Chapter Text
Venus played with her loose strands of hair, fingers twisting the ends as she quietly observed the pair to her right. On her left was Hal, who was ignoring her as normal, choosing instead to repeatedly check the time every few minutes. The two to her left were avoiding eye contact as well, though she had noticed the exchanged glances the two League members shared when she and Hal joined.
She normally wouldn’t have known much about the Green Arrow, mainly that he wore green and used a bow and arrow, but the last few weeks of studying the Lanterns had made her do was enough to fill the major gaps. She remembered that he worked with Black Canary a lot, who was like, totally amazing, but Venus could have sworn Green Arrow had a different sidekick, some redhead teen, maybe? Instead, standing next to him was a tall blonde dressed in a similar verdant shade. Throughout the last ten minutes of waiting or so, Arrow at least had the decency to attempt some small talk, before tapering off at the lack of response, but the girl had just crossed her arms, looking off into the distance.
Having spent the last months nearly always surrounded by professionals, it was easy to forget how the feelings of others would permeate the air around her, and Venus could tell that underneath that stony facade was an incredibly anxious girl.
Venus could empathize.
You should bond with her. Allies are useful, child.
Plus her costume is cute, you should take notes on practicality.
Oh, shut up.
Venus had long long gotten used to the whiplash that was her companions’ attitude. The Green Lantern’s had diagnosed that a little piece of each past wearer's personality had imprinted on her ring, with the goal being to pass down wisdom. Instead it just resulted in a cacophony of an incredibly inconsistent voice in the back of her head, one that left her mind reeling more often than not.
And besides, between the internal argument and her new guardians, she had heard it all in regards to her costume. Her new “uniform” was just fine in her opinion, it played to her strengths. The Star Sapphires didn’t have the luxury of a construct uniform like the Green Lanterns did, so she unfortunately had to suit up every time she would have training, so god forbid she avoid a twenty pound suit she would struggle in and out of constantly. It took a few days of arguing, and striking deals, before they backed off and let her have full reign, so Venus wasn’t going to lie and say she didn’t make it a bit too impractical out of spite.
It wasn’t like some padding or armor would help much anyways, not with the side effects of the ring leaving her incredibly durable. So instead the young girl fell back to her usual ballet costume designs. A standard sleeveless black unitard and thigh high tights for range of motion along her joints; and the kneepads, gloves, and hood attached to the unitard weren't too different from what she had worn before. However she would admit the off the shoulder, chest plate corset thingy was a little new; but it was still cute and the sleeves were nice. And she supposed it helped protect her internal organs too. They had tried to make her wear combat boots like most heroes, but one look at those clunky things had her searching for a functional version of her ballet slippers and ribbons. She had only relented on the bare minimum utility belt accessory, mostly cause of the star buckle.
Listen, if Venus was going to be glowing and shooting off bright pink energy, she was gonna make her costume match the aesthetic.
You look like you’ve never seen a day of battle in your life.
Because I haven't?
And besides, none of you should be talking, I’ve seen what y’alls old looks were.
That bought her some silence.
Venus glanced at the female archer again. The blonde’s mask covered most of her face, unlike Venus’ which was more like a crown than anything. Is that what heroes were supposed to look like? Should she chan-
“Can I help you?” snapped the blonde girl to her right, breaking Venus out of her thoughts.
Venus blinked, shrugging nonchalantly, “Just think your outfit is nice, that's all. It, uh, matches well,” she said, gesturing to Green Arrow.
The blonde just huffed and turned away, content to look at a wall.
Um, rude? Who does she think she is?
I mean, probably someone who should actually be on this sidekick team.
You shouldn’t be here. You can train more on Oa, not alongside a bunch of kids in spandex.
I’m a kid in spandex.
You are a kid who should be helping her Family, not wasting time here.
Oh that hurt a bit. Venus suppressed a small flinch, hand dropping to cover her ring as if that would shut it up. She shuffled her feet, trying to pass it off as just readjusting her stance, but she saw Hal’s eyes drop to her hands, then meet her eyes; his own narrowing just a smidge. Venus just gives him an innocent smile until he finally looks away.
A few more awkward moments of silence pass as time drags on, until finally Green Lantern spoke, “It's 7:00, Arrow, you two first.
The blond man nodded, “Alright, come on now Artemis.” As he approached, “Recognized: Green Arrow, 08 ” emitted from the tube, metal opening as the light began to grow, and Green Arrow stepped through. The second he disappeared from view, she could feel the anxiety of the girl, Artemis, next to ramp up, before she took a shaky breath and walked forward as well, “ Recognized: Artemis, B-07.”
As the light fades once more, Hal nods a head towards the tube, “Your turn now.”
