chapter twenty-eight.
( friends and foes. )

     A day has passed since members of the team scattered across the nation to root out the Kroloteans still posing as the abducted humans they rescued– another day more since the successful nationwide mission of locating and destroying the zeta-platforms created by the infestation of Kroloteans on Earth.

All they can do now is wait for Miss Martian's squad to return from Rann with the information they need; Flamebird stands in front of the zeta tube in the Erdel Initiative's main office in S.T.A.R. Labs Taos facility, her hands excitedly tapping against the sides of her thighs as she patiently waits for the machine to power on and return her friends from their mission.

M'gann, Conner and Garfield left two days ago, their mission on Rann taking a little longer than expected.

"Sir, we have received the Rannian signal," Eduardo, the senior scientist behind the zeta technology research, rises from his seat to face Captain Atom. "They are arriving now."

Despite the urgency of their mission, Flamebird grins as a bright flash of white light fills the room. In seconds, the figures of her friends appear in the zeta tube. "Recognised: Adam Strange, A-One-One. Miss Martian, B-Zero-Six. Superboy, B-Zero-Five. Beast Boy, B-Two-Zero."

Stepping forward, Flamebird greets Miss Martian with a quick hug. The two girls share a smile as Beast Boy races forward. "Nightwing! Nightwing, look!" The young boy calls out, then waves a red sash in the air. "Check out my super cool alien souvenir!"

Miss Martian walks forward and places her hand on her younger brother's shoulder, the two sharing a look before his shoulders begin to sag dejectedly. Whatever Miss Martian said through the mind-link must've been a warning to remain professional.

Flamebird nudges Beast Boy's arm with her own. "Don't worry," she whispers. "We'll find a place for it back in the trophy room." She watches as he grins up at her.

"Zeta squad," Nightwing addresses the team. "Report."

"Our mission to neutralise the Krolotean zeta platforms on Rann was a success," Miss Martian announces.

Adam Strange steps forward a second later. "I've also brought back specs from Rann to create a zeta shield to prevent any more aliens from beaming to Earth from off-world." With a click of the button, an image of the Earth surrounded by a glowing field projects from the device in his hand.

"What about the Watchtower?" Flamebird crosses her arms as she observes the hologram. "How will this shield affect our own zeta-tubes going back and forth from Earth?"

"It won't." Adam Strange points at a small holographic version of the Watchtower. "The shield will activate at an altitude above the Watchtower's orbit. League zeta-tubes will still function normally."

Beast Boy glances up at Miss Martian. "Tell them about Rimbor." Gripping her arm, he pulls her forward slightly to capture her, and everyone else's, attention. "Tell them about the sixteen hours."

Flamebird's head snaps in their direction, while Wonder Woman and Green Lantern share a look of intrigue behind her.

"It may be easier to show you." Miss Martian enters their mind, transporting them from the Taos office to a battlefield on an alien planet. "I successfully interrogated a Krolotean General on Rann, who paid off a member of the Rannian Science Command to allow the Kroloteans to land a secret base in the Rannian Jungle. Once there, the Kroloteans stole zeta-platform technology from Adam Strange's friend, Sardath."

The images in her mind flicker to a large alien ship landing in the scrapyard she had sent Blue Beetle, Lagoon Boy and Robin to check out a day ago. "They landed another ship in New Orleans and used the zeta-platforms to beam a few hundred Kroloteans to Earth," Miss Martian informs them. "They built more platforms, brought in more Kroloteans, and began abducting and replacing humans– perhaps as part of an invasion strategy, though that's still unclear."

"But why Earth?" Captain Atom questions as they return to their own minds.

Wonder Woman nods in agreement with the Justice League's leader, "And what does this have anything to do with the missing sixteen hours?"

"Well, as you know, five years ago Vandal Savage placed the entire League under his control. Six Leaguers: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Hawkwoman, went missing for a full sixteen hours." Miss Martian recounts the story as if any of them could forget that day. "It turns out you were teleported to a planet called Rimbor where you spent sixteen hours on a rampage, attacking anything and everyone in sight."

Flamebird winces at the images projected into her head through the mind-link; flashes of brutal fighting and Rimbor's capital reduced to rubble by the Justice League.

Miss Martian retreats from their minds with a frown, "You also announced in several alien languages that you were the Justice League from Earth and the rest of the galaxy should beware." She sighs. "That's why the Kroloteans came. The League itself brought Earth to their attention."

Glancing over her shoulder, Flamebird watches the horrified expressions shared between both Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. She couldn't remember a single time, in her eight years of being a hero, ever seeing the woman so distraught.

"I don't know what to say," Wonder Woman whispers in shock. "I have no memories of this. None."

