Last chapter!
Thanks so much for reading this! Thanks for everyone who favourited and followed, and thank you slyside, inthenightguest and LadyNoir1987 for taking the time to review. It meant the world to me!
LadyNoir1987: Like you, due to copious amounts of fanfiction, I was under the impression that Robin was Rromani (Romania is a country, Romani is a people - Romanian is a Romance language and the languages of the Romani people are actually closer related to Hindi (I think)). Anyway, Dick Grayson is a 1/4 Romani but grew up in America. According to my research, at most, Dick knew some Romani sayings - think of it like your parents have a different first language, but you grew up as a monolingual English speaker - you will still know how to swear right alongside your parents. ;) I really wanted to work in some Robin/KF fluff, but I tried to actually keep it canon (haha, fanfiction). Thanks for asking, though, and I hope the tiny hint at Robin/KF fluff appeases you.
Mount Justice
November 5 ('Misplaced' elaboration/AU)
Icy water splashed across her face, causing goose bumps to pebble up Artemis' arms. It didn't help the pounding headache just behind her eyes, but the water succeeded in chasing some of the fog from her mind. She needed coffee. Extra strong coffee.
With wet fingers, she combed her thick blonde hair back and snapped an elastic tightly around a ponytail. Lastly, she pulled her mask up and took a deep breath. Her reflection stared at her with vacant eyes. Honestly, the lack of adults didn't affect her personally as much as it did the others. But if she had to see one more tear streaked toddler, desperately seeking to be tucked in by a parent, she was going to scream.
Wincing at her thoughts, which sounded more selfish than she intended, the image that truly tested her breaking point flashed behind her eyes: Wally, a toothy grin swallowing his face, playing tag with a gaggle of kids ranging from toddler to teen. Wally, laughing, tripping on purpose so that a disabled girl in a wheelchair could tag the top of his fiery head. Wally, with thunder in his eyes, because his family was missing and there was nothing he could do about it. Wally, with hands that clenched whenever he thought nobody was looking, cracking a joke a split-second later to make a tentative smile bloom on the face of a little boy Connor had found in an empty house. Artemis had lightly bandaged the same boy's arm minutes before where a nasty second-degree burn, caused by boiling water splashing from a dropped kettle, would no doubt leave a scar. The little boy couldn't be more than five but refused to cry even though Artemis knew how much burns hurt.
Now, back in Mount Justice, they were all getting ready in their respective rooms to take the fight to the root of whatever the hell this was. Magic. She could not help the acrid metallic tang of hate that stained the back of her mouth. Suddenly, she saw Wally's protests in a new light. It was difficult to fight against something you didn't understand.
Speaking of… after this was all over, she could not wait to hear Wally explain his way out of this one.
The red light of the intercom flashed above her door. A call to arms. Artemis left to answer.
Standing in the centre of the mission room, Robin ruffled a hand through his hair. By the state of the well-developed crow's nest on top of his head, he must have been doing it a lot. No doubt exhausted and frustrated, yet he still had a job to do. In front him, the Team waited. Artemis walked over to join the rest of them.
She gave them all a subtle once-over, checking for injuries. Just a bunch of tired teenagers in colourful costumes. If the villains could see them now. But they were ready to risk their lives nonetheless. Only Robin was still in civilian clothes.
"Okay…." Robin trailed off, momentarily losing track of his thoughts. His eyes flickered to Aqualad, who reassured him with a smile. Robin was to take point on this mission briefing, stepping up to fill Batman's still-too-big boots. A mission that hinged on the slight possibility that Zatanna would be able to figure out and recreate her father's spell.
"Okay," he started again, this time with more confidence, and took a deep breath. "We have personally established refugee centres in most of the major cities across the US. I have contacted all the other teenage metas, magicians, small-time heroes on Batman's watchlist and they have also formed assembly points in their respective countries and cities. I have hacked all the Justice League satellites, so whilst Zatanna-" he nods at her back across the room, where she furiously rewound and replayed the clip of her father- "figures out where this magic originated from, we need to get a message out to the rest of the world to give hope and some semblance of control."
"Understood," Aqualad's voice was steady and calm, yet he was unable to hide the weary lines pulling taut around his eyes. "Once we are done with the recording, I would like to continue trying to reach Atlantis. We need help to check for boats lost at sea and although our magic is vastly different, perhaps some of the Atlantean magicians could offer Zatanna some assistance."
"I'll take all the help I can get!" Zatanna called over her shoulder whilst the recording rewound for what felt like the hundredth time.
