Outsiders: We Could Be Heroes

One

Laurel Lance was tired.

She kept her eyes on the road ahead, the Jeep rattling beneath the thin leather seat. She had no idea how Roy managed to stay asleep.

"We there yet?" He grunted. Okay, maybe he wasn't totally asleep.

"A few more miles," she said. A green sign flashed by, simply stating "Central City: 5 Miles."

"You should have let me drive," Roy stuffed the jacket he'd been using as a pillow back into his backpack and made sure the rest of what they still had was in order.

Laurel shook her head. "Too late now. I wouldn't be able to get to sleep before we got to the Labs."

"You do know I'm the only one of us who actually knows the way."

"You do realize I can kick your skinny little butt, right?"

Roy was quiet for a moment.

"But can we at least stop by Big Belly Burger?"

James took one last, long look around the huge Catco office that used to belong to him.

"Please tell me you're not serious," Winn begged. James turned to find the ex-IT-guy standing in the doorway.

James nodded and looked out the window. "National City's got Supergirl and the DEO to help her, and Guardian can't help them if Supergirl locks him up." He held up the camera in his hands. He still had the pieces of the camera from his dad, but he had a new one, though it didn't feel quite right. He hadn't gotten a chance to break it in yet.

"Even before I became Guardian I knew that I could do more good behind a camera than behind a desk. I can't do that in National City anymore."

"What about Kara?"

James shook his head. "Like she said, she has Mon-El to help her now. We rarely see each other anymore."

Winn was quiet, racking his brain for another reason to make James stay.

"Hey," James clapped Winn on the shoulder. "No matter where I go, just call me, and I'll be there."

Winn nodded, and James headed for the elevators.

"By the way, where are you going?"

James thought for a moment, slowly walking backwards. 

"I was thinking El Paso."

---

They were coming. She knew that they were. Headaches plagued her daily, attacking her mind, looking for weak spots. They were getting stronger. 

The White Martians were coming.

So far, she'd been able to keep them from finding out about J'onn and the others, the ones she cared about. Soon, however, they'd break through. They always did. 

M'gann was a strong telepath, but she wasn't invulnerable. She couldn't put National City and everyone else at risk. She needed to go somewhere safer, somewhere that wouldn't suffer too much damage from a White Martian attack. Somewhere like the desert.

"So that's the tour. You're sure you can handle it?"

Mon-El nodded eagerly. Kara insisted that he could be a noble hero, but to M'gann he was more of an overexcited puppy.

"Yeah, I got it!" He said with a huge smile. "What's your hurry? You seem pretty anxious."

M'gann shook her head. "I've just got a bus to catch. Marcille's number is on the sticky note on the fridge if you have any questions. And remember, don't give a patron more than they can handle. If they look wasted and they ask for more, you have to tell them no. We can't give anyone another reason to deport aliens."

"Yeah, we get enough of that from Cadmus," Mon-El sighed irritably. 

"I got this, you can go." He assured her.

"Thank you, Mon-El." M'gann shouldered her duffle, leaving out the back entrance. 

A minute later, the bus pulled up. M'gann was the only one on board.

"Where to, Ma'am?"

M'gann looked at the map of the Western United States.

"South," she told the bus driver.

The driver closed the door. "South it is."

---

"You can't be serious."

Roy sipped his milkshake loudly.

"What makes you think we're not?" Laurel crossed her arms and leaned against the railing.

Cisco Ramon swallowed nervously. "I'm not gonna pretend you died when everyone else is legitimately mourning you."

"Come on, Cisco, everyone thinks I'm dead and Ollie thinks Roy hates him. No one's gonna ask you if you know where we are." Laurel begged.

"Please, Cisco, we want to start over, find a new place, somewhere that needs a hero more than Star City does now, or Central City does with all her super-freaky metahumans. Somewhere where Oliver and the others won't find us."

Roy held up a greasy, jumbo-sized bag from Big Belly Burger. "We did bring you food."

Cisco sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I think I know a place."