chapter 25!
disclaimer: i do not own young justice or any dc comics characters
rated T for violence, language, and some sensuality
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Hall of Justice, Washington DC, December 30, 2011, 9:16 AM...
The team relaxed in the library with the viewing windows closed. They were all dressed in their casual winter clothes. Jeline sat in one of the armchairs with Conner sitting on the armrest with his arm affectionately on her back. The local news was broadcasting the live, public induction of Doctor Fate, Plastic Man, Atom, Icon, and Red Arrow. Wally munched on a red apple, "It was nice of them not to kick Billy out. And I love the fact that there's a 10 year old in the League."
"There is?" Raquel, aka Rocket, whipped around to stare at Wally in shock.
"Ow!"
"Way to keep a secret, genius," Robin hissed at him.
"Hey, she's on the team, now, right?" Wally took a bigger bite of his apple.
Sophie, dressed in pants, black motorcycle boots, and a maroon tunic and leather jacket, glance back at the boys. She wore a wig of raven black hair, the only disguise of her identity. She turned back to the TV and frowned as Superman gave the new initiates official League membership cards. Raquel frowned as Icon received his. "I'm the one who gave him the idea to join. I should be outside celebrating with him, not hidden away in here."
"Welcome to our world," Kaldur joked.
Raquel smiled at Kaldur with a faint blush, "Who knows...maybe there's an upside, too."
They watched as Green Arrow gave Red Arrow a membership card. Wally thrusted his fist in the air, "Woo! Way to go Roy!"
"At last, he got his wish," Kaldur smiled.
"The first of us to make it," Jeline smiled back at the three of them. "He'll never be called a sidekick again."
"Wait," Raquel caught their attention. "Since when is being a sidekick a bad thing? You four sidekicks were my inspiration."
"Well, you see, six months ago-"
Robin glanced down at his watch which beeped. All eyes went to him. M'gann stood up, "What is it?"
"Got an alert. It's Cheshire," Robin glanced at Kaldur. "If we want to get her, we should go now."
"Then let's go," Jeline stood up.
The whole team gathered around her with cautious hands, "Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
"What?" she frowned at them, backing away a little.
"Jeline, you're not going," Conner stated gently. "There's no way we're gonna let you come with us."
"Oh, you think I'm gonna stay here and explain to Batman why you all left? Nice to see I'm the pregnant scapegoat."
"Of course, you're not," Kaldur approached her. "But Conner is right. A confrontation with Cheshire might endanger you and your baby."
"Okay, then I'll stay on the bio-ship."
"Jeline," M'gann spoke in a sympathetic tone. "There's just too much risk. We'll drop you off at the Cave and-"
"Seriously? You guys are seriously leaving me out of this one?" Jeline shook her head furiously. "No. No way. I'm not sitting idly by while you guys catch Cheshire. I'll just pilot the bio-ship and-"
"Zatanna!" Conner snapped.
"Plees Enilej!" Zatanna snapped.
Jeline's eyes rolled in her head and she fell back. Conner caught her and scooped her up in his arms. He frowned at Zatanna, "I wanted you to teleport her back to the Cave, not put her to sleep."
"Oh. Sorry," she widened her eyes as Conner put Jeline in her arms. "Well, now, you're her babysitter. Take her to the Cave. She'll be pissed at me, but..."
Sophie placed her hand on Conner's shoulder, "She'll understand. She's only pissed because she feels useless."
"I kinda know how she feels," Zatanna pouted. "I'll...see you back at the Cave."
"All right," Robin smirked. "Let's go."
Outside the Hall of Justice...
The Green Lanterns, Hawkman and Hawkman, Captain Atom, and Martian Manhunter flew off to continue their missions. Batman, Black Canary, and Red Tornado took the new recruits into the Hall. Nova was with Wonder Woman and Superman signing autographs for the young kids. A girl with pigtails waited eagerly. Nova finished writing and handed it back to the girl, "There you go."
The girl hugged her notepad, "Thank you so much!"
Superman placed his hand on her shoulder, "We need to go inside."
"Hm? Why?"
"The Team," he replied with a frown. "They're gone."
Smokey Mountains, December 30, 2011, 10:48 AM...
