"Nani ga okotta, Papa?" Karumi Kasukazaki asks her father what happened, as they view the news report on the Nihon Gi presentation the next morning.

Chihiro Kazukazaki hushes his daughter, frowning at the television as camera footage shows people, including American Heroes, rushing out of the centre.

The news reporter states that an American Hero contained the blast from the sabotaged equipment, saving everyone in the neighbourhood. Mitchell Susa and Haru Maki were apprehended following the incident.

"Haru Maki?" Akina, Chihiro's wife comes to sit behind him, "Isn't he the one you fired all those years ago?"

"Yes. He's using his EMP activated tech again," he responds, watching the footage of the end of the debacle as it replays.

"Time for you morning lessons, Karumi," Akina says to her only child. The little girl stands up, kissing her father's cheek on her way out of their vast living room.

Chihiro barely notices however, distracted by suspicion as one of the heroes carries out an unconscious female, covered in silver, like armour.

He is then brought back to the memory of his secretary bringing video footage to him earlier that week.

It was his first daughter, Mahiko Kasukazaki, standing outside of the company building. She was speaking on the phone before transforming into a silver being and flying off into the air.

And now he is seeing what he believes to be that exact being, back in Japan.

Doctor Magnus has some explaining to do. 

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"Recognised, Nightwing B01, Platinum B23, Batgirl B16." 

"Cot, now!"

Nightwing walking in with an unconscious, injured Mahiko in his arms is a sight that is not well received.

The Team were lined up for a briefing on the situation, including Beastboy, Lagoon Boy, Bumblebee, Mal, Robin, Mercury, Wondergirl, Blue Beetle and Red Tornado.

Having been radioed, Red Tornado had a cot already in the mission room. Mal rushes it over to them.

"What happened back there?" Bumblebee asks frantically, as Nightwing places Mahiko down onto the thin mattress.

"She saved them all," he says, as they begin wheeling her towards the exit hallway.

"Recognised, Miss Martian B05, Superboy B04." 

"Is she-"

"Stay there," the firm, demanding and loud command Nightwing gives to the two newcomers echoes through the room, stopping everyone in their tracks.

The rest of the team stare on, confused, but Batgirl urges them to move on and take Mahiko to the medical room, leaving Red Tornado and the other three to talk.

"Batgirl, what happened?" Jaime asks, and he lacks his usual softness, staring intensely down at his unconscious girl.

Barbara sighs, "It was a big sacrifice. I'll explain once she's hooked up, alright?"

The team remain on the other side of the room, by the door, as Batgirl and Bumblebee work on connecting Mahiko up to an IV, putting her under physical scan surveillance while she heals.

"Black Canary is on her way," Karen says, as she pulls the pins out of the young girls hair, brushing it out so that it fans above her head, away from her skin.

"Her abilities must come with natural healing, like a speedster. The burns on her arms are lessening. It's where she released the power from."

"That's right," Axel steps forward, his voice still foreign in the atmosphere due to his reluctance to talk much. "The microtech in our blood works to counteract injuries. Did she use her original powers?"

"The tech one? Yeah."

"Then it must have been like the last time she did something like this. It will have burnt layers of skin beneath the top one and her platinum layer. But, she'll heal," he glances at Jaime, "She'll be fine." The other boy nods back, though his concerned gaze doesn't leave Mahiko.

"Batgirl... Is this Superboy and Miss Martian's fault?" Wondergirl asks softly.

Barbara sighs, again, clearly reluctant to put much blame on them. She cant deny that she herself feels guilty. Technically, she triggered the bomb. Unintentionally, yes, but if she had just waited it would have been fine.

"See, there was a bomb. It was undetectable, so we assumed Susa, the bomber, had one to detonate on his person. I couldn't attack. Mahiko worked out that Haru Maki, a weapons tech designer, built the bomb to be activated by EMPs, which we were going to use to knock out the original bomb in mind. I released the EMP, because I didn't know. I didn't know, because M'gann and Conner let their issues with each other distract them, breaking the link, leaving me in the roof without information and Nightwing and Platinum on the floor at gun point without contact. The bomb was activated. I apprehended Susa, but the bomb had a radius of a mile. Mahiko managed to shut it down, alone. It was...amazing." 

The Team are surprised, looking around at each other with similar questions. Tim and Gar in particular are thrilled that she managed to come out of the stupor of their last, disastrous mission together.

"I think we should all give Mahiko some space," Black Canary's voice says from the door. The teens split, allowing their trainer in. "I'll stay with her. You were in for a briefing for another mission...but, stay in the Grotto or the living room for now. Batman and Martian Manhunter are in the mission room right now, with Nightwing. He'll come and get you when you're done."

They nod, though reluctantly. Even Batgirl seems to want to say. She and Jaime are the last to leave. The boy gingerly moves through the room, towards the medical cot.

Barbara asks Black Canary what she saw in the Mission Room.

"They're suspended for a few weeks, and after won't be allowed on missions or squads together for a while. They're still being lectured. Nightwing seemed very angry," Dinah responds.

