A/N: I own nothing you recognize.
*sigh* Another late chapter. Yesterday was busy, and next Saturday I'll be out of the house all day, so I guess this is me saying I will probably be posting on Sunday next week too.
Anyway, thank you for all the comments, follows, and favorites!
Gotham City
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
1147 EDT
"Late night?" James asked as Naomi tripped down the stairs.
"You could say that," Naomi said through a yawn. "Beating up the lowest of the low around the Gotham slums makes one seriously tired; they're all so big!"
James laughed while Naomi dug through the refrigerator for orange juice. Her comm-unit beeped in her ear and she sighed. "Lilith hear," she said.
"I am calling to remind you that Black Canary is coming to the Cave around one o'clock this afternoon for our first training session," Aqualad said.
"Oh, crap," Naomi groaned. "Okay. I'll zeta ASAP. Lilith out."
"So much for a relaxing day off," James teased.
Naomi gave James a shove and stuck her tongue out at him as she made her way back upstairs to change. She dashed up the stairs and was back down in minutes, dressed in civilian clothes.
"I'll call when I'm on my way home," Naomi said.
"Sure you will!" Lisa suddenly called from within the house. James laughed again while Naomi rolled her eyes and waved behind her before stepping out the front door.
A moment later, she was stepping out into the training room to find Robin and Wally playing a round of holographic air hockey. M'gann and Kaldur stood around, watching the two.
"Lily!" M'gann exclaimed happily. "Come join us!"
"Give me one second to change and then try to stop me!" Lily said with a smile. She hurried past them and into her Cave bedroom. She emerged a moment later just as Wally scored the winning point. He cheered while Robin groaned.
"Not used to losing, Wonder Boy?" Lily teased with a laugh.
"Shut up," Robin mumbled, but Lily saw his lip twitch upward and she smiled internally; they really were making progress.
"I will play if you no longer wish to, Robin," Kaldur offered, and Robin stepped back.
"Lil, when I'm done, feel free to challenge me too," Wally said with a wink before starting the new game against Kaldur. Lily raised an eyebrow but didn't respond.
After a few minutes, a Tweet! came from the hologram as Wally scored a point against Kaldur. All while eating a banana.
"Recognized: Superboy, B-0-4." Lily turned and watched as Superboy stalked into the room, and she saw M'gann beam.
"Hi, Superboy," M'gann said as he walked through the holographic table. "How was Metropolis?" she asked. Her smile fell when Superboy didn't respond. Lily sighed quietly and resolved to talk to Superboy the next time she could; she had a feeling his current bad mood had something to do with the Big Blue Boy Scout.
Behind them, and throat cleared. Lily turned to see Black Canary walk in with Martian Manhunter.
"Ready for training, everyone?" Black Canary asked.
"Black Canary," M'gann greeted. "Uncle J'onn!" she exclaimed. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the older Martian.
"M'gann, I was in the neighborhood so I thought I'd see how you were adjusting," Manhunter said, though there was something in his tone that made Lily think that may not have been the complete truth.
"A few bumps, but I'm learning," M'gann responded.
"That is all I can ask," Manhunter said with a small smile.
Lily glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Superboy walking away. "Stick around," Black Canary called, looking at him as well. "Class is in session." Superboy stopped walking and turned around but didn't walk back.
Black Canary stood in the middle of the large ring and it lit up under her feet. "I consider it an honor to be your teacher," she said, turning so she was facing the Team, her back to Superboy. "I'll throw a lot at you," she continued, reaching up to shrug off her short blue jacket. "Everything I've learned from my own mentor..." She grunted as she lifted her left shoulder. "And my own bruises," she added with a wry smile.
"What happened?" M'gann asked in concern as Black Canary reached up to touch the bandage wrapped around the upper part of her arm.
"The job," Black Canary said shortly. "Now, combat is about controlling conflict," she said, getting back to business. "Putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, never reacting." She gazed at the Team. "I'll need a sparring partner."
"Right here," Wally said instantly, his hand shooting in the air. He walked forward so he was standing in front of Black Canary. He finished his banana and said, "After this..." He paused and tossed the banana peel away, imitating the sound of a basket being made. "I'll show you my moves."
