XII. To Be or Not To Be

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(Y/N) was scanning the darkness like a hawk, never keeping his eyes off any part of land for more than a few seconds at a time.

"I know you're there, Copperhead!" He called into the darkness. "Where are you?"

No reply. He continued forward.

A muffled cry came from his left. (Y/N) whirled around and saw nothing but a wall. But something deep inside told him that it wasn't just a wall.

He felt around and suddenly pushed in a secret door, which gave way and opened into a dark structure. How he knew it was there, (Y/N) had no idea.

The structure within was burned, clearly set on fire years ago and then abandoned. An odd sense of familiarity hung over the place, and (Y/N) wasn't sure what to think.

Then, he saw the massive double doors in front of him. Scratched into the wood - Copperhead's doing, no doubt - were the words, 'Where it all began.'

(Y/N) pushed the doors open and was in a massive hallway, several doors sitting along the walls. Caitlyn had to be in one of them.

A weight suddenly dropped on top of (Y/N). Copperhead ripped off his helmet and wrapped her body around his neck, trying to suffocate him. (Y/N) threw her off him, and she slinked back into the shadows like a snake, the glow of her eyes visible for a moment after her body disappeared.

She hadn't hit him with the toxin yet. Good.

(Y/N) heard something behind him. He whirled around and fired his gun, but there was nothing.

"Do you know what this place is?" Copperhead's voice came from the shadows. "Or rather... Do you remember?"

Remember? "I don't know what you're talking about," (Y/N) said.

"Oz told me all about you. Everything. I did a little digging, and, what do you know? The place where it all began."

(Y/N) suddenly realized. "This is where they built me. This is where they trained me."

(Y/N) felt three sharp needles stick into his neck. He tried to swat Copperhead's hand away, but she dipped away before he could react. Already his vision was starting to blur, his mind fogging up, his motor functions impaired.

"Time for a little reminiscence," Copperhead sneered from the shadows as (Y/N) stumbled into the first room.

He was suddenly in the alleyway near the cannery again, that same night, seven years ago.

(Y/N) saw his own limp body laying in the pavement, Vi weeping over him.

"Vi..." He said groggily. "Vi, it's me..."

She turned around. "Why? Why did you leave us?"

"No... no, I didn't... I know this isn't real!"

"Do you?" The false Vi asked.

A dark shape emerged from the shadows. Powder. The sisters were staring at him now.

"You left," The false Powder said. "It's all your fault."

"No. No, no no no!" (Y/N) screamed.

(Y/N) burst out the exit door, and looked down the hallway. A silhouette was there, a large man with a battle ax whom he didn't recognize. As the man stepped towards him, (Y/N) rushed into the second door.

The room was empty.

He whirled around and found Ra's Al Ghul standing there, blocking the exit.

Ra's drew a sword, no words spoken. (Y/N) looked down and found himself in the robes the League had given him, a sword in his hand.

The phantom Ra's swung hard against (Y/N), who blocked the strike, then a second, before Ra's lowered his blade. (Y/N) swung for his head and decapitated him.

Ra's head rolled to (Y/N)'s feet. He looked down and saw something horrifying. (Y/N)'s own face was staring at him.

"You're a monster," The head whispered. "Always have been. Always will be. There's no way to go back to the way things were. You know what you must do."

(Y/N) kicked the head away and went out of the room. Once again, the silhouette was there, and (Y/N) ran away into a third door.

This time, he was back on the bridge, red smoke filling the air.

"Tell them," A voice came from behind him. (Y/N) turned to see false versions of Vi, Powder, and Vander looking at him. Powder was the one speaking.

"Tell them the truth," Powder said.

"What happened on that bridge?" Vander said. "What did you-"

"No!" (Y/N) shouted. "I can't! This isn't real!"

"Keep telling yourself that," Vi said in an unnerving tone. "One day, it might just be."

"No!" (Y/N) left the room again.

