SCHOOL'S OUT! I'm so relieved. I have been working on this chapter since it got out, as I was trying to get you all a quality chapter as a reward for patiently waiting. This is the longest chapter yet, as it is over 4,000 words! That's the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm going to try to get the next one out as soon as possible.
I think this story will end up having twenty chapters (unless I decide to split chapters further). That will be twice the amount of chapters I thought it was going to have when I originally started. I can't believe that it's almost over. The reason it has made it this far is because of all the wonderful reviews you all have left. Your support motivated me to write more than I had planned and now this story is going over thirty thousand words. That is amazing to me, a writer who is just starting out. So thank you. All of you.
This is the last chance you all have to vote on the poll on my account for the Performance chapter. After the next chapter goes up, I will close the poll. Right after I close it I'll be putting up a new poll asking if you all want a sequel or not. If you do but you don't want an account then make sure to tell me in your review at some point between now and the end of the story. Please don't spam me saying that you want/don't want a sequel though. I will probably start removing reviews at that point, which is something I have never done and never hope I have to do.
With that all said, let us get on with the long-awaited chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice!
I hope you enjoy!
The bioship ride was...awkward, to say the least.
He kept his eyes on the horizon, trying to ignore Artemis behind him. Something was upsetting her, which was obvious. The question was - what should he do about it? Should he do anything?
It was ironic, in a way, that he knew people that probably didn't even exist in this reality better than his teammate.
"Arsenal?" He called out, hesitant and on guard. Roy had been acting...strange...when he had
called and told him to meet here in costume. For precaution, he told Barbara and Jason where he was going and what to do if something went wrong.
His eyes scanned the warehouse, and widened slightly when Cheshire appeared from behind one of the boxes. He instantly whipped out his escrima sticks, prepared to fight the assassin.
Instead of attack him, she simply raised her hands in peace. "Chill, blue."
Then, from where she had appeared, Arsenal came out. "Nightwing, don't worry. She's not here to fight."
Hesitantly, but trusting Roy, he put his escrima sticks away. He did not, however, let his guard down or trust that she wasn't going to suddenly attack them.
"What's going on?" He asked, looking from the Shadow to his fellow hero.
Roy opened his mouth, but Cheshire beat him to it. "We all need to talk." she said. She then took a breath, before removing her Cheshire mask. "My name is Jade Nguyen. Is that name familiar to you?"
It wasn't.
He shook his head, and this time Roy sighed. "Jade here is Sportsmaster's daughter, and she also, was, well…"
"Artemis was my younger sister."
"You're doing that thing again." Artemis said suddenly.
He turned on his chair to face her. "What do you mean?" He was still slightly disoriented from the memory, and his voice shook slightly.
She didn't answer right away. "When you just...stop. You freeze, tense up. Your breathing slows and then you're suddenly a million miles away."
"I don't know what you mean. I'm fine."
"'Fine' is bad, while 'okay' is acceptable."
"Nice try. Try again." Artemis said, her voice dry. "What's bothering you?"
"I could ask you the same thing." He pointed out. Her face became a mask that he knew too well. "You are a real archer, y'know. This Team doesn't accept just anyone."
She said nothing, and he added, "And you're not the only one keeping secrets, if that's what you're worried about."
She jerked up, looking at him straight in the eye, seemingly horrified. "You know?"
He nodded, "But you shouldn't worry. Like I said - you're not the only one. I'm pretty sure Conner is hiding something. And didn't you notice M'gann at that mission in Bialya?" She didn't reply. "What I'm saying is that even though you're hiding something, it doesn't mean you are unworthy for this Team. If that was the case, I'm pretty sure only Kal and Wally would be on the team. Wally can't keep a secret to save his life, and Kaldur has probably not done a bad thing in his life." He attempted a joke.
"Then why do you think that way as well?"
What? "What do you mean?" He asked, slightly confused.
"You've been acting weird for a while now. I haven't heard you tear apart a word in forever. And that look on your face you get...I know it well. Frustration that you can't tell anyone, mixed with the fear of what might happen if they find out." Artemis said, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.
Not that I'd know. It's been so long...
"Like I said - you're not the only one keeping secrets." He said. It was meant to be a joke, but neither of them were laughing.
She opened her mouth to say something, when a voice from the comm system in the bioship interrupted her.
/I have eyes on the target.\ Roy's voice cut her off. There was a pause, "I'm at the Orleans Parish. He's getting a boat ready to ride...target heading north."
"I have eyes." He said into the comm, his eyes easily catching the boat that was riding across the water. "Drop me off here." He turned to Artemis, who nodded and lowered the bioship so he could delve into the forest.