She blinked at him, her own nerves beginning to act up. Holy shit, she was actually about to do this. She took a breath, a mask of innocence, kindness, and serenity falling over the storm. With a swallow, Venus took tentative steps forward, until her feet passed the threshold, and she felt herself be consumed by the energy, lights blinding her. In the background she could only faintly pick up the “Recognized: Venus, C-08”.
Her vision suddenly cleared, and she found herself in a spacious cave. A few yards away was Artemis’ retreating form, which Venus quickly scurried forward to catch up to. Venus looked around as she walked, taking in the carved out rocky walls and metal rimmed hallways. She remembered one of the Lanterns mentioning something about a cave, but she didn’t actually think it would be a literal cave inside a mountain.
Her eyes shifted to the group standing ahead, watching the girls approach. In the back was Red Tornado the red robot dude, and what she was almost certain was Batman talking to Green Arrow. In front of them was what she was assuming was the Team; a Martian woman, and a tall dark haired guy with a superman symbol on his shirt stood among what she was assuming was an Atlantean, based on the gills, and a smaller caped boy. He looked the youngest amongst the group, and Venus prayed he was younger than her 14 years. With her height she could usually pass for older, but it was always embarrassing to be the youngest amongst a new troupe.
He’s kinda cute tho-
NOPE, Absolutely not. Not the time.
She took a deep breath to steel herself, both from nerves and the feedback of the ring, before giving a small wave to the group and stopping next to Hal, who had passed her.
As everyone settled, Batman began to speak, before being interrupted by the Zeta-Tube computer.
“Recognized: Kid Flash, B03”
Venus watched as a shirtless-
Hello
Shut up.
shirtless redhead carrying an absurd amount of beach equipment stepped though.
“The Wall-Man is here! Now, let's get this party star-” The boy immediately stumbled over his own feet, falling face first, beach balls and more flying away from him.
The exasperation was palpable, and the crowd of onlookers could only stare as the red head tried to play it off.
“Wall-Man, huh? I love the uniform.” chimed in Artemis from the back, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. “What exactly are your powers?” she mocked.
The boy finally scrambled up, leaving his stuff behind to join the circle, “Uh, who is this?” The two staring each other down.
“Artemis, one of your new teammates.”
“Kid Flash, never heard of you.”
Green Arrow finally stepped forward, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder, “She's my new protage.”
Kid Flash stammered in surprise, “What happened to your old one?”
Ooo Drama!
Before anyone could respond, another announcement came from the tubes, “Recognized: Speedy, B06.”
A third redhead walked out of the light.
Three redheads walk into a bar-
Not the time
Yeah okay
“Well, for starters, he doesn't go by ‘Speedy’ anymore. Call me Red Arrow.”
Venus glanced around the area, seeing the surprised faces on a few of the members. Clearly there was quite the history here.
Green Arrow began to speak again, “Roy, you look-”
“Replaceable.” The newcomer finished.
“It's not like that. You told me you were going solo.”
“So why waste time finding a sub? Can she even use that bow!?”
Artemis stepped forward to the challenge, something Venus could appreciate, “Yes, she can.”
Who are you? Kid Flash had to chime in, Venus’ annoyance growing towards him.
“His niece.”
“My niece.” The two said in tandem.
“Another niece?” The caped boy finally spoke.
“But she is not your replacement.” said the Atlantean with tact, stepping forward. “We have always wanted you on the team. And we have no quota on archers.”
“And if we did, you know who we'd pick.” added Kid Flash
A spike of possessive anger flowed through Venus, “Gotta say I would pick her over a wannabe Beach Boy who can’t walk str-”
A tight grip on her shoulder cut her off, the soft green light catching her eye.
Artemis finished retorting for her, “Oh, Whatever, Baywatch, I'm here to stay,” hand on a cocked hip in defiance. She spared a glance towards Venus, and Venus felt the slightest wave of appreciation.
Tensions rising, the Atlantean tried to bring the conversation back on track “You came to us for a reason, Red Arrow.”
“Yeah, a reason named Dr. Serling Roquette.” answered the redhead.
Venus saw the caped kid light up at the name, pulling up some sort of hologram computer on his forearm. Curious, she couldn't help leaning over to get a better look at his screen, her intensity fading.
“Nanorobotics genius and claytronics expert at Royal University in Star City.” he said, projecting images and text into the air for all to see. “She vanished two weeks ago.”
“Abducted two weeks ago. By the League of Shadows.” corrected Roy.
Immediately the team perked up at that, “Whoa! You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?”
“Hardcore.” added Wally, fistbumping the techie. God she needs to get his name already, she really should have studied more.
