To Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you like it! Also I'm glad that I didn't make Karla too much of an asshole lol. I was hoping I'd find the right balance.
To Natalie: Thank you! I have an (unfinished) season 1 story up, and actually have my two OCs from it appearing in this chapter. I'll finish the season 1 story eventually, and although Karla won't be directly in it, it's set in the same timeline.
Important note! I introduce a few new characters in this - don't worry. They are not and will not be the main focus of this story whatsoever. It's just a little something extra. I hope this chapter is not too confusing because of it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.
METROPOLIS
January 5, 17:09 EST
Raptor pulled her heavy winter jacket a little tighter around her, shivering in the frigid air. Snow was falling lightly on the streets of Metropolis, and the walk from the Zeta Tube to Bibbo's Diner felt long in the cold.
Nightwing had deployed her, Jaime, and Karen on an undercover mission. Bibbo had been among the abductees that the Kroloteans had held hostage – but Bibbo had also been running the diner in the duration of time he had been held captive in a cage in New Orleans. It hadn't taken long for them to put the pieces together – a Krolotean was likely impersonating the man.
Raptor pushed the door to the diner open, and warm air flooded out to greet her. When she stepped inside the restaurant, she could see that it was empty except for the fake Bibbo. He was watching Gordon Godfrey, an annoying reporter who was essentially a glorified conspiracy theorist that loved to diss the League and talk about aliens.
'Bibbo' looked up from the TV when the bell on the door rang. He smiled at the three when they came in. 'Bibbo' walked over, holding out a few menus to the three heroes. He motioned to the empty diner with a sweep of his hand.
"Sit anywhere, kids," he told them jovially. When none of them replied or made a move to accept a menu, he looked up, frowning. Immediately, his face dropped in horror and he gasped, dropping the menus and turning away. He vaulted through the window leading to the kitchen, knocking over the cash register in the process. The machine clattered to the ground loudly, and Raptor stepped back to avoid it crushing her feet.
"Subtle," Raptor commented drily, leaping over the counter and running after the imposter. She shoved the metal door that led from the kitchen open, pulling her utility belt out from where it was coiled in her jacket pocket. She slung it across her chest, clipping it closed so that it wouldn't fall.
Nightwing had drilled her about always having her utility belt with her - now it was ingrained, even when she wasn't on undercover missions.
Bumblebee sped past Raptor, already miniaturized. From just behind the two girls, Raptor could hear the familiar whirr that signaled Jaime's armor coming online. Fake-Bibbo glanced back at his pursuers, grimacing when he saw that they were gaining on him. He jumped over a tall wooden fence, disappearing from sight.
Raptor jumped up, springing off the brick wall of the alleyway and flipping over the wooden barrier. Bumblebee flew through one of the small cracks in the wall, and Blue Beetle simply busted through it, shattering the wood.
'Bibbo' was picking up speed, trying to make it to the street where it would be harder for the three members of the Team to find him. But before he could reach the mouth of the alley, the real Bibbo came out of nowhere and greeted his imposter with a punch in the face.
The fraud hit the ground hard, and the man standing over smirked triumphantly. The two men were identical except that the real Bibbo was wearing a red winter jacket. The Kroloteans had clearly done their research well.
"There's only one Bibbo," the real Bibbo said, cracking his knuckles with a smile. "And don't you forget it." As Raptor skidded to a halt in front of the Krolotean and Bibbo, she watched in mild disgust as the fake-Bibbo's chest broke open, revealing the small alien at the controls of the machine body.
It snarled in its own language, looking around. Raptor made a grab for it, but it lurched away from her hands at the last second. Climbing across the alley wall, it landed in front of a sewer vent. Bumblebee aimed her stingers at the alien, firing several times in quick succession.
The alien hissed in pain, falling backwards into the hole. Raptor ran over and bent down for a better look. She arrived only in time to see the Krolotean getting away. In order to cover its escape, the alien set off a fiery blast. Raptor shot backwards as heat exploded from the vent. Blue Beetle grabbed Raptor's hood and yanked her back further, away from a certain death, just in time.
Raptor closed her eyes and screwed up her face as the blistering heat washed over her skin. It felt hot enough to melt her sunglasses – which, by the way, she felt extremely stupid wearing, because it was cloudy outside and also five pm.
"Wow," Raptor said. She glanced a Blue Beetle and nodded at him gratefully, her eyes watering beneath her dark glasses. "Thanks."
"No problema, chica," Blue said with a smile.
"Boy," Bibbo commented. He was covered in soot. "That practically singed my eyebrows off." Raptor looked at the man, whose eyebrows did in fact look a little scorched.
