A Dragon's Love (Young Justice)

Just In Case I Don't Get The Chance Again...

(A./N.: And here we have it, the heartbreaking chapter. My heart hurts! Anyways, enjoy, but be cautious.)

We arrive in time to see three drones attacking the Hall, and a line of military in front of it. We fly up behind them, Superboy jumping out of a hole and attacking one, while the ship's new cannon shoots the other two. We land, and all the soldiers come up to us, cheering.

"I'm not Superman." Superboy tells the soldiers, hearing their conversation. "I don't know who you are, son. And right now, I don't care." A man says, walking up. He myst be the General. "You wear the 'S' and you got the job done." "I'm not Superman." Conner mutters. "Tell that to the enemy." The General replies.

"General Wade Eiling, U.S. Air force." The man salutes as Aqualad and I walk up. "Aqualad and Dracona, Justice League. We'll help you salvage as many of the alien's cannons as possible." "Then we start taking back what is ours." I state.

***

We've taken refuge inside the Hall, but it's not what I remember it to be. The statues of the founding leaguers are broken, all of them missing their heads. There is rubble and ashes everywhere. "They're really gone." Robin says. M'gann floats over to the head of Manhunter's statue, placing a hand on it as she falls to her knees, sobbing.

Suddenly, she flies away, and uses her telekinesis to lift the heavy rock away. "Uncle J'onn!" She exclaims. She throws the rock to the side, and goes to hug him, but Kaldur stops her. "M'gann, check his mind. Make sure he is whom he appears to be.' 'It's him. He's real, and he's alive.' She answers.

"But we saw you get disintegrated. You and Superman. And everyone." Superboy starts to yell. "Yes, I remember." Manhunter states, leaning on Miss M. "But... I cannot remember how I survived. Or how I arrived here." "Maybe you were density shifting and the beam passed right through you." Miss M offers. "Scrambling your brain along the way." Robin adds.

"But that doesn't make sense." I state, walking closer. "Because until Miss Martian moved the statue's head, I couldn't hear your heartbeat, or sense your aura." I cross my arms. Manhunter places his hand on his head, looking down. "My mind is clouded. I feel certain I had something important to tell you."

'Hello, Wally, come on.' Kid thinks, and we all turn to see him run outside. Robin follows him. They get on top of a military vehicle and scan the cannon from the top of the bioship. 'I knew it! Look. It's giving off zanopenes, the same stuff that powers our zeta tubes.' Wally explains, sounding excited. 'This thing doesn't disintegrate, it-it teleports.' 'Then that means...' I begin. 'Artemis is alive!' Wally exclaims.

'Maybe, but-' Robin begins. 'No maybes.' Kid interjects. 'They're all alive.' "That must have been what you wanted to tell us." M'gann states. Manhunter places his hand to his head once more. Kaldur and I share a glance, before looking on.

Just then, a small group of drones fly towards the Hall. 'We're on our way.' Kaldur begins, about to run out. 'Negative. We can't win this.' Robin calls, 'Miss Martian, camo the Bioship.' He barely finishes his sentence before both martians fall to the ground in pain. "M'gann!" Conner kneels down to check on Miss M. There's tears flowing from her eyes. I go over and help Kaldur check on Manhunter. "That didn't feel like-"

'We're falling back.' Robin says, and they run inside. "We're trapped." The General says, glancing at the closed metallic doors. They open at sensing Kaldur near it. "Maybe not." I say. Everyone runs into the library, the soldiers kneeling down and aiming their guns at the door. "We can all zeta to the cave if you can grant us computer clearance to access the tubes." Aqualad explains to Manhunter.

"I can only authorize one at a time." Manhunter says. "Send the soldiers first." Kaldur points. "Belay that!" The General argues. "You seven are assets we cannot afford to lose." Kaldur looks back at Manhunter and nods. A small camera appears above the zeta tube doors, scanning each person before teleporting them to the cave.

M'gann is the first to head through, then Robin, Wally. Before he can walk through, the doors blast open, and on instinct, I push him through. Conner goes over to the soldiers, and helps one trapped under a rock. He lifts the rock, then helps the soldier to the zeta tube. "He goes next." He states. "Fine. Then you. You're next, Dracona." That's when I get a feeling in my gut, a very powerful, bad feeling.

"No. You go. The team needs you more than it needs me. You're our leader." I argue. "This is not up for debate. You will go first. I will be right behind." I growl, there is no time to argue with him, and since he is leader, I have to listen. My gut feeling intensifies, and before I know it, my feelings and instincts take over.

I pull Kaldur close by his collar and crash his lips to mine as both the soldier and Conner go through. I pull away, and stand ready to be scanned. "Just in case I don't get the chance again." I state, looking into his eyes. He stares at me, dazed. I walk through and find myself inside the cave, safe. I turn around, only to see Manhunter falling to the ground as he appears in the tubes. My heart drops.

"W-Where's Aqualad?" I ask. He looks up at me, then back down. "He pushed me in, and before I was brought here, I saw him get shot." He explains. I stand there frozen, not knowing what to do. I drop to the ground, staring at my hands as they clutch my knees, tears in my eyes. It's all my fault...