Summary: Earth is invaded, and the fate of the world falls on the shoulders of Robin, the Teen Lantern?

Author's Note: The story is based on the animated series Young Justice, so some characters aren't quite the same as they appear in DC comics. Cartoon Network has a character profile on each of the YJ members if you're curious. Special thanks go out to Beth, PJ, and Ellen for being gracious enough to offer their services as beta-readers. Their critical suggestions and eye for detail have made this a much better story than what I initially wrote.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to DC, Time Warner, and CN; this is an original story that doesn't intend to infringe on their copyright. Feedback is welcome.

Copyright: April 2012

Brightest Knight

By Syl Francis

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

Robin flipped in midair, narrowly avoiding the killing beam. No one knew where they had come from, but in the few short days since they had appeared, the alien invaders had established a foothold and were quickly spreading out from there. The combined efforts of the Justice League and Young Justice had so far merely managed to keep them at bay.

A black object—a batarang—flew past him, missing him by the narrowest of margins. As he righted himself, he readied and threw a second batarang in the wake of the previous one. The two batarangs hit and attached themselves to their twin targets almost simultaneously, giving the Dynamic Duo just enough time to duck and cover.

The next instant, the targets—two enemy fighters—went up in an impressive display of pyrotechnics.

Robin looked back at his partner and gave him a "thumbs up." Batman's mouth twitched slightly, then quickly turned grim again.

"That was too close." The Dark Knight briefly laid his hand on Robin's shoulder. "Let's go, partner." Gotham City's famous crime fighting heroes ran across the rooftop of the Gotham State Trade Center toward the empty helipad. At the last moment, Batman activated a remote control, de-cloaking the Batwing.

"That will never get old!" Robin grinned widely, his still-young voice cracking in his excitement. He rolled his eyes. Puberty sucks, he grumbled to himself.

Minutes later they were airborne, enroute to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. There, they were to rendezvous with Green Lantern, recon the Mother ship (or ET's HQ—whatever) and take it out.

"Go to stealth mode," Batman commanded.

"Roger, going to stealth mode." Robin typed a command into his virtual keyboard. Instantly, a 3-D schematic of the Batwing appeared and rotated 360 degrees on its axis. As Robin watched, the aircraft's outer skin, which was made of a specially bonded material that was not only radar absorbing, but also light refracting, began to glow red. They were now invisible to both Earth technology and the naked eye. Hopefully, they would also be unseen by the alien tech.

"Stealth mode…on," Robin reported.

"Good…take over."

Unable to hide his exuberance, Robin pumped his fist. "Yes!" Even strapped into his co-pilot's seat, it was obvious that the junior superhero was doing mental back flips.

Watching his young partner and soon-to-be adopted son, Batman's mouth again moved in the tiniest of twitches. He knew that he would never be a true replacement for Dick's parents, but since that one tragic day at the circus, the two orphans had found in each other and Alfred (plus their shared mission) all the family and purpose they needed.

And the bureaucrats at the Child Welfare Service had finally approved Bruce's petition to adopt him. Today was the day that he and Dick were supposed to have gone to Family Court to sign all the formal adoption papers. Today, Dick would have legally become his son.

Of course, the aliens had to choose this week to invade. It was just one more thing to hold against them—on top of the wanton acts of death and destruction that they were committing on a global scale, the invaders had taken this day away from them. Hopefully, once this was all over…

Meanwhile, Robin had eagerly taken the controls, grinning as he remembered the YJ members' reaction to getting to work alongside the JLA. Had the mission briefing only been five hours ago? It seemed a lifetime…

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

On Day One, schools across the nation were cancelled almost as soon as the invasion fleet appeared on satellite imagery. People were urged to stay home and remain calm until further notice. Naturally, the announcement was met with panic and rioting in the streets.

On Day Two, the Justice League and Young Justice were called in to help put down the riots. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman sent a worldwide telecast, again asking for calm and for everyone to return to their homes. Surprisingly, the people of Earth responded positively.

On Day Three, the UN, in cooperation with NATO and the nonaligned nations, deployed their combined militaries. The Justice League put out an "All Hands on Deck" alert to the other heroes around the globe.

