3rd Person POV:

Zatanna woke up late in the morning to the smell of tea. She abruptly shot up, hoping that the last 24 hours were nothing but a dream. Once she saw M'gann's face she started crying. She curled up into a ball on her bed as her tears fell, soaking (Y/n)'s t-shirt which was several sizes too big for her.

M'gann: "Zatanna, come here."

M'gann moved and sat on the edge of the bed. She pulled Zatanna into a hug as the magician continued to sob uncontrollably.

Zatanna: "I-I'm so cold... the bed is so cold without him."

M'gann: "I know.... I know it hurts."

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(Y/n) POV:

Everything went wrong after the artillery strike. Ellie and I woke up on the floor below, covered in debris. I managed to push it off of us, astonishing Ellie. I guess that's a small part of the enhanced strength, somewhat useful.

The Bialyan's breached the embassy and swarmed what remained of the building. When Ellie and I fought our way to the garage we joined up with the remaining marines and embassy staff. Rebecca had come up with a plan to escape, but they would need a distraction to draw fire away from the tank guarding the only exit we could drive out.

Without hesitating Ellie and I volunteered. I tried to convince her to stay with the main group, but she refused and ordered me to not bring it up again. I laughed and reminded her that I outrank her.

We climbed into one of the still functioning SUV's and drove out as fast as we could. We were each given a rifle and as much ammunition as the main group could spare.

Ellie drove out as fast as she could and by sheer luck the first tank shell missed us. I could hear a building collapse behind us as the tank shell exploded.

We weren't lucky enough to avoid the second shot. The tank shell tore through the engine without exploding, leaving us and half our SUV to crash into a building.

Ellie and I scrambled out of the burning car as the tank took aim at us. We grabbed our rifles and backpacks before running down an alley as the tank shot our suv, creating a massive explosion that collapsed the entrance of the alley. We both let out a sigh of relief as for the moment we are safe from attack.

After a few hours of carefully sneaking around the city we found a partially destroyed townhouse that looks abandoned. We slowly moved up to the top floor and descended to camp there for the night. We both know we're not getting out of the country any time soon.

As Ellie took off her helmet and plate carrier she started questioning me on my plan to escape the country. Which is bad because I don't exactly have one yet.

Ellie: "You planning on using that watch to call for help?"

(Y/n): "Normally yes, but it seems to have taken a beating in the embassy. I think it's broken."

As I examined my ISAC watch my heart sank. The face is cracked open and I can see wires poking out. The node on my shoulder isn't in better shape. It's split clean in half and has no light coming from the orange ring, just like my watch.

Ellie: "Well what about your girlfriend? She'll come and rescue us right? Like the Justice League, Superman and Wonder Woman. They do this kind of stuff all the time."

(Y/n): "I'm not sure, Ellie. I want to believe that, I really do. But I feel there are some forces at play here that even the Justice League can't overcome."

Ellie: "You worry too much. I think they'll save us, they're heroes, it's what they do. Besides, they won't let all these people suffer and starve under the Bialyan's."

(Y/n): "I want to believe you, I do... but I just have this sinking feeling that we're on our own."

Ellie: "That's just your training, you were trained to go into every situation completely alone and with minimal support, I don't blame you for thinking like that. But maybe just be hopeful, for me."

I couldn't help but smile, maybe she's right. Maybe the League or the Team will save us.

(Y/n): "You know what. I think you're onto something. I'll take a page out of your book and have a little hope for once."

Ellie: "Atta boy, who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

(Y/n): "Old?! You're older than me!"

Ellie: "Maybe by a year or two."

(Y/n): "You would've made a great agent."

Ellie: "No offence, but I wouldn't want to be one. Just looking at you I can tell you've got one hell of a story behind you, and I'm not sure I want to go through the same thing."

(Y/n): "I don't blame you, in fact I wish I could walk away from it all sometimes."

Ellie: "Why don't you? You've got friends in the highest places, you could call it quits anytime you want."

(Y/n): "Maybe.... maybe."

We were silent for a few minutes as Ellie laid on an old beat up couch and I sat down at a table and started checking how much food and ammunition we have.

We soon heard crowds of people walking down the street and Bialyan soldiers shouting at them, directing them through the city.

We watched helplessly as one of the older civilians fell down and struggled to get up. A young girl stopped to help the old man and received a rifle stock to the back of the head for her trouble.

I felt my heart shatter as I watched two Bialyan soldiers drag the teenage girl away to an unknown fate.

Ellie: "These people are evil. They're pure monsters."

(Y/n): "Evil isn't born, it's taught."

Ellie: "Are you saying someone made them like this?"

(Y/n): "Yes. Someone shaped and moulded them into what they are, the same way we had people shape us..."

Ellie: "This whole situation is just awful."

(Y/n): "Yeah. The worst part is we can't do anything about it."

Ellie: "You find a way to call for help yet?"

