Hello again! My updates have never been this close together, but then again I've never had a story that was this easy to write! In any case, I've really been enjoying writing this story, so I hope you enjoy reading it too! Please let me know what you think, especially if something seems OOC or just wrong. I would really like to know so that I can make it better! Enjoy!
Chapter 1
When the cataclysmic thunder in his mind finally ceased, Robin slowly became aware of the cold concrete beneath his cheek. He felt sluggish, as if his mind was a computer attempting to run every imaginable program at full force; he simply couldn't keep up. Something had overloaded his brain, forced itself inside him and exploded like painful fireworks of pure mental power.
Pushing himself onto his elbows, he suspiciously glanced over the rooftop's edge where he had been grudgingly surveilling the area. Had that been an attack? Judging by how effectively the mental strike had incapacitated him, it would make sense, except… the noise, it had sounded like words. Actually, it had sounded like help. More than an attack, Robin suspected it was a message. Or more specifically…
A plea.
Robin continued to motionlessly scan the area before spotting the girl. He had been watching her before the attack, reasonably sure she was hyped up on some street drug. But the voice that had rattled inside his head spoke to something more complicated.
After all, it just seemed too coincidental. The girl had seemingly popped out of nowhere, urgently looking for someone. She had seem thrilled, and although Robin knew his cover was perfect, he has sworn she had looked right at him in the seconds before the crash. Not to mention that shattering voice in his head had sounded an awful lot like it belonged to a girl…
Robin swung down from the roof, glancing gracefully off balconies to slow his 10-story plunge. He landed soundlessly on the sidewalk and approached the girl warily. As much as he wanted to help her, he couldn't rule out the possibility of a trap. He signed internally. Batman's cynicism is starting to ware off on me.
As he grew closer, he began to notice the girl's pitiful state. Her brown hair was tangled in greasy knots, now soaked in grimy street water. Her cheeks were angular and her skin was ghostly pale, reminding him of white tissue paper stretched taunt over a misshapen gift. Her hands, which loosely shielded her head, were cracked and bleeding from the cold. He couldn't make out of the rest of her body from underneath the baggy, filthy clothes, but he knew the signs of starvation he would likely find.
She lay on her side, breathing heavily, her eyes frantically moving beneath closed lids. Robin knelt down, ignoring the shock as the icy water met his legs, and lifted her into a sitting position against him. The water was high enough to creep into her lips, and he was afraid that it might otherwise drown her.
"Hey," he tested, awkwardly maneuvering her weight to free his right arm. Her head lolled backward at an uncomfortable angle, but she didn't react. Robin cringed, shifting to reposition her head on his shoulder. "Hey," he tried again, this time lightly patting her cheek. "Hey, wake up."
After getting no response, he removed a gauntlet, pressing two fingers of his freed hand against her neck. He could feel her pulse weakly flutter beneath his touch. He no longer could waste time trying to rouse her for an explanation. He was just going to have to trust that she was as innocent as she looked.
Robin readjusted again, trying to ease the strain her weight put on his joints, and tapped the communicator in his ear. "Robin to Batman, Robin to Batman."
Robin waited a couple moments, and was just about to try again when an obviously disgruntled Batman hissed through the comm. "This is Batman. What is it?"
Robin paused, struggling to summarize his situation. "Uh, I've got an unconscious citizen here. She's breathing, but her pulse is weak-"
"Then take her-" Robin could hear a solid thwack and Batman's responding grunt as his command was interrupted, "-to the hospital."
Robin rubbed his forehead. Bruce must really be distracted if he thinks I'd radio about a normal civilian.
"I don't think that's an option," he replied, trying not to sound irritated. Despite his best efforts, his annoyance only doubled as he listened to the fight raging between Batman and some unknown assailant -a fight Batman had ensured would not include Robin.
The silence was interrupted by static, making him wince as it raged in his ear, and Robin briefly wondered if the link had been cut. A moment later Batman answered. "Not up for debate! Don't contact me again unless your life's on the line."
Robin set his jaw, betrayal worming in his gut. His next words were both a snarl and a plea. "Wait, this could be impor-"
"Not the time. Batman out."
Robin swore as he heard the line click closed. Not only had Batman insisted he waste an entire evening watching an insignificant street corner, but when something actually did happen he totally blew him off! Bitter, Robin toyed with the idea of opening the link again just to tell him off, but eventually discarded the notion. Bruce had seemed pretty busy with whatever mission he was pursuing, and besides, the girl needed his help now.
But Robin couldn't take her to the hospital, regardless of Batman's order. He reasoned that, if she really was the one who caused the mental assault, she must have some pretty powerful psychic abilities. Average doctors weren't trained for that sort of thing, and Robin could only guess the dangers she might pose to both the equipment and the people. Not to mention the press just loved a good rescue story, and one starring either the Boy Wonder or Gotham's most famous ward would surely make headlines. Robin sighed. Things got messy when the media was involved, especially if you had a secret to protect.
His only option was to disobey Batman's command, which in his present mood was actually a pretty attractive choice. Unfortunately, it didn't solve the fact that the girl still needed medical attention. Alfred was out of the question for obvious reasons (no outsiders in the Batcave, no putting Alfred in danger, no disobeying a direct order, listed Robin internally), and the Team was…
Robin tapped his gauntlet, which immediately projected the time. 3:48am. The Team's mission was scheduled to end around 2:30, which still left over an hour for the overtime they inevitably used to nose around further. Robin grinned; he had found his next move.
