Episode 4: Drop Zone
The Batcave, July 22, 03:23 EST 2010,
Bruce Wayne looked down at the white mask in his hands.
Even after a week of examining it, he still could not make out hide nor hair of its origins or meaning. Then there was that masked assailant that had attacked him and Superman.
The Batman was used to dealing with mysterious, threatening characters, yet there was something familiar about the figure that he could not quite put his finger on.
It was something about the way they moved and fought; he was sure he'd seen it somewhere before…
Time to put this into evidence.
He sighed heavily as he carefully stepped into the evidence locker and deposited it onto the emptiest rotating shelf.
He would look at it later.
Right now, he had a case to solve and a group of teens whom he had to prepare a mission for.
Even so, he couldn't help but chance one last glance at the dark eyeholes of the white mask.
He shivered.
He might not know much about where it came from, but he did know two things. Firstly, it was, without a doubt, the creepiest thing he'd ever laid eyes on, and secondly, it was sure to bring nothing but trouble.
He could only hope he would solve its secrets before anything terrible happened.
The Caribbean Sea, July 22, 20:08 ECT, 2010
They were seated in the Bio-Ship flying over moonlit clouds. Despite the serenity of their surroundings, the atmosphere in the ship was tenser then one of Green Arrows drawn bowstrings.
The reason for this tension?
It was the team's first official mission from Batman. Swift sat on the far left of the ship behind Robin, Aqualad and Superboy to her right. Kid Flash was centre front, and Miss Martian was steering at the helm.
"We're approaching Santa Prisca," she said. She was quiet, but they all jumped as if she'd yelled it out. Goes to show what nerves can do to you.
Her thoughts wandered back to three hours earlier.
"Isla Santa Prisca" Batman stood in front of holographic screens which showed the map of an island in the middle of the Caribbean.
Swift had to shake her head slightly to clear it of the Pirates of the Caribbean tune that was now playing over in her mind.
"This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo-steroid, a strength-enhancing drug, sold on the street, named Venom."
The screens changed to show blueprints of a facility.
"Infrared heat signatures indicate that their factory is still operating at full capacity, but all shipments of Venom have been inexplicably cut off. That's where this team comes in" He turned to face the team finger pointed.
"This is a covert recon mission only. Observe and report. If the Justice League needs to intervene it will." He turned back to the screen.
"The plan requires two drop zones."
"So who's in charge?" Robin piped in.
Batman and Red Tornado exchanged quick glances before the former stated quickly.
"Work that out between you"
Swift's thoughtful expression turned sour under both her mouth and domino masks. It was unusual for Batman not to be prepared to answer a question and even rarer for him to not know an answer. She eyed Robin's smirk from his spot in front of her.
If she used logic, Superboy and Miss Martian were far too inexperienced to be the leader, and Kid Flash was way too impulsive. That left Robin, Aqualad and of course herself.
No not herself.
Swift bit her lip. It wasn't that she wasn't confident in her skills; quite the opposite.
She had been trained by the Batman even before Robin came on the scene. Of course, he'd never initially intended for her to join him on his crusade. He had just agreed to train her to keep her busy whenever she stayed during times her birth father was fighting overseas for the Army.
She looked up at the half moon. Its white light reminded her of the glow from the large Bat-computer. She smiled remembering fondly how at age seven; she used to sneak from her bedroom and into the Batcave to listen in as her mentor read out the facts of one of his cases to Alfred.
No, she couldn't be the leader and nor could Robin. They'd both worked too much with Batman; they were both too used to his ways. It would take time to create a new dynamic for this team. Neither of them was ready to lead it, yet.
That left Aqualad as their only option. Swift glanced at the Atlantean boy from behind her purple domino mask. He was sitting with his hands on his knees looking out of his window. Yes…Aqualad would have to be their leader. He was calm, collected and decisive and knew how to communicate with most of the team effectively.
The white slits of her eyes narrowed as she saw the dark looming shape grow on the surface of the ocean.
"Drop Zone A in thirty" Swift announced as a timer appeared on a holo-screen.
Aqualad stood up and tapped his belt buckle. Instantly his top morphed from red to dark grey stealth mode. "Ready" he nodded.
"Putting Bio-Ship in camouflage mode" Miss Martian nodded. As she began lowering the ship towards the waters, Aqualad positioned himself into a diving position. A hole appeared in the ground before him, and he leapt down, entering the water smoothly.
Swift watched Aqualad's progress on the holographic map in front of her. After a couple of tense minutes, she saw his dot appear on the island and pause. She sighed in relief as she heard his voice in her com.
"Heat and motion sensors are patched. Data is now on a continuous loop. Move in"
"Roger that" she turned to the others "he did it."
Miss Martian smiled nervously but adjusted their course.
They all stood up, and their chairs disappeared as Miss Martian flew over Drop Zone B, which was over the Island itself. Lines dropped in front of them, and Swift attached hers to her belt as did Robin.
"How cool is this?" Kid Flash tapped the lightning symbol on his chest, and his suit changed colour. It turned black and dark grey.
"Very impressive" Miss Martian smirked as her skirt, and top combo turned into a black bodysuit with a red X.
"Uh, that works too" Kid muttered.
