’s even alive after the incident at LexCorp and how to defend against her attacks. We’ll need to start with her notes on LexCorp’s solar tech. You still have them?”

“Yeah. I’m the only one who can decipher her mad scribbles,” Wally smiled.

“Then you’re in charge of that. Find out how to help her.”

“You mean stop her,” Artemis stated. The boys looked at her, shocked. “Look, I loved her too. We were a family. Her death was our wakeup call to get out of the hero life and start our own but she’s declared war. She almost killed Superman. You don’t stand a chance if a discussion with her goes sideways. I agree with the others. She’s not Jet Starling anymore and we should stay away from her.”

“We don’t leave anyone behind,” Dick said. “I’m not losing her a second time.”

A/N: it was really hard to switch gears from the previous fluff/smut chapter to this. I had to watch maybe 4 romance movies just to get that out of my system. First draft was this ridiculous “and then all the heroes kiss” and it just got weird. Sooooo… Thanks for reading!

Continue to "Expose" here Ogle “Return” teaser here Gaze upon Masterlist here

#young justice #dc comics #au #oc #fanfiction #nightwing #dick grayson #batman #wonder woman #aqualad #kaldur #kaldur'ahm #wally west #artemis crock #watchtower #jet starling

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