A/N: I own nothing you recognize.
killian . rainey: I actually did some research, and the daggers that I envisioned Lilith using are called Arkansas Toothpicks (no joke, you can look it up). The blades of both are 12 inches, and each has a sheath at her left hip. As for Abra knowing she could block pain, I imagined him deducing since she was the only one who was able to move beneath the nets.
Thank you for everyone who has followed, favorited, and commented! For those who commented and told me who you think is Lilith's best match, I am taking those into consideration as I write.
If you haven't already, tell me who you think Lilith should be paired with!
Bialya
September 4, 1200 EEST
Why is it so sunny? And why am I on the ground? Lilith stirred and groaned as she felt her body protest. She heard someone stir beside her, and she gasped and turned around.
Next to her, just waking as well, was a boy a few years younger than herself. He was small with a lean build and dressed in black leggings and a red vest. A utility belt was strapped around his waist, and he wore black gloves, boots, and a cape with a simple eye-mask similar to her own.
His eyes flew open and found her staring down at him. He quickly sprang to his feet and backed her into the large boulder they were under, his forearm pressed against her throat and his nose an inch from hers.
"Who are you? Where am I?" he demanded.
Lilith's eyes widened and she reached up to grip his arm. "I'm called Lilith," she gasped.
"Do you know where we are?" he asked, not releasing the pressure on her windpipe.
"No, but Batman must have sent us," Lilith said, now clawing desperately at his arm.
"How do you know Batman?" Robin asked quickly, looking at her suspiciously.
"I've been with him since I was ten," Lilith said.
Robin's eyes widened. "How come I've never heard of you?" he demanded.
"Batman sent me to live at the Watchtower when you came along," Lilith said, sounding nervous.
Robin's eyes narrowed. "Prove it," he said.
"Batman's real name is Bruce Wayne," Lilith responded immediately.
"Yeah," Robin said and he slowly stepped away from Lilith. "Yeah, it is. Alright, I believe you."
"Good," Lilith said breathlessly, rubbing her throat. "Now let's get out of here."
Lilith took a step forward and clutched her head as the world tilted beneath her. She stumbled into Robin, who had moved to lean against the rock outcrop they had been lying next to.
"Umph!" Robin grunted as his back hit the rock.
"I'm so sorry!" Lilith exclaimed, quickly backing up and tripping on Robin's foot. Robin's hand shot out and grabbed her upper arm to keep her from falling. When she straightened up, they were nose to nose.
For a moment, they stared at each other before they heard the sounds of a truck approaching. They quickly pulled away from each other and scrambled around the other side of the rock. Robin started climbing, and Lilith followed him without hesitation. They watched as the truck passed them.
"Those are Bialyan Republican Army uniforms," Lilith whispered, her eyes wide.
"But what are Bialyans doing in, uh…" Robin glanced down at the holographic GPS that had appeared above his wrist. "Bialya?" he asked. "Okay, better question—"
"What are we doing in Bialya?" Lilith finished.
Robin glanced at the date. "In September?" he exclaimed. "What happened to March?"
"There's a birthday and six months I'll never get back," Lilith muttered to herself.
"This is no time to be funny!" Robin snapped.
"Who said anything about being funny?" Lilith asked dryly.
"We'd better radio Batman," Robin grumbled, going to touch the ear piece in his right ear. "Or not…" he said slowly, looking as though he had just remembered something.
"What?" Lilith demanded.
"Something I remember Batman telling me," Robin said. "Something about maintaining radio silence at all times." He glanced down and saw the coast was clear. He leapt off the side of the rock, and flipping neatly into a crouch. He glanced up and saw Lilith was already following his lead. She landed softly on the ground and saw that he had stood and was walking toward a scrap of fabric that lay on the rock. Lilith jumped up and peered over Robin's shoulder as he held it up.
"What would Superman be doing with a black shirt?" she asked. Robin jumped when he realized how close Lilith was before turning back to the shirt and narrowing his eyes.
"This must not be Superman's," he said. "It's the wrong fabric, too." He glanced back at Lilith and saw her face screwed up in concentration. "What?" he asked.
"Super…lad. Super…teen," she was muttering to herself. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Superboy!" she exclaimed.