The Team and Rocket were dressed in costumes, ready for action. Sophie adjusted her headband, making sure her silver-white hair was perfect. "Robin," Artemis caught his attention. "Ar-are you sure its her? I mean, are you absolutely positive?"
"See for yourself," Robin brought up screens on the windows. It showed a young, Asian woman was boarding an airplane. "Security footage from the Ashfield Regional Airport. Facial recognition confirms that's Jade Nguyen. But you've seen her without her mask. What do you think?"
"It's Jade. Cheshire."
"Agreed," Kaldur nodded. "But focus on what she carries. Is that the case you saw in New Orleans? The one that got away?"
"Yes," Artemis lowered her eyes.
"Okay," Raquel caught their attention. "I get from the mug shot that Cheshire is the bad guy, but why is that case so important?"
"Remember the Injustice League?" Robin brought up the villain group picture.
"And their giant evil plants? Uh, yeah!"
"The Team and the League put them in prison," Kaldur explained. "But their allies still scheme. Whatever is in that case seems important to their plans."
"Why had a chance to grab it in New Orleans," Wally added then narrowed his eyes at Artemis. "But someone screwed up."
"Approaching Cheshire's jet," M'gann informed then gasped. The team widened their eyes in surprise at seeing Cheshire's jet in pieces in the snowy valley. "Looks like there's no survivors."
The team left the bio-ship to examine the wreckage below. Robin looked through torched electronics while M'gann searched for signs of life. Wally casually kicked a piece of metal, "How come Homeland Security isn't all over this?"
"Cheshire's ID was a League alert," Robin informed absently. "Authorities didn't pick it up and her jet didn't follow it's flight plan. She flew under the radar. Literally. But the Watchtower audited the jet and recorded the crash."
"Then why isn't the League here?" Raquel asked.
"Because of Boy Wonder's mighty hacking skills," Sophie informed, smirking slightly. "He arranged to get the alert first."
"And because Cheshire and that case represent our unfinished business," Kaldur added.
Conner tossed a piece of the plane wing aside, "Were are the bodies?"
"Here's one," Cheshire mused from a high ledge. "And it is stunning."
"I am flora, not fauna," a voice called from the cliff ledge. "I am foliage, not tree. What am I?"
They all glanced up to see the Riddler standing with Mammoth and Shimmer. The Riddler snapped his fingers and large probes sprouted from under the snow, creating a large green force-field, trapping them all inside. "Hey, come on, you can get this," Riddler encouraged. "I am shrubbery, not grass. What am I? I-"
"am-bushed," Robin muttered.
"Didn't you think we'd be tipped that you were on Cheshire's trail?" Riddler raised a brow at them. "We're tired of your interference, kids. This is the end game. Ordered from above and executed by their master strategist. Moi."
Miss Martian, is everyone linked? Kaldur asked.
Yes.
Go!
The team dispersed. Sophie's eyes glowed purple and she spun in the air, creating a large whirlwind of snowy air. She shook her hands, extending her claws, and attacking. She slashed through the men's winter suits and dodged their weapons. Their weapons glowed like the alien weapons the Team told her about, Apokilytian weapons. Sophie grabbed hold of a spear and kicked the henchmen away. She spun the spear around her fingers with expert-ease. The other men exchanged shocked glances. Sophie raised an amused brow, "Didn't expect that did you?"
She spun around, using the spear like it was a bo staff. She smacked one man against his head, knocking him unconscious. The other man tried to stab her, and she spun away. SB, you're flying! Robin exclaimed. Sophie broke the spear as she hit the other man, shoving him into the snow. She glanced up, seeing Conner flying with Mammoth. Conner threw him against the force-field which he bounced off of. Conner shoved him into the side of the mountain and began repeatedly punching his torso. The mountain began to crumble from the force. Sophie ran across the valley, following Robin as he threw smoke bombs at Riddler and Shimmer. Robin tied Shimmer up and knocked her out. Riddler took a defensive stance, "Come on, Boy Wonder. Take your best shot."
Robin smirked. Sophie's eyes glowed purple again and Riddler pinned his own arms against his body, as if he were wearing a straight-jacket. "No!" he screamed. "I am not the straight-jacket type! I am strictly Belle Reve, not Arkham!"