Red Arrow rolled his eyes, “I already rescued her,” he said, taking over the holograms. “Only one problem, the Shadows had already coerced her into creating a weapon. Doc calls it The Fog, composed of millions of microscopic robots. Nanotech infiltrators. Capable of disintegrating anything in their path. Concrete, steel, flesh, bone. But its true purpose isn't mere destruction. It's theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system and deliver the stolen intel to the Shadows providing them access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting-edge science and tech.”
Venus stared at the spreading images of nanorobots and destruction, blinking her confusion away. Logically this sounds right up a superheroes alley way, but insecurity creeped up her neck as she questioned if she was capable at all to do anything. She barely even understood what nanorobotics were, gods why was she here .
Artemis’ voice snapped her out of her thoughts, “Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking. Yeah, sounds like the Shadows.”
“Like you know anything about the Shadows.” Wally had to chime in. In response all he got was a knowing smirk from the blonde.
“Who are you?”
Roy raised his voice, trying to bring the attention back to the issue at hand, “Roquette's working on a virus to render The Fog inert.”
“But if the Shadows know she can do that-”
“They'll target her,” he finished. “Right now she's off the grid. I stashed her at the high school's computer lab.”
Green Arrow took the opportunity to approach Roy, “You left her alone?”
“She's safe enough for now.”
“Then let's you and I keep her that way.” Green Arrow offered, missing the look that flitted across Artemis’ face.
“You and I? Don't you wanna take your new protege?”
Green Arrow took another step forward, opening his mouth, before being stopped by Batman. With an exchanged look, Arrow let out a small sigh, composing himself. “You brought this to the team. It's their mission which means it's hers now too.”
Roy rolled his eyes, “Then my job's done.” He shouldered past the crowd, heading back to the tube.
Awkwardness hung in the air, so thick Venus wouldn’t need any powers to feel it.
“Sooo,” began the Martian girl. “My name is M’gann, or Miss Martian. Um. I had tried to make a batch of welcome cookies, but they.. didn’t turn out great.” M’gann tapered out, feeding back into the awkwardness.
Venus couldn’t help but feel bad, she was clearly quite sweet, and cared about this. Taking pity on her, Venus finally took a step forward, giving another wave to the Team. “Well I’m sure they would have been great, and really it's the thought that counts. Well, my name is Venus, um,” she glanced at Hal,“I’m the Green Lanterns’ new apprentice, but I’ll be staying here since they can’t really take me off world,” she said gesturing to what was to be her new home.
“You're pink though.”
Venus blinked at Kid Flash, “Yeah.. well there are different types, I am,” she gestured to her vibrant colors, “violet.”
The Atlantean took a step forward and offered his hand, “I am Kaldur'ahm or Aqualad, that is Robin, and Connor, or Superboy. And you have already been introduced to Wally, or Kid Flash over here.”
Venus smiled at him, faking confidence. The man excluded calmness and maturity, and was clearly a leader of some sort. Looking up to meet his eyes, she shook his hand. “Glad to be here. Now, it sounds like we have a mission to do.”
—
The sun had gone down long ago, and the night was upon them. Once suited up and debriefed, the team,
Her team
had taken a Bio-Ship to the nearby Happy Harbor High School. Miss Martian had dropped them off, before flying down to join them, and they had split up to take their positions. Miss Martian and Superboy took the perimeter, as the rest of the team met with Roquette and settled in the computer lab.
“Miss Martian, link us up.” spoke Aqualad. “We do not want the Shadows intercepting our comms.”
Venus felt a pressure on her mind, reluctantly letting more voices into her head. “ Everyone online ?” The sound echoed through her head, before settling into dialogue as if speaking out loud. Venus tilted her head in response, wincing, as if hearing a sharp feedback sound, before shaking her head to get used to it.
“ Oh, this is weird .” She heard (?) Artemis think.
Roquette, who had been typing away on the computer, immediately got frustrated, annoyance radiating off her. “ And distracting. Coding a distributed algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with less RAM than a wristwatch is hard enough. Now I have to hear teens think in my skull?”
Kid Flash spoke, thought (?) out. “ Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you?”
That immediately sparked Artemis’ aggression. “Pot, kettle. Have you met?”
“Hey, I do not need attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off the team.”
“That is so not on me!”
Venus watched as Roquette grew more and more frustrated. “ Fate of the world at stake here! ”
“She started it.”
Artemis slid off the desk she was sitting on, walking past Aqualad and Venus to the door, “ How about I help Miss Martian and Superboy patrol the perimeter?”
“Good idea.” Aqualad said, dismissing her.
Venus finally chimed in, “Why don't you drop the doctor from the link so she can focus, we will alert her if there are updates.”
Roquette paused for a few moments as if listening to hear anymore, before speaking out loud, “Thank you, at least someone has some common sense.”
She tuned out the continued conversation between Robin and Kid Flash, as Aqualad approached behind the doctor, Venus tailing behind him. As the leader of the team, he was probably her best option to study being a hero. She stared down at the computer the doctor was working on, filled with lines of code and diagrams that Venus could only guess was some sort of counter agent.