Robin's hand strayed towards his hair again, but he caught himself just in time. "Thank you," he directed at Aqualad. He turned to the display that was hovering behind him, his agile fingers flying over the screen, opening and closing tabs. "I have typed out a basic draft of what needs to be said. Aqualad, Kid Flash and I will record the message since we're the heroes the world is most familiar with."
His eyes scanned the room once, making eye-contact with each of the young heroes in turn. "Alright, let's go." Robin turned to the main screen and pulled up the video recorder.
"Hey, Rob," Kid Flash sped over to his friend and draped an arm around his shoulders. Subtly shifting the younger hero away from the main screen, he gave Rob a small push towards the sleeping quarters. "You might want to go change first," Kid remarked with a small smile.
"I was on my way," Robin grumbled, but instead of sounding angry or annoyed, he sounded more like a disgruntled toddler woken from a nap. Not that Artemis would ever point it out.
Whilst Robin changed into his uniform and Zatanna continued working on her spell, the rest of the team went to make coffee. Well, minus Kid Flash. He stared longingly at the steaming cup of liquid energy M'gann offered him, but shook his head. He needed calories, not empty stimulants.
Sipping on her hot drink, which was just a bit too sweet and extra milky, warmth and awareness slowly seeped back into her body. Together with M'gann and Conner, she sat at the kitchen island and stared as Wally concocted the most chocolatey hot chocolate in the history of chocolate. Made with chocolate chips and half a dozen scoops of chocolate flavoured protein powder, the drink was a massive, gooey mess. He gulped it down in seconds.
Robin, having changed into his uniform, suddenly appeared next to them. The little ninja. "Any for me?"
It took all her training to not reflexively jump a foot into the air as his voice sounded next to her. Mechanically, Artemis shoved his cup towards him. Black with three sugars. Yuck.
"Let's get started then," Aqualad, ever the voice of reason, called everyone to action. A cup of green tea in his hand, he pushed himself away from the doorframe and headed back to the main mission room. Like little ducklings, the rest of the team dutifully followed.
Positioning themselves at Aqualad's flanks, Robin and Kid Flash completed the image that would be broadcasted to the world. The original trio - kids stepping up to volunteer for the weight of the world.
Robin began recording.
"Attention, children and teenagers of Earth. I am Aqualad. These are my friends, Robin and Kid Flash…."
The tiny hairs all over her body stood to attention. Even she, the normally unflappable Artemis, could not deny the sheer epic-ness of the moment.
"We are using Justice League tech to cast and stream to every TV, radio, computer, and smartphone on the planet."
"We know you must be scared and angry. We know that with your parents missing there's a temptation to run wild. But please, stay calm."
"We will find a way to bring the adults back. But for now, the oldest among you must step up."
"Take care of your younger siblings. Take care of kids who have no-one."
As if at an invisible cue, Aqualad stepped back, allowing Kid Flash to step forward.
"Protect them." Kid Flash had never sounded more serious. His eyes were intense, emeralds set in stone, almost like he was willing his order to echo within the minds of every child who heard it. As if he was personally speaking to each and every individual left on the planet. His voice was steel, filled with utter conviction.
Artemis could only stare in admiration. She might have been training since she could walk, but KF knew people – he knew how to connect with that inner part of a person that yearned to be a hero. Kid Flash inspired people.
"… Protège-les. …"
French. With no less confidence. Artemis' eyes threatened to swallow her face whole.
"… Baohu tamen. …"
Mandarin.
"… Beschützen sie. …"
German.
*"… himayatiha…"
A mystery.
*"… Protegelos…"
Spanish.
*"… unakee raksha karen …"
She could not even hope to guess.
*"… kuwahifadhi…"
Was he making words up?
"It is up to you."
The recording ended. A moment of silence stretched through the cavern like taffy.
Artemis couldn't help it. "You speak German?" Her voice, slightly shrill, shattered through the quiet. Her brain had decided to fixate on that little nugget for some unfathomable reason and spat it out before she could reign it in.
Somehow, French didn't surprise her. She could just imagine Kid studying French just for flirting purposes. German, though. What would be his motivation for that?
"Of course," Kid Flash almost seemed offended, his lips pulling to one side as if he'd tasted something foul. "It's one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. And anyone who's serious about science at least knows some German." He made it sound as if the ability to speak a different language was like learning how to walk – instinctual, obvious; like the need to know another language was a necessity or like breathing – self-explanatory.
Artemis was literally at a loss for words.
Robin worked on some techy stuff to get the video broadcasting in a loop and Aqualad had already faded into the background, presumably still trying to contact Atlantis.