"Don't blame yourselves," Flamebird reminds the two Leaguers. As awful as the explanation of what they had done must be, she couldn't let them forget the true culprit behind all of it. "Blame Savage and his Light. They did this."

"Flamebird is right. You weren't in control," Captain Atom agrees, then turns to face Green Lantern. "But, John, how is it that you haven't heard about this intergalactic incident?"

"No clue," Green Lantern shakes his head. "Rimbor's not a planet in my sector, but I'll head to Oa immediately to consult with the Guardians of The Universe and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. We'll get to the bottom of this, Cap. I promise."

"In the meantime, we still have a Krolotean invasion force to track down on Earth." Captain Atom turns to face the team. "You did good work on Rann," he tells Miss Martian, "Now we need you at the Hall of Justice."

It had taken Miss Martian under ten minutes to interrogate and extract the information from their Krolotean prisoner on the whereabouts of the Krolotean base on Earth; Malina Island. Flamebird didn't want to know exactly how she had done it, Martian Manhunter had been there for days unable to yield the same results, and she was just thankful that they'd be able to put this whole thing behind them soon enough.

She sits in the pilot seat of the Bioship, her hands hovering over the control pylons as she steers the ship over the pacific ocean. Batman sits at the front of the cockpit, his seat facing forward as he addresses his ever-growing group of proteges. "Remember, this is primarily a recon mission," he reminds them. "We want to discover all we can about the Kroloteans invasion strategy before we shut them down and deliver them to the Green Lantern Corps."

Tim – the newest Robin – sits beside Batman, patiently waiting for the dropzone. Batgirl, from where she sits behind Robin and to the right of Nightwing, turns her seat around to meet Flamebird's gaze. The two girls share a look and Batgirl rolls her eyes in Batman's direction before they snicker quietly amongst themselves.

"Flamebird, Batgirl." Batman warns the two of them in a stern voice, his back still facing his proteges.

"Come on, Bats," Flamebird laughs. She stays focused on keeping the Bioship camouflaged and close to the water as they draw closer to Malina Island in the dead of night. "It's a simple recon mission, we know what to do. You trained us yourself, remember?"

Batman glances over his shoulder, the white-eyes of his mask narrowing ever-so-slightly in her direction. Then, he lets out a simple yet gruff hum of agreement.

Flamebird smiles before raising a hand to activate the in-ear radio connecting them to the Atlantean duo situated in the back of the Bioship. "Approaching drop-zone beta," she announces as she slows the ship down just enough for Aquaman and Lagoon Boy to dive into the water below. She circles back around the island, bringing it to a stop above the entrance of the Kroloteans base. "Drop-zone Gamma."

Batman and Robin are the first to leap out of the Bioship, silently working together to take out two of the guards patrolling the doors of the compound. Flamebird, Batgirl and Nightwing follow closely behind.

Hiding in the shadows of the night, Flamebird crouches beside one of the unconscious guards. She had been expecting Kroloteans, not Henchmen in familiar-looking black and red armour that brought an uneasy feeling to her stomach. Her eyes flick up to meet Nightwing's, and though there isn't a mind-link to connect their thoughts, she has known him long enough to know her silent question has gotten across.

If Black Manta's troopers are here, then where is his son?

Nightwing shrugs in response, then glances toward the compound doors. Another silent order. They could worry about their old friend later, right now they needed to discover as much as they could about the Kroloteans and their planned invasion.

The heroes silently make their way up the side of the dormant volcano and, after Batgirl pops open a vent cover leading into the base, Flamebird is the first to drop inside. Batgirl follows her down; Nightwing lands on her right and Robin to her left.

Nightwing holds his fist up, then two fingers, before flattening his hand out in silent commands for his team. The group splits off into pairs, swiftly and silently working their way through the volcanic base– the way they had been taught by Batman.

Flamebird crouches at Robin's side, peeking her head over the railing for a better look at the Krolotean's below. They were all working on their ship. It must've been wrecked during their arrival to Earth, she thinks.

"There!" A shout drags the woman out of her thoughts. Her dark eyes scan over the base, searching for the Manta Trooper who had spotted them, before she notices the one pointing his weapon at them. Hastily, she throws herself in Robin's direction; she wraps one arm around the boy as they tumble off the third-floor railing, then shoots her grapple hook to swing them both down to safety.

With widened eyes, Robin glances back at her as they take off into a sprint across the second floor's pathway. "Thanks," he calls out.

"Don't mention it!" She grins. Another Trooper leaps to block their path and, using her momentum, Flamebird charges forward and knocks against the Trooper. He grabs hold of her shoulders, trying to keep his balance, as she pushes him toward the railing. She takes his wrist and twists it back, ignoring the man's groans as she lifts her leg and kicks him over the railing.

