Shadow's Dance| 2nd Version

Chapter 5 : Team

"Agni...I-"

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO APOLOGIZE!"

"Your right..."

"What?"

"I said you are correct, I don't have any right to apologize. I alone led them into the storage unit and abandoned them. But I paid for that, the past years I had been incarcerated and tortured by Phantom. I got what I deserved, barely alive I wouldn't have made it another month Agni..."

"That's why you look so small..."

"My powers...they were dampened for so long I almost forgot how to use them."

"They figured out a way to do that?"

"It was after I had managed to disable the cameras they came up with a more sustainable solution. Then the Justice League came and brought me to Mount Justice"

Agni reaches out her hand. "Let's get you back to them then."

Grasping her hand she helper her up. "They may be freaks but they are my freaks, don't underestimate them. Go to another island, visit Hawaii or something but not here. It's not safe."

"They headed eastward, try to catch up."

"Hopefully our paths cross once more."
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"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?"

"I caught up before you guys made it back, I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal is that you didn't work with us as a TEAM instead you ran off."

"What was that you were chasing?"

"It was a bird."

"A bird?"

"Yea."

"There aren't any birds that live on this island."

"Must have been traveling."

"What are you hiding that is so important?"

"It not important."

"It was important enough to leave us in the middle of training."

"I thought I saw someone I had known, I lost the trail."

"See? Was that so hard?"

"Whatever Boy Wonder..."

They all slowed down and went in one by one back into the training center. Aqualad gave Black Canary a sword that they had found.

"So... how did you know that wasn't from a past civilization or a fallen soldier?"

"Wally picked it up on one of our missions as a 'souvenir'. Of course you'd know that if you had been here a week ago."

"Sorry, I was busy being locked in a room starving and bleeding to death."

Canary cleared her throat."That wasn't the objective."

"WHAT?"

"During a mission you look for every possible angle, not just one area. In failing to complete the search there was on the south west side of the island was Cyborg. You were supposed to locate an enemy not a object and it has a tracker inside the gem that replaced. Two more hours of training, all of you."

"What if we made this up in a different way?" Jane spoke up.

"Depends..."

"The obstacle course, if we complete it as a team no more training. If we fail then for the next month we have an extra 4 hours a day."

"Alright, ill give you 2 hours to rest and prepare."

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"We are so screwed. Why did you even suggest that?"

"Why? Because you all relay on M'gann's powers too much. It dulls your senses and reaction. She wastes energy trying to keep that connection that could be used to fight. Watch each other instead of talking, it's like harmonizing. It'll speed up your response times and strength your bond."

"I don't know if you know this but your not exactly the leader of this team. your a kid."

"Neither are you so stop acting like you are."

"I'm the one bossing people around? Your telling us what to do and you came in what? 3 days ago?"

"I don't need to remind you but I was trained to do one thing, kill. That's all I did. I think I have more control and experience than your run of the mill vigilante."

"If your a killer then why should we trust you?"

"This might come as a shock but I actually saved people until I was caged like a bird."

"I heard that's because you lead a suicide mission on your old team and that's why you were locked up, your too dangerous for the world."

By this point Jane's eyes lit up a bright blue. " I hadn't seen this world for 4 years, this is all I know how to do. Before you start jumping to conclusions maybe you should do a little more research. That facility wanted a weapon, they have the resources to take everyone here out. I gained one thing that you could use, control." Storming out she made her way to the balcony and slid down against the wall outside.

Shortly after Artemis followed her up to see her slumped and looking out to the ocean. Her eyes were no longer glowed with anger and were a dull silver.

"Robin can be hard sometimes, don't let him get to ya. It just who he is." Artemis crosses her arms. "Wanna talk about what happened?"

Jane spoke in almost a whisper." If you failed once, you died..." Her hands shifted to her shoulders. "iIt wasn't a suicide mission but it was us standing up for each other. Many of them actually survived for a while...but they didn't comply with their shitty rules so we heard their screams for days till they died. Now all that's left of us is me, the one person who didn't deserve to live. Ironic."

"How so?"

"I led the rebellion out of that hole."

"That's something to put on a hero resume."

"I gave up, I lost hope. There's nothing heroic about that..."

"You just need to adjust your perspective. You've worked realistically alone for a long time. Being suddenly introduced to all this crazy is a big change. I'd know that anyone here would have gone insane except for a couple of members of the Justice League."

"Yea?"

"What were they like, your team?"

"Honorable, they were more human than anyone and were passionate about what they did."

"Did you have anyone you were close to?"

"...No."

"Why did you say it was a bird? Where were you really?"

"I told you, I lost the trail."

"Your a terrible lire. But that's your problem, not mine. You think that we can do this? Complete the course I mean."

"Yea, if we work together and play to our strengths."

"Couldn't you just teleport all of us to the other side?"

"What would that prove?" Jane gave her a small smile.

Getting up she looked at Artemis. "If they hear that from you they'd listen. Robin is right, I'm new and haven't work with a team in a while. It's strange to suddenly have hope and potentially go anywhere I'd like. But I think I'll stay here for a while."

A beep came from Artemis' pocket. Her face got serious.

"I gotta go. It's a mission." She deadpanned.

"Go on ahead, you know where I'll be if you need me for anything."

Artemis gave Jane a nod before running to the hanger.