"There was nothing in sight, but memories left abandoned,"
"Apparently, having Erik Swan for a father sucked enough that she let him and the rest of the world think she was dead after the incident." Gunmetal gave a bit more context. "'Beast' is asking her about coming forward to attest to 'Beast's' story."
It wasn't much longer before the male in question hung up the phone and handed it back to Gunmetal.
"..She's on her way." He said. "Wait, here?" Gunmetal blinked in surprise. "How does she-"
"Magick." 'Beast' said. "It's not one of her natural skills, but Ivory developed a way to.. seek out people she's close to, and open portals directly to them, wherever they are."
Robin hummed in thought before he began typing at his holographic screen.
"What are you doing?" Kestrel asked. "Making a quick note to tell Batman later to make sure all future safehouses are magick proof." The Boy Wonder replied simply.
"I shouldn't be surprised." The masked brunette snorted.
"There was nowhere to hide, the ashes fell like snow,"
Gunmetal gave a small chuckle at that. "I'm surprised he hadn't thought of that already." He commented.
He looked up when he and everyone else suddenly felt a chill in the air.
Behind 'Beast' a pale blue light appeared, swirling open into a frosty portal. Out of it stepped a familiar, but slightly older face.
Ivory Swan's eyes were the same striking blue as the photo of her in the Beastkeeper Case file, but her hair was cut much shorter, not quite reaching her shoulders. Nor was it white anymore, now it was a dark brown, rather similar to the brown of the girl 'Beast' had sent off to Moriandus.
Ivory looked between the members of the Team with a bitter glare, and it wasn't hard to guess that she was far from happy about any of this.
"Did they hurt you?" She asked as she looked up at 'Beast', frowning more when she saw the broken mask.
"Just a scratch on my side. I'm fine." He responded.
The others looked over as Ivory walked through the portal- she looked... so different than her picture.
Robbie didn't miss the color shade of her hair, but he kept quiet. For now at least.
They noted how protective she was of 'Beast' when she sent them that pointed look before addressing the other male. Robbie made it a point to look elsewhere. "It wasn't pretty." Robin spoke up truthfully, "But it healed pretty quickly on its own."
"In every loss, in every lie, in every truth that you'd deny,"
She gave a deep sigh through her nose. "Let me see it." She spoke softly, despite the annoyance in her tone. 'Beast' obeyed without hesitation, sitting back down on the cot and moving his jacket and shirt out of the way.
The wound had scabbed over considerably, but regardless, Ivory knelt down and put a hand over it. Frosty blue magick emanated from her palm, and everyone watched as it healed right before their eyes until not even a scar remained. "I swear, Caleb.. it's like you go looking for trouble."
"..Sorry.." 'Beast' mumbled back quietly.
Ivory stood back up once the wound was gone and faced the heroes again, practically standing between them and 'Beast', or as she called him, Caleb. "So, you want me to testify against my father's crimes?"
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, will I stand or will I fall?"
Everyone watched in silent awe as Ivory healed 'Beast'- no, Caleb's wound with her magick.
Aqualad used a form of magick, but it was nothing compared to this.
They snapped out of it when the blue eyed female spoke up. Kestrel cleared her throat, "We would greatly appreciate it. With uh... his testimony, along with yours, and hopefully with whatever tangible evidence you can give us, we should be able to put Erik Swan away." She soon paused, "Are you okay with that?"
"And each regret, and each goodbye, was a mistake too great to hide,"
"I am." Ivory said rather plainly. "..I never wanted to run and hide. I wanted my father to rot in prision for what he's done.. but keeping Caleb safe is more important anything else to me. He's a bigger victim in this than I ever was, and my father has more than enough money and influence to paint the narrative in any way he liked."
Caleb rose to his feet behind her, quiet, as Ivory spoke with the heroes. "He's an arrogant man, but he's a clever one. You've seen how he avoided all blame when the incident had just happened."
"So I make this wish, to have something more for us than this..."
"Oh yes, being in the same room with him I had to resist the urge to punch him." Kestrel gave a humorless laugh for a moment before growing serious. "We've got some teammates of ours at his place right now."
If this worked, they could put Erik Swan behind bars where he belonged.
"Time for you to learn it's my turn, I won't be held down any longer, I've waited all my life and finally it's here,"
"Good. They can keep my father busy while Caleb and I sneak into his office." Ivory said. "Huh?" Caleb responded in confusion.
"Clever as he is, I seeiously doubt he had the insight to scrub my access to the manor's security if he thought I was dead all this time. You and I can get in, give them access to the whole computer. Then they'll have more than just our word against my father's."
"You're certain your dad would have that kind of incriminating evidence just sitting on his computer?" Gunmetal couldn't help but question. "Like I said. Arrogant." Ivory said bluntly.
