Disclaimer: I do not own any of the familiar characters from Young Justice.

Our Today

Chapter 1: Day in the Life at Gotham Academy

Artemis heard the distinct sound of safeties clicking off before she saw the men.

If she had been any other student, she probably wouldn't have noticed the faint shuffle of footsteps and the sound of metal on metal. But as it was, she had been raised in a household that had yielded three convicts, so the sound of weaponry was second nature to her. The only surprising aspect about the situation was that she wasn't the only one who had realized the imminent danger they were in.

Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's bratty little ward and snooty rich kid, who had single-handedly filled Gotham Academy's Mathlete Club case with trophy after trophy, couldn't have possibly been able to differentiate a gun from a pencil. And yet he was the only other student who had immediately snapped to attention, eyes trained on the doorway where not a moment later, two masked men appeared, armed with a rifle and a pistol.

Goon #1 raised his pistol and shot once into the air. "Everybody get down! Now!"

Screams permeated the classroom and there was a mad scramble as everyone struggled to cram themselves under the desks. Artemis fluidly slid down between the four legs of her table and quickly surveyed the situation. It was Calculus, which meant there was nothing even halfway lethal for her to utilize… nothing except for maybe a protractor or a compass, both of which she did not even have on her person.

One of the girls in the far right corner suddenly burst into tears, causing Goon #1 to fire another shot. This time, the bullet wedged itself in the wall right next to the girl's desk. Artemis wasn't sure whether the goon had aimed to miss or whether he was just that terrible at shooting.

"Shut the hell up, you annoying little brat," the second man snarled. Artemis secretly identified him as Goon #2. "You cry one more time and I'm gonna blow your pretty little brains out. You hear me?"

A very loud sniffle was his response.

Goon #1 spun around and slammed the door shut, clicking the lock into place. Goon #2 took this opportunity to patrol the perimeter of the classroom. The room was shaped like a rectangle and their desks were arranged in a four by five configuration. Artemis' desk just happened to be in the center of the room, which offered her some protection from the goons' prying eyes. But what could she do at that moment? Her extra bow and arrows were stashed behind a equipment shed on the school's soccer field.

Their teacher, Professor Dolores Wilton, finally chose this moment to speak up. But she was an aged woman who looked like she was born and bred in high English society, and could barely be expected to get her dress dirty, much less prevent a couple of criminals from hurting the children.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded, her accent thick and posh. "You cannot just barge in here and-" Her breath escaped her in a light gasp and she crumpled to the floor, knocked out cold by a fist to the jaw.

"Good riddance." Goon #1 eyed the knocked out woman with distaste. "I should just shoot her. One less problem to deal with."

"You can't, remember?" Goon #2 rolled his eyes and shoved his partner roughly. "Idiot. Our orders were to have no casualties until backup arrives. Stick to the plan."

Artemis processed this information thoughtfully. Well, that was new. No casualties allowed… and this had been an order from above. It was starting to sound more and more like those "students taken hostage at local school" news broadcasts she had watched when she was a kid. She had never thought she'd ever experience something like this, mostly because she wasn't a rich kid and because in the back alleys where she lived, all gun enthusiasts had a shoot first, ask questions later policy.

She wanted to bang her head against the legs of her table. Now that she had accepted the scholarship, she had unwittingly joined the rest of Gotham's rich and famous. She knew she shouldn't have agreed to come to Gotham Academy, if only to save herself some grief.

Most of the students were shaking from the fear at this point. Some of the braver ones had cautiously peeked their heads out to see what the goons were doing, but others were cowering under their desks. Artemis felt a pang when she saw their helpless faces. She was a member of Young Justice, damn it. She had to do something. The girl behind her had already broken down into silent sobs.

She was still wracking her brain for the next course of action when she heard furious typing to her left. She ducked around the legs of her desk to see Dick Grayson hunched over under his desk, fingers flying across the keypad on his cell phone. He didn't seem to be aware of the men at all; instead, his brows were furrowed in concentration as he stared at the tiny screen.

Was he texting Bruce Wayne?

The sound of the clacking keys had apparently alerted the men to the source as well. Goon #2 stormed over, and with one hand, easily yanked Grayson up by his suit jacket. The man took one look at the phone still clutched in Grayson's left hand and let out a loud roar, slamming the boy violently against the wall.