"Nice" Swift gave a thumbs up to show her approval as she hooked herself onto a zip line. Unlike the others, hers and Robins suits were already well equipped for stealth, and so they had refused all offers of new gear.
"Hey Supey, it's not too late to put on the new stealth tech" Wally smirked at Superboy who glowered, crossing his arms.
"No capes, no tights, no offence."
"It totally works for you," Miss Martian said a slightly dreamy expression on her face. They all looked at her, and she started "...In that, you can totally do good work in those clothes" she mimicked Swift's thumb up.
Superboy turned away abruptly, and Miss Martian pulled her cape's hood over her as she cloaked herself.
"Suit yourself" Robin smirked.
Swift shook her head and sighed as Miss Martian flew through the hole in the floor. "You and your puns."
"You know you love them" he winked mischievously.
"What? You or your puns?" she snorted.
"Both"
"…hmm …nope. They're too cheesy." Swift rolled her eyes beneath her mask as Robin gave a small cackle.
"Finally, someone who agrees with me" Kid Flash sniggered, earning himself a tongue poke from the boy wonder as he and his partner smoothly jumped down their lines.
How are those two always so in sync without any telepathy? Aqualad's thought echoed in Kid Flash's head as he slid down his zip line
Yeah, I know, and I thought my uncle and I were telepathically close. M'gann smiled.
It wasn't always like that. Kid Flash rolled his eyes fondly, as he zipped down his rope. You should've seen the two when they first met. They couldn't stand one another.
Are you kidding? Superboy thought incredulously, and Robin just shook his head laughing.
Nope, not really. I thought she was a pampered, stuck-up brat.
And I thought he was a cocky little show-off. Swift chuckled.
To be fair, both of us were right about one another. Robin smirked as he heard Kid Flash huff.
At least you were called cocky show-off. She called me a hungry, hyperactive, dumb hamster when we first met.
Well, I wasn't wrong, was I? And you've got to admit that was some good alliteration. Swift's smirked slyly as all the team laughed.
Even Kid Flash chuckled as he landed, only to leap away very fast as Superboy jumped from the ship, without his line. His landing was hard and was still sending tremors through the earth as he straightened up in the middle of a small crater.
"Knew I didn't need a line" he smirked.
"Be that as it may…"Swift grunted as she got to her feet.
"Creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the covert" Robin snapped as she pulled him up to stand.
"Aqualad," Miss Martian said through her com, ignoring the others "Drop B is a go."
"Head for the factory" Aqualad puffed on his end "I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP."
"Roger that" Robin nodded putting off his holo-computer.
"If we make way for the river, going against the flow we should be able to find the factory's waste disposal systems" Swift pointed into a clump of bushes on their left. The others nodded. They made their way through the trees towards the river.
They followed it for some time until they reached a waterfall. As they approached it, Swift felt the wind shift strangely. She stopped in her tracks. It was blowing upwards back to the top of the large rock beside them.
"Swift?" Kid Flash turned to look at her. The others kept walking ahead.
"You go on ahead with Dick. I'll catch up" she muttered.
"Are you sure? I could stay as back up" Kid looked at Robin's back as he said this. He didn't think that his best friend would be too happy that he had let his sister scout out on her own, even if she had been trained by Batman.
"I'm just going to the top of the cliff to get a lay of the land." She groaned in irritation. "I won't take long."
"hmm…alright. But call us if there's any trouble."
Swift nodded and gave the speedster a thumb up before he sped off into the bushes. As soon as he was gone, she clicked her grapple gun and swung herself upwards.
She had to climb the last few meters on her own but still reached within two minutes. It was a good thing her costume was mostly dark because the top of the rock was completely flat and open. She pulled out her small binoculars and did a 360-degree turn. It took her a couple of complete revolutions before she spotted a building in the distance at the foot of a small mountain.
"Gotcha" she muttered.
"You've found it?"
Swift wheeled around as Aqualad straightened himself up by the edge of the rock. He was puffing slightly and was still soaking wet from his swim.
"Yeah found it" Swift sighed as she turned back to look at the facility, opening her computer. It took all she had not to stare at the droplets of water trickling down his muscular suited chest.
"You're not joining the others?" she squinted at the screen as she felt him stand beside her.
"I saw you separate from Kid Flash and Robin on the GPS. Is something wrong?"
"No, it's fine. I just thought it might be good to get my bearings before I go down there. Don't worry I made sure KF knew where I was going."
"Good" Aqualad nodded as she tapped her comm.
"You're all on the right path, but be careful. There might be some mines ahead so go into the trees when you can."
"Roger that. Where are you? Kid said you stayed behind at the waterfall?"
She rolled her eyes at Robin's urgent tones. Why did everyone always worry so much about her? She knew she was the shortest and…no she wasn't the youngest of the team, Robin was. She was older than him by a month, even if she was shorter than him by an inch.
"I'm keeping watch from the top of that cliff that was next to it. Don't worry Aqualad's with me" she reassured her partner, missing the small amused quirk of Aqualad's lips as he glanced at her.
"Aqualad, huh?" she could almost hear her partner roll his eyes while she heard Kid Flash's snigger on the other end. There was a beep as she shut the comlink off.
