Author's Note: This has been a super productive few days. I'm trying to crank them out now, because I might not be able to write a bunch for a week or so. Anyway, I don't want to keep you. This one's set during the episode "Performance." Just a little heads up; for a good chunk of the chapter, the team is referred to by their fake names, the Dangers. As a cheat sheet to remember who is who: Robin=Dan, Artemis=Diane, Roy=Dane, Conner=Dean, M'gann=Dawn, and Desmond=Desmond… what? It starts with a D, doesn't it? Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own none of Young Justice

Chapter Twenty Eight

Daring Dangers

"Dames en heren!" announced Jack Haly, the ringmaster of Haly's traveling circus. "Mesdames et messieurs! Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Haly International Traveling Circus!" A roar from the crowd followed this opening. Please welcome our latest acts…" The spotlight moved off of Jack Haly to the top of the trapeze, and onto a small boy clad in red and white. He wore a white mask to cover his eyes, but smiled as he waved to the crowd. "The Daring Dangers!" The boy grabbed the trapeze bar and swung out, doing a flip in the air. "Dan Danger!" Haly introduced him.

A girl with orange hair in a similar uniform did the same trick, but at the opposite end of the trapeze. They exchanged bars in mid air. "Dawn Danger!" announced Haly.

Two archers, a boy and a girl, pulled sparkling arrows back in their bows. A larger, dark haired boy flung a barrel into the air. "Diane Danger! Dane Danger! Dean Danger!"

The barrel fell directly on top of a final boy, who curled into a tight ball. The arrows were fired, and all six (three from each archer) passed through the flimsy barrel, with the final boy still inside. The crowd was silent for a moment. And then the barrel sprang apart, pieces of wood flying everywhere, revealing the boy completely unscathed. "And Desmond Danger!"

Dawn and Dan continued doing flips in the air. "You'll never see another act like this folks," said Haly. "And the trapeze act is completed without a net!" As if it was a cue to cause peril, Dan missed Dawn's hands, sending him falling to the ground.

Robin! Mentally shouted Dawn Danger.

Don't blow our cover! Thought Dan.

But saving your life's okay? Clarified Dean. He flung another barrel up at the falling boy, who landed on it and was boosted back up to the trapeze. Dawn grabbed his hand, and the two landed safely on a platform.

"Put your hands together for… the Daring Dangers!" Shouted Haly. The Dangers raised their arms up into the air to take in the applause, then quickly left the spotlights to make room for the other acts.

As soon as they were out of sight, Desmond leaned over to Dan. "You alright, Dan?" he asked, putting emphasis on the name.

"Knock it off, Des," he said, wiping sweat off his brow. Young Justice had decided to stick to the fake identities at all times; even with each other. "This twenty four hour bug really hit me hard."

"It's been going around," said Dawn.

When Robin had originally told the others they would be joining the circus, no one thought he was being serious. But after he had said Batman suspected that several high-risk thefts were connected to the circus' stops, and that this was an undercover job, things got more serious. So Young Justice became the Daring Dangers, all using fake first names (except Desmond, that it.)

"Hey, look," whispered Dane. The other Danger kids looked, and saw Haly being spoken to, in hushed tones, by a man in a suit. Haly walked away in a huff, and the man moved over to the dangers.

"Faraday," he said, holding out a badge reading the name King Faraday. Desmond noted, despite himself, that that was a cool name. "Interpol. You a new act?"

"Yep," said Dan, not missing a beat. "Just joined the tour."

"Well, that probably clears you," he said, stuffing the badge away. "But don't get too comfortable. Haly's going down for this." He walked away, and the Dangers exchanged a few worried looks.

"Come on," Dane said after a while of silence. "Let's get changed."

XxXxX

Sitting on rooftops, Young Justice watched all sides of a large warehouse intently. Robin had analyzed the data gathered from previous robberies, and had figure out this was the place that was most likely to be hit next. He sat with Miss Martian, who kept asking him how he felt.

