Drops fell from his fist, splattering on the concrete floor to create a miniature crimson Jackson Pollack painting.
Do you want to be the best?
He turned, glacier eyes staring past the speaker as if they were trying to focus on the question that lingered in the air.
Well? Finish it then.
* * *
Jonathan Hyada, a man in the early part of his thirties, stood front and center inside what has been dubbed the
Arena Hall by both the students and faculty that surrounded him.
Attention. Attention! Settle down, all of you, this is our last final of the night.
Guardian, a wall of a man wrapped in yellow and blue, the Head of the Council shouted over the rowdy crowd as the anticipation grew for the main event.
Jonathan didnt hear a single voice other than Guardians.
As the crowd began to settle down, Guardian walked out onto the arena floor to stand between Jon and the woman who stood across from him, a teacher and Council member herself, the
Iron Wasp. Unlike the student opposite to her, she was smiling out to the crowd, waving and treating this more like a pep rally rather than the moments before a coming explosion. And she had every reason to act this way, as shes been here many, many times before and her record was quite extraordinary. Iron turned to glance at Jon, offering him a smile as he studied her. She was curious, but if she was worried, she hid it far too well for Jon to pick up on it.
As I was saying, this is our last final of the night for the student body and faculty to watch. This final tonight is to be the determining factor in whether the challenging student, Jonathan Hyada, will graduate in the face of his test, Council member Iron Wasp and a second, unknown opponent. This final will be conducted under the rules of a hand-to-hand Practice Spar. Unique talents and equipment may be used sparingly, and this fight will cease when either opponent is called unable to continue by a show of stoppage by the Council or by a participant ending the fight by way of giving up.
Jon, trained on every word Guardian spoke, finally broke his concentration when the head of the Council placed his hand on his shoulder.
Jonathan, you are aware that if you lose this or the second fight, you will be barred from graduating the Accelerated Program for the period of a full regular semester, a period of three months, and will not be able to participate in a re-match until that time?
Icy eyes stared across at his still smiling opponent. He nodded.
Do you have any questions before we conduct your final?
Hyada reached behind his head and pulled the black and crimson
Iron Fist inspired mask down over his eyes and stepped away from Guardian and into his pre-determined starting circle.
Do you want to be the best?
Wasp, any questions?
No, sir. The woman backed away into her own starting circle. When she entered it and settled her gaze on Jon, her face changed. The smiling pep rally expression became replaced with the confidence of a veteran fighter. Every bit of curiosity about Jon melted away to reveal her superior feelings. In her mind, well apparent in her eyes, this was nothing more than a time wasting formality.
Then, without any further del
KICK HER BUTT JON! The shout came from a well known green hero in the stands, waving at his partner when he turned to look at him in the stands. Jon broke his stoic expression long enough to smile and shake his head at his tag team partner,
Haven. The crowd all cheered in unison for the antics of Haven and the big fight that was brewing.
As I was saying
Guardian looked out at the crowd that had livened up even more thanks to the outburst.
Without any further delay, I give you Jonathan Hyada versus Iron Wasp, round one of Jonathans final test. The Head of the Council nodded to each combatant and left the arena floor to return to his seat to watch and judge the contest.
* * *
Do you want to be the best?
Of course I do.
Then, do what Im testing you to do.
The man took multiple puffs from his shortened cigar, blowing a stream of grey smoke down towards the figure curled up at his feet.
Jonathan looked to his left, past the shoulder of the man laying out the test for him, to stare at the man in the corner who was working over his own cigarette. Behind heavily tinted grey sunglasses, Nathaniel Black knew Jon was looking to him for confirmation, asking him for moral absolution for the decision he was about to make. The older man, who had not too long ago had become Jons trainer, pushed himself off the wall and strode up to the conflicted fighter. He paused beside his new found friend and tipped his sunglasses down low enough so he could look Jon in the eye.
I did it.
Black took a side long glance at the poor bastard on the floor that was now pulling at the slacks of the man in charge in a feeble attempt to get up. He then turned back to Jon and put a whisper in his ear,
if its not him tonight, its you at a later date,
before exiting the room, leaving his friend to his own principles.