(Y/n): "I've got one, but I'm not sure it will work and the second I try every Bialyan soldier in the city will know our location."

Ellie: "Good, bring'em on. I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."

(Y/n): "Just get some rest. I'm going to try and repair ISAC to let everyone know we're alive and need some help."

Within seconds Ellie was asleep. It didn't take me long to figure out that I wasn't going to be able to bring ISAC back online. Maybe if I had my own gear I could, but wearing the U.S marines gear from the embassy armoury doesn't leave me with a lot of tools or spare parts to fix ISAC.

————————————————————————

3rd Person POV:

M'gann managed to get Zatanna out into the living room and made some food. Though Zatanna barely ate she did have a little bit and M'gann felt she was making progress.

Zatanna was dressed in (Y/n)'s clothes. A t-shirt and sweater with shorts. She had the pocket watch and refused to let it out of her sight. It was all she had left of him. Sure there were the photos they've taken and his gear stashed around the apartment but she still preferred his clothes and the watch.

Later in the day Artemis came to replace M'gann. The second Zatanna saw Artemis she tried to mumble out a "thank you" but she couldn't get the words out. Artemis quickly dropped her bag and moved to the couch, pulling Zatanna into a tight hug and letting her own tears out.

Zatanna: "D-does it get easier?"

Artemis: "No... it feels like a piece of you has been ripped away."

Zatanna: "I should've kept him here, told him no! He'd still be alive if I just kept him home!"

Artemis: "You can't blame yourself for what might've been. Just let your emotions out, I'll be here like you two were for me."

————————————————————————

(Y/n) POV:

Ellie: "(Y/n)! (Y/n), we gotta go right now!"

I shot up and rolled off the couch, grabbing my plate carrier and throwing it on in a split second. A few seconds after that I grabbed my rifle and put on my helmet before running after Ellie. We raced downstairs to find a squad of Bialyan soldiers looting the house and a young couple who I'm assuming are the owners of this townhouse.

Ellie and I caught the soldiers off guard and we quickly shot all of them before they had a chance to fight back or call for help.

(Y/n): "Someone will have heard the shooting, we gotta go!"

We smashed through the back door and started sprinting down the street.

Ellie: "(Y/n), shoot that flare off, they know we're here anyway!"

(Y/n): "Common Kelso, I know you're watching!"

I took out the flare gun and shot the special signal flare into the night sky, hoping a Division satellite would pick up the signal and know to send help.

As the orange flare illuminated everything around us, I saw several Bialyan soldiers enter the alley at the far end.

Ellie saw them as well and immediately started shooting at them as I smashed a door to a large warehouse open. We rushed in and moved to the stairs, quickly climbing up all five flights of stairs until we reached the top floor.

(Y/n): "You cover these stairs I'll take the ones at the other end of the building, our fallback position will be the roof, there's a service ladder through that door."

Ellie: "Copy that."

I raced across the floor and took a defensive position close to the stairs. I heard the Bialyan soldiers clumsily stomping up the stairs. The second I had a clear line of sight I cut down the first group with a hail of bullets.

The second group responded by throwing a grenade up the stairs. I jumped forward and kicked the grenade back down the stairs. The following explosion knocked me off my feet and shook the building, shattering windows and causing dust to fall.

I scrambled back to my feet just in time to back away from the staircase as it crumbled to the ground. Smoke started bellowing up from the floors below, as I turned and started running to Ellie's position.

By the time I arrived at her position she had cleared it of hostiles for the moment.

(Y/n): "Ellie! Hey, we've got to go! This place is burning up!"

Ellie: "Copy that, I'm done here anyway."

We threw open the hatch and climbed up onto the roof. The second Ellie cleared the hatch I slammed it shut. We ran and jumped down to a slightly lower rooftop before opening a door and sprinting down the stairs.

Ellie: "I think we're good. Just give me a minute to grab ammo from my bag."

(Y/n): "Yeah, let's not take too long. I don't want to be in this neighborhood when the next patrol arrives."

Ellie: "I was thinking, if we can get out of the city it should be easier to find a way out of the country. They're bound to have the airport secured by now so there's no point in-"

*BANG*

Glass shattered and Ellie flew forward. She crashed onto the ground and I grabbed her vest and pulled her around the corner, away from the window.

(Y/n): "ELLIE, ELLIE STAY WITH ME!"

Ellie: "S-so sor-sorry..."

(Y/n): "Hey, hey. Stay awake, it's going to be alright, I've got you."

Ellie: "G-give these... to my p-parents..."

Ellie's eyes started to water as she used what strength she had left to pull off her dog tags and hand them to me.

(Y/n): "No no, you stay strong and stay awake for me, okay? You're going to get home and you're going to give those to your parents yourself. Think about the flower shop Ellie, you're going to go home to your parents and work in that flower shop. Ellie, ELLIE PLEASE!"

She was gone.