On Day Four, the members of Young Justice awaited their new orders in Mount Justice in varying stages of boredom and anticipation.

Miss Martian was in the kitchen mixing cookie dough for the chocolate chip cookies she was determined to bake, invasion or no invasion. Superboy watched her hands as she worked, fascinated by their delicate bone structure.

Artemis, Aqualad, and Zatanna sat in the common room, quietly reading. Artemis used the time to catch up on her assignment for AP Lit. Zatanna concentrated on a book of spells, attempting to decipher a set of ancient runes that her dad had been helping her with before he accepted the role of Dr. Fate, and was lost to her forever. Aqualad simply read for pleasure, enjoying the latest vampire-themed novel by a surface dweller.

Robin and Kid Flash, meanwhile, were playing a video game that had lots of explosions, mayhem, and murder—normal teenaged entertainment. Robin was currently kicking butt.

"Dude! My Quicksilver is not going down this time!" Kid Flash challenged. "I am soooo going to—"

A huge explosion was followed by a computer-generated voice. "Game Over. Quicksilver—5,000 points. Nightwing—30,000 points. New High Score."

"You were saying?" Robin deadpanned.

He quickly pressed several keys on his virtual keyboard. A figure in a black bodysuit with a blue wing design that spread across the chest, shoulders, and down his arms, put his hands up in victory and then proceeded to execute a series of complicated acrobatic moves: back flips, cartwheels, and round offs. Nightwing, the avatar Robin used as his gaming persona, then walked over to a figure in silver and gold—Quicksilver. He took a bow and shook hands with his opponent.

Before Kid Flash could say anything further, the communications monitor came online, and Batman's grim visage was suddenly looking down on them.

"Team…mission briefing in five in the conference room." As the video monitor winked out, the teleporter activated and a computer-generated voice announced Batman's arrival.

"Batman…0-2."

The team scrambled toward the conference room.

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

"Devil's Tower?" Artemis repeated in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" She swallowed as she felt the full brunt of the Bat-glare suddenly aimed her way. "No…I guess you're not."

"It makes perfect sense," Kid Flash said with a shrug. "I mean, everybody knows that when ET invades, he's gonna put his HQ there. It was all in that movie, remember? The one with the musical sign language."

"Okay, but the next Close Encounters," Robin replied, "they've gotta land in the D.C. Mall and bring the whole world to a standstill." Forming the Vulcan hand-greeting, he deadpanned, "Klaatu barada nikto!"

"I think you're mixing your movie metaphors," Artemis said wryly.

"Yeah, but only a fellow sci-fi geek would know," Robin replied with a smirk.

The sound of a throat clearing brought them all back to the discussion at hand. This time Batman's glare took in each member of Young Justice, especially his partner. The teens looked properly chastised.

"Here are your mission assignments: Miss Martian, Kid Flash, and Superboy…you will deploy in the bioship and rendezvous with Aquaman, who will bring part of the Atlantean fleet. You'll assist in defending the coastal cities along the North and South American Atlantic seaboard. Artemis, Aqualad, and Zatanna…you will teleport to Gateway City and rendezvous with Black Canary and the Arrows. There you'll assist in defending the cities along the Pacific coast. The rest of the League is being deployed around the world."

"Um…what about me?" Robin asked.

"You're with me—the Cave in two minutes."

"Yes, sir."

Batman turned and left without further word. Refusing to acknowledge the others' sympathetic stares, Robin followed, heading toward the teleporter and the Bat-cave.

Stepping into the portal, he stated his destination. The complex machinery gave him a full-body scan, verifying his identity. Once completed, the teleporter announced his departure. "Robin…B-0-1."

Kid Flash scowled. "Looks like Daddy-Bats is keeping Baby-Bird on a short leash." He shook his head. "That is so lame!"

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

Robin's initial disappointment that he would be partnered with his, well, partner disappeared. After all, he was really flying the Batwing on the mission, not just monitoring the systems from the co-pilot's station. And his part of the mission would be critical on the ground as well—he would be hacking the alien security systems and providing them with real-time data.

