Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any of the DC characters, they only belong to DC Comics.
Chapter 1
"Finally! Mission time!"
Robin glanced over to the zeta tubes to see Artemis walking in, a faint scowl on her face. He couldn't really blame her. It was supposed to be their day off, but Batman had call in everyone for some sort of special mission. He wouldn't even brief Robin until every Young Justice member had arrived. Artemis being the last.
"Shut it Wally, I got here as soon as I could."
"Enough," Batman's gravelly voice cut through the quickly escalating argument, "The Justice League has decided to send the team to investigate an abnormal energy reading. The location is secluded from civilian areas and it appears that no one has come into contact with it. I want you to go get better readings from it and report back immediately."
"That's it?" Wally groaned, "Boooring."
Looks of disappointment and confusion were mirrored in each team members faces. They were all called in on their day off for this? A simple reconnaissance mission? It could have at least waited a day.
"Whether you believe it's boring or not is irrelevant. You will complete the mission regardless."
No one could argue with that, especially with Batman. Kaldur stepped forward, his face a mask of cool composure.
"Understood. Is there anything else we know about this anomaly?"
"It began appearing on the League's scans about a month ago," Batman pulled up the scans onto the computer screen, "Agendas for both the League and this team did not allow for us to investigate before now. The signal also disappears and reappears at random, making it increasingly difficult to anticipate. Also, each time it reappears the signal is stronger and bigger. We need to determine what it is and how to stop it."
The computer screen went blank as Batman turned to face the young team.
"As of now, the signal has disappeared and could reappear at any time. Since we don't know when it will appear again and for how long, this mission may take some time-"
Batman ignored the collective groan from the team and turned back to the computer, hiding a small smirk. Kids.
"I forwarded the coordinates to Robin. You should leave immediately."
"Yes, sir."
8 Hours Later
"Are we there yet?"
"SHUT UP WALLY!" everyone yelled.
Eight hours of the speedster asking the same question over and over again, could grate on the nerves of anyone. It wasn't their fault that the coordinates were out in the middle of nowhere. To be honest, it was a miracle that Kid Flash was still alive. Although, from the way Artemis was eyes Wally, he might not stay that way for long…
"Are we there yet?"
"Oh for the love of…" Artemis started as she began to rise out of her seat when a loud beep resounded through the bioship.
"We're here!" M'gann cheered happily.
The ship landed and everyone filed off, glad to be stretching their legs after such a long flight. Robin took a moment to double check the coordinates, a short hike and they would be right on top of the anomaly.
"We need to head west."
Kaldur nodded, "Let's move."
Only a few moments passed before the team arrived in a clearing. Only this clearing was not natural. Trees, grass, and shrubs had been pushed down in a perfect circle, the diameter reaching about a mile wide. Wally let out a long whistle.
"Dang, it looks like a bomb went off here. Hey! You think we should be this close?"
"It does seem like this anomaly does have some sort of physical effect, although nothing seems to be extensively damaged," Kaldur noted as he surveyed the clearing.
"Hello Megan! I've seen this on television. It looks like those circles left by what people think are UFO's."
Robin raised an eyebrow, "You mean crop circles?"
"Yeah, everything's all bent down just like the show I saw."
"So your theory is that aliens are invading," Artemis scoffed.
"Guys…"
"Well, do you have a better theory?"
"Guys…"
"Better than aliens."
"GUYS!" Superboy shouted.
"WHAT!"
Superboy pointed towards the center of the clearing where a small ball of light had appeared. Electricity arced and crackled around the ball as wind began to blow through the once-still night. Robin immediately took out his tech in order to get a clear reading.
"These results are off the charts. No indication of radiation…YOW!"
Robin dropped the device quickly. An arc of electricity had shot from the ball of light to the device Robin had been holding, instantly frying the high tech gadget. The earth began to shake as the ball began to grow, slowly engulfing the clearing.
"We need to retreat!" Kaldur yelled, through the gale winds whipping around them.
"You don't need to tell me twice!"
As soon as Kid Flash turned to run out of the clearing, a sonic boom echoed through the clearing as the ball of light shot out to engulf the entire team. Within seconds, the ball shrank and disappeared. When the winds died down and the earth stopped shaking, one could see the clearing. Completely empty.
Robin's head was pounding and his ears were ringing. Wherever he was, there were a lot of people around, all of them speaking some foreign language. Spanish and Russian mostly, though with the headache he had, Robin couldn't exactly pinpoint the exact dialects. The air was stuffy and fabric kept brushing his face. They must have put some sort of bag or hood over his head. Flexing his hand, Robin realized his hands were bound tightly. Ziptie. The talking around him stopped momentarily.
"Похожий, что один из детей бодрствует."