"Yeah," Blue Beetle responded, eyes wide. "Practically." He turned to look at Bumblebee, who was also covered in ash. "Uh, you got a little soot – " the teenager began. Raptor cut him off, shaking her head. Rookies.
"Blue! Stop being an idiot, scan for it!" The boy nodded quickly, remembering what he was supposed to be doing.
"Right, right," he said. The eyes of his suit glowed completely orange. "Scanning…nothing. Sorry." He looked at the two girls, dismayed. "He's gone." Raptor rolled her eyes, but before she could make a sarcastic or rude remark, Blue Beetle's disappointed expression stiffened and contorted into an irritated one. "No, it would not have been preferable to vaporize him back at the diner!" Blue insisted. Raptor stared at the other boy, her mouth still open around the beginning of a retort. He turned and saw the expressions of his companions and winced, realizing that it sounded like he was talking to himself.
"Well then," Raptor said, unclipping her utility belt. She coiled it back up and put it in her jacket pocket. "This was a bust." She turned to Bibbo, raising an eyebrow. "How about some pie?"
MALINA ISLAND
January 6, 019:58 HAST
Two women were crouched silently in the corner of a large Krolotean base of operations. One was blonde and wearing a black leather jumpsuit that had two slits in the back of it - slits that allowed two large black and white wings to protrude from her back. The other was Asian, wearing traditional Japanese clothing with a Katana strapped to her back. The two women were very young – they didn't even look to be in their twenties yet.
The blonde woman was Paityn Wren – Mockingbird, and the Asian woman was Akari Kishi – Kitsune. They were vigilantes, founding members of the Team who had left the only year before.
Mockingbird had returned to A.R.G.U.S., the agency where she'd grown up, after the death of its Director, Amanda Waller. In the woman's will, Amanda had requested the Mockingbird be named director of the agency, and so she had reluctantly agreed. Kitsune had followed her friend.
Ever since she and Kitsune had left the Team, the two of them had traded necessary information with their old friends, but they didn't often fight together anymore. It wasn't convenient.
The two girls were on a stakeout. They'd been tracking the aliens' known as Kroloteans for a few days now, and had finally managed to locate their base. Mockingbird had set up cameras and audio recorders all around the premises and was transmitting it back to A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters live, hoping that the agents working there would have some success and translating what was happening.
They needed to figure out what the Kroloteans were doing on Earth and why.
So far, there was no luck.
MALINA ISLAND
January 6, 20:32 HAST
Raptor was on the BioShip, listening to Batman as he went over mission parameters. Nightwing was at the helm of the Martian ship, and Batman, Robin, and Batgirl were in the bridge area. Aquaman and Lagoon Boy were in the hold, awaiting the call for their drop-zone. The BioShip was speeding over the ocean at a low altitude in camouflage mode. The Team's hope was to go undetected until the heroes entered the base.
"Remember," Batman was telling his partners. "This is primarily a recon mission. We want to discover all we can about the Kroloteans' invasion strategy before we shut them down and deliver them to the Green Lantern Corps." Raptor didn't answer, but she swiveled two small knives around her fingers in anticipation.
"Approaching Drop-Zone Beta," Nightwing announced. Once the two Atlanteans had made it into the water, he angled the ship upwards. "Drop-Zone Gamma in thirty," he informed the other people in the ship. Raptor unbuckled her seatbelt, getting ready. "Drop-Zone Gamma."
The five remaining vigilantes left the ship. Crouching low to the ground, Raptor snuck over to the Manta Troops on guard. She pulled a little ball out of her utility belt – it was a smoke bomb, but it was a dud – and rolled it gently towards the troopers.
The two she was targeting stiffened, and one pointed their gun at it nervously. Using their momentary distraction to her advantage, Raptor flipped forwards. She knocked one trooper out with a blow to the head, and then grabbed the other one in a chokehold, applying pressure on his throat until he fell limp in her arms.
When Raptor looked up, she saw that the rest of her teammates had managed to take out their respective troopers as well. Even the Replacement.
Mockingbird watched as the Kroloteans guided panels of metal onto an odd, sphere-shaped contraption in the center of the room. They were clearly building something…but what?
"Mockingbird to Harbinger," she hissed, radioing Lyla Michaels, a senior agent at A.R.G.U.S. When she could, Mockingbird liked to leave Lyla in charge – she was the obvious replacement if something were to happen to Mockingbird, and knew what she was doing. Harbinger was her code name when she was out on the field. "The Kroloteans are building something – it looks like a spaceship of some kind. They might be planning to leave. Are we any closer to gaining even preliminary translations?"
"Negative, Director," Lyla replied apologetically into the comm. "We have our top linguists working, but we're still a roadblock."
