With the villains
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. ~Winston Churchill
The villains all limped into base, Avon glaring at Brett like his life demanded it. "It's your fault Hannah is gone, I am not even sure you deserve to be leader anymore," Avon wondered out loud with a grumble, hopping over the couch to sit on. Mia followed behind, Leilani limping next to her.
She rolled her eyes and carefully set Leilani down on the couch as well. Brandon carried Rosalyn into the base bridal style, her head buried in his shoulder. Mia got up to help him and they both carried her to the couch.
"Avon, shut the hell up. I was with Hannah too and I didn't sweep the area well enough," Brandon said as he sat on the floor Indian style. Avon crossed his arms.
"I can't be mad at you. Brett was the one with her when it happened and if he was a better fighter it wouldn't have happened," Avon accused, pointing a finger at Brett, who was currently leaning in the doorway. Brett sighed and turned on his heels and made a break off to his room. Avon jumped up from the couch. "Hey, get back here. I am not done talking to you!" Avon said angrily, a growl escaping at the end. Brett turned around to face Avon and jabbed a finger in his chest.
"Look, I don't need a little villain wannabe telling me about my mistakes. I know I screwed up, but Hannah can take care of herself," Brett paused for a second, looking around the room as if he needed to explain himself, "And if I wasn't knocked out, I would have followed her and tried to save her until I died. So shut up, you don't know anything!" Brett said in an angered, monotone voice. He sighed. "I would have rather died than let that maniac get her."
Brett went into his assigned room and slammed the door into Avon's face. Avon clenched his jaw and punched the wall next to Brett's door in frustration. He glanced at the team and he knew his eyes were turning red and the roots of his hair were turning white.
"Damn it! How are we supposed to be a team if we can't cooperate together? We don't even trust one another!" Avon spoke, sitting on the floor near the couch so the two most injured could stretch out. He breathed in a shaky breath, calming himself down. Mia put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down, Avon. You ranting won't help us find her. The faster we find her, the better off we all will be. Maybe a good night's sleep will help us all. I see Leilani and Rosalyn are already falling asleep," Mia commented, looking down at said team mates. Brandon shook his head.
"Well, power to you all if you wish to sleep, but I think I'm going to try and find Hannah," Brandon revealed as he stood up and picked up an unconscious Rosalyn. "I'm going to move her to her room now." Brandon left and heaved the girl over his shoulder with a grunt. When his figure moved out of view, Mia turned to Avon.
"I guess you aren't the only one upset. Let's take Leilani to her room," Mia somewhat commanded as she picked up Leilani's hand. "Hey, Lei, we need to move you to your room. Do you think we need to help you?" Mia asked softly. Avon watched in silence as Leilani nodded weakly. Avon stood up and picked up Leilani bridal style on his own. He faced Mia.
"You need sleep yourself, I'll try to coax Brandon and Brett to see if they are up to it," Avon whispered in her direction. "But I know I won't be able to sleep either way. I just hope we find Hannah before something bad happens to her.." Avon trailed off, running a hand through his thick black hair. He glanced shortly at Hannah's door and Mia tried her best to give him a warm smile. She put a hand on his shoulder for the second time that night.
"I'm sure she will be fine. It's just the Joker, plus I am sure if we tell our mentors they would be looking for her too. Quit freaking yourself out," Mia reassured the older boy, although she didn't believe the latter herself. Avon gave her a look, before pushing Leilani's door open and walking inside the room. He set Leilani down on her bed and took the blankets from the edge and put it over her limp body.
"You should get sleep, Mia," Avon said in response. He left her alone as she continued to hold Leilani's hand.
Mia glanced at the floor as he left and from the corner of her eye she saw a mint green notebook on the floor, mostly shoved underneath the rug on the floor. Curiosity got the best of her, so Mia walked over and bent down to pick it up. Before her fingers touched the spine, she looked up at Leilani to make sure she was indeed still passed out. She picked it up and held it between her fingers and she opened it to the first page.
What the hell? She thought. She kept going through the journal, page after page, and she found one with her name scrawled out on the top margin.
