A/N: Oh my god. Lief. Y u so buzy?
I AM SO SORRY MY LOVELY READERS. MY LIFE HAS BEEN OVERRUN WITH SCHOOL WORK AND COLLEGE APPLICATIONS AND FRIENDS AND I JUST... /ded/
Anyways, this is my favorite episode. Like seriously. I have no clue why it is but I don't even care.
Maybe one day I will have the pleasure of owning Young Justice...
BRUGES
December 22, 20:08 CET
"Dames en heren! Mesdames et messieurs! Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Haly International Traveling Circus! Where the world of the center ring is your oyster! And these are our latest pearls… The Daring Dangers!"
I beamed at the audience and waved at the cheering crowds as the spotlight landed on Robin and me. As Haly introduced us, I grabbed hold of a trapeze, swinging myself through the air.
"Dan Danger! Dawn Danger! Darcy Danger! Diane Danger! Dane Danger! And Dean Danger!"
The crowd went wild as I spun through a barrel Superboy had launched in the air with Robin and Miss Martian. Hooking my knees around the trapeze, I clasped Robin's hands as we swung back towards Miss Martian.
As we swung closer to Miss Martian, Robin let go of my hands. He flipped towards Miss Martian, but something was wrong. Instead of Miss Martian being able to grab his hands with ease, there was too much of a difference. Robin went plummeting down to the ground as the audience screamed.
'Robin!' Miss Martian cried out over the mind link.
Being the Boy Wonder he was, Robin was calm, 'Don't blow our cover!'
'But saving your life is okay?' Superboy retorted. He launched a barrel into the air, making Robin grunt as the barrel propelled Robin back up.
It still wasn't enough. I noticed Robin suddenly levitate a little bit as Miss Martian used her telekinesis to catch him.
'What did I just say?'
'The crowd couldn't see me using my telekinesis from below.' Miss Martian explained. Robin let go of her hand and landed on the platform with ease, 'Besides. I've been using it all night.' I swung over to the duo as Miss Martian landed next to Robin, 'I'm not the acrobat you are,' Miss Martian glanced at me as we waved to the cheering crowd, 'Or like Falcon seems to be.'
I shrugged, smiling at her, 'Acrobatics always came easy to me.'
'Yeah, well,' Robin muttered, looking on the verge of passing out, 'Neither am I right now. I've caught that twenty-four hour bug that's been going around this circus. But… the show must go on."
I glanced over at Robin. He didn't look so hot. At the moment, he was sweating profusely. Choosing to ignore it for the time being, I turned back to the crowd. I feigned a smile as I waved at the cheering crowd.
MOUNT JUSTICE
December 18, 09:45
"Advanced weapons tech has been stolen at manufacturing plants throughout Europe," Robin explained, pointing to a map with various locations in Europe marked, "And each theft coincides with tour stops made by the Haly Circus. Batman's sending us undercover to catch the thieves."
I watched curiously as Red Arrow approached Robin from behind, "This clown car have room for one more?"
"Uh," Robin turned to face him, hesitating, "We've got this covered."
My eyes narrowed as Red Arrow leaned down whispering something in Robin's ear. Robin frowned at whatever Red had said, but gave in.
"Fine," Robin grumbled, turning back towards us, "You can come."
BRUGES
December 22, 20:24 CET
"Put your hands together for the Daring Dangers!" Haly exclaimed proudly. The crowd went wild as I waved my left hand, helping to support Robin with my right.
'Didn't think you'd make it through.' Miss Martian said, glancing down at Robin.
Robin glanced up at her, 'Neither did I. Now help me backstage.'
Miss Martian and I each supported Robin as we made our way backstage, leaving the cheering crowd behind.
We passed by the roustabout and the next act as we walked towards a dressing area. Robin smiled gratefully at Miss Martian and me before he let go of us.
"You sure you're okay R-Dan?" I questioned, giving Robin a concerned look.
Robin chuckled, waving me off, "Relax Darcy, I'll be okay." I sighed, rolling my eyes. So this was how he was going to be.
Stepping forward, I pressed the back of my hand to his forehead. Hot damn, that boy was hot, "Dan," I frowned, "You're hot,"
"I know I am," He smirked at me, ignoring what I actually meant.
I chuckled, lightly smacking his head, "You know that's not what I meant."
"I know," He smiled, "But I'll be fine. Trust me, Darcy."
From the corner of my eye, I noticed a man headed our way, "If you say so, Dan." I playfully ruffled his hair, attempting to keep up the act of being siblings, "I'm your sister, it's my job to look out for you."