Robin appeared to her side without a sound, and Venus couldn’t help startle a bit. “ Stealthy one aren't cha.”
He gave her smirk, “ That is my speciality.”
“Right.. You’re ah, Batman’s sidekick right?”
A chorus of “ partners” rang through her from the group.
“Touchy subject?”
“Being known as only sidekicks is what started this whole team thing, we needed the opportunity to branch out and improve separately from our mentors.” Explained Aqualad.
“What’s it like being a Lantern’s partner?” asked Miss Martian.
Venus couldn’t help but wince a little, “I’m really not a partner. They only took me in to help me control this thing. I probably have the least amount of experience among all of you..” Insecurity crept up her back at the admission.
Aqualad put a hand on her arm in an attempt to comfort her, “Don’t worry, many of us are inexperienced at this kind of thing, we are all here to get better at it.”
Venus gave him a small smile.
“Yeah! I’ve only been with Uncle J’onn for a few months now, and getting Connor out of a cloning facility a couple weeks ago was what caused this whole team thing. And Artemis, you can’t have been with Green Arrow for very long, right?” M’gann added.
Venus blinked at the off hand mention of cloning facilities, was this her life now?
“Yeah, Artemis, how long have you been with GA? Cause Speedy- sorry, Red Arrow only left a couple weeks ago?” Kid Flash butted in.
“None of your business.”
Aqualad, as if sensing a brewing argument, spoke out loud to the scientist he had been watching. “The virus won't be of much use if we cannot find the weapon. Can you track it?”
“My Utility Fog is not a weapon. It's science, brilliant science. And of course I can track it, but I'd have to go online. Might as well rent a billboard with this address and "assassinate me" written in neon.”
Aqualad gave her a reassuring touch, “We will protect you.” He spoke with a soft yet authoritative tone, and Venus felt as Roquette’s nerves settled.
She nodded at him, turning back to the computer. “Tracking The Fog now.”
Time passed slowly, everyone on edge for an attack from the Shadows.
“Mm.. That boy..”
Venus’ head snapped up in surprise at Artemis’ comment, nearly blushing herself from embarrassment.
“He can hear you. We can all hear you!” M’gann growled out.
Ooo, Sounds like someones a bit jealous.
“Oh, I know.”
A noise emitting from the computer drew those in the room’s attention back to Roquette. “Miss Martian, Dr. Roquette has located The Fog. Reconfigure the Bio Ship so that Robin and Superboy can pursue.” Aqualad ordered.
The team began to spread out, Robin heading outside, and Kid Flash moving to the hallway to patrol. Venus stayed by the doctor, as Aqualad moved to the left of the door, out of sight of entry.
The air was stagnant, only accompanied by the continued clacking of the keys as the pair waited. Venus counted her breaths, steeling her nerves. She watched, and waited, until slowly she saw the shadows change, and heard the slightest creak of the door.
A flash of metal caught her eye and Venus threw up an energy shield, blocking the doctor. The room immediately lit up in magenta light, illuminating a figure in the doorway. A woman, black hair thick and choppy, with a Cheshire mask covering her face darted in.
The woman turned, throwing more stars to the side, aiming for Aqualad who had begun to move forward. He reflected most, though one embedded itself inside his arm.
“Doctor, get down!” she barked, moving in front of her, and throwing out a few bolts of pink energy towards the assassin. The Cheshire dodged them, a single bolt barely singeing a bit of hair.
Aqualad grunted, yanking the star out of his arm, and taking out his water swords, lighting them up to glow blue alongside his tattoos.
“Hmm, that had to hurt.” purred the woman.
“Atlantean skin is quite dense,” he responded.
“And my shurikens are quite poisonous.”
The two went at it, blades clashing against each other with a clang and a snarl.
Venus began to urge Roquette to the side out of the way. “M'gann! Kid! Artemis! We are under attack in the computer lab!” She shouted via the link.
“On our way!” The girls responded.
Cheshire and Aqualad’s battle continued on, Chesire slowly advancing forward, pushing him backwards. Venus had pink fire curling around her figures, debating attacking Chesire and risking hitting Aqualad too. Instead, she let it loose at a thrown sai, just barely hitting it of course, it sinking into a wall instead of the doctor’s throat.
“Almost.” Cheshire taunts.
Another dagger is pulled out without hesitation, and Venus watches as Aqualad begins to struggle against her attacks.
“Poison slowing you down?”
“Jellyfish toxin. I'm largely immune.”
“Largely.”
With the last quip, the assassin's head slams into Aqualads head, knocking him down.
