Alarms echoed off the capacious building as Robin landed silently on the high window ledge. He un-hooked his grappling gun from the building as he peered inside; fifteen dark cladded men were holding Colt M4s to the couchant bank hostages. There were about thirty civilians sprawled on the floor, whimpering and digging their heads deeper into the ground as the robbers passed by them; the barrel of the guns looming threateningly over their heads.
Dick turned his back to the glass as he brought his arm up, shattering the glass with his elbow. A coruscate of broken glass shimmered down to the floor, calling the attention of the robbers and the frightened screams of the hostages. The enemy immediately brought up their weapons as their eyes followed the last of the falling glass to the unoccupied, broken window. There was a long hiatus of silence as they starred at the window and then around the lobby floor. One of the gunners spoke to the man next to him as he nervously scanned the area,
"Hey, boss, W-What should we do?" After a moment of silence from his boss the subordinate turned to look at him to repeat the question, but he no longer stood next to him; the boss was lying face down on the floor. A haunting laugh touched their ears as the bank robbers brought their guns close to their face and swept the room for the laugh's owner. A shadow circled a cluster of robbers with such celerity they only saw him for a second as he weaved in and out, taking down the opponents with ease and jumping over the ones whom advanced against him.
Their forces where easily diminishing, but one gunner set his sights clumsily on the surreptitious moving shadow, he was about to fire when a glint from the rafters caught his eye. A slender sword impacted with the gun pointed at Dick; making it fly out of his hands. The owner of the sword swept down and easily kicked off of the man's face, doing a back flip before landing gingerly on the floor. The alley grabbed the discarded sword next to the unconscious man, placing it lazily on her shoulder,
"You missed one." Dick hit the last man on the back of the neck, rendering him unconscious like the rest as he looked to the girl and scoffed, "I knew he was there, I was about to throw a Batarang." He showed the Batarang in his hand to her and shot a confident smile, she rolled her eyes at him in response. The female sword user strode up to the middle of the room and with a stentori
an voice spoke, "It's safe so you can all go home now." The civilians, baffled, slowly rose from the floor with hushed voices and piercing stares directed at the two saviors. The woman tapped her leather boots in frustration, "Come on and hurry it up. We don't have all night." The freed hostages began to move quicker at her exasperated statement. Robin came towards her with a scowl at her impertinence, "Asities"
He spoke her name as an explosion suddenly erupted from the second floor. They both reflexively went into battle stances as the civilians darted out of the bank with hysteric screams. Asities encouraged them to leave quickly as she eyed a shadowy figure appearing from the smoke, her voice faltered when she heard a sickeningly familiar, abrasive cackle.
The Joker emerged from the smoke, walking to the open terrace of the second floor with something dragging behind him. He leered at the two remaining people in the bank as he hoisted the burden he was carrying up for them to see; a young woman with her hands tied behind her back shrieked in surprise as The Joker put his arm around her shoulders threateningly. Robin took a step forward,
"Let her go, Joker." The command was answered with another ear-splitting cackle as The Joker skillfully flipped open a knife,
"Oh, dear. I seem to have stumbled upon two little birds. Where is your Papa Batsy, kids?" He voiced mock-sincerity as he brought the sharp knife to the woman's face; running the flat edge against her cheek in a loving manner. Asities gripped her katana tightly as she growled through gritted teeth,
"We're enough for you." She put her center of gravity closer to the ground as she bolted forward; changing her course from directly at The Joker to the stairs to the left. Using her profound celerity she gracefully ran to the base of the stairs and jumped into the air with no hesitation; doing a front flip before landing gingerly at the top. Robin pulled out his grappling hook in that instant; it dug into the wall firmly and propelled him to the second floor with ease. He landed a small distance to the right of The Joker. They had him cornered.
"Oh, my, now that I think of it, two against one is no fair." His querulous tone filled the young heroes with apprehension as The Joker brought his hand away from the female's shoulders,
"How about we make it a little more even" He snapped his fingers, the sound lingering in the air unnaturally. When the sound finally dissipated there was a long silence, then, Asities suddenly flipped, rotating on her hands so that she pushed off the ground and landed steadily on the balustrade. A robust man appeared from the shadows; an old clown mask covering his features. Despite his corpulent appearance he moved quickly towards the female acrobat.