The silhouette was almost on top of him now, his hand extended. (Y/N) opened the door to the fourth room and slammed it on the silhouette.

(Y/N) turned and didn't see any hallucinations, but rather, a single broken tank that had dried long ago. He saw the syringes hooked up and suddenly realized this was where they had injected him with the enhancing drugs.

He blinked and was suddenly taken back. There were two scientists and an Enforcer at the door.

(Y/N) saw his own, younger body suspended in the tank.

"He's too strong," The first scientist said. "He keeps asking about his family. About the girl."

"You know what to do," The second scientist said. "Erase his memory. The other, too."

The first scientist nodded.

The vision faded. (Y/N) turned and saw the silhouette standing there again.

"My eyes have been opened," The silhouette said, raising his ax. "You don't remember me, do you?"

The silhouette brought his ax down, and (Y/N) jumped out of the way, before twisting around the figure and out of the room, hiding in a fifth one - the last door at the end of the hall.

Caitlyn was there, strung up to a chair.

"Caitlyn!" (Y/N) exclaimed. "Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here."

"Hm," Copperhead sneered from the shadows. "Not yet. I sense you have one more thing to see."

(Y/N) felt one more syringe enter his neck. He collapsed to the ground, his eyes closed. The last thing he heard before falling unconscious was Caitlyn calling out for him.











(Y/N) awoke in a large, comfortable bed. It was morning. The bed was larger than any he had seen before.

"Why..." He started. "Why don't I remember this?"

He got up off the bed and looked around.

At the foot of the bed were two young children. There was a boy with (H/C) hair and a girl with dark hair.

(Y/N) and his sister.

A woman came into the room - their mother. "(Y/N)! Caitlyn! Time to go, you two, or you'll be late."

(Y/N) was shocked. "Caitlyn... She's my..."

The two kids rushed out of the room to follow their mother. (Y/N) followed, but the image was different. It was the same room, but it was now dark out and the whole family was together - Mother, Father, (Y/N), and Caitlyn.

An Enforcer - Sheriff, by the looks of it - came into the room. All were oblivious to the adult (Y/N)'s presence.

"It's time," The Sheriff said.

(Y/N) looked at his mother, then at his father, and finally Caitlyn. His sister.

The room and vision disintegrated into thin air, and (Y/N) was alone again.

"(Y/N)?" Caitlyn's voice came from behind him. (Y/N) turned around and saw her still bound to the chair.

He smiled softly. "I've missed you, sis."

"I missed you too," Caitlyn said. "When Vi told me your name, I thought it was just some other guy, but no... you're really you..."

"I'm really me."

(Y/N) heard Copperhead slinking around behind him. He whirled around and pulled out his pistol.

"I am (Y/N) Kiramman. And before me, you are nothing."











Vi was on her last legs.

Silco's number two - Sevika - was here, alright - and she had a mechanical arm that was currently beating the crap out of her.

The fight was ending now, and Vi had been stabbed.

A shot rang through the darkness. A bullet struck Sevika's mechanical arm, and she tried to turn away. But Deathstroke was there.

He struck her in the face with his staff, then shoved her into the wall and hit her again.

"Stay down!" (Y/N) shouted.

"Took you long enough," Vi said as (Y/N) helped her up.

"Do you ever say thank you?" Caitlyn asked.

"Copperhead had some things to say," (Y/N) added.

"Such as?" Vi asked.

"You know how I was taken from my family at a young age?"

"Yeah."

He pointed a thumb at Caitlyn. "Vi, meet my sister."

Vi smiled incredulously. "You're an alright shot," She told Caitlyn.

"I'm an excellent shot," She replied.

(Y/N) pulled out a small bottle filled with green liquid in it, then handed it to Vi. "Here. Drink it. It'll keep you on your feet until we get someone's help."

She nodded, then drank the liquid.

"He'll know we're here now," Vi said, referring to Silco.

"Which means we have to go someplace they won't know about," (Y/N) said.

Vi nodded. "I know a place."


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