"Whatever," He rolled his eyes, also noticing the man.
Said man cleared his throat and we all turned to look at him as he flashed a badge, "Faraday, Interpol. New act?"
"Yeah," Robin nodded, "Just joined the tour."
"Probably clears you," He mumbled to himself before glancing back up at us, "But don't get to comfortable. Haly's going down for this." Faraday gave us a curt nod before he turned and walked away.
From beside me, I noticed Robin tense up. I placed my hand on his shoulder, hoping that maybe I could comfort him.
Until this mission, I never asked about Robin's past. From all the news stories, I knew it was a tragic one. I had noticed early on in the mission that Robin seemed to have a sense of protectiveness and love for this circus. I loved this circus too, I had been to a couple of their shows when they were in the states and they were phenomenal, but I don't love it nearly as much as Robin seems to. So I confronted him about it and he explained it all to me.
I understood now how much this circus meant to him. This was where he grew up, where he lost his family. He told me he thought of Haly as a grandfather figure and I understood now that Robin would do anything for this circus. Like send us on a mission to save Haly's Circus that wasn't assigned by Batman.
From the top of a building, I crouched beside Miss Martian as Robin scanned the area.
'If Interpol's already on this, then why are we bothering?' Superboy questioned from the mind link. If I squinted hard enough, I could just barely make out his figure on top of a building across from where I was at.
'Because Batman said so,' Robin said in a bit of an annoyed tone, 'Why?' He glanced over in Superboy's direction, 'You had something better to do?' Superboy didn't reply, leaving me to assume he's just grumbling to himself.
'How do we know the thieves will hit here?' Artemis chimed in.
'There are more obvious targets.' Red Arrow agreed.
'And Faraday will have them covered,' Robin explained, 'I've analyzed the tech already stolen and the patterns suggest this is the place.' From beside me, Robin held his head.
'How are you feeling?' I asked, sending him a concerned look.
'Lousy actually, but I'll manage.' He assured, slightly smiling at me. I frowned, not really believing him.
'Contact: Northeast quadrant.' Superboy informed us. I turned to where he said and watched silently as a figure effortlessly flipped over the fence, 'Guess we know why Carlo missed a performance,'
'Could be Carlo, could be his brother… Keep an open mind and move in,'
Following Robin's cue, I leapt off the building as Miss Martian flew behind us. We hid behind a building and scanned the area, trying to find where the thief went.
'Anybody see where he went?' I asked, glancing around. The other's shook their heads, not seeing anything either.
I turned my head as the Earth rumbled slightly. Superboy had just landed. I glared at him slightly, his stealthy landings sucked, before turning back around.
The Krypotonian stepped forward before he narrowed his eyes, scanning the area, 'The warehouse,' The six of us raced off, heading towards the warehouse. We snuck in through an open window before we leapt up onto a floor above the thief.
Robin cackled, though not as creepy as usual, alerting the thief to our arrival. The thief turned to stare at us, stolen tech in hand. He didn't seem very disturbed by our presence though.
"Caught red-handed," Robin laughed, smirking down at the thief, "Red-faced too, I'll bet."
Artemis, poised to attack, glared at the thief, "Acrobatics won't get you out of this,"
My eyes widened behind my mask as the thief lit a flare before proceeding to send a burst of fire at us. I quickly dove out of the way and landed next to Red Arrow. I crouched down beside him as he aimed his bow. He was ready to launch his arrow, when all of a sudden he stopped.
"Those crates are full of live ammo!" He exclaimed, "Move!" I felt his hand on the small of my back as he pushed me out of the way.
Red Arrow and I had just barely regrouped with the others before the ammo exploded, knocking us to the ground. I groaned as I felt extra weight on top of me, shielding me from a good portion of the blast.
Superboy shoved some pieces of debris off of us as we all slowly recovered from the blast. Rubbing my ears with my hands, I attempted to stop the ringing. But of course, it didn't work.
Someone shook my shoulder and I looked up to see Red Arrow extending his hand towards me. I accepted the gesture and he hoisted me to my feet. I glanced around at my teammates, noting the scratches and tears we were all covered in.
From below me, I heard a groan. Glancing down, I gasped as I took in the unconscious figure of Miss Martian. I knelt down beside her. She wasn't looking too good. This fire had done a number on her.
I looked up as Robin knelt beside me. We shared a look before we each took a side of Miss Martian, placing her on each of our shoulders.
I flinched slightly as Superboy let out a loud, angry roar, "That guy is dead meat!" He made a motion to track down the thief, but Robin stopped him.
"Superboy, no!" Robin cried as we supported the Martian, "We need to get her out."