Robin soon spoke up again, "Actually no. Listen, we can't risk your dad learning either of you are in on this. And right now, you still being dead is our best advantage." He continued, "But who's gonna do the hacking?" Robbie asked. "I'm not trying to disrespect anyone... but can any of them hack?"
"Hey, wait, turn and show your face, I've got a lot to say and you're not going anywhere."
"I'm not going to just sit here while you and do nothing. You wanted my help, this is how I intend to provide it." Ivory argued back.
"You're friend's got a point." Caleb interjected. "And as long as the rest of your team can keep Swan occupied, then he won't even know we're there. I've snuck into the place undetected before."
Ivory crossed her arms. "You can't expect either of us to simply sit idly by. This is one of the men that ruined our lives. We deserve our justice. Isn't that what your organization is all about?"
Kestrel let out a spluttering noise, "Organization-! Ma'am, we're a group of superheroes, not a committee that gets together one a week-"
"Alright, alright." Robbie quickly spoke up, "Maybe one us could go with them? Buy them some cover just in case?" He suggested, earning a thoughtful hum from Robin. "... I guess that wouldn't hurt." He muttered out loud.
"You lose, the time you ruled me's through, I'm in control I own my soul, and I'll never go back there,"
Caleb snorted with what sounded a bit like laughter under his mask at Kestrel's flustered response. "Fine, I have no complaints with that." Ivory said at Robbie's suggestion.
"It should probably be you, then, Robin. You're the best with computers." Gunmetal pointed out, soon grinning. "Plus you're small. Makes for easier stealth missions." He joked.
Kestrel sent Caleb a pointed look at his laughter but didn't say anything else.
Robin simply smirked at Gunmetal, "Go ahead, make fun of my height, I'll be catching up to you height wise before you know it." Superboy snorted quietly at the exchange, a hint of a smile appearing before the Boy Wonder contacted Aqualad with the good news.
"You were the one, who held me down and told me I was heading nowhere,"
Gunmetal responded with a cheeky smile. "We'll see."
Caleb quickly looked elsewhere when Kestrel sent him that look. "Would you take that silly thing off already? You've got no reason to hide your face. It's broken anyway." Ivory scolded her older brother.
He paused momentarily, considering if he wanted to or not, but eventually he reached up and took his mask off.
Caleb looked perhaps a year older than Ivory, but it was clear that the years trapped at the Beastkeeper's side still left their mark. His chestnut eyes looked tired, and he had somewhat of a permanent scowl across his face.
The most apparent thing though, were the scars. A small vertical one across his upper lip, most likely from an especially rough punch to the face. And a nasty set of three across his left eye and eyebrow from something with sharp claws. His healing ability was likely the only reason he still had his eye at all.
It looked like Caleb went a few rounds with a tiger and barely survived.
But he did, the scars were proof enough.
None of the heroes commented, although Superboy looked angry all over again on Caleb's behalf. "Alright, Miss Martian is coming by with the Bio-Ship." Robin soon commented, "The plan is to sneak you two in while the rest of the Team keeps Swan distracted."
"Distracted how?" Robbie asked. "Well, nothing will keep him busier than thinking that the rest of his buildings are in danger." Robin pointed out.
"You said know your place, accept your fate and show good face and be thankful that you're there,"
"Rest of his buildings?" Ivory questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, uh.." Caleb grimaced a bit. "What?" Ivory looked up at him disapprovingly. "What did you do?"
"It wasn't me, it was-" He stopped short when he remembered wanting to keep their younger sister out of this as much as possible. Including her name. "..Some Ember Spirit... burning up your dad's buildings.."
Robbie made it a point not to say anything, "Point is, we'll keep him talking while you three get into one of his offices or whatever." Kestrel pointed out.
"Everyone, I'm outside." Miss Martian sounded off on the comms, "Thanks Miss M." The Boy Wonder replied, looking out the window as the Bio-Ship appeared.
"That was so long ago, when you owned me, I believed it was true.."
"Oh dear Lord, he must be thrilled." Ivory muttered distatefully. "I'm sorry you've had to be subjected to that."
She missed the way her brother glanced away shamefully, and instead went over to the window to look at the Bio-Ship in awe. "What is that?" She asked, mesmerized by the ship.
"That's our ride." Gunmetal said pridefully. "Well, one of our rides."
"We burn every magnet and spring, and spiral into the unknown..."
"Come on, you'll like them." Kestrel helped Robin to quickly clean up, before heading out of the safehouse. Everything was locked up tightly before heading to the Bio-Ship, which opened up as the group came out.
"Everyone, this is Miss Martian. Miss Martian, Caleb and Ivory." The redhead smiled warmly at the two. "Thank you so much you too, and I'm glad you're both okay."