"It seemed very painful for her. He doesn't like missions ending that way. Especially if she had...Well, it could have been worse. Do you think she'll be mad?"

"Na," Jaime answers immediately, the headgear of his uniform still tucked away. "The only thing she'll be mad about? Her dress being ruined," he chuckles.

Dinah raises her eyebrows, whereas Barbara laughs.

"Good, she did a really astounding thing today. I'm glad she can see the good side of it, but for now Jaime..." 

"I know," he answers the Canary's unspoken question. He stands, then sheepishly leans forward and kisses the girl's head, before rushing out, not meeting any of their eyes.

As Jaime walks down the hallways towards the Grotto, he starts mulling over everyone's words.

'She saved them all.'

'It was a big sacrifice.'

'It will have burnt layers of skin.'

'Mahiko managed to shut it down, alone.'

'It seemed very painful for her.'

This, perhaps, he had not considered. The danger he faces every time the scarab covers his body had not occurred to him as dangers for Mahiko.

Whether it was his inability to see any flaws in her, or a reluctance to acknowledge what they're really doing here, he doesn't know. 

What he does know, is that getting that call from Mal was the worst moment of this summer yet. Every single thing to be afraid of rushed through his head. Was she dead? Captured? Corrupted?

The scarab called him a fool for thinking such things, and lamented that our relationship with the Platinum should terminate due to its causes.

Jaime had snapped there was no 'our' relationship.

He realises now that a coupling within the team could be a volatile thing, when it comes to situations like these.

Mal and Karen, they seemed fine. Capable. La'gann and M'gann...everyone had different opinions. His concern is that one day, that will be him and Mahiko, unable to talk. Unable to work together.

"Jaime Reyes." 

He ignores the voice, sounding almost sheepish in its approach.

"Jaime Reyes." 

"What?"

"You fret pointlessly over such insignificant matters."

"What do you care?"

"In the same way you endure the thoughts of this Scarab, this Scarab must endure the thoughts of your hormonal instances."

"Ugh, no. Stop. Don't. Just stop talking."

"This Scarab is entitled to an opinion. It too has seen of the Platinum what you have." 

That almost makes Jaime's stomach lurch. He stops at the entry to the grotto to wince, knowing that it was true. The Scarab had been witness to all areas of their relationship.

Sighing, and happy for the sudden silence, he travels down the steps to where he can hear the others talking.

Meanwhile, in the mission room, Batman's presence creates its usual chill. Only this time it feels much, much more dangerous.

With those white slits set on M'gann and Conner, neither of them return the gaze, looking anywhere else. Superboy can not lie; he is intimidated.

"You will put yourself in a situation," he carries on, after the one-minute silence that had followed his tearing them to pieces, "where your insolence resulted in Mahiko being unable to contain the bomb and as a result being killed, along with Nightwing and any of the other civilians you would have failed to evacuate. She wouldn't be in the medical bay; she'd be in a morgue."

Neither of them say anything. Nothing along the lines of we understand or we're sorry. It was safe to stand there, shut up and be patient.

"Should your personal issues come to endanger the lives of your comrades or disrupt another mission to the point of failure again, your places on this team with be called into question and the League will hold a meeting. For now, you're dismissed."

It doesn't sound like they got off, free, or anything. Not in the way he implies. They don't care, either way, just happy that Mahiko is okay.

Superboy goes into his room, silently, without a word to her. M'gann drifts down the hallway, at a loss, heading for the medical bay. She has to know, is her friend okay?

On her way there Black Canary walks past, giving M'gann a smile that seems hurried, panicked. Is something wrong? 

The Martian reaches the medical room, walking in to see Mahiko has been changed into a medical grown, her tattered-sleeved-dress lying on a chair.

M'gann sits on it, looking at Mahiko with sad eyes.

"Sorry," she murmurs, "in situations like this, I don't know what I'm doing."

Batman is in a serious conversation with Nightwing and Red Tornado when Canary emerges, hurrying through the mission room towards the monitors.

She brings a holographic screen up, going into team files and bringing up Mahiko's.

"What is it?" Batman asks.

"She doesn't need blood, does she?"

Dinah shakes her head, searching through the teen's medical history, "She has no record of heart palpitations."

"Heart palpitations?... Skips, rate or flutter?"

"Skip," she responds, before giving the Dark Knight a look, "I'm not talking about one heartbeat skipping every minute, either."

Back in the medical room, M'gann is gently smoothing out one of the bandages Mahiko has on her hand, when the machine she is connected to gives a sudden flatline beep. 

"I thought I was losing her," Black Canary continues to say, "The moment Jaime and Karen left she flatlined. Her heart stopped beating for a total of five seconds. Thats's six beats of blood, but her body didn't even react."

"Superboy said something similar. Mahiko's heartbeat would drop out. He thought it was his hearing."

Batman stares at the information Dinah brings up.

"Contact Doctor Magnus, again," he tells her.

Nightwing tells Miss Martian not to worry when she enters his mind in a panic over the girls state.

And mere yards away from them, the Scarab decides it was the correct decision to keep that information from the Jaime Reyes.