"Leilani has been keeping tags on us for years… how could she have known that?..." Mia glanced at Leilani with a shake of the head. With the flick of her wrist she threw the journal down on the ground again. She kicked it under the bed, before leaving quickly, shutting the door behind her.
Mia leaned against the door with a sigh and slid down so her butt touched the floor. "Hannah, you better come back to us safe and sound, or I'll kick your ass." Mia threatened weakly.
Unknown Location
Willpower is the key to success. Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome apathy, doubt or fear. ~Dan Millman
The red-haired girl lay motionless in her own pool of blood in the middle of the abandoned factory, her hands cuffed not only behind her back but also suspended at a twenty degree angle from the two polls surrounding her. She was unconscious, her eyes closed and shielding her from the man that brought her there.
He sighed and played with Hannah's discarded sword, edging his fingertips across the blade. "You really ought to wake up, you will miss your appointment." The Joker taunted, looking down at her figure. She squirmed slightly and coughed and his smile grew three times the size it originally was. "We have to… savor this moment, Hannah. I mean, how many times do we get to see each other with our very busy schedules?" Hannah didn't reply and he walked up to her, his footsteps echoing throughout the entire area. He stopped at her feet and she squirmed yet again. "Oh, so you can hear me?"
"Screw you." Hannah spat, her head low and glancing at the blood splattered floor. She coughed and glared at the Joker. "Hey, what kind of get together is this anyways, where are all the guests and food? You know I just love a good dip," Hannah teased. Joker smirked.
"I was hoping to leave the guests for later, but if you truly insist…" The Joker turned around and headed towards what looked like a goodie bag you might get at parties. He pulled out a miniature camera and a tripod. Hannah squinted at it as he came back and put it a good ten feet in front of her.
She gulped as the Joker turned yet around again. "Meet my friend, Bobby. Bobby meet Hannah," Joker introduced as he pulled out a wooden baseball bat from a bag behind a monitor. Hannah's eyes widened.
"On second thought, I don't like people anyways, especially boys," Hannah quipped in a quiet voice. The Joker laughed and tossed his green hair away from his forehead.
"He's just going to take a dip Hannah, isn't that what you wanted?" The Joker hissed. Hannah squinted yet again, fighting off her present concussion.
"Well do your worst, you sick son of a bitch," Hannah growled as she braced herself, though it was futile. Joker grinned with a hysterical chuckle.
He turned on the record button on the camera. "Oh, you piece of shit! You are videotaping this?!" Hannah questioned in disbelief. The Joker grinned even wider, before taking a step back just to go forward yet again. He imitated a golf player and he hit Hannah across the chest. She coughed violently. "Good, good. This is my good side, anyways."
Mount Justice
I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. ~Michael Jordan
The Batman took the information Siobhan had given him and held it in his fist. He glanced down at it at first, before scowling.
"Although you did not reprehend the information the first time I ordered you the mission, you did well with the mistake and you fixed it. Good job team. Get rest, in four hours I will deploy you on another mission." Batman turned to the computer screen behind him, and he waited until the shuffling of their feet passed by completely, before he sighed. He shut down the computer and left to the Zeta-Tube, before giving the group a hopeful glance, because he knew. He knew the mission he was about to send them on could scar them for life.
"You know, AJ, I was wondering.." Tomi trailed off, the conversation going nowhere as they both stood outside of AJ's door to her room. She had a soft smile displayed on her lips and her eyes were wide, her blush almost matching Tomi's hair. "I was wondering, you know, if you would like...if you happened to want to... I don't know," Tomi put a hand on his neck and sighed. AJ was waiting patiently. "Do you want to catch a movie with me sometime?" Tomi asked in a sort of rush. AJ smiled and opened the door to her room.
"Of course Tomi, we can do it Friday if you want?" AJ asked with a smirk. Tomi nodded.
"Um, yeah that would be great," Tomi replied with his own smile. AJ smirked one last time before opening her door fully and going inside her room.
She closed the door behind her and Tomi started punching the air in celebration. He whistled off and half ran to his assigned room.