Robin watched the girl as he tapped his communicator once more, unwilling to risk missing a sign of consciousness. "Robin to Cave, Robin to Cave."
The response was almost immediate. "Hey what's up? I thought you were supposed to be with Batman tonight."
Robin scoffed, ignoring the pang that hit his gut. "Yeah, you and me both." He paused, refocusing his thoughts. "Listen KF, do you think you could meet me at my location? I've got a girl here and-"
"A girl!? Are you on a date?"
Robin could've smacked him… and probably would've if Wally had been in arm's length. "No!" he snapped, exasperated. "She needs medical attention, and I can't take her to a regular hospital, and it'll take me forever to lug her to a zeta-tube!"
"Why can't you take her to the hospital?" his friend asked, his voice too casual for the stress Robin was experiencing.
Robin gritted his teeth. Why couldn't they discuss this later? Why did everyone have to double-check everything he did? "Walls, listen." He paused a second, knowing the silence would draw the focus of Wally's hyperactive mind. He continued slowly, hoping his tone didn't come across as condescending. "Her pulse is dropping, so I need you to get her to the Cave. Now."
Wally was quiet, but Robin could tell he registering the severity reflected in his tone. After a few terse moments, Wally's voice piped through the speaker once more. "Got it. Pinpointing your location now. Hang tight."
l-l-l
"Robin. Kid Flash." Red Tornado's robotic voice greeted them as they entered Mount Justice, the girl slumped between their shoulders. "On who's authority have you brought an unidentified civilian into this base?"
Robin stared at the android, trying to repress his annoyance. "Mine," he replied, but the response sounded too harsh even to his own ears. Wally shot him a surprised look, but didn't comment. After all, it was a reasonable question. Red just happened to be the third person tonight to directly doubt his judgment.
Robin took a breath. "Please," he said trying again, allowing his tone to defer to Red Tornado's authority. "I'll explain later. Right now this girl could really use some help."
The hero moved closer, obviously analyzing the girl's condition. After a moment, he returned his attention to Robin. "Understood. I will rely on your judgment until time is no longer a factor. Afterwards, I expect to hear an appropriate explanation for this break of security." It was said as a statement, but Robin knew it was nearing a threat. At least he'll hear me out before deciding my punishment, the boy thought sourly.
Robin could feel the unease rolling off his friend as he warded off his own growing doubt. Grateful for the speedster's help, he made a mental note to thank Wally for his blind trust once this was over. And if Red didn't accept Robin's explanation, he would have to shield Wally from the blame too.
"Her heart rate continues to fall." Somehow, Red Volcano's monotonic voice managed to convey his urgency. "Allow me to transport her to the medical bay. Martian Manhunter is still tending to Aqualad, but I believe he will prioritize the girl."
Taking the girl into his arms, Red Tornado proceeded down the hall, the two younger heroes on his heels. As they matched Red's brisk walk, Robin turned to Wally.
"Kaldur got hurt?"
Kid nodded, looking empathetic but calm. "Yeah, he got a broken-glass shower when two goons broke in through a window." Wally winced. "He wouldn't have been caught in it but M'gann was standing right there, so he pushed her out of the way and…" He trailed off, shrugging tiredly. "It wasn't her fault or anything, but try telling her that."
Robin stepped into the medical bay, attention still on KF. "But he's okay?"
Wally didn't have to answer. "I am fine."
Robin turned to face Aqualad, who was sitting on the steel medical observation table. Robin smiled at him, relieved.
Kaldur smiled back. "You have no need to worry; a skin is tougher than most."
"But not altogether impenetrable," J'onn countered thoughtfully, rounding the table with a metal tray full of sparkling red slivers. As he spoke, more fragments were telepathically lifted away from his patient, none larger than a bobby pin. Aqualad tensed, but didn't otherwise react.
"Ouch," Wally said, eyeing the tray's newly delivered contents.
Further in, Red Tornado laid the girl down on a hospital bed, where she released a low moan. Suddenly, all attention was focused on her.
"Who is-" Kaldur began to ask, but J'onn was louder.
"Everyone, OUT!" Robin felt Wally jump in surprise beside him. He hadn't been expecting the outburst either.
Wally stared at the Leaguer in confusion. "What do you-"
"Please, leave at once!" He commanded as a gentle, if forceful, telepathic force guided them toward the door. He turned to Aqualad, who looked equally puzzled. "I apologize, Kaldur'ahm. I must finish your treatment another time."
Kaldur hopped down from the table and grabbed his shirt, reluctant to exit. "Please, if something is the matter-"
J'onn interrupted him as he hurried toward the girl. "No! Everything will be fine, but you must not stay here. I insist you leave at once!"
At this point Robin and Wally had been guided successfully through the doorframe, too confused and startled to effectively resist. Kaldur join them, questions dancing in his eyes.
Martian Manhunter swiftly placed an IV, his eyes glowing with telepathic power. He didn't look at them.
"Consider the Medical Bay off limits to anyone but Red Tornado and I, including other members of the League! No one is to step foot in the east wing of Mount Justice under any circumstance!"
Robin could barely stop from sputtering. "But-"
Facing away from them as he tended to the girl, Manhunter flicked his hand, slamming the door closed.
Ok, I hope you liked it! If you have the time, please remember to comment or review!