M'gann sat on her bed in silence. This was where she had been in the few days since the rescue mission when she had had a run in with Kaldur and Renegade...no not Renegade, Nightwing.
She couldn't get the look he had given her out of her head, the look of regret, pity and disappointment all rolled into one. And then there was what she had done to Kaldur, who she now knew was not a traitor, but a double agent and had been working with Nightwing all this time.
In some ways things were starting to make more sense, like how Artemis had suddenly become so informed about the Reach's movements and the whereabouts of Beast Boy and the others. But in so many other ways it didn't make sense at all. Why hadn't Nightwing informed her of the plan? She understood why he didn't say anything to the younger members of the team, but she had been one of the original six. She had been there for him through everything, when he was kidnapped by Deathstroke, when he fought with Batman to the point that he disappeared and then returned a few months later as Nightwing. He had cried on her shoulder after the death of his brother, so why had he let her go through the pain and heart break of thinking he was dead?
"Angelfish?" She had been so lost that she hadn't even heard Lagan enter the room. She looked up at him with a blank expression "Are you alright?" She nodded and forced herself to smile.
"It was just a little stressful seeing Kaldur again after what he did to..." she trailed off; she knew she couldn't tell him the truth but she couldn't outright lie to him. Thankfully she didn't have too.
"I understand. Artemis wants to see you in the computer room; she says she has a mission for us."
At that he left and after taking a moment to centre herself, she went to follow. Outside her door Connor was lent against the wall.
"So you're lying to him as well now?" M'gann stared for a moment before choosing to ignore him and walked away but he followed "I know there's something going on M'gann. You can hide it from fish boy, but I know you too well, something happened on the mission and I want you to tell me what it is!" he took hold of her arm, not in a tight grip, but just enough so that she would have to slop and face him.
"I don't know what you're talking about Connor. Now if you would be so kind as to let go of my arm, I have to go and see Artemis about a mission." She said these words with no emotion and a cold hard face, in slight shock at her shut down Connor did as she asked and watched her walk away.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Artemis looked over her shoulder as M'gann entered the room.
"I have a mission for you and Lagoon Boy. There's been some disturbance at these coordinates, from the reading I'm getting I believe it could be the work of the Reach, I need you two to go check it out."
"We're on it." Lagan was as ever eager to get going, but M'gann couldn't help but see Artemis is a new light. Did she know Nightwing wasn't dead? If so, what was she sending herself and Lagoon Boy into find?
"Are you coming Angelfish?"
"Yeah, I'm coming."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
In all his years as a hero Dick had been in many tight situations and felt fear in a way everyday people hoped to never feel. But in all those years he had never felt as he did now, it wasn't fear per say, but more tension and anxiety so strong it made him feel physically sick. He couldn't quite believe he was feeling these feeling just by being sat next to one man.
Renegade took a second to glance over at his new commander. Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke the Terminator and the tormentor of his childhood.
"You seem nervous Renegade," the sudden talk startled the younger man, "Is there something you wish to share?" He could hear the mocking in the older man's voice.
"I am fine," he said straightening himself up slightly and trying desperately to keep his hands from shaking. "So vat is dis plan of yours?"
"It is quite simple, we have alerted the archer to our presence here, she will send someone here to deal with the problem, if the martain is with them we take her, if she is not we take someone else and use them as a hostage for the martin to come to us." Renegade nodded, but internally he was letting out a silent sigh of relief that he knew the second plan would not be executed. Artemis would make sure it was M'gann what came here.
As if on cue the zeta beam became active and Miss M and Lagoon Boy exited from the light.
"We're here Artemis. What is it we are looking for?" he heard M'gann say into her commlink, but instead of a reply form Artemis he heard a low chuckle from the man sat next to him.
"Show time."
oOoOoOoOoOo
M'gann looked around the junk yard their new leader had sent them too. There didn't seem to be anything here.
"We're here Artemis. What is it we are looking for?"
"I'm not entirely sure, have a scope round and see if you can see anything alien or out of place." M'gann cut off the link and stretched her mind across the yard to see if she could pick anything up, by the time she felt the strange presence it was already too late. The man in black with the orange mask attacked and falling into a quick roll was all she could do to stop herself being injured by him. She looked up from the floor into the face that was above her.
"Slade," she said through gritted teeth, the last time she had seen this man was when she was helping the Justice League rescue Robin from his clutches.
"Martian," her eyes glowed green as she prepared to attack, but Slade raised a hand and waved his finger back and forth. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." The next thing she knew she was being kicked from the side.
"Hey back off!" Lagoon Boy ran at their attackers but the new man on the scene quickly sent him flying back against a steel crate leaving the Atlantian unconscious. Renegade grinned.
"You're mixing with a rougher crowd aren't you Renegade?" said M'gann returning to her feet and rubbing the side of her face where the Russian had kicked her.
"Vell, vat choice did I have? After you left my Master in such a state?" he shrugged by M'gann could feel the waves of fear rolling off him. But of course she thought, Renegade may put up a strong uncaring front but inside he was Nightwing, the man who feared no one as much as he did Deathstroke.
"What do you need Nightwing?" She said through the mind link.
"I need you to help bring Kaldur back. Until he's back in command I have to work under Slade and I fear it won't be long before he works out who I really am."
"Alright."
"We still need to make this fight look good though." M'gann levitated up a car and through it in Renegades direction at such speed that Renegade only just managed to dodge it.
"Ok not that good."
Once again she elevated objects around the yard and shot them in his direction, Renegade dodge them and ran behind Slade letting him deal with the floating items while he then attacked the martain from the side, knocking her to the floor with his electrified bow staff before clipping a collar around her neck.
"Nicely done," said Slade coming to stand next to his new accomplice.
"I try my best."
"You must have gone through some extensive training to be able to dodge things that fast, you remind me of someone I knew some time ago." Renegade froze, but tried to keep his breathing steady.
"And who vould dat be?" Slade shrugged before turning to walk back to their transport leaving the younger to deal with their captive.
"Just someone from the past, he's gone now so it doesn't matter."
"No tell me." The stood at the entrance of the air craft Renegade stood with M'gann over his shoulder looking at the older man with baited breath. Deathstroke didn't turn round but he did answer.
"Batman."
A/N Another Chapter has arrived! Sorry, once again, that it took so long. I'm on Christmas break now so I should have more time to spend on writing this story. Until next time, please review. Karin x