Immediately Venus takes the opportunity, bolts of energy slamming into the woman who grunts in surprise. The dance between the two begins, the two dodging around each other like a duet on stage. 1, 2, 3, dodge. 1, 2, 3, dodge. Flashes of violet fill the room like lightning, and as Cheshire weaves through, Venus’ aim gets worse, her focus wavering. Suddenly, the mask fills her vision, as the body collides into Venus’, one hand grabbing her wrists and pinning her to the ground, the assassin's other raising up, sai readied. Venus’ hips jerk, trying to buck the Cheshire off her, before reading herself for the blade when she realized it was futile. For her, a stab wound would heal, but with the energy building up in her chest as Venus closed her eyes, she reassured herself that whatever pain she was about to experience would be nothing compared to what will burn.
Her eyes snapped back open as the colliding of metal broke her concentration, fire fading. Cheshire moved and the hold was gone. Venus scrambled backwards and got back onto her feet, seeing Artemis standing in the doorway, arrow notched and pointed at the assassin.
“Don't. Move.”
Venus could see Aqualad get up out of the corner of her eye, and the trio closed in around the woman. Footsteps in the hallway closing in as well.
“Heh. This gig's getting interesting.. Maybe a little too interesting.”
Before anyone could react, Cheshire had dropped a smoke bomb, gray haze filling the room. They moved forward to attack, but as the smoke cleared, no enemy stood present.
“Gone.” Muttered Kid.
Roquette jerked forward from behind the desk she had hid behind. “She's getting away. You're letting her get away!”
Immediately the bickering started again, “This is your fault. You were on the perimeter. How'd that Shadow get in?” Kid yelled at Artemis.
“Now that's not really fair. I was outside too?” defended Miss Martian.
“Outside, being distracted by her! Besides, I can't be mad at you. You gave me mouth-to-mouth”.
Everyone glared at Kid, “We heard that.” ringing out from the crowd.
“Dang it.”
Venus turned to Roquette, checking her over and confirming she was unharmed, if a little shaken, fear tingeing the air. “You okay?” Roquette looked at her, the annoyed gaze softening at her concern. “Im fine.. just want to get this over with. Thank you, for uh, all that.” Venus smiled at her, “Well, keeping you safe is my job.”
Aqualad drew the attention back to him, “Focus, everyone. The Shadows will be back.” He reached for the long distance comms, “Robin, updates? We were just attacked.”
Venus hears his response over the physical coms, “We're over Philadelphia. We've located the Shadow's next target: S.T.A.R. Labs.. But we're too late. It's destroyed, totally destroyed. The Fog decimated it.. This is bad. S.T.A.R. Labs is cutting-edge science. Now their secrets are in the hands of the enemy... What's our next move?”
Back in the computer lab, tense looks were exchanged. Aqulad nodded, digesting the update, before turning back to the doctor. “Rescan for that Fog. Find it. We're moving the doctor.”
—
The Team had moved into some sort of lab, sitting on a dock on the Harbor. The cool summer air felt nice, if a bit humid, on Venus’ face, loose strands of hair from her bun tangling around the exaggerated points of her mask.
The Team had switched duties around, leaving her to watch the perimeter outside.
So there she was. Hiding in the woods. Alone.
She used to love the woods, and these trees had her reminiscing about all the different National Parks her family had visited. If little Veronica could see her now, reaching the tip tops of the trees without touching a branch, well, she would probably be more excited about that than the whole flying thing.
The woods used to be a home away from home, after the stage of course. There was a wide spread of acreage behind her (old) home, and Venus remembered the creek she would walk along, the critter holes she and her brother would dare each other to look in, and the sense of peace she felt nowhere else.
Now, she could barely stand it, but she didn’t dare argue against an order.
Her hands trembled slightly, as she worked through all the meditative techniques, mindful of her glow, and any sparks of energy that might flicker off. Her paranoia grew the longer she waited, fear of another assassin, fear of a fire, fear of failure. But it was just cicadas and the occasional bird. Sometimes a message would be sent through the mind link, but most of it was silence. Even she made no sound, the trained feet of a dancer were too nimble, and lungs too strong to make more than a whisper. Not wanting to give off too much light, she kept her aerial surveillance to a minimum, only occasionally checking in on the far side of the docks while balancing on a high tree branch. For the most part though, she stayed grounded, watching, listening.
The wait continued.
Owls hooted.
Frogs croaked.
Leaves rustled.
Branches shook.
Branches shook?
Before Venus could react, a body hit hers, sending her flying out of the treeline, and into a parked car. Her head and back slammed into the metal, the van crushing beneath her. Her head spun, vision blurred, and she couldn't help but think that if she was still human she probably would have been paralyzed by that. Instead she shook her head, flipping back onto her feet, before letting the pink energy surround her, lighting her up like a beacon. Emerging from the shadows was a large man, easily two or three times her size, with a giant metal hook for a hand.