/Pursue, but maintain a discreet distance. And that goes double for you, Artemis. Sportsmaster's proven adept at spotting Martian camouflaging in motion.\
Yeah, that will help her mood. He thought to himself sarcastically, as he got to the point where Roy and Kaldur had hid his motorcycle earlier. He threw on the helmet, and easily started the bike. It was lucky that his hands moved out of instinct to operate it, as he didn't know if he would of been able to start it quickly, with his mind still thirty years in the future.
Possible future.
Well, simulated future.
He mentally brushed those thoughts away, instead focusing on steering and following Sportsmaster from a distance.
/He's stopped. Hold your positions. I'm moving in for a closer look.\
He would have normally been annoyed by someone ordering him around so much, but he found that he simply didn't care.
It's better than leading.
Those were his thoughts as he watched Roy creep closer to Sportsmaster.
Wait… He noticed a movement, and realized that Artemis was moving forward despite Roy's orders.
This is going to be interesting.
He ditched his bike and followed swiftly. He made sure to be absolutely silent.
He got there just as Roy shot Cheshire with an arrow that shot out a net, trapping her against the tree for the time being.
"Why Arrow, if you wanted another date you only had to ask." She said, a smirk clear in her voice.
And I was surprised when these two got married?
Roy looked annoyed at her flirting, but Artemis turned to face him in disbelief. "You two are dating?!" She cried out.
"What? No!" Roy corrected hastily, and he nearly had to stifle a cackle from his place in the shadows.
"Oh, why deny the attraction?" Cheshire asked, "After all, Arrow, you're here." Something about how she said that was off. The emphasis...she had to have a trick up her sleeve.
She ripped the bonds holding her away as she drew her sword. "Really I'm so fond of you both. I couldn't bear to hurt you...much."
She charged, and right as he went to help the archers in battling Cheshire he saw something move out of the corner of his eyes, and he turned to see Sportsmaster driving away on a motor boat.
"Sportsmaster!" He heard Roy yelled as the red-clad archer saw the same thing he did, and when he turned to look back at the battle he saw Jade pinning Roy down, kissing him while smirking at Artemis' surprised expression out of the corner of her eye.
She then released him, "At least a kiss is still a kiss." She said, just as he grew tired of standing idly by.
He jumped down from his position in the trees, kicking her back and momentarily stunning her.
"Artemis, tracer arrow on Sportsmaster now!" Roy ordered her while Cheshire was distracted.
He kept his eye on Cheshire, but heard Artemis grunt in frustration. "He's out of range."
At the speed he was going? Unlikely he's out of range so soon.
"Move!" He heard Roy yell as Cheshire stood, walking over to where her mask lay.
"You're abandoning?!" He could hear Artemis practically shriek. That made him turn to look, and he saw Roy hop into his jet ski that lay hidden behind some foliage.
"I'm prioritizing." He defended, before driving away.
Something was wrong with Roy. Something seemed...off. Sure, he was always focused on the mission, but this seemed...unnatural.
"Oh, that's got to sting." Cheshire's words snapped him out of his thoughts, and he watched as she effortlessly kicked her mask up into the air and caught it, before adjusting it on her face. "He makes the shot you were afraid to even try."
Artemis chose to forego a reply, and instead opted to simply fire several arrows at her sister.
"Oh, did I strike a nerve?" Cheshire tsked, nimbly dodging the arrows and the birdarangs he threw. "Well you're going to have to do better than that." She had a point, he noted. His aim was slightly off because of the unfamiliar projectiles he used.
C'mon. Focus!
He charged Cheshire, vaulting himself in the air the moment before the two would have connected. He knew Cheshire would have rolled with his attack before throwing him back. She wasn't expecting him to jump.
Once she realized he had leapt over her, she ducked to avoid any possible attacks. Artemis still fired arrow after arrow, and, attacking from both sides, they managed to hold off Cheshire's attacks.
/Artemis, Robin, listen.\ Both of them were momentarily distracted by Aqualad's words, and Cheshire used this moment to unbalance him and throw him into Artemis.
They both quickly got back on their feet, but Cheshire was already gone.
"Did you get the tracer on her?" He asked, turning to his teammate.
She nodded, "On her sword." She told him.
"Nice job," He complimented her, before he saw Kaldur and Roy coming back. "The others are here." He told her.
"I'll try and get a signal." She told him, taking out her tracking device. He nodded, and went up to talk to Kaldur and Roy.
"Did you plant the tracer?" Roy asked him immediately.
"Yeah. Artemis put one on her sword." He replied, not meeting the other hero's eyes.
He heard Artemis behind him before she spoke or came into view. "Cheshire's heading north." She reported, holding up the same device.
"Sportsmaster was heading south," Roy argued, "kinda like this mission." He added in a bitter tone.
There it was again. That look in his eye was unfamiliar. He was too focused. Too driven. It wasn't him.
Well he's not the Roy I knew.
He didn't go through the Invasion.
He didn't save my life from the Mothership.
