BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. YOUNG JUSTICE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY OC'S DO, AND I'M PAYING THEM TO STAY THAT WAY… INGRATES WANTED TO JOIN MARVEL, FOR SOME REASON.
Do you know what today is? It's New OC Day! That's right, we get a new original character in this chapter!
Unlimited Justice, Part 1
Chapter 6
Infiltrator
Infinity Island, August 7, 23:49 ECT
This is the most boring assignment in the world, a guard thought as he watched for a nonexistent intruder alongside his partner. He knew that he wasn't supposed to talk during guard-duty, but at that point, he didn't care; he needed something to do besides stare at sand and rocks.
"Hey," he said to his partner.
"Yeah?" the other man said, in as bored a tone as the first guard felt.
"You ever wonder why we're here?"
The other man looked at him through his night-vision goggles. "That's one of life's big mysteries, isn't it? I mean, why are we here? Do we choose our own path, or are we the pawns in some big, cosmic game? Is some God controlling us, or is there even a God at all? I don't know, man… but it keeps me up at night."
The first man stared at him. "What the hell are you talking about? I asked why we were here, on this island. I mean, we're in the middle of nowhere, nobody knows where this place is, and we have enough automated defenses that having actual guards is pointless. And all of it is for, what, some scientist who makes tiny robots? Big freaking whoop."
The second guard looked down for a second before answering. "Well, we have the scientist lady here because we didn't want anyone to find her. Isn't that obvious?"
"Well, duh; I still think we could have left it to the automated defenses." He shot his partner a sidelong glance. "So… what was all that talk about God?"
"Nothing…"
"No, I want to know what you talking abou—wait, do you hear that?"
The second man looked around. "I don't see anything."
"That's why I said hear, idiot."
"Well, I don't hear anything, either; what does it sound like?"
"It sounds like a… whistling, no, two things whistling, I guess," the first man said, "And it's getting louder, almost like something is headed right for us."
As soon as he said that, a pair of red-painted arrows whizzed down, both hitting the men in the center of their chests. For a second, the men thought they were dead, but when they only felt a slight impact, they grinned at each other behind their ski-masks.
"Thank you, body-armor!" they said together, before the electric charge in each arrow shorted out their nervous systems, knocking them out.
A young-looking man in a tight-fitting, red-and-black outfit stepped over the unconscious duo, and quickly made his way to the outer wall of the fortress at the center of the island. Seeing no one nearby, he pulled an arrow from his quiver and nocked it on his bow; the arrow flew up with a line trailing behind, and deployed a drill-and-hook to secure it.
The man began singing 'Secret Agent Man' to himself in a whisper as he began to climb the wall.
Once he got to the top, he quietly knocked out one guard in his way, then ran to the far end of the complex, where he shot another man with a tazer-arrow. The man fell to the ground, twitching; the archer pulled the unconscious man to safety, then placed a few explosives on the door.
A few seconds later, the door blew apart; the archer rushed in, knocking out the stunned guards inside, much to the amazement of the room's sole conscious occupant, a slender woman with short, blond hair, large glasses and a white lab coat. She was cautiously coming out from behind her flimsy cover of a desk and a computer, but looked ready to duck behind it again if the archer tried to attack her.
"Doctor Roquette?" the archer asked her.
"Yes…" the woman said shakily, "Please tell me that you're the advance-guy."
"The only guy," the archer corrected her, "Now, where's The Fog?"
Roquette sighed. "It's not here."
The archer froze. "What?"
"They took it an hour ago," Roquette explained.
"Are you kidding me!?" the man raged, "I've been going Sam Fisher on these guys for, like, five islands now, and you're telling me that it was all for nothing!?"
"What about rescuing me!?" Roquette asked, incredulous; the archer eyed her uncertainly.
"I don't know," he said, "What makes you more important than The Fog?"
"My designs in nano-robotics can cure cancer!" Roquette snapped.
"Well, I don't have cancer," the archer said nonchalantly, "Try again."
Roquette seethed. "If I could get somewhere with Internet-access, I could track down and maybe disable The Fog."
The archer seemed to consider it for a moment, then shrugged.
"Yeah, okay."
He pulled out an explosive arrow and aimed it at the wall; the shot blew a sizable hole in the stone. The archer gestured for Roquette to come over to him; once she did so, he fired a zip-line arrow into the trees below, grabbed the doctor and zipped down to the ground. The two of them ran for the beach, when the archer suddenly made a left turn, heading for a boat that was docked at a pier.
"Was all this part of your plan!?" Roquette shrieked as she dove head-first into the boat, as bullets from pursuing soldiers whizzed overhead; the archer ignored her for a moment as he started up the boat and began heading towards the open ocean.
"Actually, the boat was improvised—I swam here."
Roquette looked up and noticed a tiny piece of seaweed in his hair; the man wasn't kidding! The archer then grinned at her and held up a detonator in one hand.
"This part, however… this part I planned."
His thumb came down on the red button; five seconds later, the shooting suddenly stopped, and five second after that, a massive explosion rocked the island.
I may have just been saved by the craziest hero on the planet, Roquette thought to herself.
…
Mount Justice, August 8, 09:58 EDT
It was a beautiful summer morning in Rhode Island, perfect for a day at the beach—which was exactly what four of the six members of the Team were doing. All of them were clad in swimsuits—even Rex, who didn't even swim, due to his wings—and had plenty of food and other things used at the beach.
M'gann took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with ocean air. "Hello, Megan! We should hit the beach every day!"
Jason grinned at her for a moment, before bowing his head in mock-remorse. "First, a moment of silence for our absent comrades."
M'gann's face fell a little. "Ken, Barry… those poor boys."
Unlike the others, Ken and Barry had to go to school that day; Jason would have been at his school as well, but it was currently undergoing repairs after the fight with Amazo-2. Rex was homeschooled, while M'gann and Conner hadn't been put into the system by Batman, so they weren't going to school for a while longer.
Still, the fate of their teammates didn't stop the rest of them from enjoying their fun as the morning stretched into the afternoon.
…
In Central City, Barry found his first day of school to be boring, uneventful and worst of all, to a speedster, anyway, slow. He couldn't wait to get out that boring school and back to Mount Justice; with any luck, he'd be able to make it to at least part of the beach party and, more importantly, see M'gann in a swimsuit…
"Mister Allen!" Barry looked up from his daydreams and at his math teacher, who raised an eyebrow at him.
"I hope you were paying attention, because this is important."
Barry suppressed a groan. Being on a beach with M'gann would have to wait; even a superhero could get stymied by algebra, it seemed.
…
San Francisco, 08:30 PDT
Ken, meanwhile, was having a much more enjoyable day at school. It wasn't because the lessons were particularly interesting—they weren't—but after everything that had happened over the last month with the Team, he hadn't had a chance to hang out with his two best friends. Those same friends had been waiting for him at his high school's entrance and ran at him the second he came into view.