"Flamebird!" Nightwing's voice shouts through the base. Her eyes flick around before landing on her brother's crouched figure a few feet away. "Manouevere seven," he tells her.

With a nod of her head, she runs toward him. She jumps, her foot pressing against Nightwing's folded hands as he pours his strength into pushing her upward. Unfurling her bo-staff, she lands on the floor above and strikes one of the Manta Troopers– her staff hits the side of his head and, in a quick movement, she swings the weapon back and uses the other end to disarm him.

She kicks the gun off platform and ducks under the henchman's fist as he swings it at her. Rushing behind him, she swings her weapon at his feet and effectively knocks him off his feet. His head slams against the metal flooring beneath them.

"Nightwing to Delta Squad. Enemy is attempting escape," Nightwing announces through the comm-link. "Requesting backup."

Flamebird watches as the wall on the opposite side of the cave explodes open and Superman, carrying Superboy by the arms, flies into the dormant volcano with Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl trailing close behind.

"Superman, triple combo over here!" At the shout, Superman tightens his grip around his clone's wrists as he spins in the air before releasing him. Superboy is launched into the air where he destroys one of the Krolotean's mechs, before falling to crush two more of them as he fights his way to Flamebird's side.

"About time," she jokes, fending off a Trooper with her bo-staff as she spares her friend a quick glance over her shoulder. "Almost thought they left you back at the Cave to mope."

"Very funny," he rolls his eyes half-heartedly. "Duck." Flamebird falls to one knee and Superboy swings his fist at the Manta Trooper she had been fighting, easily knocking him onto his back.

From where she crouches, Flamebird observes the mechs below, a plan formulating in her mind as she looks up at Superboy with a grin. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Manoeuvre four?" He raises a brow.

With a nod of her head, she wraps her hands around the railing and uses the bar as leverage to leap into the open air. Holding three birderangs between her fingers, she tosses them at the mech below.

It shoots them out of the air with ease but as the small explosions go off, Superboy, with a running start, leaps from the railing above and uses the explosions as a distraction to come barreling down into the mech. The metal suit is crushed under his strength and Superboy rips into the centre to pull the Krolotean from his seat.

Neither hero gets the chance to pay the writhing alien any attention as something else captures their attention a few feet away; Aquaman punches Manta, knocking his helmet off, and sending a shiver down Flamebird's side as she watches the man lift his head. It wasn't the Black Manta they had been fighting for years, it was Kaldur'ahm.

Flamebird had heard of his betrayal from Nightwing a few months ago, but nothing could have prepared her for seeing his face standing across from her on the battlefield rather than at her side.

He had always been her older brother. One of her oldest friend's alongside Dick, Roy, and Wally. After Tula's death, it was easier to think Nightwing had misunderstood Kaldur's intentions rather than believe he truly betrayed them.

"I had not believed Nightwing until this moment," Aquaman, his former mentor, says breathlessly.

Kaldur's eyes narrow at his former mentor. "You did not want to believe!"

Superboy, as he releases the squirming Krolotean and lets it run away from the battlefield, takes a step in his old friend's direction with a softened gaze. "None of us wanted to believe this," he snaps. "How could you betray us?!"

"You dare question me!" Kaldur draws his water-bearers with a growl, "After all of you let Tula die?!"

Flamebird's heart falls at the mention of their former teammate. Tula, Aquagirl, had been Kaldur's friend first — his first love, he had told her many years ago when recounting stories from the life he had left behind in the ocean — but she was her friend, too. If she could go back to Bialya, if she could stop Klarion from reviving Tiamat before it was too late, she would have.

She thought, after all they had been through together, Kaldur would know that.

"Tula's death was an accident, Kal," she reminds him sadly. "We all did what we could to save her."

"It was a mission. Aquagirl knew the risks." Nightwing drops from the railing above, landing between Kaldur and the others. His shoulders are squared and his escrima sticks are held tightly in his grasp, but all Flamebird can think about is how much things have changed in the last year for either of them to even consider drawing their weapons on one of their closest friends. "No one wanted her to-"

"Neptune's Beard!" Lagoon Boy curses from Aquaman's side. "Don't coddle this traitor. He has joined forces with our King's greatest enemy!"

Kaldur glares at the Atlantean. "Do you mean the King who hid from me the true identity of my father?"

"That was my error in my judgement, Kaldur'ahm," Aquaman explains, his shoulders sagging in defeat as he admits his mistake. "No one else need suffer for it."

"All will suffer if Black Manta demands it. Blood is thicker than seawater." A small compartment on the shoulder of his black and red armour opens, and a small missile fires forward.

Superboy pulls Flamebird behind him to shield her from the blast, but as she peeks over his shoulder to watch the smoke clear, both Kaldur and Nightwing have already disappeared. Superboy lets go of her arms and sprints toward their last known location, his eyes frantically searching the area for any way Kaldur could've escaped. "This way!" He calls out to Flamebird, pointing toward a small nearby tunnel that leads down.

