AN: And here comes the begging for forgiveness...
Not really, but I'm seriously sorry for being so late with this, still unbeta-ed, chapter.
I've probably got the smae excuse as every other teenager right now... Exams, but never mind that, enjoy the chapter!
Oh, and if anyone spots any references to comics, because there are a few, have a virtual cookie.
Blue Bird
Chapter 12
The tension was mercifully broken by the computer.
All present; totalling to two Kryptonians, five masked vigilantes (three of whom were Bats), an Atlantean, a Martian, a changeling, a cyborg and an android, unanimously turned to the screen and Superman, noticing everyone's apparent distraction, took the opportunity to try and take his leave.
This effort was somewhat hindered by the male Bats in the room, both of whom, without looking away from the screen, had seized fistfuls of his scarlet cape and said, in perfect sync; "Don't. Even. Think. About it."
The two teams exchanged raised eyebrows at this, and Beast Boy muttered something about 'non-verbal Bat-communication' before ducking Batgirl's outstretched hand, sidestepping M'Gann and taking refuge behind Ravager, who in turn shot him a glare and stepped aside, giving Batgirl a bow that was bordering on being sarcastic, but leaving the grass stain wide open to attack. With a muffled, slightly girlish, squeak Beast Boy transformed into a green bat and took refuge on Cyborg's shoulder before Batgirl could get a shot in.
Batgirl rolled her eyes and turned them on Superman, who appeared to be having a stare-down with Batman and Nightwing. Impulse prodded Ravager, who standing next to him, with the end of a candy bar which seemed to have appeared from nowhere, but before he could open his mouth the other teen interrupted.
"If that touches me again it's going to end up somewhere where extracting it would be a very difficult, long-winded and painful process. Are we clear?"
Impulse swallowed and like that, the remainder of the treat was gone. He nodded. "Clear."
Ravager nodded in satisfaction, keeping her eye fixed on the three-way confrontation; "What, then?"
"You know that kryptonite Nightwing calls a 'reminder of the values of heroism'?"
Ravager's face soured; "I know of it. Nightwing took it off me after I had that stare-down with Kara."
Impulse's face fell, "So... you don't have it?"
"No." Was the reply, and before Impulse could voice another question, Ravager once again superseded him. "And no, I didn't bring that piece of kryptonite Kon used to have under his bed either."
This comment raised eyebrows from both teams, and Beast Boy transformed back into a human to mouth 'Long story' at the others before dramatically clearing his throat and gesturing to the computer.
Artemis took point and reached the console first. "Security warning. Nothing massive, but there are reports of a ghost fire fight in the warehouse district of Fawcett City. And with Marvel off planet with the Lanterns dealing with a meteorite it came to us instead."
"What is the nature of the alert?" Aqualad asked, shifting his gaze from the still silent confrontation between Batman, Nightwing and Superman.
Artemis brought up a keyboard and rapidly typed a series of codes. "Mirages, shouts, explosions, except when people go investigate there's nothing there."
Aqualad nodded and cleared his throat, Batman turned to face him, but Superman and Nightwing didn't, undeterred Aqualad spoke anyway; "If I may, I would like to take members of both teams on this mission."
Batman nodded; "Take Nightwing, Cyborg, Impulse, Artemis and Superboy."
Impulse raised his hand; "Usually Nightwing gives us orders..." But interrupted himself at Batman's glare, "But sure we'll take orders from you! Whatever you say Mr Batman, Sir!"
Impulse was gone in a flash of red and yellow and Ravager sniggered. "Nightwing, while you're on your little mission, what's the policy on attacking the Boy Scout?" She sent a evil-looking glare in Superman's direction.
Nightwing sighed heavily; "Non-lethal, only if he deserves it and keep the damage under five hundred dollars." Then added as an afterthought; "Same goes for everyone else, Rose, no killing."
Ravager put her hands up in defence; "Do I look like Damian to you?"
"Actually you kinda do. Especially when you go all frowny and stuff." Beast Boy smirked.
Nightwing rolled his eyes and lead the remainder of the mission team towards the hangar.
Artemis fell in step beside him; "What's her problem?"
Cyborg, walking with Aqualad and Superboy; who were talking to each other, raised an eyebrow; "Ravager? Same problem as you, except you put faulty mind-control, psychosis and ESP into the equation."
"She has superpowers?" Artemis frowned, "And what do you mean by 'faulty mind-control'?"
"Her whole family has superpowers; the ones who are still alive anyway." Nightwing said, "He surviving brother is a body-jumper, by suffers from psychotic episodes. He father is impossible to kill."
"And you would know?"
Nightwing didn't answer and Cyborg coughed uncomfortably; "Anyway, you asked about mind control?"
Artemis nodded; "Yeah, she doesn't seem the type to be told what to do, by anyone."
"Her father is what you might call an expert psychoanalyst." Nightwing said, "He very good at mind games."
"And chemistry." Cyborg put in, "You notice how she's only got one eye on her cowl?"
Artemis nodded; "You're not telling me she genuinely only has one eye?"
Cyborg nodded, "Result of a mind-controlling agent. Courtesy of her dad."
"She said he was an abusive bit of scum." Artemis said, reaching the bioship and opening the hatch.
Cyborg's human eye flicked to Nightwing and back, "She wasn't wrong."