And as for getting to fly the coolest plane in the whole world? Heck, he wasn't even old enough to drive the Batmobile, yet. (Okay, the fact that he was barely tall enough to reach the gas pedals was so beside the point.) But being the son of two circus aerialists, Dick had been born to fly, to challenge gravity, to defy death—all while performing 100 feet in the air without a net.

As Robin, the Boy Wonder, he performed the same routines he'd been perfecting since he learned to walk; only now, he did them 100 stories up with only his skills and decel-line to keep death at bay. Flying the Batwing was child's play compared to that.

Still—this was the Batwing! The ultimate Bat-toy and the envy of the other non-powered, teenaged superheroes—even Speedy (or Red Arrow, as he called himself these days). The Arrow Jet (And could there be a lamer codename? Robin opined.) was only able to achieve supersonic speeds—which was way outclassed by the 'Wing's hypersonics.

Robin thanked his lucky stars that he had finally logged in enough hours on the simulator for Batman to give him his solo flight test, which the young acrobat had passed with flying colors, of course.

All in time to fly this mission—woohoo!

As he handled the sensitive controls, Robin managed to dial down his excitement a few notches. They were on a mission, and what they did in the next few hours could mean the difference between life and death—not just theirs, but all mankind's.

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

Thirty minutes out of Devil's Tower, Robin returned control of the Batwing to Batman. His hands now free, Robin immediately accessed the latest JL Watchtower satellite imagery of the alien mothership and proceeded to establish a handshake with its communication system. His expert hacking made short work of the alien headquarters' security measures, and within moments, a 3-D holographic schematic of the enemy ship appeared.

"Good work." The Dark Knight's succinct words warmed the Boy Wonder's heart. "What's the quickest—?"

"—Way into and out of the ship's core?" Robin finished, as he pressed the enter key. "Voila!" Two different paths into the alien ship lit up. "We can enter through here or here." Robin pointed at the two indicated locations—one facing southwest in red, the other northeast in blue. "The red is the longest route to the ship's core, but the one with the least number of security checkpoints...See? Here, here, and here." The teen's serious expression glowed blue from the holographic display before him. "The blue route is the shorter one, but as you can see, it has two extra checkpoints. Plus, you'd have to pass next to the ship's bridge."

"Can you neutralize the security checkpoints?" Batman asked.

If Kid Flash had asked the question, Robin would have said, D'uh! But since this was Batman, he just gave him a look, which managed to convey the same message.

Batman's response was a slight narrowing of his eyes. "We split up. You take the core; I'll take the bridge. Destroying either point should result in loss of command and control of the invasion fleet. Get in. Get out. Rendezvous back here."

"What about GL? Wasn't he supposed to meet us here?"

"He's been unavoidably detained. It's just you and me…like always."

"In that case," Robin said, strapping on a pair of explosives-laden ammo belts, "let's go!" He watched with satisfaction as Batman donned an identical set of belts. In his excitement, he forgot himself and held his fist out to Batman, something he always did before a mission with Kid Flash. Seeing the patented Bat-glare aimed at the suddenly offending appendage, Robin began to withdraw it.

The corner of Batman's mouth twitched slightly upward. He bumped closed fists with Robin, and headed out.

The Boy Wonder had a wide grin as he hurried after his mentor. Now I'm totally 'whelmed! He thought happily.

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

Robin moved quickly, but stealthily through the ship's maintenance/ventilation shaft—part of a network of tunnels used for easy access of all ship-wide maintenance systems. As he hurried toward his destination, he was guided by a virtual holographic image projected by his wrist computer. So far, the massive security breach he'd initiated had held, and neither his nor Batman's movements had been detected. He reached the final security checkpoint that opened to the ship's core and sent a coded message to Batman to let him know he was in position.

Batman, who had less distance to travel to the ship's bridge, was already standing by, waiting for Robin's update. As soon as they were both in place, they acknowledged that it was time to get started, and proceeded with their respective missions.

Running a quick visual and virtual check of the core interior, Robin verified the coast was clear. Again, sticking to the shadows, Robin entered the ship's engine room and made a beeline toward the core. It was held in a 3-story-high containment field and emitted energy readings that were off the scale, indicating the massive power that was being generated.