He's Red Arrow. Not Arsenal.
"Maybe he'll double back. Maybe she will." Artemis pointed out, snapping him out of his thoughts. "They are going to rendezvous either way, and then we will get them."
"We had better. Sportsmaster acquired an attaché case. We need to learn what it contained. If you had stayed aboard the bioship…" Aqualad trailed off.
"I saw Cheshire sneaking up on him." Artemis told him, gesturing to Roy.
Liar.
You moved before Cheshire was even visible.
He understood her actions, even if he disagreed with them. He knew too well how it fault to be haunted by the past, and to desperately want to settle things yourself to make up for it.
It didn't matter how long it had been for him. He still could remember the day his entire world fell to the ground and shattered too well. The feelings of guilt that followed, as well as the desire to be the one to settle things.
"Then radio a warning." Roy reminded her rudely.
"And if she found you by hacking our frequency?" Artemis retorted. And he had to admit, if he didn't know better he would have believed the lie.
"It is true," Kaldur agreed, looking at Roy, "We have come to rely on M'gann's telepathy over our radios."
"And, while we are standing around arguing, Cheshire and Sportsmaster are getting closer to their objective. And something tells me that whatever is in that briefcase is pretty important to their plans." He said, for some reason defending Artemis even though he knew she was lying.
"Here." She tossed Roy the tracking device, and he caught it easily. "Since I clearly can't be trusted. You track her."
"Are you sure?" Kaldur asked, looking from Artemis to Roy.
She sighed, "It's fine. I'll...follow in the bioship." The way she said that was also suspicious. That pause...what was she planning?
"Take Robin with you." Artemis eyes widened slightly at Kaldur's order. He didn't seem to notice. "Arrow and I will return to the river, and then we will all follow like we originally planned."
Artemis opened her mouth to protest, but Kaldur and Roy had already turned away and walked back to the water.
The walk back to the bioship was short, but with the uneasy silence it made it much longer.
When they arrived, and both took their seats he heard Artemis draw a shaky breath and say, "Robin…"
"That tracking device was fake, wasn't it? You have them following a different tracer. You want to be the one to take down Cheshire and Sportsmaster." He guessed, and he didn't have to turn and look at her to know he was correct.
She let out a small gasp, and he spun to look her in the eye. "Listen, Artemis. I understand the desire to want to settle family…problems yourself. That doesn't mean I approve of it, but…" he gave her a small smirk, "I wasn't paying attention on the way here and didn't notice we weren't following Kaldur and Roy."
Understanding came across Artemis' face and she gave him a grateful look, "Robin, you don't have to do this."
"I know," he said, "but I understand. I trust you. And besides, it would be hypocritical of me to tell you to come clean to the Team about your past. Especially when I'm the one who hasn't shared my civilian identity."
"Thanks Robin." Artemis said, "Now let's go get that briefcase."
He gave her a smirk, "Couldn't of said it better myself."
"I'll engage Cheshire," Artemis told him, and he could tell the girl was uncomfortable with giving him orders. Even though she may be (physically) older, he had more experience in the hero game.
More experience than you know. He mentally remarked, while he nodded to show that he agreed with her decision.
"I'll back you up." He assured her. "Sportsmaster is probably lurking around here somewhere, and who knows who else."
Artemis gave him a nod, and exited the bioship. He let out a small sigh when she left. He could let down a part of his façade now. He didn't need to pretend as much.
It was getting to the point where even that small thing made him relieved.
Why don't you just tell them already?
He threw the thought away as soon as it popped into his mind. No, he couldn't tell them. How could he explain it? The worst part of telling them would be assuring M'gann that he didn't blame her.
But how can I tell her that without also telling her that I wish she would just send me back?
That wasn't true, well, not completely true. He did want to go back, but he also knew that he could never. It was wishful thinking and nothing more.
He can never go back.
He was too deep in his thoughts to see Artemis enter the warehouse, but he did not a flash of red.
Roy.
What's he doing here?
He watched as Roy house scanned the area surrounding the warehouse, missing the camouflaged bioship. He left the bioship, discreetly getting closer to his friend to see what he was doing.
How did he even get here? Artemis sent the others on a wild goose chase with a faux tracker. How did he know this was the real location of Cheshire and Sportsmaster?
The archer crept closer to one of the entrances to the warehouse (a garage-like door with a keypad next to it), unaware that he was being watched.
As Roy moved to examine the keypad further, his own focus was redirected.
Sportsmaster.
The mercenary was poised about Roy, a spear in his hand and aimed at Roy's back.
"Look out!" He yelled, throwing some birdarangs at Sportsmaster with perfect accuracy. Sportsmaster deflected them with his spear as Roy realized that he had almost been ambushed.
Roy began shooting at Sportsmaster, "Where's Artemis?" Roy asked him as he moved to stand next to the archer.