* * *
Jonathan lifted his left arm to align with the kick that came sailing at his head, preventing damage to himself and allowing him to grab Wasps ankle with his right hand. He shifted his feet and hips, pulling the woman further forward than she expected to spill her down to the floor, allowing the wrestler to give himself some much needed distance. The first opening minutes of the match against the Council member had seen him nearly completely on the defensive. She had pressured him back to edge of the sparring floor, which was raised a foot above the rooms floor, multiple times now. While there were no Ring Out stipulations for this fight, it still provided a blow to the confidence and pride to be ejected or ran off from the fighting area. After sending her to the ground, Jon took many back steps from his opponent to set himself back into a neutral state. Wasp rolled to her feet as soon as Jon had settled himself and was on him again a second later with a quick combination. Every shot thrown was blocked or avoided within a hairs breadth of connecting, and those that werent glanced off of him to dot the tag champion with one of many small welts. He could barely keep up with her speed, let alone her agility and all the odd angles her attacks came from. If he lifted his arm to block high, shed sneak a follow up kick just barely beneath the elbow to threaten his ribs if he didnt yanks his arm down.
And she was having fun. She was giggling. And Jon was fairly confident that he couldnt stop her.
* * *
Well?
why must I do thi
Hyadas words were slapped from his mouth by the man in charge.
You work for me. You fight for me. I only want the best fighting for me. If you dont want to be the best then you can leave. Or you could join him as a token for someone else to prove how badly they want their full potential realized.
Jon pushed his knuckles across his mouth to wipe away the blood that began to trickle, mixing it with the crimson already caking his hand and wrapping. The glare he leveled on his employer could rival that of a legendary creature of myth. His employer simply smiled and clutched the man crawling up his legs by the hair, yanking it back to reveal the damage to his face that Jon had already done.
Well?
* * *
Jon rolled away from the kick, collecting himself near the center of the arena floor and gasping for breath. He clutched at his ribs as they screamed at him, the fire of his old injuries igniting thanks to the spark Wasp kicked off. He simply could not continue at this pace, hed get nowhere if all he did was defend without taking any offensive action of his own. Hyada sucked in a giant gasp of air and grit his teeth before hauling himself from the floor and running forward to meet the incoming Wasp. He feigned a right handed punch, snapping his hips when he saw her guard come up to give her a taste of her own medicine with a well aimed kick
that missed and had Jon sprawling back on the ground with the woman floating a few inches off the ground. The student body all gasped in amazed disbelief as the Iron Wasp had seemingly not only created a quick burst of air to separate Jon from herself, but also made her float out of harms way. Hyada lay stunned in silence as Wasp gently landed back on her feet and revealed a pair of tubes hidden in her costume under her wrists.
I had forgotten that I fight so rarely that people dont know what my unique talents actually are. The woman smirked and shot her arms downward, kicking up a stream of highly compressed air from her wrists, back harness and feet to jet her upward into the sky a few feet and keep her hanging there.
Im somewhat of an inventor you see. To put it simply
I can fly.
Jons glacier colored eyes washed over with a tinge of indigo.
* * *
THUD!
The man was hoisted from his prone position and slammed up against the closest wall, held in place by Jons well placed left forearm. He stared at his provided fodder for a moment, reading the mans desperate eyes.
Pl
ease, don
And his desperation was silenced with a well placed punch between the teeth, a second to the nose and a third to the eye socket. The mans head swam in pain as he felt himself drop from the wall, only to be slammed into it again with a shoulder charge. He felt ribs break as a haymaker connected with them, his breath cut short by another shoulder charge that pinned him to the wall for a third time. Blow after blow left a permanent impression on the mans very short future; tendons were snapped when his arm was bent at an angle it was never supposed to go in, muscle bruised when a stiff shin collided with it, bones cracked when they were introduced to concrete.
All the while, eyes that were once as blue as the sky were clouding with a violet storm.
* * *
Oh no
Jon
Haven muttered to himself as he witnessed the subtle changes in his partner during the continuing fight. The crowd around him was too into the spectacle to notice the wisps of indigo that followed Jons every attack. They cheered too loudly to hear the deeper ki-yahs that his friend screamed out. Haven wanted to get up to stop the fight but was held back by the flailing arms of those around him and the respect to trust his friend.
