Chapter 48

Inside the base of the Counter Team, the Terror Twins, Icicle Junior, and Kitten hung around. So did M'comm technically, and Ronin, although those two were not much for chatting. And M'comm not for long. His disappearances and reappearances did not go unnoticed by the Counter Team members. Junior in particular regarded him with some suspicion.

"Where do you think he's going?"

"Don't know," Tommy grunted. "Fella gives me the creeps, so glad he's not here sometimes. Gives me time to breeze easily. Hope he never knows what I truly think about him."

Tuppence just sighed and decided to point out the obvious to Tommy.

"He's a dang-gum Martian, so of course he knows what we're thinking about it all the times."

Kitten's eyes shot up and she looked at the Terror Twins to Junior who just shrugged, as if he was resigned to the entire insanity of the team.

"No, he shouldn't do that. It's a violating of consent."

"Are you going to tell him about that?"

Kitten stopped and froze. Tuppence just smiled at Kitten.

"That's what I thought, Sugah."

Kitten shook it off. Well, to be honest, she had been kind of curious where M'comm was going at all of these times. It was a bit interesting to say the least.

"Maybe he's got some kind of secret boyfriend?"

"And why does it half to be a boyfriend?" Tuppence asked.

"Because I'm progressive!"

The squabbling session gave Ronin just cause to slip away from what proved to be a daily argument between Tuppence and Kitten. She had been trying to figure out what M'comm was up to completely. However, getting close to someone who despised humans and did not care who knew it, and had only been working for the team due to owing a debt to Lex Luthor, had been very difficult.

Entire situation grew to be complicated and dangerous. But Ronin knew the job was dangerous when she signed up for it.

A loud cry came from one of the lab areas. A blood curdling scream and Ronin moved in to investigate.

Blue Beetle, strapped to some kind of machine. The Reach Scientist had been uncomfortable and rightfully so, with Grail breathing down her neck. There was a third woman that Ronin did not recognize. But those screams, they would be etched in nightmares.

"Please stop!"

"Why stop, when it's working. Soon, she'll be one with the Reach. Soon she'll be back on mode."

Ronin opened her mouth. She needed to leave. Two steps backwards, and Ronin landed right in front of M'comm.

Without any warning, M'comm slipped into Ronin's mind. Thanks to the techniques Emma Frost trained her in, Ronin forced her out.

"You're hiding something."

Ronin knew the jig was up and her cover had been blown. She had to get out of here and warn Harry about what the hell was going on and what they were doing to Blue Beetle. She had one trump card up her sleeve to deal with the White Martian and make a speedy escape.

One combustion arrow to the face sent M'comm flying back with the fireball exploding in his face. Ronin rushed towards the exit. Screams of traitor from the White Martian would rouse the attention of anyone else.

The Reach Scientist just smiled, with the few remaining Reach Guards standing beside her. With the Blue Beetle on their side, they will be rebuilt and more powerful than ever.

"You are one with the scarab," the Reach Scientist said.

"Yes, I'm one and I see everything clearly. I see the purpose of what I'm going to be."

Ruby Arias became one with the scarab. She completely locked into the full powers and capabilities of the recently repaired and rebooted scarab. But, yet, the Scarab noticed a couple of red flags.

"Your neural patterns have been compromised," the scarab warned Ruby. "Something is not right. Not as it should be."

"Everything is perfect."

The Reach Scientist prepared to welcome the scarab back into the network, but something was completely wrong. Some kind of corruption.

"It's not completely back online."

"You are very observant," the old woman in the shadows smiled. "For you see, we never endeavored to have you gain control of the scarab, but rather unlock the bloodlust in the Worldkiller scion. And she is powerful and she will serve our purpose. And now, Blue Beetle, if you please."

The Blue Beetle turned to the Reach Scientist and the few remaining soldiers next to her.

"I command you cease immediately and….."

"There can only be one."

The plasma cannons fired up and obliterated the Reach soldiers where they stood. The scientist stood no chance and was slaughtered. Her blood and insides splattered against the wall as Blue Beetle stepped back.

Grail just smiled. Pleased with how this went. Torture tended to bring out the true sadist in a person. She should know.

"There's a traitor here!" one of the individuals said.

Grail stepped out of the room and made her way over to a downed Junior. She scooped him up with a handful of shirt and looked him in the eyes.

"Name the traitor."

"Ronin, it's Ronin!"

So the little archer, well not for long. Blue Beetle stepped out of the room.

"There's a traitor who escaped," Grail said. "I want you to hunt her down before completing her mission."

"She won't be a traitor for long. I will bring her head back here."