"Great," Kitsune muttered from her spot next to her friend. "So this was a waste of time." Mockingbird sighed. She was just about ready to agree with her friend. Kitsune leaned around the corner the two were concealed behind again.
"What are you doing?" Mockingbird asked, pulling her friend back. "You're gonna get caught."
"Trying to figure out what that Manta ship is doing here," Kitsune hissed back. Mockingbird's eyes popped wide open.
"What Manta ship?" Mockingbird asked, scooting forward so she could also lean around the corner herself now. Sure enough, at the water line of the Krolotean base was an unmistakable black and red Manta ship. "How did I miss that?" As the two stared at it, the ramp opened up and a figure descended from the belly of the ship. Both girls plastered themselves to the wall again.
When they did so, Mockingbird stiffened as light footsteps sounded next to her. She was positive they'd been made – and then she realized who it was.
"Paityn?" A familiar voice hissed. Mockingbird's eyes widened, and her shoulders tensed. "Akari?" Mockingbird swung around. She would recognize that voice anywhere, so she wasn't surprised when her suspicions were confirmed.
It was Nightwing. And Batgirl. And Robin. And Raptor.
Before any of them could speak, the soft voice of the Manta Trooper echoed throughout the quiet room.
"Intruders," he said. "Upper level and in the water."
Raptor watched as Manta aimed his helmet at the waterline, blasting a laser into the ocean where she was guessing Aquaman and Lagoon Boy had been made. After Manta had alerted his troopers to their position, it didn't take long for them to start firing.
Leaping out of range of the laser blasts; Raptor shot her grappling gauntlet up to one of the catwalks. Wrapping her other hand around the gauntlet for added support, she swung forward, kicking the troopers off the platforms to the ground below.
Landing neatly on the wall of the cave, she unsheathed her katana from her back and began to slice at the soldiers and knock them away. One of them crept up from behind, but Raptor stepped out of the way and fired her grappling hook backwards. The tethered knife embedded itself in the trooper's armor. Raptor clenched her fist and pulled him harshly forward so that he face-planted on the ground.
Mockingbird whipped out her staff, knocking a trooper aside. She leapt off the platform and spread her wings, dodging the laser blasts that were fired at her in midair. She could see Kitsune summoning her astral fox as she held her katana in both hands.
As the silvery-white fox shimmered around the Asian girl, the lasers that the Manta Trooper's shot at her bounced off and were absorbed into the force field like form around her.
"What are you doing here?" Nightwing yelled to Mockingbird as she landed next to him, kicking a trooper into the water as she did so.
"My job!" she shouted back. She twirled her staff, backing up from the soldier across from her. "Let's discuss this later, shall we?"
Raptor heard a creaking sound behind her and whirled around. Descending down the side of the egg-shaped – uh, space ship? – was a giant, spider-like machine. It had pointed its guns at her. And it was starting to fire.
Rushing towards the machine, Raptor flipped upwards, hoping madly that the guns didn't have a three-sixty degree firing range. She stabbed her sword down into the machine, prying the metal shell open. Once the inner-machinery was exposed, she grabbed a handfull of wires and tore them out. When she did so, the machine collapsed, and Raptor shot her grappling hook up, rising off of it.
"Nightwing to Delta Squad," Nightwing's voice rang in her comm. "Enemy is attempting escape. Requesting back-up."
Kitsune grabbed one of the machines, shoving it backwards. Before she could deal the last blow, a laser came out of nowhere and destroyed it for her. Blinking in surprise, her astral fox wavered as her focus did. She was distracted by Superman, who was holding Superboy, Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl when the four of them flew in from the hole Superman had created in the wall with his laser vision.
"Nice aim," she commented, raising an eyebrow at the wall and then at the destroyed machine. Superman shrugged.
"X-Ray vision," he replied. "I cheat."
"Akari, what are you doing here?" Superboy asked, just as surprised to see her as she was to see him – she'd incorrectly assumed that only the Bats were on the island. But apparently this was a whole blown Team-Justice League team-up mission.
"We'll catch up later," she replied, whirling around to as another of the machines fired at her. The blow only made her astral form more powerful, but it also made it harder to control. She furrowed her brow in concentration, and raised her sword above her head.
"Superman!" Superboy called. "Triple Combo over here." Even as Kitsune focused on destroying the machine in front of her she could still hear Superboy as he destroyed three machines – and then a fourth.
"Quadruple," Superman complimented the other Kryptonian. "Nice."
"Mockingbird to Harbinger!" Mockingbird shouted into her comm. "We've run into some trouble – and some unexpected friends!" She grunted, and pulled a gun of its holster on her thigh. She fired carefully at the shooter of the machine. It exploded, rendering the machine useless. "Requesting – " Mockingbird's report fell short when she saw the face of the head Manta Trooper. She could hear Lyla speaking in her ear, concern lacing her voice, but Mockingbird couldn't process the older woman's words.