What the hell was that about?
But she didn't have much time to worry about Robin.
"Shit!" she swore as she quickly squatted down.
"What's wrong?" Aqualad grunted as Swift pulled him down to crouch beside her. The voices of a group of men hit their ears. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but they didn't sound friendly. She put her binoculars to her eyes again.
"That's strange," she muttered under her breath. The men's red uniforms looked familiar to her, but she couldn't figure out why.
"A patrol?" Aqualad asked.
"Maybe…but we should probably go down to the others." Swift shrugged. Aqualad nodded. They waited for a couple of seconds as the group passed the base of their rock, before jumping down.
"Superboy, Kid. Switch to infrared. See if you're being tracked" Aqualad hissed as he ran on the forest floor. Swift took to the trees, her footfalls barely making any noise on each of the branches as she swung between them.
The two of them ran for five minutes or so when they both heard the first gunshot.
"Swing wide, steer clear!"
"Yeah yeah. Just as soon as I find Rob." Kid grumbled on his end.
"What? Where is he?" Swift hissed.
"You tell me-uwaa!"
"KF!" Swift gasped as she heard the scratching and grinding of dirt in her ears. She accelerated herself as she listened to a couple of loud thumps in her ear that signalled Kid's messy landing.
"KF are you alright?" she whispered urgently. "KF!"
"So much for the stealthy", she heard him say as she leapt down to run alongside Aqualad. Then several loud bangs popped into her ears.
Swift's blood ran cold as panic seized her.
"Kid!"
"Swift wait!" Aqualad grabbed her shoulders to stop her baulking forwards into the fray "You can't just run in there, they have guns!"
"But Kid-" Swift gulped.
"-Has super speed." Aqualad finished calmly, still holding her back firmly "But we don't. Keep to the shadows try to attack from the edges Alright?"
"Alright…I got it" Swift nodded, sucking in a deep breath. Just what was wrong with her right now? Only one mention of her friends' in trouble and she was getting jumpy.
Just stay calm Swift, you need to get used to this team and keep calm. Keep calm and assess the situation just like Dad and Alfred taught you.
She told herself as she and Aqualad quietly snuck towards the attacker's position.
They could see a clearing ahead, but she kept to the trees. She didn't like it, but she knew Aqualad was right. If they both got in the middle of the sparring space, there was a much higher chance of getting shot in the crossfire.
She snuck to the ground taking out the goons from behind. As she fought she saw to her great relief, Kid Flash Zipping around in his dark grey stealth gear. Eventually, she saw a figure jump down from above.
"What is wrong with you guys? Remember covert? Why didn't you follow my lead? Vanish into the jungle!"
"Robin" Swift sighed heavily at her partner, only to quickly glower at him.
The idiot! How could he vanish on them without a word? Even if he hadn't told the others, he could've at least made sure she knew, couldn't he?
Her thoughts seemed to be shared by Kid Flash. The speedster quickly pummeled a goon and rounded on their friend.
"That's what you were doing? Way to fill us in. We aren't all mind readers you know?!" he quickly turned as Miss Martian used her telekinesis to smash two goons into a tree.
"Err…I'm not anyway" he mumbled
"You told me I could only read the bad guys minds" Miss Martian frowned. "Did you know he was planning this Swift?"
"Nope." Swift's scowl darkened as she stepped out of the bushes, watching Aqualad beat up the last straggler. Robin smirked.
"Oh, come on Swift. Bat-rule number seven. Always stick to the shadows when scouting the perimeter." he faltered under her narrowed eyes.
"Yes. And I also know bat-rule number six, always keep your partners, or in this case teammates, in the loop before making any move" She snapped, turning on her heel curtly to drag a knocked-out goon over to a tree. The others exchanged glances and followed suit.
They didn't talk until all the goons were rounded up and tied to the bases of several large trees.
"I recognise these uniforms" Robin muttered addressing Swift more than anyone else.
"They belong to the cult of the Kobra" she clipped keeping both eyes on their captives. Robin's shoulders hunched sheepishly. She truly was pissed at him.
"I am certain Batman would've mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation," Aqualad spoke up. He was trying to keep the tension at bay but alas it wasn't working.
"Agreed" Robin nodded "And since there's clearly no love lost between the cultist and these goons I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out! That's why normal supply lines have been cut off."
"We get it!" Kid Flash groaned "Kobra wanted super cultists. Mystery solved. Radio Bats and we'll be home in time for-"
"These cultists aren't on venom" Swift snapped and Kid flinched "Kobra's hoarding this stuff" Robin looked up and saw her running an analysis on the blood chemistry of the Kobra goons.
"We don't leave," he said firmly "Not until I know why."
"Until you know why" Kid sneered
"This team needs a leader."
"And it's you?" Kid got offensively close to Robin, who stood his ground "Dude, you're a thirteen-year-old kid who ducked out on us without a word"
"And you're a mature fifteen? You blew our cover first chance you got. Besides Swift left too if you don't remember"
"Yeah, but at least she told one of us where she was going." Kid Flash pointed his finger at her
"Hey, don't drag me into this!" Swift raised her hands, rolling her eyes in annoyance, but Robin continued to glare at Kid Flash.