Blue Beetle walked out of the room without another word and the form of Granny Goodness emerged from the shadow. She rubbed her hands in glee.

"She's broken out of her shell. Perhaps she will be a useful tool in the upcoming war. We'll see how long she lasts."

"I should have grabbed her. I don't know what happened. I just wasn't fast enough."

Nora sat down, along with Gwen and Cassie in front of Lena at the lab. Jennifer had been with her sister and mother during this time.

"I was in charge of you," Gwen said. "I should have been the one. I fell for the fake villain trick. I thought Mysterio was the target, he wasn't."

"Guys, we should just focus on Ruby, instead of blaming each other, okay?"

Lena responded by nodding. Cassandra had a point and they needed to focus on what they needed to do as opposed to blame. Meanwhile, Lena had been tasked with the unfortunate task of telling Sam what happened to her daughter. And given Sam's fragile medical state, it was not something Lena relished doing.

She walked out of the room and knocked on the door to the glass box with Sam had been kept on. Sam rose up.

"Did you find out anything about what's going on?"

"Ruby's been abducted. By the Reach."

A long and uncomfortable moment passed. Sam drew in her breath.

"Oh, this is all my fault. I know now what happened. I went after the Reach. I killed the Black Beetle, and now they're targeting Ruby. And now they have her. This is payback. Even though the only reason why my alter ego went after them is….ooh this is a mess."

Sam put her head down in her head and groaned.

"Sam, listen….."

"I know what I need to do. Lena, you need to let me out of the cage."

Oh, this had been the request which Lena dreaded the most. And the one which no matter what, she could not grant Sam, no matter how much she pleaded otherwise.

"Samantha, I can't. You don't even know how to cause it…."

"You need to help me, Lena, please."

"I can't," Lena said. "I'm sorry."

And she meant it. Sam's pupils dilated and they turned red. Sam smashed into the side of the box. She only rattled the ground. Thankfully the box, meant to hold an unstoppable juggernaut, or the unstoppable Juggernaut, rattled. Sam slammed into her.

"You have to let me out. I will tear you apart when I get out of here. It's your fault that Ruby has the scarab! If she didn't have it, she would be in school! She would be normal."

Gwen rushed into the room when the floor rattled. She could see Sam pounding on the box. It held for now although things could get ugly.

"You getting angry does not help Ruby, at all!" Gwen begged of her.

From the next room, Thea and Jesse stepped into the room. Gwen decided to field this one for Lena, who had her own problems to worry about.

"Any luck?"

"Negative on the Queen's end," Thea said.

Jesse threw her head back. Gwen recognized the look on her face. It was a look of someone who had been denied and had been frustrated.

"No luck for Star Labs either. Even after we blocked Lex's attempts to block us. And we finally found all of the backchannels. He's been spying on us."

"Which means my bastard brother knew of everything we've been saying."

"No longer, I got everything!"

Despite Jesse's appeasing statement, the damage had been done. Lena sunk into the chair, with the look of a woman who had been completely and utterly defeated.

The doors opened up and Ronin stepped inside. Gwen and Jesse both stood up straight at the woman who had been involved with Lex's team of young villains.

"Stand down," Thea said. "I'm guessing your cover was blown."

"Mmm, yes. My name is Emiko. I'm Oliver Queen's daughter."

"From his castaway days," Thea said. "But, getting into my family tree is not a rabbit hole anyone wants to go down."

"Fair enough," Gwen replied.

"Ruby's been abducted by the Light, and she's been found out by M'comm. I need to tell Harry."

"He's not here," Thea said.

Emiko's face fell at this. The one person who could rescue Ruby, potentially from herself, had not been here. Oh, this was insane to say the least.

"Sit down, we'll figure something out," Thea said. "You can stop by telling us everything you know."

Right, Emiko could do that. And while she did not have everything, she did know that the Light had been working with a new player, who seemed to turn Ruby into something else, another weapon for them to use in their crusade to take down the Justice League.

On the Moon, Harry looked at the Starlight. Genesis, Susan, and Kara helped him analyze it and figure out what they need to do.

"I believe this can help us cure the monster within Sam," Harry said. "But, I believe it can also serve another purpose."

Susan raised her eyebrow.

"You're not saying...you are saying, aren't you?"

"I am. Aresia's virus. I believe this is the key to preventing future degradation. Because, if what Nora let slip is true, if it mutates further, it's not going to just affect men."

But, as always, Harry had a pressing problem. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"First, we get back to Earth, grab every able bodied hero who is willing to come, and stage a rescue mission. We have to get the League Six out of there now."