Because Aquaman had just knocked the mask off of the head Manta, the enemy that had been calling all the shots.
And exposed the face of Aqualad.
"Kaldur?" Kitsune gasped in surprise. Mockingbird turned to Nightwing, wide-eyed. He looked sheepish, but not particularly shocked. He knew – he knew, and he hadn't told her that their old leader, their old friend, had gone bad. What the hell had happened to passing on intel?
Raptor landed next to the two older teenagers and quickly took stock of the situation. She laughed darkly.
"Well, this is awkward."
Nightwing jumped off the catwalk to confront Kaldur, leaving a shell-shocked Mockingbird alone with Raptor. The older blonde girl's mouth was literally hanging open, her shock and betrayal written clearly across her face. Raptor couldn't tell if she was distressed that Kaldur was evil or that Nightwing had neglected to tell her that Kaldur was evil.
"Mockingbird," Raptor said. "We have to – oh!" Her sentence got cut short by a small explosion from below that rocked the catwalk dangerously. Raptor gripped the metal railing of the platform, struggling to regain her balance. It creaked threateningly below her, and both girls jumped free of the platform to the ground below just before it gave out.
Rolling to the ground to absorb the impact, Raptor landed in a crouched position on one knee. The explosion seemed to have been a distraction to cover Kaldur's escape, as the Atlantean was nowhere to be seen.
"They're getting away!" someone shouted. It was Wonder Girl. She was running towards the Manta ship, which was leaving the dock and descending into the water.
"We'll stop them!" Lagoon Boy shouted confidently. Before either young hero could make a move, Nightwing's command halted them all.
"Negative," he said over the comm. "We have a bomb down here. Alien in origin. I cannot disarm it." There was a pause and then: "All squads, evacuate to the BioShip now." Raptor turned towards Mockingbird and Kitsune.
"You guys have a ride out?" She asked them. They had no idea what was happening – their comms. weren't linked up to the same frequency as the Team's was.
"No," Mockingbird replied honestly, seeming a little confused. "I flew us in. Better for covertness." Raptor nodded.
"Come with us. There's a bomb, we're evacuating now." Mockingbird glanced at Kitsune and they both nodded, following the younger girl out of a tunnel. When they reached the sandy beach, the BioShip de-camouflaged and landed in front of them.
When Raptor reached the bridge, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a Krolotean at the helm of the ship and another in the seat on the bridge. The aliens stared at her and Lagoon Boy in surprise, like they didn't understand why they were being stared at.
"Neptune's Beard," Lagoon Boy breathed, staring at the other creatures aboard the ship. One of the Krolotean's faceplamed.
"Hello, Megan," it said in Miss Martian's voice. The Krolotean's shifted back into Martians. "I knew we were forgetting something." Miss Martian's jaw dropped when she saw Mockingbird and Kitsune behind Raptor. "Paityn!" she cried. "Akari! What – "
"We're on a mission," they replied simultaneously. "Not now." Miss Martian nodded, re-focusing on the more important matter at hand - the fact that they were all about to die in a fiery explosion.
"Everyone find a seat," Miss Martian commanded, extra seats growing out of the floor to accommodate the newcomers. "We're leaving now." Superboy glanced around and then shook his head in protest when he realized they were missing someone.
"Wait! Where's Superman? We can't leave without him!"
"He's indestructible," Raptor reminded the clone rather coarsely. "He'll be fine. We won't be." Superboy didn't answer Raptor, but he didn't yell at her either. He remembered how angry he'd always been five years ago, and he tried to be patient with her the way others had been with him.
The BioShip was soon speeding over the ocean as fast as it could, but it still wasn't quite fast enough. The ship got caught in the edge of the blast zone, making the ship rattle. Which caused the people inside the ship to be thrown around wildly.
Kitsune, who hadn't managed to make it to a seat, was thrown backwards. She slammed into Superboy, and the clone wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her up. He gripped the wall tightly with his other hand, trying to keep them both on their feet. Kitsune grimaced, hoping that the shocks would be over soon.
A few moments later, the BioShip made it out of the blast zone, and Kitsune was able to stand steadily again. Superboy immediately rushed to the hanger, probably to ensure that Superman was okay personally.
"What just happened?" Wonder Girl asked, looking around. Her eyes were wide. Miss Martian turned towards the younger girl.
"The Kroloteans were clearly trying to build a new ship," she responded. Lagoon Boy was looking out the window, but when Miss Martian spoke, he pulled his gaze from the ocean to his girlfriend.
"They had to, Angelfish," he reminded her. "It was their only way to leave Earth without their Zeta Platforms or their original ship."