"Inside. Probably fighting Cheshire." He replied as Sportsmaster jumped down from the roof. "Look out." He warned.
Roy eyes narrowed as he deftly reached into his quiver, withdrew an arrow, and shot it. He didn't aim for Sportsmaster, however, but rather the doorway. The arrow exploded and the door was destroyed, showing Artemis and Cheshire fighting on the other side.
"You help her, I have Sportsmaster!" Roy told him as Sportsmaster charged, he nodded and ran back at Sportsmaster, swiftly turning to the side of him and ducking under the man's outstretched arm. He planted a kick in Sportsmaster's back, which propelled him. He did a handspring before landing at Artemis' side.
"Two against one, this hardly seems fair." Cheshire drawled, "For you, at least."
Suddenly, a red glow emitted from a side room. He shared a glance with Artemis, just as Cheshire charged at them.
"I have her. You go!" He yelled to Artemis, blocking Cheshire's sword with an escrima stick that he had withdrawn.
"Okay." He heard Artemis reply hastily before the archer moved towards the door.
Cheshire was a slippery opponent - she was deceiving, and a master at hiding her true intent. Not to mention she was fast.
However, he was faster.
He had experience on his side, not to mention the fact that he completely knew her style while she only had an inkling of his. He was easily able to hold his own. The only downside was that he still wasn't completely used to fighting as a thirteen year old. Some of his moves mainly depended on the height he didn't have, others on how well his muscles were developed from over thirty years of fighting.
He ducked to dodge another of Cheshire's lightning fast jabs when the assassin turned to ice and shattered by herself. His eyes widened in surprise before he realized what happened.
Klarion.
"Let me be clear," Kaldur's voice was clear and rang throughout the whole hanger. "We failed. Though the Injustice League is in custody, their allies still scheme. And we have learned nothing of their plans."
They were back in the Cave, having been debriefed and left to handle the outcome of the mission among themselves. It was clear that no one was particularly happy about how it turned out.
Surprisingly, it seemed that he was the one that was the least frustrated and disappointed. Unknown to the Team, he was simply grateful. He knew how bad missions could get. Even if this one wasn't completely successful, at least they all made it out. Even better - they were all okay. Other than some scrapes and bruises, no one was majorly hurt.
"Learn to celebrate the small victories," He told Jason. "Because in our line of work it's those small victories that make the difference. Without those small victories...someone might have died tonight. And we should be thankful that didn't happen."
"Hey!" Artemis' indignant cry caught his attention. She was glaring at Roy, who must have insulted her in some way while he was caught in the memory. "Who found out Sportsmaster was working for Brain, Klarion, and Ivo?!"
"Yeah, great intel. Except Ivo's been in Belle Reve the whole time." Roy shot back. "And the guards just checked - it's the real Ivo, not a robot."
"It's easy to pay off the guards. He could have never been there and we would be none the wiser just as long as enough money is put in the right people's pockets." He pointed out.
"Well that's not the only thing that's off about this whole mission." Roy held up the real tracker, instead of the one that Artemis had put to lead the others away from Cheshire and Sportsmaster.
"The tracer, so?" Conner asked, not understanding.
"No, Artemis ditched that." Roy gestured to the tracer Kaldur holds up for everyone to see. "To send us on a wild goose chase. She put this one on Cheshire."
"What?" All eyes turned to look at Artemis, who drew a breath to defend herself, but instead slowly let it out.
"Why are you acting this was all on purpose?" He asked before he knew what he was doing. He couldn't help it. He related to Artemis too much to just let the Team turn on her. "It could have just been a mistake. We all have made those before."
"Yeah right." Roy clearly didn't buy. "You were probably in on it as well. Well, how are you two going to betray us next time."
"I've been in this life since I was nine and you're accusing me of turning traitor? Maybe you should tell Batman that you figured this out before him." He retorted. He didn't know what he was doing. He couldn't stop the words that were coming from him.
A part of him was just so annoyed. This wasn't Arsenal. Arsenal was his friend. Arsenal was always there for him. Arsenal was understanding.
Whoever this was, it couldn't be Roy. He refused to believe it.
"I've heard what's been going on. Your behavior change. Your fighting style is also different. Maybe you've also changed sides." Roy snarled back.
"Enough." Kaldur stepped between them, effectively stopping the argument. "If making mistakes or changing were betrayals, we would all be traitors. I must report to Batman. The rest of you...get some sleep."
He didn't need to be told twice. He made a beeline for the Zeta Tubes, only looking back once. He saw Roy move by Artemis, and tell her something that he couldn't hear. He did see her stiffen, and a new wave of anger rolled over him.
This could not be the Roy he knew.
And that marks the end of Insecurity!
Remember: This is your last chance to vote on the Performance chapter! After the next chapter goes up, it will be closed.