I'm fine, Miss M, he assured her. But he didn't seem fine; even his thoughts sounded kind of sick. Desmond had seen a few other performers with this flu going around, and they were incapacitated for at least a full day.

You sure you don't want to head back, Rob? asked Desmond. We can handle things. You should get some rest.

I'm sure you'd like that, thought Roy to Desmond exclusively. Apparently Roy still didn't trust him, or the others for that matter. Roy wouldn't allow Robin to go back, because then he would be alone with four potential moles on the team.

I swear, guys, I'm fine, Robin assured them. Now can we just—

Contact! Signaled Superboy. Northeast quadrant. The team all looked to see a figure in a black jacket and mask running towards a chain link fence. Instead of climbing over, however, he jumped onto a lamppost and used it to spring over the fence. Guess we know why Carlo missed that performance. The team had overheard Faraday interrogating Carlo and his brother Paolo about missing a show during a trip to Paris. The same night as they were out, a building had been robbed.

Or his brother, Desmond noted. They're both acrobats.

Let's move, said Robin. The team descended from the rooftops, all landing in similar areas. They rushed behind a building so as not to be seen, and Shifter realized Superboy was not with them. He landed on the ground a moment later, and stared hard at the buildings in front of him.

He's in the warehouse, he thought to the others after a moment.

How did you—? Began Desmond.

I saw his shadow in the window, Superboy covered quickly. Come on, let's move. Desmond doubted Conner's story, but didn't dwell on it. As Superboy leapt to the top of the building to look for a way in, Robin did that thing he does when he disappears without anyone knowing.

"I hate it when he does that," Artemis whispered. M'gann floated up after Conner, and Red Arrow shot a grapple line for a nearby window. Shifter grasped Artemis' hand, and phased the two of them through the nearest wall.

The team met up on a platform overlooking the center of the warehouse. The thief was currently prying a large crate open with a crowbar. Robin laughed aloud, getting his attention. "Caught red-handed!" he proclaimed. "Red faced too, I'll bet."

"Acrobatics won't get you out of this," said Artemis, pointing an arrow at him. The man suddenly procured a small flare from his pocket, lit it, and blew out. Flames spouted from the tip, causing the team to jump out of the way.

"Fire breathing?" asked Desmond, mostly directing it at Robin, who was next to him. "I thought this guy was an acrobat!" Suddenly Red Arrow shouted something.

"Those crates are full of live ammo!" he alerted the team. Shifter looked to see the fire slowly creeping towards several large ammunition crates. "Move!" And then there was an explosion. It knocked everyone to their backs. Shifter grabbed the two people nearest him (Robin and Artemis) and lowered their densities for safety. When debris stopped falling everywhere, the team stood up.

"That guy is dead!" shouted Superboy, beginning to run after the perp. Shifter hadn't seen him so angry in a while, and was slightly confused by all his strange behavior this night.

"Superboy, no!" Robin called after him, making his stop. Superboy turned to see Robin propping Miss Martian up on his shoulder. "We need to get her out." Conner seemed to be considering his options—which was very strange—and decided with a growl that saving Miss Martian's life was indeed more important. He picked her up and rushed her out of the building. "Okay, now you three… find the thief…" Robin said weekly, falling to his knees.

"No way," said Shifter, bending down to grab his younger companion. "You're about to crash from this bug. Come on, there'll be more chances. We're getting back to the circus." The boy wonder looked like he wanted to protest, but instead he hung his head as he was carried away by Roy and Desmond.

XxXxX

They managed to sneak into the circus ground without being spotted by Haly or Faraday, who was still snooping around. Despite how late it was, a good amount of performers were still out and about. Since shows started around eight at night, the performers got the chance to sleep in almost every day. Desmond felt restless this evening, so he decided to stay up a bit.

