A/N Holy shit! I actually managed to upload today. I had to cut some corners so I could write everything. I once again remind everyone to read the comics, since I don't get everything in this fanfic. I reallt didn't have time to write that much dialogue. I decided to focus on her feelings instead (in the Captain Atoms wants YOU, to solve a mystery chapter, not this one).
Shout out to kayluvsall for following the story, it really helped seeing you follow when I was writing the latest chapter :)
Drop-Zone
Caribbean Sea
June 22nd, 20:08 ECT
We were all sitting quietly inside the bio-ship. We were going on our first mission as a team. It was tense. We were going to Santa Prisca to see why the shipments of the neo-steroid 'Venom' had stopped, we had gotten clear instructions. The only problem with the mission was that Batman had told us to appoint our own leader and we were yet to have that discussion.
"We're approaching Santa Prisca," M'gann informed us. I could see the top if the island. "Drop-zone A in thirty." Aqualad's drop-zone. He got up behind me and turned on his stealth gear.
"Ready," He told Miss Martian.
"Be careful," I told him, looking him in the eyes. He smiled at me.
"Always."
"Putting bio-ship in camouflage mode," Miss Martian reported. Aqualad dropped though the floors.
"Be careful," Kid Flash taunted me, putting his voice in a higher pitch. "You totally like him."
"Shut up."
"Heat and motion sensors on patch. Data is now on a continuous loop. Move in," came through my comlink.
"Drop-zone B," Miss Martian informed us. I felt my heart beating faster. Our first mission was about to begin. I stood up, letting the chair melt away. Lines drop from the ceiling. I turned my already dark suit even darker, turning the emerald green to a pine green and turning my white gloves black. I saw Kid Flash activate his stealth gear.
"How cool is this?" he asked Miss Martian.
"And you tease me about Aqualad," I muttered, he shot me a glare.
"Very impressive," Miss Martian said as she shape-shifted her clothes into a black and red suit, now that is impressive.
"Uh, that works too. Hey Supey! Not too late to put on the new stealth tech," Kid Flash said. Superboy was still dressed in the same pants and t-shirt as usual.
"No capes, no tights, no offence," Superboy said, crossing his arms.
"None taken," I told him.
"Totally works for you," Miss Martian said with dreamy eyes. Did she? "In that you can totally do good work in those clothes."
"Nice save," I whispered into her ear. She blushed before taking on her hood and turning invisible. A hole opened up at the bottom of the ship and I jumped through it. Flying towards the ground. Almost everyone landed swiftly and quietly, except Superboy, who created a small earthquake and crater.
"Knew I didn't need a line," He said.
"And yet, creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the covert," Robin sapped at him. Normally I would hit him up the head. But I knew everyone was tense today, wanting to prove that we could do this.
"Aqualad, drop-zone B is go," Miss Martian said over the comlink.
"Head for the factory, I'll track you GPS and rendez-vous ASAP," Aqualad told us.
"Roger that," Robin responded and we started running through the jungle. If I wasn't on a mission, I would have stopped and looked at the scenery. It looked like the jungle on Lah. It reminded me of home. But I was on a mission, so I forced the distracting thoughts from my head.
"Did you hear that?" Superboy said.
"Uh, no. Wait is this a super hearing thing?" Wally asked and looked at me. I shrugged, my hearing was better than a human's, but I was nowhere near Superboy and Superman.
"You do have great ears," Miss Martian said, I used my willpower to not facepalm myself. Miss Martian! This is not the time to flirt, I thought as loudly as I could. I spotted the blush on her cheeks. Good she got that message.
"Okay Rob, now what?" Kid Flash asked turning towards Robin, except Robin wasn't there. "Man, I hate it when he does that."
"Superboy, Kid switch to infra-red, see if you're being tracked," Aqualad ordered over the comlink.
"Got a squad of armed bozo's incoming," KF answered.
"Two squads," Superboy replied. "But they'll meet each other before they find us." Suddenly we heard gunfire. I hated the sound of it.
"No super hearing required now," Kid said.
"Swing wide, stay clear!" Aqualad ordered.
"Roger that," I told him.
"Yeahyeahyeah, just as soon as I find Rob," Kid Flash said before taking of.
"Kid!" I said, trying to grab him, but he was too fast.