Superboy turned to us, an angry glint in his eye, "He's getting away!"
"He matters more than Miss Martian?" I shifted her weight on my shoulders and glared at Superboy, "If you haven't noticed, we're surrounded by fire. And it's killing her."
Superboy scowled before his expression melted into one of love as he walked towards us, "Right, right." He quickly scooped his girlfriend up before he raced out of the burning warehouse.
"Artemis, Fal, Arrow," Robin ordered, stumbling forward, "Find the thief-" He groaned before he fell to his knees.
"Because he matters more than you?" Artemis quipped as we raced forward.
"You're still off your game pal," I helped Red hoist Robin up, "We're getting you out too." Red slung Robin's arm over his shoulder as we hobbled out of the warehouse.
Well that didn't go as planned.
I adjusted my mask as I stood next to Dick, watching as Farraday and Haly argue. Haly was furiously denying everything the man had to throw at him. I frowned as Haly mentioned he did a bed check… one in which everyone was accounted for.
'Well we sure weren't.' M'gann pointed out.
'And if he's lying about us…' Artemis trailed off, choosing to not voice the obvious.
I crossed my arms and glanced at Dick, who was looking a bit sullen. Before I could say or do anything, he turned around and walked off. I shared weary glances with my teammates before we followed Dick back towards our compartment.
I felt a tug in the back of my head as M'gann established a link, 'Is Robin okay?" From the corner of my eye, I saw her give me a sidelong glance.
'Yea,' I glanced over at her, smiling slightly, 'He's fine.'
She didn't seem to believe me because she frowned, 'Are you sure?'
'Positive. It's just the bug that's got him down.' I walked past her and into the compartment. Giving M'gann one last assuring smile, I sat down across from Artemis.
'If you say so.' She gave me a weary glance before she added everyone else to the link.
'So two thieves, right?' Artemis started, getting straight to the point.
'Seems that way,' I added, 'The fire breather and one of the acrobats, right?'
'Just in identical clothes.' M'gann added, glancing around at us.
'Maybe not just two,' Robin chimed in, pulling up some footage on his holo-glove, 'Here's the Madrid security footage... and now Paris.'
The first clip showed a man pulling metal bars apart while the second showed a man skillfully walking on telephone wires, much like a tightrope artist would.
'The strongman and the clown too,' Red Arrow mused, crossing his arms, 'If the entire circus is involved, Haly himself may be the mastermind.'
Robin tensed, quickly defending Haly, 'You don't know that!'
Miss Martian looked softly at Robin, 'It would explain his lies.'
That set him off. I flinched slightly as Robin jumped to his feet, evidently angry, "I told you to keep an open mind!" He shouted, not bothering to use the mind link. Robin then stormed out of the compartment, slamming the door behind me.
Red Arrow made a move to go after him, but I stopped him, "Just give him some space." The archer nodded at me before he sat down. I made a mental note to check up on Robin in a little bit, he just needed to cool down right now.
'Hello M'gaan!' Miss Martian exclaimed, lightly smacking her forehead, 'I'll read Haly's mind!'
Red Arrow narrowed his eyes at the Martian, 'I'm not sure we can trust you to do that without tipping him off.'
Superboy scoffed, glaring at Red Arrow, 'Or maybe you don't trust her period.' Red Arrow stood up as Superboy made his way towards him, 'I heard you talking to Robin back at the Cave!' Superboy jutted his finger into the archer's chest, 'I know you're only here to spy on the three of us!'
Red Arrow growled, getting up in the Kryptonian's face, 'There's a mole on this Team, and good reasons to suspect all three of you,' Red Arrow glared dangerously at Superboy, 'Artemis and Miss Martian have already been caught in lies and you could be programmed by Cadmus without even knowing.'
Superboy glared right back, looking ready to strike Red at any moment, 'Or how about I rip your head off without even trying.'
The two boys looked ready to for a fight. Sighing, I stood up. I squeezed my way between the two boys and pushed them apart, 'Enough you two,' I turned my head to look at Superboy, 'Go get some fresh air, it'll do you good.' Superboy glared at me and I was afraid he wouldn't listen, but Miss Martian stepped in.
She placed a hand on his shoulder before calmly saying, 'Okay, how about we take a time out before we do something we'll regret,' Superboy glared at Red Arrow once more before he reluctantly followed his girlfriend out of the compartment, leaving just Artemis, Red Arrow and I alone.