"Where're you going?" asked Dane as Desmond got up to leave. All performers got their own rooms on the large Haly Circus train. Desmond, Dane, Dean and Dan all shared one room, while Diane and Dawn shared another. "Are you trying to look suspicious?"

"There's like twenty people out there, Dean," said Desmond. "Lighten up, I'm just going for a walk. You want to come, Dean?" He looked to Dean, who shook his head. Desmond shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'd ask you, Dan, but… you know…" In response, Dan shuddered under his blankets. "I'll bring you some soup or something." And with that he walked out of his bunk and into the openness of the train car.

As he began walking towards an exit, the door next to him opened. Out walked Diane. "Oh, hey Des," she said. "What're you doing out here?"

"Going for a walk," Desmond answered. "You?"

"I was just about to do the same," she said. She held an arm out jokingly. "Shall we?" Desmond smiled and nodded, and the two walked out of the train car.

The grounds where the circus had set up were nice and open, and performers were milling about. Desmond quietly noted to Diane that he didn't see the fire breather, whose name was Arthur, or the acrobat brothers. As they walked they ran into an old woman, a self-proclaimed fortune teller by the name of Madam Sight. Several times she had asked the children if they wanted to "gaze into their futures," and each time they all declined. Despite her pestering, however, she was a very nice woman. She did not perform in the shows, instead tending to a stand that was situated at the entrance to the main tent. She acted as a way to warm up potential buyers to the show, giving them a glimpse into the wonderment they were about to witness.

"Why hello, children," she said, a big smile spreading across her wrinkled face. "How are you tonight?" Desmond and Diane smiled at Madam Sight.

"We're fine, Madam," said Desmond. Diane nodded in agreement. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good dear," she said. She looked as if she was going to say something more, but then took a sniff of the air. "You both smell like smoke. Have you been spending time with Arthur tonight?"

"You could say that," Diane whispered quietly to Desmond. He gently elbowed her in the gut, and she smiled. "Yes, Madam. He was showing us his routine for the next show. Fun stuff." Madam Sight nodded.

"Well that sounds like fun," she said. Desmond and Diane both smiled again, and began to turn away. "Oh wait, before you go…" Desmond and Diane both groaned inwardly. "Would either of you like to gaze into your futures? Free of charge, for fellow circus members."

"No thank you," Desmond said over his shoulder. And before Madam Sight could protest, the teens were long gone.

XxXxX

The next day, the teens were all sitting in the boy's bunk. They were discussing their theories on the robberies, in hushed tones.

"So two thieves, right?" Diane whispered. "The acrobat and the fire breather, dressed in identical clothes." Dean nodded his agreement with this theory.

"Maybe not just two," said Dan, pulling up his holographic computer on his wrist. "Here's the Madrid security footage." The team watched a video of a man pulling iron bars on a window apart. The scene shifted. "And now Paris." A man walked across a telephone wire, as if it were a tightrope.

"So the strongman and the clown too," said Dane. "If the entire circus is involved, Haly himself might be the mastermind."

"You don't know that!" Dan whispered angrily. He stood up and moved for the door. "I told you to keep an open mind." He walked out, sliding the door angrily shut behind him.

"Hello Megan!" said Dawn, slapping her own forehead. "I'll read Haly's mind." Dane didn't look so sure about that.

"I'm not sure we can trust you to do that without tipping him off," he reasoned. Suddenly Dean got up in his face.

Or maybe you don't trust her at all, he said, making use of the mental link. I heard you talking to Robin back at the cave. I know you're only here to spy on the four of us.

There's a mole on this team, said Roy, pushing Conner away. All four of you are suspects. M'gann and Artemis have already been caught in lies, and who knows if Cadmus pre-programmed you to do their bidding.

"Would you just shut up?" demanded Desmond suddenly. "Leave them out of this. Leave all of us out of this. Do you really think that anyone here would want to go against the rest of the team? We've fought side by side, and we know what each other are capable of. If anyone was to try and fight the rest of us, together, they would be the biggest idiot I've ever met. Kind of like how you're acting right now."