Ellie laid her head back and that was it. She's dead and I'm alone.

I tucked the dog tags into my pocket and started taking all the ammunition she had left while fighting off tears. I can't believe I failed again. I promised her we would get home. She trusted me.

Psimon: "Wow, one down, one to go."

I snapped my gaze over at Psimon and grabbed my handgun.

(Y/n): "I'm going to fucking kill you."

Psimon: "No, you're not. In fact, you look tired. Psimon says, sleep."

————————————————————————

3rd Person POV:

In the control center of the HUB, agents work as if it's a normal day. An older caucasian man in his late forties with dark grey hair and dressed in a suit walked into the command room. Agent Felix Blake, an experienced agent who is the highest ranking agent at Langley and often works in Washington as the Division's representative with the President and other federal officials.

Blake arrived at the center of the control room as an alert went off on the main monitor.

Agent: "Sir we have an emergency signal flare over Qurac."

Blake: "Well, would you look at that. Vanguard's alive."

————————————————————————

Artemis and Zatanna were finally calming down, they were both exhausted after crying for most of the afternoon. M'gann and Dinah have been looking after the two incredibly distraught heroes, wondering how they're friends are going to pull through losing both of their significant others.

Suddenly the front door crashed open. Dinah and M'gann jumped up and raced around the corner to find Kelso in full tactical gear. Kelso stormed past the two heroes and walked around the corner to Artemis and Zatanna.

Kelso: "Hey, I need your help. He's alive. (Y/n) survived the embassy siege and is on the run in Qurac. The ambassador and a team of marines are also cut off. POTUS has authorized a strike to extract our people. I need you to get to (Y/n) and bring him to the extraction point while I lead a team of agents to rescue the ambassador and her staff."

Everyone was star struck. Zatanna's eyes instantly started watering as her heart beat increased rapidly.

Zatanna: "A-alive... he's alive?"

Kelso: "Yes and I need everyone here to get on the helicopter landing on the roof with me. We don't have long."

Zatanna and Artemis jumped up and started running towards the door.

Dinah: "Wait! Zatanna, Leaguers can't go to Bialya. If we are seen fighting them, it could create an international incident."

Kelso snarled at Dinah and turned to face the blond hero.

Kelso: "Mistakes are often lessons learned too late. Don't learn this lesson too late."

Dinah: "Which is?"

Kelso: "That the more you let bureaucrats control the League, the more you'll become a tool for them and the further you'll fall from what you think you are. People need you so you help them, if you have to fight the politicians who have never done anything for their people, then so be it."

Dinah: "The League is walking a tightrope with the U.N, we can't be seen disobeying them. We aren't like you, we don't have the luxury of working completely in the shadows."

Kelso: "I don't have time for this. If you don't plan on helping (Y/n), then I'm leaving now."

M'gann, Artemis, Zatanna and Kelso all quickly turned and left the apartment, leaving Dinah alone to wonder about everything Kelso said.

The girls loaded up onto the helicopter and were flown to Metropolis. Once there, they boarded a large Air Force transport plane with a large group of airborne soldiers and took off for Qurac.

Once the plane was in the air Kelso broke off from the group of heroes to go over the plan with the soldiers and agent Blake, leaving M'gann and Artemis to keep Zatanna from pacing back and forth the entire flight.

Artemis: "Zatanna, please come sit down. We're getting there as fast as we can."

Zatanna: "No! I should've left days ago, I should've been there with him. I-I.... This is all my fault."

M'gann: "No, no it's not. There's nothing you could've done, nobody saw this invasion coming. You can't blame yourself."

Zatanna: "No, but I can blame the League. We are supposed to save lives, help protect people who can't protect themselves. Instead we back down and hide behind the excuse of a U.N charter, leaving people to die."

Artemis: "Zatanna, it's going to be okay. We're going to find him and we're going to bring him home."

Zatanna: "I... I hope so. I miss him so much."

Artemis: "I know you do."

Zatanna finally relaxed and sat down between Artemis and M'gann. M'gann pulled Zatanna into a hug and the magician let out a stress filled sigh.

The three heroes tried their best to get some sleep on the flight, though they wouldn't be able to. Their minds were racing and every one of them was on edge.

————————————————————————

(Y/n) woke up on a comfortable bed in a hotel room. He shot up and gasped as his head started to throb. Everything hurt as he pushed himself to the edge of the bed and tried to stand up. He stumbled forward and grabbed the nightstand to steady himself.

Queen Bee: "Ah good, you're awake."

(Y/n)'s heart skipped a beat as he spun his gaze over to Queen Bee sitting at a small table in the corner of the room. She placed a small file containing situation reports of the invasion down on the table and closed it.

(Y/n): "Why am I alive? You could've killed me in the warehouse with Ellie."