"Done and done," Robin announced, his voice breaking through her reverie. He tapped the last button with a flourish. Behind him played a muted version of the video the trio had just recorded.
"Wally, I need you to see if you can reach out to your contacts in South Africa. I've gotten a few responses from contacts in Asia, and there's a water-based meta helping control runaway fires in Australia. Russia is off the grid for some reason. I believe they had protocols in place or something. Africa, though, the rioting, looting, violence… it makes the Gotham slums look like a stroll in the park." Horrific posts from desperate children flicked across the centre screen. "We can't spare anyone to send there- "
An image of a shopping district popped onto the screen. Kristallnacht came to mind.
"-but if we can somehow establish a safe zone- "
A short video opened. The quality was grainy, but the burning car could easily be identified. And so could the muted thumps and screams from inside. Robin switched the screen to a social media engine before they could see the end.
"-it's the best we can do."
"Sure thing," Kid Flash's voice broke, trembling. With horror? Rage? Fear? Artemis could only guess, assuming it was a cocktail of the same emotions that had made her breath hitch somewhere between her ribs. "I'm on it." He sped off.
Artemis watched him go, wishing that she could run away from her own mind as easily as he disappeared from the room. M'gann was nowhere in sight and Artemis hoped the sensitive Martian had left before the last of the images. By the morose way Superboy was glaring at his feet and Robin's rigid posture, it was safe to assume their thoughts were filled with the same heated darkness. She could only imagine what it would feel like to have to deal with everyone else's emotions as well as her own.
The Boy Wonder was still reading through strings of posts and pleas. Why did he feel the need to punish himself?
Swallowing a frustrated scream, Artemis stepped up to the screen and closed it. "There's nothing you can do for them." It came out harsher than she expected, but harshness was what he needed. Probably just firmness. But with her own thoughts in turmoil, that was the best she could offer. "Rather focus on what you can do, as in, fixing the world." She didn't know if that was any better. It seemed too blasé. Hey, forget about the little people, think about the bigger picture. She didn't particularly like that way of thinking.
To distract him and to finally satisfy her own burning curiosity, she bluntly asked, "How is he able to speak so many languages?" There. It seemed almost funny how painless it was. Her brain was too tired for subtlety and she was way past being frustrated. The past few weeks had been killer – literally – and all she wanted was a warm shower, a soft bed, and a straight answer.
Robin tore his gaze from the screen and tried to smile. "Impressive, isn't it?" He merely succeeded in looking as if someone had stepped on his cat. Giving him a few moments to gather the broken pieces reflected within his eyes, Artemis waited patiently for her answer. Usually, Robin's poker face was impeccable, but clearly, even the Batman's protégé was starting to crack. Still, it was only because she'd spent too much time with the younger boy and her own fractured reflection, that she could see the subtle signs.
A deep breath later, and the mask slipped back into place. Robin shrugged, all too happy to move on to a different topic. Any other topic. "It's simply another benefit of living life in the fast lane, I guess. He's naturally smart; only a science prodigy would be able to recreate the Flash's experiment at thirteen from the notes of that absentminded man." Artemis heard the fond smile behind the words.
"But the languages thing only really became of consequence once he could literally visit every country in the world within a day. It's a necessity for a speedster, to be honest. I mean, what if he got stuck in a different country during a mission? Or accidentally overshot a location by a country or two? It would help to be able to speak the language."
Artemis nodded mostly to herself, internalising the newfound information. That made sense. If she could easily pick up more languages, she most certainly would. The possibilities it offered for covert missions were tantalising. She couldn't really see Wally being covert, though. She could, however, picture him running out of fuel in a small village somewhere in China and begging an old lady for a bowl of rice. But still….
"I know Wally could also speak Japanese, Italian and Portuguese, and he learned Afrikaans two years ago when his family went to South Africa, for a wedding, but because he doesn't practice, he quickly lost his fluency. His brain is like a sponge. A superfast, superabsorbent sponge that can soak up a lot of info in a small amount of time, but if he doesn't use it every day, the info 'drains' away just as quickly. He has to actively maintain the languages he wants to keep, so he makes a point of practicing them whenever he can."
"Okay, that explains the Mandarin, Spanish, French, German and whatever other two languages-"
"Three. Hindi, Arabic and Swahili."
"-he spoke, but what about Vietnamese? And Atlantean could be used for diplomatic reasons, but we literally only have two Martians on Earth- Oh, never mind that last one. He probably just wanted to get into M'gann's good graces." She ended up huffing.