"Shut up," Sophie stared, annoyed. Riddler's eyes rolled up in his head and he fell back, unconscious. She turned to the large probes. Her eyes glowed purple again and all of the probes crumpled into themselves, destroying the force-field.
M'gann landed next to her, "Nice job. Your powers are growing."
Sophie glanced away, glaring at the valley dubiously. Robin placed his hand on her shoulder, "She's right. You were awesome."
Mount Justice, December 30, 2011, 3:46 PM...
The team, along with Zatanna and Jeline, were gathered in front of their mentors and the case they recovered. "Tell me if this sounds familiar," Batman lectured. "You hacked League systems, disobeyed protocol, and endangered your lives. And your initiative resulted in the capture of three escaped felons, proving Warden Strange runs Belle Reve as a cover for criminal activity. Well done."
The Team exchanged slightly confused glances. Jeline held Conner's hand with a loving smile, clearly not upset. "And then there's this," Batman pointed to the case. It was open, revealing strange bio-technology inside. "Bio-technology integrated with some sort of nano-circuitry."
Icon grabbed one of the strange things, "Although, I am unfamiliar with the species, the bio-component is clearly not of Earth."
"We'll take it to the Watchtower for further analysis," Batman closed the case and led the mentors to the zeta tubes. Raquel flew over to Icon to talk with him.
Conner leaned in to whisper to Jeline, "You're not mad at me?"
"No. I know why you had Zatanna knock me out," she rubbed his chest. "Relax. I am more understandingly than I normally am, surprisingly."
Icon and Black Canary left to the Watchtower to enjoy the Induction Party. Robin turned to Kaldur, "You know we were set up, right?"
"Yes, Cheshire and Riddler were tipped," Kaldur nodded. "Ready for us."
"Not the mole thing, again!" Artemis groaned, rubbing her forehead in frustration.
"A mole thing? Again?" Raquel stared at them, confused.
"We got intel that there's a mole here on the Team," Wally explained.
"Namely Artemis, M'gann, or me," Conner frowned, letting go of Jeline's hand to cross his arms over his chest.
Kaldur placed his hand on Conner's shoulder, "It is more complicated than that."
Conner shrugged his hand away. Jeline gasped, "Conner!"
He turned to leave and Kaldur followed him, "Your recent behavior concerns me. Your attack on Mammoth nearly got Artemis killed."
Conner placed his hand on the side of his forehead, keeping his back to the others. Jeline touched his arm, "Conner? What is it?"
He straightened up and glanced at her with furred brows. He turned around to face the team, "There's something I need to do."
He grabbed Jeline's hand for support, "Something I need to tell you guys. Last month, on Thanksgiving, I went back to Cadmus...found a few things out. When I was cloned, only half the DNA was Superman's. The other half was human, that's why I don't have...will never have full Kryptonian powers."
"You sure? Cause you sure seemed to have 'em today," Robin smiled.
"I've been using these," he lifted his sleeve up to reveal a black patch on his skin. "Shields. They suppress my human DNA. I get the flight and the heat vision...but I think I also get angry. Well, angrier."
Jeline removed the patch from his skin and he whispered to her, "I'm sorry."
She smiled lovingly back. "Conner," Kaldur caught his attention. "Where did you get those?"
"From my human father...Lex Luthor," he pulled out the Shields container.
The team's eyes went wide in shock. Robin's jaw dropped, "Lex Luthor...is your DAD?"
"He's summoned me to Santa Prisca," he informed.
"What?" Jeline frowned. "When?"
"Just now. He's been communicating me at a frequency only I can hear."
Artemis made a sound to catch the Team's attention, "Listen, Conner's not the only one suffering from bad DNA."
She walked over to the computer and pulled up pictures of Sportsmaster, Cheshire, and a retired villain named Huntress. She turned to face the team, "My mother is Huntress, ex-con. Rest of my family aren't even ex. My dad's Sportsmaster, and he's sending my sister, Cheshire, to fly me to Santa Prisca, too."
Wally pinched his chin in thought, "That's why..."
"Yeah. I was so desperate to make sure none of you found out," she slumped her shoulders.
"We knew," Jeline and Robin spoke in unison with smiles.
"Hey, I'm a detective and Jeline pretty much knows everything," Robin shrugged. "But it never mattered. You aren't your family. You're one of us."