Queen Bee: "You have value, my dear. I value your abilities and talents. Unlike your friends, who couldn't care less about you and your achievements. I've studied you, I know that you're so much more than an average soldier. I know about your enhanced strength through the Guest House experiments."

(Y/n): "How did you find out about that?!"

Queen Bee: "You told me."

Queen Bee smiled as she slowly moved towards the agent and offered him a water bottle. (Y/n) cautiously accepted the water and slowly drank as Queen Bee moved to the edge of the bed and sat down.

(Y/n): "What... what do you want?"

Queen Bee: "Well, the Light wants several things from you. Namely you to suffer for the catastrophe you caused on Santa Prisca."

(Y/n): "Fucking great."

Queen Bee: "But I can settle on something else. I want to know everything about your friends and the Justice League."

(Y/n)'s heart skipped a beat as he fought the urge to blurt out everything sensitive and private about his friends and family.

Queen Bee smiled as she saw (Y/n) visibly struggling to fight off her influence over him. She slowly stood up and walked towards (Y/n) as the agent stumbled back, his head throbbing and sweat running down his face.

Queen Bee: "There's no point in fighting it. You no doubt know I have the power to enthral most men. You will follow my orders."

(Y/n): "I'm not like... most men."

Queen Bee: "Oh, I know. Which is why I enlisted a little help to break that mind of yours. By the end of this you won't even remember Zatanna, the Division or any of your treasured friends."

The door to the room slowly opened and Psimon walked through. The telepath smiled before taking off his hood and staring at the agent who was struggling to move.

Psimon: "Psimon says, follow our orders and open your mind."

————————————————————————

Zatanna awoke when the plane lightly shook. As her vision cleared she saw the regular lights turn off and red ones activate to replace them.

Kelso: "Stand up! Check your gear!"

Zatanna was pulled up by Artemis and had a parachute thrown over her. As Artemis and a soldier came and secured the parachute properly on her, Zatanna's mind wandered back to the time she parachuted into Azerbaijan with Nightwing, Rocket and (Y/n). She blushed as she thought of how hard (Y/n) pulled the straps on the parachute, making her yelp as the harness suddenly tightened around her.

Kelso: "Keep your transponders on and meet up at the rally point as soon as possible. Make sure to protect the heavy weapons. We will need them to counter any tanks we come across. The USS Hornet and Enterprise will be in position to launch rescue helicopters for us in four hours. The ships can't stay in Bialyan waters for long or they risk being attacked by anti-ship missiles. Keep all that in mind and we'll get our people out."

The ramp slowly lowered, revealing the capital of Qurac, Dhabar. Several large sections of the city were engulfed in flames and the entire city was without power.

Artemis put her Tigress mask on and stood up, joining the line of soldiers ready to jump out into the night sky. Zatanna watched as the airborne soldiers threw themselves out into the cold air, before she knew it she was jumping out of the plane after Tigress and M'gann.

Despite both Tigress and Zatanna having a parachute, M'gann took the liberty and used her telepathy to levitate them down to their landing zone.

The three heroes landed in a small urban area that looks like an incredibly expensive neighborhood. They ditched their unused parachutes in a bush and slid into a ditch as a Bialyan army truck drove by.

Miss Martian: "Kelso said that the satellites tracked (Y/n) to a large hotel three miles from here. It's mostly intact and we believe it's being used as the headquarters for the Bialyan takeover of the city."

Tigress: "So he's been captured."

Miss Martian: "We don't know for sure, but it looks that way."

Zatanna: "W-what if Psimon or Queen Bee got ahold of him? She can easily influence all men, what if she hurts him?"

Tigress: "Then we hurt her more."

Tigress placed a hand on Zatanna's shoulder and the magician forced out a smile. She attempted to seem confident in their odds of success but both Miss Martian and Tigress could see that her hope was fading fast.

Miss Martian: "Come on, let's get moving."

Miss Martian started levitating Artemis as she flew them both off in the direction of the hotel with Zatanna close behind.

It wasn't long before the three heroes were forced to land and walk as the high volume of traffic around the hotel and bright lights cut off any chance of simply flying over the Bialyan blockade.

Miss Martian: "I've got to cut the psychic link, if Psimon is in the city then he will be here."

Tigress: "And the Bialyan's have the tech to intercept our radios, so I guess this means we do this with no communication."

Zatanna: "My glamour spell can get us into the hotel without being seen, but you'll both have to stay close to me. If we split up to search for (Y/n) I won't have the power to keep us concealed."

Tigress: "We'll stay in a group and move to the security room. After we disable the cameras and other security measures we can split up."

Miss Martian: "Alright, let's go."

The group hid in a ditch across from the hotel as the large Bialyan command center was bustling with troops and vehicles. Zatanna sighed before turning to Tigress and Miss Martian. She quickly cast her glamour spell and hoped it would hold. After the incident in the U.N assembly building she was less confident in her abilities than ever before.

Zatanna: "Alright, that should hold but let's be quick."