"Super who?" Robin asked.
"Superboy wore that," Lilith said, sounding excited, but then her face fell again. "There must be some connection to Superman…but what? He never had any children."
"We'll have to figure that out on the way," Robin said, tucking the fabric into his utility belt. He pulled up the GPS again and scanned it.
"What's that?" Lilith asked, squinting at the screen.
"That's us," Robin said in a tone that one would use on a five-year-old.
"I'm not talking about that dot," Lilith snapped. "I'm talking about that one." She pointed at the dot in question and Robin zoomed in.
"May as well check it out," he said. "Come on. It looks like it's going to be a hike."
Hours later, countless stars glittered in the dark sky, and Lilith found herself staring at the sky more than the ground.
"Oomph," she said quietly after running into Robin for the umpteenth time.
"Would you watch where you're going?" Robin snapped back for the umpteenth and one time.
"Sorry," Lilith said, shaking her head as if to clear it. "It's just the stars. It's been a long time since I've been anywhere dark enough to see them so clearly."
"You used to do this often?" Robin questioned, sounding genuinely interested.
"It was my escape," Lilith responded simply.
They continued in silence for a while longer before Robin muttered, "Wish I could remember why I put a GPS marker here." They reached the crest of a sand dune, and saw a dark machine beeping at the bottom. They quickly hit the ground. "Huh," Robin said. "Guessing that's why."
Lilith peeked over the top of the dune and once she found it was clear, she jumped over the top and landed softly at the bottom. He had just taken a step forward when four armed men erupted from the sand.
Lilith's eyes widened when she heard one of them say, "Her Majesty wants them alive!"
"We're wanted alive!" Lilith whispered to Robin, who stood back-to-back with her.
"You understand the language?" Robin whispered back.
"Yeah," Lilith said. "Something they insisted on."
"Well, they're not getting us, dead or alive," Robin muttered. He calmly dropped an orb, and a thick gas erupted from it. The men coughed and Lilith quickly began attacking, using the coughs to locate them. When the fog dissipated, she saw Robin was already at work too. Two were wrapped in weighted lines, several more had dropped their weapons, and Robin had just launched himself over another, placing his hands on his shoulders and twisting the man so he hit two of his fellow troops.
A few regrouped. "Enough!" one yelled. "Open fire!"
Lilith quickly dropped in front of Robin just as they started shooting. Robin did hand springs away, and Lilith quickly took aim. Before she could shoot any of them, a voice said, "I'll hold that. Thanks!" as the guns disappeared from the soldiers hands. Lilith quickly hit two with stunning pellets, and she saw Robin and a boy with red hair in a black uniform taking down more.
"Behind you!" Lilith yelled as two soldiers approached Robin's unprotected back. As he turned, they were thrown back. Lilith glanced up and saw the vague silhouette of a girl floating in the air. She materialized, and Lilith noticed she was dressed similarly to the Martian Manhunter, and had his green skin. Lilith noticed one was escaping as the boy in black took down several more, but before she could even lift her gun, a green arrow came whistling through the air. Before it hit the soldier, the end burst and wrapped the man's legs, tripping him. Lilith and the others turned to see a girl with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail wearing a green outfit and mask and holding her bow in front of her. She lowered it and walked toward them.
"K.F.!" Robin exclaimed, walking forward to clasp his hand. "Man, it's god to see a familiar face!"
"Hey, Rob," the red-headed boy, Kid Flash, said. "Memory loss?" he asked.
"Six months!" Robin groaned. "Let's hogtie these creeps and compare notes."
"Looks like someone's way ahead of you," Kid Flash said, glancing behind Robin, and Robin turned to see Lilith already had two tied together. She had just reached a third who suddenly sat up and reached for his gun, but before Robin could react, Lilith had pulled out her own handgun and wacked the man across the temple with the butt of it, knocking him out cold. "Impressive," Kid Flash said. "Where'd you find her?"
"She was with me when I woke up," Robin said with a shrug as he kneeled down to tie up a soldier, Kid Flash following his lead.
"Well, if I hadn't seen the blonde-haired beauty, I'd totally hit on her," Kid Flash said. Robin laughed tightly, but Kid Flash didn't seem to notice.