"Kid's gone after Robin," I told Aqualad. I heard him curse over the comlink. Then the gunfire stopped. Oh no. I had a feeling Kid was involved somehow. Then they started again.
"Kid's in the middle of the fight!" Superboy said. That was all the information I needed to take off into the air to save Kid Flash. As I arrived Kid Flash was dodging bullets. I grabbed him, surrounding him in a protective bubble. Robin dropped from the sky, knocking the gunmen out. I released Kid Flash, so both of us could help fighting.
"What is wrong with you guys! Remember covert! Why didn't you follow my lead and vanish into the jungle!" Robin said as we fought the gunmen. He reminded me of my younger brother in that moment, and that wasn't always a good thing. I tuned out everyone as I knocked out bad guy after bad guy until there was no one left.
"You told me I could only read the bad guys' minds," Miss Martian defended herself.
Aqualad appeared, dealing with the last guy standing. I sighed, looking around me. Better start cleaning up this mess. I tied up all the guys in two groups. Robin giving me rope.
"I recognize those uniforms," Robin said, looking at one of the men dressed in red. "They belong to the cult of the Cobra." The cult of the what?
"I'm certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew that dangerous extremists was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation," Kaldur said.
"Agreed, and since there's clearly no love lost between the cultists and those gones. I bet Cobra came in and tossed them out, that's why normal supply lines have been cut off," Robin concluded.
"We get it, Cobra wanted super cultists. Mystery solved. Radio Bats and we can be home in time for-" Kid Flash got cut off.
"These cultists aren't on Venom! Cobra's hoarding this stuff, and we don't leave. Not until I know why," Robin was the one who cut him off.
"Until you know why?" Kid Flash asked angrily.
"This team needs a leader," Robin said. This is when I started to zone out.
"Do you wish to be leader, Aqualad?" I asked the boy beside me.
"No. Do you?" he asked me back.
"A small part, yes. My father was the leader of the village and my mother's father was the leader of his own, I guess it's in my blood. Yet, I do not wish for the giant responsibilities," I answered honestly.
"Agreed. Who do you think should lead?" You, I thought.
"Honestly, I think you would be a good choice."
"Me? Why?"
"You are a voice of reason, and one of the most level-headed members of this team."
"So are you," Kaldur whispered into my ear. I was going to respond, but a deep laughter cut me off.
"Such clever niños. But you only know half the story, let me show you the rest. Get you into the factory via my secret entrance," the man dressed in a wrestling mask said. M'gann bent down to read his mind
"There is a secret entrance, but he's also hiding something," M'gann informed us.
"Ah ah ah, chica. Bane is not that easy," Bane said.
"Ungh, he's mentally reciting football scores, en español, this could take a while," M'gann said.
"It's not complicated, the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Bane told us. We all shared a look, before Kaldur nodded. We released Bane and he lead us into the forest. I did not like this. He lead us towards a cliff and pointed down.
"Look at all that product. A buy is going down. But if Cobra's not selling to the usual suspects then-"
"We need to identify the buyer," Kaldur cut Robin off.
"Just what I was thinking," Kid Flash said.
"Yeah, you're the thinker," Robin said sarcastically.
"Sarcasm? Dude, a real leader would focus on getting answers." Kid Flash told him.
"If you two start arguing again, I'm sending you back to the bioship!" I snapped at them.
"Answers are this way," Bane said, leading us into a tunnel.
"So, now el luchador is our leader," Kid Flash exclaimed.
"Kid Flash," I said in a warning tone.
"Yeah yeah, whatever," I told me.
The tunnel lead us into the factory. Great, now we just needed a plan. I looked at Aqualad, knowing he thought the same thing.
"All clear," Robin told us. Before disappearing, again. He was getting on my nerves. I sighed, and took a deep breath.
"Has that little fool already been caught?" Bane asked us.
"No, he just does that," Kaldur informed Bane,
"Stay put, I'll get our intel and be back before the boy wonder," Kid Flash said before running off.
"Wait, Kid," Aqualad and I said. I tried grabbing him, but he was already too far away, and my constructions were made out of green light. They would easily be spotted if I tried grabbing him now.
"Great chain of command," Bane told us sarcastically.
"We did not wish to hear you input," I snapped at him as we started to creep into the factory. We hid behind a few craters of Venom.