Without saying another word the group slowly walked across the street and started working their way through the maze of military vehicles and portable buildings.

Tigress quickly signaled her friends when she noticed an unattended computer terminal in the command tent. Without waiting for either Zatanna or Miss Martian to object to her idea she moved into the tent and started working on the computer.

For the moment the tent was empty and Tigress decided to access everything she could in hopes of finding anything useful. Moments after Tigress disabled the perimeter sensors she accessed the security cameras inside the hotel. As she quickly switched through the feeds hoping to find any sign of (Y/n) her heart shattered.

In the main lobby was Queen Bee and Psimon standing beside a Bialyan soldier with special markings on his shoulders and helmet. The soldier had a gaiter on, completely covering his face but leaving his eyes exposed. What terrified Tigress was the ISAC watch clipped onto the soldiers plate carrier like a trophy. She quickly deactivated all security cameras and left the tent before any soldier returned.

The group continued on towards the hotel without saying a word.

Zatanna finally broke the silence as they gathered by an emergency exit.

Zatanna: "Did you find any sign of him?"

Tigress: "N-no, but.... There was this soldier, he looked like he's from some Bialyan special forces unit. He had (Y/n)'s watch attached to his vest... like... like a trophy."

Zatanna's eyes widened in fear moments before they started to water. She quickly wiped them away before pushing the door open.

Miss Martian: "Zatanna wait! If you project strong emotion Psimon will be able to tell!"

Zatanna stopped in the hallway and took several deep breaths, calming herself down to the best of her abilities.

After a short walk the group arrived at an elevator. Once they moved in, Tigress remotely accessed the cameras and watched as Queen Bee led the soldier and Psimon to a hall on the second floor.

Tigress: "I guess we're going up."

Soon the group of heroes were huddled outside of the community hall. Once they were ready Tigress smashed through the door with Miss Martian and Zatanna directly behind her.

Queen Bee and Psimon stood at the back of the mostly empty room. The only thing of relevance in the room was a portable hospital bed with restraints on it and several tables with the US marine gear (Y/n) took from the embassy spread across it.

Queen Bee: "I was waiting for you to show up, Ms. Zatara."

Queen Bee motioned to several tv cameras on a small stage behind her pointed directly at the group. Psimon instantly sent a telepathic attack at the heroes, knocking them back into the wall and shattering Zatanna's glamour spell and exposing the group to the cameras.

Queen Bee: "He knew you wouldn't be able to stay away. He was holding out hope that you'd come and save him and his little band of marines. Of course the marines are all dead and (Y/n) is gone. And now you're going to go to jail for violating international law."

Zatanna glared at Queen Bee and Psimon as they made their way towards the emergency exit by stage.

Zatanna: "WHERE IS HE?!"

Queen Bee: "Right in front of you. (Y/n), be a dear and kill them for your Queen."

Psimon and Queen Bee left as the Bialyan soldier tore off his helmet and gaiter, revealing (Y/n). Zatanna, Tigress and Miss Martian were all caught completely off guard as (Y/n) glared at them. A split second later, (Y/n) pulled his handgun out of its holster and fired at his friends.

Zatanna: "Dleihs!"

Zatanna's shield formed just in time to deflect the hail of bullets (Y/n) unleashed.

Tigress: "(Y/n), stop! It's us!"

Miss Martian: "Psimon and Queen Bee have twisted his mind! We need to get inside and fix the damage they caused."

Zatanna: "Send me in! I'll do it!"

Miss Martian: "No, we need to get him to a secure spot first. The Bialyans could swarm us at any second."

Miss Martian used her telepathy and quickly pulled the handgun out of (Y/n)'s hand before lifting him up and slamming him into the ground.

Zatanna: "BE CAREFUL!"

Miss Martian: "He'll be alright, but we need to keep him unconscious until we find a safe spot to enter his mind."

Tigress: "The soldiers are moving towards us and shooting out the cameras as they come!"

Zatanna: "Miss Martian, Tigress, keep (Y/n) safe. I'll clear us a path."

Tigress: "Just make sure the building is still standing when you're done."

Zatanna: "No promises, so get ready to run."

*Small Time Skip*

The burning hotel was collapsing in the distance as Tigress drove the group away in a stolen jeep. As a small section of the hotel broke off and fell to the ground, flattening what was left of the command center, Miss Martian brought Zatanna with her as she entered (Y/n)'s mind.

When Zatanna and Miss Martian opened their eyes they were in an open field full of flowers and surrounded by trees with what looked like Mt. Justice burning in the background.

Standing about twenty feet away was (Y/n) in a Bialyan military uniform and running towards them.

Miss Martian: "Remember, nothing here can hurt you unless you let it! Keep reminding yourself this isn't real!"

Zatanna kept telling herself that as the Bialyan soldier version of (Y/n) attempted to throw punches and kicks at her. The attacks just went right through her body as she and Miss Martian walked through the field while calling out for (Y/n).