"Ken!" Valerie Sage cried out, tackling Ken in a hug, which he returned, making sure not to accidentally hurt her.
Valerie was sixteen, almost seventeen, and was already considered one of the most—if not the most—attractive girls in school, with flawless skin and slender yet athletic form. She was slightly above-average in height, only a few inches shorter than Ken. Her long, black hair came down to the middle of her back, while her bangs curled around her eyes, which could make any boy feel weak in the knees at the merest wink.
The other teens who passed by gave them weird looks as they passed; Ken was known as a quiet geek for the most part, and yet he had somehow garnered the attention of a knockout like Valerie. If anyone observed them, however, it would have been obvious that the two were just friends, comfortable enough with hugging each other without being embarrassed.
The boys who figured that out immediately wondered if that meant that they had a shot with Valerie, but no one ever did, for two reasons. First, because Valerie shot them down each time, and she shot them down hard; the second reason was actually running up to the two hugging teens and lifting them in the air with muscular arms.
"Hey!" Ken laughed, "Put us down, Victor; you're gonna kill us, you maniac!"
Victor Stone, an African-American boy of sixteen years, was a giant, almost seven feet tall, with huge, rippling muscles. His head was shaved, which meant there was no hair to muss as he threw his head back and laughed. Like everything Vic did, it was loud and drew the attention of everyone in the vicinity.
Why Victor was the reason that boys tended to avoid swarming over Valerie like rabid piranhas was simple: more than one of those boys had ended up beaten, bruised and often in a trashcan after Vic was done with them. He wasn't Valerie's boyfriend, but acted more like an older brother, especially when someone wanted to ask her out; so far, no one had met his standards.
Once again, people were stumped at the sight of three people who never should have mixed like they had. Victor was the star football player and son of a brilliant STAR Labs scientist, while Valerie was the pale-skinned beauty whose past nobody could figure out, and Ken was the geek who always wore long sleeves, even in the summer. Yet, inexplicably, in the face of high school prejudices, those three had bonded in a way that no one could figure out.
Victor's laughter finally subsided, and he lowered the two to the ground. Ken held out his hand expectantly.
"I assume that one of you got my schedule for the semester?" he asked, smiling.
Valerie smiled back and handed him a sheet of paper. "How you talk us into doing this every year, I'll never know."
Ken shrugged. "Because after you do, I always tell you what I did over the summer."
Valerie and Victor looked at each other knowingly.
"And I'm guessing you'll explain why we haven't been able to get in touch with you for almost a month?"
Ken looked around, satisfied that no one was looking at them anymore. "Not now; during lunch, okay?"
…
During lunch, in a secluded corner of campus that the trio liked to use for privacy, Ken told them about what had happened, starting with Genesis, meeting Superboy, and everything that had happened since.
Neither Valerie nor Victor were surprised that Ken was a superhero; they had found out five years earlier, when Ken had saved Val from a falling cinderblock with just one hand. After that, his parents had taken the two aside and asked if they meant it when they promised to keep Ken's—and by extension, their own—secret identities to themselves. In five years, neither of them had ever broken that trust, and had become Ken's sounding board and confidantes; some of the things he admitted to them even his parents didn't know about.
The two knew about the risks that Ken went through every day, and both became a little more worried when he told them how he had to lead the entire Team, but they knew that Ken could handle it.
"So, these teammates of yours," Victor said thoughtfully, even as he ate a burrito, "They all seem kinda dysfunctional, don't they? I mean, Warhawk is stable, I guess, but I've seen Kid Flash on the news; the guy is like a hamster on coffee! And doesn't Robin use trench knives? A little creepy, if you ask me. Didn't you also say that your cousin was a loose cannon? Seems a little tough."
Out of respect to his teammates, Ken never revealed the secret identities of any of the heroes he worked with, something that Val and Vic completely understood.
Ken nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, it can be hard sometimes, but we're getting there; we just need to work out the kinks."
Victor shrugged. "If you say so, man; I'm just sorry I can't be out there with you, kicking butt and takin' names."
Valerie patted his shoulder consolingly. "Come on, Victor, you know that if you or I went out beating up the bad guys, Ken would just worry himself silly the whole time."
"Hey!" Ken protested, while his friends laughed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, Val," Victor said, then turned back to Ken, "You better give me the blow-by-blow of each mission, okay? If I can't kick butt myself, I want you to give me all the details!"
"Don't worry, Vic," Ken said, grinning, "I'll give the next supervillain I fight an extra punch, just for you."
Victor pumped a fist. "All right!"
The three continued to eat their food in comfortable silence, but Ken was left wondering: the Team was starting to come together, but that was because they were starting to discover their group dynamic. What would happen if more people joined? Ken had to suppress a shiver; what new craziness would happen if more people joined?
…
Once school was over, Ken received a call from Batman, instructing him to report to the Cave for something important, but he didn't specify what it was. Ken decided that Batman wouldn't have told him to do something if it wasn't important, so he said goodbye to Valerie and Victor, then headed home to get teleported to Mount Justice.
…
Mount Justice, 18:22 EDT
When Ken arrived at the Cave in his mission-outfit, he realized two things: first, that he was the only member of the Team present, and second, that there were two teenage girls standing next to several Leaguers. One of those teenage girls he recognized.
"Hey, Koriand'r!" Ken said with a smile; the Tamaranean girl in question smiled back.
"Hello, friend Ken 10," she said; Ken could tell that she was still getting used to speaking English, "I have asked the Martian Manhunter and the Batman if I may join the Team."
"And since you're here," Ken said, glancing at the Martian and the Dark Knight, "I can assume that they said yes?"
J'onn nodded. "Koriand'r has had extensive warrior training in the past, and when I told her what the Justice League did for Earth, she wanted to be a part of it; however, she also wanted to be with a group that was… closer to her own age."
Ken held out his hand, which Koriand'r tentatively shook. "Welcome aboard, uh… I guess I should call you Starfire while we're in uniform, huh?"
Starfire nodded, then stepped back, allowing Ken to greet the other girl. "Sorry about not saying hello right away. I'm Ken 10."
The girl that Ken was addressing was shorter than him—no surprise, since Ken was almost six feet tall—and had long, blond hair that poked out of her tight-fitting green mask in a long ponytail. She wore tight, green pants, boots, elbow-length gloves and a sleeveless top that exposed her midriff; the top had an arrow-design on it, pointing up.
The girl shook Ken's outstretched hand with a confident smile. "I'm Artemis."
Ken pretended to look like he was concentrating hard. "Now, I could be wrong here, but judging from the name, the color-scheme, that bow at your side and the quiver on your back, I'd have to say you're… Red Tornado's protégé, right?"
Artemis shot him an amused smile, as did Green Arrow, who then patted Artemis on the shoulder. "She'll be joining the Team, too."
"Like I told Starfire," Ken said, "Welcome aboard."