When this thing blew, everything within a 25-mile radius would be vaporized. Which was why Green Lantern had been detained. It had been his job to clear the blast area of any innocent bystanders. Amazing how many people you can find out here in the middle of nowhere, Robin thought wryly. Still, better safe than sorry. GL had to double-check and triple-check to ensure that no one was left behind.

At last report, a group of hikers—members of a local church youth group—still hadn't been accounted for. What they were doing out hiking in the middle of an alien invasion of Earth was anybody's guess. Robin rolled his eyes.

And oh, brother! What about the wildlife? There wasn't enough time for all of it, but knowing Green Lantern, he'd give it his best shot. Robin had overheard GL's transmission to Batman earlier. The Emerald Knight was at least going to try to save the black-tailed prairie dog, which was on the endangered species list.

GL had reported earlier that he wasn't going to be much longer, and that he'd rendezvous shortly with them.

That is, unless he suddenly had to save some other obscure species, which would take even more time, just so the invaders could later kill them all in the coming days if their mission failed.

Like Batman said… it's just him and me—like always. Robin set the final charge but didn't activate it. He quickly headed back to the maintenance/ventilation shaft and made it without incident. Once there, he reported to Batman, who had also met with success on his own task. Grinning, the Boy Wonder pressed the detonator timer and activated not only the charges he'd set, but also the ones that Batman had emplaced. The digital countdown had begun—00:15:00... 00:14:59…

Time to go!

Because Robin had the farthest distance to travel to the rendezvous, he'd been responsible for activating the timers. Now he had to make it back to the exit and the Batwing and somehow manage to fly it out of the blast-zone in time to avoid being roasted.

All in a day's work—!

Suddenly, security blast doors began lowering in front of and behind him.

—Or not!

Robin picked up his speed, dove head first underneath the blast door, curled his slender body into as small a size as he could, and slid safely past. Seeing that the next section of the maintenance/ventilation shaft was being similarly locked down, he readied and threw a batarang in less time than it took him to take a breath, and crouched under his nomex/Kevlar reinforced cape for protection against the ensuing explosion. Knocked around by the force of the shockwave, Robin felt the heat from the blast through the cape's protective layer.

As he lay recovering, trying to remember how to breathe, it seemed as if all the sound had been sucked into a black hole, only to suddenly have it return at full volume. Angry shouts of surprise filtered over from the other side of the wall, galvanizing him into action. He sprang forward and dove through the resulting blast hole.

As he landed on the other side of the breach, Robin executed a shoulder roll. Pulling out his escrima sticks, he went airborne and kicked out, taking out two of the enemy combatants. Unfortunately, there were at least thirty more blocking his exit.

And it's déjà vu all over again, Robin thought to himself as he recalled the no-win training exercise in which he and the rest of his teammates had been virtually killed. Well…they say you fight the way you train. If that's true, then I'll take down as many with me as I can.

"Robin, come in." Batman's terse voice came over his earpiece.

"A little busy here," Robin muttered in response.

"Ship's surveillance shows you're less than half the distance to the exit. What's your status?"

"I got a reception committee. They insist I join them for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Won't take no for an answer."

"I'm on my way."

"No! Batman, follow mission protocol! Take the 'Wing and get out of here." As he spoke, Robin's moves turned desperate. He leapt over the heads of his attackers and spun in midair, kicking out in a move that was as graceful as it was it deadly.

Landing in a crouch, he was gathering himself to spring at the next target, when he was suddenly enveloped in a protective green bubble.

"Hey, kid…I hear you could use a hand." Green Lantern grinned as he punched at the remaining enemy aliens with a giant boxing glove.

"Hey, I had it under control," Robin protested. "But, if you really want to help, how about getting us out of here before—" Robin's eyes widened. "GL! Lookout!"

A deadly particle beam suddenly cut down the Emerald Warrior in mid-flight, and he dropped bonelessly to the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. With GL's strong will suddenly broken, the glowing green bubble that had been shielding Robin from attack winked out. Running toward the fallen hero, Robin threw one of his escrima sticks at the enemy soldier who'd targeted GL, knocking him on the side of the head.