Lily saw Black Canary's eyebrow lift slightly, but the corner of her mouth curled up in a smirk and she nodded, narrowing her eyes in concentration.
Black Canary moved immediately, throwing a punch at Wally, which he blocked easily. But pulling out of the punch, Black Canary ducked and swung her foot around, knocking Wally on his back. He landed with a thud on the holographic floor, and a circle appeared around his torso with a tag that read Kid Flash Status: FAIL.
Wally groaned. "Hurts so good," he gasped.
"Good block," Black Canary complimented, reaching down to help Wally to his feet. "But did anyone see what he did wrong?"
"Ooh, ooh!" Robin called. "He hit on teacher and got served?" Lily whacked the back of his head without glancing at him. "Ow," he grumbled, rubbing his head.
"Dude!" Wally exclaimed, his eyes widening, sounding mortified.
Black Canary looked hard at the Team. "He allowed me to dictate the terms of–-"
"Oh please," Superboy scoffed, cutting off Black Canary. She glanced back at Superboy, who was standing with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "With my powers, the battle's always on my terms," he said. "I'm a living weapon, and this is a waste of my time," he finished with a glare at Black Canary.
Lily's eyes widened slightly before narrowing and starting forward. Black Canary's own eyes narrowed and Lily stopped. "Prove it," Black Canary challenged softly, looking directly at Superboy. He walked up to Black Canary and Wally backed away nervously. They stood facing each other, Superboy glaring and Black Canary with narrowed eyes. They gave slight nods of their heads and then took ready positions.
Superboy threw first with a grunt. Black Canary moved out of the way and grabbed Superboy's outstretched arm with both hands. Using his forward momentum, she easily tossed him and he landed with a thud on his back.
Robin pointed a finger at him and burst out laughing. Lily turned to him in disbelief as Kaldur gently nudged him, and Robin quickly covered his mouth with both hands.
Superboy stood with a growl.
"You're angry," Black Canary observed. "Good, but don't react. Channel that anger into–-" She was cut off as Superboy ran at her with a frustrated yell. As he reached her, Black Canary sprang into the air and flipped over his head, landing behind him. Superboy turned, but Black Canary's leg was already sweeping under his feet, and he fell again. Robin snickered.
"That's it!" Superboy yelled angrily, sitting up and ignoring Black Canary's offered hand. "I'm done."
"Training is mandatory," Black Canary said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop his retreat. Superboy threw off her hand and turned to glare at her.
They were interrupted when Batman's image appeared on a holographic screen.
"Batman to Cave," he said. Everyone quickly stepped forward. "Five hours ago, a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary. The attacker was capable of studying, then duplicating, the powers and abilities of its opponents." At the top left corner, another image appeared of a very human-looking robot as it battled various members of the League. "Arrow called in reinforcements, which nearly proved disastrous, as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant."
"Whoa," Wally said quietly. "One guy with the powers of the entire League?" he asked in disbelief.
"In the end it took eight Leaguers four hours to defeat and dismantle the android," Batman continued.
"An android?" Robin asked immediately. "W-who made it? T.O. Morrow?"
"What a name," Lily muttered. Robin turned to glare at her and she quickly cleared her throat. "Right, sorry."
"Good guess, Robin," Batman said. "But Red Tornado doesn't think so." Lily furrowed her eyebrows; what would an android know of another android?
"The technology bears the signatures of Professor Ivo," Manhunter added.
"Ivo?" Kaldur asked, turning back to Batman. "But Ivo's dead."
"So we all thought," Black Canary said grimly, turning to glance at Kaldur over her shoulder, "or hoped."
"To make certain this threat is permanently neutralized," Batman continued, "we're sending two trucks carrying the android's parts to two separate S.T.A.R. Lab facilities in Boston and New York for immediate evaluation." A new screen appeared to the right of Batman, which showed a map with a bright red dot and dashed lines pointing in the direction of the two cities. "Every precaution is being taken," Batman said. "We'll have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion in case Ivo, or anyone, tries to recover the remains. You will split into undercover teams to safeguard the two real trucks."
"Yes!" Wally exclaimed. "Road trip!"
"So now we take out our trash?" Superboy demanded, scowling at Batman.