Meanwhile, Siobhan was in her room, sitting on her bed and reading the dictionary. She hummed in amusement at a misspelling of a word and she shook her head.
"On average, the Webster's dictionary misspells about three hundred and fifty words per issue," Siobhan stated in a monotone voice to herself, saying her knowledge out loud. She sat up straighter and in an Indian fashion. She glanced at her little stuffed bat plushie next to her. She gingerly went over to grab it and she placed it in between her knees. She bent down and hugged it with a sigh.
"Sometimes, I wish I were half normal," Siobhan said into the plushie. She glanced at the clock that was hanging on her door, before she took off her glasses and climbed into bed and under her sheets.
Elaine rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock. She really wanted to get some sleep, but she knew it wasn't going to happen as long as Chase was having target practice in his room. Elaine knew he wasn't supposed to do that as he could ruin or break something, but he wasn't directly harming her, so she would leave the situation alone.
Elaine covered her ears with her overly bright blue Carebear pillow.
Some people do say I act sort of like an evil Carebear. She thought, before shaking her head. She listened to the sound of arrows popping against the matting. Pop, pop, pop. She covered her head tighter and gritted her teeth.
"Damn it Chase! Quit it with the target practice, we seriously need to be resting up before the new mission!" Elaine snapped. The thudding stopped for a moment and she sighed happily and relaxed her muscles. Then it started again and Elaine snagged her blankets off of her body and stomped to her door. It flung open and fell off its hinges. "Chase, you messed with the wrong girl today.." Elaine said upset. She marched to Chase's door and pounded it with her fist. Chase opened the door.
"Oh hey, Elaine," he greeted her with a smile. Elaine shook her head.
"You amaze me on how a blind person can open a door and just know who is there. It's late, get some sleep," Elaine half ordered, half joked. Chase smiled.
"I sensed it was you. And okay, you are right, sleep will prove helpful and beneficial to the team. Goodnight," Chase said as he closed his door. Elaine stood there with her arms crossed, before stomping back to her room to lie back in bed, although she felt fully awake already. She slammed her door closed and sat down in her bed before her vision went hazy.
Villain's Point of View
Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. ~Richard M. Nixon
"Did you give them the painkillers for when they wake up?" Brandon asked as Mia walked into the computer room. The smaller girl nodded.
"I did, but I kind of wanted not too. Did you know that Leilani wrote down everything about us in a journal? It's creepy and wrong," Mia informed the boy as she crossed her arms over her chest in disapproval. Brandon shrugged his shoulders, no concern evident.
"We can't all read emotions like you can. Leilani writing down random facts about us means nothing. It helps her feel safer," Brandon stood up for the younger girl. Mia shook her head.
"Why are you standing up for her? She makes fun of you," Mia reminded him and she went to the chair closest to Brandon. Brandon shrugged.
"You don't fight fire with fire and two lefts don't make a right," Brandon said wisely as he pushed a few more keys on the computer. All of a sudden it paused, and a look of confusion crossed Brandon's features. He pushed on a few more keys, before what looked like an ad popped up on screen. "Oh my God," he muttered as he pressed the tab open. He stood up in his chair so quickly that it knocked down behind him.
"What's wrong? Do I need to get the.." Before she could finish her sentence, a video started to load on the screen. She paused her thought process and leaned in closer to the screen. All she saw was the Joker standing in front of it and her eyes widened, fear crossing her features.
"Hello, Baby League! I have something that belongs to you all. She has been a load of fun so fair," the Joker said with a smile. Mia stood up and screamed, Avon and Brett rushing into the room. Brett closed his eyes. "I want to play a game with you all. If you can find me, she may have a chance to live, not that that chance is very big, I warn you. Let's see how well Hannah can give you clues on where she is." The screen shifted onto Hannah and she had a trickle of blood running down her cheek.
"FUCK YOU!" She screamed as she fought against her bounds.
"Oh my God, Hannah... Brandon can you trace this!?" Brett shouted angrily and he turned to see that Brandon was shaking his head, his eyes turning glossy.
"Isn't possible, the camera has changing IP addresses every second, I already tried," Brandon informed the leader in frustration. Brett grit his teeth and curtly nodded, before turning his attention back to the screen.