Once they had the soldiers tied up, they gathered together to talk.
"So, we're a team?" Robin asked.
Lilith snorted. "There must be some mistake," she said. "I don't do 'team.'"
"Well it's true," the Martian told them, who called herself M'gann. "The five of us and Superboy."
"Well, I think we found his shirt," Lilith said as Robin pulled out the scrap of cloth with the red S.
"Yes!" M'gann exclaimed. "Did you see him?" she asked.
"I think we did," the blonde archer—Artemis—said, turning to Kid Flash.
"Feral boy?" he asked, scratching his chin. "Some teammate," he said. "He attacked us."
"He didn't know who we are," Artemis defended. "I don't know who we are," she said.
"I remember Batman ordering radio silence," Robin said slowly. "Our team must work for him."
"How do you know we don't work for my mentor?" Kid Flash asked, poking his chest with his thumb. His black uniform spontaneously changed to bright yellow and red. "Whoa," he said, pushing the lightning bolt again. "This is so cool!" Robin and Artemis started poking their uniforms too.
"We look ridiculous!" Artemis exclaimed, who sounded as though she had suddenly come to her senses, throwing her hands in the air. "Quit touching yourself!" she yelled at Kid Flash, who had changed his uniform several times. "We need our memories back."
Lilith heard M'gann's voice in her head. To help Superboy. She glanced up just as M'gann's eyes started glowing white, and suddenly, she wasn't in the desert anymore.
Looking around, she saw Robin, Artemis, and Kid Flash had appeared too. They were in a doomed room, which glowed from the images that covered the surface in shards. Indistinct whispers echoed around them as they saw themselves in the different fragments.
"I've brought you into my mind," M'gann said, appearing before them, "to share what I've remembered so far. But I need your help," she said. "Together, our broken memories can form a whole, if you open your minds to mine," she added hesitantly.
"You want to paw through our private thoughts?" Artemis exclaimed, backing away. Lilith turned to her. She had been having the same thoughts, but what could Artemis, a hero, be doing with thoughts like that?
"I have no wish to intrude, but—"
"You need to hack our minds to grok what happened to us," Robin said logically. "Got it. Go."
"My brain's all yours," Kid Flash said, gazing at M'gann. "Try not to let its brilliance overwhelm you."
"Or underwhelm you," Robin snickered. "Hey, why isn't anyone ever just whelmed?" he added as an afterthought.
Lilith groaned. "We've been through this," she said. "And you don't even know what 'whelm' means!" she exclaimed.
"We have?" Robin asked, scratching his head.
"Uh, I think so," Lilith said uncertainly. She shook her head. "But that's not the point," she said. "The point is, this isn't a computer program we're talking about," she said. "This is our minds, an incredibly fragile thing. If one thing were to happen, we could end up like vegetables!"
"I'll be careful, I promise," M'gann said.
Lilith watched Kid Flash step forward and take Artemis's hand. She glanced at him before sighing and saying, "Last six months only, and only what you need."
M'gann nodded and held her hand out in front of her. Four glowing blue hands appeared and each placed itself on their heads.
The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan Desert, Batmna's voice rang through Lilith's head. An image appeared, and she saw Batman standing in front of a holograph map. Spectral analysis revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin. Find out what happened at that site, what landed there. Bialya is a rouge state ruled by Queen Bee, and not a member of the League's U.N. charter. All communications are subject to interception. Maintain radio silence at all times.
Batman disappeared and was replaced by a desert sand dune through binoculars. You'll land in Kourak on Bialya's border, Batman's voice continued, two clicks from the hot zone.
All clear, Robin's voice came, and the image swept to M'gann and Artemis standing at the base of the Bioship dock while Superboy lugged something down on his back.
The Bialyans control the site, Lilith's voice echoed, and she saw herself and Robin looking down on a heavily guarded tent.
Set up here, an unrecognized voice said, and Lilith saw Superboy place the machine on the ground. He turned a dial, and the machine hissed as parts began to slide out.
We'll be up and running in no time, Robin said, and Lilith watched as he clicked away at the keyboard that had popped out of the machine's side.
