After the incident with the Conduit, a couple of days passed by relatively quietly for National City.
Not because crime vanished, as National City was far too complicated for crime to disappear in one night, but a normal rhythm had mostly returned to the City, with Tyrone and Tandy handling incidents wherever and whenever they could.
For the Superhero duo, life slipped into a relatively normal rhythm.The Young Justice team didn't reappear. No more shadows they needed to be aware of on rooftops or psychic pressure brushing at the edges of their mind.
Whether the League had decided to wait, or simply watch from farther away, neither of them could say, but the absence itself was telling.
Instead, their nights were filled with the work they'd chosen. Every day they were tackling minor but systemic crimes, like breaking up street-level arms deals or shutting down drug kitchens.
The Summer Break had begun, so the duo had as much time as they needed. When they weren't out fighting crime and Tandy wasn't at home, they were training together or just having regular fun together.
Now, they were at a Vet's waiting room, which smelled faintly of antiseptic and fur, the hum of fluorescent lights overhead mixing with the distant yip of a nervous dog somewhere down the hall. Posters about flea prevention and dental hygiene lined the walls.
Artio lay sprawled across the tiled floor like she owned the place, massive head resting on Tyrone's boot, tail thumping lazily every time someone walked past, causing the staff to giggle with delight every time.
Tyrone didn't move his foot away.
He leaned back slightly in the plastic chair, hands loosely folded, gaze unfocused as he watched dust motes drift through a shaft of afternoon light cutting across the waiting room.
As he was doing this, "Hey," Tandy's voice brushed against his mind. She was smiling faintly with her legs crossed, scrolling through social media on her phone for the benefit of anyone watching while she talked using their psychic link,
"I've been thinking," she said and that caused Tyrone to take a glance at her, waiting for her to say what she was thinking about.
"Uh-oh." Tyrone said jokingly.
"Don't say it like that," she said, amused. "This is a good think,"
He exhaled slowly, eyes flicking back to Artio.
"Alright. Hit me." He said.
There was a brief pause as Tandy was gathering her thoughts. He could feel the way her mind moved when she did that, light shifting, careful but excited.
"I don't know what I want to do when we're older," she admitted, "Like I mean besides the SuperHero stuff you know, what my normal identity would be, I've been just coasting for a while,"
Tyrone nodded slightly. "Been there." He said.
"I've thought for a while and now, I keep circling two options," she continued. "Completely different ones.
"That tracks." Tyrone muttered, and Tandy sent him a mental shove.
"Okay. Option one: law school." Tandy said, and that made Tyrone pause for a moment, his eyebrow raising as he took another glance at her.
Tandy noticed that and chuckled as she continued, "Don't call me crazy, I just want to actually help people. Since becoming a Hero, I've seen just how fucked a-lot of things are across the world, and I'd like to help people who don't have anyone on their side,"
Her Light flared faintly with conviction, even here and Tyrone didn't interrupt her.
"And option two?" he asked.
Her tone shifted, "Taking over my father's estate. Expanding it and making it bigger and better, profitable in ways he never managed. Turning it into something he could never control again."
"Spite," Tyrone said fondly.
"Motivation," she corrected, "With a little spite on top for good measure,"
He chuckled under his breath.
"You'd be terrifying at both," he admitted, "But I have to ask,"
"Don't," Tandy warned, but Tyrone continued anyway.
"Are you sure about the lawyer thing?" he said, "Because last time I checked, your grades were…"
"Rude," she cut in immediately, laughing, "First of all, ballet ate half my life. Second of all, I fixed them."
He looked at her again, surprised as he wasn't keeping up with her grades much, since they went to different schools, hers being a private one.
"You did?" He asked.
"Final term that just went by," she said smugly, "Pulled everything up. Turns out when you're not emotionally imploding, studying gets easier."
He tilted his head, impressed despite himself.
"Okay, respect."
As they were talking, Artio shifted, lifting her head long enough to huff, then dropped it back onto his foot with a dramatic sigh.
Tandy watched the dog fondly before continuing.
"But still," she said, quieter now, "Being a lawyer would take years. Law School is a long journey, all those exams and then passing the bar, and I don't know if I want to spend that long fighting inside a system that keeps breaking people.
Tyrone considered that.
"Fair." Tyrone eventually said.
She turned her head slightly, eyes finally meeting his, "So what do you think?"
He thought for a moment, then smirked.
"Well," he said, "Counterpoint,"
She braced herself for his point.
"If you get stupid rich," he continued, "You don't have to be a lawyer."
She blinked as she listened to him, "Go on,"
"You can hire an army of them," he said calmly, "The best ones. Specialists. People who wake up every day ready to ruin bad systems for a living."
Her eyes widened just a little.
"You'd fund them," he went on, "Direct them. Give them resources. You wouldn't be trapped in courtrooms, you'd be the reason the courtroom doors even open.
She stared at him, mind racing now.
"I could set up foundations," she murmured as she thought about what Tyrone was saying, "Legal defense funds. Rehabilitation grants. Oversight boards."
"Exactly," Tyrone said, "You help more people by owning the battlefield instead of standing in it alone, and that'd allow you to really stick it to your old man,"
There was a long silence between them, filled only by the hum of the lights and the distant bark of a dog down the hall.
Then, Tandy laughed, "Damn, that's a way better idea than I had,"
She leaned back in her chair, excitement buzzing through their link now, "I'll take over the estate, she decided, "All of it. I'll expand it, diversify, clean it up, and make more money than he ever dreamed of."
"And then?" Tyrone asked and her smile turned dangerous.
"And then I'll use it to burn down every system that made kids like us suffer." Tandy said and Tyrone felt something steady settle in his chest.
"Sounds like a plan."
At that moment, the door to the back opened.
"Tyrone? Tandy?" the vet tech called. "We're ready for Artio."
Artio was on her feet instantly, tail wagging like she'd just been summoned to battle.