Redefining Hero A Roy Harper Story

The real Roy Harper wakes up after three years and he's got a lot of catching up to do in a world that's strange and familiar at the same time. And he's not the only one that has to adjust. Time may have stopped, but the world has moved on. A different kind of journey that takes place for a hero that was given the short end of life and how he picks up, falters and ultimately discovers who he is a person.

A story of rediscovery in six parts.

Part 1 of 6: "Waking Up"

Words: 3,028
Notes: This story is dark, more so than the series probably is. It does take many elements from the comics and Roy's life story, but I do not ignore the fact that this is set in the Young Justice universe. There will be moments when the characters are OOC and there will be things in chapters now that will not be explained until a later part. I'm assuming that this will be AU as of season two, Invasion, so don't expect it to follow canon to a 'T'.

I can't think of anything else, so without any further ado, Redefining Hero.
Oh, spoilers for "Auld Acquaintances" if you have yet to watch it.

Disclaimer: Young Justice is a product of Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Comics. I do not own any of the characters, only this plot line. I stand to make no profit from publishing this story whatsoever; I only desire feedback. In other words, I DO NO OWN :D

He gets his first breath of fresh air when his rescue team breaks him out of his pod. Barely, he can hear low voices murmuring and he feels a hand support him as he falls. It's cold and he knows only because he shivers and when he coughs, his throat burns. While his vision is blurry and weak, he can make out the pieces of glass and puddles of water on the ground. When he tries to recall why he's seeing the glass and water, the pain begins.

It hits him fast and hard, coursing through him like a disease that makes it feel as if his blood is on fire. He can barely think through the feeling and he holds on to the person supporting him for dear life. He's also pretty sure that that odd sound is him screaming. Ordinarily, he'd chastise himself for showing this sort of weakness, but the circumstances are different and he's frightened because that sound doesn't sound like him.

The last thing Roy Harper recalls is seeing a face like his before the pain pushes him to the darkness.

There are small whispers when his eyes flutter open. Here, the lights are dull, the pain is gone and he feels only slightly groggy. Honestly, Roy feels like he went toe-to-toe with Superman. Five times. And lost. But the important thing is that he's awake, even if there's an IV drip in his left arm and his right arm is-

Roy sits up and the action makes his head pulsate, but he ignores the pain, too shocked to register anything else. Dimly, he hears chairs scraping, a door opening, someone yelling, "He's awake!" and more voices. But he's enraptured by what he sees. Or rather, what he doesn't.

"Where-where's my arm?" He manages to ask. Roy's impressed with how calm and level he's managed to keep his voice because insides, there are a million and one thoughts, emotions and scenarios running at the same time through him. He's anything but calm.

A hand places itself on his back and Roy jumps at the contact, tearing his eyes away from his missing arm to look straight into Oliver Queen's mask-covered eyes. Even behind the domino mask, he could tell they look sad and regretful, but they drop away from Roy before the younger man can search his mentor's look any deeper.

"Calm down Roy, we're-"

"Do not tell me to calm down, Ollie." Roy hisses. A part of him is appalled at the treatment of his surrogate father, but Ollie telling him to calm down is fucking stupid. He holds up the stub that used to be his right arm. "What the hell happened to my goddamn arm?" His voice has escalated to a yell and it's then that he realizes how raw his throat feels because it burns to raise his voice to this level. And it hurts him on the inside because he doesn't yell at Ollie like this, has never yelled at Ollie like this. Ollie took him in when no one else did. And this is how he repays him.

Ollie blinks and Roy can see the surprise on his face- Roy ignores it; he knows that at 15, he really shouldn't be using language like this, but he's being mentored by the Green Arrow and has the Green Lantern as his periodic mentor and constant Uncle. Roy was bound to pick up some language sooner or later.

"Roy!"

Both Ollie and Roy snap their heads to the door, where Dinah, in full Black Canary costume, is looking sheepish. She's not making eye contact with Roy either. "I'm sorry- I tried to stop them from coming in, but-"

Robin and Kid Flash, along with Aqualad are at his bedside and Roy's taken aback. His three friends don't look like the 10 and 13 year olds he's recalled working with. They look older. Significantly so and he feels only slightly guilty when their faces fall at his lack of response. They look like his three best friends, but they don't feel like it. And that makes all the difference in the world.

He looks past them and out the door, to where a small group has gathered at the doorway. He doesn't recognize any of them off the bat. But there's an archer there (she looks like she could be related to either Dinah or Ollie), a girl with green skin and dressed like Martian Manhunter (so he classifies her as Martian and decides she's of some relation), a boy who looks like Superman (his son, maybe?), Rocket (she looks older, too), Zatanna (he didn't know her dad let her out at all) and…and…

The heart monitor begins to beep rapidly and Roy is taking in breathes fast. Too fast. His mouth is moving, but no words are coming out and this time, he hears Ollie, Dinah, Dick, Wally and Kaldur telling him to calm down. He hears them, but it's a while before he listens. Between this and finding out that he's without a right arm, Roy figures that he was better off sleeping.