Jackpot! Kid Flash said. The site's lousy with zeta-beam radiation.
Detecting non-terrestrial trace elements from the tent, Lilith said, glancing behind her.
I'll check it out in camouflage mode, M'gann said.
Good idea, the voice came again. Go.
Careful, Superboy said to M'gann.
And maintain telepathic contact. The owner of the voice came into view, and suddenly Lilith remembered.
I will, Aqualad, M'gann replied.
Suddenly, Lilith found herself back in the desert.
"Aqualad!" they all exclaimed.
"Where is he?" Lilith asked.
"What happened next?" Robin inquired.
"Priorities!" Lilith exclaimed, elbowing Robin in the ribs.
"Right, sorry," Robin said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I don't know what happened," M'gann said. "That's the last thing I—we—remember," she said.
Lilith looked back as Kid Flash and Artemis each yanked back their hands. "Ehh," Kid Flash grumbled. "We landed twenty-four hours ago," he said as he twisted his back to Artemis and scratched his head. Artemis crossed her arms across her chest and scowled, turning away from Kid Flash. "If Kaldur'ahm's been wandering the desert that long, well…"
"That can't be good for a guy with gills," Lilith finished grimly.
"Now that I know to look for him…" Robin said, trailing off and pulling up his GPS. "He's close!" he exclaimed. "But he's not moving."
"We'd better get moving then," Lilith said, and Robin took the lead, the others following closely behind him.
The Team quickly found Aqualad, and he didn't look good. He was unconscious and muttering in Atlantean.
"I can't restore his memories in this condition," M'gann said, kneeling by his head.
"He needs immediate rehydration," Robin declared. "Call the Bioship."
"It's out of range," M'gann said. "But you can get him there fast," she added, turning to Kid Flash.
"He's too heavy," Kid Flash said. "And I'm too low on fuel. Right now, I couldn't even carry her," he said, gesturing to Artemis.
Artemis scoffed and batted his hand away. "Why not just levitate him back?" she asked M'gann.
"I can't," M'gann said. "I have to find Superboy."
"Six months ago, he didn't exist," Lilith said slowly. "He has no memories…just animal impulse. Trust me, I know," she added with a grumble.
"I thought you said you could only understand animals' thoughts?" Robin accused.
"When your brain is that disorganized, it's easier to read," Lilith explained. "Humans are so…complex."
"I'm the only one who can help him," M'gann agreed.
"Superboy's indestructible, just ask those tanks," Kid Flash said. "It's Aqualad who needs your help. Like, now."
"No!" M'gann suddenly exclaimed. "Superboy's in pain!" She took off in. "We can't wait!"
"We still don't know what erased our memories!" Robin yelled after her. "It could happen again!"
Lilith sighed and then squared her shoulders. "I have a few energy bars." She pulled out several bars from the black utility belt she kept strapped around her waist, and they each lunged for one. "And I have saline and a needle and syringe." She pulled out several small glass bottles filled with clear liquid. "This should be enough to get him back to the Bioship safely." Lilith knelt beside Aqualad and sterilized the needle and a patch of skin before filling it with saline and inserting it into Aqualad's vein. Once she was done, she carefully cleaned the area and stood. "We'll need to carry him on something."
"Got it covered," Robin said. Lilith glanced down and saw that Robin had put together a makeshift cot of sorts.
"Great," Lilith said. She kneeled at Aqualad's head and said, "Someone help me shift him sideways onto the cot." Artemis hurried to Aqualad's feet, and Robin and Kid Flash held the cloth steady while Lilith and Artemis carefully slid Aqualad onto it. "Robin, lead us on your GPS. Kid Flash, Artemis, drag the cot. I'll cover us from behind." They nodded without argument and each set to their task. Robin pulled up the GPS and started walking, and Kid Flash and Artemis each took a hold of the cot and began pulling Aqualad behind them. Lilith pulled out her gun and held it in her hands, eyes darting everywhere, ready to shoot first and ask questions later.
Several miles later, they heard trucks rumble in the distance.
"Quick," Robin whispered, pointing to a raised rock. "Over there." They hurried behind the rock and Lilith climbed to the top to keep watch. Below her, she heard Aqualad muttering in Atlantean.