She pushed off the rail and landed behind the henchman as he swatted at her after-image. Robin turned his attention away from Asities, whom eluded the heavy fist directed at her and then stroke back relentlessly with her sharp blade, and directed his gaze to The Joker,
"I'll say it again. Let her go." He spoke each word articulately as he suppressed the urge to throw a Batarang at him; he didn't want to hurt the hostage. The Joker tipped his head side-to-side in thought and perched his lips in contemplation. He stopped his pondering and gave a wide simper,
"Okay, little robin, just for you." He put his hand on the females back, to Robin's horror, and gave a strong push. The woman's body hit the rail and with a shriek she flipped over the obstacle and plunged head first to the floor. Images of a trapeze with no net flashed in his mind and his body froze, his eyes glued to the falling, screaming figure.
A fulgurate light streaked from the door and advanced into the destroyed bank. Robin's body felt lighter at the familiar sight of the yellow and red streaks that quickly caught the woman from her impending doom; he gave a mental acknowledgement of gratitude to his speedster friend as he swiftly took out his Batarang and flung it at the leering Joker.
The Batarang ignited with a spark and a puff of smoke just as he gave a swift kick to the Joker's head, but his foot fazed right through the smoky image. He jumped back in preparation of an offensive attack, but once the small smoke cloud dissipated The Joker and his henchmen were nowhere to be seen.
He could see Asities looking around in confusion as she bared her sword at the air, when she realized the henchmen wouldn't appear from the shadows again she swung her sword to the side; flinging her enemies blood off of her precious blade. Robin walked to where the Joker had been standing and plucked a sharp card from the frame of the rail; a Joker card. Robin turned it in-between his index and middle finger so that the face of the card faced Asities, "He got away." She clicked her tongue as she strode towards him,
"Coward. Why did he even come here anyways?" Robin gave a simple shrugged of his shoulders as he spoke, "Who knows." A sudden gust of wind greeted them earnestly, "I'm back; I ran the girl home so she's safe now." Robin hit his best friend's arm lightly,
"Thanks, dude, you came at the perfect moment." Kid Flash rubbed the back of his head abashedly, but his eyes suddenly caught something and he lifted his arm in a wave, "Flare!" The two acrobats followed his gaze to see a white scintillate form streak across the lobby floor and up to them. The female speedster skirted to a stop in front of the small group, panting slightly as she spoke, "Did I miss it? I was taking care of a fire over in Old Gotham."
Her eyes caught the Joker's calling card in Robin's hand and she deflated completely, "The Joker? I missed fighting The Joker? Man, this sucks." White Flare gave a pout, but Asities scoffed at her disappointment,
"It wasn't much of a fight. Trust me." She still didn't look convinced despite Asities gelid tone. Before Flare could speak her disappointment again there was a sudden fulguration of red and blue lights outside of the bank; James Gordon and the contingent protectors of Gotham City. The officers cautiously rounded the two main doors of the bank, which were broken and trampled on from the frantic exiting of the civilians, with guns raised protectively. Robin jumped from the balcony with no trepidation at being mistakenly shot,
"Everything is fine. The hostages were saved, but The Joker got away." The police officers shifted their weight, but their guns still held strong, until an authoritative voice rang out, "Lower your weapons." Commissioner Gordon strode into the semi-disserted bank, glass crunching under his leather shoes as he came into the hero's view,
"Robin, I see you took care of things, thank you, but this is an investigation now." Robin gave the commissioner a smile as he walked closer to him, his allies following his lead and coming down from the second story. "The Joker." Robin extended the calling card out for him to take, but just as his hand grasped the card there was a throaty chuckle that reverberated off the high walls.