"Okay, Red. This is how the game works. Every time I hit you with the baseball bat, you have ten seconds before I swing again. During those ten seconds, you can give clues to your team on where you think you are. You have until I knock you unconscious!" The Joker said as he started swinging the bat lazily near his shins. Hannah cringed.
"Bring it," she snarled. Joker shrugged with a smirk, before he brought the baseball bat up, smacking it into her chest. She wheezed for half of her given time. Joker smiled.
"Nothing to say?" He taunted. Hannah closed her eyes and didn't move. Joker bent down to check for a pulse. He looked worriedly into the camera, before laughing.
"Did he hit an important artery!?" Mia asked in concern, tears pouring out of her eyes as she clutched the chair's armrests. She didn't want anybody to answer her, pure fear showing in her eyes.
Joker smiled and waved. "Looks like the guest decided to take a small nap," Joker taunted and he bent to Hannah's level. All of a sudden, Hannah jerked up and smacked her forehead into Joker's nose and he cried out in pain. Blood gushed out of his nose. Brett smiled slightly at the action.
"That's Hannah," he said in a monotone voice. Mia chuckled bitterly.
"You know what, they said you were very ladylike!" Joker sneered as he pulled out a napkin, or some fragment, from his pocket. He wiped his bloody nose. Hannah smirked, blood gushing in her smile.
"Why don't come closer, hmm, Jay?" Hannah taunted on her own. "Let's keep this game up, I believe I have a place to give." Brett rolled his eyes. "Eager, aren't you? Alright then." Joker swung the bat again and Hannah cussed as it hit her elbow and cracked it. "Obviously Gotham, smells like it." Hannah gave out.
"I'll write down the clues," Avon volunteered as he pulled a pen from his pocket and grabbed a paper from next to the computer. He wrote down 'Gotham' and glanced up at the monitor.
"You have to love the city life," Joker cooed brilliantly. Hannah smirked and Joker raised the bat again, it caked in Hannah's blood. He swung it and it once again hit Hannah in the chest. She let out a blood curdling scream and the Joker laughed eagerly. "Now that's what I want to hear!"
Avon shook his head, tears threatening to fall at the sound of his friend crying out in pain. He knew she was waiting on them to save her and it killed him to know that he didn't even know where to start.
"I'm going to rip his heart out of his body when I see him," Brett threatened. Mia glanced at him in worry, knowing the boy would be very capable of doing just so.
Joker smiled. "Any clues to give, Red?" Even though her mouth was grit in pain, she refused to let the team know how much pain she was truly in.
"Just one, Factory it seems. It's abandoned, it may be a toy or candy factory," Hannah observed, her voice coming out strained. She glanced at the camera and, just for a second, she smiled at the team, before she was hit again.
"I am getting awfully bored of this Hannah. I think we will stop for now." Joker turned to the camera and moved it away from Hannah. As the video was playing, Avon was scribbling down all the clues. "Okay, kiddos. You heard the doll. You have just three days, and this day does count, to find her. If you don't, I will blow her sky high, and look, it will be New Year's when it happens. Happy findings, and I truly hope you will see her soon." The camera ended the film, and the entire computer shut off. Avon sighed.
"So, just like that, we might lose her. We have to do something," Avon urged the team. Brett crossed his arms and glared at the blank screen. He nodded.
"I agree. This means war."
With the Heroes
We fear violence less than our own feelings. Personal, private, solitary pain is more terrifying than what anyone else can inflict. ~Jim Morrison
The clock marked the end of the four hours and the heroes had gingerly left the safety of their rooms for yet another mission. They each made their way to the debriefing room.
Once they were all present, Batman emerged from the shadows and turned on the computer and projector screen. He held a clicker in his gloved hand as he pulled up a picture from a file. The picture was of Gotham's very own Scarecrow.
"Jonathon Crane, AKA, the Scarecrow, has broken out of Arkham again today. Your mission is to stop the shipment of fear gas in Gotham Bay. It would be wise not to have any complications with him, as he is dangerous. You deploy in five." Batman released them and they all marched to the Bio-Ship.