Artemis winced when she heard his head crack against the bricks that lined the walls of the classrooms. The force of the shove had knocked his phone out of his hand, sending it spinning across the polished floor.

Goon #2 lifted Grayson higher until they were face-to-face. "Shrimpy little brat," he snarled, spittle flying. "Who were you texting?"

Grayson blinked, full of innocence. "What are you talking about? What texting?"

Another slam against the wall. This time, Grayson had to visibly struggle to refocus.

"Don't play me for a fool, kid." He shoved his gun into Grayson's temple, earning gasps from the other students. "One more snarky comment and I'll blow your brains out."

Grayson chuckled, but it looked like he was only half-focused. "Sorry, you used that threat already. Try again."

Goon #2 roared. "You son of a-"

Artemis was suddenly on her feet. "Don't touch him!"

All eyes turned towards her. She swallowed and had to mentally check herself. She was only Artemis Crock the scholarship student right now, but she had to do something. She would never forgive herself if she had just stood there and let some goon blow the Wayne kid's brains out.

Goon #2 lowered his grip on Grayson slightly, but he still didn't release the boy. His attention was focused entirely on her now. "What did you say to me, little girl?"

She steeled herself. "Put him down. No casualties, remember? You don't want to disappoint the big man upstairs."

In her peripheral, she saw Goon #1 slowly making his way over to the spectacle now. He had been standing guard by the door, but now the doorway was clear. If only one of her fellow students was brave enough to make a mad dash towards it…

Goon #2 released Grayson from his grasp, sending him crashing to the floor. Artemis couldn't decide if she was relieved or not. She had successfully removed the attention from Grayson onto herself, but now what? She mentally cursed herself for not thinking three steps ahead.

"What was that?" Goon #2 was approaching her, a disgusting sneer on his chapped lips. "Did I just hear you threaten me, darling?"

"Crock…" Grayson was holding his head with his right hand, but his attention was focused on her. "Step away."

She stared at him, and Goon #2 stopped his advances to look at Grayson as well. "What?"

His dark blue eyes suddenly sharpened. "Step away from the window!" With a startling surge of power, he launched himself at her, knocking her to the side just as the window right above their heads shattered.

Glass shards flew apart from the impact and Goon #2 let out a loud roar when the broken pieces implanted themselves into his face and his unshielded eyes. He fell back from the momentum and crashed into the nearest desk, sending the rest in that row toppling over like an unfortunate set of dominoes.

Grayson quickly pushed himself off of her and grabbed her arm, yanking her over to the side behind a large cabinet. A furious streak of yellow and red was darting around the classroom, and Artemis watched as Goon #1 was smacked in the head with his own rifle, rendering him unconscious in the blink of an eye.

The classroom door flew open with a laugh.

Artemis rolled her eyes, but internally gave a little cheer. Despite all they had been through already, she was always impressed when the team was able to mobilize so quickly. "Freakin' Baywatch."

There was movement next to her, and she was suddenly reminded that Grayson had saved her life. Or rather, had saved her from a lot of unnecessary bodily harm, which was something that he himself had not been spared from.

"Baywatch?" he asked.

Artemis eyed the blood trailing down his face with some concern. "Hey, you're bleeding."

Grayson touched his temple, his fingers coming away red. He grimaced a little, but shrugged it off otherwise. "Looks like it. It's okay though, nothing I'll die from."

"You could have a concussion," Artemis pointed out, and then wondered why she even bothered. She and Grayson barely interacted on a daily basis, and even if they did, it was to borrow a pencil or for her to ask him the answer to one of their homework problems.

He seemed to be fighting back a smile. "I could," he responded cryptically, but said nothing more.

She gazed at him strangely, but didn't get a chance to respond. One of the students who had finally crawled out from under the table was pointing towards the doorway with a shaking finger. "Was that… was that Flash?" he sputtered.

"Get your eyes checked, McFlaggen. Didn't you see the yellow? That was obviously Kid Flash."

"What is Kid Flash doing here in Gotham? Where's Batman? Where's Robin?"

Artemis felt a sense of dread as she observed her classmates. Why did no one have common sense anymore? They had been held hostage and now the door was open. Why was RUN not on anyone's list?

Next to her, she heard Grayson chuckle. "Now isn't that just the question of the day."

"What?" she asked, shocked. Had he heard her thoughts?

"Where are Batman and Robin?" His blue eyes glittered, almost as if he knew something the rest of the world didn't.