Wally leaned his elbow on Artemis's shoulder, "So, who's next?"
"I am," M'gann said.
"I swear I was kidding."
"Queen Bee's been...blackmailing me," M'gann refused to meet Jeline's gaze. "She wants me in Santa Prisca, too."
"Blackmailing?" Kaldur frowned. "How?"
"She knows my true Martian form."
Jeline took a few steps towards her, "M'gann, we already know-?"
"No," she heaved a heavy sigh. She dropped her arms and transformed into a large, ugly, white alien. The whole team, including Kaldur and Conner, backed away in shock. All, except Jeline. M'gann wrapped her bone-thin arms around her torso, I realized you would never accept me if you saw what I really am.
"M'gann," Jeline furred her eyebrows, looking a little hurt. "Do you really think we're that shallow?"
I couldn't take the chance, she lowered her eyes. Being a white Martian on Mars, I endured constant rejection. I...I couldn't face that.
Jeline approached M'gann and gently took her two-fingered hand, "M'gann...I told you that I trusted you. Wholeheartedly. That hasn't changed. I really do know what you're going through, M'gann. And despite everything that's happened...I'm still your friend."
M'gann transformed back into her usual form, tears in her eyes. "You...really mean that?"
Jeline smiled, squeezing M'gann's hand, "Of course. What you look like doesn't affect how we see you...you're a loyal member of the Team. And a loyal friend."
M'gann wrapped her in a hug. Jeline blinked in surprise, then smiled and hugged her back. They broke away and Jeline turned to Kaldur, "So...I assume you have a plan?"
Santa Prisca, December 30, 2011, 5:57 PM...
Wally, Sophie, Robin, Kaldur, and Rocket waited patiently for the signal. They heard a loud boom, but did not move. Guys, could use some reinforcements! Artemis shouted eagerly. Rocket flew through the forest. Sophie hopped onto Wally's back as he ran and plowed through some of Bane's men. Sophie flipped off of him and tackled a man who aimed his gun at Robin. He turned to her and smiled, "Thanks."
Sophie smiled and glanced past him. She gasped, "Move!"
Bane stuck his hands out and wrapped his massive arms around Sophie and Robin. Sophie slipped out of his arms and slashed his face. He released Robin and grabbed Sophie by her waist, slamming her into ground. Sophie kicked upwards and rolled back over her shoulder. He slammed his fist, trying to squash her. Sophie's hand glowed purple as she punched the side of his face. Robin jumped over Sophie and flipped over Bane, pulling his Venom tube out and attaching his taser. Sophie got up and moved out of the way as Bane fell. She shot Robin a confused glance.
"Psychic attacks don't work on him when he's high on Venom."
"Oh."
"Guys," Conner called them over to where Blockbuster was stuck up to his chest in muck. Raquel squealed in delight, "It is always like this."
"Told ya so," Sophie crossed her arms under her chest.
"Averted disaster," Robin smiled and shrugged. "Feeling the aster."
"Agreed," Kaldur smiled. "This has been a good day."
Watchtower, December 30, 2011, 11:46 PM...
Roy followed Batman to the main assembly room where the other League heroes stood in a mind-controlled dazed. Batman walked right over to the zeta tubes computer, "Batman, 02. Override."
"Recognized...Access Granted: Vandal Savage, A03. Dark Sage, A04."
Vandal Savage walked out of the tubes with Eden Moreira following suit. She was dressed in black, low-cut, skin tight pants with stiletto-heeled boots, a matching corset with a flowing cape attached. Her purple hair flowed loose around her shoulders. She smiled as the League members bowed except for Roy. Eden's eyes glowed a brilliant purple and Roy fell to his knees, slightly dazed. He glanced around, his eyes widening, "I...I was the mole?"
"Yes," Vandal replied. "Yes, you were."
Eden followed Vandal past the heroes. She waved her cape disdainfully as she passed by Nova. Vandal stared as the Sun disappeared behind the Earth. He turned to Eden and placed his hand on her cheek affectionately. Eden relished his touch, "You have no idea how long I've waited for this."
"I know," he stared at her lustfully. "Our ambition is playing out as expected...and our family is nearly complete."
end of chapter 25
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