The forest clearing was a mess of toppled trees, scorched earth, and trampled leaves. Even after the adrenaline of the fight faded, the air remained thick with the scent of sweat, ozone, and the metallic tang of blood. Bodies — or at least forms — were scattered across the clearing, some conscious, some unconscious, all shaken.
This was the scene that greeted Zane and Connor as they stepped into the opening. Zane, who was still in his Echo Form, used his enchanced senses to check Artemis for any injuries.
Confirming that she was relatively fine, he switched back into human form.
Their arrival drew every eye, a mix of relief and suspicion. Robin's jaw was tight; Aqualad's knuckles still glistened where his water blades had left impressions on his palms; M'gann hovered close, with a sad expression on her face. Artemis' eyes briefly glanced toward Zane, before returning to scanning the forest.
"Finally," Robin muttered, voice low, clipped. "Hopefully things went better on your end, we were just schooled by Deathstroke."
Connor's expression tried to remain calm. "Yeah, it did. We handled the big guy. He's...dealt with...."
Aqualad raised an eyebrow. "Dealt with…?"
Zane's words were quick and precise. "Dead." His voice carried no emotion, but the weight of the word caused the other to react strongly.
The word landed like a hammer strike. Silence fell over the clearing for a heartbeat, broken only by the distant rustle of leaves.
Then Speedy moved. He had only just regained consciousness, and now he heard this. "Wait… dead? You—you took him down?!" His voice cracked slightly, disbelief sharpening into accusation.
Surprisingly, his accusation was not directed at Zane, but at his own teamate, Connor!
He still remembered his private mission he was given...
Connor raised his hands in defence, a glare on his face. "It wasn't me, bastard. We had him beat, but—but he's gone now…" His gaze flicked to Zane.
Zane's mask hid any emotion, his posture calm, almost indifferent. "I did."
He already knew they were gonna react this way, so he might as well just say it straight out. They weren't his friends or anything, so he didn't care what they thought.
A stillness rippled through the clearing. Even the distant wind seemed to pause.
Speedy's fists clenched, green eyes narrowing to slits. "You… killed him?!" His voice rose an octave, trembling with a mixture of fury and disbelief. "Do you even understand what that means? That someone's gone because of your decision?"
Zane tilted his head, observing him like a idiot, weighing each line of argument before dismissing it. 'Predictable self righteousness. None of it changes what had to be done', he thought. "I don't really care what you think. He wont hurt anymore people, I did what I had to."
Robin stepped forward, voice low and angry, carrying the gravity of his Batman-trained morality. "Zane, life is precious. Killing isn't something to be taken lightly. Every life matters. You don't just… dispose of people because it's convenient."
Zane's gaze remained calm. "Convenience isn't the issue. Survival is. Killing him now will save many more people in the future."
Speedy's chest heaved, his fists shaking as he stepped closer, eyes blazing. "Survival? You think survival justifies… ending someone's life without thought? That's insane. That's not how heroes operate!"
Zane's voice remained calm, measured, almost unnerving in its serenity. "I dont care how heroes operate, I do what I have to. I get results."
Speedy's fingers twitched toward his bow. "Results? Is that what you call it? You think killing someone makes you better than us? Above the rules we follow? You don't get to decide who lives and who dies!"
Zane's step forward was slight but deliberate, his tone even but cutting. "I already did. You weren't stopping it. Connor wasn't stopping it. Someone had to. I acted. That's all there is to it."
Speedy's eyes flared, and his voice rose further. "You think life is a tool, a chess piece to move around when it suits you. That you're untouchable because you think like this. You call it pragmatism, but it's arrogance. That's what it is!"
Zane's mask hid the faint twitch of a smirk. "Call it what you want. Pragmatism, efficiency, survival… It's all words. Words don't matter when hesitation kills someone else."
Robin exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. "Enough, both of you. Speedy, I understand your anger, but right now—debate won't help anyone. What matters is the mission, the team, keeping everyone alive."
Speedy didn't back down. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and his glare didn't waver. "Maybe I'll have to take you down myself. Bring you in. Make sure someone answers for this. I can't let this slide."
Zane's voice was low, calm, and icy. "Arrest me? In the middle of enemy territory? No wonder your just a sidekick, your letting your emotions run wild here, kid."
The green fire in Speedy's eyes flared hotter, his fists clenching at his sides. "Sidekick!? Maybe I am! But I know right from wrong. And I don't sit back while someone pretends moral superiority to justify… to justify killing!"
Zane tilted his head slightly, stepping closer, his voice calm, deliberate, every word aimed to cut. "You can say that all you want, but this isn't about me. It's about you."
Speedy's jaw twitched. His chest heaved, but he forced himself to stand tall, glare unwavering.
Zane leaned forward just enough to make his point personal. "You got humiliated. Don't deny it, I wasnt here but I could still hear you guys from all the way over there. When Deathstroke took you down, it wasn't close—it wasn't even a challenge. You were out cold. And all this righteous fury? This moral outrage you're throwing at me… it's just a mask. A mask to cover the part of you that felt useless, powerless, insignificant."
Speedy's fists trembled. "I… I wasn't powerless!"
"No?" Zane's tone was almost conversational, but each word struck like steel. "You got knocked out cold. You weren't in the fight at all. You didn't protect anyone. You didn't save a thing. And yet, here you are, standing tall, chest puffed, pretending your all that."
Speedy's teeth clenched, his face reddening. "You think I care about pride? I care about doing what's right!"
Zane's voice dropped lower, a quiet, cutting edge beneath the calm. "Do you? Or do you care about feeling like a hero? About being the one everyone notices, the one who matters? That's what this is. You're looking for an excuse to vent your frustration because your ego got bruised, because you realized that being a 'sidekick' is not beneath you, it is you."
Speedy's fingers twitched, a reflexive reach for his quiver, but Robin interposed his hand, calm but firm. "Stop. All of you. This is not the time—or the place—for this fight. Zane...did what he did...we carry on with our mission."
Artemis stepped closer to Zane, her eyes sharp and calculating. "You should've just Ignored them, Zane. You did what needed to be done. You don't owe them an explanation. Focus on what's next. That's what matters."
Zane's gaze swept her face for a fraction of a second, acknowledging the rare alignment, then returned to the forest.
Speedy's chest heaved again. "You think this makes you superior, don't you? Acting like you're some… above it all? I've seen people like you before. Dangerous. Cold. You're not a hero, Zane. You're just a weapon."
Zane didn't even spare him a glance anymore. An argument is what he wants, so he'll just ignore him.
The only reason he even bothered with him, was because of his past lifes memories. Of how much of a dickhead this guy was, he just wanted to put him in his place.
Aqualad, seeing he still didn't listen, stepped forward, his calm presence radiating authority, grabbing Speedy by his shoulder, hard. "Stop, Speedy. Focus. The target is dead, yes. We cant change that. Arguing among ourselves does nothing except weaken us and invite further threats."
M'gann's voice cut in from the side, calm but urgent. "Umm… guys. I think we have bigger problems."
Everyone's heads snapped toward her. She floated slightly above the treeline, her green eyes wide as she pointed toward the horizon. In the distance, a massive factory burned, thick black smoke curling into the sky, flames licking the metal walls and windows.
The smell of smoke carried faintly on the wind, and the crackle of fire reached them even from this distance. The devastation was immediate and unmistakable—something was happening, and it wasn't waiting for them to finish their argument.