The six of them boarded and Artemis took the controls.
They flew in silence and before long, or before Impulse could threaten to throw up again, they had arrived and were disembarking onto the roof of a warehouse from which they could see the source of the disturbance.
Six ghost-like figures were perched at varying levels up and down the street while a man in golden armour, also of a ghost-like quality, ragged on at several ethereal henchmen in heavily accented English.
"... bad enough zat Deathstroke's brat damaged my equipment. I do not need you imbeciles damaging it so zat it doesn't work at all! Zee last thing I need iz to be trapped in zis pathetic time while zose remaining heroes hunt me down."
"So where did you send 'em boss?" One of the thugs asked.
"Zee past. By ten year." The armoured man replied, "Where zer are heroes and zat is not even thinking about zose remaining in zis time."
"And what did that chick do to your tech, uh, sir?" The other man asked.
"She locked zee coordinates." The apparent boss growled, "Which meanz she and 'er little team are reunited wiz zeir leader."
One of the figures on a rooftop, a blonde woman in brown and yellow tiger-stripes, took the opportunity to leap in; "Thanks for the info."
The gold-suited Frenchman ground his teeth and took a defensive position; "Tigress, how... unexpected. I assume zee rest of your... shall we say former team? Are zey here?"
"Right in one." A red and yellow blur skidded to a halt and revieled himself to be the Flash.
The smallest figure on the roof nearest the team put a hand to his ear; "Robin to Red Robin and other Robin."
Nightwing booted up his hologlove and played the conversation that was currently taking place in the ethereal half of the street, the others all gathered around, listening.
The comm. was playing the sounds of fighting; "Take it back Drake!"
Nightwing and Cyborg simultaneously facepalmed while Impulse grinned; "They're off again."
Another voice shouted something about taking back the truth as Nightwing huffed; "I can't time jump ten years for a couple of hours without them killing each other?"
"Actually they were fine before we left." Impulse said over another round of 'take it back's, "Must be something to do with Damian's crush on Rose, or Tim's crush on Barbara."
Nightwing raised an eyebrow but said nothing as a third voice cut in;
"Robin, this is Static, as you may have guessed using your mad detective skills the other two bird boys are having a cat fight, almost literally. What can I do for ya?"
Two more figures jumped into the fight as the small figure shrugged; "Oh not much, just checking in to let you know we found Warp and found out that Ravager got a shot in which locked him temporal coordinates to ten years ago."
"Wait," Artemis held up a finger; "Is that Robin?"
"Thanks for that." The new voice on the comm. was saying, there was a crash and he shouted something that sounded distinctly like 'Swan Queen'.
The sounds of fighting stopped and the second voice came on again; "I get enough of the 'Swan Queen' from Red Hood, thanks Virg."
"I believe he is making implications about your sexuality, Drake." The youngest voice piped up.
Robin, still stuck into the future, leapt downwards into the fight with a smirk, ducking a laser beam as Flash whisked past; the two started exchanging banter as they took out goons.
"Look out!" A shout from Tigress caught the two off guard and she hit Flash and the two skidded to the floor while Robin managed to duck away on his own. The laser beam sailed over their heads, but a second laser hit Tigress as she was pulling Flash to his feet, and the two suddenly became solid.
Nightwing was suddenly typing again and hit the call button on his holoscreen, there was a click as someone picked up; "This is Static, who is calling please?"
Nightwing looked unamused; "Put Robin and Red Robin on, now."
There was a click as the comm. changed hands; "Hello?"
"Tim, Damian, stop trying to kill each other and concentrate on getting all of us home."
"Dick!"
"Shut up Tim." Nightwing snapped, "You're meant to be mature, so don't make me call the Outlaws on you."
Before either of the two boys ten years in the future could answer there was a burst of static and the call ended itself.
"What happened?" Aqualad asked.
Nightwing shrugged; "Time window must have closed." He glanced down at the two new arrivals, who had somehow been surrounded by thugs in the space of the two and a half minutes since they'd arrived.
Nightwing rolled his eyes and looked to Aqualad, who nodded, "Go."
The six of them leapt into action, with Artemis and Nightwing taking out thugs the sneaky way, Impulse and the newly arrived Flash doing it the speedy way and Superboy, Aqualad, Cyborg and the newly arrived Tigress doing it the obvious-with-a-glowing-neon-sign way.
Before long every thug was out cold. Impulse high-fived Flash, who then looked around and, before anyone could blink, tackled Nightwing with a bear-hug. Nightwing's eye twitched, as he tried and failed to push the speedster away.
"Get. Off. Me."
Tigress rolled her eyes and took Flash by the ear, "Down boy."
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, Tigress!" Flash complained.
Cyborg cleared his throat; "Introductions, Tigress, ex –archer, Flash, ex-teen speedster. Meet Artemis and Aqualad."
They nodded to each other and Tigress sighed; "Great, mini-me, mini-him." She jerked her thumb at Flash, who looked mildly insulted; "As if the return of the 'prefix-poacher' wasn't bad enough."
"We should go." Aqualad said.
Impulse nodded, "Yeah, we need to make sure Ravager doesn't destroy your house."
AN: Well, that was a fun chapter to write.
No telling when the next chapter's coming, but feel free to read Red Wings, which is telling Robin's side of the story, and leave a review too!
Until next time!