He turns to Ollie and he knows that the surprise, shock and that hint of fear is written all over his face. Roy can't find the energy or the motivation to even attempt to mask his emotions. It takes him a few tries to work his jaw again and another few tries to string words together. "Ollie…what happened to me?" He asks and his voice is barely a whisper as silence reigns in the hospital room, the others unable to find the words to explain at the moment.

It's too much to absorb at once. Too much has happened and he can't work through all of it. He so desperately wants to regard this as a horrible dream, but he's not going to be waking up anytime soon. Or at all, because this is his reality. Even if it feels like a nightmare.

His name is Roy Harper, but it's not just him who has that name. It's his clone's name too. His clone. The one that's been living as him for three years.

He doesn't know what hurts worse: the fact that he was replaced so easily or the fact that no one could tell the difference.

"I'm 18?" He sputters when Ollie and Dinah, along with a few select others (his three best friends and their mentors, Uncle Hal and…his clone. Batman will debrief Wonder Woman and Superman later, he knows); try to debrief him on what's happened since his capture and his awakening. No wonder Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad looked older to him; they aren't 10 and 13 anymore; they're 13 and 16 while he's 18, a legal adult by all standards.

He still feels 15.

Batman actually looks sympathetic and that makes Roy feel even worse about his situation. Is it that bad that even Batman feels the need to show emotion, and pity at that? So he's been kidnapped, clones and replaced for three years, infiltrated the Justice League through said clone for Vandal Savage and lost his right arm?

Yeah, it really is that bad.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Batman asks. At least his voice manages to hide any emotion and still retains the Dark Knight quality that Roy is now latching onto for some sort of familiarity. He doesn't think he can take that much change at once.

Roy looks down at his lap, at his lone left hand and clenches it tightly into the hospital blanket. He's at the Cave's medicinal bay. Yet another thing that he has to wrap his mind around: the Young Justice.

"I was patrolling Star on my own that night. It-it was kind of cool, you know?" This memory is easy to pull up; it feels like yesterday that it happened. "Ollie and Hal had this huge mission and he trusted me to watch over Star." There's no masking the awe and pride in his voice because Roy was proud that Ollie had vested enough trust in him for such a monumental task. The smile he has turns bitter when he recalls how wrong the night turned out, the last night before his three year incarceration.

He's almost out of trick arrows, but that doesn't mean he's down. Ollie's taught him more than just using and relying solely on the bow and arrow. Not to mention that Black Canary has taught him a few things as well. Roy feels that he can hold his own; he has to.

When he gets backed into a corner, his attacker is there with him. She looks around his age, but Roy knows that he shouldn't let that factor into his initial assessment of her. Age can be deceiving, a fact he knows well. And she has those two sais, and she knows how to use them, well. She's cut up almost every trick arrow he's shot at her. It's obvious that she's been trained and he wonders just how much of a chance he stands.

The only thing that throws him off is the mask with its ridiculous grin.

She slices through the last arrow he has (except for the quantum arrow; Roy's glad he left that at home…sort of) and she charges at him. From there, he knows that he has the disadvantage. He throws a punch and she blocks and retalitates, giving him barely enough response time to block on his own. She'll move at him with such speed and accuracy that it's only thanks to Canary's training he can even hope to counter. It's obvious to him that she's toying with him. A cat playing with the mouse. His main focuse is avoiding those sais. He's learned form experience to avoid sharp and pointy anything.

But she's better than him. Her training in hand to hand combat shines through and he's only dabbled in it. The first cut is to his arm and it stings. He hisses and she laughst quietly from behind the mask.

"Can't take a hit, pretty boy?" She teases.

He narrows his eyes. "Bring it." He challenges.

Eventually, he notices that his moves become slower and she manages to nick him a few more times; once on the left arm, and once on each leg. He realizes too late that he's been poisoned. A stupid rookie mistake that cost him what he knows is an important battle. All he can think of, as he's on his hands and knees, is how he's failed Ollie.

"Who…who are you and what….do you want?"

"I want what the League of Shadows wants and they want you." She's smiling behind the mask ,he can tell, he can hear it and she squats to look him in the eye behind her mask. "I'm-"

"Cheshire." Roy finishes.

The room is quiet, but Ollie looks like he's ready to beat himself up. Dick and Wally look somber, Dinah depressed. Batman's back to expressionless (Roy sighs internally), the Flash looks queasy and uncomfortable, Aquaman and Kaldur look serious, Uncle Hal looks ready to punch something and his clone? He clone is standing quietly in the corner, gripping his arms tightly. His best friends have filled Roy in on Cheshire's odd fixation on Red Arrow (Roy can't call him Roy, that's…beyond weird).

His capture was most likely her first mission. Of course she'd want to keep tabs on how he went.

In the silence, more memories surface and Roy knows he's not ready to share them with anyone. Brief flashes play in him mind: waking up in an unfamiliar environment, strapped down to a table, ready to be put under. A indescribable pain that he realizes now may be him losing his arm. Waiting for Ollie to rescue him, waiting for anyone to rescue him. Something they didn't do until three years later. Maybe, Roy thinks, maybe it was better never than later.

