Again, actions scenes are not my strong suit. Bear with me.
Earth-16
Metropolis
21:13
Is everyone in position?
All good to go here.
Us too.
When is this shindig supposed to start?
And why are we here? This is Superman's city.
Kaldur sighed. Every time they even got near Metropolis, Superboy became uptight. Or, more uptight than usual. We are here because The Batman has given us an assignment.
Kaldur could feel Superboy's frustration coming in over the mental link. Yeah, okay, fine, the clone mentally huffed.
Back to my question, Wally said indignantly, do we have any idea when this thing is supposed to go down? I'm getting antsy just waiting around.
And probably hungry too, no doubt, Artemis said wryly.
Yeah, and that.
Patience. We should not have to wait- The sound of a propeller cutting through the water made Kaldur pause. Above from where he was suspended in the waters of Hobs Bay, he could make out the bottom of a speedboat. There is a boat approaching the docks.
I've got eyes on it, Artemis confirmed. Definitely doesn't look like they're out for a pleasure cruise.
Truck just pulled up through the gates, Superboy added.
For a supposed exchange of Kobra venom, there's not a lot of firepower, Wally pointed out anxiously. Something's up. Something we're not- AUGH!
Kaldur's heart bucked in his chest. Kid Flash? Kid Flash, what happened?!
I've got company up here!
Are you hurt?
Nothing that won't heal. But I'm going to need some backup.
On my way, Kid Distressed, Artemis said.
I am not distressed! I just… you know what, just get over here!
Aqualad, there are more trucks arriving with armed men, Miss Martian reported. Should Superboy and I engage?
Go, Kaldur ordered.
It was time for him to act too. Swimming towards the surface, Kaldur unsheathed his water bearers, pointing them towards the boat. The water around it began to swirl, creating a whirlpool that sucked the boat downwards. The men onboard let out cries of surprise but there was nowhere to go, unless the wanted to drown. Slapping his water bearers together, Kaldur created a jet of water that pushed through the whirlpool, sending the boat into the air, breaking it apart. The men were tossed off the damaged boat before smacking into the water with a loud splash. Sinking below the surface, the men struggled to swim in the angry currents Kaldur had created.
One by one, Kaldur plucked the men from the bay and tossed them onto the docks. They landed in a soaking wet heap. Kaldur jumped from the water, landing beside them on the dock. "Do not move," Kaldur ordered in his best Batman voice. One of the men who, though shaken, was not intimidated, pulled out a gun. With a snap, Kaldur's water bearer created a whip that knocked the gun out of his hand, sending it into the ocean. The man growled and quickly got up before lunging at Kaldur. Kaldur side-stepped the ill-executed attack and snapped his whip around the man's foot. With a tug, he swung the stream of water around, sending the man flying back into the others in the group, who were also starting to rise to their feet.
"Come on, boys," one grumbled. "We can take the fish. It's all of us against him."
Kaldur narrowed his eyes and directed his water beams to the water on either side of the dock. Two great walls of water rose up. "Wrong. It is you against me and the ocean. And it is a battle I am afraid you will lose." And with that, Kaldur let the walls of water crash down onto the men. The dock splintered and broke under the force of the water and collapsed into the bay, bringing the men along with it.
Kaldur hoisted himself onto what was left of the dock and waited. A few moments later, the men broke through the surface, gasping for air. Kaldur let them catch their breath but as soon as they started to swim towards him, he created another whirlpool around them. The men swirled around and around until they were crying out for his to stop. Reversing the water, Kaldur created a cyclone that rose up from the surface. It arced to the side before crashing down on the cement running parallel to the water. A dome of water lingered over the men before it suddenly collapsed and ran back into the ocean.
Stepping in front of the group, Kaldur lightly turned one of the men over onto his side with his foot. The man blinked, confused, before letting out a little gasp. Kaldur leveled his water bearer at him. "Like I said, you lose."
The man nodded before his eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp. Kneeling down, Kaldur pressed his fingers against his neck and let out a sigh of relief. The man had only fainted. The others in the group were in much the same shape. One of those that were still conscious threw up before muttering something about rollercoasters.
Kaldur looked away from the group and scanned the building ahead of him. Up on the rooftops, he could see Artemis and Kid Flash fighting with a few men. Through the alley between two buildings, he saw M'gann and Superboy putting down the last of a group of armed men.
Suddenly, there was a loud cry of surprise. Kaldur looked up to see a man falling from the roof. Wally was on the edge, reaching out as if he had tried to grab him before he fell.
Kaldur! Wally cried.
Quickly, Kaldur pulled a stream of water out of the ocean, sending it towards the criminal. The water engulfed him, swirling around him before gently lowering him to the ground. As soon as the water dissipated, Kaldur ran up to him. The man was already on his feet and launched into an assault of punches and kicks. Kaldur managed to block most of them, but a kick to the stomach sent him flying backwards. Kaldur landed on his feet and skidded backwards before coming to a stop. The shadow was already closing the distance and Kaldur readied his water bearers, currents of electricity dancing around them.
The man, however, didn't get more than five feet away from him when suddenly, an arrow landed in front of him. A green gooey substance burst out from the arrow tip and latched onto his feet. It grew and expanded until he was completely encased. A moment later, Wally zipped into view, Artemis in his arms. The speedster set Artemis down and put his hands on his hips.