"But was Aqualad helping them escape?" Wonder Girl asked, reminding them all of the million dollar question. "Or luring them into a trap?" Aquaman's face was somber at the mention of his turned protégé. He looked at the ground, his eyes downcast.
"The bomb was of alien origin," Nightwing said, not quite answering Wonder Girl's question but instead addressing another one. "Yet the Kroloteans clearly knew nothing about it. So where did it come from?" Raptor could see that Batman was responding to Nightwing from the way her brother leaned in to listen, but the older man's voice was too low for Raptor to hear his words.
Whatever he said, it clearly didn't sit well with Nightwing. The teenager's face closed off, and he scowled at the ground.
Mockingbird watched Nightwing, her eyes tight. She was truly shocked that he hadn't told her about Kaldur. It took every ounce of self-control for her to not go over and demand an explanation right then and there.
It would have to wait.
MOUNT JUSTICE
January 7, 05:47 EST
Mockingbird and Kitsune were standing in Mount Justice for the first time in over a year. It was odd, to say the least. They were standing clearly apart from the Team, waiting until Nightwing finished debriefing the members of his Team before talking to him. When he dismissed the debriefing session, only Lagoon Boy, Wonder Girl, and Robin left.
Once the rookies had cleared out, Mockingbird stepped forward. She raised an eyebrow at Nightwing, waiting for him to explain. Instead of beginning to talk, however, he questioned her.
"What were you two doing at Malina Island?" He asked. Kitsune crossed her arms, staring at their old friend in disbelief.
"Why are you asking us questions?" She cried. "Kaldur is evil?" Kitsune spread her hands and shook her head. Nightwing looked down, and then looked at Mockingbird hopefully.
"She's right, Dick," Mockingbird said softly. Everyone there – Batgirl and Raptor, Miss Martian, Superboy, Kitsune, and herself – all knew his real identity. She didn't bother to use his codename. "You should have told us." He still didn't respond, and Mockingbird raised her eyebrows challengingly. "Were you planning on telling us?" Nightwing looked up at her.
"Does it matter?" he asked. Mockingbird stared at him in shock.
"Yes, of course it matters!" She said, her voice raising. "You're not the only person I'd trust to share intel with, Dick," she continued, lowering her voice once again. "If Kaldur had asked me anything I would have told him, no questions asked." She shook her head. "You had no right to keep me in the dark." She glanced at Kitsune. "To keep us in the dark." Nightwing crossed his arms, growing defensive.
"I'm sure there's plenty of important information that you haven't told me," he replied coolly. Something changed across Mockingbird's face. Her eyes tightened, and then closed up. Nightwing had clearly hit a sore spot, for whatever reason.
"You're right," she told Nightwing quietly. She took his hand, looking down where their fingers were intertwined. "But – those things – they're things I want to tell you. Things I need to tell you. I just haven't found the right time." She realized belatedly that her words sounded as though they held a double meaning – she hadn't meant them to. There was a beat of heavy silence, and Nightwing squeezed her hand in apology.
"It won't happen again," Nightwing told her. His voice was steady, but raw with the promise. Mockingbird nodded. She dropped Nightwing's hand and stepped back, resuming professionalism. "Now," Nightwing continued, breaking the tense, charged quiet in the room. "What were you two doing on Malina Island?"
"Staking out," Kitsune replied. She glanced at Mockingbird, who nodded her approval for Kitsune to share more. "We've been tracking the Kroloteans for almost a week now – the Team Squad that blew up the Krolotean base a few days ago helped us pinpoint their next move."
"We were trying to figure out their objective," Mockingbird explained to the group of superheroes. "Trying – and failing. Our best linguists couldn't even begin to understand their language." Nightwing nodded.
"Anything else I need to know?" Mockingbird shook her head. "Okay," Nightwing said. "I think we should call it a night." He looked at Mockingbird. "A.R.G.U.S. will be kept in the loop from now on. I promise." Mockingbird nodded.
"I'll hold you to that."
BLÜDHAVEN
January 7, 19:03 EST
Karla was sitting on the couch, reading Paradise Lost. Her brother was picking up takeout Chinese food for dinner.
When Karla's phone buzzed, she expected it to be Dick, telling her that he was almost home. Instead, it was a call from an unfamiliar number on her 'work' phone – the one the Team used to communicate with her. Karla carefully picked up the phone and answered the call, holding the mobile gingerly, like it might explode.
"What?" she asked, voice brusque and snippy.
"Raptor?" It was Sara. Oops. Maybe she should have answered more nicely. She made an effort to soften her voice the next time she spoke – to what effect she wasn't sure.
"Yeah, it's me." Karla paused, waiting for Sara to say why she was calling. When she didn't, Karla asked cautiously, confused: "Is everything okay?"