Artemis glanced at Red Arrow, "None of us are perfect. But each of us would give our lives for this Team," She stood up, "So try to keep an open mind." With that said, she turned around and left the compartment as well.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I glanced down at the floor. Red Arrow could be such a dick sometimes. As much as I loved the guy, he was to close minded.
"Alright," Red Arrow spoke up, "Lay it on me, Fel. I know you're pissed."
I turned towards him, narrowing my eyes, "Pissed? I'm beyond that, Roy." I hissed, trying to keep my voice down, "I love you and all Roy, but Wally and I have both told you numerous times that they could be trusted!"
"You guys could be mistaken! Miss Martian could have done some kind of mind thing to make you think you can trust them!" He whisper-yelled, scowling.
I narrowed my eyes at him. That idea was ridiculous! Red Arrow was way to close minded and it was starting to piss me off. They're my teammates for Pete's sake! I know they can be trusted.
"I know I can trust them, Roy!" I growled, spinning on my heel and walking towards the door. Before I walked out, I glanced over my shoulder at him, "Like Artemis said," I whispered, "Keep an open mind, Roy. They're good people; I know that much for sure."
I closed the compartment door behind me, leaving behind a, more than likely, pissed off Red Arrow. Taking a right, I made my way out of the train. I pulled my jacket tighter around me as I walked in the cold air. Not quite sure where I was going, I chose to just walk and lose myself in my thoughts.
A part of me had hoped that Roy had tagged along so he could help Dick. Guess I was wrong about that. It was always the mole thing with him! Gaah. I just… Maybe Don was right about Roy. Maybe Roy was in this hero gig just for himself, for y'know, the fame and the glory. Taking it upon himself to track down the mole makes it seem like he's in it for us, but if there is a mole, which I know for sure there isn't, and he sniffs the mole out, then there's going to be a lot of thanks and praises for him from the Team and the League.
I sighed and kicked a tuft of snow. This whole mole thing has me pissed off. I initially thought Roy had come along on this mission because he knew how much this circus meant to Dick. I didn't think he'd use it as a chance to try and prove that there was a mole on this Team.
"…Or he might lose the circus." I stopped walking and looked up to see Dick staring at a 'The Flying Graysons' poster. Ducking behind some nearby crates, I watched as Dick talked to someone over the comm, most likely that person being Wally.
"I left you behind because you know my backstory," Dick stared at the ground sadly, "I didn't want my best pal… questioning my objectivity." I felt a lump form in my throat. I could hardly imagine the pain Dick felt and was still feeling. To lose your family in such a tragic way, I couldn't even imagine what that'd feel like.
Dick looked up at the poster with a sad smile on his face. He sighed before he turned around, facing the crates I was behind. Smiling softly, Dick called out, "You can come out, Fel."
I rolled my eyes as I walked towards him. Of course he'd know I was there. He's the Boy Wonder!
"Are you alright, Dick?" I asked, engulfing him in a hug.
He let out a sigh before he returned the embrace, "I can't let Haly lose the circus, Fel. I just… can't."
"Don't worry, Dick," I comforted softly, "Haly won't be losing this circus anytime soon."
"I hope not, F-Darcy." He smiled at me as we separated. I gave him a questioning look. We were alone at the moment so why was he using my code name? Before I could respond, I felt a hand clasp on my shoulder and I looked up to see Ray the roustabout.
"Dan, Darcy!" He greeted, smiling at us, "What're you two doing out here this late?"
Dick and I shared a glance, "We were just… uh… talking!"
Ray looked at us skeptically, "Out here? Isn't it a bit too cold to be talking outside?"
"No," Dick simply replied. Ray narrowed his eyes at Dick and I instantly got a feeling something was off.
Grabbing Dick by the arm, I started dragging him away, "We'll just be heading back on inside then. Goodnight Ray!"
Groaning to myself, I flung a bag onto the train. I leaned against the side of the train, attempting to catch my breath. I had only loaded one bag and I was already winded. I felt like shit. What was wrong with me?
"Darcy?" Someone called my name. I turned to see Artemis approaching me, "Are you okay?"
"Peachy." I mumbled, wiping the sweat off my forehead. God. Did I mention I felt like shit? From my peripherals, I noticed Miss Martian and Superboy stopped loading things and they were giving me concerned looks.
"You sure?" She gave me a worried look, "Because you look like shit."
"Gee thanks sis," I ground out as Ray walked towards us, "Way to make me feel better,"
Artemis chuckled slightly, "No problem. Just making sure you knew." She smirked at me before she walked off to load more cargo.
I bent over, grabbing another bag of who knows what. I stood up and began making my way to the train car, only for me to stumble on the way. Luckily Superboy caught me before I crashed to the ground.