"It's a massive shipment," Aqualad muttered as we spotted the shipment.
"Yeah, but they're only taking new products of the line, they're not touching this venom," Superboy noticed.
"Maybe freshness counts?" M'gann suggested.
"Or, maybe they did something to the new Venom?" I said.
"Helicopters' coming," Superboy told us.
"I think that's our buyer," I said. "Miss Martian, put on camouflage mode and take a look at the buyer." Miss Martian nodded before disappearing.
"Good idea," Kaldur told me. I blushed.
"I do my best," I stated. And then we waited. Changing position to a walkway high off the ground. Aqualad, Green Lantern, sending a telepathic picture of the buyer now, M'gann said through the mental link, along with a picture of our buyer. Blond man, grey armour on one arm, grey mask and large built.
"Sportsmaster," Aqualad and I muttered at the same time. "He is the buyer?" Aqualad asked.
"Aqualad to Red Tornado, do you read, ugh, can't reach the League, Robin or Kid. Coms jammed. We need a plan. Now," Kaldur informed us after trying to contact the League.
"I have a suggestion," Bane told us. I have a bad feeling about this. And I was right, since Bane jumped down from the walkway to the cultists down below.
"What is he-" Aqualad got cut of by a roar and a monster jumping through the window.
"Kajo Nor La Lah!" I shouted in Lapho as I flew of the walkway down to the ground.
"Destroy them!" the man in the red cloak commanded, and the monster charged at us. Superboy met him half way. Leaving Aqualad and I with the cultists.. They opened fire and I protected both of us with a shield.
"Can you use your water bearers to take them out?" I asked him. He responded with using his water bearers to take three of them out.
Suddenly cultists were getting thrown to the sides.
"Miss Martian," I told Aqualad. He continued to shot down cultists
I noticed that M'gann got knocked down from the air by Sportsmaster, but luckily she didn't land in the line of fire. Aqualad and I started getting backed in a corner. More cultists appeared than at the rate Aqualad could take them out. Out of my peripheral vision I spotted two cultists, as I was about to make the shield, a dome, Kid Flash appeared and took them down. Aqualad and I hid behind two beams. Letting me take the shield down. Kid Flash was forced to take cover too as cultists started shooting again
"Miss Martian radio is jammed, link us up!" Aqualad shouted at Miss Martian. Everyone online? Miss Martian asked over the mental link. I'm online, I responded along with Kid Flash and Superboy. Good we need to regroup, Aqualad ordered us. Busy now! Robin's voice said in my head. Robin, get over here now! I shouted over the mental link. We need to retreat, Kid, clear us a path, Aqualad commanded. Kid followed his order and cleared us a path, the rest of us running behind him into the secret entrance. As Superboy ran in we closed the door and locked it. Running deeper into the tunnel. The monster and cultists weren't exactly stopped by the door. They opened fire, so I created a shield to keep the bullets from hitting us.
"Superboy! The support beams!" Aqualad told him. Superboy destroyed the beams, causing a part of the tunnel to collapse. This was reminding me too much of Cadmus. Aqualad took out a glow stick and red light flooded the tunnel. Great, it had to be red.
"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?" Robin asked himself out loud. I sighed, looking at Aqualad. Aqualad nodded and started talking.
"You do have the most experience, but perhaps, that is exactly what has left you unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman has left your role defined. You two always know what the other should do without that much communication," Aqualad started.
"But this team is new, and the leader of a new team must be clear. If he is not, the team does not know what to do. He cannot vanish, thinking that the rest of the team knows his plan," I continued. In the Green Lantern Corps, we got teamed up with new people all the time, I had seen this happen to leaders of an old team that got paired up with a new team. The leader was used to his old team and forgot that he needed to be clear. It does not make the leader bad, because it's easy to forget how hard it is to lead a new team
"Oh! So I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands? Oh, who am I kidding, one of you should lead us, Kaldur and Kayla. You two are the only ones that can," I was shocked at Robin's words.
"Please, I can run circles-"
"Wally! C'mon. You know that they are the best ones. We all do," Robin interrupted.
"Hello Megan! It's so obvious!"
"Could've told ya," Superboy said.
"Okay," Wally agreed. Aqualad and I looked at each other. But which one of us should lead?