"You will never be enough."

Both Miss Martian and Zatanna spun around to see a young (Y/n) laying on the ground with Maxwell standing overtop of him.

The former supervising agent looks a lot younger than the last time the two heroes saw the traitor and as they ran towards the training room and the ten year old version of (Y/n) laying on the ground the image faded away and was replaced with a fifteen year old version of (Y/n) getting beat up by two masked trainers with Maxwell observing.

"They're not going to stop beating you until you fight back with the moves I've shown."

"You're weak. No wonder you lost your family. You don't deserve to have one."

"You will never amount to anything, you will never have a family, you will never be loved."

Zatanna tried to stop the masked men from beating the young (Y/n), but every time she tried to grab onto them, her hand passed right through their bodies.

Miss Martian: "Zatanna we need to keep going. This is a memory and we can't change it."

Zatanna was fighting off tears as she nodded and followed Miss Martian.

Once they walked through the door to the gym they suddenly emerged from darkness to find a fourteen year old (Y/n) on his knees with two masked trainers holding him down.

Zatanna's heart stopped when she saw the older man from the plane they were on hours ago. Agent Blake, smoking a cigarette as the young (Y/n) stammered out excuses while tears ran down his face.

"Please, please it's impossible. Nobody can do it, how am I supposed to?"

The girls watching in horror as one of the guards pulled up (Y/n)'s sleeve, exposing his arm as agent Blake took a few steps towards him.

"Impressive, your burns from last week are completely healed. You can't even tell they were there. What were you, thirty seconds slower than I ordered? Failure will not be tolerated."

Zatanna wanted to scream. Tears ran down her face as the young (Y/n) thrashed about, desperate to get out of his trainers hold while Blake towered over him. In an instant, Blake pressed his cigarette against (Y/n)'s exposed arm, causing (Y/n) to scream out as tears ran down the young boy's face.

Blake left three burns on (Y/n)'s arm before backhand slapping him across the face. As (Y/n)'s body was let go he fell to the ground, sobbing and curled up in a ball.

"You're fucking pathetic. Pick yourself up and run the course again or I will leave three more burns on the other arm."

"Y-yes sir."

Miss Martian: "Come on. W-we've got to keep moving."

Zatanna: "H-he's never talked about any of this..."

Miss Martian: "It must be incredibly hard for him to bring it up or even think about it."

The two heroes walked into the darkness and emerged in an autopsy room. (Y/n) was sitting on a stool in the brightly lit room and wrapping his arm in bandages. It was clear to both Miss Martian and Zatanna that the cigarette burns had started to heal and with (Y/n)'s enhanced healing from the Guest House, would soon be gone.

The young (Y/n)'s hands were shaking as he struggled to wrap his burns and cuts. Zatanna fought off tears as she noticed burns on both his arms. She wanted nothing more than to run up to the kid and hug him while telling him that everything would be alright.

Suddenly agent Blake came charging through the door with a cane in his right hand.

"I TOLD YOU TO REPORT FOR TRAINING!"

"P-please the cuts kept opening a-and bleeding... NO PLE-"

Blake swung his cane at the young agent, impacting (Y/n)'s head, knocking him off the stool and sending him crashing to the ground. Blake swung three more times, catching (Y/n) in the back and arms as he curled into a ball to protect himself.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

Zatanna felt hope for the first time as she and Miss Martian turned to face the familiar voice of agent Kelso.

A much younger agent Kelso stormed in through the doors and shoved Blake out of the way, rushing to (Y/n)'s side and pulling him into her embrace.

"He's a fucking kid you monster!"

"He will be the greatest agent the Division has ever seen, and to become Vanguard he needs to follow orders, no matter how much pain he's in."

"I'm not letting you hurt him! You're fucking done!"

"Agent Kelso, I am your superior officer. I will do whatever I see fit to fulfill my duties."

"Blake, I swear to fucking god, if you lay another hand on him there isn't any place on earth where I won't find you!"

Blake turned and left, leaving (Y/n) sobbing in Kelso's embrace as she tried to comfort him.

"Shhh, it's going to be okay. I've got a really good friend and she's going to take good care of you. You'll spend a few days in the hospital and get all fixed up."

"P-please... I-I don't want to come back here."

"I'm sorry, I can't take you away from here. But the other new agents and I, we're going to look out for you. We're going to watch over you and do our best to keep you safe. I promise."

Kelso helped (Y/n) up and basically carried the young boy out the doors of the autopsy room.

Zatanna and Miss Martian were in shock but soon followed and stepped through the doors. They arrived in a hospital room in Washington General. They saw (Y/n) laying in a bed with Kelso watching over him.

They heard a door open and turned to see a younger Kandel walking through.

"Hi (Y/n), Kelso has told me so much about you. I'm here to help you rest up and keep you safe for a few days."