"What? Yeah, everything's fine! Can't I just call you for fun?" Karla blinked, surprised. That thought hadn't occurred to her.
"Oh – I guess." Another long pause. Karla squirmed uncomfortable. Phone conversations were even worse than face-to-face conversations. "Um…"
"Blondie!" Someone yelled on the other end of the line, loud enough to make Karla wince. It sounded like a male teenager, one with a gruff, low voice. "Is your girlfriend coming, or what?" Sara swore on the other end, and then yelled back to whoever had shouted at her. "Shut up, Rory. She's not my – "
"Um, Sara?" Karla asked, cutting off the other girl. "What's going on?"
"Oh," Sara said. "I was wondering if you wanted to come hang out with me and my friends. We're in Star City, I mean, but you could Zeta over here if you want." Karla was quiet, unsure of how to react. "Raptor?"
"I, um. No," Karla said quickly. "No." Was that rude? Probably. "Sorry," Karla added, hoping to soften the blow.
"Oh, okay." Was it Karla's imagination, or did Sara sound a little disappointed? "That's fine. Open invitation, though. If you change your mind, just text me." Karla nodded shortly. "Raptor? You there?"
"Oh – yeah," Karla said, embarrassed, remembering that Sara couldn't see her nod. "Um. I got to go." Without saying another word, Karla terminated the call and tossed her phone away from her. As soon as the phone hit the couch pillow, Dick's keys turned in the lock and he opened the apartment door.
"Hi," he greeted his sister. She nodded stiffly at him, but her cheeks were red, like she was flustered. Dick raised an eyebrow. Karla was the least angry and rude to him; around Dick, she was as comfortable and happy as she could be. And she was never flustered around anyone. "What's up?" Karla shrugged, getting up to take one of the plastic bags of food from him.
She set down the bag of food on the kitchen table and began to unload the bag, pulling out warm cartons of rice and Tupperware's of the steaming food. Dick sat down opposite from her and watched as Karla broke her chopsticks apart and began to eat. She always ate quickly, like she was scared that someone was going to take her food away.
"Dick," Karla said after few moments of silent chewing. He looked up at her, raising his eyebrows. His mouth was full. "Did you and Paityn date?" Dick's eyes widened, and he inhaled, choking on his half-chewed mouthful full of moo shu pork. Karla stared at him, eyes wide, and then jumped to her feet. She filled a glass of water and handed it to her brother, and then watched in amusement as he proceeded to guzzle the whole thing. When he was finished, he took a shaky breath.
"What the hell?" he rasped, still coughing. His eyes were watering. "What did Barbara tell you?" He asked warily. Karla shrugged, a smile stretched across her face. She seemed to be amused by his reaction.
"Nothing. But I mean, I've seen you around girls but I've never seen you like that." Dick shook his head, looking away. He and Paityn had never dated but there had always been tension between them. Definitely not something he wanted to discuss with his little sister.
"It's a long story," he insisted. Karla watched him for another moment and then nodded, her blue eyes widening.
"Oh, that means you don't want to talk about it," she remembered. Dick laughed. "Or in other words – "
"Karly!" Dick laughed. "Change the subject, please!" She smirked.
"Fine." Karla hesitated, like she was thinking. "Oh, you'll love this. Sara just called. She wanted to hang out." Karla rolled her eyes. Now that she wasn't talking to Sara, it was easier to be mean again. "Look at that. Your anti-social asshole of a sister is making friends. Aren't you pleased?" Her tone was bitter with sarcasm, which Dick elected to ignore. Sometimes you just had to do that with Karla. Dick got up to refill his glass of water, and looked at his sister, confused.
"Why didn't you say yes?" Karla shrugged. She stirred noodles into sesame sauce, but she looked like she'd rather be stabbing them than eating them.
"I was hungry. Besides, she's only being nice because her sister told her to." Dick frowned.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because Dinah was the one who evaluated me," Karla reminded him. "She probably told Sara to be my friend because of – you know." Dick shook his head.
"Karla, you know there's a confidentiality statement between doctors and patients right?" Karla looked up at him over her food, raising her eyebrows. "Dinah told you that, didn't she?" Karla sat back, considering.
"Oh. Maybe she did." Dick laughed, but Karla scowled again. Now she didn't know why Sara was being nice to her. "So why is Sara trying to be my friend, then?" Dick shrugged, taking a sip of water.
"Maybe she likes you." Karla was silent while she pondered this, and Dick took her momentary distraction as an opportunity to steal her egg roll.
STAR CITY
January 9, 16:31 PDT
Raptor had hung up – the dial tone sounding in Sara's ear was proof of that. A little disappointed, Sara turned her phone off and put it in her pocket. She was disappointed, but not particularly surprised. Especially after Mick's comment. Looking around at her group of friends, Sara crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the boy in question.