A sharp kick to his stomach sent all the air out of his lungs and sent him sprawling onto his back. The action revealed that his legs were bound too. Just what he needed. The distinctive click of guns soon followed. A lot of guns. Robin stayed as still as possible on the ground, hoping that those guns weren't pointed at him. He didn't know where the rest of the team was or how he was going to get out of this situation, but he wasn't going do anything that would wind up getting him killed. Just listen and wait for the right opportunity, just like Batman trained him. Two of the men were speaking now, one Russian, one Hispanic, both obviously the leaders of rival factions.
"Come now comrade, we should end this lamentable war between us. We have both lost valuable men and assets. Why should we continue this feud?"
Silence. Footsteps. The Russian guy is pacing, slowly. Calculating steps, he's calm; obviously he thinks he's the one in control. The pacing stopped.
"I know. Perhaps if you give me the children, as a gesture of good faith, we could put all this behind us and become partners once more."
A condescending laugh rang out. This was not going to end well.
"¡Usted es loco, mi amigo! What would you need the niños for anyway? Target practice? Because of this 'lamentable war,' as you call it, I need more mulas. No, los niños stay with me."
A shot rang out, soon followed by a barrage of gunfire from both sides. Pain exploded in Robin's side. A stray bullet must have hit him. He couldn't repress the groan of pain, unfortunately garnering the attention of one of the factions.
"Tome a los niños al depósito. ¡Ahora!"
Hands grabbed Robin and threw him into the bed of a truck, other heavy objects being thrown in after him. Warm, breathing objects. Robin let out a short sigh of relief, his teammates. Alive, unconscious, but alive. The truck started and peeled away from the chaos. Hopefully, he and the rest of the team could find a way out of this mess.
This couldn't get any worse. No sooner than they arrived, Robin and the others were thrown into some kind of holding room. At least that hood was taken off of his head, although they had taken his utility belt as well. Robin struggled to sit up, the gunshot wound in his side screaming in pain as he did so. He surveyed the room cautiously, hoping that there would be some way to escape. No windows, very small vents, no easy escape route. Whoever these people were, they seemed to have some experience with people trying to escape or it was just his luck. The walls and door seemed to be made of some thick metal. They might as well have thrown the team into a vault. The only way of escaping would be if Superboy muscled their way out.
"Guys, wake up."
Nothing.
Robin scooted over to Kid Flash and nudged him in the shoulder with his bound feet.
Nothing.
Man, he was totally not feeling the aster.
"Guys…"
Robin started, but suddenly the room went black as a stream of gunfire rang out from the other side of the door. He could clearly hear screams of pain and terror from the men stationed outside. Was someone attacking? Well, something was attacking according to the cries of "¡Demonio!" that could be heard. Long moments passed before silence replaced the screams and the lights turned back on, briefly blinding the boy wonder. Ok, maybe this could get worse.
Footsteps.
Someone was heading towards him and the team. It had to be the same person who attacked the men outside. Robin tried to rouse his teammates again with no luck. He could hear the distinctive sound of a lock being picked from the other side of the door.
"Guys, wake up!" Robin hissed as he kicked KF once more, effectively throwing him into the other and finally waking them.
"Ow!"
"What was that for?"
"What happened?"
At that moment, the door swung open and the mysterious attacker walked in.
"Good, you guys are still alive."
The entire team looked at the newcomer in shock and confusion.
"Dude, it's a little girl!"
The girl walked towards the group, her high heeled boots clicking against the concrete floor. Stopping before them, the team could get a better look at their savior…or new foe. Without the boots, she would've been the same height as Robin with a lithe yet muscular frame to match. She wore a black leather body suit that conformed to her shape like a second skin. Holsters that carried various knives, guns and other weapons were cinched around her waist, thighs and arms, providing her with an arsenal of weaponry. A pair of sai was in her gloved hands and a large sword slung across her back. Her long chestnut hair was pulled into a simple braid. But it was her face that held the fascination of the team. Pale skin and flawless features that were only marred by the splatter of blood across her face and a black domino mask that hid her eyes. The girl moved lightning quick as she placed the tip of her sai against the skin of Wally's throat.
"Firstly, I'll have you know that I'm no little girl. Secondly, if you want to get out of this hell hole alive, I suggest you do exactly as I say. Got it?"
Wally nodded, staring wide eyed at the girl. She then quickly set about cutting off the zipties that held the team. Kaldur stood, rubbing his wrists as he approached the girl.
"Thank you for your assist-"
"Shut up."
"Excuse–"
"I said shut up. We don't have time to be standing here exchanging pleasantries." The girl turned to Robin, releasing him and roughly pulling up his shirt to reveal his side.
"Hey!"