Jon pushed through another blast of compressed air, resisting the knockback so that he could guide his fist towards his opponents jaw. She slapped his arm away before it could reach her and circled around to try and drive her knee into Jons exposed back. The former fighter accepted the blow and retaliated with an impromptu back fist that glanced off Wasps shoulder and glided across her throat. She blasted him away again to avoid the follow up kick that came sailing in for her ribs, creating some breathing room of her own. She ran at her student opponent after collecting herself, with every intention to bait him into a high attack so she could sweep in low to trip him up. However, Jonathan was the one to drop low, arching a well placed punch directly into her stomach that trailed a thicker flare of indigo behind it. Wasp gasped for air as she doubled over onto Jon for a moment in pain, long enough for the angered wrestler to follow up the punch with an overhead elbow that connected with the back of her neck.
* * *
Blood pooled on the concrete, staining it crimson, as Jon held the beaten man up by nothing other than his shirt collar. He stared down at his gasping victim as his employer looked on and pulled from his cigar.
Youre stopping?
Look at him.
youre stopping?
Hes done.
The man in charge pulled one last puff of his cigar before flicking it at the man Jon was holding. If he had felt the sting of the tiny fire, he made no announcement of it. Jons employer stared at his fighter for a good long while then sighed, shaking his head and retrieving his cell from his pocket.
Jon. You have so much potential, so very much that I cant afford to replace you. But you lack the ability to cross into the end zone
so I guess Im just going to have to push you into it.
The man dialed a number on his phone and brought it to his ear.
Bring her in,
were the only words stated before he hung up the cell and placed it back in his pocket.
What are you
?
Youre scoring for me. One way or another.
* * *
Jon screamed out in pain as Wasp focused a return blow into his bad ribs, forcing the man to break up his attack and stagger away. The Council member wiped a smear of blood across her face to get the taste of it off her lips. She had fully expected Jon to be a more than capable fighter, but she hadnt actually expected him to keep up with her after this long.
Catherine St. James, the Iron Wasp, glanced to her left, spotting the grey hooded figure hiding amongst the crowd in the stands. The look the pair shared told the story of uncertainty and of a reckless decision that was about to be made. Catherine subtly shook her head at the figure, trying to appease the vengeful emotions that brewed there. Her attention was then redirected at Hyada as he came in for another attack, raising her hand to blast him away yet again. But the fighter darted to his right, avoiding the defense, and aimed a kick to her head. Wasp ducked low and sprung to her feet thanks to the aid of her suits invention and whipped around to throw an attack of her own at Jon again. This time her fist was coated with a thin skin of flexible metal, the iron in Iron Wasp, which caused even greater damage to the wrestler when it connected just under his arm. In both pain and anger, Jon locked his arm around Wasps elbow and secured her wrist with his other hand. He jerked her forward while guiding himself towards the ground, sandwiching the woman between himself and the floor. She gasped for breath as she felt a crunch in her side, a few ribs cracking from the introduction to the floor and Jons body weight. The fighter rolled off the woman, his hand catching the underside of her chest armor and drawing the plate from her body.
* * *
Whats going on here?
Jons words were filled with confusion and anger as one of many nameless burly thugs ushered a young girl in her early teens into the room, her hands tied behind her back and her mouth gagged and duct taped shut. She screamed as soon as she entered the room, recognizing her older brother that was hanging from Jons hands, and was forced to her knees beside Jons employer.
You want to be the best?
Whats going on here?!
Jonathan, Id like you to meet Samantha St. James, sister to Jefory St. James.
He nodded at the man Jon was barely holding up.
You do what I tell you,
he nodded at his thug who wrapped his arm around the girls throat,
or he wont be the only St. James that clocks out tonight.
Why are you?
I only employ the best. And the best are willing to do whatever it takes to stay that way.
* * *
It wasnt the first time that the entire crowd was in stunned silence, though this time the faculty and Council joined them as they all stared at the exposed portion of Wasps armor. Where metal had once been now laid bare skin tight black fabric that was imprinted with a pure orange insignia.
Cerberus
Guardian muttered under his breath, not believing what he was seeing. He leapt from his chair and called out in challenge,
You?! Cerberus?!
Catherine dusted herself off as she slowly rose to her feet, still grimacing in pain from the battle that had come to an abrupt end. She smiled and folded her arms beneath the insignia, pushing it upward so everyone around could clearly see.