"You suck," she informed him. It was not the first time she'd shared this opinion.
"Sorry, boss," he drawled. He was sprawled out over an armchair, his legs hanging over the side. "Not your girlfriend…hopeless crush then?" Sara groaned and flopped down in another armchair. They were at Rip's house as usual, partially because it was huge and partially because his parents were never home. The only time they didn't go to Rip's was when Nate couldn't sneak out, and then they went to his house instead.
"I never said I had a crush on her," Sara protested. She didn't. Not really. She didn't even know Raptor's name – there was no way she could have a crush on her. But she definitely liked the girl.
Maybe because she was drawn to assholes – it did seem to be the case, seeing the group of friends she chose to continuously surround herself with.
"Sure," Zari said, looking up from her computer where she was likely hacking her way into the school's website for the millionth time in order to troll the faculty. Her eyes were wide with faux-innocence. "But you did go on about how pretty she was for, like, twenty minutes, so." Sara pouted. Her friends really were the worst.
"I mentioned it maybe once," Sara insisted petulantly. She narrowed her eyes at Zari challengingly, but the other girl just hummed knowingly.
Sara looked around at the group of them. Jax was reclining in an armchair, tossing his football up and catching it. Martin Stein, Jax's host brother, was sitting next to him, studying. Ray and Nate were also doing homework, with Nate absent-mindedly sliding his grandfather's dog tags back and forth on the chain around his neck. Amaya was listening to music, her head tipped back onto her Nate's shoulder.
Mick was playing with his lighter, as usual, flicking the flame on and off. Zari's hands flew across her computer as she squinted at the screen. And Gideon was sitting on the ground, flipping through the movies on the bottom shelf. Rip was sprawled across the couch, asleep.
They made an odd group, no doubt about it – but somehow, Sara could picture Raptor with them easily.
MOUNT JUSTICE
January 26, 00:10 EST
Almost three weeks earlier, it was discovered. Five years ago on New Years Eve, six Leaguers had gone missing for sixteen hours while underneath the mind control of Vandal Savage. Recently, the League had finally figured out what they had done in those sixteen hours – been sent to a planet called Rimbor and had gone on a rampage, pillaging and destroying everything in sight.
Ever since that night, there have been a criminal warrant for all members of the League in that planetary system. If any of them went there, they would be detained.
Now, they were going back to Rimbor for a trial to clear the name of the Justice League. Which meant that eight of the big guns of the League – Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Martian Manhunter, Hawkwoman, and a Green Lantern, plus Hawkman, who insisted on accompanying his wife, and Icon, who would serve as their advocate – would be off-world for who knows how long.
Raptor stood with Nightwing, Batgirl and the Replacement on the beach behind Mount Justice, hanging back slightly. She wasn't really that close to Batman – she knew him more by association than anything else – and felt a little awkward. Still, she was worried about him. She had no idea if they'd ever see each other again after tonight.
Not that she'd tell him that. Or show it. God, how the hell was she more emotionally constipated than Batman? That had to be some new kind of achievement, right?
"Be careful, all right?" Nightwing requested his foster father gravely.
"I was about to say the same to you three," Batman replied, his voice just as somber. "I fear we leave the more dangerous task here on Earth." Nightwing looked at the others gathered around him and then smiled, easy-going as always, even in the face of danger.
"We'll manage," he promised. Batman nodded once, and before anyone could say more, Green Lantern turned to the others.
"Time to go," he called. Batman turned and strode away, his cape billowing out behind him rather dramatically. Raptor watched him go, her heart pounding.
The Leaguers stood in a huddle, Green Lantern in the front and center of the eight. The man raised his hand with the ring up in a fist, and a glowing dome surrounded the eight heroes, separating them from the others on the beach.
"May the gods be with you all," Wonder Woman prayed. Raptor watched as the green dome transformed into a large jet, and then took to the air. Sand whipped around the faces of the heroes left behind as they watched their friends and mentors leave, possibly never to return.
Back inside the mountain, Nightwing pulled up the holographic computer, entering in the code for a transmission. He had promised that he'd keep A.R.G.U.S. in the loop, and besides, with the Leaguers off world, they were going to need all the help they could get.
Nightwing hadn't neglected to tell them about Kaldur's defection maliciously. It wasn't that they were on bad terms or that they'd cut contact off. Nightwing and Mockingbird still often traded intel that they thought was important for the other to know. And although this was important to know…Nightwing had found himself hanging back.