Artemis' head was beginning to hurt. She didn't have time for this. She needed these rich kids to leave and save themselves, and she needed to retrieve her bow and arrows. Only then would she finally feel like herself.

"Okay, that's it." She pushed herself up and ignored Grayson, who had stood up with her. She raised her voice. "Everyone get out. Now! Stop dawdling! We don't want these goons to wake up."

Her voice seemed to shock the students out of their stupor. There was a moment's pause as everyone tried to assess the situation… and then they all stampeded out of the classroom in a loud, messy herd. Artemis yanked on her ponytail in angst. And these were supposed to be the smartest kids in Gotham. She needed a serious break.

Speaking of the smartest kids… she quickly glanced back and found that Grayson was no longer there. He had probably scampered out of the classroom with the rest of their schoolmates while Artemis had been distracted.

She checked to ensure the goons were knocked out cold before stepping into the hallway. There were no students in sight, but… was that gas coming from the men's restroom? She assessed the steadily approaching gray-green fog with trepidation before her brain finally registered what it was. Artemis gasped and forcibly threw herself back into her Calculus classroom, barely managing to kick the door shut before the gas pervaded the rest of the hallway.

Her heartbeat was thudding loudly in her ears, but it did nothing to stifle the raucous laughter that seeped through the walls. She could hear the uncontrollable voices, tinged with just the right dose of insanity.

It was the Joker's laughing gas.

But what was the Joker doing here? Last she heard, he was safely behind bars in Arkham Asylum. Artemis pushed herself up and pressed her ear to the door in a vain attempt to hear anything more. The hallway was silent. She didn't dare open the door yet in case the gas had yet to dissipate, but how many students had died out there in the hallway?

She had no way of knowing whether this was the lethal version of the laughing gas or not, but Robin had mentioned before that lengthy exposure could cause permanent brain damage. She needed to get out of the classroom. Now. Without her bow and her arrows, she was virtually useless. But she was stuck on the fourth floor of the academy, a height even she couldn't jump and hope to survive without breaking a few bones.

How would she get down there?

The answer came in the form of a clank and then the loud swoosh of a cape. Artemis spun around to see none other than Robin perched on the windowsill, a green backpack in his hands.

He smirked when he saw the look of recognition and relief on her face. "Happy to see me?"

She rushed over and grabbed the backpack from his hands, opening it to reveal her costume, her collapsible bow, and her sheath of arrows. She didn't think she had ever been so happy to see anything in her life.

"You got it for me!" she cried, and then narrowed her eyes. "Wait, how did you know where my hiding spot was?"

Robin smiled mischievously. "I'm a detective, remember? I make it my business to know everything."

Artemis briefly considered socking him, but decided now was not the time. She gestured for Robin to turn around and quickly hid behind the large supply cabinet so she could change into her costume.

"What's going on out there?" she asked while she tore off her school uniform. "Is the entire team here? How bad is it?"

Robin's voice was steady, as always, but she could detect his underlying concern. "The team is here. I've called Batman, but the majority of the League is currently off world and the remaining few have already been dispatched to the West Coast. There's apparently an alien invasion in California, so they're dealing with that right now. Black Canary and Red Tornado are guarding the Watchtower."

Artemis walked up to Robin, costume in place and mask set. She felt a whole lot better with her arrows strapped to her back. "I think the Joker may be behind this." She shook out her bow and the segments snapped into place. "There was laughing gas in the hallway. I don't know how many students were affected."

"We'll figure it out soon enough," Robin said gravely, and then turned and gave her a sweeping glance, as if to check that she had everything. Then without warning, he looped an arm around her waist and jumped out the fourth-story window. Artemis' scream was barely out of her throat when he spun and shot his grapple gun towards the wall of the building, slowing their descent till they were safely on the ground.

He released her and doubled over when he saw her expression. "Every time," he laughed. "You freak out every single time. When will you accept that I know what I'm doing?"

Artemis scowled and shoved him away. "A little warning would've been nice, dickwad." She had an arrow notched already and was scouting the premises, but she felt an odd sort of wetness on her hands. She glanced down and nearly had a panic attack when she saw the red substance. Blood? Was she bleeding? A quick check confirmed that she had not been injured, which meant the blood had to be Robin's.

"What happened?" she demanded, showing him her hand. "Where are you hurt?"