She backed away as the two boys argued and joined Aqualad who was watching from a distance.
"Do you want to be the leader?" he asked her.
She shook her head "No."
Aqualad looked down on her eyebrows raised "Are you sure?"
"Unlike the two idiots over there Kaldur, I know my limitations. I may be able to keep Robin and KF in line from time to time, but I know for a fact that I'm not suited to lead all of this particular team."
She left it at that, walking over to the captives.
She could've sworn she'd heard one of them speaking in Spanish.
She glanced at Superboy who caught her eye. He gave a pointed look to one of the trees where a large muscled man was tied up. He was well over six feet and was wearing a dark muscle shirt tucked into dark combat pants and had a white and black Lucha Libre mask covering his face.
She walked over to him slowly.
"Bueno, si no es poco chica de Batman. Mi cómo has crecido [Well if it isn't the Batman's little chica? My how you've grown]" The villain smirked as he recognised her.
"Hola, Bane" she greeted coldly in fluent Spanish. "Veo que has sido para nada bueno de nuevo [I see you've been up to no good again]"
"Problema viene con el trabajo. Ya sabes cómo es. [Trouble comes with the job. You know how it is.]" His smirk widened
"De hecho lo hago [Indeed I do]" she narrowed her eyes
"Sabes que siempre me he preguntado por qué una niña como tú querría involucrarse en una profesión tan peligrosa [You know I've always wondered why a little girl like you would want to get involved in such a dangerous profession]"
"Podría decir lo mismo de ti. [I could say the same about you.]"
Bane gave a dark chuckle at her narrowed domino mask. He eyed Kid Flash and Robin as the two argued as they walked past him.
"Such clever, Ninos." he laughed. "But you only know half the story. Let me show you the rest get you into the factory, via my secret entrance" Swift's eyes turned into slits as everyone stopped in their tracks to pay attention.
Miss Martian knelt by Swift's side and focused her mental powers on Bane.
"There is a secret entrance" she glared at him ", but he's also hiding something" her eyes glowed white as she tried once again to enter his mind.
"Ah, ah, ah Chica. Bane is not that easy."
"Argh! He's mentally reciting football scores in Espanol. This could take a while."
"If you let me in I could translate" Swift smirked cracking her knuckles threateningly.
"It's not that complicated. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Swift turned back to the boys who exchanged glances. Eventually, they all nodded.
She cut his bonds. As he was about to stand up, she grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and snarled.
"Si hace doble atreves a cruzar o plomo en la dirección equivocada voy a arrancar las pelotas de la manera más dolorosa imaginable. ¿Ha quedado claro? [If you dare double cross us or lead in the wrong direction I will rip out your balls in the most painful way imaginable. Do I make myself clear?]"
"Transparently clear Chica" Bane smiled, but only with his mouth. His eyes on Swift were dark and calculating. Swift's eyes narrowed dangerously as she pulled Bane to his feet. He brushed her off, but she kept her eyes on his back. She turned to follow him.
The others shuddered behind her back as a chill settled over them that had nothing to do with the night air.
"What did she say?" Kid Flash gulped as they stepped through the undergrowth.
"Trust me" Robin put a hand up to silence Kid "You don't wanna know."
"Is she always angry like this on patrol?" Miss Martian asked nervously.
"Only when she gets pissed off." Robin huffed.
"And whose fault do you think is that?" Kid glared. Robin chose not to answer.
Ten minutes later they came to the edge of another cliff. Robin pulled out his binoculars and watched.
"Look at all that product" he whispered, "A buy is going down, but if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects…"
"We need to identify that buyer" Aqualad stated firmly.
"Just what I was thinking" Kid nodded.
"Yeah! You're the thinker" Robin sneered.
"Sarcasm? Dude, a real leader, would be focused on getting answers."
Swift kept her eyes glued to Bane all the way through the conversation as the latter moved away. She followed him, holding a hand to her utility belt as Bane picked up a giant rock. He threw it aside revealing a hidden tunnel.
"Answers are this way" he smirked.
"After you" he gestured to Swift who didn't move. Instead, she narrowed her eyes.
"Fine then" he scowled. He walked inside, and Swift and the others followed.
"So now El Luchador is our leader!" Kid exclaimed in a huff. Robin smacked him hard.
"Ow!"
Swift glared back at the two of them, and they both shut up.
They walked down the long series of tunnels, Swift sticking closer to Bane than blue tack to a wall. To make sure he wasn't duping them she pulled out her holo-map so whenever he turned around, he would be able to see all their progress.
Eventually, they reached a locked door. Bane pushed a finger onto a pad in the lock which blinked red a couple of times before turning green. It swung open a little, and Robin rushed to peek through.
"All clear" he whispered before rushing forwards.
Swift, let him go, watching as Kid Flash sped off after him to the lights on the second floor. She looked at Aqualad who turned towards her and nodded.
"We'll watch Bane, you go."
"Thanks." she stepped back into the shadows and vanished from sight.
She reappeared only when she stepped into the room above. Robin was sitting at a computer. There was something about the way he was seated that relaxed her slightly.
"Got anything yet?" she asked and was surprised to hear her voice was calm.
"So now you're talking to me?' he snapped not taking his eyes off the screen.