"Watch your mouth, Marigold," Roy said. They way he said Desmond's name made it seem like he knew that it was a pseudonym, that he knew his true name was Desmond al Ghul. "If you want a fight you've got one. Maybe you're on your ass without me even lifting my bow." Conner suddenly came to his friend's aid.

"And maybe I take your head off without even trying," he snarled. Desmond hardened himself, ready for a fight. M'gann stepped in, putting hands on Conner and Desmond's shoulders.

"Okay boys," she said. "Maybe we need to take a time out here." She guided them to the door, which they begrudgingly filed out of.

"I need some space," Desmond informed his alien teammates. "I'm going for a walk." He seemed to be taking a lot of those now, but M'gann or Conner didn't try and stop him. Desmond walked out of the train, and began moving along its side. It was fairly long, so there was lots of ground to cover. A light snow was falling, making the bleak day appear even bleaker. As he walked along the many cars, he saw another figure further ahead. He quickly realized it was Robin, standing with a hand pressed to his ear. Must be talking to Wally, Desmond thought to himself. He hung back a bit, waited for Robin to move his hand away from his ear, then walked over.

When he heard Desmond walking over, Robin raised his head. "Oh, hey Des," he said, sounding somber. "You got a lot on your mind too?" Desmond nodded.

"You could say that…" he mused. Roy didn't trust Desmond at all, but did Robin. He thought so, but he wasn't one hundred percent positive. "So who was that on the communicator?"

"Kid Flash," Robin said. "Just wanted to know how the mission was going." Robin looked up at the side of the train. It was covered in colorful posters; one read "Strongman!" and another read "Titano the Elephant!" Robin's eyes were locked on one showing what appeared to be a family of acrobats, with the title "The Flying Graysons."

"The Flying Graysons, huh?" Desmond asked. "I haven't seen them on the tour. Are they only part time acts or something?" Robin looked away.

"Not, uh… not really…" he said quietly. "They're… they're my old family…" That sentence sounded wrong. Something about the way he said it. And what did he mean by that, anyway?

"Your old family?" Desmond asked, trying to make eye contact with the shorter boy. "What do you mean? Are you…" suddenly the realization hit him. He'd known Robin for months now. He was an expert acrobat, and as far as he knew, he wasn't biologically related to Batman. So where does a billionaire playboy get a child anyway? From a circus. A child without a family anymore. "Were you in the Flying Graysons?"

Robin leaned against the train cart, and slumped down to the ground. He looked at his feet, refusing to look at Desmond, but he didn't protest when the older hero sat down next to him. "I was one of the Flying Graysons, yeah," Robin confirmed. "A few years back there was… my parents and siblings…" He lapsed into silence for a moment, but Desmond didn't pry. He'd spent his whole life trying to run away from his family, but now there was a boy who was the exact opposite. He had no family to run away from, or run towards. Desmond suddenly felt like he was taking Ra's advances for a partnership for granted. He quickly shook the thought from his mind.

"And then you found Batman?" Desmond guessed.

"More like Batman found me," he corrected. "And then I started as Robin." He looked up at Desmond, and they made eye contact. Then he did something completely unexpected; Robin, the mysterious boy wonder, removed his mask. For the first time since Desmond had met him, he didn't see Robin. He saw a thirteen (actually fourteen as of a few weeks ago) boy, with pale blue eyes full of sadness. "My real name's Dick Grayson," he said after a moment. "So, there's the big reveal. Pretty underwhelming, huh?" Desmond sighed, then smiled slightly.

"Nah, not underwhelming," he said. "Just… whelming." Despite Dick's sadness at remembering his family, he managed a smile. Desmond smiled back and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Dick Grayson."

So that was nice and touching, right? Obviously my next chapter will wrap up the rest of the episode. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I can't wait to get the next one up there. So please favorite, review, and follow if you feel inclined to do so. Until next time!