"I got it," He murmured, taking the bag out of my hands. He then flung it over his shoulder with ease and steered me over to some crates. He gently pushed me down, forcing me to sit, "Just take it easy."
"Thanks," I mumbled, burying my head in my hands.
"Need a hand with that?" I heard Ray call out. I glanced up to see him attempt to grab the box Miss Martian was holding.
She quickly yanked it away before replying, "Uh… I'm good. Thanks," She gestured behind her, "But maybe you should see if one of the other's could use some help? A lot of them seem to have that flu."
Ray shrugged, "Yea it's going around." Ray nodded at her before he walked off towards the fire breather and the strongman, who looked about as good as I felt.
"All aboard!" Haly shouted, "Everyone! Now!"
I stood up, but quickly doubled over as my mind was wracked with lightheadedness, "Ugh," I groaned, holding my head. I sat doubled over for a minute or two before I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw Red Arrow giving me a concerned look.
With the archer's help, I slowly stood back up as I brushed my sweaty hair out of my face. I was going to kill Robin for getting me sick.
"Thanks, Dane." I smiled up at him. Letting his arm slip off my shoulder, I walked towards the entrance of the train. All I wanted to do at the moment was nap.
"Woah there, Darcy." Red Arrow said as I swayed slighty, "I gotcha." He quickly swept me up bridal style and carried me onto the train.
"Darcy!" I heard Robin call out as he fell into step next to Red Arrow, "Are you alright?"
"No," I mumbled, glaring the best I could at him, "You got me sick!"
Robin smiled sheepishly at me, "I'm sorry, Darcy."
"You should be," I pouted as Red Arrow laid me down on a bench in our compartment.
Robin smiled sheepishly at me before he left to find the rest of our Team while Red Arrow stayed with me.
The compartment was completely silent due to the fact that I didn't feel like conversing with him at the moment. Yes, it was nice of him to carry me in here, but that still doesn't mean I wasn't still pissed at him.
Sighing quietly to myself, I let my mind wander. Well mostly. My mind was focused on the peculiar case of my sickness. It didn't make sense that the sickness hit me this hard already! I felt perfectly fine yesterday, at least up until I went to bed…
I opened my eyes as the rest of our Team piled into the compartment. I frowned when I noticed that Superboy was carrying Miss Martian.
"Sickness got you too?" I asked, turning my head to look at her as the Kryptonian gently laid her down across from me.
"Yea," She smiled slightly at me.
"You look better," Artemis commented as Robin entered the compartment.
"I feel better," Robin replied, nodding his head. He then looked down sympathetically at Miss Martian and I, "I'm sorry M-Dawn and Darcy. Hope you guys didn't catch it from me."
"I feel so silly," Miss Martian lightly chuckled, "Who knew a Martian would be vulnerable to a human virus?"
"Uh… H.G Wells?" Robin attempted to joke, except none of us seemed to understand it, "Look, when did you too first feel sick?"
"Just after boarding the train," Miss Martian answered, "It came on suddenly."
Robin's eyes widened and he pointed to himself, "Same with me the other night." He turned to look at me, "What about you, Darcy?"
"Uhm…" I pondered, "Last night," I furrowed my brow. My sickness seemed to have the same conditions as theirs, "It also… came on suddenly."
Robin scratched his chin, thinking, "I remember Ray rubbed my head before we went on."
My eyes widened as I glanced up at Robin, "He patted my shoulder last night!"
"Ray? That roustabout?" Superboy questioned, scrunching his nose in disgust, "He touched Dawn just before we boarded… The guy must be a walking petri dish." I scrunched my nose. Gross.
"Yea… Yea maybe," Robin pondered right before he raced out of the compartment. The three remaining healthy members of the Team shared a glance before they exited the room.
"We'll check on him," I heard Artemis say, "It's the least we can do." Miss Martian and I shared a look before we both simultaneously agreed that we weren't being left behind.
I flung the blanket off of me and slowly stood up, momentarily pausing as I went a bit lightheaded. Nodding at Miss Martian, I exited the compartment to see Artemis, Superboy, and Red Arrow walking down the hall towards Ray's quarters.
"You guys should stay in bed." Robin told Miss Martian and I, attempting to stop us.
I shared a look with Miss Martian before smiling at Robin, "As a friend of ours once said,"
"We'll manage," Miss Martian finished. Miss Martian and I waved at Haly before we walked off after our friends.
Artemis flung open the door to Ray's quarters and we stepped into the dark, dingy room.