While they waited for the rest of the Team to arrive, Starfire spoke with J'onn, and Ken chatted with Artemis. When he asked her why he'd never heard of Green Arrow having another protégé after Speedy, the mentor in question cut in, saying that he wanted to train her as well as he could before sending her out on missions. Ken made a note of the protective tone in Green Arrow's voice, just as the rest of the Team was teleported in.
"Koriand'r!" Miss Martian shouted as she ran forward and hugged the alien girl. "What are you doing here?"
Ken saw Starfire give him a strange look, so he stepped forward.
"Starfire here will be joining the Team," he then gestured to the female archer, "As will Artemis."
The rest of the Team introduced themselves to Artemis, who was at least polite, if not friendly. Ken figured that she was probably just unused to being among so many other heroes, and that she was still working on fitting in; it was understandable, since even Starfire had more experience working with the Team than she did. Though her somewhat lukewarm attitude might have been the result of the Team greeting Starfire much warmer than they did her; Ken was sure that Robin's eyes lit up behind his mask when he greeted the alien girl.
"Okay, we have more girls on the Team," Warhawk said quietly to Ken, "How bad do you think Barry will freak?"
"Who's Barry?" Artemis asked, overhearing them; Ken opened his mouth to answer, but an announcement from the Cave's computer preempted him.
"Recognized: Kid Flash B-03."
As soon as he materialized on the teleporter pad, Barry dashed forward, wearing swim-trunks and holding a cooler, beach umbrella and beach ball.
"All right, Barry is here, so let's get this party star…" Barry didn't finish his sentence; he tripped and fell on his face, his beach-stuff spreading across the floor. "…ted."
Artemis raised an eyebrow at Ken, who pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That's him?" the female archer asked.
"Yeah, that's him," Ken replied, then turned to Warhawk, "He forgot about the time-difference, didn't he?"
"Yep," Warhawk said, "He thought it was still around three o'clock."
Artemis took a step and looked down at the sprawled speedster. "Barry, huh? Love the uniform; what exactly are your powers?"
Barry got up and glared at her, then turned to the rest of the Team. "Um, who is this?"
"Artemis," the blond girl said with a cocky smile, "Your new teammate."
"Kid Flash," Barry said curtly, "Never heard of you."
"She's my new protégé," Green Arrow cut in, and Ken again noticed the slight defensiveness in his tone.
"Oh, she's new, is she?" Barry taunted her, "No wonder I've never heard of you; I would have thought you'd show up on the news alongside Speedy, or something."
"Recognized: Speedy."
Everyone in the room turned to see the red-and-black clad form of Green Arrow's ex-partner; the man raised an eyebrow behind his mask at Artemis, but otherwise ignored the Team, heading instead for his former mentor.
"Okay, first," he said, "I don't go by Speedy anymore. Call me Red Arrow. Second, who is this, and why does she look like a cosplayer of you, Ollie?"
Barry snickered, which earned him a smack upside the head from Superboy, of all people. Ken wondered if it was because some news reports of him called him a punk-version of Superman, and felt some empathy with Artemis because of it.
Red Arrow ignored the antics of the younger heroes and looked at Artemis. "Can she even use that bow?"
Tired of being addressed as if she wasn't in the room, Artemis marched up and tilted her head to look the much taller man in the eye.
"Yes, she can."
"Who are you!?" Barry demanded.
"She's/I'm my/his niece," both green-clad archers said together.
Robin caught Warhawk's eye and whispered, "Another niece?"
That would explain GA's protectiveness, Ken thought, she's his family.
"She's not your replacement, Roy," Green Arrow said, using Red Arrow's real name, "She wanted to learn, and I taught her. You can't fault me for that, and you certainly have no right to be upset; it's been almost twenty years since you went solo!"
"Who said I was upset?" Red Arrow asked, "I just want to make sure that the archer on the Team knows what she's doing."
"She does," Green Arrow said with absolute certainty; Ken noticed that Artemis' lip twitched upward at the compliment.
"Well, Starfire knows what she's doing, too!" Barry protested, clearly not happy with Artemis on the Team.
"Please do not drag me into this," Starfire said softly.
Artemis rolled her eyes at the speedster. "Whatever, Baywatch, I'm here to stay."
Ken decided it was time to intervene, and stepped next to Red Arrow. "Why are you here, Red Arrow? If you needed help with something, why didn't you go to the Metro Tower?"
"I heard there was a black-ops team that worked with the League," the red-clad archer explained, "I thought this mission would be right up your alley."
"And that would be…?" Ken prompted.
"Doctor Serling Roquette," Red Arrow said simply.
Robin went over to the Cave's computer and pulled up a file on the doctor. "Nano-robotics expert from Royal University in Star City; she vanished two weeks ago."
"Abducted two weeks ago," Red Arrow corrected, "by the League of Shadows."
That got everyone's attention. The League of Shadows was an infamous organization of spies, assassins and mercenaries; not even the Justice League had been able to take them down permanently.
"You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?" Robin asked excitedly.
"Hardcore!" Barry said, fist-bumping Warhawk.
"I already rescued her," Red Arrow told them, much to the Team's disappointment, as he walked up to the computer and inserted a flash-drive, bringing up a picture of an insect-like robot.
"There's only one problem; the Shadows had forced her to create a weapon that she calls The Fog. It's comprised of millions of microscopic robots; nanotech infiltrators, capable of disintegrating anything in their path—concrete, steel… flesh.
"But it isn't just destruction; it's also theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system, and deliver the stolen intel to the Shadows. That gives the access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting-edge science and tech…"
"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking…" Artemis sighed. "Yeah, sounds like the Shadows."
Barry rolled his eyes. "Like you know anything about the Shadows." Artemis' returning smirk only infuriated him.
"Who are you!?"
"Roquette is working on a virus to render The Fog inert," Red Arrow said, bringing everyone's attention back to the mission.
Robin's eyes went wide. "But if the Shadows know she can do that…"
"They will go after the threat she poses to her plan," Starfire finished, making most of the Team look at her in surprise; they hadn't expected her to be just half a step behind Robin, of all people.
Though, to Ken, it would make sense that she would reach that conclusion; Starfire had been trained as a warrior, and in a fight, you did your best to eliminate any vulnerabilities to yourself or your plans.
"Where is Roquette now?" Ken asked.
"Off the grid," Red Arrow told them, "I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab."
"The local…" Warhawk muttered to himself, then yelled, "She's here in Happy Harbor!?"
"You left her alone!?" Green Arrow demanded.
Red Arrow shrugged. "She's safe enough, for now."
Green Arrow stepped forward. "Then let's you and I keep her that way."
"You and I?" Red Arrow echoed, "Don't you want to take your new protégé?"
Green Arrow opened his mouth to respond, but felt a hand on his shoulder; he turned to see Batman give him a meaningful look. Green Arrow sighed.