"Well this sucks," Phoebe whined as she crossed her arms over her chest. She sat down in her assigned seat and the seat belt automatically formed around her narrow frame. Alayna came and sat behind her.
"What does? Batman finally trusts us enough to actually go out and about," Alayna pointed out. Phoebe glanced out the window, even though they were still docked in Mount Justice. Elaine opened the bay doors as Phoebe turned to Alayna.
"Because, knowing me, I am going to be the one to find Scarecrow first! Then I'll be sprayed and have to work through a nightmare," Phoebe explained, tossing around hand motions for emphasis. Alayna rolled her eyes.
"Then how about you be my partner if you are so worried," Alayna suggested as she had crossed her arms over her own chest. Phoebe shrugged.
"I don't know, Alayna. You aren't the most fun out of the bunch," Phoebe pestered with a slight chuckle. Alayna shook her head.
"Fine, be sprayed for all I care," Alayna joked back with a smirk of her own.
Fear passed through Phoebe's eyes as she chuckled slightly. "How is this plan going to work, Elaine?" Alayna asked the team leader, turning to her best friend from within the team. Elaine frowned.
"I didn't think of one yet. Honestly, I thought it might be like another explosion of Washington's labs," Elaine said honestly. Nobody noticed the fear in Tomi's eyes. He coughed to hide it. Siobhan took out what looked like a mini map.
"Okay, here is what I say we do. Whenever Scarecrow breaks out of Arkham, he usually goes to the shipping dock. I say we go there and we carefully take out the toxins from the boxes and we hide in them. When Scarecrow takes us where he wants to take us, we slowly come out and attack him from behind. Then we throw him back in Arkham where he belongs," Siobhan suggested intellectually, circling the shipping docks on the map that she held in her hands. Siobhan looked up at Elaine.
"The plan works brilliantly, Siobhan. Good job," Elaine praised the youngest with a well-deserved smile. Siobhan smiled shyly.
"Thanks."
With Deathstroke
What people don't understand is joining a gang ain't bad, it's cool, it's fine. When you in the hood, joining a gang it's cool because all your friends are in the gang, all your family's in the gang. We're not just killing people every night, we're just hanging out, having a good time. ~Snoop Dogg
"Come on, Luna, I have to introduce you to your new team," Deathstroke called out to his apprentice. He knew that just hours before he had made her go pack, but the time has come for him to drop her off at the base. Since Hannah was going to be 'removed' from the team, he might as well put a different pair of eyes in the mixture. He waited by the exit of the dark lair as Luna came out, padding her feet on the ground as she ran to join him.
She had packed two bags, both purple and bulging. She had one of them in her hands and the other on her back.
"Do I have to join the new team?" Luna complained. Deathstroke chuckled evilly.
"Of course, I need someone I can trust in the team," Deathstroke admitted as he put an arm on her back, guiding her towards the exit. Luna crossed her arms, her bag thumping against her flat chest.
"Don't you have the other red-head over there?" Luna asked.
What if he is getting rid of me like how he got rid of his other apprentice? What if there is someone right outside the door to be trained for his army? The thoughts came to her like speeding bullets from any automatic gun that she had learned to shoot. Deathstroke stopped mid-walk to think on how he was going to respond to the question at hand.
"Her services will no longer be necessary to me anymore. Just remember Luna, loyalty is everything," Deathstroke advised in a snake-like voice.
Luna shivered at the tone, afraid to ask why Hannah wouldn't be needed anymore. Deathstroke started walking again.
She left the comfort of her newly found home and started walking to the nearest alleyway closest to the lair. There was an old phone booth at the end and he guided her inside. It looked like he had dialed a number, but in reality he was just typing in the coordinates to the mini villains' lair. Luna felt dizzy as a flash of light surrounded her. Soon enough she was in this weird room, Deathstroke being buzzed in behind her, the light flashing yet again.
"Is this it? Is this goodbye?" Luna asked her mentor. Deathstroke chuckled.
"It's not the end Luna, this is just the beginning."