Well that's just impractical.
Venus floated up, trying to avoid his reach, and began pelting him with her energy bolts, although he kept dodging them or even tanking most of them. Through the corner of her eye she could see Cheshire Mask and another assassin making a break for the warehouse. She sent out a quick message through the link, “You have two incoming!”
Hookman paused below her, and she smirked at his obvious lack of range. “Quite the one trick pony aren't cha,” she called out, looking down at him. While his eyes narrowed in response, his own grin grew, reaching his arm up, and before Venus could fly out of the way, the large hook elongated, catching her ankle and sending her flying once again, this time through the doors of the warehouse.
Venus flipped mid air, maneuvering herself to land on her feet with a skid. Inside was further pandemonium, Kid Flash was attempting to fight hand to hand with some sort of spider man, with Artemis back to back with the doctor.
Venus’ attention was drawn back to her opponent, the man stepping into the building to join them. She shifted her feet into a defensive stance, forgoing aerial combat so her movements would be more agile. The two converged, her blasts diverting the hook and chain when her body could not dodge quick enough, using the moments in between to fire again and again. The man's clothes became more and more singed with each blast, and she was beginning to pick up the scent of burning skin and hot metal.
Behind her she heard Artemis reflecting the masked woman's bolt, the bodies of the doctor and Cheshire hitting the floor, and Cheshire’s growl of frustration as their ploy was revealed when the doctor melded into Miss Martian. An order was yelled out by the woman, who then bolted out of the building, and if Venus had to guess, somehow tracking the real hiding place of the doctor and Aqualad. Venus yelped as Artemis shoved past her in pursuit, bolt going wild. Distracted for just a split second, she couldn’t react fast enough to dodge the hook, sending her skidding back, cracking the wall under her hands as she stopped herself. Frustration growing at constantly being sent flying, her glow brightened, burning and festering beneath her skin.
One more blast.
Finish Him. Do it.
Shut it.
Before the energy could coalesce anymore she let it out. A large beam, spanning the width of her outstretched hands was released, slamming into the assassin that was still trying to reign in his hook. The man was sent flying this time, body slamming to the wall much like Venus’, but he did not have the luxuries she did. She watched as his head slammed against the plaster, effectively knocking him out. He slid down onto the floor, and Venus could see just how much damage she had caused, the metal hook glowing orange with heat, and his body littered with marks.
Her surroundings came back to her, and she turned to the other assassin, hand glowing and readied, only to see him already on the ground, Miss Martian standing above him and Kid Flash somehow tied up in web-like material.
A flash of pain and raw emotion spiked through her head.
They are down. Now FINISH THEM. They cannot hurt you if they are gone. They cannot hurt ANYONE if they are no longer breathing!
Venus pressed a hand to her head, eyes clenched shut to block out the flashing light of her ring and the voice in her head.
Shut up. SHUT UP. There are Rules. I am in CONTROL. NOT YOU.
Venus clung to her calming techniques, trying to picture her room (cell) on Oa, John standing next to her and having her recite her litany, over and over.
Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.
She repeated the lines, over and over, until she felt the untethered and raw emotions fade.
With an exhale she opened her eyes, finding Kid Flash and Miss Martian stock still and staring at her. She glanced down and saw the desk her other hand had gripped, beginning to crumble beneath her grasp. She opened her fists and let the bits of wood drop. Brushing her hands off on her unitard she approached the pair.
“Um, Venus? You alright over there?”
Venus blinked at Kid, who still sat on the ground, tangled in sticky bindings. She gave him a smile, playing off her weird behavior, “Yeah! Sorry, hit my head and everything was ringing for a few seconds there. All better now.” She gave them a thumbs up.
The two nodded, accepting what she had said. “You think you can get this off me?” Kid squirmed in his bonds.
“Yeah I can, Miss Martian, can you deal with these two?”
The Martian nodded and began making use of her telekinesis to move the assassins. Meanwhile Venus carefully lit up a finger, light solidifying just enough to make a knife that could burn through the webbing. Within a few seconds enough was cut or burned off that Kid was able to rid himself of it, both of them wrinkling their nose at the burnt chemical smell. Once free, Kid Flash jumped, yelling, “Oh shoot! The others!” before disappearing with a flash, leaving Venus and Miss Martian in the warehouse. With a sigh and roll of the eyes, Venus helped secure the two assassins, pink energy wrapping around like rope before cooling and solidifying to prevent any escape attempts. With a small grunt Miss Martian picked them up again with her telekinesis, and the two flew out the door, bounty in tow.
It was a quick trip down the street to a closed internet cafe, where they spotted the group standing outside. As they approached, she could hear Kid say, “Well, unlike you, we got ours,” clearly taunting Artemis. Kid glanced down, spotting the Cheshire mask laying on the floor, picking it up with a “Cool, souvenir.”
