Chapter 15
Dixie zipped up her duffle bag, her change of clothes and bathing suit. Hauling it over her shoulder, she exited her room and walked up to one of the nearest entrances to the Batcave which so happened to be the library. Entering the library she was shocked to see Tim talking with Jason, the younger of the two looking grumpy as always. The two of them stopped what they were talking about and looked at her. Getting over the shocked, she pulled one of the books on a bookshelf for it to click open to reveal a tunnel leading to the cave down below.
"Where you going, Dix?" Jason called out before she could enter the tunnel.
Dixie suppressed a groan and turned to look at her two older brothers with a straight face. "The team decided to spend our last few days of freedom before school starts and it just so happens to be that Mount Justice is right beside the beach."
"Oh," Jason said, a little disappointment in his voice but Dixie probably just heard wrong. "Have fun."
"Thanks," Dixie replied but right before she can close the shelf behind her Tim spoke up.
"And Dixie, we need to talk," Tim said with a serious tone.
"Of course you do," Dixie said under her breath but was sure her brothers heard it before closing the entrance behind her.
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"Hey, Robin! You ready to head for the beach?!" M'gann practically screamed as she flew instantly in front of the thirteen-year-old one she entered the Mountain.
"Woah, breath, Miss M," Robin said in slight shock with the Martian's energy. "Yeah, I have all my things ready, we can just change to our bathing suits and head down to the beach, it's not going anywhere anytime soon."
"I know, it's just the first time I've ever gone to the beach! Water is so fascinating, we don't have those on Mars!" M'gann squealed once more but realized she was starting to be loud again. "Oops, sorry," she smiled sheepishly.
Robin shook her head with a small amused smile on her face. "It's okay, just try to keep it down, SB might not be used to his super hearing yet."
"Of course," M'gann nodded. The two of them started making their way to the hanger to meet up Superboy and Kaldur.
"Hey, guys! Ready for the beach cause Miss M here is ecstatic," Robin joked.
"We are, indeed, we were just waiting for you and Wally before changing and heading out," Kaldur answered.
"Oh, Wally didn't tell you guys?" Robin asked in mild shock.
"No, why? What happened?" M'gann asked instantly looking alarmed.
"It's nothing big, M'gann," Robin said, calming the other girl down. "It's just that it's his first day of school today, he won't be out 'til his classes are over. The only reason why I don't have school yet is because of the gym and some lockers being destroyed during our last mission."
"Oh, hello, M'gann!" the Martian slapped her forehead, saying her usual catchphrase. "That's why he was so down when we suggested it! Oh poor, Wally, I feel bad for leaving him out."
Robin let out a small cackled and threw one of her arms around M'gann. "Don't worry, Miss M. I bet he's doing just fine. Let's go change and have some fun!"
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Just as Aqualad and Superboy were about to dive into the water for a race that she was excited to watch, Robin heard her communicator beeping in her bag that was left on the sand. Groaning, she walked to her bag as she heard Megan ready to start the race. Pulling the communicator out, she couldn't help but groan once more.
"Sorry guys, seems like we need to reschedule this race for another time," Robin said with a slight tone but the others couldn't figure out why.
"Did something happen?" Aqualad asked as he got out of the water, followed by the Martian and Kryptonian.
"You can say that," Robin mused, pulling her bag over her shoulders. "Bats has a mission for us, we better take a quick shower and meet in the briefing room in 15 minutes. Hopefully, KF is here by then but knowing him, he most probably hasn't seen the message yet."
"Awww," Megan said sadly. "I was really excited to see the race."
"Nope, we're gonna see that race someday, maybe not today but we will," Robin said cheekily. "Let's go hurry up now, no time to waste."
The four of them went to their own room and as Robin felt the door to her room shut behind her, she sighed and threw her glasses to the untouched bed. Dropping her bag on the floor without care, she couldn't help but think about the arrow that saved Wally on their last mission. Shaking her head, she got onto the task at hand and started a quick shower and once done, changed into her uniform.
Making sure her mask was securely covering her eyes, she exited her room and made her way to the briefing room. Walking in, she didn't expect to see her father accompanied by Red Tornado and Green Arrow talking to a blond girl wearing a superhero costume that closely resembled Green Arrow. Noting the bow and quiver filled with arrows strapped on the girl's back, Robin realized she had the same arrow that they found on their last mission.
When the four other people in the room failed to acknowledge her presence, she cleared her throat, making the two green-clad heroes jump slightly but Batman still remaining stoic as ever.
"So, who wants to explain what's going on?" Robin asked as she walked up to her spot on the briefing room.
"Robin," Green Arrow started, giving Batman and Red Tornado a slide glance before turning to look at the girl beside him. "We just got intel from Speedy about a potential threat and we think it would be right to send the Team."
"Okay," Robin dragged out, eyeing the teenage girl beside the elder. "So is your niece here joining us?"
Both Green Arrow and the girl tensed at that but the Girl Wonder remained calm and still had the air of ignorance around her.
"Yeah," Green Arrow answered cautiously, knowing full well that Robin knew or at least had an idea who Artemis was. "This is my niece, Artemis. She's an archer and Batman talked about letting her join the team."
Robin nodded as she heard the other three members of the Team join her. She was sure that they heard her conversation with the senior hero, playing to the script. "Well I guess, welcome to the Team, Artemis but trust me, you just signed yourself on a one-time contract."
Artemis chuckled but it was obvious that she felt tense and awkward at first.