"Guess he wasn't that sick," I heard Superboy grumble from beside Ray's bed. Instead of containing one roustabout like it should have, it just looked the guy tried to stuff the bed and make it seem like he was there. I shook my head. Tsk. The guy should take some notes from me; I'm a pro at making a bed look like someone's still in it. Works well for sneaking out.
In front of me, Red Arrow suddenly whirled around. I took a slight step back to avoid being hit by his hands, "Does this circus have an elephant that I don't know about?" He gestured to a large contained that said 'Elephant Food' on the side.
I stared at the crate curiously as Robin stepped forward. I don't remember ever seeing an elephant, "Not on foreign tours," Robin explained.
I stepped closer to the crate and opened it with ease, "Empty," I muttered, studying the crate curiously.
"No wait," Red Arrow disagreed as he leaned over my shoulder. He swiped his finger alongside the crate and when he brought it up for us to see, it was dirty, "Ash."
"The warehouse fire in Bruges!" Robin mused.
"Uh guys," Artemis called out, gaining our attention. I turned my head to look at the archer as she said, "I found Ray." She then pulled out a mask that looked suspiciously like Ray's face.
"Well then," I muttered, letting the crate's lid fall shut.
"Split up!" Robin ordered, "Search the whole train!"
I nodded before racing off. Noting that there really is no way to spread out on a train, I decided to head topside.
Grabbing the ladder, I steadied myself as the wind whipped around me. Maybe this wasn't the brightest of ideas.
Once I reached the top, I slowly stood up, attempting to balance myself as the wind threatened to blow me off. I will admit though, the cool wind felt pretty nice against my hot skin.
Walking along the roof of the cars, I peered in the few skylights and windows.
"Dane, Dean, Darcy, Diane. Come in," Robin's voice cracked in my comm., "We're chasing someone who stole Dawn's 'act'. Her whole shtick if you catch my drift."
Whelp, things just got more interesting.
"I got him!" Superboy reported and from his end it sounded like he was smashing shit, "But he's on to me. Exiting the dining car now. He's gone topside!"
I heard a thump behind me and when I turned around, a clown was standing behind me. Before I could react, he backhanded me, sending me flying across the top of the car. I landed with a thud. Sitting up, I rubbed my head. I hate clowns. Especially ones that can steal others abilities.
Using Miss Martian's telepathy, Ray flung Superboy off the train.
"Dean!" I shouted, looking frantically around for him. But I couldn't find him.
I shrieked and struggled as the clown held me in the air with the telepathy, "Why don't you join your brother?" He smiled deviously at me as he prepared to toss me off the train. Before he could do so, Superboy managed to leap back onto the train and while the clown was distracted, he punched him. Ray cried out in pain as I fell down, landing with a thump on the car.
"That won't work on me clown," Superboy smirked down at the clown. Growling, the clown slowly stood back up.
"That's no clown!" Robin exclaimed as he landed next to me, pointing at the clown "It's Parasite! The guy who once stole Superman's powers!"
"As if you kids are who you claim to be," Parasite smirked at us, "Please." His face shifted into this gray, kinda blobby looking face. In a way, he reminded me of Clayface. And I hated Clayface.
"Stay out of his reach!" Robin shouted, "There's no flu going around! The weakness comes when he makes physical contact and feeds off the powers and abilities of others!"
"I have been a bit of a glutton today," Parasite mused, "Chowed down on the skills of nearly every loser in this troupe, including you two, Dan and Darcy," He smirked at us and I growled. This guy sickened me, "But oh my, the pièce de résistance was Dawn Danger. Or whatever her real name is," From my peripherals, I saw Miss Martian stand up on the other side of Robin as the archers positioned themselves next to Superboy, "Thought I'd munch on her trapeze skills. Imagine my surprise when she tasted like Martian Manhunter instead. Mmmm. She made a lovely appetizer, but guess who I want for my entrée?"
He extened his hand towards Superboy and before we could react, Parasite dragged him forward before his hand wrapped around Superboy's neck. Superboy struggled in Parasite's grip, but it was short lived as Parasite drained his powers, "Mmmmmm. Now that's the full bodied Kryptonian flavor I love."
"Everyone stay whelmed!" Robin ordered from beside me, "Subdue but keep your distance!"
From the other side of Parasite, the archers pulled out their bows. Notching some arrows, they prepared to fire them at Parasite. My eyes widened in surprise as Parasite's eyes glowed red before laser beams were shot out of his eyes.
The archer's let out a cry of pain as the beams hit their bows, effectively disintegrating them, "You know I almost never say this, but I'm sated." Parasite gloated as he dropped the Kryptonian, "Hate to eat and run." Parasite crouched down before he leapt up and took to the skies. The crates with the stolen tech in them quickly floated up after him.
