Cygnus (Young Justice Fanfiction)

The True Me

//S

"Your training has been going perfectly and I can say with confidence that you are making great progress. I don't want you to take on the Dynamic Duo yet, but I think you are ready for your first big heist." Penguin said delighted.

I know Penguin was evil and only using me as a weapon, but it was nice to get a complement. I never got those when I was back home. No one ever told me 'Good job!' or 'You're doing great!' They simply were never spoken. My parents were proud of me they just would never show it, or at least I would like to think so. 

I smiled feeling something I haven't felt in a long time, pride. Not only Penguin being proud of me, but also feeling proud of myself. That feeling quickly went away as I realized I was proud of myself for being a criminal. But Penguin made me feel like I could do something, like I actually had a place where I... I fit in.

"I will give you anything you need to complete the task, but you will plan it all on your own. You can rob any place you want, but it needs to be important. Send a signal to Batman and Robin that Penguin and his new accomplice are back in business. I only require a small item in return and whatever else you take is yours to keep. You need to prove that you are ready to be my apprentice in crime." he explained.

"I am going to need a mask to protect my identity. I can't have anyone know my regular whereabouts." I said already formulating a plan in my head.

"Very good, I'm impressed." he smiled, "You know I am very fond of all types of birds so as a gift from me to you I will let you choose your bird mask." he offered.

"I only need something to cover my face, I don't need to be a bird." I said bluntly.

"There are all of these birds you have been living with. You belong to me, you are one of my birds and you will do as I say." Penguin commanded. 

I sighed with defeat and started to look around. At least he was letting me choose which bird I wanted to be. That was something, right? I looked around at all the birds each one different than the next. I came across a picture hung on the wall portraying a beautiful white bird with an orange beak, and that's when I knew exactly what I wanted to be. 

Swans are known for being graceful and protective. They were strong for their stature and they were elegant, but most importantly they were free. I looked at myself and realized I was a swan. I may not have been able to protect myself against my dad, but I can protect myself now. I was strong and independent. I could do anything I wanted, whenever I wanted and no one was going to stop me. I never realized how freeing crime really was. I never had to follow any rules or do anything I didn't want to do. I could take anything I pleased and I wouldn't let anyone stop me.

"A swan." I said in a clear and confident voice.

Penguin smiled and nodded his head as he left me to plan the rest of my heist. 

Robbing a museum seemed to be the most logical way to go. It had priceless artifacts that Penguin would love to get his hands on. He was a criminal, but he was also a business man. He could easily sell the items I brought back without leaving a trail to where they came from. Penguin said it needed to be big, so the obvious choice would be Gotham's Museum of the Arts. I planned for the rest of the day ready to make my move tomorrow night.

***

I woke up the next morning to Penguin's voice. "My beautiful swan, wake up. I have something for you."

I hated that he called me 'beautiful swan', but I sat up without a word. I looked at what Penguin was holding in his hands. It was a beautiful mask covered in white swan feathers. The nose was bright orange with a black outline. The feathers were beautiful each one looked as soft as a cloud. He gave me the mask to through the cage bars. I attached the mind controlling headband to it and put it on. 

I marveled at the mask in awe as the Penguin smiled to himself proud of his creation. The feathers covered the mask, but were glued back so that they wouldn't get in my eyes. In fact, you could barely see my eyes, let alone the color of them. It was perfect from the soft inside of the mask to the small orange beak covering my nose. It was absolutely beautiful and I could barely form words as I stared at my reflection.

I felt like a whole other person. This new person was strong, confident, graceful, elegant, beautiful, and me, the true me.

"Are you ready to go?" Penguin asked, snapping me back into reality.

"I'm ready."

//

I don't have words to describe this moment. XD

~KO

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