Just as Green Arrow was about to say something once more, the Zeta-Beam announce the entrance of Kid Flash.
"The Wall-Man is here! Now let get this party star-," Wally yelled as he tripped and crashed onto the floor with all the things he brought to the beach. "-ted."
Robin couldn't help but let out a genuine laugh at seeing her best friend crash onto the ground with all the things he brought, in his swim trunks nonetheless. Figures he didn't see the message at all.
The redhead looked up, groaning in pain to only be greeted by the sight of Artemis, the blond having a smug look on her face, completely different from how tense she was earlier.
"Wall-Man huh? I love the uniform," Artemis teased. "What exactly are your powers?"
Slightly ticked off with her attitude, Wally turned to look at his best friend than to the two grown adults in the room. "Uh, who's this?"
"Artemis, you're new teammate," Green Arrow answered.
"Kid Flash," Wally said as he started dusting himself as he stood up. "Never heard of you."
Green Arrow gave another side glance at the two bats but answered awkwardly. "Um, she's my new protege."
"What happened to your old one?" Wally said, angrily.
Just as he said that the Zeta-Beam announce the arrival of the said archer.
"Well, for starters, he doesn't go by Speedy anymore," Roy grumbled as he entered. "Call me Red Arrow."
"Roy," Green Arrow yelped. "You look–"
"Replaceable," Roy cut off his former mentor as he looked at Artemis.
"It's not like that," Green Arrow said, his voice tense. "You told me you were going solo."
"So why waste time finding a sub? Can she even use that bow?" Red Arrow argued.
Seeing the blond walk angrily between the two, Robin internally sighed knowing how well this was going to turn out.
"Yes, she can," Artemis said, looking at Roy in the eye.
"Who are you?" Wally asked exasperatedly, obviously ticked off with her attitude.
"I'm his niece."
"She's my niece."
"Another niece?" Robin asked, knowing full well that she was digging her own grave once more.
"But she is not your replacement," Aqualad interjected before things could spiral out of control. "We have always wanted you on the team, and we have no quota on archers."
"And if we did, you know who we'd pick," Wally added, looking at the female archer with some distaste.
"Whatever, Baywatch. I'm here to stay," Artemis glared at the speedster.
"You came to us for a reason," Aqualad said, wanting to change the topic to the task at hand.
"Yeah, a reason named Dr. Serling Roquette," Roy said, looking at Robin expectedly.
Realizing he was waiting for her, the Girl Wonder brought up her files on said doctor. "Nanorobotics genius and claytronics expert at Royal University in Star City… vanished two weeks ago."
"Abducted two weeks ago," Roy corrected. "By the League of Shadows."
"Woah," Kid Flash said excitedly. "You want us to rescue her from the Shadows?"
Both the Girl Wonder and Kid Flash looked at each other, both slightly looking forward to the mission.
"I already rescued her," Roy said, making the two pout when hearing that. "Only one problem. The shadow had already coerced her into making a weapon."
Bringing up a new slide, the archer showed pictures and data regarding the weapon. "Doc calls it the Fog. Comprised by millions of microscopic robots, nanotech infiltrators capable of disintegrating anything in their path, concrete, steel, flesh, bone. But it's true purpose isn't mere destruction, it's theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer and deliver the stolen intel to the Shadows, providing them access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting edge science and tech."
"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking. Yeah, sounds likes the Shadows," Artemis boredly said.
"Like you know anything about the Shadows," Wally argued. When he didn't seem to get the response he wanted, he just yelled, "Who are you?!"
Ignoring the two, Robin rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Roy who was acting like the two weren't there.
"Roquette's working on a virus to render the Fog inert," Roy continued.
"But if the Shadows know she can do that-" Robin said aloud, but being cut of by Roy.
"They'll target her," Roy finished. "Right now she's off the grid. I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab."
"You left her alone?" Green Arrow asked shocked.
"She's safe for now," Roy snapped at his former mentor.
"Then let's you and I keep it that way."
"You and I?" Roy asked angrily through gritted teeth. "Don't you wanna take your new protege?"
"You brought this to the team, it's their mission, which means its her's now, too," Green Arrow backed down.
"Then my jobs done," Roy stomped off to the Zeta-Tube but as it called him Speedy, he corrected it once more. "That's Red Arrow, B06. Update."
And with the flash of light, he was gone.
Wally and Artemis both made eye contact before turning away from each other.
"Team, prepare for your mission, you will depart in five minutes," Batman ordered before turning back to Green Arrow and Red Tornado.
Robin ignored the brief eye contact she had with her father and turned to look at her best friend, a smile plastered on her face. The rest of the team started making their way to the hanger where the bio-ship was at, Miss Martian talking animatedly to Artemis.
"You better go change, Walls, I highly doubt you wanna go out like that," Robin joked.
"Ha ha," Wally said before speeding away and coming back in a few seconds notice in his costume in stealth mode. "So how was your time at the beach?"
Robin shrugged as the red head placed an arm around her shoulder. "It was fun, we should do that more often, hopefully when you can go as well. Aqualad and Superboy were about to have a race on who was a faster swimmer when we were called back in for the mission, something you didn't see in your communicator."
"Hey! I was at school, okay?" Wally said, knowing that the younger was only joking.
"Excuses," Robin waved off. "Let's go join the rest of the team at the hanger, we should leave soon."
As she and Kid Flash walked out of the room, she felt her father's eyes trained on the two of them. Ignoring her father's prying eyes, she exited the room with her best friend, not even turning to look at him.