"Oh, is that a crime now? I hadn't noticed." she folded her arms, eyes narrowing.
"Maybe it is. Maybe, if you want to say something so badly why don't you go talk to Kaldur?" he spat his teammate's name as an intense resentment flared up inside.
"Why not? At least he's trying to be responsible and not act like a stuck-up twerp-"
"Hark who's talking." Robin snapped finally turning away from his screen to glower at her as she spluttered.
"Oh, and what's that supposed to mean?
"Don't think I haven't noticed you, seconding Kaldur whenever he gives orders. Sucking up to him when you think our backs are turned-"
"Excuse me? I do not suck up to Kaldur" Swift's nostrils flared angrily, "If you have a problem with him being the team leader, then you should tell him, but don't get mad with me just because I agree with what he's saying."
"I don't have a problem with him leading the team, or you supporting him." Robin groaned as he turned back to his computer to avoid her suspicious gaze. "I just don't like the way he looks at you that's all."
"Oh, and what way is this?" Swift put her hands on her hips.
"I don't know!" Robin growled in aggravation "He just, he looks at you differently from the others-"
"Different how?" Swift frowned, confusion drowning out her anger for a moment.
Robin opened his mouth to speak, only to shut his mouth as Kid Flash skidded into the room.
"So, whatcha guys up to? Apart from y'know the arguing." he grunted as he chewed on one of the various granola bars he had stashed in his belt.
"You heard that, huh?" Swift facepalmed, feeling her cheeks flare up behind her mask.
"Uh-huh, and so did Superboy, Miss M and Aqualad. And I'm pretty sure Bane heard some of it too" Kid Flash shrugged and leaned over Robin's shoulder at the computer. A complex red diagram of molecules spun around on the monitor, the critical proteins in them highlighted.
"So, what did you find?"
"Chemical formulas. I'm guessing it involves venom but…" Robin trailed off.
"This one's venom and that one's… whoa" Kid Flash pulled his hand back sharply as a blue molecular structure appeared and merged with the red.
"The blockbuster formula from CADMUS" Swift breathed eyes wide.
"Mixed correctly Kobra's new juices are going to be three times stronger than venom…and permanent" He looked to Swift and Robin "But how did Kobra get access to Project Blockbuster?"
"Our mystery buyer-" Swift began
"Must also be Kobra's supplier-" Robin continued
"Using the cult to create a blockbuster super formula!" She finished.
Kid raised his eyebrows. Swift and Robin looked away from each other awkwardly. Robin tapped his com.
"Robin to Aqualad! We got…static…"
"And gunfire" Swift had hacked into the security cameras and was watching the screen. She could see Aqualad, Miss Martian and Superboy battling it out against Kobra's minions.
"Bane's gone!" Kid exclaimed pointing at the screen.
"That bastard!" she snarled.
They all ran out of the room, Kid Flash separating from the two of them as they reached the middle of a bridge. Robin nodded at Swift, and they both disappeared into the rafters.
Everyone online
The sudden appearance of Miss Martian's voice in her head almost made Swift lose her footing as she ran along a high, narrow catwalk.
Yeah.
Superboy grumbled in her head.
You know it beautiful
Swift could almost see Kid's smirk in her head.
Good, we need to regroup!
Aqualad commanded.
A bit busy right now
Robin complained as he and Swift landed in front of a man and a woman next to the red helicopter. The man had white chalk skin and snake-like eyes. He was wearing a thick red robe with a hood. The woman next to him was also pale. She was slender and had a kind of goth punk look going for her with her half head of hair and black Kobra tattoo.
"Batman must be desperate if he sends his whelps to task me."
"What's the matter, Koby?" Robin called out.
"You seem rather disconcerted" Swift smirked.
"This is beneath me. Shimmer take them" the woman lunged at the Boy and Girl Wonder who both jumped over her quickly. They readied themselves for an attack.
Robin, Swift NOW!
Aqualad yelled in their heads. Shimmer decided to rush them again. Swift grabbed Robin's hand as she threw down a flash bomb before the woman could reach them. By the time the smoke had cleared, they'd both darted inside the factory.
They landed on a metal support above. Inside was pandemonium. The rattling of machine guns everywhere as the Kobra goons shot at the team, the sounds of snarls and thumps from a strange mammoth sized creature that was fighting Superboy and the constant spraying of water as Aqualad wielded his water bearers.
We need to retreat. Kid clear a path!
Aqualad ordered. Swift scanned the floor.
The door we came through! It's still open!
She mentally called.
"Swift hit the deck!" Robin cried out. Swift ducked as the sprays of bullets that suddenly came their way. There was a loud cacophony of clangs as the bullets hit metal. Quickly she grabbed her partner tight with one hand, while her other aimed her grapple gun.
"Argh! After them!" Shimmer growled as the boy and girl wonder launched themselves from the catwalk and down to land neatly on the ground.
They sprinted in zig-zag formation through the door, dodging bullets, just as the massive behemoth monster wrestled past with Superboy. He flung it to the side, knocking out several gunners in the process, before running through and bolting the door.
But they'd barely been running for a minute when the monster burst through into the tunnel followed by more Kobra goons. They started shooting again.