Ollie's arms envelop him in a hug, a rare display of affection, and Dinah is soon to follow. Roy stiffens under their gesture, but forces himself to relax and warp his left arm around them. One of them is crying because he feels the tears, but he's not judging (because it's most likely Dinah). None of the other heroes say anything about the display and how uncharacteristic it is of Ollie.

"I'm sorry, Roy. I'm so, so sorry." Ollie is whispering in his ear and Roy swallows thickly, closing his own eyes tightly.

"It's okay, Ollie. It's okay." He reassures him and whoever's sobbing cries harder because everyone knows that that's a lie. Thing are far from okay and thing will probably never be okay.

Life has to move on, and though Roy feels far from ready, he has to move on as well. He's discharged from the Cave's medicinal bay and goes back to live with Ollie and Dinah in Star City. His clone continues to live in his rented apartment, attends college, and acts as Red Arrow.

Roy spends the first few weeks rebuilding his lost muscle. It's hard work and it hurts, but it's what he needs, The physical exertioin keeps him mind from wandering. Which is a small saving grace. Because when his mind wanders, he thinks of that night and all the different ways it could have goen and then he starts to question his relationship with Ollie. All that will do is lead him to cold sweats at night from nightmares and a broken trust in the man he considers his surrogate father.

When Red Arrow drops in occastionally, Roy disappears into training and studying, working twice as hard than on days when Red Arrow isn't there. They all know why Roy does it, but no one will ever voice the words aloud.

He brings up the subject of his arm one night at dinner, halfway through dessert, actually. "I want a prosthetic arm." He declares. While he's been training with one arm- Ollie and Dinah have helped him in developing stronger marital arts skills and Hal has begun coaching him in boxing- it's nto the same. There's a reason he wants his right arm back.

"You might now have your archery skills anymore." Dinah says quietly.

Roy closese his eyes and takes a deep breath. He needs to hear those words because he knows it's the truth. It's not a matter of being able to reuse a bow and arrow; it's a matter of regaining his marksmanship. "I know, but I want to try. I need to try."

Ollie and Dinah exchange a look and Roy is glad to see that at least the two are closer. It's been three years; he would have been disappointed if things had turned out otherwise.

"Alright. We'll talk to Red Tornado. Or the Atom." Ollie says with finality.

It takes a few weeks for Roy's prosthetic arm to be developed. He delves even deeper into his training and studies; the temptation of being able to use his bow and arrow again lights a new fire in him.

His new arm finally is ready and Roy has to tame any hopes and expectations he may have. Better to be pleasantly surprised than bitterly disappointed. However, he can't help the increased beating of his heart as he sits at a table in the Cave, Red Tornado and Atom fussing around with some last minute details.

It feels weird when they attach the arm. There's things happening on the molecular and biological level that he can't completely understand. But this arm reopens his severed nerves and connects to the arm, mimicking the nerves of a true human arm. The synapses don't just stop at the stub anymore; they'll travel to the fake nerves of his new arm. At least, that's the gist of what he understands from the fancy sounding explanation the Atom gives him.

"All right. Everything seems set." Atom pats Roy on the shoulder, before hopping down from it and returning to his 'regular' size. He joins Red Tornado at a nearby computer. "We just need to run through some basic tests, so we know your arm won't go haywire and kill you."

"It can do that?" Roy asks with some fear.

The Atom grins reassuadely, "Theoretically. But Tornado and I designed it ourselves. You've got nothing to worry aobut."

That does nothing to quell Roy's fears.

Red Tornado hooks Roy up to some machines and they begin testing. He has to perform basic function: moving the arm, moving the fingers, individually and as a whole, rotating the wrist and the arm, grabbing and picking up objects, putting them down. It's repetitive for the first few minutes an then them move to some more complex actions: blocking and throwing a punch, grabbing a knife, holding a gun, bracing the arm for impact against a wall….anything he may need to face should he decide to go back into the superhero business.

"…will I be able to use my bow and arrow again?" Roy finally asks after the battery of tests is over. There's a silence as Atom and Red Tornado shift uncomfortably and Roy squashes the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm not a child, Atom, I can take it."

Atom clears his throat. "We're not positive. Over time, of course, you could reuse a bow and arrow. Theoretically, your abilities may be compromised."

"It's more than theoretical. The chance of you regaining your marksmanship is almost zero." Red Tornado corrects and the Atom groans, burying his face in his hands. "We can mimic the human nerves and their functions. We cannot mimic its talent."

Roy flexes his new fingers and stares at his new arm as a whole. "But it's possible, right? The chance is almost zero, not zero?" He clarifies.

"Well, yeah." The Atom shrugs. "It's possible that you've retained that talent. But don't get your hopes up."

"It's possible." Roy repeats. "That's all I needed to hear." He has a chance because it's not zero. It's not impossible. He's going to take the first step of regaining control of his life. Things are definitely changing now that he's woken up.

Review?

.chary