There's nothing but silence as the two heroes slide down the tunnel and into the cavern below the Krolotean's ship. A red light illuminates the room as Flamebird crawls out of the tunnel, and she can hear Kaldur speaking in the distance.

"Nightwing," he growls. "Just you and me, old friend?"

"No!" Superboy shouts as he slides out of the tunnel and lands behind Flamebird, announcing their presence loudly. "It's a regular reunion special."

The water of Kaldur's swords fall to the ground in a puddle as he sheaths his water-bearers with a sigh. "Fine. You can take me down, or you can save everyone from this bomb," he says, then points behind him to a large black and yellow bomb glued to the wall. The red light flickers faster with each passing second. "I am told the yield is quite impressive."

Superboy charges forward with an angry shout, throwing a fist at Kaldur's face. Their former-leader easily steps back, one hand wrapping around the boy's fist as the other shoots out to punch him directly across the face. He falls to the ground and Kaldur, with his hand wrapping around the boy's throat, sends an electric shock through his body.

"Kaldur, stop!" Flamebird sprints toward them as Superboy falls limp beneath their old friend.

Kaldur lifts his gaze and, in a moment of what Flamebird truly hopes is empathy for the people he once called family, warns them, "You have two minutes." Letting go of Superboy's throat, Kaldur escapes into the water.

Two minutes , Flamebird repeats to herself. Two minutes before a bomb will detonate and destroy the entire island, killing not only the Kroloteans they had come to escort off the planet but her closest friends and family along with them. "Nightwing," she glances over her shoulder with wide eyes.

Nightwing, as Flamebird leans down and pulls Superboy's arm over her shoulders to heave him off the ground, stands in front of the bomb with furrowed brows. "We need to get out of here," he says through the comm-link. "There's a bomb down here. Alien tech. I can't disarm it."

Superboy wipes his gloved hand across his face and takes a shaky step toward Nightwing and the bomb, his arm still wrapped around Flamebird's shoulders to keep himself steady. "I'll get it out," he offers.

"No!" Nightwing raises his hand to stop him. "Might have pressure or motion sensors. All squads evacuate to Bioship. Now!" He rises to his feet and takes off into a sprint without another word. With her arm wrapped around Superboy's waist as she helps him back toward the tunnel entrance, Flamebird glances over her shoulder in the direction Kaldur had escaped.

A little over two weeks later, the sidekicks and former sidekicks of the six League heroes who had been sent to Rimbor five years ago by Vandal Savage gathered on the beach behind Mount Justice with their mentors.

They had been going over the plan every day since returning from Malina Island; while the six Leaguers responsible for the rampage, as well as Hawkman and Icon, would return to Rimbor to clear their names, the team would handle things with the invasion on Earth. The Kroloteans are gone, but it wouldn't be the end of the galaxy's retaliation for what happened to Rimbor all those years ago.

Standing beside Yue and Barbara, with Tim directly in front of them, Dick meets his mentor's gaze with a small smile. "Be careful, alright?"

"I was about to say the same to you four," Bruce replies. She can't see his face behind the cowl but, from the tone of his voice alone, she can imagine the sad look in his eyes as he stares at the proteges he would be leaving behind. "I fear we leave the more dangerous task here on Earth."

Yue scoffs lightheartedly, "We've handled worse over the years. Don't worry about us."

"Time to go," Green Lantern announces. A few feet away, he raises his fist into the air and a glowing green light surrounds him as he creates a spacecraft from the inside out.

Hesitatingly, Yue steps forward to hug her father-figure. "Be safe out there," she whispers, allowing herself to sink into his warmth as he returns the embrace for only a moment. When she steps away again, she smiles up at him sadly. "We can't lose you, too." The explosion on Malina Island had served as a cold, dreaded reminder to all of them of what happened in Qurac two years ago to the second boy wonder.

With a nod of his head, Batman spares another glance to his proteges before he, and the other Leaguers, board Green Lantern's ship. As the glowing green walls of the construct begin to close around them, Wonder Woman glances back at the young heroes with a hopeful smile, "May the gods be with you all."

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

✶ Another update, oh I'm cooking! Currently I'm all the way at chapter 35, halfway through it and editing as I go, but I felt as though I was making enough progress on it right now to update. It's a very slow process, I won't lie, and I feel like the chapters after are going to be written just as slow but that is the good thing about pre-writing this! I will always have some chapters in the vault to post when the hiatus is getting too long.

✶ I've also been cooking up some potential au's for Yue and Wally, my favourite of which being a rather short no-superheroes college au but will I ever write these au's past the simple outlines I have for them? We'll never know.