"You should lead-" we both started. Then Aqualad sighed.
"No, we should both lead. That way, the other can keep the other in check, if one of us feels that the other one's judgement is bad," Aqualad proposed.
"Yes, that sounds like a great idea. We accept the burden. But I know I speak for both Kaldur and I, when I say it's not permanent. You are supposed to lead Robin. We simply carry it for you, until you are ready," I said, walking towards Robin, placing my hands on his shoulders and then bringing him into a hug, bending down, of course, otherwise things would get awkward very quickly. "You will be a great leader one day," I whispered into his ear, before letting him go.
"Alright, our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving this island," Aqualad began.
"Funny, I had the same thought," Robin exclaimed.
"We can talk and move," I said, nodding towards the end of the cave. We all started running. "Robin, bring everyone up to speed," I ordered
"Sportsmaster's the supplier slash buyer, but that still doesn't track, he doesn't have the juice to require blockbuster formula, or to get Cobra to do his dirty work," Robin said.
"And neither have the chops to bond blockbuster with venom. That took some major nerdage," Kid Flash added.
"I believe the expression is, tip of the iceberg," Kaldur said, slowing down. Bane was standing in our way.
"Halt, niños, I'm feeling explosive," Bane told us, we all locked up at the bombs above us.
"You betrayed us,why?" Kaldur asked, buying us some time.
"I wanted my factory back," Kid, you'll need a running start, Aqualad said over the mental link, "So I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying. If the latter, the Justice League would have certainly come to avenge their sidekicks and when the smoke cleared, Santa Prisca would be mine once more. Blowing the tunnel with you inside, should have the same effect," Bane said pressing down on the trigger, or at least he would've, but Kid was too fast.
"With what? This trigger thingy?" Kid asked. Bane made the move to punch him, but I reacted fast, using my ring to grab Bane's hand, holding him in place.
"No you don't," I told him with a smirk. I looked at M'gann and she nodded, as I let him go, she lifted him up with telekinesis.
"Finally, drop him," Superboy said, getting ready to punch Bane. M'gann let go, Bane falling towards the ground. Correction. Towards Superboy's closed fist. Superboy punched him, knocking him out.
We managed to get to the helipad before Sportsmaster left. Aqualad was dealing with the monster. While Sportsmaster was shooting Superboy. Well, that wouldn't do. I made a giant hand, lifting Sportsmaster from the ground and then closing the hand. Holding him in place.
"Sorry not sorry," I told him. Then a pain blossomed in my back, disrupting my focus. I dropped the hand, letting Sportsmaster get a hold of M'gann, I looked behind me and saw one of the goons. Luckily, he was out of bullets and had hit me in the back with the end of his weapon. I made quick work of him, knocking him out. I looked back at Sportsmaster, he was holding M'gann, keeping both me and Superboy from attacking him. He threw away M'gann at Superboy before quickly jumping into his helicopter, taking off. I smiled, letting him. Then, the helicopter exploded and crash landed in the factory.
I flew towards the Boy Wonder to help him with Cobra. I was joined by the rest of our team.
"Another time then," Cobra said disappearing into the shadows after spotting us. Robin went looking for him, and I looked at the destruction we had made. Oh Lah, I'm sorry for hurting the nature, I hope you forgive me, I thought, praying for forgiveness. I hope she would understand.
"We picked the right guys to lead," Robin said, walking towards Aqualad and I. "Automatically making you two the right guys to explain this mess to Batman." Robin started laughing at our misfortune. Aqualad and I shared a look.
"Time to face the Astra'Ba," I muttered.
"The what?" Kaldur asked me.
"Nothing."
Mount Justice
July 23rd, 10:06 EDT
"A simple recon mission, observe and report. You'll each receive a written evaluation, detailing your many mistakes. Until then, good job," Batman told us. We all looked at him in shock. What? "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success. And how you chose to who leads, determines character." Robin, Aqualad and I shared a smile. This team thing was going to work after all. I just hope Aqualad and I can keep everyone in check.
A/N Yepp, I made them co-leaders. I see them as parents/older siblings for the rest of the team. Heck, Robin is like Kayla's little brother. I have nothing more to say, I'm fucking exhausted. I have to wash my clothes and then sleep. Sleep. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz