Chapter 12

After we loaded ourselves onto the bioship, everyone did a quick weapons check and we took off for London.

Wally reclined into his seat. "Well, as long as we've got a two-hour flight ahead of us, might as well watch some TV," he says casually, kicking back and pressing a button in the side of his chair. A television begins to lower, but Miss Martian frowns.

"Not now, Kid Flash. This is serious. We have an actual mission here and we're going to prepare." She slams the television shut and rockets Kid Flash back to a seated position, choking him on his seatbelt.

Kaldur nods. "Megan and Robin, you know your assignments. I'll start the tracking software on the boy's location. The rest of you, once we arrive, keep your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary."

Everything went smoothly after that- casual conversation, preparing weapons, things like that.

Then we arrive in London.

The sky clouds with thick fog, so much that Megan can barely see out the windshield. I clear a little path, but it still doesn't help much, so I just stay glued to the window to watch for anything suspicious from our not-so-marvelous viewing point. From high above, all we can see is gray streets covered with litter, along with raincoats and umbrellas blurring under the rain.

I sigh. This is ridiculous. I'm changing. Megan, put me down, okay? Okay.

Miss Martian rolls her eyes. "If you insist, Aurora. The bird's-eye view isn't doing much for the mission." She obligingly lowers the ramp, and I focus my energy. Hana once said I could shape-shift, so how about I shift myself a less conspicuous outfit?

A small gasp goes up from the group, so I turn about and strike a quick modeling pose in my new mini-skirt, sweater, and high-heel wedges before leaping off the ship and landing easily on the outskirts of the neighborhood.

Oh, how I am enjoying these magic powers. Now I just need to find my voice and I've got a one-way ticket to immortality along with them…and the upcoming ceremony of manhood could buy me some much-needed help from the Faerie Queen to speed things along.

What am I saying? Am I really so eager to leave my team and be all-powerful, after only a few days? This is crazy! I'm not done, and everyone knows it…

Except for myself.

I glance around as I reach the more crowded areas of the district: civilians pack every square inch of sidewalk, and soon I have to push and shove with the rest of them just to get anywhere. Pulling in alongside a group of teenage girls, I pretend to be a member and people-watch as I stick close to my new gang. Superboy soon enters my range of vision, his super-speed probably allowing him to catch up pretty quickly, but the rest of the team must have needed to change into civilian clothes first. They'll catch up later.

The expression on Superboy's face rapidly changes, and he subtly shifts through the crowd to stand next to me. Holding out his watch, he taps the buzzing screen, and we both watch for a message.

Robin appears onscreen. "Everyone's down, and we've got the tracking software right on. Your target is an apartment above Cucina Mariana in Sloane Square. Underground will get you there faster than walking if you've got your extra cash. Good luck." He vanishes, and Superboy casually drifts away again. I hit the Underground station on the corner and descend into the ruddy darkness, checking a map before quickly hopping a stall and climbing onto a jam-packed train.

Deboarding in Sloane Square, I head straight up to find most of my other team members in various locations. The group blends together, a better disguise than each of us alone, and we pretend to chat and laugh as we head into the restaurant Robin described.

"Just keep walking," Kaldur murmurs. "If anyone asks, say you were looking for the bathroom, or just turn and leave." We nod in agreement and continue up several flights of stairs before finding a hallway with two apartments on the fourth floor, each with a WELCOME mat just in front.

"Great. Which one is it?" Superboy mutters.

Kid Flash walks forward and tests under each WELCOME mat. A small jingle reaches our ears, and he grins. "Other apartment," he says confidently. "Kidnappers wouldn't leave such an easy way in or out. Kid could get the key with a magnet and lead the cops straight here."

Artemis nods her reluctant agreement. "You're pretty stupid sometimes, but other times you're useful. Let's get that kid."

This begins a huge argument over how to pick the lock. Should we make it look like we weren't here? Should we make it obvious that we came?

I sigh and melt the whole metal mass with a fireball, kicking the door open and whistling loudly against my teeth over the din of their fighting. Clearly, as a team they have not quite reached the point of total perfection.

Rushing in, I promptly begin searching for the little boy: saving the child is the team's first priority. Fingerprint scans and searching for evidence comes later, a concept not yet grasped by Kid Flash and Artemis. I roll my eyes and shove open as many doors as I can before coming to another locked one. I bang on the wall, summoning Aqualad and Superboy to my side, and together they beat the door down.

Small whimpers emerge from the closet, and Aqualad yanks it open to find a small boy blindfolded and wrapped in rope, his hair shaved down to his head.

I quickly message the team and alert them to our discovery when footsteps and the sounds of fighting alert us to the fact that we're not alone.

Racing out into the hall, Superboy slings the boy on his back and dives through the gunfire before vanishing down the stairs and onto a hopefully waiting bioship. In the meantime, two marvelous kidnappers stand in the doorway firing rounds of bullets at us.

Pleasant first mission.

I dive behind the walls into a bathroom and look around to spot other strategies. Kaldur could easily defeat them with his electric whips, but with all the bullets there's no clear shot. Artemis and Kid Flash are firing what they've got and confusing the kidnappers, but their distraction won't last forever.

I yank a spell bead off my wrist. "Let's try you out, baby," I mouth to myself. Kaldur spots the bead in my hand. "The same kind?" he asks over the din. I nod and prepare a spell in my head.

Bullets strong in endless number

Go from fire to quiet slumber

Superboy must make post-haste

With these moments that we waste

Turn those guns to bubble wands

So we may make these foes be gone!

I hurl the bead with everything I've got, and it explodes between the two men, showering silver glitter over the pair of them. In moments, their firearms are gone, replaced with harmless plastic bubble blowers.

Kaldur fires his whips and hits the two simultaneously, knocking them both unconscious with the electric shock. As Wally places handcuffs around their wrists, a buzz on our communicators interrupts.

"Bioship is above the building. We're ready to move out when you are." Megan offers. "And the boy?" Kaldur asks calmly. Miss Martian smiles. "He's terrified, but otherwise all right. He keeps calling for his parents and his sister, and he's crying quite a bit, but I think he'll recover just fine once we get him some meds and a ride home."

"Then we're on our way up!" Kid Flash howls cheerfully, letting out a victory whistle before heaving a thug to his feet and shoving him out the door, Artemis close behind with the other while Kaldur and I take the back.

"How are you adjusting to life as a crimefighter?" he asks casually as we ascend to the roof. I shrug to indicate how much gunfire bothers me when a sudden pain hits, and I gasp in surprise.

Peeling away the sleeve of my battlesuit, I'm horrified to find it sticky and coated in blood: one of the bullets must have hit me.

Even as someone who should get used to fighting, blood is not my strong suit and probably never will be. Still, I attempt to swallow my fear as Kaldur examines the wound, since I can't get a clear view.

"The bullet didn't stick: must have gone straight through your shoulder. Lucky it was such a narrow area, but I'm surprised you didn't notice it hit you."

I shoot him a bewildered expression, lost as to how it might have escaped me. We head back into the ship and I hit the infirmary to bandage myself up. How does one not notice getting shot, anyway?

I'm so busy kicking myself for getting injured on the first mission that at first, I barely hear the little voice squeaking up from the corner.

"Ari?" It asks quietly.

I whirl around, terrified and shocked. I know that voice. I've heard it almost every day of my life.

One of the shadows on the wall melts away and approaches me: the boy, unbound and ungagged. Even without the fluffy brown hair and cheerful smile, I'd recognize him anywhere.

Toby.