(Y/n) simply nodded his head while his eyes were watering.

"Thank you, doctor."

"Please, call me Kandel. It's a pleasure to meet you, (Y/n)."

Miss Martian and Zatanna walked back through the doors and were overwhelmed by a bright light.

"You will do exactly as I tell you during this event. You will not socialize with any of the guests and you will not respond to any conversation without my express approval."

Maxwell and a sixteen year old (Y/n) are both dressed in suits as they walk into a formal dinner with several high ranking government officials.

Zatanna and Miss Martian charged through the glass doors after them and as they did they arrived in the operating room of the Guest House.

"LET ME DIE! PLEASE PLEASE LET ME DIE!"

"Keep going, his cells are regenerating. He's responding well to this drug. Monitor his strength levels and once you have stable readings give him another shot of GH-114, that should increase his strength exponentially by the time he's in his early twenties."

"Yes Doctor."

"Doctor, he's on the verge of flatlining again. And he's about to break the restraints!"

"PLEASE STOP! PLEASE IT HURTS SO MUCH! LET ME DIE!"

"Keep him conscious no matter how much he suffers, I want to see the brain activity readings."

Zatanna started crying as she watched the doctors experiment on (Y/n), continuously injecting him with drug after drug, all while he begged them to die.

Miss Martian had to pry Zatanna away and pull her through another set of doors while they both had tears running down their faces.

Once the doors closed they were left in complete darkness. They both jumped back as two lights snapped on, illuminating the (Y/n) they know chained to a chair. He looked tired and broken. Zatanna rushed to his side and started pulling at the chains, hoping to break them and free the agent.

Miss Martian: "He has to break these himself. We can help but he has to do the majority of it."

Zatanna: "(Y/n), (Y/n) can you hear me?!"

(Y/n) slowly lifted his head and his eyes widened when he saw Zatanna.

(Y/n): "P-please tell me you're real..."

Zatanna: "Yes! Yes it's me! You've got to break free, I'm here for you just please come back to me!"

(Y/n): "I... I tried. I tried to fight them... they were too strong. I told them e-everything. I'm so sorry."

Zatanna: "That's okay. That doesn't matter, you need to break these and come back to us!"

(Y/n): "They're s-so strong... I tried Zee. I really tried to fight."

Zatanna: "I know, it's okay. Just one last fight, we can do it. Together."

(Y/n)'s gaze shifted to Miss Martian and then back to Zatanna. He took a deep breath before trying to stand up. The chains briefly started to fade away before they quickly tightened and pulled (Y/n) back down onto the chair.

(Y/n): "I failed her, Zee... I told her we'd be okay... I'm a failure, they were right."

Zatanna: "No! You're the strongest person I know! You've gone through unspeakable horrors your entire life and you're still standing! Don't give in now! Be the man I fell in love with and fight damn it! FIGHT LIKE HELL AND WIN!"

(Y/n) closed his eyes and started pushing himself up and off the chair. As the chains faded away it was clear that (Y/n) was putting in an immense amount of energy just to stand.

He suddenly stumbled forward a few feet and was caught by the two girls.

Miss Martian: "(Y/n), are you alright?"

(Y/n): "Yeah, yeah I'm good. I'm back."

The group's surroundings suddenly returned to the same flowered field only this time Mt. Justice was whole again.

(Y/n): "Thank you for saving me."

Miss Martian: "You saved yourself, we just came in to remind you that it was possible."

(Y/n): "Regardless, thanks. Before you go there's one thing."

Zatanna: "What?"

Suddenly (Y/n) grabbed Zatanna's wrist and pulled her into him, smashing his lips against hers and earning a shocked gasp from the magician. Zatanna quickly returned the kiss and melted into the moment as (Y/n)'s arms wrapped around her body.

Miss Martian smiled as the two broke their kiss and turned their attention to her.

(Y/n): "Sorry, I had too."

Miss Martian: "Don't be, it was sweet. Ready to head out?"

Zatanna: "Yep."

The group closed their eyes and when they awoke they were still in the jeep as the sun was rising over the horizon.

As (Y/n)'s vision cleared he instantly noticed Zatanna and Miss Martian smiling at him.

Tigress: "Welcome back, you had us scared for a minute there."

(Y/n): "Thank you. Thank you all for saving me."

Miss Martian: "It's nothing you wouldn't do for us."

Tigress: "This is our extraction point. The helicopters should be here soon."

(Y/n) carefully climbed out of the jeep and the second he closed the door Zatanna ran around from her side of the vehicle and threw herself at him. (Y/n) caught her and instinctively wrapped his arms around her as she smashed her lips against his.

Zatanna let out a muffled sob before breaking the kiss and resting her forehead against (Y/n)'s while catching her breath.

Zatanna: "God, I missed you so much."

Miss Martian: "You were just making out in his mind."

Tigress: "Really?!"