"You brought this to the Team; it's their mission," he gestured towards Artemis, "Which means that it's hers, too."
Red Arrow shrugged. "Then my job is done."
As he stepped onto the teleporter, the computer identified him as Speedy again; he gave the Leaguers a glare.
"And update your damn computers!" he growled, right before he disappeared.
…
A short while later, the expanded Team was assembled in the Cave's hangar, checking their gear one more time if they needed it, as well as introducing Artemis to Ship.
"That's pretty cool," she had remarked, when the little alien went into his ship-form, "and he even matches my outfit."
Ship had, of course, been very pleased by the comments and when he made a seat for her within himself, he had made it extra-comfy. Kid Flash had grumbled, much to everyone else's amusement.
As Ken activated his clothes' stealth-mode, he noticed Artemis drawing an arrow—a normal one, not like the trick arrows that both Green and Red Arrow used, though she had some of those, too. Ken's eyebrows shot up when he recognized the design of the arrowhead.
"So it was you that helped us during the fight with the android," he said quietly to her, though he noticed that Robin and Superboy had heard him.
Artemis shrugged. "I happened to be nearby, saw the robot about to squish Baywatch, thought I'd lend a hand."
"Geez, archery and shadow-powers," Ken commented, "Very nice."
Artemis tilted her head in confusion. "I don't have shadow-powers… or any powers, for that matter."
Ken blinked. "Oh… then there was someone else helping us, too. I don't suppose that you saw who or what it was?"
For the first time since Ken had met her, Artemis seemed genuinely concerned. "No, I didn't see anyone else there, sorry."
Ken shrugged. "Mystery for another time, I guess. Thanks for saving Kid Flash; I don't think he'll ever admit it himself, but I'm grateful."
Artemis had the cocky smirk again. "No problem; I love a stationary target, anyway."
"Ken!" Kid Flash called out from the other side of the room, "Are we ready to go, or what?"
Ken nodded. "Okay, Team, let's go to school."
…
Happy Harbor, 21:59 EDT
Dr. Roquette had been less than happy to see the Team, though she did mention that they were still preferable to the "crazy, bomb-happy archer".
Once introductions had been made, Ken had Superboy, Miss Martian and Warhawk standing guard on the roof, while everyone else stayed close to the doctor. Once everyone was in place, Miss Martian established a psychic link to the entire Team, plus Roquette.
{Everyone online?} Miss Martian asked.
Everyone gave a simple 'yes', save for Artemis, who looked at her hands as if seeing them for the first time.
{Ugh, this is weird,} she commented.
{And distracting,} Roquette snapped as she typed away at a computer, {Coding a distributed algorithm virus on a kiddy-computer with less RAM than a wristwatch is hard enough, now I have to hear teen-think in my skull? I'm starting to think that psychotic archer was a better choice!}
{Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you?} Kid Flash asked, as he chewed on an energy-bar.
{Pot, kettle,} Artemis said, gesturing from Roquette to Kid Flash, {Have you met?}
{Hey!} Kid Flash glared at her, {I don't need attitude from the newbie!}
{I'm not a newbie,} Artemis snapped, standing up, {I've been doing this a lot longer than you think I have!}
{Fate of the world at stake here!} Roquette shouted, throwing up her hands in exasperation.
{She started it!} Kid Flash said.
Artemis rolled her eyes before turning her head towards Ken. {How about I go outside with Miss Martian, Superboy and Warhawk and patrol the perimeter?}
Ken nodded. {Good idea; we could use an extra pair of eyes out there anyway.}
After the archer left, Robin noticed Starfire rubbing her temples. {You all right?}
{I am well,} she replied, {I am just unused to so many voices in my mind. M'gann, I mean, Miss Martian has communicated with me telepathically in the past, but with so many other people… it is a little overwhelming.}
{Don't worry,} Robin said with a smile, {we'll get you whelmed soon enough.}
While Starfire looked confused from Robin's phrase, the Boy Wonder sent Kid Flash a mild glare.
{You might want to cut her some slack; it was her arrow that saved your butt against Amazo-2, after all.}
{What? No way, I thought we were looking for someone who also had shadow-powers, right?} Kid Flash asked.
Robin shook his head. {Not so much; turns out that there were two people that night.}
Kid Flash huffed. {Well, still not gonna give her the satisfaction.}
{You know, I can still hear you?} Artemis' voice echoed in their minds as she headed for the roof.
Kid Flash groaned out loud, while Robin, Ken and Starfire held back laughter. Roquette, on the other hand, appeared to be strangling the air in front of her.
{Couldn't get the Justice League,} she complained.
Ken walked up to her, his face completely serious now.
{Even if your virus works, it won't do much good if we don't know where the weapon is. Can you track it?}
{My Utility-Fog is not a weapon,} Roquette snapped fiercely, {It's science—brilliant science—and of course, I can track it, but I'd have to go online. I might as well rent a billboard with this address and the words 'assassinate me' written on it.}
Ken placed a calming hand on her shoulder, gently turning her around to look him in the eye.
{We will keep you safe.}
What Ken never realized was that he had inherited more than his father's face and some of his powers; he had also inherited the ability to make people naturally believe in him. It was because of that charisma, and the look of absolute certainty in his eyes, that Roquette found herself believing him. She nodded, turned back to her computer and typing in a few keys; a few seconds later, a new window popped up on the screen.
{Tracking The Fog now.}
…
While the tracking program did its work, the four teammates outside were on high alert; they had been alerted that there was a good chance that the Shadows would be coming after Roquette now, and it wouldn't be fun when they showed up.
Superboy's keen hearing caught the sound of rustling branches in the trees surrounding the school, but didn't see anything. Opting for a better vantage point, he jumped to the top of the school, where Warhawk was waiting with Ship, in his normal form, at his feet.
{Problem?} the Thanagarian asked.
Superboy shrugged, then reached down to pat Ship on the head. {Heard a noise, couldn't see the source. Thought I'd get a better view up here.}
Warhawk shook his head. {I haven't seen anything so much as twitch.}
Superboy smirked and tapped the side of his head. {You don't have eyes like mine. I'll be right back; gotta check the other side of the school.}
After getting a nod from Warhawk, Superboy jumped another fifty feet, landing easily next to Miss Martian and Artemis. The two girls nodded, signaling that the area was clear; wordlessly, Superboy resumed his patrol.
{Hmm,} Artemis said, watching Superboy leave, {that boy.}
The clone in question turned around briefly, raising an eyebrow, before moving on.
{He can hear you!} Miss Martian said, annoyed, {We can all hear you!}
{Oh, I know,} Artemis said, much to the Martian's irritation.
{Miss Martian,} Ken's voice echoed in their minds, ending any further confrontation, {Doctor Roquette has found The Fog; extend your telepathic scan of the area to cover for Superboy while he, Robin and Starfire take Ship and go after it.}
A few seconds later, Ship flew down to the ground and opened his hatch, allowing the three heroes to board, then took off.