"You had something better to do?" Batman countered, unfazed by Superboy's glare.
"Coordinates received," Kaldur announced. "On our way."
"Wait, wait," Lily said finally, stopping everyone in their trucks. She turned to Batman. "Are we the only ones guarding the trucks?" she asked.
"Are you doubting the Team?" Batman asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lily huffed. "That's not what I meant," she defended. "I mean, are other League members going to guard the other trucks?"
"Why would they need to guard empty trucks?" Robin asked impatiently.
"If Ivo, or anyone else, had people follow all six trucks, wouldn't it tip them off if only two of the trucks were protected?" Lily prompted.
"They don't know where the trucks are meeting," Batman assured.
"I'm not convinced," Lily said, crossing her arms over her chest, though she looked more nervous than challenging. "And besides, they're robots. Couldn't there be some sort of...tracking device within the parts?"
"It's supposed to be an easy job," Batman said.
"But–-"
"Enough," Batman commanded, and Lily fell silent. "You have motorcycles in the hanger, and clothes in the dressing rooms."
Lily pursed her lips but followed the others as they dashed into the Cave. Lily was silent as she stepped behind a barrier and began to change. She reached for the zipper of her uniform but then faltered; if there was a firefight, she would want her uniform. She pulled the zipper up and then stepped into the pants and shrugged on the jacket.
"Lily, you ready?" M'gann called.
"Yeah," Lily called back. She stepped out from behind the screen and walked with M'gann to the hanger.
Sure enough, there were six black motorcycles, each with a single stripe down each side that corresponded with the lines on their biking gear. Lilith picked up the helmet that sat on the seat of her bike–distinguishable by the dark purple line–and started the engine.
When the Team reached the trucks in Litchfield County, Lilith parked her bike behind a clump of trees before marching up to Batman, the others following behind.
"'They don't know where the trucks are meeting?'" she quoted. She pointed at the crater the trucks were parked next to. "That looks awfully familiar," she said, referencing the video clip Batman had shown them of the android fighting the League.
"We've got this under control," Superman said, stepping forward. "And you've got a job to do."
Lilith's eyes narrowed briefly. But beyond that, Robin was surprised she didn't get mad or irritated at the rebuff. She crossed her arms tightly across her chest and seemed to be more on guard than usual.
"Superboy, Robin, Lilith." The three turned to Batman. "You will be following the truck going to New York." He turned to the other three. "You will be following the truck to Boston." All six nodded. They walked to their motorcycles and climbed on, pulling the helmets over their heads.
Robin watched as Lilith began checking and double-checking her bike. She muttered under her breath, "Check, check," pause, "check, yes, yes," pause, "good, okay, check." Once she had gone over everything, she leaned her bike on its brace and began drumming her fingers on the handles.
"Relax," Robin said quietly, reaching to the side and touching her hand. Lilith jumped and whipped her head around at the mysterious contact, but she didn't pull away once she realized it was Robin. "The League has it under control."
Lilith bit her lip and nodded, but she didn't look convinced. Before Robin could reassure her further, the trucks started and Lilith revved her motorbike in response. The trucks drove off, three to the right and three to the left. Superboy took off, Lilith and Robin quickly following. When they reached an off-ramp, the first two trucks peeled to the left while the truck containing the android's parts continued straight.
"If dislike is the opposite of like," Robin started once he had pulled back to ride beside Lilith, "is disaster the opposite of aster?" He saw the corners of Lilith's lips twitch up at that. "See, instead of things going wrong," he reasoned, "they go right."
Lilith glanced over at Robin and said, "Doesn't work like that, Bird Brain," a small smile playing on her lips. She turned her attention back to the road, but Robin's inquiry had the effect he was hoping for: Lilith seemed more relaxed. Ahead of them, Superboy revved his bike and picked up his speed.
"Uh, clearly he's not feeling the aster," Robin said as he and Lilith sped up. "Wonder what's wrong."
"Canary," came Superboy's response. Lilith forgot that their helmets had been designed for easy communication between the teams. "I mean, what business does she have, teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?" he huffed.
Lilith couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and scoff. "And what good did that do you against her?" she scoffed.
"Look, taking down stronger guys is part of the gig," Robin quickly cut in. "Canary learned the hard way. Same with Batman, and well, me."