Reaching Green Lantern's side, Robin dragged him behind the blast door he'd initially broken through and quickly checked him for injuries. It was bad…real bad. But he was still breathing—if just barely.

"Batman, GL's down," Robin reported tersely. He checked his countdown clock-00:02:45… 00:02:44… "Batman…I just want you to know…these past few years with you…being your partner…your son…I couldn't have asked for a better—" Robin stopped suddenly, his eyes wide, mouth forming a small O. "What the—?"

"Robin…report!"

Robin watched, transfixed as Green Lantern's ring suddenly slipped off GL's middle finger and flew toward him. The moment the ring left GL, the hero's uniform disappeared, leaving behind his civilian persona of Hal Jordan, wearing his test pilot's flight suit.

Startled, Robin could only stare mutely as the Ring slipped onto his own middle finger, and somehow sized itself down until it fit him snugly.

"Richard John Grayson of Earth…"

Robin "heard" a cold, disembodied voice in his head. A quick glance at his wrist computer readout showed the countdown at 00:01:40…

"Yours is truly a strong and powerful will," the voice intoned. "It flows out of you from a pure and well-ordered mind that has a strong need to protect and serve others, and to fight for the cause of justice. While Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Earth and Sector 2814, lies incapacitated, you are hereby tasked with his duties and responsibilities until further notice."

"What? B-but, I'm just a kid!"

"I suggest you initiate an escape from the impending blast zone before discussing this any further."

Robin blinked. "Yeah, right…good plan." The Boy Wonder paused confused. "Um, what do I do? Oh, yeah…Batman said the Ring is powered by GL's will and limited only by his imagination." Closing his eyes, he concentrated. "Okay…here goes nothing."

Using his mind's eye, he saw himself and GL enveloped in a protective green bubble and escaping from the mothership. The next instant, Robin's red tunic was a glowing, emerald green, while the R symbol was now overlaid with a Green Lantern insignia.

"Whoa…now that's cool!"

They weren't completely out of the woods yet. Concentrating, the slightly built teen threw the much larger hero over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, and he willed the Ring to fly them to safety away from the mothership.

He blinked. They were airborne and outside. Better yet, they were on a straight course to where they'd landed the Batwing. Robin checked the time again. (Obsessed, much? he asked himself.)

…00:00:58…

To his horror, he saw the Batwing up ahead—on the ground, exactly where they'd landed it hours ago. Searching the surrounding area frantically, he caught a glimpse of a dark cape making its way back to the enemy ship.

"Batman!"

The teenaged Emerald Knight, changed directions and zeroed in on the Dark Knight. There wasn't any time left. In a desperate bid to save his mentor, partner, and surrogate father, Robin focused his considerable will and conjured a glowing, green grappler. He mentally fired it at Batman, willing the decel-line to wrap itself around him.

He retracted the grappler, pulling Batman into the safety of the protective bubble. Without consciously thinking about it, Robin was suddenly seated in an exact green replica of the Batwing's cockpit. Mentally running a systems check, he activated the aircraft's outer shields and took the controls. He punched the hypersonic drive just as the countdown clock reached 00:00:00.

Game Over.

The world paused and held its collective breath.

In the blink of an eye, a massive fireball lit up the sky. This was instantaneously followed by a concussive wave that slammed into the green Batwing, swatting it like a fly. The controls were wrested from Robin's grasp, and they quickly lost altitude. For a heart-stopping moment, all Robin saw was the ground coming up to meet them.

Batman's cool, calm voice broke through the Teen Lantern's panic. "Bring her nose up, Robin…just like in the simulator. Ease into the controls…"

With his mentor's voice patiently guiding him, Robin found his center and calmly exerted his Bat-trained will on the controls. This Batwing was his creation, after all. He could make it do whatever he wanted it to.

"…That's it. You've got it." Batman gave him a half-smile. "Good work."

"Thanks, Batman." His mentor's words temporarily warmed him inside; however, his momentary feeling of triumph was dampened by Green Lantern's uncertain condition. It was a very grave young hero who transmitted the two-word message that the League was desperately waiting for.

Mission accomplished.

~ / ~ / ~ / ~

End Part 1