Title: On the Inside
Rating/warning: PG-13? Oh noes, I used a bad word! Maybe spoilers if you haven't seen all the current episodes?
Notes: A story based of the YJ Anon meme prompt -The Mole "So, we know one of Young Justice is an "inside agent" for the Light. So... I want AU situations where each one of them turns out to be a mole. Or something." Link (takeout space)- http:/community. livejournal .com/yj_anon_? thread=2689143 #t2689143
Part One- Innocent Ones.
So it's fortunate that we have an operative... on the inside"
"Tell me about your team"
"Immature teenagers."
She was thumbing the fletching on one of her bows, eyeing the way it would part and spring back together. It was a sign of indifference, a way for her to flippantly let the man beside her know that a dyed bit of feather was worth more of her attention.
"You know what I meant." His tone of voice let her know how he felt about that. He hooked his own arrow, pulling the sting, and letting it fly. The tip sunk into the center of target.
He lowered his bow, and allowed the young woman to take his place. She followed his form, pulling the string tight, and landing the arrow only a few centimeters from his own.
"Young, immature, inexperienced. They still don't know how to work as a team. During missions they fall apart, and only by some miracle stay alive." She stepped back, watching the man form his position.
"The Martian girl is too sensitive, and the easiest to fool. She cares too much about feelings, quick to reassure if she believes they have been hurt, but slow to stick up for herself. The cloned boy is like a child, and knows nothing of the real world. At this moment he is the poster boy for 'all brawn and no brain'."
The man 'hmm'd in response, muscles bunching and relaxing as another arrow sunk in the middle of the previous two.
She continued. "The Batbrat will be tricky, as will the leader. Both display a level of intelligence that will prove a challenge in day to day life, but due to the backing of their beloved mentors, they will choose to remain ignorant until the last possible moment." Her shoulder tensed, and she held the fletching close to her cheek as she eyed the target. This time it went between the first and third arrows, jutting at an odd angle.
"And the last member? The one with the obnoxious colors?" He had caught onto her game. This arrow went neatly between the forth and the first.
"As annoying as his costume choice, as innocent minded as a child. Mouthy. Still believes that every problem can be solved by the gallant hero running in to save the day." The disdain was practically a physical being. This arrow went in neater than her last. "He is too cheerful, too loud, obnoxious, sees the world in brighter colors than it is."
She pulled a new arrow, hooking it while waiting her next turn. He waited until his next arrow had landed it's target before he made his next response.
"Make him yours."
A harsh intake of breath. "What?"
"His innocence will be his downfall." He motioned impatiently for her to step up, and she scrambled up, re-hooking as she went. "It's always the innocent one's that are easiest to break. You will make him fall for you, love you, drive him to the point where he will do what he can to make you happy. He will be the one to tell you everything you need to know. His love will make his lips looser." The next arrow made it's mark, but did so gracelessly.
"You will learn his weaknesses, and when the time comes..." His arrow hit the board strong and sure, a heavy 'thock' answering back. "You will snap him in half."
"I-I can't...!"
"You will. As I said, it's playing the innocent ones that will win us this game."
"... Yes father."
He patted her shoulder, the smallest signs of affection. "I trust you. You know what needs to be done." Then he left.
Hook, pull, fly. SCHICKT!
The last arrow struck neatly through the first, dividing it.
Little moments, here and there, and she could practically see how the relationship between the two of them was shifting. He would glare, and she would level a stare. She'd call him out, and he would fight in his defense. He'd yell, and she would shout. She'd hit an arrow between the eyes of one of his attackers, and he would swoop in to run her away from a danger he would later bother her about getting into.
"Oh man, why couldn't you have been Megan?" There was a grin that belied his words.
"Would you shut up already?" She blamed the headache on him, and not the rousing explosions happening where she'd been standing.
The gloved fingers gripped her arm and knees tightly as another round went off disconcertingly close.
"Don't worry, I'll still get your cranky ass out of here."
With moments like that, an understanding bloomed between them. The beginning of a hard won friendship.
"Oh, I do so love reunions." The husky voice alerted her of just WHO the team had caught, when they had mentioned halfway through the mission, via the commlink, that they had a hostage.
"Hello Cheshire. Like the new mask."
Eyes crinkled behind said mercenary's mask. Apparently one of them was amused by the situation. If the positions were reversed, she didn't think she'd like being hogtied with rope, forced to sit in mud, and surrounded by enemies.
She hooked a foot on a little branch, crawling the hill up to her closest teammate, and if a little mud just so happened to be kicked back, well, it wasn't her fault the hill was so muddy, was it?
"I was told to meet you all here, what are we waiting for?" Though his eyes were hidden, she could tell they were scanning everything around them, land and sky. Alert.
"Megan is grabbing the ship for transport. Should be back so-" Cut off by a shout that was 'heard', not by their ears, but as a ringing in their heads.
"Surrounding the hills! Look out!"
Shouts of "How'd they get so close!" "Watch out!" and "Don't let them free her!" blended together with the sound of battle renewing itself. An arrow hooked, released, hit the target. One of the attackers went down cold.
Her jaw tightened. There were many orders to be followed, and it would only take a second to complete one of them.
She rushed down the hill to 'protect' their captive. A flash went by, aiming for a man she hadn't 'seen' in her haste, and tackled him, while she allowed herself to trip in the chaos. An arrow hooked, loosened, hit the 'target'.
"Looks like I'm just disappearing one more time." A husky chuckle whipped through the dips in the hills, tattered rope falling to the ground, and the assailants took their cue to fade as well.
"GOD, how could you be so careless! Your mistake just set her free!"
"It's not MY fault you came bumbling in, you big oaf!"
"I wouldn't have had to save you if you had been looking where you were GOING!"
"I DIDN'T ASK you to 'save' me!" her fingers quoted the air.
His finger yanked at his exposed hair, and he practically growled at her. "You didn't HAVE to ask, I wasn't going to let you get HURT!"
That shut them up, and they both marched to different spots to wait for the ship.
The one guy they had managed to get (knocked out via arrow) had been low level. Not worth the time it spent dragging him around, and when compared to who they could have had... Left a sour taste in all their mouths but one.
It was when they were leaving the changing rooms that they saw each other again.
"Hey-"
"Listen...-" There was a shuffling of feet, an awkward pause. There was some hand fluttering on his part.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have yelled, it was my fault."
"No it was my fault. You were right, I was careless."
"No, really-!" And he was cut off by her laughter. He grinned, knowing that they could continue like this without end. He clapped her shoulder, a friendly touch, with a hint of lingering. "How about it's both our faults?"
"How about we buy each others dinners as an apology?" She shot him a smirk.
He answered with a laugh. It felt like her ears were burning. "How about I buy our dinners, and you can get the movies? Otherwise you'd spend you're entire allowance on me?"
Her stomach tightened in a way she knew had nothing to do with orders.
"I'd like that..."
How she wished it did.
In case I was too ambiguous, this is Artemis' story. I hope you enjoyed!