Lilith sighed and amended her previous challenge. "Sometimes, you need to fight the little people's fight in order to stay ahead," she said gently. Superboy didn't respond, just revved his engine again and picked up the slack on the truck.
Lilith heard a rustle in the corn fields to their right. "Something's–-" she started to say when black and neon green robotic monkeys suddenly shot out of the field. They cackled and attached themselves to the truck.
"Robin, Superboy, Lilith!" came Aqualad's disembodied voice though Lilith's comm-unit. "Our truck is under attack!"
"Kinda figured," Robin grumbled, looking at the monkeys.
"That means 'so is ours,'" Lilith translated.
"I hate monkeys," Superboy growled, glaring at the chittering robots hanging on the back of the truck.
"Robot monkeys!" Robin exclaimed as the truck jogged back and forth between lanes. "Totally Ivo's tweaked style," he said with a bitter laugh. He pressed a button on his bike and the front wheel pulled itself in while the black wheel detached and took to the air.
"Hey, hey, switch your ride to battle mode," Robin called to Lilith and Superboy.
"No point!" Superboy said before launching himself off his bike and onto the top of the truck. His motorcycle teetered for a second before falling to its side.
"Or not!" Robin exclaimed as he jumped off his bike to keep from crashing. Lilith swerved to miss both bikes and pulled alongside the truck. She pulled out a gun and began shooting the monkeys that were hanging onto the side. Above her, she saw Superboy using his bare hands to smash and toss robots off the truck. Superboy yelled in pain and Lilith watched as four monkeys lifted Superboy off the truck and then dropped him on the asphalt. Robin took Superboy's place on the top of the truck and Lilith dropped back to try to cover both sides and the back.
Lilith caught sight of two androids and she aimed her guns, but their laster eyes had already gone off, causing the tires to explode.
She growled. "Get it together, dummkopf," she muttered. Lilith swerved her bike around the truck and pulled up in front. (1)
"Get out!" she heard Robin yell at the driver. She heard a thump and a yell, and Lilith realized Robin must have leapt off the truck. Glancing behind her, she quickly pulled back and she watched as the truck went tumbling. The back exploded and the monkeys flew out, two carrying the case with the android's parts between them.
Lilith set the kickstand and hurried over to the two men who were supposed to have guarded the case. She helped them out of the truck just as Robin emerged from the corn, supporting the weight of the driver. She pulled off her helmet and watched the robots fly away, cackling as they went.
With a yell, Superboy lifted the truck off himself, and with a grunt, launched himself at the monkeys.
"Superboy!" Lilith yelled, but his feet were already off the ground. She watched him sail through the sky and land in the corn before taking off again.
Lilith sighed and walked her motorcycle back to Robin just as she heard Aqualad say, "Aqualad to Robin. We've lost our cargo. Did you–-"
Robin sighed and said, "It's gone. And so is my partnet."
"He means Superboy," Lilith informed. "I'm still here," she stated.
"Aqualad to Superboy," their leader called next. "Radio your position. We'll help you."
"I don't need help," Superboy yelled, and in a fainter voice, "don't want any!"
"Superboy?" Aqualad called.
"I think he ditched his comm," Robin said. Lilith began poking around the truck, trying to find something that could be of use.
"Super," Kid Flash said sarcastically over the link. "Now we can't even track him."
"And if Professor Ivo is still alive, he's two steps ahead of us," Lilith muttered, looking at the monkeys.
"M-maybe w-we should contact Red Tornado?" Miss Martian asked hesitantly.
Aqualad sighed. "Tornado always tells us to handle things ourselves," he said. "And the mission can still succeed if we recover the parts before they're reassembled."
"Well, that's a great plan," Kid Flash said sarcastically. "Except for the part about us not knowing where to look!"
"Maybe we do," Lilith mumbled as she kneeled down at Robin's feet. Robin glanced down in surprise but quickly spotted what she had seen. He knelt beside her and pulled a cable from his gloves.
"You're onto something," Robin muttered.
"And you're like the Boy Scouts of America," Lilith said, but she glanced at Robin and gave him a little nudge. Robin found himself smiling at her before plugging in his cable to one of the six receptors in the robot's back.