“Her mask? Did you see her face?” asked Aqulad, pulling darts out of his chest with a wince.
“It was dark.” Artemis said, turning away to look into the distance.
Aqualad sighed. “It is fine. Robin and Superboy neutralized The Fog and Dr. Roquette is safe, thanks in no small part to you. Or you Venus.” he said with a nod in her direction. “Welcome to the team.”
A weight lifted off her shoulders at the leader's approval, feeling as if the trial went well. Her teammates crowded closer, M’gann slinging an arm over Venus’ shoulders. “I've always wanted sisters. Here on Earth, I mean. I have twelve back on Mars, but, trust me, it's not the same.”
Venus smiled in response, “Sisters don't sound half bad.” She felt her chest warm up, but for once it was gentle, like a campfire rather than an oil burn. Her team now.
—
Once the captured assassins had been taken away, and Doctor Roquette was escorted off to a safe house, the team had flown back to the Mountain. Some like Artemis chose to head out immediately, likely choosing to clean up at their own place, but the rest found themselves utilizing the Cave’s very impressive locker rooms. Originally Veronica was just going to change and clean up in whatever room she was assigned, assuming her bags had been dropped off, but M’gann had walked with her all the way to the living quarter areas, telling her all about the facilities the Cave had. Apparently although each bedroom had a basic bathroom and shower, they were nothing compared to the showers connected to the locker rooms. M’gann regaled her with stories about how it was equipped with all kinds of disinfectants and soaps to combat all the things heroes’ came across and how it was more like a spa than an actual school locker room. Not wanting to waste the night away in the bedroom, Veronica had grabbed a change of clothes and headed back to the lockers with her, taking in the constant chatter with appreciation. To be honest, she wasn’t as impressed as M’gann was, but she liked the company and smiled as M’gann never stopped talking even through the stall walls. Also, Veronica just relished in having hot water again. Stupid ex-military Lanterns.
She walked out about thirty minutes later, attempting to braid back her brown hair, which was almost back thanks to the lingering water. Walking through the halls she stalled as she turned the corner to see Robin leaning against the wall next to her door. He looked up as she approached, jerking his head towards the door in a signal of we need to talk. She tried to push just a little, trying to get a read on his emotions, but she was instead met with a brick wall, akin to what most of the older heroes had. Nervousness building, she opened the door, leading him inside.
The room was still barren, only the necessities befitting of an unassigned room. Her few bags laid along the wall, still waiting to be fully unpacked. Robin walked past her, sitting himself on top of the desk.
“So..” she began, “I’m assuming you wanted to talk?”
Robin looked at her with a tilt of his head, “Bats told me about your.. situation, Venus.”
She paused, trying to find her words. “How much? I mean, how much do you know about, everything?”
“Most of it I’m assuming. Normal background until an alien crash caused a wildfire, you got the ring as a result, and your family was... and how you are trying to fix what you did to them. Since then you've been in custody on Oa, until the Lantern’s requested permission from the League to bring you back.”
She winced at the bluntness. “Yeah.. that’s about it.” She looked up at him through her bowed head, arms crossing as if to provide some comfort. “How much do you know about the Star Sapphires?”
He blew some air out in contemplation, “Not a whole lot. Associated with the Lantern’s, usually hostile and weren’t supposed to be approached, decent threat level. And from what I saw on the files, the one we did know of by name was deceased. But that isn’t her ring is it?”
“No it’s another’s, the uh, the one that crashed. The other woman, she and one of the Green Lantern’s were apparently.. Very close. Her death was one of the catalysts to reforge the Star Sapphire’s powers into rings, it was supposed to make it more stable and less, mind-controlly.”
“Did it work?”
“Well, I’m not exactly running around as an evil villain right now am I?”
He looked at her, eyes boring into her soul and assessing her as a threat, no sign of the smirk that was always present. “So why am I being assigned to watch over you as some sort of contingency.”
Her guilt and embarrassment grew. “I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I really am trying, it’s just.. Everything is amplified all the time. It’s like I have a dial for emotions, and most people stick around five, but me? I’m always stuck at ten. I have these medications, tranquilizers really.” She walked over to one of her bags, crouching down and pulling out a bottle. Rattling it she said, “I’m supposed to keep a few on me at all times, for an emergency. Usually I can reel it in with some time and space to refocus my head, but.” She looked down at the blasted things, then back at Robin, “I’m guessing you were given some too?”
“Something similar.”
She tossed the bottle onto her bed, walking closer to the boy. “Thank you, for carrying that burden then.”
He raised an eyebrow, “You’re not upset that the big leagues are actively expecting you to lose control and snap?”