The laugh was low and seemingly distant, but grew in-between pauses of breath to a more distinct cackle that pierced their ears. The young heroes braced themselves and looked around for the perpetrator of the bank heist, but the sound of the laugh was peculiar; it sounded almost mechanical. Asities turned her head and listened attentively to the maddened laughter,
"Do you hear", she paused as she scrunched her face in concentration, "Ticking?" Robin bristled as he listened to the distinct clicking in the undertone of the laugh, "Commissioner, get your men out of here." Gordon's eyes flashed with surprise and unease, but he left the room quickly without question, calling his men away from the building. Robin turned to the speedster siblings,
"There's a bomb. We can't evacuate the people living around here so we need to find it and remove it." The blaring, insidious laughter coated his words, but the dyad began to perform their command before Robin even finished his sentence. White Flare and Kid Flash hurtled past obstacles in search for the explosive device; going through every room in the building in a matter of seconds.
The sound of the laughter became monotonously repetitive that it blurred together into one nettlesome tone that rang over their heads. The fact that the laughter is quickening to such a level made Flare very uneasy; they could be running out of time. While she was fretting over the impending time limit she ran past a large armored wall with haste, but immediately stopped with a peculiar look and ran back to the stronghold. The large vault door was slightly ajar and she could faintly hear a ticking sound through the thick metal.
She swung open the heavy, complex door and looked inside the annulus structure. Six sticks of dynamite sat tactfully in the middle of a large metal table, variegated wires connected the bomb with a classic, metal analog clock that The Joker's face adorned. It ticked loudly as Flare rushed to it, examining it carefully; the Joker's clock face said it was four minutes and twenty-seven seconds till midnight. Considering it was eight O'clock at night she figured it was going to detonate once the clock struck midnight; in four minutes.
"Wally!" She yelled over the sickening laugh, but her voice didn't carry. She nervously looked around the sides of the bomb and tentatively placed her hands around it, making a decision, she lifted it up off the cold table. It continued to tick the seconds away, un-fazed at her intervention, and she sighed in relief, but the impending doom was not avoided yet. She kept her upper body as straight as she could; trying not to move the explosive device as much as possible as she ran out of the vault with her super speed. As she came to the lobby Wally ran saw her from the second floor,
"Flare, what are you doing?" His voice was full of asperity as he saw the object in her hand. "I found it! I'm going to get rid of it; it's going to detonate in three minutes." Robin and Asities came running into the room when they heard the commotion over the fortissimo drone. "You found it? Good job Flare, we need to destroy it!" Asities spoke with flustered delight. Flare nodded and began to rush out of the room, but Wally's sudden exhort caught her off guard,
"You're not going." Robin looked to the older brother exasperatedly, "We don't have time for this KF!" Robin nodded to the white cladded hero, "Go." Without waiting for the repined comment from Wally, Flare left with a fulgent streak flying behind her.
"Miu!" He spoke her name futilely, watching her form disappear quickly into the distance. He waited there a moment before turning to Dick, "How could you let her go? It's too dangerous for her and she's new at this." He was livid, but Dick remained phlegmatic as he stared into his best friend's eyes; taking on all of the disconcerted feelings directed at him. "We didn't have time to argue, she had it, so the logical choice was for her to dispose of it. It was the fastest solution." Wally stepped closer to him, giving him a slight glower, but Asities slipped in-between the two,
"Whoa, boys. I don't want you making out right in front of me, so cool it on the sexual tension."
Wally looked to her for a moment until her words clicked in his mind; he stepped back, his deep rubicund features scrunched in confusion. Dick looked to his sister with an ambivalent expression; a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks as he flicked his eyes from her to Wally. Wally was too flustered and in the middle of repudiating Asities comment to see Dick's anomalous reaction, but that didn't stop her from memorizing both of their flushed features.
She let out a small chortle at the boys; she just wanted to stop them from bickering and she got more than she asked for. She always saw the way her brother looked at the speedster and, even though Wally is very slow, she was sure he felt the same way, but that damn Artemis had to come around and confuse him even more. She let out a low growl without realizing it as she shook her head; trying to get that woman out of her head.