"We'd have heard by now if the decoy trucks had been attacked," Robin said as he started tapping buttons on his wrist. "So how did these monkeys know exactly which trucks to target?" His holograph appeared. "Ha!" he exclaimed. "The parts have–-"
"GPS," Lilith finished, shaking her head. "I knew there was something! The monkeys can track the signal."
"Which means I can track them with the one I captured," Robin concluded. "Looks like both sets of parts are converging on...Gotham City." Lilith glanced at Robin and did a double take. She couldn't see his eyes, but she knew if his facial expression was any indication, his eye were wide, with trepidation most likely.
"That far south?" Aqualad asked disheartedly. "M'gann and I won't get there anytime soon. I'm sending Kid on ahead to meet you. Aqualad out."
Robin stood and slung the robot over his shoulder, and Lilith followed his lead and walked over to her bike.
"Come on," she said, pulling on her helmet and throwing a leg over the seat.
"What?" Robin asked, momentarily frozen.
Lilith huffed. "We'll get there faster if we take my bike and don't backtrack to yours," she said.
"But my costume," Robin said lamely.
"Fine, fine," Lilith said impatiently. "Just get on and I'll take you there."
"Definitely a disaster," Robin muttered as he walked toward Lilith. "Heavy on the dis." When he reached her, he hesitantly lowered himself on the seat behind her and awkwardly put his hands on her shoulders. Lilith rolled her eyes and kicked the bike into motion. They jumped forward, and instinctively, Robin wrapped his arms around her waist to steady himself. Robin felt Lilith laugh and he mumbled, "Shut up."
A few minutes later, they reached Robin's and Superboy's overturned motorcycles. Robin hopped off quickly.
"What are you doing?" he asked as Lilith turned off his engine.
"I'm going to change too," she said. She unzipped her jacket and Robin saw she had her uniform on under her clothes.
"Just hurry up," Robin grumbled.
Lilith laughed. "Whatever, Wonder Boy," she said as he walked into the corn field.
When Robin finally stepped out, he saw Lilith leaning against her motorcycle, casually polishing one of her kunais. She glanced up and Robin saw she had replaced her sunglasses with her usual domino mask. Her lip quirked. "'Bout time," she said before straightening and stowing the dagger in its sheath. She swung her leg over the bike and put on her helmet again. Robin scrambled to straighten his bike, and he breathed a sigh of relief when it started. He climbed on and pulled on his helmet.
Lilith glanced at Robin, and he nodded. Lilith revved the engine, and they took off toward Gotham City.
Gotham City
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
2127 EDT
They had just reached Gotham City limits when Kid Flash came running alongside them.
"So you changed too?" Robin called out. Lilith glanced over and saw Kid Flash in his bright yellow-and-red costume.
"You kidding?" Kid Flash asked with a shudder. "I feel naked in civvies. You still tracking the parts?"
"They were headed through Gotham," Robin said, "but they veered." He glanced down at his GPS. "Wait! Dude, they're at m–-Gotham Academy," he said.
Lilith rolled her eyes. "I know your I.D., Bird Brain," she said. "I know where you go to school."
Robin cleared his throat. "Right," he said. The three raced for Gotham City Academy. When they reached the parking lot, Robin said, "In the gymnasium."
Robin took off and Lilith followed after him. Once Kid flash saw the building they were heading toward, he ran ahead and disappeared through the doors. Lilith and Robin ran in through the other doors, and appeared in time to see Kid Flash snatch Superboy and carry him to where Robin and Lilith were standing.
Robin threw a disk, but the android just said, "Martian Manhunter," and the disk passed right through his head and exploded against the wall. "Access Red Tornado," the android said, and the signature red tornado appeared under him. Android leaned forward and floated toward them and blew them back. Superboy and Robin crashed into the bleachers and Lilith and Kid Flash slammed into a wall. Kid Flash stood with a grunt and Android said, "Access Captain Atom." He lifted his hand and Kid Flash scooped up Lilith before they could be hit by Android.
"Thanks, but put me down!" Lilith exclaimed, and Kid Flash paused long enough for Lilith to hop out of his arms before he sped off again.