Swift looked back at the gunmen before glancing up at the ceiling. Aqualad followed her gaze.
"Superboy the support beams!" he called. Swift breathed heavily as she put all her energy into sprinting for her life. She could hear the crunches of the roof as the pressure of the earth above pushed down upon them before it eventually caved in.
They all skidded to a halt as the last pebble stopped rolling.
"Phew" Robin sighed in relief as he slumped against the wall, his thighs burning. Swift, however, was still alert, ears pricking for signs of danger. Yet even as she raised her hand to switch on her mask's night vision, she found herself able to see her surroundings quite clearly even in the dark.
They were all standing in a circle. Swift saw that she was right next to Miss Martian with Superboy and Kid Flash opposite her. Aqualad stood opposite her as he took out a glowstick from his pack, facing Robin who was leaning against the rock wall beside her.
Note to self, check eyes when I get home. She thought just as Robin sighed in frustration.
"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?"
"You do have the most the most experience," Aqualad said calmly. "But perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman and Swift your roles are, defined. You three do not need to talk. But this team is new, and the leader my must be clear, explicit. He cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan."
"Oh! So, I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands?!" Robin whirled around to glare at them all.
Swift went over to him and put a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her
"Kaldur's right Robin. Even I didn't know what you were up to until you reappeared, and we're partners. What if you got shot and we didn't know where you were? What would we do then, hmm?"
Robin's eyes widened. He hadn't thought about it like that.
He felt his earlier irritation with her lessen considerably, and he looked down at the floor.
"Who am I kidding?" he nodded gratefully at Swift before smiling up at Kaldur. "You should lead us Kaldur. You're the only one who can"
"Oh please! I can run in circles-"
"Oh, come on Wally!" Robin cut across the Speedster "You know he's the one. We all do."
"Hello, Megan! It's so obvious" Miss Martian smiled, hands on her hips.
"Could've told ya," Superboy shrugged and smirked.
Kid Flash looked around the circle his eyes resting on Robin and Swift. He saw her eyes narrow, and he shuddered.
"Okay! Okay!" he raised his hands up in token of peace. "Man, it's like having a mini version of Batman around" he grumbled under his breath.
"I'll take that as a compliment" Swift snorted.
Aqualad walked over to Robin and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Then I accept the burden. Until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders."
"What about Swift?" Superboy asked.
"What about me?" Swift leaned around to look at him.
"Well…second to Robin you do have the most experience," Miss Martian said.
"Swift has already expressed her desires not to be team leader" Aqualad turned to address the team "However, since she has shown considerable abilities on the field, I would like to offer her the position as my second in command, if that is alright with you?" he looked down at Robin as he said this.
In the short space of time, he'd come to know him, Aqualad knew that the Boy Wonder was very protective of his partner and she of him. He didn't want to put a wedge between the two of them merely because of a promotion.
He watched as Robin glanced suspiciously at Swift, who just raised her eyebrows. Robin sighed.
"Oh alright, I'll be okay with it as long as you are." The boy wonder grumbled.
"Then I accept" Swift turned to Aqualad smirking.
Aqualad smiled. "Alright, our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving the island."
"Funny I had the same thought!" Robin laughed as they all huddled together.
"What about the factory?" Swift asked.
"What about it?" Kid asked.
"Even if we stop that shipment the factory can still make a new batch of Blockbuster Venom to sell later on."
"True…" Kid nodded. They all began to run along the tunnel.
"But I'm worried. If Sportsmaster is the supplier/buyer that still doesn't make any sense" Swift pulled up her own data to see the molecular structure of Blockbuster Venom.
"You're right" Robin took out his holo-computer on his wrist. "He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster formula or get Kobra to do his dirty work."
"And neither have the chops to blend Blockbuster with Venom either" Kid Flash stated. "That took some major nerdage."
"I believe the expression is the tip of the iceberg" Aqualad stopped in his tracks, and the other's followed suit. Bane had appeared at the end of the tunnel. He dropped a vial on the ground.
"Halt Ninos" he grinned wickedly "I'm feeling explosive."
Swift heard beeping and looked up. Green lights were flickering in the support beams above their heads.
"Bastard" She spat vehemently.
"Ah, ah! Language Chica" Bane waggled a finger.
"You betrayed us? Why?" Aqualad sounded shocked, but then she heard his voice in her head.
Kid, you need a running start
"So, I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying" Bane was continuing to reveal his plans utterly unaware of their mental conversation
God M'gann, I love your telepathy
Swift was glad her mouth was covered because she was grinning.
Miss Martian blushed a little, trying her best to keep her face neutral as Bane finished his speech.
"-Blowing the tunnel with you inside should have the same effect" Bane pressed this thumb down. However instead of pressing a button, it only hit the air.
"huh?" Bane spun round to face Kid Flash who was leaning against a tree behind him.
"With what? This trigger thingy?" he pulled out the trigger from behind his back and smirked.
Bane's face contorted. He rushed at Kid Flash but before he could hit he was lifted into the air. Miss Martian turned him around to face them as Superboy stepped forwards.
"Finally" he grinned readying himself. Bane's eyes widened as he looked at Swift.
"Drop him" she smiled wickedly, folding her arms.