"Yes," Genesis said. "I've been in touch with New Genesis."

Harry's watch blipped to light. He pressed a button on it and he had a signal to come back to Earth.

"What it is?" Kara asked.

"Get the others, I'll tell you on the way."

Thankfully, with the help of Genesis, they were able to get from Earth to the Moon in pretty much no time flat.

"So, that's what happened."

"She could come after us," Thea said.

The doors to the lab blasted open with ease. The Blue Beetle stepped out into the lab, eyes glowing with malice as she stepped towards them.

"And I hate it when I'm right."

"I'm only after Emiko Queen. But, I won't hesitate to remove you."

Impulse rushed towards Blue Beetle from behind. Blue Beetle turned around and sent Impulse flying through the wall. Several metal spikes shot through the wall and Impulse just barely avoided being impaled.

Thea's quick draw arrows had been blasted into dust. Blue Beetle almost nailed her with a violent blast from the cannon. She just had to tuck her head, rolling to one side.

"I've got her!"

Wondergirl wrapped a lasso around Blue Beetle. Blue Beetle sent a shockwave of energy which blocked Cassie's grip and Cassie slammed up against the wall.

Jesse Quick rushed towards Blue Beetle but the ground had been electrified underneath her with a near fatal dose of electricity.

"Alright, Ruby, I know you're in there. The scarab is making you do this. You need to fight it."

"No, I'm in control now!"

Spider-Girl's webbing had been sliced with a blade. Ruby sent the blade whirling at Gwen's head. Gwen dodged the attack.

"Sis, listen to me, you shouldn't do this. Whatever the Light is making you do, you can't forget who you are."

"Oh, this is what I am. This is what's in my blood. I will make everyone remember who the Blue Beetle is and I will fear them."

Impulse knocked Blue Beetle down with a blast of lightning. She had to react, right now. Impulse's hand vibrated, the attack could kill Blue Beetle, but she paused, hand shaking. Oh, she could not do it, no matter how pragmatic it was.

"And you're weak. And you'll always be weak."

Blue Beetle blasted Impulse and blasted several chemicals. This created a fire which threatened to kill her former teammates. Blue Beetle moved over and stalked for her prey.

'You are going to kill them.'

"Isn't that what you wanted? I'm finally listening to you. Going for the most lethal option."

Spider-Girl webbed and yanked on the sprinklers to put out the fire. Emiko fired an arrow at Blue Beetle. The sonic wave caused her to step back a few inches, but she stopped and grabbed Emiko by the throat to lift her up.

Impulse rose up and snatched Emiko from Blue Beetle's grip. The metal almost sliced clear through her shoulder on the back swing.

Blasts of plasma energy struck each and every woman who tried to attack her. Ruby just smiled and stood over her former teammates. Too weak to do what was necessary to kill her.

"All of you are….."

"RUBY!"

Sam had been let out of her cage or broke out. The members of the team did not know. She stepped forward and looked at the damage and injured team members which had been lying about.

"This isn't you, baby. This is something bad. You're not a monster."

"Yes, I am, and so are you. I lost my humanity, and it's time to lose yours."

Ruby remembered the frequency dear Granny whispered in her ear during the conditioning. Now it was time to cut the chains and bring her mother what she always had been. A huge sonic pulse hit Samantha Arias right in the chest and caused her to scream in pain.

Then she collapsed. Unmoving. Unresponsive.

Lena's horrified face told the story.

"Ruby, what did you do?"

"I freed her."

Before, Ruby could turn her aggression on anyone else, Superman crashed through the ceiling. He grabbed Blue Beetle by the shoulders and rushed her back to drive her into the same cell which Sam had been left in.

Out of the corner of Harry's eye, he noticed Lena checking Sam's pulse.

"Come on. Don't die on me. Not now, not now!"

Suddenly, Sam's fingers flexed. Then her hand shot up and she grabbed Lena around the throat. Lena gasped as Sam choked her.

Harry had no choice, he abandoned his attempts to secure Ruby and pulled Reign off of Lena. And Sam was Reign right now, no question about it.

Blue Beetle looked. She had orders not to engage Superman under any circumstances, so it was time for her to leave. She would get Emiko another day.

Sam dropped down to her knees. She just smiled. Harry helped Lena up, who massaged her sore throat.

"Sam, I know you're still in there."

"Samantha Arias is dead. And I will Reign."

Sam crashed through the ceiling and flew away. Both mother and daughter had been in the wind and Harry had to find a way to bring them back to their senses.

"Kara, cancel the recruitment," Harry said. "We have another problem."