"Just a graze, but I'll take care of that later. Can you walk?"
"Yeah."
"Good," the girl turned and walked towards the doorway, "José is going to be here any second with backup, so we need to get some wheels and move. Now."
As the girl left the room, Artemis moved to stand beside the others and whispered, "Should we trust her?"
"We must, for now. She seems to know what's happening and where to go."
With that the team exited their temporary prison and walked…into a massacre. The large, main room of what seemed to be some kind of warehouse was strewn with dead bodies, some riddled with bullets, some stabbed, and some with their throats slit. M'gann gasped and covered her mouth in horror while the rest looked on.
"They're all dead. There are at least fifty of them," Superboy confirmed.
Then the girl reappeared from another room with two red canisters of gasoline and started dispersing the liquid throughout the warehouse.
"What are you doing?" Robin yelled at he raced to the girl, grabbing her arm and forcing her to stop.
The girl whirled around, kicking the boy wonder in the side, exactly where the bullet had grazed him earlier. The force of her strike as well as the intense pain sent him sprawling to the ground.
"Robin!"
After leveling a glare at the entire team that made their blood run cold, the girl continued to douse the entire area in the flammable liquid. She then retrieved a couple of barrels that had been clearly marked explosive from an adjoining room and placing them in strategic places. Surveying her work, the girl nodded to herself and returned her attention to the stunned team.
"This should do. Let's go."
Without a second glance, the girl walked towards a fleet of cars that had been parked on the far side of the warehouse.
"Looks like José and the boys upgraded since last time. These are niiiice! Comes with all the upgrades and just my color too."
The girl retrieved a black shotgun from under the driver's seat and loaded it. Climbing behind the wheel, she glanced to the team who had not moved from their positions around Robin.
"You guys coming or what? Your choice, but don't come crying to me when this place goes up like a Roman candle."
The girl smirked as the team reluctantly followed and piled into the large SUV that their mysterious rescuer had commandeered.
"Are you old enough to…" Artemis started.
"Shut up and buckle up."
The girl slammed on the gas and in a storm of screeching tires and burning rubber, the SUV shot through the garage door and out of the warehouse. As soon as they were outside, the girl turned in her seat and shot off the gun. The quickly disappearing warehouse exploding into a raging fireball. Settling herself into her seat, the girl turned off the road and into the expanse of desert surrounding them.
"I've got a safe place where we can go. When we get there, you all are going to tell me who you are and how the hell you got involved with José and Anatoli. Oh yeah, and why the hell are you guys dressed like that? You get lost on your way to ComicCon?"
"Comic what?"
"ComicCon. You know, where a bunch of people go get dressed up as their favorite comic book characters and pretend they are superheroes."
"We aren't pretending. We are superheroes. I'm Miss Martian-"
"…aka, M'gann M'orzz, Martian Manhunter's niece, White Martian;
Superboy, aka Conner Kent, the clone of Superman and Lex Luthor;
Aqualad, aka Kaldur 'Ahm, Aquaman's sidekick, Atlantean;
Kid Flash, aka Wally West, Flash's sidekick, speedster;
Artemis, aka Artemis Crock, FYI it's stupid taking a superhero name that's the same as your own, anyway, supposedly Green Arrow's niece, but isn't, archer;
Robin, boy wonder, sidekick of Batman, aka-"
"Hey!"
The girl snorted, "Dude, it's not like no one knows. Anyone who has watched Saturday morning cartoons or has picked up a comic book knows who you are. You are the first one right? You become Nightwing, second one 'dies,'" the girl emphasized the word with air quotes, momentarily letting go of the steering wheel, much to the dismay of the team, "and comes back as Red Hood, third one's boring, and the last one is the son of Batman and Talia al Ghul. Oh by the way, I managed to swipe this on the way out."
The girl reached into the side of the door and dropped Robin's utility belt into his lap. The entire team sat in stunned silence as they stared at the girl. This stranger who rescued them, killed fifty armed men, blew up a warehouse and knew personal details about each of their lives and then some.
"H-how?" Wally stuttered, "How do you know all this?"
The girl scoffed, "Are you guys mental or something? You can't actually believe that you're superheroes. They don't exist. Time to wake up kiddies, you're in the real world now."
"Who are you?" Kaldur asked.
"If you need a name, it's Nemesis."
With that the girl turned on the radio, blasting music as they sped into the desert with night fast approaching.
Glossary:
Похожий, что один из детей бодрствует – Looks like one of the children is awake.
¡Usted es loco, mi amigo! – You're crazy, my friend!
Niños – children
Mulas – Mules
Tome a los niños al depósito. ¡Ahora! – Take the children to the warehouse. Now!
"¡Demonio! – Demon!
A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! Please review!