Robin frowned. "He actually thinks his ridiculous flirting works, so no. It's not just to impress a girl." He paused. "Let me put it this way: He only learned Atlantean when we formed the team, Martian only because of M'gann, and how many people do you know who speaks Irish? But when KF found out my real identity, his brain somehow jumped to the conclusion that I was Irish. So, under the false delusion that I am Irish, he learned it. And if Superboy could speak Kryptonian, he'd be pestering the poor guy to teach him. Do you see the pattern?"
Artemis stifled the urge to rub at her eyes. She really was not in the mood for puzzles. "Irish?" Maybe Robin's real surname was Mac-something. She couldn't really imagine any other reason for Kid to conclude that Robin was Irish. But that wasn't the issue right now.
Focus. Martian for M'gann, Irish for Robin and he would know Kryptonian if Superboy spoke it. He learned Atlantean when the Team was founded because he knew he'd be interacting with Kaldur daily. An idea niggled at the back of her mind, clawing at misty curtains of sleep deprivation to be heard. That would mean… the Vietnamese….
Oh.
Oh! Artemis' eyes widened in surprise, shock and yes, admittedly, a fraction of delight. "He learns the first languages of his team members!"
Robin grinned at her. "No, friends. I believe that in Wally's mind, learning the native language of somebody is the best way of making them a part of his 'internal' family. It is a bit of a roundabout way of doing it, but welcome to the weird, wacky and wonderful world of a speedster's logic."
Talk about dropping an emotional bomb. "Well… that's nice." It was a lame response. Artemis was sure that Robin saw straight through it. Her only hope was that he didn't know absolutely everything about her... and her past.
"I'm actually kind of sad Superboy doesn't know Kryptonian, 'cause that would have been a funny thing to see," he joked, and Artemis could not imagine what would be worse; Wally pestering Superboy, who would undoubtedly refuse, or Wally trying to get Superman to teach him. "I don't understand the Vietnamese, though. Sorry."
Artemis settled on an expression she hoped was somewhere between disinterest and thoughtfulness. She wasn't too sure how that would look, but it was better than showing the utter relief she was feeling at the knowledge that Robin did not know everything about her. "Maybe his family plans on vacationing in Vietnam. More coffee?"
"Maybe," Robin mused. "And yes, that would be great."
Grateful for the chance to get away and have a second to collect her thoughts, she headed towards the kitchen. "Coffee, Zatanna?" She called out over her shoulder. If she'd bothered to look back, she might have seen the little troll shaking with silent laughter, thoroughly entertained by his teammates' obliviousness.
"Yes, please!"
Suddenly, a bleep from the main computer echoed throughout the cave.
DETECTED – ACCESS REQUEST – FAWCETT CITY: DENIED
She cast a suspicious glance towards the portal entrance.
Behind her, Robin muttered to himself, "That's weird. Someone's trying to access the watcht- … chamacallit. Who-"
DETECTED – ACCESS REQUEST: OVERRIDE – FAWCETT CITY: DENIED
"-the hell?"
Leaving the Boy Wonder to deal with whoever or whatever was trying to access the cave since all the Justice League affiliated heroes under eighteen were accounted for, Artemis trusted her feet to remember the way to the kitchen Her mind was far too busy, twirling and spinning the same thought over and over. He learned it for her. For her. He learned Vietnamese for her.
Had Wally really learned Vietnamese just for her? Her chest felt too small and too warm.
Family. That's what Robin had said. A part of her, the little girl who'd been abandoned one too many times, poked at the word with distrust. And another part, the daughter of a homicidal maniac, bared her teeth in denial.
But most of her, the person she was slowly becoming, clung to the word like a life raft.
Contrary to what she'd always believed, she clearly could choose her own family. She was surrounded by living, breathing proof. And anyway, it seemed they'd already made the decision for her.
From cookies to static to a leader's approval. From secrets to jokes to basic survival. Through death and sacrifice. They had all chosen her and she was sure as hell going to choose them back. This was her odds-and-ends, quilted-together, little family. And wrath be upon anyone, upon anything, willing to threaten what was hers.
*Unfortunately, I do not know Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic or Swahili, so I used Google translate (the horror!). If you can correct me, please do - I hate it when people butcher my languages, so please don't hesitate - I'll correct it asap.
I chose Irish because there is a relatively large Irish community in America (infamously connected to their own gangs and mob, if you want to go together), Grayson is definitely Northern Europe, Haly (as in Haly's circus) could definitely be Irish, and Mary, John, and Richard are all really standard English names. Don't know how Wally jumped to that conclusion, but he's always struck me as overeager. And come on, Wally's a red-head. If I were him, I'd learn it just to mess with people who stereotype me. ;)
Thanks for reading.