Miss Martian let go.
The four teenage boys peered over a bush looking at the open expanse of the helicopter landing area, in front of the factory.
"There's Sportsmaster" Robin hissed focusing his binoculars as a blond-haired man walked out in a hockey mask.
"You ready?" Kid looked back to Miss Martian and Swift who were both standing hidden in the shadows of the trees. Each was holding a set of the bombs Bane had planted in the tunnel. They both nodded before Miss Martian cloaked herself and Swift slunk off silently into the shadows.
"Kid, go" Aqualad commanded. Kid pulled down his goggles and rushed forwards.
He knocked some goons off their feet, and machine guns immediately rattled. Superboy then jumped into the middle.
The muscled creature he'd been fighting before turned to growl at him.
"Go again?"
The creature snarled and charged forwards before getting hit by a jet of water.
"Sorry, not part of the plan" Superboy smiled at Aqualad who pushed the creature back with the water.
Superboy lurched forwards. Sportsmaster had taken out a gun and was shooting at his back. Thanks to his Kryptonian DNA Superboy wasn't even scratched.
Swift ignored her impulse to help and dragged Miss Martian into the back of the helicopter. She put down the bombs keeping the detonator. Just as they were about to exit, Sportmaster's back blocked them.
Miss Martian bumped into him, and he took her down holding her in a headlock. From her hiding place, Swift leapt up and aimed a kick. Their opponent caught her foot with one hand and using her momentum threw her aside. She crashed into someone, and they rolled to the side.
It was Kobra's female minion, Shimmer. The woman recovered quickly and lunged at Swift who rolled aside as something thin and dark flew their way. It expanded into a thin dark cord and wrapped around Shimmer who fell to the floor.
Swift saw a black-gloved hand enter her field of vision. She looked up at Robin who smiled, pulling her up. They turned to see Kobra standing there glaring at the two of them.
"I know you hate getting your hands dirty" Robin smirked. Swift snorted.
"Only too true" Kobra's glare hardened as he flung his red robe aside, to reveal a bare chest, dark leggings and red arm-gauntlets. "Even a god must stoop to conquer."
Robin quickly sped at Kobra who deflected his kick and ducked as Swift punched at him. He flung each of them aside calmly. Then he noticed the detonator in Swift's hand.
Swift saw where he was looking and looked up at the sky. The helicopter had taken off. She jumped away as Robin aimed a punch at Kobra. She tossed the control.
"Miss Martian!" Miss Martian turned at the sound of her call and caught the detonator. She pressed it.
The back of the helicopter exploded. Swift didn't get to see it land on the factory and explode because Kobra tossed Robin aside and lunged for her, grabbing her around the throat.
He squeezed hard with one hand, and Swift spluttered as she was raised into the air. Robin rushed towards them, eyes alight with fury. Kobra saw him and with his free hand tossed him down to the floor. He pressed his foot into Robin's chest.
"I am plagued by mosquitoes."
"Good" Robin grunted. He could see Swift's face begin to turn blue. "Because this mosquito's mighty concerted about your pain!"
He flicked his legs in a whirling action, freeing himself. He flipped backwards as the other members of the team ran up to his aid.
Kobra narrowed his eyes. He knew he was outnumbered. He loosened his grip on Swift's neck and pulled her into a painful headlock as he stepped backwards.
"Another time then" he shoved Swift towards the ground as he blended into the shadows.
Robin rushed forwards to check the bushes. Kobra was gone.
He turned back to the group. Miss Martian was fussing over Swift who was gulping down vast amounts of air.
"We picked the right guy to lead" Robin looked up at Aqualad. "Automatically making you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman."
Swift resisted the urge to laugh with the others as Aqualad's face turned pale.
Mount Justice, July 23, 10:06 EDT 2010
They were all dressed in civilian clothes and standing in line. Batman strode before them his aura darker than ever.
"A simple recon mission observe and report." He snapped in Kaldur's face. The teenager didn't respond, but his gaze did become a little too concentrated to be considered normal. Batman continued to pace.
"You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes. Until then…"
Christine winced expecting the explosion. She was standing between Kaldur and Dick, with Miss Martian and Superboy at the other end.
"Good job."
She snapped her head up. Batman's posture had relaxed.
"No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success. And how you choose who leads…" he paused looking at Dick in particular. "And who follows in the chain of command…" he looked at Christine "Determines character.
Everyone smiled as Christine piped up.
"So, since we did ok…does this mean I'm not grounded anymore" she grinned hopefully. Following her trip to CADMUS Bruce had confiscated her motorbike the Swift-Cycle for the rest of the month. It had only been two weeks, but Christine's fingers were already itching for the feel of its handles and the wind in her hair.
Batman stiffened as she looked up at him with large puppy dog eyes from behind a new pair of glasses.
"…No" he smirked.
Dick cackled as Christine groaned in defeat.
Great…still grounded.
The Batcave, July 24, 02:34 EST, 2010
Christine Hallows stared tiredly at the Batcave's evidence locker.
She had just finished patrol and was helping Dick pack up the cave for the night while Batman logged their most recent case file. It was late, their rooftop stakeout lasting over three hours as they watched over the entrances and exits to the notorious Iceberg Lounge, before following some thugs into an alleyway and examining what they had left behind. Then once they had finished, Batman had brought them back to the cave, so he could personally observe and train Christine.