Miss Martian, Warhawk and Artemis resumed their patrols, but none of them noticed that they were being watched by several of the most skilled assassins in the League of Shadows. Those assassins weren't worried by the Martian finding them with her telepathy; they had been trained to mask their thoughts, in case of this very situation.
Not that Miss Martian was doing the best job right now, despite Ken's orders; she was too busy being mad at Artemis.
{You embarrassed Superboy!} Miss Martian snapped.
Artemis shrugged. {I didn't hear him say anything.}
{Must you challenge everyone?} Miss Martian demanded.
{Where I come from,} Artemis responded, her tone deadly serious, {that's how you survive.}
Neither of them noticed the lithe figure that flipped over the fence next to them and entered the school.
…
Inside the building, Kid Flash stood guard at the entrance to the computer lab; his eyes caught a shadow moving in a hallway and, true to form, he dashed after it. He followed the shadow to the school's indoor pool, and headlong into a mess of marbles that had been laid out just for him.
He barely had time to see a black boot, before it kicked him in the face, and then everything went black.
Satisfied that the hero was unconscious, the assassin known as Cheshire rolled him into the pool, certain that he'd drown. Not that she cared either way, since he wasn't her target; that was past the post that Kid Flash had abandoned.
Silent as a shadow, Cheshire made her way to the computer lab; once she saw Roquette, she hurled a shuriken, which would barely register to a human eye, the dulled metal blending in with the dark as it made its way to…
Tink!
Behind her mask, modeled after the creature she took her name from, Cheshire's eyes widened as a blond-haired boy in black clothes moved at impossible speeds and then deflected the shuriken… with his bare hands!
Convinced that it must have been a fluke, or that that one shuriken was flawed somehow, she hurled several more, all of which were either deflected by the boy's palms or bounced off of him.
Still, Cheshire wasn't in the League of Shadows for being easily discouraged.
"Superhuman durability," she said in a malicious tone, drawing a pair of Sais and charging at him.
Ken, for his part, was impressed, and a little unnerved; even with his hearing, he had barely heard the assassin approach! Now, he was being attacked by a slender woman, whose face was covered by a white mask with red stripes, a bushy mane of black hair, wearing thigh-length boots and a short, green robe that only had a sleeve on the left side. Her right arm was instead covered by formfitting armor.
Cheshire stabbed downward with one Sais, aiming for Ken's thigh; to her surprise, the blade snapped. That shouldn't have happened; that metal had been rated for someone with durability comparable to Wonder Woman! Her surprise made her hesitate for half a second; that was all the time Ken needed to kick her legs out from under her.
As she fell, Cheshire hurled her remaining Sais at Roquette; Ken pointed one hand at the doctor, and a bubble of green Mana placed itself between the weapon and its target.
He has energy-powers, too!? Cheshire asked herself.
Ken wasn't taking any chances; this assassin was incredibly dangerous, and if she had friends, then he was in trouble, especially if they were as good as she was.
{Miss Martian, Warhawk, Artemis, Kid Flash, get over here!} he shouted into the psychic link, {Roquette and I are under attack!}
{On our way!} Artemis replied, dashing through the hallway on foot, while the two aliens flew above her.
Detecting something wrong, Miss Martian made a sharp left-turn and found Kid Flash floating in the school's pool. She quickly levitated him out of the water and began performing CPR.
Meanwhile, Ken was forced to divert his attention again, creating another Mana-shield around Roquette as Cheshire kept up a barrage of shuriken.
"Can't seem to decide whether to attack or defend, hmm?" Cheshire taunted, "I hate it when I don't have a man's full attention."
"You're not my type," Ken shot back, then fired a stream of Mana from his eyes, forcing Cheshire to backpedal, "Besides, I'm just distracting you."
The assassin barely had time to duck as an arrow whizzed over her head, accidentally hitting Ken in the chest, not that it hurt him. Cheshire whirled around to see Artemis, already aiming another arrow at her; behind her, Warhawk's gauntlets crackled with energy.
"Don't. Move," the archer ordered, as Ken stepped in front of Roquette protectively.
Cheshire chuckled and drew a collapsible sword, "Now things are getting interesting."
The assassin was immediately put on the defensive; Artemis kept up a barrage of arrows on one side, while Ken fired bolts of Mana at another. Knowing that her shuriken couldn't hurt Ken, Cheshire instead threw them at Artemis, but Warhawk was there, deflecting them off of his Nth-Metal armor.
When Miss Martian and a recovered Kid Flash entered the room, Cheshire knew her chances had just gone from slim to none.
"Maybe it's a little too interesting," she said, dropping a smoke bomb on the ground.
Ken stayed close to Roquette, in case the assassin used the diversion to finish her mission, but Kid Flash wasn't so restrained. He charged through the smoke, but Cheshire was already gone; instead, he collided bodily with Artemis, then quickly backed up.
"Is… is she gone?" Roquette asked shakily; Ken quickly scanned the room with his X-ray vision, but confirmed that the assassin was gone. The scientist then replaced her fear with anger.
"She's getting away! You're letting her go!"
"So she might draw one or more of us away, leaving you unprotected?" Warhawk pointed out, shutting the doctor up.
"This is all your fault!" Kid Flash raged at Artemis, "You were on perimeter! How did that Shadow get in?"
Artemis narrowed her eyes, but Miss Martian cut in before the archer could speak. "That's not really fair; I was outside too."
"Outside… being distracted by her!" Kid Flash said, refusing to cut Artemis any slack; then his tone changed to a nicer one.
"Besides, I can't stay mad at you," he smiled, {You gave me mouth-to-mouth.}
{We heard that!} everyone else yelled, reminding the speedster that the psychic link was still active.
"Dang it!"
While Kid Flash sulked, Miss Martian smiled at Artemis. "I didn't do half as well on my first mission, and I know you can't have been Green Arrow's sidekick for long."
Not sure if that was a backhanded compliment, Ken butted in before another argument could develop.
"Focus, people; the Shadows tried once and failed, which means they're gonna try again."
A beeping noise drew everyone's attention to Ken's communicator, which he activated.
"Robin to Ken 10," Robin said urgently, "We tracked The Fog to Philadelphia, but we were too late; the Shadows hit the STAR Labs that was based here. There's nothing left; The Fog completely leveled the building, and now all of their cutting-edge research and tech is in the hands of the enemy!
"So, what's our next move?"
Ken looked over at Roquette, who was starting to compose herself. "Scan for The Fog again; we need to find it before it hits another target."
He looked to the rest of the Team. "We're moving the doctor."
…
The Team relocated to a small boat-rental near the ocean. Artemis and Kid Flash guarded Roquette while she worked; Ken, Miss Martian and Warhawk remained outside, patrolling the perimeter.
Not liking the tense waiting, Artemis had begun pacing behind Roquette, only to stop when she felt eyes on her. She glanced up and saw the dark look on Kid Flash's face, then returned the expression with equal venom.
