Chapter 16

After arriving at the location Red Arrow sent them, the team found the doctor working on one of the computers. Quickly addressing that they were sent by the red archer, the doctor reluctantly stopped screaming. Setting up quickly, Aqualad ordered Miss Martian and Superboy to keep watch outside while the rest of them stay in the computer lab where the doctor was working in.

"Miss Martian, link us up," Aqualad ordered through their com. "We do not want the shadows to intercept our com."

The martian nodded before setting up the link. 'Everyone online?'

Artemis shivered and looked at her hands, not able to process the feeling of the mind-link yet. 'Ohh, this is weird.'

'And distracting,' Doctor Roquette snapped, having trouble in sneaking around the system and making the system to overdrive the fog. 'Coding a distributive algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with less ram than a wristwatch is hard enough, now I have to hear teen-think in my skull?'

'Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you' Wally groaned from where he stood beside Robin who silently agreed with the doctor.

'Pot, kettle,' Artemis said as if she were speaking to a toddler. 'Have you met?'

Wally glared at the blonde archer, his patience for her deteriorating quickly. 'Hey, I do not need attitude from the newbie who kicked off Red Arrow from the team.'

'That is so not on me,' Artemis glared back. The two of them glared at each other, none of them wanting to back down.

'Fate of the world at stake,' Doctor Roquette groaned as two of her so-called protectors fought right in front of her and distracting her from her task.

'She started it,' Kid Flash argued.

'How 'bout I just help Miss Martian and Superboy patrol the perimeter,' Artemis said, wanting to not be in the same room as the ginger.

'Good idea,' Aqualad agreed.

When the door behind her closed, Robin looked at her best friend who was still looking pissed off.

'You might want to cut her some slack,' Robin said. 'It was her arrow that saved your butt against Amazo.'

'What? No, that was Speedy's— I mean Red Arrow, right?' Kid Flash exclaimed, not wanting to believe that the archer was the one who saved him that time.

'Not so much,' Robin answered with a smug grin.

The speedster huffed at her response. 'Well, still not giving her the satisfaction.'

'You now I can still hear you,' Artemis said, reminding the two that she was still part of the mind link

Robin winced while the redhead yelled in frustration.

The doctor rubbed the bridge of her nose, annoyed at her current situation. 'I couldn't get the Justice League,' she grumbled.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"So, things good with you and the new girl?" Robin said as she plopped onto the sofa Wally was sitting on.

The team just got back from their mission an hour after midnight Aqualad now giving the briefing to Batman and Green Arrow.

"I still don't like the idea of her joining the team," Wally grumbled as he moved to make space for her.

Robin hummed, understanding where he's coming from. "Why are you still here by the way?" she asked, only noticing what time it was.

"I wanted to talk to you," Wally answered, turning to look at her, his eyes soft and worried. "Are you okay? You seem sadder lately, are things still rough at home?"

Robin stared at him, her eyes calculating. She knew her father was waiting for her by the entrance, not letting his presence known and probably waiting for her reply. She sighed, "Yeah, things haven't really changed much since the whole CADMUS incident. Jason seems to be trying to start conversations with me but I'm not so sure anymore. I'm still mad at them but I just want things to be better now."

Robin heard the faint footsteps of her father walking away but paid no heed. The two of them sat there in silence, not knowing what to say.

"Well, if it's getting too overbearing for you, just give me a call, or come over some time, I miss our hangouts," Wally offered with a small smile.

Robin smiled at this, "Yeah, I miss it too. Thanks, Wally, I really needed this."

"No problem, Robs," Wally said, standing up. "I better head home, don't want my parents to get mad at me for staying out late again."

Robin chuckled. "Yeah, I need to get back to Gotham anyways. Call later?"

"Call you later," Wally agreed before zooming off to the zeta tubes.

Robin was left alone and sighed to herself, not wanting to go just yet. Getting up from the sofa, the thirteen-year-old left the room and started going where she heard her mentor walked off to.

After a few minutes of walking down the halls, she found him talking to Green Arrow once more, the two of them talking in hush whispers.

"Are we going home yet?" she asked, not bothering if she was intruding their conversation.

"Yes," Batman said as Green Arrow nodded to her in acknowledgment.

Robin nodded and went through the zeta beam, leaving her father with the archer. As the light of the zeta beam faded, she saw Tim sitting in front of the Bat-computer, typing away while Damian stood beside him, reading what was on the screen. The two of them not acknowledging her presence, both of them too focused on the screen. Not even batting an eye, she just continued to the staircase leading to the elevator when Tim spoke up.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Groaning quietly, she turned to look at her older brothers. "Going up to my room, school does continue tomorrow," she replied.

"I said we needed to talk," Tim said as he turned the chair to face her.

"And we will," she agreed as she peeled off her mask. "Tomorrow, I want to get some sleep."

She turned and continued to make her way to the exit as she felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from entering the elevator.

"Fine, but tomorrow, we will talk," Damian said, his voice firm, before joining Tim once more. The zeta beam announcing the arrival of their father.

"Okay," Dixie said under her breath before entering the elevator, the door shutting closed.