She couldn’t help the mournful expression that formed on her face, “I really don’t want to hurt anyone, Robin.” She said softly. “I didn’t choose this life. I’m just trying to play the hand I was dealt, and if that means planning for the contingency that I fail, then so be it.
—
Once Robin had left, a silent agreement forming between the two, Veronica had tried to unpack. She got through about half a bag of clothes before she found the first photo. But after a long day of stressing, then the mission, then the conversation with Robin, she was exhausted. She knew she did not have the emotional regularity to handle combing through old memorabilia, so instead she set out to find the kitchen, stomach rumbling after the long night. It took a few minutes of wandering before she was able to find it, and though she was never much of a chef, even she could appreciate the quality and quantity that was this kitchen. Flipping through cupboards she found just about every cooking or baking tool one could need, before quickly realizing to her disappointment, that the food quantity was extremely lacking. Veronica stared at the barren fridge and pantry, blinking at the random assortment of food that had barely any rhyme or reason. The best she could guess was there was about seventy five percent of what one needed to make cookies, which she was assuming was M’gann’s doing, but the rest was baffling. She was quickly remembering that she was now living with an android, a Martian, and a newly born clone; God help her.
When she saw Conner enter as well, she cocked her head towards him, “Soo, is this really all the food you guys have?” gesturing towards the empty shelves. He merely shrugged in response, moving past her to grab a can of green beans, then a can opener from the drawer. “M’gann did the shopping. Red Tornado doesn’t eat and I don't care.”
Veronica blinked at that. Robin had told her that as long as she was with another team member, she was able to come and go as needed, so with one last glance at the food she could not possibly live off of for long, she muttered to herself, “Okay, first thing tomorrow, grocery shopping.” Then she grabbed a bag of tortillas and a honey bottle, and joined Conner in a silent dinner.
M’gann had found them not too long after they had cleaned up, Veronica taking inventory on what had already been bought and making a grocery list, with Connor behind her, silently observing. “Hey M’gann, would you be down to help me do some shopping tomorrow morning?” she said, waving the notepad in the air.
“Totally! I mean I already did some but with three of us here we probably will need more. Oh, I can pick up more baking ingredients too!”
That confirmed one of her theories. Veronica also suspected that the lack of ingredients like baking soda was probably contributing to the burnt cookie habits, if the pans in the sink were anything to go by.
“Baking is fun.” She said instead. “Have you tried much earthen cooking?”
“Not really, I’ve been watching this baking show with all these recipes and have been trying to recreate them later.”
Veronica paused. “Do you do it by memory or with a recipe?”
“What's the difference?”
“Ah.. Well maybe I can show you a few cooking shows too, plenty to watch out there.”
M’gann suddenly gasped, “Vee! Maybe you can figure out the TV! We can only get it to play DVDs, and honestly I’ve been too embarrassed to ask Red Tornado for help.”
Veronica couldn't help but preen a little at the new nickname, committing herself to the prospect of fixing anything her new teammates needed.
“Yeah I can take a look at it.”
Leaving the notepad and pen behind, she headed to the lounge to take a look at the TV, the other two trailing after her.
The lounge was quite spacious, a few couches and comfy chairs scattered about, mostly facing a large flat screen TV, which was bigger than anything she had ever seen at those electronics stores. Veronica took it in, fingers trailing over each button, switch, and plug on the box and remote. She fiddled around for a few minutes, trying out some usual combinations. Luckily this seemed to be the same brand that one of her dance friends had, and she thought back to the two watching movies after practice. Eventually she was able to hit the right combination, watching the TV come to life, screen lighting up to show a News channel. Smiling at her success she handed the remote off to M’gann, explaining what the main buttons did, before flopping on a couch like Connor had done.
Still sitting cross legged on the rug, M’gann began flipping through channels rapidly. Eventually the Martian stopped on one of those cheesy fashion and lifestyle reality show channels, where a Say Yes To The Dress knockoff was playing.
M’gann was immediately enthralled.
As the trio watched, silence fell over them, only punctuated by the occasional comment from M’gann. Connor had appeared to have nodded off already, and Veronica felt her eyes growing heavy as well. In this lounge, with the TV playing like white noise, and two of her new teammates surrounding her, her chest felt like it was purring with contentedness. Part of her debated just falling asleep out here, eyes growing heavier and heavier, as going back to her room meant returning to those bags. And opening those bags meant unpacking pictures of her family, clothes that still smelled like home, and the trinkets of a barely teenage girl whose life was permanently altered.
‘There was no going back, only going forward’. Is what the Lanterns had said. ‘Get stronger, for yourself and for them, do not let your grief control you’.
But really, was it running away if she just accidentally fell asleep on the couch after a mission?
The past could wait another day, right now she sat alongside her future.