{Stop it,} Ken's voice echoed in their minds.
{What!?} both asked at once.
{I can practically hear you glaring at each other, both through the link and with my super-hearing,} there was a pause, and the three heroes in the building would swear that Ken was grinning, {Look, I know you two want to make out, but save it for after the mission.}
The faces of the speedster and the archer turned interesting shades of red as they sputtered denials, while Roquette snorted in amusement.
Outside, Ken allowed himself to pat himself on the back for defusing the tension, then called out loud.
"Warhawk! Swing to the north! Miss Martian, remain camouflaged and patrol the south! I'll take the west area!"
High above him, Warhawk began flying north; Ken glanced up for only a moment, before hearing a sound behind him. Faster than he could react, a net of red, sticky webbing surrounded him, momentarily trapping him in place, before a massive hook launched forward, catching him the stomach and sending him crashing through a parked van. Ken fell to the ground, groaned once, then lay still.
Cheshire stepped over the unconscious hero. "Guess he just needed a little more brute force. Okay, boys, we need to take out the target before the Martian and the hawk comes back."
Her two companion nodded. Black Spider was a slender man wearing a tight, black outfit, with large reflective goggles covering his eyes. Hook was a giant of a man, wearing a long, ragged coat over his bare chest; his right arm was replaced by a huge prosthetic, which ended with a metal hook that could be launched and retracted by a thick chain.
Any one of them was a lethal opponent, but together, they were a flawless killing-machine.
Black Spider entered the building first, kicking down the door and crouching low; Kid Flash tried to hit him, but the assassin nimbly flipped up to the ceiling and stuck there. He shot his webbing from his gauntlets, but Kid Flash dodged, then picked up and hurled a trashcan at the assassin; Black Spider avoided the attack, then dropped down to engage the speedster in hand-to-hand.
Artemis aimed an arrow at the spider-themed villain, but the sound of breaking glass behind her made her turn. Hook had crashed through the window behind her, then used his namesake to bring a bench between him and Artemis' arrow. The archer kept up a barrage of arrows as she addressed Roquette.
"Don't stop working," she said, not taking her eyes off of Hook.
As Roquette went back to typing, Cheshire silently opened the window on the other side of the building and took aim at the scientist with a crossbow. She fired, but a bench, seemingly moving on its own, placed itself between the arrow and its target. Cheshire snarled as she recognized telekinesis.
"The Martian is here! It's now or never!"
Black Spider punched Kid Flash in the gut, winding him for a moment, then used his webbing to drag the floating bench out of the way. Her path unobstructed, Cheshire jumped down in front of Roquette; Artemis tried to shoot the assassin, but a massive hook hit her in the chest, knocking her down. Roquette herself tried to get away, but Cheshire was faster, kicking the blond woman in the back and knocking her to the floor.
As Cheshire raised a Sais to kill the doctor, Roquette's head suddenly twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, while her skin changed to bright green; Miss Martian smiled triumphantly at the success of the Team's ruse.
Cheshire snarled again. "We've been duped!"
Unbeknownst to the assassins, Warhawk had taken Roquette to a small internet café, and Ken had joined them after pretending to be unconscious.
"Well?" Warhawk asked Roquette, who was typing furiously on a computer.
"I've almost got it!" she said.
…
Philadelphia, 23:45 EDT
Ship followed The Fog's signal to its next target, and when Robin saw it, he felt dread forming in the pit of his stomach.
"The next target is a WayneTech facility," he said, "In theory, its systems' software could be used to hack the…"
"The what?" Superboy asked when Robin trailed off.
"Doesn't matter," Robin said, "but what does matter is that WayneTech operates with a twenty-four-hour workforce; we'll never get everyone out in time!"
"Then we must stop this Fog before it can hurt anyone!" Starfire declared.
…
Happy Harbor
"You'll never find Doctor Roquette!" Miss Martian declared as she shapeshifted back to her normal form.
"Never is such a long time," Cheshire said, then turned to Hook, "Pursuing target; keep them busy!"
While Hook kept Miss Martian at bay, Artemis had recovered just as Cheshire ran out of the building. She quickly got up and ran after her.
"Pursuing their leader!" she called out as she ran past Kid Flash, "Take the rest down!"
Kid Flash punched Black Spider in the face before turning to glare at her. "You are so not the boss of me!"
"Just do it!" Artemis yelled over her shoulder
Outside, Cheshire stopped where she had left Ken and noted that he was no longer on the ground… or in the area at all, for that matter.
"Oh, I do not like being played."
She tapped the side of her mask, and the black, non-reflective lenses suddenly began to glow orange; now she was able to see the residual heat-signatures of Ken's footprints, and followed them. She only got a short distance when she heard a whistling noise behind her; she quickly pivoted on one foot and kicked an incoming arrow out of the way.
"I was hoping it would be you," she said to Artemis, who was reading another arrow, but by then, Cheshire was leaping up to the nearest rooftop.
Not wanting to lose her, Artemis ran after her, occasionally firing arrows, but all missed. Finally, Cheshire stopped when an arrow hit the chimney in front of her; before she could react, a purple gas hissed out of the arrow, making her cough and fall limply to the ground.
Artemis reached the fallen assassin with another arrow ready; she warily circled Cheshire, then moved in closer to secure her. As soon as she was close enough, a still-conscious Cheshire kicked out, knocking Artemis down .
"The mask has built-in filters," Cheshire said smugly.
Artemis scowled, dropping her bow in favor of using her fists and feet; despite her skills, however, Cheshire was better, easily catching her in an arm-lock.
"Better luck next time, kid," Cheshire said, before knocking her out.
…
Ken's eyes briefly glowed green as he detected the Mana of another living being.
"We have company," he warned Warhawk and Roquette.
"Uploading now!" the doctor said triumphantly, before scowling at Ken, "And by the way, you said you'd protect me!"
Hearing a noise, Ken spun around and fired a bolt of lightning at the ceiling; Cheshire barely dodged the attack and landed between Ken and Warhawk.
"Let's try this again, shall we?" the assassin asked as she drew her sword.
"Warhawk, keep Roquette safe," Ken said, "I've got this."
Warhawk nodded and moved the doctor protectively behind his wings, while Ken and Cheshire circled each other like wolves.
While Ken kept her busy, Cheshire never noticed Roquette's virus being downloaded.
…
Philadelphia
"It's downloading!" Robin said, looking at his holo-computer, as Ship opened the rear hatch to let the heroes out.
Superboy looked out at the ground and saw a van drive up to the WayneTech building; the vehicle opened up to reveal a red-robed man wearing a silver, one-eyed helmet. Next to him was a large container, which the clone recognized as the deployment mechanism for The Fog.
"Don't need it!" Superboy said, then jumped out of Ship.
"Superboy!" Robin called out after him.