After telling him about her newfound night vision, Batman had kept her at a distance from the scenes on patrol and had been drilling her every night, documenting all her progress. Her powers it seemed, were developing exponentially at an alarming rate.
Her nails both on her hands and feet, now were nearly impossible to trim down short, continually growing back stronger and sharper than ever within the hour of cutting them. Then there were her heightened senses. In addition to the night vision, she appeared to be developing some form of echolocation, as her hearing was growing beyond anything humanly possible. Though it still wasn't near developed enough for her to use effectively in the field.
It's bad enough I'm the protégé of a guy who dresses like a bat, but now I seem to be turning into one. What will be next? Will I hang upside down from the ceiling to sleep during the day?
Christine looked down at the dirty spotted handkerchief she had deposited neatly in a sterile plastic zip bag. With a heavy sigh, she trudged into the room, rotating the various carriages and shelves until she found one that was mostly empty, save for a strange white mask.
She put the handkerchief and after assigning it a digital label and closed its small section off, frowning at the mask.
It looked like the face of a pure white barn owl, with round eyeholes and a tapered beak just where the mouth should be.
For some reason, it looked very familiar.
She quickly checked the date it had been catalogued under.
July the eighteenth? But that was barely a week ago. Dad never mentioned finding this?
She reached out to turn the mask over.
It seemed to have been carved out of pure ivory, and there appeared to be no markings nor any engravings of any maker or manufacturer.
I'm sure I've seen this before, but where-
Her thoughts were interrupted as Dick peered around the entrance to the Evidence Locker.
"Hey missy, are you done? We're about to go upstairs-Chris?" Dick blinked as he caught sight of his partner's face which had gone deathly pale.
"Uh, Chris? Are you okay?" he reached forwards to prod her, only to jump back as she snapped:
"I'm fine; you just surprised me."
"What's that?" Dick eyed the white mask warily.
"It's nothing." Christine coughed, putting the mask back on the shelf. "Just evidence from one of Dad's cases."
"It's weird" Dick leaned away from said evidence as if it would come to life and attack him.
"Dick, half the stuff in here is weird." She pointed at the other shelves of evidence that surrounded them. "Now come on, let's get to bed."
They were quick to go upstairs, the two of them tiredly wishing one another goodnight before splitting for their bedrooms.
But Christine did not go at once to bed.
Instead, she quickly rummaged around in her desk drawer, pulling out a massive photo album.
Come on; it's got to be in here somewhere-AHA! There!
She smirked as she finally found what she was looking for, her yellow-orange eyes eerily bright as they scanned the photo in the semi-darkness of her room.
It was of her when she was about seven years old, on the day of her First Holy Communion, if she remembered rightly. She was wearing a fancy white dress and beaming excitedly, alongside a tall, lean, handsome man with short brown hair. His eyes were a warm brown, just like hers had been before Cadmus, and his smile was broad as he held his little girl up in his arms.
They appeared to be standing in a study, his study, she reminded herself as she traced her fingers over the wall in the background of the photograph.
There were various masks, some primitive tribal ones, a couple of samurai helmets and ancient Chinese masks too and-
"There you are" She whispered excitedly as she leaned down to squint at the mask half hidden behind father's head. A plain white mask that looked like an owl's face.
"Papa?" she could hear her seven-year-old-self ask curiously in the back of her head. "Why do you have so many masks?"
"Masks? You mean the ones behind my desk?" her father had smiled patiently down at her as she nodded. "Oh, they're just antiques I've collected from travelling all over the world. They're from ancient places like Japan, Zimbabwe-"
"But that one doesn't look that old" she had exclaimed, pointing up to the white mask that sat high above his chair.
"Which one?" her father had asked,
"The white one up there. Where did it come from? What is it? It looks like an owl-"
"Christine." Her father clipped across her sternly "it's getting late. You should get to bed", And that was all was said on the matter.
The now teenage Christine, leaned away from the photograph, scratching her chin. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten about that mask. Then again, she had rarely been allowed in her father's study as a little girl. There were a lot of things from her father's house that she'd forgotten about after coming to live at Wayne Manor four years ago.
Now that she thought about it, the mask had vanished from the wall the very next day after that conversation.
So how did it reappear in the evidence locker? Where did Dad get it from?
Little did she know that her mentor/godfather was thinking the same thing as he sat, in the depths Batcave, far down below.
And that is Episode 4 done.
I think you guys can start to see the new pairing peering over the proverbial wall. Can you guys guess what it is? Dick and Christine are both still very close to one another, but it's close sibling love instead.
Christine's also starting to figure out her new powers. They are nowhere near perfect, but she's only just starting to get used to the changes. So far there is Night Vision, Echolocation and sharp claw-like nails. And then there's the strange mask from Episode 3? What will it hold for Swift's future and why is it in her photo album. As strange as it sounds, there is a method to my madness and all will be explained as we progress further into this fic ;)
Anyways I hope you enjoyed, and if you have any interesting suggestions or thoughts put them in a review.
Cheers
FuzzyBeta