"Score one for teamwork!" Wally crowed. "The rest of those guys are tied up on the roof"
"You okay, Kaldur?" Artemis asked.
"I am fine," Kaldur assured her. Superboy, Miss Martian, do you require assistance?
"Nope," Superboy said verbally, already coming into view. The clone wiped his hands together, looking mighty pleased with himself. "We've got them all tied up."
"And the police are on their way," M'gann added as she floated up to the group. "All the trucks are full of cargo."
"Good work," Aqualad said. "Now we must find out where it was going. Help me restrain these men." Aqualad glanced strode up to the sopping wet group of men he had taken down. In a blur of red and yellow, Wally raced past him and a moment later, the men were all propped up, their hands tied up behind their backs.
"Ugh, please, no more water," one of the men begged.
"Yeah, okay, but only if you tell us where this shipment was headed to," Artemis said.
"I don't know nothing," the man insisted.
"Aqualad, I think he needs to take another swim," Artemis said flippantly, waving to Kaldur's water bearer.
The man shook his head vigorously. "No! Don't! I'll drown! I know I'll drown! I swear it! You ain't supposed to let people drown!"
"Aw, you're right, we wouldn't let you drown. We'd give you a lifejacket or something," Artemis said flippantly. Then she kneeled down to his level so she could look squarely into his eyes. "But you'll still be in the water and you see, Aqualad here can talk to the fish and I'm sure they'd love to nibble at your toes until you were ready to tell us what you know."
The man's eyes widened in horror at the threat. "I swear! I don't know where it's going! We was just supposed to meet with a ship and load all the cargo onto it. But it probably knows this all went south and is long gone by now. I don't know where it was headed."
"Then where did your cargo come from?" Aqualad asked.
"I don't know that either."
"You're look like you're an intelligent guy," Wally tried. "So you must have heard rumors about who's trafficking Kobra venom in Metropolis."
"I swear I-" the man cut himself off, looking confused. "Kobra venom? What the hell is kobra venom?"
"Kobra venom. You know, the stuff you were supposed to be loading," Artemis said. The man just looked confused.
"Kid, go check the cargo," Kaldur ordered. It was, he supposed, possible that the men didn't know what they were unloading. They were only grunt workers, after all. Obviously this man did not have the answers he was looking for. "Who is running the operation here, tonight, at the docks. Someone here must have some answers."
The man just shrugged. "I don't know nothing."
Kid suddenly came back and tossed a bag down at Kaldur's feet. "Checked every crate," he reported. "It's all the same. Cocaine."
"No kobra venom?" M'gann asked.
"Nope. This was a run of the mill drug run," Wally said, sounding disappointed.
"Batman did say it was only a possibility," Superboy said with a scowl. "Looks like it wasn't a very strong one."
"So it would seem. But we should still find out who is-"
Kaldur was cut off by a terrifyingly loud crack that shook the ground. All the teen heroes whirled around to see a flash a yellow streak through the sky, where the criminals were tied up near the trucks. The light grew brighter and brighter, causing the heroes to shield their eyes before it suddenly disappeared. The teens exchanged confused looks. What was that?
"What in the world," Artemis marvelled, voicing Kaldur's unasked question.
"Come on!" M'gann cried as she rose into the air and started in that direction.
"Miss Martian!" Kaldur called. "Wait." They didn't know yet what that noise and light had been. Something dangerous could be waiting for them. But Miss Martian either didn't hear him or simply ignored him. Kid Flash too zipped in that direction. Superboy and Artemis shared a glance before taking off too. Kaldur let out a sigh and had no choice but to follow, his water bearers drawn, ready for anything.
When he caught up, he saw the rest of the team standing, staring dumbfounded at the scene. Kaldur couldn't quite believe his eyes either. The trucks, drugs, men and a large section of one of the warehouses were missing. Gone. Vanished.
"What the-" Wally began.
"Where did-"
"How did-"
Kaldur blinked and rubbed his eyes. This was wrong. What had happened? His mind rapidly ran through all the possibilities. Perhaps whoever was behind this had transported his men out using some sort of teleportation beam. But if that were the case what about the men near the docks that were still tied up? Or perhaps the men were not the target, but the millions of dollars' worth of drugs that had disappeared. But then why would the men and half of the building go with it? Or maybe-
"Dude, I am getting some freaky energy readings here," Wally said, interrupting Kaldur's musings which, admittedly, were getting him nowhere. Wally, his goggles on, knelt down where the criminals had been tied up before casting his gaze towards the building. "Like, really freaky energy readings."
"Can you analyze them?" Kaldur asked.
Wally shook his head. "Can't make heads or tails of them. But the League will… Robin would've," he added with a whisper.
Kaldur rested what he hoped was a comforting hand on Wally's shoulder. Robin had been gone for several months now and although they had all approved of his decision to stay in an alternate dimension, his loss was still keenly felt. Especially by Kid Flash. "Then we will take it to the League."
"Well, one thing's for certain," Artemis said lightly. "This isn't just a run of the mill drug run anymore."
It's almost midnight. More tomorrow.