The red-robed man, a member of the Shadows called Professor Ojo, saw the clone diving towards him, and fired a powerful energy-beam from his helmet, sending Superboy crashing to the ground. Ojo then released a dull-gray cloud from the container, which then headed for the WayneTech building.
"No!" Robin glanced at Starfire, who looked slightly uncertain. "Help Superboy, Ship and I will stop The Fog!"
Starfire nodded and flew down, bombarding the area around Ojo with her energy-blasts, which she called starbolts. While she did so, Robin swung down to the entrance of the building; Ship returned to his normal form and clung to the Boy Wonder's shoulders.
Inside, the security guard was shocked to see a metallic cloud literally eat its way through the doors and fly past him, followed next by Robin with a green-and-black, slug-like thing. He knew that Robin was a hero, but his training took over at the sight of an unauthorized person in the building. He hit the alarm, which began lowering a large gate in Robin's path.
"WayneTech override, JT-7!" Robin yelled, stopping the gate and allowing him to slide under it.
…
Happy Harbor
Miss Martian narrowly dodged another attack from Hook, before looking over at her teammate.
{Kid Flash, we need to end this, now!}
The speedster ducked under a burst of webbing, then grinned at the Martian. {It's like you read my mind, beautiful.}
Kid Flash scowled when Black Spider's webbing finally hit him, but then he got an idea; he spun in place, wrapping the web around himself, but since it was still connected to the assassin, it drew him in. It went by too quickly for Black Spider to react; he was pulled forward at incredible speeds, only to have his momentum halted by a pair of booted feet to his face, instantly and painfully knocking him out.
Miss Martian, on the other hand, simply hovered in place, while Hook launched his namesake at her. She easily caught the hook with her telekinesis, then hurled it back, striking its owner right between the eyes and into la-la land.
"Woo!" she cheered, "I got mine!"
"Great," Kid Flash said, slightly dizzy from the spinning and thoroughly tied-up, "Uh, a little help?"
…
Philadelphia
The Fog was eating its way through the WayneTech building, while panicked employees ran for their lives. Desperately, Robin and Ship searched for a computer that they could use to upload the virus.
Finally, they made their way to the cafeteria, where the cashier stood in shock, as The Fog ate the ceiling above her. Robin pulled a cord from his glove and plugged it into the computer.
"Ship, interface with it! I can't let any security slow this down!" while Ship merged with the computer, Robin began muttering to himself, "Please be connected to the mainframe, please be connected to the mainframe…"
…
Happy Harbor
Ken and Cheshire found themselves at a stalemate. The assassin couldn't hurt Ken, and Ken couldn't hit her, despite his superior speed. They both knew, however, that Ken could do this all night, while Cheshire would eventually tire and make a mistake. Before that happened, though, a beeping noise caught everyone's attention.
"It's done!" Roquette shouted excitedly, but froze when Cheshire focused on her.
"So, you finished the virus, hmm?" Cheshire seemed to be smiling behind her mask, "I suppose that this eliminates the reason for your… elimination. I could still kill you, but my orders are clear: you live to program another day. After all, Doctor, the Shadows may find another use for you."
Ken tried charging her again, but Cheshire dropped another smoke bomb and disappeared.
"I'm starting to dislike her," he said offhandedly.
…
Philadelphia
As soon as Robin uploaded the virus, The Fog began to die. It was too small to see, but each microscopic robot exploded in spectacular fashion; to everyone else's eyes, however, it looked like a cloud of dust fell to the ground as the building stopped shaking.
"Yes!" Robin crowed, as Ship withdrew from the computer and jumped onto his shoulder. "The infiltrators have been outfiltrated!"
"Ship, ship!" Ship said urgently.
"Right," Robin said, running for the nearest window, "Gotta see how Star and Superboy are doing."
"Ship?" Ship asked, almost slyly.
"What, I can't give her a nickname?" Robin asked defensively.
Ship only rolled his eye.
…
Outside, Professor Ojo scowled as the Shadows' plans literally turned to dust. He consoled himself with the fact that he would at least be killing two young heroes today.
"I'll block the shot," Superboy whispered to Starfire, "You take him down."
Starfire nodded. "Agreed."
Ojo fired his helmet-laser again, but Superboy held his ground, blocking the shot with his arms. The glare caused by the red beam distracted the assassin, allowing Starfire to quickly fly behind him and kick the man in the kidneys. Stunned and in pain, Ojo fell to his knees; Superboy took the opportunity to grab the front of his helmet and partially crush it, preventing him from using his laser again.
"We stopped the bad guy, Robin stopped The Fog," Superboy smirked, "I'm feeling the aster."
Starfire tilted her head, confused. "What is this 'aster'?"
…
Happy Harbor
Cheshire ran through the dark alley, hoping to get away before Ken's super-senses could find her again. She didn't want to admit it, but she was tired from that fight, and didn't know how much she had left in her.
Distracted by her thoughts and her senses dulled by fatigue, the assassin didn't see the explosive arrows hit the ground until they were right in front of her. The explosives were minor, not meant for killing anyone, but four at once were certainly painful and more than enough to send Cheshire sprawling, her mask skittering across the sidewalk. She glanced up to see Artemis standing over her, an arrow aimed at her face.
"Don't move a muscle," the archer snarled.
"Wow," Cheshire said sarcastically, hands over her head as she slowly got up, "I am completely at your mercy."
Artemis finally got a good look at Cheshire's face and gasped, almost lowering her bow in shock. "You…"
"I suppose that now you bring me to justice," Cheshire said with a cruel smile, "Your new friends will interrogate me. I wonder if your position is secure-enough to survive them learning everything I know."
Artemis kept her arrow trained on Cheshire for a moment longer, then lowered it.
Cheshire smirked. "Didn't think so.
"So, like the Cheshire Cat, I'll just disappear."
A smoke bomb later, and the assassin was gone, her fallen mask the only evidence that she was ever there.
A few seconds later, Ken, Warhawk, Miss Martian, Kid Flash and Roquette arrived, ready to fight but without a target.
"Did Cheshire get away?" Ken asked.
Artemis nodded, while Kid Flash sneered. "From you? Oh, big surprise; by the way, we caught ours."
"KF, lay off," Ken said, annoyed with the speedster's attitude, "I couldn't take her down either, but Doctor Roquette is safe and I just got word from Robin that The Fog was stopped. I'd say that we did good work today. All of us."
Warhawk and Miss Martian grinned, and even Artemis smiled a little. Kid Flash tried to scowl, but couldn't, especially when he spotted Cheshire's mask on the ground.
"Cool!" he said, holding the mask up, "Souvenir!"
"You knocked off her mask?" Warhawk looked at Artemis. "Did you see her face? It'd make tracking her down easier."
Artemis shook her head. "It was dark… I couldn't see."
Ken shrugged. "No problem, that would have just been a bonus. So… who's up for smoothies for a job well done?"