Reacting quickly, Robin jumped up on a floating crate, attempting to go after Parasite. The villain just smirked down at Robin, "Sorry, no hitchhikers." Parasite backhanded Robin before he promptly flew away.
Miss Martian dove to the side, snagging Robin's hand as he dangled off the edge of the train. She groaned as Robin began to slip, but Red Arrow, Artemis and I ran over and helped pull him up.
I let out a sigh of relief once Robin was safely back on the train.
"Connor!" Miss Martian exclaimed. She whirled around and raced over to her boyfriend, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Connor said, brushing off his concerned girlfriend.
"You're drained!" Robin exclaimed, "Parasite took more than you even have!"
"Seriously," I crossed my arms as I stared at the clone, "Heat-vision?"
"I have the genetic potential for it," Superboy said, "Must've been enough for him."
Robin let out an angry growl before he brushed by Superboy. Giving the clone one last look, I followed after Robin.
Not soon after Parasite flew off, I found myself sitting in our compartment, in my hero garb, deciding our next move.
"It's not a complete debacle," Robin said as he held up a flashlight, "I picked Parasite's pocket. Got this flash drive." I smirked. Glad to see our Boy Wonder was back.
He quickly plugged it into his gloves. The computer hummed as it worked on hacking into the flash drive. Once it did so, Robin began to read off the facts, "Looks like Parasite's working for Intergang. Everything he's stolen, they're all pieces of something. They're putting together a weapon that generates… Black holes!" My eyes widened. That can't be a good thing.
"Oh come on," Red Arrow spoke up, crossing his arms, "To build that you need a particle accelerator!"
Robin turned his head to look up at the archer, "Like the large boson collider in Geneva?"
"The circus' next stop." Red Arrow said as the realization hit him, "But now that Parasite can fly, he's got a big head start on us!"
"Sorry." Miss Martian mumbled, looking down sadly. I placed a hand on her knee and squeezed it, attempting to comfort her. It seemed to do some good because she gave me a small smile.
"Not your fault," Robin told the Martian, "But this thing could wipe out entire cities!" Robin stood up, "We need to hurry."
"You and I need to hurry." Red Arrow corrected Robin. He reached up to a shelf and grabbed his other bow, "Without powers, the others will hold us back."
"Hey," Artemis snapped as she pulled out a crossbow, "You're not the only one without a backup bow."
I stood up and glared at Red Arrow, "Don't be such a prick, Red. Powers or no powers, we're not useless."
"Besides," Superboy growled as he smashed the wall, leaving a decent size crater, "My powers are back."
"How?" We all turned to Superboy, confused about how his powers regenerated so fast.
"I guess Kryptonians recover faster than humans and Martians." He answered as he rubbed his arm. I stared at him curiously. A part of me found his explanation to be… off. But I chose to ignore it and just accept it. And it seemed like the others did as well.
Miss Martian placed her hands on her hips as she glanced around at us, "Don't even think about leaving me behind."
Roy angrily scowled before he pushed past all of us and out of the compartment. Rolling my eyes, I was the first to follow the angry archer out as the rest of my Team followed me.
GENEVA
December 24, 00:37 CET
I stood next to Artemis as Robin knelt down to check on an unconscious guard. When Robin lightly touched his shoulder, he groaned and I let out a sigh of relief. He was still alive.
"Trail of destruction," Robin mused, glancing around at the other unconscious guards strewn about, "This way!" Robin raced off, his cape fluttering behind him as we followed.
As soon as we entered the building, Robin pulled up his holo-glove. Hacking away, he quickly found a map of the building as he guided us to the Boson Collider.
We soon found ourselves hiding behind some metal pipes as we watched Parasite from Robin's holo-computer.
Parasite was typing away on a keyboard. Whatever he typed in, it caused the large machine to turn on and whir to life. This wasn't good.
"We need to take him down," Robin whispered, "Or at least lure him away long enough to disengage the-"
The Boy Wonder was cut off as our Kryptonian let out an enraged roar as he lunged forward.
"Superboy, no!" I hissed as the clone smashed through the pipes. I groaned. This was not going to end well.
Red Arrow huffed as he readied his bow, "What's wrong with-"
"Wait." Miss Martian placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping the archer. Red Arrow turned towards her, scowling. He was about to say something, but Miss Martian spoke up first, "I have a plan!"
I arched my brow at her, "Go on?"
Miss Martian turned to the rest of us, beaming, "He absorbed my powers, my strengths right?" We all nodded, "What if he absorbed my weaknesses as well?"