"Access Black Canary," Lilith heard Android say, and she winced as Black Canary's cry echoed in the gym. She heard Kid Flash crash and slide against the waxed floors. Lilith grabbed a gun and shot it at the ceiling. A suction burst from the end and sailed through the air. She pulled herself up and balanced on the thin window sill.
"Superman," Android said, and Lilith glanced down to see Superboy throw a punch that Android easily caught. Lilith began fired statically-charged bullets, hoping to short out the android's system. A few hit, but the android didn't seem to notice. He punched Superboy, who went crashing through the bleachers again, before saying, "Martian Manhunter." Lilith continued firing, hoping to catch Android while he was density-shifting. Robin threw several more disks, but Android simply lengthened his arms and swatted them away.
"Superman," Lilith heard Android say, and she saw he had Kid Flash in his arms. She quickly grabbed another gun.
Suddenly, the sound of an arrow whistling through the air reached Lilith's ears and she whipped her head around to search for the source as Android said, "Martian Manhunter." Kid Flash fell through the android's arms and dashed away. "Access Black Canary," Android said, turning as Superboy came charging at him. Android grabbed Superboy's arm in the same fashion Black Canary had just that morning and sent him flying through the air.
"Analyzing." Lilith's gaze snapped to the ground below her and realized Superboy had crashed right below her. While she had been reloading her gun, Android had caught sight of her.
"Oops," she muttered.
"Analyze this!" Robin yelled and he threw a disk, trying to get its attention. It missed by a mile, but it did the trick: Android turned to Robin and said, "Superman." His eyes began to glow red, and Kid Flash dashed forward to knock Robin out of the way. Android turned back to where Lilith had been last, but she had slipped away.
Lilith crouched behind the bleachers Superboy had crashed into, and spotted a man with two monkeys sitting in the bleachers across the way. She glanced at Superboy and heard him sigh in defeat and say, "Access Black Canary." Lilith gave a slight smile; he was finally coming around.
"Oh, yawn," the man said, and Lilith turned back to him. "Normally, Amazo would study and mimic your abilities during battle, but what's the point?" he said. "You're all such poor copies of the originals."
Lilith was just about to step forward when Superboy growled, "So everyone keeps saying. It makes me angry!" he finished with a yell. He launched himself over Amazo the Android and Lilith saw where he was aiming. The man yelped in surprise and hurried out of the way. Lilith kept her eyes trained on him and hurried to the opposite side of the gym and then down the length of the bleachers. "Want to see me channel that anger?!" Superboy roared.
"Great," Kid Flash grumbled as he and Robin picked themselves off the floor. "He's gone ballistic again." Lilith slowly inched forward so she was even with the first row of seats, and saw the man still on the bleachers, his back to her. She straightened her arm, prepared to fire.
"Maybe not," Robin said, and Lilith knew the same thing had crossed his mind.
"Amazo, protect your master!" the man shouted desperately. "Priority alpha!" He leapt out of the way again as Superboy launched himself at him.
"Captain Atom," Amazo said, and he raised his hand and blasted Superboy further up the steps.
"Anyone want to play keep-away?" Robin asked as he ran forward. He kicked the man's back, who had been getting lifted by his monkeys (pathetic, Lilith thought), and he went flying forward.
"Me, me!" Kid Flash called, rushing behind Amazo. Lilith growled and quickly stepped forward to get a clear shot of the man.
"Access Superman," Amazo said. He stomped his foot and the floor rippled, sending Kid Flash through the air. Lilith growled as the dust picked up, obscuring her view of the man. She hurried around the bleachers and watched as a door closed. Lilith rushed to the door and pulled it open. She closed the door quietly behind her and kept her ears peeled for any noise.
After a moment, the robot monkeys' chittering reached her ears and Lilith hurried after the noise.
She easily followed the sounds and finally caught up with Ivo. She raised her gun and shorted out his two monkeys.
"Nowhere to run, Ivo," Lilith said lowly, stalking closer. She aimed her gun, set with a stunner, at Ivo.
"I think so," Ivo argued. He lifted his hand and pressed a button. The two monkeys exploded, obscuring Lilith's view of Ivo again. She raced forward, but by the time she reached the doors, there wasn't any sign of him.