…
Mount Justice, August 9, 00:08 EDT
After the Team regrouped and dropped off the captured assassins, they and Doctor Roquette headed to the Cave, where the League was waiting. They were quickly debriefed and then allowed some time to wind down before heading home, while the League discussed Roquette's future.
"The Shadows will still come after you," Batman told her.
"I know," Roquette shivered, "They could probably find me anywhere. I'm not safe, even with you."
Ben tapped his bearded chin in thought. "What if there was a place that you could go that no one could reach you?"
"That would be wonderful," Roquette said sarcastically, "but I don't think that such a place exists on Earth."
"Maybe not this Earth," Ben said, sending Batman and Verdona a questioning look. The Dark Knight and the Anodite glanced at each other, then nodded.
"What are you talking about?" Roquette asked.
"I'm actually not from this Earth," Ben explained, "I'm from another universe entirely. I lived on a different Earth, where the League of Shadows doesn't exist. Even if they did, they wouldn't know who you are."
Roquette thought about it. "Well, it's not like I have family or close friends to tie me down… but I still want to work on my projects!"
"Actually, I think I know someone who would enjoy working with someone of your talents… and attitude," Ben said with a knowing smile, before looking at Verdona. "Can you arrange it?"
Verdona grinned. "Certainly; Azmuth loves surrounding himself with smart people. Just give me a day to explain the situation."
With a snap of her fingers, Verdona disappeared in a flash of violet light. Ben turned back to Roquette.
"Forget what I said about going to a different Earth, then; looks like you're going to Galvan-2!"
"Uh…" was all Roquette could manage before Batman stepped in front of her.
"We'll take you to the Watchtower until tomorrow; a team of Leaguers will pick up anything you need from your home."
Roquette nodded and began heading towards the teleporters; before she did, however, she turned back to Ben.
"That boy," she said, looking at the distant form of Ken, who was laughing with the rest of the Team, "He's your son, right?"
Ben nodded.
"Well, you should be proud of him."
"Thanks," Ben said with a smile, "I already am."
…
"So wait, you hit him in the kidneys?" Robin asked, as Starfire and Superboy told them about their fight with Ojo, "Oh man, I wish I'd seen that!"
A few of the other members of the Team nodded as they drank their smoothies; Ken had been thrilled to find out that a smoothie-machine had been installed in the Cave a couple of days ago, though everyone else failed to show the same level of enthusiasm.
Finishing his smoothie, Ken walked up to the two newest members of the Team. "I know I welcomed you both already, but after your first mission with us, I think it bears repeating."
He shook their hands. "Welcome to the Team."
Miss Martian caught the other two girls in a quick hug. "This is great! We're like sisters now; I mean, I had twelve back on Mars, but trust me, it's not the same."
Starfire beamed, but Artemis only smiled weakly. "I… wouldn't know."
Warhawk elbowed a scowling Kid Flash in the side; the speedster reluctantly held out his hand to Artemis.
"Yeah, yeah… welcome."
This time, Artemis' smile was genuine as she shook his hand.
…
Gotham City, 01:16 EDT
A brief flash of light appeared, and then Artemis stretched her stiff muscles. She had chatted and socialized with the rest of the Team for almost an hour, before excusing herself to go home. What none of the others realized, however, was that her home wasn't in Star City with her mentor, but here, in Gotham.
Artemis was about to start walking, but the faintest of movements caught her eye; she spun around, drawing and aiming an arrow in one fluid movement.
"Step into the light!" she ordered, "Right now!"
The figure did as she said, revealing himself to be Red Arrow. "Nice move; almost made me believe that you are Green Arrow's niece. But we both know that you aren't."
Artemis didn't shoot an arrow, but she did shoot a glare as she lowered her bow as Red Arrow continued.
"Still, I'm sure GA and Bats have a reason for lying, so your cover is safe." He turned to leave, but stopped and sent a cold stare in the other archer's direction. "But I warn you: if you hurt those kids in any way… it'll be the last thing you ever do."
…
Galvan-2, 24 Hours Later
"That was… uncomfortable," Roquette said as she stepped through the violet portal and looked around the alien world in wonder.
"Oh, must you complain about everything?" Verdona said as she levitated a few suitcases behind her, "I hope Azmuth can put up with you better than I can… oh, speak of the devil!"
Heading towards them was a young-looking human girl with blond hair, while a tiny gray alien with large eyes sat on her shoulder.
"Hi, Verdona!" the girl said cheerfully, "How's Ben?"
"He's fine," Verdona said; she would have said more, but the alien on the girl's shoulder coughed, getting their attention.
"Is this the woman you told me about?" he asked in a gruff voice as he pointed at Roquette; after Verdona nodded, he turned to the doctor. "I am First Thinker Azmuth, of the Galvan, and this is my assistant, Unitrix…"
"My name is Eunice," the blond girl said in a long-suffering tone.
"No, it isn't," Azmuth shot back, then continued, "I've heard that you're an expert in nano-robotics, yes?"
Roquette nodded hesitantly, but Azmuth smirked.
"Well then, I think I have a project that you'll find quite intriguing."
This time, Roquette's eyes lit up as she smiled.
…
Unknown Location
The second-in-command of the League of Shadows, an elderly man called Sensei, bowed before the computer screen around him, the identities of the people they showed obscured by blinding light.
"Masters," the man said, "Before Ojo's capture, he transmitted the STAR Labs data you required, but the WayneTech intel… still eludes us."
"Once again," the only voice among his masters that Sensei recognized said, "The young… heroes… interfere. It is fortunate, then, that we have an operative… on the inside."
Sensei smiled cruelly.
And there we go! Geez, this chapter was long, the longest by far for this story, even without the foreword and afterword, and that makes me happy! I love longer chapters!
So, some things to talk about:
Yes, the beginning of the chapter was based on a combination of Red vs. Blue and Young Justice Abridged. It was too funny to pass up.
I DO NOT OWN RED VS. BLUE, AND I DON'T OWN YOUNG JUSTICE ABRIDGED, THOUGH I'M PRETTY SURE THAT DC OWNS THE LATTER ANYWAY, SINCE IT STILL USES THEIR STUFF.
Victor Stone: for those of you who know who he is, don't say anything, but he'll be more important in Part 2. For now, he's Ken's best male friend outside of the Team.
Valerie Sage: my new OC! Some of you might figure out who she is, but if you do, once again, don't say anything. She'll have more importance in a few chapters, let's leave it at that.
Some of you might be wondering why I sent Roquette to live in Ben's universe. Well, I figured that Ben's universe should have some relevance earlier on than I did in Ben 10: Unlimited, and having her work with Azmuth seemed like a good fit.
I know I had Eunice look the same, but remember that she's the Unitrix; she probably wouldn't age anyway.
If you have any questions, send me a PM; otherwise, leave a review and get excited, because my next chapter is all-original!
Freedom is the right of all sentient muffins!