What in the
? Haven muttered to himself as he stared at one of his favorite former teachers.
Explain yourself Catherine!
HIM! The cold shout came from the back of the crowd to Wasps left, from a figure wrapped in a grey shroud. She stepped forward and pointed directly at Jon who was staring at her in confusion.
Jonathan Hyada!
Guardian turned his attention to the figure as she pulled off the cloak to reveal the grey, white, and now black attire beneath. A brand new suit adorned with its own orange insignia. The crowd again was shocked to find a second teacher with the symbol of a criminal organization on her person.
Moonlit? Sam, what the hell is going on here?!
Please Guardian, its not just Samantha, she leapt down the eight rows of bleacher seats to the ground and strode up to stand directly in front of Jon,
its Samantha St. James.
Jons eyes widened in stunned recollection.
And dont worry, Im not looking to stay with Cerberus any longer, as so far they havent been able to fulfill my needs. She cast a side long glance at her sister, alluding to the failures that frustrated the traitorous teacher.
Im here
for him. Moonlit flashed a white blade, arching it across Jons chest to cut through the Kevlar protection of his Iron Fist outfit. Jonathan staggered backward, clutching at his bleeding chest. She hadnt cut him deep enough to cause any serious damage, but the look upon her face proved that was her next intention.
WHAT IS GO
JON! Haven leapt down from his own spot in the stands and ran up to put himself directly between the blade and his partner, arms held out wide in protection.
You touch him again
Youll do what, you pathetic green haired freak? Youll protect a killer? Youre supposed to bring villains to justice, not align with them.
The only killer I see here has a sword in her hand in a school.
Moonlit set her grey eyes in a dead stare, looking past Haven to focus on Jon behind him. Her fist clenched and unclenched several times around the handle of the blade she carried. Sam flipped the sword over to catch it in a reverse grip while at the same time punching outward with it towards Havens jaw. The surprise of the blow knocked Haven away from his partner, allowing Samantha to step in and produce a second sword to level at Jons midsection. Hyada darted to the side, snapping his arm outward to smack an open palm on the attacking sword arm to shove it further away from its intended target. Moonlit answered with a spinning slash from the reverse blade, arching it high then dropping it low to cut off Jons retreat. It was Haven this time to block the blow, having found his feet beneath him and bringing both hands up to catch Moonlits arm as she brought it down, stopping the momentum of the attack.
Iron Wasp leapt over the trio and doubled her body over, a high pitched shriek echoed through the arena hall as her suit sucked in the air around the foursome for a brief moment. Just as a large collection of the student body and faculty, including the Council, started to surge on the villains, Catherine released the drawn in oxygen, sending an explosive blast out around the small group to keep the intruders away. Students and practiced heroes alike were knocked back, rolling into the limp stop of unconsciousness amongst the bleachers. The few that had weathered the storm stood dumbfounded by its power, reassessing their desire to interfere with the personal battle unfolding.
* * *
Nathaniel Black watched his new friend storm down the hallway towards him, ripping away at the bloody taping that still clung to his hands.
Did you
?
* * *
So, you havent told him then Jon? Samantha smiled wickedly with her words as she slowly began to overpower Havens guard, guiding his struggling arms out away from his body so she could line up for another attack. Jonathan Hyada was frozen in place, held captive by the cold tip of steel that ever so slightly lifted his chin upward and the deadly eyes that bore down on him. She knew she had him, both of them, but shed been focused on revenge for so long that it was vital she enjoyed it.
Haven doesnt know what youve done? Forget Haven, the Council doesnt know what youve done?! Moonlit looked over towards the struggling Guardian whom refused to remain still even after multiple blasts from Wasp.
I know. Haven gritted through his bloody teeth, a present given to him by the earlier punch.
Hes told me.
Moonlit studied Haven as she continued to put pressure on his guard while teasing Jons throat with her blade. The woman then began to laugh, softly at first, though it quickly grew into a vile cackle.
You are a terrible liar. Hes not breathed a single word to you about the St. James family. He hid it then and he hides it today. Jonathan Hyada, the Killer of Innocents.
Frosty eyes flared indigo.