He shook off her concern with a typical "I'm fine, don't worry," and was already booting up his gauntlet computer. He was hacking into Gotham Academy's security system, no doubt to leverage the numerous security cameras on the premises. She glanced away from the screen to assess his person, which was when she saw the gauze wrapped around his head. The gauze was black, which was why she hadn't noticed it in the first place, but the thin trickle of blood running down the side of his face should've been telltale enough. She must've accidentally touched it when he had carried her out the building.

Robin always did this. It was that stupid Bat training—never show weakness, never show pain. She hated it when he brushed things off like it was nothing. There could've been a huge hole in his stomach and he still would've said it was nothing but a scratch.

Miss M, Robin's telepathic voice suddenly entered her head. Are we linked?

Miss Martian's response was instant. Yes! Where are you guys? Superboy and I are at the front gate and things aren't looking very good over here.

Aqualad's voice came on. Kid and I are at the back. We think the Joker's here. A lot of students have fainted already.

Or are dead, Kid Flash added.

Artemis wanted to punch him. Really, Baywatch? Cynical much?

Hey, it's true! We can't get close enough to check because the gas is still there.

Not dead, Robin confirmed. He was typing away again. I got close enough to the gas to sample it earlier. Non-lethal.

Miss Martian sounded slightly breathless. Are you sure it's the Joker? I thought he was still in Arkham.

Robin looked at Artemis, and she could see his brows furrow. "I thought so too," he muttered. He tapped something on his holographic keyboard and three images popped up. Artemis recognized them as different shots of the school grounds, taken from the security cameras stationed around the campus, but what she saw made her blood turn cold.

Clowns. A lot of clowns.

She heard Robin curse under his breath. "How is this even possible?"

"Someone should notify the Gotham police," Artemis said.

Robin shook his head and tapped away from the current screens. He motioned her forward until they were crouched behind a statue of Bruce Wayne, hidden from passersby's eyes but with a clear view of the front gate. Artemis felt a wrench in her gut when she counted ten masked men surrounding a horde of Gotham Academy students.

"The Joker didn't escape." Robin's voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts, and she peered over at the blue screen. She was looking at a security camera that was centered on Joker's cell. He was sitting on the cot, laughing to himself about a joke that only he could hear.

Her brows furrowed. "Are you sure no one set the camera on loop?"

"I'm certain. I would've detected traces of a hacking otherwise. This is the current feed." Robin absently touched his head, wincing a little when he made contact with the wound. "It must be an imposter. But why?"

Hey uh, Rob? Blondie? Hope I'm not interrupting some lovey-dovey moment, but we kind of need some help over here.

Artemis scowled. What did you just call me?

Robin barely suppressed a laugh and rested a hand on her arm. "Fight now, argue later." He shut down the computer and stood up, but Artemis caught his arm, which was already reaching for a birdarang.

He looked at her questioningly. "Artemis?"

"Maybe you should sit this one out. A head wound is no picnic, and-"

"It's really not as bad as it looks," he said reassuringly. "I wasn't paying attention and some guy kicked me in the head. I got knocked into the wall." He grinned and tapped his head. "Don't worry though, I've got a thick skull."

"We'll see about that now, won't we?"

Artemis spun around, an arrow already notched and ready to fire. The eerie voice echoed across the grounds, sending a small shiver down her back. Robin was holding a birdarang, but from the look on his face, it didn't seem like he knew where the voice was coming from either.

"Who are you?" she yelled. "Show yourself!"

"I kept your secrets, have guarded your ideas… I am the vessel of your nightmares, the protector to your fears."

Robin tensed, which made Artemis feel doubly panicked.

"I'm smiling when you're weeping, I'm smiling when you're dead."

Do you guys hear that? Who is that? Kid Flash's voice sounded panicked. Why does he sound so creepy?

Robin blanched. "It can't be."

"I'm with you when you're sleeping, I'm the horror in your head." There was a loud chuckle. "What am I? I am…"

Oh for God's sake, Kid Flash mentally cried. How're we supposed to know?

Robin's lips were pressed into a thin, tight line. He made eye contact with Artemis. "A skull."

Her mouth parted and she felt her stomach fill with dread.

Robin's mental voice confirmed her fears. The Riddler is here.

Author's Note: Hello there! I stumbled across Young Justice on Netflix and fell in love with the show. Couldn't help but try my hand at a story involving our favorite young superheroes. Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!