Zatanna glared at Miss Martian as she laughed. (Y/n) was struggling to hold in his own laughter as well.

(Y/n): "Yeah, but the real thing is so much better."

Tigress laughed as the small outlines of helicopters appeared in the early morning sky.

Zatanna: "You know. We really need to talk about what we saw inside your mind."

The smile that was on (Y/n)'s face evaporated instantly and his head hung low as he closed his eyes.

(Y/n): "I-I'm so sorry you had to see that. Psimon, he ripped up every painful memory I had and replayed it over and over until I broke. I'm so sorry you saw that."

Zatanna: "No. I wish you told me sooner. I want to help you. I love you so much and I want to help you overcome what those monsters did to you on a daily basis."

Zatanna hugged (Y/n) as he watched the helicopter touchdown and Kelso slide open the door. He reached into his pocket and felt Ellie's dog tags. He felt somewhat relieved that he could give them to her parents but still had no idea what to say to them.

Kelso jumped out of the helicopter and rushed to (Y/n)'s side.

Kelso: "Kid! Holy shit you're alive!"

She hugged both Zatanna and (Y/n) in a big bear hug. Just as quickly as she initiated the hug, Kelso broke it and led everyone to the helicopter.

Kelso: "You've earned a fucking vacation and I'm making sure you take it."

*Small Time Skip*

The group of heroes were sitting in a large military plane as the airborne soldiers checked their gear. Kelso's mission was a complete success and she rescued the entire embassy staff along with every marine guard, though most had some form of injury.

Jason Bard was the worst. During the fighting an explosion from a tank shell severely injured his leg.

(Y/n) was checked for injuries and then given new clothes to change into, allowing him to ditch the Bialyan army uniform. As he arrived and sat down across from M'gann and Zatanna and beside Artemis, he noticed Zatanna glaring over at the far end of the plane. She was glaring at the group of high ranking soldiers and more specifically agent Blake.

(Y/n): "Zee, is everything alright?"

Without saying a word Zatanna jumped up and stormed towards Blake. (Y/n) was still incredibly tired and struggled briefly before pushing himself up.

M'gann: "W-we saw what he did to you..."

(Y/n): "You haven't even seen half of it. But she can't hurt him. He has friends in incredibly high places, she'll be arrested or worse."

Artemis jumped up and raced after Zatanna who was now walking up to Blake.

Zatanna: "You! YOU FUCKING MONSTER!"

Zatanna punched Blake across the face before she was restrained by two soldiers. Blake stumbled back but managed to catch himself by using the large map table to keep himself upright.

Blake: "I can see why he picked you. You've got the spirit he never had."

Zatanna: "FUCK YOU! HE WAS A CHILD!"

(Y/n): "Zee, stop!"

Artemis: "Zatanna!"

(Y/n) and Artemis arrived and freed Zatanna from the soldiers grip and pulled her away. Artemis held Zatanna back as (Y/n) faced off against Blake.

Blake: "Well (Y/n), it appears all my training paid off."

(Y/n): "I should kill you."

Kelso: "Enough! Everyone, go cool off! Blake, piss the fuck off before I throw you out of this plane!"

Blake: "Perhaps I should've chosen you to be Vanguard, Kelso. You have the spirit. Then again. So does Ms. Zatara. I wonder if she would've broken and whimpered like a dog as easily as you did."

(Y/n) snapped. In a split second he punched Blake clean across the face and knocked him out. The older agent crumbled to the ground as soldiers surged forwards to restrain (Y/n).

Before anyone could lay a hand on them Kelso put herself between the soldiers and (Y/n).

Kelso: "I said enough! (Y/n), go stay with your friends in your seats. And somebody scrape this sorry piece of shit up off the floor!"

Kelso grabbed (Y/n)'s wrist and pulled him back to his seat where Artemis, M'gann and Zatanna had just sat down.

Kelso: "Well I hope you like administrative leave because I guarantee you, you'll be suspended for at least a month after that."

(Y/n): "He had it coming."

Kelso: "I'm not denying that, but the fact is he has lunch with different senators every day. He's got a lot of influence and you didn't leave me with a lot of wiggle room here. You could've at least waited to punch him when nobody else was around."

(Y/n): "Kelso, I plan on taking a massive vacation. So suspend me for a month and I'll take my vacation during that time."

Kelso: "Something tells me you were planning this."

(Y/n) simply smiled and relaxed into his chair.

(Y/n): "You truly are amazing Sherlock."

Zatanna grabbed ahold of (Y/n)'s hand and snuggled into his side as Kelso walked back to the front of the plane.

Zatanna: "Any idea where you want to go?"

(Y/n): "I want to tour Europe. I like the old towns and the castles."

Zatanna: "I can't wait."

All four of the heroes rested their heads back and tried to get some sleep in the uncomfortable seats. Every single one of them felt incredibly relieved as the plane flew them home.