Lilith growled and headed back to the gym to find a headless Amazo Android and the Team gathered around it.
"Where did you disappear to?" Robin asked when he caught sight of Lilith again.
"Oh, yeah," Kid Flash realized. "Where's Ivo?"
"I was following Ivo," Lilith responded as she approached them.
"He's not with you," Robin pointed out unhelpfully.
"Oh, no, he's right here!" Lilith said dramatically, gesturing to her side. "I used my second secret power and turned him invisible!"
"Ha, ha," Robin deadpanned.
"That's what you get for asking such pointless questions," Lilith lectured. She pointed at the headless robot. "What happened here?"
Robin and Kid Flash filled Lilith, Miss Martian, and Aqualad in as Robin worked on dismantling the android.
"So, we did it, right?" Kid Flash asked once the trucks had picked up the parts. "We survived and successfully kept the parts from being recovered."
"And we proved Ivo's still alive," Robin added optimistically.
"And it proved we could have avoided this whole mess if you had listened to me," Lilith muttered to herself as she knelt beside the arrow lodged in the varnished wooden floor. Robin immediately swooped in and snatched it up.
When he noticed the color, he scoffed in disbelief. "They were following us!" he exclaimed.
"What?" Kid Flash asked, approaching Robin.
"I do not believe they would do such a thing," Aqualad argued.
Lilith took the arrow from Robin and studied it briefly. "It doesn't look like G.A.'s arrow," she said skeptically.
"It's green," Robin pointed out.
Lilith rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Captain Obvious. Has it occurred to you that someone else might like the color green?"
"We can discuss this back at the Cave," Aqualad said, stepping in. Finding no reason to disagree, the Team nodded and headed outside.
"Oh, did someone recover my bike or will I have to ride with Lilith, which I totally don't mind, by the way."
"I totally mind! Please tell me everyone has a bike."
"Yes, Lilith, we have everyone's motorcycles."
"Bless the Lord!"
Mount Justice
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
0106 EDT
The Team turned when the zeta announced Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, and Green Arrow.
The Leaguers stood beside Batman and he turned back to the Team. "Status report."
"The Amazo Android is in pieces again," Aqualad confirmed, "safely being analyzed at the two separate S.T.A.R. Labs."
"But Ivo escaped," Lilith said angrily.
"And since he originated the tech, he's arguably more dangerous than the Android," Aqualad concluded.
"Capturing the professor will be a League priority," Black Canary said.
"But we understand your mission encountered...other complications," Manhunter added, crossing his arms.
The Team glanced at each other. The arrow, Lilith thought immediately.
"Complications come with the job," Batman said, stepping forward. "Your ability to handle them has impressed the League."
"The whole League?" Superboy asked skeptically.
"Given time, yes," Batman said. "Kryptonians, as you know, have very hard heads." The smallest smile crossed Superboy's lips "of course, there is no shame in asking for help," he continued. "That's why the League exists, because there are some problems even we can't handle individually."
"Please," Robin scoffed. "If we needed help, we'd never get the chance to ask." He reached into his belt and pulled out the arrow. "Look familiar?" he said.
"Robin," Lilith whispered. "I already told you, I don't think that's G.A.'s."
"You were following us!" Robin continued, ignoring her and handing the arrow at Batman. "Babysitting! You still don't trust us!"
Batman passed the arrow to Green Arrow. "We didn't follow you," Batman said evenly as Green Arrow examined the arrow. He pulled out one of his own and held it to compare.
"And that's not your arrow," Robin said slowly, the fight leaving his voice.
"I told you," Lilith muttered, rubbing her temple. "If you'd actually listened for once..."
"But that means–-" Robin started.
"Speedy!" Kid Flash exclaimed happily.
"He has our back," Aqualad said, cracking a smile.
Kid Flahs sped forward and snatched the arrow from Green Arrow's hand. "Souvenir!" he declared.
Lilith opened her mouth to point out that Speedy's arrows were red, but she caught the look that passed between Green Arrow and Batman. She tilted her head and stared at Batman; they didn't know whose arrow that was either.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed!
If you have any questions about Lilith or other characters, please don't hesitate to ask! Or if you just want to leave me some late-birthday love, that'll be great too!
(1): fool; German