"Shh, Kaldur," Artemis said softly. "Quiet now."
Robin joined Lilith at the top of the rock just as several foot soldiers marched past.
He slid down and whispered, "We can't risk a firefight with Aqualad K. like this."
"It's not just him," Kid Flash grunted. "I'm out of juice again."
"And I'm almost out of arrows," Artemis said, pulling the quiver around so they could see.
Lilith didn't hear anymore as she silently jumped down and started to follow the soldiers. She was stopped when Robin suddenly appeared at her elbow and held a finger to his lips. Lilith nodded and went back to the rock.
"Ugh," she heard Kid Flash say as he looked around. "I forgot how much I hate it when he does the ninja thing. Hey," he added suddenly, turning to Artemis. "You never said why your dad wanted you to—" He made a sound like a knife cutting through cloth while swiping his finger across his throat, "—me."
"I got…confused by, uh, some old movie I saw the other night," Artemis said quickly, turning away from Kid Flash. "About a ninja girl whose ninja dad ordered her to kill her ninja boyfriend 'cause he was from a rival ninja clan."
"So-o, I'm your ninja boyfriend, huh?" Kid Flash asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey, amnesia, remember?" Artemis snapped. "Completely forgot how truly annoying you are."
"Oh, like you're the goddess of congeniality," Kid Flash quipped back.
"Yeesh!" Robin exclaimed, and Lilith glanced down to see he was back. "Get a room," he commented.
"Dude!" Kid Flash exclaimed. "Where were you?"
"Breaking radio silence," he responded with a smirk. He glanced back at the soldiers' retreating backs, and Lilith watched as they stopped when Robin's signature laugh played on loop before an explosion clouded her view.
"That's our cue," Robin said. "Move!" Lilith jumped down from the rock and ran after the others, her gun still clutched in her hands.
After several more miles, they finally made it to the Bioship.
"Place, date, time?" Lilith asked as she started setting up an I.V. for Aqualad.
Robin glanced at his GPS. "Uh, Qurac, September 5, 0229 EEST." Lilith nodded in acknowledgement.
Hey, everybody! M'gann's voice rang through their heads. I've got Superboy. He's back to normal and we're on our way!
Suddenly, Aqualad sat up and gasped. "Who are you?" he demanded. "And how did you get inside my head?"
Hello, M'gann! M'gann said. Aqualad's memories! I knew I forgot something.
Aw, man! Kid Flash exclaimed. Me too! I didn't get a souvenir from the mission.
Don't worry, M'gann said, her tone light with humor. Got the souvenir thing covered.
When M'gann finally arrived with Superboy, something had hitched its way back.
"Uh, M'gann," Artemis said, eyeing the gray sphere warily. "What exactly is that?"
"Not entirely sure," M'gann admitted.
"Then how can we know it's safe?" Lilith asked cautiously.
"Because it helped us escape," Superboy said, patting the top of the sphere, which beeped, almost contently.
"Ri-ight," Wally drew out, sounding skeptical.
Robin shrugged casually. "Hey, the more the merrier, right?" he joked.
Lilith sat in her usual spot at the front, her head supported on her hand. Everyone was quiet.
"Hey." Lilith startled awake and saw Robin leaning forward.
"Yeah?" she asked, fighting a yawn.
"Are you okay?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, fine," Lilith said, waving away his concern. "Little sleep and little food. Dehydration. The usual."
Robin frowned. "I didn't realize you didn't save anything for yourself," he said.
Lilith just frowned. "I only had three left. And besides," she said, gazing out the window, "I'm used to working on an empty stomach."
"Here." Lilith glanced back and saw Robin offering her the rest of his bar, of which only a small bite had been taken.
Lilith hesitantly reached out and took it. "Thanks," she said softly, giving Robin a small smile. He didn't respond, just smiled back, and Lilith turned back to the window. She slowly ate the bar, sighing as it helped ease the gnawing in her stomach. Once she was finished, she leaned back and closed her eyes.
Perhaps this Team thing isn't so bad after all.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions or comments, let me know! Until next time.
P.S. Reminder: let me know who you think would be Lilith's best match. I'm really interested in what you're thinking.