Youre afraid of the justice you deserve. So afraid that you left the real world to join a charade; to choreograph battles with the lackeys of Cerberus to make yourself feel powerful again. You werent on any soul finding, honorific quest. You needed a setting where you could claim weakness while you built your real strength back up again. So you could return to doing what made you the best. She slid the blades tip up along his neck and cut it slightly into his cheek, though Jon didnt even grimace.
And you came here to see how well you could weed out the herd that might clash against you when your time came.
Yo
Youd be right to believe that. If this were any time prior to my meeting of Haven. Jonathan flinched his head to the side to free it from the blades bloody kiss. A steady ring of indigo rimmed his blue eyes as he glared at the child he had saved, a child that was now attempting to repay him for his good deed.
Three years wasnt enough time to create a barrier thick enough to keep the fire within me in check, especially after meeting with a Catalyst. Jonathan stepped forward into Moonlits space which caused her to reposition her blade against the Kevlar protecting his heart.
But my desire to be the best wasnt so I could hold gold, or be feared. The best that I wanted to evolve into is exactly what I told Guardian when I applied for this school. I wanted to become a force that people like the man who threatened to kill you would have to clash against. The type of person that you have seemingly evolved into.
Youre labeling me the evil one here?!
No
but I have given Haven enough time to slip away from you.
Wha--? Moonlit snapped her head to the side where she had thought Haven was still struggling against her, only to find that she had been fighting to hold up nothing but the air. She had been so preoccupied with Jon that Haven had been allowed to disappear. Moonlits head snapped again, though this time into the opposite direction thanks to a well placed kick from the green themed hero. She staggered forward towards Jon, dropping her blade low which allowed the former MMA fighter to grab her arm and swing her around into Wasp who had turned around in time to be bowled over. The sisters fell in a jumble to the arena floor while the tag team champions collected themselves beside each other, though as quickly as they were toppled, they too regained their composure together. Samantha began to step forward with both blades at the ready before her sister snatched her arm to hold her back.
What are you--?! Moonlit cut her words short as she looked back at her sister... and the growing number of bystanders who had grown tired of being spectators. Wasp had been very effective at keeping them at bay, but even the brief reprieve of
Young Justices counter attack had rallied the large group of established and would-be heroes to mobilize.
We didnt think this through
Catherine hissed at her younger sister, tugging at her arm.
We arent leaving now!
We are. We cant face them all, not anymore.
We just need him!
The crowd began to creep in closer while Jon and Haven prepped themselves for the resurgence of battle.
Well get him later.
Now! Samantha surged forward to strike but her sisters grasp held firm, yanking her back as she released a final concussive blast that threw everyone around the pair back a dozen paces and shattered the glass ceiling above them.
NO! HE NEEDS TO DIE!
The eldest St. James daughter ignored her sisters wails of revenge as she took off into the sky with her in tow, leaving the heroes behind to their minor victory.
* * *
Jonathan charged past the older man, leveling his shoulder into him to knock him out of the way as he passed out of view. Nathan watched him go, a frown growing on his features as he turned to look over his shoulder so he could better hear the crying screams of a distraught sister.
Everyone does it...
* * *
Weve thought it through, Guardian spoke softly to Young Justice, winching now and then as he was finally getting attended to by staff hours after the escapades of Jons final.
The Council has unanimously voted that due to Jon helping to uncover traitors within the midst of the Academy on this night, as well as not long ago with you Haven, that he has earned the right to graduate.
What about my
?
Guardian lifted a hand to silence the wrestler.
You stated when you came here that you wanted to right the wrongs of your old life. The Council feels that you were never dishonest with us, nor would we hang a persons past over their head if they actively pursued a path to atone for it. You are not the first to take a life, willingly or unwillingly, so we will not treat you as such. You have earned yourself the right to be a certified hero Jonathan Hyada, do not waste it.
Hyada nodded silently but kept his eyes cast down at his feet for a while as Haven patted him on the shoulder for reassurance.
What is next for you two, after graduation?
Jon and I are facing off against our rivals, Cerberus, for the tag team titles as well as participating in the Lethal Lottery match.
Do you feel you are up to these tests?
Memories, old and new, of prior life and current events flashed through his head. The former fighter focused in on what had been fueling him ever since his debut in wrestling, the Man in White, Ramparte. His fist clenched as he lifted his eyes to meet Guardians gaze.
I am the best. And they will come to learn it