Just as Wally calmed down a tad there was an eruption. His heart sank as he whipped his head in the direction of the explosion; large, black waves of smoke rolled into the crimson set sky a distance away. Wally slowly walked to the door, almost in a dazed state as he watched the smoke curl farther into the sky. Asities gasped as she saw the smoke as well and turned to Robin, but he no longer stood beside her. There was a reverberating roar outside the building and Robin pulled in front of the broken doors on his motorcycle, looking to Wally, "Let's go."
Asities sprinted to the red motorcycle and hopped onto the back; holding Robin around the waist for support as they drove towards where the explosion took place. Wally took a stabilizing breath; stealing himself as he followed his friends to where his sister may be. It took only moments to reach the source of the explosion with the Batcycle and Wally's speed; the Gotham River. There was an eerie silence surrounding the slightly rippling water that made each hero's anxiety and trepidation worse. Wally stared at the water for a moment before shouting, "Flare!" Wally cupped his hands around his mouth to propel his voice further as he peeled his eyes away from the river and looked around wildly; looking for that strikingly bright white uniform. Robin, and Asities walked towards the settling river as an effervescent voice touched their ears,
"Guys!" Flare broke the surface of the water a few feet away from them, calling their names as she waved her hands over her head. She attempted to use her speed to run through the water, but tripped; sending her flailing in the water with a blithe laugh. Wally gave a relieved sighed as he ran his hand through his hair and looked at his lively sister. He dropped himself into the water and made his way to her, putting her back on her feet as they waddled back to the others.
Robin stretched his hand out to Wally as they came to the three foot wall that separated the city from the river. The speedster looked at the hand for a moment then at the hand's owner, "Thanks, dude." He gave an apologetic smile as he grabbed the warm hand and was hauled back onto the surface. Asities helped Flare out of the water as well, both girls giggling to themselves as they watched the interaction between their brothers. After everyone was back on solid land Flare let out a sigh, "I thought I was going to die." Her refulgent smile contradicted her words as she turned and dramatically flung herself at Asities; wrapping her arms around her waist in a tight hug.
"Wah, Flare, you're fucking wet. Get off of me, damn it." Asities pushed on the wet, matted, orange hair in an attempt to relieve her of the others clinginess, but to no avail. "It was so scary though." Flare whined as she rubbed her head against the warm clothing, possibly using it as a towel, "It started to tick faster, so I didn't have any time to stop and throw it so I just kept running. I threw it as hard as I could once I ran over the edge. It was terrifying to feel the shockwaves under the water." She sneezed on Asities as a shiver racked her body,
"That's so gross." Flare let go with a sheepish smile as Asities looked at her wet, sneezed on uniform with dismay. She then directed a glare to the source of her anger, but let out a disgruntled sigh at the sniveling girl, "Go home before you catch a cold, stupid." She walked past her and to Robin, giving him a tired glare as she sat on the Batcycle; ready to go home. Wally laughed as he smacked Robin playfully on the back, "We're gonna get goin' too, so see ya' later Rob." He shot Wally a smile as he got on the motorcycle and sped away. "I'm sorry about before, Wally." Flare stood up as he walked towards her. He ruffled her wet locks before putting a strong arm over her, "It's okay. You did great, but don't worry me like that again."
He gave a stern look, but Flare covered her mouth as she gave a small laugh and a confirming nod. "Alright, let's get home. Uncle Barry is probably worried an-", Wally violently sneezed as a cold wind brushed his half soaked body, "We're gonna get sick out here. If we run fast enough it'll warm up our bodies, so let's race home." He gave her a wink as he began the race; showing her a flash of yellow and red as he ran home, her right behind him. After bidding farewell to Kid Flash and White Flare, the bat siblings rode into the well-hidden Bat Cave.