It was just a little awkward, considering that one of Mockingbird and Kitsune's main jobs was to lead a task force that consisted of incarcerated criminals that were deemed expendable. The task force, nicknamed the Suicide Squad, had been created to take on high-risk missions that were considered simultaneously too dangerous and too insignificant for the Team or the League to concern themselves with.
In other words, Mockingbird and Kitsune were consistently put in near-death situations because someone had decided that their former teammates were too important to be put at risk, while they were expendable enough to be.
It didn't matter that that someone was usually Paityn herself - Nightwing still hated to think about it. The thought of him telling Mockingbird something that could lead to one of these high-risk missions made his stomach turn. He couldn't stand the thought of her or Kitsune dying because of him.
He hadn't considered that not telling her could have turned out dangerously as well.
Sighing, Nightwing pressed a few buttons on the keypad to send the transmission.
A.R.G.U.S. HEADQUARTERS
January 26, 00:33 EST
"Director Wren?" someone called. "Incoming transmission from Mount Justice." Paityn looked up from the screen that she'd been bending over, checking on the whereabouts of some agents who'd run into some trouble in Tahiti. She hadn't heard from Nightwing or the other members of the Team in the last few weeks. She wondered what information Nightwing was going to pass on.
"Put him on," she commanded, walking closer to the screen. The screen blinked, and Nightwing's face filled the monitor. "Nightwing," she greeted her old friend, smiling slightly. She couldn't help it. She missed him.
"Paityn," he said. He spoke stoically, but his mouth formed her name familiarly. He looked around at the crowded room. "Uh, the information I have is slightly sensitive. Permission to tell you solely?" The blonde raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. This was odd.
"Nightwing, I'm the director of A.R.G.U.S. now," she reminded him. "I can't promise any information you tell me will remain confidential among my agents." Nightwing looked at her pleadingly and she sighed, acquiescing. "Fine. Clear the room," she ordered the Ops Mangers in the Central Control. She looked back at Nightwing. "No promises," she warned him again. Nightwing nodded.
"Understood," he said as the last person closed to door behind her. "We recently discovered what happened in the missing sixteen hours on New Years Eve five years ago." Paityn blinked, startled. She'd never forgotten about that unaccounted-for time, but she'd always assumed that the mystery of what had happened would never be solved. "Those six Leaguer went to a planet called Rimbor, where they pillaged the planet, all while announcing that they were the Justice League of Earth and everyone should beware." Nightwing looked at her. "I'm telling you this because those six Leaguers along with Icon and Hawkman have left Earth to go to trial in order to clear their names. An off-world trial. I don't know how long they'll be gone."
Mockingbird sat down in one of the chairs, mind reeling. Eight Leaguers, gone. And what if they were proven guilty? They'd probably never come back. Shaking her head to get rid of these thoughts, she looked back at Nightwing.
"Thank you," she told him, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I appreciate you telling me this." Mockingbird licked her lips nervously. "I – I will need to tell some of the other highly-ranked agents of this development. They can be trusted. I promise."
"Okay," Nightwing said. He smiled at her reassuringly. "Stay whelmed, Paityn. We'll be fine." He hesitated, like he wanted to say more but then decided against it. "Nightwing out." The transmission blinked off, and Mockingbird took a deep breath.
She left the Central Control Room in search of Akari. She needed to talk to her friend, and then she needed to call a meeting with the senior agents to discuss this. Paityn walked towards the lounge, and found Akari sitting at a table, nursing a cup of coffee. Her friend looked up when she walked in.
"What's up?" Akari asked, raising an eyebrow. Paityn walked over to the coffee machine, filling a mug herself. She already knew that it was going to be a long night. Paityn rubbed the bridge of her nose as she answered with a heavy sigh.
"Eight members of the League are off world. Long story – it has to do with missing sixteen hours. I'll call a meeting and explain everything in a little bit. I just need to breath for a little." Akari nodded, taking the information significantly more calmly than Paityn had.
"Nightwing called?" she asked. Paityn nodded affirmatively.
"Nightwing called." Akari was watching Paityn carefully, and the blonde tensed. She knew what was coming next.
"Did you – tell him?" Paityn sighed, remembering her words to Nightwing back at the Cave. I just haven't found the right time.
"No," Paityn murmured. She closed her eyes and took another sip of coffee. "I didn't." Akari made a noise of disapproval, and when Paityn looked up, her friend's fox eyes were burning. "I know," Paityn sighed. "I should tell him." Paityn leaned forward and rested her forehead on the table. She was exhausted.
"Paityn," Akari said, gently. "You have to tell him."
okay so i promise, promise, promise that akari and paityn are not going to be in this story too much. i don't want to make it confusing.
also, as u may have noticed, nightwing and paityn are have romantic tension. this will NOT
anyways, please leave a review and tell me what you think! i appreciate the feedback so much!