TENEBRIS ~ Young Justice

25 ~ Aren't Reunions Supposed To Be Happy?

Eduardo disappeared in the blink of an eye as Arsenal charged at Black Beetle, getting within a few meters before sliding beneath his oncoming figure. The second Black Beetle began following Arsenal's movements, I flew forward and crashed into him from behind, driving my feet into his back and propelling him forward. Arsenal was at the ready, using the staff to fire a shot at Black Beetle from the front. It hit him in the torso, eroding away a small portion of his armor as the two of us scattered again.

Eduardo, who'd landed on one of the pods a little ways away, fired another shot when Black Beetle whirled around to look for us, hitting him in the arm.

"You insolent lifeforms!" Black Beetle roared, his opposite hand transforming into another cannon while the regenerative antibodies worked to repair his armor. "Every single stasis cell in this facility has your names written on it. When I'm finished with you, the Reach will ensure you sleep through the next millennium!"

"I've never really been keen on naps," I chided, diving through the air when Black Beetle sent a shot my way. I heard Arsenal let out a guffaw from below.

"I'll bet you sleep like a baby when this is all over!" he continued, firing at Black Beetle. The creature growled.

"Let's just see how entertained you are when I've ended your insignificant lives and harvested all the meat in the name of the Reach!"

I managed to dodge the next blast from his sonic cannon, but I wasn't prepared when he opened his armor and fired another shot from his chest cannon. Despite my maneuvering, it grazed my arm, and the smell of burning flesh entered my nose strong enough to make me lightheaded. I lost my balance and fell out of the air, shifting to land on my uninjured side as I clasped an arm around my blistering left bicep.

"Black Monarch!" Eduardo exclaimed from above before suddenly appearing right before my eyes. I gritted my teeth as I gently withdrew my hand, only to cry out at the pain radiating from the new injury. It was getting increasingly hard to keep my eyes open.

"Hey, kid! Stick to the plan!" Arsenal yelled, firing a series of shots at Black Beetle with the staff when he laughed.

"If I knew swatting a fly were this easy, I would have done it from the beginning!" he bellowed, the same chilling smile reappearing on his face. Eduardo's expression became twisted with confliction as I shifted onto my back before propping myself up with my uninjured arm. My torso screamed, but I fought to suppress the pain. I had to stay focused.

"Ed, go."

"But you're--!" 

My eyes darted just over his shoulder in time to shove him out of the way as Black Beetle fired in our direction. The floor became marked from the impact that had barely missed us, and I placed myself in front of Eduardo when the two of us rolled to a stop.

"Ed, go!" Eduardo gave me one final worried look before disappearing again. The second he was gone, I clutched my burning arm as I drew in the deepest breath I could muster.

Come on, Black Monarch. Don't let him squash you like a bug.

I was about to verbally retort when the room in front of me started glowing. I lifted my head to see Ty's astral-form reappear before taking a swing at Black Beetle, whom he successfully knocked out of the air and sent flying into the wall by the door. He slid to the floor below his point of impact with a groan. The tiniest smile pulled at the corners of my lips as I was filled with relief. Ty was okay; I hoped Asami and Virgil were the same.

"Um, he a friend of yours?"

My attention shifted to my right when a hand grabbed me by the bicep and helped me to my feet. Arsenal then took a protective stance in front of me while I gathered the strength to regain control of the surrounding shadows, but judging by how weakly they moved under my command, I wasn't sure how much longer my powers would be of use. At this point, I was unsure if I could even fly anymore.