Robin parked his motorcycle in its spot beside the Bat Mobile and many of Bruce's other toys. They dismounted from the bike and gave a synchronized sigh, it was Saturday today, so they didn't have to worry about school, but their Meta friends being in Gotham was another matter. Neither sibling was surprised to see Bruce sitting in the cave, waiting for them. They walked in front of him and took off their masks, becoming Dick and Sora Grayson; the last living members of The Flying Grayson's. Bruce refused to speak for a moment, just giving them an indiscernible look that made them nervous. They slightly flinched when the deep voice broke the tension, "Good job today you two, with both The Joker and the bomb, but can you explain why Wally and Miu were in the city? You know I don't allow Metas in Gotham." Sora and Dick cringed some more as they looked to each other, but Dick gave in underneath Sora's pleading expression.
"I believe they said that The Flash gave them a competition to see who can reach the mountain the fastest and whoever is the winner gets off on homework. They never finished the race, however, because Miu stopped to help with a fire in Old Gotham and Wally heard the alarms from the bank. Then Miu wanted to help with the bank as well and that's pretty much how it all happened." Dick peered up at his mentor with a small smile once he finished the explanation. Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh, 'Leave it to the Flashes' to play games with their powers.' He waved his hand dismissively, "Alright, go on to bed then. Tomorrow is training day with Black Canary so you'll need to rest up."
Sora perked up at the words, training day was her favorite day and she heard they would be working with melee weapons this time. She and Dick gave a playful salute to Bruce's back as they ran into the tube connecting the cave with Wayne manner. Upon arriving at Mount Justice, their names and I.D. numbers being called out from behind them, Asities and Robin were greeted by M'gann.
"Good morning you two. Everyone is already here; we're just waiting on Black Canary. She'll be here soon, so you have about ten minutes of free time." She gave them a warm smile before floating towards Conner, whom was grooming Wolf at the base of the stairs. The speedster siblings immediately came to greet them, food in both of their mouths. Miu chewed slowly; savoring each bite, while Wally ravished his protein bar. As he savagely ate his food, trying to speak at the same time; he spit crumbs all over Dick's face. "Dude! Chew, swallow, then talk." Dick brought a hand up to block the bombardment of excess food. "Oh, Sorry.", Wally spoke with his mouthful as he quickly chewed then swallowed, "It seems like training is going to be different today. Something' like a competition!" Asities could feel her blood boil with competitive yearnings,
"Really? A competition?" Wally nodded, but his attention then went to Dick, "You have crumbs on your face." He leaned in closer to the raven haired boy and placed a soft hand against his cheek; wiping away a stray crumb that latched itself near Dick's mouth. He hummed as he licked the piece of food off his thumb and gave a toothy smile at the stunned, slightly flushed boy. Before Dick could react, a mechanical voice echoed through the open area,
"02-Batman" "13-Black Canary" The team looked to the portal as Batman and Black Canary walked through with a rack of weapons; swords, maces, spears, daggers, etc. A wide grin broke out on Asities face as she watched them roll the assortment of weapons near the middle of the room. Canary walked in front of the weapons, addressing the team, "Alright, team, today we're going to do a different type of training. This will help you if you aren't able to us your powers and happen to get your hands on a weapon." She gestured to the array of weaponry behind her as she continued,
"We're going to have a friendly competition, and the winner of this competition will get a special prize." Wally cut her off with an excited shout, "Awesome!" Robin punched him in the shoulder, making apologize as he rubbed the back of his head meekly. Canary nodded, acknowledging his apology as she finished her speech, "Also, your mentors are betting on who will win, so have fun." Batman walked forward now that Black Canary finished the introduction, "
"These are the rules for the competition; no powers, if you are unable to stand up within a count of 10 then you fail, no attacks to vital areas of the body that can permanently harm your opponent.", Batman locked eyes with Asities as he spoke this rule, but she just shrugged as he continued, "Here are the match ups." The large screen that floated overhead came to life and a picture of each Young Justice member was displayed. The pictures began to move in a circle before falling down the screen; showing the paired opponents. "Okay, so we have Superboy versus Aqualad, Miss Martian versus Robin, Artemis versus Kid Flash, and Asities versus White Flare. Good Luck."
This is my first Young Justice story please tell me what you think any ideas are welcome hope you liked it. Blizzard1827