Things had become a bit of a blur for Red as he faded in and out of consciousness. For a brief period, he thought that he was going to wind up dead because of his own miscalculation. In his delusional state, he couldn't help but feel a bit of relief at the thought of him no longer being a part of the living world. It seemed like life had been constantly punching him in the gut every step of his life, between his abusive upbringing with a mother who didn't seem to ever love him, to going through hell growing up in the training facility, and then eventually losing the four other people in his life that he could've actually considered family. Even now, he felt like his life was nothing more than being a prisoner without the orange jumpsuit as his every move was put under scrutiny. So when he felt himself slowly sink into the black abyss, he welcomed it. However, before he could fully give into it, he heard a familiar, albeit annoying, voice speak out to him.
"Come on Kid, I didn't save your ass just for you to go off a blow it up later."
The unmistakable New York accent of Quick Shot had appeared out of nowhere, accompanied with the smug bastard's face. Even on the verge of death, Red still wanted to reach out and sock him right in the jaw. The guy was nothing more than a pain in his ass...But still, he was someone who had actually given a damn about him. Try as he might, Red couldn't help but look up to him. Almost as soon as Red thought this, he swore he saw the image of Quick Shot's head grin before suddenly turning much softer, his voice matching the expression.
"Besides, we both know you've still got a job to do before you call it quits. So how about we wake up and go be a hero, eh?"
At that last word, light suddenly began to return to him, as he slowly opened his eyes to see the stars above him. At first, he thought that he had indeed died and somehow had mistakenly made his way into heaven. However, the sound of familiar voices made it clear that he was still in the land of the living. More specifically, it was Boy Wonder's. And to further reinforce the fact that he was alive, he couldn't help but feel pissed off knowing that the guy was probably showing off somewhere.
"...Kick... ass... Roy..."
These were the only words he could manage to mutter out, the pain in his lungs preventing any further speaking. He could tell he was pretty messed up, likely suffering internal damage. Even after seemingly being brought back from the dead at his mentor's request, Red struggled to maintain consciousness. Had it not been for the sound of a definitely feminine voice, Red would've likely gone back to the void.
"Not in your current state, handsome."
These words made him reconsider if he had indeed actually died, as the figure of a blonde girl above him slowly made it into his vision. Unable to either speak or move, Red could only look up through squinted eyes before suddenly becoming blinded by a flashing green light. Unable to protest, Red resigned to letting whatever was happening unfold.
After a few seconds, however, he suddenly began to feel the sensation of warmth. It began in his chest, but it soon began to work its way throughout his body. Red could only compare it to drinking a cup of hot coffee on a cold winter day, as the feeling was certainly not unpleasant. No, instead Red began to feel the life return to him. The pain in his chest seemed to gradually disappear, and the feeling in his fingers and toes suddenly returned to him.
After several seconds of this, Red began to feel normal again, albeit with the feeling that he had gotten hit by a truck. Red allowed this to continue as he continued to pick up the sounds of battle somewhere in the distance. He could swear he heard something that sounded like a bat, but he wasn't too confident in his hearing abilities yet so he disregarded it.
Eventually, the flashing light disappeared, and shortly after so did the girl who he was still unsure whether or not had called him handsome. Red was unable to call out for her, forced to watch her run off to where he assumed the rest of the fighting was still going on. Red knew he needed to be there, even if he felt like shit.
With a considerable amount of effort almost made Red pass out again, he managed to slowly get up on his feet. His arms ands legs felt heavy, like he'd just done four hours of a full body workout and then went into the ring with a professional boxer. Still, he was up, and that's what counted.
Glancing down at himself, he noticed that his clothes had been burnt in in several location. Luckily for him, they seemed to still cover enough to keep him from accidently becoming a sexual predator, but he couldn't help but notice that a draft was coming up into a certain region, a sensation he was not very keen on receiving.
He was about to start limping his way towards the sounds of the fight when he suddenly heard the sound of someone mumbling nearby. Thinking it was a threat, Red quickly turned around to face the new threat, causing himself a lot of pain in the process. This worry was not needed, as it turned out, since the source of the mumblings came from what appeared to be a still unconscious girl. Red recognized her as the girl Roy had been speaking to when he had made his...dramatic entry. It was odd, since he remembered this girl looking much more banged up prior to him passing out. Perhaps the girl from earlier had done...whatever she had done to Red to this girl as well.
Red looked around. There was nobody else around, but that didn't mean it was safe yet, especially for someone who wasn't even conscious yet. He knew he couldn't leave this girl alone, but nor could he have them sit back and wait for someone to get at them while they were still weakened. They'd need to get back to where everyone else that was still around was at, even if that's where all the trouble was at.
"Don't ever say I'm not a gentlemen," Red muttered before hobbling over to where the girl was laying down. He stood there, unsure of how he was going to exactly do. Should he put her over his shoulder? Carry her in his arms? Fireman's carry? Drag her? Between not knowing what would be the least awkward position as well as what he could even physically do at the moment, he was stuck at a crossroads before letting out a frustrated groan.
"If I get slapped for it, I get slapped for it."
Bending down, he placed one armed where the back of the girls knees were and the other around her upper back. With a grunt, he managed to pick her up, waiting a few seconds to ensure he wasn't going to drop her before slowly beginning to carry her towards where all the noise was still coming from.
Christ, I look like a guy carrying his newly to their friggin' honeymoon, Red thought for a brief moment before shaking his head in an effort to get the idea out of his mind. He didn't have time to think of things like that. Sure, he had those...feelings like any other guy his age would have, but he had much bigger issues to worry about like busting drug dealers and kidnappers. However, when he suddenly felt the warm breath of the girl tickle his neck, he couldn't help but almost jump at the sensation.
"I am a vigilante. I beat up bad guys for a living. I am a vigilante. I beat up bad guys for a living. I am a vigilante. I beat up bad guys for a living..."
Red forced himself to concentrate on these words as he slowly made his way back to where the source of the noise was. He noticed it had died down significantly, likely meaning the end of whatever had been happening prior. He was about to allow a sigh of relief to escape him when he suddenly noticed a streak of light shoot towards the island. He cursed out loud, wondering what the hell was happening now, before the light suddenly stopped in the air above where the rest of the teens were at. This light turned out to be a woman, one that looked very much pissed off.
"Someone. Explain. Now."
Several people began to talk at once, some giving an answer to the women in the sky, others not so much. A common word, or rather name, that he heard was none other than Roy's. Red rolled his eyes at that, knowing full well that Boy Wonder was probably going to get all of the credit for all of this. His eyes ceased rolling, however, when his eyes spotted the remains of something very notable on the ground next to the group. Red couldn't help but raise his voice in confusion, undoubtedly startling the others who had yet to notice him.
"Is that a friggin' bat?!"