I nodded my head. It made sense. With every power is a weakness.
From outside, I heard the sound of thunder booming and lightning cracking as the machine slowly crept to full power, "Alright Dangers," Came Parasite's taunting voice, "C'mon out! Only a couple minutes before this baby's done warming up and eats Geneva."
"What do you think?" Miss Martian inquired.
"Big risk to take on a theory," Red Arrow commented.
"Better than nothing," I pointed out. Red Arrow sighed but seemed to agree none the less.
From beside me, Robin nodded his head, "Do it. Go!"
Miss Martian stepped forward as Red Arrow, Artemis, and I scampered to higher ground in different directions.
Down below I could hear Miss Martian taunting Parasite. Grabbing the railing in front of me, I hoisted myself up. Glancing down below, I watched Parasite throw Miss Martian across the room before he looked around, trying to find the rest of us.
Parasite spotted Red Arrow but before he could do anything, I launched one of my explosives. It landed at Parasite's feet and exploded, causing him to land on his butt. Red Arrow took the opportunity to launch his arrow.
The high density polyurethane foam encased Parasite quickly, and that pissed him off.
"Foam?!" He roared, "You think foam can hold me!?" His eyes glowed green and I quickly found myself floating in mid-air, being strangled by an unknown force. I groaned and struggled against the hold, but of course it was no use, "Or stop me from crushing you with a thought? Combined Martian and Kryptonian powers here!" He thrust his fist forward and part of the foam broke.
"But do any of those powers break you free you before I sabotage your death thingy?" Robin inquired as he typed away. Death thingy?
"Death thingy?" I deadpanned from where I was suspended in the air, "That's seriously the best you could come up with!"
Robin shrugged as he continued to type, "Working with a short time frame here." He pointed out.
I rolled my eyes, "But you can come up with aster and traught on the fly?"
Robin chuckled slightly, "Don't patronize me, Fal."
I laughed as well but that was short lived as the invisible grip on me intensified, "I will not be ignored!" Parasite roared. He broke through the rest of the foam and shot his lasers at Robin.
Still suspended in air, I watched as Artemis launched her arrow towards Parasite. It exploded and a gas began to swirl around the villain. Due to the fact that Parasite still had laser beams coming from his eyes, it ignited the gas around him, causing the gas to catch fire and explode.
The explosion caused Parasite to lose his focus and Red Arrow and I soon found ourselves falling to the ground. I braced myself to roll, but I soon found myself in someone's arms.
We landed smoothly and my savior set me down. I looked up thankfully at Superboy and gave him a smile, to which he returned.
"So clever," Parasite taunted as he stood up in the flames, "Trick me into igniting flammable gas. But you forgot, doofus's double dose of invulnerability… fire… can't… touch me." His voice began to trail off as the fire began to get to him, proving Miss Martian's theory to be true.
"Unless you make a meal of my powers." Miss Martian spoke, "And get my weaknesses as a side dish!"
"No! No!" Parasite cried out as he stared in horror at the fire just before he collapsed.
"Awww, poor baby. Something you ate?" Miss Martian mocked. I smirked. Miss Martian was getting feistier and feistier every mission.
I heard the machine shut down and I looked over to see Robin standing at the controls. His shoulders slacked as he let out a sigh of relief. I walked over to Robin. We shared smiles before I glanced up at the machine.
"Seriously? Death thingy though?" I turned my head and smirked over at Robin.
He pouted slightly as he playfully whacked my arm, "Just let it go, Fal." I started laughing and soon after he was as well.
"We'll take it from here." A confident voice interrupted out laughter. I turned to see Faraday and some agents with fire extinguishers headed our way. Faraday knelt down next to Parasite and snapped the inhibitor collar on before he stood up, "Thanks for the tip, by the way. Definitely helps to prep the inhibitor collar in advanced."
Robin smiled at the Faraday, "Glad to be of service." We nodded at Faraday as him and his agents left with Parasite in tow.
I walked over towards where the rest of my Team was gathered. Red Arrow was currently in the middle of speaking.
"You could each have betrayed us here. You didn't. I'm sorry I doubted any of you. There is no mole."
A/N: I will strive to update this story more often... But I can't guarantee that. If I can do so, hopefully I can kind of get a schedule going. Maybe I can update both once a week, but it's most likely going to be every other week for each story. So next week/later this week 'When Lightning Strikes' will be updated and then the week after this story will be updated.
Thank you to all my readers. I appreciate every single one of you. And as per usual, leave a review! They're very much appreciated! :D
